I understand what you're saying and this type of action is prudent at a specific point in-time. I suppose what that time frame is, is situation dependent and not the same in all situations. I suspect that this action was pre-determined and specified within the emergency plan. Politicians generally don't think on their feet well as a group... If this is the case, I'd be interested in exactly what is recommended in the policy.

$100 doesn't do hungry people any good if they can't buy food with it and don't have anything to eat... It's like handing $100 to a drowning man...

As an aside, it's reasonable to expect casualties if you place a few thousand people together, tell them that we threw-out all the food and to fend for themselves... Personally, I think the casualties would be higher in this situation than not throwing-out the available food supply, but I suppose time will tell... 🙂

Regrettably, nobody is voting out the bureaucrats who inject themselves into things we depend upon. Here is a an absolutely astounding example on how backwards, stupid, negligent or whatever negative but realistic term one wishes to use as an example of how grossly ill prepared we are AND by example how our bureaucracies fail to do what they are supposed to. Yes money is involved and that is a somewhat political item, BUT, true leaders in the various departments, WOULD if they had a spine, actually have these things in hand but they do not. So, you have clueless baby kissing politicians and a bloated no responsibility bureaucracy in place. What could possibly go wrong in a disaster?

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-government-says-it-will-upgrade-ontario-s-public-safety-radio-network-1.4130272

In my business, I hear the stories about how good people’s plans are etc. Within less than an hour ( taking my time and letting people prattle on about how good they are) I usually come to the conclusion, ( kept to myself in the meeting) that they are either lying to me or incompetent. When you know the subject matter and you wish to find the truth, it doesn’t take long to find the holes/ craters in people’s supposed plans. “Oh you have a strong cell tower to withstand a tornado”! Well that’s really good there Bob, mighty impressed and much smiles and nodding of heads around the table. Question for you there Bob. How long in seconds will the tower only be down when power goes out? Oooops! Instant silence and blank stares (always fun to watch). Look around the room at dopey expressions on faces and you just have to sigh and ask that someone get back to you with the answer. Of course, they don’t and you have to chase after them for days and then you learn that Bob’s strong tower is as useful to a man who has been in the desert for a week as a 3/4 melted Popsicle.

So, think of the above. Here we are 17 years after 911 and they still need a few more years to get a modern radio system in place! WOW. Talk about being on the ball with emergency plans. “Maybe” an up to date radio system 22 years after 911. It’s like saying we are running on Windows 98 today and have 8 Meg of ram, no patches and wish to download a movie off of netflix Oh and when they do get it up and running, it will likely not be able to communicate with most of the other departments. Different egos, systems, budgets, tech support………….

Anyone believe that the gov is ready, just needs to reread the above and it would be safe to draw the conclusion that we are up snot creek without a paddle. Peppercorns “Tammy and jimmy bakers pray for us videos” would be a better hope.

I have no real idea, BUT, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that, the emergency center’s that operate these radio systems have little to zero reliable backup power, little fuel and will rely upon daily deliveries from commercial fuel providers. Few utilities have likely taken into consideration the personal needs of staff “peoplekinding” the op centres etc. With many staff looking to walk back home to their young children or elderly parent. If they did stay overnight, how good would they be by 3PM the next day?

Hit greater TO region with cyber-attack on grid and I think/ pure guess / nothing classified. systems would start to collapse within hours, (military communications being “maybe” the exception). Remember, no power means no charging of handheld radios, no power to pump gas, traffic lights are down, no metro, bus or train system, police stations will suddenly find some system just failed (no different than our homes when a panel blows and our generator is no longer powering lights) radios that were just turned in from a shift to be recharged are not going to get juice, fire department radios, EMS all in same boat. Computer networks would fail and as many phone systems today are on VOIP, there goes chatting on the phone with anyone. Radio repeater antennas would go down from no power in the commercial building they rent space from and was deemed too expensive or impractical to have a generator power up repeater.

