General Prepper's Thread

[HistoryTeacher]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...t-expired-food

Only problem with this page is that you can't zoom in with an iPad.

[Mestral]

Thanks. I had seen that article, but lost the link.

My only problem with expired food is neither the food bank, nor the wife will accept it.

I try to rotate my stock, and if something is about six months from expiring, I'll give it to the food bank (I usually just give them cash). If it goes past that, I make a point to eat it personally.

I don't have a deep larder. Yet. No space to store it.
But that is on my list of things to work on.

[Mestral]

Interesting note.
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogsp...nd-silver.html

Shirley & Banister Public Affairs emailed this statement today:

Oklahoma joins Utah, Texas, and Louisiana, as states that have removed taxes on gold and silver coins, and nearly a dozen other states are currently considering legislation to recognize gold and silver coins as hard money.

The United States Constitution (Article I: Section 10) enables states to declare gold and silver coins as legal tender and gives them the impetus to remove all taxes on gold and silver. APIA is the leading organization promoting sound money and working to uphold this article of the Constitution.

So, if you see a sign saying:
Real money only,
No Fiat Money.

Be certain to have some silver coins to trade

[Dagobert II]

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Thanks. I had seen that article, but lost the link.

My only problem with expired food is neither the food bank, nor the wife will accept it.

I try to rotate my stock, and if something is about six months from expiring, I'll give it to the food bank (I usually just give them cash). If it goes past that, I make a point to eat it personally.

I don't have a deep larder. Yet. No space to store it.
But that is on my list of things to work on.

Here's some suggestions for food that has kept more or less well for long periods of time. http://listverse.com/2013/12/14/10-f...ength-of-time/

[Mestral]

Well, Katrina, Irene, Sandy, and the prepper movement took the edge off, but I still see articles about things selling out ahead of storms.

http://santamariatimes.com/news/nati...374bbc8a2.html

"We want everybody to be safe and prepared, but we are not overly concerned at this point," said Lee Nettles, the executive director the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. He noted that forecasters were predicting the storm would move fast and be less severe than others in locals' memories.

But flooding concerns remained: Twice in recent years, storm-driven waves have sliced North Carolina Route 12, the main road along the islands, rendering it unpassable. On Ocracoke Island, accessible only by ferry, a voluntary evacuation was announced.

Stores saw runs on generators, lanterns and flashlights,

http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/feat...ne-16835.shtml

We also have a state of emergency for all 26 of those counties and the National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning that affects almost all of the North Carolina coastline reaching down to right near Wilmington.

We know that people are getting prepared.

Stores nearby have seen runs on generators batteries flashlights, all the things you need when a storm hits your town.

This 200 mile stretch of coastline, the Outer Banks, is not a stranger to this kind of storm. Hurricane Irene back in 2011 that a lot of damage and call seven that we know that there been nasty storms before that 2003 we saw hurricane Isabel do major damage to Cape Hatteras Island.

[Mestral]

This is a partial outline for my Emergency Action Plan
This part just covers water, and is planned for 7 to 30 days loss of utility.
It is designed with my situation in mind, your mileage may vary.
Also, keep in mind that a plan gives you a direction to proceed
and something to deviate from. It is a vaccine against inaction.

What the plan is supposed to deal with:

This is a plan to deal with catastrophic loss of the electrical power grid,
which would lead to loss of almost everything else around here, like:
1.Gas stations cannot pump gas
2.All of our water supply is pumped by electric pumps
3.All grocery stores will be shut down
4.All normal communications will go off the air,
- except maybe a few radio stations and satellite.
5.City gas will fail after several hours or maybe a couple days.
6.By the second night it will be too dangerous to travel



Pre-positioned

There are a few things I have done ahead of time in preparation for the eventuality.

I have just over 5 gallons of water stored for each person in my home, and these gallons are sitting in 30 gallon plastic totes. (I have one of these for each person in my home, and an extra one that I got almost by accident) In addition, I have a half dozen or more empty water containers, and a dozen clear, quart bottles made from PETE (I'll get to that in the addendum).

All of these water containers (except the totes) have been washed and rinsed with a one percent bleach solution and allowed to dry for several hours, so that they will be ready for use.

