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Safe Food Handling, by B.H. in Western Washington
Safe food handling is critical for a healthy life in both good and bad times.
As a former restaurant manager, I can tell you food safety or customer safety
was priority number
one. It’s hard to make money when you’ve killed your customers,
which is the alternative to safe food handling. Death or severe illness is
the unforgiving consequence to food borne illness. Food borne illnesses doesn’t
just happen in restaurants it happens everywhere food is handled and prepared
whether it’s during decadent affluence or full scale TEOTWAWKI.
Please don’t confuse food poisoning with food borne illnesses. Chemicals,
bacteria, or certain foods like wild poisonous mushrooms and berries cause
food poisoning. Germs that grow in food or in our bodies cause food borne infections.
Symptoms of food borne infections include headache, fever, stomachache, vomiting
and diarrhea. These symptoms can start showing in just a few hours or take
several weeks to appear. The CDC estimates
that every year 76 million Americans get sick and nearly 5,000 die each year
from food borne illnesses.
Some groups of people are more susceptible to food borne illness. Health professionals
recognize the following groups:
Younger than 5 years old
Older than 65 years old
Pregnant
Immune-compromised (due to AIDS,
cancer, diabetes, certain medications, or other conditions) These "at risk:
groups are described with the
acronym YOPI.
These groups are highly susceptible and usually get sick more often or have
more severe symptoms. Also some foods are more likely to cause food borne
illness in YOPI. These foods include the following:
Unpasteurized milk or juices
Raw sprouts
Undercooked eggs
Raw oysters
Undercooked meats
Facilities that cater to YOPI such as nursing homes, hospitals, child-care
centers, and adult care homes have additional food safety requirements. If
you are thinking of producing foods products for sale or take care of others
during hard times, then additional research in warranted for consumer safety.
Right now it is illegal to sell unpasteurized dairy products but I’ve
heard of some families buying fresh milk as “pig feed” for consumption.
Another case of ingenuity over the nanny state.
Hazards In Food
The obvious goal of food safety is to prevent the hazards that cause food borne
illness or injury. Most of the hazards in foods are things you cannot taste,
see or even smell. Injury or illness can be caused by three types of food
borne hazards in food and drink. They are:
Physical Hard or soft objects like glass or fingernails
Chemical Naturally occurring or added substances like cleaning agents
Biological Germs like parasites, viruses and bacteria
Physical hazards occur because of unsafe food handling practices or contamination.
Physical contamination can be prevented by:
Looking closely at the foods you prepare
Washing fruits and vegetables carefully
Keeping your food prep area clear of things that can fall into the food
Chemical hazards like soaps, cleaners, sanitizers and pesticides must be
stored away from food, food prep areas and utensils. If you must store chemicals
in
the kitchen area put them on the lowest shelf below food or food contact
surfaces so nothing can drip onto food. All chemical containers should be
marked and
labeled.
Never use a container as a food or beverage storage
container if it previously was used to store chemicals. Sometimes it helps
to say the obvious.
How to avoid chemical contamination:
Store all chemicals below food and prep areas
Label all chemical containers
Use only food grade approved containers to store food
Don’t use galvanized containers, since zinc coatings can be harmful.
Make sure all your food is covered and protected when cleaning
Biological contamination is the world of germs like bacteria, parasites and
viruses.
Parasites Tiny worms that live in Pork, Fish and meats that can be killed
if frozen or cooked to the right temperatures. Parasites are also found I
contaminated
water.
Safety measures for parasites:
Cook all meat, pork and fish to proper temps
Filter or treat water before consuming or cooking
Eat sushi at your own risk
Viruses Viruses are very common-like the common cold, chicken pox or influenza
and freezing don’t destroy them. The disgusting thing is that these viruses
are usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route when a food handler doesn’t
wash their hands correctly or at all. Hepatitis A and the Novovirus are two
common viruses transmitted in this fashion.
Safety measures for viruses:
Don’t handle or prep when you have diarrhea, fever or have been vomiting
Wash your hands twice after using the toilet. Once I the bathroom and again in
the food prep area. Hand washing should be hot water, soap and long enough to
sing “Happy Birthday”
Use disposable gloves or utensils whenever possible-especially ready-to-eat
foods
Bacteria
The ever present big-bad bacteria. This is the most predominant of
food borne illnesses. Unlike viruses, bacteria can actually grow in foods and
cause food
to spoil or cause food borne illness. It is critical to focus on time, temperature
and cleanliness when preparing food. Even though bacteria are everywhere they
tend to prosper in certain foods. These foods are called Potentially Hazardous
Foods.
Potentially Hazardous Foods
Animal Products
Meat, fish, poultry, seafood and eggs
Dairy products
Cooked Starches
Cooked Rice, beans, pasta and potatoes
Fruits and Vegetables
Cooked Vegetables
Cut melons
Sprouts (bean and alfalfa sprouts)
Tofu
Garlic and Herbs bottled in oil
Safety measures for protection from bacteria:
Keep potentially hazardous foods out of the danger zone (41-140 degrees
F)
Don’t work with food when you are ill (diarrhea, vomiting or fever)
Wash hands twice after using the restroom
Wash, rinse and sanitize all utensils used for food prep
Use gloves and utensils when working with ready-to-eat foods
Food Safety
Rules
Rule 1: Food handlers must have good personal hygiene
Rule 2: Food must be cooked and held at correct temperatures
Rule 3: Prevent cross-contamination when preparing and storing food
Rule 1: Food handlers must have good personal hygiene from hand washing to
keeping fingernails trimmed for cleanliness. The most likely time for contamination
is
the following:
After using the restroom
After handling garbage or dirty dishes
After handling raw meat, fish or poultry
After eating or smoking
After sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose
After handling animals or using chemicals
Note: Using hand sanitizer is not an acceptable substitute for hand washing.
Rule 2: Food must be cooked and held at correct temperatures that avoid the
danger zone of 40-140 degrees F. Every kitchen should have two or more metal
stem thermometers
and you should know how to use it and calibrate it. Food that sits in the
danger zone quickly produces harmful levels of bacteria and toxins that can
make you
sick.
Potentially hazardous food may be at room temperature for up to 2 Hours while
you are preparing it. The basic procedure is to keep cold food cold and hot
food hot while in the preparation stage.
Note: If food has been left out at room temp or you don’t know long it’s
been in the danger zone—Throw it out!! When it doubt—Throw
it out!!
Thermometers are an essential tool for every kitchen just like a stove or
oven. There are two types of thermometers:
Metal Stem Thermometer Metal stem with dial face-can be calibrated and
must stay in food for 20 seconds to get accurate reading.
Digital Thermometer Very accurate especially for thin meats like hamburger
patties. Downside:: it is an electronic device.
Using a thermometer:
Calibrate by setting into glass of water with crushed ice-should read 32 degrees.
If it doesn’t, then adjust nut underneath until needle hits 32
Make sure the stem is clean and sanitized before and after each use
Always take reading at the thickest part of the food which is usually
in the center
Hold stem for several seconds until reading holds steady
The best way to kill germs is to cook food to the right temperature in the
right amount of time. Cooking temps depend on the type of food, prep procedures
and
cooking time.
Cooking with a microwave deserves a special warning. Microwaves cook food
unevenly so if you cook raw animal products you must cook to 165 degrees,
keep it most
and covered and stir it at least once to make sure all of it hits 165 degrees.
This applies to re-heating food also.
Hot Holding food (140 degrees F or hotter) is the holding hot food at service
temperature for extended periods of time. Cooking doesn’t kill all
bacteria so cooked potentially hazardous food must be kept hot until served.
If the
temp falls into the danger zone bacteria can begin to multiply, thus quickly
contaminating the food. Anything used to hold food at 140 degrees or higher
must be warmed
up to temp prior to putting food into it.
Tips for keeping hot food hot:
Never mix cold foods with cooked foods
Cover pans
Stir food often to distribute the heat
Reheating food that is cooked and properly cooled can be re-heated to any
temp if served and eating immediately. Cold food that will be hot held needs
to
be reheated to 165 degrees in under two hours or more quickly.
Cooking Temperatures
Foods that need to be cooked to 165 degrees F (for 15 seconds):
Poultry-Chicken, Turkey, Waterfowl, all game birds
Stuffed foods and stuffing
Casseroles
All raw animal products cooked in a microwave
All reheated potentially hazardous foods
Foods that need to be cooked to 155 degrees F (for 15 seconds):
Hamburger
Sausage
All ground meats
Foods that need to be cooked to 145 degrees F (for 15 seconds):
Fish
Beef
Eggs
Pork
Foods that need to be cooked to 140 degrees F (for 15 seconds):
Packaged ready-to-eat foods (canned chili/hot dogs) heated for hot holding
Vegetables that will be hot held
Beef and Pork roasts require additional cooking requirements-specifically
making sure internal temp of pork reaches 150 degrees F. Cooling Foods
Keeping cold foods cold is the key to food safety at the lower end of the
temp spectrum. Again the danger zone is 40 degrees to 140 degrees F. Cold
food must
be kept at 41 degrees F or colder. If using ice make sure the ice surrounds
the food to the top level of the food. Cold salads made from food at room
temp must
be lowered to 41 degrees F or lower within 4 hours. Try pre-chilling all
ingredients before making cold salads to expedite the process.
Thawing foods need special care to prevent bacteria from growing on the outside
of food while the inside remains frozen. Here are three methods for thawing:
Submerge food under cold running water-70 degrees or colder until thawed
Put frozen foods into the refrigerator for the safest method---bottom
shelf
Thaw during cooking process or in the microwave—small portions only
Cooling foods is the riskiest step in food preparation because bacteria grows
very quickly in cooling food. The goal is to get the food cooled through
the danger zone as quickly as possible. It’s also important to take cooling
seriously since certain bacteria produce poisons that won’t be destroyed
during reheating.
The following three cooling methods are approved in Washington State and are
very similar to requirements in corporate restaurant chains nationwide. (My
experience
was
with Brinker International-Chili’s Grill & Bar in Washington & Alabama--great
standards!)
Three Methods for cooling:
1. Shallow Pan Method (food no deeper than 2 inches)
2. Size reduction (cutting solid foods into smaller pieces)
3. Time and Temperature monitored (forcing food to cool in short amount of
time)
Cooling Method 1: Shallow Pan is basically taking large quantities of food
and dividing it into several smaller and shallow pans for cooling. Works
best for
chili, rice, refried beans, potatoes, casseroles, ground meat and meatloaf.
Steps for shallow pan method:
1. Put hot food into shallow pans no more than 2 inches deep
2. Put pans onto top shelf of refrigerator to cool and keep food from dripping
into it
3. Make sure air can move around pans so don’t stack or cover
4. Only cover food when temp reaches 41 degrees F or less
Cooling Method 2: Size reduction is simply cutting large pieces into smaller
pieces for
Cooling. This method works best for large whole food like roasts, turkey
or ham. Not recommended for ground meats.
