Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Sanitation

Sanitation and Waste. One of the biggest problems to overcome when things really go bad. When water is already a precious commodity, how do you get rid of waste? Not only human waste, but also those empty Spam cans, MRE wrappers and Twinkie wraps? Human waste is a horrible nightmare to contend with as it brings in insects, can spread disease, and can turn a perfect bunker into a living hell. If your emergency is temporary, IE: a few days, then one way to combat the waste problem is to place a kitchen sized garbage bag under your toilet seat in the bottom of the bowl. The kind of bags with the draw string tops are handy as they can just be closed up and carried outside to be buried. When burying waste, you cannot dig a whole deep enough. You want to be sure that the neighbors dog or other critters will not dig it up. Wood ashes from your wood stove or fire pit can be spread over the waste to help control it. Lye is made from wood ash, and as the ash becomes wet, small amounts of lye will leach out and help to control odor. For longer emergencies, a portable camping style toilet is only a temporary fix. Again, you have the problem with disposing of the contents on a regular basis. The chemicals you can buy for these toilets helps to keep insects and bacteria away, but it only helps, not solves the problem. Lugging a 5 gallon bucket out of your shelter and digging a hole in the backyard to bury it is not how I want to spend my last days on earth. You can dump it down a sewer pipe, but DO NOT dump it into a storm drain. There are only two ways to safely get rid of human waste...Bury it deep in the ground or burn it. Burning it is not an easy option unless you have plenty of diesel laying around and all day to stand and stir a big pot of smoking crap. Trust me, I've been there in Iraq where you can't dig in the sand to bury anything. Yes, they do make the "Environmentally Friendly" toilets that use Natural Gas to dispose of the waste, but we are being realistic here...if you can afford one, your in the wrong blog. An outhouse is the easiest long term option, IF you have the resource. The resource being, able to dig a very deep hole in the ground, away from your water source and build a small structure over it. An outhouse should be used for human waste only. Using it as a garbage dump will fill it faster than you think. Cans and plastic will not compress under their own weight and will not decompose in your lifetime. Dig a separate garbage pit far away from anyone's living area and hopefully downwind, then expect it to attract insects and vermin (Which could possibly be used as a food source later.)

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Knowledge is your Best Prepreation

I keep hearing the same statement from new Preppers. "I just started and I feel overwhelmed. What should I do first?".
Your doing it right now! Learn, Learn, Learn. Gather every book you can get your hands on. Do not take any book as if it were law, but read several on the same subject and take what works best for you. Some examples of good books in my library are: Back to Basics, published by Readers Digest. Life After Doomsday, by Bruce D. Clayton. Doctors Book of Home Remedies by the editors of Prevention Magazine. There are many, many others, but these are some of my favorites. Another book in my library as well as in my bug out bag is the Bible. Not only is there great inspiration for Preppers, but during an emergency, the bible can bring comfort like nothing else.
So don't feel overwhelmed. You can only do what you can do. The world will probably not end tomorrow, but be prepared for it. Start with knowledge and then begin collecting things to help you survive tomorrow. Then the next day and the next. Before you know it, others will be coming to you and asking you what to do, and you'll have all the answers.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Preparing for the Onslaught of the Unprepared

Whether your plans are to bug in or to bug out of your location, there is a good chance you may have to hole up wherever your at until things cool off a bit outside. Looters, pillagers, scavengers or worse may come to your location looking for something of value. Here are a few ideas that may hold them out even if you are not prepared to make an armed stand to defend your space. The idea here is to attempt to divert them away from your home to easier pickings.
First off, use the dead horse method. If you have time before the hoards arrive, make it look as though your home has already been pillaged. Pull useless items from your home and scatter them around the front porch and yard. Dresser drawers full of clothing. The old tires stacked up in the garage. Try to make it look as though your home has already been ransacked and maybe those pillaging will pass by.
Second, choose a safe room in the house to keep supplies and hole up in it until the eminent danger passes. This will most likely begin moments after the food in the grocery stores run out and may last as long as a few weeks for the majority of the population to move further out looking for food. Your safe room would preferably be in a basement or on the highest floor of the building. Every ground floor window should be covered with a dark blanket or sheet. The idea behind this is that during the daylight, you will still be able to see out, but nobody will be able to see in. Another great precaution is to place chicken wire or even garden fencing on the inside of the windows. This will keep objects from being thrown inside and slow down any who attempt to enter through them. Cut the fencing to size and nail it to the inside of the window frame.
The final preparation is to fill all the rooms you are not using with junk. And I do mean Junk. Anything you can get your hands on both inside and outside your home. Start with in front of all the ground floor windows and doors, pile junk from floor to ceiling. The kids old swing set, the neighbors trampoline, old barrels, anything you can find to pile up and make it impossible to navigate on top of or through. Looters will be looking for a quick catch so they can move on and find more. Your obstacles will tell them that its not worth it.
It would be prudent to leave a small tunnel, just big enough to crawl through going from your safe room to an emergency exit, such as a doggy door, but leave this small enough that anyone who enters it will have to crawl headfirst through an obstacle course to get to you and your supplies.
I learned these tactics first hand from the Berlin Brigade during the Cold War. It was their job to slow an attack on West Germany from the Communist East until reinforcements could arrive. They were very good at their job. The ground floor entrance tunnels would be trapped and the upper floor windows would be used as defensive lookouts. I don't expect anyone reading this to have a platoon sized group, but if you, your spouse, and your kids work together, you may just get out of it alive and with all your supplies.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Hunting in a post - Apocalyptic World.

