We are on a well system. Two days ago our well pump failed and for a couple of reasons we won’t be able to get a new pump in and have our water fully restored until late tomorrow.
We are quite resourceful and have great neighbors who have allowed us use of their water via filling up buckets from their hose. This has brought to the brutal fore about half the distress and mass bedlam there would be with significant and sustained power outages as a result of the grid being crippled.
We have electricity of course, but being totally without running water is very difficult instantly requiring life altering changes. Toilets no longer flush. There are no showers. Simple hand washing becomes a minor project. There is no laundry and cleaned clothes. Very quickly sanitation becomes an issue.
We will have our running water restored, but this very clearly brought into focus the absolute catastrophe it would be to have the grid go down. I kind of clucked my tongue when some reports have said that millions would die after a short period of time with widespread power outages. I now completely agree. The larger the grid outage the more multiples of millions will die.
Lack of water. Lack of refrigeration. Lack of heat. Sanitation will rapidly go. People will easily and very, very quickly panic and the thin social structure will fast be gone and it will be every man for himself/family.
That utilities and their overseers haven’t hardened the system is simply unbelievable to me. Power companies waste a lot of ratepayer money on really stupid stuff, but they never institute even a long range plan to harden their system. Regulators don’t require it yet provide incentives to chase stupid green technology.
A complete mystery. One day we will pay for this and the lucky survivors will get to point fingers at those to blame.
We get a letter in the mail about once a month that I call the Keeping-Up-With-The-Jonses letter from National Grid. It's a stupid comparison of how our electric usuage compares to our neighbors.
We're doing what we can to reduce our electric usage anyways and it's not because I care much about globull warming, or cooling, or climate change or whatever they are calling it today.
It's simply that I do not want to pay them a nicel more than I have to.
The stupid letter goes right in the trash without even opening it. I. DON'T. CARE.
I'd rather they quit wasting money on these mailings and do something useful, like hardening the grid with the money.
If it comes to that, I don't think it is going to be fingers they are pointing.