# Scenario #2: Blackout and Riot



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Scenario

There is a wide-ranged blackout in your region due to what authorities say is caused by a well-orchestrated and simultaneous sabotage by terrorists/anarchists. There's no electric power, and you get the news through your battery-operated radio. 
Aside from lootings happening downtown, cops are also battling with either anarchists and rioters. Thankfully you are prepped since you've obediently followed the advice of Red Cross. You've got your 2 weeks supply of pork and beans and canned beef stew, and water enough for your family.

What's the first thing you'll eat? Take us through your plan how you'll go about with your food supply.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

I would start with the food in the freezer. Use up the food that will spoil. Cooking won't be an issue since my stove and grill are gas. Much of my preps in that area are stocking food we would normally use anyhow and just cycle through it. It will be a while before I have to hit the rice and beans stash.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

I have a generator, . . . and enough gas to keep the fridge & freezer going until most of it is either gone, . . . or has been converted into jerky. The rest will be either eaten or turned into some sort of soup / stew that is now in the jars. My house will be hot, . . . as the wood stove will be doing all that work, . . . 

The big problem will be losing the electronic "security" I now enjoy. Those detectors will just be silent.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

dwight55 said:


> I have a generator, . . . and enough gas to keep the fridge & freezer going until most of it is either gone, . . . or has been converted into jerky. The rest will be either eaten or turned into some sort of soup / stew that is now in the jars. My house will be hot, . . . as the wood stove will be doing all that work, . . .
> 
> The big problem will be losing the electronic "security" I now enjoy. Those detectors will just be silent.
> 
> ...


Ditto on all accounts except the house being hot . Reminds me I need to get another couple of gallons of kerosene before it starts getting cold.

The hardest part would be trying to determine the extent/length of the blackout, I live in suburbia and might consider a short (or long) vacation to the farm. Although it would be a pain packing so much stuff into the cars for the trip (wouldn't want to leave anything too valuable behind).


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

Just kidding, I would be out looting walmart and best buy! WOOO HOOOOO! FREE ****!!!


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Probably the fridge stuff first, then freezer. However, assuming natural gas is flowing, the genset would take care of the house. If it wasn't, I have enough propane and petrol to run it for quite awhile. We've been through hurricanes with 5-10 day power outages so we're pretty well versed in this area. Since we are in the south, cold isn't really much if an issue although we do have a kerosene heater and supplies. 

As for "food" we have enough for a family if it last a long time. We wouldn't be eating gourmet but we wouldn't starve either.. 

My only concern would be safety however we have a plan for that too.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

I got a 30 amp Genset and enough gas and 80 lbs of Propane to run the fridge in my RV for quiet a while. I got rabbits out back and a lake full of fish if it last more than a couple of weeks. Cooking aint a issue, got a galvanized trash can with about 120 lbs of charcoal briquits. I got a small grill to fire up and throw the Wok on. I am a lot more worried about the security issues than I am the food issues!


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Have 2 500 gallon LP tanks to cook and for heat. No power, fire up the wood stove for cooking and heat. Start with the food in the frig. Freezer with last a week or more with all the frozen milk jugs of water we have inside, in case the power goes out. 
Generator WILL NOT be fired up just to save a little food. Don't want to draw unwanted attention to myself. Nothing says come over and rob/kill me like a generator roaring.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

I'll start with the perishables in the fridge, opening the door minimally so the cold will keep longer. Then the freezer contents. Got to have something to cook with though (I've got an electric stove).

The longer I can keep from using up the canned stuff the better....I don't know for how long the event would last. Water will be rationed, and will be used for drinking only. We'll use baby wipes for hygiene.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Chipper said:


> Have 2 500 gallon LP tanks to cook and for heat. No power, fire up the wood stove for cooking and heat. Start with the food in the frig. Freezer with last a week or more with all the frozen milk jugs of water we have inside, in case the power goes out.
> Generator WILL NOT be fired up just to save a little food. Don't want to draw unwanted attention to myself. Nothing says come over and rob/kill me like a generator roaring.


Jugs of water in the freezer is a good idea. What kind of jugs do you use that's safe in the freezer? Those bottled water we buy?


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

charito said:


> Jugs of water in the freezer is a good idea. What kind of jugs do you use that's safe in the freezer? Those bottled water we buy?


Plastic milk just filled like 90% always seemed to work well for me.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Nachtjager said:


> Not to sound mean, but watching National Guard troops carry screaming "urban" women out of Wally World because they were shop-lifting cartons of cigs is pretty entertaining when you don't have television to watch! :smile:


Reality non-TV. I like it. A lawn chair, a 6-pack and a nearby WalMart during trying times. Heck, a feller's got to find entertainment, right?


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Nathan Jefferson said:


> Plastic milk just filled like 90% always seemed to work well for me.


