A couple of days ago, I had my kids, and the weather decided to turn wet. It was latter in the evening so we didn't loose out on any outdoor activities, but what amazed me we that my oldest daughter (5 years old) grabbed a plastic pumpkin that held old Halloween candy and ran out back with it. I followed behind, curious as to what she was going to do with it.
She put it down in the rain to collect water as it ran off the roof, as I suspected, but what was amazing, was her reason; She wanted to help the family to not buy water in a store, so she was collecting it for us to drink so that we could save money.
I couldn't begin to tell her how proud I was of her for coming up with that all by her self. Not to be left out my youngest followed suit and found her own pumpkin.
We spent the rest of the night figuring out how to filter the water that they collected. As it came off the roof it had leaves, tar pebbles and other junk in it and was orange in color. I showed them a couple of methods to rough filter the big chunks out, but we couldn't get rid of the color by bed time. I explained that even if we can't make it drinkable (If it ain't crystal clear and properly filtered, I not going to let my kids drink it unless it's a real emergency) We could still use it in the garden, for watering plants.
I did have a couple of real filters available and could have used them at any time, but I think they learned more, and certainly had more fun, doing it the hard way.
Jun 30, 2011
Jun 22, 2011
Been a While
Sorry I haven't writen anything in a while, but I had a job that I really enjoyed, and I put a lot of time into it. Unfortunatly that has ended, so I am once again looking for work, but have time to write here.
A nice thing I got to do was stock up some on bulk buys, which worked out because now I'm eating them while looking for work. Wish I had more to say, but i need to get back on the horse with my writing.
A nice thing I got to do was stock up some on bulk buys, which worked out because now I'm eating them while looking for work. Wish I had more to say, but i need to get back on the horse with my writing.
Mar 19, 2011
A Friend in Trouble
Tony is a long long time friend of mine, who is having financial trouble. But, instead of looking for handouts from the government, or making excuses, he is trying to make his (and his girlfriends) way on there own. His girlfriend is a painter and apparently has a stockpile of art, so they are selling her work to earn money. That is what self sufficiency is all about! You make your own solutions in this world, not depend of the government or your parents...or your kids if you are the parents of grown kids.
I do feel sorry that my friend has these problems, but I am also proud of him for not whining about it. He's applied for jobs everywhere that he might be able to work, and in the short term to make rent, they are willing to sell off assets rather than go on the dole and collect welfare or food stamps.
Original Art
http://www.artfire.com/users/amyelyseneer
Prints
http://www.redbubble.com/people/amyelyse
I do feel sorry that my friend has these problems, but I am also proud of him for not whining about it. He's applied for jobs everywhere that he might be able to work, and in the short term to make rent, they are willing to sell off assets rather than go on the dole and collect welfare or food stamps.
Original Art
http://www.artfire.com/users/a
Prints
http://www.redbubble.com/peopl
Mar 13, 2011
Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster
Once again the Earth has grumbled, and this time Japan was the recipient of its ire. If you have been paying attention for the last couple of years the Ring of Fire has been in turmoil (basically the ring of land surrounding the pacific ocean)
Hatti, Chile, Mexico, Hawaii volcano, New Zealand, Japan, Russian volcanoes same time as Japan Quake, Indonesia volcano hours after. Something big moved, and the whole planet is adjusting for it. Approximately 90 percent of the earthquakes in the world occur along the Ring of Fire. About 75 percent of the world's volcanoes lie along the Ring of Fire.
What does it mean for Preppers? Well get caught in a tsunami is bad...But that's not really helpful. Stay out of places that suffer natural disasters...Also not really helpful. (I don't know about you, but I can't think of anyplace on the planet that doesn't have some sort of natural, and often seasonal, disasters.
Japan is a good example that shows how disaster can snowball. In this case, it went Earthquake - Tsunami - Radiation Leakage.
I think a lot of what we will learn will be in the following days. You can prepare all you like, but when all of your preps for miles around are washed away, it doesn't do you and good any longer. But post disaster is when knowledge will be most valuable. Not how to survive in the wood with a knife and duct tape, but rules of sanitation. We are hearing that millions are without water in Japan. Do you know several ways to serialize, filter, and decontaminate water? Sewage gets mixed into all water systems in floods, not to mention dead bodies, toxic waste, and anything else you can think of. (See Katrina), so you better know what to do about it, or you and your children will be dying waiting for the government to save you (See Katrina again and Hatti)
Disease is also likely. (See Hatti again) severe diarrhea, cholera, typhoid. All of these and more are common in disaster areas and war zones. Mostly it occurs because of too many people living too close together, with not enough clean water available, and poor sanitation.
