Preparedness Mythbusters
What? You mean Wikipedia and Snopes and the ramblings on Facebook could be wrong? *ahem*
When times get tough it’s no time to discover that you may have put stock in some nonsensical homespun tale. Preparedness Pro understands that acting upon correct information is just as important as preparedness efforts. So below you will find some of the more common myths we’ve heard and we’ll be sure to add more as we encounter them.
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Assertion: Rotate your water storage every 6 months to 2 years.
Correction: Nonsense. Do you have any idea how long your tap water is stored before it gets to your faucet? Years, and usually in public exposure scenarios. Water is a universal solvent though–so more important that changing it out repeatedly is making sure you use uncompromised containers in the first place. Use strong, thick, food-grade materials. While there’s no need to change out the water more frequently than every 5 or so, you do want to make sure that you inspect for leaking containers on a regular basis. Also, if you’re using tap water, then don’t bother treating it UNTIL you use the water. There’s more than enough chlorine and all kinds of other chemicals in that water until you’re ready to filter and use it.
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Assertion: To protect your small electronics from damage caused by an EMP or solar flares, simply wrap in thick foil and store in an old microwave or refrigerator.
Correction: What’s really crazy is when people say this about cell phones—which of course, if your area is exposed to an EMP or damaging solar flares would no doubt knock out the communication systems. Additional such assertions indicate a lack of understanding relative to the theories of radio and the theories of high-frequency, high-energy junction inhibition (EMP waves). They are not are equal and synonymous. An EMP is at a much higher frequency than cellular communication and AM or FM radio. While foil may improve or interrupt your television reception it is not sufficient hardening material against the effects of an EMP or harmful solar flares. A well-crafted Faraday cage should be used to protect any electronics that you deem necessary and/or vital to your well-being.
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Assertion: Don’t store bottled water on cement; it can leach chemicals into your water.
Correction: Heated cement can cause a chemical reaction, so don’t store any food or drink on cement that is exposed to the sun or on a portion of a slab that is exposed to the sun. But storing goods on the concrete in the cellar or basement is perfectly fine.
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Assertion: Add vital wheat gluten to your bread dough to make it rise and bake properly.
Correction: When you grind your own flour and use it shortly thereafter you do not need vital wheat gluten. It’s already present in your flour. However, old/stale flour will definitely require vital wheat gluten.
Also, dough enhancer is a great addition to any bread dough. It typically contains vitamin C, a bit more yeast and a bit of dough enhancer. Yeast just loves sugar and vitamin C.
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Assertion: Use an oxygen absorber when storing dry goods, seeds, and grains.
Correction: Seeds and grains are alive. They need oxygen to thrive and definitely if you want to be able to sprout them later. So do not store them in oxygen deprived containers/environments.
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Assertion: I don’t have enough room to store a year’s supply of food.
Correction: If you have the space of a twin size bed for every member of your family then you have enough room for a year’s supply of quality food; the storage of which doesn’t require any more room than under a twin bed.
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Assertion: You will die if you go without water for more than 72 hours
Correction: This is slightly exaggerated and I’m only addressing it in an effort to clarify the relationship between water and our body functions. The aftermath of the disaster in Haiti revealed survivors who endured without food or drink for as much as 11 days. However, it is correct that if you go 72 hours without water, you WILL permanently damage vital organs in your body. You don’t want to destroy any organs, do you?
The impact of going so long without water will be determined by how hydrated your body is to begin with and what kind of activity you’re involved with over those 3 days. So the best way to approach “Water Preparedness” is to make sure everyday is a well hydrated day. Always have water on hand INSIDE your shelter and automobile (because a biochemical or nuclear problem will taint your outdoor water). And if you run into someone who’s not had water for 72 hours, don’t start digging a grave for them–get them hydrated. *grin*
Also, keep in mind that drinks such as soda pop or Kool-aid actually require the body to use more water than what they would get from such a drink. Just plain water is the best hydration for the body. Once you add something else to it, your body will handle it differently. Hydration is not something you want to take for granted because once the damage has been done to a vital organ, no amount of water intake can correct that.
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Assertion: Don’t bother storing anything less than 9 mm ammo. It’s useless for self-defense.
Correction: Successful self-defense and hunting has a lot more to do with shot placement and skill than the caliber of the ammunition.
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Assertion: There’s no need to bother with getting a HAM operator’s license (Amateur Radio) because by the time I have to use it, no one will care whether I have a license or not.
Correction: Such a position naively assumes that there is only one type of defining scenario which would require the use of a HAM radio. Preparedness and self-reliance is valuable everyday just as much as first-aid training is. And thus a HAM radio with proper skills, training, and licensing can indeed be an asset now.
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Assertion: “When things go south, I’m going to YOUR house”. (or mom and dad’s, etc.) OR “when things go south, I’m going to grab my gun and find me a Mormon.”
Correction: This statement naively makes many faulty assumptions not the least of which being that such a “go south” scenario would not interrupt travel with plenty of fuel and obstacle-free roadway, that a person will be healthy enough to travel; that nothing will have happened to the supplies of the person you’re relying upon (i.e. an earthquake, tornado, earthquake, fire, etc.) and that the person whose supplies you’ve decided to help yourself to is not sufficiently protected against “unfriendly” types. Additionally, such an assumption of relying on someone else for your own safety and well-being is the antithesis of SELF-reliance.
