# Are You Prepared?



## Sam (Jun 22, 2017)

A couple of nights ago, a transformer approximately five hundred yards from my house exploded and cast our little strip of countryside into pitch blackness. It happened just before night had fallen and when navigation was still possible without the aid of artificial light. As I went out a few minutes later, though, to crank on my generator, I glanced across the countryside and saw that not a single bungalow for miles had any kind of light whatsoever. This remained the case when I went back out, some hours later, to turn the genny off and go to sleep. 

It took me aback how many houses had nothing laid on for emergencies: no generator, no glow sticks, no candles, nothing pre-prepared for emergency situations. That the problem was fixed late yesterday evening is irrelevant. Had it been a more serious situation, or if had been a widespread hack of the power grid, we might have been without power for potentially days and weeks. It's easy to scoff at that last sentence and laugh it off as though it could never happen, but if recent events such as the worm that crippled the NHS don't make you sit up and ask "how secure are we?", nothing will. 

You don't have to be a survivalist to understand that governments, even across the water in the States, are not equipped to deal with massive power outages in more than two or three cities or states, especially when budget cuts continue to lessen our firefighters, police officers, and paramedics to the point that tragedies like Grenfell Tower can ostensibly happen because there weren't enough firefighters to deal with the blaze*. 

So the question in all of this is: how prepared are you for an event that could wipe out your power grid for an extended period of time? Do you trust that the government will eventually get to you, like those unfortunate people in Cumbria and the like thought and stayed while the water continued to rise and eventually flooded their homes? Or are you prepared come what may? 

And if you aren't, my question is: why aren't you? 

*I doubt that if even all the firefighters in the country had shown up to Grenfell Tower, they wouldn't have been able to stop the blaze in time, but at least they would have had a shot.


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## Phil Istine (Jun 22, 2017)

I have limited preparations that would get me through a few days, but a generator here would not be practical (a flat in a densely populated area).
I have a choice of fuels so could heat water on the gas cooker if needed (would need gas supply to be stable), plus I have torches and candles.  I also keep a supply of tinned food that may be eaten cold and some bottles of water.  Beyond that though, I would be stuffed.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Jun 22, 2017)

First, I'm glad to hear your electricity is back on.


As for long term preparedness, I guess it depends on what caused the power outage. Usually it would be from something natural like a hurricane or earthquake and you probably would need enough food and supplies to last one week. A generator is a good idea, but if gas stations run out of fuel, they won't do much good in the long term.

So basically if something happens long term, the best thing to do might be to learn how to grow our own food and have access to clean water, probably from wells. If we do lose our power long term, we'll have to live like our ancestors did 200 years ago.


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## Jamboree (Jun 22, 2017)

In terms of preparedness, I would have to say that if the electricity went out for the long term then I would struggle. There are woods just behind my house so in theory there is plenty of fuel but we couldn't produce electricity. There are more solar panels than ever in my village now and it is something that my parents have considered investing in and so there would be electricity from that.

In the long term though, lets say a few months, then my problem would be refrigeration. As a Type 1 diabetic my insulin needs to be kept cold when stored. Obviously a pond or river could do the job, although leaving such medicine in those areas is hardly secure. And after roughly 2 months (with careful rationing) I would eventually run out. That is where the problems would occur. Not to mention a lack of power means no production of more drugs. I imagine this would be a similar case for many others who rely on keeping their medication cool. 

Lets hope it never happens!


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## aj47 (Jun 22, 2017)

As far as power goes, my PC is on a UPS so I can do a controlled shutdown (save my work, etc.).  I live in a hurricane zone. Ike took my roof.

I'm not uber-prepped but I'm comfortable with how I'm set up.


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## escorial (Jun 22, 2017)

As long as I can boil water an make a mug of tea than I'll get by..


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## JustRob (Jun 22, 2017)

I remember the UK power cuts during 1973/74, when the electricity supplies to areas were systematically cut for several hours in rotation to reduce the overall load on the grid. We used gas for cooking as we do now and I rigged a cable from the battery in my car outside the kitchen window to provide sufficient lighting for my angel to cook by. We had a coal fire which also heated our water then and I don't think we even had a television yet, so electricity cuts weren't a big issue for us. We'd only been married a couple of years and didn't need much outside help to stay entertained.

