Power Cuts and Spoiled Frozen Food

Problem
When you are out or away for n evening, a weekend or a week or months, water comes through the window and soaks your carpet which smells. A power cut destroys your frozen food. What to do?

Answers
1 In theory you could set up a remote to shut the windows when it rains - and fix the electric trip switch.
2 Leave a key with a neighbour and ask them to check your trip switch whoever theirs blows.
3 Leave a light over the door. Whenever the light goes off it should alert the neighbour that the power is off (and the landlady if she calls regularly to collect her post from the post box (Americans call it a mail box).
4 Clear valuable food from the fridge. Or give it to the neighbours. Or ask them to keep it in their fridge. If their fridge is short of room after that, they can use your fridge - making sure their less valuable products are not destroyed in a power cut.
5 If you have family or friends nearby, you could give them the key to your flat, and ask the neighbours to ring your relatives when there is a power cut.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer,a author and speaker.