There is lot going on in the Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The videos are hard to fathom as someone who lives in the flat lands where we need drainage ditches to move water. While we occasionally have minor flooding near some of the rivers, for the most part it is pretty contained. Although we are about as far inland as you can get, at least ocean-wise, southern Indiana got a lot of rain and wind and the Indianapolis area had a lot of power outages. Compared to North Carolina? It hardly bears mentioning. Where I live it was drizzly and pretty windy but this is Indiana so that isn’t unusual.
It might be a little early to start drawing some lessons but the best time to think about these issues is when it isn’t happening to you.
Some of it is pretty obvious. Water, food, guns and ammo, a generator, etc. What about communications? This is a repeated theme for me, something I need to work on. A LOT. What about loved ones? I have run the routes to get my family members if needed and have a pretty decent handle on how to avoid bottlenecks, plus having paper maps if roads are blocked and GPS isn’t working.
Something else that is interesting, saw this yesterday:
From the article it sounds like Walmart in town is still operational but how long will that last, and how long until they run out of food? They are of course experiencing high sales volumes: “packed with customers scrambling to purchase essentials before they ran out of stock” and are getting customers from out of town and out of state.
It is well known that most people only have a very limited supply of food on hand. If they can’t buy food with their credit card or worse yet with their EBT food stamps card? They will get ugly. Another truth to live by: desperate people will resort to desperate measures in a hurry.
It is smart to keep a supply of cash on hand. Some sneer, what good is cash going to be in a TEOTWAWKI scenario? If things completely collapse, probably not much, but you are more likely over the short term to find yourself in a Western North Carolina situation where shit is desperate but aid is slowly coming and things will sort of get back to “normal” for most people in a relatively short time. In those situations, when the systems aren’t working, cash will be king (and maybe precious metals and I prefer silver to gold as how often will you need to buy something with a $2500 one ounce gold coin? A $30 one ounce silver coin, that is more realistic).
If you don’t have a stash of cash, you are going to wish you did at some point. It doesn’t have to be stacks of strapped hundreds, you are probably better off with $20s and $10s. If you find yourself with some cash in your wallet, stick some in an envelope for a rainy day. Do that now and then and it won’t take long to build up a stash and it isn’t like cash expires, so if you need it you can always deposit it at the bank, but better stashed away than pissed away on something dumb which seems to be what always happens to cash in my wallet.
Then of course we have the usual asshats being their usual asshat selves using a crisis as an excuse. Lee Williams and others reported on this today: Florida city illegally bans firearm and ammunition sales, CCW during Hurricane Helene
Basically the city of Okeechobee, Florida preemptively declared that no one could sell, display for sale or possess firearms and ammunition for a day as Hurricane Helene approached. Now you might wonder, what does a hurricane have to do with selling guns? Well nothing. The Chief of Police, one Donald C. Hagan, just decided that one should never let a good crisis go to waste.
There is plenty of precedent for this including the attempted shutting down of gun stores during Covid and the Summer of Love riots as well as the seizure of hundreds of firearms during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (see: A Homeowners Association With Teeth).
Going along with the theme, when order breaks down and chaos takes over, it is too late to be shopping for guns and ammo. Remember when you couldn’t get 9mm or 5.56mm, not for any amount of money? I recall people driving 3-4 hours each way to buy basic firearms because they simply couldn’t get them anywhere else in 2020. If you don’t have it now, you won’t be able to get it when you need it because everyone that failed to prepare is going to be doing the same thing.
When order starts to break down and people get scared, all too many cops will use that as an opportunity to throw their weight around. Do you think that is getting better or worse? Do you think the near future promise higher quality law enforcement or lower quality?
I am horrified by the pictures and videos coming out of North Carolina and elsewhere but I also try to use it as a teaching moment, especially for me, to make sure I am covering my bases. A high school friend of my wife posted this:
This woman is in her 50s and apparently lives alone? She doesn’t even have a flashlight in her home, she relies on the light on her cell phone. Her lifeline is an elderly guy that lives across the street who is having to protect a woman probably a few decades younger than him because she lacks any foresight. I don’t want to be too hard on this woman because there are tens of millions just like her, people who when faced with a disaster will sit around waiting for someone to rescue them. The death toll is going to rise down there because unprepared people will die.
I am no doubt preaching to the choir here and many/most of you are as prepared as me or likely are far better prepared. My point here is as I always try to do in times like these is to check your shit and make sure you have what you need and that it works. I fear worse, much worse, is coming in the near future and right now is when you need to be getting your ducks in a row before some Haitian eats them.
