The power’s out.
What comes first?

Your first practical checks

• Light the space safely. Use a torch rather than candles, and keep a route clear for people moving around.
• Check the people, not just the devices. Who needs help now? Use the check-in arrangements you have agreed, where it is safe to do so.
• Get a reliable update. Check your network operator’s outage information. If online access is unavailable, use the reporting number above. A battery radio can provide broadcast information.
• Keep cold storage closed. Avoid repeatedly opening the fridge or freezer to check it. Read the food guidance below.
• Use layers and blankets. Keep warmth in the rooms you are using. Babies, older people and people with some health conditions may need extra support.

Further advice: British Red Cross power-cut guidance and government Be Ready power-cut advice.

Before an outage: make the boring things easy.

Imagine someone else needs to find everything while you’re out. Would they know which drawer holds the torch, which cable fits the power bank, and where the important numbers are written?

Put those answers into a small, accessible household plan. Check supplies against the official Be Ready checklist, including food, water and any specific household needs. Build up gradually rather than buying a fixed bundle of equipment.

Write down contacts while you can look them up. Agree who will check on relatives or neighbours, with their consent, and what you will do if you cannot reach them. A practice conversation can reveal a missing arrangement without switching off anything important.

Your phone can be charged—and still not connect.

Home broadband and digital landlines depend on electricity. Mobile networks can also be affected. A power bank helps with a flat battery; it cannot repair a network outage. Ofcom’s current guidance explains preparation and provider support.

Distinguish two jobs: receiving information and contacting a person. A broadcast radio can help with the first; it does not provide a two-way conversation. Paper contacts are useful, but they also need an agreed way to act if calls do not connect.

This is a set of questions for your home and providers, not a claim that every service will stop in every outage.

The fridge question: use time and temperature, not guesswork.

The Food Standards Agency estimates that a closed fridge can stay cold for up to four hours; a full freezer may keep food frozen for up to 48 hours, or 24 hours if half full. These are estimates, affected by the appliance, room temperature and door opening—not guarantees that a particular food is safe.

A thermometer gives you information that touch or smell cannot. FSA guidance says chilled foods that need refrigeration should be discarded after four hours at 8°C or above, unless power is restored within that period. Read the full FSA guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the conditions and extra precautions for people at greater risk of food poisoning. In Scotland, use Food Standards Scotland’s guidance.

Don’t leave this decision to a social-media reply or a quick look inside the fridge. Save the relevant official guidance before you need it.

An all-electric flat needs a no-cook option.

Check what your food needs before counting it as a meal: heat, water, refrigeration, an opener, or none of those. Rice and pasta in the cupboard are not the same thing as dinner you can prepare without your usual cooker.

For a simple planning exercise, choose familiar foods that are labelled ready to eat, fit your dietary needs and can be stored as directed. Check the opening instructions, too. Include your household’s feeding needs rather than assuming one menu works for everyone.

When the power comes back, close the loop.

Check that the people in your plan have heard the update. Review any food that may have become unsafe using the official guidance. Recharge what you used and return supplies to their agreed place.

Write down one thing that worked and one thing that was awkward. Perhaps the torch was easy to find but the contact card was in somebody’s bag. Fixing that small problem makes the plan more useful next time.