Lessons learned from the 2021 Texas deep freeze
The disastrous trifecta of weather, energy and water that befell the State of Texas in mid-February 2021 should serve as a stern reminder to all of us to pursue, or fine-tune, our preparedness activities before an emergency arises. It’s particularly troubling to learn that an area as rough and tumble as Texas could be so quickly drawn to its economic knees by a severe weather event in concert with cascading mechanical system failures. Hard to believe the convergence of these traumatic mishaps on Texas was pure coincidence, bad luck or an act of God.
Until recently, I was convinced that Texas was populated by capable, well-prepared folks, but the totality of the Texas capitulation in this emergency has shaken that belief. It’s clear that the level of emergency preparedness among many Texans , particularly in the major cities, is severely lacking. With the Texas disaster at the top of my mind, I submit the following list of lessons learned from the Texas tribulation that may serve as a guide and a reminder to all of us about how fragile our situation may be if we have not planned properly for the inevitable emergencies that life throws at us.
First – A grid-down situation requires manual labor and lots of it every day. Just as all homesteaders already know, physical processes become the norm without power for everyday living functions. Splitting wood, carrying water and materials, transportation all become manual processes during a disaster. We need to be physically up to the task in order to survive. Get off the couch if you want to survive.
2) Your environment becomes critically important during any disaster scenario. Homesteaders know to seek out morale, ethical, Christian-minded communities in which to settle. The barbarity that we’ve witnessed in many major Blue State cities over the past several years during an economic collapse or civil emergency should serve as a warning to all of us. Violence, looting, arson and murder become common quickly in cities where under-funded law enforcement becomes overwhelmed. Locate in a like-minded community and do your best to fit in. Your life may depend on it.
3) Multiple simultaneous system failures have the most devastating impact. In Texas, the prolonged freezing temperatures, power grid failure and property damage from flooding and water system failures overwhelmed the state’s emergency resources. Inadequately prepared people had to fend for themselves for days without help from municipal or state resources. Be prepared for multiple disaster situations that can compound an emergency. What was experienced in Texas won’t be the last event of this nature.
4) Build redundancy into all your preparations. You’ve all learned that “Two is one, and one is none.” Have multiple sources for food, water, shelter, security, etc. You must have backup for all your critical gear. A good example is to have multiple ways to start a fire: weatherproof matches, bic lighter, rechargeable plasma lighter, magnesium rod and blade, etc. Stuff breaks, stuff fails and stuff just doesn’t function in extreme conditions – so prepare for that. You are your own MacGyver.
5) Routinely review your preparations to ensure that your stored supplies remain fresh and fully functional. Be sure your water is potable; your food storage has not deteriorated, and that your fuel storage is not compromised. Having a secondary location to store supplies is wise should your primary storage location suffer a fire, flood or be overrun by looters. Date your storage foods and rotate them out for immediate use and resupply on a regular basis. Ignoring this can leave you with a bunch of rotten canned goods.
6) Have back-up heating sources. We saw that Texans could handle the heat, but the week-long bitterly cold temperatures crippled even the toughest folks who lacked non-electric heating sources. Consider propane, natural gas, wood, diesel and kerosene heaters plus other generation sources as back-up to your electric heating equipment. You are responsible for keeping your family warm.
7) Understand that in a disaster, you’re on your own. No one will save you but you. Dialing 911 is a waste of time and cell phone battery. First responders and law enforcement will be quickly overwhelmed in a statewide or regional disaster scenario. In a prolonged grid-down situation, your cell phone will have limited use as networks remain overloaded by call volume and batteries and back-up generators fail at the tower sites. As in most all disasters, if you want two-way communications, you’ll need a hardened, battery or generator-powered ham radio system that can be deployed when needed. Even a ham radio receiver will let you hear what’s going on in regional areas if your antenna is substantial. There won’t be any TV, pubic radio or cell phone traffic when the power grid is down. You alone are responsible for your communications resources. Do something about that now.
8) Manual processes will require containers for liquids and materials handling. Be sure to have buckets and barrels for storing filtered water and transporting same. Be sure your Berkey war filter is fully functional and fill up your bathtub immediately after an outage starts. You can filter this water as needed later. You can never have enough drinking water. You are your own water supplier.
