The Suburbanite’s Challenge to Survival and Preparation, Part 2

Posted on April 30, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

One Word … SUSTAINABILITY

Can the suburban prepper sustain themselves through a long-term SHTF scenario?  I do not think so.

What do I mean by sustainability?  The ability to produce items needed to survive a long-term full-on grid down SHTF survival scenario.  The ability to grow food and find and purify water are the most critical and most difficult to overcome.  It is my opinion that unless you have sufficient land (more than the standard suburban plot which is usually filled with swimming pools and decking) you will not be able to grow sufficient food to support your family.  It is my opinion that because most suburban homes are on city water they will eventually lose water service thereby cutting off their water supply.

Food: Due to our lot sizes it is highly unlikely that a suburban dweller will be able to grow enough food to feed his family and at the same time store enough to get through the winter.  Suburban lots are usually filled with fun things like pools, decks, non-productive landscaping and lawn.  Even if you have a large lot, as soon as the city water dries up so will your irrigation and there will be no more water for growing.  Hunting or foraging for food is going to be difficult at first and impossible a few weeks or even days after the balloon goes up.  All of those people who have no food besides what is in their pantries are going to be scoping out rats, pigeons and anything else near by.  Forget large game even if you have open space.  The security risks are just too high.

Sustainability is definitely a issue where the outlanders (that is what I am calling those who live out in the boonies on their ranches) have us beat.  They have sufficient land and resources to be able to last, theoretically, indefinitely. 

Water:  Suburban water supply is a fantastic thing in good times.  We turn on the facet and whoosh, there is clean (hopefully) free-flowing water.  AAAHHH, the nectar of the gods!  All we have to do is make sure our water bill is paid and that is it.  No well maintenance or repairs.  Just flowing water.  But once the grid goes down and the water stops, where are we going to get it?  You should have a supply of water on hand.  2 gallons per day per person (so the saying goes) but you can get away with 1 gallon per person solely for drinking.  If you have a 5 person household you are going to need a absolute minimum of 5 gallons per day.  If you have a lot of dehydrated/freeze dried food then you will need more for food prep.  I would recommend at least a month of stored water for your family.  The way I do it is with 55 gallon drums that are stabilized with either chlorine or another commercial water storage stabilizer.  The best deal I can find on the barrels is at Quake Kare.  Be careful of pricing these barrels, the shipping is OFTEN more than the barrel.  When the barrels are this big be sure to add in a pump.  You can supplement these large barrels with smaller 1 gallon drinking water from the store.  A couple of these behind the garage are going to come in very handy!  Unfortunately after a month you are in deep trouble.  Your only option is foraging for water in creeks, neighbors’ pools or streams.  This again presents a security risk as you are traveling about let alone hauling water is a total bear!

How to Overcome: 

Food Storage: Simply store enough food for a year/two years or whatever time period you think you are going to need it.  You can’t store enough food for the rest of your life so you better pick a reasonable number and hope for the best.   

Water foraging: As I mentioned above you can always forage for water.  This is more likely to work than foraging for food as water is usually in plentiful supply.  If you are well organized you should be able to send out a party to retrieve water.  One or two to haul the water and others for security / lookouts.  You will have to do this almost everyday as water is heavy and you will not be able to haul large amounts. 

Supplement food stores with hunting and growing: The suburban prepper can alleviate some of the burden of storing food by supplementing their stored food with hunting/gathering and/or growing.  You may be able to find a deer or turkey in some open land by your suburban dwelling but I wouldn’t count on it.  As I mentioned before, the wildlife is going to get cleaned out pretty fast after a SHTF event.  There are good chances that you will still be able to forage from plants or wild berry bushes.  In my area blackberries are like weeds and they can be found on the road side.  You can also get creative with planting to provide you and your family with fruit and vegetable.  Try weaving fruits like strawberries or tomatoes into your landscaping.  The irrigation is already there so it should be pretty easy.  Strawberries are good because they are constantly bearing fruit.  Plant a few fruit trees in the back instead of palm trees or whatever floats your boat.  Fruit trees can be pretty hardy once they are mature and will hopefully be able to last without irrigation. 

