Navy SEAL Says It Would Be Easy To Take Down Our Power Grid

easy-to-take-down-the-power-grid

Navy SEAL Christopher Mark Heben was trained in unconventional warfare including how to take down power grids. He spoke with Judge Jeanine (back during 2014) about the dangers of America’s power grid. How apparently ‘amazingly easy’ it would be for terror cells to dismantle.

Multiple Ways To Take Down The Power Grid

“Believe me, it doesn’t take a doctorate from MIT to figure out how to make an EMP device that will take down not only a electrical substation, but transmission stations and the distribution stations…”

Several EMP’s placed properly at the right locations utilizing a cell phone device and RFD technology (Remote Firing Device) could bring down 15 transmission stations at one time.

He also commented about the incident at a San Jose substation (2013). The electrical substation was attacked (by unknowns). Snipers (apparently just one or two) opened fire on the substation, shooting for 19 minutes. More than 100 fingerprint-free shell casings were found at the scene. They knocked out 17 transformers that supply power to Silicon Valley. When police arrived, they were gone…

Heben said “As a SEAL those were some of the techniques that I would have utilized,” “…it could have been a test, but I’m also thinking maybe there’s some things that they’ve already instituted or implemented as a result of that attack.”

“As Americans we’re in trouble right now; there’s things in play right now in this country that we’re not aware of – if our power grids go down I suggest everyone stock up on…”

“…there are many forces that are implicit with attacks on the U.S. from the inside out.”

“We’ve got problems Judge, we really do.”

 >> Video link

Don’t Be Lulled By Normalcy Bias

I first wrote about this brief interview six years ago on the blog. I am bringing it to light once again. Why? Because nothing has changed. And we must not lose sight of the systemic vulnerability of our electrical power grid. Normalcy bias is, well, normal. Don’t be lulled.

Recently, we have been warned by the World Economic Forum (made up of powerful globalist elites). They virtually guaranteed that we would experience some MAJOR disruptions in our lives ahead. “The Covid-19 crisis would be seen in this respect as a small disturbance in comparison.” One of which is grid failure. When billionaire globalists speak, I listen to what they’re saying. Often it is predictive programming…

“…a comprehensive cyber attack, which would bring to a complete halt to the power supply, transportation, hospital services…our society as a whole.

~ Founder World Economic Forum – Klaus Schwab

Note the word, “complete”.

Shooting out transformers at electrical substations is (apparently) relatively easy. A coordinated attack on major ‘feeder’ substations could result in catastrophic and long lasting power outages.

Heben says that localized EMP devices could similarly take down grid stations.

Cyber Attack, in my opinion (and that of many others) is also a very real vulnerability. Many have written about this threat to our grid. I recall writing a post about Ted Koppel’s book, “Lights Out” (view on amzn).

Lights Out

Darkness.

Extended periods of darkness, longer and more profound than anyone now living in one of America’s great cities has ever known.

As power shuts down there is darkness and the sudden loss of electrical conveniences. As batteries lose power, there is the more gradual failure of cellphones, portable radios, and flashlights.

Emergency generators provide pockets of light and power, but there is little running water anywhere. In cities with water towers on the roofs of high-rise buildings, gravity keeps the flow going for two, perhaps three days. When this runs out, taps go dry; toilets no longer flush.

Emergency supplies of bottled water are too scarce to use for anything but drinking, and there is nowhere to replenish the supply.

Disposal of human waste becomes a critical issue within days.

Supermarkets and pharmacy shelves are empty in a matter of hours. It is a shock to discover how quickly a city can exhaust its food supplies.

Stores do not readily adapt to panic buying, and many city dwellers, accustomed to ordering out, have only scant supplies at home. There is no immediate resupply, and people become desperate.

~ snipped from the beginning of his book

Weaponized EMP & CME From The Sun

And then there is the threat of weaponized nuclear EMP at altitude sufficient to destroy electronics up to great distances. Though seemingly impossible (it’s not), or highly unlikely (due to retaliation), one never knows – given the “actors” in this world…

Don’t forget about the sun. Even though we have been in the “solar minimum” part of its cycle (and maybe in a “grand solar minimum), a solar flare is always a real possibility. It would have to be massive (which happens more often than you may realize). And it would have to be earth-directed (facing earth, just right). But again, it happens. A huge coronal mass ejection (CME) also has the potential to take down power grids.

