15 hard lessons I learned from the Texas blackouts and infrastructure failures

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Survival is very physical. Expect to exert a lot of physical effort.
Culture matters. Don’t end up in a community without morals or ethics when it all hits the fan.
Convergence of two “black sawn” disasters can wipe out your best plans, even if you have successfully prepped for any one (standalone) disaster.
Some of your preps will FAIL. It’s difficult to consider all possible scenarios, so count on failures striking without warning.
You need LAYERS of preparedness and “fall back” systems that are very low-tech and require nothing more than the laws of physics (gravity, chemistry, etc.).
No one is coming to help you. In many situations, no one can get to you even if they wanted to.
Containers (buckets, barrels) are extremely important. Have lots of pre-stored water and fuel at all times.
Bitcoin and crypto were all completely valueless and useless during the collapse, since they all rely on electricity. Gold, silver and cash worked fine, on the other hand.
You will likely experience injuries or mishaps due to new, unusual demands on your work activities. Practice safety and be prepared to deal with injuries yourself.
Having lots of spare parts for plumbing. Standardize your pipe sizes and accessories. I have standardized on 1″ PEX pipe and all its fittings because PEX is very easy to cut, shape and rework. Plus it’s far more resistant to bursting, compared to PVC.
Investment in food is always a good investment, as prices will continue to climb. No one ever said during an emergency, “Gee, I wish I had less food here.”
You can’t count on any government or institution or infrastructure to solve anything. Usually they just get in the way.
You MUST have good lights and many backup batteries, or you will be sitting in the dark. You’ll need a good headlamp (I use the PETZL Nao+) and some good 18650-battery flashlights such as Nitecore.
Guns and bullets are not needed in some survival scenarios, so balance your prepping. Don’t put all your money into ammo and fail to cover other important areas like emergency first aid.
Think about what are stores of energy: Wood, diesel, gasoline, propane, water elevation, etc. Survival is a lot about energy management.