Preparedness Questions

[Trapper]

Mike,
That is an excellent start. How much are you planning for? Do you garden? What is your water storage amounts or can you obtain water on your own??
Water is one of the most important preps you can get.

 

[Mike Quinn]

Hey there Trapper, at the moment its a month ,but as time and finances allow it will be for six months,I have a fair size garden which will be planted out with veg and fruit this spring ,weather permitting. as for water I haven't made any provision yet, I am only a few hundred yards from a major river so water shouldn't be too much of a problem .

 

[Mike Quinn]

just watched the video of the guy with his water filter, gotta get me one of those made.

 

[Trapper]

Do yourself a favor. Check up river to see if there are any sources of pollution such as farm or industrial waste. Even walk up the river a half mile every so often is advisable. You may find a dead animal carcass rotting in the water only a few hundred meters up stream where you get your water from. Seen that happen a few times. I always filter, never know was is lurking out there.

 

[Mike Quinn]

My back yard is about 60 feet by 35 feet so should be able to grow quite a variety of stuff in the ground and in containers

 

[Mike Quinn]

I have already built a raised bed system which will have lots of salad stuff, onions, carrots, etc, also plan on having beans growing up poles in containers the options are limitless

 

[Kobra]

The devil is in the details.
Every possibility has to be accounted for or you are prepping for failure.
Of this I am 100% sure, Every plan will work untill it fails, where it fails will be where there was no plan.

well then just like your preps remember two is one and one is none have redundancy in your plans to.

 

[artbylorraine]

What about electro magnetic pulses taking out the power and frying the electrical gadgets all over?

 

[RV-Kitty]

As of today I have enough food to last me and my family about a month, this consists of canned goods and rice and pasta.

I assume you have a way to cook the rice and pasta. I plan to use a propane grill until the propane is gone and a charcoal grill until that is gone. Then it's making my own hot coals for cooking. I hope the day never comes because trying to cook decent meals will probably be a real PIA.

 

[RV-Kitty]

What about electro magnetic pulses taking out the power and frying the electrical gadgets all over?

Make sure you have one or more of those charcoal grills.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I have already built a raised bed system which will have lots of salad stuff, onions, carrots, etc, also plan on having beans growing up poles in containers the options are limitless

You now need a way to preserve what you grow. A pressure canner is your best bet. But when the day comes that you can't buy the lids anymore, a lot of us will be screwed.

 

[artbylorraine]

I think it couldn't hurt to have extra charcoal or wood on hand, too.

 

[Simple but effective]

I hate canning. Such a pain. That's why I've been preaching aquaponics. I grow and eat all year. My parents love to can and dehydrate everything. I know how to do it but if I have other options and one if those options is fresh off the vine. I'm going with fresh. We have a good balance going. They can it I grow it fresh when they are tilling the soil for next season.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I think it couldn't hurt to have extra charcoal or wood on hand, too.

As soon as I'm sure the "end" is coming I plan to buy a load of bags of charcoal. We have several grills. At least we can have some good grilled (hot) food. No electricity or gas needed. I already have those wood matches hoarded and loads of kindling. I need to put up more kerosene for the kerosene stove.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I hate canning. Such a pain. That's why I've been preaching aquaponics. I grow and eat all year.

What about the winter? Do you have a heated greenhouse? I thought it got cold in Oklahoma in the winter?!?!?! And what veggies are able to grow all year? Here in TN the winter days aren't long enough to grow most veggies, even in a heated greenhouse which we have.

My parents love to can and dehydrate everything. I know how to do it but if I have other options and one if those options is fresh off the vine. I'm going with fresh. We have a good balance going. They can it I grow it fresh when they are tilling the soil for next season.

Can you grow enough to feed yourself year 'round? What do you have success with in the short winter days?

 

[old_anorak]

Everyone can have a good laugh at me now. While I was in college, I was interested and studied anthropology and food sciences, studied food preservation methods that were used before 'modern' canning and what successes and failures the people had. What would work best if we lost all modern conveniences. It was an eye opener to say the least. People will stay busy to say the very least.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Everyone can have a good laugh at me now. While I was in college, I was interested and studied anthropology and food sciences, studied food preservation methods that were used before 'modern' canning and what successes and failures the people had. What would work best if we lost all modern conveniences. It was an eye opener to say the least. People will stay busy to say the very least.

I remember seeing something on TV some years back that people dried meats, fruits and veggies. That they preserved meat with salt and/or sugar and smoke. They hunted, fished and butchered livestock in the cold weather. They had ways of surviving.

 

[old_anorak]

Yes they did.

 

[scott treloar]

I have a bug out bag but are not sure its complete it still needs a medical kit but I have gotted a firestarting kit SAS wire saw spare socks a weapon a water bottle a condom to keep water in any other things I might need

 

[old_anorak]

Scott, here is a link to one of the many threads that are on the forum for BOBs and other things. You might want to take a look over in Prepping 101.
http://www.doomsdayprepperforums.com/index.php?threads/bug-out-bags-help.1090/

 

[DannyboyDS]

I have a bug out bag but are not sure its complete it still needs a medical kit but I have gotted a firestarting kit SAS wire saw spare socks a weapon a water bottle a condom to keep water in any other things I might need

Holy crap, in all my prepping I never considered Condoms, so glad I joined a community, seems many heads area better than one, added to the bug in stash, and added to the emergency holy wtfbbq BOB are condoms, I could never introduce a new life into a world in turmoil and the Mrs and I are only human after all.

I will look pretty funny at the store buying a basket full of condoms, ha ha.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Holy crap, in all my prepping I never considered Condoms, so glad I joined a community, seems many heads area better than one, added to the bug in stash, and added to the emergency holy wtfbbq BOB are condoms, I could never introduce a new life into a world in turmoil and the Mrs and I are only human after all.

Also consider if there are complications of pregnancy or child birth - you could lose your wife. If you're family is complete the safest thing to do is get a vasectomy or your wife have a tubal ligation.

I will look pretty funny at the store buying a basket full of condoms, ha ha.

Buy a few boxes here and a few boxes there.......

 

[Uncle Albert]

The devil is in the details.
Every possibility has to be accounted for or you are prepping for failure.
Of this I am 100% sure, Every plan will work untill it fails, where it fails will be where there was no plan.

You've got your sh#t together as we used to save in the military. I'm new and reading as many posts as I can, as quickly as I can, but every once and awhile I have to stop and make a comment. It slows down my learning process but I have to thank people like you.

 

[Uncle Albert]

The devil is in the details.
Every possibility has to be accounted for or you are prepping for failure.
Of this I am 100% sure, Every plan will work untill it fails, where it fails will be where there was no plan.

You've got your sh#t together as we used to save in the military. I'm new and reading as many posts as I can, as quickly as I can, but every once and awhile I have to stop and make a comment. It slows down my learning process but I have to thank people like you.

 

[Warriorhealer22]

Food= canned meats/ fruits/ vegtables cold meals 12 months in storage for 14 (extended Family group)
seed = more than enough for a years planting
Jars and lids = reuse what we have canned up now, plus much more
livestock= more of a liability than asset after day 2 the noise they make will bring more guests than will get to leave. Will be ran off into back woods for possible recapture later when the uh... competition has thinned out.
Everything that can be kept quiet and guarded easier will be caught up, all roosters must die. Always keep new ones comming up so males can reach maturity after the worse has passed. Can perpetuate breeding from those younger ones later, without them crowing thier location like a dinner bell.
2 ponds full of catfish, self reliant, hundreds possibly thousands of pounds of protien.
Water never ending, 40' well, good checkvalve and a hand pump. 3 checkvalves in storage, 3 sets of gaskets for hand pump in storage. Knowledge to build a well bucket (flap bucket if I have to)
Gas = none It will just sound like a dinner bell to those without. whole groups will be inialated from hundreds of yards away. Thier generators will be the beacon that brings the victors. Even a small band can watch a groups doings for a day and understand who is the leaders and who are followers. and plan acordingly.
It may be months before it will even truly be safe to build a fire. only by doing your own scouting will one know.
I am not being over the top, its human nature. Even a child will be able to hear noise, or smell smoke and know that there are other people around. How many more mouths can you take in, can you sleep with people in your stronghold that you dont know. You have, they need. its simple math.
Let it be known where you are, and they will come, first begging, when you stop giving what they want, they will still come.
Bullets, a few LOL

Be sure of the source of ur well if possible