Preparedness for when

westcoastscot

Hi Fuddle,

I'm in the same position - have run down my stores through a personal SHTF situation over the summer. Autumn/winter are not the ideal times to be building up stores - although having thought about it in some ways its a little easier I think, in that it's easier to stretch those winter stew-type meals economically than it is with summer fare. Like you mine will be slow and steady.

I read a good post on Shirley Goode's blog about building up stores on a low income - will go and see if I can find it..............

here it is http://shirleygoode.blogspot.co.uk/, the first post is 4/8/13 - Shirley is talking about spending £10 a week to eat and build up a store cupboard. Good for ideas!

Keep your chin up - we can do this together!

WCS

BessieBooBoo

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Not if they don't want to be arrested.

LOL Baaaadd Bob!

BBB

JulieElizabeth

Hello preppers

Lurker here saying hello. I have not got a lot to contribute in prepping ideas but I do enjoy reading your posts.

About two/three weeks ago, my mains water went off for about 5 hours due to essential maintenance. Not the end of the world you might say, but I couldn't have a shower or make a pot of coffee.

First thing I did when I managed to get out of the house was purchase some 17p bottles for emergencies. I like reading your stockpiling stories; I think I have some way to go though!

GreyQueen

Hello and welcome in, JulieElizabeth.

I'm a tea-drinker but I would have been climbing the wall without a brew for 5 hours.

Just taking a wee break between the candle-reconstruction projects. I want the different coloured waxes to cool and set a bit before pouring a layer of a different colour so that they set in stripes.

I was playing around doing these last year and they need a goodly long time to set completely, as if a couple of days to be on the safe side. Nuatha decribed what happened to him when he liberated one too soon - oww!

I'm pleased that school is out because it means that there are going to be a few bootsales happening on school playing fields here in the city in the next few weeks. I did pretty nicely for candles on one last weekend and will look in on it again this weekend. Candles, in candle lanterns, are my main home lightsource for powercuts, although I do have torches, too.

Some people favour paraffin lanterns but considering the tinyness of my home, I consider the fumes not viable. Others swear by LED lanterns, both windup and battery, although I have yet to find one any good.

Worth keeping eyes peeled for late season bargains at outdoorsy shops in case there's something preptastic to come home with us, hmm?

BessieBooBoo

fuddle wrote: »

I had a shock yesterday an haven't been able to sleep because if it, seriously. Somehow I've managed to run my stocks right down to a worrying level.

If I'm honest I feel a bit panicky. Food stores help me feel secure. I can't believe I've not kept a better eye on it.

My plan of attack is simple but one that is going to take a while: this week and extra bag of rice 40p pasta 32p (that was 17p a short while ago!) and tin of beans 20something p. That gives me a start. Next week ill get flour. Week after some more water.

I just hope I feel more secure by the time the autumn comes. I can't express how annoyed I am at myself.

Hello Fuddle

Don't panic! (For some reason I have a mental picture of the old soldier in 'Dad's Army' just now....)

You are doing the right thing. It's actually better to stash a bit at a time, so your BB dates are staggered. Otherwise you may find yourself with a load of baked beans that need to be eaten in a week! Been there, done that, the side effects aren't pleasant!

I know tinned stuff will probably keep endlessly as long as it's not damaged/rusted, but I try to ensure I rotate the stored stuff regularly.

The fact is, you already have a prepper mindset, and that is half the battle. I worry more about people I know who absolutely don't prepare. For anything. Live day to day, bumbling on from crisis to crisis, not even informing their other halves if they are about to have a personal SHTF moment.

Talking about a certain member of my family, who, at this very moment is having to sell house and downsize, after not telling their OH about debts they had. They have no savings, credit card debt, mortgage debt, buy new everything, even cars, holiday every year, etc., etc. and as for prepping, forget it!

Just hoping that this certain person learns from this, although, going on past experiences, I doubt it.

At least you, Fuddle, care enough about you and yours to do something about it, rather than putting them through the stress my relatives are going through at the moment. All stress that could have been avoided, as they had a nice bit of inheritance that could have paid it all off. And did they? No. A nice new car, swopped for another new car, and a lot of expensive holidays and designer shopping... Sigh. I guess you can't get a leopard to change it's spots...

Best of luck Fuddle, I am sure you will survive, and better than that, you will thrive!

BBB

BessieBooBoo

JulieElizabeth wrote: »

Hello preppers

Lurker here saying hello. I have not got a lot to contribute in prepping ideas but I do enjoy reading your posts.

