"Prepping"

[smellincoffee]

I've lived through several hurricanes and many tornadoes that did widespread damage in my part of the world, and as a result I have an interest in disaster preparation. I have plenty of food on hand, for instance, and could cook on a campfire outside if I needed to. Sometimes I'd like to do more, but the idea of having stuff sitting around most of the time "just in case" the unlikely happens doesn't sit well with my completely contradictory desire to live as minimalistically as possible. While some aspects of the prepping or survival movement, like home gardening, mesh easily with simple living, the inventory vs simplicity conflict suggests difficulty. Does anyone try to live simply and practice 'prepping' or survivalism?

One way to link the two, I think: usually the simpler your life, the less you depend on stuff and systems and the more you rely on skills or mindfulness, the more prepared for disaster you are. If you're used to working with hand tools and don't need a TV for entertainment, you don't "need" something like a power generator in the event of a hurricane, for instance, unless you live in an area where air-conditioners are actually vital to life, as they might very well be if you have the old or young in your home.

[Tiam]

The one thing I can think of wanting to get in order to be "prepared" would be a propane, or other non electric heater. How did those folks who lost power in the polar vortex get by when they lost power?

[jp1]

If I were inclined to prep for disastering in place I think I would focus on stuff that I will use regularly anyway. For instance we have a gas grill so cooking would likely still be an option as long as our building wasn't destroyed in the earthquake, so non-perishable stuff like extra pasta/canned tomato sauce would be an easy way to have weeks' worth of food on hand. Then pre-disaster we'd rotate through the stuff when we ate it under normal conditions, not keep a stash of really old pasta in some closet waiting until doomsday to eat it.

[catherine]

We were slightly impacted by Hurricane Sandy, without power out for a relatively short amount of time compared to some of our neighbors, but I realized that one thing I would like to have on hand for future emergencies is a good emergency radio. My BIL has one, and it definitely helped keep us in the loop when we had no clue what was going on even on the main street by our house.

Before the storm I had filled old milk bottles with tap water, and while we do have a bit of a pantry, I am not a food "hoarder" at all.

Several people in my neighborhood had generators in the aftermath of the storm. I have not been motivated to get one yet--I just don't want to spend the money right now. Also, I would really almost prefer to go electricity-free--when I walked my dog around the neighborhood those generators were SO annoyingly loud. That alone would drive me crazy in a power emergency if I had to listen to it all day and night.

I do try to maintain a couple of working flashlights and I have candles and an old kerosene lamp from my greataunt's cottage.

That's about the extent of my prepping.

[herbgeek]

We routinely lose power at least once a winter for several hours. Only once has the power been off for multiple days. Biggest issue is water. We have a well which doesn't work without power. We need to get a generator. We used to have a hot tub that we used for water to flush toilets with, but we got rid of that this year. I keep about 7 gallons of water in storage and I try to remember to empty and refill several times a year. I use the water for my plants so I don't waste it. I have a pantry but I use that regularly. We have automatic flashlights/nightlights on each floor that plug into outlets. Most of the time they are nightlights but when the power goes out, the flashlight lights up. I have additional battery powered flashlights as well. The only thing I really have exclusively for power outages are a couple of meals that are "just add hot water". The last time the power went out for days it was due to heavy snow and many trees down. After spending the day shoveling and sawing, I just didn't have the energy to cook. I just wanted something that was filling even if it was not the type of food I normally have.

So I would say, most of what I have is stuff that is used routinely anyways so its not just collecting dust/visual clutter.

I have emergency kits in the car, as well as the ability to overnight in my car if I had to (like if I got stuck in a snowstorm). Hat, mittens, boots, snacks and water along with a fleece bag and a emergency bivvy (basically a plastic bag). Also a windup radio from LLbean that is AM/FM as well as the weather radio channels. It also has a USB plug.

[new2oregon]

When I lived in N.H. we would lose power for days at a time from ice storms. I bought a generator 3500 watt on sale for 230.00. I was able to keep the freezer going and power for the pellet stove. We had a sump pump and one time we lost power I had to run the pump. The generator paid for itself the first time I used it because we would have lost our food and had a flood. I always had camping equipment so I could cook food and heat water if needed. One of those camp shower bags is handy because if you can heat water you can still get clean for work. I keep some flashlights handy, matches, caned food, etc for emergency. Now if I needed to I could leave and stay in my van if I had to. Its easier if its only you to worry about.

[Blackdog Lin]

smellincoffee: I struggle with the same things you've described. I believe in prepping (I describe it to myself as something like "getting religion": once you see the world a certain way it's very difficult to go back to seeing it the way you did before); but I have to work on managing that imperative with living my more simple and minimalist lifestyle.

As jp1 said, I try to focus most of my prepping on stuff we can/would use anyway. At any rate, I'm way more prepared that our household was in 2008.

[bae]

As jp1 said, I try to focus most of my prepping on stuff we can/would use anyway.

