‘Be Prepared’ is more than the Boy Scout’s Motto – Part I
I’ve got something really special to share with you today. I want to introduce you to Karen from West Virginia, a Power4Patriots customer and regular blog reader. A little while ago Karen left a comment here on the blog mentioning that her family had recently encountered a “real life” survival situation and that they had learned some valuable lessons. We didn’t waste any time in getting in touch with her to see if she would be willing to tell her story to our readers. I know there were some eye-openers in here for me! Here’s the first of two guest posts from Karen. I hope you enjoy them too. Thanks Karen!
–Frank
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‘Be Prepared’ is more than the Boy Scout’s Motto – Part I
We could learn something from the Mormons, who keep a year’s worth of food on hand. Natural disasters, fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and all sorts of other things can cause major disruptions in transportation, communication and even in where you sleep at night. I’ve learned that the first rule of storage is to diversify. Don’t put “all your eggs in one basket” — keep your survival storage split into several locations. Let me tell you how I learned this the hard way.
Our house burned down in 2010 and we lost just about everything in the house other than the iron skillets and a few random objects that defied the fire. Our important documents spent 3 days under hot ashes in a little fireproof box that did its job. The box was ruined but the documents survived. All of our birth certificates, etc., are permanently smoke scented, but they are intact.
On our property, we have a cabin. In that cabin was what we had left. It wasn’t enough to keep us very long but there was a place people could sleep, some stored food, and a few useful odds and ends.
The cabin was built in the 1980s. That paint came from Lowe’s and still looks as good as it did when we painted it. The outside of the cabin is T111 siding that has held up beautifully even in this damp climate. The roof is metal, insulated underneath with rigid fiberglass insulation. It was never meant to be used as a dwelling, so a lot had to be done for it to be livable in cold weather. The downstairs is divided into two rooms. We insulated the room away from the door but not the front room. There are also two small closet sized rooms that are used for storage that are not insulated. The upstairs is only divided by the stairway but is being used as bedroom space and storage. There is only one window upstairs (not visible in the photo).
There was food stored in that cabin that had been there for 20 years – flour, sugar, corn meal, vinegar – all still good! I just opened a jar of white corn meal the other day that had been in the cabin all that time.
Because the electricity ran on a separate line from the line to the house, the cabin and our well house still had electricity, so water was easily available. Many of our tools were in the cabin. There were old pots and pans, some dishes, a few blankets and articles of clothing, and an odd assortment of “extra stuff” that ended up there when my mother in law moved in with us. But we were not totally prepared for a disaster. We made some horrible mistakes in how we stored things.
Our biggest mistake was putting so much in our house and not putting more things in our out buildings. We could have stored a LOT of things in our well house, which can be locked. Yes, we have some tools and hardware in there, but why didn’t we put FOOD, some guns and ammo in there? We also could have stored a lot more things in the cabin. And if you live in a city, with no storage outside the house, get creative. Who says you can’t bury things in the back yard or rent a cheap storage unit?
Here is just a short list:
- Everyone should store extra socks and underwear, even if all you do is keep them in your car
- Boots
- An extra pair of shoes
- If you live somewhere with cold winters, some old sweaters and coats that you would normally give to the thrift shop
- Extra blankets and towels
- Rags
- Buckets
- Pet food
- Flashlights! We should have had flashlights in the cabin and the well house.
- Oil lamps and extra lamp oil
Just remember if you store clothing and blankets to think about MICE. We had blankets stored in Rubbermaid plastic tubs that have good sealing lids. They were fine and usable, right out of the tubs. The cot mattresses in the cabin were not usable as the mice had shredded them to make nests all over the state of West Virginia!
It also would have been a good idea to leave some of our Motorola walky-talky radios in the cabin with some extra batteries – we had 8 of them and lost them all. Maybe the best way to figure what you ought to store outside the house is to picture just what you would need if your house and everything in it suddenly vanished off the face of the earth. Now we have to buy all these supplies over again, which takes time and money, but we will eventually have it a lot better than it was!
——
Well, I don’t know about you, but I was definitely taking notes when I read that! Let me know your thoughts in the comments. And make sure you tune in for Part II where Karen tells us about their big plans for the future and offers plenty of additional tips straight from her “real world” experience. If you want to learn more about Karen and the folks in her community and how they work to be more self-reliant, you can visit her website at www.twolanelivin.com.
hi, thx for all you guys info. i may add a few things. to keep it lightweight and handy, keep some thermal, thin, radiant barrier blankets. if you want to have a cheap source of a large amount of potable water, boil huge pots of water to get it sanitized of germs /bacteria, then into suitable containers. if you really want to have these items secure from looters, it needs some [whatever you wish] items stored underground. you may sorta hide them above ground by dumping loads of dirt all around and on top, to make it look naturally as a hill. maybe put plants /bushes /small trees grow on and around it to fool them further. good to have several high quality water filters that can clean filter water. keep garden tools handy [good quality, not junk china, etc., kinds. i.e., picks, hoes, shovels, hammers, nails, screws, bolts, wrenches, pipe, etc.,, fishing gears, baits, etc., hunting supplies, including illegal snares, traps, etc. [but only in dire times, so keep da reg regulation types for most uses], lots of good tarps, spikes, enuff for now. thx.
foldable, quality, portable greenhouse type materials to plant earlier in season so don’t run out of food. buy lots of seeds [25 yrs. supply, in case of failures, looting, catastrophes, etc.]. these should be kept in airtight containers.