Back then the situation arose through a combination of fuel oil shortages and strikes by coal miners so, with fuel rationed and hoarders being prosecuted, even a generator would have been of limited use.

Nowadays we still use gas for cooking and also have gas central heating, but that latter equipment also needs electricity to operate, so the central heating would not function during an electricity cut. However, we still have an open fireplace and a stock of coal and logs, so keeping warm would not be a problem in the short term. As candlelight dinners and log fires are a regular occurrence for nostalgic reasons in our home these things are always ready for use. During the winter we keep a fire laid in the grate ready to light all the time and all it takes is one match to get it going. I consider needing more than one to be a dismal fire-laying failure on my part. I am also pretty mean with matches when lighting candles. We use four inch long cook's matches and I managed to light thirteen candles on the dining table with just one on one occasion. Given that it was only a table for two, thirteen candles were more than our usual number. We have candles in candlesticks around our house as ornaments, so they are also always available for immediate use. We also keep dozens in stock. 

Apart from rechargeable torches we also have the wind-up sort, so immediate lighting is no problem. I also keep rechargeable motorcycle size batteries in my workroom for use with some of my electronic equipment there, so these can also be pressed into use if necessary. I have a USB adapter for use with them, so tablet devices and phones can be recharged should they run flat at an inconvenient time. We have two cars, so in an emergency the battery in one of them could also be run flat to provide such services without affecting our mobility. With my ludicrous stock of hobby electrical and electronic equipment I could also tackle any longer term electrical problem with what I have to hand.

In such a densely populated area as south-east England staple consumables will always be the problem during an emergency along with inappropriate hoarding. That though is the well-understood "tragedy of the commons" phenomenon. Being prepared is one thing, but preparing excessively to the detriment of other people is a bad thing.


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## PiP (Jun 22, 2017)

> So the question in all of this is: how prepared are you for an event that could wipe out your power grid for an extended period of time? Do you trust that the government will eventually get to you, like those unfortunate people in Cumbria and the like thought and stayed while the water continued to rise and eventually flooded their homes? Or are you prepared come what may?
> 
> And if you aren't, my question is: why aren't you?



*sigh* Parts of Portugal are still third world and to a degree I envy the simplicity of their lifestyle.

I don't trust the Portuguese government to be prepared for anything. Many of the essential services are undermanned or ill-equipped, especially the Bomberios (firefighters). Staffed by an army of volunteers they are not even supplied with basics such as heat resistant gloves and many other essentials so rely on fundraisers to even buy ambulances, fire engines and bandages. No I am not joking. I sat next to a woman at a ladies lunch who has been fundraising for them for seventeen years.

Are we equipped? We are always having power cuts so we have a gas hob (powered by bottled gas) and BBQ for cooking. We also have a log burning stove for heating in the winter. Candles and of course torches. We even have a wind up radio... for all the good that would do us as we are not fluent in Portuguese. I'd like to get solar panels to generate our own electricity but the costs are prohibitive.

Water is my biggest concern. We usually stock lots of bottled water because we don't drink tapaline. I also recycle every drop of water for vegetables etc. If push came to shove we could use water from the pool once the chlorine had evaporated.


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## Kevin (Jun 22, 2017)

We have had the power go out for 5 days. We set the grill over a wheel barrow and cooked over wood coals. When the furniture ran out I gathered dead wood from the hills. If the meat had run out I think the best thing would be to take over a spot on the coast. I'd rather eat seafood than the local... Generally there is just too damn much medication in _that_ meat.


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## sas (Jun 22, 2017)

We are semi-preppers:

We know what it is like to be without electricity. A huge section of The States had its grid out for a week, included us. We had generator, but yes gas stations can't pump without electricity.

I am a bit of a fatalist due to probable coming cyber attacks. The bomb doesn't worry me. It is an old fashioned weapon. I assume my money will disappear after being sucked out. That will be how Capitalism will be taken down. So, can I survive forever without money? 

