What to Do When There Is No Electricity, Mobile Service or Internet

A prolonged power outage can cause problems far beyond a lack of lighting or heating. If mobile service and Internet access disappear at the same time, many everyday digital services become unavailable, including banking applications, electronic documents and some government services.

That is why it is better to prepare for a prolonged power outage in advance.

Do Not Rely Only on Your Smartphone

Today, many important documents are stored in the Diia application. This is convenient, but when communication services are unavailable, access todigital services may be limited.

A screenshot of a document on your phone is not a full substitute for a digital document. Official document verification uses the mechanisms provided by the service, including QR codes or barcodes.

Therefore, during prolonged power outages, it is advisable to have your most important documents in physical form.

What You Should Keep at Hand

Depending on your situation, these may include:

Ukrainian passport;
ID card;
international passport;
tax identification number;
driving licence;
children’s birth certificates;
marriage or divorce certificates;
vehicle documents;
property documents;
insurance documents and other important papers.

For the most important documents, it is also useful to keep paper copies.

Write Down Important Phone Numbers

During a blackout, your phone may still have enough battery power, but mobile service or Internet access may be unavailable.

It is therefore useful to keep a small paper list of important contacts:

your bank and its customer service number;
family doctor;
post office;
local emergency and municipal services;
relatives and close friends;
other organisations whose services you regularly use.

You may also want to write down bank details, account numbers and other information that may be required for transactions or customer identification.

How to Access Banking Services During a Blackout

If a banking application is temporarily unavailable, this does not necessarily mean that all banking services have stopped.

Ukraine has a network of Power Banking branches — bank branches prepared to operate during prolonged power outages. Such branches are equipped with backup power supplies and communication channels.

Depending on the particular bank and branch, customers may be able to:

withdraw cash;
make payments or transfers;
receive assistance and advice;
use other basic banking services.

The services available may vary from one branch to another, so it is advisable to check the information for the specific branch before travelling there.

The Diia application provides a Power Banking filter for finding such branches.

Keep Some Cash

During a large-scale power outage, problems may occur simultaneously with ATMs, payment terminals and online banking.

For this reason, keeping a small amount of cash for emergencies can be useful.

There is no need to keep a large amount. The purpose is simply to have enough money to buy food, water, medicines and other essential items if electronic payments are temporarily unavailable.

Where to Charge Your Phone and Get Connected

If there is no electricity, mobile service or Internet at home, Points of Invincibility can provide assistance.

Depending on the particular location, these facilities may allow you to:

charge your phone;
access the Internet;
use mobile communication services;
warm up;
use other available services.

An important point is that the map of Points of Invincibility can be prepared in advance. The map can be downloaded through Diia for use when there is no Internet connection.

It is worth downloading the map of your city or region before an outage occurs.

What to Do Before the Power Goes Out

To avoid searching for essential information during a blackout, it is worth preparing in advance:

Check the charge level of power banks and batteries.
Charge your phones and other essential electronic devices.
Save important documents and telephone numbers.
Keep physical documents rather than relying exclusively on Diia.
Download an offline map of Points of Invincibility.
Find the nearest Power Banking branch in advance.
Check which banking services are available at that branch.
Keep a certain amount of cash available.
If possible, have more than one way to access communication and the Internet.

Conclusion

It is impossible to prepare for every possible consequence of a blackout, but its impact can be significantly reduced.

The main principle is simple: important information and essential documents should not be stored in only one place or only in electronic form.

If electricity, mobile communication and Internet access disappear at the same time, having physical documents, some cash, charged batteries, and information about nearby Points of Invincibility and banking branches prepared in advance can make the situation much easier to handle.