Most of us can easily handle “grid down” for short and medium lengths of time. However beyond that, well, it’s Lights Out…

If you haven’t read the following novel, I suggest that you do.
One Second After
(view on amzn)

And what would happen to our Nuclear Power Plants?

What Would Happen If Grid Went Down For A Very Long Time

A number of years ago I hypothesized about the timeline of what could happen if we experienced a major widespread long-lasting grid down situation. It would be more than a “situation”! It would probably result in the death of the majority of our population here in the U.S.

Here’s what I thought at the time:

IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH

  • The cities would be the hardest hit.
  • Thousands trapped in elevators
  • ALL electrical appliances shut down-refrigerators, heating, A/C
  • ATM machines are inoperative
  • Banks and other businesses shut down
  • Gas stations without generators cannot pump fuel
  • For most, profound darkness

THE SECOND DAY

  • Water faucets begin to run dry in some areas without utility generators
  • Toilets will no longer flush without water pressure
  • Drug stores and supermarkets being stripped
  • Law enforcement overwhelmed by emergencies and outbreaks of looting
  • Batteries on laptops, cell phones, and flashlights are dying
  • Conflicting descriptions of power outage, unknown expected duration
  • Officials disagree regarding recommended actions
  • Bridges, tunnels, highways becoming clogged with refugees

THE THIRD DAY

  • Gas stations running out of fuel (those that could pump)
  • Water is at a premium
  • Some emergency generators assist in pumping water and sewage (limited)
  • Many ‘unprepared’ are running out of food already
  • Beginning to panic, discovering widespread outage ramifications
  • The “Oh $hit” moment of realization…

THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK

  • Any .gov emergency rations are depleted
  • Many of the elderly and infirm have died
  • Hospitals overwhelmed and struggling to perform emergency services
  • Military attempts to maintain semblance of order, but not enough personnel
  • Looting (especially cities) has become rampant
  • Millions upon millions are ‘on their own’

THE END OF THE SECOND WEEK

  • People have become deeply frightened and fear for their lives
  • Most are now entirely running out of food to eat
  • Many are dying in regions without access to water
  • Many are dying in regions/climates where there is no heat (if during winter)
  • Disease (e.g. typhoid fever, cholera) from eating tainted food, water, poor sanitation
  • Martial Law is declared (perhaps even sooner)

THE END OF THE FIRST MONTH

  • Many drug-dependent patients are dying
  • The millions with severe psychotic disorders (no more meds) create bedlam
  • People and communities fighting over resources
  • Home invasions and violence-related die-offs
  • Escaped prisoners, organized gangs, more violence-related die-off
  • Communities are slowly starving

THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR

90% are dead

This goes way beyond generators and a few jugs of fuel. Survival will hinge upon the extent of grid-down length of time in your locale/region. Your geographical location (climate survivability and time of year). SECURITY. Your overall food & water preparedness. Sustainability. And many other factors. Truly a Level-4 event.

[ Read: Deagel Forecast Massive Population Drop-off ]

83 Comments

  1. I believe taking the grid down through multiple cyber attacks will be a reality in the very near future. People will submit and as Covid has proven, will willingly give up their rights for comfort and a since of security. A cyber attack can target specific areas, times and durations which will easily herd the masses to “safe areas”.

    The vast majority Americans have no clue what is around the corner and they are too lazy and ignorant to care about the future of the Country which is what TPTB are relying on. As long as they have the internet, a cellphone, mindless reality shows and a silly video game the masses are content.

    A grid down for 6-8 months may be just what America needs to flush the toilet and rebuild without all of the waste.

    1. Romeo Charlie,
      I became a ham as a result of prepping. It has made our plans viable. Not great, but viable. My VIPs finally agreed to ham. It took some convincing. We are spread out a little bit, but not all that far. Each household has at least one tech. We’re not ham experts. We’re using from ham, only what we need.

      It’s a crucial part of our plans. I find it hard to fathom the reluctance of some, to make communication preps. Think about having zero comms. No landline, No cell phone, No email, No text. It was my wife who brought up these issues, several years ago. Her concerns made sense to me.

      Are they still coming?
      Do their vehicles still function?
      When are they leaving?
      Should we meet them half way? Where? Which route?
      etc. etc. etc. ???

