This article was originally published by Tess Pennington at ReadyNutrition.com
Tess is the author of the widely popular and highly rated The Prepper’s Blueprint.
(Pictured: Massive gas lines 200 miles north of Houston in Dallas as shortages grip the entire state.)
Before something like Hurricane Harvey, who could’ve imagined the kind of destruction that would literally immobilize a major U.S. metropolitan area for what could potentially be weeks if not months? As this writing we’re 72 hours into the aftermath of this major disaster and supplies are already running low.
Amid the images of loss and destruction, hurricane survivors know they must restock provisions to prepare for another week or more of sheltering in place. Now, imagine 6.2 million people trying to stock up at the same time. Panic buying is gripping the affected area and beginning to overload local and regional communities. Ahead of the hurricane making landfall the vast majority of people simply figured that the aftermath would, at most, last a few days. No one ever contemplated that real possibility that this scenario would be the end result or believed they would have to evacuate after the storm hit.
In fact, many have evacuated the city and moved to other Texas towns and now those areas are beginning to exhaust supplies as well. In any disaster, when the needs of the people are strained, frustration can quickly descend into a breakdown. While this is something no one wants to see happen, with a disaster such as this one, it is very easy to see how it can overwhelm government emergency response plans.
In an article explaining the breakdowns that occur after disasters, it was written, “When the needs of the population cannot be met in an allotted time frame, a phenomenon occurs and the mindset shifts in people. They begin to act without thinking and respond to changes in their environment in an emotionally based manner, thus leading to chaos, instability and a breakdown in our social paradigm.”
This is what is to be expected when so many people are hit with a rapid, far from equilibrium event. Keeping up with the desperate and immediate demands of hundreds of thousands of people will undoubtedly be a challenge in and of itself and supply trucks can only do so much, especially with flood water still standing on highway systems. Those living in this aftermath have a long road ahead of them, and knowing which items disappear off the shelves first can help them better prepare and stay on top of their personal supplies.
Just 72 hours after this disaster, here are the five supplies that have become difficult or impossible to find.
Gasoline
Concerns over closed refineries and disrupted pipelines erupted into a full-blown panic run on gasoline across Texas cities. Here’s the crazy thing, the shortages are not just happening in the greater Houston area, but two hundred miles north in Dallas, as well as in the cities of Austin and San Antonio, TX. This panic for gas is so insane that we are seeing gas lines that have been likened to the 1970’s.
Water
Clean drinking water, the main staple in any disaster supply, is quickly being purchased faster than they can restock it. If hurricane victims do not have a high-quality water filter, they have to take their chances finding a store that has been restocked. In the flood ravaged areas, critical infrastructure has been damaged making it difficult for trucks to resupply the affected area, thus adding to the panic buying. Desperate residents do not know when this disaster area will normalize, so they want to grab supplies when they can to ensure their family has what they need.
In the city of Beaumont, things have become dire since the city shut off the municipal water supply, leaving 100,000 people with no other option but to hunt for water in surrounding areas. As well, the local hospital had to close its doors out of fear of water contamination, one of many immediate post-disaster threats we discussed in a previous article.
CNN reports that city officials plan to establish a water distribution point on Friday.
Meanwhile, earlier Thursday, residents lined up at stores hours before they opened in hopes of getting whatever bottled water they could find.
— Maggi Carter (@maggicarter) August 31, 2017
“It’s crazy,” said Khayvin Williams, who started waiting in line at Market Basket at 6:50 a.m. “People are freaking out.”
At a local Wal-Mart, Jeffrey Farley said the store was only allowing 20 people in at a time and was rationing water to three cases per customer. He got in line at 6:30 a.m. and waited until 8:30 to get his water.
Food Staples
The first food items that will sell out mostly consist of things that are already cooked or prepared in some way, including canned foods, frozen dishes, and bread. Fresh meat and eggs would also disappear pretty fast, despite the fact that they need to be cooked.
And that is what we are seeing now. Food staples like milk, bread, and eggs are all in high demand. Lines are forming outside of stores that are open to the public and these essential items run out fast. In fact, grocery stores are putting limits on how much you can buy. In this report, one store manager in the area admits to the food limits. “Yeah, there’s limits,” Luis Castillo, a store employee who was working crowd control Tuesday, told BuzzFeed News. “But we already ran out of bread. There’s no more bread.” While many grocery stores and superstores like Wal-Mart and Target are opening more stores every day, at the given moment, it’s a race to resupply and stores can quickly be exhausted of food necessities.
Food staple shortages are also being reported in north Texas – 200 miles away from Houston.
Bleach
Most people may not have even considered this essential post-disaster item.
In the aftermath, bleach and chemical disinfectants are hard to come by. Cleaning flooded homes and questionable water sources are making this a high-demand commodity. Sanitation is one of the most important facets of staying prepared. After a hurricane hits, overloaded sewage systems will start spewing raw sewage. Diseases such as cholera, are contracted through contaminated water and food, and often occur as a result of poor hygiene and sanitation practices.
Moreover, cleaning supplies like gloves and garbage bags are also needed by many in the disaster area and those in the relief efforts have all listed cleaning supplies as a needed item.
Toilet Paper
Hurricane survivors may have grossly underestimated how much toilet paper they needed to ride out the aftermath. Toilet paper is used every day and when it runs out, things can get nasty.
On average, consumers use 8.6 sheets per trip – a total of 57 sheets per day. Multiply that by a week-long storm and a family of 5 and you run out quickly.
Due to the high need for toilet paper, it is flying off the shelves and restocking has obviously become an issue.
Home Repair Supplies
The last thing on people’s minds was how massive the clean up from Hurricane Harvey would be. But as we have often noted, hurricanes are unpredictable in nature and this one “threw a wrench” in many preparedness plans.
While thinking about how they were going to clean up after flood waters ravaged their homes wasn’t something anyone really considered beforehand, is it now at the forefront. As a result of the extensive damage, home repair supplies are in desperate need.
Plywood, tools, wheelbarrows, large plastic containers, trash bags, buckets, generators, and other disaster necessities are being purchased. In fact, at Lowe’s, Rick Neudorff, the retailer’s emergency command center operations manager said generators were in such high demand that “some stores are practically selling generators off the back of the truck because people have been waiting in the stores for the generators to arrive.”
The reality is that the vast majority of people have about three days of food and water at home, when a prolonged disaster strikes it upends the stability of the entire system of just-in-time delivery.
This is why using a layered approach to preparedness planning that includes short-term, long-term and worst-case scenario considerations is paramount.
What Hurricane Harvey has taught us is that devastating events, while so improbable that they may happen just once in a hundred years, are still a real and present danger.
Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.
Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals.
Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.
Trump visited the area.. So everything will be OKay now.
7. Rule of Law
8. Morality
9. Common sense
10. _____________ Fill in the blank.