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
I have been reading about the chaos in North Carolina and pondering the same issues. All the TEOTWAWKI books like to posit an EMP, but who needs that when the roads are all blocked or washed out and everyone runs out of gas? One the one hand I, too, want to make allowances – it was perfectly reasonable for people in Asheville not to expect to get wiped out by Helene. Asheville is over 2000 feet in elevation! My own ‘ridge top’ is only 1000 feet. But the closest small town is in the valley, and it is definitely at risk of flooding. I can easily see all the trees falling where we live – some of the photos from North Carolina look exactly like the paved county road we use to get to our dirt road – two lanes, heavily treed on both sides, and with steep ridges falling away from the edges. Prior to this, I assumed our rocky soil and lack of creeks high on the ridges would have prevented mud slides – but if we had gotten 24 inches of rain in 24 hours plus high winds – who knows?
Now for the ‘on the other hand.” You just don’t know what unanticipated combination of events is going to leave you in need of some prior preparation. I always message my younger son when storms are predicted, reminding him to go shopping in the days beforehand, and to make sure he has bottled water and that his flashlights and headlamp are charged. My older son? I can easily imagine him being one of those people who just didn’t get around to gassing up the car or making sure that the generator (which we gave him) is in good working order.
There was certainly ample notice for days beforehand that bad weather was incoming, so anyone prudent should have made a few minimum preparations (bottled water, gas in the car, working flashlights, etc.). But as we know, most people just aren’t all that bright. And AINO’s underclass – Whites as well – is accustomed to always waiting for someone else to provide for them.
I checked a few of the YT homesteading channels I scan/skim – both in North Carolina. Both were without power. Both had gas generators to run their freezers, but for how long? I’ve read estimates that many may not have power restored until Oct 5 at the earliest. One family had a propane tank and propane gas stove (as we do) – the other had to cook outside on their grill. One channel in South Carolina was mentioning loaning solar and gas generators to neighbors – but he noted that then he also needed to loan gas, with no idea when he could replenish his own supply.
Being prepared, in a time of failing government and social systems, is a multi-faceted proposition. There is always more one can do, and some of it requires a good deal of money. But it’s also worth remembering that the average person does not even have a working flashlight. And any neighborly generosity may get you thanks – or demands for all your resources in the name of ‘need’ and ‘fairness.’
Always better to get to know your neighbors before a crisis hits which is why I pound the drum of Tribe Up…Is there anyone in that area that has a group that you follow or are they all atomized individuals…
It’s mixed. We have a couple of solid neighbors, and have gotten some passing familiarity with people at church. I’ve read online of groups in this area, but some are just preppers and others seem to identify as repukes. I’ve reached a point in my life where I just don’t want to waste my time on people who aren’t realistic about racial issues. There are a few non-Whites creeping in here and there, and I just know some fool woman will shack up with them – and that’s how the rot begins.
You are right about having cash in 20s and 10s but definitely have 5s and ones as well. Places may not or won’t be able to make change. It’s smart to have as close to exact change as possible. Try to have 4-5 days of expenses in cash. Fir myself, I would think about $400 in denominations of 20s and smaller. If power is not back on and normal commerce returned after 5 days, there are bigger problems than emergency cash can handle.
Go home after work on Friday. Pull the main breaker to your house and leave the power off for the weekend and use your preps. Areas you forgot will show themselves real quick. I have never followed this recommendation I did it for real during a forest fire in 2013. I learned quite a few things during that fire. The cabin still stands but it was close.
Apparently the chief porker (complete with melon head) only issued his edict in English, despite there being a sizable latrino population that’s more prone to violence. Not that it means anything anymore but a totally unconstitutional declaration, not to mention giving all his pork patrols a green light to abuse their power…….. I know, what a shock……..which is why he did it in the first place. Cops are ignorant and will violate any law they choose to, knowing it won’t stick, but they’ll cheerfully make you go through hell to beat the charges. Getting to be a toss-up between being around looters or cops/guard during a crisis.
Why isn’t DeSantis relieving him, the mayor and the town council of their posts? I think we know why.
Hmmm, maybe time for another prepping article.
Always a good time for that Brother…
Perfesser Wilder,
I think part of that column could include keeping away from bumblebrats.
Assistant Fire Chief Chris Melton ordered rescue pilot to stand down:
https://youtu.be/si9kPy7IffU?si=yVPDkexQahyd2L0j
.
Apparently, Melton is employed at BureauOfJustifyingOurExistence.
And apparently, local thugs can overrule the Federal Aviation Agency?
