The Yellowstone RAR! Part II

[Broomstick]

This continues the scenario in this thread

OK, Yellowstone Supervolcano has blown up in a big way. Everyone within 80 km of the caldera at the time of the explosion is dead - we won't even be finding bodies, they're just gone Nothing is left - vegetation, buildings, roads, all gone. 90% of those between 80 and 200 km from the caldera are dead, and of the 10% remaining not all will survive, perhaps none. No building in that zone remain standing, all open water is contaminated and anyone who can't get out will die in the next few days. Rescue will be nigh impossible - about a million people live in that zone and between impassible roads and the inability to get aircraft into the region only those able to walk out have any chance of survival. Next zone is another additional 100 km out from there. Still heavy ashfalls, building collapses, no power, daytime will be as dark as late twilight or night. About a third of the population will probably be killed by ash (collapses, breathing problems, etc.) and again, no aircraft and good luck with the roads with up to 60 cm (2 feet) of what is essentially powdered glass and concrete on the ground. The next zone is up to 800 km from the blast - this is the zone where if you're diligent about cleaning off the roof your house won't collapse and while trees and such might be heavily damaged but could survive. You'll still want those air filters mentioned in the prior thread and people with respiratory problems will still be at high risk of death. As ash accumulates road travel will grind to a halt and railroads will start to have problems both because of the depth of ash and shorting out of signaling systems. The power grid will almost certainly be down, here, too. Clean water and food will become in short supply. Beyond that, out to LA, Dallas, Toronto, and the northern portions of US states like Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, will see minor to moderate damage from ash, the power grid will be spotty at best, some road travel problems due to ash in the roads, and still no air travel possible.

Basically, you want to get at least 1000 km from Yellowstone if you're on the east side of it, and at least 600 km to the north or south. How badly the west coast of North America will be affected isn't certain, but at least some of the ash will wind up there.

The eruption has occurred, the talking heads are having simultaneously heart attacks and orgasms over the biggest natural disaster in history, and we're looking at the first 48 hours post-kaboom. What are YOU going to do NOW?

Assume you are where you said you would be at the end of the prior thread. In my case, I'm sitting in my sister's house just north of Buffalo, NY USA. I've got two vehicles sitting in her driveway loaded with a few keepsakes, a moderate amount of canned food, some emergency gear, clothes, emergency solar panels, and presuming we refilled the tanks when we arrived (that would have been before the eruption, if not by much) full gas tanks. I'm not worried about tools, the BIL has lots of those. We have some minor weapons. The spouse is experienced with firearms (he used to own a half dozen guns) so down the line that might be handy. Presumably, I convinced my sister to stock up on dry goods (not just cans, folks - stuff sealed in plastic like dry rice mixes, noodle soup, and a bunch of others will be good to have, too). We have a 3,000 square foot house that may now be housing up to 8-10 people (sister and BIL, me and mine, her kids + significant others, my other sister + significant other, probably could not get the other nephew on that side as he can't drive and I doubt we'll convince anyone at his group facility to drive him to Buffalo prior to the shit hitting the fan), hopefully lots of canned/preserved food, bottled water, and tools of various sorts. We have two trained engineers who can (and have) designed and built stuff, several young people who are fairly smart, and a doctor in residence. On the downside, 4 (possibly more with other sis's SO if she has one/brings him) of the folks are over 50. Four people are in poor health (diabetic, auto-immune disorder requiring immunosuppressive medication to survive, severe asthma, thyroid failure). None of these problems will be immediately fatal but all require maintenance medication. Unfortunately, that group includes the two engineers and the doctor. We are 3,000 km from the blast itself, and in a zone of low to perhaps no ashfall.

Modify the scenario to fit your situation.

What are the priorities for the next 48 hours?

GO!

[Broomstick]

Ya'll just thinking real hard? C'mon - I need something to distract me from Pumpkinhead.

[madd0ct0r]

Given I'm in the UK, my solution hasn't really changed, and is much more dependent on the long term than the short.

[Broomstick]

Ah, but I have a reason for focusing on the initial 24-48 hours... but if we want to make this more long term that's fine, too.

[Swindle1984]

Pass out gas masks to immediate family, N95 masks to extended family, set up a safe room using my industrial wet-vac as an air filtration/pressurization system for the dogs to stay in, and watch the news. As explained in the original thread, I have more than enough to stay put for a while, and I have no desire to get stuck in gridlock as a bunch of idiots try to flee and clog the highway. I'm safely outside the worst of it anyway.

Disaster scenarios aren't especially exciting when you prepared for them ahead of time.

[Broomstick]

Except... we're not.

Sure, in this scenario we have all either survived the initial disaster (or, in some cases, ended all our problems forever by checking out entirely) but that's not the end of it.

