Preparations 101

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HOODS WOODS - Urban Survival!

Emergency Preparations - Gettin' Ready for Troubled Times (Version 2)

Back in the early 80's a buddy of mine who seemed to be "connected" started telling stories out of school. Stories about Nukes being hijacked by terrorists. Stories about "A" bombs already sited in American cities, ready to be detonated by a phone call. I did what checking I could and became nervous... very nervous. I'd made it through two tours in "Nam" a year living with the Turks in Turkey and a lot of time in Central and South American jungles. I wasn't going to throw in my hat now. "Uh Oh," I thought... Time to prepare. So I did.

Having more dollars than sense I set about building a bomb shelter on my ranch in California. Four months and $125,000 dollars later I had my shelter. Solid steel walls, just a bit over 1000 sq. feet of floor space, buried 26 feet underground in a geographically protected area... I felt safe. Problem was... I didn't have a clue about stockpiling supplies. So I learned. It took time but eventually I had laid in a 3 year supply of food for 6, built a subterranean water storage and well system, brought in 2 Propane generators (4kw and 10kw), fuel storage and batteries. I had enough stuff to live underground with five friends for three years... I also had a huge hole in my bank account... But, I was ready and... nothing happened. Times changed and I sold the place, shelter and all.

One of the things I learned way back then is that there is much more to preparing for a catastrophe than throwing cash at the problem. Preparing involves both a mindset and a system for physical preparation... Let's take a look at the process.

The Mindset

No one knows what any urban emergency will bring. What everyone does know is that something will happen. Getting ready for any emergency is much like having a spare tire in your car. No one expects a flat but we carry the spare and the tools regardless. It's considered prudent to have that spare... just as you have auto and home insurance and many other safeguards. For some reason food storage is ignored.

Natural disasters are common all over the country but a "spare tire" is seldom included in the plans. Insurance yes, food no. Pay the bean counters and expect the government to feed you. Urban emergencies change that. The bean counters won't pay you and the government can't feed you. That has to be the mindset... You need to prepare.

Let's be real. Unless you have a bank vault and a gang of Hell's Angels to protect it, a years supply of food is pushing the boundaries of reasonable emergency storage. Back when I set up my shelter I felt confident that a camouflaged shelter, 26 feet under ground, in a blasted nuclear landscape, would be fairly safe from marauding bands of starving natives. The five friends I picked were more than capable of helping me to protect my little retreat.

When I talk to clients about preparedness I hear, "Gotta get a year's supply of food," and "We bought food for a year," etc. Etc. Where does everyone get this "year" stuff? I have my suspicions but I'll let that slide. The big dehydrated food suppliers might not like it.

A quick note about food storage... If you get ready for an emergency and nothing happens, you can eat the preparations we suggest here and go on about your business. Of course if you buy a years supply of dehydrated food...

If you already have a year's supply of food... congratulations. There are some things you need to do to keep that supply under your control. We'll talk about that another time.

If you are new to food storage, let me help you get started on a path to self-sufficiency that is less daunting than that mountain of supplies needed for a year. To begin we need to consider the process of getting ready.

The Process

Like so many things, preparing for urban emergencies begins with a list. This is a list that you make. Consider it a homework assignment for the big test.

Grab a steno pad and a pencil. For three days write down everything you use, eat, take or work with. The list might look like this: (pwpp = per week per person, pmpp = per month per person)

It won't take long for you to understand just what you need to survive comfortably on a daily basis. You'll begin to understand that preparing for a year of urban survival is much more than several hundred pounds of dry food. It is the entire life structure that you've become accustomed to. Remember, what goes into your body must come out. Where does all of that waste go? Trash bags... If I have a year's worth of garbage behind my house, how will I hide the fact that I have something to make the garbage with? Hmmm. In the bomb shelter I had a trash compactor for trash waste and a sophisticated septic system for body waste. What will you do if the water shuts off?

