A proclamation and the loudspeakers of the Three Kings' parade: this is how the blackout was communicated to the towns

BarcelonaOn Monday afternoon, in downtown Barcelona, people circled cars with their radios blaring to find out what was happening. Everything had gone out, and there was no electricity, no coverage, and no internet. The radio stations' offices—which brought loudspeakers out onto the streets—were filled with people seeking answers; several people also approached the ARA newsroom in the Raval neighborhood, asking what was happening. In other, much less populated towns, however, municipal officials invented measures to try to reach everyone, and even revived old traditions that technology has, over the years, obscured.

In El Pont de Suert (Alta Ribagorça), home to some 2,300 people, burial times are announced publicly with a proclamation. A car with loudspeakers driven by the municipal brigade drives around the town announcing the transfers and the date of the farewell. The mayor of this Pyrenean town, Iolanda Ferran, comments that they thought the best way to inform the population about what was happening was to make a proclamation with a new message: "We inform you that you must avoid activities that involve unnecessary energy consumption. The current forecast for the power outage is between six and nine hours," she adds. This process was repeated several times throughout the afternoon, until most homes had power restored around 6 p.m.

In the case of Portbou, as described by its mayor, Gael Rodríguez, the proclamation was made by National Police and Civil Guard vehicles: they used their PA systems to inform the thousand inhabitants of this Alt Empordà town that a general blackout had occurred. They also brought loudspeakers onto the Town Hall balcony to update the information.

Once a year

"There was a sense of false calm," says Pol Cabutí, mayor of Sant Feliu de Codines, admitting that there was misinformation among the population. That's why they devised several mechanisms to make their voices heard. The first was very similar to that of Pont de Suert and Portbou: a group of volunteers and police patrolled the town, explaining the extent of the situation. But they also used a PA system that runs along the main street of this Vallès Oriental municipality of 6,600 inhabitants. Cabutí explains that these days they only use it once a year to play the music for the Three Kings' Parade. That's why they check every year that it's working properly, and this Monday it didn't fail either.

In addition, in Sant Feliu de Codines they also set up a Wi-Fi hotspot in two rooms of the Town Hall, which eventually filled up, so that people could communicate. As the hours passed, the local radio station, Ona Codinenca, was able to broadcast, and the City Council's message was for everyone to turn on their radios and listen to the local station for up-to-date information.