David M. lived in Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon in New Mexico.
The 64-year-old had lived in the area for over two decades in a cabin he built himself.
In 2022, a wildfire in the area burned over 160 square miles and David was one of about 15,000 people who were ordered to evacuate because of the fire.
In total, about 430 homes were destroyed by the blaze, including, sadly, David’s cabin.
In the three months following the fire, David slept in his truck.
Eventually, he received about $5,000 in emergency aid which he used to buy a 90’s era travel trailer.
He refers to the trailer as the “tin can,” and put the trailer on the property where his cabin once stood.
It doesn’t have heat and the wind makes the cabinets shake, but it was all he could afford to buy.
The worst part of the story is that the fire that destroyed all those homes – and David’s cabin – was intentionally set by the federal government.
A crew set the fire as part of a prescribed burn to limit fuel for wildfires, but alarmingly, didn’t account for the dry conditions and the 70mph winds.
As is the case in many disasters, FEMA stepped in to help those affected (at least that is what FEMA said).
They offered victims of the disaster cash for short-term expenses. In addition, FEMA was supposed to help about 140 households with housing.
But a year after the disaster, only about 14 displaced households had been provided housing.
FEMA said most of the other households had found another housing source.
What they didn’t say is that the other housing source could be a vehicle, or an inadequate trailer.
In addition, those who got trailers for housing couldn’t afford to get the trailers hooked up, and the trailers came with too many strings attached.
For example, the trailers had to go through inspection once they were set up.
And people were required to have septic tanks and other infrastructure.
In some instances, FEMA told people the trailers could only be set up in mobile home parks, not on the land the folks had been displaced from.
People lost everything because of the mistakes of the federal government.
Then, they were abandoned by another federal agency that was supposed to help them.
Our nation was founded by self-reliant people, but today many people are coddled by the resources provided by the federal government.
I believe everyone should be self-sustaining and able to live off the grid.
But the government has made this harder than it should be (like they do almost everything else).
In fact, here are a few ways the government can impact your plans and preparations for off-the-grid living.
Wood-burning stoves:
People have been burning wood for warmth and cooking since basically the beginning of time.
For those who want to live off-the-grid, a wood-burning stove can be key to survival.
Yet, the Environmental Protection Agency has a long list of guidelines and regulations when it comes to wood-burning stoves.
For example, an EPA regulation limits the amount of airborne particle pollutants from wood-burning stoves.
Most people who live off the grid could likely be ignorant of or careless about these types of regulations.
Yet, it’s a way for the federal government to get involved in and even prevent you from using your off-grid home or bug-out location.
So, as you prepare to live off-the-grid it’s worth investing in a wood-burning stove that won’t come back to bite you later on.
Water:
The Clean Water Act is another environmental law that comes with a lot of confusion.
The law says that a body of water is subject to regulation if it has an impact on navigable waters.
So, if you have a cabin and the stream next to it flows to a larger river, then the small stream could be federally regulated.
There have been court cases where people have built homes on property containing wetlands.
The EPA said the wetlands were “navigable waters,” which wreaked havoc on the building of the homes.
Federal law gives the government control of many bodies of water, so when you go off-the-grid do some research about any bodies of water that are nearby.
Find out if there have been lawsuits and regulations in the specific area because you may discover you can’t depend on the lake or river next to your cabin.
In that case, you should stockpile water and consider a water tank for the property.
Local laws:
Not only can federal regulations hinder off-the-grid living, but many states have local laws that can as well.
Years ago, a Florida court ruled that a Cape Coral woman’s self-sustaining home was illegal.
The woman provided her electricity with solar panels and used rainwater for her home.
Turns out the city had laws that said it was illegal to not be connected to the water system.
And the court ruled that she had to connect to the city’s water system, even if she didn’t use it.
So, before you go off-the-grid do research on the local codes and regulations where you plan to live.
Many states and cities have dumb laws that are outdated but still on the books.
A rogue government official could use these laws to target those who want to be self-sustaining.
Governments all over the world want their citizens to be dependent on the government so they can more easily control people.
Another way to ensure you can stay off-the-grid and not beholden to the government is to have a stockpile of long-term survival food you can use in emergencies.
As we’ve seen time and again with FEMA, when disaster strikes, our government agencies are slow or completely ineffective at supplying relief.
And you don’t want to rely on government handouts, or the hospitality of prepared neighbors to feed your family.
