Do-It-Yourself Water Filtration, by Robert B.

Introduction: I’ve maintained a salt water reef tank for more than 10 years. The following is a improvised method that I used to process water to the point where it was acceptable for use with coral and salt water fish [before it is salinated] . Coral and salt water fish are very sensitive to toxic chemicals, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, and ammonia in some cases just  .02-20 PPM would be deadly to salt water animals, so filtration quality was key. 

Improvised Water Filter

Water Filtration and Storage
On the run filtration
Building a Water Filter
Collection and Storage

On the run filtration
Collect water and run through several layers of cloth; then treat water with the following process:
Add 8-9 drops of plain bleach per gallon.
Shake up container, and let sit for 30 minutes
Open container and smell for bleach. If the water does not have a light smell of bleach, then add another 8 drops, shake and wait another 30 minutes.  If water does not have a light smell of bleach at that point, the water is probably too contaminated, and should not be consumed. I would not exceed 18 drops per gallon.
Remember – use plain bleach, no additives at all.

Building a Water Filter 

Water Preparation Notes:
Start with chemical processing using the ‘on the run filtration’ method. This should kill most bacteria and parasites; if you have power, you can replace this step with a UV sterilizer, however I would wait a few days before processing due to the UV disruption the reproductive cycle through DNA corruption for many bacteria and other critters. Exposure [of very shallow water] for a day or two under direct sunlight [“the SODIS method”] could also be an alternative if someone is too sensitive to the bleach method, and you have no power.

Chlorine/bleach evaporates – so after you have treated your water with bleach to kill micro-organisms (recommended), then let the water sit open for one to two days to clear out the chemicals.  By doing so, less of the activated carbon is used up filtering out your introduced chemicals.

While letting the chlorine/bleach evaporate keep in mind you are also letting particulates settle. When you are ready to move the water to the filter, try and use a secondary container for transport, and not mix up the water.  The final 2-3″ of water will be far more polluted than the top layers.
On a side note, if you are testing your water with a kit, chlorine can show up as ammonia.  Test for ammonia after chlorine has had a day or two to evaporate. 

Questionable Secondary Filter Medium
There are specific filtration material available for nitrates, nitrites, phosphates and ammonia, however since I do not know if these are ‘human’ safe, I will let the reader research these for themselves – all of these media are searchable under “reef tank filter media.” I will say that they are fish and coral safe (if purchased for fish tank filtering), and the coral and fish that I have kept for years are very sensitive to toxic material. If I were desperate, I would consider it; but it would have to be a life or death situation with children. Be careful here, it may be a last resort. 

Building the Filter Layers
 Layers from top to bottom, quantity will vary depending on the size of the filter, however depth it the critical factor.
Each layer can be held in a 5 gallon food safe container with holes punched in the bottom, stacked one onto of the other. When designing the frame, make it so that each bucket can be removed for maintenance. Don’t make the holes too large, you want the water to seep through the media. Starting with a few small holes is much easier to increate for flow, than plugging many large holes. This is especially true with the activated carbon. Clean buckets as though they will hold food, and use only food save material. In each layer, increasing the thickness of the media will improve the quality of the water.

Layers 1-4 with 1 being the top layer. First three layers to have 5″ gap between them if possible.  If not possible, touching layers would be okay in a single bucket, but this is not ideal.  The key with the gaps is to allow for water to pool above the medium and slowly sink through, it also helps to self compensate for the speed that water passes through the different media.
1. Linens/Bed Sheets, cloth material; two sheets thick minimal
Details: the number of layers depend on thread count, water should seep through, not pour through.  Allowing the material to sag in the center will result in more water being processed in a single pour.
Function: Initial pre-filter, to keep out large debris 
Note: recommend ‘natural/organic’ cloth to help prevent the medium from introducing chemicals to the water.
2. Cotton Balls – 3″ thick when compressed by water.
Same function as #1, however since medium will have a different texture and thickness it will pre-filter out different material.  In a SHTF situation, bed sheets and cloths may be at a premium, so if need be, #2 could be the only pre-filter, or visa versa. 
3. Water Polishing Pads (Here is an example )
Function: These are micro-fine polyester filters designed to remove deters and microscopic material from water.
Details: One media think layer is acceptable.
4. Activated Carbon – final layer
Details: Layered 3″ to 6″ deep. (Here is an example)
Function: This filtration material removes trace elements from water, along with many toxic compounds. Activated Carbon, along with the pre-filter (fabric and cotton) are the critical components.
If you will be storing the water, you may want to add 2-3 drops of bleach prior to sealing the container.
 
