lets discuss preps for disasters

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Good thread. what are you gonna do when 20 little kids come running up to your place rummaging?

Just asking.

 

[MossRoad]

Depends how tender they are....

 

[MossRoad]

A distiller is the best way to have pure drinking water. Also a basement isn't just for tornados. They can be a life saver in a power outage during extreme heat and cold.

Yeah, our basement is very cool in the summer. Like natural air conditioning. However, it will get downright cold in the winter. You can see your breath down there. That's because is sticks up out of the ground two feet and has no insulation around the outside wall. Its old. Modern basements can be very warm in winter. We have our wood burner down there. It takes a day or two for the slab to warm up, but once its warm it stays warm for two-three days, even when its well below zero outside.

 

[riptides]

Depends how tender they are....

The Book of Eli, comes to mind, again...

 

[Garycw]

Yeah, our basement is very cool in the summer. Like natural air conditioning. However, it will get downright cold in the winter. You can see your breath down there. That's because is sticks up out of the ground two feet and has no insulation around the outside wall. Its old. Modern basements can be very warm in winter. We have our wood burner down there. It takes a day or two for the slab to warm up, but once its warm it stays warm for two-three days, even when its well below zero outside.

Our basement has a wood burner and a propane fireplace, match light cooking stove/ oven. Two 500 gal propane tanks connected to house. A power inverter & batteries to run blowers & fans. Also have city water, a good spring and a cpl food grade 275 gal caged totes. A electric & non electric distilled and 1/2 ac pond, 550 watt solar panels, a gas and propane generators, 12vdc water pumps 300 gal gas & 100 gal deisel tanks.but shhhh! Don't tell anyone!!

 

[Soundguy]

As for radios working after the CME or EMP, yes the vhf repeaters will likely be fried but simplex 2 meters can easily work for 50 miles with proper location and antennas. Also 80 meters with an NVIS antenna is your typical 200 300 mile solution. Try to keep the antennas around 10 foot high or so. Even lower can work but become a nuisance for people accidentally running into them. I have a nice little backup 12 volt radio the FT 450 . the power can easily be adjusted from 5 to 100 watts. And the display can be dimmed or even turned completly off to conserve power. A simple compact all mode hf thru 6 meter rig, yet full featured.

Ditto that!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I can't answer my own question either, but it might be one of the most important preparedness items to plan for.

 

[oosik]

Our biggest disaster around here is wildfires. So if one comes thru and burns everything - I'll be staying in a local hotel, eating meals in the local restaurants and watching as my new house is rebuilt. That's what homeowners insurance is all about.

Been here 33+ years and the longest power outage was 26 hours - not even long enough to consider starting the generator. PB&J sandwiches did get a little old.

Otherwise - something like a super eruption of Yellowstone is not a worry - I'll be long gone and buried under feet of ash.

 

[PhysAssist]

Or get a life straw for $20 and drink up to 1000 liters of mud puddles safely.

LifeStrawｮ

Or, if you use a simple prefilter like running it through cloth (even a T-shirt), you can more than double the use of it.

 

[/pine]

Ditto that!

I have a foot locker that is lined with 1/16" lead I recovered from a contract I had to remodel a former health clinic...the radiology(x-ray) room had been shielded with sheetrock that had the lead sheets laminated onto it...even the door to the room had a sheet of lead in it...!...the "glass" the tech looked through was lead crystal...!

The locker makes a great place to stash vulnerable electronic stuff...

BTW...every elec. outlet box had special (lead) liners...and every drywall screw had special little lead things (for lack of a better word) that were pasted into the heads before they were mudded over...

 

[PhysAssist]

Ahh... without power for filtration, your pool water is turning bad within 48 hours.

After a hurricane, well, not useable for anything else other than toilets unless you have some purification methods handy.

Don't overlook charcoal for long term value. Both storage and cooking value.

...And crushed, it makes a great prefilter for water.

