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Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness (Read 9508 times)

Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #75 - Apr 5^th, 2016 at 5:07pm	Print Post
	On Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 6:11 pm the lights went out and didn't come on again until 2:35 pm the next day. High winds -- gusting up to 50 miles per hour -- caused widespread power outages in addition to other damage in the area. Our particular outage was caused by a large tree next to the utility right of way falling on and breaking the power lines. We called it in with the location of the fallen tree and since fixing dinner wasn't gonna happen, we went into town to eat. Shortly after we got home, a power utility truck showed up and Skywise was informed� that it would be the next day before it would be fixed. It was at this point that we made our first and thankfully only real mistake. Instead of waiting until the next day, we should have piled right back into the van, gone back to town and bought the new cooler and five 22 pounds bags of ice that we got on Sunday. We assumed that work to repair the lines would continue through the night. It didn't and once the sun came up we could see why. By dawn, all three lines were snapped and the poles were damaged. In addition, that particular section of the right of way is crossed by a narrow but very steep and reasonably deep ravine with a steep slope down to the edge. It was simply too dangerous for the crews to work that section in the dark. We expected that power would be restored by daybreak or shortly afterward. It wasn't and at mid-morning, we trooped back into town for breakfast which is when we heard at our neighborhood wasn't the only area doing without electricity. We stopped at Wal-Mart where I bought an additional cooler and the previously mentioned ice. Once we got home, a layer of ice was put in the coolers and those things must likely to spoil -- meat and dairy products -- were packed in ice. We had more ice than we needed for the coolers so I put those bags in the refrigerator and the freezer compartment since not everything would fit in the coolers. Consequently, we didn't have a lot that needed to be thrown out. Still, I probably would have slept better/worried less if we'd put everything on ice as soon as we learned that the outage wouldn't be fixed in a few hours. "Tomorrow" as we were reminded could mean "24 hours from now". The cooler we bought still has a lot of ice in it and I'm seriously considering getting another one since our older cooler didn't "hold" nearly as well. The house got cold but not dangerously so and on the whole, we did pretty well. At least we didn't have to cope with escaped livestock like one of our neighbors did. Their entire cattle herd escaped and went looking for unfamiliar pastures. Next time, we'll get ice earlier, especially if there are a lot of outages and if it turns out that we don't need it, I won't regret the expense. "Better safe....."
	« Last Edit: Apr 5^th, 2016 at 5:21pm by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #76 - Apr 9^th, 2016 at 12:32am	Print Post
	Our new cooler is a hit. Admittedly, it hasn't been opened since Monday but when I checked last night there was still a large amount of ice in it. Skywise and I agreed this morning to get another one and retire our other large cooler since it's around 30 years old and is showing its age. Our smaller coolers are newer and performed well during the emergency.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #77 - Jun 4^th, 2016 at 1:35am	Print Post
	I like this tent. A lot. It's 10 x 20 feet with the sleeping area being 10 x 15 feet. It's not a "four season" tent but as near as I can tell, they don't make affordable four season tents in the size we'd need. There is another tent I've been considering (see following post for the picture) but this one is somewhat bigger which is important when you are gonna house four adults.

	Kmart_NW_territory_tent_1.jpg ( 187 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #78 - Jun 4^th, 2016 at 1:38am	Print Post
	This is the other tent I'm considering. It has over a hundred five star reviews but it isn't as well ventilated as the first one. I really wish I could get both and have a mini-tent city with our screened "cook house" but I don't know if we could manage that.....

