My town was the only one I know of that wasn't knocked out. Strangly, my internet source, which is based in a town south of here (city actually) stayed online. Our lights did flicker occasionally.

People seem to be getting the news by word of mouth. The newspeople tried their best to dispell any fear of terrorism by saying it wasn't the cause within 5 minutes of the blackout. Those with battery powered radios, etc, could get news from there. The subways were evacuated.

In some cities, the water is stored in towers, so as long as the water in the towers was there, the force of gravity could be used to keep anyone below the waterline hydrated.

Small towns tend to have people who asre a bit more prepared than larger townies, so I'm sure they could make do.