Are We Prepared for a Real Life Situation With a Sudden Loss of Tech?

[hankypankee]

I am not talking about a total collapse or global cyber war where the Russians, Chinese, Iranians, North Koreans or some other bad actor completely takes out the grid in some dystopian plot to bring the world to a halt. I’m only suggesting a temporary outage. Like the power blackout that hit parts of Spain and Portugal at the end of April. Power gone for a day, no internet, no phone charging, no digital payments. Suddenly, modern life grinds to a halt without any explanation. People who rely entirely on their phones found themselves cut off, not just from the nonsense worlds of Instagram and TikTok, but from real information, communication, even the ability to buy food because they couldn’t use digital technology to make payments.

 

In moments like that, it’s not the end of the world, but it can feel like it if you’re not ready, especially if you don’t really know what’s happening or how long it’s going to last. Situations where you can’t charge your phone. No QR codes. No apps. No bank transfers. You can’t even pay with a physical debit or credit card. And unless you’ve got an old-school radio stashed away with batteries in it, you won’t even know what’s actually going on. It’s the kind of situation where real cash is suddenly needed again, and so is having a bit of backup power.

 

I’m not talking about being one of those prepper nutters building fully sustained underground bunkers and hoarding ten years of canned beans. Just about common sense. Do you have a power bank of at least 20,000 milliamp with at least one full charge on it so that it could charge your phone for a few days? Do you have at least a few hundred dollar equivalent in banknotes (preferably in a mix of a few different currencies) stashed somewhere in the house in case the ATM machines stop working for a while? It’s amazing how quickly we’ve gone from “I’ll just tap my phone” to forgetting that without electricity, all of that vanishes.

 

The truth is, most of us assume the lights will always stay on, the signal will always be there, the card machine will always work, and 99% of the time that’s true. But what if it doesn’t, just for a day or two? Can you still function? Can you buy food, get home, check on family, or even just find out TF is going on?

 

It’s a useful reminder that for all our high-tech habits, the basics still matter. A bit of cash. A charged battery pack. A flashlight. Maybe even an old school radio with real buttons. Not because the world’s ending, but because sometimes, sh*t can happen and it’s nice to be able to keep going when it does.

[novacova]

Paranoid? Spending too much time looking at doomsday stuff on the internet? 

[hankypankee]

1 minute ago, novacova said:

Paranoid? Spending too much time looking at doomsday stuff on the internet? 

Sheeeesh. Do you even have one iota of a clue what’s going on in the real world, or are you just here chasing dopamine squirts from acting smug on the internet?

 

This literally happened in Europe. In April. As in, five minutes ago in adult time. I even said that in the OP. So what is it, you can’t read, or you just can’t comprehend?

It’s not a conspiracy theory. Not a tinfoil-hat doomsday fantasy. It was a real-world, documented power outage where people couldn’t charge phones, use cards, or get online. But yeah, let’s slap “paranoia” on anyone with basic situational awareness and carry on pretending everything’s invincible. Absolute genius.

[Lemsta69]

I stopped reading after "ATM machines" 🤣

[hotsun]

Its all very unnecessary. Peak technology and entertainment was the 90s

[hankypankee]

I'm really surprised at all the idiotic replies so far. Actually, I'm not that shocked given the lack of basic intelligence around here. I guess trying to fix stupid is far harder than asking somebody to charge up a power bank just in case the power goes out. 
 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/28/spain-portugal-power-outage 

 

https://www.theverge.com/news/657017/major-blackout-spain-portugal-france-europe

 

https://www.engadget.com/general/theres-a-massive-power-outage-cross-spain-portugal-and-parts-of-france-183025048.html
 

https://www.wired.com/story/europe-blackout-spain-portugal-power-outage/
 

 

[hotsun]

4 minutes ago, hankypankee said:

I'm really surprised at all the idiotic replies so far. Actually, I'm not that shocked given the lack of basic intelligence around here. I guess trying to fix stupid is far harder than asking somebody to charge up a power bank just in case the power goes out. 
 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/28/spain-portugal-power-outage 

Why dont you go throw something at a tesla to let off the steam

[hankypankee]

Imagine that major earthquake that hit Bangkok recently, which took down a high-rise building under construction and cracked hundreds of other completed tower blocks, also took down the fragile power grid in Bangkok for two weeks. How would you deal with it?

[hankypankee]

2 minutes ago, hotsun said:

Why dont you go throw something at a tesla to let off the steam

Why don't you whack a photo of Elon on your bathroom mirror and pull yourself off some more? Plonker. 

[ColeBOzbourne]

If I had to rely on digital technology for survival I would be ashamed of myself. 

[ColeBOzbourne]

3 minutes ago, hankypankee said:

also took down the fragile power grid in Bangkok for two weeks. How would you deal with it?

