Cash, emergency food and wind-up radios: How to survive a power outage

As a result of the two countries’ outage on Monday, millions were left unable to get home from work, take out cash, buy food or in some cases escape lifts that were stuck between floors. The UK government, too, launched a campaign last March called Prepare, to encourage Britons to be ready in case of emergency. It advises signing up for emergency alerts, planning your household escape route, and stocking up on urgent supplies, among other things. “So that might mean having a small solar setup that can charge your phone, or certainly a USB power bank. We don’t have to rely on screens all the time.” And if you’re stuck for emergency gift ideas, she says, “Honestly, solar or wind-up radios are a really good idea.”