# Questions



## franco5 (Mar 18, 2012)

Hello, I've been reading lots and absorbing what I can through these forums but I needed to get some opinions from those (all) of you that have so much more knowledge than I do. 

Okay...part one.
I am in Inland Southern California, my husband is active duty Navy stationed with a marine unit at Camp Pendleton. We have 3 children, one being severely disabled with multiple medical issues. We live close to the base in a rental property because it is more accessible to our son and allows the 3 dogs we have.
My question is, if there were to be a major earthquake, grid goes down, or some other huge catastrophe that made it necessary to move the family, where should we go? Do we seek refuge on the base where there may be more protection and access to medical care/food/water we might need...Or do you think that would put us at the mercy of military officials maybe not allowing us to move around the way we might want??? OR do we attempt to find another location to "bug out" to, most likely more inland or in the surrounding mountain areas? Keep in mind, we are super new to this and as frantically as I'm trying, I am so far from being totally prepared...not alot of resources, no camping trailer, weapons, radios or any of that. 

That was my emergency question. Now, part 2...long term, when I think of when we can finally try the homesteading thing, possibly in a few years after husband retires from Navy, where would be the best location to call our permanent home? Somewhere not to extreme with weather, close enough to medical facilities, a few private acres to attempt growing on?? I definitely want out of So California but not sure where we could afford he kind of property we need. Possibly TX or Oregon? Colorado? Is there a more ideal state to live as self-sustaining as we can? 

I'd appreciate all the input I can get at this point.

Thanks!


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

Quite honestly these questions are one you are going to have to tackle yourself and what is best for your family and especially the special needs child. Short term shtf I am sure the military has something in place for families on base like we have down here for hurricanes. Lodging in the gym, feeding out of the dining hall, etc.

I know one thing, you might want to head to the safety of the base, especially where you are. Imagine how bad it will get when you can't control the normal populace and the threat from the Mexican drug gangs. Scarey!

Long term is a decision you and your spouse are going to have to talk about.

While I am at it, welcome to the boards and Thank You to your husband for serving our country


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

Since you stated that you don't have much in the way of preps, that would be the biggest indicator to me that the base would be a good location to go in the event of a natural disaster or the like. The military, of which I was once a member, does tend to keep an inventory of long-term foods on hand for unexpected contingencies. The Navy vessels will have fuel on board the ships, so that means power (if they don't get underway right off the bat); if there's a ship in port, that also means fresh water via the reverse osmosis filters on board. <<ETA: I saw SoCal Navy and thought San Diego; you said Pendleton. My opinion doesn't change, but you won't find many ships inland, will you? However, the Corps will not gut the base during troubled times, so the infrastructure will still be there for water, power, medical, security etc.>> There is usually a lot of empty space in barracks and/or base warehouses that can provide a roof, and with the relatively mild Cali weather, that should be sufficient shelter. There will obviously be armed guards on the fence, so that's a plus. Military medical for you special needs child sounds like it would be needed?

Now, that doesn't mean that the base is your Golden Parachute; BOB's, or at the very least, 72-hour bags for everyone, including your spouse, would be a great idea. You probably have most of the items already. Just think "long over-nighter", or maybe "week-end at a mountain cabin" and you can pack accordingly. There is a lengthy section on this topic right here on the Forums. Why have these bags? Better to have and not need, than to need and not have. I know military pay isn't great, but some of the gear you don't have you might be able to find at the BX/PX, in local thrift stores or even at DRMO (or whatever the base surplus command is called). Ask your OMBUDSMAN if you have access to that resource. Sometimes, the base Welfare and Recreation Dept will have gear for loan, so you can try out various set-ups before settling on a final "design".

