In an emergency situation the location affected may
have an area that was directly hit by the floodwaters, tornado, earthquake,
chemical spill or terrorist act that is generally referred to as Ground Zero.
Between that area and where the grid is still up and running normally is
usually an area no so hard hit, but without power, water or other aspects of
the grid. We call this the RAGE.
RAGE
stands for the Relative Area of Grid Effects. If you are in this area the
general rule of thumb is that you are on your own for the first 72 hours. That
is why we start new preppers off with learning how to cover these first three
days or so.
BASIC: (FOR NEW PREPPERS)
THE
FIRST 72 HOURS: WATER
What does enough
water for 72 hours look like?
For 2 adults, at the maximum standard of 1 gallon
per day , per person, for all purposes, it’s 12 - 2 Lt soda bottles thoroughly
cleaned out and refilled with tap water (through a filter if you have
one). Cost to you will be zero. Storage space needed: The bottom of a
typical closet.
Or you could get two cases of 24 .5 liter bottles to
drink and use 6 2 liter bottles filled for other purposes such as cooking,
cleaning, etc. Cost: $10 or less. Or
just get 4 cases for $20 or under.
Storage space needed: The cases
can slide under a bed. The advantage is that they are easier for drinking and
storage, but are a pain to cook with or for cleaning, which is why some go with
the mix of both.
Third is the 3 gallon size water cooler jugs. You
don’t need the cooler to use these. In some places you buy the empty jugs and
fill them from your tap. Generally they are economical enough to buy
pre-filled. They are also light enough to lift at about 24 lbs. to put on a
kitchen or bathroom counter top. You will need a hand operated pump to use them
easier but that can be gotten from Lowe’s or any number of sources on EBay for
$10 or so. You can get 4 (12gal.) for all your 72 hr. needs, but a mix of small
bottles, jugs and 2 Lt.’s may fit your storage space and budget better. Storage space needed: If you are going for
all 4 jugs, the bottom of an average closet will do.
A final note if you are concerned about water for
toilet flushing. Keep a pail and extra 2
liter bottles of water. Bail out half
the water in the toilet’s tank before the first flush into the pail. Flush once
a day if possible. If doable under you
conditions, collect rainwater from a drainpipe to use for flushing. This will
be covered in more depth in another article covering sanitation/ toilets.
BLEACH
IS BLEACH
As
a former biochemical lab tech, one of the things I learned was when it comes to
adding bleach to water for purification purposes, bleach is bleach. As long as
the bleach has no additives such as scents, perfumes, or anything else
(Oxyclean, etc.) the basic component is the same, 5% Sodium Hypochlorite. This means the dollar store brand is as good
to use for that purpose as the higher name brands. The amounts to use are given as:
1 quart 2
drops
½ gal 4 drops
1 gal
8 drops
5 gal
½ teaspoon, or 20 drops
(if the
water is cloudy, use double the amount of bleach shown here.)
Remember, once the container is opened, the chlorine
level drops, so get the smaller 1 qt. bottles to store for this purpose if
possible.
ADVANCED
(FOR THOSE ALREADY INTO PREPPING)
KNOWLEDGE PART I: BLOWING IN THE WIND
There is a part
of prepping that many times is free, available and very important. It’s called
knowledge. It’s gathering and learning information that can give you an edge in
an event.
One
of these pieces of intelligence is to know the wind patterns where you live,
shelter, and generally anywhere you will have to travel to get home or to your
safe haven.
The
simplest way to get this information is to look it up on the net. But, don’t
trust that data 100%. Watch your local weather daily and write down the wind
direction. This will also get you in the habit of learning about yearly storm
patterns and to know what is downwind from you. Where possible, put out an
American flag and get in a habit of seeing which way the wind blows it.
Wind
direct can be crucial in cases of dirty bombs, nuke plant accidents, wildfires,
chemical spills and possibly wind carried diseases. It can spell the difference in knowing
whether to bug out or shelter in place, and to know to go long before the sheep
realize the problem.
In the words of Bob Dylan, “You don’t have to be a
weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
KNOWLEDGE PART II: TIME AND TEMPERATURE
The next free
piece of information that can be helpful for you is learning your seasonal
temperatures for your home, or your safe haven’s area. This includes not only
the temperatures themselves, but also wind chill, seasonal rain or snow patterns,
or for some areas, potential for hurricanes, tornados and blizzards.