I have been trying to store up some stuff,food especially,My son who lives with me keeps saying why am I trying to save some items.Iam going to see if he will read these comments and maybe change his mind.
All this stuff is well and good to store; but am I the only one who does not want to wipe my butt with leaves? Or to use my shirt slieve to wipe my face with? Or to blow my nose with newspaper? I also store buttwipe, paper plates and bowls, paper towels and napkins and facial tissue.
Sometimes mice eat through plastic containers, so if you can find or fabricate metal chests or closets it would be ideal.
A 20 foot watertight storage container can hold a lot of provisions and equipment, and in a crisis used for shelter. A heat source can easily be installed.
Always keep metal tools (especially guns) secured and treated for long term storage. Ammunition in air tight ammo cans.
I always have kindling and wood dry on pallets and covered on top and let the sides open to air so it is dry as kiln dried wood this produces more BTUs lights fast and produces minimal smoke. you know it’s dry enough when the bark seporates from the shrunken wood producing even less smoke.
John
I really enjoy the articles and ideas.
We are not set up for extra storage outside of the house. We have a motor home that I am storing things in under our bed. One thing that I have decided to store is a bottle of wine. And a bottle of whiskey. We don’t drink and I’m not sure what I would do with these, but I’ve heard its a good thing to have on hand.
We store things in plastic and jar containers, so everything stays pretty good in there.I’m not sure how the heat will affect the goods yet. But, its worth a try.
We will in Florida now (we just moved a couple of months ago) but I learned a lot from this article. With all the bugs we are learning about the part about having everything in good sealing containers I know first hand is the single most important thing to do. I would not have thought about the walky-talky radios and most of the extra items she wished she had stored. I want my family to be safe. I don’t really like guns but the way the world is going and everything I have been reading I am starting to realize the importance of these items and making sure that no pest can ruin anything. Thank you for the information. I will be keep up all the new information and try to be prepared for the worst so my family will be protected. I had a Roadtrek but do to financial situation at this time had to sell it. I will be starting a fund to buy at least something small so that my family will be able to be moblie just in case!! Reading the comments below also gave me some more insite into what I need to be prepared for…Thanks
Greetings. Just in case you think you cannot afford to be self-sufficient, This was pretty easy for me. Have a small home-made pickup camper on a toyota mini-pickup, an older model motor-home, and two small but sturdy steel storage buildings. Any of the 4 units would be suitable for living in, and the motor home and camper have heat and swamp coolers. My only outside sources are some food (have two gardens and am considering rabbits and/or chickens), propane for the refrigerator/freezer, and charcoal for the heater stoves. The cats take care of the mice, and after reviewing my shopping list, have decided that most everything else can be had without going to the store if need be. The only thing probably that I haven’t come up with an alternative for is toilet paper.
But managed all of it for a few thousand dollars over the last few years, and have the supplies diversified amongst each of my 4 units. After that (probably more important), recommend making friends with like-minded neighbors. And I don’t have much income. Most of my resources are home-made. Probably should put them on my web-pages. Have built my charcoal stoves, swamp coolers, winery, electrical systems (solar so far, wind to come soon), and have alternatives for most other stuff if the store is closed. Still working on some other projects like a cistern and growing everything else needed.. Hope that helps. I’ll try to work on my webpages pretty soon.
Good luck everybody. Make good friends.
Crow
Karen, I’m sorry to hear about your misfortune, but thanks for sharing. Plastic tubs may have worked for you, but I must either have more persistent mice or squirrels to deal with. I like new metal garbage pails with the lids either taped or tied down. They come in various sizes, and some less sturdy ones are not too expensive, but still cannot be chewed like plastic.
I always like to have duplicates of basic survival necessities—one for the house, one for the car, and another for the outbuilding I plan to build in the spring, but thanks for the reminder to check and see what I am still missing.
Here is a tip a friend told me for long-term storage of dry goods, such as flour, beans, and grains, to keep them from getting buggy. When the food is new and fresh, put it into sealed air-tight containers—empty glass or plastic jars from grocery store food you have eaten work well, and are free. Then freeze the food in the jars for a few days. The refrigerator freezer will work, but if you live in a cold climate, just leaving them outside during the winter is easier for large quantities. The idea is to kill any bug eggs that may be present in the food, so they will never hatch and multiply.
As for batteries, you can buy rechargeable AA batteries where cameras and electronics are sold. I have found that solar-powered walkway lights often take that size of battery, and can only cost a few dollars. So, I have these lights, which now light my path at night. The sun charges them by day, and in a power failure, I can bring them inside to see at night, or remove the charged batteries to use in a radio, regular flashlight, or any other device that takes the same size of battery.
Sorry about your fire and espically you loss. Thank-you for your words of wisdom. Looks like I’ll be burry another fridge in the back yard just for emergency stuff. Hope you recouperate quickly!
for dievercity try geocashing and more idas can be found on apoylips 101 on natgeo channel
i like your ideas and was actually a practicing member of mormoun church which alot of people think of as a cult but their all about family night and date night but im ina wheelchair now and cant get to our services because of poor bus service.i learned alot of saving for rainy day but some doomes day preppers are a little over the top and try to treat their family like soldiers and i think if its your time to check out,theres not much you can do ,so be prepaired but dont live in fear cuz life is too short.im curious about this blueprint for solar power to see if my crippled ass can build it. i just put in a new boiler by myself.it was hard cuz i got no controllable legs but i got 25 years of buildin trades to motivate. hopefully i will get an unbroken dvd this time.a third times a charm i hope.but thanks for your story.i just hope if society ever does collapse that people dont kill each other because of greedieness.till them ;long live the tea party and patriots opposed to the rat bastard power companies that know we have no choice in who supplies our power,the got us by the balls.peace out
Have really been thinging about this hard. Having 2 look at it from a poor man’s side. All this makes a lot of since. Where I live, is all family. We have all been thinking of things that each family can provide, and work togather.but u always have 2 think about what
Would happen if things fall apart.It is something to think about. Deep inside #1 comes first! Loved the article.
