A power outage (also known as power cut, power failure, power loss, or blackout) is the loss of the electricity supply (external link) to an area. Power outage may be the consequence of a wider emergency scenario such as severe weather or severe flooding.
The reasons for a power failure can for instance be a defect in a power station (external link), damage to a power line or other part of the distribution system, a short circuit (external link), or the overloading of electricity mains.
A power outage may take one of three forms:
Blackout:
where power is lost completely. While the word "blackout" is one of the most common colloquial terms, "Load shedding" or a rolling blackout (external link) refers specifically to a controlled way of rotating available generation capacity between various districts or customers, thus avoiding wide area total blackouts.
Brownout:
where the voltage level is below the normal minimum level specified for the system. Some brownouts, called voltage reductions, are made intentionally to prevent a full power outage.
Dropout:
where the loss of power is only momentary (milliseconds to seconds).
Power failures are particularly critical for hospitals (external link), since many life-critical (external link) medical devices and tasks require power. For this reason hospitals, just like many enterprises, have emergency power generators (external link) which are typically powered by diesel fuel and configured to start automatically, as soon as a power failure occurs.
What you can do
If you lose power to your house contact your electricity supplier to determine the cause of the power failure.
If a wide scale power outage occurs in Cumbria then please ensure that you have a wind-up or battery powered radio, with spare batteries, so that you can tune into your local radio station and be kept informed about the situation.
If possible consider purchasing a small generator suitable for your home to ensure that you have the capacity to stay warm, feed yourself and your family and have some lighting.
As a bare minimum we would recommend that you have the following items accessible within your home at all times;
Lighting:
- A wind-up or battery torch (with spare batteries)
- Candles (with matches or a lighter)
- Storm lamp (with spare gas cyclinder)
Methods of Cooking, Food and Water:
- Small gas stove
- Barbeque (to be used outdoors)
- Ensure you have foodstuffs that can be easily cooked, or warmed up
- It is recommended that you maintain enough potable water in the house for 3 days
Warmth:
- If possible use alternative and safe forms of heating, such as a wood, gas or paraffin stove or heater
- Or ensure that you have warm duvets and blankets
