Seven items you need to have in your home ready for if UK faces power outage
Millions of people across Spain and Portugal have faced power outages this week, and Brits fear they could be next.
Chaos reigned across the two Western European countries, with the colossal power cut leaving some 50 million people without power. In dramatic scenes, panicked shoppers raided supermarket shelves for supplies, in queues compared to "Alton Towers".
The power has since returned, but a state of emergency remains in place, while Spanish and Portuguese citizens start to recover from the mayhem of the past 24 hours. Now, concerned Brits are wondering how they would fare should the power go out on this side of the Channel, with a new Mirror poll revealing readers' fears that the UK simply isn't prepared for such a disruption.
With this in mind, a survival expert has shared seven important items that could save you a great deal of stress should the UK be plunged into darkness.
The Mirror spoke with Jonny Crockett, who has been running the Survival School for 30 years, teaching on all things survival and bushcraft in the great outdoors. But what if your cosy indoor world suddenly feels unfamiliar without the wonder of electricity? Here, Jonny offers his wisdom.
First aid kit
Of course, it's always important to have a First Aid Kit in your cupboard, and this is especially true if you suspect there could be some sort of disruption on the way. On a list of top necessary items, this is the one that Jonny would place first and foremost.
Jonny advised: "Every year, the list changes because we're becoming more and more reliant on technology. First things first, always have a first aid kit. You can't go wrong with that."
Battery power packs
In this modern world, it's pretty tricky to go a day without using your phone or laptop. For many who rely on technology for work and communication, the thought of going without it for even a night can feel pretty uncomfortable. But what can you do if you plug your device into the wall, only to realise the power is completely dead? In this instance, battery power packs are your pal.
According to Jonny: "This is the thing that you would use to recharge your phone because certainly you need to have a means of communication. Now, I know that when you've got a massive power outage, if it's on the same scale as Spain and Portugal and parts of France, then what you're looking at is that communication is not working properly as well."
Rechargeable torches
Next on the list would be rechargeable torches, which are ideal if you find yourself suddenly navigating the sort of pitch blackness we humans are usually able to drown out with electricity. And according to Jonny, these handy beacons of light couldn't be easier to get your hands on.
Jonny explained: "To give you an example as to how easy it is, well, for one, your phone normally has a torch on it. Just a quick tour through Amazon and you can find your page after page after page of rechargeable torches."
Water
Necessary for human survival since the dawn of time itself, having access to clean water is absolutely vital. And with this, Jonny would also advise investing in a pump to filter water.
He continued: "When you have a look at a lot of the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, major calamities and disasters, one of the major problems that they have is that they run out of drinking water.
"So if you've got a pump, which is going to do a few thousand litres maybe. These things, generally speaking, come in at a couple of hundred quid, but you can get cheaper ones, and the ability to make not good water into good water is spot on."
Food
Although Johnny has cautioned against panicking too much in this regard, making sure you have enough food to see you through could save you a headache.
Offering some reassurance, Jonny said: "Now generally speaking, I mean the power is coming back on in Portugal, Spain and parts of France. So we're not looking at it being a major crisis really. Yeah, okay, so people are like, 'Oh no, they can't get onto Facebook for 24 hours.
"But actually, we're not expecting anything where I am at the moment. And if I were to have a look at my deep freeze and fridge and then the cupboards around the kitchen, then I could sustain myself for quite some time. It wouldn't really be too much of a drama, you know, I mean, a tin of beans and a bit of pasta and that sort of stuff."
Important list
Although many of us will thankfully be able to wait out a potential power cut without too many serious issues, it's important to remember that there will be those for whom such an event could be difficult or distressing. This includes any vulnerable or elderly people in our lives.
With this in mind, Jonny urged: "I think what you really ought to have, and this is from a sort of humanitarian point of view, is a list of people who may struggle more than you. Because what tends to happen is, as soon as I think the phrase is 'the s*** hits the fan', then people go into a very selfish, self-centred, eco-centric survival mode.
"Yeah, I'd get that if you are looking after some young children and what have you, but I mean, I'm in my 50s. And I'm a healthy person. So actually, when I have a look at my neighbours, I've got three 70-year-old people who live within spitting distance. So those are the sort of people that I should be looking after."
Candles
Make sure to pop a few candles in your drawer for a useful and, potentially, atmospheric light source. Jonny reflected: "Really in this day and age unless there is something massively wrong for the western world - like you know some sort of nuclear explosion - it's not as big a drama as all that. It's newsworthy certainly but I don't think that it is worth people getting bent out of shape.
"It's almost sort of over dramatic to say that it's going to change people's lives. Give them six months, they'll look back and they'll go, 'Oh yeah, do you remember that? When the power is out for 48 hours?', we'll go 'Oh yeah yeah, what did you do?' 'Well, do you know what? I stayed in and I talked to my husband, or I talked to my wife, and we actually had quite a nice old time. Lit a few candles'. And candles would be another thing to put on the list. 'Yeah, we lit a few candles and we actually talked to each other rather than watching TV'. It's not so bad, is it, really?"
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