Be Prepared

[Buck]

Pete....lol, next time ride a horse.. Here are a couple of options I learned from growing up in cold weather. Snow chains on the drive wheels work great in mud if you're stuck. Another option, and won't need to buy carpets, is a 25 foot come-along, a piece of 2" or 3" pipe about 2 to 3 feet long, and a 2,000 lb TS strap to make a loop on, and place centered on the pipe, and an e-tool. Dig a small 2 ft deep T shaped dead mans hole in front or behind your vehicle, place the pipe at the top or the T shaped dead man, hook the come-along to your car, then to the strap attached to the pipe, and wintch yourself out, works suprisingly well. Cost of pipe $5.00, Come-along $20-$25.00, strap $5.00, photos of Pete using his wifes new welcome carpets to get his Ford Focus unstuck....priceless

Buck

[peshguy]

Originally Posted by wet dog

Defender968-

If your wife doesn't mind cold winters, the isolation of the Rocky Mountians, (ID, MT, UT, WY, CO, AZ, NM) is a nice place to start. Southwest is a bit milder for seniors.

If wanting to stay in SC, NC, TN, KY, WV, those mountains could quickly be over-run with migrating refugees of the east coast.

WD

Yup, about half of D.C. and Northern Virginia plans on heading to somewhere in WV in event of SHTF. I don't know how they are going to get there or where there even is.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by MAB32

Now those boiling water kill viruses. Like I had stated before, I am looking for a filter that will either destroy thing such as ALL viruses. Like I had stated before, I am looking for a filter that will either destroy every thing in the waters such as ALL viruses.

MAB,

I believe that viruses can be as small as hundredths of a micron (IIRC, polio runs around .005 microns). About the only thing that removes something that small from a water supply is reverse osmosis, I think. It seems to me that your options would be to invest in a fairly expensive RO set, or simply filter and then treat your water.

[Defender968]

Originally Posted by wet dog

Defender968-

If your wife doesn't mind cold winters, the isolation of the Rocky Mountians, (ID, MT, UT, WY, CO, AZ, NM) is a nice place to start. Southwest is a bit milder for seniors.

If wanting to stay in SC, NC, TN, KY, WV, those mountains could quickly be over-run with migrating refugees of the east coast.

WD

Wet Dog we're going to be limited to the east coast, using a piece of land in the Rocky Mountains would be problematic for vacation as well as retirement, and for a SHTF scenario the Rockies would be too far to do me or my family any good. Also the longer growing season near the Smoky mountains is another benefit of being at a lower altitude further south. You are correct in those areas, but for me it's not going to be feasible for my plans.

I am somewhat concerned by a mass migration, my thought was that I would need to be as self sufficient as possible, use OPSEC, and be well off the beaten path of highways and not visible from the turn off of the small paved public road my property will be off of. I don't think too many city folks fleeing a terrorist attack or pandemic will go wandering up dirt roads in the woods on the off chance of finding somewhere to hunker down. My thought is that they’ll likely head for smaller cities/towns where there are resources, eventually when those resources become scarce they may expand outward from those smaller cities, to towns and so on. In the event they do eventually make it to my doorstep and are determined to harm me and mine I'll have well established DFPs, good fields of fire and a 24/7 security plan in place. Hopefully it will not come to that, but better to have a plan than to rely on hope or luck.

I'm looking at staying away from the major corridors that I think that type of mass migration will follow, i.e. major highways and larger state roads, as well as away from most towns, I want to be pretty far out into a rural mountain setting. I know many folks think they’ll just head to the mountains after an attack, but without a specific destination, good training, and or lots of supplies the average Joe Q. Citizen won’t last long, hell I’ve lived in hurricane prone areas most my life and most the normal folks I know still don’t have more than 3-5 days food on hand if that. So the likely threat as I see it is unprepared folks heading in mass towards the mountains, we’ll already be there and will maintain a small footprint, staying out of sight while maintaining security until the dust settles.

[LarryW]

This is an over simplification and I apologize for that...it's the way I think being a simple fellow.

Strictly FWIW, the following websites are IMHO great references for living closer to the land. Good as/better then Mother Earth, Five Acres in Independence, Foxfire.

Countryside Magazine is not always easy to find in bookstores or mag racks. Lehmans has a "Non-Electric Catalog" that has a good selection of things. Lehmans geared more toward supporting Amish lifestyles. Countryside more toward supporting homesteading and/or living off the grid.

http://www.countrysidemag.com/

http://www.lehmans.com/

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Defender968

Wet Dog we're going to be limited to the east coast, using a piece of land in the Rocky Mountains would be problematic for vacation as well as retirement, and for a SHTF scenario the Rockies would be too far to do me or my family any good. Also the longer growing season near the Smoky mountains is another benefit of being at a lower altitude further south. You are correct in those areas, but for me it's not going to be feasible for my plans.