Steps for size reduction method:
1. Cut large meat into chunks no larger than 4 inches
2. Put onto tray for cooling. No pieces should be touching
3. Put pans onto top shelf of refrigerator to cool and keep food from dripping
into it
4. Make sure air can move around pans so don’t stack or cover
5. Only cover food when temp reaches 41 degrees F or less
Cooling Method 3: Time and Temperature Monitored is a 2 step process that
must be closely watched or not used.
Step 1: Food must cool down from 140 degrees F to 70 degrees F in 2 hours.
Step 2: Food must finish cooling to 41 degrees F or less within 6 hours.
For example: The ice bath method is very suitable for sauces, gravy and soups.
Just drop hot pot of food into ice water bath right below the edge of the
pot. Stir often to facilitate the cooling throughout the food. You will need
to
keep adding ice as it cools and melts ice in the water. Make sure it cools
down to
70 degrees F in 2 hours and under 41 degrees F within 6 hours. Cover and
put in the fridge once it cools.
Preventing Cross Contamination
Cross Contamination is the spread of bacteria from raw meat onto other foods.
The main source of cross contamination is when blood or juice from raw meat
gets onto the surfaces of utensils, cutting boards, countertop and hands
and then
gets onto ready to eat foods.
The obvious: Keep raw meat away from other food.
Tips to avoid cross contamination:
Wash and sanitize all surfaces and utensils that contact raw meat
Wash hands after touching raw meat
Prep raw meat away from other foods
Designate a separate cutting board just for raw meat
Store raw meat below all other foods in fridge and freezer
Store meats with higher cooking temp below meats with lower cooking temp
(Raw chicken juice on fish doesn’t get killed at 145 degrees F)
Wash Cycle is a four-step process to practice when cleaning and sanitizing.
The 4 steps are as follows:
1. Wash Hot Water and soap to remove food particles.
2. Rinse Clean and hot
3. Sanitize soak dishes in warm water with measured amount of sanitizer
4. Air Dry Dishcloths can contaminate clean dishes.
Some folks refer to this as the 3-sink system with dish rack as step four.
Sanitizer: 1 teaspoon unscented chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of cool water
This concludes the formal food borne illness information that you can basically
receive from any County Health Department. Health departments hold two-hour
classes for less than $20 to review and test over this information. Those
who pass receive
a food handler’s permit and you receive all this info in a handy booklet,
which you should keep with your cookbooks. I think the class is worth every
penny just on the cool horror stories they tell from doing restaurant inspections.
It will raise the hair on your neck. Yuck!
Application in Preparedness
Home is where the application of this information is vital. Putting these
standards into practice is very easy. Even if you have a single sink in the
kitchen you
can meet these standards. My brother and I insist on a three-sink system
when at hunting camp after everyone got the runs from soap residue on the
utensils.
An easy three-sink bug out system looks like this:
Three plastic dish tubs from Wal-Mart ($3)
Folding camp dish rack ($3)
Small Bottle of bleach and dish soap ($3)
Scrub sponge, wash cloth and dish towel ($3)
Put all items into the first tub and stack onto other two tubs. Everything
should sit inside tubs and then inside plastic bag for easy grab and carry.
I’ve taken it a step further and I have a Rubbermaid bin with all kitchen
items for camp kitchen. Tubs with all items above inside and next to them
are several small Rubbermaid bins. One with silverware, one with spices,
one with
knives, one with serving and cooking utensils and even one with small cookbooks
inside. Underneath all that is flat pan, frying pan and Dutch oven. I have
to keep a separate large bin for rest of Dutch oven cookware for weight distribution
and 2nd priority pile for rapid relocate.
In a less than decadent world we will be preparing a lot more of our food
and game. Game processing should be staged for safety also. Gut and field
dress
away from anything else, making sure not to perforate intestines and soil
meat. Keep
a bucket of sanitizer when butchering and stage process to separate cutting
from rinsing and wrapping.
I try to thaw meat while it’s in a pan marinating—"two birds with
one stone". Saltiness of the marinade with cold temps almost assures of zero
bacterial growth while thawing.
Hunting camp can be a perilous place when guys who never do more than fire
up the grill start preparing meals for several days. I’ve learned to avoid
the perils of “Montezuma’s Revenge” by preparing all the
meals at home first. Pre-cooking and storing in Ziploc bags makes camp cooking
easy.
Pasta cooked and bagged, chili opened and bagged, all veggies and fruit diced,
cut and bagged. To heat up food just heat up water. For example:
Take steaks or meat out of package and put into large Ziploc with marinade
for one day then freeze flat. Replaces same amount of ice and is ready to cook
on
day 3 or 4 when thawed.
Freeze cooked pasta with marinara and meatballs. Day 2 meal just drop
bag into boiling water and dinner is ready.
Cooking in Ziploc bags means no dishes to clean except utensils and hot
water is already to go. Assuming your using mostly paper plates.
Pre-cutting and bagging vegetables means less time cooking and more time
with Cousin George Dickel and family hunting lies around the fire. Dump cut
veggies, venison, 2 cups wine, 2 cups water and 2 packs of stew seasoning into
Dutch
oven
and three hours later dinner is done.
All of these ideas save time, energy and avoid food borne illness. You should
plan on cooking your food to well done to avoid possible danger during a
true survival situation. Diarrhea in the field can be as deadly as "Mutant
Zombies" or a well-intentioned bureaucrat.
In closing, I highly recommend sitting through a county health department
class on food borne illness. Two hours on a weeknight could save your life
or someone
else’s. I hope this helps keep you and your families safer. I’ll
get back to you when I figure out how to make nachos over the campfire. Straight
Ahead! - B.H. in Western Washington (soon to be in north Idaho)
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Letter Re: Caustic Chlorine Troubles, and Using Dry Chlorine for Water Treatment
Dear Jim:
As you know, ordinary chlorine bleach is an item with a multitude of potential
uses in survival situations. In addition to its common use in the laundry to
brighten our whites, it can also purify drinking water and serve as a general
disinfectant to sanitize food preparation areas and control the spread of disease
causing bacteria.
Liquid chlorine bleach, however, is inconvenient to store. Only about 5.25%
- 7.5% of each eight pound gallon is active sodium (or calcium) hypochlorite;
the rest is just water. Yet because of the potency of its active ingredient,
and the flimsiness of typical plastic bleach bottles, it poses a constant risk
to everything stored near it.
One potential solution is to store concentrated dry chlorine granules; commonly
available as swimming pool shock treatment. Available in a wide variety of
sizes, swimming pool shock treatment typically contains from 50% - 60% active
calcium hypochlorite, making it much lighter in weight and 10 times as concentrated
as liquid bleach, but not susceptible to spilling and leaking risks. Theoretically,
it should be possible to make your own chlorine bleach by simply combining
the proper amount of water and dry granules.
I quickly discovered, however, that storing dry chlorine poses hazards of its
own. Initially, I purchased two 1 pound plastic bags of swimming pool shock
treatment and stored them in a small closet along with a variety of other preparedness
items. The granules generated a strong chlorine smell in the closet, but when
access was needed, opening the door for a minute or two would reduce the small
to a tolerable level.
About a year later, however, I went to reorganize the closet, and was startled
to find many things badly corroded by fumes from the granules. Several storage
tins were badly rusted, some 200-hour emergency candles in tins were nearly
rusted clear through, and the steel ends of some batteries were also corroded.
Surprisingly, even some lightweight cardboard boxes were so badly degraded
that they virtually disintegrated when handled, and a 10-page document (about
emergency water) which had been printed on our computer's inkjet printer was
virtually erased!
To combat these problems, I bought a fresh supply of (HTH brand $3.35/lb. at
Wal-Mart) chlorine granules and stored them in an all-glass canister with a
glass top, rubber ring, and spring wire snap latch ($4.44 at Wal-Mart) . That
has solved my storage problem.
In an article on emergency water purification, in addition to the old 10 drops
of bleach per gallon of clear water or 20 drops per gallon of cloudy formula;
I found this recipe for using granular pool chlorine:
For use in purifying drinking water, first prepare a stock solution of one heaping
teaspoon of granules dissolved in two gallons of water. This may then be mixed
at the
rate of 1 part
stock solution to 100 parts water for disinfection purposes. That would equal:
1 quart for 25 gallons, 6 1/2 ounces for five gallons, or 2 Tbsp. per gallon.
Jim, I wish you could help me find out: How much dry chlorine would be
needed to make a one gallon batch of standard 5.25% chlorine bleach?
I haven't been able to find that information anywhere! These HTH granules are
54% calcium hypochlorite.
Perhaps you or one of your chemistry-savvy readers could figure-out the correct
formula. Sincerely, - Steve W
JWR Replies:
It is best to keep your sodium hypochlorate in powdered form until just before
it is used. Once it is put in solution, it weakens over time. This
can create confusion
about its remaining concentration when it is eventually used to treat water. Back
in June of 2007, SurvivalBlog reader Terry M. kindly provided some
useful details on treating water with both commonly available forms of hypochlorate
powder. Perhaps some readers would care to chime in about the dry measure
required for making each gallon of liquid bleach. (I'm not a chemist!)
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Time For Retreat Logistics Stage Two--The Soft Items
If you are a regular SurvivalBlog reader, the odds are that you already have the majority of your key logistics squared
away, like food storage, tools, guns, communications gear. So
now it is time to stock up on "soft" and perishable items. These
include over the counter medications, vitamins, chemical light sticks, matches,
paper
products,
cleansers, spices, liquid fuels, and so forth.
You need to exercise caution when stockpiling soft items, for several reasons:
1.) Shelf Life and Deterioration. Some items like pharmaceuticals,
batteries, and chemical light sticks are best stored in a refrigerator. Keep
in mind that items like
matches
are
vulnerable to humidity. (BTW, do not store matches in Mason
type glass jars! Resist the urge, or else you'll inadvertently make a glass
shrapnel bomb! Instead, use a vacuum sealer,
such
as
the
Tilia FoodSaver sealers sold by Ready Made Resources. This is also a great
way to keep rubber bands (including elastrator
bands) from deteriorating. Exposure to sunlight, or heat, or moisture can
all be deleterious to soft goods.
2.) Bulkiness. Paper products like paper towels, toilet paper,
and paper napkins are extremely bulky, per dollar value. If you have limited
storage space then you will need to budget that space carefully.
3.) Flammability. You should think of your stored paper products
as house
fire tinder, and your stored liquid fuels as potential fire accelerants
and explosives. One mistake that that I've heard mentioned is storing numerous
gasoline cans at home, in an attached garage. Most garages have a hot water
heater, often
fired by natural gas or propane. Uh oh! Store gas cans, oil-based
paint cans, and bulk lubricants only in a well-ventilated outbuilding that
is well-removed
from your residence. Be sure to check your state and local fire code for permissible
limits.
4.) OPSEC risk. The aforementioned bulk of stored paper products
also makes them obtrusive to casual observers. This present s an OPSEC risk.
