How prepared are you for an emergency?
10We recently checked out our emergency preparedness and found it lacking.
Then we went fully overboard. I think we’re a tote away from being preppers at this point.
We now have:
- Water for the whole house (animals included) for 2 weeks
- a First Aid kit w/Trauma kit that takes up a whole tote - with more band-aids than I can count
- a whole tote of Huel (we had this, we just stashed it where it made sense)
- a tote of batteries, radios, lanterns, candles, power banks
- a “heat” tote that includes a mini propane heater - though we’re planning to add a much larger capacity one this summer
- so. many. blankets.
- between the deep chest freezer and the pantry, we’ve got food for a few weeks
Did we overdo it or are we missing something?
What’s in your emergency kit?
- 20 comments, 83 replies
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I’m pretty much prepared for anything.
@aetris I am jealous of your Jetz Scrubz Scrubber Sponges. My order for them got cancelled.
@yakkoTDI
The Jetz are OK but if I had my 'druthers I’d have a pack of non-scratch dish sponges and several plastic mesh dish scrubbers in a regular size (i.e. not the teeny ones you can only seem to find anymore.)
You said lanterns, but flashlights. I actually recommend an old school “D” cell type, one that puts out a shit ton of light.
Those old school radios, the ones that don’t need batteries because you just crank them sound crazy, but sometimes there are no working cell towers and old school radio works. ’
Before you break into your K rations, protein bars and shelf stable protein drinks if you can have them are good. ones you will obviously eat.
Oh
ROTATE everything Treat it like your fire alarm, check dates, replace and consume.
If you have kids, some sort of activities. Go bags for each kid, let them pack their own.
Meds, OTC, If you have Rx ones, 2 weeks of those in your bag, replace each renewal.
And yes, water gets less palatable, so plan to rotate and use
@Cerridwyn
Umm, shouldn’t we actually be rotating these things?
@xobzoo I kind of met like you know how you change the batteries or you check to make sure that it’s working at a specific interval
@Cerridwyn The radios we have are the hand crank kind.
We have a whole wall of bookshelves stocked with books, games, and activities.
Good suggestions!
@Thumperchick I actually went to the state of California program for working as the emergency preparedness coordinator for my location for the largest Healthcare unit in my area. I’m including the university. It fascinated me when I did it because the person who taught it is somebody who had worked through Katrina and she told stories and it was pretty interesting the things that they did that don’t make the news but saved a whole hell of a lot of lives
@Cerridwyn I believe it. Do you have any examples you can share?
@Thumperchick Sure This one shows how important remembering all your meds, even those you don’t use all the time.
Remember it was stupid hot and stupid muggy. Supplies were very limited if centers had them at all. They were way overcrowded and didn’t have enough of anything.
The center this person was volunteering in was no better or no worse than most of them. She said that they had one small fan to circulate air in a very crowded room. And someone became very short of breathe. .They had not brought their rescue inhaler and were having an asthma attack. Now, inhalers are not something you share, ever, well except…
She went around the large room and found exactly one person with a rescue inhaler. It was an older gentleman who didn’t want to give it up as he was afraid he would need it. They took the one fan and put it next to him and he gave the nurse his inhaler which she could use on the person who was in acute distress She never said if she had to use it more than once in the days she was there, but I would not be surprised whatsoever.
And no one complained that they put the fan over by him.
Remember your prns people. And especially if you live in fire country, and even if you don’t, get an extra one and keep it in your go bag. Even if you only use it once or twice a year.
@Cerridwyn I know you meant just rotating the batteries; my joke was just that people don’t actually keep up on those things, do they?
(In the case of smoke alarms, they will generally chirp incessantly to remind you they’re dying—assuming the rest of the device is functioning properly. So I guess it would’ve been a funnier comparison if it was “check your flashlight batteries” instead.)
Actually, serious-ish question — how many people actually remember to check on things like this? I feel like it’s a thing most people know they should do, but always forget about. Is that standard for people, or just funny for everyone to laugh about (then quietly think to themselves “I’m glad I’m not like that”)?
For myself, we have 72-hour kits (in backpack form) for everyone in the family, and freshen them up every
6 monthsprobably 2-3 years.@xobzoo interestingly, in the apartment complex I live in they religiously checked them every 6 months and every unit. When they change the filters on the HVAC units. Which is another thing you can time checking stuff too. When I lived in a different Community they didn’t bother. Which was kind of weird because I think they could have got cited for it
@Cerridwyn @xobzoo
Smoke alarms themselves should be changed out every 10 yrs or so. The sensors fail over time.
