Doomsday Prepping... do you or don't you?

[Bugsy732 1]

I have always enjoyed watching the "Doomsday Preppers" show on Natgeo. There are always some interesting things going on with that show... end of the world and zombie apocalypse's...  but the last few nights while checking to see what Hurricanes/Tropical storms are forming the thought crossed my mind.. what if something like Sandy or last years Derecho happens again this year.  My wife and I recently had our first child (son) about 6 months ago and home security has been on my mind for a long time now, I beefed up the arsenal and ammo supplies and have upgraded our home security. I noticed yesterday that I unknowingly started to keep a supply of canned goods and water on hand (8 cases of water in the closet lol), I've even started buying more than necessary baby formula and baby food (rotating inventory on the baby food every shopping week). My wife actually brought it to my attention sunday when i got back from the grocery store..(she was like " why did you buy so many jars of Baby food? we have a ton still in the pantry?" I was like.... it was on sale! and quickly slipped away...

 

I guess the next logical step in preparing for something would be to increase our food and water surplus, alternative power sources and "escape plans"? 

 

How  many of the forum members here have "prepped" for various disaster scenarios (hurricanes, extended power outages ect)  and what have you been doing to "prep" for your family? I mean with last years storms and power outages i can't be the only one who has been thinking about this more since Hurricane season is here and our peak time is quickly approaching.

 

 

ZAP

[bhunted 887]

Just my wife and I and my dog...

Still working on getting a full house generator.

Plenty of water. Over 8000 gallons in my pool.

Plenty of .223 ammo.. among other various ammo.

Our biggest concern is always power.

[ryan_j 0]

I don't doomsday prep but I am always prepared.

 

We have:

 

Wood stove and firewood.

Generator with adequate fuel. Next step is to get a propane carb conversion so I'm not at the mercy of gas stations. I'm also going to get a few solar panels I can use to run small things.

Plenty of dry rice, dry beans and canned stuff.

Water well with a hand pump that can be readily installed.

Ham radios and antennas.  

Guns and ammo. 

[Purple Patrick 638]

Just my wife and I and my dog...

Still working on getting a full house generator.

Plenty of water. Over 8000 gallons in my pool.

Plenty of .223 ammo.. among other various ammo.

Our biggest concern is always power.

How do you filter chlorine out of the pool? Iodine? Boiling? Never thought of using my pool to prep

 

 

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[bhunted 887]

I would guess boiling won't hurt depending on time of the year. But shouldn't be too much of a concern. All water has chlorine in it. Our water company at times must add more than normal under certain conditions. You can actually smell it when you open the tap. If you play scientist with your pool like I do, (i.e., make sure everything like PH, Alkaline, etc... is well balanced), shouldn't hurt you. I would boil it regardless. Around storm season it's usually closed by then. So to make sure there is no bacteria lingering, boiling could never hurt. We have natural gas and never lost it....

Here is a pretty good article talking about it...

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/drinking-swimming-pool-water-in-an-emergency/

 

 

 

How do you filter chlorine out of the pool? Iodine? Boiling? Never thought of using my pool to prep


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[bhunted 887]

We also have/use one of these always full. We drink a lot of water and it's cheaper than buying bottled water in a long run... Keep extra filters on hand. You'd be surprised in the better taste of water with it.

http://www.brita.com/products/water-pitchers/vintage-turquoise/

[ryan_j 0]

How do you filter chlorine out of the pool? Iodine? Boiling? Never thought of using my pool to prep

 

 

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It can be used for sanitary water but if you let it stand in sunlight (UV) the Chlorine breaks down rapidly. 

[Walt of Destiny 412]

Funny how the birth of a child changes everything.

 

I have a different take on the prepper thing.

 

A division's worth of Ammo, precious metals, bug out vehicles. If it comes to our having to need all that we are sunk and my heartfelt belief is that chances for that are extremely slim. I instead concentrated my resources on short and mid length disruptions to our way of life. A couple solid weeks of real food. (Some wise stuff stashed also never hurts) Some water and a source of water to flush. Although for a major widespread disruption in water supply, not necessarily potable, seems unlikely. I would recommend saving and making some sacrifices for a whole house genny that runs on natural gas. It really is a game changer for the type of real world disruptions that we are likely to face. A portable gas generator is ok, but remember the gas problem.

 

With children I also keep about 6 months(yup, that much) of their medicines. A sick child with no relief can make every other prep meaningless. I have a daughter with borderline asthma. I have a battery operated nebulizer and albuterol. My doctor believes that everyone should keep a supply. Respiratory issues in adults and kids has been the undoing of the best laid plans. While I'm at it, some EMT/first aid training, I believe, is the best prep next to a whole house generator.

