Faux Combat

Before launching into this article I want to make it clear that I am not a combat veteran. I've never fired a bullet at anybody and if anyone ever shot at me they used a "silencer" and missed 'cause I didn't notice being shot at.

So, where do I get off talking about Combat? Well I've hung out with some guys who've been there, done that and have the T-shirts. And I pay attention.

So, how do you research "combat" without getting shot at or locked up for starting fights?

There's also the question of "Just how many gunfights can you reasonably expect to survive?"

Knowing what works and what doesn't could be the difference between surviving or not in a real world survival situation and since one can't expect to survive too many real combat experiences a way to "practice" has to be found.

There's vicarious "practice" such as you'd find at the movies or on TV but if you believe anything that Hollywood puts on the screen even approaches reality I've got a bridge in Brookline I'll sell you cheap.

For one thing, in the real world or combat you don't have an overview of what's happening like in the popular TV shows. There are no second camera shots of the other guy moving to hide behind another rock. There are no overhead shots so viewers can see the relative positions of the players and there are no previously filled in bits of plot that viewers know about but the protagonist or antagonist doesn't.

TV shows are the poor man's combat school giving excellent examples of what NOT to do.

To give yourself an idea of what real combat is like take a look at a real time, multi-camera view of a fire-fight.

Yes, yes I know the camera's angle of view is less than your eyes would see, but considering the amount of time the cameramen, helmet and gun mounted cameras are looking at the ground (seeking cover etc.) you can't really say you'd see much better with a wider field of view. Remember these guys are ducking real bullets.

There's also the faux combat of the pistol and three gun matches held at your local shooting range. But remember the difference between shooting at cardboard targets and live opponents is that the cardboard cutouts don't shoot back.

Also range safety and competition rules dictate shooting habits that could get you killed in the real world. Jim Cirillo of NYPD's "Stakeout Squad" fame who went 17-0 in real world gunfights angrily walked away from an IPSC match after being told his hits on three targets were disallowed because the edge of his shoe had touched the "foot fault line." Fault lines may be necessary to keep contestants from moving too close to targets, but as Jim said: "In all my gunfights when I was a New York City police officer, I never had to look down on the ground for a foot fault line."

IDPA rules are slightly better, but you get the point; at range competitions safety and fairness rules trump real world reality. That doesn't mean you shouldn't play with IDPA, just that in all of the "combat" shooting sports the main benefits are learning to shoot and reload your weapon under stress and not necessarily tactics.

A realistic form of passive "practice" can be found on the cable and satellite outdoor and sporting channels. An ambush is an ambush, the difference between combat and hunting is that the deer don't shoot back.

Recently I've been watching a lot of hunting shows on the Sportsman, Outdoor and http://www.pursuitchannel.com/>Pursuit (called the "Hunt" on the Dish network) channels (probably available to you if you've got cable or satellite TV) and I've noticed some similarities between hunting and fighting.

To begin with the old military maxim "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" holds true for hunting too. Serendipity plays a big role in "walk & stalk" hunting and combat patrolling. Likewise for a hunter in a blind is not all that different from a carefully laid out military ambush.

No matter how carefully the hunters/combatants plan the "game" may thwart them by sensing them or simply taking a different trail without even knowing the hunters/combatants are present.

Those tempted to shy away from watching "Bambi" get shot are reminded that if everything goes to hell in a hand basket there'll be a shortage of hand baskets and your family's survival may well depend on retaining your hand basket.

Mule & Whitetail deer effortlessly hop over three strand barbed wire fences which hunters require more than a minute to negotiate safely. Yes, firearms safety is for survivalists too. You don't want to start the long march to your bunker in the bush by shooting yourself in the foot.

Les Johnson's Predator Quest show* does a great job of showing the part camouflage, stillness and concealment play in an ambush. But more to the point as you watch the show you'll see, over and over again, how coyotes come from unexpected directions, take unexpected routes and do what is least expected of them, just like in real combat.

*(Monday 9:00 PM
Thursday 3:00 AM
Saturday 3:30 PM
All Airtimes are in Eastern Time Zones)

So is this a combat manual? Far from it. If you want real combat training join the Marines.

What's that you say? Not enough people in your survival group for platoon sized assault maneuvers? Besides the wife won't man the M60 and doesn't want your son playing with rocket launchers?

Well, there is hope. If we scale down our survival scenarios to more realistic personal defense protection predictions two excellent schools present themselves: Gunsite Ranch (founded by renowned combat pistol instructor Jeff Cooper) in Arizona and Massad Ayoob's Massad Ayoob Group (MAG) headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire which conducts classes all over the country.

If you don't have the time/ money/ inclination to attend one of these schools there's always volunteerism.

First responders are trained to respond to emergencies by practicing both mentally and physically to deal with them. You can learn a lot from carefully selected cable and satellite shows, but hands on practice (Red Cross classes, IDPA matches and volunteer Search & Rescue/fire/police reserve/CERT training will take your preparedness out of the realm of mental images to practiced preparedness.

Sitting in front of a TV watching mainstream Hollywood dramas on network television will teach you the absolute wrong way to do just about everything. Often the only "reality" in network reality TV shows is the name.

Cable and satellite hunting shows, particularly coyote hunting shows, will give you a somewhat edited view of what happens in the real world.


The unpredictability of "pray" on hunting shows mirrors real world combat because the action of the animals is unscripted. Perhaps that's because it's so hard to get the coyotes to cooperate.

Superfluous Survival Tip of the week:

Survival Sleeping?
(OK, these techniques will work any time, but keep in mind that being awake and alert are prerequisites to informed intelligent decision making under stress. In the ubiquitous "survival situation" the tendency to try to stay awake in order to be ready to respond to whatever the new and frightening situation throws at you can be dangerous. Your body needs sleep and putting sleep off could leave you groggy at a time when you need to be awake and alert.)

