- Joined
- Mar 17, 2010
- Messages
- 4,256
i was spared from the brunt of the damage and only suffered a week of no electricity...regardless, i still learned a couple of valuable lessons.
gas:
- i had enough gas in my cars but after a week of no power (and i have a 4-month old niece needing gas for the generator for heat) i had to go wait in line just like everyone else to fill up. the odd/even license plate and rationing was in effect but i was covered either way. for those with two or more cars, i recommend having odd/even plates - get a vanity plate if you have to to make sure you do.
- i have a 5-gallon gas can which saved me from frequent trips to the station. most people i saw were holding 1-2 gallon cans only...ideally, i would have two 5-gallon cans (one for each hand) or more...less trips to the gas station. i was just about ready to buy a red spray paint and paint one of my 5-gallon water containers if the power outage went on longer (most gas attendants probably wouldn't notice and the gas would've gone straight to the generator anyway after just a few blocks) - regardless, i'm stocking up on gas cans as soon as they're available again in stores.
- if there's a long line at the gas station, go fill up after rush hour. most people have a strict schedule of when they can go take a lunch break (usually around 11 am to 1 pm) or have to be at work at a certain time, so i took advantage of that and filled up when it's the least busiest...i'm a night owl so i went to the gas station after 10 pm - only 1 block line/10 min wait compared to over an hour during the day! if there was still a long line, i just parked my car a block away and walked up to the pump with gas can in hand...usually the line for the "walkers" is way, way shorter than the car line!
- the gas line is multi-blocks long? "cut" the line by driving on the intersection perpendicular to the line that's closest to the gas station and making a right turn so you're only one block away from the gas station. it's perfectly legal and ethical - they have a red light and you have the green so you have the right of way so they have to let you in.
- i didn't evacuate (my area wasn't at high risk of flooding) but if i did i'd probably hang a glow-stick somewhere near the window to give the impression to would-be looters that there's a candle/lamp burning so the owner is inside. if the house is un-livable but i'm allowed to go back in to get my stuff, i'd replace the glow-stick as often as i can.
- stock up on gas cans. don't even bother trying to siphon off gas from your car's gas tank if it's a newer model - chances are high it'll have a one-way valve. on cursory web research, there's a way to drain the gas tank from the bottom or tapping the fuel line/using the fuel pump to drain it but i'll have to research it more for the future just-in-case.
rechargeables:
- my apc cigarette lighter inverter was awesome at charging cell phones, batteries, laptop, etc. note though that you can overload it and blow your car's cigarette lighter fuse so know the location/s of it and stock up on it ahead of time just in case. high-drain on startup appliances like microwaves/toasters/space heaters (or in my case, my niece's baby bottle sterilizer) is a no-go. you can use the inverter in your car even when the engine is not running (just have the ignition key turned so that the dash lights are on) but note that the car's battery is not charging if the engine is off so have a jumper-cable and another car ready to jump-start it if you accidentally drain it...running the engine will recharge the battery.
- for some reason, energizer lithium batteries (way expensive compared to normal aa batteries to boot) in my goal zero battery pack failed to charge my cell phone. aside from the goal zero brand batteries (which is nimh batteries), the energizer rechargeables also worked (also, nimh). all my gear are used hard but i gotta admit this battery incompatibility caught me off-guard...good thing i didn't stock up on those lithiums.
lithium on the left, rechargeables on the right:
- my goal zero solar panel was completely useless the first 3 days after the power went out since it was very cloudy. i wouldn't rely on just it recharging my electronics when it's not summer...a cigarette lighter inverter is far more reliable year-round.
water:
- my uncle lives on the 18th floor of an apartment building and when the power disappeared so went his water supply (the electric pump shut down) and the elevator (the 1st floor flooded so did the generator). i live in a normal house and my water and gas were fine without power...regardless i've stashed enough water and firewood (even though i don't have a fireplace but do have an emberlit and charcoal grill) to last me a month...know your basic utilities! needless to say, he learned from me and will be stocking up on water from now on - i told him every time i finished off a 2-liter soda bottle i rinsed it and filled it with water for backup).
cash:
- i hate cash but i always have at least a month's worth of cash stashed all over the place (mostly in the cars' glove box for emergency and hookers
). it paid off since all gas stations only accepted cash...the lines to the bank was just as ridiculous as the gas stations.
- be nice to your gas attendants in good times (tip well if you can or at least fill up on a specific station often enough to be recognized as a loyal customer)...there was a $40 limit/rationing thing going on but guess what? when it came time for me to fill up i got as much gas as i wanted...barring that, gas attendants are minimum wage workers. $10 right off the bat and they quickly forget about the rationing thing.
lights:
- my headlamp was way more useful than normal flashlights for the extended outage. everyone keeps wanting more and more lumens but for everyday chores, my petzl was on low-mode most of the time (i know the high mode is 80 lumens but not sure what the low mode is). i even laid it flat on a table and it provided enough ambient light that i didn't need a separate lamp for that.