Collection and Storage
It’s important to remember that each gallon is approximately 8.35 pounds. This adds up quick if storing or collecting for a permanent location. Average water consumption in the US is 4.49 Gallons per day (Here is some data.)
This adds up to 37.49 lbs per person, per day. That’s 262 lbs per person per week.  Yes, showers will be more limited, but with lots of dehydrated food to prepare, and reserves for gardening, the numbers would be ½ the current average at best and most likely close to the same.  Since the amount of water per person needed will be highly personalized, it is best to plan for the maximum possible water storage.
For those with a well or spring fed pond, storage is still a critical component.  Droughts happen, wells run dry, pumps break. Besides, transporting water to a garden in 5 gallon containers is bound to get old soon.

We should also keep in mind that you can smell water when thirsty. Just like cooking food caries smells for miles, water does too.  This should not be overlooked. Ponds, lakes, rivers carry the smell of water far, but a dehydrated person will still be able to smell a exposed rainwater cistern much further than you like.
Like any good defense there should be layers to water storage. Each layer kept in a different location.  So, have a plan and cover story.
In my area, we have a few community wells pumping to our subdivision. Since water can get interesting during the summer, when everyone is watering their lawns, it is easy to explain my 8 x 24 bottle cases of water per person. It’s not much, but will help during natural disasters where power, and water pressure is temporarily unavailable.

Until I purchase a few cisterns my plan B is as follows:
Leverage plastic garbage cans, using reef safe silicone to plug any holes at the time and to dry a thin layer around the lid to seal in water from evaporation.  One good thing about this is that no one has ever asked my why I have two extra garbage cans. Of course this will need to be cleaned with bleach, and collected water will need to be filtered. Yes, human safe is a question here, but it’s a SHTF plan. 

Creating the seal.  Apply silicone bead around the area of the plastic trashcan, where the lid comes in contact. Make sure the silicone bead is dry before closing. The intent is to create a barrier that will seal when the lid is shut, similar to the seal on an ammo can.  Also use the silicone to plug any minor holes in the can, if you are forced to use a used trashcan. This is necessary for two main reasons: 1. It keeps bugs from crawling into the water, and 2. Keeps down evaporation.

For a location, I have an area near my gutter down spouts that I’ve cleared of major rocks and can dig our and bury the trash can with out too much effort.  This area has plants, so yard work is always a good cover story.  In a SHTF situation, the plastic can will be buried at night, a wood cover placed over it to allow for camouflage placement, and the plastic water re-direction tube on my gutter down spouts can be kept pointing at my plants until rain comes.  Keep the location within a reasonable distance to a door/window for quick in home transport, and away from high traffic areas.  Just a few minutes saved in accessing your water source could be the difference between a secret and a major neighborhood conversation.
If I had to dig a secondary location for water in a SHTF condition (which I most likely would), and someone saw the digging, I expect to use the ‘digging the next outhouse location’ as a good answer to keep away prying eyes.

The best way is to purchase several cisterns approved for storing drinking water. Once I can purchase the cisterns, I plan on putting on in the same location described for the trashcan. I won’t be able to hide the install so, since I have a few ‘green happy’ neighbors, I’m going with that approach. Telling them that I am collecting rainwater for use with plants around the house, and a secondary location for the garden, is far more neighborhood acceptable than saying I’m preparing for TEOTWAWKI.

