Should we all be getting prepared?

[The Wolf]

As Hank Williams Jr. once sang, a country boy can survive. ;p

People without basic survival knowledge or gear would struggle in most disaster situations, which is why it doesn't hurt to learn at least the basics. Anybody that has done any real camping (ie not in a rv park with all the amenities) would have the basics already to survive for at least the short term. I'm not a prepper to the crazy extent, but I think I would probably fare well in most situations based on what I have on hand. I know how to hunt and fish, I've got all the gear and tools, and know how to use them, but I would probably have issues if it came down to having to use some of the more primitive survival techniques, as I've never actually put that knowledge to practical use. Hopefully it never comes down to me needing to start a fire with 2 sticks, so I better stock up on butane for my refillable lighters lol.

Something as simple as my propane camp stove would allow you to cook food and boil water without having to worry about the lack of electricity or natural gas during an emergency. I probably have enough 1 lb bottles in the garage to last me at least a week or so, not including hooking it up to a 20lb BBQ tank via an adapter fitting. Sources of water? Large rain barrel outside in the warm months, snow on the ground during the cold, couple cases of bottled water in the basement, and worst case, two 20L water containers for camping, and a creek roughly 150m from my house if I need to do it the old fashioned way. Though at that point, I'd like to have one of these to pump filtered water into the containers:
https://www.msrgear.com/ca/water/sweetwater-microfilter

Food, eat your perishables ASAP while you can, and save your dry and canned goods for later. I might be able to save the food in the freezer for a couple days using my generator and what little gasoline I have at hand, but without a steady source of fuel, everything in the freezer will probably thaw and start to spoil after a day or 2 without power. Might as well fry up those steaks now, it's going to be a long month of rice and beans, soups and pastas while you wait to be rescued.

For power, I've got a 33Ah, 700w inverter power pack, and portable solar panels for charging it, great for camping, but also for keeping phones and radios charged during a disaster situation. communication is key. And this solar hybrid LED lantern, which I bought so I didn't have to mess around with replacing dead batteries: http://hybridlight.com/product/camping-lantern/ guarantees a steady light source.

[Sorkvild]

In my city there was a massive flooding in late 90's, half of the city was flooded heavily. Many people were trapped in their apartment blocks and many of them didn't realize until it finally happened. Those who had water, canned food, noodles, rice, batteries, basic meds, battery radios and lamps were in much more comfortable situation than those who didn't. Helicopters were doing supply runs to those towers by delivering pallets of supplies to the roofs.
Years later I was in the middle of a category 5 hurricane on Gulf Coast in Alabama. That was horrible experience when at 3am it was like hell broke loose outside making you really worried about your life. Days after were hard too, good thing my friend' family where I stayed was well prepared for the landfall and aftermath. Everything was in a cellar including a shotgun and some homemade wine
It is a reasonable practice to have basic supplies that can keep you and your family running for a few days, in these uncertain time we never know what might happen.

[mrbadger]

It's not hard to have enough in your house to survive a few days without running water or electricity.

We do, and we're not preppers. Just normal people who shop at Costco every three months. Bulk buying saves money.

I don't buy plain bottled water. My wife likes fizzy water, and my doc told me to start drinking Slimline Tonic Water to help with my leg cramps, and it works like magic, cramps every night before, no cramps since I started drinking it. It helps that I like the taste.

So I have bulk boxes of the stuff lest I run out, enough to last us at least a week with no other water supply.

[Chips]

With regards to water - most UK houses have far more than they realise. Hot water tanks are full of drinking water - up to 120L of the stuff. Some have cold water tanks too (we have one for the bidet, as they're not allowed to be connected to the mains to prevent contamination i think?). Even the toilet cistern is filled with drinking water (not the bowl, not going that far!). In dire situations, the radiators... though that may taste quite quite metallic

So probably enough drinking water to last a few weeks (from hot water tank alone at 120L) - use the rain water to "flush" the toilet instead to yield even more

[greypanther]

In dire situations, the radiators... though that may taste quite quite metallic

Not sure that is a great idea because central heating systems often have chemicals like this in them.

An aqueous mixture of
polyether, corrosion inhibitor and biocide.
Contains no components considered hazardous above thresholds of concern

Maybe safe, maybe not, but I think I would rather the water out of the toilet bowl, ( very sterilised! ) to be honest. Unless of course you can prove the chemicals are safe? Never mind the state of the water in our radiators, it is thicker than normal and a dark rusty red colour!