Thanks for the checklist. At the moment I am unprepared.
@heartny How’s the saying go? Admitting you have a problem is the first step towards a solution…
Couldn’t be more appropriate in your situation I don’t think.
I already went 4.5 months without water about 2 years ago and then more boil water notices since then in this stupid, arm pit of the nation town. I stashed 42 cases of water in my tiny apartment during and after that along with two 6 gal containers. Still have a few left. Oops. Over did picking up water from the hand out areas. Of course my excuse was I was also giving it to people in the apartment building with no cars and who knew how long this mess would last. With price gouging I couldn’t afford to buy it…
@Thumperchick realize that the stickum on your bandaids will eventually not work. With no power your freezer isn’t going to keep food all that long without a generator (of course if it is winter and you live where it is cold you have your own free freezer in your car, a trashcan you don’t take to the street, a shed…). You do not have matches on your list. Don’t just have lighters. Make sure you have matches too.
How do you plan to cook if your stove is electric and the power goes out? Do you have a camping stove with enough fuel (or a gas stove so this won’t be an issue. Usually anyway). I once had no power for 8 days in the middle of winter with snow on the ground. My stove was gas so that was helpful. The propane heater needs enough ventilation though. I only had heat in one room and the cats pigged up space in front of it.
I used a sleeping bag (of course I used to take people camping for a living so had plenty of camping gear). If it is cold you get cold from the ground as well so need enough under you to keep warm. I am presuming your mattress will work but likely heating the house will be an issue so you want a way everyone can sleep in the smallest bedroom (for heating issues to use less fuel - but again be aware it isn’t safe to use propane without decent ventilation) so you may need something. Air mattresses are only good above freezing (below that too much cold comes up from the ground and you freeze that way), you need foam for below freezing (and in my opinion for below about 40 degrees but then I get cold easily). Sleeping with knit hats on helps you keep warm as you lose a lot of heat through your head.
If you plan to drive anywhere gas stations need electricity to pump gas into your car so a stash of gas (that you rotate as gas “goes bad”)
Aladdin kerosene lamps (and only that brand that I know of) burns at about 100 watts and so if far brighter than dealing with flashlights presuming you have a place to put it that it won’t get knocked over by kids or pets. The other kinds of kerosene lamps generally have a yellow light that isn’t much brighter than a night light or weak flashlight.
Your emergency kid needs to include stuff for kids to do, if you have to evacuate somewhere, so they don’t drive you nuts. The more normal life feels to them the less they panic. My cousins, when they lived in CA, were given one box each they could pack in there anything they wanted to take with them (not counting clothes, bedding, etc.). They’d pack that when the fires started near them and they were kept by the door until when they were close enough that an evacuation order might be give soon and then they were packed in the car… The parents already knew how they’d pack the car so it wasn’t a discovery process in the middle of an evacuation order.
As someone else said, rotate food so it doesn’t go bad being stored. Also the longer you keep bottled water and the hotter the place it is stored in the more crap leaches out of the water bottles. If you think you will run out then buying a camping water purifier would make sense (takes out crap and germs, boiling only removed germs).
@Kidsandliz We have a propane grill and camp stove to cook on if needed.
I mentioned it in a different reply, but we’ve got a wall of games/books/activities.
We’re up north where it gets and stays plenty cold and the freezer is a chest freezer in the basement, so it’ll hold out for a bit.
What’s the benefit of matches over lighters?
@Kidsandliz @Thumperchick
Personally I’m a fan of the “atomic lighters” (sold here long ago). Matches get wet. Regular lighter needs fuel. These can be easily recharged with solar.
Also like rechargable UV-C treatment option for water.
@Thumperchick Matches work when your lighters run out of fluid. And with long matches you can more easily gt the burning end into places without burning your fingers. Both would be good though. Oh strike anywhere matches are better than only strike on boxes matches in case the boxes croak before you are out of matches.
@Kidsandliz @Thumperchick
But matches suck if they get wet (or even damp for a long time).