Supplemental Tools: In addition to the storage, a hand pump is critical here. The pump must have a garden hose attachment. For my case, I have about 300 feet of garden hose, which just happens to be the depth of my neighbors well.  (another item for my to-do list).

I’ve been looking at a Dayton Brand Hand Pump, Rotary 15 GPM, but will need to do more research. (The Grainger web site also has less expensive pumps that I might get first as a backup before getting the $100-$200 pumps.  Not the best way, but I have other priorities to purchase first, and this would get me something while I save up for the better quality one. In the end I’ll have two hand pumps.

Note: even though the intent is to collect rainwater, do not be misled. This water still needs to be filtered.  Roof top runoff water is exposed to your roofing material, let alone what the birds leave behind on the roof, and improvised storage medium may contain chemicals. Water filtration is critical, for health and safety.

On a side note: The more I plan, the more I kick myself for moving to a populated area. It’s no city here, but if there were a major event something as simple as having water would put me in a no-win situation. JWR, feel free to insert an ‘I told you so’ comment.

Testing the results
I would recommend testing the water pre and post processing.  You may need to tune the depth of the material, and the number of holes in the buckets. Places like Petco have many fresh water testing kits.  

Focus on the following kits:
Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, and Ammonia.  If the water is in the same range or better than for freshwater fish (guidelines describing the range acceptable for fish are almost always included in the test kits) it should be well within human tolerances. Note, that when I was processing city tap water for my tank, I almost always had to pre-process the water before using it with fish, since they need a higher quality of water than we do.

A Note of Thanks From Pat Cascio

I would like to say thanks to all the SurvivalBlog readers, who took the time to drop me an e-mail to thank me for my articles and efforts, writing for SurvivalBlog. I personally responded to every one of you who wrote. I’m sorry my responses couldn’t have been longer, but I received more than 100 e-mails from SurvivalBloggers, and it took me quite a while to catch-up to them all. I sincerely appreciated hearing from each and every one of you.

I’ve learned that SurvivalBlog readers are usually a very intelligent bunch of folks, not your average run-of-the-mill, gun store nuts or mall ninjas. You are well-read and an educated bunch, to be sure. Many SurvivalBlog readers have written me asking questions about certain types of guns, and I hope I’ve been of some help with my answers. Some have written to me with gunsmithing questions, and once again, I hope I’ve been of some help as it’s difficult to make a diagnoses without actually seeing the gun and the problems it may have been having.

A lot of SurvivalBlog readers have written asking me to do an article on a certain gun, and if I’ve owned that gun, I’ll get around to writing about it sooner or later. I note one readers had a letter posted on SurvivalBlog August 16th, requesting that I do an article about the Draco pistol. While I would like to accommodate you all, if I don’t own a particular firearm, or have owned it, it’s difficult for me to obtain samples for test and evaluation. I can’t just pick-up the phone or e-mail a gun company and ask them to send me whatever I want to test. There is a process, and part of that process is having the right connections, as well as usually having an assignment from one of my editors for a particular gun to test and evaluate.

Additionally, some gun companies send me guns for test and evaluation, and I end up paying shipping – both ways! As you all may be aware, I receive no pay from SurvivalBlog for doing my articles. So, it’s hard for me to justify requesting a firearm to write about, if I have to pay shipping to get the firearm, and then pay return shipping – it is especially expensive when dealing with handguns, which must be shipped Next Day UPS or FedEx. I’m sure many readers think that gun writers make a lot of money from their articles – we don’t! With many of us, it’s simply a side job or a hobby – many gun writers hold other jobs. In my case, I work as a writer, doing firearm and knife articles, as well as teaching firearms classes, doing security consulting, writing books and when the economy permits, I breed and sell German Shepherds.

Some of you may have noticed, that I’m now only doing one article per week for SurvivalBlog. There’s a reason for this. I thought I had developed Carpal Tunnel in my right wrist, making it extremely difficult to do a lot of typing – not good for a writer. However, my yearly visit to my doctor revealed osteo-arthritis in my right wrist, as well as my right hip and lower back – and that also makes it difficult for me to sit and type for very long. Thirty-five years in the martial arts takes a toll on a person’s body, no doubt about that. So, for the time being, I’ll just be doing one article per week for SurvivalBlog.

