What was your prep for today?

[knucklegary]

CA has officially given the okay for residential rain water catchment. Agriculture still needs to buy permits.

 

[Poppy]

In my area, if a developer comes in and wants to develop property, he has to build in a water detention pond so that rain water is metered into the river system. In fact a neighbor of mine put in a in-ground swimming pool, and he was required to add a five hundred gallon detention area for rain water to make up for the loss of an area for rain water to become ground water.

 

[Monocrom]

But in general, I see that water collection is regulated in many places.

I remember that case. The first time he was arrested, released, later found guilty, and had to pay a heavy fine. A reporter asked if he'd continue collecting rainwater, and he said no way. Looks like he decided to do it again.

It's messed up because such laws were initially put into place against commercial business entities in that state, definitely not private citizens. But the laws are vague and corrupt individuals in power can certainly apply them to average citizens simply collecting rainwater. A disgustingly obscene abuse of power.

So yeah, check your local laws before collecting rainwater. Having been born into Communist Russia, I can tell you this.... Not even the most dedicated high-ranking Communist officials ever proclaimed that rainwater was property of the State. Ironic that such a diseased mentality exists in some parts of America, today.

 

[ledbetter]

In the West, water is money and power, equal to land, gas, and oil.

 

[aznsx]

I'd have about as much luck collecting sea shells as rain water here. I'm subject to (all too) frequent water outages here at my current small apt., so I keep a stash in the 'square' 3-gal jugs sold at the local 'water store' (a term that still makes me laugh). They're easily stashed in small places, and easily moved about to the point of use. When I bought them (dry), I got a strange look when I told them I didn't want them filled with their RO water! I'm quite OK with straight 'tap' water.

 

[Poppy]

Today I googled "How much bleach to sterilize a gallon of water" and was presented with this:

Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water | US EPA

How to boil and disinfect water to kill most disease-causing microorganisms during emergency situations where regular water service has been interrupted and local authorities recommend using only bottled water, boiled water, or disinfected water.

www.epa.gov

I printed out the pertinent info. This way I will have it if cell phone and internet comms are down, and there is a disruption of water supply.

I bought an extra gallon of bleach today, and intend to get some contractor strength 50 gallon bags, to act as liners of garbage cans for water. Almost all of my trash cans have holes, if not large holes in them, so I want something heavy duty.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

If you’re going to learn how to purify water, you need to know what works and what doesn’t depending on what’s in the water. You may be dealing with bacteria, viruses, brain eating amoebas, chemicals, raw sewage, or nuclear radiation. Boiling water will kill anything in the water, but will leave chemicals, raw sewage, and will concentrate radiation (make it worse). Chlorine will kill bacteria, maybe viruses, but leaves everything in the water. Chlorine dioxide tablets work great for killing everything in the water but take up to 4 hours to kill viruses. Iodine kills bacteria, but can only be used a couple weeks before it starts messing up your thyroid. Use a vitamin c tablet to neutralize the taste of the iodine. The right amount of potassium permanganate can also be used to treat water. The advantage of that chemical is it can also be used to help treat infected wounds and to start fires. A decent hollow fiber filter like a Saywer Sweeze will filter out bacteria and Protozoa, but not chemicals. For Chemicals, you usually need a carbon filter. A U.V. light pen will kill bacteria and viruses, but leave everything still floating around in your water. A hollow fiber purifier (Lifestraw Mission, Lifestraw Community) should do a better job of getting everything out of the water. Know what you’re likely filtering beforehand and go a level or two up on the safety just in case. Remember, it’s your life at stake. Don’t die because you were too cheap to get something to save your life. Water filters are actually pretty cheap. Saywer Sweeze (the bare minimum I would suggest) costs $30. Lifestraw Mission Purifier costs $120.

 

[Poppy]

If you’re going to learn how to purify water, you need to know what works and what doesn’t depending on what’s in the water. You may be dealing with bacteria, viruses, brain eating amoebas, chemicals, raw sewage, or nuclear radiation. Boiling water will kill anything in the water, but will leave chemicals, raw sewage, and will concentrate radiation (make it worse). Chlorine will kill bacteria, maybe viruses, but leaves everything in the water. Chlorine dioxide tablets work great for killing everything in the water but take up to 4 hours to kill viruses. Iodine kills bacteria, but can only be used a couple weeks before it starts messing up your thyroid. Use a vitamin c tablet to neutralize the taste of the iodine. The right amount of potassium permanganate can also be used to treat water. The advantage of that chemical is it can also be used to help treat infected wounds and to start fires. A decent hollow fiber filter like a Saywer Sweeze will filter out bacteria and Protozoa, but not chemicals. For Chemicals, you usually need a carbon filter. A U.V. light pen will kill bacteria and viruses, but leave everything still floating around in your water. A hollow fiber purifier (Lifestraw Mission, Lifestraw Community) should do a better job of getting everything out of the water. Know what you’re likely filtering beforehand and go a level or two up on the safety just in case. Remember, it’s your life at stake. Don’t die because you were too cheap to get something to save your life. Water filters are actually pretty cheap. Saywer Sweeze (the bare minimum I would suggest) costs $30. Lifestraw Mission Purifier costs $120.

Nicely put!

