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"American Blackout" thread

WCH said:
Not wise to give out that sort of info but, the basics...food, water, ammo, meds, generator, etc. definitely less than I would desire.
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I'd say that is good insurance. Let's hope it stays that way.
 
Tigger said:
Realize that some of us would not be worrying about outselves in such a situation. Some of us would be forced to leave our families and friends to fend for themselves while we went to try and fix the problem. We always think of firefighters and police in these situations, but rarely do people think about the utility workers who spend 12-16 hours a day, regardless of the weather or their own family's status, trying to put everyone's lights back on.
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Kudos and Thank God for all those who would sacrifice for the good of the whole. If everyone is somewhat prepared to take care of themselves, it will make the recovery easier for the rest.
 
Beaudreaux said:
Although I'm not involved in this particular drill, I have a number of close friends and business associates that are, that will give me the real results if the official reports are "classified." Which happens a lot in these type exercises.
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IIRC, the country as a whole received a 'D' in preparedness. The results from this drill could be worse.
 
WCH said:
IIRC, the country as a whole received a 'D' in preparedness. The results from this drill could be worse.
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One of my part time employees is FEMA REP-Evaluator for nuclear plants. Another is in charge of the overall evaluation team.

No one is very optimistic, but that's what the exercise is actually for; to find where the holes are, and then determine how to fill those holes. So even though the exercise is not expected to get raving reviews, it should finally identify some if not all of the critical gaps.

FEMA and the NRC attempted to do a GAP review, but the private sector being so diverse, there was no way to do a critical evaluation that had any meaning.

After this, we have to see what the price tag will be and the length of time needed to fill the holes. That's the part that frightens me, more than the holes themselves.
 
what an idiotic film.

studies have shown people act appropriately around traffic lights when the power is out. this documentary shows a bunch of morons flying through intersections. pure sensationalism.
 
ARealConservative said:
what an idiotic film.

studies have shown people act appropriately around traffic lights when the power is out. this documentary shows a bunch of morons flying through intersections. pure sensationalism.
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I saw a guy today stop in the middle of a busy road, roll down his window and chew out a woman just because she wasn't moving fast enough for him. Imagine if that same man hadn't eaten his Wheaties (or anything else) this morning.

People can turn into assholes without the stress of a nation-wide blackout. 'Studies' be damned
 
Beaudreaux said:
One of my part time employees is FEMA REP-Evaluator for nuclear plants. Another is in charge of the overall evaluation team.

No one is very optimistic, but that's what the exercise is actually for; to find where the holes are, and then determine how to fill those holes. So even though the exercise is not expected to get raving reviews, it should finally identify some if not all of the critical gaps.

FEMA and the NRC attempted to do a GAP review, but the private sector being so diverse, there was no way to do a critical evaluation that had any meaning.

After this, we have to see what the price tag will be and the length of time needed to fill the holes. That's the part that frightens me, more than the holes themselves.
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Let us know [what you can] about the outcome of this drill. It should be fascinating.
 
WCH said:
People can turn into assholes without the stress of a nation-wide blackout. 'Studies' be damned
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might as well show a husband run out of toothpaste and stab his wife in the neck then. since I'm sure that type of **** happens in society too.

why bother trying to accurately show a blackout if you are going to ignore known human responses and show anything you want.
 
ARealConservative said:
might as well show a husband run out of toothpaste and stab his wife in the neck then. since I'm sure that type of **** happens in society too.

why bother trying to accurately show a blackout if you are going to ignore known human responses and show anything you want.
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You'd have to ask National Geographic about that.

IMO, whenever I see something like this on TV, it's something to condition us for later events or a prelude to a similar incident happening in the near future.
All it really did for me is give me anxiety. ;)
 
WCH said:
You'd have to ask National Geographic about that.

IMO, whenever I see something like this on TV, it's something to condition us for later events or a prelude to a similar incident happening in the near future.
All it really did for me is give me anxiety. ;)
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it mostly made me feel better about myself. I might not be a prepper, but at least I have a frigging can opener not plugged into an outlet.

actually, my love of nature camping leaves me more prepared then most in that I can filter water, or worst case, use iodine tablets.
 
WCH said:
Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was 'moralizing'. I was only stating a fact...those who are unprepared to take care of themselves will become a burden on the rest of us.

My hope is that everyone is somewhat prepared. [e.g. 2 weeks worth of food and water] for starts.
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It's exactly 1 year to the day I lost power for just over two weeks following the storm.

Things became pretty boring but I'm not sure how much anyone really needs to prepare. I think most people who talk about preparing are really talking about preemptive panicking. Like any sensible adult I had things like flashlights, batteries, candles, etc. and I always keep a few hundred dollars in my safe with important papers but I wouldn't really consider that preparing. In my opinion the people we really need to worry about is the "preppers" who are mostly just panicking.
 