After you've made your list of the things you use for your family, your pets and maintaining your lifestyle, you will begin to understand the magnitude of survival in a place with no power, water or other services. You will also begin to come up with alternatives to supply you with conveniences. Candles instead of electric lights, water collection buckets at the roof drains, water purification for that water. Ass rags instead of toilet paper. Etc. Think like a settler and think defensively.

Once you have the list of non-food items that you need and use... go get them. A dozen tubes of toothpaste and a dozen toothbrushes don't cost much at warehouse stores. Remember too, you don't need to get the most expensive brands... just get something that works. Repackage everything to make it as compact as possible. Get a few extras when you can to use as barter. That fellow next year with all that dry food... bet he forgot his toothbrush! He'd give his eyetooth for one of yours.

Those warehouse stores like Costco/Priceclub, Sams, Walmart, etc. are your best source of inexpensive bulk, storable canned and dry goods. With careful selection and prudent choices you can cut the cost of preparations by 80% less than the cost of specialized dehydrated and freeze dried foods. You can save much more over the cost of MRE's... and you will eat warehouse food if the emergency fizzles.

While you are collecting all the support stuff you need at a warehouse store you'll notice the shelves full of bulk-canned foods. Things like tamales, chilis, stews, beans, canned meats, pasta, canned salads, dehydrated potatoes and more. People eat that food all of the time or the store wouldn't sell it. This is exactly why you should start loading up on canned foods. Pick canned foods you know. Consider this... you know how to prepare the item and, for the most part, it already contains the water you need for preparation and it stores well. If you decide you don't need to store food any more... just eat it till it's gone. End of problem.

Just an aside. I've talked with some folks about this process and I've heard, "Canned food doesn't offer a very well balanced diet." OK, sure. I don't eat a balanced diet and I'd bet you don't either. I take vitamin supplements to make up for deficiencies. My doctor says that I'm not dying. I humbly submit that with the pressures of survival all around you, the notion of switching to a balanced diet of crap food for the first time in your life will not make you happy.

Putting Together Your Supplies

Since no one knows what will happen with with any urban emergency, any guess is a good as any other and any preparations are better than none. If you can only afford to purchase a few weeks of food and goods, do so. You will not be a burden for the amount of time you've prepared for.

We are suggesting that everyone have on hand a three-month supply of food. This way the cost is nominal, the storage volume acceptable, the risk low and the benefits significant.

Laying out a grand or two for food is a real burden for most families. However, most folk can make preparations a bit at a time. Over time, Karen and I have come up with a list of foods and quantities that should be a reasonable and inexpensive guide for most folk. The items on this list can be compiled from inexpensive foods and grains purchased at feed and grain stores and from your local market. While you collect these items consider "copy canning."

Copy canning takes place in increments. When you shop for your weekly foods, purchase double (or more) of any canned and packaged goods you need. The extras are marked with the date and placed in storage. Each time you buy groceries "double copy" the foods you buy. Move the oldest dated foods to the pantry and place the newest foods in storage. Little by little you will accumulate a good supply of the foods you purchase and eat naturally.

You must also consider the needs of your pets. Track the food needs of your animal friends and set aside enough food to provide for them for the same period. Do not expect to feed them table scraps... there will be few to share. They will not be able to forage and will be killed.

Also, consider your medications. Lay in a supply of antibiotics, antihistamines, OTC painkillers, etc. Load up on your regular scripts. I can say much more about this, and will in a future article.

In a nutshell... It is time to prepare for the potential disaster approaching us. The process does not need to kill your finances, rob you of space in your home or expose you to high risk. Neither does it mean that you need to be inconvenienced with foods that you are unfamiliar with and have no other use for should the disaster not materialize. By preparing you will assure yourself and your family of a reasonable chance for a comfortable transition to the new millennia.

The List

Remember, Ron and Karen Hood operate Hoods Woods in Idaho and pay their bills by teaching survival skills on video tape. If you are interested in survival and find the information on this site valuable, help contribute to their survival by purchasing one or more of their videos, these skills will be enormously valuable should you be involved in a disaster. People, or the government, can take your goods and preparations from you but they cannot take your knowledge.

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