Terrifying Friday the 13th: Everything you need to know about the massive CFE blackout
Yesterday was Friday the 13th, and as if fate wanted to play a cruel joke on us, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) reminded us that in Mexico, even the power grid takes breaks. Starting early in the morning, the massive CFE blackout began plunging entire neighbourhoods into darkness, and social media lit up like never before. If you found yourself in the dark or know someone still waiting for power to come back, here's the full scoop, and while I'm at it, a guide to surviving the next outage.
Which neighbourhoods lost power?
The chaos started around 10 in the morning. In Mexico City, neighbourhoods like Doctores, Roma Norte, Condesa, and parts of Coyoacán went dark as if someone had put the entire city on airplane mode. Reports quickly poured in from the State of Mexico: Naucalpan, Tlalnepantla, and Ecatepec also joined the list of places in the shadows. But the massive CFE blackout wasn't limited to central Mexico; in Morelos, scheduled outages affected Cuernavaca and Temixco, just as many suspected when the CFE vaguely hinted at it.
The ones hit hardest were people working from home or those with half-cooked meals on the stove. My buddy from the Del Valle neighbourhood sent me a frantic message because his chicken had thawed. Yeah, it was that sudden.
The blackout review: what went wrong?
If we do a quick massive CFE blackout review, the thing that pissed people off the most was the lack of real-time information. The CFE announced it was scheduled maintenance, but most of us found out when we were already in the dark. In Cuernavaca, for example, the outage in Temixco lasted almost four hours, and neighbours ended up throwing a block party on the street with candles and coolers. That said, service started coming back around 4 in the afternoon, though it stretched into the night in some areas.
On social media, the massive CFE blackout was trending. There were memes of all kinds: from the classic "oh look, the electricity bill arrived" to those saying it was a preview of the apocalypse. But jokes aside, the real issue is that these outages keep catching us off guard, time and time again.
Survival guide: how to make a blackout work for you
Since the CFE doesn't give us as much notice as we'd like, here's my massive CFE blackout guide so you're not caught off guard next time. Because yes, this is going to happen again. Take note:
- Always have a flashlight and batteries handy. Don't rely on your phone's flashlight; if your battery's dead, you're back in the stone age.
- Never open the fridge. Every time you open it, the cold air escapes and your food can spoil. If you know an outage is coming, freeze water bottles to help maintain the temperature.
- Charge your phone and your power bank. The moment you see a neighbour lighting a candle, run to plug everything in. Don't wait for the power to go out.
- Follow the CFE's official accounts. They sometimes announce things on Twitter, but if you don't want to rely on that, join your neighbourhood WhatsApp groups; there's always a kind soul who shares the update.
- Keep cash on hand. During a blackout, ATMs and bank terminals also go down. If you need to buy something, cash is king.
But hey, it's not all bad. If you know how to use a massive CFE blackout to disconnect from the world, it can be the perfect excuse to chat with family, read that book you've abandoned, or just take a nap without your phone interrupting. It's all about perspective.
What's next: more blackouts on the horizon?
Scheduled outages aren't new. The CFE says this work is to improve the power grid, but deep down we all know that in Mexico, whenever temperatures rise or demand spikes, the power says "that's it for me." If you live in areas like the ones mentioned, stay alert. You know how the CFE works: they announce things, but sometimes the announcement comes after the outage. So be prepared, have your emergency kit ready, and don't get too comfortable, because these massive blackouts are going to keep being a part of our daily lives.
And you, how did you experience yesterday's blackout? Tell me if you had a rough time or if, on the contrary, it was a breather from the daily routine. In the meantime, I'm going to keep a lamp charged, just in case.