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9:57 am
April 12, 2010
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So, I'm not a survivalist or anything. I don't hoard things and wait for doom and gloom or anything extreme, but I've been thinking about all of the craziness, especially with natural disasters, and how these people affected are always unprepared. I remembered a list I saw of what to have for emergencies (whether natural disasters or other, in our case we live near two chemical plants and a railroad that delivers them), and I went to the website to get the list. Then I added some of my own things and I thought I'd share it with you all. Especially for those of us who aren't off the grid and don't have access to nature's gifts (like a clean stream for water, for example). Anyway, here it is.
Emergency Preparedness Kit
-Copies of important documents in waterproof container
-Extra set of car and house keys (not sure why, but it was on the list. Maybe in case you lose them?)
-Cash in small bills and change (I've heard at least $500)
-Water- 1 gallon per day per person for at least three days
-Non-perishable food
-Meds for at least one week, list of dosages, Rx slips,
Dr.’s Names/numbers
-First Aid Kit
-Contact and meeting place info (for families); regional map
-Food and water for your pets
-Chlorine bleach and a medicine dropper (16 drops to 1
gallon water to treat)
-Fire Extinguisher
-Matches in a waterproof container
-Paper towels, cups, plates, utensils
-Sturdy, comfortable shoes
-Rainwear
-Whistle
-Personal sanitation items (Moist towelettes, toilet paper,
feminine needs, soap, etc.)
-Garbage bags and plastic ties
-Can opener
-Sleeping bags or warm blankets
-Change of clothing (long pants, socks, long sleeve shirt)
-Paper and pen
-Permanent marker
-Sun block and bug spray
-Flashlights and batteries
-AM/FM radio, crank or batteries
-Cell phones and chargers
-I would also add, for those in any county areas, a chainsaw for fallen trees that have blocked main roads. The county can't always get to all of them in extreme cases, and they have blocked delivery trucks and people trying to leave for shelter.
-Also, in our case, sheets of plastic and rolls of duct tape in case of a chemical spill, to seal windows and doors and vents. There are websites to go into furthur detail on this.You can also use this for temporary shelter from the elements as well.
-Face masks for same
I got this from http://www.ready.gov/america/g…..index.html , and added a few things. And you'll find a few things on that list that I didn't put in mine, because they didn't apply to us. Anyway, I hope you find this helpful, as I did. Also, does anyone have any other ideas that aren't here?
I forgot to ask, does anyone have any suggestions for concise books or websites where I can find pictures and tutorials on edilbe wild plants? You never know, and I haven't found any I like.
11:31 am
September 2, 2008
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This is a most interesting post, and timely. With all the problems in Europe, we all need to make some plan for unexpected problems (don't want to use the D word). I have most of the items already, but not in one location, maybe a plastic tote? that way everything would be ready if you had to leave in a hurry.
As for the edible wild plants, may I suggest getting in tough with the local Ag dept, plants in my area, South Carolina may not grow in the north or western climates. Also, the local library should have regional books with this info for your area. And you can always go to Books a Million etc , but free is much better.
12:32 pm
April 12, 2010
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Jeannie,
I did read somewhere that a plastic tote is a good idea to keep the things in. I'm glad you mentioned that, I forgot. I was going to contact my county extension office as soon as I found it, is that the same thing as a county Agricultural department?
12:40 pm
September 2, 2008
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Yep, the county extension office, if they don't have a publication, they will know where to look. They are a great source for all things, garden, pets, trees, soil testing. Just ask!!
2:32 pm
February 8, 2009
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I am a survivalist 
That doesn't mean I wear camo and have a gun strapped to my back LOL. I don't hoard. But I do prepare. For what? For whatever might be an issue that changes the way I live today – might be a disaster or act of terrorism or might be a layoff or an injury that suddenly knocks my household income down to half or zero.
Canning and preserving fits right in there as does learning how to do more for ourselves and rely less on prepared/storebought things. Yes I buy the items that I make laundry detergent from but I can store a lot of those items in a much smaller space than the equivalent in store bought detergent. I store water too. Dehydrated stuff. I have many of what is on the list you posted and some I don't. In my plans I expect to shelter-in-place as opposed to having to bug-out in a threatening situation so my preps are more focused on things for that purpose including first aid stuff, candles, oil lamps, etc. And those preps have security for me for a snowstorm or any extended power outage too.
There are thousands of resources online and in print and several good groups in Yahoo (food storage, canning, dehydrating, survival) with like minded folks re: preparedness. A good source is also the LDS church for food storage especially.
