Having a nice house isn't everything photo c/o www.merchantcircle.com

The party was so wonderful. The house was warm with hugs, greetings, and shared tales of joy and heartache from the previous year. So and so had a new baby on the way. The hostess had just received a new customized dining room table so that she could seat her burgeoning family at meal time. A young man had just been honorably advanced in the military. Seeing old friends and making news ones was a great way to start the New Year. So why was I so distraught as I walked home?  What was it that was interrupting my happiness from attending such an event? What a beautiful home.  The food was scrumptious. What a choice person—such great hosts. What a great family. I was thrilled that they had opted to show me what they had done with all of the new food storage space they had built into their basement. That’s practically my favorite part of any home. As I reflected back on what I saw, I realized the source of my distress. A thriving family of nine. Plenty of space. Beautifully decorated. But a large food storage area that was frighteningly sparse.

As I had mentally viewed the intermittent stores of food, my mind quickly calculated that starvation would come to this family within only six weeks if they were required to survive on the fruits of their preparedness efforts. To add insult to injury, it would be a very boring and unappetizing six weeks as well. Oh how I didn’t want that for this family. Fifteen years of friendship makes me feel like an aunt to their children and a sister to her. I adore her. I look up to her. I cringed as I recalled her answer to my question. “Is this your entire food storage?” “Yep”, she replied. I couldn’t tell by her voice…was I detecting a sense of good intentions to rectify the situation or was it a sense of being overwhelmed with the task?

A half-empty pantry won't be as much of a comfort in times of need as a full one would be photo c/o www.mlive.com

What good is a lovely home when an unexpected need for food, water, clothing, and fuel hits you? Who cares whether or not the sofa is frayed or if there’s a spot on the carpet when your family is hungry?  I don’t know about you, but I’ve moved heaven and earth when I’ve had a specific craving for something. Imagine such a craving occupying your mind regularly, except it is simply for food and water.  I realize that it requires some mental work to accept that such a scenario WILL occur in the future, but I promise you that it will.  The Wii games, the latest reality show, the latest action-adventure film, or even what shenanigans the Administration pulls that week will be meaningless when one is unexpectedly thrust out of their modus operandi and has to actually THINK “how will I provide food for my family?”  Most of us have never had to question the availability of food and water.  For those of us who have, there has usually been a ray of hope right behind such a question in the form of an anticipated new job for the one lost, or even the ability to move in with family until things get better. But will the same hope be present when the supply of food, water, clothing, and fuel seems to be solely reliant on our own previous preparedness efforts?

I completely believe in being content and nurtured by ones surrounding. A home should be a person’s castle, inviting, comfortable.  I love to spoil my family members and friends with gifts of love and acknowledgement. I like to look nice and wish that more “preppers” would portray a more polished and intelligent image to the community lest their message be minimized as an unrelatable and unreliable one. But just as the priorities for college students need to be their education—and thus traditional corners of comfort are cut to survive—so should we do the same in our basic preparedness efforts, sacrificing luxury for the security of being prepared.

As yourself before buying anything--Need or Want?

So here’s my rule of thumb. Don’t even think of gidgets, gadgets, generators, and the non-essentials in your life until you have at least the very basics of food, water, clothing, and fuel (where permissible) taken care of. Yes, you’ll never be satisfied that you are fully prepared for whatever may come your way.  But yes, there IS a finite amount of food and water, etc. that you can at least start with and know that you’ve got a great foundation. THEN you can start building on it. 

Newlyweds, let me address you specifically.  No, you can’t afford a new television or cable or unlimited text messaging until you have your basics obtained and stored. It is a matter of life or luxury. Yes, I know that you’ve been quite accustomed to the leather upholstery, the beautiful automobile, and the abundance of comforts as you grew up in your parent’s home or when you were the sole beneficiary of your salary, but marriage is different. It’s a new life. It’s not a continuation of the one you had with your parents.  Start new. Make it yours. Make it self-reliant. Make it solid by a good foundation of spiritual and temporal strength.

