Post by malewithatail on Feb 9, 2021 15:46:46 GMT 10
Have you discussed with your family, a meeting point when TSHTF and they or you aren't at home ?
Setting the scene.
You are at home, doing some tractor work whilst the troops have gone into town for some shopping. International tensions have been building up, and your spidey sense starts tingling. You decide that its time for a break anyway and go inside for a cold drink. Opening the fridge, you note the light didn't come on. Checking, you discover the inverter has tripped off. You head out to the power room and reset the main circuit breaker, and note that the lights on the inverter all come on. Going back inside, you turn on the radio to listen to the 1 pm national news, only there is just static and no news. Tuning around, you discover that there are no radio stations, only static. You pick up your bat phone and note there is no service. Checking the home phone on the wall, there is no dial tone. Suspecting something, you wander out to the radio room and turn on some gear. Nothing, apart from severe static on the short waves. Trying the local 2 meter net frequency, a friend up the road, on another farm, tells that he heard from another Ham a bit closer to town, that he saw a flash and his car stopped. EMP, this is not a drill, its real and the family is probably now stuck in town.
What happens next depends on how prepared you were.
You had previously talked with your wife about emergency meeting places in the towns you visit regularly. You top off the fuel tank in the tractor, a diesel with mechanical fuel injection, and a mechanical pull to stop cable and throttle. You thought ahead and fitted it with an old generator, not alternator, so no diodes to blow, nor electronic regulator to frizzle out, just an old air gap mechanical regulator with relays. You then strap a couple of extra jerry cans to the carry all, along with a piece of chain to drag the car home, a drink bottle and your bug home bag as its got some snacks in it and the troops will be hungry and thirsty, And you set off for the rendezvous place.
Considerations for a rendezvous place.
It must be relatively safe, ie: slightly out of town, easy to walk to from anywhere you are likely to be and on the side of town that faces home, so you don't have to drive through town to head home. We have a main place and a reserve in case the main meeting place is compromised.
After a couple of hours travelling, you find the family at the meeting place, and go to drag the car back. Everyone piles in and you start for home. Everyone is safe, because you thought ahead. Think about the stress that would be involved if you didn't know where your loved ones were, and had to go and look for them, in a town that may be going mad.
And another thing, never, never park under a building. An earthquake may occur, and you survive it, only to discover your car and bug home bag etc. are now squashed flat and you are stuck.
If things get any worse, I will have to ask you to stop helping me.
Setting the scene.
You are at home, doing some tractor work whilst the troops have gone into town for some shopping. International tensions have been building up, and your spidey sense starts tingling. You decide that its time for a break anyway and go inside for a cold drink. Opening the fridge, you note the light didn't come on. Checking, you discover the inverter has tripped off. You head out to the power room and reset the main circuit breaker, and note that the lights on the inverter all come on. Going back inside, you turn on the radio to listen to the 1 pm national news, only there is just static and no news. Tuning around, you discover that there are no radio stations, only static. You pick up your bat phone and note there is no service. Checking the home phone on the wall, there is no dial tone. Suspecting something, you wander out to the radio room and turn on some gear. Nothing, apart from severe static on the short waves. Trying the local 2 meter net frequency, a friend up the road, on another farm, tells that he heard from another Ham a bit closer to town, that he saw a flash and his car stopped. EMP, this is not a drill, its real and the family is probably now stuck in town.
What happens next depends on how prepared you were.
You had previously talked with your wife about emergency meeting places in the towns you visit regularly. You top off the fuel tank in the tractor, a diesel with mechanical fuel injection, and a mechanical pull to stop cable and throttle. You thought ahead and fitted it with an old generator, not alternator, so no diodes to blow, nor electronic regulator to frizzle out, just an old air gap mechanical regulator with relays. You then strap a couple of extra jerry cans to the carry all, along with a piece of chain to drag the car home, a drink bottle and your bug home bag as its got some snacks in it and the troops will be hungry and thirsty, And you set off for the rendezvous place.
Considerations for a rendezvous place.
It must be relatively safe, ie: slightly out of town, easy to walk to from anywhere you are likely to be and on the side of town that faces home, so you don't have to drive through town to head home. We have a main place and a reserve in case the main meeting place is compromised.
After a couple of hours travelling, you find the family at the meeting place, and go to drag the car back. Everyone piles in and you start for home. Everyone is safe, because you thought ahead. Think about the stress that would be involved if you didn't know where your loved ones were, and had to go and look for them, in a town that may be going mad.
And another thing, never, never park under a building. An earthquake may occur, and you survive it, only to discover your car and bug home bag etc. are now squashed flat and you are stuck.
If things get any worse, I will have to ask you to stop helping me.