WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF
THE TRUCKS STOPPED?
The First 24 Hours:
Hospitals will run out of basic supplies in a few hours.
Service Stations will begin to run out of fuel.
Assembly lines would stop, putting thousands of people out of work.
U.S. Mail & other package delivery will cease. Get meds via the Mail? Not anymore!
Store shelves will be totally bare in about three days.
Within 2 to 3 Days:
Supplies of essentials like Bottled Water will disappear.
ATM’s will run out of cash. The Tellers won’t have anymore cash in THEIR drawers, either!
Rail transport will come to a standstill. (Trucks deliver the Diesel Fuel to Rail Hubs)
Garbage will start piling up. (Remember the New York City Garbage Collector’s Strike?!
Service Stations by now will be totally OUT of fuel!
Within 1 Week:
Automobile traffic will cease due to lack of fuel.
Hospitals will begin to exhaust their Oxygen supplies. Prescription meds-gone as well!
Within 2 Weeks:
Clean water supplies will begin to run out.
Within 4 Weeks:
Clean water supplies will be exhausted and the water will be unsafe to drink.
There are a number of things that could cause the Trucks to stop running.
Civil unrest, a Cyber Attack, an EMP, be it from the Sun or a Nuclear event, Strikes, or
A run-of-the-mill natural disaster, Earthquake, windstorm, etc.. Power Plants could go offline
Because they could not get spare parts delivered due to the Trucks not running. There goes
your electricity-bye bye medical devices if you need them!
At this point in time, I think the two most probable are civil unrest and / or a cyber attack.
Our present Just-In-Time delivery system is INCREDIBLY VULNERABLE to any of the above
mentioned scenarios. Remember the Windstorm of 2007? I DO! This was merely a local event,
but the Trucks could not get here from Portland due to downed Trees. Sally and I ran out of fuel!
And we ALMOST ran out of food! I will NEVER allow my household to be in that position again!
This is why I have put back canned food. This is why we have a Butane Camp Stove. This
Is why we have an Off-Grid Kerosene Heater. This is why we have Solar Power. This is why
we have battery powered rechargeable emergency lights for every room in the house. This
Is why Sally and I are BOTH Licensed Ham Radio Operators. This is why I took advanced
EMS training and served as a Medic on a small Fire Department. This is why I have an
EIGHT DAY emergency survival kit in my vehicle.
THIS IS WHY I TOOK THE POST OF DISASTER RESPONSE COORDINATOR FOR MY CHURCH!
GONTINUE YOUR GREAT WORKS, AMEN
I'm glad you liked it. I'm the Disaster Response Coordinator for the Seaside OR 7th Day Adventist Church.
So, I guess I'll publish another item:
Five things you need to do before the 2020 Election
An election on the horizon as the world wrestles with a Pandemic, the political division between parties descending into shouting matches and shootouts, anarchists and nationalists clashing in the streets, a NOT thoroughly tested vaccine being rushed into production to be ready as an “October Surprise”, foreign Governments attacking our voting process:
It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller, but its not. It’s the Election Year 2020, and its happening right now. Will you be prepared if violence erupts across America?! Do you have what you need? This post will address the coming election and provide you a few practical things to do before the election to make sure you are not caught off guard, and you are prepared to survive what could be the most volatile election of our lifetime!
Number One:
An October Surprise or election surprises.
Why is this election different than previous elections? Extremists in both parties believing that if the other side wins, it will mean the death of Democracy. One side believes a win will bring Facism-the other side believes a win will bring socialism and communism. The likelihood of a peaceful, calm, and uncomplicated voting process is less than the very likely armed conflicts that will occur on Election Day and afterwards in pockets throughout the United States.
You may already feel the tension building in your area. Any conflicts may disrupt normal processes-if anything in 2020 can still be considered “normal”. Stores could run out of items and the economy could slide down further, causing wide scale panic buying. And don’t forget to get and be prepared for any natural disasters you might still face. THOSE are not going away, either!
In American politics, an ‘October Surprise’ is an intentionally crafted and timely maneuver and media event to attract-or distract- the voters and influence an election result; Especially for the U.S. Presidential race. It has become a staple of American politics. This year however, I think people have had enough surprises; from wildfires to hurricanes to a lethal Virus, and more.
This election Year’s October Surprises could be many; They could rush a vaccine, and skip critical testing processes. The Government could mandate vaccinations, and people are not likely to respond well to that. Mail-in Ballots could turn up in trash bins, creating doubt in the voting system. There have even been reposts of domestic and foreign terrorists creating chaos to frighten people away from going to the Polls. The fact that nothing is unimaginable is scary.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to be prepared and have some level of self-reliance and self-sustainability. Expecting the Government to come in and rescue you in your time of need may not be your best option. The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is have a plan when the rest are scrambling. Be ready before Election Day comes, and start preparing now in this period of relative calm. Be prepared to hunker down in your home for up to 11 Weeks-this would be the 11 Weeks between Election Day and Inauguration Day. That is the period during which any violence and civil unrest is likely to occur.
