These pared-down bunkers are part of a 100,000 sq. ft. underground facility called “Vivos 1000.” The four-bunk compartments cost $9,950 and promise customers six months of “autonomous” survival. Units in the Vivos company’s high-end bunker complexes—which feature comforts like pool tables and stocked wine cellars—sell for $25,000 to $35,000 and promise clients survival for up to one year. Although these luxury units were selling steadily, the recent uptick in interest spurred the company to develop a budget-priced model and thus, the Vivos 1000 was born.

Vivos and a slew of competitors market their survival shelters as protection against a host of apocalyptic scenarios, including tsunamis, nuclear accidents, volcanic eruptions, asteroids, epidemics, solar flares and instability in the Middle East. Even though the recent Rapture predictions proved false, many people still wonder if the Mayans were on to something with their doomsday prediction for 2012.

Editor’s Note: After reading the article, 12 Things that the Mainstream Media is Being Strangely Quiet About (via The Daily Crux), I took stock of our own bug out bags and various stockpiles. As they say, plan for the worst; hope for the best

Some shelter companies market family-sized backyard bunkers, but others, like Vivos, are counting on filling up entire post-apocalyptic communities. Vivos has more than five 200-occupant shelters in the works around the U.S., as well as a mega-shelter for up to 1,000 survivalists in Nebraska.

Shelling out thousands of dollars for a berth in one of these bunkers has a big downside: access. During a “life extinction event,” clients may not be able to reach their costly safe haven. If transportation routes collapse, food and fuel become scarce, and anarchy reigns, getting to Nebraska might not be a fun-filled road trip.

Bugging In

In the event of a catastrophe, sheltering in place might be a more practical solution. Many websites, including the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency-sponsored site Ready.gov, provide basic information on sheltering in place and disaster preparedness.

Selecting a home with a basement that can be utilized as a bunker in times of emergency is a practical choice. There is no need to invest in an off-site facility when a basement bunker can be reinforced and stocked to the specifications of the homeowner. Access in an emergency is simple, and there is the added comfort of being at home during chaotic or uncertain times.

If your home does not have a basement that can be used as a shelter, you may be able to build a bunker elsewhere on your property. Such shelters can serve double-duty as a root cellar or wine cellar while providing a safety zone during an emergency or natural disaster.

My family had such a shelter when I was a child, and although it was ostensibly used as a root cellar for potatoes and preserves, I know my military-minded father had its other purpose in mind when he built it.

Safe Rooms

A safe room is an option for a home that lacks both a basement and sufficient outdoor space to build a below-ground shelter. Often designed to withstand high winds, a safe room can also be used during a home invasion or other emergency.

A safe room can be as simple as a closet retrofitted with an exterior-grade door and a heavy lock, or as elaborate as a ventilated structure reinforced with concrete, Kevlar, or steel sheeting.

Several websites, including FEMA.gov, offer valuable tips on safe room construction. An integrated safe room is convenient and economical because it does not require the construction of a separate shelter. A home’s safe room can be a bathroom, storage closet or other room that has been reinforced, anchored and stocked–but that still blends seamlessly into the home’s floor plan.

Any shelter should be equipped with emergency supplies including food, water, flashlights, blankets, first aid supplies, sanitation supplies, a portable or fixed toilet, and any self-defense items deemed necessary by the occupants.

Some homeowners are happy to forgo a new swimming pool or family vacation in order to pay for a safe haven for their family. Recent events prompted one family to take $20,000 they had set aside as a down-payment on a new home and instead purchase a space in a Vivos stronghold.

Will this decision turn out to be a wise move or a personal-finance cataclysm? We’ll just have to wait until 2012 to find out.

This article was written by contributing author Laurel Gray.

According to the National Grid Plc more than 29,727 homes and businesses were without power as a result of recent snowstorms that recently blanketed the U.S. East Coast. Power outages are nothing new and thousands of homes are without power every year in the U.S. most for only a few hours, but some for days or even weeks – would you be prepared if the power stayed off for several days or even months?

Such extended power outages are a real possibility after a serious hurricane, winter storm or even the result of a terrorist attack affecting the power grid or an EMP strike. The U.S. runs on electricity, without a functional power grid the U.S. would come to a standstill. Without electrical power, gas pumps no longer work, scanners at the supermarket will fail, radio and television stations go off the air and computers fail to connect to the web.

Could you provide for your family?

Everyone should plan for and prepare for the possibility of being without power for an extended period of time, but where do you start. What do you need to put away so the next blackout won’t become a nightmare. Let’s take a look…

Have Safe Water

Every emergency kit should begin with a safe supply of drinking water. Granted, if you are on a municipal water supply your water may not be affected by a power outage, but you should still stock up. If backup power fails at water-treatment plants then that water may become unsafe for drinking or cooking and need to be boiled, or treated before use. Including water in your emergency kit is always a good idea no matter how secure you think your current method of supply.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends storing at least one gallon of water per day per person for emergency use. A normally active person needs at least one-half gallon of water daily just for drinking they state. You’ll also need to take into consideration age, physical condition, activity, diet, and climate to determine needed qualities. And don’t forget about your pets, they need water too.

I live off-the grid with most of my water provided from a nearby spring, but I still include stored water in my emergency kit. The easiest way to store drinking water is to simply buy bottled water from the supermarket shelf. But it is cheaper to store water from your own tap. I store most of my water in six-gallon water jugs bought in the sporting goods department at my local Wal-Mart for the purpose. But you can use cleaned 2 liter plastic bottles instead.

