This article has been contributed by The Economic Collapse Blog.
Whenever a major disaster or emergency strikes, millions of lives can be turned upside down in an instant. Fortunately Hurricane Irene was not as catastrophic as originally projected, but millions of people did lose power and at least 35 people lost their lives. Large numbers of homes were destroyed and the economic damage from Hurricane Irene is going to be in the billions of dollars. Now that Hurricane Irene has passed, this is a good opportunity for all of us to look back and learn some important lessons about how to prepare for disasters and emergencies. The reality is that a major disaster or emergency has happened somewhere in the United States almost every single month so far this year, and it is only a matter of time before you and your family will be faced with another disaster or emergency.
No plan is perfect, but if you have a plan you are going to be far better off than if you do not have a plan. September is “National Preparedness Month“, so now is a great time to focus on preparing your family for the future disasters and emergencies that are inevitably coming.
The following are 12 things that we can learn from Hurricane Irene about how to prepare for disasters and emergencies….
#1 Disasters And Emergencies Are Inherently Unpredictable
When a disaster or an emergency strikes, you never know what is going to happen. Even a storm such as Hurricane Irene that was tracked for weeks can end up being highly unpredictable.
For example, while a tremendous amount of attention was paid to New York City, the reality is that some of the worst damage ended up being caused in Vermont. Hurricane Irene actually caused the worst flooding that Vermont has seen since 1927.
The following is how the governor of Vermont described the devastation that was caused in his state by this storm….
“It’s just devastating,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said Monday. “Whole communities under water, businesses, homes, obviously roads and bridges, rail transportation infrastructure. We’ve lost farmers’ crops,” he said. “We’re tough folks up here but Irene … really hit us hard.”
#2 During A Major Disaster Store Shelves Become Empty Very Rapidly
What do we see happen every single time there is even a minor disaster or emergency?
Every single time, food and other emergency supplies disappear from store shelves in a matter of hours.
If you do not have at least a couple weeks of food stored up you are being totally foolish.
In fact, considering how unstable the world has become, it is amazing that only a small percentage of the population has enough food stored up to be able to last for at least six months.
If an economic apocalypse happens, a major war breaks out, an EMP attack takes place, a huge comet strikes the planet or weapons of mass destruction are used in this country, you may not have access to mass quantities of very cheap food any longer.
Get prepared while you still can.
#3 Always Have A “Go Bag” Ready
When disaster strikes, you may only have a couple of minutes before you have to race out the door.
Your “go bag” should contain some food, some water, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, some cash, copies of your most important documents and any medicine that you may need.
#4 Know Your Escape Routes And Always Have Maps Of The Area In Your Vehicle
Have a plan and know where you are going to be heading in the event of an emergency.
If you don’t have a plan or if you don’t give yourself enough time, you could end up dead. A number of people died during Hurricane Irene while they were in their cars. The following is one example that was noted in a recent CNN article….
A 64-year-old woman was found dead Sunday by Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, police after her family grew concerned when she did not show up for work. Her body was found a half-mile from where her car was abandoned in a deluged creek, police said.
#5 During A Major Disaster Or Emergency There Is A Good Chance That You Will Lose Power For An Extended Period Of Time
During Hurricane Irene, more than 5 million people lost power. That is why it is crucial to have a battery-powered radio, a battery-powered (or solar) flashlight and extra batteries in your home.
Know what you are going to do once the power goes out. Anyone that has been through an extended power outage knows how life can change almost instantly once the power goes down.
#6 Have Enough Water Stored Up
What was one of the biggest problems in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?
It turned out that one of the most critical problems was a very serious shortage of bottled water.
Yes, even after Katrina dumped unprecedented amounts of water on New Orleans one of the biggest problems was still a lack of water.
If you do not have clean water to drink, you can die within just a few days.
So when planning for disasters and emergencies, please be sure to store up enough water.
#7 During A Natural Disaster, Major Transportation Routes May Be Shut Down
A lot of people were horrified to find roads closed or washed out during Hurricane Irene. Just because you are used to traveling on certain roads it is not safe to assume that they will always be available during disasters and emergencies.
#8 Have Respect For The Sheer Power Of Natural Disasters
We live at a time when people like to make a joke out of anything, but major natural disasters are not to be trifled with.
If you do not respect nature, you can end up dead. Amazingly, some people were actually out boating and canoeing during Hurricane Irene. According to one CNN article, one 53-year-old man that tried boating during Hurricane Irene was later found dead….
One man in Croton, New York, died Sunday while boating along with four others down the Croton River, said Lt. Russell Haper, a spokesman for the Croton police. The boat overturned in the strong rapids. The 53-year-old man was found dead after a three-hour rescue effort. The other men were pulled safely from the water.
#9 Living Near Water Can Be Very Dangerous
If you live near the ocean or near a major river, you need to understand that the potential for danger is always there.
Even if you live a good bit in from the coast, the danger for substantial flooding is always there. The following is how one CNN article described the situation in Philadelphia at the height of Hurricane Irene….
Outside Philadelphia, waters had already climbed to street-sign levels in Darby, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said, with the water sending “couches, furniture, all kinds of stuff floating down the street.”
#10 During A Major Disaster Bring In All Objects From Outside
During any disaster that involves high winds, anything that is left outside can quickly become a very dangerous projectile. The last thing that you want is for the wind to pick up heavy objects and send them crashing into your home or the home of a neighbor. If you know that a major storm is coming, please bring in everything that you can from outside.
#11 Have A Plan But Be Flexible
Your best chance of making it through a disaster or emergency is to have a plan. But that doesn’t mean that you should always stick with that plan. Disasters and emergencies are inherently unpredictable, so it will be very important to be as flexible as possible.
#12 If You Wait Until Disaster Strikes To Prepare It Is Too Late
Right now is the time to prepare for the next disaster or emergency. If you wait until an emergency happens, you will be out of luck. You need to develop a disaster plan for yourself and your family if you do not have one already.
If you plan on storing up food, water, medicine and other emergency supplies, you need to do it ahead of time. Victory belongs to the prepared, and if you think that you will never wind up in the middle of a major disaster you are just being foolish.
Hurricane Irene was a terrible storm, but fortunately it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.
Hopefully this storm will serve as a wake up call for many of us.
The next time that a disaster strikes, we may not be let off the hook so easily.
Preaching to the choir. Singing that tune here.
+1
Mac,
I’m beginning to worry about the Fukushima incident. It seems that radiation is flowing free from the reactors. I read in Steven Quayle’s site that it’s like having dropped 168 atomic bombs since the tsunami.
It’s not easy to be prepared for long term radiation. I mean you can have water and food stored, you can have ammo, you can have sanitation napkins and medicine.
But how can we handle an invisible enemy which kills you every day, hour, or minute?
A very good British movie-cartoon is “When the wind blows”, which shows the changes to the body due to radiation.
Most people would get out of the way of radiation, relying on KI pills for the short term. If you’re intent on staying long term in an irradiated area, you can either wrap your house in lead/dense material, build it deep underground, or accept that you’re going to die because you didn’t want to leave the irradiated area.
What happens though when our power is down and there is nobody to run our nuclear plants? I feel like the radiation would spread throughout the US making no place safe. Am I totally off-base thinking this?
Just start doing some healthy things like eating Cilantro leaf- a natural heavy metal chelator. Or get some Bentonite clay and put in capsules. (drink lots of water). Burdock Root removes radioactive isotopes from the body too. Go to the health food store get a super green type supplement with kelp in it. Eat lots of garlic……..It’s all online…….
Add your sentiments about Japan and all affected to the re-opening of the sea floor in the Gulf??? We are so screwed!!!
The floods from the last few states here isn’t even a memory yet!!!
We’re so screwed!!!
Luke 21..entire chapter.
…is fiction.
And then just keep reading straight through Revelations.
Exciting times……..
DBoy,
You got the BOY part right.
I think DBag might be more appropriate.
Chill out cyber.. he’s alowed to believe in whatever he wants, and can voice his opinion if he chooses to.
Now that “is” funny!
Psalm 53:1 The fool hath said IN HIS HEART, There is no God.
I love this site–so many great, typically informative articles… I’m about sick of the comment threads always turning overly religious and/or straight-up racist. Guess I could just not scroll down to ’em. Yep, that’s the ticket! Later
D-boy – Don’t listen to them. We are rare here.