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Forgot to mention, if you are using chlorine to purify water on a large scale, it’s best to use it in combination with a clarifier chemical. A clarifier binds to the sediment and debris in the water and sinks it to the bottom leaving the water clear (just don’t do this in a barrel with a spigot at the bottom). Use the chlorine, wait a while, then use the clarifier. Could take a day or two to purify a whole pool. The American Red Cross has been known to use this water purification method to purify entire Olympic sized swimming pools in other countries.

 

[scout24]

With the rise of $4.29 gas here and it being 65° here yesterday, I got my Yamaha TW200 out of winter storage. Aired up tires, checked oil, greased the swimgarm pivot, lubed the chain, checked lights and horn, and fired it up. Still needs a good cleaning and I'll dump the oil soon. 70-90mpg depending on how hard I push it, with a milk crate going on the back this week. It's not warm enough (and the roads are still bad) to ride yet but I'm getting ready. Couple weeks... Today is "run the generators" day.

 

[Poppy]

With the rise of $4.29 gas here and it being 65° here yesterday, I got my Yamaha TW200 out of winter storage. Aired up tires, checked oil, greased the swimgarm pivot, lubed the chain, checked lights and horn, and fired it up. Still needs a good cleaning and I'll dump the oil soon. 70-90mpg depending on how hard I push it, with a milk crate going on the back this week. It's not warm enough (and the roads are still bad) to ride yet but I'm getting ready. Couple weeks... Today is "run the generators" day.

Yes @scout24 I'm starting to think that I made the wrong decision to NOT buy my Dad's Nissan Altima when it was offered to me. It gets 35-39 mpg. I'm sure that we will be seeing $5 a gallon by summer time.

 

[scout24]

I'm sure you're right. If not sooner. I get 15+/- mpg in my truck, Wife's Jeep does a little better. The small bike will be my saving grace here soon. Keeps the mileage down on the 4 wheeled stuff hopefully.

Edit- $4.39 at every station I passed this afternoon.

 

[Poppy]

LOL isn't it crazy that drinking and driving is illegal, but in some states they can sell beer at gas stations!?

 

[idleprocess]

LOL isn't it crazy that drinking and driving is illegal, but in some states they can sell beer at gas stations!?

No crazier than selling packaged alcohol at a grocery store or beer barn.

Now fresh-mixed hurricanes and daiquiris served via a drive-thru window ... is a thing in Louisiana. I remember this place in the 80s looking little different than it is now selling both packaged fifths of liquor and mixed drinks in styrofoam cups taped shut practically with a wink knowing full well that they were contributory towards the region's rich tradition of looking the other way when it came to DWI.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

My prep for today was buying a power failure light. My remaining two are getting old and with how things are now in the world and living in CA in a high fire area (we get “public safety power shut offs”), it’s not a matter of if we get blackouts, but when.

 

[scout24]

HoF- Which lights? Plugin, lanterns, etc? Curiosity. Always on the lookout for good gear...

More suited for the "Small radio" thread, but I had a Kaito Voyager V2 come in this past week. Inexpensive, doesn't seem super durable bit that wasn't a primary concern with it's intended use. May need to step up in price, but it's all varying degrees of redundancy at this point.

 

[bykfixer]

I have one pretty similar as that K2 Scout, made by LifeGear. Since two is one I also have an "American Red Cross" made by EtonCorp. The solar part on the Eton one sucks but other than that is does ok.
Both have decent flashlights for times when all power is out and the light pollution is gone.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

HoF- Which lights? Plugin, lanterns, etc? Curiosity. Always on the lookout for good gear...

More suited for the "Small radio" thread, but I had a Kaito Voyager V2 come in this past week. Inexpensive, doesn't seem super durable bit that wasn't a primary concern with it's intended use. May need to step up in price, but it's all varying degrees of redundancy at this point.

This was just a $13 Sylvania plug in power failure light from Home Depot. 30 lumen nightlight (270 minutes)/60 lumen flashlight (150 minutes).

 

[ampdude]

Hi all! If you're reading this, the title intrigued you. That's the idea. I wanted to start a thread where members could come for ideas, to document, to keep the idea on your radar if it's not already. Not just disaster/zombie/bugout prep, but camping/self sufficiency, etc. Got out in the garden and got dirty? Post it. Aired out your tent and inventoried gear? Post it. Ran your generator for it's quarterly exercise? Put it here. Added to your pantry? Got to the range? It belongs here. NO POLITICS please. I'm starting not quite from ground zero after spending the last 13 months rebuilding after a good 20 years of accumulating gear, knowledge, and supplies so your posts will act as motivation. Let's hear what you did today!

^This is key. It's a bit shocking seeing how many of these prepper folk are fully prepared for Soviet zombie ground attack but not for a blood test. If you won't last that long in civilization, you'll just go faster without it..

This is a good point and something I've always found ironic. I'm very aware of my mortality these days, but in the past I wasn't so much.

I guess what's on your present mind tends to be where you focus your energies.

 

[scout24]

Interestingly, the second post in this thread was fitness related, and the 3rd post was nutrition related. Second by me, third by StarHalo. It's not all about zombies. But that's a catch-all for preparedness in general. If I'm ready for zombies, I'm probably ready for a blizzard. Or a hurricaine. Etc. And, fitness/nutrition is a worthy discussion point. (Signed up for my first half marathon which takes place at the end of May. Ooof...) But I'm still actively preparing for zombies too.