A new study conducted by World Net Daily, looked into the overall preparedness level of the American public; what they found is pretty troubling. Almost 50% of the people who were polled said they would not be able to survive for more than 2 weeks without the electricity. An astonishing 75% of them said they would be dead within two months.
What’s most shocking about the survey, is the fact that most Americans realize how unprepared they are, but are still not willing to take the steps they need to take to ensure their survival. If you know you would be dead in a matter of weeks, doesn’t it make sense to do something to safeguard yourself from that threat?
The threat is very real, and experts are growing concerned over the possible failure of our infrastructure.
Our grid is becoming increasingly dependent on cyber technologies; but according to Cyber Security expert Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder of the Kaspersky Lab, that dependence has left us extremely vulnerable. In fact, he’s recently warned that our infrastructure is extremely vulnerable to cyber threats that could spell “the end of the world as we know it”.
That may sound a little extreme, but keep in mind, Kaspersky is one of the world’s top cyber security experts and the threat he’s talking in only just beginning. In fact, the U.S. government has been war gaming these cyber warfare scenarios for a number of years. The first target in almost every one of these scenarios is always the power grid.
Not everyone will survive; sadly, most have already given up!
The sad reality is that most Americans have already decided they would simply give up during a major catastrophic emergency. Even before the event has ever occurred, they have already sealed their fate. They’ve become so reliant on the grid, that few of them are willing to learn how to live without it.
Should America’s electrical grid collapse, it won’t take long for the country to break down into chaos. Over the next couple of weeks, we have a lineup of experts who will be talking about what the situation looks like, and how you can prepare to survive the chaos.
pure bunk and speculation. Asking about a factious scenario and expecting valid results.
two words: Hurricane Sandy
I disagree. With Sandy there was and is no total grid down scenario, yes, some areas may not have power still but they are supported by areas that do have power. People can run to get gas, run to get groceries and other supplies etc. With the total grid down there is no backup, just you and those around you and what you have on hand. The average food package in the is country travels 1800 miles before it gets to you, how would that happen with no power? Pumping stations would not be working, no fresh water for the masses. I would guess even more people would perish than 50%, I would go much higher, maybe 75%. It was -13 this morning where I live. I think we could make it since we have a full basement and the temp is relatively stable down there but others would not be so lucky. And outside cooking at the temp takes lots of fuel. People need to wake up.
And within 48 hours of losing power there were people pulling food out of dumpsters that had been thrown out by stores. There were no regular food deliveries being made, and there was still no power. So they weren’t going to be able to forage out of dumpsters for long. And Sandy was a localized disaster. Big, but localized. Sandy on a regional or national scale would become “Lord of the Flies” in a week.
i know most people talk about hoarding canned food and water but i noticed that most people don’t talk about how to obtain it yourself in the wild. Once the canned food runs out, u gotta have something.even bullets run out at some point. Conibear and foothold traps are excellent for catching small game daily.
just thought id add that.
thanks
I disagree. Ya no power no water ect. But theirare many was to get clean water and so what if the well pump dont work. Pull the pump off and stick a hose down and take likeca bicycle pump or somethingthat will pump dackwords and you now gave hand pumped water may takeva cople minets but as soon as it starts it wont quit tillyou make it or collect dew or rain water their are plenty of other was. And you can hunt for food. And scavenge for ot to like berries library wont be open but if you go in read books I on living off the earth or homeopathic or herns to make meds people could learn all the thanges . They need to know to survive and more if people couldent do it then why are we hear
Try 2004s ice storm it took out power for a good while in some areas.
It isn’t pure bunk. I have friends who work on the grids in Indy and St Louis, MO. In both instances, they speak of how the grids are not only close to becoming overloaded, but also how vulnerable they are to outside forces. It is a known fact that the tectonic plates under the middle of the country are moving and shifting all the time – do you have any idea what would happen if a 4.5 or greater quake hit the New Madrid fault? It would be utter chaos and distruction. 2 weeks? It would be worse than Katrina or Sandy on the coasts – those areas are not prepared for what would happen. And neither are the coasts, because if the midwest is a disaster, the whole transportation of goods is also a disaster.