Rain catchment: You can easily setup a rain catchment system for your home.  However, if you live is a dry climate there is a good chance that there will not be enough rain to get you through the dry times of summer.  You will also need to have enough storage for all of that water for the dry times.  You will need enough storage for at least 6 months.  At two gallons a day that is 360 gallons of storage capacity PER PERSON.  For a family of five that is 1,800 gallons!!! That is a lot!

 So it looks like Suburbanites are at a serious disadvantage for long-term SHTFevents.  But we knew that anyway.  Chances are if there is an event that shuts us down for more than a month or two there is global caos anyway and almost no one will survive.  If there event is less than a month (more likely weeks) then the government and other areas around you will zoom in to help out.  Bottom line: Do the best you can, can as prepared as you can and there is a 99.99% chance you and your family will be just fine!

-SP

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Don’t Forget the Kids!

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

No, not literally as you are running out the door.  What I mean is, don’t forget the unique prep items your kids might need.  From newborns (or not yet borns) to teenagers (shivers), each age group has their own prep needs.  Now, I know you have kids because you are on the suburban preppers blog!  Why else would you be living in the burbs if you didn’t have kids?  You wouldn’t!  If I were kid-less or wife-less I would be chilling in my downtown bachelor pad recovering from a weekend of debauchery and fast-living… (SP wanders off to dream land only to be awakened by the cries of babies) … Here are some things to think about in preparation for a SHTF scenario with kids:

Infants: Infants are relatively easy since they breastfeed anywhere from 8 to 16 months.  For infants’ food concerns your focus should be on the mother.  Woman who are breastfeeding need to consume almost double their normal caloric intake.  They also need to stay sufficiently hydrated.  Plan on your infants’ mother (or yourself if you are the mommy) consuming double rations of food each day and drinking twice the amount of water normally recommended. 

As far as medication goes you can really only stockpile over-the-counter medicines.  Most pediatricians will notprescribe medications for infants without seeing them first.  It is unlikely that you will be able to see a pediatrician during a true SHTF scenario so the best thing you can do is stock up on comfort type medications like fever reducers and re-hydrating liquids (Pedialyte).  ALWAYS Consult your doctor before giving any medication to your infants.  Another idea is to make friends with your pediatrician and hope that he makes a house call for you if there is a real emergency.  However, even if she/he can diagnose the problem there is a good chance that a pharmacy will be unable to fill an order for you.  For ages 0 – 24 months the usual culprit is an ear infection.  If you have kids you know that they can brutal on those little ears.  Take comfort in knowing that you will probably be isolated during a catastrophe and therefore the spread of cold and flu bugs will be greatly reduced thus reducing the chance your infants/toddlers will catch anything that leads to an ear infection. 

Diapers, Diapers and More Diapers!  Stock up on diapers, there is no other way to put this!  Infants 0 -12 months will go through 6 – 12 diapers a day.  Plan to have at least a months worth of each size for each kid.  (I pray for you if you have more than one kid in diapers!!!)  If you are preparing for a long-term scenario perhaps cloth diapers and clothes pins are the way to go.  I picked some up just in case I ran out of the disposable kind.  I will not even get into how to dispose of all of the dirty diapers.  All I can say is that if you are trying to lay low, you might want to get some sort of water balloon sling-shot to jettison your “waste” somewhere else as a large pile of diapers WILL attract attention. 

You may want to consider stockpiling infant formula in case, God forbid, something happens to their mother.  Formula has a pretty long shelf life and therefore stores pretty well. 

Toddlers to Adolescents: Obviously things get easier as the kids get older.  After about 18 months kids get pretty darn tough.  Toddlers (1 – 3) will still need diapers so plan to stock up on the larger sizes.  They will go through fewer diapers per day however, usually 4 – 8.  In a SHTF scenario you may wish to move potty-training up a notch in priority levels.  You can feed toddlers almost anything adults would eat but be sure to mash it up or remove any choking hazards.  There are certain foods kids cannot eat until they reach 1 and 2 so ask your doctor what to avoid.  Soups are a great food store for little ones.  They are usually pretty tasty, they have long shelf lives, they have small chunks of food, and they are pretty inexpensive.  Make sure you have plenty of dehydrated milk stored.  This age group will be used to drinking a lot of milk and by stocking up you reduce the impact a catastrophe has on your little ones.  Also consider freeze-dried fruits (strawberries, bananas and oranges), cereals, vegetables (corn or green beans) and hot cocoa (yummy!) for your growing little ones.