Edit: From another similar product:

Signal word (CLP)
:
Warning
Hazard statements (CLP)
:
H302 - Harmful if swallowed
Precautionary statements (CLP)
:
P264 - Wash hands thoroughly after handling
P270 - Do no eat, drink or smoke when using this product
P301+P312 - IF SWALLOWED: Call a POISON CENTER/doctor/.../if you feel unwell
P330 - Rinse mouth
P501 - Dispose of contents/container to Dispose in a safe manner in accordance with
local/national regulations

[Chips]

Maybe safe, maybe not, but I think I would rather the water out of the toilet bowl, ( very sterilised! ) to be honest. Unless of course you can prove the chemicals are safe? Never mind the state of the water in our radiators, it is thicker than normal and a dark rusty red colour!

From another similar product:

Depends on your definition of dire

Also, define similar product. Methanol, Ethanol. CH3OH vs C2H5OH.

The latter gets you drunk, in wine.

A similar chemical, methanol, can make you blind, and dead - as you metabolise it differently.

Should be noted, so can Ethanol, in sufficient quantities.

p.s. Try distilling the water to rid most impurities.

[greypanther]

Also, define similar product.

Just another inhibitor that Toolstation supply. this safety sheet is from another similar product.

I will bow to your greater knowledge as the chemist, but I would be cautious, about drinking something containing formaldehyde, for instance. I do not recognise some of the chemicals in it, which does not help. No, do not worry I will not be around to steal your radiator contents, if everything goes pear shaped.

[brucewarren]

Just for the record, the water in the hot water tank in the loft in the UK is not classed as drinking water.

It's recommended that you don't ever drink from it. I was told this as a wee lad and there's a good reason for it. The "tank", in our house at least, was really little more than a giant plastic bucket with a loose fitting lid. If the lid fell off, or there was a hole in it, a mouse or a rat could fall in. I've heard of cases of this actually happening. No doubt it doesn't happen very often but how many people regularly go up to the attic to check on it? Not many I would guess.

[greypanther]

Just for the record, the water in the hot water tank in the loft in the UK is not classed as drinking water.

It's recommended that you don't ever drink from it. I was told this as a wee lad and there's a good reason for it. The "tank", in our house at least, was really little more than a giant plastic bucket with a loose fitting lid. If the lid fell off, or there was a hole in it, a mouse or a rat could fall in. I've heard of cases of this actually happening. No doubt it doesn't happen very often but how many people regularly go up to the attic to check on it? Not many I would guess.

I think even with a dead animal, the water could still be sterilised and would still be better than radiator sludge, for instance!

edit: Not to mention that it is basic part of maintaining a home, that the tank should be checked and secured against wild life imo.
Especially so for someone trying to be prepared!

[pjknibbs]

The "tank", in our house at least, was really little more than a giant plastic bucket with a loose fitting lid. If the lid fell off, or there was a hole in it, a mouse or a rat could fall in.

I am 99% certain that what you're describing there is the cold water tank. The hot water tank is invariably a sealed unit in my experience.

[brucewarren]

I may have got the terminology wrong , so I'll try to sort out what I was trying to say.

What I called the hot water tank I should really have called the header tank. I don't consider it a cold water tank because although it's full of cold water, it doesn't feed the cold water system. It feeds the hot water cylinder down in the airing cupboard - the one with the wires and the built in insulation.

In UK houses both tanks are part of the hot water system. The header tank in the attic supplying the cylinder in the airing cupboard with a constant supply of water at a constant pressure.

The problem with this arrangement is that in order to allow for evaporation and stuff, the header tank in the attic is usually not sealed. This is how rats and mice and birds can sometimes get in and pollute the hot water system. The kitchen tap, being supplied directly from the mains, on the other hand would still provide lovely clean, fresh water.

This, by the way, is why British houses don't usually have mixer taps. Hot water is considered unclean (it cheweth not the cud and parteth not the hoof )

It's rare, but some really old houses really do have a separate tank for supplying cold water to the house (what I would consider an actual cold water tank) in addition to the usual header tank for the hot water system. That's right there are two tanks full of cold water up in the attic. I guess it was for places where the water supply was unreliable or where the mains supply had not yet reached. It's a bad idea imo because a tank full of standing water could in theory do bad things that fresh mains water would not.