I am somewhat concerned by a mass migration, my thought was that I would need to be as self sufficient as possible, use OPSEC, and be well off the beaten path of highways and not visible from the turn off of the small paved public road my property will be off of. I don't think too many city folks fleeing a terrorist attack or pandemic will go wandering up dirt roads in the woods on the off chance of finding somewhere to hunker down. My thought is that they’ll likely head for smaller cities/towns where there are resources, eventually when those resources become scarce they may expand outward from those smaller cities, to towns and so on. In the event they do eventually make it to my doorstep and are determined to harm me and mine I'll have well established DFPs, good fields of fire and a 24/7 security plan in place. Hopefully it will not come to that, but better to have a plan than to rely on hope or luck.

I'm looking at staying away from the major corridors that I think that type of mass migration will follow, i.e. major highways and larger state roads, as well as away from most towns, I want to be pretty far out into a rural mountain setting. I know many folks think they’ll just head to the mountains after an attack, but without a specific destination, good training, and or lots of supplies the average Joe Q. Citizen won’t last long, hell I’ve lived in hurricane prone areas most my life and most the normal folks I know still don’t have more than 3-5 days food on hand if that. So the likely threat as I see it is unprepared folks heading in mass towards the mountains, we’ll already be there and will maintain a small footprint, staying out of sight while maintaining security until the dust settles.

Anyone who hasn't read "One Second After" needs to get a copy ASAP.

Post-disaster population migration may surprise you.

IIRC, a small but of that happened after Katrina.

TR

[peshguy]

Originally Posted by Pete

Fun in the Mud - you have to be prepared.

Had some fun in the mud this morning.

Outcome? A dirty e-tool and two muddy jackets. I think I'll add two 18" x 4 foot pieces of old carpet to the back of all my cars trunks.

.

An alternative to carpet would be a tube of chicken wire. The wire provides great traction and can be cut and shaped to act as a leg or arm splint in event of a medical emergency. Lots of other uses, light and cheap.

[The Reaper]

Call me strange, but my trunk already has too much junk in it to add a couple of big pieces of carpet or a roll of chicken wire to explain to the gate guards.

Why not just use the front floormats, and clean them when you are done? Cheaper, heavier duty, and easier to clean than jackets.

TR

[Defender968]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Anyone who hasn't read "One Second After" needs to get a copy ASAP.

Post-disaster population migration may surprise you.

IIRC, a small but of that happened after Katrina.

TR

Copy that TR, it's on my Amazon wish list, will be ordering today.

[GratefulCitizen]

Originally Posted by Pete

Fun in the Mud - you have to be prepared.

Growing up in western Colorado, and now driving for a living in northern Arizona, I have only ever chained up one tire for snow (as a temporary precautionary measure).
-Just once ever-

For mud, I'll mount tire chains.
It works better than anything else.
(We are issued plastic "traction strip plates" at UPS...they sort of work.)

Delt with the mud around Kanab, Utah quite frequently in UPS trucks.
Never drive on wet ground that has been worked (plowed or trenched for agri reasons or power lines, etc.).
If you do drive on such ground, keep the number to the towing company handy.

[zeke]

Originally Posted by GratefulCitizen

Never drive on wet ground that has been worked (plowed or trenched for agri reasons or power lines, etc.).
If you do drive on such ground, keep the number to the towing company handy.

Even farm tractors get stuck in this type of soil. One of many learned high school lessons.

[Cougar6zulu]

Sir, this is good stuff and straight to the point. Having learned in my early teens to deal with hurricanes, I have always had a 'loose throw together' plan. After reading your post i will definitely lay out a better plan. Risk mitigation after the event is paramount. I believe people will benefit from this information.

[peshguy]

This might be slightly off topic but did anyone see After Armageddon on the History channel? I thought I was oddly paranoid but programs like this make me wonder how many other people are worried about preparedness.

[albeham]

I have been watching all week. Tonight is Interesting...

[Wolf07]

This is one thing that my father had always pressed hard- to plan ahead. Right now I am the only individual in my hall of 250-plus students who has an emergency kit. Others may think of it as a waste of space, but when push comes to shove there wont be any questions who is prepared

Of course, emergency alcohol is a must. Or maybe thats just me?...

Is in emergency situations that the old addage about teaching a man to fish becomes the difference between life and death.