B.O.B. (Blackout bags + kit prep for potential blackouts)

[nowty]

I live in a rural area. No local big supermarket or reliable public transport. Everything is electric. Lost power for several days in Storms Eunice and Franklin. Lost it for a week in the 1987 "hurricane". Even though Nowty is still insisting I live in a desert, when we do get snow and an easterly wind the lane can and does get blocked for several days - that has happened on at least 3 occasions in the last 15 years.

How was the 87 storm for you ?, it must have been hell in your area.

I was still up north in them days but I do recall a friend of mine who was in a halls of residence in Canterbury, told me they were hunkered down under tables as one by one the windows blew in.

And not too far from me only a couple of weeks ago there was a tornado,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... e-63376546

[Marcus]

I think I'm with marshman here - if you live rurally on the end of the line for utilities, and at a distance from the local shop, then simple common sense tells you to be prepared for extended independence during winter storms.

Streams and 1000L water butts for animal water (and washing), 2 - 3 freezers for food + non perishables, and as I've had batteries and inverter since before tesla powerwalls and other grid-connected batteries were a thing, I've only noticed powercuts when the neighbours have commented.

The other point where i might differ from the norm is the need fot lots of torches; yes it's good to have a few for emergencies, but you can always tell the folks in the countryside who are used to street lights, as the seem incapable of going out in the dark without a personal 'floodlight'. When i walk up the lane or across the fields /woods at night with the dogs i manage perfectly well with my own eyeballs, and either a very small, weak led torch with old batteries, or a red led 'lamping' torch - and i only use those to begin with as it can take ones nightvision 10-15 mins to fully recover if you've been in bright light.

[Mr Gus]

I must admit to a love of headlamp led. ..well maybe 6 or so.

[Oldgreybeard]

If I tried to walk to the village along our lane at night, without a torch, I'd almost certainly end up in the stream. When it's dark here, it is exceptionally dark, literally so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face. I've only once made the mistake of going out without a torch, when I walked the mile or so to the village hall for a meeting one evening, before it got dark, then had to stumble home, unable to see the edges of the lane. More then once I almost ended up in the stream! Since then we're like everyone else around here, we always carry a torch in the evening. The darkness is good for star gazing, though, it's why we're now in a designated Dark Skies area.

[AE-NMidlands]

If I tried to walk to the village along our lane at night, without a torch, I'd almost certainly end up in the stream. When it's dark here, it is exceptionally dark, literally so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face. I've only once made the mistake of going out without a torch, when I walked the mile or so to the village hall for a meeting one evening, before it got dark, then had to stumble home, unable to see the edges of the lane. More then once I almost ended up in the stream! Since then we're like everyone else around here, we always carry a torch in the evening. The darkness is good for star gazing, though, it's why we're now in a designated Dark Skies area.

Maybe I haven't been out in a proper dark sky area for a while, but I was under the impression that (unless there was dense cloud) there was almost always enough starlight or moonlight to allow you to find your way...
A

[Marcus]

Well I'm not in a designated dark skies area, but i perception is :

clear night = starlight so easy to see , ok under the trees.
Overcast = reflected light from the urban conurbations so easy to see, ok under the trees.
Heavy, low overcast & drizzle so clouds block artificial light by being lower than the sides of the valley - hard to see initially but ok to follow road after 15mins, but can get difficult once under sycamores or evergreen plantations - may have to resort to torch to stay on the path.

[Oldgreybeard]

We live at the very bottom of a steep sided and wooded valley, and on a cloudy night there is zero light around. No one here has outside lights (pretty much banned because of the Dark Skies thing) and likewise there is zero street lighting, not even any illuminated street signs. The result is that it can be exceptionally dark at times (although not tonight, we have clear skies and a very bright moon at the moment).