Start Small, Plan Ahead, and Set a Realistic Timetable, by Christian Rebel

I’ve only been in the survival community for one to two years; I still need quite a bit of work to do before I’d dare say I’m prepared enough to survive a severe blizzard let alone some life changing and significantly prolonged event. I get a little overwhelmed by all the work I still have to do and frustrated by how precious little resources I have to work with. I’m a 21 year old unemployed college student still living at home in an apartment complex 20 minutes from a city, as you can see my options are limited. Limited not eliminated; my situation is not a hopeless one, neither is any reader out there who finds themselves in the same boat as me (be it limited resources or inexperience). There are still many things we can do to build a solid foundation  onto which the rest of our survivalist futures will rest upon. Here are just a few things I’ve learned to do, I hope it helps others out there just starting off in their preparedness planning.

I live in an area of the country famous for temperamental weather patterns, the only constant expected here is snow and lots of it in the winter time. My first step is to deal with the most likely threat first and work my way up from there. SurvivalCache.com did a fantastic piece on this called the “Survival Pyramid” the pyramid (from top down) is formed by how much supplies equipment and resources are needed depending on the situation. For example the top tier is the most common of events, small weather events (like the blizzards I mentioned) power outages and anything run of the mill that requires the bare minimum of preparedness is in this segment.

I know when I started reading the survival web sites I flipped out realizing how many things could disrupt my life and require me to survive on my own for an indefinite period of time. I began thinking It could happen any day now. I need a kit for this and something in my car for that. I need to make more money and start storing food, NOW! Frankly it was a miserable feeling, I was always anxious and always felt defeated. I had created an idol, I wasn’t sticking with the faith knowing God would provide for me if events beyond my control and beyond my capacity to prepare for happened. Also I wasn’t feeling like a real survivalist, prepping should give a certain amount of confidence and peace of mind because you have a plan.

That peace of mind only came for me when my priorities were set (aka put God first) straight and when I set up a realistic goal for starting out. That realistic goal can only be achieved (adequately and efficiently) by sitting down and planning before the crisis is happening. Right now while the world is sane and your mind is calm and focused write down what you would need to make it through a survival situation. You won’t have this luxury while the event is hours away or happening right this very second and you’re in a crowded half empty supermarket trying to find bread and soup for the next few days. This also helps you realize the important stuff that you over looked trying to get all the essentials taken care of. The other important items? Toilet paper, feminine products, tooth paste etc. All the little stuff you know will bite you in the nose the minute you’re out of it and you have no way to get it.

Finally set up a timetable so that you can eventually extend your small term plan into a long term plan in a realistic but efficient manner. For example I’m writing this in August, my starter two week winter survival plan’s deadline is December 1st. The deadline is placed far enough in advance for me so that I can ensure to meet it. Realistic deadlines will give you the proper motivation needed to get the job done at a steady pace (this idea was taken from Southernprepper1, a very great survivalist and fantastic teacher on YouTube, I highly recommend everyone check him out). And once you’ve met that deadline you’ll see that this isn’t so bad, it can be done, and done right. Next you’ll stretch your supplies from two weeks to a month, then a year supply with a planted garden for perpetual food supplies. Before you know it you’ll be Bugging Out with the best of them.

 

Learn

Turns out survival skills require quite a bit of knowledge and a varied skill set.

In this day and age we’re surrounded by information, it won’t be too hard for you to learn more about all things preparedness.

For starters there’s the machine you’re sitting at right now. The internet gives everyone access to the largest storage center for information and idea sharing ever created in human history. To make this search for knowledge on the vastness of the web more fruitful and dare I say fun I recommend a Stumble Upon account. StumbleUpon.com is a more entertaining and less tedious version of Google-like searching. Create the account and put in what your hobbies and interests are, (yes survivalist is an option) then hit the “stumble” button. The next thing you know web sites you’ve never even heard of on a standard Google search will be popping up at random ready to display valuable information to you.

But of course the old fashion book still has a place in this digital world (after all when the Schumer hits the fan we’ll need something to reference to) in my college library I was able to find a survival resource book that is no longer in print. I happily spent free time in the library between classes reading it and taking notes. The library is free people, and I’m sure you pass at least one on your various travels. You can even search the selves from the internet these days making finding books that much easier.

Of course there’s not just skills but equipment that you must learn about too. Product reviews on shopping web sites aren’t always the most reliable source of information since they can contain one or two people who didn’t know how to properly handle the product (it happens frequently with electronics, an almost 100% five star rating ruined by a select few that can’t program the television or sound system the right way). More often than not though they can help give you a better idea of the quality of a product. Professional reviews of products on web sites devoted to survivalism are the best since these people know how to handle the equipment and can give you an accurate reading on how well it truly performs. However, personally, the best book I’ve read on gear selection (for a beginner that is) has to be Camping for Dummies by Michael Hodgson. It gives a great overview of what to look for in backpacks, boots, and sleeping bags to get the most for your money.

Of course not all things can be learned from merely reading. Once you have the money and ability I strongly recommend taking courses in first aid and basic wilderness survival. There’s something about being instructed and physically doing the actions that instills a sense of confidence that is vital in chaotic and stressful situations that require a sound, focused, and prepared mind to deal with them.

Preparing YOU

One part of survivalism that is finally receiving attention is the need for us to stay in the best physical shape possible so that we can meet the possible demands of a Schumer hit the fan situation. Thankfully, if you’re creative and do a bit of research on strength and conditioning, you’ll find out that it’s not that difficult or expensive to start your own custom workout regimen. I’ve been blessed with a best friend that is also an aspiring personal trainer (he also won a strong man bench-press competition last year, hey I have to brag) he has given me a great amount of advice and has developed a training system to meet military and martial artist standards of fitness. The workout schedule goes as follows (just to give an example):

Monday: Strength Training 8 reps 3 sets 1 minute rests between sets
Tuesday: Cardio a series of movements executed on the punching bag. Rest as needed
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Endurance Training 15 reps 2 sets 2 minute rests between sets
Friday: Quick Cardio a series of simpler movements executed on the punching bag (only  more of them) rest as needed.

The workouts only take me about 30 minutes a day and afterwards I don’t feel so exhausted that I can’t move. I feel great actually and the results are worth it.

Another part of survivalism that has finally taken root in the community is having the proper mind set to deal with the tough decisions and events of a Schumer hit the fan situation. Again SurvivalCache.com has done a brilliant piece on the emotional and mental toll of taking another person’s life in the name of self-defense. Southernprepper1 does a series of videos that act as if a WROL (Without Rule of Law) situation is actually occurring.

It’s best to realize now, in the foundational stages that is, that survivalism is not meant to be treated like an evening out with the guys. It’s not a perpetual camping trip and it isn’t an excuse to get all your cool guns together and play Rambo. It’s a serious business that requires a mature and prepared mind to handle the stress and uncertainty of this new reality that you’ve been thrown into.

Reach Out

We can’t survive alone, in your planning stages as well as your execution of the survival plans you are going to need help. I made the mistake of trying to do it all on my own at first, then I read a SurvialCache.com article on talking with your family about being prepared. I started including my mother (whom I live with) in the conversation on the matter, turns out she had some ideas I never would’ve thought of and she was more than willing to help contribute to the effort. I can tell you it feels good having someone around to help shoulder the burden and it looks like the plans will be moving faster because of our collaboration.