I can surely testify that a well-stocked bag carried around in the car can surely come in handy. Upon the recommendation by Red Cross representative, Janet H., I had stocked that bag, put it in the car, and appreciated it when my house fire happened in 2009.
Good idea’s , I will take action right away. Thank you.
Karen’s story is enlightening which gives us good ideas and plenty of things to think and plan over.
The bay leaves are a good suggestion. My mom told when I was a teen to put bay leaves on each pantry shelf to keep bugs away. I also put them in each 5 gallon bucket with food items in it. Sorry to hear about Karen’s bad luck, but now realize I must re consider storage. Thank you. My husband and I were considering purchasing a shed and insulating it to store food in. (In the back yard, but close to the house) I enjoy reading all of your comments as it helps to educate me on different levels.
Nice story. As with all things the middle balance is easy to say and see in hind sight. I am new to this process. I see power independence, at least to the 50% mark as my first goal, then other things. The remoteness seems just as much a vulnerable as living in the suburbs. I am interested in reading about practicle technologies used.
Don”t forget some silver coins! RA
Found some very good insights that I will be using in my trailer. Thanks a lot! RA
i just wanted to say that we purchased a 5 acre ranch(because it had a horse barn on it) and had a 31 foot airstream and 14 x14 shed, this was perfect because it had septic tank and well and a propane generator. we are getting it ready for our bug out retreat, we have a portable kitchen that can hold 9 months of food stuff and we have a year worth of food at our home. the (ranch) is 48 miles from our home and is in a very remote area were there our other families getting ready for harder times. we feel very lucky that we found this spot that was just waiting for us to come in and take care of it. I can and dry alot of food and the area that we live in is an area of large commercial farms so we get onions,spuds and apples and other food cheap and some times free so in the fall i am busy drying and canning. this wekend we say deer, and rabits which is a good sign and fishing abounds . I just wanted to add that we store clothes,blankets and toiltet paper and paper products in 5 gal buckets with gama lids, the man that we purchased the property hand irish spring soap in and under the airstream and he had no mice…i on the other had mice poisen in our motor home and mothballs and we had alot of mice in that unit, same area just 2 miles away, so i think the soap works…..next winter we will try the soap up in the motor home.
Wonderful story to share with us! thank you both so much. Can’t wait for part 2. Great information and always great to hear from people who have been there.
Thank you.
I have a building such as this, I call it my flea market shed. It have a little of everything in it, but not much furniture, no food storage, no weapons, no blankets etc,etc. Guess I better get busy and get this going, thanks for the post.
I am not sure if i can add anything to the conversation, but a couple of ideas.
1. Plastic storage, is great if it is air tight, but beware of the big mice. They can and will eat a hole in one to get at the cloth stuff they must smell in the containers. i have a couple under my bed and they are damaged.
2. banks. safety deposits are ok and again, think about banks closing, and if you nee what is in the boxes at the bank?
3. separate storage if you can is great , if no room then try the idea of a storage unit, a cheap one, but i found termites in mine & eating the card board boxes.
thanks for all the good ideas folks and may God give you a special blessing Frank for doing this for us.
PLASTIC STORAGE CONTAINERS ARE INDEED A GOOD IDEA. BUT I HAVE LEARNED TO MY SURPRISE THAT EVEN IF MICE DO NOT EAT THROUGH THEM, SQUIRRELS WILL!! THEY RUINED SEVERAL CONTAINERS FOR ME HERE IN IDAHO. REALLY ENJOYED ALL THE COMMENTS. MY HEART GOES OUT TO KAREN AND HER FAMILY. I, TOO, HAVE STARTED (AGAIN) TO BUILD UP A BIT OF STORAGE AND HAVE STORED IT IN A COUPLE OF .DIFFERENT PLACES, HOWEVER, FEEL I NEED A FEW MORE OFF-SITE LOCATIONS. THE STORAGE UNIT IS A GOOD IDEA, THOUGH IF TIMES WERE REALLY BAD OVER A LARGE AREA, IT WOULDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THOSE TO BE THOUGHT OFF BY THOSE ‘OTHERS’ WHO HAD NOT PLANNED AHEAD. THE GUN ISSUE IS ONE I HAVE LONG BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT, GUN REGISTRY WILL SURELY BE THE FIRST THING TO BITE US SEVERELY IN CASE OF A TAKEOVER BY EITHER OUR OWN GOVERNMENT ‘OF THE PEOPLE’ OR ANOTHER COUNTRY. CHINA, MAYBE? WE ALREADY OWE THE BILLIONS IN LOANS THEY HAVE MADE US, NOT TO MENTION THE COMPANIES AND PROPERTIES THEY OWN HERE IN THE GOOD OL’ USA. I LEARNED ALOT BE READING THESE COMMENTS AND WILL ADD THEM TO WHAT I HAVE THOUGHT OF ON MY OWN. BOOKS ARE ALWAYS WORTH THE MONEY! I HAVE BOUGHT AND READ SOME ON VARIOUS THINGS THINGS I THOUGHT MIGHT