Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

Join and have some interaction with all of us love, you are very welcome and we love it when new people put their ideas and experiences into the mixing pot, it makes all of us richer and everyone gains. Welcome in to the thread, I hope you'll stay and share from now on we'd be so pleased if you felt you could, Lyn xxx.

mardatha

Has anybody down there heard anything about a POSSIBLE case of ebola in a London hospital? Kings College or something in North London? Report on FluTrackers taken from the Times at 6am this morning but its gone now.

GreyQueen

Greetings. Have been away from t'interweb since middle of last evening as have been catching up on some stuff at the homestead. You're all so addictive I have to ration myself.

ivyleaf, yes, I have YaxTrax. Didn't need to use them at all last winter but OMG, the winter before.............! Please bear in mind that I am 5 mins walk across pavements and roads and carparks from homestead to workplace. And in the ice, because of the slopes, it became almost impossible. Out block was surrounded by sheet ice, you literally couldn't stand up on it.

Two of my neighbours (a thirty-something and a forty-something) broke limbs falling on ice just outside their own flats. One busted an ankle up so badly she was on crutches for months. Another broke an arm. Pensioners like SuperGran were scared to go out, but I will always run errands for her and check she has everything she needs.

Pal who works for the ambulance trust tells me that day 3 of a big freeze is when people start getting hurt. For 1-2 days, people can stay home, assuming they're not in the workforce. By day 3, they're running out of bread and milk and go out, slip and fall, and end up with broken bones. So, it's most excellent winter prep to have bread and frozen/ longlife/ powdered milk by you.

I also equipped my elderly parents and my brother with YaxTrax as part of their christmas presents that year, but that caused the mild winter - ain't it always the way? :rotfl:

Well, I won't be bothering with those Liddly Newark canned meatballs in tomato ketchup again. The so-called ketchup was like red ink and the meatballs were strange thingies like pyramids with rounded corners, if you can imagine such a thing. Not esp tasty either; there are much tastier things in cans. I shall continue my occasional investigations into unfamilar canned goods. I'd be glad to eat it if there was nothing else, but that's not much of a recommendation, is it?

Shows the wisdom of always checking a new product, or a re-formulated regular product, before buying several for the storecupboard.

Am just tweaking an additional emergency bag which will live in the big crate in the allotment shed; change of clothes, basic wash-kit, things like that. I don't have family in the city to store this kind of stuff with.

You may be thinking this is a touch silly, which is of course your right and privilege, but there is method behind my madness. There have been catastrophes in tower blocks like mine here which have caused emergency evacs with denial of access back into the block on safety grounds for days, and in one case, for weeks. I figure a complete set of outer clothes, couple examples each undies and pairs socks, and the basic washkit would make life a lot more convenient and comfortable if I couldn't get back into the flat and had to crash at a pal's or get put up in a cheap hotel whilst repairs went on.

These are all things which I already own, which were bought 2nd hand (jumbly and carboot and chazzer) bar the undies, so even if they were lost to theft or arson at the lottie shed, I wouldn't be much out of pocket (well under a fiver). I'm using an old messenger bag which I no longer use as my workbag, so not spending any money there, and it keeps it from underfoot.

Wyre

marmiterulesok wrote: »

I did read about how the first toilet cubicle being the cleanest,as it's usually avoided.I might have read it on this thread.

The BBC science program 'Bang goes the Theory' did an experiment on this and yes, the first toilet (the one opposite the door) was the cleanest while the one furthest away was the filthiest.

craigywv

my preps this week are 2 more bottles of gas , we were given 2 empties by my sister as her oh uses them for work and I cant see them sitting empty so we now have last count I think 7 they are not all together 2 are attached to the cooker, 2 are in shed and one in campervan and 2 in mums shed different town so that about just over 3 years cooking our bbq can run on gas or charcoal and also have a 2 ring carry about cooker for when we go camping. gas has went up from 18 quid a bottle to 24 quid over here which is a big jump. also have a chimmnea which can burn just about anything , water can be boiled on this as I have tried with a big old pressure cooker base so I happier now that I have that sorted. I do need to get manchild a new duvet this week as his one is wearing quite thin and he throws any blankets or fleeces off himself.welcome lavandula lovely people and good advice on here.

marmiterulesok

Frugalsod wrote: »

I have some anti bacterial but for my BOB. Though normally I stick to normal soaps and detergents as they do not disrupt environment. I suspect that too many anti bacterials are partially responsible for a rise in allergies.

