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All,
I recently read a WIRED write up (What Happens if China Hacks the US Water Supply? I Went to a Secret War Game to Find Out) about an insurance industry war game simulating a Chinese Volt Typhoon-style cyberattack (Volt Typhoon is a Chinese state-linked hacking group known for quietly pre-positioning inside U.S. critical infrastructure) on thousands of U.S. water utilities. It’s a sobering piece on cascading failures (hospitals, food, medicine, data centers). Before I get into the facts and takeaways, I want to say something up front:
I know these kinds of articles can make people want to puke. Another threat. Another “you should be prepping harder” message. Another reminder that modern life has a lot of fragile single points of failure. Between inflation, property maintenance, family responsibilities, and the constant firehose of concerning news, a lot of us are already running on fumes. Prepping fatigue is real. Information overload is real. And the financial and time costs of trying to “get ready” for everything can feel impossible. So, I am going to to try really hard to keep this shorter and more realistic than most posts on a topic like this.
Quick Facts from the War Game & Context
- The simulation involved a hypothetical large-scale disruption of 5,000 water utilities, with both IT failures and some physical damage (burst mains).
- Within 24–48 in-game hours, effects included ~2,000 hospitals losing water (leading to evacuations in summer heat), failing refrigeration and manufacturing (food spoilage, insulin shortages), and data center cooling problems.
- Volt Typhoon-linked actors have been documented pre-positioning in U.S. critical infrastructure (including smaller water systems) for years. Small and rural utilities are often attractive targets because they have limited cybersecurity resources.
- Insurance participants concluded an event of this scale would be effectively “uninsurable” without major government backstopping — highlighting how big the gap is between current defenses and worst-case outcomes.
The scenario is hypothetical and extreme, but it’s built on real, documented adversary behavior and the known fragility of many municipal water systems.
The Practical Reality Check Most Articles Skip
Cost is a real barrier. Serious water storage (food-grade containers, rotation, purification) isn’t free. Good filters, backup power, and medical buffers add up fast. Many families that are mindful of these things are having to choose between “prepper supplies” and other immediate needs.
Time and mental bandwidth are limited. Rotating stock, maintaining gear, and staying informed takes ongoing effort. When you’re already dealing with work, family, health, or property issues, adding another big project can tip people into shutdown.Information overload leads to paralysis. There’s always a new threat vector. It’s easy to go from “I should do something” to “this is hopeless, why bother” or to over-prepare in one area while neglecting higher-impact basics.
These aren’t excuses — they’re constraints almost everyone faces. Pretending they don’t exist just makes the advice useless.
Phillip’s Realistic, Lower-Friction Takeaways Focused on Water
Instead of a giant checklist, here are prioritized, lower-cost starting points that actually move the needle on the scenario in the article:
Water first. If water stops, almost everything else gets much harder very quickly. Start with what you can actually use and rotate: a few weeks of stored drinking/cooking water in containers you already have or can acquire cheaply (used food-grade buckets/barrels from local sources). Add a basic purification method you’ll actually use. Even 3–7 days of water + purification is dramatically better than zero and far less overwhelming than aiming for 30+ days immediately.
Leverage what you already own or do. Many rural households already have generators, fuel storage, or farm equipment. Use those existing assets rather than buying new “prepper” gear. Rotate stored water through non-drinking uses (cleaning, gardening, livestock) so it doesn’t go to waste and feel like pure sunk cost.Comms redundancy without going broke. When water and power are disrupted, local information becomes critical. Ham radio, GMRS, and simple mesh tools (where already in use) provide outsized value here because they don’t rely on the same fragile infrastructure. You don’t need to build a perfect system — even basic local nets and knowing your neighbors’ helps.
Do one high-impact thing per quarter instead of trying to fix everything at once. Accept “good enough” and avoid perfectionism. The goal isn’t to be ready for every scenario. It’s to reduce the most immediate fragilities (water + basic comms + some food/med buffers) so you’re less of a burden on strained systems and better able to help others locally.
For the Ham/EmComm Side
This kind of scenario is exactly why resilient local communications matter. When centralized systems (water treatment controls, hospital coordination, supply chain info) are degraded, hams and local mesh users can help fill gaps in situational awareness and coordination — without needing perfect infrastructure. Clubs can lower the individual load by running simple drills focused on “utilities down + limited info” scenarios and by maintaining relationships with local emergency management and utilities.
Bottom Line
The war game shows real systemic weaknesses that deserve attention. At the same time, most of us can’t (and shouldn’t try to) become fully independent fortresses. Focus on the highest-leverage basics, start small enough that you’ll actually follow through, and lean on community where possible. That’s more sustainable than burnout.
