Survivalism in Missouri, 1994 / 1999 / 2001 / 2009
The circumstances presented here are merely a loss of electricity. This has happened to me for 9 days in 1994, 5 days in 1999, 7 days in 2001, and 10 days in 2009. Nothing earth shattering. But long enough to get the ‘hang’ of it.
So begins a description by Steve Pace of what it is like to go without electricity for a number of days, in one of the most advanced countries in the world. A SHTF-event in 2012 could easily begin the same way, but with one key difference – a power outage in the USA is something that you’d expect to be fixed in due course. For many 2012 scenarios, the outage would be permanent. So pile on a whole lot more desperation and fear. Here are some of Steve’s insights:
Obviously your most valuable asset right now is food. So don’t waste any. Don’t open any fridge, freezer, or cooler. Because you want to use up your perishables first, you see. Leave the frozen food in there, don’t open it, and it will still be frozen 3 days from now. But you’ll have to open the fridge tomorrow to eat and cook all of it you can… You should be able to stretch a regularly stocked fridge and freezer for at least a week or two. Saving all your canned goods and non perishables for later down the road.
…My suggestion is to get a radio that has a hand crank generator on it. I got one. Learned my lesson about those batteries. They get real scarce, real quick. Get more than just an AM/FM radio. Mine picks up all frequencies, period. I can listen to the space shuttle. The shortwave and police bands are worth listening to in order to find out the real situation.
…We have 3 vehicles, and I never let any of them get below half of a tank. My hand pump siphon hose cost 2 dollars, or you can do it the old fashioned way. I also keep a couple five gallon cans of fuel with ‘Stabil’ in it. Stabil’ keeps the fuel octane high for long periods, like a year or so. You can get it at bigmart or auto parts stores.
So this gives me about 50 gallons of gasoline on hand at all times. That will get me out of here if I have to go. And one of our vehicles is a 10 year old 4 wheel drive. That should get us there, if we have to go. The ability to go is the only requirement, for planning purposes.
When everyone gets a sense that supplies will be hard to find, even in the short-term, they will disappear or be hoarded by suppliers almost instantly. Queues will form, and violence is a possibility. Perhaps consider observing what happens with supplies, to help you plan for the future. How dangerous are some members of your community? Is there someone you should get really friendly with to obtain supplies?
Of course the easy answer is to prepare in advance, and not tell anyone. In a desperate situation, a lot of “friends” will come out of the woodwork if they know you have some sacks of rice, or a freezer full of beef, or a field of potatoes. Steve has been in survival mode in modern USA, due to experiencing a few “once-in-a-decade” winters. Perhaps he is fortunate that he is prompted to prepare. The prompt you have is the possibility of 2012 having some dire meaning. A preparation in the hand is worth 100 in the bush.
I’d like to know what kind of radio he has, where he got it and how much it was. I have a hand crank radio, but it only picks up AM/FM and Weather.
Great suggestions and ideas too. I have a freezer and two fridges. I didn’t realize the freezers would keep that long if they are kept closed. Definitely will be valuable in an emergency situation.
Thanks!
I have a Baygen Freeplay radio. It cost $100 USD about 15 years ago.
They make several models now, so make sure you get the one with full bandwidth. The cost is about the same.
They are available on several websites, as well as eBay on occasion.
Sorry about the slow response.