I use 100 watt solar to charge a 12v deep cycle battery. I have a 400 watt inverter that I plug the trike charger into. The trike battery is nominal 48 v and takes about 4-5 hours. The charger only draws about 250 watts. The system could be beefed up if needed.
We have 300+ days of sunshine a year. They said it was a 500 watt motor but if I hit the throttle it shows 1000 watts. I normally don’t do that. We run on a 10% boost. We have 2 trikes and back up batteries are about $400 each so not right now. I would rather spend the money on better deep cycle batteries and more solar panels. I would like to build a power bank for the house…
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A threat assessment template. 
The spacing errors are not mine. 
OK, But What Do I Prepare For?
Before you can prepare, you must determine what you are preparing to survive and how each disaster threatens
you, your safety and survival. That will give you the parameters necessary for the following steps.
This initial exercise isn’t tough, it only takes a few minutes of thought. We suggest you jot notes or switch into
your word processor while you work.
But fi rst, it’s important to realize that you cannot prepare for everything — only the army tries to do that, and
we’ve yet to meet anyone with their resources. Captain Dave suggests you prepare only for those potential
disasters that are likely to occur within the next fi ve years. Sure, you may wait seven years for the next
earthquake, but remember the survivalists creed: better safe than sorry.
What’s going to happen in the next fi ve years? If we knew, our web page would look diff erent. You’ll have
to extrapolate, evaluate trends, read the newspaper, conduct your own research. At the very least, take a few
minutes and consider your location. Pull out a map and look what’s within a two-mile, fi ve-mile 10-mile and
25-mile radius of your home and place of work. Put on your pessimist hat and consider what might go wrong
that could directly impact you. Decide if that’s something you want to prepare for (see questions one and two,
below).
For example, if you live a “safe” distance outside of a fl ood plain, your house might still gets
flooded in the 100-year flood, should you prepare for it? We would, but it’s your call. It’s your ass on the line, so you have to decide.
That nuclear plant 20 miles away has an excellent safety record. Should a nuclear disaster be on your list?
Again, you make the call.
Are you worried about a meteorite crashing into your house? Well, it has happened, but it’s probably not worth
preparing for.
Finally, if you’ve been afraid of something since you were a child — whether it’s a raging fi re or nuclear war —
prepare for it. At the very least, you’ll sleep better at nights knowing you have done all you can.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What natural disasters or extreme conditions am I (we) l likely to face in the next fi ve years?
Make a list and rank them in order of most to least likely to impact you. Your list might look like this:
Natural Disasters
Weather-related
Hurricanes Tornadoes Heavy thunder storms
Flash flooding Flooding Mud/rock slides
High winds Hail Severe winter weather
Avalanche Extreme high heat Drought
Wildfire
Non Weather-related
Earthquake Volcano eruption Tidal wave/Tsunami
Man-made Disasters
War (conventional, biological, chemical or nuclear)
Toxic material emission or spill (from a train, semi-truck or nearby plant)
Riot or other civil disorder Nuclear plant melt down or other nuclear disaster
Terrorism Fire Government action against you
Stock market crash Sever depression
Other
Plague or disease outbreak Comet strike or giant meteor
Personal Emergencies
Kidnapping Mugging, robbery or other criminal attack
Unemployment financial disaster
Death in family Home destroyed by fi re
Random acts of violence
What are the ramifications of each item on my list.??
Now, take your list and create a second column. Put the ramifi cations of each disaster in the second column.
What do we mean by ramification? How the disaster or emergency situation could affect you. Think this one through very carefully, as everyone’s situation is different. For example, families with children have different concerns than those without or singles.
