Helene came in and fucked some shit up. It really fucked shit up in North Carolina and I have no idea when they're gonna get back to normal. This kind of thing just isn't supposed to happen in this area. Our infrastructure was not designed for it. This is the second time in my adult life I have had to scour for gas or walked through super markets that look like this:
And that's in an area where we largely all have power back now.
Whether it's another once in a century pandemic or a freak super storm that veers off course and pummels the fucking mountains or the coming of Zlang'Ra the Blooded - Thrice Damned that heralds the age of infinite punches. Shit keeps happening and I'm sick of it. Our shit fucking Just on Time supply lines and Covid brains appear to have primed the pump on panic buying and hoarding. It's going to continually be a problem for here to the fucking Water Wars.
I've decided I am obligated to start building an actual preparedness plan that will allow for survival up to a week or more off the grid and potentially something that facilitates quickly evacuating an area that should not need evacuation. This is after talking about it for a bit and getting lax and getting caught out on my ass. I'm reviving this thread in case others in here want to review and discuss their own plans.
PT 2: My personal experiences during the hurricane. This is unique to my location.
The majority of the damage in my neck of the woods came entirely from downed trees (and probably everywhere, mostly). Old growth oaks with shallow root beds, highly saturated red clay dirt, and winds pushing 70 or 80+ MPH is a bad combo. Power lines, roofs and cars didn't stand a fucking chance. The city did as well as they could clearing the debris but couldn't touch trees hung up on lines until the utility company grounded the line itself. Duke energy sucks so there are still places with 30 foot trees held up with nothing but a power line over roads that are trying to get back to normal.
Flooding here was minimal, and where it did occur it seemed to mostly be in places where you'd expect it to happen OR in specifically designated flood zones.
Our city/county's water supply comes from three reservoirs with two in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, meaning they are well above the city itself. Also our water rules. It's so much better than any water anywhere I've ever had. Regardless, our water supply has been unaffected and should be fairly secure. This is not the case everywhere else.
With that in mind, the biggest issues we encountered came entirely from a loss of power and an inability to source or store consistent food. The fridge went out and we couldn't really charge devices. Cell service was spotty for us but we could use the internet and our house has a gas water heater and heating. So, if this were colder weather, we'd be able to still have hot showers or heat the home. Meaning, my primary concerns were what and how we were eating and, to a lesser extent, charging a phone.
The people who really saved the day were some friends with charcoal or propane grills and griddles. They were able to bulk cook a lot of food that was potentially going bad but this really only helped for perishables and for roughly one meal at a time.
So, my priority as I see it now is as follows:
1. The ability to cook food. A charcoal or propane grill and a propane cook stove to boil water for things like rice, instant mashed potatoes, soups, coffee percolator, etc.
1A. The ability to cook MULTIPLE houses worth of food so that we can assist neighbors.
2. Reserves of non perishables to be cooked.
3. Power banks for charging devices.
4. Lighting implements like more candles or battery powered/hand charged headlamps or lanterns.
5. Coolers or last ditch storage options for perishable food.
I'm not completely sold on the cost of a generator because the actual loss of power wasn't so disastrous for us that we would've died without it. Losing the fridge sucked ass because, based on the photos above, I have no idea when it will be restocked. But with enough non-perishables set aside and a means to cook, we'll be fine for a while. Also, self inflicted gas shortages. That said, you can realistically store gas in a generator for a while with the right additives.
I'm glad you're ok, juggs. What a horrible disaster.
We bought a generator a few months ago. It can run on propane or gasoline.
We need to get some canned food.
I appreciate it. We're pretty much fine. Other than our internet still being down and hunting for a store with some viddles we are completely back to normal. There are other places that are so much worse and the bulk of the effort and attention should be going to them.
But it also highlights that, yeah, in a disaster, if you aren't stuck on a roof or pinned to a tree, you are going to be on your own for a while. And you need to consider that.
