Some Hope for the Low Budget Survivalist, by D.L.

You’ve heard it before, “Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”  That principle can be, and should be, applied to every facet of your survival preparations.  It applies to the possession of material items such as food, weapons and first aid.  It applies to your skills such as how you find your food, use your weapons and administer first aid. It applies to your physical abilities such as endurance, speed and agility.  It applies to your state of mind such as courage, honor and ingenuity.  And, of course, it applies to your actions such as being pro-active, studying and employing measures to safeguard you and your loved ones.

One could argue that being fully prepared requires quite an investment.  You can spend thousands and thousands of dollars on all the equipment and supplies needed to insure that your existence continues, for as long as feasible, relatively just as comfortably in a social collapse, military attack, natural disaster or grid-down situation as it does today (depending, of course, on your geographical location).  The list of necessary items goes on and on.  What is necessary?  Some might argue that aside from having a cave and a club, nothing else is needed.  After all, man did survive that way for quite a long time, right?  Sure, when wild food was plentiful, the earth’s waters were cleaner, their adversaries also had only clubs and they wiped their asses with, well, who knows.  Others might argue you need many year’s worth of everything you use today and a back-up for every device that could break.  And consider all the great gadgets and products out there to help make every single facet of survival that much easier.  You could fill a warehouse with things you “need” but do you already have some of them without knowing it?

Certainly not everyone has the means of acquiring everything they want or even what they would need.  Many people, even if they wanted to, can’t even afford to stock up on food.  If you fall into the category most of us find ourselves in, be determined but not dismayed if your preparedness budget is chronicled into the 22nd Century.  After all, primitive man survived and pioneers did pretty well with just a wagon full of supplies.  They all learned to forage, adapt and invent.  Although this is modern day with many technical differences and new challenges for one wanting to survive and/or live off the land, there are just as many advantages.

I remember when I was working as a carpenter.  When I wanted to heat up part of my lunch, something you’d put in a microwave or oven, and the sun was shining, I’d go get our black wheelbarrow with the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) tub, put my lunch in it, turn it under the sun, and set a single-pane window or large piece of glass over the top.  It would heat up to 200 degrees inside the wheelbarrow in minutes and then usually hovered around 250.  It made a great oven and could also be adapted as a dehydrator.  Today they sell solar ovens constructed with the same materials.  But you don’t necessarily have to buy one to have one.  Again, if you can forage, adapt, and invent, you can increase the longevity of your survival.

When it comes to preparedness, implement intelligent priorities and, God-forbid, if you find yourself ducking from Schumer that hit, embrace your challenges and learn to improvise.  We dispose of a wealth of materials in ordinary garbage.  Glass containers laid flat and stacked into a south-facing mud or adobe mortared wall could make for great passive-solar heat in a cabin.  Metal cans can be flared at one end and then stacked together to build a flue pipe.  Add the flue pipe to a steel barrel and you’ve got a wood stove.  Two large garbage bags, one inside the other, stuffed between with balls of old newspapers can make a sleeping bag for your child.  Plastics can be used to collect rain water.  Here’s a more technical idea I’ve done successfully for heating a tent;  long scrap metals such as metal studs or wire rope, laid horizontally and continuous, can be buried on one end in a shallow bed while left exposed on the other end.  If the exposed end is applied a heat source such as from a Dakota fire, the other end will radiate heat in the same manner as hydronic or electric in-floor heating.  You can pitch a tent over the shallow bed and keep warm in the middle of winter without worry of asphyxiation.  The depth of burial is dependant upon the materials used and their spacing for the transfer of heat.  I laid five 10′ long, 20-gauge 4″ metal studs 10″ on center, buried 3″ under the dirt.  If you like warm toes, keep them on the end closer to the fire.  And it takes a few hours to heat the ground, much like pitching a tent over buried coals and rocks from a campfire.

Next example, crime is growing.  You are worried that someone might break into your root cellar in the middle of the night and steal all the cans of yams and tuna you just put down there.  You never did purchase that security system or the remote motion sensors you’ve always wanted.   But you’ve got a pile of pop cans and some fishing line.  You could set up a trip wire around the perimeter.  As a minimum you’d want to lay out a triangle with one pop can set upright and weighted with a rock at each corner.  Drop a couple of pebbles or small bells from the Christmas-ornaments box into each can.  Tie the fishing line to the pop-top of each can at each corner of the perimeter and you have an alarm system.  Even better, you could use a small pulley at each corner, tied to a stake, tree or bush.  Still attach the cans somewhere on the trip line, preferably in a concealed location.  Attach one end, the dead end, of the line to something fixed or solid.  Attach the other end to an anchored trigger-switch on a batter-powered flood lamp.  Then if someone trips the line, you’ll get clamor and illumination.  Or you could build a completely concealed and remote alarm by utilizing a pressure plate buried flush with the ground surface.  I’ve done this by using two boards, a hinge, two copper pennies, a spring, a loop system of low-voltage 12 gauge wire, and a 9V battery all tied into a doorbell.  I will spare you the electrical details in order to keep this brief.  If you really wanted to, you can create your own security system.

The point I am trying to make is the importance of your resources and the value of ingenuity.  Mankind is intelligent enough to put human beings on the moon and bring them back again (or at least smart enough at the time to get the rest of the world to believe it).  At the least, if we are smart enough to build a space station, we can certainly figure out how to adapt in a survival situation to obtain water, food, good hygiene, medical care, shelter, heat and security.  Virtually every item around you can be adapted for multiple purposes.  So if you’re on a tight budget, I’d start out with the necessities like dried or canned goods, garden seeds, matches and ferrocerium fire starters, and other items where the benefits greatly outweigh the cost, like first aid supplies.  And don’t forget items like 100% stearine candles and soap.  Sure you can use animal fat to make candles and soap but it is very time consuming and yet cheap to purchase.  In a survival situation, your time would be extremely valuable.  So stock up on the inexpensive stuff and save the big purchases for items like firearms.

My final mention goes to references.  As you know, right now you can search the internet and easily learn about almost anything you want.  Search for information that would be valuable if times get tough and print it out.  Seal and store your references.  I label mine and put them in binders.  For example I recently embarked in a short geology lesson in order to be able to identify flintstone in my area.  I was guessing that flint could make a reasonable barter item.  I found that high carbon steel such as an automobile spring and quartz or jasper are a great substitute for common flint and steel.  And that if using flint and steel (not to be confused with ferrocerium igniters) to start a fire it is extremely beneficial to use charcloth.  I printed out information on how to make charcloth and put it in my files.  Then I printed out references to help me build a hydroelectric generator from items I have around the house.  Even if you don’t have time to read it now or work with it now, get your references printed out while they are readily available.  If the grid went down tomorrow, think of all the information lost that was at your fingertips.  My comfort level and confidence in my own preparedness increases every time I add references to my library, which I try to do several times a week.  Knowledge increases potential ingenuity exponentially.  The more you learn the more you can learn, adapt, invent, and be better able to help yourself and those around you and survive on a poor man’s budget.  Chance favors those who prepare.