	81F-DrPaKsL__SL1500__001.jpg ( 103 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #79 - Jun 10^th, 2016 at 1:53am	Print Post
	I've been thinking about the "almost worst" case scenario. [The "worst case" is that we have to evacuate with seven cats that don't all get along. SunLord and Romeo got into it again yesterday... sigh] The "almost worse" case is some event that results in our not being able to stay in the� house and may/may not being able to use the toilets. So I'm making a list of what we'd need to "camp out" here which "I" think would be preferable to being in a shelter. For one thing, the previously mentioned 7 cats. For another, Spirit would be upset enough -- not to mention the rest of us -- without being in a strange place -- a shelter -- with strange people. And we know from Katrina that "shelters" aren't always safe. I'm currently wrestling with two areas: keeping warm in/"winterizing" a tent not meant for winter camping and dealing with lack of "bathroom facilities". I got a new book by Jim Cobb today The Prepper's Complete Book of Disaster Readiness which is giving me some ideas of how to handle the latter problem. I have a pretty good idea of where we could dig the necessary pit the required distance from all the wells in the area. I haven't gotten deeply into the book yet so there may be some ideas on how to make a "three season" tent into a "four season" tent or at least keep it above freezing. We'll see....
	« Last Edit: Jun 10^th, 2016 at 1:54am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #80 - Jun 10^th, 2016 at 4:34am	Print Post
	There is apparently no way to "winterize" a three season tent and four season tents cost a minimum of three times as much as the tent I'm considering. And up.... So, I'll need to think of something else. "Winter" tents are apparently not that much warmer than three season tents so, in my view, they aren't worth the expense. I need a safe way to generate heat and a way to keep the heat in the tent...... Post #37,800
	« Last Edit: Jun 10^th, 2016 at 4:48am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #81 - Jun 11^th, 2016 at 4:55am	Print Post
	I've been spending this evening reading reviews, questions/answers and comments about portable toilets on Amazon which was considerably more informative than the "information" I found online! The reviewers and those answering questions pulled no punches about the pros and cons of the different models. I think I've found one that will suit us. It's expensive but I'd be buying a toilet after all! In an emergency situation, Skywise and I could probably manage with a "low tech" solution including a latrine if it came to that but the girls, especially Spirit, require something more familiar and "civilized". Thus, my research. At a well equipped campground, our own "portapotty" probably wouldn't be necessary but in a disaster situation where we couldn't use the bathrooms in the house -- we long ago mastered the "pour water in the bowl to flush" technique during power outages -- we would need a civilized alternative so I've been looking at "privacy shelters" like the one below and portable toilets to make our own "portapotty" which Spirit is familiar with thanks to attending some large, outdoor public events. A second shelter could be outfitted as a shower or otherwise private washing station.

	Privacy_shelter_1.png ( 321 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #82 - Jun 13^th, 2016 at 4:37am	Print Post
	This tent (see below) is currently on sale -- $100 off -- and yeah, my fingers are twitching. I could pay cash for it right now if that was an option. It isn't, unfortunately. Gotta order it. Which I will do as soon as Skywise signs off on it.

