Venezuelan residents are facing chronic electricity shortages and limited telecommunications services across the country [1, 2].

These infrastructure failures isolate populations and disrupt basic survival, forcing the establishment of emergency aid centers to distribute essential supplies. The collapse of these services hinders the delivery of medical care and food, exacerbating a pre-existing humanitarian crisis.

Insufficient investment and maintenance of the power grid have led to generation shortfalls and infrastructure decay [2]. This lack of funding persists despite the country's significant oil wealth. Similar under-investment has crippled the telecommunications sector, leaving many citizens with spotty internet access [2].

Residents report that power outages have become a daily occurrence. María, a Venezuelan resident, said to BBC Mundo, “On the day of my birthday, the light went out and did not return until the early morning; that is what we live almost every day” [2].

Specific incidents of failure continue to be documented. A blackout was reported on May 5, 2024 [2]. To mitigate the impact of these outages, authorities and organizations have set up multiple aid centers, known as centros de acopio, throughout the country [1].

These centers serve as critical hubs for survival when the grid fails. A spokesperson for Univisión Noticias said, “The collection centers are intended to provide food and medical supplies while the population suffers from power and internet cuts” [1].

While the government manages the electricity and telecommunications services, the decay of the physical infrastructure remains a primary driver of the crisis. The reliance on these aid centers highlights the gap between the state's resource wealth and the actual delivery of basic utilities to the public [1, 2].

““On the day of my birthday, the light went out and did not return until the early morning.””

The persistence of power and internet failures in Venezuela, despite its oil reserves, suggests a systemic failure in infrastructure management rather than a simple lack of national wealth. The transition from relying on utilities to relying on 'centros de acopio' for basic needs indicates that the state's inability to maintain the grid has evolved into a permanent humanitarian dependency for many citizens.