Three Letters Re: The Winter Salad

James,
Just sending a note to remind your readers that the time to plan and plant a fall vegetable garden is right around the corner. Check out the USDA Hardiness Zone Maps for your area to find out what generally grows well in your area. Even better, check with your local Land Grant College Extension office for specific varieties as well as gardening tips and techniques for your area. In Oklahoma, mine is the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. See their home page for the Fact Sheets. For example, see the Fact Sheet for Fall Gardening.

Here is a quote from that Fact Sheet – “Some of the best quality garden vegetables in Oklahoma are produced and harvested during the fall season when warm, sunny days are followed by cool, humid nights. Under these climatic conditions, plant soil metabolism is low; therefore, more of the food manufactured by the plant becomes a high-quality vegetable product.”

BTW, an excellent source for open-pollinated gardening seeds is Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. I do not have any financial interest in the company but I am a well satisfied customer.

God bless you for all you do, – Tom B. in Oklahoma

 

JWR,
Thanks for keeping up Survival Blog. It’s been an invaluable resource.
Just a note on the referenced article based on long experience in the lighting industry
and in growing stuff here in the Frozen North

Save some money by not falling for the “Full Spectrum” lamp nonsense. 6500K refers to the apparent whiteness of the light output when compared to a THEORETICAL chunk of black iron heated to 6500 Degrees Kelvin. This is called Colour Temperature. It has no bearing on plant growth. It is an attempt to quantify a subjective individual perception.
“Full Spectrum” is a meaningless term that conveys no information other than the light source emits light in the full range of the visible spectrum. Almost all lamps do this especially fluorescent lamps.

A more appropriate measure is “Colour Rendering Index” (CRI). This is a measure of the apparent rendition of colours from a standard chart called the “Munsel Scale” They show colour samples to people within normal colour vision range and record the results. If a majority of subjects report seeing colours within the acceptable range, the CRI rating is applied. Roughly. 81% reporting of “accurate” color judgment gives a CRI of 85. Thus a Lamp whose catalogue number ends in 735 has a Colour Rendering Index of 70 and a Colour temperature of 3,500 Degrees Kelvin. This is useful when lighting my wife’s make up mirror but useless in the growing area.

A few years ago I worked with a physician who was treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) with Light Therapy. After I got him Fixtures for about one tenth of the cost of the usual advertised scam units I asked him if he wanted the fancy “Full Spectrum ” lamps to go with them He laughed at me. Then he told me that the cheap .99 cent ones did the same job as the $12 ones.

The advertised “Full Spectrum” Lamps almost never reference the CRI and are touted on the basis of the higher Colour Temperatures being somehow better. This is all part of the scam.

The real determination of the effectiveness of artificial light in home winter growing is the amount and positioning of light & the photo period. (How much light for how long)
Just get around 100 Foot Candles on the growing plants for the same length of light that they would get in a normal summer growing period
Note that a foot Candle is one “Lumen” per foot or the light of one candle. You can buy a meter to read this level at most photography supplies
They are usually available in an inexpensive model that does very well. The growing of an indoor garden is not Rocket Science.

Use the cheap lamps (light bulbs) & spend the extra money on ammo. With Regards, – George, Casa Frejole

 

JWR:
Thanks for your blog and what you do. I’m not just a 10 Cent Challenger, but also a fan your books, “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”, “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”, “Patriots”, and your earlier writings before this. I’m a retired [U.S. Army] 11B [infantryman] mostly active duty, but did tours in Somalia and Kuwait among other. I appreciate the content and comments of your blog.

In “The Winter Salad” the author gave some great information and alternatives, and your OPSEC comments are valid, one small thing was perhaps omitted and that is sprouts, this may be a good alternative as well as sprouts do not require as much energy input to get good nutrition. Granted there are some precautions to take, some plants are okay to eat of the seed or fruit, but not leaves or roots and the like, Consulting your local county agricultural agent may be a good place to start.

I mention this more for a “grid down” situation where one has a static location and is not in movement or the like.

Also the addition of multivitamins with minerals may be a good addition to a nutrition issue.

Thanks again for an excellent blog. – T. in the Pacific Northwest

Letter Re: Hurricane Readiness

James:
T. in South Florida wrote an excellent article on hurricane preps. As a life-long Floridian, hurricane preparation was my introduction to the preparedness mindset. Working on hurricane preps, and dealing with the aftermath of three hurricanes in 2004, facilitated my progression to preparing for other worst-case scenarios. There are two things that I would add to T.’s hurricane readiness plan:

Every home should have a hard-wired telephone as opposed to the wireless portable kind. Even though electricity goes out, a hard-wired phone will often continue to work. During the 2004 hurricanes, many people had phone service, but didn’t realize it because their wireless phone didn’t have power. This applies to other power outage situations; and, remember to turn the ringer on.

Also for a roof repair kit, rolls of heavy gauge plastic are relatively cheap and easy to store, along with a few dozen wood furring strips and some roofing nails. A large roof can be quickly covered with these materials, but these materials may be hard to come by after the storm. In August 2004, Hurricane Charlie removed about 40% of the shingles from our roof. I was able to obtain materials and get them on our roof shortly after the storm; my expedient repairs withstood two subsequent storms (Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne) that struck in the following six weeks. (I spent a lot of time on the roof that year.) Due to labor and materials shortages after the storms, it was April 2005 (eight months later) when we were finally able to schedule a contractor to fully repair the roof. All the best, – John in Central Florida

Economics and Investing:

KAF sent this: Five minutes of waiting to exhale A 17 percent plunge in Citigroup Inc. today triggered a five-minute trading pause, making the bank the second company halted by the two-week-old circuit- breaker program created to prevent market panics

From reader S.M.: The Third Depression

Also from S.M: US State Budget Crises Threatens Social Fabric

Items from The Economatrix:

Derivative Market: Alive and Kicking Despite Reforms

Banks Told to Hoard Cash in Case of Crisis

New UK ATMs to Restrict Money Supply

46 US States Facing Greek-Style Crisis

Oil Price Rises Over Tropical Storm Concerns

Unemployed Face Abuse from Other Americans

Severe Economic Downturn Indicated

US Auto Sales Seen Slowing with Recovery in Doubt

Stocks Skid on Renewed Fears of Global Slowdown

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." – John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, 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 Winter Salad, by Tom in Colorado

Most of us reading SurvivalBlog have some amount of food stored. We are aware of the problems with the most commonly stored foods as well: sufficient nutrition, a large enough assortment to provide variety, and a good enough taste to keep people eating. I’m going to offer another alternative here to help provide these three things in the dead of winter while sparing our stockpiled food.

