- 30-day money-back guarantee. Return the book if it is not useful.
- Free shipping on orders over $99. Delivery in 5 to 10 business days.
- Written to the gov.uk Be Ready, Ready.gov and Red Cross lists, with sources named on every chapter.
28 APRIL 2025
The night the lights went out.
At about 12:30 on Monday 28 April 2025, Spain lost 15 GW in five seconds. More than 50 million people in Spain and Portugal were without power for most of a day. Four things happened, and there is a chapter for each.
Al Jazeera, 29 April 2025; ENTSO-E final report, 2026
- The grid drops.
Lifts, fridges, boilers and lights stop at once. Portugal was dark for up to 12 hours, parts of Spain for 16.
In the book: chapter 9, Light, charging and news. Where the torch and lantern live, written down before.
- Phones become bricks.
Masts ran out of battery within hours. Data went first, then calls.
"It was impossible to communicate with family or friends, which was the main source of anxiety."r/preppers, 29 April 2025
In the book: chapter 4, Make a contact card. The numbers your phone remembers, on paper, one card per person.
- Shops take cash only.
Card terminals and cash machines were down with the grid. The shops that opened took cash.
"The few that opened only accepted cash."r/preppers, 29 April 2025
In the book: chapter 7, Build a no-cook pantry, and the supply log that tells you what is already in the house.
- The radio is the only news.
Radio demand in Portugal rose about 4,594% in the days after (KuantoKusta, 2 May 2025).
"I just wouldn't know the news because I didn't have my radio."Sónia, shopkeeper, Euronews, 28 April 2026
In the book: chapter 2, Know what can happen here, and chapter 9, where the radio is and which station to find.
THE TWELVE CHAPTERS
What you learn. What you write.
Filter by Power, Water, Food or Medical. Every chapter opens to what you learn, what you write down and which official list it follows.
You write: everyone who lives here, their needs, who checks on whom. Fill-in pages. Source: Red Cross family plan.
You learn: the outages most likely where you live, from storms to grid failures. You write: your top three. Source: gov.uk Be Ready.
You write: a meeting point in the house, one in the street, one out of the area. Fill-in page. Source: Ready.gov.
You write: the numbers your phone remembers for you. One card per person, cut-out pages. Source: Red Cross.
You learn: 3 litres per person per day. You write: where your water is and how you fill containers when a warning comes. Source: gov.uk Be Ready.
You learn: what a boil notice means, how to keep a toilet usable. Checklist pages. Source: Ready.gov.
You write: a supply log with expiry dates and the day you rotate it. Fill-in log. Source: Ready.gov.
You learn: the 4-hour fridge rule and the 24 to 48 hour freezer rule. Decision page. Source: Ready.gov food safety.
You write: where the torch, lantern, radio and power bank live, and who charges what. Source: gov.uk Be Ready.
You write: each person's medication, dose, pharmacy and what needs cold or power. Not medical advice; a record you keep. Source: Red Cross.
You learn: large print, a copy for a neighbour, where the book lives. You write: who else knows. Source: gov.uk Be Ready.
You write: the pet page and the grab list for the door. Drill page: run it once with the household. Source: Ready.gov.
Each chapter names the official list it is built on: gov.uk Be Ready, Ready.gov or the Red Cross. Fill-in pages are marked.
SEE THE PAGES
Made to be written in. Not read once.
Large print on cream paper, a box for every answer, a checklist at the end of every chapter. Here is what it looks like open.
- Fill-in pagesHousehold, meeting places, contact card per person, water plan, supply log, medication record
- ChecklistsOne at the end of each chapter, tick boxes, large print
- DrillsTwelve, one per chapter, timed to run in an evening with everyone at home
- SourcesThe gov.uk Be Ready list, Ready.gov and the Red Cross family plan, named at the start of every chapter
ONE FOR A PARENT
Two hardcovers, $119.
The household most people worry about is not their own. The second copy is for the parent who lives alone, with the same contact card and the same meeting place written in both.
- Two books$119, $59.50 each, shipping included
- Same pagesFill in the contact card together so both copies match
- Large printSet for reading by lantern and for older eyes
AGAINST THE OTHERS
Read once, or filled in for good.
Survival books teach skills. Free government plans give you a form. A legacy binder costs three times as much. This sits in the middle: a hardcover you write your household into.
| The Blackout Book | The Prepper's Blueprint | Family Legacy Binder | Ready.gov plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $69.95, 2 for $119 | $19.84 paperback | $147 to $497 | Free PDF |
| Format | Matte hardcover, 200+ pages, large print | 462-page paperback | Hardcover binder | A4 printout |
| Fill-in pages | Every chapter | None, a book to read | Yes | One form |
| Drills to run | 12 | None | Not stated | Practise twice a year |
| Sources named | gov.uk, Ready.gov, Red Cross | Author | Not stated | It is the source |
| Guarantee | 30 days | Retailer returns | Not stated | n/a |
Competitor prices and claims from their own listings, checked 9 November 2026. The Prepper's Blueprint on Amazon, 4.7 from 753 ratings. The Family Legacy Binder by Operation Prepare at $147 for the binder alone.
WHERE IT LIVES
Shelf by the door, or the torch drawer.
The plan only works if everyone can find it in the dark. Pick one place, tell the house.
- 01Pick the place. A hallway shelf or the kitchen drawer with the torch. Somewhere every adult can name.
- 02Two minutes at dinner: where it is, and that the contact card is the first page.
- 03Twice a year, update the contact card and the supply log dates. The book has a page for that too.
THE MAKERS
From the makers of the Safety Hammer. 219,000 sold.
BEAM Lab makes emergency gear for the car and the home. The 72-Hour Kit is the bag; this is the plan that goes with it.
30-day money-back guarantee
Read it, fill in the first pages, run a drill. If it has not been useful, send it back within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.
From the makers of the Safety Hammer, 219,000 sold.
FAQ
What is in the book?
A matte black hardcover with 200+ pages, full colour and large print. Four parts (Power, Water, Food, Medical) with step-by-step projects, fill-in pages, a contact card, supply logs and household drills.
Is it a survival manual?
No. Survival books teach skills and you read them once. This is a planner you fill in: who lives here, where you meet, which numbers matter, where the water is, what medication needs cold. Twelve chapters, each with pages to write on and a drill to run.
Where do the facts come from?
The official lists from gov.uk Be Ready, Ready.gov and the Red Cross. Every chapter names its sources.
Is this medical advice?
No. It is a planner, and the medication and health chapter helps you write down what your household needs. It does not replace a doctor.
Does it cover every kind of emergency?
It covers power, water, food and medical outages. Know what can happen here is the chapter where you list what is likely where you live.
Who wrote it?
The BEAM Lab team wrote it in-house, to the official lists, with sources named on every chapter.
Do I need the 72-Hour Kit?
No. The book works with any supplies, and it does not replace the 72-Hour Kit.
When will it arrive, and how do returns work?
Delivery in 5 to 10 business days, free on orders over $99. 30-day money-back guarantee, even if you wrote in it.
Write it down once. Find it in the dark.
Hardcover $69.95. Two for $119. 30-day money-back guarantee.
