The Be Ready checklist asks for a battery or wind-up FM radio with your local frequencies written down, and a charged power bank. It is the cheapest part of the kit and the part people are most likely to skip, because a phone feels like enough. In a widespread incident it isn't.
What to keep
Why radio, in 2026
Three reasons. FM transmitters have robust backup power and cover almost the entire UK. FM receivers sip power: a small radio runs for days on a set of batteries or an hour's listening per minute of winding. And broadcast radio does not congest; a million people can listen without slowing it down, which is exactly what happens to mobile data and social media when everybody reaches for their phone at once.
During a national emergency the BBC prioritises news and health and safety information. In a local incident, BBC local radio is where you hear which roads are closed, when the power company expects to reconnect, and where the bottled water station is. If you only ever use the radio twice, it will have paid for itself.
Choosing a radio
| Type | Pros | Cons | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind-up with solar and USB out | Never runs flat, charges a phone slowly, often has a torch | Sound quality basic, winding is tedious | £20 to £40 |
| Battery FM/DAB portable | Better sound, familiar | DAB eats batteries; needs spares | £15 to £35 |
| Pocket FM radio | Tiny, runs for days on two AAs, very cheap | Headphones only on some models | £8 to £15 |
| Car radio | You already own it | Needs you to be in the car; fuel | Free |
Any of these is fine. The important thing is that it works with no mains power, that there are batteries for it in the kit, and that you have tried it once so you know how to tune it in the dark.
Keeping your phone useful
Switch to low power mode immediately
Dim the screen, turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scanning, close apps. A phone on low power mode with the screen mostly off lasts two days.
Text, don't call
Texts need a fraction of the network capacity and queue until they get through. Agree a short "all OK" message with family in advance.
Use the power bank for the phone, not the tablet
One charged phone per household for contact is the priority. Entertainment devices wait.
Download offline maps now
Google Maps and Apple Maps both let you save your area offline. Do it today; it is useless to think of it when there is no data.
Know how to make an emergency call with no signal
UK phones will attempt 999 on any available network, even one you are not a customer of. If your network is down, 999 may still connect.
Reaching family when the network is jammed
Agree in advance: who texts whom, in what order, and a fixed time to try again if nothing gets through. Pick an out-of-area contact, a relative in another town, whom everyone messages; a network may be congested locally but fine elsewhere, and a message that gets out of the area can be relayed back in. Write this into your household plan.
The written numbers list
Print or write a card with the numbers below and keep it in the kit and in your wallet. Phones go flat; paper does not.
Add your GP surgery, pharmacy, school or nursery, your energy supplier, your water company, your insurer's claims line, your vet and the two neighbours most likely to help. Our printable household plan has space for all of them.
Our radio and power bank picks are on the recommended kit page. None of the links on this site currently earn us a commission; if that changes we will say so.
Common questions
Why FM and not DAB or the internet?
FM transmitters have long-lasting backup power, FM receivers use very little energy, and the signal covers almost the whole country. DAB radios drain batteries much faster and have patchier coverage. Internet radio and apps need mobile data, which is exactly what fails in a widespread power cut. Most emergency radios receive both FM and DAB, so you lose nothing by having both.
Which stations should I write down?
Your BBC local radio station, BBC Radio 4 (92 to 95 FM, and 198 long wave), and a commercial local station. During a national emergency the BBC prioritises news and public safety information. Local radio carries the detail that matters: which roads are shut, where the water station is.
Will my mobile work in a power cut?
For a while. Mobile masts have battery backup measured in hours, not days, and in a wide outage they fail progressively. Networks also become overloaded when everyone calls at once. Text messages get through when calls will not, so text rather than ring.
What about Emergency Alerts?
The UK Emergency Alerts system sends a loud message to all compatible phones in an affected area, used for severe weather and other threats to life. Make sure it is switched on in your phone settings; it works without an app and does not need your number.