If this magnitude of storm happened today, it could cause massive power grid failure and disruption in communications. One such storm affected the power grid in Quebec in 1989 and a large portion of the province was blacked out for nine hours.Īn even larger geomagnetic storm occurred in 1859, causing auroras that were seen all over the world and damaging telegraph systems across North America and Europe. A strong geomagnetic storm can generate an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) strong enough to wipe out the power grid and fry electronics. One natural event stands out as having the capability to do some real damage-geomagnetic storms. These little critters chew on the wires and get electrocuted in the transformers, causing an immense amount of damage. Still, we usually bounce back easily enough.Įarthquakes also threaten the stability of the power grid, but again this is generally over a limited geographic area and the damage can be resolved relatively quickly.īelieve it or not, a lot of money is spent every year on repairing the power grid due to damage from squirrels! Industry insiders have commented that squirrels are the biggest problem faced by the power grid. When weather events affect the power grid, it is generally over a limited geographic area and usually the situation is resolved within hours, although sometimes it takes days or weeks, depending on the severity of the event.Īfter all, weather-related outages and damage to the grid can be severe if the event is severe enough, such as a large winter storm or powerful hurricane. It is also one of the least catastrophic. This is certainly one of the most common threats to the power grid. There are a number of natural threats to the power grid, some of which are common place and others that occur less frequently. Forstchen, has been discussed in Congress and in front of the House Armed Services Committee.Ĭlearly, many are concerned with the vulnerability of the US power grid, so much so that in 2015 there was a virtual war game, called GridEx III, that tested the strength of the power grid and the preparedness of stakeholders in such situations.īut just how safe is the US power grid? Natural Threats This isn’t something the prepper community prepares for while the average person says, “Oh, it will never happen.” Big names, such as Ted Koppel, have warned against an attack on the US power grid, and One Second After, a book written by historian William R. Considering all the major news networks and publications have talked about how vulnerable the US power grid is, it is pretty reasonable to say the US power grid ISN’T very safe.
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