# 6 Totally Insane Things That Will Happen If Our Power Grid Goes Down



## Urinal Cake (Oct 19, 2013)

6 Totally Insane Things That Will Happen If Our Power Grid Goes Down
Joshua Krause 
Ready Nutrition 
18 Comments
2
Imagine if you will, what would happen if you pulled an American family from the 19th century, and plopped them in the middle of downtown Los Angeles during rush hour. They’re not given a warning, they’re not given any kind of primer on what they’re about to experience, and the occurrence is completely inexplicable. How long do you suppose they would last before they cried uncle? Would they even survive? The odds probably aren’t so good.
Of course, the reverse is probably also true. If you and your family were wrenched from the comforts of the present and hurled back into a previous era, you might not fare so well either. Your survival odds would probably be a little better since you have hindsight and an understanding of germ theory. However, it would still be a pretty alien world for you. It would be littered with pitfalls that most modern people can’t even imagine.

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6 Totally Insane Things That Will Happen If Our Power Grid Goes Down

And that’s why it’s so important for everyone to prepare for the possibility that one day our grid could go down in a big way, whether it be from a terrorist attack, cyber attack, nuclear war, or solar flare. If our society suffered a widespread power failure that lasted for weeks or months, it would be no different for us than if we were suddenly sent back to the 1800’s. It would be a strange and dangerous world, and for the average person, it would catch them off guard in the following ways:

All commerce will cease. The ATMs won’t work, the banks won’t open, and the cash registers won’t…well, register. For a while cash will be king, but if the crisis goes on for more than a few weeks, then people will view it as worthless. We’d be back to a barter economy in short order.
Communications will shut down. If you think you can rely on your cell phone to work in a disaster, think again. In a crisis, when everyone instinctively reaches for their phone, that limit is quickly surpassed and the radios on the tower get sluggish, thus causing the fast-busy signal. Mobile analysts estimates that a cell site can handle 150 to 200 calls per second per sector. When a large group are making calls at the same time, the network can’t handle the amount of calls. More importantly, communications with police, firefighters, and ambulance services will cease. Many of the workers in these positions will try to soldier on, and keep doing the best job that they can for as long as they can. However, without ordinary citizens calling them to report crimes and emergencies, they’ll be helplessly watching their communities burn down around them. It won’t be long before they give up, ditch their posts, and return to their families.
Without electricity, all forms of fuel that our society relies on will stop flowing. All of our vehicles will be dead in the water, and more importantly, the trucks will stop delivering food. The grocery stores will be stripped bare in hours, and will not be replenished for a long time. Even if you live in an area that is rich in agricultural resources, there may be no food to be had, since those farms rely on fertilizers and farming equipment that must be delivered by trucks.
And of course many of those farms will lack water, as will your plumbing. For a couple of days after the power goes out, you’ll still have running water since water towers rely on gravity to feed the water to your home. However, electricity is required to clean that water and pump it into the tower. Once it’s out, that means that you won’t be able to flush your toilet. So not only dehydration be a major threat, but without the ability to remove human waste or wash your hands, every community will face daunting sanitation problems.
When the grocery stores are stripped bare, the pharmacies won’t be far behind. Millions of people who rely on life saving medications could die in the weeks and months that follow. But perhaps more shocking is what would happen to the people who aren’t using drugs that are immediately life saving. 13% of Americans are using opioid drugs, which are highly addictive and cause horrendous withdrawal symptoms. Another 13% of Americans are on antidepressants, and likewise, the withdrawal symptoms are pretty problematic. In other words, within a few weeks after the grid collapses, about 25% of your neighbors are going to be in an awful mental state that is not conducive for survival.
And finally, one of the most shocking things that people will have to deal with, is the nuclear power plants not running. Sure, we may lose some power, but the real issue will be a release of radiation. A large percentage of electricity goes into maintaining and cooling the spent fuel rods in a nuclear power plant installation. A prime example is a Nuclear Facility that may have one working (running) reactor and two that are shut down with spent fuel rods. This is not uncommon to find. Now, follow the reasoning: when the primary power shuts down and the backup is rendered inoperable, how is coolant water to be pumped to cool the spent fuel rods?
In summary, law and order will break down at every level, and death will be around every corner. It’s one thing to grow up and live in an era that lacks electricity, but to be sent back to such a time on a moments notice would be one of the most challenging things that a person accustomed to modern amenities would ever face.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Very timely, what with the triple power outages we experienced yesterday in L.A. Frisco and N.Y.C.

