On 28 April 2025 the grid went down at midday and in many homes it didn’t come back until night. No power, no mobile data, no lift and no information. Those with a radio, a torch and water at home had a quiet afternoon. Everyone else was queuing at the supermarket.
The European Union asks every household to be able to last 72 hours without outside help, and Protección Civil repeats it in its campaigns. This is the minimum list for a flat, with quantities and no filler.
- Water: 3 L per person per day (minimum 1.5 L)
- Light: head torch + lantern, no candles
- Information: battery or hand-crank radio
- Power: charged 20,000 mAh power bank
- Food: 3 days of food that needs no fridge
- Cooking: gas stove + 2 cartridges
- Health: first-aid kit and 1 week of your medication
- Documents: copies, cash and keys in a waterproof bag
Jump to
Water
How much to store per person per day.
Go →02Light
Head torch and lantern, no candles.
Go →03Radio
The only source still broadcasting.
Go →04Power
A charged power bank and how to ration it.
Go →05Food
What to eat with no fridge or hob.
Go →06Health and documents
First aid, medication, cash and documents.
Go →1. Water: first, and the heaviest
In a block of flats, water is pumped up electrically. If the power goes, upper floors run out of water within minutes or hours. Catalonia’s Protección Civil sets 1.5 litres per person per day as a minimum (drinking only) and 3 litres as recommended (drinking and cooking).
| People | Minimum 3 days | Recommended 3 days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.5 L | 9 L |
| 2 | 9 L | 18 L |
| 3 | 13.5 L | 27 L |
| 4 | 18 L | 36 L |
The most practical option is 5-8 litre bottles stacked in a cupboard. For washing-up and toilet water, fill the bath as soon as the cut starts.
20 L stackable water containers
What for: storing your water reserve without taking over half the kitchen.
- 20 litres: about 2 days of water for 3 people
- Rectangular and stackable: they make use of the back of the cupboard
- Rotate the water every 6 months
Water purification tablets
What for: plan B if the bottled water runs out or you have to use doubtful water.
- Purify water in any container
- Take up as much space as a pack of gum
- Keep for years
2. Light: hands free and no flames
Candles are the leading cause of fires during blackouts. Use LED light: a head torch per person for moving around and a lantern to light the room you’re in.
Rechargeable head torch
What for: moving around the flat, going down the stairs or cooking with both hands.
- USB-C charging from the power bank
- Red light mode so you don’t dazzle anyone
- At least 200 lumens
LED lantern
What for: ambient light in the living room or kitchen for hours.
- Lights up a whole room
- No fire risk
- Some double as a power bank
3. Information: the radio is the only thing that works
During the blackout, mobile phone masts also went down as soon as their batteries ran out. FM radio kept broadcasting. Have a battery or hand-crank one and write down your local station frequencies. Spanish public radio, RNE, is the official channel; English coverage is limited, so keep an offline translation app on your phone.
Emergency radio (hand crank, solar and USB)
What for: finding out what’s happening and how long it will last.
- Three ways to charge: sun, crank and USB
- Built-in torch
- Look for FM/AM and a battery of 2,000 mAh or more
4. Power: keep your phone alive
A 20,000 mAh power bank charges a phone 4 or 5 times. Keep it charged and rotate it: if you use it daily, it will never catch you empty. To keep a fridge or medical equipment running you need more: see the portable power station comparison.
20,000 mAh power bank
What for: keeping the whole family’s phones going for 3 days.
- Fast USB-C PD charging
- Also recharges the torch and radio
- Light: fits in the emergency bag
5. Food: 3 days that need no fridge
What you already eat, in a version that won’t spoil: tinned fish and pulses, crispbread, nuts, biscuits, UHT milk, fruit in syrup and a treat or two. Open tins with a manual opener: electric ones are useless. Don’t open the fridge unless you have to: closed, it stays cold for a few hours.
→ Full list of what food to buy for a blackout, with quantities.
6. Cooking: a stove and an open window
With a ceramic or induction hob, no power means no cooking. A cartridge stove sorts out a coffee or a hot soup.
Campingaz Camp Bistro 3 gas stove
What for: cooking something hot without electricity.
- Runs on a gas cartridge
- Compact, with carry case
- Always keep 2 spare cartridges
7. Health, documents and money
- First-aid kit: plasters, gauze, antiseptic, painkillers and a thermometer.
- Medication: at least a week’s supply of whatever you take regularly.
- Cash: with no power, card machines and ATMs don’t work. Small notes.
- Documents: photocopies of your passport or NIE/TIE, health card and insurance in a waterproof bag.
- Spare keys and a car charger for your phone.
72-hour emergency backpack
What for: having everything together and ready to grab.
- Comes with the basics: foil blanket, first-aid kit, whistle
- Complete it with water, food and medication
- Leave it by the front door, not scattered around the flat
Common mistakes
- Kit scattered around the flat. In a night-time blackout you won’t find anything. Everything in one bag or box, in the same place.
- Flat batteries and power banks. A power bank untouched for a year is empty.
- Food that needs a fridge or a lot of cooking. Prioritise what can be eaten straight away.
- Stockpiling too much. The goal is 72 hours well covered, not a bunker.
Want to last more than three days? Extend this kit with the one-week blackout kit.
Maintenance: every time the clocks change
Twice a year, when the clocks change, check the kit: charge the power bank, test batteries, rotate the water and check expiry dates. Ten minutes.
The 72-hour kit covers the basics. If the cut drags on, continue with the 30-day protocol for a flat.
Sources: Protecció Civil, Generalitat de Catalunya, “Prepara’t, protegeix-te” campaign (water quantities and 72 hours of self-sufficiency); European Commission, Preparedness Union Strategy (March 2025).