BE HELPFUL; I.E., ROOT CELLARS, OUTDOOR EARTH OVENS, HOW TO MAKE VARIOUS CONDIMENTS (VINEGAR, MUSTARD, ETC), SOAP MADE THE OLD FASHIONED WAY WITH LYE, AND HOW TO MAKE THE LYE. ALSO HOW-TO MAKE SIMPLE MEDICINE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE STORE, IF A DISASTER LASTS LONG ENOUGH WE WILL RUN OUT. HOW TO KNIT, CROCHET, SEW (BOUGHT A TREADLE SEWING MACHINE), BUILD A SIMPLE LOOM, CARD AND SPIN, ETC. HAVE HAD A SMALL HAND POWERED GRAIN MILL FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. HAVE TO GRIND, TIGHTEN DOWN THE WHEEL SEVERAL TIMES AND GRIND AGAIN DEPENDING ON HOW FINE YOU WANT THE FINISHED PRODUCT. HOW ABOUT MEAT GRINDERS, BONE SAWS, DRYING THE MEAT, ETC. NOT MENTION A HOW-TO ON HOW TO PREPARE THE MEAT FOR BUTCHERING AND BUTCHER THE MEAT AFTER YOU KILL IT. MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE AN HOW-TO ON HOW TO KILL TAME MEAT ANIMALS, IF THOSE EXPERIENCES WERE NOT PART OF YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES. HUNTING FOR MEAT IS A DIFFERENT SKILL ALL TOGETHER, ALONG WITH TRAPPING, SKINNING, STRETCHING, DRYING, AND TANNING THE HIDES FOR USE.. FISHING HOW-TO AND BASIC EQUIPMENT WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL. IT IS TO BE HOPED THAT PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO BAND TOGETHER AND POOL THEIR KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND GOODS. BUT THE SIMPLEST THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED CAN BE LIFE-SAVING IN A DISASTER. BASIC FIRST-AID SKILLS, STITCHING, TOURNIQUETS TO CONTROL BLEEDING, BANDAGING, SETTING A BROKEN BONE, ETC.
EVEN THOUGH I AM LIVING IN TOWN AND A YOUNG 65 YEARS FEMALE, TRYING MY BEST TO ‘WALK THE RED ROAD’, ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN LIFE EXPERIENCES FOR ME. BUT, SADLY, THESE SKILLS ARE BEING QUICKLY LOST!
A DISASTER IS DIFFERENT THAN A CATASTROPHE. IN A DISASTER YOU WILL BE ABLE YOU MAY BE ABLE TO EXPECT HELP FROM ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LOCAL OR NATIONAL. IN A CATASTROPHE IT IS UNLIKELY THAT SUCH HELP WILL BE AVAILABLE.
ALSO, REMEMBER, SHARING IS THE ‘RIGHT’ THING TO DO, BUT THERE WILL BE THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO SHARE, BUT WANT TO TAKE EVERYTHING, EVEN YOUR AND YOUR FAMILY’S’ LIVES.
ALWAYS REMEMBER – SURVIVAL DOESN’T JUST MEAN LIVING THROUGH THE CATASTROPHE, BUT ALSO SURVIVING THE AFTERMATH! IT WILL NOT BE EASY!
This story was very enlightening and I certainly will take what Karen says into consideration in future disaster planning. I have lots of food and such stored for emergency situations but I will definitely work to diversify storage facilities.
Trust me, flashlights will be dead and finding batteries after the SHTF is not possible. Don’t rely on anything that uses batteries. Solar set-up is a good idea. Solar cookers are a GREAT idea. I have one and it works like a charm. Matches may be in short supply after a while as well so use a tiny parabolic lighter. It uses the sun and starts up instantly. If you don’t have a tiny parabolic lighter, you might try a magnifying glass to start a fire, although it will not be as good and will take longer to start the fire. REAL WORLD scenario means you need things that are manually operated, solar, etc. Make rocket stoves, etc. Go to Youtube and learn how to make things for yourself that don’t require electricity. I’ve seen people say they are prepared but really are not. It’s sad.
IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOLKS TO BE PREPARED, YOU CAN BUY AN INEXPENSIVE SURVIVAL BOOK AT ANY BOOK STORE (there’s thousands) YOU START WITH ONE ITEM, THEN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS ADD TO THOSE IYEMS, AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU HAVE ALL YOUR BASIC NEEDS, BUT FOLKS WITHOUT WATER YOUR SCREWED, SO ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR WATER SOURCES. FURTHERMORE, USE THE EXPERTS ADVICE THEY KNOW MORE THAN YOU OR I.
most people i know think it will never happen to me no matter what you’ve got to be ready for anything thanks Karen Semper Fi my friends
Frank, it is stories like Karen’s that help us to make the right decisions as to the survival steps to take to be prepared.
I cannot thank you enough for taking such GOOD care of us!!
Susan
Thanks for sharing. I have many books and have some storing done and have family and friends that can share the normal things needed in a natural few weeks disaster. One thing missing is that immediate transportation can be missing. link. Also, in chaos that will not end anytime soon puts demands on water, energy, and food for the long haul.
Hi,
I
As a young sailor in the early 1970’s I was assigned to Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic.
Some of the sites that we were assigned to were very remote and survival was a way of life. It was a standard practice back then to have supplies divided up and stored in separate buildings or caches in case there was a fire or some disaster that could prove to be deadly if all was lost.