1) Agriculture is going to crash and crash hard. How much food can you store? How much food can you grow in the conditions that will prevail the next few years?

2) At least in North America the power grid is going to go down. A few places (those with hydro and nuclear that can be kept functional, maybe coal in some areas if it doesn't need to be transported far) will have some power but probably a hell of a lot less than at present. How are you going to keep the lights on and keep warm? Modern housing is built reliant on central heating and the like.

3) It's going to get fucking cold and stay that way for awhile. Sure, Alaska might build for sub-zero temperatures for 9 months of the year but South Carolina doesn't. Again, how are you going to keep warm?

4) There's going to be a run on resources. Assuming those of us who didn't check out are smart we already started stocking up but how much is enough? Do you have enough? And how are you going to keep your stuff safe from those who weren't as prepared, get desperate, and now want to take your stuff? Which, by the way, might include what government is left - saying "let's pool resources and redistribute" could become the way the government tries to keep the favor of the have-nots. The haves will probably not be as enthused at that new form of taxation.

Even if you're not in North America consider the problems - the UK, for example experienced significant deprivation during WWII due to interruptions in shipping. If Yellowstone blows shipping will again be disrupted - how hungry will Britain get? How cold?

[Imperial528]

I think I will start preparing to make acorn bread.

Being in MA, the ashfall will be relatively light, and while it will harm some crops, trees should be relatively unaffected, so our biggest crops (cranberries, apples, acorns, rocks) will be fine. I don't know enough about ocean ecology to know if this will affect our fishing industry significantly.

If the state can declare a state of emergency and restrict all food exports then we should have enough to feed some of the population, especially if we can take advantage of foods otherwise relegated to famine or nuisance (acorns). However it is hard to find data on how much food MA imports vs. exports.

[K. A. Pital]

My boat sets sail with me and my wife onboard! We have reverse osmosis desalinators, frigde, a bunch of solar batteries, lots of hermetically sealed glass and plastic containers to store the foods, our first aid kit chock-full of necessary antibiotics and medicines, some maps, sturdy plotters, hopefully not too worn-out sails.

Music from Pirates of the Carribean plays as we leave for the oceans. Yaw haw haw. And a Cuban rum bottle.

Sorry for being cheerful.

[Broomstick]

No, it's OK, somebody is going to survive.

But you might want something besides solar - the sunlight will dim world-wide for several years. It won't entirely go away, especially if you're in the southern hemisphere and the opposite side of the planet, but it won't be nearly as efficient as at present.

[K. A. Pital]

Sorry, forgot to mention portable wind turbines.

[Broomstick]

Meanwhile, back in Buffalo...

I anticipate that there will be a run on the grocery stores (that's why you stock up the day before, right?) and probably other things. So - what's your shopping list for post-apocalypse?

One of the really big problems in this scenario is keeping warm. Modern housing in the US is not well insulated for the most part, nor is it set up for burning wood or coal to keep warm and in any case fuel is going to be in short supply.

One thing you can do is reduce your actual living space - focus on keeping just one, maybe two rooms habitable. Getting a bunch of people into a small space will help warm the space with just plain old body heat, then it's a matter of keeping the heat in. Wondering what's the most expeditious way to do that when starting with modern housing? Remember, it doesn't have to look pretty, just get the job done.

I had a notion of lining the interior of a room with foam insulation panels. Making it an interior room so you have at least one additional room between that and the actual entrance to the building, sort of like an airlock to minimize heat loss (folks in northern climes have been using this technique since forever). You use less fuel to keep the place habitable.

Needless to say, winter clothing is going to become really popular.

Meanwhile, you can use the rest of the place as storage for stuff of various sorts.

[Zwinmar]

The insulation problem can be relatively 'easy' to solve, a lot of hard work though. The easiest solution is to dig into the side of the hills for a temporary shelter until a better can be provided. Even then, using the earth itself as insulation is generally a good idea.

Do need to find some old books, and i know the town library should have them, on emergency rations for the area, such at nettles and what not. I would also like to at least look in on the Seneca Reservation, maybe get some cooperation going.

[Broomstick]

There are about a million people and change in the greater Buffalo metropolitan area and not a great abundance of hillsides. And that's before any refugees from further west show up. Not to mention all the real estate is already owned by someone. I think we're going to have to improve what we have, not all suddenly dig bolt-holes.

But what you say about books is a good notion. In addition to libraries (including the family's own - we're all bookworms and my collection includes a lot of how-to stuff) downloading what you can off the internet and printing it off hardcopy while the power lasts might not be a bad idea.

The solar panels we have are sufficient to run a laptop - IF we have sufficient sunlight. Which we may not for awhile. Can't count on e-copies to be accessible.