Residents in La Cumbre, Versalles Endure Over 104 Hours Without Power or Water

For more than 104 hours—over four days—the residents of 15th Street between 227 and 230, in the La Cumbre neighborhood of Versalles, Matanzas, have been living without electricity or clean water. The culprit? A broken cable on a pole in their street that remains unrepaired.

This dire situation was brought to light by journalist Yuni Moliner through a Facebook post, where she shared the account of a neighbor directly affected by the outage.

Moliner detailed that the issue began four days ago when a cable snapped on the pole on 15th Street. "We’re not talking about a transformer that could take over 40 days to replace... it’s just a cable," emphasized the journalist, highlighting the severity of the lack of action.

Efforts to Resolve the Outage

The affected residents reported the issue to the Matanzas Electric Company, but were informed the next day that their report was canceled due to incorrect address information.

After resubmitting their complaint, they received report number 22557. Despite daily calls, no repair crew has shown up.

The latest communication from the operator of the official helpline, number 18888, promised to forward the case to the Public Attention Office. However, this office doesn’t operate over the weekend or on holidays, meaning the earliest possible response would be the following Tuesday.

Widespread Impacts and Systemic Issues

An issue as straightforward as a broken cable can leave an entire block without power or water for over a week, due to systemic inaction. While the rest of Versalles experiences sporadic electricity and water supply, the residents of this specific block have been completely deprived of both.

Without electricity, water is also inaccessible, as the pumping systems supplying Versalles, the Industrial Zone, and Pueblo Nuevo are reliant on electrical power.

This is not an isolated incident. Moliner mentioned her participation in a recent meeting where over 200 unresolved complaints were discussed, just in the main municipality. These included fallen cables, faulty transformers, and other neglected issues.

Recurring Pattern of Negligence

In July, areas near the offices of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Provincial Government experienced 87 consecutive hours without electricity. Earlier that month, Cuba faced its third nationwide blackout in 2026, affecting approximately 9.6 million people.

The pattern Moliner describes is recurring: specific faults, ignored reports, unanswered calls from residents, and a bureaucracy that obstructs emergency responses outside of regular working hours.

In June, Ceiba Mocha residents endured a week without power due to a faulty transformer; in July, around 80 families in the Frutas Selectas circuit were left powerless for days due to a blown fuse.

Moliner concluded her report with a phrase she heard during the meeting, which she believes encapsulates the situation: "We can't keep acting as if things are different. Alternatives must be found, and the electric company needs to act according to the current times."