Mods, if you want to sticky, I can reply to all incoming requests for preparedness as they come in, time allowing.
You can prepare for a few weeks easily, you don't have to go crazy.
Water:
- If you will be on the move, "Bugging Out", you might have time to get lifestraws lifestraw.com -You may still have time to order a water bob. Great if you have an extra bathtub and are not in control of your water situation(as opposed to those with a private well), otherwise just fill your tub without and boil the water if you are concerned -https://waterbob.com/
- You can sanitize questionable water with bleach, https://biotech.law.lsu.edu/cphl/Practice/water.htm
- Remember, you will need quite a bit of water for drinking, cleaning, batheing
- Get some paper cups and papers, cuts down on water use cleaning dishes
- Do all your laundry ASAP so you have a full closet of clean clothes
Food
- Don't go crazy on LTS(long term storage food), if you aren't eating it now, don't go get it. You can start looking into it, but not necessary. Too expensive per calorie at this point.
- Double and Triple up on the canned goods you already buy on a regular basis, adding canned meats to replace fresh/frozen meats.
- If you can, get a small generator to run your fridge or freezer. Worst case scenario, the outside temps in many places are good for freezing or cooling food. Hurricane hit folks get the need for this
- Buy larger bags of rice from costco if you can, filling and keeps well
Meds
- Vitamins, bandaids, stock up what you use on a daily basis, toothpaste, new tooth brushes, pain killers, contact your doctor to see if you can get a month ahead on Rx meds(important!)
Electronics
- LED lights and batteries are a must, candles can't hurt either, you can cook a can of beans with a candle
- Consider getting an emergency radio with crank recharging.
- Get those cell phone batteries and charge them up, have them at the ready
Heating
- Kerosene heater if you don't have a fireplace
- If you have a fireplace you don't use, get some wood and clean out the fireplace, you might need it, hopefully not
Please ask questions here, I've been a prepper since 2008, I'm sure there are more here.
I suggest survivalblog.com for much more in depth info.
Prepper terms you might come across in your reading:
- BOB is a Bug out bag, basically, if you think your current location is dangerous, it is a bag packed with the things you would need to grab and go. If this is ready ahead of time, you get on the road before everyone else even thinks to flee
- BOL bug out location, a planned place to flee to
- LTS long term strorage, mostly for food
To add one more thing: it always helps to have a Go bag. This includes: a change of clothes, knife, water bottle, protein bars, flashlight and any electronics you deem necessary. This isn’t a suitcase just something you can easily get to in case of necessity.
Yup, I'm scrabbling, will be adding as we go
What’s scrabbling?
Lol, meant scrambling
Oh, ahaha. XD
Great tips!
Just to add, if you’re buying rice and planning to take them out of the original packaging, mix in some food grade diatomaceous earth to prevent rice weevils infestations.
Do not forget to stock up on meds and vitamins. Fruits have a short shelf life but vitamins do not.
A generator is crucial but a kerosene heater is a must especially for the dark winter.
How is popcorn for survival? I been buying that shit up like crazy since late 2017 thinking by now it would be put to good use, but haven't popped a kernel yet.
Probably not super great, still, its calories. Might depend on what you put on it, lol
People always say stock up on matches (and you should) but a magnesium block and striker is also great to keep in hand.
Yes, also if you don't have a fireplace or wood stove, a kerosene heater can be used in a pinch for heating. We had a Thanksgiving wind storm that knocked out power to some folks in the Spokane area for 2 weeks. Lots of people I knew moved in with friends who had fireplaces, just too cold to survive without.
I went and got all my propane tanks filled yesterday. Would probably last a few month using a single burner, a grill, or my cast iron grill.
In the summer time here in south. It's a good idea to have some mosquito netting. Gets awfully hot without any air.
And while I thinking about it what I do when hurricane comes, you should have materials needed to board up any windows you want have a 24 hour watch on. I'd rather board up windows and force potential intruder to my strong spot than let them pick and choose. Not a bad idea to get a good stock of sand bags, and builders sand it case needed.
So what do we, the people who have done at least some prep, do when the kin folk that did not listen to our warnings come over asking for food? Would not let them starve, but they will have to do they part in the game of survival. So good idea is to press you neighbors and kin folk to do a much prep as you can convince them to do, because this will keep your supplies from being drained when they come calling.
I'd straight up tell them your expectations. If they are going to hunker down at your place, give them a list of items to bring over ahead of time or when they come. Tell them you don't have the money/time/desire to make sure they have enough food and they need to do their part.
Your right!! Need to set expectations up front. Thanks
I haven't been able to find a match since Superman died.
I always suggest Dry fruit and nuts, they stay good and have provide good nutrition.
You can actually can nuts. I'm trying to find the recipe, its like low heat in glass canning jars for a few hours, preserves them for a period.
Ammo just in case.
