Oct 24 (teleSUR) On Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the sending of technical assistance to Cuba to overcome the country’s energy crisis.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established contact with the Cuban government to have the Federal Commission on Electricity of the Aztec country assist the Cuban technical teams.

Claudia Sheinbaum further stated that the shipment of fuel will be evaluated if necessary.

Mexico’s president assured that her country has always condemned the US blockade against Cuba for decades. «We will always support the Cubans», said the president.

He also reaffirmed the condemnation of Mexico to the US blockade against Cuba, one of the main causes of the energy crisis that the island is facing.

Sheinbaum assured that, in the upcoming vote at the United Nations on this blockade of Cuba, Mexico will ratify its condemnation of this unilateral sanction.

For several months Cuba has faced a deficit of thermoelectric generation, reaching a ceiling last Friday after the national Electro energy system was disconnected due to failures and breaks in the generation plants, which made the country dark.

As the days have gone on, the repair work of the generating plants has advanced, allowing more than 90% of customers in the capital to have electricity without power cuts.

Mexico, the United Nations, ALBA-TCP and other friendly nations in Latin America have shown their support for Cuba in the midst of the energy crisis, aggravated by the passage of Hurricane Oscar.

Havana, Oct 24 (Prensa Latina) Cuban organizations and institutions are collecting donations on Thursday, in a bid to help families affected by Tropical Storm Oscar’s passage through Guantanamo province.

Responding to an initiative from the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), several organizations and private citizens have been gathering clothing, toiletries, household items, toys and food, which will later be sent to the country’s easternmost region.

More than 600 youngsters from all over the island have organized into brigades to assist victims in Guantanamo, which is still under cyclone alert due, considering the dangers posed by the floods the storm left behind.

The Cuban Young Communist League (UJC) First Secretary, Meyvis Estevez, praised on social media actions by young Cubans, who have sent dozens of donations to the organization’s municipal and provincial committees.

Joining in the charitable endeavor, the Central Bank of Cuba has opened several official accounts to receive Cuban Pesos (CUP) for the victims.

These accounts are 0699983004299919 from the Banco de Crédito y Comercio (Bank of Credit and Commerce, BANDEC), 1299731002599715 from the Banco Popular de Ahorro (Peoples’ Savings Bank), and 0598770006615919 from the Banco Metropolitano (Metropolitan Bank S.A.)

Bank remittances can be made through electronic payment channels: ATMs, the Transfermovil app, or by depositing cash at any bank branch.

On Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the communities affected by the floods in San Antonio del Sur, Imias, and Maisi.

Speaking to locals, the head of State underscored that “these are complex times but we will overcome them. Guantanamo must not feel abandoned, it has all the country’s support”.

Diaz-Canel emphasized that “the first thing now is for all of us, with the support of the brigades, to solve the immediate problems -fallen trees, downed power lines, lifting affected houses, and ensuring communications”.

Contingents of power line workers from all provinces have moved eastwards to help restore electric power.

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Beijing, Oct 23 (Prensa Latina) Chinese media, on Wednesday, condemned the US blockade against Cuba and denounced its responsibility in the energy emergency the Caribbean nation is facing.

The Global Times published an illustration revealing how this commercial, economic, and financial siege is closely linked to the collapse of Cuba’s National Electro-energetic Grid (SEN) by preventing access to oil sources.

Media such as CGTN and Xinhua have also published information on the Caribbean nation’s situation, highlighting the consequences of these sanctions, and Cuba’s inclusion in Washington’s State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list.

Previously, Chinese citizens had expressed support for Havana in the current energy crisis and urged to lift the US blockade.

In statements to Prensa Latina, entrepreneur Huang Qiao Ming (Simon) assured that the US blockade is unfair and represents a big hardship for international trade.

However, he expressed the will to find alternatives to overcome this blockade, which currently represents an economic and financial war against the Caribbean nation.

“Trust, unity, and technology,” Simon advocated, alluding to the importance of working together and being aware that a better future is possible despite this siege.

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Havana, Oct 23 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Diaz-Canel affirmed today that about 41 countries and several international organizations have expressed their solidarity with Cuba, which is facing the simultaneous impacts of a cyclone and an energy emergency, with admirable resilience.

