Way back in 2001 or so Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility that provides power for most of Northern California, was forced into 
bankruptcy. The stock price immediately dropped to half of what it was previously and I said to a friend of mine, “I’m buying that stock.” After asking me several questions to confirm that I was not completely out of my mind for wanting to buy a piece of a bankrupt company he listened to my reasoning, which was basically, “The government can’t let them go under. What? People aren’t going to have any power??” The stock recovered, PG&E eventually paid back their bailout money (by charging much higher prices), and the electricity and gas continued to be delivered to customers without a hitch.
So what if things had been different, there was not bailout or no way to charge higher prices and the power went out and didn’t come back on? In every doomsday scenario I can imagine, and I mean everything from natural disasters to man-made events, things don’t get really bad for the general public until the power goes out. Electricity is really the key to our civilization and our comfortable way of life. Prepping to live without it for some period of time is one of the key things you can do to ensure the continuity of your family’s comfort and security.
Once the power goes out several things begin to happen. Basic 
conveniences are no longer available. Lights don’t go on when you flip the switch, ovens don’t heat up, furnaces and hot water heaters don’t get hot, and for the first day or so it’s kind of like camping but you’re still at home and it’s not as fun. After a few days it’s even less fun and other important parts of our society are affected. Gas stations can’t pump gas, cars and trucks stop running, deliveries don’t get made, folks in key positions stop showing up for work, and on and on the situation spirals downwards.
I point this out because it’s important to remember that in any event, whether local, regional, or national, the real tipping point and the thing to watch out for is the availability of electricity. Without electricity we lose reliable access to food, water, and many other basic services. This is what turns a short-term event into a much more serious and possibly long-term event where law and order begin to break down. The electric grid is our nation’s Achilles Heal.
This is an even greater factor if you live in a city. It’s one thing to go without electricity in your rural farm house or suburban home where you can fire up the grill and make a day of it. It’s quite another to be powerless in an apartment building with no elevator and limited access to open outside space where you could light a campfire and get back to basics.
So while I don’t advocate Prepping for the massive doomsday scenarios that some like to drone on and on about I would like everyone to be aware of what is to me the main sign that things have started to get serious. That sign is the widespread loss of electricity. Something that this country is just not prepared to deal with. So if an event becomes serious enough that you’re actually considering bugging-out, you should first asses the reliability of the power grid in your area. Factor this into your equation and you’ll be in a better place to make a decision.
~Butch