1. Try to get eight hours sleep one uninterrupted period between 2200 hours (10pm) and 0600 (6am) if possible.
2. If forced to sleep for shorter periods (guard duty/refueling a generator or checking on makeshift repairs) try to get sleep in the largest chucks possible.
3. Waiting and watching is stressful. Exercise helps to "burn off" stress hormones.
4. Focus on sleeping. Be sure you can trust the people you are with, your dog or intrusion devices.
5. Try to schedule your sleep time so as to fall into a pattern.
6. Avoid alcoholic beverages, big meals or excessive sweets a few hours before your scheduled sleep time.
7. Avoid caffeine for five hours before your scheduled sleep time.
8. Fear of the unknown leads to stress and can keep us awake when we should be resting. Alleviate fear by breaking down problems faced into manageable portions. You may not be able to see how to fix the whole problem, but working on one little aspect of it often leads to epiphanies which make seeing how to fix the rest easier.

To Comment on this article
Email
(If that link doesn't work for you try sending your comments to me, DesertDave@aol.com please put "Blog" in the subject line, thanks, Dave.)
Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your name, email address and any other specific information for privacy purposes.

Tuscaloosa Tornado

The networks all cover disasters in a "big picture" (literally video from a helicopter window) sort of way with a few 30 second interviews with survivors. Such coverage doesn't help you understand the details what went on: what worked & what didn't.

I thought it might be instructive if we took a longer report from a real survivor. Scoutmom lived through, and is reporting on, the aftermath of the Tuscaloosa Tornado on April 27 2011. I'm picking out and quoting here a few of her more pertinent statements as the original is hard to read. [My comments are in black.] Hers are in red. I urge you to click on the link and read her full story for a deeper insight into what it's like to go through something like this.

so ok by now you guys know of the devastation and have seen the pictures and videos. … everyone was safe in my family but we lost a friend who for whatever reason wouldn't leave her mobile home. The tornado picked up her doublewide trailer and blew it to bits. They found peices everywhere. She was in the bathtub. …

snip

Someojne got hit with a flying washing machine and a friend's trampoline was up on a telephone pole. ... (The guys ribs were broken, it's just a strange story).

snip

People had PLENTY of warning.

snip

One mistake we made was we left our radio at home, thinking that the people we were visiting [taking shelter with] had one. ... NO RADIO! I coulda shot my husband!

Some people had phones that could get info, but it was very scary, not knowing, not being connected. The basement we were in was made into a hill. Some of the basement is even with the ground and you can go out a door right onto the level ground. The further back into the basement you go, you are underground. We had already sent the children into the back room and had bike and motorcycle helmets on as many as we could.

[Good thinking !]

We had pillows and blankets and had them on the floor. I imagine the men were trying to look outside, but suddenly they all started saying GET IN THE BACK.

[Typical men, shove the women & kids to safety then let their curiosity draw them into danger. Hey guys, who's going to take care of you kids and ladies after your gone? Act like an adult; get in the back with them.]

snip

I was so upset to not have our radio!

This was her main complaint throughout the ordeal, don't let it by yours.

The cell phones weren't working, of course the power was still off.

snip

People had come out of everywhere with trucks and chain saws. I was trying to call or text people to see if it was over, the cell phone was working intermittingly.

snip

[When they tried to drive home they encountered a new set of problems.]

The roads were all blocked, we inched our way and by now traffic was thick as everyone had come out to see what was goin on and to try to reach loved ones. We finally pulled over and walked.

snip

The cell phones were ringing like crazy as everyone was trying to contact each other. ...

Translation: Don't expect to be able to call for help or contact anyone by cell phone. Yeah, I know, we all "know" that; but do you plan for it?

We decided to go home and sleep at our trailer since we found out that the storms were over for us. People were already talking about looters so we wanted to be home.

We had a radio and some of the stations were covering nothing but the storm reports. ... They were our only sourse of information. ... Someone from a town called one of the first nights and said they were on their last candle.

snip

[Do I have to say it? Lots of candles & extra batteries.]

Mistakes I made: My husband and I had NO CASH ( I know, I know, stupid) Stores could not take credit or debit bc the power was out. We did not have full tanks of gas. Neighbors were telling us not to go "driving around" to see the damage, to conserve our gas. We found out later that in some parts of Alabama people actually ran out of gas on the interstate bc gas stations couldn't pump.

[Expect lots of "Cash Only" signs in stores and non-working ATM's and gas stations after a disaster. And try to always keep your vehicle's gas tanks at least half full.]


I think the other stuff we were good on. We had plenty of food. We could have made it for at least a week with no power. We have a camp stove and propane lanterns, flashlights etc. We had enough water, our water didn't shut off but in some places it did and in other places they were twelling people not to drink the water without boiling it first, We had ways to charge our phones and stuff.

[She doesn't say, but I'll assume a solar charger or maybe charging from their car through and adaptor. Do you have an adaptor or solar panel to charge your cell phone and or portable radios]

I would like to recommend a radio that we had recently purchased. (the opne we left home, lol) It is a Red Cross Emergency Radio. It was $40 at Radio Shack. It gets regular stations and weather too. it can work on triple A batteries, solar or wind up. I think it has a 4th option but I don't know about it. We have listened to that thing day and night.

[The forth option is AC via a USB adapter (not included).]

When I finally was able to see my city ( we are rural in the county) I was shocked. Pictures do not show the devastation. The Red Cross is here. the National Guard is here. They actually have to be stationed in certain places to keep looters out. Samaritans Purse is here. Many. many volunteers are here. My daughter in law is in charge of a local distribution center at a local church. Every church is doing something, organizing, collecting, feeding people, something. The radio stations and facebook have been extremely instrumental in getting needs met.

