This is why I am seriously looking at implementing my own infrastructure (electrical power). The reliability of the power grid will not be able to be taken for granted possibly in just a few years. I already have secure water supply (not reliant on "town water"), can cook with wood if necessary, electrical power will come primarily from solar, but not PV solar with batteries... expensive, inefficient and with a definite lifespan and potential for fire in the case of Lithium batteries.
Instead, I'm looking at a low temperature organic Rankine Cycle system, one that can be primarily built from components that can be sourced locally or produced without the need for high tech manufacturing facilities. The heat storage medium would be water (which is excellent with it's very high specific heat) and the working fluid methanol, which boils at ~65C. Working on a design that would provide about 100kWh of storage, with a peak output of about 5kW. Those parameters could be adjusted by changing the volume of water storage, size of generator, number of solar hot water collectors, etc. The system could also be complimented by other heat sources, such as a wood fired (or any other available fuel) water heater to cover any periods of prolonged cloudy weather. Basically anything that can heat up water, preferably to >65C, even a compost heap could be used to add heat to the system (pre-heating the cooler water so that less energy is needed to bring it up to working temperature).
Life without electrical power will be decidedly inconvenient. You lose reliable electrical power and you lose the ability to store perishable food for any more than a couple of days. You lose electricity and you lose the massive amount of work that electrical appliances do for you, washing clothes, lighting, cooking food, etc... all these things become orders of magnitude more difficult without electrical power. You could survive without it, but you'll end up spending a significant amount of your time and resources on activities that were previously done without a second thought.
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