DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
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UPDATED: Aug 15, 2025
Without Electricity... Can You Live Like It's 1880!?
THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT WE FACE IS...
The Power Grid being hacked/disabled if at war.
“If the grid went down for a long enough time…
90 percent of the U.S. population would die from starvation, lack of water, and social disruption. We are talking about total devastation.”
-- Ambassador Henry Cooper, Former Director of U.S. Strategic Defense
Preparing Yourself, Your Family, and Your Home to Survive a Wartime Economy, Shortages, and Cyber Attacks on Critical Infrastructure that we rely upon for our daily survival.
There are plenty of 'Prepping' websites, YouTube Channels, books, and videos on the topic - so there is no need for us to re-invent the wheel here, BUT we will give you a brief overview to help get you started on your preparedness journey.
There is a huge difference between book knowledge, theory, and the confidence of knowing through doing and experiencing it.
Don't Just Buy Stuff - Learn Real Skills by Doing
Practice Living Without Power. Turn some or all Power Breakers Off for a Day.
keep the kitchen fridge breaker on - turn all the rest off
Grow Indoor Herbs in Your Window.
Camp Out in Your Back Yard.
Learn Fishing and Hunting.
Start a Back Yard Food Vegetable Garden.
Raise a Handful of Chickens.
PAGE SECTIONS:
M
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THE BASICS:
COMMON TERMS: a SHTF event (Shit Hits The Fan, i.e. a major disaster), HOMESTEADING (backyard garden/farm to a full family farm/ranch)
WHAT TO PLAN FOR...
Today, when major countries go to war, they first attempt to hack and disable each other's critical infrastructure starting with the Power Grid. The Power Grid is the main target and key prize since it also takes down most everything else. Other targets include water and sewer, energy sectors, government, military bases, ports, banking, factories, industries, and businesses.
When the Power Grid goes down, expect major disruption in society...
Loss of your Job, Breakdown in Law and Order, Shortages of Food, Water, and Fuel, and a very significant increase in the cost of everything.
During this Initial Chaos Period, many who were not prepared will die and will resort to looting, violence, and criminal behavior in their last gasp to live and provide for their family.
Expect major wide-spread looting, rioting, and roving gangs that easily overwhelm police and sheriff capabilities - so you will be on your own to defend your home and family. Staying put in your home and making it a stronghold during the Initial Chaos Period will see you through until civil society and business is very slowly restored. Having enough food and water stores in a Long-Term Storage Pantry to ride out this will be critical to one's survival.
The estimate of 2 to 4 months paints an optimistic view and belief in the ingenuity, resilience, and spirit of Americans to return to a state of order and restoration of business and peace and the American way-of-life.
SEE ALSO:
Food Safety During Power Outage - FoodSafety.gov
When the Power Grid Goes Down - What to Expect (Video Playlist)
Grid DOWN, Power UP Documentary (Video Playlist)
IF You Survive the Initial Chaos Period: THE NEW NORMAL (Bottom of this Page)
THE BASICS
YOUR SAFE PLACE TO STAY DURING THE INITIAL CHAOS PERIOD
You will most likely be a victim if you go out or do not secure the location where you plan to spend this initial chaos period.
Where will you spend your Chaos Period? At Home/Apartment? with Family? with Friends? with a Group? Church?
YOU NEED TO MAKE A PLAN NOW.
You will need to store food, water, equipment there.
You may need to clear space in closets, rooms, maybe sell some things to downsize and make room from survival supplies and equipment.
You will need to make it secure and safe. You will need to make a plan to get there.
SEE: Home & Personal Defense section later on this page.
THE BASICS
EVERYBODY CAN DO IT!
FOOD and WATER -- START A 3 DAY SUPPLY, THEN GROW TO 3 WEEKS, THEN GROW TO 3 MONTHS
2 to 3 weeks | For regular disasters, FEMA recommends every home store 2 to 3 weeks of food and water, plus assorted tools, flashlights, and batteries.
