Thanksgiving Dinner

Last Thursday was the day many families come together and become almost comatose from ingesting so much food. I however had the opportunity to join a crew working a 15 hour shift at a retail store preparing Black Friday specials on Thursday night. I knew the area restaurants would not be open during this time so I would need something to eat. Hmm, what should I take?

A few months ago I picked up this container of Survival Tabs Emergency Food Rations. I had seen these sitting on the store’s shelves before and was intrigued. The label says “The best possible nutrition in the smallest possible volume.” Basically, you eat 12 of these 7/8”x1/2” tablets a day for all of your basic nutritional needs during an emergency. There are 180 tablets in this container so you theoretically have 15 days of food needs. When I got the jar home I immediately repacked sets of 12 tablets into mylar bags which are just 3.5”x4.25”. Three of these small bags now travel in my Get Home Kit. Yes, I still have a pack of crackers, an MRE brownie and a Millennium Bar in the kit too – comfort food!

It is important to test emergency gear and supplies before they are needed – and I had been woefully neglectful in testing these; honestly, I wasn’t too excited to try them. Wednesday evening I tasted one. Hmm, not too bad, chews up well and has a faint malted milk ball flavor. Will they be filling enough?

Commitment time – I pack two mini baggies in my side pocket with 6 tablets in each. The thought was that every hour or so I would eat one and see if that gets me through the night. A pack of crackers were also in my pocket just in case I needed a little more filling (it was Thanksgiving!).

It was a busy shift. When I found myself starting to feel a little hungry I just reached in my pocket and chewed a Survival Tab. The first one was several hours into the shift since I made a point of eating before going. Guess what? In 15 hours I only ate 5 of the Tabs and I was feeling pretty good. Again, I did eat before the shift but I expected to be feeling much hungrier at this point. I am now comfortable carrying these in my kit for emergency rations – rations which take virtually no space!

I added this photo because the package stated that the container could be carried easily in a standard canteen pouch. In fact, there is a separate plastic bag folded inside the lid so you can dump the tablets in the bag while using the container to hold water! And yes, as you can see in the photo, the container does fit very nicely in the canteen pouch with the black lid just peeking out. I always appreciate a well thought out design. In this case, I like the packaging approach overall – even though I repackaged for my personal purpose – and the Tabs worked great for this experiment.

Maybe someday I will test them as the only food source over a couple days? No, I will need to supplement that with my nightly ice cream!

Transportation for Disasters

 My favorite pair of Matterhorn boots for all around living. I will do a write-up on boots in a future entry.

A couple days after Sandy hit, someone sent me a message suggesting everyone should get mountain bikes. The knee jerk reaction was “that makes sense.” After pondering further, I am saying NO! I do believe mountain bikes are good around transportation for people who are used to riding them. Living at a trailhead in the Cleveland National Forest, I get to see lots of mountain bikers coming back from the local trails. Not surprisingly, I get to see a fair number of injured people hobbling by too.

Here is my thought: People who are not experienced riders (and will not become experienced riders in spite of best intents when buying a mountain bike for disaster use) will become hazards on their bikes – especially after they try to tie belongings on for escape or carry a heavy backpack filled with groceries. Disaster scenes have broken glass, road debris, and all matter of other obstructions. You are definitely going to be dealing with flat tires and the odds of serious injury compounded with infection are greatly increased. If you want to buy a mountain bike because you want to use one on a regular basis for transportation – excellent idea. You will then have it available during a disaster also. Do not get one for disaster.

So what should we have for transportation? This topic was casually discussed a little at a recent prepper dinner party and we must concur there is no single best answer.

Most of the group had a Jeep or some type of aggressive off road pick-up truck. The latter provides space to haul more gear than a typical Jeep. Either one would be a good solution to travel wilderness roads out of a disaster area – and circumnavigate problems on the highway. Generally very sound solutions for pre-disaster evacuation and some types of post disaster escape.

One of the families had quads set up and had explored various routes including following alongside train tracks to avoid most of the traffic. Carrying capacity is somewhat limited and long distance travel may not be comfortable – but it is a functional option for many scenarios.

Living in Southern California, my primary concerns are wildfire and major earthquakes. Wildfires are much like most other natural disasters in that you usually know they are coming. It could start right beside your home and overcome you immediately – but this is rare. I have seen several wildfires in this region and you normally have several hours notice that the fire is heading your way. Time for a somewhat orderly evacuation under an eerie orange sky. The main vehicle concern at this point is one that you can shove stuff into. Of course, having your stuff prepacked for evacuation can help – but many of the new small cars just don’t have much cargo space or what they have is oddly shaped which hinders loading boxes and crates. My actual preference for planned evacuation is a plain, full-size cargo van. These can be parked discreetly just about anywhere, have a good amount of cargo space (especially if configured with shelves and your gear is prepacked in crates that fit the shelves), and they can be effective mini campers when outfitted with cots, sleeping mats or hammocks. If you can set it up with four wheel drive and oversize fuel tanks – so much the better! Since there are so many of these on the road, and several models share components with pick-up trucks, spare parts should be relatively easy to scavenge.

