|
Post by spinifex on May 8, 2018 20:08:35 GMT 10
You're doing your usual thing on a typical work day when you (and everyone else) suddenly finds out that open warfare has broken out between key players in the South China sea. Minutes later you discover your mobile device/computer is inoperable. (A well executed cyber attack). Luckily Power is still functioning and things appear fairly 'normal'. You sense it is the calm before the storm.
You know that any store you go to will take cash but because of the total comms failure there will be no electronic transactions possible. You expect that supplies of goods from Asia to the rest of the world will practically cease. Financial markets and the highly exposed Aussie banks will have a total meltdown.
Because you are prudent you have $300 in cash on you.
Question 1 : What will happen to life in your location over the following days and weeks?
Question 2 : what do you spend your $300 cash on?
|
|
dingo
New member
Posts: 13
Likes: 16
|
Post by dingo on May 8, 2018 21:06:42 GMT 10
Access the emergency cash and get group members to go and buy items on the pre-prepared shopping list. Things like LPG gas, petrol (if power is up for the pumps), dry goods from the Super Market.
In my area people will start to share if someone needs something, then get nasty when there is no more to have. On about day 3 there are a few hard conversations with friends and family (non-prep'd) about what they are going to do.
Hopefully people in my area would start to plant food gardens.
Then life becomes very local and it is time to fire up a HAM radio and listen on to what is happening.
|
|
dingo
New member
Posts: 13
Likes: 16
|
Post by dingo on May 8, 2018 21:07:39 GMT 10
frostbite, seed stock is a great idea. Adding that to the list.
|
|
gasman
Senior Member
Posts: 466
Likes: 607
|
Post by gasman on May 8, 2018 21:40:01 GMT 10
Last minute panic buys are not a good prepper thing. I would do-seeds/ seedlings - bulk stock feed for pigs / chickens / goats / dogs etc till I can get food stocks growing ( we buy ton Buller bags which last months) - batteries( especially rechargeable - fuel( if possible -!likely long queues) Would avoid supermarkets like plague as hordes would have descended
|
|
fei
Senior Member
Posts: 604
Likes: 876
|
Post by fei on May 8, 2018 22:36:32 GMT 10
You're doing your usual thing on a typical work day when you (and everyone else) suddenly finds out that open warfare has broken out between key players in the South China sea. Minutes later you discover your mobile device/computer is inoperable. (A well executed cyber attack). Luckily Power is still functioning and things appear fairly 'normal'. You sense it is the calm before the storm. You know that any store you go to will take cash but because of the total comms failure there will be no electronic transactions possible. You expect that supplies of goods from Asia to the rest of the world will practically cease. Financial markets and the highly exposed Aussie banks will have a total meltdown. Because you are prudent you have $300 in cash on you. Question 1 : What will happen to life in your location over the following days and weeks? Question 2 : what do you spend your $300 cash on? I hope like hell that I'm in Aus or NZ visiting relatives, rather than in China (where I am now). The internet suddenly dying is also one of the key factors I see as pointing to something big happening (rather than a cyber attack), as shutting down the internet and other comms is a favoured tactic of the local powers that be in the lead up to doing mass arrests (I've had a couple of acquaintances who have lived / have family living in restive western provinces that attest to this being done just before big crackdowns).
|
|
|
Post by WolfDen on May 9, 2018 9:55:23 GMT 10
With this scenario, in my neighbourhood, I wouldn't see people panicking for awhile or rushing to the local supermarkets to buy everything they can. I would believe they would do the usual sheeple thing where they would just stand around for days and talk and not act.
I would leave work and head home. I wouldn't have to wait long for the missus to arrive and to start packing the BOV. Head off for a three hour drive to BOL, only stopping at family members houses that are on route and letting them know where we are going.
Keep the $300, wouldn't do anything with it till I left town where along the way to BOL I would pick up dry goods, medicines/medication and seed stock/feed. Wouldn't worry about fuel as have good access to it in town and BOL.
Id think with this scenario it would be 2 to 4 days before real panic sets in with the general population, especially with the economy having a total meltdown.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on May 9, 2018 10:07:10 GMT 10
What would make you decide “this is it” rather than just assume (along with everyone else) that it will be fixed soon? There have been plenty of internet issues that haven’t been the start of anything. What makes you take action straight away rather than waiting a day or two?
|
|
|
Post by WolfDen on May 9, 2018 11:21:57 GMT 10
What would make you decide “this is it” rather than just assume (along with everyone else) that it will be fixed soon? There have been plenty of internet issues that haven’t been the start of anything. What makes you take action straight away rather than waiting a day or two? "open warfare has broken out between key players in the South China sea" "Financial markets and the highly exposed Aussie banks will have a total meltdown." Yes waiting a day maybe two, wouldn't hurt probably, but as quoted above with this scenario it will be getting worse quickly. Hey, if you bug out and nothing happens, theres nothing wrong with taking a couple days off work!
|
|
dingo
New member
Posts: 13
Likes: 16
|
Post by dingo on May 9, 2018 11:22:23 GMT 10
I suspect that with EFTPOS down, and being cash only then the supermarkets might not be busy but ATMs and Banks would be mobbed.
