Rioters, protesters, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, they are definitely a factor of life these days. Whether you’re in Tunesia, Egypt, England, Greece, Italy or America, if you’re near a big city, you’ve likely dealt with the various ramifications of massive street protests.  I’d wager as we slide further down Hubberts curve more and more people will feel justified taking to the streets.

TIME’s has named the protestor their “Person of the Year 2011.”

The Good – Protestors have ousted dictators and despots. They’ve rebalanced the scales of justice and taken control of their countries’ destinies.  Demands for basic human rights and freedoms resonate around the globe, sparking others to rise up as well. Risking death, injury and abuse, these protestors can overcome obstacles thought unbeatable.

The Bad – Spoiled, entitled people, taking to the streets to wreck havoc and “protest” measures that must be taken or imagined slights or out of boredom. Young people who don’t have or can’t find meaningful work. Older folks who mismanaged their wealth during flush times and are now facing the consequences of that.  Damaging property, beating up casual observers and police, wasting valuable energy, manpower and capital, these types of protests are to be avoided at all costs.   See Jarhead’s post for ideas on safely removing yourself from such a mob.

The Ugly – Earlier this week small groups of protestors blocked ingress/egress from Western ports here in the US. Other protests have shutdown large swathes of public transportation. Oil refineries and power plants often become targets.   Thankfully (for life as we know it) the western ports are too massive to shutdown, not without a large increase in support and manpower.  If the protest movements were to get that support however, things could go down hill rather quickly.  Data from 2007 indicates that 2/3rd of all container shipping and trade went through the western ports.  Can you imagine what would happen to our economy if that was actually disrupted for any length of time? Sure, a large percentage of it is cheap shoes from China, and we certainly could live without it, but what about the shoe salesman who gets fired? Some percentage of that trade is certainly raw materials for our manufacturing plants.  Even a few key components getting caught in the stoppage could bring countless factories to a grinding halt all over the country.  That’s on top of the lost hours and pay that thousands of dock workers will see.  California’s already in a shaky financial position, even a week stoppage could be disastrous for what little remains of their financial solvency.

As preppers, what can we do? The basics, making sure you have enough food and money stored to coast through any shipping disruptions or banking strikes.  If you’re in a position to be directly affected, (i.e. you’re a longshoreman or public worker who’s union might join forces and call a general strike in support) make sure you have plans to survive the work stoppages, and proper plans and supplies to make it home safely should things turn ugly. Keep your reliance on imported goods to a minimum, whether it’s shoes, or components for your home-based business, or favorite foods.  As always, your best bet is to not live near big cities where the critical mass of people necessary for such actions live.  If you “must” live there, or if some sort of protest makes it to your sleepy town, bikes are great for circumventing public transportation strikes.  I hear they have seen a surge of popularity in both Greece and France. If you don’t keep your money in the bank, bank holidays aren’t a big deal for you.  If you have contacts in police units, you may have a better chance of avoiding crackdowns and crowd control actions.  Although with all the new “terrorist” definitions out there, I know I don’t strike up many friendships with cops, but your mileage may vary. I find living out where cows out number people is a great buffer from riots.

Anybody near any of the larger movements? If you’ve got stories I’d love to hear them.

- Calamity Jane

No related posts.

After my book review on Surviving in the Suburbs I got some questions emailed about the specifics behind the septic tank comment.   So here are some of my thoughts on the matter, in a bit more detail than what was covered in the book. I should note, I’ve not done any humanure composting.  I’ve read a lot about it, and I practice a lot of the components, but at the end of the day 95% of my waste gets flushed down the toilet into a nice efficient waste water treatment plant.

Compost – In a grid down situation, the ability to flush away human waste is usually gone.  Without proper treatment it can quickly become a hazard to your family’s health. In most situations the best thing to do is to compost the waste.   Humanure composting follows the basic principles of organic composting. Make a big pile, keep the carbon and nitrogen balanced, let it cook itself down and then use it to boost soil fertility.  The comment made in Surviving the Suburbs mentioned that people with septic systems could probably continue to use them, with modifications.  The modifications I could think of included 1) making the opening to the septic tank easier to get at 2) getting the waste to the tank without the use of flush toilets 3) actively managing the balance and decomposition inside the septic tank.

