When the power goes out, permanently....What will you do?

[bigbobsr6000]

I was thinking last night when the power went out for several hours in my area due to severe storms and tornadoes (Southern Georgia). What if it never comes back on? What will you do? Only electrical power left is from batteries which seem to be failing at 2-3 times faster and can't be recharged. Poof! All electricity is a thing of the past. Something you can only describe to your grandkids if you survive.

This is Earth Without Electricity Zero Hour. No monsters, no aliens, etc. The power justs stop working never to be turned on again. Electricity is gone and the ability to create it does not work anymore.

Here's my questions about time intervals from "Zero Power Hour" as to what you would do:

1. 0-24 hours
2. 48-76 hours
3. 3-7 days.
4. 2nd week
5. 3rd week
6. 4th week
7. 5th week plus.........?????????

Feel free to run with anything else. Comments. Feedback. Let your creative juices flow.

Enjoy

[Natasha]

Loot everything I can very fast before the armed vigilantes hit the streets.

And then stick close to my survivalist friends. Let them do the dirty (and bloody) work for me. I thing I hate about blood is the smell, so I don't like to butcher animals, but I like eating them.

[Aramanthus]

Probably try and get back to family's home and protect the neighborhood.

[zor_prime1]

The power justs stop working never to be turned on again. Electricity is gone and the ability to create it does not work anymore.

Here's my questions about time intervals from "Zero Power Hour" as to what you would do:
Enjoy

So no cars, no solar generators, gas powered generators, radios, battery/hand crank charging anything, or satellite communications eh? Good question.

Okay, please keep in mind these are quick answers while I'm at work. I haven't had much time to seriously think about these. So please keep the critiques to a minimum...

1. 0-24 hours
I'd seriously gather as much water as possible in every container possible including sinks, bowls, kiddie pools, buckets, etc. Even if some aren't clean, they can be used to wash and water plants. The local water storage tanks wouldn't be full for long. I'd take inventory of my food supply. I'd gather up all the wood from the dead trees in the field next door. See which utilities did work like gas and water. Obviously not electricity.
2. 48-76 hours
Communicate with my neighbors to collaborate efforts and protection. Gather inventory of cooking fuels and food, water and medical supplies. Gather inventory of weapons and things for protection The bigger the group the better. Maybe take some bikes to the local stores to see if they're not looted or if they're helping in any way.
3. 3-7 days.
By this time, it'd be obvious to everyone that this isn't a local disaster. Cook and consume items in the freezers and refrigerators. Make sure the odor doesn't carry in the wind in case there are less fortunate around. Start a garden in a safe place even though the yield wouldn't be available for a while. Plant a potato barrel. Not miss having to go to work. bust out the food and water storage. (I actually do have some basics stored away to last a few months.)
4. 2nd week
Still not miss having to go to work. Make contact with relatives and friends using bikes (hopefully not being shot at as I ride my bike or hike anywhere). Pull out my teenager-organization handbook and the survival guide for pointers on helping out with things. (seriously a decent item to have in survival kits and storage for basic on a lot of stuff.)
5. 3rd week
Still survive on food storage. Share with neighbors and make sure they're not thinking of stabbing me in the back and taking my food. **Mental note: Get more ammo on the way home from work today**
6. 4th week
Hopefully have something in the garden or potato barrel. Having lost a bunch of weight, try to stay nourished. See about catching wildlife/neighborhood animals for food. Keep dogs for extra protection. Gather wood from any source including telephone poles. Probably miss work by now. Wish things were back to the way they were.
7. 5th week plus.........?????????
After my food storage was gone from feeding so many people for weeks, I'd probably leave to try to homestead with my relatives who have more land than I do for growing things. They have a pool for water, chickens and fruit trees. I'm sure we could start a nice garden, start a wheat field and breed his chickens. Start a regular farm but with barbed wire and sentries. The population in my rural town is still sizable. I'm not sure how I'd deal with them.
Start using extreme and creative techniques for water gathering. I wonder how long it would take to dig a well...

Probably well before the 5th week, we could probably kiss our own rear ends good-bye and think about the grandchildren we'll probably never have. The nuclear reactors that are running around the world would no longer be containable and maintainable. They'd overheat and you'd get radio active bad stuff all over the place. Nuclear winter to follow and mass death's????

[bigbobsr6000]

Great stuff, zor_prime1.

[LostOne]

Once I decide power isn't coming back on, I gather my wife, daughter, take the car to go gather friends that live nearby then go loot the sporting goods store for guns and ammo, compound bows, along with quality camping gear, camp stove fuel, fishing gear. Next to the grocery store for dry and canned goods, salt and other preservatives. Next to the pharmacy for all the antibiotics, pain killers, vitamins and fever reducers we recognize. (Fever and infection killed a lot of people in ancient times).

My friend owns a moving company so his trucks would get stocked full of survival supplies. And since we live in a city with a lot of people who have never heard of camping, we'd probably be the first looters on the scene.

Then we'd gas all the vehicles up and drive ~200 miles to my cousin's cabin.

