I was in blackout and parents haven’t even texted me

[Stopeatingcrispsanddips]

I live in one of the countries where there was a power cut, it was frightening at the time and still feels a bit unsettling. My parents haven’t even WhatsApped us to see how we are (they still live in the U.K.)

Is this normal?

Depends on perception and where exactly you are. My mum and sister live in Spain and couldn't understand why I was worried. My mum said she's had longer power cuts during the winter. My sister, who lives in one of the big cities, said there were traffic jams, but nothing shocking, and was not phased in the slightest.

But yes, I was worried, messaged on all platforms and kept checking if/when they've received my messages. Have you spoken to your family now? Did you call them when the power was restored?

Maybe they see on the news there was no phone signal so thought it wouldn't get through

when my dd was abroad i always checked the news for her part of the world.

is there something going on with them op? @Stopeatingcrispsanddips

I live in London but all my family are in Portugal. I did try to contact them all the time throughout the day with no response.
I knew deep down that they would be ok but still is the right thing to do. And I have been here since 1996.
it was alarming - chaos on the streets, in supermarkets and in many hospitals.
Spain declared state of emergency and urged people to stay home.
it was not only a power cut- we used to have them too growing up in Portugal and they still have them.
it was the unknown…..

No it wasn’t.

Living through a powercut in your neighbourhood or town for hours or even days is inconvenient and tiresome but may happen with some regularity depending on weather conditions or where you live. Experiencing a powercut in which two entire European countries are affected for 12 hours is almost unprecedented and probably going to br quite unsettling, if not downright terrifying for the duration of the outtage as no one will have a clue what is going on or when the power will be back countrywide. OP, you have my sympathies and your parents sound quite thoughtless.

I honestly don't know how it is possible to have missed this on the news, whatever your source of news is.

I would have probably texted something like 'Oh dear' if it had been DS

That's true, so it's possible your parents didn't understand either. They might have thought you'd get in touch with them if you were in trouble.

People haven't been very understanding on this thread, but you could view that as reassurance that it might not have been because your parents didn't care, more that they didn't fully understand/appreciate how frightening this was for you.

To be fair, people judge from experience. Here, a power cut after bad weather is fairly routine and we all get through it- so that’s what they will have thought.

The lack of obvious cause, the scale, people being caught in awful places because they didn’t have notice to stay home- that’s hard to imagine and empathise about.

And I’m afraid some people massively lack imagination and empathy outside their own home as they age. I don’t know if it’s the first inkling of decline, but it’s quite noticeable in some.

Maybe those who didn’t see it on their news read the Daily Star, because it was all over the news in England.

And the reason I am sure it was unsettling for the people involved was the scale and the unknown reason for it.

A few weeks ago Heathrow and the surrounding area was out of action due to substation fire. The chaos that caused. Replicate that across the whole country, but for no obvious reason and sporadic information on what was happening

My parents worked on the principle that you'd call when you could and if you needed to. If there was a disaster you'd be too busy.

In this instance it's a power cut not a flood.

I dint know why people are playing it down, it was the top headline it was all over the news and yes a normal caring parent would have checked in.

I'm absolutely stumped at all the posts saying people didn't see this, it was all over the news.

Even one of my children who doesn't usually keep up with the news knew about it from a friend whos on holiday in Spain and was affected

Unusual not to check up on your own child

That was before the days of immediate worldwide communication though, I dont think that's the norm nowadays is it?

@GeminiLass Did you think you were under cyber attack during those 5 days? Did you go to the shops to buy food and discover the lights were off everywhere, your bank card didn’t work (not in the next town, either) and you had no cash? Did you discover there was no access to news, and no one knew what was going on or how long it would last?
Seems like you’re missing the point

No, I didn’t think we were under cyberattack as my first thought. But it’s always an option isn’t it. I mean, if we were, well, it is what it is. What would getting a message (that I couldn’t read anyway because I had no electricity, plus no phone signal as that had gone, no internet etc) do to change that?

Yes, the shops were all shut as while supermarkets have backup generators so they don’t loose refrigerated/frozen goods, they don’t open as they would be dark and the payment system relies on electricity. No idea what you are going on about no cash, bank card doesn’t work. Of course not, but what does it matter if NOWHERE is open as no power? Yes, common sense says you drive out a bit to see how localised the power outage is. Our 5 day one, seemed to go for several suburbs at least so we went no further as common says to preserve petrol in such situations as who knows what’s going on (and obviously no petrol stations open). So for all we knew it could have been several suburbs, our whole State or the whole country.

Of course we ‘discovered’ there was no access to news. I mean????? There was no electricity, all phone signals and internet had been wiped out. So you could neither receive nor send any information from anything. So, pretty obvious ‘no news’. So, of course we had no idea what was going on or how long it would last.

But it is what it is. And you adult through it. It’s about keeping your own kids amused and everyone getting early nights not long after the sun goes down - (ours were tweens through older teens when the 5 day one happened). They weren’t hysterical as we didn’t bring them up that way. Again, it’s a case of it is what it is, whatever that may be, cyberattack or whatever else.

How is the point being missed?

Do you honestly think people are going to rampage around enacting the Living Dead in such situations if they don’t get message's from people and are in a period of uncertainty.

A relative living in Wales, was without power for 4 days last year, due to bad weather. This, in the middle of winter had real problems re cold, washing clothes, showers, etc
So 12 hours in much milder weather does not seem to be life threatening, though obviously very inconvenient.
It was not really dominating the news here in the UK.

That sounds really awful. I would have definitely been scared. Communications blackouts don’t usually happen during power cuts, as people usually have battery reserve in phones and computers - so that must have been really tricky to deal with :0(
xx

Are you very young? As I can assure you, nobody who's in their 40s rounds themselves up to 50 😱

OP, I never read the news but I noticed the headlines and I would have sent a message, even if you were just a friend. Totally different scenario to an average power cut.

Communications blackouts don’t usually happen during power cuts, as people usually have battery reserve in phones and computers - so that must have been really tricky to deal with

Yes, while devices initially have battery power, that’s pointless if signal goes and no internet. I wouldn’t say scary but sure, unsettling. But you manage just fine, because you have to. No point blathering about it during or after.
ETA - understand I wasn’t the poster you were responding to but had relevance.

If you were in black out, you wouldn't have had internet and I'm guessing WhatsApp wouldn't have worked?

I’d text you to check on you if you were my child. I’d also text a friend about it.

i was working all day and didn’t watch the news but still new about it from work colleagues.

im sorry your parents are a bit thoughtless. Perhaps there are other examples of this you’ve overlooked until now? I understand how it feels not to have very nurturing parents. It hits you sometimes.
all I do is just be the change I want to the people around me/my kids. And hopefully have a circle of caring people around you @Stopeatingcrispsanddips

you can’t be a child of the 70s and still in your forties. I am born in 1986, I grew up
in the 90s.

What happened between 86-90? Were you put on ice?

For those people minimising the power cut - you really have no idea.

OP - your parents should have texted. I hardly text my family, who live in Portugal, but I did drop them a text as it's the right thing to do.

I live in London and when the 7/7 bombings occured I was working for an organisation that had an office on Edgeware Road. I happened to be out of London at a conference the day of the bombings. I called my dad to let him know I was ok and wasn't even in London.

His response "oh, I assumed you would be fine, you're a sensible girl" 🤨