If you have a window that receives a decent amount of sunlight (south facing is best in the northern hemisphere) then you may well be able to provide entire fresh salads or ingredients for other dishes throughout the winter. Sufficient light in winter can be difficult to achieve if there is a grid down situation, but several options can be used to increase the amount of light your indoor plants receive.

For those with their own ongoing alternative energy source, full spectrum compact fluorescent light bulbs might be something to add to your stocking list. A single 15 watt that has a rating of 6500K (full sunlight) can keep several plants going for a minimal amount of electricity. I prefer the 23 Watt Full Spectrum 6500K bulbs, since I keep an entire desktop (about 12 sq ft) of plants going through the winter and I can illuminate the entire thing well enough to give the additional lighting requirements with just two of the 23 6500K bulbs.

For those with no electrical options in a SHTF situation where the grid is down, reflectors can make up a good portion of the additional light needed and keep some plants yielding food. The easiest reflector to use for this purpose is an “L” shaped piece of cardboard. Stiffen it so it will keep its shape. Cover the side facing the plants with aluminum foil, or paint it white, or use whatever process you prefer that will cause it to reflect light and heat back to the plants. Position your reflectors several inches behind (and some beside) the plants so that they catch any additional sunlight that would normally filter into the room behind the window. This process will keep the plants yielding through most of the winter, and provide enough light to keep them alive, if not yielding, through the couple of weeks to either side of the winter solstice.

The plants should normally be kept as close to the window as possible. In cold snaps (or hot snaps, we get those in my location in the middle of winter) you will want to check the temperature at the front edge of the plants to ensure that they are neither too cold, nor too hot. The range of temperatures you are looking for depends on the plant itself. Most greens such as lettuce, chard, and kale will be perfectly happy in temperatures down to the mid-to-high 30s (Fahrenheit) but start to wilt at 85F and above, whereas tomatoes and radishes would prefer the temperature to be above 45F and as high as 90F. With the light coming through the window, the plants should be moved away from the glass if the temperature right inside the window reaches 90F. The glass can sometimes focus hot-spots on portions of plants that are too close to it.

In all cases the pots used for growing your winter salad should have good drainage holes in the bottom. I do my indoor planting using “Mel’s Mix” from Mel Bartholomew’s All New Square Foot Gardening book. It is essentially a blend of 1/3 peat moss to 1/3 vermiculite (or perlite if you can’t find vermiculite) to 1/3 blended compost. Your plants will need feeding over the winter also; for this I typically use either worm castings or Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) as described in Steve Solomon’s Gardening When It Counts (a book I highly recommend for anyone doing a decent-sized garden). I’ll typically feed the plants one or the other of these when their yield starts dropping. If you have a garden in good shape, soil from it can be used as the potting medium since some of the ingredients for Mel’s mix will be difficult to obtain in a SHTF situation.

On to specifics for individual plant types:

Lettuce (and other greens):
Recommended types of lettuce for indoor winter salad growing include most of the leaf lettuces; head lettuces are not as useful in this application as the “cut and come again” leaf lettuces. I prefer to go with the more cold hardy lettuces as I worry about them less. Leaf lettuce should be grown in an 8″ (1 gallon) or larger pot. This size pot can take 4-6 lettuce plants. I use oak leaf lettuce as my standard indoor growing lettuce.

Kale is another good “green” for the winter salad. Depending on your location you may even be able to overwinter your Kale outside and not need to have it inside. It will grow well in a 6″ (2-½ quart) or larger container, single plant per pot.

Swiss Chard is another option for a “green” easily grown indoors. It should be grown in an 8″ (1 gallon) or larger container, single plant per pot.

Tomatoes:
Tomatoes are a little rough to grow indoors in the winter and take more care than most other plants. It can be done with a good yield though if you ensure they have sufficient light, food, moisture, and space. Growing tomatoes indoors gives the highest yield if you use an indeterminate tomato, preferably a cherry tomato. The tomato should be planted in a 5 to 10 gallon pot. It should have its own trellis (in my case I use bamboo, 14 gauge fencing wire, and duct tape along with a nylon mesh to build the trellis attached to the 5 gallon bucket I use to grow it in, leaning the top end of the angled trellis with one pole on a wall and the second on the window) and as much of the trellis as possible should be in direct sunlight.

If you have an indeterminate tomato in your garden that you are fond of, you can use it as a starter for your indoor tomato. Well before the first frost, clip some of the larger branches from the bottom of your plant (a 4″- 6″ length works well). Then remove all but the top leaf or two from the branches. Place the branches in a cup of water along with rooting medium, or a small measure of ground willow bark, or just in plain water if the other two are not available. Either place your container of water on a sunny windowsill or outside in full sun. After several days (up to a week) you should see roots growing out of the portion of the branches in the water. When the roots are visible, take the branch and plant it into your pot. This will save you quite some time over starting seeds from scratch. Also if you want that type of tomato in your garden the next year, you can use the same procedure again in the spring with your indoor plant as your donor to give your tomatoes a head start on their spring growth.

I’ve gotten about a pint of cherry tomatoes a week from this method although I’ve had others tell me they get a pint every other day. Perhaps using the 10 gallon bucket (instead of the 5 gallon I use) makes the difference. Tomatoes will require more additional food (worm castings, COF, or your choice of fertilizers) than anything else I detail here but I consider them worth the extra effort.

If you are willing to continue to care for your indoor tomato through the summer, it can be used for a second winter. Tomatoes will yield well for at least two years although in most places the weather is such that outdoors it can only be grown as an annual.

One note on tomato selection. You do not want the most vigorous growing types for this method,they tend to overwhelm the space they are in and need a lot more tending than some of the less vigorous types. My personal preference for this method is the “Tiny Tim” tomato.