 

And here is where I break with most preppers. I keep a healthy supply of cash in the safe with the guns. In a real financial problem, in the short term, cash will be scarce. See the Cyprus unpleasantness. That will be the "gold" not gold itself. If the SHTF for real it will take some time for a local trading economy to develop. And if that happens for real, you have ammo which magically turns into most everything. Ask yourself this, a mild SHTF situation happens, natural disaster knocks out electricity, telecommunications and the Internet. A week in some guy wants to trade a 1oz gold coin for some gasoline. How do you know it's real? Would you do it? But if he has a $20 you have a better sense of trust. I also ditched cable for TV and got directv. During sandy I had news and kept the kids busy. It took over 2 weeks to restore cable tv. Same goes for hard line phone. My Verizon landline was working through the storm. The triple play customers were screwed after the batteries and generators at the cell sites ran out. Remember with the tree damage, they couldn't get diesel up to the sites.

 

Obviously this is one mans opinion. And, of course open to debate. But as much as "Red Dawn" zombie apocalypse, EMP and super flu scenarios have some romantic attraction for prepper types, I believe that smaller manageable scenarios are the most likely and the most survivable without reverting to the Stone Age . With a little prep.

[Bugsy732 1]

I agree, you can never have too much water. in addition to the cases of water mentioned above, we have a 7 stage RODI filter system and i have a back up water pump. Last year when sandy was starting to move it's way up the coast I ran my filter and mad up 100 gallons of Filtered water for back up and froze up dozens of bottles of water to help "stretch" the freezer life if the power went out.

[ryan_j 0]

With children I also keep about 6 months(yup, that much) of their medicines. A sick child with no relief can make every other prep meaningless. I have a daughter with borderline asthma. I have a battery operated nebulizer and albuterol. My doctor believes that everyone should keep a supply. Respiratory issues in adults and kids has been the undoing of the best laid plans. While I'm at it, some EMT/first aid training, I believe, is the best prep next to a whole house generator.

 

 

I hear you brother. But we chose a different approach. We installed a 1000 watt inverter in the van, so we can run the nebulizer if we need to on road trips. As a bonus we can also power a microwave so we can bring our own food. 

 

I am on the safety/fire team at work so I get free CPR and other training too. 

[Walt of Destiny 412]

I hear you brother. But we chose a different approach. We installed a 1000 watt inverter in the van, so we can run the nebulizer if we need to on road trips. As a bonus we can also power a microwave so we can bring our own food.

 

I am on the safety/fire team at work so I get free CPR and other training too.

That's a huge ^

 

Doing that this week. Thanks.

[Bugsy732 1]

Funny how the birth of a child changes everything.

 

I have a different take on the prepper thing.

 

A division's worth of Ammo, precious metals, bug out vehicles. If it comes to our having to need all that we are sunk and my heartfelt belief is that chances for that are extremely slim. I instead concentrated my resources on short and mid length disruptions to our way of life. A couple solid weeks of real food. (Some wise stuff stashed also never hurts) Some water and a source of water to flush. Although for a major widespread disruption in water supply, not necessarily potable, seems unlikely. I would recommend saving and making some sacrifices for a whole house genny that runs on natural gas. It really is a game changer for the type of real world disruptions that we are likely to face. A portable gas generator is ok, but remember the gas problem.

 

With children I also keep about 6 months(yup, that much) of their medicines. A sick child with no relief can make every other prep meaningless. I have a daughter with borderline asthma. I have a battery operated nebulizer and albuterol. My doctor believes that everyone should keep a supply. Respiratory issues in adults and kids has been the undoing of the best laid plans. While I'm at it, some EMT/first aid training, I believe, is the best prep next to a whole house generator.

 

And here is where I break with most preppers. I keep a healthy supply of cash in the safe with the guns. In a real financial problem, in the short term, cash will be scarce. See the Cyprus unpleasantness. That will be the "gold" not gold itself. If the SHTF for real it will take some time for a local trading economy to develop. And if that happens for real, you have ammo which magically turns into most everything. Ask yourself this, a mild SHTF situation happens, natural disaster knocks out electricity, telecommunications and the Internet. A week in some guy wants to trade a 1oz gold coin for some gasoline. How do you know it's real? Would you do it? But if he has a $20 you have a better sense of trust. I also ditched cable for TV and got directv. During sandy I had news and kept the kids busy. It took over 2 weeks to restore cable tv. Same goes for hard line phone. My Verizon landline was working through the storm. The triple play customers were screwed after the batteries and generators at the cell sites ran out. Remember with the tree damage, they couldn't get diesel up to the sites.

