Posted on 04/02/2012 5:45:41 PM PDT by Kartographer
A report prepared for legislators and business leaders by the American Trucking Associations highlights just how critical our just-in-time inventory and delivery systems are, and assesses the impact on the general population in the event of an emergency or incident of national significance that disrupts the truck transportation systems which are responsible for carrying some ten billion tons of commodities and supplies across the United States each year.
A shut down of truck operations as a result of elevated threat levels, terrorist attacks, or pandemics would, according to the report, have “a swift and devastating impact on the food, healthcare, transportation, waste removal, retail, manufacturing, and financial sectors.”
(Excerpt) Read more at shtfplan.com ...
From your link...
“In the absence of grid power, only after the population has dropped to a reasonable carrying capacity will there be any chance of a recovery and a return to law and order.”
I think 80% of the East Coast will kill each other within 3months. Getting ready myself
James Burke in “Connections” described what would happen if the Grid went out over 30 years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6H-w9Rm46o
That’s a long time to bunker-in, with no guarantee that you’ll emerge into a ‘civilization’ you can live with...
I took the author’s advice about 5 years ago (approximately 5 years before I’d even heard of the author) and moved to an isolated rural community in the West....
Connections and The Day The Universe Changed were excellent programs.
I’m good on prescription drugs. I’ve been building up a supply by refilling as early as possible (i.e., every 23 days rather than 30 days), and sometimes ‘forgetting’ to take my meds (not the end of the world for me).
In the end, I’m up to 2 years of supply - and hope to get one more year. After that, I’d have to start worrying about shelf life.
Anyone why thinks that the supply of drugs to pharmacies is assured is INSANE.
So how's it working out? I've got a rural farm about 30 miles from a small city also west of the Mississippi but thinking of moving to a region deeper into the bible belt or more remote.
I suppose like most, I suffer from normalcy bias. I also have roots here that go back many generations but things have changed and this is not the place to be if the SHTF.
I actually live a few miles from the city (one of the highest small cities for violent crime in the nation) close to a Walmart and not on the farm. If it hits the fan, the fight will be here in a matter of hours. I expect the farm will only offer a few extra days of safety until it will be overrun as well.
There are a couple of excellent novels concerning grid down. One is "One Second After" if you haven't already read it.
For sure it’s something we never want to experience for an extended period of time in the US, with all the people we have who know nothing about living off the grid.
I’ve said before I can lock my door and not be seen outside for a year and have everything I need. I keep a low profile.
I don’t think there is much time left to prepare.
Just in time inventory was one of the main factors that started me prepping years ago.
To think that something as simple as trucks stopped for any reason, could shut down all the supermarkets in one area.. is just scary.
The stuff I’m reading is that the spent fuel rod pool at reactor four is pretty much crumbling.
They are already detecting radioactive cesium in Northern Pacific salmon. That means if you like tuna BUY IT TODAY!!
If that fuel rod pool goes, and the expected reaction happens, you have maybe six months before all food production worldwide has at least some radiation in it.
And by “some” I mean radiation far higher than normal background levels.
I’ve noticed here in SoCal that there are many big new mosques right next to freeway interchanges. Food for thought.
Good advice on the tuna/etc. Now is also a good time to pick up a radiation detector that can read low levels of radiation, while the prices have come down some. There will likely come a point when you want to double check some of the food you're buying at the grocery for unsafe levels of radiation.
Link to the article discussed above:
A source, please?
I don’t keep track of every website I read.
jeesh...
Google salmon cesium
This sentence is crapola. I worked in the nuclear industry and live in southwest Washington State. Furthermore, I love to eat oysters from Willapa Bay, and will keep doing so.
I suggest you look up the word “radiation”. There is NO WAY “radiation” can be active in the ecosystem along the North American west coast. There is NO WAY the seaweed is now radiated.
Do you believe everything you read? The above is meant to frighten and alarm people unnecessarily. It is the hallmark of greenies and radical wacky environmentalists who want to destroy capitalism.
A radioactive element, like plutonium or uranium, is considered unstable because it throws off subatomic particles. These unstable elements are referred to as “radioactive”, and the thrown off subatomic particles are called “radiation”.
A radioactive source can be used to irradiate food, which kills bacteria. However the food itself does not become radioactive or generate radiation.
A good analogy is a pile of bull manure. The bull manure is likened to radioactive elements as it emits radiation in the form of stench.
There are three things that lessen exposure to radiation from a source like Fukushima: time, distance, and shielding. Over time, radioactive elements decay and eventually become inert. The further you are located from a radioactive source, the less exposure you will experience. Lastly, the more shielding between you and the source, such as concrete or water, the less exposure you will endure.
I realize there are radioactive particles loose in the Pacific Ocean. But Fukushima is like a tiny drop of hot radioactive material in a humongous volume of water. It is difficult to measure much less isolate.
Beware the sensationalism, fellow Freepers.
I think Obama should nominate former mayor, Ray Naggin, to be chief of FEMA. You want to see trucks and buses stopped? Well do ya, punk? Then Ray’s your guy.
BTTT
It and other statements in the article seemed alarmist and inaccurate. It's the reason I and perhaps djf didn't feel it should be posted as a main topic of discussion. I do think the claims deserve to be examined more closely due to their serious nature.
That said, I'm afraid your knowledge of radiation dangers needs improving. You should do a little more reading about the differences between "radiated" food and "contaminated" foods and how to prevent/avoid contaminated foods.
You might also want to review the half lives of some these radioactive isotopes that get created. Many will be around long after your particular DNA sequence has vanished from the face of the Earth. For some reason, Darwin comes to mind.
Furthermore, since you claim to know a lot about the ecosystem along the North American west coast, perhaps you could update me on the seals supposidly found with radiation poisoning along Alaska's coast? I've not seen a report since tissue samples were sent for testing.
Thanks much,
:)
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