Cubans find rest on rooftops as blackouts drive them from home
Blackouts and Heat Push Havana Residents to Rooftops and Open Spaces
Bharatmorningnews.com – When the sweltering Cuban summer combines with power failures, staying indoors becomes unbearable. Each evening, residents of Havana migrate to elevated areas, balconies, and public plazas where they can find some relief from the oppressive conditions.
A Communal Retreat Above the City
Alexis Milan, 59, sits beside his seventeen-year-old son, who cannot see, as they wait for daylight to fade over Central Havana. Once darkness falls, the pair will climb to their building's roof.
What began as a personal refuge has evolved into something larger. The flat surface atop their three-story residence now serves as a shared sleeping area for neighbors.
We started getting a lot of people coming with us, and now almost the entire building has come up here.
Amidst water storage containers, utility pipes, and hanging laundry, families have established their own territories. Milan's personal corner sits atop a vacant water container, where he lays down a cloth and positions two cushions for comfort.
Scanning the urban landscape reveals only scattered islands of illumination against the darkness. The ambient soundscape includes the occasional hum of backup generators, neighborhood dogs, and the rhythmic clicking of domino pieces being played on nearby streets.
The Malecon Transformed
Every evening, Havana's elevated areas, green spaces, and covered porches become crowded with residents resting on cardboard sheets, thin mattresses, or bare pavement.
Havana's iconic Malecon waterfront has shifted from its traditional role as a leisure destination for visitors and couples. Some individuals stare out toward the Florida Strait's dark waters, while others attempt to rest, utilizing the ocean breeze.
Blankets, bags, and human figures have converted this celebrated coastal walkway into a temporary outdoor sleeping facility for several hours each night.
As morning approaches, the limited number of cell phones with remaining charge emit alarm sounds, rousing residents one by one.
Milan gathers his bedding before leaving for his position at a local storage facility.
I don't see an end to this.
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