Living rural questions.

[Loopeend]

A trip to your local camping store might be handy. They generally have lots of choice for being without power & water. They have some great light alternatives.

Depending how long you are without power & the season would depend on what you need to do about frozen goods. If we are careful not to open doors & let cold air escape our fridge will keep things frozen for @ least 48 hours. After that it gets dodgy. An esky with ice will work temporarily too.

I always kept -0 sleeping bags on hand & remember you will need extra water for the toilet & the animals. I'm not sure about super cold climates but filling a bathtub will give you a temporary water supply if you think you might lose power & will need stored water.

Ha. We are actually starting a camping there. Dutch, Germans, Austrians just loooove camping. These questions are mainly for the first year. If the campsite is set up we have more utillities. Like internet, an automatic extern defibrillator (we both are certified to use this anti heart-attack device), a back-up system for power, a fully working sceptic tank system, fire-alarms and such, it will even be fully wheel-chair accesable with eveything available that you could want to need when fysically challenged, and visitors that break the not-being-alone-in-the-middle-of-nowhere situation in the summer, etc. But the first year; and with bad luck more years; it will be like that. Alone. Not many recourses. We can't make that happen in 1 day. But I feel that the whole plan falls or breaks at how prepared we are to cope that year(s).

 

[Elsveta641]

That sounds like a big adventure! It might be a good investment to drill a well? A generator as you mentioned is an excellent idea. I think kerosene is probably more available there than other things for heaters. Take a emergency responder course before moving perhaps? We call this EMT training in the US, not sure what you'd call it in other places. You definitely need a cool dry place that won't allow mold or mice etc so you can stockpile things. A crossbow or compound bow is a good substitute for a gun so long as you teach yourself how to use it. I agree with the person who suggested shutting down your power to give you ideas, that's a great idea

 

[Loopeend]

That sounds like a big adventure! It might be a good investment to drill a well? A generator as you mentioned is an excellent idea. I think kerosene is probably more available there than other things for heaters. Take a emergency responder course before moving perhaps? We call this EMT training in the US, not sure what you'd call it in other places. You definitely need a cool dry place that won't allow mold or mice etc so you can stockpile things. A crossbow or compound bow is a good substitute for a gun so long as you teach yourself how to use it. I agree with the person who suggested shutting down your power to give you ideas, that's a great idea

EMT is the same as we did (did I learn now from google)! We also did a course for (and I then do not know the English name) to be an EMT but then regarding fires. How you can and have to response to fires, before the actual firebrigade arrives.

A crossbow. That is a good idea. I actually worked the crossbow as kid as sport and was quite good at it. Have to look up if it is legal though to own one in Romania. In the Netherlands it isn't. But I might break that rule if it turns out illegal to own one. I'm not the first one in the middle of nowhere to break that rule because police is not at your place in two minutes like in the city. I hate weapons, I hate illegal stuff; but sorry. In a weighscale were no help is directly available I want to be able to defend myself. My parnter will be away a lot the first year. And I can install camera's but those only have use to prove stuff áfter it happened. I dislike guns in the house, don't know how tasers work, so that might be an option. That combined with camera's who is at the door.

The person that suggested to shutting down the power; it IS a good idea but I hadn't responded yet because of giggles that I don't really feel that I can explain well. We live in a realy old crappy farm now in the middle of the city. And often the power goes out. Since it is made in the 50's and never changed. It is made for two lamps haha. But we are still on gas and can cook, or put all the gas-stoves on to keep warm. But what made me giggle was the no-water comment. We live next to a river; but it is sooooo polluted. And the thought of us having to get water from that gross thing vs water from the mountains in Romania... naaaaah. Hahaha. That the water is so polluted is one of the reasons that we don't want to live here anymore. Because when in a situation that we need to drink from the river, I don't know, war or other deadly stuff, we will die from the water from te river :') Dieing from drinking water should not be a thing.
But I get the advice. The last long power-down that we couldn't fix and needed to wait for the electric-company to fix it we also hadn't charger our phoooones :O And then you feel stupid handicapped modern people all of the sudden... We needed to ask neighbours to call (and serach for the number on their internet).. but we háve neighbours.. what if you don't =/

 

[itsasmallfarm]

not the most help but i can give some tips what we do. i don't live super rural but i do a bit of camping in the middle of now where.

i camped a few weekends on my family's farm in a 26 foot camper/trailer now its in the middle of now where nearest neighbor is about a mile away nearest town is about 8 miles or 12kms away i believe, nearest city is again i think an hour away. no power, no water nothing. we used a gas generator for power only running it for a cup of coffee or maybe a quick shower, for water we just hauled in a few gallons to put in the campers water tank. and we bring way to much food and supplies but never know what might happen. and propane for cooking/BBQ food.

now again its more of a hunting camp so if we have to go to town its about a 10 minute drive or so. there is no year round issue its like a week at most. either big game or bird hunting. so the goal is to harvest meat.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

also i would suggest knowing how to hunt,fish or trap to be able to provide food (with in legal seasons and regulations of course) in case of an emergency or a renewable food source.

