I assumed there would be no gas or kerosene to run those stoves. I do have access to a lot of stones I could pile up, come to think of it. But would that work indoors?
This one is similar to the one I bought for the steam room I haven’t finished yet. I think mine is a little larger than the one in the picture and a little heavier too but the principle is still valid. Mine also came with adequate smoke stacking so it’s conceivable with a little adaptation that it could be used indoors should an emergency happen.. And yes, it gets hotter than a drug store pistol so it’ll make coffee and beans and keep the place warm too.
I totally agree with you , Nancy. There being no fuel, of any kind, would happen very, very fast. As soon as truckers were not moving, we would have shortages of everything, major theft of whatever was left in any kind of store, and robbing of houses that might have food. Even if gas stations had fuel, they can’t pump it without electricity. If we were hit with an EMP, it would take months, if not years for the country to even start to recover. Everything we have works with electricity and computers. A few years back , there were tornadoes that went through this area, and we were without power for almost 2 weeks. All of the stores had to close, any food left in the stores that was fresh food was ruined, and any canned food that was sold had to be done the old fashioned way, with cash and change, and no cash register. Roads were closed because of fallen trees and power lines, so no supplies could come in. It was over a whole day before there were even any emergency vehicles able to get into our area of town. And this was just a short , natural emergency; not a concerted attack on this whole country. It would be hard for us not to be a “third world country”, if anything major happened, and most of us have no experience living like the people who have to be self-reliant in those countries, have learned how to do. Just catching a live chicken and getting it cooked for dinner would not be possible for most people, and we seniors with health problems would not be able to do almost everything that would be necessary to survive.
My initial thought on this is that if things fall apart all that badly, I'll not make much effort to keep on keepin' on. If I were in my 20s, I'd have more reasons and more energy. That being said, never underestimate the survival instinct. Speaking in the theoretical is one thing, reality is quite another.
I think those of us who have been through natural disasters will be able to cope over the short term. As I mentioned earlier, if it happens slowly, as in an economic collapse or just a general decline in society and the supply chain, there will be time to adjust and even relocate to a child's location or even a sibling's house. If things go bad suddenly, none of that will be possible and many will die in a short amount of time. We have armed the terrorist community now, and China's economy is in deep trouble. I have three sons in the area who are very skilled at surviving difficult situations, and many friends who are also quite skilled. Water is the critical commodity, so if you are not near a stable fresh water supply, it would be a good idea to stash enough to keep you alive for a while. Even hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes can cause a disruption in the water supply, especially in cities and suburban areas.
Stock up on propane for both those. Propane lasts forever, unlike gas and diesel, so if you never need it, you can pass it on to your children or your surviving friends.
@Don Alaska Stored a long time, propane tanks "degrade" in that they are all dated for service time: a maximum time is allowed by federal law. Got to watch those feds! Frank
All my friends have said they are moving in with me if shtf. I just told a couple that, then, I would teach them to forage and how to prepare a rabbit. Made 'em back up a bit. If you see a train coming, you get off the tracks. If you worry about collapse, you start buying two cans of food when you go for one. Two pkgs of TP when you go for one. Have at least a small stock pile. Flashlight, sterno, Crisco candles/heater...There is 30 gallons of water in your water heater (turn it off if you are draining down your house to use it.) At least you will have a small window to think. Even if you are old.
Not long after I moved in I was in semi-prepper mode. I am on a well, and I contacted a company to have a manual pump installed. They make units that pump water through the existing system, not to an outdoor spigot. So you pump the handle and charge up your pressure tank. Or you can open up a faucet and pump a sink (or a bucket) full of water. They never contacted me as they said they would, and I let it drop. Water is my Achilles heel here. I need to get on this again. I have a few relatives who might think that because I am in the country that things will magically be better than where they are. I'm trying to think of which might be welcomed. So far, I've not come up with any names
We are already in hard times and getting harder by the minute. Enemies don't want to kill those that can work, they want to make them slaves. I once lived the survival life and even taught wilderness survival when in Montana. I lived off the grid for many years. I always had a fully loaded backpack with survival sup[lies, a knife and a hatchet, and a couple of guns ready and I could evacuate in minutes. I did evacuate several times because of a forest fire. I evacuated to town hahaha! I wouldn't last long these days once supplies ran out or if electricity was off for a long time during the winter. The problem with preparing is those that don't - will come and take what you have or most of us would willingly share until we ran out. Costco is again rationing toilet paper. Pure insanity. There is not much preparation for the new warfare that we can do. We don't know the enemy until it is too late. Instead of bullets, I have a gallon of Everclear for viral assassination. Not much but better than nothing.
Notsure if you can even get propane in the little bottles now either,we have a propane tank that would last a couple years we could hook them up to. Also have 5 propane 20 gal. tanks we try to keep full. So we just try to think of not going overboard or stocking up for the 'zombeis' who may come to pilliage. The way I see i is to do whatever you can on a snall scale. Why suffer any longer than we have to? I know nobody can plan for long term before somebody who didn't comes and takes it.
Actually, they might rust, but don't they they have an inspection cycle where they get pressure-tested, versus a finite life where they get discarded? I recently had to get my inspected because they hit the date that is stamped on the side (they both passed.) I have no idea what the interval is, but am certain the tanks were over 10 years old.
Faye guess we just do what we can and thats all we can do. Good you have all those skills though. Mainly I just hope the kids do what they can I worry about the world they got sruck with.We could die any day but these young people have to live a lifetime with what ever happens.