You’ve all seen it by now. Images of a wave racing across a field with trucks, cars, boats, pieces of house and other debris tumbling over and over as it destroys everything in its path. Tsunami. Earthquake. Fire. Nuclear meltdown. Propane and gasoline tanks burning and exploding. Power outage. No access to fresh water. Diminished food supplies. It’s incredibly humbling when you see what Mother Nature can do. Let’s all keep our Japanese brother and sisters in our hearts and prayers over the next few months as they’ll need all the help they can get.
I received an email from Jarhead03 saying he’d been receiving text and phone messages from people asking what they should do to get started, so this post is a quick primer on what to do to begin getting ready for a disaster. If you’re new to prepping you’re probably wondering, “How do I get started?” There’s nothing like witnessing a disaster and seeing other people who weren’t prepared and thinking, “I don’t want that to be me.” So where do you start?
I’ve got a little advice and then I’m going to open this up to the folks who’ve been doing this as a way of life for years and let them post their ideas. Ranger Man and I talked about this awhile ago (it was his idea – gotta give credit where it’s due.) I read different blogs, news stories, and web sites and invariably the comments section always holds outstanding information and that’s what I hope will happen here. Time for my SHTF homies to step up.
Getting Started
Once people start reading the news and websites like SHTFblog and others they suddenly figure out they’re woefully unprepared for an emergency, much less the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI.) Then a sense of urgency sets in and they run out and buy a few cans of food and some water bottles for the pantry. While that’s a good start and will help you feel a little better in the short run you need a detailed plan and a goal to work for.
A good goal to start with is food and water on hand for one month in case TSHTF (the shit hits the fan.) This is a catch phrase meaning “we don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we’re pretty sure someday something will.”
Food
Start by buying a little extra at the grocery store every time you go shopping. If you like that can of corned beef hash buy two or even three cans and store the extras away. Make sure you get a good variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, and carbs. Put this stuff in your pantry or on a shelf somewhere and make sure the oldest stock is to the front rotating through them just like they do in the grocery store. You can buy bags of rice and beans at the supermarket for emergency food storage and store them in food grade buckets. I get my buckets from the local Hannaford’s here in Maine. Clean the bucket, line it with a Mylar bag and pour the rice in. Throw a couple of oxygen absorbers in and seal the bucket up and you have a good amount of food stored in case of emergency.
Some people say only buy food that you’ll eat; however, I have a different take on that. If you’re going to be rotating food in and out then yes, buy food that you like, but if you decide to buy a month’s worth of freeze dried food you may get sick of it after awhile if you have to eat it someday. Buy it anyway! Food that’s gotten boring is better than starving to death! I’ve eaten plenty of freeze dried stuff while hiking and camping and lots of MRE’s in the Marine Corps, and while it can get old it’s certainly better than going hungry. Not to mention the freeze dried stuff
will last for years in the pantry. The freeze dried option is a lot more expensive, but if you can afford it go for it. It’s probably the easiest form of food storage out there. Buy it and it when it arrives put it on a shelf and forget about it until you need it. Regardless, store what you’ll need to keep you and your family alive during the lean times.
I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in the electric grid staying up if TSHTF; therefore, if you’re storing stuff in a freezer you may want to think of other methods. Canned and freeze dried are two good alternatives.
Water
If you have advance notice of a potential disaster coming your way – such as a big storm – the wisest thing to do is fill up all your water containers in case the power goes out. If you have town water that’s supplied from a water tower you may be ok for awhile, but it always pays to have spare drinkable water on hand just in case. Recently in Weston, MA a water main burst and drinking water was hard to come by for a few days. Residents had to boil water for a minute before drinking it because they were running off a backup system. A lot of people were without water and were quite put out by it, and all they had to do was boil it! Imagine if the electricity went out at the same time and the people didn’t have any fuel to boil water?
If you’re a prepper you probably already have a good amount of water set aside just in case and you’re resting secure in the fact that if TSHTF you and your family are going to be ok for awhile. However, if you don’t have some water set aside now is the time to start thinking about it.