Water heater and furnace still need electricity for control and stuff like forced venting though right? Another argument for some kind of electrical backup
Edit: though it probably depends on the model, when I google I get answers saying as long as your pilot light on your water heater doesn't go out you're fine. But I know on my heater and furnace, they will not work without electricity because of all the control circuits and fans and shit
Yeah, I need to think about some stuff for this winter
We lost power three times last winter, and it was cold enough we didn't have to worry about food spoiling.
Thankfully we were able to get to someone else's house who had heat and power and everything, but I am concerned we will get trapped at home one of these times due to trees blocking the roads or flooding
So we got a generator, which I need to check on
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
PT 2: My personal experiences during the hurricane. This is unique to my location.
The majority of the damage in my neck of the woods came entirely from downed trees (and probably everywhere, mostly). Old growth oaks with shallow root beds, highly saturated red clay dirt, and winds pushing 70 or 80+ MPH is a bad combo. Power lines, roofs and cars didn't stand a fucking chance. The city did as well as they could clearing the debris but couldn't touch trees hung up on lines until the utility company grounded the line itself. Duke energy sucks so there are still places with 30 foot trees held up with nothing but a power line over roads that are trying to get back to normal.
Flooding here was minimal, and where it did occur it seemed to mostly be in places where you'd expect it to happen OR in specifically designated flood zones.
Our city/county's water supply comes from three reservoirs with two in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, meaning they are well above the city itself. Also our water rules. It's so much better than any water anywhere I've ever had. Regardless, our water supply has been unaffected and should be fairly secure. This is not the case everywhere else.
With that in mind, the biggest issues we encountered came entirely from a loss of power and an inability to source or store consistent food. The fridge went out and we couldn't really charge devices. Cell service was spotty for us but we could use the internet and our house has a gas water heater and heating. So, if this were colder weather, we'd be able to still have hot showers or heat the home. Meaning, my primary concerns were what and how we were eating and, to a lesser extent, charging a phone.
The people who really saved the day were some friends with charcoal or propane grills and griddles. They were able to bulk cook a lot of food that was potentially going bad but this really only helped for perishables and for roughly one meal at a time.
So, my priority as I see it now is as follows:
1. The ability to cook food. A charcoal or propane grill and a propane cook stove to boil water for things like rice, instant mashed potatoes, soups, coffee percolator, etc.
1A. The ability to cook MULTIPLE houses worth of food so that we can assist neighbors.
2. Reserves of non perishables to be cooked.
3. Power banks for charging devices.
4. Lighting implements like more candles or battery powered/hand charged headlamps or lanterns.
5. Coolers or last ditch storage options for perishable food.
I'm not completely sold on the cost of a generator because the actual loss of power wasn't so disastrous for us that we would've died without it. Losing the fridge sucked ass because, based on the photos above, I have no idea when it will be restocked. But with enough non-perishables set aside and a means to cook, we'll be fine for a while. Also, self inflicted gas shortages. That said, you can realistically store gas in a generator for a while with the right additives.
#1 should be a weeks supply of water for the household. You can’t guarantee municipal water access during an emergency. You want enough to cook with, drink and do basic hygiene. Realistically this looks like a 55 gallon drum of water. Then you want at least a couple days worth of water you can evacuate with.
You can survive just about anything as long as you have at least water.
I love the Coleman two burner camp stove for day to day emergency cooking. It works great and sips fuel. You can also buy an adapter to hook it into a 20lb tank. I recommend buying a 5lb one. It’s the perfect compromise between portability and having enough gas to actually do something with. If you plan to do batch soups/stews/chilis get one of those bayou burners and like a 6-8 gallon pot.
The big thing if you don’t want to be running these indoors unless it’s like a big shop/garage with good ventilation so make sure to get a good popup canopy.
I prefer a charcoal grill, just because I don't want to have propane stocked up somewhere in the house or garage and you can stack the charcoal and stuff on top of it easier than propane.
We have a small camping heater that's supposed to be safe for indoor use, but we haven't had to try it out yet being in Florida.
The only real problem with a generator is that finding gas isn't easy after a storm so you have to fill up a bunch of gas canisters before hand.
