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ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: It's the End of the World as We Know It... (3/27/2011 6:05:24 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster
No, that doesn't sound egotistical at all. I'm Alpha, myself, and actually had a small following way back around 72 or so (very long story). Also have run a small business, have chemistry training, yada yada. But I also understand that I'm neither capable of, nor competent to, micromanage everything. And I would absolutely reject a traditional heirachical power structure. I would also reject any organization based on religious mythology. I would be inclined to subvert, overthrow, or kill anyone who attempted to use force to control others. Force is to be used for self-defense only (including defending against those who commit what the group deems to be criminal behavior (rape, theft, hoarding, and so on).
I suppose that initially travelling would depend on whether one is in an urban or rural environment. At some point I think whatever group forms will need to grow/raise food, so enough land for that will be necessary.
Foraging is a given, considering civilization has collapsed. After securing food, water, and weapons, I would go for medical supplies. Sterile bandaging, syringes, sutures, and alcohol swabs. Antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals. Pain meds (those are for me - sorry [:D]). Crutches and orthotics. Surgical equipment. Medical textbooks.
Batteries and lamps (flashlights). Candles. Kerosene and kerosene heaters. Bleach.
I think the above is basic. Keeping people alive is the first priority, I think.
Second tier: seeds. Books, especially chemistry, soil science, engineering, plumbing, sustainable gardening, animal husbandry, veterninary science. Hand tools. Building materiels, especially fasteners (nails, etc.) and insulation. Solar lighting and panels. Garden tools. Fishing gear. Clear roll plastic, plasic sheeting, cirrugated fiberglass (greenhouses). Fencing (for raising fowl and livestock). Spare parts for weapons (and more ammo). Livestock and horses (tempted to put horses in the first tier).
3rd tier: pretty much everything else.
SO what are the advantages of being stationary vs. roving? And vice-versa? To me, having an enclave is not an option, it's a necessity.
I like your list, and that of Resident Sadist. I'd expand on them a bit, though.
First, let's consider that in a scenario such as this, the infrastructure would be essentially intact for some days, and even weeks, after the die off. The power would probably go out relatively soon, but non-perishables would last indefinitely, so you'd want to plan your scavenging accordingly. In addition, there'd be a lot of supplies to go around, and very few people to compete with for them. So for many supplies, you'd have the luxury of time - not necessarily a lot of time, but enough time for a band of a dozen or so determined, hardworking, organized individuals to gather what they needed.
That said, one of the first things I'd get (in addition to what you and RS list) would be fuel - lots of it. I'd appropriate at least one tanker of gasoline, and another of diesel. Preferably several of each, if I had a secure place to hide them, and that wouldn't be hard with the refuge I have in mind. I'd also snag several generators, as long as they're laying around free for the taking. With enough fuel to power them, they'd be useful for keeping some medicines refrigerated, and also for powering the machine tools we'll need later on down the road to fabricate and repair the things we need to keep our little enclave running.
I'd also place a very high priority on luxury items - spices, like pepper, salt, cinnamon, vanilla beans, and the like - and exotic foods, like coffee, chocolate, and other things that people love but can't grow around here. Most people living in northern climates will never see most of those things again in their lifetimes. Within a couple of years, they would be literally priceless as trade items.
And, the same for liquor. I don't mean just your average bottle of ten dollar bourbon - but fine liqueurs, wines, and champagnes. You never know when you're going to meet someone who'd be willing to trade something you need very badly for a liter of Grand Marnier or a bottle of Dom Perignon.
Marijuana seeds, for the same reason. As it happens, I used to have quite a talent for growing it, and a couple of pounds of nice, fresh White Widow might buy you a lot of corn if you run across a band of survivors who have an abundance of the latter crop but didn't think to stock up seeds for the former.
As for where... I like Rich's Monterey Bay colony, or maybe even California's Central Valley, near Lady Pact and just north of where Rich lives now. The Carmel Valley would be perfect, too, but... I don't live anywhere near there at the moment, so I'd probably have to go with something closer to the Twin Cities.... but as to where, exactly... hmm...
