Packable Items That Can Save Your Life in a Disaster

[phkrause]

Earthquakes. Fires. Tsunamis. Hurricanes. Most of us don't think about these things as we're packing, but when we visit destinations vulnerable to certain types of disasters, we take on the real risk of an emergency.

http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-galle...d=812&all=1

[Aliensanctuary]

As of this minute, we have three forest fires on three sides of us. Fortunately, they are not coming towards us, but other communities are under evacuation orders. We see huge billows of black smoke by day and the glow of burning timber at night, all within 10-20 miles.

Although we are in a safe zone in town, we really should be prepared to evacuate in case of some kind of crisis where there is no power, food, water, or gasoline.

Back in 1993, we actually had to escape from a fast moving fire while living in another area. We noticed a fire off in the distance in the morning, and as time passed we decided to load up the truck with the essentials of our life. Lucky we did, because we had to drive out far too close to the flames. We were splattered with the dark reddish liquid from a borate bomber overhead.

It would be great to have a plan ahead of time on where to go and what to take.

[Aliensanctuary]

If we're in a town or city and we find ourselves without electricity and water for an extended time, we will probably have to go somewhere where there is water. We won't last long without drinking water, or some other drinkable liquid. There is a product that filters most bacteria out of water called LifeStraw. You could camp out by a lake or river and at least not die of dehydration.

In an emergency kit a person might want:

a small tent,

a couple of tarps to go under and over tent, if needed,

a small, fuzzy warm blanket,

sleeping bag,

fire-starting kit, rechargeable flashlight,

towel and washcloth, soap, rags, toilet paper, handkerchief

lightweight raincoat, hat and gloves, waterproof shoes or boots,

plastic trash bags,

rope and clips or clothes pins,

a small kettle to hang from a branch over a fire using rope

a few dishes, some silverware, and a sharp knife,

a water filtering device,

a few changes of clothing,

compass and map,

foldable saw,

foldable beach chair or stadium seat,

paper and pen,

reading material,

small radio and solar battery charger,

some dehydrated or dried food,

...

If we had to leave town because of a long-term loss of services, at least we could be prepared ahead of time to improve our chances of survival. We could use a backpack, not the school size, but larger, with or without a frame, to pack enough essentials to get along for a little while. Drinking water and keeping warm and dry are the most important, food not so much for a while.

Did I miss anything?

Seeing those people in Iraq fleeing for their lives from ruthless militants started me thinking about putting together an emergency kit.

[Aliensanctuary]

One might also want:

a mirror,

a flexible book-sized reading-type magnifying Fresnel lens for fire-starting,

dental floss,

straight and curved needle and nylon thread...curved one for stitching wounds,

a first-aid kit,

a small sturdy folding shovel or a trowel,

and a machete.

A clear shower curtain could be used to collect water vapor by inverting it over a container. Fresh-cut vegetation is piled under the plastic and as the plants dry out water vapor collects on the plastic and runs into the container. One could dig a small pit, throw in the plants, then cover the pit with the plastic with a small weight in the center.

...I wonder if the water evaporating from urine would be drinkable...just pee in the hole that you dug...

It's just basic backpack living, but can be extremely important for survival if the power grid is disabled for more than just a day or two. Getting drinkable water would be the highest priority, then shelter. More people means shared workload and more diversity in survival skills and equipment. More people means more food could be taken along while other essential items are shared.

Perhaps our president would like to turn America into an Islamic nation. If so, non-Muslims better be prepared to go into hiding or escape to the mountains.

[lazarus]

How about a bulletproof vest for use during a routine encounter with the police

[Aliensanctuary]

When the government turns against good people and hunts them down, just throw down your backpack, hold up a Bible, and get shot. There's hope for a better afterlife.

[Aliensanctuary]

I believe that telepathic demons are turning men into demons themselves, incapable of caring about civilized behavior, personal property of others, or human life itself. If the government of the USA is destroyed by militants carrying nuclear weapons in rowboats, we will face widespread anarchy and tyranny, probably for an extended period.

I'm making an early withdrawal of 401K money to fix up an off-the-grid piece of land we own. There's a clear creek, lots of trees, and places to put up shelters or tiny houses for friends and family. The creek has changed its course recently after a flood, so now there is an area where a large garden and fruit trees can be planted next to water, after a little chainsaw and rock removal work, that is.

Even so, trying to survive in times of crisis isn't as important as trying to help others through difficult times. Christ supposedly gave away his own food so others could eat. We should be willing to do the same.

BTW, a large package of cigarette lighters might come in handy for a while, until they are used up. I just charge up some solar flashlights purchased at Amazon. The charge is supposed to last for several years if the flashlight is stored.

[Aliensanctuary]

One might also want to pack:

Toenail clippers, concave, not convex

Solar shower bag

[Aliensanctuary]

If radical Islam is allowed to spread across The USA, we can ultimately expect widespread chaos, death, and destruction, especially on our energy infrastructure. With no water, gas, electricity, or heating fuel, people will be driven to take desperate measures to survive. After the grocery stores are looted bare, people with knives and guns will attack anyone they think may have a food stash. After that, it's cannibalism.

Once the USA is no longer a world power, China, Russia, and radical Islam will transform the world map.

Our main purpose of trying to survive should be to try to help others as best as we can. If we have tracts to share that explain how to join the Kingdom of YHVH, we will be doing a great work. Sharing what little food or water we may have with others will be another great work that will be remembered forever in the Kingdom of YHVH.

