'Stuck between two psychopaths': Cubans describe life as country goes dark

Cubans describe life under oil blockade and uncertainty over America's next moveBy Emilie Gramenz in Washington DC and Harvey Lujes in HavanaTopic:World Politics Link copiedShareShare articleThe colourful charm of Cuba's capital, Havana, has long made it a magnet for tourists from abroad. That's why Betty* decided to start a tour guide business after moving there a couple of years ago. Betty had been forced to leave her home city, further inland, because power blackouts had become crippling. Sometimes, the electricity was out for 16 hours a day. Her tourism business became the main source of income for her family. But now, as the US blocks oil shipments to Cuba and power constantly goes out across the country, the tourism industry is "all but dead", she says. "You can no longer find streets packed with travellers, music and dance," Betty told the ABC. "Only Cuban nationals, still attempting to take some bread home." Some homes in Cuba have been without a water supply for months. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Poor sanitation is contributing to the spread of disease. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Cuba has been subject to punishing American sanctions since 1960, shortly after Fidel Castro and his forces took power and seized foreign assets. In the months leading up to this week's arrest warrant for Fidel Castro's brother, former president Raúl Castro, the Trump administration intensified the pressure campaign. The US has maintained an effective blockade of energy to Cuba since January, when it threatened tariffs on any country that provided oil. It had already stopped Venezuelan oil exports after toppling that country's leader, Nicolás Maduro, in January. Mexico had been a major supplier. By early February, it had halted its shipments. One Russian oil tanker was allowed through the US blockade at the end of March, easing the crisis for about a month. Russia has sent another tanker, but it's not clear if it will be allowed to dock. Havana bears the signs of decades of neglect. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Prices have rocketed, and many businesses have closed. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) For now, Betty travels around Havana to friends' homes who might have power, so she can use the internet to try to reach potential foreign visitors. "Old Havana, once the main hub of visitors, is but a ghost town," she said "Prices have skyrocketed for the only still-standing businesses to stay afloat." Betty is plagued by another worry: a toothache that she says hospitals will be unable to address due to a lack of power and supplies. She is searching for treatment options on the black market, as Cuba's healthcare system plunges deeper into crisis. UN officials estimate there are 100,000 patients, including 11,000 children, waiting for surgeries delayed by power and supply shortages. Mosquito-borne and water-borne diseases are spreading. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) There are few cars on the road, and getting around is becoming more difficult. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Sewage infrastructure is breaking down, causing disease. Mosquitoes are spreading illness, too. Francisco, who lives just east of Havana in an area called Alamar, said both he and his wife had been infected with the debilitating mosquito-borne chikungunya virus. Both had also had hepatitis A. "I dare say that Havana has become one of the dirtiest cities in Latin America," Francisco said. "Another very serious problem is garbage collection. "Without fuel, the garbage isn't being collected. More than a month goes by without collection, and the townspeople, in protest, start burning it." Where he lives, the electricity supply has dwindled to just six hours a day, three in the morning and three at night. Cuba has been under a US embargo since 1960. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Many Cubans are now wondering what the US will do next. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Summer is now setting in in tropical Cuba. The heat means food wastes in refrigerators with no power supply. Lucia, who lives in a neighbourhood in central Havana, says it is getting harder for people to sleep at night. "Sometimes when it's like 20 hours of blackouts, it's all night long," she said. "There are mosquitoes in the night. I think that's why people are so stressed, because they're not able to sleep. "If you go walking by the street, you can hear people talking, and everybody's talking about the same subject … how hard it is, how many hours without electricity." Cuba experiences intense summers. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Across the country, power supplies have become intermittent and unreliable. (ABC News: Harvey Lujes) Before the US blockade, she said, the power crisis was more manageable. "There were already a lot of blackouts, but it was more organised, if I can say. "Every neighbourhood [block] had a schedule, so you know when you were going to have light, like, four hours a day, four hours yes, four hours no." The US says Cuba is a national security threat. The Trump order that th

'Stuck between two psychopaths': Cubans describe life as country goes dark

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