I'm a Prepper although not a "Proper Prepper" ...

[dogtag]

meaning I don't go to the extraordinary lengths that a
died-in-the-wool Prepper goes to.
Weapons and ammo I have, food tucked away, mostly
rice, canned soups, lots of water. A wood stove, a
propane cooking stove and a crank radio.
I'm ready for that EMP.
(for a while anyway).

https://www.studyfinds.org/study-finds-rise-in-doomsday-prepping-due-to-mainstream-american-culture-of-fear/

Read the book "One second after" - scary

[Roadkingtrax]

You can be a Proper Dr. Prepper too!

[blackhawknj]

Define "Prepper"-IMHO it's more a matter of attitude, mental preparation, skills.

[togor]

Keep the radio in a metal can to keep it EMP protected. Faraday cage.

[Vern Humphrey]

A Survival Story

On Tuesday, February 5th, 2008, Super Tuesday, I was stationed in the Stone County Clerk's office in Mountain View, Arkansas. I am a County Election Commissioner, and my duty was to supervise the primary election. My wife is Assistant Director of Nursing at the local nursing home.

We had warnings of storms and tornadoes. Late in the afternoon, we heard that the town of Clinton, about 25 miles to the southwest, had been hit by a tornado. Then we heard other towns, closer to us had been hit. At 6:00 PM I directed poll workers to lock down the precincts and evacuate, and to return after the storm had passed.

At 6:30 PM, the tornado tore through the eastern part Mountain View. All the electric power in the county went out. Cell phone signals were lost. We retained landline communication with most of the county, but could not make long distance calls, nor could we contact the eastern section of the county. The county hospital was hit, only the operating room remaining intact. Patients were evacuated to the nursing home. Roads were blocked for days with fallen power lines, debris, and so on.

I won't bore you with how we had to recover ballot boxes and voting machines -- but it took seven days to collect everything and get certifiable results. In the meantime, the county was cut off, with no power. This tornado tore a half mile to a mile wide swath through the state, 123 miles long!

My wife and I put our personal survival plan into effect, moving into our basement, heating with a wood stove, cooking on a Coleman stove, lighting it with a Coleman lantern. We survived in comfort until the power went back on at 4:00 PM on Monday, the 11th. This is hardly the first time we have put our survival plan into action -- the county has had two tornadoes and two ice storms in the last 12 years.

Here are some tips:

Make a plan -- a realistic plan.

• Start with a realistic situation based on actual likely risk factors where you live. Here it is ice storms and tornadoes. They have two similarities -- long term loss of power, and physical isolation (due to trees and power lines down on the roads.)

• Develop an outline plan -- this plan, sometimes called a "Long Term Plan" is a statement of what you plan to accomplish.

• Resource the plan. Acquire the things you will need. If you cannot afford some things now, plan to acquire them later. This is sometimes called a "Mid Term Plan."

• Execute the plan -- the execution plan is the "Short Range Plan." Don't wait for a tornado or earthquake -- take some vacation time and put your plan into action. If you plan to walk from Atlanta, Georgia to Nantahala carrying your gun safe and Dillon 550B reloader, you might want to try that before the disaster strikes.

• Evaluate your execution. Make notes of what worked and what didn't work. Make a list of the things you wish you had, and plan to acquire them.

Stress the elements of survival. I won't list them in any particular order, because one element may be critical in one situation, but not in another.

• Shelter. This is where you will live. You may have to live there for days, weeks, months, or even a year or more. A cave or tarp under a tree is not a satisfactory long term shelter. My shelter is my basement -- fully finished, with reinforced concrete walls, two steel girders running the width of the house, and two exits -- basement stairs and double doors to outside. It is furnished with a hide-a-bed sofa, and there is an 8X12 "machine room" where the HVAC, water heater, and so on reside. There is room enough for a large gun safe, a freezer, shelves containing canned goods, batteries, etc.

• Food. We have enough canned goods to last us a month in the "machine room."

• Water. We are on a rural water system, so no need for a pump. We also keep a gallon of bleach in the machine room so as to be able to purify creek water if needed.

• Heat. The temperature was in the 'teens this time. The basement stays at 55 degrees year-round, so the wood stove was adequate. This is characteristic of underground shelters, and makes them especially desirable.

