In case you’ve been on vacation at the bottom of the ocean with no Internet connection, two ridiculously big storms recently ran over Puerto Rico like a steamroller. In the aftermath people are stuck without electricity – likely for months.
In case you missed that let me say it again. They will be without electricity for months. You might say, “No big deal,” but do you remember the last time the power went out at your house for three days?
I do. It happened during a winter storm a few years ago and luckily I was able to get the generator going and keep everything turned on for those three days. Even then it was a huge inconvenience. I can’t begin to imagine what four to six months without electricity, communications, food and water supply, and everything else being compromised for that duration, would look like here in the United States.
Looting
There are now reports coming out that looting has been taking place in areas across the island. In addition to that there were some prisoners that escaped and at least a few are still at large as of this writing. I suspect that as time passes if we don’t see supplies of food and water being delivered in a timely manner to those on the ground suffering, we’ll see the looting get worse.
The Guatajataca Dam
As if all that wasn’t bad enough a dam has suffered a “critical infrastructure failure” and because there’s no electricity or cell phone coverage thousands of citizens had to be physically warned by authorities.
They have basically been hit by huge winds, high amounts of rain, and a collapsing dam all within the space of a few days. The island is a wreck and they need help desperately.
Prepping
I’m wondering if there was anybody on the island that stored food and water ahead of time and if so, how is it helping them now?
I suspect that even a little preparedness ahead of a storm like this would be hugely beneficial. If you had twenty gallons of gas put away for your generator, and enough food and water in sturdy containers for at least a week, it would give you a head start in getting your home/shelter back up and operational and whatever else needed to be done.
Eventually you’d need to stand in the long lines for consumables, but at least you’d be a little ahead of the game. If you had a month’s worth of food and water you’d be in much better shape than 99% of the population of the island.
It’s a shame that people – I’m talking about everyone here, not just the citizens of Puerto Rico – will wait until the last minute to prepare for something like this only to discover that it’s too little too late.
Get Prepared
Meanwhile people in Houston and Florida continue to dig out of the debris left from their own respective storms. We haven’t seen a hurricane season like this in a long time and people are paying the price. If that wasn’t bad enough Mexico has had a few earthquakes killing over 300 people at this point.
If you’re not convinced to get out there and get some food and water stored away I’m not sure what it would take. Do you think it won’t happen to you? There are huge storms lately. Earthquakes. The electric grid is exposed to a hacker attack or an EMP brought about by a nuclear weapon or a solar flare. The stock market is running on vapors and when people figure out it’s all bullshit it’s likely to collapse. The way things have been going lately I wouldn’t rule out an asteroid strike somewhere! (Yes, I know it’s unlikely.)
Food. Water. Fuel. Flashlights/candles/lanterns. Medicine. Weapons. You know what you should be storing.
Are you prepared for a major storm, earthquake, blizzard or other disaster? If not you better get that way.
-Bob Augustine
Jarhead Survival 
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