I am exhausted so I will close this for now.

Later she updates her report. Click here.

Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ Θ

Superfluous Survival Tip of the week:
I've just received my dead tree copy of Backwoods Home magazine and am, once again, impressed with the quality and thoroughness of the articles.

The July & August issue has (along with about a dozen other articles) a well written and well illustrated article on building and stocking a Survival Storeroom by David Eddings.

And yes, you can read old articles online (you'll be able to read Eddings article a few months from now) BUT unless you plan to download and printout all the articles every issue you won't have access to this fountain of knowledge when the power goes out. That's why I urge you to subscribe to the dead tree edition and begin building your library now.

To Comment on this article
Email
(If that link doesn't work for you try sending your comments to me, DesertDave@aol.com please put "Blog" in the subject line, thanks, Dave.)
Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your name, email address and any other specific information for privacy purposes.

Dressing for Armageddon

There really is no such thing as "Survival Clothing" and yet, as with everything else, there's always somebody willing to sell you some.

As I watched this video featuring Ron Hood a "very famous survival video maker…" my Bull $#!t detectors went off when he pulled an MRE form a rear pocket on his Scottevest. For one thing MRE's weigh about two pounds apiece and are the size, thickness and hardness of a hardbound book. Not something you'd want poking into your back every time you hopped into your HUMMER.

The sticking points for me are the price of these things ($100 for the Travel Vest with 22 pockets, $150 for the Outback Jacket with 20 pockets and $200 for the Expedition Jacket with 37 pockets) and the claimed utility of all those pockets.

Before I get into those points let me make it clear that this is not a hit piece on Scottevests. They're probably well made and may well get you through airport security quicker by virtue of being able to throw the vest on the X-ray belt as opposed to having to empty between 20 and 37 pockets before going through the metal detector.

Scottevests also have a slicker more citified look to them than my outdoorsy vests, but in an era where men wear Bermuda shorts with cargo pockets there's not all that much difference.

First the price
I've got a couple of vests sitting beside me as I write this. The one on my left is XX large and has a zippered collar with hood; two inner Velcro closured front pockets large enough for iPods and iPhones. The outside had three zippered and three Velcro closure pockets. It's an import and cost me less than $20 a few years ago. It would probably cost you around $40 today.

The vest on my right is XXX large because I used it as my "shooting vest" when I competed in local pistol matches. It's collarless and has two zippered inner pockets large enough to hold an Amazon Kindel DX (10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38") and two zippered outer pockets the same size. In addition it has five smaller Velcro closure pockets and two small zipper pockets.

I've got a real Remington® "shooting vest" (faux padding on the right shoulder) and some others I won't bore you with descriptions of other than to assure you that none of my vests cost anywhere near one hundred dollars.

Pockets
Having between 20 and 37 pockets sounds convenient but gets bulky when you start filling them up with stuff. Ask yourself how many of the items the "very famous survival video maker…" Ron Hood pulls out of his jacket would you carry everyday?

Confession
I do carry a small camera, a note pad and a pen with me everyday. They ride in the left breast pocket of one of my Cabela's shirts.

My genuine Swiss Army knife .45 pistol and spare magazine ride on my belt.

I don't carry pocket knives on my shirtsleeves for the same reason I don't carry my pistol in an ankle holster: momentum. (During the very short time I tried to make ankle holsters work for me I discovered the constant forward, stop, forward, stop motions of walking cause the heavy pistol to try to swing around to the front of the ankle. Even making my own ankle holsters couldn't overcome physics without binding the holster so tightly about my lower leg as to cut off circulation.)

Putting a heavy metal object like a Swiss Army knife or even a small Leatherman Multi-tool in a pocket on the forearm of a long sleeve shirt would beat your forearm to the point of bruising with just the normal movements of everyday activity.

Further Ron Hood intimates that he carries an easy open knife for self defense in one of these lower arm sleeve pockets. That knife in a sheath on his belt or clipped to the top inside of his pants pocket would be exactly where he would expect it to be, in the position he expects it to be in.

In a lower arm sleeve pocket he can expect his defensive knife to be turned around with the wrong end at the wrong end when he grabs it and/or the wrong side out needing to be fumbled around to get the blade side facing out in order to bring the knife into play.

I submit he'll have one hell of a time getting that knife out of his sleeve pocket in anything resembling a hurry.

I'm beginning to think Ron Hood was running out of things to put into all those pockets for his demonstration.

I do like Ron's idea of carrying a short length of 550 cord around and plan to incorporate it into my every day carry in a sleeve pocket.

But there's nothing wrong with putting lighter objects in sleeve pockets, particularly in upper arm pockets. Many of my Cabela's shirts have small sleeve pockets on the upper left sleeve.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that if you've got so much stuff to carry around that you need 20 to 37 pockets to carry it all you're probably carrying around too much stuff.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
OZ writes:

(That's him firing the suppressed Springfield XD pistol in a recent issue of Tactical-Life online magazine.)

First, I gotta tell ya - I live at Ground Zero for all intents and purposes, and I really don't think we are going to face The Planet of The Apes anytime soon - but that's just me. I'm not sure from where this paranoia stems, but hey - it's cool by me. I am more concerned about violent crime, but crime is my vocation, after all.

First - I have nothing for or against the Scottvest, and I have been told that they are a fine piece of gear. Vests around D.C. seem to adorn just about every ignorant, useless, traffic-causing tourist wandering the streets, even if said tourists are wearing shorts and sandals and wool socks. (If they are from New York, that is usually the touristy uniform of the day.)

