‘We all got through it’: Canadian family stuck in Cuba recalls ordeal amid massive blackout

Ellen Francis says she and her family were having a great time in Cuba – soaking in the sun at the beach with warm, clear waters and exploring the popular tourist town of Varadero.

The Canadian woman, 37, from Newmarket, Ont., arrived at a resort in Varadero, Cuba, on Oct. 12 with her husband Ryan and two children, aged 10 and six.

But starting last Friday, she said their vacation became like a scary movie. It got rainy with heavy winds, and the internet went out early that morning.

While the hotel used its generator so staff could prepare meals, the place suddenly lost power during dinner Friday.

“It was pitch black,” Francis said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Tuesday. “The kids were a little bit worried … about what was happening. But it was fine – we all got through it.”

Since there was no internet during their last few days at the resort, Francis and her family didn’t learn there was a major blackout in Cuba until they returned to Canada on Saturday night. The blackout stoked small protests as Tropical Storm Oscar hit the island, The Associated Press reported.

As Cuba grappled with the power problem, Francis said the resort staff were still pleasant and tried to make guests as comfortable as possible. Her family, including her children, also stayed positive, she said.

There was no longer any water for their last few days there, so they had to get creative. “A lot of the guests at the hotel were walking around with garbage bins full of water to take up to the room to flush the toilet.”

Francis and her family were among the fortunate ones as they were able to fly out of Cuba on Saturday night as planned. Meanwhile, she saw new guests arriving in Cuba who had no idea about the blackout.

“So luckily the airport was still up and running, there were no delays with the flight,” she said.

Alex Barron says he is prepared to leave Cuba if the situation with the blackout worsens. (Supplied)

‘We don’t have it as bad’

Like Francis, Helen Pike said she was among the lucky ones whose resort had a generator. The 61-year-old retiree from St. John’s, N.L., said guests from other resorts were transferred to her resort in Varadero on Monday because of the blackout.

For the most part, she said she and tourists at her resort were unaffected until Sunday, but the impact was not as serious. She said the internet was not working at times, while the air conditioning, debit and credit card machines stopped working at the resort.

“As far as we’re concerned, we don’t have it as bad,” Pike said in a phone interview from Varadero. “When I think of what locals are going through, it’s hard to get down.”

She said Cuban resort staff have been telling her how they’ve had no power and no water since Friday. “A lot of them had food spoiled so they cooked a lot of food and were eating it cold so it wouldn’t go bad. A lot are sleeping outside at night because it’s cooler.”

She said she’s nervous about what’s going to happen if the power isn’t restored. She’s scheduled to fly out of Cuba on Oct. 28 and hasn’t heard of any changes to the flight. While she hasn’t reached out to the Canadian government to find out what’s going on, she said, she hasn’t heard anything from Canadian officials either about the crisis.

“I feel fairly secure right now,” Pike said. “I’m just worried if this goes on, how safe are we going to be?”

According to Global Affairs Canada, 1,627 Canadians are voluntarily registered as being in Cuba.

“To date, we have no reports of any Canadian citizens requests for consular assistance to return to Canada,” a department spokesperson told CTVNews.ca. “Global Affairs Canada has received 20 enquiries, mostly related to travel options and travel advice updates.”

Canadians in need of emergency consular assistance in Cuba are urged to contact the Canadian Embassy or Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre. Canadians can also register with Global Affairs Canada or read the latest travel advisories for Cuba for important updates.

“Canadian consular officials stand ready to provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens if needed,” the Global Affairs Canada spokesperson said.

Advice for Canadians

Some agree information about the blackout is scarce.

Alex Barron, a contract chef from St. Catharines, Ont., told CTVNews.ca in a video interview that he and his friend Penner Briggs, a small business owner from Victoria, B.C., have been vacationing on the island since Oct. 5.

They said they have yet to hear from Global Affairs Canada about the blackout in Cuba, which worries them since many Canadian tourists are on the island.

And they’re not getting any answers about the situation from the local government, they added.

Resort staff fear how they will be able to care for their guests and are desperate for information themselves, Barron said.

They hope to stay until their planned departure on Saturday, Barron and Briggs said, but they have been stashing water and food and have their bags ready in case they need to leave the country right away.

Barron said their Cayo Coco resort lost power Monday night, though it has a generator. He learned from staff that the resort was able to hardwire hydroelectricity from a nearby town during the blackout, which he said took power away from locals.

“Right now, we do have power,” Briggs said. “We do have food … but as we learned last night that can change in a moment’s notice.”

“With the limited resources we have, you know, we’re probably only two or two or three meals away from not having anything here for ourselves,” he added.

“Within 12 hours there could be a total collapse here and everything could be total chaos,” Barron said.

They’re also worried about the locals suffering while tourists have better conditions.

Penner Briggs, left, and his friend Alex Barron vacation in Cuba in October 2024. (Supplied)

While older travellers like them are not panicking as much, they said, the younger ones in their twenties were “scared.”

“There were some tears,”  Briggs said. “They’re second guessing why they’re coming down here. And some of them, they don’t have the funds to have to go to the airport and try and just buy a ticket right now.”

Briggs has advice for Canadians travelling to Cuba.

“If I had one message for anybody that’s coming down here or planning on coming down here right now, it’s probably best postpone your travel or even consider getting a refund if possible until this critical power failure gets figured out at the very least,” Briggs said.

Both recommend people who are visiting Cuba to consider helping locals, such as by bringing dried food, emergency lights, portable generators, batteries, water purification tablets and medication. Agencies or workers both in Canada and Cuba can help distribute the items to those in need, Barron said.