911:
- phones were down for a week (land-line and cell) in my neighborhood and i rarely saw any cop cars. i do have bicycles and know where the nearest police precinct is so i could've gone there in case of fire/etc...not sure what other people who actually had an emergency did though to get help.
porn:
- your gf is freezing, your laptop is dead, and there's a curfew so you can't go looking for hookers keep your stash of paper-based porn along-side your guns/ammo/shtf supplies 
gas:
- i had enough gas in my cars but after a week of no power (and i have a 4-month old niece needing gas for the generator for heat) i had to go wait in line just like everyone else to fill up. the odd/even license plate and rationing was in effect but i was covered either way. for those with two or more cars, i recommend having odd/even plates - get a vanity plate if you have to to make sure you do.
- i have a 5-gallon gas can which saved me from frequent trips to the station. most people i saw were holding 1-2 gallon cans only...ideally, i would have two 5-gallon cans (one for each hand) or more...less trips to the gas station. i was just about ready to buy a red spray paint and paint one of my 5-gallon water containers if the power outage went on longer (most gas attendants probably wouldn't notice and the gas would've gone straight to the generator anyway after just a few blocks) - regardless, i'm stocking up on gas cans as soon as they're available again in stores.
- if there's a long line at the gas station, go fill up after rush hour. most people have a strict schedule of when they can go take a lunch break (usually around 11 am to 1 pm) or have to be at work at a certain time, so i took advantage of that and filled up when it's the least busiest...i'm a night owl so i went to the gas station after 10 pm - only 1 block line/10 min wait compared to over an hour during the day! if there was still a long line, i just parked my car a block away and walked up to the pump with gas can in hand...usually the line for the "walkers" is way, way shorter than the car line!
- the gas line is multi-blocks long? "cut" the line by driving on the intersection perpendicular to the line that's closest to the gas station and making a right turn so you're only one block away from the gas station. it's perfectly legal and ethical - they have a red light and you have the green so you have the right of way so they have to let you in.
- i didn't evacuate (my area wasn't at high risk of flooding) but if i did i'd probably hang a glow-stick somewhere near the window to give the impression to would-be looters that there's a candle/lamp burning so the owner is inside. if the house is un-livable but i'm allowed to go back in to get my stuff, i'd replace the glow-stick as often as i can.
- stock up on gas cans. don't even bother trying to siphon off gas from your car's gas tank if it's a newer model - chances are high it'll have a one-way valve. on cursory web research, there's a way to drain the gas tank from the bottom or tapping the fuel line/using the fuel pump to drain it but i'll have to research it more for the future just-in-case.
rechargeables:
- my apc cigarette lighter inverter was awesome at charging cell phones, batteries, laptop, etc. note though that you can overload it and blow your car's cigarette lighter fuse so know the location/s of it and stock up on it ahead of time just in case. high-drain on startup appliances like microwaves/toasters/space heaters (or in my case, my niece's baby bottle sterilizer) is a no-go. you can use the inverter in your car even when the engine is not running (just have the ignition key turned so that the dash lights are on) but note that the car's battery is not charging if the engine is off so have a jumper-cable and another car ready to jump-start it if you accidentally drain it...running the engine will recharge the battery.
- for some reason, energizer lithium batteries (way expensive compared to normal aa batteries to boot) in my goal zero battery pack failed to charge my cell phone. aside from the goal zero brand batteries (which is nimh batteries), the energizer rechargeables also worked (also, nimh). all my gear are used hard but i gotta admit this battery incompatibility caught me off-guard...good thing i didn't stock up on those lithiums.
lithium on the left, rechargeables on the right:
- my goal zero solar panel was completely useless the first 3 days after the power went out since it was very cloudy. i wouldn't rely on just it recharging my electronics when it's not summer...a cigarette lighter inverter is far more reliable year-round.
water:
- my uncle lives on the 18th floor of an apartment building and when the power disappeared so went his water supply (the electric pump shut down) and the elevator (the 1st floor flooded so did the generator). i live in a normal house and my water and gas were fine without power...regardless i've stashed enough water and firewood (even though i don't have a fireplace but do have an emberlit and charcoal grill) to last me a month...know your basic utilities! needless to say, he learned from me and will be stocking up on water from now on - i told him every time i finished off a 2-liter soda bottle i rinsed it and filled it with water for backup).
cash:
- i hate cash but i always have at least a month's worth of cash stashed all over the place (mostly in the cars' glove box for emergency and hookers
). it paid off since all gas stations only accepted cash...the lines to the bank was just as ridiculous as the gas stations.- be nice to your gas attendants in good times (tip well if you can or at least fill up on a specific station often enough to be recognized as a loyal customer)...there was a $40 limit/rationing thing going on but guess what? when it came time for me to fill up i got as much gas as i wanted...barring that, gas attendants are minimum wage workers. $10 right off the bat and they quickly forget about the rationing thing.
lights:
- my headlamp was way more useful than normal flashlights for the extended outage. everyone keeps wanting more and more lumens but for everyday chores, my petzl was on low-mode most of the time (i know the high mode is 80 lumens but not sure what the low mode is). i even laid it flat on a table and it provided enough ambient light that i didn't need a separate lamp for that.
911:
- phones were down for a week (land-line and cell) in my neighborhood and i rarely saw any cop cars. i do have bicycles and know where the nearest police precinct is so i could've gone there in case of fire/etc...not sure what other people who actually had an emergency did though to get help.
porn:
- your gf is freezing, your laptop is dead, and there's a curfew so you can't go looking for hookers
keep your stash of paper-based porn along-side your guns/ammo/shtf supplies
Last edited:
