America’s power grid is one disaster away from failure. Transformer wait times have ballooned from 50 weeks to as much as 127—and even four years for specialized models. Domestic manufacturing can only meet 20% of demand, and "Buy America" rules are choking off foreign supply just as global demand surges. If a wildfire, cyberattack, or storm takes out a chunk of the grid, utilities may wait years to replace critical components. Even more alarming: the grid remains almost entirely unshielded from electromagnetic pulses—either from a high-altitude weapon or a massive solar storm. One powerful pulse could fry transformers nationwide, triggering a blackout with no quick way to restore power. While we invest billions in AI, EVs, and green energy, we’re ignoring a basic question: what happens when the lights go out—and we can’t turn them back on?