The Battle Prepper

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PREPPING FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF PREPPER

Blackouts coming to California

Dey Shut’n off Da Power Y’all

On Thursday, May 30, 2019, California regulations were approved to allow the utility companies to cut the power to hundreds of thousands of customers to avoid the wildfires that have been terrorizing California for years.

As a prepper, I have a bug-out and bug-in plan ready to implement. For some people this will not affect you because sometimes the bills get tight and we are used to not having power until the next paycheck comes in, hopefully the check clears, get to the store and buy a money order (or go to the company), pay the bill, then wait for the lights to come back on. Not that “I” have any experience in that, but let’s just say we all have had rough times in our life.

As a sailor on ship, there was always a backup plan with a backup plan in the event of a casualty.  I have incorporated that mentality into my prepping plan. In the military, the best thing you can do to prepare is to gather intelligence (Intel). The more you know the better you can prepare a Battle plan.

How can we get Intel on the power outage locations? Usually the website of the utility company will post areas of possible power outages. If you have a medical dependency on electricity, some utility have programs that provide a price reduction to your bill. Utility companies utilizing the medical program may also notify those clients of the potential power outage via email and/or text message.

If you have solar panels, you might think, “As long as there is sunlight, then I am good”. That is not necessarily true. Most solar systems shut down, to prevent current from going back through the lines to keep utility workers safe.

My Bug-in plan is simple. I have a generator and a RV. If I get a notification of a power outage that will last a couple of hours, I will stay home. If the power goes out in the middle of the night I will check the website, my apps, and radio to find out why the power went out. If it is not an emergency situation. I will wait until morning and decide whether to continue to stay or bug out. I have a battery supply for my CPAP machine and I have a back-up battery supply that can be used indoors. I have a portable indoor heater in-case of cold weather.

If you are not that prepared – yet. There are alternatives that are inexpensive. Hanging out at the mall is free and usually has great air conditioning. If that is too crowded, check out the public library. The public library has areas to keep little kids entertained, if your eye sight is not the greatest, they sometimes have audio and video books.  Places like Barnes and Noble have all of the amenities of a public library with an added coffee shop. If you have medical issues that make you less mobile, there are community centers, churches and city programs are designed to provide assistance. Check out your city website. Knowledge is power (pun intended).

My Bug-out plan is not that simple. For most of us, losing power is not excuse to miss work. So, unless you plan to bug-out to your work with wife and kids in tow, more planning is needed. Like I mentioned before, I have a RV. Using a RV will limit where you can go and park. If we go to the in-laws, the RV is less intrusive and less inconveniencing. There are some RV parks that are closer to our home that will take clients on short notice. All this will depend on how far the power outage stretches.

Whether you decide to bug-in or bug-out, remember you may lose your refrigerated items if you do not have a plan for them. Prep a plan to keep your temperature sensitive medications refrigerated I have a small electric cooler that is powered using a cigarette lighter plug.

If you have a security alarm system, the power outage may affect the way the system performs. One system has a backup battery. The backup battery may keep the alarm working but not video cameras. Check with your alarm company or your system manuals.

The point is to devise a plan, have a back-up plan, and always be flexible because poop happens.  

For more information, set up a seminar.

Let’s talk.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Scroll to Top