Ok. So what’s the absolute bare minimum emergency survival amount of food, water, clothing, and fuel (where permissible) you should have on hand?

photo c/o grain.org

• 400 pounds of grains (i.e. pasta, wheat, rice, barley) per person per year (whole grains are preferred in order to benefit from sprouting)
• 40 pounds of honey (or sugar, or molasses) per person, per year
• 60 pounds of dry milk per person, per year
• 5 pounds of mineralized salt, such as RealSalt (not iodized) per person, per year.

If you only had these 4 food items, you would at least survive a year in the midst of a major food crisis.

• 60 gallons of water, per person MINIMUM. (This amount may at least get you through until you can find another water source—again, remember this is bare, minimum, emergency, survival amounts. In actuality, every person needs one gallon, per person per day just to take care of the minimum requirements of hydration, sanitation, medical, and cooking.)

• 2 sets of appropriate, rugged, warm weather clothes and 2 sets of cold weather clothes per person. Anticipate the upcoming year. Store these clothes away, not have them be a part of the everyday fashion repertoire.

• 52 cans of butane and a small butane stove for cooking and cleaning.

• Enough fuel for warmth during the winter months

• Enough fuel for light for about 4 hours a night, for one room, for a year.

So, here’s my challenge to you. It’s the very beginning of a new month. How about you put yourself on a non-essential fast when it comes to spending this month? In other words, if it’s not absolutely necessary (such as utilities, groceries, diapers, etc) don’t spend money on it. Instead use that same money on what you need to be prepared with at least the bare minimum amount of preparedness.  If you’re already prepared in the basics that I’ve outlined above, how about you focus on adding to your preparedness this month?

Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

Ok Folks, here’s the conclusion of the generator series, including the authors overall recommendations. We hope you found this series helpful!

by Guest Author Ted Blanchard

Ag diesel, or “died diesel” or “red diesel” costs less photo c/o commons.wikimedia.org

Operational economy depends in part on the cost per unit volume of your fuel. Diesel generators are generally more fuel efficient (quarts burned per hour for a given power output) than gasoline units, but the overall cost efficiency can be lower depending on what the fuel rates are at the pump.  Ag diesel, or “died diesel” or “red diesel” which is only to be used (legally) in agricultural equipment like farm tractors will run a diesel generator just fine and costs much less than automobile diesel because there are no taxes added to the per gallon price.  Use of died diesel in street automobiles is not legal and the fines are very high if you are caught doing so.  Because a warmed up diesel engine may also be able to run on other fuels such as kerosene, cooking oil and even home heating oil (also generally tax exempt), it gets high marks for flexibility in a TEOTWAWKI environment.

Author’s Recommendations

Given the various pros and cons of the different fuels and their associated generators (note that I did not put it the other way around), my preference for an emergency, backup or transportable generator is a diesel-fired unit with an integrated water blocker and sequential fuel filters.  I even have a recommended family of units, all military surplus.  They are the MEP-002, MEP-003, MEP-004 and even MEP-006 systems, which can be found on auction sites including this one. A MEP-002 is 5kW continuous, 6.25kW peak generator; a MEP-003 is 10kW/12.5kW and so forth.  They are all battery start units and ruggedly built.  They can be used for 120VAC single phase, 120/240 single phase and 208 VAC three phase which makes them very versatile machines.

10KW - 2 cylinder Onan Diesel photo c/o battlegradeelectric.com/

An MEP-002 can typically be acquired at auction for something under $1000, and a MEP-003 for $1000 to $1200.  Often, they have very low hours on them (mine had 163 hours on it, meaning it was barely broken in).  A brand new commercially available 10 kW gasoline powered generator will generally set you back more than that, and have a fraction of the usable lifespan.   Granted, you may have to drive a ways to pick up your military surplus unit, but the results will be well worth it.  Be sure you read and understand the auction site’s rules regarding buyer’s premium (if added) and sales tax for the location currently housing the unit.  Some units are trailer mounted so you may have to do title transfer unless you plan to park it in one place indefinitely and don’t care if it isn’t titled in your name. One other consideration is the 24Volt starter on the MEP-00X units.  They use two car batteries in series, so to keep them charged, you either need to get a 24V trickle charger, or charge one battery at a time with a 12V charger, or run the generator unit regularly to top them off.   The last approach is best because relying on any system that you do not regularly test and maintain is unwise at best and outright dangerous in the worst of situations.

