Years ago a major ice storm knocked out electricity and communications in my area. Police drove around with their loudspeakers, instructing us that the city was also going to shut off our water service so everyone in our area needed to make their way to the emergency shelter.
To go to a shelter meant that my daughter and I would be packed like sardines in an environment where we would be at the mercy of people who would, while well-meaning, treat the group of us in a similar manner as livestock. They would feed us and herd us around like animals until the infrastructure was restored.
I decided to do something different. We had a gas stove that could be lit with a match so that covered our heat and cooking needs. It was really cold outside so that covered the refrigeration of our perishable food. I had kerosene lamps, candles and heaters so we even had light and backup heat if we lost the gas.
Instead of doing what I was told, I filled up every single container we possessed that would hold water and decided to wait it out.
The kid and I spent an entire week curled up beside that cook stove. We played games and read books to pass the time. While she was scared at first, she soon began to laugh and play as she enjoyed her time off school.
Help didn’t show up until after our electric was restored. I laughed when the Salvation Army van rolled in to “save the day.” We’d already weathered the crisis on our own.
During my childhood in the Mountains, we didn’t stress when the electric went out; we just curled up next to our old wood stove and swapped stories. Electric was nice but it wasn’t essential. We even had water. We tied a bucket to a rope and tossed it into our well back then.
As we head into the worst part of winter I find myself thinking about how we have traded our autonomy, our ability to see things through and take care of ourselves for the ability to flip a switch to have light or to turn a dial to have heat. While those things are nice, our dependence upon this infrastructure is dangerous when it fails.
I have learned from experience that the government rarely arrives when you need them so I depend upon myself. I keep kerosene for heat, light, and cooking and even a small solar panel setup to charge my phone and radio. I keep shelf-stable food on hand and plenty of drinking water so for the majority of issues I’ll be fine.
Will you be the same?
If you have made preparations for the times when the infrastructure fails, what preparations have you made? If you have not, can you share your reasons why? I would love to hear your opinions on both sides of the spectrum.
2 responses to “Are you prepared for infrastructure failures?”
When our power went out due to an ice storm when I was a kid, we did just fine. We were campers so we had sleeping bags, a Coleman stove and lantern, etc. Our furnace was gas but the fan was electric so heat was not blown through the ducts. We just closed off most of the house and all five of us lived in the living room. Fortunately our toilet still worked. I would not fare so well today. Although I do know how to line a toilet with a plastic shopping bag if the water goes out.
Hi Linda!
Commode hack: Take any bucket. Line it with a trash bag. Pour clumping kitty litter into the bag. Do your bathroom business and give it a shake.
This soaks up the liquid and controls the odor with the risk of something spilling into your commode that can clog it. These modern commodes seem to clog if you look at them cross-eyed.
It sounds like all you need is some sort of backup heat. A little propane or kerosene heater would be perfect! Propane can get expensive compared to kerosene (though both aren’t exactly inexpensive). It would beat freezing at any rate, but it sounds like you’re doing great already!