Curly Cress (aka peppergrass):
Curly cress is the wonder green, I am giving it its own entry because it is not a full-sized green and is not picky at all about potting requirements. It has a very tangy taste to it though, almost peppery, and grows incredibly fast. Curly Cress can be planted in as little as an inch of soil and still yield usable cress. It germinates in 2-4 days and is ready for use immediately although if you wait for 10 days there is significantly more to each piece. I currently grow a variety called Cressida (Lepidium sativum) which takes only 10 days to maturity. Fair warning, if you allow the cress to continue past the 10 days it gets more and more peppery/tangy and can develop a decent bite to it.

Radishes:
Radishes are fairly quick to grow and do not need a great deal of space. I’d recommend a 10″ pot for them (approx 2 gallons), or larger, but you can grow a lot of them in it. Sow them thickly and then thin them to 1-2 inches apart. Remember that the radish tops are also edible with a little preparation. I use Chery Belle radishes that come to maturity in about 22 days. There are several other varieties recommended for indoor growing but I’ve not tried them.

Spinach:
In the winter, spinach can be grown either indoors or, if you are in hardiness zone 4 or higher, outdoors under a cold frame. The most cold hardy spinach types, under a cold frame, will continue slow growth throughout the winter, taking advantage of whatever sun is available. To grow spinach indoors you will want an 8″ pot (1 gallon), or larger. You can grow multiple spinach plants in this pot, spaced at about 3″ apart. You’ll be able to tell if your spinach plants are not getting enough light as they will grow long and thin (leggy) as opposed to developing their normal leaf set if they have inadequate light. Most varieties of spinach are fairly cold hardy so temperatures down to freezing are okay although going below freezing will slow its growth noticeably. I normally use either Bloomsdale long standing or Noble Spinach for my indoor growing.

One note on Spinach. You’ll want to keep the temperature below 90 degrees or your spinach is liable to bolt, especially if you have artificial light on it to extend its light hours.

Carrots:
Carrots need a 10″ pot (approx 2 gallon), or larger, and it needs to be fairly deep as the root hairs of the carrot go far deeper than the part of the root we harvest and eat. Use only smaller size carrots for growing indoors. I use Little Finger carrots.

Side note: Carrots can also, if you have a garden and grow them there, be stored in the ground you grew them in. Before the first frost, scatter hay or some other mulch thickly over the carrots still in the ground. If you use this method, you can go and pull carrots any time the ground isn’t frozen over in the winter and have them just as fresh as picking them in the normal growing season.

Scallions:
Scallions can be grown in an 8″ pot (approx 1 gallon), or larger, spaced at approximately 2″ apart. My preferred indoor scallion is “Evergreen Hardy White” although most types will work fine for indoor growing.

Peppers:
Indoor peppers are grown similar to tomatoes. They require a 5-10 gallon pot or bucket. Some will require trellising (depending on pepper type). The bonus to growing peppers indoors is that peppers are a perennial plant with a lifespan of up to 15 productive years, significantly more for some varieties. Similar to tomatoes, most peppers are only used as annuals in cooler areas but if you choose to continue to care for it indoors, productivity and flavor quality of the pepper will increase dramatically after about 4-5 years. I would recommend jalapenos for an indoor hot pepper (they do quite well indoors) or whatever your favorite type is for a bell/sweet pepper. Peppers do not like the cold at all so this is one to watch in the cold snaps.

Herbs:
A variety of herbs are easily grown indoors for the winter. Many herbs prefer partial sun and these are the ones you’ll want to choose from. The best herb choice for a winter salad, in my opinion, is garlic chives. Which, fortunately, is one that prefers partial sun. I’d recommend a 6″ (approx ½ gallon) pot for most types of herbs.

There are a number of other plants which will do quite well for a winter salad. You can look up your favorites online with a search for “container growing [plant name]”.

Now that we’ve got our salad ingredients, here is a relatively easy method of creating a dressing for it in an extended crash situation.

Italian Dressing:
Italian dressing is a combination of oil, vinegar, and spices.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oil (olive oil is most common but any vegetable or sunflower oil will work as well)
1/4 cup vinegar
Spices to taste

Oil is one of the things that many preppers store. If not, it can be pressed from a variety of plants that can be grown at home. This process is too extensive to add in to this article though so we’ll assume you have oil.

Vinegar you may or may not have stored but it can be made at home with only a little difficulty. Once again detailing the process is a bit much for this article but it can be looked up online.

Common spices used in Italian dressing are: Black pepper, onions (or scallions in this case), bell peppers, oregano, parsley, and salt. You can add other spices to your taste, or remove some of those listed.

To make your dressing, simply dice the solid spices, mix all ingredients together to taste, stir or shake well, and serve. If you allow the freshly mixed dressing to steep for at least an hour, the flavors of the spices will seep into the oil/vinegar mix.

With a variety of the items listed here you can easily make a nutritious, and tasty, salad frequently during the winter. It will save your stored goods, be very nutritious for you, and certainly liven up your meals if you’ve been eating only stored foods. Many of the plants you grow can also be used to spice up meals by mixing them in to the dishes created from your stored foods as well.

Fair warning: eating salads fresh from the ground, or your container-grown plants, can be addictive and I state that as primarily a carnivore. I started growing indoors over the winter to try to keep having fresh salad materials available throughout the year. There is no comparison to the equivalent produce you might purchase at a grocery store. – Tom from Colorado

JWR Replies: Use discretion when setting up indoor “grow lights”. Since these lights are also commonly used by illicit loco weed growers, your actions could be misconstrued and trigger a police investigation, or even worse, a violent home invasion robbery by criminals intent on robbing you of your “crop”.

Is Modern Society Doomed to Collapse? Understanding the Complexity Trap

I’ve often written in SurvivalBlog about the over-dependence of modern societies on technology. Our level of dependence on high technology is large, and steadily growing.

Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle summed up over-dependence on technology in their novel Lucifer’s Hammer:

“Whole nations depends on technology. Stop the wheels for two days and you’d have riots. No place is more than two meals from a revolution. Think of Los Angeles or New York with no electricity. Or a longer view, fertilizer plants stop. Or a longer view yet, no new technology for ten years. What happens to our standard of living? Yet the damned fools won’t pay ten minutes’ attention a day to science and technology. How many people know what they’re doing? Where do these carpets come from? The clothes you’re wearing? What do carburetors do? Where do sesame seeds come from? Do you know? Does one voter out of thirty? They won’t spend ten minutes a day thinking about the technology that keeps them alive.”

