Coronavirus Lock Down Strategy/definitive List For The Newbies

Soooo if you are like me you've just joined this forum because recent events finally have you realizing you are not prepared in any way shape or form for pretty much anything but the 'norm'!

And then you have just heard the news that a European DEMOCRATIC country(Italy) has started 'locking down' infected towns...

AND then you get to thinking what if that happened to my town! No that couldn't happen here in my country, right? But.... what if?

And then you realize I have a family of 6 and being the suburban daily Kroger/Tesco hunter gatherer that you are , you only have about 20,000 to 30,000 calories of food in the house at any one instance (PFC aside) i.e on a 2000 calorie diet for 6 people thats barely a few days.

AND then you go searching on the web for a list of items you need in a lock down situation but 5 hours later you still have no idea what to get and become depressed from all the worst case scenarios you have just read

So a question for our experts, what would you suggest to our Newbies (like me) to go get? (shopping list style), assuming we are starting from scratch to survive an urban lock down situation? Food, equipment, medical etc without knowing the length of a lock down...

This is the list i have so far:

FOOD
Assuming 2000 cals/per person per day and a PFC macronutrient ratio of 1/1/1

300 x cans of mixed vegetables
100 x cans of beef
50 x cans of spam
50 x cans of fish
5 x 20lb bags of rice
5 x 20lb bags of dry beans
Salt?
Lard?
Nuts?
Pasta?
Flour?
Sugar?

EQUIPMENT
Crank/Solar radio
First aid kits
Batteries
Solar powered battery chargers
Butane canisters/cooker
Long last candles
Survival kit
Masks (N95)

Seriously though, as you can see I would really appreciate a starter list... am i even thinking in the 'right' way here?

 

Everything is depend upon your local situation & condition. However in general you need more than "type" of goods / items but also "sufficient amount" of them.
Assuming you anticipate a lockdown in which case you will be hunkering down instead of moving around try to stocking up these ;

• Different type of stove than what you currently have along with enough fuel for about a month
• Hand sanitizer. I no longer able to find any of these and currently resorting to use denatured alcohol for the purpose.
• Sufficient amount of N-95 mask. Only use it when you need to interact with crowd of people or indoor that has a lot of people in it
• Personally I prefer generator rather than solar panel to supply power, but that due to my condition living in tropical region.
• Avoid touching any surface that has been touched by a lot of people.
• Do try to spend more time under direct sunlight rather than indoor, while keeping direct contact with other people as minimal as possible.

 

Good morning Rowser,

Welcome to the Forum. "This is the place."

Yes, you're thinking in the right way.

First, hold off on the "shopping list" and make the planning outline's Roman Numeral I: "Evaluation".

I. Eval: What is family situation; kids in school and will need some study material for home schooling during emergency duration)? Medical / hygiene stuff (add plastic bags,anti-bug sprays) usually consumed ? Clothing to stand outside in freezing rain?, WATER, storage bins for food re rodent/bug control, batteries and radio [1], NO CANDLES: wait 'till dawn if no flashlights (add flash-lights/batteries to list). The statistics are crystal clear re candles. More harm than help.

Salt- sugar - - - no coffee ? - Return to Roman Numeral I titled "evaluation" (of current situation/environment) and review your consumption patterns.

Re survival kit / N-95 masks (a relatively big cost for a large family quarantined for a month), ... Work on eval above, then return here with your comments on above efforts.

Without intruding on your privacy, it would assist Forum Members to know your basic location.

Before you put pad and paper (pulp or cyber) away, assemble your IMPORTANT family records and place in waterproof pouch eg Hefty, GV, brands. Business cards of your M.D., DDS, pediatrician, stapled to shot record does wonders when emergency medical matter arises.

FEET NOTES:

[1] I do not believe in crank radios. If injured during an emergency, the thing is useless. A basic on-off dial switch can be operated even if a little pain.

[2] I like the expression "Kroger / Tesco hunter gatherer" !

[3] Extra AM-FM-SW radio for kids. Decent books, colorful maps - This is the "Cabin Fever" Roman Numeral to defeat boredom. Kids get priority. If on a strict budget, get the extra AM-FM-SW radio and flashlight for kids and adults consume less meals per week.