We have a prepper box of food for two. Enough for two months. Water is the main concern. I live by a river and huge lake. It must be filtered. There are ways to do it. This year I paid $250 for a filter and gave to my son who lives in Colorado. I would never survive for long but he might. Although, 50, he has continued throughout his life to stay extremely fit and athletic. Everyone in my family has a survival instruction book, but he is the only one who could. He is going to take archery lessons. 

Prepare to live without money, my friends. That appocolypse is real.


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## Sam (Jun 22, 2017)

mrmustard615 said:


> First, I'm glad to hear your electricity is back on.
> 
> 
> As for long term preparedness, I guess it depends on what caused the power outage. Usually it would be from something natural like a hurricane or earthquake and you probably would need enough food and supplies to last one week. A generator is a good idea, but if gas stations run out of fuel, they won't do much good in the long term.
> ...



That's why I have a 300-gallon tank full of diesel. It cost a lot of money, but it's there if the worst came to the worst. 

The pressing issue would be with the generator itself. If the power outage came during the winter, and the generator hadn't been started since the previous winter, the battery would be the biggest problem -- and with no power to charge it . . . well, the fuel isn't more or less important than having a generator you can rely on.  

In long-term survival, food, water, and medicine would be the biggest concerns. You can stockpile food, but it's much harder to do likewise with meds. Things like bandages, antibiotics, and pain/inflammatory meds would be essential. You can get very reliable (and cheap) water purification tablets on Amazon that have a five-year use-by date. I would advise anyone, prepper or not, to stockpile them. Even for something as prosaic as a family holiday, they can save your life. 

You don't need to spend a huge amount of money to become semi-prepped. Everything you need for a decent survival kit will set you back about a C-note, to use the American lingo, and for that you'll get everything you need, including compass, fire starter, solar flashlight, wind-up radio and torch, face mask, first-aid kit, sleeping bag, waterproof matches, etcetera. 

Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.


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## PiP (Jun 22, 2017)

Goodness, Sam. You have quite a stach.  How would you defend yourself against raiders?

PS I'd not thought about water purification tablets. Like that idea.


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## Sam (Jun 22, 2017)

PiP said:


> Goodness, Sam. You have quite a stach.  How would you defend yourself against raiders?
> 
> PS I'd not thought about water purification tablets. Like that idea.



Well, I'd hoped to be far enough away from civilisation to not run into any. But it's something I hadn't really thought about. 

Look into them, for sure. Very useful for purifying water, let's say, out of a tap in a foreign country -- one of the big no-nos of travelling.


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## PiP (Jun 22, 2017)

Sam said:


> Look into them, for sure. Very useful for purifying water, let's say, out of a tap in a foreign country -- one of the big no-nos of travelling.



We don't even drink the tap water in the UK. I became extremely sick after the water there was contaminated with _Cryptosporidium. I was ill for at least three weeks. _


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## JustRob (Jun 22, 2017)

PiP said:


> We don't even drink the tap water in the UK. I became extremely sick after the water there was contaminated with _Cryptosporidium. I was ill for at least three weeks. _



That just sounds like bad luck. We holidayed all over Britain over thirty years and never had any problems from drinking tap water except once in Scotland on a farm that used water from a spring on its land. Apart from that isolated incident residents tended to know whether their water was safe and warned against drinking it if it wasn't. In the case of that farm my angel was only the second person to be affected by the contaminant and they took appropriate measures as a result. Of course holidays are relatively expensive in cash terms and short in duration, so it makes sense to be cautious to avoid ruining them, but UK water is safe on the whole. 

What really decides whether we drink the local water is how it tastes. Our water here in Kent is hard with minerals, which give it a very clean taste compared to the soft water we encounter elsewhere, even though both may be equally harmless. When our flannels dry out in the bathroom they go rigid and won't bend until soaked again. Much of our water is pumped up from aquifers below and within the local chalk beds, which act as vast natural filters removing the impurities. Sometimes one of the best things about coming home from a holiday is drinking our own tapwater. For a really bad experience, the peaty water in Scotland may be ideal for making whisky but we don't like drinking the stuff as it is out of a tap.


