Outdoor Adventure USA

URBAN SURVIVAL - THE CORONA

NOTICE: Time did not permit us to finish this topic on March 12, 2020, so we will be using the March 19th net to do so.

ORIGINAL POSTS

The time is right to visit this topic, again. If you have visited your favorite Costco, super market, or emergency supply store, you know that panic buying has set in, and wiped many shelves clean (AND ITS GETTING WORSE.) Fistfights have erupted over toilet paper. The sky is falling, or so the chicken littles of Wall Street proclaim. The new fashion fad is a stylish face mask. The Corona Beer Company has seen a significant drop in sales. We are expected to huddle in our homes in either government mandated or voluntary quarantine. And, bars and restaurants (to mention just a few), are being closed. But on the bright side, freeways seem less congested.

Let there be no mistake, the "Corona" has landed, and the news media, regardless of their political preferences, is more than happy to fan the flames of fear by wall to wall, 24 hour a day, coverage. What is real here, and what is panic for panic's sake, is unknown. The wise man however, prepares for the unknown.

While it's too late now to get your preps in order (in some cases), it's not too late to begin the process of making sure that you won't be caught flat footed next time a disaster or emergency strikes. This net will be a primer on how you can protect yourself when that happens.

There is one cautious note of optimism for those who have not thought ahead, and we will discuss this on the net.

Although it is true that there are many recognized emergency items upon which we can all agree, there are many others that should be considered. But, just as important, there are a lot of other thoughts on how to get prepared, such as, how much to get, how to protect them, where to get 'em, can we rely on the government to provide for us, etc. We know that this subject is immense, and the possibility of a second net looms large.

So, it's time to add your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

Here are just some ideas on what can be done in the way of food, to get you prepared:

15 Items that disappear First in a Disaster

It seems like everyone has their list of the top items that disappear first from shelves in a disaster. These lists range from 15 to 37 to 100 items.
The author may be influenced by his experiences.
In any case the list are instructive for the insight of items you may what to acquire in advance.


Here is one such list
1. Water Filters/Purifiers
2. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
3. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
4. Coleman Fuel
5. Baby Supplies
6. Personal Hygiene Products Toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, hand soap, toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products
7. Portable Toilets
8. Generators
9. Coolers
10. Fishing Supplies
11. Sleeping Bags
12. Tools
13. Canning Supplies
14. First Aid Kits
15. Buckets

URBAN SURVIVAL IN CORONA TIMES

A full discussion of urban survival, even a limited one, is a topic that would clearly require more time to complete than the one or two net opportunities that we have allotted. So, in an effort to not only give us more time to cover this topic, we are going to narrow the scope of the discussion to cover our current situation - The Corona. Even then, this is an enormous task and, as usual, our goal is to get you started and hope that you complete the research on your own. Much of what we may face with the Corona is unknown, but, of course, that is why we follow our guiding principle.....


So, for this net, we will address just the situation presented by the Corona Virus. In that regard, this is a breakdown of the "general" outline of discussion topics:

• water

• food

• protection

• first aid / medical

• communications (if time permits)

• miscellaneous

LINKS, INFORMATION AND PICTURES

WATER

Having safe water is one of the more important considerations in being prepared. With that in mind, there are two components to this prep:

• Storage

• Making water safe

STORAGE

Storage is easy. Pick a container for which you have room. Sizes range from over 300 gallons to a few gallons. This is a prep that is rarely available in the midst of an emergency, meaning that you need to plan ahead. At this stage today, most sources are sold out. You might be lucky though! Here are just a couple of examples.

55 Gallon barrel


5 gallon stackables



MAKING WATER SAFE

For our discussion, we will assume that your city water supply will continue. If there are doubts concerning it's safety, there are ways to cure this problem:

• treating with chlorine bleach

From the EPA (https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-dr ... king-water)

Disinfect water using household bleach, if you can’t boil water. Only use regular, unscented chlorine bleach products that are suitable for disinfection and sanitization as indicated on the label. The label may say that the active ingredient contains 6 or 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented, color safe, or bleaches with added cleaners.If water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.

Locate a clean dropper from your medicine cabinet or emergency supply kit.
Locate a fresh liquid chlorine bleach or liquid chlorine bleach that is stored at room temperatures for less than one year.
Use the table below as a guide to decide the amount of bleach you should add to the water, for example, 8 drops of 6% bleach, or 6 drops of 8.25% bleach, to each gallon of water. Double the amount of bleach if the water is cloudy, colored, or very cold.Glass containers with droppers
Stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor. If it doesn’t, repeat the dosage and let stand for another 15 minutes before use.
If the chlorine taste is too strong, pour the water from one clean container to another and let it stand for a few hours before use.