      I know she would be “out of her mind” with worry. So would I, but don’t tell her. The wife was a driving force behind this. Rightfully so. I had no idea about ham radio. It is not what I imagined it to be. It’s somehow more rudimentary. It’s not like a phone. It doesn’t ring when you need to answer. It has to be “on” to work. We have frequencies and times pre-established. You must do that, to make it viable. It works on 12vdc. It’s been that way from the start.

      There are no “shows” on ham radio. No news at 5:00 kind of stuff. There are nets at certain times and frequencies, but really it’s kind of a wild west thing. Maybe folks are on there, and maybe they’re not. The good part is, you are in control. Your equipment, your power supply, your antenna. Faraday anyone? Isn’t that what preparedness is?

      1. Plainsmedic,

        I’m in the same boat. I am only a technician but I have uhf/vhf and Hf capabilities and I can gather info without the grid. I am studying this winter to get my general license as well as learning skills to maintain my radios, antennas and improve my reception. It is my opinion that a HAM radio will be as essential in a grid down or telecommunication down situation as a firearm.

        The backbone of any operation is intelligence and communication and being left in the dark is not a plan for success.

        1. Romeo Charlie,
          Excellent plan. I too have HF capabilities with one radio. More importantly, in my opinion, I’ve researched exactly how to build dipole antennae for HF. I have the parts and pieces. Really not much to it, a connector and some wire. In shtf, no one will care which license you have, or don’t have. Getting on-the-air and actually doing it, is what helped me.

          One suggestion for techs; Look into 2m ssb. Lots of videos online. “Radio Prepper”
          You can legally do a LOT with 2m ssb. I enjoy building the yagi antennae. If you are into diy antenna building, I found a great design. I use old tv antenna parts and pieces. 73

        2. Plainsmedic
          You love building your own as antennas, as do I. Ask Santa for the ARRLAntenna books or compendium. Tons of designs to build. Check them out on arrl dot org.
          73

        3. Minerjim,
          Thanks for the advice. I ordered a “used” ARRL antenna handbook from a trusted vendor. That was 6 months ago. Must still be back-ordered. Compendium??? I guess I’ll check that out. I’m not a member of ARRL. I’m cheap, or maybe it’s poor. A used book will work for me. Same info.

          So far, I’ve just scrounged around the internet. Question: I assume the mathematical equations for antennae, work for ALL the various bands? I haven’t yet built any dipole HF antennae. I do have the equations printed out. It seems fairly straight forward, but ………..? Maybe I’ll throw together a 40 meter or something this winter. You know, just to listen. I’ve got quite a bit of wire, but 80 meters is a lot of wire, unless I go with a 1/2 or 1/4 wave.

          Lots of options, when it comes to ham. I had no idea, before I got my tech license. The possibilities are endless. We already have all I/we need, 2m ssb. I am sooo appreciative, all my VIPs got their tech license. That’s likely as good as it gets. If shtf and it very well may, I/we will need HF to listen.

          As Romeo Charlie stated, being left in the dark, is not a plan for success.

        4. Plainsmedic,
          One of the better antennas for HF work, imho, is a loop skywire. you can find them described online. When working in the HF (transmitting), usually you use an antenna tuner along with the antenna to “match” the impedance of the antenna to the rig (this is why you see so many home brew antennas that do multiple frequencies. A skywire, properly made, can handle 160-10 meters if used with a good tuner.) A skywire is a big loop antenna. length in feet= 1005/ freq Mhz. For antennas in the 6,2, 1.25 meter range things change up a bit, which is why you see specialized antennas for these. Nice thing is any long wire antenna will work for all frequencies if you are only listening, its really when you are transmitting that you need the tuner to match the impedances, if you don’t you can burn up a rig in short order. fun to mess with this stuff if i had more time. likely i will when i retire in a few years.

        5. They have to pick up the transmission though, if its short and off good luck, if you are mobile and bouncing repeaters again, good luck, if you have a network of repeaters on a timer, again, good luck

  2. It’s really hard to make a survival plan when your own leaders are sitting back, funding and supporting the chaos. Never forget who is responsible.

