What is Happening

In the wake of the earthquake, hundreds of Chilean survivors are forming organized neighborhood watch groups, arming themselves and barricading streets to protect their homes from looters.

The groups have taken over the role of security since the police were overwhelmed by looting and soldiers were not able to restore order quick enough after the disaster.

What this Means

Looting seems to be a common theme in natural disasters. When the grid goes down for a period of time and the first responders become overextended, 1) the less savory people of society see it as a free for all and go on a looting spree, and 2) when people become desperate enough due to lack of food and supplies they often resort to looting as well.

This is especially problematic in an extended grid-down situation.

To reduce inventory and the associated carrying costs, modern grocery stores receive their inventory “just in time” for the next day’s demand. When that supply line gets held up for whatever reason, those who are dependent upon the goods in that store go without.

These Just in Time (JIT) supply strategies allow for no extended stock of food and supplies — which is why we see the shelves become empty prior to impending storms. The longer the supply is gone the more desperate people become.

How Does it Effect You?

That wouldn’t happen here right? After all aren’t we a “civilized” country?

Think again, it happened in Louisiana after the Katrina disaster and if another major disaster comes — economic or otherwise — it will happen again.

There are a number of lessons to be learned from this:

1. You must be prepared: Food (and water) storage is absolutely essential. A minimum of 3 months but ideally one year’s worth or more. For more info on how to get started with food storage be sure to read my Food Storage Basics article series.
2. Get to know your neighbors: Similar to these Chileans, banding together provides safety and security and besides, you can’t expect to man a 24/7 watch all by yourself.

   Get to know your neighbors now, before disaster strikes. If possible, come up with neighborhood disaster plans and discuss the possibility of how the neighborhood would respond to looters.

3. Arm yourself: When the law is not around and the lawless run amok, you are the last line of defense for your family.

   Just having firearms is not enough. Be sure to get the proper training. There are numerous civilian training schools around the country that teach personal defense with a firearm.

4. Beef up the security of your residence: Having a secure home is a good idea even without a mob of looters running around. Now’s the time to increase the security of your residence before the zombies come a’knocking.

Resources

This is by far THE best book out there for building a secure home. 700 pages of hard-core information (no fluff):

The Secure Home (by Joel Skousen)




Here are some links to articles about the Chilean looting problem:

• Chilean survivors arm selves against looters
• Chile earthquake: Why do people loot? – A look into the psychological reasons people loot.

I’m always looking for new ways of of using common household materials in a survival situation. The other day I came across how you can take old newspapers and turn them into logs that can be used for fuel similar to any other log.

How to Make Logs from Newspaper

Step 1: Soak the Newspaper

The first thing you need to do is soak the newspaper it a sink or bucket. It helps to separate the newspapers into its smaller sections.

Step 2: Drain and Lay Out the Paper

After completely saturating the paper (usually by soaking for at least an hour) pull the paper from the water, let it drain completely and then lay it out into sections of 1-3 sheets — staggered much like fallen dominoes.

Step 3: Roll the Wet Newspaper Around a Dowel

Then take a dowel and roll the wet paper around it squeezing the paper as it’s rolled to ensure that it sticks together.

Step 4: Continue Rolling Until Desired Thickness is Acheived

Continue with the above step until you’ve rolled the newspaper log into your desired thickness.

Step 5: Thoroughly Dry your New Newspaper Log

Slide off the paper log and let it dry for a few days (a lot quicker if you place it on a woodstove, outside in the sun or in front of the heating vents. Basically anywhere where the moisture will come off quicker.

Lighting Your Newspaper Firewood

If you’ve made these correctly, they should be pretty dense. Because of this, you cannot simply take your bic and light them up like you would newspaper. Treat them just like any other wood log in that they require smaller sticks or kindling to light. And just like wood logs, you’ll need a good bed of coals or at least a pair of logs to maintain the burn.

These paper “logs” will also produce more ash than traditional logs. Just be sure they are completely dry before burning and you’ll be able surprised at the heat output that your old newspaper can give off.

For those living in cities or areas where you don’t have access to land for growing your own fruits and vegetables there is still a solution for you. It’s found in the sub-irrigated planter.

Just because you live in a city doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables.

What the Heck is a SIP?

The sub-irrigated planter or SIP is a modern form of a raised bed with the added advantage of a self-watering irrigation system. The water is introduced from the bottom of the container, allowing the water to soak upwards to the plant through capillary action.

SIPs can be made from many different containers ranging from large to small. And once you understand the principle of how one is made you can apply that to practically any container and be well on your way to growing a fantastic garden.

