Unfortunately, it takes a blackout like the one now affecting people throughout the Mid-Atlantic region for us to realize how vulnerable we are as a government and as individuals.

We are now more dependent than ever on the electricity, which affects everything from getting our money out of the bank ATM to powering our cell phones and computers. As people in the Maryland-Virginia-Washington D.C. area have seen in the last week, refrigeration and air conditioning are essentials when it comes to coping with the string of 100-degree temperatures still affecting much of the nation.One image that amplifies this is a scene we saw of a grocery store in Virginia. All the shelves were bare in the refrigerated food section. Sadly, the storms that knocked out power in the mid-Atlantic last week could just be a precursor since the summer has just gotten under way.When the power goes down, those who prepared will be the ones who fare the best. I remember a Christmas ice storm within the last decade that caused a power blackout in this area. In my neighborhood, the power went down on a Wednesday and we finally got it back on Saturday. A big positive that winter provides is natural refrigeration.For those without generators, the big concern during that four-day winter event was staying warm. Fortunately, I had a propane fireplace which heated at least one room in the home. A propane camping stove was also used to provide a hot meal and beverage.Power is expected to return to most people in the storm-affected Virginia-Washington D.C. area by Friday or Saturday. The one-week of not having the luxury to plug in for our essentials and conveniences of life should serve as a wake-up call to us as individuals as well as to the government.As individuals, we can all take some initial precautions in case of a long-term power outage. Keeping a supply of bottled water and canned food and other nonperishable food on hand are important. There are emergency supplies we can all have stored away such as candles, flashlights with a supply of extra batteries, waterproof matches and lighters, self-generated radio and flashlights, a solar battery/cell phone charger, heavy blankets and extra winter clothes.Some practical tools include an ax for cutting firewood, camping gear, knives, rope, and bad weather gear including rain jackets, boots and gloves.First Aid Supplies such as Band-Aids, aspirin, ace bandages, gauze pads, wrapping tape, are also important, as are ice packs, sewing needles and razor blades.As we see from the current wildfires still raging in the West, and from the recent flooding in the Southwest, tornadoes in our nation's midsection and South, no section of our nation is safe from disaster.The recent mid-Atlantic storm should raise warning flags about the deficiencies with this nation's aged power grid. Heaven forbid if we ever experience a nationwide outage from a massive solar flare, earthquake or cyber-terror attack.How many of us could endure those pioneering "Little House on the Prairie" days before electricity?By Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com