Icepocalypse - Half-Prepping Equals NO Prepping

This person's rendition of what happened during the ice storms that rocked southern towns was exactly my same experience while being here recently!

He makes some recommendations based on what he actually saw and went through. It's one thing to be interested in prepping, it's wholly another to actually go through it and watch the ensuing mayhem after only 2 days.

Some people say half-prepping is better than nothing but no really. What he's talking about is patch work prepping. For instance, having a generator but no gas, having a car and not filling it, buying perishable foods during an outage like milk and eggs lol.

I would add to his list - CASH! A lot of the places that got hit could only take cash when their generators kicked in. Always good to have emergency cash just for this purpose.

Half-Prepping Equals NO Prepping: Lessons from the Icepocalypse

Others still believed they were prepared . . . until the storm hit. They had generators but no gas. They had extra food but no way to cook it. They had a well but no way to pump the water. Some had fireplaces with no logs or firewood with nowhere to burn it. The list of half-preparedness is endless but the resulting sum of that half-work is the same – they were not prepared at all.

In short, being prepared half-way is not being prepared at all.

The vast majority of people, however, did not even have the basic material needed to last through a four-hour disturbance in their normal routine. Most had not purchased extra food and water or made plans to heat themselves in some way other than electricity. Nor had they even bothered to fill up their gas tanks the day before the storm. In fact, with the exception of the usual rush to buy milk and eggs (food that will spoil as soon as the power goes out)when a storm approaches, there was not even the shockwave of panicked buyers looking to prepare. Most of the important items like canned goods were still on the shelves the day before the storm.

reply to post by Kmhotaru


The really funny part, is that this wasn't the first time they have ever had snow or ice in the south. It happens every few years. They just don't learn.

They deserve no pity.

To be honest, I wouldn't worry much about gassing up the car if the roads are going to be impassable.

But having firewood, an alternate cooking source, and fuel for a generator, etc., is just plain common sense. What good is a $600 generator if you have no fuel to run it? That's just dumb. For our grill, we always have two spare propane tanks (in addition to keeping the one on it full). Eventually, I'll add more, but for now, this would last us pretty well. We also have a couple of charcoal grills too. How can one live in an area that sometimes sees snow, and NOT have such things?

Boggles the mind...

reply to post by watchitburn


You are so right! But the real scary part is how people started behaving...the very next day! And it's going to keep happening, esp with our weird weather patters and shoddy power lines, but that's another rant.

Police were everywhere and he describes what I saw - people lining up for fast food, cutting in line, police everywhere, bank runs and even elderly people stopping at doors to ask if there was kerosene nearby

And as far as elderly relatives, this can be a trying time to look after them!

reply to post by watchitburn


Oh what I was going to say before - it's true no pity. But, this does not keep people from encroaching on the prepared - so the part to take very seriously is home defense!

And yes it's truly boggling!! And since the crisis was averted...people STILL don't care.

reply to post by Gazrok


Good post, that's the affordable stuff too. A little propane grill (that takes the little tanks) is like $15 at Wal-Mart (here in US), and the tanks are cheap too. There's no reason not to have one and some extra tanks.

lol! How does one miss adding the simple things to the list? So it took 2 days for people to go all crazy. Hate to even consider if the Elect would go out for a week, and some times it does and still most have the idea it will be fixed soon.

I have a list of 10 possible things that could happen and you know what? Even planning would not help to actually get by since come to find out too many varaibles to consider so had to use old school.

What can I/we do without for 3 months? And in them 3 months what will I need? If using the 2 day panic the OP stated, then a good month of planning should outlast the crazys running wilded in the streets! You do not want to even be there, be seen or have someone take notice.
Then 2nd month will even be wilder and have to deal with the real crazys! Whats yours is going to be theirs ! Anyway, no matter how one plans things out there are too many holes that can open along the way to have anything solid.


Old school, camping, learning how to make fire without a lighter and know not to have one at night, might as well put up a sign for all to see. Basicly most of the crap today is crap and not needed for survival. Food, good people, water and a place to call home is all one needs. Just do not forget the Toilet Paper!

Would hate using the wrong leaf!

Peace

reply to post by Kmhotaru


I survived the "Icepocalypse" but I also have back-up power, and other things that most deem necessities,along with a supply of food and water that made everyone around me beg for, but I have an armory for just that occasion. (and they call me crazy)

While most of us call it common sense, it can also be sequential thinking but apparently even that isn't taught in our education system today; thinking through a sequence of events and the contingencies of the sequence. That's where drills come in quite handy, allowing one to actually do a "walk through" and find the faults within the plans. Anyone who has ever been involved in planning and/or executing disaster drills knows the value of the time spent.

Just to correct something the blogger mentioned that is a common misconception: eggs do not go bad in only a few days if not refrigerated. They will keep at room temperature for up to a month so a few days in a chilly house in a powerless refrigerator isn't going to render them spoiled.

reply to post by diggindirt


Thanks for the info about the eggs! Would have never known myself; though did keep them in the fridge for over a month and were still good.

Have been testing afew ideas myself and come to find out the Date expired on things only apply on milk! Few things go bad really; old and stale yet still able to snack on them.

Found out if you do put it your mouth and you spit it out. Your bodys saying No Way! Your right about not teaching this stuff. Just that info about the eggs has added to my list so:

Thank You!

