Some Of The First Preps To Disappear
January 30, 2012, Submitted by: Ken Tweet
Following the onset of a regional (or wider) disaster, if and when it becomes known that the disaster is going to last for a week or more, many or most items will disappear from store shelves. It is a given that food of all varieties will be one of the first things to go. But apart from that, here are just a few of the many other items that may disappear sooner than others, given their importance or impact on daily living in today’s modern world.
In no particular order, excluding foods,
Water Filters/Purifiers
Propane Cook-stoves, Coleman stoves
Propane cylinders and Coleman fuel
Gasoline Containers
Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Tissues
Flashlights, torches, lanterns, candles
Batteries
Generators
Portable propane heaters (if during winter), Firewood
Ammunition (Firearms will be difficult to purchase once TSHTF)
Aluminum Foil (lots of uses)
Matches and Lighters
Personal hygiene products (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, shaving, etc.)
Alcohol, cigarettes
While there are so many supplies and items that we all use over a period of time, these struck me as potentially some of those that will be in greater initial demand and may be hard to find once TSHTF.
It may be a good idea to procure some extras of these items now rather than later, assuming that you could use any of them following a major disaster.
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@ no one in particular.
Try to multi-purpose your items. An example would be propane canister sizes. I have a couple of twenty pound bottles and about twenty of the 16oz bottles. The big ones are for a propane heater. The small ones are for the grill, a Weber Performer (Love it). Can also be used for the Benzomatic torch.
Might want to stock up on dry goods like charcoal and dog food.
You should keep five or ten gallons of gas, outside, at all times. Remember to have Stabil and PRI-G. They are different. Stabil, I double dose to increase life span, extends gas shelf life. PRI-G is more like a return from the dead product. PRI-G is kinda pricey but a little goes a long way. You could avoid using either product by becoming your own gas station. By that I mean using it in a car before it goes bad.
If you want to use diesel for a generator try to get the off road variety. No road taxes. Has a red(?) dye. Getting caught using on the road is probably a very bad idea.
My only experience with the ammunition/weapons thing was during the Rodney King riots in LA. The police, after they stopped running, closed and secured all supplies. Remember that many locales have waiting periods on weapons.
I remember seeing on the news that when the Kalifornia national guard arrived to restore order they didn’t have ammunition or magazines to act like they did. Oopsie. I was amazed that looters didn’t walk up with their $25 Ravens (a cheap pistol, I bought a few to sell to the gun buy back folks. Made almost $50. LMAO)and politely ask; Excuse me private, notice you don’t have any ammo. Is that rifle worth your life? Too busy with home electronics I suppose.
When the Marines came in they had ammo. Still sure why nobody went to jail for using the USMC for law enforcement. Posse Comitatus was in full effect at the time. Maybe The feds loaned 7,000 Marines to the state of Kalifornia.
And then there was Katrina. Not content with denying supply, they went door to door confiscating weapons. This was happening at about the same time some law enforcement types were gunning down unarmed citizens. There are laws in Louisiana and at the federal level preventing this kind of crap, the confiscation part, now. I think we all know that those laws can be ‘temporarily’ suspended with a signature.
It might seem that I have a negative view of law enforcement. Guilty as charged. When I moved to Kalifornia in ’85, the manager of the apartment building mentioned that “We don’t call the police unless it’s life or death.” I asked why. He responded that “it is when they get here”. I seem to be in the same situation here. The police, by me count, have killed more citizens recently than car accidents have. A prosecutor that won’t prosecute law enforcement. Multiple police departments covering up for each other (they investigate each other in suspicious circumstances). At one point all three departments were investigating each other. Oddly enough, no problems were found. The feds finally called BS and indicted and convicted one local officer. The sad part about it was that about forty fellow officers were in court and saluted a convicted felon.
This really isn’t the comment I thought it would be.
Be well!
@Mortimer, Really? you’re going to defend the scumbag citizens that were shooting at law enforcement AND firemen that were trying to help them? Your entire post really went to the way side in a bad way.
@stcroix. You should reread my post. At no point do I “defend the scumbag citizens that were shooting at law enforcement AND firemen that were trying to help them”. This did happen in the LA riots.
What I mentioned was:
1) LAPD and others *did* secure all of the weapons and ammunition that they could get their hands on. The point being that getting more ammo after the fact might be challenging.
2) The national guard did show up without ammo and in my opinion where very fortunate to keep their weapons.
@Mortimer, In my opinion, regarding law enforcement, it is really no different from any other profession in that there will always be good and bad, and in-between. I have experienced this first hand while having to use the services of various professions over the years. It’s just the way it is. Law enforcement additionally has their unique pressures and politics, which may lead to their own abuses, but overall my own experiences with them have been fair – except for an occasional outrageous ticket here and there
Too bad that more police chief’s couldn’t be like Tom Selleck on the tv show, Blue Bloods…
@Ken. I agree with you that there are agrees of capability an challenges in any profession. When I was a child I trusted law enforcement. Unfortunately, my thoughts on the matter have changed with experiences in LA and where I live now.
