NOTAMs (notices to airlines and pilots) were published on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel won’t be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11th... at least. After President Trump signed the executive order imposing a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, the country now faces an unprecedented energy crisis.
The desperate rationing of jet fuel may not disrupt shorter regional flights, but presents a significant challenge for long-haul routes from countries like Russia and Canada which have been mainstay's of Cuba's tourism economy. The fuel shortage deals another blow to a country that relies heavily on tourism, an industry that once generated $3 billion in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline.
But it's not only jet fuel that is in short supply... or no supply. Agent 10 reports that in her hometown, in the centre of the island (not Havana), there is no electricity for 20 hours per day. And no electricity means no water. This picture, of people cooking over an open fire in the streets of Havana, shows what things have come to for the ordinary people of Cuba -- victims of 73 years of Communist misrule.
Minions of the Cuban government announced yesterday that bank hours have been reduced and cultural events suspended. In Havana. The public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point.
The energy crisis has forced the suspension of major events like the Havana International Book Fair this past weekend and a restructuring of the national baseball season for greater efficiency. Some banks have cut operating hours and fuel distribution companies said they would no longer sell gas in Cuban pesos. Sales will be made in real money -- Yanqui dollars -- and limited to 20 litres per user.
The latest measures add to others announced Friday, including cuts to bus transportation and limited train departures. Last Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a two-hour televised address, acknowledging the impact and warning that measures would be taken in the coming days.
American sanctions against Cuba have been in place for more than six decades and have long stunted Cuba’s economy. But they reached new extremes after a US military operation deposed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and POTUS began to take an even more confrontational tone toward Latin America.
For the ordinary people of Cuba, the crisis has translated into power outages lasting up to 10 hours, fuel shortages for vehicles, and a lack of food or medicine that many compare to the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the "Special Period" that followed cuts in aid from what was then the Soviet Union.
This means things are going to get worse... much worse... before the Communist regime can be overthrown. But the ordinary Cuban people, such as Agent 10's family, say, "We are willing to pay the price. Bring it on!"
