“The nation’s aging, vulnerable power grid and the threat of natural disasters and terrorist activity make a long-term collapse that could leave millions of Americans in the dark a growing likelihood. – To experts, it’s not if, it’s when. – Parts of the nation’s system have gone down. – In 2003, human error and a computer bug plunged 50 million people into darkness for up to two days after high voltage lines brushed against foliage in Northern Ohio. Multiple interconnected systems went down as one failure led to another in a cascade of collapse that sparked about $6 billion in economic damages in the northern U.S. and Canada. Eleven deaths were attributed in part to the failure. – No system is immune.”
Source:Apocalypse: Threat of massive grid shutdown increasing in face of terrorism, natural disasters