A 4.5 break at new madrid, dont kidd yourself try thinkind 9.5 or over a 10 they may have to rewrite the rules even.why has the mili..and other fed.gov agencies have major assets in the new madrid area as if there expecting something…humm if it goes everything east of the mississippi is in danger.just my .02
you know i hate to say this but maybe its exactly what we need. the american public has become to reliant on our ever growing consumerism and greed. a great big wake up call is in order. and may i say some form of major population control.
Are you perhaps affiliated with and a proponent of Agenda 21?
this is the first time i have seen the mention of agenda 21 on this site ….I don’t think this people know what the UN has in store for them………
Agenda 21 is the u.n. umbrella over local sustainable development. It is pre evil.
It’s way easier and much more comfortable to bury your head in the sand, than it is to deal with some of up coming realities.
I agree. Nature needs to hit the reboot button. We are as ready as we can be. Just remember, others can take your stored supplies, but they can’t take your knowledge of how to grow/catch/procure more. Learn, don’t waste time and resources stockpiling.
@LacunaDawn,
I always laugh when someone like you mentions the need for population control. I smirk when some of the elites tell us the earth can only support some small percentage of our present population. They suggest abortion, euthanasia of the old and infirm. But they NEVER EVER show the example by drinking the fruit punch and reducing the earth’s population by one. Why don’t you show us the way with your noble talk about population control????
I agree with you. Too many dependent, entitled, crybabies. Too many cretins breeding, needing, sucking up O2. We’re way overdue for a mass extinction event.
I agree with Bubba Musftafa, people certainly have and could survive significantly longer when they had no other choice but to survive. Mentally they may be stuck in a civilized world, but when push came to shove I think there are a large number of people who could do things they never knew they were capable of. Maybe in some of the colder climates it would be more difficult, but even then people can be more resilient than this article gives them credit for.
SERIOUSLY… add into the mix, the elderly, the sick, the FATTIES, and all the lazy liberals that depend on the government for their handouts. I’m thinking 75% would die in a few weeks. Most folks depend on the 1% of farmers for thier food. If a EMP were to go off… PAck your bags and dig in for months until those lazy Libs killed each other… then time to rebuild.
Hey leave us fatties outta this.
I can survive on melted snow for those first 2-3 weeks.
Mobile food supply i can’t leave home without it. lol
Hahaha. Warm in the winter, shade in the summer.
This is really sad to say, but here it is… my family is doomed. I’ve got two autistic brothers who can barely pull themselves away from youtube or second life to eat the plates of french fries my mother considers a complete meal. They know not what “living without” is. They would not only be completely useless during a catastrophe, but a liability. WTF, I can’t get my parents to put him on a regime of eating natural foods, he will only eat french fries. I’ve had to downgrade them all to class E (expendable) personnel in case of an infrastructure failure. I sound like a douche, but I’ve spent my last year here trying to educate. But I’m crippled (due to a botched surgery) I won’t last long either… but I’ll die trying, and trying to help all those with hope.
Silent,
That sounds like a lot of hard facts to come to terms with. I, myself have cancer and don’t see myself making it that far either. But I do see myself getting farther along than my ironically-life-threatening-disease-free but completely out of shape family members. You are just looking at reality, the way it is.. no shame in that, I don’t think.