Imagine petty officials being petty. I’m shocked, I say.
Yea your preps aren’t going to do you a lot of good if they are floating down the river along with your house…You would think after getting hit with hurricanes a few times you would make sure you weren’t next to a river that could flood a take you with it…
many of these placed had never flooded before, at least in recorded history. also, the forecast was no where near the 30 inches of rain they got. that said, this is a good reminder to keep some preps offsite.
A quick google search shows this ..
Much of the focus has centered on Asheville, which is the largest city in the state’s western counties. A city at the convergence of the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers and Hominy and Sweeten creeks, among other streams, Asheville is especially prone to flooding.
Asheville and many surrounding mountain towns were built in valleys, leaving them especially vulnerable to devastating rain and flooding. Plus, the ground already was saturated before Helene arrived, said Christiaan Patterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service
Flooding is North Carolina’s second-most common natural hazard, occurring on average every seven and a half days.
The flood brought on by Helene comes more than a century after Western North Carolina was hit by another disastrous and fatal flood. Dubbed as the “Great Flood,” the flood of 1916 unleashed inconceivable devastation, caused by heavy rainfall produced by a series of hurricanes.
So I don’t know what places you are talking about…
Most of the SE from the Mississippi to aptly named low country is a kudzu clusterflood.
The weather in this quadrant is total garbage and just existing here should sear into the residents the reality of constant decay and rot and impermanence of man’s best laid plans but I guess people acclimate and let their guard down.
Old timers round here have stories like rings in a tree about all matters of natural disasters.
Floods and fires, tornados, year-round thunderstorms, and just the damn wind that rivals Wyoming which has our power going all trigger happy because the right of ways out here are also total garbage so every falling limb is 6 hours of dark and some overtime for the guys in the cherrypicker.
That said when garbage weather settles in every other truck has a chainsaw in the back and roads don’t stay blocked longer than a lung dart and energy drank.
I think the young guys actually revel in being first on scene. People check in on each other but resources are mostly lean with the economy being largely a function of the 1% haves fleecing their less fortunate brothers.
With all the transplants and new builds I think the generac dealer is rivaling for the richest man in cowville.
The storm was heading right for us so I topped off and tuned up and battened down but didn’t see anyone else on the bustle in town so either already stocked or blissful on unaware.
We got spared. Which is good but for the terrible drought that has the price of hay going gay again.
They’re about to have big drinking water problems in Asheville, starting about tomorrow morning. The city water system, which also supplies the rest of the county, is completely down, and they haven’t yet been able to even access the damaged parts (which are evidently many parts). It’s not like they can just issue a boil water notice, because there is no water. Multiply this by all the other little towns in the region that are now without water.
I, who do not live anywhere near there, maintain a 2-3 month supply of bottled drinking water at all times. The only part of which involved any (minor) work was establishing it in the first place. After which, I just drink the older water and rotate in newer water.
Two words about bottled water micro plastics and estrogen…Need a good Berkey Water Filter and a source that won’t dry up or two or three to be on the safe side…
There is no escaping microplastics. They are in all the water, not just the bottled. In the air. Falling out of the sky. My point with that post was to demonstrate that it’s not difficult or expensive to have a water supply that should get you through any emergency period.
I know what your point was I was just warning people that bottled water is probably not the best way to go about storing water unless that’s your only option…And no it’s not in all water, my well didn’t have any in it when it was tested and if you have a good filter system even if it’s in your water system it can be filtered out…I agree it’s in the air and falling out of the sky but why add more to your system than you have too…
According to Ann Barnhardt, Ashville NC is proudly sodomite friendly. Choose the recipients of your charity wisely
That was an Ingles in the picture. The ones that are open are all cash or check only because the company is headquarted in Asheville, and Asheville is gone. No credit processing
Stupid fucking Bints… every time.
Asheville is a liberal shithole. Used to be a quirky artsy country town w/ a nice tourist niche. Corporate America turned it into a wasteland of chain restaurants and large hotels. It’s nothing but faggoty liberals who hate the locals (feelings are mutual). It’s our version of Austin (Texas). Frankly, I’m not too surprised it’s so utterly fucked. Guarantee you the local’s in the country side aren’t helping any of the city residents. The whole affair will only breed further contempt.
” It’s nothing but faggoty liberals who hate the locals”
I was going to write a screed about there the fuck is FEMA. I guess instead I have to feast on a nice plate of schadenfreude. Because I am sure it is the faggoty liberals who most expect FEMA to show up and save them. But FEMA didn’t. The liberal’s P(edo)OTUS and gag reflexless VP threw them under the bus.
