The potential failure of the United States’ power grid and its implications for the nation are the subject of the new documentary “Grid Down, Power Up,” which premieres Sunday, June 8 at 9 p.m. on Newsmax.
Narrated by actor Dennis Quaid and produced by Paul Revere Films, the show examines how such an event could be deadly and lead to life-threatening shortages of heat, food, and water if protective measures aren’t taken.
“This will be the next 9/11. This will be the next Pearl Harbor,” Dennis Quaid says during an interview, describing the level of catastrophe such an event could cause.
Besides physical and cyberattacks, the documentary addresses how the nation’s electrical infrastructure is susceptible to geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) and electromagnetic pulses (EMPs).
“A nuclear explosion in the atmosphere above the United States could unleash a burst of invisible electrical energy that within a fraction of a second could wash over this country and overload all of our most sensitive devices,” Quaid explains.
Texas Republican state Sen. Bob Hall notes how all of the country’s adversaries have EMPs as part of their attack plan.
“We actually know that the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians have in their war plans the first strike plan to take out our electrical power system with an EMP attack,” he says. “It’s not speculation. We know that. We’ve listened to Kim Jong Un of North Korea threaten an EMP attack.”
“The power of an EMP is potentially devastating and it’s an open secret among nuclear- capable countries,” adds Quaid.
To illustrate the grid's fragility, the documentary also examines the severe repercussions of a prolonged power outage, such as disruptions to heating, transportation, food supply chains, and water systems, while reviewing past events like the 2003 Northeastern blackout and the 2021 Texas power crisis.
Included are insights from Tommy Waller, president and CEO of the Center for Security Policy. Waller manages day-to-day operations of Secure the Grid Coalition.
The film advocates for concrete solutions, including appointing a central authority for grid security, funding protective equipment, enhancing regulations, and promoting decentralized power through micro-grids. It encourages viewers to engage with legislators and utilities to drive these changes, emphasizing how society's reliance on electricity permeates all aspects of daily life.
As comedian George Carlin is quoted in the film, “You ever stop and realize how fragile all this is? It wouldn’t take much to throw us right back into barbaric times. All you’d have to do would be eliminate electricity.”