Collecting – You can invest in easy to use composting toilet systems.  You can also get the job done just as well with some 5 gallon buckets.  All you really need is something to hold the waste, that’s easy to carry and empty, and is cleanable with a bleach/water solution. I know Sheperd Survival calls them Honey Buckets, and their lids look like toilet seats. Having at least 4 buckets seems the best for a family, 2 in use collecting and 2 being emptied/cleaned.  Toilet paper could be tossed in with such collections, alternately a cloth wipe system using scrap flannel and terry cloth could be used.  I like wetbags for collecting used cloth wipes, made with a Polyurathane coated fabric (PUL); zippers and velcro hangers help keep the bag tidy.  The collected humanure will need to compost for a couple of years. Most of the humanure guidebooks I’ve read recommend a 3 pile system. One pile being added to, one pile composting, and one pile being used as fertilizer. 

Keeping the smell down – In the collecting buckets, sawdust does a good job of balancing the carbon to nitrogen ratio and keeping things under control. A good rule of thumb is to cover it until it doesn’t smell anymore.  More sawdust can be used in the larger piles outside. Leaves, kitchen wastes and straw can also be used.  Keeping the compost moist will aid in break down and smell free enjoyment.  Be heavy handed with the cover material. Put a good base of it at the bottom and around all sides of the pile. Let it compost for plenty of time, it will look and smell like nice soil when it’s done composting, don’t be tempted to put half-finished compost on your garden.  Even finished, be mindful about when and where you apply humanure compost. Improperly done, composting humanure can be a vector for disease transmission.

Human waste, in a nutshell anyway. Aren’t you glad you asked?

- Calamity Jane

No related posts.

Jarhead brought up one kind of alternate housing, let me run another by y’all that’s been knocking around in my head for awhile.  Squatting.  I’m sure we all know what it means, empty house + free rent.  But what would it mean in practical terms if we were looking at it from a SHTF Shelter point of view?

Vermin – I guarantee you’re going to be sharing that shelter, with all manner of vermin. Everything from lice to cockroaches to other squatters.  Some vermin are edible, so maybe that’s a plus in really desperate times.  In not so desperate times, it’s a negative, and something you’ll need to guard your food and clothing from.

Water Problems – Whether the utilities have been off for years and humidity has rotted the drywall, or a hole in the roof went unpatched, or a sump pump didn’t kick on for a couple of wet seasons, water is likely to be in all the wrong places.  You’ll likely not have running water either, so obtaining potable water could be a problem.  If you have allergies or asthma issues with mold, I can see that being a problem.    These kind of problems can crop up fast, I’ve heard some horror stories coming out of the foreclosure house mess. Banks owning more houses than they can care for and people opening up a literal can of worms when they go to check in on the property after a few months of inattention.

Speaking of homes – Isn’t that someone’s home you’re talking about squatting in Calamity?  Well, no not necessarily.  It could be a foreclosure property, owned by a bank or government entity. It could be owned by speculators who have no intention of coming back.  In the case of a SHTF event, maybe it’s property left by illness or famine, left by someone with no close heirs.  I’m certainly not advocating that you toss someone out of their house, or that you break into property that’s under ownership to a real person, or that you plan elaborate schemes about how to live a posh lifestyle of rent free bliss.   What I am saying is that current estimates put the empty house number at millions, some places like Detroit have 30,000 homes, vacant and mouldering.  I’m not sure it would be wrong to have people in need take shelter in them.  I know in the UK you can use Freedom of Information laws to request listings of empty buildings from local governments.  Whether that would hold up on this side of the pond, I don’t know.  But, it’s worth a thought.

What about heat/light/water? I hear some place you can just call the utility company and tell them you want utilities at X address in Bob Joe’s name and send them some money and you can have utilities.   Now, if there’s a deposit, and then something happens and you have to bug out, well that money is probably gone.  Putting utilities in your name, could give authorities a route to find your name and legal information. Paying for them could be problematic, depending on your work situation. So, maybe you should plan to do hobo rocket stoves and warm clothing.   That almost seems easier to me.   But, some people like their comforts. :-D

Keeping things easy and utility free also helps with security.  If the windows are already boarded up, that’s a plus, fewer people will even be able to tell you’re inside.  If you’re quiet and only in town for a few weeks for a job or whatever, it’s possible to go unnoticed.  Do any scouting with a clipboard and some sort of badge, so people think you’re with the bank or realtor or something.  Move in after dark, and leave for work before dawn every day, I think you’d have a good chance of not drawing attention to your squatting.

Just some thoughts.   If unemployment continues it’s upwards crawl, and if the foreclosure glut continues to sit on the market, I think we’ll see more and more of this kind of thing.   I would consider doing it in an emergency.  Would you?

- Calamity Jane

No related posts.