A Cuban described how a typical afternoon unfolds on the island when the power goes out: the fan stops working, the heat makes it impossible to rest, and a routine begins of cooking with charcoal, swatting mosquitoes, and hoping for rain to cool the atmosphere.
In a video shared on TikTok, the woman recounts with a mix of irony and resignation the struggles that thousands of Cuban families face daily due to prolonged power outages.
"Imagine you are at home after a busy morning of work and you have the afternoon off... you lie down on the bed, and just as you start to doze off, you feel the fan turn off," he says.
The interruption of electrical service marks the beginning of a series of inconveniences. Without power to turn on the fan and, at times, without gas to prepare food, cooking with charcoal becomes one of the alternatives to solve the meal situation.
The situation does not improve when night falls. The Cuban woman describes how she has to shower before going to bed, leave the windows open in an attempt to combat the heat, and wave a handkerchief to scare away the mosquitoes while she waits for a downpour to arrive.
"There is, in addition to the current situation, a lack of connection and coverage," he adds, referring to the difficulties in communicating during power outages.
His account aligns with the experiences of many families who, faced with a lack of electricity and high temperatures, have chosen to sleep on rooftops, in parks, and even along the Malecón to find some relief during the nights.
Blackouts also impact communications. ETECSA acknowledged that up to 47.5% of its mobile radio bases could become inoperative during prolonged power supply interruptions, a situation that restricts access to calls and the Internet.
The energy crisis in Cuba has worsened in 2026, with widespread power outages in various provinces. In August, CNN en Español documented the difficulties faced by the island's residents in carrying out daily activities such as cooking, resting, or preserving food due to the lack of electricity supply.
The absence of electricity, in addition to disrupting rest and household chores, exacerbates the challenges faced by those who must endure the tropical heat without fans or other means to cool their homes.
The Cuban woman ends her account with a phrase that encapsulates the exhaustion this reality brings: "It's that difficult; it feels like both a joke and a horror movie, but it's the daily life of millions of Cubans, and yes, it's today, in 2026."
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