Disaster Preparedness Gear Source?

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by stealthn

Well that went sideways fast....

Straight from the mountains no upstream industries, and if bodies start ending up in it, we’ve got bigger issues.

No industry is good
But how many people upstream will be using and poluting it before it gets to you is still a big deal

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

having lived through long term civil unrest where all emergency services were unavailable for days, i have to say it changed my opinion on what happens when all civil order collapses. i always knew prepping was kinda bull**** (no way to live a normal life in an insane world).

my advice is get to know your neighbors. all civil and governmental order will fail, but contrary to action movies, its not the purge, its not every man for himself. new communities rise to enforce normalcy. and those communities start with your neighbors, and your friends.

i know, i know, the fantasy of loan well equipped man coming over the hill to enforce truth justice and the american way is powerful. but its not really true. having supplies for more than a few days or a week is really nothing more than a fantasy fulfillment tool.

Au contrair mon frere.

We are one bad harvest away from a famine.

Most grocery stores stock a 3 day supply of foodstuffs. That means you are 72 hours away from things going “pear shaped” if supplies are interrupted and that doesn’t include “panic buying”.

Do you not remember the bare shelves at your local supermarket after the lockdown? What if you had to “bug out” and knew that wherever you were headed would be cleaned out of supplies also?

Not to be a “Debbie Downer” but being prepared is serious business. Depending on neighbors, well maybe to borrow a cup of sugar, but if there’s no projected end to the turmoil, get the eff off of my porch.

[craigster59]

And I don't mean to sound as if I'm not a "team player". If it's pink haired, sexually confused people looting and burning an area of my city, by all means swing by and we'll throw some steaks on the grill (burning meat keeps the pink hairs away).

But if you think i'm sharing my rations and ammo? You better bring some courage, expertise and know-how to the party.

[rsrguy]

Originally Posted by red-beard

For the OP

The most important thing is a plan. Start with what scenarios are likely to occur that will cause supply disruptions.

For "most" of us, this would be some sort of natural disaster. Usually, the disaster is localized. A federal response takes about 2 weeks. So, you need 2-4 weeks of supplies (Food, water, shelter, fuel) until help arrives. Everyone should have this level of planning. For me it is hurricanes.

It is insane that every time a hurricane comes near, the first things gone are bread, milk and bottled water. First hurricane I was back in Houston, I bought two 55 gallon plastic barrels and plastic liners. I put them in the upstairs showers and filled them up with over 100 gallons of water. Tap water is perfectly safe before the storm!

I examined the "likely" scenarios for beyond this and thought that some sort of pandemic (I thought an Ebola variant!) is the most likely scenario. So I had enough N95 masks for my crew and food to feed them. I learned I was short of toilet paper...I had plenty of chlorine (pool) for making COVID cleaner.

Civil unrest is my most likely next level, and that requires a bit more preparedness and training. The best plan is to not be where the civil unrest is likely to occur. So don't live in a area like Portland or Downtown Seattle. Or Austin, etc. Then be prepared to defend what you got.

Civil War? Nuclear war?

So think through what you are trying to solve then solve that one.

On Bug out bags, what will that do for you? I do keep a few things in the truck mostly to make sure I can get home. The issue with food in the truck is the summer heat here will kill just about everything.

72 hour emergency packs are a great idea, they also make awesome resources for backpacking.... It's always ready.

These are your friends for emergency vehicle packs....

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by craigster59

And I don't mean to sound as if I'm not a "team player". If it's pink haired, sexually confused people looting and burning an area of my city, by all means swing by and we'll throw some steaks on the grill (burning meat keeps the pink hairs away).

But if you think i'm sharing my rations and ammo? You better bring some courage, expertise and know-how to the party.

One of my observations on my many disaster deployments, was people being neighborly by looting and ransacking thier neighbor's homes looking for supplies, after they evacuated. It was pretty much everyman for themselves. Not saying that was always the case, but it was pretty rampant. Especially Katrina. We always have to travel with force protection. When people are desperate, nobody is safe.

.

[Fast Freddy 944]

Bass Pro-Cabellas, etc....

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

It sure does not hurt anything to be ready, BUT...

