The Revolution Will Not be Twittered – Some Home Basics II

OK – some of the rest of the list for basic disaster survival. Many people who are into survival actually keep several levels of kits – called “Bug Out Bags”. From a kit to survive a natural disaster in or near home, to something to survive 5 days until help arrives, to an “Oh Shit! Heading for the hills” bag. The last I call my Trump- apocalypse bag, because I believe there will be a Civil War in America in 6-12 months. So it contains a lot of stuff you don’t need for natural disasters.

First Aid Kit

Most of the First Aid Kits on the market are fine if the only thing you have to treat is a scratched knee or minor cut. The real kits, which can handle major trauma (a broken bone for instance) are a lot more expensive. What I did was buy one of the Basic Kits, and then add on individual components,

A reasonably good basic First Aid kit is available for $20-25 online.

Now those add – ons –

1. Large Sterile Pads. Being a boater, I have seen accidents where wounds get a lot bigger than the little 2×2″ pads in the kits can handle – so I suggest adding pads up to 4″x6″.
2. Wound Swabs – Similar to Aplicare Benzalkonium Chloride Swabstick Triple Pack, Antiseptic Swab, Non-Irritating, Latex-Free Benzalkonium …Or iodine swabs 
3. 4″x5 yd. Elastic Bandages – Suggest you get 3 or 4. They are dirt cheap at under $2.00
4. Trauma Shears – For Cutting off clothing
5. Hydrogen Peroxide .03% – Reliable for preventing secondary infections from occurring – <$1.00 a Pint bottle
6. Hand Cleaner – Little bottles of hand cleaner are under $1.00 – They are basically Alcohol. Either 71% or 90% bottles can be substituted. This is for cleaning you hands prior to treating someone else! Alcohol wipes also work.
7. Large tube of Neosporin
8. Extra Cold Compress (2)
9. Triangular bandage
10. A SAM Splint or equivalent  – These will splint almost ant broken bone.
11. Extra Medical Tape
12. Duct Tape – Yes, you can patch Humans with Duct Tape
13. Butterfly Sutures – Great for small cuts
14. Benadryl
15. Afterbite
16. 5 Days supply of any prescribed meds you or your family needs
17. Sunblock
18. Vaseline
19. Spray Wound Covering – “Second Skin”
20. Multi-Tool and/or Swiss Army Knife
21. Space bag/blanket – I also carry a Space material Pup Rent Generally under $10 on Amazon
22. CPR Mask – Small, inexpensive ($<10)
23. Burn Ointment
24. Ibuprofen – The kits only give you 4 aspirin pills. The prescription level Ibuprofen is best if you can get it.

Lastly for Trumpocalypse Planners

1. Tourniquet
2. Compression Bandage/Battle Dressing – Major wounds
3. ADC Berman Oral airway kit 6 sizes
4. Trauma Pads – 5×9″ or larger
5. Clotting Sponges

 

 

Basic Shelter

So what happens if the wind blows your house down? Most experts recommend a kit which can make you self-sufficient for 3-5 days until help arrives.

Some really basic and inexpensive stuff may save you, or make life a bit more bearable.

1. Space Blankets – Buy a pack of 10 for about $7.00. Keep two in the car. They also make space sleeping bags as well as tents. Beats the heck out of sleeping in the rain or snow.
2. Tarps – the green or blue tarps you can pick up at any hardware store or Walmart. You can make a tent, or ground cover to stay off the wet ground
3. Paracord – Super strong cord with lots of uses
4. Fire Starter – Matches, lighters, Flints – something to start a fire for cooking or warmth
5. A knife – to cut wood for the fire, open canned food, or many other tasks, Get a hunting type in a sheath that can be carried on a belt.
6. A small ax, Machete, folding saw, or hand chain saw again, cutting wood for a fire
7. Canned Food or Freeze Dried Food Pouches. The little Oatmeal and dried soup packages are also light and easy to carry but don’t contain enough calories to be full time food..
8. Water containers – Either the hiking bottles or plastic bottles. I’ve worked two major disasters, and water becomes critical in a few hours.

There is a lot of stuff you can add to this list based on your desires or needs. I have sleeping bags, a regular camping tent, Two types of stoves, a cook kit, and a water purification system all packed up – but I also camp and use that stuff out in the woods when I go camping. So it is all packed up and ready to go. but it serves another purpose. I confess I also have a Trump- apocalypse add on kit which includes stuff for long term survival as well as weapons. If folks are interested, I will talk about that.

 

 

 

The Revolution Will Not be Twittered – Some Home Basics

When you say the term “survivalist” or “disaster prepper” it conjures images of some guy, armed to the gills, living in a bunker in the mountains. While those guys certainly exist, in reality there are a wide range of preparations, depending on locale and resources everyone should have. And no – this doesn’t involve various forms of guns and armaments…Unless you are preparing for the Second American Revolution against Trump and the Reich.

Now, as I have said before I live in a fairly remote area near the ocean. Common problems in my environment beyond the normal stuff other’s face  include Hurricanes, Nor’Easters (which are actually worse). There is a fault-line off the east coast which poses an average to the rest of the country outside of California threat – as well as fire and flooding in big storms (similar to what happened in North Carolina a few months ago.)

That means, I do some things that you folks living away from the coast have to do. Those issues include massive flooding (I have had 3-4′ of water under the house (It is designed to survive 12′). 140 MPH winds (It is designed to survive as Cat 5 Hurricane..and has).

Because of the flooding issue, I keep a small Jon Boat hanging up on the pilings not far from the door – so I can row or walk to dry land. Because electrical can be out for days – I keep a small generator ready to go in a box on the second floor. I also keep an indoor propane heater (get it cheaper off-season) in the event a Nor’Easter knocks the power out during the winter. A bicycle in an elevated shed on the property. Two 20 gallon propane tanks (the grill ones) as well as a couple of dozen of the little 1 lb propane bottles for use with the heater, or propane lanterns.

The point being that a emergency/disaster kit is tailored to your environment.

Then there is a list of basic stuff everyone should have for a 3-5 day outage –

A 5 or 6 gallon water storage jug per person. You need fresh water! Two types, a plastic 5-6 gallon (forget the “blob” soft side type) – and for the “prepper”. And no, you will find out very quickly should the situation arise, 6 Gallons isn’t much water. I generally use a teaspoon of Clorox to stabilize the water in the jug, but there are other ways.

 

 The next item is flashlights or lanterns. The choices are Battery, Solar, propane, or Coleman. 

I tend to keep a combination of the battery, Solar, and propane. Even with a stack of batteries, you are going to run out pretty fast although you get lots of light. Besides a collection of flashlights in convenient locations around the house, I keep several lanterns for area lighting. With the new LEDs you get more battery life, even though you get less light. Forget rechargeable (if you are using these you have no power to recharge!).  When buying a light, check the “Lumens” which is a measure the light puts out. Go here for a comparison. A regular incandescent 60 Watt bulb puts out 800 Lumens.

Battery area/room Lights (4 D Cells)

300 Lumens

525 Lumens

A Battery-LED light claimed to be 800 Lumens. It also can be switched to lower light levels. They claim 200 hours run time at 200 Lumens. @40

Personal light – These are a take on the old Miner’s lamps, updated. Have been in tunnels underground, and these work great. Also useful for working on small objects where there isn’t any, or enough area light. They run from $5 – 20 a set. I keep several around. Makes it easy to navigate around a dark house and keep both hands free.

If you want a flashlight that is the best buy the Pelican line. I keep a Pelican Sabrelight and a Mitylight in my car and tool kit. They are waterproof, and survive almost anything. Other thing to consider is a hand-cranked flashlight.

I keep a solar/hand cranked flashlight with built in radio. These have a USB Port for phone charging. You will build muscles doing it though. The advantage to these is the radio to pick up emergency signals and directions. Under $20. Without the Radio and USB –  flashlight under $10.

Gas and Propane for lighting a room or area – Coleman is pretty much it, although there are several companies which produce lanterns a 2-5 times the price.

The newest in the Coleman line. It burns either Coleman Fuel or unleaded gasoline. It produces light equivalent to a 60 Watt Light Bulb. @$65

Coleman Dual Fuel

Coleman Northstar propane lantern. About 10-15 hours on a 1 lb tank. I keep two of these around for camping or emergencies @ 800-900 Lumens @$30

Coleman Two Mantle InstaStart QuickPack Lantern. @$20. Folds up to backpack.

Last ditch emergency lighting – Solar

Solar lights are generally pretty crappy. But if you just need a light to get around the couch – they will do when all else fails.

Wow …That was longer than I planned and I only covered two items!

Will add more the next post…And here you thought it was only about guns.

 

 

 

Louisiana May Have to Close State Universities Due to Republican Deficit Disaster

Republicans signing the Grover Norquest tax reduction plan have now failed utterly and disastriously in at least 3 States. Republican Governor Bobby Jindal took a state budget surplus to deficit levels never seen before. Things got so bad under Jindal and his Republican led legislature, they had to pawn the state owned vehicles at auction to keep the lights on.

Faced with a cash flow issue as the legislature tries desperately to recover funds through tax increases and revenue proposals back to the level required for basic services – the current proposal to cover the massive shortfall includes the decision to close the State Colleges and Universities, the largest of which is Louisiana Tech. Further – shutting down some hospitals in the state.

This sort of tax-slashing myopia and adherence to Republican Orthodoxy has now had serious impacts in 3 states, including Kansas, which had to shut down the Public School System last year, and Michigan where thousands were poisoned by the water in Flint.

Watch Rachel Maddow’s summary below – and the emergency speech by Louisiana’s new Democrat Governor, who has been in office less than a month.

Governor John Bel Edwards who has an uphill battle to get his Republican led legislature to see the light…

 

 

Serena Williams Hospitalized, and Undergoes Surgery

Get well!

Serena Williams Undergoes Emergency Surgery

Serena - Looking hot at the Elton John Benefit

Tennis star Serena Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism Monday and was rushed into emergency surgery, her rep toldPEOPLE.

“Monday Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at Cedars for a hematoma she suffered as a result of treatment for a more critical situation,” her rep, Nicole Chabot, said in a statement.

Williams, 29, looked fabulous on the red carpet at Sunday’s Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, just days after serveral sighting at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Chabot confirmed the famed tennis player’s injury after Monday’s scary ordeal.

“Last week, Serena suffered from a pulmonary embolism [a blood clot in the lungs] which was discovered upon her return to L.A. She had been in New York for doctor appointments for the ongoing issues with her foot,” the statement continued. “Doctors are continuing to monitor her situation closely to avoid additional complications.”