3 to 4 MONTHS | For a major nation-wide Power Grid Down disaster, we recommend a minimum of 3 to 4 months of food and water to survive the Initial Chaos Period.
CASH IS KING. With no power, there is no credit card network. Cash will be the only way to purchase things, besides barter. Do expect prices to soar and inflation to significantly rise. While Gold and Silver does have its place, most purchases initially will be on a Cash Only basis. Gold would be used for only very large purchases. Silver would be useable for everyday purchases, but only in fractional forms (units smaller than an ounce, like the Mexican fractional silver peso).
COOKING EQUIPMENT that fits your specific needs will depend on your surroundings and available resources. Gasoline-based systems can be used by all. See the Coleman Dual Fuel Equipment below. If living in a rural environment, wood burning options like a rocket stove would be key along with assorted tree sawing and axes to cut wood with. If living in a city or urban area, solar ovens become more reasonable option. Everyone should have TWO DIFFERENT TYPES of cooking systems to give you redundancy.
RECOMMENDATION - COOKING EQUIPMENT
Even during the Great Depression and World War 2, gasoline was still available. Universally usable is the Coleman Dual Fuel system that burns 'white fuel' including unleaded gasoline and kerosene.
Various equipment includes: Single Burner Model 533 ~$110USD [on Amazon] (very popular, small, portable, reliable); the Green Camp Stove ~$200USD (2 burners, larger tank, sui, wind protector); and Dual Fuel Lantern ~$115USD [on Amazon].
Remember to get a fuel funnel [on Amazon] ~$11USD , a small gas can and a manual siphon hose (with hand pump) to pull fuel out of your car's fuel tank.
Coleman Dual Fuel 533 Single Burner DEMO
1 min
Coleman Dual Fuel Camp Stove
1 min
Coleman Dual Fuel Lantern DEMO
30 sec
THE BASICS
Try not to let your imagination overwhelm you. Starting a long-term storage pantry is not as complex as one might think. Every time you shop for groceries, simply purchase a few extra non-perishable items of what you normally purchase - plus bottled water.
Most people cannot afford large, bulk purchases and have to build up slowly over time. Starting this habit as-soon-as-possible will open up your eyes and begin you on this journey - taking one more step away from starvation. It's said that the Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with the first step. So, Step Into It. The further you go the more you will understand, be more prepared, and feel more confident and safe if disaster comes your way.
Emergency Preparedness - Food & Water
2 min | UCLA
15 Items The Red Cross Wants You To Stockpile
25 min | Survival Know How
Can Goods and Dry Goods are at the core of most preppers' long-term pantry. The cheapest and longest stored food items are Dry Goods like rice and beans. These can easily last 6 to 10 years in a dark cool storage closet, if it's kept in its original sealed bag or re-packaged to keep moisture and buggies out. If you re-packaged them in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, which can get a little expensive, some university research shows they can last 30 years. Can Goods will normally last a few years, but you will need to rotate them (put new purchases into long-term storage while eating from the older cans). Pasta is cheap and remains a serious option, yet will only last a few years in storage and you will have to use a rotation system like previously mentioned.
HOW LONG IT TAKES TO COOK & PREPARE IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR?
When choosing what which food to buy and store, most don't consider cooking time (which equals more fuel to burn). For example: regular white rice may take 20-30 minutes to cook. Most regular beans require pre-soaking, either overnight or for a few hours.
EDITOR'S PICK: Basmati Rice, Red Lentils, Broccoli Sprouts
A complete meal can be cooked in 10 minutes saving a lot of time and cooking fuel.
RICE: BASMATI RICE, which is an aromatic and more flavorful rice, that only takes 8 to 10 minutes to cook.
BUYING: Most Basmati Rice comes from either India or California. Walmart's Great Value 20lb bags seemes to be the better buy because the cost is cheaper and the bags are very thick plastic, so they can go directly to storage shelves. They also come in 5lb and 10lb bags but the price is higher. There are various other brands and sizes. Try to pick one in a good bag where you don't have to repackage the rice.
