Hurricane Carla in 1961. My Dad was the Marshal of our town and when Marshal Law was declared, he had our next door neighbor, who was a locksmith, open the 7-11 at the entrance to our subdivision. We recorded who took what and after it returned to normal, about 60-90 days, everyone settled up with the owner.

I got ALL of the .22 ammo, Rats and Snakes were everywhere!!!:D

Later
Martin

Unfortunatly, that probably would never happen again in this day and age with the probable exception of within a small rural town.

A while ago, I figured I should make a list of the equipment and supplies I had on-hand that would be useful in a survival/disaster situation so I could more accurately assess what I still needed to get. Later, this morphed into a generic tool to get people started on thinking about their preparedness in relation to equipment. This list is by no means the final, comprehensive solution for everyone in every location, but it can be a start down the path of analyzing what you may need should a disaster strike your location. In fact, its not even the best tool for my own needs, but it does help me continually refine my disaster preparation.

Great list, hermano.

Thanks for sharing.

TR

Thanks for sharing your list, Razor.

Thank you, Sir. I can see I've got some glaring omissions in my own preparedness efforts.

Went to the Collector's West Show this past weekend (another member of the board got a last minute table) and after much perusing and thought picked up a decent medical kit (finally) for a reasonable price (around $200, after my tailoring of included items - no pharmaceuticals of the prescription variety were available) I will pm anybody the vendor's name - he is essentially off grid and only deals in cash and Postal money orders...

The kit is essentially an M-17 fold out: basic items for vitals, basic trauma supplies, surgical kit, cleaning items, splinting items, basic first aid supplies - The kit comes in an ok bag - and it is self packable if needed, plenty of room. I saved over $150 by getting this one versus buuilding from scratch.

Oh, I also picked up some South African .308 / 7.62x51 for $65/140rds, in the sleeve. MRE's for the toy.

Thanks, Razor.

Good info. I have an old Range Bag packed full of Med Supplies. But it's mostly items for Trauma or minor cuts and Burns. The only Meds I have are over the counter. Your Med list is the first I seen with a simple explanation for what the Drugs are best used for. Are prescriptions required for all Antibiotics? Do you have a recommendation for an Antibiotic for infections, prescription or non? Infections from cuts, burns...etc.

Whoa, easy Brother...those are questions better answered your pointy-stick-wielding range partner. Rumor has it he knows things. :)

While the list others have provided so far is comprehensive and excellent, I can speak only to choices for medications to carry.

Pain Control:
Tylenol, plenty of it
Advil, plenty of it. May be taken up to 800mg 3x daily for severe pain, barring kidney issues. May also be combined with tylenol for additive effect
Vicodin or percocet (rx): narcotic combinations with tylenol. I like percocet, as it has less tylenol than vicodin (325 vs 500mg), and allow the flexibility to take more than 2 at once if needed.
Aspirin. Not only is this a great anti-inflammatory and pain med, but useful for treating chest pain from suspected cardiac causes. This is a lifesaver, and if you can't get to definitive care, the ONLY lifesaver.

Benadryl (otc). Good as an antihistamine for allergies, rashes, sleep aid, cough, minor upper respiratory infections, and migraine headaches.
Claritin (otc) non-sedating antihistamine good for rashes, allergies, and minor cough but where you need to stay active.

Phenergan tablets (rx). Actually also an antihistamine, good for nausea and migraine headaches.

Zofran ODT (rx). Expensive nonsedating nausea drug which can be used on children, adults, and the elderly with virtually no side effects. Dissolves on the tongue wtihout the need for swallowing when you're puking your guts out.

Pepto bismol (otc). Good for nausea, indigestion, diarrhea. Has some antimicrobial effect as well for some types on infectious diarrhea.

Immodium (otc). Good for diarrhea and cramping related to it.

Miralax (otc). A good non-cramping stool-softener type laxative. Not as compact as other laxatives, but you'll thank yourself if you need it.

Lotrimin, lamisil, tinactin (otc). Skin that is warm, damp, and poorly cleaned is a magnet for fungal infection. Athlete's foot, jock itch, inframammary smegma, are quite treatable.

