Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Things you should stock up on before a major disaster

When any type of disaster hits, the first thing that happens is people run out to the store in a panic to pick up last minute items so they can hopefully ride out whatever situation they are in comfortably. I personally do not want to be part of or around a horde of scared crazy people stampeding through their local stores.

I am going to give a list of things you might have overlooked that would definitely come in handy in any disaster.

  • FOOD (canned, dehydrated, MRE's, snack bars, etc)
  • Water Purification Device (Katadyn makes the best)
  • Matches (All-Weather Windproof Strike-Anywhere are best)
  • Small Kerosene Heater + Kerosene (make sure you get proper ventilation)
  • Emergency Candles
  • Oil Lamps + Lamp Oil / Coleman Dual-Fuel Lantern
  • Extra Lamp Wicks/Mantles
  • Flashlights in common battery sizes (AA, D, etc)
  • Solar/Crank Radio-flashlight (such as: Eton Solar/Crank Powered Radio-Flashlight )
  • Case(s) of Bottled Water
  • Batteries (rechargable batteries come in handy)
  • Lighters (BIC Lighters are by far the best)
  • Ziploc Freezer/Heavy Duty Bags
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Heavy Duty 55gal Trash Bags
  • Medical Supplies (get alot. Make sure to add some Celox or Quik-Clot)
  • Percolator (old oven-top/campfire type for coffee)
  • Zip-Ties
  • Fire Extinguisher
  • High-Quality Sleeping Bags
  • Ponchos/Rain Gear
  • Head-Lamp Flashlight (these are tremendously useful!)
  • Tang (water flavoring, it has 100% vitamin C)
  • Multi-tool (Gerber is my preference)
  • Gorilla Tape/Duct Tape (Gorilla Tape is amazing)
  • Work/Protective Gloves (one small cut can lead to a life threatening infection)
  • Extra Perscription Glasses
  • Board/Card Games/Books (to keep kids and adults alike busy in down-time)
  • Mylar Blankets (Otherwise known as 'Emergency Blankets')
  • Solar Battery Charger
  • CB Radio (Its nice to be able to talk to the outside world)
  • Large Dutch Oven
  • 10mil Visqueen Sheet Plastic Rolls (cover broken windows, make shelter, black out windows, etc)
  • Extra Diesel/Gasoline/Kerosene
  • Large Containers to keep water in
  • "WaterBob" (It is a large sealed bathtub liner with a hose so you can store water in your bathtub in an emergency)
  • Paracord/Rope
  • Tobacco Products (good for barter if you dont smoke)
  • High Proof Liquor (can be used as an antiseptic or burned.. or of course consumed ;) )
  • High Quality Knife
  • Some means of self defense (you never know when you may need this, but it always better to have something. A firearm is preferred. Get lots of ammo as well.)
  • Extra shoes + socks (if it is a major disaster, and you may have to be on your feet ALOT. Not having shoes available could be a disaster in itself.)
  • Seasoned Firewood (it takes 6-12 months for wood to be ready for home use. Once you think you have enough, double it.)
  • Wood Stove
  • Vegetable Oil (without oils, all food would have to be boiled)
  • Generator (I hesitate to say this one, because it makes you a giant target, people will know you have good things to steal. They make 'quiet' versions, if you must have one, I recommend a quiet one.)
  • Thermal Underwear
  • Feminine Hygiene Products (they do make re-useable versions of all of these)
  • Vitamins
  • Toilet Paper (imagine your wife when you tell her there is no more TP..)
  • Coolers/Ice Chests (you can keep some of your food good in here)
  • Insect Repellant
  • Sunscreen
  • Antibacterial Soap
  • Hats (you loose alot of bodyheat through your head, and it also keeps the sun and ticks/insects out of your hair)
  • Propane Cylinders (full and empty)
  • Babywipes (If you dont have running water, this may be the best shower you get)
  • Salt
  • Long Term Food (MRE's, Dehydrated, Canned, etc)
  • Seeds (Hybrid and Heirloom)
  • Compass
  • Local Maps
  • Fishing Equipment
  • Sandbags
  • Bleach (Unscented, 4-6% sodium hypochlorite)
  • Sta-bil / Pri-G
  • High Quality Tent
  • Baking Soda
  • Diesel Antibacterial Additive
  • Hand Tools
  • Lime
  • Lye
  • No-Doze/Caffeine Pills
  • Crowbar
  • Binoculars
  • Tarps
  • Sewing Kit
  • Survival Books
  • Washboard/Wringers
  • Pest Control Devices (bad hygiene due to rodents carrying numerous diseases has been the cause of huge amounts of deaths in disaster situations)
  • Wood-Splitting Maul, Axe, Hatchet, Machete
  • Antibiotics (they are irreplaceable, and in a serious situation will mean the difference between life and death. You can order pet versions of antibiotics online without a perscription and are perfectly safe for human consumption, such as 'fish-cillin')
  • A&D Ointment
  • Snake Bite Kits
  • Antacids (you may not get to eat what you normally prefer, so having some of these around will be useful)
  • Night Vision Devices (being able to see someone without them knowing gives you an amazing advantage. Just remember, that if someone else has one as well, you will appear like you are holding a huge flashlight while using one with an IR feature.)
  • Gas/Particulate Masks
  • Bandana/Shemagh (there are a million uses for these, and I have one in all of my gear bags)
  • Blood-typing Kits (knowing what blood type people are can save a life)
  • Home Re-enforcement Materials (Plywood Sheets, Steel Bars, Steel Plating, Screws, etc)
  • Celox/Quik-Clot (rapidly stops bleeding)


Remember, if things get so bad that there is chaos and looting (such as Katrina) give your home a very low profile. Personally, I would take trash and furniture and clothes and spread them among my yard to make it look like my house has already been looted. Make sure to cover your windows completely at night so nobody can see that there is light inside. Be careful who you trust; hungry people typically are not going to be the polite giving kind.

While being cautious, also be generous when possible. Remember, that starving family may have been you if you hadn't of prepared. Give what you can, when you can.


Hope this gave you some ideas.


-NCPrepper10 out.

1 comment:

  1. Very good list. Might take a full-time person a few weeks to get everything together. Plus, if you get all of this, how are you going to store it? I'm not sure if the whole garage plus a spare bedroom would be enough. Try explaining to friends and relatives that may want to come visit that you don't have room for them but that you'll be ready when the SHTF.
    Maybe get some close friends together and split up the list, then share. Just sayin'.

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