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
edited October 1
I recommend gas grills for the portability and instant on/off. You can evacuate with them, use them on a tailgate or the trunk lid of a car (with a slip and heat resistant silicone mat) and in an emergency not having to mess around with charcoal is nice.
That said when I’ve been in stuck at home emergencies, I’ve made pretty damn good chili on my charcoal smoker.
Honestly most of my emergency kit crosses over with my camping kit, I’ve just beefed up the stuff that is purely at home use.
I’ve been looking into the big lithium iron phosphate battery packs to run the fridge and my cpap at night then recharge using the gas generator during the day.
If your buying gas for a generator make sure to get “clear” gas. Premium without any additives. It lasts longer on its own and wont gum up the lines. Throw in an additive like seafoam and you can get away with over 6 months of storage, and more likely a year. I like to run our generator an hour or two a month though just to make sure everything is in tip top shape.
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
One of the reasons I looked at electric for our new car was the ability to run a heavy duty extension cable inside just to run our pellet stove and charge a few devices in the winter when we lose power. Once it's cold enough for storms to knock out power I'm not worried about perishables since they can live in the snow, but being able to heat the house, run a hot plate, and charge batteries to top up phones and tablets are pretty much the priorities there.
One of the reasons I looked at electric for our new car was the ability to run a heavy duty extension cable inside just to run our pellet stove and charge a few devices in the winter when we lose power. Once it's cold enough for storms to knock out power I'm not worried about perishables since they can live in the snow, but being able to heat the house, run a hot plate, and charge batteries to top up phones and tablets are pretty much the priorities there.
Being able to just set the cooler on the porch and use natures refrigerator is the best. We keep a few bags of ice in the standing freezer for when nature decides to fuck us in the summer.
I'm going to try getting some family members to pool some money at Christmas time and just giving me some money instead of gifts, so I can get a chainsaw. I have a hatchet and a saw, so I could theoretically get my family out and to safety if the roads are blocked, but a chainsaw would be a big help.
0
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Chainsaws are great. I have a 16” electric and a polesaw attachment for our electric multi tool (same batteries). It does a great job cleaning up small trees and branches and i love not having to maintain a two stroke engine.
Posts
Helene came in and fucked some shit up. It really fucked shit up in North Carolina and I have no idea when they're gonna get back to normal. This kind of thing just isn't supposed to happen in this area. Our infrastructure was not designed for it. This is the second time in my adult life I have had to scour for gas or walked through super markets that look like this:
And that's in an area where we largely all have power back now.
Whether it's another once in a century pandemic or a freak super storm that veers off course and pummels the fucking mountains or the coming of Zlang'Ra the Blooded - Thrice Damned that heralds the age of infinite punches. Shit keeps happening and I'm sick of it. Our shit fucking Just on Time supply lines and Covid brains appear to have primed the pump on panic buying and hoarding. It's going to continually be a problem for here to the fucking Water Wars.
I've decided I am obligated to start building an actual preparedness plan that will allow for survival up to a week or more off the grid and potentially something that facilitates quickly evacuating an area that should not need evacuation. This is after talking about it for a bit and getting lax and getting caught out on my ass. I'm reviving this thread in case others in here want to review and discuss their own plans.
We bought a generator a few months ago. It can run on propane or gasoline.
We need to get some canned food.
The majority of the damage in my neck of the woods came entirely from downed trees (and probably everywhere, mostly). Old growth oaks with shallow root beds, highly saturated red clay dirt, and winds pushing 70 or 80+ MPH is a bad combo. Power lines, roofs and cars didn't stand a fucking chance. The city did as well as they could clearing the debris but couldn't touch trees hung up on lines until the utility company grounded the line itself. Duke energy sucks so there are still places with 30 foot trees held up with nothing but a power line over roads that are trying to get back to normal.
Flooding here was minimal, and where it did occur it seemed to mostly be in places where you'd expect it to happen OR in specifically designated flood zones.
Our city/county's water supply comes from three reservoirs with two in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, meaning they are well above the city itself. Also our water rules. It's so much better than any water anywhere I've ever had. Regardless, our water supply has been unaffected and should be fairly secure. This is not the case everywhere else.
With that in mind, the biggest issues we encountered came entirely from a loss of power and an inability to source or store consistent food. The fridge went out and we couldn't really charge devices. Cell service was spotty for us but we could use the internet and our house has a gas water heater and heating. So, if this were colder weather, we'd be able to still have hot showers or heat the home. Meaning, my primary concerns were what and how we were eating and, to a lesser extent, charging a phone.
The people who really saved the day were some friends with charcoal or propane grills and griddles. They were able to bulk cook a lot of food that was potentially going bad but this really only helped for perishables and for roughly one meal at a time.
So, my priority as I see it now is as follows:
1. The ability to cook food. A charcoal or propane grill and a propane cook stove to boil water for things like rice, instant mashed potatoes, soups, coffee percolator, etc.
1A. The ability to cook MULTIPLE houses worth of food so that we can assist neighbors.
2. Reserves of non perishables to be cooked.
3. Power banks for charging devices.
4. Lighting implements like more candles or battery powered/hand charged headlamps or lanterns.
5. Coolers or last ditch storage options for perishable food.
I'm not completely sold on the cost of a generator because the actual loss of power wasn't so disastrous for us that we would've died without it. Losing the fridge sucked ass because, based on the photos above, I have no idea when it will be restocked. But with enough non-perishables set aside and a means to cook, we'll be fine for a while. Also, self inflicted gas shortages. That said, you can realistically store gas in a generator for a while with the right additives.
I appreciate it. We're pretty much fine. Other than our internet still being down and hunting for a store with some viddles we are completely back to normal. There are other places that are so much worse and the bulk of the effort and attention should be going to them.
But it also highlights that, yeah, in a disaster, if you aren't stuck on a roof or pinned to a tree, you are going to be on your own for a while. And you need to consider that.
Edit: though it probably depends on the model, when I google I get answers saying as long as your pilot light on your water heater doesn't go out you're fine. But I know on my heater and furnace, they will not work without electricity because of all the control circuits and fans and shit
We lost power three times last winter, and it was cold enough we didn't have to worry about food spoiling.
Thankfully we were able to get to someone else's house who had heat and power and everything, but I am concerned we will get trapped at home one of these times due to trees blocking the roads or flooding
So we got a generator, which I need to check on
#1 should be a weeks supply of water for the household. You can’t guarantee municipal water access during an emergency. You want enough to cook with, drink and do basic hygiene. Realistically this looks like a 55 gallon drum of water. Then you want at least a couple days worth of water you can evacuate with.
You can survive just about anything as long as you have at least water.
I love the Coleman two burner camp stove for day to day emergency cooking. It works great and sips fuel. You can also buy an adapter to hook it into a 20lb tank. I recommend buying a 5lb one. It’s the perfect compromise between portability and having enough gas to actually do something with. If you plan to do batch soups/stews/chilis get one of those bayou burners and like a 6-8 gallon pot.
The big thing if you don’t want to be running these indoors unless it’s like a big shop/garage with good ventilation so make sure to get a good popup canopy.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
We have a small camping heater that's supposed to be safe for indoor use, but we haven't had to try it out yet being in Florida.
The only real problem with a generator is that finding gas isn't easy after a storm so you have to fill up a bunch of gas canisters before hand.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
That said when I’ve been in stuck at home emergencies, I’ve made pretty damn good chili on my charcoal smoker.
Honestly most of my emergency kit crosses over with my camping kit, I’ve just beefed up the stuff that is purely at home use.
I’ve been looking into the big lithium iron phosphate battery packs to run the fridge and my cpap at night then recharge using the gas generator during the day.
If your buying gas for a generator make sure to get “clear” gas. Premium without any additives. It lasts longer on its own and wont gum up the lines. Throw in an additive like seafoam and you can get away with over 6 months of storage, and more likely a year. I like to run our generator an hour or two a month though just to make sure everything is in tip top shape.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Being able to just set the cooler on the porch and use natures refrigerator is the best. We keep a few bags of ice in the standing freezer for when nature decides to fuck us in the summer.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Instructions unclear, purchased a hawk