I do pray for the fellow dissidents in WV.
I have spent most of my life on the Texas Gulf Coast, but I did live in West Virginia for a few years. So yeah, flooding is totally different. Rather than rising water that stands for days, it’s rushing water that’ll carry your house off and then it’ll be dry the very next day. And the neighborhood I lived in had 2 basic ways to leave, both perilous 1.5 lane blacktops winding in a very hilly region. Wouldn’t take much to be land-locked, a fallen tree in one direction and a mud-washout in the other and you’re stuck.
As for preps, also keep a siphon hose around, especially if your plan is to shelter in place. Those 20 gallons of gas in your truck can be used to run a generator for several days on top of the half-dozen 5-gallon cans in the shed. After all, if you can’t drive anywhere might as well run your house on it (rather more efficiently that the stupid electric truck option).
better test that siphon. most newer vehicles have anti-siphon tanks. thieves drill a hole in the tank now days, catch a bucket of gas and let the rest run out on the ground.
Yes, most have siphon blocks.
Just find the gas filter, unhook it, and use the car to pump the gas into your container.
Well said, Arthur. I’m with Ol’ Remus: Prep when no one is, or panic when everyone is. Or, as I read somewhere once-Panic now and avoid the rush. We been panicking (lol) for quite a while now. Folks that failed to panic early may be dismayed for that at some point, 4 handicap not withstanding. Cash is always an integral part of every good prepping plan.
I grew up in hurricane country, so being ready and watching weather is 2 and nature.
I’m sure some know, but…..
You don’t need to run the Genny 24/7. Couple hours in the morning for the fridge, freezer and some charging. Then again in the evening.
Keep both closed, they’ll maintain temps.
A fluke of nature, perhaps. But still something that can be prepared for
No one is coming to save you
“Keep both closed, they’ll maintain temps. ”
True, but to extend that, have individual water bottles frozen in the nooks and crannies of your freezer. These can be removed or returned as necessary for freezer space. Then, when power goes out, place a few of these into the fridge, and a few into an ice chest. Place the common use food into the ice chest. The stuff that you use regularly, and the stuff you know you’ll eat today or tomorrow. Then you may not even have to open the fridge or freezer. Remember, a frozen chicken is just ice to keep the fridge or ice chest cool, until it thaws enough to cook.
I did this for a planned 3-day power outage last summer (!) when they were afraid of forest fires.
3 days without power for the fridge or freezer. I never lost a bit of food, the freezer never even thawed, and the fridge stayed within proper temps.
Exactly Right Brother and also a full freezer uses less energy to keep stuff frozen than a one that has some space…
Yeah, we do the same thing with the water bottles. When we lost power for a couple of days late last spring, we never lost a thing. Works like a charm. Folks at altitude (we aren’t anymore) have it even better because of the cold nights even in the fall and spring. We kept our chest freezer on the covered porch when we lived at 7500 feet in the desert and you could practically unplug it from October 1 thru May 1.
strong independent woman don’t need no man. example #7,734,332
It’s the end of the month (well was) and the EBT cards had not reloaded. Ain’ti no food. Best day to hti walmart is last day of the month. Fully stocked (in preparation for the 1st) and literally nobody in sight. I was at walmart yesterday (30th) and it was so dead there were FOUR checkers with nothing to do. Imagine that, I’ve never even used a checker before at WM cuz it’s always packed. (self checkout discount too)
Cash is important not only for buying things from stores, but for labor. The one thing you need after any disaster is labor. Cleanup, the hard crappy jobs, skilled tradesmen, etc. I HAVE CASH FOR WORK TODAY. speaks very loud. Sure you’ll get help cleaning up. But 3 hard working 20 year old’s for $200/day will outwork a whole bus load of church ladies. And the whole key after any disaster is triage and getting it sorted and protected. (and not just fail to function. Lots of people just get overwhelmed and simply shutdown, they can’t deal with it)
I am in Asheville, it is inconceivably bad, and here’s something worse: Asheville is not the worst place affected. Chimney Rock is gone. Literally GONE. Marshall, Black Mountain, Hendersonville, Boone, Newport TN, utterly destroyed. The levels of destruction are truly biblical and never in my life have I appreciated being Semper Paratus as I do now. I am giving water, mre’s, freeze-dried foods, solar generators, and life straws to folks because I can. It rained 24” in my location in 50 hours. The peak wind gust was 90 kts. No place could withstand that, especially not one with deciduous trees, steep gorges, limited egress for water, and all major roads running through river valleys. Pray for us all, we need it. If you can, donate. It is hell here.