Even if they had a gen, its fuel would be lucky to last 12 hours and with traffic lights down, there is no fuel truck going to be able to refuel the tiny commercial tanks feeding ALL these wonderful backup generators powering our critical infrastructure. AND like most of us know, you suck an engine dry of fuel and stuff clogs things up!

The reason I say military may not even be functional is the following. I can’t think of a downtown building that would not need to be evacuated if there was a gas line leak or explosion nearby so even they would need to leave the safety of their systems etc.! Ah yes but they must have some form of bunker! Ok, so what! Great for a few minutes during a nuclear war but not going to be of much help to civilians when power goes down. They will look out periscope and radio in what exactly? Its dark and people are running around! It’s the police, EMS, hydro, city, and folks etc. that are going to be key to controlling any immediate disturbance. They will be struggling beyond their worst nightmare if TO went dark at 4:00 PM.

I remember this from the media years ago, radio systems were not talking to each other too well. So fire couldn’t talk to RCMP, or city police..... So ask oneself this, If the geniuses in the Ontario government are only getting around to upgrading radio system 23 years after 911, can anyone honestly believe that they have all the inter departmental communication issues ironed out? That they have power to operate nailed down nice and tight, that fuel for emergency fleets are in place? Food and medicine for staff is in place? That hospitals have all the services they need to keep medical teams and of course the people in the beds, all nice and safe? Water treatment plants? You know, water for drinking, putting out fires etc. A radio ssytem is easily purchased off the shelf. Morons only need go visit maybe six US cities, chat with the one or two vendors out there and say how much!. there are not a million options folks. one just needs to do it!. So if easy button is beyond their apparent grasp, can one believe they have all the VERY important interoperability issues nailed down? LOL

Some will say there’s natural gas, that will keep flowing and maybe that will power generators! Is there any power needed to run natural gas lines? Remember, power isn’t just for pumps and relays but for complex computer systems used to control or “shut off” the flow!!! Remember the 2003 power failure in eastern US and Canada was due to systems shutting down and causing a cascading failure. A failure, far worse than the initial event. That was then and long, long before massive technical advancements in computer systems, VOIP communications etc. Systems that are new, frail and very codependent on others.

So for the city folks who said, well I had natural gas so was able to cook, they may not have that luxury in a truly large scale disruption. No lights, no NG and you’re in January. People being like sheep, will panic and listen to past notices about not eating warm food. We know they are too dumb to have a little camp stove in their 300-900K house, so they will do what? They will start eating food that is eventualy going to spoil and they will get sick. Good thing is if they are sick they won’t be walking out to my area. Awful thing to say, but ….

Post 911, we had a person from large financial corporation speak to us on twin towers and where they had close to 3K people. They only lost 16 people and all due to head of security telling people to evacuate after first tower was hit. The guy just knew it was no accident. Sadly it was the head of security, his team and some from IT who were the victims. They were still there shutting down systems and making sure people were out when second plane hit. His insistence on evacuating the office floors was in direct contradiction to port authority telling people to stay in place! A little gut hunch saved over 2000 people in the second tower. (That company alone). So, do we listen to officials or do what we think we need to do, to survive? I am not saying buy fully automatic guns and all that nonsense, but plain simple common sense.

For those who prep, do not ever doubt your efforts. I know I speak to the converted but it’s important to never forget why we do what we do and to keep our eyes and ears wide open.

When you hear things like our systems not yet being updated 23 years after 911, you need to consider what else is so outdated and how it may relate to your plans. Even fake or absent news is valuable. By the absence of details or its obvious BS factor, you can often get a clue to whats going on. It’s not always what is said, but what is not said. Sounds like mr google is hell bent on censorship so the truth will be even harder to learn, so pay attention to first news bulletins.

Most would read the above CTV article and say, oh that’s good, glad we are keeping up to date! Reality is, it’s a glaring admission of large scale failure. What else is in bad shape out there and a Nano second away from failure?

happy and fruitful prepping

Good post and good points made..