Thanks.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Nachtjager said:


> In South Louisiana we live through that scenario usually a couple of times a year - called hurricanes and tropical storms. Longest one was Hurricane Gustav, no power for 34 days (I think) before the lights came back on - and no, I don't have a generator, I'm too old and stubborn for that. Grew up just being used to this mess and since my wife won't let us leave this godforsaken state, I was born here and I'm stuck here - and I hate it!
> 
> Generally, we stock up on gas before the storms hit, we have food and water but always get a bit more beforehand, we have plenty of batteries but always get a few more to use, and basically you just sit tight, eat stuff you can cook on the grill or fire pit in cast iron cookware (like being out camping) and we tend to eat a lot of peanut butter crackers, rice krispy treats, and snacks like that to keep the sugar level up because you sweat a whole lot down here.
> 
> ...


You still got your sense of humor!


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

Like Nachtjager, we get to experience the power outage part a couple times a year. I have a Prius. So my first step is to run my long orange extension cords. I can draw 2,000 watts from the car. It will run when it needs to recharge the batteries. I can make it a little over two days on a 10 gallon tank of gasoline when using it like this. I have a farm type gas tank on property that I can use to refill the vehicle. During the daytime, we'd use electricity from the car for computers, television, lights in the evening, etc. At night we'd use the electricity to keep the freezers and refrigerators running. If not opened very much they will keep everything frozen all day. Home heating would be the fireplace during such an event.

The longest I've had to go without power at this location was five days. For the riot part, I'm an hour from Atlanta on purpose.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

I like this! It's interesting to see the different ways others have prepared for cooking etc.

First up, security. I was just reading Patriots and like the idea of blackout blankets. Trouble here is that we burn wood, so lets hope it happens in the spring/summer when there's no smoke trail. I think I would get the pickup in the shop so people would assume no one is home. I would also take the time to fill the pickup up with bug out gear and make sure it's ready to run. We're a few miles out of town so shouldn't be immediately affected, but better start out with security in mind and hopefully stay safe. 

If I hadn't gotten to it already, I would divvy up my stores and get them cached in multiple hiding spots around the property. Looters are now and would be my main concern and I want to be sure if/when they hit us, they don't wipe us out of food. Surviving them is another matter but we can only do so much.

For food, I agree with using up/preserving the fridge contents first and then the freezer. If it did happen in winter, we're frozen for several months so perishables could be kept in outside storage.

As it progressed, I suppose it would be a good idea to have a hidden indoor area for the critters so they're not so obvious. I'm going to make a note to have that set up as a prep - a secure area inside the shop that could house the animals for a lengthy stay. Sure wouldn't be ideal for their comfort, but it beats being eaten!


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

charito said:


> Jugs of water in the freezer is a good idea. What kind of jugs do you use that's safe in the freezer? Those bottled water we buy?


We used to drink fruit juice in 64 ounce bottles. They're tall and narrow and made of thick plastic. I use those in the freezer and in the summer pull them out to put in the rabbit pens to help them stay cool. I'd never thought to keep them in for power outages, but that's a great idea - just fill up all the extra space with water in bottles we already store anyway.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Start filling the water bobs in the bathtubs, fill the 150 gallon bladder with water, fill garbage cans with water and plastic bags in boxes, in drawers, etc. anything else that will hold water. Get the firearms out of the safe, load all the mags while the water is filling. Listen to the radio while doing all of that. Maintain perimeter security


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

indie said:


> We used to drink fruit juice in 64 ounce bottles. They're tall and narrow and made of thick plastic. I use those in the freezer and in the summer pull them out to put in the rabbit pens to help them stay cool. I'd never thought to keep them in for power outages, but that's a great idea - just fill up all the extra space with water in bottles we already store anyway.


I wonder if coca cola plastic bottles will work too? I don't buy milk in jugs...and I also don't buy fruit juice.

I've got a big deep chest freezer (frozen water on top can really keep the food frozen for a long time), and an upright freezer, which I imagine will thaw faster than the chest freezer.

We've got winter here (and with no power, no heater).....I'll have to invest in good sleeping bags, and thick blankets, and we'll sleep in the smallest room we've got. Make sure all the pets are in the room for more heat.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

paraquack said:


> Start filling the water bobs in the bathtubs, fill the 150 gallon bladder with water, fill garbage cans with water and plastic bags in boxes, in drawers, etc. anything else that will hold water. Get the firearms out of the safe, load all the mags while the water is filling. Listen to the radio while doing all of that. Maintain perimeter security


The water in the toilet tank....that is clean water, right? So make sure we don't flush the toilet so we can use that water.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

For those who had experienced a long blackout like Katrina, etc.....what do you do about using the washroom? We don't want to waste water flushing the toilet especially when we don't know how long this would last, so what is the best thing to do? <_this is an embarrassing post....but it's a reality_>


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## Kidzthinkimahoarder (Feb 11, 2013)

Thinking about this, fridge first, but I don't have anything in there that would ruin except a couple packs of lunch meat (at this moment, and some veggies), the rest would last out on the cabinet without any cooling if necessary. I've been stocking Spam, Tuna, Chicken in a can, Soups, Chili, etc...just incase we loose electricity because I hate wasting food. So, that would still be waiting as we cleaned out the deep freeze. We'd be some meat smoking fools around here, there is no way to eat what's in there by the time it all thawed. What turned out to be no good, would be used as dog food.

