15 Hard Lessons I Learned from the ‘TEXAGEDDON’ Blackouts and Collapse of Critical Infrastructure

The “Texageddon” blackouts and near-collapse of all infrastructure (food, fuel, cell towers, power grid, water systems, emergency services, roads, etc.) taught us all some very difficult lessons in survival.

We learned that the infrastructure is far more vulnerable than most people thought, and we saw with our own eyes that most people still refuse to prepare with extra food and water, even after a year of covid lockdowns that should have been a universal wake up call.

In today’s Situation Update podcast, I reveal 15 lessons I learned the hard way, including learning which preps failed to function (and how to do better next time).

The full podcast is embedded below. Here’s the short list of the 15 items:

1. Survival is very physical. Expect to exert a lot of physical effort.
2. Culture matters. Don’t end up in a community without morals or ethics when it all hits the fan.
3. Convergence of two “black sawn” disasters can wipe out your best plans, even if you have successfully prepped for any one (standalone) disaster.
4. Some of your preps will FAIL. It’s difficult to consider all possible scenarios, so count on failures striking without warning.
5. You need LAYERS of preparedness and “fall back” systems that are very low-tech and require nothing more than the laws of physics (gravity, chemistry, etc.).
6. No one is coming to help you. In many situations, no one can get to you even if they wanted to.
7. Containers (buckets, barrels) are extremely important. Have lots of pre-stored water and fuel at all times.
8. Bitcoin and crypto were all completely valueless and useless during the collapse, since they all rely on electricity. Gold, silver and cash worked fine, on the other hand.
9. You will likely experience injuries or mishaps due to new, unusual demands on your work activities. Practice safety and be prepared to deal with injuries yourself.
10. Having lots of spare parts for plumbing. Standardize your pipe sizes and accessories. I have standardized on 1″ PEX pipe and all its fittings because PEX is very easy to cut, shape and rework. Plus it’s far more resistant to bursting, compared to PVC.
11. Investment in food is always a good investment, as prices will continue to climb. No one ever said during an emergency, “Gee, I wish I had less food here.”
12. You can’t count on any government or institution or infrastructure to solve anything. Usually they just get in the way.
13. You MUST have good lights and many backup batteries, or you will be sitting in the dark. You’ll need a good headlamp (I use the PETZL Nao+) and some good 18650-battery flashlights such as Nitecore.
14. Guns and bullets are not needed in some survival scenarios, so balance your prepping. Don’t put all your money into ammo and fail to cover other important areas like emergency first aid.
15. Think about what are stores of energy: Wood, diesel, gasoline, propane, water elevation, etc. Survival is a lot about energy management.

Must-have prepping books:

1. Prepper’s Long-Term Survival Guide: Food, Shelter, Security, Off-the-Grid Power and More Life-Saving Strategies for Self-Sufficient Living 
2. The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster 
3. A Year Without the Grocery Store: A Step by Step Guide to Acquiring, Organizing, and Cooking Food Storage 
4. The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster

Here’s the full podcast:

Sources: Afinalwarning.com; Brighteon.com