Living in Coastal Florida since 1977 I’ve had my share of living after weather disasters….Hurricane Ian put 8 1/2 ft of water and mangrove mud inside my home and demolished it. “Thats what you get for living next to the water” you might say and you are right. However there are some of us who, lured by the siren’s song of salt water and an unrealistic belief that it won’t happen to us, decide to live there anyway.

Because of our general standard of living and our interconnected infrastructure we are more vulnerable in many ways than less affluent regions when catastrophe strikes. To get our water, we turn on tap, for electricity a switch, sewage is carried away by gravity and lift stations. In a third world village I picture their water coming from a trip to the common well, they either have lanterns for light at night or have learned to do without. Many don’t have central heat or air conditioning but wood stoves and open walls. Sewage might be dependent on gravity but likely no lift stations in their world.

In Florida loss of power results in heat that’s hard to sleep in, generators if your lucky-usually for us common folk our generator powers the fridge, a fan and a light, your toilets work as long as government heavy duty generators keep the lift stations operating.

In short, before a catastrophe strikes we live better-once our infrastructure fails we are usually in worse shape than a third world citizen suffering the same catastrophe.

Increasing energy infrastructure is not instantaneous: it takes years to happen. My fear is that we rid ourselves too quickly of fossil fuel and nuclear sourcing, and our needs are underestimated, then there is going to be a lot of suffering and adjustment. US populations that have suffered widespread longer term power outages realize this. I fear the populations that have not experienced it will prematurely reduce our fossil / nuclear fuel assets well before they should.

Here are inconveniences-major and minor of a power blackout

Charging your cell phones by running your car. Buying 6lb bags of ice for $4.65 when you can get it. Long lines at the few gas stations that are open. Scarcity of toilet paper.