  3. I have worked on computers for thirty years, so I understand somewhat the vulnerabilities. I have also asked myself, how would I take down the US of A; that armed camp of civilians with aggressive tendencies. I also read with interest ‘One Second After’ which stimulated my fears. If it is a nation state, expect a phased attack starting in the cyber world. Banks, EBT cards, turn all the traffic lights green. Then, after resources are applied to all the early sites, they hit the power grid with mass malware, bugs and virus’s optimized to work on power up. After they get max infections started, then they push the EMT button. If they plan it for the holiday season, Christmas, New Years, and the weather is bad, they maximize the damage. If we are too busy minding our own disaster, the nation state attackers can build their power over the rest of the world and ignore the US. That isn’t to say they wouldn’t come to our aid in a big way with food medicine and advisers/observers/spies. Just my thoughts for what it’s worth.

    1. Just my situation but if they hit I hope it is in the winter. Since I live in the mountains once the snow starts if plows won’t run to clear the roads no one is getting up here. That means a lot if not most of the problems with riots, looting and predator’s will be over before they can access where I live.

  4. How appropriate, I just finished reading One Second After (the 2nd time) yesterday. I’m starting on One Year After today.

    1. The third book in called “The final day”
      have all three in audio.

  5. Hm. Depending on who is in power, I am not so sure “help” will be coming. If it is the left, I do not expect emergency rations or military responses the first week at all. Perhaps minimally. Certainly not the military. They WANT chaos (and deaths aka population control). I think the game has changed. They WANT looting, rioting, destruction, etc. Look at some of the cities now. I’m not so sure about the 90% dead number either. I have never been able to confirm who came up with that figure. Does anyone know who arrived at 90%? Just curious.

    1. My opinion: 10% in the first week just from lack of access to necessary drugs and medical care. Diabetics, oxygen dependence, people in the ICU, etc. People with life sustaining care, dialysis, the extreme disabled, people who need drugs in order to function (a higher percentage than you might think) might last a week longer. I work in home health–about half of our client base is unable to move without assistance. Many of those have no family nearby. When those people can’t even change their own briefs or get to the toilet on their own, how long will they last?

      Another 2% of the population is over 80, and while there is some overlap the very old are disadvantaged in this kind of situation.

      Even without taking random (or not so random) violence into account, starvation and disease/accident could easily take out another 20% in the first year. People who have always had access to immediate medical care, have never had to do without refrigeration or a way to cook their food, who have never had to do without AC and heating, and have always had access to clean water, are also at a disadvantage where they have none of these things.

      Add in the suicide rate from people who can’t mentally handle the changes, and you have a perfect storm. I do not personally believe the 90% number, but it will be much higher than most people want to acknowledge.

        1. The EMP is not the issue. The radiation comes from nuclear power operations and reactors.

        2. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded as recently as two years ago, that nuclear power plants can safely shut down following an EMP event. NRC drafted a rule last year on maintaining key plant safety functions after a when it happens. severe event, particularly on how to keep spent fuel pools cool.

          Now that may require steps to take, and depends on who is at the plant to shut it down safely. I can’t personally rule out radiation discharge because to err is to be human.

        3. Some, no idea how many have been updated with mechanical pumps for water circulation that operate off of residual heat and steam with no power internal or external..
          Supposedly they can operate for years if necessary but I don’t know details or the extent these have been utilized.

          Still does not account for evaporation, leaks or other low water issues as far as I know that would require electrical monitors and necessary refilling options but I suppose these can be purely mechanical also.

          was unable to find more information on it, but I haven’t looked in years.

        4. The NRC wished to calm people’s fears a bit, as this conclusion is absolutely false.

          Currently, NO nuclear power plant in the U.S. is capable of being made safe, let alone properly SCRAM their reactors and keep them cool, after an EMP attack.
          None. Not one.

          “An EMP is a “beyond-design-basis event” (BDBE) that does not have to be taken into account in facility design or be protected against with the use of “safety-grade” systems, structures, and components.”

          An EMP would result in Station Blackouts for all nuclear plants in the country, simultaneously. Station blackouts are BDBE (see above).

          The FLEX equipment required, and the NRC rules enacted AFTER Fukushima, will be of little to no use in this case. 1) Stored FLEX equipment only exists to handle TWO power plants suffering Station Blackouts, not 98. 2) Only Seven days of fuel has to be available for the FLEX equipment on a plant’s site. (Fukushima, for example was in blackout for 10 days…with the resources of the entire country being applied to this ONE plant.)

          There are so many unmitigated issues effecting a nuclear plant and an EMP attack, including TRUCK DELIVERED EMP, it is certain they shall overwhelm the untrained personnel, struggling in the dark, with untested reactor controls, who cannot even call for help…as they try to keep their reactors under control.