I can understand your general feelings, in that when you’ve been burned or burned badly, you tend not to trust any subsequent similar situation. It’s human nature. Healthy skepticism is a good thing.
@Mortimer; Only the Army and the USAF are affected by the “Posse Comitatus Act” and even then they can be used for law enforcement and peace officer duties IF properly implemented. The Marines and the Navy are are explicitly omitted from the “Posse Comitatus Act”, although they are prohibited by their OWN DoD regulations from engaging in domestic law enforcement. Interestingly enough, the Coast Guard is not included in the “Act” and is under the Department of Homeland (IN)Security. They are Janet’s own little potential SS. Just FYI. Survive well. Enjoy.
Add to the Personal hygiene products section: diapers and feminine hygiene products.
How about Tarps, Tie-downs (rope and bungee cord) and Duck Tape?
@Mortimer, you went off on a tangent, totally understandable.
@Diana. Thanks for the reply. I almost didn’t submit the comment as I thought it might cause the bees to get mad.
Have a great day!
Oil Lamps and lamp oil/wicks. I ran out during an ice storm and could not find anymore oil anywhere. Now I stay stocked up…
@Mortimer I totally understand bad experience with the law. But try to remember there are good and bad in everything, every race, every profession. My poor husband was pulled out of our house, and stripped to his shorts in our front yard in front of our neighbors by 5 armed to the teeth US Marshals after we moved into a rent house. It seems that he fit the general description of a wanted man who used to live in that house a couple years before. He showed them his ID and that was not good enough they said it could be fake, they wanted to look for tatoos. They had their guns out and would not even let him put on his shoes. He complained about the incident and what it did to him when he suffers from severe anxiety to begin with and he got an “apology” and a honorary marshals badge like they would give to a fifth grader. They were bad but I also know of good ones. Like our town police that talked kindly to my 3 year old grandson in the park one day and explained to him what police do. Or the one that pushed our jeep off the highway and into a parking lot a quarter mile down the road when the fuel pump went out on the exit of the turnpike. Then made sure we were okay and had someone to call for a ride and help. Those good ones make up for the bad eggs but people dont tend to give Kudos when they are deserved and only talk about the negative. I hope this helps.
@Christine. I am sorry that that happened you you and your husband. It could have been much worse. I’ve read about too many no knock raids at the wrong house where innocent civilians die.
I feel that law enforcement must be held to higher standards than ordinary civilians. They have the legal right to use force.
I know that there are ‘good’ cops. They tend to work for smaller cities or towns.
Be well.
as an aside
you can make your lamp wicks
use a strip from a 100% cotton t-shirt,no man made materials
cut to needed width and length
I also like to soak these in white vinegar,and allow to dry
before use
this helps them burn a little cleaner
Mortimer. Wow. There are a lot of ‘I hate cops!’ sites to choose from. Why on this forum? There are indeed bad cops (who should go straight to f***ing jail) like in any profession but I (retired now) served with many good ones, some of whom gave their lives trying to help haters like yourself. I volunteered and went to Katrina with an AZ Sheriff’s dept. relief column and we didn’t shoot any unarmed citizens. Didn’t club any baby seals. We just went to help folks.
@SurvivorDan
Who said “I hate cops”?. Hatred requires that I, or anyone else, use resources for something that is basically pointless. A lot like telling a fat man that he’s fat. He knows that. In fact, I have no problem with shooting the $hit with a LEO over a beer.
My point about ‘bad’ cops is that they are not being prosecuted by the county prosecutors where I live. The feds should not have to ‘intercede’.
Thank you for going East to help the Katrina victims.
I was not specific enough on the cops killing unarmed citizens. If this offended you, please accept my apology. I was referring to the New Orleans police department. Do a Google on “new orleans police shooting” or “Danziger Bridge shootings”.
Do they have seals in Louisiana?
Mortimer: I tend to overreact when I perceive a ‘one-sided’ attack on LEOs. I should let it ‘gel’ before I hit Submit Comment. You are entitled to your opinon and I suspect you have had several run-ins with overzealous or bad LEOs that went poorly.
The number of fatal shootings by police officers is down per capitl (still too many). Part of the reason for that stat is the reduced violent crime rate (sadly, that trend probably won’t continue) and partly to the increased utilization of less-than-lethal arms like the Taser. Though, too many officers deploy the Taser when it is really time to physically hands-on subdue the suspect. In the nine years since they issued me a Taser I never shot anyone with it. I was tazed in training and it hurt like holy hell! I preferred dialogue or hands-on persuasion.
As you can see by my previous comment about bad cops ‘who should go straight to f***ing jail’, I agree that DAs should zealously prosecute the truly bad LEOs. More of that would help us with citizen confidence and trust.