 

[TomSeller]

Our biggest disaster around here is wildfires. So if one comes thru and burns everything - I'll be staying in a local hotel, eating meals in the local restaurants and watching as my new house is rebuilt. That's what homeowners insurance is all about.

Been here 33+ years and the longest power outage was 26 hours - not even long enough to consider starting the generator. PB&J sandwiches did get a little old.

Otherwise - something like a super eruption of Yellowstone is not a worry - I'll be long gone and buried under feet of ash.

I saw on the news about your fires out there, any come close to you? Or were they farther west? I have been through your area, nice country.

 

[PhysAssist]

+2 For everything you said Eddie,

I also posted the LDS manual in earlier post!

We went through a 3-week long wide spread power outage and loss of services here January of 1991and it really took until March for things to go fully back to normal.

It was after that when we started collecting and preparing for emergencies.

Then on Labor Day we had a series of micro-burst storms that did damage similar to tornadoes but in a skipping stone pattern rather than as long swaths.

That helped fine tune more of our preparations, and we burned firewood from that storm for about 3 or 4 winters.

I used to drive around after work, and fill up my truck bed with the logs that people had out to the road. The tree surgeons and town crews had too much wood already in their yards to take any more. We burned a lot of really interesting wood that year- tulip wood and a lot of less common fruit trees as well as some old growth oak, maple, ash, birch, larch and many others. If it wasn't pine or other conifer, we took it and burned it.

Lots of good information on here, especially some of the things I had never thought about like bleach and vinegar.

I heard somewhere that the Mormons are really big on keeping food and supplies stored to last at least three months. They sell to the public and you can buy in bulk from them. I have never compared their prices, but think they have a lot of research into this for what works.

https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage?lang=eng

One of the worse things that I think happened to the idea of being prepared was that show on TV about preppers. Every one of them was an end of the world nut job wanting to be rambo during a zombie movie fighting off hordes of invaders. The stupid factor made it impossible to watch for very long, and very disappointing. I was looking for real world ideas to get through natural disasters or at least something reasonable that might happen. Now when you talk about prepping, it's almost like admitting you are afraid of being kidnapped by aliens instead of being responsible in planning ahead to take care of your family and livestock in case something happens.

 

[PhysAssist]

The Greeks and Romans used honey to prevent/treat infections in wounds and using sugar for wound treatment was done in more "modern" times before antibiotics.

As a complete aside, some honey can kill you. :shocked: There used to be at least one island in Greece that grew a flower that the bees used to make honey. The pollen was poisonous and so was the honey made from same. I never would have thought of that happening but it makes sense once you know it happened. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

Hi Dan,

Another good call, but better make sure that it's pasteurized honey, because unpasteurized honey often has botulin bacteria in it, which is why it isn't safe for babies.
Adult GI tracts have a strong immune function, which makes it less likely for us to get infected, but babies, AND skin wounds don't have the same resistance.

 

[PhysAssist]

yup,, I think that was ? history channel that did prepers, and yeah.. I agree.. they kinda messed it up by taking only the most fanatical people to interview.

remember the guy that made the compound out of storage containers ( hey.. I like the idea of containers.. just not how he set them up and used them ).

then he fired at them to test if they were bullet proof.

I notice he only used a 22lr.. He declared it fully bullet proof after that test... I got sad news for him...

Nope, I think it were the National Geographic channel.