I have several ways to cook, we have a stretched metal grate to use over an open fire, a smoker, a butane grill, and of course that wood stove we just purchased. So heat would be covered as well.

And of course, like everyone else security would come first as well so tasks would just have to be split up between all of us.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

The first person that knocks at my door.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

charito said:


> For those who had experienced a long blackout like Katrina, etc.....what do you do about using the washroom? We don't want to waste water flushing the toilet especially when we don't know how long this would last, so what is the best thing to do? <_this is an embarrassing post....but it's a reality_>


As for the coke bottles, they'd work to freeze water but I hear the plastic deteriorates quickly, just like the small water bottles, so I don't know that I would trust it for drinking water. You can get inexpensive five gallon water jugs at Walmart etc. for storing drinking water. We don't drink juice anymore either but I use all our vinegar bottles. I figure if they're tough enough to hold vinegar, they should be great for water but I admit I haven't ever looked into that theory.

Do you live in an apartment? You can use a 5-gal bucket with sawdust if you have a compost pile (let it decompose completely before using) or use your gray water -- from washing up or doing dishes -- to flush the toilet.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

Kidzthinkimahoarder said:


> What turned out to be no good, would be used as dog food.
> 
> I have several ways to cook, we have a stretched metal grate to use over an open fire...


What about a pressure canner? You can pressure can over an open fire so you could pressure can some of the meats from the freezer while you're eating the rest.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

charito said:


> For those who had experienced a long blackout like Katrina, etc.....what do you do about using the washroom? We don't want to waste water flushing the toilet especially when we don't know how long this would last, so what is the best thing to do? <_this is an embarrassing post....but it's a reality_>


That's one of the reasons I stay where I'm at for now. I'm on septic. So as long as I have rainwater stored, I can wash my pits and crotch and flush the toilet. I've been doing the smoke bath method like the Indians. Works ok, but I still have to blend in when I'm out and about in public, so I have to smell like everyone else lol


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

We keep a bunch of 2 liter bottles of water handy just for flushing the toilet. We keep additional bottles of water in the freezer.

The last time our power went out, it lasted 8 days. We ate as much stuff from the refrigerator as we could, then put the rest into 2 coolers, which we wrapped with sleeping bags for added insulation. We then added the ice and frozen foods from the freezer. The frozen foods acted like ice and kept everything cold.

We also cooked up (on the charcoal grill) all of the thawed meat we had, and invited the neighbors for a barbeque. Whatever was left over went into the coolers.

When you open a regular refrigerator/freezer, it spills all the cold air out. When you open a cooler, you're just taking off the top, so the cold air is retained. This, plus the fact that a cooler is a smaller space, helped us keep our foods longer.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

I have an IBC tote in the back yard. Can't remember if it is a 200 or 300 gal tank. Anyway, if I think there's trouble I'll fill it before the pressure runs out of the nearby water tower.


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

In previous power outages my water continues to flow. Even though I'm technically outside of the city limits, we have city water.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Eat what is in the fridge that can't be cooked or dried. Cooked leftovers (in the fridge) get to be soup or stew and canned. 

The power in my home will stay off - I do have a generator but it will not be used. While preparing / saving the food in the fridge I will be finding out how wide spread the power outage is, contacting those I am supposed to contact and check my neighbors to see if they know anything I don't. I don't get to see the riots live but maybe after the power is back up they will play the scenes on Utoob (yes I know that it is spelled wrong) for the enjoyment of the world. If the power is not back on in three days to a week I will be listening to my short wave to get a better assessment of the reality of the situation. As the situation changes the plan must adapt.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Fill everything with water (don't forget the washing machine hold a lot of water), start securing the house, give my son some money to see if he can get more stocks from the store (if things look too bad just come back home). Make sure all vehicles are full of gas. I have a generator and depending on the situation will decide whether it is best to run the fridge or save the gas for other task (The same amount of gas to run the fridge could run the tiller to till up a lot of land for planting). After my home is secure I would check on the neighbors to see about setting up a neighborhood watch.


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

My great-grandfather didn't have electricity until 1976. I remember going up to their house and they had a salt cabinet in the kitchen and a salt house outside. Since he ate red meat nearly every day of his 105 year life, that meant storing quite a bit of meat.


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## retired guard (Mar 7, 2013)

Eating stuff out of the fridge grill and range are gas. Motion detectors won't work but still have dogs and an ingrained sense of skepticism and distrust.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

A skeptical prepper? I find that hard to believe.


:wink:


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## longrider (Mar 25, 2013)

As others, I'll start w/ food from the fridge. I have a gas range, so will can meat from freezer. Am planning on doing that anyway, to save room for more frozen veggies.

I use the bleach and vinegar jugs, as well as the milk jugs. I have also started using 2lr pop bottles. Anything is better than nothing. I do use the 20 oz pop bottles, frozen, for when I ride in the heat. They stay frozen a long time, in my home made wool cloth pouch. 

I won't use any generator, as that just points to where the food/supplies are. I don't think much would happen, in my small town. But you never know. Have the guns and bows ready. Bows for stealth. Again, I don't want to allert anyone to what I actually have. Head to the BOL if necessary.


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