One Second After was a good read. Definitely take a pass on Patriots though, it is garbage.
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Electricity goes out for 6 months in the entire United States, would you survive?
- Thread starter foodsurvival
- Start date
No electricity equals no fuel, no refridgeration, no water unless you happen to live in an area that has a gravity fed system. I see people talking about stores that have secured alternate sources of electricity. That means a generator, which in the sizes you would need will be operating off of diesel, natural gas, or propane. Not many retail grocery stores have generators big enough to run the entire stores, they are usually big enough to run emergency lights, limited equipment, registers and computers. That means no refridgeration, which means no meat, milk, frozen foods etc.
Even if the stores had a generator large enough to run the entire store, they don't don't keep a huge stock of perishable foods. Everyone wants fresh, and it's not cost effectice for them to store perishables for long term. After four days, the perishables are gone, assuming that it can't be trucked in from another region that presumably has power. Unless the genset runs on natural gas, the fuel for the genset(s) has to be trucked in as well. A generator that large consumes a LOT of fuel per hour. Compound that consumption by however many stores the retailer is trying to keep operational in the area. We're talking huge amounts of fuel.
If this particular disaster is nationwide, you can write off even that forlorn hope. Now we have no way to pump gas or diesel for our vehicles or to run our generators. Solar or wind can run a house, if you give up AC and spend tens of thousands of dollars to have the system installed. Even if you installed the system yourself, you're still looking at tens of thousands of dollars. If you're planning on putting one in, I hope you have deep pockets and prepare for a lifestyle change.
No one farms anymore, and unless you keep a couple of acres in garden, you're not likely to have have a huge stock of canned/dried goods to make it 6 months. Most folks that farm don't farm to survive, they farm to sell. Which means that they go to the grocery store like the rest of us to get their food. Even if they did farm to survive, where would they get the fuel for their tractors? Does anyone around here know how to plow with a team of horses/mules? And if you do, do you have the actual equipment to do so?
About the only way to survive the 6 month period described by the OP is to have stockpiles of emergency rations, as well as a source of potable water. If you have the water source, you had better have a way to filter it. I've been told that bringing water to a hard boil for at least 20 minutes will kill off the bacteria but don't know that for sure. A little bleach or chlorine goes a long way.
What about the cold weather months? How will you provide heat? Cutting down trees and building a fire sounds great until you try to fire up your chainsaw that doesn't have any gas. Burning green wood opens you up to chimney fires as well. Gas logs might work, assuming you have at least a 500 gallon tank if you're using Propane. For those folks that use Natural Gas for central heat guess what, you have to have electricity for the ignitor and for the fan.
Basically the only ways that I can think of to survive is to socially regress to a point where you have enough property to farm with non-hybrid seeds, and have stocks of food, water (or a water source), and firewood. The next option is to become a predator. Or find someone that will take you in and feed and house you in exchange for... whatever you can come up with that would convince them to share their food.
Wheeler
Even if the stores had a generator large enough to run the entire store, they don't don't keep a huge stock of perishable foods. Everyone wants fresh, and it's not cost effectice for them to store perishables for long term. After four days, the perishables are gone, assuming that it can't be trucked in from another region that presumably has power. Unless the genset runs on natural gas, the fuel for the genset(s) has to be trucked in as well. A generator that large consumes a LOT of fuel per hour. Compound that consumption by however many stores the retailer is trying to keep operational in the area. We're talking huge amounts of fuel.
If this particular disaster is nationwide, you can write off even that forlorn hope. Now we have no way to pump gas or diesel for our vehicles or to run our generators. Solar or wind can run a house, if you give up AC and spend tens of thousands of dollars to have the system installed. Even if you installed the system yourself, you're still looking at tens of thousands of dollars. If you're planning on putting one in, I hope you have deep pockets and prepare for a lifestyle change.
No one farms anymore, and unless you keep a couple of acres in garden, you're not likely to have have a huge stock of canned/dried goods to make it 6 months. Most folks that farm don't farm to survive, they farm to sell. Which means that they go to the grocery store like the rest of us to get their food. Even if they did farm to survive, where would they get the fuel for their tractors? Does anyone around here know how to plow with a team of horses/mules? And if you do, do you have the actual equipment to do so?
