What do you do when society — and specifically, a society’s infrastructure — either fails because of a Random Bad Event or else because of a series of cascading calamities brought on by years of neglect.
Here’s a piece which highlights the five places in the U.S. that you absolutely don’t want to be living in when the above S hits the F.
As much as I sometimes complain about living in north Texas, we seem to be in slightly better shape than any of the above areas, although the prospect of a catastrophic power grid failure in June with no hope of repair for months does certainly give one pause. (We’re little different from Phoenix in that regard; we have little access to water and life without air conditioning doesn’t seem survivable.)
At least we Texans have one thing going for us: the chance of becoming prey to people who would take what little we have from us during calamitous times is somewhat reduced by the fact that we are not a disarmed populace — unlike, say, the Atlantic Northeast and Chicago, which are.
I know that we laugh at Europeans when they suffer from a major heat event like this previous summer; but their summers are really, really short compared to our Western states, so at least they may be able to survive a couple of months, more or less, always with the chance of seasonal rain to help. A typical eight-month-long dry Texas- or Arizona summer? Not so much.
Sobering stuff, indeed.
well that little gem sure takes the spring out of one’s step.
Most people on the Texas coast are somewhat well prepared for a 2 to 3 week outage due to hurricanes. The real issue is a) water and b) fuel. Water for, well, drinking and fuel for running a generator. Like most people, I have several weeks of supplies at home and can handle most hurricane related outages. But if things go from a 2 week outage to a 2 month outage, we’re talking a Mad Max scenario.
Like you said, though, A/C is almost a necessity for 9 months of the year. I just can’t acclimate to the heat anymore. Without A/C I’d probably welcome death.
Unfortunately, the article leads off with an aging bit of bushwa; the old ‘megalopolis’ idea that there is one huge city from Washington (sometimes Richmond) to Boston. This depends on driving the whole way on I-95 and paying ZERO attention, to boot. It completely ignores, for example, the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, which are still the third biggest source of cranberries in the U.S.. YES, East Coast between D.C. and Boston is heavily populated. Yes, in the event of serious problems, this is going to be bad.mbut the whole ‘megalopolis’ thing is sloppy thinking.
I can see why people would think that.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRaEghxb0AAiI79?format=jpg&name=900×900
When my daughters were younger, they both acted and modeled for an agency out of Cherry Hill, NJ and we made that drive from DC 4-5 times a month. On the best days it was bad, on bad days it was 4 hour trip that turned into a 12-hour extended panic attack.
This very reason is why I moved from North Dallas/Plano two years ago.
Plano had gotten…more urban. You see a lot more youfs and teens when you are out to dinner, at least in more eastern Plano. I’m not at all confident they are managing growth, with respect to water, all that much. That said, Texas (outside of blue cities) is run pretty well. I think we’d be better off than most, if not all, and as Kim said, we’re more or less armed to the teeth.
Far as heat goes, it’s really only 3-4 months of heat, with a little over a month being intense. Even then, it depends on where you live. My last three houses were older one story types, with big trees mostly shading the roof. I had my AC fail in Plano once, and even then the house only got to mid 80s when it was 105 outside. That’s sub-optimal, but livable.
Most neighborhoods that I’ve lived in Texas are pretty defensible should things get spicy. Last place I’d want to be is in an apartment complex, especially if there’s not much else around.
Don’t matter where you live you won’t survive it. You may have your water or garden or stockpile, but the authorities, whoever they are will confiscate all you have to take care of the imprudent.
You’re going to have to be willing to kill over a jar of pickles, until you get clapped yourself.
I may have said this before, so forgive me if I a repeating myself.
I live in the DMV, about 18 miles west of downtown DC, in the leafy suburbs. I retired to Arizona but moved back here to marry the Last Wife and can’t seem to talk her into unassing the place.
Anyway, there is a tiny little military command a few miles north of here that has been studying the potential for mass civilian casualties, whether from war or natural disaster, since the end of WWII. After 9/11 they ramped up considerably, then again after Katrina. I was part of that organization, directly or indirectly as a military NDMS executive planner, for about 12 years, with special emphasis on the DMV.
After $millions spent on studies, analysis and planning, the basic takeaway is that if you live between DC and Baltimore, you’re screwed. Western and southern suburbs fare a little better, but not much. I’ll spare you the details, but here’s the BLUF.
About 40-50% of the population within 12 miles of DC is either partially or fully dependent on FEDCO and state welfare for their daily existence. That’s about 2-3M people. And that doesn’t include Baltimore. A very specific survey was done on this subset of folks back in 2010 and most (about 90%) don’t have enough water to last 2 days, enough food to last 7 days, and no alternative power source should the grid go down. Only 1/3 had a working vehicle. Only 10% had access to $1000 or more in cash within 24 hours.
Their plan, if you can call it that, in the event of a major SHTF scenario, was to shelter in place until the government steps in. In theory, somewhat reasonable. In reality, after 72 hours they will start to go feral. Whatever food stores, bodegas, restaurants, and hotels in walking distance will be looted.
About Day 5-7, the exodus from the main metropolitan area will begin, absent major FedRescue intervention.