[bigbobsr6000]

Once I decide power isn't coming back on, I gather my wife, daughter, take the car to go gather friends that live nearby then go loot the sporting goods store for guns and ammo, compound bows, along with quality camping gear, camp stove fuel, fishing gear. Next to the grocery store for dry and canned goods, salt and other preservatives. Next to the pharmacy for all the antibiotics, pain killers, vitamins and fever reducers we recognize. (Fever and infection killed a lot of people in ancient times).

My friend owns a moving company so his trucks would get stocked full of survival supplies. And since we live in a city with a lot of people who have never heard of camping, we'd probably be the first looters on the scene.

Then we'd gas all the vehicles up and drive ~200 miles to my cousin's cabin.

Remember the vehicle batteries will die out because they can't be re-charged and once started the only thing running the vehicle is from the vehicle's battery. Just like a car which alternater/generater doesn't recharge the battery. The vehicle will soon kill the battery never to be recharged again. All batteries loose their charge 2-3 times faster than normal. Vehicles would soon be useless unless towed by domesticated animals. But they make good barricades and walls when properly placed and stacked.

Food for thought. However, great plan, just may have to change mode of transportation.

Big Bob...................

[bigbobsr6000]

Hey! I just thought of something. This could be the basis for the start of an alternate "Age of Steam" campaign world. Like "Chaos Earth" is the start of the "Rifts" campaign world.

What do you guys think about this idea?

[LostOne]

All batteries loose their charge 2-3 times faster than normal.

1. In the real world I wouldn't know that until it's too late.
2. I don't remember ever reading that in the book (it's been a few years since I read the book). Page and location?

In any case, that doesn't seem realistic to me that just because bugs are on the planet that batteries would drain faster. Humans have a lot of electrical impulses, are they 2-3 times dumber and slower too?

We wouldn't play with that rule. Only systems bugs are directly connected to could be drained in such a way, in my groups campaign world.

[bigbobsr6000]

All batteries loose their charge 2-3 times faster than normal.

1. In the real world I wouldn't know that until it's too late.
2. I don't remember ever reading that in the book (it's been a few years since I read the book). Page and location?

In any case, that doesn't seem realistic to me that just because bugs are on the planet that batteries would drain faster. Humans have a lot of electrical impulses, are they 2-3 times dumber and slower too?

We wouldn't play with that rule. Only systems bugs are directly connected to could be drained in such a way, in my groups campaign world.

This is a "What If" no bugs or anything just zero electricity as the apocalyptic event for a total Systems Failure. Just an excercise in an alternate dimension set up.

Hope that better explains this glimpse into my madness. Sorry for any confusion.

[LostOne]

Ok, well I still probably wouldn't realize that was happening until too late. Although IIRC a car with a failing battery will keep running until the engine is killed so long as the alternater keeps running. So ideally we'd make it through our looting errands in town just fine and then we'd be stranded once we got to the cabin.

Otherwise there would be ranches and feedlots between here and there, where there is feedlots and ranches there are horses (and likely ranchers with itchy trigger fingers, but hey...maybe they're open to trade). Get some draft animals, strip vehicles down to the frames and tires, load them up and have animals pull them I guess, if our cars died part way there.

[bigbobsr6000]

Thanks for your input. All good stuff.

[asajosh]

Move up to the family farm, grow sugar beets, distill fuel alcohol for the generator. Charge the neighbors for stereo time and hot water showers!

[bigbobsr6000]

Move up to the family farm, grow sugar beets, distill fuel alcohol for the generator. Charge the neighbors for stereo time and hot water showers!

Nope, no electrical power what so ever. Can never be generated ever again by any means. All batteries drain 2-3 times faster and can never be recharged. No generator will ever produce electrical power ever again.

[Peacebringer]

There's a good chance that I will be responsible for the power outage.


So, what will I do if the power goes out?

Start the invasion. My hive-ships will attack all military targets, easily crushing the puny humans who dare challenge my might.


The day the earth stood still....

[bigbobsr6000]

There's a good chance that I will be responsible for the power outage.


So, what will I do if the power goes out?

Start the invasion. My hive-ships will attack all military targets, easily crushing the puny humans who dare challenge my might.


The day the earth stood still....

Yeah! The Mother Ship I have been waiting for has finally arrived!

[zor_prime1]

There's a good chance that I will be responsible for the power outage.


So, what will I do if the power goes out?

Start the invasion. My hive-ships will attack all military targets, easily crushing the puny humans who dare challenge my might.

Hence your name "Peacebringer".

[Big Red]

I'd load up the family and head to the cabin where my uncles go hunting. It's at the top of a large hill with a single, easily-blocked gravel road leading to it. The surrounding woods are loaded with game. The front of the property overlooks a 200+ acre farm (corn, soybeans, cows, chickens, pigs, etc.). About half a mile down the road is a large pond fed by/feeding into three small streams (plenty of fresh water, fish, frogs, crayfish). On the far side of the property is a large apple farm (mostly just apples, but also pears and several types of berries). There are several other farms of various sizes in the surrounding area. There's no plumbing, and up until a few years ago, there was no electricity at the cabin, so losing it wouldn't matter much. Everyone who goes up there brings multiple guns (everything from black powder rifles and pistols, to shotguns, a wide variety of handguns, all manner of rifles, etc.) and there are loads of reloading supplies there (bullet presses, powder, etc.). I'd be set for quite a long time.

