Posted: 1/18/2011 1:54:53 PM EDT
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So I had a minor SHTF this weekend. A couple good ole boys get tanked and hit the road. On their way to their next destination they run off the road and hit head on one of the poles that feeds power to my house. This is at ~3:00 AM and it’s 10 degrees outside. So seeing as how it’s so early in the morning, and they’re out in the middle of the country, they figure they’ll flee and get away no problem. But that’s another story.
Anyway, it was a good check of my preps. Broke out the kerosene heater and fired it up outside to avoid the stink. Kept the house nice and warm until ~ 7:30 when I got the generator out of the garage and provided power for the heater, well pump and electric water tank. Got a killer deal when I built the house on the electric tank. When it goes I’ll replace it with propane fired. Also powered up the TV for the kids and the bathroom lights and hair dryer for my better half. She wouldn’t go to church without the proper appearance, so the lights and hair dryer helped. Enjoyed coffee and morning breakfast as well. Lessons learned: Always have a pair of pants, socks, shoes and shirt suitable for the weather at hand. I like to sleep au natural and not having that ready to go slowed down my response time. When I went to get the car out of the garage at 3:00 AM the manual release wouldn’t work, so I had to go to the barn and fire up the pick up truck. I’d re adjusted the travel limiters on the garage door and forgot to check the manual release for operation. Apparently the drive made the door too snug to operate the release. I park the pickup outside, so there was snow and ice on it. I’d removed the scraper the last time I cleaned it and forgot to put it back. I had to clear the window as best I could with what I had on hand until the defroster functioned properly. I set the breaker for the sump pump, figuring it wouldn’t run, but if it needed to it would. Well, the softner decided to run when I’m taking a shower, so the sump kicks on the same time the heater, well pump and electric water heater are running. The generator doesn’t like that and stops providing power in the middle of my shower. At least I’d rinsed my hair and was about to lather up with soap when the water stopped. So I had to dry off, get dressed and kill the breaker to the sump. Go back up stairs and resume my shower. Having cell phones and cell coverage is a definite plus. I would’ve been without a land line because the pole that would’ve carried Ma Bell was cut down to size. If I lived in an area that had no cell coverage a HAM set up would definitely be in order. I should probably invest in this soon anyways. Cell coverage is not five nines reliable. LED headlamps and Surefire lights are definitely needed. I like having the hands free headlamps, and LEDs have varying power levels. My Surefire puts out a lot of light for it’s size and the batteries have a long shelf life. Learned that the wife can handle herself well in a stressful situation. She’s a hard worker and it’s nice to be able to rely on her. I need to go over all the things I do and put them down in writing. Label everything well and use photos as illustrations. If I’m not around she needs to be able to get power on line as an example. All in all this was a good test and the wife appreciates all that I’ve done for our family. Which in the end is the name of the game. |
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good AAR - I'm glad everything turned out ok... and yes, while real-world practice isn't something any of us want, it's priceless when you realize you CAN handle situations like this and you DO work well under pressure as a team. kudos to you and the wife.
but you know we need the rest of the story about the geniuses who hit the pole... |
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sounds like you did great. although... Quoted:
I like to sleep au natural and not having that ready to go slowed down my response time. ARFCOM SF policy is that you must go to bed wearing full tactical gear, including a plate carrier and a drop leg holster. 3 days of MREs are essential, carried in an approved multicam Kifaru pack with the latest subdued "embrace the suck" patches attached via mil-velcro. 7 mags, 30 rounds each, is the recommended minimum. M193 and M855 are so 2008; be sure to load the latest-n-greatest stuff before hitting the sack –– you DON'T want to be at a disadvantage in a nighttime firefight with a rabid raccoon standing atop a 6x6 pressure-treated mailbox post. my bedtime setup is shown below, feel free to incorporate any elements you want. ar-jedi 
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Quoted:
good AAR - I'm glad everything turned out ok... and yes, while real-world practice isn't something any of us want, it's priceless when you realize you CAN handle situations like this and you DO work well under pressure as a team. kudos to you and the wife. but you know we need the rest of the story about the geniuses who hit the pole... Well they messed up the front end of that truck real good. They hit the pole smack in the middle of the truck, right where the blue oval was. The diesel was still making power so they floored it trying to make good their escape. The snow and ICE didn't help, but damned if they didn't make it across the field, across the road and then into the ditch on the opposite side. More brute force and they were off. I tried to get the license number, but they were throwing so much snow and debris that even with my Surefire 6P LED I was unable to get it. So off on the ice covered