The coming blackouts. Do NOT say you were not warned

[Burt Gummer]

When they turn off the grid as the ultimate scare/power tactic, and they WILL, I hope that my food storage of bugs can be found in the dark. Uncle Klaus says they are yummy.

 

[Reperio]

"Liberal" is just code for ignorant (uninformed).

 

[rjmt]

When they turn off the grid as the ultimate scare/power tactic, and they WILL, I hope that my food storage of bugs can be found in the dark. Uncle Klaus says they are yummy.

the farmers and loggers down the road tell me when their parents moved here before WW2, there was no power in this area - long before Merwin Dam was built - stearnwheelers serviced La Center until the 1930s
if they survived without power then, I can do it again

 

[Burt Gummer]

RJMT - I am sure you can. I can also survive, albeit w/o much comfort.

It is generally believed that a complete grid shutdown would mean a culling of 25% of the US population within four to six weeks. Most people have no emergency plan and 5-12 cans of food in their cupboard. Starvation and violence the top death causes as all police and help retreat to their own families (like in the '91 LA riots).

I personally believe a grid shutdown will be used as a planned event to create so much fear and panic that 99% will bend the knee to any draconian demands. Just a few days would accomplish that.

 

[Alexx1401]

RJMT - I am sure you can. I can also survive, albeit w/o much comfort.

It is generally believed that a complete grid shutdown would mean a culling of 25% of the US population within four to six weeks. Most people have no emergency plan and 5-12 cans of food in their cupboard. Starvation and violence the top death causes as all police and help retreat to their own families (like in the '91 LA riots).

I personally believe a grid shutdown will be used as a planned event to create so much fear and panic that 99% will bend the knee to any draconian demands. Just a few days would accomplish that.

This!
We do not "need" power to survive but, a HUGE percentage of the people now days would panic. A lot of people think all food just comes from some food joint or a store. If those were suddenly gone? A lot of them would flat out panic. They have no clue how to make anything. Will be interesting to watch from a distance. Will not want to be in the middle of people when they are in all out panic.

 

[rjmt]

RJMT - I am sure you can. I can also survive, albeit w/o much comfort.

It is generally believed that a complete grid shutdown would mean a culling of 25% of the US population within four to six weeks. Most people have no emergency plan and 5-12 cans of food in their cupboard. Starvation and violence the top death causes as all police and help retreat to their own families (like in the '91 LA riots).

I personally believe a grid shutdown will be used as a planned event to create so much fear and panic that 99% will bend the knee to any draconian demands. Just a few days would accomplish that.

my wife has a 6 month or more supply of non perishable food
what was our front room is now floor to ceiling shelves of food
as for water, we have an artesian well with 12 month water, just have to haul it 100 yrds up to the house

I talked to the engineer at Merwin - their control system is so antiquated, the Feds cant shut it down remotely
they would have to invade and put up armed security - LOTS of security

this valley is not going to take lightly if the Feds try to shut down Merwin and Yale
and as you know, the main NG pipeline from Alaska passes through Clark Co, 4 miles out of Woodland
again, if the Fed try to shut that down, locals are not going to be happy
25% of the population in Metropolitan areas may be willing to sit on their couch and die, but I can't say the same for the rural communities of Washington state

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

my wife has a 6 month or more supply of non perishable food
what was our front room is now floor to ceiling shelves of food

Make sure you keep a sharp eye on FIFO* and expo dates. It's real easy for that amount of stock to get away from you and before you know it a few years have gone by and you find yourself wondering just how important "Use By" dates really are.




* First In, First Out

 

[rjmt]

Make sure you keep a sharp eye on FIFO* and expo dates. It's real easy for that amount of stock to get away from you and before you know it a few years have gone by and you find yourself wondering just how important "Use By" dates really are.