I am required to wear business attire to work every day - that means coat and tie. Now, I have a few shortcuts, but they do not involve clip-ons. Here, on the littorals of the Chesapeake, we have this phenomenon called HUMIDITY. As the temperatures rise from June to August, the only descriptive term is oppressively sweltering and the term "DAMN!"

I often commute wearing a collared shirt and a tie, and a decent pair of slacks and a pair of tennis shoes. Awaiting me at my office are two sport jackets and one pair each of brown and black dress shoes. Over my shirt and duty sidearm, if it is on my belt, I wear a vest which was made by EoTac. It is a lightweight ripstop black cotton blend. I like it because it is light, has a center vent in the back, and because it is a little higher quality garment it is almost wrinkle-free. It doesn't look all "tacti-cool," and I know that I got it for well under a hundred bucks, maybe half that cost. It has two upper and lower exterior pockets, and I think it has one inside that fits my iPod. That's it. Too simple.

I understand scorning the cost of the ScottVest, but you wear Cabela's shirts. Don't those shirts cost 40 to 50 bucks each? Wouldn't it be more cost effective to have ten $6.00 T-shirts from Wally World and one quality vest to wear over them all? (Yeah, I know you can get those shirts from Cabela's on sale. I have gotten similar ones from Campmor.com for far less than Cabelas charges.) OK - enough about vests.

Oh yeah - I wear a paracord bracelet. A kid in Florida makes them to raise money for his Dad so he can shoot matches on the weekend. They are cheap, he makes them in any color combo you want, it's a good cause, and if I ever REALLY need the cord, it's on my body. Had mine in less than a week. SonsOfNemo.com is where I got mine. (You can actually see mine on my wrist in a recent article in Tactical Life magazine. I am shooting a silenced Springfield XD. I can try to send the link if you like.

Let's talk about ankle holsters:

What gun were you trying to carry on your ankle? First - many guns are either too heavy, or even if they are lightweight, they are still WAYYYY too bulky in dimension to carry on the ankle. I tell my armed minions that they must "Dress for success," which is why we authorize certain backup guns in .38/.357, 9mm and .40 S&W. If you were trying to carry even an alloy framed Officer's sized .45 on your ankle, you are asking for disaster.

Remember - any gun you have is infinitely better than the 300 WinMag you left at home. And I'll let you in on a time tested, street-proven secret: It ain't the caliber, it's where you but the BB that matters. That being said - get a gun suitable for ankle carry, and carry it.

Second - what kind of ankle holster were you using when you tested the ankle carry option? I have found 3 types that work, and unless some new design has been made over the weekend, just about nothing else that I have seen is very effective: The Galco "Ankle Glove", the Renegade, and the Alessi. I have tried many gun and holster combinations over the years, and I gotta tell ya - those (and their clones,) are the only ones that really work. Are they cheap? Not really. And the best - the Alessi - is the most expensive. Here's another secret: You get what you pay for.

And I really can't believe you would attempt to make your own ankle holster. Really? REALLY? My Dad was a roofer. When I was a kid, if the plumber was over at the house working on the pipes on Wednesday night I knew that I would be on the plumber's roof first thing Saturday morning helping my Old Man flash a chimney or bash shingles or fix a gutter. The point is, my Dad used to say "I'm a roofer. I roof. Plumbers plumb - I don't." The late holstermaker legend and icon Lou Alessi was a dear friend of mine. I learned so much about holsters and holstermaking and history from him that it could probably fill volumes. And the more I learned, the more I realized that I use holsters, I don't make them. But it did give me a very discerning, if not critical taste for holsters.

I carry on my ankle as much as I carry on my belt, and I have for years. And I have no tendon damage or bruised tibias or anything like that. And no, I do not carry a single-stack polymer KelTec or other hideout gun like the fine NAA .32 ACP or even my old Colt Vest Pocket .25, but I would rather carry one of those than leave my big-bore fire breather at home and carry nothing at all. I usually have my all steel S&W 640 revolver in .357, or my Glock 26 on my ankle.

The wheelgun is heavy, and I have had it and my Alessi holster for it since 1997. Yes - the same holster. However, I have had my 26 since it hit our shores in about 1993 (?), and Lou made me an ankle holster for it way back then - and I still use that same holster. Again - you get what you pay for. And yes - I use ankle holsters exclusively when it is just too damn hot to wear even the light vest. The best carry gun is the one the bad guys don't know is there, right?

So take a crowbar to your wallet my brother, kit up appropriately, and dress for success.

Just my .02 cents.

Take care -

OZ
--------------------------------------
I reply:
No, I don't believe we're headed for a "Planet of the Apes" scenario anytime soon either. More likely a gradual decline like what happened in Argentina.

And I've nothing against Scottevests or tourists in shorts in wool socks. But then we don't get very many tourists around these parts.

I like your EoTac vest it looks a lot like a couple of mine, but neither yours nor mine are festooned with 20 some odd pockets.

I can get two of my "40 to 50" dollar" Cabela's shirts for the cost of one Scottevest and have two colors to choose from when I dress in the morning.

I like your idea of a paracord bracelet, but don't wear jewelry. And, hell yes, send me a link to your picture in Tactical-Life magazine!

I don't remember what brand, but it was a major brand ankle holster I tried out first with a Smith & Wesson .38 Airweight. Later, in desperation, I tried making two ankle holsters (one leather & one stretch nylon) for my little .22 Beretta mod. 21A but they didn't work out either.