COMPARE: Long-Grain Enriched (20lb-$11): Cheaper, 20min Cooking Time; Jasmine Rice (20lb-$17), taste better, 15-20 min Cooking Time; Basmati Rice (20lb-$19), Best tasting, 8-10min Cooking Time.
$1 Meal That'll Keep You Alive
Aug 2025 | 4 min | City Prepper
FYI: Jasmine Rice takes longer to cook than Basmati
BEANS: RED LENTILS was chosen because it requires no soaking, and it only takes 5 minutes to cook. Red Lentis have more nutrition than the slightly cheaper Brown Lentils, which takes 20 minutes to cook. PEANUT ALERGIES: Some Doctors note that 20% of those allergic to peanuts are also allergic to some beans/legumes.
BUYING: Most come in 1lb plastic bags. They are sometimes available in local stores. Prices fluctuate throughout the year, and from year-to-year, but generally the best time to buy is in the summer months. They are sometimes harder to find in the stores, so I tend to buy from Goya on Amazon in a 24 pack of 1lb bags. Try to wait and buy when the price is around $50-$60 per box. For long-term storage, I leave the box un-opened and tape up the seams of the box with thick packaging tape to secure it from bugs.
BROCOLLI SEEDS for growing Broccoli Sprouts to provide that extra level of nutrition and antioxidant boost completes my normal meal. Broccoli Sprouts are super easy to grow in a jar, in the window, from seeds to sprouts in 4-5 days in a 1/2 gallon, wide-mouth mason jar.
VIDEOS: Benefits, Anti-Cancer Cell Protection Nutrients (video2), How to Grow in Jars.
For beginners, Store-Bought Bottled Water is the easiest and most cost-effective way to begin. Distilled Water Bottles can be stored for about 1 year. Other Spring Water or Tap Water will last about 6 months. Beyond this, chemical treatment is required to prevent bacteria and eliminate slime build-up.
IF YOU HAVE PROPERTY, adding a backyard shallow water well can be cheaper in the long-run and a vital key to your survival. Most cities and counties allow you to add a shallow well without any prior approval from their planning/zoning board. These are commonly installed and used for watering lawns and gardens without using and paying for municipal water rates, and which also have chlorine in it that kills grass and plants. Well pipes and pumps (electric, solar, and manual) can be bought and installed yourself.
MANUAL HAND PUMPS have limitations of about 20 to 25 feet deep. Electric Pumps can draw water from further down even if solar powered.
FOR DEEPER WELLS you will have to hire a well drilling company.
THE BASICS
Everything Else really depends on your own needs, circumstances, and available finances.
COMMON STUFF: Bulk Trash Bags. Misc-size tubs/containers. Battery-powered Lights, Rechargeable Batteries & Chargers, Emergency Radio, Basic Tools, Duct Tape, Zip Ties, Boots, Rain Gear, Tarps. Don't buy equipment with built-in batteries, since replacing them would require someone with electronics skills to replace them. Only buy lights and radios that use regular standard types of batteries that can be easily replaced (AAA, AA, C, D, 18650, 21700).
MEDICAL: First-Aid Kit and extra prescription medications. Get your refills at the earliest possible date, and you will be able to slowly build up a small excess for emergencies.
HUNTING, FISHING, GARDENING: Adding to, and generating new food sources are critically important. Get into the habit of doing by actually hunting, fishing, and gardening - even if you only do it to learn - it will be the skills and tools/equipment you may need to survive. Starting a basic garden to learn how and with basic gardening tools and a reserve of seeds would be wise.
REPLACING THE BATHROOM SYSTEM
You will need to find replacement/alternatives for the toilet, showering/bathing, and washing of hands. That's why, if you own land, having a shallow well for water can be so helpful.
