Preparedness Kit

[helwen]

In comments on a previous post, loosecanon suggested discussions by her, me, and gwynt_y_storm, of what sorts of things would be needed for "a backpack kit of practical solutions for normal problems, such as when we lost power for a few weeks 3 years ago." baronessmartha is also interested in this. gwynt_y_storm, you probably haven't seen this discussion yet, so here's the idea, and any and all input are most welcome! And hey, bytchearse, I bet you have some good ideas too.

loosecanon went on to say "I think between the batch of several of us, we can find inexpensive, practical solutions to such simple problems as not being able to cook on an open fire in an apartment, and so on. Perhaps a "practical planning" set of posts shared amongst us?"

These would be things that can be taken with you, as well as things that could be used in one place (say your home is all right, but the power's down for several days).

I'll start off with a general list of needs, and some info on them. I'm sure the other folks will point out things I've missed, post recipes, ideas on cheaper and/or better ways to do things.

General Categories

- Water
- Food
- Shelter
- Bedding
- First Aid
- Clothing
- Sanitation Supplies
- Light, Fire, Cooking
- Communications
- Misc
(If I left out a category, let me know)

First, for those who want to try to find out more about this sort of thing on their own, you can do searches for something called a "bugout kit". These are usually set up for 3-5 days. Another good search would be for "disaster preparation". There are private, group, and government web sites (state and fed) that provide information on how to prepare for various types of disasters. Checking the state web sites is probably a good thing, especially if you haven't lived in your current home for very long or are going to be moving to another part of the state/country and aren't familiar with the weather there.

I strongly recommend doing some research; you'll see that some things are common to all places and others are particular to your part of the world. My research is U.S.-based, but I assume other countries have similar types of web sites.

How much of each item you think you'll need, for how many days, is really up to the individual, based on what he/she thinks is likely to happen in his/her area. In the part of Holyoke we live in for instance, floods or earthquakes are highly unlikely, but a fire isn't. Although a serious enough flood in the lower part of town could mean loss of power and water, so while we wouldn't have to leave the house, we'd still be affected by the disaster.

Water

One of the most important things is clean, safe water. In emergencies such as power outages, you may not have access to water if the pump for your water supply depends on electricity. Or in the case of fire or earthquake (no house, evacuation), flood (wet/no house, evacuation), again, you may not have access to water. This was critical in New Orleans, because floods caused contaminating materials to get into everything. I believe the general suggestion is 1 gallon of water/person/day... and don't forget that pets need water too.

NOTE: In New England I think we tend to think that prolonged large scale disasters won't happen here. But loosecanon is in NJ and they didn't have power for a few weeks. Power outages from ice storms happen in parts of CT every year or so. And I remember hearing about some town in PA where an old lady, who remembered the last time something like this certain kind of weather happened, had her kids pick up the furniture that they liked (lived in a different area), then hired someone to move all of her belongings up into the attic before she went to a safe area. Sure enough, history repeated itself and a huge flood happened. But all her belongings were safe. Those who paid attention to her and what she was doing weren't sorry either.

Storing lots of water can be hard on some folks, especially if you live in a small place. Also, the water needs to be kept in a cool/neutral temp area -- many plastic bottles are #1 plastic, which if it gets hot will leach plastic into the water. Also, those bottles aren't meant to be used indefinitely, so you'll want to use the water in them and change in fresh water... if they're kept cold it should be okay for a year. And storing 3-5 gallons per person shouldn't be too difficult, although you may have to be creative in a small space... maybe keep one or two in the fridge if you don't have tons of food in there.

The above is great if you can stay in one place, but what if you're on the move (i.e., floods, mudslides, earthquake)? Some people like metal water containers, aluminum or stainless steel, and there are some personal use ones that aren't hideously expensive if you look around. Nalgene bottles are one of the most stable plastics, so a lot of people like them as well. Of course that only carries water for a day, and all of it for drinking, not washing.

There's stuff you can add to stream water to kill the giardia and such. You can go to camping stores in real life or online and find this stuff. It can get a little pricey though. A cheaper solution is medicinal iodine (or bleach if you have it and you're at home) mixed in with the water. More info on that here. You should have iodine in your first aid kit anyway, so that's something that can do double duty in your kit. (I'm told it tastes nasty, but better that than getting sick - thanks go to gwynt_y_storm, who told me about that).

