Living in Modern Times

[Old Salt]

This is amazing! But who's going to go up to Alaska when a catastrophe hits? I wonder how many have joined this community.

I think I would make a p***-poor survivor, and it's not my age, I've always been that way. I would not care to live in a post apocalyptic, dog eats dog, world. Rather get it over with and let others do the surviving. Constantly having to guard what's mine! No computer, no TV, no books! Shudder!!!

 

[Sippican]

There is no doubt that you know more about this topic that I do so I'm glad to get your knowledge. We actually have very few power outages where I am even in severe weather. A lot of our local power is underground which helps a lot with wind and ice but of course that's only limited help. If something big goes down that we depend on then we'll still have problems.

Would you care to address EMPs when you have time?

EMP's is something new (last decade). So from the standpoint of crisis management, we really don't look at the cause, unless it has the ability to escalate. We always focus on the impact first. Our first assessment is going to be 'can this crisis get bigger'? If the answer is yes, then typically first responders are working on that aspect. If the event has had its full impact, then other teams get involved to mitigate and residual risks.
Back to EMPs. These tend to be temporary in nature and and have a specific impact from a geographical perspective. Loss of power is the event (cause). Impact is the effect. That is what crisis teams deal with, impacts. First and foremost is to get government communications up and running as quickly as possible.
For long term communication outages, there are government programs (can't talk about them) to quickly give first responder the ability to communicate again(Police, fire, EMT, etc.)

Next is working on critical power to hospitals, police and fire stations, infrastructure power, and functions to support wide swaths of citizens for life safety.These are already identified by power companies and they are prioritized in the restoration process.
So, EMPs...ya, they are a threat, but dealing with them is the same as a power outage. Because this is an untested type of event, there will be many playbooks rewritten if one would occur.

 

[Myrtle]

EMP's is something new (last decade). So from the standpoint of crisis management, we really don't look at the cause, unless it has the ability to escalate. We always focus on the impact first. Our first assessment is going to be 'can this crisis get bigger'? If the answer is yes, then typically first responders are working on that aspect. If the event has had its full impact, then other teams get involved to mitigate and residual risks.
Back to EMPs. These tend to be temporary in nature and and have a specific impact from a geographical perspective. Loss of power is the event (cause). Impact is the effect. That is what crisis teams deal with, impacts. First and foremost is to get government communications up and running as quickly as possible.
For long term communication outages, there are government programs (can't talk about them) to quickly give first responder the ability to communicate again(Police, fire, EMT, etc.)

Next is working on critical power to hospitals, police and fire stations, infrastructure power, and functions to support wide swaths of citizens for life safety.These are already identified by power companies and they are prioritized in the restoration process.
So, EMPs...ya, they are a threat, but dealing with them is the same as a power outage. Because this is an untested type of event, there will be many playbooks rewritten if one would occur.

Your order of response makes a lot of sense.

When I think about a huge crisis EMPs or loss of power for a long time is what I think of first. I'm thankful I'm not really a worrier so it doesn't surface very often. Thanks for your response.

 

[Paco Dennis]

After reading this thread I am compelled to get a manual phone charger, soon.

 

[hollydolly]

I've heard that most here in the U.S. (those without large, prolific gardens anyway) are only 3 days away from starvation since that's about the length of time it'd take for the grocery stores and supermarkets to empty out if something disrupted the food supply chain.

..and that's fact...look what happened during Covid... supermarket shelves were stripped within 2 days ...

These 2 are the most heartbreaking photos I took during the time of the Supermarket locusts...

The first one was the old man who clearly didn't know what to do confronted with an empty Aisle.. he kept looking at his grocery list, as if he could find something to replace anything.. ...this man has haunted me ever since.. my heart almost broke for him..

The second was a week later, different supermarket almost identical photo.. with this elderly lady who was standing in what appeared to be utter shock.. she didn't move from that spot, for the best part of 5 minutes..

 

[Sippican]

Best bet is survival food that last 25 years+.
Ya, a bit pricy, but can make a world of difference if used sparingly.
Plus you can do it without bundling it through the link below.
Do searches for what types of survival food lasts longest and start buying they at the grocery store. Rice, pasta, honey, water, a small propane cooking stove, propane tanks made for camping.
It can be done......but then you will be known as a prepper!

Patriot Food Supply

 

[davey]

I live in the middle of a 60 acre forest - great fun and the dog loves it! - I have drinkable water from a large motor run tank drawing up water from an underground lake? - we have telephone connections from a main supplier and can use phones and internet. We have electricity run in and can use gas tanks to run stoves and ovens etc.

At midday the temp can go beyond 30C and sometimes head for 40C - if electricity fails then the forest in a tent perhaps would be cool. I also am serviced by a state-wide elderly care system with a small local team in town - I wonder if they have ever been trained as first responders ?? - I must ask them next week~! thanks you have raised some interesting issues and maybe future plans we should all consider?

 

[Sippican]

I live in the middle of a 60 acre forest - great fun and the dog loves it! - I have drinkable water from a large motor run tank drawing up water from an underground lake? - we have telephone connections from a main supplier and can use phones and internet. We have electricity run in and can use gas tanks to run stoves and ovens etc.

At midday the temp can go beyond 30C and sometimes head for 40C - if electricity fails then the forest in a tent perhaps would be cool. I also am serviced by a state-wide elderly care system with a small local team in town - I wonder if they have ever been trained as first responders ?? - I must ask them next week~! thanks you have raised some interesting issues and maybe future plans we should all consider?

It would be interesting to understand their short, medium, and long term plans for sustainability on each of the topics of power, medical services, food, and availability of first responders during a wide-spread event.

Being in an elderly community doesn't necessarily put you in a priority grouping unless there were hospitals and police and fire stations in your community. Resources and prioritization goes to the most needed ares first, then as the event stabilizes, reaches out to residential areas.
At the least, you should have a generator with enough gas/propane to sustain for 30 days. Propane is a better resource because it doesn't lose its effectiveness as gasoline does over time. Plus, a robust medical kit....and while you are at it, professional air purifying masks.