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## Terry D (Jun 22, 2017)

Living in the rural Midwest of the U.S. Our greatest concern is losing power during an ice storm in the winter or a thunderstorm (or tornado) in the summer. Both situations are only a couple of days at the worst, so I've never invested in a generator. Worst case would be for the power to be out long enough to drain the battery back-up on my sump pump and the basement flooding. If I were to go back to when I bought my current place, I think I would invest in a generator, but I'm only going to be here a couple of more years (until I retire and move away. I'm not planning on dying), so I'll risk it a while longer.

I know there are a thousand events which could cause a long-term disruption of utilities, services, etc. But, I don't plan for them. All of them are improbable and there's no assurance that the plans I make would fit the event which occurs.


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## Sam (Jun 22, 2017)

I agree to an extent, Terry. 

I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, and you'd think that'd be the best place in disaster scenarios, but people being cut off from you also means you're cut off from people. And being cut off from people generally means you're far from the nearest town with supplies. In my case, seven miles. I imagine in rural Midwest, that might be closer to seventy. 

But, I will say, things are only improbable until they're not. I'd always want to be prepared, but that may not be everyone's perception.


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## JustRob (Jun 22, 2017)

We know a family in the West country, Devon to be precise, who have a yard full of generators just a short walk down the road from their home. The father provides them for a living, renting them for use at events and camp sites and as backup emergency supplies for businesses, even really big ones for powering entire office buildings, so he's an expert on the subject. I guess he'd be like a pig in clover if there were power shortages as his business would bloom overnight. Of course, he's got solar panels powering his home though.


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## Terry D (Jun 22, 2017)

Sam said:


> I agree to an extent, Terry.
> 
> I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, and you'd think that'd be the best place in disaster scenarios, but people being cut off from you also means you're cut off from people. And being cut off from people generally means you're far from the nearest town with supplies. In my case, seven miles. I imagine in rural Midwest, that might be closer to seventy.
> 
> But, I will say, things are only improbable until they're not. I'd always want to be prepared, but that may not be everyone's perception.



Here in Southeast Iowa you are never too far from a town. In the event of an apocalyptic, long-term, event getting food and water would be a straight-forward task for anyone with basic skills. We are blessed with some of the world's best growing conditions for food, and I'm a short distance to 2 rivers. There is ample wildlife for hunting and fishing.

When I say 'improbable' I'm talking about statistically improbable events: comet strike, gamma-ray burst, nuclear war type situations. In those cases (if I survive the initial event)  I'll have more to worry about than how much food we have in the pantry.


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## sas (Jun 22, 2017)

Today, all falls within the realm of probable. In reality, cyber wipe out is THE most probable. We amass weapons and warriors, but the wrong kind. Give me smart geeks with technology and pay them what we throw away on the military machine for defense. (Read Eisenhower's last speech warning about the Military Industrial Complex). But, boys love the big booming toys. It is the geeks that will either save us, or doom us. But, they're not glamorous enough to pay what they're worth. And, they're quiet, not chest thumpers. So kiss your ass good-bye.


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## Book Cook (Jun 22, 2017)

The weak prepare; the strong take away. It is as simple as that.



> In reality, cyber wipe out is THE most probable.




And? What will that result in? Can it erase knives and other weapons?



> And, they're quiet, not chest thumpers. So kiss your ass good-bye.




And when one of these boys who love booming toys walks into one of those geeks' dark secluded habitats, and puts his hands on his pale, frail little rickety frame and tears him apart like a child would a mosquito, cyber powers will prove to be quite futile.


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## -xXx- (Jun 22, 2017)

this geek was a scout.
the bugout bag includes a bottle of clorox
 (used when tabs run out, amongst other things),
a couple of "emergency blankets" (foil/mylar),
2 coils of nylon cord,
and a bottle of iodine.
yeah, there's more.


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## sas (Jun 22, 2017)

I take the brains over the baboons, any day.


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## Terry D (Jun 22, 2017)

sas said:


> I take the brains over the baboons, any day.



