Cubans need a minute to breathe.
October brought blackouts due to energy grid breakdowns. Hurricane Oscar slammed the eastern part of the island on October 20. Then on November 6, Hurricane Rafael ripped through the western region. Strong winds knocked out the power grid over the whole country. The storm destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate.
And then the earthquake rumbled through on Sunday.
It had a starting magnitude of 6.8 on the seismic scale. (The largest earthquake ever recorded was a magnitude of 9.5.) Residents felt shaking over the eastern stretch of Cuba. Media in Jamaica also reported tremors.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries in Cuba. But residents felt the impact. Yolanda Tabio is 76. She says people flocked to the streets. They nervously sat in doorways after the quake.
“You had to see how everything was moving, the walls, everything,” she says.
Residents in the small town of Pilon reported minor damage. They posted photos of crumbling roofs and cracks in building walls on social media.
Blackouts and wider discontent stoke small protests across the island.
Cuban authorities said Sunday they had arrested a number of people for disorderly behavior. The organization Justicia 11J posted on social media. It confirmed that authorities arrested at least three people protesting in Ciego de Avila on November 7.
“After the town was without electricity for more than 24 hours, the people of the town took to the streets banging on kettles and chanting, ‘Turn on the power,’” Justicia 11J wrote.
Beyond the natural disasters, frustrations on the island were already simmering. An economic crisis and soaring prices for gasoline and food leave average Cubans scrambling. They have difficulty buying even the most basic items like chicken and eggs. Thousands of Cubans have left the country in recent years. The government meets protests with crackdowns.
The most notable protest came in July 2021. Food shortages fueled mass demonstrations. The protests included a few cases of looting and violence.
Non-governmental groups that monitor the crisis reported that around 1,000 people were arrested. About 700 had to go to court. The government accused protesters of sabotage, violent robbery, assault, and public disorder. Many family members of those detained insist that their children were not involved in any violent crimes.
Cubans held smaller demonstrations in October 2022 and again in March this year.
Pray for the people of Cuba. May many come to know Jesus in the aftermath of so many storms and losses. Pray government leaders will serve with integrity.
