View Full Version : One-Month of No Power; No Outside Help
I know that a simple search could be performed to get all of the information needed. However, I think it would be nice to have a consolidated, realistic discussion on what a person would need in terms of medical, security, comfort/luxury items, food, water, etc. for a one-month period of time without power and without outside resources. For example, my fiancé and I live together, along with our cat and dog. So we would need to figure our needs for one-month, as well as our pets' needs.
Again, I know the info is out there, but an updated and consolidated thread could be beneficial, I feel, as well as opening up a discussion.
So if you would, identify how many persons/pets you have and the things you have taken into consideration when it comes to 'bugging in' for a period of one-month. I hope I, as well as others, can learn a fair amount from this discussion and that it stays friendly and on topic.
Thanks in advance.
-WTD
Moose-Knuckle
04-04-16, 03:47
Apart from the items you mentioned above also consider any medications that you and or your fiancé may require, to include OTC meds; aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, anti-diarrheal, prescriptions, inhalers, etc.
Corrective lenses; glasses, contacts, backups, cleaning solution, cases.
Personal hygiene / oral hygiene; tooth paste, mouth wash, floss, brushes (we use powered Philips Soni-Care but have a plethora of manual tooth brushes in reserve), female hygiene items, hand sanitizer, bar soap, toilet paper, wet wipes, etc.
Pet food and water for them and how are you going to dispose of pet waste.
Tons and tons to consider and to contemplate . . .
I will add to that. If bugging in, can you afford a whole house generator? A 500 gal (1000 even better) propane tank will power a generator for a fairly long time-- especially if you use it in intervals. If you have a well for water, that generator supplies your needs. (or hand pump if need be) What time of year is your scenario? Can you heat by wood in the winter? A one month interval is not so long... or can be a lifetime of long depending on your setup.
Let's say one month in winter, one in summer. That way we cover both hot and cold weather. I am not new to shooting, necessarily, but have not really ever seriously 'prepped'. I am just kind of looking for guidelines. I know nothing I learn here will be anything I haven't probably heard before. However, like I said, I think a good, current discussion on the topic could benefit most. Things are constantly changing out there in real life. Everyone thinks differently, so mine or your ideas may not fit someone else's and I want to glean info from more than books, articles, etc. I like to pick the brains of people with far more experience than I whom are living it or whom have BTDT.
ETA: I chose a one month interval as I think it could be a good baseline. If it's two or three or ten months, just multiply your month preps by two or three or ten, I would assume. Although, it may not be THAT simple..
It isn't that simple for sure. As time piles on, different things that aren't a bother at 2 weeks can become life threatening at 2 months. Mostly medical and sanitary. A lot of the micro preps have been mentioned already and you can just extrapolate for that; especially food and water.
For example, if it is winter, for one month a cord of split wood may be sufficient for heating. If it is all winter maybe 5 cords is appropriate (depending on location and severity of weather). If you are in Hawaii for winter, well then Mai Tai preps are called for.
For a long term situation, medical knowledge and preps will become more important. Think of all the what ifs from an infected wound to a broken bone to food poisoning.
Anyway, the OP is about no power. Go back to my last post. What can you do to mitigate power loss for differing periods of time? A small generator with some gasoline stored is a short time fix-- better than nothing. Think about longer term solutions that allow you to have a modest amount of power for longer term than simply going without. (Solar, propane generator and etc.)
BuzzinSATX
04-05-16, 16:24
I'm unclear....is the cat a pet or a food source?
Okay, I'm sorry for the sick attempt at humor.
But I do have a few questions...
1. Where are you geographically located? Makes a difference if you live in Far North or Deep South..
2. Are you in urban, suburban, or rural area? Desert/forest/prairie/Seashore? All have their own specific issues...
3. Finally, do you live in an apartment? A house? With/without storage?
Like other already said, much to consider. Food, water, shelter, meds, sanitation, clothing...all are constants regardless the answers above, but a month in southern AZ is vastly different from a month in the UP of MI. Good luck...
Take Care,
Buzz
HardToHandle
04-05-16, 21:13
In a rural area I live, winter electrical outages for three to four weeks are not uncommon. The impacted folks still have community support - food, fuel, comms - but easily manage a month with just inconvenience.
Having seen multi-week outages play out repeatedly, potable water is the first and biggest hurdle. Towns lose pump maintained water pressure - toilets stop flushing, faucets run dirty, etc. Rural folks will often lose their rural water systems or pumped water from wells. Then poorly maintained municipal sewer systems will overflow, polluting many surface water sources. There is a reason why water is the priority.