If you have 500 rolls of toilet paper and
paper towels in your garage, someone is likely to notice. OBTW, one item that
I've stored as a potential barter item is sheet plywood. Those extra plywood
sheets, if
properly positioned can keep prying eyes away from your stockpiles.
5.) Abundance-Inspired Waste. Human nature dictates that
when something is scarce, it is used frugally, but when it is abundant, it
tends to get used more wastefully. I've seen this happen with my children,
in target practice with .22 rimfire ammunition. If they know that they have
just 50 rounds apiece available for a shooting session, they make every shot
count. But if there
is a full "brick" of ammo sitting there, it soon starts to sound like a day at
Knob Creek.
In his book The
Alpha Strategy, John Pugsley mentioned some friends that "invested" in
stocking their own home wine cellar. They determined that it would be less
expensive to
buy wine by the case. But they soon had so much wine that they got in the
habit of having a bottle with dinner
almost
every evening. So even though the per-bottle cost decreased,
their monthly expense on wine actually doubled! OBTW Pugsley's The
Alpha Strategy is highly recommended. It
is
available for free download, but I recommend also
picking
up a used
copy,
for
reference. They are often available through Amazon.com for less than
$5.
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The Elephant in the Room, by Norman Church
“I’m right there in the room and no one acknowledges me.”
"We must face the prospect of changing our basic way of living. This change
will either be made on our own initiative in a planned way, or forced on us
with chaos and suffering by the inexorable laws of nature." - President Jimmy
Carter (1976)
Before we discuss this Elephant in the Room we must first briefly consider
the notion of ‘sustainability’. Too often people debate sustainability
issues from an understanding that is vague, incomplete or frankly flawed.
"Just exactly what is meant when the word 'sustainable' or ‘sustainability’ are
used?" They are popularly used to describe a wide variety of activities
which are generally ecologically laudable but which may not be sustainable.
First, we must accept the idea that "sustainable" has to mean “for
an unspecified long period of time.”
Secondly we have a spectrum for the use of the term "sustainable." At
one end of the spectrum, the term is used with precision by people who are
introducing new concepts as a consequence of thinking profoundly about the
long-term future of the human race. In the middle of the spectrum, the term
is simply added as a modifier to the names and titles of very beneficial studies
in efficiency, etc. that have been in progress for years. In some cases the
term may be used mindlessly (or possibly with the intent to deceive) in order
to try to shed a favourable light on continuing activities that may or may
not be capable of continuing for long periods of time.
The Government of the United Kingdom defines a ‘sustainable community’ in
its 2003 Sustainable Communities Plan: ‘Sustainable communities are places
where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They meet the diverse
needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment,
and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well
planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services
for all.’
So there briefly we have “sustainable”?
If we follow on from the above we can see that a ‘sustainable population’ would
be one that can survive over the long term, I am talking of thousands to tens
of thousands of years, without running out of resources or damaging the environment
in the process. This means that most of the resources we use have to be both
renewable through natural processes and entirely recycled if they are not renewable.
Our numbers and level of activity must not generate more waste than natural
processes can return to the biosphere. A sustainable population must not grow
past the point where those natural limits are breached.
If the population does exceed the carrying capacity, the death rate will increase
until the population numbers are stable. Using these criteria it is obvious
that the current human population is not sustainable.
In the entire environmental-related discussion taking place, population is
a word we seldom dare to speak and it is conspicuous by its absence: Population
is the elephant in the room.
It is obvious that something has massively increased the world's carrying capacity
in the last 150 years. During the first 1800 years of the Common Era, like
the tens of thousands of years before, the population rose very gradually as
humanity spread across the globe. Around 1800 this began to change, and by
1900 the human population was rising dramatically:
That something is oil.
Peak Oil
As we all know, but are sometimes reluctant to contemplate, oil is a finite,
non-renewable resource. This automatically means that its use is not sustainable.
Oil and Natural Gas are finite! There may be arguments over how much oil/gas
there was/is but, regardless of what that number is they are finite, absolute.
If the use of oil is not sustainable, then of course the added carrying capacity
the oil has provided is likewise unsustainable. Carrying capacity has been
added to the world in direct proportion to the use of oil, and the disturbing
implication is that if our oil supply declines, the carrying capacity of the
world will automatically fall with it.
These two observations (that oil has expanded the world's carrying capacity
and oil use is unsustainable) combine to yield a further implication. While
humanity has apparently not yet reached the carrying capacity of a world with
oil, we are already in drastic overshoot when you consider a world without
oil. In fact our population today is at least five times what it was before
oil came on the scene. If this sustaining resource were to be exhausted, our
population would have no option but to decline to the level supportable by
the worlds lowered carrying capacity.
What are the chances that we will experience a decline in our global oil supply?
Of course given that oil is a finite, non-renewable resource, such an occurrence
is inevitable. The field of study known as Peak Oil has generated a vast amount
of analysis that indicates this decline will happen soon, and may even be upon
us right now. The decline in oil supply will reduce the planet's carrying capacity,
thus forcing humanity into overshoot with the inevitable consequence of a population
decline.
The rapidity of the decline following the peak will determine whether our descent
will be a leisurely stroll down to the canyon floor or a headlong tumble carrying
a little sign reading, "Help!"
Each of the global problems we face today is the result of too many people
using too much of our planet's finite, non-renewable resources and filling
its waste repositories of land, water and air to overflowing. The true danger
posed by our exploding population is not our absolute numbers but the inability
of our environment to cope with so many of us doing what we do.
But are there other factors besides these that may contribute to overshoot
with the inevitable consequence of a population decline.
The United Kingdom
UK population growth is environmentally unsustainable, and if it is environmentally
unsustainable it is also economically unsustainable, for without ecologically
healthy land our economy will not be able to support its own people without
causing damage to the environment.
Today, the UK population is about 62 million and is one of the most crowded
areas in the world. In 1750, when the Industrial Revolution was beginning,
it was about 6 million. It had never exceeded this figure, although during
the Dark Ages and after the Black Death it fell to one or two million.
Most people lived and died in poverty. Pre-industrial farmers were pushed to
the limit to feed so many. The population increased slightly in years with
good harvests, but starvation and malnutrition cut it back to the 6 million
norm when harvests were bad.
We are in fantasy land if we think that we can continue to support the number
of people that we do now without the full input of oil and its related products.
We have become so dependent on those fuels, that there is no way we can sustain
ourselves at this population density and level of technology without them.
Even something as basic as food will become impossible to produce, process
and transport for our present numbers without fuel.
Just as redistributing greenhouse gas emissions is no solution to climate change,
population redistribution provides no long-term solution to environmental sustainability
- total population numbers need to decrease both in the UK and worldwide, alongside
efforts to reduce people's individual environmental impacts.
By adding over two million more people (extra producers of greenhouse gas emissions
through household, transport and business use) to the population of the UK
since 1997, and by allowing the number of climate changers to rise by more
than 300,000 people a year, the government's population policy has undermined
most of its environmental goals.
Climate Change
The climate change scenario for the UK is one of initial warming. Longer drier
summers and stormy wetter winters are predicted, based on a temperature rise
of 2/3.5° Celsius for the UK by the 2080s [UK Climate Impacts Programme,
2002]. [1]
But a 5.8° Celsius rise is possible, with some climate scientists suggesting
even faster warming. In the UK, 2006 was the warmest year since records began
in 1659.
The Benfield Hazard Research Centre at University College, London, has produced
maps of Britain showing the additional impact of sea-level rise under three
scenarios. [2]
There is also increasing evidence of another worrying scenario - the possible
failure of the Gulf Stream that keeps Britain's climate warm. Without it, the
UK would be plunged rapidly into freezing temperatures that would prevail for
many generations, and be unable to support its current population of nearly
60 million.
Extremes of temperature and climate, combined with weather-related disruptions,
would severely reduce the size of the country's population carrying capacity.
Food
The UK does not need to be wholly self-sufficient in food, but with population
continuing to grow, urbanisation eating up farmland, and more of our remaining
agricultural land likely to be used for energy crops, food production will
be further squeezed.
The introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the biosphere
poses a danger similar to that of disease. When a plant GMO is created, its
pollen spreads around the world. It is quite conceivable that much of mankind’s
food supply could be eliminated, simply by a terrible error in which the introduction
of one or more GMOs resulted in the global loss of harvests of a staple food,
such as a cereal grain. [3]
The systems that produce the world's food supply are heavily dependent on fossil
fuels. Vast amounts of oil and gas are used as raw materials and energy in
the manufacture of fertilisers and pesticides, and at all stages of food production:
from planting, irrigation, feeding and harvesting, through to processing, distribution
and packaging.
In addition, fossil fuels are essential in the construction and the repair
of equipment and infrastructure needed to facilitate this industry, including
farm machinery, processing facilities, storage, ships, trucks and roads. The
industrial food supply system is one of the biggest consumers of fossil fuels
and one of the greatest producers of greenhouse gases.
Almost every current human endeavour from transportation, to manufacturing,
to electricity to plastics, and especially food production is inextricably
intertwined with oil and natural gas supplies. We are now at a point where
the demand for food/oil continues to rise, while our ability to produce it
in an affordable fashion is about to drop.
Wastes
Changing consumption patterns reflecting higher material living standards are
causes which can be mitigated by changing habits and better recycling, but
the 2000-06 rate of increase in municipal waste exactly matches that of population
growth. As each individual recycles more of his or her own waste, success is
undermined by the constantly increasing numbers of people who create waste.
Power
Among the alternative power proposals is wind power. Wind power is clean and
carbon-free, and if the UK's offshore air currents remain as prevalent as they
are today, it will remain the most promising proven source of renewable energy
until and if technological innovations improve prospects for solar, wave and
tidal power.
But how much land would be needed to provide all our electricity? It depends
how much wind power can be constructed offshore. If half the 25,200 MW target
for 2020 (estimated to provide a fifth of UK electricity) were built onshore,
3,100 square kilometres of land would be needed - an area larger than the whole
county of Dorset (2,653 sq km). For wind power to supply all-electric homes
at today's rates of consumption, for today's 60 million people, several counties
would need to be covered with wind turbines.
Turbines are being built to rated capacities above 1MW, but whatever the capacity
of a turbine, and whatever the improvement in energy yield per hectare, these
calculations apply only to household electricity demand - if wind power were
to be used to produce hydrogen fuel cells as a substitute for petrol for motor
transport, land requirements for turbines would rise further.
Water
The total amount of water used in UK (on a per person basis, but including
domestic, industrial and agricultural withdrawals) is modest – about
550 litres per day - compared to the majority of countries in the world, because
agriculture can be carried on mostly without irrigation.
The UK Government attaches importance to the goal of lowering water use per
household because of increasing water constraints: rivers reduced to a trickle
for several months, reservoir levels dropping, water tables (for groundwater
supplies) continuing to drop. The large increases in the UK population experienced
during the last five years makes it even more important to try to push per
person consumption downwards.
Against this background, it is astonishing that the UK government has given
the go-ahead – indeed has promoted – a massive expansion of housing.
Half a million new homes are planned in the South East alone.
