Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@manifestinteractive

manifestinteractive/long-term-prep.md

Last active September 7, 2017 07:19
Show Gist options
  • Star 1 You must be signed in to star a gist
  • Fork 0 You must be signed in to fork a gist
  • Save manifestinteractive/d7cd883a9676c7aa0fd3f38b0c816cf0 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save manifestinteractive/d7cd883a9676c7aa0fd3f38b0c816cf0 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP
Long Term Prep
Raw
long-term-prep.md

Long Term Prep

By no means am I an expert on this stuff, but I have been doing basic research on this from year to year and have been trying to keep up with "best practices". I started this "prepper" stuff back in St. Louis, MO as we lived on a fault line and we were well past due for a major earthquake ( by 100+ years actually ). So I felt kind of stupid not being ready if it was a pretty good bet that at some point in my life, I was going to meet a natural disaster.

Something important to note, is that I did not just drop a bunch of money on this all at once. I just slowly accumulated things over the past 6-8 years. I figured if I budgeted about max of $250 a year on preparation stuff, I would only need to do that for a few years before I could have a pretty decent nest egg.

My primary focus was based purely on how I live my life, which is that I mainly work from home with my wife, and when I am traveling, it's usually by car, and I'm usually within 30 miles from home.

Get Home Bag (GHB)

Get Home Bag

I spent a good amount of money on this GHB specifically knowing that I will only need to do this once, and maintain it every few years. I wanted to have enough stuff to handle something like an earthquake where I might have to leave my car stranded somewhere and walk home. I am usually not very far away from home, so that is something to consider when making your own bag. Something to think about for your vehicle is to see if you can throw in a pair of old shoes that are good for walking.

My Focus for GHB:

  • Lightweight to carry
  • Small enough to keep in a car all year round
  • Can get me & my wife home within three days
  • Could resist High Heat conditions ( I live in Florida )
  • Dedicated & Separate First Aid Bag for severe emergencies while driving, but clipped to my GHB if I needed to leave the car
  • Should also function as a Bug Out Bag (BOB) as I can just grab the GHB from the car if we have to leave our house due to Emergency

IMPORTANT: Make sure not to leave your GHB just sitting out where others can see it through your window. Backbacks are a common target for would be thieves, so if you don't have a trunk, or something to place the bag in, you can use a trick that I use. Wrap the backpack in a t-shirt that is about the same color as the inside of your car. This will both make it harder to tell its a backpack, and also help it blend in. That also gives you an extra t-shirt to have in the GHB.

NOTE: While I do list each item below, some of these I have two of ( for me and my wife ). Also, some of these items come in packs, and I only used a few for the GHB. Obviously you should make sure to cover whatever your conditions will be. For example. if you almost always drive alone, your GHB should be focused just on you.

Storage

Hydration

Food

Tools

Safety

First Aid

  • $79.95 - Extensive First Aid Kit ( While this is large, it's kept in the car, but can be clipped onto the GHB for emergencies )
  • $10.24 - SAM Rolled Splint 36" ( Great Makeshift Splint for pretty much anything )
  • $9.37 - Compression Bandage ( This is specific for Hemorrhage control, learn how to use first )
  • $16.97 - Medical Tourniquet ( This can save a limb, but should not be used unless you learn how to use them first )

Power

Miscellaneous

  • Extra Socks ( I put these in the Assorted Dry Sacks and pushed the air out. If you get/stay wet, you're going to have a bad time )
  • Extra T-Shirt ( I put these in the Assorted Dry Sacks and pushed the air out. If you get/stay wet, you're going to have a bad time )
  • One Gallon Zip Lock Bags ( These weigh pretty much nothing, and can be used for a LOT of things )
  • Roll of Toilet Paper ( I put these in the Assorted Dry Sacks and pushed the air out )
  • Dry Erase Marker ( This can be used to write temporary messages on slick surfaces )
  • Permanent Marker ( This can be used to write permanent messages on most surfaces )
  • Laminated GHB Organization Card ( Leave one side blank so you can write message, the other side should list what items are in what pockets ... in a year, you will forget. Here is mine: PDF & PSD )

Home Prep

I tried to focus on things that will last 5+ years so I did not have to work hard on maintaining my preparation. For water storage, you will want to look into long term water storage. I've used my 5 gallon drums for almost 12 years now and they have travelled well and held up great. Treating the water before storing it, and prepping the containers will make sure you have clean healthy water whenever an emergency might pop up. I wrote with a permanent marker on a sticker when I replaced each thing, and when it will expire, so I can check in on the stock and see what needs rotation.

Hydration

Food

Safety

Pets

Technology Prep

Depending on technology during an emergency can be foolish, but unless it's something major, things like GPS are likely going to keep working. As long as your mobile phone is not destroyed in the emergency, you will likely have a portable tool you can use to help you get to safety. Some of the apps might not be applicable to you and your location, so choose as needed.

IMPORTANT: Don't just download these apps, but open each and every one of them and set them up to be ready to use in an emergency. Most of these apps requires downloading content for offline use. If you do not prepare to download that content ahead of time, you will likely not be able to access the data when you need it. Map apps like Google Maps, and GPS Tracks allow you to download maps for offline use, which you should do as soon as you download the app. Google Maps auto expires the maps you download after 30 days, and I often forget to re-download them, which is why I opted for GPS Tracks.

iOS

Android

I don't use Android for everyday use, but if you have suggestions, leave them in the comments and I can check them out :)

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment