I think James needs a box of it himself
Communications, and Prepping
Re: Communications, and Prepping
I hope I'm on the high side of this. I'm sorry if I have been a touch grumpy.
-- The Innkeeper
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jayphailey
- Posts: 1065
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: Communications, and Prepping
Well, the LA Fires shows one never knows when a disaster is going to hit.
Just a little bit of prep and escape planning is better than no prep.
The question is, What can I do, on the cheap, that can help me prepare?
Just a little bit of prep and escape planning is better than no prep.
The question is, What can I do, on the cheap, that can help me prepare?
Re: Communications, and Prepping
The bug out bag. What do you absolutly need to have.
-- The Innkeeper
Re: Communications, and Prepping
Very good question:
The three essentials are: Food, Water, and Medication. For at least 72 hours to a week or more. I'll get into more detail later, but, food, water, medicine, a first-aid kit, an AM/FM/Shortwave hand crank radio with a built-in flashlight, and copies of important documents/IDs for a bug-out bag. There's a good chance you can find a shelter, but of course, you have to be able to get to it. Below are my short essential list and an expanded long list, if you have the room.
Here's the "short" essential list:
Food, water, medicine, first-aid kit, AM/FM/Shortwave radio, light source (candle, glow sticks, and/or oil tea lamps), matches (waterproof or placed in a plastic bag) and/or lighters - USB fuelless lighters are pretty good, and cheap), copies or originals of important paper/documents (Cloud storage is a good secondary backup). And an escape plan/emergency safe meeting location - like a store parking lot. And, try to keep your car gassed up with at least a half or more in the tank. If you have a scooter/motorized wheelchair a good power station (120 or more watts) should be in the car or have a 150W/300W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter or both.
The long list includes a change of clothes, extra shoes, a blanket, a camping stove, battery packs, snackage, flavored drink powder/bags (Tea, coffee, juice flavors), a notepad, pencil and pens, a decent hunting knife, axe, swiss army knife, foldable shovel, nylon rope, a bucket toilet (for the car), baby wipes/TP, face clothes, personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, deodorant, etc.), an FRS/GMRS/MURS/HT Ham radio for each person - the GMRS and Ham Radio require an FCC License. The GMRS license does not require taking a test and the license is good for up to five immediate "family members".
I took a CERT course a few years back and learned that the Fire Department after the worst of the disasters has passed, will do a drive-by of their assigned neighborhoods. It's to triage the area. If you only lost power then you'll be skipped over and it may take hours to weeks to get the power back on. If the disaster doesn't force you to leave your home then one can stock up for more days, besides having a go bag.
I'll mention medication first. When I first started thinking about prepping, I asked my doctor for a 10-day emergency prescription. She understood why but said it would cost extra for some meds, as she would have to do a separate prescription. I got the feeling that she was reluctant - maybe because it would require extra paperwork on her part.
She did suggest I "skip a day or two" after each refill. Not taking a med one day is usually not a big deal. It happens. So it made sense. After a few months, you could have that three-day to a week worth saved up. I have to take four pills in the morning and four pills in the evening. Then I have two different pain pills I have to take. The pain pills are the worst to stockpile and there have been three times I had to tap into my reserves - There has been a shortage of opioids and other types lately. One pill I get a 100-day supply. It works well enough, most of the time to hold off on taking the "better" pill, so I can set aside a couple of pills between refills.
For water - it is suggested to have one gallon a day/per person. You can actually get by on three gallons a week/person - that is, if you are not diabetic. If you are diabetic, and you stock up on high protein, low-carbohydrate foods the three to five gallons should be enough. I'm diabetic. When I eat too much sugar I get very thirsty. Also, water is not just for drinking - it's for hygiene. If you aren't worried about brushing your teeth and washing up every day then your water will last longer. 5-gallon jugs of water may not be possible, however, there are 3-gallon and 1.5-gallon jugs available. There are also, water packs. A company called SOS sells water packs (4 oz each) that last for 5 years (Cost Guard certified).