The CFRE (Campaign For Rural England) has said: ‘The Environment Agency’s
own figures show that for this number of houses to be sustainable would require
all the new houses to be 25% more
water-efficient and all existing houses to be 8% more water-efficient. Yet
200,000 new houses have already been built in the region without any water
conservation measures. Unless we can make the politicians and planners listen
and re-think, we are heading for disaster here in Eastern England.’
In a letter to The Guardian, on August 9 2006, Campaign to Protect Rural England
chief executive said:
‘Any attempt to define an optimum level for immigration… needs
to look beyond issues of the economy and social stability, important as these
are, to take into account the environment…. The UK is one of the most
densely populated and built up countries in the EU and some English regions
are already close to reaching the limits of their capacity to take further
development without serious damage to the environment or quality of life.’
Our total usage of water just puts us inside the WWF category of mild stress,
and we should regard this as a wake-up call. Along with every measure for reducing
per person use of water, through metering, efficient appliances, rainwater
harvesting, and reduction of pipe leakages, we should address the problem of
population.
UK Summary
The UK has until recently been one of the most resilient economies in the world.
Over the last 100 years, it has survived two world wars, staged spectacular
economic recoveries, been blessed with energy resources, and evolved from manufacturer
to the world into a service economy. But the position in which it now finds
itself looks bleaker.
The UK is no longer a net exporter of oil and gas, and though rising prices
will in the short term mitigate the impact of this reversal, its trade deficit
in goods and services continues to widen. Domestic energy substitutes are unlikely
to be able to support current levels of economic activity, and the insecurity
of energy imports and import prices is already evident.
Of all the problems that we have to face right now the convergence of Peak
Oil, Climate Change and economic instability are probably the most crucial
issues we face.
All these problems are merely symptoms of a single, deeper underlying problem.
They are symptoms of a species and a way of life that have grown beyond the
ability of this planet to supply enough resources or to cope with our inevitable
waste products. This growth is seen in the human population, currently surging
through 6.6 billion people worldwide. It is also seen in our economic and industrial
growth, with its emphasis on perpetually rising living standards and increasing
wealth.
The consequences are already clear - our planet is under mounting stress from
human activities, with its climate changing and its ecosystems failing. But
recognition that we must act urgently to preserve our natural habitat has been
undermined by persistent failure to admit the multiplier effect of human numbers.
Without policies to reduce world population, efforts to save our environment
cannot succeed.
The only thing that has enabled our numbers to shoot so far over the long-term
carrying capacity is the planet's one-time gift of fossil fuels. This has also
enabled our underlying destruction of the biosphere.
The global human population before the discovery of oil was about 1-billion.
Today it is about 6.6 billion and rising. Without oil, the earth will only
support about 2-3 billion, and only if we stop desecrating our environment
right now. We cannot continue to feed an expanding global population indefinitely.
The uncomfortable truth is that the impact on Earth's biosphere of a projected
9 billion people living at a desired higher standard of living in 2050 would
be fatal for the planet in terms of greenhouse gas emissions alone.
Conclusions
Given the fact that our world's carrying capacity is supported by oil, and
that the oil is about to start going away, it seems that a population decline
is inevitable. The form it will take, the factors that will precipitate it
and the widely differing regional effects are all imponderables.
Populations in serious overshoot always decline, though actually, it's a bit
worse than that. The population may actually fall to a lower level than was
sustainable before the overshoot.
The reason is that unsustainable consumption while in overshoot allowed the
species to use more non-renewable resources and to further poison their environment
with excessive wastes.
However it is important to recognize that humanity is not, overall, in a position
of overshoot at the moment. Our numbers are still growing (though the rate
of growth is declining).
However, we are getting obvious signals from our environment that all is not
well. If the carrying capacity were to be reduced as our numbers continued
to grow we could find ourselves in overshoot rather suddenly. The consequences
of that would be quite grave.
So here we have a huge, complex, brittle system built on the foundation of
a depleting, non-renewable resource and depending on a damaged environment
with diminished carrying capacity. If this system receives a series of shocks
(such as repeated local interruptions of its energy supply) the resulting failure
cascades can disrupt the organization of the system to such an extent that
the cohesion provided by its interconnections fails. Ironically those connections
themselves become the pathways that spread the failure to other parts of the
system.
What has all this theorizing to do with population?
Because we are now a global species with a global civilization, continuing
growth of our numbers depends on the continuing growth of our civilization.
Humanity does not grow through demographics alone; there must be a sufficient
level of food, shelter, energy and medical care available. All these factors
will be put at risk globally within the next two decades due to the loss of
oil and our ability to keep people alive will decline.Food production and distribution
will be hampered or in some cases made impossible, and due to the damage of
soil and water local agriculture will prove very difficult in some places.
If medical care erodes, so will infant mortality and longevity. The erosion
of urban sanitation systems will have an identical but greater effect. Across
the world the effects will be highly variable, with some places like the United
States and the United Kingdom suffering from the catastrophic decline in net
global oil exports that is now underway. Other countries like those at the
bottom of the list of developing nations will simply be too poor to compete
against the developed world for the resources needed for survival. Populations
will fall as a result.
This leads inevitably to the objection that such a position caps the aspirations
of less developed countries and is thus morally unacceptable. Be that as it
may, the facts remain: there aren't enough resources to bring the whole world
up to the industrial level of the developed world and the developed world is
unlikely to consent to their own voluntary impoverishment in favour of industrializing
the less developed world, and attempting such an approach would increase rather
than reduce global ecological devastation. There appears to be no possibility
of reducing global fertility through industrialization.
What is amazing is that today’s human society views the present planetary
catastrophe (to the limited extent that it considers it at all) only in terms
of its impact on itself – on the current generation of human beings.
From the viewpoint of future generations, Nero is fiddling as Rome burns.
According to the 2003 State of the World report by the Washington-based Worldwatch
Institute, the human race has only one or perhaps two generations to rescue
itself. "The longer that no remedial action is taken, the greater the
degree of misery and biological impoverishment that humankind must be prepared
to accept," the Institute says in its 20th annual report. Various other
reports, like that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change foresee
world-catastrophic conditions already for the second decade of this greatly
celebrated millennium.
The authors of The Limits to Growth suggested that it may be possible to avoid
the collapse, and transit peacefully to a long-term-sustainable equilibrium,
that was over thirty years ago.
I fear this ‘predicament’, not ‘crisis’, because these
conditions are not of recent origin and will not soon abate, may no longer
be solvable by ourselves and that the change will now be forced upon us with
chaos and suffering by the inexorable laws of nature.
Faith in technology as the ultimate solution to all problems can divert our
attention from the most fundamental problem--the problem of growth in a finite
system--and prevent us from taking effective action to solve it.
We must learn to live within carrying capacity without trying to enlarge it.
We must rely on renewable resources consumed no faster than at sustained yield
rates.
"If the present growth trends in world population, industrialization,
pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the
limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next one
hundred years. The most probable result will be a rather sudden and uncontrollable
decline in both population and industrial capacity." [4]
"As for man, there is little reason to think that he can, in the long run,
escape the fate of other creatures…….. During ten thousand years
his numbers have been on the upgrade in spite of wars, pestilence, and famines.
This increase
in population has become more and more rapid. Biologically, man has for too
long a time been rolling an uninterrupted run of sevens." - George R Stewart,
Earth Abides (1949)
References
[1] UK
Climate Impacts Programme, 2002.
[2] The Benfield Hazard Research Centre
[3] Human Genome Project Information
[4] The Limits to Growth (1972)
2003 State
of the World report by the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute
My special thanks to Paul Chefurka for his Peak Oil, Climate Chaos;
the
World Problematique;
to OPT; and
to Rosamund McDougall for their assistance.
Compiled by Norman.
J. Church
« Letter Re: NOAA Weather Spotter Training |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Letter Re: Being Prepared for an Avian Influenza Outbreak
Sir,
Please pass on a reminder to people to prepare themselves with a plan and supplies
to deal with for the inevitable event [of an Avian Influenza outbreak]. Begin by practicing impeccable agricultural
hygiene and discouraging any visitation of persons near their barn yards,
hen houses and migratory wildlife flocks of geese or ducks on or near their
ponds, open water sources or feed sources. This is best done with a couple
of good herding type dogs who don’t mind getting their feet wet in
the ponds or on the property watering holes. Our chickens are free range,
yet they are blocked from the access of the open water sources, and their
supple mental food and calcium sources are kept away from access of migrating
and indigenous species of birds. The dogs also help with poultry predatory
losses from fox, coons and hawks. - KBF
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Four Letters Re: The Home Chicken Flock for Self-Reliance
Hi Jim -
I am a "ten center" and read your blog every day. Just wanted to
say that I thought Keith in Minnesota's article on "Survival Chickens" was
outstanding. A really good example of maximizing what you have (and leveraging
Mother Nature) without spending huge amounts of effort or money to get a major
benefit. - John
Jim and Memsahib,
Regarding the recent blog entry "The Home Chicken Flock for Self-Reliance",
I have a few comments. I have been raising chickens since I was young and continue
to this day. Having a source of fresh eggs is great and I do agree that they
are not free. They are of a much superior quality and taste and they are right
there in your backyard. That makes them worthwhile.
I do disagree with a couple of care issues from the article. I always lock
up the birds at night. Poultry cannot see in the dark but their predators can.
Giving your birds a safe roost at night is trivial and you just need to make
closing them up at night part of your routine. If you are relying upon them
for a source of food, you can't afford to waste them by making the predators
fat. In addition, most predators will remember where they got their last meal
and will return time and time again leaving you with no survival stock.
Another item I differ from is the cleanliness. Clean water and a clean coop
is crucial for avoiding numerous illnesses. There are many methods to coop
cleaning and I lean toward the every week method. Ammonia from decomposing
manure build up can occur under damp conditions and the birds can develop serious
respiratory issues. In the cold weather, you can be a bit more relaxed with
coop cleaning if desired as the bedding usually freezes solid. Make sure the
coop is not drafty but good ventilation is a must to keep fresh air flowing
inside. As well as being beneficial to the birds it will dry up the bedding
and eliminate the ammonia smell.
Some other tips:
Many bantams chickens tend to be better foragers than standard breeds. You
also get smaller eggs but bird weight to egg ratio is pretty good (read: less
feed required per egg). Bantam roosters are much cockier than their larger
counterpart and will stand up to dogs. (But they don't always win!) Bantam
hens are great mothers who will incubate and brood any other type of poultry
you'd like to raise.
Bringing in new birds to your flock should be handled with care. I recommend
at least a two week quarantine before introduction. Chickens don't always telegraph
their illnesses and you may need to allow a disease to work through a more
advanced stage to be able to see it. Of course, the situation allows for it,
you should have some medications on hand to assist in the prevention/recovery.
Don't forget to sanitize shoes/boots and clothing after visiting another person's
coop. You can easily bring home diseases from the manure on your boots.