Could be. But the brains better figure out real fast how to beat the baboons at the baboon's game, because in a survival situation brute force leaves little time for adaptation.


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## Book Cook (Jun 22, 2017)

Terry D said:


> Could be. But the brains better figure out real fast how to beat the baboons at the baboon's game, because in a survival situation brute force leaves little time for adaptation.



The problem is people think that it is a question of either or. There are highly intelligent brutes out there. And intelligence is highly misinterpreted. A person who is able to bypass a government's firewalls isn't intelligent by default. He may be a genius, but geniuses have often shown that they are not capable for much else outside their expertise.


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## LeeC (Jun 22, 2017)

Seems to me most are still thinking in the human bubble. Individual survival is a short term thing. Survival of our species, for our progenies sake, is the real problem. All our "intelligence" has so far accelerated our species extinction and the evolution of new species. We're using the same basic animal thinking as we have since we evolved, rather than our potential.  We're even selecting leaders based on our insecurity and avarice, both basic animal instinct.

It's not as if some don't know better. I'll wager there are few though, that have read and understand The Sixth Extinction, An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. It's the simple hard science in a very readable form, that so many shun and run to the divisive arms of the Alternate Facts Coalition. 


Over the top I know Sam, sorry, but we collectively make our own problems. I wish I was back in the northern Rockies with people that haven't forgotten how to get along in the natural world. As it is the wife and I do what we can with our natural and organic gardens, and canning. As for electric power, we can do without if need be. Even with the wood I burn, I plant more trees than I cut. My preparedness amounts more to catching and storing rain water (in case there's no power for the well pump), as even the small river near us is polluted. 


"_A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and ...to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty._" - Albert Einstein


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## ppsage (Jun 23, 2017)

I so miss the days when another one of our frequent outages meant silence and darkness. Candles probably, and a maybe a fire. Coffee on the white-gas stove. Now all it means is generator noise and exhaust. It's almost as bad as camping at a state park.


EDIT: Seriously though, our little town, it's a village really except it's in Oregon, has had two major floods since the nineties. Power's out, roads are blocked or landslided away. Except for news helicopters, we're physically cut off for a day or two. Stuff gradually comes back on line, some, like the clinic, take years to replace. Individual prep is good, but community is what saves your ass.


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## Writers Block (Jun 23, 2017)

ppsage said:


> Now all it means is generator noise and exhaust.



Well to be fair one does need their iPhone if they are going to survive a black out


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## JustRob (Jun 23, 2017)

LeeC said:


> Seems to me most are still thinking in the human bubble. Individual survival is a short term thing. Survival of our species, for our progenies sake, is the real problem.



Yes, that's the issue behind "the tragedy of the commons" that I mentioned earlier, self-centred behaviour. It's a standard expression that anyone who wants to know more can look up.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Jun 23, 2017)

LeeC said:


> Seems to me most are still thinking in the human bubble. Individual survival is a short term thing. Survival of our species, for our progenies sake, is the real problem. All our "intelligence" has so far accelerated our species extinction and the evolution of new species. We're using the same basic animal thinking as we have since we evolved, rather than our potential.  We're even selecting leaders based on our insecurity and avarice, both basic animal instinct.




Of course animals aren't thinking of the survival of their species consciously. They are thinking of their own survival and perhaps that of their offspring. Everything having to do with a species' survival is all instinctive. Humans, as far as we know, are the only species capable of thinking down the road. Unfortunately, for many, the animal instincts do kick in and it may very well destroy us before we can evolve further.

And if (or when) we're at the point of fighting for resources for survival, it will be survival of the fittest in the most stark way.


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## bdcharles (Jun 23, 2017)

No, I'm not "prepared". I think all these scenarios, barring the occasional power cut, are very unlikely. Most systems - utilities, networks etc - are designed to handle all sorts of emergencies, but you only hear about the times they fail. All the other times, when nothing's happening - that's them succeeding.

Good story material, though.


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## sas (Jun 23, 2017)

To be clear, it will be cyber attacks draining our financial institutions  (which have already happened) that will take our Capitalistic world down.

