Brandon TurbevilleNatural Blaze
October 15, 2016
The after effects of Hurricane Matthew are still being felt along the East Coast, especially in South Carolina. These residual issues, after the water and winds have gone, take the form of crippling power outages lasting for days, leaving many without access to heat and food. After taking a look at the effects on the electrical grid, one thing is abundantly clear – changes must be made to the manner in which power is provided and transferred from the source to the American people.
It is well-known that the American electrical grid, even absent natural disasters, is already overtaxed, presenting an enormous risk not only to the living standards of the American people but also a legitimate national security concern. Michael Snyder of the Economic Collapse website has written extensively on the vulnerability of the U.S. power grid.
Consider his article “If One Storm Can Turn D.C. Dark For Several Days, What Would A Massive EMP Burst Do?” In his article, Snyder details the aftermath of the “derecho” that swept across the Midwest and South, leaving millions without power for almost a week.
What should be even more concerning is the fact that the American power grid is not so much a grid as it is a patchwork of varying methods of energy provision strung together in haphazard fashion. This is no way for the American people, who rely so much on electricity, to receive power in the 21st century.