If you know the Bible, use it against them, for their own benefit.
We are disciples of the way, the truth, the light.
Be strong and continue to post, it is your human responsibility.
Chessles – question, exactly what is “overly religious” to you ? Is it the mere mention of God, the Bible, the wisdom that can be learned from past lives lived both well and badly ? Is it the application of verses to today’s issues ? Not for me.. I am not religious. I am a Christian. The differences are as vast as those between dry and wet, light and dark, free and slave. Religion is man’s attempt to define and manipulate God. Christianity is God’s attempt to redeem, enlighten and free mankind. There are no similarities between them.
Sam not sam- According to that verse, “There is not one which doeth good.”
I beg of you to start giving examples of the what evil works the irreligious are tied to?
If you have read your Bible, you have read evil at its very core, from the Old Testament, to the New. Fear not, for you are hardly the only blind follower of the pain and misery; but do fear the history that looms in its pages, for this history is the world YOU and your bretheren bring to your own children, and mine.
Jeoprodize your future, it is your right as a human being without responsibility. It is when you jeoprodize others futures that you become evil itself, and evil’s days are numbered.
“Open your heart and hands my son, or you’ll never make it over the river.” MJK
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call EVIL GOOD, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Yes Sam not sam, that is what I said… Thank you for listening.
Sam, argue not with a fool who thinks he is wise, lest you become a fool yourself.
Shake the dust off and do not confront the spirit of the anti Christ, let the Lord rebuke him, shake the dust from your feet and move on. Satan, the great deceiver and father of lies and confusion has his days numbered and he knows it. Walk on brother and God bless
Grow up BJ. Who you call satan has nothing but good intentions. Who you call satan does good everyday. Who you call satan lives a life of good. Who you call satan asks nothing but good of others.
Satan is a lie, if you were not such a scared man, you would try to realize this most basic of lies meant to keep you in fear of education.
The writing is on the wall, so stop throwing shit in the fan and you will see the words of enlightenment.
“There is no evil seeking to cause guilt nor harm in the hearts of man.” MJK – Only man seeking to control other men and women.
THanks BJ – I wouldn’t bother wasting my time arguing with him on such things.. prepper things maybe; but this ? No. That is why the only response he ever gets from me, on such topics, is an appropriate verse.
I give up….
LOL, just kidding.
Since you could not answer my question of “I beg of you to start giving examples of the what evil works the irreligious are tied to?”, then I decided I would fish for you just for fun, even though you will likely starve to death rather than take another fish from me, or learn to do so yourself.
http://antiatheism.info/category/famous-atheists
This is quite literally the best I could come up with. LMAO. It says of you guys, “I have nothing.”
I pray for you, I just call it thinking about you. I need not make up new words like prayer to replace thoughts, satan to replace evil, blessed to replace fortunate, faith to replace… wait, faith is completely made up for the church, I almost forgot that faith is an illegitamate word.
See, faith means trust without the senses, which, is completely hypocrytical and ludacris. You cannot trust what you have no clue of, and you have no clue of ‘your’ God. Your God was invented, and a massive, massive, MASSIVE amount of evidence supports this. Want some of it? or are you still shitting your pants in fear.
P.S. Sam not sam – Your not religious, but still a Christian? I wish I knew what church you went to, that is “the way” for you, cast you from your community via name dropping. OOOHHH, that is satan/evil, no, it is tough love. The same as I would do if you were a coc fiend and I slipped your name as an informant in order to make you run from the community of dealers.
Love you brother, like it or not.
“Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.”
Pink Floyd, or Satan – “Time”
This just “found me” tonight, must be Satan guiding me, or maybe its God. LOL, maybe it is God, I hope so, but if it requires faith, then it requires to me ignore the human responsibilty to my senses that “he” gave me. Did not hear, did not feel, did not taste, touch, or smell? I even understand the sixth sense, yet non of that either.
I will choose responsibilty and make the assesment that there is just a greater amount of knowledge found in the nonreligious vs the theistic, and I tend to look at those circumstance and ignore what HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN WRONG TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
Peace be with you. Translation, best wishes.
I was up most of the night during Irene. I was fortunate that my power stayed on and my sump pump kept working. Without those, my losses would have been significant. I’m making plans now for an alternate power source. And if I never truly need it–GREAT!
You also need a way to heat your house and cook your food if power goes off in the winter. There was a major ice storm in Quebec a few years ago where people didn’t have power for weeks. Besides, in a hyperinflation-induced total economic collapse there won’t be electricity or running water. You need to be prepared for both.
One super-cheap easy way to get heat, if you have any sunlight, is black trash bags over curtain rods. Sunlight heats the space between the window and the bag, the heat rises, pulls more cool air up from the floor, and starts the process over again.
“National Preparedness Month“, is this a paid holiday?
For many people NPM means buying an extra package of toilet paper. What is that old joke? Something like beauty is only skin deep, but dumb goes to the bone…
Forgot to add ROTFLOL, AZ!!!
My husband and I were well prepped but unfortunately my in-laws and neighbors weren”t. We lost power for 1 1/2 days. My mother-in-law is still without power. With two trunk freezers and a generator, the inlaws and neighbors were quick to ask if they could put their foods in our freezers. We allowed it this time but I wouldn’t next again. The constant opening and closing of the freezers quickly lowered their temperatures from zero below to 20 degrees above. The generator ran longer and used more gas than intended. My big hearted husband lent out food, batteries, flashlights and eventually our generator to the inlaws after we got power back. Next time I’m standing firm in refusing help to those that won’t help themselves regardless of who they are. There was more than enough warning this hurricane was on it’s way to Ct.
That’s below zero on the freezers. It’s early and it takes time for brain to catch up with the morning’s coffee. LOL
Trouble is, they know you are prepped and they are not. If there were to be a larger problem, they know who to leech off of. This may be the time to get them on board with prepping.
Now that the non-preppers have gotten their power back on I’ve heard them remark more than once how important electric is and the next time they will be prepared. Uh huh. You wanna bet? The normalcy bias sets back in until the next time when the Northeast blizzards hit and again we are out of power. They have lived in the Northeast their entire lives and still don’t prepare. You can’t fix stupid.
heck , i even have a back up generator for my back up generator..and I dont even live in a possible hurricane area.
Honda has a really sweet 3000 watt unit that is slightly larger than a suit case, and boy is it ever quiet.
most of the NASCAR guys use them in the pits for power and you can stand right next to them and talk , and not have to yell
great for keeping a low profile.
up camping we stuck one of these in a dog house with a fan blowing air thru it, and you couldnt even hear it.
VRF, Go to Wally Mart to the rubbermaid section and get the extra large plastic container that will fit over the 3OOO watt Honda. Cut out one end to fit over the exhaust side of generator. The other end, cut out small square in front of air intake where inverter cooling is at front and round hole where twist lock cord goes through. Buy small sheet of alumin sheet metal. Take off exhaust side black cover and fabricate with tin snips a three corner deflector with tabs to be held by black plastic exhaust side cover to keep water out of exhaust. Purchase “two wheel” kit and tie down strap for rubbermaid cover. Now you can run generator out in the rain. Ensure you make green grounding #6-8 cord and purchase 8 foot copper plated grounding rod. The 6.5KW is VERY quiet too and has enough 240 volt amps to light up “one” hot water heating element that is sized. Purchase chain and lock also.
VRF and anonymous mentioned the Honda 3000 generator – very quiet. I did on online search and found several different models. Which one do you have or would you recommend?
Thank you.
KY Mom
Tell them to set their meat out during the winter and give them a small box of old cheap chocolates that have been tooth marked at the bottom.
KY Mom:
http://www.generatorsales.com/order/Honda-EU3000iS-Tri-fuel.asp?page=EU3000iS_Tri_Fuel
http://www.generatorsales.com/order/Honda-EU6500iSA-Tri-fuel.asp?page=EU6500iSA_Tri_Fuel
The marine boat stores also have 110 volt hot water heater elements and solar internet sites even have 12/24 volt “dump” heater elements but you must ensure that they fit your hot water heater and have it wired separately.
Tri-fuel generators need an extra regulator sized correctly for length/diameter of hose for natural gas and propane. Hire a propane dealer or natural gas provider if you don’t know what you are doing. Gas meters can be installed with their own generator regulator and a quick disconnect fitting for the fuel hose. A little bit of engineering but once it’s sized and installed, no more difficult then a propane grill to turn on.
