The morning after these last windstorms, I looked out my back window to see there were no wires on the power poles in either direction. Realizing this was not going to be a matter of just throwing some city sized breaker switch, I went out and for about 1K got a back-up generator. I was able to hook-up my refrigerator, my sewage ejection pump, and my office computer pod, so that I could work. I now have a system that will keep me up and running if disaster strikes again. A bit of a pain, but much cheaper than an automated, whole house system that would run at least 10K.
And just a note. I always felt I had protected my computers with surge protectors. But no simple surge protector is sufficient. After three of my computers had their power supply modules fried, I replaced them and got surge protectors with battery back-ups. These are the ONLY way to protect your computers. They provide power long enough to save files, close out all programs and shut down safely. Not too expensive ($50~$60) for minimal 10 minute run time versions. Get pricier if you want longer run time before shut down ($200 for 3 hour run time).
But now, with a supply of drinking water and a supply of MREs and I am ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.
Earthquake that is. let this be a reminder to all we need to be prepared to survive for three to five days with no service no water no food no X factor ect.. when it hits...I have been told by higher up'S in LAFD.."WE AIN'T COMING" They will be overwhelemed just like Edsion was and this time and it was just lights this time
without power, water, or plumbing. We had a water well and septic system. For all you urbanites, without the electric pump in the wheel you have no water, and without the water, your toilets are useless. Fortunately, we lived on a one-acre wooded suburban lot, so we had a place outside we could do our business. I was fighting my dog for the good spots.
It was the middle of July and 95 degrees and 90% humidity- the sort of pure hell reserved for most the Midwest and South. A severe line of thunderstorms wiped out huge portions of the the county, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. We were without power, water, and toilets for 14 days.
Then, about a week after we got power back, we had a tornado tear through our street and do it all over again. But this time power was only down for a week since it was localized to one area. But the damage was worse to all the houses on my street- roofs torn off, oaks and hickory trees snapped like toothpicks and blocking all the driveways and roads, all the wires down etc.
The lesson I've never forgotten just how totally fucked you are when there's a complete collapse of infrastructure. As bad as it was for those two periods of time, we were still able to drive to the next county and get our water jugs filled and buy food. Good luck doing that in SoCal after the big one.
You have no idea what it would be like if the entire area was cut off from resupply and there was no way to get food or water to millions of people. Like I said, as bad as my experience was, I could still drive 20 miles and get food and water from the fire department. That wouldn't be an option in LA, especially after a few dozen freeway bridges come down.
I now keep enough food and water on hand for 3-4 weeks, which is about how long I figure it would take first responders to show up in any significant numbers. Anything less than that and you're going to be very hungry and thirsty- especially if it hits in the peak of summer like the experience my ex-wife and I had. I also keep a gun, because I've seen the chaos that follows a widespread disaster. It's not a pretty sight.
The morning after these last windstorms, I looked out my back window to see there were no wires on the power poles in either direction. Realizing this was not going to be a matter of just throwing some city sized breaker switch, I went out and for about 1K got a back-up generator. I was able to hook-up my refrigerator, my sewage ejection pump, and my office computer pod, so that I could work. I now have a system that will keep me up and running if disaster strikes again. A bit of a pain, but much cheaper than an automated, whole house system that would run at least 10K.
And just a note. I always felt I had protected my computers with surge protectors. But no simple surge protector is sufficient. After three of my computers had their power supply modules fried, I replaced them and got surge protectors with battery back-ups. These are the ONLY way to protect your computers. They provide power long enough to save files, close out all programs and shut down safely. Not too expensive ($50~$60) for minimal 10 minute run time versions. Get pricier if you want longer run time before shut down ($200 for 3 hour run time).
But now, with a supply of drinking water and a supply of MREs and I am ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.
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