Survival and disaster preparedness

[tangy]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 05:18 PM)

QUOTE (Mara @ Feb 11 2010, 04:47 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 05:39 PM) QUOTE (spirit of radio @ Feb 11 2010, 04:14 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 12:35 PM) QUOTE (Alph Seeker @ Feb 11 2010, 12:26 PM) QUOTE Some small fish hooks and weights and 100 ft. of fishing line. Wind the line around a small stick and it'll take up less room.   Add a jar or two of Powerbait. (Unless you are like me and try to always carry a fly rod (you never know when a mental break down needs to be averted)). Good idea! You can also throw in a couple of small lures.   It's also handy to know how to "grunt" worms. You take two sticks, one about four feet long and another about a foot and a half. Take the long one and drive it into the ground with a rock, leaving about 8 inches sticking up above the ground. Take the shorter stick and carve twenty to thirty notches in it one on top of another and perpendicular to the shaft of the stick. Take your notched stick with a hand on either end, hold it about 45 degrees relative to the one sticking up out of the ground, and drag it across the edge of the top. This makes a grunting sound and produces lots of vibration and after about 4 minutes, you'll see worms crawling up out of the dirt. I have field-tested this technique myself and it works great. Grunting worms...who knew...you learn something new every day Good to know Jack Glad to pass it on, brother-man! I imagine it would take some patience and effort to get 3.5' of stick driven into the ground, especially in hard rocky soil. . . You want to look for soft-ish ground, which will also contain more worms than hard rocky soil. they did a worm grunting session on Dirty Jobs. brought them to the surface like crazy.

[GotRush]

Electricity !

 

or Lack of electricity

 

Be prepard !

 

Get a generator & spare gas

 

Get some batteries, lots & then rotate them

 

Lack of power for any area for more than a few days could be real trouble

 

14 days of nonperasable food & water, ect.....

 

 

[workingcinderellaman]

This is from the "Name that Car" thread. I was told to post it in here as well.

 

 

http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/2cv.jpg

This very popular car is powered by an opposing two cylinder air cooled engine and is one of the only cars that can still function after a nuclear bomb blast; it's resistant to the EMP. A must have for the armageddon survival kit.

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (GotRush @ Feb 11 2010, 05:31 PM)

Electricity ! or Lack of electricity Be prepard ! Get a generator & spare gas Get some batteries, lots & then rotate them Lack of power for any area for more than a few days could be real trouble 14 days of nonperasable food & water, ect.....

All great suggestions! Nicely done!

 

I was going to address food later in this thread and recommend ramen noodles, power bars, instant oatmeal and other stuff like that.

[Weatherman2112]

Great going with starting this thread J.A.!

 

I can tell you, after doing on scene coverage of several hurricanes, including Katrina, these things are priceless. I saw hundreds if not thousands of people that would have been thrilled to have half of the things you all have suggested here after losing everything. And I'm not just talking about the poorer class. After Katrina in Mississippi multi millionares were walking around with nothing but the torn shirts on their backs. Houses, belongings...all gone. They decided to ride it out and they were not prepared. It was very sad to see.

 

Good stuff all!

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (tangy @ Feb 11 2010, 05:31 PM)

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 05:18 PM) QUOTE (Mara @ Feb 11 2010, 04:47 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 05:39 PM) QUOTE (spirit of radio @ Feb 11 2010, 04:14 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 12:35 PM) QUOTE (Alph Seeker @ Feb 11 2010, 12:26 PM) QUOTE Some small fish hooks and weights and 100 ft. of fishing line. Wind the line around a small stick and it'll take up less room.   Add a jar or two of Powerbait. (Unless you are like me and try to always carry a fly rod (you never know when a mental break down needs to be averted)). Good idea! You can also throw in a couple of small lures.   It's also handy to know how to "grunt" worms. You take two sticks, one about four feet long and another about a foot and a half. Take the long one and drive it into the ground with a rock, leaving about 8 inches sticking up above the ground. Take the shorter stick and carve twenty to thirty notches in it one on top of another and perpendicular to the shaft of the stick. Take your notched stick with a hand on either end, hold it about 45 degrees relative to the one sticking up out of the ground, and drag it across the edge of the top. This makes a grunting sound and produces lots of vibration and after about 4 minutes, you'll see worms crawling up out of the dirt. I have field-tested this technique myself and it works great. Grunting worms...who knew...you learn something new every day Good to know Jack Glad to pass it on, brother-man! I imagine it would take some patience and effort to get 3.5' of stick driven into the ground, especially in hard rocky soil. . . You want to look for soft-ish ground, which will also contain more worms than hard rocky soil. they did a worm grunting session on Dirty Jobs. brought them to the surface like crazy. No kidding? Cool!

