Disasters you have survived.......

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Rourke, Jun 5, 2010.


  1. Rourke

    Rourke Monkey++

    I went through Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina back in the late 80's.

    I was around 19 years old and in college. Being inland quite a bit - most folk's in my area did not give Hugo a second thought. That evening after land fall, I woke up at 4:00am and the power was out. I was in my male dormatory and the wind and rain outside was amazing. I had my dad's army footlocker filled with survival supplies and began handing out chemsticks to a few friends. It was a little exciting - and pretty scary. There was no phone and cell phones were not readily available back then. I had heard that a girl had gotten hurt in the girls dormatory when a tree fell over through the glass in her room. It was quite a night for many.

    The next day was one of the most beautifull I have ever seen. Very warm and windy - but dry. Tree's were down everywhere and of course power was out everywhere. That was a significant problem as many people had not filled their car up prior. Once a gas station had power through a generator - the lines were very long. Luckily my Ford Escort was over half full and I was getting good gas mileage.

    I drove to my brothers house who lived out in the country. They also were without power. A tree had fallen during the night and actually entered his little girls room. Very scary. Pretty much everywhere I went there were tree's fallen. Many times I had to drive around the tree's laying across roads.

    Power was out in many places for up to 3 weeks. My brother was out for 1 week. So many were unprepared. Stores that were even open would only accept cash. ATM's were not operational.

    Although only 19 at the time - I had been interested in survival since the age of 14 and made it through finding it fun and exciting, while so many others were stressed out and frustrated.

    Anyways - that's my story.

    Anyone else out there have one?

    Rourke
    www.ModernSurvivalOnline.com
     
  2. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    How hard do you want to laugh? Prior to y2k I ordered a 8kw electric start diesel generator, big hd battery, trickle charger, and built a shelter for it about 50 feet from the house. I ran power from my barn to the generator shed for lights, convienence receptacles, to an emergency light with backup battery, and to the charging circuit (trickle charger). I dug the ditch and ran conduit from disconnect in generator shed to transfer switch/emergency panel in new house. y2k came and went without a whimper ... a non event. In 2004 when Hurricanes Charlie, Francis, and Jeanie went almost right over head I started out ill prepared. Charlie knocked the power out, and guess what I had never landed the final cables from the generator, nor had I ever started it. I fiddled and fooled with that thing for 4 days without being able to get it to start. My mechanic was to busy to be able to stop by until things slowed down. Power was out for 7 days. We lost a bunch of food. 3 or 4 days after the power came back on my mechanic came by. It took him all of 5 minutes or less to get my generator going. Being new, and never started, it had an air blockage in the fuel delivery system. It had to be bled similiar to the way you bleed brake fluid after a brake job. Except in this case fuel was the problem. Now I run it every 2 or 3 months for 20 to 30 minutes with a load to test it. I used it for both Francis and Jeanie when the power went out. I also caught a lot of flack for the food loss during the first hurricane.
     
  3. fortunateson

    fortunateson I hate Illinois Nazis!

    I don't do that any more.
    I just peel back a couple of inches of sod with a shovel and poke some direct burial romex under the soil. With GFCI breakers going for $35, it's just not worth my time to do it right ;)
    At least that's what my back told me the last time I dragged a ditch witch around the yard.

    Seriously, I control who digs and where, and If I ever sell the property it gets disconnected.
     
  4. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    What can I say....? Actually I apreciate the work similiar actions bring me. I am a licensed electrician. To each his own. My bunker ... lol .... will still be standing long after I am dirt.
     
  5. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    Too many years ago A.D., I spent most evenings with Susan, a delightful well-portioned red-head with appetites beyond belief. I would usually leave Susan's house and spend the days with Jimmie, a delightful blond that worked until 03:00 A.M.
    This went on for quite some time and I was really enjoying life until one evening, when I arrived at my watering hole, a club called The Daily Planet, to find Jimmie and Susan sitting together at the same table. I immediately sensed that this was about to take a turn for the worse.
    "I see you two have finally met?" I said with what I presumed was a pleasant smile......
    Well, I survived this disaster and still wake up with ....never mind.
     
  6. Rourke

    Rourke Monkey++

  7. fortunateson

    fortunateson I hate Illinois Nazis!

    Ha ha! I'm sure you do :)
    When you see guys like me in the electrical aisle at Lowes you probably see dollar signs!

    Well, I haven't been shocked yet, and I haven't had to call someone in to fix my work - so far so good!

    But I hear ya! That's why it all gets disconnected before the house gets sold!
     
  8. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    One year in March, we suffered "The Great No-name Storm"! Folks thought it was an off-season hurricane, more likely just a really bad thunderstorm with some horrendous windshear and downdrafts!
    It was a Saturday Night, I was alseep, and trees were downed, the roof torn off our Civic Center, a lot of other buildings had serious damage. Traffic lights knocked down, power was out all over town. Massive short term flooding on the lower streets.