          Virtually all nuclear power plants, and all the fuel rod holding pools, shall fail, even if we focus all of our Country’s attention upon them. Why? We do not have the means to do so.

          Besides, if we are able to get 50 plants under control…by some miracle…we shall still have about 50 turning into mini-radioactive volcanoes.

          Sadly, this one factor puts a lid on everyone’s long term survival plans. The 90% figure was being optimistic.

        5. Fukushima melted down because their cooling system got knocked offline, so I suspect that at least some older plants would melt down after an EMP. Add to that all of the other industrial sites that could suffer ruptures, etc even cooling systems fail. My wife is an engineer at a chemical plant…a sustained power failure would result in all kinds of nasty stuff being vented.

      1. Here’s where Lauren and I disagree. I think the 10% survival rate after one year may even be optimistic. This figure was most recently included in a July 2017 report from the EMP Commission. It cited starvation, disease, and civil disorder as main causes of death. Besides the medically dependent, the immobile, and pregnant women with no idea how to deliver safely at home, there will be accidents like cuts and animal bites with no antibiotics. Add to that deadly weather – large urban populations living in northern tier states, the hot waterless southwest, the southeast and gulf coast with no advance warning of hurricanes, tornado alley. Lots of folks living in apartments, townhouses, and row houses where an out of control cooking/heating fire in one unit can easily wipe out a city block. Folks may have a few weeks of food on hand, but when it’s eaten up what then? Scrounging food door to door? Can only grow a garden if you’ve got seeds and still it’s months before the harvest. I imagine that those that can not get out of the cities and suburbs right away and find a receptive secure community will be subject to land pirates operating just about everywhere. Grim prospects.

        1. Hm. 20% live rural, technically. Even if you assume that half of those survive (much more likely than half of the urban dwellers) and no one else, that’s a 10% survival rate overall. And humanity as a whole is incredibly stubborn.

        2. Lauren,
          Im not sure about the 20% rural. I did see a 2018 report from Pew Research saying 14% live in rural counties… but I don’t know how accurate that is or exactly how they determined what a rural county is.

          But even if we say 20%, it may be too optimistic to believe half would make it. There’s lots of folks here at MSB who live rural full-time and talk about neighbors who act much like suburban folks. Add in no meds, minimal med help in emergencies, plus weather incidents, etc… just not sure how many could really get through.

      2. Starvation, freezing and violence could easily kill off 70-90% in a year. We can’t feed 330 million people using traditional farming and gardening.

    2. DJ5280,
      I believe the 90% death rate from an EMP is from a Dept. of Defense study done on a probable EMP event.I think the study was done several years ago .

      1. The original study was apparently done in 2004 and has been updated a couple of times. The 90% was apparently a worst-case scenario based on widespread societal breakdown.

    3. The figure comes from a Department of Defense report to Congress, regarding expectations from an enemy EMP attack by satellite devices detonated at the optimum height.

      This report has been revised and updated by the DOD, since no action has been taken to mitigate the key points detailed in the report, specifically the hazards caused by American nuclear reactors.

      Even after these several years since the first report, none of our nuclear power plants have been modified to withstand such an EMP….none of the nuclear holding pools have either.

      Complete information on the subject is on this blog.

      1. Thanks all. I appreciate your responses. Always possible to keep educating myself!!

    4. I think there were think tank studies that came up with it. I believe it. 90% of the population has no idea how to feed itself without assistance, and even those that do would likely succumb to those that can’t. Even most preppers would eventually be overrun if the grid was down for months unless we’re very remote.

  6. cid,
    agreed on most points! What about the riff-raff that have formed gangs and sharpened their skills of killing and looting during that time? Just a thought…

  7. Unfortunately I still live in the Central Valley of California. We also have quite a few dams above us. Also live a few blocks from one of the rivers that are fed from those dams. I don’t live in a flood plain area and the river I’m near has very high earth-bank on my side, so I’m hopeful. I don’t know if there are any protocols for water release under power outage or if it’s even possible. Could do lots of damage if they all breached.

    1. Folsom Dam, is subject to terrorist attack from the lake side. If it is blown when the lake is full, it will cause the greatest disaster in American history and result in about 250,000 deaths, just from the flood alone.

      It is a good thing to be on the high side of the river, but get away from the cliffs edge, as they can fail.

      The only way to safe the dam would be to close the lake to all use and take a few other procedures. Simply closing the Dam road would not do it.