[Jack Aubrey]

I want to talk about knives a little more. Every survival kit should have at least one, and if that's all you want then fine, just make sure that knife is tough with a capital T! It's also a good idea to pack an extra blade, this extra blade will be your fine work tool, used for cutting lines and skinning game. Since it won't be taking a lot of abuse it's fine to get a folder for this purpose and if you want to get a multi-tool that's fine, too, just make sure it's got a good blade. You could also get one of those case-cutter type knives which has the advantage that you can swap out the blade when it gets dull, just make sure you pack extra blades for it. Perhaps one of the best survival knives is the machete. They're great in any environment and can take a lot of abuse as long as you take care of them. The only thing I don't like about the machete is it's size, it's just too big for my liking.

 

A folding saw is a consideration, too. Mine is made by Fiskars and it's a good one! I got it for $20 in the gardening section at Target. However, I recently replaced it with a pocket chainsaw that I got at Harbor Freight for $15. A pocket chainsaw is a chainsaw blade with two handles that attach to it. You put the chain around a tree, grab the handles, and pull back and forth. It's a great tool and it's both lightweight and small. Here's the pocket chainsaw website: Pocket chainsaw let the page load and watch the demo video, which is what prompted me to get one, it's faster than a folding saw.

 

[tangy]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 12 2010, 08:53 AM)

QUOTE (tangy @ Feb 11 2010, 05:31 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 05:18 PM) QUOTE (Mara @ Feb 11 2010, 04:47 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 05:39 PM) QUOTE (spirit of radio @ Feb 11 2010, 04:14 PM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 12:35 PM) QUOTE (Alph Seeker @ Feb 11 2010, 12:26 PM) QUOTE Some small fish hooks and weights and 100 ft. of fishing line. Wind the line around a small stick and it'll take up less room.   Add a jar or two of Powerbait. (Unless you are like me and try to always carry a fly rod (you never know when a mental break down needs to be averted)). Good idea! You can also throw in a couple of small lures.   It's also handy to know how to "grunt" worms. You take two sticks, one about four feet long and another about a foot and a half. Take the long one and drive it into the ground with a rock, leaving about 8 inches sticking up above the ground. Take the shorter stick and carve twenty to thirty notches in it one on top of another and perpendicular to the shaft of the stick. Take your notched stick with a hand on either end, hold it about 45 degrees relative to the one sticking up out of the ground, and drag it across the edge of the top. This makes a grunting sound and produces lots of vibration and after about 4 minutes, you'll see worms crawling up out of the dirt. I have field-tested this technique myself and it works great. Grunting worms...who knew...you learn something new every day Good to know Jack Glad to pass it on, brother-man! I imagine it would take some patience and effort to get 3.5' of stick driven into the ground, especially in hard rocky soil. . . You want to look for soft-ish ground, which will also contain more worms than hard rocky soil. they did a worm grunting session on Dirty Jobs. brought them to the surface like crazy. No kidding? Cool! it was cool to think that guy makes his living doing that. the worm grunter that is.   I have never fished for survival but have fished for dinner many times and have often gone fishing with little to no bait. a strategy that works well for me is to find a worm, cricket, frog or if i have it a small piece of bread. catch the first fish and then cut it up and use it was it as bait to catch other fish. eyeballs work really well.

[Drumnut]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 08:41 AM)

A blue plastic tarp. I know, it won't fit in the coffee can. Put it in your vehicle's wheel well instead.

Or you could fold it up and strap it around the coffee can with a couple of bungee cords. Bungee cords are always handy, and this way you'd have a useful place to store them so you know where they are.

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (Drumnut @ Feb 12 2010, 11:31 PM)

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 11 2010, 08:41 AM) A blue plastic tarp. I know, it won't fit in the coffee can. Put it in your vehicle's wheel well instead. Or you could fold it up and strap it around the coffee can with a couple of bungee cords. Bungee cords are always handy, and this way you'd have a useful place to store them so you know where they are. Great suggestion! The bungee cords could also double as the support lines for you tarp shelter!   I mentioned signal whistles in another post. I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and found a neat English Bobby-style whistle for three bucks! If you've a Harbor Freight in your area, swing by and grab one or two. The Bobby whistle's distinctive two-tone trill will definitely stand out from background noises and birdsong if you're stranded in the wild and trying to get found. It might also serve to scare away predators.