The topic tonight is hunting when your life depends on it. I've heard people say they are going to use slingshots, bows, traps, snares, spears etc. to feed themselves when the SHTF. Really? Your in for a long slow death by starvation. Unless you actively practice this on a regular basis, I highly recommend against it. Try to set a simple snare or trap and actually catch something worth eating. Just trying to build one your first couple of times takes more time and energy than you are ever going to get out of it. The modern bow has its uses, but again, unless you are proficient with it, I sure wouldn't count on eating much if that is your only means. Spears and slingshots I'm not even going to take the time to comment on.
If you want to be a successful hunter in a emergency situation, grab a copy of your states hunting laws. Now for every rule in those regulations, replace the words "Do Not" with the word "Do".
"Do Not hunt from sunset to sunrise." becomes "Do hunt from sunset to sunrise.". "Do Not hunt while using a spotlight." now becomes "Do hunt while using a spotlight.". Do load more than 3 shells in your shotgun. Do use bait and electronic calls. You get the drift?
Hunting regulations are written to give the animals a fair chance. In an emergency situation, you are going to need much more than just a fair chance if you want to eat.
Yes, trapping and snaring do have their advantages, especially for fish and small critters, but you have to know the exact how, where, and when to master it and be able to feed yourself. These are skills that take months to learn and years to master. In an emergency, you may not have months or years.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Best Survival Weapons

The conversation that came up today is "What are the Best Survival Weapons?". There was an overwhelming pool of opinions from conservative to exotic. Doing a quick search on You-Tube brings about a bunch of uninformed and mostly uneducated guesses on what makes the "Best" survival weapons.
First off, let me explain one thing. A firearm is a tool. And just like any other tool, each has its own uses and purpose. You cannot say that a hammer is the best tool to build a house, because you still need a saw, a level, and few other items to properly build that house. The same can be said of firearms. There is no one firearm that is the best for every situation. Each has its own uses, and all are useful when you have nothing at all.
Now, let me explain my list and why I'd pick each one. After that, you choose your own tools. By the way, my list comes from firearms that are actually obtainable. You will not see a Vulcan or a grenade launcher on this list. Although useful, if they came to your mind, you either have too much money, or your sitting in your moms basement playing Call of Duty III.
First off, IF I could only grab one weapon. Meaning, if I only had time to grab one of my weapons and flee my home never to return, I would grab a 12 gauge, pump action shotgun.
Now the reason for this choice: The 12 gauge shotgun is arguably the most universal tool. It is the best defensive weapon for short to medium range. You can use #8 shot for small birds and rabbit sized critters. You can use 00 buck for the larger animals including the two legged kind, and then you have the option of the slug which can take game to the size of an Elk or a black bear. Ammo of all types for the 12 gauge is reasonably common.
Now the first thing an inexperienced shooter wants to do is cut off the barrel and put a pistol grip on it. DONT! While this may be great for defending inside your home, it makes it no better than a pistol for anything else. Cutting off the barrel seriously affects the effective range, and adding a pistol grip makes it not only unwieldy but dangerous to the operator. There are lots of examples of people breaking their own noses or worse by trying to aim a pistol gripped shotgun.
My second choice. Meaning, if I only had time to grab 2 weapons, and the first was the shotgun. My second grab would be a pistol. This is where the grey area is, because everybody and their brothers cousin has a strong opinion on what is the best pistol. Even I have a hard time deciding which one I would go with, but with much thought and even more debate, I would grab a high capacity 9mm. I can hear the hiss's now from all the .45 lovers out there, but that is my choice.
My reasoning for a pistol: You can't always carry your shotgun. There are times when your digging a ditch, using the latrine, or sleeping when you cannot actively hold or sling your long weapon and still function. A pistol is always handy in a holster at your side. A pistol, as a tool, has one job: protect you long enough to get to a better weapon. Period. A pistol is a under-powered tool meant to be used only when nothing else is available. My reasoning for the 9mm is: It is the same caliber that the US Military and many police departments use, making ammo obtainable. The 9mm round has its own ups and downs. The downs are that it is fast and may "over penetrate" your target hitting someone behind them. Also, it may not have the knock-down power of the larger .40 or .45 caliber rounds. The benefits of the 9mm is the high capacity of the firearm. When your using your pistol, your only using it to stop the threat long enough to get to a better weapon. 16 shots from a 9mm while your running for your shotgun may buy you that time. Yes, they are making high capacity .45's now, but the extra weight of the pistols when your not using it vs the benefits swayed me to the 9mm in a combat situation.
My third choice. The venerable .22 caliber rifle. The .22 is the supreme survival rifle capable of providing meat to your table for years. You can carry 500 rounds of ammo in one pocket, and it is accurate enough to provide you with a small meal for every one of those shots. I have seen coyotes knocked over backwards by it, and deer dropped with one very well placed shot at 100 yards, although I do not recommend this in any but dire circumstances. Any dependable and accurate .22 is a good choice. You can find ammo between seat cushions in vehicles and even in the junk drawers of some homes. Even though it is 3rd on my list, the .22 is the one I will depend on most for the long haul.
My fourth and fifth grabs would be a light and heavy assault rifle. Examples of a light rifle would be a AR-15(M4) or AK47 type weapon. A light rifle is one that shoots a medium sized cartridge and is effective from short to medium range which is considered to be 300 meters. Generally, with a large magazine capacity and capable of sustained, controllable fire. There are almost as many arguments over a light rifle as there are pistols concerning which is the best. In my opinion, the best one is the one that saves your life. I started writing a big long debate over what is the best light assault rifle, but after typing it out I realized that it is a debate you should make for yourself. They all have their own pro's and con's. The idea of a light assault rifle is for defending a position. Continuous, well aimed firepower upon your assailants until they are dead or give up the attack. If you run out of ammo, or cant keep their heads down to keep them from firing on you, then its game over. They also make great hunting rifles for deer sized animals, are easy to carry, and ammo may be fairly common.
A heavy assault rifle is one that shoots a large cartridge and is effective to at least 500 meters. Examples of this are the Cetme or the AR10 Style Rifles. Their heavier and faster bullets are capable of penetrating though walls and cars while still maintaining a sustained, controllable fire. The general principle of a heavy rifle is the same as the light rifle except that while your companions keep the assailants hiding behind walls and cars, you can take careful aim and shoot through walls and cars to take them out. The .308 cartridge is an excellent choice because of it accuracy, its power, and the availability of ammo. The weapons and ammo are generally heavier than their light duty counterparts, and the magazine capacity will be limited, but the extended range and power makes up for it. They are capable of taking down any North American animal.
In summary, I tried to keep this as general as possible. A shotgun, pistol, .22 rifle, light and heavy assault rifles. Buy what you can afford, then upgrade from there. Having a weapon in hand is better than money in the bank if you should need it. I have my own opinions on which brand is better, but I may just leave that for another time. What is important is that you are able to defend yourself and your loved ones when the need arises.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Finding Others...