Being able to purify water is important, whether you're on the move or able to stay in your home, if the amount of time you'll be without safe water goes beyond the amount of water you have.

Food

Obviously, you need food. What sort of food? Well you could get MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), if you're rich. They are handy - already prepared, some are designed to cook the meal for you when you open them. Oh, and they don't weigh a lot -- important for the mobile person.

You could get granola or other nutritional bars -- some are more nutritional than others -- or make granola. Baggies of nuts and dried fruit are good, and last a long time. Dried meat, dried veggies. Dried beans, lentils, peas, rice. Hey, that could include fun stuff like sun dried tomatoes... and if you have kidney beans and some dried onion, you could make a simple chili... well, okay, you need chili powder too. But the at-home person, while without power, still has access to whatever spices are at home, and the mobile person might consider bringing _small_ amounts of spices (a mobile person may have a lot of weight to carry).

NOTE: I included rice in the dried goods because it's a grain, and grains combined with legumes makes a complete protein. And it takes less space than bread, and is less breakable than many crackers. Although those Ryvita crackers are pretty tough, and very nutritious, as long as you're able to handle fiber -- rice is safer for people who can't have a lot of/any fiber.

Some people like canned goods, but that's better for if you're able to stay in one place because of the weight. Wet goods are heavy. In either situation, make sure you either have a manually-operated can opener or pull-tab cans.

The mobile person might do well to learn more about what edibles grow wild in his/her area, too. If say you end up having to evacuate out of your town/city to higher/safer ground, at least in my part of the country that probably means into the hills, if only on your way to the next town -- I live on high ground in Holyoke but there are plenty of low areas and also the canals downtown, so in a really serious flood the sewers can compromise the water supply, and it's about 10 miles to the nearest town this side of the river. Besides, wild edibles can be pretty tasty :)

Vitamins might be a good idea too, especially if you aren't sure you have a balanced diet in your kit.

I didn't include luxuries like chocolate, but you could put some semi-sweet chips in with the nuts and fruit.

Shelter

Okay, if all that's happened is you lost power, then you're probably all set, at least for keeping out of the worst of the weather. But if it's during winter, then staying warm will be an issue. Layered clothing, natural fibers are better, wool socks (unless you're allergic), a hat, maybe gloves if it gets cold enough, extra blankets on the bed, etc.

Although if you have good sleeping bags, I'd take those blankets, along with any comforters, pieces of fabric, extra pillows, etc., and cover up the outer walls and windows. If it's sunny during the day after the storm's passed, uncover sunny-side windows during the day for some solar heating. If it's _really_ sunny, you can put some flat-black containers filled with liquid and put them in the window to soak up some of the sun, which they'll release into the room at night, after you've covered up that window again.

An apartment or house that's without power in wintertime for several days will get very, very cold, possibly below freezing depending on the insulation and air circulation around the windows and doors. A draft stopper at the bottom of the outside door is also wise (and maybe the basement door, if you have a basement). Anything you can do to keep the cold out is a good idea.

When deciding where and how to insulate your space, try to move everything you need into a smaller space. This conserves materials needed and also heat. Use one of those blankets or big pieces of fabric to block the doorways into other parts of the apartment/house.

And remember that candles and oil lamps are good for heating your space as well, not just for light. And of course, never leave a burning candle unattended.

***
The mobile person needs shelter too, unless the weather's good (summer, and the reason you've been evacuated isn't bad weather).

So, a groundcloth/tarp, and a tent. Or, if you want to travel lighter, there are bivv sacks -- usually a slightly formed cover that fits over your sleeping bag. They can run pretty high for cost too though. fitzw found a cheaper one that was essentially a thermal blanket. The main purpose of the bivy sack is to keep damp/frost off of you, and the small size means that you can conserve heat in cold weather better. Of course you can keep your stuff with you inside a tent, instead of running it up on a line, up a tree somewhere (assuming there are trees where you are). A piece of oil canvas/tarp and some rope, some short poles (if you can't count on finding branches/trees) can be used to make a lean-to shelter. We got a tent off of Freecycle last year -- I saw it on the list and figured an extra tent never hurts.