• boiling

Also from the EPA

If you don’t have safe bottled water, you should boil your water to make it safe to drink. Boiling is the surest method to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

You can improve the flat taste of boiled water by pouring it from one container to another and then allowing it to stand for a few hours, OR by adding a pinch of salt for each quart or liter of boiled water.

If the water is cloudy:

Filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter OR allow it to settle.
Draw off the clear water.
Bring the clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
Let the boiled water cool.
Store the boiled water in clean sanitized containers with tight covers.

If the water is clear:

Bring the clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
Let the boiled water cool.
Store the boiled water in clean sanitized containers with tight covers.

• filtering

The filter you choose must be capable of eliminating viruses. While cost may be a factor, don't forget to select a filter that has the capability to treat enough water for your families needs (the larger, the better.) Having an extra filter is always a plus!!! Here are just a couple of examples:

FIRST NEED XL ELITE ( https://generalecology.com/collections/ ... cts/322200 )[/b]

The First Need purifier also comes with impressive performance, but at a slightly higher cost than the Pump 2 Pure, at about $135.00, from the company. . From their website:

The First Need XL Elite portable Water Purification System uses General Ecology, Inc.’s propriety Structured Matrix™ technology to provide great tasting purified water without harmful chemicals or electrical connections. Structured Matrix technology has been independently tested and documented to meet the EPA Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers against bacteria, cysts, and viruses.

Purifies water instantly
Removes: bacteria, cysts, giardia, crypto, viruses, particles, foul taste, odors, specific organic chemicals
Nominal Capacity — 180 gallons (1,440 pints)

SAYCHELLE PUMP TO PURE (http://www.seychelle.com/buy#!/Pocket-P ... y=25953274 )

For about $80.00, from the company, it is a great way to insure safe drinking water. The Pump to Pure unit comes with some impressive performance stats (from their website).

Filters 200 gallons
Can be used with chlorinated water.
Can be used with outside water sources such as lakes, rivers, natural disasters, traveling around the world and used for water of unknown quality. (Not to be used with salt water.)
This unit is designed to work with any non-plumbed available water source.
Increases pH balance up to 9.5
Quick disconnect fittings are installed to allow quick adaptation.
The pump can also be used as shown with the Inline Supreme Filter.
Water that has passed through the system is potable to drink.
Pocket Pump 2 Pure Carrying Case included

The Pocket Pump 2 Pure uses Seychelle’s Exclusive (RAD/ADV/PH) Ionic-Adsorption Micro-Filtration Technology to eliminate or reduce up to 99.9999% of waterborne contamination such as:

Aesthetic - Unpleasant taste, odors, cloudiness, silt, sediment, Chlorine
Bacteriologicals - Harmful Virus, Bacteriological Pathogens, Cryptosporidium, Giardia
Chemicals - Toxic chemicals,Trihalomethanes, PCBs, PCEs, detergents, and pesticides (DDT).
Dissolved Solids - Heavy Metals, Aluminium, Asbestos, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium 6, Copper, Lead, and Mercury.
Reduces up to 90% of Fluoride.
Radiological – Gross Beta, Radon 222, Alpha Radium 226, Uranium, Plutonium, Cesium 134 and 137.
pH - Increases the alkalinity (pH) of drinking water

LINKS, INFORMATION AND PICTURES

FOOD

This one is tougher than water, for a few reasons. One, depending on your choice for food, it can be expensive. Two, preparing the proper space to store food can be involved. Three, stored food requires regular attention. And, four, there are different levels of preparedness which depend on personal preferences, and which differ significantly from other levels. None of these things are meant to discourage prepping, but you have to go into this with the right state of mind and the commitment to make it work.

This is one topic where the information you need is enormous. So much so that it will be impossible to do this important topic justice in the time we have allotted for this net. So, at best we will touch on some of the more important points of food and storage, but you will need to do your homework. Everyone has their favorite source of information on prepping, and I certainly have mine. In the wide, wide world of the internet, there is no shortage of "experts" on the subject. Without doubt, many are very good, but there are also many that are are not so good. So, the question is, how do I get good information. Answer - research, research, and more research. This area is way too important to do less!!!!

So, in the, "for what's it worth department", here are two books which I have discovered that may merit your consideration.

1. LDS PREPAREDNESS MANUAL

This 500 page book is a compilation of public domain articles that serve to give a very complete picture of why to prepare, how to prepare, what to avoid, what is most important, and much, much more. In particular, there are very detailed checklists and recommendations on food and storage. To a very large extent, Christopher Parrett, the compiler of these articles (as he describes himself), has done a great deal of the research that I mention above. Although he allows a free download of the book, I highly recommend that you purchase it, as it is a very thorough reference guide, and for about $25.00, it is a terrific bargain.


