Why we prep
Here's another reason why you – and your friends and family – should prep:
"Police described the shooter as a Hispanic male ..."
TRENDING: St. Patrick's role on the 'external hard drive'
We all know this Seattle mall shooter is Turkish, not Hispanic. But for at least the first 12 hours of this investigation, the entire world was informed by mass media that the police were actively looking for an "Hispanic male."
Now I don't know if the guy currently in custody is the shooter. He deserves his day in court just like any other American. But the police seem to be pretty certain that they got their guy. And guess what? He isn't Hispanic.
Below is a collection of "mug shots" culled from the Internet. Because I got them from the web, I can't say what the deposition of their cases were and I won't include any names. But half of them have Hispanic surnames and half of them have surnames associated with the Middle East. So which are which?
In reporting the Seattle mall shooter was Hispanic, the press will most likely whine: "Well, that's what the police said!" But that's really not good enough, and points to one of the problems we have with the mainstream media: They no longer bother with journalism, especially if the press release they post as news already fits the social justice warrior marching orders.
Ancillary to that is an article on Zerohedge:
Apparently Politifact (and all the other "truth" sources) has no long-term memory. Or maybe it's just that their "moral compass" has been degaussed. In any event, you should never trust anything you read in the press or from "fact checking" organizations. Question everything, and do your own research. It's the only way to come to the truth.
A prepper's greatest currency is accurate information.
And that's one of the reasons we prep.
The mailbox
A few weeks ago, I covered the two kinds of "idiots" that you shouldn't listen to in times of trouble. I called them the "Everything is fine gang" (EFG) and the "You can't win" mob (YCW).
But I need to apologize for missing out on another clueless bunch I should have warned you to avoid. I'm referring, of course, to the Basement Warriors (BWs). These are the rocking-chair Rambos who will tell you to stack the bodies of your fallen enemies around your bug-out location like cord wood. (Anybody ever smell a dead body after a few days?) They'll say things like, "The Number One prepping item you cannot be without is a GUN. With it, you can get everything else."
You know, I had a fellow in my family tree who operated on that philosophy. I can't say he was an ancestor, because so far as I know he wasn't around long enough to pass along his unique genetic heritage. He grew up (briefly) in the real-world prepper society that was the Kansas Territory in the 1800s, and he had both a gun and a fondness for other people's horses. I imagine he also had a big mouth, because he was only eighteen when he came down with a fatal case of "hemp fever" given to him by a bunch of organized practical preppers who also had guns ... and a fairly strict moral worldview.
Folks, avoid or ignore the "Hollywood heroes." If the SHTF, they'll still be in the garage, waiting for Mom to bring lunch while yelling about a lack of signal.
So I was feeling pretty smug up until a few days ago. If you remember, last week I promised to tell you about a way you could keep three months' worth of potable water for four people in your home or apartment. Further, I said you could do this with the cost of the major components coming in for around $70.
So for the first few days after the column was posted, I kept checking the commentary to see if any of the regulars had winkled out my plan. There was a bunch of good ideas shared, especially the reminder from Noble Gunnz that your hot water tank can provide you with up to 50 gallons of drinking water, and a mention about swimming pools and personal filtration devices from J2. (Also a tip of the hat to Jim_AZ and Truthbetold who both understand that community and God are the only real answers to long-term survival.)
Anyway, I was selfishly pleased that no one had guessed my answer for urbanite water storage until an8340 and KevinR let the cat out of the bag (no pun intended). Both these posters mentioned the WaterBob.
The WaterBob was originally created for providing a survival water source in hurricane situations. It consists of a heavy-duty clear sealable plastic bag you can put in your bathtub, fill from the tap and then access with a detachable siphon pump. The manufacturers say it can hold up to 100 gallons and will keep the contained water usable for up to 16 weeks.
Of course, there are a few challenges that remain before I meet my goal of providing you with a way to have 270 gallons of stored water in your urban home. The first is that if you install a WaterBob in your tub, unless you are really into "slip and slides," that tub is pretty much out of commission for its designated use. So if you're going to use WaterBobs to handle your 270 gallons, you're going to either need several tubs, or you'll need to place the WaterBobs in different containers.
And you have another problem to overcome. Standard domestic construction requirements mandate that a house or apartment floor be constructed to handle a live load of 40 pounds per square foot (psf). Bathroom floors are usually constructed for a higher psf load because water is heavy (8.5 pounds per gallon).
Although the WaterBob manufacturers claim their product can "... be filled to capacity without the support of a bathtub," they recommend using a tub for ease of filling. Also, if your kid decides to test the WaterBob's construction with a fork, the leaking water will have somewhere to go other than your downstairs neighbor's head.
So if you want to have several WaterBobs' worth of water stored for emergency use, you ought to make a containment structure that can both spread the weight load to safe levels, and maybe allow you to both protect your water supply from sharp objects ... and prying eyes.
A frame constructed with standard 2x12 lumber with an interior dimension of approximately 3 by 5 feet creates a footprint of 15 square feet. This means you can put about 70 gallons of water in each WaterBob within that frame and not exceed the 40 psf limit. Slap a piece of plywood on top of the frame, cover with a table cloth and you have a new coffee table. Or design your own kitchen "island" work table over the top of a framed WaterBob, and away you go. Stick one in a storage shed, under a bed, or in a walk-in closet.
And, as one commenter noted, you can pick up two WaterBobs for about $35 each by shopping around (try Amazon).
The point is, four WaterBobs can provide you with all the water you'll need in an extended emergency for a family of four for three months.
Oh yeah, a couple of other points and a disclaimer. For longer storage, you should treat that water with the appropriate amount of regular unscented chlorine bleach (six drops per gallon). You should also consider lining your wood frame with a heavy sheet of plastic to make a "tub" in case of leaks. And you should be aware of the fact that a lot of home and rental agreements contain clauses about weight limits and liquid storage. Just sayin'.
There are other options for water storage out there, and no doubt we'll get to them in later columns. But for now, start thinking water, ignore the Basement Warriors, and get prepared.
(Disclaimer: The author of this column did not receive a darn thing from the makers of the WaterBob, and has no association with its manufacturer, marketers or advertisers. But he should. It's a fine article.)
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