Ready for a power cut

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If the power is off now, go to what to do when the power cuts. This page is for a dry afternoon beforehand.

Before: the standing kit

• 105 written by the fuse box and saved in phones
• A torch per person and a lantern for the main room. Light
• Spare batteries, or rechargeables kept charged
• A power bank per adult, topped up monthly. Power
• An FM radio with batteries. Radios
• Three days of food that needs no cooking, and a manual tin opener. Food
• 3 litres of water per person per day. Some pumps and all electric showers stop. Water
• Blankets, hot water bottles and a flask. Warmth
• Some cash
• Priority Services Register, if you qualify. How

When a storm is forecast

You often get a day or two of warning. Use it.

• Charge everything: phones, power banks, laptops, lanterns
• Fill the flask and the water carriers
• Turn the freezer to its coldest setting and fill the gaps with water bottles
• Bring in or tie down whatever’s in the garden
• Get cash out and fill the car
• Download something to watch. Morale is a supply like any other.

During

• Report it on 105
• Hot appliances switched off at the wall
• Fridge and freezer doors shut
• One room, doors closed, everyone in it
• Neighbours checked on

What to buy first

If you’re starting from nothing, the order is: torches, power bank, radio, then warmth, then a way to boil water.

Ready for £100 is that exact list. If you work from home or have a full freezer to protect, the next step is a power station.