On Thursday, a statewide power outage began in Venezuela, sparking issues for civilians. President Maduro blames the power outage on an “electromagnetic attack” on the Guri hydroelectric complex, which provides 80% of the country’s power. The acting President, Juan Guaido, dismisses this claim but declared a “state of alarm” after the 5 day blackout. This means that foreign aid is authorized to be delivered to Venezuela to help them through the crisis. President Maduro sent military troops to prevent an attempt to receive humanitarian aid from Columbia and Brazil in the past. Schools and workplaces have been closed, and many citizens have limited access to food, medecine, and water. The blackout adds to the current failing economic situation, with hyperinflation forcing millions to leave in the past 5 years. In addition to day-to-day struggles, at least 15 kidney disease patients have already died, being denied access to dialysis machines. 95% of dialysis machines have been shut down, an unforeseen consequence of the extensive power outage.
I was shocked that an entire country would lose power at once, and was even more surprised to learn how catastrophic the situation has been for an already struggling country. I would have never thought of the fact that people would die from a lack of life-saving medical devices, or that people would be unable to work in these conditions. I think the most incomprehensible part is that the President would deny his people humanitarian aid in times of need. Maduro clearly does not have his citizens’ best interest at heart, or really national interest, considering he is not even the ‘acting’ president at this time. I wonder how Venezuela will recover from the blackout on top of their desperate economic situation. Clearly, the lack of governmental authority has taken a toll on the country, since so many people have been forced to leave and citizens are barely getting by with the lack of food and water. Hopefully the acceptance of foreign aid will fill one piece of the puzzle.