      Other such dams pose problems, but Folsom is special.

      1. Had to look at a map, sacramento cali would be flooded in part along with 3 smaller city’s and all the burbs on the way.
        One more reason I’m happy I am in one of the most stable and dull parts of the country. Central WI

        1. Since I live in the mountains east of Sacramento the damn flooding the valley would solve a large portion of the ” Golden Hoard ” problem for me. 250 thousand dead would be a disaster though. My hope is nothing ever happens and my children live to throw my preps out someday.

  8. Much speculation on how cities will suffer worse than rural folks in a long term grid down event and….while I still believe that rural is better than urban should it happen….rural will still have it’s share of challenges…………

    Early on…the squeaky wheel will get the grease….that is…whatever help is coming…will go to the cities first…always does…always will…….

    The countryside will be on it’s own right off the bat…and will remain so until the cities start seeing stabilization…..if ever……..

    If stabilization never comes to the cities….city folks will start fleeing to the countryside……..and that ain’t gonna be a pretty picture for anyone involved……….

    1. I believe both will have their challenges, as will different regions of the country. To me it comes down to who you are, before it being where you are in some respects.

      Had we reached this point years ago you would have still been in one of the largest cities, yet you would have fared better than the majority of the others due to your skills and temperament. Being on the mountain will make things far better, but I don’t doubt you would have kept your family alive in the Big D if it had come to that. Many on here will as well, so I hope none of them lose heart if they ride out the storm out wherever God has placed them.

      I would be leery of any help coming, regardless of locale. There’s going to be a lot of subterfuge at play. These sorts of blogs seem to have attracted quite a unique audience over the past couple of years, which will mean a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing milling about. Discernment will be what keeps us alive.

    2. Hey my friend, your gonna be ok on your mountain!! Probably won’t be all good days like now, but you know how to defend it and that’s what counts.

      1. David,rcb,………..good to hear from you again….sure enjoyed our time together….. did you see any deer there on Gulf Mountain?……..

        Yep,…..should the bad guys show up at my place….on foot….their tongues will be hangin’ out and lookin’ for directions on how to get out…………if I let ’em make it up the slope that is………..

        1. Top of the morning to you Dennis, no I didn’t have any luck at all, still good to sit by a campfire with some family and soak up some smoke though

  9. This is the biggest and most probable thing that I think will happen. With everything connected to the internet now, this will happen in some form I think. Take out the banks, health care, ( been a bunch of malware attacks!), cell phones then the grid!!

    1. If they just take out the internet our world goes down. Cell phone networks and the grid are run through the internet.

      1. One small town that I lived in you only needed to dial the last 4 numbers for calls in the prefix. that was also before the 3 digit area codes. Think wall phone in the kitchen

      2. It is not so many years ago when we had not modern toilet but have to use one behind house. Little bit cold at winter time you know

        1. I was blessed with living a couple of years without indoor plumbing in the mid-70s. The first winter trip to the outhouse we bundled up like we were going out to play in the snow. By the end of winter, it was a sprint down the snowy path, barefoot, and no coat. As a kid, you learned to balance over the hole in the winter to avoid the cold seat. Our one room schoolhouse and country church also were without indoor facilities.

          Anyone remember telephone party lines? In the country, at the time, if you picked up the phone, you had to wait if someone else in the area was on a call. As a teen, you hoped the nosy neighbor wasn’t quietly listening in as you talked to your friends. But I know a few kids headed down the wrong path that were set straight after a conversation was relayed to their parents.

        2. Party lines are called analog multidrop nowadays. And I hate them with a passion. Most everybody at telcos that knew how to support them are either dead or retired.

        3. MamaLark
          . . . .
          At my gramma’s house the toilet seats (she had a two-holer) were kept hanging behind the cook stove. Kept them nicely warmed during those frigid Kansas winters.

        4. We weren’t very inventive. I remember seeing styrofoam seats on a Alaska show recently and thinking that would have been wonderful. The simple joys. Heated seats would be great too.

      3. I grew up on a party line with five families on it no private conversions

  10. He’s not wrong. I used to work for a utility company for more than decade, and learned more than I wanted to know on what it takes to keep the lights on! It’s even more of a delicate dance these days with so much wind and solar online. When one of these aren’t producing (low wind situation, nighttime), that means alternate resources need to come online. A base resource, leastcost, which means coal or natural gas or buying on the market. I’m on the west coast- east coast is a little different with having nuclear as a base.

    interesting fact- the electric grid is divided east and west, but also around TX. If they wanted to shut themselves from the rest of the US, they could.