    I got up the next morning, made coffee, turned on the boobtube to see reports of massive devastation! I took a look outside - I just had a few smallish tree limbs down in my yard. My house was within sight of the local power plant (still am, but on a different road) - so my power was unaffected. For awhile it felt like the guy in the old movie - last man left alive on Earth....... [lolol]
     
  9. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    I am pretty sure the year was 1993. My best friends daughter was born during that storm at a hospital with the power out on emergency generator. The police locked down exit from the hospital because of conditions outside.
     
  10. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Guess it was 'bout 6 or 7 years ago now, we had "hurricane" Elvis blow through Memphis. Straight line winds, topping out at around 100mph.
    Funny thing is I saw the storm coming into town on my way to work. As I went on a hwy overpass I could see the storm line off in the distance, I called the wife at home and told her to get the dog in the house - NOW, and pick up anything loose outside, just had that feeling. I'll never forget what that line of clouds looked like.

    About 10 min later (still on my way to work, I was 3/4 the way to work when it hit, safer for me to go to work then to turn around and drive in it) my little S-10 truck was getting hit my 50 mph gusts. Trees & power lines started coming down. After the storm blew threw, I told my boss I was heading home, and I got no complaints and I was told to be careful, call if I needed extra time off.

    My normal 30 min drive home took about an hour and a half due to detours around downed trees. A buddy of mine who had a F250 at the time was hooking up a tow line to trees in the road and pulling them to the side.

    Fortunatly, no damage to my house but I had 3 sections of fence that were gone, litteraly, gone. One of the neighbors maple trees lost the top 20 to 30 feet, and that section landed on the sidewalk about 50' from the tree. We were without power for 4 days, and this was in July. We were fortunate to get power back after 4 days, there were parts of Memphis that went months without power.

    Other than some ice storms and other winter weather in MN, that was the worst storm I've been through. I know it's tame to most, but it was still a good learning lesson when the wife and I reflect back on it.
     
  11. coinshooter

    coinshooter Monkey+

    Hurricans Rita and Ike, Rita 17 days no power we were only home for the last 8 days with know power. But we had enough supplies we didn't take any handouts. Also 1 week with know power with Ike. We did ok.
     
  12. CRC

    CRC Survivor of Tidal Waves | RIP 7-24-2015 Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I've lived on the East Coast all my life...on the Coast. Farthest I ever lived from Salt Water was 8 miles....

    Charleston from the mid 50's until 1987, and a barrier island for 22 yrs after that....

    Now I'm on the Gulf.

    Do the Math. :rolleyes:

    ;)

    I learned to prepare very early on....My dad had to go out in one of the really bad hurricanes to get adrenalin shots for me....(I was asthmatic)...and the car window imploded...cutting him all over, badly! I remember now, it was "Gracie" in 1959...Dad bleeding so much from his head, neck, and face, scared me so badly, the asthma got worse and they had no choice but to do the best they could to get me to the hospital...

    And don't forget in the late 60's waking up to see a TANK outside my window on Rutledge Avenue....when the Natl Guard was there for months and the whole city ended up with a 6:00 pm curfew when midnight, 9:00 pm, and 7:00 pm didn't work....what a Summer! Ralph Abernathy & Coretta King marching past my house every single day for at least a month....That was fun.
     
  13. Suerto

    Suerto Monkey+

    Lessee, hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Ike, gustav.. All of them involving no water and/or electricity for a minimum of a week no more than 4.. Those are the majors, with martial law laid down..

    In Venezuela went thruogh the Chavez elections back in 96', riots and such..

    In Mexico (last year) went through the military crackdown/roundup of the zetas and corrupt officials.. Involved dodging gunbattles in the streets, military checkpoints, political statements with hand grenades in public places like movie theatres and malls..

    Icestorm in okc this past winter, put the truck in 4wd and turned the heater on..
     
  14. Rourke

    Rourke Monkey++

    Some good one's!!!

    Keep 'em coming.....

    Rourke
     
  15. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    have i told the one about my first marriage, and punching out my mother in law in front of two local police officers.... ....... well, maybe it is a story for another forum.....
     
  16. gunbartender

    gunbartender Monkey+++

    one hurricane
    dozens of tornados
    one flood
    couple of ice storms.


    still waiting for an avalanche and a big earthquake.
     
  17. Duke

    Duke Monkey++

    hurricanes from 95 to present that have affected the Gulf coast in florida, few tornados...
     
  18. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    I had a hemrhoid the size of a golf ball sticking out of my sphincter a few years back when I lifted a bit too much weight at the gym. It was huge and the Dr. used scissors to slice it out. I felt sorry for his nurse assistant who had to stretch my sphincter so the Dr. could slice out the remaining vein inside my rectum. He said it was the biggest rhoid he had to ever remove and if it happened again, to go find a different Dr.

    This was a real ****ing disaster.
     
  19. Nailbender

    Nailbender Monkey+++

    A couple...

    1964 ... Alaska earthquake. I was at Fort Richardson outside of Anchorage.

    2002 ... Tornado in N. WI. Was in basement of our house that got hit.
     
  20. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Good to see you Nailbender.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7