10. marijuana
11. crack
12. gold
13. if you have money left. twinkies
i dont understand toilet paper being a necessity? just wade into waist high water, do your business, and dont forget to swim upstream a little ways?
Skulls for most Americans those are not rules, much less rule numbers 1 and 2 ? I hope many of you are sharing all your preps with these poor victims of a few feet of water maybe two or three seems to be the worse of it and most less than a foot ? The old people, infirmed or little children are the only real victims. What would USA do if this were something much more serious like radiation or chemicals or even a serious earthquake or volcano again ? This kind of event clearly points out how weak Americans are. The first few days all I saw were fat people getting rescued that could not walk with or without any water and what I saw was not even deep enough to harm anybody ? Watched a supposed rescue crew wrestle a whale into a boat with maybe 2 feet of water as if he was going to die right there ? Lots of property damage for sure ! So I quit watching this over reacted TV show being pumped up after that fiasco.
You a genius and that helps so…… much. Idiot.
In the immortal words of Kid Rock, “Go phuque yourself.” You Liberals are disgusting.
1. Have supplies
2. Have a plan
3. Have a backup plan
4. Know your surroundings and area for Gods sake!
That shoulda been number 1
Nailbanger, you nailed it again. That article is exactly why we prepare. Anyone who doesn’t prep is inept.
There’s a lot of inept folks out there.
But, what will we do when they come “a knockin’ ” on our door?
Stereo-typing? No. Just putting some flare and dramatization to a possible conversation between any survivors and a Prepared property-owner.
Should of, Could of, Would of – All the same thing, an excuse (not to).
WTBHTB, just make sure you have your ‘pest control’ aka your loaded firearm ready to go for such people.
TDB,
Noted, and ready.
Pesky pests.
I know of bugs that don’t eat as much as inept folks do.
WTBHTB, HA, good one! The morons make the bugs look good.
As that dirty bumper sticker says, “Gas or ass–no free rides!”
You left out the grass.
Yeah. I’m that old.
Or it could go like this
Knock knock
Yea wassup?
Can you spare any food? Were hungry…
No
Come on were hungry and i can smell spam cooking
No
You better give us some food or well come back later with the
BANG BANG BBBBBBBBBBAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG
GLUG GLUG
CLICK—-woosh crackle crackle
You were saying dumbass
@Nailbanger, Did you have to use spam as an example? I was raised on that crap….Yuck, can’t stand the smell of it now.
Nailbanger,
That’s a darn good example too!
But, maybe only one tap needed at close range (two at the most – ‘Double-Tap’; ref: Zombie Land, the movie). Might need the others for someone else waiting nearby.
There were eight of em,,,, was the peeps across the street on hud and ebt who dont do shit but smoke dope and take up resources
It’s hard to have sympathy for people who live in known danger areas likely to be hit by hurricane, flooding, or earthquake; like the Texas Coast, New Orleans, Florida, The Northeast, St. Louis, Chicago, and the entire West Coast.
Of course, it’s a great opportunity for the Red Cross whose CEO makes more than a million dollars a year, and whose organization never spent the money it receives for Sandy to milk the American People out of more donations.
Fuck em !!! 🙂
Right. We should all just move to Dallas and have a 5 hour commute to Houston each day. How do we move the port that far inland?
I agree but there are some who are not inept..they just either feel they don’t have the resources to prep, or they are so blase about it, they cannot comprehend how a situation can become dire so quickly…my mom and sis are on fixed income, so I coupon a lot and help them out as much as I can..
i was just thinkin’ about where i would be if MY house here in hi-desert, ca was to be under 4 feet of water(highly unlikely)….i would STILL have hundreds of cans of food, dozens of buckets of food staples, building supplies, guns(with lots of wet ammo, but not ALL of it),15 cans of gasoline, camping supplies, hundreds of cases of water, and water purification supplies, as well as 2 berkeys and 5 other similar water filters, a couple dozen lifestraws…..i would still be in pretty good shape….my point being, even if bad stuff happens, you can still be in great shape. i know SOME will be saying, why prep, when it can all be lost to a disaster….it aint ALWAYS all lost. there’s some very good lessons to be learned from houston.
lesson #1 have CANNED food, with lots of water content, so you can eat, without needing water…stuff that needs to be cooked with water, when you aint got a way to heat it, is not worth much(rice, beans, macaroni, for example). and if you DO have a second floor, keep some food upstairs.
some foods that would be nice to have right now in houston.
canned fruit like peaches, fruit cocktail, pears, apricots
peanut butter
canned chilli
canned soups
milk, dried, evaporated, and condensed
canned veggies
honey
beef/chicken bullion
instant coffee, tea..creamer
hard candy, chocolate
tuna, spam(don’t stack it very high)
powdered eggs
a few more things that should have been on hand.
night vision
LED headlamp
antibiotics will be worth MORE than gold
benadryl
wipies
DETAILED Maps Of Your Area
wooden 4×6, or 6×8’s for crossing obstacles(3 feet long)
folding shovel and saw
army survival manual
first aid book… where there is no doctor book
military 4 part sleep system…protects to minus 30 degrees if you know what to do with it…and at LEAST have the bivy bag part of it in your car in case you get stranded….if you are dressed for the climate you’re in, it might only take that bivy to save yer life.
tow straps/shackles/chain with pipe for towing
Antacids
Anti-diarrheal
giant channel-lock pliers and crescent wrench
sandbags
boots
knives
thermals
hammock
chair
poncho/raincoat/goretex(best)
tent
flashlights(duracel c cell at costco, 2 for 15$, best flashlight for anywhere NEAR that price)
multitool
batteries
painkiller/anti-inflamatory
Just got a copy of “Medicine For The Outdoors” by Paul S.Aurebach, MD (around $20) I also have “Where there is no Doctor” I have read a good bit of the first one and I really like it.
One missing item from most all prepper lists.
Copies of documents that prove you own your home, bug out retreat, or business. In a disaster police often set up roadblocks and will not let through people who can’t prove ownership of local land or a destination. A recent copy of utility bills, credit card bills, tax bill etc is the type of proof they want to see. If you must evacuate, make copies and put in plastic bags.
excellent idea, thanks
all you need is love, by the beetles
And you forgot the – NRA
nobody needs the NRA except communists to further gun free zones and govt permision to buy and carry.
Critical item missing: Water Filter (using ceramic element)
Have used in extreme survival conditions, Ceramic filters will stand up to mud, sewage, pond algae, ghiardia, and dysentery, etc. Won’t protect from cholera or other viruses without boiling or bleach/chlorine (already mentioned), so cholera vaccine or boil or tabs if concerned.
For mobility, or for bugging-in, hand-pump ceramic water filter critical item, and is low weight-high impact item.
