Category Archives: SHELTER

Shelter would include location, building materials, style,

SNOW and supplies

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Blog SNOW and supplies

 

 

 

In March 2021 our area had a bit of snow….   The weather service had been forecasting this  bit of snow for well over a week. So this was or at least should not have been a surprise. We ALL knew it was coming and the projected amounts. Hummm   OK by the time the snow stopped our area had OVER 30 inches of snow. The storm lasted a few days. During this time we monitored the area’s communication systems. At one point our lights flickered and came back on. A few blocks over the lights went out for about 36 hours.

 

Some of the calls for services made good sense. In the areas that lost power people were calling for oxygen supplies because their oxygen concentrators were not running at home. Most folks have enough bottled oxygen to last 12 hours and then they are gasping like fish out of water. Trust me this is NOT fun!  SO, people were out on snowmobiles and snow cats getting bottled oxygen to those in need.    Many home bound people were stuck as their care givers could not get in to tend to them. Others who had 24 hour care, the staff were stuck there as they could not get out and relief staff could not get in. in at least one case someone died at home and the family had to wait with the body for …. Too long.

 

Like I said, I CAN understand this.

 

What I can NOT understand are the people who did not have even a weeks worth of insulin and other life sustaining medications on hand. Many types of insulin are available over the counter in most states.  Generally you can refill your medications a few days early and over time build up a small stockpile of you life sustaining medications. DO NOT ask for CDS/narcotics early nor extra.

 

People were calling EMS because they were out of insulin and other things…    SAD that people don’t or can’t think ahead.

 

My building was literally snowed in for many days, even the post office was closed. Of course we did not expect to get deliveries anyway we could not get out and they could not get in. one of the tenants has a life alert button and some how it accidentally got activated. It took EMS almost 2 hours to travel what is normally a 10 minute drive. They had 2 snow plows clearing the roads for them to get in. only to find that it was a false alarm. This sort of thing happens.

 

Crime was WAY DOWN that week.

 

There was still snow drifts 3 weeks after the snow stopped. Many roads remained closed for over a week and many that were ‘open’ only had one lane of travel. Only the main roads were  mostly open.

 

Neighbors helped each other.  A friend after shoveling out her driveway, cleared the walkway for an 80 year old woman who lived down the street form her and then she dug out an old couples vehicle because she knew that they had doctors appointments to get to later that week. She did not have to help those old folks BUT she is a good person and wanted to help out.  The next day there were 6 missionaries who had cleared the walks in their neighborhood and went to the senior apartments and cleared their walkways and dug out their cars.

 

Lessons learned.  Many times you are on your own IE YOU are your own first responder. That is just life. Plan ahead.

 

When the weather people tell you a storm is coming- get ready!

 

You do not have to be a weather man to tell which way the wind is blowing stay alert to what is going on around you!

 

Talk to people and make friends. Get to know those around you – what their strengths are AND what their weaknesses are [and how YOU can help them]. Lone wolves are NOT normal and will die early on.

 

Remember ARK – Acts of Random Kindness are good in and of themselves. Be nice.

 

Cross ref

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/re-hydration-drink/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/general-preps/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/stockholm/

 

#ARKtime

 

 

Heat injuries

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Summer Safety Primer
During heat illness, the body’s cooling system shuts down due to a
lack of water and electrolytes.
Mild symptoms of heat exhaustion include thirst, fatigue, and cramps
in the legs or abdomen. Left untreated, heat exhaustion can progress
to heat stroke.

Serious heat-related symptoms include dizziness,
headaches, nausea, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, decreased alertness,
and a core temperature as high as 105 F or more.

In severe cases, the liver, kidneys, and brain may be damaged due to
the lack of water and electrolytes. About 400 people die each year
from heat exposure, according to the CDC.

The risk of heat illness goes up during exertion and sports and with
certain health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and heart
disease. Alcohol use also increases the risk. So do medications that
slow sweat production such as antihistamines, tricyclic
antidepressants, and diuretics used to treat water retention, high
blood pressure, and some liver and kidney conditions.

People ages 65 and older and young children are especially vulnerable
to heat illness. During the summer of 2003, at least 42 children in
the United States died after being left in hot cars, according to Jan
Null, a meteorologist in San Francisco who tracks heat-related
deaths. What some people don’t realize is that the temperature inside
a car can climb much higher than temperatures outside during a sunny
day. Heat stroke in children [AND animals] can occur within minutes, even if a car
window is opened slightly. **The car becomes a `solar oven’ with
temperatures going over 200 degrees F. and sometimes into 300 degrees F.
What You Can Do
Adequate hydration is the #1 protective factor!

