Bloomberg
By Andrew Rosati and Patricia Laya
- Residents rush to buy generators on expectations of outages
- Much of nation has long been afflicted by rolling blackouts
With the lights still flickering, Venezuelans are preparing for an event that the socialist regime has long tried to avoid: power rationing in the capital.
On Thursday, after much of Caracas had gone three days without electricity, businesses were reopening. Residents stocked up on bread as though a snow storm were about to hit town. The poor sought water as the wealthiest searched for generators and diesel fuel.
Caraquenos, as residents of the capital are known, are bracing for similar conditions endured in backwater towns and cities that have suffered unrest and looting. On Wednesday, President Nicolas Maduro announced electricity will be rationed as authorities try to fix the crisis-torn nation’s shaky grid. The government has tried to shield Caracas at all costs by diverting energy and resources, but after two nationwide blackouts in less than a month, few believe the capital can continue to be safeguarded from years of mismanagement and decay.
“Now it’s Caracas’s turn,” said Dervis Gomez, a parking attendant at a bakery in the east of the city. Inside, shoppers queued for the few flatbreads and cakes available, while others simply idled and enjoyed the electricity. “We have power now, but it’ll go out anytime.”
Stalled City
Venezuela is still reeling from a nationwide power failure that began Monday with classes and work suspended for a third straight day. Across Caracas long lines formed at gas stations, and the metro and most public transit remained closed.
«People are desperate,” Barrios said. “We sell out all the time.”
Andres Medina, 33, paid $250 to import a generator through courier service this month when he had to take care of his 2-year-old daughter through high fevers. It allowed him to keep his refrigerator, stove and television going over the past couple of days.
«I knew then that if I was going to continue living in Venezuela, I had to buy one,» he said.
Supposed Sabotage
Maduro on Wednesday phoned in to state television and told Venezuelans — those who could see him — to expect more power cuts in days to come. “We will have days where we’ll have to ration, conscientiously, in an organized manner,” he said.
For a decade, the government has tried to protect the capital from regular outages. In 2010, Maduro’s predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, sacked an electricity minister after he imposed a plan to ration power in Caracas amid a previous crisis.
Maduro, who is fighting to retain power amid international censure and domestic challenges, blamed a “brutal terrorist attack” by government foes. The opposition contracted a gunman who unloaded rounds into a “vital” transmission system in rural Venezuela, he said.
Maintenance
Experts have said the actual cause is a years-long dearth of maintenance. Rationing can’t overcome the decay, said Nelson Hernandez, a Caracas energy consultant. He said restarting the system after widespread blackouts could result in further accidents.
Wednesday’s announcement was the first time the government acknowledged the blackouts could continue into the foreseeable future.
— With assistance by Alex Vasquez, and Fabiola Zerpa