Some of the readers of my blog, have asked about using milk jugs for water storage, and I always recommend against it. While milk jugs can work short-term, they are prone to leakage and the plastic deteriorates quickly. Milk jugs are also more susceptible to bacterial growth because of milk proteins that are often left in the container even after cleaning. A much better solution is two liter plastic soda bottles.

If using two liter plastic soda bottles the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends sanitizing the bottles after cleaning with dishwashing soap and water, by adding a solution of 1 teaspoon of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to a quart of water. Swish the sanitizing solution in the bottle so that it touches all surfaces. After sanitizing the bottle, thoroughly rinse out the sanitizing solution with clean water.

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, there is no need to add liquid household chlorine bleach to tap water before storage as this water has already been treated by the water utility company. In this case all you need to do is fill the bottles to the top and tightly screw on the cap.

Emergency Food

Next you need food. This should include things your family already eats you just need to store extra for your emergency kit. Canned soups, meats, nuts, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, dried fruits and vegetables and crackers for example will last at least a year if stored in unopened air tight containers.

Self-rising flour, corn meal, sugar, salt, rolled oats and other died goods should be stored in air tight, food safe containers made of plastic or glass to keep out pests and moister. One mistake a lot of people make is not using what they’ve stored. They buy up a bunch of foods for emergencies; they put it on the shelf and end up throwing it out when it passes the listed expiration date.

This can be avoided by implementing a simple food rotation program.

Date each container with a permanent marker or date stamp and use on a first-in first-out basis (FIFO). As each item is used in your normal everyday meals, replace that item with a new product of the same value, date and repeat. If you follow this simple principle you will never have to discard food from your emergency kit and will always have a fresh supply on hand for emergencies. With canned foods this rotation can be automated by building or buying a building a rotating canned food shelf.

I suggest you keep at least a two-week emergency food supply on hand at all times, several months to a year would be even better, but isn’t practical for most people. This food storage calculator is a big help when determining needed amounts, but it isn’t exact and you will have to make the final decision based on your family’s eating habits.

Heating and Cooking

Most power outages in the U.S. happen during periods of extreme weather. For example, in 1993, I was without power for three weeks after an ice storm blanketed my area. Luckily, I had a fireplace for heating and cooking and a supply of wood to keep the fire burning. But, many folks aren’t so lucky and need to make other preparations for cooking and staying warm.

Kerosene heaters can be used for heating and even cooking with certain models, for example the Alpaca Kerosene Cooker. Kerosene can be stored in large quantities for long periods of time without any special treatment. It has been estimated that a gallon of kerosene will provide about the same heat output as a wheelbarrow load of wood!

Kerosene is easy to store and has a longer storage life than gasoline. I store kerosene in blue cans marked for its use. Mistakenly pouring gasoline into a kerosene heater, could have dire consequences. Following a color coding system helps avoid this possibility.

The main disadvantage to using a kerosene heater is that they can be smelly if not used properly, they have to be refilled every few hours and the wick needs to be replaced every few months depending on how much the heater is used during that time.

The standard fuel container color coding system is blue for kerosene, red for gasoline, and yellow for diesel. I suggest you follow this system. You’ll need roughly two – three gallons of kerosene per day with continues use, so for two weeks you would need a minimum of 28 gallon.

Keep in mind that this is only an estimate and actual usage will depend on several factors. Including but not limited to the type of heater, quality of the fuel, condition of the wick (don’t for get to add an extra wick to your emergency kit) and environmental conditions where the heater is used.

Propane heaters like the Mr Heater Buddy can be used indoors and in my opinion they are safer and more efficient than the kerosene heaters mentioned. I’ve used one of these heaters for the past two winters to heat my travel trailer with no problems what so ever. They work great and I like not having to refill the tank every few hours or needing to replace the wick as is the case when using kerosene.

I drilled a two-inch hole through my floor beside the outside wall and connected a 100 lb propane tank to my Mr Heater Buddy heater via a hose adapter and filter then sealed the hole around the hose with expanding foam insulation. This also has the advantage of keeping the fuel source outside. One 100 lb tank will last me over a month even in the coldest weather, if I keep the heater burning at the lowest setting.

The downside to the Buddy heater are that they are difficult to cook on and you’ll need a stove just for that purpose if you don’t already have a gas cook stove in your home. I suggest a small propane Colman camp stove; these can be found in the sporting goods department at your local Wal-Mart or Kmart.

It is recommended that portable gas camp stoves not be used indoors as the fumes can be deadly. Using the stove in a ventilated area will help reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. In other words crack a window or door and have a working carbon monoxide detector if you must use the stove for cooking indoors. And make sure the stove is turned off after use.

Miscellaneous Suggestions

Most of these items can be stored in some sort of bug out bag, five-gallon plastic bucket with gamma seal lid or plastic totes until needed.

• A good first aid kit
• A sleeping bag for each family member
• Several pairs of wool socks for each family member
• Thermal underwear for each family member
• A battery-operated or crank radio and extra batteries
• A deck of cards, jigsaw puzzles, and board games etc.
• Flashlight and batteries
• Battery-powered lamps or lanterns
• Non-electric can opener
• Prescription drugs and other needed medicine
• Rock-salt to melt ice on walkways
• Chemical fire extinguisher
• Battery powered smoke alarm
• Battery powered carbon monoxide detector
• Disposable plates, bowls and utensils (to avoid wasting water washing dishes)

If you have any other suggestions or questions feel free to ask in the comments below or email me directly. Stay safe.