If this topic feels heavy, that’s understandable…it is. But water is an imperative to all of us. What’s one small, realistic step you’ve taken (or are considering) around water? Guns, radio gear, etc., are a lot more sexy, but without water you’re cooked. I’m just trying to stimulate some thought, no judgment either direction. If anyone has local sources for the blue food grade barrels, please follow up and post about where they are. Do you currently filter your water? If so do you filter for particulate matter only? Have some sort of UV system? Gravity only or whole house?
73,
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
I’ve kept a Sawyer Squeeze filter system for years. Also have access to surface water onsite as well as two wells one of which is free flowing artesian. Glad you posted this. Probably time to replace my filter and purchase additional. One for each vehicle.
Thanks Phillip! My wife and I have been doing this kind of preparation for years. We keep several hundred gallons of bottled water at any one time, as well as numerous water filters on hand. This is a very real threat that people need to take seriously and prepare for and is just as important for some sort of power backup system, such as a small solar setup to keep your refrigerator and freezer running. If you lose your food supply your sunk.
All,
One of the reasons I shared this article is not because I believe every scenario in the war game is destined to happen, but because it raises questions worth discussing.
The goal isn’t to predict the next emergency perfectly—it’s to prepare for the kinds of failures that can have serious consequences. Whether the threat comes from a cyberattack, a natural disaster, or simple human error, resilient systems are built on planning ahead rather than assuming, “It can’t happen here.”
Our water systems, power grid, communications networks, and transportation infrastructure have become increasingly interconnected. That has obvious benefits, but it also means disruptions can ripple across multiple sectors. Fortunately, critical infrastructure isn’t protected by a single layer. Most utilities employ multiple safeguards, continuous monitoring, and the ability to operate manually if necessary. That doesn’t eliminate risk, but it does make these systems more resilient than many headlines suggest.
From an amateur radio perspective, this is exactly why our hobby continues to matter. When conventional communications are disrupted—or simply overloaded—having trained operators with independent communications capability can make a real difference. We don’t have to assume a worst-case scenario to recognize the value of maintaining those skills.
On a more practical note, Kathy and I have tried to build preparedness into our daily routine rather than treating it as something we only think about after reading an article like this. We use a Big Berkey filtration system every day for our drinking water, our coffee makers, and even our pets’ water. It gives us a dependable way to improve our drinking water every day while also providing another layer of resilience if municipal service is interrupted.
Like any filtration system, it requires periodic cleaning and maintenance. Using it every day means we’re familiar with that process and have a good understanding of what’s involved if we ever have to rely on it for an extended period.
Our go bags take a different approach. Each one contains a LifeStraw because it’s lightweight, compact, and incredibly simple to use. That said, the Sawyer Squeeze system has a lot going for it and, in many situations, is probably the more versatile choice. Being able to fill a pouch or bottle, filter water for cooking, provide clean water for someone else, or even set it up as a gravity-fed filter at camp makes it an excellent addition to a preparedness kit. Different tools for different jobs—that’s really the point.
Preparedness isn’t about fear, and it isn’t about chasing every new gadget that comes along. It’s about understanding your options before you need them. Even something as simple as storing a few gallons of water, knowing where alternative water sources are located, and having a reliable way to make that water safe to drink can turn a major inconvenience into a manageable situation.
I’m curious what everyone else is doing to prepare. Are you relying primarily on stored water, a home filtration system like the Berkey, portable filters such as the Sawyer Squeeze or LifeStraw, or something else entirely?
Have you ever had to rely on your preparedness plan because of a boil-water notice, a severe storm, an extended power outage, or some other unexpected event? If so, what worked well, and what would you do differently today?
One of the strengths of RRVARC has always been the depth of experience within our membership. We all come from different backgrounds, and there’s a tremendous amount we can learn from one another. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and experiences. 😎😊
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Phillip,
I did not take your article as a “Chicken Little the Sky Is Falling” type read, but as one meant to inform others about the dangers we face now. These concerns are very REAL, and for those who do not think so, well they are like Ostriches who bury their hand in the sand. We MUST and we owe it to families and ourselves to be prepared should something happen to tax our world. Water is a critical requirement for life, even more than food, but we can insure success by simply taking a few extra steps. Rainwater catchment systems, and guttering our buildings for its retrieval is one of the simplest things we can do to make sure there is a viable water supply for needs other than drinking. We too keep purification straws in our “Go Bags” in case we are away from the farm when an event happens, which at some point it will.
Always be PREPARDED for the worst…….
ki5vnl
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