Disaster Readiness Thread (Natural and Pandemic)

[farmall]

33 are a crafty, skilled bunch with a wide variety of competence. How are 33ers who treat disaster prep as a personal responsibility and were ready or fairly so working out?

Let's make this thread good enough to sticky.

What are your lessons learned? How are you planning for a possible second or third wave?

What quality reference material do you like?

I'm quite comfy but added more food after giving the less ready a few days to buy. A very full pantry is an ancient custom with zero downsides.

I should have had more disposable masks (I use them anyway for painting etc) and nitrile gloves but I'm well stocked. I'll add a couple thousand nitrile 9mil work gloves when they come available to my shop stock, but those never go to waste and make wrenching much faster.

I should have added a second gas mask and more NATO filters (they're far more protective than disposables which expose your face) but for particles/aerosols old mask filters will do. For why gas masks are superior to disposables, study military NBC training and self-decon online. Masks with NATO cartridge filters can be decontaminated by cleaning the outside of the filter canister, removing it, then washing the mask. You can tape the hole shut while cleaning or when storing a used filter if you like. BTW anyone with NBC training knows why gas masks work and why the Ottawa Police decided to use theirs. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...inst-covid-19/

Full sleeves and pants are a washable barrier, as are coveralls. The solution to keeping shit off your skin is cover it up. Washing is for when coverage fails and as a wise immediate precaution when returning home. My clothes go in the washing machine (in my separate garage). A decon solution bucket next to my back door makes washing my gloves after handling mail etc convenient. Gloves decon MUCH faster than hands and you can use much stronger lipid destroying cleaner/degreaser solution than recommended for bare skin.

I've kept backyard chickens for years because they devour bugs and I love the eggs (store eggs are flavorless), but those eggs also reduce store trips and the ideal number of shopping trips is none.

When pandemic fades I'll stock MRE and other long term chow for a year (I like most of the post-Desert Storm MREs and the recent ones are better than many troops eat at home). I have well water and instead of shitty pitcher pumps I bought a Bosworth which is self priming to prime my well pump after maintenance and act as backup. I'm surprise more people don't know about them.

Amazon are slow but you can find lots of stuff on Ebay or via other sellers. I bought this one to see how well they're made (excellent and made in the USA) and it primed a 20 foot well that was idle for years in under ten strokes:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WWY1PN1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BTW when I buy one well part I buy spares since pump swaps never happen at convenient times and bargain pump deals beat paying retail. I'm always at least one electric pump ahead plus install parts. This saves time and money like a lot of "personal readiness" actions. I'm a cheap bastard so I spend efficiently.

Even Harleys can be part of a prep plan. EMP doesn't annoy points (and is unlikely to fuck with anything not connected to the grid). Magneto owners won't need to buy batteries.

[JBinNC]

A couple of trips to the store to fill in the holes in my supply of victuals showed surprising shortages:
No powdered milk anywhere (needed for many bread machine recipes).
Sugar disappeared fast.
Flour and corn meal and rice disappeared, but that stock is being replenished.
And of course we all know about the paper products being in short supply.

We are used to hurricane aftermath, so being at home with power and water is a breeze.

And they are practically giving away gasoline.

Jim

[Fetch]

How long ya gotta boil 'possum?

[Hoghead]

Having stuff to hunt with is useful, fresh meat seems like the thing i'm running out of first . Field outside has pheasant , deer, rabbits , and a river with crayfish and trout...I got dry goods , but damn...I love meat.

[Hoghead]

Having stuff to hunt with is useful, fresh meat seems like the thing i'm running out of first . Field outside has pheasant , deer, rabbits , and a river with crayfish and trout...I got dry goods , but damn...I love meat.

Come to think of it, the only reason i'm quarantined is that the woman kept going into work, and is now sick. If I waste her the grub'll last twice as long. If she puts out tonight I might spare her... BTW-I am kidding-she is priceless...

[shank1kole]

The Corps taught me well "one is none".I have always lived like a midwestern farmer from the 60s. Buy base materials not finished products. Study military defensive tactics( handbooks GOVT) and have a drone, night vision and topographical maps of your area, fallback area, and if possible bury a catche of supplies in a medium point or 15 min away from your place. Chickens,horses, spring fed POND gives me food in fish,deer in winter (easy hunt when there thirsty). I did purchase a bidet ahead of the panic, and I buy everything in bulk. You can sign up for govt auctions, you have to pick up but you can buy tons of anything military for pennies. buy low sell high. I started buying mags in cases of 100 15 years ago and have more than tripled my $ when the main stores sell out.I pay $6 sell for up to $70. I call it the Neck stock market.

[tomsoftail]

I always liked the idea of surplus. I also like the term "ozark savings account".

[datadavid]

Im definitely planting more potatos and veggies this year.. and getting my firearms and hunting permit. Just in case..

[47str8leg]

Always make sure I have a blonde like this around the house to shoot a few rounds into.

[Hoghead]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]101402[/ATTACH]

Always make sure I have a blonde like this around the house to shoot a few rounds into.

Jeez, you sound like Phil Spector.

[47str8leg]

Jeez, you sound like Phil Spector.

Don't worry, they won't be hollow points.

[70fatster]

I've got a van,
It's loaded with weapons,
Packed up and ready to go...

[klondikekid64]

Here's a little knowledge I learned about copper from working in the plating shop a few years ago, not so much about readiness but prevention. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimi...ties_of_copper https://theconversation.com/copper-i...s-use-it-73103

[ExplodingCoffinEmporium]

I could be a lot better about keeping bug out gear, I do however keep a very extensive supply of medical equipment, supplies, and medication on hand. I feel even a basic kit for self preservation of self and those around you should include the following.
-Stethoscope, Blood Pressure Cuff, Pulse Oximeter, Thermometer, Otoscope, Opthamloscope, Hemostats 5.5” both straight and curved, scalpels #10.
Single use supplies of suture kits, chest seal, pelvic wrap, duct tape, abd pads, haemostatic gauze, small and large field dressing kits, suction kit, airway kit, torniquets, angiocaths 18-20g with lines multiple, saline bags 1000ml.
Meds gets a little trickier, as there is expiration times to contend with and availability issues as well, however certain staples include NSAIDS, Epinephrine, Narcan, Imodium, Benadryl, Tylenol, Nitroglycerin, and Antibiotics. There’s others I would keep on hand but all the above meds are accessible either OTC or via online purchase. I could write a lot more in depth about the subject, but the above is what I would consider an absolutely basic medical kit for the vast majority of situations one would encounter in a disaster survival scenario. Obviously this relies on having a basic understanding of emergency medicine, which is also why obtaining a copy of Mosby’s Paramedic Textbook and a drug identification bible is as important as the supplies.

[shank1kole]

you can shop the equine meds at tractor supply store (not in times of panic)and use proper long term storage practices.Also a little book called The Trappers Bible! real world food hunting for after animals go nocturnal!when people freak for real.