Day One : The Shutdown - ARR

 

You’re at home. You realize that the Internet is out. You have no cell phone service. If you check, you notice nothing is broadcasting on TV or radio. Even though the electricity is working, it’s as if all telecommunications have suddenly stopped.

What actions do you take in the first five minutes after discovering this?

I'd just wait. For five minutes - I would do nothing at all - just wait to see if things return to normal. Maybe look outside my balcony to look for reactions on the street. After a longer while, I might walk outside to see if other people are experiencing the same thing, walk down the street and observe. Walk up to my brother's place and then maybe chat with him.

How do you feel?

Mainly curious. Wondering what's going on.

What possible explanations do you come up with for what’s going on?

Some kind of gestalt disturbance in the airwaves can be the only possible explanation for ALL telecom going out simultaneously. I wouldn't speculate - but cosmic activity, some sort of shift in the physics/chemistry of the atmosphere.

What do you predict other people might do when they discover the same thing?

Some might panic - not being able to contact their loved ones. People with urgent needs may panic. People for whom being connected every minute is critical - people who are alone and ill/elderly/immobile may feel pretty freaked out and isolated and scared., with no way to even investigate.They may do the same thing I do - but not wait five minutes.

What’s one real action you could take in the new few days or weeks to feel more prepared for the first five minutes of this scenario, if it were really to happen?

Most important : 

• Keep some cash handy at all times. Without telecom - no access to money.

Other : 

• Keep some fuel in the car tank - keep it at 50% always.
• Memorize the way to the homes of at least five friends / family. Write down their addresses on paper.