Mantissa wrote:
ixus wrote:
Yeah, and for that matter, how do you go anywhere without googlemaps? Heat your food without a microwave? Watch a match without the TV?
Did everyone just spontaneously combust in Puerto Rico?
Sure all a terrorist has to do now is knock out the power for a day or two and we're fkd.
I spend a bit of time thinking about this stuff because I'm secretly a bit of a prepper. IMHO losing power is the worst utility loss we could have. In addition to the stuff you pointed out above, most modern gas boilers won't light without electricity, not to mention thermostats and immersions not working. A large number of people in Ireland would struggle to cook food or heat their house or water without electricity. Within 24 hours you'd have lots of cold, hungry and pies off people.
After two to three days of wide scale power outage you'd start to lose telecoms of various sorts, starting with mobile but ultimately some datacenter-based stuff too if it went on longer. It would not be pretty.
Things like water, gas, or petrol would be easier to deal with in terms of a week's outage IMHO.
Oh, I'm fully on board here.
Let's not forget all the fancy Dan new water pumps that won't work without electricity.
During Ophelia, we had no options for heat (gas), electrical generation, cooking (electric hobs) or water in the modern house I rent. No mobile or wireless. Can become vulnerable very quick if not into prepping.