Aruba battles heavy storm; nearly entire island without electricity

Since Saturday evening, the majority of Aruba has been without electricity after the tropical storm, Elsa, passed the island to the north. In some areas, the water supply was also cut off. It is not clear when power will be completely restored.

Problems first arose around 5 p.m. local time on Saturday. The water and electricity company WEB Aruba NV reported irregularities at the power plant. At first, the issue seemed to be resolved but two hours later the entire island was without power. According to the electricity company, this was due to “new errors” that had occurred.

Power was brought back to some neighborhoods within the course of the evening, yet by midnight the vast majority of the island remained without power.

Residents of Aruba complained about the power outage, particularly because of the effect it could have on the catering and tourism sector. Many tourists, especially from the United States have been frequenting the island for the past months. The increase in tourism helped Aruba replenish its economy which had suffered a downturn during the pandemic.