Stock up on fever-reducers (Advil, Motrin) but you can stock the “childrens” strength rather than the “infant” version.  You should still stock re-hydration liquids for the toddlers (Pedialyte) and add in diarrhea medicine since they are now a little older.  Pick up some multi-vitamins.  These growing bodies are going to be a little malnourished and a decent supply of multi-vitamins will help offset the effect of a diet compromised by a SHTF event.  Nitro-Pak has some here with a long shelf-life. 

Another key item for these age groups is entertainment.  Do not overlook items to keep these kids busy or quiet.  There may come a time when you need them to be totally quiet and rather than smothering them, try keeping their favorite food treats around.  Hot cocoa, m&ms, skittles, whatever.  Use these items to stuff their little mouths when sound discipline is crucial.  They can also be a great morale booster when times are tough.

Teenagers: Luckily you can use them as bait … NO, I am kidding (or am I fellow parents of teens?)  Teens will grow up fast and step up in a SHTF event.  Consider having a spare rifle or pistol for them in a manageable caliber such as a .22 or 9mm.  Food and medical needs are virtually the same as adults.  You can consider them another adult when calculating food and medical needs although a growing teenage boy will usually consume more than full grown adult cow!

DISCLAIMER:I am not a doctor.  Any advice that may resemble medical advice should be taken as mere suggestion and used as a starting point for you to make your own decisions about your child’s health.  Do your own research, talk to your doctor or make your own independent decision as to how to care for your children.  DO NOT GO SOLELY ON THE ADVICE OF AN INTERNET BLOGGER!

Prepping for kids is tough.  Do your best and think ahead.  If your children have special needs or special medication TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.  He/She will probably have some good ideas for care if professional care is not available.  Broach the subject by talking about Katrina and ask them how you should care for little Johnny if something like that happens where you live. 

The best thing you can do for your little ones is stay calm!  Be their ROCK!  Parents are PERFECT in the eyes’ of children so stay strong, keep loving them and everything should be fine. 

-Proud Pappa SP

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It Can Happen at Any Time! Travel Prepping and More!

Posted on April 28, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

My last post was telling you about a little R & R in the Sierras which, for those of you that are not from up state California or Western Nevada, is where Reno Nevada is located.  Anyone hear anything about Reno lately?  Check here!

It turns out that for the last two months the Reno area has been pummeled with earthquakes that culminated with a 4.7 rocker on Friday night … WHILE I WAS THERE!  For those of you that are not familiar with earthquakes, 4.7 is pretty heavy duty.  There was another 3.5 about an hour later and 50 more minor ones through the rest of the day.  If you live in Reno, you better check my earthquake post! 

So what does this mean for the suburban prepper?  You never know when disaster may strike!  I was on vacation and I had my guard down.  When the shaking started I realized I was outside of my element and not prepared for something serious.  As a good prepper, I had my “get home bag” which is a prep bag that I keep in my car to … well, get home in the event of a SHTF emergency if I can’t use my car.  But this bag was little consolation considering I was in the Sierras and nighttime temperatures get below freezing, my 4×4 vehicle was in the underground garage and would surely be inaccessible if the building was structurally damaged and I had no idea where the stairwells were!  I knew where the elevator to the Irish Pub downstairs was, I knew where the ski lifts were and I even knew where the Starbucks was … but if I had to run out of the room with my little ones and wife, I probably would waste valuable time looking for the stairs.  Even if I got out, I would be stuck refugee style in freezing weather with two children and no where to go.  It was pretty tough trying to go to sleep after running all these scenarios through my head.

I am not preaching that you need to travel with a full SHTF supply kit or never travel for that matter because you are paranoid something may happen while you are away from your piles of prep gear.  Truth of it is, you are more likely to die on the way to work this morning than you are on vacation.  I am advocating a little diligence on your part while traveling.  I have been in a hotel that caught fire.  We had 15 – 30 minutes to get out.  Plenty of time to get some things together, find the exists and get out.  In the case of an earthquake … you have minutes and maybe only seconds!

As far as travel prep goes, here are some suggestions that I did do and now will do:

  1. Throw a flashlight or two into your bag (along with spare batteries).  Preferably a powerful one with a short run time and a low output LED type with a longer run time.
  2. Carry a couple glow sticks with you, either in your packed suitcase or carry-on type bag. I CANNOT STRESS LIGHTING ENOUGH!  If you have ever been without it when you needed it you will understand!
  3. When you check in, scope the halls for the stairs.  It will only take a few minutes and will not cause much disruption.
  4. Put together a little travel prep kit.  Throw in some first aid items, a multi-tool (you can’t take them on planes so beware!), a couple food bars (I like these.  They have a long shelf-life and taste pretty good),  and a solar blanket. 
  5. Keep your shoes by the bed (like you do at home right?) in case you gotta bug out of the hotel.  Remember, you don’t know the layout of the hotel room like your own home.  Stuff can be misplaced real easy!

Just stay alert and diligent and you should be fine.  Remember … The S hits the Fan WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT!!

Other Stuff:

Food: Yes, it seems that there is a food shortage.  I am not one to spread paranoia but over at Nitro-Pak they are now at 10 – 18 days behind in processing time!!! They are normally 1 -2 days.  They are also stating that certain food items may be on “backorder”.  Over at Emergency Essentials, their freeze dried food selection is hurting BAD!!! Only Mountain House stuff is in stock.  Almost all of their Provident Pantry line and Super Pails are OUT!  Make your own call here people but it does seem that people are hoarding!  It couldn’t hurt to get a little extra.

-SP

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Off the Grid for a Couple Days

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

The SP will be off the grid until Monday for some R & R up in the Sierras!

I will leave you with this little nugget which will help counter balance the somewhat anti-gun accumulation post from yesterday.

Check out Big 5’s deal on a STEYR M95’ BOLT ACTION RIFLE  … $85.00 !!!! Wow, that is an easy and inexpensive way to get armed.  If you came out of the house with a WWII rifle during SHTF, people are going think you are a sharp-shooter or something (or know you are mad cheap and got it at big 5)  This deal is only good until the 27th so get on it!

-SP

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Don’t Go Nuts With the Guns!

Posted on April 23, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

What? Really? Are you actually posting this?  Yeah, I am.

I was in Bullseye yesterday getting some rounds down range and I was drooling over a Springfield M1A Socom … (insert Homer Simpson drooling sound here).  In California this is about the most expensive bad-ass battle rifle in a .308 caliber you can get.  It is $2,200 … yeah $2,200!  I was standing there trying to talk myself into it and trying to figure out where I was going to sleep when my wife found out about it when it dawned on me … “This is a seriously excessive purchase!”. 

If you are a true prepper then guns should be a requirement and not an obsession.  You only need a few guns to protect yourself and your family.  A shotgun, a couple pistols and a long-range rifle are more than enough for urban/suburban survival.  Chances are any confrontation that occurs will not even come to actual shots fired.  He will see you have a gun, you will see you that he has a gun and both of you will not want to die, so you both walk away!  I know, I know, that may NOT happen but the chances of anyone in the suburbs going comando on you are seriously tiny!  Guns are a necessary tool in the game of “threat of mutual destruction”.  Your opponent won’t try to kill you if he risks dying himself (unless the circumstances are extraordinary).  If people know you don’t have guns then you are a target, and an easy one at that.  If people know that you have at least one gun there is almost no chance they are going to forcibly try to take what you have.

The point I am trying to make is that sometimes I think gun nuts become so-called survivalists or preppers just to justify their gun purchases.  (I know I am risking a lot by attacking gun nuts as they are probably a large part of my readers.  But I am trying to give advice to a diverse crowd and this is legit advice!) There may be some would-be or aspiring suburban preppers out there who are intimidated by the amount of gun speak that goes hand-in-hand with prepping and therefore less likely to try to become prepared.  I WANT these people to be prepared!  If they are my neighbors, they will not be coming to me for food, they will be self sufficient. 

