Drinking Water Disinfection by Jim Mc.

Water from open sources must always be treated before use. The lack of proper attention to water quality can be life threatening. By a review of the literature there appears to be no one way to treat water to make it safe. As I went through the Blog I found numerous authoritative sounding articles that contradicted other equally authorities articles. Unless we can get EPA experts or similar authorities to talk about water quality in WTSHTF conditions and not 4 acre treatment facilities you have to pick your experts and go with them, understanding that none of us have ever been there.

There are numerous methods for treating water including osmosis, distillation, ultra violet, boiling, filtering, and chemicals such as chlorine or iodine. Most of these treatments are aimed at biological contamination and each of them has disadvantages in a WTSHTF scenario. (Contaminates may also include chemicals but that is beyond the scope here.) I have a preference toward water treatment methods that can be applied in a WTSHTF which eliminates the methods requiring significant electrical power.

What are we trying to do? How to sterilize water? You don’t need to ‘sterilize’ water. Sterilization is the destruction of all microorganisms in, on and around an object. What is needed is disinfection (killing of pathogenic (disease causing organisms). Another proposal is Pasteurization (less than boiling (149°F) but a temperature high enough to “kill disease causing organisms”.) The exception might be Ultra Violet treatments which don’t kill the organism but leave them so they can’t reproduce which makes them harmless.

Biological contaminates consist of microorganisms also called microbes. There are four different groups. Arranged from largest to smallest they are, fungi, protista, bacteria, and viruses. The smallest bacteria which causes human disease is Mycoplasma pneumoniae which is approximately 0.2 microns in size. When selecting a microfilter, I want one that filters down to at least 0.2 microns (a micron is one micrometer or 0.000001 meter or 1 x 10-6 meter). While effective against bacteria and larger microorganisms, even a good microfilters (0.2 microns) cannot be counted on to filter out viruses unless there is another mechanism to trap or destroy the virus. All the viruses I am familiar with are smaller in diameter than 0.3 microns, examples include Smallpox 0.250 microns, Rabies 0.150 microns, Influenza (Flu) 0.100 microns, and Polio 0.028 microns. Viruses are composed of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. This construction allows them to be easily destroyed by boiling or chemicals such as iodine or chlorine (bleach). While iodine or chlorine is effective against viruses, it is ineffective against the protista Cryptosporidium.

(Since the first recorded human case of Cryptosporidiosis in 1976, it has grown to become one of the most common waterborne diseases. In 1993, an outbreak in Milwaukee, Wisconsin infected approximately 400,000 residents. 4,400 people had to be hospitalized and the cost of the outbreak was estimated at over $54 million. If this is a problem now, imagine what it would be in WTSHTF scenario. See the CDC web site for additional information.)

Unfortunately, some bacteria produce spores which can survive extreme conditions. They can survive being boiled in water (100 degrees Celsius) for two hours, survive in 70% ethyl alcohol for 20 years, or survive one million REM of radiation (600 REM is fatal to most people). One of the most infamous bacteria that form spores is Bacillus anthracis which causes Anthrax.

Unfortunately we don’t know what bad guys are in the water we will get in the future so you make your choices and take your chances. Here are some suggestions that might help you make these choices. It will always be a juggling act between: Time consumed, cost – energy and financial, and what you think you are protecting your selves from.

Many prepper discussions include bleach as a means to add chlorine to the water to be treated but the shelf life has you moving to the dry pool shock (Calcium hypochlorite) as an easier storage item and far more concentrated source of chlorine. (Long term storage of Calcium Hypochlorite still need to be resolved because of evidence of slow generation of Chlorine gas.) [JWR Adds: The main concern is that chlorine gas is corrosive, and will induce rust on any exposed metals that are nearby, even in very dry climates.]

Calcium Hypochlorite – Mixing From the EPA site: “Granular Calcium Hypochlorite. Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of granular calcium hypochlorite (~50%) (Approximately 1/4 ounce or 1 heaping teaspoon) for each two gallons of water. To disinfect water, add the above developed stock (bleach replacement) chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 oz.) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons (1,600 oz) of clear water to be disinfected.

It is usually recommend that a three step approach to treating water from open sources be followed:

  1. Pre-filtering. This removes particulate matter. Pouring water though a couple of thickness of t-shirts or tightly-woven bath towels or coffee filters works fine. The water that comes through may still look like tea, but at least you have removed the crud and larger particles. By pre-filtering, you will also extend the life of your water filter. (You avoid clogging the microscopic pores in the filter media.)

  2. Chlorinating. (Iodine – Hydrogen peroxide etc) This can be accomplished following directions above

  3. Final / fine – Filtering. The large Katadyn or British Berkefeld filters. Some filter elements available for Katadyn or British Berkefeld filters .2 micron rated. (Complete filter systems and spare filter elements are available from Ready Made Resources, Safecastle, Katadyn Pocket filter, and other Internet vendors.

Follow up questions needing additional research:

Disease-causing organisms in water are killed by exposure to heat in a process known as pasteurization. Water heated to 65°C (149°F) for a short period of time is free from microbes, including E. coli, Rotaviruses, Guardia and the Hepatitis A virus. A Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI) is a simple thermometer that indicates when water has reached pasteurization temperature and is safe to drink. It was invented by Fred Barrett and Dale Andreatta. An article written by Dr. Bob Metcalf who promotes pasteurization at 149°F stated that it kills Guardia but no mention of the Guardia spores which I have read cannot be killed by boiling?

Lot of discussion on the blog about the non-active ingredients in your Calcium Hypochlorite. I have heard some ideas as to what the non active ingredients are and not having an active chemistry expertise have come to the conclusion that if it is going into a pool it has to be pretty close to drinkable and we are diluting the snot out of it. (Am I copping out?)

When using the purchased filters in step 3 for the final filtering how do you know if the filter is functioning? Is it as simple as, when the water will not flow through it, it’s plugged? Is there a way to regenerate them? In the bigger picture, how long after the WTSHTF will your current stock of extra filters last? In my search to understand using pool shock as a source of chlorine I did some minimum reading about pool filters and have to ask if there is a pool filter that is sand based that can be recharged / regenerated mechanically. I try to always look at techniques in two perspectives, short term while stored supplies last and long term, what do you do when your chlorine is gone and all your micro pore filters are clogged. Regenerating a sand filter has a nice ring to it. I have never owned a pool and have no experience with this. Can anyone tell me if this is reasonable? Could this type of filter get you close to the .2 micron goal of the purchased filters

Has anyone looked into the long term storage of Calcium Hypochlorite. It is sold in plastic bags that I fear contain it as well as gunny sacks contain grain dust. Short term answers appear to be glass containers that depend on rubber gaskets. I have seen rubber gaskets become dry, brittle and worthless with no more than just age. Is there a better storage mode?

I am consistently impressed with how dummied down things like mixing Calcium Hypochlorite to make a stock solution of how much of the stock solution to put in drinking water. It leaves me wondering how may preppers reload their own ammunition. If this is a reasonable number, as I think it might be, then we all have access to a very accurate scale and can move to exact measurements vs heaping teaspoons. Is there a reason for not using this cross subject expertise?

I may have just received an answer to some of my question about killing things like giardia cyst. I am still rereading and trying to digest this article. Vinegar anyone?

Addendum: I just got through to a customer rep for PPG, the makers of the Calcium Hypochlorite for the 73% Pool Shock I bought from Leslie’s.  He told me that the balance of 27% in this product is NaCl (table salt) and chemically bound water.  (This product is used in potable water treatment systems.)