If you loose everything, you may have to jerry-rig a still out of wreckage you find lying around and create a method of filtering whatever water you can find. Remember, it won't be just you, there may be thousands of people right next to you in a refugee center, so make sure you share the knowledge with everyone or you may be overwhelmed with people trying to mooch off of you, and eventually, someone will take it away or destroy your work, just because you have something they don't. Admitably that is a worst case scenario, but you can see why it would be a good idea to share knowledge as best you can.
Sanitation in a disaster cannot be understated. In Hatti disease is rampant, because no one will take charge to have human waste disposed of properly, cooking of foods is not as thorough as it should be, and nothing is being cleaned. (Clothes, bodies, dishes, I would say homes, but most everyone there is still living in ruble and make shift hovels).
So in your preps, have a quality water filter, soap (bar/shampoo/laundry), toothpaste, bleach, and any other cleaning supplies you feel useful.
Create redundancy in systems of support. In other words, have a number of ways available (Especially in your head) to get something done. That way, if one method doesn't work, you can try something else. The best prep you can have, the cheapest, and the hardest to take away or loose, is knowledge and training.
Transportation is also a serious issue. With roads broken by earthquake and washed away by tsunami it become difficult if not impossible to get help into trapped people, and just as difficult for isolated groups to get out. That is why it is imperative for everyone to know how to take care of themselves and others. Imagine you were on vacation somewhere. It doesn't even have to be very far maybe just a day trip to the big City or you took the kids to an amusement park. Then something happens. Most of your preps are at home (Hopefully you have your BOB bags in your vehicle for everyone) But you can bet no one else in that park is going to be as ready as you. Are you going to let everyone there die of dehydration? No. You show a group near you how to filter and boil pond water and have them pass it on. Eventually roads will re open and "Gumit" rescue teams will be there to get everyone out. But as I've pointed out in a previous post, you will die in about three days without water, and it is your responsibility to ensure your own survival and that of your family.
Hatti, Chile, Mexico, Hawaii volcano, New Zealand, Japan, Russian volcanoes same time as Japan Quake, Indonesia volcano hours after. Something big moved, and the whole planet is adjusting for it. Approximately 90 percent of the earthquakes in the world occur along the Ring of Fire. About 75 percent of the world's volcanoes lie along the Ring of Fire.What does it mean for Preppers? Well get caught in a tsunami is bad...But that's not really helpful. Stay out of places that suffer natural disasters...Also not really helpful. (I don't know about you, but I can't think of anyplace on the planet that doesn't have some sort of natural, and often seasonal, disasters.
Japan is a good example that shows how disaster can snowball. In this case, it went Earthquake - Tsunami - Radiation Leakage.
I think a lot of what we will learn will be in the following days. You can prepare all you like, but when all of your preps for miles around are washed away, it doesn't do you and good any longer. But post disaster is when knowledge will be most valuable. Not how to survive in the wood with a knife and duct tape, but rules of sanitation. We are hearing that millions are without water in Japan. Do you know several ways to serialize, filter, and decontaminate water? Sewage gets mixed into all water systems in floods, not to mention dead bodies, toxic waste, and anything else you can think of. (See Katrina), so you better know what to do about it, or you and your children will be dying waiting for the government to save you (See Katrina again and Hatti)
Disease is also likely. (See Hatti again) severe diarrhea, cholera, typhoid. All of these and more are common in disaster areas and war zones. Mostly it occurs because of too many people living too close together, with not enough clean water available, and poor sanitation.
If you loose everything, you may have to jerry-rig a still out of wreckage you find lying around and create a method of filtering whatever water you can find. Remember, it won't be just you, there may be thousands of people right next to you in a refugee center, so make sure you share the knowledge with everyone or you may be overwhelmed with people trying to mooch off of you, and eventually, someone will take it away or destroy your work, just because you have something they don't. Admitably that is a worst case scenario, but you can see why it would be a good idea to share knowledge as best you can.
Sanitation in a disaster cannot be understated. In Hatti disease is rampant, because no one will take charge to have human waste disposed of properly, cooking of foods is not as thorough as it should be, and nothing is being cleaned. (Clothes, bodies, dishes, I would say homes, but most everyone there is still living in ruble and make shift hovels).
