Posted on 01/24/2014 6:27:18 PM PST by Kartographer
As a survivalist/prepper, I hear a lot of, "I don't want to be a prepper, but I want to be prepared. What should I do? How do I start?" So I compiled a lot of information from FEMA, Red Cross, and other places that have very "basic" information and started typing up a list for them. The four "basic" areas I decided would be a good starting point: getting your whole family involved, what to do before an emergency, what to do after an emergency, and emergency sanitation. I say "basic" because this is only a starting point! This by no means is all you should do. If you think it is because the government will step in ... I feel sorry for you. I tell this to everyone I give this information to and encourage them to research more and be ready for when "it" happens because you won't be able to find me in my secure well stocked locations.
(Excerpt) Read more at survivalblog.com ...
Preppers PING!!
Wouldn't that, by definition, make you a prepper?
Bkmk
Didn’t know there was Solar Panel Stoves and Washing Machines. Perhaps those are ok to have if Government shuts off our electricity.
NOPE !! You have to actually start prepping , actually taking inventory , and seeing your shortcommings ,
and then filling in on your shortcommings .
To think about it ,and want to prepare , isin't really enough !!
It is the action that makes you a 'prepper' .
OIC LOL!
nope, boy scout.
LOL! Even better. ;-)
The big conundrum is deciding what to prep for. One prep does not fit all. When watching the “Prepper” series on TV, I saw very extravagant prepping, such as massive stocks of food and supplies, that could be useless, depending on the problem/disaster. It looked like the majority of the preppers were living in God awful areas, mainly desert lands.
My idea of prepping is to have a reasonable bug-out bag. In addition, everyone should have a passport, just in case of a political disaster, or any that might require crossing an international boarder.
Solar powered washing machine? Who needs that? I have the best washing machine in the world. It is called “wife”.
It is quite efficient, working day and night, with or without any external power.
The first thing I tell new preppers to obtain is SKILLS! Start with basic first aid, then fire starting, then move on to general camping / boy scout skills. Then work on production skills (farming, knitting, rope making, metal working, etc).
On the equipment list, start with a good tent and sleeping bag. Other camping gear to follow so that you can spend at least 5 days in the woods/fields/desert on your own (with family). Then move to firearms and ammunition. From there move to equipment that can be used with no power and actually used to make something for trade.
On the food list, start with canning a few veggies, dehydrating some food, smoking, and freezing foods. Start working on a food storage plan and system.
On an aside, I also tell people to learn to speed read. Helps getting through the prepper books much faster.
The article references using a 5-gallon bucket for toilet needs and says to use a toilet seat or a couple of parallel boards on the bucket. Since neither of those is affixed to the bucket it can be tricky should the user lose his/her balance or have their ‘seat’ shift. A good alternative is to get a stackable plastic/resin chair like many people have in their backyards and cut a hole, then place the 5-gallon bucket underneath. Much more stable.
I found the rule of threes helped me focus.
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter (in harsh environments)
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
After some time it will wear down and only someone with electronic ability can replace it, so every few years check them....
That us how I laid out my Preparedness Manual by the Rule of Threes
But in the end like all things its your choice! You can prep or you can stand around on a bridge waiting for FEMA to bring you a bottle of water, a MRE, a warm blanket and a kiss for your boo-boo and maybe you can even get your picture as you stand there on the national news.
Any one with half a brain can look around and see for themselves what is happening right before their eyes.
So bible says be like the prudent man: “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” NIV Proverbs 22:3
One of the things many expericed surviors of SHTF events report is that many rational normal fail to accept that a breakdown is occurring even as they watch it happening before their very eyes. Why don’t they realize it? It’s caused by a condition called ‘Normalcy Bias’ a mental state people enter when facing a disaster.
It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.
A good article on ‘Normalcy Bias’ is on our own ChocChipCookies Blog The Survival Mom:
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/12/29/normalcy-bias/
For me its a simple choice you either prepare and stand on your own beholden to no one or you become dependent on others to provide your basic needs and become their ‘serf’.
Me I don’t want to be beholden to anyone for providing what is needed for me and mine. I certainly don’t want to have to kiss some ‘gubberment’ third class bureaucratic to try and coax some help from them, I don’t want some ‘jack booted’ thug herding me in line and telling me where to stand, sit, eat or sleep. And last but not least I don’t want to be shut up in with a bunch of ‘zombies’ and have to worry about not only trying to get basic necessities but having to fight to keep what I manage to get.
My Preparedness Manual can be downloaded at:
http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf
NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, cash (I myself have been putting up change for the past few years both for the metal content and the fact that using change to make what purchases you might at the start of an event will move you down the the list of possible marks during shtf), tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Again I like to recomend FReeper’s ChocoChipCookie Blog The Survival Mom, Where you can get lots of useful information like:
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2011/11/20/8-morale-boosters-for-any-worst-case-scenario/
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/02/02/survival-priorities-the-rule-of-three/
And More
Also there is Ferfal’s Blog a survivor of Argentina’s first collapse:
There is also Daniel Duquenal blog detailing Venezuela’s slide into SHTF
http://daniel-venezuela.blogspot.com/
And there is Selco’s Blog a Bosnian War survivor at:
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger. Underestimation can be fatal.”
My 2cents:
1. water purification: Bleach, iodine;
2. seeds for long term food production;
3. ammo & reloading supplies.
4. cash/(knowledge & equipment to make alcohol) to trade for anything else.
Where are you going to go to?
Never, EVER!, tell FEMA or anyone else that you have all you need and okay. It is better to avoid them. If “cornered”, one must lie. Or you, your supplies and the rest will be confiscated. I wish I had a site handy filled with advice from a man who has had to deal with this. It has been a while since I read his site. Also, there is info on the net how to hide your stuff in plain sight when you have little storage room or no where safe to bury it.
I have a washboard for laundry and a huge cauldron with tripod to heat water in for doing laundry over an open fire. A great find during my Ren fair days and having contact with blacksmiths. I also have cast-iron cookware. We live in the forest. Wood works well if you cannot use solar or wind power for heating.
Debbi
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