road they went, tires spinning on the ice as fast as they would carry them. This is where it would've been helpful to have the proper clothes ready and waiting. Oh well. By the time I got my truck thawed and on the road they'd made it all of three, maybe three and a half miles. That's how far it took for their tranny to lose all it's fluid. I noticed a couple of cracks on the windshield and both air bags delployed. They were still in the truck when I pulled up behind them. I got the license and then backed off an appropriate distance. The guys left the truck in the middle of the road after turning OFF the emergency flashers and headlights. This is out in the pitch dark country, right after a slight rise in the road. The state patrol picked them up walking down the road. Darn shame, it WAS a nice truck. Now he's looking at some major cash and legal hassles. It just pissed me off that they took off like that. I had to pay to put those poles in to power my house when I built it. |
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Quoted:
Well they messed up the front end of that truck real good. They hit the pole smack in the middle of the truck, right where the blue oval was. The diesel was still making power so they floored it trying to make good their escape. The snow and ICE didn't help, but damned if they didn't make it across the field, across the road and then into the ditch on the opposite side. More brute force and they were off. I tried to get the license number, but they were throwing so much snow and debris that even with my Surefire 6P LED I was unable to get it. So off on the ice covered road they went, tires spinning on the ice as fast as they would carry them. This is where it would've been helpful to have the proper clothes ready and waiting. Oh well. By the time I got my truck thawed and on the road they'd made it all of three, maybe three and a half miles. That's how far it took for their tranny to lose all it's fluid. I noticed a couple of cracks on the windshield and both air bags delployed. They were still in the truck when I pulled up behind them. I got the license and then backed off an appropriate distance. The guys left the truck in the middle of the road after turning OFF the emergency flashers and headlights. This is out in the pitch dark country, right after a slight rise in the road. The state patrol picked them up walking down the road. Darn shame, it WAS a nice truck. Now he's looking at some major cash and legal hassles. It just pissed me off that they took off like that. I had to pay to put those poles in to power my house when I built it. very cool that you caught up to them and that the police were able to take them into custody... surely they'll be liable for the cost of getting the pole put back in, right? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Well they messed up the front end of that truck real good. They hit the pole smack in the middle of the truck, right where the blue oval was. The diesel was still making power so they floored it trying to make good their escape. The snow and ICE didn't help, but damned if they didn't make it across the field, across the road and then into the ditch on the opposite side. More brute force and they were off. I tried to get the license number, but they were throwing so much snow and debris that even with my Surefire 6P LED I was unable to get it. So off on the ice covered road they went, tires spinning on the ice as fast as they would carry them. This is where it would've been helpful to have the proper clothes ready and waiting. Oh well. By the time I got my truck thawed and on the road they'd made it all of three, maybe three and a half miles. That's how far it took for their tranny to lose all it's fluid. I noticed a couple of cracks on the windshield and both air bags delployed. They were still in the truck when I pulled up behind them. I got the license and then backed off an appropriate distance. The guys left the truck in the middle of the road after turning OFF the emergency flashers and headlights. This is out in the pitch dark country, right after a slight rise in the road. The state patrol picked them up walking down the road. Darn shame, it WAS a nice truck. Now he's looking at some major cash and legal hassles. It just pissed me off that they took off like that. I had to pay to put those poles in to power my house when I built it. very cool that you caught up to them and that the police were able to take them into custody... surely they'll be liable for the cost of getting the pole put back in, right? Yes, the pole and the transformer on the next pole down the line. The wires pulled out of the transformer, let me tell you, that was one loud and bright light show. It woke us both up. Thankfully the kids slept thru it. I asked and looked, the transformer didn't leak. I can't even imagine how much he's going to have to pay. DUI, raised insurance rates, probably time in jail, maybe loss of job. Now his truck is most likely totalled, what with the damage to the engine and tranny in addition to the damage caused by the impact. He should have just cut his losses and he'd most likely still have a truck. Well, at least one with an engine and transmission. Not sure how much damage was done to the frame, it was about O dark 3:30 when I saw it. |
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Thanks for sharing the info, and it sounds like you got a real world workout of things without too much misery, which is always a good thing.
I cannot say for sure because I do not know how things work in your state, but the driver should be on the hook for the damage he did. |