The threat of a nuclear attack has been around since I was small.  I remember discussing the cold war in grade school and while we didn’t practice hiding under our desks like the kids did in previous decades, it was nonetheless a known threat.  While we will most likely not have any warning of a nuclear attack, there are things you can do to prepare and certainly in this situation knowledge can save your life.

If you’re within half a mile of the initial blast, depending on the surrounding architecture your percentages of survival are extremely low.  If you somehow see the flash, or have some warning, take shelter immediately.  The basement or middle floors of a building are best.  Concrete, wood, earth, brick and books all can protect you from the blast.  The farther away from the initial detonation you are, the higher your chances of survival.

Most of us will be mostly worried about radioactive fallout.  The fallout can be carried hundreds of miles and cannot be seen or smelled by humans.  You can purchase radiation monitoring devices, but most of us will rely on local radio broadcasts for drift information.  Have a family plan in place that you will follow in the event of a nuclear blast.  If you’re in a close proximity, you will need to evacuate immediately, but remember your car doesn’t provide much defense against radioactive particles.  If you plan on sheltering at home, make sure your food and water supplies are available and your radio has fresh batteries at all times.  You should keep a supply of thick plastic sheets and duct tape to seal up a safe room - which should be an interior room without windows if possible.  Remember if it’s the bathroom to seal up all the vents and heating ducts. 

If you become contaminated act quickly and find shelter, cut off your clothes so as to avoid pulling the contamination over your mouth, nose and eyes.  Shower or wash gently and avoid rubbing your face, instead blotting with a wet, soapy cloth.  If you wear contacts you’ll need to remove them and throw them away, glasses can be dipped in a bleach solution and rinsed.  Thoroughly rinse your eyes.  Throw your contaminated clothing in a trash bag and place outside of your shelter area.  Regular soap and water is enough to decontaminate yourself and any clothing you have stored in your closets and drawers will most likely be safe. 

Food and water that you have stored in plastic or metal containers should be safe.  Watch for dirt and dust on surfaces and decontaminate with a bleach solution if you feel it’s necessary.  Water from wells will generally be safe to drink and reverse-osmosis water filtration systems will remove the radioactive particles.  Any fresh garden produce or animal products from live animals that may consume fallout should not be eaten.  Stick with the food you have stored until authorities have determined it’s safe.

The danger of radioactive fallout will pass rather quickly, within a few days.  Have a plan ahead of time to determine how long you will shelter and listen closely to any news reports and instructions.  If you think you’re suffering from radiation sickness, seek medical help as soon as possible.  Nausea and weakness are the initial effects, followed by problems with your central nervous system, immune and gastro-intestinal systems.  There is no specific therapy for radiation sickness, other than general care of the victim.  In an emergency situation medical facilities will most likely be understaffed and overcrowded with those seeking help.

More likely than a direct nuclear bomb attack is the possibility of an EMP or electromagnetic pulse.  A nuclear weapon detonated in or above the earth’s atmosphere will create an EMP.  While it’s unlikely to have direct human casualties, it will in essence damage all electronic devices, including our grid systems.  Most electrical equipment within 1000 miles of the detonation would be affected and have some major catastrophic results affecting everything from our water supplies to vehicles.  Make sure you take precautions with your emergency electrical equipment, including battery-powered radios by keeping them grounded.  If you have a pacemaker you may have difficulties and should consult your doctor about how to lower your risk.

Be prepared, have a plan and keep aware of the world around you and you can keep yourself and your family safe in the event of a nuclear disaster.

I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been busy researching how to make soap to share with all of you.  However, I’ve come to a realization after my research.  I don’t have time to make soap.  That’s it.  It’s not that hard, but you definitely need accurate instructions, which you can find here: http://www.latheringsforum.com/bb/index.php?sid=52cb2605871a1a0aab9d059c78edccea

Lots of people love making handmade soaps - and I’m sure it’s really therapeutic for them.  It’s just not for me.  I guess it would be good to print out some basic instructions and add them to my survival manuals - and it would interest me to learn about the lye-making process, which is somewhat easy to do, but I’ve decided at this point to stock up on store bought soap and leave it at that.  If my life reaches a point where making soap is a definite necessity then something major will have happened, drastically changing the way we live forever.  Until that time I’ll be stocking up on lots of soap.

