Prepping for Special Diets

by: KathyinFL

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 13:47:32 PM EDT

Pan Flu info via blood drive

by: Kobie

Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 16:49:39 PM EST

 Blood drive can be a good place to put out pandemic flu information.

 Seeing how a blood dive works now gives an idea of how one might work during a pandemic. Since blood only lasts 42 days and pandemic could last twice that at 90 days the need for blood donations will be high.

 Blood is needed for multiple surguries and neonatal care. Even in the 21st century there is not substitute for blood.

Has the economy changed how business and cities prep for a pandemic?

by: Kobie

Sat Nov 08, 2008 at 08:07:56 AM EST

 Cities and business are laying off people, cutting class assistance, putting off expansion and looking to partner up.

 Is prepping one more unnecessary expense?

Fuel storage

by: LMWatBullRun

Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 10:12:41 AM EDT

What happens when bird flu kills our food supply?

by: Sick_Of_It

Tue Aug 05, 2008 at 10:26:26 AM EDT

As we're busy polluting the ocean into giant dead zones, and global warming is making crops sporadic, I can forsee some food difficulties once bird flu has had its way with human society.

The question is - how can we anticipate this and work to avoid the worst problems an animal/human pandemic will create?  Do we let flu infect animals in hopes that enough will be left to eat (well cooked) after the pandemic waves pass?  Do we cull them all in hopes of saving ourselves and hope we have enough food afterwards to feed everyone?

Will there be enough alternative sources of food not affected by bird flu to keep us all alive AFTER the pandemic waves pass?  How do we prevent food panics and scares related to any shortages caused by culling and flu deaths?  Can we even switch to a vegetarian diet temporarily while we're waiting for stock animals to recover their populations, or will we eat them all and to heck with the consequences?

I've seen a lot of prep articles on this site, but I haven't seen an in depth discussion of what happens when ANIMAL populations decline due to bird flu.  We can't hope to suppliment with wild animal populations through hunting because those animals will be just as deeply affected by any pandemic as we are.

We're looking at another "big death" that affects all mammals on Earth.  Keeping animals alive is going to be as important to our future as keeping US alive.

Do the oceans have enough life left to support everyone on the planet if we don't have sufficient stock animals to eat after the pandemic waves pass?  What happens if crops fail, as they did this year in the Midwest?  Are we looking at old-fashioned famine in our future?

Has anyone thought about any of this?

Prep Items That May Become Scarce Early On

by: Bronco Bill

Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:44:59 AM EDT

Family and Individual Preparation

by: Bronco Bill

Fri May 23, 2008 at 11:30:33 AM EDT

Prepping -- Just Starting Out

by: Bronco Bill

Fri May 23, 2008 at 10:58:47 AM EDT

Here are the first 26 weeks of the plan, all at once. Prices have most certainly gone up, so you would have to make adjustments accordingly.  

Owl's Nest Prep Supply List

by: Bronco Bill

Fri May 23, 2008 at 10:23:23 AM EDT

(Formatting of this list is an on-going process)

What if You Only Have 24 Hours To Prep?

by: Bronco Bill

Fri May 23, 2008 at 09:32:15 AM EDT

Pandemic: not a wait and see event

by: Kobie

Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 19:47:06 PM EST

 There seems to be very little prep for a pandemic. Is this over confidence, nieve, stupdidity or a fear of facing what could logicaly happen.

 We do not wait and see what job a person will do before training them - we mandate that eavery child have a basic education. Unfortunatly disaster and emergency safety are not part of that education.

Narrated 30 Day Pandemic Menu

by: KathyinFL

Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 16:35:37 PM EST

how to make or DIY---

by: LMWatBullRun

Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 17:52:48 PM EST

I'd like to make this a community effort, and not only a place to post how to do things, but a place to ask questions, as well.  In fact, I'd like to emphasize the question part.

Water - water - water - a necessary prep

by: Sick_Of_It

Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 01:21:32 AM EST

http://www.tennessea...

In addition, the recent California fires are an example of a disaster that might befall us in a pandemic and prove to be an enormous challenge.  Again, water would play a role.

I'm somewhat at a loss about what to do about the water situation, although I've installed a couple of rain barrels that will catch rainfall from the roof - assuming there is any.  I'm also storing a bit in 5 gallon containers.

However, considering how important this resource is (you can only live for 3 days without it), I thought it might be a good idea to have a group discussion on what to do about water and the various roles it plays in our communities.

Do you have plans to conserve water in the event of a pandemic, and if so, what will you do to conserve?

Have you talked to your local community to find out what their pandemic water plans are, and if so, what are they?

What are your own plans to store water?

I think things will get ugly when TSHTF

by: Sick_Of_It

Wed Oct 31, 2007 at 11:16:47 AM EDT

I think they think the Katrina response is acceptable.  They have no intention of doing anything to help anyone prep, get food in advance of a serious pandemic, or really anything at all other than to sit back and watch it happen.  They have bunkers, after all.

I've seen people do too many horrible things to each other to expect the best in every circumstance.  I've seen enough of our present crop of politicians to suspect that they'd be more likely to see a big pandemic as an opportunity to seize power than a responsibility to lead the people through the crisis.

Let's be blunt.  Our government couldn't give a crap about us.

I have a really bad feeling about what that means out in the trenches.  People will be at each other's throats fighting over resources.  People will ignore the looming crisis until the very last moment, then everyone will panic.  The strong will prey on the weak, and we'll have the rise of war lords taking over areas of the US.  Heaven help you if you don't have the means to fight off the waves of looters.

The only action I can forsee our government taking is the imposition of martial law and some happy pol saying - hey, look at me, I have absolute power now.