M.D. Creekmore is a full-time blogger and emergency preparedness consultant. He can be found on his survival blog where he provides free information to help others prepare for and survive disaster.

It’s hard for most Americans to imagine what a full economic collapse may look like. Unfortunately, many other countries are all-too familiar with periods of currency collapse. We’ve all heard stories of people toting a wheel-barrow full of money to stand in line for hours at a store to buy a loaf of bread.

When it comes to survival planning, most immediately think of food and water, and rightly so. But what happens when supplies run low, as they most assuredly will if order is not quickly restored? Our economic system would likely revert to a bartering system – people exchanging goods and services for other goods and services. The paper dollar, the accepted medium of exchange as we know it today, would be worthless.

The Value of a Dollar

I don’t want to steer this post too far into the political realm, but it’s difficult to fully avoid a mild political discussion when talking economics. I’ll just make one point related to the value of a dollar, and refer to you more in-depth discussions on currency valuations with a lot more information.

So where does the dollar get its value? It’s not backed by a real asset. It has no intrinsic value – it’s just paper. The dollar’s value is largely established by its supply, and that is controlled largely by the Federal Reserve, who manipulates the value of its currency by printing more of it, or sucking some of it out of the system. Think supply and demand for those little pieces of paper.

The more paper bills there are floating around, the less value each one has. Conversely, the fewer bills floating around, the more value each one has. Of course, there are many other factors to consider such as the value of other world currencies, imports and exports, etc.

What I presented in less than a paragraph is really a gross simplification of dollar valuation, but enough explanation to drive home the point that if things really hit the fan, holding those paper bills won’t be worth very much.

The Gold Rush

A few years ago, when many saw the coming collapse of the housing market and resulting drop in stocks (and the dollar), investors began turning their attention to precious metals – mostly gold. Demand for gold skyrocketed, leading to record prices. Those looking to profit from the gold rush snapped up gold in any form they could find – bullion, bars, certificates, even stock in mining companies – whose revenues were bound to increase thanks to this wave of demand.

Personally, I’ve never really viewed gold, or an precious metal, as an “investment.” I don’t watch the value of gold and silver with the idea I’d buy it, hold it, and later sell to make a profit. I think of metals as insurance – insurance against a collapse of the dollar. And I don’t like to own anything other than physical metal because I can see it, feel it and know where it is stored.

Gold or Silver?

Ask any ten investors or economists covering commodities where gold prices are headed, and you’ll probably get ten different variations of the same answer: higher or lower. Historically, when something is at an all-time high, it only has one direction to go. However, in the case of gold, it’s possible that the price could be driven even higher on more worries over the state of our economy.

Since I was a late adopter to the idea of buying gold, I’ve found it difficult to afford in even the smallest forms. Just last Friday, gold closed at $1,217.40. This price point makes buying something like a 1 oz American Eagle gold coin nearly impossible for the average person. If I had several thousand dollars in extra emergency funds, I might diversify some of that money by picking up a few gold coins. However, there are other options to consider.

Many collectors have now turned their attention to silver. At the end of 2005, silver was trading at around $8. Last Friday, it closed at just over $18, making it a more feasible investment for most of us. In terms of bartering potential, silver may be a better choice considering its lower price per ounce.

Imagine carrying a $1,200 gold coin to a butcher to buy meat for your family. Chances are he won’t be able to accept such a large denomination, and you wouldn’t really want $1,200 worth of beef. However, you could easily hand over a couple silver dollars you’d collected over the years for several pounds of meat.

An episode of the show The Colony (one of the only television shows I still watch regularly) emphasized this idea of bartering. If you are unfamiliar with the Discover Channel show, here’s a two-sentence synopsis. Colonists are dropped into a post-apocalyptic scenario with only a few basic staples. They must scavenge the area for shelter, food, water and other survival tools, while fending off looters and surviving the brutal elements.

In a recent episode, a boat belonging to other survivors comes floating down a canal near the colonists’ shelter. The men are looking to trade goods with the colonists. They successfully negotiate the exchange of a number of items they had collected (vodka, sugar, medical supplies, etc.) for a generator, fresh produce, soap and other goods. Imagine if the colonists had a few coins to trade. If the traders were more interested in collecting wealth, the colonists could have picked up those same supplies while keeping their own goods by trading their coins instead.

How to Buy Silver

Since gold’s price is too high for me to buy in increments, I’ve turned my attention to collecting silver pieces. Interestingly, previously circulated American coins contained significant amounts of silver, but you have to know what to look for, because composition of the same coin could have changed from one year to the next.

For instance, the 1964 Kennedy half-dollar is popular with many coin collectors because it contains 90% silver, and 10% copper. At 12.5 grams, the silver composition of one Kennedy half-dollar is worth about $6.55. The site, Coinflation, offers a number of melt value charts and calculators that might be of interest.

Even something as small as a 1942-1945 U.S. nickel is worth over $1.00, because its composition includes less nickel and more silver than in other years. Nickel was more valuable for use in the manufacturing of armor plating to support the war effort.

Coins may be purchased from collectors at coin shops or online. I strongly suggest fully investigating any online vendor, as the increased demand for gold and silver has also increased the number of scammers. A site like eBay might be a decent online site to purchase from, as sellers have been vetted by the community itself.

