A Survival Experiment

I see so many threads here that are worst case scenario, 2012 post apocalyptic
stuff.
Trust me, I feel those are fabulous in their content, and kudos to all who contribute here.
There are those of us, who have not seen nor lived through a disaster such as a hurricane, or tornado, wildfire or flooding. These should be included as part of a disaster plan. Where are all the threads on these topics?
What about in the dead of winter with no heat in your house for a week?
There are many more survival situations than bugging out before 2012.

My personal experience, in northern Ontario...
I have tried to make myself as diverse and experienced in many aspects of survival, WITHIN MY OWN HOME AND CITY.I deliberately asked for my gas company to shut off my heat and hot water, I found a better way to get both using electricity.I lived like that for 18 months.Electricity is much harder to go without, but not impossible.
Not all of us have a place to go.
Two years ago we had a blackout that lasted 3 days. The following year,a windstorm that brought down thousands of trees, hundreds of powerlines over a three town radius, and many were without power for two weeks to their homes.
What would you do in this scenario?
Many of you think..
'ah, light a few candles and it will be ok.'
Not so.
Got a freezer full of food? Kiss it goodbye.
I never buy anything I won't eat in the next 24 hours to keep in my freezer.
A lesson well learned from both my experiences.
Can't do laundry, can't shower.
No TV, radio or computer. What do you do with your time?
How much non perishable food is in your cupboards? Aside from that which requires cooking, if you have no way to do so, it's useless.
Enough for a few days, a week, or more? How well could you ration it out?
Do you have children? Will an experience like this frighten them? How would you keep them happy and occupied in a scenario like this?
HOW WELL PREPARED ARE YOU for a situation that could happen tomorrow?
Not being an alarmist, I'm being a REALIST, because these things can and do happen.
Try living without electricity for 7 days.Only eat what you cannot cook or did not buy at a restaurant.Do this for real.See how well you fair.
I have done it.
It was Hell.
I lived to tell it, and learned a hell of a lot.
If a blackout or a storm took out my power again, my family and I are better prepared than most.I suggest so many of you do the same.
Being prepared for 2012 or whatever your worst case scenario is, is all well and good, but don't forget the other things that can happen before then.
AD

reply to post by AccessDenied


It's so cool isn't it? It the little surprises like that that really show how inventive you can be in a crisis..

Freezer full of food.. One huge BBQ ..

I know how much I've lost before just because the door wasn't closed properly.. ouch.

For me, if all the utilities were gone, it wouldn't matter much. My computer and a dim light is all the electricity i really use anyway, and i can easily do without both. I already eat most of my foods raw and what i need to cook can easily be done a number of ways, candles, wood, alcohol stove, even solar is possible in the right areas, like around here in summer.

I don't have a fridge or freezer, all the food i buy is in a form that doesn't require it.

I don't really take showers much, only when i need one, the rest of the time i just wash whatever parts of me are dirty with a small towel, a lot more efficient than taking a shower all the time.

I don't really need heat either, it was down in the single digits a lot of nights this winter in a drafty shack and i sleep just fine on an air mattress with a sheet and a thin blanket. If it got cold i could use my sleeping bag or more blankets.

The only thing i really need to worry about if that happens is dumb scared people acting dumb and scared. When the day comes though i'll probably just pick up my pack, a few supplies i keep ready, (5gal buckets of rice, and other stuff i keep in rotation) lock and load, and hike out into the bush for an extended camping trip.

Thing is, realize what's necessity and what's luxury. Necessity is water, food, shelter in that order. Make sure you have or can get water. Make sure you can feed yourself with simple foods that require little or no prep, or prep that's easy to do without appliances. Like i said, you can cook on candles if need be. If you have a freezer full of lots of meat, well, you'd probably be wise to commence to drying some meat. Also realize that anything you have frozen you risk losing. Don't stockpile anything you can't keep frozen or use when the power goes out.

Shelter is an easy one if you already live somewhere, if not, then that's another topic altogether, but if you need to stay warm block off all rooms but a small useful room near the center of the house and keep that room lit with candles and body heat. Yeah, it'll suck being stuck in a small room, but if you're not able to stand the cold, it'll probably be more comfortable than hypothermia. For me this isn't a problem as i'm perfectly happy in cold weather even if i'm in my tent.

reply to post by DezertSkies

Thing is, realize what's necessity and what's luxury.

How very true.
You learn quickly what you need and what you don't.

Ironically, my refrigerator gave up the ghost two nights ago.

Good thing my cupboards are fully stocked.

2 Years or maybe its 3 years now we have 3 straight hurricanes and didnt have power for 3 weeks in the dead heat of a Florida summer. It was HELL!!!!! You couldnt get gas because there was no power at the stations so my generator only lasted a couple days. Food was scarce

A because there was no cool to keep all the frozen stuff and stuff that requires cool

B Because there just wasnt any power so they werent letting really anyone in.

IT WAS HELL!!!!

So we had to survive with just the food in our house all of our refrigerator and freezer good went bad. I will say this my experience wasnt as bad as others because at least my house didnt blow down unlike some of my neighbors. Oh and heres the kicker because of the way the grid is set up my neighbor across the street got power back after a week we would switch days running an extension cord to his house to use a little power.

Needless to say I will be prepared next time and have been prepared.

South Floridians tend to have bad memories when it comes to hurricanes and preparedness. My encounter with Hurricane Wilma (thread with pics) was an eye opening experience.

I'm already prepared and fully stocked for this year season. However if I know my area is in for a direct hit from anything bigger than Cat3 and I can arrange the means to get out... I'm gone.... however I won't drive to evacuate.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
South Floridians tend to have bad memories when it comes to hurricanes and preparedness. My encounter with Hurricane Wilma (thread with pics) was an eye opening experience.

I'm already prepared and fully stocked for this year season. However if I know my area is in for a direct hit from anything bigger than Cat3 and I can arrange the means to get out... I'm gone.... however I won't drive to evacuate.

have fun trying to get out...we tried that year when wilma and what not hit. and 95 and turnpike backed up for 90 miles........they really need a better evacuation strategy in case something big happens. We ended up staying and hence my story above. We even went down to Coral Springs to my in laws....had lots of Rote (wifes Indian) I think thats how you spell Rote