There are different ways to store water. One way is to recycle your big soda bottles instead of returning them. Clean them thoroughly and fill them with fresh water and a drop of Chlorox bleach (the unscented kind). Experts say to change the water every 6 to 12 months, so you’ll want to label them and
check them periodically. Personally, I feel comfortable going a year as long as I know I cleaned the bottles properly.
Something else I’ve done is to set up a couple of rain barrels. I have two 55 gallon food drums
– I believe they had molasses in them originally – that I took and converted for use as water storage. Right now they’re rain barrels, but if I knew there was trouble coming it wouldn’t take long to put them down cellar and fill them with fresh water. I also have a Big Berkey water filter and this would help filter out any contaminants that may have been picked up in the rain barrels if I had to resort to drinking that.
The last time the power went out here one of the biggest pains was flushing the toilets. I’d have to take a couple of five gallon buckets and walk to the pond across the street and then carry them back to the bathrooms in the house. We’d only flush a couple of times a day, but it was still a pain dragging those buckets around. These drums are right on the side of the garage and will make it easier to get water the next the power goes out.
How much water do I need to save? How much water should I store? The rule of thumb is to store at least one gallon per person per day for at least 3 days (for earthquake preparedness). That’s 2 quarts for drinking and 2 quarts for food preparation and sanitation. A family of four should store a minimum of 12 gallons of water. Personally, I recommend at least a 10 day supply of water and a 30 day supply if at all possible.
For your bug out kit there are a few options for making water potable as well. I’ve used the Katadyn water filters with good luck in the past. My understanding is that they don’t get all of the bugs that can be found in some water and you could still get sick if you just use the filter; however, having said that I’ve never had a problem. If you filter it and are unconvinced that the water is clean go ahead and boil it if you have the time and means to do so. I usually get my water from a moving source (river, stream, spring, etc) if at all possible. Another type of purification is using the water purification tablets. The water tastes bad after you’ve used the pills, but it’s a lot better than drinking contaminated water and getting sick. I’ve used this
method a few times and other than the iodine taste it worked quite well.
Water is one of the most important things you can have in an emergency. Make sure you have plenty on-hand for you and your family just in case.
If you’re new to prepping and have a question please leave it in the comments section. For you old pros you’ll see that I’ve left a lot of information out. Please feel free to contribute your ideas for the good of the clan.
-Jarhead Survivor
BTW:
Here are a few links to help get things started:
Bug-Out bag on a budget
Why I purchased a Big Berkey Water Purifier
How to make your own MRE’s at home
Things to consider when thinking about bugging out
Practice your backpacking skills and test equipment
How To Get Ready For Disaster – Interactive
previous post
22 comments
water is life, but remember: you can die from exposure, in less time than it takes to die from dehydration. you can bleed to death, in less time than it takes to suffocate. store some water today, but also think about how to keep your family dry, and warm enough. (a large water resistant tarp, and blankets, come to mind) (wool socks, and warm hats come to mind as well)
Excellent point Irish.
thanks, i try. (and hey, even a clock which has stopped, is right twice a day)
After the 100yr flood (last yr) we were under a boil order for about ten days, the tap water was contaminated. I keep 2-4cases of bottled water all the time. I use it everyday and just replace it when I go shopping. As for purification, I have seen lots of folks who will treat it chemicly first and kill eveything in it and then filter to remove matter and the taste of the chemistry. This seems to be a good method. I am all in favor of boiling but that can be an issue if you have to move rapidly away from a threat.
so you see, there are lots of strategies, about water. you need to pick a few. make a start, then develop your water preparations in “parallel”. (or, put all your eggs in one basket, but then really, really, watch that basket…)
as i noted above, you need to maintain dry shelter, appropriate to your climate. there are just a few medical emergencies that will kill you quicker than hypothermia, or hyperthermia. severe bleeding is is one. asphyxia, is next, anaphylaxis and poison may also.
you need to lay in some first-aid supplies… remember, when seconds count, help is only minutes away. this applies to medical emergencies as well as security emergencies. a shotgun and a good first-aid kit will do you no good unless you know how to use them.
i should have edited this to include “drownings” as one of the can’t wait emergencies. too much water is almost as bad as none.
it’s good to keep a coil of rope with your prep gear, for this (and many other) reason(s). “throwing a rope” is a prepper skill everyone should learn.