Bedding

At-home person - blankets and/or sleeping bag (see shelter above about blankets). If you can, try to enclose your sleeping space with some fabric/extra bed sheets/tablecloths/blankets. The space can be open to the rest of your living area during the day, but at night you want to keep as much of your body heat as you can, so if you have a canopy frame, perfect. Or if you can attach the fabric to one wall and drape it over the sofa and/or drape it over other pieces of furniture to create a space. Or maybe make a 'tent' out of your dining room table, if you don't have a pedestal-style one. I used to do that with a small table when I was a kid, pretending to be Kimba the White Lion -- it was my cave.

The mobile person needs a really good sleeping bag. Ideally, good to -20F for winter camping. Yes, they do exist, and you can even find them for less than exorbitant prices if you persist. I found a couple for hiking and such at Campmor, but I'm sure there are other places too. Heck, there are a lot of camping supply sellers on eBay too. We took fitzw's to Birka this past January because the AC/heating in those hotel rooms really don't work well for us -- too hot or too cold, and I hate the noise the system makes. So we kept the temp reasonable/sorta cool, opened up his bag and used it as a comforter. Perfect!

If you can't afford the really good sleeping bags, go with what you have/can get, dress warmly, and make sure you're air space is enclosed by the shelter. Take any extra clothing you have with you and put it under you to get you off the ground. Hopefully if disaster ever strikes, it'll be in mild weather, but it's nice to know that if you had to deal with it, you could. Oh, and of course if you're travelling with someone in wintertime, see if you can fit two to a sleeping bag -- definitely helps fend off cold. Especially important for children, some elderly, and some people with poor circulation or other health issues.

First Aid

There are already-made up first aid kits available, some with more stuff than others, a number of them fairly affordable. They don't usually have everything I want in them, but they do have a lot. I bought a couple from Target for fitzw's and my daypacks, and supplemented with some different types of bandages, additional ointments, etc. You can also see the lists online of what's in these packs, and no doubt there are web sites with suggested lists, including the disaster preparedness sites. So, you can always assemble your own kits, and put them in whatever bag/box you have or want to make.

I included arnica gel in my kits, and hydrocortisone too, because it wasn't in the pre-made kits we got. And gauze and bandages in different shapes and sizes, including the ones for going over knuckles.

I have an extra kit in the basement for now, plus the two in the daypacks, and the one in the car. The basement and car ones are in tins I had that I insulated with a beautiful red plaid flannel quilted onto cotton batting, to help protect against temp changes. Hey, why not pretty?

The extra one will be if we end up doing some long-term construction up in Ashfield somewhere -- I want an on-site kit in case L and I both space out on bringing our daypacks.

Oh, and take a First Aid course if you can, if you don't already know all the basics of first aid. Maybe even if you think you do...

Clothing

Not a lot to say here for the person who can stay at home. They have whatever they need hopefully, and I've mentioned some things above under Shelter.

The mobile person should have clothing that can be layered if necessary. Again, natural fibers are generally preferred. I've heard some good things about some of the microfiber fabrics, but not everyone can afford them. Also, I don't know what their durability is compared to linen or wool (for veteran hikers). A wool poncho can be nice both for keeping off rain/snow but also as an extra blanket.

Extra socks are good, and an extra pair of shoes too. The shoes are in case you get the pair you're in wet.

Sanitation Supplies

- Hand sanitizer lotion - comes in small portable bottles as well as larger at-home dispensers. You can usually lock the pump on the larger pump models in the down position if you need to take that with you. I don't really like them for every day use, but they save on water if your water supply is limited. The little bottles come pretty cheap at dollar/value stores.
- Wipes (those little packages with the alcohol/disinfectant on them)
(wipes, travel brush)
- Iodine, of course
- TP/facial tissue
- Women - feminine supplies
- Toothpaste and toothbrush
- Baking soda
- White vinegar

There's probably more that would be useful, but those are the ones I've come up with. I wouldn't carry the vinegar if I were on the move (liquid=heavy), but baking soda's useful for lots of stuff, including cleaning your hair and brushing your teeth -- just add a bit of water. There are these cool little traveller toothbrushes you can get at most any grocery store or pharmacy (e.g., CVS) - they come in two parts, so one way they have a handle and the other way the handle is the cover for the brush part. Lighter and smaller than a conventional brush in a travel tube. If you want to travel _really_ light, there are little brushes you can stick on your finger, but I think they might cost more.