Chickens will eat nearly any table scraps you produce. We do not give ours
any onions (it will transfer the taste to the egg) or meat. Our birds get insects,
worms, and grubs for meat protein. These scraps will greatly reduce the amount
of feed required.- Rob
JWR,
Keep up the great work! I'm proud to be a double ten-cent subscriber and continually
amazed at the wealth of new topics that come up on your site. The recent post
on survival flocks is an excellent example of a concept I had not considered
before, but could be lifesaving.
Regarding the survival flock, did anyone else notice that the traits Kevin
in Minnesota breeds into his chickens are pretty much exactly the same traits
we work towards in ourselves and search for in group members?
1. Can you provide for you own food?
2. Do you have the ability to defend yourself from predators?
3. Are you smart enough to avoid predators in the first place?
4. Strong immune system?
5. Raise your own "chicks"?
I got a chuckle out of rereading the entire "survival flock" article
and applying everything in there to people. And for me, preparedness can be
summarized as Keith states, it's pretty easy to separate them into
two flocks, the dinner flock and the survivor flock. Which flock will you belong to when
the Schumer hits?
Speaking of Schumer, I'd like to comment on the recent Sanitation letter, and
the treatment of Schumer, the home-grown kind, not the political kind. I take
a different view on "The Humanure Handbook" than you. Yes, there
are risks in composting your own manure, but no more risk than kerosene, chainsaws,
and firearms. Each of these three items have inherent risks that are life-threatening,
but easily avoided thru training and safety precautions, just like humanure.
And fortunately, the "Humanure Handbook" is available free on-line, and it
provides all the details, and scientific studies that prove this is safe, and
how to
do it safely and easily. I will not go into the details of how, it's all there
in the book. But I will stress the advantages for people like me that plan
to build a retreat, but don't have a fortune to spend.
1. Huge Cost Savings. Not having to build a septic system will save thousands
of dollars.
2. Comfort and Convenience. No trudging outdoors thru the weather to a dark
and cold, or hot and bug infested, outhouse. And when done correctly, there
is
no smell!
3. OPSEC.
No need for everyone, several times a day, to expose themselves to prying eyes
to visit the outhouse. Have you ever seen the Academy Award-winning
movie "Unforgiven" starring Clint Eastwood? The outhouse scene amplifies
my fears. This especially applies to your observation posts if hidden. Do you
plan to drink hot liquids to stay awake during sentry duty? If so, you will
want a bucket system as described in the"Humanure Handbook" to
stay hidden.
4. Simplicity. No pipes to clog up and backup. No need to pump/store/waste
precious water on flushing. No reliance on a septic pumping company. Even in
your own outstanding book, "Patriots", the septic system became overloaded,
and had to be reserved for emergency use only. Why not skip it altogether?
5. Thrifty. Why waste perfectly good, home-grown fertilizer?
But to be fair and balanced, there are some minor drawbacks.
1. Sawdust and Hay. You need a "pickup truck" supply of sawdust per
year per family. The sawdust, or equivalent leaves/moss/hulls, is used to cover
your deposits, after each and every deposit (this is what prevents all fumes).
Fortunately, I love the smell of sawdust! But some planning/work is necessary
to ensure easy access to cover material (like sawdust). You will also need
about 8 bales of hay (or equivalent yard waste) per year per family to cover/protect/oxygenate
your compost pile.
2. Gray water System. If you have no septic system, you will need some kind
of gray water system to handle your wash water. Wash water can be from vegetables,
clothes, or your bath. Fortunately, these are easy to build, but are best thought
out in advance. Many sources of information are available on the internet.
3. Another Household Chore. Approximately weekly, someone must haul the full
buckets out to the compost pile, wash the buckets, and monitor the heat in
the compost. But this should only take 30 minutes at most. This is not labor
intensive at all.
4. Humility. You will need some humility to admit you use this system. But
this is good for you.
5. Fecophobia. Yes, there is such a word. Yes, your family/friends/neighbors
may shun you until you convince them. But this system works! How do you think
the Chinese have farmed the same land for centuries without external fertilizer
inputs? But Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).
As a side note, the excellent book by John Seymour titled "The Self Sufficient
Life and How to Live It", describes a similar humanure system, but without
buckets. So if the only thing holding you back is the buckets, I would also
recommend John Seymour's "Loveable Loo" as an alternative. Always
learning more, - Rookie
Dear JWR and Memsahib,
I wish to offer some helpful comment regarding the article prescribing “Hardening
Chickens”. I have raised chickens and other poultry in a free range setting
for 20 plus years. My pre-retirement career was that of a health care professional.
I have also worked and volunteered in community health care projects and health
education in several third world countries. I still volunteer my services when
the need arises and I am able to respond. While I strongly agree in the practice
of free ranging chickens and all poultry for that matter, for an aid to general
hardiness and convenience of caretaking and the overall natural health benefit
of the poultry and the superb quality of their eggs. I however must also warn
us all of the severe health consequences caused out of human negligence and
lack of proactive caretaking responsibility to ourselves and our farm animals
which
are being used for human and other farm animal food cycle sources. When TEOTWAWKI occurs,
and I believe it will sooner than later, medical care and resources will become
infrequent if nil to obtain in hinterboonies regions and rural isolated
areas and very questionable at best if you are not fortunate enough to have
networked adequately beforehand for that valuable and crucial medical person
to come on
board, or at least viably reachable by travel and who is also agreeable to
being available for your survival group in a worst case scenario. My prime
concern
here is advocating a proactive responsibility in maintaining and keeping humans
and their animals healthy in as natural as possible using natures sources of
availability. The practice of poor to absent hygiene practices advocated by
the author of the article is questionable for the good health outcome of both
species.
Even in third world countries, the incorporation of holistic health practices
of a sanitary or “clean environment” for human and animal hygiene
have statistically shown vast improvements in the populations affected by those
health practices and significant reduction of diseases and mortality rates
related to them. Thus, their overall quality of life improved. Note, I am not
refuting
the issue of immunity. That is a whole other issue of whether it is acquired
or natural or artificial immunity, passive or active. Diseases caused specifically
via harmful bacteria, viruses, protozoans, fungus or the vectors like flies,
mites, mosquitoes, and fleas that carry them into contact with us or our animals, must be
discouraged. Practices to reduce those harmful populations must be performed
in earnest.
Never plan to dine on an animal that had or has questionable health
issues. Never feed their caucuses, milk, eggs, or any byproducts of questionable
health animals to your family or other animals. Do not put them into your compost
pile. Incinerate them. Here you will find just a sampling of multiple diseases
causes and effects from an unclean environment. Botulism is more common than
we hear about in unclean environments, which is potentially deadly and is transferable
to the egg. If you practice the dirty litter suggested by this author, then
you had best take heed and caution. Coccidiosis is caused by a protozoan parasite,
which are deep tissue invaders occurring in the meat of the bird and eggs laid
by it and harbored in moist, old litter. You could treat the poultry with Sulfa
based medications which is also then passed on to you in their meat and eggs.
Or, you can keep a clean hen house for proactive prevention. Erysipelas is
caused
by a soil borne gram positive bacteria which enters a break in the skin. It
is spread by poultry being bitten by biting flies which are attracted to manure.
This is also a human transmittable strain and also transmittable to stocked
fish
in ponds which are used as free range poultry water sources. It can also transmit
to your pigs, sheep, mice and your other yard poultry. Encephalitis is caused
by vectors of migrating mosquitoes and biting flies near or on open water sources.
The flies lay their eggs in the poultry manure or spilled food. The disease
list goes on. Most, if not all can be avoided by your proactive responsible
health
practices of cleanliness.
I highly recommend the World
Poultry web site for
its accuracy of abundant information; ease of reference, and on line pictures.
It would take volumes for me to describe the offenses and diseases that are
caused in poultry alone by these harmful organisms. But, I have high objection
and researched
validation to show the negative consequences to cleaning a coop of its litter
and manure only once a year. All that manure is valuable as garden composting,
only after it has cooked to a usable loam state. Never apply green manure directly
to your garden or plants. It must be allowed to compost cook to kill off harmful
organism cycles. Wear your gardening gloves to protect yourself from live harmful
organisms. Wear them over a pair of disposable gloves or rubber gloves when
applying compost to your plants or for that matter anytime you work directly
in the soil.
If you’re kneeling in the soil, wear knee protectors. The object is to
protect your intact skin. For the coop cleaning process remove all the eggs
and the poultry out and away from the coop. Wear a specifically designated
outfit
for this clean out, preferably a Tyvek type zip jumpsuit to protect your whole
body surface. These can be hosed off and reused many times as long as there
are no punctures to the fabric or stresses to the seams. Get a size that is
one size
larger than your normal size of clothes. If this is not available for you,
use a heavy denim type or high denier cloth type military jumpsuit that zips
in front.
Don latex, or nitrile gloves if you’re allergic to rubber, make sure
the gloves cover over the sleeve of the jumpsuit so you have created a skin
seal.
Last, wear a face mask that also fully protects your eyes, nose and mouth when
you clean out either your coop or the nests found randomly constructed on the
outskirts of your property. My husband makes use of his light weight welding
helmet for this purpose over a disposable nose and mouth mask. This actually
provides whole head and hair and ear protection as well. Those feathers can
go into the composter as well, unless you are sanitizing them and using them
for
some other project. Note if you are finding these frequently, your poultry
are talking to you. They’re telling you they either need fresh litter
or the hen house nest boxes are being occupied when they need to use it. This
will usually
happen most during brooding season. Listen to them and fix the problem.
Just
because you can’t see the bacteria, protozoa, fungus, mold, spores, and
the most virulent harmful organisms doesn’t mean they are not there.
They are. Most of these become airborne during the clean out process and are
unknowingly
inhaled by you and your chickens. Even if you have a great immune system response,
it does not work well for another or the very young or the elders or the already
infirmed that you will come in contact with. These organisms can be passed
on by humans performing the human or animal care. This becomes possible by
touching
contact with the harmful source, or by any natural anatomical open orifice
on your body, or unnatural open orifice of skin, like a cut, scrape or burn,
for
them to enter or be inhaled. You need on hand all these suggested items in
ample supply anyway in your survival storage for the more virulent strains
of viruses
to come.
There are nutritional issues that need to be considered in this important food
cycle as well. The poultry must receive a daily minimum requirement of good
vegetable protein, vitamins and minerals in their natural habitat if you’re going
to only free range. Just like humans. Remember, we’re going to eat their
bodies and eggs. The practice of supplements is a good one if you are living
in an area where the soil or vegetation is lacking these. Test your soil. Do
some study on safe for poultry forage consumable vegetative sources which will
provide natural vitamin and mineral supplements. The primary ones to consider
are Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin D3 and Folic acid. While it is a fact that chicken
feces does provide Phosphorus if consumed, eating unnaturally high colony counts
of bacteria or viruses which were allowed to incubate for months, could easily
infest and kill your entire flock inadvertently. Also, the practice of supplementing
back raw egg shells for calcium as a feed supplement should be discouraged as
it encourages egg cannibalism. A plot of Spinach plantings and castings are a
much better choice. Without adequate intake of these supplements, either natural
or store bought, the poultry will poorly develop and are subject to many other
maladies related to growth, bone development, skin, and vision. Thus are poor
consumables. Those hip fractures described in the article may be related to more
than a jump off the roost. My chickens get calcium via crushed oyster
shell and
have a perpetual spinach plot. They have jumped off the roof of their 10 foot
hen house and don’t suffer broken hips. We must always be responsible and
accountable to our animals who serve our needs so well. Unlike humans, they can’t
tell us that something is wrong. We have to conduct daily routine observation
of their behavior and bodies to detect a problem and insure a proactive and ongoing
active level of maintenance and responsibility to protect and care for our animals.
