Down Manual
Urban Survival in 2012 If the Power Grid Goes Down by Mike Kuykendall
Preparing for 2012 is a much discussed topic and much of it centers around the failure of the power grid. There are a few reasons to be worried about our electricity continuing uninterrupted.
First, the power grid is aging and needs infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. Rolling blackouts in Texas and California are only the beginning if we don’t do some major work right away.
Second, the cycle of solar flares that NASA has disclosed have many concerned that, although we will get several hours notice, when the electromagnetic waves surge toward Earth, power outages will be worse than ever before.
Third, the increased incidents of hackers accessing the power grid through the internet has many defense experts worried, as a successful attack at a key hub could plunge a huge section of the country into darkness.
Gas Powered Backup Generators Only Help So Much
As brownouts and blackouts have affected more and more people across the nation, there seems to be an increase in the number of people who have emergency backup generators. While this is a good thing, the emergencies won’t always be a temporary outage due to weather.
What happens when the power outage is widespread and lasts for days or even weeks? The fuel to run the generator won’t be available at gas stations, which require electricity to pump the gas. The gas in your generator and the extra fuel can you have for your lawn mower will be used up within a day or two. Then it will be time for “Plan C.”
When the Gas Runs Out
Let’s talk about the first couple of days of a regional or national grid failure as ’short term.’ Then let’s look at “medium term’ – which we would define as between 3 to 14 days. It’s a strong possibility that you don’t have candles on hand to light your house for more than a couple days. Plus, they’re hazardous if there are children or pets. They are also not very easy to light your way if you go to the bathroom or if you do your chores.
The best option for medium term lighting is definitely LED flashlights and headlamps. These will last up to two weeks, since the LED bulbs don’t use up a lot of batteries. They’re safe, economical and very portable.
Headlamps, which may not win you any fashion awards on any other day, will be a game changer if you are trying to get around in the dark and get anything done. They aren’t just for coal miners – backpackers swear by headlamps.
You’ll get some great ideas on which LED lights to buy, how to determine the best batteries to use in them, etc. in any good, practical urban survival manual. There are several aspects of lighting and power that most of us will never even think of until after we’ve been through an extended power failure for ourselves. Learning from the experience of others who’ve written urban survival manuals is a great way to avoid a very painful learning curve.
What Do We Do For Longer Term Lighting?
If the power is out for a longer period of time, the most practical solution is a small, inexpensive solar panel setup. For a hundred dollars or less, you can get enough light from a solar setup to light an entire room of your house.
The type of lights you need to have is definitely LED, as these bulbs last for ages and they don’t use nearly as much power for the same amount of light as incandescent or florescent lights. A very cheap LED rope light will produce a good amount of light and can run off the solar power stored by a small panel for the entire evening until you go to bed. More light than a 100 watt bulb for less power.
There are many skills, which we refer to as “urban survival techniques” to get good at before a major collapse happens. Ensuring your food supply, drinking water and lighting are only three of the skills that will make a major difference in 2012.
About the Author
To learn about all of the urban survival techniques you will need to get through the tough times ahead, you should consult a practical urban survival manual.
You may be surprised at how little preparation it takes to give yourself a great deal of peace of mind as you are positioned to meet disaster head on.
By Mike Kuykendall, Urban Survival Techniques Expert at Survive2day.
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