Middle Tennessee. Cookeville, to be exact. We live in a house in an upper middle-class neighborhood. This is not just for me, necessarily, and sorry it's kind of vague and all over the place. I'm learning and just looking at a general idea when it comes to bugging in and defending loved ones/home. Food, water, shelter, security, medical, comms, etc. I don't know how much time or money I want to invest at first, as I do see it as an investment, but I'm sure it will grow more substantial as I get further into it. I think one month with no power just seemed to me like a good starting point to expand on later. I guess this is rather simple, really, but it is good to have a dialog going, IMHO.
There is good information in this forum. Here are a couple of sources that may help http://beprepared.com and http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net
Since you are in a neighborhood, being grey is important. Don't let others see that you have what they do not. It is nearly impossible to defend a typical suburban home with a couple of people against a determined gang. Best that people just pass on by. That neighborhood that is nice and peaceful with good folk can turn into something else when desperation and need cross over.
In suburbia, water will be your first goal. Have enough stored. I'll repeat the wood angle for heating once again. Summer is not as much a shelter issue but winter can be miserable even with 4 walls around you.
There is enough info given here to get you started and there are plenty of reading resources available. Good Luck!
Thanks for everything. The info provided should keep me busy for a while. Anyone, feel free to expand or even augment with other questions.
realistically...
batteries for flashlights so you can see half of every 24 hr period and for radios so you know what's going on in the world
food for your family and pets
ways to cook said food
water
any regular medicines
lots of toilet paper and/or baby wipes
gas in your vehicles and spare cans
something to do with your time since you aren't working and aren't tending to a farm... books, board games, card games, or something. probably not working equipment as you might not want to be burning excess calories if you don't have to
pistol with a couple mags and light per person
That's about it. It's only a month without power.
Consider this experiment:
Go live in the woods for a month in a log cabin that has no electricity with just you and your mate. Try it in the winter and also in summer. Not necessarily in the middle of nowhere. Could be a small town outside a major city in case of emergencies.
Your basic needs break down to food, water, heat, medicine, and living supplies (bedding/toiletries etc). Use wood for fire/heating and cooking, or supplement with a small gas stove. Firearms, ammo, and blades included of course. If hunting/fishing is allowed and available, that's a plus. Candles, lots of it.
Then build on that. Add generator with fuel stores. Electronic devices with rechargeable batteries. Snowmobile or Pickup truck. During any down time you can learn to shoot bow/arrow, knives, spears. read up on basic first-aid and learn cooking and food preservation. Lots to keep you busy.
You get the idea. Could be a fun experiment and you'll figure out exactly what you'll need as you go along. A urban setting would be entirely different of course, but similar ideas.
Since you are in a neighborhood, being grey is important. Don't let others see that you have what they do not. It is nearly impossible to defend a typical suburban home with a couple of people against a determined gang. Best that people just pass on by. That neighborhood that is nice and peaceful with good folk can turn into something else when desperation and need cross over.
In suburbia, water will be your first goal. Have enough stored. I'll repeat the wood angle for heating once again. Summer is not as much a shelter issue but winter can be miserable even with 4 walls around you.
There is enough info given here to get you started and there are plenty of reading resources available. Good Luck!
In my neighborhood, there are about 4 of us who have generators. We have a large gasoline generator that is wired into the house but must be set up outside and started to run. A couple of neighbors have Generacs that start automatically and are hooked to the gas utility line. When the power is out, all of these generators make a lot of noise and your neighbors will certainly know that you are "comfortable". Not too sure how "civil" we would all be if power was out for a month or more.
My current plan on staying at home is a one to two month survival period. Lets pick the worst season in the dead of winter.
I have a 500 gallon propane tank that get's filled in the spring (always fill at no less than 30 percent). This fuels my hot water heater, range, gas logs, basement wall unit, and auxiliary furnace. So at any given time in the winter I have absolutely no less than 150 gallons which will last me roughly 2 months if conserved in 10-30 degree days.
I don't have a generator, but I have an inverter in the bed of my truck that will power the igniter and exhaust fan for my water heater. This allows me to get hot water when needed. It will also power my igniter and thermostat in my oven if I needed to use that. So I have hot water and an oven if needed with assistance from the truck. I would move my mattress to the living room where my logs are, and close all bedroom/bathroom doors. On low with all doors shut my gas logs can heat to 70 easily.