Once again, I’d like to thank all of you who took the time to write me, and saying thanks for my articles. I’ll be doing more gun and knife articles, as well as reviewing some other survival related products, as well as some reloading articles – and if you’re not into reloading, then you’d better start to think about getting into it.

Thanks again, to you all, and thanks to Jim Rawles, for giving me the editorial freedom to write about what interests me. –  SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Ireland Shipwreck Illustrates Some Preparedness Principles

Letter Re: Ireland Shipwreck Illustrates Some Preparedness Principles

JWR:
This news article: American crew members tell the story of their rescue off West Cork coast illustrates some preparedness principles. There are a lot of lessons in this story:

(1) What will you be wearing [or “everyday carrying”] you when you’re tossed into a survival situation?

(2) Experienced sailors caught short. Preparedness mindset? [Preparedness oversights] could be fatal.

(3) In a group willing to help, but can’t be seen. Flare pens [should be] in an always-worn survival vest.

(4) Rescued by Gooferment forces standing by. Who pays for that, and all the other, rescues?

(5) What happens when those forces are not standing around waiting?

(6) What happens when you are where those forces are?

(7) I don’t own a boat, but this convinces me to get one of those seat belt cutting window smashing tools for each of my cars. Maybe I’ll give them as Christmas gifts.

Did I miss any lessons? – FJohn

Letter Re: Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long Term Foreign Workers

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I have been following the thread on “Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long Term Foreign Workers.”  My business partner and I have more than one hundred mission trips between us and have been first responders to several of the latest disasters including the Tsunami in Banda Aceh, Hurricane Dean in Jamaica, and the Earthquake in Haiti. Several of the writers and especially P.J.H. has been spot on in their information.  Problems in the mission field or for the foreign worker have a direct correlation to the lack of understanding for the culture of the country where they serve. It is acerbated by the export of U.S. culture the traveler brings and having an expectation that everywhere should act/be like the USA.  A number of great resources were identified in their post, but I see a gaping hole in what to do if the unthinkable happens. Did you know that according to the CDC: “Motor vehicle crashes—not crime or terrorism—are the number one killer of healthy US citizens traveling in foreign countries”.  Unfortunately, most US travelers and especially missionary and NGO employees travel and drive without the slightest though of their vehicle safety. They assume their host has adequately prepared their vehicle for safe travel.

In an number of countries where a driving fatality takes place, both parties can be arrested until a complete investigation takes place and we all know the speed of developing countries is slow and the investigation can take weeks.  Many of the hospitals in those same countries require payment prior to treating of the patient. In a recent situation we had a client that had injured themselves and needed treatment. The hospital in Central America refused to accept the insurance or the travel insurance supplement. They had to pay the hospital provider in cash to get service.

Economics and Investing:

RJK sent this: End Game Approaching in Europe: No Way Out But Debt Restructuring

Back to the Future: Gold, JPY, DAX, Paulson – CRASH?

Report: Crop losses in Texas top $5 billion. (Thanks to Michael W. for the link.)

How to Dig Yourself Out of Credit Card Debt

Thanks to Chris S. for spotting this: President Hugo Chavez announced Wednesday he is nationalizing Venezuela’s gold mining industry and intends to bring home $11 billion in gold reserves currently held in U.S. and European banks.

Items from The Economatrix:

A Big Bounce, Ounce By Ounce, and Gold Takes Off

Core Wholesale Inflation Up Most in Six Months

0% Interest Rates Locks in Inflation

Fitch Keeps US at AAA

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.G. sent this: Illinois to feed Asian carp to the poor

   o o o

R.J. asks: "Better than nothing?", in pointing us to this: ThinkGeek : Ultimate Survival Kit in a Water Bottle

   o o o

In conjunction with National Preparedness Month (in September), Emergency

Essentials is giving
away one of their "Traditional 2000" Year Supply food storage packages that is worth more than $1,600.

   o o o

S.T. mentioned this: How to Remove Yourself From People Search Websites.

   o o o

Fast and Furious’ a prelude to gun registration? (Link courtesy of James C.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with [my] whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and [in] the congregation.

