Dealing with "Emergency!"

[S.A. Boggs]

Our county has just been placed under a Winter Storm Watch for heavy snow and ice and then a drop in temps down close to zero, oh boy! Grocery stores will sure be busy this weekend with sudden purchases. Wal-Mart now carries generators, bet they will sell out on these.
Sam

[Art]

A thouroly enjoyable and thoughtful post. It's easy to say, I'd move, but it's your home.

You are correct in that where you live matters. I would like to say I looked at the topographical maps and picked the spot least likely to flood but that would be a lie.

Every place, well nearly every place, can have issues with natural disasters, fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards etc. All have their own issues.

I live hear because I own my house outright, I'm 71 and in good shape as far as what I can do but have health issues that make me glad that I live 30 miles from the biggest health center in the U.S. and more importantly the number 1 rated cancer center. In my life I've weathered a dozen hurricanes both here and in Louisiana and you get better at this with time. My support group of friends and relatives are close by. Last but not least, as any one who has followed or knows me at all knows, I'm "muy Tejano" so God bless Texas, LOL.

I will admit that I could move to San Antonio and not deal with the storms though.

[S.A. Boggs]

My wife and I have been through many power outages here in the Ozarks. I built my house with a finished basement, and a wood burning stove in the basement. Each time we have a significant power outage, we note what we wished we had, and didn't. The longest outage was the Mother of All Ice Storms beginning on Jan 27th in '09. That ended a 12-month periods where we spent a total of 30 days and nights without electricity.

Here is my list, based on plenty of experience:

1. A generator -- currently a 7.5 kw gas generator, but I'm planning on a propane generator next year, with two tanks.
2. A chain saw -- to cut firewood, and to cut downed trees on our 3/4s of a mile access road.
3. A variety of canned goods.
4. Plenty of fuel -- I keep 15 gallons of gas and 5 gallons of diesel in the shed.
5. Guns and ammo -- because, why not?

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Vern is that you?
Sam

[Merc]

"Everything means something". Most important lesson I've learned. Pay attention to the little things. Numerous people have died from trying to heat an enclosed space. That doesn't mean you can't heat an enclosed space, just be cognizant.

Good point. CO has to build up in an enclosed area to a certain PPM before most detectors will react. I bought the new style detector just to double check the alarm that I was hearing from the 6 year old detector that’s located in the uppjier level of the house near the bedrooms and it gave me an alarm within a few minutes. There are multiple common ways that CO can accumulate in a house - from a leaking furnace heat exchanger, a bad space heater, a plugged flu pipe and car exhaust. According to my furnace guy, heat exchangers on most furnaces will last for about 20 - 25 years. I would strongly suggest yearly older furnace inspections with a CO probe and a minimum of 2 CO detectors, one located in or near the bedrooms and one near the furnace. The directions on mine says to keep it a minimum of 10 feet away from the furnace.

[free1954]

the problem with a generator is you have to run and work it every so often. and the days of storing gasoline are over unless you constantly rotate your stock.

[S.A. Boggs]

the problem with a generator is you have to run and work it every so often. and the days of storing gasoline are over unless you constantly rotate your stock.

That is what I do, we refuel our trucks from the jerry cans that we hold for the generator.
Sam

[Merc]

Here are a few gas stories that could be a TV ad for fuel stabilizer. I use fresh fuel stabilizer in all of my gas engines every year when putting things away for the winter. I have a boat with a 100 HP outboard from the 1990s that still runs well. It has a 28 gallon gas tank and I probably have not used more than 5 or 6 gallons a year for the past 20 years. Since the tank is always kept full, it dawned on me a few years ago that there is a certain amount of diluted gas in that tank that could be 20 years old. I try run my generator every year and use it to run my electric chain saw. The gas in that tank is also has to be at least 10 years old. Until this year, I stored a 1979 Buick with a half tank of gas that was last driven in 2004. Like all the other engines, it gets a yearly shot of fuel stabilizer and always starts and runs. Be careful to only use fresh stabilizer. Once the bottle is opened, it will eventually go bad if not used and can cause problems.

[free1954]

Here are a few gas stories that could be a TV ad for fuel stabilizer. I use fresh fuel stabilizer in all of my gas engines every year when putting things away for the winter. I have a boat with a 100 HP outboard from the 1990s that still runs well. It has a 28 gallon gas tank and I probably have not used more than 5 or 6 gallons a year for the past 20 years. Since the tank is always kept full, it dawned on me a few years ago that there is a certain amount of diluted gas in that tank that could be 20 years old. I try run my generator every year and use it to run my electric chain saw. The gas in that tank is also has to be at least 10 years old. Until this year, I stored a 1979 Buick with a half tank of gas that was last driven in 2004. Like all the other engines, it gets a yearly shot of fuel stabilizer and always starts and runs. Be careful to only use fresh stabilizer. Once the bottle is opened, it will eventually go bad if not used and can cause problems.