The MEP-00X series have a setup where you can draw fuel from the integrated tank or an external source such as a 55-gallon drum and the unit includes the pumps necessary to make this work.  Some units will even come with the bung adapter and extra fuel line.  Some also come with a long, high capacity power cable.  Some have a sound enclosure already installed, so the noise is very tolerable, without having to build your own enclosure.  They run at 1800 RPM, consume little fuel and – when properly grounded – have decent EMP protection for the internal circuitry.  Spare parts are readily available from a variety of sources.  The units are designed to be operated and maintained by high school grads, so no special skills are required (no offense to you high school readers).  They are all made to mil-specs and come from some of the best manufacturers out there.  They cost you and I (as taxpayers) eight to 15 times what you can get them for at auction, depending on the rated capacity, so it’s your duty to derive some benefit from all that Government spending.

Regardless of your choice do your homework, take necessary safety precautions, test the system regularly, rotate liquid fuels if you use them, and keep the tank and generator well maintained.  It could be the difference between surviving and thriving in a grid-down world.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

by Guest Author Ted Blanchard

Generator Fuels

What is the best type of fuel for your generator? photo c/o thevote.abc13.com

Different types of generators are designed to run on fuels that may include, gasoline, propane, natural gas and diesel.  Don’t get one that runs on electricity though (that’s a little joke, folks). For the sake of brevity, I won’t go into water-powered or gasified wood-powered generators. Battery started engines are just fine and make the use much more enjoyable.  Some generators can be modified to run on something other than their original design fuel, and some can selectively run on more than one type of fuel.  These are not very common and potentially add complexity to the system that could translate to shorter life span or undesirable operation, but properly configured tri-fuel (propane, natural gas and gasoline) generators provide flexibility and can make sense in some circumstances. The dry fuel “carburetor” does not add much complexity but, as with all things, the KISS principle applies.

I’m going to generalize here and will likely incur the wrath of several readers by slighting their favorite form of fuel.  Too bad.  I’m writing and you’re reading it (at least as far as this point) so give me some additional time and I may manage to lessen your anger.

Propane or Natural Gas photo c/o hoffmanspowerequipment.com

Gaseous fuels

- propane and natural gas (Nat Gas) – have distinct advantages, not the least of which is an incredible shelf life.  A tank that is kept free of leaks should hold your propane or Nat Gas supply in a usable state for longer than you live.  On the down side, plumbing can be tricky and if you do develop a leak, your first indication may be when you house is “remodeled” by the force of the explosion as the leaked gas reaches an ignition source.  Propane is heavier than air and can creep along the ground until it finds a spark or flame.  Nat Gas is lighter than air and so tends to waft up and away from the tank.  Small comfort, however, if it encounters a spark from a chimney or a static discharge from anything that it finds nearby, even many hundreds of feet away.  Natural Gas that is distributed in the gaseous state is considered to be part of the grid, with the associated vulnerabilities.  All that said, gaseous fuels as a generator supply are still a good choice, if proper care is used in selecting the placement of the tank and in running the plumbing to the generator. Gaseous fuels have a decent specific energy and so is generally a cost effective fuel, but this will depend on your location and how much the rates change between seasons.  Here in North Idaho, propane was a delightful $1.40 per gallon this summer, but climbed very rapidly to $2.05 so far this winter and will probably go up even more several times in the coming months. Generators that use gaseous fuels are often very quiet compared to gas or diesel powered systems and that is a distinct advantage if you want to run your generator overnight.  Availability in normal and abnormal times must also be considered.  Will your propane supplier keep refilling your tank if we have a TEOTWAWKI event?  If not, do you have the means to go get some at the supplier – assuming they are still selling it?