[daveyt]

what about cigars & good drink? u can't survive unless your spirits are up

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (daveyt @ Feb 14 2010, 09:52 AM)

what about cigars & good drink? u can't survive unless your spirits are up

The consuption of alcohol during survival situations should be avoided. If you have any liquor on hand save it for cleaning wounds. Smoke your cigars if you like, just bear in mind that nicotine decreases your night vision. It's best to wait until you're rescued and then party.

[daveyt]

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (daveyt @ Feb 14 2010, 07:47 PM)

I know, I'm a buzzkill. I'm sorry, buddy.

 

[DotS]

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 14 2010, 01:46 PM)

QUOTE (daveyt @ Feb 14 2010, 09:52 AM) what about cigars & good drink? u can't survive unless your spirits are up The consuption of alcohol during survival situations should be avoided. If you have any liquor on hand save it for cleaning wounds. Smoke your cigars if you like, just bear in mind that nicotine decreases your night vision. It's best to wait until you're rescued and then party. Yessir! lol   hey- great thread. you remind me of Burt in the Tremors series. i love this sort of reading. i don't have any new ideas, per se, but i'm the paranoid type who believes in the "just-in-case", in spite of ppl who make fun of me for it. oh well. funny how on vacation up wandering around in Maine, how many times i've head "oh crap...now what...we have to go to..." blah-blah, and i go to my backpack and bring out the bactine or betadine and a bandage, or the antiseptic wipes, or tweezers...and they're like "huh. what'd you pack THAT for? well, nevermind, that's exactly what we need! " lol   i've always been wanting to get one of those spring-loaded glass punches. neve think of it when i'm somewhere they're sold. but that's a huge fear of mine, what with all the bridges i go over all the time.   the fire-starter block i'd never heard of. great idea, and i'll be looking for one. i'm in HD or lowes (or both) at LEAST once a week. love those places!

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (DotS @ Feb 15 2010, 11:54 AM)

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Feb 14 2010, 01:46 PM) QUOTE (daveyt @ Feb 14 2010, 09:52 AM) what about cigars & good drink? u can't survive unless your spirits are up The consuption of alcohol during survival situations should be avoided. If you have any liquor on hand save it for cleaning wounds. Smoke your cigars if you like, just bear in mind that nicotine decreases your night vision. It's best to wait until you're rescued and then party. Yessir! lol   hey- great thread. you remind me of Burt in the Tremors series. i love this sort of reading. i don't have any new ideas, per se, but i'm the paranoid type who believes in the "just-in-case", in spite of ppl who make fun of me for it. oh well. funny how on vacation up wandering around in Maine, how many times i've head "oh crap...now what...we have to go to..." blah-blah, and i go to my backpack and bring out the bactine or betadine and a bandage, or the antiseptic wipes, or tweezers...and they're like "huh. what'd you pack THAT for? well, nevermind, that's exactly what we need! " lol   i've always been wanting to get one of those spring-loaded glass punches. neve think of it when i'm somewhere they're sold. but that's a huge fear of mine, what with all the bridges i go over all the time.   the fire-starter block i'd never heard of. great idea, and i'll be looking for one. i'm in HD or lowes (or both) at LEAST once a week. love those places! Thanks for your input! I love your bit about packing first aid gear. It's better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it! Personally I don't consider that paranoid, I consider it wise.   Check and see if you have a Harbor Freight near you, they've got spring-loaded punches for about three dollars which is the best price I've ever seen. Here's their store locator page. I don't know if Lowe's or Home Depot carry magnesium fire starters (my gut says no), but I do know that Harbor Freight, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Wal-Mart do. If you want a really fancy one, I recommend the one's made by Kodiak: Kodiak Fire Starters. Mine's the 20,000 strike starter with the wood handle. The handle also has an inset compass and thermometer. What I like best about the Kodiak starter is that if you wear it out they'll replace it free of charge. Of course it'll probably take years to wear out, but it's still a nice guarantee.   Happy survivalin'!

[Tortoise and Hare]

Great thread, Jack!!!!!

 

I always teach hurricane and storm survival via a few fun essays each year. I have to tread softly on the weapons, though, due to the "Nanny State Laws"!

 

We live on the coast - - in my opinion this stuff should be required in every curriculum.

 

Hare

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (Tortoise and Hare @ Feb 15 2010, 06:21 PM)

Great thread, Jack!!!!! I always teach hurricane and storm survival via a few fun essays each year. I have to tread softly on the weapons, though, due to the "Nanny State Laws"! We live on the coast - - in my opinion this stuff should be required in every curriculum. Hare

Wow, it's awesome that you teach that! Bless you for it!