The other question was about long term storage because I have been told by people that they get a chlorine gas smell in a closed closet.  He said that the proper storage would be dark, cool and well ventilated.  I asked about the results of storing it in a sealed container.  He said that this would not be a good idea because you end up with a pressurized container of chlorine gas.  You cannot stop the slow decomposition to chlorine gas.  Their product has a 73% guaranteed available chlorine for one year from manufacture.

Prepping? Water Above All Else!, by David R.

As I type on my photovoltaic-powered desktop computer and consider the most important preparation I’ve made to “survive and thrive,” undoubtedly, it has been procuring sizable amounts of potable water. Think about it. Yes, you need defensive measures (got ‘em). Yes, you need food (got that too), but none of us can survive, let alone thrive, without a bare minimum of a gallon of water a day per person. That’s a lot of water if you are shooting for a year’s supply or more. For the average family of four, that’s nearly 1,500 gallons a year!  That is just to survive. What about feeding animals or livestock, growing a garden, bartering, or simply bathing? Your needs will far exceed the menagerie of 2-liter plastic bottles you may be collecting and cluttering in your garage.

How it all started
My journey for a sustainable and renewable water source, coupled with substantial storage, began in 2006 when I moved to the country in Central Texas. I thought digging my own well (more than 400 feet before hitting a local aquifer) would suffice. No, it’s not publicly produced water, and yes, its drinkable (just barely) but if stuff does hit the fan and we are off line permanently, my limited solar power will not pump out water 400 feet deep. I needed a more cost effective and viable alternative. I found it. It came from above in the form of rain.

Yes, collecting and storing rain water is the easiest and most practical way to secure enough water to meet your needs, wants, and perhaps the needs of others who would trade a pound of gold for a gallon of drinkable water when none can be found.  It is so simple; I can’t imagine why more people don’t do it. Maybe it seems too “green” or too antiquated. Perhaps it’s like the public library no body uses because its “free,” or maybe, just maybe, we’ve been conditioned to believe water has to come from the ground first before we can drink it up. I can assure you it does not. In fact, my family drinks rain water almost exclusively. Moreover, my young boys have become what I call “water snobs.” Rain water is so delicious, so pure in taste these picky kids of mine don’t even like the bottled stuff anymore. I have to agree. Nothing is more refreshing (and void of whatever God didn’t want in it) than rain water from on high.

Constructing Your Own System
So how did I do it?  How did I make rain water collection and consumption part of my daily routine?  It started simply enough. First, I determined where to store the water. Admittedly, this was easy for me. I live on nearly 10 acres of land with no zoning laws, permits or other governmental interference. God love Texas! Anyway, I needed a way to store as much water as possible. My family (four of us at that time) would require the bare minimum of 1,500 gallons of water a year that I mentioned, so I doubled it. I purchased two 1,500 gallon black plastic water storage containers from a local farming supply. Tractor Supply also sells these containers in different sizes as well. I paid $600 each for mine.

I was cautious to purchase black containers, not because they’d match my Texas limestone farm house (they do not), but because black keeps algae from growing in your tanks. Sun and water in a clear container will produce this unwanted green goo.  Solid green containers will also do the trick, but again, whatever you do, stay way from clear containers even if you think it’s a practical way to see how much water you’ve collected. You’ll see more than water collecting. I promise.

Now before you conclude that you can’t possibly put a 1,500 gallon tank next to the swing set in your back yard (your wife would kill you) or you can’t afford such large containers, understand that water tanks come in all sizes and shapes. Start small. Consider a 50 gallon drum. Just be careful that the drums you procure weren’t used for storing anything other than water.  It is best to get new water storage tanks if possible.  Remember water is more important than anything else you may store. I prefer plastic containers because they are less expensive, lighter and don’t rust, but professional cisterns or storage containers can be galvanized metal which are less likely to be punctured.

When positioning your water tanks consider either back corner of your home. Yes, you can put a water container near a front corner of your home, but then everyone will see just what you are doing, and who knows if one day a stray bullet (or a not so stray bullet) doesn’t puncture your container and spew forth real liquid gold. Corners are good places for your tanks because they are close to the down spout of your gutter system. Keep in mind, plastic water tanks are meant for above ground. If you bury them they may collapse.

When I first built my home I didn’t care about putting in a gutter system, but collecting rain water requires it. I chose galvanized metal gutters because they are more durable than the plastic ones (which I’ve seen bleach and almost melt in the Texas sun). I don’t know that it’s an issue, but I also don’t want any plastics breaking down in my rain water. If you are putting in new gutters, make sure they are at a slight angle with the down spout being at the lowest point near your water tank. You want gravity on your side. Gravity is a major factor in ensuring water comes from the sky to your roof to your tank and to a smaller container for transport (more on that later). Think about clearing or cutting back trees that may hang over your gutters. Leaves, branches and twigs can clog them or even enter your storage tank(s).

The biggest difference between a standard gutter system and a rain water collecting system is where your water goes. Collecting rain requires you to remove your standard down spout. You don’t want the rain running down the pavement into the street. You want it going into your tank. To get the water from my gutter to the tanks, I used pipe strapping to connect approximately four feet of three inch PVC pipe directly under the corner gutter joint with the hole. Use an elbow joint at the top (larger than the gutter hole) and run the pipe vertically to a tee joint. The other side of the tee will connect to more pipe with an elbow down to the top of your tank. You will likely need reducer couplers to go from 3 inch wide piping to two inch. It depends on the width of the opening on the top of your tank. The length of your piping depends on how far away your tank is from the roof. Measuring and planning is key.

The vertical or bottom part of the tee joint (between your roof and your tank) will connect to another three inch pipe down to the ground (about six to eight feet). This piping is called a “first flush.” It looks like an upside down candy cane (or down spout). At the bottom (the crook part) is another elbow fitting which is threaded for a drain plug.  When it rains the first flush is plugged. Its purpose is to catch some of the debris or dirt that collects on your roof when it first begins to rain. Once the first flush fills up, the water will continue into your tank where you need to use a threaded fitting, usually female on the pipe joint and male on the tank. Make sure you empty the first flush after every rain. You’d be surprised how dirty this captured water is. If it has been a long time since the last rain, leave the first flush unplugged for a few minutes to wash out the excess dirt and debris your roof has likely collected.

I use a T-post to secure the first flush PVC pipe to the ground. Because I have two tanks they are connected together at the top and at the bottom with two inch wide PVC pipes (my tanks have openings both at the top and the bottom). This allows the tanks to both be filled up at the same time and to remove water from them at the same time. In the middle of the 2 inch PVC pipe at the bottom I have another tee joint connected up to a pipe with an elbow joint and then connected to a copper faucet or spigot. I mentioned earlier that gravity is your friend. The weight of the water allows a decent amount of pressure to push water up the pipe and through the spigot. You’re not going to power wash a car, but you can fill a five gallon bucket or water jug in no time without the need for electricity. All pipes will need appropriate fittings where they are connected to your tank(s).

How much can I collect?
So how much water can I collect?  There are three factors that determine this. First, how big is your roof? Second, how much does it rain where you live and third, what is the capacity of your storage container(s)? For example, I have a 2000 square foot home, but I only collect water off of one side of the house. That being said, one or two good inches of rain can totally fill my two 1,500 gallon tanks. It is amazing to see just how quickly they fill up from a good rainstorm. Even during the Texas drought last year, my two tanks were never empty.