2. STORE THIS NOT THAT

When it comes to food, knowing what to store is as important as knowing what not to store. And, putting your food preps together does not necessarily mean spending a fortune. To a large extent, much of your emergency food can be prepared at home with some simple equipment. And, making your own meals can save a bundle and can be tailored to meet you and your family's particular tastes. In addition to a discussion on what to store, there are some terrific recipes in the later half of the book.


FOOD PREPS

While it is important and comforting to know that most people could survive for several days, and maybe even a week or so, on the food which they normally keep at home, that is not what we are concerned with here. It is a good start, however. Plans for food storage abound on the internet, but for us, we will divide it up into just two - short term food storage and long term food storage. Both plans are dependent on the concept of rotation, which we will define on the net.

Short term food storage will consist mainly of they types of food we normally buy, where the storage time is determined by the "use by" dates which are stamped on the packaging. Long term food storage consists of food items which are intended for years of storage, in some cases, up to 30 years, or more.

For the doubters out there, we will assure you that if you prepare correctly, you will not have to suffer with foul tasting, nasty food. In fact, with the right kind of prepping, you can enjoy food like, or almost like, that which you are accustomed to every day, at home.

Short Term Food Prepping

This plan comes the closest to giving you and your family the same type of food which they have every day. It also is going to be a less expensive plan. For those who may not have prepped before, it is a good starting point from which you can graduate to a longer term, if you choose. We will discuss the details on the net, but will mention only one other thing here.

This plan will require that you have additional space in order for it to work. This will mean either making additional room in your pantry or having another location at home where food can be stored. Something like this:


Long Term Food Prepping

Here is where it gets fun (and possibly expensive.) Graduating from short to long term food storage is a personal choice. Initially, as you read more about food prepping, you will see thoughts on how much to store, with recommendations ranging from 1 month to a year, or more. Where you fit in, is a choice that you and your family will have to make. Once the decision is made on how much to store, then the next step is deciding what food items you want to store that will last for a long time.

Lets start with a definition of "long term." Unfortunately, or if you choose, fortunately, the government hasn't mandated a specific term that qualifies for "long term." So, I'll give it a shot. For me, "long term" means years. And, depending on the food item, it can be 30 or more. The "more" part of that answer is a reflection of the fact that some food items have what is described as an "indefinite shelf life. An example is salt, honey, and others.

Long term food storage is quite specialized and most definitely not something you normally buy in the supermarket. For our purposes, I am including three categories of "long term" food storage:

• 1. specially treated food (15 to 30 year shelf life), normally freeze dried

• 2. food that requires no special treatment

• 3. home canned

If this is the first time that you have given any thought to long term storage, you will not find much available today, due entirely to Corona panic. There are a number of companies that specialize in providing a good selection of long term foods, but almost all of them are facing the same situation, as represented by Augason's home page notice (https://www.augasonfarms.com/):


By the numbers, then:

1. Specially Treated Food

Best to get this one out first. Freeze dried foods and to a lesser degree, dehydrated foods, are some of the most long lasting emergency foods on the market, but also the most expensive. However, where convenience and food quality are concerned, they are excellent choices when you are storing for many years, (generally in the 25-30 year life span, when stored properly.)

There are many players in this food segment, but in my experience, Mountain House (a brand that will be familiar to many campers and backpackers) is one of the very best. The convenience factor of Mountain House foods is that they are complete quality meals, and when purchased in large #10 cans, a whole family can be fed (with the possibility that there will be a few servings left over for the following day.) While Mountain House is an excellent choice, I have found that similar food is offered by Emergency Essentials and Augason Farms.

WARNING: before you sink a lot of money in these meals, try a few from different companies to see which ones your family prefers. It's a real bad idea to buy a lot and find that the family hates the taste, or worse.

Some examples of complete meals from Emergency Essentials (https://www.beprepared.com/)


REMEMBER: there a many more such freeze dried foods that should be part of your preps if you go this route, such as:

Instant Milk
Freeze dried fruit
Freeze dried deserts
Dairy and eggs
Meats
Vegetables


2. Food That Requires No Special Treatment For Long Term Storage

When stored properly, there are a number of food items that will last for long periods of time, and which don't require any kind of special treatment. Perhaps the best thing about these food items is that they are relatively very inexpensive, especially when compared to the high dollar freeze dried stuff. The items below are identified with advertised storage times:

Wheat - 30
Beans, Dried - 30
White Rice - 30
Rolled Oats - 30
Oat Groats - 30
Pasta - 30
Corn meal - 25
White Flour - 10
Barley - 8
Salt - indefinite
Sugar - Indefinite
Honey - indefinite


3. Canning

Canning is a food preservation process that is generally done in the home with the purpose to make favorite foods last longer. The big question, of course, is how long. The "Food in Jars" website (https://foodinjars.com/blog/canning-101 ... ally-last/) offers some common sense answers to that question in an article entitled, "Canning 101: How Long do Home Canned Foods Really Last?"