 

[dirt ditch]

We were without power for 2 weeks because of an EF5 tornado a few years back. My folks and grand parents all came to our house in the country to live with us for a couple months because their homes were either damaged or destroyed. The night of the tornado I was watching it on radar with my computer. I knew the town was going to be hit and my house was in line with the direction of the storm after that. The power went out with no cellphone service or internet just as the tornado hit town. My wife and kids were already in the basement where I joined them. Fortunately after it hit town the tornado lifted and when it came over our house it was just starting to drop back down. We only had minor damage at our place. We lost a grain bin and it snapped off a large elm tree and cedar tree in the shelter belt. After the tornado went by our place we quickly gathered what we thought we would need to head in to town to find our family members. With several inches of rain the dirt roads were a mess and 3 sections of an irrigation system were strewn across the county road that we had to drive around. We would have been stuck if our vehicles had not been 4 wheel drive. When we got to town the streets were impassable due to the downed power lines and massive amount of debris covering the streets. My folks and grand parents homes were close to the edge of town with the least amount of destruction. I was able to drive to both their homes but other family members homes had to be walked to. My wife and mother walked to the other family members homes to check on them while my sons and I helped the folks and grand parents. Now I'm not an end of the world zombie prepper but my wife and I are a lot more ready for a catastrophe than we use to be and here is some of what I know and learned.

Flashlights & Batteries - I'm kind of a flashlight junky anyway, so when our catastrophe started shortly after the sun went down I was ready. A town turned to rubble with no lights and overcast sky. It's not dark, it's black with 10 or so hours until sun up and you have a lot of work to do. With more rain on the way we had to board up broken windows, cover a large hole in the roof, and remove large limbs from behind my dad's pickup.

Vehicle fuel - Headlights are better than flashlights and fuel was a 30 mile drive one way.

FRS radios - With no cellphone service my wife and I took our FRS radios to town. probably the only ones in town that had them. It was great being in contact with her and mom as they walked across town to check on my aunt who had cancer and my grandmother. They were a little less than a mile away when my wife radioed me that she had her cousin, his wife and kids with her and none of them were hurt. She then was able to radio me that my aunt and grandmother's homes were gone and they had been taken to the road department building which was turned into the evacuation center. I jumped in my jeep and drove to the road department to get them. There was hundreds of people there so i had to look for them. When I found them I'm not sure which of us was happier to see each other. While I was looking for aunt and grandma I ran into my wife's aunt who had traveled part way across the state to find her son and his family. We were both so happy that I was able to tell her that they were alright and no one was hurt, then let her speak to her son on the radio. I now have several FRS radios set back just in case.

Chainsaw - I forgot mine when we headed into town. It sucked cutting up a elm tree with a cross cut saw. Now I carry a folding limb saw in the truck. Not as good as a chainsaw but better than a cross cut saw.

World radio - After the tornado cleanup began the state set up a mobile AM transmitter that played a looped information message that was updated daily. I lived on the edge of the range of the transmitter. The little junk radio I had at the time would not even pick it up. I had to use my Icom IC-R70 to bring it in. I now have a Tecsun shortwave radio that cost less than $50, is the size of a sandwich, and would have captured the transmitter signal. The best feature of the radio is you can put it on FM, AM, or short-wave then push the ETM (easy tuning mode) button and it will search those frequencies and store any receivable ones. It takes about a minute then you just turn the dial to go through them. Listing 2-4 hours a day one charge lasts about a month on 3 800 mAh Duracell NiMH rechargeable batteries. Just plug a USB cable into the radio to charge them back up.

Generator - After going a day and a half with out power to run the water well I bought my first generator. We were told no service for a week or more. With 10 people living in the house and having to drive 30 miles to a friends house to shower, that was not going to work. I had an electrician friend come take out the meter and hook up the generator on my side. Yes, he covered the wires so any linemen working on the company's line would be safe. We also called the company and informed them what we had done. I have since had a proper disconnect box installed.

2 burner propane camp stove - The generator I bought after the tornado was not big enough to run the electric stove in the kitchen. That little stove set perfectly on the kitchen stove with a small screw on propane bottle. We have a percolator that works great on the stove for brewing coffee.

