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Preparing for the Inevitable
Preparing for the Inevitable
As I begin this, the power to a couple of million people has been out for 6 days. Despite what will be said, this is not an anomaly but one in a more frequently occurring series of infrastructure breakdowns.
Add to that the undeniable fact that, whether caused by global warming or other possibly worse scenarios, more people’s lives are being negatively affected by both weather and disasters.
Now, keep in mind that the budgets of those organizations intended to respond to these events have been severely reduced because of loss of revenues related to fewer tax payers and substantially lower property values.
Factor in the impact of the pending banking collapse and the inevitable bank runs, and you have the recipe for some serious craziness.
One thing we haven’t had to contend with much in the past is the impact of a computer glitch on our lives. My favorite example occurred right here in San Diego on July 4th.
The long awaited, highly anticipated, state-of-the-art fireworks tribute to American independence is an event so spectacular that people drove hundreds of miles just for the “oohing” and the “aahing”, and the gut punching of dozens of thunderous explosions spread out over forty-five minutes.
Billed as the Big Bay Boom it is a fireworks lover’s heaven. The show itself was produced by the venerable century old firm, Garden City Fireworks, all the way from Millington, New Jersey.
No amateurs flickin’ bics in a trench somewhere. Four separate locations, including three barges brought into the bay itself, would serve as launch pads.
Because of the uniqueness of the site, this would be one of company’s biggest shows of the year and they do hundreds of them from coast to coast.
As darkness set in, people positioned themselves for what was to come.
And, then it began.
Oh, and it was magnificent! No one could recall ever seeing anything bigger or hearing anything louder. One observer described it as looking “as though a flaming planet were roaring right at us.”
It was an apt description. It had that Steppenwolf song “Born to Be Wild” lyric quality to it, “Fire all of our guns at once, explode into space.”
And then…. it was over. Done, fine, the end.
They had indeed fired all of their guns at once and the show was done in 15 seconds, pretty much guaranteeing some kind of Guinness record I would imagine.
Officials referred to the event as “premature ignition.”
But hey, it happens to all of us at one time or another, right?
The Big Bay Boom was just that, one big boom. Only a computer could do that.
But it got me wondering, if the best intentions of the best professionals with a century of experience can see their work undone so easily, what other unintended consequences are lurking in the dark recesses of computer code written by a possibly disgruntled programmer?
It reminds me of something my uncle once said. He and many of his generation viewed the world differently than mine because of World War II. “I don’t care how good they say German and Japanese cars are, I’ll never own one. Someday they’re all going to just stop at the exact same time and we’ll be done for.”
At the time, I thought he might have had a few too many Hamm’s, but now, I think he may have been on to something.
Soon they will be deploying drones, unmanned computer operated aircraft for use inside America. I’m sure nothing could ever go wrong.
Then there is the money problem.
The Euro experiment has derailed and governments are running out of money right here in the USA. The city of Stockton CA has filed for bankruptcy and San Bernardino is about to do the same. Scranton, Pennsylvania reduced all city employees to minimum wage. This will be coming soon to a town near you. Check your local listings for times.
Oh, and those state and municipal pension funds that everyone has been perpetually underfunding. What remains in these funds are the TBTF bankstas worthless loan pools secured by nothing.
Obviously, government at every level is dysfunctional for a host of reasons. As a result, we have to take greater responsibility for our own well-being.
Katrina is still the best argument for self-reliance. Oh, no! Here comes FEMA.
It is starting to remind me of the old Soviet Union where nothing worked the way it was supposed to, and there is good reason for that—both were failed attempts at centralization. Or, Globalization as this effort has been named. Or, New World Order as they used to call it. The end is one economy, one currency, open borders and one small group running it all…for the good of all Mankind. Democracy is out. Plutocracy is in. If you weren’t a big fan of totalitarianism or fascism, you’re really going to hate the New Plutocracy.
What we are witnessing is the byproduct of Centralization; the idea that one big giant entity run by one all-powerful bureaucracy is better than a bunch of much smaller entities run by local organizations.
Recently, I heard an economist say that Globalization was essential and unstoppable. But what the fuck do economists know? Free trade and lax borders have resulted in the expansion of poverty both domestically and internationally.
Sure it’s good for the one percent, and the evidence of that could not be more compelling. Whether you focus here or in Europe or Asia, the evidence of decline is everywhere.
