The digital meltdown

WITH reference to your report of electricity outages in Scotland (“Thousands still without electricity in aftermath of

Storm Arwen”, The Herald, November 29) our village has just had 53 hours without power and about 16 without water. We got both reconnected at around 2300 last night (November 28).

However, during this period, we had no internet connection (so no email, text, Whatsapp, etc), no 4G, no mobile signal and, because of BT policy to make our landline digital, no landline facility as soon as the power went off. SSEN was providing updates by text but they weren’t reaching the people directly affected. How does one communicate in the event of an emergency?

I was reassured that it wasn’t just my lack of expertise in digital technology, others I have spoken to in the village had the same issue.

In contrast, in 1978, when I lived further north in Sutherland where we had a five-day power cut, telephones worked for a day or two after the power went off and I had a battery-operated radio which kept me well informed throughout. Guess what I’m going to buy for Christmas?

Is this episode a salutary lesson that we are becoming too reliant on digital methods of communication? I believe folk without routers had telephone access through their landlines. Willie Towers,

Alford.

BLESSINGS on the management team of Banchory Sports Centre for their initiative. As soon as the severity of the power cuts in this part of Kincardineshire became known, they flung open their doors, offering free showers to all.

I write this having just had a shower and shave for the first time in 66 electricity-less hours, and with the latest of many forecasts being that power might be restored in 10 hours.

Gordon Casely,

Crathes.