Also for travelling, get travel-size facial tissue packs (can be used for nose or as TP as needed), and travel-size toothpaste unless you'd rather use baking soda. It saves a _little_ on water use, but remember it contains its own water. Kind of depends on how likely you think you can get more safe water in the short-term, but the baking soda, being powder and multi-purpose, is possibly the better bet. I'd put it in a waterproof container though, not leave it in the box.

Light, Fire, Cooking

Light
At-home, you should have plenty of candles or oil lamps, matches/lighters. When I was a kid we had a candle or two in every room, w/a box of matches next to each one. Our house was built long, and the wiring in it and that part of Northampton wasn't always the stablest -- we lost power pretty much every time there was a really big storm for several years. So, it was nice to know that you only had to go to a particular shelf in a given room, to get a light. Beeswax burn longer and cleaner, but are more expensive. You can get the paraffin-based ones cheaply Christmas Tree Shops, Ocean State Job Lot, and probably some other places. They're petroleum-based, but buy what you can afford.

Flashlights can be nice, but batteries can die. So if you like flashlights, check the batteries from time to time. Get rechargeables -- more money up front, but saves you and the dump in the long-term. There are shake-up flashlights, but not all models work well and you can get tired of shaking it. There might still be some of those ones you pump with your hand to keep them lit... we had one at Pennsic years ago.

Flashlights are great for when you have to move around in the dark, candles and oil lamps are nicer for when you're staying in one place, since they can be stood up.

There are also camp lights, but they generally use more/bigger batteries, and cost more.

For mobile people, flash lights are good, also those headlamp lights are good -- many styles, with corresponding range of prices. I found a couple of small battery-powered reading lights that use LEDs, and come with a clip on them. Small, light, can be stood up or clipped to your shirt/backpack strap, and about $4 each. They fold up into a compact rectangle, nothing sticking out.

Fire, Cooking
Fire, if you can have it wherever you are, is good for heat, boiling water, and cooking.

If the weather isn't too horrible, you can cook on a hibachi or grill outside. Many apartments have porches. If not, given that many places have gas stoves (but may have electric igniters), a camp stove could be an option.

EDIT to strengthen an important point:
Make sure you have ventilation in your apartment/home, for when cooking or have lit candles/oil lamps. Crack a window or hallway door open while cooking.

For the grill/hibachi, make sure you have charcoal on hand. For the stove, make sure you have cooking fuel, and a way to light it. If you have a lighter, make sure it's full and/or have a bottle/can of fuel for the refillable type.

Sterno can be another way of cooking, too. Still need to light it of course, and a stand to put over the can to heat your food on. And don't lose the lid, since you probably won't use all the fuel cooking one meal. Fuel is precious. We happen to have fuel and a stand because one year we were given a Smores kit by sorcieredeneige and her mom, for Christmas. I imagine there may be similar things for fondue. I don't know how much these cost, but if you shop around you may get a bargain. Or try Freecycle.

Some at-home people are lucky and have fireplaces or woodstoves. So cooking will be easier for them, but if they haven't enough wood, heating (see Shelter above) may still be a concern. Fuel is precious.

***
The mobile person has a tougher time because he/she not only has to carry fuel and a stove/stand, as well as all the dishes/utensils for cooking/eating. There are cheap and expensive dishes out there, and some stuff in-between. If you're making up your own kit instead of getting some pre-made equipment, you'll want a light but strong eating dish, not paper. If you don't know how long you'll be on the road, re-usable is always better. Aluminum cooking pots are pretty strong and light, although if you're cooking acidic foods (like tomatoes), then you're better off with steel/enamel. There're a lot of choices and options out there in cooking equipment, so I really recommend something already made, but if you must assemble your kit yourself, try to get things that will nest inside each other so that they take less space when packed.

Of course, if you're really good at starting a fire wherever you are, then you can dispense with the stove/stand and fuel... but that also depends on where you are and what the disaster is. Everything flammable might be soaked, or there might not be any flammables available (many parts of the Southwest, for instance).

If you _can_ have a fire, that's really cool because after you cook you can bank the embers for some ambient heat if it's cold out (in a ring of rocks or something, of course). And if you're lucky and find some wild edible roots or something, you can wrap them up in leaves and cook them in the coals overnight -- or the same on the first night, if you happen to have a few spuds in the kitchen and don't mind toting them along a short ways.

