Emergency Communication Kit
<p>When a major storm or power cut hits, the first thing to fail is often the way we stay in touch. Mobile masts rely on mains electricity, and once their backup batteries drain the signal disappears. Broadband goes down with the power, and as the old analogue phone network is switched off, many home landlines now depend on the router too. An emergency communication kit keeps you informed and able to reach others when the usual channels quietly stop working.</p>
<p>The aim is simple: hear official advice, contact your household, and signal for help if needed. A wind-up or battery radio brings you BBC local updates and Environment Agency warnings without any network at all. Licence-free PMR446 handsets let family members talk directly over short distances, and a charged power bank keeps a mobile alive for the moments coverage returns.</p>
<p>Prepare the small things in advance. Register with the emergencySMS service now so you can text 999 if calls will not connect, keep a written list of key numbers, and stock spare batteries. A little planning turns a frightening blackout into a manageable inconvenience.</p>
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Communication
4 items
A wind-up or solar-powered emergency radio keeps you connected to weather warnings, emergency broadcasts, and rescue coordination when the power grid fails. Your lifeline to critical information.
When phone networks are down or you're out of signal, two-way radios keep your group in contact. Essential for coordinating a family, a hiking party, or neighbours during an outage.
A sealed pouch keeps your phone — your lifeline for calls, maps and alerts — dry and working through rain, spray and accidental dunks.
A high-decibel survival whistle carries further than the human voice and requires minimal energy to use. The simplest and most reliable signalling device for attracting rescue in any conditions.
Power & Charging
3 items
A portable battery pack keeps your phone, GPS, and headlamp charged when mains power is unavailable. Essential for maintaining communication, navigation, and emergency calling capability in the field.
A portable solar panel provides renewable off-grid power for charging devices and power banks indefinitely. The ultimate self-sufficient power source for extended expeditions and prolonged emergency situations.
Lithium AAs last far longer, survive the cold, and store for a decade without leaking — the batteries you actually want powering a torch or radio in an emergency.
Navigation
2 items
A waterproof notebook records grid references, contacts, symptoms and plans that survive rain and sweat — reliable written information when a phone can't be trusted.
A heliograph signal mirror can reflect sunlight to attract attention from aircraft and rescue teams over distances exceeding 15 kilometres. Lightweight, durable, and requires no batteries or fuel.
Where it goes,
how often you check it.
One box, one place
A 50L Really Useful Box, kept dry, out of sunlight, accessible without a torch.
Quarterly check-in
Calendar reminder for the first weekend of January, April, July, October. 10 minutes.
Rotate the perishables
Water tanks every 6 months, food rations on best-before, batteries every 5 years.
