So if the power went off (indefinitely) how long would you last on the basis of what you have in the house?

[atticusclaw]

So the power's gone off. Everything is suddenly dead, shops can't sell you anything since the electronic tills don't work, petrol pumps don't work, lifts don't work, traffic lights don't work, tap water won't last for long since the pumps won't work, mobile phones won't work, gas/electric heating won't work (and most oil and solar systems also need mains electricity to make them work unless they're off grid systems) - MN won't work!!

How long could you last with what you have?

There are no zombies, this isn'"t necessarily a "top yourself now - who would want to live?" scenario since the power could be restored at any time….or it could last months…

A well composed and thought out appeal Stratter5.
They'll never resist the

I was feeling all smug cos I live in the middle of nowhere, have a well, have an underground liquid gas tank, have firewood and a fire insert that hears the whole house, chickens abound down here... plus the odd pig that might get a rather doomed look in its eye.., a shitload of candles due to my inability to go to IKEA without stockpiling the things ... but

I would not be able able to charge my e-cig... so might end up becoming the local deranged person.

I've just realised I am incaperble of cooking my filled to the brim stock cupboard without my Braun whizzy thing. I rely on it to reduce things like pulses, tuna, sardines, suspicious vegetables etc to a paste (plus spices/herbs/garlic etc) in order to hide their inclusion in the dish from DH and DS. Unless rendered anonymous I'm not sure they'd eat anything I made. If they won't eat 80% of my stock cupboard due to a lack of cloaking device... problem. And I can't make pastry or bread by hand. It all sticks to my fingers in a The Blob like manner, so I end up running around the kitchen flapping and squeaking "gerritofmeeee!"

Oh well. I've always wanted a generator anyway...

We'd be fairly ok for a good while.
We've a gas bottle stove top (not mains) so could cook for however long the food lasted.
Open fires for heat.
We're on well water not mains also so could rig up that to get the water by hand.
We were cut off by snow with no electricity one bad winter and managed for two weeks and that was with frozen pipes (and the well frozen over) as well (though we did have a lot of bottled water stockpiled thankfully).
Plenty of candles and blankets.
We grow our own veg.
Just need a shotgun to keep everyone else away

Are we forming the MN Commune or the MN Militia?
Given the societal collapse likely to follow any sort of apocalypse, I'd suggest both, the latter to defend the former.

I can tell the difference between a rifle and a shotgun, if that's any help.

Cool Mehs.
I too am proficient with the shooty end of things so perhaps we could take first stag?

We are remote and often lose power in the winter. The last one lasted for 3 days. The main problem is mind numbing boredom tbh.
I suppose if it lasted longer, or with no end in sight, my perspective would change.
We have plenty of food, with3 freezers ( one for animal food, which would become redundant after we ate them all)! Wood burning stove, with plenty of wood available, chickens, veggie patch, generator, candles, torches and lots of water barrels and purifying tablets.

Comfortably? 3 months, then we would probably curl up and die. But any crisis that lasted that long, would you want to live in the world afterwards a anyway?

I'll volunteer for the weapons detail. I'm pretty amateurish with a bow and arrow. But I've got a crossbow, and until the cartridges run out I'm a rather good shot.

The problem with the island plan is that it has to be big enough to support life, and I can't think of any that big that aren't inhabited already.

Bloody, I can only load and shoot a shotgun; I've never had a go with a rifle (I want a go with a Sten gun one day...). We have several bows knocking around, but not enough arrows.

would you want to live in the world afterwards anyway?
God, yes: I think it would be terrifying, and I would prefer things not to come to such a pass, and I would miss the internet and modern medicine, but ever since reading Earth Abides I've wanted to be there after the Apocalypse.

I'll bring my hand-cranked sewing machine along to the commune. I know someone who can weave: shall I bring her, too?

I live in London, so no chance of surviving at home for more than a few days.

Husband and I would get on the motorbike and race to the hospital I work in, which is a major one, which has far more food, security, medicine, beds, clothing and power than we could manage on our own. I'd feel safer among people I knew, and with people with guns.

I'll cover rifle duty then, Mehs.
No probs.
(the only obvious problem being that the closest thing to a rifle that I can actually lay my hands on is a nerf....)

I can shoot with a shotgun and a .22, and am ok with a bow and arrow. Never tried a crossbow, but could probably learn fairly quickly.

My 'animal' freezer has bones, chickens wings, mice, and chicks in it. Definitely a last resort, particularly the mice.

I've only got an air gun here, I suppose I'd better sort out something a bit more man for the job.