I am a big proponent in using what you have versus going into debt for gear, so think outside the box for some of this stuff. I use a large, sturdy school book-bag for one of my kits, and my kids' kits are in plastic bags, ready to dump into their book-bags. Don't have a sturdy sheath knife?  I see butcher knives at my local thrift for a dollar or two. A duct-tape and corrugated cardboard sheath will do until you find or barter for something better. A couple of soda bottles, even if you have to scrounge them from a recycle bin, will do for water bottles (sterilize them with hot water, soap and then a little bleach before use, tho). No Mountain House food, or MRE's? Ramen is easy, and cheap; peanut butter in a plastic jar is calorie-dense and doesn't need refrigeration after opening. I know you know a Boatswain's Mate, or the spouse of one. Have them save discarded parachute cord for you. It has to be thrown out after it has been used for a certain amount of time, because it won't meet milspec anymore, but for general lashing and tying, it still works just fine. No fancy camp stove? Look into a hobo stove; with three kids I'm pretty sure you have an empty Hawaiian Punch can lying around. Failing that, ask at the base mess hall if there are some empty #10 tin cans you could have (tell 'em it's for a school science project or some such, if you need to). I have cooked plenty of meals using scrap wood and pine cones on such a set-up. Heavy-duty trash bags, along with a little duct-tape and paracord, make a pretty dry shelter, or a poncho, or pack-cover, or a privacy screen, or a temporary water collection device, and I hear they work pretty well for disposing of trash too!

Don't forget small toys for the younguns. A few spiral notebooks and a couple boxes of crayons will go a long way in keeping them entertained (and thus cutting down on your stress)...I have three rug-rats myself, and being cooped up during tornado warnings has taught me that! A bag of hard-candy as a treat doesn't take up much room, or cost much if you watch the sales, but can be a real life-saver (pun intended) in a SHTF situation for kids. The local discount retailer (Big Lots) had a hand-crank radio/flashlight recently for under $10. It could be charged via USB, so it's ready to go if you leave it plugged into a computer. Is it high-tech? Nope, but it's better than not knowing what the hell is happening, and if the base is on the ball, they will have their broadcast system set up and playing (it's a morale thing, they're big on morale) in all but the worst situations.

You can prep, and prep cheap. Just prep!

As far as where to go, I live in Georgia, I like Georgia, I'll never leave Georgia, but it's probably not the "ideal" spot. Don't let the "what-ifs" paralyze you. Focus on one small goal at a time, start building your knowledge and skill base, and the rest can hold off. Get and stay out of debt, keep your health up and don't forget to stop and smell the roses, because "Doom-n-Gloom" has brought down many aspiring preppers around me.


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

Can you take care of your children's medical conditions long term with no support in a wide spread emergency?
If the answer is no then the base might be your only choice.


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## jjwilson72000 (Oct 7, 2010)

Is your husband a corpsman? I know when I was in the Corps those guys were our best friends. If he is in a bad situation the Marines will do everything they can to take care of your husband and his family, since he takes care of them. I would beeline it for Camp.


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## bad_sock_monkey (May 25, 2012)

I just came from active duty navy. One way to start to prep. Is have your husband start collecting Mre's during ftx. These thing are often thrown away or left. Suggest bringing out cheap cracker meals and other inexpensive food items easy to make in the field to swap for. Mre at the commissary are about 7 or 8 dollars a piece. So if you can find inexpensive trades with the others it is good. Our unit didnt pull our separate rats for field problems but many do. Which in lament terms is your husband is already paying for them make sure he saves meals he doesn't want or components. I could usually come home with a case or two


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

For part 1, living on base sounds like a good short-term solution.

For part 2, Texas doesn't sound look a good place. Most of the state is in drought right now.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/sjt/drought/WCToutlook.pdf

Someplace in the midwest would be good for cheap property and access to medical care.

Here's one place:

http://www.landandfarm.com/property/3_acres_in_Price_County_Wisconsin-393871/


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

My suggestion as a new person is to take a deep breath. Just go at it slowly.

Identify what you think your first priority is and deal with it. Just remember every journey be it a block or a thousand miles begins with a single step. Even a few small easy thing can make a big difference if bad things happen. 

I started this looking into a GoB (get home bag). That lead me to the realization that I should be prepped for a couple day disaster, and now the plans just keep expanding. But the rate of prepping hasn't. I'm still doing it on a budget, still doing it as I can.


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## franco5 (Mar 18, 2012)

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. 

I can fill books with what I DONT know, but thankfully through forums and sites like this I've been doing what I can for about almost a whole year, really since I saw the devastation in Japan and the power outage we had over the Summer.