While we're on the subject, one style ankle holster I've never tried (and never will) is those things that carry the gun upside down so that if the retainer comes loose the gun will literally FALL out of the ankle holster.
Dave
---------------------
Superfluous Survival Tip of the week:

Keeping Your Freezer Colder Longer
If you have advance warning of disaster that may cut power to your area you can keep frozen foods colder longer with the following tips:

1. Before the storm/flood/etc. set the freezer to its coldest setting.
2. If you expect newly added food to have enough time to freeze, fill the freezer with foods from your refrigerator that would spoil before you could eat them in a prolonged outage.
3. The fuller the freezer is with solid frozen things the longer it will take to thaw out.
4. Partially fill plastic jugs with water to help hold thermal mass.
5. If you have to eat from the freezer before the power comes back on, KNOW what you are going to take out before you open it. Grab it fast and close the door!
6. Blankets and quilts around the freezer will help insulate it.
7. Be sure to remove the blankets and quilts when the power comes back on.

To Comment on this article
Email
(If that link doesn't work for you try sending your comments to me, DesertDave@aol.com please put "Blog" in the subject line, thanks, Dave.)
Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your name, email address and any other specific information for privacy purposes.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink

Whether you're a "Worrier" who just kind'a sort'a wants to be ready in case something happens, a "Prepper" willing to lay out a few bucks and commit some space in a corner of the garage to being prepared in case something happens or a full fledged "Survivalist" who's made major lifestyle changes preparing for TEOTWAWKI you're most likely going to need water first whenever it (whatever "IT" is) happens.

Worriers will want enough water to last a day or two until the water company gets "it" fixed. They'll probably have no idea how much "enough" is.

Preppers know that the average adult human requires one gallon of water per day and will want enough water to last at least three days (times the number of persons expected to be present when the disaster occurs) plus a little extra for washing dishes and persons.

Survivalists Consider three days worth of water a good start.

Water Storage
One US Gallon of water (H2O) weighs approximately eight and a third pounds and cannot be compressed (as I discovered in my youth when I tried to use a wooden mallet to hammer a cork into the top of a brim full of water glass milk bottle -- in our living room).

That's about sixty-two and a half pounds per cubic foot so you probably shouldn't store large amounts of water in your attic.

If you're serious about storing water there are two ways to go about it: actual storage and faux storage. Faux storage would be simply collecting containers for filling if an emergency occurs. Actual storage is a bit more complicated.

Faux Water Storage
You can assuage your water worries, and spend virtually no money, by washing out and storing empty thoroughly dried out food grade plastic bottles like one gallon milk and juice containers.

Going to the next step there are food grade five gallon water bottles like you see atop water coolers available in grocery stores that can be stored full or used and then stored empty. Just remember they don't come with reusable caps so you'll have to improvise your own.

Commercial distilled water, stored away from light, should be good for at least a year probably more before green stuff starts to grow if stored in complete darkness. You can put oxygen back into stored water by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers.

Storing one gallon bottles of chlorine bleach (to use to treat suspect water) is problematical. During the run-up to Y2K I stored two one gallon plastic bottles of unscented Clorox bleach® under a sink. A year or so later I discovered the bleach had eaten through the side of one of the bottles emphasizing a point to keep in mind i.e. commercial containers are not designed for long term storage.

In view of the above I'd be hesitant to store full or used chlorine bleach bottles for long periods. However, instead of washing used chlorine bleach bottles out (you'll never get all the Chlorine bleach out) try filling the used (empty) chlorine bleach bottle with tap water and clearly marking it (with a felt tip pen) to be used for sanitizing and washing ONLY. By diluting the little bit of bleach left in the bottle you'll probably avoid the mess I found under the kitchen sink.

Actual Water Storage
My wife prefers to get her H2O from a reverse osmoses kiosk down by the shopping center. She buys gallons of bottled water from the supermarket and then reuses the plastic bottles. At any given time we've got about a dozen one gallon bottles of water on hand and the stock is constantly being rotated. Naturally we'd have to refill some of the empty ones in an emergency since there's little chance that whatever happens will occur on the day after she's filled all the bottles. But we have the bottles on hand.

Another way to conserve water is to have a supply of paper plates; plastic spoons, forks, knives and 'sporks' on hand. The plastic utensils are listed in the order of the numbers you'll need. If nothing else get spoons.

Sanitation suffers if you don't wash dishes so being able to toss the paper plates and plastic utensils saves water while preserving sanitation.

And, of course, if you need heat you can always burn the paper plates.

Googling for large (over 55 gallon) water tanks I found that although prices varied, many of the "Survival" and "Preparation" sites had this same picture of the large tanks (meaning they're all ordering from the same place) so you'd best call around if you're shopping for price and don't forget the freight charges.

Where's the water?
Of course your stored water will eventually run out so what are the alternative sources?

Anyone who's ever watched one of those "disaster preparedness" videos knows there are gallons of drinkable water in the tank above the toilet. Dip it out right away and start poopin' in the back yard, there's no use flushing that valuable liquid resource down the toilet.

If you own a home it probably has rain gutters so collection barrels, treatment & storage containers can extend your water supply virtually indefinitely with sufficient uncontaminated rainwater.

If you live in a desert you'll have to depend on water storage for short term emergencies and migration if necessary.

How can you extend your water supply if it happens?
Tap water from municipal utilities has enough chlorine in it for long term storage. Be sure to cap containers tightly because chlorine will dissipate if exposed to air.

-------------
Water disinfecting
Katadyn water filters come well recommended. Or you could carry a small amount of household bleach (unscented Clorox) to disinfect as you go.

Solar water disinfection

Other methods

Water from puddles, lakes & streams should be filtered. You can use cloth/clothing, coffee filter, or a screen in combination with either of the first two to get the lumps out. Then comes phase two; purifying.

