A Cuban resident abroad recently returned to Chambas, a municipality in northern Ciego de Ávila, to celebrate her mother's 87th birthday, and what she found left her with a pain she decided to share on Facebook: her hometown has gone for months without television signal, has barely an hour and a half of electricity a day, and food prices that consume almost an entire pension.
Delma López Gutiérrez described a series of crises that are simultaneously affecting the inhabitants of that municipality, which has about 36,000 residents, located 65 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital. "For months, there has been no television signal, meaning the residents have not been able to watch television for months," she wrote.
The interruption of broadcasts in Chambas, Bolivia, and Florencia was acknowledged since January 2026 by Radiocuba and Televisión Avileña, which attributed the problem to a lack of diesel for the generators of the transmitters, a situation that has yet to be resolved.
In addition to that, there is the collapse of mobile and landline communications. "The communications are terrible; even when there is electricity, you can't connect through Nauta, and data communication works for a total of maybe one hour a day," López Gutiérrez reported.
The origin of this digital collapse is directly linked to power outages: ETECSA warned that the outages can render up to 47.5% of mobile radio bases and 56.5% of telecommunications cabinets inoperable, and that the infrastructure cannot withstand more than 24 hours without electricity.
Regarding electricity, the picture described by the author is one of extreme deprivation: "Power is available for an hour and a half in the morning and, if God wills it, one more hour at night or in the early morning, but not every day; some days it's 1.5 hours with power and 3 hours without, and that's it."
Ciego de Ávila has been one of the provinces most affected by the national energy crisis. The Provincial Electric Company admitted in August that there are areas without service for more than ten days due to damaged transformers and a lack of spare parts, and that it receives more than 100 reports daily but can only address between 55 and 75. This Monday, the Electric Union estimated a availability of just 1,030 MW against a national demand of 2,900 MW, covering only 36% of what the country needs.
Without enough electricity, cooking becomes another issue. Most of the neighbors in Chambas turn to coal or wood, but during the rainy days of López Gutiérrez's visit, even that was hard to come by.
The most striking detail from his testimony is the prices: “The prices of food and other necessities are unimaginable, which makes me think with concern and sorrow about so many vulnerable people with salaries and pensions of 4,000 pesos in a town where 30 eggs cost 3,500.”
This brutal contrast—a pension of 4,000 pesos against a carton of eggs that costs 3,500—reflects an inflation rate that, according to data from September 2026, reached 42.66% year-on-year in food and non-alcoholic beverages.
López Gutiérrez did not hide his indignation at the passivity of those in power to act: “This is part of the pain, combined with desperation, hopelessness in the face of so much calamity, and indignation when you see the indifference of some entrepreneurs and leaders towards such a dire reality.”
Residents of Chambas acknowledged the tough situation. "It's sad what they are doing to our town and our people, who have no relief or solution," wrote one user. Another added, "The reality of our country today is sad and difficult, and the worst part is that no one knows how long this situation will last."
The author concluded her statement with a phrase that encapsulates the weight of what the chamberos experience: "Not only does the body die, but the soul does too, and that hurts even more."
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