Personally, I prefer to buy from face-to-face sellers at places like coin stores, jewelers and pawn shops. Keep in mind, you’ll probably pay a little more than the price per ounce because those willing to sell are probably looking to make a profit.

One trick for finding Kennedy half-dollars, without paying a premium to a collector, is to ask your local bank if you can buy a couple rolls of half-dollars, or “halves,” (they are $10.00 per roll). Technically, they don’t have to sell to you, and I probably wouldn’t go on the busiest day. However, if you go on a slow day and find a friendly teller, chances are you can trade in your paper money for a few rolls of halves.

Sort the coins and save any with significant silver composition, such as the 1964 Kennedy half-dollar (90% silver). Other halves minted up to 1970 included 40% silver, so they are worth hanging on to as well. Roll the remaining coins back up to return to the bank for cash, or drop them in a Coinstar machine and opt for an Amazon.com gift card to avoid the fee.

Coins should be stored like any other valuables - in a safe in your home, or a safety deposit box at the bank. I don’t recommend converting all of your dollars to coins, but it does seem prudent to diversify a portion of your portfolio to coins, if not for the investment potential, as insurance for an economic collapse.

Ask the Reader: I’m a relative newbie to the coin collecting game. I’d love to hear from some of you who have been at it a while, or from others with questions. Maybe we can all help each other learn more about diversifying our emergency funds into coins to preserve some wealth in tough times.

Last week we discussed the importance of having enough potable water storage on hand for each person in your family in the event an emergency disrupts the flow of public water systems. Moving right up the order of importance, next we’ll discuss food storage – something that can be costly in terms of dollars and storage space.

The 72-Hour Emergency Food Pantry

The initial phase of any good emergency plan is one that covers your family in the event you are cut off from facilities and rescue for 72 hours. In most localized, regional emergencies (floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.) help should arrive within three days. That is not always the case, but in terms of survival preparations, you can usually count on some relief within 72 hours of a disaster.

So first things first. Most people should have enough food on hand to survive three days without a trip to the store. However, if you are the type that shops every evening on the way home from work, you might want to put a little money aside and start your own food pantry at home.

When preparing a 72-hour emergency cache of food, the easiest thing to do is pick up a few extra non-perishables on your next grocery trip. Canned vegetables, dried beans, rice, peanut butter, and canned tuna are a good start. You can add in other snacks to build complete meals if you wish, but remember, chances are you’ll be operating without power and could be heating foods and water on a grill or over an outdoor flame.

Don’t forget to toss in a manual can opener to easily open canned goods. We picked up an extra one and tossed in our pantry next to our emergency food storage because in an emergency we didn’t want to have to be digging through the kitchen drawers looking for our can opener.

The Two Week Plan and Beyond

Scaling up a bit in scope of disaster scenarios, now imagine a regional disaster has occurred and basic services have been disrupted. Foods disappear from grocers’ shelves within three days, and resupply is impossible thanks to impassable roads. Now what?

The answer is a larger, two-week emergency supply of foods. Planning two weeks of meals for each person in your household seems daunting. Remember, when calculating water needs we used the rule of thumb one gallon of water per person per day. Similarly, you might estimate each family member’s basic caloric requirement, and then multiply by 1.5, considering in a survival situation you may be moving, rebuilding, scavenging, etc. and burning more calories than usual.

In our case, I’ve planned using 2,000 calories per person per day. That number is probably a little high, but accounts for tougher conditions than we are used to living with, when we might be able to lounge around and get by on 1,200 – 1,500 calories.

All Calories Are Not Created Equal

It might seem easy to come up with 1,500 calories worth of food by eating rice, pancakes and canned veggies and fruit. The problem is, that type of diet is severely lacking in two main types of foods essential to survival: fats and protein.

Rather than reinventing the wheel, I’d suggest checking out The 5-Gallon Bucket Food Storage Project created by Jack Spirko (creator of one of my favorite sites/podcasts, The Survival Podcast). Even if you don’t follow his storage methods, his ideas on planning for proper carbohydrates, fats and proteins in survival food stockpiles are important.

Prepackaged Long-Term Storage Food

If you aren’t up for creating your own food buckets you might want to check out long-term food storage vendors. I have personally tasted (and stocked) Mountain House foods. In fact, our pantry now includes a number of #10 cans from Mountain House, including foods like rice, green beans, beef stroganoff, spaghetti, chili mac with beef, granola cereal, etc.

The #10 cans have a 25-year shelf life if stored according to the directions (basically kept in a cool, dry location). I’ve also heard good things about companies such as Food Insurance and Shelf Reliance, but I have yet to try their products.

Here’s a look at our emergency food pantry – still in the early stages:

The Frugal Pantry Project (long-term storage) – a few #10 food cans, a lantern, flashlights, spare batteries and a few packs of beans and rice

Buying foods in this form is expensive, but the nice thing about such a long shelf-life is that you don’t have to focus on expiration dates and rotating stock as much. With a 25-year shelf life, we can basically buy a few #10 cans each paycheck, store them and forget about them until we need them. I suppose in 15 years or so I might crack one open and make sure it is still edible.

The bottom line when it comes to food storage is to start small. Consider the various disaster scenarios for which you’d like to be prepared, and their likelihood of occurring. For instance, a local natural disaster such as a tornado or a flood is more likely than a large scale, apocalyptic nuclear attack. Not saying we shouldn’t be prepared for both. However, I like to prioritize emergencies and plan accordingly.