Especially when you’re just starting out you’re going to need help, you’re going to need the experience and knowledge of others to get off on the right path. Never be afraid to ask for help from the survival community, if there’s one important and fantastic thing I’ve learned from joining the various survival web sites it’s how friendly and helpful even the most experienced veteran survivalist is. They know what’s out there, what can rock worlds and change life as we know it in an instant, they preparing for it and they’re more than happy to help you prepare for it too in any way they can. It kind of reminds me of the old days before there was this useless Nanny State system, when neighbors hit a financial rough spot they helped each other out. They made dinners and brought it over to the affected family, they offered help in fixing whatever was broken free of charge, and even left $500 in an unmarked envelope addressed to a needy family (something which happened to my mother at church once).

In the past month I’ve been blessed many times by my church family covering my six because of such tough times (I write this article on a very nice laptop that was given to me as a birthday present, among other things, to help me get through college and reach for a better future).

“Woe to the man who falls and lacks a brother to help him up” says Ecclesiastes 4:10. It is a fatal error to believe you can survive all by yourself. You can do a lot to make yourself less dependent on the government for protection, and make yourself less dependent on modern infrastructure like the power grid and supermarkets. But the bottom line is at some point and time you’ll need someone to “cover your six” because you need the safety of numbers, because you don’t know how to do something but a friend of yours does, or simply because you need someone around for moral support.

Don’t let the prideful “I can do it myself” mentality dig in early in your preparedness plans, it will most certainly be your Achilles Heel when stuff really starts falling apart. We became a strong, stable and prosperous society by benefiting from the trades of talents and knowledge from each other. The same strength, stability, and prosperity can only be achieved in survival situations if we benefit from each other.

With much love and hope that everyone stays safe and secure in all their plans, – ChristianRebel

Letter Re: Inverters for Disaster Preparedness

Jim:
There have been several recent articles on UPS systems and inverters. Most of the current inverters use MOSFETs or similar sensitive solid state switching devices. These are the hardest stressed components of the inverter. Spares should be a consideration. In addition many modern inverters use custom chips that may not even be available now, so not at all after TEOTWAWKI. Consider this, inverters have been around for quite along time. The best design that I have worked with and designed circuitry for is the McMurray-Bedford inverter. It is a simple design that originally used thyratron tubes and later, SCRs. This inverter can be built very simple, yes you will need to hand wind the commutation coils which are air core and you will need some oil capacitors, wind or find a suitable output transformer, many options here, harmonic filters if you want the best sine wave output,
but not always required, depending what your loads require. The industry common DC buss voltages are 135 VDC, 270 VDC and 405 VDC. But you can design around most anything as long as you realize as the DC buss voltage goes down, the DC current will go up and so does the size of the power components. As far as the control electronics and oscillator are concerned you can build it with common op-amp technology, transistor technology or vacuum tubes if you want to. Since this is technology that has been around for quite some time much information can be found in older electronics and electrical engineering books and even on the Internet. If you want to prepare using this technology collect some large power SCRs and oil capacitors, look at some other people’s designs too. Some complete schematics of early Emerson Electric, through the mid 1980s are some very excellent and robust designs. That product started to suffer when microprocessors were phased in their designs. If you can get your hands on them–and I have seen them in surplus stores–any of the small 20 KVA or 40 KVA 120/208 VAC in and out inverters that use the 135V DC buss, you will have a nice UPS that will be rugged, sine wave output as they all had harmonic filtering. (Think 10 car or deep cycle batteries in series, or better yet larger single cell UPS batteries). That, along with a collection of spare SCRs, fuses and a few other components and you will be set. They are not the most efficient inverters around but they are very reliable. Hospitals and others have used them for years.

They can easily be made to run on single phase 240V AC input, built in battery charger, and you have the advantage of 3 phase output. Emerson at that time also made some very rugged variable frequency drives that run on single phase and have a 3 phase output that have standard TO-3 transistors as the output devices. Very rugged and reparable, I have fixed several I found surplus to run various machine tools that were 3 phase for people to have in their garages, i.e. Bridgeport mills, lathes etc. Once I fixed one
it never needed fixing again. Usually the surplus ones just have a blown transistor or two. I regret not obtaining some of the smaller UPS systems as they came to the surplus market a few years ago. Now that my eyes have been opened by JWR and his fantastic blog, if the price is right I may get one or later I will build a smaller, say 5-10 KVA one. I have always liked and designed things that are as simple and reliable as possible, the K.I.S.S. principle.

Around the US large amounts of electricity are transmitted by high voltage DC. The Sylmar inverter in Southern California is the closest high voltage VDC, (500,000 VDC) inverter to me connected to the Pacific Intertie originally used mercury arc rectifiers, as a kid you could look through the fence and see it and hear it. The new station now uses thyristors instead of tubes. I think Edison and Tesla are smiling and have become fast friends in Heaven today, as both AC and DC are equally important in power transmission.

I hope some day our family is blessed to move to the American Redoubt and I will gladly help anybody that is interested build and maintain rugged and reliable survival electronics. I would love to teach others especially children what I can. Sparking an interest in a child’s mind makes me so happy it’s exciting for me too. I know because that’s what started me out in electronics.

Thank you James for all you do and God Bless all. – Jimmy in California

Letter Re: The Little Things

This experience was thought-provoking, and many of D.M.L.’s ideas were interesting.  But there were two ideas that have not been tested or proven, so at this point they are only ideas.  First, J-B Weldwill not repair a cracked Briggs & Stratton two piece fuel tank.  They are made of black HDPE, and there is no proper glue for that.  I have personal experience with this.  HDPE is heat welded when two pieces must be joined.  You have to determine your Briggs & Stratton model number and order a replacement gas tank from Amazon.com.  I got mine for my Briggs & Stratton 6.0 hp Quantum engine for about $31 and it came in only three days. [JWR Adds: This underscores the importance of regular maintenance and starting up you backup generator under load, monthly. That is the only sure way to be 99% sure that your genset will start on the first pull and run smoothly, when disaster strikes.]

Second, the pump on an old Coleman white gas stove usually has a leather gasket in it that dries out so it won’t seal.  Use a pliers to pry off the C-ring and disassemble the pump.  Massage some vegetable oil into the leather gasket to fluff up the leather and put it back together.  Be careful and don’t put the leather gasket in up side down.  Usually the pump will work unless it was so bad it was cracked.  Don’t use motor oil on leather; it will deteriorate.  Like D.M.L., I used to rely on my Coleman stove and lanterns for emergencies, but I got tired of rehabilitating those leather gaskets.  I found a [Chinese] propane canister stove at 99 Ranch Market for $15 with 8 oz propane canisters for $1. I picked up ten of the canisters.  Your local Asian market should carry them.  This setup is very highly reviewed on Amazon.com, which also stocks them. 

I love your blog.  I’d like to contribute when I can. – R.E.R. in San Diego

Letter Re: Hurricane Irene Lessons Learned

James,
Thanks to the information presented in your book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” we were able to “weather” Hurricane Irene without much difficulty. It was amazing to the pandemonium at the super markets; people were waiting for water to be brought out from the stockroom and wondering whether they would “die of thirst”. If they had only looked over their shoulder they would have seen a pallet filled with cases of soda (on sale: four cases for eleven dollars). The same goes for D-cell batteries; people were lamenting that they didn’t have batteries for their flashlights; if they were only to look up they would have seen plenty of flashlights that took AA batteries and a plentiful supply of batteries to go with them.

