Ted Koppel hasn’t morphed into late-life Jim Bakker, hasn’t exactly become a preacher for preppers, but he does suggest those who can afford it should build a supply of freeze-dried food and water in case of a cyberattack on our power grid. The former Nightline anchor thinks such a potentially devastating event has a good chance to occur. In addition to penning a book on the topic, Lights Out, which seems to be The Day After for the Digital Age, Koppel conducted a Reddit AMA to raise consciousness. A few exchanges follow.

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Question:

What are the likely odds of such an attack happening and in which grid do you foresee the most damage occurring? It seems almost unfathomable that such an event could occur but you must know some things that we don’t, considering you wrote a book about the subject. 

Ted Koppel:

I’ll give you the answer that former Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, gave me when I asked. “Very, very likely. 80-90%.” The most damage would undoubtedly be caused by a cyber attack on the Eastern Interconnect. There are three grids in the country and the Eastern Interconnect is by far the largest covering the entire east coast westward past Chicago. Essentially everything I know about the subject I put into my book, Lights Out. You’re right, it does seem unfathomable that such an event could occur, but when you consider just how many companies have already been hacked over the last few years, it would be foolish to assume that only the electric power industry is immune. Former NSA director, Keith Alexander, likes to say there are only two kinds of companies out there: Those that have been hacked and those that don’t yet know it.

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Question:

What can I do right now as a U.S. citizen, to prepare my home for such an attack?

Ted Koppel:

If you can afford it (and I recognize that many people cannot) start building up a backup supply of storable food. This, ideally, would be something like freeze-dried products which have an incredibly long shelf life (about 25 year) or items as simple as sacks of dried beans and rice. Also, water is critical. Again, this is much easier for people who live in houses and in rural areas; not so easy for apartment dwellers in our cities.

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Question:

Do you think the presidential candidates should be addressing the threat of a cyberattack? This seems to be a topic that is under represented even when terrorism and national security are a huge concern.

Ted Koppel:

Absolutely! I think there are a couple of factors that inhibit our candidates from talking about cyberattacks: One, they know very little about the subject themselves, and two – when you raise an issue/problem, there’s an expectation that a candidate will offer solutions. That’s a high bar in a campaign atmosphere that focuses more of Trump’s railing than substantive issues.•