Cubans say there is little food, power, fuel or relief amid worsening conditions

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NBC NEWS

Cubans say there is little food, power, fuel or relief amid worsening conditions
As the U.S. and Cuba hold conversations to decide the island’s fate, basic necessities there are scarce or unaffordable, and simple tasks like cooking are burdensome.
By Carmen Sesin and Orlando Matos
March 16, 2026

HAVANA — Whenever they get power in their house — even if it’s 2 a.m. — Erisander Sánchez and his wife scramble to cook, do laundry and charge their cellphones.

These periods of electricity last anywhere from two to five hours, so sometimes the rice ends up half cooked and the beans still hard.

“Beyond the physical exhaustion, it’s the psychological exhaustion that weighs down on us,” Sánchez, 33, said. “It’s the uncertainty of not knowing when we will have power ... you can’t plan anything.”

They can’t keep food in the refrigerator because it goes bad. And it’s not easy to find food he can afford.

Sánchez works in construction and doesn’t have a steady job. He can’t afford to buy milk for his kids, 5 and 10 years old, so he buys yogurt from someone who makes it at home. He often buys food in mini-markets that people set up at home.

The lack of power makes even the most basic comforts unavailable.

“Sometimes you just want a fan to get some fresh air and get the mosquitos out of the way,” he said.

This is a glimpse into life for many in Cuba. As the U.S. and the communist-run country hold conversations to decide the island’s fate, caught in the middle are millions of everyday Cubans struggling to get through each day.
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Massive piles of trash with rotting food accumulate in residential areas as the fuel shortage has crippled waste collection services. It’s not uncommon to see people searching through the trash. The waste management crisis poses serious health risks. Last year there was an outbreak of mosquito-borne illnesses that affected one-third of the population.
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By 2020, President Donald Trump had reversed much of Obama’s opening and the coronavirus pandemic had crippled the island’s vital tourism industry. When Trump initiated an oil blockade in January, people were already experiencing outages that lasted over 12 hours in Havana and longer in other provinces.

Now, it’s worse.
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“Even beans are so expensive.”

“Today I had cornmeal for breakfast that I cooked the night before and for dinner I had congri,” a Cuban side dish made of rice and beans, he said. “Of course, I can only use powdered seasoning. I can’t buy onions and garlic.”

Socorro considers himself lucky. He makes about 10,500 Cuban pesos (about $20) a month in the private sector, which is several dollars above the state salary. “That’s enough for me to eat for 10 days. If it wasn’t for the help of an aunt in the United States, we would have died already,” he said.

“I can’t buy clothes or repair things in the house with the money I make. It’s strictly eating,” he said. “Everything I have is a hand-me-down, even my cellphone. It’s strictly eating for 10 days, and with the help I receive, I complete the rest.”

His house also goes days without running water. When there is water, he fills buckets and pours them into tanks in his backyard to use on days the faucets run dry. To bathe, he heats water and uses a cup. Once there’s no water left in the tanks, he walks 10 blocks to a friend’s house, where he can fill buckets of water.

“It’s really a torment,” Socorro said.

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