I came to a stark realization yesterday, I have to way to know for certain that there is radiation in the air. I have K103 but,No geiger counter or nuke alert. After years of putting stuff away “just in case” I never bought these seemingly absolutely required instuments. How absolutely stupid of me.
So this morning I put enough money in the bank to buy “RadAlerts” for me any my wife. I ordered them when I got home.
Perhaps now would be a good time for you if you have not.
Carl.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365781/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-Second-explosion-rips-nuclear-plant.html
a UK update on the now three reactors in meltdown in japan – as you can see in the article there are officials in CA monitoring the situation – if it was impossible for CA to be affected then they would not be monitoring it…
ever since i watched Ben Bernanke tell Congress under oath that the subprime situation is contained – i pretty much ignore and distrust what the government says. we all know how that turned out and see that nobody who was really responsible has been held accountable – so how are we supposed to trust our government.
research and evaluate the threats that may affect you and prep as best as you can. prepare for the worse and hope for the best.
Since my living space makes storage of large quantities of water difficult (although I do have 2 8-gallon hard plastic containers specifically designed for water storage in my bedroom closet, and about twenty 2-liter soda bottles of water under my bed), I bought a Water Bob. It’s a water container specifically designed to be put into a standard-size bathtub and filled up from the tub faucet. In its package, it takes up about as much space as a fat copy of the yellow pages, so it fits under the bathroom sink just fine. If I have just a few (20-ish) minutes warning to get it going, I can ensure a clean water supply of at least 50 gallons in the tub (it has a 100-gallon capacity but few tubs are that big). The Water Bob cost me $20 on sale but the last time I checked, they’re running about $24. I think they’d make great housewarming gifts, too.
When I used to live in an apartment I would keep several cases of Deer Park gallon jugs. They come in a 6-pack box, which because of the size made them difficult to store with the limited space I had. My place was decorated in typical male college student/bachelor style, with the most basic furniture possible, big TV, a bed and nightstand -w- a TV on an old milk crate in the bedroom, and basics in the kitchen along with my counter-top pizza oven. I ended up stacking 2 boxes and putting a sheet of plywood on top (made 2 “end tables like this), covered with a piece of camo fabric to make a table; 4 boxes fit perfectly under my foot-locker in my closet; 8 stacked nicely behind my big-screen TV (projection 52”); So not only did I have 96 gallons of water stored up, they were stored in easy to access locations, and I managed to improve the look of my apartment.
Forgot to mention the 6 cases of 1.5l bottles I would keep stacked just outside the kitchen, for hunting/fishing trips and taking to the gym. Use your imagination and you can come up with some pretty “slick” ways to hide your water storage, or anything else in plain sight!
Charcoal. Last fall I bought 100 lbs on sale for about $20. Obviously you can barbecue with it and I have some dutch ovens and charcoal works great for them. But my plan is to use 3 or 4 briquets at a time to cook a meal. I can cook a complete meal for two (and in a pinch for four) with three briquets. I have propane and a very good two burner camp stove as well as a propane barebecue. I have plenty of wood and wood is great for dutch ovens or cooking right over the fire. But if you bug in you may not want to burn wood just to make a meal so think about your options.
The charcoal, as long as it’s not the stuff with the lighter fluid in it and preferably as close to plain-old-ordinary charcoal as you can get, can be used in water purification. The stuff I have stored for building a cistern includes sand (of varying grades), powdered clay (made myself with red-clay from grading my yard, that was dried in the sun and broken up to fit in burlap sacks), a few different sizes of gravel (from coarse stuff like for driveways/paving, down to “pea-gravel”), and a pretty hefty 55gal barrel of charcoal (which I made myself from white/red oak and hickory). Not to mention the PVC pipes (for making a “well in the center), rope and bucket (for water retrieval) and chicken wire to keep animals and pests out of the cistern.