Full size dual sport motorcycles are the pack mules of modern transportation.

Earthquakes are a different and arguable answer. Since there is no advance warning of earthquakes, we must shift our thoughts from pre-event evacuation to post-event escape. Earthquakes can range anywhere from minor nuisance to complete destruction. Somewhere short of complete destruction, there will be major regional collapse with hoards of people trying to get out of the destroyed areas. Traffic will be a major concern. With this in mind I set up my dual sport motorcycle with a narrow wheel base trailer which can split lanes and travel on fire roads. The bike is designed to carry fairly significant loads as it did on a recent cross country trip. Even so, the total chaos on the highway will probably mean there are limited paths through the traffic. Also, anyone utilizing any successful means of escape when everyone else is trapped will automatically become a target. Someone told me their first response in seeing me riding by would be to grab a broom or hiking staff and knock me over to take my cycle. Hmm, that was the same someone who recently made the suggestion to use mountain bikes…

That brings us back to boots. They will allow you to wade, climb, walk, run, and clamber through all sorts of debris. You will have some ankle support and protection from bumps, clunks – perhaps even snake bites! Get a good pair. Then get out and walk/hike in them. Get comfortable wearing the boots for long periods of time. During any kind of disaster (even if you are driving a truck!) a good pair of solid boots will get you further, safer.

Guess there may be a clear best all around answer for survival transportation after all!

Get Home - Yours or a Friend's

The news coming from the aftermath of Sandy the Terrible is pretty much what we have heard after every other major disaster: People are dangerous! As a result, I have recommitted to one belief and am rethinking another.

(1) I continue to believe the single most important item to develop is a good Get Home kit.

(2)  I no longer believe I would be very helpful to strangers in need. Sorry.

I have stated before that everyone should properly prepare to Shelter in Place. Let’s expand that a little. You should prepare your home so you, family members, and a few select friends, can shelter together safely after a major disaster. Some other family members and friends should do the same. In this manner, you and your family will have at least one alternative escape location prepared and available if your primary home/shelter is destroyed or unreachable.

A few days ago I mentioned the concept that the first 24 hours after any disaster is usually relatively safe as the crooks and creeps get their act together. We saw this again on the East Coast where people began pretending to be aid workers or inspectors in order to gain entry to homes to commit crimes against the disaster victims. In addition, people set up dummy “need help” scenarios on the roads to get good Samaritans to stop – and be attacked. I have always prided myself on being the kind of “good” person who would stop to offer aid to a stranger. That practice is now being rethought.

Make note - there have been very few instances reported of neighbors attacking neighbors. It is good to work with your neighbors prior to disasters to build a stronger community which will come together to support each other. This also provides a larger number of bodies in order to stand watch if needed. But beware of those from outside!

Here is what you need to do:

(1) Adequately prepare your home to shelter in place – for your family and a few others.

(2)  Identify a partner family that will do exactly the same. Their home should be accessible from your region but not in the same neighborhood so it will not be destroyed by the same regional disaster.

(3) Set up Get Home Kits for every family member that includes maps and supplies to reach either of the two designated destinations. Some people may want to designate a tertiary destination.

(4)  Develop a Communication Plan to help coordinate information on which destination the family members should be heading for after a disaster. This will also help determine if individuals in your group need help.

(5) EVERY ONE must commit to reaching the destination within one day (even if on foot). After that time frame, the roads will simply be too dangerous for most people to safely travel.

(6) While a coworker  or child’s visiting playmate may tag along, no one should pick up strays along the route!

Remember, after the first 24 hours, humanity can get you killed. Sorry – it is just the nature of desperate people.

I Can't Afford to Stock Up

So you say you understand the need to prepare for emergencies and stock up. “But I just can’t afford it! I barely have enough money to buy groceries now.”

I am going to ask just 2 questions:

(1)  Do you expect food prices to continue increasing over the next year?

(2) Do you believe your personal income is going to increase faster next year than food prices?

No one has answered Yes to the second question yet.

 This chart shows that food prices continue an upward trend – always! There are some peaks and valleys as prices go up 15 cents then drop 10 cents. The trend is always up. Income is not following the same kind of trend.

 Here we see similar information for fuel prices. Put simply, if you can barely afford to buy required food and gas right now, you will NOT be able to buy food and gas in another year. Simple math.

We must address what I call “Choices and Consequences” before we can make any real change in our situation. The premise is that every choice we make has real consequences – often a combination of good and bad stuff. Just as boaters are taught that they are responsible for their wake, and any damage that occurs from it, we must accept responsibility for any bad consequences that result from our personal choices. If you choose to drive too fast, you must accept the consequence that you may get a ticket/fine, or you may even cause an accident. There used to be a saying – don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.