True, however its getting really hard to get. If so, look at what ammo is available and buy a firearm that matches. Better than nothing.
Keep your vehicles tanks full of gas or diesel.
You're better off getting enough gas cans to completely (or mostly) fill the tank of your car/truck and adding sta-bil to it. Doesn't cost much either. That stuff keeps gas good for a year or two and you can top off your tank if it's getting close to its expiration and repeat.
PRI-G is better than sta-bil. You can treat and refresh for years, just FYI
My father use to preach this to all of us. Keep you cars filled up. I seemed to always only get half a tank. He told me the top half don't cost any more than the bottom half.
I remember during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, him keeping a bathtub full of water too. And he told us in the event something happened, where to meet him. He told us where a big culvert was that went under the road, and that he would come for us there.
You can pick up some cheap solar lights - charge them outside during the day and use them inside at night instead of candles.
remember to get a manual can opener if you normally use an electric.
Your water heater holds quite a bit of water... if you run out, remember there is some in the tank.
You might want to pick up some Mountain House or other freeze dried meals - they are super easy, just add hot water, you can eat straight out of the package. We lose power for 5-7 days every time a hurricane comes through (every 5 or so years) and it is nice to have super easy meals for the first few days. No clean up makes life much easier.
You can use powdered pool shock as an alternative to bleach if you can't find any. Look online for the ratios you need. Liquid bleach has a very short shelf life, but powdered bleach or shock will last a long time as long as it stays cool & dry.
hypochlorite will mess up most containers over time, I've heard that long term glass on glass containers are best for LTS
One of the hardest things to do when prepping is PLANNING.
Use these to help make it easier.
https://orders.gpo.gov/icpd/ICPD
I am currently on Insulin for type 1 diabetes. Cant get it until the 15th, do you think I’ll be ok?
Type1 is really hard to prep for. I actually have the instructions for making insulin the old fashioned way and I would not be able to pull it off. I keep the instructions just in case post-SHTF I find someone who can pull it off. Why can't you get it until the 15th? This is the stuff that need refridgeration, right? I'd talk to your doctor to see if you can stock up, tell him your fears of civil unrest in the future. Then you need to at least go get a small propane fridge. You do NOT want to run the risk of losing what you have because your fridge is dead.
Called my doctor, who ended up being MAGA surprisingly, got my meds early, at a price because insurance companies suck, but I’m less stressed now. Thanks friend.
Fantastic! Yeah, preppers have been stockpiling fish antibiotics for a while now because they are the same as human meds. Meds are important, stay safe!
I have a 20,000 gallon pool. Found a site a while back about how to purify pool water for emergency use, but can find that same site again.
Also let me ask you this. If I can pump water out of my well with generator, and if I have enough gas for at least a month of conservatives usage, it seems like I would be able to get water at will. If we had an EMP attack I will have to go back on pool water.
Sounds like you are in good shape. You might also want to look into a gravity sand/gravel/charcoal filter for the pool water. Send it through the filter and treat with bleach.
I looked at some online, but you know what always keeps me from buying, is that one, one star review where someone really blast the product as no good. Truth is this one person who could not get the gaskets to seal, or had trouble make the product work, probably could find his asshole with a mirror and a stick.
You can build one yourself, cheaper and local
If you have a bored well vs a drilled well, getting water could be as easy as a rope and a bucket. I've dipped many a bucket of water from a bored well.
LOL, that would have to be a tiny bucket to go down a two inch pipe.
Most wells are cased with 6-8 in casing. Not the pipes going to your house, but the actual well casing.
Yes I didn't think they just shoved the submersible pump down in a dirt hole without any well casing.
Sorry, daddy was a well driller, I used to help him install pumps when I was a teenager
Nothing but respect dude.
What I was wondering is if I have a submersible pump down 80 feet, and the water level in the well is 60 feet, in other words my submersible is 20 ft below the water level, would I have 20 feet of water on top of the pump, or does the pump keep the water from filling up behind it.
So your static water level is 60 foot? Yes, your pump isn't water tight, so it goes into the water. Ideally you have a large enough water source that your static water level won't fluctuate from that 60 foot level when you are drawing water. But for smaller sources, you can run out, or at least not replenish fast, which is probably why you would want your pump farther under the water source. You can reasonably pump your well until the static water level gets down to the pump. Sorry, its been over twenty five years since I was close to the process. And I'm a dudette :P
They make a hand pump with a long hose (tube) attached. That is what we keep as a backup, backup, backup. Just find out how deep your well is drilled and get the appropriate length hose.
we have something like this, with a 200 hose on it: https://smile.amazon.com/Emergency-Hand-Water-Well-Pump/dp/B00QOBSJZM/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=well+hand+pump&qid=1610374006&sr=8-10
Yea, but can water get past my inground pump that is a bottom of well. I will have to look this up and see.