The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

greenbee

As the internet comes down copper wires, I'm not sure you have much to worry about @oceanspirit

jk0

I have to say, the news about landlines annoys me also. Seems mad at a time when power is likely to be more unpredictable.

I wonder if it was just kite flying. Anyone hear about the NHS data grab being cancelled in view of one million opt outs?

euronorris

If we assume that it is true, you could have power banks charged and ready with which to charge the mobile, laptop etc, should such a situation occur. They are a good prep to have in any event tbh

thriftwizard

Nooo! They can't do that to me... can they? Our mobile signal here is pretty dire & I quite often get "missed call" alerts as soon as I'm a hundred yards up the road - but my phone was right beside me all along and never rang. Texts can take several hours to come through. We're only a few hundred yards outside the city limits but count as "rural" so get pretty poor coverage. It's worse still a mile or two further out of the conurbation, so friends who live there tell me. Oh dear, I'd better find out more, then lobby someone if necessary. Not that that'll do any good...

wondercollie

Same here in Canada.  Got a letter from our landline telling us to book an appointment to go onto their fibre optic system by the end of October.  

DigForVictory

Ofcom began consulting on how the telecoms companies would deliver the ability to call emergency services in a power cut in 2016 & the charity Age concern has begun calm measured guidance to moving to internet phones for a couple of years but if you’re in a dicky phone area, it’s not looking at all reassuring.

greenbee

It won't be happening here for a while - there are no plans for fibre, so we have to make do with the decaying copper  

Si_Clist

oceanspirit said:

 If the power goes off and I only have a small amount of charge in my mobile phone, I will need to keep that for possible emergencies and not use it to contact family.

Does anyone have an knowledge of this and is there anything I (and my mother in particular) can do to prepare?  

You need a power bank.  You charge it up when you have electricity, and use it to power your phone when you don't.  We have a small one which will charge one smartphone to full from 15% left and give the other one a useful top-up.  We also have a bigger 20,000mAh one which will charge both from 15% at least three times!

They give us a lot of peace of mind for not a lot of money.

thriftwizard

A cautionary tale: I think we may have become a bit lax on the food storage front, between the five of us. A couple of months ago I chucked out a pack of L!dl's cornflour, which seemed to have developed little black specks. But over the last few days, we've had an explosion of moths in the store-cupboard... needless to say, I hadn't spotted them fast enough & the dratted things had got into just about everything that wasn't in a glass jar with a tight seal. So I now have a freezer full of flour, nuts, seeds & sugar - all packets that have arrived within the last couple of weeks - and two large bags of things that are going to the Tip tomorrow. I'll have to replace some things, which means my August grocery budget's gone out of the window, but I can live with an emptier cupboard; I'm not planning to replace quite a lot of the DDs' collection of rare (and just about undrinkable) herbal teas!

So, more jars/tubs with good seals needed...

daz378

As I'm just  past 55    and work is dificult    trying to look after  people with learning difficulties  in the community....kids teasing them    negotiating  covid restrictions  etc...it is rewarding as well....received  my  vague pension statement....from 9k a year now reduced by 1.5 k for early drawdown  to 16k  when I'm 67....I have posted on the pensions thread.  My optimistic  assessment  was oh by the time I'm 60    will be at least 12k....not a bit of it    barely 9k....so at least another 7 left.....oh well  still lucky  to have DB pension....been filling up my cupboard s with tins of peas, curry and stewed steak...best form of savings at the moment  in this uncertain world.....sister in America  is selling her house for 1.3 million   crikey.....take care and stay safe