Washing, Cleaning
Discover the wonder of Wet-Wipes. Yup. They work, they're cheap, and have multiple, multiple uses from cleaning the butt to a replacement for showering and bathing. Buy extra packs per month for your supply room/pantry and/or buy in bulk. Make sure to check each pack for cuts that would let the moisture out and if found, just add some tape to seal it. [ Making Homemade Wet Wipes ]
Toilet Replacement Systems
Systems range from the simple dig-a-hole and burry it; to toilet seat over a 5-gallon paint bucket or bed-side commode where you use a trash bag or bucket; to a porta-potty camping toilet; to the old-style 'out-house' or military latrine over a pit.
THE BEST TOILET REPLACEMENT: COMPOSTING TOILET SYSTEM
These can be bought online, designed yourself DIY, custom cabinet built into a bathroom, or be as simple as a toilet seat over a 5 gallon paint bucket. Some systems separate the liquids and solids, some do not. THE COMMON FEATURE is that the waste is set aside or disposed of safely AND used as an eco-friendly fertilizer. Both Urine and Solid Human Waste can be used as fertilizer. Solid Waste need to be 'composted' through a heating process to eliminate dangerous pathogens.
POOP to FERTILIZER in 6 to 12 MONTHS, depending on how you compost or process it. Safe to be used as soil in your garden on your plants eaten for human-consumption.
EMERGENCY TOILET SYSTEM
How to Turn Your House Toilet into an
Emergency Composting-type Toilet
6 min | Provident Prepper
Composting Toilets: How do they work?
2 min | Roxanne Taylor Media
Does the Composting Toilet Stink?
8 min | OFF GRID with DOUG & STACY
MORE COMPOSTING TOILET VIDEOS
Our Humanure and Composting Toilet System
12 min | An American Homestead
Transforming Human Poop Into Eco-Friendly Fertilizer
3 min | National Geographic
RELATED ARTICLE
What Happens If You Use Your Feces as Fertilizer?
6 min | SciShow
How to Make Humanure Compost with a Composting Toilet
7 min | Happen Films
FYI: The Temperatures they use are Celsius, not Fahrenheit
This entire page was written by me, Citizen Dave. I've been heavily involved in prepping for over 4 years. I grew up fishing, farming, wilderness hiking and camping.
Below are a few very unique prepping insights I've not seen anywhere that could be critical for survival, especially for new preppers.
Surprise! Every Prepper has built-in food storage: their own Body Fat. Even the skinniest of persons has a few months of fat fuel on their bodies. The catch is, you will die if you don't keep getting water and new electrolytes and certain vitamins and minerals.
Main Survival Equipment Should Always be... Small & Portable!
Computer and Electronics Use in a Grid-Down Situation
Power Systems: Batteries, Solar, Wind, Water, Wood
Mechanical Replacements of Daily Use Equipment
Scott-E-Vest - Clothing line with a whole lot of pockets.
on Facebook, on YouTube
Free State Maps (from State Travel Bureaus)
What could force you out of your home?
Fire. Sewage Backup. Looters, Gangs, Burglars.
Prepare with extra fire extinguishers. One on each floor, one in the kitchen, utility/laundry room, and near an outdoor grill. Fire alarms and carbon monoxide monitors can save lives.
How to Safely Put Out a Kitchen Fire
2 min | Inside Edition
Will the Fire Blanket Keep You Safe?
7 min | News4 Jacksonville
Fire Safety: How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
4 min | San Jose Fire Deptartment
No power, no municipal sewage treatment, unless you live in a rural area and have your own septic system. Your neighborhood's sewage can back up into your home and will force you to leave. In a house, condo, or apartment - it would all stink, quickly becoming unbearable, and be a hazard to your health. Sewage can backup into all drains, including ones in the floor, sink, tub, and showers, also through the toilets.
