I reposted an article from Offgrid Survival called Half of all Americans Won’t Survive 2 Weeks without Electricity. It explained how fragile the electric grid is and how most Americans won’t last two weeks without it.
I’m not sure that half the population would die off in two weeks. In my thinking it would depend on if trucks were still running and making deliveries of food and medicine. One thing I do know is that if we saw an event that brought the electric grid down, life would be difficult for everyone and impossible for some.
I have written articles in the past that will be helpful in such an event. One thing to keep in mind about any type of event is that there are five basic human needs that need to be met. The articles that I think are helpful are listed under the basic need that is the best fit. Some might be listed under multiple basic needs.
Water
If there is no electricity in many places there won’t be running water for long. Some communities have their water pumped in over two hundred miles. Knowing where to get water is a must, as is “The Storage, Filtration And Purification Of Water”.
Food
I listed some tips for keeping food cold for a short term power outage in “Keeping Food Cold Without Electricity”. Some of these tips could be used to keep food cold for a short time in a long-term event. One might need to know how to cook with “Off Grid Fuel’s” as well.
Shelter
One often overlooked thing when facing a grid down event is “Survival Sanitation”. If you’re connected to city sewer and water, how to handle human waste is something you’re going to want to know and might want to clue your neighbors in on quickly.
Knowing how to wash clothes is covered in “Off-Grid Laundry”. “Keeping Cool Without AC” is good information to know as well.
As far as I know insulin is the only medicine that means life and death if it is not kept cool. This and some other Diabetic related info is covered in “Preparedness for Diabetics”.
One items that gets more use when the power is out is candles. Because of this “Candle Safety” is important to know. Because of the loss of water pressure, “Fire Safety, Before and After the Fan” is good to know as well.
Energy
Having batteries to keep small electronics charged is a good idea. “Preparedness and Batteries” covers some needed information. Having a “Portable Generator” could enable power to your home or at least certain portions of it.
Having “Off Grid Fuel” stocked and knowing “Fuel Storage” for gasoline and diesel would be important as well.
Security
The main thing to keep in mind about security during a prolonged grid down event is that you might see more crime. I covered what civil unrest might look like in “What Does Civil Unrest Look Like and How Can You Stay Safe Near It?”. You might consider “Keeping Watch Once It’s Hit the Fan” and instituting “Light, Sound and Smell Discipline”.
Closing Thoughts
I have a couple resources available that have a huge amount of information you might consider printing off to make sure it is available for just such an event. They are “Fifteen Must Have Downloads” and the link library. To get to the link library, hover your mouse over “General Preparedness”. It is the top drop down. You can choose from any of the available headings.
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