Potential SHTF scenarios & tinfoil hat thread (Please read post 1)

Rhinocharge

Irish Earthquake: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EQ-20120607-35354-IRL

A leading seismologist has said yesterday’s earthquake off the west coast was “unexpected” and poses “very interesting questions for geologists”. The earthquake, which registered a magnitude of four on the Richter scale, was recorded as 60km west of Belmullet, Co Mayo, at a depth of 3km, at 8.58am. It was the largest local seismic event ever recorded, according to Tom Blake of the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. It was also the second-largest local earthquake on record in either Britain or Ireland, he said – the first being of 5.4 magnitude on July 19th, 1984, off the west coast of Wales and felt in Waterford and Wicklow. A 2.7 magnitude tremor was recorded in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, in May 2010. The Irish Coast Guard recorded instances of structural damage to houses in Erris, Co Mayo, yesterday and the British Geological Survey said the impact was felt in Galway, Mayo and Sligo.

The Geological Survey of Ireland said earthquakes of this magnitude at this depth were “not very unusual although not common”. However, Mr Blake said that while the earthquake was classified as “moderate”, it was “significant” in that it challenged existing information about seismic activity off the west coast. The location, just 23km south to southeast of the Corrib gas wells, prompted a call by Sinn Féin councillor for Mayo Rose Conway-Walsh for reassurance that this was not connected to seismic testing Shell EP Ireland was due to initiate on the Corrib gas field last Friday. She also said many concerned residents wanted to know whether the existing Corrib gas infrastructure had been damaged. North Mayo hostel owner Betty Schult said the earthquake had shaken the foundations of her 250-year-old stone cottage and she was concerned about the impact on the offshore pipeline for the Corrib gas project and the refinery, situated on bog. Mr Blake said he had examined the seismic traces and they were “caused by earthquakes and nothing else”. Shell EP Ireland said the seismic survey had not started and it had “no reason to believe that this event has had any impact on the sub-sea infrastructure”.

“However, as a precautionary measure, a visual inspection of the offshore infrastructure will be carried out in the coming days,” it said. Phil O’Hara of Aclare, Co Sligo, reported a chunk of her chimney on the ground, while in Westport, Co Mayo, Lorella Errani said she was reading about the earthquake near her mother’s home in Ravenna, Italy, when she heard a “deep rumbling noise”. The seismic activity was tracked in the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre in Co Clare and on the INSN network of permanent recorders. The tremors had caused “no unusual wave activity”, said Irish Coast Guard officer Ray Malanaphy. The Coast Guard said it had confirmed this with two vessels working on the Corrib gas field. Dr Brian McConnell of the Geological Survey said there could be some small aftershocks.

baords dyslexic

eth0 wrote: »

Looking forward to a bit of floodgazing so. Standing at a lay-by just before the flood and waiting for some eejit to plough straight into it and create a massive splash

I did some river watching along with keeping an eye on met.ie's rainfall radar today and I think we got off very lightly in the West Waterford area. Our local river only got to what I consider the "primary flood phase" which is where you can see it from the kitchen window, the "final flood phase" which we were at least 3 feet above this time is where you can expereince it in the kitchen.

sheesh

I cannot believe the Spanish financial situation has not got you guys going on the potential shtf situation.

any thoughts on how much food I should store up for a possible currency change chaos?

honestly I wish I was trolling

eth0

sheesh wrote: »

I cannot believe the Spanish financial situation has not got you guys going on the potential shtf situation.

any thoughts on how much food I should store up for a possible currency change chaos?

honestly I wish I was trolling

Its amazing how stable things really are. A few countries borrowed too much money, which isn't even real money like it was back in the day, a few companies going bust and a few lads selling their shares and a bit of a panic over it.

70 short years ago a war would have started over this by now

touts

sheesh wrote: »

I cannot believe the Spanish financial situation has not got you guys going on the potential shtf situation.

any thoughts on how much food I should store up for a possible currency change chaos?

honestly I wish I was trolling

Impossible to know. We're not talking "The Road" type situation but if the whole thing goes whallop and we go back to the Punt there will be chaos for a few weeks followed by crippling austerity for a few years followed by growth in a decade or two. Think Argentina in 2001/2002. There would be panic buying at the start for a few days/weeks, followed by price gouging by bastard shopkeepers followed by a slow return to reliable supply of food. Expensive food but food. But we aren't going to have a situation where a loaf of bread costs trillions of punts. More likely the devaluation will be 50% so prices will be roughly twice what they are now which certainly adds up and will have you looking to the cheaper own brand options in aldi and lidl.

So it is probably worth adding a few extra staples (rice, pasta, tins etc) to your weekly shop. Put them aside and over a few weeks you will find you have enough to get you through a month of initial panic, closed banks/atms and empty shelves (sort of like in Argentina). You may not dine like kings but with a little meal planning you won't starve.