I understand your frustration. I keep sending articles such as these to friends and family. (I am a prepper. But, most of it is hidden.)
I know we can’t prep for everyone, but I will continue to prep for my parents. (My husband supports me on this too.) My parents grew up during the depression, have worked hard all their lives, and lived frugally. They are now old and not in the best of health. Unforseen medical bills have depleted their savings.
Another thought…For a birthday, Mother’s day, Father’s day or a Christmas gift…why not send them something they will use and not just another trinket.
if your relying on a generator that relies on a non renewable source of energy….you might be in for some bad times and disappointments in the near future.
Solar, wind, hydro and steam
Yep.., you were their BACK UP PLAN ! 🙂 They let you do all the work.
Now imagine if this were a 2-3 week event. Those that refuse to help themselves (as they tell you about their last vacation) can just do without. I had a neighbor just like that. Then after years of trying to get them to prep they bought a generator. Never tested and then when they needed it they came over for gas! His wife complained about my generator being to load as well. F^& all of them!
I’ve been having this conversation with my Father as of late. Both he and I have been doing our best to prepare for difficult times. Unfortunately we have relatives (immediate family and more) that either are unable to prep or simply oblivious and are still living the “spend more than you make” American lifestyle. And that’s not to mention all of the close friends I dearly love who are doing the same.
I think that one of the most aggravating things is that my Mother believes that I should take care of my younger sister and her family when or if the time comes because I’ve “been so much more fortunate than them”. I worked hard for what I have and yet somehow I’m responsible for their well being after she married a loser and had 3 kids when they couldn’t afford one…
My family is a microcosm of the nation as a whole. We have those who work hard and make their own way in life, and we have others looking for hand outs thinking that those who are capable of taking care of themselves somehow owe everyone who can’t (all under the guilt laden cry of “you should take care of family”).
It’s very frustrating to say the least.
Great post. I think we all feel your pain.
Microcosm. Yep, that’s my word for the day. Thanks 😉
Tell your mom if sis & her dirtbag do not do what they can to help prepare then you’re just gonna have to shoot ’em when the time comes. That might get mom to nudge her daughter a bit more enthusiastically if you get my drift.
I feel your pain as my own mother thinks that I have been more fortunate than my siblings and believes I should help them out. I explained to my mother that working hard and making sacrifices doesn not make me more fortunate, it means I made different choices and my choices led me to a more fruitfull life. Period. I also told my mother that if she is so concerned for her other offspring then she can help them in whatever way she sees fit.
I used to foolishly believe that helping my siblings was the right thing to do. After being taken advantage of at every opportunity they could see for many years, I finally woke up and said no more. It was tough, but I am glad I did it. Sadly, it seems my family and yours have a lot in common and I agree they are a microcosm of the nation as a whole. Good luck to you!
Hmmm..tell them this…failure on your part to prepare does not constitute an emergency on my part…
Tell them to read Atlas Shrugged…..they “might” take a hint…
Are you SURE we’re not related? Sounds like my family, only I moved at least an hour away from my siblings.
Heck, I moved 1000 miles away from my family – trust me I get it.
My mom, who is absolutely loaded, shakes her head and makes fun of my “gloom and doom” and wanted to take a picture of my stockpiled water to laugh at with her friends the last time she visited. She tells me I need to “live a little” and scoffs at me for spending money on preps.
Luckily she only visits once a year.
Unluckily the S will probably HTF when she’s here.
That’s what closets with locks on the outside are for…
Amen, Newfound. Those who are capable of taking care of themselves somehow owe everyone who wont! (I have no problem with my tax dollars going to disability services and aged care. I wouldn’t like an every-man-for-himself society in my old age.)I have a sister like yours, but she’s an older sister, which makes it slightly more annoying. 5 kids, couldn’t afford and didn’t want one, husband didn’t look for work for 9yrs before he ran off. Always $20 short the day before payday and if you don’t want to give it to her, you’re somehow responsible for the kids not getting dinner that night.
E-mail them generator sales ads and remind them next time.
Our thoughts EXACTLY…
anonymous,
Thank you for the web links and info. about the Honda generators!
KY Mom
Had Enough,
The best thing for you, will be to help them understand and get prepared immediately.
Only when they make their own preparations and plan, you will be able to focus on your survival. Sit down together, create an individual plan, a household plan, and finally a neighborhood plan. This can give them a meaning towards their goal, team effort.
Or else, during the next incident the whole neighborhood will march through your living room holding cans, packages, toilet paper, etc.
I wish all the best for you and your family.
Glad you shared this tidbit. This is certainly among the finer points that are often touched upon when discussing preparedness/self-sufficiency, but not always experienced. Experiencing it is definitely worth the trouble in my opinion.
While, you prepared (no matter how easily, or hard it was for you) others went about life, and probably spent their surplus wealth on short-term, self-gratifying items/activities. Yet, these same self-servers actually need something they look first to others who sacrificed to save them.
#13: own firearms for home and self-defense. From what I read of Irene’s impact on the eastern seaboard, there was no looting/plundering; the damage, while significant in certain sections of New York City, northern and southern New Jersey, North Carolina, and most glaringly in Vermont, apparently did not lead citizens to steal/loot (which is of course very good).
But if an emergency situation arises in which panic-stricken, desperate, or frenzied crowds rush towards homes to seek food, shelter, or anything – a firearm or two may be necessary.
Looting: Crime After the Storm #1
Hurricane Irene
As the much-anticipated Hurricane Irene made its way up the Atlantic Coast, residents prepared their homes for the onslaught. Most closed up their businesses and many evacuated, leaving their property vulnerable not only to nature’s fury but to the grabbing hands of those who thought the impending weather was the perfect cover for theft.
This still from a surveillance video shows one of two men who broke into a jewelry store in Virginia Beach on August 28. The as-yet-unidentified suspects broke the glass display cases and made off with a haul of jewelry, estimated at around $2,000.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/photogallery/looting-crime-after-the-storm.html?curPhoto=1
Looting: Crime After the Storm #2
As news cameras were rolling for a report on Hurricane Irene’s effect on Virginia Beach on August 28, two men were caught on tape leaving a damaged residence. Their presence was deemed suspicious, and for good reason — the men were allegedly making off with alcohol and a set of speakers from the home. Patrick McGuire (left,) and Charles Andrews were both charged with burglary and grand larceny.
Safeman….
Looting: Crime After the Storm #3
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NJ-Flood-Irene-Power-Outage-Passaic-Paterson-128767603.html
Here is New Jersey
Safeman…
Looting: Crime After the Storm #3
http://bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view/20110831vermont_state_police_warn_of_looting_in_flooded_areas
There you go, there was looting in certain areas so leave armchair commando
Safeman…
#13: own firearms for home and self-defense. From what I read of Irene’s impact on the eastern seaboard, there was no looting/plundering; the damage, while significant in certain sections of New York City, northern and southern New Jersey, North Carolina, and most glaringly in Vermont, apparently did not lead citizens to steal/loot (which is of course very good).
You might want to shut up……..
@monkey boy
Just a note – I have posted later in this article an article about natural disasters and looting. Your postings seem to support the finding.
“…In natural disasters looting was very rare, covertly undertaken in opportunistic settings, done by isolated individuals or very small groups, and socially condemned…” E. L. Quarantelli
I’ve started prepping in the last few months, I know, almost too little too late, should’ve been doing it for years, but anyway, my grandmother in law, thinks I’m going to prep for her,and her 2 sons families, my mother in law thinks I’m going to prep for her and my father in law, grandmother in law I don’t mind, she’s 79, she needs someone to help, but everyone else is on their own!!!
The frail elderly and small children will indeed need help, but all able-bodied men and women out there between the ages of 16 and 70 (give or take) better get moving NOW!
If your 79 YOGMI knows what you have and you don’t share it with her relatives, you will be living a miserable life, it’s best not to tell her anything, old saying, you can trust your GMIL, but cut the cards anyway.
machinist73: Brother its not too late, do something everyday the peace of mind will help you stay motivated, God bless and Keep On Keepin On!
M73….
Look for a skill or trait that the 2 families could assist you in and try that approach, shoot you aren’t made of money but you are thinking about your wife it seems. Looks like if you have the wife’s Mother on board then don’t be afraid to ask for help in prepping.
I hate to sound callous but I began years ago to prepped exactly for those I was dropping hints to about the SHTF. The members who were like conspiracy this and that, well I wasn’t all that close to you after all. It was the ones who gave a small inclination in hey how do you do this for food storage, or do you still go hunting? When s the next big fishing or camping trip. Its these members that will or would be of use to you.
In any event you will either be a leader or not, but do it at your discretion, families can turn on each other ( not all) especially when things get bad. But don’t lay your cards on the table just yet, remember you are only bound by marriage to these 2 Sons and family unless you or the wife have a personal relationship and interact regularly with them.. just saying………
To Machinist73: Anytime is better than no time. Remember that the hour is always late, or, “The Future’s Uncertain, and the End is ALWAYS Near”
The most important preparation for anything in life is Mental: both in terms of information, and in attitude.
Material preparation comes after mental preparation. I venture to guess your older than my 25yrs, and definitely many miles ahead in experience/surviving life than me as well.
Machinist 73 – (I love the lathe)It sounds like everyone already knows you are prepping?
If this is the case, the your best prep will be their education. If they are poor and cannot afford too prep themselves, then assign them the duty of learning. From canning to gutting to water collection.
If they are ignorant, make them think you know longer believe in prepping, and mentally prepare yourself to stop a threat when the time is needed.
Good luck brother.
I look at generators as a luxury. When the S really hits the fan, the gas to keep these running will run out.
So you might as well get one now just to keep you comfortable during these minor inconveniences.
Then buy a tri-fuel generator with quick disconnect natural gas fittings or/and very large propane tank.
Most of us that have generators realize they are a short term solution to a possible long term situation. Mine are simply a part of a multi pronged approach to being prepared.
I like the way we think. TnAndy knows.
now is the time to have the generator and an exercise bike all set up to go from gas to leg power in less than a half hour.
I hope you’re powering up only a few LED’s and wanting to lose weight.
Yes, because converting your carbohydrates/fat (calories) into electrical energy is highly inefficient, and hardly logical when food supplies are uncertain. However, it would actually be quite useful for smaller devices, and would likely be an enormous asset for recharging small batteries.
Most commercial generators are fairly inefficient and they also run at somewhat high rpm’s, which precludes them from truly long-term operation due to increased wear. If your interested in a generator intended for daily use, look for a Lister type generator (better to research first). These are rugged machines with no electronics and they also run at low rpms (anywhere from 600-1200 rpm).
http://www.enginesdiesel.com/dieselengine/lister_type.htm
They are used by folks in either remote areas, or regions with unreliable electrical service, i.e., Alaskan ‘frontier’ for the former, Africa or S. America for both the former & latter. They’re simple, and tough machines with heavy steel pistons. They aren’t picky in terms of the fuel you feed them, meaning they can take lower quality fuels and will run well on a variety of ‘diesel’ spectrum hydrocarbon mixtures, as well as biodiesel blends.
Half the people that died we’re because of their own stupidity (I feel and have remorse for those folks)
Did you see the father who took his two girls out on a “jet ski”? They clung on for their lives before being rescued. The alternative was going over a waterfall to their deaths.
This should be in the next Jackass movie.
PEOPLE do not take things seriously – and this economy should be taken as seriously as a hurricane or earthquake, etc!!!
It makes me sick!
WAKE THE FUCK UP!
“WAKE THE FUCK UP!”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
(But Okie could)
I live on Long Island, NY and I was fortunate that Irene didn’t do much damage in my area, we only lost power for about 10 hours and there was no flooding.
However, my wife, brother in law, my mom and dad never think any major disaster will ever happen. My brother in law lives in an apartment in Queens and he had no idea a hurricane was coming. He eats a lot too and doesn’t have much food or water at home, few days worth at best.
I recently ordered MRE’s and other non-perishables for 4 people to last 2 weeks and my dad gets angry. He says its a waste of money and we’ll never need it. Meanwhile when the power was out for 10 hours after Irene swept by, my dad won’t stop complaining about the power out. It is sad what I have to deal with here.
Re the brother-in-law – if he’s living in an apt. and can get through a Dick and Jane reader without any help, then he’s big enough and old enough to take care of HIMSELF. Good for you for your prep work! Keep it up!
Most of what you hear about Fukushima is simply not true. A lot of it is made up by scammers and trouble makers and reported by less then honorable and honest web sites. Two factors make this incident ripe for exploitation: 1)We can detect radiation from common rocks and bricks things we live around and use everyday. Our ability to detect tiny, tiny amounts of radiation is astounding. The dishonest reporters and scammers use this fact to claim the radiation is dangerous even though the levels are so low a granite counter top is more dangerous. 15-20 miles from Fukashima the radiation is negligible and certainly a country away it is meaningless. 2)There are hot spots in the Fukashima plant that are extremely dangerous. These hot spots can’t levitate to some other country they will stay right where they are. They are no hotter then they were before the tsunami but now we are suddenly aware and afraid of them. We are afraid of them because of the dishonest reporting by crazies. They aren’t going anyplace and eventually they will lose most of their radiation and can be removed and disposed of safely.
But, but, but even Germany killed it’s nuclear investment ( will let it expire) and I don’t think they have tsunami’s or earthquakes. So clearly they know more then everyone else and are super intelligent. I’m kidding of course.
If you could eliminate the legal costs of energy, particularly nuclear, we’d enjoy big savings.
Jim: Germany is looking at the cost/benefit/risk ratio rationally. In America there are 1,000 n-plants on the drawing board waiting for Congressional approval.
Why Congressional approval?
http://shtfamerica.blogspot.com/2011/03/japan-nukes-godzilla-in-mists.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ShtfAmerica+%28SHTF++America%29
Nuclear could be made much safer if the environmental dufuii would get out of the way. In USA, they want to kill nuclear and coal. That makes up almost 75% of generating capacity. That should be REAL easy to compensate for by using solar panels and windmills.
Ben Dover: Actually Ben, nuclear energy cannot be made safer. It takes a thousand years for the waste from a breeder reactor to dissapate to a level where it is no longer fatal to human life. And a regular, run of the mill reactor? 10,000 years, Ben.
Nuclear power is expensive and dangerous. Its a very bad idea. Check the link above for Jim when it is available to you.
Also, read the info at SHTF Energy. Its the bankster gangsters ALL over again. Solar power conversion rates are now 90%.
The One Trillion dollar subsidy now going to the hydrocarbon industry EVERY YEAR could be re-allocated to US and make US energy self sufficient in a very few years while while dropping the price of gasoline considerably.
But if We were energy self sufficient, would WE be fighting the wars of the dual citizens that run OUR country.
I think not.
JIM: No savings to be had. N-power is expensive and dangerous. The cost of N-power is not only the production of it; however costs have skyrocketed for N-plants, but the real cost is storing and managing that waste for 10,000 years.
Its a very bad idea. Solar is 90% efficient now, and new cheap, fuel cell technologies have been developed too.
http://shtfenergy.blogspot.com
Indeed!!!!!!!!
Everyone except Gone with the wind – ZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOMKMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!@!!!!
ZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!
No really, Fukashima is a complete meltdown you foolish sheperson. As in melted through, that is even admitted by all media even the nightly news. Chernobyl didn’t even come close to that.
Like hundreds of nukes in one spot, radiation flowing into the ocean for a THOUSAND miles, tens of times beyond Chernobyl, children going back to school within ten miles of the plant, radiation devices have not yet been built to measure what is going on inside that plant.
Wake up fool, you are only half way to your destination – true enlightemnet.
While, I agree that scammers and various profiteers swarm around these events, I have to question your knowledge of the subject. People lump the term radiation into some catch all category not defining the specifics.
Unstable radionucleides emit various high-energy particles, i.e, Alpha radiation = helium atoms, Beta = electrons, and Gamma = photons. The problem lies in the environmental persistence of the various elements created during nuclear fission.
The Iodine 131, Caesium 137, along with some Strontium 89 can invade the food supply quickly. Luckily Iodine 131 has a half-life of 8 days, which amounts to approximately 3 months for a sample to almost completely decay (10 times half-life equals 80 days). The Iodine is so easily taken up into the food chain (google: iodine 131 milk supply) and thus into our thyroids that it cannot be ignored (like the Federal gov’t did during testing in the 50’s forward – no doubt causing death and illness for those who drank milk during periods of nuclear tests).
