We shouldn’t stay blind to the possibility that a power grid issue is becoming not only a threat to our daily life, but the security of the country as well. By staying informed, you can plan your reaction to such a problem and stay safe.

1. The age of the grid.

Originally designed to last 50 years, many parts have already surpassed that. There are even parts that are about 100 years old. Yet little is being done to replace the aged parts. This has resulted in the American Society of Civil Engineers giving the power grid a D+ for reliability.

Currently, the grid needs an estimated trillion dollars worth of repairs and upgrades.

The other part is governmental. Everything from installing a new power pole to building a nuclear power plant requires an enormous amount of red tape.

2. Increased blackouts.

According to statistics gathered by the Department of Energy, major blackouts are on the upswing. This is mostly the result of our aging grid.

Much of the thousands of miles of wiring that makes up the grid is old, too. Pretty much every major storm leaves people without power, and work crews rushing to make repairs. However, in recent years, those repairs have been larger and have taken longer to accomplish.

3. The war on electricity.

The reality of it is nowhere near the hype that is used to demonize nuclear power. In fact, it is one of the cleanest forms of power we have. It is also one of the cheapest sources of electrical power there is.

Yet government agencies, particularly the EPA, have been holding up the works on building new nuclear power plants.

4. Risk of an EMP or solar storm.

A high-altitude EMP, created by a nuclear device exploded 300 miles over the center of the country, could kill the entire grid, as well as destroying the vast majority of our electronics. Almost nothing has been done to prepare for this threat. Additionally, a major solar storm could wipe out the power grid.

Both North Korea and Iran have publically stated a desire to destroy the United States.

Either of these countries could destroy the United States with one EMP explosion, launched from a cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico. With two to three simultaneous attacks, using these simple missiles, the entire country would go dark.

We have no defenses against an EMP – or protection against a solar storm. Some parts of the military are protected, but not even the government is properly protected.

5. Possibility of cyber-warfare.

Every day our power grid is “tickled” by foreign hackers, attempting to infiltrate and find ways of taking control and cutting off our power.

It is believed at the highest levels of our intelligence community that China could shut down our power grid at any time. This has already been done in other countries; one example was when Russia shut down the grid in the Ukraine.

6. Direct terrorist attacks against the grid.

It wouldn’t take anything as sophisticated as cyber-warfare or an EMP to take down the grid. In 2014, an attack was conducted on a power substation in San Jose, California. While the perpetrators were never caught, many think this was a practice run for a direct terrorist attack.

In fact, taking out as few as nine critical substations in the country could destroy the entire grid.

Are you concerned about any of these (or other) power grid problems? If so, how do you think we can increase our defenses against a power grid attack?

Article Source: Off The Grid News