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Survival requirements
Cornflk1
Member Posts: 3,715 ✭✭✭
Just for the sake of discussion, what would be the minimum requirements necessary for survival for a family of four after a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina for a period of three weeks.
1. food and water needs
2. personal protection (looters, snipers, etc.)
3. shelter requirements
4. transportation
5. communication
6. everything else
Would needs differ from urban to rural areas?
Be reasonable in your lists, something the average Joe can achieve to protect his family and immediate area, no outlandish claims of being able to sit on top of his roof and control the country side with a .50 cal.
1. food and water needs
2. personal protection (looters, snipers, etc.)
3. shelter requirements
4. transportation
5. communication
6. everything else
Would needs differ from urban to rural areas?
Be reasonable in your lists, something the average Joe can achieve to protect his family and immediate area, no outlandish claims of being able to sit on top of his roof and control the country side with a .50 cal.
Comments
1: Rations and 2-3 gallons of water per person per day. On must figure on extra water in case dysentery or similar illness sets in.
2: Staying indoors is the best defense when possible. For weapons a good handgun is a must as well as a close range weapon such as an AK47 or a shotgun. If civil unrest and snipers are a likely threat then either an AR15 or preferably a bolt action Remington in 6mm or .308 would be a good choice as well.
Love them Beavers
Keeping the "Hairy League" in check since 1948
4: Transportation is only good if you have somewhere to go. If flooding ran higher than a foot or two figure on your car being out of commission. Two to three feet for most trucks and SUV's.
5: Long range radios are helpful for communication if cell towers and phone services are out. The handheld Motorola GMRS radios are common enough and have ranges up to 12mi so they can be used to reach outside people and help as well even though quite probably in an indirect communication
6: The key to any disaster is levelling the playing field. There is little reason to be stuck in the path of something like a hurricane/ However, earthquakes or terrorist attacks are going to be more unpredictable in nature. In the event of an emergency I would try to distance myself from the public as much as possible. The herd mentality causes a lot of problems when panic sets in. The best way to avoid a disaster is distance
Love them Beavers
Keeping the "Hairy League" in check since 1948
I recently picked up a large jug of bleach for my stash. Bleach is not only useful for cleaning....it can kill bacteria in water.
Its easy to set aside a store of canned foods....just rotate them every six months or so. Add a little variety, unless you like the idea of eating SPAM for every meal for 2 weeks.
Water is a little trickier....I've been saving jugs to keep it in...but it doesn't seem like enough. I've been toying with getting a couple mil-surplus 5 gallon water cans
First Aid kits are a must.....remember to keep plenty of Peroxide or Neosporin, one of the bigger problems in NO is small cuts getting badly infected.
Molon Labe
some advil, tylenol or aspirin would be a good idea.
Vitamins as well
"Mongo only pawn in game of life"
Good point. Pepto-bismol will take care of a lot of stomach bugs too. When water and medical help are in short supply you don't want to have the runs
Love them Beavers
Keeping the "Hairy League" in check since 1948
Remember that Bleach goes weak after awhile...rotate it, also.
Aspirin is cheap...and is a true miracle drug.
"Herd Mentality"..mobs of people are exactly where you do not want to be. Look the situation over and get thee OUT of the herd....and in a different direction then the mob is moving...that MAY mean moving directly towards the threat for a bit...
Sometimes, not relocating is not the best thing for you. Had Joseph not relocated the Jews in his time, they would have all died. When the time was right, Moses brought them back. You wouldn't insist on staying in your house if it were on fire, right?
If this is not your problem, however, it is important to have a rifle that can do suppression duty, as well as a shotgun, and another one for every able-bodied person in the house, as well as a pistol for them to carry AT ALL TIMES. A stockpile of ammunition and magazines should also be ready at hand. This may be also a way to catch dinner.
Food is dependent on your family size, and has been well addressed, already. No freeloaders, here. A way to pump water from a well is nice to have, as is a way to filter it or process it into drinkable water. It still isn't a bad idea to have jugs of it stored for drinking purposes. Certain things can disrupt the flow of water into your well, or make it toxic. Hard to tell what may happen.
An alternate method of heating may also be a good idea. A woodburning stove is an excellent thing to solve this problem. An external propane tank can also be a good thing, provided you have a way to run the furnace. A method for generating power would be an excellent thing, as well, like solar panels, for example (this is expensive). A normal generator and siphoning equipment may be better for urban areas, especially if there are a bunch of abandoned vehicles nearby, begging to be siphoned.