Gasoline or Diesel fuel photo c/o images.asia.ru

Liquid Fuels – Gasoline and diesel each have their own good and bad points.  We’ll start with gasoline.  Typically affordable and available almost anywhere, we drive our gas-powered cars without giving too much thought to where we will fill the tank when it approaches empty.  We will simply stop at a station that is convenient and sells at a price we are willing to pay.  Several grades may be available, but generators typically do not require anything better than the lowest grade, with an octane level of 87i.

Gasoline does not store well for long periods of time.  Since it contains several very volatile compounds that separate out of the solution and evaporate given half a chance, fuel that you count on for emergencies should be rotated regularly and even treated with a stabilizer such as “Sta-Bil.”  I’m not recommending them over other providers or products but they have become something of a “household” name.  I do not like the fact that they charge what I consider to be exorbitant prices for what is, chemically, an inexpensive formula.  Nevertheless, properly treated, sealed and stored gas can exhibit a useful shelf life of up to two years. Beyond that you are slowly transitioning to gunk.  Engines do not run well on gunk. To get the best possible shelf life, keep three things in mind.  (1) Store the fuel in an air- and liquid-tight container with as little air in the container as possible (to prevent moisture condensation), remembering that gas expands and contracts significantly when the temperature changes so don’t chance bursting a thin-walled container by leaving zero air space.  (2) Keep the fuel away from light, which can cause heat-induced expansion and also speeds up the chemical decomposition process, and (3) make sure the gas is not subject to wild temperature swings in either direction, which also speed up the decomposition process and may overcome the integrity of your storage container.  Anecdotal stories of shelf life longer than 2 years may be true.  I wouldn’t count on it, in fact 2 years is really pushing it in my estimation.  That’s why you should rotate your emergency supply every year if possible.  Use the stabilized one-year-old gas in your car, boat or other engines.  Treat and store the next batch.  Make sure to put the date on an attached slip of paper.  Remember that as gasoline ages its octane rating decays so it might make sense to store a higher octane fuel. Some will argue that properly stabilized low octane gas is sufficient and that may well be the case.

Gasoline vapors explode. That’s why your car, boat, and generator engines work.  Improper storage of gas can result in leaks that pose a significant fire and/or explosion hazard.  Gasoline composition is important.  Automobile gasoline (every grade) is increasingly treated with ethanol, up to 10% (and up to 85% in the case of ethanol multi-fuel).  This have some dubious benefits to the environment and cost of production, but it has one very clear drawback, which is one of the reasons why I tend to lean toward diesel generators.  Ethanol attracts moisture.  The technical term is hygroscopic, if anyone cares.  Ethanol literally sucks water vapor out of the air.  This water may or may not be visible in a tank used to store your generator’s fuel supply, but unless very specific steps are taken to reduce or eliminate the water before it reaches your generator you can end up with both short term and long term problems. Water will alter your consumption rate, usually for the worse.  When water is absorbed into gasoline it can form corrosive compounds that damage engine components.  Water left sitting in fuel lines, carburetor bowls, injection systems and so forth can make the engine hard to start, maybe even impossible, depending on how long the unit sat with old fuel in it. Leaks in hard fuel lines are a common result of trapped water sitting for long periods.

Now we’ll cover diesel fuel.  Also available in several “grades,” diesel is formulated for variable speed engines operating at normal temperatures, cold temps, and also for near-constant speed engines.  Trying to start an engine with diesel formulated for normal temps when the engine and surrounding air is very cold can be a frustrating experience. Road diesel gels at cold temps and may not be easily pumped through the system, so low temp formulas are warranted in colder regions.  All on-highway diesel fuel in the US is now Ultra-Low Sulfur diesel (ULSD) <15 ppm and there may be issues with older engines not engineered for ULSD. For a complete description of the various diesel grades and their positions in the spectrum of refined petroleum products, please see this piece. 

Diesel exhaust is typically white and dense when the engine is cold and turns almost clear as it gets warm, though this can shift to grey or even black if the engine is under very heavy loads.  Good quality diesel generators are designed to deliver their rated power without reaching this engine loading point, but some people do not like the smell of diesel fumes at all, and it’s a definite consideration when choosing your generator and fuel combination.

