Recent Storm Darragh led to the electricity going off in our house and in 60% of the homes in Herefordshire, from 4am on Saturday December 7 to mid-morning on December 8, much longer in some places. With these storms getting both more extreme and more frequent, such power cuts are probably the shape of things to come, so I am sharing my experience and my tips on how to survive them.
For me, at least this severe power cut wasn’t a surprise: I have been forecasting problems like this for a couple of years: see my UK Future Risks Review 2030. So we already had some emergency preparations in place, but I learned a lot about what really matters when this happens, and what more one can do to prepare. So here’s my checklist of key factors:
- Lighting: This is fundamental – make sure you have a few powerful torches where you can find them in the dark, and have spare batteries for them. We also had a small battery lantern, which can recharge from its solar panel, and has a USB socket so you can recharge your phone from it. We also have plenty of candles, which are nice to relax to while listening to music. What I’d add for the future is a really bright, battery-powered fluorescent lantern, bright enough to read with.
- Cooking: Severe storms and power cuts are much more likely in winter, so it’s important that you can make some warm food. Luckily our cooker is gas, and I could light the rings with a match. In any case, it’s worth having a camping stove which runs off small gas cylinders.
- Heating: Although we have gas central heating, it went off because there was no power to run the pump and controller. I was very grateful for the wood burner in our living-room. Another option would be a free-standing heater running off bottled gas. Thermal underwear and hot water bottles are also very handy!
- Water: I was very grateful that the mains water kept running, but presumably it’s pumped by electricity somewhere, so we can’t assume it will always be there. We keep several large containers of water for emergency, and I strongly recommend doing this.
- Backup power: This experience underlined the value of having some equipment running on battery, and also the benefits of larger backup battery power systems, which are now becoming somewhat more affordable.
- Music: Curiously, one of the things I found most comforting while alone in the house without the power was access to music. Part of my emergency preparation was to have a cassette/CD player with batteries, and it was very enjoyable to relax with some music and comedy recordings.
- Communications: This is one of the things I missed most. Whilst I expected the Wi-Fi to die, I was rattled to find that there was no mobile signal at all: presumably the local masts were out too. Fortunately, the power was still on at the other side of town, so I had a couple of outings to get Wi-Fi access: afternoon tea in a hotel, and an evening drink with a friend in a pub. Unless you and some friends have short-wave radios, I don’t know an antidote to this, but it was tough being unable to communicate with family and friends.
- Neighbours: Twenty-four hours plus is a long time for anyone vulnerable to be alone without power in the winter, but I’m not aware that any statutory body has an obligation to look out for them. This is the kind of situation where neighbours really matter: I’d advocate that mini-neighbourhoods of 50-100 people should have a shared list of anyone who’s vulnerable, with a note of what kind of vulnerability, and a lead and backup contact person who would check in with them in an emergency. Such a group could also keep a list of essential equipment, such as a generator, pump, chainsaw, etc.
- 999 calls: If there’s no mobile signal, how would you call out the emergency services? Old-style analogue telephones kept working in a power cut, but not the new digital ones, and public phone boxes have pretty well disappeared. Checking online, it seems the only way is to buy a Battery Backup Unit from BT, which would provide an hour’s use for a digital landline.
On the upside, the house felt very peaceful without electricity. Perhaps there’s a benefit in escaping the mobile phone, Wi-Fi, radio and other signals which usually surround us. And this experience certainly made me appreciate the electricity when it came back on!