TempDent or ZOE (otc). Temporary painkilling dental filling material, available at any drug store. If you've got a broken off tooth or cavity, this will save you a lot of misery before you can get to the dentist.

Antibiotics (all rx):
Consider the types of infections that you will see in a disaster situation. Pneumonia is possible, but far more likely are skin and soft tissue infections, wound infections, UTI, and gastroenteritis, particularly from waterborne parasites/bacteria/viruses.
Amoxicillin/clavanulate (Augmentin) is useful for treating strep throat, ear infections, UTI, most skin infections. $4 at Wal Mart
Bactrim (trimethaprim/sulfamethoxazole) good for skin abscesses caused by MRSA (though should be combined with clindamycin or augmentin for skin infxn), pneumonia, UTI, acute severe diarrhea. $4 at Wal Mart
Clindamycin, good for skin infections (including those caused by MRSA), pneumonia, strep throat, UTI. $4 at Wal Mart
Ciprofloxacin, good for skin and soft tissue infections, acute severe diarrhea, UTI, serious abdominal infections such as appendicitis (this does little but prolong time to surgery, BTW)
Doxycycline. Good for skin and soft tissue infections including those caused by MRSA, URI, pneumonia, UTI, and yes, anthrax and plague. As well as gonorrhea and chlamidya. $4 at Wal Mart.
Metronidazole (Flagyl). Treats certain causes of waterborne diarrheal illness like giardia, entamoeba, and others. Also treats trichomonas, a sexually transmitted disease.
Nitazoxanide (rx). Will be helpful if you get cryptosporidium from your water source. This bug laughs at chlorine, by the way.
Mupirocin cream (bactroban) (rx). Apply to cellulitis and that which would be abscess. It will help.
Silvadene cream (rx). Antimicrobial cream for burns. Skip the "burn cream" in most first aid kits, which is essentially a local anesthetic and does nothing else. Lacking this, bacitracin will work.
Neosporin (otc) or bacitracin (rx). Doesn't matter which one you pick here. These will save you much misery if applied to open wounds before they become infected.

Steroids:
Triamcinalone cream is useful for a variety of rashes.
Prednisone oral tablets. a 5 day course will knock out serious allergic reactions, bad asthma, major rashes, and other inflammatory conditions gone awry.

'zilla

Razor,

ok, I'll bite.

Under #6(i) you have "krill" Lights. How many do you have and what color are they? Also, are they the "360" kind or the smaller "180"(?)?:munchin

MAB

RX meds
 

We're seriously lacking in the medications department for emergency preparedness - so the list Doczilla posted is much appreciated.

I can start acquiring the OTC items Doczilla listed, but any suggestions on how to go about getting the Rx meds? Short of just hoarding a few pills each time someone in the family is prescribed something, is there a better method? Are physicians more amenable to handing out RXs for emergency preparedness then I'm assuming they would be? I know there are some foreign on-line pharmacies but they seem super-shady. A doc in the family would sure come in handy right now. :p

Recommendations?

Do not EVER hoard pills or short a prescription for ABX. Take the full course unless a problem occurs, and then go back to the physician ASAP.

As for the other stuff, you may be able to get your family practioner or a friendly physician to write you a scrip for meds every now and then.

One option I have found that will work is to tell them that you are going overseas on a trip, and would like to take a basic load of preventative meds. That would cover most everything but the narcotics and antibiotics.

Do not neglect that the first step in treatment and self-medication is to accurately diagnose the cause of your med problem. There is no point in launching an ABX regimen for a common cold, and some meds may temporarily mask the symptoms of more serious problems, possibly to the point that a life-threatening problem may occur.

Should your husband make it through SFAS, the SFQC, and on to a team, his 18D should be very helpful in this area of expertise.

Best of luck.

TR

Personally, I have 4-5 (mix of red and green) left over from a previous need for nighttime safety marking. They're short (~6") and are 360 coverage. I don't consider them essential, though--I left them on the list to show folks an alternative to one-use chemlights.