Here’s a great video put together by high-school students showing you the principle of 5-gallon bucket SIP and how you can make your own:

Advantages of Sub-Irrigated Planters (SIPs)

Not only is there an 80% decrease in water usage in a plant to plant comparison than found in a typical garden but it also doubles the production output of a garden and on top of that it is weed free! Best of all this system allows city dwellers to essentially bring their own land with them and place it on their balconies, patios or a city roof.

This type of design allows for a bottom up watering approach rather than a top down approach that is typical in potted plants or plants growing in a standard garden. Since the water is pulled up from the bottom, as long as the water reservoir remains full the plants will draw the water as needed. There is no risk of over- or under-watering the plants.

How to Make Your Own

What You’ll Need

1. 2 five gallon food-grade buckets that can stack inside one another
2. 1” plastic pipe or tubing (pvc pipe works fine) about 3” longer than the height of one of the buckets
3. smaller plastic container (a plastic cup or used hummus container works great)
4. power drill with ¼ inch drill bit
5. box-cutters
6. plastic bag large enough to cover the opening of one of your buckets
7. snips or hacksaw to cut the pvc pipe

Step 1: Prepare the Buckets

Place one bucket inside the other and put them in front of a light source to see the space created between them – this gap will act the reservoir that will hold the water. Measure the height of this space and mark that measurement on your smaller plastic container, starting from the bottom. Add 1/8” to this height and measure the diameter of your container at that height.

Step 2: Drill your Holes

Turn the first bucket upside down and mark the center. Around the center draw a circle whose size to the diameter you just measured on your plastic container. Using this circle as a guide cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket that is just smaller than the diameter of your small plastic container. If you have a jigsaw, use this to cut the hole. If not, drill a series of small holes around the perimeter of the circle and use your snips or scissors to finish the job. On the same bucket drill roughly 25 ¼” holes evenly spaced around the larger hole you just made.

Step 3: Prepare the Fill Tube

Drill or cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket that corresponds to the diameter of your watering pipe or tubing. Cut the bottom of your tubing at a 45-degree angle to prevent the tube from clogging in your bucket.

Step 4: Cut Slits in your Small Container

With your box cutter slice 4 vertical slits in the sides of the smaller plastic container making the slices evenly spaced around the perimeter of the cup. Do not cut through the bottom or lip of your cup.

Step 5: Stack the Buckets Together and Drill the Overflow Holes

Place the bucket with holes in it inside the other bucket. Place the buckets in front of a light source as you did earlier and drill two ¼” overflow holes on opposite sides of the outside bucket. These holes should be a quarter inch below the bottom of the inside bucket.

Step 6: Add your Potting Mix and Plant your Seedlings

With the buckets stacked together, place the plastic tube through the hole you made for it angled end first. Pack the small plastic container with wet potting mix and set it inside the large hole in the center of the bucket. Fill the first bucket ¾ full with damp potting mix making it fairly compact. Plant your seedling and top off the bucket with potting mix.

Step 7: Add Fertilizer

Water your seedling from the top, for the first and only time to saturate the soil. After that point, water your plant using the fill pipe. Take one cup of fertilizer and sprinkle it around the outside edge of the bucket leaving as large of a space of plain soil in the middle as possible. Take your plastic bag and make two slits in it, large enough to fit your seedling and watering tube through, respectively. Place the plastic over the top of your bucket while gently feeding your seedling and watering tube through the slits. Secure the plastic with a zip tie or string.

Step 8: Suggestions on Watering

When watering you’ll want to fill the reservoir until the water comes out of the overflow holes. As mentioned before this self-watering system makes it impossible to over-water your plant. Every few days take a look at your reservoir and fill as necessary. During the growing season there may be times when you need to water every day so be sure to pay close attention.

A Word on Soil

It’s important that you do not use standard garden soil in the SIPs. Why? Well in order for SIPs to function correctly the water must be wicked from the bottom to where the roots of the plant can soak up the moisture. Ordinary soil does not provide the capillary action (wicking action) needed to move the moisture upward. You’ll need to purchase potting soil (with the main ingredient being spagham peat and/or coir). Here are some homemade recipes provided by Global Buckets:

Recipe #1: Sphagnum Peat
70% Sphagnum Peat
20% Vermiculite
10% Perlite

Recipe #2: Sphagnum Peat and Coir
35% Sphagnum Peat
35% Coir
20% Vermiculite
10% Perlite

Resources

If you prefer not to make your own, there is a commercial variant of a SIP called an Earthbox which can be purchased at the Earthbox.com site for $50 per box (a homemade one is much cheaper).

