'Y2K worse than Pinatubo?
greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In June 1991 I (just) survived the erruption of Mt Pinatubo, but Y2k may make that look like just plain fun. This is a long post, but some people could be interested in what happens in a truly chaotic and dangerous situation, where people die and it's every person for themselves...
I was in a metal drum, with angry people beating the outside with hammers. Then the artillery opened up with rapid thumps. I awoke, from a sound (San Miguel) induced sleep to the most alert state I've experienced - in an instant. The noise of rocks as big as golf balls pounding the tin roof was deafening. Above the din, a mate bashed hard on my door, yelling, "It's blown, it's blown, wake up you b*****, wake up!.
We were in Mabalacat, just a few miles from Pinatubo, in Pampanga, central Philippines. The Americans had pulled out of Clark Air Base, just down the road, a few days before. Even before the last vehicles rolled out of Clark, looters went over the fences and into action. They took EVERYTHING, nailed down, hidden, or not.
NOTE: All those posts about hiding stuff, pretending your place has been robbed already. FORGET IT!! If you're bugging out, when you bug back, there'll be nothing left. Including your 2000lb safe bolted to conrete. The baddies will have time, and no one much to stop them.
Anyway, we raised a San Mig as the GI's fled - sorry, vacated - around 17,000 troops in an endless procession of vehicles down McArthur Highway. . Though Pinatubo had spewed tons of ash for days, and had rumbled ominously, we ignored it and drank on.So did hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the area (maybe not so much drinking). We should have know better, to get out while we could. It was on every tv news bulletin, every newspaper heaqdline screamed, "Pinatubo to blow". "Yeah, right. When was the last time?" Over eight hundred years ago. "'Nother round of RC's and some more b.b.q. asso, barman please"
NOTE: No one thought it would happen. No way. Even though Filipino vulcanologists and American experts KNEW it was about to happen, and the US troops were ordered out, people didn't want to face the truth . When it's bad news, and will affect your existence, even your life, there's a shut down, a disconnection takes place. IT JUST COULDN'T HAPPEN. But it did.
I joined a group of guys in a nearby house .Power was off, and it wasn't looking good. The mountain had literally blown its top, sending hundreds of thosands of tons of debris into the sky and over surrounding countryside (remember those spectacular sunsets, worldwide?) The explosions thunderd every few minutes with a deep, rumbling roar that sounded as if they came from the very belly of the earth. They did. Wind and lighning was starting and stones rained down along with thick ash, covering everything in a grey blanket. Some of the stones were the size of eggs. The intensity increased. Maybe soon they would be the size of footballs. Or larger. We decided to get out, fast, to Manila, less than 1oo miles south. We piled in a car and set off about 10pm. Within minutes we were caught in a monster traffic jam, everyone heading south, away from danger. The scene was unbelievable. Every type of vehicle ,over loaded with people and their few possessions. They clung to the sides of lorries, on the roofs of busses, on the bonnets, everywhere, protecting their heads with whatever they had from the stones and ash. The tollway booths were abandoned, all gas stations, restaurants, everything shut down and dark. The ash fell so so fast it was over a foot on the road, and the car wipers couldn't handle the volume. Soon there was no water and the wipers gave up, the driver leaning out of the window to see, getting blinded by the ash and stones. We'd gone only 10 miles or so when the engine overheated and we pulled over. Then (try not to laugh) we checked the petrol gauge. Yep. On empty! We had money and a petrol can and begged for fuel from the passing flood of vehicles. Most ignored us, looked through us, past us. A few smiled, shrugged. All drove on.
NOTES: 1. Don't leave your preps till the last minute. In a panic situation it;s too late to think clearly. DO IT TODAY.Get enough gas, spare tyre, fan belt, inflators, food, water, what ever you need. Have it in the vehicle or by the front door, READY TO GO. 2. In a real emergency you can rely only on yourself, your family (?), very close friends, and maybe those you have specific plans with. Forget charity, strangers coming to your assistance, we're all in this together etc etc. Sure, it can and does occur, but if the TSHTF in a big way, and people are scared for their lives, their focus is very narrow indeed. 3. If a gallon of water/case of food/gallon of gas means the difference between life and death, NO AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN BUY IT WHEN ITS IN CRITICALLY SHORT SUPPLY. 4. If you plan on leaving the city, PLAN you escape.. Take a weekend and actually drive the different routes, as many as there are. Long ways as well as direct. Become familiar with them, keep a large scale, easy to read map in your glove box.
By now it's 3am. We're hungry and thirsty. We're parked off the road, and the scene is surreal, everything covered in thick grey ash, with broken, battered trees. Traffic's thinned out a bit. No way we can make it to Manlia, probably not back to Mabalacat. Then we see a vehicle heading through the dark and ash, going north, not south. It's a jeep with 3 US servicemen. Mate! Do we like Americans! Is the Pope a Catholic! We wave, they slow and pull across. "You guys Americans?" "No, we're Aussies, but we sure could use a gallon of gas". "Sorry guys, we......" the rest is lost as they drove back to the other side of the road and continue north, looking for strays. American strays. I really don;t have a problem with that. They had orders and priorities. We just didn't make it onto their priority list. BUT>>
NOTE: If you're expecting The Authorities to take care of you, dream on. If the S does HTF then I expect there will be many important pollies, senior public servants and others (who really DESERVE priority) who will get the armed escorts, protection, safe bunkers, access to food and supplies etc. WE, idiot taxpaying nonentities can join the other million peasants, in line, where we belong.
So we decided to drive back, real slow, as far as we could, then walk when we ran out of petrol.
It's late, 3-30am and this post is too long. We did get back, and what followed was the worst night of my life, with many deaths from fires, explosions and collapsing buildings. There was widespread destruction, constant earthquakes, major fires and huge elecrtrical storms.There was no power, water sewage or fresh food for weeks. It was like the end of the world. I've been in life threatening situations, including riots and looking down the wrong end of a shotgun. But this was REALLY scary. Anyway, I learned three important lessons from my experiences and I'd like to pass them on:
BE PREPARED BE PREPARED BE PREPARED
Lurker 2
-- Lurker 2 (Lurker 2@downunder.com), August 07, 1999
greenspun.com
|
