as @Ken Anderson mentioned, water is key to survival. it would be vital for everyone to have multiple options to 'purify' water. having a group of like minded individuals to support each other would also be advantageous. we have groups of younger folks who act in this regard with some elderly loners occasionally. this would be healthy during times of crisis or not.
Water is first necessity to survive. I have a 6 inch well. I have considered buying an old fashioned hand pump ....... just in case. My son says it would probably work in my well. But it's a very deep well. I wonder how much strength it would take to pump water to the surface. I think the well is 140 feet deep. Maybe 120. Does anybody know anything about how much effort it would take to pump water from that deep?
I started stockpiling stuff shortly after I left home in my late teens, not for anything like a nationwide SHTF situation but just as a fallback in the event that I would lose a job or something. I would try to have at least enough money to pay rent for a few months and enough food to get by for a while, so that, if I should lose a job, I wouldn't have to look for a new one in the spirit of desperation. Looking for work, it's always best if you don't actually need the job you're applying for. At first, I didn't look specifically for survival foods, but would simply overbuy stuff that had a reasonably long shelf life, such as buying a case rather than a few cans. Even though canned and boxed foods weren't my favorite choices, I wouldn't starve and, if I could pay my rent, I wouldn't be homeless, allowing me to look for a good job rather than any job. That never happened because the only time I've ever lost a job was when a company closed all five of its plants down. Even then, my last day on the old job in California was on Friday, and I started the new job in Texas on Monday. Now, we do have some stuff that will last for 10 years or even 25 years, although if I last 25 years, I'll be 96 years old, so I expect this stuff will outlast me. My dad's house had a well. I expect it was a deep well because it didn't freeze up in the winter. Because we had running water in the house (I can remember when we didn't, however), the pump well didn't get used often, but I can remember a couple of winter freezes when the inside pipes froze and we had to haul water in from the outside well. As a kid, I used it a lot during the summer because I never knew what directives I might be hit with if I went inside. When a pump well isn't used for a while, it needs to be primed, which isn't a big deal; it simply means pouring a small amount of water into the top of it, and we would have to pump it several times before water began flowing but the amount of force involved was minimal. Even when I was barely old enough to reach the pump handle, I could pump water out of it.
Canned food will last practically forever if the can isn't rusted through. Dry beans will last indefinitely. Black eye peas are a good source of protein. I think most beans have some protein. Rice will keep indefinitely. I once read that a person could actually survive on rice and orange juice. Maybe we should stock up on those.
I apologize Heidi and shouldn't have said it. Although I really wasn't thinking about Texas, just how blind most of us have been or maybe it Gods plan since we aka America seem to be a main character in the plan.No excuse though.
Yvonne, we just bought those cans of fish,peas this past week ,in case food supply runs out like some are predicting this Fall. Not so much for preps but food shortage in case tiomes get lean.
Mama had to keep setting the points in our well and me holding the flash light was never any fun for either of us. Our well was draw well with bucket. If that handle slipped it could really hurt whatever part of you it hit. But looking back it was a great life.
Those are complicated get ups. The bucket fastened to a pully with a handle connected by rope to hold a gallon. And although most wells are on high ground ours was down hill to the house, that mean up hill caring water. Water splashes out and some is lost, which means un happy parent. Its easier to carry the empty bucket to the well than a full one to the house. I think it was called a dipping well. I use to lay out by the well at night with my donkey complaining. I'd lay my head on her neck.
Jack and Jill Went up the hill To fetch a pail of water Jack fell down and broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after. Up Jack got And home did trot, As fast as he could caper; Went to bed To mend his head With vinegar and brown paper. Jill came in And she did grin To see his paper plaster; Mother, vex’d, Did whip her next For causing Jack's disaster.
LOL yep thats about it, only mama whipped because of spilling the water, that's ok it taught me to be well balanced.