In Caracas, the capital, much of the power was back on; in the rest of the country, however, the darkness continued. Many hospitals struggled, their backup generators not functioning and their medicine stores slight. Many businesses, including the giant state-owned oil company PDVSA, were again shut.

The United States, which has recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela (and, in effect, disavowing the presidency of Nicolas Maduro, who was re-elected in January), has recently imposed sanctions against Venezuela. The U.S. took the further step of imposing sanctions on a Russian bank that has dealings with PDVSA.

In the streets, people struggled to make ends meet, with many in Caracas standing in line to collect water through a sewage drain. (The water was clear, but local authorities urged people who carried it home to use it only for cleaning or for flushing toilets.) In shops whose power was still off, food rotted on shelves.

The electrical grid in the country has been in need of an upgrade for awhile. Funding for spare parts has been sparse. In recent weeks, technicians have been among the thousands of refugees who have fled the country in the wake of the ongoing economic crisis.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido declared a "state of alarm," a condition mentioned in the country's constitution as something that could be invoked in times of crisis; the constitution does not spell out what comes next, however.

In a related development, the U.S. said that it would withdraw all of its remaining diplomatic officials from Caracas. The American Embassy had so far defied a similar order that Maduro issued in January.