WHAT DID WE LEARN? – EMERGENCY SCENARIO #4

It’s time to review what was learned by practicing, or at least thinking about, Emergency Scenario #4:

A cyber-attack has been launched on your country. The entire power grid has been taken offline.

Many preparedness efforts are focused on loss of power, probably because everyone has experienced it, at least in small doses.  With most everything in our lives now being dependent on computers and electricity, even a hiccup in the power grid can create problems for us.  The issues caused, though, are more far-reaching than just having no lights or heat or being able to cook a meal.

Where there is no power, fuel pumps will not work. Even if you have a generator or a place to evacuate, do you have enough fuel take care of your needs? ATMs won’t work. With most people these days relying on debit and credit cards, even if you find a grocery store open, do you have cash on hand to make purchases? For those on city water, will the wastewater plants be able to create clean water? If you’re on a well, how will you access the water without a pump? Cell towers and radio stations would not be transmitting. How will you handle communications?

Most participants of this foodstoragemadeeasy.net exercise had the ability to light their homes and alternative means to cook their food.  Some had generators and/or solar panels to keep essential items like well, fridge/freezer, and medical devices going for a while.  Solar radios seemed to be the standard to ensure continued communication about the situation status.

Susan shared how she recently covered the challenges of a thawing freezer, the heat of summer, and entertaining the children: “Power was out for 4½ days in June due to a storm.  Cell towers lasted about 2 days.  We had a big Father’s Day cookout to eat all of the food in the little freezer. Camp stove and propane smoker for the win. Kids played in a kiddie pool to cool off and decorated the sidewalk with chalk. It was a little uncomfortable, but we managed.”

Linda joked about the “forced time off” from her remote job since there was no power or internet.  As more people become remote workers, this is something many may not be prepared to handle.

Mary addressed the sanitation side of the grid being down:  I put a “Double Doodie” bag on each toilet so I wouldn’t have to use precious stored water to flush the toilets. I used some of my stored Bath Wipes to clean myself rather than using water to do that. I got my stash of disposable plates, bowls, cups, and utensils out of storage to use so I wouldn’t need to use water to wash dishes or eating utensils.

Amanda noted how she handles powering medical devices:  “We don’t have a backup generator and we recognize this as a shortcoming ….. We just can’t justify the expense right now. We keep two big battery bank backups for some devices. There is a converter in our truck capable of running the hub’s CPAP machine (not ideal but would work in a pinch).” 

Michael, though, wasn’t ready: “The bad news is my mom is on oxygen 24/7, and if no electricity, no air, therefore no mom!!! We’d have to take her to the emergency room as soon as her oxygen bottles run out. I really need to get a generator!!”

Several people pointed out that it would be necessary to take steps to protect ourselves from unwelcome visitors.  If the neighborhood can see that you have lights, hear that you have a generator, smell that you can cook food, it is going to draw people in.  The more a temporary situation turns into a long-term shift from “normal life,” the more danger your household will be in. 

When our power goes out, the problem is generally localized and other towns, cities, or states can send support, so we don’t do without for very long.  However, there have been many folks who have had the experience of being without power for long periods of time but were unable to remove themselves from the affected area.

While a cyber-attack may seem like an extreme scenario, one point of this exercise was to make us think a little deeper and consider what we would need to do in the event of an extensive grid-down problem that lasted more than a few hours or a couple of days.

What steps do you need to take to prepare for the long-reaching effects of a power outage?