Tips to prepare for a nationwide power grid failure
10/10/2018 / By Zoey Sky
As a prepper, you need to be ready for different kinds of survival scenarios, such as a nationwide power grid failure. (h/t to ReadyNutrition.com)
You can make necessary preparations so you can stay off the grid when SHTF. This way, you can avoid getting stuck in a community center with other families. While living off-grid isn’t exactly a walk in the park, it can give you a sense of freedom that you won’t have in a community center full of evacuees.
If you want to bug in and live off-grid during a nationwide power grid failure, here are three tips that can help you out.
Store extra ammunition
Knowing how to use a gun is important for self-defense when SHTF, but guns will be useless if you don’t have enough ammunition. Start storing extra ammo today because you may need every bullet you can get your hands on when disaster strikes. Keep your ammo safe and dry.
You’ll also need extra ammo to protect your survival gear and supplies from looters. Alternatively, extra ammo can be used to barter for food and supplies. In the event of a societal collapse, ammo will be more precious than money since the former can be used to hunt or protect your home. (Related: Essential survival gear for the home.)
Store enough water for a long-term outage
There can never be enough water if you have to deal with a long-term power outage. The best thing to do is locate and secure a renewable source of water.
You can also use rain barrels to store water. Just make sure that you’re storing enough to last until the next rainfall. With a rainwater collection system, your work is done once you finish setting it up. It’s also a safer way of acquiring water since you won’t have to expose yourself to potential threats like looters.
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Once you’ve decided on a water collection system, you will need a filtration system. A filtration system is crucial to ensuring clean and potable water before SHTF.
If you have a well, consider setting up a powerless well-pump like the one shown in the video below:
Once you’ve secured your water supply, it’s time to decide on food items to add to your stockpile:
- Dried corn
- Hard cheeses encases in wax (e.g., Gouda, sharp cheddar, or Swiss cheese)
- Home canned/dehydrated meats, poultry, and seafood
- Home canned/dried fruits and vegetables
- Honey
- Jams and jellies
- Oats and oatmeal
- Oils for cooking (e.g., butter, olive oil, or organic shortening)
- Pasta
- Potato flour
- Rice
- Salt, herbs, and other spices
- Whole wheat flour
Prepare a backup power source
Living off-grid doesn’t mean living without access to power. Your options include a wind turbine or a power generator. The latter is a convenient option, but if you want something that’s more eco-friendly, try to harness wind power instead.
It’s important to note that if you want to set up a wind turbine in your homestead, you may need to find an area outside city limits so you don’t draw the attention of code enforcers. When it comes to wind power, your choices include directly purchasing one or making your own.
During a long-term power outage, you may have to make small sacrifices before you can live off-grid. Fortunately, you won’t have that much trouble as long as you prepare all the survival essentials.
You can read more articles with tips on how to prepare for a nationwide power outage at Preparedness.news.
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Tagged Under: ammunition, backup power, bug in, bug out, Collapse, disaster, emergencies, Homestead, homesteading, how-to, nationwide power outage, off grid, power failure, power grid, power grid failure, preparedness, prepper, prepping, self-defense, SHTF, survival, survival supplies, survival tools, survivalist, sustainable living, water supply, weapons