So what happens when the grid goes down? Thirty or forty years ago, if the power grids collapsed, there could still be considerable commerce transacted. But today? I think not. It would be la fin du monde tel que nous le connaissons. So much of our daily commerce is tied to electronic cash registers, ATMs, computerized inventory control systems, point-of-purchase credit card transactions, debit cards, and the Internet that I have doubts that there would be an easy transition in reverting to “the old way of doing business.” Furthermore, many retail stores in the US and Canada are now housed in almost windowless buildings constructed with tilt-up slab architecture. So even if businesses wanted to stay open in the midst of a power failure, they couldn’t, because there wouldn’t be enough daylight to see the merchandise.

Technological Complexity

Part of our dependence on technology is tied to the increasing complexity of the technologies themselves. With each passing year, the complexity of high tech systems increases. Some of this complexity contributes to redundancy and robustness, but most of it does not. Do you really need an electric clothes dryer with microprocessors? Or a toaster with a microprocessor? Don’t laugh, many of them are now made that way. As an illustration, when I recently bought a slightly used pickup truck , I felt obliged to buy an extended warranty, but only because it was a 2009 model with an absurd number of “bells and whistles.” It seems that there are no longer “stripped down” models available. Almost all the new rigs come with power windows and so many electronic gadgets that the owner’s manual is nearly an inch thick! There is so much complexity built into this vehicle, that the likelihood of a failure of some sort (electronic, or mechanical) seems very likely. This a is a far cry from my fondly-remembered 1968 Ford Bronco. There wasn’t much that could go wrong with it, and the few items that did fail were all owner serviceable.

The miniaturization of microcircuits has changed considerably in the past 30 years. The typical gate sizes of microcircuits has been reduced from two or three microns, to far less than one micron. The smaller the gate, the easier it is for a stray voltage to “weld” it shut. This has made microchips increasingly vulnerable to static electricity, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and solar flares.

Many systems in a variety of industries have been developed that are completely dependent on computer controls. There is no reversion available for “manual backup.” Without the CPUs, you have a dead system.

Logistical Complexity

As I’ve discussed before in SurvivalBlog, we now live in a world with very long chains of supply and just in time (kanban) supply chain management. Meanwhile, container ship docks are now being transitioned to computerized management.

Financial Complexity

Derivatives. That sums it up in just one word.

Medical Care Complexity

One of the blessings of the modern age of science is life extension through medical technology. But it has also become one of our vulnerabilities. If the grids go down, so will millions of Americans with chronic illnesses. Here are some examples: Millions of people now depend upon medical oxygen–both in clinical environments and at home. At least 11,000,000 people in the US and Canada have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — the catch-all term now used for chronic emphysema and bronchitis. Most of them are on medical oxygen, and some of them 24/7. More than 100,000 patients get heart pacemakers implanted each year in the United States. Nearly 24,000,000 people in the United States have diabetes, many of whom require regular insulin injections. More than 500,000 people in the U.S. are classified as having End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The number of newly diagnosed cases has roughly doubled in the past 10 years and the same has happened in Canada. Without regular kidney dialysis (or a kidney transplant), many of them would die within a few months. There are also millions of Americans that have severe sleep apnea, who use CPAP machines. For a small percentage of them, without a CPAP machine running every night, they would have complications and die. There are about 500,000 Americans that have had various “ostomy” procedures like urostomy, colostomy and iliostomy. Many of these patients are on very restricted diets, and many need specialized appliances. And of course there are also many millions of Americans that are dependent on daily doses of various medications.

In summary, any large societal disruption that interrupts the power grid and/or the supply infrastructure would result in a large die-off of patients with chronic illnesses.

Conclusion

We’ve built ourselves an enormous complexity trap. And for most of us, the severity of this won’t become apparent until after the grids go down.

Letter Re: Growing Your Own Tobacco

Dear Mr. Rawles:
I know…I know…I know…it is bad for you. But I do enjoy my two cigarettes a day. I am also tired of reading apocalyptic books and watching movies in that genre where everyone is running around hunting down tobacco. So, last year I bought 250 tobacco seeds via the Internet. A fine blend of Virginia Gold for $5.00.

The seeds arrived. Each seed was the same size as a grain of salt. Thinking it would never grow I planted them in a corner of my greenhouse in late February. They sprouted.

In May I had about 75 mature tobacco plants all over my yard. They are beautiful, six feet to seven feet tall with huge broad leaves. Spectacular tubular pink flower heads full of ripe seeds.

Now my garage is loaded with curing leaves. I learned everything I need to know [about tobacco growing] from YouTube.com. I haven’t smoked any of it yet, I think it takes a year or so to cure. – Barbara B. in Southern California

Economics and Investing:

Yishai sent us this (by way of Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit): Foreign Central Banks Going for the Gold

RBS tells clients to prepare for ‘monster’ money-printing by the Federal Reserve. Here is a quote: “We cannot stress enough how strongly we believe that a cliff-edge may be around the corner, for the global banking system (particularly in Europe) and for the global economy. Think the unthinkable.” (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.)

S.M. sent this: Biden: We Can’t Recover all the Jobs Lost

Items from The Economatrix:

Derivatives Blow for Wall Street Banks Under Historic US Reforms. Translation: The congresscritters don’t understand derivatives, and the legislation will do little to prevent a massive derivatives implosion that is likely in this decade.

The Next Catastrophic Bubble to Break Will be Private Sector Debt.

Extend And Pretend: A Matter of National Security

Scrambling for Votes on Wall Street Reform

The Market Goes Under Full Anesthesia

NY Fed Probes Wall Street Exposure to BP

Double Dip? Or Did The Great Recession Never End?

Odds ‘n Sods:

Lee C. sent us a link to a BBC radio segment: Parts of residential Detroit have gone feral. Derelict crumbling houses, human gangs, dog gangs…

   o o o

Reader R.B.S. wrote to mention that Michael Yon has expanded his article series on Gobar Gas. (Home biogas production.)

   o o o

Now that’s a mess! (A NASA photo taken back on day 67 of the Deepwater Horizon spill.)

   o o o

Brian B. was the first of several readers to send this: High Court’s Big Ruling For Gun Rights. That was a narrow 5-4 decision. Let’s pray that we maintain access to all of our liberty boxes! Oh, do you want to see some hilarious lies about the decision? See the statement from the Violence Policy Center. I nearly had a laugh attack when I saw them mention: “America’s fading firearms industry…” The last time I checked, gun and ammunition makers could barely keep up with demand. The thing that is “fading” these days is enthusiasm for civilian disarmament.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In 1868, our nation made a promise to the McDonald family; they and their descendants would henceforth be American citizens, and with American citizenship came the guarantee enshrined in our Constitution that no State could make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of American citizenship. The rights so guaranteed were not trivial. The Civil War was not fought because States were attacking people on the high seas or blocking access to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The rights secured by the Fourteenth Amendment were understood to include the fundamental rights honored by any free government…” – Attorney Alan Gura, in oral arguments, McDonald v. Chicago (decided June 28, 2010)

Notes from JWR:

A reminder that the Mountain House sale, offered by Ready Made Resources ends in just two days, on June 30th. Ordering any multiple of six can cases (even if mixed cases) gets you 25% off and free shipping. Partial cases are also 25% off, but $17 is charged for shipping.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, 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.

