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If the power did go down here now, it'd just be a little warmer. After this winter, a lot of us West Virginians got used to sitting in the dark. Granted, it was inconvenient, but when it happened, I was prepared and could still watch TV (local broadcast stations only, of course...the sattelite wouldn't work), cook, heat my home, listen to the radio (I got one of those solar/dynamo crank jobbies...very handy), run 12v electric lights for reading, etc. About the only thing I missed was the Internet, and of course, FreeRepublic in particular. It pays to be prepared.

On the antiquated circuit that runs my home, I'm used to having the power at least flicker daily. That's just life out here in the sticks. The little alarm beeping on the UPS on my computer has become a regular occurance, so much so that it doesn't even wake the dog anymore.

I can figure on a total power failure at least once every two months here, even if only for a few minutes. No biggie for me, because I'm used to camping anyway, and am equipped to handle such a situation. It's a nice little drill that keeps me prepared for what could happen in a worst case scenario. This winter, I lived comfortably for 3 days in freezing weather and deep snow. Granted, it was boring, but I got caught up on a lot of reading. The worst problem that I had was my vehicle was out of gas, and I had to drive to the other end of the county to fill up (electric gas pumps forced a lot of stations to close). Now, I try to keep at least half a tank at all times, so I can get around in an emergency if necessary.

I guess that those who live in a city, where EVERYTHING is dependent upon power, are going to have major problems from this. Nice to live in a place where the higher ups encourage people to use public transportation (powered by electricity) and don't set up infrastructure to accomodate alternate soruces of heat (how is an apartment dweller supposed to heat with wood?). My primary heat source is propane, which is kept on my property and refilled once a year, so I have several months to figure out how to heat my house should the supply be interrupted (and considering that my property is covered with trees, I could heat my place indefinitely, most likely, should I need to). The stove I use doesn't require electricity to work correctly, unlike most gas furnaces.

My water comes from a well, and my reserve water supply is about 250 gallons, which can be tapped directly from the tank without electricity if necessary.

And, if it got really bad and I couldn't get food, I'd take out the trusty old Mauser and pop one of those deer that keeps showing up in the front yard.

If this had happened during the winter, it would be a MAJOR problem for the cities, probably more so than it is now. Not a good idea to live where you're forced to put all your eggs in one basket.