When retiring Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano delivered her farewell remarks at the National Press Club in Washington recently, she sent a warning to her successor: “A massive and serious cyber-attack on the U.S. homeland is coming, and a natural disaster — the likes of which the nation has never seen — is also likely on its way. Could GridEX II be the next false flag attack? We know that Homeland Securitys fake drills have accompanied real disasters like 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing. Will a simultaneous real cyberattack be blamed on an enemy nation for hacking into intelligence agency data bases and corrupting them when in fact, it was a self-inflicted attack? Staging a real cyberattack at the same time as the November power grid shutdown drill shouldnt be a surprise. If they really are concerned about the power grids, they would set up a back-up of private emergency networks so that taking over peoples phones and emails wouldnt be necessary. The downed power grid simulation will reportedly focus on both physical and cyber attacks. The antiquated electrical system in the United States has been one of the most neglected pieces of integral infrastructure. The EMP Commission, created by Congress, released a report in 2008 calling for increased planning and testing, and a stockpiling of needed repair items. The SHIELD Act, which is stalled in Congress, is the first serious piece of legislation in many years to attempt to address the vulnerabilities of the power grid. A recent American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) report gave the power grid a “D+” when grading various pieces of infrastructure and public services in the United States. POWER PLANTS & TRANSMISSION LINES The New York Times said experts are calling the power grid - Americas “glass jaw.” Even the military gets 99 percent of its power the same way everyday citizens get it – from commercially run companies. “If an adversary (like our own government) lands a knockout blow, [experts] fear, it could black out vast areas of the continent for weeks; interrupt supplies of water, gasoline, diesel fuel and fresh food; shut down communications; and create disruptions of a scale that was only hinted at by Hurricane Sandy and the attacks of Sept. 11,” The Times said. WHAT IF THE SHUTDOWN WONT RESTART? Durng prior power grid drills, the scenario assumed the system would be up and running again relatively quickly after an attack. This drill assumeS it will be out much longer. How much longer? Days? Months? Why are they shutting down the grid in the dead of winter when temperatures fall below zero in most of the USA and Canada and millions depend on a grid heat source? NO FOOD & HEAT? If the power grid fails AND FAILS TO RESTART, a lack of electricity and food delivery are only the first wave of troubles facing the American people. Police could face major problems with civil unrest. Of course, there also would not be any electric heating or cooling, which easily could lead to many deaths. A 2012 report by the National Academy of Science said (government) terrorists could cripple the nation by damaging or destroying hard-to-replace components, some of which aren’t even made in the United States. “Of particular concern are giant custom-built transformers that increase the voltage of electricity to levels suited for bulk transmission and then reduce voltage for distribution to customers,” The Times said in a summary of the report. “… Replacing them can take many months.”
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:33:12 +0000
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