Purifying water with bleach
Two drops of unscented 5% bleach can be added per liter or quart of clear water and then allowed to stand covered for 30 to 60 minutes. After this treatment, the water may be left open to reduce the chlorine smell and taste.

Purifying water with iodine
Iodine should be allowed at least 30 minutes to kill Giardia

Purifying water with chlorine
Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for Purification
2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water
8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water
If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.

Superfluous Survival Tip of the week:

Emergency Last Minute Water Storage
If you are lucky enough to get word of an oncoming disaster that will impact your water supply fill everything that'll hold water. Non-sanitary containers like bathtubs and dirty clothes cans can hold "gray" (non-drinking/cooking) water or, if worst comes to wurst; it can be boiled, treated or filtered and drunk. Using it for cooking might be better.

Remember, you'll need a gallon a day per person so you'll want to deal with quantity first and quality later.

To Comment on this article
Email
(If that link doesn't work for you try sending your comments to me, DesertDave@aol.com please put "Blog" in the subject line, thanks, Dave.)
Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your name, email address and any other specific information for privacy purposes.

Old Time Radio

Even wonder if that old radio you threw into an ammo can and put in a corner of the basement still works?

Well that thought occurred to me the other day so I dug'em out and gave'em a try. There were two failures.

I'm not going to go into the features of these old radios beyond noting what did and didn't work after a dozen (dozens in most cases) years of storage in a cool dry place because none of them are manufactured today which means you couldn't buy one if you wanted to.

The point of all this being that if you store your preps properly (generally that means in a cool dry place) they'll be in condition to help you in an emergency.

My little test determined that even out of date equipment will work if it's been stored properly and IF you've provided the necessary accessories.

Suntech solar am/fm radio receiver model #810405 (no longer made)
( Suntech seems to have moved on from cheap handheld solar radios to "Commercial, Residential and Utility-Scale" solar panels. I could find no hand held radios on their site nor solar panels that looked to be less than three feet to a side.)

I dusted it off and took the old radio out into the back yard where the Velcro attached solar panel did indeed power the radio in both AM and FM. Of course it took me a minute to read the instruction sheet and figure out that the palm sized solar panel needed to be plugged into the radio before anything would work.

One other thing, this is a daylight radio only. The instant I covered the solar panel the sound died. Although I should note that the instruction sheet said the radio would work if a light bulb was held directly over the solar panel. It didn't say what wattage was required and I haven't tried it.

TEC Ranger-2 has a hand crank generator and an adaptor jack (not included) to charge batteries but I couldn't test that function. Dials on the detachable water resistant front cover allow "foul weather" control of power on/off, tuning, volume and flashlight and they all still worked. The AM/FM/Weather bands all worked when the crank was turned.

I didn't test to see if the built in battery would still hold a charge because that feature would only be beneficial if I intended to use the built in flashlight without turning the crank and I've no intention of using a two handed shoebox sized flashlight when I have a half dozen real flashlights.

DAK model MR-101S receiver with FM stereo, SW1 (short wave 2.3M Hz – 6.2 MHz, SW2 (short wave 7.1 MHz – 21.85 MHz and MW (medium wave band) 530 kHz – 1610 kHz

This is the only radio I'd stored with batteries. Wisely I'd put them in a plastic sandwich bag so the corroding of one of the three batteries didn't ruin this fine radio.

Unwisely I'd failed to remember that this radio requires four, not three, batteries.

Note to self: When storing batteries for electrical gear be sure to have enough plus spares and be sure they'll fit. Oh, and store the batteries in a separate container.

With four new batteries I tried the "Auto Scan" on. MW, SW1, SW2 & FM. All four channels locked onto stations although many were unreadable (probably do to distance and time of day).

TRS 455 40-Channel CB Radio Base w/ microphone and manual. At least one Internet source says this is a "tube type" radio so it might survive EMP better than the others. I've got the antenna for it but…

Unfortunately the case requires a six pronged power cord which I seem to have stored somewhere else and cannot now find.

Translation: It's a large heavy out of date doorstop. Last I heard CB'ers were going to Single-sideband and have probably moved on to something else by now so even though an investment in time and money might bring the old TRS 455 out of retirement I'll pass on this one.

Realistic TRC-427 mobile CB radio w/ microphone. I didn't get far vetting this one. Although I have two "whip" antennas and one antenna mount for it I'd forgotten one minor little detail – I'd sold the other half of the unit's under dash mount along with the pickup truck it had been mounted in. Someone with the right electronic skills might be able to jerry rig something together and make it work, but I ain't that guy. Also I couldn't find the wire that goes from the antenna to the radio so that's another bit of jerry rigging for someone to do.

The technology of both the TRS 455 and TRC-427 has been replaced with smaller, more portable units and I heard there were enthusiasts who like to play with these antiques so I took the old swaybacks down to a local radio club and gave them away.

So, as Shego the evil sexy sidekick on the Kim Possible show used to say to the evil Dr. Drakken after a (failed) mission, "What have we learned?"

1. Radios store well in a cool dry place.
2. Electronics become obsolete quickly but still may be useful.
3. Batteries don't store well.
4. Solar or crank powered radios can get along without batteries.
5. Solar charging units for batteries extend a radio's usefulness.
6. Be sure to store all manuals, parts and accessories with the main unit.
7. Periodically check your preps!

Superfluous Survival Tip of the week:

Contact Lenses in the Field?
The US Army forbids its soldiers from wearing contact lenses in the field noting that "Vision ready is mission ready."

(Translation from Milspeak to civilian: when you run out of cleaning fluid for your contact lenses a pair of current prescription eyeglasses could keep you from making a spectacle of yourself in front of that band of looters you mistakenly thought were the neighbors.

According to DA PAM 40-506 "Contact lenses will not be worn during basic training, field exercises, gas chamber exercises, deployments, or combat."