Also, here is :

• Global Buckets: A great site which teaches you how to make an automated watering system as well as fertilizer and soil recipes
• Green Roof Growers: A blog about three people’s experiences growing heirloom vegetables on the Chicago rooftops using SIPs.

Think you can’t handle the price of food storage? Think again.

I was over at LDSPreppers today and found a great post in the forums by “AZPrepper”. He basically came up with a list of $5 food items that you can purchase each week for a year to build up your food storage for you and someone else.

Although he mentions that some of the food costs may have changed, the general concept and estimate should still be worth your while.

Here’s the list of what to buy each week:

• Week 1: 6 lbs salt
• Week 2: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 3: 20 lbs of sugar
• Week 4: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 5: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 6: 6 lbs macaroni
• Week 7: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 8: 8 cans tuna
• Week 9: 6 lbs yeast
• Week 10: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 11: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 12: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 13: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 14: 7 boxes macaroni & cheese
• Week 15: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 16: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 17: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins
• Week 18: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 19: 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
• Week 20: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 21: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 22: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 23: 8 cans tuna
• Week 24: 6 lbs shortening
• Week 25: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 26: 5 lbs honey
• Week 27: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 28: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 29: 5 lbs peanut butter
• Week 30: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 31: 7 boxes macaroni & cheese
• Week 32: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 33: 1 bottle 500 aspirin
• Week 34: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 35: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 36: 7 boxes macaroni & cheese
• Week 37: 6 lbs salt
• Week 38: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 39: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 40: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 41: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 42: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 43: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins
• Week 44: 8 cans tuna
• Week 45: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 46: 6 lbs macaroni
• Week 47: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 48: 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
• Week 49: 5 lbs honey
• Week 50: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 51: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 52: 50 lbs wheat

He also mentions that some weeks you will have leftover change. Instead of spending it, put aside the change each week to be used for the weeks you may need more than $5 (like for wheat, milk, etc). Also be sure to lookout for sales. This way you can jump ahead and cross items off the list where there are great bargains.

After you have completed this list, you will end up with:

• 500 lbs of wheat
• 180 lbs of sugar
• 40 lbs of powdered milk
• 12 lbs of salt
• 10 lbs of honey
• 5 lbs of peanut butter
• 45 cans of tomato soup
• 15 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 15 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 24 cans of tuna
• 21 boxes of macaroni & cheese
• 500 aspirin
• 1000 multi-vitamins
• 6 lbs of yeast
• 6 lbs of shortening
• 12 lbs of macaroni

I calculated that this amount of food has around 1,249,329 calories which based on a 2000 calorie a day diet will provide enough food for two people for 312 days! That’s almost one whole year for two people on $5 a week! Even if the price was double that, at $10 a week you’re only paying around $40/month in grocery bills. Try to beat that…

If you’ve already taken my advice and purchased yourself a 22 LR rifle (like the Ruger 10/22 which is my favorite) or already have one, you probably love how quiet the 22LR rounds are compared to most other ammunition. But despite being relatively quiet, they are still noticeable to within a few hundred yards by others around you.

Well short of using a suppressor (silencer) which may not be legal in your area, there is a super quiet round available for your rifle that you may not be aware of. It’s called the 22 CB Cap (short for “conical ball cap”).

While not as powerful or accurate over long range as the 22LR round, it is still powerful enough to take small game such as rabbit or squirrel and provides the added advantage of being no louder than a pellet gun (and perhaps even less so). The reason for its silence is due to its minute propellant charge (in many cases it’s just the primer with no gunpowder) which results in a low muzzle velocity of around 700 ft/s (subsonic).

The advantages of this kind of round in a serious survival situation (urban or wilderness) are obvious. With a report no louder than a pellet gun, the .22 CB Cap round gives you the benefit of being able to easily take smaller game — even in a congested urban area — without anyone the wiser (Pigeon anyone? yummy…). It also allows for target practice without bothering the pesky neighbors.

One of the main disadvantages of the .22 CB Cap is that it won’t cycle most semi-automatic firearms. Since the round doesn’t provide enough power to cycle the bolt, each round must be fed manually, one at a time. Despite this major disadvantage I still highly recommend adding a box or two of .22 CB Cap to your store (and some for your second tier kit while your at it) when silence is of primary importance.

If you’re looking for a versatile multi-use cleaning/lubricating spray to add to your home storage, look no further than WD-40 (thanks for the idea Linda). Although there are a lot of urban myths surrounding this product’s uses (ease arthritis pain? what are you the tin man?) as well as its main ingredient (its petroleum NOT fish oil) there are still thousands of uses for it around the home, garden and shop.