* First In, First Out

we dehydrate and vacuum pack
I've opened sliced dried apple 4 years later and still found them good
I've stored deydrated and vacuum packed green bean for years, but we get a fresh harvest every year
we harvest chard 12 mo out of the year in raised beds

 

[albin25]

Okey-dokey ...I've been warned
Lately I've been thinking of getting a 1000w portable power station with 200 watts of solar panels
to handle power outages... the going rate is about $1500 complete for a highly rated system. (Panels provide 80% in 4.5 hours)
... I really like the idea of being able to keep it and use it inside the house, and set the solar panels on my elevated deck that faces Southwest. I also like the idea of it being completely silent (undetectable) and not needing to store/rotate enough fuel.
I have modest power needs and this seems to meet them. (last months Avista bill was $95 total for elec/gas and that's with 20 days over 100deg)

Am I nutz or does this sound like solid thinking?
Anyone else do this?
Any pointers?

 

[Alexx1401]

Okey-dokey ...I've been warned
Lately I've been thinking of getting a 1000w portable power station with 200 watts of solar panels
to handle power outages... the going rate is about $1500 complete for a highly rated system. (Panels provide 80% in 4.5 hours)
... I really like the idea of being able to keep it and use it inside the house, and set the solar panels on my elevated deck that faces Southwest. I also like the idea of it being completely silent (undetectable) and not needing to store/rotate enough fuel.
I have modest power needs and this seems to meet them. (last months Avista bill was $95 total for elec/gas and that's with 20 days over 100deg)

Am I nutz or does this sound like solid thinking?
Anyone else do this?
Any pointers?

Sounds great to me.

 

[Reperio]

Okey-dokey ...I've been warned
Lately I've been thinking of getting a 1000w portable power station with 200 watts of solar panels
to handle power outages... the going rate is about $1500 complete for a highly rated system. (Panels provide 80% in 4.5 hours)
... I really like the idea of being able to keep it and use it inside the house, and set the solar panels on my elevated deck that faces Southwest. I also like the idea of it being completely silent (undetectable) and not needing to store/rotate enough fuel.
I have modest power needs and this seems to meet them. (last months Avista bill was $95 total for elec/gas and that's with 20 days over 100deg)

Am I nutz or does this sound like solid thinking?
Anyone else do this?
Any pointers?

Add an atmospheric water collector to the kit and you are good to go for rehydrating foods and water for other uses. Units that collect several gallons or more per day start at around $1200. I bought one from here:

NUBE SS30: Atmospheric Water Generator (8 Gal/day) 110V.

NUBE is a machine that transforms air into high purity water, fluoride, and chlorine-free. NUBE is the future, it is the most avant-garde, healthy, and sustainable way to drink water.

www.innovaqua.shop

my wife has a 6 month or more supply of non perishable food
what was our front room is now floor to ceiling shelves of food
as for water, we have an artesian well with 12 month water, just have to haul it 100 yrds up to the house

I talked to the engineer at Merwin - their control system is so antiquated, the Feds cant shut it down remotely
they would have to invade and put up armed security - LOTS of security

this valley is not going to take lightly if the Feds try to shut down Merwin and Yale
and as you know, the main NG pipeline from Alaska passes through Clark Co, 4 miles out of Woodland
again, if the Fed try to shut that down, locals are not going to be happy
25% of the population in Metropolitan areas may be willing to sit on their couch and die, but I can't say the same for the rural communities of Washington state

I don't expect the unhappy people to be ready or willing to do much about it until a week or more passed. The rural areas are, by nature, more likely to be somewhat to moderately prepared.

 

[Burt Gummer]

(Like Doc Holliday lol - Tombstone ref) I don't have lots of friends. But I do have ones with farms, wells, creeks and an open invite. My job would be defense of same.

As far as canned goods expirations, if kept at human/room temps I'd be fine eating 10+ year old stuff. Hell last year I had some yummy tuna fish from 1979. Was fine, and a lot less mercury also. Posted that here and was called crazy/suicidal, etc, but I'm still here!

 

[rjmt]

(Like Doc Holliday lol - Tombstone ref) I don't have lots of friends. But I do have ones with farms, wells, creeks and an open invite. My job would be defense of same.

As far as canned goods expirations, if kept at human/room temps I'd be fine eating 10+ year old stuff. Hell last year I had some yummy tuna fish from 1979. Was fine, and a lot less mercury also. Posted that here and was called crazy/suicidal, etc, but I'm still here!

"The date on the label of canned tuna refers to food quality, not safety."

 

[The Heretic]

As far as canned goods expirations, if kept at human/room temps I'd be fine eating 10+ year old stuff. Hell last year I had some yummy tuna fish from 1979. Was fine, and a lot less mercury also. Posted that here and was called crazy/suicidal, etc, but I'm still here!