If you talk to one of the Master Food Preservers out there or folks from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, the answer goes something like this: “For highest quality, properly stored preserved foods are best eaten within a year of canning.” (Here’s exactly what the NCHFP says.)

Some people might read that statement and think that it means that they have exactly a year to eat through every last jar. The real answer is a bit more nuanced. You will get the very best flavor and quality from a jar that is in its first year, but there’s no internal self destruct devise inside the jar that goes off on day 366 or 367. Preserves older than a year are still safe for consumption.

Home preserved foods remain safe for eating far longer than their first year, but their quality does decline the longer the jars remain on the shelf.

If you have the time and the skills, this is a great way to have some of your favorite foods available when they may not be so at the store. If you are interested, there is a wealth of information on the Food in Jars website and other books and articles. Give it a try!!![attachment=0]Emergency

LINKS, INFORMATION AND PICTURES

PROTECTION

I'll bet that just about everyone thought that "protection" was going to be all about guns. Not so, although it will be mentioned.

Time permitting, we will cover these topics:

1. Home security
2. Grey Man Ideas (low profile)
3. protection of stored food and water
4. personal hygiene
5. firearms
6. neighborhood coordination
7.

LINKS, INFORMATION AND PICTURES

FIRST AID & MEDICAL

As important as food and water are, this prep is just as critical, if not more so, especially for some. We talk a lot about the need for well stocked first aid kits for our mobile travels, and while that is important, it is not meant to be a substitute for a very well stocked kit at home. Without the space restrictions of a vehicle, we are free, at home, to include many different items, AND a greater quantity of everything.

That is where we want the discussion to go during the net. If you have not built this kit, doing so now may present some challenges. Panic buyers have cleaned many drug store shelves, making it difficult to find everything you need. So, get what you can, and don't stop looking until you find what you need. At least in my area, pre-made kits are in very short supply, and this may leave you with the alternative of making your own kit.

So lets start with the physical kit itself. The first thing that every member of the household must know is the location of the kit, AND what is inside. Everybody has a personal favorite for the style of the kit container, and I have mine - a Pelican 1600 EMS Protector:


Whatever case you use to store your kit, it should be large enough to not only carry all of the items that you expect to need, but have room for more than just one of each item.

But, your preps must not end there. Many people, regardless of age, have need for daily medications and medical devices. You need to have a sufficient supply of medications, in your emergency inventory, to get you past the emergency. With the panic buying in full swing, some of these items may be in short supply, but persistence can get results.

So, if you have asthma, diabetes, hypertension, a heart condition, or any condition for which you require medication - STOCK-UP!

One example of prepping - If you have asthma do you have extra:

inhalers, both fast acting and steroid long lasting (if you use them)
a nebulizer (and perhaps a back-up)
medication for the nebulizer
air filters for the nebulizer
additional filters for home air purifiers

Misc

Under the situation, we are assuming, much of the infrastructure might be in place. For example, you may have water and sewer. You may still have electricity, natural gas for cooking and heating. But we can not depend on it as the situations is prolonged and no one is available to keep it working or make repairs. My point is that we rely very heavily on the internet to deliver information on topics we are not familiar with or do not know the finer details. If it is down, you want to turn to documentation you have.

I recommend you have two forms
1) How to in book form
2) the Same info on your hard drive, thumb drive etc

The electronic version might be easier to search and transport (if needed). The paper books do not depend on a working computer.

Some ideas
1) First Aid - see the books from last weeks net
2) Home medicines / remedies
3) Water Purification
4) Killing, butchering, process meat
5) One that describes the old ways thinks were done / back to basics /Traditional skills
6) Small engine repair manual
7) PDR
8)Homesteaders guide
9) Boy Scout Hand Book
An old one from 1940's that I like is call the "Have More Plan" by Ed & Carolyn Robinson. Out of print but is available to down load. The concept is how to live on eight acres and raise most of your own needs and enough surplus to sell for cash money. But a lot of the information can be used even is you buy in the items to can, or meat to smoke, etc.
Try this link https://archive.org/details/TheHaveMorePlan/mode/2up
You might be able to find a cleaner downloadable pdf.

Thanks for early check in, KF6KOC Randy.

Please check in -

John - KN6VL

Bruce - KD6GCO