FOR RENTERS, options are limited, but may include sandbags, and water activated sandbags like Quick Dam Flood Bags, which expand when it comes into contact, and end-of-pipe plugs, which requires disconnecting sink drains. Water Stop by Quick Dams, provides an easy consumer product to pour down toilet, tub, and sink drains that expands upon contact with liquid. Available on Amazon for about $20.
FOR HOME OWNERS: The best solution is to make sure you have a sewage backwater flow valve on the main sewer line going to the street can be installed by a professional plumber. This prevents neighborhood sewage from backing up into your home. Other options include placing individual back-flow valves on each individual drain (like ones in the basement) and/or using sandbags.
Reusable Water-Activated Sandbags: on YouTube (watch videos), products on Amazon, products on Google Shopping (multiple stores).
How Backwater Valves Work
1 min
AGAINST LOOTERS, GANGS, BURGLARS
Bad-guy roving gangs AND good-guy neighbors turned hungry for your food. You need to be prepare.
In an extended SHTF Emergency or Power Grid Failure, most of who work with the County Sherriff and Police are home with their own families, defending their own homes and neighborhoods.
During the Initial Chaos Period, which hunkering down in your home, try not to attract attention. Keep lights off at night. Secure your home ahead of time. Make a plan. Simple weapons like bats, metal whips, pepper spray/gel should be included in your plan. Firearms like pistols and shotguns are a reasonable option, only if you learn how to use them safely. Classes and practicing at your local firing range is a must.
Secure all entry points (doors, windows), gates into property, out-buildings and sheds.
FOR DOORS - long screws on hinges & plates, and a secure fold-over door latch to prevent someone kicking the door in.
FOR WINDOWS, consider boards/plywood/panels. Best to purchase them ahead of time and pre-make and cut them to size, marking each one with which window they are made for. This is often done in Hurricane country, coastal Atlantic and Gulf Coastal areas. We screw open-ended bolts into the window frames, cut and fit boards/panels onto the windows, and use corresponding bolts to attach window protection. Sometimes we even cut a few little holes so we can view out during the hurricane.
Each home has security weak points. Every home can re-enforce exterior doors by replacing existing screws at the door hinges and strike plate with 2 to 3-inch screws. Some screws are also made of carbon steel for strength. Many other security products are available to prevent a direct door kicking attack, like the door reinforcement lock. First and second floor windows are also a major vulnerability. In Hurricane country we often pre-build and pre-fit exterior window protection that easily bolt on. There are a variety of low-cost Do-It-Yourself solutions and also more expensive professional solutions.
GOOD OVERVIEW - INTRO
The 10 Layers of Home Defense
14 min | Canadian Prepper
How to Secure Your Door
to Keep Your Home Safe
2 min | Inside Edition
How to Secure Your Home
from Burglary for Cheap
5 min | Today Show
9 Easy Ways to Keep Burglars Out of Your Home
3 min | WCPO
The 6 Second Garage Door Break-In You Can Prevent
4 min | CBS Austin
How Strong is Security Window Film?
14 min | Equip 2 Endure
Personal Defense is a wide topic: from baseball bats to whips, chains, knives, pepper spray/gel, pepper ball guns, to regular pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Learning basic hand-to-hand defense techniques is also an option and you can often find local classes.
WHEN CONSIDERING FIREARMS, one needs to consider the cost of ammunition. For example, while a 360 pistol is small and compact, the ammunition is more expensive. There are similar small pistols available that use common and cheaper 9mm ammunition. Consider that instead. Rifles and shotguns are used for different purposes. RIFLES are good for hunting. SHOTGUNS are good for home defense and farm/rural use against wild animals. PISTOLS with a flashlight are good for personal and home defense, especially when going outside the home. Reasonably priced BALLISTIC PROTECTIVE VESTS (bullet proof), hoodies, jackets, backpacks, and sling bags are available that use soft armor instead of heavier hard plates.