Let me put it another way (since this post is really about resource management, you know money?)… There is a 100% chance that if the SHTF you will need your food preps (gotta eat right?), there is a 50% chance you will need your medical preps (100% chance for common items like toothbrushes and headache medicine) but it is entirely possible you will never need your weaponry!  So this is where I am going with this … don’t go nuts with your gun purchases.  Pick up a nice pump-action shotty ($300) a nice 9mm auto ($400) and a scoped survival-type rifle (10/22s are only $300 or so)… once you got this (and sufficient ammo) spend more money on food.  You are ALWAYS gonna need more food.  If the current headlines are any indication of the food situation to come then stock up now.  Don’t buy that new AR (if you are lucky enough to live in a state that allows them!) or that new M1A Socom (more drooling) put the money to more practical preps.

BTW, I hate being practical but sometimes it is the right thing to do!

-SP

Image(here she is… The Springfield M1A Socom, with a few accessories of course)

Filed under: SHTF, suburban survival | Tagged: , , | 28 Comments »

Plan A, B, C … Z ? and Should You Buy Now?

Posted on April 22, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

Have Multiple Plans: As preppers, survivalists or whatever you want to call us we have plans and backup plans and a backup plan to the backup plan.  What is the one thing we as survivalists can expect?  It is the unexpected.

Be prepared for ALL your plans to go to the wind.  Keep your head on a swivel at all times and keep your plans dynamic and not static.  As you  learn about what is going on adjust your options and plans accordingly.  Do not make the mistake of being pig-headed and refusing to adjust to changing conditions.  It is possible that a week or so after a SHTF event you are bugged-in (of course you are, you are in the burbs remember?) and you hear fires are out of control and headed your way.  You may have to get ready to roll out and make a go of it.  You may have to start looking for abandoned homes in a low-fire-risk area.  The circumstances will dictate the proper course of action. 

When you have some down time, keep processing potential options.  Gather intel on alternative plans and keep your options open!

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Should you be Buying Now?  We have all seen the headlines.  Food prices are going up.  That means survival/prep foods are going to go up more than they have already.  It can’t hurt to accelerate some food purchases (The SP is a huge fan of Mountain House for its flavor/cost/long term shelf life)  It may not be a bad idea to pick up a few extra cases before too long.  Besides, they have a shelf life of 35 years!!!!  Come on, they will never go bad!  I know a post about rising prices is not cutting edge it can’t hurt to mention it again.  On a personal note, I went to the grocery store the other day instead of my wife and was shocked at the food price increases over the last 6 months.  There is a soup my kids like that has been $0.99 forever and it is now $1.89!  That is almost a 100% increase!!!  It is not going to be getting cheaper anytime soon either.

Guns:Like you need another reason to buy a new gun, right?  But if Hillary / Obama are elected there is a serious (although not absolute) chance of some seriously uncool gun legislation.  There is a lot of talk about this going on but their is a chance that ALL MAG FED WEAPONS WILL BE TARGETED!!!  Yeah, it made me shiver too!!!  ALL MAG FED WEAPONS, handguns and rifles alike!!  I do not usually buy into the hoopla of “buy now as you never know if this stuff will be available in the future” hype … but in this case, if you were already planning a new purchase in the next year or two … get it before the election!!

-SP

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Moments After …

Posted on April 21, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

Bang, Boom, Pow, Rumble, Ping (insert other sudden SHTF indicative sound) …

A sudden SHTF event has just happened, what do you do know? 

1) Stay Calm:  Cliche?  Yes, but critical.  Take a second or minute if necessary and collect yourself.  Your mind will be going a mile a minute.  Whatever happened was not your fault and you could not have prevented it.  Stop asking why and get your plan together.  Fix the Problem, Not the Blame!

One benefit of suburban life is that we are probably not a high value target.  Nukes, bombs, flu outbreaks or chemical attacks are almost assuredly going to be in a major city.  You should have SOME warning before the incidental effects of a major disaster reach you.  This could be fallout, contagious/infected citizens or the general populace of a city pouring out.  Your geographic location will dictate how much time you have and how severe it is.  Know your area!