This issue hit me a couple years ago when a young woman I worked with made the statement about not being able to afford to save or stock up on food. This was a woman who smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day and stopped for a big breakfast burrito on most mornings before work. Multiple sodas and snacks were consumed through the day. Oh, she enjoyed going out to bars at night and was able to save up for new tattoos and piercings. She is the extreme example of someone who could easily afford to begin building some reserves IF she was willing to make a change or two in her lifestyle. Changing just one of the practices I listed above would free up a little income to buy an extra case of canned goods each week. She could fully stock up for her entire family – if she was willing to make the choice. Her conscious choice was to prioritize all of the other activities. In so doing, she has chosen the consequence I described in yesterday’s blog: After a disaster they will find themselves huddled together in the dark; cold, hungry and scared. Choice / Consequence. And yes, they will be whining that the government and other groups are not trying hard enough to save them. End consequence: more victims and sheep.

You say you can’t afford to prepare for emergencies right now? Stop and ask what you can change – what conscious CHOICES you can make – to change the potential CONSEQUENCES. Either make those changes now, or sit down with your family tonight and tell them, “I am choosing to maintain my current activities instead of preparing for our family’s safety. In so doing, I am consciously accepting that we will all suffer the potential consequences of huddling together in the dark; cold, hungry and scared.”

Are you willing to actually say that to your family? 

You Can Only Tell People So Many Times!

Photo from Fox News showing people lined up to get gas in New Jersey.

We are just halfway through day 3 of the Sandy aftermath and people are getting stupid. There are actually state police posted at every functioning gas station along the NJ Turnpike because people are fighting over the gas lines – lines NO ONE should be in to begin with!

Here is what Fox News said today:

“Residents jockeyed for fuel at the few stations still pumping, searched store shelves in vain for batteries, struggled with sporadic cell phone service and found themselves unable to buy necessities at supermarkets.”

One last time: Always have enough food, water, fuel, batteries – everything you actually need to live! – to last at least 3 days. 5 to 10 days is much more appropriate. The idea of 3 days is that the Red Cross and government can usually get their shelters in place and operating in about 3 days. If your plan is not to go to a shelter, then your supply needs to be much larger.

I have heard often that real problems happen after the span of 3 to 6 meals. That is when people realize the problem has not gone away and their pantries are empty. They get desperate and stupid. OK, if you saw any of the thousands of images people posted Monday night of their pantries that consisted of a bottle of booze, a bag of chips and an old can of beans, you may understand that many of the people around you think a disaster will be a party. Yes, those people are whining that there is no food in the stores that don’t even have electricity to run a register if food was there.

Take another look at the photo above. Most of these fools are buying gas for their generators. Fools! I am calling them fools because they bought the generators thinking they were properly prepared for the emergency – then failed to properly store adequate fuel. All they bought was an expensive paperweight to hold down false hope. Some certainly had a couple gallons stashed but did not give proper thought to how much gas would be needed to keep running for 3 to 10 days. Planning to survive a disaster that lasts only a day or so is not planning for any real disaster.

Your family will pay the price for your failure to properly prepare.

Read that again and let it really sink in. Monday night you may have thought it was cute to post photos of an empty cupboard. Now you and your family are huddled together in the dark; scared, cold and hungry.

Let’s start over.

Water – buy several cases of drinking water and stash it in closets around your home. The minimum is always 1 gallon per person per day. If a family of 4 is planning for 2 weeks you need 56 gallons (1 gallon x 4 people x 14 days). Note, this does not allow for bathing!

Food – stock up with stuff you already eat. Get a 2 week supply in right away – then build from there (and do not let it dwindle). You can supplement with MREs or freeze dried food if you want.

Cooking – get some type of cooking device that can prepare your food. A grill or camp stove is great. Make sure you have lots of extra fuel for these devices.

Light – you really don’t need as much as you think. Get several good flashlights (I say a minimum of 1 in each room and 2 for each family member.) Try to make sure your entire collection uses only 1 type of battery and keep lots on hand. Solar rechargers are a good supplement but only if it is sunny! DO NOT let your kids raid your emergency battery supply to power their toys and games. Achieving the next level in their electronic game is not an emergency!

Hygiene –water pumps are not working because the electricity is out. You get one flush from each of your toilets and hope it does not back up because the sewers are already flooded. Human waste and personal hygiene are grossly neglected in emergency plans. Get a 5 gallon bucket (or several) with potty lids. I keep these emergency pots stashed with a supply of related bags, chemicals and toilet paper inside each. These inexpensive items will help protect your family from a host of bacteriological problems. Get some of those antiseptic hand cleansers too to keep with these supplies.

I did not address shelter because most of the people in the current disaster did not lose their homes and the supply of clothing and blankets that was inside.

No need to wait in gas lines because few of these people had any reason to go anywhere. Bet many with little in their tank wasted their fuel driving around gawking at the destruction.

Was this discussion a bit harsh? Perhaps. But you can only tell people so many times. Are you properly prepared for your family to weather a disaster like Sandy? If not, I will look for you in the photos of fools staring at empty grocery shelves and standing in a long line at the gas station.