A Cuban named Mileydis González posted a video on Facebook in which she vividly describes the emotional and physical impact that blackouts have on her daily life, a testimony that immediately resonated with thousands of Cubans who are experiencing the same agony.
"These power outages have me feeling so agitated and depressed. Many times, I wake up feeling down for no reason. What happened to me? Nothing. The only thing that happened is that I spent the entire night in the dark with a heat I couldn't stand. How could you not wake up feeling depressed?" says Mileydis in the clip.
The account does not stop at the lack of electricity. The young woman describes a chain of deprivations that accumulates from dawn: "You want to brew a bit of coffee to relax, but there's no gas. Oh no, but you think you'll take a little shower to cool off from the sweat of the whole night, and there's no water."
"It's not just that you have no light; it's that there's no light, there's no water, there's no life, and people are feeling depressed," summarizes the Cuban before posing the question that millions are asking: "How much longer will this last? That's what I want to know. Come on, this can't go on any longer."
Mileydis's testimony is not an isolated case. Cuba is experiencing one of the worst electrical crises in its history. This Saturday, the Electric Union reported a capacity of only 1,030 MW against a demand of 2,590 MW, with a projected deficit of 1,720 MW during peak hours.
In May, the records were even more devastating: on the 14th of that month, the largest historical deficit was reached, with 2,174 MW, leaving 70% of the country without electricity simultaneously. In provinces like Granma, power outages lasted between 45 and 48 consecutive hours.
The researcher Jorge Piñón warned on Friday that nearly 60% of the 19 units of the eight thermoelectric plants in the country were out of service, and that the problem "does not have a quick solution."
The electricity crisis brings with it a lack of water and gas, creating a triple deprivation that disrupts the most basic routines. Eighty-seven percent of Cuban aqueducts depend on the National Electric System, so every blackout also halts the pumping. According to official data cited in May, nearly 2.7 million people lacked regular access to drinking water, and around 10 million experienced intermittent supply.
The psychological impact of this situation is being scientifically documented. A study published in Social Science & Medicine in 2026, based on a survey of 415 Cuban adults, revealed that 55.4% exhibited extremely severe depression, 66% severe anxiety, and 65.8% extreme stress. Younger adults proved to be the most vulnerable group.
The sociologist Elaine Acosta has pointed out that in Cuba, we can already speak of a "mental health epidemic," fueled by economic hardship, a lack of food, and barriers to access.
The social psychologist Yadira Albet described the situation as a public health crisis caused by power outages, where the constant uncertainty generates anxiety and chronic depression.
Meanwhile, the regime of Díaz-Canel continues to attribute the crisis to the American embargo, ignoring decades of technical deterioration and the lack of investment in the generating capacity, which independent experts point out as structural causes.
Mileydis closed her video with an open question to her followers that summarizes the collective exhaustion: “I’m feeling depressed and stressed. Here I am venting to you all. Tell me how you’re feeling, more or less, so I know. Let’s see if I’m the only one.”
Filed under: