Cuba’s Unending Challenges: Quake Follows Hurricanes and Blackouts

In the midst of troubles caused by hurricanes and ongoing blackouts, Cuba faced yet another test of resilience on Sunday. A powerful earthquake measuring 6. 8 on the Richter scale shook the island's eastern region, with the epicenter located around 40 kilometers south of Bartolome Maso. The tremors were felt across several major cities like Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, and Guantanamo, and even reached neighboring Jamaica. The earthquake rattled communities, sending people out onto the streets in fear. Yolanda Tabío, a 76-year-old resident of Santiago de Cuba, shared her experience with The Associated Press, describing how everything seemed to move—walls and all. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of significant damage or injuries, although some residents in the small town of Pilon reported minor damages like cracks in buildings and crumbling roofs. This recent earthquake comes after a series of tough events for Cuba. Just last week, Hurricane Rafael, a Category 3 storm, battered the western part of the island, causing widespread power outages and destroying hundreds of homes. The hurricane led to the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, and many areas remained without power even days later. Earlier in October, Cuba was already reeling from an island-wide blackout that lingered for days, a result of the country's energy crisis. Soon after, a strong hurricane hit the eastern region, claiming at least six lives. These back-to-back disasters have not only caused physical damage but also triggered small-scale protests across the island, as many struggle to cope with the ongoing hardships.

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