Silent, wonder if you could find a network of like minded people, who would be willing to “sponsor” you. You surely do have something to bring to the table. For instance knowledge. A talent for prepping (no pun intended) healthy sustainable meals? A talent for organizing and keeping inventory? Preserving food? I don’t know what your limits are….just brain storming..Keep your mind strong and maybe keep encouraging your family, maybe they’ll get on board. best wishes
Wow, I understand what you mean exactly, Silent. I’m lucky enough to have a sister and brother who understand what’s going on, and me and my sister are preparing as we speak. But the rest of my family just seems…so incompetent, my mother has a bad leg, so its hard for her to walk, and in case of emergency that would be a huge issue. Besides the adults in my family seem so lost in there own world, that if things were to hit the fan they wouldn’t know what to do. They don’t want to take action now before its to late, and its hard because I wouldn’t want to leave anyone behind. But you have to keep preparing for yourself anyways, goodluck!
Sad days ahead indeed, regardless of which catastrophic event hits.
Lot’s of deer in the headlights, and glazed over eyes.
The incredible addiction to the cell phone/texting: This will be quite something to watch the panic/withdrawal, if no communications via cell phone are available.
People cant even go the grocery store without being on their phones..very sad indeed.
My family and I are huge fans of the walking dead, so without thinking sometimes we would start a conversation about what we would do in such scenarios. What we decided on is to leave populated areas, and set up camp in areas like a desert or farm. We have an A-frame cabin on a private property so my family has agreed to go up there if populated areas become unsafe. There is a lake for water, and there is a lot of game that are in the woods that we can hunt. Once a bobcat was spotted up there:). I would be worried about my brother and sister though. My little bro cannot go a day without television, or playing on his kindle. And his meals fall along the lines of poptarts and microwave soup. My sister is a picky eater so it might be hard to get her to eat whatever we catch. She is also very tiny. She is really small for her age, but she can run really fast. My older bro can survive. He is strong, fast, can swim like a fish, will survive without his Xbox and chips, and can fish like no ones buisness. Me, on the other hand cannot run. I cannot hunt or fish. (I can though stab a walker in the head and imagine Daryl Dixon and his hotness)
You made me laugh.
The electrical grid is first because it cuts most communications, sends a sense of panic through the public, affects food stores, water purification and distribution, and basic comfort.
I’d have to say I’m sure most wouldn’t last even that long if it happened during winter.
In that hypothetical situation it would probably be more than 75%. That’s just the number of folk who think they will die – and in any urban or even town environment that’s on heck of a lot of bodies to pick up and burn. And if they aren’t picked up and disposed of some way, the decomposition process will kill a lot more than the 75% that expect it by spreading diseases – and of course rat infestations, and then the fleas.
But hey, there’s an upside – if you live that long, nature will start to purify itself, and if you’re in an out of the way location you’ll stop seeing looters and thieves.
I (age 65 and female) will easily survive without electric. I know how to build a fire and cook with it. I know wild plants that are eatable and even one that I can get my caffene from. I can shoot and kill animals for food also. I know about boiling water from streams to use. So I can and will be alive without electric.
way to go,,allways be ready.
You are light years in preparedness beyond anyone I know. Can we be friends! Ha ha, kidding.
ola gibson
I’m right there with ya only 6 year between us..and I too can live with out the power grid I know how to grow a garden find wild eatables hunt an fish in my younger years I have plowed fields with a team of mules I grew up in a time when there wasn’t no food on the table..now i’m what they call a diabetic and the doc. told me if i didn’t take they’re meds .i would only live for 6 mounts that was 6 years ago i’m still kicking..and this past year I got one of my life long dreams fulfilled ….I went to my hunting lease and spent 48 day alone in the woods no power and minimal supplies and I loved every minute of it…so if it only takes two weeks for half of them to die off that’s less ammo I gotta waste defending my self let nature take her course I can an will survive…….
I have just about given up on trying to get my family members to recognize that things are changing and we are not as secure as we were, and that our freedoms are rapidy changing. I had to take my daughter to buy canned goods because she and her husband think I am nuts lol. Another family member is counting on the rapture and thinks he wont need supplies. I asked another family member what he would bring to my home as resources other than 4 more mouths for me to try to figure out how to feed…guess I will order a gross of condoms to try to keep any of them from getting pregnant during hard times
I recently purchased charcoal and a cooking grate and sent young men in my family outside to start a fire for burgers. My intention was to begin teaching them alternative cooking methods. They groaned the entire time …fussing about “why cant we use the gas grill!They acted like they had never seen a charcoal briquet and another woman had to show them how to get it going. we are still laughing at them about it…but at least now they do know how to cook over coals.
there are wild animals left- I thought we killed them off so we could eat chemicals…
You are a true inspiration! Great attitude.