I have enough food and cash to last much more than two weeks. If my A/C went out I wouldn't be happy, but I would survive. 

[nauseus]

Those few who are prepared are generally called nutters.

[hankypankee]

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[hankypankee]

Just now, nauseus said:

Those few who are prepared are generally called nutters.

Right, but does having a flashlight with batteries, a bit of cash on hand, and a fully charged power bank, and maybe a few days supply of bottled drinking water, make you a nutter? 
 

In my OP I already explained the difference between being one of those nutter preppers and just having the basics on hand I just mentioned above. 

[hankypankee]

8 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

I have enough food and cash to last much more than two weeks. If my A/C went out I wouldn't be happy, but I would survive. 

Yeah, the heat would be another issue. I guess some sort of backup battery that could run a house fan for a couple of days would be quite useful in the situation like that. Lots of people who live up country have some form of solar power with batteries that could at least power some basic stuff for a few days.

[nauseus]

1 minute ago, hankypankee said:

Right, but does having a flashlight with batteries, a bit of cash on hand, and a fully charged power bank, and maybe a few days supply of bottled drinking water, make you a nutter? 
 

In my OP I already explained the difference between being one of those nutter preppers and just having the basics on hand I just mentioned above. 

 

If you want to be ready, you have to commit.

[hankypankee]

Just now, nauseus said:

 

If you want to be ready, you have to commit.

A friend of mine was caught in Europe during the power outages in April that I mentioned and he said it was a mess. If he just had as little as some extra cash on hand, a flashlight, an old school radio, and a power bank he probably would've been fine.

[giddyup]

11 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

I have enough food and cash to last much more than two weeks. If my A/C went out I wouldn't be happy, but I would survive. 

No electric to keep food in the fridge either.

[ColeBOzbourne]

6 minutes ago, hankypankee said:

Yeah, the heat would be another issue. I guess some sort of backup battery that could run a house fan for a couple of days would be quite useful in the situation like that.

I've also become attached to my refrigerator. I lived out of an ice-chest  for several years in a small motorhome with no water or electric.

[nauseus]

2 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

I've also become attached to my refrigerator. I lived out of an ice-chest  for several years in a small motorhome with no water or electric.

 

You were luckeh.

[ColeBOzbourne]

4 minutes ago, giddyup said:

No electric to keep food in the fridge either.

Yes, that's a hassle. But I can easily live out of an ice-chest if needed.

[hankypankee]

5 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

I've also become attached to my refrigerator. I lived out of an ice-chest  for several years in a small motorhome with no water or electric.

Sure. But for just a couple of days you could survive on boiled pasta or rice. I don't keep lots of food stores, but I have a couple of kilos of dried pasta on hand. The challenge might be finding a way to boil it without having a gas burner. 

[nauseus]

2 minutes ago, hankypankee said:

Sure. But for just a couple of days you could survive on boiled pasta or rice. I don't keep lots of food stores, but I have a couple of kilos of dried pasta on hand. The challenge might be finding a way to boil it without having a gas burner. 

 

You mean a wife?

[Hummin]

We would be good

 

We got to keep freedge and freezer going.

Gasoline generator

Solar powerbanks

Gass and coal

Livestock

Vegetables and fruits 

Plenty of water storage

Local marked will operate as before

 

And we shopping 14 days supply's every time we go Makro, where some we have stock for months usage. 

 

So yes, 

 

[hankypankee]

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

We would be good

 

We got to keep freedge and freezer going.

Gasoline generator

Solar powerbanks

Gass and coal

Livestock

Vegetables and fruits 

Plenty of water storage

Local marked will operate as before

 

So yes, 

 

You're good 👍🏼 

 

Things are much more precarious though for the millions living in cities. 

[giddyup]

6 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

Yes, that's a hassle. But I can easily live out of an ice-chest if needed.

With no ice.

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, Hummin said:

We would be good

 

We got to keep freedge and freezer going.

Gasoline generator

Solar powerbanks

Gass and coal

Livestock

Vegetables and fruits 

Plenty of water storage

Local marked will operate as before

 

And we shopping 14 days supply's every time we go Makro, where some we have stock for months usage. 

 

So yes, 

 

Of course you would be invaded and stripped of all that by those who don't have those means of survival, if the situation became permanent. The veneer of civilization is very thin.

[hankypankee]

5 minutes ago, nauseus said:

 

You mean a wife?

No, wives are a liability. Look at Macron. They should be the first thing to go. 

[hankypankee]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

Of course you would be invaded and stripped of all that by those who don't have those means of survival. The veneer of civilization is very thin.

Agree. A big risk. You don't want to advertise. Better to keep a low profile.

[ColeBOzbourne]

5 minutes ago, giddyup said:

With no ice.

If push came to shove, I wouldn't perish without ice.