While, I also agree that there can be level of alarmism, consider this: You say that these ‘hotspots’ can’t just levitate to another country, the fact is that after the Iraq war (2003 forward) scientists began detecting depleted uranium from munitions(alpha emitter, and Extremely Chemotoxic) in air samples AROUND THE WORLD, much like the event in Japan resulting radionucleides traversing the globe. Why did the EPA suddenly change the officially sanctioned ‘safe level’ of exposure by more than 1000fold (or 100,000% of original level) immediately AFTER the accident in Japan? I don’t necessarily recommend taking any Iodine pills though, because large doses of iodine like that can cause serious damage/problems to/for your thyroid.
Point being: Nuclear contamination doesn’t ‘break down’ and degrade like say, an oil spill, which will begin to break down into smaller, less toxic compounds immediately. Thus, the toxicity of an oil spill will decrease in intensity/magnitude fairly quickly relative to human lifespans, whereas, nuclear isotopes can take exponentially larger periods of time to even begin decreasing in their level of toxicity/danger. To go a step further, if you absorb some benzene(or any other carcinogenic oil component) your body will break it down into carbon dioxide, water, and probably some other hydrocarbons. At that point it is essentially harmless. Now inhale some Plutonium 239. It will likely get trapped in your lungs, and some will also absorb directly into your circulatory system. It will NOT become less hazardous at any point. It will emit alpha, beta, AND gamma into whatever organs/tissues it has accumulated in for YEARS. Aside from its particle emission, it is also chemically toxic, and will be doing untold damage to your blood, bones, liver, etc..
I’ll stop at this, but if you want the truth, google will do it more justice than I have time.
In response to all the fukishima crap that the media is spewing, I worked nuke power for 6 years for uncle Sam in the navy and know a hell of a lot more than the idiots in the media. Its crap! All BS! Unless you are within a few miles or down wind of the reactor itself there isn’t much to worry about. You get more radiation from the sun, natural rock formations and bananas. Its just another ploy from the anti nuclear media and govt morons to shut it all down! It already cost me 2 jobs in my chosen field, one for Y2K and then Japan which shut down the plant I was interviewing for after college. I have lots of friends who were in the industry but are now unemployed without any reason other than fear and misinformation pushed by the extreemists. Only good thing that came from it was I work as the local Cabelas store. Discount ammo and reloading supplies, camp gear and fishing goods, a prepping bonus. Sorry for the rant but its a instant pissed off topic for me. Luck all.
Prep all you want but if you live in a town full of shit weasels you are ripe for the picking. Might as well hang a sign out that says loot here.
Like buying real estate; location, location, location is the most important aspect. Get that right and the rest falls easily into place.
Hang a sign like this:
http://picasaweb.google.com/113243613967052440349/Prepping#5483204502486278962
Thats my sign next to my front door. I have another on you can’t miss as you walk up to the house.
But, you’re right. If you’re in a place with a high density of people you’ll need a bug out location to ride out the mess while the masses kill each other over candy bars and twinkies. Then, maybe you can return later if you want to if your house is still standing.
The city will quickly turn into a sewage infested, zombie infested shit hole. …oh, wait, the city I work in is all that except for the sewage. OK, well, either way, it will get much worse. Will take at least a week. Plenty of time to GTHO to the BOL.
I like the sign. I wonder how well that would go over here in Canada, the land of gun control?
When they lower their rice tariffs and start importing we’ll know more.
My rice is from Arkansas; Sam’s club. No problems.
“Their” is Japan. They have VERY high tariffs on THEIR rice imports.
#13. Be armed, have plenty of ammo, and be well practiced in the use of defensive weapons.
Scratch number after 1 Jim and renumber.
As the rules play out, many will understand that without primary security there can be no other security. In food, in water, in life. The best tool is a gun. Like any tool, its not worth much if you don’t know how to use it. You are correct. Move them all down and then add:
#1 Be armed, have plenty of ammo and be well practiced in the use of the defensive weapons you have on hand.
Without #1, numbers 2-13 may, suddenly without warning, mean absolutely NOTHING.
Here is a little article I wrote a year ago. If you’re not already gunned up and need some help, reading this will help a little. But, you really need to enlist the help of a friend to gun up to match your needs and your level of skill.
However, if you don’t read the article, please remember this:
A single shot cheapy shotgun will only cost you about $100 and for another $50 you can get a couple hundred rounds of ammo. That one gun will go a long way to keep you safe and doesn’t take a lot of skill to shoot. If you don’t have anything, please, do yourself a favor and at least get that.
Here is the article:
http://neosurvivalist.net/beginners-guide-to-firearms-and-gun-ownership/
We have just discovered this website. You must all go to the nearest TSA office and turn yourselves in. If not, we will send out uniformed inner city “volunteers” to round you up. Wear nice clothes and bring lots of cash. Signed, Butch Napolitano.
Hi there, Butch – glad you could join us!
Be right there. Oh, if I’m a few minutes late go ahead & start without me. I’ll catch up.
Trust me.
Please send video of Butch in action. I need to be shocked.
c’mon over, take care not to trip on all the hot brass around my corpse…
Hey “Butch”, how about you come over to my place and try to find me? I’ve got a bulldog thats lonely…
…OK, I’m sorry. He’s not really THAT lonely.
I’m calling the humane society. That is cruel!
Homeland…
you saw nothing here ;)…you heard nothing here …go search MySpace, peppers are there ;).. this is a web site for knitting that is all…
don’t worry all, I used my training…lol
JMT…
Funny shit, did you learn from Obi or Vadar?…
Wait a minute…I KNIT…I really do!!!!
@ WestVA 🙂 I barely sew, buttons are as far as I can get without sewing up my fingers… 🙂
@ MEAN( MrEmAN) Obi was cool but Vadar had class…jk.lol 😉
Mac
I love this website, I truly do. It is a wealth of good, solid information, and I believe you do an outstanding job in verifying things before you post them. You really need to put something up here for stupid people like me to make this their homepage in order to eliminate the otherwise time consuming and sometimes slow navigation. Just a thought. I have learned an awful lot here, least of which was the most simple thing – prepare, prepare, prepare. My older son and I have been doing it now for several years, and I can say honestly that we are confident about our future. I credit this site for the inspiration. Thanks.
The Honda generator just went on my list of things to buy. I might not need it, but hell, I have some money and it might be the one boost to the economy that puts us back on the road to recovery, bringing enormous prosperity to everyone in the country. Who knows? I might get two. The cover idea stuff by who knows who (anonymous) is great. I’m gonna do that too.
GWTW – Thanks for the info on Fukashima. I hope it puts manos at ease. He has kept the faith and been a great example for all of us here with the courage and perseverance he’s displayed during his country’s problems. We can all learn a lot from him. While I have no qualms about the information you provided, I would be interested in knowing a little bit about your background. You certainly sound as though you know what you’re talking about. It would be nifty to know a lot of the backgrounds here, as these things could serve to inspire confidence in the information each lays out about certain subjects. Just a suggestion. In a lot of ways, this place is like a big family.
Best site on the web, in my opinion. Cheers.
Anyone remember the movie “Soylent Green?” Edgar G Robinson played a character that in order to read had put together a stationary mounted bicycle with the chain running the pulley on an automobile generator to run his lights so he could read.Quiet,no gasoline and if he had used automotive light bulbs from tailights he wouldn’t have to peddle so fast to charge the car battery.Don’t think they sell this as a unit at walmart ,but they might help you with all the parts.Your imagination and yankee ingenuity will take you further than gasoline or propane. Costs less too!
We enjoy your blog and visit often. Thank you for helping us all get prepared.
One thing people overlook is the importanece of having a way to boil water and cook your food. Generators are a good idea… as long as you have fuel! But what do you do when both electricity fail and your out of fuel for your generator?
We got a Sun Oven. It’s a neat idea and it really works! All you need is a little sunshine and you’re good to go. It even works on cloudy days. Hot enough to cook beef stew and biscuits! My wife got a great deal too at http://www.shelfreliancesanantonio.com/jmp/jmp_sunoven.php. Not only do they sell the oven we also bought a lot of freeze dried food from them.
