In a new report from the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council and published by the Department of Homeland Security, the government is urging the public to prepare for the up to six months without electricity, transportation, fuel, money, and healthcare.
DHS is warning that the electric grid is now the “prime target” of terrorists, and says Americans need to be prepared for a power outage of up to six months. The report says that “People no longer keep enough essentials within their homes, reducing their ability to sustain themselves during an extended, prolonged outage. We need to improve individual preparedness.”
The report, titled Surviving a Catastrophic Power Outage”, warns that an attack would likely come with little to no notice and could cause complete chaos for at least a half a year, “Long-duration, lasting several weeks to months (at least 2 months, but more likely 6 months or more) due to physical destruction to equipment, such as transformers or transmission lines; or the severity of the event resulting in limited workforce to repair damage, or inability to create or transport replacement parts,” said the report.
The report recommends Americans have enough supplies on hand for a minimum 14 days, a number that now seems grossly inadequate considering the threat and the timeline for reestablishing essential services after an attack.
“This profound risk requires a new national focus. Significant public and private action is needed to prepare for and recover from a catastrophic outage that could leave the large parts of the nation without power for weeks or months, and cause service failures in other sectors – including water and wastewater, communications, transportation, healthcare, and financial services — that are critical to public health and safety and our national and economic security,” said the advisory council.
The report is the second in the last month to warn of a “profound threat” to the U.S. electric grid from terrorism and events like a solar storm or solar flare. A prior government report also recommended presidential action to protect the grid from attacks.
In that report, from the Air Force’s Air University, the military warned an EMP-style attack could wipe out the United States, democracy, and the world order. They also warned that:
- 99 nuclear reactors would likely melt down without electricity to cool them.
- 4.1 million would be displaced from areas around the nuclear plants as the radioactive cloud spread.
- Military and commercial jets, such as those built by Airbus, could be degraded. “Alarmingly, aircraft designed to carry large numbers of people and sizable cargo are allowed to operate without certainty about their level of resilience.”
- Bases would be cut off, making defense and counter-attacks impossible.
- Civil unrest would start in “hours.”
- Power and GPS could go dark. “An EMP would cause instantaneous and simultaneous loss of many technologies reliant on electrical power and computer circuit boards, such as cell phones and GPS devices.”
- “Failures may include long-term loss of electrical power (due to loss of emergency generators), sewage, freshwater, banking, landlines, cellular service, vehicles.”
- Eighteen months or more are required to replace key elements of the electric grid that would be damaged or knocked out.
What can you do to Prepare for an attack on our Power Grid?
In my book, The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide, I devote a lot of time to this specific topic because I believe, as detailed in these latest reports, our country’s emergency managers have no real contingency plans to deal with this type of event. You need to be prepared to survive an extended period without power, without access to food and water, and without essential services – hell, don’t take our word for it, the government is saying they will not be able to help you!
You need to be prepared to survive for an extended period of time without power and essential services. This means stockpiling food and water, learning the skills you need to protect yourself and your family from the chaos and violence that will inevitably happen, and in my opinion, you need to get as far away from highly populated urban centers as you can.
- Stock up on Food & Water: During a long-term grid-down situation, food and water will be crucial to your survival and will likely be the first things to go. Our entire food infrastructure is extremely reliant on the power grid; when the power goes down you are going to see widespread panic and chaos. Stock up on long-term food and water.
- Have cash on hand: During any type of grid down situation, your debit and credit cards are going to be useless. You need to have cash on hand to buy last minute supplies and to deal with the initial stages of the disaster.
- Start becoming more Self-Reliant: Over the last couple of decades the world has seen an unprecedented spike in technology and access to learning. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a growing number of people who have used this technology to tune out and lose their ability to be self-reliant. To prepare for this danger, these 32 resources and skills are all things that you should know.
- Stock up on Firearms: During any type of long-term power outage, security is going to be a top priority. If the grid goes down for any length of time, chaos is going to quickly sweep the streets, and social unrest will be one of the top threats you face. The unprepared masses are going to be unpredictable; in all likelihood, they will become a threat to your safety.
- Stock up on Backup Power. Solar Chargers, power generators, and portable battery backups are all things you need to invest in. For a very small amount of money, you can ensure you have the power to run things like emergency radios, ham radios, tablets, flashlights, and other emergency gear.
- Read our article on EMP/Power Collapse Grid Survival
- Make sure you have a way to communicate and gather intel when the grid goes down!