@chienfou @Thumperchick I took people camping for a living for years, including canoeing for days and miles (including across the state of Florida, in NE Ontario from Lake Nipigon to James Bay) and maybe once or twice we had a problem with that. And that problem was kids not closing the zip lock. But as staff we had extras in our canoe bags. Having matches AND lighters make sense. Not to mention it is easier to start a campfire in the rain with large matches (not the small ones) than with a lighter as you can put the end of the match under more tinder.
@Kidsandliz @Thumperchick
I agree matches were always our go-to fire starters. Just saying plasma lighters take the damp out of the equation more.
But as always… YMMV.
@chienfou @Kidsandliz @Thumperchick
We have a [repackaged/vacuum-sealed] bag of these [UCO Storm-Proof waterproof survival matches in each of our BOB’s and stashed in several other places in the emergency supplies.
I just realized that I should probably also include some in the E-kits for our vehicles.
However, as we are both old and fairly decrepit, plus we just don’t want to leave our house unless it’s absolutely necessary in a wildfire situation or the like, we will not likely bug-out anyway.
@PhysAssist
If there was a link there it never showed up.
@chienfou @Kidsandliz @PhysAssist @Thumperchick My main bushcraft knife’s sheath also holds a 6" ferro rod so that’s my normal fire starter. I also know how to locate and harvest fatwood if there is a pine grove nearby. That stuff burns so well.
Storm-proof matches are cool. I have a few canisters. It’s neat to light one, dunk it in a glass of water and watch it come back to life when it comes out of the water. I also have a few packs of magnesium shavings if things are really wet and the fire needs to start very hot.
Black Beard fire starters are also a good piece of kit. A bit pricey for what they are, but lightweight and nice to have if dry kindling is hard to come by.
Currently in Costa Rica for 8 days. Traveled here on Spirit and refused to pay for bags so brought a very basic first aid kit that fit in a small zip lock in my “personal item” aka backpack… (My job as the ER nurse in the group.) Managed to get a ton of stuff in that small space.
Already have most of that other stuff since we used to camp often. Don’t stockpile water since I have a couple of different purification/filtration devices and there are creeks and lakes close by, plus our pool. Almost always have at least a couple of weeks of food in the house, even if we lost our refrigeration.
I have all the things
Food, fuel, power, fire, security (pew-pews), ammunition, communications, ability to purify 75K gallons of water (with a nearby water source), lighting, propane stoves and heaters, 1000w of solar, big big batteries, a small group of likeminded people nearby, and most importantly, the skills to use all the things. 
Am I a prepper? Not really. But I am prepared. Having a wife and daughter changes your outlook on what you need to protect. I will probably never use most of the stuff I have, but if the need arises, I’d rather have it than not. And now I sound like a loony
@capnjb
Having a bit of extra for each of these things also allows you to have “currency” to use in the event you need to. Never really understood the concept of stockpiling gold for that use scenario.
And yes, skills to use it all are an important part of that equation. Willingness plays in as well.
@capnjb the “big big batteries” are a thing we’re still kicking around, but the bigger propane heater is a higher priority for the time being.
Which power stations/batteries did you go with?
@Thumperchick I have three Ecoflow Delta Max batteries and they’re great. They are high quality and hold a charge forever. To keep them going I also have two 220W panels and six 110W panels. I even got a 100W panel in a recent IRK… haven’t tested it out yet though. If you want to use multiple panels, make sure you understand if you need to run them in parallel or in series… or both. You just need to be mindful of how volts add up. The batteries won’t run the whole house but if I use them in rotation and it’s sunny, I feel like I could probably run my fridge indefinitely.
Tito’s and Tequila …I am set!
@cbilyak That’s a way better plan than mine.
Emergency? What emergency?
/showme an emergency
@mehcuda67 That’s a pretty good response for a building fire, but these 1.5 to 2 guys definitely could use a bit more assistance.
KuoH
@kuoh @mehcuda67
Black tagged at triage…
@mehcuda67 Emergency!
@blaineg @mehcuda67
My da [like his before him] was a volunteer fireman in our suburban/rural upstate NY town, so when we moved to more urban setting in/around Rochester, NY, he became one at the Kodak plant where he worked, which he continued to be active in until he retired.
That show [Emergency] was watched on our TV every time it aired from the pilot onward, and the ambient sound in the living room and adjoining kitchen had to be kept to a very low murmur [because he had significant hearing loss from WWII but stubbornly refused to get hearing aids until much later in life] else he would have a[n otherwise relatively rare] hissy fit.