There were of course long lines at the gasoline stations; I had been keeping the tank in my car at least 3/4 full (thanks advice from the “Fong-man”character in “Patriots” if I’m not mistaken).
 
Everyone in my neighborhood was extremely calm and we checked on each other. One of my neighbors had just returned from the mountains so we were able to give her some of water and supplies I stockpiled. We were only without power for 14 hours and the [public utility] gas and water were still functioning.
 
One thing I did after a few days was to conduct a “post mortem” on my contingency plan. For example, I took your weekend challenge but was unaware that our hot water heater, which runs on gas also requires electricity [for ignition.]  Some of my supplies and gear could have purchased for much less; especially one of the pre-packed go-bags I purchased.
I live with an older parent. I was okay with the devotional candles and the flashlights but I was worried about my elderly mother stumbling around with a hand held light source.
 
Thanks again for publishing this information; I’m sure you’ve made a difference in a lot of people’s lives. – Greg T.

[JWR Replies: Thanks for your encouraging feedback. In my experience a headlamp (such as a Petzl) is ideal for keeping your hands free for other tasks. They can even be used by elderly folks with walkers.

Letter Re: Experiences of a Novice Gardener

Jim:
My message to J.B. is: don’t give up after just one season. I’ve been gardening since I was very little. Having a green thumb has little to do with luck or heredity but much to do with experiential knowledge of what plants like/don’t like and require to thrive. We moved to our current residence about 13 months ago. I started my new garden from scratch over existing sod- starting last June when we moved our pony to the property, even before the house was completed. I love to experiment whether it is by building a homemade incubator and trying to hatch my own chicks or trying different ways of amending the soil. I’m also a cheapskate. For this reason I decided to try creating my raised beds out of recycled newspapers(which I traded for my free range eggs) covered with the used stall bedding from our pony, used chicken bedding and the fall leaves and kitchen scraps that usually make up my compost pile. I planned to till all the organic matter together in the spring, rake it smooth and add a 2-3 inch layer of topsoil over the top for the seedbed as the organic matter wouldn’t be decomposed by spring. I knew this would probably work reasonably well from past experience growing green peppers in a small layer of potting soil on top of my compost bins. I knew I wanted a large garden but probably couldn’t get enough raw materials in the first year to fill the entire 14×70 ft space I had available, to the desired 12 inches deep. I used easy-up corners and 2×8 8-foot cedar lumber for the sides. The corners are extremely easy to use and only a hammer is needed to put the beds together. I used 4-6 layers of newspaper on the bottom to kill out the existing grass. Did I mention I’m also a lazy gardener?

The resource I used to learn about this method is the Lazy Gardener’s Guide to Gardening which I read several years ago. The method is called “Lasagna gardening.” No tilling or sod lifting required. I got the first 20 feet or so filled in the fall to a depth of about 18 inches using leaves and mixing in the stall bedding. By spring I was nowhere near to having the 70 ft length filled. I continued to add manure mixed with bedding through spring. I’ve read that one should stop adding manure 1 month prior to planting. I used this as a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. After tilling the first 25 feet  this April, I added topsoil from a pile left by previous owners from when the pool was dug. A key addition at this time was a few handfuls of super phosphate sprinkled on the topsoil before I raked it smooth. Phosphate is the P in the N-P-K formulation of fertilizers. I figured I had plenty of Nitrogen from the manures and P is essential for the formation of strong roots and plentiful flowers and therefore fruits/vegetables.

I planted 75 strawberry plants, onions, spinach, 2 types of lettuce and peas into this area. The next area of the garden had no fall leaves and only stall and chicken bedding (added during winter) covered with the same 2-3 inch layer of topsoil. I planted 36 store bought broccoli plants, about 30 tomato plants I grew in the basement, and 5 rows of short season sweet corn with squash between the rows to discourage raccoons. The broccoli is still producing in early September in zone 5. The tomatoes did well after a rough start. I lost several to frost as I pushed the planting date a little too early. I did this knowing I had about 50 spare plants in waiting. The varieties were Roma, Early Girl and  Beefsteak. Rabbits ate my plants well into spring despite plastic fencing around the perimeter (totally inadequate, hoping to get the chain link installed by next spring.) Tomatoes are now producing and I am getting a few into jars for the winter.

The sweet corn was ready by the 4th of July in a year where no one else had corn that early. The key was early planting and generous nitrogen available which speeds maturity. The corn was small but delicious and I even had enough extra to freeze several bags. The next area of the garden was a mixture of sand and topsoil, courtesy of my neighbor and his tractor. It was a 50/50 mix. I used this for my potatoes as I didn’t feel good about growing root crops in fresh manure. Again I sprinkled Super P  before planting. I have been digging potatoes since 4th of July and they seem to have liked the sand mix. I was now into mid May for planting and still didn’t have the full 70 feet of space filled. I continued to dump bedding from the horse, chickens and now the guinea pigs into the empty space, on top of my newspapers and cover the whole thing with a thin layer of soil and a sprinkle of super P. I managed two bean plantings, two weeks apart before I got burned out hauling soil by the wheel barrowful across the yard. I didn’t quite reach the end of my 70 ft garden this growing season (about 10 ft left). Rabbits really took a toll on the beans early on. Most recovered and I am currently canning green beans every 3 days and hoping for a 3rd flush before the end of the season.

I  owe much of my success to prior knowledge. I have worked in the seed corn and soybean industry  and also the green house industry in the past. If I had to sum up the knowledge that helped me be successful in my first year, this is how I would do it:

1. It is not necessary to dig existing sod if one uses Lasagna gardening method
2. A fine seed bed is necessary for good germination (ergo the layer of fine topsoil)
3.  Phosphorus is necessary for roots and blooms and most soils can benefit from its addition (if you are not getting any blooms, this is the first thing I’d recommend adding)
4. Sweet corn is a heavy feeder (of course, because it is in the grass family)- the fresh manure didn’t burn it a bit. Plus it needs to be planted in a block or next to a field of field corn to pollinate well (if you are not growing heirloom varieties/ plan to save seed)
5. Beans planted in too high a nitrogen situation will not set pods, but will instead grow lush vegetation and few pods.
6. taking advantage of companion plantings (squash with corn and the greens planted between the young strawberries) yields more in a smaller space.
7. many plants will recover from a light frost and/or rodent defoliation given time and proper care.
8. squash family members are also heavy feeders

 

NEW KNOWLEDGE GAINED THIS YEAR:

  1. The fresh manure didn’t burn the plants like I’ve been told it would. Maybe because of the layer of soil? Or the combination of the wood based bedding to tie up some of the nitrogen?
  2. Picking each and every day for beans, and every third day for broccoli has kept the plants producing over an extended period- all spring and summer for the broccoli and since early July for the beans. The key is to not let the plants develop any mature seed or in case of broccoli, flowers.
  3. Providing support to the peas and tomatoes greatly increased their yields
  4.  The strawberry plants which were not heavily shaded by other plants  (volunteer pumpkin vines) put out many more leaves and runners in their first year
  5.  Chickens love the squash vine bugs that eventually killed my vines, one at a time, the tomato horn worms and the bean leaf beetles. Little ones (chicks) work best as they don’t trample the veggies or reach as high to eat the tomatoes

It’s what you don’t know that will get you! Good luck and happy gardening. – E.G. in Indiana

Economics and Investing:

Gold is for Wealth Preservation and Silver is for Bartering

K.A.F. sent this: US Department of Energy devises security system to thwart rampant copper thefts

G.G. flagged this: US economy created no job growth in August, data show: First time since 1945 that government has reported net monthly job change of zero

Steve K. forwarded this: The Future of the European Union May Be Decided in Less than a Week

Gold wedding bands get dumped for tungsten. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Natural Gas Rises as Power Demand Returns to East

Double-dip Fears Across the West as Confidence Crumbles

Americans Turn to Gold Over Stocks

Fed’s COBRA Subsidy to End

Stocks Plunge After US Hiring Dries Up in August

Experts Downbeat on Global Economy

Odds ‘n Sods:

Hardy sent us a link to a 12-minute video: Hurricane Irene Landfall in Morehead City, North Carolina. (It could have easily been more tightly edited, but you can fast forward through it to get the gist of it.)