You could not store enough food to get you through the years of austerity that will follow so don't bother trying. Instead spend some money on garden tools and learning how to grow veg in your back garden. If you go to east european countries like Poland, Bulgaria etc most houses in the countryside have large vegetable plots just like our grandparents used to. You may not be completely self sufficent but a little investment now in the equipment and know how will allow you grow your own carrots, parsnips, beetroot, onions, garlic, herbs, salad greens, cabbage, potatoes, rhubarb, fruit bushes, etc so you have more to spend on things you can't produce yourself like milk, meat, fish, etc (of course if you have the space you could well have a cow, pig, hens etc to give you these things but most people don't).

Given the power of the public unions in this country you have to assume that any state dependent services will be off line for a while also. Water, Electricity/Gas (ESB/Bord Gais mean even with competition the state is still the main supplier), Gardai, Hospitals, Schools etc will all shut down for a few weeks as their unions do a King Canute and try to hold back the waves of cutbacks. Once they realise the mob outside their offices are not there to support them the Unions will come around but you should at least have an idea of how to get by for a few weeks. Water/Gas piped supply relies on electric pumps so may go out. If you have an electric hob or oil fired central heating they will go out. So stock up on some Candles, Batteries, wind up radios/torch, a camping gas cooker & drum. If you have oil/gas central heating how will you heat your home if the strike happens in winter (remember not all modern fireplaces have proper surrounds/backs etc to be used with real fires). How will you get water home if you have to depend on a tanker or friends with their own well.

Finally crime will spike. There are many scumbags that our modern judicial system has kept out of jail so expect them to run riot if the lights are out and the Guards are on strike. Look what happened in England last August when the scumbags realised the police couldn't cope. Argentina saw a wave of riots and gun crime in the initial weeks and today crime levels are very very high but they were starting from a much worse position in terms of social inequality and associated criminality. In most cases neighbours will band together and help one another (think of the floods a few years ago where the government seemed paralised to act but local communities helped out). But don't rely completely on the good nature of others and make sure you have good locks on your doors and windows.

Tabnabs

I think this could lead to some panic should it be enforced. Unluckily for me, my back balance is generally below the max limit anyway...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0612/breaking24.html

kildare.17hmr

Cash in the matress time

_AVALANCHE_

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Cash in the matress time

in euros :pac:

Builderfromhell

I wonder if keeping cash,of any currency, would help a family survive a sudden economic crash.
Food, fuel and other essentials might have a more immediate real value.

touts

Builderfromhell wrote: »

I wonder if keeping cash,of any currency, would help a family survive a sudden economic crash.
Food, fuel and other essentials might have a more immediate real value.

Indeed. How long will the cash last if some fecker is charging you €20 for a box of cornflakes.

Doc Ruby

If the euro does collapse it won't be a month before euro 2, the son of euro makes an appearance. There's just way too much money and power in a single currency serving a half billion people for the politicos to ignore.

cranberryjuice

Builderfromhell wrote: »

I wonder if keeping cash,of any currency, would help a family survive a sudden economic crash.
Food, fuel and other essentials might have a more immediate real value.

I'd have to agree, and neither would I see gold as a safe option in the immediate chaos. If we're totally back to basics, food, heat and water is what we'll need. I hear the Greeks are stockpiling food as we speak. Maybe I'll nip into aldi later myself... And I see Sky news are planning a special programming event this weekend about the Eurozone crisis - live updates type thing. I'm guessing that's not a good thing.

kildare.17hmr

Cash is going to be handy in the immidiate aftermath of something like atm machienes stopping working. You could stock up on extra supplies of stuff you didnt have or could maybe do with having more off before the shelves are empty and the real shtf!

touts

Doc Ruby wrote: »

If the euro does collapse it won't be a month before euro 2, the son of euro makes an appearance. There's just way too much money and power in a single currency serving a half billion people for the politicos to ignore.

True. They could have it all switched in a few days especially electronic transactions. But the disruption to supply chains could last a few weeks. Panic buying will have emptied the shelves and suppliers will be slow to replenish as they try to figure out the new prices in a rapidly devalued market. Also never underestimate how our inept civil service and greedy bankers will find new ways to mess up and delay the process. It could be sorted in a week but my feeling is that it is best to have a few weeks worth of basic staples.

Doc Ruby

touts wrote: »

it is best to have a few weeks worth of basic staples.

Always.

cranberryjuice

Don't mean to be a pain but could anyone recommend a link or something where I could find a list of basic essentials to get if TSHTF. Getting more than a little nervous now...

