A lukewarm jug of water was all that remained in the refrigerator of a Cuban woman known on TikTok as @la.cubanita621. On Sunday, she shared a video starkly illustrating the grim reality faced by countless families across the island: power outages lasting between 30 and 40 hours that ruin the expensive food they've managed to purchase.
"So many hours... all the food, the little we had, which isn't given to us and costs so much, we had to throw it away," the woman laments while revealing the empty interior of her fridge. "This is what's left. Look, even the water isn't cold."
She explains that the scant electricity they receive—barely one or two hours a day—is insufficient to freeze anything. "This is disrespectful; they leave us without power for 30, 40 hours, giving just one or two hours that aren't enough to freeze anything at all," she asserts, her voice cracking with emotion.
The video was posted on the same day the national power deficit reached 2,120 MW, with only 980 MW available across the country. Just three days earlier, on June 25, the deficit had soared to 2,208 MW, marking the worst in Cuba's history and leaving 66-70% of the population simultaneously without electricity.
By June 2026, Havana was experiencing outages lasting between 20 and 24 hours daily. In Matanzas, some areas suffered through 85 consecutive hours without electricity. Meanwhile, Granma and Santiago de Cuba exceeded 48 hours without power. The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in the country, registered its 15th breakdown of the year on June 15.
Impact on Food Security
The effect on food security is catastrophic. The Food Monitor Program reports that 96% of Cubans have lost their ability to purchase food, with 33.9% of households having at least one member go to bed hungry in May 2026. Cuba imports about 80% of its consumption needs, and national production has dropped by 67% over the past five years.
The video by @la.cubanita621 is not an isolated incident. In May, an 80-year-old woman showed her empty, defrosted fridge due to the power cuts, and a mother documented four days without electricity, resorting to cooking defrosted meat. Displaying empty refrigerators on social media has become a form of citizen protest against a crisis the regime publicly denies.
Public Outcry and Government Response
The discontent has erupted beyond social media. On the same Sunday, residents in Old Havana cried out "Freedom!" after enduring more than 40 hours without power. The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,311 protests in May 2026 alone, a 29.5% increase from the previous year and the highest monthly figure ever. The regime has responded with police deployments and arrests.
The woman in the video concluded her protest with a question that captures the fatigue of many: "How long will this go on? We stay silent, but staying silent means continuing to cry in the same misery." She then bitterly named what she showed: "This is a true cold of revolution, of resistance, of creativity."
Frequently Asked Questions About Cuba's Power Crisis
What is causing the prolonged power outages in Cuba?
The extended power outages are primarily due to the country's significant energy deficit, exacerbated by frequent breakdowns at major power plants like the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant.
How are these outages affecting everyday life in Cuba?
The outages severely impact daily life, leading to spoiled food due to lack of refrigeration, increased hunger as purchasing power diminishes, and heightened frustration among the population, resulting in public protests.
How has the Cuban government responded to the crisis?
The Cuban regime has largely denied the severity of the crisis publicly while responding to protests with police deployments and arrests, attempting to suppress the growing discontent.