Disaster First Aid Kit

[Undertoad]

And I should say, they only fit in the mini Altoids tin if they are broken in half. Nothing special about it.

[Pamela]

UT, you are also the UberNerd! :LOL:

[Undertoad]

I had my Leatherman in there but I had to leave it in the car or the TSA woulda gotten it.

[footfootfoot]

I will post this again, it is worth reading.



From a Sarajevo War Survivor:
Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war - death of parents and
friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate
near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold's.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it's the easiest to
do without (unless you're in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of
the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs
enough heat to "warm", not to cook. It's cheap too, especially if you buy it in
bulk.
6. Bring some books - escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it's great to have a lot of survival
guides, but you'll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust me, you'll
have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you're human can fade pretty fast. I can't tell you how many
people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of
toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to
lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches

100 Items to Disappear First

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy...target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 - 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice - Beans - Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY - note - food grade if for drinking.
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won't heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book.
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk - Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman's Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes...buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches. {"Strike Anywhere" preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, "No. 76 Dietz" Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting - if with wheels)
49. Men's Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles...Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. "Survival-in-a-Can"
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress's
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens

[Pamela]

I would disagree with a lot of that list.
Anything running on propane, NG, white gas, Coleman fuel etc will soon run out of it's fuel and become useless. Diapers are fine, if they are flannel or cloth, not disposables. Nothing that smells good or bad, incuding cigs. No inflatable mattresses. They leak. No paper plates. Use once or twice, then they are gone. Get stainless plates and silverware. More durable and not disposable. Avoid batteries unless you MUST have the item. Stock up on rechargeables and a solar charger instead. Avoid anything disposable if you can.

And, lesst you lynch me, no toilet paper. Yeah Yeah I know. I poop too. Use broad, smooth leaves instead. TP is bulky and unwieldy in quantity. It's a waste in a survival situation.

Disregard the above advice if the emergency will last 30 days or less.

[Big Sarge]

Pam - could you recommend some good survival/prepping websites?

[Pamela]

sure.

try these:

survivalblog.com
preparednessadvice.com
theprepperjournal.com
modernsurvivalonline.com
survivallady.com
suburbanprepper.wordpress.com


that should get you going. Just don't get crazy like those guys on Doomsday Preppers. You CAN go too far. Or so I believe. Don't forget topic-specific websites for more information. Fishing must have a zillion websites. Hunting and gardening too.

Better than any stored food/weapons and ammo/water is KNOWLEDGE!!!!
Learn how to hunt, fish, garden, perform first aid, take up carpentry, blacksmithing, sewing or knitting, building etc. I have a small library in paper form (in case the power grid fails, the internet is gone and my Kindle dies).

It will help if you have a marketable trade to offer in barter situations. Should, say, ebola, wipe out a large chunk of the population, who will take up the slack? What if the financial system should collapse? Money would be worthless. How would you get what you need then?

Don't think it cannot happen. A large pandemic has happened several times before. Imagine bubonic plague, which wiped out one third of Europe, in modern society! They didnt travel much back then. Jet travel can spread disease fast. Read Executive Decisions by Tom Clancy.

Do not try to become an expert in everything. Focus on one or two things and gain a basic understanding of the rest. Apartment dwellars might learn square foot gardening, but large scale ag is not going to happen. They can learn basic firearm safety and practice tactical shooting with Airsoft guns, but long range shooting is not possible without travelling a long way to an outdoor rifle range with space for 400-1000 metre lanes. Such training might be irrelevant to a city person anyway since ranges in cities are rarely more than, say, 100 metres.

Think through each purchase, don't get caught up in the latest gadget or hot new whatever that is advertised as "must have". And for goodness sake, TRY YOUR STUFF OUT!!! Don't be like the guy at Burning Man who bought a tent and didn't open it until he got there, only to find out that it was a child's tent. If you buy prepackaged meals such as MREs (Sarge, you already know this), just buy a few and eat them. See if you like them first. If you hate em, you will be stuck with a bunch of food that you won't eat.