If you are not willing to make this level of commitment, perhaps it would be
better to skip the poultry for you and your family’s sake of good health.
Cleanliness is truly next to Godliness in our triage of practices on the homestead.
Once you’re finished with the cleaning process and are ready to leave the
coop, please follow these infection prevention practices in this order. Remove
the garden gloves and hang them up. Leave the rubber or disposable gloves on
until you’re totally finished cleaning your other personal articles. Remove
the face mask, and hang it up or throw it away in the trash if it is a disposable.
If you’re not using a whole face mask, then wear at least eye goggles and
the mask must completely cover your nose and mouth and be one that will protect
you from tiny viruses. Read the label. Remove that organism laden jumpsuit that’s
protecting your underwear or clothing, by peeling it off at the shoulders and
backwards away from your clean body and step out of it. Tug on the bottom exterior
of the suit to get your legs and arms out if you need to get it over your washable
boots. Avoid turning the soiled side to make contact with your clean skin. Hang
it, zip it up and Hose it down in the yard near the coop and away from your home.
Scrub your washable muck boots on a boot cleaner outdoors and hose them off and
then remove them in your mud room or garage. Keep another pair of clean shoes
or scuffs to slip on to wear inside your home. Remove the disposable gloves and
dispose them. Wash your hands well with soap and water before you reenter into
your inner home. Shower as soon as possible.
God Bless you and yours, this of course includes all your fortunate animals.
- KBF
« Letter Re: Your Bug Out Vehicle as Your Daily Driver |Main| Note from JWR: »
Sanitation During a Grid Down Collapse, by Nina in Washington
Sanitation may be an area that is neglected in our preparations for during
difficult times. Not because people don't care, but because we take so much
of it for granted
we aren't aware of its importance. There are several areas in the sanitation
arena that need to be considered when preparing;
1. Food
2. Daily Living
3.Waste Disposal
4. Medical
5. Deaths
The most obvious area to consider is that of our food preparations. We are all
aware of the importance of washing our hands and not cross contaminating foods
like meats and vegetables. All counters where foods may be prepared should be
kept spotlessly clean. This includes areas where butchering is being done. The
areas should be hosed and bleached and the meat meticulously washed, making certain
the contents of the animals intestines does not come in contact with the meat.
The animals should be covered with a fabric bag (one that breathes) to protect
the meat from flies, and dirt while the meat is hung. All utensils including
those being used for dehydrated foods and canning should be sterilized by boiling
or baking. (Do not bake canning lids, they are placed in very hot water prior
to processing.)
In the area of daily living, if we allow ourselves to become cluttered and disorganized
because the world around us is falling apart we have begun the downward spiral
ourselves. Remaining organized and clutter free gives us access to items which
may be of immediate necessity and less chance of an accident of which even something
as minor as tripping over clutter could become life threatening. Keeping organized
also causes us less stress. Relieving our minds to be put to better use. It also
provides activities to the group, giving tasks to those who may not be able to
do other things or just an extra way to stay 'busy'. Clothes that are kept clean
are warmer and last longer (dryers are hard on fabric). And shoes should be worn
at all times outside. Personal hygiene is important not only for our physical
health, but our mental health as well. Ever notice how much better you feel after
a shower? It helps us maintain some a semblance of normalcy and civility in
our lives not only for ourselves, but for the group. When we are clean and groomed
it is also easier to spot someone not well. Special attention needs to be paid
to the care of our teeth. Brushing, flossing and possibly rinsing with an anti-cavity
rinse.
Feminine hygiene products that are disposable should be burned and the fabric
reusables (for the same) as well as cloth baby diapers should be either boiled
or
bleached
and
hung in the sun. (The ultraviolet rays kill lots of bacteria)
Of course you can't assume that cleanliness is next to Godliness is only for
the people in your group. Your animals will benefit from your diligent attention
to their well being as well. Keeping their pens, bedding and feeders clean could
mean the difference between animals used to fulfill our needs and sickly or dead
critters. Most domesticated animal waste can be safely used as fertilizer after
composting with the exception of dogs, cats and pigs. These should never be used
around areas that will have vegetables and pregnant women should Never handle
cat waste.
The third great consideration is waste disposal. This not only pertains to manure,
but garbage as well. Most containers used for foods will probable be kept for
some other need down the road. However, that means time and effort into making
sure they are very well cleaned and stowed properly so as not to attract rodents
or flies and bacteria. That which isn't needed should be burned, composted or
deeply buried away from your area. Food scraps can be fed to animals or composted
(not meats) or put into a worm bin (a little bit of meat is okay here) which
not only provides great fertilizer for the garden, but worms for your fowl.
Human waste is much more of a problem. We are no longer used to dealing with
our own waste. Most of us just pass it on to someone else to take care of. The
average person produces 2-3 pints of urine and one pound of feces per day. Multiply
that by the number of people in your group for a day/week or longer and you begin
to see the problem. If the sewer system is working you can still use your toilet
by pouring water directly into the bowl to flush the waste. Five gallon buckets
with a toilet seat can be used as a porta-potty. Lime, wood ash, and good ol'
dirt can be used to reduce the odor. This will have to be cleaned daily and an
area set up away from any possible contamination sites to be used for composting
keeping the compost covered to deter flies, etc. You should not use this compost
in food gardening. A trench toilet is also an option. Dig a trench two feet wide
and a minimum of 12 inches deep and 4 feet long or more. After use, cover with
the dirt from the hole, filling in from one end as you go. Bad bacteria can travel
300 feet from its original site. Pay attention to drainage and making sure the
manure is covered with lime, ashes or dirt. The area could attract rodents, dogs,
and worse, flies. The most important things to remember are reducing the fly/rodent
problem and washing your hands thoroughly when you've finished. Stock up on hand
sanitizer as well as soap. The book "The Humanure Handbook" by
Joseph
Jenkins
is
an interesting read. [JWR Adds: I must add a strong proviso.
With
this
approach,
temperature
monitoring
is
crucial! Unless you can be absolutely sure that a bacteria-killing temperature
is achieved, then do not attempt to use this method for manure
that will be used for vegetable or grain growing!] In my opinion, the risks far outweigh the rewards.
For those of you planning on hunkering down in place if the grid were to go
down and the sewer were to quit functioning, pay attention to where the access
lids to the sewer are in your area. If you are anywhere down hill sewage may
back up through these portals and even into your drains, and toilets. Give this
some thought.
The fourth area of consideration is medical. In a TEOTWAWKI
situation, we may be having people show up late or be accepted into our group
that weren't there in the beginning.
We need to consider that these folks whether loved ones or stranger may be
bringing something unwanted with them. If possible a 'quarantine' area should
be set up
where these people could spend two weeks away from the group to make sure they
aren't sick. It may sound cruel, but these people should remain without direct
contact with the group. (radio contact or distant voice communication if acceptable
would be greatly appreciated.) Their meals could be dropped off on paper plates
that they could burn after finishing. There utensils washed by them and kept
in the quarantine area. Anything that is needed should be brought and dropped
off so as not to expose the other members of the group. They would need to
remain in the quarantine area at all times and not expose people, animals,
areas, or equipment.
If after two weeks they are well, the chances are greatly reduced that they
have a communicable disease.
There should also be a separate area for medical procedures. A separate bedroom
or bathroom. This area should be kept spotless at all times. All items being
used should be boiled or steamed (a steam canner or pressure canner as an
autoclave) and all fabrics baked (200 degrees for one hour) prior to use. Tables,
trays and
equipment should be washed and bleached. (Alcohol is a great bacteria killer)
New garbage bags can be used to cover tables, chairs etc. prior to use and
after cleaning, and to protect between activities. They are fairly sanitary.
Disposable
rubber gloves and masks should be used when treating patients and if blood
is present goggles should be worn (swim goggles, or ski goggles over glasses
would
work). Used dressings, etc should be burned or buried deeply, away from the
area.
A hundred years ago our ancestors lived with germs that our systems are no
longer used to. What would not have made them sick, could easily sicken us
today. Rodents
and flies that carry disease are probably one of the major concerns for us.
In a grid down situation they would flourish. And if we weren't exceptionally
careful,
bring disease to us. Rodent control would be a regular requirement around our
'camps', but handling them could be an issue in itself. Probably best done
with a mask and gloves. Keeping flies away from any foods and food areas would
be
vital. Fly tape wouldn't hurt. All this of course means more water. Stock up
on those barrels if you have no other means and if you'll be living downstream
of metropolitan areas the water runoff could be deadly so remember to use caution.
The most difficult area of sanitation we may have to deal with is death. Although
many organisms in the body of the deceased are not likely to infect a healthy
person, handling the blood, bodily fluids and tissues of those who had been
infected increases that risk. Many fluids leak from a dead body, including
contents of
the stomach, and intestines. Decomposition depends on how long the person has
been deceased, the temperature of the environment and the damage to the body
and the bacteria present. There are some basic precautions to take in handling
the deceased. Wear disposable gloves when handling anything associated with
the body and cover all cuts or abrasions with waterproof bandages or tape.
Wear a
mask, or face shield, goggles or some kind of protection to the face for the
mouth, nose and eyes. Decomposing bodies can sometimes burst and spray
fluids and tissues due to the buildup of gases. Wear aprons or gowns that can
be destroyed. Wrap the body in a body bag or several layers of garbage sacks
or plastic sheeting. The more quickly this takes place after the death, the
less chance of leaking [body] fluids will occur. Graves should be dug at least
100 feet away
from all open water sources and deep enough that animals won't dig them up.
Cremation requires large amounts of fuel and may not be feasible. In case
of accidental
exposure, flush with huge quantities of water. (Dilution is the solution.)
Thoroughly wash yourself afterward and dip your hands in a bleach solution
even if no apparent
contact was made. Disinfect all equipment, surfaces, floors, and so forth with
a bleach solution. Don't forget to make notes on the deceased and the circumstances
surrounding the death and burial. Take pictures if you can. Anything that you
think is of
importance in case the authorities come back and question it at some time.
This may be the most difficult part of a crash. But, the quicker it is dealt
with,
the better for everyone involved.
Sanitation is a major concern in your preparations. Improper sanitation is
responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. It would be a shame
if you stored
your beans, bullets and band aids, but died of dysentery due to lack of proper
sanitation. Give this one some serious thought.