So what's bunch of Army red tape got to do with you, a civilian?

Just this: TEOTWAWKI & WTSHTF events are likely to be very much like basic training or combat.
As the US Army puts it: "Field deployment = Unfriendly environment" pointing out that the dirt, dust and mud of field conditions contribute to poor hygiene which makes it difficult to keep your hands clean during the extended hours of continuous operations.

"Extended hours of continuous operations" Hummmmm sounds like what you'd expect in the wake of a When The $#!t Hits The Fan event to me.

WTSHTF aside it's unlikely you'll be able to maintain and use contact lenses day in and day out in an EOTWAWKI situation. At some point you'll have to decide between bare eyes and eyeglasses.

That's assuming, of course, that you had the foresight to have a pair of current prescription spectacles made before the balloon went up.

Also remember one of the mantras of our beloved Navy Seals (Yay SEAL Team 6!) is, “One is none and two is one.” so I have a spare pair made and keep the old prescription glasses around.

To Comment on this article
Email
(If that link doesn't work for you try sending your comments to me, DesertDave@aol.com please put "Blog" in the subject line, thanks, Dave.)
Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your name, email address and any other specific information for privacy purposes.

Perception IS Reality At Least Insofar As We React To It

Perception is reality at least insofar as we react to it.
Expectations are predictions of the future based on past experience filtered through perception.
-- Desert Dave -- (Quotation, with attribution, permitted and encouraged.)

(Be sure to view the picture of Osama bin Laden's gravestone at the bottom of this page.)

Massacre
In 1622 Chief Opechancanough made a huge mistake. The AmerIndian chief expected the English settlers to do what the locals would have done after losing. They didn't which is probably why you are here and speak English.

"Opechancanough did not finish off the colony. Instead he withdrew his warriors, believing that the English would behave as Native Americans would when defeated: pack up and leave ... Following the event, Opechancanough told the Patawomecks, … , that he expected "before the end of two Moones there should not be an Englishman in all their Countries."[14] He misunderstood the English colonists and their backers overseas.

Chief Opechancanough was a slow learner. Over a decade later the Chief's expectations were still being filtered through the perceptions he'd built up over a lifetime. He was unable or unwilling to evaluate the newcomers and the new situation.

"After twelve years of peace following the Indian Wars of 1622-1632, another Anglo-Powhatan War began in 1644, as a last effort by the remnants of the Powhatan Confederacy, still under Opechancanough, to dislodge the English settlers of the Virginia Colony. Around 500 colonists were killed, but that number represented a relatively low percent of the overall population, as opposed to the earlier massacre (the 1622 attack had wiped out a third; that of 1644 barely a tenth). However, Opechancanough, still preferring to use Powhatan tactics, did not make any major follow-up to this attack."

Moving on now from a leader failing to accept and adopt new tactics to leaders employing old tactics (that old tactic being if you want to stay in power in a democracy you make it look like you're fixing things whether you are or not) for example the war on terror.

You could say The Terrorists Have Already Won. What was Osama's game plan post-9/11? To bankrupt the US? If that's the case he certainly helped our free spending politicians along that road to ruin.

Over $42 Billion taxpayer dollars is being spent this year alone to ensure, among other things, that you are groped, searched and x-rayed every time you fly commercially. And that goes for your luggage too.

All of that "return on investment" from an al Qaeda expenditure of probably a lot less than a million dollars spent to train and equip a few dozen terrorists. Not a bad deal from the terrorist's point of view.

Of course Osama, like Opechancanough before him, ultimately died at the hands of those he'd so treacherously attacked.

gravestone (grâv´ston´) noun
A stone placed over a grave as a marker; a tombstone.

(Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.)

And yet somehow, despite your expectations, you "got it" anyway. Congratulations by recognizing that the sandal was the "gravestone" you've proven yourself to be an adaptable human being.

Superfluous Survival Tip of the Week:

(A friend of mine, Dan, recently passed on to me a pack of "Urban Survival Playing Cards" each of which has a survival tip printed on the face. Dan's generous gift has inspired me to start this Survival Tip of the Week feature which will continue for at least 52 weeks. Thanks, Dan! I don't want to plagiarize the cards so I'm using the subjects from each card as a jumping off point for my own tips with my own research. I have an advantage over the cards in that each card tip is restricted to the space available on the face of that card whereas I can ramble on for pages as I seem to be doing here.;-)

Using Foods from Your Refrigerator or Freezer after a Power Outage
1. Open the fridge/freezer as seldom as possible for the shortest periods of time possible. Consider making a map/list of the contents and what shelves they're on to shorten future door openings.
2. Frozen food will stay coldest longest so eat from the fridge first.
3. Eat highly perishable foods like meat, milk & fish first.
4. If it's a WTSHTF (When The $#!t Hits TheFan) event consider organizing a "block party" outdoor barbeque to consume food that would otherwise spoil.
5. If it's a TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) event consider salting or jerking to preserve foods you can't eat fast enough to prevent the spoilage.
6. Rice, beans & noodles not stored in airtight containers are subject to bug infestation and spoil if they get wet so eat'em up first.
7. Canned goods, stored in a cool dry place, will last 30, 40 even 100 years so store them well and eat them last.

To Comment on this article Email Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your last name, email and any other specific information for privacy purposes.

We Are NOT Ready!

There are some things you don't forget. The feelings I, a young soldier stationed on the East German border, had when placed on alert after the November 22, 1963 JFK assassination; the feelings I had January 28, 1986 when I walked in the door to our store #1 and saw the look on my wife's face as she watched on TV as space shuttle Challenger disintegrated in mid air; and the feelings I had on September 11, 2001 as my wife and I watched together, on live TV, as terrorists crashed the second hijacked airliner into the south tower. I thought to myself "This is this generation's Pearl Harbor." Osama Bin Laden here's your first batch of virgins; the rest will be along as soon as they finish loading.

