Spain declared a state of emergency following a significant power failure that cast the entire Iberian Peninsula into darkness.
The blackout, which impacted Spain and Portugal yesterday around noon and briefly affected sections of France, left millions without power, disrupted public transportation, and caused flight delays.
In a televised statement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez indicated that the Ministry of the Interior would take charge of the situation in Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura, maintaining public order and fulfilling other responsibilities at the request of regional leaders.
Dr. Peter Tarlow, eTN’s safety and security expert, said:
The recent power outage in Spain and Portugal should remind everyone in the tourism industry that although electrical blackouts are hard on local residents, they are even harder on visitors and tourists. Most hospitals and other essential services will have backup generators and while the local public will have to deal with several annoyances, their lives will be less interrupted than that of tourists who are dependent on hotels and restaurants to meet their basic needs.
Here are ten things for which every traveler can prepare in case of an electrical or computer interruption. When traveling, especially in a new location, travelers do not have friends and family to fall back on, they are most likely lack even medium-term food and water supplies, and may be unable to communicate with friends, family, and business associates who might be worried or questioning what is happening.
- Always have some cash with you, and make sure that your cash is in small bills. During a power outage, ATMs do not work, and the same will be true for most credit cards. If you do not have cash, then during the blackout, the traveler is without money to pay for essential items.
- Always keep your telephone charged. Cell service will work in most blackout situations, but if the outage lasts several hours or even days, your telephone will run out of power, leaving you isolated.
- Always travel with a portable cellphone charger and, if possible, a portable battery bank if you cannot charge other essential electrical equipment, such as an e-book reader, like a Kindle.Â
- Keep extra water in your room. Although it is hard to travel with extra food, at least have extra drinking water, and assume the ice machines will not work
- If you are away from your departure city, make sure that you are in your departure city at least one day before departure, that way, if the roads are not working or the trains cease to work, you are at least close to your departure airport.
- Never allow the tank to go below half full if you rent a car. Remember that during an electrical power outage, gas pumps will cease to work, and electric cars will not be able to recharge their batteries.Â
- Travel with a flashlight, and do not depend on your cell phone’s flashlight. In case of a blackout, when it is dark, a flashlight is an essential tool. Use the flashlight on your cell phone only in extreme emergencies. Cell phone flashlights consume a great amount of your cell phone’s battery at a time when you will want to conserve energy for emergency usage.
- Travel with a first aid kit. This is an essential item even when there is no power outage, but it might be essential during a power outage.
- You should always have a small radio or other methods of receiving information when your television and computer are not working.
- If you have ambulatory or other health issues, notify the hotel of these physical problems and discuss backup solutions before the power outage occurs. Do not accept a room that you would not be able to access or leave in case there is no elevator.
Major power outages or blackouts have been rare, but they do happen, and in a world of increasing cyberattacks, the potential for such problems might be increasing. The savvy traveler knows how to prepare ahead of time. If the tourism industry and travelers can learn from the power outages on the Iberian Peninsula, we might be better prepared for the next outage.
More information on how Dr. Peter Tarlow can help destinations, contact Travel Marketing Network.
The Level 3 National Emergency Plan permits the deployment of military forces to maintain order and security in areas where it is activated. The Interior Ministry reported that approximately 30,000 police officers had been mobilized nationwide as the blackout continued into the night.
Previously, Portugal’s grid operator Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN) indicated that a ‘rare atmospheric phenomenon’ over Spain, caused by ‘extreme temperature variations,’ might have led to the blackout. Later, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that authorities were still uncertain about the cause of the outage, but confirmed that it ‘did not originate in Portugal’ and that ‘everything indicates’ the issue began in Spain.
Spanish authorities have not yet verified the cause. In response to the ambiguity, Sanchez stated that no definitive information is available and encouraged the public to refrain from speculation.
