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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| What Austin, Texas, Demonstrates About Prepping |
| 2021-02-18 |
| [Captain's Journal] I have a family member who lives in Austin, Texas. This is a video he sent me (he didn’t take it, but is near where this video was taken). This video is a couple of days old. This line was about a mile long as guessed by the videographer. There are no more lines like that because the grocery stores are out of food. The trucks haven’t been able to run, so the shelves are bare. Worse, the water system is torn apart by freezing temperatures, and water is off to most of the city. There is no potable water, there is no more food. There is now a run on gasoline, and the stations are quickly running out their tanks. Power is off throughout vast portions of Austin and in fact throughout much of Texas. It would be easy to write an essay about the power situation, but denials that the rush to natural gas and windmills is at least partially responsible are wrong. The windmills are frozen, and the CTs (Combustion Turbines) sit above ground. They are frozen solid and cannot operate. Solar panels are covered with snow and ice, and besides, wouldn’t be capable of supplying the industrial base with enough power even if they could operate. While there is a lot of research in next generation nuclear (like Molten Salt reactors) occurring at ORNL and ANL, and that’s nice, it wouldn’t have been necessary to wait on that. PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) and BWR (Boiling Water Reactor) technology is mature and safe. The problem is that no CEO wants to invest money in nuclear power because the tax incentives are so significant for solar panels. But the only source of cheap, clean, mature energy that can supply an industrial base with power is nuclear. Unless, of course, they intend to move the industrial base to China (which is in fact investing huge sums of money in nuclear) and then beg for scraps that fall from the master’s table. My family member is safe and sound with copious supplies for everything, and I told him that the only people who would have been prepared for something like this is preppers. He responded that people do in fact listen to the government and that had a warning come out in time to concern yourself with potable water, run water into bathtubs, get freeze dried foods, visit the grocery stores, get batteries, get medical kits, stock up on ammunition, get charcoal and be prepared to grill, have enough water to flush toilets, and so on and so forth, the people would have responded. I told him that he had misunderstood what I said. I meant that the only people who worry about preparations like this without being told to by the government is preppers, and that he was prepared because we talked about this sort of thing before. He agreed. Most of America is 24-48 hours from starvation and dehydration. If the water system and/or electric grid goes down, people must be prepared for that. Preparation isn’t just for the Northwestern redoubt, with all due respect to the folks at the Survival Blog. In fact, it may be more difficult in an urban area like Austin than it would be in Idaho, weather notwithstanding. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #21 People paying a king's ransom now for firewood. If you have a fireplace, set a natural gas insert plumbed that can also use wood. Dual use to warm the house and cook over it. Also, if you replace your cooktop, pay extra to go with gas for the next one. BTW, re nuclear power, one of the nulear generators in Dallas was taken offline due to a failure in a temperature sensor in the cooling system (it froze). So water-cooled nukes are not the cure either, go with something thats safer by default and less prone to shutdowns like the molten salt designs. |
| Posted by: Deadeye Jaiting7534 2021-02-18 21:54 |
| #20 The jars can at least be re-used. Without the lids, the canners -puts on sunglasses- are in a pickle. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2021-02-18 18:54 |
| #19 ^That was a problem on Moonshiners there aren’t any mason jars about |
| Posted by: Beavis 2021-02-18 18:35 |
| #18 Apparently the last best time to start stocking was 18 months ago. I know, regionally, nobody has seen canning supplies for 6 months now. Plan accordingly. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2021-02-18 18:25 |
| #17 Canned goods, all that sh!t. It's gonna be about global cooling, reduced crop output, and associated higher prices. |
| Posted by: Clem 2021-02-18 16:48 |
| #16 salt stock up on salt |
| Posted by: Chris 2021-02-18 15:55 |
| #15 Canned chicken is also a good way to add in protein, I get packs of them from Sam's. We keep about 5 lbs of rice on hand along with a box of instant rice. Broth bullion cubes helps alot with flavoring. There's a vegetable pasta by Barilla called Super Greens which is also useful (Cept for the wife who is physically allergic to wheat and barley). Veg-all in cans is an excellent way to add veggies to soups or other dishes that keeps well. Ships Biscuits You can make those as well, but the real secret that made them last was baking them twice to absolutely drive out moisture. They are able to be used as weapons, but it's bread when you need it and have a handy rock to smash it up:p I like to add pepper to mine, and right out of the oven the first bake they are nice. You also have to remember to poke holes in it before baking with a fork. Let's moisture escape and helps with breaking it. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2021-02-18 15:43 |
