Nat Geo Teams With CDC For Preparedness Campaign

On the heels of National Geographic Channel's original movie American Blackout this Sunday, National Geographic Channel has teamed with several disaster-based government agencies to develop a campaign to prepare consumers for a potential catastrophic cyberattack or major blackout.

Nat Geo will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); the Council on CyberSecurity; and the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign to provide the public with preparedness tips to survive a long-term blackout or cyberattack, said network officials.

The tips, which can be found on the Nat Geo website, include keeping the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible and unplugging all unnecessary electrical equipment in case of a blackout, to setting strong online passwords and change them regularly to minimize damage in case of a cyber incident, according to Nat Geo.

Nat Geo’s original movie American Blackout (pictured), which chronicles the events during a fictional 10-day nationwide blackout caused by a cyber attack, premieres this Sunday.

“We are thrilled to work together with such esteemed organizations to offer the public preparedness tips for these scenarios,” said Courteney Monroe, chief marketing officer for the National Geographic Channels.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.