I just don't see a likely future where some apocalypse make survival a challenge. Zombies are just make believe, like unicorns and bigfoot. We might have small earthquake, but not like a California level massive quake that collapses bridges and buildings. You and I are absolutely safe from a Hurricane or a Tsunami. We might have a grass fire but a forest fire requires a forest and we have a lot of trees, but no forest.

The only threat I can even imagine is some civil riot, and in Oklahoma the police do indeed keep the peace. Several people are awaiting trial on domestic terrorism charges after a small riot attempted a Portland style riot. It was stopped.

A meteor strike is possible, but very unlikely.

The two F5 tornadoes that hit Moore, OK cause localized mega damage, but just 6 blocks from the path was 100% civilization. Electricity and water and food and shelter.

My Californian lack of knowledge of the Midwest thinks that Kansas and Oklahoma is "tornado country". In fact, corn flying around like in the movies along with pieces of people's homes and a giant flying propane tank are conjured up in the imagination.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

The only reason I personally have a bag is in case my house is unsafe to occupy after fire or earthquake. It's basically clothes, some basic first aid, power bars, cash in small bills and equipment to keep the night at bay and not die of exposure in my backyard during a storm in the middle of winter. Batteries are not stored in the headlight or flashlight, but kept in a bag with the headlight and flashlight.. A spare set of keys so I can move cars and unlock doors. I also have a USB jump drive with insurance and utility information, (this is also on paper in what I hope is a fire-and-flood proof location). There's a crowbar in the yard that's in a place where nothing will collapse on it in case I need to pry something heavy off of something else. I have a gas turnoff tool hanging on the outside wall directly by the meter - it will also turn off the water supply at the street.


Someone here mentioned a tarp, that is a great idea - that and a little paracord and you have a tent. There's a youtube vid on how to make a tent with a floor out of one tarp.

All my camp gear is located near a doorway, water to last at least a week. Food to last a while. I'm sure I'll wish I thought of something else, but for basic basic needs I have at least taken some steps. And I have a six month reminder on my phone that prompts me to check stuff - batteries, numbers, refresh the water in my totes, make sure my clothes still fit and are sound.

If it's a zombie event, all bets are off. Plenty of thought has been given to different scenarios. There's oodles of dystopian entertainment in books and movies to fuel the imagination.

Man, you are well prepared. In my area, earthquake is a constant presence. That would make my want to gtf out of Dodge, fast.

Don't forget water filtration, not just storage. And purification tablets, some sort of can opener, etc. That's because most food donations are canned.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by rusnak

My Californian lack of knowledge of the Midwest thinks that Kansas and Oklahoma is "tornado country". In fact, corn flying around like in the movies along with pieces of people's homes and a giant flying propane tank are conjured up in the imagination.

They call it tornado alley for a reason. The thing about a tornado is it is a very localized phenomenon. Most of them are just a just a few hundred feet wide or LESS. The biggest tornado ever recorded on the planet was 2.6 miles wide, and killed mostly storm chasers.

https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-20130531-elreno

It actually was mostly in a rural area, and tore up wheat fields and trees. It had winds of 295 MPH and the reason the storm chasers were killed is it went in a very unusual direction, and was moving across the ground faster than they could drive.

My real point, the vast majority of tornadoes are small, and very localized. No flying cows, no massive damage. Moore, OK has had two monster tornadoes Full on F5 with the highest wind speeds on the earth over 300 MPH. Both hit a populated area. Bad as it gets, but just a few blocks away literally blocks away was help and full civilization. It wiped many homes down to nothing left but the concrete foundation. There was nothing good about it, but it was a little tiny part of the state. I live 20 miles away or so, and my electricity never even flickered.

The weather reports at our local stations is state of the art, best in the world. The Moore tornadoes were predicted to be very real threats over a week in advance. They could predict the conditions were going to be ripe for a major circulation. We watched non stop TV coverage, no commercials, as it formed in Lawton area, and they have live video of it coming up I-44 and all three TV stations tracked it block by block on live TV.

The entire metro area rushed to bring aid and help with the damage.

So yea, a tornado is possible. I have lived in Oklahoma 43 years and I have seen just one, and it was a F2 that tore up some cars in a parking-lot 1.5 miles from our house. My wife has lived in Oklahoma all her life. She has only seen the one wall cloud that tornado formed from that hit 1.5 miles away.