One thing most people don’t consider is money as a means to barter for other goods & services. I think it’s wise to have spendable gold & silver vs. the good old greenback/pound sterling/Canadian dollars/etc. Over the past 5 years or so, I’ve been buying what are called “goldbacks”. They are small denominational (1/1000 of an ounce of actual gold per 1 goldback…they make them in 1, 5, 10, 25, & 50 denominations) so they should be/would be better “currency” if the sh*t really hits the fan. I do have a bunch of silver coins in my vaults/safe deposit boxes as well. Same deal there…Much smaller denomination in 1 ounce coins, would make them easier to spend/barter with in my opinion. Gold & silver have always maintained value throughout history as a form of currency. I know I might sound a bit crazy, but I think it’s an important if not quality idea. PS: Much like many above, I try to have provisions on hand for safety. Provisions, safety, first aid, guns/ammo, AND taking the time to practice so it becomes second nature if/when I need it.
@tohar1 we were thinking that having extra supplies on hand would be a good bartering option.
Folks need food/water/heat more than paper/coin currency.
@Thumperchick Absolutely should be part of your plan, but if you need anything, unfortunately it’s human nature to ask for something in return. Short term, that can be goods, but then historically it shifts to services (labor, etc.) or currency. I’m not saying it’s right, but it will happen if/when we have a major emergency…(As Confucius once said…“Humans suck”
)
@tohar1 I don’t have much gold but I’ve been buying silver for years. Everything from constiutional/junk silver to kilo bars. The last year or so I’ve been buying a lot of eagles. Not so much for a rainy day type of thing, I just really like them and they’ve kind of gotten me back into coin collecting.
@Thumperchick @tohar1
You strangely made me forget about something that I didn’t mention above AND is left out of many PC lists - knives. They are useful for so much and even if guns are not your jam, knives are useful.
I had a friend many years ago, nurse, who had several firearms but when asked if she could only take one weapon with her, what would it be. She answered quickly and truthfully, her machete.
She said that if it was an actual gunfight, she’d likely loose, and that machete’s have so many other uses, including the zombie apocalypse, where contrary to popular media, a gun doesn’t do much.
/youtube cdc zombie
@Thumperchick @tohar1
Never thought of gold or silver to have any real intrinsic value. They basically act as a middleman in a three-way (or greater) exchange (I want food but have fuel, you have food but need clothes, he needs fuel but has clothes…) The more “layers” the more currency is practical.
@Thumperchick @tohar1 Thumperchick, I forgot to mention you might want to add a length of paracord to your preps… it is amazingly handy. Also, if you are in proximity to a woodland, have some tool that you could use to process wood if need be. An axe and a hatchet make a good team. Maybe an arborist saw… or something similar. Edit - dang it I keep forgetting things. Running propane inside is fine, but get a battery operated carbon monoxide detector that you should put nearby. Just in case the airflow is restricted and the oxygen level dips.
@capnjb @tohar1 Good call on the CO2 detector. We have a few that have a battery backup.
We have an ax, but paracord is something I haven’t thought of.
@capnjb @Thumperchick @tohar1 Make sure it’s a CO detector, no number 2. One gas you breathe out, the other takes you out.
KuoH
@kuoh @Thumperchick @tohar1 I’m guessing that was what was meant. If it was a CO2 detector, that thing would never shut up
@capnjb @Thumperchick @tohar1 The alarm on my CO2 detector doesn’t go off until over 1200 or 1300 ppm. It’s interesting to see the PPMs climb in the room when the central air stays off on mild days and why it sometimes seems stuffy inside, but I’m not sure how much of that is real or just in my head now that there’s an actual number I can see.
KuoH
@capnjb Absolutely nothing wrong with collecting for the fact they are intrinsically pretty! There are a lot of silver rounds that have some really neat designs on them…I’ve been collecting those for years as well as the government mint issued coins. I buy a few American Eagles every year, but also those from Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa…These ones seem to appreciate in value faster via premiums over their silver value too.
@tohar1 I’ve got tubes and tubes of rounds. That’s how I got started. I’ve some cool ones… the ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ is probably my favorite. I have a few tubes of those.
I did buy a 2024 Flowing Hair medal from the mint, and that is a nice coin.