Last year I went thru my canned goods and threw out about half of them - anything 10 years old was thrown out. Anything over 5 years was a candidate but looked at on a case by case basis. Anything that was rusty was thrown out too.

I put some of it aside in totes.

A good portion (about 10-20%) of what I threw out were failures of the containers, usually cans.

The most common failures were canned fruit and some soups. Meats, like tuna fish did ok.

Last week I was going thru totes of canned food and found one tote that had a yucky mess inside it due to failures of canned fruit that was 5-7 years old. So I had to throw out most of that tote.

YMMV

 

[trunner]

Oh well. Everything is a lie now. Truth is as rare as hen's teeth. EVs are NOT "Earth" friendly at all. Before an EV drives one mile it has already used as many coal/other resources as a gas vehicle at 44k miles. We certainly do live in the Empire of Lies. EVs are desired only because of control. Easier to monitor and turn off access for us minions and useless eaters.

Wow! Burt, do you have a source for this claim? It's dramatic.

Unsettling to think the great unwashed masses think (more like "feel") EVs are a form of salvation for transportation.

 

[The Heretic]

Okey-dokey ...I've been warned
Lately I've been thinking of getting a 1000w portable power station with 200 watts of solar panels
to handle power outages... the going rate is about $1500 complete for a highly rated system. (Panels provide 80% in 4.5 hours)
... I really like the idea of being able to keep it and use it inside the house, and set the solar panels on my elevated deck that faces Southwest. I also like the idea of it being completely silent (undetectable) and not needing to store/rotate enough fuel.
I have modest power needs and this seems to meet them. (last months Avista bill was $95 total for elec/gas and that's with 20 days over 100deg)

Am I nutz or does this sound like solid thinking?
Anyone else do this?
Any pointers?

I am keeping my eyes open for the portable LiOn battery/inverter setups that can be charged via solar. I have three 100 watt panels with builtin MPPTs that can be connected serial/parallel, one with a controller on it to charge standalone batteries or phones/etc.

I also have two inverter gensets, a small 2KW and a 3.4 KW. The 3.4KW runs on gas or propane. The 2KW is a small very efficient setup.

I would like to have a 500 watt to 1KW "power station (battery inverter) to use with the panels to power a few things via solar - like my Starlink, which I think will be very valuable if there is a long term power outage. I have noticed panels and power stations on sale of late, but I am waiting for a good deal on a good station.

 

[rjmt]

I suspect there will be two occupations they can perform - plowing fields or fertilizing them.

what are you saying?
I'm really good at plowing fields
and have a horse drawn manure spreader
I can spread it farther and deeper than anyone else you know

 

[3MTA3]

what are you saying?

Them what want to work will be helping to grow food.
Them what don't want to work or thinnk they have a new occupation raiding can help to grow food laying on their backs when the take their dirt nap.

 

[Alexx1401]

Wow! Burt, do you have a source for this claim? It's dramatic.

Unsettling to think the great unwashed masses think (more like "feel") EVs are a form of salvation for transportation.

Sadly many believe what they want to be true. Its not too hard to look up the mess made mining the stuff to make the battery's for EV's for one. Then the power to charge them has to come from somewhere. Last is what is done with those battery's when they are done. The mining of the stuff is the worst. Sadly done by countries who could care less how much of a mess they make doing it. If you choose to just not look, the EV sounds great. Kind of like sausage.

 

[rjmt]

these a photos of my container garden, which I built to perfect the technique and installed one in my daughters back yard at her apartment in Portland
in my delusional mind, I thought urban dwellers would use this technique to grow their own food in limited space, even on gravel or concreate
but my daughter tells me, once the mentally ill and violent homeless in Portland find out you have a garden, they come over your fence and steal your produce
and if you try to chase them off, they attack you in your own yard and the Liberal Portland DA and Homeless Advocacy groups tell you it your obligations to be the victims and allow them their dignity to steal the produce from you labor
if the blackouts come, 25% of the civilized dwellers in the cities may sit on their couch and die, but the homeless or "urban campers" as Portland calls them, will be climbing over your fences to take what they need
get out before this happens