Diesel has a significantly longer shelf life than gasoline, with 8-, 10-, and even 12-year old fuel still working satisfactorily.  To get the best results, depending on your location and engine type, you may need to treat the diesel with some combination of a cetane booster, an anti-gel product and/or a biocide.  Seems a fair number of algae and microbe species like to eat diesel fuel and they can foul it beyond recall if not kept in check.  An obvious sign that you have an algae or microbe problem is that the fuel becomes extremely murky, or even black. The biocide keeps the bacteria from attacking your fuel. Mix it in well with a paddle or stir stick.  Warmer climates are more prone to infestations and cold climates may not require any biocide treatment at all.  Higher speed diesels (e.g. 3600 RPM vs 1800 RPM) operate more effectively with higher cetane number fuels.  Anti-gel additive helps keep your fuel flowing well in colder temps and keeps the diesel stabilized.  Diesel is nowhere near as bad as gasoline in this respect, but it is still wise to prevent problems that you can easily avoid.  Diesel is much safer than gasoline since the vapors will not explode or even burn at normal air pressure. You can throw a lit match into a coffee can with an inch of diesel in the bottom and the match will be quenched immediately.  As a result, the long-term storage of diesel fuels is simpler and safer than with gasoline.  Don’t be careless, however, as almost any materials lying around will burn much better if they have diesel on or in them.  Diesel still likes the same handling as gasoline: air and liquid-proof containers, dark storage areas (this also inhibits microbe growth) and near constant temps.  Underground storage is ideal, but not essential. While diesel does not attract moisture nearly as much as ethanol-treated gasoline, diesel engines hate water in the fuel and may not run at all if badly contaminated.  A good quality water-block filter, in line between the tank and the engine, solves this easily.  Keeping an emergency supply tank full is always a good idea since water vapor-bearing air can’t condense out and contaminate the fuel.

To be continued…

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

By Kellene Bishop

Are you ready folks? The most recent food challenge is going to seem like a cakewalk to some of you compared to this one. But it’s an important trial run in which your whole family should participate in. It’s called the Preparedness Pro Commerce Independence Challenge.

Currency photo c/o AOL

Preparedness Pro Double Dog Dares You to go an entire 14 days without participating in any spending of currency…any, nada, zip, zero, etc. We dare you to be independent of all commerce interactions for a full 14 days. That’s in a row, folks, in a row. J This means that you won’t pay any bill, go out to eat, go to a movie, buy gas or anything for a full two weeks. Being independent from commerce as you know it will truly hone your preparedness skills. Your eyes will be opened to just how reliant you are on commerce exchange, electricity, conveniences, etc. My husband and I just did a Commerce Independence Challenge at the end of last year. Yes, it was a true challenge for us. But it gave us a greater anticipation and awareness of how things may be in the event of a financial or other type of economic collapse. Awareness always brings about more preparedness, right?

Groceries c/o kentohio.net

Now, here’s something I’m going to urge you to do before you accept this Challenge. Go ahead and prepare for it a few days in advance in every way that you can think of. Pay the babysitter now. Stock up on some gasoline for 2 weeks now. Get two weeks worth of groceries now—don’t forget the comfort foods. I dare say that this Commerce Independence Challenge will still be an eye opener for you as you will undoubtedly have something that you haven’t thought of crop up and throw you a curve ball. When it does, just deal with it. Don’t buy the school supplies, the groceries, the shirt, the hair spray or the new shovel for 14 days. You can trade goods for goods and services, but during the Commerce Independence Challenge don’t exchange any currency for goods or services for 14 days.

I’m specifically making this challenge at this time of year. It won’t be convenient. There’s Halloween parties and costumes that you’ll need to think about ahead of time. But I’m 100% convinced that this will be a valuable experience. 

I know that some of our challenge takers on our last challenge entered into it without letting the rest of the family know. (Sly little devils) But I encourage you to let the whole family in on it. Tell your friends about it. If they look at you weird, ask them if they could even go ONE DAY without being a part of commerce. How about 3 days? Worst case scenario, if this just sounds like “too much” for you, then challenge yourself for a smaller period of time. Regardless though, do take at least a portion of the Commerce Independence Challenge. I’m quite certain that you won’t regret it.