@tohar1 We have some junk silver dimes, quarters, and silver dollars (by junk means they are worn enough that there is no extra numismatic collector value). They are identifiable as silver to most people so potentially more barter-worthy than rounds or other non-currency silver and gold.
@duodec Just FYI: The term “junk” actually refers to dimes, quarters, halves, and dollar coins minted before 1964. These coins were minted with 90% of their content being silver, so they are worth significantly more than their face value. Good on you if you’re saving them. I keep my eyes open when I get any change (though exceedingly rare as it seems we’re rapidly becoming a cashless society)…Surprising how often I find “junk” included with my change. When I do, it’s into the collection with it.
@tohar1 Junk silver was described to me as those coins but only if they had no numismatic value (due to condition, wear, or rarity); if they’re worth more than the base silver melt value then they’re no longer junk.
But even junk silver is readily identifiable to many/most Americans (well, maybe younglings not so much), so potentially more acceptable to them to barter than just cash if in an emergency situation.
@Thumperchick @tohar1
Spices, and alcohol that can be imbibed [as well as denatured alcohol that can be used as fuel] have also been frequently cited as being valuable as trade goods.
@PhysAssist @Thumperchick Terrific idea! I like it!
@PhysAssist @tohar1 never would have considered booze and spices!
@capnjb @Thumperchick @tohar1
Some of the better ventless gas heaters/furnaces also have built-in CO monitors that shut them off if the ambient CO level rises beyond a certain [hopefully safe] upper limit.
@Cerridwyn @Thumperchick @tohar1
Always wanted to say this: Been there, got the T-shirt- [in 2011]…
I actually do have this one- and it’s no longer available.
This is the site for the CDC’s Zombie Preparedness comic book:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6023
There’s a checklist for supplies at the end.
Because if you’re prepared for the Zombpocalypse, what aren’t you prepared for?
Slogan: Don’t be a zombie- prepare!
Also, Latter Day Saints [LDS = Mormons] were some of the earliest preppers recognized in the US.
Here are some links to some of their manuals/checklists:
https://thesurvivalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LDS-Preparedness-Manual.pdf
https://archive.org/details/lds-preparedness-manual
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/english/life-help/Personal-and-Family-Emergency-Preparedness-Planning-Guide.pdf.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/life/AreaPreparednessGuides?lang=eng
Oooh… I do like a good knife. These are (some) of the ones currently at my desk. The first two are the most used, number four is my EDC pocket knife, and number five is the ultimate box opener
My kitchen is full of Japanese and German knives, but I’m not sure how they’d fare in an emergency 
@capnjb this made me proper laugh out loud. Methinks yall will definitely need to come hang out. Pocket and tactical knives are just cool and useful. I have a weird fascination with knives and as a former kitchen kid, I love my house knives. I have a full set of globals and some single German style. My cousin and her wife also brought me back an amazing Maestro Wu cleaver from Taiwan as a thank you for catering their wedding a few years ago. I just love the knives!
@capnjb @sillyheathen Knife skills are awesome, whether in the kitchen or for self-defense. I’m getting better in the kitchen, but seriously lacking in the self-defense…which is why I practice with my sidearm as often as possible. One hopes to never need it, but I’ll be ready if I do.
KRULL! A SKULL! BRETT HULL! AWESOME!
@sillyheathen @tohar1 I love to cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I would say my knife skills are probably slightly above mediocre, but not great. But I very clearly understand choosing the correct knife for the task. I mostly use a nakiri, santoku or a boning knife from Tokyo. I honestly rarely use a chef’s knife unless I’m making a really big cut or carving a large bird. I’m not a fan of paring knives, but they do have a purpose from time to time. edit - dang… forgot again… a good bread knife is required
@capnjb So what speaker docks do you recommend for survival situations?
@blaineg I get that this is a funny, but to answer your question I’ll say this… In an event where many services are unavailable one thing most people don’t consider is entertainment for peace of mind. Have a deck of cards, a few board games and if you’re into music or hope to watch some moves to pass the time, make sure you have some offline content. Nothing is streaming if the cell towers go offline. I don’t think a dock would be a good use of resources… a big power bank to charge your laptop wouldn’t be a bad idea. There are some rechargeable docks that you can charge other devices from so that could be a thing
@capnjb Good point about entertainment. I’ve got loads of offline media. Plus primitive stuff like board & card games, and even (gasp) books.