For those of you who say “This will never happen. This is just garbage.” or “This is just a propaganda…” I think you need to reconsider your options. If you don’t think it can happen then you won’t prepare for anything. Not preparing is the worst thing you could do. You will be the turned away beggar! Look at it this way if you don’t want to prepare for an EMP then prepare for the winter ice storm that will drop power instantly. I have seen whole town grids, off line for over a month because of ice. Now you are in your home with what you have and no power. You won’t be able to travel for at least three days if your in the south. If you live in a city navigating downed poles and downed tree tops is real fun. In the country you might be iced in longer because back roads are never plowed other then a very nice farmer. So what you can do is research your area weather plan for the worst that HAS happened. Now you are not preparing for some BS news story (not saying it is) you are preparing for something that has happened and will happen again. The results that you find depending on your area will be minimum 14 days of supplies or more like everyone else is talking about. Hope this helps people get past the nonbelieving because of hate and onto surviving.
For keeping warm, I highly suggest a wood stove for heat and cooking, but a lot of cities have banned this. A propane stand alone stove that does not need electricity to run(has a battery operated controller) is also a good option. Relying on electric heat pumps hooked up to city natural gas supply pipes is a risk, yet well over a hundred million in the USA are set up this way.
Something as simple as a solar flare from the sun can cause this. Look up and read about the Carington event.
How can one deal with six months of healthcare when on prescription drugs that are only given out once a month(31 pills at a time). How does one horde six month of very expensive prescription drugs? If there is ever a false flag EMP,or EMP attack or solar flare, millions will die due to no way to get their medicines. And don’t get me started on how the electric grid can not even be effectively kept on in the summer months.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL NEVER EVER HAVE A EMP ATTACK! CALM THE FCUK DOWN! ON THE BRIGHT SIDE 2019 WILL MAKE 1861 FEEL LIKE A PLEASANT BEACH DAY
God bless and Good Luck
Get right with God and obviously have at least a 30 day supply of food and water for each person. Guns and ammo wouldn’t be a bad idea either..Rosaries and Firepower ❤
What Nassim Taleb terms positive BLACK SWANS – Highly Improbable breakthrough technologies – can sharply speed replacement of fossil fuels and prepare us for long power outages.
This is an unrecognized revolution that reflects new science – beyond textbook dogma.
Car, truck & bus engines can soon cheaply and easily be modified to replace gas, and diesel with water. And it can be extracted from the air, ending the need to refuel. See MOVING BEYOND OIL at aesopiinstitute.org
Fuel-free piston engines and turbines are in development. The first fuel-free turbines were prototyped in Russia where the government has stopped the work which clearly threatens an economy based on oil & gas.
Fuel-free micro-turbines will give electric vehicles unlimited range and turn them into power plants when suitably parked, selling electricity or providing it to buildings. Future electric cars may pay for themselves.
Micro-turbines are under development as range extenders for electric cars by Pininfarina & Delta motorsport. They could be converted to run on water extracted from the air. Imagine the impact on the electric car market. And they can be replaced in the future by fuel-free micro turbines (which will also help make electric aircraft practical).
The work is attacked by Trolls – who lie and twist facts to deter support. Imagine the implications.
Positive BLACK SWANS are the core of a surprising alternative strategy to substitute renewable energy for coal, oil & gas. Concerned individuals can change the world!
No where in the report was 6 months mentioned. 14 days. . . .now that was said.
Actually reading the entire report might help — on page 34. on what to expect – Long-duration, lasting several weeks to months (at least 2 months, but more likely 6 months or
more) due to physical destruction to equipment, such as transformers or transmission lines; or theseverity of the event resulting in limited work force to repair damage, or inability to create or transport replacement parts.
Read the book “one second after” it will put things in prospective.
I don’t doubt that this event could happen. But I believe we look in the wrong direction. I think while everyone was looking off in the distance for a foreign terrorist to blame, the real culprits would be getting away smiling as they do.
I believe something like that would come from our very own “government”., “elite”, whatever you wanna call them.
Sounds like someone trying to promote their book to me. If the author is so concerned about us then why not just give the information out for free? They could setup a website with everything everyone needs to know. There’s so many ways to get the info out to people without them having to buy a book. And also, there’s enough common sense in most people to live without the mordern luxuries and survive. Our ancestors did it for thousands of years….
Hey dumb shit, the author did setup a website with the information; you are on it moron! I’ve also given out free articles on this site for over ten years now, so excuse the hell out of me for writing one book during that 10 year that I maybe make $1 for every book that sells… yep, I’m an asshole! Do I come into your work and cry about you making a living? Find another site to get your “free information” at, because you are too stupid for this one!