	Kmart_NW_territory_tent_1_001.jpg ( 187 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #83 - Jun 13^th, 2016 at 2:11pm	Print Post
	Ordered the tent last night after I left here. It is currently scheduled for delivery on the 27th. Now for the fun stuff....
	« Last Edit: Jun 13^th, 2016 at 2:55pm by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #84 - Jun 14^th, 2016 at 3:10am	Print Post
	I've been thinking of ways to "dress up" and "hack" the tent. One thing I noticed in the pictures was that the "porch" floor is flat on the ground, meaning that if the porch is facing "up slope" on the slightest slope and it rains, the porch will collect water. To fix that I'm going to get a tarp that is a foot or so longer than the tent is and position it under the tent so that the extra length is in front of the porch. Then I'm going to take one or two lengths of 1� inch PVC pipe and roll it up in the extra tarp, rolling it under so it can't unroll easily. Then I'll stick a tent peg out of the way at each end to further discourage unrolling. That "should" be enough to keep water from running in since the tent has a "tub" floor all around -- except for the front of the porch. Stepping over the pipe won't be a problem once we get used to it. Some of my other ideas are going to have to wait until I have the tent and I can see what is possible.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #85 - Jun 14^th, 2016 at 5:18am	Print Post
	Can't find any tarps the length I need so the porch may end up with two layers of tarp between its floor and the ground. Post # 64,888 for the site.
	« Last Edit: Jun 14^th, 2016 at 5:26am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #86 - Apr 11^th, 2017 at 6:22pm	Print Post
	June 27, 2016 The tent arrived as scheduled. The email that arrived on the 20th saying that it had been delivered on the 27th was an obvious case of the left hand and the right hand being totally out of touch. At least I don’t have to (figuratively) murder anyone for mis-delivering it.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #87 - Apr 11^th, 2017 at 6:23pm	Print Post
	June 29, 2016 Got the tent put up yesterday. It is BIG and I’m too short. Gonna need a low step stool if I’m going to be of any help getting it up since the peak is higher than I can reach. It didn’t look right once we had it up so we hung on until 2 am so we could see the video on how to put it up. The manual -- which is sewn into the carry bag -- was not especially helpful. Skywise reset the stakes and the poles and it looks much better now.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #88 - Apr 11^th, 2017 at 6:23pm	Print Post
	June 30, 2016 Having established that the tent is intact and as ordered, we took it down this morning. Rain is expected for the weekend -- DAMN! -- and we haven’t waterproofed it yet. Yes, I know. It’s supposed to be waterproof already but everyone -- including the manufacturer -- says to at minimum spray the seams with waterproofing spray so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll need some time and a stretch of dry days so that chore probably won’t be gotten to until our vacation in September.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #89 - Jun 17^th, 2017 at 7:17pm	Print Post
	We officially have an emergency toilet -- a Dometic 975. I got one with brackets so I can fasten it to base -- which I will design and build -- so it won't move around and set up higher. "Field testing" will be conducted at the Guest House which is without plumbing thanks to a burned out water pump and a shattered drain pipe which would take several thousand dollars to fix which we don't have. sigh I wasn't able to get the privacy shelter that I wanted due to KMart's ongoing financial problems so I'll have to resume the search but testing -- and learning the special requirements of the unit -- can be done at the Guest House before an emergency -- like a prolonged power outage -- happens.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #90 - Mar 25^th, 2018 at 9:36pm	Print Post
	I found instructions on how to make a bidet out of a garden sprayer which would come in very handy when toilet paper gets low in a disaster situation. It requires water but reclaimed graywater would work.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #91 - Jun 10^th, 2018 at 3:46am	Print Post
	One thing that is frequently overlooked in disaster preparations is "medical". Unless one is lucky enough to have an "in-house" doctor, nurse, paramedic or EMT, in an emergency you will likely have nothing to fall back on except dimly remembered first aid from your scouting days -- provided that you ever earned a scouting first aid merit badge. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way. First Aid courses are available just about everywhere with several ways to learn, including online. If you're in the position of being responsible for the health of a number of people or may be, you should check out this website: https://www.doomandbloom.net/ Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy are medical professionals who have created an incredible resource for anyone wanting to be prepared for a medical emergency when professional medical help is unavailable. In addition to the website, they have YouTube videos, a DVD set, podcasts and the third edition of their magnum opus *The Survival Medicine Handbook. The book is a real tome -- 671 pages -- and it tells more than most people would want to know about medical procedures. It's expensive but a lot of what's in the book is also on the website, it's just that the book has more detail. The authors also discuss how to use herbs when the antibiotics run out and they tell you how to get those antibiotics without a prescription -- legally. Disclosure here, I have the book in addition to the two previous editions and a more condensed version. I have prowled their posted articles but not* the YouTubes. Lack of megabytes is one reason, the second is I'm not sure I could watch actual surgery without hurling even if it was a minor procedure. I'm currently reading this book as well as *Prepper's Natural Medicine* and *Prepping for a Pandemic* both by Cat Ellis. She's a "prepper", an herbalist and an inspiration. I hope I never have to use what I'm learning but if a situation ever comes up, I want to be ready. You should be too....
	« Last Edit: Jun 10^th, 2018 at 3:51am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #92 - Sep 11^th, 2018 at 1:33am	Print Post
	If the "buzz" in certain areas of the internet is on target, "something serious" is going to happen in September and the people saying this advise having a minimum of two weeks' supply of food, water, medicine/first aid supplies, etc. on hand. I'm paying attention and you probably should too.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #93 - Jun 7^th, 2019 at 5:52pm	Print Post
	I've decided that once the current inconvenience is over, I'm going to build a "porta-potty" in the basement. The portable "marine potty" I bought a few years ago mounted on a platform to make it the same height as a standard toilet, more or less, and positioned in a "shower/toilet" type privacy tent will work nicely. The one I've picked out is big enough for the potty, toilet paper and a big container of Wet Ones and, of course, a small wastebasket.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #94 - Sep 5^th, 2019 at 12:42am	Print Post
	For anyone who isn't completely brainwashed by the "Global Warming Hoax" this link, not to mention many other papers that the mainstream media aren't publicizing, should be sufficient motivation to start preparing. You can't depend on the government! https://electroverse.net/nasa-predicts-next-solar-cycle-will-be-lowest-in-200-ye ars-dalton-minimum-levels-the-implications/