I have a nice chef’s knife, a Santoku & a Nakiri from Made In company (I believe they are French made) but also have a variety of others including a small chef’s knife from Wusthoff that I love. It’s just like anything else, the right tool for the job gets the job done right!
@tohar1 not the kind of knives i meant for emergency/disaster kit, but nice to have anyway.
I can remember when a good knife set you back about 300$ AND that was more than I made in a week.
@Cerridwyn If you would have told even 30 year old me (that was a LONG time ago) that I’d have over $1000 just in knives, I’d have told you that you lost your ever-loving mind!
but here we are…
@Cerridwyn @tohar1 Sorry Cerridwyn, I seem to have a knack for knocking topics off course
I have a few Benchmade outdoorsy knives of theirs that are fantastic and they have recently started putting out kitchen cutlery. They have a station knife that I covet, but at almost $500 I’m going sit on my hands for a bit. 
As I have all the tools at the ready, but I still kind of really would like one. And that’s why I have 15 flashlights and 25 powerbanks.
It’s not the having. It’s the getting
@Cerridwyn @tohar1
Same!
Not that I didn’t aspire to own them, I just couldn’t have ever pictured being able to afford them.
Mine have come in slowly- one at a time over decades of ‘reading’ knife catalogs and making mental notes of coveted items.
I don’t think I have a single really expensive knife, but I have lots and lots of the mid-range ones.
As for the getting vs. having- I think I really like the having at least as much…
@Cerridwyn @PhysAssist @tohar1 Heh, my sister has lived overseas a good chunk of her life and did her doctorate work at St. Gallens in Switzerland. She knew I was getting into cooking so every birthday and Christmas I’d get a nice German piece of steel from Solingen. It kind of put me on a path
For me, it’s foreign knives in the kitchen and American knives for tools 
We’re not Sgt Preppers Roaming Parts Club Can-ners, but we definitely have our fair share of emergency ready things. I can as much from the garden in the summer as possible. We used to raise chickens, pigs and turkeys when we had a small hobby farm, but sadly no longer. I have what the Englishman would call an insane amount of seeds for herbs, veggies and flowers. I have a small cabinet dehydrator but haven’t been able to convince him to get a freeze dryer at this stage. Lots of water, tp, generator etc. I have a grain carafe for my Vitamix which I used to mill flours for before I came to my senses. I still utilize it every once in a while but not on a regular basis.
@sillyheathen I have two seed vaults as well. And also a sizable grain mill (I used to be REALLY into brewing beer so I always milled my own grain). And boy, would I love a freeze dryer, but the 3D printer took up the last available space in the basement.
@capnjb @sillyheathen Oh man I really want a home freeze dryer but haven’t scraped the funds / pulled the trigger. I noticed that Harvest Right has a new sale going, but it’s still not “cheap”
@2palms @capnjb @sillyheathen For a while last year they were available at some Costcos for a better than normal price.
@2palms @capnjb @duodec we almost pulled the trigger on one at Costco but ultimately we’re not prepared for it yet. Maybe once the studio/shop is done I can make it happen. And we also used to brew the beer and cider! We actually have two pony kegs from that point in life but they’re now filled with water so we have soda water on tap instead of the boozy juice.
@2palms @duodec @sillyheathen Hah… I’ve got two taps on the wall in my basement, but these days it’s mostly root beer and soda water
I call this beer corner. It’s housed some award winning homebrews.
@2palms @capnjb @duodec same! We had a full length bar when we moved in that had two taps and we already brewed beer so it was a sign. The Englishman used to get proper cross with me because I would throw fun things into the wort and not tell him. Nothing to affect the fermentation mind you but spices etc. one my our favorites was my “Card a mommy” IPA. I used Citra and a few other hops varietals,
Also, if you still brew or know anyone that does, I have a ridiculous amount of hops flowers in the summer. I get sad everytime they just get wasted. So if you need them, I will send them. I can send them fresh or I will happily stick them in the dryer first.
I used to grow six, cardamom and mandarin zest. It was dangerous. We ultimately stopped because we gained about 30lbs having it on tap.