Peace

reply to post by infoseeker26754


You are quite welcome. I suppose it comes from growing up with chickens. Our eggs were gathered in a basket, taken indoors and washed, then transferred to another basket which remained on the counter until the eggs were used. Naturally, we used them up in less than a couple of weeks.
I'm told that if you dip them in wax and store them in a cool place they will last up to a month without refrigeration but I've never tried it.

reply to post by diggindirt


What the Hell, give it a try and add something new if it works! Might just come in handy someday. Small note: after cooking something you have a good week before it actually goes bad. Here in my house anything over a day is considered bad and gets tossed out! They consider me crazy eating what I eat, yet if it's sour I don't eat it. Of course its over 9 days and stills tastes better!

Might explain why their always sick! Sometimes a very clean house will end up doing more harm then good. More posions, pest control and cleaners kill the good bugs you need. My test is a saug bought over a year ago, looks just fine though the date says it Over Due!

Plus Red Ants are good to have around your yard. Never buy milk, yuck! Do you know how much crap goes in that? While young, drank the crap out of it. One day long ago when the changed something, I spit it out and never drank it again. Just nasty! Have tried, my mouth saids No!

Did hear Honey Last Forever!

Peace

reply to post by infoseeker26754

infoseeker26754
reply to post by diggindirt

 

Thanks for the info about the eggs! Would have never known myself; though did keep them in the fridge for over a month and were still good.

Have been testing afew ideas myself and come to find out the Date expired on things only apply on milk! Few things go bad really; old and stale yet still able to snack on them.

Found out if you do put it your mouth and you spit it out. Your bodys saying No Way! Your right about not teaching this stuff. Just that info about the eggs has added to my list so:

Thank You!

Peace

yeah farm fresh eggs don't need refrideration and last awhile. Even storebought eggs last well beyond their expiration. Place eggs in a bowl of cold water - if they float, no good! That's how you keep from wasting eggs

Place eggs in a bowl of cold water - if they float, no good! That's how you keep from wasting eggs

Yep, age old trick, but works. Of course, you'll also know a bad egg from the first bite. If in doubt....throw it out.

Bad eggs give themselves away when the shell is broken---that sulfur smell should tip off anyone with a sense of smell!

Infoseeker, I know what you mean about squeamish people and food more than a day old---had a step-daughter that absolutely would not eat anything cooked more than one day before. She ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches when the rest of the family was enjoying the left-over pot roasts or baked chickens. My grandparents and parents taught me that wasting food is a sin. I never really thought much about it until I began growing a goodly amount of my own food.
But for those who have never, ever grown a single thing, they have no idea of the labor that goes into producing their food. Perhaps we would all be better off if more kids spent time in gardens rather than soccer or video games? They might not be so quick to complain about the cost of food and would be more appreciative of the food provided to them. It is truly sad to see a generation of kids that think that food comes from out a window in a bag... I actually had a 9 year-old tell me that she didn't eat things that "came from dirt."!!! Apparently she thought that French fries were sent down directly from heaven!
To me it seems that the ability to survive is directly connected to levels of knowledge about the world around us, something about which most people under 30 are woefully ignorant. Their only frame of reference in regard to survival is the msm's presentation of "preppers" with its attendant scorn of the idea that people should rely on themselves when disasters hit. But hey, I'm just an ole Granny who isn't even hip enough to have a cell phone with apps telling me what the latest trends are...what do I know?

reply to post by Kmhotaru


I do think the more you have that is complete, the better you are, meaning fuel for the car, food in the pantry...but think of this...
What about those people that can only do a little at a time? Like many people here have said... to start out, don't break the bank, or should I say...get a little every time you go to the store, due to your personal finances...so if you have fuel and no generator...ok you can trade fuel for something else you need, from the guy who got the generator and no fuel...again from doing it little by little.
I honestly think doing something is better than nothing, and even if your preps are not complete, because NONE of us have 100% of everything we need, want or will need....that's Murphy's law...the things you do not have, you will need... when you do not have them...sorry that's just how it seems to go most of the time for many people.
That would be a very good reason to have a few more people to assist you and join together, to pull together when things do happen...example...
You buy the generator, Joe buys fuel cans and fuel, Tom buys hand tools, Sue(so you ladies know your included here too) buys building supplies, tarps, and garden equipment, Jane buys seeds and canning supplies, Jack is very poor, and can't buy anything, so he chops wood for the wood stove, and does a lot of manual labor with whoever needs assistance.
Amy and Chad are both nurses, so they teach the others first aid, and CPR, they also set up the medical supplies for the group. Mike does the security and hunting, he also processes the animals, tans the skin, then his wife Martha makes useful items from the skins. Chuck owns a few acres with a pond, and a river runs next to it, his place is where you all combine your items and skills, and do your labor...it is your bug out location.

I just wanted to let the OP know people do prep, they can't do everything, it doesn't get done over night...you can't be awake 24/7 for security if something does happen, so use your head now for something other than a hat rack, and get out there, do what you can, improve you skill sets and gain some knowledge because your mind is by far your best tool...keep it sharp and working good!!

reply to post by saltdog

saltdog
reply to post by Kmhotaru

 

I just wanted to let the OP know people do prep, they can't do everything, it doesn't get done over night...you can't be awake 24/7 for security if something does happen, so use your head now for something other than a hat rack, and get out there, do what you can, improve you skill sets and gain some knowledge because your mind is by far your best tool...keep it sharp and working good!!

Good tips! I know what you mean - there's no way I could possibly do everything or even half the things I'd like to. Scraping by - but like the ant (and the grasshopper) store little by little, build grain of sand by grain of sand. Just don't be the grasshopper.