Hurricane Oscar Claims Six Lives in Cuba

Hurricane Oscar has tragically claimed the lives of at least six individuals in Cuba, as confirmed by the nation’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Baracoa in eastern Cuba on Sunday afternoon, later weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the island.

The province of Guantánamo suffered the most significant damage, with over 1,000 homes impacted by the severe rains and strong winds that accompanied the hurricane. Notably, Oscar hit during a nationwide power outage that left approximately 10 million Cubans without electricity.

As of early Tuesday, President Díaz-Canel reported that certain areas remained inaccessible due to the storm’s aftermath. He emphasized that rescue workers were diligently working to reach those stranded. The president highlighted that the municipalities of San Antonio and Imías experienced extraordinary levels of flooding, marking historical records for the regions.

The six confirmed fatalities were all reported in San Antonio, although no further details regarding the circumstances of their deaths have been released. Meteorologists have issued warnings that Oscar may cause localized flash flooding in the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands as it continues its northeastward trajectory.

In the wake of the storm, some residents in areas still without power expressed their frustrations through rare public dissent, chanting “Turn on the lights” and banging pots and pans in protest. While power outages are not uncommon in Cuba, the recent failure of the country’s largest power plant has exacerbated the situation, leading to widespread darkness across the nation.

President Díaz-Canel attributed the current crisis to the tightening of the decades-long U.S. trade embargo, stating that the Cuban state would persist until power is fully restored. However, frustrations are mounting among residents in neighborhoods still experiencing outages, with many expressing their discontent with the situation.