There
are the usual sources for this on the net, or even at the library, but nothing
beats your own observations and notes. If you garden at all, you have a fair
idea when the frost ends and when the high heat weeks are. I know I’ve had to
change my growing season because over the past few years July is now the high
heat month.
Here
are some key elements to note.
When does it get cold enough to put water or ice
packs outside to chill or freeze overnight to use for refrigeration?
When are storms more probable? (You should note both the time of year and
time of day.)
When can I break ground for planting? (Last frost
dates)
When do the seasons begin to change over? (For example, my area has a “rainy” season
that separates winter from spring in late March/early April and fall from
winter in late October/early November.)
Is there a clearly defined rainy season? (Rain water
harvesting)
How long can I go without using up my fuel for heat?
What alternate means can I have to stay warm or
cool? (Thermal blankets, sweaters, light colored clothes, shorts, etc.)
In
this way you’ll learn to fit into the rhythm of the seasons. The non-prepper
never thinks of the weather unless it is severe enough to hamper their
“routine”. They feel their heat, A/C, refrigeration and the rest of the “grid”
will always be there. After all, if it gets cold, they will just plug in their
electric blanket. LOL
AFTERMATH
(ABOUT SERIOUS LONG TERM LEVEL III EVENTS)
THE
THREE ELEMENTS OF RADIATION EXPOSURE
TIME: How long you are exposed. An exposure of 10
seconds or a minute, unless it is an extreme radiation level, may not be life
threatening or cause you sickness. BUT such exposure should only be
attempted in an emergency.
DISTANCE: How far you are from
the radiation. If the radiation is outside and you are in an inner room or
hallway your exposure is much less than if you are standing by an outside
window.
SHIELDING: This is any barrier
between your body and the radiation. This also varies with the type of
radiation. A normal glass window is not very affective, but a wall is. Alpha
and Beta radiation require less barriers to block than Gamma, which calls for
1-2 feet of earth, 6 or more inches of concrete, or lead. The general rule is the more you can put
between you and the radiation source the better.
An inner room, storage area, closet or hallway with
no windows as far as possible from the outside that you can get to within a
minute or less provides an option.
THE
MAGIC RULE OF 7
Radiation generally decreases over the first 49 hrs.
or basically 2 days. (7 x 7 hrs.) This decrease continues over the next 2 weeks
(7 x 7 x 7). BUT in the case of a “dirty” bomb, the radioactive items used may
be elements that will remain deadly much longer. Whenever possible remain
sheltered until an official “All Clear”.
RADIATION
AND FALLOUT
Simply put, fallout delivers the radiation to you.
Imagine snowflakes falling outside, but in this case they are ash from what has
been destroyed. That ash is now a tiny “X-ray” machine sending out its Alpha,
Beta and Gamma rays. Keep in mind, fallout can be delayed and fall out of the
upper atmosphere from distant places days later and be very fine dust that can
be inhaled. (The delay in arriving will cause the radiation to decay in
strength somewhat.)
TOUCAN
BILL’S BIRD’S EYE VIEW: LIGHT STICKS
The electricity
is out, night has come and you have a young child that needs to go to bed, but
is afraid of the dark. What do you do?
Simple, you just break out a light stick.
Light sticks are great in that they are safe,
colorful, make great nightlights, come in all sorts of shapes, even in
bracelets and stars for children and they can be gotten at dollar stores. On
top of that they can be stored without any maintenance, as far as I know, last
indefinitely in their package, and are easy to use. You simply snap and shake
and they glow.
As with anything else, the child must be old enough
to know NOT to chew or bite on one, and they should be the size and shape to
prevent being swallowed.
Emergencies are stressful enough on adults, and even
more on children. A simple light stick can brighten the darkness in many
ways
PREPPER
BEE WISE’S BUZZ WORD FOR THE WEEK
B-NICE This is a phrase that helps first responders
when reporting a suspected terrorist attack
B-
Any biological type attack (anthrax, etc.)
N-
Any type of nuclear device or detonation
I- Any incendiary device or affect.
C-
Any chemical (nerve gas, chlorine, etc.) attack
E-
Any explosive device or detonation
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