In his profile on X social media, the Head of State wrote that in the face of this situation, the United States declared that the Caribbean nation has not asked for help: Here is our demand: Tear Down the Blockade, he stressed in reference to the policy Washington has implemented for more than six decades to choke the island’s economy and cause a change of government.

Cuba is facing an energy contingency caused by the lack of fuel supply and hurdles to the acquisition of technologies and supplies necessary for the modernization and operation of its power generation plants, due to the world-rejected blockade.

At the same time, it is undertaking recovery work for the damages caused by hurricane Oscar through the island’s eastern territory, which left so far seven people dead and considerable economic and infrastructure damage in four municipalities of Guantanamo province.

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Havana, October 23 (RHC)– The Cuban government is carrying out a series of actions to support the eastern province of Guantanamo, which continues today in a cyclone alert phase as a result of the flooding left by tropical storm Oscar.

According to the first colonel, Luis Ángel Macareño, of the Civil Defense Organ, in the municipalities of San Antonio el Sur and Imías, rescue and salvage work continues, given the severity of the flooding caused by the meteor.

On Tuesday, during an extraordinary session of the National Defense Council, Macareño warned about the saturation of the soil in these territories and the need to immediately carry out a process of evaluation of the damages and needs.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Ydael Pérez, reported that work is being done on four main lines: supplying food to those affected, to people who perform support work, completing the standard family basket, with emphasis on the population of Imías and San Antonio del Sur, and other additional products for consumption.

For the entire province, located in the eastern end of the country, inputs such as flour for making bread are prioritized, and the strategy includes direct attention to the most vulnerable family nuclei.

By order of the country’s top leadership, a Government work group is located in Guantánamo that will remain for a long time to accompany the recovery efforts, together with the authorities of the territory.

According to preliminary figures, the damage to the housing stock is quantified at 1,282 houses, of which 1,183 are due to total roof collapses, 1,048 partial roof collapses, and 51 total collapses.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces have carried out 493 rescues so far, which has prevented the loss of human lives in flooded areas, reported the second in command of the Department of Operations of the National Civil Defense Staff, Eduardo Cross.

Speaking on the Mesa Redonda program, Cross explained that 4,865 people are protected in evacuation centers, while another 443 remain sheltered in the homes of relatives, friends and neighbors.    (Source: Prensa Latina)

Oct 21 (Once Noticias – Mexico) The Federal Electricity Commission also offered its technical support to Havana for the prompt restoration of electricity

The Government of Mexico , through its embassy in Havana , offered support, including technical assistance, to solve the energy emergency that Cuba has been facing for several days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) reported on social media.

To this end, Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez has maintained permanent contact with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla .

While the Mexican Embassy in Cuba is working with the relevant authorities to provide updated information on the situation, the following emergency lines have been made available to its citizens in that country: 

The ministry added that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) also offered its technical support “for the prompt restoration of electricity” on the island.

Electricity restoration progresses in Cuba

Nearly 90% of Havana residents had their electricity restored on October 21 , the fourth day of the national blackout in Cuba, although several provinces in the country remain without service, the Havana Electric Company said. 

The almost complete restoration of electricity in the capital of 2 million inhabitants was announced by Havana’s energy company, while tropical storm “Oscar” passes through the east of the country, leaving houses without roofs and destroyed, according to the latest report.

“According to the Havana Electric Company, 768,810 customers on 301 circuits have electric service in Havana, representing 89.3% of the total,” the state-run news portal Cubadebate said , citing the company.

Since October 18, the Cuban government declared an “energy emergency” following the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant , the most important in the country.

Last weekend, authorities made great efforts to restore the service, but without success. As a result, the president of this country, Miguel Díaz Canel, acknowledged that the situation of the electrical system was “complex.”

Hurricane Oscar hits Cuba

In the midst of a blackout, Cuba suffered the arrival of Hurricane Oscar on October 20 on the east coast of the island, which hit as a category one, before being downgraded to a tropical storm a few hours later.

“The greatest damage is in the province of Guantánamo (east), especially in Baracoa, Imías, Maisí, with major flooding,” the Cuban presidency reported on its X account.

Oscar also caused the total or partial loss of homes in Baracoa, where strong winds blew away roofs and walls of houses and knocked down poles and trees, according to state television, without showing images.

In four provinces in the east of the country, home to 10 million people, authorities have announced protective measures for the population, including evacuations in areas at risk from flooding.