Wow.
I know the bottom line is true, people have forgotten how to survive without “conveniences.”
I had no clue of the actual numbers, though.
We train in survival and we live a survival life style in the remote Alaska bush.
75%? That is absolutely … shameful, that humans have allowed themselves to become completely dependent on someone else taking care of them.
People can, will and do, do amazing things when they have to. They will if this happens too, but will enough?
My circles are full of adventurers, hunters, fishermen (and women of course) and all I hear lately is getting “women into the outdoors”. What? Did we just get hatched? Or are simply so very, too many people born, live and die in cities with nothing but “magic” lights?
75%? Something to think about.
There are large numbers of folks that rely on electricity for health reasons, and sadly when that is no longer available, they will parish.
Next group, those who are without knowledge/skills to care for themselves. yes some instinctual things will kick, but not enough to save them long term.
Next group, the thugs, hoods, gang bangers, criminals will be immediately out in full force praying on the week and unsuspecting. They’ll do a whole bunch of damage and take out many.
You need to be at least/min 2.5 hours away from any major metro area. Further if possible. Choose roads that not easily accessible. Most creeps take the road of least resistance, but be prepared for those who will venture in.
Most people are having a hard time surviving NOW.
You bring up a good point. With half of all Americans now depending on some form of government assistance to live, just imagine what would happen if the whole house of cards came tumbling down.
I think that in order to have the ‘hollywood’ style grid down scenario you will need either a single large scale event or a persistent increasing number of smaller events that quickly build up one after the other. As long as some areas of the country have power there will be a way to maintain control or contain the panic. ‘Terrorists’ have not done a coordinated attack since 9/11 and there have been no natural disasters on a national range that would completely immobilize the country. if by chance a rogue nation lauches a nuke over the US that generates an EMP blackingout most of the country, or the super volcano in Yellowstone errupts covering America in several inches of caustic ash, or terrorists strike at nuclear reactors, railroad lines, water supplies, and fuel refineries simultaneously. There will be a way to maintain order and reestablish a new status quo that people will accept, they may not like it but they will accept it.
I think the “fatties” will surprise everyone. For one thing they will still be burning fat when the “skinnies” are feeding ravens if the food supply totally stops. Who is always complaining it’s too hot, it’s too hot? It’s not the “skinnies”. When the collapse hits and then spring comes around it will be the fatties emerging from the north as the survivors, although they won’t be fat anymore.
That sounds great deb, I’m a fatty ha. And I think I will out live the skinnies. You also have to take into account that there will possibly be canabals. it’s a fact that in desperate situations people will go to extremely drastic means to survive.
Except, when the zombies come out.. j/k. I have about 30/40 lbs to loose myself. Tactically, I’d be a lot better at a lower weight.
Dont make me laugh, Debbie. Fatties are going to die first. You are not able to move fast and for a long time. If you stay at one place you will lost your supplies or life. People are animals and what is worst we people are predators. Dont suppose that humans will behave good when state never watch them on hands. There will be no 911 you can call when some gang try to use you as a slave or roast you over a fireplace. Skinnies have a chance because they can run !!!
Run? Have you considered fighting back? Or the possibility of not being able to outrun an adversary that may still have vehicular transport (or a trained dog)?
