Could you survive 72 hours without power? Governments want you ready for a blackout

Could you manage 72 hours without power? Spain's April 2025 blackout and new government advice show what to have at home before the lights go out. In this video: what happened when Spain and Portugal went dark on April 28, 2025; why governments in the UK, the Netherlands, the EU and the US say to be ready for three days on your own; what stops working in a blackout (lights, heating, lifts, traffic lights, phone masts, the fridge, water on upper floors); and what to pack for water, food, light, news, cash, warmth, medicine and the toilet. Plus the one blackout mistake that kills people every year, and a plan for your family. QUICK CHECKLIST 3-4 L water per person per day · no-cook food + manual can opener · headlamp per person · battery or wind-up radio · charged power bank + paper phone list · cash in small notes · 7 days of medicines · blankets and sleeping bags · bin bags + cat litter · battery CO alarm · a family plan. Never use a BBQ, camping stove, generator or gas oven indoors. CHAPTERS 0:00 Spain goes dark 0:18 Governments say: be ready 0:32 Could you survive 72 hours? 0:42 Why 72 hours? 1:13 What breaks in a blackout 1:47 Water 2:11 Food 2:40 Light and radio 3:00 Phone, power bank and cash 3:19 Warmth in winter and summer 3:34 Medicine and the toilet 3:52 The blackout mistake 4:17 The rule: fuel stays outside 4:29 Your family plan 4:41 Start this week SOURCES AND FURTHER READING (official pages and news coverage, checked October 2026) 1. AFP (2025, April 28). Massive blackout hits all of Spain and Portugal. EWN. https://ewn.co.za/2025/04/28/massive-... 2. AFP (2025, April 28). 286 rescues in Madrid from lifts during blackout. NAMPA. https://nampa.org/text/22618969 3. Cabinet Office (2026, October 22). Households encouraged to take small, simple steps to stay prepared in an emergency. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ho... 4. UK Government (2026). Be Ready campaign and Be Ready checklist. https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/ 5. Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid (2025, November 25). Prepare for an emergency situation (information booklet). Denk vooruit. https://www.denkvooruit.nl/documenten... 6. PostNL (2025, November 18). PostNL bezorgt informatieboekje "Bereid je voor op een noodsituatie" bij 8,5 miljoen huishoudens. https://newsroom.postnl.nl/nl-NL/2580... 7. Tidey, A. (2025, March 26). Brussels asks EU citizens to put together a 72-hour emergency kit to face crises. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/20... 8. Chauvet, R. (2025, May 19). Spain-Portugal blackouts: how radio stations have been more essential than ever. The Fix. https://thefix.media/2025/5/19/spain-... 9. De Nederlandsche Bank (2025, May 20). NFPS advice: Prepare for a three-day disruption of electronic payments. https://www.dnb.nl/en/general-news/pr... IMAGES • Street in Granada during the blackout: People walk down the street using flashlights during the power outage that affected Spain, Portugal and parts of France, in Granada, Spain, April 28, 2025 (photo by Fermin Rodriguez for NurPhoto via AP). • UK government 'Be Ready' household checklist: 'Be Ready' checklist. UK Cabinet Office, Be Ready campaign (beready.campaign.gov.uk). Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0 as stated in the site footer. https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/ • Dutch government emergency information booklet 'Prepare for an emergency situation': Information booklet 'Prepare for an emergency situation', Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid (Denk vooruit), published 25 November 2025. CC0 1.0 Universal as stated in the page metadata. https://www.denkvooruit.nl/documenten... Stick to Wonder: Animated explainers about the strange, the surprising and the big questions. Subscribe so the next one finds you. #blackout #emergencypreparedness #powercut