In today's high tech world, one has to accept the fact that 'the system' is by design, outdated and always will be. The government controls the coffers and spends capital as it sees fit. People vote for politicians which they perceive will benefit them. A platform that your taxes will double so we can update our emergency response system will likely not garner overwhelming support.

People get the government they deserve. When a crisis occurs, there will be some lip service paid to fix the problem, but little more.

Money will be spent seizing liquids and scissors from airline passengers in the belief that they're 'doing something.' Time will go buy and they will let the passengers keep their nail scissors... An exercise in futility...

It's too bad that the Public don't have the common sense the good Lord gave to a rat. How can they be expected to elect the right leaders? The current administration proves my point.

I prepare because I don't feel that I have a choice. The sad thing is, it didn't have to be this way...

In today's high tech world, one has to accept the fact that 'the system' is by design, outdated and always will be. The government controls the coffers and spends capital as it sees fit. People vote for politicians which they perceive will benefit them. A platform that your taxes will double so we can update our emergency response system will likely not garner overwhelming support.

People get the government they deserve. When a crisis occurs, there will be some lip service paid to fix the problem, but little more.

Money will be spent seizing liquids and scissors from airline passengers in the belief that they're 'doing something.' Time will go buy and they will let the passengers keep their nail scissors... An exercise in futility...

It's too bad that the Public don't have the common sense the good Lord gave to a rat. How can they be expected to elect the right leaders? The current administration proves my point.

I prepare because I don't feel that I have a choice. The sad thing is, it didn't have to be this way...

Well I agree with much of what you say. I do not agree that taxes have to rise. Example, we hire folks to catch bad guys / Boston bomber types. Vast sums of money is spent on that as well as the fake BS nail clipper type “pretend” security at the airport. Working in the field, I see more then my share of pure ineffective lunacy. So we have all this money being spent but then don’t actually arrest the bad guys, or we hassle a 75 year old female in a wheelchair and don’t chat with 23 year old that fits the very poster image profile of the very type we are told to look for. So, no, there is tons of money, it simply needs to be spent or applied properly.

So you are 1000000% Correct about it not needing to be this way.

However, these fools, the fools that elect them and the weak human link all exist. All we can do with the public is to try and educate and ultimately avoid them as much as possible.

I may be able to work with it in a very efficient and effective manner but I hate violence, disorder and chaos. God help us all because ihese fools will be wondering around looking for shelter and sustenance. Our dear leaders will be well protected by a phalanx of law enforcement but not us. This is not a political statement but purely one of what we can expect, to try and avoid, or cope with in our setups. It’s like saving for a rainy day. We know bad things can happen so we save to help buffer the blow. For all intents and purposes, we will be on our own.

I just hope a short term disaster happens during a nice minus 40 cold snap and we have lots of snow. That will help keep city folks in their rat nests. They are not kitted up physically or mentally for wandering over farm fields or wind swept roads for miles.

Will need to worry about some local town residents who are savvy in the woods and a few rejects nearby but due to home location, it won’t be the average city twit that will come knocking on the door. Won’t plow laneway as much and will drop trees to make their life more difficult. With luck, we may be ok

Enjoy the beautiful fall colors and continue working on hunkering down for the usual CANADIAN winter.

I guess what I'm trying to say Clarence, is that their is only so much money to be had. Human nature guarantees that a percentage of it will be diverted that may help particular companies and politicians line their pockets. Another percentage will be spent improperly. There is a high percentage earmarked to maintain the status quo. Pay for staff and current facilities and a small percentage for improvement.

Regardless, there is not enough money to go around. Just look at the budget to maintain bridges and overpasses and repave roads. How about hospital expansion and updating? Just look at the wait times for emergency rooms! Are they prepared for a disaster? They are falling behind on a normal weekend night in some areas.

As far as disasters are concerned, look at forest fires and where the staff come from to fight them. How many would be in Ontario if they had major fires in their own Province or State? Not enough people, not enough equipment.

