Contingency Planning

RanchMan · Jan 7, 2003

Howdy Bob -

you could go nuts if you tried to plan for a complete meltdown.

I agree. All depends on what degree of problems you're thinking about. Even in a "short-term" situation though (more than a few days), if gas stations are closed, I'd be willing to bet all that diesel you have stored up may very well "disappear" during the night some time.

Your attitude about sharing is certainly an admirable one, but as you point out, it raises all sorts of moral dilemmas (i.e. if you have enough food to sustain your family for a month, but would only sustain the neighborhood for a few days, what do you do if you foresee more than a few days worth of problems? /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif)

Getting back to your original thought though, I'd offer up 3 possible suggestions.

1) Since water is the most important thing needed for life, even though your neighbor says he would share his well with you, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a few 55 gallon drums (food grade) you could fill up around "times of concern." They only cost around $30 each and you might find them handy for transporting H20 around your place for other uses.

2) The canned goods is a good idea, especially those things that can be eaten without heating/cooking. (Fuel may be in short supply.) Anyway, what I was going to say is that you can get stuff you normally eat and "circulate" it out every so often (e.g. FIFO). That way none of your canned stuff ever gets old.

3) Barter? Consumables - fuel, alcohol, and food. Shiny coins and paper money may seem like good options, (and they might be if things are only "lightly" bad), but if things are truly devastating in an area, I think those are the things folks would go for. Just look at history - both way back and recent. A boatload of script was worthless during the civil war, Russians would fight each other in the market lines for bread, and people hoarded/killed others in Somalia over grain/rice.

If the power is out, your gas stations are closed, and stores are locked up for a couple of days, I think that a few cans of food and jerry cans of H20 are fine. If things go in to the multiple weeks, or worse, months, well.../w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

rancar · Jan 7, 2003

Trev...

Just one other thought about the canned goods idea...

Some folks think you can get the best buy by buying in case quantity from places like Sam's Club, Costco, or BJ's. I've found this not to be the case. They are usually more expensive than if you look for the special weekly sales that your regular supermarket like Wegman's offers. My favorite canned goods, and these are goods that will last a good 3-4 years or more if stored in proper climate conditions are: tuna fish, Dinty Moore beef stew, canned ravioli, and Green Giant vegetable products. Make sure you date the cans and rotate every 3-4 years, using the oldest first.

Bob

Anonymous Poster · Jan 7, 2003

Wingnut, I've met Viv, and methinks she is pro Cretien, they are of the same ethnicity, and share a common language.
Fortunately, I was able to duck behind Bob as her head started to rotate.
Those of us on the South Shore of Ontario have reason for concern about Canadian invasion, after all, any nation that is so certain of it's military prowess that half of it's submarine fleet is in a mall in Edmonton is cause for concern. We have no ready military force here to repell a landing. The Coast Guard has a bigger boat on Champlain than in Rochester, so we are vulnerable. Now, there is serious evidence a fast ferry will be crossing between Toronto and Rochester. We have cause to worry!

Egon · Jan 7, 2003

Carefull Franz. We may just extend the submarine rails out to the great lakes.

Egon

Egon · Jan 7, 2003

Canadian EHH.

Egon

MossRoad · Jan 7, 2003

I just finished off my Y2K stash. Now this! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

BigDave · Jan 7, 2003

I never had a Y2K stash, but there's a few canned food items that have been in the cupboard since the last century. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Egon · Jan 7, 2003

Trev:
Man can survive very well on dried beans, dried corn and water.

But just for interest my mother has told me of times past when starvation ruled the land despite bountiful food stores confiscated and stockpiled by the people with control. Her family dug a pit in the center of a cattle corral. The soil was clay. They then stacked wood in the pit and burned it to vitrify the clay. Any food they had was stored in this pit. One night a week food was cooked if prevailing weather condition would disapate any smell. This was only 70 some years ago.

Egon

Wingnut · Jan 8, 2003

Canadian invasion
Franz, I don't think you have any cause to worry .... those of us (mostly western Canadians - think of Alberta as "Texas-North") who are thinking of invading are already here (hmm ... does that mean I'm a "mole"?). The rest content themselves with promoting "Canadian Culture" while spending their afternoons watching Oprah! The only Candian Culture I miss is "Royal Canadian Air Farce" since they scrambled CBC (Canadian public TV) a couple of years ago. Only a doofus like Cretin would scramble public tv!

Fast Fery? When I lived in Kingston many, many, many years ago ... I thought the ferry was fast enough - Wolf Island and then Watertown, NY ... good way to kill a day. Nowadays, the only reasons an eastern Canadian would be interested in a fast ferry is to go over and buy booze and smokes .... or to get the Yanks over to gamble and leave their money.

Trev · Jan 8, 2003

Those of us on the South Shore of Ontario have reason for concern about Canadian invasion, after all, any nation that is so certain of it's military prowess that half of it's submarine fleet is in a mall in Edmonton is cause for concern. We have no ready military force here to repell a landing.

I think, although I may be mis-remembering, that I heard Defense Secretary Rumsfeld expressing some serious concerns about this once. He said something to the effect that a war with Canada could, if things didn't go exactly as planned, last for two to five minutes or possibly even longer!!

From what I gather from Viviane, the Canadian Armed Forces consists of a handful of canoes and some highly-trained attack beavers.

About Chretien, V says "Chretien always looks like an idiot who can't speak French or English correctly. But having met him a few times, he's very bright and shrewd. Some of his ministers want him to step down. He will step down when he's good and ready. As for his politics, there are 2 or 3 parties and to me it's tweedle dee tweedle dum, they all lean on soft socialism. They all spend our money on stupid stuff."

From the horse's mouth. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif