What have you done this week to prep?

[rhino]

Practiced making feather sticks (and lighting them); filed the spines on a couple of Moras so they would work well with a ferro rod; practiced some knot tying

 

[bwframe]

Practiced making feather sticks (and lighting them); filed the spines on a couple of Moras so they would work well with a ferro rod; practiced some knot tying

Sounds like I have a few Moras to get to you, my friend. We need to figure a creative payment for your services. Promoting the barter system benefits us all.

 

[rhino]

Sounds like I have a few Moras to get to you, my friend. We need to figure a creative payment for your services. Promoting the barter system benefits us all.

I'll bring my file the next time I see you and you can bring your Moras. I won't be at Riley for USPSA this month, but soon . . .

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Did sweet corn yesterday. About 50 packages in the freezer from 140+/- ears of sweet corn.

Shuck, blanch, cool, cut, bag, freeze. Repeat.

 

[churchmouse]

Did some rudimentary math on water. How much per person a day.
I need to put in some more water.

 

[churchmouse]

We pulled the "Get the heck out of Dodge" totes out and did the seasonal rotation. Cold weather gear. Different foods. More water.

 

[Thor]

Got together with some friends to plan ultimate bug out options. We have about 5 families set to coordinate in a EOTWAWKI situation. Defensible ground, easy access to water, cabin with generator, food options. Talked food, ammo, sanitation issues and transportation if nothing works. A number of us have some really old vehicles that will probably still function (read magnetos) and access to pack animals. After that...we hit the range and did some shooting!

 

[churchmouse]

Got together with some friends to plan ultimate bug out options. We have about 5 families set to coordinate in a EOTWAWKI situation. Defensible ground, easy access to water, cabin with generator, food options. Talked food, ammo, sanitation issues and transportation if nothing works. A number of us have some really old vehicles that will probably still function (read magnetos) and access to pack animals. After that...we hit the range and did some shooting!

We have plans depending on the scenario. Bug in/bug out/bug way out.
Exit strategy's that should get us clear of the madness.

As to vehicles and the dreaded EMP. Tests have shown that the newer rigs are fairly well shielded.
Word is if the rig is close enough to the event to harm the electronics then it won't matter anyway.

 

[Thor]

We have plans depending on the scenario. Bug in/bug out/bug way out.
Exit strategy's that should get us clear of the madness.

As to vehicles and the dreaded EMP. Tests have shown that the newer rigs are fairly well shielded.
Word is if the rig is close enough to the event to harm the electronics then it won't matter anyway.

Anything that is going to make you leave everything you own and go backpacking is going to have to be really bad. More than an EMP I'm thinking...more like a major world wide nuclear exchange. While we have vehicles that will work...some new some old...that will probably not be the biggest issue we have to deal with. I'm looking at this more as a back up to the back up plan. As you said...bug way out.

 

[dudley0]

Signed up for a first aid/ tourniquet course to expand on the rusty learning my brain still remembers.

Snagged a couple epi-pens for cheap.

Signed up for an entry defensive rifle class. Went to the range yesterday and got a little tutoring from a guy I trust that has taken more classes than me. Loaded another 20 mags so I can get some practice in before the class.

Plan to take a spare 275 gallon tote to the newest acquisition and fill it with water. Building another set of bags with clothes, food, medical supplies etc that I can dump there as well. Have a spare shotty, couple pistols and a carbine that I plan to stash there with ammo. The place has the start of a great tornado shelter which I plan to finish once I get the time.

Heading over to a small woods to collect some more nuts and such.

[h=2][/h]

 

[churchmouse]

Anything that is going to make you leave everything you own and go backpacking is going to have to be really bad. More than an EMP I'm thinking...more like a major world wide nuclear exchange. While we have vehicles that will work...some new some old...that will probably not be the biggest issue we have to deal with. I'm looking at this more as a back up to the back up plan. As you said...bug way out.

Gotcha.

At our age and my spouses condition packing out is, well, out of the question.
Like Rhino stated getting out of town unscathed will be the biggest hurdle.
We have a couple of options but even they can get buggered up by idiots fleeing with no plan.

