Reply #3: Kevsand watches those shows too. [View All]

[davsand]

I always skip them and play here at DU instead. I dunno, seems to me that there are any number of things I can worry about and I probably have no need to increase my personal list any. I asked him the other day when he was watching some disaster thing (also on History Channel--what IS it with those guys?) was he watching the "Disaster du Jour?" We had a giggle about it. (Right now he's watching football so that may take the place of some other unhappy event--I dunno.)

Anyhow, to get back to the actual discussion at hand, we live in a rural are where the electrical rid is kinda fragile. I joke sometimes that when a sparrow sneezes on the other end of the county OUR power goes out. I have noticed that when the electrical grid does go down EVERYTHING stops working. It isn't just a matter of no TV or computers it is a matter of no heat, no sump pumps, no hot food (nor any way to produce any) and no source of light after the sun goes down. You can deal with it for a while, but I am very serious when I say that most folks will not fare well without power for more than a couple of weeks.

We kind of see it when the hurricanes or other natural disasters knock out the services, but if it is nationwide there IS no such thing as a relief effort.

Something I have been looking at is the idea of incorporating enough of the old ways (pre-electricity) and the new technology that is not dependent on the grid into our household that we could function a little better. For instance, I just bought a couple of the wind up LED lanterns this last year. I also keep a bunch of lamps, oil and wicks on hand. I have a backup gas power floor furnace that will heat enough of my house to keep the pipes from freezing. I'm looking to install a water pressured sump pump that is not driven by electricity...

It won't be pretty, but it might just make a difference in a emergency one day.

Frankly I want to build a house that incorporates a lot of this stuff into the design so that we don't NEED to be on the grid anymore. I'm not some rabid survivalist, but I am somebody that thinks it never hurts to be prepared for hard times. Maybe my desire to do this is driven more by spirit than I know.


Laura