So in your preps, have a quality water filter, soap (bar/shampoo/laundry), toothpaste, bleach, and any other cleaning supplies you feel useful.
Create redundancy in systems of support. In other words, have a number of ways available (Especially in your head) to get something done. That way, if one method doesn't work, you can try something else. The best prep you can have, the cheapest, and the hardest to take away or loose, is knowledge and training.
Transportation is also a serious issue. With roads broken by earthquake and washed away by tsunami it become difficult if not impossible to get help into trapped people, and just as difficult for isolated groups to get out. That is why it is imperative for everyone to know how to take care of themselves and others. Imagine you were on vacation somewhere. It doesn't even have to be very far maybe just a day trip to the big City or you took the kids to an amusement park. Then something happens. Most of your preps are at home (Hopefully you have your BOB bags in your vehicle for everyone) But you can bet no one else in that park is going to be as ready as you. Are you going to let everyone there die of dehydration? No. You show a group near you how to filter and boil pond water and have them pass it on. Eventually roads will re open and "Gumit" rescue teams will be there to get everyone out. But as I've pointed out in a previous post, you will die in about three days without water, and it is your responsibility to ensure your own survival and that of your family.
Mar 3, 2011
The Middle East and How it can Effect Us
If you've seen the news in the last couple of weeks, you are aware that the middle east is exploding in revolution and/or civil war. I would like to discuss how this will effect us. But first I would like to congradulate and show honor to those individules in the middle east who are standing up to tyrany, showing there faces (rare in the middle east) and willing to say "Enough!" to brutal governments.
Unfortunately, there is fall out that we must be concerned with. While different countries import and export different things with us, the middle east is known for one thing primarily; Oil. And when oil is even imagined to be threatened, oil prices rise. Now I haven't heared any threats to the oil field yet, but my local gas station price has risen .20 cents in a couple of days to $3.45 a gallon, and I don't think it's going to come down again soon.
Now I'm sure some of you are saying that yeas this is bad, but that price, or even a little higher is survivable. But, have you considered all of the other things whose priced will be skyrocketing at the same time?
Like food. clothes. Anything that has to be transported will now cost more. Think about it;
Food is grown and harvested-Tractors need gas
Then it is sent to say granaries - trucks need gas to get it there
It may or may not be proccesed there - more gas used
then shipped to canning/bottling plant - Even if by rail, oil must be used
Shipped to packaging/shipping center- lots of gas, plus gas or propane used in these plants to move the forklifts around
Shipping by rail to local distributors - oil
Trucked to local stores - gas
You drive to store and home - gas
Can you begin to see how much oil is used in getting everything you buy to you, and ordering online only stops you from driving, the UPS guy is doing it for you instead.
So, as preppers, what do we do?
My answer:
Keep as much gas in your vehicle as possible and drive as little as possible so that you use is minimized, and that you can stretch out the time between fill ups to give you the best opportunity to find cheaper sources.
Buy bulk food items now, before the price goes through the roof. I was comparing the price for honey, when all of a sudden the price shot up $4 a bottle. I should have bought anything before that point as all prices were cheaper than the cheapest I can find now.
If you were planning on making a major purchase soon, you better get off you butt and do it, before the price goes beyond what you were planning on being able to afford.
If you have disposable income, I would recommend investing in precious metals or oil if you can keep track of the market.
If you don't have a gun yet, get one. Start with a hand gun or shotgun. And get it quick, their prices are rising as well. (Oh, don't forget the ammo)
Band together if you can to buy in bulk to help keep the cost down, as most places give volume discounts.
See if you can come up with alternate energy sources. If you can heat your home without using the heated you will save money, cooking is probably not a big deal, but its good to know how to cook without a stove anyway. Electricity prices will be going ups as well, so try to use as little as possible. And for your info Refrigerators, microwaves, and space heaters are the high energy users not light bulbs.
Unfortunately, there is fall out that we must be concerned with. While different countries import and export different things with us, the middle east is known for one thing primarily; Oil. And when oil is even imagined to be threatened, oil prices rise. Now I haven't heared any threats to the oil field yet, but my local gas station price has risen .20 cents in a couple of days to $3.45 a gallon, and I don't think it's going to come down again soon.
Now I'm sure some of you are saying that yeas this is bad, but that price, or even a little higher is survivable. But, have you considered all of the other things whose priced will be skyrocketing at the same time?
Like food. clothes. Anything that has to be transported will now cost more. Think about it;
Food is grown and harvested-Tractors need gas
Then it is sent to say granaries - trucks need gas to get it there
It may or may not be proccesed there - more gas used
then shipped to canning/bottling plant - Even if by rail, oil must be used
Shipped to packaging/shipping center- lots of gas, plus gas or propane used in these plants to move the forklifts around
Shipping by rail to local distributors - oil
Trucked to local stores - gas
You drive to store and home - gas
Can you begin to see how much oil is used in getting everything you buy to you, and ordering online only stops you from driving, the UPS guy is doing it for you instead.
So, as preppers, what do we do?
My answer:
Keep as much gas in your vehicle as possible and drive as little as possible so that you use is minimized, and that you can stretch out the time between fill ups to give you the best opportunity to find cheaper sources.
Buy bulk food items now, before the price goes through the roof. I was comparing the price for honey, when all of a sudden the price shot up $4 a bottle. I should have bought anything before that point as all prices were cheaper than the cheapest I can find now.
If you were planning on making a major purchase soon, you better get off you butt and do it, before the price goes beyond what you were planning on being able to afford.
If you have disposable income, I would recommend investing in precious metals or oil if you can keep track of the market.
If you don't have a gun yet, get one. Start with a hand gun or shotgun. And get it quick, their prices are rising as well. (Oh, don't forget the ammo)
Band together if you can to buy in bulk to help keep the cost down, as most places give volume discounts.
See if you can come up with alternate energy sources. If you can heat your home without using the heated you will save money, cooking is probably not a big deal, but its good to know how to cook without a stove anyway. Electricity prices will be going ups as well, so try to use as little as possible. And for your info Refrigerators, microwaves, and space heaters are the high energy users not light bulbs.
Feb 12, 2011
Diversify
Today I would like to talk about economic diversification.
As many of you know I recently got a job. As you being here, you should know that I've also started my own Preparation Consulting business. I've also got my own graphic arts business.
Now what do all three of these things have in common? Answer: each one only makes me money when I work on it.
Diversification means that I need to shift some of my money making ability in things that don't require my direct participation. I am considering precious metals, and would definitely love to own land, but that's in the far future.
Another option that I would like to try would be to open some internet businesses, but I need to learn more about how to make those work. obviously I know nothing, as you well know from my inability to get my website up and running.
But the important thing to keep uppermost in your mind is to do as little of the work as possible.
As many of you know I recently got a job. As you being here, you should know that I've also started my own Preparation Consulting business. I've also got my own graphic arts business.
Now what do all three of these things have in common? Answer: each one only makes me money when I work on it.
Diversification means that I need to shift some of my money making ability in things that don't require my direct participation. I am considering precious metals, and would definitely love to own land, but that's in the far future.
Another option that I would like to try would be to open some internet businesses, but I need to learn more about how to make those work. obviously I know nothing, as you well know from my inability to get my website up and running.
But the important thing to keep uppermost in your mind is to do as little of the work as possible.
Jan 7, 2011
Say Yes!
I Just saw the movie Yes Man starting Jim Carrey. It was about a man who was retreating from the world until he went to a seminar, where the guru made him promise to say yes to everything that came along.
Obviously this was a comedy, but the underlying premise is a good one. Say yes to things you ordinarily wouldn't. Say yes to trying things you never have before. Say yes to meeting people you ordinarily don't.
If you don't step outside your comfort zone, you are likely to end up closing into a shell, and becoming a hermit in your home and missing out on life.
Fortunately as preppers we have opportunities that many may not consider. Many of you have gone camping and shooting, but how many know how to ride a motorcycle? Have you ever gone rock climbing? How about taking a class to learn home ec(?) style things (sewing, canning, gardening, cooking, etc) or maybe just learning how to dance a style you don't know?
If someone asks for help, do you give it? Even the pan handler on the street? You don't have to give money, you can buy the person a sandwich or give them a used jacket in this weather.
Or maybe even just give someone a ride somewhere even if it's out of your way.
You never know where something like this could lead. You might make new friends, learn something new, inspire you to do something in your life that you hadn't even considered before.
So, next time something unique comes up, just say YES!
Obviously this was a comedy, but the underlying premise is a good one. Say yes to things you ordinarily wouldn't. Say yes to trying things you never have before. Say yes to meeting people you ordinarily don't.
If you don't step outside your comfort zone, you are likely to end up closing into a shell, and becoming a hermit in your home and missing out on life.