This is also a good practice in light of when the looters come and no one is home. Discretion is the better part of valor when you need to fight and or survive another day.
I’m worse off than KAREN. even though I have a big building the size of my house, everything is in the house or the attached garage. Nothing of use is in the other building, I’m definitely going to change that. My most important documents are in safety deposit.
Will pass this on to my husband. We have been thinking about
stocking an RV, and possibly giving up our home completely.
I’m not good at facebook, but I was wondering if you could pass
this question on to your contacts to see if anyone has done this
or has any suggestions. Thanks, Brenda Hardison
We all have to be prepared. We have an old Mobile home. We lived in it for many years. We have purchased 2 more mobile homes. We put them 20 feet apart, and joined them with a 20 foot deck between them. We made the center part 2 floors, that has another bedroom. It has a large glass front that we can grow plants and vegies.. Bothplaces have weperate Wells and electricity. I have a land patent on my 32 acres. This means that the State and County cannot tell me what to do or tax me. (if you want to know about land patents are, let me know)/
As far as food goes if you need beans rice or rice, or any storage in sealed plastic 5 gal. that have Baqt leaves in them. This keeps bugs etc out of them.They cant stand Bay leaves. If they are in the beans etc, they get out. Don’t ask me how. My wifes grandmother did this yers ago. My beans have been in storage for over 20 years, and are as good as when put in. One of these days I am going to build some solar pannels for everything. Gordon
Karen,
Well, I feel badly for you, and I’m glad you have a true-grit spirit. I didn’t have anything that bad happen to me, but I was injured at work in March 2012 and have not returned to work. I work for the US Postal Svc, and they are not very nice to all of their employees all the time. In fact they are not nice to some of them at all sometimes. I did not get paid from March until Dec 21st and they refused to tell the DOL (Department of Labor) what I made or what to pay me, so they called me (DOL) and told me it was a partial payment until they could find out what I was supposed to be paid. So far, I am not being paid on a regular basis at all. If my dad had not moved in with me, I would really be in trouble. He’s retired and has a regular income that can be counted on coming in like clockwork. Hopefully, I will be going back to work, but I am going to a different post office, and hopefully, they will be nicer to me. Even if they are not, at least I have a roof over my head and hopefully, I won’t have to pay for the utilities as soon as I can figure out how to do this Power4Patriots endeavour! Good luck to you, as well, Karen! I’ll be praying for you.
Sincerely,
Carmen
It’s always good to be prepared for emergencies. keeping extra food,water,health supplies,lights,fuel etc. is essential for survival. I just aquired a propane generator which will come in handy for power outages. Propane is readily available and stores safely and does not lose its integrity. During hurricane sandy no one could get gasoline. No electric,no gas. Buy 10 tanks of propane and you have a month of power. That’s about $250. A wise investment.
hello karen,
boy can i relate to your story. i live in mcdowell county, sw/wv. ‘nuf said. noah must have lived here!:) i am a firm believer in dual storage places, and air tight floatable containers! be surprised how many i found sitting in the trees. and all was safe and dry inside them. so much for flood preparedness.
once in a fire you never forget it. mice. EGADS! moth balls defer them nicely and cheap too:) my shed is away from the house and i think fire proof. it is metal. open the door and you smell moth balls.
in the back of my car is a change of clothes and shoes. blanket and stick matches in zip lock bag with striker. paperback book and crosword and seek a word puzzles. i was on route 77 when the blanket of fog came in and i was smart, i pulled off the side of the road. turned off the car. grabbed the blanket and worked crossword puzzles until. the fog lifted. another time enroute home from NC i pulled off and took a nap. works for me! and yesterday i read of the 75 car pile up. but for the grace of god go i. no place i gotta be that i cannot arrive late. and alive! and no vehicle damage.
i am deaf but i still have in the shed a transistor radio with antennea and batteries . so at least i can share that and others can tell me what is going on. i can’t hear an air raid signal go off! so much for noise alert.
guns and ammo abound, in and out of the house. like bears. wolves, cyotes, and looters. ‘nuf said.
before i go further i am 69 years old, alone. no friends or family here . retired. widow. why did god send me to the appalachian mountains of sw west virginia?
also in the shed is a kerosene heater filled and at the ready with 20-35 gallons of k-1. the heater is in a black plastic bag. keeps it clean and free of debirs for when i need to light it. also i bought several battery operated light bulbs.(from harriet carter) just remove the sticker and stick it on a wall. or screw it in where ever. or carry it. it lights up the whole place.it is removable from its holder. have one in the house in a closet to. they were $10 and well worth the money. you can even use them on a table for hands free whatever. not like a flashlight and when one is alone one needs the 2 hands free. when i change the clocks in the house for time, i change all the batteries too. (sams club has the best deal on batteries and refirerate them the last fo eons!
as for water well karen no shortages in the hills of wv. for that i am most grateful. no need to store. i have a running spring on the property and one is a couple of blocks from me.
the worse of the worse is the fire department here in the hills. only 2 or 3 miles from me but in the heat of august when i called about a forest fire they arrive 45 minutes later and then asked me where it was. all they need to was look up. good godfrey! so that was when i decided not to keep everything in the house. use the shed for something else beside a place for junk and tools.
an air matteress instead of a reg matrress works for me. and it is self inflating. pillows also in a storage container from w/mart. the mice do not like me :)
well that’s a wrap kids. back to you, karen and mr bates. and thank for sharing .
on a final note…………………. when the end comes i am not gonna be here. Rev 4-1 Jesus will say “Joi, come hither.” and in the blink of an eye i am in the sky. The Rapture:) then the mice can have a field day enjoying what i saved for them).
