Urban Prepping for City Dwellers

[Lord of the Large Pants]

I've looked at Water Bricks and wondered how they are for real world use. Have you/anyone in this thread used them? How often do you rotate the water? Do you treat the water before you fill them?

Water is my big weakness as far as being prepared goes. I'm not even trying to outlast the zombie hordes, just be ready in case of extended power outage etc.

I use them. My only complaint about the bricks themselves is that the spigot kind of sucks. It doesn't work well unless the brick is pretty full. So have a large, clean funnel or some other way of consolidating the water. I don't do anything special to the water beforehand aside from a basic bitch Pur filter. And even then tap water is probably fine.

Clean the bricks first with water and a SMALL amount of bleach, then rinse thoroughly.

Fill with water, then add this according to the included instructions.

https://www.amazon.com/Mayday-Industries-Gallon-Water-Preserver/dp/B008E04P7W/

That's supposed to last 5 years. I rotate my water storage a few months before the Presidential elections, which is 4 years.

And you know what? Just for you, I'm doing a live test. My water was rotated about 4 years ago. I pulled out one of my bricks, dusted off the outside, hooked up the spigot, and poured myself a glass. Tasted fine. I'll report back tomorrow on any uncontrollable shitting or ER visits.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

The best way to prep for SHTF in an urban setting is to be a mob boss.

 

[NoReturn]

You've heard of "Bug Out Bag" but if you're in the city and we're not in apocalypse mode (maybe just a natural disaster or something) you want a "Bug In Bag", a set "This is when we leave" time, and a place to go.

Things for Bug In Bag:

• A gun for home protection
• Water bottles, maybe even some with built-in filters
• At least 72 hours of calories
• Medical kit
• Sanitization tools
• Clean undergarments
• Work gloves
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Chargers of some kind
• Radio
• Multitool
• Duct tape
• Whistle

And probably a lot more things I can't remember off the top of my head.

 

[Baraka Obama]

You've heard of "Bug Out Bag" but if you're in the city and we're not in apocalypse mode (maybe just a natural disaster or something) you want a "Bug In Bag", a set "This is when we leave" time, and a place to go.

Things for Bug In Bag:

• A gun for home protection
• Water bottles, maybe even some with built-in filters
• At least 72 hours of calories
• Medical kit
• Sanitization tools
• Clean undergarments
• Work gloves
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Chargers of some kind
• Radio
• Multitool
• Duct tape
• Whistle

And probably a lot more things I can't remember off the top of my head.

Most of these things you will just have if you are a normal human being. 72 hours of calories I call my fridge? I have a bag of rice that would allow my entire family to survive for weeks on just that.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

72 hours of calories I call my fridge?

If you're strong enough to carry your fridge in a bag, maybe you should just stand your ground.

 

[LaxerBRO]

If you can get out, screw the roads and highways. I suggest driving on the area next to the railroad tracks:

Concrete lined non-flowing rivers are a good idea too:

John Conner bugging out fast, be like John Conner.

 

[vanta pilled]

I've thought about finding a solution to treat river water which seems a bit extreme... half the year I can melt snow in a pinch.

If you have a river or large body of water near you, can't you just use a lifestraw or sawyer squeeze? They're relatively cheap, extremely effective, and have an indefinite shelf life if unused.

 

[Blasterisk]

many building materials are produced with nasty chemicals and lead which can leach into water.

To what extent, if any, does distillation reduce this problem?

 

[Baraka Obama]

If you're strong enough to carry your fridge in a bag, maybe you should just stand your ground.

I thought this thread was about preparing for reasonable things going wrong in the course of a normal life? Not the absolute breakdown of civil society.

If you have a river or large body of water near you, can't you just use a lifestraw or sawyer squeeze? They're relatively cheap, extremely effective, and have an indefinite shelf life if unused.

Yeah and then I need a fairly large container to transport the water home, ideally a dolly, and then it gets into where am I storing all this, and you can see why I have not done this yet.

To what extent, if any, does distillation reduce this problem?

I'm sure there's a way to remove everything but how reasonable is it to have that prepared? Do you keep a set of beakers on hand just in case?

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

I thought this thread was about preparing for reasonable things going wrong in the course of a normal life? Not the absolute breakdown of civil society.

This thread is about being an absolute unit.

 

[Badungus Kabungus]

If you really do want to stay in the city, get real friendly with the rest of your neighbors. Better hope none of them are dicks. Then you can work together to secure the building, rather than everyone hiding in their own apartment.

Food, water, and sanitation are still obvious concerns, but at least you can split guard duty with the neighbors.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

I use them. My only complaint about the bricks themselves is that the spigot kind of sucks. It doesn't work well unless the brick is pretty full. So have a large, clean funnel or some other way of consolidating the water. I don't do anything special to the water beforehand aside from a basic bitch Pur filter. And even then tap water is probably fine.