AN ADDENDUM:

Don't neglect to - think - about a mandatory evacuation. A couple of nylon duffels, large school back packs, ... use in home with other stuff and if building catches fire or government mandated evac to beautiful downtown somewhere, the thin light duffels in the food bins make it easier to prepare to GOOD (Get Out Of Dodge [Prepper slang]).

Hope above helps.


Transmitting from Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia

 

I was thinking earlier today about the increased activity on here and then saw this thread title and realized why . I am fairly certain we have several on here looking for the same answer . So I will respond presuming generically we have people living in an un-survivable location as for as self sufficiency for years and are simply trying to survive as this thread title suggests Corona virus lock down . So I will assume water will continue to flow into your lockdown location . I will assume the electrical grid will continue to serve electricity to your location . That just leaves food or as some suggest medical supplies but I will simply focus on food . I don't know how good the cook is in the hunkered down lockdown location but it would be a huge asset . If it was me , but my tastes are from the deep southern portion of the U.S. my list would have self rising flour to make biscuits and gravy as well as pancakes , Making sure i have plenty of syrup for those pancakes . I would want several quarts of cooking oil to grease my biscuit pan and for the pancakes . Corn meal for making corn bread would have to go into the buggy . My favorite gravy is tomato gravy so I would want some cans of tomatoes . Red beans and rice would definitely be on my list , with some link sausage to cut up and put in it and if some don't know the red beans and rice is one dish to be served in the same pot . Spam for frying or to put on sandwiches and roman noodles , peanut butter and jelly plus some bread for making sandwiches . Not high on my list but if kids are involved macaroni and cheese would be thrown into the buggy . Spagettie and sauce would be nice . Something to drink besides water would be a nicety , such as coffee soft drinks cool-aid and for those used to certain amount alcohol consumption that need will need to be addressed . Some one cooped up with other folks going through alcohol withdrawl symptons would likely be unpleasant . For some , if there is enough freezer space freezing fresh milk might be a consideration . Just be sure you let the milk unthaw completely and then shake it up before drinking to make it taste normal . ------- Don't forget the toilet paper .

 

Welcome, Rowser, from my family's homestead in rural Idaho, USA. I think you've come to a good place to get ideas for your concerns about preparation for emergencies. I would add a couple of comments. First, I am not as optimistic as my colleague Polteregist as to how long we will have undiminished access to potable water and electricity (since most of us gt our water with the help of electricity, if you lose one, you could lose the other). It might be worth considering to store about a gallon/day/person (84 gal/318 l for two weeks) if you can find the space. Second, we drink a good bit of milk, and we buy whole milk powder in #10 cans which we mix with water. Usually, it's the skim milk which is found in grocery stores, but if food supplies are low, whole milk means more calories, and having more calories is a good thing.

 

These sites might help:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/food-storage/longer-term-food-supply?lang=eng

http://providentliving.com/preparedness/food-storage/foodcalc/

 

Good morning Rowser,

A few small suggestions from my side as the best ideas have already been presented above.

If you have pets don't forget to put away extra food and water for them as well.

Comfort foods while less practical should not be completely dismissed especially with younger family members. For example a bag of their favorite mini chocolates or cheese crackers etc or coffee for yourself and so on. These small treats/luxuries can make being locked down ever so slightly better.

Also extra hygiene items. Just the ones your family already uses on a daily basis so presuming the water stays on, you don't then run out of hand soap, shampoo or the rather vital toilet paper, and so on.

 

Who TF still listen to AM or SW radio these days? More importantly is there still any AM or SW radio broadcaster? Even FM radio broadcasters are began to shifting their broadcast into streaming service

 

Good afternoon Varuna,

In noted order of importance; yes, there are still AM radio broadcasters. Only a couple of weeks ago at President Trump's State of the Union presentation, National Broadcast talk show host Rush Limbaugh got the nation's highest civilian award).

He did not get it for sending an important message by S'pore Cable and Wireless/Vodafone or PT Telkom using a telegraph key. Other names on the national list: Shane Hennedy, Bill O'Reilly, Mark Levin, Alex Jones,

AM radio does have a following. Internet services did reduce both AM and SW but both AM and SW are still present.

Shortwave receivers are not expensive and SW can go anywhere, relatively speaking. A natural disaster can close down local transmitters ... the internet is also gone ... but a battery-powered SW radio still works.