The subject came up the other night about finding other "Realists" who may live in your area and who are concerned about the same kinds of things that you may be preparing for.
If your thinking about adding more people to your group, then you should ALWAYS start with people you already know and trust. Now the first thought that may have come to your mind is, "My friends will think I'm crazy." and yes, they might, but you will be surprised at how many of them ARE concerned and just didn't know where to start or were afraid to say anything to you fearing that you might think they are crazy one.
Try mentioning things in small talk about canning food, or talk to a computer geek about the software you use to keep track of your food storage. You may really be surprised at how people will grasp at the chance to find out more information on how they can help themselves. By starting with people you already know and like, you don't run the risk of letting someone in on your plans that may use them against you later.
When my friends hear me talking about buying another 150 lbs of sugar because it was on sale, I tell them its for the Zombie Apocalypse. Some laugh it off, but a few others have come back to me and asked "Really?". This is when it gives me a chance to explain that I'm stocking up for any emergency, so that my family and I could make it through tough times should the need arise. This usually brings on lots more questions and before you know it, they are coming to you and telling you about a great sale on 55 gallon drums and they picked up a couple for themselves.
If your not obsessed with the end of the World, you shouldn't come across as crazy...well, at least not any more crazy than the rest of us.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Doomsday Preppers

It has been a long while since I've last looked in here and posted. Recently, I have once again decided to take stock of what I have, what I don't have, and what still needs to be done. Part of this rekindling is from a new series every Tuesday evening on National Geographic Channel called "Doomsday Preppers".
Very few television shows hold my interest for very long, this one is different. Every episode consists of 3 "Preppers" not unlike myself, who tell what kind of catastrophe they are preparing for, and what they are doing or have done to prepare. At the end of each segment, "Experts" from the show critic what the preppers have done and explain what needs work.
When I first seen the previews for this show, I naturally assumed that it would be filled with Crazy people, going way overboard, and making all of us look bad. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, some are crazy, but aren't we all? I have seen both ends of the spectrum now, from the mild, to the full out and have actually gotten some good ideas as well as found holes in my own planning.
After watching just a few episodes, I decided to unpack my "Bug-Out" bag and take stock of what I had. What I found was some serious holes. I had used some items camping which never got replaced. Grabbed the rope out to hang a deer..and never replaced it. Expired products, extra clothing that no longer fit...my bag would have been almost as bad as having nothing at all.
Time to take stock again. I have started with my bag, going through the inventory of the whole house, just as if I had never done it before. Today is too late, we should have started yesterday, because tomorrow is coming sooner than you think.