I am in total agreement with Off Grid Survival, you are a dumb shit! I’m not going to address your book and website comment, but I will address your common sense comment. Most people DO NOT have common sense. You proved that right here. If you think you could survive with out your modern luxuries lets do a little experiment. Why don’t YOU cut off the power and water and gas to your house. Turn off your cell phone and see how long you could survive with out any contact to anyone outside your house. Report back honestly how long you could handle it. Today with cell phones, TV, internet, Facebook, Twitter, people could not survive without it. With out information you are used to (even if it’s useless) it would cripple you. Our ancestors did it because they learned how to survive with nothing, you have not. In fact I would venture to say only 1 out of every 100 – 200 people could survive (if not more). That is because they have the knowledge, and know how to use it. I would say even if you had the knowledge you wouldn’t know how to use it.
I have been collecting articles on how to do things from simple gardening, to building solar panels, etc. They are kept in a binder by topic.
I concur….
Won’t cooking food outside alert others that you might have food, water, etc…
Online free advice usually ain’t worth the digital ink it’s printed on, but…
Between the TEOTWAWKI ‘event’ and re-normalization/re-civilization will be a trying time, to put it *extremely* mildly. Survival will be paramount.
What will happen is a rejiggering of social order, while in this emergency-state, groups will use violence to establish power(Think; Mad Max, Waterworld, Etc.).
Here is my recommendation: get to know your local VSOs (Veteran Service Organizations) or other civically minded orgs. Learn skill that will be valuable to them, help them will projects, engender yourself to them. VSOs, especially ones with a higher ratio of Iraq and Afghanistan Vets, will end up supporting local law enforcement in order to retain some semblance of government/order.
Stage yourself to be part of the solution, prep for yourself and your loved ones. Be ready to help. Be known in your community.
The most important rule, thank you Mr Douglas Adams, DON’T PANIC. (It’ll be fine until it ain’t)
No one has mentioned hoarding various seeds for growing a garden. Buy property that has a natural spring on it, at least 10 wooded acres…start with that.
I have been hoarding seeds. I hope that doesn’t sound bad? But for the past two years I buy seeds for gardens and flowers. I started doing it because I was going to start a garden. But now I am stocking up so if something happens I will go to my parents house because they have a farm.
I was so glad I came across this post. I will be honest I have never gave this situation a thought. But after reading the article and everyone’s comments . This has really opened my eyes and also scared the out of me!!! I am single man that is disabled and I live alone. I don’t have weapons. But I have learned a lot by watching the Discovery channel that airs Alaskan Frontier and the Last Alaskans. I also grew up on a big farm. So by watching and learning those shows I have learned a lot about how to survive off the land. I have emergency kit but from what I read I need to be more prepared for an emergency. It concerns me a lot especially with these new generations don’t know nothing about the land. All they know is social media and how to get there food from a McDonald’s or whatever restaurant they go too. It’s scary because if you think about it how many would survive? They wouldn’t they would either kill or do whatever it takes to stay alive. I know a lot of people are saying it’s a hoax just like when Y2K started. But it may not go out but the way the world is going and how our government and President acting like a bunch of spoiled kids. Yes I totally think everyone should start getting prepared because you just never know what tomorrow is going to bring. I wish everyone for peace and luck for the future.
Amen’ your right everything that’s happening right now in the world Jesus speak on in Revelation we all need to get it right with Christ because he’s coming back but those that do not believe will believe in for those that are believers neither repent and get right with the Lord because he is not playing with none of them I’m urging everyone that reads this please believe that Jesus is real please believe that he’s coming back and I keep saying repent repent repent Revelation is real and he’s not about to play when he come back so I pray for all of us to be in heaven but I know in reality God’s and everybody won’t make it to heaven pray for me as I pray for you thank you God bless
Think this through people…
Hackers have been a scourge on both business and society for decades now. But now you have very sophisticated hackers out there working for hostile foreign govts with the latest in govt-grade equipment. The muslim countries have come a long way…
That said? In terms of probability? Many of these motivated hackers will NEVER stop! We in America have to continue to be lucky every single day to ward off these cyber attacks. THEY have to get lucky ONLY ONCE….
And their lucky day will always come when you least expect it and/or you’re the least prepared for it.
Smart money says, prepare now.
Per the comment above concerning AK-47’s versus AR-15’s?
I have a feeling that many AR-15 owners are going to be let down by their rifles in a protracted SHTF situation.
