The Design Margin:
"When storms disrupt utilities as they have done in New York City it is always good
to have a few things in stock. Some canned goods in the cupboard. Maybe the
hated Spam and baked beans. A stock of ordinary candles and matches are in order
as are 25 gallons or so of drinking water. A full bathtub of water for flushing the
toilet in case the water pressure fails would be good. And one or more flashlights,
preferably with some spare batteries."
"Storms are a good time to remember how slender is the margin on which
civilization is built. Today’s miraculous cities are a going concern. Once they stop
working they die. Millions of people are literally totally dependent on the grid and
can survive outside it only for brief periods. Most households could not subsist for
more than a month without steady deliveries of food, the refrigeration to
preserve it and the continuous supply of potable water."
See:
http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/...design-margin/