The black out confirmed for me that I was doing the right thing by at least trying to be prepared. Small things like filling a gas tank up when it is half full, and having multiple light sources available, stores of water, food and fuel just made the crisis into a minor annoyance.

Before 911 I always had a SAK in my pocket and camping gear readily available for power outages. But since 911 and the birth of my son I’ve become much more diligent in my preparedness.