Black Sky events: Lessons from the Lancaster power outage

A 2015 flooding event in Lancaster, UK, serves as a critical case study for Black Sky events, which are large-scale disruptions that cause connected societies to fail. When the River Lune overflowed on December 5, 2015, the electricity supply for 61,500 people was severed, leading to the loss of heating, water supplies, and essential services like transport and fuel stations.

During the crisis, digital infrastructure failed, leaving copper-wire landline telephones and FM radio as the only reliable communication methods. Roger Kemp, an engineering professor at Lancaster University, noted that while society invests heavily in digital infrastructure, the most effective information source during the outage was a commercial radio station using older technology. Experts suggest these incidents highlight a significant lack of preparedness for long-term power and communication failures in a highly connected world.