Preparedness Notes — Monday, June 1, 2026

June 1, 1676: The Battle of Öland: Allied Danish-Dutch forces defeated the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea during the Scanian War (1675–79). The painting above is Claus Møinichen’s “Slaget ved Øland”, on display at the Danish War Museum.

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June 1, 1880: The US census reached 50,155,783.

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And on June 1, 1861, the US and Confederacy simultaneously stopped their mail interchange.

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A reminder that we will be switching SurvivalBlog to weekly postings, tomorrow. Thenceforth, you can look for SurvivalBlog “Fresh Every Tuesday.”

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Just one day left! The big sale on all of our blackpowder rifles, all of our pre-1899 cartridge sporter rifles, and selected Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company ends tomorrow night. There are some very deep discounts, so take a look! Update: I’ve added another M1891 Argentine Mauser sporter and a LHR Sporting Arms Redemption .50 Caliber Blackpowder Rifle to the catalog. This sale will end at midnight Eastern Time on Tuesday, June 2nd, so place your order ASAP!

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. But first, we are posting the results of the final writing contest judging.

Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 124 (The Final Round!)

We’ve announced the winners of Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, which ended yesterday. This was the final round of the contest. More than $989,000 worth of prizes have been awarded in the 20+ years that we ran the contest. My congratulations to all of the prize winners, over the years. Your articles have been a key part of what makes SurvivalBlog such a valuable reference. Your articles will remain freely available in the SurvivalBlog archives.

Note: Please continue to write articles for SurvivalBlog, to share your knowledge and experience. Reader-written articles are a key part of SurvivalBlog. See our Editorial Guidelines for details. Again, there will no longer be a contest. But I will occasionally mail gifts autographed books or  waterproof SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks to the writers of articles that stand out from the rest.

The top three prize winners for Round 124 will each receive some great prize packages. The winners are…

First Prize Winner:

First Prize goes to goes to SaraSue, for Small Farm Dairy Cattle. It was posted in five parts on May 11-16, 2026. (See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.)  She will receive as prizes:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
Second Prize Winner:

Second Prize goes to N.C. for A Tale of Two Appleseeds. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) He will receive:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!
Third Prize Winner:

Third Prize goes to H.L., for Looking Back at My Flight Training Adventures (Circa 1970). It was posted on April 4, 2026. She will receive:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.
Honorable Mention Prizes

The writers of the Round 124 Honorable Mention articles have been awarded a transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun, or muzzleloader.  There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns in most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

There were eight Honorable Mention prize-winning articles in Round 124. They are:

A Note on our Writing Contest Sponsors

I want to thank our loyal writing contest sponsors. Their tremendous generosity inspired a lot of great writers. By the way, when you do any business with any of these sponsors, please thank them for their support of SurvivalBlog.

A Special Note to Previous Prize winners

Any prize winners with unused Elk Creek Company purchase credits have until December 31st, 2026 to spend them on pre-1899 antique guns or blackpowder guns. After that, they will be expired and void.  Please note that these purchase credits are transferable. So, even if you live in a place with restrictive gun laws, you can still transfer them to a friend or relative living in a Free State. – JWR

Signal Nomad HT-HD01 Network Bridge, by Thomas Christianson

The Signal Nomad HT-HD01 Network Bridge (aka “HaLow Dongle” or “Field Unit”) can be used to extend a wireless network by as much as a kilometer via the use of access point and end station transmitter/receiver units. These units — typically deployed in pairs — can be used in a remote location equipped with only Starlink or DSL Internet and no cellular coverage in order to extend a wireless signal beyond the range of traditional Wi-Fi.

I am not highly skilled in the use of electronic communications devices. But even I was able to quickly and easily connect the Network Bridge in order to extend my wireless Internet connectivity from my home to my pole barn and beyond. If you want to extend the reach of your Internet connection without stringing wire, then this equipment may be of interest to you. The Network Bridge is manufactured by Heltec in China, and was available at the time of this writing for $199 at SignalNomad.net. (Full disclosure: Signal Nomad is a SurvivalBlog advertiser. The company is owned by a relative of SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles.)

