Floods, Blackout Warnings and a General Strike: 3 Events From This Week and the One Plan That Covers All Three
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Illustration (AI-generated), not a photo of the actual event.
Three very different stories made the news during the week of November 2 to 8, 2026: record flooding in the American Southwest, a blackout and cyberattack warning in Britain, and a nationwide strike in France.
An easy way to remember them: Water, Wires, Walkouts. A flood, a threat to the power grid, and a strike. Three different ways normal life gets interrupted. The good news is that one simple plan covers all three. Below is what happened, what to do if you're ever in the area, and the short kit list at the end.
1. Water: record floods in the Southwest, then a storm across 35 states
Heavy rain on Sunday, November 1 fell on ground that was already soaked. The result was some of the worst flooding the Four Corners region has seen in generations.
- Arizona: Flagstaff recorded 5.15 inches of rain, its wettest November 1 on record. Floodwaters trapped people in their homes in Sedona, an RV park was evacuated in Camp Verde, and swift-water rescues were carried out as far south as Tucson. The governor declared a statewide emergency on Monday.
- Colorado: In Pagosa Springs, the San Juan River rose to within about a foot of its 1911 record and flooded downtown. A house was lifted off its foundation, part of a road bridge collapsed, and dozens of people were rescued, some by helicopter.
- New Mexico: Evacuations were ordered along the San Juan River, and the village of Chama was evacuated and cut off by road closures.
- The toll: Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate. One person died in floodwaters in Flagstaff, and police suspect a second death there was weather-related. Officials expect cleanup to take weeks.
- Then it moved east: Forecasters expected the system to affect more than 35 states and 120 million people. On Election Day, November 3, a tornado was confirmed in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, and Colorado and Utah set up alternative ways to vote for evacuated or stranded residents.
If you're ever in a flood area
- Turn around, don't drown. Never walk or drive through moving water. Six inches can knock an adult down, and about a foot can float a car.
- Leave early. When an evacuation order comes, go. In Pagosa Springs an order was lifted and then reissued. Roads you plan to use may not be there later.
- Keep a go-bag by the door and the gas tank at least half full, so leaving takes minutes, not an hour.
- Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on every phone in the house, and know two ways out of your neighborhood.
Illustration (AI-generated).
2. Wires: Britain's blackout and cyberattack warning
On Tuesday, November 3, Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (part of the GCHQ intelligence agency) published its annual report with a blunt message: the country's critical infrastructure should prepare for a ransomware attack involving AI-powered malware by 2028. Its chief executive, Dr Richard Horne, said the UK faces "a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents."
- A rolling-blackout plan now exists. Under a protocol that took effect in August, Britain's grid operator can rotate power cuts between areas for up to three hours at a time, with as little as eight hours' warning, as a last resort. Hospitals and water treatment sites would be protected.
- The honest caveat: nobody is forecasting blackouts this winter. The grid operator's winter outlook shows a comfortable supply surplus of about 9.5% above expected peak demand.
- The household advice: the UK government's updated "Be Ready" campaign asks every household to plan for up to three days without electricity, water or internet.
Why this matters to Americans: our power, water and hospital systems run on the same kinds of aging computer systems. And notice who is giving the advice. This isn't a prepper on the internet. It's a national government calmly telling ordinary families to be ready for three days on their own.
If the power or internet ever goes down where you live
- Light and information first: a flashlight in every bedroom, spare batteries, and a battery or hand-crank radio.
- Keep power banks charged and your phone above half. Write key phone numbers on paper.
- Keep some cash. Card readers, ATMs and gas pumps all need power and a network.
- Store water: one gallon per person per day, for three days. City water pressure depends on electric pumps.
Illustration (AI-generated).
3. Walkouts: France's unrest becomes a general strike
We've followed France's protests since early October. This week the story changed shape. What began with students blockading schools has merged with a wider revolt over wages, pensions, the cost of living and planned budget cuts.
- Thursday, November 5: a strike called by five unions brought about 575,000 people into the streets, according to France's Interior Ministry. One of the unions, the CGT, put the figure at nearly 1.6 million. It was the biggest turnout of the movement so far.
- Friday, November 6: the U.S. Embassy in Paris issued a new demonstration alert, warning that recent protests have included violence, property destruction and looting, and that metro stations can close with little notice.
- Saturday, November 7: about 146,000 people marched, the smallest of the last four Saturdays (organizers said 250,000).
- Monday, November 9: pay talks between the government, unions and employers began.
Whatever you think of the causes, the lesson for a household is practical. A strike is different from a riot. It rarely puts you in danger. Instead it quietly switches things off: trains, buses, schools, deliveries, sometimes fuel.
If a strike or unrest ever disrupts your area
- Keep a week of the basics at home: food, prescriptions, diapers, pet food. When trucks and trains stop, shelves empty fast.
- Fill the tank at half, not at empty.
- Have a backup plan for school and work: who picks up the kids, and how, if buses or trains aren't running?
- Traveling abroad? Enroll in the State Department's free STEP program so embassy alerts reach you by email, and avoid demonstration areas.
The one plan that covers all three
A flood, a blackout and a strike look nothing alike. But for your household they all mean the same thing: for a few days, the normal systems aren't there. That's why one small kit handles all of them. Think of it as three days on your own:
- Water: one gallon per person per day, for three days.
- Food: three days of food you already eat and don't need to cook.
- Light: a flashlight for each person, plus spare batteries.
- Information: a battery or hand-crank radio, and a charged power bank.
- Health: a week of any prescription medicines and a basic first-aid kit.
- Money and papers: some cash in small bills, and copies of your IDs.
- A way out: a small go-bag by the door, half a tank of gas, and two routes out of your neighborhood.
The bottom line
None of this week's events is a reason to panic. They are a reminder that floods, outages and strikes are ordinary parts of modern life, and that a calm weekend of preparation takes the fear out of all of them. Water, Wires, Walkouts: three problems, one kit.
If you want the whole system laid out step by step, our guide Prepared, Not Paranoid is a calm, one-weekend plan for apartments and suburban homes.
Related
Sources
This article reflects reporting available on November 9, 2026. Figures differ between officials and organizers, and situations like these change quickly. Follow your local authorities for the latest guidance. Images are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of the events.
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