No metro, no supermarkets, no pharmacies: "Nothing's working, what are we going to do?"

Anna doesn't move from the door of the Nadal pharmacy on Barcelona's Ramblas. The store is dark, and the pharmacist isn't allowing customers in due to that is affecting all of Catalonia and the whole of Spain. He can't collect anything except cash and says he's taken some money out of the till in case someone comes in to buy something.

But he fears someone might break in and take advantage of the rampant traffic: the electric gates are wide open. "It happened suddenly. I don't understand anything," he admits.



Two Guardia Urbana officers are trying to control the flow of vehicles and pedestrians trying to cross the intersection between La Rambla, Pelai, and Plaza Catalunya. The traffic lights aren't working, neither is the metro, and several people are approaching the stations, which are cordoned off, looking for answers. "You can't get in, you can't get in!" demands a metro guard.

Ferrocarrils security personnel assure that they are unable to contact their superiors and that they don't know what has happened, but they insist that the facilities cannot be accessed. No transport is operating. In fact, some passengers were traveling when the blackout occurred and are trapped inside the trains.

Mossos d'Esquadra (Spanish Police) have just sent all their ARRO and Brimo units to evacuate stranded users. The priority of the Catalan police is to evacuate the subways, with people trapped in elevators and tunnels. "The power has gone out all over Spain," replies a user who has become an unofficial spokesperson for those who approach her.

"I don't know what I'll eat today," another asks, frustrated. "Now what do we do?" her companion insists. Several people try to hail one of the few free taxis moving through the city center.

A few meters below, a security guard denies entry to everyone trying to access the Carrefour on the same Rambla. "It's not possible, sorry, we don't have power," he explains. He says this in Catalan, Spanish, and also in English.

At the Raval senior citizens' center, the blackout caught them while they were eating. "Luckily, we were able to heat up the food before the power went out," says Judit, a center supervisor. Ramona is standing outside with her mother, who is in a wheelchair, and is carrying her home so she can take her upstairs.

"We have a battery-powered platform, but I'm afraid that if it takes too long, she won't be able to get up to the house," she says. The neighborhood's ATMs aren't working either. "Does anyone happen to have an analog radio?" someone shouts.

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