Background

I recently received an e-mail message from JWR letting me know that a Signal Nomad Network Bridge was on its way for me to for review. Not long afterward, a 14.5 x 9 inch heavy brown paper envelope arrived in my mailbox via USPS Parcel Select.

The envelope contained a 8.75 x 4 x 1.63 inch product box enclosed in a resealable plastic bag. The box contained a manual, an access point Field Unit, a matching station unit, two USB-C cables, two short RJ45 cables, and two antennae.

Reading the Manual

The eight-page manual featured a number of items of helpful information:

— Illustrations clearly identified the various parts of each unit.
— Charts provided information about the meaning of variously colored lights.
— It provided a link to a more comprehensive user manual online. That particular link was no longer active. But I found that the correct current link instead was https://docs.heltec.org/en/wifi_halow/ht-hd01/index.html.
— The units are not waterproof and have only IP65 dust and water resistance. (The IP65 nomenclature refers to full dust resistance but water Ingress Penetration resistance for just “occasional splashes.”) So they need to be used in a dry location not subject to condensation.
— The units can be used from -4 to +158 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that my pole barn may be too cold to house the station unit at times during the coldest weeks of winter.

Assembly

First, I screwed an antenna onto the access point unit. Then, I took a USB power supply that I had purchased at a thrift store many years ago. I connected the power supply to the access point unit using a USB-C cable. Next, I connected the access point unit to the router in the basement using a RJ45 cable and plugged the USB power supply into an electrical outlet. A red LED began to flash on the access point unit, indicating that the unit was booting up.

Next, I screwed an antenna onto the base station unit. Then I plugged the station unit into a power bank battery using a USB-C cable. A red light began to flash on the station unit, indicating that it too was booting up.

By this time, the light on the access point unit was solid green, indicating that the unit was connected to the Internet. Within a minute, the light on the station unit was also solid green, indicating that the station unit was also connected to the Internet.

I opened the Internet connection window on my Android phone. There, I found the SSID for the station unit. I clicked on that SSID, entered the password supplied in the manual, and connected my phone to the Internet via the Network Bridge.

Test #1

I went online and performed an Internet speed test on the network bridge. It indicated a download speed of 10.3 Mbps and an upload speed of 10.9 Mbps. The speed when the phone is connected directly to the router via Wi-Fi is typically about 75 Mbps download and 11 Mbps upload.

I then put on a bug jacket and took the station unit connected to the power bank, my phone, an ink pen, and a pad of paper, and ventured out into the wild.

This would be a very down and dirty test, because the access point unit was located in the basement, which is a terrible placement in terms of signal propagation. The location is so poor that our router, which is located there, has trouble propagating a Wi-Fi signal throughout the house. In fact, the signal propagation is so poor that I needed to add a Wi-Fi booster on the second floor in order to extend the signal to the upstairs guest room.

In any case, I made my way into the edge of the woods 100 paces from the house. Swarms of mosquitoes quickly beset me from all sides. The bug jacket protected me from most of their attacks, except that I had not worn gloves. It is impossible to utilize the touch screen on the phone while wearing gloves. The mosquitoes quickly exploited this opening, requiring my hands to keep busy swatting mosquitoes while simultaneously holding the station unit, using the touch screen on the phone, and writing notes on the pad of paper. My penmanship suffered accordingly. I was at least able to clip a carabiner to connect the power bank to my belt, leaving me with one less item to juggle.

My location in the edge of the woods placed the pole barn between me and the house. In spite of the additional obstacle presented by this mass of steel, an Internet speed test indicated a download speed of 3.89 Mbps and an upload speed of 4.23 Mbps.

I moved an additional 100 paces away from the house, cresting the ridge of a low hill and making my way down into the lowland beyond. The swarms of mosquitoes grew even thicker. An Internet speed test indicated a download speed of 0.68 Mbps and an upload speed of 1.01 Mbps.

