The arrival of Hurricane Oscar in Cuba has caused concern due to the energy crisis the country is experiencing. A massive blackout caused by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant left the western half of the island, including Havana, without power. Although electrical service had been restored to 16 percent of the population, the new failure has complicated the situation.
Given the threat of Hurricane Oscar, the Civil Defense General Staff of Cuba has declared an informational phase for several provinces in the eastern part of the country. Rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds are expected in the region as the cyclone advances. This situation recalls the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017, which left 10 dead and substantial material losses on the island.
Hurricane Oscar is the fifteenth tropical cyclone of the 2024 hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, which has exceeded NOAA's expectations. The agency had already warned about the likelihood of an intense cyclone season, with between 17 and 25 named storms and 8 to 13 hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center of the United States predicts that Oscar will make landfall in Guantanamo or Holguin, then weaken into a tropical storm.
Cuba, which is barely recovering from the recent massive blackout, now faces the arrival of Hurricane Oscar, a category 1 storm. The meteorological phenomenon is expected to move across the island as a tropical storm on Monday and reach the Bahamas on Tuesday. Despite the concern, it has been reported that due to its distance, the hurricane does not pose an immediate danger to national shores.