For Food - There's a lot to consider. Those food supplies sold by 4Patriots are a shame, in my opinion. You need water to rehydrate and cook their packs. If you have extra water, then fine. If you have a heat source to cook the packs then fine. If you have neither then the packs were a waste of money. Food tables are cheap and come in bulk. In an emergency, eating 2000 calories a day may not be feasible. Consider this. If you eat 1500 a day, when you normally eat 2000, in one week you will lose about a pound. A pound is about 3750 calories. I can personally confirm this. After I got out of the hospital, I lost my appetite. I could only drink Boost, which is 250 - 350 calories per bottle. I was drinking three to four a day. I went from 200 to 123 in less than 180 days. I lost about 80 pounds total. I've gained 40 pounds back.
Can foods are always good, but for a go bag the weight may be too much. Tuna and Chicken packs are good. Even though sodium may be high they last for about two years.
The extras:
Besides the food, water, and medicine, what I think comes next is a first-aid kit. I have a medium one in one of my go bags, and a bigger one (family) in the car. The Red Cross sells different types, and some of them are not cheap. You can find a wide variety of kits on Amazon, for the cheap - inexpensive.
Important papers - if you can scan the paper/documents and store copies in the cloud is good. Google gives you 100 megs for free with a gmail account. You can get their terabyte plans starting at $9.99 a month. Microsoft's Microsoft Office 365 Family is $99.00/year. You can have up to five members with a terabyte each. SSD external drives are a good choice. In a pinch, you can grab it and stuff it in a go bag.
Depending on where you live will dictate what articles of clothing you should pack. Socks, if you wear any, undergarments or exercise shorts, pants, and shirt/blouse, or consider a jogging/exercise suit.
An emergency blanket for each person comes next. You can find a pack of four - ten from $7.00 to under $20.00 on Amazon.
Candles and glow sticks are an option.
An AM/FM radio is important. One with Shortwave and a NOAA channel is better. The Red Cross sells one with a hand crank and a tiny solar panel. It's not cheap but it's not expensive either. Shopping on Amazon offers more options at better prices. Some crank radios have a charging port for cell phones. Battery packs or Power banks are important. The same goes for radios - Amazon offers different options.
I have a 120-watt power station. It's small but has two AC output ports, a DC car plug output port, and some USB ports. I can charge it with a Solar panel kit or plug it into an AC source. I also have three small power banks - 25000 mAh, 26800 mAh, and 43800 mAh, each with built solar panels.
If you want to heat water for a warm meal (for dehydrated food packs) and a hot drink (tea or coffee) consider a small camping store.
We have several foldable stores that use oil, wood, or wax. If you have two aluminum cans, an exact knife, a penny/washer, cotton, and rubbing alcohol you can make a penny stove that can generate enough heat to boil a pot of water or heat a can of food.
Snackage! Pack away a bag or pack of snacks. If you like hard candy, then make a bag of your favorites. The same thing goes for drinks. I place coffee in a tea bag and steep it in hot water, or cold if you have no heat source. Cold unsweetened coffee may taste terrible, but it will force you to ration your water. And about water - if you get the 3 or 5-gallon jugs consider getting a Portable Electric Water Dispenser Switch for Universal 5-gallon Bottle. Amazon has one for less than $20.00. It's USB chargeable.
The three essentials are: Food, Water, and Medication. For at least 72 hours to a week or more. I'll get into more detail later, but, food, water, medicine, a first-aid kit, an AM/FM/Shortwave hand crank radio with a built-in flashlight, and copies of important documents/IDs for a bug-out bag. There's a good chance you can find a shelter, but of course, you have to be able to get to it. Below are my short essential list and an expanded long list, if you have the room.
