Continued from post #501
Potable Water – When you HEAR that something afoul could/is happen(ing), plug up your sinks and bathtub and fill them with water immediately. It is a good idea to get your drain stops working 100% before needing to do this. That way you will have FRESH water in home if you need to stay there. Water pressure will stay moderate for a very short time after a city pump stops. I don’t plan on hanging around my house. My land has a 6000 gal water tank which lasts a long time in the right hands.
Pasteurization - doesn’t require a fuel source, just enough sunlight to keep the water above a certain temperature for a certain period of time. You can build a system yourself (similar to a solar oven) or buy a rack that’ll produce daily amounts for you and your family. Hell, you could mount it on your rooftop tent.
Man Packable - http://www.solarsolutions.info/aquapak/aquapak.html $20, 5 liters a day or more
Or the SteriPen with Solar Case is a much better long term solution to the MSR Miox, it doesn’t require salt tabs and has it’s own rugged recharging station. $139 from REI
Vehicle Borne – SunRay 30 http://www.safewatersystems.com/Gene...s/SunRay30.htm You can make safe water at 7.5 liters per day
Building Mounted – SunRay 1000 – 1,000 liters a day http://www.safewatersystems.com/Gene...SunRay1000.htm
TR asked if people that are prepping homes for disaster have considered that they will absolutely have to leave. One reason why I have included Man-Portable, Vehicle-Borne and House Mounted solutions. For the most part your Home Solutions should fit into your vehicles, and cross loaded in case you have to ditch one. At the very least each family member should always carry their Go Bag (BOB) with them in their vehicle and have a route plan handy. Most of my home to vehicle solutions are packed into trunks with wheels. Each trunk is outfitted with rope and D-rings so I can stack or tractor them. Have a packing list on each trunk, it doesn’t take much time and saves you a lot of time in the long run. Include expiration dates of items in the trunk on the packing list. Set a reminder on your calendar to check/replace your Go Boxes periodically.
Food - An easy way to stock up on food is to skip an MRE and just save it (some of you can stand to lose the weight anyways). Everyone knows at least one private that has left the field/deployment with a ruck/duffel/trunk full of MRE’s. Some sell them, some eat them, some save them.
Milk – dry or powdered. Use NIDO from Nestle. Harder to find in the US but it tastes delicious!
Evaporated milk: to make 2% add one full can to the evaporated. For skim add an additional ½ to a full can.
Emergency Survival Food Tabs: for the Go Bag
There are companies that offer 1 year supply of survival food. The problem with these are that the food is in #10 sized cans. Once you open a can, you have to eat it. Which means green beans for two weeks, then red beans for two weeks etc. If you have the money and space go for freeze dried foods. Store lots of salt for salting meats.
Snares have limitless ammo!
Dehydrating food and seal/storing it is a good option for those without access to MRE’s or the funds for 1 year’s supply of food.
Start a garden and buy some vegetarian cookbooks. This is great if you live in the city, plus it will lower your monthly food costs.
Expiration Dates – are only there because of the lawyers. Last week I consumed a full can of evaporated milk that was 18 months past it’s expiration date. Your canned goods will store for a decade or more if kept out of the heat <75 degrees. Tell your neighbors you’re taking a collection of expired canned goods for an ongoing expirement (pun intended). Do this every few months. They will gladly check their pantries and hand them over. Store them and reap the benefits.
Seeds – your long term solution should also have a generous supply of seeds for a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Along with this supply should also be a book on gardening. You will forget and you will need a reference. Eggplants have a lot of nutritional value and can be prepared in many ways.
Rice and bouillon – store lots of rice in sealed containers. Mixed with bouillon they save stave off hunger and nourish. Also great for trading.
Tobacco – for those of you that chew or smoke do you have an extended supply on hand, rotate stock? If you don’t, chew staves off hunger. Tobacco is also great for trading. Carry a few packs of smokes and offer them in cigarette increments. This will be handy a day or two into a situation and after the first few months (in the interim the bandits will have a good supply)
Sanitation –
Carbon – from burned wood, etc has a bonding quality that coats everything it comes in contact with. Very useful for poisoning or extreme conditions were soap is not available.
Soap – Dr Bronner’s Soap is an excellent all around soap. I’ve used it for many years and have even heard that some hippies brush their teeth with it. You can buy very large bottles of it at great prices. It’s very runny and a few drops goes a long way.
Composting toilets for the long term solution are great but expensive. The market demand isn’t great enough yet for cheaper solutions but they are there.
Chemical toilets in the 5 gal bucket are a must. Have one in your house and on your check list before bugging out in the vehicle.
Toilet Paper – I didn’t see anyone mention this…It takes A LOT of space and is worth it’s weight in gold in the field. An alternative is a sheet sponge (available in your super market in packs of 3) Get the sponge wet and wipe away. You can designate a bucket for cleaning these. You don’t need much water to clean them if you boil or have bleach/chlorine on hand. Wash your hands after using.
Conservation – if you don’t like the idea of wiping with the same thing day after day then conserve your TP by changing your posture. Instead of sitting American style, squat. A FULL squat where your cheeks touch the backs of your calves/feet. The alignment of your intestines, anus and cheeks is optimal and you will notice that your ‘wipes’ will come out cleaner than normal.
PSM – thanks for the Emergency Ration Bar recipe!
TR – Excellent starter post and comprehensive post #497 Great starting point for anyone that needs a good bearing.
Final Contribution: Have a check list of your home/vehicle/BOB along with expiration dates. Set a reminder on your computer to remind you to check your kit at regular intervals.