Communications blackout kit
When mobile, internet, and broadcast networks go silent — from cyber attack, jamming, or sustained pressure on telecom infrastructure. Calm, sourced, personalisable.
A communications blackout is not the same as a power outage. The power may stay on; what fails is the way you get news, reach family, and verify what is happening. In the first hour of a comms outage, rumour fills the gap left by official channels — and a household without a plan acts on rumour. The kit below is built around three habits: how to know it is happening, how to find your people, and how to wait it out without acting on bad information.
Why this kit, not a generic 72-hour list
A comms-blackout kit looks different for a city centre flat versus a village house. The wizard asks about your dwelling, household composition, and whether you depend on devices for medical care, then prioritises items. We do not sell radios as commodity; we describe what radios have to do and let you choose. Generic comms kits ignore the most important component: the agreed-in-advance meeting plan with people you care about.
What this kit usually contains
A representative slice of the kit a typical European household receives for this scenario. Quantities are tuned to your household and climate when you run the personaliser. Estimated total cost for the items below: €149.
| Item | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Family rally points and check-in cardscritical A wallet card per person: two meeting points, check-in times, out-of-area contact. |
adults + childrenCount cards | €0 |
| Drinking water reservecritical Sealed potable water in cool, dark storage. Split across multiple containers — if one spoils, the rest survives. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 2 * days L | €12 |
| Shelf-stable no-cook food (3 days)critical Nuts, bars, tinned fish, peanut butter, dried fruit. Food that needs no heat, no fridge, and almost no prep. |
(adults * 2000 + childrenCount * 1500) * days kcal | €35 |
| Manual can openercritical A simple, reliable can opener that does not need power. Keep one in the kitchen and one in the evac bag. |
2 units | €6 |
| Basic first-aid kitcritical Adhesive dressings, sterile gauze, tape, gloves, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic, paracetamol/ibuprofen, ORS sachets. |
1 kit | €25 |
| Headlamp + spare batteriescritical A hands-free LED headlamp per person, plus enough spare batteries for one full set. |
adults + childrenCount units | €18 |
| Battery / hand-crank radiocritical A small radio that works without mains power and receives AM/FM and (where available) NOAA/EBU emergency bands. |
1 unit | €30 |
| PMR channel and schedule card A written card: which PMR channel, which listening windows, what call signs your household uses. |
1 card | €0 |
| Offline maps and documents on every phone Offline map area for your region downloaded on each phone, plus key documents saved locally. |
1 setup | €0 |
| Corded landline phone A basic corded phone — no mains power needed, works where copper landline service still exists. |
1 unit | €15 |
| Paper message kit Waterproof marker, notepaper, strong tape — for leaving notes on doors and reading the neighbourhood board. |
1 kit | €8 |
| Printed protocol pack Paper copies of your household's key protocols and checklists, in the document folder. |
1 pack | €0 |
Three habits this week
- Agree one offline meeting point with everyone you live with, and a second if the first is unreachable. Write the addresses down. Networks may be jammed; agreed plans cannot be.
- Buy one battery-operated radio (€20–40) that can receive FM and shortwave. Test it once. State broadcasters reach where mobile networks cannot.
- Identify two trusted information sources for your country and write the radio frequencies on the fridge. National civil-protection channels first; verified independent journalism second. Avoid social-media algorithmic feeds during active events.
Personalise YOUR comms down kit — 90 seconds
The list above is the universal half. The wizard asks 6 short questions about your home, household and climate, then adjusts the items and quantities.
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