My neighbor has seven 1000 gallon tanks and uses rain water exclusively for cooking, washing, drinking and all his water needs. He has yet to see his tanks empty. As long as it continues to rain and your storage tanks are relatively large (500 to 1000 gallons) you will be pleasantly surprised how much water you can collect and store. Again, you may have to start small as time and money allows, but as you add more tanks (and in my case more gutters) your capacity for storage will exceed your needs and may provide for others who are not as prepared as you.

Is it really safe?
Admittedly, we do not use rain water exclusively, but it does provide for all of our cooking and drinking water needs. Every day or so, my son retrieves five gallons from the tanks. The water is then poured into a Berkey Water filtration system (gravity filtered). Nothing tastes better. I assure you. My neighbor uses a UV light sterilization system that filters all incoming water to his house by passing by a UV light. From my research, the only possible contamination I am truly concerned with is bird droppings on my roof which could cause illness in untreated rainwater. If possible, and if you have more rain than storage ability, consider rotating your water before the big storm comes in. If not, you can also add appropriate amounts of bleach, iodine or water purification tablets right into your water storage tank.

Some have also asked me what kind of roof is safest for collecting rain water. Optimally, a metal roof is best, but my brother has the same rain water collection system I do (I helped him install it) with a standard shake roof. He uses a Berkey system as well. He contacted the roofing manufacturer and they said there was nothing unsafe in their roofing materials. Unless your roof is more than 15 years old, there shouldn’t be anything in the roofing material that would cause you harm. To be safe you can have your rain water tested, but in truth it’s probably much safer than what your local water company is brewing. In an emergency there would be no question about this.

Lessons Learned

Experience (daily use) has taught me some hard lessons with my rain water collection. First and foremost, glue all of your PVC pieces together. I was a bit on the lazy impatient side and thought, well there’s no water pressure on the feed pipes, so why not just hand fit everything? That was a bad idea. A few good winds knocked everything down, and all of my water leaked out of my pipes at the bottom. Also, consider placing a ball spigot between your tank and pipes at the bottom. This way if a pipe breaks you can turn off the water to your tank. Having two tanks in tandem allows you to fill them both up simultaneously, but it also allows them both to empty at the same time if a pipe breaks, or if one your children leaves the spigot open. Once they are both filled, I shut one tank off and use it as a back up.

Your PVC pipes are above ground, so they are subject to freezing if they are full of water. I shut both tanks off at the bottom with my ball spigots first and then let the remaining water out of the middle spigot. I wrap both ball spigots with old cloth diapers during the winter. Yes, it’s hot in Texas, but it can get cold too. As long as your pipes are empty, and the spigots at the bottom of your tank(s) are covered, they shouldn’t crack. However, nothing is fool proof. Keep extra PVC fittings on hand. I hate running into town (spending $10 on gas) for a two dollar fitting. In a true emergency, you will be the hardware store. I have extra elbows, couplers, (connects two pipes together) spigots and PVC pipe glue, not to mention extra lengths of pipe. Again, nothing is failsafe and nothing lasts forever.

Whatever you do, don’t install your rain water system, walk away from it and think it will be ready when you need it. It only takes a minute to visually inspect your system for cracks, loose fittings, clogged gutters or water puddles. If you have small children as I do, water play is a temptation and leaving spigots open is common. You’d be surprised just how fast water can drain out of a 1,500 gallon tank. Get in the habit of using your rainwater, so that it’s part of who you are now, not just when an emergency arises.
Conclusion
Five years after installing my rain water collection system, I couldn’t be happier. My wife no longer lugs in store bought drinking water, and I no longer pay for it. More importantly, if it does hit the fan, I see those full tanks outside my home and know I can irrigate my garden, put water in my toilets (I have a septic system), see to our bathing needs and most importantly ensure my family will drink and cook with water that is as pure as nature intended it to be. Hit the fan if it must. We are water prepared!

Letter Re: An Inexpensive Approach to Underground Rainwater Storage

Hi,
I know that you have had stuff on about rain harvesting over the years. I thought I would add my $0.02 worth. I live in a dry climate in the west. We’ve had many fires this summer so water is an issue here. We get rain in the summer, but it can be sporadic and voluminous when it does come. So, in order to even things out I wanted to be able to capture some of it for future use. I was trying to figure out how to do it inexpensively. I wanted to bury whatever I did for reasons of OPSEC and also because it freezes here and I want to be able to store water throughout the year. I looked at a lot of options but they were all pretty expensive. Then I came across a local company that sells used food grade liquid totes. These are the 275 gallon variety with the metal cage around them. I was able to check some of these out. Although the plastic is not so stout (they are meant to hold liquid in, not any external pressure) with the metal cage I thought they would do what I needed. I bought four of them so I would have a storage capacity of about 1,100 gallons. These totes are about a 4 foot cube. I used a mini excavator to dig the hole. I made it 16 feet long, 5 feet wide and 4 feet deep. If I had it to do over again I would make the hole 6 feet wide to allow better access to connect the totes to each other. Once the hole was dug, I began to place the totes in it. I first placed two totes and connected them to each other with PVC pipe, leaving a stub for the next. Then I placed the following two, connecting them to the others as I placed them. Once I had all the connections made, I placed concrete backer board all around the outside of the totes up against the metal frame and backfilled. This way the force of the earth – when backfilled – would be against the concrete backer board and the metal frames, not against the plastic sides of the totes. I then covered the tops of the totes with ¾ inch pressure treated plywood backed with 2x4s to hold the 8 inch or so layer of dirt that I put on top of the totes. I cut holes in the top of the plywood to allow access to the top caps of the two outermost totes. One is to allow the drainage system from my gutters to fill the totes. I routed all my gutters into drain pipe that comes to the where the totes are buried. I also built a small filter box to filter off any debris that comes through the gutters and grain pipes and then the filtered water flows into the totes. Any debris that makes it through the filter should will settle out in the first or second tote and not make it to the last tote – the other one with a hole in the plywood for access. This hole is to allow access to the water.  I currently have a well pump in the last tote to pump water out for irrigation. This could also be used to access the water to fill buckets via a hand pump or a variety of other methods. So far it has worked fine for me. Anyone wanting to try this may want to check local water law in their area. It is not legal to harvest rain water in this way in many states.
 
These totes are not meant to hold side loads, but they are meant to hold vertical loads. They are designed to be stacked two high. A tote, when full, weighs well over 2,000 lbs. So, to have a layer of dirt on top is no problem as long as the plywood can support it, the tote can too. With the metal frame and the backer board on the sides they should be fine for side loads too. Even if they had no frame, as long as they have water in them they would never collapse from the weight of the surrounding dirt. With the metal frame and backer board they will be fine for those periods when they are closer to empty. I hope to never run them completely dry, but if it does happen for a time I don’t worry about them being crushed by earth pressure because of the surrounding support provided by their own frames and the backer board to distribute the load onto the frame.
 
In any case, they are full today and I am enjoying having a large volume of water stored for any future need. Best Regards, – Tim P.

JWR Replies: Your clever idea just earned you a BFO Award, with an Amazon.com gift card to go along with it. Congrats!

