The USA has been well help by its electrical power grid for about 125 years, and for the most part, everything's been running OK. However, if there's one thing that experience has taught us, it's that the more reliant we are on electricity, the more it hurts during those rare occasions when it's gone. Most folks are not well prepared for blackouts.
When a big blackout hit New York City in the seventies, it resulted in widespread looting, vandalism and violence. In comparison, the massive blackout of 2003 that disrupted electricity to 50 million people across Ontario and eight U.S. states for up to four days was more a severe headache than an occasion to run wild. Still, it brought a new level of awareness to millions -- that being prepared is not so much a crazy survivalist notion as a common-sense necessity.
It's important to be prepared at all times, but especially during the summer months -- the so-called "blackout season" runs from the middle of the summer (mid-July) until the end of September -- and in the dead of winter when ice storms can bring down power lines.
This guide aims to give some pointers to help you prepare your home for the next power outage and to help keep you and your family safe during the next blackout.
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