I recently bought a camp stove. I am going to use it a few times in various weather conditions and with different kinds of food and pans. If it lives up to the hype, it stays. If it doesn't, it's out of here.

Prepping isn't hard and it need not be expensive. Haunt thrift stores but buy wisely. Be creative. Repurpose stuff or modify it to work. Learn to make repairs on products. Look for useful things at garage and estate sales. Craigs list and freecycle have good stuff, if you look enough. Above all, educate yourself and know a bargain when you see one. Try to avoid wally world and anything made in China or SE Asia. Buy things that will last and take a beating.

I find that the hardest thing to do is to make a plan. I really don't know what will happen. Prepping for a pandemic is markedly different than prepping for, say, another civil war and that is much different than prepping for a nuclear strike. Do I spend $50,000-$100,000 for a fallout shelter? Or buy medical gear with masks, gloves, gowns, respirators, anti-virals etc?

I dunno, your guess is as good as mine.

Caveat Emptor!

[sexobon]

I'm waiting for the clone thread: Disaster First Date Kit

[Undertoad]

Counterpoint:

Disaster preparedness has not ever actually been needed by anyone who has prepared unless they live in tornado country. Disasters are rather unpredictable things otherwise they would not be disasters. And a shit ton of money has been spent on building things like fallout shelters that mainly house mice and have never actually protected anyone from dick.

A properly charged smartphone (my kit) and gassed-up car will get you pretty goddamn far in a disaster. In a real disaster you should probably get out of Dodge anyway. The biggest disaster in our country in our lifetime (Katrina) you had 3 days warning and the only people horribly affected were the ones that didn't just leave.

[Undertoad]

Here is a list of disasters in the United States ranked by death toll. Notice how most of them are not in our lifetimes. That's system improvements, better building materials, air conditioning. Notice how few of them would be made better via personal disaster preparedness.

[Clodfobble]

Most people who are preparing for "disaster" are really preparing for "societal apocalypse." Fantasizing about what they would do if they couldn't drive away because the zombies had taken over Atlanta as well...

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

... A properly charged smartphone (my kit) and gassed-up car will get you pretty goddamn far in a disaster. ...

It's important to stock up on wines to disinfect water. It's important to stock up on wines for topical antiseptic. It's important to stock up on wines for barter. It's important to stock up on wines for morale.

I'm good too!

[Big Sarge]

I have considered moonshine as a bartering tool. It can be used for fuel or consumption. I also make knives and flintknap. As many of you remember from Addie's pics, we make soap and tan hides.

As far as disaster preparedness, the tornado earlier this year took out the hospital in Webster County and the roads were blocked by debris. Their community is still being served by a FEMA portable hospital. Katrina was disastrous in MS. We were hit far worse than New Orleans. The sheriff of Forrest County hijacked military cargo trucks at gun point to get supplies for his county. These were items being sent to New Orleans. Finally, we have had major ice storms here in the past and been without power for more than a week. Travel was extremely difficult due to fallen trees, power poles, and a lack of resources to salt and gravel roads.

I'm not looking for the collapse of society and combating roving gangs. I already have the weapons to kill anything from squirrel to elephant.

[sexobon]

I've been through several military survival courses. The common thread between them is that a good front end analysis is key. With that, you can go through everyone else's laundry lists and select what's best to keep both natural and manmade occurrences from becoming a disaster for you. Do you have a working knowledge of the Rule of Threes in relation to this topic? If yes, you don't need my intervention, just to do your own legwork. If no, I'll be happy to elaborate.

[Big Sarge]

I know about the rule of threes. I am also a SERE level B. It became required for my MOS and duty assignment in an aviation BN deployment. I could really use your help in designing a med kit that will supplement my field trauma kit. I use to be BLS certified and I maintained yearly combat life saver status until last year. Oh this kit would be kept in a vehicle or storm shelter and not in my BOB.