Odds ‘n Sods:

A bahl tidrick–kimmies pike by moshe to Boont! The Not-So-Simple Living Fair, a weekend of hands-on workshops and demonstrations on rural living and homesteading skills, is returning in July 27, 28, and 29, 2012 to the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California. (I should mention that Boonville is best known as the birthplace of the disappearing American lingo called Boontling. It was also the home of my branch of the Rawles family, starting in 1858, following their overland journey by covered wagon.)

   o o o

The latest BHO Executive Order: Assignment of National Security & Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions

   o o o

East Coast Power Loss Experience/Feedback From Listener Who Went Through It

   o o o

H.L. sent this news: What’s Behind Illinois Stealing Local Hero’s Bee Hives?

   o o o

Vic at Safecastle wrote to mention: “Mountain House just contacted us last night–they are offering a special discount for the rest of July on their canned freeze dried fruits and vegetables. That means we can offer you those products at a discount not seen in at least five years: up to 34% off suggested retail price! And of course, the rest of our Mountain House can listings remain at the maximum-allowed 25%-off through July 18th.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
They on the rock [are they], which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience.
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth [it] under a bed; but setteth [it] on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have’ – Luke 8:4-18 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Non-Fiction About Fiction, by Robert H. in Alabama

Back when I thought the world was perfect and would go on in its present state forever, I was an avid reader of fiction novels. I still am. From reading the Hardy Boys mysteries as a kid to the works of Stephen King and Tom Clancy as an adult, I have always loved to read. In fact, I give credit to this love of reading as the single factor in what will probably save my life one day. If I had not been totally hooked on reading great stories and hadn’t curved my reading interest towards post-apocalyptic types of books (Stephen King’s “The Stand” got me started in that direction), I would probably not have gotten started in my survivalist activities. One book led to another and to another and after a path of hundreds of books that led me to reading “Patriots” and “One Second After”, my course was set. A prepper was born.

Now, this article is neither to sing the praises of any single novel nor to tell my story on how I came to believe what I now believe today. It is strictly designed to talk about the incredible importance of fiction novels to the modern day survivalist or prepper.

As I go through my day to day journey getting ready for some interesting times to come, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity, through my job, to talk to lots of people. I have met several “Like Minded” people in my journey, and the conversation subject generally turns to what we are each doing to prepare. I love to discuss this subject with others and enjoy having them try to throw monkey wrenches in my plans as I try to throw the same wicked tool at theirs. This helps us look at scenarios we might not have thought of and make the appropriate changes or additions to our plans or materials. The main objective of preparation is to have plans and materials available for an unknown situation or series of events. This can, and usually is, a major undertaking. Having someone throw different “what ifs” at you helps you improve those plans and lists of materials.
As these conversations took place, I noticed that I was very good at throwing curve balls at people’s plans that they had not previously thought of and I really didn’t understand why. One day, a friend of mine asked me why I always seemed to be able to throw a scenario at him that he hadn’t previously thought of and it finally dawned on me why that was so. It was because of the massive number of fiction novels I had and continue to read. Most survivalist and preppers can read you off a long list of non-fiction books they have read and collected. Everything from urban combat manuals to food preservation books seems to be a staple for the modern day survivalist. While they recite this list of non-fiction books they own, I rarely hear them mention books like Patriots, Lights Out , Lucifer’s Hammer, and One Second After.

They can tell me about the struggle they had reading a book, cover to cover, about canning vegetables but they never mention the wonderful (and educational) hours spent reading “One Second After”, a great work of fiction. Or, maybe they read one or two novels and that got them interested in this movement but after that, it was strictly non-fiction from then on. That is a mistake I am afraid many people are making.

While I am by no means undercutting the importance of non-fiction books, I am simply stating that the importance of fiction novels of pre and post society collapse is typically being forgotten. I believe many preppers get so caught up in reading the non-fiction works to gain the knowledge that they lack that they somehow miss the fact that a good work of fiction will take that knowledge and let the characters show how and when they used it. In other words, it takes the knowledge from the non-fiction and puts it in a storyline that is easy to absorb, wonderful to follow and hard to put down.

I have read some incredible works of fiction that told the stories of groups of survivors after a society collapse. These stories kept me totally captivated as I followed them through their failures and their triumphs. Each of these novels allowed me to learn the same lessons the book’s characters learned without having to actually experience the hardships they went through. Each author created scenarios for his or her characters to go through that gave me an insight as to how the non-fiction knowledge they acquired worked out. Yes, I have read some bad novels right along with the greats, but I can honestly say that I have never read a single work of post-apocalyptic fiction that I did not at least learn something from. I have always managed to take some tidbit of information away that I could use to either modify a plan or a list of materials. The good novels may actually cause you to make several changes as you see what did and did not work for the book’s characters. This is because while we may think of ourselves as awesome preppers, having thought of everything, there is no way we have actually thought of everything. Reading these novels gives us the insight of not only the author’s education but also each character’s. As someone who has done some writing, I know that when writing, a story can take on a mind of its own and when the author suddenly sees his characters in a situation he actually hadn’t thought they would end up in, he or she has to stop typing and go do some additional research on how to get them out of it. This increases his knowledge, while he increases his character’s knowledge, thus increasing your knowledge through reading it.

For example, I had always thought my preparedness plan was pretty good. While I have still not acquired everything that is on my list, I felt pretty good about what was on the list. Then I read a novel about a group of survivors that had to deal with a member of their group suffering from some problems with a mental illness. While this illness was temporary and due to PTSD, it still posed some problems and challenges for the group. They needed to restrain this person to keep them from hurting themselves and others but all they had available was rope. This caused some abrasion problems that led to other medical problems due to the lack of medical care and a clean environment. What the main character wished he had added to their stockpile was a couple of sets of handcuffs. After reading that, guess what I added to my list? That’s right, a set of handcuffs! I do believe that a big part of preparing for an uncertain future involves thinking about the mental state you or others may or may not be in during times like that. The best way I have found to examine these different mental states (without actually creating a scenario to cause them which my wife forbids) is in these works of fiction. You get to live the life of the characters, go through what they are going through, and ask yourself what you would do in a similar situation.

This article may seem like I am putting a higher importance on fiction than I am non-fiction but that isn’t the case. We all need more knowledge than we have and non-fiction books are that source. However, a good work of fiction can point you towards the right non-fiction book to read by showing you areas you are weak in as you follow the trials and tribulations of the book’s characters. Several of the “How-to” books I own came as a direct result of being shown an area in a novel that I was unfamiliar with and learned from the character’s problems that I had better get familiar with it.

If you have never been a reader of novels, you may be asking yourself what novels you should read. In my experience, most preppers have a general opinion on what will be the catalyst of society’s downfall. Things like nuclear war, plague, famine, economical and natural disaster are just some examples of what people are preparing for and while they believe strongly in one of those events taking place, they still tend to do a little “Side Prepping” into one of the other scenarios. For example, someone who strongly believes that an asteroid is going to be our end may still keep a few surgical masks and gas masks in their stockpile just in case it turns out to be plague. Someone who believes a massive case of the flu will bring us down may still do some financial preps in case it turns out to be an economical collapse. I tell you that to tell you this. Don’t limit your fiction reading to only those books whose storyline follows your belief. Personally, I am a follower of the economical crisis leading to a long-term grid collapse theory. While that is a strong belief for me, I still took away many “tips and tricks” from the novel Lucifer’s Hammer which dealt with an asteroid strike. While books that have storylines dealing with the effects of an EMP did not exactly follow my belief in what will happen, the trials and triumphs the characters went through were similar to what I think will happen. In other words, I learned a lot from books like “One Second After” even though my thoughts are more in line with books like Patriots. You can learn something from everything so read it all! This web site has a great list of novels that will give you a great place to start. Will you think every book is great? No. Of course not. Will you learn something from every book you read? Well, that is strictly up to you. Keep a notepad and pen alongside your book and make notes when you run across something you haven’t thought of before. I promise you that you will make some notes and may be very glad you did one day.