The charcoal will not only help to improve the flavor of the water, by removing some chemical contaminants that may be present, but it will also help to filter out some parasites. It is important to note however, that for the best effect in water purification, it needs to be changed every so often.
That’s a great idea GWTW! I live in a heavily forested area, but it would make great sense to just use a small amount of charcoal to make small meals if you didn’t want to light a fire.
One thing everyone should have in a “situation” is something called OPSEC. Just this past weekend, half the town lost power (literally). I had to drive through it at the time and noticed one house with all the lights on. It dawned on me that they had a generator. When I saw my FIL the next day, I mentioned the story to him and asked if they did. He said that they certainly did, because he installed it (he is a licensed master electrician). Great for them, but if the “situation” was a bit more long term, his place would have been ground central for beggars. He is, in fact, within a couple of blocks in all 4 directions, of people of lower income, many of them in public housing with no interest of finding employment. Just some food for thought.
Certainly situational awareness would be key, if your neighborhood is rough plan accordingly. A good pistol and rifle would be important.
Americans are not Japaneese we don’t do the polite suffer in silence thing well, learn a lesson from Katrina.
Lots of LEO’s disappearred and some that didn’t were certainly in it for themselves and other did there job as required. Recognize the threats
and then plan accordingly. Check and evaluat the most likely scenario and then prep for that. Certainly food ,water, shelter , and security would be the four most important.
Educate yourself on survival in urban as well rural or suburban areas
thinking through your different SHTF scenario be it personal ,regional or national. Formulating a plan will stretch your preps as well help you secure things your forget in a disaster
In light of the recent calamity and tragedy in Japan I decided to take 15 minutes from my increasingly busy day and share with you fellow preppers a site I found. As is usually the case one area is overlooked and radiation is something I didnt consider too much. I am not looking at the reactor states in Japan. I of all people should have known better.
I was in US Army SF and qualified as an instructor in NBC. I worked for a private company manufacturing radioactive materials and I am registed with the NRC as a qualified handler/clean up of nuclear compounds. But yes, I over looked this aspect, even knowing so much about it because the threat didnt seem too real. I got complaicent really. Save the heckling for another time.
On to business…I started skimming the web for a site to find potassium iodide tablets and came across http://www.ki4u.com These folks know their sh*t and have the right stuff for sale as well as TONS of info. All info I looked through is 100% accurate. I think I will hit them up and try to wholesale their products. I used buy the same Geiger counters they sell for around $40 a piece. Should have kept one….
Stores of food and water will certainly make you and your family more comfortable, and can help keep you alive. In my mind what is more important is training/knowledge, this can include firearms, first-aid, hunting, fishing, food preservation, gardening, etc. etc. etc. All the gear in the world won’t help you near as much as #1 knowing how/when to use it #2 knowing how to use it to it’s maximum potential #3 knowing how to use it SAFELY/EFFECTIVELY #4 knowing how to get by without it #5 Knowing how to make tools/equipment that can replace lost/damaged/stolen/non-existent gear.
The most important in my opinion are
Firearms training- which can be taught to family/friends after an individual learns it- not a replacement for OPSEC, but a start and more importantly a response or preventative measure to whatever comes along
First-aid training- When medical services are delayed/non-existent, you will have to watch out for yourself and your loved ones, basic first-aid can save someones life until more advanced help can be found- like the firearms training, it can be taught to friends/family, which will increase the effectiveness of your medical strategy
Hunting/Fishing/Food Preservation/Food Cultivation- When you can’t buy it from the store you will have to grow, hunt or gather your own food! Being able to properly process game and domesticated animals, catch fish/shellfish and harvesting fruits/grains/vegetables; AND being able to cook/prepare them for long term storage will really “save your bacon” when things get REALLY bad, and can save your wallet, and sharpen your skills in the mean time.
