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The
Gaffer 2008 Archive |
The Five Day Limit:
By Willie Gaffer:
Homeland Security has told us we must be
prepared for self-sufficient survival for five days in the case of a
terrorist attack. I think that is a fools dream. Five days is ridiculously
optimistic. In my opinion in the event of a terrorist attack, we may have to be
self-sufficient for half a year, maybe forever. To be completely safe, we must
be prepared to survive independent of civilization, period. That means
surviving long enough to develop rudimentary means of food production and
shelter. In that case, our list of necessities becomes rather long and
involved. However, it can and must be prioritized. We
must differentiate between necessities, decencies, and luxuries. We will
probably have to forgo most of the latter two.
Let me make clear my understanding of the difference between
necessities, decencies, and luxuries. Most of us know there are some things
only wealthy and/or foolish people have. Many normal people put jewelry into
the luxury category. Where we put the line between luxuries and normal things
will be determine by our personal experience, what we have come to expect.
However, we only have one line. We do not differentiate between decencies and
necessities. Madison Avenue has acted to make most of us believe that
necessities and decencies are identical. You need only see some news scenes of
the desperate conditions in places like
In final analysis, a necessity is something that is
essential to survival. Everything else is either a decency
or a luxury. Think it through. Potable water and basic food are necessities.
Toilet paper and spices are not. If we are going to seriously prepare for the
worst possible scenario, we darn well better realize
those simple differences.
A few years back, we suffered through the big Y2K panic. At
that time, though I had little real worry, I made my own independent study of
what I would need assuming the worst scenario. I came up with a short list of
what I think are the most important things. This is in no way a complete list. If
I ever begin to take this terrorist threat seriously, I will make a serious
effort to complete the list. Right now, it is just a place to start. So, start
with this if you like, but keep thinking on what could go wrong. The idea is to
be equipped to survive long enough to develop alternate means of production.
There must be time to learn to grow food and/or learn to hunt.
Since I live in a rural area with somewhat undependable
power, many of these are things I would have anyway. The fact that my power provider
is somewhat unreliable gives me a unique perspective on these things. I know
what happens when the power goes out. If you are not prepared, it could even be
fatal. For some newcomer rural dwellers, it has been.
In the event of a national disaster, my normal concerns will
be everyone’s concerns regardless of where they reside. For example, what
if, suddenly all the pumps stopped and you could not get potable water? How
would you keep your baby alive? Water is the first and most important thing.
Without it, your life expectancy is not figured in
days but in hours. Most of us are so fat we could survive without food for a
week at least, but water is another matter. Without it we can get dehydrate and
get delirious in a matter of hours.
That’s just one thing, but a
very serious thing. Since I have a well with an electric pump and an iffy power
supplier, lack of water is a problem I must deal with quite frequently.
Therefore, I have alternative means of procuring potable water. One thing I
never discarded is the old hand pump I bought many years ago. I not only have
the pump, I have the means to repair it should it fail. For others, without a
well, there are other ways to get water. Let me elaborate.
One solution is to have a supply of
bottled water, but how much? A better way is to have some bottled water
and a still. Then you can use whatever water you find, even sea
water. You should be able to build a still. If a Ridge Runner can build
a still and hide it from the feds, you can do it. With a still, you are set
forever. The essential parts are an evaporator, a source of heat, and a
condenser. The evaporator is nothing more than a covered vessel for evaporating
water, turning it into steam. The condenser is a way of collecting and
converting steam into water. The thing is, when you turn water into steam, most
contaminants will remain in the vessel while the steam will rise and escape.
Then when the steam is turned back into water, you can
drink it.
For the source of heat, keep in mind that your gas or electric
range will no longer work. One cool tool for heating
things is a Fresnel lens. This can be used as a light
concentrator or focuser. On a sunny day, you can start a dandy fire with a
Fresnel lens or you can focus sunlight to heat your water. If there are no
matches or lighters anymore, you may also need this tool for starting fires.
You can buy these lenses in huge plastic sheets. Go online and Ask Jeeves! Just
type Fresnel lens in the search box.
There are other ways to start fires, but they require
effort. One is to use a loosely strung bow and an arrow or stick. There is a
dandy plan for doing this on page 349 of the Boy Scout Handbook. Depending on
which edition you have it may be a different page.
Most households will already have this handbook. If not, you may want to
consider investing. It does contain a lot of good information. I recommend the
book, not necessarily the organization that produced it.
Food is the second most important thing. It is not that
difficult. The important thing is to remember that there may not be any
refrigeration. You don’t want a freezer full of
stuff which will spoil in a few days. You want dried and canned goods. Basic
stuff like beans, canned vegetables, canned meats, canned fruit, and dried
fruit. Try to have stuff that you will eventually use anyway. You can add
simple enhancing decencies, like salt pepper, herbs, spices, mustard and
ketchup. However, unless you can grow more, these will run out or lose their
potency.
If this disaster does strike, it may come in the middle of
winter. In the north, how to keep warm will be a problem. I have a couple of
kerosene heaters for that problem and I keep a reasonable supply of fuel for
them, but that is sort term. For the long term, some way to have a fire and a
supply or source of firewood would be helpful. In the worst case, many layers
of clothing along with quilts and blankets will save the day. Sleeping bags
would also be nice.
Eventually, if this disaster continues, you will need to
hunt and grow your own food, just like the settlers of
If you have no knowledge of gardening without the support of
your local nursery, you may want to get some kind of text on the basics. The
coffee table type of pretty picture books will not do here. You will need a
real text on basic gardening. You should also know that seeds have a finite
life and must be replaced over time. For example,
onion seeds will only be good for one season. They are the most difficult to
store. Other seeds, like corn and tomatoes will keep several years, but their
germination power will diminish over time. If you don’t
know, ask an expert. This is usually not your local nurseryman. His business is
to sell things, not to explain how to avid buying them. You local university
may have an extension program that can help you. Ask them!
That’s my short list for now. Use it as a place to start if you wish.