Plus a clean water container, camelbak, canteen, bottle, of course.
Dried fruits too,
Lesson #1 Canned Food
Lesson #2, Can Openers. Have many manual can openers, Military style P38 or a P51 is bigger and better, mostly stainless as well.
BCOD, you been lookin’ in my shed? LOL.
yeah, you KNOW i got stuff…..you been lookin’ at my back door too, for years now….keep at it, it won’t be long now.
I like the P51, just shook a couple out of my bag yesterday when i was checking it, most likely neve ever need it but nice to know its there anyway
just picked up a spoon and p51 combined at the gunshow for 2$
“High desert” as in the AV……???
“hi-desert ca” … AV?
victor valley
“hi-desert ca” – AV?
Thats so true bub,, personally im not worried about any sorta collapse/disaster/war
Well war maybe a little, not that it will happen but not really thrilled about the outcome,,
But as far as other stuff, ill just get along as best i can, but not going to be worrying about any of it because we are situated pretty well just because of the fact that ive been just making do for years now, yea the SHTF will make things sorta different, but for our little community i think overall maybe better,
?????
Where in the high desert do you live? Just kidding. Just remember you may not have the rain but you do get the snow and earthquakes.
Buttcrackofdoom , I live in North Texas area have several friends that are Preppers down there all set up for long term. But their house got flooded , he never in his wildest dreams thought they would flood he’s live their his whole life ! 65 or them plus his dad said he never saw it flood either.. Luckily he save his stuff by putting in attic , something to learn here on timing to bug out I told him to but he didn’t believe me . Well he called me and told me how’d I knew , I said I didn’t but logic tells when to go to safe haven to protect my family first! Now I’m down in Houston helping him out
i got waaaay too much stuff to just leave it all behind….that being said, we DO have to have backup plans to do just that. there are very few scenarios that would cause me to “bug out”, but there ARE some….just because something’s never happened in our lifetimes, doesn’t mean it CAN’T happen. our best super-power is to have an open mind….and to use it to learn as much as we can. good luck to you and your friends in houston.
doom, I did not see any 4 ft of water anywhere more like two or less in most places and I hardly call that a threat. Uncomfortable no doubt but not a threat all by itself, maybe the looters and thugs ?
i’m reminded of the time over 50 years ago, when i was walking to school through the lumber yard near my home. i would have been in the 2nd grade i think….just walking through this 6 inches or so of water, and all of a sudden, i was over my head in water! there was an abandoned well there, as it turned out. i very easily could have drowned in that hole, but i was lucky enough that i found my way out, as i couldn’t swim yet….these things will happen to people around the houston area, i imagine. there’s a lot of hazards to living there we won’t even think about, unless we have BEEN in their overshoes.
I am going to be adding a couple of new items to my kit. Orange surveying tape. Couple cans of orange spray paint Some type of orange fabric that is about one or two feet wide and six feet (or more) long. One set for my house and one set for the bag in my car.
Why? All those houses look the same from a helicopter! It is really hard to identify a house, or a car, or a person that needs help from the air. Orange tape would work for hiking / hunting type situation. Orange spray paint could be used on the roof to paint an X or SOS. Other option is to have a lightweight piece of fabric and hang that out a window or place on the ground, in a big X.
If you have to leave your house, the paint would be an easy way to mark it so first responders know everyone got out, no one left inside.
use spray paint to mark your house for looters, “Everyone is Out Safe” then wait in the shadows with your 44 Rem Magnum lever-action rifle with a hot load of 180 grain hollowpoints over a max load of winchester 296 powder mmmhmmm.
Hmm? ” for Gods sake!” THERE IS NO GOD!
oh, but there is God
Yes, and the military will be taking all of the citizens guns from the homes, and with the use of HAARP, the disarmament gets done right on time, 100,000 less guns on the street. Could this be the plan all along for Texas. This may be why Erma with landfall winds of 180 mph is entering the gulf? This will pave the way for the chi-coms to get to us easier isn’t it. Drown us out eh.? You got us good this time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yia7qs01z1M
Look what the cops just did to a nurse. America is really over isn’t it. We have no rights. Caught yourself another white criminal terrorist nurse again, eh. See link. Physically abusing, disrespecting and treating professional women like that is not right and this is where I have a problem with that kind of behavior.
In my opinion, a Revolutionary war is just a hair away now. A car could run over my ass this evening, and I am dead, and never post here every again, and this will not mean anything, I will be forgotten and 6 ft under and the revolutionary war will commense. Besides trolls have advised you all don’t listen to idiots like me.
HCKS.
i think that was all a setup so that cop could get a paid vacation.
Do you have all your business or personal Computer files, Family photos, and documents like Tax returns Backed-up on a USB Memory stick? So all you need to do is grab tiny stick and go packing it light. Then all you need is another computer to retrieve all your files. Back up on 2 or 3 USB memory sticks. Less than $10 32GB of data. You should be doing this any way in case of a fire and keep these hard drives in other safe places besides your home.
There are two 128GB memory sticks on me at all times wherever I go, plus a small stick with a portable Linux set up on it so I can use another computer without leaving a trace.
That’s all the good pop (1930-1985) and country (1922-2016) music in MP3, all my photos (including scans of old photos), and every document I’ve ever created or scanned on a computer since the early 1980s.
I’m setting up more with PDFs of useful books and magazines, and some website captures.
Archivist,
Good idea. I suggest using TAILS (TOR & encrpyed) [https://tails.boum.org/] for your OS, but there are other secure and unsecured portable OS’s that will work also.
Also like that you carry two separate sticks (both identical? – double backup?).
Not identical. I just have a lot of files.
Do you think a small hard drive is not good?
A portable hard drive is fine. He is just showing off.
BCOD, she should’ve resisted that idiot cop. I saw the article about that. she was treating an unconscious patient at the time. He wanted the nurse to take a blood sample from the guy supposedly because he was a suspect but the cop failed to follow protocol. The dept. admitted to being at fault and is supposedly investigating.
My 2₵ worth:
All of them (the Occifers) kept stating that they were told to do this (they were just doing their job); much like the Germans did during the Nuremberg trials.
If they were actually doing their jobs, it would have been different. Why? Because they would actually HAVE TO THINK about what they were going to do and not just React, (as did the Idiot, pardon me – Occifer, did.
This means upholding the Constitution of the United States (yes, the actual Founding Document that protects everyone from tyrannical rule(ers) and their minions.)
But beware, once you go down that road, you will forevermore be labeled a Patriot and subversive in one breath.
I know this isn’t a club of one, so – welcome anyone who wishes the label of Patriot.
O&BTW
HCKS
You keep the info flowing. Screw anyone else, on here or elsewhere that thinks otherwise.
I (& hopefully, we) will take all the info you care to give.
Thanks
???
HCKS, any gun grabbers who come around will just become history.