Clean the bricks first with water and a SMALL amount of bleach, then rinse thoroughly.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fztI1URShrM
Fill with water, then add this according to the included instructions.

https://www.amazon.com/Mayday-Industries-Gallon-Water-Preserver/dp/B008E04P7W/

That's supposed to last 5 years. I rotate my water storage a few months before the Presidential elections, which is 4 years.

And you know what? Just for you, I'm doing a live test. My water was rotated about 4 years ago. I pulled out one of my bricks, dusted off the outside, hooked up the spigot, and poured myself a glass. Tasted fine. I'll report back tomorrow on any uncontrollable shitting or ER visits.

Reporting back. I had a very slightly upset stomach late last night, but nothing severe. In fact it was so mild that I think it might have just been something I ate rather than the water. No projectile vomit or anything.

 

[isalaide]

Yeah no way.

You'd be really surprised at how much dirt and pollen and bird crap accumulates on your roof. I could take a photo of the inside of my rain barrel later but yeah it's nasty. Even if you found a way to clear that up nothing on the route down is really food grade and many building materials are produced with nasty chemicals and lead which can leach into water.

Is there a reason you can't drink rain water that's fallen directly into a container for collection?

Asking for - fuck it, asking because I've done this without thinking all my life and it never occurred to me it was problematic. It rains all the fucking time here. Anything short of a major climate disruption, we're going to have water.

 

[mold]

I haven't finished this thread yet but I got stuff:

if you live in a city on good traderoutes, including waterways, without simmering ethnic tensions, you are legally armed, and you have good relations with your neighbors *stay your ass where you is.*

There are specific reasons to leave cities, most important of which imo are a) the city is days away from having no water b) a lot of people who live there want to kill you because of your phenotype.

But there's a lot of very important reasons to *stay* in population centers. If you're the kind of person who can manage off grid in the woods you're already there or on your way by now, and I hope to trade with you in the glorious postboog days. But for a lot of people it's going to be a miserable existence at best.

I have extremely good relations with my neighbors. We already made it through 2020. I live easy walking distance from a navigable river, it's ethnically homogenous, and everybody's armed af. I can have small livestock. I have rain barrels and am slowly figuring out how to manage a decent life as the grid becomes less reliable.

I know a lot of people living up in the hills around here who have been preparing for the end of days since the 70s. Those people now have grandkids. There are some problems. It's not a great life.

But, if there was a significant civil disturbance,

this thinking makes no sense to me

why are you living someplace where you think that poorly of your neighbors? most of us do not live in the former ottoman empire. we are not living down the street from the descendents of our greatgrandma's rapists. nobody is going to be that motivated to burn loot murder where I live. that's why I live here.

your neighbors should be your bunker room.

 

[isalaide]

this thinking makes no sense to me

why are you living someplace where you think that poorly of your neighbors? most of us do not live in the former ottoman empire. we are not living down the street from the descendents of our greatgrandma's rapists. nobody is going to be that motivated to burn loot murder where I live. that's why I live here.

your neighbors should be your bunker room.

My neighbours are slightly elderly Jews. I just need a stouter shelter than them.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Concrete lined non-flowing rivers are a good idea too:

That's only useful if you live in a relatively dry area where a good rain can easily overwhelm and flood infrastructure.

If you live in a city, if "shit gets real" levels come to pass, you'll have people setting fires to cars, so short of parking in a secured parking garage, it's almost certainly better to just stay put with a good selection of canned foods, fresh water, and a loaded firearm. When it comes to natural disasters, judge your own scenario. If you live on the ground floor within a mile of a body of water and floods are expected, then maybe you should consider leaving.

You've heard of "Bug Out Bag" but if you're in the city and we're not in apocalypse mode (maybe just a natural disaster or something) you want a "Bug In Bag", a set "This is when we leave" time, and a place to go.

Things for Bug In Bag:

• A gun for home protection
• Water bottles, maybe even some with built-in filters
• At least 72 hours of calories
• Medical kit
• Sanitization tools
• Clean undergarments
• Work gloves
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Chargers of some kind
• Radio
• Multitool
• Duct tape
• Whistle

And probably a lot more things I can't remember off the top of my head.

I think that one thing that you should carry for emergencies is a large fire extinguisher (class ABC) and fire blanket. Most apartments have built-in fire extinguisher but those are small and for mostly for kitchen disasters than big fires.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

Is there a reason you can't drink rain water that's fallen directly into a container for collection?

I mean. Something could get in there, but is municipal water or bottled water more trustworthy than the sky?


I wouldn't drink it if it's been sitting waiting to fill up with mosquito eggs, cause ew.

 

[mold]

do not drink water from rain barrels, that's for your garden and stuff

 

[Baraka Obama]

do not drink water from rain barrels, that's for your garden and stuff

Don't care how thirsty I get, I'll find another way. I'd rather squeeze the juice out of dandelion root.