When the Lights Go Out

Yes, we all have power outages once in a while. This is becoming more and more prevalent during the summer months. Some people remember the power outrage that turned lights-off in the North East no too long ago. That "glitch" shut-down millions of homes and businesses. It was an inconvenience to those in that service area. Even more recently was Hurricane Sandy. Some of its victims are still without homes. Meanwhile, the rest of the US went happily on their way. Food that was "sent" to Sandy victims turned-up on the black market in foreign countries. Your government at work!

So why discuss this anyway? Answer this: What would you do is you had no electricity for 3-5 days in a row? How would that affect your daily lives? No TV, no way to charge your cell phones, no lights, no heating or air conditioning, no refrigerators or freezers, nothing!

Americans a so dependent on electricity it's hard to comprehend just what our dependence really is. Our entire life styles are intertwined with energy consumption. Admit it, we can't live without it.

So what (if any) plans to you have to offset the inconvenience of a power outage in your area? Candles, battery powered lights, Oil lamps? Have you got enough of these items to last 3-5 days (or longer)? Why you ask? The power company usually get my power turned back on after a few hours of going without.

Ok, but what happens if the power company is overwhelmed with damages and cannot get your power back for several days or weeks? Will you be waiting for help to come because you have no preparation for this? Good luck.

If you care about your family, you need to have some idea of what you are going to do about a serious power outage because our grid is becoming a "weak-link" here in America. All it would take is one good BLAST from the sun in our direction and the "Solar Wind" would create havoc. It already has and will continue to do so. The sun goes through cycles of activity and is approaching its maximum this year. Scientists have already discovered a "HOLE" in the sun's surface which causes communication blackouts and screws-up satellite transmissions.

Do you have a plan?