The works of the LORD [are] great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

His work [is] honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD [is] gracious and full of compassion.

He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

The works of his hands [are] verity and judgment; all his commandments [are] sure.

They stand fast for ever and ever, [and are] done in truth and uprightness.

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend [is] his name.

The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.” – Psalm 111 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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.

If You Cannot Evacuate, by B.A.F.

Most of us do not have the funds to purchase and maintain a survival retreat, however there are effective things the ordinary citizen can do to help themselves and their families get through the troubled times ahead. I could write reams on this subject, but for the purposes of this article I will concentrate on a few basics to help your family get started on the path to survival.
I have been watching in horror for months as the U.S. government races towards the abyss. The British press truly nailed it when, after the debt ceiling vote was announced, the BBC referred to the vote as increasing the United States’ “overdraft authority”. Hurricane Katrina showed everyone with a brain that the government cannot and will not help you in the event of a disaster! Nuff’ said here.

Shelter Where You Are
In my opinion, people who live in rural areas are going to be generally better off. You are still going to need to stock up for long term difficulties and the sooner the better! The American people have become far too dependent upon outside systems and people, and when and if our infrastructure collapses, you going to be in a world of hurt if you don’t act now!

Here are some examples of things my family is doing. I am buying several extra cans of food a week. I buy at several different stores in nearby communities. I do this because any sudden large purchase gets the attention of our local paranoid Sheriff’s department. I’ve been given several 2½ and 5 gallon plastic buckets by the manager of a local mini-mart after they’ve finished with them. I clean them out, and then put the extra canned goods in them. We live in a humid area, and storing the cans in the buckets prevents the outside of the cans from rusting.

One other thing I plan do very soon is to purchase three large plastic totes in which I can place 4 weeks worth of canned foods to throw in our car if we do need to evacuate. In a 4th tote, I’ll have 3 changes of clothing for my wife and myself along with some cooking implements, a one burner butane stove and 6 cans of fuel. I can also carry 14 gallons of drinking water as well as food for our dog for a month. Do not forget to assemble a complete emergency medical kit for this evacuation pack! In our case, I have packed 60 days worth of our prescription medications.
Back to the homestead, however. Here is what I’m planning to do at our place.

50 gallons of drinking water and two 200-gallon [service life] filters. In my case I’m lucky enough to be about two miles from a large creek which runs all year. I can take a few dozen containers in the car and fill them from this stream. I do not, however drink this water without treating it first! I boil it for 20 to 30 minutes, and after it has cooled, I filter it. I use the Katadyn Hiker which is rated to filter up to 200 gallons. After it has been filtered, I add a teaspoon of unscented bleach to each 7 gallon storage container. These containers are kept in a dark and cool storage shed, and will keep for a very long time. Purchase as many of the 5-7 gallon containers as you can. If this is not possible or practical, save your two liter soda bottles as these are an excellent alternative. Be sure to treat the water before storing it. As for your tap water, depending on where you live, you might want to treat that as well, before storing it.

One-Burner Butane stove: These can be had at Wal-Mart and most other big box stores. The one I use has a Piezo-electric spark which ignites the fuel. We also have 40 extra fuel canisters for it. I estimate this will provide 2 hot meals each day for two people for up to six months.

Kerosene: We heat our home with it. We usually store 60 to 100 gallons, depending on the severity of the Winter. We have an indoor use Kerosene heater which does not require electricity to operate. We also have a large stock of candles for lighting as well as a few hand crank rechargeable LED lights.
Solar Shower for indoor use: Don’t laugh! This does work! We simply heat some water in a pot on the butane stove, pour the heated water into the Solar Shower, and hang it on the shower head in the bathroom. Hot shower off the grid! If it works on the trail it will work in your home!
 
