As Cuba has grappled with electricity failures and natural disasters, Americans with family on the island and tourists considering visiting have been mobilizing to provide much-needed aid. For both groups, the situation has been cause for worry, extra precautions and planning.
In the past few weeks, Cuba has struggled with nationwide blackouts, two major hurricanes and a 6.8 magnitude earthquake — blows to an already weakened infrastructure. Residents have been left without power for hours a day, and access to food, medicine, water and fuel — already scarce — has become even more of a challenge.
Now, just about a month after the initial grid collapse, both tourists and family members are channeling their frustration and concern into action — sending supplies from both overseas and in person.
Marisa Diaz, a Cuban American content creator, and her husband, Yoel, are a primary provider of aid to their family in Cuba, and during the first round of blackouts weeks ago, their family struggled to preserve food and medicine without any power.
“Electricity blackouts are certainly not uncommon in Cuba,” said Diaz, who’s based in Phoenix; her family lost power for up to eight hours a day following the power collapse. “It’s just to the degree that it was at this point.”
Though the couple regularly pay for cellular data for their family to prevent communication losses during regular, shorter power outages, recent packages to the island have included nonperishables like coffee, instant noodles, dried seasonings, powdered milk, first-aid items like ibuprofen and bandages, and solar-paneled flashlights and phone chargers.
“It’s really hard for Americans to try to understand the quality of life in Cuba,” she said. “There’s so much scarcity.”
“I think all of that has a negative effect on the tourism sector of Cuba,” added Diaz, who’s critical of the country’s government. “Americans are reminded that, yes, there is a dictatorship in Cuba. Yes, Cuba is a communist country.”
Stephanie Herchak, from Orr Lake, Canada and a frequent visitor to Cuba, recently returned from a trip despite travel advisories against going from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, citing shortages, the effects of the storms and increased crime.
Aware of the increasingly dire conditions, Herchak brought food and sanitary items to hand out to locals, though she didn’t stray far from the resort where she was staying with her partner.
“All the houses and things that we’ve driven by are just shambles with no windows or anything, people with no power,” she said.
Herchak, who stayed at the Sanctuary by Grand Memories in Santa Maria, said she didn’t experience power outages at the resort while she was there. In a phone call with NBC News, resort staff confirmed they have not had blackouts and use their “own generators.”
But Herchak said she heard from many locals and hotel staff she spoke with that power was still out for hours at a time in residential areas.
Reddit pages and several Facebook Cuba travel groups have become home to conversations on the situation in Cuba; some share concerns regarding upcoming trips and others share rare glimpses into current conditions, even encouraging visitors to reconsider their vacation. Many ask for advice on which goods are most needed by locals.
“Over the last few years, more and more people who are going to Cuba are looking for ways to help,” said Rebecca Shoval, program director for Not Just Tourists New York City, a volunteer effort that has connected underserved countries with hard to find resources for over 30 years. This year, they’ve sent a “record number” of shipments to Cuba, according to the organization.
Avi D’Souza, executive director of Not Just Tourists Toronto, said their group alone has sent 475 suitcases of supplies this year — 62% more than in 2023. In bulk, they’ve sent 298,000 lbs of medical supplies and equipment via container, 24% more than last year, he said.
Shoval explained that tourists are given suitcases filled with medical supplies to bring to drop-off locations on the island.
Anthony ImBoden, of Ontario, is one of many who expressed concerns and asked questions on a public Reddit forum regarding his upcoming vacation to Cuba. A diabetic whose insulin needs to be refrigerated, ImBoden asked for tips on how to travel with — and preserve — his medication through the power outages.
Even though a Canadian travel advisory encourages visitors to “exercise a high degree of caution in Cuba due to shortages of basic necessities including food, medicine and fuel,” ImBoden said he’s “taking [the concerns] with a grain of salt.”
While some people told him not to go, Imboden said his diabetes is well controlled and it’s a risk he’s “willing to take.”
The Cuban government has blamed U.S. sanctions as well as the effect of the pandemic on tourism for the tougher economic conditions on the island, while the U.S. has blamed Cuba’s centrally planned, communist economy. Cuba’s lack of hard currency has affected its ability to import basic necessities.
Recent travelers like Monica Joseph — who stayed at an Airbnb in Cuba just before the massive outage — noted a feeling of safety in more tourist-centered areas like Havana, the capital. Though she did not experience blackouts herself, she did speak to many residents who described an inability to find goods like soap or sanitary products.
Joseph, who lives near Washington, D.C., said she was told “that it was a bit better to be in the city” but would have “issues” outside of Havana.
The conditions outside of cities and tourist areas are a source of frustration for Cuban Americans like Mailen Rodríguez, 23, a kindergarten teacher from Houston who emigrated from Cuba when she was seven years old.
“It was bad in 2007, but now it’s even worse. … Back then, I don’t ever remember sleeping without any light. Now, when I went in October, the [blackouts] were four to five hours every single day,” Rodriguez said, asking why tourists aren’t affected.
“Why is it only affecting the people in the provinces that are scared to speak up and protest?”
The Cuban government didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether tourist areas are being given priority for electricity power and on countries’ travel advisories warning of current conditions on the island.
When Rodriguez visited Cuba in October, she brought her family basic necessities like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoos, razors, clothing, shoes, and cooking seasonings — emphasizing that this was a luxury not afforded to many Cubans.
“The people that have relatives over here, thankfully, they have a source of income, they have money for food, for any necessities,” Rodriguez said. “But if you don’t have family outside of the island, you’re kind of stuck — it’s really hard to get any resources.”
Carl Eaton, director of the Orange County California Chapter of Not Just Tourists, has become more aware of the needs in Cuba through his work.
“People who live in Cuba love Cuba, and they want to stay there because they love the island. However, a lot of people are reaching the end of the rope,” Eaton said, mentioning that more people are trying to leave; the country has seen record migration out of Cuba.
For tourists who want to help, “Cuba is probably one of the easiest countries in the world as far as aid warrants. They need the help, and they’re not going to discourage anybody from bringing supplies into the country,” Eaton said. “The big thing is to get through to the traveler that this is something that they can do, where they can make a difference.”
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