Novel Coronavirus 2020 megathread

[bacpacker]

Metro, glad you and the family got over what you had. Things are getting crazy. I ended up going to a pulmanary Dr. He put me back on Steroids and a steroid inhaler. Finally some thing that worked. My cough and the wheezing has mostly gone now. I went back to Dr last week for a follow up and he retested me. First visit my lung function was 47%. 2nd visit I was up to 72%. Dr was surprised I made that much improvement that quick. Said it usually took 2 months to get that much. He kept me on the steroid inhaler until I go back in June for a follow up. He thinks I should be over it by then. I know breathing is much easier than it was for a good long while. But this crap has took it out of me. I have tried working around outside the past 2 saturdays just doing some light stuff. First week after about 2 hours, taking breaks ever 15-20 minutes I was toast. This saturday I was able to go 30 minutes or so at a time, and stayed at in about 4 hours. I'll take the improvement for sure.

Sounds like work is gonna shut down to a large degree, other than essintial personel at some point soon. Due to my recent lung issues and still being on meds, our division director has ok'd me to start working from home. I'm gonna go in tomorrow and gather up what I need and will be working from here for however long this runs. I'm glad they are letting me get started now. It wouldn't be good for the wife or I either one to catch the CV. It'd probably kill us both. Staying home will be good.

[Sniper-T]

on going thread...

what are you lacking.. what are you scrambling for, what are your thoughts?


My veggie stocks are low... I'm pumping them hard, cans, dried, and frozen... before the sheeple get wind

gas
propane

seeds

given my keto diet, my rice/pasta stocks are low... maxing them

bumping up flour


have lotsa beans... adding more\

daily, the sheeple are realizing their shortcomings, and binge buying to compensate.

Shelves may be empty soon, ants, are you topped up
?

[realist]

As of last few days the shelves were cleared out.

Good morning all from the Left Coast, its been a while since I’ve been on, been pretty busy. That is up until now. The courts have closed so I’m not working there, the Junior College closed so the Police Academy has been suspended so I’m not teaching. We are now under a public health order to shelter in place. What does that mean is for the general population, as one site says “Stay the F*** Home”! However, they are saying you can go out for exercise, groceries and medicine. There are a bunch of exempt business, including the local marijuana dispensary, that are allowed to stay open.

So, over the week there has been panic buying in the stores. It is really amazing to use all this as a learning exercise. On the west coast here we do not have the shelves cleaned out like some of you folks when there is a hurricane. People are real concerned about getting toilet paper but don’t have enough food in their pantry, I wonder what flavor is the toilet paper? One thing they are putting out is the trucks are making deliveries as much as possible to the stores. What was panic a couple days ago has calmed down, then again still shortages.

My take on this is I’m in the class that the virus hits hard, however I am in great health. As for preps I have been doing this since the 1970’s so I am pretty good and even my wife seems to understand now. So, with all this panic buying I figure in about another four or five days I will check the stores because they are stocking them and restock what I want, not need. So what am I doing, I am planting my garden hopefully this week but it is raining so I might get the starts going. The big thing is I’m social distancing which kind of sucks when you like to get with friends for dinner.

Long term on this is I truly hope this will be short term, but I wouldn’t prep if I thought that. I am looking at a minimum of 90 days for a lot of people however bills have to be paid and I don’t know what people are going to do. I’m a big cash guy, there are some places that do not take cash because it might be tainted, I didn’t think about that! Gold and Silver markets are going down if you notice however most of that is paper and not physical. If you try to buy it is pretty much “out of stock”.

Having studied pandemics for the past 20 years as a sideline of my work I see we are going to get hammered by this virus. No, it’s not the normal flu. The normal flu does not totally overwhelm hospital systems. The economy worldwide is trashed. Medical supplies are drying up at a time when we need it RTFN. We now understand Made In America, our pharmaceutical chain sucks and we rely on China for them. This has got to change along with a bunch of other things.

You might consider positioning yourself to be prepared to weather a depression not a recession. I am starting to look at the long term of years for the recovery not months. Time will tell.

[Domeguy]

Coronavirus Pandemic, day 16.
If anyone is still out there, I’m alive but struggling. Food is running low. Down to only 459 days worth, not counting all the freeze dried in the cellar. My hands are super sanitized and my butt is super clean, as the still is putting out about 50 gallons a day. Down to 15,999 rounds of ammo (dropped 1 round down the heat vent while doing daily inventory). Power still on, but for how long? Missing human interaction but I have the 4 cats, and the dog...for now.. (I'm soaking her food in BBQ sauce in an attempt to marinate her from the inside in case I have to eat her). I fear dark days ahead. News is all bad. Neighbors have attempted to leap from windows to their death, (or near death... most have single story homes so they are badly bruised). Blew through most Netflix series so may have to rewatch some again..Basic Survival is a definite challenge. I vow to persevere to the end, I am a survivor! Please, if there is life out there, communicate with me to help preserve my sanity.

Thanks...Domeguy

[bacpacker]

As of today I am working from home. I have no issue with that. 2 hours drive time now out the window, ditto on fuel and maintenance cost.
We've been picking up a little stuff here and there as we find it. Some stuff has been hit hard, other stuff is still available. We are still eating out of the fridge for now. Stocks are pretty well topped off on what we normally store. Fuel prices have dropped under $2 a gallon, so I'm doing my rotation with all my gas stores. I rotated the diesil out last Dec. Keeping vehicles full of 100% gas right now, just to not have that to think about. Picked up several garden plants this week and starting seed this weekend. Was able to pick up a can of 5.56 at the farm store the other night.
One thing a lot of folks haven't mentioned, we have picked up some cash at the bank in addition to what we normally hold. I expect banks to close at some point, and I've heard of ATM's at some places closing or running out of cash. We never use ATM's, but wanted to have cash on hand in case.

