Greetings Noggers.
The UK Government have finally
recognised the importance of having plans in place for the event of power cuts;
exactly the kind of advice that we at Nearly Off Grid have been giving since we
started.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver
Dowden has been widely reported today to have made the statement whilst
visiting DSTL* at Porton Down, in Wiltshire. (*Defence Science and Technology
Laboratories).
Speaking during the visit, he said
it was the Government’s duty to review individuals’ resilience in the event of
a disaster that could knock out our communications and other systems.
Mr Dowden suggested that
households should keep a battery powered radio, a torch and candles to hand in
the event of a cyber attack, or any other incident which could causedisruption
to the National Grid.
He has further announced that
the Government would launch a ‘resilience website’ next year that will explain
to the UK’s 28 million households what they might need to do to cope with a
catastrophe, and what they could do to help others who may be more vulnerable.
Hopefully, all parties in the
House of Commons will fully support this idea, so that the public can access
useful and practical advice, no matter which party is in Government when the
project goes live.
This development is obviously to
be welcomed, as such preparedness to cope will not only benefit individual
households, but the nation as a whole. A populace that is able to keep calm and
carry on, will be better able to keep the country working.
Here at Nearly Off Grid, we
would heartily recommend keeping eyes and ears open for the new website and any
further developments. In the meantime, of course, you can always find simple
and practical advice on surviving disruption to the grid on this website, along
with those listed on our USEFUL LINKS page.
You can also check out our article on simple ways to cope with power outages HERE
