Brits warned a fully charged phone won't save them if 'Black Sky' blackout hits UK as fears rise
People across the UK are being warned about a potential ‘Black Sky’ blackout which could knock critical infrastructure offline.
Brits are also being alerted to the possibility that a fully charged phone won’t be enough to save them if the fears become a reality.
This comes after the UK government updated its advice on what to do in the event of a national grid failure.
In the guidance, it details how, during an outage, ‘sharing accurate advice with the public would be challenging because phone, internet and television services would be disrupted’. Due to this, emergency communications would be broadcast over the radio.
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The statement goes on to share how the advice has been developed by the four UK Chief Medical Officers acting as independent health advisers.
What is a ‘Black Sky’?
An expert has shared her insight into what a ‘Black Sky’ actually is and what it means for people when it happens.
Speaking to LADbible, Professor Simone Abram, Executive Director of the Durham Energy Institute explained: “A so-called ‘Black Sky’ event when the national grid goes down across the country is actually very unlikely.
“It is also unlikely to be something that lasts a long time because the grid can be segregated into sections to be restored.
“How people respond depends quite heavily on the conditions they live in. We have records of people really pulling together and helping one another out, and rare examples of looting breaking out, for example.
“Many people are quite resilient and have extensive networks of friends and family who can gather and pull together to get through troubling times.”
Charging your phone won’t help you in the event of a ‘Black Sky’
The government is warning that fully charging your phone in preparation for a blackout won’t save you from the failure of critical infrastructure.
This is because, even with a battery at 100%, local cell towers and masts will still rely on the power grid, meaning that it is unlikely you will have service from your phone network.
Phone calls, texts and internet access will become impossible, making your smartphone effectively useless.
Instead, it is advised to prepare with a battery-powered or wind-up FM radio as critical safety updates will be broadcast over radio if the internet goes down.
It is also recommended to keep flashlights, spare batteries, and a small amount of cash with you in case electronic payment systems fail.