[Socalman]

Monday I heard a report on the radio that gun shops are doing a great business again. This time many of the liberal Californians who voted for our insane gun laws are being inconvenienced! Shocked to hear that they have to wait 10 days to pick up their weapon after they have done the load of paperwork required by our central party in Sacramento. Here is a good one for you too, we have a background check for ammo! If you are picking up your new gun and ask for ammo right then and there you skip the background check. If you start to walk away at the end of the transaction and the clerk has closed the transaction on the computer you have to start the background check--after you fork over more $$! So some of those who just thought they voted for "common sense laws" have discovered, it has been BOHICA.

[Metrocruiser]

I'm glad to hear you are improving in your health BP. It sounds so much worse that what I went through.

Most of the businesses in the Metro Vancouver area are closed and are soon to be closed. It will just be the essential services that will be operational. Time to move the boat out of the garden and start planting.

I'm planning to stay low at the fort. How far away do you think plundering and pillaging is? Should I buy some barbed wire and bar up my windows?

[Sniper-T]

Coronavirus Pandemic, day 16.
I have the 4 cats, and the dog...for now.. (I'm soaking her food in BBQ sauce in an attempt to marinate her from the inside in case I have to eat her).

Thanks...Domeguy

Atta boy! I knew I could draw you to the right side... see sig line 2

what flavour bbq sauce?

[Sniper-T]

Hey Metro, you move? I thought you used to be in the Peg?

- - - Updated - - -

Around here, at least in the cities, stores that are open are refusing cash. plastic only!!

I imagine that that will change at some point soon, so I am also pulling cash!
small bills

[orangetom1999]

By Sniper T,

Around here, at least in the cities, stores that are open are refusing cash. plastic only!!

I imagine that that will change at some point soon, so I am also pulling cash!
small bills

I'm not so sure it is going to change ….but stay a cashless society.

The ultimate "Herding Scheme" is a cashless society....being able to totally know what people are doing....and where they are at any given time...what they are buying and how much. Are they a threat to the system??

Between cell phones, our modern cars and the coming "Cashless Society.." it will be total control. Our technology telling on us. The Ultimate Herding Scheme.


Such radical plans work best if instituted under the guise of an Emergency. Problem historically is that when or if the emergency is over...the government seldom gives the power back to the people when they ..or someone behind the government is making a killing off this rigged structure in place.

It will be absolute power...divine right of kings..feudalism….royalty..the very system our founders sought to prevent by limited government.....buckle up....this will not be limited government.



Went to Bass Pro yesterday while out getting some other prepps…..for a few reloading supplies..

Most of the bullets were gone in suitable calibers..particularly pistol..and AR calibers....so too the powders.

Managed to get the last can of Bullseye and two boxes of Hornady 180 grain spire points...interlock bullets...and put them away. I am mostly sat for reloading supplies but noted the run on such items. Don't think they will be restocking any time soon.


Will pass this status off to my friend via ham radio ….some 400 miles west of me in Tennessee.

We set up our Ham radios years ago....with an emergency secondary link in mind should many regular systems be shut down....land lines or cell phones.

We envisioned war or Islamic Terrorism..but not this virus....

Nonetheless we do have arrangements to reach each other and schedules...etc etc.

Thinking this may be important as well as resourceful later down the road.


Have set up two VHF/UHF radio stations up in Central Virginia..among preppers that they can keep in touch with each other.

This will not work out if the repeater should go down for any reason.

I contacted one of them early in this morning and they were able to hear me clearly about 110 miles away...but not transmit though I had them key up the repeater to note if they were working well and in range. I noted their signal...good and strong early in the morning. Contact at these ranges works best early in the morning or late night. the other station is about 125 miles out from here.
They are using mobile VHF radios and or Baofeng Walkie Talkies with an adapter and a base station antenna hooked up to the Baofeng Walkie talkies. The mobile radios run between 20 and 45 watts and the Baofeng walkie talkies 5 watts.
The 440 MHZ bands we are trying to stay away from them as the range is too short without heavy/complex directional antennas.
These are FM mode radios.

HF/High Frequency long range will be the way to go without a repeater but most do not have the training or the radios...and these radios are expensive. A little bit above the AM broadcasting band. 75 meters or 40 meters.. This is Single Side Band mode...SSB. Very good at longer ranges.


Or if it comes to it....radio pirating....free lancing...to keep in communication. Similar to what we used to do out of the CB bands.

The limit here will be our knowledge, training, and resourcefulness.
I am grateful for the old timers teaching me to fabricate my own antennas. I am not dependent on the system for antennas....in this case a base station antenna.

Been buying solid 3/8 diameter aluminum rods from true value hard ware stores for years along with aluminum angle bar for the purpose of putting back antenna materials.
Also put back several rolls of 12 gauge black stranded wire in 500 foot lengths..from Lowes...this too for making olde fashioned wire antennas.

My base station antenna here is one of those 500 foot rolls of 12 gauge wire.....hoisted up into my trees to form an olde fashioned loop antenna and on it I can tune in the ham bands...CB radio and even AM/FM Radio. I have built another antenna for the really high frequency stuff.


My non Ishmaelite .02,
Orangetom