Emergency response is pathetic (despite continued dedication on the part of responders). Small steps are being made (such as the updated emergency communications network in Ontario), but these improvements are years late in coming. Society is fighting a losing battle with itself. It's a shame that the focus has been on the individual and less on the collective. Somehow it is becoming acceptable for children to go hungry, people to be homeless and the elderly die of heart failure because all the ambulances are busy saving drug overdose victims. A very sad state of affairs...

I guess what I'm trying to say Clarence, is that their is only so much money to be had. Human nature guarantees that a percentage of it will be diverted that may help particular companies and politicians line their pockets. Another percentage will be spent improperly. There is a high percentage earmarked to maintain the status quo. Pay for staff and current facilities and a small percentage for improvement.

Regardless, there is not enough money to go around. Just look at the budget to maintain bridges and overpasses and repave roads. How about hospital expansion and updating? Just look at the wait times for emergency rooms! Are they prepared for a disaster? They are falling behind on a normal weekend night in some areas.

As far as disasters are concerned, look at forest fires and where the staff come from to fight them. How many would be in Ontario if they had major fires in their own Province or State? Not enough people, not enough equipment.

Emergency response is pathetic (despite continued dedication on the part of responders). Small steps are being made (such as the updated emergency communications network in Ontario), but these improvements are years late in coming. Society is fighting a losing battle with itself. It's a shame that the focus has been on the individual and less on the collective. Somehow it is becoming acceptable for children to go hungry, people to be homeless and the elderly die of heart failure because all the ambulances are busy saving drug overdose victims. A very sad state of affairs...

True words. So long as we try and build in reality to our preps, we will be a tiny step ahead

Clarence, regarding power to radio tower systems, there are news reports of issues with low power (I am assuming due to low generator fuel). There are obviously learnings from that. When I got my amateur radio license, according to my information, the local radio repeaters are not on some inaccessible private building - 2 are on fire stations and a big one is on an RCMP building. They are secured, of course, but accessible to those authorised, and the local ham group has contacts (they maintain some of the repeaters), as they often help out with special events and there are arrangements to do the same in an emergency, to step in and provide comms. Plus most hams can easily operate off a car battery (some use solar) so power is less of an issue.

Clarence, regarding power to radio tower systems, there are news reports of issues with low power (I am assuming due to low generator fuel). There are obviously learnings from that. When I got my amateur radio license, according to my information, the local radio repeaters are not on some inaccessible private building - 2 are on fire stations and a big one is on an RCMP building. They are secured, of course, but accessible to those authorised, and the local ham group has contacts (they maintain some of the repeaters), as they often help out with special events and there are arrangements to do the same in an emergency, to step in and provide comms. Plus most hams can easily operate off a car battery (some use solar) so power is less of an issue.

I know zero about ham radios, but glad they work on 12 volt or in worse case off of inverters.

Cell towers are all over the place. On private or city land, on top of office towers etc. All the office towers I have ever worked in, have at most, a generator that runs some basic, base building services. Truly bare bones. Tenants can seldom tap into them as there simply isn’t much juice available. So some... cell towers will lose power and while on the topic, many, many provincial and federal departments who rent space in these private buildings would be closed because no lights, heat, elevators etc would work. All I heard from TV reportage was people could t use cell phones because tower ran out of juice. How wide spread, I have no idea but whatever the area, it should not occur in this day and age of tech and our dependence on it. Police may have radios but I also know they use cell, then there are all the service contractors who police etc will rely upon.

Nope, unless you have solid comms, your really fighting an uphill battle with boulders rolling down on you. One of the things I have come across in my work is how many building owners are poorly prepared for disasters. Staff have no standby food, they too have families etc etc. So a building can be shut down due to absence of life safety or staff and that’s it baby, no one is getting in and doing work on things on the roof. We have very poor to zero true emergency planning for multi day outages. Some nice people, but after a few hours or a day and they lock down the doors or have maybe one person sitting in the dark with a flashlight watching temp go down ( assuming it’s winter)
Liability insurance is another little bite you in the bum reality. When building has lost power, everyone eventually needs to evacuate.
As I have said, things works for a few hours or maybe 24 hours, but then gen fuel runs out and it’s ta ta.