[craigster59]

Consideration of the different types of events should figure into your "bug out" preparedness, short term (1-2 weeks) to long term (2 weeks-6 months).

For both short and long term it wouldn't hurt to have some multi vitamins since you can't be sure of nutritional value in your disaster foods. Also, from military experience and spending weeks "in the field" eating rations and other foods, you can tend to get "bound up" as in not having a bowel movement for 2 weeks. I know it's gross, but it is a fact and impacted bowels can be life threatening. Fiber gummies, Colon Clenz or psyllium husks are good to have on hand.

Another thing to consider is if you have young kids they can be picky eaters. Nothing worse than cooking up food that is already in short supply only to have them refuse to eat it and having to throw it out. Protein bars and shakes are a cheap and effective way to meet their nutritional needs and make things easy for everybody.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Another thing to consider is if you have young kids they can be picky eaters.

oh well, real hunger fixes picky eaters for life
My grandparents grew up as refugees of WW1, and then again when WW2 came round.

Trust me, my grandma ate every piece of a rabbit, kidneys heart, lungs, including the brain she cracked out of it's skull.

There's no such thing as picky eaters in a real SHTF situation..

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

They call it tornado alley for a reason. The thing about a tornado is it is a very localized phenomenon. Most of them are just a just a few hundred feet wide or LESS. The biggest tornado ever recorded on the planet was 2.6 miles wide, and killed mostly storm chasers.

https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-20130531-elreno

It actually was mostly in a rural area, and tore up wheat fields and trees. It had winds of 295 MPH and the reason the storm chasers were killed is it went in a very unusual direction, and was moving across the ground faster than they could drive.

My real point, the vast majority of tornadoes are small, and very localized. No flying cows, no massive damage. Moore, OK has had two monster tornadoes Full on F5 with the highest wind speeds on the earth over 300 MPH. Both hit a populated area. Bad as it gets, but just a few blocks away literally blocks away was help and full civilization. It wiped many homes down to nothing left but the concrete foundation. There was nothing good about it, but it was a little tiny part of the state. I live 20 miles away or so, and my electricity never even flickered.

The weather reports at our local stations is state of the art, best in the world. The Moore tornadoes were predicted to be very real threats over a week in advance. They could predict the conditions were going to be ripe for a major circulation. We watched non stop TV coverage, no commercials, as it formed in Lawton area, and they have live video of it coming up I-44 and all three TV stations tracked it block by block on live TV.

The entire metro area rushed to bring aid and help with the damage.

So yea, a tornado is possible. I have lived in Oklahoma 43 years and I have seen just one, and it was a F2 that tore up some cars in a parking-lot 1.5 miles from our house. My wife has lived in Oklahoma all her life. She has only seen the one wall cloud that tornado formed from that hit 1.5 miles away.

Lots of good/interesting information.

When you say that you've only seen one tornado, are you including funnel clouds? (I had to look it up, the definition of a tornado is that it goes from the clouds to the ground, while funnel clouds don't necessarily extend to the ground).

I've seen water spouts and funnel clouds, but I guess I've never seen an actual tornado.

[herr_oberst]

Coincidence.
The wind knocked out the power last night throughout a good chunk of Portland. It was interesting with this thread on the front burner to go wander around outside before dawn and see dark like you rarely do for block after block, and think about what if.

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by svandamme

oh well, real hunger fixes picky eaters for life
My grandparents grew up as refugees of WW1, and then again when WW2 came round.

Trust me, my grandma ate every piece of a rabbit, kidneys heart, lungs, including the brain she cracked out of it's skull.

There's no such thing as picky eaters in a real SHTF situation..

Very true. If it is a true SHTF situation you wouldn't be able to find a stray dog or cat much less a rat roaming the streets.

In the Battle of Stalingrad people were eating shoe leather and boiling wallpaper to extract the hide glue for consumption. They say the sense of smell gets so heightened after prolonged hunger it may be practical to not even cook for fear of attracting crowds.

People can go 1-2 weeks of no food with no real ill effects. After that, once you are 30 - 45 days in things start to get ugly real quick.