One year ago $81 million was swiped by North Koreans from The Federal Reserve of New York. A minor error, in request from false Swift transaction, was caught before tons more could disappear.  They were lucky then to catch it. The lost  funds were never recovered and never can be. Cyber space is the true vacuum. 

And, that is why I tell my family to be prepared to lose all their money. This is real. Bring me the geeks to fight this unglamorous, but much more dangerous war. Throw everything we have at it. My family prepares because I know  our dumb leaders prefer to hear big bangs. Impresses their constituents. Bombs & Guns. Kapow! In truth, it is the quiet key clicks that will prevail.


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## Kevin (Jun 23, 2017)

Disagree- cyber rip offs are commonplace already. Banks lose millions; banks make millions. Part of doing business. They cyber-stole a hundred k -something from a company account last year and the bank said, _with an amount that small - they_ _don't even bother._


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## Sebald (Jun 23, 2017)

Is there a British/US split going on here? The Americans have tanks full of diesel in their backyards, generators and years' worth of rations (which they might have to defend with guns?) Brits have a couple of candles, and don't think further than the next cup of tea.

I'm with the dont-worriers. 

If it makes you feel better, good, but it seems like an illusion of control.


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## Phil Istine (Jun 23, 2017)

Sebald said:


> Is there a British/UK split going on here? The Americans have tanks full of diesel in their backyards, generators and years' worth of rations (which they might have to defend with guns?) Brits have a couple of candles, and don't think further than the next cup of tea.
> 
> I'm with the dont-worriers.
> 
> If it makes you feel better, good, but it seems like an illusion of control.



I'm thinking it's more about available land/storage area per person.  The UK is fairly crowded compared with the USA.
65 million people in the UK.  How many in the USA - 300 million?  Even if you only count the land area within 100 miles of the USA coasts, you would still probably find that you have more land per person on which to grow food/store fuel.  I've used 100 miles because that's possibly the farthest from the sea you could get in the UK.
ETA:  It appears to be about 70 miles
http://en.globalquiz.org/question/what-is-the-furthest-distance-you-can-get-from-the/


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## Terry D (Jun 23, 2017)

sas said:


> To be clear, it will be cyber attacks draining our financial institutions  (which have already happened) that will take our Capitalistic world down.



If you are talking about financial chaos and hardship, sure, that's probably the case, but losing one's money doesn't risk their physical survival in the sense of this conversation.


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## Sleepwriter (Jun 23, 2017)

when the lights go out  we move to the inner portion of our house so our lights cannot be seen from outside of it.


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## Kevin (Jun 23, 2017)

Sebald said:


> Is there a British/UK split going on here? The Americans have tanks full of diesel in their backyards, generators and years' worth of rations (which they might have to defend with guns?) Brits have a couple of candles, and don't think further than the next cup of tea.
> 
> I'm with the dont-worriers.
> 
> If it makes you feel better, good, but it seems like an illusion of control.


 paranoia runs deep in us. Ever since the Japs torpedoed Muscle Beach and the Ruskies took Hollywood. Y2k, 2012... We just love to be scared that the apocalypse is here. Hail mayhree, and pass the ammunition.


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## Sam (Jun 23, 2017)

bdcharles said:


> No, I'm not "prepared". I think all these scenarios, barring the occasional power cut, are very unlikely. Most systems - utilities, networks etc - are designed to handle all sorts of emergencies, but you only hear about the times they fail. All the other times, when nothing's happening - that's them succeeding.
> 
> Good story material, though.



They aren't that unlikely. 

The reality is that this place we call earth is becoming overpopulated by the second, and each new person born is a strain on a system held up by fiddlesticks. All it would take would be one collapse, which would create a domino effect that would overwhelm the majority of the systems you speak of. 

All it took was one worm planted on a computer to cripple the NHS. That was not even a massive DDOS attack from a number of hackers; it was one worm planted in the right place and it brought the health services to their knees. 

Ask an expert on the likelihood of that happening six months previous, and they would have told you everything was secure. Nothing is secure. There is no anti-virus software in the world that can live with the right zero-day virus planted in the right place. 