I know about the bridge incident. Obviously could have been handled entirely differently. When people are afraid they do terrible and despicable things to each other.
Also I wondered at the presence of the 82nd Airborne at Katrina. I guess the constitution goes on hold for disasters….
You are correct that there were no baby seals there and I was disappointed as I brought my favorite club.
Seriously, I am truly sorry if you or those you care about had their civil rights abused by corrupt LEOs. Some men can be weak in spirit and power tends to corrupt.
Since we’re on this site we doubtless agree on more than we disagree.
@SurvivorDan.
Explanation accepted.
I rarely have encounters with LEOs who are on duty. Once in the last ten years. Three or four as an adult. All but the last one were for traffic tickets. The last ticket, a DUI that I deserved, prompted me to stop driving. The DUI wasn’t the only reason. I have chronic health issues that mandate that I get more exercise. I walk a *lot*.
A big reason for my limited contact with law enforcement is that I try not to be in the same place that they are. Kind of an odd thing to say by a, generally, law abiding citizen. Acting on the advice of a friend who is an attorney. His position was that there is almost no value, from my perspective, to be gained by talking to on duty law enforcement. They may be fishing.
I think that federal troops can be used in disaster relief as long as it doesn’t involve law enforcement. With the number of law changes since 9/11 it looks like the federal government can do pretty much anything they want. For a scary read do a Wiki on “Posse Comitatus” and the “Insurrection Act”.
The seal question was a joke.
I don’t think that my civil rights have been violated although my last encounter with a LEO did put my safety at risk. He almost hit me with his car while in hot pursuit of someone who walked through somebody’s yard. I considered filing a complaint on that one. Decided that it wouldn’t help and it could put me on the radar for future retribution.
I think that we probably agree on most things.
Have a great day!
Ice (cubes or blocks). Difficult to store and transport, but if you can make it you can almost name your price. Newer propane chest freezers can run a week or more on a 20# tank, but are slower to freeze water than electric models.
Re: police. Would like to see just one sheriff step up and kick TSA out of his airport, or even a patrolman refuse to setup a DUI checkpoint, as 4th amendment violations, for example. Not a cop-hater either, just don’t see them as fulfilling their oaths of office. Just a job, and just following orders imo. Even Arpaio out in Nevada isn’t willing to go there, maybe his successor will?
@Jonathan.
Good news! I can think of a couple of methods of making ice that don’t use power or chemicals. I suspect that you already know about them.
1) The Roman method:
a) Dig a hole in the ground.
b) Place what they wanted to freeze in a container like a jar.
c) Insulate the containers with straw.
d) Cover the hole with a reflective material like a shield during the day. Leave exposed at night.
2) The Nigerian method:
a) Place the item to be frozen in a jar.
b) Place that jar in a larger jar packed with wet sand.
c) Cover both with a wet towel.
The second method is similar to how an evaporative(swamp) cooler works. Does not work well in humid climates. Here is a link: http://blog.stickyrice.net/archives/2008/ice-in-the-desert-a-fridge-without-electricity/
With respect to the police. I don’t see any sheriff taking on TSA (Touching, Squeezing, Assaulting) and the feds. I know that most sheriffs are elected officials and have more power than employees of a city. But, if he/she is lucky the feds will increase the deficit by suing them into submission. If not so lucky they could get the the Vince Foster treatment. Successful, politically connected, attorneys rarely commit suicide. Yes, too many LEOs view it as a job or career. Personally, I don’t think that this is the kind of job that anyone that wants to do it should be allowed to do. Politics is another. Too late in to change it in our republic.
This is a bit (lot?) off topic. I grew up in the 60′s and 70′s. Before the “War on Drugs” and the “War on Terror”. I grew up free, can’t say that now. I would prefer, if anyone was asking, to live in more personal danger with more freedom.
Have a great day!
You want to know what is going to disappear fast, means of birth control. No one wants to try to deliver an unwanted child with no medical facilities around. Oh sure, they did this for thousands of years and more often than not the women died in labour or the infant did not make it pass the first month. This is why when people were having 10-14 kids in their life times the population did not double every 10 years or so, most kids died before the year 1900. People are still going to have intercourse even when SHTF and then some. An excellent barter item, birth control, probably better than cigarettes and booze. You might even get a nice rifle in trade for a bottle of vodka and a small box of some type of birth control devises, especially if one or both of the couples is quite ugly.
Good points. To add alittle to this train of thought, penicillin (clap), Relenza/Famvir (herpes), and permethrin cream (crabs) might be good barter items as well. All available at overseas pharmacies with no prescription and have their uses outside of STD’s too.
A Rifle!! if they are silly enough to not know when to separate from their throws of passion in dangerous and desperate times you would hope they never had a rifle ! I think someone so careless will take and not trade its all mind sets? only my view