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Some good news from the courts: First Circuit Court of Appeals Rules that Citizens Can Videotape Police

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Robert S. wrote to mention Project Kleinrock, “…a project to create a completely autonomous “second layer” of the Internet.”

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Reader Diana M. sent a couple of tips: “A simple way to have a charged cell phone is to buy a car charger. Even if you have no electricity you can still charge your phone for weeks–assuming that you thought ahead and topped off your tank.  Also text messages frequently go through when calls won’t as the folks in Joplin, Missouri learned. Here, 150 miles from Joplin our cell service was disrupted as our server was overwhelmed so you don’t have to be right in the disaster area to be affected. Another thing people need to do is keep their gas tanks full. Gas is high and I know a lot of people that ride around on a quarter tank. You’ll be joining those long lines at the pump and putting yourself and family in jeopardy. I never let my tank go below half full.”

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James C. spotted this: Evidence Suggests Cover-Up in ATF Scandal, as More Guns Appear at Crime Scenes

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” – Psalm 9:9-10 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, and C.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Little Things, by D.M.L.

So, you think you’re prepared? So did I. Until Hurricane Irene destroyed the infrastructure around here. The roads were blocked to all the local towns, all three routes out of here. If it wasn’t trees down, it was flooded, or power lines and poles leaned over the road in the ‘maybe’ zone (maybe you would hit them and maybe not, but why take a chance on thousands of volts? If not those, it was pieces of somebody’s house across the road. And this was only a Cat 1 storm? Sigh.
 
Before she hit, I, being confident that we were ‘prepped up’, started rummaging around to get out the generator and put it in the ‘ready’ position in the carport. It had been started LAST YEAR, and had fuel stabilizer in the gas, with the gas valve cut off and I had ran it ‘bowl dry’, so it should be no problem eh? Yeah right. We had an extra 6 gallon can that we had filled up that morning, no problem, we can run the generator an hour or so every 4 hours, to keep the freezer and fridge ‘charged up’, or so I thought. We had lots of canned food on top of the long term stuff, hadn’t paid it any mind for a year or more and had been using it here and there, but as the economy gets worse, and our money got tighter, rotating the stuff became a battle, so it just sat there on the shelf in the pantry…going bad in the heat over the last couple years, since, we quit running the central air to save money. No problem, we have a thousand dollars worth of food in the chest type deep freezer. Uh huh.
 
We had a camp stove, and lots of fuel, but it hadn’t been used in years, no problem right? I mean, what could go wrong with a camp stove, right? Uh huh.
 
We had kerosene lamps and lots of lamp oil, no problemo, Kimosabe? Uh huh.
 
We had batteries, for flashlights, had just bought ’em, didn’t really matter that much.

Now, the S[chumer] as they say, hit the fan, literally, and civilization all went poof about 6 a.m. on Saturday morning amidst all the snap crackle pop of trees and power lines coming down all around us. But never fear; Prep Man is here!  So I went out to crank up the genny in a driving hurricane. That’s when the fun began.
 
The day before Irene hit, I asked did you remember to get some extra chicken food, and goat food? No? Oops, have to let the chickens out to forage on their own, the goats can eat grass. (Note; there are good reasons farm animals are kept in pens and behind electric fences.)
 
As well as the generator, we had a solar operated battery system with inverter; did you check the batteries lately? No? Good luck with that, especially if the batteries are a few years old. Did you happen to have any distilled water on hand? No? Uh huh. (Even though there was plenty of ‘distilled’ water pouring off the roof, there was no Sun, and it takes 8 hours at least to get it up to charge. In my opinion solar sucks, even before the hurricane. If you don’t have lots of money for a full blown large scale system, with a wind generator for those sunless days, don’t waste your money. Being an ex-engineer type, I think I have come up with a good solution, a system I call H.O.E.M. gas. We shall see. The point is, power available 24/7 or bust.
 
The first thing I noticed besides the sideways rain, was that the goats and chickens had taken up in the carport. Goats and chickens love to climb, and goats jump up and down on things. One of the things they decided was a fun toy was the generator sitting under the carport, ready to go. It was sitting next to the deep freezer, a tempting target for fun and games. It was also the only semi dry, out of the wind place around, also, the chickens thought it was a wonderful roost off the flooded ground…
 
As I chased the chickens off, the goats and chickens became a mini tornado of fur and feathers in a small space, that was fun all on its own, and I didn’t notice the smell of gas in the air. So I dragged the generator out and started to plug it up to the various necessaries…and went to crank it…pull, no crank, pull, no crank. Switch on? Choke set?, fuel valve open? Yup, pull, no crank. Arrgh!, now what? This thing was always running by the second pull. (One pull; switch off to prime it, then switch on.) I had maintained it well I thought, changed the oil, cleaned the carb just the year before. I looked, no gas in the tank. Huh?  Ok, I poured the gas into it from the new can and as I reached down to pull, gas was pouring out the bottom of the tank soaking everything, including my already soaked shoe. Whaaaat? The plastic tank, had been cracked around the middle…goats playing…then I noticed, the carport was soaked in water and gas. You know, those little colored rainbows that you can see when oil products mix with water? This was not good, why is it always the little things?
 
Seeing no way to fix the tank with the immediate supplies at hand, I duct taped it and tried tipping the gen on an angle. This stopped the flow, and allowed it to retain what was left, less than half a tank, good for about 4 hours, maybe, if I prayed real hard. That wasn’t going to work if the power stayed off for any length of time, especially since there was no gas to be had…(We found out, from texting sister in town, no power no gas. Texting was encouraged to save power.) The power company said they would try to have everything back on before ‘the end of the week’. But by then, all the food in the deep freeze would be thawed out, and either grilled or thrown out. But the immediate problem was eating. The generator problem I had to get back to later. The smell hadn’t sunk into my animal addled mind to start with, so it was a good thing that it didn’t start, there are Angels, believe it. Still having water pressure, I added to the runoff by hosing it all down, didn’t want that catching fire in the middle of a hurricane. Little things can add up to big things.
 
The kerosene lamps, had rusted, the little wheel that raises the wicks, broke off, didn’t work anymore…made in china?, bust.
 
