In Hull, the University had closed the day of the collapse. At first, all businesses had remained closed and there was a heavy presence of police, partly to direct traffic in the absence of traffic lights, but also to prevent looting.
Before the collapse, they had equipped the police stations with industrial backup generators. Schools had considered generators an unnecessary expense and therefore had to close. Standby generators kept the hospitals running while they could get diesel, but hire shops and generator sales companies had soon run out as businesses struggled to continue operating. For many, it was pointless, as any that relied on the Internet or the phone network found they couldn’t access the services they needed.
The council had immediately implemented its Service Area Emerge