A quick note: the above list of antibiotics is extensive to give many choices in case you are allergic to one or two or happen to have some around the house. You don't need that many different antibiotics. 2 or 3 will do the trick.

I completely agree with TR that you should not short any prescription, particularly antibiotics, just to hoard them.

Your family physician may be very amenable to providing you with the meds. Be open and honest about what they are for, under what circumstances they would be used, and why you are preparing. In this day and age of disaster preparedness, it is not an unreasonable request. Hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, and public health emergencies are all very real, tangible examples of the need for this sort of thing. The physician may help you out and may even have some good recommendations for you as well. This only applies if this is your doctor with whom you have cultivated a long term physician-patient relationship, who has seen you in the office as scheduled and finds you reasonable and reliable.

Physicians, when they know the patient well, will often write prescriptions for disaster preparedness, travel, marine first aid or survival kits. It would be a good idea to track the meds and if used, report that back to the physician when they were used, on whom, and what for. When possible, call your doctor first and explain the symptoms. He may want to see the patient (if possible), or may recommend that you go ahead and start taking the medications. (He will be able to provide this only if he has seen the patient before or plans to see them in the near future. It's illegal to prescribe anything to a patient that the doctor has not seen, i.e., doesn't have a physician-patient relationship with. If you're calling him about some random coolio on the street, it had better be the mother of all disasters for him to give advice or recommendations.) Contacting the physician may have to wait until a reasonable time in a disaster. If your meds expire and you want him to write new ones, bring the old ones back as a gesture of good faith to help show that no, you did not swallow all 60 Percocet for fun.

Note that the FDA and USP will only guarantee potency to the expiration date. If properly stored in a cool, dark, dry place, the meds may last much longer. Take your own chances with this.

Their comfort level with prescribing you certain drugs, particularly controlled ones, will vary. Do not expect that they will prescribe you fentanyl lollipops just because an 18D told you they would be useful. Injectable meds may potentially be prescribed for marine or wilderness FAKs, but don't count on it. Do not ask a "doctor buddy" to write them for you. In order to dispense controlled meds, there must be a legitimate physician-patient relationship, i.e., documented history, physical, etc. The DEA does not have a sense of humor about this sort of thing, and it's something that will get a doctor's license yanked on the first offense. I'm not saying that it's not done, but I am saying it's a tough position to put your doctor buddy in.


'zilla

Doczilla and other members of the the Medical Profession, I have a question for all of you:

If one takes antibiotics and almost everytime ends up with "C-Diff", what other medications would one want to stock up on for such an occurence besides Flagyl?

Probiotics. Cultures of helpful bacteria (lactobacillus, etc.) have been shown to prevent or ameliorate mild cases of Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Culturelle is one brand name. There are others, but truthfully I'd have to look up which ones are effective and which are heath food store crap.

If any case of c.diff could be described as mild.

'zilla

Doc,

I have had C-Diff at least four times now and it is downright disabiling. Each time it felt just like the flu but 20 times worse. I would think in a survival situation one might not make it if one came down with it. IMHO of course.:(

A vacuum cleaner?
 

I remember reading somewhere that the Israelis were told, taught, or something of the sort, that they could use their vacuum cleaners as a source for fresh air coming into the house through a hole in the wall as a means to clean the air from any NBC attack before it entered the house and/or room. I guess it would have to do with the HEPA filter and its size. Anybody else heard this before? Maybe we are on to something with that set up?:)

Sounds like a positive overpressure filtration system.

That may work for dry particulates, but I doubt that it will for nerve agents, and almost certainly will do nothing for blood agents.

You may get some protection from biologicals, depending on how tight your home is, by constructing a positive overpressure system, and it should keep radiological particles (but not rays) out, but chemical weapons will probably be enhanced by that technique, as the agents are sucked into the house and concentrated there.

So you have some N, and B, but not C protection, IMHO.

