tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post2759224869013107961..comments2024-02-11T01:14:21.904-08:00Comments on SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA: Hurricane Sandy: Greetings from Gas Starved NJFerFALhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578136334334588454noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-52383546947111324752012-11-08T15:55:35.876-08:002012-11-08T15:55:35.876-08:00I only had one problem. At 4am Saturday while the ...I only had one problem. At 4am Saturday while the lights were still out on my way to work, I was getting in my car and someone darkly dressed started walking toward me without saying anything. I pointed my Surefire at him and he turned and walked away. In NYC you cant even possess a pepper spray as big as a tube of lipstick. Definitely not good to stay here under these conditions. Best to be prepared to get out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-21264019612518913902012-11-03T23:27:30.249-07:002012-11-03T23:27:30.249-07:00I'm in the East Village of NYC. 3 blocks from ...I'm in the East Village of NYC. 3 blocks from where the city was 5 feet under water. I've read your blog for years and your book. Too busy to write much, but I am not suffering at all because I completely followed your advice. Thank you so muchAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-26627812673234364752012-11-03T20:32:00.531-07:002012-11-03T20:32:00.531-07:00The best source of information on generators is an...The best source of information on generators is an interview on thesurvivalpodcast.com. Jack interviews steven harris over two podcasts concerning all one needs to know in order to plan for using a generator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-25033809693020419462012-11-03T04:57:30.524-07:002012-11-03T04:57:30.524-07:00Hey Don, I agree. A good bike gets you around unl...Hey Don, I agree. A good bike gets you around unless youre pretty far away from everything (which is something Id avoid)FerFALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07578136334334588454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-83366647468623646912012-11-02T19:42:29.040-07:002012-11-02T19:42:29.040-07:00Those gas stations still have lots of diesel fuel....Those gas stations still have lots of diesel fuel. Just an observation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-17438922330240226592012-11-02T16:02:33.408-07:002012-11-02T16:02:33.408-07:00A tri-fuel generator is indeed handy. They generat...A tri-fuel generator is indeed handy. They generate less power when using gas rather than gasoline, but the oil does not get dirty when running on gas. I turn off the main circuit breaker to the house and plug the generator into the dryer outlet. The dryer circuit breaker basically becomes the panel main circuit breaker. This will run some lights and the fridges. This being the GULf Coast, where we get these storms more often, August without air conditioning is miserable. We keep a small window A.C. unit to be able to sleep in one room. A furnace fan would work as well. Just never thought of that. Another tip, as one getting older, make sure the generator start battery is charged. Pull starting a 13hp motor is not so easy anymore. Sound is another issue. Buy a quiet one, though they are more expensive. Most of those small air cooled units are rather loud.<br /><br />When hearing of a storm approaching, buy 5gal plastic cans at the store and fill them. You can always just pour it into your vehicle later. As for water, stay friends with the neighbor who has a swimming pool. You can pour that water into the commode tank to flush.Lancenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-18365430398667374922012-11-02T15:42:54.396-07:002012-11-02T15:42:54.396-07:001) It's not hard to "cocoon" at home...1) It's not hard to "cocoon" at home if you have supplies of water, food, cooking fuel, blankets,etc. Even with winter coming on, the US East Coast is not a difficult environment.<br /><br />2) Where Americans are vulnerable is transportation --and they know it , hence the panic. We have dispersed settlements and our public transport in not all that great in many places. Plus New York depends on its subways and some of them are still flooded.<br /><br />3) I am not much into the treehugger lifestyle/mentality but I think a bicycle with a rear rack for panniers is excellent insurance. You can easily cover 10 miles and it sure beats walking with a backpack. Plus they are pretty cheap if you look on craigslist for used ones. <br /><br /> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/nyregion/with-transportation-snarled-in-brooklyn-bicycles-roam-free.html <br /><br />4) Bike snobs sneer at the cheap Walmart Huffys but I think the older ones and Schwinns are adequate ($50-$100) although you save some on weight with more expensive ones like Trek. I think the fatter tires of the mountain bikes makes them more resilent to sharp road debris, potholes etc but the road bikes are fine in most places and are faster.<br /><br />5) Plus some spare parts, tire patch repair kit to fix flats,etc allows you to keep a bike running for a long time. I think the maintenance book by Bicycling magazine is good.<br /><br /> <br />6) It is essential that you have a good lock. Unfortunately, the problem is that New York City has such sophisticated bike thieves that bike shops sell an expensive lock for that area -- the $100<br />New York Fahgettaboudit:<br /><br />http://www.rei.com/product/833107/kryptonite-new-york-fahgettaboudit-u-lock<br /><br />It has a very thick (almost 1/2 inch) u-bar shackle.<br /><br />7) Which is actually a good argument for a good , cheap basic bicycle that thieves will ignore in favor of the $2000 Fuji that some yuppie left tied to a parking meter with a thin cable that can be cut with a small bolt-cutter.