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I know that people love lists. They want specific recommendations, and there are those who will cater to that and, in some cases, make lots of money off them. I left Amazon and its affiliate program years ago (never looked back) and boy howdy to I wish I got free things, money, and more from some of the people I do recommend (waves at Streamlight). I’m a writer, therefore a whore for all that I prefer to see myself as a courtesan as opposed to a street walker.
What do I recommend getting and in what order? It remains: Food, Water Processing, and Cooking/Heating. It doesn’t matter if there is a nuclear war or “just” the disruption of the world-wide food and drug production and distribution system, the basic needs remain the same. Also remember that Professor Reynolds is right: You are the carbon they want to reduce. Prepare accordingly.
On food, aside from ensuring basic nutrition, consider how much of what we eat and drink comes from overseas in whole or in part. Coffee and Tea, for example, are imports. If you like them as much as I like them, stock up. You know what else is imported? Chocolate, a lot of coconut and coconut products, and some other staples for baking and even producing pasta and such. Spices quite often are imported, and peppercorns were known as the King’s spice for a reason. Himalayan Pink Salt? First word gives it away. Oh, yes, it is a good idea to have some iodized salt tucked away, as while it is not as good as the potassium iodide tablets it’s better than nothing. That smoked paprika you like? Most likely an import. Canned pineapple? Keep in mind that the pineapple is a symbol of royalty for a reason, as only royalty could afford to have fresh pineapple shipped in to enjoy. Even when grown in Hawai’i, it is still shipped.
Don’t stint on your basic nutrition, and a lot of what we consider junk (canned pasta items for instance) can get you by surprisingly well. That said, stock up on the import items while you can. Heck, if someone wants to get me a gift card to The Fresh Market so I can stock up on coffee and tea (and some other things), drop me a line as I will not object. Same holds true for WalMart, Meijer, and Fresh Thyme. Really do need to beef up the strategic hot sauce reserve as well, come to think of it.
Unless you know of a local salt mine or lick, you need salt and a good bit of it. Again, it’s one of those things that what you start with may be all you have for a while. Also, not a bad idea to have several gallons of vinegar on hand for pickling, cleaning, etc. Said all that before, but it needs the repetition.
I will add that your supplements and medical needs go right in there with basic food. Again, start with the things you can get that come in whole or in part from overseas. Then add in the rest.
Water is a close second to food. Without water, we die and we will do so even faster than we will starve to death. Much, much faster. In addition to stocks, you need to be able to create clean water. Get thee to a good sporting goods store and get some good systems. My recommendation is that everyone, regardless of age, have their own at need. You also need to be able to process large amounts when circumstances allow. I’ve discussed these systems before and I highly recommend not getting filters but complete purification systems.
Thing is, don’t stop there. Get the replacement elements (filter, purification, etc.) that you need to change them out on a regular basis. Get as many of those replacements as you can. The more you have, the better. The one time I will recommend a filter system is for a Chemical Biological Nuclear (CBN) environment. In that case, it’s not a bad idea to filter source water before running it through your main purification system(s). Check the filter with a geiger counter often, treat as potential hazmat, and use it as long as you can.
Why the emphasis on water? Well, in a nuclear exchange I don’t expect municipal water supplies to be on for long if they survive, and residual pressure is only going to go so far. The same holds true for whatever stockpile you have created. In the event of global supply disruption, where do you think the chemicals used by many municipal water treatment plants comes from? Civilization is a fragile thing, and many of the things we take for granted, like food and reasonably safe water, are as well.
Now, on to cooking and heating. Let’s face it, it may be a long, hard, and cold winter for many in England and Europe; and, some other locations around the world are going to have issues as well. While I don’t expect the same levels of rolling blackouts, gas shutoffs, and the like here, they are not out of the realm of possibility. In the event of a major disaster such as a nuclear war or exchange, well, let’s just say the supplies of energy might face an impact (juuuuuussst a touch outside!).
So, you need to be able to cook and/or heat if not your full home at least the shelter area you’ve set up. Propane stoves are great and come in a variety of sizes and such. You can even get propane ovens for camping (and, yes, I really want one myself). Even better, you can get indoor-safe propane heaters to use to augment any heat from cooking. There are other indoor-safe options and I urge you to explore them. Redundancy is a good thing. If you have a fireplace, remember that in a nuclear event you need to cap it, and if capped it is not safe to use.
There are many things you can safely eat raw. That said, hot food warms the body and the soul, and there is a reason a good military works hard to ensure its troops get a hot meal before battle. Survival in the face of disaster is indeed a battle. Which reminds me we really should talk emergency cooking one day here soon.
Food, water, cooking/heat. They really are the cornerstone of preparedness and survival. In this case, it’s a good list and a good priority list for those coming late to the whole concept of preparedness, practical or otherwise.
Also, again, let me recommend paper copies of Dean Ing’s Pulling Through and Pat Frank’s Alas Babylon. Also, while fiction, John Ringo’s Black Tide Rising Series gets into a lot of good information via engaging stories. If you can find any of Jerry Pournelle’s writings on preparedness and survival, they are quite useful as well.
Preparedness On The Fly Series
Preparedness On The Fly (Food)
Preparedness On The Fly: Water
Preparedness On The Fly: Light
Preparedness On The Fly: Cooking
Preparedness On The Fly: Protection
Preparedness On The Fly: General Thoughts
Preparedness On The Fly II: Complete Nutrition I
Preparedness On The Fly II: Complete Nutrition II
Preparedness On The Fly II: Health
Of Interest
Start Of All Posts On Preparedness
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If you live in a reasonably sunny environment, there are options for solar cooking, some of which are fairly cheap and can help to conserve your fuel. Also, you should adjust your expectations; in a long-term disaster, you should be making lots of soups and stews, in order to stretch the nutrition of every last molecule of food (and to make you feel more satisfied on less, thanks to the water content). You also need cookware that doesn’t mind being used over an open fire; there are reasons why cast-iron Dutch Ovens are still popular today.
One thing I’d like to add is that for people looking for lists, start with Maslow’s Hierarchy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs). Start at the bottom, take each need, break it down into subcategories. Get creative, think of all of the things in each need that you really enjoy or rely upon, and make a list from there.
Very good points.