Security is an illusion of comfort.


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## JustRob (Jun 23, 2017)

Phil Istine said:


> I'm thinking it's more about available land/storage area per person.



That is so true. With the excessively hot weather recently upon us, today I suggested to my angel that we might get an electric cool box for use in the car on long trips and as extra storage space for drinks at home and her response was "Where would we put it?" We work by the cubic foot at home. 

I sold a quantity of my much loved and prized vintage computer technology recently not for the money but to free up maybe a cubic yard of space for some other stuff that I value even more. In contrast an equivalent American enthusiast would just fit out another spare barn on his property and get an articulated truck to ship in some new stuff that he'd just bought for the hell of it. 

We watch the TV programmes about "pickers" doing the rounds of American hoarders to buy stuff and it is a totally different world from little old England. Here people are now renting out storage space in the lofts of their houses to get extra income and others are clearly renting it. I have fitted ours out with extra strong shelving capable of carry the weight of a portion of my stock just to free up a little more space in my workroom and garage. 

Every time my angel buys a new plant she wanders around her compact garden trying to find a spot in which to plant it. 

A friend was checking the ancient deeds to the farmhouse that he owned and discovered that his neighbour's fuel oil tank for heating his house was actually on my friend's land, the two properties being so close together. 

Americans with whom we've corresponded do not comprehend just how close together English neighbours live. We live in a semi-detached house, so we hear our neighbours playing their trumpet and banjo through the party wall. The houses are built like that to save on land. We happen to be on the very edge of an urban zone, so there are also agricultural fields within a hundred yards of us, Kent still being proudly rural in its protected areas despite its growing population. In fact recently we campaigned to stop those fields being built on as they are prime land for farming and as such precious.

One thing that we don't understand is why Americans rely so much on fuel oil (Dare I even mention coal just now?) when they apparently have a vast amount of space for cheaper sources of environmental power like wind and solar farms. Can't anyone there design turbines that can also collect the power of tornadoes or build solar farms to collect the ludicrous scorching sunshine of deserts? In Britain we have wind farms in the sea and solar panels floating on reservoirs inland to save space as well as such panels on the roofs of many houses and in gardens. Even on our land-based solar farms there is sufficient space below and around the panels for wild flower meadows to grow and support honey production as a free by-product. Why Americans in rural areas have any problems at all with electrical supplies is a mystery. Apparently the new idea now is to manufacture roof tiles that _are_ also solar panels to remove the need for any conventional roofing at all. Another idea to stop coastal erosion is to put wave power collectors along endangered shorelines to protect them _and_ generate electricity in the process, although research into that is still in progress. Much of our domestic waste here in Kent is burned in modern environmentally friendly furnaces to generate power as well.

No, we find it difficult here to see being prepared as an individual attitude when it has to be a community and national one. When my angel and I felt the need to do something like that we didn't put up solar panels on our own small property but invested in the building of a local commercial scale solar farm that was far more efficient. The company concerned invited locals in the area to invest so that it was in effect being built on a community basis even though the power was being fed into the national grid, not a local one. To have a viable future we have to be prepared to invest _collectively_ in building one.


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## Cran (Jun 23, 2017)

Power outages are so common here - too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, bushfire, storm, some idiot ran into a pole, some pole collapsed on a house - that back-ups are ubiquitous. We all have bottle gas, spare batteries, oil lamps and various torches, and candles (although many of those tend to melt into uselessness in a decent summer). I also have my old camp kit (one-burner with spare gas canisters), and every farmer has a licensed firearm or three to deal with any pests. Biofuels are not forgotten in these parts - the lessons from the Depression and subsequent lean times stay learned - and eucaplypts burn well. 

I did think about a generator to keep my fridge and freezer running during the longer blackouts. I bought a forum instead.


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## Writers Block (Jun 23, 2017)

Phil Istine said:


> I'm thinking it's more about available land/storage area per person.



