Power Grid Failure and Blackouts

A power grid collapse or long-term blackout is a widespread electrical outage that can last hours, days, or even weeks. It can result from cyberattacks, natural disasters, EMP events, equipment failure, or intentional sabotage. Power grid failures may affect millions of people, disabling essential services like lighting, communication, refrigeration, fuel supply, medical devices, and heating/cooling.

Urban areas are especially vulnerable due to high demand, interconnected systems, and limited backup infrastructure.

Possible Causes

  • Hurricanes, ice storms, wildfires, or heatwaves
  • Overloaded transformers or system failures
  • Coordinated cyberattacks on utility control systems
  • High-altitude EMP (see previous section)
  • Terrorism or insider sabotage targeting substations

Preparedness Tips

Home and personal readiness

  • Store flashlights, headlamps, and extra batteries
  • Invest in solar chargers and battery power banks
  • Maintain two weeks of water and non-perishable food
  • Install manual can openers, coolers, and thermal blankets
  • Backup important documents and maps offline and in print

Critical appliances

  • Use surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
  • Consider purchasing a generator (gas, propane, or solar)
  • Learn how to manually open electric garage doors

During a Blackout

Immediate actions

  • Check circuit breakers and neighbors to determine the outage scope
  • Shut off major appliances to prevent overload during power restoration
  • Use flashlights—avoid candles due to fire risk
  • Conserve phone battery—text instead of calling
  • Listen to battery-powered or hand-crank radios for updates

Food and water safety

  • Keep refrigerator/freezer closed as long as possible
    • Fridge food safe for ~4 hours
    • Freezer food safe ~48 hours if unopened
  • Use stored or bottled water if municipal systems fail
  • Boil water if quality is in question (if you have a safe heating method)

Health and Safety

  • Ensure proper ventilation for generators—never use indoors
  • Stay cool or warm using appropriate layers or shade
  • Use emergency medical kits and prepare for pharmacy closures
  • Assist neighbors who rely on powered medical equipment

If Grid Collapse Is Widespread or Prolonged

  • Switch to barter or community support systems
  • Use printed cash—card systems may be down
  • Expect gas station outages—fuel pumps require electricity
  • Water utilities, sewage systems, and ATMs may be offline

Key Resources

  • Department of Energy – Grid Security & Resilience
    energy.gov/oe
  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
     ferc.gov
  • OutageMap – Regional power outage status (varies by utility)
    Check your provider’s website
  • Ready.gov Power Outages
    ready.gov/power-outages

Recommended Apps

(Must be downloaded and configured prior to blackout)