For those who cross border travel - and this also includes you - planning requires thinking about carrying a device with more than 1 function. A small SW radio, eg a Sony WITHOUT the extra external antenna - - - Don't look for trouble - - - is light weight and it also has AM and FM. For real infantry work, there's the smallest Grundig AM-FM-SW that's half the size of a cigarette pack. (2 of these Grundig's = a cigarette pack [AAA batteries used])

Meanwhile, I do miss the retired AM host Neal Boortz, known as "The Mouth of the South". A favorite got censored; Dr Michael Savage of San Francisco. My favorite left his Saturday afternoon politico - economic show to work in the Trump White House: Larry Krudlow.

 

I hope you have saved enough for some decent fire power...If your neighbors see you lugging all of that food they may get a bit jealous..

 

Welcome to this forum.......My best advise is find a good place to hide. Sounds funny and flippant......but it is the very foundation of my prepping theory.

 

Lots of people do, and most especially when there are power outages.

 

That may be the case in Murica Plane of Existence, but not in Earth Prime Material Plane.

I used to own Sony WA 6000 World-Band (the one with cassette recorder) and listen to BBC World Service along with Radio Nederland, and Voice of America back in my teenage days. But with the advent of WWW and mobile computing they lose relevancy for any purpose.

WHEN I need multipurpose device on the move be that in sea, air, or land I use my phones (plural), and adding laptop when I also brought along generator or any source of power is expected to be available.

 

Welcome from Alaska.
Lists are a good place to start. I liked Provident Living (above) when I started getting serious. Don't get stuck on specifics. For example, if the list says corn oil you can substitute. You need fat. I prefer butter, coconut oil and olive oil but fat is fat. Store what your family uses.

I don't know how much ready cash you have but at this point you need to prioritise among the 3B's, beans, bullets, and bandaids. Beans-You need food. More than that you need water, toilet paper, and other consumables. Bullets-This is security. There are many threads about firearms but that is only part of your security. Bandaids-Or you medical needs. First aid kit(s), prescription and OTC drugs, feminine products, other health needs.

Food will be your priority, this time. Every time one of these events happens I look at my preps and try to find weaknesses. The bird flu hit a few years back. I couldn't find masks for love or money. After that event I waited till prices dropped and went out and bought masks, gloves, and Tyvek suits.

Do not look at prepping as a destination but as a journey. There is always something more to buy and more to learn. Ask your questions, there is a vast knowledge base here and we like talking about prepping.

 

One thing I notice on a different forum.........is people are bragging they went to the store and purchased a massive amount of food, and they are NOW all set with two weeks of food if they need to quarantine.

 

That is sad but actually funny , to think people with two weeks of food think they have a massive supply of food . That is a bit ridiculous but actually does show how out of touch with reality many people are .

 

Let's put this in perspective. This has been going on in China for close to three months and it is still spooling up. Three months food, TP, etc. is a starting point. The more the better.

I date my supplies when they are put in my pantry. I use the oldest first. When I take something out of the pantry the date on that product tells me how much of what that I have or how long I can expect to have that available at my current consumption. If I increase my stores, to say six months, and I have two months worth of X then I triple it. Y I've got three months worth so I double it and Z I found a good sale on awhile back and have seven months left so I can wait for the next sale.

 

You're putting a lot of faith in the survival of the internet and cell phones vs the airwaves.

 

Its because I have more technical knowledge & working experience about it

 

All the experience and knowledge in the world won't keep the rest of the system up and running when the S really HTF.

 

Have you ever been in one for real? As in when real bullet start flying for real, or the gov't chase you down, or walk on the street with hundreds of dead bodies laying on the side, or when mother nature decide to redecorate the landscape while your at it?

 

Yes, short wave radio is alive and well. By listening to world-wide radio you can hear what's going on in their neck of the woods, y0u can hear Voice of America, you can even hear ham radio operators who may also be of the prepper type.

I bought a crystal radio on eBay many years ago just in case. I do have a hand crank radio, but the handle broke and I need another one. The more frequencies you can pull in the better. Check out radioreference.com for all info. on radio, etc.