Fearful Americans turn to 'prepared citizen' movement for Survival Skills
June 19, 2025 | 5 min | NewsNation
Top 5 Weapons for Self Defense When You Can't Use a Gun (Best Gun Alternatives)
5 min | Jason Hanson
Pepper Gel for Home Defense
1 min | SABRE Red
WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | AMAZON STORE
The Ultimate Pantry Stockpile Checklist:
What Every Prepper Needs
7 min | City Prepping
3 Months Is All You Need As A Prepper
14 min | City Prepping
Prepper's Beginner Guide - 10 Things to Do Now
14 min | City Prepping
The 5 Worst Food Storage Mistakes Preppers Make
11 min | City Prepping
10 Items to Buy Before a Great Depression
20 min | City Prepping
10 Great Depression Mental Laws to Survive
15 min | City Prepping
GARDENING
5 Ways to QUICKLY Become More Self Sufficient
15 min | Self Sufficient Me
RIOTERS, LOOTERS
How to Protect Your Neighborhood
During Civil Unrest
13 min | City Prepping
COMMUNICATIONS
8 Overlooked Ways to Ways to Communicate When the Grid Goes Down
12 min | City Prepping
SEE ALSO: Dave's Radio Communications Page
IF YOU SURVIVE THE INITIAL CHAOS PERIOD
THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL...
Power, Water, Law & Order is re-established... Now What!?
Remember, we are now at war. Cyber Threats to the Power Grid, infrastructure, business, and industry will continue. The Power Grid may be taken down again. The New Normal is...
You Need to Plan Ahead for this stage.
You Need to Focus on THE BASICS (again): Food, Water, etc. Your Long-Term Storage Pantry is depleted or running low. You need to generate/create/acquire new cash, items.
Most Wise Preppers, after they successfully create their Long-Term Food Storage Pantry and fill it - they also start on things that will allow them to survive AFTER the Chaos Period: Water Well, Hunting, Fishing, Food Gardening, Chickens, maybe livestock. Yes, this is how many of our great grandparents lived. It's do-able. Don't have land? Buy some, even if it's small.
THE NEW ECONOMY... Things Will Come from Mainly Local or Regional Sources
In the new economy, many supply chains of food and products will dramatically shift to local or regional sourced and farmed items. Those who live near major ports and energy producing areas of oil and coal and near farming communities will not be as impacted as much.
Buying Food from local farmers. The Wise Prepper would have already started buying from local farmers - and in doing so, have already built existing relationships with them that will place you at the front of the line for future purchases.
Traditional Trades, Skills, Products... will be in demand. If you can create/build something you can sell it for cash or barter. Got a boat? Fish for your family and sell the rest. Pottery, carpentry, making clothes, etc. The more varied items you and your family can produce, the better you will be able to survive.
Gold & Silver - The Best Investment to Survive and Thrive
During troubled times Cash will go down in value due to the cost of items increasing greatly. Gold and Silver will significantly increase in value during troubled times. Today, everyone can afford silver and silver will be the everyday currency for buying and selling consumable goods. Most common are 1 ounce Silver Coins, but smaller fractional 1/5, 1/20, etc types will be more flexible and usable. Mexican Pesos come in fractional ounce form. Regardless, try to only buy silver that is .999% pure. Gold is expensive and will also greatly increase in value, but Gold will only be useful for very large purchases.
Grow Your Own Food - Backyard Gardening, Homesteading
During World War 2, the U.S. Government ran large media campaigns encouraging everyone to grow a backyard vegetable garden and have chickens for eggs and meat. This is actually much easier than you may think. Some may feel intimidated until they just actually do.
A significant number of Preppers are already doing this - either on a basis to jus learn and experiment, to just learn the skills to have if needed, and others to supplement their grocery costs. In a time of war, this will be the standard, the "New Normal" - and so many are already reaping the benefits now.
Don't be discouraged.
Our Great Grandparents Did It, Survived, and Thrived - We Can Too.
Remember, we are Americans...
HISTORY REWIND
Victory Gardens - Asking America to Step Up
Feb 2021 | 5 min | Story