The cop clearly represents what can and will happen when cops and military want something. The general population is at the mercy of the psychopaths who desire to lord it over us.
Yep those cops in Utah need a good ass whoopin ! At least that lady will get a huge payday and was not seriously harmed or killed by those thugs.
Interesting to see what would happen if her husband or brother caught them and thumped them for GP ! If I were on that jury they would walk free for sure with a clap ! So keep such events in mind folks, cause this shit show ain’t over yet here in USA today ! It is called jury nullification and it works just fine !
Down To Earth Thinking
In response to your comments about only seeing a couple of feet of water here in Texas I invite you to come take a ride with me here. I assure you it is Not 2 or 3 feet. The water is to the roof on a lot of homes. You saw it on TV did you? Well then it must be true. I’d stop judgment if I were you because the unthinkable can also happen in your area and I hope you don’t read comments by people who are not even there but consider themselves an authority on the subject because they watch TV and read articles on the Internet. Like I said open invitation to you to see first had. BTW you’re going to need a boat to get into this area and I’ll give you a tour from there
Angel, We have been watching here in Va and praying for the people of South Texas. I cant even imagine the devastation there and I have lived through 2 floods in my life time. Unfortunatley there are a few keyboard warriors on here that don’t have a clue as to what a disaster consists of. Now that we have Irma to watch out for, my own family are making plans in case we get hit. Just know there are a lot of good people out there who’s thoughts and prayers are with you.
Gatheringbird
Thank you so much for your kind words and most importantly your prayers. I am so glad you are preparing. I think a lot of people don’t realize how fast something like this can happen, to anyone. If I could give any advice after going through 4 hurricanes it is to have a plan if you lose all or most of your preps. I know many people who got 50 inches of rain and their homes flooded even though they don’t live in a flood prone area. I have learned a lot from these hurricanes especially this one. I’d also advise everyone to have a plan, a backup plan and to be as self sufficient as possible. To me the people hit the hardest by this hurricane were the ones dependent on others. The elderly and children are often at the mercy of the people who care for them. We may be able to survive floods and extreme heat but elderly and children often cannot. If you are responsible for children or elderly evacuate to a safe place if anyway possible. These people count on you and as our elderly parents cared for us we now must care for them. I’ll be praying that Irma does not hit you guys on the east coast. And if the unthinkable does occur have a plan if you lose your preps, evacuate if possible and never ever give up
Nail
Agreed 1000%.
Just looked though my stuff. In Super Great Shape.
Now Pray to God that I don’t have to use them soon!!!!
Sgt.
Sarge, I just finished checking all my supplies in the storage building at the BOL. Top-notch condition. Have to head back home Sat. [SIGH] Back to the old grind next week.
Good deal Sarge,,
Have a great weekend bud
Here in Austin, most gas stations are out of gas completely.
Those that have it, have jacked up the price 50 cents a gallon or more.
They say it is panic-induced, but that means it can’t last over a week or so, as supply trucks would be able to keep station tanks filled by then.
People aren’t storing extra gas at home, just making sure their gas tanks are full at all times.
Florida has very strict laws that NO Price Gouging will take place during disasters. Gasoline has a CAP of no more than .10 Cents per gallon per day increases. There is also a PRICE GOUGING HOT LINE IN FL to report any price gouging.
Same in Texas.
I seen the Texas AG on TV talking about going after price gougers. He gave info on how to document and report it.
WTF!Do you folks even believe in freedom/market place pricing ect.!?Document and share/never use stores that price gouge but to have govt. control pricing is fucking insane!Gas prices going up everywhere,do we have govt. control that also?!As for Florida,since they artificially lower price increases other states will raise prices higher and Florida will thus be taxing other states and also not getting as much gas as wanted due to higher prices elsewhere.
Don’t get me wrong,hate folks they prey on tough times but either you believe in free markets or you don’t,and if you don’t…..,well your a socialist working on your communism!
Here in East TN, we have gotten word they are shutting down the pipeline that serves this area. We topped off our cans a week ago, and the vehicles. Prayers for those in the Houston area, including you, HCKS. Been thinking about ya.
babycatcher, we were doing the same thing in GA just the other day. I have to head back home Sat. [SIGH] Time flies when you’re having fun.
I feel for ya. Living here is sorta like living there but we don’t have kin here. They all come to us on the way to Nashville!
That’s the sun oil pipeline. There is a pipeline terminal not far from there near BONO Ark. I believe it runs from the Murphy refinery in south Arkansas. Murphy supplies most Wal Marts. Something to think about If you have fuel when most folks don’t. Where are you gonna drive to. The stores will not be restocked until the fuel is available again. And someone might just kill you for your vehicle. LP is my reserve fuel. Never goes bad. It has multiple uses.
here in southern middle TN gas gone up 30 to 45 cents
in just this week
In Virginia, gas has gone up at least 10-15 cents. But that was yesterday.
With the mid-Atlantic still a potential area to experience Irma, there’s no telling where gas or other supply prices will go.
All this has made me re-evaluate where I should be living. I need to be more west of metro DC. More snow but that I can deal with. More hurricanes or tropical storms not so much. Already making a list on how to do that.
Glad I have a go bag; my old backpack from scout days. (Might need to stop by REI for some camp meals to top it off.) It’s an internal frame so doesn’t take up a lot of room. My one worry is if Irma does pay a serious visit, what to take (knowing the severity will play a part in the decision)? Small car so have to be selective. I don’t want to sit through another one of these alone. Isabel was enough and that was only a CAT 1 blowing through. Time to re-read hurricane prepping it seems.
Gas here in northeastern NC went up over 40 cents. It went up twice yesterday.
Maybe the price will be back down by the time my vehicle is back from the shop. If not, I’ll just pull out the 5-gallon containers.
We are far far away from Tx but our prices went up already here in the islands too,,,
Here in New Zealand one gas-chain company (BP) put its prices up 10 cents a liter!
and Im in New Zealand, we have our own petroleum plants that can make petrol and diesel!
I smiled when I read your reference of “north” Texas being Dallas. Now Amarillo fits my definition of north Texas, people in Dallas refer to Fawt Wurth as being “west” Texas.
Anyway, I talked to a guy yesterday morning who was filling up several gas and diesel fuel cans. He said he had just gotten into town from a trip to Amarillo (we live in another state) where on Wednesday he paid $3 per gallon for fuel. It’s not the price that’ll get me it is the availability.
These 6 items may be disappearing but here is an on-the-ground report from a prepper blogger and 50 things she has already learned in the last week. I’ll take this kind of experience any day before I hear the arm chair quarterbacks from afar.
ht tp://thesurvivalmom.com/harvey-survival-tips/
Wilson,
FYI, Tess Pennington is not an armchair quarterback. She knows what she is talking about from personal experience!