About two/three weeks ago, my mains water went off for about 5 hours due to essential maintenance. Not the end of the world you might say, but I couldn't have a shower or make a pot of coffee.

First thing I did when I managed to get out of the house was purchase some 17p bottles for emergencies. I like reading your stockpiling stories; I think I have some way to go though!

Hello JE

Aha! Another person with a prepper mind-set! Or, as I like to think, someone else with a common sense approach to life's up's and downs.

On the water shortage, I noted that on my local water board's web-site, you can search for incidents occurring in your area using their map and your postcode as a search, even if you weren't fore-warned by letter. I was quite surprised by the number of small incidents on-going in our area. Obviously, emergency leaks/sewer problems can't be advised in advance. I stumbled across it when looking for my 'Emergency Numbers' list for our BOB's.

If you need lots of water (say, for medical conditions) you can ask the local water authority to assist you if you are cut off over 6 hours. Not something I was aware of before cruising their site.

In fact, it's a useful exercise to look at all your utilities web-sites, there are a load of emergency advise guides of what to do in different events (a lot of it is common sense, but, still valuable), plus their emergency contact numbers; I've printed some out for our office notice board.

HTH

BBB

BessieBooBoo

GreyQueen wrote: »

Started reading a survivor's first hand account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. OMG, the horror of it. What those poor people went through.

What's really striking me is that a lot of the troubles they went thru in the 7 days post-disaster were worsened immeasurably by the actions of the authorities, and the inhumane and degrading treatment people were put thru. And how people were dying of neglect in so-called safe places like the airport because no one had the will or the ability to help them. The Red Cross bringing in aid were being prevented from entering New Orleans by the city authorities in case their presence interfered with security.

Words fail me.

One thing to bear in mind from this book is the importance of having your ID with you if you have to evac. She'd had the wit to put ID for her and her OH in a waterproof plastic bag which she secreted in her underwear. They had to wade out of their apartment complex in chest-high filthy floodwater and go some considerable distance to get to dry ground.

When she and others finally got to an evacuation centre in Texas after seven days of struggling, much of it in the open air, many other people were without ID and having problems accessing federal aid programmes.

I do know that even here in the UK (and I live in my native county and only 20 miles from my birthplace) I had to show my passport to the DWP a decade ago when I had to sign on for a few weeks and also to my LA employer as part of the recruitment process.

Laters, GQ xx

Hello GQ

I always enjoy your posts. Yes HK is frightening to read about. Especially where TPTB got army/police pointing guns at people trying to evacuate forcing them to stay where they were...

For goodness sake, who's bright idea was that? It's not like these people were carrying the plague or summat...

It just reinforces the fact that, certainly within the first days or week, everyone has to be self-reliant in a catastrophe like that. I scare myself at how incompetent &/or slow local authority/government is to react.

What helps is reading, researching, and reading again. And then doing something. Doesn't matter how small. Just start.
It doesn't even have to cost money. Like writing a list of emergency contacts, shuffle through address books, old utility bills, etc., put them in something waterproof and in a safe place (like have several in BOB's, noticeboard, by the phone).

Do the same with recent photo's, and copy ID's (check out your local library for photocopies, they are usually the cheapest).

Before you know it, you have a BOB for each family member, pets, a food store, veg growing (when the slugs don't get it first!), back-ups for heating, cooking, lighting. Your short-term scenarios covered. Then start on your long-term ones.

I'm not talking major apocalypse, but, think what you need for small or personal SHTF moments:

Power cut
Water cut
Job Cut! (Gack! to the DWP)
Short term riots
Store food against price rises (which are going to get worse)
You or your family - health problems=loss of income
Weather damage to your home (lightening strike, water penetration, roof loss, frozen pipes)
Accidental damage - fire, car crash, etc.

Break it down in lists, what you think you will need, and, just tick them off as funds (or time, organisation and so on) allow.

You can then tackle the scarier looking scenario's - look at what is happening in Greece, and what has happened in Russia and Argentina. See what people were forced to do there to survive, think about what you would do in their situation, and prep for it if you can...

Sorry, I am having the verbal trots again!:)

Take care all, and keep prepping

BBB
Snoring Bessie
OH

jk0

The American story, 'The Day the Dollar Died' mentions that the local ham radio guy's house looked the same from outside, but inside he had plywood behind the curtains to keep out stray bullets.

I have been thinking about making some similar boards in case of riots, that would slip in behind battens fixed to the window ledge & top reveal.

Could anyone tell me if I am better off visibly protecting the house, (boards outside), or invisibly (boards inside)?