2) Gather your family!:  What is the single most valuable thing in your life?  If you answered anything but family you need to leave my blog (unless you don’t have any, then you can stay).  Family is going to be everything for you post-Apocalypse.  You are going to need them and they are going to need you. 

If you break the day into 8 hour increments you can plan for each contingency.  (1) Sleep time, (2) Home Time and (3) Work / School time.  The third time frame prevents the most difficulty and can cause the most confusion.  You are all out and about and chances are the phone system will be down.  If an event happens during either of the other two time frames you are probably with your family.  Be thankful for that and move to step 3.  If your town is small enough you can get away with two-ways for communication.  If you are further away than 3/4 – 1 mile from each other than two-ways won’t cut it.  If you are like most other suburbanites, you are commuting to work and you could be hours from home. 

Plan ahead of time how you and the misses or mister are going to gather the kids if they are at school.  Each parent should have a kid or kids that they are responsible to get from school should the S hit the F while you all are separated during the day.  This avoids confusion, saves time and will prevent doubling each others efforts as you each are running around trying to pick up the same kids.  You need to discuss some pretty tough issues to be fully prepared like under what circumstances does one spouse leave to get the other.  Remember, your home is your castle.  Until you know what is going on, your best course of action may be to stay put.  You may be forced to because chances are your house is your rally point.  What if your spouse is out with kids and you are home?  Do you leave and risk exposure to a crumbling world?  What if you don’t even know where they are?  This was a tough one for my wife and I but now that we have a plan and certain situations were discussed we may be better off than before. 

The only solid solution that I can see are HAM radios.  Get both you and your spouse licensed and get handheld radios as they can transmit long distances (much further than two-ways).  If anyone is a HAM please chime in about handheld HAM ranges.  The SP has a license on the horizon as right now I am studying via an on-line course. 

3) Gather Intel: Get that TV on, get the radio on, fire up the internet, do WHATEVER you have to do to gather intel.  Knowledge of what’s going on will be crucial.  Was it an actual nuke or a dirty bomb?  Is the outbreak real?  Are the dead walking?  This is where a solid hand-crank radio will be CRUCIAL.  I like the ones that can receive TV stations as well as radio.  A side benefit to a HAM license is you will be days ahead of the other people in your area if the grid goes down.  HAMs will be up and running real fast spreading information.  That is what they do!

4) Secure the Perimeter: Depending on the threat you will need to start locking the house down.  If chemical, get your plastic sheeting and duck tape and do your thing.  If it is a civil disturbance or other attack you should start securing the doors and windows with anything you can find.  Hopefully, you listened to me and have 10 – 20 lengths of 2×4 behind the garage with two charged cordless batteries for your circular saw or reciprocating saw.  If not, fire up the generator, this is one of the times you should use it.  If you don’t have the lumber use interior doors.  Hopefully they are solid core but even hollow ones from newer homes are better than nothing.  If you have a two-story home get the first floor locked down first and then the second if materials permit. 

If this a nuclear disaster your course of action should be specifically tailored to your exposure level.  There are volumes written on this subject.  Herefor example.  Get informed on how radiation exposure works and the possible effects of exposure.  Know how far you away from potential high-value targets (cities, military bases, major power plants, etc.) as this will be critical in determining what type of exposure you are facing.  If you are close enough, you may have to cut-tail and run!  Get an inexpensive radiation monitor like a RadDetect or NuKalert.  (FYI, RadDetects have been out-of-stock for months … Wonder what the buyers know that we don’t?)

Get your arms in order.  Lock-n-load.  Grab your home defense gun at first and meantime have the family start prepping the arsenal for full deployment.  Get a full time look out going, this is a great job for your kids.

