Lowering the differential and stocking up on bottled water: some tips for coping with a power outage

BarcelonaThe widespread power outage affecting the entire Iberian Peninsula has highlighted the need to prepare homes for a situation of this nature. These are some of the items and supplies you should always have at home to deal with an emergency of this type.

Lower the differential

During the outage, electricians advise keeping your home's differential switch turned down to prevent the power surge from damaging some appliances when the power is restored.

Flashlights and self-contained lights

In the event of a power outage, the first step is to make up for the lack of electricity at home. That's why it's recommended to have autonomous light sources. These include lanterns and lights, such as those used for camping. To ensure that the lights can last long enough until power is restored, it's also necessary to have enough suitable batteries for each light, according to recommendations from the insurance company Generali.

In 2022, the Austrian Civil Protection Agency published a guide for the public on what to do in an emergency (translated into Catalan by the Society for Military Studies of Catalonia). This guide, in addition to battery-powered flashlights, also recommends mechanically operated flashlights, that is, those operated by a hand crank and therefore do not require any type of battery.

Another more traditional alternative is candles (as well as matches or lighters to light them). However, you do need to be careful, as they are a fairly common source of house fires and are especially dangerous if there are small children and pets in the home. In these cases, it's also highly recommended to have a small fire extinguisher.

Portable generator

Even better than flashlights and lamps are portable generators, which can provide electricity for several hours. The simplest ones cost between €200 and €2,400 and don't require any special renovations to the home's electrical system or professional installation.

Extra Batteries

Another item that can be useful, though perhaps less necessary, is to have extra, fully charged batteries for electronic devices, such as cell phones, tablets, or computers. Today, the Spanish government recommended minimizing the use of electronic devices to conserve battery life.

Bottled water

It's always recommended to keep a good supply of water jugs or bottles at home for emergency situations. It's highly likely that they won't be needed, and that the tap water will continue to run even when the power is out, but it's always advisable to have some in case the water supply is also temporarily interrupted, according to the Lisa Institute, a higher education institution specializing in cybersecurity and intelligence.

Eat so you don't overeat.

Although the most urgent thing is always to make sure we can drink, it's also good to have food reserves in the pantry.

The old custom, considered by many to be outdated, of keeping a few bills under the mattress or a tile may not seem so outdated in an emergency. In the event of a widespread power outage, payments by credit card or other electronic systems (such as bank transfers or Bizum) are impossible. If you need to buy something urgently, cash will always get you out of trouble.

Another element to keep in mind is documentation: "valuable documents should be kept in waterproof containers and these should be kept in an easily accessible location," reminds the Austrian Civil Protection guide.

Blankets and coats

Extra blankets, thick sweaters, and coats are essential for getting through an emergency. Although we're no longer in the height of winter, nights can be cold in many municipalities across the country (even in summer), so having warm clothing is important.

Analog radio

A good-old-fashioned, battery-operated radio is also a very useful tool to have at home. Radio waves will continue to reach your home despite any power outage, so the easiest source of information to find out what happened and what to do next will always be tuning into a transistor radio.

Kit first aid

In case you have any minor health problems, it is always good to have a little kit First aid kits for treating cuts, burns, or common illnesses such as stomach pain, colds, or allergies at home. kit It should include bandages, plasters, wound disinfectant, burn ointment, antihistamines, analgesics (e.g., paracetamol) and anti-inflammatories, both in ointment and oral form (ibuprofen or metamizole).