Food
Not enough can be said on this subject. I mentioned the 2-½ gallon buckets earlier. The reason I prefer these over the 5-gallon size is very simple. Older folks and children will have a much easier time moving the smaller buckets around. There is nothing wrong with the larger containers and I certainly have a few of them as well. As with the larger totes, I put the extra canned goods in there to prevent them from rusting, and this allows us to move the most food possible with the least amount of effort.

Important Note: Most people don’t do these things because they are daunted by the size and expense of a project like this. There is a way to deal with this. Whenever you go to the store, buy two or three extra cans and put them away for lean times. Your wallet will hardly notice the extra few dollars and in a year’s time you will be amazed at how much emergency food is in your pantry or your shed.

At my house, my wife is annoyed that I’m buying extra canned food to put away whenever I can. She tells me that she will take care of the matter and won’t let me starve. I know she loves me and takes excellent care of me: However, if the world around us takes a nose dive there will not be any food available for her to take care of me with! So, with no disrespect towards her, I am ignoring her protests and buying the food anyway!

As a side note, I highly recommend purchasing a subscription to Backwoods Home Magazine. The editors and staff there have developed self-reliant living and emergency preparedness into an art form! I have not seen a more in-depth and comprehensive source for these matters anywhere else!!

Medical
Learn First Aid and CPR. While I have good reason to have no love for the American Red Cross, they do offer the best basic training available in this area. Build the biggest medical kit you possibly can! Whether you can evacuate or not, having as much first aid gear as possible could well be the difference between life and death for you and your family. Do not forget to include prescription meds for every family member. Visit your doctor and explain what you are doing. Be tactful! Explain that you are simply trying to build up a small extra supply for emergencies such as a natural disaster, long-term power outages, etc. Do not say anything about your political concerns! Most of the medical personnel that I work with are very liberal. My two concerns here are first, they may view you as a nut-case and deny your request for extra meds. Second, though not likely, they may report you to the local authorities as a “Rambo” type or a “dangerous survivalist”. All you are attempting to do at this point is to have some extra medications on hand in the event of an emergency and you can’t get to medical care or they can’t get to you. Make sure they understand this and keep it simple!

Which brings me to the final point of this article, personal protection.

Personal Protection
I am a strong supporter of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Some people suggest you have a reliable handgun for personal and home defense. I suggest getting two! Ideally, one of them should be unregistered. If at all possible buy one or more guns privately so there is no ’paper trail’ to tip off Big Brother.

For home protection my first choice is a 20 gauge shotgun. They are lighter and easier to handle than a 12 gauge, so women and teenage children can handle them. They are also usually a bit shorter which makes them more maneuverable in a high stress situation. They will do less damage to your walls and furniture and at the ranges being discussed here, and will drop an intruder just as effectively as a 12 gauge. Another advantage here is that if you have to shoot outside, a 20 gauge is less likely to damage a neighbor’s property. [JWR Adds: Some ammunition makers might disagree with some of the foregoing, given the relatively comparable penetration of buckshot and slugs from 12 gauge versus 20 gauge shells at less than 20 yards.]

I also highly recommend a reliable handgun for each adult. There are pros and cons to revolvers and semi-autos, and the debate will not be settled here. Generally speaking, revolvers are less likely to jam at a critical moment. For people with less experience with guns, I suggest you start with a revolver, and there are some very good ones out there. I personally own a .357 Magnum which I can get to very quickly if I need to.

I despise 9mm! If someone trying to get into your home is high on Methamphetamines or PCP, he won’t even feel a 9mm and a .40 Smith will only enrage him. The bare minimum I would have is a .38 +P or a .357 Magnum. Jacketed Hollow Points are the order of the day here! A .357 SIG in my opinion is also inadequate in these circumstances. Bottom line: Buy either a .357 Magnum for anyone or a .45 ACP such as a 1911 type semi-auto.

