Personal Preparations To Survive – Sustain – Thrive Page 1 of 1

If you find yourself with that small nagging feeling that all is not well, nor is it as it appears to be, welcome. The more rocks you overturn, the more you find rot, and more rocks.

Regarding your own research:

Take the blue pill, wake up and believe whatever you like, or:

Take the red pill, but "… you may not like how deep the rabbit hole goes…"

- Morpheus, in "The Matrix"

Expect to find some basic premises though:

100% taxation of all personal income would not cover government spending.

100% confiscation and foreign sale of all assets in the US would not cover government debt.

The US economy is a joke.

The value of a dollar is an illusion. I suspect that the dollar may soon plummet in value, wiping out paper cash, and any account denominated in some fixed amount of dollars (Savings accounts, insurance limits, cash, salaries, pensions, etc.)

At some point, enough people/companies/nations will realize the uselessness of the dollar. Think what happens when we can no longer buy foreign fuel, food, clothes, and all the other “stuff”.

Prior to that point we need individuals capable of not only surviving but thriving without dependence on an external supply grid. We need communities to have regenerated their local economy and life-support, such that they can sustain themselves.

Whatever is going on or about to happen, there are common steps you can take to prepare to deal with the harm to you, your family and friends, and mitigate the impact on your ability to continue in comfort relative to those still asleep.

The economy is not coming back. The economy has moved on, and the people asking if it's coming back are being left behind.

- Robert Kiyosaki, Author Rich Dad Poor Dad

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Air. To survive beyond three minutes.

Water. To survive beyond three days.

Food. To survive beyond three weeks.

Shelter. Exposure can kill faster than starvation or dehydration.

Safety/Security. If you cannot protect against a robber or killer, why bother with anything beyond a pleasant daydream.

PHYSICAL PRIORITY I - Air

Critical for survival much beyond 3 minutes.

Living away from likely sources or flows of contamination would seem to be the simplest option. In reality you CANNOT live away from the pollution.

"We're all breathing each other's air,"says Daniel J. Jacob, a Harvard professor of atmospheric chemistry and one of the chief researchers in a recent multinational study of transcontinental air pollution. He traced a plume of dirty air from Asia to a point over New England, where samples revealed that chemicals in it had come from China.

There's not much you as an individual can do about “open-air” contamination, other than NOT produce it yourself. (Remember that “outside” is a relative term; the Earth itself is for all practical purposes a CLOSED container.) You need to be in a sealed container...suit, home, building, etc., with an appropriate combination of air volume, renewal (O2 / CO2), and purification capabilities.

Carbon Dioxide

We as a living animal inhale, use some of the oxygen from air, and exhale increased CO2 levels. Starting from less than 1% in "fresh" air, the upper "safe" CO2 level is around 3%. When the concentration exceeds 3%, even though there is still oxygen in the air, humans are adversely affected. An average person produces around .67 cubic ft. (5 gallon volume) per hour of CO2. Burning of course produces MUCH MORE CO2.

In a sealed container, starting with good outside air, a person can survive for about an hour for every 22.5 cubic feet of air (about 1 cubic yard, around 168 gallon). A 1200 sq.ft home, with 7 foot ceilings, should hold about 8400 cubic feet of air, or enough for a family of four for 3+ days.

Any steadily growing plant absorbs CO2. NASA experiments show that around one cubic meter of wheat, growing constantly under artificial light, can balance the CO2 for a single person. Other experiments show that approximately 8 gallons of well aerated algae does the same job.

Some plants such as cacti, aloe vera, etc. produce oxygen in the dark, vs the light. Note though, regardless of the oxygen generating plant, once parts of the plant starts to die, you MUST eliminate the dead portions from your sealed area, otherwise the decay organisms consuming the dead plant matter will re-release the CO2.

SEALING YOU HOME

Unfortunately many homes, in particular but not limited to wood frame structures, "leak". As part of an energy efficiency inspection, it is possible to have the extent of the air leaks in your home professionally determined. Short of this, locate all penetrations in your walls, ceiling, & floor, (including pipes, cables, electrical sockets, etc.) and measure for appropriate sealant means. Pre cut applicable plastic sheets (Think heavy clear plastic shower curtain), label where is goes, and keep them together by room. Keep in this kit not only enough liner feet of duct tape to "do the job", but a roll for each person likely to be present and engaged in the sealing process.

Compensating for Atmospheric Pressure Variation

An airtight home must have a flexible lung (see the Biosphere II project, north of Tucson) to allow internal and external air pressure to remain equal, without actual exchange of air. It can be as simple as a large trash bag on one end of a pipe that penetrates a wall. Typical atmospheric pressure changes do to weather may amount to 2% to 5% of the volume of the sealed container.

Assume there is nasty stuff in the outside air. If the atmospheric pressure goes down slightly, air will need to leak out of your sealed home. You are probably safe to let this happen. BUT, if the atmospheric pressure increases, now the nasty stuff outside if being forced INTO your supposedly sealed home.