Globalists hate it when you say what I am about to say. Things worked better back in the day. The jobs were local, the Government was local, and the schools were local. The markets weren’t super but they were adequate. Who needs a Guava from Guadalajara, anyway?
Almost any job paid enough to buy a modest house at an affordable payment.
If you needed customer service, you didn’t need to be routed to India.
I’ve heard all of the arguments about why I’m wrong and why we can’t seal ourselves off from the global movement. I’ve thought about it long and hard, and I think that is nonsense.
It defies my common sense and life experience.
Electricity came late to the rural areas surrounding the Mesabi Iron Range. A local coop was formed, the REA we called it, which stood for the Rural Electric Association. Power failures were more common, but they didn’t last very long. A couple of hours and the power was usually back up.
We are but one event away from chaos and I say to you, “be prepared”.
I am a reasonable man. I have been writing columns for more than thirty years and most of the last 7 or 8 years work can be found online. Everyone can see that I’m not some conspiracy theory loon or part of any group that advocates for anything other than constitutional rights.
People who know me seek my advice on a wide range of topics because they trust my judgment.
I’m not advocating that you should carve a bunker out of a mountainside but to be prepared to survive for thirty days if the water is out, the power is out, all means of communication are out and you cannot get out.
No supermarket, no ATM, and no fuel. Communication might be impossible and, at best, difficult. Even if the utility side is operational, the system would be stretched beyond its limits.
Plan a meet up place in advance or even two. Your own logistics will determine the best location for all of the members of your tribe.
I’m not a Doomsdayer, but I cannot see how we can avoid at least some sort of interruption in our daily lives.
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We are in uncharted waters here. History will reveal many of the things that we cannot see while events are unfolding. Don’t assume that it could never happen. We live in a world that is but one errant keystroke away from serious calamity.
Being prepared is about answering a few basic questions. How long should I prepare for? What will I need?
Water, food, first aid, fuel, and waste management are the basics
When it comes to provisions, I want to keep thirty days of food and water. If some sort of normalcy isn’t achieved by then, we are probably screwed anyway. Don’t forget your pets. Have extra food and water for them as well.
Experts suggest a gallon per person per day, but you can definitely get by on less. I also keep a few bottles of Gatorade which can be diluted with water for some extra nutrients while you hydrate
Our water comes through the mountains in a pipe. If an earthquake or a landslide were to damage the pipe, the county’s reservoirs would eventually run dry.
Locate a local water source in advance. In Southern California we have the Ocean, and not much else. But, you may be fortunate to live near a water reservoir or storage tank.
Getting access to that water can definitely extend your ability to survive a longer period.
You can survive weeks without food but only days without water.
Many people have set aside dried beans, pasta, and rice as their emergency store. But they require both water and fuel to prepare so I recommend that dried, unprepared foods make up only a small part of your “emergency” stash.
Same with having a freezer full of food.
You can stock up on freeze dried MRI type meals, but they are fairly expensive and you still need to rotate them over time which means eating them and replacing them.
Until you get around to doing that, at least plan ahead with what is at hand.
My choice for a survival stash is very different from my normal diet and is mostly canned food. I have white beans, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, lima beans, corn, tomato sauce, jalapenos, canned tuna and salmon, low sodium spam, peaches, pears, apricots, peanut butter, and nuts.
As long as no emergency occurs, you’ll need to rotate your food. Expiration dates don’t mean a whole lot when it comes to canned food. A year or two probably doesn’t matter.
Every now and then when it’s late and I’m tired, I just pull something out and eat it.
Or, donate the food every few months and replace it all at once.
If you rely on prescription medication, you should probably try to keep an extra thirty-day supply. I know this can be hard to do with some insurance plans, but if you forget every now and then to take your medication, squirrel it away for an emergency or see if you can pay retail for an additional thirty-day supply.
Keep your vehicles full of gas, refill propane tanks promptly and consider the ease of an extra canister if you typically barbecue on a gas grill. When one runs out during that fabulous Tri-tip, you’ll have a full one at the ready and swapped out before the grill starts to cool.
The gas grill can be used to heat food.
If you have a fireplace, keep some firewood on hand.
Create an emergency money supply. Banks could be closed for weeks and ATMs may not function without power. If they do have power, they will quickly run out of money.
All paper money is fiat money with no actual value behind it, just the guarantee of a nation that cannot pay its bills. In times of chaos, people who have things you need might be reluctant to take fiat money.