Ontario’s replacing the province’s Public Safety Radio Network, which frontline and emergency responders rely on during emergencies. The network covers 750,000 square kilometres, including areas in the north where cellphone service is not available. The system will be completely independent and digitally secure.

Ontario’s replacing the province’s Public Safety Radio Network, which frontline and emergency responders rely on during emergencies. The network covers 750,000 square kilometres, including areas in the north where cellphone service is not available. The system will be completely independent and digitally secure.

Ontario’s replacing the province’s Public Safety Radio Network, which frontline and emergency responders rely on during emergencies. The network covers 750,000 square kilometres, including areas in the north where cellphone service is not available. The system will be completely independent and digitally secure.

That’s good.
Hopefully, the geniuses who are buying it well over a decade late will have ALL of the following fully nailed down

Power at all bases.. to last 14 days without need for fuel

Permit two way and mil grade encryption to communicate to all local police departments, military, fire, ems, all the hydro groups in the province, gas line folks, train companies, nuclear folks and their tac teams, and Hospitals. I fully understand that there is communication between these folks, but direct person to person communication on the ground is key. You don’t want to be wasting time having messages relayed to you from some office. As a past tac member, you know how important it is to chat with a person three hundred feet from you and not need to be put on hold while you wait for a call.

Also to ALL Manitoba and quebec partners they would depend upon, this so when they come in there trucks to help, they can actually talk!

Spare parts dispersed throughout the province so they can repair or replace systems within less then 4 hours. Done all the time with security systems so no excuse why it can’t be done for this.

It must also be able to be used as a cell phone AND have full video capability so it can receive drone images, pictures and video of any issue. this is very important must have.

Above is easy list that immediately jumps to mind. Spend an hour asking them wuestions would reveal far more. If you have such an important system, it must be able to operate with ALL they players in any type of emergency.

So, will the folks who are decades late in a modern communications system be smart enough to nail all of the above and have the will power and foresight to ensure that it can be adapted to changes that will occur in technology between now and their launch date of 23?

I say this because complacent buyers will often buy stuff that is outdated before they take possession. There are options to stay current but it takes brains and money to end up with a product that is current as today's fast moving technology permits. I have specked equipment that is next generation ready and when delivery time came, it was fully current. I fear we will be buying something that is already outdated. You know, old used diesel submarines, fighter jets or bolt action rifles to fight Russians in the artic.

One more item that I know is an issue but was solved by the yanks WELL over a decade ago. When the hopefully cell compatible radios do get purchased, will they have the ability to bump you and me off the cell system when they place or receive a call. The yanks have cell phones that permit calls to come in or out between “ other blessed” users. During a disaster, the cell networks become overloaded ( why its stupid we lose a tower from lack of power just when it becomes critical) and they can bump people off line when they use their cell phones. That’s smart and decades old!

So super happy we are getting organized, hopefully it’s not another diesel sub or 20 year old used jet fighter

...As a past tac member, you know how important it is to chat with a person three hundred feet from you and not need to be put on hold while you wait for a call.

The most important thing for me was a clear secure channel that only the team itself had access to. Team Commanders have secondary comms, but Operators don't have the need to communicate with anyone other than the assault force. Everything is monitored and recorded. If you need something it's already on the way. You don't need to ask for it.

Ideally tactical comms cannot be heard by anyone other than those needing to hear it. If you stood beside me, I could have a conversation and you wouldn't be able to understand any of it as language, just quiet whispers through a throat mike... 🙂

...If you have such an important system, it must be able to operate with ALL they players in any type of emergency. ...So super happy we are getting organized, hopefully it’s not another diesel sub or 20 year old used jet fighter

The ideal comm system is a bit of a dream to have in our Society. One main reason is that not all the players are Government. Those that are often are of a different Province, Municipality or are Federal. The same problem exists in the U.S. (arguably more). There's a plentitude of jurisdictions each wanting to make their own decisions and go their own way because they can. Universal cooperation, at all times, under varying jurisdictions is impossible. Nothing is perfect.