GreyQueen

jk0 wrote: »

The American story, 'The Day the Dollar Died' mentions that the local ham radio guy's house looked the same from outside, but inside he had plywood behind the curtains to keep out stray bullets.

I have been thinking about making some similar boards in case of riots, that would slip in behind battens fixed to the window ledge & top reveal.

Could anyone tell me if I am better off visibly protecting the house, (boards outside), or invisibly (boards inside)?

That's an excellent question. And like many excellent questions, it poses almost as many questions again.

When my parents had one of their sheds broken into overnight (the hasp and padlock was levered off) the crime prevention officer who attended said that you're damned if you do or damned if you don't. He said that if you put a feeble hasp and padlock on a shed, villians can't resist prising it off because it's so easy. But if you put a big strong one on, they're liable to have a go because they think you must be hiding something valuable behind it.

In terms of plywood over windows, I don't believe that would prove much protection against bullets. Other than air-guns. I work in a building with public access over a counter service. There are security shutters which can be deployed at the touch of a button. They are hardwood sheathing hiding steel sheets. The area below the counters is masonry blocks.

The security guidance issued to staff is that these steel shutters are "probably" bullet proof ! And this would be to bullets fired at very short, even point-blank, range. I personally wouldn't like to bet my life on a "probably" and wouldn't think that ply over windows would do more than protect against flying glass.

But, if there were storms raging, even sheet ply would be a help to keep the weather out and the warmth indoors.

However, there are other things to consider, such as the "welcome mat" made of sheet ply with lots and lots of nails hammered completely thru it it like a bed of nails. Such a welcome mat is designed to be kept indoors and laid flat outside the door to prevent people approaching the door. Obviously, you'd need one for each outside door.

I have glass panels in my door which form a weak point but I'm a tenant and not at liberty to change the door. I do have plenty of sticky-back plastic from the £ store which could be used to cover cracked glass and hold it in better shape.

Some preppers have discussed having boarding (perhaps sterling board would be a better choice than ply) pre-cut to cover your windows in case you needed to do an emergency boarding up yourself. If there was a situation where there was rioting and your home got damaged, you might not be able to get a private contractor in a timely manner, nor your landlord get one either, should you rent.

Would you be willing to tell us what style of home you have (terrace, semi, detached, townhouse, whatever) so we could pool our brain power and see what we can come up with?

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

That's an excellent question. And like many excellent questions, it poses almost as many questions again.

When my parents had one of their sheds broken into overnight (the hasp and padlock was levered off) the crime prevention officer who attended said that you're damned if you do or damned if you don't. He said that if you put a feeble hasp and padlock on a shed, villians can't resist prising it off because it's so easy. But if you put a big strong one on, they're liable to have a go because they think you must be hiding something valuable behind it.

In terms of plywood over windows, I don't believe that would prove much protection against bullets. Other than air-guns. I work in a building with public access over a counter service. There are security shutters which can be deployed at the touch of a button. They are hardwood sheathing hiding steel sheets. The area below the counters is masonry blocks.

The security guidance issued to staff is that these steel shutters are "probably" bullet proof ! And this would be to bullets fired at very short, even point-blank, range. I personally wouldn't like to bet my life on a "probably" and wouldn't think that ply over windows would do more than protect against flying glass.

But, if there were storms raging, even sheet ply would be a help to keep the weather out and the warmth indoors.

However, there are other things to consider, such as the "welcome mat" made of sheet ply with lots and lots of nails hammered completely thru it it like a bed of nails. Such a welcome mat is designed to be kept indoors and laid flat outside the door to prevent people approaching the door. Obviously, you'd need one for each outside door.

I have glass panels in my door which form a weak point but I'm a tenant and not at liberty to change the door. I do have plenty of sticky-back plastic from the £ store which could be used to cover cracked glass and hold it in better shape.

Some preppers have discussed having boarding (perhaps sterling board would be a better choice than ply) pre-cut to cover your windows in case you needed to do an emergency boarding up yourself. If there was a situation where there was rioting and your home got damaged, you might not be able to get a private contractor in a timely manner, nor your landlord get one either, should you rent.

Would you be willing to tell us what style of home you have (terrace, semi, detached, townhouse, whatever) so we could pool our brain power and see what we can come up with?

Thanks GQ.

It is a 3 bed detached 1920's house with about 20ft of block paving bordering the road. Touch wood, I have never been burgled here, but my predecessors put up wrought iron gates on the back doors. I lock the back gates, as I guess they were installed for a good reason.