Fortunately as preppers we have opportunities that many may not consider. Many of you have gone camping and shooting, but how many know how to ride a motorcycle? Have you ever gone rock climbing? How about taking a class to learn home ec(?) style things (sewing, canning, gardening, cooking, etc) or maybe just learning how to dance a style you don't know?
If someone asks for help, do you give it? Even the pan handler on the street? You don't have to give money, you can buy the person a sandwich or give them a used jacket in this weather.
Or maybe even just give someone a ride somewhere even if it's out of your way.
You never know where something like this could lead. You might make new friends, learn something new, inspire you to do something in your life that you hadn't even considered before.
So, next time something unique comes up, just say YES!
Jan 5, 2011
New Year Resolutions
Personally I don't go in for New Years resolutions. I don't like the idea of making promises due to an event or driven by public acclaim. But, if you like to come up with annual goals, then this year you should add something about your prepping lifestyle to improve upon.
I'm a little blank right now and can't seem to come up with any decent suggestions for potential resolutions to suggest, but, if it were me, I would try for something obtainable. Maybe setting up a garden patch, or filling out (and maintaining) your Emergency Binder.
I'm a little blank right now and can't seem to come up with any decent suggestions for potential resolutions to suggest, but, if it were me, I would try for something obtainable. Maybe setting up a garden patch, or filling out (and maintaining) your Emergency Binder.
Dec 26, 2010
House Fire
Well, it's been quite some time since I've been able to add anything here. The first reason is that I moved. It wasn't a long move, just across the street or so, but with no money to spare, I was the grunt labor. And for a week I was occupied moving, then a week without Internet waiting for it to be installed. Then the next challenge came along.
A fire broke out in a garage not directly next to our apartment, but directly next to our garage. it was net to apt A and we were just moved into apt C. I will get into lessons learned in a moment. Some how we all got lucky and no one was hurt, but the folks in apt A were almost completely burned out, some how my mothers car (which was in our garage at the time) went unscathed as well as my kids Christmas presents, although the flames were beginning to enter our side before the firemen got it under control. Let me take this moment to give props to the Modesto FD.
Now I didn't know originally until my mother called me at about 7:45 pm, as I was visiting friends in Merced at the time (which for those that don't know, is about an hour a way) so I jumped in my car an zipped home as fast as I could. I told my mother to grab my external hard drive, as that was the only thing from my bug out list (other than food) that had been moved into the new place that couldn't be replaced. Actually, looking at the grand scheme of things, of property, it was the ONLY thing that can't be replaced. Anyway, she told me that the firemen wouldn't let her back in to get anything. (see lessons below)
45 minutes later I arrived on scene to find the fire basically out, with firemen searching out hot spots, and tearing out chunks of ceiling in apt A where the fire had tried to spread. My mother was standing outside in her bathrobe and bare feet.
My brother and his wife showed up shortly after wards with a pair of slippers for my mother. The Red Cross also arrived and while I have misgivings about them, they did get us a motel room for three nights that we didn't have to pay for.
Anyway, by about 11 pm the firemen said everything was safe and that we could go back in to get anything we needed. I had been smart enough to bring my daily carry bag from my car, which turned out to be a smart move as we needed flashlights (I used my head lamp for the first time and highly recommend you get one for your kit as well if you don't already have one) Also one of the families was as bad off as my mother and the mom was carrying around her daughter trying to keep her warm. I reached in and gave her one of my girls undie/sock sets that I carry, unfortunately I didn't have any shoes for the little girl on me.
We learned that the power and gas lines had to be CUT so that the entire row of four apartments were no longer livable. And the roumer was that it could not be repaired for weeks if not months.
Some of what I grabbed was food. The Red Cross said we had food in the house, so were not going to provide us with any help there. Unfortunately my mother can't keep her mouth shut, and was talking nice and loud to everyone about all of the Canned food we had. Sadly we lost most everything in the fridge, and we had just gone grocery shopping a couple of days earlier.
Funny thing, motels frown on you cooking in the rooms. They did provide a microwave, so I could make top ramen and soup...
... Except for one small problem, we couldn't find a can opener. Fortunately in my daily carry kit I had a P38, which is a military can opener you can get at any surplus store.
For my my mother and I, we were given the opportunity to move to a new apt not too far away, and had began moving our things in last Thursday.
