According to the Washington Post lines of code attributed to Russian hackers was found at an electric utility in Vermont. I don't think anyone should be surprised by that as its long been speculated that both Russia and China have made significant inroads into our power grid. And us into both of theirs. It is basically assumed by most people I know that the same mutually assured destruction that kept nukes in the silos is keeping the grids up and running on all sides.

That said, its still prudent to have a plan of how to live if the power goes out for an hour, a day, a week and/or longer. A blizzard or hurricane can do as much damage as a hack. We did an exercise when our kids were all at home that involved flipping off the main breaker (no cheating that way) and having each person carry out their assigned tasks. Things like filling the wood box, getting out all the candles and flashlights, filling large pots with water to warm by the woodstove, etc. We are now empty-nesters living in a much smaller house, but its still important to be prepared and to have a plan. Most importantly, we made a list of all the things to do and put it in a kitchen drawer so its easy to grab. The list assumes we will lose power on the coldest, windiest day of the year. If the weather is less severe its easy enough to pare down all the emergency heating options.

Really just posting this after reading the Post article to make sure everyone here has given some thought to their power down plan. Here's hoping you won't need it in 2017. Happy New Year all!