    Electricity is instantaneous. The moment you are consuming, it needs to be produced. It’s amazing, truly, that in the US we experience 99.98% power reliability. Traders can manage fluctuations, even weird ones, without power going down. They can reroute through other distribution lines. But as in San Jose, when there is a huge anomaly (or the east coast power outage from a decade, or more, ago), that’s more difficult. Especially if transformers and substations are damaged.

    Another thing- most transformer and substation parts are produced in China. At least when I was working at that utility, there was an issue with getting parts after a huge snowstorm in one of our territories and that info came to light. If we are in a grid-down situation, are we really going to be able to get the equipment from China?

  11. So my down votes on trolls seem to double….
    And poof, their comment is gone.

    I’ve got the Power

    ….no?
    Wishful thinking?

  12. Funny, no matter how prepared we are we’re never ready when an event takes place. Just this very night, I was standing in the middle of the kitchen making a sandwich, when bam the lights go out and it was pitch dark in my abode, and I had to think, what do I do now, sure glad I always have that Bic in my pocket, made it to the bedroom got my flash light and then found my little battery lamp and found a candle. Power was only out for a couple of hours but it made for a little practice and some nice quite time. It also reminded me to close all window shades and doors to unnecessary rooms to preserve heat and not to open the frig to preserve the cold, one never knows how long the outage will last, hope for only a few minutes but act like it might be long term. Trekker Out

    1. We lose power regularly so I bought a bunch of those little pull up led cob lights (got a 4 pack for $12) and put one in each bedroom, bath, kitchen and living room. Better than stumbling around trying to get to my flashlight.

  13. Problem is,there are LOTS out there that are major badass.Badder than you,badder than me.

  14. Question and comment-

    Any idea how to calculate emergency fuel storage? (not just thinking EMP situations) Have 15 gals ready to run generators and to top off our most efficent car which could get 60-70 mpg during eco driving/modificatin. I keep everything full so my truck. other car, smal machines syphoned would provide around 55 gallons total.

    Speaking of sheeple If the grid crumbles you need pact mentallity. Problem with pact mentality people would fight among themselves as time passes. Families cant agree on dinner imagine people hungry, diseased, and dying. I envision Rambo 1 when he escapes the cops . In the SHTF the leo is replaced by your neighbor, zombies, looters, maybe even family overtime it will not matter if you a rural

    If it came to survival not even the most lawabing could be trusted.

    1. JR,
      The amount of fuel use will depend on the load you are placing on the generator. 15 gallons may get you a week if you use sparingly. Many if not all late model vehicles have a rollover protection system in the fill tube to prevent fuel from running out in case of a roll over.

      This prevents siphoning as it prevents a hose from getting into the tank. Also many fuel tanks do not have a drain plug but the fuel line can be disconnected near the engine and use the fuel pump to drain the tank.

      Run your generators now with a full load to see how much they burn. Try to siphon fuel from your vehicles to see if it is possible. Don’t wait until you need something to try it or you may not get the results you had planned for.

      This goes for everything you will be relying on and make sure you use fuel stabilizer.

    2. JR,

      There’s no right answer to the question of how much fuel to store….way too many variables…….

      If the goal is simply to survive, fuel can be rationed in a way to stretch out over a much longer period than if the goal is to continue daily life as if nothing has happened………..

      I presently keep 80 gallons of gasoline stored, not counting the 60-80 gallons in various vehicles that I keep the tanks topped off in. That’s enough to keep the generator running about 8 hours a day for a little over two weeks….enough to run the whole house and outbuildings as if everything is normal as far as cooking, lighting, running electronics, keeping refrigerators/freezers, etc. running…………

      That amount of gasoline could be stretched into around a month if I only ran the generator a couple of hours a day to keep the freezers down below freezing and recharge all the small batteries in the rechargers……….or……….if I was set up to go full primitive with everything except motorized transportation (which I’m not, but am prepared to adapt)…..I could still use my side x side for around two thousand miles of travel………..