Very informative excellent advise , didn’t cross my mind , will definitely implement ,wish you the best
Great ideas! Thanks for the information. We are looking for a second place to store supplies in case of emergency of any kind. Charlotte &Bob Miller
Thank you Karen, I plan on implementing several of your sugestions. I have the outbuildings just need to be sure all items are also stored there. Hope your life is getting better soon.
Real life stories sure trumps theory! Many thanks for sharing! If I may, I will add to your several locations needed point. I have always made a point of really splitting things up. I don’t have shelves that look like a grocery store. I keep every thing in boxes, with at least 3 well rounded meals in it. If there are tins, I also pack in a can opener. If something needs water, I pack in vacu-paks of water. I also pack in vacupaks of organic meat and veggie broths, which in some combinations can sub for water. Spices. Matches and instant fire briquets in a ziploc bag. In other words, if I only had time to grab one box, I have everything I need for several days. I do the same with my home canning.
Redundancy redundancy will save your life. I also have multiple storage places, including my car which has all the basic camping equipment plus food and a duffel with multi season clothes for each person, communications, a volccao stove and assorted tools and weapons. You can always get duplicates of birth certificates etc and they are in my go bags, my briefcase and book bag. In additions to necessities, (as you pointed out socks etc) I randomly throw in playing cards, a harmonica or a recent edition of a cherished book, a bible. If it all gets saved, duplicates I don’t need would be good barter. Since I store what I eat anyway, I don’t worry about inventory time since my boxes also serve as my pantry and they get rotated naturally (saving me time and energy, always a good thing!)
We have survived fire and flood and family members no longer mock my “careless” ways. Guess that says something about being prepared no matter when, where, or why you need it. Looking forward to your next post.
I survived a house fire started by faulty wiring.I had to force my wife onto a lower roof from the second floor bedroom.I then had to make my way back to the childrens bedrooms that had flames coming through the floor boards. Black smoke made seeing impossible.I was in my bare feet and had to make two trips.If there had of been anybody else in the house they would not have been saved.Each child had to be forced out onto that roof.My wife is scared of hieghts,and my daughter kept trying to get back in for a damned cat.Consequently there has never been another animal in the house. That was march 1978 with 2 feet of snow still on the ground.I had to climb out on the roof,closing the window behind me.I then had to jump down off the roof and coax my wife and then my children to let me catch them.I never suffered smoke inhailation or burns.I did what had to be done.It was like I was being guided to do all of this.I never received any injuries.I also never received any recognition for what I had to do.That was because I did not know anybody in the area.The firemen came and saved the barn but the house was completely gone.The neighbours across the road took us in,fed us,washed up the children, and gave us clothes.
It was then that I realized I was in my underware and no shoes.People cannot be replaced,Things are things and animals are animals.The next nearest occupied house in any direction was about One and one quarter miles up the gravel country road.Good neighbours are priceless.You really need to find other people that you can trust because without them you can really be on your own.
Faith beats luck every time.Luck is for gamblers.
quarter miles away.Good neighbours are priceless.
A sealed insulated lockable storage trailer can be kept above freezing with a small light bulb operated by a solar charger. If cement piers are set in the ground around the trailer then cables from the piers to the trailer will keep it in place until you need to move it.It is always a good idea to list all contents that you may need to have replaced in your home with your insurance company.As far as guns go, if they are to be stored,good quality oil that can be quickly removed or paste wax should minimize rust.Ammunition can be coated with paste wax as well.Just clean before using.Government agentcies are buying up ammunition,so make sure you buy enough.
A Bushnell bore sighter saves on target practice.Make sure the trailer is high and dry and check for rodents chewing holes in plywood floor if it is not covered in metal.Rodents do not like mothballs or cayenne pepper.Do not store salt unless it is in waterproof container.Do not open the trailer on foggy,rainy or humid days unless necessary.Old cedar boards placed under trailer help keep weeds, grass,bugs and moisture away.Enable air flow around trailer.
very good advice.I keep a baggy with a change of clothes,a coffee can with towlet paper in it,toothbrush,paste,wash cloth and handiwipes in another bag to dry with. I also keep disposable diaper to put out a fire or being female to take care of a mement when you have no privacy. I figure write down everything you use when you get up in the AM and store it in my truck and at least your morning won’t suck while you figure out what is next. Medicine bottles can be used to store spices and instant coffee and you condements.A glass jar in the sun and you can have luke warm coffee to pomder your next step.
I fully understand————-I got completely burned out in 1990.
Started EVERY THING FROM SCRATCH.
Good luck Jim
Thanks Karen … A word from the now wiser! ..
We all should heed this lesson!
Thanks for experience lesson, l did get some needed information.
Thank you for sharing, Karen. Experience is a “dear teacher.” I plan to act on your hard learned lesson.
Tim get intouch with me i live east tn. 4 miles from n. carolina
Excellent I am behind in alot of areas but this gave me some great ideas as how to do and what to make sure I have different that I had not thought of. Thanks for the article. Keep up the good work.
Right on!!! The Lord has a way of giving us hints. His Divine Will is that we survive in this world. But the responsibility and details are all ours. If we ignore His Will in this regard, we disobey Him. Our survival can be physical salvation for some other humanoids. We live in lower Manhattan (NYC), which got caught with its pants down because of Hurricane Sandy. We got off easy. Parts of NJ and our own suburbs still suffer greatly. The governments (Fed. & States) have largely failed. Another Divine Hint? My sister lives a simple life in the mountains of NE Georgia and forwards your great stuff to me. God bless Karen, her family. and all of you for the wisdom that you share with the rest of us!!! PadreAndrei.
