American Blackout – Sunday Oct. 27th
I’ll be honest, this looks like it could be really cool, but with Nat. Geo’s tendency to sensationalize prepping and making even good preppers look like they are extremists and overreacting makes me a little bit leery.
Some of these “preppers” on doomsday preppers are there for one reason…ratings. They are there to increase viewers and do not represent the typical prepper like you and me, and unfortunately this creates the assumption that all preppers are like the ones you see on doomsday preppers.
The benefits of shows like these is that at the very least it increases the interest in preparing for disasters and possibly open people’s eyes enough to look a little deeper and see that we are not all hoping for doomsday, we just want to be ready for anything. This is what National Geographic’s American Blackout has great potential to do.
After looking at the website for American Blackout I must say it looks like it will be pretty good. The website is interactive and goes through the days following a blackout and what problems we could face. It also gives some statistics about the impact financially and the possible casualty rate as the days go on. They do show how they calculated these numbers and have a PDF, but I suppose it’s all just speculation anyway.
The website goes through the first 10 days following a nationwide black out, and a few of the things that most people take for granted like the power grid and everything that it controls. In the first days it will be just the inconvenience of not being able to use a cell phone, but as the days go on that will be the last thing you think about.
Day 1: Fatalities – 1,947 – Financial Impact – $128 Billion
It will not take long for any kind of blackout to affect everyones lives, with the power grid down cell phones, ATM’s Traffic lights and everything we depend on in our daily lives will be shut down. How many of us actually carry cash these days? I have some hidden for situations like these.
Traffic will be worse than any rush hour you have ever been in. On the website they make a good point about mass transit, what would you do if you were in the subway and the lights went out?
Day 2:Fatalities – 10,758 of 314 Billion – Financial Impact – $256 Billion
Day two on the website goes over gas shortages and gridlock. Gas stations rely on electricity to get the gas from the holding tanks to your car. Only gas stations that can work around this will be able to help. This is why it is so important to store fuel or at the very least never let your gas tank get below half full.
Mass transit and transportation could be in stand by mode. Even the cars that do have gas will need to figure out how to get away from highly populated areas…I would anyway.
Day 3:Fatalities – 26,728 about .02 of the U.S. population – Financial Impact – $383 Billion
How many days can you go without water? That’s right 3. How much food do you have in your house? Because you’re not going to want and go get any, because anyone with an EBT card will be flipping out at this point.
This will probably be the beginning stages of looting and people profiting off of other peoples misfortunes. Again, this is something we should all be trying to avoid, this is why we store food and water, and this is why we keep our mouths shut about what we have.
Day 4: Fatalities – 49,600 – Financial Impact – $511 Billion
FEMA and the federal government to the rescue! Because of civil unrest and desperation I see the beginning stages of a police state forming. Most people will probably be OK with this, but this would just be the beginning of the end for the small population like us that do not need or want the government to help us.
This is also where you will see community formed, good and bad. I truly believe that most people will band together for the good of the county, but there are always those who are looking to take advantage. How likely this is to happen in your area really depends on where you live and the type of people around you. Think about it now before it’s too late.
Day 5: Fatalities – 80,000 People – Financial Impact – $639 Billion
After only 5 days you see sanitation and health becoming bigger concerns. Things we take for granted like trash removal or waste removal start to pile up, literally.
And because of the unsanitary conditions the already overburdened health care workers will be forced to make difficult decision or turn people away. Could you imagine an emergency room becoming the scene of a riot?
Day 6: Day 5: Fatalities – 117,603 – Financial Impact – $767 Billion
Nat. Geo’s take on day 6 is interesting to me, because I live in a semi-rural area and they speak to the importance of prepping. As they put it “trouble on the farm” food production is going to be difficult and those of us who are prepared are better suited to endure this.
Another point they make about day six is rumors and gossip. Without communication to the outside world people will begin to talk themselves into why this happened, and that could spread quickly. And government misinformation will be just as bad.
This is also where some of our enemies could see their window of opportunity to exploit our weakness.
Day 7: Fatalities – 162,214 – Financial Impact – $767 Billion
Day 7 is where they see anger frustration and fear take hold, I personally believe it could be much earlier depending on where you live. Whether you are a gun advocate or not I think you will find the choice between living or dying a pretty easy choice to make. Keep in mind owning a gun is one thing, knowing how to use it and being ready to use it is completely different.
If you haven’t bugged out by this point, you might want to think about it depending on your situation. This is why I always suggest taking a personal audit of your situation and what challenges you might face if something like this were to occur in the future.
Day 8: Day 7: Fatalities – 213,987 – Financial Impact – $1,022 Billion
Day 8 is the most interesting to me because they talk about the growing subculture of people known as “prepper.” This is the part I am most interested in watching and seeing what their take on preppers is. It’s a little funny when I read this section of the website because it’s like they are writing about you and me. Hopefully this could be something that turns on the light switch for people in this country. Wishful thinking? Maybe.
Day 9: Fatalities – 272,920 – Financial Impact – $1,150 Billion
9 days into the American Blackout National Geographic talks about how the people serving in the U.S. military will be reacting and our government as well. Their take on this is pretty soft in my opinion. I’m sure there will be a huge amount of humanitarian efforts, and I’m sure the government has prepared for this…or it is going too soon.
The thing that concerns me is the governments perception that we cannot survive without them and their willingness to sacrifice our rights in the name of necessity. This could open up a can of worms that has repercussions for years to come.
Day 10: Fatalities – 339,013 of 314 Billion – Financial Impact – $1,278 Billion
339 thousand people might only be a drop in the bucket as far as the total population of the United States goes, but it’s still 300,000 people.
This is the last day of Nat. Geo’s 10 day blackout scenario, and where they begin the rebuilding process. I think there are quite a few factors to take into account during the rebuilding process. We would probably be excited because we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we need to take into account how much was lost during the disaster and how long it will take to rebuild.
A 10 day off the grid event could just be the beginning of this country’s down fall that could take 100 years to fix. It also gives way to the possibility that some other country comes over to “help” and the American dream is over.
Final Thoughts
Like I said I am a little leery about how Nat.Geo’s American Blackout will represent preppers and how skewed this story will be towards getting ratings instead of explaining real disaster scenarios, but I guess well see on Sunday.
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2 replies to "Nat. Geo’s American Blackout – My Thoughts"
“They are there to increase viewers and do not represent the typical prepper like you and me, and unfortunately this creates the assumption that all preppers are like the ones you see on doomsday preppers.”
While I believe increasing market-share to be part of the agenda, I also believe those exaggerated representations also serve to create a mental repulsion within the minds of the unsuspecting viewer that establishes yet another, artificial. sociological division among people, one that attempts to villify the very people who are least likely to require the “services” and “benefits” of both the government(s) and their corporate benefactors. Simply put, people who are preparedness minded are viewed as a threat to those who would rather be our “saviors.”
I watched the show, and while I found it entertaining, I can’t say that I thought it was particularly “real”. As someone that lived through Katrina and the full aftermath of 39 days without electricity in southern Mississippi, I didn’t experience anything like what these people portrayed. Going an extended time without power does suck, but no one is starving after only four days without food… even ten days won’t kill an adult in relatively good health. I don’t deny that things got bad in New Orleans immediately after the storm (no one could have missed the stock footage of the Superdome, right?)… but it wasn’t that way everywhere. In fact, it wasn’t that way anywhere else.
I think the best thing to come from the show was an appreciation for just how important it is to have the basics on hand (water, shelter, food) for at least a week.