I tend to agree with you on that one.

At work (I'm a nurse),despite regularly using handcream,my hands very quickly would become red with painful small cracks in the skin,particularly on the upper side (especially when applying a-b handwash,as I had to do countless times a day).

On a slightly related topic,a great way to care for your hands,especially if they've been through the wars,is to pour a small amount of sugar onto the palm of your hand,add some almond oil,and rub all over.This acts as an exfolient and a moisturiser.best to do before bedtime and put on cotton gloves.

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

The Lofty Wiseman, SAS Urban Survival Handbook is pretty good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Urban-Survival-Handbook-survival/dp/0002558033

Thanks.I've had a look at this,and noticed that there were a few comments about how some/a lot of suggestions were purely common sense,implying that the book didn't have much to say.What do you think?

This book caught my eye.Does anyone know if it's any good?

Frugalsod wrote: »

I would look at youtube videos to see what other preppers suggest. Even starting with the basics think about all the things that you use regularly and how you would cope if stuck in your home for several months. Bread might be something that you could opt to make yourself. All you would need would be flour sugar water and yeast. So you could keep the ingredients at home for months and use them as you go along. You would need toilet paper and so a decent supply of the wonder material. Most preps would really entail the things that you use normally and so would not necessarily look out of place in a normal home. If you have concerns about cooking then some form of cooking system, it could be solar kettles or solar ovens but these are of limited use when the weather is overcast like it is now. If you get good long sunny summers then these could be more useful. Camping stoves and camping equipment generally can be useful if you have to abandon your home temporarily during a fire flood or riot. Many fresh items can also be frozen so having a decent supply and range of frozen items will also get you through any such period of SHTF. Though do not rely too heavily on freezers as power cuts will seriously dent your prepping. Dried food that can be rehydrated is a good option as are canned goods. Storing water also adds a layer of security. You never know if and when your water supply might become contaminated.

Also remember to cycle through the items that you have saved so you can at least use everything and replace with new as you go. That way it is not an expense but just a delayed consumption of those items. Then at least this way your preps are not something that are actually an additional cost.

Thanks for all your suggestions.
I already make all my own bread and cakes.
I've been in 'siege mentality' mode for about 5 years now,and do have quite a stockpile of various items.

Today I want to buy bottled water.

I also would like to track down and buy a portable Calor gas type stove,and a solar lamp.I know that Ikea used to do a solar lamp model.Also water-purification tablets and face masks.

That's enough to keep me busy.

MrsLurcherwalker I live abroad,and don't think that I could find Milton.I'm sure there's an equivalent here though.

I've only just caught up with the thread today.Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions a few days ago.

[Deleted User]

MAR just had a quick look on google and there were two people who caused a scare at an A&E department at a hospital in Lewisham last weekend, one man just back from Sierra Leone presented with symptoms but both people were tested and they came back negative, Lyn xxx.

marmiterulesok

I've just bought 18 litres of still water.It's all I can manage in my shopper.I could go back and get some more before the shop shuts.

Frugalsod

Wyre wrote: »

The BBC science program 'Bang goes the Theory' did an experiment on this and yes, the first toilet (the one opposite the door) was the cleanest while the one furthest away was the filthiest.

Mythbusters tested this as well.

Frugalsod

I found this article about the selling of items for people worried about ebola.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/10/17/3581209/ebola-fears-spawn-profit/