Time to eat, so I went to crank up the camp stove. But, wonder of wonders, the little pump on the white gas tank, wouldn’t pump up anymore; it had sat out in the barn, and rusted and dried into an unusable state. Bust. Then I announced to anybody around… that the electric operated can opener wouldn’t work without electricity, another of those ‘compromises’ with the lifestyle queen. Rummaging around for the old manual can opener, revealed a forgotten rusted piece of crap I wouldn’t use. So another one of those ‘little things’ you tend to forget when you live under a ‘Normalcy Bias’. I got out my trusty Swiss army knife, with can opener. No problemo…and grabbed a can of ravioli off the shelf. Hmm…Expiration date 2006? Wow, maybe it would be okay, I mean, those expiration dates are just to get you to buy constantly, right? I had thought canned food would last almost forever? Right? No. Not if kept in a house at room temperature, that is pretty high, because you’re saving money on air conditioning, and the can’s sit there in the heat and bake…the red ravioli looked brown, and smelled awful…but, what the heck, it didn’t smell bad…so I tried some…eeeyech…I fed it to the dogs, they wouldn’t even eat it all. So much for all that canned food.  
 
Getting dark, no electricity, no hot food, with flashlights and afraid to open the refrigerator or deep freeze, we were stuck because as long as they were shut, they would stay frozen longer. We were really starting to suffer the consequences of non preppers, and I was really beside myself, for being so lax, always too busy making money to pay bills. I mean the preps had been purchased in better times, so we would be okay? Right? Uh huh. It was a choice between breaking into the long-term storage, rice and beans or peanut butter sandwiches or get some power going so we could break into the freezers. I pulled out some jerky sticks, and that was supper. The wife was starting to get … upset at me, and I blamed her. Round and round it goes, and with supper in hand…wind and rain dying out, I decided to go outside away from the heat inside.
 
So I went back to work on the generator. Three hours later, not being a pro mechanic type, I figured out we had gas to the carb, but no arky sparky…gas and spark, all you need to know about small engines. Since my problem before, when I bought the generator, was the carb, the previous owner had sold it to me cheap, saying it wouldn’t run. I go to work thinking the same problem; something had gotten trash in the carb. Nope. Fuel filter wasn’t plugged, plenty of gas in the bowl, no restrictions in the venturi tube.  So the air filter and carb went back together, with great distress that the magneto had failed. Wrong, its always the little things.

After tearing the pull cover off the old Briggs and Stratton, I got out my new checker kit. You know, the little screwdriver looking things that check continuity, low voltage and spark voltage, for a car? Just little light bulbs in a screwdriver really. So I go to hook it up to the spark cable, and sprong!, the whole thing flies apart, pieces everywhere. “CHEAP CHINESE C**P!”, I yell. Wow, now what? So I get lucky, and a chicken feather fell out of the start switch. It’s always the little things; remember Occam’s razor, the simplest thing, is usually the cause of the problem. Thank you Lord. Note to self, no more tools; ‘Made in China’.
 
So Plan A initially went down the toilet, but the generator finally started. “Yeah! We’re back from the 18th century!” And the freezers and fridge and microwave works, and the TV, but we still can’t get to town to replace the gas… So, during the reassembly process, which I was doing ‘hot’ because it was running….the exhaust pipe came into contact with my left arm, yup, a very bad burn, and, I snatched my arm back which contacted the one ragged edge of metal of the gen cover standing to the side. When was the last time I had a tetanus shot? 1999? The first aid kit was a shambles, but we still had water and some silver solution, so at least that hasn’t gotten infected. Its always the little things. Murphy lives, thank God for the Angels. We just went to bed when it got dark, I was exhausted from stress and frustration.
 
The next morning, the generator wouldn’t crank, had to drop it down off the angle, duh, and after all this blood sweat and tears, pain, anguish and strife, there goes the power company truck, and an hour later, the power came back on…. just wonderfully anticlimactic. But, you never know when the Big Things will come back to life, since you’re so caught up with the Little Things. If I hadn’t gotten the generator started, the power would still be off, I’m convinced the Universe just KNOWS.  Thank God and the utility company; we still have people who care about doing their jobs. But by this time, I was almost out of my mind with frustration, and I was screaming at the wife. I told her, she and her lifestyle could take a hike, I wasn’t doing it anymore, and she was cowed into finally, listening instead of talking. Like I had told friends before, macro economics is composed of millions of micro economic stories, this is but one. I sympathize with those who just give up. What’s the old saying? Life’s hard, then you die.
 
I now have to throw out a bunch of old food, not going to take the chance. If dogs won’t eat it, it’s bad enough to throw away. The real positive outcome to all of this was the Conversion of the wife and attached family, to a real prepper/survivalist mindset and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Prior to this, my main problem was fighting the age-old battle between current lifestyle and future survival lifestyle. The wife is always the other half of the equation; those who are married know what I mean. When you have someone who thinks you are ‘full of c**p’, and fights you at every turn, for every extra dollar available, you are going to lose in the end. When I wanted to buy a package of JB-Weld epoxy to put in my tools, she objected, she wanted to go to the new Harry Potter movie that she just couldn’t live without seeing. That would have fixed the gas tank, or at least better than duct tape. When I wanted to buy the nice new battery operated lamp and radio, she wanted to go out for a pizza. When I wanted, whatever, it was a current lifestyle vs. future survival decision, where the cycling of preps was a battle over a dollar for an extra can of soup. She wouldn’t even buy the things she liked, because she disagreed with my whole ‘survival nonsense’. She, and her whole family, was a classic case of DGI, Don’t Get It. (Don’t care, don’t want to, don’t talk about it ’cause “this is America, everything will be alright”.)
 
Now, she understands, and asked just yesterday when she could finally get to town, “They have some left over battery lanterns and batteries on sale, do we need to stock up for the next hurricane?” “Yup” says I. Smile. Which brings me to the Plan, all the gold in the safe, did us no good. I couldn’t eat a single coin. Trust me, even with hot sauce; it would still not do anything but cause pain at the other end of the digestion process. Buying it in the beginning of this journey in 2005, at a whopping $425/oz, was a battle royal. I was called every kind of idiot in the book, and even had the rest of her family beating up on me for being ‘so dumb’. It didn’t matter that is was the only retirement money I was likely to ever see since my old company was bought out and looted.  I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to plop it down into some ‘safe’ mutual fund. My protests that a ‘Financial Hurricane’ was coming, was met with the classic sound of crickets…and then a changed subject. My admonitions that they needed to keep the pantry full, and get a gun, were met with laughter, and the classic sound of progressives who “didn’t like guns in the house, that’s why we pay police”. They all, to a person, suffered the slings and arrows of Mother Nature this Hurricane, with the grocery store emptied out. Peanut butter became the meal du jour, as they all, all, had to throw out good food. (Being too stupid & selfish to just have a neighborhood barbeque, and eat it all.) One, tried to get to my house, knowing where ‘the goods’ were, but was turned back by the sheriff. (Flooded roads, laugh out loud funny. It would have been even funnier if they had gotten here…)

What we have, now and in the future, my wife assures me, will be kept a secret, like I tried to tell her all along. OPSEC is now a word that has meaning to her. Since even she, didn’t want her whiny niece and her whiny kids here eating our food. I told her to tell them all, that we threw it all out because it had gone bad because of the generator. Almost true, forgive me Lord. Gone are the old days, I hope, of her telling them everything, and it being a family joke, now, I’m her hero again, and her family is suspect. Hard times bring out the worst in everybody, trust me. I told her, this is only a small sampling of what a true SHTF situation would be like, since she knows our primary option is to just hide in the woods out back and pretend to be an empty house (after getting everything worth anything out.) She had joked about it, now she asks if I still think that would be necessary. “I hope not, but that’s why you plan for the worst, and hope for the best…” 

