Disclaimer: These are my thoughts and perspectives. They are not all encompassing or intended to cover every scenario. My scope is limited and may be somewhat myopic. These are just my “Bathroom pontifications” congealed into a narrative as I see it. You don’t have to agree. You can even think I am dead wrong. It doesn’t matter. These are MY perspectives.
Essential Items During the Power Grid Collapse After Hurricane Helene:
- Gasoline-powered generators
- Gasoline-powered chainsaws
- Gasoline-powered vehicles
- Natural gas/propane cooktops
- Natural gas/propane water heaters
- Hard US currency
Useless Items During the Power Grid Collapse:
- Electric cars
- Electric appliances
- Debit/credit cards
- Electric chainsaws (some battery powered may have had some limited use)
- Solar-powered homes (most, but not all)
My wife and I were fortunate to have a gas generator, which kept our refrigerators and freezers running during the 7 days without power. Though our meals weren’t gourmet, we had enough food to eat daily and never went hungry.
We cooked on a propane-powered Blackstone griddle and a small propane camp stove. With generator power, we could even use some electrical appliances to make coffee and boil water for sweet tea. The generator also allowed us to use our Traeger wood-fired grill, sparing us the need for charcoal (keep pellets on hand of course), which was unavailable with stores closed.
When fuel was low, we drove our gasoline-powered vehicle to find open gas stations and filled up containers to keep the generator running.
As the government pushes for an all-electric, “green” future, with efforts to phase out natural gas/propane appliances and push for a cashless society, take note. Events like this offer valuable learning experiences.
Consider preparing:
- Buy a camp stove and a small propane griddle
- Invest in a generator (it doesn’t need to be a whole-house model) A 3500-watt inverter generator powered our home with plenty of extension cords and rotating items plugged in. Aside from HVAC and hot water, we lacked for little.
- Fortunately, we did not lose our water source. Buy containers that can be used to store water for flushing toilets. Buy containers, or manufactured bottled water for drinking.
- If you are on well water, as many people are in our area, consider having an electrician prepare your well pump to be run off your generator. This will require a larger generator than a small inverter.
Pay attention to what your government mandates and ask yourself: Why?