Louisiana Eagle
Wilson,
I saw the article you were referring to as well by Survival Mom, MS Lisa Bedford. It is a great article by a very credible and wonderful blogger! She had some great articles when that huge Tornado hit Joplin, MO, and really established her bonafides. IMHO Tess, Lisa, and Daisy have some of the best sites for Preppers. I visit them regularly.
Louisiana Eagle
Louisiana Eagle
Wilson,
I appreciated your comment to Ms. Lisa. You need to realize that Tess lived south of Houston and was actively involved in helping hurricane victims prior to Harvey!
Louisiana Eagle
Laeagle,
I was not disparaging Tess, nor was I calling her an arm chair quarterback. Tess is talking about things which are disappearing or becoming hard to find. Lisa is talking about lessons learned. Two different subjects. Now smooth your feathers, stop jumping to conclusions about the intent of my comments. I was actually thinking of people on some other preparedness blogs that are clearly second guessing people in South Texas that decided not to evacuate. Want to read more? Here is where you can read some real snarky comments: ht tp://modernsurvivalblog.com/natural-disasters/houston-flooding/
Got anything else you want to say?
Wilson,
It is good to know what your intentions were. Thanks. Even eagles get their feathers ruffled now and then! ??
Louisiana Eagle
a LOT can be learned from “armchair quarterbacks”……..
Harvey Causing “Unprecedented” Disruptions To Supplies Of “Essential” Chemicals
“The unprecedented destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey will impact the US economy in ways may not be immediately apparent. Until recently, coverage of the storm’s impact has focused on property damage and the impact on the energy industry.
But in a story published Friday, Bloomberg explains the devastating impact the storm has had on Texas’s chemicals industry, which is already causing supply-chain headaches for American manufacturers who’re struggling to source the chemicals required to produce plastics and other components used in everything from milk jugs to car parts.
Indeed, if Texas’s chemicals plants are closed for an extended period, production at a potentially huge number of American manufacturers to grind to a halt.
More than 60% of the US’s production capacity for ethylene – one of the most important chemical building blocks for American manufacturers – has been taken offline by the storm, a development that could ripple across the US manufacturing industry.”
“Texas alone produces nearly three quarters of the country’s supply of one of the most basic chemical building blocks. Ethylene is the foundation for making plastics essential to U.S. consumer and industrial goods, feeding into car parts used by Detroit and diapers sold by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
With Harvey’s floods shutting down almost all the state’s plants, 61 percent of U.S. ethylene capacity has been closed, according to PetroChemWire.”
ht tp://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-01/harvey-wreaking-havoc-us-chemicals-industry-unprecedented-scale
Direct link…
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-01/harvey-wreaking-havoc-us-chemicals-industry-unprecedented-scale
KYM
You are very observant.
You can thank the EPA and
the Democrats.
For the last 40 years they have
been destroying our various industries
and concentrating what is left of
them in areas not entirely ideal.
This results in “single point failures”
America no longer has redundant systems.
For example There should be refineries
in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, California,
et al. not pipelines all running to Texas
and Louisiana.
Pipelines, for some reason these dummies think its better to sell our oil and timber etc, to foreigners then import oil, timber etc from elsewhere,,, just stupid, ive been lectured about the short sightedness of thinking we should just supply our own stuff, this is why my charity will be real limited when things go sideways,,,
That “Just in Time Inventory supply chain theory” someone invented is a real crock of shit in a disaster.
Preppers look at afew years supply of everything you will possibly need and more. Why I probably have a 50 year supply of Amme and all the guns I will need for the rest of my life. Being prepared you wont need that much gas running around in a panic. You can sit tight and let the unprepared hordes fight it out.
Just look at peoples stress levels. Those whobare prepared are ho hum and those unprepared are fighting amd blaming eachother right now and many family relationships are destroyed. Ive been through cmamy hurricanes and evacuations and neing prepared months and years in advance is essential. The unprepared are freaking out right now. Even having friends and relatives in a pact to be able to go to for and evacuation is huge.
Any surprise? The electric was out. Good time to strap on that NVG and go hunting looters. No security cameras working and no witnesses. Think ahead, plan ahead.
what’s to keep you from shootin’ the neighbors cousin, who’s been sent there to retrieve supplies….or the family cat….or….be careful who you shoot.
BCOD, my neighbor’s cuzzin is a looter.
send lead, downrange, center-mass then!
??
U think? Everyone should have at least 3 months worth of preps. As far as looters go, compound bows come very handy! Not looting my place……….
she forgot to mention alcohol and tobacco
Spoke with my Son in Dallas, (he’s happy that I convinced him to get preps and a 50 gal drum for fresh water. BTW, His wifes family no longer thinks were crazy). Even though he’s not in the affected area, they are getting effected by hampered supply lines with gas shortages, etc. The gas, which is supplied from the Houston pipeline, is running out. Rationing will be implemented, most likely today.
Therefore, you don’t have to be in the immediate area of danger to encounter the effects. Your supply lines can be cut, and local demand, in lieu of panic and aide, will drain the rest.
Place some supplies in sturdy, plastic tubs and stow them just inside the garage door or a location that will require the least amount of effort to reclaim and/or time to evac. These will be your grab’n go, if needed. When the kids ask, just tell them they’re for a camping trip.
Have an evac plan and be sure to scout both the route and the location. It will be much harder mid crisis, or in a heavy downpour.
It is unfortunate that we have to consider such emergencies as something that happens in life. Try not to let it control you. Spend some quality time planning and prepping and then be done with it.
http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2017/08/29/domestic-foreign-troop-activity-from-coast-to-coast-fema-behaving-strangely/
Real preppers more information, see all three audios. This is why this happened in Texas.
Bob Seifert in the one running the FEMA KBR death camps that are being set up all over the Texas area. Read the memo as he tries to contain by damage control.
HCKS.
I have the Berky Imperial filter set up. I also have a 12 volt 4 gpm RV water pump with 160 watt solar panel, charge controller and battery, that attaches to a set of three 10″ whole house filters, 5 micron, 1 micron and .5 micron. I want the water as clean as possible before it goes into the Berkey.
A case of 50, 5 micron or 1 micron filters are about $130.00 on Ebay. The .5 micron are more expensive. Putting dirty water into a Berkey will plug up the elements fast and the elements are about 50 bucks each.
be sure and let that water settle for a couple hours before you pour it into the berkey, that will keep a lot of the sediment out….and a reminder, if you put a bottle of fairly clear water in the sun for around 6 hours, it will kill all pathogens…..not something i have DONE, but i have heard from numerous sources that it works.
SODIS
http://www.bvsde.paho.org/cursodesastres/diplomado/pdf/SODIS.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection
https://www.cdc.gov/safewater/solardisinfection.html
First, filter the water several times through coffee filters or a clean shirt or cloth. You want the water as clear as possible as this will get help to get rid of as much debris and sediment as possible (turbid water), and/or let it sit and pour off the clear portion to filter further (BCOD ref.).