[JohnnyBlaze]

With a few adaptations, this same list can be used for a zombie outbreak too. Cool thread Jack

[Pagon]

everyone on the planet will need lots of survival gear and get used to living off the land once again. in about two years give or take a few the sun will be at it's maximum output of solar flares. happens every 11 years or so. what could happen this time around is the plasma output from a solar flare could wipe out all of the transformers that supply us electricity. once they are burned up from a solar flare it cannot be repaired. only replaced and there are only a hand full of them out there right now. so get used to no more anything. you will have to fetch your own food, water, heat and so forth. no more gas for cars also. electricity will be a thing of the past for decades if it ever came back. no more medicine or hospital care. in a few months millions will be dead here in the united states. thousands will die in a weeks time. crazy how we depend on electricity so much. there have been close calls with solar flares in the past. this past year the sun has come out of it's slumber and is producing some fantastic shows. go to spaceweather.com and see for yourself. it's a cool bookmark. this will also happen without no warning. one spring or fall day it will go off and stay off. no cell phones will work either. all satellites will be fried and then some. there are plenty of articles on the internet on the subject. some from nasa themselves.

[Jack Aubrey]

Here's a link to read the US Army Survival Manual. I strongly recommend you print it out and keep it handy as it contains tons of good info. Army Survival Manual. Enjoy!

 

[DotS]

QUOTE (Pagon @ Feb 16 2010, 09:51 AM)

everyone on the planet will need lots of survival gear and get used to living off the land once again. in about two years give or take a few the sun will be at it's maximum output of solar flares. happens every 11 years or so. what could happen this time around is the plasma output from a solar flare could wipe out all of the transformers that supply us electricity. once they are burned up from a solar flare it cannot be repaired. only replaced and there are only a hand full of them out there right now. so get used to no more anything. you will have to fetch your own food, water, heat and so forth. no more gas for cars also. electricity will be a thing of the past for decades if it ever came back. no more medicine or hospital care. in a few months millions will be dead here in the united states. thousands will die in a weeks time. crazy how we depend on electricity so much. there have been close calls with solar flares in the past. this past year the sun has come out of it's slumber and is producing some fantastic shows. go to spaceweather.com and see for yourself. it's a cool bookmark. this will also happen without no warning. one spring or fall day it will go off and stay off. no cell phones will work either. all satellites will be fried and then some. there are plenty of articles on the internet on the subject. some from nasa themselves.

if it happens every 11 yrs or so, why has it never been as dire an outcome as you outline here?

 

after 9/11 i was starting to stock up on "easy" food, and some water. don't have the room or the $ for it though, but i'm sure i could arrange something. my husband laughed at me, but realised the scenario is realistic. i pretty much gave up on stocking up. i usually have enough on hand to last 3 weeks or longer, depending on how it'd be rationed. that's just the basic staples i have on hand all the time.

 

JackA- there's a HFreight just down the way from me in SAttleboro according to your link. i'm going to check it out when i get back from florida. thanks!

[Pagon]

about 100 years ago it did happen. look it up. homes and apartments started to use power around 1905ish. the grid we have now was nothing like it was back then. there was also not that much juice going through the wires. now we have massive amounts of power surging through the power lines. a huge solar flare would do lots of damage. it's a possibility. i think preparing for something this big is futile. unless you pack up now and live some where remote and live off the land.

 

i'm gonna pick up some of the books mentioned. this is a very good thread indeed.

[Jack Aubrey]

I found a cool knife deal! Sportsman's Guide is selling Swedish Mora knives two for $25! My Father in law has Mora and he says it's both tough and dependable and holds an edge really well. He didn't like that they don't have lanyard holes in the handle so he took his drill and made one. He said he had no problems drilling it since it's made of plastic, he just drilled it slowly to avoid it getting too hot and melting. Mora Knives. I'm going to order these myself.

 

I mentioned the knife I had a few posts back. In case you folks are curious, here it is: Cold Steel G. I. Tanto.

 

[Mara]

'K, Jack.

What's the deal on freeze-dried stores of food? The guy I was dating during the whole Y2K freakout bought $5000 worth in mid-'98 from a pretty reputable company. By late '99 he was feeling rather foolish and donated most of it to a food pantry. (He kept the 50 lbs. of orange drink mix because his son liked it).

 

Is this something that needs to be considered seriously? Because I will admit I tend to poke fun at people who do this.

 

Also - unrelated, but a great tip: get one of those miner's helmet type things with the headlamp. Seriously. You have no idea how handy it is to not have to worry about hanging on to a flashlight until it's an issue, like when you're poking around trying to relight the pilot light on the furnace during a power outage. They are awesome. Not sure where ours came from, as it was a gift, but I'm sure Jack has a good source.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Mara