HTH?
dede
2:52 pm
April 12, 2010
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I've made my own laundry detergent, and I agree that having the ingredients is a lot cheaper and takes up less space. I have some in my basement now, I've just been too distracted to do it. I'd love to learn to make my own soaps and other toiletries, but without the need for buying chemicals. I know the pioneers did it without buying chemicals, so I guess we can too. My father-in-law has an ample supply of hunting items should we ever need to have wild game. But I hope I never have to use my squirrell dumpling recipe! lol Yuck. I just don't want to be screwed by being unprepared for a natural disaster or anything.
5:01 pm
March 25, 2010
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I'm glad this came up. My old man and I recently had a discussion about the differences between "homesteaders" and "survivalists". Our conclusion? Not much. I consider myself a homesteader, he thinks of himself as a survivalist. We both have the same goals. We both disagree with the fact that in our culture we are almost completely dependent on corporations to provide our food and daily necessities. We both disagree with the fact that in a disaster scenario, 95% of the people in this country would have no idea where to go or what to do.
I hoarde. I hoarde preserved foods. I hoarde household necessities that I get on sale. I hoarde water. In the event of my well running dry or my power going out or us getting snowed in for a week, I'm set. I have a garden and chickens and goats. I can shoot a .22 if I need to (and I'm a dang good shot too! ). I know that if (when) tshtf, I'm pretty well set.
I guess my question is this: why are we all doing this, making bread, making soap, milking cows, raising chickens, canning food, if not to survive and be prepared?
Now, onto your questions ;) Yes, your county extension office! Yes, yes yes! Also, there's a forum based around this guy's podcast, called The Survival Podcast, with a TON of good information about preparedness. He's pretty hardcore though, so be warned ;)
Just as an aside, did you guys know that there have been multiple major earthquakes all over the world every week for the last few weeks? Multiple. Per week.
Just sayin ;)
6:09 pm
December 7, 2009
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I'm a survivalist/prepper. I don't go to the extreme of wanting to bug out in a bunker. I also follow the webbpot project and, from time to time James Rawles blog.
9:29 pm
April 12, 2010
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I hope I didn't offend anyone. I didn't mean anything against anyone who considers themselves a survivalist. I just meant some go to the extreme of thinking about it and talking about it all the time, at least I consider that extreme for anything, and I just think it's a good idea to be prepared and not go to the other extreme of pretending that nothing is happening around here. No harm, no foul?
My husband had us all take a hunter's safety course last year, his dad used to hunt and DH used to go, so he thought living in michigan (big hunting state) we should go. Anyway, I don't think I could ever hit anything with one, base on my skeet non-shooting adventure! lol I'm much better with a bow and arrow. Well, I guess for hunters we should add ammo to the list!
I emailed my county extension office, because their website wasn't very helpful despite the myriads of information on it. Most of the information seemed to be for 4H projects and kids things, or links to other links. After that I went on Amazon and searched books on 'preparing wild game', 'edible wild plants' and 'edible wild mushrooms' and made a list of 10 or so of each. So now I can check out several at a time and see which ones I'd like to buy. I'll put them in the other post (the one on books for farming) when I figure out which ones are best.
I did, indeed, notice all of the major earthquakes. I found it notable that they were all over 6.0 and then a volcano erupted, twice. That's what got me thinking about this. Not to mention the crazy weather everywhere else in the last year.
WVhomecanner: What does HTH mean?
9:34 pm
April 12, 2010
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I also meant to say, I think the difference between a homesteader and a survivalist is that a homesteader is someone who wants to live independentely of the main grid, to not be dependent on other people to provide what they need and possibly just to be on the land, which is in our blood I think. They hoard things, or 'put things by', because they have to in order to eat and survive day to day. A survivalist is someone who does this because they're expecting disaster at any time; I find usually this is centered around problems with the government, and otherwise they might not live this way. They're living for what they consider inevitable country or world scale disaster. Not that there's anything wrong with that. To each his own. But I think that's the difference, the motive and the feelings behind it.
9:42 pm
October 17, 2008
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HTH mean Hope That Helps……..she uses it quite often
11:00 pm
February 8, 2009
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I live in the country…and always have lots of supplies.
We have a well, and our drinking water is filtered by a RO system with a 400 gallon tank.
I must be good for at least a month…
Oh and when we travel in winter time we ALWAYS have full tank of gas, a blanket and some water (what always freezes lol )
But other than that..we don't prepare much.
11:36 pm
February 8, 2009
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Nope, no offense taken here and we can always agree to disagree :)
I consider being a survivalist as just plain being smart about the fact that life as we know it can be easily disrupted in a blink whether on a singular, personal level or community-wide etc. My Mom has always said that 'there is no shame in doing without – the shame is in not knowing HOW' and that has carried me well through rough times and made me realize that I have always been better prepared than most around me.
