WELCOME TO OUR WEEKLY EDITION FOR FRIDAY JULY 3rd, 2020

WE WELCOME ALL OUR NEW READERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVEN’T PREPPED YET OR MAY HAVE JUST STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT.

If you are reading this page for the first time please read our ABOUT section to avoid any confusion. Here’s the short version. If you are looking for babes with guns, camo commandos or zombie hunters:       LOOK ELSEWARE!

        We put together plain, simple information on how to prep for storms, disasters and other possible threats so the average Ann and Andy can prepare with the least cost in time, space, effort and money

We are going to post two simple points in hopes they will be clearly understood.

 AT NO TIME DO WE AVOCATE ILLEGAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP, BUT WE CLEARLY SUPPORT THE USE OF FORCE TO DEFEND HOME, FAMLIY AND COMMUNITY. IF YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT, THEN YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE!

 

WITHIN THE REASONABLE LIMITS OF YOUR TIME, EFFORT, SPACE AND MONEY, WE HIGHLY SUGGEST OUR READERS STOCK UP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. BETWEEN RIOTS, UNREST AND A POSSIBLE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19 NO ONE CAN SAY IF THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO A STORE, OR IF IT WILL STILL BE THERE TO GO TO.

 

GETTING BACK TO THINGS

This will be a simple edition as we are just getting back into the swing of things. We still hold to the idea that when all the “glitz and glamour” type prepping and all the “camo clad” survivalists have had their moment, it is the simple, and basic prepping that saves the day.

I don’t tell others what to do or how to live, but for me I feel I “prep to live” and not “live to prep”.  There is nothing about my prepping that calls out “Look at me. Look at me” The average person could look in my garage, work shop, kitchen and probably even pantry without ever thinking that I might be a prepper. I like it like that. Outside of family and key friends, no one needs to know. How you decide is your business.  We try to provide the best ideas at the least cost in money, time, space and effort.

BASICS: WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?

Whatever the event that disrupts your life is, be it short or long, you must survive the initial effect. All the prepping in the world is not going to help you if the tornado, earthquake, flood, hurricane, gas explosion, or any other event catches you at ground zero and you are killed. If you do survive at ground zero, however, prepping may help you to stay alive and get out of the area.

Prepping pays off the best if you are in between the total destruction of a ground zero and where all aspects of the grid are operating normally and cannot for a number of reasons just leave and go somewhere else for at least 48-72 hours.

So the question is, given that you must stay at your house, apartment or other dwelling for at least 48 hours what normal aspects of the grid do you stand to lose and how do you replace them?

Electricity is usually the first to go. That takes with it lighting, heating/cooling, refrigeration, communication (Computer, TV, radio, cell phone) and in many cases, cooking. (Stove, microwave, can opener, etc.)  You will quickly find how we are the most dependent on this least dependable item. Do you have even one working flashlight you can find?

Next, water including sewage may be cut off for a number of reasons, including lack of power or the water may be contaminated. Anything to drink at your place?

Food is affected in your home because of lack of power for cooking and refrigeration, also by not being able to get to a store that has power to be able to sell you anything. How much non-perishable food do you have that is ready to eat? Do you have an alternate means of cooking?

Your dwelling may be damaged causing some problems with your shelter.

You may have no way to contact medical personnel, and they may not be able to get to you. Also the medical facilities will be dealing with the worst cases first. As bad as your cuts, scrapes, spraints and even a broken bone may be, others are in worst shape. You may have to fall back on your own first aid.

Trash and human waste may not be dealt with normally for some time. You need to know what to do.

When the recovery starts some stores may open on a limited cash basis as the machines may still be down. Do you have cash on hand?

Last  but never least, police protection may be gone from your area for some time. Do you have a plan, be it passive (barriers, locks) or active ( pepper spray, firearms) for your defense?

So then, what have you got to lose?

 

THE BASICS:  PART IV: HAVE AN AWAY PLAN: PART I

The odds are that the average Ann and Andy will be away from their home when an event hits.

That is because most of us have to earn a living so we will be either commuting to or from, or be at work. If we aren’t doing that then we are shopping, out with friends, at movies, sporting events, etc., or we are taking the kids to and from school or be at some school event. We might even be on vacation somewhere.

I know. That conflicts with the PC image of the “prepper/survivalist” huddling in their home a step away from their bunker. It also happens to be reality.