Here's your reason to say no to your kids! Photo c/o geekgirlfriends.com

Come on. Don’t wimp out on me. You’ll still have the safety and comfort of your home, electricity, the microwave, etc. It’s not like I’m challenging you to live without plumbing for two weeks. You’ll still have the television or radio or board games to keep you entertained. And besides, you’ve been meaning to get around to organizing your food storage anyway. The walking or bike riding will do you some good too, right? And wouldn’t it be great if you could put a carte blanche “no” on spending for your kids everyday desires for a whole two weeks? Perhaps it will be liberating? It’s not called the Commerce INDEPENDENCE Challenge for nothing.

The contest begins today and goes through the 15^th of November. You can pick whichever 14 days you want to accept the Challenge. By all means, please give the rest of our readers a peak into what you’re doing and how you’re dealing with it. There are no losers in the Commerce Independence Challenge. I’m quite positive that anyone who participates will indeed be a winner. The point is to push all of you to learn, by firsthand experience, what you’re really ready for. And as always, any blog comment entry you make through the 15^th will be eligible for our regular prize drawings that we’re holding every two weeks.

This is going to be very interesting, isn’t it?

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

The Preparedness Pro Food Challenge ends today and we will be a doing the drawing this week. 

Stay tuned… you may be one of 12 winners! 

By Kellene Bishop

Update – September 1, 2009.  CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Ok, here it goes. I’m going to challenge you…nah—perhaps the better word is “DARE” you. In fact, I’m going to DOUBLE DOG DARE YA to take this Preparedness Pro Food Challenge.

Want to find out if you are really ready for an emergency? Here’s a genuine challenge for you. Your ability to implement it will say a LOT about your ability to truly survive a real emergency. The Preparedness Pro Food Challenge officially begins August 1st and goes throughout the month of August. During the month I challenge you to go an entire two weeks without going to the grocery store for any food or household supplies. 14 days. No grocery purchases, no household cleaners, no produce. Can you and your family survive? No big deal, perhaps? Yeah. Say that after you’ve done it. Then I will bow to you and call you “The Preparedness Queen/King.”

Now take this seriously. No cheating. Don’t go to a restaurant or get one of those free hot dogs at the furniture store promotion either. If you go to the farmer’s market, you’re cheating. Rely on all of your food and household needs strictly based on what you have available to you right now. Do it the entire 14 days. Don’t cut corners. Don’t rationalize. And for goodness sake, don’t starve your family for 14 days.

Obviously, a disaster is no respecter of bank account balances, professional positions, or “time of the month.” It’s a true equalizer of all mankind. So, at the end of 14 days, what kind of man or woman will you be? I bet you have no idea just how often you “pick up a little something” at the store.

This challenge is pretty straight forward. It doesn’t need to be made harder than it is. The challenge does not require you to go without electricity or any of your other luxuries in life. Just go two whole weeks without going out and buying anything you need for nutrition or household care.

Groceries photo c/o Shannon Steele

The key to this Preparedness Pro Food Challenge is to do it without any notice or preplanning. That means that you don’t go out today and buy all of the groceries that you think you might need to last you two weeks. (Although, if I at least get you to do that much, maybe it’s a good thing. ) Interestingly enough, I bet that even if you were to go shopping, you would still find yourself struggling. During this challenge I anticipate that you will struggle with what to cook. You will struggle with eating what you have instead of eating what you’re in the mood for. Bottom line, you will be challenged without all of the modern-day pampering we have when it comes to food.

So, can you take this challenge to heart? Can your family endure it without threatening a mutiny? Remember, I’m not challenging you to go without your other comforts of life. You can still watch television. You can still use your running water. You can still use your microwave and all of your other favored kitchen gadgets. Just abstain from the purchase of any kind of grocery or household items for two whole weeks. Prepare your meals any way you want. Ramen noodles? Frozen pizza? Using the microwave? Fine. Then again I would recommend you actually cook real food during this period as well, but I won’t hold you to that. Just don’t bring any additional supplies into your home to sustain you during this two week Preparedness Pro Food Challenge. Pick any 14 day period you want. Get your whole family on board. In fact, invite your friends and extended family to do the challenge with you as well. Come on, it will be a GREAT experiment!