I made my way still another 100 paces away from the house, walking along the shore of a swampy area. At almost exactly 300 paces from the house, the signal finally petered out completely. In spite of concrete basement walls, barn steel, a hill, and thick foliage, the signal was able to carry for almost 300 paces. I would have been impressed with just a usable signal in the barn.

Test #2

For the second test, I tried to create better conditions for signal propagation. I borrowed some longer RJ45 cables from the church office. I strung one of them from the router in the basement, along the ceiling of the basement to the stairwell. I then ran the cable up the stairwell.

At the top of the stairwell, I attached a female to female RJ45 cable. I then ran that cable from the stairwell to the kitchen window that faces the front yard and the driveway. Finally, I used one of the short RJ45 cables that came with the Network Bridge to connect the female RJ45 cable to the access point unit.

 

Next, I ran a long USB-C cable from the access point unit to an outlet in the kitchen that was equipped with a USB outlet. The light on the access point unit started blinking red.

Next, I connected the station unit to the power bank. The light on the station unit started blinking red.

By this point, the light on the access point unit had turned green, indicating an Internet connection. Soon, the light on the station unit also turned green.

I ran a speed test on my household Wi-Fi connection. The download speed was 75.0 Mbps. The upload speed was 11.3 Mbps.

I then connected my Android phone to the station unit. The download speed in the kitchen within six feet of the access point unit was 10.1 Mbps. The upload speed was 10.6 Mbps.

I went outside and walked 100 paces over the front porch, down the front steps, across the front lawn and down the driveway. At that point the download speed was 8.16 Mbps. The upload speed was 8.10 Mbps.

As I continued another 100 paces, the driveway curved and thick woods came between me and the house. At that point the download speed dropped to 1.17 Mbps. The upload speed was 4.32 Mbps.

I continued another 100 paces down the driveway. At that point the download speed was 0.09 Mbps. The upload speed was 0.37 Mbps.

I continued across the road and into the farmer’s field on the other side. The signal was lost just as I reached 100 paces.

So, with fairly dense woods between the access point unit and the station unit, range was extended from approximately 300 to 400 paces. Achieving a range of one kilometer would probably require a clear line of sight between the access point unit and the station unit.

Conclusions

While using the Network Bridge under conditions that were somewhat-to-extremely-adverse to signal propagation, even an unskilled user like me was able to extend the useful range of my Internet connection to between 275 and 400 paces from the router, on a wooded property.

You may want to extend the reach of your Internet connection to outbuildings, agricultural equipment, RVs, security systems, or other locations beyond typical Wi-Fi range. If that is the case, a Signal Nomad Network Bridge may provide you with an effective solution that does not involve stringing wire.

Disclaimer

Signal Nomad loaned me a sample pair of their HT-HD01 Network Bridge for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with the objectivity of this review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.

JWR Adds: I recently corresponded with Signal Nomad’s founder. He mentioned that tech support for initial setup and configuration via e-mail is included free of charge with all Signal Nomad orders. But additional consultation and remote IT support via phone is billed at $75 per hour.

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Enchilada Taco Bake is from SurvivalBlog reader “Sis”.

Ingredients And Directions

This requires 15-17 corn tortillas.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

1 lb cooked hamburger, 1 onion (diced), 1 pkg. or 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning, 14 ounce can of corn (drained), 15 ounce can of pinto beans (rinsed), 15 ounce can of black beans (rinsed), 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce, 10 ounces rotel tomatoes (or a pint of mild salsa). Mix these ingredients all together.

In a 9 x13 baking pan, place some of the hamburger/bean/tomato mixture in the bottom of the pan.

Grate 16 ounces of cheese. (Mexican cheese blend is good but so is Cheddar or Colby Jack.)

Sprinkle the bottom layer with some of the cheese.

Add a single layer of tortillas. (You will want to tear some to cover the bottom layer well).