As for food and water, I live on a 10 acre pond and have a Katadyn pocket purifier. So if my supply of bottled water and such ran out I have an easy backup water supply. The good thing about winter is the ability to store refrigerated and possibly frozen food outside for the short term. So I would eat all perishables as quick as possible while trying to utilize natures natural fridge. My reserve food supply if things really went south is around four cases of MRE's.
This is just a generalized plan of my 1 to 2 month basic survival needs. There is so much more involved that I try to be prepared for, but that is just my basics covered. My main priorities in a short term emergency are food, water, heat, and shelter. Without at least having those bases covered you're going to be very uncomfortable.
In my neighborhood, there are about 4 of us who have generators. We have a large gasoline generator that is wired into the house but must be set up outside and started to run. A couple of neighbors have Generacs that start automatically and are hooked to the gas utility line. When the power is out, all of these generators make a lot of noise and your neighbors will certainly know that you are "comfortable". Not too sure how "civil" we would all be if power was out for a month or more.
With four families... then you can be co-dependent on security. You'll just need to iron that out.
I am not the SME on the subject and there is plenty of on line research and info to be had. Everyone can read for himself and make his own determinations for a plan. If it gets really bad, then dude Selco can relate his experiences as it happened in Bosnia under similar situations. I just can't ever see that happening here... but one never really knows. To each, his own.
My current plan on staying at home is a one to two month survival period. Lets pick the worst season in the dead of winter.
I have a 500 gallon propane tank that get's filled in the spring (always fill at no less than 30 percent). This fuels my hot water heater, range, gas logs, basement wall unit, and auxiliary furnace. So at any given time in the winter I have absolutely no less than 150 gallons which will last me roughly 2 months if conserved in 10-30 degree days.
I don't have a generator, but I have an inverter in the bed of my truck that will power the igniter and exhaust fan for my water heater. This allows me to get hot water when needed. It will also power my igniter and thermostat in my oven if I needed to use that. So I have hot water and an oven if needed with assistance from the truck. I would move my mattress to the living room where my logs are, and close all bedroom/bathroom doors. On low with all doors shut my gas logs can heat to 70 easily.
As for food and water, I live on a 10 acre pond and have a Katadyn pocket purifier. So if my supply of bottled water and such ran out I have an easy backup water supply. The good thing about winter is the ability to store refrigerated and possibly frozen food outside for the short term. So I would eat all perishables as quick as possible while trying to utilize natures natural fridge. My reserve food supply if things really went south is around four cases of MRE's.
This is just a generalized plan of my 1 to 2 month basic survival needs. There is so much more involved that I try to be prepared for, but that is just my basics covered. My main priorities in a short term emergency are food, water, heat, and shelter. Without at least having those bases covered you're going to be very uncomfortable.
This is similar to my situation. Except I have a well and pump. I have a 500 gal tank as well plus generators. I've got a good woodstove and have on hand about 5 cords of wood and means and availability of much more as needed. I live in the mountains though. I have neighbors, but it is not densely populated and we are all of similar mindset. I've got more freeze dried food than MRE's plus a well stocked fifth wheel if bug out is needed and this is a viable option. If the very worst occurred and we (as a family) had to bug out (with vehicles not a tenable option), we all have a backpack that is loaded to manageable weight for each individual. No question that is for extremely short term. (72-96 hours tops). Nearly every day I see game. Yesterday it was quail and deer (within 15-30 yards of house) day before it was about 12 turkeys. I don't (and would not) depend on game being available due to hunting pressure from SHTF... but game and fish are plentiful where I am.
Have you considered researching ways to avoid food borne illness? Following simple rules can prevent really big trouble. Another fact maybe not considered is that propane tanks can be robbed without much trouble with the correct fittings attached to a high pressure hose. Also, have you thought about using a window covering to black out your house to keep it from being a beacon to others?
Waste disposal will be much easier for those with septic tanks since they are separate from city systems. "Pond water" can be used for flushing them. Lacking a septic tank, one will need a shovel with a sharp edge for digging potty holes or trenches. If an elderly or very sick individual dies during this event, how will the body be disposed of. Maybe more than one shovel is needed.
During this terrible time, some survivalists will have to contend with addicted or mentally ill resident(s). What will they do?
The easiest way for bad guys to rob your stash is to set your house on fire or threaten to do so. I've not seen this possibility mentioned in my reading, but I assure everyone that it will occur if that time does come.
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