American Blackout

Filmed as a fictional docudrama, National Geographic Channel’s “American Blackout,” premiering tonight, depicts the first 10 days immediately following a nationwide blackout caused by a cyber attack that takes down the entire electric power grid. The movie focuses on several different storylines of how people deal with the blackout. The movie is presented in “real time” by using video clips from recent events, like Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, the 2003 Eastern US blackout, and footage of President Obama addressing the nation.

While the movie is an excellent reminder to be prepared for routine power outages and natural disasters, the current design and operation of the American power grid makes a total electric grid failure, as depicted in the movie, highly unlikely in the real world.

Electric cooperatives take cybersecurity seriously; they have and will continue to take significant steps to protect the reliability and security of the electric system – transmission, generation and distribution. We also partner with federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and Homeland Security, to research threats, strengthen security measures and mitigate risk.

To help your family be better prepared for inevitable, routine power outages, visit redcross.org.