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #95 - Mar 17^th, 2020 at 11:10pm	Print Post
	I didn't think I'd be preparing for a pandemic. A blizzard seemed more likely but here I am along with everyone else waiting to find out what "shoe" will drop next. The only thing to do now is follow the CDC's advice and be prepared to hunker down at home if necessary. Hopefully it won't be necessary but we don't know how far behind "the curve" we are and what it will take to get ahead of it. So be prepared. And DON'T hoard toilet paper! CoVid-19 is a respiratory disease and does NOT require enormous amounts of TP!


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #96 - Mar 22^nd, 2020 at 8:36pm	Print Post
	Given the situations in our "next door" neighbor states and the actions their governors have taken, I'm expecting a state-wide "stay at home" order to come down any day now. The number of confirmed infections here is bound to go up as more tests are processed -- Eli Lily is using their labs to help with the processing -- and when they reach a certain number and/or percentage of the population, the order will come down. We're as prepared as we can be. I just hope I'll be able to pick up my meds next Saturday or Sunday. I won't be out but it will be getting close. I have a plan if I run out but I'd rather not have to go that route.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #97 - Apr 3^rd, 2020 at 1:05am	Print Post
	Well, we have the "Stay at Home" order and it seems to be working pretty well. Right now, I'm waiting for Alton's Pandemic Preparedness Guide: Dealing with Emerging and Current Viral Threats to arrive. I have all their other books and I'm going to dig into this one as soon as it hits the mailbox. Another one I'll be getting is The Coronavirus Preparedness Handbook: How to Protect Your Home, School, Workplace, and Community from a Deadly Pandemic by Tess Pennington. I already have Prepping for a Pandemic: Life-Saving Supplies, Skills and Plans for Surviving an Outbreak by Cat Ellis and her CoVid-19 book that Amazon pulled for some unknown reason. Hopefully, I won't need to use the information in them but you never know.
	« Last Edit: Apr 3^rd, 2020 at 1:07am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #98 - Apr 4^th, 2020 at 3:56am	Print Post
	I found an Instructable for making a faceshield in case I should need one. I'll probably make up a couple when I have the time and materials to stash in my "medical" supplies along with the facemasks I'm making. Since it looks like we're in for a "repeat" next fall/winter, I'm making some in "holiday" colors and themes. Might as well have some fun with it. I'm also looking around for other DIY medical gear that I can make. Anything to feel like I'm doing something useful to prepare..... Skywise and I have three months of meds each so we "should" be okay. I am once again pathetically grateful that I'm not taking insulin.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Survival of the Fittest: Emergency Preparedness Reply #99 - Apr 4^th, 2020 at 4:30am	Print Post
	FINALLY found a pattern for the hospital gown style I want. I'm pretty sure it's free but I'll check later. SunLord is dozing on my foot and it's difficult to get close enough to the computer to do anything. Which would be obvious if I'd left in all the typos I've made in this post.


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