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Assertion: In the event of a financial collapse you’ll want to make sure you’ve stocked up on plenty of currency and pre-1965 coins.
Correction: Pre-1965 dime and quarter coins actually contain silver in them and thus they can come in handy amidst a world that no longer value paper currency. However, be sure that you exercise balance in this particular effort because it should not be done at the cost of compromising higher priorities of preparedness. At some point it’s very likely that even silver and gold currency will be useless if there is a scarcity of essentials to purchase such as food, water, shelter, clothing, etc. As they say “you can’t eat gold or silver.”
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That whole “I’m coming to YOUR house!” thing really makes me angry. I’ll admit that I’m new to preparedness & at this point, I wouldn’t be able to make it solely on what I’ve stored for myself and my husband, but the idea that I’d just show up at someone else’s house and use up THEIR supplies is insane! Especially if those folks had offered to help me set up my own self-sufficiency plan and I laughed and ignored them! Where does this sense of entitlement for normal, working, educated adults come from?! Or do they not really believe that anything will happen?
People will do a lot when they are hungry.
Thought #1 I’m guessing that many folks feel they can come on by & that there is plenty because you are working towards a year supply. They just cannot fathom that a crisis will last more than a week or so–so they will hardly put a dent in your year supply. Perhaps you can relate the story of the 10 Virgins and how the 5 without oil were sent a way.
Thought #2 How do people know you are prepping? Would you tell people if you had an extensive fine jewelry collection in your home? Of course not–that would be inviting trouble. We tell no one & our kids are instructed to tell no one.
Don’t forget toilet paper… It’s bulky and going to run out eventually! Have a plan B
not that I don’t have extra just not a year’s supply.
http://preparednesspro.com/the-necessity-of-toilet-paper/
There are 3 things that one cannot have too much of. Water, ammunition and toilet paper!
do you know your actual years supply needs?
I kept a check list for like 6 month to be better able to estimate my use of certain hygiene products. So I have a good general idea of how much my yearly supply for 4 people should look like. I suggest you do the same with many of your everyday household items
You’re obviously new to our site. I suggest that you make friends with our search bar as there are over 800 original content articles on here which cover ALL aspects of Preparedness. The first topic I suggest you search on is “The Ten Principles of Preparedness.
Someone on fb suggested to buy plenty of cheap washcloths and wash them after every bathroom use instead of toilet paper (JUST DON’T FLUSH THEM! LOL). Keep them clean and within reach of the toilet, commode, potty, porcelain god, the throne, etc!!!LOL
I have just stored several pounds of rice in litre pop bottles with oxygen absorbers in them as I read on the internet. Thye will be stored ina cool dry place but does rice fall under the “grain” post you listed above? What about flour? Or are you just talking about wheat?
The oxygen absorber won’t do you much good in plastic like that. Plastic doesn’t prevent oxygen. Period. Only metal, glass, and thick mylar will benefit from an oxygen absorber. Sorry.
As for flour, it should at LEAST be stored in glass, metal or thick mylar. I wouldn’t use an OA in it though as it could affect your baking with it.
some of the water stuff is wrong ..chlorine breaks down slowly over time and most water co now use chloramines which break down even faster..
I agree on your statement regarding chlorine. I’m not seeing how that’s in conflict with what’s written.
My husband and I have been watching Doomsday Preppers on TV. Most of them are a little to extreme for us but we fell in love with you. I started waxing cheese, it turns out great and I love doing it. Thanks so much for those things you have shared with all of us, we love you.
How can I store sprout seeds long term successfully?
I”d suggest you make friends with our search bar on here and look up the articles written on sprouts.
What a great site and one hat everyone needs to be aware of!
Would it be good to store canned foods? I am also looking at a solar panel which is portable but the more you have the more you need to move about if the need arises
consider the items you’d want to use power for and the possibility for “service providers” to be unavailable in an emergency.
Short Term: Lights and Cellphones, Radios.
Med Term: Lights and radios.
Long Term: Lights (for convenience but otherwise not needed), Radios (scheduled broadcasts, limited time).
Those are my assessments of power usage in an emergency. So, a solar panel is handy but unless you are planning to power your home with it, don’t go over boards
You’re obviously new to our site. I suggest that you make friends with our search bar as there are over 800 original content articles on here which cover ALL aspects of Preparedness. The first topic I suggest you search on is “The Ten Principles of Preparedness.
Interesting site. Obviously, we’ll need to get all this info in hard cover long before an emergency happens. Now here is a Tip.
Go visit countries that do not have all of our modern day conveniences.
There are many places in south america without power (the source of all evil… I mean of modernization). They survive.
And as a reminder, the light bulb was only invented in 1883 or something like that and no power usage was part of everyday life anyplace. The question is: after less than 150 years of power, are we unable to survive?
You’re obviously new to our site. I suggest that you make friends with our search bar as there are over 800 original content articles on here which cover ALL aspects of Preparedness. The first topic I suggest you search on is “The Ten Principles of Preparedness.
Yeah, but lets see what happens when you try to plant those seeds after being deprived of oxygen for a decade or two. Furthermore, plastic actually still allows oxygen to exchange, so storing grains that you would like to sprout later should still be fine.