A resourceful Cuban man chose to embrace humor and creativity over frustration when faced with a broken refrigerator and relentless power outages. Instead of despairing, he laid his fridge on its side in the yard, filled it with water, and used it as a makeshift jacuzzi. Content creator Yendry García captured this inventive moment and shared it on her TikTok account, @locuras_con_yendry, where it quickly went viral.
The brief 25-second clip features the man enjoying his unconventional hot tub with a satisfied grin, having discovered a dual solution for both the sweltering heat and the defunct appliance.
"Folks, don't stress about life here in Cuba, don't worry about the power outages. If your fridge breaks like mine did, turn it into a jacuzzi. You're not going to have a heart attack over a broken fridge or these blackouts. Look at me, I'm enjoying this, see, see, wonderful," García exclaims in the video, humorously captioned, "Don't go crazy."
Severe Energy Crisis in Cuba
This ingenuity comes amidst Cuba's worst electrical crisis in recent memory, occurring in June 2026. The National Electric System reports daily generation deficits exceeding 2,000 MW, with availability ranging from just 950 to 1,015 MW against a demand of 2,570 to 3,050 MW.
In Havana, residents endure power cuts lasting from 20 to 22 hours daily. In provinces like Matanzas, locals report over 72 consecutive hours without electricity, receiving only two hours of supply during that period. Meanwhile, in Santiago de Cuba, the electric company has acknowledged being unable to provide even two hours of power daily to its users.
The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, one of the country's key facilities, faced its eleventh disconnection of the year by mid-June, with five occurring in just five weeks. Compounding the issue, 106 distributed generation stations remained offline due to fuel shortages, rendering 1,203 MW unavailable.
Creative Solutions Amidst Hardship
With temperatures soaring above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and refrigerators becoming treasured possessions, losing one is a serious blow for any Cuban family. This is why the idea of turning a fridge into a jacuzzi has resonated so deeply.
The fridge-turned-bathtub video is just one example of the Cuban spirit in the face of adversity, joining a slew of inventive responses to the crisis circulating on social media: a rice cooker repurposed as an electric stove, a Cuban woman cooking spaghetti with firewood on her balcony, homemade fans crafted from cardboard and sticks, or a stove fueled by almond leaves.
In Cuba, humor remains one of the few things that power outages can't extinguish.
Addressing Cuba's Energy Challenges
What are the main causes of Cuba's current energy crisis?
Cuba's energy crisis is primarily due to a combination of outdated infrastructure, lack of fuel for distributed power stations, and frequent disconnections of key power plants like the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant.
How are Cubans coping with the power outages?
Cubans are showing resilience and creativity by finding unconventional solutions to everyday problems, such as transforming broken appliances into useful items and crafting makeshift devices to deal with the lack of electricity.