Among the nation's estimated three million "preppers," we meet one whose doomsday retreat includes a newly excavated three-acre lake, stocked with fish, and a Wyoming homesteader so self-sufficient that he crafted the thousands of adobe bricks in his house by hand. In the absence of a government plan, some individuals and communities have taken matters into their own hands. The current Secretary of Homeland Security suggests keeping a battery-powered radio. "It's not a question of if," says Centcom Commander General Lloyd Austin, "it's a question of when." And yet, as Koppel makes clear, the federal government, while well prepared for natural disasters, has no plan for the aftermath of an attack on the power grid. And a cybersecurity advisor to President Obama believes that independent actors-from "hacktivists" to terrorists-have the capability as well. In fact, as a former chief scientist of the NSA reveals, China and Russia have already penetrated the grid. Several nations hostile to the United States could launch such an assault at any time. A well-designed attack on just one of the nation's three electric power grids could cripple much of our infrastructure-and in the age of cyberwarfare, a laptop has become the only necessary weapon. Banks no longer function, looting is widespread, and law and order are being tested as never before. For those without access to a generator, there is no running water, no sewage, no refrigeration or light. Tens of millions of people over several states are affected. Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. In this New York Times bestselling investigation, Ted Koppel reveals that a major cyberattack on America's power grid is not only possible but likely, that it would be devastating, and that the United States is shockingly unprepared.She said they are still seeing people out walking, running, biking and on scooters at night with no reflective clothing, headlights or battery-operated flashlights. With respect to safety, Griffin made an appeal for people to be especially careful while power lines are being re-energized. "We're really worried when people don't have power and we're trying to keep our crews as focused as they can to be as efficient and safe as they can to get the job done." Public safety concerns very resilient and they're just doing it as fast and as safely as they can to get it on as soon as possible," she said. "It's still slow going but our crew remains very optimistic. She said it's difficult to give estimates on power restoration times because in some cases crews report getting to sites and being ready to work only to find there are stability issues with the surrounding trees, or that trees had fallen down in areas they thought had already been cleared. She said about 65 per cent of customers have now had their power restored, but there are still communities across the Island that have been hit harder than others and where it's taking more time to get power restored. In an interview with CBC News Saturday afternoon, Maritime Electric spokesperson Kim Griffin said crews were working through the weekend to restore power.
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