[drcoastline]

Dorothy said it right, "There's no place like home." Get your home set up, stock pile rations, solar power, etc. It's unrealistic to bug out unless you have a place your bugging to. You will be a refugee and the streets are dangerous.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by svandamme

oh well, real hunger fixes picky eaters for life
My grandparents grew up as refugees of WW1, and then again when WW2 came round.

Trust me, my grandma ate every piece of a rabbit, kidneys heart, lungs, including the brain she cracked out of it's skull.

There's no such thing as picky eaters in a real SHTF situation..

No doubt at all. One of my friends was a Army Ranger and even an survival instructor for the Rangers. He would not eat chicken at all. I asked him about that quirk, and he said he had to eat raw birds and roaches when in situations when a fire or the smell of cooking would give away their location. He said raw birds are nasty tasting unless it has been several days of hiking and carrying a heavy pack. Then anything that is possible to eat is on the menu.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Thank guys, maybe I should have been more specific. Guns, ammo, CCH, that’s all covered. I have two beers on tap and a fully stocked fridge and bar, that’s all covered. Where I’d like some advice is specific to building a “go bag” and stocking up for a shelter in place scenario beyond the obvious stuff like water and canned goods.

I started this thread a few weeks ago. regarding solar power.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1081190-portable-power-supplies-i-am-so-confused.html

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Au contrair mon frere.

We are one bad harvest away from a famine.

Most grocery stores stock a 3 day supply of foodstuffs. That means you are 72 hours away from things going “pear shaped” if supplies are interrupted and that doesn’t include “panic buying”.

Do you not remember the bare shelves at your local supermarket after the lockdown? What if you had to “bug out” and knew that wherever you were headed would be cleaned out of supplies also?

Not to be a “Debbie Downer” but being prepared is serious business. Depending on neighbors, well maybe to borrow a cup of sugar, but if there’s no projected end to the turmoil, get the eff off of my porch.

prepping is a coping mechanism for not being in control of your life.

you can reject my actual personal experience with civilization melting down, that merely proves the above point even more.

i dont know what fiction you lived through with lockdown, but there was never a struggle to feed myself. not having the family sized cinnamon toast crunch available, and having to buy the slightly smaller size is not a reason to have 3 years of food stockpiled.

civilization will always exist. i learned this when civilization ended here. and what happened is that we reuilt a new civilization in less than a day. we organized our own emergency services, we created a new policing force because the police were useless. we protected ourselves and helped each other. it was shocking how fast it happened. and it was shocking how effective it was. we fought the police, and the nazis, and the fires they tried to start, all at the same time.

i get it. prepping makes one feel better about a world they cannot control. but its a lot of money for no real use. and again, i lived through civilization ending. the police, and other emergency services going down. even the food supply literally being stolen. and it wasn't prepping that did it, it wasn't guns, it wasn't having buckets of food or generators, it was building a new support system in hours with my friends and neighbors.

reject my advice if you want to. but i actually lived through it. and thats what i learned.

[drcoastline]

You may find this helpful as well?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjwntzQupnuAhU-EVkFHZ5KD0UQFjAAegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesurvivalmom.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F08%2FLDS-Preparedness-Manual.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0cBCCHzSabuxWdWwR7QFIs

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

prepping is a coping mechanism for not being in control of your life.

you can reject my actual personal experience with civilization melting down, that merely proves the above point even more.

i dont know what fiction you lived through with lockdown, but there was never a struggle to feed myself. not having the family sized cinnamon toast crunch available, and having to buy the slightly smaller size is not a reason to have 3 years of food stockpiled.

civilization will always exist. i learned this when civilization ended here. and what happened is that we reuilt a new civilization in less than a day. we organized our own emergency services, we created a new policing force because the police were useless. we protected ourselves and helped each other. it was shocking how fast it happened. and it was shocking how effective it was. we fought the police, and the nazis, and the fires they tried to start, all at the same time.

i get it. prepping makes one feel better about a world they cannot control. but its a lot of money for no real use. and again, i lived through civilization ending. the police, and other emergency services going down. even the food supply literally being stolen. and it wasn't prepping that did it, it wasn't guns, it wasn't having buckets of food or generators, it was building a new support system in hours with my friends and neighbors.

reject my advice if you want to. but i actually lived through it. and thats what i learned.

Asking seriously, Where was this and when?