Well, first of all, I think I'd adopt a 2-part plan - Stage 1, to get me and my people through the first couple of years, and Stage 2, for afterwards. If you calculate that about 30 million people would survive the flu here in the States, I'd say that half of them would be lucky to still be alive a year later. The first few months, and certainly the first year, the mortality would be very high from other diseases, infections, accidents, murders, and suicides.
Secondary mortality in Year 2 would also be significant, but probably lower than 50%. By Year 3, almost everyone who is still alive would be alive because they are true survivors - resourceful, tough, hardworking, intelligent, and above all, self-sufficient. The inner-city criminal element - the gangsta thugs, drug dealers, and armed robbers - would have been thinned out of the herd by now. The people who remain at this point are likely, for the most part, to be people with whom you can reason and do business, not unstable, cold-blooded killers. But the first couple of years, I'd want to be as far off the beaten path as possible.
So toward that end, I'd probably head north, for two reasons - first of all, because everyone else in Minnesota will be heading south, and second, because the population density in Northern Minnesota is already so low that there will be almost nobody left alive up there. Put those two factors together, and the competition will be extremely low up on the Canadian border.
I'd head for an area called the Gunflint Trail - a 60 mile highway that stretches from Grand Marais, on the shore of Lake Superior, to a point just south of the Canadian border, where it just dead ends. From Grand Marais to the end of the road, there are only about 1500 people, so you'd probably have only a dozen survivors stretched out along that entire 60 mile stretch of road. You wouldn't really have to kill anyone, or worry about defending your turf from insurgents, because there wouldn't be anyone left alive up there. In addition, that's literally the only road into the area, so it would make your enclave very defensible.
There's plenty of game - deer in abundance, moose, rabbits, fish, geese, partridge, probably some pheasants, maybe even a few turkeys. Agriculture would be a problem, because the terrain is rugged and rocky, not suitable for large scale farming. But I know an old sand pit near the northern end of the trail, where i go shooting sometimes. It's a little rocky, but the sandy soil is perfect for crops like corn, soybeans, or potatoes - you could easily grow far more than a group of 15 or 20 people would ever need, and as for other crops that require richer soil, you could do truck farming on the lawns of the homes and resorts that would now be abandoned. Small plots, yes, but already cleared, nice and flat, and with good topsoil.
As for who... well, I'd want people much like myself, personality-wise. No dilettantes. People who know the outdoors and are comfortable living in it, people who are intelligent, honest, loyal, resourceful,self-sufficient, and who will do whatever they have to do to get whatever they have to have to get through whatever they have to get through. I'd like a couple of farmers - not garderners, or people with green thumbs - but farmers, who know how to plant a crop in the spring, work it during the summer, and harvest it in the fall, and who know how to maintain farm machinery and fix it when it breaks down. Someone with machine-shop skills, a doctor or a couple of nurses, people who can build structures, people who can cook, bake, and preserve foods, an electrician, and a mechanic. Having at least a few people with military backgrounds would be very useful. And I want Jeanine Garofalo, too. So that I'd have at least some reason to keep on living.
That'd be my plan for the first couple of years. After that, I dunno. It'd depend on how things are shaking out down in the rest of the country. I'd allow for the possibility that we may never leave our area. There's enough infrastructure in the city of Grand Marais that we could build and fabricate everything we need (except for petroleum fuels), and there's enough running water that we could establish hydroelectric power fairly quickly. Then it would jut be a matter of defending our area against intruders, but I doubt that would be much of a problem. Part of the reason I picked that area (aside from the great canoeing) is that nobody in their right mind is going to head several hundred miles north looking for supplies. There'd be no reason for any armed groups to range anywhere near us.
So, that's how I'd do it, I guess. If I took a little time to think about it, I could probably come up with a lot more, but this should do for a rough outline.
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