Here’s the main functions for using WD-40:

• LUBRICATES: WD-40’s lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and hold firmly to all moving parts.
• CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean. It also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape, stickers, and excess bonding material.
• PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.
• PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts.
• DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits.

For a complete list (over 2000) of its uses check out this link from WD-40’s website: List of 2000+ Uses of WD-40

I’ve recently found this incredible website online that is a perfect fit for keeping the storage items in your pantry chock full. The application is called “Alice” .

The way that Alice works is that after setting up a free account, you specify what you typically buy (choosing from a list of 1000’s of products) and then the program goes to work. Alice organizes all your products based on how frequently you use them, finds coupons and other deals and then sends you alerts when it determines you are running low. It also keeps track of all your expenditures, categorizing and showing you where you’re spending the most of your money. On top of this, the shipping is free!

You might think that since the shipping is free that the prices of the products are more expensive. On the contrary, since the site works directly with the suppliers, it eliminates the middleman — effectively keeping the prices low. From what I noticed, overall the prices are cheaper than the supermarkets (at least where I shop).

Since Alice is still currently in Beta mode, the down side is as far as food items go, there isn’t a complete list — although they are continuing to add to the list (which by-the-way they gladly take suggestions for products) .

Here’s what they sell currently:

• Cereals
• Baby Food
• Dog & Cat Food
• Granola Bars, Cookies, Crackers and other snacks
• Dried Fruit (I would make your own since it’s cheaper)
• Dried Mixes (for muffins, cookies, pancakes etc)
• Rice
• Jerkey
• Dried Soup Mixes
• Spices
• Sugar & Sugar Substitutes

The great part about these items is that most of them store fairly well (1-2 years) and don’t require a refrigerator which is perfect for food storage.

For you iPhone users (like me) Alice also has a free app that allows you to not only order and maintain any product from your list but also gives you the ability to scan bar-codes from items that are running low in your pantry. These can be simply added to your cart for easy reordering.

Alice is extremely useful for those of us who use a pantry system for food storage. Our family has about a years worth of long-term food items (good for 20+ years) but beyond that we also have a 3-month supply of constantly-rotating commonly used food (and non-food) items.

Alice seems to be a perfect fit to help keep those items in stock (all without having to go shopping!). I can simply go downstairs to our basement with my iPhone look for those products that we are running low on and scan the bar-code. It will then enter into my Alice product list and I can send away for it. Around 2 days later it arrives at my home. Again, keep in mind that you don’t need an iphone to use the web site.

Overall, here are the main advantages:

• The service is free
• Once you’ve set up your master shopping list, using it over and over and ordering is as simple as a click of a button.
• Alice reminds you when you are running low on products based on the average timelines of consumption as well as find coupons and deals for you.
• The prices are very competitive
• The shipping is free
• You don’t have to worry about constantly checking out your inventory.

Now if Alice could only rotate the actual food items in my pantry it would be the ultimate service!

So check it out, you can sign up or read about it here (by using the graphic link above or this one they’ll give you $10.00 when you buy $50 or more of products): Alice.com

If you’re one of those who can’t stand drinking non-fat powdered milk (or have children that won’t touch it) but still nonetheless have it as part of your food storage — there’s hope. Turning your non-fat powdered milk into whole milk (or 1% or 2%) is a relatively easy process.

All it involves is a little understanding of chemistry and some extra items that should be part of your food storage anyways.

The only difference between reconstituted non-fat powdered milk and whole milk is the absence or presence of fat (this is what allows non-fat powdered milk to store for so long). But improving the taste by getting the fat back into the milk is not as easy as pouring some in and shaking. I’m sure you’ve seen what happens when you try to combine water and oil.

And now for the chemistry.

In order to mix two liquids together that otherwise would not blend (oil and milk in this case) requires what is called an emulsifier. And two of the most common emulsifiers used in recipes are eggs and honey — both of which are excellent long-term food storage items.

In the tables below I’ve put together some simple recipes that you can use to make 1%, 2%, or whole milk from a combination of powdered milk, vegetable oil and either powdered eggs or honey.

To prepare, just mix the ingredients specified in the tables below according to how much milk you want to make along with the desired fat content. It helps to use a shaker or a whisk but even a fork stirred vigorously works fine.

Keep in mind that the mixture is not homogenized so over time it will begin to separate again. If it does just shake it up, whisk it, or stir vigorously and viola! you got yourself some great tasting powdered milk. Try both recipes to see which one you and your family prefers (I’m partial to the honey mixture). Enjoy!