The foreign minister, who was speaking as Spain's long-term borrowing costs hit an unsustainable 7%, warned that other European countries would suffer dreadfully if they let Spain fall. ''If the Titanic sinks, it takes everyone with it, even those travelling in first class,'' he said, in a warning clearly aimed at Germany and other eurozone countries.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/14/spain-eurozone-impending-doom?newsfeed=true

kildare.17hmr

Plenty of threads in this forum will help uou out

_AVALANCHE_

Buy 1 get 1 free on Cadburys Roses in Dunnes.

What else do you want.

_AVALANCHE_

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056431290
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056417683

I know their is a food thread around somewhere....

Tins anyway, rice, cereal.

eth0

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

What else do you want.

Some good solid 80%+ chocolate. None of this oul girl's blouse tack

Doc Ruby

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056431290

Jesus christ, remind me of that thread anytime I get tempted to send him an olive branch PM.

Grizzly 45 wrote:

Nor would I be too botherd telling my neighbours,family or relatives ,who scoff at such preparations anyway,but will be the first to show up on your retreat door with plenty of other useless mouths that need feeding when things go bad.

kildare.17hmr

Doc Ruby wrote: »

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056431290

Jesus christ, remind me of that thread anytime I get tempted to send him an olive branch PM.

Grizzly 45 wrote:

Nor would I be too botherd telling my neighbours,family or relatives ,who scoff at such preparations anyway,but will be the first to show up on your retreat door with plenty of other useless mouths that need feeding when things go bad.

He's right tho people like that will bleed you dry

Doc Ruby

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

He's right tho people like that will bleed you dry

No, he's saying he'd let his own family starve in an emergency. :rolleyes: Whatever, I'm not really interested in post mortems, just struck me as particularly nasty.

_AVALANCHE_

eth0 wrote: »

Some good solid 80%+ chocolate. None of this oul girl's blouse tack

Over 72% and it's just not nice.

Mmmm, Roses.:pac:

kildare.17hmr

Doc Ruby wrote: »

No, he's saying he'd let his own family starve in an emergency. :rolleyes: Whatever, I'm nRot really interested in post mortems, just struck me as particularly nasty.

that would be worst case scenario every man for him self kind of **** where you would turn away people if no use to the group and that would be a burdon and just use supplies. I would have the same ideas in that situation.

In an emergency id help anyone i could in what ever way i could but if it came to having to make a decision on whos lives were more important id pick mine and my familys

Doc Ruby

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

that would be worst case scenario

No, that would be a particularly murderous case of schadenfreude. Anyway, I'll comment on it no more, the thread is off topic enough.

bonniebede

don't forget people don't just consume calories they can also contribute them.

I mean by helping to farm and hunt of course:rolleyes:

not....

bonniebede

cranberryjuice wrote: »

Don't mean to be a pain but could anyone recommend a link or something where I could find a list of basic essentials to get if TSHTF. Getting more than a little nervous now...

Try this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=75932304

Tabnabs

After the discovery of explosives on the premises of Swedish nuclear power plant Ringhals south of Gothenburg on Wednesday afternoon, authorities quickly raised the threat level at all Swedish nuclear facilities.

“They have all raised the threat level as a precaution,” said Maria Stråhle at the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten) to news agency TT.

The explosive device was found on a large truck that had been on the industrial estate belonging to the plant and was returning into the reactor area, which is more heavily guarded.

“Under the first step onto the truck there is a fire extinguisher and that is where the explosive had been placed,” said Gösta Larsen of the Ringhals plant to TT.

He said that police suspect that a civilian has prepared the explosive and that it was the size of a “small fist”.

The device was not primed and was not large enough to do damage to a reactor, according to Larsen. However, he confirmed that the threat levels had been raised as a result of the find and said that any discovery of explosives on the plant’s premises was “worrying”.

According to the county police, the device was in the shape of “plastic explosive” and the truck where it was discovered never leaves the plant’s immediate environs.

“The truck was entering the guarded area when the device was found by the plant’s own sniffer dogs,” said police spokesman Tommy Nyman.

The entire premises were searched with sniffer dogs over night but no other discoveries have been found and police so far have no suspects.

However, a preliminary investigation is under way and the incident has been classified as a suspected sabotage attempt.

Police will question truck drivers and officers are currently trying to find out where and when the suspected explosive could have been placed on the vehicle.

“We will speak to everyone we think could have information about the incident,” Nyman said to TT.

The device was sent off to the National Laboratory of Forensic Science (Statens kriminaltekniska laboratorium – SKL) in Linköping for testing soon after the discovery and scientists have since confirmed that it was an explosive found on the plant premises.

http://www.thelocal.se/41576/20120621/

touts

Right about now I'll bet lots of Ulster Bank customers are wishing they had a small stockpile of food & staples. As someone said on the last word lastnight if the Euro goes whallop the Ulster Bank disaster will be replicated a thousand fold across the country.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/thousands-without-cash-as-bank-fails-to-fix-it-crash-3146374.html