Then layer more hamburger/bean/tomato mixture, then another later of cheese, and repeat in successive layers until the mixture is used up. The top-most layer should be cheese. Cover with foil and bake 45-to-60 minutes or until hot in the middle.

Notes: This could be made with storage foods if you had canned cheese and made your own tortillas. Dried beans from storage could be used if you soaked them over night and cooked them soft. Canned chicken would work well too, if you didn’t have hamburger.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote

“Hunt, don’t just gather. Disseminate, don’t just aggregate”. – Maureen Baginski (a former SIGINTer, now Executive Assistant Director, FBI Office of Intelligence)

Preparedness Notes — Sunday, May 31, 2026

May 31, 1930 was the birthday of actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood.  Happy 96th birthday!

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On the 31st of May 1970, an earthquake off the coast of Peru caused a substantial section of the north slope of Mt. Huascaran to collapse. The avalanche moved downhill at a speed estimated at 175 to 210 mph. with a mass of roughly 80 million cubic meters of ice, mud, and rock. The avalanche traveled nearly 11 miles, burying the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca in up to 300 feet of rock and debris. It is estimated that this earthquake and avalanche killed more than 67,000 Peruvians. It is the deadliest avalanche in recorded history.

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May 31st, 1895 was the birthday of George R. Stewart. He died on August 22, 1980. He was a novelist, university professor, and toponymist. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides.

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We are continuing a big sale on all of our blackpowder rifles, all of our pre-1899 cartridge sporter rifles, and selected Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company. Most of the blackpowder rifles are .50 caliber. There are some very deep discounts, so take a look! This sale will end at midnight on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Order yours, soon!

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Thus Ends The SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the final entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be a “Round 125”! Any articles now received will be considered guest articles and not eligible as contest entries.  The Round 124 prize winners will be announced tomorrow.

Bicycles and Their Practical Use in Prepping, by Tunnel Rabbit

To look into the future, we only have to visit the past, and how other cultures adapt to their circumstances. Long ago and far away, I lived just south of Copenhagen, Denmark for a while, and then on the oldest and once largest farm still standing on the Island of Bornholm that was first in Swedish territory, and then Danish territory. The farm had been established in the 1700s. In the end,  I was so immersed in the culture and language that locals did not believe I was an American.  More often than not, given my accent, they thought I was a transplanted Swede.

Part of me will always live in Denmark. You may recall the old song, ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’. I left mine in Denmark — a Denmark that is no more.  Continue reading“Bicycles and Their Practical Use in Prepping, by Tunnel Rabbit”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR:

Ebola Meme

Meme Text:

Is It Ebola Already?

I Still Have My Hantavirus Decorations Up

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

Editors’ Quote

“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.“- Romans 12:9-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes — Saturday, May 30, 2026

On May 30, 1626, an explosion at the Wanggongchang Gunpowder Factory in Beijing destroyed part of the city and killed and estimated 20,000 people. Pictured above are ancient Chinese cannon, near the Forbidden City.

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And on May 30, 1806, future US President Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in a duel after Dickinson accused Jackson’s wife of bigamy.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be a “Round 125”!

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Take Note: Our editorial calendar is now filled for May. Any articles received will be considered guest articles and not eligible as contest entries.

Preparedness Observations from the Rideshare Driver’s Seat by Guitar George

For the last six years, I have been supplementing my retirement income by working as a rideshare driver. At first, I was a little apprehensive about picking up complete strangers and all of the potential danger that might entail. After almost 20,000 rides, I can honestly say that there was only one experience where I thought my personal safety was at risk and it was relatively minor. Since those early days, rideshare companies have greatly improved their safety tools for both drivers and riders. Although I did not begin driving as an exercise in preparedness, it quickly became one.Continue reading“Preparedness Observations from the Rideshare Driver’s Seat by Guitar George”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We had a very busy week. I pitched about 3,000 pounds of manure and soiled bedding from our secondary dairy sheep pen. That completed the removal of “the island” under and near the rack feeder. I hauled that with one of our wheelbarrows into some open patches in our west woodlot, to form Edible Forest Garden plots and squash-planting mounds.