After the tornado My wife started the be prepared thing for us on her own. When I noticed, she filled me in on what she had been doing and I got on the wagon with her. Our goal is not to just be able to take care of ourselves and be self supportive but also be there to help family and friends if the need rises. The people who accuse us of wearing foil hats probably have never been in a situation where you loose everything you have in an instant. I have seen it. It does happen. I have seen FEMA come in to a community and take it over. They bring Marshal law. If a person thinks the government cares about them they are in for a surprise. The people in charge of the local government will prosper under them as well as the largest businesses and that's all.

 

[drajj5]

Dirt Ditch - Well written, informative post.

As I read your scenario I can see you have learned the hard way; about prepping. I have never had to go through what has happened to you and your family. I will certainly take the tips that you have suggested inadvertently within your post. I am not prepped for anything like you described, but can see that everything you have described has purpose and should be heeded. I was shocked when you described FEMA as Marshal law though.... I hadn't really thought about that aspect happening as an aftermath. Interesting -that you incorporated that into your final thoughts when you closed your post.

Perhaps I need to do some sort of prepping, I am not prepared for any event of sorts, nor do I have any material to educate myself if resources aren't available. I have a handful of candles and a flashlight in the shop. I have no radio as you described ( had to Google FRS radio). Living in the country I do have chainsaws and camping gear (stove/axe/etc.). Generator is standard in these parts where I live as loss of power happens too frequently, every year. Guess I need to do something because I could only make it about a week if an event like yours came to my neck of the woods.

 

[TomSeller]

2 burner propane camp stove - The generator I bought after the tornado was not big enough to run the electric stove in the kitchen. That little stove set perfectly on the kitchen stove with a small screw on propane bottle. We have a percolator that works great on the stove for brewing coffee.
.

I hope you had the kitchen exhaust powered with the generator or doors open AND battery powered CO detectors. You don't know you are fatally poisoned by CO until it is too late. Camp stoves are not typically rated for indoor use and give off CO, unlike a rated indoor stove. Be safe.

 

[PhysAssist]

Awesome thread ... thanks for starting it!!! My wife and i are old school, we know alot about alot and have been for years storing things ... we often laugh about it ... when we are gone the kids are gonna find things and say "WTF was mom and dad expecting the world to end?"

Alot of good things have been brought up ... I personally have alot of weapons and ammo ... I will only trust close family. If the shlt hits the fan the big city folks will take out 50% of themselves before they realize a problem ... then 50% of them will flea to the hills only to have 50% of them not survive the remaining 50% will be cut in half trying to steal ... the numbers will come down ... maybe a good thing? I know I'm weird.

Hi BR,

You aren't weird in my book,... BUT maybe that just makes me weird too.

The CDC had a campaign to encourage preparedness a coupla years ago called: "Don't Be a Zombie", and the point of it was pretty much that if you stay prepared for the Zomb-pocolypse (or your-pocolypse of choice)- you are going to be prepared fpr disasters in general, because you will have most of what you will need for any specific disaster, minus the few specialty things for things like snow emergencies, or other spcific disasters...

We have always had some supplies put by, but after the several weather-related power outages with loss of other services and relative isolation because of altered travel conditions, that we have weathered (sorry) we stepped up our preparations somewhat, but like anything else, we have done so in fits and spurts.

http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies/#/page/1
and
http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/documents/zombie_gn_final.pdf
and
http://www.cdc.gov/images/campaigns/emergency/zombies2_300x250.jpg

The hardest thing to store long term is fuel, so to be honest, I have been thinking about getting some of the premixed chainsaw/2-cycle fuel to keep so we have some that there is no need to worry about degrading rapidly.

Any other suggestion?

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[aczlan]

I hope you had the kitchen exhaust powered with the generator or doors open AND battery powered CO detectors. You don't know you are fatally poisoned by CO until it is too late. Camp stoves are not typically rated for indoor use and give off CO, unlike a rated indoor stove. Be safe.

Ummm, an indoor propane stove is no different than an outdoor one. Both give off CO. That's why they advise against using an open gas oven to heat your house.

Aaron Z