Hurricane Readiness, by T. in South Florida

I have lived in Florida all of my life. I was born here, went to school here, and my chosen profession is here. I have bugged in through every hit and near miss in my 30+ years of existence from North Florida to South Florida. I was never scared of hurricanes as a child because my parents made sure we were prepared. I do not have fear of a hurricanes now because I understand what can happen and what I need to do for myself and my family. Don’t mistake lack of fear for lack of respect. A hurricane is an immense and powerful storm that will leave devastation, destruction, and death in its path.

If you are planning on riding out a hurricane you need to assess your personal situation. Is your home hurricane hardened, do you live in an area that is prone to floods with even a normal thunder shower, at what predicted category of hurricane do you stay or evacuate? My personal situation is high and dry during even the worst rain storms and torrential down pours, I am not in the storm surge zone and my home has been upgraded to the latest Miami-Dade County Building Code. I am comfortable staying and riding out a hurricane up to and including a Category 3, anything larger and I evacuate. If you decide to evacuate, this is when to activate your G.O.O.D. plan. I will focus on bugging in.

First and foremost monitor the activity throughout the hurricane season but don’t ever fall into the hype of your local television station. Make your own formed opinions from all of the available information on the Television, Radio, and Internet. Deciphering all of this information can be overwhelming, but it is in your best interest to understand it.

The Week Before Hurricane Season
In the beginning of the season I go through my hurricane supply list (below the article) and make sure I haven’t raided any of the items for projects. I also go through my pantry and restock (I do this quarterly). The government says you should have at least three days of nonperishable food and water. I would suggest a minimum of a week. I have substantially more than a week stored for my family’s use. Downed trees, debris, and power poles can make roads impassable for much longer than the 3 days. Also make a video or picture documentation of all of your possessions including interior and exterior of your home. Know where your power, water, and gas shutoffs are and how to shut them off if you need to. I also slather silicon grease that I use for my SCUBA mask on all fridge and freezer seals (there may be a form of this at your hardware store). This saves you money during the rest of the year as well. Check with your family, friends, and neighbors to decide on how you will communicate before, during, and after the storm.

Monthly
I check my generator. I get it running and put a load on it. I run a resistive item like a coffee pot or toaster and a high wattage device like a microwave for 10-15 minutes (I have an old working microwave in the shed). After this time, I turn off the fuel valve and run it dry. I store a minimal amount of gas in the generator tank with Sta-Bil.

Three Days Before a Storm Hits
I go fill my gas cans and top off my vehicles. I never let any of my vehicles go below a half tank. You can fill them earlier than three days just make sure you have enough Sta-Bil for all of the gas you plan to store. Don’t wait till the day before or even the day of a hit to get fuel. Either nothing will be open, the line will be around several blocks, or everyone will be out of gas. I don’t store more than 5-10 gallons at the house at any time. I don’t have enough outside storage without taking up too much [floor] space in my shed for too long. I fill 14 5-6 gallon cans. This gives me approximately two full weeks of generator power based on the loads I have previously used for my house. If I am certain the effect of the storm will last longer, I can start cutting out creature comforts and extend that time by another week and maybe two. If the storm doesn’t hit, I have the fuel available for the next storm or to transport to friends or family that do get hit. During Hurricane Wilma my brother drove down from Central Florida to me in South Florida with 14 gas cans. I got six, my neighbor got six and my brother kept two for the return trip. I was without grid power for a little over four weeks for Wilma. I also fill as many jugs of water as I can and put them in the deep freeze and the refrigerator freezer. This helps maintain the temperature for when the power is out during the storm and at night after the storm when I am I not running the generator. Turn all of your freezers and refrigerators to maximum cold setting. Wash all of your clothes, everything. You will be going through plenty of shirts, pants and underwear with all of the clean up and repair work you will be doing after the storm. Fill up your bath tubs and plug them closed.

The Day Before a Hit
I put up my shutters. Even if you have hurricane resistant windows I would suggest shutters on the large and expensive to replace windows. I have the wing nut type shutters. There is an adapter at home depot that lets you use a drill to put these on, definitely get a couple or three. Also make sure you have at least two egress points from your house in the event of an emergency. I have the front door, Garage door, and a side window that is protected by the neighbors house. When I put up my shutters I also leave a small gap in one panel of my front window shutters in front and a small gap in the back window so I can see outside. This helps with morale during a storm and keeps anybody from trying to open a door too see “what’s going on.” After this is done I call up my friends and see what help they need. If any of my friends are out of town I make sure their houses are battened down. I also get as much ice as I can. I fill every cooler I have with ice. I also put two block ice chunks (gallon or half gallon frozen jugs) per cooler so that it stays colder longer. Ice is cheap enough even better if you know someone with an industrial ice machine. Lube up your cooler hinges with silicon or petroleum jelly. This helps when someone opens the drink cooler in the middle of the night so you don’t get that loud creaking.

Park your car/truck in the most sheltered position possible if you don’t have a garage to put it in. I have an L shape on my house to do this. If you can, park between two houses if you are unfortunate enough to live in suburbia. If you have a concrete parking garage near your house park one of your cars there. Park it on at least the second level in case of flooding. Don’t go to the top floor as that is usually open to the elements. Shelter your vehicle as best as possible. This gives you a better chance of at least having one vehicle that isn’t destroyed in case you have to G.O.O.D.

