---

• Before you do anything else, find your local Surplus store

This may come as a surprise to many people, but military surplus stores are invaluable resources for affordable emergency supplies. They often have more civilian inventory than military, but that mix makes the inventory all the better. You just have to take a look for yourself. These are the warehouse stores of preparedness supply.

Surplus stores have a bad rep, and in my opinion, this is largely undeserved.  I think this is the pawn shop problem. I have found a lot of good stuff at pawn shops over the years. I haven’t purchased a lot there because it only takes a few cheesy shops to keep you away and the cheesy ones are right there staring you in the face.

Example: Before I moved out of the area, I used to frequent a large, well stocked military surplus store. They carried everything from MRE’s to the best jacket I have ever owned. They also had a side room with world war two parachutes and gas masks. Interesting museum items, totally off the wall at the store. It was like a bad Halloween display. But hey, they had the cheapest really useful items and I was able to stock up on things I really needed. Later I touch on the subject of snap lights. I bought probably fifty of them dirt cheap. Try to do that at your local retail outlet.

I was looking for a good blanket to put in the trunk of my car because I frequently drive through the mountains at high elevations. I wanted a wool blanket because they retain heat even when they are wet, and they are naturally water repellent. I couldn’t find one anywhere. I knew they were around because a friend at the red cross had one she had got from their supplies. I found army surplus 100% wool blankets at the surplus store, and grabbed some. That winter, I found myself stranded in a mountain pass in a white-out of blowing snow with the highway patrol diverting us victims onto a side road. The only thing in this side road was a (totally booked) motel, a Del Taco, a Shell gas station and a mini mart. I spent the night in the lobby of the motel sitting on the damp floor, wrapped in the wool blanket, and relatively comfortable. A lot of less comfortable people were giving me longing glances and one lady even told me she wished she had thought ahead. Find your local surplus store. Save money and find hard to get items you are going to want and need.

• Flashlight batteries can be frozen to keep them fresh - forever.

Eventually, every type of battery, rechargeable and standard, will discharge by themselves when stored unused. Batteries have a definite shelf life. Special emergency batteries can be purchased that have a very long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature. Unfortunately they are an expensive and frankly impractical specialty item.

A cheap and effective alternative is to freeze your batteries in the freezer compartment of a standard kitchen refrigerator.  This will eliminate self discharge indefinitely and allow you to permanently store any number of batteries of any size and keep them fresh and new. It’s especially useful for storing bulk packs of batteries in their original packaging. When you are ready to use them just put them out at room temperature, and let them thaw.  Important: this only applies to standard, single use regular or alkaline household batteries. Don’t do this with Nickle Cadmium, NiMh or other rechargeable batteries. Allow the batteries to thaw naturally, without artificial aid, and keep them out of direct sunlight. Never subject batteries to flame. They can explode. Never place batteries in a microwave oven!

• Water never goes bad. If properly stored it will stay drinkable for long periods of time.

It’s true that water never spoils like food supplies will, but there are a few things to know about. First off, stored water will taste very funky. This is because the air separates out of the water over time leaving it with a flat taste. This is just taste however, and has no effect on the water’s usability. Aerating stored water by pouring it a couple of times will take care of this. Container(s) that will be used to store water have to be thoroughly sanitized and rinsed before use and only food grade containers should be used. Examples are special storage containers and barrels, and even two liter soda bottles. Don’t use surplus (used) food grade shipping barrels such as barrels that have been used to transport peanut oil. Store your water in the dark, in containers that are completely air tight. For dispensing the water, I recommend the purchase of a good quality backpacker’s water filter available at sporting goods stores. A good quality filter will remove organisms such as bacteria and other microscopic life. Little nasties may not even be there, but water and your health are too important to take any chances.  The filter has the added benefit of separating any solids that may have gotten into the supply. Don’t scrimp. Get an expensive, efficient, quality filter. Buy extra filter cartridges.  I have a fifty gallon water barrel in my garage. It’s sitting on a plywood platform an inch off the floor to keep the concrete from directly touching the barrel bottom. You can also use wood forklift pallets. They’re a good choice because they’re strong and sometimes you can get them from loading docks for free.  Clean water is an absolutely essential commodity in an emergency, and too often the least available even in flood conditions.

