American Blackout: This Is Why I Prep

[Mark75H]

Wrong. The system can be made to melt itself down and physically destroy itself.

Give me a quick run down on how this happens

 

[Minuteman]

The biggest potential causes of this kind of 'lights out', could come from a solar storm, a cyber attack, or EMP.

Regardless of its origin, best to be prepared to be able to survive for months if you/family couldn't leave your residence. Have a bugout plan should it become necessary.

 

[fred333]

Short of a declared war and as catastrophic as theory makes it out, I don't see EMP as a likely event. I do see a cyber attack in tandem with multi-node ground attacks (a la the successful "trial run" in California several years ago) aimed at key power stations that have the potential for crippling both national communication and defense systems as being likely in the short term. Since this type of attack is both practical and relatively cheap to accomplish, it's what I'd be planning if I were a terrorist group. And because our government's always apportioning funds to fight the last war, and because we no longer manufacture them, the loss of any of the big power transformers that generate power from these stations could take up to two or more years to replace. Something to moan about whilst we watch the hair on our arms grow....in the dark.

 

[omegared24]

My father and I had a long conversation about this a while back. He has been an electrical contractor for over 50 years. He says you can shut this country down for months, maybe years, with a coordinated attack on vital high tension wires across the country. Simply toppling towers in remote areas would start a chain reaction that would impact us for an extended period of time. Add the inability to coordinate resources, remote area repairs and a lack of backup equipment, you have your recipe for disaster. It would be worse during the winter.

 

[VG-10]

Solar Panels

Solar panels

I was under the impression that solar panels didn't work when the grid is down/power is out.

 

[pbharvey]

Lights Out by Ted Koppel

One Second After by William Forstchen

Read them. The answer is yes via several methods.

After a 9 week wait, I got Koppel's book on Friday from the library.
The Forstchen book was scary in that you get caught up in the drama of the novel and imagining yourself in that situation.
Koppel's book is pretty sobering. It's almost a forgone conclusion that this will happen. If some of the huge transformers are fried, we are very, very screwed.

 

[Half-cocked]

My father and I had a long conversation about this a while back. He has been an electrical contractor for over 50 years. He says you can shut this country down for months, maybe years, with a coordinated attack on vital high tension wires across the country. Simply toppling towers in remote areas would start a chain reaction that would impact us for an extended period of time. Add the inability to coordinate resources, remote area repairs and a lack of backup equipment, you have your recipe for disaster. It would be worse during the winter.

In winter, at least, the issue of food spoilage isn't as bad. Imagine how bad things would get in major cities if the grid failed in the middle of a July or August heat wave. Every fridge and freezer would have to get dumped out after 24 hours, and all that food would have to be collected immediately and disposed of before it became a biohazard. You can safely assume that's not going to happen, and that means decay and disease won't be far behind. One freezer full of decaying meat is a horrific event you'll never forget - I can't imagine what millions of them all going bad at once would be like.

Add to that millions of people sweating, dirty, and sick from heat stroke, and poor sanitation due to the effects on fresh water and sewer utilities, and you've got the recipe for massive disease outbreaks.

A winter grid failure wouldn't be a picnic, but summer would be hell on earth.

 

[pcfixer]

How long does it take to 'rebuild'? Not that long.

Judge Jeanine Pirro hosted a show on this subject. One expert said, some of the larger transforms in the grid there is not backup for and would take China or Japan to build on maybe six months.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

I'm not a "plumber" technically speaking wrt the grid.

I've had the opportunity to be exposed strategically and in detail to cyber and infrastructure protection.

We are vulnerable. It doesn't even have to be cyber or kinetic (intended).

We have consistently failed to reinvest in our critical infrastructure. These were cognitive decisions by folks who knew better but elected to spend on things that brought more return to them or attention to their cause.

Similarly, we have some folks working in our critical infrastructure who could cognitively (read evil) or coincidentally (read stupid) break our infrastructure, especially the grid or components.

We are vulnerable. Once again, this vulnerability is the result of both decisions and indecision. It's largely about being unwilling to do the right thing and instead do the politically beneficial thing.

Our reluctance and or inability to hold the decision makers accountable makes us part of the problem. Who knew? I guarantee that those who did/do know, have done very little to harden our infrastructure or reduce our risk. There is little political pork in prevention; there's incredible political leverage/potential in response (read AFTER THE FACT.)

Believe it or not...

 

[Chuckawolf]

There is also the possibility of overloading the grid, I think it came close to happening in the winter of 2014/15 because of the cold. Everyone was cranking up the heat in the house and the draw on the power was almost to much. I am going on memory right now. I also think we have closed a power plant or two sense than because of the coal clean air regulations that have been enacted.

 

[cantstop]

 

[gamer_jim]

Here is another lights-out scenario:

Our economy is failing so the Federal Reserve is instructed to start printing more currency. Hyperinflation takes effect. The greenback becomes nearly worthless. Coal miners and other utility workers are not paid, they don't show up for work.

