American Blackout: This Is Why I Prep

[marylandmark]

Here's a link some might find interesting on the communications side of things.

A communication network can be built from the ground up in a short timeline. There are several ways to communicate if what is to be considered "normal" communications were to go down. Funniest example IMHO are the sky pagers where different strings of numbers on the screen mean different things. Yes, pagers! There are certain jobs assigned to be done by default just in case all communications were down.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/news...-emergency-equipment-60-feet-underground.html

 

[pbharvey]

If the grid goes out no one will go to work

This is the real unknown. Once enough people with critical skills are no longer available, the problem magnifies exponentially.

Survival instinct will kick in and suddenly your "job" won't seem so important. Maybe the guy at the power plant shows up but the rigging crew, who are the only ones who can set the new transformer in place, have since bugged out or no one is able to get in touch with them. Lack of communication and information would be rampant.

 

[Minuteman]

At a minimum, put some extra or backup radio/commo/electronics in a metal container (ammo can, etc); don't let it touch the metal.

Also have a plan that you had if you only had ~10 minutes, you could quickly 'EMP' proof your electronics/power (unplug, shutdown master breaker, put electronics in metal trash can, etc) as quickly as possible.

Read book Family preparedness. Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, 3rd Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars (448) Reviews

 

[psycosteve]

I was under the impression that solar panels didn't work when the grid is down/power is out.

Well that is not entirely true if you have a battery bank to store the power that you are producing during the day. The way the solar companies are setting up your panels is that they are tied to the grid so you produce energy during the day and the grid supplies your energy at night. As a safety feature if it is not connected to the grid you do not get your power as it would kill the linemen working on the system.

 

[CrazySanMan]

Well that is not entirely true if you have a battery bank to store the power that you are producing during the day. The way the solar companies are setting up your panels is that they are tied to the grid so you produce energy during the day and the grid supplies your energy at night. As a safety feature if it is not connected to the grid you do not get your power as it would kill the linemen working on the system.

It depends how the grid goes down. The Solar panels won't survive an EMP event but they will survive a hack attack or grid failure from natural disaster or something like that.

 

[BeoBill]

Get a generator, or better yet a home backup system that runs on propane or natural gas. Supplement it with solar or wind, and you'll be in better shape than 99.99999% of the population.

Worthless advice. Gas generators need gas to run. Gas needs to be pumped. Using electricity. Same with propane and natural gas.

Solar works only when the sun shines, and seldom at peak efficiency for a number of reasons. Better to use that for a radio and one light.

Wind? This is not the Midwest or the Dakotas; forget wind.

And keep a couple of things in mind. Sure, the Russians, Chinese, or North Koreans/Iranians could detonate an EMP weapon, but why? It makes no sense from a strategic or tactical viewpoint. However, a REALLY BIG CME could do the job nicely. THAT was the root cause of the Ontario/Niagara Region/NYS/East Coast blackout you're referencing.

Another thing to keep in mind - most expert security generalists are armed and prep to some degree. And they don't advertise those traits.




BT

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

If you have a thirsty genny...

Get yourself a hand or DC powered pump to get gas out of vehicles that won't/don't run. Having a decent Jerry can or three might be good.

Having a properly sized genny would be prudent too. Bigger ones guzzle gas.

Mine is tri-fuel and 1 KW. Working on getting a second to run together. Hondas. Will run them on the propane in the big in ground tank following SHTF. They sip propane.

 

[aray]

In winter, at least, the issue of food spoilage isn't as bad. Imagine how bad things would get in major cities if the grid failed in the middle of a July or August heat wave. Every fridge and freezer would have to get dumped out after 24 hours, and all that food would have to be collected immediately and disposed of before it became a biohazard. You can safely assume that's not going to happen, and that means decay and disease won't be far behind. One freezer full of decaying meat is a horrific event you'll never forget - I can't imagine what millions of them all going bad at once would be like.

Add to that millions of people sweating, dirty, and sick from heat stroke, and poor sanitation due to the effects on fresh water and sewer utilities, and you've got the recipe for massive disease outbreaks.

A winter grid failure wouldn't be a picnic, but summer would be hell on earth.

I don't think people would last that long and Forstchen's book was overly optimistic I believe for the big city survival rates. Large cities need electricity for basic life, and quickly. If you cut off their food supply for just days, the millions of folks in NYC, LA, etc. will turn on each other's meager supplies like locust and die off rapidly. They're not prepared to find food at-scale unless someone trucks it in for them from the outside. Worse, cut off their water. Yes, they may have passive (gravity fed) mains to the pumping stations, but from that point on it's toast. No power to the pumps = no water in the elevated rooftop tanks = no water in the facets. People can go for many days without food; going without water will kill faster. The whole city will find itself on the banks of the Hudson River almost immediately to survive, which will also become one big sewer, at which point those who do that will succumb to dysentery and other water-borne illnesses the population of NYC is ill-prepared to handle.

 

[Rack&Roll]

Party pooper.

 

[hogarth]

Another thing I do to prepare for a long term grid outage is buy books. Today if something breaks, or I need to learn how to do something I do what we all do - I consult the Google. But without teh intarwebs we won't be able to do that anymore. How do I learn how sharpen the blade on a crosscut saw or know when to plant a certain vegetable or how to tan the hide of that deer I just shot if I can't Google it? I've got a few shelves filled with books that show how to do all of these and more. Cooking, plumbing, mechanics, hunting and fishing, gardening, carpentry, etc. Get some books that show you how to do things without electricity and tuck them away, just in case. My prepper library is filled with books on skills from the stone age to today.

