Foreign hackers are attacking the U.S. power grid with regularity

A collapse of the electrical grid is a real and present danger.

A security researcher recently trying to find the hackers responsible for stealing a university’s housing files in California stumbled onto more than he bargained for. He found that cyberattacks had already been waged on the networks operating the U.S. power grid.

According to security expert Brian Wallace, the hackers had taken passwords and engineering drawings of dozens of U.S. power plants. With the information they had, skilled attackers could knock out electricity to millions of homes. A follow-up study by The Associated Press found that about 12 times over the past decade, sophisticated foreign hackers had gained enough access to the power grid to shut off the lights.

The power grid is also vulnerable to a solar storm or to an electromagnetic pulse weapon. Either of these could fry circuits, knocking out power over a wide swath of the U.S. for weeks or longer.

Within just two or three days after a major grid collapsing event, grocery shelves would be empty. It would then be just hours or days before people would be rioting in the streets. The water infrastructure, which is also powered by electricity, would dry up quickly.

It would take days for the government to respond, and initial response will be in the highest population centers. People in outlying areas would be on their own.

Few people in high population areas and inner cities, particularly those dependent upon government for their every need, have food on hand for more than a day or two. When their government food cards won’t work, their situations will get ugly, fast.

It is for these and other reasons that we recommend everyone have at least a three-day supply of food and water on hand for every member of the household and for your pets. More than that is better.

The time to prepare was yesterday. I have been storing food and water for 40 years. Once the crisis comes, it will be too late. Prudence dictates everyone has some storage food and water on hand.

You should have long ago been aware of the need for preparedness for widespread electrical outages and disasters. But in case you missed it, click here for a complete guide on how to prepare and what to do in the days and weeks after.

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