Apocalypse Supplies

I'm reading Dies the Fire, and I'm totally absorbed in it. It took a while to grow on me, but the book is sorta awesome. I'll save my review for later in the week since I'm not quite done yet. Still, it got me thinking about what if electricity and gunpowder suddenly stopped working? I still don't think that's very plausible, but hey. The book is entertaining.

First, you'd have to be one of the lucky ones to realize what happened ASAP. Which means you make a mad scramble for supplies then get out of Dodge. If you are sitting around for 3-4 days waiting for rescue or the power to come back on, you're already behind schedule. You're fleeing the urban areas with the rest of the population and competing for the same supplies.

You ain't gonna make it.

At least you have a few more weeks before the cannibals get you. Hopefully before then, you can hook up with the initial people and convince them not to make you a slave.

So let's assume you were among the first group to flee. Also let's assume you have a place to flee to. Luckily our protagonist had a few hundred acres and a cabin that was reachable by horse or bike. Well, of course she does. It wouldn't be much of a book if the main characters didn't survive.

Also let's assume your plot of land has both woods and plowable fields and fresh water springs. Which is about the equivalent of winning the Apocalypse Powerball.

I've been doing some thinking as the book progresses. Here's a minimum of what you'll need to survive in your cabin retreat. The asterisk stands for "lifetime supply".

1. Antibiotics*
2. Iodine tablets*
3. lighters and matches
4. pots and pans
5. salt*
6. pepper and other spices
7. tools - hammers, screwdrivers, saws, pliers, etc
8. farm tools - hoes, rakes, axes, shovels, etc
9. weapons
10. knives for tools, cooking, and defense
11. seeds of all varieties*
12. canning supplies
13. sugar*
14. yeast*
15. plow horses and tack
16. livestock - milch animals, chickens
17. sewing needles or clothes*
18. soap
19. Books on - hunting, cleaning game, setting snares, wilderness survival, farming, making soap and candles, weaponry and defense, agriculture, edible plants, medical first aid, veterinary first aid, etc
20. blankets
21. cellar or cave storage for extra food supplies

I debated adding these others, but eventually decided they aren't absolutely critical, but would make surviving easier.
1. fishing rods
2. dogs and cats
3.  forge and anvil
4. rope*
5. eye glasses that are indestructible

You may be wondering about a few of my choices. That's okay, you might have a different list.  I do want to explain about the dogs and cats, which today are used mostly as indoor pets. Think about them in terms of civilization though.

 I had dogs and cats on my list because history shows without dogs, human civilization would have taken much longer to develop. Dogs helped the warriors bring down more meat; better fed people led to more babies. Dogs also guarded the camp, fields, and livestock, allowing people to stop the nomad lifestyle and build more settled areas. Cats kept the vermin down, preventing diseases.