As a final note, I want to add that a good novel has one more very valuable attribute. All of us have friends and family that we would like to see become more in line with our way of thinking. I have converted more friends to the prepper way of life by handing them my copy of “Lights Out” to read than I have by giving them my copy of “Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook”. Before one’s mind can be converted to a survivalist’s mindset, they have to be able to imagine a future where that will be needed. Nothing stokes the fire of the imagination like a good novel.

Read on, my friends, and keep on learning.

Now Entering The Red Zone, by Don H. in Tennessee

We are now entering what I call the Red Zone. Society as we know it is like a high performance race car. It  has many moving parts and some of them are very delicate. Right now that race car is in the red. The RPMs are being pushed to their max and it’s just a matter of time before something has to give or break. The greedy are the ones that are pushing the pedal and they show no signs of slowing down. The incident that just happened in Greece is like the check engine light coming on. Instead of stopping and fixing the problem, the greedy just keep going.

Every society since the start of mankind has collapsed, ours is no different. It’s not a matter of if just a matter of when. From the looks of things, that when is not too far off. We are in a downward spiral and it is getting faster and deeper. Some say that we are past the point of no return, I hope they are wrong. If we are past the point of no return you better have your Three Bs ready: Bullets, Beans, and Band-Aids. In this essay I’m just going to address a few things about those three. I’m not going to elaborate in detail, as there are plenty of articles on the given subject,  but merely my 2 cents worth.

Bullets

Mr. Rawles has stated that guns are like tools, there is no one perfect gun. Just like there is no one perfect tool. You need a specific tool for each given task.So I’m not going to use a folding ruler to hammer a nail down and I’m not going to use a hammer to screw in a flat head. Guns are the same way, I’m not going to use a .50 BMG to go rabbit hunting, just like I’m not going to use a .22 to go moose hunting.

This question has been asked many times, if you had to pick one and only one gun in a bug out situation what would it be? My answer would be the AK-47. In a WTSHTF situation the primary purpose of the gun is to protect yourself and your loved ones. The secondary purpose is to kill game to provide food. You can have all the resources in the world but if you have no means of protection then sooner or later someone will come and take them by force, both your resources and your loved ones. Don’t let that happen!

So why the AK-47? A buddy of mine, Jason H., said it best: “The d%*n thing is nearly indestructible. It’s good for 200-300 yards out and how many people can even make that shot under stress? There is a reason that over 75 million of them have been made and there is a reason that they have been used in every war since they were made.”

The AK-47 has a reputation of being “the bad guys gun.” The gun itself is not bad it’s the person behind the trigger. Most westerners have been brainwashed with this concept via Hollywood. The bottom line is that it works. In most other countries the AK is a symbol of freedom. When your life is on the line, would you trust a gun that has been around for over 60 years and is tried and true or some concept gun that has been around for a few years?

So, once, again why the AK? It is low maintenance, reliable, affordable,  can be field stripped and reassembled quickly with no tools and you can literally put, a thousand rounds through it before cleaning. Though, I don’t recommend this, it can be done. Some other guns jam after 100 rounds in dirty field conditions. You can drown it, drag it through mud, bury it in sand and even run it over and it will still work.

If for some reason, one can not obtain an AK-47. Your next best bet would be an SKS (Simonov carbine.) There are many similarities between the two-the main one is ruggedness. The SKS has two main shortcomings. First, they come stock with a fixed magazine, this can be remedied by TAPCO’s semi-detachable [20 round] magazines. Secondly, they have been know to slam fire. Inherently any automatic or semi-auto has the potential to slam fire. However, the SKS is known for this. Why? Because the firing pin stops itself on the cartridge base itself [and the firing pin is free-floating, without a spring]. The ammo with “soft” primers that is most commonly used today is sensitive to light strikes from the firing pin. The most common cause for the slam fire is not cleaning the cosmoline off the rifle. If you fire several hundred rounds through an SKS without cleaning it could also cause a slam fire. A simple remedy for this would be to install a Murray Firing Pin (spring loaded to prevent slam fire).

Mr. Rawles has often said, that just because someone owns a surf board doesn’t mean they know how to surf. So where would one look for training on the AK-47? There are tons of books and videos on marksmanship, however, if you can’t get yourself in position to take the shot then they are useless. Most tactical guns such as the AK are shot on the move in a combat situation. BTW, I don’t like the term, “assault rifle.” The AK-47 as well as the SKS were not meant to “assault”. Nobody in their right mind ever bought a gun and said, “Man, I can’t wait to assault someone with this!” So what would be good material for this particular gun? I would recommend the DVD titled Beyond The Firearm Part II by Sonny Puzikas [, a former Spetsnaz trooper.] It has lots of useful information.

“Anything that is complex is not useful and anything that is useful is simple. This has been my whole life’s motto.” – Mikhail Kalashnikov

These are words to live by in a WTSHTF situation. There will be times when you do not have time to think only react, such as when the bad guys are almost on your doorstep.

 

Beans

There are three macronutrients that the human body needs, protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

All are important, but, of these three, in a survival situation the carbohydrates would probably be the most important. The reason being is that the human body is made of between 60-70% water. The word itself carbohydrate has the word hydrate in it. The main fuel of the human brain is sugar (simple carbs). Therefore it only makes sense to stock up on carbohydrates while you still can. They will be hard to come by in harsh cold environments. My personal advice would be rice and plenty of it. It is cheap and you can buy them by the pounds at Costco. Buy the bags and put them in 5 gal. buckets along with dry packets of silica (this will absorb the moisture). Another good item for carbs that last long is oats. For the simple carbs. I would recommend honey, honey in its purest form will last hundreds of years.

The protein and fat you can get from meat. Because the power grid will be down, there will be very few ways to store the meat during summer months. This is where salt and a dehydrator come into play. The old school philosophy was if you don’t hunt and kill the game, you don’t eat that night. In a WTSHTF situation to hunt would be a waste of time, energy, and effort. You are better off baiting and trapping the game.

There are several methods to trapping-dead falls, snares, cage traps, etc. Of them all the snare takes the least amount of time, energy, and effort, best of all it is cheap and light weight to carry. To set a snare near your bait (such as your garden) can be done quickly. This will eliminate both pests and provide food, you are killing two birds with one stone. They are light weight and quick to set up. Some people argue that a snare is inhumane and in our current society I will agree with that. However, WTSHTF it is more inhumane to let your family starve to death. You bait the game, set up the snare, and check it once a day. If you catch anything you have your protein and fat to feed your family.

Your MREs will only last you a short period of time. The basic premise for humans is that if it crawls flies, walks, swims, or slithers it probably can be eaten.

Remember this Latin proverb: “Aut Agere Aut Mori.” ( Either Learn or Die.)

Band-Aids

There are many aspects of this concept that can be perceived, what I’m trying to focus on here is something that a lot of people may have overlooked: antibiotics

Most people have their basic First Aid kit and what not, but what about virus and bacteria?

The first thing that one needs is alcohol…this kills 99% of all bacteria-however, it does not kill staph and MRSA. For this, one needs to stock up on antibacterial soap. I recommend hand soap and dish washing liquid if it does not say antibacterial on it, it’s garbage. Right now it’s estimated that 30% of the north American population has MRSA and does not even know it, because it can lay dormant in your system for X amount of time.

Of everything since the beginning of human existence, virus and bacteria have killed more of the human population than all other unnatural reasons combined…

The Black Plague is estimated to have killed between 30-60% of Europe’s population in the mid-1300s.

