Maracaibo Courts: One Year in the Dark
The main regional office of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, a landmark building in Maracaibo, spent 12 months trying to function without power. There’s little space for metaphors with such heat and darkness
Tag: Electric Crisis
Solar Power Gains Ground in Venezuela’s Energy Crisis
Venezuela should have been filled with photovoltaic panels a long time ago. But the electrical emergency is opening up a small path for this energy source, and the state hasn’t taken advantage of this technology yet
How the Blackout Changed Our Lives
It’s been a year since Venezuela entered a new unacceptable “normality” that gives you no other option but to adapt. These recounts are about trauma, lessons and decisions.
Zulia’s Electrical Apartheid
With electrical rationing as the new norm since March of 2019, the society in Zulia has become more unequal: there’s a big gap between those subjected to outages and those who can defend themselves.
The Great March Blackout Never Really Ended
When chavismo talks about “things returning to normal” regarding energy, it means “normal in Caracas.” Most of the nation suffers daily blackouts that freeze people’s lives, institutions and erodes their minds. This is how you live with a broken infrastructure.
In Zulia, Blackouts Are Splintering Chavismo
The ruling party used to be quite disciplined, particularly under pressure. But the collapse of the nation’s power network is damaging Maracaibo so much that some local lawmakers started a rebellion against the imposed governor.
Airport, Unplugged
I was supposed to go back to Ecuador. But instead of going to the airport and saying goodbye—for now—to Venezuela, I ended up in the midst of the consequences of the second national blackout in 17 days.
Six Nights in the Heart of Darkness
During six days of blackout, Merida, the most important city of the Venezuelan Andes, braced for the end of the world. Ordinary citizens geared up to defend streets and stores from looters, while the state disappeared. What can we do to survive if this happens again?
The Price Tag of the Blackout
The damage from the huge blackout that just attacked Venezuelans is such, that even now, a week later, we can’t quite grasp it in full. This is what we do know: it’s a lot, and we’re falling short.
The Sack of Maracaibo
Venezuela’s second city spent the first 50 hours of blackout trying to survive under the intense heat. But once food and water began to run out, the looting started. All kinds of businesses are being destroyed by a mob made of desperate people and common thugs.
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