Hopefully you are on a well so you have clean water Brother…
Sadly, no, but thanks for the thought. I have an atmospheric condenser for drinking water,
but only enough power to run it a few hours / day. My solar got smashed — 3 sets of panels, 1only 1 set operational…gonna have to rethink that one 😉
Any rainwater catchment systems or purifiers so you can get from groundwater if you need too…I heard it’s going to be a bit before you guys can get your water system going again… Hopefully more help is on its way…Sucks about your solar system and I bet you are learning a lot in this situation…Keep us updated Brother so we know you’re still kicking…
Oh, there’s life in this old girl yet. I have been going around giving folks $ 50 in small bills, Always knew I’d need the old landcrusher again. 🙂 Only been harassed by the fedgoons once. I’s like being a pirate in reverse.
Glad you’re able to help people out Brother that’s what Community is all about and fuck the feds…
My daughter lives up there and was finally able to get out and back to the Piedmont this morning. I work for an equipment rental company and have been working since Saturday to get gear and supplies moving that way. Stay safe up there. Likely to be looting and unpleasantness in the near term. I suspect when it is all said and done, the storm will not have been the most dangerous part of this episode.
Times like these are showing you the holes in your system. Take note and find solutions/remedies. I’ve been working at this prep thing for a long time (10+ years) and I keep finding gaps between life in the 21st century and life in the 18th century.
Our main gap is a continuous supply of drinking water and it doesn’t seem to be fixable because a well costs $10k and a pond costs double that. We have a rainwater reclamation system and a pool and about (8) 5 gal plastic cans. The lack of water thing really bothers me and I just can’t get over it. We’re pretty much fully prepped in all other areas.
Any creeks around and how deep is your ground water?
Do you have to haul water or are you on city water?
Look into this: https://us.watergen.com/home-office/
I have one and if you have the power to run it (600 watts) it will literally save your ass.
Thanks for the link! I never heard of this. I’ll look into it.
I love mine. Had it 4 years, and it cranks out 3 gallons/day like clockwork. I have mine set to flow directly into a Berkey and cut off when the Berkey reservoir is full
Here is the exact link to take you to a product page:
https://atmosphericwatergen.com/product/watergen-genny-price-water-from-air-offices-and-homes/
I have an earlier model that didn’t allow for heating the water.
For water purification, look at getting a Grayl water filter per person:
https://grayl.com/
Supposedly the filer will filter 65 gallons before getting too clogged for quick filtering so you can use any water available, even polluted and sewage contaminated water. Get two or three replacement cartridges too. They work.
Particularly useful to grab and go, though storing potable water would be the first resort with the Grayl as a secondary/backup if you have to abandon your stored water.
I think the National Geographic Channel did a one off show titled ‘American Blackout’ which follows different groups of people as they deal with the aftermath of a days-long black out in th region. Highly recommended for those new to prepping.
Good advice Arthur. I’m pretty ‘squared away’ so far as preps go, but I’m a little lackadaisical about checking on things like batteries and such. This was a good reminder to take some time to go through things, cuz you just never know when it’s time to use it. And yes, ALWAYS keep cash on hand!
I agree with the proposition that most people are not preppers and should be. However, there are many areas of western North Carolina, where even if you were a prepper, everything you own would’ve been wiped out. Those are the people I feel sorry for because a lot of them are very self-sufficient. Like the Selco articles it is very eye-opening that you truly are on your own, except for your neighbors, friends and fellow Americans when catastrophe strikes again. The government is worthless as tits on a boar hog.
I do understand younger people, just on their own for the first time, not owning all the things that they will need in an emergency. For them, I might have some sympathy.
However.
EVERY human living in the USA, where supplies and money to buy them is so plentiful, that doesn’t have at least:
– Light supplies – candles & matches, flashlights (and lots of batteries, or some power source to charge them with), & lanterns or oil lamps
– Some way to cook/heat food – hibachi & fuel, barbeque & fuel, even a fire pit and some charcoal and wood
– Some form of keeping food from spoiling – coolers/ice packs, propane powered fridge, root cellar
– Stored food – beans, noodles, rice, canned goods, dried food (need I mention water?)
– Some way to keep from roasting/freezing when the power is off
– Cash money – bills and coins, small gold coins (or even wedding rings – not that expensive if you keep on top of yard sales/estate sales) In a pinch, liquor is a good form of barter
– Supplies to keep storms/floods/vermin (animal or human) from entering your home
Such a person gets NO sympathy or supplies from me.