Small pox is estimated to have killed 300-500 million between 1914-1977…

The first thing is where to get them without a prescription…the answer is at your local feed store or online. But your not getting human antibiotics you are getting fish antibiotics. Fish and human antibiotics are the same thing. There is no difference. But please note the warning that it is not for human use, it is for your fish.

Obviously, if you don’t know what your doing you are going to kill someone. Some good books to get would be:

“The Handbook of Antibiotics”

“Antibiotics Simplified”

“Do-It-Yourself-Medicine: How to Find and Use the Most Effective Antibiotics, Painkillers, Anesthetics and Other Miracle Drugs…Without Costly Doctors Prescriptions or Hospitals”

Which antibiotics should one get? Cephalexin (Keflex) would be the number one-this antibiotic can usually handle the vast majority of infections out there. The next two would be Amoxicillin and Erythromycin, then Sulfamethoxazole. Some others to think about are:

Ampicillin
Ketoconazole
Penicillin
Metronidazole
Tetracycline
Doxycycline

Needless to say the antibiotics should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Except for tetracycline, the expiration date that is marked is not the real date but the recommended date. Bear in mind that when they do the testing they are subjecting the drugs to the worst conditions possible, heat, humidity, and direct light. Most drugs are good for 6 months to 1-1/2 years after the expiration date. Some say longer-check out “A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI, by Dr. Bones in the search bar.

There are many viruses that can easily kill the human race, the Black Plague and Small Pox almost did. In a WTSHTF situation where there are no hospitals and medicine, it quickly becomes a YOYO situation. These are of the viruses that we know of. There are many viruses out there that we haven’t even identified much less found a cure for. The nature of any virus is like that of a human-to survive. They do this through mutation and building tolerances to certain drugs and antibiotics. This is how MRSA evolved from the common staph infection.

The current pop culture has adopted the whole zombie apocalypse theme. It is somewhat of an amusing theme. The dead are walking, which of course will never happen. However, consider this for a minute. Some people believe that the demise of the human race will come from a “Doomsday Virus.” Biological warfare has been used since before the time of Christ. Do a web search for yourself.  In the movies Quarantine 1 and Quarantine 2 the “zombies” were really living people that contracted a virus that caused aggressive behavior and insanity, that was transmitted through saliva. Much like the rabies virus.

How far-fetched would it be that a biologist somewhere has been working on splicing the rabies virus with say a 24 hour stomach bug to make it fast acting? Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that when society collapses that zombies will be coming after you. What I’m getting at is that there are many viruses out there and some are worse than others.

The rabies virus does exist and in a WTSHTF situation, there will be no hospital to go to if you are bitten by an animal that has rabies. There will be no series of shots to be administered. You will be on your own. That would be a very painful way to die.

To anyone reading this, I love my family and I love my fish. Stock up while you still can on the three Bs.

Letter Re: Discovering What We Needed in an Actual Time of Need

Hi Jim,
Two SurvivalBlog posts on Friday (Discovering What We Needed in an Actual Time of Need and Hot Water, Post-SHTF) caught my attention and got me to thinking. They were similiar in the sense of discovering “needs” during a “crisis”.  One (MM) was wanting a generator and other had a generator but still had needs.
 
But were they really needs?  Or just wants?  Both spoke of “keeping life as normal as possible” and maintaining their current lifestyle.  Both spoke of the psychological aspects (stress, crying and sanity) of dealing with changes to their accustomed routines and environments.  Wow, what are they going to do when the poo really hits the fan?  How are they going to cope? 

I visit most of the survival type sites on the Internet and have read almost all the post apocalypse books out there.  I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of preppers out there.  One side has what I consider to be a realistic view of how hard it is going to be and that life is not going to be “normal”.  The other side is spending outrageous amounts of money striving to maintain their current lifestyle post poo hitting the proverbial fan. 

I worked in the wilderness survival field for a bunch of years in my younger days. I was facscinated and studied the affects of taking people out of their comfort zone and plopping them into a foreign world (wilderness setting).  People are so acculturated.  It amazed me how even the slightest change to their “normal” routine or living conditions could cause stress.  The ones that could psychologically adapt to the new environment were successful.  Those that could not adapt had a tendency to stuggle a lot.  Some even became ill (?) and needed to be evacuated.  It was just too much for them. 
 
My best piece of advice to people is to get real.  Hot water, clean houses, clean clothes, and plenty of light on a regular basis are actually a luxuries rather than needs.  Yes, sanitation is important but humans are not as fragile as one would think.  The human body has an amazing ability to adapt.  Some people have become so conditioned that they can become psychologically fragile if their preconceived needs are not met.  So, on to the “wants”…
 
I live in a small two bedroom house (1,000 sq. ft.) down by the river in a forested area in Colorado.  I didn’t want to have to re-wire the utility room to handle a 220 washer and dryer so I found a work-around. 10 years ago I bought a used Danby washer and small used 110 watt dryer and they are still going strong.  The old Danby’s require you to hook a hose to your faucet to get the hot or cold water.  They have another hose that takes the water away.  I throw the outlet hose in the garden to let the grey water go to good use.  I have only had mild problems with the outlet hose freezing up during the cold winter months.  A bucket of hot water poured on the outdoor outlet hose fixes that.  Since both the washer and dryer are 110 VAC they can be run off a generator. 
 
I too don’t like the feel of stiff line-dried clothes.  I hang the clothes to dry and when they are almost dry I throw them in the dryer to soften them up.  This uses a lot less electricity and I get the softness I want. 
One way to squeeze the water out of freshly washed clothes is to use a mop bucket that has a strainer on it.  They can be found at Home Depot and Lowe’s.  Squeezing the water out of a mop is the same as squeezing the water out of clothes.  You can also use a big pot strainer, like the ones used for pasta.  I have one that fits inside the “big” pot used for heating the water.  Find a lid that is smaller than the strainer pot and use it to squish the water out of your clothes.

I too have pets, lots of trees, snow, dirt and leaves. They all create messes that find their way into my house.  I have a wisk broom on the front and back porch and literally sweep my clothes off before going inside.  The other way I keep the dirt, mud and snow off my floors is by taking my shoes off by the door.  I don’t wear shoes inside and it’s amazing how much doesn’t get tracked in as a result.  Invest in some good Thorlo socks to wear around the house. 

The non-electric, old fashioned push-pull sweeper only work marginally well.  I have more luck with a really good broom but then I don’t have 2,000 sq. ft. of carpeting to deal with.  For all  the pet hair I have found that a “Stickey” works great.  They have a newer form of them that is advertised on television that let the gunk accumulated on the head to be washed off.  This makes them incredibly versitile and reuseable.  A long pole can be attached to the head that allows you stand normally while using it.  I have two Maine Coon cats and one long hair cat and they shed constantly.  I roll the “Stickey” over the carpet and furniture every couple of days to keep it to a minimum.  I have allergies and occasional asthma.  I find that I feel better if I just keep up on it.  However, in the past, when I got really really busy and couldn’t get to it for a week or so, I am happy to report that I didn’t die.

I have every type of alternative lighting possible.  I switched over to the battery LED lanterns in the last couple of years and swear by them.  This last year I fould a couple of the solar LED lanterns at Harbor Freight and love them.  They have 12 white LED’s and have a run time of 8 hours on a full charge.  They come with all the various adaptors such as AC and the cigarette plug type.  One was around $25 and the other around $32.  They were well worth the money. 

I have used the solar showers a lot and find they work fine for my needs.  Just fill the bladder, put it in the sun for the day and you have the basics covered.  The camping world has come up with some pretty innovative and pricey hot water systems that can be found on line at some of the better stores such as Cabelas. 