Shelter requirements are simply your house. I would consider boarding up or barring windows and reinforcing doors to help keep looters out, and keep a close eye on your children, and not let them go near any windows while imminent danger may be lurking outside, like at night time.
Transportation may not be the best idea during civil unrest. Staying at home will keep you from "walking into trouble", and keep you near your family, so that they can remain safe under your watchful eye.
Communication is a biggie. In most areas of civil emergency, phone lines and cell phone services are generally not functional. HAM radios are the best way to go, but they require serious power and permits to own, which makes them expensive. Short wave radios are good only over short ranges, but are more affordable and portable.
Also, keep first aid supplies and TP on hand, as well as soap, toothpaste, and trash bags. Sanitation is everything.
Since this is a big field, it is virtually impossible to make it "affordable" for the average joe. It has to be done over time.
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Lev 26:14-39
Those who would offer any interpretation that would relegate Amendment II to "relic" status of a bygone era are blatantly stating that the remainder of the Bill of Rights isn't worth a damn, either.
Luke 22:36.
"Followers of Christ, be armed."
My house and garden, i use some mean looking thorn bushes arround the fence as barbed/razor wire can be climbed by throwing a door mat or something over it, where as these bushes grow thick and big and you would need a dark-ages style suit of armour to get throgh it and it is evergreen so burning it is a b"tch of a task.
House i would have a tube of water proff mastick you get from boat and sailing supplyers just squirt that round the door and ventilation holes and whack a load of sand bag's around the door's.
Remove all curtain's and blind's from windows on ground floors as low-life scum will alays try burning you out of your house, make there task as hard as possible, and a nice iron gate would be perfect.
Food.
Canned soup,salmon,sardiens,spam and corned beef,noodles they last for ever in a store room.
Homemade bread and makers are becoming more and more popular and most named brand bakers have bread mixes and loompanic's have a book about making a solar oven so fresh bread every day will make it easyer depending on what you use e.g powdered milk it may not taste as good but it is beter than starving.
Get a good spring powered air-rifle for small game such as pigeons,rabits,squirels etc, as you dont want to waste a 22lr or .17 hmr on these becuse you could need em later and using it could alert roaming gang's of your prescence, i would only use a firearm if a lamb or cow from a farm roamed by and there are lots of wild boar about and deer, if you have a bow hunter set up this would be beter.
Safety,comunicatins.
You can get solar power radios dirt cheap.
Solar powerd battery charger for torches.
Solar power car battery charger so you can get onto a c.b radio and still use your car if you have to.
If you have a 4x4 get a snorkal on it that way you can drive in 5-6ft of water with only getting your feet wet by the water comming throgh the bulk head and footwell.
Loads of plasters as normaly a small cut you wouldent bother dressing it but with all the bacteria about it would be wise to cover it.
Loads of pairs of sock's as foot rot may not be all that bad but every thing that's wrong with you will decreas your efficiency.
Other bit's to make your time a bit easyer.
Bars of chocolate half a bar each per person per day.
If you can find one a kelly kettle it will boil 1l of water in 7 mins using a few twigs and paper so you can have a hot drink without wasting valuable propane.
That is only some of the thing's i would do as i live in england you are frowned upon for being able to look after yourself without the governments help.
I am the only person in 3 streets that is legally allowed to own a firearm so it is very likely that my house would get swamped with people looking for a secure shelter but even with what i got and my know-how i would last about 2 week's in a breakdown of law and order before ill be over-run and killed[B)], every other person in my area i would say to them put a hose to your cars exhaust and shut you and your family in the car and start her up, as it would be a lot beter than being at the mercy of roaming gang's.
That would be what i would do i dont know anything about surviving in such a situation, so i dont know how good my ideas are.
What happend to this world not that long ago people could take care of themselvs, you see these people who go on an 8 mile hike and there carrying huge dam back packs with supplies to last a week, and when someone's car break's down on some road they use a mobile phone to call someone out to fix it without trying themselves, and if someone gets lost in the forest for 16 hour's when they are found they are cold,wet and hungry i would hate to have to depend on someone looking after me.
Someone falls over on the street and twists an ankle or something and right away they are suing someone for it.
Consistency is the final refuge of the unimaginative
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Most fence rows are somewhat permenent, thus making the location easier to remember, just count the number of posts.