Number Two:
Top up your Food and Water:
First and foremost, make sure your food and water supplies can sustain you for an extended period of time in your home or your apartment. Having a specific time-frame like this 11 weeks actually provides you with an opportunity to look at your food and water reserves with great clarity. Write out 11 Weeks of food and water consumption against the stores you have on hand.
I AGREE WITH BEAR INDEPENDENT-STACK IT TO THE RAFTERS!
Is that enough? Does it provide you with the recommended minimum daily water amount of 1 gallon per person per day for 78 Days? As far as your food goes, will it go far enough? Does it have enough Caloric content to allow you to survive even if it gets a little thin at the end of 78 Days? Do you have enough water to rehydrate dried foods?
If you are “Bugging In” for an extended period of time, you are probably going to experience a pretty severe diet alteration. Having just ONE Multi-Vitamin and a Protein Powder on hand can be a lifesaver. If you already have these items in relative everyday use, this is simply a matter of checking, updating, and topping off your supplies. Even a little more preparedness will position you better.
Number Three:
Prepare what you KNOW you need:
Beyond food and water, recent shortages from the quarantines and lockdowns have revealed shortages of some primary items. Panic-shoppers cleaned stores out of a personal lifetime of toilet paper, feminine products, pasta, rice, beans, and more! Stores were forced to limit quantities per customer. Suppliers could not keep up with demand. Some products, like Lysol for example, are only now beginning to reappear on store shelves. Perhaps you got your first inkling of the value of being prepared from this event and are now catching up on the items you now know you need.
The real positive about prepping is when done right, you have that little extra to get through those rough patches, and you’re not just ‘storing it away’, but actually using it on a daily basis. Buy that cast Iron Dutch Oven, but don’t just pull it out on camping trips. Learn to use it to cook tonight’s dinner for your family. Buy a Rocket Stove for Cooking. (I’ll be writing a separate piece to bring people up to speed on this AMAZING implement!). Just like your food, put your hardware into use! LEARN IT NOW! As I have told my church membership on countless occasions, I will be HAPPY to teach these skills to all of you!
Number Four:
Know your Polling locations:
Beyond using this time to bring your food, water, and prepping supplies up to speed, be prepared for the Election Day itself. Know your polling locations. If tensions continue to rise up to November 3rd, in some areas, polling locations WILL be hotspots for conflicts. If agitators of any kind with any ideologies seek to cause chaos on Election Day, it will be at these locations or along the routes to these places. It could only take ONE crazed individual to create a situation to trigger an event, causing the two sides that are protesting each other to launch into a conflict.
All it takes is one provocative action and a call to action from the leadership on either side, and there is a real problem! Get a good local map of your area, and mark the poling places around you to raise your situational awareness on that day. Make sure you have more than one way to get home safely.
Number Five:
Know your urban escape routes:
You may want to pre-emptively vote early, either Absentee or by Mail. Peak turnout at poling places happens between 11:00 AM and 8:00 PM. This Election Day, staying home is probably the safest thing we can do. If you live in a major city, you may want to leave for a few days. Does PORTLAND come to mind?!
Urban areas could have greater or more spontaneous flare-ups that could result in chaos. Whether that is from people calling themselves “protesters” or outsiders driving into the city, or even foreign agitators or provocateurs. It should not matter how the chaos is sparked, as much as how insulated and safe from it you are. There can be little doubt that if this election is contested, angry citizens WILL pour into the streets to protest where the votes are being counted.
If a riot or protest does force you to leave, make sure you have a 72 Hour Bag at the ready, filled with what you’ll need to grab to survive on if you need to escape your location. MY personal Bag is provisioned for my own needs for EIGHT DAYS, not three! Having a Grab and Go Bag is critical for Disaster Situations as well, such as Hurricanes, Tornado’s, floods, earthquakes, and more.
You’ll be glad you have one should any of these things come to pass!
Be prepared to stay put, but have a plan to get out as well. Areas where large groups congregate are to be avoided at all costs as they will decrease your safety in a civil unrest situation. Surviving in a crisis or disaster really comes down to choosing the most survivable option. Your survivability drops as your options drop! When you are left with just one option, your survivability is at its lowest. While you CAN prepare, look at your various routes and rank them based on how safe they will feel during the current crisis you are planning for.
If you first choice is blocked or suddenly becomes unsafe, you will be able to fall back to a safer option through this method. The sources that I’m watching are suggesting that Election Day will be a good time to stay at home or be away on a camping trip away from other people entirely. Baring that option, it’s in your best interests to hunker down at home or other safe location until you know your area is safe.
Maybe this Election will go off without a hitch-BUT I DOUBT IT! I would LOVE to see a peaceful Election process with a smooth transition, or a sustaining of power, but as you can probably see in your own community, this is not likely to occur. Be rationally prepared now, because by Election Day, it WILL be too late.
Use the time between Election Day & Inauguration Day to look at your food, water, and equipment. Prepare your Emergency Bags / Kits for your families, know your escape routes and be safe, and prepare what you can WHILE you can!