Prepping for Disasters or Worse

[kittygrrl]

FEMA knows 93% of U.S households are unprepared for no more then 72 hours of grid down survivallYour stockpile is the most valuable thing you own, it's your first line of defense. if you don't have a stockpile of shelf stable food (30 days of food per person) and a water source of 2 gallons of water per day, per person, and basic medical supplies your count down begins, water is the most important thing in your stockpile, 3 days without and your body starts shutting down..you need as much as you can store, gallons put in a corner or closet, if you don't have money to buy water storage buckets then use glass bottles, empty plastic bottles, anything with a lid and is food safe. For your shelf stable food that means food you can eat without using electricity ie canned beans, fruit, vegetables, soup, canned meat, crackers, cookies, trail mix, rice, dried or canned milk etc, date every can on top and rotate it with the oldest can up front...i know this is a lot of info but you don't have to do it all at once, but do it in stages, hopefully this information will prevent you from making some of the initial mistakes, i've made..oh i almost forget, buy at least 3-4 can openers non electric the hand crank kind because you will go through a few before it's over

[kittygrrl]

It's just another day until its not...how to make it through the chaos without dropping a lot of money on fancy gear. First up-------coffee filters these are probably in a drawer somewhere and can be used in so many survival situations. If you've got them consider yourself ahead of the game. First up coffee filters-----they are cheap lightweight and versatile. Qualities that qualify for a place in your survival kit. The most important thing you have to figure out first is clean water. Coffee filters can provide the first step in removing debri, dirt and sediment from your water and make purifying your water easier. After running it through your coffee filter your water is ready to be boiled, bleached or purification tablets, the coffee filter will also improve the taste of the water making it more like your tap water--------next, wound care---in an emergency without a first aid kit available use the coffee filter to cover a cleaned wound. clean soft and absorbent make them ideal for a small wound to protect it from dirt and secure it with tape not perfect but not bad!-------next a good base for a fire starter, stuff with dryer lint or smear a bit of petroleum jelly and it lights easily-----------some other uses, they can be used for emergency toilet paper, oil blotters, napkins or for holding a snack. Tip stash 20 or 30 and secure with rubber bands in ziploc bag and put them in your bug out Easy pack with no weight----construction of this post using Prep Life Hacks material

[kittygrrl]

fyi

[kittygrrl]

I use this when i used to camp, i don't do that of late but this is nifty tinder and has never let me down..in a collapse it would be worthwhile having at least a 100 or more(in a ziploc) in storage. I made mine a little different then he does, i only dipped one side in wax and let it dry...he has a point about wet tinder but unless you are wading into a river or get caught in a rainstorm it should light nothwithstanding..for such a time i also have in my cache some birch bark that never has failed me..both are light weight and add no weight to a bug out pack and are easy to store and throw a few in a back pack if you do hike or do an overnighter, these are my favorites but there are quite a few types of tinder you can use and of course you want to carry a ferro rod and a bic lighter ..this should be a rule...good times guys figuring this part out and practice practice practice, in the back yard or fireplace, then a small camp out, challenge yourself use your bug out bag and see if it really works in a wild situation

[kittygrrl]

don't forget a medical kit, have the basics, gauze, different sizes of bandages, triple antibiotic creams(lots of it!), sterile wound pads for cleaning and covering, alcohol, betadine, hydrogen peroxide, adhesive tape for sensitive skin, aspirin, tylenol, Imodium, Pepto Bismo liquid & chewable, sterile cotton balls, tweezers, scissors, gloves(disposable), butterfly tape/bandages, cutting & tamper needles for stitching skin & softer tissue, sterile suture material ie Plain Gut-Chromic Gut-Silk Steel, and maybe a few synthetics, (and in a pinch, even cotton thread)water, small pots of jam & crackers flashlight, space blankets bug spray, disposable masks, first aid guide----this is semi basic, it's a little over the top but warranted considering whatever circumstances you might find yourself inNote Noticed i only had plain gut suture material so i'm going to see if i can order the other two, i would definitely have more of the plain gut, because most likely that is the material you would use the most..if i'm misinformed please say something! i'm not a medical expert i've used most of the things in my kit but i've never sutured a wound altho i've seen it done a few times(You need steady hands)

[kittygrrl]

Good idea!..i'm trying it tonight, maybe adding some red pepper flakes dill and paprika...great idea to have Jars of this mix so you can just dump it in a pot and go...i'm going to do a few for my bug out bag - in a few sandwich bags...

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

Good idea!..i'm trying it tonight, maybe adding some red pepper flakes dill and paprika...great idea to have Jars of this mix so you can just dump it in a pot and go...i'm going to do a few for my bug out bag - in a few sandwich bags...

This is brilliant! Thanks so much kitty! I currently have a stocked pantry with enough food for several months, but the problem with that is (1) it's not very portable if I should have to leave the house, (2) I have to remember to rotate stock, which isn't as easy as it could be because it's not sorted by date. (I sort by item, then sort by date within each item. But it always gets at least a little mixed up.) (3) I have a large variety of food in my pantry at any given time, but I don't always want to eat that particular variety of foods, and I risk foods going out of date before I get to them.

It might make more sense for me to have jars of this basic lentil/rice mixture, then also just keep on hand the items to add variety. Of course, date and rotate, with some kind of schedule for eating on a regular basis. I think this will free up some room in my pantry.