During the Storm
Stay inside. Monitor the storm via any media means possible. Watch the weather radar on your computer. Listen to the radio or television. Know what is happening. Take bets with friends on which reporter gets hit with debris first it’s inevitable and comical). Do not leave your house unless your structure has been compromised. Once you have lost power shut off your main breaker or switch to the house. I have one inside and one outside. This inside main gets switched off after power is lost during the storm. Power surges can occur periodically throughout the storm. I go out during the eye. Everybody says not to go outside and if you aren’t comfortable going outside, then don’t. Its a small window of opportunity to assess damage to your house and vehicles and an opportunity to move your vehicle to a more protected area depending on the wind direction. The wind after the eye will shift. Depending on where you end up in the hurricane will dictate where the wind will be coming form. The eye can last from minutes to a half an hour or more depending on if you end up [centered] in the eye and the size of the eye. Get inside before the rear wall gets you. Do not use candles, oil lamps, or any other open flame item in your house during the storm. If you have a structural failure the last thing you need is to have an open flame ready to burn down everything you have. Glow sticks, florescent lanterns and LED lights are your friends. Play games, read books together, pray together, stay calm, and monitor the media.

Pets During the Storm.
My pets are well trained and do not spook easily and are not afraid of strong storms. But, if your pets are easily spooked, you can go to the veterinarian and get a sedative [such as Acepromazine (ACP or “Ace”)] for your pet during the storm. Many of my friends have to do this even during the Independence Day celebrations.

After the Storm
Assess the damage after the storm has passed. Document everything with pictures and video. Assuming your house is still livable and after you have documented all of the damage and all friends and family are safe, you need to set up your living conditions and assign tasks to family members. Stay clear of down power lines. Do not walk in puddles or standing pools of water unless absolutely necessary.
Posting a watch. If you end up doubling or tripling up with other friends and families posting a watch at all hours is an excellent idea. Posting a watch may be even more important if local government and law enforcement has broken down due to the effects of the storm. I’m sure many of you have seen the pictures after Hurricane Andrew of the guy on his lawn with a “Street Sweeper.” There were no looters bothering him. I don’t recommend sitting in a chair on your front lawn with a shotgun for all to see. But, having someone whose only job is to watch ingress and egress points of your property is cheap insurance. If you have the manpower, rotate shifts. If you are sticking it out in your neighborhood and are a lone family, work together with your neighbors to put an effective neighborhood watch together.

Set up your generator and get it running. After the generator is running begin to load it up. I have a 240 VAC outlet behind my house just for this. I shut of my main and turn on only the circuits that I want to run one at a time. I listen to the generator and let it settle before switching on another load. Before having the transfer switch setup, I ran extension cords to The Fridge, Deep Freeze, television, a couple lights and portable fans. Having the transfer switch allows me to run what I want just like I had grid power, but you need to only use what is necessary. Fuel is a hot commodity before and after a storm and burning through it on power you don’t need is a waste. Protect your generator form the elements and from thieves. I set my generator under a fold up/down hurricane awning and chain/lock it to the house. I also set up a noise barrier between the generator and the house. Always run your generator outside and away from the entrances to your house. Make sure to have carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarms in every room as well as multiple ABC fire extinguishers.

Set up a cooking area outside. Even if you have a gas stove inside, the heat given off during cooking can be unbearable. Under normal conditions your air conditioner makes living indoors enjoyable, but after the power goes out you need to do everything possible to make the inside of your house hospitable. Also, cooking indoors can lead to a build up of carbon monoxide. Without the Air Conditioning running and proper ventilation this can be a deadly hazard. I use a propane gas grill and a Coleman propane two burner stove with a large tank adapter. This allows me to have a large reservoir of propane that has a shutoff valve that won’t leak to the atmosphere like the little 1lb cans will. Make use of the items in your list set up the kitchen just like you would inside. Set it up under a tarp, tent, or porch. Even after the storm has passed rain bands and other storms are always a possibility. Set up one large cooler for items that are frequently accessed like drinks and condiments. This allows you to keep the fridge closed and use less power. Do not open your fridge or deep freeze unless you need to. I also put 10-20 lbs of stuff on top of my deep freeze to make sure the seal is good and tight.

Sleeping arrangements. I try to do everything in one room. My living room has cross flow which helps keep it cooler when the windows and doors are open. I usually set up the living room with air mattresses that I can move out of the way during the day. If you are running a portable air conditioning unit off of your generator close off all other rooms that you do not want to cool. Having a small quiet Honda generator chained down outside and running a portable AC can make sleeping at night much more bearable (sleeping at night in a closed up house in 90 degree heat is not sleeping it’s passing out). This does two things. It allows you to completely close your house at night for security and you won’t sweat to death. If you hook it up to your transfer switch you can also leave your home security system and outside lights on. I don’t advocate running any generator at night that isn’t quiet. Your neighbors will be much happier with you this way. Sleeping at night in the pitch dark can be unsettling. If you are not running a quiet generator at night, I have a few tips to help you be more comfortable. Cyalume or similar light sticks are excellent night lights and can be bought in bulk fairly inexpensively. I keep one in the main bathroom, one in the sleeping room, one inside the drink cooler (you remembered to lube the hinges right?). You can use low wattage LED lanterns, but the Cyalumes are much better for your night vision. I like green and blue as they last the longest and are the brightest. Battery operated fans will make sleeping in the heat much more comfortable. Sleeping on an air mattress as close to the ground as possible is much cooler than sleeping on a traditional mattress. My floors are terrazzo and are very cool in the summer. I have slept with my windows open to allow for a breeze to come through the house, but unless you post a watch you will not get much sleep worrying about looters/crime.

Showers, toilets, and water. Fortunately, I have never lost municipal water or gas where I live so I have had plenty of water and heat for showers. If you are on a well, you will need to know if your generator can power it and know how much load it will take to pump the water. My sister in law ran a separate smaller generator just for the well pump and one for the house. A five gallon bucket left out during the summer heat will be plenty hot for an evening shower. Also the black camp shower bags are excellent for this task as well. You can hang the bag on an eve on a pulley system (for ease of filling) and run the hose inside through the bathroom window if you don’t want to set up an outside temporary shower. If you still have running water cold showers during the summer are a welcome treat. I store enough water for my family to drink for a month. This does not include the juices and Gatorade that I have as well. If I am under a boil water order, I use my stores until it is deemed safe. I also have two 55 gallon drums from a car wash, the bath tub, a hot tub and a canal for non-drinking water . The bath tub is not for drinking, it is for flushing the toilet if the water is out. I keep a small 1-2 gallon pail just for flushing. If it’s yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down. Hopefully, the sewage or septic system is up and running and you will not have to worry about setting up a latrine outside or honey buckets.

Laundry. My washing machine is 120 VAC and my clothes dryer is 120VAC/Gas. So I can do laundry without much load on the generator. But why waste power if you don’t need to. There are quite a few articles in Survival Blog on how to wash and dry clothes without power. I use two five gallon buckets. One bucket to wash and one to rinse. Once the clothes are washed hang them to dry. Make sure to have clothes pins. No point in having to re-wash clothes after they been blown down from the drying line.

