The usual routine for most mornings I am sure, the alarm goes,
normally the alarm on your phone, snooze is tapped for the extra 5 minutes in
bed, phone beeps again. Okay, definitely time to get up, roll over to turn the
lamp on, why has it not turned on? Power cut, thanks to the St Jude’s Storm.
But, here’s the kicker, not only is there no power leaving your mobile
dangerously low in battery but there is also… no internet connection as you
have no Wi-Fi at home due to the power outage and not even a mobile signal due
to the local mobile mast being off-line.
Panic stations; there is no electricity to make coffee, some
toast, to connect your laptop or mobile devices, no Internet and no phone
service. So what do you do?
The usual daily routine of checking your emails, connecting
to your bank or just even checking your social media updates before you have
left for the office or in some cases, whilst you are still in bed, is rudely
interrupted by the simple fact you are unable to connect to the Internet.
We have only had the use of the commercial Internet services
since 1995, but it is sensational, how big a part it now plays in our every day
lives. We have, in the past, suffered with power cuts and have learnt to keep
candles and torches near by for these kind of emergencies. However, the minute
our mobiles die this instils a different kind of fear of not being able to
communicate.
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| Popcorn Web Design offices |
Due to the power outage there was a distinct lack of storm
related statuses on Facebook, this left the newsfeed free for several hours
while the signals remain down across most of the county. In times of crisis
when there is a need to be kept abreast of the minute-by-minute changing news
and weather, we don’t wait patiently for the next edition of the newspaper; we
connect and check Twitter and Facebook for the very latest updates, pictures
and news. The moment our Internet goes down, so does our link to the outside
world. Heaven forbid we actually need to call people to find out what’s going
on rather than relying on email or social media networks.
3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, however fast the technology is developing
and changing there is one thing it cannot change and that is the good old
British weather. Trees will still fall, cables will go down, we will lose power
and our links to the outside world will stop functioning as will our laptops, desktop
PCs, tablets and mobile phones.
High winds and the falling of trees damaged many overhead
power lines and telephone cables; this meant that individuals and businesses were
without Internet access for a prolonged periods of time, causing many business
to grind to a halt. The ability of not
being able to communicate with other offices, suppliers or clients or even the
simplest of tasks of updating ordering portals or receiving information alerts,
caused lots of business to reduce their trading on Monday. Many staff were stranded at home, unable to
travel. Those that did brave the storms
arrived at the office, to find out there was no Internet or even power. Therefore many businesses closed their doors
and the staff set off to find a Wi-Fi service at a coffee shop or restaurant,
just to check their emails and keep in touch with work colleagues, customers or
family and friends.
However APC has deployed many wireless high-speed data
networks over the last few decades for its customers and during this time of
Internet silence, APCs clients were able to continue working as normal, as they
weren't reliant on the overhead telephone cables that the wind damaged during the
storm. Many businesses have backup
solutions for power, such as diesel generators, but many hadn't factored in the
issues that no Internet can bring.
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