I'm into radio communications as a hobby and I have a few police scanners as what most would call them. Well, this can also help you stay abreast of local info. provided they are not encrypted. Since a lot of departments are now using digital, it's easy to throw the encryption switch. My town's PD did so back in October. Now I just monitor and record fire/ems and the ambulance to hospital channels. I can hear the sheriff or state police, but I'm not interested in their coms at the moment. In fact, just last week I heard the ambulance en route to the hospital in my town say they had someone who was infected with the coronavirus. I never even heard about it in the paper or local news. So hearing it all from the horse's mouth does have a tremendous benefit. Especially during a natural disaster. Be it an earthquake, tornado or hurricane, you name it.

The other benefit of listening to shortwave is that you'll hear ham radio operators relay information they get. Best to check into a shortwave radio that can be hand cranked at least. If interested in a police scanner, check out the aforementioned radioreference.com and ask about one for your area. Depending on where you live, one scanner may not cover your area, etc. Expect to pay at least $600 for one. Now my area is mostly P25 phase I so I can get by with my very old Uniden BC296D. But there are other areas here in Colorado that are phase II P25 or 700 MHz. Then there's the different modulations schemes as well. Most public safety will more than likely use P25 depending on your area. But like hotels and casinos in Vegas, etc use Mototrbo.

Also, depending on where you live will limit what you can hear on a shortwave radio, the atmosphere, sun spot cycle, as well as the type of antenna. So if you live on the east coast. Expect to hear the UK, Germany, etc.

 

None of that has anything to do with what I said.

If you can't maintain focus in a normal conversation, how could you handle real stress?

 

Thanks everyone for your awesome replies and bloody great advice... the common message I'm hearing is STOP, think, evaluate and plan logically... it does no good running around on a supermarket sweep style buying spree, I'll just end up with a ten gallon hat and bat n ball on a string lol This was me last week going home from emergency shopping with only the 'bare essentials' :

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WaryLeadingBlueandgoldmackaw-size_restricted.gif

 

List you included on your starting this string looked semi-decent from the get-go.

Canned meats have so much sodium / salt in them that they last on and on; kippered herrings, corned beef, Spam, ... all those.

Rice you can put in Mason jars, drop in oxygen absorber pack or two, seal with their metal lids w/rubber rings integral, screw-down outer lid. You don't have to pull a vacuum on rice, or dried beans, or whole wheat grains (will have to have grinder for grains), or salted nuts, on and on and on. Dried foods really keep, just get the oxygen out of the jar.

https://n.stuccu.com/s/Pack+Oxygen+Absorber?drsm=5e5b183adccc281a9c5e8dbb

Oxygen absorber packs are available from numerous online stores/distributors.

Ammunition often keeps for decades. Don't get penetrating oil near your ammo, it'll kill the primers. Some folk soak their revolvers in some oil like WD40. Years back cop said he'd gone to the range to touch off some ammo for practice. Pulls trigger on his wheelgun, click, click, click, click, click, click, not a single round would go off. This is what he was carrying while on duty! The penetrating oil did exactly as was billed. It penetrated like nobody's business. Copper-eating bore cleaner will take the nickle plating off a handgun because there is the bare metal, then that metal is copper plated, then the nickle is plated atop that. There are always micro-cracks in plating, so the copper-melter gets under the nickle and does its work = off comes the nickle.

Store-back candle-making components. Have some candles ready for use. You can buy 20 lb. blocks of wax. Wick string comes in rolls. Get the quality wicking, not the crap with wires in the center. Make your candles in your vegetable cans. Don't just toss tin cans away. You can also buy wood wicks -- they crackle while burning. Kerosene lamps are good to have. Keep the cleanest kerosene you can afford. Shoot, you can burn diesel fuel in a lamp but you'll have soot issues.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=candle+wood+wicks&atb=v140-1&iax=shopping&ia=shopping

You need a water filter of quality, like from Katadyn out of Switzerland. These have ceramic micron filters. Charcoal filters are good for getting bad smells/tastes out of the water. First let water set. Filter with clothes that have been cleaned with bleach. You can make first stage filters out of rock and sand. Now you can boil the water, then filter the water. Read online how people filter the water that is available to them in whatever environment. "One size does not fit all."

This website has all manner of lists. Starter lists through medical treatment lists. Lists and lists.

Rowser, do you live in America? Where are you from?