Here's the "short" essential list:
Food, water, medicine, first-aid kit, AM/FM/Shortwave radio, light source (candle, glow sticks, and/or oil tea lamps), matches (waterproof or placed in a plastic bag) and/or lighters - USB fuelless lighters are pretty good, and cheap), copies or originals of important paper/documents (Cloud storage is a good secondary backup). And an escape plan/emergency safe meeting location - like a store parking lot. And, try to keep your car gassed up with at least a half or more in the tank. If you have a scooter/motorized wheelchair a good power station (120 or more watts) should be in the car or have a 150W/300W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter or both.
The long list includes a change of clothes, extra shoes, a blanket, a camping stove, battery packs, snackage, flavored drink powder/bags (Tea, coffee, juice flavors), a notepad, pencil and pens, a decent hunting knife, axe, swiss army knife, foldable shovel, nylon rope, a bucket toilet (for the car), baby wipes/TP, face clothes, personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, deodorant, etc.), an FRS/GMRS/MURS/HT Ham radio for each person - the GMRS and Ham Radio require an FCC License. The GMRS license does not require taking a test and the license is good for up to five immediate "family members".
I took a CERT course a few years back and learned that the Fire Department after the worst of the disasters has passed, will do a drive-by of their assigned neighborhoods. It's to triage the area. If you only lost power then you'll be skipped over and it may take hours to weeks to get the power back on. If the disaster doesn't force you to leave your home then one can stock up for more days, besides having a go bag.
I'll mention medication first. When I first started thinking about prepping, I asked my doctor for a 10-day emergency prescription. She understood why but said it would cost extra for some meds, as she would have to do a separate prescription. I got the feeling that she was reluctant - maybe because it would require extra paperwork on her part.
She did suggest I "skip a day or two" after each refill. Not taking a med one day is usually not a big deal. It happens. So it made sense. After a few months, you could have that three-day to a week worth saved up. I have to take four pills in the morning and four pills in the evening. Then I have two different pain pills I have to take. The pain pills are the worst to stockpile and there have been three times I had to tap into my reserves - There has been a shortage of opioids and other types lately. One pill I get a 100-day supply. It works well enough, most of the time to hold off on taking the "better" pill, so I can set aside a couple of pills between refills.
For water - it is suggested to have one gallon a day/per person. You can actually get by on three gallons a week/person - that is, if you are not diabetic. If you are diabetic, and you stock up on high protein, low-carbohydrate foods the three to five gallons should be enough. I'm diabetic. When I eat too much sugar I get very thirsty. Also, water is not just for drinking - it's for hygiene. If you aren't worried about brushing your teeth and washing up every day then your water will last longer. 5-gallon jugs of water may not be possible, however, there are 3-gallon and 1.5-gallon jugs available. There are also, water packs. A company called SOS sells water packs (4 oz each) that last for 5 years (Cost Guard certified).
For Food - There's a lot to consider. Those food supplies sold by 4Patriots are a shame, in my opinion. You need water to rehydrate and cook their packs. If you have extra water, then fine. If you have a heat source to cook the packs then fine. If you have neither then the packs were a waste of money. Food tables are cheap and come in bulk. In an emergency, eating 2000 calories a day may not be feasible. Consider this. If you eat 1500 a day, when you normally eat 2000, in one week you will lose about a pound. A pound is about 3750 calories. I can personally confirm this. After I got out of the hospital, I lost my appetite. I could only drink Boost, which is 250 - 350 calories per bottle. I was drinking three to four a day. I went from 200 to 123 in less than 180 days. I lost about 80 pounds total. I've gained 40 pounds back.
Can foods are always good, but for a go bag the weight may be too much. Tuna and Chicken packs are good. Even though sodium may be high they last for about two years.
The extras:
Besides the food, water, and medicine, what I think comes next is a first-aid kit. I have a medium one in one of my go bags, and a bigger one (family) in the car. The Red Cross sells different types, and some of them are not cheap. You can find a wide variety of kits on Amazon, for the cheap - inexpensive.
