Winter blackout contingency planning

ariarnia

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

[Deleted User]

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

ariarnia

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

youve said it's not 'essential' but haven't answered my question about why someone should only do whats essential if they could easily be comfortable. 

[Deleted User]

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your unlimited water supply not being hot is not a real problem.

ariarnia

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your water not being hot is not a real problem.

first who said anyone was upset or that it was a real problem?

2nd you are suggesting someone should drink cold water because people on the other side of the world have a shortage of water.  

does not going to a local caf on the way home for something hot to eat or drink somehow give those people access to water?  

tho i guess it makes a change from starving children in africa 
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AppealToWorseProblems

[Deleted User]

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your water not being hot is not a real problem.

so someone should drink cold water because people on the other side of the world have a shortage of water? 

does not going to a local caf on the way home for something hot to eat or drink somehow give those people access to water?  

You talk about drinking cold water like it is a hardship?

We are talking about temporary electric outages. If you can't survive a few hours on cold water then that's your problem. 

MattMattMattUK

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your water not being hot is not a real problem.

I don't think that someone in a third world problem has a drinking water shortage is really relevant, this is a comfort issue for people who are used to a comfortable lifestyle, however I would also have to question about the psychological state of someone who feels uncomfortable if they do not have a cup of tea or coffee for three hours.

I quite like tea and coffee, it would appear excessive to plan on the basis that I could not cope without them for a three hour window. I suspect that this is down to general human psychology though, once you tell people of a potential shortage, or potentially deny them something, even if they would not normally care in the slightest, a significant minority of people tend to get rather precious about it. It is similar to the panic buying of toilet roll, tinned food, petrol etc. in that people could generally manage with what they had or use perfectly viable alternatives, many people will suddenly decide that they "need" (unable to separate want and need) what they cannot have. Something which they would have likely not even bothered with before becomes a source of psychological discomfort when they denied it, it is not rational, it is not reasonable, but for many people it is part of their nature. 

ariarnia

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

[Deleted User] said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your water not being hot is not a real problem.

so someone should drink cold water because people on the other side of the world have a shortage of water? 

does not going to a local caf on the way home for something hot to eat or drink somehow give those people access to water?  

You talk about drinking cold water like it is a hardship?

We are talking about temporary electric outages. If you can't survive a few hours on cold water then that's your problem. 

no i'm not.

i'm saying that theres no need to be more uncomfortable than you have to when you have advanced notice and the ability to make plans to be more comfortable. 

ariarnia

MattMattMattUK said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your water not being hot is not a real problem.

I don't think that someone in a third world problem has a drinking water shortage is really relevant, this is a comfort issue for people who are used to a comfortable lifestyle, however I would also have to question about the psychological state of someone who feels uncomfortable if they do not have a cup of tea or coffee for three hours.

maybe it's just me and my 'psychological state' but i can clearly remember back in 2008ish when i just joined this forum i was living in a little bedsit and commuting for an hour each way on the train and by foot. there were several days when i would be going to work in the dark. standing on my feet all day. and coming home in the dark. sometimes soaking wet because theres only so much an umbrella can do when the rain and wind are up. and i would get into my flat completely miserable wet and cold. being able to change into dry clothes make a hot water bottle and put the kettle on was a god send on those days. 

powercuts arent likely but if i was still by myself in that flat then knowing i was expecting a power cut and knowing the caf by the station wouldn't be having one so i could make sure i had a £5 on me for something hot before heading home wouldn't be 'psychologically' a problem if i couldn't but would make my day better and more comfortable. 

i'm really not understanding why some people think that's unreasonable? 

[Deleted User]

ariarnia said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Deleted_User said:

ariarnia said:

Dolor said:

Bear in mind that those of us in our 70s and older lived through the three day week. I recall that it was a very cold Winter. When I mentioned this to my late Mother she gently reminded me that she had lived through the 2nd World War blitz and the Germans didn’t provide any prior notification of power outages! 

... you could be coming home to a dark cold house and have no way to make a hot drink or something to eat. 

I think this is a bit dramatic, hot drinks aren't essential and you can make a full meal without electricity, you don't have to cook a sandwich.

we've had the conversation about 'essential' before  its about relative experience and comfort vs the relatively small cost of some basic things to make life more comfortable.

after a full days work (plus commute) on a cold wet winters day then sometimes all people really want is a hot drink/meal. winter is tiring and depressing for a lot of people. january and febuary can be entirely miserable months even without powercuts.

and there's a not small group of people who live entirely by electric (often living alone and in flats) so a badly timed power cut has the potential to make them a lot more miserable than people like us in our house with other people alternative cooking and heating and hobbies that dont require electric. those are the people who will benifit most from knowing what block they are in and thinking about what they can do now so if theres a power cut (or more than one) they can be more comfortable. 

Just my opinion, but I say being "comfortable" in an emergency situation isn't a priority, people just need to stay safe and survive.

My parents remind me of the times they spend many nights in air raid shelters in the dark and cold but they survived and lived a long life. 

Being prepared is half the battle with thing like this, having a plan means that unexpected power outages can be dealt with and are quite exciting when your emergency plans come into play.

Part of my job role involves planning for emergencies, had one this week when a tree fell on a powerline and resulted in an unexpected power outage to one of my offices. We had a plan, executed the plan, everything was ok. 

i dont think a planned/pre notified time limited blackout really counts as an emergency, do you? 

people will survive for three hours without any planning or preps at all. they have an opportunity to plan to be more comfortable so why not take advantage of that to plan to do more than just 'survive'? 

Exactly, so what's the problem with not having a hot drink during a planned / short black put?

i think it's the other way around. whats the problem with someone making plans to let them have a hot drink in a blackout if it would make them more comfortable? 

Priorities is the problem.

I don't consider a hot drink a priority.

Around half of the world's population have a shortage of water and the risk of dehydration. Being in the other half and being upset about your water not being hot is not a real problem.

I don't think that someone in a third world problem has a drinking water shortage is really relevant, this is a comfort issue for people who are used to a comfortable lifestyle, however I would also have to question about the psychological state of someone who feels uncomfortable if they do not have a cup of tea or coffee for three hours.

maybe it's just me and my 'psychological state' but i can clearly remember back in 2008ish when i just joined this forum i was living in a little bedsit and commuting for an hour each way on the train and by foot. there were several days when i would be going to work in the dark. standing on my feet all day. and coming home in the dark. sometimes soaking wet because theres only so much an umbrella can do when the rain and wind are up. and i would get into my flat completely miserable wet and cold. being able to change into dry clothes make a hot water bottle and put the kettle on was a god send on those days. 

powercuts arent likely but if i was still by myself in that flat then knowing i was expecting a power cut and knowing the caf by the station wouldn't be having one so i could make sure i had a £5 on me for something hot before heading home wouldn't be 'psychologically' a problem if i couldn't but would make my day better and more comfortable. 

i'm really not understanding why some people think that's unreasonable? 

Sounds like you've lived a sheltered life.

Waking up the following day alive, well and safe is probably the priority for most people in this world.

If having a hot brew matters most to you then I'm totally lost on this one.