Stuff to contemplate after TSHTF
Stuff to contemplate after TSHTF
© 2013 Northern Raider v2
Once the collapse has happened eventually your cache and stores of supplies will become exhausted making you need to become more self-sufficient and you may need to consider relocating to where more useable resources can be found.
Food production, bartering and storing has already been covered in great depth by many people and I don’t intend to cover it in this article.
For communities or families to recover and rebuild they will need to have access to resources such as transport and communication systems and reliable low cost power supplies.
The sort of things that spring to my mind to help rebuild after the collapse will be things like;
ACCESS TO NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS
Roads will be either clogged with long abandoned vehicles, blocked by debris, overgrown, controlled by renegades or simply falling apart. But having access to a navigable waterway allows smooth fairly secure regular methods of travel and trade. Sail boats, barges towed by horses or even refurbished steam powered vessels will be ideal for providing transport and commercial links between communities located along the rivers and canals.
ACCESS TO A HERITAGE RAILWAY LINE
(Even better if the rail line runs to or can be extended to a NAVIGABLE WATERWAY) If you can locate yourself in close proximity to a preserved STEAM RAILWAY you can avail yourself of the very desirable facilities a steam loco or steam boiler can offer.
A rolling working steam loco can be used for personal transport and commercial connections among the communities sited along the line, a static operating boiler can provide hot water for cooking and cleaning, high pressure steam for driving a power turbine thus giving your electricity, you can heat and light a sizable house this way. Imagine surviving in a world without power if you can access clean, sterile plentiful hot water, how useful would steam pressure be for powering tools or generating power.
ACCESS TO OPEN CAST COAL QUARRIES
Heating, Fuel for steam boilers and steam locos, cooking etc.
ACCESS TO FAST FLOWING WATER
If you have a local source of fast flowing water especially if can be directed over a drop of 2 meters or more you can very easily lash up a water wheel to turn a salvaged car alternator thus giving you plenty of cheap reliable 12 Volt DC power. Easily enough to light a small house especially if you use modern white LED bulb units. A couple of water wheel set ups can run 12Volt DC utilities such as microwaves, fridges, TVs, radios, pumps etc all easily salvageable from caravans and motorhomes.
ACCESS TO NAVIGABLE WATER
As briefly mentioned above, prior to the industrial revolution and the paving of roads funded by government money much of the UKs commerce and communication was done via the rivers, canals, lochs, lakes and coastal waterways, its why so many of our communities are built next to water. After TSHTF without a government and without tax revenue it’s highly likely that most highways will become impassable in a few years and therefore we will need to return to using the waterways.
ACCESS TO ESTABLISHED WOODLANDS
(Deciduous and Coniferous)
Timber for building, firewood, powering boilers, charcoal making, building sail boats etc
ACCESS TO OPERATIONAL WIND FARMS AND SOLAR ARRAYS
Speaks for itself if you can retreat to a spot very close to a wind farm or solar farm you can fairly easily tap into the farms sub-station and access its High Voltage AC supply. This of course is a very risky operation and should only be tackled by a skilled and qualified electrical engineer. But for the lucky group who can tap into the clean green power of renewables the future looks pretty secure.
After the collapse by combining the best of old and new technologies such as steam engines, car alternators and LED lighting a prepper can provide his family or group with the essential basic comforts that will make life that bit more tolerable. I suggest when you are checking out your own area for suitability for survival after TSHTF it’s probably worth taking a look at local harbours, quayside, canals and marinas and look and see if there is any Heritage or Narrow Gauge railways in the area. Any and all of them can be used to help you rebuild.
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