Weekend Test

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by MOS19K, Nov 23, 2007.


  1. MOS19K

    MOS19K Monkey+++

    We all come from different parts of the Country and must face different difficulties. In some cases it's a snow blizzard, in others it's earthquakes and still others it might be hurricanes. For me it's the latter. Most of us probably have all sorts of equipment to help us cope with whichever natural disaster we're normally dealt. My question is have you tried shutting your power off at the main switch or breaker and going the whole weekend on just your supplies?
    We do this every year one month prior to hurricane season. It lets us test our gear and replace whatever needs replacing. It also lets us feel secure that if and when something does occur we'll be ready for it. Better to find out now under a controlled situation than during the actual emergency.
     
  2. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    I haven't done that, but it's a hell of a good idea. I know a few on here do "practice", heck, one of us (I forgot who it was) even did a weekend "bug out" drill not long ago.
     
  3. fritz_monroe

    fritz_monroe Guest

    I've never done it, but also think it's a good idea. Since I'm still new, I already know I'm not ready for that. I will say that I will probably never turn the power off, it is just too big a PITA to get all the clocks and other electronics set back up. When we get to the level of doing this, I'll just use black ou cloth to cover anything that is still running and avoid thr fridge.


    Being from the Mid-Atlantic, we really don't get hit with any particular natural disaster. We've had little earthquakes. We've been hit by the occasional hurricane and tornado. And every dozen years or so we get hit by a big snowstorm. I guess short term drought and a couple weeks of 99 degree/99% humidity weather in the Summer would fit, but we are rarely affected by that, just mildly inconvenienced.
     
  4. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    There is a message there, somewhere. [troll] Doing without power for a day or two as a test will show where the real holes in the plan are, never mind the nuisance. That said, the drill can be made realistic without going to the limits of pulling the breakers, assuming you can exert some influence over fellow residents that might be tempted to cheat by turning on a light.:shock:
     
  5. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Great Idea, been meaning to head out the backdoor with my g.o.o.d.("get out of dodge") bag and take an overnight or two long hike around our local "mountain" . we've reached the season 30's 40's dominate during the day , just the thought motivated me to go through my "summer"g.o.o.d.bag and accept it was packed too lean for anything but balmy weather and repack for the season.
     
  6. MOS19K

    MOS19K Monkey+++

    You're right it is a pain in the hindquarters but, at least for me, the only way I get a somewhat realistic test is by cutting the power to everything. Then you see if those tap lights give enough illumination to get around, or if the generator can still power the fridge and my X-Box 360. It's basically camping inside your house. However you do it, the main point is to make sure everything you want to work still does work.
     
  7. fritz_monroe

    fritz_monroe Guest


    I hear ya. The problem child would be my wife. My kids absolutely love using flashlights for everything. But if we decided to make a go of a test, I could get the whole family to go along with it.
     
  8. 410

    410 Guest

    We've had a few "practice" runs lately with the power company doing God knows what, but a whole weekend would be interesting. I've lived down here in the Gulf for years though, and we've got it all pretty well down for anything under a week, past that and we have to start getting creative with our current stock.

    Bad thing too is I just gave a WHOLE BUNCH of stock to a dumb friend who didn't budget at ALL. I drive an old truck and we also have an almost decade old Pontiac while they drive all new vehicles, she has designer everything and yet they ran out of money and food. (I don't know about everywhere, but I am already seeing people get a bit of the "crunch" from some of our economic woes, and maybe it's just a coincidence but still) at any rate, it alarmed the heck out of me after I gave it to them. I remembered that video I saw on here, and not only did I let HER know (knowing darn well THEY don't plan for anything) but everyone else at work when I brought all that food in without thinking about who ELSE saw it. If we get in a crunch these people now know I stockpile food, etc. (although everyone at work ALSO knows we have guns, go skeet shooting/hunting regularly too) but still. You've got to be prepared for everything, and that includes paying attention to the little details like that. I've known this girl for YEARS but it made me think about how well you actually know someone, and that is a scary thought.

    Anyway, sorry to get off on a tangent, I just felt it was relevant to the topic (in my own roundabout way). LOL.
     
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