One last thing to note. My mothers other truck, a little beater, got broken into the next morning. Nothing was in it, so nothing was stolen, but her dash was ripped up when they tried to take the radio. Before we had left that night the property management company had a team on site to board up the garages and apt A, and everyone (neighbors and family included) said that her truck would be fine overnight on the street.
Lessons learned
1- having a Go Bag ready is all great and fine, but if EVERYONE in your home doesn't have one, or, if there is no evac plan in place, someone in your family is going to get screwed.
My mother panicked and left the apt in nothing but a bathrobe. No clothes or shoes and no documents, nothing.
2- now ordinarily I would say you should have a change of clothes in your vehicle at all times, but in this case that wouldn't do any good as her vehicle was in the garage next to the one on fire and by the time we could get to that vehicle we could also get into the apt. So, on top of everything else you should set up an off site cache of duplicate documents (paper, digital, photo, etc) and I guess you need a change of clothes for each family member in each vehicle.
3- being a refugee is not fun. The motel was a nice God send as we are broke from the initial move. But it is important to have a fallback plan in case of displacement. And everyone involve in the plan had better know about it. If we didn't get the motel room, my mother would have had to stay with my brother, I would have been SOL
4- vultures. After (or even during) a crisis the vultures start circling. While the firemen were there a guy showed up offering "free" help with sealing up our garage and routing power and gas back into the apartment in a day or two. Free meant that he would bill the renters insurance that we hadn't had time to get. His company, and presumably others listen to the emergency bands to swoop in like an ambulance chaser.
5- Insurance. Get it. That's why we are prepers/ survivalists, as insurance against bad things happening. If we had time to get some it would have covered a lot; motel cost, damage replacement, moving cost (Boy I wish I had that one) and damage repair costs.
6- food
We all understand the need for food storage, but if the fire had gotten to my apartment, I would have lost everything. Caching is something I discussed in another post, but situations like this make me appreciate the necessity with crystal clarity.
And even while we had food, we were limited in how we could prepare it while following the rules.
7- blabber mouths. As I said my mother couldn't stop talking, and was beginning to cause us problems with our getting help. If you have someone like that in your family (or if it's you) have someone responsible stay with them to keep them under control if necessary.
8- charity. After we got to the motel, I went back to our apartment and grabbed a couple of toys, coloring books crayons and reading books from my kids room to give to the little girl so that she would have some stuff to play with and keep her occupied. I discussed it with my girls to let them know what I had done, and they, with out any prompting from me want to giver some things from there moms house as well. They also made the ex go out of her way to deliver them, because they wanted to give them to the little girl in person.
Charity is important in times of need, even if you have little, if someone has nothing, you have more and if you can share, you should.
A fire broke out in a garage not directly next to our apartment, but directly next to our garage. it was net to apt A and we were just moved into apt C. I will get into lessons learned in a moment. Some how we all got lucky and no one was hurt, but the folks in apt A were almost completely burned out, some how my mothers car (which was in our garage at the time) went unscathed as well as my kids Christmas presents, although the flames were beginning to enter our side before the firemen got it under control. Let me take this moment to give props to the Modesto FD.
Now I didn't know originally until my mother called me at about 7:45 pm, as I was visiting friends in Merced at the time (which for those that don't know, is about an hour a way) so I jumped in my car an zipped home as fast as I could. I told my mother to grab my external hard drive, as that was the only thing from my bug out list (other than food) that had been moved into the new place that couldn't be replaced. Actually, looking at the grand scheme of things, of property, it was the ONLY thing that can't be replaced. Anyway, she told me that the firemen wouldn't let her back in to get anything. (see lessons below)
45 minutes later I arrived on scene to find the fire basically out, with firemen searching out hot spots, and tearing out chunks of ceiling in apt A where the fire had tried to spread. My mother was standing outside in her bathrobe and bare feet.
My brother and his wife showed up shortly after wards with a pair of slippers for my mother. The Red Cross also arrived and while I have misgivings about them, they did get us a motel room for three nights that we didn't have to pay for.
Anyway, by about 11 pm the firemen said everything was safe and that we could go back in to get anything we needed. I had been smart enough to bring my daily carry bag from my car, which turned out to be a smart move as we needed flashlights (I used my head lamp for the first time and highly recommend you get one for your kit as well if you don't already have one) Also one of the families was as bad off as my mother and the mom was carrying around her daughter trying to keep her warm. I reached in and gave her one of my girls undie/sock sets that I carry, unfortunately I didn't have any shoes for the little girl on me.