Re-Hydration drink

At #2 is proper clothing with headgear.

Air conditioning is the No. 3 protective factor against heat illness.

If you don’t have air conditioning, spend time in public facilities, such as libraries and
malls that have air conditioning. Reduce strenuous activities or do
them during early mornings and evenings when it’s cooler. If you’re
outside for long stretches of time, carry a water bottle, drink
fluids regularly, and don’t push your limits. People who play sports
should wear light, loose-fitting clothes and drink WATER or sports
drinks before, during, and after activity. If you see someone
experiencing heat illness, have the person lie down in a cool place
and elevate the legs. Use water, wet towels, and fanning to help cool
the person down until emergency help comes.

The number one indicator of adequate hydration is URINATION. With
infants we are told that 10-12 wet diapers a day is a good thing. And
that “depends” on your age. If you are 40 years old, one would hope
that you do not need diapers [in older folks diapers are called
depends]. BUT you should be going every 2-3 hours and your urine
should be clear to straw colored and at least 90 MLs each time. If
your urine is dark, cloudy or scant you NEED to be drinking more
water. A good formula is one liter of water, ¼ teaspoon potassium
chloride [this is a salt substitute some trade names are NU-salt, NO-
salt ECT.. Available in the seasoning section with the regular table
salt –sodium chloride] a pinch of mag sulfate—Epson salt, 2
tablespoons of sugar and Kool aid to taste. Chile and serve. This
formula is rather similar to Pedialyte or Gatorade only better and
much cheaper. — Just like you learned in our first aid class.

Cross ref

General preps

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/convalescent-care/

and some books that explore the topics in more depth
http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ready-or-not-things-will-happen/ This is book 1 the quick start guide to preparedness.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ready-or-not-fun-things-will-happen/ This is book 2 about traveling and evacuation planning.

Tornado Prep

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Tornado preps

Everyone who lives [or works] together should sit down and discuss the “what IF” of the possibility- write your plan down noting everyone’s concerns.

1. Keep alert to the weather conditions [and general situational awareness] 2 take shelter right away when you hear a tornado warning OR see a funnel cloud headed your way. 3. find a small room with no windows and a strong door such as a closet. The close walls will be stronger than rooms with support walls farther apart.

At home or at work; avoid windows. The safest places are interior rooms or hallway in the lowest floor of the structure like a basement IF available.

IF are in a mobile home; get out! Have prior arrangements with neighbors who have appropriate shelter. If necessary go to a ditch, ravine with your kit as below. Don’t try to shelter under the mobile home even if it has tie downs. Don’t shelter under a bridge as the wind will speed up there.

IF you are in a vehicle behave as if you were in the mobile home. Don’t TRY to outrun it.

Stock the following items in the safe area:
A whistle
box of crayons
A small radio, preferably a self-powered radio
A flashlight, preferably a self-powered flashlight
A medium sized pack of batteries – do not store batteries in the devices
Peanut butter crackers ect
Two blankets per person
A land line phone
A few water bottles
A first aid kit (Band-Aids, cloth, ect.)
Bike helmet with face mask like for hockey or football AND safety glasses
Shoes and leather work gloves
A charger for your cell phone [consider installing a power outlet in that area or per-run an extension cord to power your cell phone, radio and a LED light]
Medicines for at least a few days
Anything you may need for pets
Anything you may need for children
A multipurpose pry bar
BRING your BOB [bug out bag] with you.
Bring your keys and purse/wallet with you.
Store your documents safely in the (interior) shelter, along with a recent copy of one of your utility bills. If your neighborhood is wiped out, you’ll need to prove to authorities that you live there.
On a bulletin board AT the front door have a note of where your safe area is and how many people are sheltering so that the rescue crew can find you easier.

EAS false alarm

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EAS false alarm

Recently there was a false warning for a missile attack on Hawaii. The warning lasted about 37-38 minutes and caused a great deal of panic. People were going into the storm drains for shelter.

Apparently someone had just hit the wrong button. All I got to say about that is IT happens. That raises a question in my mind. Ideally everything should go as planned 100% of the time. That is not reality though now is it? Which would you rather have happen, a false alarm OR no alarm and the first you know is a bright flash of a nuke going off? IF we can not have 100%, then I would rather get a few false alarms than miss out.. SO, in my mind it was a good thing as it showed flaws in the system, it made people think and has sparked conversation!