[Aliensanctuary]

I haven't tried this, yet, but I think a person could make a little cook-stove out of a gallon-sized tin can. A person would need to cut both top and bottom lids off, then drill or punch holes around the top and bottom of the sides for air movement. A small grate might be handy to place over the top. It might be possible to dry small amount of foods using this cook-stove.

 

Another way to haul our survival stuff if no vehicles are available would be to use a cheap, lightweight hand truck. One could use ratchet straps to fasten a storage tub to the frame, thus keeping all of the stuff inside dry. This wouldn't work, of course, if one had to do much climbing or travel through thick brush.

[Aliensanctuary]

One might want to make practice runs of trying to survive without utilities, housing, and water. Some people might think that you are homeless.

[Aliensanctuary]

One could always find a loose shopping cart to pack up and haul their most needed possessions to a place of relative safety. The shopping carts don't travel cross-country very well, though.

[Aliensanctuary]

There is a product called Global Sun Oven I believe that can even bake bread. I don't think it's lightweight, but if you don't have to pack it around much, you could cook just with sunlight. A person would just need to have plenty of time and some food to cook. 

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

you can make a reflector oven with just aluminum foil... we had to do that for "Senior Survival" at Laurelwood Academy back in the early 70's..

[Aliensanctuary]

you can make a reflector oven with just aluminum foil.

I wonder if one of those mylar "space" blankets could be used as a solar reflector to heat food or water. The plastic might degrade from the sunlight after a while, though.

[Aliensanctuary]

For short-term emergency survival caused by some disaster, a group could pack enough food for a week or two, or even more, but for long-term, a person should have a either secure warehouse full of food or else grow enough in warm weather to be able to preserve enough for winter weather. If our money becomes worthless or inaccessible, we should stock up on a some of the things we will need for an emergency plan while we still can. Our savings, checking accounts, credit cards, and cash will likely be of no use during a major crisis.

 

There are companies selling freeze-dried food, Costco for one, which also carry beans and grains packed for long-term storage. Non-GMO and non-hybrid seeds will keep a person alive for a long time, including friends, family, and others if a secure garden area near water can be located. A cave or tunnel may be the safest area to store supplies, or even to live. A person should think carefully ahead of time on how they could camouflage their living area. A solar oven might be the best way to cook food due it its smokeless nature, but some may be to heavy to pack around. I've never watched it, but there is a TV program called Doomsday Preppers from which a person might find useful ideas. I think that their focus is more on fortresses and guns, something most Christians may not be interested in.

 

It's not so horrible if we die from inadequate food or water supplies, or, if we are killed by bandits or cannibals or captured and jailed and decapitated. We should already have some idea of what we might say to our captors about our faith, if required. If we, along with friends and family, do die of starvation or are killed, we should not despair, but rely on our hope for a better life where there is no more evil. The sleep of Death is but our final escape from a world full of pain and suffering. Sooner or later, we must all say goodbye to those closest to us.

[Aliensanctuary]

The Fresnel lens I ordered from Amazon measures about 6 X 11 inches. I focused it on a paper bag and it caught fire in just a couple of seconds. It's flexible and can be easily packed in an emergency survival kit. I'm sure dead leaves and pine needles would also burst into flames. 

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

The Fresnel lens I ordered from Amazon measures about 6 X 11 inches. I focused it on a paper bag and it caught fire in just a couple of seconds. It's flexible and can be easily packed in an emergency survival kit. I'm sure dead leaves and pine needles would also burst into flames. 

 

what mag power was the lens you bought?

[Aliensanctuary]

Another website claimed it was 2X. Most customers seemed to be unhappy with their ability to read using it, but for fire-starting it works great. It's going in our emergency survival kit. It is actually 7 X 10 inches. I was only guessing in my previous post. I think medium-sized Fresnel lenses tend to be a little tricky to read with, especially if they're flexible.

[Aliensanctuary]

This isn't exactly packable, but a clean garbage can put under the eaves of a roof during a rain would provide around 32 gallons of water that could be used to flush a toilet or wash up in if water no longer comes out of the faucets. There's always the solar-heated shower bag a person could hang over the curtain rod above the bathtub, or, a tree or building overhang outside in nicer weather.

 

If a person can evacuate a disaster area in a car, that might be the best place to shelter in if water is nearby. There would be more security there than the inside of a tent, plus, in cooler weather, the solar input would tend to raise the temperature inside the vehicle to a more comfortable level.

 

If the roadways are impassable or dangerous, one could use a hand truck to haul their essentials cross-country by lashing one or more of the larger latching storage tubs to the frame with ratcheting tie down straps. That should keep everything dry and provide a place to bathe in while inside a tent. It might be better to get a hand truck with solid rubber tires rather than pneumatic ones so there won't be any flat tires to deal with while a person is struggling to find a safe place to shelter. 

[Aliensanctuary]

If during winter no utilities are available for longer than short-term, those living in in colder climates would need to immediately evacuate to southern US, stoplights or not. Unless, of course, you already have a winter's supply of wood or heating fuel and food, and don't need electricity for heating and water. If there's an extended power and utility loss in the coldest part of winter, most of those in the north who have not prepared for disasters will likely die, either in their homes or shelters, or in their cars stuck in traffic jams. With no law enforcement presence, looters with weapons will kill indiscriminately for a crust of bread or bottle of water that you may have stashed.

[Aliensanctuary]

I just purchased several Sawyer mini water filters to use for drinking water. It's a small tube that filters down to 0.1 microns and can be used for 100,000 gallons of water vs. about 260 gallons for the Lifestraw. It's about $19 at Amazon.

[Lauralea]

For a less catastrophic disaster a few gallons of water and a warm blanket are good to have on hand along with nonperishable Food like power bars dried fruit and nuts