The grid goes dark. The cause is an AI-assisted attack.

The fictional cause. The real planning problem.

This is a thought experiment, not a report of an attack or a prediction that AI will cause one. We assume attackers have used AI assistance and that restoration takes longer than a routine outage. No particular technical route or probability is implied. The household problem is the same one an equipment failure or storm can create: essential services no longer work reliably.

CISA’s infrastructure-dependency guidance explains why energy, water, communications, and transport need to be considered together. That does not mean all of them inevitably fail. Start by listing which services your own building and household actually depend on.

The first hour: make the household legible.

Account for everyone and check a verified utility or emergency information source. Put a Petzl TIKKA headlamp (Amazon affiliate link, opens in new tab) where the person doing essential tasks can find it. Keep exits and stairs clear. Save phone power for useful check-ins instead of repeatedly refreshing rumors.

Write down the immediate dependencies: necessary medical equipment, temperature control, a well pump, powered access, and refrigerated supplies. Discuss device-specific backup needs with the clinician or supplier in advance. A phone battery pack is not a backup plan for equipment it cannot safely operate.

Days one to three: establish a workable routine.

Use safe stored water and food that can be prepared without mains electricity. Follow official food-safety guidance rather than judging perishables by appearance. Make one person responsible for checking updates at agreed times, with someone else able to take over.

A Etón FRX3 emergency weather radio (Amazon affiliate link, opens in new tab) can add a broadcast information path where local reception is available. Test the tuning, batteries, and controls before the exercise. Keep a Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7-gallon water container (Amazon affiliate link, opens in new tab) filled and maintained according to safe-storage guidance; an empty container is only potential capacity.

If it lasts a week: stop treating departure as failure.

Choose a safe destination with the services your household needs, and confirm transport before your reserves become critical. Check on neighbors through a mutually agreed plan. A building with no workable water, temperature control, or necessary power may no longer be a useful place to wait.

Generators must be used outdoors at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents, following CDC and manufacturer guidance. Never bring a camping stove or fuel-burning generator inside to solve the outage. No amount of gear makes unsafe conditions acceptable.

Run the exercise before running the shopping list.

Spend one evening tracing what would stop working in your home. Use the light and radio you already own, locate the water, and write a relocation trigger. Then buy only the items needed to close the gaps.