With monetary emergency funds we try to get that first $1,000 stashed in case of a car repair, or busted pipe in our home. Will this prepare us for unemployment or a serious medical event? No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get started. Similarly, I think it is prudent to have a few backup food and water supplies at home to get you through that likeliest, 72-hour emergency.

Once that first-level emergency food plan is in place, build from there until you have a level of emergency stockpile that makes you feel comfortable. How will you know when that point has arrived? When you can envision practically any type of emergency and sleep comfortably knowing you have done all you can do to prepare.

On the scale of household emergencies, being without fresh drinking water has to be right at the top. While most people can survive weeks with little or no food, none of us can go more than a few days without water. In extreme conditions, such as the heat wave many have been suffering through this summer, that survival time is even lower as excessive sweating robs our bodies of even more fluids and minerals.

Storing Water – Inside Storage

Short of building your own water filter, most of us have to resort to storing water. There are a number of ways to store water, but making it safe to drink is another matter. How much water should you have on hand? A good rule of thumb is a gallon per person per day.

Every paycheck, we’ve been ordering a couple Reliance Products Desert Patrol 3 Gallon Rigid Water Containers. At 3 gallons, it is not so heavy that my wife and kids couldn’t lug a couple in an emergency, or if I wasn’t there or was out of commission. These rigid style containers are more durable than gallon water jugs, so they are less likely to leak.

Another idea to consider is to have a back-flow valve added to your hot water heater. If you lose water pressure, this valve prevents water from draining out of your tank and back into the local water supply. I recommend a professional installation by a plumber, because an improper installation could cause bigger problems.

In a pinch, you could tap your water heater as a water source, but I would recommend filtering and/or boiling the water to filter away any materials from corrosion inside the tank, and reduce the chance of bacteria being present.

If you know an emergency is coming (hurricane, flooding rains, etc.) that might negatively affect your public water system, a product such as a Water Bob can be used to collect and store water in your bathtubs. These things hold about 100 gallons of water, and I suggest filling all bathtubs in your home ahead of an emergency. Covering the Water Bob with towels, and keeping the room dark will help prevent light from hitting the water (limiting bacteria growth).

Storing Water – Outside Storage

We are in the process of adding gutters to our home. When the installation is complete, we plan to hook two of the gutters at each end of our home to 65-gallon rain barrels. The rain barrels’ primary purpose will be to irrigate our square foot garden and other plants, but the barrels will also serve as a backup water supply. Again, it’s important to note that standing water must be treated and/or boiled to be made safe for human consumption.

It’s worth noting here that boiling water requires a heat source. While I plan to cover this in much more detail later, a very basic household emergency kit should include the equipment and fuel to boil water.

Just remember, in time, all fuel sources run out. Propane tanks and hand-held lighters eventually empty. Electricity could be cut. Matches get used up. You may have to think more primitive to be ultimately prepared. A large magnifying glass trained on paper or dried leaves can start a fire. A flint strike can throw sparks hot enough to start fire. And of course there is the old stick-rubbing exercise that never seems to work in real life emergency scenarios.

If boiling water is not practical, or you lack a heat source, there are products available to treat water to make it potable. Polar Pure Water Disinfectant is one such product, but there are many options available. Coffee filters are also good to have on hand for filtering out any sediment found in your water supply.

This post has primarily focused on storing drinking water for emergencies, but there are plenty of other uses for water around the house (and ways to find it). There’s cooking and cleaning and – flushing. What’s that little rhyme we’re taught if the water is turned off? If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown…I digress.

As I was saying, items like rain barrels are nice to have around for catching rain water to use for crop irrigation, and for other household uses (yes, like flushing). In addition to your rain barrel, you might investigate building a solar still in your own backyard to collect distilled water for drinking. This is actually a fairly safe way to create your own drinking water in a pinch, assuming your collection methods are all sanitary, and there are no toxins in the moisture trapped below your still.

Remember the old rule of thumb: Humans can live 3 days without water, if sheltered, and 3 weeks without food. When survival planning, start with the worst care scenario first and build out from there. Have shelter? Check. Have three days of water for every person in your household (including pets)? Check. Have a one-month supply of water, or a reliable method of collecting water from the environment? Well, that might take some time and money. But the peace of mind is worth the investment.

It quickly became apparent we would not be able to occupy the house during the heat of the day, and may not be able to occupy it at all – who can sleep in a muggy 90-degree house!

For all I’ve considered regarding preparedness, I suddenly realized I was ill-prepared to handle a loss of cooling. We have propane and other heat sources to specifically serve as a backup for loss of heat in the winter, but nothing to prepare for loss of cooling in the summer.

We considered the idea of staying in a hotel for a couple days, but worried about our dog being home alone in the heat. After contacting a number of air conditioning repair company’s emergency lines, I learned they only had skeleton crews on staff, and they had many calls ahead of us. It would likely be Monday before anyone could get to our problem unit. If they did manage to get to us, it would cost an arm and a leg (don’t these things always seem to happen on the weekend!).

I’ve performed a few AC repairs over the years. There was the time I had to unclog the air conditioner drain line, and I did manage to install a programmable themostat, but this was beyond my level of expertise as all the standard troubleshooting failed to resolve the problem.

For the cost of a couple nights at a hotel, I bought a window air conditioning unit to place in our master bedroom window – a place where we could all congregate in the heat of the day. They are easy enough to install and take down that I can store it and only install if we have problems with our central air conditioning unit. And since I only needed to cool a single room, there was no need to spend many hundreds of dollars on a much larger window unit.

