When cities die. (Part 2)

Seeds and Shotguns

This can be unthinkable. No meat. It may be hard to find any big game in the suburbs. Rats and ground squirrels should not be eaten unless it's a last dying effort to survive. You should plan to trap these beasts though as they can ruin a garden. A garden will be what you live on. Thank goodness you stashed away a years worth of food in airtight buckets and foil packs but what happens when that stuff is gone? And do you really want to live just on that stuff? Some fresh veggies should lift your spirits.

You will need seeds for a garden. Get ones that generate more seeds, not the hybrid seeds people buy every season. You will not be able to go to home depot and get more seeds. You will harvest your own. Avoid crops like corn that are low yield, high maintenance. Corn takes so much fertilizer and water that it becomes a burden instead of a gift.

You will need to defend your garden. Get a shotgun and a corn-cob pipe and sit on your rocking chair all day making comments about the weather. That should scare off any would-be pillager. If that doesn't work I don't know what will.

You would do well to get a goat if possible. A goat will eat all the weeds in your yard and behind your house. This will reduce fire risks by a lot. The goats can give you milk and their poop will be a good byproduct.

Get a tall fence or wall. Preferably you would get a fireproof barrier with spikes to keep out high winds, bullets, and thieves. Sandbags are cheap to reinforce your fence, wall, or to mark off garden areas.

Get a set of tools and a few packs of silica. Wrap them in dark plastic and tape it shut. You will have fresh brand new tools when the city falls and you need to produce your own food. Put this in your shed with a dozen rolls of plastic, tape, fertilizer, and anything else you can think of. The tools should not require electricity or gas.

The most important thing is practice. Practice having a garden. Let some of it go to seed. Use rain traps, underground water bins, and other methods of getting water. You will have fun, exercise, and reduce your grocery bill.

Also think about getting a root cellar and burying items to prevent theft, degradation, or spoiling. In 2003 in my city a time capsule from the early 80s was found with honey, candy, playing cards, toys, notes, and other items still in perfect condition. What do you want to protect?

Oil Spill: Gulf Survival

Survival during this Oil spill is actually really easy since most of us don't live in the Ocean.

That said there are still many people who are worried about the gases that the oil spill puts off like benzene and other scary invisibles. It is not likely living near the water will give you enough exposure to harm you so long as you are not swimming in the water or working on a oil clean up crew. The clean up crews take off their protective gear because of heatstroke and that accounts for 100% of all persons sick from the oil spill (to date).
There are air quality stations posted all around the gulf. If it gets too bad they may ask people to limit their exposure to fresh air and stay inside.

If they go to a critical level a simple gas mask will save you.

If you work the cleanup wear gloves and a masks with no exceptions. Most people take off their other gear due to the specter of heat-stroke looming over the gulf coast. Weigh the risks.

I personally recommend a 3M 6000 series with a Part Number: 60926 filter. These are great to have around for any purpose. Everyone should have a mask. Any gas that deprives oxygen like CO2 will still kill you as this is a filter and not a oxygen supply. Some people buy NATO gas masks. They are OK. Just don't get old ones that have filters that can go bad after a number of years and actually harm you.


This disaster is actually pretty basic. Go check out Ready.gov They have a index of basic items one should have just in case. Most preppers, survivalists, and  emergency responders would argue that that kit is too basic. 

Most preppers carry at least 3 months to a year food in the home and 3+ days in the car. I myself have 6 days food in my car and many months food at home. 


It cost 250$ for a year supply of food with double-coupons and discounts. I wonder if I'll get around to posting a video on that. That's more of a smart shopping video not a survival situation. Some of the food is good stuff too. Advantages include variety in food selection. Disadvantages include having to eat out of cans to rotate the stock so nothing goes bad. I like to cook everything fresh when I can.

30-50% of the oil spilled is eaten by bacteria within a week of  introduction into the water. This sucks for the wildlife in the short term but the long term damage will be minimal. That's no consolation to the birds and crabs that are perishing now.