Since cooking on the move during a disaster may be uncertain, you can see why having the granola, nuts and dried foods are important.

I have a recollection that there used to be a way to carry a coal/something hot with you for helping to start your next fire, but don't know where that memory comes from....

Communications

Get a independently-powered radio. We have one that has solar, a battery, and a dynamo. fitzw uses it sometimes when he's working in the corner room, scraping and painting. Ours gets regular stations, a few tv channels, and some shortwave frequencies as well.

Many people have cell phones, and those can be instrumental in some emergencies. During/after Hurricane Katrina however, they didn't always work. The phone won't work if the cell towers don't have power or have been destroyed by fire/earthquake/flood/mudslide. Satellite phones I don't know anything about...

I know a guy in Colorado who's a HAM radio operator, and during the big wild fires short wave is often more reliable for ensuring information gets through to the right people. He's an EMT among other things, so reliable communications are key for him. A radio that can receive shortwave frequencies will pick up rescue crews and such, helping you to keep up-to-date on what's happening in your area.

I've met HAM radio operators over the years and they're all quite enthusiastic about it. Some travel, others have base stations. I don't know much about the technical parts, but I do know that you don't have to learn Morse code to become a basic radio operator anymore, so it's easier to get into doing it. Cost for equipment covers a wide range. Handier people may be able to build some of their stuff. There's a web site for this: Hello Radio that has some basic info and can help you find local chapters near you. Or the official web site for amateur radio operatorsARRL, if you want to learn more about this.

This is more than most folks would want to get into, and isn't necessary for short-term disasters, but if you got into it, you'd have an additional way of reaching out if you needed help. Of course, make sure the radio equipment has an independent power source...

Misc

If you have health concerns that require medication, make sure you have at least a week's worth of whatever medications you may need. Two weeks would be better. Some people live in areas where a big snowstorm can close the only pass to their town. In a big emergency situation like Hurricane Katrina, it could be even longer before you get meds. Some diabetics have insulin, which needs to be kept cool, so a cooler with ice packs is a must (and preferably something insulated over the cooler too).

I get my inhalers through ExpressScrips now, so order 3 at a time (saves money). I also learned some self-accupressure points years ago for asthma and some other stuff, so I could cut down on med use. Came in real handy when neither fitzw nor I had health insurance for a while, and we were holding off on getting the prescriptions filled -- summer/fall weren't too bad that year, fortunately -- in really bad weather or if I catch a cold/flu, inhalers are the only way to go.

For mobile people, topo maps of your area are an excellent thing to have, in case the roads aren't usable for some reason. You can get them online, and at some camping supply stores. In our area you can get them at Don Gleason's Camping in Northampton. We got them going from Holyoke to Easthampton and on up to Ashfield - figured they'd be useful for hiking in general. And of course in this case you'll need a compass too. gwynt_y_storm mentioned pacing beads or something like that in one of her recent posts on hiking -- I'm not a real hiker, but I'm assuming these help you with figuring out the distance you've travelled.

For at-home and mobile people, staying as fit as you're able is good too. A healthy person can handle emergencies better. And getting what rest you can during a prolonged emergency is important too - not getting rest puts you in danger of becoming ill.

And not a life-saving measure, but maybe a sanity-saving one, have some games on hand that don't need electronics. At home you may have plenty of books, but it might be nice to get together with family or neighbors and socialize, so games are a good thing. For travellers, a deck of cards might not be too heavy and you can learn a variety of games to play with just the cards. Some board games are on cloth and come with lightweight pieces. Or you can make your own cloth board and use buttons, washers, or what-have-you for the pieces. Be creative!

***

Oh, a couple more things. When I was working on our preparedness supplies, I made lists for each of the different categories, so I could manage the shopping for the things we needed.

For travellers, a checklist of what should be in your backpack is a must. Although you should try to have your pack ready, you may or may not have everything packed in your backpack at any given time. Also what's in it may change with the time of year (although I find a wool sweater useful most any time myself, when camping), so it's worthwhile to check things over when the weather changes.

Assuming the house isn't on fire, check the list, make sure you pack the stuff that isn't normally in the pack (meds, water). If you have to evacuate, you won't get to come back and get whatever it is you forgot.


Whew! That was an awful lot of stuff! And took me a lot longer to write than I thought it would. Guess I know more about disaster preparedness than I realized, LOL

Comments

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I have stopped at "water" for right now, more digesting tomorrow.