    3. My genny uses about 4 gallons in 10 hours. I store 25 gallons plus the full fuel tank on the genny. ,if I use it during the day that will get me about a week. If I was to only run it a couple of hours a twice a day to keep the fridge and freezer cold and to charge up anything else it would last a month. I have a duel fuel one I haven’t set up yet that I will give its own 100 gallon propane tank soon

      1. Poorman – “dual-fuel” and that stated burn rate suggests you have a Chinese open frame generator. If I may:

        • Keep an extra battery on hand, the OEM versions suck and you need 12vdc to kick open the gasoline solenoid (unless under 6k, then a magneto will open it).
        • When engine surging starts, check for a vacuum leak at carb to plenum, the nuts on the mount studs will vibrate loose with time.
        • Keep a spare AVR on hand, they are ALWAYS pushed beyond their design limits in favor of an American pleasing ‘Yuge’ wattage number.
        • Try to keep your loads equally distributed among the receptacles and keep your overall load at or below 50%, otherwise the harmonic distortion will get insanely high and start damaging your gear
        • Yank the carb every 100 hours and clean the main jet, emulsion tube, low speed jet and float valve ass’y. If you are careful, you can even do this service with the carb mounted.
        • Keep your valve lash adjusted properly or you will have backfiring. Be extremely careful with this. EPA mandates require the clearances to be almost impossibly tight, on the order of single digits thousandths of an inch.
        • Low oil level cutoff switches fail often, causing a no-start. The switch is buried in the center of the engine, big job to change it. In a pinch you can pull apart the single wire bullet connector, exiting the front of the engine, above the dipstick. The engine will now start and run, albeit without the low oil ‘protection’.
        • Also consider setting up a bank of 12v batteries, wired in parallel with an inverter. While you are using less than your generators potential, use the excess power to charge your battery bank. Then you can keep your fridge and other important devices running during your generator off time.
        1. tmcgyver,
          Thanks for the repair tips. I printed them out. I have a spare AVR and ignition module.

  15. It seems quite a few would look forward to a mass die-off, not just here.
    I see the sentiment all over in forums and blogs over the years.
    Personally, the inner cities is my thing.
    Could lose 20million and not a lot would change.

    1. Anyone looking forward to millions of people suffering and die has a screw loose somewhere

  16. In 2012 a Coronal Mass ejection just BARELY missed earth. Barely. I have wondered if this was the influence the Mayan soothsayers saw for the end of the calendar in 2012.

  17. The electric grid is attacked every day. Cyber attacks you wouldn’t believe, angry granola eaters that don’t like the look of a line, hunters looking for some tasty insulators to eat, soccer moms too busy yelling at their kids to stay on the road, grandpas testing out their new compact TLB, etc.

    What causes most outages? Storms and human error. A large utility can easily dump $20m into a few day storm restoration that isn’t even that big. A person wires a phase wrong or has a switching error that drops customers and/or destroys equipment.

    People could attack transformers with rifles. They could disrupt natural gas pipelines that feed power plants. They can d many things.

    Imagine what would happen if someone were to sink freighters in shipping channels at ports?

    Imagine what would happen if everyone caught an infectious disease because they can’t wear a face mask?

    I’m not that worried about electric grid issues. I’m more worried about meaner ways of disruption.

    1. Pinky,
      I wish I was as prepped as you seem to be. “I’m not that worried about electric grid issues.” I salute you sir. I can only aspire to attain that level of preparedness.

      1. My point is more along if there is no electric grid there is nothing else. So it will be the first thing back regardless. It’s also surprisingly resilient. It can be sectioned off. People train extensively for black start scenarios. The electric system is instantaneous and everyone knows when something happens immediately.

        Anything critical is flagged whether it’s a hospital or anything else. Truly critical things are fed from multiple substations.

        If you look at history, look at how fast the electric system comes back after a hurricane or any other natural disaster. Who is usually clearing roads just so they can restore electric service? The electric utility. And as they adopt more technology the skilled linemen can do their work even faster.

        How many years does it take to replace a bridge in comparison?

        Let’s say someone decided to sink some freighters in our ports. How long do you think that port will be closed? How much “practice” do you think entities that are even capable of raising a 300’+ freighter full of who knows what get? How many do you think there are that can do it? How long do you think it’d take?

  18. Just walk into the sub-station and open the spigot on the transformer and let the oil drain out. The transformer will melt down due to lack of cooling oil. Or shoot holes in the cooling fins on the side of the transformers. They work by the thermo siphon principal like the radiators on a model T Ford.

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