I do have bob for everyone and maybe a few extra food stored up, as well as things like batteries, candles, and medical supplies including a month's worth of my son's seizure meds. Working on putting away more. Also bought a dehydrator I'm trying to get the hang of and have a small herb garden and some container vegetables. 

My husband is a Corpsman and has alot of useful knowledge but just doesn't have the urgency that I have in preparing. I have 2 large rolls of para cord left over from when we were trying to make "peace cord" bracelets to raise money to buy a wheelchair van. 

I have been wondering if we should invest in one of those pop up trailers that can be pulled? Ive seen some old, affordable ones in Craigslist for sale. Thinking of keeping my son as comfortable as possible if we couldn't be home. 

It's so overwhelming to think about sometimes, I try not to get sucked into all the conspiracy theory stuff because even without the all of that the world looks like its headed in a scary direction. We are people of faith do I do have hope but I don't believe we are called to wait and watch...I know i am never going to be okay to sit by and watch my family suffer or do without so we have to prepare. 

Thanks again!


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## ONEOLDCHIEF (Jan 5, 2012)

franco5 said:


> Hello, I've been reading lots and absorbing what I can through these forums but I needed to get some opinions from those (all) of you that have so much more knowledge than I do.
> 
> Okay...part one.
> I am in Inland Southern California, my husband is active duty Navy stationed with a marine unit at Camp Pendleton. We have 3 children, one being severely disabled with multiple medical issues. We live close to the base in a rental property because it is more accessible to our son and allows the 3 dogs we have.
> ...


First up thank you for yall's service to our Nation :congrat:

1. In the event that something major happens do you know if the base have a contingency plan for dependents to come aboard? Find out... Maybe thru the Ombudsman. If it is a long term situation bugging in is not a good idea, especially if you do not have any preps to speak of, and because of the proximity of millions of people.

2. Thrift stores/yard sales are a good place to fing camping supplies on the cheap. There should be a thrift store on base(you can find a lot of good stuff there). You definately need a rechargable radio, hand crank or solar charge...

3. http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/checklists/Be_Red_Cross_Ready.pdf
This is the minimum.

4. When or if you get a camper, you want oone that your van can tow, that has a bunkhouse on one end for the kids (trust me on this, we lived in one for a year, my wife and I, 3 kids and 2 dogs, waiting on base housing to open up, even had family spend the night once, 11 people in a 35 foot dutchman, I love the closeness, but I was happy to see them leave, my family not the kids).

Stay tuned for more info, and never be afraid to ask, folks here will help, some push your buttons, just ignore them. But they even have good ideas once in a while.

Keep the Faith, Welcome :wave:


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

hello and welcome, i'll just say there is no minimum and no maximum, the very fact your here and wanting to take responsibility for your own life and survival is the most important thing,next would be skills and knowledge then followed with all of the stuff you "buy" 

i would suggest you do like all of us here, and do what you can with what you got, alot of us aren't rich and barely scrap by but we're fully prepared from months and years of building a little here and there , i doubt any of us went out with a 30k check and bought all of our stuff and stores in a day or two, like others have suggested here, pick up a cheap bottle of booze every pay day, or add a few mre's every payday, basically set aside whatever you can realistically afford and start small and go from there, there may be a few big ticket items you may want to pick up and if they are really important to you skip that date night with DH or skip a luxury in life to go get the things that will help save your life in SHTF, But that should be based on your personal view of how long you think you have to prep before SHTF.....

again, do what you can with what you got, eventually you will get there, just keep it up!

in the mean time, i would just go to the base if things go down in the next few months or so, but as soon as you get a few months of food and supplies set i would avoid it like the plague, i don't do well with people "handling" my survival and fate, so that would be a no go for me if i had anywhere else that was reasonably safe.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

One thing you might consider doing is setting up a bank account that have direct deposit a small amount of money each payday. I'm setting on up for twenty bucks a paycheck, which comes out to forty a month (biweekly pay). I'll use that as a dedicated prep money. 

Doesn't seem like much but it adds up if you ignore it. Even if you use it on prep food that's a lot of cans of veggies and soup. Save for a month and snag a sleeping bag or new backpack. Also it lets you wait for sales.