I think it's worth mentioning that the cell towers have battery banks good for 96 hours. I read it on the internet, so it must be true.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Sounds about right. Would be better to happen now in the summer. In WI millions will die over night at -20 with no heat.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I've noticed some cell towers with generator setups.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

In a scenario like this, your world has changed significantly in matter of days. In a few weeks, you are a remaining survivor but for how long is up to you and your preparedness.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

The US electric grid is in need of repair and upgrades. Very much so.
It could very well fail on its own.
Solar activity could bring it down, so could a foreign entity hacking into the grids computer controls.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Our power grid is extremely vulnerable. Don't think that fact has been overlooked by our enemies.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

paraquack said:


> I've noticed some cell towers with generator setups.


Which will only work for a day or two.......... if the fuel tanks aren't broken into and the go-juice stolen.


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## homefire (Apr 20, 2017)

My water freezes in the winter sometimes and it'll take a bit to thaw. Two days of no running water and it gets interesting. A lot of extra work. I really think people that have set themselves up off grid have a leg up. It would be pretty scary out there with no power.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

homefire said:


> My water freezes in the winter sometimes and it'll take a bit to thaw. Two days of no running water and it gets interesting. A lot of extra work. I really think people that have set themselves up off grid have a leg up.


Please keep your legs down and closed.


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## homefire (Apr 20, 2017)

A Watchman said:


> Please keep your legs down and closed.


Excuse me?


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

Short of getting nuked from coast to coast, this is about as bad a scenario as I can think of.


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

We can expect routine short duration, less than 3 days , power outages . Unless we invest billions into our grid and power system it will only get worse. 

I think a possible solution is a system of smaller generation by the use of solar systems on businesses and homes, wind farms , hydro with small natural gas plants thus if one part of the grid is down power can be generated and moved from another area. Lots of electronic controls with manual backups in case of a hacker attack.


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## Urinal Cake (Oct 19, 2013)

A Watchman said:


> Please keep your legs down and closed.


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## Urinal Cake (Oct 19, 2013)

rice paddy daddy said:


> The US electric grid is in need of repair and upgrades. Very much so.
> It could very well fail on its own.
> Solar activity could bring it down, so could a foreign entity hacking into the grids computer controls.





Prepared One said:


> Our power grid is extremely vulnerable. Don't think that fact has been overlooked by our enemies.


 It's so confusing...


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## Maol9 (Mar 20, 2015)

paraquack said:


> I've noticed some cell towers with generator setups.


Yep and even more are staged to deploy in local outages. The problem is there aren't enough to supply all sites and carriers in a national grid outage. All carriers have Battery back up to take over until the generators are deployed. The next issue is fuel and the finally that cellular access will become very limited very quickly, the first responders etc will have priority and be given codes that allow them to get access on systems even in full use. In other words they will always get access and you get a circuits busy recording. If you are lucky enough to get through, make it snappy because a priority call will soon disconnect you.


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## Maol9 (Mar 20, 2015)

RJAMES said:


> We can expect routine short duration, less than 3 days , power outages . Unless we invest billions into our grid and power system it will only get worse.
> 
> I think a possible solution is a system of smaller generation by the use of solar systems on businesses and homes, wind farms , hydro with small natural gas plants thus if one part of the grid is down power can be generated and moved from another area. Lots of electronic controls with manual backups in case of a hacker attack.


The problem is restarting the "Power Islands" after a national outage. 3 Days would be very optimistic. In fact substation HV Transformers, breakers etc. are often are not even made in the US any more. Waiting time for delivery currently can be a year+. There are only so many spares laying around. Currently we are very quietly hardening our substations in a belated, slow and insufficient manner. While the systems function and are very impressive, I believe we should also institute a neighborhood watch program complete with education for them as well. Like the coast watchers in WWll.


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## actvlsnr (Dec 26, 2016)

Aside from the deteriorated mental states, we will have diabetic dying by the many thousands. Any medical condition that requires any medication will have to go without. Aside from this We will have a lot of people dying because of plain old exertion. Many of us have not had to do any strenuous activity for years, especially without a bottle of water in our hand. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Maol9 said:


> ...cellular access will become very limited very quickly, the first responders etc will have priority and be given codes that allow them to get access on systems even in full use. In other words they will always get access and you get a circuits busy recording. If you are lucky enough to get through, make it snappy because a priority call will soon disconnect you.


It sounds like you work in the industry, @Maol9 . If so, can you answer this question: are the systems smart enough to give priority to callers making calls TO first responders, police, fire, etc?


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

sideKahr said:


> It sounds like you work in the industry, @*Maol9* . If so, can you answer this question: are the systems smart enough to give priority to callers making calls TO first responders, police, fire, etc?



No .


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## Maol9 (Mar 20, 2015)

Back Pack Hack said:


> No .