If you have a 1200 ft. sq. home (above), the "lung" should be between 168 and 420 cubic feet. Given its size, a cube just under 8 foot on each side it may be something you want to locate outside, or in a non-sealed attic, crawl space, shed or garage, if it can be safely done.

This "lung" volume is just over 3,800 gallons. Considering a lawn "leaf bag" to be 30 gallons (avoiding over-inflation) it would be 128 of such bags.

PRESSURIZE WITH FILTERED AIR

If the nasty stuff outside is something that can be removed by a HEPA Filter, AND you have reliable power, then some or all of the home sealing & "lung" can be substituted by maintaining the air pressure inside the home slightly higher than outside.

Pictured is a hepa filter, with a carbon pre-filter, in an attic. Not sure I’d want to suck-in attic air.

Wouldn’t you rather have your filter in one of those cute decorative cupolas that go up on the outside of your roof?

Inside the living area to be able to perform maintenance is a Fantech FX4 radon blower.

Radon blowers are designed to run 24/7/365 and this one's warranted lifetime is 5 years continuous operation. Coupled to the piping with rubber connectors the only thing you can hear is a slight airflow sound right at the HEPA filter. Seal the rubber connectors to the pipe and blower with 100% silicone RTV. The blower runs on 120VAC so you need a way to make power in an emergency. On the positive side, it only draws 17 Watts.

This setup addresses a "pet peeve" of mine, every private fallout shelter I've seen puts the filter INSIDE the shelter. I would rather NOT have nasties accumulating inside where I live.

Short of this setup, you can consider a small fan, or even an aquarium pump, to force some small flow of air thru a filter.

Plants To Detox Interior Air

An airtight home and outgassing from items inside, leads to a need to detox your home. Things like upholstery, curtains, plywood, paper towels, carpets, and electrical equipmentrelease harmful chemicals like trichloroethylene, formaldehyde and benzene. Studies by NASA have shownthat plants in the home can reduce indoor air pollutants by up to 85%.Some plants are more effective than others.

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) - It produces more oxygen than the average plant, which helps to keep you alert and focussed. It also removes xylene and toluene from the air.

Snake Plant a.k.a. Mother-In-Law’s Tongue(Sansevieria trifasciata) - The ideal bedroom plant. It is very unique in that it converts carbon dioxide to oxygen at night. Studies shave shown that higher oxygen levels promote deeper sleep. It also removes formaldehyde from the air. Please note that Snake Plantsare toxic to cats and dogs when eaten and should be kept out of reach of children.

Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)- Is an all-round air-purifer. It can remove formaldehyde and a host of other volatile chemicals with its special filtering powers. It is also believed that it will bring the owner good luck, good fortune and good health. However as with the Snake Plant they are toxic to cats and dogs when eaten and should be kept out of reach of children.

The number of house plants required depends on many factors such ashow much time you spend in your home. NASA recommends than on average a 1800 sq ft house should have 15-18 large house plants.

For more indoor air plant cleaning information, see Dr. Bill Wolverton's book "How to Grow Fresh Air".

In addition to plants, the microbes in soil perform a great deal of the "work" transforming waste materials into productive life. The Biosphere II project used a “soil reactor” to clean the inside air, as does the author of the book "Soliva". The basic concept is simply forcing air to the interior thru several feet of healthy soil.

Sterilization

Ultraviolet light readily penetrates air, and even clouds. It, and ozone (ionized oxygen) are part of God's open-air germ control system. There may be lenses and surfaces which allow just ultraviolet light to be concentrated, and used for specific sterilization purposes. (TO BE DEVELOPED) If you have technology and power, readily available are u/v systems for desktop, portable, or installation in building vent systems, (and your water system) to keep levels of microorganisms down.

INDIVIDUAL AIR FILTRATION

When outside the security of your hepa filtered home you may need individual protection. For dust & airborne bacteria/virus, carrying around an "N-95" mask takes up less space than a folded handkerchief. Add swim goggles for eye protection.

A step up is a half-face respirator with something along the lines of organic vapor filters.

Make it a full face respirator, nitrile gloves, a tyvek coverall with all gaps duct-taped, and you're in a (weak) civilian haz-mat suit.

NOTE: The above air filtration methods DO NOT protect against a toxic gas, such as chlorine.

PHYSICAL PRIORITY II - Water

Critical for survival much beyond 3 days

In some areas water is simply not a concern. Where it is (and it rains) your home should contain a cistern (where it is not ILLEGAL to capture rainwater…) capable of holding at a minimum the survival (drinking, cooking, and minimal cleaning) water for your family for a year.

Examples of water use

For life-sustaining purposes, the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security puts human minimum daily intake at 3 liters. (Or call it a gallon)

For "living" purposes, expect more like:

20 gallon/day human cooking/consumption, bathing (5 min low flow shower)

(x365= 7300)

+105 gallon/day garden (adjusted for cleaning/bathing graywater use)

125

x365

45,625 Average annual water per person

Basis of personal 20 gallon water estimate. Five minute lowflow shower (2.5 gpm=12.5 gallon), up to several gallons per day drinking/cooking, and several gallons in misc. washing.