If you Google auto shade solar oven, you can also get the plans to build an oven – cost of materials is under $10. It took me about ten minutes to build two. Haven’t tried it out yet. Supposedly it gets up to 350 degrees without any problems…
…probably just as easy to pass on the link…
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Windshield_Shade_Solar_Cooker
generators in this domain are not used for cooking..that’s what wood burning stove, campfire, coleman cooker are for.
Generator keep meat cold…meat cook on coleman. Kimosabi.
I cook out 2-3 times a week. Since they invented the grill, it’s really quite easy.
Kevin: two words, gas stove or even better wood stove up North here, if you want to go BIG and have access to wood or maybe even coal (if you live next to the rail road tracks, where the cars stop) before we ship it over to China that is.
GoneWithTheWind says, “hot spots can’t levitate to some other country they will stay right where they are.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dccszCEKFdY
The radiation detected in the rain in Canada in this video must be coming from elsewhere? Or not?
It could be fake I suppose, I don’t know, you tell me?
Irene definitely brought out the “stupid” in people. They want to go where they want to go no matter what. They think nothing of driving under down power lines, going through road blocks. We had one fella on a motorcycle try to drive across our front yard to get around the downed line. Well he met up with my husband before he made it very far.
One of the local police stopped by Monday and asked me to call if I say anyone other than the power company trying to cut or undo the downed wire. Ok???? Apparently people had called into the police and stated that if the road was not cleared, they were going to come cut the lines themselves. How much of a dumbass can you be?
My sister always jokes about my supply of food. Well now I got to say “told ya”! I was not one of those people running crazy to the grocery store. We had extra people who were out of power stay at our house and we had plenty. The extra people were family. We let them come because they have a baby. Good excuse for grandma to get some grandbaby time, lol.
I did realize a few things I need to stock more of. I have not been prepping that long, and food had been my main focus. This website has been valuable in reminding me of other things to stock up on.
If this had been a bigger emergency, I can really see how people would become un-glued. Heaven forbid they should have to put up with a small inconvenience.
Busy Bee,
It isn’t nice of me to think about it…but secretly, I’m really…REALLY looking forward to saying “Told ya” to quite a few people!!!! 😉
You really are sick SmokyMtnLady. I like that!
KY-Mom
The Honda Generator I saw was called a EU3000iSA
its an inverter generator, very quiet and stingy on fuel
25Amps of 120 Volt power plus a 12 volt system for chargers and such
good luck..they probably go for around 2 grand
VRF,
Thank you for the info. That sounds like a really good one. Honestly, I don’t think we can afford that right now. We will probably have to keep what we have now.
Last fall we got a ETQ 3500 portable propane generator – at Sams Club for $497.68 (including shipping and sales tax.) We also bought a 100lb. propane tank at Tractor Supply and had it filled.
KY Mom
And for those on a budget(that sounds better than saying poor)Aldi’s has a little 3000 watts for $300.
We start ours every month.
VRF! Stop it! I’ve been wanting an EU2000 forever! You’re making me drewl! I bought a 3500 (not an inverter type) about 12 years ago. Its the bomb. Easy to start, its just amazing. …which reminds me, I need to pull it out. I haven’t done it this summer and drained the fuel. Usually, I just drain most of the fuel and run it for a couple hours.
For the average person, though, the EU series are amazing. I need to get me one as a backup. Honda makes the best generators. I’ve used all types and I’ll gladly pay double the money for a Honda.
I know man, they look awesome and are so quiet.
I have a much larger system with a 6800 unit it has a Mitsubishi engine on it and its pretty quiet, bit nnot like these honda compacts.
for a back up or bug out generator you can just toss in the back of your bug out vehicle they are tits.
i have a 1000 watt tiny honda gen. and its quiet..but having 3000 watts out in the woods with you and the ability to keep it very quiet. its on my list for as soon as i can score one.
lugging my 6800 would be a drag, i can do it, but if bugging out i would rather take a smaller unit.
the reliability of the Honda units is unmatched as far as im concerned
The Honda is not cheap, but is light and quiet!
natural disasters are always short term. there are very few situations that will knock out power for months or years.
on the plus side to helping out friends and relatives in such a disaster is the guilt factor. they should feel obligated to help you out when the time comes.
never underestimate the power of indebtedness.
I have a concession business, two trailers. We bought a Honda generator for each trailer 10 years ago, both run 6 hours a day. Other then changing the oil on a regular basis, we have never had a single problem with either. They run for about 18 hours on a tank of gas and are very quiet, I hightly reccomend them. And being so quiet you will be able to hear the gun shot when someone tries to steal it when the SHTF. OOOHRAH, SEMPER FI, NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR THIS USA
All good points. I would emphasize that #8 “Have Respect For The Sheer Power Of Natural Disasters” is one that most people seem to forget.
Owning a gun is the best idea but…….
1.Know gun safety(dont want to shoot your foot off)
2.Know and train how to use it(doesnt mean go shooting once and then put it away forever)
3.Own more than one (remember the old saying”two is one and one is none”)
4.Learn more aspects of guns like gunsmithing or reloading
please feel free to add to the list
5. Pay Suarez International a lot of money and learn to fight with your rifle and pistol like a fucking Samurai
And what do you do when you are not “allowed” to own a gun because you slapped the shit out of an ex boyfriend (who really deserved it) and he was puss enough to call the cops on you resulting in a stupid “midemeanor domestic violence” charge
Two words: GUN SHOW
Hahaha funny, wonder how the attitude would be had it happened the other way around. Womens lib and the bypocrisy that goes with it never ceases to amaze me
A few more pointers equally as obvious as this article.
1 Don’t drink poison
2 Don’t jab sharp objects into your eyes
3 Clearly label the fridge and the trash so you don’t get a stomach ache
4 Put shoes on before walking on broken glass
5 walking forwards can help to prevent falls
Watching the Weather Channel during lunch; they went through all the disasters so far in 2011. Allowing for only 1 billion in damages from Irene ( projections are up to 12 billion ) so far this year we have incurred $50 billion in economic damage from natural disasters. And we still have 4 months left to go …. 🙁
Just thinking about how expensive a disaster the Zero in the White House is. Then it dawned on me, he certainly is not a “natural” disaster.
I know……and look……..here comes Katia…..
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201112_model.html
Next in line for bailout: insurance companies
Maybe our Glorious Leader will simply Nationalize all private insurers ?
Anonymous got me thinking. I have a fuel generator and wonder where I go to get a kit to convert to propane. Not very handy here, but wonder if just anyone can convert a generator. Probably be easier to deal with propane and than gasoline!
Lot’s of folks above have talked about friends, family, neighbors that refuse to prepare and then show up at your door. I applaud your kindness and humanity; but my suggestion ( admittedly unasked for ) is to prep in silence. Stop talking about it unless it is with someone that is either prepping too or that you INTEND to include in your preps. That does not mean that you are not kind or compassionate. It just means that you are wise.
I wouldn’t answer the door. The slower ones would be amusing.
We agree – that’s why we unload our preps from the trunk of the car after dark. Nice neighbors around here BUT…most would chuckle nervously about the idea of prepping (oh, is another hurricane coming? heh heh hope it’s not as bad as Katrina heh heh). Then WTSHTF they will be knocking on our door with still MORE nervous laughter (do you have any extra food? heh heh I seem to have run a little short heh heh). Response: top of husband’s head explodes, I slam door. Coordinated effort.
Hehehe! It seems the stupid nervous laugh is universal. I’m in Australia and that totally resonated with me. You get the blank doe-in-the-headlights stare whenever you say anything that they wouldn’tve seen on television, no matter what it is. Reminds me of the dog on The Simpsons who got hit in the eyes with a frisbee and kept on smiling.
off subject note: palmettostatearmory,com has AR LOWERS FOR 49.99. laborday weekend sale. be safe build weapons.
Really??? Is that you again? What a sick-o
yep…it’s me
If you don’t have cable tv, get a friend to record a weekly show called “Best Defense” on the Outdoor Channel. They have some excellant survival tips that cost only pennies to implement. Scout Masters, check out that show for tips to teach the kids. Some of the show is firearms, but some is pure survival tips. Good stuff for scouts and adults.
