What You Need to Know Before the Next Idaho Blackout

Are you prepared for a blackout that could last days or weeks? Or if they start happening regularly? It was a question I thought of immediately during Thursday’s blackout. I was in the middle of the produce department at Smith’s and had just filled a bag of apples. Suddenly, darkness! I could see some silhouettes and joked with someone that it was possibly the end of the world. A young woman who worked at the store took me by my right arm and walked me into the sunlight near the checkout. I should’ve started playing an old man years ago!

I used the light on my phone to find a can of food for my cat and then was able to check out because a couple of the self-stations were still working. But I couldn’t buy gas. The pumps were down, and I was almost empty. Driving across the city as I looked for a working gas station, I saw some terrible behavior at intersections where people could wait their turn. Most of the traffic lights were out all over town.

Credit Bill Colley.

I finally found an open pump at Walmart.

Now think about the impatient people driving. If this lasts for days, weeks, or a year, a lot of people are going to lose their minds. The dog-eat dog comes. If you can’t fill the gas tank, it won’t be long before you’re walking. The result for me would be hours simply to get to work. If I even had a job. Radio depends on electricity.

Frozen and refrigerated food would spoil in a few days. Water supplies could become sparse.

I would wager that 98 percent of us aren’t ready.

Two stories remind us of what’s at stake. Rolling blackouts could become common under Biden’s energy policies. Or we’re going to get smacked by an enemy. Don’t say you weren’t warned.