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## SimpleJoys (Apr 28, 2012)

If you have a backyard that has a spot that gets sun pretty much all day, put in a garden and learn to can. Take a look at the book The Square Foot Garden. You can grow quite a bit in a really small space, and if you start from seeds, it isn't very expensive. A lot of people say they have found canning jars free or really cheap on Craig's List. (Buy new lids.) Prepping isn't just about aquiring things, it's about acquiring knowledge.

Fill your son's prescriptions on the very first day you can--usually it's a few days before you run out. Keep doing that every month, and you'll end up with an extra month, then two, etc. For any of his drugs that aren't too expensive, see if his doctor will write a separate prescription that you can fill for cash at a different pharmacy (to keep your insurance company out of it).

Where you are now, on base is probably your best bug-out location because it has food, security, and medical care. Find out if they would allow a small pop-up camper in case of an emergency like wildfire or an earthquake.

Take it easy, take it slow, and remember to have fun with it. You don't have to start with 5-gallon buckets of wheat, etc. I like the 1/2 gallon mason jars for storing my regular usage rice, grains, etc. and quart-size jars for nuts, dried fruit, and such. Ace hardware stores usually have them in the summer. Keep the boxes the cans come in for ease in packing them. Pack some with stuff you use, then pack another with extra. When you can, pack another set with extra. Stock up on canned goods that you normally use by buying an extra when you can. It adds up. Pick up next-size up clothes for the kids at garage sales to keep for just-in-case. They might not be what the kids want to wear normally, but they'd be great in an emergency, they don't cost much, and you can always sell or donate them when they're outgrown.

First, aim to have enough extra for a week, then keep adding a week until you have enough for three months, then start working on longer term stuff. When you get ready to buy in bulk, look through threads for mentions of good deals. Google the Mormon church's provident living site--they have places you can buy food to stock up on for pretty cheap, and some places have really low shipping costs, which makes a huge difference.

Something I just learned--before you buy anything on-line, google that store and product name along with the words and savings and promo code (different searches for each).  I found a promo code to save $20 at Home Depot last month and one for $10 off at another store the month before.


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## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

franco5, do you have any good family within driving distance? How about good friends that may throw their weight into a combined effort?

Bugging out to the base might be a good short term solution. Aid is likely. However you usually cannot bring weapons on base, and I'd bet there will be nowhere to store long term need items if you need to leave.

Is it possible for you to bring at least short term crisis need concerns to the base leadership? You could become the spearhead for such preparedness--if not with the command, then with other like-minded military families. It may be as simple as holding a meeting to simply discuss being prepared. Base leadership may have already thought about this and may be able to give you info you need to make a decision.

It's great you've already got BOBs and such. The MRE scavenge idea posted earlier is excellent. Pick out locations to bug out to during a big incident. You may be by yourself--your husband may be tasked with emergency duties. Routes, alternate routes, places to cache or store, dry runs with the family in tow to work out details and the usual kinks and surprises.

Indeed, you can help beat down that anxiety by continuing to improve your awareness of needs and practical solutions. Make a list of needs and solutions, work toward creative solutions.


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## franco5 (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks again for the great information and advice. 

We don't have family within driving distance and most of our friends are spread out. There is one family that we know that I've been trying to "feel out" as far as their feelings on preparedness because they live in a more isolated area up the mountains and might be a possible alternative location. 

I worry about being stuck on the base if we chose that route mainly because I have never liked the restrictions of base life; and would hate to be in a situation where we were so dependent on the military installation that we had no say in anything. 

I am really trying to learn something new every day. I was an army brat myself, came from a broken home, and had to live in the projects as a teenager. I've gone hungry, had to make my own clothes, and had to defend myself in some pretty ugly situations. But I was a city kid, definitely streetwise but clueless to things like canning, gardening, or even cooking. Now I'm so hungry to learn all of these things and at so late in the game I only hope I can catch up so I can teach the rest of my family.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

franco5 said:


> Now I'm so hungry to learn all of these things and at so late in the game I only hope I can catch up so I can teach the rest of my family.


Just the fact that you're thinking along these lines puts you ahead of 90% of the sheeple. :congrat:


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