LIGHTS OUT! According to a December report from the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), claims have been made concerning a nationwide power outage lasting up to six months. The report also called for the preparation of local, state, and national governments and their “response” to these “catastrophic” power outages. Here’s how the NIAC defines a “catastrophic power outage”: - Events beyond modern experience that exhaust or exceed mutual aid capabilities - Likely to be no-notice or limited-notice events that could be complicated by a cyber-physical attack - Long duration, lasting several weeks to months due to physical infrastructure damage - Affects a broad geographic area, covering multiple states or regions and affecting tens of millions of people - Causes severe cascading impacts that force critical sectors—drinking water and wastewater systems, communications, transportation, healthcare, and financial services—to operate in a degraded state In the actual report, this is referring up to 75 million people, or nearly a quarter of the U.S. population. Along with 7 “recommendations” that call for the approach of catastrophic power outages, and how to mitigate cross-sector interdependencies and cascading failures via your Alphabet Soups (Here is the summarized version): 1. Examine and clarify the federal authorities that may be exercised 2. Develop a federal design basis and the design standards/criteria that identify what infrastructure sectors, cities, communities, and rural areas need to reduce the impacts and recover from a catastrophic power outage 3. Develop guidance and provide resources for states, territories, cities, and localities to design community enclaves 4. Design and support a portfolio of incentives 5. Conduct a series of regional catastrophic power outage exercises 6. Ensure that all critical natural gas transmission pipeline infrastructure has the appropriate standards, design, and practices to continue service 7. Develop or support a flexible, adaptable emergency communications system But when you factor in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and their most recently 2018-2022 Strategic Plan’s 3 strategic goals: 1. Build a Culture of Preparedness 2. Ready the Nation for Catastrophic Disasters 3. Reduce the Complexity of FEMA Factor all of this with Walmart, Martial Law, Deep Underground Military Bases (DUMBS), Shadow Government, and FEM