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On a chilly Saturday evening in early December 2015, Roger Kemp, a professor at Lancaster University, noticed something was seriously amiss. While watching a Scandinavian crime drama, the sudden loss of power plunged his surroundings into darkness. He observed that the usual sodium streetlights visible from Morecambe over the horizon had also gone out. The following day, as he took a walk through the city, the scene resembled a dystopian film. People wandered in search of phone signal, and a long queue formed at the only functioning telephone box.
The blackout began precisely at 22:45 on 5 December, coinciding with heavy flooding of the River Lune which runs through Lancaster. This event cut power to approximately 61,500 residents, causing widespread disruption. Homes were left without heating and lighting, while water supplies faltered due to dependence on electric pumps. Essential services were affected: the railway station shut down, petrol stations and shops closed, cash machines failed to operate, and traffic lights ceased functioning.
Despite the extensive failure of infrastructure, two communication methods endured: copper landline telephones and FM radio broadcasts. The local commercial station, The Bay, managed to stay on air by using an emergency generator and a single landline phone, sending a reporter out of the affected zone to provide updates. Months later, Kemp convened a group of experts to assess the incident, leading to a report that highlighted the irony of our digital society relying on technology reminiscent of the 1960s, like pirate radio, during such crises. The Lancaster blackout became a cautionary example of a “Black Sky” event—a catastrophic scenario where widespread power loss causes societal collapse.
Discussions at a recent UK resilience summit centered on the importance of enduring a Black Sky event for at least 72 hours. The phrase “We are nine meals from anarchy,” often cited by civil contingency professionals, underscores how quickly supply shortages can escalate into chaos. Loss of power disrupts multiple essentials including water, communications, and retail services, prompting government encouragement for individuals to maintain emergency supplies. While the government downplays any specific threat to the national grid, preparedness remains a clear priority, exemplified by campaigns urging people to “Be Prepared.” In severe emergencies, the advice is to tune into FM radio broadcasts, as thousands did in Lancaster, which has led the BBC to develop a specialized Black Sky response plan.
Details of the BBC’s emergency broadcasting strategy are tightly held, with only about 100 staff involved in operating a dedicated emergency radio studio if a major blackout occurs. This operation is designed to function independently of the internet and is stocked with fuel, water, and provisions sufficient to last three days without resupply. The broadcasts will relay pre-arranged governmental announcements, covering practical survival advice such as daily hydration and waste disposal without flushing toilets. Additional news updates will be transmitted via satellite vehicles operated by journalists stationed at key emergency centers around the UK, depending on diesel fuel reserves.
The BBC’s emergency transmissions will be broadcast from isolated radio transmission towers, disconnected from internet vulnerabilities and fueled by substantial diesel reserves, ranging from several thousand to 40,000 litres, ensuring around three days of operation. Satellite phones will maintain communication among teams, with fallback protocols and meeting points established in case those fail. FM radio is favored because of its resilience, proven to function effectively even during blackouts and severe cyber-attacks. One insider noted that initial plans aimed for five to seven days of broadcast capacity, but recent assessments suggest power restoration might occur within two to three days.
Concerns about large-scale power outages are not new, but incidents such as the extensive blackout in Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France in April 2025 have intensified the focus on grid vulnerability. Lord Harris, chair of the UK’s National Preparedness Commission, emphasizes that power cuts extend far beyond losing lights; they can disrupt water supply and cause sewage systems to malfunction. He explains that without electricity, sewage solidifies and blockages develop, leading to overflows and backflows that compound the crisis. While many European countries regularly advise residents to stockpile essentials for emergencies, the UK has lagged behind in issuing similar warnings, although efforts to develop backup systems are underway.
Among these initiatives is the development of High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS), with the government investing £70 million in aircraft designed to maintain mobile phone and internet services for at least a week during crises. However, Rico Chandra, program director for Enduring Atmospheric Platforms, cautions that satellite technology has inherent limitations as a fallback when terrestrial networks fail. Our society’s increasing reliance on electricity and interconnected systems heightens the stakes when outages occur. Lord Harris points out that decades-long efforts aimed at efficiency have eroded many backup systems. He notes, for example, that emergency services are now shifting from radio communications to mobile networks, which could become vulnerable if mobile connectivity is lost. Despite this, the government maintains that upgrading emergency communications to 4G and 5G is a reliable and resilient approach.
Government interest in resilience planning has a history. In May 2024, then-deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden launched the Conservative government’s disaster preparedness program, although it was overshadowed by an election announcement released the same day. Since then, demands for minimum three-day resilience preparedness have grown stronger. Reflecting on the state of UK communications infrastructure, an engineer remarked on the isolation of TV and radio transmission masts from modern digital networks, which might seem like a vulnerability but actually offers protection from wider system failures.
However, as old technologies that once provided crucial backups are phased out, questions about future readiness arise. The UK plans to switch off its copper wire landline system by 31 January 2027—a technology that functioned even without power. Similarly, the future of FM radio, vital during blackouts, is under governmental review. Officials argue that copper landlines have become unreliable and difficult to maintain. When asked about progress since his report, Kemp expressed concern: “If anything, we’ve gone backwards… Switching off the public switch telephone network, I think shows that there has been really no thought at all about how you communicate when you’ve no longer got power.”
During the research for this article, the author experienced a power cut herself, highlighting the personal reality of such disruptions. A flashlight’s batteries had corroded, candles were out of easy reach, and the emergency wind-up radio’s location was unknown—a discouraging reminder of the importance of being truly prepared
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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