Power, flood, snow & Starlink

10. Power cut playbook

Essential.

1. Check if it’s just you; call 105.
2. Keep fridge/freezer closed. FSA approximate (doors shut): fridge ~4 hours; full freezer ~48 hours; half-full ~24 hours. If fridge reaches ≥8°C, eat or discard refrigerated food within 4 hours. If in doubt, throw it out. (Flood aftercare also uses a conservative freezer >24 h discard — §20.)
3. Switch off high-load appliances at the wall (leave one lamp on as a “power’s back” signal).
4. Layer clothing; one-room strategy at night.
5. LED torches / lanterns; battery radio for Radio Cumbria.
6. Charge phones from power banks; short texts to out-of-area contact.
7. If on a private water pump: treat as dual utility outage.

Heating without CO risk: duvets, layers, safe hot drinks. Do not bring BBQs, generators, or camping heaters indoors.

Useful: PSR if medically dependent on electricity. Cool box + ice packs ahead of winter storms.

11. Flood playbook

Essential.

Cumberland Council does not distribute sandbags to householders. Arrange your own products in advance.

EA timing (planning): Flood Alerts often 2–12 hours ahead; Flood Warnings often 30 minutes–2 hours — act on the message, do not wait for water at the door.

Warning tiers: Flood Alert (possible — prepare) → Flood Warning (expected — act) → Severe Flood Warning (danger to life — evacuate when told).

Do not enter the attic if trapped by rising water — move to the highest safe occupied level, use the roof only if necessary, call 999.

After immediate safety: report internal flooding to Cumberland (LFRM@cumberland.gov.uk / council form). Highway flooding: 0300 373 3736.

1. Watch EA warnings: Alert → prepare; Warning → act; Severe → significant threat to life — follow emergency services.
2. Move irreplaceables and electrics upstairs early.
3. Switch off power/gas at mains only if safe — never stand in water to operate electrics.
4. Do not walk or drive through flood water.
5. Leave when advised (or earlier if routes closing). Grab bags, dog, meds, documents.
6. After: don’t switch electrics on until checked; assume contamination; photograph for insurance.

Useful: Once a year on a calm day, walk through a short flood drill (who grabs which bag, where valuables go upstairs, how temporary barriers deploy if you own any, where the dog kit lives). Flood Hub also recommends reviewing the plan after any real event.

Fill in: Flood products on site _____ · Insurance flood cover checked _____

12. Snow / isolation playbook

Essential. Rural lanes around Irthington may wait for gritters. Assume you might not drive out for a day or more.

• Before Amber/Red snow/ice travel: check Met Office + traffic; delay non-essential trips.
• Keep §18 car kit in the vehicle; phone charged; tell someone your route.
• At home: clear paths only if fit/safe; dig out exhaust if snow buries a running vehicle (CO risk).
• Conserve heating; one warm room; check on neighbours if safe.
• Dog: short toilet breaks; paw care; towel dry.

Fill in: Nearest gritted route _____ · Who we check on / who checks on us _____

13. Starlink Mini + Anker power playbook

Useful. Confirmed from order emails (gear-from-email.md, searched 27 Sep 2026). Specs only where stated in mail — nothing invented.

Confirm on-site: Anker SOLIX C1000 and C300 have Amazon order confirmations but no dispatch/delivery emails were found. Verify both units (and the 100W panel) are physically at Rowan House before relying on them. Starlink Mini has activation + survey evidence and is treated as on hand.

Confirmed kit

Practical playbook

1. Power priority: (1) phones / radios / medical devices; (2) Starlink Mini for short online windows; (3) fridge/freezer only if C1000 Wh/runtime allow — measure draw; keep doors shut first (§10). No immersion heaters/ovens/whole house.
2. Solar → C1000 in daylight: Deploy 100W panel outdoors, angled to sun, dry connections. Charge by day; use stored power after dark.
3. C300 for lighter loads / grab: Phones, laptop, lights, brief Starlink sessions; easier to carry.
4. Starlink Mini draw: Prefer short sessions; measure watts if you have a plug meter; note runtime after practice.
5. Keep Starlink dry + clear sky: Dish outdoors with sky view; battery/electronics under cover.
6. CO: Battery stations + solar produce no CO (unlike petrol generators). Still never run combustion indoors.
7. Practice once on a calm weekend.
8. Service honesty: Kit is hardware; Roam data needs paid/active account. If paused/Standby, restore when you have ordinary internet — or accept offline-only (radio, stored maps).

Setup order: Solar → charge C1000 → power Mini from C1000 (or C300 for a short window) → phones from power banks / Nano II → fridge only if budget allows after comms/medical.

Runtime planning (C1000 1,056 Wh — confirm label)

Public datasheet capacity 1,056 Wh (A1761). Planning usable via AC inverter ≈ ×0.85 → ~898 Wh. (Gen 2 is a different ~1,024 Wh product — check your label.)

Starlink Mini average 20–40 W; USB-PD need 100 W / 20 V / 5 A (Starlink: below 65 W PD will not work). Prefer Mini’s own PSU on C1000 AC, or C1000 100 W USB-C + official cable — not the 30 W USB-C port.

Practice: two or three short online windows totalling ≈4–8 h/day, then shut dish and unused outputs. FM radio stays the independent fallback.

Faraday / EMP bag — honest note

Consumer Faraday pouches can shield small powered-off electronics from some EMP/static/RF — useful for a spare phone, USB with this guide, and spare radio. They are not magic: they do not protect connected gear, whole-house wiring, vehicles, or Starlink already deployed. Keep spare phone + guide + USB in a lined bag with silica gel; rotate charge quarterly; don’t rely on bags as a primary survival strategy.

Fill in:

• C1000 Wh on unit label: _______________
• C1000 / C300 / panel physically confirmed (date / location): _______________
• Faraday bag location: _______________
• Measured Mini draw / runtime: _______________
• Starlink account status last checked: _______________