It you thought turning off the power was bad...

[TheRoland]

I've never really found this line of comparison personally satisfying but I struggle to communicate why. Here's a shot:

A first-world country should be able to provide basic infrastructure without the population spending their extra time hunting and gathering and learning skills that are functionally useless in the modern world. The fact that we don't have to spend our time scrounging for water (and learning primitive survival skills) is why we have an innovation economy worth trillions instead of subsistence farms worth nothing. The failing is on the national infrastructure, not on people who don't choose to collect survival gear. People in countries who have it much worse do not make the failing here better.

Additionally, I suspect many of the people with backup generators, water purification methods, hunting skills, etc, are people like me: who have the time and money to spend learning/buying these things as a hobby instead of struggling all the time.

And, people get killed when the power and water goes out in the US. Those people are just as dead as anyone who starves in an undeveloped country.

[Wondering Beard]

I can’t top @Lost Rivers post but this always comes to mind when I hear my fellow Americans (and myself sometimes to be honest) bitching when the luxury of the hyper-civilized first world is temporarily suspended.

Attachment 99158

I do often wonder however if we are witnessing the slow time collapse of our civilization at times.

Slowly and then suddenly,

[4RNR]

I've never really found this line of comparison personally satisfying but I struggle to communicate why. Here's a shot:

A first-world country should be able to provide basic infrastructure without the population spending their extra time hunting and gathering and learning skills that are functionally useless in the modern world. The fact that we don't have to spend our time scrounging for water (and learning primitive survival skills) is why we have an innovation economy worth trillions instead of subsistence farms worth nothing. The failing is on the national infrastructure, not on people who don't choose to collect survival gear. People in countries who have it much worse do not make the failing here better.

Additionally, I suspect many of the people with backup generators, water purification methods, hunting skills, etc, are people like me: who have the time and money to spend learning/buying these things as a hobby instead of struggling all the time.

And, people get killed when the power and water goes out in the US. Those people are just as dead as anyone who starves in an undeveloped country.

Sometimes you can't rely on just in time infrastructure. A little self determination and self reliance goes a long way. Relying on the infrastructure to always be there is like relying on mom and dad to always feed you. At one point you had to feed yourself. It's going to happen.
Things break down, people are stupid, and the bottom line runs the world. The BP oil spill a decade ago was caused by a readily available cheap part. How much money was saved not replacing it on time vs the mess it created? You know, it's like that story about removing one olive from each jar to save hundreds of thousands of dollars... Right now someone bean counter in your area is saving your county/city/town several cents that will have a unintended cascading effect in a year or two...or ten. For instance. Our water source has been polluted by that firefighting foam. It's been known since the 80s but the township and water department finally admitted it in 2014. We now get water from a different township.

I live in a very nice affluent area where people have no problem dropping big bucks on McMansions and expensive cars. Yet you should have seen food line during covid. It was even in the news. Long lines of cars waiting to drive up and get a bag of canned food donations. Got a showy car and 10k sqft home but God forbid there a 2 day snow storm and we'll all die of hunger!

Most/Many people have the time and money. It's just usually poorly managed. Or poorly prioritized. BTW, I don't claim to be a financial guru or have an insight into time management.

In my past life I did car repos. You can not imagine how many people cannot afford a $300/mo payment but immediately after signing the lease were able to buy $5k rims and $3k stereo systems. Nothing wrong with having $7,000 in accessories....as long as it doesn't interfere with the long term duration of the payments for the car. There's a lot of this, not necessarily with cars. How about $1200 cell phones that we'll buy again next year?!?!




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[Joe in PNG]

Disasters happen, in all parts of the world and on a fairly regular basis. Boom- suddenly your infrastructure isn't working because of an earthquake, hurricane, ice storm, major floods- ect. And quite often the emergency services are also overwhelmed at this time. Totally unavoidable

Being in the 'First World' doesn't make those problems go away.

[CraigS]

TGS thanks for the water storage info. In our last house we had collected maybe 15 of the grocery store water containers 2.5 gal w/ a small spout. Stored them in a corner of the basement which was heated. 5 years later when we moved, I found maybe 5 still full, 5 part full and 5 empty. The plastic had deteriorated and cracked. The position of the crack determined how much water was left. I have been thinking about the 5(?)gal water cooler bottles that Lowes sells that look like they may last longer. The ones you listed are all very expensive. The huge one would be the only one that to me would make some sense $ per gal but it isn't going to be moved. If one got one of those what do you put in the H2O to assure it stays safe to drink?

[mmc45414]

We can carry buckets of water from the pool for the toilets...

We have a bathtub we rarely use and I simply keep a couple five gallon buckets full parked there. Though they do evaporate off, this is my reminder to go top them up.

We are on a well, so we lose water when we lose power.

[revchuck38]

In south Louisiana, we're used to losing power and water due to hurricanes. IMO, long-term storage isn't necessary. My habit is to buy 36 gallons in gallon jugs each year before hurricane season and then use it up before the next hurricane season. We can fill the tub before the storm for toilet-flushing water. Canned food gets used up the same way.

[Tensaw]

Water company had one job - they failed. Not sure we can blame cold weather for this (although that was clearly the event that laid bare the lack of maintenance). Nicolay ain't wrong!

Not having water is a *huge* deal. Shame on the water company "leadership". I believe we will see a lot more of this sort of thing as those in charge of things focus on being woke instead of doing their damn job.

As far as prepping for something like this? You might be able to hedge with a back-up water supply. People in apartments (like my daughter who is a student) are pretty much hosed. The issue of drinking water is fairly easily resolved; sanitation - not so much. I understand (even if I don't agree with) people losing their damn minds over this. When you suddenly have no way to flush a toilet (and have not contemplated ye olde five gallon bucket with bag), the suckfest has begun.

I have long held that the benchmark of a First World society is hot, running water on demand. Cold running water is just okay. No running water? Third-world, baby!

This may seem like a reach, but I believe all this ties right in with the same mentalities that support climate change, trans-genderism, covid-restrictions, and all this other utter nonsense designed to confuse and distract us from truth and what is actually important. The more we tolerate those kinds of nonsensical ideas, the more we will see these kinds of catastrophic, fundamental failures.

ETA: Just to put this in perspective… Does anyone think this failure would have occurred had the average PF member been in charge of the water company?

[RoyGBiv]

We have a bathtub we rarely use and I simply keep a couple five gallon buckets full parked there. Though they do evaporate off, this is my reminder to go top them up.

We are on a well, so we lose water when we lose power.

We were on a well when Fran hit NC. We were also one of the few in the area that had a generator to run the well, so, we were able to provide water to our unprepared neighbors for the week that our power was out...

"I don't think" (*certain*) Wife would approve of using our tub for long term storage....

[mmc45414]

"I don't think" (*certain*) Wife would approve of using our tub for long term storage....

When I realized she had selected a shower curtain for that room that was pretty much opaque, I made my move...