<br /> <br />8) However, in a disaster, people will steal even a cheap bike because of its utility, not its market value. The best value lock I've found is the $25 Onguard MiniBulldog with cable -- its small Ubar locks a bike tightly to a post without leaving a lot of space between the bike and post that a thieve can stick a lever bar into. Plus it easier to spread a cut ubar away from its locking cylinder if the Ubar is large than if it is a mini.<br /><br />9) A New York guy named Hal Ruzal has some funny Youtube videos showing the right (and wrong) ways to secure a bicycle. Just search for his name. Also search for "bicycle lock cut" to see some of the ways bicycles are stolen.Don Williamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-49350145986262350622012-11-02T14:51:33.827-07:002012-11-02T14:51:33.827-07:00I bought a decent generator (Champion brand - a lo...I bought a decent generator (Champion brand - a lot of internet research and I agree with the euphemism that it's the Chinese Honda) that is portable, “relatively” quiet and large enough to run our electronic ignition furnace and water heater, a sump pump, and the refrigerator and freezer. It was approx. $500 when I bought mine a couple of years ago. Then, for less than $200, I got a conversion kit that I was able to put on myself (and I'm not overly mechanically gifted) which allows the generator to run on propane or natural gas as well as unleaded gas. Frankly, it was most expensive by far to have an electrician install the transfer switch and reposition the circuits which I want run by the generator, and to install the plug-in receptacle in the garage for the generator to run the whole thing - but I've been convinced that the benefit of proving you had a licensed electrician install this is worth it. <br />The biggest reason requiring repair for generators is stored gasoline going bad in them due to lack of use. With a conversion kit I can essentially keep the generator empty of fuel, have about 20 gallons of gasoline reserves for the generator which I can store in 5 gallon containers and just cycle through every 4-6 months by using in my car as needed when it's time to refresh, and I'm able to keep 5 20-gallon propane containers (which store indefinitely) in a shed away from my home in our backyard. For an approx. $100 additional insurance policy (the price of the propane), I’m hopefully more prepared for just this situation when the emergency impacts our ability to get more fuel. The conversion kit and extra propane then seems like it would have been an affordable investment in relation to the generator cost to be able to actually use the generator, and have light, heat, food storage, etc. for up to several weeks after any emergency which results in power loss . . . and if we're at that point and can’t refuel it's probably a regional/world calamity and a whole different ballgame. Here's the website from where I got the conversion kit, again I was able to fairly easily install it myself, and have successfully tested it to run on propane (not natural gas, yet) to power the selected appliances with the main power off:<br />http://www.propane-generators.com/<br />In my case I needed one of the A and C kits (Champion 6500W generator).<br />The generator isn't the first item on my list when starting to prepare, but after food, water (look at the Sawyer Products bucket filter as another good multi-backup option) and protection, it might be a good next step, and ensuring you can use it when it's needed seems wise. Hope this helps someone . . .<br />Cowboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07651608654654716054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-71444758457173233432012-11-02T13:29:37.013-07:002012-11-02T13:29:37.013-07:00The train systems in and around NYC were severely ...The train systems in and around NYC were severely damaged in the storm, which is why there are so many cars right now and why competition for gas is so fierce. The agency in charge of the subway doesn't even know when full service will be restored. I'm all for public transportation, and people in the NYC metro area are very good about utilizing it, but using it in the near future isn't an option for many people right now.<br /><br />Oh, and just because I found this jaw-dropping: I read in the New York Times that some subway stations are using flood pumps that they purchased secondhand from when the Panama Canal was built. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914!!! I have a feeling those stations are not going to be operational anytime soon.Karlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18411379109638812117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-6457582484881539082012-11-02T12:45:42.384-07:002012-11-02T12:45:42.384-07:00Fernando, I would argue that a gun without ammo is...Fernando, I would argue that a gun without ammo is still more useful. You can't club appliances into working with your fuel-less generator!<br /><br />We have family/friends in the Bronx, Long Island and Maryland. So far, no awful reports coming in. Likewise, though, no discussion of prepping for next time (even though this is the third major regional power outage since Halloween 2011). I was even declined an offer to ship an emergency generator to a friend because "power would be back in 2 or 3 days". Just before the storm hit, I suggested something as simple as a marine battery and a 500w inverter just to keep lights and comms running but... it's a different mentality, I guess. Doing for yourself is just "crazy". It's sad.KeithCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-59821149614586074112012-11-02T12:14:51.596-07:002012-11-02T12:14:51.596-07:00A friend and former army generator repair guy sugg...A friend and former army generator repair guy suggested one brand. Then he showed us it action. A lot of us have it and love'm. This is the Yamaha EF2400iSHC converted for tri-fuel use. Great item to run lights, fridge, and the blower fan on your gas furnace.<br /><br />http://yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/ef2400is.htmFreeMannoreply@blogger.com