« Letter Re: Best Items to Store for Barter and Charity? |Main| Note from JWR: »
From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Start With a "List of Lists"
Start your retreat stocking effort by first composing a List of Lists, then
draft prioritized lists for each subject, on separate sheets of paper. (Or
in a spreadsheet if you are a techno-nerd like me. Just be sure to print out
a hard copy for use when the power grid goes down!) It is important to tailor
your lists to suit your particular geography, climate, and population density
as well as your peculiar needs and likes/dislikes. Someone setting up a retreat
in a coastal area is likely to have a far different list than someone living
in the Rockies.
As I often mention in my lectures and radio interviews, a great way to create
truly commonsense preparedness lists is to take a three-day weekend TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experiment” with your family. When you come home from work on
Friday evening, turn off your main circuit breaker, turn off your gas main
(or propane tank), and shut your main water valve (or turn off your well pump.)
Spend that weekend in primitive conditions. Practice using only your storage
food, preparing it on a wood stove (or camping stove.)
A “TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experiment” will surprise you. Things that
you take for granted will suddenly become labor intensive. False assumptions
will be shattered. Your family will grow closer and more confident. Most importantly,
some of the most thorough lists that you will ever make will be those written
by candlelight.
Your List of Lists should include: (Sorry that this post
is in outline form, but it would take a full length book to discus all of
the following in great detail)
Water List
Food Storage List
Food Preparation List
Personal List
First Aid /Minor Surgery List
Nuke Defense List
Biological Warfare Defense List
Gardening List
Hygiene List/Sanitation List
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping List
Power/Lighting/Batteries List
Fuels List
Firefighting List
Tactical Living List
Security-General
Security-Firearms
Communications/Monitoring List
Tools List
Sundries List
Survival Bookshelf List
Barter and Charity List
JWR’s Specific Recommendations For Developing Your Lists:
Water List
House downspout conversion sheet metal work and barrels. (BTW, this is another
good reason to upgrade your retreat to a fireproof metal roof.)
Drawing water from open sources. Buy extra containers. Don’t buy big
barrels, since five gallon food grade buckets are the largest size that most
people can handle without back strain.
For transporting water if and when gas is too precious to waste, buy a couple
of heavy duty two wheel garden carts--convert the wheels to foam filled "no
flats" tires. (BTW, you will find lots of other uses for those carts around
your retreat, such as hauling hay, firewood, manure, fertilizer, et cetera.)
Treating water. Buy plain Clorox hypochlorite bleach. A little goes a long
way. Buy some extra half-gallon bottles for barter and charity. If you can
afford it, buy a “Big Berky” British Berkefeld ceramic water filter.
(Available from Ready
Made Resources and several other Internet vendors. Even if you have pure
spring water at your retreat, you never know where you may end up, and a good
filter could be a lifesaver.)
Food Storage List
See my post tomorrow which will be devoted to food storage. Also see the recent
letter from David in Israel on this subject.
Food Preparation List
Having more people under your roof will necessitate having an oversize skillet
and a huge stew pot. BTW, you will want to buy several huge kettles, because
odds are you will have to heat water on your wood stove for bathing, dish washing,
and clothes washing. You will also need even more kettles, barrels, and 5 or
6 gallon PVC buckets--for water hauling, rendering, soap making, and dying.
They will also make great barter or charity items. (To quote my mentor Dr.
Gary North: “Nails: buy a barrel of them. Barrels: Buy a barrel of them!”)
Don’t overlook skinning knives, gut-buckets, gambrels, and meat saws.
Personal List
(Make a separate personal list for each family member and individual expected
to arrive at your retreat.)
Spare glasses.
Prescription and nonprescription medications.
Birth control.
Keep dentistry up to date.
Any elective surgery that you've been postponing
Work off that gut.
Stay in shape.
Back strength and health—particularly important, given the heavy manual
tasks required for self-sufficiency.
Educate yourself on survival topics, and practice them. For example, even if
you don’t presently live at your retreat, you should plant a vegetable
garden every year. It is better to learn through experience and make mistakes
now, when the loss of crop is an annoyance rather than a crucial event.
“Comfort” items to help get through high stress times. (Books, games,
CDs, chocolates, etc.)
First Aid /Minor Surgery List
When tailoring this list, consider your neighborhood going for many months
without power, extensive use of open flames, and sentries standing picket
shifts exposed in the elements. Then consider axes, chainsaws and tractors
being wielded by newbies, and a greater likelihood of gunshot wounds. With
all of this, add the possibility of no access to doctors or high tech medical
diagnostic equipment. Put a strong emphasis on burn treatment first aid supplies.
Don’t overlook do-it-yourself dentistry! (Oil of cloves, temporary
filling kit, extraction tools, et cetera.) Buy a full minor surgery outfit
(inexpensive Pakistani stainless steel instruments), even if you don’t
know how to use them all yet. You may have to learn, or you will have the
opportunity to put them in the hands of someone experienced who needs them.)
This is going to be a big list!
Chem/Nuke Defense List
Dosimeter and rate meter, and charger, radiac meter (hand held Geiger counter),
rolls of sheet plastic (for isolating airflow to air filter inlets and for
covering window frames in the event that windows are broken due to blast effects),
duct tape, HEPA filters (ands spares) for your shelter. Potassium iodate (KI)
tablets to prevent thyroid damage.(See my recent post on that subject.) Outdoor
shower rig for just outside your shelter entrance.
Biological Warfare Defense List
Disinfectants
Hand Sanitizer
Sneeze masks
Colloidal silver generator and spare supplies (distilled water and .999 fine
silver rod.)
Natural antibiotics (Echinacea, Tea Tree oil, …)
Gardening List
One important item for your gardening list is the construction of a very tall
deer-proof and rabbit-proof fence. Under current circumstances, a raid by deer
on your garden is probably just an inconvenience. After the balloon goes up,
it could mean the difference between eating well, and starvation.
Top Soil/Amendments/Fertilizers.
Tools+ spares for barter/charity
Long-term storage non hybrid (open pollinated) seed. (Non-hybrid “heirloom” seed
assortments tailors to different climate zones are available from The
Ark Institute
Herbs: Get started with medicinal herbs such as aloe vera (for burns), echinacea
(purple cone flower), valerian, et cetera.
Hygiene/Sanitation List
Sacks of powdered lime for the outhouse. Buy plenty!
TP in quantity (Stores well if kept dry and away from vermin and it is lightweight,
but it is very bulky. This is a good item to store in the attic. See my novel
about stocking up on used phone books for use as TP.
Soap in quantity (hand soap, dish soap, laundry soap, cleansers, etc.)
Bottled lye for soap making.
Ladies’ supplies.
Toothpaste (or powder).
Floss.
Fluoride rinse. (Unless you have health objections to the use of fluoride.)
Sunscreen.
Livestock List:
Hoof rasp, hoof nippers, hoof pick, horse brushes, hand sheep shears, styptic,
carding combs, goat milking stand, teat dip, udder wash, Bag Balm, elastrator
and bands, SWOT fly repellent, nail clippers (various sizes), Copper-tox, leads,
leashes, collars, halters, hay hooks, hay fork, manure shovel, feed buckets,
bulk grain and C-O-B sweet feed (store in galvanized trash cans with tight
fitting lids to keep the mice out), various tack and saddles, tack repair tools,
et cetera. If your region has selenium deficient soil (ask your local Agricultural
extension office) then be sure to get selenium-fortified salt blocks rather
than plain white salt blocks--at least for those that you are going to set
aside strictly for your livestock.
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping List
“Buckshot” Bruce Hemming has produced an excellent series of videos
on trapping and making improvised traps. (He also sells traps and scents at very
reasonable prices.)
Night vision gear, spares, maintenance, and battery charging
Salt. Post-TEOTWAWKI, don’t “go hunting.” That would be a
waste of effort. Have the game come to you. Buy 20 or more salt blocks. They
will also make very valuable barter items.
Sell your fly fishing gear (all but perhaps a few flies) and buy practical
spin casting equipment.
Extra tackle may be useful for barter, but probably only in a very long term
Crunch.
Buy some frog gigs if you have bullfrogs in your area. Buy some crawfish traps
if you have crawfish in your area.
Learn how to rig trot lines and make fish traps for non-labor intensive fishing WTSHTF.
Power/Lighting/Batteries List
One proviso: In the event of a “grid
down” situation, if you are the only family in the area with power,
it could turn your house into a “come loot me” beacon at night.
At the same time, your house lighting will ruin the night vision of your LP/OP pickets.
Make plans and buy materials in advance for making blackout screens or fully
opaque curtains for your windows.
When possible, buy nickel metal hydride batteries. (Unlike the older nickel
cadmium technology, these have no adverse charge level “memory” effect.)
If your home has propane appliances, get a “tri-fuel” generator--with
a carburetor that is selectable between gasoline, propane, and natural gas.
If you heat your home with home heating oil, then get a diesel-burning generator.
(And plan on getting at least one diesel burning pickup and/or tractor). In
a pinch, you can run your diesel generator and diesel vehicles on home heating
oil.
Kerosene lamps; plenty of extra wicks, mantles, and chimneys. (These will also
make great barter items.)
Greater detail on do-it-yourself power will be included in my forthcoming blog
posts.
Fuels List
Buy the biggest propane, home heating oil, gas, or diesel tanks that your local
ordinances permit and that you can afford. Always keep them at least two-thirds
full. For privacy concerns, ballistic impact concerns, and fire concerns,
underground tanks are best if you local water table allows it. In any case,
do not buy an aboveground fuel tank that would visible from any public road
or navigable waterway. Buy plenty of extra fuel for barter. Don’t overlook
buying plenty of kerosene. (For barter, you will want some in one or two
gallon cans.) Stock up on firewood or coal. (See my previous blog posts.)
Get the best quality chainsaw you can afford. I prefer Stihls and Husqavarnas.
If you can afford it, buy two of the same model. Buy extra chains, critical
spare parts, and plenty of two-cycle oil. (Two-cycle oil will be great for
barter!) Get a pair of Kevlar chainsaw safety chaps. They are expensive but
they might save yourself a trip to the emergency room. Always wear gloves,
goggles, and ear-muffs. Wear a logger’s helmet when felling. Have someone
who is well experienced teach you how to re-sharpen chains. BTW, don’t
cut up your wood into rounds near any rocks or you will destroy a chain in
a hurry.
Firefighting List
Now that you have all of those flammables on hand (see the previous list) and
the prospect of looters shooting tracer ammo or throwing Molotov cocktails
at your house, think in terms of fire fighting from start to finish without
the aid of a fire department. Even without looters to consider, you should
be ready for uncontrolled brush or residential fires, as well as the greater
fire risk associated with greenhorns who have just arrived at your retreat
working with wood stoves and kerosene lamps!
Upgrade your retreat with a fireproof metal roof.
2” water line from your gravity-fed storage tank (to provide large water
volume for firefighting)
Fire fighting rig with an adjustable stream/mist head.