Then follow the directions listed via the websites above.
ALERT HOUSTON FEMA CAMP SET UPS WITH BOB WIRE IN HOUSTON
http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2017/08/29/domestic-foreign-troop-activity-from-coast-to-coast-fema-behaving-strangely/
People need to get out of those areas now, the military is getting ready to contain and lock you into FEMA camps. Bob wire by the shit loads are being shipped in.
HCKS.
BCofDoom was right about food items that require NO water or heat to prepare.
I’ve been roll playing what ifs as I sit and watch this unfold in the past three days.
I have a hole in my preps and that is the meal ready to eat.
Not necessarily the military MRE, but something of my own, home canned ready to eat, store bought canned ready to eat.
I have some like that, maybe a month or so. But I do believe I ought to have a little more on hand.
I’ll have to work on that.
Also, I’ve made and donated what is called “flood buckets” for my church. That is something every prepper should have on hand. A tried and tested item.
Cleaning Kit Materials
5-gallon bucket with resealable lid
Buckets from fast-food restaurants or bakeries can be used if washed and cleaned
Do not use buckets that have stored chemicals such as paint or pool cleaner
Liquid laundry detergent
One 50-oz. or two 25-oz. bottle(s) only
Liquid household cleaner/bleach
12‐16 oz. liquid cleaner that can be mixed with water
Dish soap 16‐28 oz. bottle any brand
1 can air freshener Aerosol or pump
1 insect repellant spray 6‐14 oz. aerosol or spray pump with protective cover
1 scrub brush Plastic or wooden handle
18 cleaning wipes
Handi Wipes or reusable wipes
7 sponges No cellulose sponges due to mold issues
5 scouring pads
50 clothespins
Clothesline One 100-ft. or two 50-ft. lines
Cotton or plastic
24-roll heavy-duty trash bags 33‐ to 45-gallon sizes
5 dust masks
2 pairs kitchen dishwashing gloves
Should be durable enough for multiple uses
1 pair work gloves
Cotton with leather palm or all leather
this is the basic you should have on hand!
thanks grammy! instead of clothesline, might i suggest 550 cord?….it’s much more useful, and much stronger….google 50 uses for paracord….and google “foodgrade buckets”, and you might find a source like i did. i got a girl here in so cal that has several doughnut shops. she sells buckets with lids for 1.75$ each.
550 cord sucks donkey dongs in hell. by dyneema cord instead.
funny, the military gets by with it….and my scout troop does too…..i don’t know what’s wrong with you, gandi, but i BET it’s really hard to pronounce!
google…..no, wait,….duckduckgo 50 uses for 550 cord…..maybe you just aint been educated on 550 cord..
Grandee,
You are onto something here. Great idea for a cleaning kit!!
May I suggest a package or two of microfiber cleaning clothes. The head of maintenance at a regional hospital told me the microfiber clothes do a better job of cleaning. This was told to him by the hospital’s chief of pathology who tracks all kinds of creepy crawly super germs growing in the hospital.
As for dust masks upgrade to NOSI-N95 per Lisa Bedford at Survival Mom blog.
I think BCOD is right, para cord will work for a clothesline in a pinch.
Grandee,
Add a couple of small bags of pool shock to that list. In the summer they are cheap at Wally World, in a disaster they won’t be available. Each one pound bag can purify 10,000 gallons of drinking water. In a flood it’s critical to first take pictures for insurance, then remove from a flooded house all Sheetrock to two feet above the high water line, all insulation, carpeting. Pull all appliances away from walls. With studs exposed spray down studs and floors with a 5% Clorox solution that can be made from pool shock, avoid electrical. The idea is to kill all mold.
Pool shock in powder form sealed in plastic has an unlimited shelf life, Clorox liquid has a limited one year max life. I have also saved a half dozen Clorox bottles for holding pool shock concentrate mix. There are very few types of containers that can store chlorine solutions. I hear Clorox is sold out in all stores in the Houston area.
I have about 4 packs of pool shock, enough to chlorinate 40,000 gallons of water. I store it in a ziplock, inside another ziplock with printed directions for use. Why so much, because it can be water damaged, and I have backups, I really only need just one.
Old fashioned carbolic soap bars. The pink ones with the distinctive smell.
Each year I purchase for two house holds half a dozen bars of carbolic soap. (I save on postage with a relative). Cleans a muddy tiled floor better than any commercial product, can be used to wash hands after grubby jobs. Good for laundry. Floors, surfaces, even walls may need to be scrubbed down with something anti-bacterial,disinfecting & even mildly anti-fungal. Carbolic soap is all three. There’s a damn good reason they used to use carbolic soaps in hospitals and other areas where cleanliness is critical. The best part is this stuff is much cheaper than the modern crap advertisers are always trying flog us.
For me a bar of carbolic would be an absolute necessity in that cleaning bucket. You can buy carbolic soap on amazon, hardware stores,and from carbolicsoap.com Other than commercial interests wanting fat profits I have no idea why it went out of fashion.
A friend in the hurricane area told me that as she had to evacuate to a relative, she is grateful for a few things. One her baby is breastfed – places ran out of baby formula quickly. Two -she uses cloth nappies -again a supply she doesn’t have to worry about procuring. She just took em with her when she left. She said the same about her diva cup – she’s set up for Aunt Flo’s visit. These are feminine lifestyle issues that perhaps anyone preparing for a new arrival might consider?
HOUSTON UNDER MARTIAL LAW GETTING READY TO DETAIN AND LOCK UP HOUSTONIANS, AND THATS WHY THE MILITARY HAS DESTROYERS AND TROOP TRANSPORT in our gulf.
I have a take on this and this is the likely scenario.
Now another massive hurricane is coming to the gulf, or will it turn. If this one enters the gulf and hits Texas, then we for certain that we are going to half a civil revolutionary war, against the chi-coms, the UN, Russians and other nationals. First the black ops military devastates Texas with the environmental natural disasters, then they quickly set up the camps, then bring in the soldiers, announce that they have a shortage, that they have help from the UN, then they take all the guns from the abandoned homes, force out the people, the 2nd hurricane hits, this time they use HAARP to steer it in a circle flooding our all homes and neighborhoods and subdivisions, devastating the population, forcing patriots to abandon homes, unable to carry all the preps, ammo, and all the guns, then bring out the military, ours first to make it look good, your now forced to evacuate with the clothes on your back only to wind up in camp, while they grab your wife, girlfriend kids and teenage daughter, hand them over to the foreign soldiers to do to them as they see fit, while the federal government activate the UN to move in 150,000 soldiers right up into Texas to start the physical gun battle to take down Texas.