For one, the AR-15 has too many small parts and pieces. Not to easy to field strip in a real hurry, and it tends to jam if not serviced frequently. The AK-47 has a lot fewer moving parts and are a breeze to disassemble and service. And because it has just a few moving parts, those parts are thicker, heartier and more formidable than AR-15 parts. They DON’T BREAK. In the current midfle east battles, they are finding AK-47’s that trace back to the IRANIAN REVOLUTION BACKBIN 1979! Most of those functioning rifles have never seen a day of service or lubrication and have bern operated in the sand, heat, and some of the most hostile weather environments on earth for years, and they DON’T BREAK. Steamy jungles dry desert heat, soggy rainforests, Siberian cold, the AK-47 operates well in ALL of those environments.
AR-15’s are also very finicky with ammo because of their tight tolerances. Whixh can make them prone to jamming and ftf’s. My nephew had 3 different AR-15’s that we took to the range one day, and certain ammos worked in one rifle but not in another. This is a chronic problem with AR-15’s, and one many AR owners don’t like to talk about or admit. Interchanging ammo on AR’s make them unpredictable, and of dubious value when ammo gets scarce.
The AK-47? Because of it’s LOOSE tolerances, will shoot anyrhing you put in it! From the expensive match-grade ammo to the cheapest Bulgarian crap, it eats ALL food! I’ve only had 2 ftf’s ever on my AK-47’s, and those were rhe result of used damaged cheap magazines that i bought that had bent feed lips on the top. Easy fix… Threw the dud mags out.
Another crucial factor with AK-47’s? They were designed as no-frills working man’s rifles, desifned to take a beating and NOT break. With that in mind, they were also designed to take the dumbest farmboy in the Ukraine, drop him in a training depot, and have him competent and versed in ALL ASPECTS of the rifle inside of FOUR HOURS of concentrated intense training. Very handy when you are trying to build armies quickly. This makes these rifles quite desirable in a SHTF situation when trying to train or arm neighbors, family members etc that have ZERO firearms training or familiarity.
The AR-15? In recruit training for the military, it takes upwards of SIX WEEKS of training to become proficient with the rifle in all aspects.
I’m not trying to bash the AR-15 and re-start the AK vs AR war again. I’m saying that the AK-47 was DESIGNED AND BUILT for situations of hardship, privation and resource-poor situations. If you’re an AR-15 affectionado, great! Familiarity is the best criteria for a SHTF rifle. But smart money says, maybe buy an AK-47 and tuck it away with some ammo, just in case….. The rifle will not fail you….
Sorry for writing a book here! Lol
Good one man! Don’t forget to always carry a knife with you and you will always be prepared.
One mistake I noticed in the article. Unless your backups, batteries and such live in a Faraday cage, they’ll be destroyed along with your main gear. That includes inverters, which are necessary for solar power or really any alternate energy source. Generating power is easy. Converting it to AC is the challenge.
EMP is one of the most likely SHTF situations. Either through war or a natural emission from the sun.
The report demonstrates exactly why nuclear energy will eventually and inevitably bite it’s users in the arse. Power shut downs happen. War happens. What’s the first thing enemy bombers need to knock out after AA facilities? Power. If all your power generation is concentrated in nuclear reactors it makes for a very easy and vulnerable point of attack. An attack that has an added bonus. Not only do you know out a sizable chunk of your enemy’s power generation, the former power plant is now spewing radiation everywhere, killing emergency response people, forcing mass evacuations and wiping out industry by making plants radioactive. So even the machinery is a loss even if the plant isn’t hit.
Nuclear power plants are vulnerable to so many potential problems and such an attractive target to terrorists, saboteurs, and enemy bombardment that any nation relying on them for power generation is foolish. If they produce electricity as a side effect of other tasks that’s a positive, but we should never use nuclear power as a planned part of our grid.
EMP is an obvious hazard, but hacking an even bigger concern. Russian guest workers thanks to big business greed and anti-patriotism built much of the US infrastructure. Chinese guest workers have burrowed deep into many secure US facilities. Chinese agents have been caught in some of our most secure facilities and levels of government. No computer system in the US today isn’t using chips made in China. They don’t need EMP to take our grid out and keep it down for extended periods of time.
Fast forward to covid 19, dumbass
The DHS, the Department Of Jokeland Security, is truly the “enemy of the people. They the DHS will pull this false flag off near elections, and blame it on the white Americans. Just like they did 9/11. We will then move into to all of the DHS employees houses, and enjoy it.