Some coinage has actual value. Having some small denominations of gold and silver is a smart hedge against economic collapse. I’m not suggesting that you convert everything to gold bullion or silver. I have no idea what will happen during a global economic calamity.
The attitude toward precious metals could change. Then there is the issue of practicality. With an ounce of gold approaching $2,000, it would be like asking the corner store to make change for a two thousand dollar bill. Good luck!
The idea of an emergency money supply is to not be without it when you need it most. If the money is unspendable, it is the same as having none.
How much money depends on what you might want to accomplish. Having enough to get a long ways away is my goal, and to be able to use it to buy necessities for at least thirty days when I get there.
And, what if we just limp along, without any major event? You’ve lost nothing, and you are still prepared for anything.
www.4closureFraud.org
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Good for starting fires in an emergency too.
Might make for decent toilet paper, as well. "Eat the bible, pass the word".
"We need to pass it, to find out what's in it............."
Its because Obama and all those in Gov't are the Beast from Revelations http://jhooley.com/therion/
If that is the case, then Obummer must suffer and recover from a head wound?
I thought he already did wtf?
I hear there will be free food and water in the FEMA camps...
and great showers...
Right after viewing the re-education films. Hey, thought I saw Pol Pot down in the front row!
That was Conzinetm.
"Right after viewing the re-education films."
And handing over your gun(s). Which you'll probably never see again.
U intend to "hand over" your weapons to the gubmint? Then U are already dead.
Bibles + me
Excellent article, and I really need to get to doing some of these things you talk about. No medications for this 51 year old, fortunately. Or his wife. But the water is what worries me more than anything else.
Ever read the book One Second after, by William Forstchen? It's about what happens to one small town in the U.S. after a rogue country detonates a nuclear weapon in space over Kansas, launched from a freighter in the Gulf of Mexico. EMP strike. No power, no water, no utilities, no communication, no transportation, no nothing. The entire country, from sea-to-shining-sea. Lots of people died real fast. Basically life went back to what it was like 150 years ago. And that way of life cannot support people in old folks homes, folks on permanent life support such as kidney dialysis, etc. It cannot support the number of people in the U.S. today. All the wildlife was basically extinct within a few weeks of the blast.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Second_After
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4922079-one-second-after
I read it when it first came out, and it's a scary read to be sure. Might be why we are so insistent on North Korea and Iran not having nukes.
I see you mentioned nothing about self protection. Something bad happens, and you are out barbequeing some wonderful smelling food, you'll have uninvited guests in short order. Food for thought!
Oh, in the book it was never determined who launched the missile. Norh Korea and Iran were suspected, and turned into sheet glass via submarine launched ballistic missiles.
If an EMP stike occurs, you do not want to be in a civilian airliner at 30,000 feet. They are not nuclear-hardened, and go Tango Uniform just like all of our cars and trucks will. 30,000 foot crash dive with no power and no controls, due to fly-by-wire technology.
Things that make you go hmmmm!
I read and enjoyed "One Second After". Another great one is the "Dies the fire" series by R.M. Stirling. In that scenario, it's not just an EMP but physics on Earth change; no electricity, no gunpowder..put a match to it and you get sizzle but no explosion. It's back to Medieval times in a series of books well-told. And certainly something to think about with the coming Earth changes.
"f an EMP stike occurs, you do not want to be in a civilian airliner at 30,000 feet. They are not nuclear-hardened, and go Tango Uniform just like all of our cars and trucks will. 30,000 foot crash dive with no power and no controls, due to fly-by-wire technology."
Recent tests on cars with computer systems found them to be resilent to EMP. Because Cars are electrically noisy, All of the electronic components need to be hardened. Gov't tests showed that most cars simple stalled but could be restarted and there was no lasting damaged to the car from an EMP. The biggest danager will be to the Grid, since the grid serves as a huge antenna collecting very large amounts of energy from the EMP. This will likely take out power plants and damage the very large transformers which are already on a two year waiting list. However, most of the large transformers can still be used, but a much reduced power copacity (ie work with rolling blackouts). However its difficult to say if the grid can be made functional enough and in time to avoid a collapse. There is a report linked on survivalblog.com about the EMP effects on modern vehicles (which I am summarizing here).
Personally I think it will be difficult to reboot the entire nation after an EMP attack. There is simply too much infrastructure that is dependant on the grid (and electronic communications).