BOB WIRE FENCING COMING IN BY THE SHIT LOADS INTO HOUSTON.
http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2017/08/29/domestic-foreign-troop-activity-from-coast-to-coast-fema-behaving-strangely/
They will be locking up over 100,000 Houstonians in these FEMA camps, and look who is president. Listen to Hodges last video and the first audio for Paul Martin.
The people voted for another tyrant, they got us good this time.
The will use the environmental destruction to bring in control, the scientist. Wait till October comes around, that’s when the fun starts. Well folks, October in only less than 1 month away.
HCKS.
HCKS, sounds like it’s time to lock-and-load in your area. Don’t let anyone take you or anything you have under any circumstances.
Have cash too. Electricity may be out in many places. Barter items will come in handy too.
Always, always, always – have cash on hand.
As someone stated on another thread: “Just use your cell phone / Bitcoin. You can write down the number and give it to someone in place of cash.”
No, you can’t.
Well – yes you can.
But if want to stay solvent with money in your account when (or, if) the event is over and power comes back –
well, hopefully you get the idea.
The article mentions bleach. I know you can add bleach to unsanitary water and kill what is living in the water. The problem is that bleach is not a food item and does not have to list all of the things that are in the bleach. It does mention the percentage of chlorine to water but that isn’t enough. Who knows what else has been added to bottled bleach. I can see why a hammock could be useful with standing water.
use only bleach with no additives.
Shit happens. Get used to it. That’s life.
A person can not live more than a few days without water. Welch’ Original Grape Juice is really healthy. Cranberry juice (organic) cleans out the kidneys. Tart Cherry in moderation is good. Real organic juices can be mixed with water so they are not so high in sugar.
Canned peaches, canned pineapples, etc.
Canned beans even if you have dried beans.
Canned milk even if you have powdered milk.
Five gallon water jugs with filtered water. 2&1/2 gallon water jugs with dispenser and pure water.
Canned fish: salmon, tuna, sardines, etc.
Canned chicken, turkey, beef.
Canned asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts, corn, and beets. Canned vegtables, ravioli, and all sorts of canned foods which don’t need cooking.
Put an American made can opener in your car, in your bag, in your kitchen.
Buy good American made can openers for stocking stuffers for family and friends.
.
Better yet, teach them how to open cans and containers without the usual kitchen implements.
give a man a fish and he eats for a day….give a man fishnet stockings, and he will ALWAYS find someone to feed him…..at least that’s the way I heard it….
Let a man set beside your fire and he is warm for time. set that man on fire and he will be warm for the remainder of his life!
You two old farts are sick fookers
???
HEEEYYYY! i resemble that remark….
I was on a drive today away from my home area, and scanning for a strong radio station. I hit one and after the news, this guy comes on to announce the traffic. I’m sorry but this guy sounded so gay it was pathetic. I wondered how he ever got the job. Then I pictured him going home to his life partner who asked “how did the the interview go today”, he responded it sucked, so I think I got the job……..
Give a man a fish and feed him for a day,teach a man to fish and he dies of mercury poisoning!As for bleach,make your own with pool shock containing 65% or bewtter Calcium Hypochlorite,nothing else,no algaecides ect,just the one ingredient.Less then 20 bucks will get you a 5 pound container,will last/outlast you zombie day!
Where’s your source?
Please –
Thanks
Bullet,if you were referring to pool shock to make bleach/treat water here is one link:ht tp://www.thefoodguys.com/howtoclorox.htm ,space in http to avoid moderation,literally 1000’s of sites with this info.use duck duck go search(never goog/bingy!),will treat about 100,000 gallons of water when mixed up and used to disinfect water.Bleach loses it’s potency fairly quickly,like 1/2 a year and now at 1/2 life of effectiveness,this can also be used as bleach to,well,bleach clothes,not paying for 5% bleach and 95% water,mix as needed.
WD,
Thanks for the info.
Need to get some of that.
there was a video making the rounds a year or so ago showing a young woman trying to open a can with a manual can opener while her friends watched. She couldn’t figure it out!! And since no one came to her rescue, we can only assume that no one there knew how to use it. I also saw a video about opening a can by rubbing the end of it back and forth on a large, flat rough rock. Looks like a great idea. I better go see if it really works!
I can open a can in a heartbeat with a hunting knife.
If someone can’t use the good old-fashioned manual can opener to open a can then that person is already dead. Also any good quality fixed-blade knife will open a can.
B I’ve got 10 manual can openers myself and will probably add a few more for good measure. As a backup keep a good quality fixed blade hunting knife. That will open a can even faster.
Add swimming pool supplies to the list. Our pool was totally swamped with rain water. In line when the pool store opened this morning to buy pool salt. Half the supply was gone when I checked out.
I really can’t slosh through a bunch of conspiracy cr@p any more. Real people I know are tearing sheetrock out of their house as I type this, and I planned to head down there with an ozone generator tomorrow but there is no gas to be had around here several hours away. I’m not getting on the road to Dickinson with the situation like this- not using my emergency gas to travel into the city.
I have been trying to convince these same people for 5 years to join us up north of Houston, but they were set in their normalcy bias. (They flooded in Ike) Still in all, I hate seeing them suffer like this. They have a big, supportive bunch of grownup kids helping them- so they DID prep, in enduring ways that are subtley overlooked by the solo prepper.
Up here, pretty far away from ground zero, eggs and water are being rationed. Much of the produce section is empty. Bread is depleted. Canned soups are depleted. We were on generator power for 4 days and I haven’t touched a long term prep yet. Eating from the freezer. We saw evacuees at the store… they had “crazy eyes”. The veneer of civilization is so thin.
Patriots, Go See the Site Stoveinacan.com. Its an Emergency / Camping / Stove with NO PROPANE, BUTANE, KEROSENE, ALCOHOL or GAS. IT cooks your food and Heats up water. They also have a CAMPING/EMERGENCY Solar Light that Charges All Phones & Tablets. Never needs Batteries. LOTS OF PREPPER STUFF. How about Bleach in your Prepper supplies? Good Luck to all Because something is Definitely COMING…….Miriam
We stocked up on canned goods. and made certain we have a ample supply of dessert type stuff. canned pears, mandrian oranges, canned peaches ,blueberries , pineapple ect. I certainly don’t intend to share with those who didn’t prep. They will have to climb the fence and walk a 1/4 mile to reach our door. and they will not find much in the house any way. You leave some stuff that’s kinda hidden for them to find. However it had a small hole drilled in it and syringe full of a extra ingredient added to it. the hole soldered shut.
We recently had to throw out a case of canned peaches and some pears. They don’t do so well past the expiry date. Got a bunch of freeze dried fruit in my stash.
Swimming pool liquid chlorine is 65% strength while household bleach is 5 – 6%. Once you have the container (about $5) its $6 for 2.5 gallons. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES.
