Posted on 10/23/2005 2:50:03 PM PDT by backhoe
Katadyn makes some handy water filters. This model is hand powered and can yield up to 200 gallons of potable water. Spare filters run about $40.00. We've got two in our compound, each with a spare filter.
One other tip is that an expedient toilet can be made from an old food grade 5 gallon bucket, a plastic garbage bag, and a section of garden hose of sufficient length to vent the nasty gasses outside.
On the whole your post is an excellent one. The advice about getting your neighborhood involved is very good. We use our spring Neighborhood Watch meeting to reinforce emergency preparedness as well as crime prevention. It's a great way to get to know your neighbors and to find out who near you can assist in a disaster and those with special needs who will require extra assistance.
Here's what we've done for a family communications plan. We've made small laminated cards with emergency contact info on them. IMO you should have two types of family contacts. We call them our "Near And Far" phone lists. Since we live in the midwest and have family on both coasts, that's what we use.
As I said the cards are laminated to protect them, and each of us has identical copies in our 'bug out bags' in a zipper pocket clearly marked "ICE Info" (ICE is In Case of Emergency)
All three of us have cell phones which will go into the kits as well.
Thanks for the work on this. It's a valuable resource in my never to be humble opinion.
L
Do NOT under any circumstances use plastic milk jugs to store water. I found out the hard way it's impossible to clean all the little milk proteins out of the jugs.
What you end up with is a nasty smelly mess. Additionally most plastic milk jugs are 'biodegradable' meaning they fall apart after a while. Not a good situation when the water is crawling with funky smelling little nasties.
Thanks again.
L
Greatly appreciate your #62, and I can confrim what you revealed about milk jugs in #63.
Those little Motorola radios are a nice addition. We not only have some for the family, but our Neighborhood Watch uses them when we're out on 'patrol'.
If one were stuck in a badly damaged neighborhood a few folks scattered around with a few of those could provide some valuable services to the good citizens of a stricken area.
They're not expensive any more, and I'm not hawking Motorolas because I work for them. Midland makes some nice ones. I've used both and can recommend either.
L
Again, thanks- I had forgotten how cheap and plentiful two-way radios have become. We tend to rely on cell phones nowadays, but the towers are vulnerable to all sorts of interruptions.
Emergency Preparation
http://tinyurl.com/235c9
WITH BLACKOUTS IN ST. LOUIS AND NEW YORK, and hurricane season still looming, it's time to talk disaster preparedness again. Here's a blackout survival guide from Popular Mechanics, and here are some guidelines for safe home generator usage. Still more on disaster preparedness from the PM folks can be found here.
Here's a disaster survival kit put together by Target and the American Red Cross, and here's a somewhat more comprehensive one, though both lack sufficient food and water. I've got this emergency radio and it seems to be pretty good. You should have at least a week's worth of those. There's some good advice on other items -- and be sure to keep a stash of cash in small bills -- from Amy Langfield, too.
For general knowledge, you can't do better than the U.S. Army Survival Manual, though it's not really adapted to disaster recovery. There's lots of good information here, though. I haven't read this book, but it sounds pretty good. There are also a lot of useful recommendations from the American Red Cross. And here's more from Winds of Change.
I will stress, though, that as important as having adequate supplies is, it's not enough to buy stuff. You've got to think ahead, and acquire the basic skills to get along in times of trouble. The books help, of course, but there's more to it than that. With luck, any effort you put into this will be entirely wasted. If you're unlucky, you'll get to use it. But that's still a lot luckier than needing those supplies and skills, but never having bothered to acquire them.
Meanwhile, some earlier posts that you may find useful are here and here.
UPDATE: Here's a worthwhile post from Les Jones, and here's some useful information from the Mormons, who take this subject seriously.
Thanks backhoe.
Well, hey! Blam- thanks for stopping by.
Bookmarking post #41, excellent info on preparedness.
jm
I appreciate your looking- thank you.
In 1998 I became concerned about Y2k and made some changes in my lifestyle to prep for that. Was greatly relieved that it did not turn out to be TEOTWAKI when 1999 ended and 2000 started.
After that, there was no way I could return to my suburban sitting duck lifestyle. Preparedness is now a part of who I am and what I am.
Your work here is very helpful. Hopefully many folks will take heed. ("The life you save may be your own".)
Thanks!
jm
I do keep a bug out bad packed with basic necessities, including insurance policies, nonperishable food, water purification, first aid supplies, tools and a computer disk with bookmarks including bill payment sites and credit union site and computer backup files.
If an evacuation seems prudent I would have to leave long before it was officially called for - the egress from Newport News is very restricted with massive traffic jams just from normal tourist traffic. I will not wait for the last minute.
That is very prudent.
I grew up on the Island east of here, which is serviced by one causeway- now a four-lane, and a source of nightmares to the government, because there is no way the estimated 18,000 residents, plus tourists, could all be evacuated in time.
It's been tried during hurricane warnings past, and typically, nobody moves until a storm is near, then they all panic!
Since we're on the mainland, the wife will not evacuate regardless, and the house has stood Cat 3 storms before, I guess we're staying put. For better, or worse.
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