One of the most important things when discussing training/knowledge, is that those in your family/group should “cross train”. For example, IF you have one person who understands and is proficient in first-aid and they get hurt serious enough that they cannot treat the injury themselves… and nobody else knows first-aid… WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? If the injury is severe enough, you will probably loose your “medic” and anyone else who is injured is screwed!
Cross training as many people as you can will be extremely beneficial down the road. You will find that most folks will have areas where they are stronger than others (i.e. someone may be a better shot, or better fisherman/hunter, someone may not be able to handle the sight of blood… they are out there, how they get by in life, I don’t know!). If you have the folks who naturally take to particular skills have them focus on them, but still develop others you will wind up with a strong team to help each other survive, and a disorganized group, no matter how large will have a hard time destroying/disrupting it!
What did we learn from floods?
A) Stack the firewood near the house so it doesn’t float away. (My poor brother spent two days chopping and it all floated away XD.)
B) If you live anywhere where its likely at all to flood, then keep a supply of sandbags just in case. When Nashville needed to sandbag places, there were no bags and no sand to be found in the state.
That was on the wrong window. >.<
Here’s a few general tips most of us have put into our plans…
1- Join a survival forum and learn what others have learned about being prepared;
2- Put together a Bug-Out Plan and assemble a Bug-Out-Bag for each person and the car;
3- Put together a Stay-Put Plan and start storing food, water, supplies and equipment;
4- Start a garden — you can live on half the calories with raw food than with cooked food;
5- Buy in bulk — large quantities are cheaper, and today’s price is less than tomorrow’s;
6- Start eating your stored food now to reduce the stress of unfamiliar food in a disaster;
7- Learn the edible plants and animals in your area and how to safely prepare them;
8- Stay inside as much as possible and lie low — conserve your energy;
9- Outside, speak softly, move quietly/slowly, carry weapons on a belt, not in your hand;
10- Decide how you will deal with moochers and militants and evaluate your willingness to do it;
11- Barter salt, chocolate, coffee, sun block, insect repellent, bleach, soap and toilet paper;
12- Not things that could be used against you (ammo) or promote bad behavior (alcohol);
13- Or that might make you a target when they become critically short in supply (water);
And a few many of us have NOT considered in our plans…
14- Go beyond storing things, learn how to DO things in a survival situation;
15- Include your PETS in your plans — they want to survive, too;
16- Get in shape — hard times favor FIT people who think and behave at their best;
And one I had not thought about until I realized that my beans and bullets would probably not last much longer than a year…
17- Make a NETWORKING PLAN of who you will trust with your skills, experience and supplies;
a- Build friendships with people willing/able to network before/during/after SHTF;
b- People likely to be motivated/loyal/prepared for short/long term crisis;
c- Trust takes time — start now and pay attention to what they do, not what they say;
d- Don’t discuss your survival preparations until you know them VERYwell;
e- Large groups — more likely to suffer personality conflicts and disagreements;
f- Small groups — more likely to agree and cooperate in life or death situations;
And here are some questions you could ask yourself about networking…
Would they behave like a victim or a survivor when disaster strikes?
If they know you are prepared, would they be a moocher or a militant?
Or take a pro-active attitude toward getting prepared by learning from you?
Do they usually fix things themselves? Or call a plumber or a handyman?
Are they conservative or liberal towards outsiders, beggars, people in need?
How do they handle problems like their car not starting or a leak in the roof?
How likely is it that they would shoot somebody who was shooting at them?
Will their core beliefs, values and principles harmonize or conflict with yours?
Would they resist or cooperate when agreement was essential for the group’s survival?
Would they change the way they think and act to ensure there is a tomorrow?
The one they want, not the one handed to them by circumstances or corrupt leaders?
Would they roll up their sleeves and begin to rebuild America19 from the bottom up?
Or wait for the government to bail them out from the top down?
