POPULAR MECHANICS: Surviving The Inevitable Summer Power Outage. “According to Dr. Massoud Amin, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Minnesota, 500,000 people per day in the U.S. lose power for at least two hours. Between 2005 and 2010 there were 272 power outages that each affected more than 50,000 people. In 2011 alone there were 136 weather-related power outages that snuffed out 178 million meters. The economic toll is equally intense, costing between $80 billion and $188 billion annually.”

Here’s a post on cheap backup power. And generator advice. Also, more advice from Insta-readers.