TR

What if you were able to fit a filter from a gas mask such as the NATO standard 40mm thread width onto the end of the stiff plastic extension of the hose? If you could do that along with the ability to keep the motor cool it just may work. Or if you were to use some other material to use as a "pre-filter" to eliminate "C" you would still have something that just might do it for a day or two. Especially if you had a sealed room to go to in your house, like the Israelis advocate in having, you wouldn't need much more.:munchin

A mask filter is built to deal with one person breathing, and to filter out certain compounds for a specific period. Some agents, like blood agents, incidentally attack the active ingredients of the filter, shortening its lifespan even faster.

I am sure that a vacuum cleaner sucks as much air in a minute as most of us do in an hour, so you would exceed the CFM of the filter, the filtration capacity, as well as the life of the filter element pretty quickly.

IMHO, it would be akin to trying to use a lawnmower air filter on a full sized truck engine.

It is a lot more efficient to design a mask and filter to deal with one human inhaling and exhaling for a finite period of time rather than an overpressure system conditioning all of the air for an entire house (or even one room) for an extended period.

If you have masks for everyone, and filters, that is probably a much better solution (especially if you have a detector or alarm to let you know when you need to mask), instead of using the filters to try and filter all of the air in the house.

There are some larger application filters that may work. I would only try the method you suggest as a last resort.

HTH.

TR

Time may be better spent on preparation for effective decontamination rather than providing a filtered air supply. There is greater risk from ingestion or cutaneous exposure to most NBC agents than inhalation.

'zilla

I was an ROTC cadet at Bowling Green State University at that time (site of the heaviest snowfall - we didn't get the NG to dig us out, we got the 82d Airborne). My fellow cadets pulled duty monitoring various radios, going out with the National Guard in Duece and a halves, and those of us who had cross-country skis (three of us that I recall) would ski from the truck on the roadbed to houses to check on anyone in them. We delivered needed meds, food, etc. to a number of people who were shut in by the snow.

A number of houses were so buried by snow drifts that they weren't visible from one side (often the side facing the road). In that part of the state, vehicles that went off the roads often dropped completely out of sight. In one case, I went past a house that we could see from the road, turned around and could not only not see the house, could not see the road. If I hadn't been aware of the cardinal direction that I had gone out (West) and how the road ran (North- South), I might not have got back to the truck. A number of vehicles were off of I-75, not far from BG. Anyone who remembers I-75 back then in that area can tell you that it is very possible even without snow to have been driving within a few hundred meters of a house and never see it. Add drifts that sometimes exceeded 20 feet (no exagerration, I skied up some of those slopes) and it is quite understandable why people stayed in their cars. As a matter of fact, going from one dorm to another on campus (a trip of 100 meters between five story buildings with absolutely flat ground between them) was physically impossible without some sort of physical assistance.

Well, I own nine gas maks and for my family that is plenty with the others handed out to family and friends, within reason of course. My top of the line being an AVON S-10. I can run with that one on. My M-17's are in excellent shape too.

By the way, when I went down to DRMO to pick up 500+ filters I was told by the gentlemen loading them unto are truck and after he had
finished he said I had to sign an EPA form. I was totally unaware of why he had stated"EPA". I then began asking a million questions!

In a nutshell, he basically told me that once the filters are opened and used, they are now considered a "HazMat" problem. He futher advised that I was to in no way dispose of these filters in a landfill, garbage can, or even burying them. Can not remember now why, but it had something to do with moisture in the filter breaking down one of the componets and creates a carcinogen after a while (a few weeks to a few months, max).

Anybody know about what this chemical created was called?:munchin

Disaster prepairdness is something everone should have information about. It is something I try to take very seriously. The reality is that the majority of western soceity just does not care until it is to late. Our modern lifestyles have put us all at risk . We are accustomed to climate controlled buildings, food at the local store , gas readily avaliable and cell phones to yap with. The list is endless of things we now depend on everyday . All it takes is a short disruption of just one thing to make our lives miserable. Power outages occur durning storms yet people still complain that they can not watch MTV . Hurricane Katreana showed western soceity how vunerable and illprepaired we are. Do not forget the large power blackout in N.East USA and S. East Canada a few years ago. If the power was out longer, we would be rioting in the streets.