Thank you, Reverend. You know, you can sign up for the emails yourself through the newsletter signup on the bottom right at: http://www.power4patriots.com/blog
I look forward to the next post.
I have had the bad luck to have been through two (2) house fires, neither while I was at home. Both were set by childern! The first by my son who was playing with matches.
The house was replaced, as the structer was damaged beyond economical repair. We lost about 80% of everything else, despite my best salvage efforts.
The new house had some safegards built in. Saved my wife, pets and about 90% ! of everything else! (Two of the grandkids staying with us had a “sacrificial teddy-bear”!) Most of the damage (close to $10k) was confined to their bedroom and the upstairs hall. The door to the Master bedroom was a steel ‘outside’ door used as a fire block. The other bedroom doors were solid (as opposed to the ‘hollow-core” normally used.) Both upstairs bathrooms have doors opening out onto a second floor deck with it’s own stairs to ground level. This allowed my wife time to get safely dressed and grab pets and other important things and still leave safely!
The fire department later told me that if it hadn’t been for those doors and extra exit point, she might not have made it even leaving as soon as she became aware of the danger!
The insurance agent congradulated me on my foresight (in the way of those doors) as they minimized the damage to the house by delaying the fire enough to give the firemen time to get there and bring the fire under control with ‘so little damage!’
Next house I build will have even more protection – maybe cement boards (like ‘Hardie Boards”) to act as fire stops, instead of or in addition to regular wall boards. Maybe also a central “bunker/safe room” for storage of important items. (I live in southeast Louisiana, NO Basements! bown here, a basement is also known as an indoor pool as the water table is only 1 to 2 feet down, less if it has been raining!)
Karen, thanks for your posting. A smart person learns from experience; a brilliant person learns from the experience of others. Since the emergencies we prepare for are infrequent, we are not able to get a lot of experience; we must share our experiences. Thanks again for some good ideas.
One thing you need to be very careful about storing, and should probably be in a TOP SECRET/SAR location: books. WTSHTF, you go off to the gulag if you are caught with the wrong books.
OK, how do you store something large like a mattress safe from mice? A mattress that can’t be folded into a compact bundle? Yes, there are mice here in southern California.
I have begun to use my sleeping bags in the house. Get the old fashioned rectangular sleeping bags (not available at REI, but available at lesser stores), as they unzip to make a really cozy warm blanket. The modern cocoon sleeping bags may be better for long treks (less weight), but have poor coverage as blankets.
I guess I am guilty of Swiss Army Knife mentality.
Also, my recent attempt at home made hardtack… yielded some excellent body armor!
Always good to keep a list like that. To add a few extra ideas I’ve found that dryer lint is a quick way to get a fire started. Another is to hit the flea markets for basic supplies or tools. Some vendors sell the MK style cheap lighters by the case (48 per case) that will last for at least 2 years at $6.00 per case. Knives and wet stones a necessity if you are a trapper or crafty with wood working. Depending on your demographic clay is a very handy resource if you find yourself without any old pots or pans.
I do enjoy reading posts like this. It puts my mind at ease knowing there are others out there that have a plan. Make me happy.
I would suggest plenty of water and boiling pots and combustable for outside fires or on a bbq indoor, some camp cookers bbq plates and tools utensils for eating,some cold hard cash $$ , a medical kit panadol asprin included and updated , some reading knowledge , long life uht milk or milk powder, some muscle protein powder in its plastic container fish oil and garlic oil capsules . and the list could continue but thats all for now
Go to your local Walmart, or bakery, early in the morning and ask if they have any empty icing buckets (both 5-gallon and 2-1/2 gallon sizes) with the lids. They will usually give them to you for free. After your as them out, you can store survival supplies in them and protect them from mice with the lid. The smaller buckets work well to hold socks, gloves, t-shirts, undies, and flashlights and they store easily in the trunk of a vehicle. The larger bucket can be used to store towels, sweatshirts, guns, ammo, flashlights (get the self powered ones that you shake so the batteries do leak), small one person blankets. Great for storing survival items and are free. Just need a little elbow power to wash them out. Also the large icing buckets make great planter to grow food in.
Dear Frank and Karen,
Thank you so very much for always being willing to share and help us as Americans to regain and retain our independence. I would never have even thought of placing survival items (clothing, food,etc.) outside of my actual house.
Karen, I’m sorry for the experience you’v just endured and I’ll keep you in my prayers for something even better to bless your life. I appreciate your generosity in sharing the knowledge gained through this situation and your determination to help others from it. Thank you.
Hello Karin,
I am so sorry for your loss but I thank you for using it to help others to learn from it. I am afraid I am in your shoes in that I don’t have outside storage areas that are protected from rodents. I really need to come up with a secret storage area. I would appreciate anyones ideas, please keep in mind I am on a very tight budget.
I hope you recover quickly Karen and that God blesses you doubly for your loss. Also, if any patriots live in east Tennessee. I want to try to get groups together to help each other. I am on the Tennessee/North Carolina border and would love to get with some other like minded patriots to share information and possibly join forces.
Thanks,
Tim
East TN
Don’t forget to buy as many cases of water as you can store.