I'm just happy that comms will be improved. No doubt there will be shortcomings in any system that may well need improvement before it's operational. Welcome to the real world. The Ontario government is however taking a step or two in the right direction... 🙂

Further proof how we cannot handle any serious power outage or disaster.
Watching local Ottawa news the other night and Red Cross getting raked over the coals for not distributing money to tornado victims. Remember a few key points. Very, very limited damage, not widespread, power lost for hours to only a few days in extremely limited areas.
Some fun clips.

This one is funny because it affected city emergency person. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hilhPvuL0PU

Love the guy from Red Cross being unable to answer question. I love it because it’s a PERFECT example of what we can expect in a serious crisis. https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/red-cross-meets-with-community-disaster-group-after-ctv-story-1.4156694
“It’s a well, ya.... Sound of crickets now imagine( LMAO) our leaders explaining where the help is for an entire city/s of 1-6 million being out of power on day 4 and water lines bursting. Good grief Charlie brown!

We discussed the issue of people being told to throw out perfectly good food, immediate shortages in food etc now the gov trys to tell you what to do with bursting water lines! .

So if gov and agencies fail for small event, what can local and nation expect from large (maybe just Ottawa, Toronot or Montreal) event. Keep this in mind for below. No money for a few homes to be rebuilt and have food banks take care of limited shortages, how will they cope with a real disaster!

Now, a city wide electrical failure during January would result in what? Well in addition to all the usual chaos... over food, heat, hospital shutdowns... there is the very, very big issue of all the office towers sprinkler systems freezing and bursting! Add to that all the water pipes in homes and apartment buildings, garages, grocery stores, hardware stores…….... think a few homes blown apart is a big issue and gov can’t figure out how to pay for it, try the a fore mentioned! Wonder how many homes and office or business stores are in a city the size of Ottawa? Imagine most of them with frozen and bursting pipes!

BTW, where do you think most office tower generators and fuel supplies are located, yepper, in basements. Where will the water flow on all the floors? Yeppers, It will go down stairwells and elevator shafts and they all go to basement. Where are phone, internet and electrical entries for an office tower? The basement

Fixing broken pipes is one enormous task that would take years. There is also the damage to electrical panels, HVAC controls, parts for elevators ( on a good day, a 6 months order time and that’s for one building) Then there is gyproc, ceiling tiles, mold, carpet, tiles... it would be massive renovations and in some cases the likely demolishing of the building. Oh and let’s not forget servers that are used across the country for critical gov, financial and private sector essential services! Most of the primary boards are "in the flooded basement"

So does anyone still believe we are civil and a hardy lot and loss of power for a week is no big issue?

People would be beyond distressed and panicking. Homes with no water or toilets! Apartments, well they would be a whole other issue. Wonder how many city people live in apartments?

People would soo be living in olden day conditions (actually far worse), no jobs to go to for paycheque and if your old.... you’re also not likely to get that pension, UI, welfare, school loan.... cheque. Be it in the city impacted or any other area in the country.

For those who think it’s easy to drain a sprinkler system, think again. Takes crews and equipment for an organized shutdown. Then there are all those water lines, toilet and sink traps... anyone who has winterized a cottage or camper knows the efforts and surprises. How many home owners even know where the water shut off is and can drain their system into sewers. (There’s another problem / backed up sewer lines and flowing back into homes) Remember, city water plants and all the little pump stations and control valves need electricity! If critical cell towers cant figure out how to have backup power, can we expect our dopey city to figure things out any better!

Takeaway from this. The gov will not be able to handle any serious power outage because the enormity of one would be beyond their scope. Of course they will “handle it” but it just won’t be in the way they would like you to think they could. Talking points and pictures from what one could expect from China and North Korea is about all one would get. All happy messages about how well people are working together, blah blah blah.