Everyone must do their share for prepairdness. To me, the 72 hr supply is a start but not enough . Have plans for at least a weeks provisions at all times. Ensure you have the right tools and skills along with the basic food . If you do not have any idea what to do, then buy at least a few books on survival and prepairdness . Look online at many web forums for information. There is no sush thing as too much information . Sooner or latter your lives will depend on it.

Winter Is Approaching
 

Winter weather will soon be arriving.

Are you prepared?

In 2002, we experienced an ice storm that took out power for days.

Are you ready?

If it happens, will you be safe and sound, in relative comfort, or lined up at the grocery store fighting over flashlights, batteries, toilet paper, bread, milk, eggs, etc.?

Remember that an ounce of knowledge is better than a metric ton of high speed gear that you cannot use.

The time to think about this is now.

As far as this thread goes, we have about ended the medical supply discussion.

Is there anything left that people want to chat about further?

Breathable Air
First Aid/Medicine/Escape gear
Defense
Shelter/Warmth/Light
Water
Food/cooking
Sanitation
Commo
Power/Fuel
Tools
Transportation/Mobility
Entertainment

If not, I would request that members who experience preparedness situations (even brief ones) provide us as much feedback as they are able to help others prepare.

TR

I have a small question TR, to other QP's, and to any US Military personnel that I am hoping can answer.

I own two pairs of the "Mickey Mouse" boots, one white pair and one black pair. Both of which we all know are very heavy but also very warm. My question is this: "Are their any other pairs of boots out there that is both lightweight and have the same cold weather rating as either the black or white pairs?"

I posted instructions for a water purification system here.

"Pros: Cheap; no fuel consumed; no labor expended in the purification process (once you hump the water); the system is suitable for long-term storage without component degradation; simple, with no moving parts or consumables; large volumes purified quickly (3-4 gallons per hour, faster than a Berkely/Katadyn gravity filter); light weight; very long usage life span.

Cons: a bit bulky (but then this isn't a backpacking system)"

I'll add another "con" of this system: the fast filtration rate is driven by a siphon that is started by sucking on the discharge tube. This means you have to pre-treat the fist (small) volume of water used to start the siphon. If you don't pre-treat, you could get a mouthful of Hep A virus as you start the siphon (viruses are not filtered out -- they are killed by the chlorine from the hypochlorite in the final step). Also, the first time you use the filter you need to apply some hefty suction (not quite the level of golf ball/garden hose, Las Vegas keno girl/chrome trailer hitch but still significant) to start the whole process. But once you get it going it runs like a champ and can produce large volumes overnight (assuming your source and destination containers are big enough).

At the cost of a slower filtration rate -- approx 1-2 gallon per hour -- you can build a cheap, ceramic drip-filter system that relies totally on gravity. The kit can be purchased here. You supply your own plastic buckets. It looks like you could add another ceramic filter and double the flow rate.

You're essentially getting a Berkely for $20 and a bit of your time.

Attachment 8455

Not exactly.

I was with you till I hit the ordering page.

I found $13 to ship something that small, inexpensive, and lightweight a bit steep, especially from a company that helps people build their own yurts.

Ouch!

TR

Yikes. I actually put the text together a while back and just got around to posting it (I've got trunking-scanner and comms ones in the queue that need cleanup and posting, too.) I'll check, but I didn't pay any $13.

Shipping ripoffs are real pet peeve of mine. They must have 60" plasmas in their personal yurts.

ETA: They say they had to raise shipping to pass through increased charges due to the box size needed for the filter plus padding (the filter is very brittle). He knows they're losing sales, but won't budge. The filter is about the size of a roll of toilet paper; seems fishy but then who knows...

I hear you. It looked like a great concept.

All I know is that I was ready to order till I saw the shipping cost.

Then I decided to try and figure out what the filter is made for, and try to find the darn thing at a local supply house.

