DISASTER SUPPLY KIT

[Rainband]

Just buy a laptop Rob

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

lol And to think I could do 65 push ups and 80 sit ups in 2 minutes and run 2 miles in 12 minutes...those days are OVER!

[black opal]

got to go home. Talk to you later

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

night black...say hi to Lumara for me...I see she is back on TWC.

[streetsoldier]

I burned my BDUs, Class "A" 1550's, etc. after my time in service (green slant-pocket RVN-type). Still have my shoulder bars and ribbons in a plaque, but in my drawer (along with all the other stuff I've accomplished over the years...why look at it, when I can't "cut it" any longer? It's depressing...) I don't have my old STL police uniform items around, either.. except for my "Police Combat (Pistol) Distiguished Expert" pin, which is in the same drawer with the other stuff.

Besides, if I thought they'd still be able to use me, I'd go tomorrow...but the idea of a 51-year-old man with PTSS, congestive cardiovascular malaise and degenerative spinal disorder re-entering service?

Maybe in Public Affairs, if even that. I'm not holding my breath...

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

LOL Bill....they always need supply Sergeants!

[streetsoldier]

I held a "battlefield commission", Rob...no NCO status for me, TYVM.. and certainly not in Procurement/Supply, pul-EEZE!

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

lmao sorry sir! I know I know....forgot you were the LT in it all and I was the Sarge! Well, just trying to afford you a lush position....hey I have one...how about the Battalion's Armorer? I did it for a few years on the side...was great smelling all that carbon in the morning! lol M-60s, 50 cal's laying around, bayonets...plenty of tracers and laser sights...was heaven!

[streetsoldier]

No, Rob; this line of conversation brought up someplace I shouldn't have gone. Sorry about that. END TRANS.

[coriolis]

someone asked back on page 1 about purifying water with chlorox. You can do this, but you'd be surprised how little chlorox it takes. Most officials will caution against this because it's very easy to use too much and get burns or get sick. I design disinfection systems for public water supplies, swimming pools, and sewage treatment plants, and bleach is becoming more and more popular because it's safer than chlorine gas. The bleach they use for public water systems is about 3 times stronger than laundry bleach, and it's specially made to be pure so it's "safe" for consumption. Stay posted, I'll get back to you.

[Southernmost Weather]

I know what you mean about those suits, Rob. We were issued all that stuff in SE Asia but nobody bothered with them--we knew they wouldn't work. I'm just having a difficult time getting lathered up about the "possibility" of an attack. Personally, I think the administration is creating nothing but fear for this country. I would be more comforted in knowing what sorts of covert things are being done to minimize and neutralize these folks. Unfortunately I'm not privy to that stuff any longer.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Me either...I never was to begin with. Whether its the media or some bad sources of information that got twisted along its journey...I'm not buying it until I see for myself it IS happening! Ah well...to each their own I suppose.

[southerngale]

Well, I certainly don't see the need to make fun of people who are doing what they've been told to do...be prepared --- just in case.
The only person that I've seen or even heard of actually wrapping their house in plastic and duct tape was a man on the news and I felt sorry for him. I can't imagine the terror that man must feel to protect his family by wrapping it up the whole thing in plastic! I certainly wouldn't laugh at him though.

The people out buying plastic and duct tape are not shutting themselves out from the world. They are just keeping it on hand in case they need it. That is not extreme. And even if they never use it because of an attack, it's not exactly the kind of thing that can't be used for other purposes. And let's be realistic here, what are the odds that the person you see at Walmart buying plastic sheeting and duct tape is one of the people that will be affected by an attack? Not good, right? So, if purchasing it for $5 or $10 makes them feel better, that is worth a whole lot in my opinion.

I actually did buy plastic sheeting and duct tape while I was at the store. Why? Do I think it will save me? Of course not. But I was there, it was there and it was cheap. And believe it or not, we usually have duct tape around here and we were out anyway. As for the plastic sheeting, we can use it for many purposes. When Allison hit and my sister was remodeling her house, we used it to hang from the side of the house to keep the water from flooding into her house (the concrete wasn't level and it was collecting water and pouring into her kitchen and living room), we even use it to cover our firewood outside, and it makes a great slip-n-side! etc. etc. etc.

I don't know of anyone who is not continuing with their life as usual and I certainly don't know anyone hiding behind plastic! But yes, I know a lot of people who bought some of the things that have been recommended. (batteries, water, plastic, duct tape, etc.) Will any of us likely need it because of a terror attack? No. Will we eventually use the stuff anyway? Yes.
So, why not be prepared? After all, hurricane season is coming up for those of us along the coast and these are many of the things we are supposed to stock up on anyway.

Anyway, I'm not freaking out or panicked. If it is my time to go, God will take me anyway no matter what I do. But for the people who really are panicked, I wouldn't laugh at them. It is very sad to see people so full of fear.

[streetsoldier]

FEAR, SouthernGale, is just what Al Qaida is banking on; to disrupt our lives, wreck our commerce out of fear even to shop, drive up fuel prices for fear of short supply, you-name-it.

