Blackout and crisis preparedness expert Herbert Saurugg has recently warned against the complete power grid blackout that could plunge entire Europe into darkness. He predicts a widespread blackout could be lurking in the not too distant future and such an event can cause extremely chaotic conditions worldwide. However, those who are prepared for an emergency can definitely bridge the difficult days well.
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Approaching Blackout
According to Saurugg, there are many factors that might result in a blackout, he says,
The ever-growing demand for electricity, the fact that renewable energies have no storage, cyber attacks, sabotage and extreme weather.
According to the interview in Heute magazine, Saurugg mainly focuses on the situation for Austria, however, he warns that the same situation can be applicable to Germany and even the whole of Europe as well. Although he expects a widespread power blackout in Europe soon, he cannot say exactly when it will occur. The catastrophic scenario could occur as early as this year or even in five years, but in any case, it could not be prevented.
Chaotic Consequences
In any case, the consequences would be devastating. Saurugg predicts the disarray that the world would experience.
In Austria, I expect a blackout of around 24 hours. Across Europe, it could even last up to a week. A 24-hour blackout means that everything will be at a standstill for over a week.
This would mean that offices and factories would come to a standstill, there would be no more water, no access to the internet and supermarkets would not be able to continue normal operations (food could no longer be refrigerated, cash registers could no longer be used, etc.).
He then added:
Supermarkets would certainly have been closed for a week, if not longer - and that's with a 24-hour power outage. Because: logistics are interrupted, the electronics chain. The staff are themselves in an extreme situation. How is a supermarket worker supposed to reach the workplace at all without public transport or fuel?
How to prepare for this?
Saurugg suggests starting preparing for the approaching catastrophic event. He advises people to start storing essentials like bottled water and a supply of non-perishable food like canned goods which can be stored for a long time. He recommends storing generic medicine and even hygiene products on hand in case of an emergency.
This article is translated from Gentside DE.
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