I hope some of these suggestions work for those seeking the creature comforts of the world.  I can distinctly remember the wonder and appreciation for instant hot water, heat and lighting, soft beds, regular showers, etc.  I had basically spent two full years living outdoors in various wilderness settings.  When I finally “came-in” from the cold and got a real place to live I probably spent the first couple of hours turning off and on these “modern conviences”.  I can clearly remember standing at the sink and turning the hot water on and off and thinking how wonderful it was.  I did the same thing with the stove and thermostat. 

After years of roughing it I found a new appreciation for these creature comforts.  I admit it, I love them as much as the next person.  My past experience taught me that they were luxuries and I could survive without them.  It just wasn’t as nice and comfortable as it could be.  There is a big difference between want and need.  Staying clean and good sanitation is important but there are lots of work-arounds outside our normal everyday experience.  We’ve just have become so acculturated that we have forgotten how to think and exist outside the norm. 

 
Take care. Keep your socks and powder dry,
Skylar

Odds ‘n Sods:

Carla A. sent this: Fears of new Dust Bowl as heat, drought shrivel corn in Midwest. Also see: U.S. Drought Monitor. Thankfully, most of the American Redoubt has been spared.

   o o o

Bob G. says: “Be prepared to harness the power of a Fresnel lens.”

   o o o

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to an article that illustrates one peril of outsourcing: Hallandale Beach lifeguard fired after participating in beach rescue

   o o o

The flash mobbers are at it again, this time in Sabadell, northwest of Barcelona. (Thanks to my sister G. for the link.)

   o o o

Oregon allows for medical marijuana deduction. JWR’s Comment: Something tells me that this was legislated by the majority that live in the half of Oregon west of The American Redoubt.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me,
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken [it], I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed [it], I will also do it.” – Isaiah 46-9-11(KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Discovering What We Needed in an Actual Time of Need, by M.M.

There has been much talk on many survival/prepper blogs about when and if our electricity goes out. Lots of speculation by folks who have experienced short power outages. My husband and I have experienced numerous, long power outages. They are very common in the remote area where we live. As we are the last house on the power line, when the power goes out we are the last to get our power restored.

Our most recent long lasting power outage was in January, when our area experienced a rare ice storm. In 17 years of living in our present home, we have witnessed only three ice storms. One minor (three-day outage, minimal damage) and one pretty big  (10-day outage and some significant damage) to the major storm we had in January. The tri-county area was completely out of power and phone (land lines as well as some cell service) and major damage to homes and properties. Our power was out for three weeks and our land line for four weeks. One can still see the effects of this storm when driving around now in the early summer. As we lay in bed at night, we could hear the trees exploding and cracking around us, it sounded like a war zone. Let me tell you, when a tree that is as big around at the base as a small car, and as tall as 100 plus feet crashes down in the forest, you are definitely aware of nature’s power! It causes an incredible sound, similar to an explosion. Multiply that by hundreds of trees and you have an idea of what we listened to for several days and very long nights.

Since we live in an area with lots of wilderness – national forests on three sides of the community, there are lots of trees. During this particular storm, the freezing rains came down; followed by heavy snows that lasted for days. This all fell on top of several feet of snow already on the ground in these parts in January.

All of our power outages have taught us much more than reading about it ever could. During this last, particularly trying storm, my husband decided to keep a list of things we wish we had for future power outages. Once we prioritized our list, we were surprised to find not only how short the list was, but some of the top items we wanted, that we had never before considered, or had believed them to be already covered sufficiently.

Since we have gravity spring water, and gravity septic system, water was never an issue for us. Also we heat with wood all the time anyway, so heat was not an issue for us. We regularly practice storing extra food – for us a way of life for many years, long before the prepping craze – so food was not a big issue either. Our biggest three issues were lighting; washing clothes and cleaning our carpeted floors.

When you live in the boonies, your floors can get mighty dirty, mighty fast. When you add to that the fact that we were out using chainsaws all day long, then tracking in all the snow, mud, slush, sawdust and fir needles, our floors, and our clothing became filthy very quickly.

Since we already had the wash board, large sink and washing tubs, a way to heat water and soap to hand wash clothes with, I tackled the job a couple different times during this outage. Let me tell you, for any having dreams of quaintly washing clothing by hand and then hanging them in the gentle breezes of summer to folding all that freshly cleaned clothing, it “ain’t” like that at all!

Washing clothing by hand is extremely difficult and although I knew the clothes had at least been boiled, soaped and rinsed, they were not clean to the standards that we were accustomed to. Also, finding room to hang clothing indoors proved to be a bit of a challenge, and we have a very large home with only two adults. Once dry, the clothes were stiff and itchy and didn’t have that fresh smell you can get when using a dryer and dryer sheets, or even being able to hang them outdoors in the summer sun. I got blisters on my hands and my hands were extremely sore, for a couple days, and I am used to very hard physical work. My shoulders ached and there was water everywhere. Carrying boiling or near boiling water from the woodstove to the large kitchen sink proved to be very challenging, and at times even dangerous. During previous outages, there has typically been power “in town” so we could go to a friend’s home and wash clothes. Also my husband could take a load or two to work and wash them there (they have a washer/dryer at his work) or we could load up and drive to the “big” city (population about 8,000) about an hour away and use the Laundromat. Unfortunately all the power was out for miles. Our only option was to wash clothes by hand.

When we bought all the scrub boards, soap, and wash tubs, I guess I assumed I would just spontaneously know how to use all that stuff if we ever needed it. My first attempt was a colossal failure. The clothes smelled and didn’t look any cleaner. Out came our old Foxfire books and other simple living books that we have had for decades. After reading about how to wash clothes by hand, my second attempt was better and by the third attempt the clothes came out reasonably clean. Who knew that you were supposed to rub the soap on the actual scrub board, and not the clothes? We learned to dunk them in boiling water first, swish around with a stick (we used a broom handle). Then when cool enough to touch comfortably, but still hot enough to help with bubbles and rinsing, scrub up and down on the scrub board, rubbing extra hard where there were stains. Then squeeze as much water out as possible, and dunk into another tub of hot water. I would let them soak that second time for a while. After they had soaked, I still didn’t find them rinsed out enough, so I then rinsed them under cold running water in the big sink. Then you wring out as best you can, and hang as near to the woodstove as possible. Even with the woodstove going 24/7, it still took days for some of the heavier items to dry completely. It wasn’t a horrible experience, but can’t say as if I truly enjoyed it either! As soon as we can afford it, I am getting some better way of washing clothes. It is not a good feeling to be able to bathe ones body and then put on dirty clothing.  A generator, or James type washer would have been much better, also at the very least we need a better way to wring out the clothing. Wringing out clothes by hand is not only physically demanding, but it is nearly impossible to hand wring out jeans or blankets, they just never get completely squeezed out and then they drip all over your floors and take days to dry.

