Seventy percent of Cuba's population has power again as the island recovers from a nationwide blackout and a hurricane that left seven people dead, the government said Tuesday.

Electricity outages have paralyzed an already-crippled economy, leading to shortages of everything from cash to running water.

After electricity was partially restored in Cuba following an island-wide blackout, the electrical grid collapsed a second time, causing widespread alarm. Journalist Ed Augustin told NBC News that while power is gradually being restored in some areas,