Of course, this plan only works in the event it is just your central air conditioning unit that died, not that you’ve lost power to your home. Actually, this is a more likely scenario considering the strain a dangerous heat wave can put on power grids. The next step in ultimate preparation would be to have a generator available powerful enough to run your AC, or to install a whole-house standby generator that would automatically kick on in the event you lose power.

Backup power sources are expensive (permanent, whole-house backup generators can run a few thousand dollars, while portable units are a little cheaper, but often don’t produce enough wattage to operate everything in your home). Even higher on the price range you can find solar power generators, which might be worth a look considering other types of generators require some type of fuel to operate (gasoline for smaller units and propane for large, standby models). Depending on the emergency, getting additional fuel could be a challenge.

The Home Depot website offers an interactive tool to give you an idea what size generator you might need depending on the number of appliances and electronics you’d like to run in a power outage.

If you live a cooler climate, or at least a less humid climate, you can probably get by for a couple days without air conditioning by visiting a library or catching a matinee in the middle of the day and using a window fan to draw in cooler air in the evenings and early morning. Others might get by with misting fans, or by setting up a homemade air conditioner (running a fan over an open cooler filled with ice).

However, if you live in a hot, humid climate zone, occupying a house with no air conditioning can be downright dangerous. This is particularly true for the very young and the very old, as kids and the elderly are more susceptible to heat exhaustion.

This experience over the weekend is really part of a larger theme – how to prepare for “alternative” emergencies. By alternative, I mean outside of your everyday financial emergency like a costly hospital stay or expensive car repairs.

How can we better prepare for other types of emergencies? How can we diversify our emergency “fund” by investing in other forms of emergency preparedness? It’s something I plan to write more about in the next day or two, but for now I’m off to get back in front of that air conditioner!

Why Are You Stockpiling Food?

Stockpiling food can vary dramatically in scope and size, depending on your purpose. Some families choose to store enough food to last a year, including drinking water, while others may target a shorter disaster recovery period, such as 7 to 30 days.

Others may choose to just have a few extras of common staples around, helping prevent last-minute trips to the store or in case of short-term financial shortfalls.

Using Coupons to Build an Inexpensive Stockpile

One of the more interesting stockpiling tips I’ve run across is buying staple foods with coupons. Most families don’t buy a year’s worth of food in one trip, mostly because it’s expensive. But if you learn to combine sales and coupons, you can easily and inexpensively build your store. For example, if you have coupons for canned tuna and your store runs a great sale, buy as many cans as you have coupons for.

I’ve even heard of people paying others to clip coupons for them and mail them. A simple query of eBay for “tuna coupons” revealed some promising leads. For about $1.00, I can bid on a lot of 10 coupons for $0.55 off a pouch of Bumble Bee premium tuna (I like the pouches for survival scenarios because they can be easily opened with a knife. In fact, we keep several packs in our bug out bag).

If my local Kroger store had a sale on Bumble Bee tuna pouches, it would be a great time to get some additional coupons and stock up. It’s important to note that coupons themselves are not for sale – that is a violation of most manufacturer’s terms. You are merely paying someone else for their time to clip from various sources and mail.

Rotating Stockpiles Based on Expiration Dates

Stockpiling food over time is also a good idea for food safety and freshness. By buying products over a varying time period, you will get different expiration dates. When you buy new food, rotate your stock like grocery stores do–always put the new food in the back, so the oldest food is in front. That way, you don’t run the risk of having a forgotten item expire in a back corner of your store room. Keep an eye on the expiration dates–it’s no good to stockpile expired food, so you’ll want to use items from the front of your stockpile periodically.

Another consideration for learning how to stockpile food is your storage space. Ideally, a cool, dark area such as a basement will help preserve the food, and it also protects the items in case of a natural disaster such as a tornado. However, you will want to make sure it is also a dry basement, as seepage can cause cans to rust, which will make the food unsafe.

If you live in a warm climate, avoid storing items in your garage, unless it is climate controlled. For packaged dry goods such as flour, cereal, or sugar, store them in a plastic crate that will prevent bug infestation. I’ve opened up more than one box of cereal or crackers to find ants or mice have made their way into our stockpile.

Canning and Preserves

Other food stockpiling tips include canning and preserving your own food, as well as growing your own produce for canning. Growing and canning your own food for stockpiling is considerably less expensive than buying canned goods. You can also control the sugar, sodium, and preservatives by canning your own food. If you have a pressure cooker, you can also preserve meats. Be sure to read your pressure cooker’s instructions carefully to ensure proper food safety.

When it comes to deciding what to stockpile, consider your family’s tastes, length of expiration dates, and nutrition. The more variety you can store, the better. Good items to stockpile include:

• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Dry goods such as granola and cereal
• Peanut butter
• Baby food and formula ( if appropriate)
• Powdered milk and potatoes
• Canned soup (look for low sodium varieties)
• Tuna (excellent protein source)
• Bottled water (cheaper by the gallon)
• White rice (lasts longer than brown rice)
• Freeze dried foods (lightweight and last for years – look for these at your local sporting goods store or at a military surplus store.

For natural disasters, you should also store a cooking source and fuel, such as a propane camp stove. Don’t forget a manual can opener as well. If there are any special health considerations in your family, such as medications, try to create a stockpile of medications as well. A good multivitamin may not be a bad idea to toss in your stockpile as you will probably not be receiving adequate nourishment in a survival scenario.