I wouldnt say Im fat but Im plump..haha could lose a few. I myself have been prepping. Stockpiling bullets also, dont have to run when you can fight. Living well enough away from population zones is foremost.Im 50 and I will have to look after 3 beautiful granddaughters under 4 yrs old. Anyone just looks at them as if they are food or pleasure will be the last thought they have…Rabbits are your best meat to raise. They procreate fast. Goats for milk, they can eat about anything!Chickens for meat and eggs, they scavenge in the woods for food. Meriwethers guide to edible plants is a godsend. You have weeds in your yard that are edible! I fish,garden and hunt. I will survive unless Im at ground zero….lol
I find 75% unbelievable. The will to survive is immesurable. 46% of American households have children under 18 (USAToday). Almost 24% of Americans are under 18 (US Census Bureau). As a parent (with the majority of my friends and family having children under 18) you can be sure that whether or not “the going gets tough” I will do everything in my power to see my children survive and then thrive. I don’t think there are many raising children who would disagree. That in itself would throw the numbers off. Not to mention the adaptability of children. It probably won’t be pretty but the survival rate mentioned here just doesn’t seem high enough when factoring in other statistics.
That is the problem, according to the poll, 75% don’t have the WILL to try and survive.
One thing to think about is that India had a power outage for a long time. Millions of people.. Their is a push for dependancy on the grid. They even took a power generation dam out of our river in the name of saving the fish. Now they have to spend money to keep the sediment from clogging up our water intake from that river… Go figure…
my summation: get out and away from any urban area if it is at all humanly possible then prep yourself and yours as best you can.. this will include alternative power sources AND learning to do without any power… yesterday i found a discarded exercise “bike” which will become a pedal-cranked generator/battery charger… a weak effort you retort..?? i will have SOME KIND of power – will you…?? i also have 3 gensets ranging from 1500 to 12,000 watts, 2 of which can operate on propane/gasoline… expendable, yes but it’s better than crying and screaming at the gooberment for something that no one will get and shouldn’t be provided in the first place…
Have you considered building a gasifier that will allow you to run those generators when the fuel runs out? It uses the hydrogen gases produced from burning solid fuels like wood and converts it into a burnable fuel for those generators and it is possible to run vehicles off them as well. not too mention it is relatively clean burning and produces a few added benefits such as grain alcohol that can be used for burning and a form of crude oil that could be refined somewhat to use for lubricant. The ash from the wood is also beneficial as a means of making soap, it can be used to help gardens grow also if you spread it over icy patches it can help with traction while you are walking.
75% is the number for two months and is probably pretty accurate since the united states governemnt (congress) spent a fortune getting a set of simmar studies done and came to the conclusion that in 18 months 90-95% of the human population would be dead. Several species will end up extinct thatnks to our tampering.
Okay understand we are talking about no electrical grid in the united states period. So that means no clean water and no sewer system. People in cities will start dying of dehydration within five days. Then disease sets in cause there is no.way to flush toilets. We havent even entered the fact that without electric food supplies stop. There is no gas to haul them if you knew where to go. And there is no tractors to run. So the only people to be able to grow food the following year will be the amish that can use horses and those with the ability to use a shovel and just happens to have seed saved.
Okay now consider the fact that many varieties of food are related which means they will cross polinate. Mellons, squash, cucumbers, and gourds are all related. So if the people dont know how to plant their seeds so they can save them for the next year the next year they will have no food that is edible. Hybrids do not breed true. The genetics are unstable. They are worthless in a survival situation but there is almost no heritage corn left that has not been affected by GMO since corn is a wind polinated plant and its pollen carries for up to a mile and a half. And then you have to worry about all those crazy people out there that was too darn lazy to learn to plant a garden and wants to steal yours. Or they just want to eat your kids and maybe you. you wont halve to worry about clothes cause there will be plenty left over from all the dead people. But how many people know how to preserve and store food? so even if they get some corn to grow for the summer what are they going to do for the coming winter? You people have not given this very serious thought. And has anyone considered the idea that there will be no medicine? No old time herbal doctors to speak of either. Anyone ever delivered a baby? How bout setting a broken bone? What happens if your kid gets shot? Do you know how to get the bullet out and get him stabilized? I figure the number the government was throwing around on the house floor is pretty acurate. But then i have read a lot about this situation so i am not having a knee jerk response. People is thinking no cell phone. They are not thinking no.store and no car and no tractors.
