GIP Emergency Preparedness Thread: The Safe Space for Half-Life War Boys

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > GIP Emergency Preparedness Thread: The Safe Space for Half-Life War Boys

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

Notahippie posted:

Bumping this thread because the bigass fires last week gave my family some emergency prep drill. Quick trip report and some questions:

1. Just like always, the plan was more important than the equipment. We had a pre-developed evacuation plan that we had halfassedly developed that included transport plans for 2x cats and a dog, routine storage of critical records in one portable box, and a rough idea of what we'd want to pack and how to pack it. Having that turned the pre-evac packing into just a mental checklist that we executed once it was obvious that the fires were getting closer and we were out the door within 20 minutes of the official evac notice.

2. We had a couple of days with no heat and no running water, and we're still without potable water. Having a prepped supply of drinking water and food took a lot of the stress off. But the post-return, pre-service restoration period did show us a couple of things we missed. We had planned to flush toilets with snowmelt, but melting that much snow is a huge pain in the rear end. We also didn't consider how to clean cookpots with no potable water, but fortunately we had some bleach to make sanitizing solutions. This part was also where longjohns and other clothes for extreme cold came in super handy, which wasn't part of our official emergency storage but we just had around.

So basically, lessons-learned for us are that we're going to put more thinking into sanitation and add that to our prep kits. We're also going to get one of the waterbobs that came up earlier in the thread, since we could have saved ourselves some hassle if we had filled one as part of evacuation prep. We're probably also going to add a second fireproof box for high-value items and store it with the records box, but that's a lower priority because we don't really own anything that emotionally or financially significant that we want to save it. But the basic idea of having the stuff we wanted to take with us pre-stored in one place made it real easy to bring it with us, so we'll probably extend that a little. I'm also on the fence about whether to pre-pack a go-bag: prep from 0 to ready to evacuate was probably 30-45 minutes for 2 adults, 2 kids, and 3 pets, which was more than we needed in this case but could be cut down if we invested in pre-packed clothes and chargers and poo poo. I'm not sure it's worth it for the time savings.

Question for the thread: I use a Grayl filter when I travel because it's the easy to use and rated for heavy metals/viruses/chemicals as well as standard bacteria. I want to get some extra filters and put them on the shelf for prepping, but does anybody else have any experience with them? They claim to do so much more than any other filter I've seen on the market that they make me vaguely uncomfortable - it feels like they have to be over-claiming given that they're not completely dominating the market. But I've used them for years and never had issues, and the reviews about them are mostly by backpackers who only care about bacteria and microbe filtration so it just may be that they're perfectly fine and it's just that most water filter users just don't need full-spectrum filtration like you probably want in a disaster scenario. Fires deposit a lot of nasty poo poo in waterways and a basic bacteria filter wouldn't cut it.

A basic go bag is not a huge investment, and can also be used as a 'get home bag/car survival bag' for long car trips or if you have to drive in crap weather. And depending on what your kids are into might be fun for them to take part in or make their own.

The thing about Grayl filters is they are not cheap and are not always the best option for your average hiker. It might be worth it just to buy a few more bottles for your partner and kids, but if it is primarily for home use and not getting out, there are better options. Also if you are worried about all the deposits in the waterways, a good idea is to have a Milbank bag (can use other cloth materials if you are a cheap bastard), it is basically a pre filter that takes out all the large particals so you do not have to worry about clogging your working filters.

I know a lot of people do not have much of a choice, but I would never live in a home without a wood stove. Having lived my entire life in cold climates it has saved my family from a many hardships. Glad you learned the not so hard way that melting snow takes time and a lot of energy.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2022 08:48

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 22:46

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

How are those Coast Guard rations? I am not really a fan of having to eat MREs or emergency rations. I do have Norwegian Arctic Rations in my bug out bag, which are tolerable if you are hungry. The only downside of them is you will need to boil water as it is dehydrated. The Swedes have a 24 hour 'wet' ration that is suppose to be good, but they are impossible to find.

I would still orient my bug out bag to having to sleep outside. If you have the space and resources why not make a shelter specific bag, but it is usually better to plan for a worse case scenario.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2022 09:55

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

ASAPI posted:

I looked into the first, found out that it is more about society building and more of an overview (something like that) so opted out.

Has anyone read the second? Is it really instructions to make things (water wheel to chemicals)?

I want a book, or a few books that tell me everything from what crops to plant when to water/wind powered mills/irrigation to medicinal plants to making my own black powder (and other useful chemicals). Anyone know where THAT book is?

A lot of that stuff will be dependent on what enviroment/climate you live in. For building and maintening things that would be a lot easier as there is tons of prepper stuff out there for energy production, food storage, weapons, ect.

https://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/ This is a good podcast on all things prepping. The guy puts out a lot of content and kind of goes down some tangents as all serious preppers seem to do. But just look up and listen to some episodes that may seem to interest you.

In regards to rebuilding society and becoming the great wizard with your hoard of secret knowledge, if that is your thing go for it. I remember my Grandparents (depression era) always constantly referencing a several books. Grandma had these big medical and garden books and Granpda had the mechnical and carpentry books. It is not a bad idea to have these and maybe a few more sitting on ones shelf.

Dick Ripple fucked around with this message at 06:08 on May 9, 2022

# ¿ May 9, 2022 06:03

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

Trying to make a fire by rubbing a stick can teach you a lot of things... But maybe you need some goals in mind before you go out building skillsets. Want to be self sufficient? Bushcraft / Hunting / foraging is not a bad place to start. Tending a garden, building a greenhouse or storage shed... From an outside view a lot of this seems simple, but when you actually try these things you will find out quickly that is not the case.

There is also a lot more to maintence and construction of systems than just having the knowledge and blueprints, I think this is often overlooked. For starters the basic tools to do so, you're only going to get so far with just a hammer and screwdriver.

# ¿ May 11, 2022 07:30

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

Atticus_1354 posted:

To actually be helpful something like this is going to be more useful in all scenarios without power.

https://youtu.be/1tZpGncD81w

Iceholepower sells diy components and kits also.

https://www.iceholepower.com/diy-kits

I'm going to put together a battery/solar kit for travel and a second kit that holds all my starlink stuff so I can have portable internet during a disaster or while taking long road trips. Just waiting for the right case to pop up on AtoZcases.

That looks cool.

I have been seeing a lot of thru hikers on youtube using those portable solar panels, seems to work well for them in regards to charging phones/cameras.

In regards to nuke chat, we are far more likely to seem some sort of limited strikes and not full blown nuclear winter, in which case having some iodine pills around would not be a bad idea. Especially for those of us living in and around Europe.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2022 08:11

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

Can you just throw them in the car without a cage? I think if you actually live in a area with fire risks or really any other disaster that will involve you having to leave, it would probably be best to actually practice those procedures.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2023 05:51

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 22:46

Dick Ripple: May 19, 2021

Usually a trickle charger is best for preventing cold weather battery problems. For your friends, your own vehicle is the simpliest option to helping them out.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2024 08:55

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > GIP Emergency Preparedness Thread: The Safe Space for Half-Life War Boys