@2palms @capnjb @duodec
This is either cascade or Willamette
@2palms @duodec @sillyheathen Oh, geeze. I was adopted and I’m starting to think I might just have a twin (also I was born in the pacific Northwest)
And for what it’s worth, I have a wireless access point called Citra (I love Citra!). I grew my own hops for a long time. I actually bought a 30 year old hop crown (cascade) from… well… you guessed it, Oregon. When I’d cut down the bine’s kiddo would pluck all the cones from the vine. And when I brewed she always ran the hop schedule. She was an award winning brewer at the age of four. When she started kindergarten, I had to tell her that if the teacher asks what she did this summer, to leave the beer brewing part out 
@capnjb @duodec @sillyheathen lol we brew here too, my brother has a Cascade bine and I definitely laid off drinking to lose weight. But it’s another great skill for emergency preparedness… if the water isn’t safe? Drink beer instead !
@2palms @capnjb @duodec @sillyheathen I used to brew with hops from my vines (Cascade, Sterling and misc others from starts given to me). But a) I don’t brew (or drink) much lately; and b) I really hate the fiddly work of harvesting the hops (I used to rope my kids into helping but, alas, they are all grown and gone). Also you can’t get rhisomes for the newer exotic (proprietary) strains that I favor.
So my hop vines are just decorative these days.
@thumperchick @capnjb Our family emergency plan got a pretty good test when the utility company started shutting of power “in case of fire” when it was windy. Schools got closed (because the electric school busses couldn’t be charged) and everyone got a 3-day emergency drill. One gas station in town, long lines, high generator prices and blown stock at all the “big box” stores.
One thing I learned was that communicating over cell phones is only good for short term. (Day 3 of the blackout and the cell towers started going down.) We are lucky to have family nearby, and I spent a ton of energy just biking back-and-forth between our place, my brother’s house and my parents’ place.
I was reading this whole thread with interest! Most of our gear held up well, and I agree it’s important to have water, food, batteries for the fridge, and a well-stocked first-aid kit.
After the blackout, I added a 5-pack of “Baofeng” 5W UHF/VHF 2-way radios to our kit. These are not the “walkie talkies” of my childhood! They work from our house to the elementary school. They have clear reception to the local “air attack” firefighting base. My daughter and I are learning our phonetic alphabet and I got an amateur radio license; we have been practicing with radio check-ins so she has a good handle on sending and receiving info with “Push To Talk”, and she’s sporting a new, accurate wristwatch. The whole kit (watch, 5 radios) was less than $100. They are “Ham Radio” compatible but we use them on GMRS which is a frequency band that’s split into 22 channels and it’s interoperable with the Midland/Walmart AA-powered walkies at close range. (It’s also a cheap, lifetime-issued license that covers the whole family if you REALLY want to play by the rules.)
Besides “U=Umbrella” and “H=Hotel” our new favorite things to remind each other lately have been “compose before you key, it’s called push-to-talk not push-to-think” and “frequency plus time equals communication”. My hope is that having the 2-way radios will allow us to “split the party” (Dad’s got to rewire a solar panel because he dropped a propane tank on the connector, you guys keep an eye on the water and call me when it starts boiling) and to stay in touch with our local out-groups.
So, all of this to share that our emergency-at-home kit includes:
Radios + practice using them
Working bicycles and bike lights
@2palms Nice! I’ve got a 3 pack of Motorola radios that are relative short range, but they are decent. A step above something you’d find in walmart. Range is maybe a half mile or so in a congested area. Probably much further with line of sight. Reasonable in a pinch.
I also have a Baofeng BF-F8HP. 8W I think. I’ve programmed it with many local repeaters and assorted channels, but I don’t have a license. I haven’t used it in some time, so a refresher course is probably a good idea. How challenging was it to get your license?
@2palms Since it sounds like your family is relatively close, it might be a good idea to put together a portable, solar/battery powered DIY repeater kit at the most central house. With the appropriate antenna and elevation, you could significantly extend radio coverage for everyone in your family. They’re cheap and small enough now that you can keep it packed in a small case to quickly deploy where and whenever you need it.
KuoH
@kuoh Woah what a cool idea. We have a “repeater” in the neighborhood (on top of a mountain a few miles away) and I figured it out last night. I can reach it from my cheapo handheld. Never considered what it might be like to try and build one, though – sounds like a fun project for us and a spare Raspberry Pi that we always have lying around.