I replaced two posts and three 35-foot long rails in our main corral.  This time, I used deeply creosote-treated surplus telephone poles for posts, so they won’t rot out — at least not in my lifetime.

I mowed the weeds alongside the county road at the front end of the Rawles Ranch, using our Cub Cadet line trimmer. That is a walk-behind gas engine machine that cuts a 32-inch swath. It has large wheels, so it does well on uneven ground. I was able to rake up some of the trimmings to feed to our sheep.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote

“For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes — Friday, May 29, 2026

On May 29, 1648, King Charles I of England attempted to escape captivity at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, for the second time, by hacksawing through a barred window but he was caught in the act.

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On this day in 1780, the treatment of Patriot prisoners by British Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his Loyalist troops led to the coining of a phrase that defined British brutality for the rest of the War for Independence: “Tarleton’s Quarter.”

Tarleton and his Torries proceeded to shoot any an all Patriots that had surrendered after the fall of Charleston. The Patriots lost 113 men. The slaughter of the surrendered troops became a propaganda victory for the Continentals and Carolina civilians who had been terrified of Tarleton and their loyalist neighbors now rallied to the Patriot cause.

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We are continuing a big sale on all of our blackpowder rifles, all of our pre-1899 cartridge sporter rifles, and selected Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company. Most of the blackpowder rifles are .50 caliber. There are some very deep discounts, so take a look! Update: I’ve now added another M1891 Argentine Mauser sporter and a LHR Sporting Arms Redemption .50 Caliber Blackpowder Rifle to the catalog. This sale will end on Tuesday, June 2nd, so place your order soon!

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be a “Round 125”!

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Take Note: Our editorial calendar is now filled for May. Any articles received will be considered guest articles and not eligible as contest entries.

Water in Disasters: A Rain Catchment and Treatment System, by Suburban Prepper

Water is essential to all life. The human body can go three weeks without food but only three days without water before completely shutting down. Yet most of us find it much easier to store a year’s worth of food than a month’s worth of water. I live in the suburbs and while I have my beans, bullets and band aids pretty squared away, water has always been an area of concern for me. There is no way to store enough water for a long term outage, and I haven’t found many good options. Recently I have spent more time thinking about this and testing possible options. This article is the result of that.

Water Needs

People need around 1 gallon per person per day just for drinking. For a family of 5, that is 5 gallons per day or 150 gallons per month. At 8 pounds per gallon, that is 1200 pounds of water for the bare minimum for just one month. A year’s supply would be nearly 2000 gallons and 7 tons of water. And that is just the minimum for drinking. Water is also important for sanitation, cooking, flushing toilets, watering gardens, fire fighting and many other things. In our modern world, with water available at the turn of a tap, the average American uses from 60-80 gallons per person per day. In a SHTF situation, we would need to be careful with our water use and try to limit the waste but the true need is likely many times the 1 gallon per day commonly quoted. Realistically, 5-10 gallons per person per day is probably closer to what you need. At 5 gallons per day for a family of 5, that is 9,125 gallons per year or 73,000 pounds. From a storage perspective, this is 1,220 cubic feet of water. That is a cube 12 ft by 12 ft and 8 ft high. That would completely fill a medium sized room from floor to ceiling. Obviously, this is more than the average suburban homeowner can store.

Modern water systems

In my suburb on the outskirts of Minneapolis, our water is pulled from a well over 400 feet deep. Pumps driven by electricity pull water from the ground up to surface level. From there it is chemically treated and filtered to remove pathogens and other contaminants. Then it it pumped into water towers placed around the community and from there, gravity takes it into our homes. In normal times, this means that every time I turn on the tap, step into the shower or flush the toilet, a large, modern system brings clean water right into my house. But if that system fails, we need another way to procure this life-giving resource.Continue reading“Water in Disasters: A Rain Catchment and Treatment System, by Suburban Prepper”