I have loads of wine...I'd be fine

Books - I have the pocket SAS Survival Guide, When All Hell Breaks Loose, What To Do When There's No Doctor, and a selection of books on growing food, and smallholdings. Plus various DIY books, that sort of thing. Should cover most eventualities. I'm also trained in first aid up to First a Responder level, and can treat basic animal first aid needs. Nothing major, but I'd hope I could get by.

Superglue: sterilise wound, superglue along the edge, glue it together. Works for dogs, apparently, and for people too. Didn't quite dare use it when our dog cut his pad, but I did manage to doctor it back to health without spending £1mill at the vets.

Superglue is fantastically useful stuff, as is duct tape. You can make a temporary splint from duct tape, a sling for an injured arm, fix bandages into place with it.

Every OFRS should have superglue and duct tape in it.

Wasn't superglue a product of the vietnam war for sticking wounds back together?

There are those WW2 islands around the UK though they have probably been turned into luxury pads, not sure how self sufficient they are.

Stratters and air rifle is fairly quiet and would probably be good for hunting small things and also not make a mess - if you have ever had pigeon and crunched down on a pellet!

I did some air rifling when young but was just targets though, and some .22 shooting at college. I fired an mp5 and desert eagle in vegas lol and managed to hit the target, though the latter is not very practical and you could wing someone and their arm would fall off!

Have had a sneaky look at a 'Prepping' website and it is strangely fascinating.

Did you know that there are different types of preppers who disagree with one another about the best way to ahem 'survive'? There are people who believe in bugging in (staying at home) and people who prepare to bug out. The latter can be subdivided into groups....

• bugging out on foot
• bugging out by bike
• bugging out using some sort of vehicle
• bugging out using horses
• bugging out to sea by yacht (because of course we all have one of these handy!)

You're right Breaking, a decent air gun is fantastic for pigeons.

I'm bugging out in a 4x4, failing that it will be horseback because I can't ride a bike. I'm heading for the coast, and am going to make my way to Sark.

We could last MONTHS, I seem to be an accidental prepper :o

Have enough food to last about 3 months cant pass up a bargain. The meat I have in the freezer could be cooked smoked or salted. I have access to a charcoal smoker/bbq plus a camping stove and many dutch ovens. Im up to my ears in dried pulses and home canned veggies. I can actually cook on an open fire

Up to my ass in knives and own a fck off big sword. Theres a gun shop at the end of my street. I live close to a river and have all kinds of wild camping stuff Im sure would be useful

So long as theres no zombies I reckon we would be ok. Zombies dont work for me though :o

I have candles and wind up torches. Food that could last a couple of weeks. The problem would be cooking it. Might need to purchase gas stove, or make a fire with the available wood items at home.

Would use the last of my petrol to get to the country, to my grandmother's old house, where I could raise my own food. And take our bikes with us.

There are lots of books, a couple I haven't actually read and some I've almost forgotten about, so that would have to make up for MN and the TV.

I have DIY tools, so I could sort out most things, although it would be a nuisance without the electric drill.

Also my Krav Maga training. So, that would be the MN Foreign Legion for me.

I have tons of lighters, lighter fluid etc lying around. And a lot of things I could burn (stuff still waiting to go to charity shops 6 months after being sorted, old magazines, fence panels in garden). So we could manage for heat and light for while, the big metal bin in the kitchen could go in the living room and we could camp out hobo style. If it came to it we would probably start burning our clothes, wardrobes etc. Only if I was absolutely desperate would I burn books. Reading would help us keep our sanity and from dying off boredom (we have about 400 adult books and 200 kids books). Clothes would probably be better layered up until we could fit no more on (it can get really cold here even in the "summer" and everything else become surplus anyway (washing powder wouldn't last long, but I would attempt to boil water, fill up bath and keep us/our clothes clean as long as supplies lasted) . And food, not very long. Not much long shelf life stuff in at the minute (beans etc) we live near a park with lots of geese and ducks though... And I think the cat would step up and bring us food too Oh and the park we cpuld be forced to steal the poor birds from obviously has a lake, so water from there boiled over the hobo fire. We would probably dig a poo trench in the back garden. Night trips is where our wind up torch would come in handy!

Duh we could boil rainwater. And yuk as it sounds if it came to desperate measure we could scrub out the big bin and use that.

Oh my hurricane lamps have just arrived. Such a bargain. We will now be able to use all the oil in the tank which won't be able to fire the heating without electricity (or more likely just use them in the garden on summer evenings!)