So let’s analyze the situation– here in the US of A mainland we are about 30 minutes by ICBM from Russia and China and North Korea– comforting thought. In Hawaii it is way less than that maybe 10 or 15 minutes from North Korea. Maybe if people could keep that in mind they would not be panicky after the first 20 minutes [ymmv]

Shelter – it would be great if you had a designated shelter to go to, 2nd best is retrofitting your basement . As far as going into the storm drains or sewer systems, it is a good idea until it rains and washes the fallout into the drains. The other issues with going underground like that is methane which displaces oxygen which WILL kill you. Think about it, the next time you see a work crew going in the pipes they always keep one person on the surface AND they pump fresh air down to the underground workers.

Is it possible to survive a nuclear weapon attack?? Unless you are directly at ground zero, yes it is. I was stationed in Japan in the 1970s. Part of my duties as a medic was taking care of some of the survivors from the 2 atom bombs we dropped in the 40s. This was not from the kindness of our [or our government] hearts. We wanted the data for research. It was very interesting seeing the flash burns on them [the survivors] and you could tell what the patterns of clothing they had on. The darker part of the pattern had worse burns V the lighter colored areas. One of the people was SOOOoooo… lucky, he was 700 – 1,000 yards from ground zero with the first bomb and survived, then he walked home where he was just in time to be caught in the 2nd bombing… mind you this was back in the 1940s. He finally dies of old age in the early 2000s about 60 years after being bombed twice.

Which brings us to— what are you doing to get prepared?

Ref article – which should NOT be comforting.. http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/01/hawaiian-emergency-management-officials-hold-interview-post-notes-passwords-computer-screens/

Stinging Nettle

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Stinging Nettle aka Great stinging Nettle, Common Nettle

Genus: Urtica
Species: Dioica

Parts Used: roots, leaves and stems
Nettle is high in iron and vitamins C and K

Nettle is very common all over the world. It is often found in moist shaded woodlands but does grow in the prairie too. Plants grow from 2 to 6 feet tall and is propagated from root runners and seeds. The Nettle plant consists of a long, flexible stem that has serrated leaves opposite of each other. When I was a kid we used to encourage the growth and propagation of stinging nettle on the homestead.

The thin hairs on the Nettle plant contain Formic Acid which causes the Stinging effect. Redness, itching, burning ect can last a few hours to a week. This can be somewhat less than fun.

Prevention / protection from Stinging Nettle reactions is best accomplished by learning to identify it and staying away from it ; ]

If you must OR should you decide that you want to make use of this very helpful plant the best way to handle the Nettle plant is to wear long sleeves and gloves to prevent skin contact with the plant until it has been processed.

How do you process Stinging Nettle for use? The most common uses are for consumption as either a pot herb or tea. The younger the plant the more delectable it will be to eat or to make tea. Younger leaves can be striped off the stem and either boiled or sauteed with salt or pepper to taste or mixed in with vegetables or meats.. basically any way that you would use mustard or turnip greens in cooking. The young leaves can also be minced to make a tea with the pulp consumed with the drink not strained out.

Older leaves can be dried [which inactivates the formic acid] and later crushed before steeping for tea, the pulp can be consumed as with fresh young leaves. The stems can be be used fresh or dried for tea with the fibers strained out before consuming.

Some people apply the fresh leaves directly to an arthritic area as a poultice and report that this temporarily relieves the discomfort of the condition.

Dealing with the skin reactions and stinging:

Some references recommend OTC remedies such as analgesic creams or pills, steroid creams [and RX pills] and antihistamines such as Diphenhydramine creams or pills OR Ranitidine aka Zantac. OR –ominous music– you may need to seek medical treatment*.

[*MOST people are not actually allergic to this plant and will not have an anaphylactic reaction which does need intervention]

It has been my experience that the ‘old wives’ who tell the tales are correct and that Stinging Nettle is best treated FIRMLY and not with a light touch. Meaning if you brush against it, it will sting you. But if you grab it firmly the area will go numb and not bother you.

Other uses for stinging nettle include making it into string, rope or weaving it into a rough fabric or baskets.

Stinging Nettle can also be used as a deterrent to dissuade people from coming into your yard when planted in strategic locations.

What memories of using stinging nettles do you have?

Blending in 3

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Trash.

