Preparedness for when

ginnyknit

My train of thought has come to a complete standstill as my mind struggles with the decision of which to sing in my head - Time warp or something from the blues brothers Then theres the mental bleach needed to remove all thoughts of Bobs plans for cherie Blair.

I did hear that people of flood plains are now going to find it very expensive to get insurance - who'd have thunk it? build a house where it 'may flood then penalise people daft enough to buy :mad:

Going to Mums to check she is tucked in for the next few months. We got part way there last weekend before the flat tyre on the motorway incident.

Oh no its timewarp time......

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I don't know the ins and outs of it, but didn't the government say that insurance companies had to offer affordable insurance to householders that had flooded, and now there is some sort of back tracking now for something or other..????


LW.. totally agree with good quality waterproofs I have got a wax jacket, and an army gortex jacket, BUT I keep forgetting where I put them, here, in the van, or up the smallholding lol...

GreyQueen

Not sure if they can force insurers to insure what they don't want to insure. They're ignorant enough to run their mouths for the media without having thought it through.

When I was in Rotorua, in New Zealand, I was fascinated because the town is built inside a volcano's caldera. It's an active volcano, although mostly quiet, and steam comes up out the drains along the side of the road, among other places. When you walk on suburban streets, every now and again one of the single story wooden houses is just missing from its plot and steam arises from the ground.

A local bloke explained that new steam vents will open up unexpectedly. If it's in your garden and far enough from the house, you get a great place to cook a hangi. If it opens up under the house, the house has to be demolished.

Bearing in mind this, I asked how on earth people got buildings insurance against this risk and was told that they got this kind from the government.

I guess that if we are going to grant planning permission to build on floodplains, we need to face up to the fact that they may be uninsurable unless the government funds it, which means we all get to chip in. Or you could see the situation of having whole areas of housing blighted and unsalable and rented out to the most desperate who have few options and just have to take the risk of getting their belongings ruined.

CTC, can empathise very much with the wet misery. Can recall living in a Scottish bedsit with a limited amount of clothing and footwear and having been soaked to the skin so many times in a few days that I had clothes and shoes drying everywhere and was down to my jammies and waiting until something was dry enough to wear outside again. Miserable experience.

Cheapskate

Morning preppers, it's freezing up here, but we have a visitation from the big yellow orb, so even my manky, muddy, waterlogged and unkempt garden looks lovely! :rotfl:

I need new wellies, and am going to invest in some waterproof trousers, too. We need to walk to school more (got very lazy), so need to be properly attired as it's a good half hour at DD's pace.

GQ, we have previously undeveloped parts of town that are now being built on, even our generation is shaking its collective head at the folly of it - again these are bits of land that have flooded since the year dot. Developers don't seem to wonder why nearby streets have names like Water Street, Pond Lane, etc!

Have started keeping a little stash of folding stuff in a waterproof container somewhere safe, in case of inability to get to the bank, or indeed problems at the bank itself.

A xo

GreyQueen

Cheapskate wrote: »

GQ, we have previously undeveloped parts of town that are now being built on, even our generation is shaking its collective head at the folly of it - again these are bits of land that have flooded since the year dot. Developers don't seem to wonder why nearby streets have names like Water Street, Pond Lane, etc!

I think they just don't give a monkey's. Want to build and take the money and run. It's the people moving in who'll get the grief. If you're buying, you really want to pay attention to those nearby street names.

There's a "Water Lane" in one village I know well and parts of it flood every winter, as they have done since time immemorial. There are a few houses down there, inc a converted water mill, but they've stood for a few hundred years and the people who own them just get on with it.

I keep an eye on "my" river, which is a small southern English river which you probably wouldn't have heard of even if I'd name it. It's got form for flooding in the past but the river is managed more actively now, and they tend to let any flooding happen onto park land a mile or so upstream. That's the reason why that bit is park, not housing, btw; the city built around it not over it. Expect all that flattish grass is driving the developers nutty with Speculation Fever.

There's also marshy rough grazing upstream of that, which gives another safety valve to the river system. Doesn't mean we couldn't flood down here in the city centre (we certainly would if we were in some post-SHTF world where rivers weren't controlled and dredged) but it makes it less likely.

For which I am very thankful, believe you me. I always check the river level when I cross it, which is several times most days as I'm virtually on its bank. If it topped over, I'd be paddling very soon after.

Hollyberry

Afternoon, all. Been lurking and laughing along, but didn't have much to say. We too had a visit from the strange yellow orb this morning, but it is now hiding, and I have the lights on. At 2.30pm. Very un-MSE and downright depressing.

OH has suggested doing a charity sleep out for homelessness next month. It's a cause dear to my heart, and I think I might join him. It did make me think about what we have in terms of decent clothing that will take several hours worth of potentially sub-zero temperatures. (Added to which, I don't have the best circulation going. We spent an hour and a half shifting recycling earlier, and my hands were already icy despite gloves.)

So those of you who are more experienced at outdoorsy things than us, what do you reckon we would need? I have thermals for a base layer (need to get some for OH who was just going to wear his jeans... ), various t shirts and fleeces, leggings and trousers depending on temperature, a quilted puffy jacket and hat, scarf & gloves. I know it's only the Midlands and not Antarctica, but I would feel pretty stupid if I ended up making myself ill doing something like that. And selfishly, it would be a useful prepping experience, so that's another good reason for doing this in addition to supporting the charity.