4) Gather additional Supplies (if possible)– You should be well stocked on everything right?  That doesn’t mean you can’t get more if you can do so safely.  Have a list with what you have and what you could use more of.   Keep it in the house so others can use it if you aren’t there yet.  There are certain products you just can’t have enough of if disaster strikes.  Food, Water, Ammo, Medical.  If any of these items can be grabbed at the last minute, go for it.   Can you get some money out of the bank?  Empty that account if the S is really going down.  Money MAY not mean anything to a true survivalist as he knows it is toilet paper in a true SHTF event, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bribe joe–shmoe out of a few cans of food or boxes of ammo!  There is a theory on last minute preps that many of preparedness folks employ.  That is the Contra-Flow Theory (I just made that up!).  It states that since most unprepared people will be heading to the grocery store or Wal-Mart type super stores looking for food, water, ammo (i.e. the basics) you can head to lesser swarmed stores since you have your basics stored away.  Maybe you hit Home-Depot for a generator or the gas station to fill up your cars and gas cans and even buy more propane tanks.  You could get to the gun store for more ammo or cleaning supplies (do not neglect to stock up on cleaning supplies.  What could is 10,000 rounds if you don’t have enough oil to keep your weapon firing?).

Miscellaneous ideas:Fill the bath tub with water (or anything you can find for that matter) as you never know when service will be interrupted.  Pull the cars into the garage to protect them and conceal any packing for immediate evac.  Get the family dressed and ready to go just in case (includes shoes, jackets, etc).  Pull out your G.O.O.D. bags, double check them and have them by the door.  I don’t promote bugging out but sometimes you gotta go no matter what!  If you have a place to bug to then good for you, I am not anti-remote-property.  In a bird flu outbreak scenario, bugging out if probably a very viable option.  Hell, just relocating out of the burbs for a while will increase your chances on not contracting the virus.

Bottom line, have a plan and be ready for the worst.  The moments following a disaster can be crucial!  Good Luck Team!

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Sorry no post yesterday.  I had a little SHTF situation at my house so no time to blog.

Filed under: SHTF, suburban survival | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

Would You Surf an Accounting Blog for Advice on Your Lasik Eye Surgery?

Posted on April 19, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

No? Then why do so many people surf survival sites for financial advice?  It drives me crazy when survivalists and survial blogs try to give financial advice!!  Tell me how to EMP proof my Dodge Dart or make tasty biscuits out of wheat and lighter fluid, but don’t lecture me on what to do with my money!!

Why are survival bloggers handing out financial advice?  Because right now it is the most probable source of a full-on SHTF scenario!  They need to perpetuate the paranoia and this is a fantastic way.  They could just be posting links to financial articles showing the doom and gloom, so why are they risking the exposure by making recommendations?  I don’t know the answer. 

I can tell you that people handing out advice on how to invest your money have been sued for the advice they gave when the investor lost it all.   The SP would never risk one of you survial nuts suing me for handing out investment adivce.  If you want advice on finance, investment or the economy then you should seek the advice of a financial expert.

If survivalists keep saying the markets will drop … eventually on some days they will be right.  I found it hilarious that when the markets would drop they would blog “I told you so” and then on up days … crickets.  They wouldn’t say anything.  Most financial guru’s who spend their whole lives following the markets don’t get it right, why do survival bloggers think they know what they are talking about?  It is baffling to me!

If you put your investments in super safe, SHTF type investments (i.e. gold, hi-cap magazines? or onther tangibles) than that is your choice, but do your due diligence and make an informed decision.

-SP

 

Filed under: SHTF, suburban survival | Tagged: , , , , | 6 Comments »

Booze for Prepping? Hell Yeah!

Posted on April 18, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

Booze has two characteristics that make it a great prep item … (1) it is consumable and (2) it is very barterable (is that a word?)

Stocking up on booze can prove to be a great move on your part for a SHTF scenario.  Certain spirits lend themselves to prepping.  The two big ones are vodka and wine.  Both can have almost an indefinite shelf life.  Both are commonly drank and appeal to a wide consumer base. 

If things get bad enough you can even tie one on and try to forget that the world has ended.  There are always people that are going to want to trade for booze (and cigarettes too, but I don’t think the shelf life on a Marlboro is very long).  At the supermarket you can pick up a bottle every once in a while and you shouldn’t feel the pinch too bad.  My Safeway even has Popov in plastic bottles to prevent breakage during an earthquake or siege!

Oh, AND … vodka can be used as an antiseptic and to make Molotov cocktails… BOOYA!