Why do I advocate personal ownership of firearms? Well, taking the Second Amendment out of the equation for a moment, it is quite simple… At best the local cops are 6 to 30 minutes away. Where we live, it can be up to an hour, depending on how many donuts they have yet to consume. Another reason is that most dispatchers will tell you to do nothing and wait for officers to get to you. Yeah, right! Meanwhile, the burglars are in your garage, your shed, or your bedroom and you have been shot or your wife raped or your children abducted! No thank you! If an intruder comes into my home and he, she, or they are armed, it is the intruder who is going to be lying dead on the floor, not me or a member of my family, thank you very much! As the old saying goes, I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. To keep things in balance however, let me say this: While I will act to protect myself and my family, I pray to God that I never have to put this to the test !

In closing let me also stress that it is best to keep as low a profile as you possibly can. You do not want nosey neighbors knowing you have extra food and supplies. You might want to suggest to them that they start doing things for themselves, but keep your own activities secret from them. You may think they are your friends and that they can be trusted. Do not fool yourself! If push comes to shove and they know you have provisions and they don’t. And some of them are liberals.

My last thought is this: I am very irritated by the mainstream media’s treatment of freedom loving, conservative Americans. I am constantly hearing talk from the media that it is the conservatives who are going to rise up and riot in the street. I submit that the exact opposite is going to be the case. It is my considered opinion that it is the liberal element of the population who will be the problem. It will be the welfare recipients, the illegal aliens, and the social engineers who will be the ones to riot and cause destruction. Why? Because they are the people who have lived off the system for nearly two generations, who have no work ethic, no sense of self worth, and expect everything to be handed to them, who, when the system does fail and America goes into default, will demand that the gravy train continue. When they see that their meal ticket no longer exists, their veneer of civilization will come off and it is they who will rise up against the government, not us! It will be far worse for our country than the Civil War ever was!

Prepare now. Prepare quietly. Do have a plan of escape if at all possible. If you cannot evacuate, or even if you can, lay in your supplies now. Because once it hits the fan it will be too late.

Two Letters Re: Free or Inexpensive E-Books

JWR:
I thought that the SurvivalBlog readers could use these:

Everyday Foods: A Wartime Cookbook

Emergency: Citizens Handbook for Disasters

There are many more free e-books in the Kindle store. These are helpful to a newbie such as myself. Good luck and God bless! – NewbieLane

James Wesley;
I thought that your readers might like to know that Amazon has the Kindle reader edition of the “Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide” by J. Wayne Fears for just .99 cents. Regards, – Chris L.

Letter Re: Tetanus: A Nasty, Fascinating Bug

Dear Jim-
I read with high interest the article about Tetanus from Dr. Bob. I found his information to be very important and helpful. I have just one point to include in the care of the neonate upon delivery and that is the essential practice of cutting the umbilical cord with a tool that is as clean as possible; sterile, if at all possible.  The tool doesn’t have to be a surgical instrument per se, just a clean, clean, clean piece of equipment be it a pair of scissors or a razor blade, etc.

We buried many a newborn child due to Tetanus on the New Guinea mission fields in the 1980s because babies born at home had umbilical cords cut with sharp rocks, pieces of glass, or knives used for carving meat.You get the picture. [Sanitary cutting instruments are] such a simple fix to a big potential problem.   Thank you for your consideration. – Elizabeth, RN  

Three Letters Re: Finding Prepper-Friendly Churches in The American Redoubt–Expanding The List

Hi Jim,
There’s a great local cowboy church called Gold Hill Church, near Deary, Idaho. It is not only prepper friendly, but even “dog friendly”. Another prepper-friendly church is the Community Church in Southwick, Idaho.

Also, I noted that one of the churches you listed in Bonner’s Ferry appears to be a Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church. As I grew up in that church and greatly admire much of the values of the SDA subculture, it always concerns me when an SDA[-affiliated] church does not let people know that they are really an SDA church. The books they list for sale are official books of the SDA church and are only distributed by the SDA church. I was on SDA Conference and Union Committees and know these books very well. Some SDA doctrine is not based solely on scripture, but is based on the complications from other sources by Ellen G. White, [who is] believed by many conservative SDA members to have been a prophet.

