About Grid Gone Dark

Grid Gone Dark began as one household's plan for a long power cut. We made it generic and free so that any household in the UK can use it.

The question that started it

When the BBC reported on the government’s Be Ready campaign, the article used a phrase we hadn’t heard before: a Black Sky event, meaning a power cut that lasts days and takes water, phones, card payments and fuel down with it. The first thing we asked was blunt.

“Genuinely what do you think is behind this?”

The answer was less dramatic than the headlines. We found no sign of a hidden threat. What we did find were three things arriving at once: sabotage against European infrastructure, recent proof that grids fail in ordinary ways (a substation fire closed Heathrow in 2025, from a fault first flagged in 2018), and the UK catching up with the 72-hour advice already given in other European countries. At the same time the old fallbacks are going, with copper landlines switching off in January 2027. That led to the question this site actually answers:

“Months of stockpiles: if not this, then what to prepare?”

The answer turned out to be practical and affordable. A household needs water, food it can eat cold, its regular medicines, a way to stay warm, light, a battery radio, some cash, and a plan everyone has agreed before anything happens. Bunkers and a year of tinned food don’t make the list.

How it was put together

We researched it over several long sessions with an AI assistant, reading the National Risk Register, NESO’s report on the Heathrow substation fire, the NCSC’s warnings about AI-assisted cyber attacks, and NHS and St John Ambulance first aid guidance. Each recommendation was checked against those sources, and the prices were checked against UK shops on 7 November 2026. A second AI system then reviewed the plan on its own, which caught several safety points we had missed, including medicine interactions and why a camping stove belongs outdoors even in a garage.

The first version was a 31-page costed plan for one family. We split it into ten short checklists, each with a front for what to buy and a back for how to use it, had them illustrated, and removed every personal detail before building this site. Your ticks and household details stay in your own browser, as the privacy page explains.

What this site is not

It isn’t a government website and has no link to the Be Ready campaign.
It doesn’t sell anything. There are no adverts, affiliate links or sponsored products, and the shops are listed only as examples.
It isn’t medical, legal or financial advice. The disclaimer sets out what that means for you.

Sources

Last reviewed 7 November 2026.