Preparedness for when

Si_Clist

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

...buy in 2 large terracotta pots and some sand for a cool pot ...

Hmmm. We've tried that twice and never got it to work anywhere near as well as the folks on the American blogs reckon it does. Maybe we'll try a third time this summer, if we get one.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Maybe look to increase the amount of bottled/stored water that you keep in before it happens.

We are cold-water-tankless here so we're very sensitive to the prospect of the water going off suddenly, particularly once they start fracking in this neck of the woods, as they undoubtedly will before long. So at present the emergency water is simply 8 x 5L bottles of still water from Morrisons or whichever has them on offer when their BBE draws nigh.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Most other things will be copeable with if uncomfortable.

We were living in the sticks when the hurricane hit in 1987 and were off electric for exactly 14 days. Funnily enough, though, they got the phone line back in no more than a week, and that's precisely why we will always have (a) a BT landline and (b) a corded phone to plug into it which doesn't need a battery in it.

The hurricane taught us several useful lessons, not the least of which is that the only two things which would really make life awkward for us when the SHTF are (a) if mains water stays off for more than 2-3 days and (b) if the sewer in the lane starts to back up :eek:

Perplexed_Pineapple

That's a very useful experience to share, Si Clist, it really makes you think about basic thing like sanitation - it isn't much good being able to cook on a woodstove if you are six inches deep in raw sewage at the time. Mrs LW, I think things would have to be pretty desperate before we came to that pass, what's more likely to happen in the short-medium term would be rolling blackouts and scheduled downtime as they have in some parts of the world now. That would mean you'd be able to keep things like fridges and freezers going so long as you didn't open them too often in the downtime. Of course if prices go through the roof then alternatives to electricity-consuming devices would save cash and fridges and freezers might well become a luxury item that many wouldn't be able to run at all.

Si_Clist

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

... what's more likely to happen in the short-medium term would be rolling blackouts and scheduled downtime ...

In which case, those of us who lived through The Three-Day Week will be thinking "oh well, here we go again ..."

elaine241

Hello all just catching up as usual. Had a fantastic day took the horses to the beach and charged around for a couple of hours. Fully prepped with tea,coffee, squash and food, even got the weather beautiful!!
I must confess to very little prepping! I have got the veg garden under way and lots of plants scattered on window sills. I had a great find in a CS an old hand sewing machine in fantastic condition and ready to sew, apparently its a very good German make and sews really well.
I caught the end of the news item re power shortages. The main loss would be the three freezers I have stuffed with home produce, meat and YS bargains although I do have a generator that would run them, probably sort the most valuable items and squash into one freezer if possible.
I have added another ready to run paraffin lamp to my ever growing collection. As a child I remember the power cuts, no one was allowed to open the freezers but the paraffin lamps dotted around the house were lovely, I even like the smell!!. I have added to my candle stash when I spot bargains.
The firearms officer is coming to the house as we are going legit with the guns. Prior to this we shot the twelve bore with FIL licence ( bit dodgy) as he technically runs the ground as one of his holdings. I have just been offered another twelve bore and a four ten from someone giving up (free so v mse!)
Anyway just checking in and catching up with what everyone is up to, Elaine x

[Deleted User]

elaine241 wrote: »

the paraffin lamps dotted around the house were lovely, I even like the smell!!

The smell takes me back to my childhood, when we had a paraffin heater in the kitchen.

[Deleted User]

I remember both the 3 day week and the 1987 hurricane and its aftermath, both were uncomfortable but manageable, the difference I think is that both those events though disruptive had a percieved ending and we knew things would be sorted out eventually, just not the time scale. I think that not enough power generating capacity is never going to be fixed quickly nor are TPTB going to be able to persuade the average person to voluntarily use less of both gas and electricity. The only thing I can envisage happening is either rationing on a permanent basis or regular power cuts on a rolling rota where we have no power for certain periods of time. Both those possibilities would be workable but the nice and easy convenience of our everyday lives will be gone won't it? We'll have to learn to live very different lifestyles from those we're used to, I at least am old enough to remember the early post war years and the life we led then with only one room heated by a coal fire, no hot water at all, one outside loo and a tin bath hung in the yard, I also remember chilblains, ice fans on the inside of the single glazed windows and no fridge in the summer so floaters in the milk, melted slightly rancid butter and cheese and no way of being cool on a very hot day. We survived and will again but I think it will lead to a great deal of discontent!!!

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I remember both the 3 day week and the 1987 hurricane and its aftermath, both were uncomfortable but manageable, the difference I think is that both those events though disruptive had a percieved ending and we knew things would be sorted out eventually, just not the time scale. I think that not enough power generating capacity is never going to be fixed quickly nor are TPTB going to be able to persuade the average person to voluntarily use less of both gas and electricity. The only thing I can envisage happening is either rationing on a permanent basis or regular power cuts on a rolling rota where we have no power for certain periods of time. Both those possibilities would be workable but the nice and easy convenience of our everyday lives will be gone won't it? We'll have to learn to live very different lifestyles from those we're used to, I at least am old enough to remember the early post war years and the life we led then with only one room heated by a coal fire, no hot water at all, one outside loo and a tin bath hung in the yard, I also remember chilblains, ice fans on the inside of the single glazed windows and no fridge in the summer so floaters in the milk, melted slightly rancid butter and cheese and no way of being cool on a very hot day. We survived and will again but I think it will lead to a great deal of discontent!!!

I remember the three day week as a child and it was not that bad. Board games and card games were great ways to pass the time. We had camping gaz stoves, lanterns and plenty of candles so were well prepared. Since then I have always maintained a healthy stock of candles ever since.

If a government tried to get the public to accept rolling blackouts as the norm they will get the boot the next election. Energy companies may be nationalised again. Becoming more efficient is one way to cope, though might encourage more renewables which will give us energy security. Certainly more so than relying on a dodgy regime in Russia or the Middle east.

Karmacat

I remember a lot of that too, Mrs LW, though not all (I found out last week, to my glee, that when my brother and sister and I were babies in the 1950s, my mum did indeed bath us in a tin bath in front of the fire ). Its crazy to believe that because the government assures us they'll stay on top of the power situation, there won't be any cuts, isn't it ... like they can be like Jean Luc Picard and "make it so"

And I spent a good hour this afternoon planting blueberry plants with ericaceous compost, and there better just **not** be any raw sewage floating in our streets right now, I shall disapprove intensely :rotfl:

BB - thanks for the summary of action needed on the TV licence - I hadn't thought about the edited register - criminals are always going to use that, aren't they

Posterior :D:D

jk0

I don't think rolling blackouts would be necessary if they weren't hell bent on shutting down coal generation. (Britain really is shooting itself in the foot there.)

I wonder (and hope) if in efforts to annoy Putin by reducing our gas usage, this stupidity might stop or be reversed. An ill wind, eh?

nuatha

jk0 wrote: »

I don't think rolling blackouts would be necessary if they weren't hell bent on shutting down coal generation. (Britain really is shooting itself in the foot there.)

Germany is building 10 new coal fired power stations, while the UK has decided to go for early decommissioning. It has to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly to build coal rather than nuclear generators (not to mention faster and safer).

I wonder (and hope) if in efforts to annoy Putin by reducing our gas usage, this stupidity might stop or be reversed. An ill wind, eh?

At the beginning of the Crimean crisis reports were that Germany relied on Russia for 30% of its gas, while the UK only took 1% of its gas from Russia and this could be replaced by shipping gas from the USA.