Jack Lawson Sends: Phillips on Emergency Cold Weather Survival for the Unprepared
Here is the latest excerpt from Jack Lawson’s magnificent book series, the Civil Defense Manual. You can grab a copy of his book here. Jack is a strong supporter of American Partisan, and even had NC Scout write the chapter on Radio Communications (Chapter 17 in Volume I). I bought my copy the day it become available and I highly recommend you do as well.
Keeping that warm and fuzzy feeling when the lights go out, the natural gas stops, there’s no heat… and you don’t have a wood burning fireplace… or the wood…
My guest Author of this essay, Jim Phillips, is a Cold Weather Survival Expert. He has taught cold weather survival to the Norwegian and Pakistani Armies, along with most American branches of our military and agencies of the Federal and many State governments.
Jim wrote Chapter 23 of the Civil Defense Manual… “Shelter and weather issues, Phillips on Hypothermia”
Jim tells you here what to do during a Cold Weather Emergency… a Severe Winter Cold Snap, at Home, Power Off, No Heat, Unprepared where ever you live… just like those Texans went through for over a week in February 2021… after the thought of “We have wind turbines and solar panels… our power system can’t fail!” A “Blackout.”
This had been sold to them by environmentalists, power companies and government… and then it failed.
From Author, Cold Weather Survival and Preparedness Expert Jim Phillips of JimsWay.com…
Human Nature
It’s happened before; it will happen again. Human nature is to avoid (ignore) unpleasant possible future events. This article is written for the “average Jack and Jill American,” unconcerned that things just happen (some dangers repeat again and again). They’ve made zero emergency preparations for severe winter cold at home, except to pay the bills and assume the utilities will always be there. They think… “If the power and heat are not there, there will be holy-hell to pay for the incompetent morons that did this to me!!!!”
The mere fact that you have read this far means you do not fit the “average Jack and Jill American” profile of someone totally unprepared to be on their own at home alone with no utilities. Once you have finished reading this, you will at least have more concepts, ideas, and questions in your subconscious that will quietly move you ahead to improved levels of readiness. And if you then take preemptive action—WOW—the results will be improved physical comfort, internal peace, and a calming influence on others during such an event.
I’m not going to use the typical approach for preparedness instruction. What you commonly get on YouTube, classes, survival books, preparedness podcasts, and sales literature is the “cookbook approach”—a list of ingredients with a recipe for a specific result. All valuable information, as far as it goes, but fails to teach underlying principles of how and why things really work in the materials world and human physiology. There is a failure for people to obtain the understanding so they can extrapolate solutions to situations outside of what’s been presented in the “cookbook.”
My approach in the preparedness arena is to present principles on how and why things work, what the true needs and priorities are, and how to develop the mental/emotional attitude to make it, no matter what.
Jim Phillips
Okay, back to the clueless—which you are not going to be if you read and understand this...
A Future “2021 Texas” Event at Your Abode
For you It’s really cold, say Austin, TX on Feb 16, 2021, @ 6°F (-14°C), or Dallas, TX on the 16th @ -2°F (-19°C), then there’s Jacksboro, TX on the 16th @ -11°F (-24°C). Demands for power and heat (delivery of natural gas, propane, furnace-oil, power) are off the charts. Wires, pipes, meters, computers, controls and people are seriously strained.
Some little thing goes snap, pop, crunch, crinkle, or kerplop… then the whole thing goes kablooey! That one thing ripples out and spreads through more than one interconnected system leaving you alone at home, on your own, in the dark, with the increasing cold. NOW, WHAT!!!
First Easy Actions
Is the event just affecting you or others, and how widespread is it? The underlying questions are— When will this end? Is there help coming? Am I on my own? How do I get answers?
If it’s nighttime and depending on where you live, look out the window; how much manmade light do you see? Do the neighbors’ have lights? Are the street lights on? Is there sky-glow from city-scape light? How about car lights?
Each level of “not seeing normal night lights” will direct your thoughts to what may have happened, how bad it is, and how you should be responding.
During the day—at night also—check your normal channels of communication that are not directly dependent on utility power: cell phone, land-line, portable radio, car radio, handheld walkie-talkie (CB, GMRS, 2-meter, etc.) smart-phone internet connection, etc. Each of these working—or not working—gives a hint as to the affected area, possible duration, when things may come back, or when you might get help.
A-Your Reality
After checking… if it’s obvious that this is really serious and it’s widespread. You will know that things are not going to get back to normal for many days (weeks?). Conditions are such that you must understand that no help will be coming and you cannot get out for days.
You’re wishing you had taken some of the advice you’d heard about being prepared for such an event. Life has been so darn busy and there have been so many seemingly pressing demands on your time and budget.
But, it’s too late and a waste of energy now to regret not being prepared. You are where you are and have what you have. There are two basic choices:
- Curl up into a mental fetal position believing it will all go away and THEY will come to the rescue, or
- Get on with solving the critical issues at hand as best you can with what you have, vowing to never get caught like this again.