What have you been through? SHTF in real life

Not saying that I've ever had to bug out, or shelter in place for any appreciable period of time (just lucky, so far, I guess!). There WAS a period in my life, however, when people started wondering how safe it was to be around me!

Here's the timeline:
October 1989 - was in the Oakland (California) Greyhound bus station when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area. Initially measured at 7.3, later downgraded to 7.1 on the Richter scale.
August 1993 - was in Guam when they had a big earthquake. Initially measured at 8.1, later downgraded to 7.7 on the Richter scale.
1996 (don't remember the month) - was working for the US Navy on Adak Island (Aleutian Islands chain, about 2/3 of the way out from the Alaska mainland), when we had an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale. The next morning, we had a 7.2 aftershock hit.
December 1997 - back on Guam, we had a near miss from Super Typhoon Paka ( Typhoon Paka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ). I still remember being impressed, the next morning, when I finally figured out that the "tap-tap-tapping" on my front (heavily taped with duct tape) windows of my apartment had been gravel, being picked up and tossed through the air. The fact that I lived on the 2nd floor made it really impressive!!

Things quieted down for a little over 8 years after that, until late February, 2006. Unbeknownst to me, my rental house had a natural gas leak under the house (now living in north Texas, I needed heat in the winter). At about 3AM, it finally filled under the pier & beam house sufficiently to come up into the house, and create an explosive atmosphere. Close as the fire department and insurance company could figure, the refrigerator kicked on, and sparked the gas. I woke up to the house jumping off its foundation, which also caused every door and window to be blown out of the house, over half of the ceilings to come down (spilling all the lovely 40-something year old insulation and accumulated dust over everything below it), and the back wall to come off in three pieces! Thankfully, my built in luck prevailed, and the gas line broke loose out by the street, instead of up under the house, and there was no fire. The house, however, was a complete loss. Here's a photo of the front of the house, the next day, after the sun came up.

And I walked out of that, as did my cat, without a scratch! Someone said I ought to buy a lottery ticket that day, because I was the luckiest SOB in the world. I asked him what the heck made him think I had any left, after that explosion??

 

Closest I've been to was the Rodney King Riots and the Northridge Earthquake. Because I grew up in the area, and my husband made sure the prepper bug bit me early, what was amazingly difficult for many people only resulted in sleepless nights (During the riots, we had to watch and make sure nobody came over the fence. After Northridge, we got shaken awake a lot) and a lot of cleanup for us. I wouldn't give up prepping for anything.

 

I was bitten across my abdomen while staying at a certain Hotel; it looked like I had been machine-gunned, diagonally, by a small caliber weapon.

It ook about two weeks for the itching and the marks left by the bedbug bites to fade and go away.

I'll never stay at that particular chain again.

I do know that the key to their destruction is HEAT. They cannot tolerate temperature at or above 120 degrees.

I hope that I do not have a similar encounter for the rest of my life.

 

half right Sir, they can not tolerate extremes of heat or cold, so small items can be put in a freezer for a few hours, or a trailer load of items can be run through a car painters hot box for paint finishes, Hot air can be forced through a house, but it can damage some of your stuff as well, (things melt) and it is not cheap. bug bombs work for the short term, but they hide and lay eggs in every crevice, and inside the walls where the foggers, and heat, can't go. and they can live for a year or more between meals. And if they can't get to you, your pets will do. They need a blood meal between each stage of their life, and they don't like light, in fact, a bright light, will stun them for a moment or two, so looking for them works best with a bright flashlight. spray them on sight with any cleaner with bleach in it like clorox kitchen clean-up, and they die in moments. put dishes or small buckets under each leg of your bed, because they can't cross soapy water,(they drowned) They can drop on you from the ceiling, crawl up walls and any fabric. wash every drape and bed clothes more often than you to for cleanliness, never let them build a hidden nesting area, for the next generation.

 

Thirty yrs ago i lost my job for 3 months. I only had enuf money saved up to pay my rent, utilities and feed my dog. I went to bed hungry every night. I went to a soup kitchen 2 nites a week and i went to my moms to eat supper on a few days a week. She never knew. I didn't tell her. The only food i had in the house was crackers and popcorn. I did eat that, but remember going to bed very hungry at night. I learned and stocked up for y2k. Now i make sure i have at least 3 months of food in the house. It's horrible to starve and i never forgot it. That is what got me into the Survival scene for sure!

 

Used to live in a rough part of town and would catch the bus for transportation. On three occasions, just before my stop, someone pulls a knife on the bus and I have to pass him to get off. Not SHTF, but a little scary. In the same neighborhood, one of my Muay Thai training buddies stepped off the bus and the guy ahead of him (a stranger) turned and slashed is neck. Missed his jugular by about an inch. I found out about when I started popping his stitches in a clinch. We stopped sparring then.

My SHTF was oddly enough from a party at the governor's mansion. Got hepatitis along with another 100+ folks. Thought I was going to die. Lost 20+ pounds in two weeks. That, for me, was SHTF. Don't think I have ever felt worse.

 

lets see...

• two weeks without power due to an ice storm with 3 small children,
• Hurricane Floyd with a 7.5 foot diameter oak tree through my house (took 14 dump trucks to remove it..)
• Lost a clutch in a blizzard in the mountains of Colorado... hiked 4 miles before I got picked up... (learned that my minimalist survival and survival training might have let me make it on my own but it wouldn't have been fun (16 degrees and a 30 knot wind) I have since modified my kit to include additional snivel gear for winter...
• broken neck and rehab...

I learned three major lessons.. you can survive most any thing if:

1. you keep your relation ship with god strong,
2. your mind sharp, and
3. your sense of humor intact.

YMMV

 

a mini disruption back in 2011. Several counties dark for 10-11 days, gov imposed curfew, no electrical, no function gas stations, no grocery, no restaurants, no walmart, strained LEO, EMS services, increase in disorder, looting, , burglary, thefts of backyard grills and fuel from vehicles, 2 self defense related citizen/citizen shooting and arrests for curfew violations.

What I needed:

more fuel
more batteries
better way to receive public info broadcasts
help keeping watch of the property at night.

 

Every Hurricane to hit Louisiana since 1960.
Andrew was the worst for me, Saw the walls breath and the roof going up and down.
3- Near pancakes in a helicopter in the Gulf
Major platform fire, Toasted up a crane, Chem electric and heater treater, Acetylene bottle when exploding blow's the valves in what ever direction they are facing.
15' seas in a 50 ft. Gulfstar in the middle of the Gulf.
Live large or Go home...Merry Christmas!!!

 

Nothing...I have lived a very sheltered life

 

Not a whole lot...snow storm in the '70s that left us stranded for a couple of weeks, but we had wood heat, lots of food/water. A couple of hurricanes in NC in the '80s and '90s, a few more in LA since then. Watching Soviet-equipped troops (@ 50 yds) in Central America was more of a challenge

 

I have 40 years working with disaster teams as a Volunteer on the East coast and the Gulf area. Hurricanes mostly.
I am going on 38 years in the Fire/EMS service as a Volunteer working the Mid-west, based out of Indiana, Floods, Tornadoes, Blizzards and such. Swift Water/ Flood Water Rescue Team all over in flood season.
This is where I got my real time experience that I base my Preparedness classes on. If FEMA shows up-RUN the other way.