So for folks living in or too close to a city, I say you must have a BOL. One must have supplies for as close to a year as you can. Then there is finances. Even if you’re lucky and not directly impacted, what will be the impact be if you had no gov chq coming? Would your bank or lending institution care? Would they say, don’t worry bob, pay us when you get a chance, or would interest rates on credit card continue to compound, your mortgage go into receivership, municipal taxes going unpaid and city already in debt and trouble, trying to put yur home up for sale due to unpaid taxes! Think the gov will tell the banks to suck it up and cut you slack? One only need do a little research on the Phoenix pay fiasco here in Ottawa to know you’re up snot creek without a paddle. They can’t even manage to roll out a simple pay plan that private business does every day around the world. Hundreds upon hundreds of millions spent and not a flipping clue how to fix it.

We had relatives in the US and during 08 collapse they received a notice in the mail saying their home was going into pre foreclosure because of unpaid mortgage. Not true at all, they had been paying on time, but bank had sold the mortgage to other entity but failed to pass on the money they were collecting! Yes it was cleared up but it is a tiny example of what does and will continue to occur during a crisis. Life/ bills keep coming due and you better be able to deal with them or things get hairy. Screaming at them or government won’t change anything. Again, this is another reason, I fully expect serious civil unrest. People will simply hit the wall and then all bets are off the table. We are not 1867 Canada and most certainly do not have wood stoves for heat. 99% of population lived on farms and in the woods heating with wood and a root cellar with some supplies or a hand pump well and outhouse!

It’s good and essential to think of impact on little items like frozen pipes in homes, gov buildings, hospitals, schools (you know, the ones designated as shelters) and office towers. Every disaster has a multitude of side effects. Whenever we look at our plans, we need to really try and appreciate all the linked items. Not always easy to do and to some extent not relevant if we are really well prepared. It’s all about the extent of the disaster and where you are. People living in or near a city core are in serious trouble for any large and sudden disaster. Others who think they have distance to hedge their bets need to look at issues such as money, loss of a job etc. A serious earth quake in California will have disastrous impact on local Canadian jobs. Reason being is that the supply chain of parts and goods will have a big impact on us. So save and prepare as much as you can and per peppercorns tammy and jimmy baker fame, pray nothing happens!

On Thursday my wife called me from the grocery store where she works. The power went out at work for a couple of hours and when it came back on, the tills weren't working. So, for several hours, people couldn't pay with plastic. It was cash only. My wife was amused at how frustrated and angry people got when they couldn't get groceries. Her remark, "None of those dumbasses will learn from it."
We keep a 'cash stash' at home. Another one in each of our vehicles, in case of an emergency away from home and another on our persons, in case we're away from our vehicles. Even when we didn't have much, we always maintained the stash.
The power outage only happened at the store but it was a lesson. A lesson that can be repeated time and time again. Yet, it's a lesson that most cannot seem to learn.

On Thursday my wife called me from the grocery store where she works. The power went out at work for a couple of hours and when it came back on, the tills weren't working. So, for several hours, people couldn't pay with plastic. It was cash only. My wife was amused at how frustrated and angry people got when they couldn't get groceries. Her remark, "None of those dumbasses will learn from it."
We keep a 'cash stash' at home. Another one in each of our vehicles, in case of an emergency away from home and another on our persons, in case we're away from our vehicles. Even when we didn't have much, we always maintained the stash.
The power outage only happened at the store but it was a lesson. A lesson that can be repeated time and time again. Yet, it's a lesson that most cannot seem to learn.

Tax, yeppers. People don’t seem to get it. I have some pretty smart friends but they run on plastic or the current fad, instant exchange of money via cell app. Cash is king. You wave bills at a taxi driver or another civilian and you will get a ride out of the chaos. Past a doorman or building operator and into safety of an office tower and off the streets or the food you mention.

Funds can be tight and I know it well but whatever one can save and afford to have on them is not a wasted effort.