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74novaman wrote:Nope, I trust that the fed gov and FEMA have my best interests in mind and trust the almight govt to protect and care for me in any and all situations.

That reminds me. A couple of days after Ike hit, there was an announcement that FEMA was sending a truck to pass out ice and water at a local grocery store parking lot, so we thought we'd go and get some.

We, and about a thousand other people show up but there's no FEMA truck. Finally someone comes by and informs the crowd that there was a last minute change and it has been moved to another location.

By the time we get over there, all the ice and water was gone. That day confirmed that I couldn't depend on outside help in a time of need.

i8godzilla wrote:

bnc wrote:So with your house full of canned food, MREs, clean water, generators, and crank radios, what do you do when the authorities come by the clear the neighborhood?

Refuse to leave.

dig in and hunker down.
...A country boy can survive.

fulano wrote:

texanron wrote:Due to the limited amount of storage space at my house I have come up with another way of being a "prepper". I have compiled detailed maps of all the large box stores in my area so when the lights go out I can find everything I need in the dark.

an apocalyptic 'Wally Walk' ??

There's a first time for everything.

mamabearCali wrote:I had heard, but have not tried this myself, that clorox bleach can be in minute amounts (16 drops per gallon of water) to disinfect water of biological contaminants.

That's right. Here's the recommended ratios :

2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water
8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water
If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.
Let stand for a while before drinking.

If you think about it, regular tap water contains a relatively large amount of chlorine, so adding bleach in the right dosage is not as crazy as it sounds.

mamabearCali wrote: So say you had a water barrel that collected water off the roof of your home (shingles roof). If you clean said water of living contaminants is that water now safe to consume?

Yes, (except after a nuclear or biological event), rain water is naturally pure. But if it sits for any period of time it would need to be purified and sanitized.

Lets talk water. You can go for a while with little or no food, but having enough water is essential for survival.

Ideally you should have plenty of fresh drinking water stored, but more importantly you should know methods of water purification. Some things that will prove invaluable to have are water purification tablets, coffee filters, and a hand operated ceramic water filtering pump.

Chemical tablets: Water purification tablets employ chemicals, usually iodine, to kill harmful bacteria. Tablets are easy, inexpensive, and quick, but can affect the taste of the water. Tablets also have a limited shelf life — six months once the bottle is opened.

Filters: With a filter, you simply pump or pour water from the source into a container. The filter mechanically removes protozoa and bacteria, and you are usually good to go. If the filter also has an iodine system built-in, it will kill viruses too.

Hand operated ceramic water filtering pump: This filter's purpose is to strain out microscopic contaminants, rendering water clear and somewhat pure, depending on the size of the filter's pores — what manufacturers call pore-size efficiency. A filter with a rating of one micron or smaller will remove protozoa like giardia and cryptosporidium, as well as parasitic eggs and larvae, but it takes a pore-size efficiency of less than 0.4 microns to remove bacteria. (A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter — you can't see it with the naked eye.)

This type of filter weighs less than 20 ounces and is easy to grasp, simple to use, and a snap to clean and maintain. At the very least, buy one that removes protozoa and bacteria. (A number of cheap, pocket-sized filters remove only giardia and cryptosporidium, so buying one of these is risking your health to save money.) Consider the filter's flow rate, too: A liter per minute won't leave you dying for a drink.

Then there’s boiling and UV methods. (Boiling is self explanatory). One UV method is the SODIS method.
The SODIS method is very easy to apply: In short, a transparent PET bottle is cleaned with soap. Then, the bottle is filled with water and placed in full sunlight for at least 6 hours. The water has then been disinfected and can be safely consumed.

mamabearCali wrote:

USA1 wrote:

KC5AV wrote:I can't resist.

http://www.dilbert.com/2011-07-31/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm going to TAM's house. He was suspiciously short in his one and only post.

It is a long walk to my house here in VA from TX and we will have enough problems with the mass exodus out of DC and northern VA, so I thank you for not coming here.

Sorry, but if TAM's not home, your next on my list.

I'll be the guy on horseback being chased by Zombies, so don't shoot.


On second thought, I'll probably just hunker down here.

KC5AV wrote:I can't resist.

http://www.dilbert.com/2011-07-31/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When D-day comes, I'm going to TAM's house.
He was suspiciously short in his one and only post in this thread.

bnc wrote:So how prepped is prepped?

For the most part, a "prepper" will tell you that he or she is never prepared enough.

Definition of a prepper:

Prepper (noun): An individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of, or prior to, any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons (i.e., being self-reliant), or without substantial assistance from outside resources (govt., etc.) in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.

I have a feeling that most won't like to talk too much about the subject due to being seen as somewhat paranoid or irrational. However, I don't see it that way. I think it's smart to be prepared for the worst case scenario to the best of ones abilities.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Even if the worst is nothing more than an act of mother nature causing a temporary disruption in your way of life, you have taken reasonable steps to see you through.

The real trick is long term survival during and after a catastrophe of a much larger scale whether it be natural or human caused. It will not take much for society to break down and you should have measures in place if/when it does.


uh oh...I've said too much.

Yes.