How many people on this thread have work horses and trained them.themselves? I think personally that 95% fatality after 18 moths is right on and thats sad.
ZOOMBIE MOVIES NOT SO FAR FETCHED,,???
A watcher
I should have read all the comments before posting I guess…..after read yours it got me to thinking….you are correct…and my 50 years of living…has taught me each and every thing you stated….and then some knowledge is the KEY …I have ample food store to last the three year period…I have the heirloom seeds stored ..I have the fresh water store…I know how the old one stored the food for the coming winter my parents taught me well and how to work the horse and oxen with the goats…I know the herbs I use them now ( cause I despise doctors ) and I have the mean to defend my self….WELL that possible put me in the 5% tile range…see ya on the dark side my friend
i think alot of people would commit suicide. lots of shootings, people out of their minds with fear and disorientation..my thinking is if you were to ” bug out” you would be a target for all sorts of bandits/ bushwackers etc..i’d hunker down as long as i could and let all the mayhem simmer down. i would hate to try to get out of phoenix az. ..shudder to think..
I’m a cop in San Diego. Last year, we were part of the huge power outage that affected several states. The power was out for about 8 hours. We didn’t have power anywhere! The traffic lights were out, no electricity to gas pumps, no electricity to restaurants, the grocery stores & Walmarts,Targets, Costcos, etc. all closed and locked their doors. Water was even running in a few areas.
I was directing traffic, and people kept coming up to me asking what they should do. Many were stressing out about having nearly empty gas tanks. Some were panicked because they didn’t have any food and the restaurants and stores were closed. Most people were able to stay calm, but you could see that some people were really starting to panic not knowing what to do. I was so thankful it was only 8 hours. If the outage had lasted 8 days, it would have been complete chaos. Just the thought makes me not want to live in the city. Everyone is dependent on electricity! You can’t really hunt for food in a big city.
I’m confident riots and looting would start within a few days. Within a week, home invasions would probably become more frequent, and I’m sure the homicides would go through the roof from people defending themselves. I’m already working on my backup plan for my family in case the power goes out again.
WOW!,. lot’s of good and some sketchy comments about our impending doom or demise but not a lot of ideals as to what would be needed to over come this looming threat?,.. it’s occurred to me that yes big cities are going to be hot spots for rampant crime and theft for survival sites but there’s going to be the smart few that realize small communities or groups(d) people will pull together and tribal’ize their issues possibly over coming the ZOMBIE HORDE mentality every one’s fearing,. I for one have thought of it, I’ve geared up for indefinite wilderness survival and invited trusted friends to attend the transition if it is to occur ,. and I’m a city kid all day long, hot rods and picture shows are in my blood,. but so is seeing tomorrow,.. with that in mind if panic takes a volume of people so be it,. it’ll be a north American issue, the countries the USA has fought with for decades?, their seasoned professionals at surviving the shit conditions you all fear, time to take a page from the worlds poor and live on, not give up,.
oh yeah I’m in western Canada, so on top of disasters we have cold snowy mountains to compete with
I think most people could and will survive. There will be areas where it is too cold or too hot that take a lot of lives, but in most of the country, people can survive. My biggest concern is the violence that will ensue. Today, someone will kill you over a jacket or Cabbage Patch kid. what do you think they will do when things get really bad. The morals are just not there any more. As things go down hill with no releif in sight, violence will rapidly escalate.
Thanks for a very informative subjekt. My family and I live in northern Sweden and it seems like we’ll have a better chance of survival here, even though it’s really freezing in the winter. Almost everyone is able to keep the houses warm w/o electricity and canned food in the basement. Those big cities you have in the US, really is troubling in a worst care scenario. Is there any preparations done in the major cities if things get ugly?