That's true in part but there is more to it than just that. I'm in Australia and in  some parts of this country we can travel four days and not see another  person. In the middle of the country there is nothing but you could  survive out there. I'm not storing fuel and looking for land to grow  crops on in case of some of the weird scenarios laid out in this thread.  For starters things like diesel and other fuels will only last so long,  generators will only last so long, as will other mod cons that people  seem to think they need to stock pile because they are 'preppers'. If  one really wants to survive if the worst happens one needs to know how  to survive without such things. In the right area growing food is fair  enough but it's pointless having a generator if you've only got enough  fuel to last for a few days, that is unless the worse case scenario is  only a short term thing. For me power is the least of my concerns if I  have to head bush.

One thing I do like is that some people seem to be happy to make claims that we are one step away from killing ourselves and this world and we will therefore be a product of our own demise with only the forward thinkers surviving. Yet if it's only the forward thinkers with all the toys who is the first target? Oh yeah, they can get guns and shoot people who threaten them, but like everything bullets will run out and then it's once again down to people who can think past their generators and tinned food storages.

Imagine surviving the worst case scenario only to find yourself locked in a room with someone whose two main goals were storing diesel fuel (for the generator outside the locked room which no one wants to go outside and refuel) and 3000 tins of backed beans! I'm taking my chances with what's outside!!


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## Jack of all trades (Jun 24, 2017)

"Prepared" is a very broad term. There are so many things one might want to be prepared for -- everything from a short term outage to a super volcanic eruption.

I am not prepared for much, but do the best with the resources currently at my disposal.


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## LeeC (Jun 24, 2017)

JustRob said:


> ... One thing that we don't understand is why Americans rely so much on fuel oil (Dare I even mention coal just now?) when they apparently have a vast amount of space for cheaper sources of environmental power like wind and solar farms.


All you need to understand is that Americans by and large are so much into material gain that they've blindly given their lives over to the big corporations that milk them. We are a prime example of avarice gone wild. Look at how many voted for Mr. Avarice. Something like the EPA gets in their way, they gut it, and though there's minor mention in the press there aren't riots in the street. Why do you think that is ;-)

There were relatively few of us trying to raise alarm over the Dakota oil pipeline through Native American water sources. Look at how few listened.

Europe has been way ahead of renewable energy, and even such as the poisons that are spread by agribusiness. California just woke up to the effects of glyphosate when it affected their wine industry. 

What did you Europeans do in settling America, send all your undesirables over here


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## sas (Jun 24, 2017)

Lee,

You nailed it, about who controls America. The Oil Boys for one. I believe it was their grandfather (father?) who formed The John Birch Society. Our Supreme Court anointed corporations with the same power as people. And, that was the beginning of our end. 

(As for prepping for grid outages, I've this tip, if it is not an apocalypse, but over shorter time: Have a safe, in your home. Keep ample cash, in small denominations. All in my family have done this. ATMs won't be working. Gas stations and stores will not be able to give change, but could sell. If worse comes to worse, you can burn as fuel...smiles)


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## Winston (Jun 25, 2017)

+1 for Lee.  Learn how to live in your environment, as part of it.  Most people take their existence for granted, the way a petulant child expects mommy to make dinner every night.  

The fact is, Mother Nature has been very kind to us.  But the free ride may be over soon.  We keep counting on less people and less land to produce more food.  We keep counting on that there will be no disruption to that distribution network.  We expect that there will never again be a pandemic like the 1918 Spanish Flu.  Science will never fail us.  We don't think about the next Mandaur Minimum (Sun spot cycle) and a new mini Ice Age.  Coronal Mass Ejections are common, with the last major event in 1859.  Kiss all your electronics goodbye.

But enough of natural disasters that "will probably never happen". The odds are will will screw each other up before any of those things.

Learn to Homestead.  Grow some food, now.  Make it a habit.  If you have limited space (like our UK friends) use container gardening techniques.  
Consume less.  Live on less.  Not to "save the Earth".  That's just ideological drivel.  No, save *yourself*. 
It's an option now.  In the (near) future, you will have no choice.  

And Sam, that's a lot of diesel.  Have you considered Propane?  It keeps forever, and burns clean.  Your generator will love you.


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