A significant power outage affected numerous cities in Spain, leaving residents grappling with the sudden loss of electricity and the conveniences it provides. It didn’t help that the outage occurred on a Saturday evening. Individuals and families sprang into action right away, utilizing their ingenuity and resilience to meet new but urgent challenges head-on.
In Alcalá de Henares, Richard painted an almost otherworldly experience as the night fell around us. “Not a single street light was on when night fell,” he remarked, noting how the city transformed into a shadowy landscape. He continued, “People were getting through town by torchlight. It was quite surreal seeing the view from my window totally black, especially as I live next to a dual carriageway.”
Lesley, a local resident stuck in the center of the outage, lamented the loss of use of her Kindle now that its battery has died. “The power is out and nothing is working. How am I supposed to get through the day?” she lamented. Many of us were in the same boat, dependent on books and other old-fashioned analog diversion. “No TV, no Scrabble puzzle on my phone. So having a couple of books would have been helpful,” she said.
If some met the exhibit’s immersion with a tantrum born from boredom, others created beautiful work despite, or meeting, the unusual elements. Hannah Steiner, 23, said she was enjoying her day with her housemates and friends, while enjoying the “real, electric” vibe despite living without power. Daniel Clegg Approach from Barcelona took her message to heart. He proposed that the blackout created a collective desire for everyone to disconnect from their screens. “You don’t need to be in touch with everybody all the time,” he said.
In Portugal, Iryna Koval felt impacts of the power cut on energy poverty live. The 24-year-old reflected on its impact, stating, “I feel this thing that happened was important to make us be more aware and be more conscious about our habits.” She mentioned how the lack of electricity became a lens through which one could view the effects of over-reliance on technology.
Most people planned ahead and equipped themselves to handle a situation that was completely unexpected. Jaime Gorgojo, 28, travelled across Madrid on foot, carrying supplies to his family. He bought a stash of non-perishable food items, including canned tuna. We purchased a greater amount of food with a longer shelf life on the safe side,” he stated.
Longtime C40 staffer Sarah Baxter, now living in Barcelona, used a portable solar electric charger to make sure her phone stayed charged during the cuts. We could get beans and rice warmed up, bring the water to a boil for the instant potatoes,” she recounted. She highlighted safety concerns related to cooking indoors without power: “It was much safer than a propane camping stove inside the apartment.”
In Ourense, Galicia, residents carried candles as they walked through the darkened streets. Without communication, the Buschschlüter family used a windup radio to listen to local German soldiers’ broadcasts in the area to learn what was going on. She explained that the total disappearance of communication was especially disorienting and alarming. We could imagine only the cause and reconstruct news from folks in the vicinity.
For Ed Rowe, 26, there was a silver lining to the experience. He liberated himself from all his devices and basked in the freedom of technology-free living. With how everyone is so dependent on technology, it’s honestly a really, really nice reminder you can be more self-sufficient,” he said.
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