We might lose more people to the panic than we do to the pandemic.  We might lose our country itself in the fall out.

My view of what I forsee happening is becoming so grim that I wonder whether I should prep at all since I fully expect a dozen other people to be at my house with guns to take anything from me.  I don't see the government doing anything to address this possibility (other than a lot of crickets chirping).

I haven't seen ANYTHING from our government that inspires confidence that they can handle a crisis.  Just the opposite, in fact.

What do you envision as a realistic bad pandemic scenario in the present circumstances?

Putting together quick "grab it" meal kits for your preps

by: Sick_Of_It

Wed Aug 01, 2007 at 00:06:36 AM EDT

I've been looking at my preps and trying to figure out how to turn them into meals, how to make them work for me on bad days, and how to judge whether what I've got in preps is going to make actual meals instead of just filling a bunch of shelves with junk.

My particular dilemma will also apply to a lot of other people when the stress of an actual pandemic sinks in.  The effects of stress on our ability to function can't be overlooked.  In addition, there will be times when the chief cook of the household is sick, or is busy caring for someone who is sick.  The more than can be done in advance to make preparing meals easier is time well spent, IMO.

I already put together white bread mix for my bread machine.  I hated the idea of spending the exhorbitant cost for packaged bread mix at the store, and I knew that it would be much easier for me to make bread in a pinch if I have the mixes ready.  Plus, if the electric is out, I can mix the bread up by hand from the same kit, and bake it in my solar oven (something I have yet to test - but will soon).  So I assembled all the ingredients and sealed them up with my vaccuum sealer.

The same types of kits could work for meals and desserts.  If the components are all put in a large zip lock, the meal would be just grab and go.  For some reason, I have an easier time thinking of dessert kits to put together.  Some examples:

Individual Chocolate Cream Pies Kit

4 individual graham cracker crusts (1 pack)
1 box chocolate pudding
Powdered Milk to make 2.5 cups (2 for pudding, .5 for Dream Whip)
Package of Dream Whip for topping
Packet of mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles to sprinkle on top

Assembly directions for label

Add 2.5 cups cold water to powdered milk.  Mix 2 cups of milk with pudding and mix thoroughly.  Pour pudding into 4 crusts in equal portions and set aside to set.  Pour the reserved .5 cups milk into a bowl with the Dream Whip.  Whip until soft peaks form.  Add Dream Whip to top of individual pies.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Cheesecake Kit

1 Box Cheesecake
1 8" Graham Cracker Crust
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling or Danish Dessert

Directions

Make Cheesecake according to box directions.  Top with Cherry Pie Filling or Danish Dessert

Apple Pie Kit

1 Pie Crust Mix (store bought or home assembled)
1 Can Apple Pie Filling, or Dried Apples etc. for homemade pie filling
1 Pack Vanilla Ice Cream Mix (bought mine at Walmart)
Dry milk and/or Media Crema sufficient for ice cream mix

Directions

Make pie crust according to directions and fill with apple pie filling.  Top with 2nd pie crust and bake.  Mix Vanilla Ice Cream mix, and freeze in ice cream freezer.  Top hot pie with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Shortcake Mix

1 "Just Add Water" plain biscuit mix
1 Can strawberry pie filling or dried strawberries and sugar
1 Packet Dream Whip
Dried milk for .5 cups

Directions

Make biscuits according to package directions.  If using dried strawberries, reconstitute with water and sprinkle with sugar.  Pour strawberries or pie filling over biscuits.  Top with Dream Whip and serve.

Obviously I'm still working on my directions, and I need to actually put together some of these mixes and test them.  I've been trying to find some "real" meals that I can create from my preps that I can put into a "grab it" kit, but I haven't found any good recipes yet that I can convert to a shelf stable kit.

I thought I might try something like Roast Beef gravy over noodles, using my canned roast beef.  And maybe chicken pasta salad, with canned chicken.  Tuna sandwiches with fresh bread, with a bread mix, canned tuna, packets of mayo and relish, etc.  I don't know.

Do any of you have any good ideas for meal kits to reduce stress levels if TSHTF?  If so, please share them in this thread so others can learn and benefit from your expertise!

Edible Landscaping as a prep

by: Sick_Of_It

Fri Jul 27, 2007 at 19:31:37 PM EDT

http://ohioline.osu....

This is something I'd like to do for my own yard.  I was sitting around moaning and groaning that my yard was far to small to produce enough food to feed me in a crisis.  Then I saw this web site:

http://www.pathtofre...

They're growing thousands of pounds (6000+ pounds per year!) of edibles on 1/10th of an acre, and feeding an entire family plus selling the excess.

If they can do it, then surely I can figure out a way to produce enough food on my small lot to feed myself.  It will take some time, but even if I'm only able to grow a portion of what I eat, it's still better than nothing.

Growing my own is also a way around some of the recent food scares.  I've got a can of Castelberry's (botulism contaminated) stew sitting on my table waiting to go back to the store.  At least if I grow my own, I know what's going into it.

How many of you are considering edible landscapes as a prep item?

HHS blog thoughts and prep for July 31st seminar

by: Kobie

Mon Jul 02, 2007 at 16:17:41 PM EDT

  I would you to voice your opinions about the blog.

  What you wish may bave been said - other than H5N1 is a real threat,

  What you wish you had posted.

  What you would like to see come up at the next seminar July 31st in Washington DC.

Kobie

A Better Story To Be In (Part 3)

by: KathyinFL

Tue May 29, 2007 at 14:34:38 PM EDT

Why You Should Take This Seriously

by: SusanC

Wed May 23, 2007 at 22:03:23 PM EDT