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
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.
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.