For water, beer or soda kegs are a good way to store it, 4 ought to be generous for a couple. They can be tapped without opening or pressurising by laying them on their sides. About 20$ each, another 20 for all the accessories including sterilisation kit.
I suggest distilled water and separate electrolyte packets, as the water can serve any need if it is already inert.

Iodine is risky. Many people have never encountered it, as in many cases it has been superseded. However, it is a known allergen, I have run into a few people who have problems with it.

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

Pace Counting Beads, or Ranger Beads allow you to keep track of distance traveled. Consists of strands of beads, one of smaller beads, one of larger. You lay out a precisely measured 100 meter course over varying terrain. Starting at one end you go to the other, counting each time your left foot strikes the ground. When you finish the count you have marks 100 meters traveled. Why it is done over varied terrain should be fairly clear. My own count is 80. Each time you go 100 meters you slide a small bead. When the tenth count is reached a large bead is moved. That marks a Kilometer. Conversion is easy; 1.6 Kilometers = 1 mile.

Rations: Life Boat rations. They tend to include water rations in them. Can be had a bit less expensively than MREs. Warning, don't expect gourmet food here. Compact. High calorie. Alternately, make pemmican or jerky and store along with energy fruit bars and such. Boring after a bit, but it will keep you alive.

10 Essentials Kit: one should have one of these when hiking or camping anyway. They have the ten essential items for survival. Note this means survival, not comfort.

For home or apartment if you do not have a fireplace and power is out, a sterno stove or better yet, one of those propane stoves that screws directly to the canister. Backpackers use them, though the canisters are a pain on the trail. Home use though, they fit well.

If you live in an apartment and the heat goes with the power, bundle up well, stretch linens and things along walls and windows. *However* a cracked place for air flow should be maintained. Use candles with reflectors and if with others, huddle together especially at night. You'll be surprised at just how much heat some candles can give off.

Bathing: Wipes work pretty well, or strips of linen you can get some soap on. PPA is the routine in rough situations. (That's Pits, Pussy, Ass) or the other P word for males.

Sleep & warmth: Emergency blankets *and* Emergency bivy. The emergency bivy is inexpensive and is a combination sleeping sack/tent made of the same stuff the blankets are. At minimum. Better is to have a *good* sythetic fill sleeping bag rated to at least 20 below zero. No joke.

Chloro pills and iodine. If you're choice is allergy or dying of thirst you're screwed anyway. For most folk iodine is harmless and in fact necessary to body functions. But it won't kill certain things like Giardia. Hence the Chloro supply. Boiling water is better. Much. Combined methods even better.

Necessaries: 5 gallon bucket and another full of sawdust or pine needles all ground up. Do the duty, cover with needles and stuff. Essentially you are composting human manure. Covering the stuff thoroughly will basically cancel smells. People use these in apartments, done right they work fine unless of course the poo taboo is too strong in which case deal with the mess as you think best. Good idea to have degradable paper, although I'd use strips of cloth and water myself. Yes, even that water.

Comms: dynamo radio with or without cell charger. Ditto flashlight. These just need the crank wound periodically to stay charged. Don't count on the cell phones solely.

Most importantly: Get yourself in shape. Ability to handle harsh conditions is tied to physical conditions, and there isn't any way around that.

I'd suggest having topo maps of your area, and knowing how to use them. Pocket knife of some kind. Don't count on cooking much, rather try to eat things that don't need it.

Been there, done this. Not fun, but survivable.

Take what is of use and leave the rest.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I prefer a butane "cassette" stove, which throws good BTU and has a number of idiot-proofing features.
These are available at Asian groceries for about 20$, the cans, which have about 3 hours of cooking fuel in them ( constant ) are about a buck each.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Looks like I managed to cover much of what you posted, albeit in a wordier fashion, but definitely forgot about the toilet, and the chloro pills. And good point about leaving some ventilation if you're walling off part of the apartment/house with temporary fabric walls, for airflow.

On the Ten Essentials Kit, I found a few different lists. I actually didn't like the one on Wikipedia as much as another one I found, because the author considered a whistle to be one of the 10.