Are they succeeding? Better, WILL WE PERMIT THEM TO SUCCEED?

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Well....they're not scaring me one bit! And as for the guy that wrapped his house....he has issues! You cant tell me that ISNT extreme?! I dont feel sorry for his thinking....I feel sorry for his wallet being a few hundred lighter! The way I see it....there's a need to have some essentials for emergencies, but all of this talk and news is making the push for out of the ordinary things. If they wanna buy plastic...let em. I'm not going to, as I have my own little ways of surviving and living all at the same time. As I stated before...everyone is unique in their needs, paranoia and beliefs. Some are acting based on assumptions, and others are acting based on fact...either way we are ALL becoming aware and taking some form of action, whether its listening in on the evening news, radios or friends/neighbors.

[StormCrazyIowan]

Everyday, it becomes harder and harder for this world to maintain peace. Everyone is fighting, for no good reason, and sadly, the only end result will be people being hurt and killed. It is sad that it has come down to people barracading themselves in their houses, that is not the way life is meant to be, not in America "land of the free"! Personally, I refuse to give in and give up, what is going to happen will happen, and how far is plastic going to get me? Not very far!

[southerngale]

Yes Rob, the guy who wrapped his house in plastic is being extreme. And I do feel sorry for him. He obviously has issues...he's scared to death for his family. It's sad. He is acting just the way the terrorists want us to. I said it wasn't extreme to have plastic and duct tape on hand if it makes people feel better. (and it only costs a couple of dollars)

I agree we should have essentials on hand for any emergency and I'm sure many people who are out stocking up on stuff realize that as well. We stock up when a hurricane is coming and the odds that it will hit us directly are low. It's just basic preparation and the items usually come in handy eventually anyway.

I haven't slowed down a bit. I live my life just the same, doing everything I did before and I will not hide in my house from a potential threat. BUT if they tell me to stay in my house because something has occurred, I'm not stupid, and I'll do what the authorities say.




streetsoldier wrote:

FEAR, SouthernGale, is just what Al Qaida is banking on; to disrupt our lives, wreck our commerce out of fear even to shop, drive up fuel prices for fear of short supply, you-name-it.

Are they succeeding? Better, WILL WE PERMIT THEM TO SUCCEED?

Exactly...they actually never have to attack us again. All they have to do is threaten us and then they watch us squirm.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Well, the way I see it.....many people are rushing to get supplies and based on what the news shows us daily, it wouldnt surprise me one bit if many of these people are making sure they include a little 'extra' store-bought items fir preparation....even if they dont want people to notice. That guy that wrapped his house only shows people that it CAN be done, and others will surely follow. Whether scared, paranoid or whatever.....there's all shades of people and thoughts out there and they are just doing whats in their best interest for themselves or others. I cant really blame them, but call me conservative when it comes to miniscule things like that.

[coriolis]

A few days ago (when we were all out buying duct tape and plastic sheeting) Raine asked about disinfecting water with laundry bleach. Now the consensus is that we don’t need to. Well I did my homework, and not to be denied, here’s the scoop.

A dosage of 2 parts per million of chlorine will kill ordinary bacteria in water in contaminated wells. 10 ppm is required to kill giardia found in many streams and rivers. 10 ppm is also in the range used in swimming pools.

“Parts per million” means 1 pound of chlorine per 1 million pounds of water. 1 ppm is equal to 1 milligram per liter in terms of concentration.

Ordinary laundry bleach is 5.25% chlorine. The touted “ultra” bleaches are 6% chlorine which is only 14% stronger. So don’t buy “ultra” bleach if it is 14% more expensive! One gallon of 5.25% bleach contains 0.44 pounds of chlorine.

If you do the math, one gallon of bleach would disinfect 26,000 gallons of water! In kitchen terms, use 1 teaspoon of bleach to 34 gallons of water.

Get an infant medicine dropper to make measuring easy. Use 0.1 ml to a gallon of water to get 2 ppm or 0.5 ml to get 10 ppm (for surface water).

As far as storage, 1 gallon milk jugs are probably the best. Make sure they are clean, including the cap. HDPE plastic is non-reactive with chlorine. I don’t know about the PETE plastic used in soft drinks. Besides, a 1 liter bottle would be a whole new calculation!

One more thing. If you are on a municipal water supply, the water is already disinfected. If your water company is on the ball, the water will have a chlorine residual when it reaches your tap. You could store water right from the tap in a clean container, and it would be fine for months. Chlorine does dissipate into the air in time. If you were hunkered down in your shelter for months, you might add the chlorine before use. After adding the bleach, stir and let is sit for 30 minutes before using.

One more thing. Don’t use “scented” bleaches.

Hope that helps. Whatever you do, don’t overdose it. Chlorine is highly poisonous!

As an alternative to all this mess, just buy jugs of spring water. They have gallon jugs of generic spring water for cheap. They are factory sealed and will keep for a long time.

[HeartofNC]

Thank you for your very thorough homework about the bleach. I had heard that you only needed a drop or two for a gallon of water, but the reminder is very helpful. (I forgot I had heard it until I read your post, again, thanks!!!