Also, I have a quart of bleach (rotate this every year or two, as it turns to salt eventually) a gas stove (plus some firemaking tools), a couple of garden hoses, and a couple of battery powered radios.


The basis of hours

This plan is set up in hours. This is just a very rough estimate of progression, and the time may be a lot less or a lot more. A lot of how fast this goes will depend on the time of day and if it is winter or summer. Important to keep just a little busy, but not to wear yourself out.


1st hour - Immediate - Just information gathering

As soon as the power goes out, shut off things that are sensitive to power spikes.

Then get the battery powered radio. There is a folded piece of tape between the batteries to prevent accidentally running the batteries down when not needed. Pull the tape and begin looking for a radio station.

If you find a local station, listen. If it "seems awfully quiet out there" then assume the worst has happened and proceed with the plan.

Action is the antidote for fear.



2nd hour - Moving and filling containers

Check water pressure. Probably about half.
Easy to check by filling the coffee carafe.
It should fill in under 15 seconds.
Make a note of how long it takes.

Move the gallons of water from the storage area to a protected location.
Bring in the totes and the empty containers.
Bring the hose into the garage and begin filling the washing machine.
Check on it often, and only fill it to the top ring of holes.
Begin filling the empty containers and adding them to the protected location.

Check the washing machine.
Check the radio.
If still quiet: proceed.

Place the totes under the dining room table and fill them 2/3 full.
(I suspect the plastic might fail if we fill them all the way.)

From this point on, try to let as little as possible go down the drains, and that includes not flushing the toilet. In addition to not wasting water, you have to realize the septic system is also partially driven by electric pumps.


3rd hour - Informing and helping the neighbors

Most containers should be filled at this time. The ones that have an air tight lid are for drinking, and the rest are for washing.

I'm the most experienced person on the block, so go to each of the adjacent neighbors and inform them of what you know, Tell them to do pretty much what you have just done.

Do not give them water. Teach them to fish.
(Remind them about the valves above the water heater)



4th, and each hour after - Reassessment

Check the radio.
Do security checks.
Check all containers.
Check water pressure.


12th hour

This isn't really the twelfth hour. Timing depends on a lot of factors.
When water pressure drops to 1/4th (carafe requires over 30 seconds to fill)

Plan any last use of water. (Hopefully, this is around sunrise, but adapt as needed.)

Turn off heat for water heater. Take a short shower (might be your last for several days) and, if needed, flush toilet. Turn off the valves above the water heater to keep water inside it.



Addendum

Bottles made of PETE are the ones tonic water and other drink mixers come in. They have a couple of useful properties. They last almost forever, and do not break down in direct sunlight. Sunlight can be used as a disinfectant. Water that is suspect can be filtered with a coffee filter and poured into one of these bottles, leaving them in direct sunlight for several hours will kill any bacteria in the bottle.

[sojourner truth]

I have bought hand cranked flashlights and 2 hand cranked radios. I am currently checking out the possibility of solar powered electric generators. If I decided to use my travel trailer as a backup living quarters, I only need 15 watts of power (something a very small generator can provide) for lighting and even cooking.

Water will be the biggest problem. Food is pretty much taken care of, and I have stores of gasoline and propane. Even wood supply for open fire cooking/water boiling if needed.

[mac]

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I have bought hand cranked flashlights and 2 hand cranked radios. I am currently checking out the possibility of solar powered electric generators. If I decided to use my travel trailer as a backup living quarters, I only need 15 watts of power (something a very small generator can provide) for lighting and even cooking.

Water will be the biggest problem. Food is pretty much taken care of, and I have stores of gasoline and propane. Even wood supply for open fire cooking/water boiling if needed.

15 watt cooking? might wanna check that out, sojourner....mac

[Mestral]

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15 watt cooking? might wanna check that out, sojourner....mac

I strongly suspect he is using propane to cook.

[sojourner truth]

No, Mac is right... I suppose what I meant was 15 amps of power draw. My small generator putts out about 3000, which is enough to run the AC,TV, fridge, lights, and DVD player. If I want to use it to power up my hotplate, I have to turn off the AC.

The nice thing about the generator is that it only weighs about 40 pounds, has wheels, and is about as big as a microwave oven.

A hotplate normally draws about 1500 watts of power at 10 amps. Same for the AC and fridge. I usually use propane for cooking when in the trailer, except when I BBQ.