Lighting was an issue that we felt we had under control. We have numerous oil lamps, spare parts, and even one Aladdin lamp, plenty of lamp oil as well. Lots of candles and flashlights too. However, we had only one LED type, battery powered lantern. Although it gave off the best light, it still wasn’t bright enough once it was dark outside. In these parts in January, it is dark usually by about 4 p.m., which is much too early to go to sleep. We found our eyes were straining when we tried to read or play games – which is about the extent of entertainment with no power. So we walked around looking like miners with our headlamps on all the time. We learned quickly to look at the floor or ceiling when talking directly to one another after temporary blindness from lights directly to the eyes! We have determined to get more, and brighter, LED type lamps for future use. If money allowed, a generator or alternate power system would be ideal, but until then, we found we needed much brighter lighting. It is also very nice to be able to use our headlamps as we entered the house in the dark evenings to simply turn the knob and have light, rather than light a match, trim wicks, etc. Obviously lighting a match is not that hard to do. But when you are doing it day after day and dealing with wick trimming and refilling oil bases and smelling the oil all the time (as well as watching your white ceilings turn black because you didn’t trim the wicks!) it does lose it’s romance factor quickly. So the short term solution, more and brighter LED lanterns and a solar powered battery charger. Long term, we’ll need generator or alternate power source.

Last on our top three was our carpeted floors. Again, we have plans (aahhh that ever elusive money!) to put laminate/wood flooring throughout the house. For now, we have most rooms in our large home covered in carpeting. Lovely, old, stained indoor/outdoor – cheap office type carpeting. Simply gorgeous! Even if it is ugly, I still want it clean. When power is not an issue, I vacuum daily. Even though there are only two of us, we do have two dogs and a cat and tracking back and forth to bring in wood make a mess. It seems that clean floors would not be that big an issue in a major event. Perhaps for many people it is not a big deal, but for me it was huge. I like my house picked up and neat. It does affect ones attitude when your environment is out of sorts. Not to mention it could be a health issue if you have asthma, allergies, or little ones that crawl around on the floor.

Since our carpets are the “flat” type carpets, one-day I attempted to sweep them, all 2,000 square feet of them. Not only was this task extremely physically taxing, but was pretty ineffective as well. Although I did manage to sweep up some of the major debris, there really wasn’t any way to sweep up the dust or tiny parts. I had huge blisters on my hands at the end of the day. It did look “better” but it was not up to the standards that I wanted.
The only solution we could think of, besides our long term plans of putting in laminate wood flooring or getting our generator or alternate energy source, is one of those old-fashioned “sweepers” like my grandma used. Haven’t found one yet, but I am sure they are still out there somewhere. We have also been told there are some battery operated light vacuums.

We managed to conquer all the issues that came up during our long power outage. Admittedly, we had a head start since water, septic and heat were not an issue. We also had some other rather big problems that I did not mention. We had to throw out all the food in our freezer that we could not eat. It was cold enough outside to keep our refrigerator food good in coolers on the porch. It was not cold enough to keep our frozen food frozen. I cannot tell you how hard it is to throw away a freezer full of food. With all the helping we were doing with neighbors as well as keeping our own road clear, there simply was not time to can up the foods in the freezer, nor did I feel entirely confident doing canning of meats on the woodstove. I know my ancestors did so, but I have always had the convenience of an electric or gas stove for such endeavors.

Another issue we had not anticipated was we had no way to bake. Our short-term solution is to find or make a metal box to place on top of the woodstove for baking and heating up food. A nice big wood cookstove, generator or gas powered stove and oven would be nice, but a lot of things would be nice if we only had the money. Barring that, we need to find ways to deal with the problems that we didn’t realize were problems until we were in the midst of a major power outage. The issues our friends described after this event varied from, “We are planning on moving back to civilization” (dumb move on their parts!) to “We are buying a generator” (great if you have the money). Most of them simply talked about what we needed to change and brainstormed about ways to make life easier in the event of another major power outage. For many, water was the main issue as they had wells with electric pumps. Second seemed to be septic systems that required electricity to be usable. One or two days of using one of the few trees left standing and doing your business in a hole in the ground (which is really hard to dig when there is several feet of snow!) is one thing. Three weeks without operating septic is another matter altogether and can pose major health risks. Lack of heat (very few folks up here have only electric heat – but there are some) caused many folks to trek to the homes of friends with wood heat. Then a few of those people found that they were running out of food as they had planned for their own needs, but not adding 2, 3, 4 extras to the mix. A few drove all the way to the large city, about two hours away, to stay in motels and several went to shelters. All the folks that used the shelters (a high school about an hour away) said they would never do that again if it could be avoided. In spite of the fact that our area is a close knit one and stealing or foul language was not an issue in the shelter, there was absolutely no privacy. One lady said, “I thought listening to my husband snore at night was annoying, try listening to several husbands snoring all night!” Seems kind of humorous, but after a very short time, exhaustion would set in as well as that feeling of total lack of privacy.  The overwhelming talk though, seemed to come around to being able to clean ones home. Maybe it isn’t a big deal to many or even most people, but for the vast majority of folks around here, it seemed to be quite the deal breaker about whether they would stay put or go stay in the city a two hour drive away, where they did have power.

Another (very pleasant) surprise was that during this outage, there was not one incident of looting, stealing, or even panic-stricken behavior that we ever heard about. People in our very small, remote community pulled together and helped one another out. However, in that large city two hours away, where we have relatives, there was chaos after only about 20 hours of power outage. Lots of looting, stealing, and just plain thuggery. One relative commented on how people in their neighborhood not only didn’t reach out to help one another, they often didn’t even help themselves, simply waiting for the city to come clean up the storm damage. One person (I am embarrassed to say a relative) actually said after this city’s rather small crisis (a windstorm, power out in much of the city for 1-to-3 days) that she was “appalled” that the city didn’t at least keep the schools open.  After all, what was she expected to do with her three children for two whole days?

This same person criticized the stores for not being “better prepared for an emergency” as they had run out of all the “good food” (I am guessing candy and sodapop) before she had a chance to get anything. It was the stores fault, she maintained, that her children were hungry and had to eat food they weren’t used to. (Probably vegetables and fruit!) Luckily, we not only experienced none of that attitude here in our remote blissfulness, but also had folks coming out of the woodwork offering to help one another. I realize not all small communities are like this, but when searching out where you’d like to raise your family, look hard at the residents before you move there.

During a crisis, keeping things as normal as possible can really help to lessen the stress. That includes being able to keep one’s body, clothing and home clean. While we had plenty of food, access to clean fresh water, the ability to drain our sinks and flush our toilets, as well as stay warm – we were lacking in being able to wash clothes, clean our carpets and have good, dependable, strong lighting. We are remedying these as time and money allows. We also realized that in times past when we have lost power, many of our friends in town still had power. So we could always “borrow” their electricity for clothes washing or computers. This past January it was different, no one had power. There was one business in town that had a generator, and they offered for folks to come and wash clothes and shower there, but we never got to that point. Many did, but the ones I spoke to said it was first come first served and some waited hours for a washing machine. It was definitely a different experience when everyone for miles around is in the same boat as you.

Next time you are planning for the big SHTF episode, think about how you will clean the floors; light the rooms and wash the clothes. As with all prepping, you should certainly practice before the skill is needed.  If I had only read about and tried hand-washing clothes before I needed that skill, I could have saved myself some time and struggle. If we had gone without using our electric lights long term using our one LED lantern, we would have realized we needed lots more. And we had never really considered keeping the carpeted floors clean as being a prepping issue, now we know for us, it is a big issue.

When all of our normal routines are upset, it can help immensely to be able to stick as close to our normal diet and routine as possible, in order to stave off added stress. It was a real eye opener to have power out, long term, for miles around. We realized in talking to friends after the fact that even in this very remote, gun toting, “always prepared”, help your neighbor environment – just how ill prepared many of us are. It has been suggested by many to turn off your power for a weekend; or use your “get home” bag to hike from the city to your home. How many of us have actually done this? Maybe you should try it now, this weekend and see what your family is lacking and how you could improve, before an outside force thrusts it upon you.