Potential Disaster Ramifications
Thunder storm with electrical outage for 2 (average) to 48 hours (severe)
Food spoilage possible
Lack of air conditioning/furnace
Damage to house or car from nearby trees
Possible local flooding (see below)
Local transportation impaired by fallen trees, wires
Lightning damage/fi re potential
Severe winter weather, Electrical power outage for 4hrs (average) to 72 hours (severe)
Would affect furnace operation
Exposure problems
Frozen pipes
Disruption of travel, transportation
Self or family members possibly stranded away from home
Possible food shortages and empty shelves at local markets
Nearby flash flooding Local transportation disrupted
Danger while traveling in car or by foot
Possible loss of some utilities
Nearby train derailment Possible leak or spill of chemicals
Short-term exposure problem
Long-term cancer concerns
Evacuation may be necessary
Riot or other civil disorder Disruption of commute (ala Los Angeles)
Stranded in car or offi ce while family is at home and/or school
Danger of riot spreading to my neighborhood
Danger of local kids/low lives taking advantage of situation
Attack or threat to personal safety
Looting and rampaging by otherwise lawful citizens
Fire with potentially no response by authorities
Police are overwhelmed, cannot protect law-abiding citizens
Nuclear plant problems
Reactor vessel damage could result in release of radioactive chemicals to atmosphere
Evacuation necessary
Terrorism Threat to safety at work and during business travel
Disruption of commerce, travel
Less personal freedom, privacy as a result of government reaction to terrorism
Once you’ve created a chart like the one above, you know what situations you are most likely to face and
can prepare your survival plan
Copyright 2005, Capt. Dave
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Was there any Russian prepared for 1917? Any Chinese ready for Mao?
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I’m not sure what you are trying to say here in regards to having a plan
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I do live within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant. Ironically, the power to my house is not provided by that plant.
Anyway, my plan right now for a meltdown is simply evacuate to family and friends that live 100+ miles away. Since I am prepared for a hurricane 365 days a year, important items are always packed and ready to throw in the car for immediate evacuation.
Any additional nuclear meltdown preparation suggestions?
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Wind Sock, know which way the particles are going
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Do you have Iodine pills? When I lived near a reactor they even gave them to us
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Our reactors are not like Chernobyl which is 1940’s technology. I was working in the nuclear field when 3 Mile went down. It should not have happened and you wont read about it. It was operator error. They lost their cooling water. The melt down was much less than the government models because the idiot calculated the impact with an empty containment. There is a huge amount of steel inside the containment and it acts as a heat sink. The company I worked for went in and came up with a cheap safeguard that could be retrofitted. I don’t know if the safeguard has been implemented in any plants. The biggest threat is a total long term blackout and it is from the storage pool. If it goes dry there will be an uncontrolled reaction. Chemical plants are a bigger hazard short term. If there is a long term total grid shutdown you will have time to evacuate without panic.
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As soon as you hear any news or information about any possible event, that is the time to leave.
If you are wondering if ___ is serious enough to bother, just go ahead and get the hell away.
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Evacuation alarms with voice directions are tested quarterly. Every time the sirens go off I listen to confirm if it is a test or a genuine get out of town fast real deal alarm.
I don’t have any Lodine … I will discuss a prescription next doctor appointment.
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I believe he meant Potassium Iodide.
Amazon carries a full line. I forgot to mention the IOSAT is the most recommended for the ease of keeping track of dosage.
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Potassium Iodide is not for people with thyroid problems. Be aware of the risks, and balance them.
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No kidding, that is why I posted the CDC Guidelines. And you are correct.
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Ah, a source one can trust.
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Thinking in terms of long term vs short term helps me prioritize resources.
Short term deals with issues like mitigating damage (a key for turning off gas, water, electricity etc…, A chain saw and tow chain/pry bar for clearing an access path. First Aid kit. Alternative lighting & communication. Maintaining fire breaks)
Long(er) term for when time isn’t quickly running out (food, water, cooking, alternatives for shelter and transportation, power generation, etc…)
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Correct me if I’m wrong. Aren’t Mormons suppose to have 5 years of food and water stored up at all times for the end of the world? They think the world will burn and they and all their supplies will hover over the earth as it burns, then return when the fire is out. Call me crazy but, huh. So far from the truth it’s not even funny. Well, yes it is.
Not a Religious discussion, Survival, that’s it.
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I am curious, though, if the LDS have survival built-in to their religion because they spent their formative years being shot at and chased westward. I don’t mean that as a religious question, more of a historical one.
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They call it “Persecution” and yes it does have roots in the early history of the LDS religion. Joseph Smith was tarred and feathered on more than one occasion.
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