Frugalsod

I have been slowly adding things for an emergency. This week bought a fire blanket just in case. Looking at water barrels if there is a problem, and a waterproof poncho for going out in. I need to re waterproof my berghaus jacket again and a poncho is a good backup.

Hollyberry

And a couple of preptastic links from my afternoon's surfing. Firstly an extensive list of prepper blogs including food and food storage, homesteading, podcasts, YooToob links, books and online magazines:

http://prepared-housewives.com/about-me/preppers/?utm_source=BD+News+Flash&utm_campaign=5d41a4d106-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8dab905704-5d41a4d106-324549437

Plenty here that I hadn't yet discovered, so looking forward to an afternoon (or several) snuggled down by the fire and reading.

Sourced via Gaye at Backdoor Survival, which can be found here: http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/.

Happy reading!

Cottage_Economy

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

morning all, been ready, but haven't had anything interesting to say...except I am totally piddled off with this weather.

With you on that. I'm watching sheets of rain blowing sideways across the street. I went to throw down a few bags of bark chips in the duck pen yesterday and one boot disappeared into one area by a good 8 inches. I had wash the boot off under a running tap and wash the laces. Never known mud that deep in my garden.

Hollyberry wrote: »

And a couple of preptastic links from my afternoon's surfing. Firstly an extensive list of prepper blogs including food and food storage, homesteading, podcasts, YooToob links, books and online magazines:

http://prepared-housewives.com/about-me/preppers/?utm_source=BD+News+Flash&utm_campaign=5d41a4d106-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8dab905704-5d41a4d106-324549437

Plenty here that I hadn't yet discovered, so looking forward to an afternoon (or several) snuggled down by the fire and reading.

Sourced via Gaye at Backdoor Survival, which can be found here: http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/.

Happy reading!

Thank you Holly Berry! Supposed to either be working this afternoon or knitting a scarf for hubby on the knitting machine (as long as I do one today and one tomorrow I'll be ok). Instead I'm sitting here with tea and a list of all the things I want to do to improve my skills or add to my preps. I guess another pot of tea will be required to investigate those links

Frugalsod wrote: »

I have been slowly adding things for an emergency. This week bought a fire blanket just in case. Looking at water barrels if there is a problem, and a waterproof poncho for going out in. I need to re waterproof my berghaus jacket again and a poncho is a good backup.

Thanks for the reminder. I need to get some fire safety gear in the house. Where did you get your fire blanket from?

I found an apparently new wind and shower proof exercise zip up in the charity shop this week for £5 and was well chuffed as it is the perfect mid-layer and has lots of useful zip pockets. The charity shops seem to have waited until January before putting all their exercise gear out, which explains why I've barely found anything over the last six months.

Still looking for weather-proof trousers and hiking boots, but added some thermals to my birthday list that hubby has requested. My MIL will pounce on those and get me them. She's obsessed by thermals.

Roll on April and car booty season.

siegemode

Hollyberry wrote: »

OH has suggested doing a charity sleep out for homelessness next month. It's a cause dear to my heart, and I think I might join him. It did make me think about what we have in terms of decent clothing that will take several hours worth of potentially sub-zero temperatures. (Added to which, I don't have the best circulation going. We spent an hour and a half shifting recycling earlier, and my hands were already icy despite gloves.)

So those of you who are more experienced at outdoorsy things than us, what do you reckon we would need? I have thermals for a base layer (need to get some for OH who was just going to wear his jeans... ), various t shirts and fleeces, leggings and trousers depending on temperature, a quilted puffy jacket and hat, scarf & gloves. I know it's only the Midlands and not Antarctica, but I would feel pretty stupid if I ended up making myself ill doing something like that. And selfishly, it would be a useful prepping experience, so that's another good reason for doing this in addition to supporting the charity.

Wouldn't call myself outdoorsy any more as I like my comforts too much and reckon I've got a bit soft as I've got older. However last year on what turned out to be one of the coldest nights I sat outside a supermarket in order to be first in line and win the grand prize of a 40inch tv. It turned out to be -12 :eek:though I didn't know it at the time. I wore thermal leggings, leggings and then jeans, 2 pairs of socks one cotton and one wool, my snow boots. Top was a thermal vest, thinish polo neck jumper. lightweight Norwegian fleece top and a ski jacket (not that I've ever been or are likely to go skiing lol) Had a hat with side flaps to keep my head and ears warm and fingerless gloves and leather padded biker gloves. Oh and a fleece snood thing instead of a scarf. To say I was toasty would be an understatement. I took an old sofa cushion to sit on and had a all season sleeping bag in my backpack ( which I never used)along with a flask of tomato soup and some cereal bars and some flapjack and water. Not forgetting chocolate and sweeties.:D

I was out from 3amish and yes I got the tv :j:j:jand it was such a relief to get home and back in the warm, although I felt more tiered than cold, but the adventure of it all was great and it certainly made me grateful to be able to do that unlike so many that live on the streets.

Layers of natural fibre clothing are good, access to a hot drink and preferably something of substance is good. limiting water, coffee and tea intake to reduce the need for the loo is also good. Having an insulating barrier between you and the pavement is also important and of course being dry.

It certainly makes you think when you spend a night or part as I did out on the pavement. Let us know how you get on if you go for it.

Almost forgot a torch preferably a wind up and preferably a head torch.

hth