There are exceptions, of course, where the event can be seen coming (the slow train wreck) such as icy roads, heavy snow, wind or rain storm or tropical storm, school is canceled and your boss might actually let you stay home (LOL! Yeah, right). But many events hit without warning ( bolt out of the blue)  such as earthquakes, tornados, some flash flooding, power outages, , bridge/highway collapse, landslide, wild fire, terrorist act or other shooting rampage, nuke plant problem, or solar flares. 

Because of this you have to try and plan for the worst case scenario in which your freedom of action is limited by some authority and you have very little gear.

Your freedom of action may be limited by your boss or the company “emergency plan” in general. Many of these are well meaning and quite a few of them are well planned and reasonable. But there is always the bozo who thinks because they are in the boss they know how to deal with that kind of event.

You may also be faced with a “lockdown” situation, especially if you are a student on a campus, or at your child’s school.  Lockdowns can also be put into effect by police for people at work or in stores. Also stores themselves, when faced with a power outage, may “lockdown” to prevent looting or people leaving with items. While this may be illegal, some bozo store manager may not be able to be reasoned with. Any kind of threat or direct action in this case should be used only under life threatening circumstances. As with the boss at work, you have to be careful that your actions don’t come back when the dust settles to bite you on the butt.  As unbelievable as it seems, many people were later punished because of actions they took at the height of Katrina. Again, this is the real world ladies and gentlemen, so forget Hollywood and the movies.

In turn this will mean you can’t get to any kind of emergency bag in your vehicle. You are without your gear. Now what?

First try to assess the situation. What type of event is going on? Is it simple power outage or a solar flare/EMP?  Is it a weather effect? Knowing can give you an idea of how long you may be in lockdown and whether you should just “chill out” for now.

Lack of gear can be handled to some degree depending on the situation. If you are at work you might have been able to have a “lunch box” emergency kit, so you have something to work from. Such a kit, as we will describe in the upcoming articles, can be in a desk drawer or locker.  Where possible you can carry it to work each day as part of your normal “lunch bag”. What you can have depends on the security issues of your firm.

In addition to that are items that can be carried in a pocket or purse. Again we will go into detail about these later, but they could include pepper spray (where legal),mints, gum, antacids, a keychain pill holder with water purification tablets, a mini flashlight, a cough drop tin with a bouillon cube or energy drink mix, a small but sharp knife ( there are numerous styles)  and sandwich baggies for water. Also try to have $20 or so of cash in fives, ones and change on you at all times. I know that’s not easy for all of us.

As far as information, most people have cell phones. The fact that they all would be out would be one warning sign of possibly a major event. Having a mini AM/FM radio in a lunch bag kit is recommended also.

Stores in general and “big box” stores in particular are very bad places to be if the situation is widespread enough and disruptive enough to prevent police protection as they will be the target  ( no pun intended) of looters in a very short time. If you are caught in such a store get away from the front area and any high dollar item areas. If you must hide, go to a janitor’s closet, rest room, or non-fashionable clothes area. It will probably be dark, so you should be relatively safe. But, don’t hesitate to pick up a weapon if you so choose, A crowbar beats nothing if your life is at stake. Also, see if you can find an emergency exit. Be careful however, as looters may be trying to come in or go out that way. The advantage a small shop might have is that it is not worth the looter’s interest at least at first and it may have soda, candy or other food and support items you can buy with your cash.

So you hang in there until the lockdown is lifted and you have your freedom of action again. Now what?  With luck the event is over. If your vehicle is intact and operational and the roads are passable, head home as best you can.  If not, then we will cover some options in Part II.

 

 

 

AFTER THE BASICS:   

ADVANCED: JUST ROUTINE

Once you have reached whatever goal you have set for your prepping, be it 48 hours, two weeks, a month or whatever, you then switch over to maintaining your level.

Water: If you fill containers such as 2 lt. bottles with water, rotate them once a year. In the spring I fill my rain barrels with water from my “non-drinking” supply I have in old kitty litter buckets. I then fill the buckets with the drinking water from the 2 liter soda bottles. The soda bottles are rinsed then refilled with filtered water and a drop of straight bleach (no additives) to give a fresh supply for the year. Regular sealed packs of .5 liter bottles of water are said to be good for at least 5 years.

Food: Eat what you store, store what you eat. Yes, have some special food packs on hand if you can afford them, but try always to stick with regular food you normally eat, or a normal non-perishable form. (We keep a good stock of canned veggies, but generally we get frozen ones for daily use.) Have a restock point for either the item, or the stocks in general. Have a few dollars in the food budget to scoop up a sale such as 5 for $5 pasta or canned goods.