I don’t have a generator yet but only need one to power fridge/freezer. I have adequate lighting and heat. I live in a rural area with municipal water so I don’t have a well but like to keep at least 15 gallons of H2o on site at all times. I have a chest freezer also. I take the cap off the gallon water bottles, drop out a little to allow for expansion and freeze one or two gallons at a time and leave in the chest freezer. You have 8 pounds of ice and a gallon of fresh water in a convenient container. If your freezer is not too full, this will extend the thaw time. If you need water, you’ll have it in a few hours. Just be sure to rotate stock. I have to save up for one of the Honda whisperlites since they do sip gas and are very quiet even when running in tandem. You can go out and buy a cheaper generator for much less, but you have to factor in fuel cost and availability. If your generator uses a lot of fuel for days on end, where will you get refills on gas in an extended emergency or worse? I only really need the fridge and freezer and figure that alternating the running of each one for a few hours at a time would be cheaper in fuel costs than getting a bigger one that chews up fuel.
Most people make the mistake of buying cheap on generators. Don’t get me wrong, I think everybody that needs a generator should have had a cheap one or since then, have a new cheap one still in the box along with the receipt to sell to a neighbor when the lights go out along with a hose to suck on. All cheap ones or clones have cheap windings on the gen head, use too much fuel, run less than 60% load before popping a breaker after 30 minutes, have Chinese tolerances, few or no bearings, noisy and have difficulty starting up a compressor. When you buy a cheap one and when it breaks, ask yourself this, who is going to fix it? For portable generators, Honda is the best but make sure it’s ALL Honda, not just the motor.
Real generators run at 1800 rpm, water cooled, & have oil filters and they are not portable.
Something on another note, if you have access to buy dry ice to put in your fridge or freezer when the lights go out, it’s cheaper than a generator. A lot quieter too.
So you have the basics covered. Now what? Five Things you can Focus On
http://www.themodernsurvivalist.com/?p=1557
have a plan. then have a plan b. and a plan c. exercise your right to say no….
Your right to say no……
That reminded me of the best advice I have ever heard from an attorney. If, for whatever reason or no reason whatever, you find yourself being asked a question by a cop….I want an attorney. Repeat after me…”I want an attorney” – there is absolutely NOTHING good that will come from you saying anything to a cop. Just remember..”I want an attorney” then shut up.
The vast majority of convictions are based on the defendants own words. Just say…”I want an attorney.” You may think I’m nuts….ask any good attorney you know and he / she will tell you..you have nothing to gain by speaking to the cops and EVERYTHING to lose. It is even more important if you are innocent. Prisons DO have a bunch of innocent people (and a bunch of guilty ones, I admit) inside. Most innocent ones would not be there if they remembered the most important words in the English language: Jack & Coke, er, scratch that. I want an attorney. If Janet Butch Nappy or one of her goons show up at yer doors and say “Okie, you filled out a 4473 when you bought yer AR15 18 years ago and we see you bought 50,000 rounds of .223 ammo a year ago, where is it?” Do NOT lie and say yer dog ate it, you donated it to the church of small bras or some illegal alien from Budapest stole it. Look her in the eyeball (or stare at her monobrow) and say…..”I want an attorney!”
Copout, Am I right?
as it says in the meranda rights..”Anything you say CAN and Will be used AGAINST you..no where in that BS speach does it say could be used FOR you..or in your behalf..
yep exactly STFU dont say nothing , you want your BAR associated mouth piece and part of the corperation to speak for you..because the system is designed thaat once you open your pie hole..your done.
remember this..if you plug some one, you will be arrested. dont say anything to the cops other than that you feared for your life.
call a high dollar mouth piece and tell him you were just excercising the same righs as the police would if given the same situation. than request you have 24 hours to compose yourself before you even talk to a lawyer about what happened..
and be very careful not to inciminate yourself even with the lawer.
never shoot a warning shot..first round to center mass..second or consecutive shots to the head torso and upper body..be sure its dead, therefore its only your word..and none of thiers.
Which monobrow? I’m shocked!
There are solar powered generators that require no gas, are silent, can power up inside bout$ 1500-1800
Speaking of having respect for the sheer power of nature.. the path of Katrin is looking a little concerning.
We saw that, too. Categ.3+ expected. Hope and pray it veers up and out.
Somebody HAD to say it. It is what it is. For the people who get mad, it is because deep down, they know it is the truth.
We all know that it won’t be just them, but you can’t deny the built-in propensity.
“…Somebody HAD to say it. It is what it is…” Really? What about in 1863 when New York white citizens upset over laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing Civil War? Their resentment turned ugly and resulted in rioting. Those taking part soon targeted African-Americans, and large numbers were lynched in the streets and had their homes destroyed. Up to 2000 people were killed, and damage was estimated at $5 million, a huge sum of money for the time. Who should be prepared to defend from who?
“We all know that it won’t be just them, but you can’t deny the built-in propensity.” Really? I call rattler – built-in propensity??? Look in the mirror dude. White folks have done more then their fair share of rioting and looting and not to mention other inhumane and savage acts. You don’t know your history.
Gerald Celente says, “when people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it ” Seems you push any human being hard enough and civil unrest can occur. Wonder what happens when homes, land, 401k, stocks, precious metals of gold and silver are legislated away – just maybe, the next civil disturbances won’t be “them”
“…For the people who get mad, it is because deep down, they know it is the truth…” NO Fred, I don’t know that to be the truth. You got your knowledge of “them” from where? TV? Movies? Seems you are doing some ass-suming. What I see in the media, is not always representative of the people and culture.
I don’t think Skin Heads or Bubba represents the whole white race. There are White Supremist’s and Bubba’s out there, just as there are dope dealers and gang bangers. But they are in the minority. The American white male has always made the black man the scapegoat and bogeyman.
In support of, looting is rare in natural disasters, (there are always exceptions) here is an article. Yeah, there are always the jerks that try to take advantage, and they come in both black and white. At least those were the videos’ I saw of Hurricane Irene.
“…E. L. Quarantelli provides a historical overview of looting in disaster research to help elucidate the myth. The findings of previous disaster research are used to support the argument that looting, in fact, is not prevalent after disasters. In the end, there is a lack of evidence showing that this behavior is commonplace…” “…stories about looting were widespread in mass media accounts and among affected populations (58% reported hearing such stories and 6% thought they had been looted..)”
“In the 1960s, the many civil disturbances in large American cities were studied by disaster researchers… the researchers found that looting was very pervasive in the riots studied and that the pattern of the looting behavior significantly differed. In natural disasters looting was very rare, covertly undertaken in opportunistic settings, done by isolated individuals or very small groups, and socially condemned. In contrast, looting in the riots was frequent, overtly undertaken, aimed at specific targets, participated in by very large numbers of individuals often in social networks, and was socially supported…”
“…Furthermore, from the 1970s to the present day there have been occasional large-scale community crises after which researchers studied mass looting. One was the 1977 New York City blackout during which selective neighborhoods experienced massive looting illustrating the distinctive conflict situation pattern found in the 1960s. However, before “obvious” implications are drawn, one should note that similar blackouts in 1968 and in 2003 did not generate mass looting…”
“To conclude, looting of any kind is rare in certain kinds of disasters in certain types of societies. The pattern of looting in natural disasters is different from what occurs in civil disturbances. There are occasional atypical instances of mass lootings that only emerge if a complex set of prior social conditions exist…” From The Myth and the Realities: Keeping the “Looting” Myth in Perspective
And lastly, why does the “N” word need to be used or tolerated in a post? It shows a lack of intelligence and civility when you can’t get your point across any other way. What is the comparable word that denigrates whites?
Your point is well taken and appreciated.. however; racism it color blind. From what I see in the news, racism against whites is not only tolerated, but applauded. I would like it if things were different; but they aren’t. After all, not one single damn one of us actually picked the color of our skin. If we are what we are without any of us choosing it; it is the height of ignorance to judge another based on such a superficial measure.
But the answer to your last question is : cracker, marshmellow, white bread, red neck, whitey. I could go on.
Not really too awful worried about looting in the event of a natural disaster BUT just go to you tube and see if you can find many videos of white folks doing the flash mob assaults and robberies. It is not 1863. It is not the 1920’s. Hell, it ain’t even 1968. It IS 2011 and we DO have a (relatively) black man usurping the office and something I have noticed (as have others) is that some blacks seem to think they are some kind of special class exempt from the rules. This is a reasonable expectation considering the overtly racist sentiment and statements from our black, racist, attorney general.