I quit talking to anybody about anything prepwise in 2008, one can only take so much abuse. At $1,000 gold, they were saying it was just a bubble, I just smiled and told them the dollar was being destroyed by the politicians. They would just laugh and say the dollar was “as good as gold”. My only response to them was “that is illogical, since nothing else is gold.”  Now, I’m told, some of them have cashed out their ‘safe’ investments, losing their collective tail ends, since they never learn, that when it comes to investing, you can’t act on emotions because by then its usually too late, and they sold at the bottoms. Good move guys. Now they are seeing $1,800-1,900/oz gold and my greater than 300% gains, the news is now catching up to where I told them we would be, and they are now asking me where I bought my coins. I told them: “You might need to invest in food and a good gun first, and the waiting lists for coins are in months.” Their eyebrows went up, but amazingly, they are now all listening, and they are all scared, I see it in their eyes. They have all lost faith in the Hope and Change mantra, and the S&P downgrade affected them badly. I told them, “Outside of investing, fear is a good thing, it is natures way of keeping you alive. Listen to your fear, but learn to shoot, before you need it, and get your food pantry first, then gold and silver, and then pay attention to the little things”.  I still have my ‘coin collection’, and hope to keep it, but I might just sacrifice a little, to get a little bit better prepared. (Previously mentioned homemade hybrid gas I’m working on, requires money. Everything requires money.)

The primary purpose of this article, is to impress on your readers the necessity of families pulling together in common purpose and singular mindset, cooperation and harmony, the maintenance of preps, and lists. Do you have the little things to repair the big things? The little thing to open the big things you need to eat out of? Do you have the discipline to write down the little things you need, when you need them, or think about them? Do you have a list hanging somewhere handy, like on a refrigerator magnet? Do you have a hurricane check list? Do you have a standard prep list of ‘top off’s, when, if, you hear that dollar crashing sound because China and the rest of the world has decided, enough madness, and to dump us into the 18th Century? Do you eat your preps, as they come due or before, and replace at least one can at a time? Do you buy the things you like, so it will be easy? Sure, buying a lot of peanut butter, rice and beans will keep you alive, but you won’t be living. You will survive bodily, but will your marriage survive? Will your relationships suffer if family members are pulling in different directions? Have you learned to shut up yet? Have you learned who to cut loose and who to bring in? Have you got your group together? Have you paid attention to the Little Things?

Which reminds me, note to fridge, toilet paper and vitamins, lots of toilet paper and vitamins, also check on the ammo in storage. What is that latest government threat? Oh yeah, Codex Alimentarious, that will make vitamins illegal or hard to get. Ever heard of Scurvy? Rice and beans don’t have Vitamin C. Do I need a root cellar? Something to check on. Hurricane Katia? A Russian name? That sounds wonderful.  Here we go again, but this time, we’ll be in a lot better shape, trust me.  Some of her family are coming out next week for shooting and zeroing lessons. “You mean you can’t just pick up a gun and shoot it?” “Nope, without training you might shoot yourself or your daughter.” “By the way, what happened to your arm?” says Sister in Law, “The little things, its always the little things that get you”. – D.M.L. in the boonies of Eastern North Carolina

Lessons From Wartime Bosnia-Herzegovina, by Benjamin

1

I have been following the survivalist trend on YouTube for about a year now and so far you provide the best and most realistic advice of anyone. Many of the people who offer advice, in my opinion are not qualified based on what they are saying. And I can say this based on my experience. Half of the things I hear other people say cannot be applied to the situation I was in or most situations, but you seem to understand.

I was born and raised in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I saw that a fellow Bosnian gave you his story, but he was in the rural part, so my email will be different because I was in the city in the early 90s.

Short of writing a book, the full story would be difficult for me to present. So I will just make some rarely addressed points, based on my own experience.

– Gun confiscation is a major concern. Immediately before SHTF in Bosnia, all of the guns in my part [of the country] were confiscated by the local police. How do we address that? The worst part is that the police think they’re doing you a favor. They’re exposed to the same propaganda and government orders as everyone else, so you can’t reason with them. Some people on YouTube are packing thousands of rounds of ammo in open sight in their basement. Not smart. In Bosnia, the only people who were left with guns to defend themselves were those who hid them well. You also can’t depend on the Constitution to save you. When there is nothing to enforce them, your legal documents become irrelevant.

– House confiscation is a major concern too. When looting took place, you had to leave your house. Unless you have a good 5 or 6, gun-trained men to guard the windows and doors 24/7, you will be looted. Most of the houses in America are not built of [concrete-filled] cinder blocks as they are in the Balkans, so in America I would imagine that a molotov cocktail wouldn’t have to go through a window to set it on fire. I had Molotov cocktails thrown at the side of my house in Bosnia. It did nothing to the double cinder block construction. My house in Bosnia survived multiple mortar and RPG fragments because of the reinforced cinder block construction that was required because of the cold weather we would have. As you can imagine, plastic siding, which is popular in American cities will not afford you the same protection. Since only the criminals had guns after the gun confiscation, I don’t have to tell you who was left defenseless when the police were sent into the battle field hundreds of miles away.

– Supplies are not in circulation. Sarajevo was under  siege  and complete lock down for four years. Supplies were not coming in for four years, unless you had lots of foreign currency to pay off the dealers in the black market. Don’t count on government or foreign aid. All of that UN “humanitarian” help that was sent to Bosnia – surprise, surprise – many of the UN soldiers were selling it, not distributing it for free like they were suppose to. The people who had a producer mindset did survive. The people who depend on imports from distant lands, they’re gonna starve to death. You had once wealthy Sarajevans starving to death because the Yugoslavian Dinar hyper inflated and couldn’t buy anything in the black market. 

– A lot of survivalists on YouTube have the mindset that they’re just gonna chill in their house for a couple months or years. I can tell you right now, in Bosnia at least…less than 1% of the population was successful with that approach and they were the people living in remote parts of the country that the military and looters didn’t know existed. Everyone else was constantly moving. If your house is under fire from more threats than you can handle, you’re gonna have to leave immediately, leaving behind everything. If you are a racial minority in your neighborhood, you’ll have to leave as well. In Bosnia, if you were a Catholic or Muslim living in the Serb part of town, you would be the first one to die.

– What about the women and children? Tens of thousands of women were raped in the Balkans wars. If you have any integrity as a man, you won’t leave your mothers, sisters, and children behind to go out into the forest and “bug out”. If you have grandparents, who’s going to take care of them? If you have someone in your family who is handicapped, what happens to them? I know that you, Mr. Rawles know all of these concerns, but I’m just addressing them because none of the “experts” on YouTube has given them serious thought and in my Bosnia experience, these were the first concerns.

– Being on the move [when necessary] saved many people. The people living in the rural part of the country may have it the worst. They’re gonna be the first ones targeted because they are not so densely populated. Having numbers on your side saved you. Even if you were unarmed, a criminal is less likely to take that risk. [Some racist comments snipped.] Lower class people will take revenge on their self-proclaimed entitlement being taken away from them. That’s something to consider if you live in a suburb. So you may have to be on the move, regardless to where you live.

– Physical fitness is an absolute must. Hunger management is something you should master. Some of the stories I heard from the people in the rural parts of Bosnia is that they had to walk up to 100 miles a week to escape genocide and get to the central part where the Bosnian military was in control. Then I see that some borderline obese guy on YouTube living in the middle of Tennessee and he doesn’t look like he could walk up a flight of stairs. Being ready now and practicing intermittent fasting will help significantly. I’ve been practicing infrequent feeding over the last two years (one large meal per day) like they practice in various Eastern European and Israeli spec. ops. units and it’s conditioned me to be able to get by three days without food before any strong urges of hunger kick in. Not only is important to get by without food for a few days at a time, but it’s important to maintain mental clarity, physical reaction time, and most importantly moral integrity.