About the only way to survive the 6 month period described by the OP is to have stockpiles of emergency rations, as well as a source of potable water. If you have the water source, you had better have a way to filter it. I've been told that bringing water to a hard boil for at least 20 minutes will kill off the bacteria but don't know that for sure. A little bleach or chlorine goes a long way.
What about the cold weather months? How will you provide heat? Cutting down trees and building a fire sounds great until you try to fire up your chainsaw that doesn't have any gas. Burning green wood opens you up to chimney fires as well. Gas logs might work, assuming you have at least a 500 gallon tank if you're using Propane. For those folks that use Natural Gas for central heat guess what, you have to have electricity for the ignitor and for the fan.
Basically the only ways that I can think of to survive is to socially regress to a point where you have enough property to farm with non-hybrid seeds, and have stocks of food, water (or a water source), and firewood. The next option is to become a predator. Or find someone that will take you in and feed and house you in exchange for... whatever you can come up with that would convince them to share their food.
Wheeler
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I think that was denial or ignorance, or a combination of the two...
all good points. try camping for 2 weeks without electricity & you will get the point
No Xbox? No Tv? No A/C? No driving? Pshh.... bullet to the brain. ;P
I underlined things that in my short 23 years I have seen or experienced. In Kansas we had a huge ice storm that damn near crippled the whole state. No power for some folks up to 4 weeks from the impact of the storm. We were in college dorms for two weeks no heat, only emergency power to run the electrical system from back up generators but tertiatry systems were eliminated from our grid. That meant No heat, No hot water, no warmth except what you could provide yourself. Each resident could use one plug in and it was a preset plug that worked in an emergency. I used my laptop and a space heater from it to stay warm and a candle heater to heat ramen I bought before the storm.
The store I worked at had us all come in the day after the storm to sell generators. We sold 465 generators in one day at over 700 bucks a pop. Some gas stations ran dry because of people hoarding fuel and consuming a ton for generators. We trucked in over 1000 generators and sold them all to people in need of power. there were lines of people waiting to get generators each day. You think it cannot happen to you then you are wrong. Just because of warm weather do not get complacent with how you live.
The food issue is teh biggest because of what your body requires. Canned food is heavy, dehydrated takes precious water but what you body needs most of all is citric acids that come from food not normally canned. Ever heard of scurvy, well after 4 months of no citrus fruit you would be hearing about how your teeth keep falling out.
firewood will not always burn if green which means you could be screwed in the cold months if you leave the south. You can survive here with a good shelter and a good bag and no fire except for food. Try to burn green or dew soaked pine and you are SOL. Wheeler is on the ball here. Plus if you have fire and others see it burning they will most likely come looking for what you have and want to take it. There is no sense of communitas in the desolate world of survival. I rely on myself for my families protection and i you come knocking I send you to the grave. Does that sound harsh? You bet but in the world of you vs. me its game over for you if I get the drop on you first. If you think this is not true you may want to take a look to africa to see what people do over limited food resources.
Been there done that. Philmont scout ranch packed over 75 miles in two weeks. It takes it out of you. It makes you realize who would or would not survive.
I know what it is like for 6 days, living in fla we had a hurricane hit us and we made it but it was hell, hard to get ice and it was 92 degrees no ac could not sleep, very bad time.
Dang...Youza tougher cookie for it I bet. Did you have electricity (no AC so probably not, just asking) or running water?
it would suck, but its definitely doable. I completed a survivor course once....it was three months long in the north georgia mountains around dahlonega...you take two weeks of classes and instruction, then you pair off with one other person and live in the wilderness for two months, all they give you is a lense, an 8x8 foot tarp, a piece of cord, a pot, and a piece of metal that can be fashioned into a knife. of course you can opt out of the program at anytime, but you dont get the certificate of completion, etc. you live off the land, learn about what foilage is safe to eat, all kinds of stuff. its a very informative and eye opening program. I completed it and believe me it was weird coming back to normal society after living in the woods for two months. I tried new things...like eating a snake (which by the way is very good) and slept on the ground rolled in a tarp at night. I just remember finishing the course and then coming back home that summer. It was so wierd to come back to all the things that I took for granted, that anyone takes for granted for that matter....i walked into Target near my home and just looked at all the electronics ...it was very strange
