Page 18 | I was in blackout and parents haven’t even texted me

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 2025-04-29T22:05:53+00:00

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?

shellyleppard · 30/04/2025 08:02

Didn't the phone lines have problems with the blackout though??

m00rfarm · 30/04/2025 08:02

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 07:59

But that’s not what happened. The internet didn’t magically turn itself back on to send out updates. The power went off. Then it came back on.

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It was a 12 hour power cut where we had no contact with anyone that could tell us what was happening. No communication, no power, no water. No idea of what had happened. No idea of when power would be restored.

Xwx1010 · 30/04/2025 08:03

It’s a power cut for half a day not an apocalypse.
I haven’t seen anything about it either.

m00rfarm · 30/04/2025 08:03

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 08:02

Neither would you have had any idea that this wasn’t just a local power cut. Unsettling yes, annoying yes, but why would the assumption be that it was a National issue or a cyber attack?

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Because people were still driving, and arriving from other parts of the country and from Spain, all saying that there was no power from where they had left.

MereNoelle · 30/04/2025 08:03

HuffleMyPuffle · 29/04/2025 23:15

It wasn't all over the British news...

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It was all over the British news that I watch/read.

Alondra · 30/04/2025 08:03

m00rfarm · 30/04/2025 08:02

It was a 12 hour power cut where we had no contact with anyone that could tell us what was happening. No communication, no power, no water. No idea of what had happened. No idea of when power would be restored.

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Water supply was not affected.

MereNoelle · 30/04/2025 08:04

I have family in Spain OP and of course we texted them to check they were ok.

crumblingschools · 30/04/2025 08:05

@Alondra some people’s water supply was impacted

NotSafeInTaxis · 30/04/2025 08:05

Alondra · 30/04/2025 08:03

Water supply was not affected.

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There were definitely people with no water. Anyone needing a pump for a start.

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 08:05

NotSafeInTaxis · 30/04/2025 08:00

People who didn't look at a TV or listen to the radio or read the headline news or go on social media or post on Mumsnet.....

And then claim that they keep up with the news and it wasn't reported?

Idiots.

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I haven’t claimed that. There are billions of people worldwide that wouldn’t have read the news, been on social media or come on Mumsnet during the time of the power cut so would have had no idea that there was an actual power cut somewhere else in the world.

Alondra · 30/04/2025 08:06

TimeForABreak4 · 30/04/2025 07:59

Another thread demonstrating the level of absolute tossers on this website these days.

Unfortunately, yes.

whitewineandsun · 30/04/2025 08:06

EntropyCentral · 30/04/2025 08:01

OP, you sound very needy for a married woman in her late 40’s with elderly parents. Surely at your age it should be the other way round with you being concerned for your parents well-being?*

My dd recently moved to be closer to us as we're getting older and start needing more help. So far I've done 3 overnights of childcare and dh has been round to clear their drains and then again to plumb in a new washing machine.
Times have changed.

So, in reality they moved closer so they could get help?

WidkedGoodDoge · 30/04/2025 08:06

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 08:02

Neither would you have had any idea that this wasn’t just a local power cut. Unsettling yes, annoying yes, but why would the assumption be that it was a National issue or a cyber attack?

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There were brief periods where the internet would come back and through word of mouth, yes, most people knew it was a multi country issue, no one knew the cause or when power would be restored. Everyone quickly knew it wasn’t a local power cut. In this day and age, with no obvious cause (weather, fire etc) that was unsettling.

I don’t understand why this is so hard for people to comprehend. 🤷‍♀️

B1indEye · 30/04/2025 08:06

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 07:56

Or people who didn’t look at a TV or newspaper article online on Monday. Not everyone is glued to Sky news 24/7. Doesn’t make them and idiot.

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Why would you need to be glued to the TV to know what's going on in the world, you sound a little chippy about your lack of awareness.

It would, for example, take no effort and next to no time to have news alerts on the device you're typing on

Not saying you have to want to do that but you protest too much

notadrift · 30/04/2025 08:07

FFS ALL the world leaders were in Rome the day before.
We woke up. No internet, phone, electricity, water, shops, schools, banks, money, information.

LandSharksAnonymous · 30/04/2025 08:08

m00rfarm · 30/04/2025 08:00

She did not say in a war zone. She though tthe war that everyone has been expecting, had actually started, DOn't be ridiculous and say that was distasteful. It was how she felt. I can understand why. It was bloody frightening not having any idea of what was going on. No communication, power, water etc. Everything just stopped.

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It’s not ridiculous to say she needs to get a grip. It was a short blackout.

None of my colleagues in Spain reacted like this. They just logged on once the power was back and said ‘that was fun, wasn’t it.’

People overreact to everything and it’s incredibly tedious. The only people who should have reacted in any way other than mild frustration were those undergoing complex surgeries, or the doctors/medical staff performing them. But I bet they weren’t panicking and running about like headless chickens

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 08:08

m00rfarm · 30/04/2025 08:03

Because people were still driving, and arriving from other parts of the country and from Spain, all saying that there was no power from where they had left.

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Interesting. Seeing as some reports I have seen today suggest that traffic was at a standstill. How would these people who miraculously appeared from another country have actually got across the border if there was a power cut? Would Border force have just stood by and let them drive through?

B1indEye · 30/04/2025 08:08

Xwx1010 · 30/04/2025 08:03

It’s a power cut for half a day not an apocalypse.
I haven’t seen anything about it either.

Is an apocalypse the bar for sending a quick message to your child to see if all is well?

GoodOldTrayBake · 30/04/2025 08:09

Onlyhereforthebatshitneighbours · 29/04/2025 23:13

It's really not been the top headline here. I only got a sense of how serious it was because of something I saw on twitter and because I read a detailed newspaper article which at the end mentioned people getting stuck on trains.

Nationwide power cut doesn't sound a big deal - until you get to the detail. Don't overestimate the coverage it's had here.

Or the fact your parents might have had their own shit going on.

Just talk to them.

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Yes - it was top headline news. Not sure where you get your news from but it absolutely was top headline news in reputable news sources for 2 days.

NotSafeInTaxis · 30/04/2025 08:09

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2025 08:08

Interesting. Seeing as some reports I have seen today suggest that traffic was at a standstill. How would these people who miraculously appeared from another country have actually got across the border if there was a power cut? Would Border force have just stood by and let them drive through?

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Border force? What are you talking about?

supercatlady · 30/04/2025 08:10

12 hrs of power loss is a major inconvenience but it’s hardly life threatening. I thought phones were down anyway?

GoodOldTrayBake · 30/04/2025 08:10

MamaLenny · 29/04/2025 23:10

I'm in the UK and just had to Google, I knew nothing about it. Maybe your parents don't either?

Wow. It was top headline news here for 2 days. I’m guessing you use Facebook for your news, instead of reputable news sources. Unbelievable how uninformed some people are.

MereNoelle · 30/04/2025 08:10

A quick ‘heard you have no power, are you ok?’ isn’t too much to ask from your parents though, is it? I managed to text SIL to check they were all ok, it took me all of 15 seconds.

SallyWD · 30/04/2025 08:11

I think some people just thought "Oh a power cut, big deal. We've all had power cuts" without realising the horrifying implications of it. We have family in one of those countries and not one person asked how they were doing. It's a case of people underestimating the seriousness of it.

wrongthinker · 30/04/2025 08:11

YANBU OP. I messaged my friend who lives in Spain as soon as I heard. I was worried. When she at last messaged back I was very relieved. Seems a bit odd that your parents didn't ask after you! Have you asked them why not? Do you have DC - if you do, that's even more weird that they wouldn't message.