Terrifying Friday the 13th: Everything You Need to Know About the CFE Massive 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 needs a break. Starting early in the morning, the massive CFE blackout began plunging entire neighborhoods into darkness, and social media lit up like never before. If you were left in the dark or know someone who's still waiting for power, here's the inside scoop, along with a survival guide for the next outage.
Which neighborhoods lost power?
The chaos started around 10 a.m. In Mexico City, neighborhoods 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 areas in the shadows. But the massive CFE blackout wasn't limited to central Mexico; in Morelos, scheduled outages hit Cuernavaca and Temixco, just as many had suspected since the CFE vaguely hinted at it.
The hardest hit were folks working from home or those with half-cooked meals on the stove. My buddy from the Del Valle neighborhood sent me a desperate message because his chicken had thawed out. 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 a lot of us found out when we were already in the dark. In Cuernavaca, for example, the outage in Temixco lasted almost four hours, and neighbors ended up having an impromptu street party with candles and coolers. Service started to come back around 4 p.m., though in some areas it stretched into the night.
On social media, the massive CFE blackout was trending. There were memes of all kinds: from the classic "the electric bill has arrived" to the ones saying it was a preview of the apocalypse. But jokes aside, the real issue is that these outages keep catching us off guard.
Survival guide: how to use the blackout to your advantage
Since the CFE doesn't give us as much notice as we'd like, here's my massive CFE blackout guide so you won't be caught off guard next time. Because yes, this will happen again. Take note:
- Keep a flashlight and batteries handy. Don't rely on your phone's flashlight, because if your battery dies, you'll be back in the Stone Age.
- Never open the refrigerator. 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. As soon as you see your neighbor lighting a candle, run to plug everything in. Don't wait for the power to go out.
- Follow the CFE's official accounts. Sometimes they do announce things on Twitter, but if you don't want to rely on that, join your neighborhood WhatsApp groups; there's always a kind soul who shares the updates.
- Have cash on hand. During a blackout, ATMs and card 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 been neglecting, or just take a nap without your phone buzzing. It's all about perspective.
What's next: more blackouts on the horizon?
Scheduled outages aren't new. The CFE says these maintenance efforts are 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 is: 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 will continue to be part of our daily lives.
And you, how did you experience yesterday's blackout? Tell me if you had a hard time or if, on the contrary, it was a welcome break from the routine. In the meantime, I'm going to keep a lamp charged, just in case.