Keep in mind that the storm may have greatly affected where you live but usually a 30-60 minute drive and you can find untouched areas to re-supply. If you decide to do a re-supply run, make sure to include family, friends, and neighbors. Make a caravan so you can bring back more than you would all by yourself. If your land line or cell phone is working let your fingers do the walking. This way you are not driving aimlessly. I stay in touch with family and friends throughout the state that can bring me supplies if it looks like I am going to be low or run out. Never leave your house unattended if it isn’t absolutely necessary.

After you have your situation squared away, it’s time to help friends, family, and neighbors. Tree removal is usually number one, roof repair number two, then windows, etc. I help where I can and within my abilities. I know most of my neighbors and usually have more than enough supplies to help and do when I can. I have given tools, food, water, ice, and labor. If you have not lost power at all or have everything squared away at home and have the opportunity to help at your local church, town government, or even the Red Cross do so. Helping others is good for the soul.

Once I have the opportunity, I follow my power line (assuming its safe) from my transformer in both directions to the main feeder and to the end of the line and note any trees on the lines, open switches, down lines, and down poles then call the power company with this information. They know you probably don’t have power but this helps with their damage assessment and triage. The closer you are to a hospital or government building the faster you get power as well. If you see a power truck moving through your neighborhood or power crews working. Offer them a good meal and cold drinks. They have usually have come from around the country to help, work extremely long hours and welcome the small break and the food and drinks. Its not all bad if they get a chance to inspect the service to your house while you are distributing charity.

Eventually power will be restored. I have a light on the power pole outside my house to know if power has been restored at night. During the day you will notice your neighbors being excited because power has been restored. Most people leave their main breaker on, waiting for power to be restored. Do not do this!!! If you think power may be back to your home, turn off your generator and disconnect any items plugged into it. Switch all of your breakers to off, your main should already be off remember. Inspect your service line from the pole to your house. If it looks like there has been no damage, switch on the main. After the main is on I switch on one and only one circuit. I then measure the voltage with a voltmeter. It should be at 120VAC +/- 10% in Florida. It should also be fairly steady within 2-to-4 volts and not jumping around 5, 10 or 20 VAC. If your voltage is correct and steady, then start switching on breaker one at a time. Go to the room that is turned on. Look, Listen and Smell for a few minutes. If all seems good move to the next breaker and repeat Look, Listen, and Smell until all breakers are on.

Life will return to normal and usually resembles normality within a month. This is not always the case as some hurricanes can devastate a community and normalcy can take years to return.

My Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

Many SurvivalBlog readers will already have these items and much more, but this list represents a good collection of items that I have used and make certain I have available before every hurricane season. I am sure there may be more items to add to the list below that may be specific to your situation and some of these items you may not need. Just being aware and prepared will make living through a natural disaster more comfortable.

Cooking
Portable Camp-Stove, Stove fuel, and large propane tank adapter
Grill and Propane
Charcoal and lighter fluid
Aluminum foil
Zipper bags
Oven mitts
Manual can opener
Disposable plates, cups & eating utensils
Napkins & paper towels
Matches and/or Lighters

Non-Perishable Foods – The idea is to have easy to make meals. I save the MREs to pass out to people that need a quick meal.
Canned meats, fruits, vegetables
Bread in moisture-proof packaging
Cookies, candy, dried fruit
Canned soups & milk
Powdered or single serve drinks
Cereal bars
Cereals
Granola bars
Condiments
Peanut butter & jelly
Instant coffee & tea
MREs

Equipment & Other Items
Flashlight (one per person LED preferred)
Cyalumes or Glow sticks (I use three to four a night)
Portable battery powered lanterns
Hurricane Lanterns and ultra pure oil (only for use after the storm)
Glass enclosed candles (only for use after the storm)
Battery powered radio or television
Battery operated alarm clock
Extra batteries, including hearing aids
Mosquito repellent (lots and lots I can’t stress to have enough)
Sun screen (I use the Neutrogena SPF 70)
Waterproof matches/butane lighters
Bleach or water purification tablets
Maps of the area with landmarks (street signs will be gone and many landmarks as well)
Buckets and lids
Sewing Kit
Generator (Fuel, oil, spark plugs)

Documents
Home Owners Insurance
Car Insurance
Photo copies of prescriptions
Photo identification
Proof of residence (utility bills)
Medical history
Waterproof container for document storage
Back up discs of your home computer files
Camera & film or memory cards and batteries

Pets
Dry & canned food
Litter box supplies
Collars and Leashes
Muzzle (most shelters will not allow a dog without a muzzle)

Other Necessities
Tools: hammer, wrenches, screw drivers, nails, saw
Chainsaw : extra chains, chain sharpener, bar lube, two stroke oil, fuel
Work Gloves
Knife/Utility knife
Scissors
Trash bags (lots of them)
Cleaning supplies
Plastic drop cloth
Mosquito netting
ABC rated fire extinguishers
Duct tape or strong masking tape
Outdoor heavy gage heady duty extension cords
Spray paint
Rope

Personal Supplies
Money (ATMs and Banks don’t give out money without power)
Prescriptions (1 month supply)
Toilet paper
Soap, shampoo & detergent
Deodorant
Body Wipes
Glasses/Contacts and cleaning Solutions
Toiletries & feminine hygiene products
Changes of clothing
Extra glasses or contacts
Bedding: pillows, sleeping bag
Rain ponchos & work gloves
Entertainment: books, magazines, card games, etc.

Water, Ice Chest & Ice
One gallon of water per person per day
Block and Cube Ice

First Aid Kit
OTC Meds
Alcohol or Alcohol cleansing pads
Antibacterial ointment
Antiseptic cleansing wipes
Burn relief pack
Cotton-tipped applicator
Emergency blanket
Finger splint
First aid tape
Instant cold compress
Itch-relief cream
Latex-free exam quality vinyl gloves
Thermometer
Gauze and Various Bandages
Tweezers
Super Glue (the magic wound closer)

Communications
Land Line Phone that doesn’t require wall power
Cell Phones, charged batteries, car chargers
FRS two way radios
I also have portable VHF marine radios that can monitor NOAA and coast guard activity since I am near the coast

Firearms
This is an area that I am leaving blank. Not because it isn’t important, but it is something that is very personal. I’ve prepared in this area, and so should you. – T. in South Florida