To paraphrase the very famous black man (Jesse Jackson) “I am relieved when I hear footsteps behind me on the street and I turn around to see a white person.” The honest truth is that, with exceptions to every rule, a white person or family has far more legitimate reason to fear blacks than vice versa. That is not the fault of the white people. It IS the fault of the black communies that find a hundred and one excuses for anti-social behavior.
You need to be you LH. Who are you?
Quit letting your button be popped LH. Most here know history.
Sam not sam – +1 I am in agreement. Do those names you mention, marshmallow and white bread, are they as denigrating to whites and carry the emotional punch the “N” word does to blacks when used by whites?
My boss calls himself a redneck cowboy – boots, hat and bolo tie, and is very proud of it. He started out dirt poor and is a multi millionaire. He is seventy five and proud he still and can work the equipment, his handshake is a deal maker and his word is his bond. I like and respect this man for his individuality, values and principles.
Thought referring to him as being a redneck a term of endearment – oops! Live and learn. He sometimes calls me Gal, which grates, but I ignore it. It’s like calling a black man – boy.
POA, Regarding the black flash mobs, I am so pissed. Disgusted. ID everyone of the bastards, charge them with the max including adding more years because it was a hate crime. In this day and age there is no excuse or quarter for this type of behavior.
The dates you mention as nothing happening, there was and in addition, well, there was sort of a white flash mob. They were called the Ku Klux Klan and allowed to operate with impunity for close to a century. But you are right, that was the past and this is now. As it finally became unacceptable for the KKK to terrorize and lynch/assault blacks, so must these black flash mobs be stopped, ostracized and punished for their assault on whites.
“… It IS 2011 and we DO have a (relatively) black man usurping the office…” Where we are, didn’t just happen these last two years. Let’s not forget, several white men have been usurping the office -with intent also. That he continues these insidious policies and practices upsets and frustrates me to no end. Just as the policies of other attorney generals. Several of their filings and rulings were abhorrent to the Constitution.
Also, why do blacks have total responsibility for this President? He wasn’t raised in a black ghetto or lived years of the black experience. He was born to a white woman, raised, nurtured and indoctrinated by white people and white institutions. That these were not your type of thinking white people, I understand, but white they were. His experiences were more like the Clintons then the average black person.
“…blacks seem to think they are some kind of special class exempt from the rules…” If anything, POA, it is quite the opposite. Exempt from rules? Rules were enacted specifically for blacks on where to live, where they could buy a house, jobs to hold, schools to attend, stores to shop, places to eat. etc. etc. The results of those rules: land covenants barring blacks buying land outside boundaries outlined by whites, segregated schools, red lining by banks and no mortgage loans is what we end up with today. Urban ghettos.
Some blacks do feel they are owed, but I can say the same for some whites wanting to maintain the status quo of a hundred years. It seems there is a back lash from whites because blacks wanted more then menial, servant and field labor jobs.
I say this because from 1865 to 1970 there were few voluntary efforts by whites to hire and incorporate blacks into private or public sector jobs like the police force, firefighters, trade or union jobs, construction, longshoreman, truck drivers, factories, nurses, tellers and secretaries to name a few – it seemed those blue collar good paying jobs were exclusive to the white community and black folks needed not apply.
Since whites wouldn’t willingly accommodate blacks into the blue collar workforce, it got legislated through affirmative action and the uproar remains today. Listening to whites it seems blacks never are qualified. Yet, having a family member on the fire or police force was the only qualification required of a white applicant. Same to become a trade apprentice or union member. It’s all moot now. The means of production have gone overseas along with the jobs and all we seem able to do is point fingers at each other.
Heads up – POA Special class exempt from the rules is not about the blacks, but the illegals. The 2010 census shows the populace of blacks to be 12.6% and Hispanic/Latinos at 16.3% and you know with 30+ million illegals the figure is much higher and you can’t beat a birth rate.
The laws are now two tiered. One for illegals and one for citizens. Illegals are allowed to rob our Treasury and our jobs. Have you looked at who is working construction and who has those shovel ready government jobs? It isn’t black folks. Yet, some continue to use blacks as the poster child of all that is wrong with America.
Folks need to connect the dots on who is feeding at the entitlement trough. Not just the number of people, but how much they are able to scam from the various programs. It is mind blowing and unbelievable. These are not poverty level figures. By the government’s own records, the Hispanic/Latinos population has surpassed the black population (due to illegal immigration) and the same for entitlements. The tiny print on your car’s side mirror says it all. Objects in mirror are closer then they appear.
To both, I appreciate your points of view. Thanks for the input and comments.
My family all live in Florida…do you think they have ANY food and water stored? Nope! My brother was without power for 10 days a few years ago when they got hit by 2 hurricanes one after the other…do you think he has ANY food or water stored? Nope!! Yet I’M the crazy one!! HA!!
Well we don’t really know you and storing food etc. for an emergency is not the only criteria used to determine sanity…….maybe your family IS right.
Just sayin’
You a prepper and not a hoarder, right? No children missing in the neighborhood? No remain of dismembered small animals around your place? No “Hope & Change” bumper stickers on yer car, right?
LOL
(just havin fun, we all gotta laugh now & then)
And THAT was a GOOD laugh!
TS/TD in the Gulf needs to head to TX & OK and give them a slow drink.
To all the great people on this site, I have a question. I am alone, and have only distant neighbors, that I see little of. Actually, I am glad of that! But, immersing myself in sites like Mac’s, you tend to lose the big picture. In your estimation, how many people in this country are seriously prepping? Say over 300 million people, what percentage do you really think are ready or getting ready? I really wonder if it is over 10%. Thanks, and always double check your supplies.
I asked the same question once.. I think the reply was <1%. I think that is too low. There has to be quite a few to be supporting as many prep businesses as there seem to be out there.. course, guess you don't need a lot of customers if each one spends a butt load. My first order from one company was order # 6000 and change.. about 1.5 years later, their order numbers are now in the 20,000.
Hmmm..Encouraging.
Hurricane Irene
Killington Vermont
September 1,2011
I just survived (very comfortably) 4 days of no services and total carnage. Flooding of epoch proportions. We have had EVERY road in or out totally devistated! There are 300 feet wide by 80 deep missing sections of major roads! Bridges all over are gone! The main road to a city and supermarkets within 40 miles will be open in a few weeks
I was fine. Turned on my generator…. went out and helped others!
The National Guard did not appear until today……yea thanks! And the first humvee arrived today it stopped me and asked “if” there was a command ctr in this town and then asked where it might be!!!!!
If not for the pulling together of some pretty touch and competent locals were we able to cobble a road together so outside help could get in!
WE ARE NOT KATRINA IDIOTS!!!
We took care of ourselves or we’d still be waiting.
Just offering a word to the wise!! And Good Luck to all of you
DID I SAY…. I AM SURVIVING VERY VERY VERY COMFORTABLY
You mean you weren’t marchin’, looting, killing & saying heeeeeelp, I’m thirsty and the toilet is stinkin and all backed up? Good for you and your family!
Good points. We regularly loose power for days to weeks so this was not a problem for us. We have a 4K generator and are upgading to a 15k. Amps are important when loking at a genorator. We like to run a water pump for our well, although we also have a bucket well and in the summer we use an electric water heater, these run on 240/40amp breakers. I would suggest avoiding battery run flashlights and radios and get yourself a “crank” radio and flashlights. We had no “dead battry holders” this time around. We had the added strian of a gthering of the whole clan during this weekend and our systems worked so well the grandkids didn’t think a thing of having oil lamps and no T.V. We lucked out and didn’t get too much damage just water in the basement and no power for 6 days. A nice shake-out of our plans.
Cruachan!
Living here on the Gulf coast there are a few things you learn real fast. You cannot be over prepared! You cannot have to many of the necessary items including paper plates, trash bags plastic forks,paper towels and etc. During Ivan the sewerage pumping stations were knocked off line.You could not flush the toilet. You used plastic trash bags to collect the waste.
You also learn which of your friends and neighbors prepare and those that do not
Always be prepared
i live in new york. during hurricane irene all that hapend to me and my tawn is small floding paweroutiges and windy weather. they were to germatik when it came to hurricane irene on the northshor of longisland ny.