| #14 There are bladders designed to fit into the bathtub for hurricane prep. And make sure your heating sources doesn't kill you; have a sick feeling they are going to find people who tried to heat/interior cook with charcoal, or got in their car to warm up but didn't open the garage door. A lot of propane camp cookers and heaters are designed with well ventilated use in mind. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2021-02-18 15:37 |
| #13 Probably the toughest part is getting out of the on-demand mindset. Water is your priority; there are a number of filters and treatment methods out there which can substitute for or get you to the point where you can boil. Bad time to get the runs, worse if the sewer is out or backflowing. Dehydration is a killer. If rice/beans/dehydrated/etc is going in the cupboard you will need a way to heat water. Pick or plan for a method which won't kill you. Seasoning. 2 or 3 meals a day of straight rice and beans for 5 days without some seasoning. Besides, salt is important too. At least 1 manual can opener and a P38. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2021-02-18 15:21 |
| #12 You might want to peruse this: https://preppersunlimited.com/the-best-foods-for-preppers/ |
| Posted by: Warthog 2021-02-18 14:44 |
| #11 /\ Those plastic 34oz peanut jars on the snacks aisle make good containers for dried, lentils, chickpeas, rice and other beans. Keeps the "cupboard moths" away from them cheaply. So stocking up on beans and rice is a always a good plan. Canned Tuna (water is my preference) is also a good idea. |
| Posted by: magpie 2021-02-18 12:58 |
| #10 Speaking of prepping... I've been considering stocking up on non-perishable food. Any recommendations? Water too. Bathtub doesn't sound so sanitary... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2021-02-18 12:47 |
| #9 I always watched the last minute "Snow Panic" buying of perishables like milk with amusement. I stocked up on crackers, canned tuna and peanut butter... |
| Posted by: magpie 2021-02-18 12:38 |
| #8 " I don't think the difference between Austin and Idaho is the weather." Living near Boise I can tell you that the above statement is true in spades! Around here we believe in self-sufficiency and being prepared. It's a lifestyle for us so much we don't even talk about it...we just do. Not to say there is not a contingent of Libs in the North End who believe in Uncle Sugar...they do..at least until Uncle can't be found and then it's "..but we're neighbors!" |
| Posted by: Warthog 2021-02-18 12:02 |
| #7 For small families, a small propane burner and a moderate supply of propane will provide enough instant heat to cook meals for days on end, but not to heat water or heat buildings. For that, cold weather clothing and bedding is necessary, even in Texas. |
| Posted by: Thineger Sproing6704 2021-02-18 11:50 |
| #6 Nationwide a great deal more attention must be given to the security of the electric grid and the public water systems. Experts advised the USA decades ago to have a huge strategic stockpile of PPE for the inevitable airborne viral pandemics they accurately foretold. That wasn't done then and is not being done now. |
| Posted by: Thineger Sproing6704 2021-02-18 11:48 |
| #5 City water systems depend on a constant water pressure to prevent internal contamination. City of Cleveland discovered that a few years ago during a city wide power failure. It turned out the city had zero ability to run pumps to keep the city water system at a healthy pressure during a power failure. The system was designed to fail. City water users were told to boil all the water they got from their taps, during a time when they were unable to do so. I don't know if this was ever remedied. |
| Posted by: Thineger Sproing6704 2021-02-18 11:46 |
| #4 "The trucks haven’t been able to run" Is that due to diesel fuel gelling in Texas? |
| Posted by: Thineger Sproing6704 2021-02-18 11:43 |
| #3 I don't think the difference between Austin and Idaho is the weather. Had, literally, a year of low intensity stock and prep action, but the moment Chipotle can't deliver. I do want to take a moment, not to share blame but attribute extra blame: The weather forecast was all fvk'd up and retarded. The covid protocols are why people are lined out in the cold, at that distance, for that long. The anti-social distancing has stores at 1/3 to 1/4 efficiency they could be at, as well as the production and resupply chain. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2021-02-18 11:15 |
| #2 No water? Prepped with cans of cheap beer. No power? Fired up the propane Genny. No shower? Snow-bathing scrub. 80 proof antifreeze helps. Pond water flushing. No internet TV? Antifreeze around the campfire. Frozen pizza in the dutch oven. |
| Posted by: Fleamp Jert2437 2021-02-18 09:59 |
| #1 get charcoal and be prepared to grill Out doors or out in the garage with a closed door. Unless you like to build up for carbon monoxide poisoning. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2021-02-18 06:45 |