Preparing For A U.S. Blackout: Total Grid Failure

Many people think that a blackout affecting the United States in the future is something that will happen "if" and not "when." Although the phrase "blackout" in and of itself is somewhat vague, it often refers to a potential catastrophe that would fully shut down the American electricity grid.

It is still unknown what could cause this blackout, how big of an area it affects, how long it lasts before things return to normal, and if it was triggered by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) strike, a solar flare, or a natural calamity.

PreparePhoto byRichelleg

Even while you may believe that a significant blackout affecting the United States is unlikely to occur, it is always better to be prepared for the worst case scenario than not at all.

Here's a few good practices to put in place now:

Have a reserve of emergency cash

You should, as a general rule, keep $1,000 or more in cash in your house. This is because you'll want to make sure you have cash on hand to buy stuff while you can if the internet or card processing machines don't operate after the blackout.

There will be a severe societal breakdown very quickly if there is a widespread blackout. Law and order will be completely disregarded at this point, and individuals who are in need of goods and essentials will swarm into stores and loot them.

If you're able to get to a store after a blackout, you'll need cash to purchase whatever you can before the chaos really starts.

Keep food and water stocked.

Although it may sound cliche, one of the most crucial things you can do to get ready for a blackout is to stockpile food and water.

This is due to two factors:

1. We cannot survive without food and water.

2. It will be quite challenging for you to restock yourself after a blackout occurs.

Consider how long you want to be prepared for a crisis, and then gather the right amount of food and water. For example, suppose you have a household of four and wish to prepare six months' worth of food and water for the four of you.

You should, on average, put aside one gallon of water per person every day (for both drinking and washing). For a household of four, that works out to approximately 112 gallons per month. That's 672 gallons if you multiply that by six months. Don't forget about your livestock and pets! (Hint: now is the time to research rainwater catchment.)

Stocked and readyPhoto byRichelleg

You should make sure you have enough storage room to hold that much water, because it's a lot. The easiest way to keep this much water clean is to buy several large water storage tanks and cycle the water out at regular intervals.

You can purchase emergency food supply kits, and by carefully reading the information on the packages, you can determine how many days or months the food will last. After that, stockpile as necessary.

Non edible items

There are numerous other essential supplies that you should store in addition to food and water.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Ammunition
• Gasoline
• Clothing
• First Aid Supplies
• Toilet paper
• Propane
• Items for Personal Hygiene
• Plastic Bags
• Prescription Meds
• Pet food
• Batteries
• Gas

Hiding your stockpile.

(Or at the very least, hide the fact that you have a stockpile.)

There are two primary reasons for this.

• The first is that once the blackout has occurred, having people find out that you have a stockpile will make you a target.
• The second argument is that if martial law is imposed, the government will try to take over the production and distribution of food and water in order to keep the civilian population dependent on them in order to survive.

If police knock on your door and essentially seize whatever they want, don't be shocked. This is why it's so important to have a "secret" storage space.

Hide em good!Photo byRichelleg

Making your house more defense-worthy

The majority of suburban homes are not particularly well protected, making them incredibly simple targets for burglars or other would-be intruders. Unfortunately, residences will be the next main target after all the local stores have been ransacked and robbed of their supplies.

To make your house simpler to protect and keep you and your family safe, you can take the following five major steps:

• Make your own burglar traps and alarms.
• Replace all outside doors with sturdy steel doors.
• Replace all door locks and hinges with stronger locks and hinges.
• Install acrylic glass windows in place of all the glass ones.
• Install a safe room in your house that you and your family can use as a hiding place.

Backup Plans

Always have a safe haven where you can go in case of emergency, ideally one where you can connect with other people in your circle of trust.

Ideally, you'll be able to bunker down at home and "wait out the storm," but you want to make sure you have a place to go in case it becomes too dangerous for you to remain there.

One of the worst things you can do in a crisis situation is to flee the city without a strategy or a place to go.

• Ensure that your bug-out strategy meets the minimum requirements listed below:
• You have a bug-out destination, ideally out in the country. It should be hidden from anyone traveling on the adjacent highways or freeways. The ideal location would be on land that you or a member of your circle of trust owns.
• You and other group members should be able to reside here in tents or other structures.
• It needs to be able to get water from a natural source.
• You must have at least two or three options for how to get there. You'll need a different path if, for example, enforcement closes a certain route.
• During and after the blackout, you must coordinate with your circle of trusted relatives and friends. Buy HAM or CB radios so you can communicate with them once the blackout has happened. Depending on what transpired, you might not be able to rely on cell or internet access.
• Roadside bugging out is never a good idea. However, bugging out without a place to go is never safer than bugging out with a place to go and a plan to meet up with other trustworthy people once you get there.

One more bit of advice: when preparing for a blackout, keep in mind not to tell anybody about your plans outside of the tiny group in your "circle of trust."

Even if your unprepared friends and neighbors may be kind right now, these are the same people who will knock on your door and demand what you share with them once the blackout occurs and supplies run out.They won't be friendly either, and they won't be.

What more should you be doing, in your opinion, to get ready for the forthcoming blackout that will affect the United States?

Prep for safety!Photo byRichelleg

Attributions:

The Upcoming US Blackout: What To Do Before It’s Too Late | Self-Sufficiency | Before It’s News. (2023, August 16). Before It’s News | People Powered News. https://beforeitsnews.com/self-sufficiency/2023/08/the-upcoming-us-blackout-what-to-do-before-its-too-late-2539097.html