CallasDowboys said:
It's exactly 1 year to the day I lost power for just over two weeks following the storm.

Things became pretty boring but I'm not sure how much anyone really needs to prepare. I think most people who talk about preparing are really talking about preemptive panicking. Like any sensible adult I had things like flashlights, batteries, candles, etc. and I always keep a few hundred dollars in my safe with important papers but I wouldn't really consider that preparing. In my opinion the people we really need to worry about is the "preppers" who are mostly just panicking.
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We always been campers, hunters, fishermen, general outdoors people with all the necessary gear. We have a generator to keep the food in our 2 freezer frozen, oil lamps to light the night, crank-up flashlight and radios, etc. along with several means to defend ourselves.

We also have a good supply of dehydrated foods and several different ways to purify water. [along with several hundred gallon of raw water}

We don't have any particular place to 'bug out' to but, have alternate places we could go to if we need to leave home.

Trouble is, we know many folks who live off what they get at the grocer each week and would be completely out of supplies in a short amount of time. These people and most who live in an urban environment would be the first to panic, IMHO. This is why I urge everyone to give this some thought rather than calling people who have prepared, preppers or kooks.

If you come to my door asking for help, you will be turned away. We haven't prepared for you.
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
If those who are prepared are in the minority, how well-armed they are won't matter a damn.
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Wanna bet?
But then again anyone that is not just going to sit tight and wait for the gubmint to come save us all is paranoid and a scaredy cat.
But, I always have a couple gallons of water, full pantry, gas and yes. Plenty of ammo and weapons.
 
The generator is always a good idea. I actually got mine at a garage sale. Fire it up from time to time to make sure it's still operational. All I really need it for is the fridge, one computer and the microwave. I've been toying with buying a small propane powered generator. The fuel is easier to stockpile and store, and it doesn't go bad with time.
 
ARealConservative said:
what an idiotic film.

studies have shown people act appropriately around traffic lights when the power is out. this documentary shows a bunch of morons flying through intersections. pure sensationalism.
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I tend to agree. We were without power for weeks after the hurricanes of 2004.
Everyone helped everyone. I had people that I worked with coming over to shower and do laundry because I back fed my generator into my home. Some of them didnt know how or didnt have a generator.
I set up a window shaker ac in one room and the old couple from accross the street came over every now and again to cool off.
I doubt we are all of a sudden going to become dicks just because the grid goes down.
 
WCH said:
We always been campers, hunters, fishermen, general outdoors people with all the necessary gear. We have a generator to keep the food in our 2 freezer frozen, oil lamps to light the night, crank-up flashlight and radios, etc. along with several means to defend ourselves.

We also have a good supply of dehydrated foods and several different ways to purify water. [along with several hundred gallon of raw water}

We don't have any particular place to 'bug out' to but, have alternate places we could go to if we need to leave home.

Trouble is, we know many folks who live off what they get at the grocer each week and would be completely out of supplies in a short amount of time. These people and most who live in an urban environment would be the first to panic, IMHO. This is why I urge everyone to give this some thought rather than calling people who have prepared, preppers or kooks.

If you come to my door asking for help, you will be turned away. We haven't prepared for you.
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I disagree. I lived it one year ago to the very day and the biggest danger are people like you who panic.

I didn't have a bug out plan, multiple freezers full of dehydrated food, water tanks, machine guns to ward off any zombies or any of that other stuff. What I had was enough sense to light a few candles, uncork a few bottles of wine, and invite my friends and neighbors over. So when your panicking wanes and you're able to think straight, feel free to stop by my house for a glass of wine and good company because I'm the guy who is actually prepared.
 
CallasDowboys said:
It certainly wasn't like that on Long Island with Sandy. Things were boring and uncomfortable, the early snow storm certainly didn't help things, but virtually everyone accepted the boredom and discomfort until things went back to normal.
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True. I was in Nassau County, and the City for Sandy for over 8 months. There were limited pockets, but the event wasn't as destructive there as it was in other events, like Katrina, or the North Ridge Earthquake and others. And it also had a lot to do with the hardened Yankee people that live through blizzards and the like on a normal basis so they were better prepared mentally to deal with it.
 
CallasDowboys said:
I disagree. I lived it one year ago to the very day and the biggest danger are people like you who panic.

I didn't have a bug out plan, multiple freezers full of dehydrated food, water tanks, machine guns to ward off any zombies or any of that other stuff. What I had was enough sense to light a few candles, uncork a few bottles of wine, and invite my friends and neighbors over. So when your panicking wanes and you're able to think straight, feel free to stop by my house for a glass of wine and good company because I'm the guy who is actually prepared.
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You are only prepared for a short-term problem, which hopefully is the only kind that will happen. When it comes to long-term crisis situations, good wine and good will only last for a short while.
 
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