Blackouts for beginners

TimSynths

Madbat60 said:

I remember the blackouts in the 70's when I was a child, I quite enjoyed them.  Wd have a camping stove  batteries, torches and a log burner.  I'm not worried but I think the news and media make people panic buy things

I can just remember having to go next door as they had a gas oven to get hot food. I did coincidently order some candles yesterday via Amazon for next day delivery- nothing to do with power outages I wanted some wax to rub on the curtain pole, so the curtains slide easier when opening/closing and the delivery date has been put back to November 8th.

Frith

Does anyone know if there is a list of "warm places" for people to sit in during the day this winter? 

I went to a coffee morning in the Quaker meeting house this morning and they want to open occasionally but I couldn't remember the name of the scheme. 

annieb64

Don't think there is a national one but some towns and villages have made arrangements.  I know the village where my father lived has opened the village social club for six hours a day. Here the Age Concern centre has a "meet, heat and eat" day. 
Might be worth checking  the local FB page.

daz378

Bought one of them portable power station s...and got quite a few LEDs...kitchen light florescent broke took council 10 weeks to fix it  just before xmas

cinnamon123

All the ideas thus far have been great! Thank you everyone.

Anyone worried about young children, how about doing a couple of "trial" runs. Depending on their ages/bedtimes and your location, it should be dark enough to have a pretend blackout or two in the next month. Use it as a teaching experience and tell them how to behave, "If the lights suddenly go out, remember to stay where you are...mummy and daddy will find you, etc." and walk them through getting a torch/light, where to sit etc. It will be a good learning experience for you to see what issues they may have that you can then prepare for.

Also suggest making up a box (maybe two if you have an upstairs) with your kiddies in mind- include a comfort item if you think they'll need it (a small stuffy, toy - something you can put in the box now that they won't miss), a little bit of chocolate/pack of biscuits/crisps (for adult and child), torch/solar LED light, games you can play by limited light, or a favorite book you can read to them. A list of songs that everyone can sing may be good in case you are racking your brain. Another thing you can do is to create imaginary stories with the kids (maybe put some story prompts in the box again if you think you'll be racking your brain to come up with something). My final suggestion is for kids of all ages - you can have a list of life questions in case the blackout is going to be a long time. Or buy one of those card games that have interesting questions. 

Perhaps reverse engineer a blackout in terms of time. What do you need for the kiddies if it's only 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours and work from there. 

One idea that we are considering because of the potential for storms (supply likely not an issue as I'm across the pond) is a portable solar generator. They are not cheap but right now we would not get the solar panels since those are expensive. These generators can usually be charged via your car, in the wall socket or with solar panels. Many of them have a good size LED light (some could even light up a room).  

GaleSF63

It might also make a difference depending on how big an area is shut off. Where I lived in the 70s cuts, I remember that although not far away, some friends, the local library, launderette - and the Chinese take-away (most important!) - were in different zones and off at different times so we sometimes organised ourselves to take advantage of that. If a whole city goes out at once, that system wouldn't be any use. 
So, if it happens, get to know where your local zones are. You might have friends or relatives in a different zone. 

Langerhan

Great to hear all the suggestions from people who've lived through this before, although it made me giggle that it took until the bottom of the first page for someone to suggest power banks. I think in this day and age, a lot of people don't even have a landline, so a power bank is essential for a cut in case of emergency (and I can imagine a lot of people who aren't used to candles might forget you're not meant to put them near curtains etc., making the fire service a lot busier).

I've got a few essential medical things I'd be able to charge off a power bank, but I do worry for people who have more power-hungry set-ups. I'm glad there would be prior warning in the worst case scenario of power cuts, but some people need power 24/7, and I hope the power companies are working with the NHS to make sure they're provided for.

Of course, this is all very much disaster planning. It's very unlikely we'll ever get to the point of regular power cuts, but this sort of thing can remind people they should be prepared for that sort of eventuality. Even if there's nothing official, it's always helpful to be ready for a storm, a substation failure, or anything else that might mean a temporary stop on electricity.

Gers

Si_Clist said:

Frith said:

... A non-cordless phone which you can swap with the cordless (landline) so you can still phone people.

But don't forget that's only going to work for the next three years, then ...

Is it true that I won’t be able to make phone calls if there’s a power cut?

Because the new system will work off your home electricity, if there’s a power cut it’ll mean you can’t make phone calls. In these instances, phone companies are advising that you should use a mobile phone as a backup.

If you don’t have a mobile, live somewhere where there’s no or poor signal, or depend on your landline, for example because you’re disabled, your home phone provider should offer you a solution like a battery-operated handset. This will mean that you can make emergency calls during a power cut.

See https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/consumer-issues/changes-to-landline-telephones/#:~:text=Landlines will still exist, and,old technology will stop working.

The rollout has been halted / postponed.

Slinky

Frith said:

Does anyone know if there is a list of "warm places" for people to sit in during the day this winter? 

I went to a coffee morning in the Quaker meeting house this morning and they want to open occasionally but I couldn't remember the name of the scheme. 

I heard mention of them on the tV yesterday calling them Warm Banks

Floss

Langerhan said:

  ... I hope the power companies are working with the NHS to make sure they're provided for ...

The hospital I work at has generators which are tested regularly, as are the staff processes for being off mains power, it is an NHS requirement as is a copper cable backup switchboard setup.