We learned that the power and gas lines had to be CUT so that the entire row of four apartments were no longer livable. And the roumer was that it could not be repaired for weeks if not months.
Some of what I grabbed was food. The Red Cross said we had food in the house, so were not going to provide us with any help there. Unfortunately my mother can't keep her mouth shut, and was talking nice and loud to everyone about all of the Canned food we had. Sadly we lost most everything in the fridge, and we had just gone grocery shopping a couple of days earlier.
Funny thing, motels frown on you cooking in the rooms. They did provide a microwave, so I could make top ramen and soup...
... Except for one small problem, we couldn't find a can opener. Fortunately in my daily carry kit I had a P38, which is a military can opener you can get at any surplus store.
For my my mother and I, we were given the opportunity to move to a new apt not too far away, and had began moving our things in last Thursday.
One last thing to note. My mothers other truck, a little beater, got broken into the next morning. Nothing was in it, so nothing was stolen, but her dash was ripped up when they tried to take the radio. Before we had left that night the property management company had a team on site to board up the garages and apt A, and everyone (neighbors and family included) said that her truck would be fine overnight on the street.
Lessons learned
1- having a Go Bag ready is all great and fine, but if EVERYONE in your home doesn't have one, or, if there is no evac plan in place, someone in your family is going to get screwed.
My mother panicked and left the apt in nothing but a bathrobe. No clothes or shoes and no documents, nothing.
2- now ordinarily I would say you should have a change of clothes in your vehicle at all times, but in this case that wouldn't do any good as her vehicle was in the garage next to the one on fire and by the time we could get to that vehicle we could also get into the apt. So, on top of everything else you should set up an off site cache of duplicate documents (paper, digital, photo, etc) and I guess you need a change of clothes for each family member in each vehicle.
3- being a refugee is not fun. The motel was a nice God send as we are broke from the initial move. But it is important to have a fallback plan in case of displacement. And everyone involve in the plan had better know about it. If we didn't get the motel room, my mother would have had to stay with my brother, I would have been SOL
4- vultures. After (or even during) a crisis the vultures start circling. While the firemen were there a guy showed up offering "free" help with sealing up our garage and routing power and gas back into the apartment in a day or two. Free meant that he would bill the renters insurance that we hadn't had time to get. His company, and presumably others listen to the emergency bands to swoop in like an ambulance chaser.
5- Insurance. Get it. That's why we are prepers/ survivalists, as insurance against bad things happening. If we had time to get some it would have covered a lot; motel cost, damage replacement, moving cost (Boy I wish I had that one) and damage repair costs.
6- food
We all understand the need for food storage, but if the fire had gotten to my apartment, I would have lost everything. Caching is something I discussed in another post, but situations like this make me appreciate the necessity with crystal clarity.
And even while we had food, we were limited in how we could prepare it while following the rules.
7- blabber mouths. As I said my mother couldn't stop talking, and was beginning to cause us problems with our getting help. If you have someone like that in your family (or if it's you) have someone responsible stay with them to keep them under control if necessary.
8- charity. After we got to the motel, I went back to our apartment and grabbed a couple of toys, coloring books crayons and reading books from my kids room to give to the little girl so that she would have some stuff to play with and keep her occupied. I discussed it with my girls to let them know what I had done, and they, with out any prompting from me want to giver some things from there moms house as well. They also made the ex go out of her way to deliver them, because they wanted to give them to the little girl in person.
Charity is important in times of need, even if you have little, if someone has nothing, you have more and if you can share, you should.
Dec 1, 2010
ICE
ICE- In Case of Emergency
I was listening to a podcast and something they recommended was to list a ICE- In Case of Emergency contact in your phone.
Emergency responders are apparently trained to look for this kind of number on your phone if you get into an accident and are unable to respond to questions.
It only took me about 3 minutes because I'm slow at txt-ing. Just pick the person you want contacted in case you are injured and list that number as "ICE" or "Emergency Contact" or something like that.
If anyone knows different or has additional information, please let me know.
I was listening to a podcast and something they recommended was to list a ICE- In Case of Emergency contact in your phone.
Emergency responders are apparently trained to look for this kind of number on your phone if you get into an accident and are unable to respond to questions.
It only took me about 3 minutes because I'm slow at txt-ing. Just pick the person you want contacted in case you are injured and list that number as "ICE" or "Emergency Contact" or something like that.
If anyone knows different or has additional information, please let me know.
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