Great story, This is the stuff most folks don’t think about. I have started thinking about placing some things in out buildings and have now made a comprehensive plan after hearing your story. Thank you for sharing. Also Be smart about storing things when they start coming around looking for things it will be history repeating it’s self and they will find everything of value, arms, gold silver, jewels, cash I am sure some of you have family that have lived through those horrific times in Europe. Be smart, be safe and prepare for survival.
When I was 8 years old my mom was drunk and my dad worked out of state. My 6 year old sister and I got home from school and saw smoke over the large hill behind our southern Oklahoma rabbit farm. We assumed someone on the other side was burning trash. Within a few hours dusk was upon us and we could still see the smoke through a slight glow on the other side, we knew that was not trash burning but still we weren’t worried, we were just kids. We should have called our grandparents who lived two hours away to come get us. My dad would have done well to fill a bunch of 55 gallon drums with water and spread them out in a line across our hill in case of fire. Back then 911 didn’t service our area. Once I saw the flames outlining the top of our hill I knew we were in trouble. I would love to say my mom put us in the car and we left but she was passed out cold. Volunteer firefighters were only on duty and I was told, “I’m sorry these trucks ain’t mountain goats, gotta wait til the fire gets down here, we’ll get to your family as soon as we can.”
Long nightmare short, I learned. 1 depend completely on nobody, we are all subject to circumstance. 2 escape plans need to be possible for even a child to carry out. Ours depended on having the ability to drive. 3 water is far more valuable than simply quenching thirst. 4 animals have stronger survival instincts than humans. All our animals knew they were trapped in deep shit before I did. 5 Fresh air, when threatened, vanishes before you even knew it was in danger. 6 prayer is a strong ally. 7 children are stronger and capable of far more then they tend to get entrusted with. Children are young and lack experience, not incapable. 8 plans make one feel safe but the ability to accept the situation and strive to adjust whatever plans available are how you survive. Before my sister and I fell asleep praying we were searching the house for trapped fresh air. The fridge, freezer…didn’t work. At that point breathing our own used air from a paper sack was better than smoke filled air.
Karen, even though you lost quite a bit, you had more stored off site than I would have thought about. Kudos!
Great article.
Just a thought, I have a horse trailer with a decent sized tack room. this would be a great place for people to store things also. I already keep several of these items in my trailer anyway, but will be adding a few more.
To help with the storage of these items it would be great to use the space saver bags that suck out the air and seal tightly. This would help with the moths, but maybe not the mice.
Keep up the great articles.
Good idea….How to organize is very important and how to store food clothes and essentials of the house…..
The idea of splitting your importants up is very good I also feel that the rubber tubs r great. looking forward to reading and adapting.
This was a great read. I really appreciate someone’s point of view when something happens. My husband and I are getting ready to move into a new home. Since there’s no garage, we found a on line prefab office type building we’re planning to save and purchase soon. It’s only 10X14, but in an emergency it’ll house us for awhile. It will be away from the house, so it should be safe if something happened to our main home. Also, we have 2 storage sheds and understand critter issues, so we’ve learned to store important things in either plastic tubs with good sealing lids, or using metal shelves and glass/metal storage containers with air tight lids for foods or other small items. I used to camp, so I also have camping gear which would cover cooking/lighting, etc. We’re also planning to put in a water storage tank, and that will be further away from the main dwelling too. God Bless anyone who reads this.
Yes, I totally agree with Miss Karen.
I’m 57 years old. I’ve been an Eagle Scout for 40 years.
Worked homeland security for 10 years. I’ve operated a particle accelerator to sanitize the mail for the white house and 5 other zip codes in D.C.
Lets see if this post flies!
Just like the lady below, how can you buy a gun with the government knowing?
Alice
Your Information on all the ways to be ready is a fantastic way to help out True Blue Patriots I have comments on the survival kits; sometimes it is best to get yourself an iron lock box and place a tight fitting gasket seal so it closes air tight and place it as a part of a Lawn decoration then put heirlooms and other things you do not want too loose in it ; just a bit of advice; and about the power4patriots system good system but have you thought about radiation effect on the electronics part of the powers system
Most people do not think about the effects of mother nature on the systems either flood and or fire!!!
Karen, you have opened my eyes to a situation that not many people would think of happening to them and yet it could happen to anyone with a home! I am starting a a survival kit this month just in case of a fir and fire proof box for all important papers I need to find out where to get one of those. Thank you for sharing your story. I will be praying that God restores everything back that was lost. Of course the sentimental stuff is lost but He can replace it with new. God bless.
Karen, You have my undivided attention Lady. We have some small portion of what you cite as essential things to have on hand and we now need to get to work on the rest; as unstable as this economy is when the engine of free enterprise is being force fed with socialist communist fuel, there’s no real telling where this mess may end up and we’ve PLENTY of precedents in the 20th Century where there were not mass starvations except in the USSR, and those were no acciddent but Stalin’s planned liquidations of the middle class.
You mention guns and ammo: how do you plan to keep them secure against theft or government knowledge, which if trends continue their present paths, confiscation will eventually result: on this Stalin and Hitler, as well as Pol Pot agree: take up the guns from honest private citizens and there is no defense against government tyranny. I don’t mind storing some in an out building but would care to have some specific ideas on what to look for and how to go about it safely and securely. What I can buy is little real defense against government violence, look at Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas under Comrade President Klinton and the in-Justice Department under his ensign in office.
Any suggestions as to these and other vital issues that come to your mind, would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Mike Wallace
Georgia, USA
Great article. It certainly sounds like your family was put through the wringer during that time. I am happy you decided to share your story with us and look forward to the next installment.