• The water in your toilet tank is potable

By potable, I mean safe and useful for drinking, washing and cooking. Just to be clear, I’m talking about the tank above the bowl. In a toilet tank, the water hasn’t been fouled by the bowl yet. The expensive, good quality packpackers water filter that you already have (you did buy one didn’t you?) will filter out viruses, bacteria and other little nasties that might not even be there to begin with. It’s just tap water. There’s no sewage, so the water is safe to use when it’s been filtered. It sounds a little gross, but water is a precious commodity, and we are talking about survival here. If you didn’t get that filter yet, don’t procrastinate. Do it now. There’s one exception. If your toilet flushes with reclaimed water, it’s not potable. Reclaimed water is water that’s been recycled through a sewage treatment system. I can’t think of any scenario where this would be the case, but I thought it was important enough to mention. It’s also worth mentioning that you should never assume that outside irrigation water is potable. For example, the sprinkler systems used to irrigate freeway landscaping in Southern California is all reclaimed, non potable water.

• Water never goes bad. Gasoline does. Fortunately, it’s preventable.
  

Let me start with the essentials. YOU MUST TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!

1. ALWAYS use a proper storage container designed just for gasoline. Gasoline containers are red. Blue is for water and yellow is for diesel fuel storage. Don’t improperly store any fluid in the wrong colored container.
2. Don’t ever store fuel in plastic milk containers, orange juice bottles, bleach bottles, etc.
3. Storing gas in an improper fashion, quantity or location can void your home owners insurance.
4. You are legally responsible for the storage of fuel, and liable for any mishaps. You must store fuel according to fire regulations, applicable laws and common sense.
5. All fuels are considered hazardous materials. Dispose of them properly. If you are unsure of how to do this, call your local fire department or appropriate authorities.

It’s essential to understand that gasoline doesn’t store well. Over time gasoline “spoils” to the point that you can’t use it in a gas engine. This is because the chemical structure of the fuel begins to change, and it’s useful properties begin to degrade. This is bad news if you need it in an emergency to run a generator or a power tool like a chain saw.

The good news is this: Keeping gasoline fresh and useful is just a matter of adding a fuel stabilizer available at your local hardware store or home center. It’s a liquid that’s added to your gasoline and it’s very effective. Simple solutions are the best.

• Chemical “snap lights” are a must have

I touched on the main problem with battery operated devices; the batteries discharge whether you use them or not. Providing light in emergencies is essential and a long term solution can be a pain. It becomes immediately apparent how important this preparation is when you find yourself in that extended blackout with a flashlight dead from neglect. But fear not! There’s a good solution!

I’m sure most people have seen the chemical glow sticks that come in various colors such as red, blue, green, and yellow. These are great because as long as their foil packaging is unopened, they can be stored indefinitely and used at any time. Snap lights are permanently sealed plastic tubes that contain two chemicals, one inside the plastic container itself and the other in a breakable tube within the snap light. To activate them they are bent in the middle until you hear the inner tube crush with a snapping sound. With a gentle shake the chemicals mix and it begins to glow brightly.  These are designed to have predetermined lengths of useful illumination, anywhere from minutes to hours.

Their brightness is proportionate to their rating. For instance, a five minute snap light will be six times brighter in it’s life then a thirty minute snap light. A thirty minute snap light will glow twice as bright as one designed to last an hour.  They are flame less and produce no heat. They can be used safely in an environment where the possible ignition of flammables is a concern. They are water proof, and they float. I don’t recommend you eat one, but snap lights are non toxic although they permanently stain just about everything if you manage to get one open. It’s safe to simply snap a large quantity, and tape them together for greater light, or leave them scattered everywhere you need illumination. They are lightweight and best of all, they are pretty cheap if you get them bulk at a surplus store. These little gems are worth their weight in gold.

---