ALWAYS pick up after yourself do NOT be a pig. If you have enough that you can throw something away, then you have stuff others may want to take from you. Or leavening trash is like the old tale of leaving bread crumbs as a trail marker. It is most always best to leave no trace that you were ever there. An example of this from my military days was that we did not carry TP as the locals did not use it, also we would go a bit off the trail and dig a ‘cat hole’ to go in and us leaves to wipe and then bury everything so it did not show. In that area it took less than a week for the worms to convert our droppings and remove all trace of us. As a side note, KNOW what kind of leaves you are making us of. Do not be like a relative who did not know what poison ivy looked like and use that to wipe. I am sure it was NOT fun recovering from that.

Footprints

Travel on hard surfaces if possible as this will cut down on the tracks you leave. Travel single file to diminish their ability to count how many people are in your group, on the other hand everyone making their own path does not leave as much of a trail. You have to decide which you think is best in your situation. If you can wrap your footwear in rags to obscure what kind of shoe you have. Back when I worked Search and |Rescue we each had a laminated cheat sheet which had the common tread patterns on it so that when we discovered prints we could radio the info into command to log locations.

What are your thoughts on this?

What other suggestions can you make?

Blending in 2

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Noise discipline

Typically the bigger issues with this come from children, dogs and Untrained adults which can be way worse than the kids and animals. EVERYONE should be trained in quiet mode operations. This is easier done IF a house hold member is a shift worker. My wife and I both had parents who worked other shifts so we were raised being quiet. WE both worked shifts [evening and nights] and so raised our kids to be quiet. This was so ingrained into us that on hard wood or tile floors walking ‘normally’ for us in combat boots we often got accused of ‘sneaking up on people. The grandkids’ donor was NOT raised to be quiet and even in stocking feet we could hear him walking in the house. He often bragged of what a great hunter he was [from the road] and ALL the things he learned in Marine boot camp.. [The whole WEEK [7 days] ] that he was in boot camp before he got the boot…

The short of this discussion on noise discipline is START early teaching the kids about it and it will be WAY easier to do. You can make a game out of it.

Along with all that has already been discussed is LIGHT discipline. Keep lights low and shielded so that it only extends at most a few feet from the source. Sound is hard to track due to echoing unless it is a constant noise like equipment [generators or music]. Light once seen can be followed EVEN if it was only a flash like from a camera. All they have to do is mark the direction and then plot it on a map. IF 2 or more people witnessed it your exact location is easy to triangulate. Along with LIGHT discipline is REFLECTIVE discipline which is light reflecting off of equipment and thus giving your position away. Remove or cover reflective items with cloth, flat paint or mud to cut down on this issue.

Conversely if you are trying to be noticed make noise, start small controlled fires which smoke a lot and use something reflective to catch the sun light and redirect it toward searchers.

All things being equal the one thing which attracts attention the most is MOVEMENT. If you are attempting to travel without being noticed move slowly and deliberately without acting as if you are sneaking about. Stop often and survey your surroundings.

OUTLINES disrupt your outline so that you do not look human [same thing for equipment make is so that the outline does not look like a car or truck or whatever. Also be very aware of your background so that you do not stand out such as avoiding the ridgeline of a hill or building.

Like noise and light discipline you have to watch the color of your attire and equipment. Avoid bright un-natural colors unless you WANT to be found. Reds and oranges are out for blending in. also avoid camouflage and tactical black as they shout ‘I have stuff, come and take it!’ Browns, tans, light greens, grays and cream colors work well for blending in in most places. Look to see what the dominate colors are around you and go with that. Some times a muted plaid or flower shirt works well.

Blending in

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Blending in

Things that will give away your location both on the trail |AND at home

Consider these things when you have to bug out bug back or are sheltering in place. You do NOT want to stand out as someone who has ‘stuff’ that others may want to take from you.

Smoke

Both from a fire [for warmth or for cooking] AND tobacco products. I have personally tracked people down from over a ¼ mile away who smoking a cigarette – of course the wind was blowing toward me. The odor that clings to smokers can also give away their location even if they are not actively smoking. KEEP this in mind if there is ANY possibility that you will ever have to remain hidden. One building that we had an office in a few years ago used to be a movie house. Part if it had burned down OVER 30 years prior and there was still the odor from that fire in parts of the building such as the projection room. IF you have a fire do it at night to hide the sight of the smoke and keep the fire VERY small and shielded so that people can not see the fire itself.

Food cooking

The odor not only from the fire but from the food itself carriers quite a way and will give away your location. Especially if the people around you are hungry. Back in the old west stories they talked of having ‘cold camps’ the term comes from not having a cooking fire. This is something to consider if you are ever on the move either bugging out or bugging home…. And even when sheltering in place. It is a good idea for most of your food n your BOB to be such that you can eat it cold or out of hand without preparation. That said – a good HOT meal sure does lift the spirits.

