7 Lessons Learned From Nat Geo’s American Blackout

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We finally had the opportunity to sit and watch National Geographic’s American Blackout last night. The premise is a cyber-attack on the national power grid happens, and America is without power for more than a day. Here are some lessons learned from it:

Be Prepared with Cash

In our story, 2 of the families experienced a problem with money. The NYC couple couldn’t buy the basic necessities 3 days into the event, and the San Diego couple couldn’t pick up cash from the ATM for quick necessities for the new baby that was coming.

In the event of a grid-down situation, whether it’s from a localized emergency or a long-term emergency, odds are that electronics aren’t going to work correctly. In many cases, electricity goes down for a time period and things don’t work. Whether it’s the ATM, a cash register that is tied to a computer, or the grocery store shutting down for safety, having cash can mean you get to purchase something because the transaction can be completed – even if it’s just a store employee writing it down and taking the cash to process the transaction later. In the show, a NYC couple couldn’t purchase the basic necessities because they didn’t have cash, and a father couldn’t get cash from the ATM to pick up some necessities on the way home. Those are times when having emergency cash in your wallet and some located in your get home gear in your car will be helpful.

Be Prepared with Food & Water

Will you be snowed in for 3-5 days with a major storm? Will your city be devastated with a large tornado, or your region with a massive hurricane? Will you experience a large earthquake or volcano eruption? Will there be an explosion from a railway car near you and you are unable to travel the city streets for awhile? Will you be evacuated because of a firestorm? Will your family be stricken by a virus that keeps you down for 2-3 days?

Here’s the deal. Can you survive for two weeks in your home without water services, sewer services or having to visit the grocery store for basic food needs. What about just 3 days? Even in the most basic of localized emergencies, being able to have food and water and other necessities for your family for a small period of time should be a goal. You don’t even have to focus on the larger scale of a national emergency…start small, where it’s most likely to happen.

Having food and water to last is one of the most basic things you should prepare for. In most instances of the American Blackout story lines, people at home might have been perfectly fine had they had food and water stored. The teen in Austin wouldn’t be roaming the streets looking for food (though trying to find his mom seems reasonable), the NYC couple wouldn’t have had to venture out to steal food, the baby couple wouldn’t have had to worry about the Dad leaving to find food, the neighbor of the Bugged-Out Prepper wouldn’t have come begging for food.

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