Really, they would be better off pricing the filter at $25 and charging $8 S&H. $13 strikes me as a shipping rip-off.:mad:

TR

Wiper blades
 

Peeking in here slowly...

Am constantly re-reading this thread, as it is full of great information.

For those of us who park outside, and not in a garage...Windshield wiper blades.
During the winter, always have a spare set in the vehicle in case the ice and snow disable one while the vehicle is parked or while driving in the weather.
(And know how to replace it, of course. ;) )

My Dad brought this to my attention when I moved back here to the midwest.

A very small thing, but when you have to be somewhere, very handy.

Holly

Fire Protection
 

With the recent wildfires here in SoCal, it should be noted that some houses were saved by the early application of sodium polyacrylate gel. It’s basically the stuff that fills absorbent diapers. Some fire departments carried this gel to cover homes in the path of the fire.

At least one manufacturer of the gel, Barricade, sells a homeowner kit for about $330. It can be applied at least 6 to 8 hours ahead of the fire insuring that the water pressure will probably still be high enough to apply it. The shelf life is 3 years.

Pat

Powering a gas furnace from a generator.
 

Just after Y2K, I was able to pickup a 5kw generator for a steal. Knock on wood, I've only had to use it once due to an ice storm that we're so famous for here in the south. At anyrate, I'm having a new HVAC unit installed and I ask the installer how I could hookup the furnace to run from my generator quickly. He'd never thought about it before, so we kinda put our heads together on this. Here's a synopsis of what I'm planning to do over the weekend. We both agreed that it was a small enough job that "being prepared" ahead of time would be easy.

I'm going to cut the female off a 25' extension cord and wire it as a pigtail to the main electrical box in the furnace. Prior to doing so, I'm going to install a switch between the pigtail and the box, so that I don't have a hot plug dangling around.

I think that's it. At first I was thinking I'd need another switch on the main electrical line coming into the furnace to prevent a backfeed, but that's already in place on the wall.

Can anyone think of anything else? Any experiences pos/neg you can share?

Echoes,

I also know of a bunch of cops who park outside too. And in the winter time they lift the blades off of the windshield so when they come back out eight hours later they aren't trying to free them. All they have to do is scrap and heat the front window and the wipers are good to go. :cool:

Something I learned in the field at Fort Carson and a TTP I teach new scout LTs is to take cut up MRE boxes and place them on the outside of the windshield between the wiper and the glass on our HMMWVs. Since the gunner is scanning, it does not deplete force protection. Not only that, in insulates the inside of the vehicle to a certain extent. On real cold nights we place it on both the inside and outside of the windows so the condensation from normal breathing doesn't frost the inside of the windows. When it's time to go, we tear it off and drive.

Oklahoma!
 

(2nd times a charm.)

Thought I was prepared for the "Ice Storm" that hit. Woa was I wrong,
but knew it would be okay.
In a 24 hour peroid, my AO was turned upside down.

I learned that when one is alone in bed at night, with ice falling, power lines snapping, and transformers lighting up the night sky, there are no worries...
"The back-up plan" was going to take effect:
(also, red-neck engineering comes in handy right about now!)

Needless to say after four days of no heat, power or running water, (and when wanting to sacrifie a lamb in the front yard to the "power-gods",) the truth becomes clear...

Always have a "Back-Up Plan!"

Mine saved my a** from becoming a casulty popsicle.

Hence the reality of this story...this thread saved my a**.

Now that my pulse has slowed, I wanted to share some small things I learned from this experience:

1. Have a great ice-scraper for your vehicle...not good, but great!
(And keep it inside your residence...not in the vehicle.)
2. Have a back-up phone, if you are like me and connect the home phone though the cable company...Hint: When IT goes out, so does the phone.
3. Know the status and location of loved ones. When a rescue is needed, it will be to your benefit to know the exact location and resources available, to render them to safety.
4. Finally, understand the situation as a whole. This will benefit you in all areas...from checking your family into hotels, to dealing with clean-up crews. The more you know, the better your chances of a succesful survival.

And yes, I did have extra wiper blades.:o

Holly