Cough

Back when I was in the military one of the things the medics [me] carried was Codeine tablets. Besides being good for pain control it also suppressed cough in case a team mate had one and we did not want the sound to give away our location while on patrol. Talk with your doctor if this is a concern for you. BTW there are other over the counter [OTC] medications which will help control cough ECT that can be used such as Guaifenesin tablets. This is a great topic for discussion with your doctor.

Kitchen Tools nonelectric

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Kitchen Tools needed have handy when electricity goes out

Go to your kitchen and look at the tools that you use to cook food. How many use electricity? In this blog I want you to think about which tools you could use if you did not have electricity and what foods you could make. The number 1 kitchen tool you will need is a manual can opener. Whether that be a P38 that is used in the military to open one can at a time, or one that your grandmother had on the wall, that can open large cans. It would be beneficial if all pre-teen to adults had a P38 or P51 (these are different sizes that the military uses) on each person say on a keychain or a lanyard and then a larger one for the kitchen area this can be one of the ones that is called a hand can opener or one that you put on the wall. Either way they are easier to use when opening more than 1 can at a time. Also, if anyone carries a P38/51 they should know how to use it. Put this on your list to teach everyone how to use one and especially the pre-teen to adults to be able to use easily. If anyone is going to be cooking in the kitchen make sure they know how to use the larger one.

How do you mix your cakes and cookies? If you use an electric mixer start learning now how to use something that does not require electricity. There is a handy device that grandmother use to use that was called an egg beater. It has two mixing blades like an electric mixer but uses a crank wheel to beat the eggs, not as hard on the hands as a fork. But, whichever you use get it and start practicing, then make sure that it is handy for when the electricity goes out.

How do you make bread, or do you make bread? If the electricity goes out you will not have a bread machine, but you can bake bread in a solar oven. This should be something you practice on a bit, because it takes practice to make bread for different areas. Where we live, we are over a mile in altitude, but there are places that are below sea level, and these and the areas in between require slight differences in making bread. Also differences in humidity require slight changes. Start with simple recipes and go to the more difficult ones. This will also make help make your diet healthier not to have so many preservatives in it.

Choppers and blenders are other electrical appliances, but the way to get around using these is to chop items up very small and stir a lot. If you don’t know how to chop or need a good knife or cutting board put this on your list and as soon as you get them start practicing. This is the way baby food can be made by chopping food up real fine and adding liquid to it and stirring real well.

Are there any other kitchen tools that you use that are electrical that you would need to change your way of cooking? If so, let me know and we can add that to this blog for future use. We will talk about how to cook without electricity in another blog.

Homeless 1

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While this story is set in UK [link at bottom] the USA has a significant problem with this too. About 4 years ago now, the county I live in had over 600 homeless with a little over 100 of those being school age kids. [that is the last stat I have, every January they ‘survey’ the area] …. The problem is bigger than most of us know, in part because the NEWS people will not repost on it. There are several areas that install spikes in ‘sleeping; areas to prevent sidewalk sleepers. This does not help. I do know some who are homeless by choice– Here in Wyoming with some winter days 10 – 20 below zero F it is NOT by choice. ; [

It is generally better to plan ahead to prevent homelessness but sometimes things happen. What if your house burns down? What do you do then?

There are many small home designs aka tiny houses out there that may be a good idea to have in your back yard for guests such as visiting friends and family OR if you want to take someone in.

I have seen some designs using pvc pipe as the frame over plastic pallets to hold a tarp makes a nice dry tent. It can be warmed with a tea light radiant heater. This would work well in the back yard as above or if you are the one that needs it out in the green area of town.

In Japan, there is a micro hotel system that traveling business people use that could have a baring on this topic. Each floor has rows of 4 x4 x 8 cubicles stacked 3 high that face the hall. each room has a tv, radio, frig, bed, closet and AC/Heater. The dayroom and bathroom/toilets are down the hallway. In essence you climb into your rack where you spend most of your off time anyway with communal areas elsewhere. Depending on how ‘nice’ you want to make it this type of thing would make a good homeless shelter.

A slight change of direction but still dealing with homeless situation is feeding operations. Of late there has been stories in the ‘alternative’ news about towns criminalizing FEEDING the homeless.

Folks, it is CRIMINAL to criminalize homelessness or the assistance of them by the public.

http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2015/12/10/as-cardboard-cities-return-councils-criminalise-the-homeless