First Aid/Hygiene: Keep “one” ahead on cases of toilet paper and paper towels. When you finish one case you’ll have one on hand as you add another so you always have at least one unopened case if an event hits. Store up hand sanitizer, wipes, trash bags, and other health items. Stick with quality where needed, but use dollar store items where reasonable including gauze pads, tape and bandages.

Put away packs of dollar store batteries and basic 9 LED flashlights all over your home. In short term emergencies they’ll last and in long term ones, use them first.  Don’t forget about decorative outside lights. They can be brought in and used with a dollar store regular battery to make nightlights.

Put aside ten dollars in change, ones and fives if you can each month and tell NO ONE about it.

If you believe in a “passive” defense for your security, check your locks and doors and have plans for bars, or braces in be set up in case of an event. If you go with a more “active” defense, practice with your items (bows, firearms) and keep them legal but ready, along with ammo, cleaning kits etc. Legal means for example, keeping your 12 gauge pump tube at two shells, but know how to unblock it to take five.

Soon you will find that all these little steps become routine and you enhance your survivability.

 

ADVANCED:  SOUNDS GOOD ON PAPER

            There are a number of “prepper/survival” books out there on the market. Of those I have seen and read I have found them to range from excellent to nothing more than a rehash of FEMA guidelines with some political rant thrown in. I will not rate them here, however, as you have to decide for yourself what you think of them.

            What I do want to touch on is how almost off handedly they make their statements about what you should have, specifically when it comes to self-defense. This does not mean their advice is bad, but that it is just unrealistic for many of us.

            For example, one of the books I have here is built around the idea of low cost prepping, but when it gets to self-defense and fire arms it says you should have a pistol, rifle and shotgun. Nothing wrong with that except the cost, ability to actually purchase and own, and personal factors all affect the average individual out there.

            Forgetting for the moment any AR-15 or other similar rifles and sticking with a standard 30-06 deer rifle, a basic name brand shotgun and even just a .22 pistol such as a Ruger, and maybe finding some used at pawn shops, gun shows (while you can) or gun shops, you are still talking about at the least paying out a grand, which doesn’t take in to account the time and money need for various permits, the ammo, magazines ( NO, they are NOT clips!), cleaning kits, slings, possibly cases and other basic accessories. Add to that the cost of traveling to somewhere you can practice with them.

            Then there are the personal aspects to consider. What are your local laws? Are you in a subdivision? Do you have young children? Do you have a significant other who is not comfortable with them, or may totally oppose them? Do you rent? How difficult is it for you to go and practice with your firearms? Would it affect your employment if someone found out you own “guns”?

            It’s easy for the established prepper with a house, land and the bucks to have all the right kind of things in case of a major league SHTF ( ML/SHTF), it’s a damn sight tougher and more frustrating for a young couple in an apartment barely holding on to their jobs to do the same. But they need and deserve to survive as much as any of us so they can help us rebuild our local areas and our country. This is why, although the information in these books is correct, it is of little value to many out there, and like many plans we are told to live with, sounds good on paper.

 

 

 

TOUCAN BILL’S BIRD’S EYE VIEW: KEEP IT HOT FOR NOT A LOT

Another low cost option that is often overlooked in prepping is the standard plug into the cigarette lighter travel mug. I picked up one at the local discount chain for $6 brand new.

But what good is it if the power is out? Well, if you run a generator for even a short time and it has a 12v outlet set up, you can plug in the cup and get hot water. If you have a car battery set up with a cigarette lighter connection you can use that.  (I’ll cover car battery set ups in the Electrical section)

Another possible method which I will be looking into is if you have an exercise bicycle or a regular bike you can put up on blocks or such, you can attach a standard 12v generator for the front wheel that usually powers a headlight. For this purpose the wires will lead to a cigarette lighter outlet instead.  I will be testing the idea that you can “peddle” your way to your hot coffee. LOL!

One suggestion I make here is that you do NOT make the coffee in the travel mug. Use it to heat the water, then pour it into some other mug or cup to make you coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup or whatever. That way the “heating” mug doesn’t get a flavor to it.

 

PREPPER BEE WISE’S BUZZ WORDS AND PHRASES

LAPS:   This stands for Light As Possible Supplies. It can refer to every piece of gear you put in any kind of bag you may carry, but can specifically cover food. The idea is to get the most out of every ounce of weight you may have to carry in a bounce back or a bug out. I will cover specifics in articles to come.