Those that could, got out Day 1. By Day 2, the roads are clogged with people who ran out of gas on I495, I95 and I66. And since there’s no gas to be had, those unassing the urban areas will be either stuck on the highway or on foot. That means exactly what you think it means. The inner cities will be Zombieland almost immediately. The near suburbs (Arlington, Alexandria, Mt. Vernon, Bethesda, Silver Springs, Chevy Chase, etc) will be hit hardest and fastest. Outer suburbs (me) will get some of the more intrepid folks who had the good sense to stay off the freeway and keep their looting and home invasions to the side streets and liberal enclaves (No Hate in This House!). Those that do make it out to the limits of their one and only tank of gas, will find themselves in Central Virginia, West Virginia, or UpCountry Maryland, where the hollers are full of rural folk who will not be your kith nor kin and they will not have the Welcome Mat out. That’s when things will get real spicy.
The conclusion of each and every one of these studies was always the same. Bury the National Capital Area in food and water, get the congress critters out by helo to their hidey hole in *&*&*, and set up “refugee camps” in suburban MD and Virginia. North egress out of the city is a non-starter because of Baltimore and all that entails. South is possible, but the Mixing Bowl and 4 Million of your neighbors all trying to get out will slow that exit to a crawl, if at all. That leaves Westbound I66 and State Routes 7/15, which are bad on good days. Then you’ve got the entire Hillbilly Nation on DEFCON COCKED PISTOL.
I’m 69 in a couple of days and I’m not going anywhere. I have a well, a 500-gallon cistern with full filtration system, a natural gas whole house generator, 2 portable generators, a Kawasaki Mule SXS diesel, 6 propane tanks, a rocket stove, 3 sets of COMMS and 880 acres of state park out back for fuel. Two freezers, a full 2-year pantry, Starlink with solar charger and battery banks and enough whiskey, cigars and BP meds to carry me through a couple of years of Home Alone.
A couple of years ago, after one near disaster, I suggested to my subdivision neighbors that we form a Disaster Management Team to support each other. A meeting was called, and immediately it was proposed that we declare our neighborhood to be a “gun free zone” that welcomed all comers. The AWFL’s wanted to run the show of course and ensure that “sharing is caring” was the Plan of Action. My retired Federal Judge neighbor, who is strapped 24/7/365 and a retired Vietnam chopper pilot, and I agreed that we will share a couple GMRS handsets, ammo and stores as needed, and maybe get a discount on a volume shipment of barbed wire from Tractor Supply. He has a massive safe room in his house with a walk-in freezer and more booze than me, so we’re copasetic.
My wife, God Love Her, thinks this is all make believe and everything will be fine. She is NOT a candidate for perimeter security.
“My wife, God Love Her, thinks this is all make believe and everything will be fine. ”
I hope for both your sakes she has sense enough not to talk to your unicorn fart smelling, gun free zone neighbors about “My crazy husband spent all that money on years of food we’ll never need.”
That Gun Free Zone crap worked reaallly good in various schools, synagogues, churches and theaters around the country that proudly advertised their virtue.
I may have asked before, but do you have a 500 gallon concrete home built cistern, or some sort of commercial plastic or metal water storage container? Do you feed it from your roof?
The cistern was the foresight of the farm family that owned this land back in the 30’s-50’s. It’s concrete below ground and fed from my low-yield well by a small electric pump. I have an old school hand pump for the cistern. I also have a 50-gallon rainwater collection drum on the back deck that I can dump water into a 275-gallon IBC tote that’s under the deck. I used to keep it full all the time, but have slacked off lately.
Thanks!
Another reminder of how close we are to the edge. One bad day and it’s all over.
Another reminder of how close we are to the edge. One bad day and it’s all over. My “investments” of late have been in long and storage food (Spam doesn’t taste very good but it doesn’t go bad either), and base metals such as brass, copper and lead. Right now silver is about $65 an ounce, Yeah I know that you can’t eat precious metal, but it will be worth more than a paper bank statement. MREs are fairly cheap these days.
I grew up in the days before central air conditioning and worked for Uncle Sam in a cruiser’s engine room, It wasn’t pleasant but we survived.
I actually like Spam. I slice it to about half-inch piece, then fry it in a skillet until the outside is crispy like bacon. Then stick it in a biscuit and that’s my breakfast sandwich. I also dice it up in cubes to add to my baked beans.
Try spam in stir fry. It’s not bad at all. We get the Spam Lite with less sodium and less fat. We just had it this morning with eggs, home fries and scones.
Whatever you store for food, make sure you like it or can tolerate it. Ideally you have a garden and some animals that can replenish your food as you eat it. Backwoods Home magazine is a very good resource for raising, preserving and using the food you store.
I remember back in 1999-2000 in the old huntamerica.com forum, there was a Y2K section. One guy posted how he got a bargain on a pallet of MREs that were all the same kind. People teased him about eating the same meal every day. HIs reply was if you’re complaining about the food then you aren’t hungry enough. By march of 2000 this guy was posting an almost full pallet of MREs all one flavor with four meals missing. Him and his family tried them and realized they didn’t like ham and motherfuckers or whatever the flavor meal he bought.
HIs reply was if you’re complaining about the food then you aren’t hungry enough.
Well, technically, he’s not wrong. But yeah, make sure the food you stockpile is food you can actually eat.