On 18 Feb 2005 18:47:05 -0800, jim rozen
wrote:
In article , Frank J Warner
says...
My friends think I am a bit of a nutcase when I mention what is on my
mind and either dismiss me as being overly pessimistic or are resigned
to going down with a sinking ship. I feel better if I am getting
prepared. What strategies would you guys suggest.
Off the top of my head:
1. Learn basic sanitation and water purification.
2. Be comfortable around firearms. Learn to shoot and clean a gun.
3. Get a good first aid kit and learn to use it.
4. Find 5 people within 100 miles that you trust with your life and
stay in contact with them.
5. Eat less.
6. Get a bicycle and two sets of spare tires. Ride it 10 miles a week.
7. Consider what you would bring with you if you had to leave your home
in 10 min. and never return.
8. Familiarize yourself with the basics of vegetable gardening & animal
husbandry.
9. Learn a skill (metalworking?) that will be valuable to a low-tech
community.
10. Learn to distinguish truth from bull****.
Interesting. I think you and gunner are on the same wavelength.
1 - check. 2 - check. 3 - I should do this. 4 - check. 5 - hmm.
6 - sigh. This I should *really* do. 8 - a good idea. 9 - check.
10 - :^)
I saved seven for last.
Because it's the hardest one to answer. Here you are talking
*things*, not people, right? (if people, am I allowed to choose
some that don't live here now?)
If things, then I guess the first catagory might be portable
wealth. Funds, credit cards, etc might go in this catagory.
It would also depend on where I was going, and if I knew
where I was going. Also, how would I be travelling?
Does it all have to fit in my pockets, in a pack, or in my
pickup?
Jim
Keep in mind..that depending on the type of emergency that is causing
you to flee..plastic or non cash may be simply worthless.
Many people spent considerable time sleeping on the sidewalk in NYC
not long ago, as the ATM machines were off line. Same with the last
few hurricanes. Few people have the old style card imprinter anymore
and if the phone lines are down..forget using the card. A wide spread
emergency may cause no one to take a check either. How can it be
verified? Cash is always king.
On what we call "bug out bags" or BoBs...there are several
philosophies.
72 hour bag. This will allow you to eat, drink, wash and care for
yourself for a 72 hour period. This is the most commonly developed
bag for most of us. This will allow you to get somewhere in a
reasonable amount of time. One per individual of course. Small
children will need theirs spread out over the parents bags, but they
should, after a certain age, carry something...
A 72 hour bag may be also used for sheltering in place..though if you
are at home..you should of course have far more supplies than simply
for 72 hours.
Some examples...
http://theepicenter.com/tow09036.html
http://members.1stconnect.com/anozir...t_72hr_kit.htm
http://www.ci.westminster.co.us/res/ps/em/emer_2940.htm
http://www.provo.org/emergency/Perso...hour_kits.html
http://www-suares.stanford.edu/72hour-kit.html
http://www.ywconnection.com/Activiit...itsinacan.html
As you will notice..several are from City governments.
From FEMA
http://www.fema.gov/rrr/supplies.shtm
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/services/dis...0_601_,00.html
(of course we all know that city governments, FEMA and the Red Cross
are well known paranoid organizations)
No one kit will serve everyone. You may live in a place where water is
plentiful, or scarce. Where its hot or cold, moderate or 4 seasons. (I
have a number of kits designated Winter or Summer)
You may have medical needs such as insulin, or heart medications which
will need to be stored seperately..ie refrigerated etc.
Id strongly avoid purchasing a ready made kit off the net. They tend
to be poorly filled, over priced and generic. You can make up kits
for you and your family far cheaper, with better ingredients,
customized for your needs, by simply looking over the links above, and
making a list of your own, then shopping at discount houses, can
storesand looking for sales, both online and in your area.
A car or truck bag may be better for you, or not...and of course a
bigger "unit" is indicated for home use, if you "selter in place"...
also known as "bugging in"
My truck kit is designed with the fact I drive very long distances in
varied terrain, from seaside to high desert. It never leaves the
truck, and its edible contents are rotated regularly, and during
summer, more water is added and the winter gear is removed, and when
winter comes, the summer based gear is removed and winter gear added.
Ive been carrying such a bag for at least 25 yrs, in one form or
another.
My whole philosophy is to survive and make it home,where Im far better
stocked, and its in a "safe" location. I plan in most cases to "bug
in", hunker down and wait it out.
I live in earthquake country. My preps are a bit different than if I
lived in tornado country, or hurricane country, or blizzard country.
When I lost my house in the Coalinga Earthquake in 1983, my preps
allowed my family to do quite well for several weeks, and to shelter
and feed quite a number of my neighbors who previously thought I was a
bit of a nutter for considering some sort of emergency that couldnt be
fixed by simply calling 9-11
Gunner
It's better to be a red person in a blue state
than a blue person in a red state. As a red
person, if your blue neighbors turn into a mob
at least you have a gun to protect yourself.
As a blue person, your only hope is to appease
the red mob with herbal tea and marinated tofu.
(Phil Garding)