5 Things Threatening Your Family’s Power Preparedness

The United States experienced twice as many weather-related power outages from 2014 to 2023 than in the previous 10 years.

That’s according to the Bloomberg News Service. They were referencing a new study from Columbia University in New York City.

If you think about it, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t our growing technology expertise result in electric grid improvement?

Why are things getting worse instead of better? We’re a nation that prides itself on being No. 1 in every important category, right?

Aging electric grids

Well, there are at least 5 reasons why our power preparedness is in jeopardy. And they all point to the importance of having reliable back-up power.

First is the increasing vulnerability of our electric grids. Sometimes on my birthday, someone will say, “You’re not getting older. You’re getting better.” That’s a nice sentiment. But when it comes to our aging grids, they’re getting both older and worse.

The U.S. has not made necessary infrastructure improvements. We need strong and reliable sources of electrical power.

A big part of the reason is cost. But another is out-of-whack priorities. We don’t place enough focus on improving and protecting the grids. Despite the severe consequences we all know are waiting when they go down for an extended period of time.

Extreme weather events

The single biggest threat to our vulnerable power grids is severe weather. Followed by natural and manmade disasters.

Remember when it was newsworthy that a storm knocked out power? Now it’s commonplace. It happens often. Last month some 750,000 Texans lost power due to violent storms.

And not brief thunderstorms that put Americans in the dark for a few hours. I’m talking about the endless series of tornadoes we’ve had this spring. And the wildfires that sweep across huge sections of land every year.

Not to mention scorching heat. Plus high winds forming derechos. And hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean’s warm waters. The common denominator for these frequent extreme weather events is power outages. And some last days or weeks.

Social unrest

As we are all aware, there is an election coming up in November. A divided nation is on edge as we await the lead-up, election day, and the aftermath.

Two-thirds of Americans fear violence could follow the election. No matter who wins. That’s according to the Reuters News Agency.

83% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans say they’re concerned. They believe extremists could resort to violence if they don’t like the outcome.  

What does social unrest have to do with power preparedness? Plenty. Over the past five years, we’ve seen plenty of civil disturbances. They’ve resulted in fires and destroyed infrastructure.

When violence erupts, authorities must move away from their normal jobs. And that results in a delay to deal with outages and the problems they cause.

Rising prices

Economic instability is another threat we don’t usually associate with power preparedness.

But the fact is, when the economy is in rough shape, many of us only spend what we have to spend to get by until things improve. They can tell us inflation is getting better. But have you seen grocery store and gasoline prices?

Sometimes we place important preparedness items such as back-up power on the backburner. That’s because we’re focused on that day’s shelter, water, and food needs.

Municipalities struggling to meet their budgets do the same. They make cuts that might have short-range benefits. But they cause long-term problems. Such as not strengthening and protecting electric transformers and power stations.

Finger-pointing

The last threat to our families’ power preparedness I’ll mention today is the “prepper” stigma.

Some folks look at those of us who prepare for an uncertain future as oddballs. But this is one threat that has weakened over the last few years. Rather than becoming more prevalent.

Our government once claimed they could care for people suffering losses from disasters. Now, they admit they can only scratch the surface of the problems.

In fact, they have an entire website dedicated to encouraging people to prepare. Even providing specific ways to do it.

With Independence Day a few days away, it’s time we all claimed our power independence. No matter the threat, we can have peace of mind.

How? By ensuring we have the backup power needed to keep lights on. Plus keeping food and medicine cold. And keeping crucial electronic devices such as cellphones working.