Same here. Our "preparations" are just the normal things in our logistics chain anyways. No need to fill the basement with canned goods :-)

[Alan]

I feel pretty comfortable with our motorhome. It has a generator, propane tank and onboard water supply, plus we can use it to re-locate outside a disaster zone. A few years ago we were the envy of the neighborhood when we lost power for several days in 90* temps as we relaxed in our driveway with air conditioning, lights and TV.

[bae]

I feel pretty comfortable with our motorhome.

Indeed, when it gets bad here, we just move onto the yacht that your tax dollars help us support, Alan! Thanks again!

[flowerseverywhere]

I just look at my situation and try to do what is logical. Anyone can have a water main break so storing a two weeks of drinking water is logical. I live in Florida so freezing problems won't affect me. When I lived in the snow/ice belt we had a generator and extra gas. Having some extra canned or boxed goods is sensible for most of us, just donate and replace every year or so if you don't eat them. Having some large and small bills and change in case credit cards can't be used, fill your gas tank when it is half full etc. have a radio with batteries, some flashlights. All easy to do sensible stuff. If a category 5 hurricane is headed your way, evacuate early. If it all hits the fan I for one am not going to hole up in a bunker with ammo and mre's.

[Gregg]

We're also in the group that keeps a good supply of staples on hand and has a few redundant systems for things that could be critical if the primary source failed. Heat is a good example. If the power was out for an extended time period we have a kerosene heater that is supposedly safe for indoor use and a few gallons of K1 fuel in the garage. It wouldn't heat the entire house, but would certainly keep a few rooms comfortable and keep the pipes from freezing until the power was restored.

The security that comes with knowing we would be just fine in all but the most cataclysmic events is a critical part of our simpler living. The little bit of inventory we have to keep track of is more than offset by the mental decluttering gained by just not having to worry about such things.

[Tanglefoot]

A frequently-overlooked source of emergency water is the hot water heater. Just shut off the valve at the incoming line to prevent contamination and dispense the water from the tank via the valve at the bottom. Opening a nearby hot-water sink faucet lets air into the tank to help it flow out the valve. There will likely be some sediment at first but it should clear out pretty quickly. I think I'd be comfortable drinking it once the sediment is out.

If you drive a hybrid-electric vehicle, it makes a great source of emergency power. Connect a ~1000W inverter directly to the 12v aux battery, leave the vehicle in "ready" mode, close the trunk lid gently on an extension cord and lock the doors (assuming you have second fob). Those with smart-key systems can be locked with the key inside by rolling down the drivers' window, closing the door, reaching in the window, pressing the "lock" button and then activating the "auto-up" on the power window to close it while quickly retracting your arm. The hybrid vehicle produces much less noise than a generator, cleaner exhaust emissions and similar fuel consumption without needing to purchase/store/maintain a generator.

[Dhiana]

Interesting how each of us would prep for the disaster that would reach our areas. Deep Freeze vs Hurricanes, etc.

My concern is easy evacuation if disaster hits here, whether it's China, N. Korea, or another nasty earthquake.
I have a small backpack loaded with our most important paperwork, packs of precooked rice like the Uncle Ben's, packs of Indian curries, first aid kit, mini portable camp stove, flashlight, etc. Portability is key for me, as expats I don't feel comfortable consuming valuable emergency resources from those who need to stay here because this is their country. In a true disaster I suspect we'll need to make our way to the nearest functioning airport and we'll need to carry everything we need.

I remember the first time a typhoon was set to hit Japan after we moved here and my mom called me to make sure I was evacuating.
The typhoon was as big as the country, where does one evacuate to in that situation? Fly to China? My small concrete apartment building was
as strong as the emergency shelter in the elementary school at the end of the block.

[smellincoffee]

If I were inclined to prep for disastering in place I think I would focus on stuff that I will use regularly anyway. For instance we have a gas grill so cooking would likely still be an option as long as our building wasn't destroyed in the earthquake, so non-perishable stuff like extra pasta/canned tomato sauce would be an easy way to have weeks' worth of food on hand. Then pre-disaster we'd rotate through the stuff when we ate it under normal conditions, not keep a stash of really old pasta in some closet waiting until doomsday to eat it.

The preppers I listen to abide by the practice, "Eat what you store and store what you eat". The idea is to view your storage area, whether it's a closet or a big tupperware box, as an extension of your pantry. The strategy for beginners is to take stock of what you eat most, then start buying a little more of it and putting the extras away. Eventually it builds up to the point that when you want to eat something, you can take stock from the storage area, replace it with something from your 'normal' storage in the kitchen, and then replace the normal storage with grocery shopping. The prepper whose podcast I like is also into gardening, so a lot of the food he puts up is food he has grown and preserved himself.


The one thing I can think of wanting to get in order to be "prepared" would be a propane, or other non electric heater. How did those folks who lost power in the polar vortex get by when they lost power?

Wood stoves would be one option, but you have to have a chimney of some sort for it to work. (And you know, access to wood.)