And another tip that I think is as important as food and water:
18- Stay in touch with your reasons for surviving, today and tomorrow. In both short and long term disasters, things are likely to get worse before they get better. So don’t stress yourself with dark imaginings. Fear is often born of fatigue, frustration and loneliness. Put pictures of loved ones in your wallet or purse and look at them often. Make a notebook of sayings, poems and stories that reflect your values and beliefs. Gather the family around a campfire, a candle or a flashlight and take turns reading them to one another.
Hope some of this helps. I’ve certainly learned alot from forums like this… thanks!
–Bill
Here’s a few general tips most of us have put into our plans…
1- Join a survival forum and learn what others have learned about being prepared;
2- Put together a Bug-Out Plan and assemble a Bug-Out-Bag for each person and the car;
3- Put together a Stay-Put Plan and start storing food, water, supplies and equipment;
4- Start a garden — you can live on half the calories with raw food than with cooked food;
5- Buy in bulk — large quantities are cheaper, and today’s price is less than tomorrow’s;
6- Start eating your stored food now to reduce the stress of unfamiliar food in a disaster;
7- Learn the edible plants and animals in your area and how to safely prepare them;
8- Stay inside as much as possible and lie low — conserve your energy;
9- Outside, speak softly, move quietly/slowly, carry weapons on a belt, not in your hand;
10- Decide how you will deal with moochers and militants and evaluate your willingness to do it;
11- Barter salt, chocolate, coffee, sun block, insect repellent, bleach, soap and toilet paper;
12- Not things that could be used against you (ammo) or promote bad behavior (alcohol);
13- Or that might make you a target when they become critically short in supply (water);
And a few many of us have NOT considered in our plans…
14- Go beyond storing things, learn how to DO things in a survival situation;
15- Include your PETS in your plans — they want to survive, too;
16- Get in shape — hard times favor FIT people who think and behave at their best;
And one I had not thought about until I realized that my beans and bullets would probably not last much longer than a year…
17- Make a NETWORKING PLAN of who you will trust with your skills, experience and supplies;
Build friendships with people willing/able to network before/during/after SHTF;
People likely to be motivated/loyal/prepared for short/long term crisis;
Trust takes time — start now and pay attention to what they do, not what they say;
Don’t discuss your survival preparations until you know them VERYwell;
Large groups — more likely to suffer personality conflicts and disagreements;
Small groups — more likely to agree and cooperate in life or death situations;
And here are some questions you could ask yourself about networking…
Would they behave like a victim or a survivor when disaster strikes?
If they know you are prepared, would they be a moocher or a militant?
Or take a pro-active attitude toward getting prepared by learning from you?
Do they usually fix things themselves? Or call a plumber or a handyman?
Are they conservative or liberal towards outsiders, beggars, people in need?
How do they handle problems like their car not starting or a leak in the roof?
How likely is it that they would shoot somebody who was shooting at them?
Will their core beliefs, values and principles harmonize or conflict with yours?
Would they resist or cooperate when agreement was essential for the group’s survival?
Would they change the way they think and act to ensure there is a tomorrow?
The one they want, not the one handed to them by circumstances or corrupt leaders?
Would they roll up their sleeves and begin to rebuild America19 from the bottom up?
Or wait for the government to bail them out from the top down?
And another tip that I think is as important as food and water:
18- Stay in touch with your reasons for surviving, today and tomorrow. In both short and long term disasters, things are likely to get worse before they get better. So don’t stress yourself with dark imaginings. Fear is often born of fatigue, frustration and loneliness. Put pictures of loved ones in your wallet or purse and look at them often. Make a notebook of sayings, poems and stories that reflect your values and beliefs. Gather the family around a campfire, a candle or a flashlight and take turns reading them to one another.
–Bill
something interesting to note – people are more frequently losing power due to copper thefts – ground wires, copper in transformers, copper power lines… we may be thinking of things like governmental collapse, zombie apocalypse or some other reason for the necessity to be prepared, when it can be as simple as selfish greedy bastards stealing the wiring to get the power to one’s residence…