Mac said:
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There is a video by National Geographic about a scenario where the power goes out in the US for 10 days. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/american-blackout. Very scary
Given the modern just-in-time logistics prevalent now in the US and elsewhere, a 10 day power grid outage might cause a few disruptions of food and fuel distribution, perhaps a little civil unrest here and there, but it would be more fairly characterized as an inconvenience than the mass breakdown of society.
As a boy, I lived through the big Columbus Day Storm in the US Pacific Northwest and its aftermath in 1962 and, while we were without power for several days, there were no riots, even though homes were cold, cooking might have been done on camping stoves or in fireplaces, some refrigerated and frozen food might have spoiled, and so on. Neighbors helped each other where needed, I'd imagine.
National Geographic - ever a propagandist for the ruling class, like all the rest of the major media - probably didn't want to scare the populace with a more severe scenario.
However, although 10 days without electric power might be uncomfortable and an inconvenience, it pales against the serious problems that would arise if such a disruption of power distribution lasted much longer. At two or three weeks, important things would start breaking down, like the distribution of food and fuel. I suspect the National Geographic piece hinted at that, but was easily discounted.
However, any really big solar storm or nuclear EMP event could take out the North American power grid for a year or more. Think about that, and the implications for preparations to survive if it occurs.