• Power. We keep a 1.35 KW generator in the machine room, take it outside and run it to keep the freezer from thawing.

• Light. My wife and I have flashlights everywhere -- in the truck, in the car, in the bedside tables, in the machine room. We also stock candles, oil lamps, Coleman fuel (2 gallons) in there. Our Dual Fuel Coleman lantern will burn regular gas, too.

• Cooking. We keep a Coleman Dual Fuel camp stove in the machine room.

• Communications. We keep a hand-cranked radio. We may add a transmitter-receiver after this experience. Fortunately, telephone service (at least within the county) has never failed us.

• Sanitation. We have a half-bath in the basement, and with gravity water and a stove to heat it, we were able to keep clean. However, not everyone was so fortunate, as I noticed when working closely with others during the emergency.

• Transportation. We have 4X4s, and keep 10 gallons of gas in cans in our outside shed. We also have tire chains.

• Tools. Forget "survival tools." The most important tool is a chain saw. During the last ice storm, we had to cut about 20 trees that had broken or bent over blocking our 1/4-mile drive. We had a couple on the 0.6 mile common road, too.

• Protection. I am always armed (except in polling places -- dang it!). I keep firearms spotted in the house where I can get to them quickly, as well. Of course, our isolation (3 1/2 miles down the county road, 0.6 miles down the common road, and a quarter mile down our drive) also offers protection.

• Community. We worked together to help save and provide necessities to our neighbors. They would do the same for us, if needed.

[Mark in Ottawa]

One caution. Rice does not a long shelf life. Only about 6 to 8 months

[Allen]

One caution. Rice does not a long shelf life. Only about 6 to 8 months

I did not know that. I thought that crap lasted forever as long as it was kept airtight and dry.

[Vern Humphrey]

One caution. Rice does not a long shelf life. Only about 6 to 8 months

Nothing has an unlimited shelf life -- so we rotate cans and bags. Today for dinner we will have stew that is approaching its expiration date and buy a new can tomorrow.

[S.A. Boggs]

We live as we would survive, makes it easier to plan. Have two wood stoves that we can/do cook on and stockpile enough wood blocks for the winter. Produce our own vegetables and eggs. Canned meats with a 5 year shelf life, make our own bread/biscuits. Getting a larger generator, hopefully a diesel one and maybe, just maybe going solar for our electrical lighting. Both vehicles are 4x4 and we rotate adequate fuel for our reserve. I pity those who plan to live on just rice and dried beans, MRE'S are too blamed expensive to be practical.
Sam

[Vern Humphrey]

For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that "survival" means weird and bizarre equipment and foods. For those of us who live in the country, "survival" means having enough of what we usually need, and maybe a generator or other source of power.

[S.A. Boggs]

For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that "survival" means weird and bizarre equipment and foods. For those of us who live in the country, "survival" means having enough of what we usually need, and maybe a generator or other source of power.

+1
Sam

[dogtag]

A chain saw is nice as long as it keeps working and you have gas,
so a sharp felling axe is a handy thing to have.
I have a total of seven various sized axes.
Neanderthals found them very useful, as do I except that mine are nicer.

[Allen]

I have 7 chain saws. 3 are junk Poulans and one upper end Husqvarna. The good ones are Stihl and it still takes the 4 of them to half way assure I can get one of them to operate when I need one.

Generators need to be used sparingly as they use an enormous amount of fuel when running an a/c, fridge/freezer or TV. Most of us only have so many gas cans and those have to be filled before hand of any type storm or disaster. You never know how long you're going to be w/o power or availability to gasoline during these outages.

[Allen]

Nothing has an unlimited shelf life -- so we rotate cans and bags. Today for dinner we will have stew that is approaching its expiration date and buy a new can tomorrow.

I always thought of rice as rocks or driveway gravel rather than a food but I guess during lean times it will do. Some people use it as tumbling media.

Actually honey comes close to having an unlimited shelf life. It has been found in Egyptian tombs over 3,000 years old that was still edible. Honey doesn't spoil but will ferment over time if not sealed.

Beyond 3,000 years though you're on your own.

[dogtag]

I tried rice as a tumbling media. Stuff gets into primer pocket and refuses to leave.