Great cover art for “Survivors”. I have put “Download the new Rawles novel” on my eCalendar for October 4th.

[Some deleted, for brevity, and OPSEC]. Regards, – L.S.

 

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Some churches in the American Redoubt region which fit the criteria, and are not listed on your blog site, are:

All of the foregoing listed Churches are members of the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). CREC are Reformed in doctrine, but allow individual churches to decide where they stand on issues on which Calvinists differ (such as infant baptism, infant communion, etc.). The various confessions to which CREC members hold are as follows:

  • Westminster Confession of Faith
  • American Westminster Confession of Faith
  • The Three Forms of Unity:
    • Belgic Confession
    • Heidelberg Catechism
    • Canons of Dort
  • The London Baptist Confession
  • The Savoy Declaration
  • The Reformed Evangelical Confession

May Yahweh bless you and your family. Shalom, – K.E.

 

Mr. Rawles,
The Tridentine Latin Mass (aka: Extraordinary Form) tends to gather Catholics with a strong emphasis on tradition and values. Expect to find homeschooling, strong family values, Bibles, free-markets, hard work, subsidiarity and a distaste of moral-relativism among these people; these values would be called “prepper” values anywhere else. See EcclesiaDei.org for locations and times. The Fisheaters web site discusses this topic in more depth.

Deo gratias, – A libertarian Catholic

JWR Replies: While I’ll never see eye-to-eye doctrinally with some key tenets of Roman Catholicism, I have several prepper friends who are Catholics, and I have no doubts about the sincerity of their faith in Christ, nor any doubt about their salvation. And BTW, not surprisingly, most of these friends attend Latin Mass churches..

SurvivalBlog readers might also be interested to learn that in the second sequel to “Patriots” (which I’ve nearly finished writing and that will be released in about 14 months) focuses on the epic cross-country journey of Ken and Terry Layton. Like some of my real-life friends, these fictional characters attend a Tridentine Latin Mass Church. Also, in my upcoming novel “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse” (the first sequel to “Patriots”, that will be released in October) Ian and Blanca Doyle are two key characters that are also Catholics.

Economics and Investing:

John Embry interview with James Turk at Gold Rush 2011.

David Morgan: $75 Silver Price Looming

K.A.F. sent this: Employees Bid Farewell to Corporate America. A few of them are wisely heading to the hinterboonies.

Also from K.A.F.: Biden to sell US debt deal during trip to China, Japan

It is all about revenue: New York City bridge tolls will be bumped up to as much as $7 per crossing.

Items from The Economatrix:

The Beginning of the Endgame

U.S. Economy’s Wild Ride is Far From Over

World Bank Chief:  Global Economy in “New Danger Zone”

A Reason for the August Stock Market Crash, October Pending

Odds ‘n Sods:

Our friend Bill Buppert (of ZeroGov) has some sage advice on field maintenance of AR-15s, M4geries, and AR-10s.

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Captain ABM spotted this: Do-It-Yourself Battlefield Medicine Saves Lives

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F.J. mentioned a piece over at the Tiny House blog: Idaho Sheep Wagons. BTW, in SurvivalBlog, I’ve previously mentioned a modernized incarnation of these wagons, from another maker: Expedition Range Camps. (Complete with photovoltaics!)

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F.G. sent us some odd news from the Mickey Mouse State: Nanny State Madness: California’s Proposed ‘Fitted Sheet’ Law

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A reader mentioned a less than favorable review of the IsatPhone Pro in a yachting publication. But reader P.N. notes: “I think the reviewer had a defective phone (mine’s never just shut off) and may not have understood the need to aim the antenna more carefully in fringe areas. I don’t think most of his review is at all relevant to land-based emergency communication, though, except to whatever extent a person might worry about the reliability of the handset based on a single report of failures.”