I liked this site: http://www.zetatalk.com/info/tinfo02j.htm

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

The Ten Essentials were designed for being stuck out in the boonies, that is, really needing to survive. For being stuck at home cherry pick at leisure. For being lost or stranded in the wilderness, or something similar, the Ten Essentials are necessary. The whistle is for aid in being found and signaling. I have more than one; one in the kit, and one around my neck.

You can purchase the kits ready made; Campmor.com sells them for instance.

Ventilation: if you are using butane, propane, or even candles, air flow is necessary. Carbon monoxide is a stealthy killer and cooking in a closed environment is asking for it. Hence one reason I suggest foods that don't need cooking; that and when the chips are down Murphy tends to ensure fuel can't be found, hasn't been replaced, can't be obtained. Never give Murphy an opportunity.

If you're talking about riding out a power outage well that's not such a large problem all in all. You're in your home, you've hopefully got stuff you can use for emergencies.

If you mean being outdoors...Herself will kill you if you aren't careful, and New England has many cases of people found near food who starved to death, near water who died of thirst, people who died of hypothermia on hot, dry summer days and so on. This is why whenever we go hiking, even for day trips, we *always* have packs with extra gear in them.

Take no chances, make no assumptions, and finally, the P's. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. In survival situations, those last can, and probably will, kill a person.

Rice

[oakmouse]

Re: rice, it's also good to have if anyone in your family or party has food allergies. Rice is the least allergenic of the grains.

Parched rice can easily and cheaply be made at home, it's more nutritious that that nameless instant rice-type-product, and although a bit bulky it's light to carry. It also will rehydrate to edibility without requiring heat or fuel to cook it.

You make parched rice by cooking your rice normally and allowing it to cool to room temperature. Then you spread it on the drying screen of a food dehydrator (the fine mesh screens used for drying herbs and other small things), trying to get it into more or less a single --- or at least a thin --- layer. Turn on the dehydrator and dry the rice on a low setting until it's thoroughly dry and very light in weight. You can also do this on a well-seasoned cookie sheet in an over set on warm, with the oven door propped slightly open to vent the moisture. It's not great to just leave the rice sit out on a plate, because although it will dry up just fine it can go sour. Sour rice is nasty, and can make you sick.

To rehydrate the rice, soak it in just enough water to cover. Check at intervals to see if more water is needed. Hot or warm water works faster than cold water, but ultimately any water will do. It takes about 10 minutes in boiling water, 30 minutes in warm water, and maybe 90 minutes in cold water for the rice to rehydrate enough to be fit to eat. A little soy sauce or salt or a few herbs in the water adds some savor to an otherwise terribly bland meal.

Did you know that Heian Japanese travelers carried parched rice with them to make wayside meals quick and easy? I carry it on trips when I'll be gone for a while and don't know what the food facilities may be, or know I can't get safe food at my hotel. That plus mai-fun rice noodles, a decent brand of instant oatmeal, dried fruit and nuts, some utensils, and a thermos provide me with room meals. Not haute cuisine, but it means I don't have to explain to waitstaff that I'm only ordering tea because their menu is limited to things that will make me turn blue if I eat them. It also means I know what I can grab for road food if we ever have to evacuate the place.

Re: Rice

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll have to try making parched rice.

Re: Rice

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

Parched rice, that's a good idea. I'll have to try it one of these days too.

For water: it's possible to buy filters made for backpackers. They filter out everything. Chlorine will not kill Giardia. It's been demonstrated that 8 layers of Sari silk also makes an extremely effective water filter.None of the additives will *clean* water. Mud and dirt remain - certainly an issue with the aforementioned mobile people.

Cooking with sterno is a good idea; a propane stove should NOT be used inside. The thing is, candles, sterno, etc fill the air with soot, etc, and are impossible for asthmatics. (I know; I've tried.)

What other methods of light and cooking are there that don't involve fumes and indoor pollution?

Re: Rice

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the water filter info!

On the propane, I hadn't thought it would be much different from a gas stove... guess not. Sterno seems more controlled anyway. And the hibachi if the weather's good enough for outdoor cooking. I can't really think of another way to cook, except solar cooking and hayboxes. There don't seem to be any battery-powered cook stoves.

Solar cooking depends on it being sunny out. The haybox needs the food to be heated up first before you put it into the box to finish up cooking.

