Beyond the basics

Khannie

I recently read Alas, Babylon (highly recommended post apocalyptic book) and it had me thinking.

So let's say, hypothetically that there's some global catastrophe and modern supply chains are gone. Let's further say that your basic needs of food, water and shelter are being met. Let's assume you still have your house and that by whatever means you can grow enough food to feed your family.

What things would you focus on improving after that?

For me, off the top of my head I would be looking at:
Electricity. A bit of light in the evening to read by for example could make life much more pleasant. It wouldn't take much to power a single CFL bulb for an evening.
Running water. I would probably invest some effort in a community based running water effort. There are streams and lakes nearby. I think running water could massively improve your life in the event of a failure at national level. Not having to move for water would be a huge energy saver.
Alcohol. I'd look at brewing. Partly for myself and partly because it's easily traded.
Stove. I'd probably want to get or build a stove, simply because they're so fuel efficient.
Wood fuel. Probably a coppice to go with the stove. I could see wood fuel being in short supply though.


In the book (set in the 50's) the things that are focused on beyond the essentials are quite simple: Bee hives. Soap. Petrol. Alcohol. Sugar (from sugar cane, again for alcohol). Music (for me this translates into electricity). Coffee and a few other things.

sheesh

some sort of communications network would aid trading and might give you access to things you do not have. eventually you are going to have to reach out and see who else survived.

A horse for transport

sheesh want horsey!

Khannie

sheesh wrote: »

A horse for transport

Oh yeah....I'd be hanging on to my bicycle like it was made of gold plated diamonds.

bonniebede

Blacksmithing tools, know how, books?

Books books books

a priest, preferably a bishop, grape seeds for wine, wheat seed for bread, some sort of vegetable oil, salt. Aromatic resins for incense? Long term project.

Flax seed, would supply the oil and useful fibres. Sheep, spinning wheel, knitting needles.

Sewing needles of any sort. Pedal powered sewing machine.

Hand loom, treadle loom.

Working latrine / jakes / privy to maintain clean and safe human waste disposal.

I brew myself anyway, so no bother there!

Electricity is obviously a big one, obviously the use of which would need to be rationed (I'd tend to use candles / lamps in the night)

Heat - beyond the use of fire, it would be nice to be able to heat the water in your house, perhaps using a Stanley stove, etc. Also this would keep the radiators going.

Education - I'd look at this as a generational thing. If there was no real prospect of civilisation returning to normal for decades, my focus would be on teaching my children to hunt (another hobby of mine), butcher and cook. How to forage for food, light fires without matches, basic survival stuff. How to grow crops.

I'd then hope that as well as passing these on to their kids, they'd be able to teach them reading, writing, etc. The third generation could worry about creating communities, etc. So on and so forth.

Druss.

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Doc Ruby

Depends I guess, a lot of these disaster scenarios envision people waking up in virgin wilderness and empty ruins with nobody around for hundreds of miles. The environment would inform the mid to long term plan. If it appears hazards like firestorms, floods, no sunlight, a harsh winter, or armed raiders are emerging they would take priority over other issues.

In all cases its safe to say I'd get in contact with other survivors and set up a community with proper law and order first thing. Electricians, mechanics, metalworkers, farmers, tradesmen all would be invaluable, most of what would now be called "blue collar" people would be the foundation of any rebirth of civilisation.

With that said almost everyone has some sort of useful skill whether they know it or not, and if they don't they can learn to plant spuds fairly easily!

If it was just me alone and I wasn't in an insurgency situation versus an invading force, all else being equal I'd apply the rule of threes on a grander scale in the mid term - secure and build up a home, cut a ton of firewood, set up a much bigger water filter, find useful plants and start farming them, animals too, and if I'd time left over in the first year then start looking into things like electricity, unless I had plenty of resources on hand to scavenge.

Cork boy 55

Organizing a "defense force" for your in-group will be critical once basics met, Vital installations and housing will have to be fortified and perimeter of in-group land defined and marked.

Once sufficient strength and weapons have been mobilized
slave raids and tribal warfare against hostile out-groups can commence.




Livio Fornoni Tribal fights in Chimbu PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Footages taken between 2009 and 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT8gQfb4yEU

GCU Flexible Demeanour

Doc Ruby wrote: »

In all cases its safe to say I'd get in contact with other survivors and set up a community with proper law and order first thing.

I'd agree. Once basic physical needs are met, community is the next thing. The community would be the driver for the next round of development.