Spain blackout
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The hall of the María Zambrano-Vialia station was a scene filled with every imaginable form of waiting during Monday's nationwide power outage. Everyone was killing time as best they could and some even managed to get some sleep, their suitcases serving as pillows and support. The six chairs that Juan and Mercedes had carefully put together to make a "little crib" for their son, Mario, could go unnoticed in a setting where there was a story in every nook and cranny.
Juan is a man of few words, but he tenderly caresses his son's head, gently encouraging him to fall asleep. Mario lifts his face and smiles every time he hears his name or a conversation that concerns him. "He understands everything," said Mercedes. However, the mother then added that "he doesn't speak at all, just single words. Hello and little else".
Mario, 33, suffered cerebral palsy due to foetal distress and has a recognised 96% disability. He is highly dependent and has two main needs: an adapted chair to move around and his family for every other activity in life. He also has an older sister, Lidia, who is five years his senior and who grew up very fast when her brother came into the world.
Mario's birthday was in March and Malaga was Lidia's gift to him. "We also gave him the option of Cordoba, but he was sold on it." The trip went well. Juan complained about the long walks, but Mercedes corrected him: "It's all very flat here." The odyssey came with the return trip. They had bought their tickets for Monday's AVE high-speed train at 6.40pm. When they arrived at Vialia around 5.40pm, the big blackout had already occurred, but they still had hopes of leaving.
At the station, they were informed that the trains had been cancelled because of the power cut and that it was going to take a long time for services to resume. They looked for hotels, but to no avail: everything was fully booked. In desperation, they tried to enter the station, but one of the security guards prevented them from doing so, saying that only elderly people would be allowed in.
"I asked them to let me in for a second to change my son, even if it was on the floor," said Mercedes. The mother found it hard to hide the helplessness she felt during the whole odyssey. They received assistance from a police officer of a higher rank who came, let them pass and even accompanied them to the toilets, which are equipped with a changing table.
The four of them were allowed to stay in the station hall, like so many others affected by the blackout. They improvised a bed for Mario by putting together six chairs. "He is my life," said Juan, whose son kept lifting his head and smiling.
The family decided to stay at the station, even though they had been offered a hostel, hoping for an eventual resolution to the train situation. The Red Cross arrived and started to give out food packages, containing biscuits and juice. The family's priority was Mario, even though he was the only one that had eaten the doughnuts his mother was carrying in her bag.
Red Cross volunteers started to set up the portable beds - 150 of them. This helped people feel less undignified. Mario had been lying face down on the six chairs until the director of the emergency unit at the Red Cross in Malaga, Julio Pulido, noticed him and personally arranged a bed at a guesthouse for the young man. As there was only room for two people, Lidia and Mercedes stayed at the station, so that Mario and his father could share the bed. The nightmare ended on Tuesday, when the family finally returned to their home in Madrid.
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