Unfortunately, this was a very real scenario for the people of Haiti. And in years past we’ve seen other examples, from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the tsunami in Indonesia. On a smaller scale, we’ve also seen blizzards, floods and other natural disasters leave many people to fend for themselves. With some preparation, and a little planning, you can greatly improve the chances your family can get through these types of survival situations.

What exactly is a bug out bag?

A bug out bag is a collection of basic survival gear that might be required in a disaster scenario, natural or otherwise. It is transportable, and consolidated into a single pack or two so that you can grab it and go in a hurry. I like to keep one at home and one in each vehicle, but how you implement the bug out bag is up to you.

The actual bag could be as simple as an extra frameless backpack or duffel bag, or as elaborate as a framed ALICE pack or similar framed backpack. The best bug out bag is one that you can pack the most in and still carry comfortably in the field.

What About Bugging In?

In some cases, it might make sense to “bug in.” If you have a decent generator, such as a Honeywell HW6200, and a good supply of fuel, you might be safer staying put and living off items stored at your house. Naturally, this assumes your house is still safe and there are few immediate threats around you. If there are, you are better off bugging out with a well-packed bug out bag.

What goes in a bug out bag?

Anticipating worst-case scenarios is never fun, but to properly pack your bug out bag with only the essential items, you must start here. Imagine no food, no electricity, no water, and no city services for days. What types of things would you need to survive?

1. A couple rations of food (I buy from MountainHouse.com). We have a big bag of rice, and several packs of packaged tuna with a two-years shelf life. Both have a lot of calories and are easy to prepare, but are relatively light to pack.
2. 3 Gallon Rigid Water Containers. Keep a couple of these on hand and toss them in your trunk before bugging out. At 3 gallons, it is not so heavy that the wife and kids couldn’t lug a couple in an emergency, or if I wasn’t there or was out of commission. These rigid style containers are more durable than gallon water jugs, so they are less likely to leak.
3. Flashlights. Be sure to pack at least one flashlight per bug out bag. And never burn more than one light at a time to preserve batteries. A hand-crank light can come in handy too, for battery-less operation.
4. Batteries.  Be sure to have the right size for your equipment, and pack plenty of extras.
5. Glow sticks. When flashlights fail, or when you don’t need a high concentration of direct light, glow sticks are a wise choice.
6. Hand-crank emergency radio. Staying informed is a key to survival. A hand-cranked radio requires no batteries or electricity, and can provide news bulletins, weather updates, and information on evacuation routes, etc.
7. Multi-tool. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere without a multi-tool!
8. Knives. At a minimum, I’d recommend a folding camp knife with a saw edge, a Swiss Army knife with attachments, and a large, fixed-blade survival knife.
9. Rope/cord. Some 550 paracord is a must-have in your survival kit for tying up food, making a shelter, and plenty of other uses.
10. Change of clothes. This is not vital, as you can always wash/dry clothing in the field. If you have room, take along an extra set and lean towards cold weather gear.
11. Water purification tablets/drops. Boiling water is the most effective way to reduce the risk of ingesting a parasite. However, purification tablets are a close second when boiling isn’t practical. Of course, at home I’d just use my Berkey Light water filter.
12. Anti-diarrhea medication. Be sure to have this one hand in the event you or a family member does suffer from diarrhea, which can lead to life-threatening dehydration very quickly in a survival situation.
13. Stainless steel Kanteen. I like this stainless steel Kanteen for carrying water (no worries over BPA’s in plastic), and it can be heated by hanging above a flame through cord threaded through the screw-on cap.
14. Bottle of multi-vitamins. While on a survival diet, chances are you will be lacking the required nutrients from food alone. A good multi-vitamin will help keep your immune system up.
15. Emergency blankets. These Mylar blankets help hold in heat in an emergency. In addition to those in our bug out bag, we also have a couple in the glove compartment of our car, just in case.
16. Bug repellent. After water disasters (floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc.) there will likely be standing water nearby, which is great breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes, and other insects, are known for helping transmit diseases in these conditions, so keep your skin protected at all times.
17. Compass. Nothing fancy needed here. Just look for a compass that can reliably provide a north heading.
18. Map of your surrounding area. Who needs a GPS? When it hits the fan, I’d rather have a map of my city and state than something that requires power and communication with a satellite.
19. Fire-starting materials. We have a butane torch lighter, water proof matches, a magnesium stick, kindling sticks, cotton balls and petroleum jelly.
20. Signal mirror. Putting a signal mirror’s reflection on a rescue pilot or boat captain is one of the best ways of attracting attention.
21. Sun block. If caught out in the open on a hot summer day, you’ll be glad you packed sun block to prevent the sun from cooking your exposed skin.
22. A safety whistle for each family member. Safety whistles can be used to attract attention from rescuers, and to communicate with family members if separated. Plus, they take a lot less energy and make a lot more noise than screaming.
23. Fishing lures and line. If you can get to a natural body of water, chances are there is a food source in there. It’s possible to catch fish without lures and line, but having it sure improves your chances!
24. Ziploc bags. Great for waterproofing items, rationing food, etc.
25. Hand sanitizer. We personally packed a few bottles of Purell hand sanitizer. If you shop the cheap stuff, just be sure it has a alcohol content between 60% and 95% to maximize germ-killing effectiveness.
26. Camp axe. Probably the most important tool when setting up a camp. A good camp axe can help clear a camp site, split firewood, and chop down small trees for shelter.
27. Folding shovel. It isn’t pleasant to think about, but you may have to bury waste, or have the less-gross task of digging a fire pit. Either way, a folding shovel will do the job.
28. First aid kit. I prefer the soft-sided kits here because they are more compact and flexible than the large, plastic box first aid kits.
29. Survival handbook. A good survival handbook should cover information such as how to make shelters, identify plants and animals to eat, and strategies to get rescued.
30. Roll of duct tape. Duct tape is the do-it-yourselfer’s best friend, at home and in an emergency situation.
31. Cash and coins. We keep a couple hundred dollars in cash in a waterproof tube (originally purposed to hold waterproof matches). Also consider taking along a roll of quarters for any coin-operated vending, or to make change.
32. Ponchos. When you have to leave shelter in search of food, or to move away from danger, keeping yourself dry greatly reduces the chances of getting sick from exposure to a cold rain.
33. Tarp. With a section of tarp and a little rope tied between two trees you can provide instant shelter in a survival situation.
34. Deck of cards (to fight boredom). Don’t discount the psychological aspects of survival. After a day or two, boredom will set in and you’ll be glad to have a deck of cards to pass the time.

