As I am writing this, the country of South Korea was dealing with the aftermath of the Typhoon Hinnamnor. It pounded the southern cities of Korea with anywhere between 1 meter (39 inches) to 104 cm (41 inches) of rain, high winds and destroyed much of the infrastructure in the area. The death toll however was kept to a minimum due to early warning, evacuations and preparedness
Still though, cars were submerged, people were trapped and lives were lost. The roads into and out of the city in some areas were simply washed away due to flooding and others were blocked by debris.
What I found so interesting about this story however is how it fell along the "green power vs traditional power" in America on a few political discussion sites. South Korea will recover from this relativity quickly. They are the forth largest economy in Asia and the tenth strongest economy in the world so there was very little discussion about foreign aid.
It's also interesting that as South Korea recovers, they are planning on replacing their infrastructure with green powered smart grids and other invocations.
Most of the discussion online however was about the failure of EV cars and other green power when faced with a disaster. Which got me thinking...if we are going to go to a green powered world, and I believe that is inevitable, then we have to consider how weather is going to effect it...and the weather is only going to get more extreme.
You can't do away gas entirely. Our current system relies on it to much and frankly much of our modern world is made from petroleum derived products in some way. So with that understanding I'm going to attack this topic in two ways.
First I thought I would cover personal survival, which is what you can do and how some "Green devices" might be used when something brown hits the rotary air moving device. Then a bit on Green Power as part of the bigger picture, the pro's and cons of such things as an EV car and how a "smart grid" may work in an emergency.
Let me state that I am NOT a "Prepper" like some. Frankly in today's world you often have enough warning to avoid a disaster. However to quote the Boy Scouts "Be Prepared."
At the risk of sounding like a nut case or being on the lunatic fringe, when it comes to the environment, things are only going to get worse when it comes to disasters. We may very well be on our own for 24 - 72 hours. Being ready for the "worst" is just going to make it more "comfortable" for you when a natural disaster strikes...and it will strike.
When I first moved to Western Pennsylvania we lost power for a little over 24 hours. Since I work from home, I wanted to make sure that I had a generator that was up to the task.
Since I bought it, I've only used it a few times since but it's nice to know that I can power what I want to power if needed (work equipment, refrigerator, and our pellet stove in particular). My generator can be run on either gas or propane and was purchased with the sole purpose to ensure that I could continue to work from home.
It's NOT designed to travel with me if I had to leave our home because of some disaster however it is going to meet most needs in an extended situation. It's simply to big and to bulky to move in most cases.
At the time I didn't consider going solar because of the upfront costs, nor did I realize that solar generators were a thing. Many solar generators work the same way, meaning that they can be charged with electric power and keep that power stored till needed. Then switched to solar panels to recharge them, they simply don't have the output that I determined I needed.
However I do see where they can be useful in an emergency where you want to keep a fridge cold and the phones charged. Since they can last up to 25 - 30 years without much maintenance; and can be under 5 pounds in some cases, the advantage for phones and other small devices is clear. They are designed to be mobile which means if you have to relocate, it's something worth bringing along.
Living in Florida for as long as we did, we do have our own version of a "Bug Out" bag available in case we had to evacuate due to a hurricane, or were stuck without power for several days because of a Hurricane. Be sure to include any important documents and medication (kept in waterproof bags) in your bag and clothes for at least 3 days.
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| An idea of the minimum for a BOB |
Living were we do now, the chance of a natural disaster are slim but a little preparedness for when the "Life and civilization as we know it in ending event" is never a bad thing. We actually have a hand cranked radio/TV and several hand cracked flashlights. We have a emergency charger that can power both our phones. We both know how to read a paper map. We invested in a manual can opener. All of this was from our original prep kit in Florida.
If we did have to get out of town for a bit, we even had a small gas powered grill with two small bottles of propane. If we stayed in our home, our outdoor grill was not only propane powered but had a burner designed for boiling water. Notice I didn't say charcoal simply because it is big, bulky and useless if it gets wet.
Solar powered chargers are not a bad investment and are light weight and can provide enough power for your phones and lanterns if needed and are an alternative to the generators mentioned above. Again, great for phones and other small electronic devices.
Not that these solar grills are a bad thing, it's just there are better solutions like a Hexi Stove or a Rocket stove. Both are lightweight and will cook your food faster with minimal effort.
Gas gouging is illegal but you know it's going to occur, so anything you could do to cut down on your gas consumption to get you through the first couple of days. Frankly your car may even be available to you in an emergency.
Your needs are going to differ upon where you live. Here in Western Pa, preparing for winter and the snow is more going to require a different mindset. We can have flash flooding (luckily our home is not located in a flood zone) and tornado's. We modified our "Bug Out Bag" accordingly by adding extra blankets to the cars in winter for example.
Generally speaking I don't recommend buying emergency gear because most of it you already have around the house. The reason I have "green gear" like the hand cranked flashlight is because batteries can die over time and create more weight for you to travel with if needed.
Plus remember that depending on the type of situation, you may not be going anywhere by car. If you do need to move out quickly, the less weight you have the better off you are.
Food, except in the most extreme cases will be supplied by your local shelter. High energy bars and even MRE's will see you through a day or two but for most people in a disaster food and water will be on hand within 48 hours.
Long story short, if you can evacuate you should. Material things can be replaced but your life can not be. Only you however can decide when it's time to go, and if your given enough advanced warning I would try to get out of harms way at least 48 hours before what even disaster strikes you.
The longer you wait, the more likely you will be stuck on a highway or in the open when the storm happens. Head inland and to higher ground to avoid being caught up in flooding, which is going to follow most common natural disasters.
Despite what the media may tell you. Looting really doesn't happen to a great extent. That stranger is most likely going to offer a hand up and not beat you or rape you. Humans, despite all our flaws, are basically good. There is a lot of evidence to back this up.
With the exception of propane cylinders that I mentioned, everything else is simple and reliable. It relies on your sweat (hand powered cranks) or solar power. Because you just don't know if and when you might be returning home or when that power will be on. Keeping it simple is just smart.
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