I have been working in the Electrical Utility industry for the last 13 years combined in Generation, Transmission and Distribution Simple wind storms can knock power out in fact it happens almost every storm. It doesn't take much for a substation breaker to lock out due to a tree. It doesn't take much for a recloser to lock out due to a fault . I can not begin to tell you how many times I have seen racoons get wrapped up in bushings that caused breakers to trip . The electrical utility companies know how vulnerable their infrastructure is. This is why they have been upgrading the fencing and security around NERC substations. You are very correct about there is strength in numbers. You need to be worried about people who have no life sustaining skill sets. More likely they will just end up slowing your effort to survival or worse out of desperation. I never said to fight people, I said to use extreme caution when dealing with people who come from a certain lack of skill ideology. My comment about people being attacked was directed towards the board member that was fired over an act of god (ice storm). People needed a scapegoat for their own failure to be prepared.