Using Honey

Desired Fat Content	Desired Milk	Honey	Reconstituted Powdered Milk	Vegetable Oil
1%	Cup Quart Gallon	1/4t 1t 1T + 1t	1 cup 1 quart 1 gallon	1/2t 2t 2T + 2t
2%	Cup Quart Gallon	1/2t 1/2T + 1/2t 2-1/2 T	1 cup 1 quart 1 gallon	1t 1T + 1t 1/4C + 1T
Whole (4%)	Cup Quart Gallon	1t 1T + 1t 5T	1 cup 1 quart 1 gallon	2t 2T + 2t 1/2C + 2T

Using Powdered Eggs

Desired Fat Content	Desired Milk	Egg Powder	Reconstituted Powdered Milk	Vegetable Oil
1%	Cup Quart Gallon	1/8t 1/4t 1t	1 cup 1 quart 1 gallon	1/2t 2t 2T + 2t
2%	Cup Quart Gallon	1/4t 1/2t 2t	1 cup 1 quart 1 gallon	1t 1T + 1t 1/4C + 1T
Whole (4%)	Cup Quart Gallon	1/2t 1t 1T,+1t	1 cup 1 quart 1 gallon	2t 2T + 2t 1/2C + 2T

For those of you who dream of one day building a retreat where you can be completely self-sufficient but just don’t think you have the money, well you might be surprised to learn that it may be cheaper than you think.

Lamar Alexander over at Simple Solar Homesteading has managed to build a completely self-sufficient solar cabin for under $4000 and with his $5 ebook, he shows you how you can do it too.

Being curious, I bought his ebook last week to check it out and you get a wealth of information that I think is well worth the 5 bucks. Even if you don’t plan on building a retreat, or don’t have the land yet to do it, many of the tips he shares can be applied to your own residence. And the instructions are really simple to follow.

Here’s what he teaches you:

• How to build a cabin for under $2000
• How to build a cabin addition for under $1500
• How to build a solar panel and generator system for under $1000
• How to build a solar composting toilet under $50
• How to build a solarium porch and solar air heater
• How to build a solar methane generator
• How to build a rain water and gray water harvesting system
• How to build a batch water heater under $50
• How to build a solar clothes washer, dryer, and dishwasher
• How to build a tipi greenhouse
• How to build a solar oven under $50
• How to build a root and/or storm shelter
• How to build a great garden cart under $50
• How to build a garden compost tumbler
• How to install a wood stove in your cabin
• How to build a portable chicken tractor for under $50
• How to dig your own water well
• How and where to find cheap homestead property

Granted, what he teaches you how to build is not some 3000 square foot log cabin but rather something that more resembles a glorified utility shed. But for the cheap cost and especially if you want to build something quick, it’s pretty cool.

And remember, if we were in an extended grid-down situation right now, then I’m sure you’d much rather be like Lamar living in a completely paid-off self-sufficient “shed” then in your dependent-on-the-grid in-debt-up-to-your-eyeballs McMansion. What he teaches here is a cheap way to self sufficiency and economic freedom. Not bad eh?

Here’s a video of Lamar giving you a tour of his place:

And here’s a video of the interior:

For those who are just joining me now (just to give you some background), I had written an article and created a video on how to make a survival heater for your car if you were ever stranded somewhere in the winter and required heat.

Being someone who doesn’t like to give survival advice without first having tested it myself, I wanted to make sure to try out the stove as soon as I could and report back to you guys. This spawned another article called Testing out the Survival Stove.

In that article, I proved the effectiveness of the stove. It took a car from 16 degrees Fahrenheit to around 60 degrees in 20 minutes. However, toward the end of the 20 min test, I began feeling a headache and was concerned that it may be due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Unfortunately I didn’t have a carbon monoxide tester with me to be certain. Which brings me to this article…

This evening I took the stove out to the car again along with a carbon monoxide tester and instead of having two door windows open a crack, I only opened one. I also extended the test period from 20 minutes to a full half hour. My results?

No carbon monoxide alarms.

Also, I didn’t have a headache this time despite having less air circulation on top of being in the car longer. And the headaches I got last time — a fluke? I don’t know.

However, all in all I’m confident in saying that I feel the stove is indeed safe as an emergency car heater if you were ever stranded somewhere. Again, just be sure to open the window about an inch — preferably the window closest to the stove.

Despite these tests, I recommend packing in your car a carbon-monoxide tester along with your survival stove — just in case. I also would suggest that every-so-often you breath in some fresh air (by temporarily opening the driver-side window a crack and taking a few breaths) while operating the stove. There may be no dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, but there could be potentially harmful vapors being emitted by the burning alcohol. Just my 2 cents.

You can never be too safe!