The Looming Threat of a Digital Dark Age
It's frustrating enough when a local storm knocks out your power and internet for a few hours. But imagine a scenario where the internet goes down indefinitely across your province, or even the entire country. What if a cyberattack, an aging electrical grid failure, or a simple bureaucratic oversight plunged your region into a prolonged state of digital darkness? Do you have a concrete plan for that? According to alarming new data, most people do not.
A Nation Unprepared
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) surveyed 7,525 Americans for its 2024 report on disaster preparedness. The findings are stark: 57% of the country is neither prepared for a major disaster nor actively planning to become so. This lack of foresight is particularly concerning given the fragility of our modern infrastructure.
"I don't think it is a matter of 'if,' it is simply a matter of 'when,'" stated Robert Siciliano, a noted security analyst and author of "Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention." He points to the electrical grid, which is only about 120 years old and prone to localized or regional failures. "The term 'prepper' has gotten a bad rap," Siciliano added, emphasizing that having backup food, water, batteries, and power should be a universal consideration. "I think at this point everybody should be prepping."
Building Your Digital Lifeline: Backup Internet Strategies
So, how can you safeguard your digital life during a period of widespread upheaval? The first step is creating a robust backup internet plan.
"Preparing for individual internet disruptions and power outages is straightforward – you need backup internet access methods and/or the ability to generate energy on your own," explained Sean Gold, a prepper, owner of TruePrepper, and a former Air Force emergency manager with a degree in the field. He echoes Siciliano's sentiment, advising people to assume a crisis is inevitable and plan accordingly.
Understanding Your Backup Options
Gold notes that while a cellular hotspot can bridge a short outage, it becomes ineffective during widespread failures due to overloaded cell towers. He highlights the growing trend of embracing satellite internet service providers (ISPs), even in urban areas.
- Cellular Hotspot: This feature allows your smartphone to share its data connection with other devices like laptops or tablets. It's useful for isolated Wi-Fi problems but offers little help during a regional grid collapse.
- Starlink & Satellite ISPs: These services bypass terrestrial infrastructure by connecting directly to satellites. Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, is a prominent example. Residential service typically costs between $80 and $120 per month, plus a one-time equipment fee of around $349. For those seeking alternatives, providers like Hughesnet and Viasat offer plans starting at approximately $50 and $70 per month, respectively.
Gold suggests a cost-effective strategy for Starlink: the Roam plan. "You'll spend about $500 on the hardware... and then there's a $50 a month service plan," he said. "And then pause it, if you plan to only use it as a backup internet service. There is no limit to how long you can keep the service paused, so there is no monthly fee at that point."
The Pre-Outage Shopping List
Proactive shopping before a crisis is crucial. If you have the means, consider building a tech-survival kit with these items:
- Power Bank: Portable chargers can keep devices like hotspots running for several days during short interruptions.
- Portable Power Station: These battery-based units store electricity and can run essential household appliances, offering a cleaner and increasingly popular alternative to fuel-powered generators.
- Generator: A traditional option, but requires extreme caution due to risks like carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Flashlight & Battery-Operated Radio: Fundamental tools for illumination and accessing emergency broadcasts when digital networks fail.
Financial Preparedness for a Cashless Crisis
An extended internet outage can sever access to digital finances. Chris Reynolds, an emergency management expert and dean at American Public University System, warns that many people have become overly reliant on digital transactions.
"During emergencies, internet and power outages can make banks and ATMs inaccessible, cutting off access to digital funds," Reynolds explained. His recommendations include:
- Keeping a small amount of emergency cash in small bills in a secure, waterproof location.
- Purchasing a prepaid debit card for emergencies, kept separate from daily accounts.
- Considering an informal cooperative with neighbors to share short-term funds or supplies.
"The time to discover that you no longer have access to your bank account or ATM isn't during an emergency," Reynolds stressed. "Plan in advance."
Creating a Family Emergency Communication Plan
When disaster strikes, contacting loved ones becomes a top priority. Jeremy Gocke, CEO of Entropy Survival, advocates for a "pre-internet failure family plan." This should outline:
- A designated meeting place for local family members.
- A schedule and method for attempted check-ins for distant relatives.
- A list of trusted contacts who can relay messages.
Gocke suggests laminating this plan and distributing copies. For more reliable communication, consider investing in satellite messengers like the Garmin inReach Messenger (retailing around $300), which use satellite networks to send texts when cell towers are down. While some new smartphones are incorporating satellite texting, traditional options like landline telephones (if infrastructure is intact), CB radios, or walkie-talkies remain viable backups for family communication within range.
The Core Mindset for Readiness
The fundamental step, according to experts, is a shift in mindset. "Start by accepting that if it can go down, it might," Gocke advised. Once you internalize that reality, proactive planning becomes your most valuable technology. In an increasingly connected world, preparing for its temporary collapse is no longer the domain of fringe groups but a prudent step for every household.