– The last point I want to make is perhaps the most important point. You have to keep your morals and values in check. You have to maintain your composure in all situations. In Bosnia, luckily people have a strong sense of these things. When the going got tough, you could rely on your friends/family and most of the time even strangers to do the right thing. Everyone had an equal share of food and water for the day and you could trust everyone not to try to take more than what they were given. Maybe this is a city thing in the US but my experience here has been that people have no qualms about stealing things with no regret. It’s one thing to steal food when you’re starving but people here steal things they don’t even need. When I lived there at least, you could leave a stack of currency on the sidewalk and no one would try to steal it because it just doesn’t belong to them and you’re taught not to take things that don’t belong to you. I don’t mean to incriminate all Americans but a lot of people (mostly the younger generations) have a greedy, individualistic, entitled mindset which will not serve them any good when SHTF. That is the most important thing…not selling out, not stealing or lying, etc. Keeping your morals in check. And then you have keeping composure. How are you going to handle yourself when a buddy dies, God forbid? How are you going to handle yourself emotionally when the food or water runs out? All of these things determined whether you lived or died in Bosnia. Usually it was the guys who were all gung ho pro-war that got killed first. I saw a video titled “People who want WROL” or something to that effect. The jerks cited in that video were perfect. There was a lot of people who looked forward to the war to be heroic…they were the first to die or mentally break down. When the shelling took place, they just curl up and start crying. They show the most cowardice in difficult times, etc.

This came out longer than I had planned. I’ll leave it at this. It’s just some things that stood out when I think about the old times. I wish people weren’t so naive about the world we live in. War and any civil unrest works at an intense dynamic. Things happen and they happen often faster than you can think.

Two Letters Re: Hurricane Irene Lessons Learned

Jim,
I thought I’d share with you some thoughts and experience I’ve had with Hurricane [later Tropical Storm] Irene. I live in southwest Connecticut in a city slightly less than 100,000 population.  We are about 50-65 miles from New York City. As of this evening, I am still running my generator five days after being hit by Tropical Storm Irene on Saturday evening.  As of this evening, the power company said they will restore power “by middle of next week”.  If that ends up happening, we will be without power for around 10 days.  We shall see. 

A few details about our setup.  I think it’s pretty typical for around here.

  • Well with 1/2 HP 220 VAC submersible pump.  The well is approximately 250 feet deep.
  • Septic tank
  • Oil heat boiler
  • Oil hot water heater
  • Generator – 6,500 Watt gasoline unit converted to propane many years ago. 

Overall the wind could have been much worse.  I’ve read some recent articles that said the hurricane was over-hyped by the media.   Although there is probably some truth to this, most of the articles don’t mention how vast the power outages are in Connecticut.   Connecticut ended up having a record number of power outages from this storm (50-60% homes just  after the storm).    Parts of upstate Connecticut, New York and Vermont were hit with very heavy rain and flooding.  Some covered bridges which stood for over 130 years were washed away.  Sounds like it wasn’t hyped too much to me!

I converted my generator to propane years ago for less than $200.  Its a rather simple setup which I can remove and run with gasoline without much work. I have 50 lbs tanks which hold holds 12gallons of propane.  I also have a few 20lbs grill tanks which hold 4.7 gallons each.  One thing you have to be careful with regarding small propane tanks is that they don’t allow the propane to turn to gas quick enough to supply the generator with enough gas.This also depends on the size of the generator.  I find that the grill tanks never empty because about half way through, they start to frost on the outside.  Obviously, this is a bigger problem in the winter when it’s cold outside.  This is why I use the bigger tanks because they have more surface area of liquid propane to convert to gas.  With the 50lb tanks, I can get them close to empty with my genny.  Also, a 50 lb tank is about 72 lbs full.   Anything larger than this for me is harder to move around and handle.   

I get about 12-to-24 hours off a 50 lb tank.  This depends on my electrical load and how often I turn it off to save fuel.   I have two tanks, so every morning I head down to the propane dealer to fill up the empty one.  The system isn’t great but it works.   I asked the propane dealer and they said their filling station is run on a generator so it should be available.    A majority of people have gas generators so in theory I should have an easier time to get fuel. Another surprising observation is that the oil in the genny doesn’t get dirty.   I have about 100 hrs on the oil and it still looks new.   Propane burns so clean that there is no carbon deposited in the oil   I’m not sure if the oil still breaks down and I should change the oil regardless of what color it is.  I plan to research this. 

Some of my friend who were also hit hard in Eastern Connecticut coast said that a few days after Irene hit, it was very difficult to find gas.   Long lines at stations and/or driving far away was required to get gas.   I didn’t wait in any line.  Most of the time, I was the only person there filling my propane.

Generators were darn near impossible to get around here the day after Irene hit.  It was also very difficult to get extension cords and plastic gas cans.   Everyone was sold out.  Thankfully, I had everything I needed and got to listen to everyone complain.  It’s nice knowing I had prepared my family long ago for days like this.  Sure does give me options.

My wife and I saw a lot of people jumping for bottled water at Wal-Mart as the worked rolled out bottled water on carts from the back.  The carts were emptied in minutes.    Grocery shelves were still empty in a Target store, four days after. I’ve read about these situations before, but it sure hits home to see it in person.  God forbid something big ever happens some day.   Grocery stores will be empty in no time.  After seeing this weekend, I really believe this now.  Scary stuff.

A 6,500 watt generator does everything you need to live comfortably.   I can’t run my central AC but who cares.  I saved a window AC unit in the attic for days like this.  We can cool one room with window unit with no problem for the Genny.  I have no problem running my well, oil blower, hot water heater, refrigerator, lights, attic fan to keep attic cool.    In a similar situation in the winter, I can also run the blower on my oil boiler to heat the house.  One problem with my genny is that it runs pretty much full out all the time.  If you are only running a refrigerator at the time, it consumes a lot of fuel to keep it running.     I plan to look at the Honda Inverters to just run the refrigerator so that I can shut down the 6,500 watt unit for large portions of the day.  I could turn it on only at dinner time or bath time for the kids.  It doesn’t take long before the drone the generator will drive you crazy.   I would shut the thing off once in a while just to relax.   The white noise really does wear on you.   Also, everyone on the street knows you have one because it is so loud.  

The biggest problem for me with power is the well.   You start to respect how much power they consume to when you have to “provide” it instead of the local power plant.   I’d love to find a way to consume less power to get water to flush toilets etc.   Still research to do here. 

The other thing you’ll learn really fast is how inefficient generators are compared to buying electricity.   I figure my house typically cost $3 per day in electricity.   When I have to make my own power, it costs me $30-60 per day in propane!   Another reason to investigate the Honda Inverters because of their efficiency. 

People should plan on hosting friends and families with them.   Even in our case, we had friend living with us who were evacuated from a house on the river.   I am grateful we could help them but one should plan on extra supplies and time to have others join your safe haven.  It doesn’t take long for the word to get out who has a generator, gas cans, power cords, chain saws etc. 