 

[rhino]

We have plans depending on the scenario. Bug in/bug out/bug way out.
Exit strategy's that should get us clear of the madness.

As to vehicles and the dreaded EMP. Tests have shown that the newer rigs are fairly well shielded.
Word is if the rig is close enough to the event to harm the electronics then it won't matter anyway.

Yep.

Fuel and getting past other vehicles and obstacles are much bigger vehicle concerns than an EMP. The real EMP vulnerability is the power grid and everything that depends on it.

 

[Thor]

Yep.

Fuel and getting past other vehicles and obstacles are much bigger vehicle concerns than an EMP. The real EMP vulnerability is the power grid and everything that depends on it.

I had heard some time ago that if the larger transformers go down we have no domestic production capability and the lead times are a decade or more...and the countries that do produce them still are probably some of the same ones that caused the grid to go down in the first place.

 

[woowoo2]

Rotated 55 gallons of five year old water stored in the garage, it was still good to use.
Fired up the big generator (4500w) and ran it for an hour.
Purchased a smaller generator that the wife can handle (Champion 2000 watt inverter) and ran some load tests with it.
Put back some cash in small bills.
Cleaned out the deep freeze, and started filling it up with (on sale) meat.

 

[churchmouse]

I had heard some time ago that if the larger transformers go down we have no domestic production capability and the lead times are a decade or more...and the countries that do produce them still are probably some of the same ones that caused the grid to go down in the first place.

We "Used" to have 2 facility's here in Indy that built those huge Transformers.
Both were closed and had to be cleaned up for PCB's and other such environmental issues. They are both parking lots now. I worked for the contractor that was involved with removing the HVAC and refrigeration contaminants as to refrigerants and the oils in those systems. Then removing the systems.
Becoming green, taking care of our earth, has some long lasting side effects and this is one of them. We put our infrastructure in the hands of others. Those country's have no EPA/OSHA etc to see that the process is not damaging the environment.

The power grid is one of if not the most vulnerable pieces of the puzzle. They know it, we are not doing much if anything to protect it. The loss of that puzzle piece would set us on a course to the end.

 

[Thor]

The EPA is not organized to protect humans...or citizens...it is organized to protect it from us regardless of the impact on us.

 

[rhino]

The EPA is not organized to protect humans...or citizens...it is organized to protect it from us regardless of the impact on us.

My opinion: the US EPA is a thoroughly corrupt agency bent on controlling people with minimal regard for actually protecting valuable natural resources. The middle of the organization is driven by socio-political ideology (i.e. religion) and not by science, economics, or even concern for human welfare. Violating the rights of citizens is standard operating procedure.

Disclosure: I was employed by US EPA from 1989-91 as an environmental engineer and Superfund project manager.

 

[churchmouse]

My opinion: the US EPA is a thoroughly corrupt agency bent on controlling people with minimal regard for actually protecting valuable natural resources. The middle of the organization is driven by socio-political ideology (i.e. religion) and not by science, economics, or even concern for human welfare. Violating the rights of citizens is standard operating procedure.

Disclosure: I was employed by US EPA from 1989-91 as an environmental engineer and Superfund project manager.

As mentioned in my travels through my career I have dealt with a few of he alphabet agency's and it was never good and I never saw what they were doing as a positive. What I saw/experienced was an attempt to control and generate revenue's.

OSHA is a complete farce as to doing anything really positive.
Rhino is on point as to the EPA.

 

[Rocdenindy]

I finally got my bug out/hunting cabin wired. Going to have it grid tied but able to run off generator when needed. Honestly the only thing that is really going to be ran will be a min-fridge. Trail cam's up and fixing fencing so neighbors dogs stop coming on property when i am not there. Starting to assess where I am going to put in garden for next year and going to try to setup water catchment but not hook up.

 

[churchmouse]

We re-organized a lot and made some space. Filled that space with water and fuel. Not together of course but we are extending the time period we can maintain without outside help. Thing is, you can never have enough water.