 

[F8L_Funnel]

It is sad, very sad that there has not been a mandate or law passed that EVERY new construction, either residential, commercial or industrial, must included in the design, either solar panels covering 70% of available/open roof structures or wind turbines on the property. In DC alone, in 2014 there were 13,277 permits for new home construction. This is one area that Big Brother should intervene, if they weren't being corrupted by oil/coal/natural gas special interest groups.

 

[lonzo]

People tend to forgets few things. Sure our power grid is crap. But it wouldn't stay down for long. That being said, what you should have concerns is that any day, the Sun can release waves and it would effect the whole planet. They think it would be a world wide EMP. Now that should worry you. This thing about about someone doing it, not so much. Few days, maybe a week or so.. Heck I didn't have power for 10 days because of a hurricane....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Norton]

It is sad, very sad that there has not been a mandate or law passed that EVERY new construction, either residential, commercial or industrial, must included in the design, either solar panels covering 70% of available/open roof structures or wind turbines on the property. In DC alone, in 2014 there were 13,277 permits for new home construction. This is one area that Big Brother should intervene, if they weren't being corrupted by oil/coal/natural gas special interest groups.

Is that so that they can be corrupted by the alternative energy special interests?

Market distortions cause by the government never work because of the inherent bias that they wield.

 

[jc1240]

It could be taken down pretty easily.

That being said, this thread probably belongs somewhere other than the MD 2A Issues subforum.

Just FYI - there's a thread about this movie in the WC from when it first aired - about 1 1/2 years ago.


http://mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=155422&highlight=american+blackout

EDIT: OP doesn't have enough posts to see the WC.

 

[CrazySanMan]

I'm a navy vet and have been an it specialist for a government contractor working on classified programs for 18 years. A grid failure, either from cyber attack, EMP, solar flare, or natural disaster scares the crap out of me. It's what I prep for. How serious is the threat? Years ago the Air Force shut down the Cheyene Mountain NORAD complex saying there wasn't a threat of nuclear war and it was too expensive to maintain. This summer they quietly began moving back in to it, citing EMP as the reason they needed to be protected under a mountain.

I stockpile as much solar powered gear as I can, as well as rechargeable batteries. They won't all survive an EMP but they will a cyber attack or natural disaster.

Something to consider is that if the grid goes down and three nights later you have lights on inside your house, you are going to be a prime target for the have-nots...




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[omegared24]

In winter, at least, the issue of food spoilage isn't as bad. Imagine how bad things would get in major cities if the grid failed in the middle of a July or August heat wave. Every fridge and freezer would have to get dumped out after 24 hours, and all that food would have to be collected immediately and disposed of before it became a biohazard. You can safely assume that's not going to happen, and that means decay and disease won't be far behind. One freezer full of decaying meat is a horrific event you'll never forget - I can't imagine what millions of them all going bad at once would be like.

Add to that millions of people sweating, dirty, and sick from heat stroke, and poor sanitation due to the effects on fresh water and sewer utilities, and you've got the recipe for massive disease outbreaks.

A winter grid failure wouldn't be a picnic, but summer would be hell on earth.

That's a good point...it doesn't look pleasant either way.

I hope terrorists aren't that smart or we are screwed.

 

[CrazySanMan]

Give me a quick run down on how this happens

It's already been done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet

 

[Mr. Ed]

Lights Out by Ted Koppel

One Second After by William Forstchen

Read them. The answer is yes via several methods.

Both are excellent scenario-based narratives. Scary.

Wrong. The system can be made to melt itself down and physically destroy itself.

Anything controlled by a computer that isn't totally isolated can be hacked.

18+ month lead times on major components. Assuming of course China wasn't the attacker.

And that assumes that China would be willing to build and sell them to us. There's no guarantee about that. Or, maybe they would have a vested interest in BEING the attacker... not only could they topple our country, they could profit by selling us the replacement parts.

I was under the impression that solar panels didn't work when the grid is down/power is out.

If they're your panels on your property, as long as the sun shines your system should be able to generate electricity and be isolated from the grid by throwing the main circuit breaker on your panel (to disconnect you from the grid).

That's a good point...it doesn't look pleasant either way.

I hope terrorists aren't that smart or we are screwed.

Make no mistake, they are. And they are already capable. I think it's just a matter of time. I wish I had the means to acquire an undisclosed location where I could set up a self-sufficient safe house... solar, well, wildlife, garden, bunker, etc.

One Second After by William Forstchen illustrates the importance of being able to protect yourself and supplies, as a family and more importantly as a community, to defend against those who would take your stuff. It's a pretty good, and I think realistic, view of how one community might survive if they were in the right place at the right time, with the right resources. And even given all those stars lining up, they still lost over half of their original population in the first year.

Lights Out by Ted Koppel brought up a point I hadn't considered... even if we could buy replacement transformers (the really BIG ones), there is no way to transport them in a timely manner to many of the locations where they will be needed due to subsequent housing and construction, lack of railways, and other physical impediments.