That said it would be difficult for small (rogue) nations to take out the CONUS with an EMP attack. for a nation wide attack would require very large nukes (10 Megaton or larger) or a large number of multiple nukes that are distributed regionally. Currenlty only three nations can carry out a nation wide EMP attack: the US, Russia and China. Everyone else lacks the missile capability and the nuke capacity to put it off. it takes a very large rocket capable of moving a 20 ton warhead (for a 10 Megaton device) 170 to 200 miles above the US. A rogue nation like N. Korea or Iran at best could implement a regional attack affecting a region with a few metopolitian cities (such as the NY-Philly-DC) region. Another issue, is that launching a EMP attack it will be very easy to determine who launched the attack. It would be pure suicide. The book "One Second after" does not account for the size of the nuke required to take out the CONUS.
A solar flare\CME will never be powerful enough to take out vehicles, but could take down the grid. Since CMEs take several days to reach, power companies can shutdown the grid in prepation of the the CME. The question is how long will the Grid need to remain shutdown since it make be several days before the CME passes and how societies act under this condition. A grid shutdown more than a few days raises real risks for nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools which need near constant power for cooling. Nuke power plants are only required to have three days of diesel on site.
Even if vehicles could still operate, with the power off there would be no gasoline. Now would be a good time to buy a syphon kit & a very long hose. You could also run a gas generator by syphoning from cars or the refill ports at your local Chevron.
under what conditions do you think the Oil companies will want or volunteer to shut their hose pipes off???
you think oil companies want to put themselves out of business?!!
there's going to be no supply issues, oil is abundent and coming out of the planets ears. Not a problemo in sight
You may find the gov't. EMP report interesting, if troubling.
http://www.empcommission.org/
Unfortunately, it appears that a 10-megaton nuke wouldn't be required, because a smaller weapon's energy output can be tailored to make it more efficient at generating an EMP. But even if a 10-megaton nuke was required, it would "only" mass @ about 4 tons, if the W-53 (9 megaton) is any indication.
In the book, a nuclear device meant to generate a large EMP blast is referred to as "salted". I believe that just changing the material of the casing is all that is required to make it an EMP device.
Water barrels for catching rain off your roof. If that is too expensive, save water bottles the 2.5 gallon are best. Cut the tops off the water bottles and use them as cheap rain catches. You also might find researching using pool shock to make bleach to purify your water interesting. Its fun to get off the grid. Use at your own risk. Warning: water born pathogens and contaminants can be deadly.
Disinfection of catchment water is critical. Bird shit from the roof is one source to be very concerned about. Diverting initial flow will lower concentrations. Bleach, iodine, boiling, or the Berkey will take care of it too, however.
you'll want bleach for many things but especially for water, and you can get 'pool shock' be sure it's sodium hypochlorite to treat the water. one small bag will make 10k gal.
FYI: Bleach has a shelv life of 6 to 8 months. Pool shock about 2 years. sodium hypocholorite decomposes over time. Becareful storing pool shock as it will corrode just about anything stored nearby as it decomposes.
Baquasil pool shock is nothing more than 27% hydrogen peroxide. Kills bugs with no clorine taste. Returns to H2O in a few hours. Very safe to use. Dilute to 3% to use as topical antiseptic and sterilize food prep areas.
EMPs don't only come from nukes either (See "Carrington Event"). I've heard estimates that there's a 10+% chance of a significant solar flare/EMP occuring w/in the next 10 years.
On a very localized note: I had a LEMP event at a client recently. Blew out a bunch of electronics on building ground not to mention every PC lying on the floor, every USB port with a cable running on the floor, and even a VGA port with a cable running in conduit underground. Patch panel and other network cables run underground via PVC conduit suffered effects as well. Property took a direct ground hit after rain saturation; blew out electronics in the on-site generator and the transformer and circuit board for the sprinkler system blew completely off the wall... There were no impacts via building power due to protection in the panels and building UPS. Everything either came up via ground or via LEMP through the conduit and slab.
sunspot AR1520 spewed a x1.4 flare today and is only just getting warmed up. yes, it's aimed right at us.
Would suggest as currency....the lowly Nickel. 75% copper/25% nickel.
The last circulating American coinage with any intrinsic value, it's melt value today is 97% of face value. Last year it climbed above 140%.
When inflation takes hold (and it will), the Nickel will only appreciate in value.
As long as nickels carry a decreed value, Gresham's Law will ensure they'll never circulate for the very reasons you lay out.