Need more than just safety glasses for chlorine, i about kill myself every time i put pool tabs in my chlorinator for the irrigation pond, is a pentair on line unit that is basically a tube with a screw on lid that is fed by pressure differential over the filter, the gas that comes out of that thing will kill you, its not even fully enclosed and i should be wearing a gas mask to recharge the tabs, sent me choking and gagging this last time,
The tabs in a closed container are pretty bad. We used the liquid at work and use it on my pool for shock, on open areas its not bad at all. One gallon = 2 bags of shock. Seen handymen dilute it down and spray it on to remove mold from brickwork or fences.
Believe me Brave, if they tried that, I leave in a fucking body bag. The only concern I have is that its not just me anymore, I am no longer single. If it gets that serious and they are now telling us that they are going to flood out the entire city, then this is not good, and they are deploying 10,000 national guards and marines. It better be for cleaning up the water and city, because I have been hearing already that people are preparing for war, and about to activate. So this giving me a bad taste in my mouth.
HCKS.
HCKS
Please be advised. News about Houston from my area. Mandatory evacuation. They are shutting the power off. Stay frosty my friend
http://www.12newsnow.com/mb/news/mayor-turner-power-to-be-cut-off-to-some-flooded-homes-in-west-houston/470397149
so what does everyone think about the next hurricane in the pipe. Supposed to be a cat 5 with a 30% chance of us landfall. Think another bad one will melt the system down?
I don’t understand all the hype. I mean, i have enough food, water, medical supplies, weapons, ammo, solar panels, gasoline, generators, to last a year at regular consumption. Since I had enough sense not to habitate in a flood plain, it’s just a matter of riding it out. I’ve been prepping for years and it’s certainly paying off now.I have chickens and rabbits, so meat and eggs are not a problem. I bought a Harvest Right freeze dryer a few years back. As well as solar panels and battery bank and inverters. I decided it was a better investment than spending $40,000 plus on a pretty new pickup.So I’m still tooling around in my old ’95 Ford 1/2 ton thats paid for.
As for water,besides the well, i invested in ten of the 60 gallon Swedish Army surplus water bladders, which was all the stock he had left. He did have a bunch of the old style GI water buffalo’s, so i added another 10 of those to the order. A lot of water storage for about a grand. Not bad. When that storm hit the Gulf, i set them up and filled them all.
My Harbor Freight greenhouse has been putting fresh produce in the dehydrator for several years now during the winter. I use the freezedryer to put up meat, cheese, and eggs. The eggs in case i lose my chickens. Seal it in Mylar and put it up in totes.
One of the most important commodities i’ve been able to produce at home, is lumber. I bought one of Harbor Freight’s little lumber mills. It was on sale, and with the 25 percent off coupon, it was a helluva buy. Been sawing logs and air drying lumber for several years now. Already getting calls for as much as i’m willing to part with.
Nobody really knows where I live, and I keep it that way. I’m not selfish, mind you, but I’m also not the savior of dumbasses who refuse to use common sense and sacrifice a few luxuries to prep a little for such times. I tried for years to get people to pay attention and just do a little bit here and there. Now they’re blowing up my phone wanting to come ‘join’ me. I live out in the woods, remote. Everybody around is out of basics. Water shut off. No power. I’m sitting here with all the food and water i need. A/C window unit blowing.
I hate to say it, but i told you so.
I find it so very interesting when people who are not here experiencing this shit show here in Texas write articles like this. Article makes good points of course but let me clear up a few things the author left out. First of all unless the people in my area stored all that food, gas and toilet paper 6 feet off the ground they are all worthless now. You see there is at least 3 feet and 6 to 10 in most homes right now. So all that hard work preparing was down the drain once the water started to rush into homes. You see most don’t prepare for a flood to take their home if they don’t live near water and gave never had home flood before. Some places receive 50 inches. Now think about that for a minute 50 INCHES. In 2 days. We are prepared but our home did not flood, thank God. This has been a learning experience for us. You can search the Internet and write an article on what’s going on in Texans easily but I’m here on the ground and let me tell you fist fights over gas are the least of the problems right now in Southeast Texas. The looters are out of control with some of them shooting at Black Hawk Helicopters in Port Arthur. Bet you won’t see that on CNN. People still today almost a week after the hurricane hit are trapped in their homes or their small towns are surrounded by water cutting them off from the outside world. Houston is not the only city flooded. Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, Vidor, Bridgecity, Buna, Evadale are in bad shape, just to name a few. With the constant helicopters and gunshots all night this place looks more like a war zone than East Texas. Trucks full of food and supplies are being turned away because the government wants to controls what the people get just like they threaten to arrest anyone who launched their boat at night to save people who were drowning in their homes. The help for these people is coming from other Texans and family with a lot received no help at all. News reports only 40 deaths due to storm. I assure you that is bullshit as we have many missing in the golden triangle area not to mention the cadaver dogs barking day and night. Southeast Texas is real life SHTF. I have learned a lot from this storm and am so thankful we had a plan. But sometimes your preps could be lost in a wall of water and then what are you going to do? Better think about it because what’s happening here now can also happen to you. Be prepared, have a plan if you lose preps and most importantly in Texas right now keep your powder dry if possible my friends. .
Thanks Angel.
You and yours be safe.
And keep us updated on any more info from your vantage point. It helps us monitor uncle.
Thank you. I can tell you that I learned that Red Cross was not who they pretend to be after Hurricane Rita. I would never encourage someone to donate to them. The fact that so little of the money donated goes to the people or the salary that the CEO makes are reason enough but after Hurricane Harvey this organization has gotten worse if that’s possible. The Red Cross so far has turned supply trucks around who were trying to get into the flooded areas. They have came into the church run shelters and took over forcing the people to eat the meals they provided instead of the meals prepared by the women of the church, even throwing donated food away because they said it ‘wasn’t on Red Cross menu.’ The Red Cross came into communities where citizens were distributing supplies they bought with their own money and took over sending the supplies to the Red Cross warehouse instead of giving them to the people. They actually stole supplies by doing this because they want to control what the people get. The Red Cross is a horrible organization
Be Prepared. Easy as that I live less than 20 miles from Houston and got over 4 feet of rain. My house is fine. I have everything I need, I am just sitting back resting and watching the TV. I have adopted two other families and am helping them thru this time since they have kids and I have more than I will need. Even in a disaster, you do not ever need to give up your humanity or decency.
One suggestion, add to your list of things to get and OLD automobile or truck. New cars with computers are easily destroyed by water. Old cars do not have computers and are not commonly damaged much by water. Also you can buy an old heavy duty truck,fire engine or bus real cheaply if you want a high profile vehicle. These heavy units also make wonderful bug out machines should you ever need to hit the road…