I never got that kind of life out of stored gas. I used to use STABIL until I switched to SEAFOAM about ten years ago.

[lyman]

That is what I do, we refuel our trucks from the jerry cans that we hold for the generator.
Sam

I do the same,

run the generator every month, and don't 'turn' it off, shut the fuel off and let it run out,

then the extra gas in cans goes thru the lawn mower and weed eater to keep it fresh,

big fan of Seafoam as well, usually run a can thru all of them once a year (mixed in the fuel, so ran thru as it is used up)

[lyman]

as far as emergencies, we are not preppers, but like to think we are prepared, at least for any short term issues,


not paranoid enough, yet, to think the the second coming, zombie hord, russian/chinese/mexican invasion is happening tomorrow, but still do some preps

wife is Celiac, and has a few minor dietary concerns due to that,
we keep enough food around, (fresh, frozen and canned) to hold us a few weeks if needed (generator for power, gas (15gal) available, gas station/store a few miles away)
she has an AWD SUV, I have a 4X4 pickup as a backup,

plenty of guns/ammo and know the dope from my house to each mailbox up the street (live on a cul de sac) in case the invasion starts,,,,


should the stuff hit the fan, and making the assumption (OMG!! ,assuming) there is some time to prep, we will likely get with family (across the state ) to figure out what direction to go, or if they will come to us,

we are far enough out of the city, and any bad demographic zone, to not worry too much about intercity silliness

[Merc]

I never got that kind of life out of stored gas. I used to use STABIL until I switched to SEAFOAM about ten years ago.

I add Stabil to all the gas tanks every fall when I close my summer cottage for the winter season. Stabil doesn’t age well once the bottle has been opened. I have used it for many years on all these gas engines so I always make sure to use every drop every year. I have a friend who put old Stabil in the gas tank of his outboard motor and it refused to run.

I used to always run the carbs dry on the outboards until my mechanic told me several years ago that it’s better to leave the gas and stabilizer in the carbs.

[free1954]

I used to always run the carbs dry on the outboards until my mechanic told me several years ago that it’s better to leave the gas and stabilizer in the carbs.

I had a Honda cb900 that I used to drain the carbs every winter, and every spring some rubber seal would be dry rotted and I would end up tearing them down to replace it. it's better to leave them full with stabilized gas. better still if you can run them once in a while.

[Mark in Ottawa]

Note that there is a difference between an emergency and a crisis or disaster. Generally an emergency is a fairly localized event that happens unexpectedly and is fairly short term. That reflects itself in the advice that most government agencies provide in which they suggest that everybody should be prepared to manage things for themselves for about three days. That can encompass such problems as a forest fire that gets near you but does not destroy your community; a storm that knocks out power; a gas leak and the like or perhaps a hurricane that causes you to evacuate but does not destroy your home. A crisis or a disaster on the other hand is considered to be a wide spread event with problems that last more than 30 days. That can include a system wide power failure that can't immediately be repaired; a fire that destroys your neighborhood; a tornado that hits your neighborhood; an electromagnetic pulse that destroys all electronics and transportation systems, war damage, etc.

I think that almost all of us have encountered emergencies and have coped with them. Few of us have however encountered wide spread catastrophes (unless you lived through Katrina in New Orleans) and even then, there were back up resources available within a few days.

My personal experience has been somewhat limited although I once wrote the Business Continuity Plan and Emergencies Book for the headquarters element of a Canadian Government Department. Surprisingly we ended up using the authorities twice in six months to close down buildings and send everybody home for health and safety reasons.

My real fear is that I don't know how society will survive a very wide spread disaster.

[S.A. Boggs]

If our government shutdown extends into March and no welfare for the entitled, things will get quite interesting to say the least. One will see a "small" disaster and how people will "handle" it. Our daughter is a casher who often has to decline a sale, usually ethanol. People get quite ticked off when told they can't have something and will argue that "they" are entitled to it.
Sam

[lyman]

If our government shutdown extends into March and no welfare for the entitled, things will get quite interesting to say the least. One will see a "small" disaster and how people will "handle" it. Our daughter is a casher who often has to decline a sale, usually ethanol. People get quite ticked off when told they can't have something and will argue that "they" are entitled to it.
Sam

spent many a moment dealing with the folks that think an EBT card could buy hot food or alcohol,
as well as dopers that used all or sold all of their meds before it could be filled again,

both types seem to think getting loud and threatening will get them what they want,
both were wrong