Kyle Bass, FTMFW!
Roosevelt dimes before 1964...basically sell for the silver content. Very undervalued.
Very VERY valued
Based on spot price of $27.29/oz at 01:15 EST 7/13/12, 1964 and prior US coins are worth
1 dime = $1.97
1 quarter = $4.94
1 1/2 dollar = $9.87
Nice to have for those smaller purchases like a loaf of bread, a gallon of gas, etc
My departed Dad was the thinker, twenty years ago I couldn't even figure out why he had left bags of change, mostly silver dimes, quarters, and silver dollars.
Two other benefits - easy sorting due to the lack of non-debased versions in circulation. . . yet (unlike the penny), and in the case the dollar is ever "revalued" there is a chance change won't be, so your nickles could be boosted for a time to $.50 or even $5.00.
4closure - Glad to see you came to the party - pull up a chair!
Mrktwtch - The power of community is a more important asset then you think. Yes you can survive for a time with your rifle, tent, and bandolier - but unless you can sustainably maintain a food and water supply, your tenure will be short-lived. There's a reason why Europe was built around the village/city-state.
You are on the "right" track. I will go one step further.
The smallest sustaining people gathering in the US seems to be the rural county. Large enough to band together, with a service and volunteer structure already in place. If it has farming and ranching families in place and if you have relatives that can accept you quickly, this is your best bet. Katrina is a great example of what will happen in large to medium size cities once food distribution and emergecy services are suspended.
I completely agree.
Speaking of 'rural', check this listing out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/190676636781?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3...
Note the oil shale mention.
Think this is in/near the Standing Stone State Park in TN. I'd like to have this place just for a getaway... http://tinyurl.com/7ffhtqk
There aren't going to be any safe rural hideouts, redoubts, etc. Rawles notwithstanding. The regime will be making extensive use of Predators, Hellfires and the like.
a city state can sustain itself as well as any rural state, so long as you pull the plug on the Govt goons meddling and fucking the market economy up
city bees produce 30% more honey than their country cousins. Go figure...
A city state can survive only as long as it has access to fertile land around it for food production. Old saying: Destroy the city and leave the farms, and the city will be rebuilt within a generation. Destroy the farms and leave the city, and the city will disappear forever.
So what else is new?
FEMA will be our new Govt. HR 4079. Reference: Mt. Weather.
Good essay. I would add a camping type water purifier too. Simple preparedness is not just for TEOTWAWKI. It's for power glitches, fuel interruptions, sudden job loss, illness, etc. When you know you are prepared to keep your family warm, dry and fed for a few weeks with no outside help, sleep comes a little easier.
The Berkey and Katadyn line of filters rock btw. Katadyn for the BOB, Berkey for the home base. Depending on your location, water catchment/cisterns are also a nice addition.
use a berkey at my camp
excellent reliable product
hint:
have extra empty jugs on hand for when the filter gets low on water in the top it purifys slower,
so drain it off as it gets purified
and jugs to get the water to the berkey (from well,stream,or spring or evn your pool)
If you have two bathrooms where you live and you only really use one fill up the second tub full and throw a 1 oz silver eagle in the water and cover it with plastic liner (prevents dust and the silver will keep the microbial levels in check.) Run the water for 15 minutes, full tub -- ready to go for about a month with a secondary purifier.
Easily hundreds of gallons of extra water in case of emergency if you plan to stay put.
My father used to always do this during hurricane season in South Texas about a month before any hurricanes started showing up. It's just ingrained in me now. Also crisco -- believe it or not a vat of Crisco cooking grease will burn a candle wick for 90+ days ... it's also $5 for a massive one at Sams vs. $20 for a "survival" candle and better yet you can use it to cook food/have light at the same time.
P.S.,
...obviously, scrub the damn tub before you fill it up and use a sanitary plug but most of you already knew that.
Also, if you have a vacant house in the neighborhood and the owner (bank or otherwise) has kept the water turned on for watering grass/plants, the water heater is a back up tank for consideration, even after the city stops supply/pressure.
Interesting.
Found this on the topic: http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=69302
Keep in mind, rainwater,stream water, can be almost 100% purified by filling plastic coke/etc bottles,and placing them in direct sunlight for a day or so.(make sure to use ONLY clear plastic).
The intense heat will kill most of the bacteria, and other pathogens.
But, not any water that has petroleum products in them.