Hugh,
The coming tsunami of city folk to the small towns of the Redoubt would be a good time to practice your prepping skills. You should be sure to have an extra gas can filled. Keep your water hoses at the ready. Make a grocery run a few days before.
The visitors will arrive in hordes, ill prepared for hot weather, lack of food, water, toilet facilities, gas, or medical facilities. Fights will break out. When some idjit tries to hike down the road for a better viewing spot and trespasses on some retired/unemployed logger’s or rancher’s property and starts a fire to roast weinies or s’mores, and he comes out with a shotgun, what then? When someone’s wife goes into early labor from heat and stress, or somebody’s kid gets hurt, or some old dude has a coronary from heat stress trying to put up the tent and the ambulance can’t get through or is 50 miles down the road on another call what then?
And of course 5 minutes after the eclipse is over they will all want to leave at the same time. I wonder, will folks pull together for the temporary greater good, or will it be me first and the heck with you, I need gas/water/food and I’m takin’ yours. – LE
Comments Disabled To "Letter Re: Eclipse TEOTWAWKI"
#1 Comment By TexasScout On July 30, 2017 @ 1:10 pm
Oh man! You nailed it! Made my morning. LMAO!
#2 Comment By John B. On July 30, 2017 @ 1:34 pm
The total eclipse will last for less than 3 minutes. That’s a lot of havoc to happen in such a short period of time. In all likelihood it will be a non-prepping event. Most citidiots don’t care about seeing celestial phenomenon and those that do will likely have enough simple resources. My 2ยข.
JB
#3 Comment By Ned2 On July 30, 2017 @ 3:12 pm
Here in WY, we’ve been told the sheriff will not be responding to emergency calls outside town; they’ll be too busy, so we’re on our own.
The population of our town is expected to go from less than a thousand to between 5 and 10 thousand for a few days up to a week (every available house/cabin has been rented since last year).
All doctors, nurses and EMT’s are working and expecting massive overload. With only two life flight helicopter services, just two simultaneous multiple casualty events would max out their ability to cope.
When you introduce the stupid factor, common when more than several people get together, things don’t look good.
#4 Comment By Madmaddy On July 30, 2017 @ 3:15 pm
I live in a very small town in Central Oregon that has a major highway going through it. It will be the main way most folks from West of the Cascades will enter C.O. Just with the normal weekend traffic it is backed up through town for miles in either direction. I can’t even imagine adding a 1/2 a million cars (ODOT stats) to that scenario. Just one motor vehicle accident can block the two lane highway for hours as there are very few places for a detour. What few there are will be dusty, dry, rugged dirt roads that unless you have a decent truck or SUV you won’t be able to navigate. Let alone the fire danger, we have been in a drought for 5 years. There will be only a limited way for the Forest Service or Fire Department to get to an incident as the roads will be choked with cars.
They are talking about pre-positioning LEO and other aid, but it’s a big area and they will be spread very thin. Another thing, Oregon has lots of little towns on its map, but most are just a name and will have no store or place to get fuel. Can’t see this ending well.
#5 Comment By Wheatley Fisher On July 30, 2017 @ 4:01 pm
Ya’ll are missing the best opportunity in your lifetime to make good cash, which is one of the objectives frequently recommended here. if you truly believe you are going to see hordes of people, put your money where your mouth is. Buy 1000 pizzas and 1000 2-liter bottles of soda. Sell them at reasonable profit prices. In three days you’ll be stacking money and packing out the last trash. Otherwise, do something useful like watering your garden instead of fretting about a few wayward touristas. I have heard so many public entities everywhere from Oregon to Nebraska claiming they’ll be swamped, but I have not heard one single person actually say they are driving to Wyoming/Utah/Oregon/Nebraska to watch the eclipse. I feel like it’s CNN reporting at it’s finest. If you get swamped with people in need, give until it hurts and with each gift you give, make sure you bless the receiver with your message of witnessing about God’s plan for salvation. It’s our bessing and duty to do so.
Love in Christ,
WF
#6 Comment By Teacher Mom On July 31, 2017 @ 2:02 pm
I like your outlook! And yes, I have family in Nebraska, and they have not mentioned one concern about the hordes. It will be a normal day with a few extra tourists.
#7 Comment By VT On July 31, 2017 @ 3:54 pm
Try litre bottles of water(cold) and snack food(small bags of chips,candy,junk food) if you position correctly you may make a small fortune
#8 Comment By Jason On July 30, 2017 @ 8:58 pm
No disrespect intended at all, but frankly claims and perspectives represented in this letter are what contributes to people rolling their eyes when they hear about prepping. There are legitimate threats and issues to be concerned about, and the eclipse is absolutely not one of them.
#9 Comment By Susie On July 30, 2017 @ 10:33 pm
Our weekly local mountain paper is NE GA has confirmed that all motels, hotels and campgrounds are sold out for sure. I think people are in a sheeple mode and it’s the in thing right now. Look how popular the Kentucky Derby is.
#10 Comment By R.William Orians On July 31, 2017 @ 2:47 am
I used to let folks camp on my farm for free but it was being abused by homeless and mentally ill vagrant types with outstanding examples of social diseases . We will watch it by ourselves with the three guard dogs running loose looking for someone to bite . Anyone ! They aren’t particular .
#11 Comment By Teacher Mom On July 31, 2017 @ 1:58 pm
I honestly don’t think there will be any major problems. A lot of the path of the eclipse will be through farmland and small towns. People will go outside, see the event, and go back to their day. Travelers will be coming through and will bring a little extra money into the small towns. Cities are used to crowds, anyway, so they won’t be affected. I expect the crowds will be smaller than they would for any state fair, big concert, or sporting event. Sure, use situational awareness, as you would in any large group, but don’t panic. For the most part, these are just people taking their kids out to see an interesting natural phenomenon.
#12 Comment By Joe On August 1, 2017 @ 1:35 am
Would agree Teacher Mom.
#13 Comment By zelmer On July 31, 2017 @ 3:55 pm
I’d like to hear the many stories after this event happens and how everybody fared.