It’s time we look at our power grid for exactly what it is. It’s life. Our lives. Without it, everything breaks down.
No power for air conditioning in the summer or heat in the winter. No refrigeration for food. Gas stations can’t pump gas. Wells can’t pump water. Traffic lights don’t work.
Now, if America’s three power grids were as reliable as the sun, we wouldn’t have to worry. But they are extremely vulnerable. And they are under attack every day.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warns that at least two-thirds of America is at risk for major power outages this summer. Not in five years. Not next year. Right now.
Extreme weather, cyberattacks, and physical attacks are happening on a regular basis. And if any of them takes down one or more of the grids, power outages could go on for weeks or more.
Extreme Weather Is Relentless
The fact is, blackouts are coming. Some outages might be planned, like the rolling blackouts launched by electric utilities in an effort to stave off potential power grid failures.
Or they could be unexpected blackouts due to extreme weather or a sudden large draw of electric power by homes and businesses.
We’ve reached a point in America where hardly a day goes by without seeing a news story of how violent weather knocked out power, destroyed property, and threatened lives.
And now heat and heavy storms are predicted for this summer in many parts of the country. Texas is feeling the brunt of it now with record-breaking heat waves cutting off power to thousands.
Cyberattacks Are Constant
Cyberattacks are also an ongoing threat to our vulnerable grids. They occur every single day in the U.S.
Russia and China conduct the most cyber strikes. That’s according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Followed by Iran and North Korea. America has been the target of these cyberattacks more than three times as often as any other country.
According to Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence, the possibility of a crippling cyberattack on our critical infrastructure by a foreign actor is “growing.”
Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen recently said the U.S. is in “crisis mode.” She compared the danger of a massive cyberattack to a Category 5 hurricane looming on the horizon.
Physical Attacks Are Rising
And then there are the physical attacks against our electric grids. The U.S. Department of Energy tells us that physical attacks on U.S. power grids rose by 77% in 2022.
And the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center predicts those attacks will continue to rise this year. The attacks range from ballistic damage to internal tampering to vandalism.
The volume of these physical attacks – not to mention the potential for their devastating results – is disturbing, to say the least.
You may recall that approximately 45,000 people were left in the dark in North Carolina last December following shootings at power substations in Moore County. Weeks later, attackers targeted substations in Washington state, leaving thousands without power.
Brian Harrell is former assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the DHS. He said, “Certain attacks on critical infrastructure should be legally treated as domestic terrorism.”
Long-Lasting Blackout Would Be Catastrophic
The scariest thing about both cyber and physical attacks against the grid is the potential for a long-term blackout.
Experts say that attacks against only 9 of the nation’s 55,000 electrical substations could trigger a blackout that might last up to 18 months.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey said a blackout lasting longer than a year could result in 9 of 10 Americans dying due to starvation and societal collapse.
Despite this clear and present danger…
Our Government Is Woefully Unprepared
The warnings keep coming, but little gets accomplished. Journalist Ted Koppel writes a book about it… actor Dennis Quaid narrates a documentary about it… a few politicians urge fellow lawmakers to do something about it. But it just doesn’t happen.
The U.S. government ignores dire warnings from national security experts and others about our vulnerable power grid. Warnings of physical, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and cyberattacks…
And who suffers because of their neglect? You and your family.
Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months.
Your life would be frozen in time right at the moment your power fails. An entire country plunged into darkness.
Without a generator, your fridge, electric range, and microwave would be useless. All the food in your fridge and freezer – spoiled.
Your well couldn’t pump fresh water into your house. And even if you don’t have a well, a total grid failure means no fresh water to drink, cook, or clean with.
That’s why many Americans are taking matters into their own hands by securing their own solar-powered generator.
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To your survival,
Robert Boyd
Managing Editor, News4Patriots
