Changes

==Examples==

==Examples==

The most famous case of a blackout turning into civil unrest is the [[New York City]] Blackout of July 13-14, 1977.  Combined with widespread [[hysteria]] regarding the [[serial killer|"Son of Sam"]] serial murders and a brutal [[heat wave]], the city suffered widespread [[looting]], property [[[crimes]] and [[arson]].  [[Riots|Rioting]] continued during daylight hours despite [[police]] presence, and there were 31 neighborhoods that suffered [[looting]] and [[vandalism]]. There were over 4,500 [[looter]]s arrested during the two days and 3,776 people were arrested for other charges while the NYPD suffered 550 casualties.  A total of 1,616 stores were damaged and 1,037 [[fire]]s were set for an estimated total damages of over $300 million.

The most famous case of a blackout turning into civil unrest is the [[New York City]] Blackout of July 13-14, 1977.  Combined with widespread [[hysteria]] regarding the [[serial killer|"Son of Sam"]] serial murders and a brutal [[heat wave]], the city suffered widespread [[looting]], property [[crimes]] and [[arson]].  [[Riots|Rioting]] continued during daylight hours despite [[police]] presence, and there were 31 neighborhoods that suffered [[looting]] and [[vandalism]]. There were over 4,500 [[looter]]s arrested during the two days and 3,776 people were arrested for other charges while the NYPD suffered 550 casualties.  A total of 1,616 stores were damaged and 1,037 [[fire]]s were set for an estimated total damages of over $300 million.

==Preparation & Mitigation==

==Preparation & Mitigation==

[[Preparedness|Preparation]] for a blackout begins by looking at your home to determine what are your critical systems that require power.  For instance, it may be your [[furnace]] or electric baseboard [[heater]]s, [[air conditioning]] unit, water pump, or your [[refrigerator]]/[[freezer]].  Next, look at what systems or devices would suffer if a [[power surge]] (spike), power drop ([[brownout]]), or outage (blackout) occurred without warning.  That may be your [[computer]], home entertainment system, or home [[security system]].  Then, prepare to mitigate the damage and power loss by taking some or all of the following steps:

[[Preparedness|Preparation]] for a blackout begins by looking at your home to determine what are your critical systems that require power.  For instance, it may be your [[furnace]] or electric baseboard [[heater]]s, [[air conditioning]] unit, water pump, or your [[refrigerator]]/[[freezer]].  Next, look at what systems or devices would suffer if a [[power surge]] (spike), power drop ([[brownout]]), or outage (blackout) occurred without warning.  That may be your [[computer]], home entertainment system, or home [[security system]].  Then, prepare to mitigate the damage and power loss by taking some or all of the following steps:

* Adding [[Surge protector]]s to non-critical but expensive systems, such as entertainment centers, [[TV[['s, DVR's, etc.

* Adding [[Surge protector]]s to non-critical but expensive systems, such as entertainment centers, [[TV]]'s, DVR's, etc.

* Adding [[Uninterruptable Power Supply|Uninterruptable Power Supplies]] ([[UPS]]) with [[battery]] backups for critical systems that need time to properly shut down, such as PC's and laptops.

* Adding [[Uninterruptable Power Supply|Uninterruptable Power Supplies]] ([[UPS]]) with [[battery]] backups for critical systems that need time to properly shut down, such as PC's and laptops.

* Replacing electrical appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, [[stove]]s and water heaters with alternatives such as [[natural gas]], [[propane]] (LP), or [[kerosene]] powered appliances.

* Replacing electrical appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, [[stove]]s and water heaters with alternatives such as [[natural gas]], [[propane]] (LP), or [[kerosene]] powered appliances.

* [[EMP]] - [[Electromagnetic Pulse]]

* [[EMP]] - [[Electromagnetic Pulse]]

* [[Flashlight]]

* [[Flashlight]]

* [[Solar energy]] and [[batteries]]

[[Solar energy]] and [[battery|batteries]]

* [[Alternative energy]]

* [[Alternative energy]]

* [[:Category:Survivalism|Preparedness]]

* [[:Category:Survivalism|Preparedness]]