One more thing:  Cell phones have been terribly unreliable.   I guess some towers went down due to the outages or they are overloaded because no one has wired phones anymore at home.  When the power goes out, all their wireless phones don’t work!    Text got through but regular phone calls were very hard to place for days.

Overall, it has  gone well because I read your site and was prepared.   My wife is very grateful that we and our friends have a safe comfortable place to stay.    She is now interested in getting a wood stove because if this had happened in the winter, we would burn even more fuel to keep the boiler running.   If I had a wood stove and stored wood, all I would need electricity for is the refrigerator and well.  This would make a big difference and make us even more independent.

Thanks for what you do. – Joe from Connecticut

 

Dear JWR:
I really enjoy your blog. I’m fairly new to the whole “survivalist” thing, I look at it as more of a “common sense” thing. I’m in central Massachusetts and we knew we were really in for it with Irene. I’m a weather nut and I know what to look for and what sources to follow. We are always fairly well prepared for anything and my wife is just as much a “be prepared” person as I am. We always have batteries and such on hand so that was not an issue. Battery powered radio? Check! Lots of bottles of water frozen in the freezer? All set thanks to my wife! I went the additional step of filling the bathtub full of water to flush toilets in case we lost power. Despite having no supply of MREs we had plenty of food ready to go. My biggest concern was my basement flooding and us losing power. My generator is only a 2,400 watt model but it’s enough to handle my sump pump. It was ready to go with a 220 capable extension cord running to the house right to where the cord for the pump plugs in. The generator is kept in my 20’x12’ shed 120 feet from the house. Later the afternoon before the storm the cashier at the general store up the road and I had a good laugh at all the people panicking buying milk, bread, batteries and anything else not clamped down. One guy bought seven huge bags of ice and we wondered aloud what he was going to do with all that ice.
 
That night I set my alarm for 6 a.m. and went to bed knowing I was ready. I woke up at 6am to it raining cats, dogs, and bears. My sump pump was already firing off every 25 seconds. As the storm got closer this increased to a maximum of every 15 seconds before it started going down as the morning progressed. The lights flickered 4 or 5 times but the power never went out. You see, there was a reason for that. We survived the ice storm of December 2008. With temps never above 20 degrees we roughed it out for seven long days without power. The night of the storm my generator died and my wife and I bailed that sump pump well for 8 hours straight before we finally gave up but we saved our furnace and hot water heater. I went through 2 face cords of wood that week but we stayed in the house and it never got below 54 degrees. The trees and branches that came down during that incredibly devastating storm saved us during Irene. Earlier this year National Grid came through and took out any of the dying or bad trees along the power lines. All of this saved us from losing power. Many other towns in Massachusetts were not as lucky, but as I remind them, at least it’s not December.
 
Next step is to stock up on MREs and more importantly get an auto-standby generator to replace my small one, which will run off my propane tanks that power my furnace and other things. Thanks for all the tips and looking forward to following your blog. – P.R.C. in Massachusetts

Letter Re: The Five Steps of OPSEC Assessment

Mr. Rawles,
I am compelled to respond to the essay by “Stone of Scone” on OPSEC. He wrote the following with regard to obfuscating his residence’s physical location: “The only downside to not having a valid 911 address that points to your real home’s location is that when an ambulance is called, it will go to the wrong place. In this rare emergency I will just send someone to flag them down to go to the correct location.”

I am a volunteer emergency medical technician in rural northwest Montana. I volunteer out of a sense of duty to my neighbors and the conviction that those who can… should. I don’t enjoy the job. I have often wanted to quit, but our fire department has only five volunteers who are qualified to treat and transport patients in the ambulance.

Anyway, since we rarely get detailed information about a patient from the county’s 911 dispatch, I prefer focusing my mind when I am driving the ambulance on game planning what I am going to do when I get on scene… not on trying to figure out where the hell the patient is! When I waste precious time trying to find a patient, I am not bringing my A Game when I do get to that patient’s side. Worse, the patient is losing time that may make the difference in whether the patient lives or otherwise adversely affect the patient’s quality of life or recovery time.

The idea that someone will be available to flag the ambulance down is an idea held by many residents in my fire district who will not put up an address marker that is visible from the road — let alone visible at night. Most people out here are either practicing Stone of Scone’s version of OPSEC or are simply too lazy to bother.

Inevitably the 0300 a.m. call-out in the dead of winter is to an address that neither I nor my partner in the ambulance knows. Rarely is there ever anyone flagging us down or providing useful information to the 911 dispatcher to be relayed to us. Usually, actual life-threatening incidents at residences involve the patient and one other person (the reporting party). Reporting parties often cannot guide us to patients, because they are either rendering aid or are emotionally immobilized.

The bottom line is that people who do not make it easy for an ambulance or fire truck to find them when an emergency arises are gambling with their and their loved ones’ lives. If those people are relying on local volunteers to render life-saving aid and transport, they are also being incredibly disrespectful to those volunteers. Many volunteer fire departments throughout the country are facing manpower crises. I cannot help but wonder how many volunteers quit when faced with the undermining conviction that their neighbors don’t care so why should they?

My sincerest hope is that, if you post my letter, people who have never even given a moment’s thought to whether they are helping or hindering their chance to receive emergency aid will be inspired to put up an address marker visible from the road in the dark. Hopefully, they will also find some way to contribute time, encouragement, or other resources to their local volunteer fire department.

Sincerely, – J. Northwest Montana

Economics and Investing:

G.G. flagged this: Belarus Hyperinflation Update: Food Runs Out As Friendly Foreigners Take Advantage Of The “Favorable” Exchange Rate Arb

John R. sent this: Analysis: As debt maturities loom, U.S. needs to extend

Also from John: Fearing An Even Worse Inflationary Depression Ahead (Bob Chapman)

Reader Hal C. sent this link: John Williams of ShadowStats interviewed by Goldseek. He is predicting hyperinflation.

B.B. suggested: Maple Leaf sets silver record: 2010 bullion sales rise 74% from 2009

Items from The Economatrix:

After Bumpy August, Economy Shows Signs of Growth

Retailers Report Solid Gains For August

Carmakers Report Surprisingly Strong August Sales

25 Signs That the Financial World is About to Hit The Big, Red Panic Button

Investors are Down in August and Jittery as Ever

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.G. sent us some news from Las Cruces, New Mexico: Family arrested in gun bust; feds raid LC, Deming store. So why aren’t the BATFE agents that knowingly and intentionally facilitated similar sales of more than 2,000 guns facing similar charges? (The agents ordered gun shops to proceed with straw purchase sales to Mexican nationals.)

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Some good analysis by Fred Burton of Stratfor: Above the Tearline: Reconstructing the Monterrey Arson Attack from Surveillance Footage

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D.W. sent a link to the PDF of a U.S. Army /USMC Counterinsurgency Field Manual with a foreword written by General Petraeus. (Who was recently appointed DCI. Because of this appointment, I believe that we can expect to see a “we’re taking the gloves off” attitude in counter-terrorism circles. It might be a good time to invest in Raytheon and Hellfire Systems, Inc. Respectively, they are the prime contractors for the Tomahawk cruise missile and the Hellfire missile. The latter can be launched from Predator UAVs. Something tells me that they’re going to be using a lot of both of them.)

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And speaking of military documents, Capt Bart of Survival Cache recommended this CGSC paper: The Other End of the Spear: The Tooth- to-Tail Ratio (T3R) in Modern Military Operations

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Nanny State California goes berserk: Babysitting Bill in California Legislature