Smoke and CO detectors.
Tactical Living List
Adjust your wardrobe buying toward sturdy earth-tone clothing. (Frequent your
local thrift store and buy extras for retreat newcomers, charity, and barter.)
Dyes. Stock up on some boxes of green and brown cloth dye. Buy some extra for
barter. With dye, you can turn most light colored clothes into semi-tactical
clothing on short notice.
Two-inch wide burlap strip material in green and brown. This burlap is available
in large spools from Gun Parts Corp. Even if you don’t have time now,
stock up so that you can make camouflage ghillie
suits post-TEOTWAWKI.
Save those wine corks! (Burned cork makes quick and cheap face camouflage.)
Cold weather and foul weather gear—buy plenty, since you will be doing
more outdoor chores, hunting, and standing guard duty.
Don’t overlook ponchos and gaiters.
Mosquito repellent.
Synthetic double-bag (modular) sleeping bags for each person at the retreat,
plus a couple of spares. The Wiggy’s
brand Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS)
made by Wiggy's of Grand Junction, Colorado is highly recommended.
Night vision gear + IR floodlights for your retreat house
Subdued flashlights and penlights.
Noise, light, and litter discipline. (More on this in future posts--or perhaps
a reader would like to send a brief article on this subject)
Security-General: Locks, intrusion detection/alarm systems, exterior obstacles
(fences, gates, 5/8” diameter (or larger) locking road cables, rosebush
plantings, “decorative” ponds (moats), ballistic protection (personal
and residential), anti-vehicular ditches/berms, anti-vehicular concrete “planter
boxes”, razor wire, etc.)
Starlight electronic light amplification scopes are critical tools for retreat
security.
A Starlight scope (or goggles, or a monocular) literally amplifies low ambient
light by up to 100,000 times, turning nighttime darkness into daylight--albeit
a green and fuzzy view. Starlight light amplification technology was first
developed during the Vietnam War. Late issue Third Generation (also called
or “Third Gen” or “Gen 3”) starlight scopes can cost
up to $3,500 each. Rebuilt first gen (early 1970s technology scopes can often
be had for as little as $500. Russian-made monoculars (with lousy optics) can
be had for under $100. One Russian model that uses a piezoelectric generator
instead of batteries is the best of this low-cost breed. These are best used
as backups (in case your expensive American made scopes fail. They should not
be purchased for use as your primary night vision devices unless you are on
a very restrictive budget. (They are better than nothing.) Buy the best starlight
scopes, goggles, and monoculars you can afford. They may be life-savers! If
you can afford to buy only one, make it a weapon sight such as an AN/PVS-4,
with a Gen 2 (or better) tube. Make sure to specify that that the tube is new
or “low hours”, has a high “line pair” count, and minimal
scintillation. It is important to buy your Starlight gear from a reputable
dealer. The market is crowded with rip-off artists and scammers. One dealer
that I trust, is Al Glanze (spoken “Glan-zee”) who runs STANO
Components, Inc. in Silver City, Nevada. Note: In a subsequent
blog posts I will discuss the relationship and implications to IR illuminators
and tritium sights.
Range cards and sector sketches.
If you live in the boonies, piece together nine of the USGS 15-minute maps,
with your retreat property on the center map. Mount that map on an oversize
map board. Draw in the property lines and owner names of all of your surrounding
neighbor’s parcels (in pencil) in at least a five mile radius. (Get boundary
line and current owner name info from your County Recorder’s office.)
Study and memorize both the terrain and the neighbors’ names. Make a
phone number/e-mail list that corresponds to all of the names marked on the
map, plus city and county office contact numbers for quick reference and tack
it up right next to the map board. Cover the whole map sheet with a sheet of
heavy-duty acetate, so you can mark it up just like a military commander’s
map board. (This may sound a bit “over the top”, but remember,
you are planning for the worst case. It will also help you get to know your
neighbors: When you are introduced by name to one of them when in town, you
will be able to say, “Oh, don’t you live about two miles up the
road between the Jones place and the Smith’s ranch?” They will
be impressed, and you will seem like an instant “old timer.”
Security-Firearms List
Guns, ammunition, web gear, eye and ear protection, cleaning equipment,
carrying cases, scopes, magazines, spare parts, gunsmithing tools, targets
and target
frames, et cetera. Each rifle and pistol should have at least six top quality
(original military contract or original manufacturer) full capacity spare magazines.
Note: Considerable detail on firearms and optics selection, training, use,
and logistic support are covered in the SurvivalBlog archives and FAQs.
Communications/Monitoring List
When selecting radios buy only models that will run on 12 volt DC power or
rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery packs (that can be recharged from
your retreat’s 12 VDC power system without having to use an inverter.)
As a secondary purchasing goal, buy spare radios of each type if you can afford
them. Keep your spares in sealed metal boxes to protect them from EMP.
If you live in a far inland region, I recommend buying two or more 12 VDC marine
band radios. These frequencies will probably not be monitored in your region,
leaving you an essentially private band to use. (But never assume that any
two-way radio communications are secure!)
Note: More detail on survival communications gear selection, training, use,
security/cryptography measures, antennas, EMP protection, and logistical support
will be covered in forthcoming blog posts.
Tools List
Gardening tools.
Auto mechanics tools.
Welding.
Bolt cutters--the indispensable “universal key.”
Woodworking tools.
Gunsmithing tools.
Emphasis on hand powered tools.
Hand or treadle powered grinding wheel.
Don’t forget to buy plenty of extra work gloves (in earth tone colors).
Sundries List:
Systematically list the things that you use on a regular basis, or that you
might need if the local hardware store were to ever disappear: wire of various
gauges, duct tape, reinforced strapping tape, chain, nails, nuts and bolts,
weather stripping, abrasives, twine, white glue, cyanoacrylate glue, et cetera.
Book/Reference List
You should probably have nearly every book on my Bookshelf
page. For some, you will want to have two or three copies, such as Carla
Emery’s "Encyclopedia of Country Living". This is because these books
are so valuable and indispensable that you won’t want to risk lending
out your only copy.
Barter and Charity List
For your barter list, acquire primarily items that are durable, non-perishable,
and either in small packages or that are easily divisible. Concentrate on
the items that other people are likely to overlook or have in short supply.
Some of my favorites are ammunition. [The late] Jeff Cooper referred to it
as “ballistic
wampum.” WTSHTF, ammo will be worth nearly its weight in silver.
Store all of your ammo in military surplus ammo cans (with seals that are
still soft) and it will store for decades. Stick to common calibers, get
plenty of .22 LR (most
high velocity hollow points) plus at least ten boxes of the local favorite
deer hunting cartridge, even if you don’t own
a rifle chambered for this cartridge. (Ask your local sporting goods shop
about their top selling chamberings). Also buy at least ten boxes of the
local police department’s standard pistol cartridge, again even if
you don’t own a pistol chambered for this cartridge.
Ladies supplies.
Salt (Buy lots of cattle blocks and 1 pound canisters of iodized table salt.)
(Stores indefinitely if kept dry.)
Two cycle engine oil (for chain saw gas mixing. Gas may still be available
after a collapse, but two-cycle oil will probably be like liquid gold!)
Gas stabilizer.
Diesel antibacterial additive.
50-pound sacks of lime (for outhouses).
1 oz. bottles of military rifle bore cleaner and Break Free (or similar) lubricant.
Waterproof dufflebags in earth tone colors (whitewater rafting "dry bags").
Thermal socks.
Semi-waterproof matches (from military rations.)
Military web gear (lots of folks will suddenly need pistol belts, holsters,
magazine pouches, et cetera.)
Pre-1965 silver dimes.
1-gallon cans of kerosene.
Rolls of olive drab parachute cord.
Rolls of olive-drab duct tape.
Spools of monofilament fishing line.
Rolls of 10 mil "Visqueen", sheet plastic (for replacing windows,
isolating airspaces for nuke scenarios, etc.)
I also respect the opinion of one gentleman with whom I've corresponded, who
recommended the following:
Strike anywhere matches. (Dip the heads in paraffin to make them waterproof.)
Playing cards.
Cooking spices. (Do a web search for reasonably priced bulk spices.)
Rope & string.
Sewing supplies.
Candle wax and wicking.
Lastly, any supplies necessary for operating a home-based business. Some that
you might consider are: leather crafting, small appliance repair, gun repair,
locksmithing, et cetera. Every family should have at least one home-based business
(preferably two!) that they can depend on in the event of an economic collapse.
Stock up on additional items to dispense to refugees as charity.
Note: See the Barter Faire chapter in my novel "Patriots" for
lengthy lists of potential barter items.
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Letter Re: Post-TEOTWAWKI Trash Disposal
Sir;
It seems there has been little on the subject of garbage and what to do with
it after TEOTWAWKI. I would suggest that anyone who has put any sort of effort
into preparing for the end should come up with a plan for their trash, and
soon. Whether you plan to bug in, bug out to a prepared location or already
live in your location away from the Golden Horde and their anticipated escape
routes, a plan should be in place before it is needed. The best example of
how many communities will look (and in a very short time) can be found by
going to one of the video hosting web sites (YouTube, Live Leak, Google)
and do a search for "Naples Garbage". My favourite is when the
Italian Army shows up to clear it away from schools so they can reopen....and
minor riots occur. The popular U.S. media seems to be ignoring this story
(although, one of the videos is carried on ABC).
So, what to do with it then?
Burning it has been popular in every bad place I've been to (Somalia, Bosnia,
Croatia). There, a burning trash heap was the indicator of many towns and villages,
the plume visible before you arrived. This burning trash heap would probably
not be the best solution to the survivalist who is trying to stay low in terms
of visibility.
I used to live in the country, far away from anything that was important. My
neighbour (and many others) had a burn barrel for most garbage that we both
used, and a there were compost heaps for everything else. We would feed small
amounts into the barrel, reinforced with some wood, cardboard or paper and
let it burn. We tried to avoid burning plastics and styrofoam, since we could
recycle, but there was no trash pickup. Eventually, the township started free
garbage pickup and the barrels fell from popular use.
My suggestion as to what to so with it? Burn it, in a metal container like
a 45 gallon drum with one end cut off, at night, either well off the road or
in "dead ground" (a piece of terrain that is not easily viewed from
the surrounding area) away from the main retreat. This keeps the fire contained
in the barrel. The light from the fire will be controlled in what it illuminates,
as in, the low ground you are in, not an open field (remember, it is a small
fire). It builds in an emergency zone in case the fire gets out of the barrel
and an area for any hot cinders to not land on the main retreat (use caution
in grassy areas, always use fire common sense like water buckets, fire brooms
and shovels). This also keeps the smoke plume from acting like a beacon for
others.
Now, does everything burn, or should you burn everything? No. Plastics release
toxic fumes when they burn. Metal, obviously, does not burn and can sometimes
be re-used in some way shape or form. Have fun, stay safe. - R.J., Up North
JWR Replies: In my novel "Patriots",
I describe the "conserver
lifestyle." When living frugally and self-suf