Most commercially manufactured soaps have an indefinite shelf life, just store in a dry, cool place like you would anything else.  There is a possibility of natural soaps turning rancid, but I’ll just take my chances.  On the other hand, I was reading an article yesterday about the carcinogens in most commercial bath products, so I’ve decided to make an effort and look for natural, organic soaps.  Castile soap is the most popular all-purpose natural soap and there are some national brands that contain only natural ingredients with scent additives.  You can also use castile soaps as shampoo and even laundry soap. 

There was a time not too long ago when our mothers and grandmothers made their own soap - it was what everyone did.  While I believe it’s worthwhile to have some general knowledge, I’ll wait to make my own until I absolutely have to.  Although, now I’m thinking this would be a good business to have during a long term crisis.  People will always need soap……..

I’ve always loved to read - it’s one of my passions in life, probably ranked even higher than my passion for being prepared!  While I have a pretty extensive library for myself, I’ve been thinking about what books I’d want available to my kids and myself in a long-term survival situation.  If we have to go some time without electricity, it’s a good idea to have plenty of reading material available.  The days of casually dropping by the bookstore or library may not be feasible. 

I mentioned before about having a set of good reference books available, and you’ll want to stock up on certain classics like:

The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George

There are so many great kids books, it’s impossible to list them all.  Don’t just think of books about overcoming struggles - think entertainment, something that will make your kids happy during a difficult time.  Then, start thinking about yourself and any other adults that will be with you.  Not only should you have some great gardening and preserving your harvest books, but think about starting a more extensive preparedness library.  You also might want to have some high-quality maps and an atlas.

You can find many low cost fiction and reference books at resale book shops and on the internet.  If you’re a reader like me, you know a  great story can consume you and take your mind off any immediate worries.  Having a great home library is a functional and entertaining necessity.

I’m thinking of getting one of these……

This is a solar cooking hot pot, available from Solarcookers.org.  The main concept of a solar cooker is concentrating sunlight for use in cooking and purifying drinking water.  This particular model can reach temperatures up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is a more expensive model as it’s made of folding aluminum panels and includes the insulated pot - there are less expensive models, and you can even make one yourself.

To use these cookers, the food is placed in the pot and the pot is then enclosed in a plastic bag (oven bags work great for this and can be reused).  The cooker is placed in direct sunlight until the food is cooked, which takes much longer than a direct heat source like fire. 

You could build your own solar cooker, and it’s a good idea to brush up on the basic concept in case you’re away from home when a disaster strikes.  A basic solar cooker can be made by covering cardboard with aluminum foil and adding a dark pot or heat absorbing bottom (you can even use soot from a fire to “paint” the bottom tray).  If you live in a sunny climate like I do, you could utilize this cooker almost every day of the year.  Heavy clouds, rain and extremely cold temperatures may prevent its use, but I think this is a worthwhile item wherever you live. 

Rice, vegetables and even meat can be cooked in a moderately hot solar cooker.  Water can be pasteurized at 149 degrees Fahrenheit.  How do you know when it’s reached that temperature?  Test have indicated that 2 liters of water takes at least 2 minutes and 4 liters takes about 5 minutes.  You might want to experiment yourself with your own solar cooker and a thermometer.  That way you can get a baseline about the length of time and keep this in mind during any emergency where a thermometer isn’t available.

Solar cookers have brought great relief to countries where fuel is scarce.  This is a great tool to build and use during any disaster situation.

Hopefully you’ve been visiting every day and wondering, what’s up with the Stock Up Challenge?  I know I haven’t posted it in a few weeks, I had some problems with my camera and really, it’s no fun without a picture of the food I bought!  Here it is, what I bought for week #14:

1 Bottle Canola Oil

4 Cans Beans

Total spent for week #14:  $6.69

Keep in mind over the next couple weeks that prices are going up.  Rice has gone up and because of the water shortage in California, everything from almonds to lettuce will be going up in price.  Stock up on extras of things you use the most. 

Here’s the list for this week:

Stock Up Challenge Week #15:

2 Bags Rice

10 Packages Ramen Noodles

2 Cans Spam

Happy Shopping!