As you accept and experience this challenge, write your comments on our blog. It will help all of our readers see some of the most basic areas of preparedness which they haven’t considered previously. I guarantee there will be some eye opening experiences.

Giveaway with GREAT Prizes! Photo c/o rei.com

At the end of August, we’re going to have a drawing for GREAT emergency preparedness giveaway items. We’re going to give away all kinds of preparedness items such as an EZ Sprouter, non-electric hand mixer, solar head lamp, and more. There’s a cluster of some of my favorite emergency preparedness items and I’m excited to give them to some lucky participants! The more times you write your comments on our blog on this topic, the more times your name will be entered in the drawing. We’ll hold the drawing on September 1st and notify all 12 winners! You may win a solar light/radio, private consultation time with me, or you may win a food storage cookbook. But more importantly, you’ll gain invaluable insight into whether or not you’re prepared in this one simple area. Obviously, if you aren’t able to last 2 weeks comfortably, you’re going to have a lot of trouble lasting a year. But what I really hope is that many of you will gain a sense of confidence and peace seeing that you can truly make it if need be. You can be creative with your cooking. You can be independent of our traditional commerce system. And you can successfully troubleshoot as the two weeks progress.

The question is, why wouldn’t you accept the challenge? There will always be excuses. And I can assure you that an emergency never waits until you are completely ready. Life will still have to go on regardless. But I assure you that none of your excuses will hold much water when you consider the invaluable experience you will gain from this. This is only a two week challenge. You get to keep everything else normal in your life. But through this Preparedness Pro Food Challenge, you’ll begin to see where the gaps may be. You’ll realize perhaps just how reliant you or your family members may be on the conveniences of our society. Your kids will learn what they are made of. You’ll all learn to think and strategize just a bit differently. If I have a vote, I say heck yeah! Take this Preparedness Pro Food Challenge! You’ll be SO glad you did!

The winners have been drawn! Click here to see if you were one of the 12 winners!

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

Today I happened upon an individual who, as of July 1, has commited to cook with her solar oven each sunny day for an entire year.  The Solar Oven Chef, as she calls herself, posts images of meals she’s prepared each day in her solar oven.  She has prepared everything from ribs to bread to pizza and meatloaf — excellent variety!  By the end of the Solar Oven Chef’s one year experiment, preparing meals in her solar oven will be second nature. 

As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, cooking with a solar oven is a great way to prepare meals, not only in an emergency, but everyday — particularly during the summer when the kitchen is hot enough to begin with. 

If you follow Preparedness Pro regularly, you know I’m all about using what you store for an emergency in order to be familiar with how to use your supplies and so your family is accustomed to it.  If you intend to use a solar oven in an emergency, I’d recommend learning to prepare meals in one.  Do you have a solar oven?  Have you used it yet?  Are you familiar with adjusting your favorite recipes’ cook times in a solar oven? 

We have recently begun issuing challenges to our readers.  Here is the solar oven challenge.  Would you be willing to prepare your meals in a solar oven for two days?  You could even try the solar oven challenge this weekend.  This is an excellent exercise to practice how you may prepare your meals in an emergency and be better prepared when the time inevitably comes. 

Are you willing to step up to the plate and take the solar oven challenge? 

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

By Kellene Bishop

Candlelight

In the event of a long-term power outage, the obvious inconveniences will unfold such as a lack of heat or air-conditioning, television, microwave, and video games.  However, many folks dangerously underestimate their need for appropriate lighting.  You may be unaware that insufficient lighting will not only be incredibly inconvenient, but dangerous on so many levels and can also quickly lead to depression.  Indeed, the lighting that surrounds you directly affects your mood.  And believe me, while candlelight is great for a brief romantic evening, you’ll soon tire and even be annoyed by it in a long-term emergency situation.

If you’re going to spend the money on lighting preparations, be sure you take the time to test it…long term, in the dark, not just turning it on in the store and feeling like it’s sufficient.  Many folks have “candles stored by the dozens” without ever testing the lighting they have on hand to ensure it’s suitable.  As I always say, never have equipment on hand that you haven’t used and become familiar with.  Let’s explore some of your lighting options.

Lantern Reflector photo c/o coleman.com

Battery operated lanterns can be quite convenient, complete with a remote control.  However, in the event of a power outage due to a large solar flare or an EMP attack, your lantern will most likely become useless.  Be sure that you have a mix of lighting options.  Don’t rely solely on one fuel, one type of candle, or just battery operated equipment for your lighting.  Each lighting solution you elect to use is preferred if you can magnify it with a bulb like you see on a lantern, or a reflector like the ones from colonial days—a silver plate behind the candle in order to project the light.  Placing candles in front of a mirror is a great way to reflect the light as well.  You can usually get by with purchasing cheaper candles if you’re able to use this method.  This is in part why we have stored many square mirror tiles, which are great to use for signaling as well.

Next, your lighting must be portable.  While some stationary lighting in your shelter is fine, be prepared to have dependable and effective lighting for travel, even if your travel is simply to the backyard “outhouse.”

Candles for lighting are affordable, but you will find they put out very little usable light.  Lanterns, whether oil or battery powered, will usually give you more light.  However, you will need several light sources to give your family the kind of light that you will need to function. 

There are several reliable solar powered lighting options.  I’ve tried and used many of the solar powered head lamps, flashlights, and such.  Try some for yourself and don’t be afraid to send them back or return them when they just don’t cut it.  You want a piece of equipment that holds its charge for several hours, not just 30 minutes.  Make sure the light puts out sufficient power in order for you to function.

Lanterns that use white gas and propane get very hot and have an intense smell.  Use extreme caution using either of these for indoor lighting.

Many candles are poorly constructed as they allow the light to tunnel into the wax as it burns down.  Thus, the more it burns, the more the light is hidden.  Be sure that your candles continue to convey their light at the top of the candle. 

Hurricane Oil Lamp photo c/o vermontlanterns.com

Small oil lamps are surprisingly effective in putting out light.  Care and caution must be used when using them inside your shelter of course, and around children.  This is why my one of my preferred type of lighting is oil lamps like the ones you see in antique stores.  I really like the hurricane version which runs on oil, but are also protected with a bit of metal décor around the edges, making them sturdier.  Plus, they are attractive enough to have on display everyday in my home. 

• In a pinch you can place some canola oil in an empty tuna fish or other like shallow can, with the lid mostly attached.  
• Press down the lid to create a slope from the side of the can in which the lid is still connected.  
• Pour a little bit of canola oil in the can.  
• Tightly wad a thin wick of paper towel or newspaper, and place it in the oil, on its side running up the slope of the lid.  
• Just a small portion of the wick should be pointed up out of the can.  
• You can also take a jar, put some sand in the bottom and then place a small votive candle on top of the sand.  The candle inside the jar will aid in providing stronger reflection.

If you’ve invested in those otherwise useless florescent glow-sticks, you’ll soon realize that they won’t give you much operable light.  However, if you heat them in a pan on low heat for a minute or two, it will dramatically enhance their lighting power.  Of course they won’t last as long this way, but they are mostly useless otherwise.  I suppose you could also string several of them up around your shelter, but it will take a lot of them to provide sufficient lighting.

The oil that you store for your lamps actually has a very long shelf life.  You can even use cooking oil that has gone rancid in some cases.  Of course olive oil is an ideal fuel because of its medicinal and cooking uses as well as its extensive shelf life.

In closing, I want to extend a Two-Day Light Challenge.  Try living solely off of your emergency lighting for two whole days.  Go ahead and live with your other luxuries during those two days.  But for two days use JUST the lighting that you have planned on using in an emergency.  See how ready you really are.  Are you game?

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!