You remember where you were when you heard about the 9/11 attacks. You may also remember the attacks had an immediate and overwhelming effect on the U.S. population. (My wife placed American flag stickers on the gateposts in front of our house – they're still there.) At the store we sold out of American flags, all sizes, in an hour and couldn't get any more for months.

Of course the Internet went ballistic. I recall reading posts by guys warning us all to carry our battle rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammo in our vehicles. Others were talking about carrying rifles, pistols and shotguns with us at all times. (I'll admit to throwing an extra spare ammo magazine pouch on my pistol belt for a few months.) People were calling the cops on "suspicious" men carrying cameras seen near "important" buildings and bridges.

The military locked down its bases as police and military tried to increase security everywhere at once. Of course, you can't guard everything all the time.

Our local Army base went from an "open" to a closed base almost overnight. Temporary concrete barriers were set up channeling traffic into checkpoints. I knew a large local fence contractor who ran crews seven days a week for over a month to get the base surrounded with razor ribbon topped galvanized chain link.

The local Veterans Hospital must have gotten their order in late because the barriers they set up were Jersey barriers and it would seem doctors don't know how to do security. The main entrance to the twelve story hospital was set up with the water filled plastic barriers down the centerline leading up to the checkpoint. Once drivers got past that first plastic barrier they were forced to drive up to the checkpoint.

Problem, if a terrorist driving a bomb laden truck chose to steer to the left of that first plastic barrier and drive about 100 feet going the wrong way on the wrong side of the road he could bypass the checkpoint and drive into the parking lot and thence right up to the hospital's main entrance.

But of course we all know a terrorist wouldn't want to violate a traffic law on his way to commit mass murder.

Fearing truck bomb attacks like those at Oklahoma City and Khobar Towers authorities tried to put up barriers at all potential targets. Of course there weren’t enough barriers to go around.

The situation at the local National Guard armory was almost comical. Like the VA hospital they were worried about a truck bomb, but didn't have the pull to get a hold of the then scarce barriers so a single orange traffic cone was placed in each of the parking spaces next to the building. Of course we all know that terrorists won't risk getting a parking ticket to blow up a building.

That armory lies along one of my regular walking routes. The armory's motor pool contains 16 M119 howitzers plus the normal assortment of Army Humvees, trucks and trailers.

Near the back gate of the fence around the motor pool, there has been a hole in big enough for a skinny man to crawl through for as long as I've been walking there (over a year). I've told a sergeant and a major about the hole. It's still there.

With the killing of Osama Bin Laden it was announced that security levels were raised all over the USA. I don't know about the rest of the country, but locally things didn't improve much.

I had occasion to go to the VA hospital the day after the announcement of Osama's death. The only improvement in security that I could see was a sturdy pole on a pivot which would have stopped a bomb laden truck, unless, of course, the terrorist was willing to drive over the surrounding grass lawn to get around it.

The Armory has upgraded its anti terrorist defenses too. There's now yellow "Police Line Do Not Cross" tape strung between the orange traffic cones in the parking places.

Immediately after 9/11 real off duty cops had been hired to guard the local airport. Mostly they just walked over and told you not to stop next to the building while waiting to pick someone up. (Question; once you're next to the building, how long does it take to set off a bomb?)

Airport security has long since degraded as administrators sought to reduce costs. Now it's unarmed rent-a-cops. As of last Monday night, local news quotes an airport administrator as saying: "no upgrade of airport security is contemplated at this time".

Hopefully by the time you click on this link to the United States Army Public Health Command (Provisional) page on Emergency Preparedness & Response the links to
Biological Emergency, Chemical Emergency, Explosion Emergency and Nuclear Emergency will have something to say other than "Web content on this subject is currently in development, please return soon!"

It will take a few more bombings and the loss of hundreds of lives before our leaders get serious about Homeland security. When they do they'd do well to look to Israel for some tips from the pros.

Superfluous Survival Tip of the Week:

(A friend of mine, Dan, recently passed on to me a pack of "Urban Survival Playing Cards" each of which has a survival tip printed on the face. Dan's generous gift has inspired me to start this Survival Tip of the Week feature which will continue for at least 52 weeks. Thanks, Dan! I don't want to plagiarize the cards so I'm using the subjects from each card as a jumping off point for my own tips with my own research. I have an advantage over the cards in that each card tip is restricted to the space available on the face of that card whereas I can ramble on for pages as I seem to be doing here.;-)

Emergency water from your water heater:
1. Turn off the water to the entire house.
2. Turn off the (gas/electric) heating element.
3. The lower outlet drain valve will probably accept a screw on garden hose. If you cut the hose, be sure to cut it long enough to raise the cut end up higher than the top of the water heater in case the heater's valve won't close properly.
4. If you don't have or don't want to use a hose be sure to have all your water containers on hand when you first open the valve so you won't loose precious water if the valve won't close.
5. Open the pressure relief valve near the top of the heater.
6. Open the drain (lower) valve. You may be able to control the flow of water from the heater with the pressure relief valve.
7. Close the lower valve (or raise the hose end) when you're done.
8. Be sure to close/reset all valves before turning water on to the house after the emergency. You may want to call a plumber.

To Comment on this article
Email
(If that link doesn't work for you try sending your comments to me, DesertDave@aol.com please put "Blog" in the subject line, thanks, Dave.)
Unless you specifically ask me not to, I'll post your reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. Of course I'll remove your name, email address and any other specific information for privacy purposes.