National Preparedness: How to Prepare for Cyberattacks and Infrastructure Disruptions
Last updated: November 4, 2026 Emergency preparedness in the United States is entering a new era. Traditional disaster planning has focused on hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, severe winter storms and power outages. But another threat increasingly deserves a place in every household emergency plan: cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. A sophisticated cyberattack does not necessarily need to shut down an entire power grid or telecommunications network to create serious consequences. Disrupting water-treatment controls, food refrigeration systems, healthcare networks, payment infrastructure or logistics operations can affect essential services that communities rely on every day. Recent incidents in the United States highlight this changing risk landscape. Federal authorities have warned about attacks affecting water and wastewater operations, while the Pentagon is investigating suspected cyber interference involving food refrigeration systems at military install...
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