Jeep Hammer,
With all due respect, I think you are leaving a few things off the list of things to worry about. What about war, terrorist attacks, societal collapse?
You didn't read the orignal post, he was asking about what you would do in an ice/snow storm...
And in that case, I'd light the wood burner out at the river,
Or start the generator in town,
Chain up the old Wagoneer, dig out, and saw up the limbs/trees/poles in the streets & driveways, and help out my neighbors!.
Problem solved.
I know it's not complicated enough for city people, but it's effective and it works without discussion committees, board meetings, feasibility studies, million dollar social/environmental impact studies, and 10 years of analysis...
But it's been working for us 'Country Folk' for the last 100,000 years!
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As for all the other paranoid crap, you don't sweat what you can't fix...
No war on US shores since 1812,
There is no way for an individual to prepare for a concentrated Nuclear, Chemical or Biological strike.
It takes BILLIONS OF DOLLARS and Years of specialized preparation to even consider surviving a deliberate and concentrated strike,
And it's not much BUT survival since the effort to purify food/water is massive and grossly cost INEFFECTIVE...
THERE IS N-O-T-H-I-N-G You as an individual can do about it!
SO WHY BOTHER WORRYING ABOUT IT?
(and if you think plastic and duct tape on the windows is going to work like the '
Department of Homeland Scare Tactics' said you should do is going to do anything, you are a bigger idiot than even I can comprehend!)
I just live where there is very little likely hood of NBC (Nuclear, Chemical, Biological) Strike so I'm pretty well covered...
Not by design, it just happened that way, happy coincidence!
AND,
All this ranks right up there with Asteroids hitting the planet,
Gamma Bursts from decaying stars,
Volcanics,
Tsunamis,
And all the other crap you simply can't do anything about!
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"Societal Collapse" is a figment of uneducated/undereducated and paranoid minds,
AND, the hucksters trying to get you to CONSUME!!!.
(Y2K, Bird Flu, Terrorists hiding under your bed, Economic 'Collapse', 12-Dec-2012, Jesus is coming....
It's all designed to keep you CONSUMING for the next big 'Threat'...)
There will always be a 'Society' here as long as there is 'Life',
It just won't be the one you are used to,...
And it may be ants or microbes instead of humans,
But there will always be 'Societies' & 'Relationships' as long as there is life of any kind.
It's like saying 'Save The Planet'...
The planet will always be here, it's not going anywhere for the next 4 or 5 billion years until our yellow dwarf sun supernovas and consumes it...
It might just have returned to the primordial rock in space, or it might have reverted to primordial ooze, but it will still be here after humans!
Pretty arrogant to think you can 'Plan For' or 'Prepare For' events that could extinct a planet!
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Now, *IF* there are any people here that aren't completely paranoid,
And can look forward,
Make preparations for 'After Oil' now, before the rush...
It's not going to be the 'Emergency' everyone thinks it is, it's just going to get more expensive to retro fit as oil gets more expensive...
The 'Rush' on solar panels and wind generators is going to drive prices up, and make for a shortage of experienced installers...
(If you were 'Smart', you would start now, educate yourself, and BOOM when the 'Rush' happens!)
At the turn of the 20th Century, most of America (and the rest of the world) was Water, Wind, Sun powered.
Windmills pumped water, sawed lumber, turned tools,
And now they can EASILY make electricity every day, all day long!
Water powered mills made everything from Paper to cook Pans, Cloths to Clocks, Medicine to Machinery.
If we weren't all IDIOTS, we would all have WINDMILLS in our yards!
Personally, I have one small wind generator that is just about perfect for topping off batteries after the solar panels have 'Quick Charged' them.
I have plans for a larger model, and have acquired the tower, but haven't got it up yet...
I'm looking for a mechanical wind mill to pump from my well at the river house. I'm using electrical pump right now, but I'm afraid when we move there full time I'll need that extra current for the household, so I'm looking to go completely mechanical.
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Vertical axis wind generators and solar panels are viable for even the most sardine boxed suburb shack, so don't tell me it can't be done...
I live in a Suburb with lots of trees, and my solar panels here have already paid for themselves!
SO! As you forecast 'Gloom and DOOM' while you are sitting on your comfy chair, picking away at a computer key borad, with medicine at your fingertips and a national infrastructure there to support you in a day or two if anything happens...
I think of what my grandpa that lived through...
Two world wars,
The Cold War,
Korea, Viet-Nam, the first Gulf war,
The great depression,
The 1918 'Spanish' flu epidemic,
3 Polio Epidemics,
Two Encephalitis Epidemics,
No Antibiotics for the first 40+ years of his life, when measles and mumps, croup or flu could KILL YOU,
Having his farm ground & lively hood taken by the state not once, but twice for 'Imminent Domain' projects,
And I think I have it pretty good! Things are DEFINITELY looking up!
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There will ALWAYS BE PEOPLE THAT WHINE & CRY ABOUT WHAT THEY DON'T HAVE...
And there will ALWAYS BE PEOPLE THAT WHINE & CRY ABOUT WHAT 'MIGHT' or 'COULD' GO WRONG...
I do wish they would quit standing in the way of, and distracting the people that are actually getting something done and moving forward!
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Want to help?
STOP BUYING 'CHINA MART' STUFF!
Buy American from your friends and neighbors, even if it costs a little more!
WEAN YOURSELF OFF OF PETROLEUM!
Buy Metal instead of plastic when you can,
Drive fuel efficient vehicles, lean towards electric, CNG, hybrids,
Insulate & Seal Up Your Homes,
Compost & Recycle instead of buying petroleum based fertilizers in petroleum based plastic containers using petroleum powered vehicles to deliver it...
POWER YOURSELF FROM RENEWABLES!
If you live in town, Grid Tied (batteryless) Solar.
USE THAT EMPTY, OPEN ROOF SPACE FOR SOME GOOD!
No reason that empty house shouldn't be helping with it's own upkeep all day long! You work, why shouldn't your house!?
If you live in RURAL areas, Wind (mechanical/electric), Solar Electric, Solar Thermal, Micro Hydro (water), ect.
Those big old barn and shed roofs are BEGGING for solar panels!
You have PLENTY of room for windmills!
It's just a matter if getting your big, fat, bloated, pimple covered white ass off the couch and/or computer and DOING IT!
Grandpa used to say about people that complain and don't do anything,
"Don't just DO SOMETHING, Stand There and Complain!"