Basis of garden water estimate. Every linear foot of "soaker hose" waters plants in the two square feet along its sides.

To water a 1,000 ft. sq. area of crops requires 500 linear feet of soaker hose. Soaker hose releases water at 1 gallon/minute/100 foot. 500 foot of soaker hose would release 5 gallons per minute.

The area shown above had been cement-hard compacted desert soil when we arrived. With appropriate mulching, even in the hot summers of Yuma, Arizona, (plants exposed to direct sunlight) our garden survived with two 12 minute soaks per day. A subsistence garden should get by with 120 gallons per day (15 or so of which could be washing "gray water").

More precise watering (drip irrigation) of individual plants, or a buried reservoir with an airspace between the water and the soil above (semihydroponic - see the "Earthbox" or wicking beds) may lead to further reductions in crop water use.

COLLECTION AREA

Using the low typical rainfall for your area, calculate the collection area needed to meet your annual needs from rainfall. All rainwater not directly collected for controlled storage should be routed to a collection area for recharging the aquifer. If paving for walkways, patio's, etc. is not intended to be used to route rainwater for collection, where practical the surfaces should be porous to allow the water to soak into the ground.

Rain (in many places) may be the safest "natural" water available, and the least subject to human interference. (Flowing water, wells, pipelines, etc., are all of course subject to "blockages", or contamination, somewhere "upstream".) Even if living in a relatively isolated area, all of the water sources could be contaminated. In the case for example of groundwater, it may be decades after a "spill", that took place quite in the distance, before the effluent starts to contaminate the water.

Similarly, for upstream surface flowing water, abandoned sites may start to leak in the future.

Estimating 7 gallons per cubic foot, every inch of rainfall on a square foot is about 1/2 gallon that could be collected.

The percent of any given rainfall that actually reaches your cistern will vary depending on conditions present. A light sprinkle might soak into a built up tar roof, tile, etc. Even a metal roof will have some water adhere to it. If your roof is hot, you will lose water to evaporation. For ballpark loss estimates, use 5% for metal, 10% for built up tar, and 20% for gravel roof surfaces.

Assuming annual rainfall of 12 inches, and assuming personal direct one-time thru water use of around 20 gallons per day, a collection area of about 1042 sq. ft. (say a square 33 ft. per side) could provide for one person.

Add in one-time thru water use in a biointensive yet open-air garden, and per person you need to plan on a collection area of around 6500 sq.ft. (an area 80 ft. on a side) to provide around 45,000 gallons per year, which should meet the needs of an individual with comparably liberal water use. While collectors can be artificial surfaces, they can also be part of the landscape (i.e. rock hillsides).

A family of four would need a collection area 160 ft. on a side. A multigeneration homestead of 8 to 10 people would need a collection area of 52,000 to 65,000 sq.ft, or an area from 228 to 254 feet on a side.

I use the term "one-time thru" to prompt thinking of multiple / reuse of water. Consider for an "extreme" example the Biosphere II facility, where the same water has essentially been in enclosed re-use for several years. The Earth is, after all, just a big yet closed system.

See the Appropriate Technology Appendix of my "Sustainable Civilization" treatise for expanded discussion on obtaining and managing water, including atmospheric condensers, and application of other simple concepts useful to sustain a higher standard of living in the absence of our present high energy globally connected infrastructure.

Water Storage

Absent anything else, fill cleaned plastic soda bottles with chlorinated tap water and store them at the back of closets, behind pots & pans, wherever there is space to fit a bottle. A lot of disaster fiction mentions filling the tub at the first sign of trouble. Would you really want to drink water from your tub, or even wash with it? There are commercial tub liners, but consider keeping at the top of the medicine cabinet a spare heavy clear plastic shower curtain to line the tub & four magnets to hold it in place.

Re a long-term system, the size of the cistern you should have is dependent on the patterns of your water use, and rainfall collection. Too small, and your tank will overflow during a "good" rainfall. Too big, and you've wasted space and money. For example, if you rainfall and water needs are essentially the same month to moth, the largest tank you probably need is enough to hold 1/12 of the annual rainfall. If your rain all comes in one monsoon month, you need to be able to store the entire years supply.

If you cannot obtain or construct a true watertight tank, note that sand will store water about 50% of its bulk. In sand, it is possible to store water[i] without it evaporating. You can for example dig a hole, line it with plastic, and fill it up with sand. The water in between the sand grains is is less likely to evaporate than in an open air pond.

Water FILTRATION

Plan on the need to clean your water supply.

Probably the oldest water treatment method is filtering through 3 to 5 feet of sand, which will remove many microorganisms, most debris, and most radioactive fallout. (Consider what nature does in the soil, as water seeps downward toward your well.) As this filter ages, a gelatinous layer forms near the top. While this contains numerous good bacteria, the top of your filter needs to be cleaned off and replaced regularly.