By Tim Gamble
September is National Preparedness Month. The previous article is a look at family communications plans (article link). This article explores the question of what happens if the grid goes down, and there is no electricity or other utilities.
In any emergency, be it long-term grid-down after a nuclear war or a few days without electrify due to a winter storm, we will loose most of the modern conveniences with which we've grown accustomed. We will be without electricity, running water, and other utilities. We will be without the Internet, cable TV, smart phones, Amazon, Door Dash, and a throw-away economy of cheap disposable goods. We will suddenly be thrust back into a world in which our great grandparents lived. This will be a hard adjustment to make. We need to start thinking now about how people used to live back in the "Olden Times," and to start planning how we can live there ourselves, whether for a few days or perhaps forever.
No Electricity? Having alternative ways to cook, stay warm, and light your home is a good idea. But the inconveniences, and your planning, doesn't stop there.
Take something as simple as entertainment. Modern entertainment typically revolves around screen time: TV, movies, video games, smart phones, and so forth. But our grandparents, and definitely our great grandparents, didn't have these options. They had to entertain themselves. They read books made of paper. They played card games and board games, told stories, made their own music, and got together with friends and family to celebrate holidays and special occasions. To go old school, pick up some classic board games (Amazon link) and a few decks of cards (Amazon link). Or learn a musical instrument. Personally, I want to learn to play the harmonica (Amazon link). Maybe have a basketball goal (Amazon link) in your backyard, or a badminton set (Amazon link). The possibilities of non-electricity based entertainment is boundless.
Modern: Cooking with electricity or natural gas.
Old School: Cooking with a wood stove (Amazon link, Amazon link) - don't forget a good stockpile of wood and the ability to collect more.
Modern: Heating with electricity or natural gas.
Old School: Heating with a fireplace or wood stove (Amazon link). Using heavy blankets and wearing warm clothes, gloves, and toboggans.
Modern: Lighting your home with electricity.
Old School: Lighting your home with candles (Amazon link) and oil lamps (Amazon link).
Modern: Riding lawn mower for cutting grass (requires gas).
Old School: Reel mower (Amazon link). Or better yet, do away with the lawn entirely, letting it go wild, planting vegetable gardens, herb gardens, fruit and nut trees, berry bushes.
Old School: Reel mower (Amazon link). Or better yet, do away with the lawn entirely, letting it go wild, planting vegetable gardens, herb gardens, fruit and nut trees, berry bushes.
Modern: Washing machine and dryer for clothes.
Old School: Handwashing clothes (Amazon link) and using clotheslines (Amazon link).
Modern: Electric mixer.
Old School: Manual hand mixer (Amazon link).
Modern: Electric can opener.
Old School: Manual can opener (Amazon link).
Modern: The Internet, Wikipedia.
Old School: Physical copies of reference books (Amazon link) and maps (Amazon link).
Modern: GPS, Google Maps.
Old School: Road Atlas (Amazon link), folding maps.
Modern: Baby formula, store-bought baby food in tiny jars.
Old School: Breast feeding (Amazon link), making baby food at home.
Modern: Disposable diapers.
Old School: Cloth diapers (Amazon link).
Well, you get the idea. The possibilities are endless. Now for an interesting free resource to explore this topic further:
The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA) has a video lecture entitled "No Water, No Sewer, No Electricity, No Gas...What Will You Do?" The 1 hour 10 minute long video features Paul Seyfried, and addresses "infrastructure vulnerabilities in your home are a crucial piece in civil defense preparedness. One week of down time would cause a family much distress, let alone a month or year or more, as people in war-torn countries are experiencing. Learn how to prepare for loss of power and other services we depend on." Direct link to the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2zWQu-_2_0
--------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are posted without moderation. Use caution when following links, and beware of SPAM and fake links. Please keep discussions civil and on-topic. NOTE: Certain ad-blockers and other security software installed on your browser may block the ability to leave comments on this website. This issue is with that software, not this website.