That's what the one character did in the book "Lucifers Hammer". Found every book he could find about how to X (gardening, making bread, making concrete,etc) and burried them. Later, when people threatened to kill him, he used this as bargaining power as the "keeper of knowledge".

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

I don't think people would last that long and Forstchen's book was overly optimistic I believe for the big city survival rates. Large cities need electricity for basic life, and quickly. If you cut off their food supply for just days, the millions of folks in NYC, LA, etc. will turn on each other's meager supplies like locust and die off rapidly. They're not prepared to find food at-scale unless someone trucks it in for them from the outside. Worse, cut off their water. Yes, they may have passive (gravity fed) mains to the pumping stations, but from that point on it's toast. No power to the pumps = no water in the elevated rooftop tanks = no water in the facets. People can go for many days without food; going without water will kill faster. The whole city will find itself on the banks of the Hudson River almost immediately to survive, which will also become one big sewer, at which point those who do that will succumb to dysentery and other water-borne illnesses the population of NYC is ill-prepared to handle.

Interestingly, Forschen sets his book in small town Appalachia. The results are much more believable when you appreciate the notion of community that is pervasive hereabouts.

 

[Blacksmith101]

If you want a glimpse of how some things might turn out read this written by a Bosnian civil war survivor. It will start you thinking:
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/bosnia-war-survivor-warns-collapse-america/

 

[MDFF2008]

I suggested the microwave because it's quick and easy. I had one the generator broke, I recycled it. I would have given it away to someone for free. Quick and easy.

For the solar panels, my suggestion would be grab a couple of these bad boys

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCo...id=1456119442&sr=1-6&keywords=anker+powercore

They are rechargeable batteries. I have one, I can get about 4 phone charges off it before it dies. Very useful when traveling. You can use the solar panel to charge this, and that gives you power storage for a cloudy day.

 

[Muleskinner]

The issue isn't getting solar panels, a windmill or a natural gas generator (which won't help if the power is out, it takes electricity to "pump" gas to your home)...The real issue is other people who don't prepare. If you have electricity from solar or wind and you have food and maybe water, others are going to want to take it from you...THAT is the biggest threat you face...

 

[CrazySanMan]

For the solar panels, my suggestion would be grab a couple of these bad boys

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCo...id=1456119442&sr=1-6&keywords=anker+powercore

They are rechargeable batteries. I have one, I can get about 4 phone charges off it before it dies. Very useful when traveling. You can use the solar panel to charge this, and that gives you power storage for a cloudy day.

Anker makes great external batteries.

I've been buying solar panels with USB outputs on them to recharge batteries like those Ankers. I prefer high quality (olight, Nitecore, Thrunite, etc) flashlights with USB charging ports so I can recharge them during the day. You can find battery packs similar to the Ankers that have a solar panel on them and can recharge via the sun. They are very slow to charge but do work. You could charge a 10,000mAh one in 2 days worth of sun.

The Luci solar powered inflatable lanterns are great. They are very bright and will hold a charge for a year. I have 4 so far and every month or so I buy another. I use them camping too.

I have a few battery chargers that will take 4 AA or AAA batteries and use a solar cell on the back side of the charger to recharge them. The chargers aren't very efficient, but hey,they work and can charge 4AA in about 8 hours of sunlight.

The dollar store often has little solar powered garden lights. I've got a basement window full of them, they sit soaking up the sun each day so if the power goes out they are already fully charged. They are a dim light, which is good because they won't be so visible from the street when the bad guys start roaming after several days with no power.

Get a solar trickle charger or two for a car battery from Harbor Freight. You can power all kinds of stuff with car batteries and once the gas pumps stop I think car batteries will be easy to scrounge up from abandoned cars that ran out of gas.

In Maryland, especially the eastern shore with it's high water table, you can build a water pump from PVC that will pump water from the ground. They aren't difficult to make and a Google search will show you how. Find a good site and print out the instructions so you can make one if the time comes.

 

[eruby]

If we actually go One Second After, I could probably last up to 3 or 4 months. Maybe 5 or 6 if I kill the cats and eat their food.

 

[slybarman]

You mean eat the cats, then their food, right?

No point in wasting protein at that point.

 

[eruby]

6 or 7 months.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Get a solar trickle charger or two for a car battery from Harbor Freight. You can power all kinds of stuff with car batteries and once the gas pumps stop I think car batteries will be easy to scrounge up from abandoned cars that ran out of gas.

In Maryland, especially the eastern shore with it's high water table, you can build a water pump from PVC that will pump water from the ground. They aren't difficult to make and a Google search will show you how. Find a good site and print out the instructions so you can make one if the time comes.

I believe if the grid goes down there will be a cottage industry spring up for 12 volt alternate energy. There will be lots of batteries available and 12 vt lights plus motors from power windows and heater blowers. The alternators may be fried but old style car generators or even DC motors can be made to generate if you spin them (water power, wind, even lawn mower engines). Creative people will set up charging stations and barter battery charging for what they need. Others will strip 12 vt systems from cars for parts and will create light systems, power tools, and who knows what else. So if you are a gear head with a little electrical knowledge now is the time to start experimenting to prepare yourself for your after crash business.

You can even make your own deep well hand pump from PVC Pipe:

Pump Plans
http://hydromissions.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/10/slapshotconstruction.pdf

Hand pump general information
www.wateraid.org/~/media/Publications/Handpumps.ashx

 

[CrazySanMan]

I saw a thread on another forum where the question was asked "If SHTF, will you bug in or bug out?" One guy responded that he lived next to the county pound so he would stay in his home since he had all the wonton meat he could eat next door.