Correct. First responders and cellular service techs have to enter a code to get into a fully active site. 911 is 'supposed' to kick a channel open. In practice it has failed.

BTW, there were plans to force the carriers/site owners to install backup generators, but the cellular lobbyists got it headed off...


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## Maol9 (Mar 20, 2015)

I forgot to mention texting instead of calling. Much more reliable. You can even text 911, be sure to turn on locator service first.


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## Notold63 (Sep 18, 2016)

paraquack said:


> I've noticed some cell towers with generator setups.


Generally the generators at cell sites have enough fuel to run for 72 hrs.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

sideKahr said:


> It sounds like you work in the industry, @Maol9 . If so, can you answer this question: are the systems smart enough to give priority to callers making calls TO first responders, police, fire, etc?


supposedly the gooberment has that capability on the US landline system ....


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Living in Wisconsin and having lost power in the winter, we have a plan. More like a battle drill. Fire up the wood. Right away. Two fire up generators just be sure they run. Have everything ready to hook them up if power stays out. As mention earlier when it is -20 people can die fast. When power goes out Start off with short term response and add to it as needed. We can stay warm. Turn two handles and open a drain empties all water pipes in the house. The wood heat alone with no power will keep the basement plenty warm. Longest it has ever gone out here was 3 days. We made it through that one. Of course after that we added resources. Two generators and a better wood/coal furnace .


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## modfan (Feb 18, 2016)

Don't expect Natural Gas to be up to long after loss of electricity. Thanks to the EPA a lot of wellhead and midstream assets are being converted to electricity instead of running on the gas in the pipeline. Also, the electronic controls are all handled by electrical power. This will cause a lot of back up generators and back up water pumps to fail.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

sideKahr said:


> Very timely, what with the triple power outages we experienced yesterday in L.A. Frisco and N.Y.C.
> 
> I think it's worth mentioning that the cell towers have battery banks good for 96 hours. I read it on the internet, so it must be true.


I suspect that LA, San Fran, and NYC, have themselves to blame for most power outages. Those towns are bastions for Earth First sorts; and I will bet that they caterwaul if a new power plant is proposed. And if coal is mentioned look out!


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## mcangus (Jun 3, 2014)

Maol9 said:


> I forgot to mention texting instead of calling. Much more reliable. You can even text 911, be sure to turn on locator service first.


Never knew that! That is cool.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

FYI: Any cell phone originally sold in the US is required by law to be able to dial 911, even if it doesn't have a phone plan. So those old phones you got laying around after you upgraded can still dial 911. Or at least should be able to.


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

Grid down while we're at the work-a day home near the city would be inconvenient to say the least. We heat primarily with wood here (with years worth of dry wood on hand), so winter isn't a real issue. We have generators, solar and a lot of amp-hours in the battery bank, with a 12 volt buss powering lighting, security, ham radio, etc. 

Grid down while we're at the mountain retirement place... it might be a while before we even knew about it and probably a while longer before we cared.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

what only six? hey I saw those commercials when the internet went down and the people went nutz 
I can't imagine what they would do if everything shut off indefinitely no more cell phones tv radios internet ya it will be chaos.


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## beavervallyranch (Mar 18, 2017)

Living off the grid isn't easy, but when I think about how people will survive if it goes down for an extended period of time, it's worth it.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

Back Pack Hack said:


> FYI: Any cell phone originally sold in the US is required by law to be able to dial 911, even if it doesn't have a phone plan. So those old phones you got laying around after you upgraded can still dial 911. Or at least should be able to.


I started packaging up the entire cell phone kit for the Faraday cage whenever I changed over to a new phone - good chance the gooberment will be using the reverse 911 system to spread any info .... same reason I've included a simple plug-in landline phone for decades ...


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

Chipper said:


> Sounds about right. Would be better to happen now in the summer. In WI millions will die over night at -20 with no heat.


I am a horrible person... my first thought when I read this was "yeah, well, most of them are Packers fans, so no real loss, eh?"


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Illini Warrior said:


> I started packaging up the entire cell phone kit for the Faraday cage whenever I changed over to a new phone - good chance the gooberment will be using the reverse 911 system to spread any info .... same reason I've included a simple plug-in landline phone for decades ...


AFAIK, 911 access is a one-way street with cell phones sans service. For the gubbamint to call you, you'll need cell service for the phone.


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## Guywithagun (Apr 11, 2017)

Chipper said:


> Sounds about right. Would be better to happen now in the summer. In WI millions will die over night at -20 with no heat.


You'd have people mass burning structures for heat I'd wager, or if not intentionally someone will end up starting a fire and it'll get out of control

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