You could open up a window near the cooking area until the cooking was done. Although if for some reason you're cooking something that takes a while, you could open the window, cook the food to a certain point, then put it in a haybox cooker to continue cooking -- sort of a compromise, so that you don't have to lose too much heat from the building if you're cooking in winter time.

The only other thing I can think of, if you have the money for it, is to get a marine or golf cart battery (or two), a small hot pot and one of those hot plates -- and a way to be able to connect them. I'm not electrically-inclined, so I don't know how to do that.

***
On lighting, I did mention electric camp lights. I have one in the basement somewhere... uses one of those giant rectangular batteries. It's really old -- there may be better ones on the market now. Coleman offers several of them.

I have asthma too, but I guess not as bad as some folks. A few candles don't bother me. Of course, we have an open floor plan on the first floor, so that may make a difference as well.

[baronessmartha.livejournal.com]

If you are allergic to fish, don't use the iodine method. It can be the reason for the fish allergy.

Add old style Benadryl capsules. Not tablets, not caplets, not extended release. get the cheap ones you can break open and spill powder out of.

In an anaphylaxis emergency, you can pour the powder under the tongue of the victim and gain time to find emergency care.

Who, me?

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

Work's been hectic and I missed this post earlier. Really great suggestions so far! Much of my input echoes that of others. More to come, but this for now.

A butane stove is IMHO the best option for shelter-in-place. About $30 for the stove and 2 4pks of butane and many Asian grocers.
10K BTU's and will raise the room temp by 10 degrees or more. A new gas canister on full blast can boil a 4-qt stockpot in about
10-12 minutes.
In my Evac Pack I keep a small stove that will burn fuel tabs and anything else. I've tested it in moderate weather and it performs well and with twigs etc instead of fuel tabs will throw a bit of heat. Downside is it's lack of stability but it's designed to heat a small pot or large mug only; no stockpots there!

Here's a caveat: If you have an emergency blanket that you bought more than a few years ago, throw it away. Otherwise, when you open it it'll blow away in the wind as bits of shiny film.

I'll give this some thought and post to my LJ in a couple of days.

Re: Who, me?

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Cool. Great, looking forward to your post!

Re: Who, me?

[gigglingwizard.livejournal.com]

Along the lines of what you were saying about using a canopy over your bedding indoors to keep heat in, I saw an excellent suggestion in Mike Oehler's The Hippy Survival Guide to Y2K (http://www.amazon.com/Hippy-Survival-Guide-Y2K/dp/1879628171/ref=sr_1_12/102-9040965-8086510?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184802841&sr=8-12). He suggested making a "nest" in a closet. Put lots of blankets, sleeping bags, etc. inside and pull a matress up to cover the door. Especially with more than one person in there, that should be adequate heat even without candles and whatnot. Better yet, if you have a futon or a mattress that will fit, put it on the floor of the closet to keep heat from escaping through the floor. If there are clothes hanging up, they can be pushed to the sides to insulate walls. If there's a shelf above you, put couch cushions and the like up there. These would also work propped against the walls or laid on the floor if you don't have a mattress suited to the purpose.

Re: Who, me?

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

very wise, thanks! We lost heat on New Years once, the poor boiler mechanic came over in a tux. I appreciate your suggestions.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm
good seeming though redundant site on conservation

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Looks interesting, thanks. Will check it out later.

[kellan_the_tabby]

Is ExpressScrips still around? I'm trying to find less-expensive asthma meds and alas, their web page didn't load.

If you could point me at into on acupressure stuff for asthma that would be great, too.

Thankee, hun!

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Hi!

Yes, ExpressScrips is still around. I ordered just this summer. But they may be having db issues, or upgrading or something. I've noticed that not all companies are good about either having a placeholder page or doing their updates quickly.

On self-accupressure, my favorite book is Accupressure's Potent Points, by Michael Reed Gach. It has good explanatory text, pictures, photos, suggestions for routines (although you'll probably end up modifying and creating your own, to tailor it to your needs).

You should still be able to find it through Amazon or Bookfinder.com

[kellan_the_tabby]

Thanks, hun!

[kellan_the_tabby]

Thanks hun! Looks like they're having some kind off issues - the page is still down. I'll see if I can find a phone number or something.

*notes down book for next library trip*

[helwen.livejournal.com]

800 892 5119

I have to do a re-order soon, and fitzw said the info should be on my med boxes, and so it is. Yay!