Grid Collapse: Britain 4 meals from Anarchy

Britain
This applies to almost all modern countries reliant on the grid without hardening against EMP and Cypber attacks.  Decentralization is the best answer.

How to Protect Yourself:  Decentralize your backup plan

Solar for low power applications such as lighting and radio

Lighting - candles, LED lights, batteries, lamp oil and oil lamps, solar yard  and string lights.

Heat - Fuel for heat - wood, oil, gas, coal,
earth berm design and associated  design systems.

Water - storage, hand powered well, nearby steam access, filtration

Weapons - Handguns, Shotguns, And Rifles for protection

If you live in Britain forget about self defense so you might luck out and just be finished off long before you starve or die of dehydration.

Home Defense: Home Invasion Goes Wrong

Thanksgiving Home Invasion

Intruder shot with his own gun by homeowner
This came out well.  No more home invasions for the perp either.

What to do: How to Defend Yourself.

• Get a dog or an alarm.  You need to be alerted before you wake up looking at an axe handle. 

• Get a gun.  Nothing works better for stopping a home invasion than having the ability and willingness to apply lethal force if necessary.

• Get Trained.  Practice your method.  If you rely on a handgun then spend time familiarizing yourself with the operation and practice shooting it.

  Make your home less appealing for invasion   

  The Five  Ls

  Locks - Bulk up your locks.  Deadbolts require them more time to get in giving you time to react and call authorities.
  

  Lights - Motion sensing lights, perimeter lighting, indoor lighting.  You can spend very little on electricity by using LED lighting.

  Landscaping - thorny bushes,   open wide spaces around the house and few hiding spots.

  Lettering -  ( Alarm Monitoring Signs) even if you don't have an alarm.  No trespassing signs if allowed in your subdivision.  Neighborhood watch stickers and signs.  Video monitoring signs.

  Look - How appealing your home is for invasion often is the apparent value of goods to be found.  Someone living in a rotted out trailer has less to offer a home invader than someone with new cars in the driveway of an immaculate and expensive home in a remote location.  

 

Ryobi 18v rechargeable batteries vs standard batteries for Survival

I'm a Home Depot Ryobi 18V One+ fan.  I bought a set of tools years ago that came with Ni-cad batteries and later updated with some lithium batteries in the one+ category.

I used to buy more and more batteries in AA, AAA, D, C, and 9V to be ready to power up flashlights, radios, and other devices.  Of course I still have some around but I really got tired of having to use the batteries or lose them since over time they will degrade.  I found that using AA for electric toothbrushes at least gets me using that size battery.  Also, a small radio made by Sony uses the same so I have tried to start sizing down my flashlights to work with AA size batteries as well.    I'll just mention that there are so many options in that category that you can spend days just looking for the right flashlight.   I just went through my D cell pile and found many of them are losing power and I simply can't use them enough based on the fact I now have my Ryobi lights that do a better job and can always be recharged.

Here is a Ryobi Shop Light.  It is bright enough to light up a large room and if set on a table can be a work light.  With a 20 hour plus run time on a battery this is great for emergencies and camping.

I like this light.  It is handy and very light.  With a lithium battery is is extremely easy to carry and can hang in a room or outside depending on what you need.

After owning one for a while and testing it out I've decided to get at least one more and eventually pick up more of the expensive but very useful lithium batteries.












Below are the batteries that you can purchase to run the Ryobi One+ system.

They are very cost effective compared to lithium one time use batteries and regular rechargeable batteries of the standard AAA, AA, C, D types.  I have stopped adding to the old styles and have come to rely heavily on the Ryobi system for the simplicity and major capacity that comes with these batteries.  You can also see the newer incandescent flashlight that works with these batteries.  It seems as bright as a small spotlight.

Below is a circular Saw that runs on the system.  

 Below is the Reciprocating saw that you can see I've put to use.

 This drill is powerful.  Though not as versatile and easy to use as some others I find it functional.

 Below are two types of flashlights.  The original blue one is great for an incandescent.  You can see the old style ni-cad battery underneath.  Both have rotating heads for aiming and can sit flat for a work environment.  I have put both to heavy and regular use.  I keep one in the car and one on the nightstand.  I have one more of the old style in a easy to find location on a shelf in the kitchen.

 This portable vacuum has seen heavy use in cars, closets, work space, and on stairs.  It has run well for years.

There are more tools that work with this system that you can find online at the Home Depot site or in the store.  I have found the chain saw, weed trimmer, hedger,  and leaf blower work well too.  I just didn't get around to adding the photos of these.  As you can see I'm fully on board with the Ryobi system and have had great success with the tools and batteries.  The lithium batteries are now at least temporarily reduced in price to make them extremely competitive with other options out there.  I have picked up more of them knowing that I will put them to regular use.