Depends on the trigger event. If an EMP and no local radio broadcasts, that is a "go".
If a cyberattack I would expect satellite broadcasts and shortwave radio to mention this.
Most people are conditioned from floods, cyclones and snow storms to "wait it out".
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on May 9, 2018 11:31:50 GMT 10
We recently had about 48 hours with our household internet not working. I guess that our phone internet was working or I may have been more worried, but it didn’t occur to me to check if anything elsewhere was down - like banks etc. I didn’t go to shops or anywhere else that uses anything electronic/internet so may not have noticed. I could have turned on a radio, but it isn’t something I tend to do daily, so I wouldn’t unless I was worried.
I guess if my phone internet was out too I’d probably look for other sources of news like the radio, but I might not think about it for a day or two. I would probably just put it down to the dreadful internet service here.
It would be different if I happened to hear of war overseas first. But I just might not hear of it.
I’m always interested in what people’s tipping point is.
|
|
remnantprep
Senior Member
People do not exist for the sake of governments!
Posts: 4,399
Likes: 3,968
Email: remnant@ausprep.org
|
Post by remnantprep on May 9, 2018 12:07:38 GMT 10
I live in a regional town and I guess after a few days it would be known that there had been a cyber attack so I guess people here would react the same way as elsewhere, most likely in annoyance leading to frustration and anger. Our landline phones should still work, so I would simply ring family in other places to see if it is more widespread or local. I would try and observe how others are acting, if suddenly everyones mobiles are not working that I am sure would be noticeable. I would top up on water and would avoid the supermarkets but rather go to those cheap stores to get more supplies. I would buy a heap of batteries and any Methylated spirits etc for cooking with and those cheap stores have food as well.
|
|
|
Post by jo on May 9, 2018 21:09:50 GMT 10
So after having no internet (we work on a remote server) and patchy phones recently it would be business as usual.... If I find out that internet is down everywhere I am going straight home after work as banks/atm/eftpos relies on internet to make transactions and as we saw with Woolworths just recently if the server is down nationally even cash is not going to pay for your groceries lol... no internet means no petrol can be pumped and other than local farmers markets / maybe local independent small grocers where cash can be king it really isn’t worth the hassle or the time to try getting “items last minute” I will be saving my money for a local market if needs be but as a prepper I should be prepared for this kind of problem
|
|
|
Post by Peter on May 9, 2018 22:36:01 GMT 10
Assuming I didn't have time to stop past home to stock up, I'd head for my primary BOL which is about 4 hours away (that is, 6 hours with kids who want to stop regularly LOL). We can weather all types of storms there...
If we could go home, I'd load the 4x4 with BOB's, bottled water, food, and jerry cans of fuel which would be more than enough to last the journey - even if it's all off-road. As for firearms and ammo; I'd empty the safes into the car (this includes a few grand of cash). I'd also hook up the 7x4 box trailer and load it with more water and food.
I don't consider $300 cash in $50 notes and smaller to ever be enough. I've been stung by that in the past, and as far as I can control it I'll never be in that situation again.
|
|
|
Post by spinifex on May 10, 2018 19:39:19 GMT 10
What would make you decide “this is it” rather than just assume (along with everyone else) that it will be fixed soon? There have been plenty of internet issues that haven’t been the start of anything. What makes you take action straight away rather than waiting a day or two? That's a choice we all have to make ... an important part of the scenario really. Myself; if it were reported that armed conflict was happening between China and others in the SCS ... and the data grid went down ... I'm executing the 'last moments plan'.
|
|
|
Post by spinifex on May 10, 2018 19:52:45 GMT 10
I'm rural and have plenty of essential supplies. What I'm doing in this situation is topping off the tank on my car (about$150 under worst case) then heading direct to nearest supermarket (there won't be any panic behaviors for at least a few hours as the sheeple slowly process events) and spending all the remaining cash on Chocolate goods - which I don't keep a stock of 'on hand'.
Then I'm off home (via the school to get kids) to get the nuclear survival kit loaded into the car/trailer ready for short notice deployment to nearby improvised fallout shelter.
I suppose where it gets 'interesting' is when the SCS conflict stays hot for several years (as was case in WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam or most wars since).
|
|
|
Post by spinifex on May 10, 2018 20:00:44 GMT 10
I see a few comments about keeping large amounts of cash on hand. What do you do with all that when there are few goods to buy? I assume that once our supply lines from asia get crimped lots of goods disappear from shelves? Will whats left be stuff with little use or at hyperinflated prices?
Might it be best to spend big early on trade-able goods? And try and be discrete about it? (Says the dude intending to walk out of the local shop with a full carton of Cadbury blocks)
I've always theorised that the goods will trump cash in a supply-poor environment.
|
|
|
Post by jonasparker on May 14, 2018 1:16:40 GMT 10
If the grid goes down, I doubt that the US dollar will have any value at all. I'm working on the premise that if I don't have it when the SHTF, I'm not going to get it!
|
|