Anyone else know of spirits with long shelf lives?

-SP

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Filed under: SHTF, suburban survival | Tagged: , , , , | 7 Comments »

Closet Prepper or Out and Proud?

Posted on April 17, 2008 by Suburban Prepper

So you got 2 years of food stored, 2,000 rounds of ammo, an arsenal that would make a 3rd world country proud and enough medical supplies to support an inner-city hospital … do you hide it or flaunt it?  There are pros and cons of being a vocal and known prepper in your neighborhood or town. 

Keep it in the basement and let no one see!

The benefit of being a closet prepper is that you can lay low during the next disaster and not pop up on the starving neighbors’ radar when they run out of food.  In my humble opinion, closet prepping is the best way to go.  If you are known as the crazy survivalist of your neighborhood or town you are exposing yourself to unwanted attention.  There are going to be a lot of people without food and water and the LAST thing you want is those folks at your door because they know you got what they desperately need! 

They will come to you for food/medicine/ammo and at first it will start off as a request.  After you deny them then their tone will turn more desperate and they will try to appeal to your sense of charity and goodwill.  After that it will get nasty.  They’re starving and pissed off and you have what they don’t … SO “F” YOU!  People will turn to animals real fast.  If they know you have it, you are a target.   They will do whatever they have to to get it.  (You know, I can’t blame them.  If I was facing a situation where my kids were starving then I would desperate too!)

Check the video on the left called “Old Friends”to get an idea of what you might be dealing with in your neighborhood.  (originally posted by Rangerman at SHTFblog.com.)

After the SHTF as a closet prepper, you will need to reduce your rations so you start losing weight like everyone else.  When people start congregating out in the neighborhood and complaining about the lack of food and how tough times are … you agree with them.  Talk about how hungry the kids are and how much this sucks.  Misery loves company… don’t forget it!  No one likes people richer or happier than they are!  If you don’t believe me (I know you do, but humor me for a second) the next time people are talking about their mortgages (if you are lucky enough to still have one) mention that you don’t have a mortgage and watch the expression on their face.  They will hate you because they think you have a house that is paid for and they don’t.  I bet you the rumor flies through the neighborhood too.

You will have trouble convincing people you are struggling and hungry if you spent the last five years bragging about your food stores and medical stash.  I promise you that the neighborhood WILL turn against you if they think that you have what they don’t. 

If you got it flaunt it!

So, are there ANY benefits to flaunting your preps?  Flaunting, no.  Gently broaching the subject to judge your neighbors’ response, yes.  If no one knows your prepared mindset then you are never going to build a “group” or “militia” for when the times get tough.  Doubling or tripling up is an excellent way to increase your chances of surviving a SHTF scenario.  I don’t need to go into the benefits of doubling up, go over to Rawles’ site, he has volumes on it.  But what you need to remember is that you need to trust these people with your life, and more importantly, the lives of your children.  You can’t find these people on internet!  You need people in your neighborhood that you have known for years and that you can trust.  If you are a known prepper then you have a chance of bringing the neighborhood together or at least getting together with a few of the families when the need arises. 

Other pros to being out-in-the-open … you get to invite all your prepper buds over when you get a new pair of night vision goggles or handgun.  The girls can commiserate about the best wheat grinder and share ideas for sprucing up Mountain House prepared food.  Camaraderie will aid your quest for self-sufficiency.  Be sure to go about it in tactful way.  Once people know you are a prepper … that is it.  You can’t un-ring the bell!

Thanks To My Readers!

The comments and emails about the blog have been overwhelmingly positive!  Many people have commented that as suburbanites, no one is focusing on them and the unique prep needs they (we) face.  Think about the last major SHTF scenario, it was Katrina in New Orleans.  People were on their own, without food, water or electricity.  Those weren’t wilderness retreats being flooded, those were neighborhoods … suburban neighborhoods!! 

ALSO: A big thanks to Jim over at Bison Survival Blog for sending a bunch of traffic my way.  In my opinion it is the ultimate blogger compliment to have another blogger take off on your idea with thoughts of their own.  Thanks Champ!

-SP

 

Filed under: SHTF, suburban survival | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

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