 

Obviously this is one mans opinion. And, of course open to debate. But as much as "Red Dawn" zombie apocalypse, EMP and super flu scenarios have some romantic attraction for prepper types, I believe that smaller manageable scenarios are the most likely and the most survivable without reverting to the Stone Age . With a little prep.

 

I agree, my main concern is the short to mid length scenarios.  you are one of only a few that understand/believe like i do that AMMO will be the biggest commodity when the SHTF. People will have guns but no AMMO, they'll want to trade or buy ammo if they can... on the flip side, people may try and take the ammo from you, that's where the proper training on self defense and home defense will also be key.

 

I've been looking in to a propane/natural gas generator as well... got any suggestions?

[bhunted 887]

Generac, GE, Kohlers are the most popular.

[Ivana Revolver 0]

I remember listening to the radio after both hurricane Irene & Sandy. All sorts of dimwits calling in and complaining about not having enough food, water, toilet paper, lighting, and heat. These are the same people who mock preppers and gun owners, yet have no problem wasting money on designer clothes, jewelry, cars, tech gadgets, and NFL season tickets.

 

I have plenty of the afore mentioned items. Dehydrated food in #10 cans will last 25 years.

[Walt of Destiny 412]

I agree, my main concern is the short to mid length scenarios. you are one of only a few that understand/believe like i do that AMMO will be the biggest commodity when the SHTF. People will have guns but no AMMO, they'll want to trade or buy ammo if they can... on the flip side, people may try and take the ammo from you, that's where the proper training on self defense and home defense will also be key.

 

I've been looking in to a propane/natural gas generator as well... got any suggestions?

Ammo is great for that scenario. Long shelf life, easily carried, easily verified. My personal favorite.

 

As for generators, I tend to over do things but if I get a big genset and use 9-10% I get a huge increase in reliability and service life. I'm a big believer in 1800rpm liquid cooled models. Quiet and last long. 3600 rpm units wear fast. The bigger units at low utilization also have much better efficiency. I don't have natural gas so I have 2 propane sources, one visible one buried that will run me a month with some smarts.

 

Here she is, I posted her pic in another thread. Ran like a top during sandy. Love her.

 

 

36kw quietsource.

[ryan_j 0]

Generac, GE, Kohlers are the most popular.

 

I would get a Cummins Onan instead.

[Walt of Destiny 412]

I would get a Cummins Onan instead.

There are No better diesel generators than Onans. I have them at my business. However, Onan vapor sets are pigs.

 

The liquid cooled, QuietSource Generacs bear no resemblance to what Home Depot sells other than the licensed name on the plastic box... Just FYI.

[Bugsy732 1]

Thanks for the info on the generators, I'll be doing some research on them...

 

what about food stores... what are you guys doing to stockpile food? MRE's? Are you going to the lengths of canning fresh foods in season?

[TheLugNutZ 21]

Remember, you can get a portable genny with a nat gas conversion.  Thats what I did and plan on getting the conversion at some point.  FOr now at least i have a backup power source if needed.  We didnt have the money to do a whole house nat gas genny at the time...

 

We also have about 10 cases of bottled water which I keep dated and rotate.  I do believe we need more food in the home tho.  We buy lots of cans and peanut butter and stuff, but tend to use them and not replenish appropriately..  Also remember to date your items so you can rotate them and know how old the stuff is.

 

I also agree with having cash.  THink about it, most of our money is digital or "on paper". We rarely have all of the money showing on our bank statement in hand, so if anything happens with our electronic banking system (EMP?) we are all screwed as the only ones that will have money are people that had cash and the banks in their vaults!  Even in a more realistic scenerio, such as the power being out, tons of store will only accept cash and the ATMs/CC POS systems will not be working...

[Tack Tickle 0]

While I believe a whole house generator is great idea, I think these two suggestions below are huge!!!

 

Having a 5,000-7,000 watt generator will power you through almost anything other then the central air startup. You take a 7,000 watt generator and hook up the gas conversion and you are set for any short term outage. Mid term could possibly have the natural gas supply shut down after their generators are done pressuring the gas supply.

 

I also think having a smaller 2,000-3,000 watt generator for on the go is a good idea to help out others or if there is an evacuation. The Generac ix2000 is a great alternative to the more expensive Honda enclosed 2,000 watt. While the power may be a little more "dirty" from the Generac and it's definitely not as quiet, it will serve it's purpose!!!

 

Next step is to get a propane carb conversion so I'm not at the mercy of gas stations.

 

I'm also going to get a few solar panels I can use to run small things.

[Vlad G 345]

Mid term could possibly have the natural gas supply shut down after their generators are done pressuring the gas supply.