9) Have cash on hand. Crypto currencies will have no value with the internet down. Precious metals (gold, silver and even copper) are best along with cash as long as it retains value. If you have no cash or metals, have useful items available to barter, such as ammo, non-perishable foods, alcohol, batteries, matches/lighters, candles/flashlights, TP, RX/medications, tobacco, water filters, salt/sugar/spices, gasoline, diesel, propane canisters, tampons, sturdy shoes, baking soda, MRE’s, weapons, hand tools, duct tape, sewing supplies, seeds, camping gear. You are your own bank.
10) Physical demands on inexperienced people who have formerly been sedentary can result in injuries. Cuts, puncture wounds and lacerations will be common and infection can quickly set in on untreated wounds without proper sanitation. Work safely, methodically and have adequate first aid supplies on hand. QuikClot, chest seal, tourniquets, and Israeli compression bandages can be used to stop severe arterial bleeding. Learn how and when to administer these and other life-saving treatments. In a major grid-down scenario, there will be no Medivac helicopters; no ambulance service, and any hospitals that are functional will be totally overwhelmed. You are your own doctor and dentist.
11) Spare parts should be stockpiled to make ordinary household repairs. These include PVC/PEX pipe, fittings, valves, connectors, breakers, fuses, batteries, bulbs, wire, etc. Even if you don’t know how to make repairs, having the parts will greatly help someone else who can make repairs. You are your own plumber, electrician, carpenter and auto mechanic.
12) Obviously you need to stockpile non-perishable food. Freeze-dried meals in bulk can last for 25 years. Learn to dehydrate your own fruits and vegetables and can them for storage. Rotate your canned goods every 2 years or so. And you had better have some gardening skills to use in a long-term grid-down situation if you aim to feed your family. You are your own grocery store.
13) Regardless of what you’ve been told or read, the government will not come to help you in a disaster. You remember the footage of Hurricane Katrina, right? FEMA isn’t coming. You are on your own. Prepare for it. You are responsible for your own food, energy, water, shelter and security. The government’s job is to preserve itself and you are not included in that process. You are 911 for your family and your neighbors.
14) Lighting sources are very valuable in a grid-down event. Head lamps, flashlights and fresh batteries should be kept in ample supply at all times.
15) Always have your EDC items with you (EveryDay Carry). Your EDC should include some or all of these: a multitool and/or knife, flashlight, spare batteries, fire starting items, 550 cord, pen/pad, first aid items, compass, whistle, signal mirror, spare cash. A concealed carry pistol and extra ammo is also essential to preserving your family’s security in a grid-down situation. This is the stuff you carry to help you get home to your preps in an emergency. Don’t leave home without it.
16) Balance your preparations. Avoid spending too much time storing guns and ammo, only to omit necessary food and water storage. Have a useful mix of preps, including personal hygiene supplies, batteries, lights, gloves, a funnel, waterproof boots, all-season clothing.
17) Finally, but not least in importance, is management of your resources in a grid-down event. You have no idea how long you’ll be without central utility services, food/water resupply or law enforcement. If you have shelter with your preps, you have to conserve your resources and that means somebody has to take charge as the “Resource Nazi.” Everything must be conserved to extend its useful life, including propane, your wood pile, solar panels, diesel, gasoline or kerosene fuel, water, freeze-dried meals, whatever. Organize family teams to start processes to renew as much of your supplies as possible, such as collecting rainwater which you can filter for drinking and cooking. Using your camping stoves to cook as much perishable food as possible all at once in order to conserve fuels. Work hard to stretch your available supplies and preps to last as long as you can because the supply chain interruptions could last for weeks or months. You must become self-sustaining or suffer the dire consequences.
Lessons learned from the human and property devastation wrought by the severe cold weather and related public utility system failures in Texas go well beyond recognizing that reliance on wind power and “green” sources is misguided. In some circles, hi-tech weather weaponry and political retribution for Texas’ movement to succeed from the USA are identified as causation for this event. Regardless of causes, this catastrophe should be another wake-up call to all of us to launch an effort to become self-sustaining or to renew and improve our existing self-reliance preparations and processes at your off-grid homestead. Be aware and be safe out there.
Ole Tennessee Ridgerunner