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Barcelona regains normality following the generalised power outage at midday yesterday, with the power now back on in practically the whole city. The alert stage of the basic municipal emergency plan for power outage was deactivated on Tuesday at 7 pm.

With the city now back to normal, the alert stage of the basic municipal emergency plan for power outage was deactivated on Tuesday at 7 pm.  The Red Cross information points in the Estació de Sants have been maintained, as have those by the Mossos d’Esquadra police force at the airport, to refer people to the CUESB who were unable to travel by train or by plane.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, thanked people for their “respectful behaviour and responsibility in such an exceptional event”, and congratulated emergency services, civil servants and municipal workers for their work.

The power supply has now been reestablished in practically the whole city. The water supply is not guaranteed in the mountain neighbourhoods, particularly Collserola, owing to pumping problems. Aigües de Barcelona are working to reestablish the supply as soon as possible.

The City Council offered ADIF the support of Red Cross teams, who worked at emergency centres to assist people at Estació de Sants.

Barcelona Fire Service conducted 789 callouts, mostly to rescue people in lifts (137 cases) and assist people with reduced mobility (298). The service also helped evacuate metro and train stations, such as the Estació de Sant Andreu.

Three main priorities

The Barcelona Emergency Operational Coordination Centre (CECOR) was activated yesterday at midday and based the municipal operation around three main priorities:

• Guaranteeing mobility.
• Metro services were progressively restored, becoming fully operational at 3 am. Public transport chiefs and staff worked throughout the night to keep the service available as a special measure. Some 900 buses provided service throughout the day, carrying a record number of 1,250,000 passengers.
• Shelter for people in transit and the vulnerable. Municipal sports centres near the main stations provided shelter for more than 250 people in the city, offering food and beds. Support was also provided for the most vulnerable, at home, or for those in the streets, with social services and municipal facilities activated.
• Ensuring public security. The City Police and the Mossos d’Esquadra corps doubled their night shift to get as many officers as possible on the streets in the city, particularly in areas where the power supply took longer. No serious security or traffic incidents were recorded.

Follow-up and transparency

As from midday yesterday, within a few minutes of the power outage, the Barcelona Emergency Operational Coordination Centre (CECOR) was activated to monitor disruptions. Three public briefings were given and ongoing information was provided to opposition groups and the media. The municipal civil protection plan will remain in place until the situation is completely stabilised.