I decided a long time ago that I don't ever want to be unable to provide meals for me and mine. So I store. Having tainted city water that we couldn't drink or cook with prompted me to store water after being reminded how vital and fragile that need is. Several months ago I realized that I didn't want to be driven from my house if the power went and with it the heat so I bought a kero heater and fuel. Oil lamps and candles have come in mighty handy at times. These things just seem smart to me.
dede
10:17 am
April 12, 2010
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I like you mom's saying! 
That's why I'm trying to learn so much about living off of whatever land one happens to have handy and trying to learn to cook all kinds of things the we can 'find' if we know how to.
Regarding water, I read once, I think it might have been in an old Mother Earth News magazine, where a man wrote in and said that he collected severl used water heaters and sealed any cracks (which is why they'd been replaced, I guess), hooked them up to his main water input and too each other so that all of them were filled before the water actually came into his house. I don't know if it went into the inside water heater or just the house. They were lined up by his house outside. So if his water quit working or became unusable, he had about 300 gallons of water saved up for use. I thought that was pretty ingenious! Not all people could do that, though. I love that magazine, I get so many ideas!
Right now we need to buy a generator and a kerosene heater, but that will come when money comes. 
10:46 am
October 17, 2008
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The fact that so many of us are on this site, where we share so many different ideas on doing things for ourselves shows that we are becoming whichever word you'd like to call it. I like to call it self-sufficient, meaning I can do for myself, to be prepared for anything that might come along that takes away the ability to purchase items or services from somewhere else. I can't do everything for myself yet, I do still rely on the stores for many things, but I am getting closer. Many of the things that I rely on ARE the things I could very well live without if need be.
The lists that are mentioned further up are a very good base for having the emergency "kit", thank you for listing!
12:57 pm
December 7, 2009
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No offense taken. I'm not extreme, but I do consider myself a survivalist. Perhaps "prepper" is a better euphemism – lol. I don't dwell on the horrible things going on around the world, I just watch and am diligent. Since people who purchase insurance (insurance IS purchased for the worst possible circumstances ever) aren't considered doomers and gloomers, why should survivalists be? 
1:37 pm
April 12, 2010
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@Cindy: I think self-suffiecient is what I'm aiming for, but homesteader would be great! I could probably stop relying on the stores so much if I could figure out a way to make a good homemade frozen pizza, which is about the only thing my son will eat! 
Actually, he'll eat about 10 things roughly, and at 15 I thought he'd have outgrown it by now. I hope that list is helpful to a lot of people. If I had any land to grow on I would add a grain mill (hand cranked of course). But I did just think I should make sure to have veggie seeds on hand.
@SS: I think I got the idea about survivalists being doom and gloom from articles I've read, and a website I looked at. The one's there seemed to be hyper focused on negative things. I stand corrected! 
I am also a big insurance fan; house, car, health, life, AD&D….You never know, that's true and it doesn't mean we're thinking about dying all the time. 
BTW, I like your screen name, it's cute.
2:38 pm
October 30, 2009
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You all have sparked interesting conversations with hubby and I discussing survivalist vs. self-sufficient vs. homesteader. Thank you! The jury is still out for us, though I lean toward survivalist if you have firearms. We do rely on a store much more than we'd like to, but at 100 miles one way…….you learn to think about how badly it's needed.
9:58 pm
January 14, 2010
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We're homesteaders heading toward survivalist. We live on one peice of property & are preparing another for our retirement. The other property has no mortgage, a full basement with a root cellar, and an artesian well with the best water I've ever tasted. Ice cold too. I've just started with poultry & so far am doing well. I already have more eggs daily than we can use & am selling the extras. We have canned our own veggies for several years & always have a huge garden, & at least 2 deer in the freezer. I hope to have goats for milk & meat when we move to our other property. My boss calls our home "The Pippin Biosphere", & all my co workers say when the end comes, they're heading to my house.
I have a family member that is one of those "down their nose" smarter than every one else people. He openly mocked us at a family gathering for the hard work we do to provide for our family. He told us it was foolish & a waste of time & cheaper & better to "just go to the store". He ate those words,( literally), when he was downsized out of a job, & my husband & I helped keep his children fed last winter.
8:07 am
August 30, 2008
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Has anyone every used the book, "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by Carla Emery? A friend referred it to me as a "must have" for learning about self sustainability. I found it on Amazon.. 900 pages of info! Can't wait to get it!
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