Europe's largest energy failure has induced me to cope with my dependence on the know-how

Unexcessed power outages swept Portugal, Spain and parts of France and immediately decrypt the technically dependent life of me and ten million others.

At first I wasn't worried at first. Then the owner of my Lisbon apartment forwarded me a link: an article in The sun Newspaper entitled “Spain & Portugal Hit of huge power outages …” I tried to open it, but the page would not be loaded. After a few minutes of backup current, the mobile networks were dead.

I went down into my local café and hoped to receive more information. “We have no idea what's going on – nothing works,” the owner told me and pointed to her dead. She only served sandwiches and drinks and, like in any other shop, could only accept money.

One of the customers of the shop started me. “They say it could be a Russian cyber attack,” he said, looking remarkably relaxed. “Imagine this as a free vacation,” he laughed.

I didn't laugh. I had no physical money on myself. That meant that I couldn't buy food, and without electricity I couldn't cook what I had in the fridge. I also know that water networks are dependent on electrical pumps. I also had three young children at home and wondered if Dad would ever repair the television.

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When I tried to stay calm and cool in the 30-degree heat, I left the shop and looked for an ATM. The first was completely dead. The next one had power, but only had my balance checked. Cash machines need an internet to connect to banking servers and to authorize withdrawal – without them, only boxes shine with false hope.

“I took the train to Lisbon this morning, but now I can't come home,” said a man in the thirties, who also tried to withdraw cash to take a taxi. We talked for a few minutes and speculated about the potential causes of the blackout. “I heard on the radio that it has something to do with the weather,” he said, referring to a now.exposed claim that the failure was caused by “induced atmospheric vibration” from extreme temperature or pressure shifts that disrupt power lines. I wondered if this was a technical error or something more malignant.

I continued to search for specific information. Finally I found it in the local hospital, the only place I could find with electricity and WiFi, thanks to the backup diesel generators. When I was looking for the headlines, I was hit with good news. Officials said there were no signs of a cyber attack. Despite all my Hollywood-filled fears, Europe was not penetrated and there were definitely no zombie apocalypse.

The bad news, however, was that nobody had an idea if power was restored. Some sources said a few hours. Others said a week, maybe longer. I went home empty-handed and with a few assurance and no way to repair the TV. When the sun set, I was worried. “Now I understand why people build Doomsday bunkers,” I said to my wife.

Offline and unprepared

The blackout from April 28th was the greatest in European history. Over 60 million people remained without power. Mobile networks were switched off. Card machines and ATMs became dark. Airports closed, the trains were stranded on the tracks and hindered the traffic jam. Some people were caught in Elevator and underground U -Bahn systems for hours. At least in Spain five people It is assumed that he died of the incident.

In a few minutes, modern European life, depending on electricity, data and immediate connectivity, soil to standstill. While power was restored in most Spain and Portugal on Monday until midnight, the incident raised serious questions about the European infrastructure, security and resilience. For me it also triggered a more personal billing with my technical dependency and how unprepared I am when the systems I rely on are getting dark.

I always saw myself as quite independent. I grew up in South Africa where (planned) power outages were part of life and the unpredictability was baked during the day. I used to camp, search and cook meals with open fires. I like doing things with my hands. I thought I had a good grip on survival without a grid.

But like most, especially in the West, I am deeply connected to the technology. When the blackout met, all of these systems collapsed – as well as the illusion of my independence. My refrigerator was full, but I couldn't cook. My phone had a load, but no signal. My apps were blind. My digital wallet could have been as good as monopoly money.

It wasn't just the gadgets that failed – it was the annoying safety net they had built. No news, no way to turn with the family, no idea how big the failure was. I realized that I had outsourced most of my decision -making to invisible infrastructures.

The children were quiet and were not aware of the potential risks. We played board games from Candlelight and watched the sun overlooked a city only through headlights and moonlight. But in my head I calculated: How long would the tap water run? Did we have enough food that didn't have to cook? What if that took longer? What if it happened again?

The power failure only lasted one day. But the aftershocks – at least for me – didn't stop. I am now thinking about storing money at home, keeping additional water, buying a gas stove and a radio. Maybe even move to the country where I could grow my own meal.

The power failure was a wake -up call. Not to prepare for the end of the world, but to calculate how much I had handed over to systems that I do not control – and hardly understand.