 

[R2elk]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this; but I think there might be people here that have an answer.

I'm planning to move to Romania, a really, really, rural part of Romania. No sewage systems, no water pipes, no shops in the small town, only elderly neighbours living far apart.
I live in the Netherlands were there is no real rural place. I'm used to having everything I need 10 minutes on the bicycle away.

I have found out now how sceptic tanks work and water resevoirs over there and how and where I can get my medication.

But I am still unsure what I need in a rural environment. I have my basic emergency medical kit and some candles incase the power falls out over here; but I probably need more rural.

Could you help?

- Do I need a power generator when the electricity falls out?
- Some water purifying things just in case?
- What spare car parts; or how many second vehicles? (it can take up about a month to get your car fixed).
- How can I contact people in case of emergency when my phone/internet does not work?
- Guns and tasers are illigal. A big dog is not an option. What other things can I do/have when needed living somewhere where there are no neighbours to hear you scream?
- How much food reserve?

- Most of all; I feel like I'm nót seeing a lot what is needed because I'm not used to it. I feel like I am overlooking a lot of things. I realise just now I probably need a printer because atleast the first months, maybe more, we won't have internet so we need to send every form with the regular mail.. haha. I can't just walk anymore like now, when my internet is gone, to the shop next door that has free wifi :') Those kind of things.

Thank you.

It may be beneficial for you to contact @gluglu since he lives in Romania.

 

[Loopeend]

When I was young a lot of people used radio´s to talk with each other (radio amateur operator devices)
When I was young it was only a thing truck-drivers still did out of hobby; because it used to be that way, and allthough mobile phones were a thing, they wanted to keep it alive.

Do rural people still use that? Or shoot emergency flares? There MUST be a way I think to contact others in case of emergency? Or do they just accept that it is a part of life to not be able to contact other people sometimes in case of emergency? Knowing that the place where we are going to live is full of really old alone people with medical problems living far apart from each other, there must be a way? What if you are old and fall and can't get up? Just die?

How do rural people solve this?

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

If you are only moving, not changing Citizenship, maybe ask the Consulate of the Country?

Knowing that the place where we are going to live is full of really old alone people with medical problems living far apart from each other, there must be a way? What if you are old and fall and can't get up? Just die?

To a great degree, yes. For example, Japaneze has a name "Kodokushi" or "lonely death". It occurs in my Country as well.

 

[Loopeend]

If you are only moving, not changing Citizenship, maybe ask the Consulate of the Country?



To a great degree, yes. For example, Japaneze has a name "Kodokushi" or "lonely death". It occurs in my Country as well.

Do they accept it because it is a natural thing in their lives? It always has been?
Is it intrusive to, when we arrive and find out their is not such a system, and we are making it for our own, we also involve these people? Like setting up such a system. Giving light flares or bells to people. maybe also involve the priest since that is kind of the social system in remote places. To come to an agreement that when used we all know help is needed?
Due to our sheltered city-life upbringing we might be too worried about being alone in case of emergencies. We will probably do a lot of stuff to make ourselves feel more safe, and we have camping guests that are used to strict high standard Dutch/German rules on firesafety, an anti-heart-attack machine available, people that have licenses to use it, and all kind of other luxery's they expect because they also come from city's. So we will bring those. Is it offending to people to try to create a system when they can reach for help for some reason because we have those stuff available. Or is that intrusive and rude.

 

[Shadrach]

I live halfway up a mountain in Catalonia. It sounds like your thinking of somewhere even more remote.
I have lots of suggestions. The most important question and the one thing that will make, or break any attempts to survive is WATER.
We have a well here. There is no other supply. If the well dries up we have to get a truck of water delivered. It's only got desperate once but this can wipe out all your attempts to grow your own food very quickly.
I haven't read all the thread yet but.....do you have a well? if not, how reliable is the water system you do have?