Important papers - if you can scan the paper/documents and store copies in the cloud is good. Google gives you 100 megs for free with a gmail account. You can get their terabyte plans starting at $9.99 a month. Microsoft's Microsoft Office 365 Family is $99.00/year. You can have up to five members with a terabyte each. SSD external drives are a good choice. In a pinch, you can grab it and stuff it in a go bag.
Depending on where you live will dictate what articles of clothing you should pack. Socks, if you wear any, undergarments or exercise shorts, pants, and shirt/blouse, or consider a jogging/exercise suit.
An emergency blanket for each person comes next. You can find a pack of four - ten from $7.00 to under $20.00 on Amazon.
Candles and glow sticks are an option.
An AM/FM radio is important. One with Shortwave and a NOAA channel is better. The Red Cross sells one with a hand crank and a tiny solar panel. It's not cheap but it's not expensive either. Shopping on Amazon offers more options at better prices. Some crank radios have a charging port for cell phones. Battery packs or Power banks are important. The same goes for radios - Amazon offers different options.
I have a 120-watt power station. It's small but has two AC output ports, a DC car plug output port, and some USB ports. I can charge it with a Solar panel kit or plug it into an AC source. I also have three small power banks - 25000 mAh, 26800 mAh, and 43800 mAh, each with built solar panels.
If you want to heat water for a warm meal (for dehydrated food packs) and a hot drink (tea or coffee) consider a small camping store.
We have several foldable stores that use oil, wood, or wax. If you have two aluminum cans, an exact knife, a penny/washer, cotton, and rubbing alcohol you can make a penny stove that can generate enough heat to boil a pot of water or heat a can of food.
Snackage! Pack away a bag or pack of snacks. If you like hard candy, then make a bag of your favorites. The same thing goes for drinks. I place coffee in a tea bag and steep it in hot water, or cold if you have no heat source. Cold unsweetened coffee may taste terrible, but it will force you to ration your water. And about water - if you get the 3 or 5-gallon jugs consider getting a Portable Electric Water Dispenser Switch for Universal 5-gallon Bottle. Amazon has one for less than $20.00. It's USB chargeable.
Re: Communications, and Prepping
Two things to add. The car itself is shelter and power if you have gas. My van has several USB and 12 volt outlets.
Two reverse osmosis water filter. You can stick that in any body of water and get safe drinkable water out. It will cut way down on the volume and weight of the water carried.
Two reverse osmosis water filter. You can stick that in any body of water and get safe drinkable water out. It will cut way down on the volume and weight of the water carried.
-- The Innkeeper
Re: Communications, and Prepping
I forgot about the water filters! We have several in our go bar. Two Aquamira Frontier Emergency Water Filtration and Straw and one LifeStraw Personal Water Filter. This brings up an interesting point. I bought the Aquamira straws 10 years ago. Next month I should get some more and rotate the olds ones out - Amazon has them for $15.00. My stepson lives with us now, so having a straw for each person is good.And, you are right about vehicles. I did mention getting a 150W/300W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter. There are some older vehicles, like a 1995 Altma or a 1992 Villager Van I had years ago. Both were before USBs and other magical devices. The downside would be having to abandon your vehicle - like many people had to do during the start of the LA Fires.
And you bring up another point. Having the straws is great, as well as having some bottled/packaged water anyway. In an urban setting, water sources may be scarce. The water pressure dropped in the Hollywood/Pacific Palisades and the pumps stopped working. It's really a matter of the situation. If you have to leave your home, on foot, then the straws are essential. The SOS water packages would/could be used for immediate use - or as a backup.
-- Adding this to a project I'm working on. Thanks!
Re: Communications, and Prepping
I live east of the Mississippi. Michigan to wit, surface water is everywhere. Safe to drink is questionable.
-- The Innkeeper
-
jayphailey
- Posts: 1065
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: Communications, and Prepping
Read.
I are now more informed.
I are now more informed.