[Library Ogre]

Heavily reference S.M. Stirling's "The Protector's War" (which seems to have a similar premise)

[Peacebringer]

I'd load up the family and head to the cabin where my uncles go hunting. It's at the top of a large hill with a single, easily-blocked gravel road leading to it. The surrounding woods are loaded with game. The front of the property overlooks a 200+ acre farm (corn, soybeans, cows, chickens, pigs, etc.). About half a mile down the road is a large pond fed by/feeding into three small streams (plenty of fresh water, fish, frogs, crayfish). On the far side of the property is a large apple farm (mostly just apples, but also pears and several types of berries). There are several other farms of various sizes in the surrounding area. There's no plumbing, and up until a few years ago, there was no electricity at the cabin, so losing it wouldn't matter much. Everyone who goes up there brings multiple guns (everything from black powder rifles and pistols, to shotguns, a wide variety of handguns, all manner of rifles, etc.) and there are loads of reloading supplies there (bullet presses, powder, etc.). I'd be set for quite a long time.

See, the problem with that, is a guy like General Bethlehem, will pay you a visit.

[LostOne]

See, the problem with that, is a guy like General Bethlehem, will pay you a visit.

Only if he knows it's there. There's some things that can be done to the road to make it look like it hasn't been used in decades that might make people think there's nothing worthwhile up there.

[Library Ogre]

Incidentally, for notes on this topic, I'd suggest reading S.M. Stirling's "Dies the Fire", "A Meeting at Corvallis" and "The Protector's War". I've only gotten started on the third (co-worker suggested it, and I don't think he realized that there were previous books in the series), but its well-written and assumes that pretty much all high-pressure chemistry, as well as all electrical devices, stop functioning.

[Library Ogre]

Incidentally, for notes on this topic, I'd suggest reading S.M. Stirling's "Dies the Fire", "A Meeting at Corvallis" and "The Protector's War". I've only gotten started on the third (co-worker suggested it, and I don't think he realized that there were previous books in the series), but its well-written and assumes that pretty much all high-pressure chemistry, as well as all electrical devices, stop functioning.

"The Sunrise Lands" came out last fall.

One of my favorite writers.

I'll have to grab that, then, when I've managed to get the first two.

I love working in a library.

[bigbobsr6000]

Awesome topic, even though it's a bit dusty

But *why* would electrical devices never work again? The why is important.

If you're saying that aliens are somehow surpressing all electrical current on the planet, that's one thing, and batteries would be nullified anyway.

If you're saying Y2K happened and/or the power went out and didn't come back on, that's another thing. In that case, batteries draining faster doesn't make any sense, as long as a car's alternator is working (as posted above), it'd return charge to the battery. Just because something is electrical doesn't mean that Y2K would have affected it. It's only devices that were conrolled by computer chips that would have had problems. Newer cars would have problems because they've got chips / computers that control and monitor many things.

But that's not the case with older automobiles and other simple electrical devices (power tools, many, many appliances, generators, your dad's old Dodge Challenger, big heavy duty trucks as well (think of half track army trucks and the like)). You'd just have to have a way to get them fuel, and not all pumps are electrical, and there are many above-ground tanks.

Plus, batteries, (like big car batteries) when stored properly, keep charge for a LONG time. Keep a stock down in a cellar somewhere and you'd be fine for a good while.

It's even possible to build airplanes that don't utilize computers. Many machines can acutally be built with simple parts. You'd be surprised. Hell *I'd* be surprised, I'm definitely no mechanic.

And as far as nuclear power stations go, nuclear reactors can be shut down by manual means (manually inserting control rods into the core to slow and stop the reacion). There would be no meltdowns, even if electrical systems went offline permanently.

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" movie. I was being nice about short battery life. Alien landed on earth, to demonstrate their power, stopped all electrical devices, moving parts like wind watches. Only left planes in air and hospital in surgery and life supporting systems like iron-lungs, etc. working. This lasted for one hour and affected the whole earth. Nothing worked. All power plants stopped. If you have not seen this movie, it is a good watch.

[Library Ogre]

You can also see the idea in S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire, The Protector's War, A Meeting at Corvallis, and The Sunset Lands.

[csbioborg]

grab my guns, ammo some food and fishing pole. Get on my bicycle ride due north to my friends one mile, and hope my buddy's 68 chevelle works without electricty. If so grab more guns and some more firend make it up to the San Berdinos mountain (cloest range to San Diego) head to a camp I spent my summers at that actually had no electrcity. Ironically about one mile away from the lake where they filmed some of the Jason movies. Start making sand bags and fortify the camp. Then its time to rock and roll.

Car dosen't work. I head to the ocean which is roughly a two mile ride from my friends. I'll try and find a small boat to steal in Paciifc Beach. Make it down to Baja California. LIve off the OCean. Get some guys together. Then its time to rock and roll.

[bigbobsr6000]

It pays to plan ahead.