 

 

natural gas distribution runs on ... natural gas, not that much of a surprise, really. It is probably one of the most resilient infrastructures we have,  it is under ground, it is self propelled (for lack of a better word), and around here cheap and plentiful.

[Walt of Destiny 412]

natural gas distribution runs on ... natural gas, not that much of a surprise, really. It is probably one of the most resilient infrastructures we have, it is under ground, it is self propelled (for lack of a better word), and around here cheap and plentiful.

100%^

 

Unless of course local town officials shit it off like in Mantoloking. But if that happens you probably shouldn't be anywhere near there anyway.

 

Boy I wish I had natural gas. I can see the new TennVal gas line going over the ridge by my house. So close yet so far. Ever hear how natives in Africa and the 'stans try to tap into oil etc. pipelines and blow themselves up.? Funny shit. But I digress.

 

 

[Vlad G 345]

A pig or two in your back yard, fill them with propane and you might be even better off.

[Walt of Destiny 412]

While I believe a whole house generator is great idea, I think these two suggestions below are huge!!!

 

Having a 5,000-7,000 watt generator will power you through almost anything other then the central air startup. You take a 7,000 watt generator and hook up the gas conversion and you are set for any short term outage. Mid term could possibly have the natural gas supply shut down after their generators are done pressuring the gas supply.

 

I also think having a smaller 2,000-3,000 watt generator for on the go is a good idea to help out others or if there is an evacuation. The Generac ix2000 is a great alternative to the more expensive Honda enclosed 2,000 watt. While the power may be a little more "dirty" from the Generac and it's definitely not as quiet, it will serve it's purpose!!!

Gotta tell you , those little Hondas are worth every cent. Mine is going on 10 years old and I use it all the time where you would do without power normally. No hassle, clean and quiet. Expensive but long lasting and one blown piece of electronic equipment and the diff in price goes away. Did I mention they last long?

 

 

[Walt of Destiny 412]

Out "this way", sure...try telling that to the folks in Newark or NYC.or even bergen county for that matter........that is where I differ greatly from you

I agree with you. My preps are for my circumstances where we would stay and fortify our position with the help of my like-minded neighbors. In other locations with lets say, not so like minded neighbors, the plan would be quite different. Population density is a big determining factor. But that's why I moved up here.

 

While we're at it I want to give some props and a recommendation to Frank at Get Out Safe NJ in whippany. Good guy that can help you with reasonable advice and preps.

 

 

 

[Walt of Destiny 412]

A pig or two in your back yard, fill them with propane and you might be even better off.

Mean like this?

 

 

 

[maintenanceguy 510]

We've done some getting ready.   In the past couple of years we have added:

Generator - although if we're out of power for more than a few days, gasoline would likely become a problem so the generator is just for short term power outages.

Gasoline - always 15 gallons on hand plus whatever is in the vehicles.  I can fuel a vehicle if we need to go or run the generator for a few days.

Heat - we have an oil furnace (no gas lines) and with a generator or small inverter can make enough electric to run the burner and tiny circulating pump.  I also have a wood stove in my garage that could be moved inside if needed.

Water - I have a hand pitcher pump that I can mount on top of my well casing and can get unlimited water.

Food - We keep a couple of months of canned and boxed foods on hand.  We typically eat out of the pantry and shop to re-stock the pantry.   I also live in a rural area and grew up on a farm.  If we needed to go 100% off grid, I think we could grow and hunt enough to keep us going indefinitely although it would become a full time job to do so.

[ChrisJM981 924]

I've been having issues with my bank the past few days. They froze my debit card on suspicion of fraud on Sunday and last night. I tried to take money out of my account and I was over my daily limit. Fine, I get that. I tried to make a purchase at a supermarket last night, and my card was declined & locked by my bank.

 

This situation made me realize how easily a breakdown of society could leave me flapping in the breeze. If the govt freezes all accounts in a crisis to avoid bank runs, then I'm S.O.L. Saturday I wasn't a prepper. Sunday I realized it's time to get serious about it.

[Clintoon Eastwood 2]

I'm a wanna be prepper

[vladtepes 1,060]

we were always keeping decent stock of things that last really long... and most importantly stocking things that do not require refrigeration... we keep it so we dont NEED power... being reliant on electricity is IMO a liability...

 

also if you are building stock piles look into coupons... my fiance has started to play the coupon game recently.. and we are saving $30 - $50 a week AND building stockpiles... 

 

last week we purchased 40 boxes of pasta for like 20 bucks.. and that was with missing an additional coupon that would have made them -.05 cents each...

the coupon thing is complicated.. but you can seriously save a LOT of money AND get more for your money if you really put the time in.. we are even buying coupons because they are sold for next to nothing by people that clip them.. and the savings far outweigh the cost...