Power Outages Plague Playa del Carmen Neighborhoods, Residents Demand Action

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Power outages hit at least four neighborhoods in Playa del Carmen early Sunday, leaving residents frustrated and demanding a solution from authorities.

The blackouts affected the Real Ibiza, Selvanova, Ejido Norte, and Misión de las Flores neighborhoods. They come just days after residents of the Xcacel housing development blocked Avenida Constituyentes on August 5 to protest a 24-hour outage.

Residents say the recurring outages have damaged household appliances, spoiled food, and made nights unbearable in the summer heat.

“It feels like CFE is mocking us,” said Alba Colmenarez, a resident. “We pay very high bills and still have no electricity. We have children and elderly people who need power at night. This is an injustice.”

Francisco Pérez said the heat makes it impossible to store food. “You can’t keep cooked food because it goes bad, and you can’t buy meat to store because there’s no guarantee it will last until the next day,” he said.

Carlos Díaz said his family could not sleep because of the heat. “The power went out in the early hours of Sunday, and we couldn’t sleep because of the heat, but we can’t leave the doors open because of insecurity. The constant surges burned out my air conditioner, and I can’t afford to repair it or buy a new one,” he said.

Abimael Utrilla accused authorities of indifference. “They have shown no interest in this critical situation. They have forgotten their campaign promises,” he said.

Berenice Alcocer said neighborhoods without green areas become “true ovens.” “We haven’t had power since early Sunday, and the heat is causing problems sleeping. The municipal authorities are cutting down the little vegetation we have, which is deplorable. They are roasting us. My children can’t sleep, and school is about to start. That’s worrying,” she said.

Juan Alcalá criticized CFE’s service and rates. “CFE is stealing money from the population. It charges high rates and provides a deficient service, and the same happens with the drinking water. You pay for deplorable services,” he said.

Residents said the constant blackouts are worst for children and older adults, and with the new school year approaching, some parents said their children cannot sleep at night.