I recommend picking up one or two items from this list each shopping trip, or ordering them online with a little money from your next few paychecks. It would cost a lot of money to purchase and pack these items all at once. And if you are like me, you’ll have a main bug out bag you keep at home, but a mobile version for the trunk of your car. After all, you never know where you might be in a survival situation.

Robert Long walked away from medical school at the age of 24, rejecting a materialistic lifestyle and all its trappings, and sought to start a life completely unplugged from civilization. He and his wife discovered a remote area of New Zealand nestled between mountains and the sea. Here, they would live in a hut rent free in exchange for being caretakers of the surrounding area. That was 16 years ago.

Now the Long’s have two teenagers who have grown up in isolation. They have been home-schooled by their parents, and are far removed from the lifestyle most teenagers experience today. No MTV, iPods, laptop computers, and other goodies teens enjoy today. With the exception of a monthly plane drop of a few supplies, they live off the land, and animals around them.

A garden provides vegetables, and the ocean, a variety of sea life to eat. For entertainment, the family does have a radio where they can pick up New Zealand national public radio. The kids complete their studies minus laptops, and instead do research the old fashioned way – they read books (the video shows the kids working on homework with the help of an encyclopedia – remember those?).

Click image above to launch video

Critics of the Longs’ lifestyle show most concern for the welfare of the children. Admittedly, I had similar concerns while watching the video. Were the parents stifling opportunities for their children by raising them in such isolation? Or is it us who is exposing our children to harmful influences raising kids in a debt-driven, materialistic society? It’s an interesting debate.

I enjoyed the video because it was one of the first stories I have heard of someone successfully going off the grid with a full family. Often times we hear about the lone hermit, or even the occasional couple, who cash out and head for a life of simplicity. Rarely do we hear about family survival with small children.

I suppose the difficulties of raising kids is hard enough with the comforts we have today, but imagine doing it without any modern conveniences. My great-grandmother did it during the depression, raising a large family (nine kids) as did many in her generation. Her lifestyle was one of necessity, not the product of a voluntary rejection of the finer things. But today we’ve been spoiled by these modern conveniences, and in a way, we’ve become slaves to them.

How many of us, myself included, are working to pay for debts accumulated years ago for things we probably no longer enjoy, rarely spending time with our families while we eke out a miserable, corporate existence? I personally think there is more to life than accumulating wealth while climbing the corporate ladder. Perhaps we could all learn a little from families like the Longs.

What’s your take on this family’s lifestyle?

Here’s the scenario: You just found out your house will be demolished by fire, a storm, a flood, or some other catastrophic event in the next few minutes. You have just enough time to rescue three things from your home (not counting your family and your pets) and flee. What three things would you round up to take with you?  Here’s my list:

• A “bug out bag.” Every family should have a bug out bag, preferably one for each person old enough to carry it out of the house without slowing them down. My go bag includes survival gear items such as fire starter materials, a first aid kit, weather radio, survival knife (with can opener attachment), my emergency credit card, some cash, a roll of quarters, two flashlights, batteries, travel kit (soap, shampoo, travel toothbrush and toothpaste), copy of the SAS Survival Handbook, a couple back up prescriptions, and a change of clothes. Other family members also have a change of clothes packed, in addition to one other category of survival needs.  For instance, another spouse may carry water, and an older child may carry non-perishable food such as dried goods or MREs (meal, ready-to-eat). Be sure to rotate foods and prescriptions so the ones in your kit don’t expire.

• Our fire-proof lock box. This box contains things like insurance policy forms, deeds and titles, copies of birth certificates, social security cards, a list of bank account numbers and contact info, a copy of our will, etc.

• Pictures. Young people probably won’t understand this, but we actually have boxes of 4×6 pictures taken by family members and passed down. These are memories that can never be recreated, and pictures that are not stored digitally like practically all pictures are these days. If given enough time I would grab these items on the way out, but only after our go bag and fire-proof lock box were safely retrieved.

A decade ago I might have opted to save things like my computer, my camera, some game system I really loved, or some other material item. However, I now recognize all those things could be replaced by insurance money, or future earnings. They are just things. I’d rather focus my energy, and precious time, on rescuing things that could help us survive, and documents that cannot be easily recreated.

Your turn…which three items would you save from your home?