@capnjb I have always been good at “multiple choice” tests. The hardest thing about passing the test was staying awake for YouTube review videos. No shade on the videos themselves! But the subject matter is quite dry.
The exam is 35 multi-choice questions and there are 35 sections to study. When you take the test, you get one question from each section. The FCC re-uses the same question pool (400-odd questions, usually 11 or so in each section) and THE SAME POSSIBLE ANSWERS for each question for a 4-year period. So between a Saturday “cram session” in a room with 5 other examinees and 2 volunteer instructors that was hosted by a local “Ham Club” and watching about 70% of the video materials in the week before the test, I passed the exam with no difficulty.
And “Ham Club” makes me want to eat a sandwich. #justsayin
I say, get the license. It’s been a good way to meet preppers who are local and might be a good place to swap band-aids for beans… the FCC will publish a mailing address and email address on their Web site forever, but they don’t do any verification so it’s fine to use a local PO Box and keep your location a little obfuscated, in case you work in law enforcement or want to keep your onlyfans emails separate from your amateur radio emails.
If you struggle to retain written material without real understanding, though, it could be a lot more difficult. We literally recited 400+ question-and-correct-answer pairs out loud, then immediately regurgitated them into the exam. Could I tell you today how CTCSS and PL tones are related? Um… “when in doubt choose ‘C’.”
There’s also those GMRS and MURS frequencies that require no exam at all. I bet your Moto handhelds will pick them up. Time + Frequency = Communication
I can point you to the question pool at https://ncvec.org/index.php/2022-2026-technician-question-pool-release and recommend Josh KI6NAZ on YouTube. And some caffeine
Thanks for the detailed answer. I’m a tech guy and have multiple IT certs so I’m not bad at test taking. Also passed the test to get my FAA cert to fly and license my drone. I’ve flown it two miles away so it’s not a bad bit of kit for local recon if needed. I looked into a FCC license when I originally got my radio, but free time was almost nil, so it fell off my radar. I’ve got more time on my hands these days so maybe I’ll revisit it. Thanks again
@capnjb that sounds amazing and like a fun, expensive hobby. I’m off to learn more
@2palms It is a lot of fun and a wonderful way to annoy your wife when she is on a paddleboard.
I will say, however, it is a little terrifying flying over water. heh
@capnjb
We have friends in Salisbury MD and visited Assateague and Chincoteague with them.
It was lovely, if just slightly too cool for swimming in the October that we visited with them there.
@PhysAssist This was actually this past November and we were blessed with a blast of warm air. We always stay right on the water, but this was the first house we’ve had that had a wood burning fireplace. It’s kind of nice to have a warm fire and be on the water at the same time
We’re getting whole-house solar installed. That’s as prepared as I feel the need to be, now that we’re out of hurricane country and I don’t have to worry about three hurricanes knocking out power for a week each over one season.
@mikey
We were really practiced at the whole alternate power/black-out the first decade that we lived in our house, because if there was a thunderstorm, our power [just ours, not our neighbors] went out for at least 24-hours- EVERY TIME.
We complained multiple times about it to our power company, but they knew better than us, and said that it was just a coincidence.
Then a lightning strike hit a really big poplar tree along our fencerow [where our electrical supply line and telecom cables are buried].
Not only did it blow huge slivers of wood [like 6’ long and 2-3" wide/deep] out of the tree, it blew up the transformer on the pole that our lines came off of.
Since they replaced that transformer 20-some years ago, we have only lost power when the whole road is blacked out.
Thus we’re a little more out of practice than in those days, but we do still [try to] run the genny monthly [when weather allows], and have all battery-operated and cordless useful things charged and ready for use.
I’d say I’ve got a spare of everything in my house, but my home is a mess at the moment (a lot of oatmeal tossing happened). I have a “go-bag” for an emergency retreat, but not an emergency bag.
It depends on the emergency. We have a handful of things, but not near as much as we should. I really should create totes and bags to consolidate the things around the house that are specific for emergencies.
Thank you to everyone who contributed thus far!
I learned some good [I think] new things, and when I get home, I’ll post some links to things/suppliers I have found to be useful and helpful as well.
Here’s one:
https://gearward.com/
and another:
https://countycomm.com/
I’m not. I stopped prepping after going to an auction where the home owner was a prepper.
A full pallet of cold war era emergency rations in decaying boxes. The boxes were stacked 6 ft tall.