Making Sure There is Light in a Shelter

Studies have shown that even the tiniest bit of light can help people survive psychologically underground. However often people do not consider the short life of light sources and end up in complete blackness. That is why you need to make sure that you are including everything that you need to keep the shelter lit. This is especially true if you are locking yourself in against a threat like fires or a nuclear fallout.

During most disasters electric lights completely fail. This leaves you to use your imagination to create an adequate light source. Flashlights should not be used continuously for many hours. Not only do the batteries fail but the lights can fail too.

One efficient lighting rig-up could be created with a large dry cell battery or car battery and a low-amperage light bulb. This will give you a low-watt light for about ten to fifteen nights. Just remember to always use a bulb of the same voltage as the battery and to use a small high resistance wire such as a bell wire with it.

If you prepare in advance you can also connect small twelve volt bulbs to a wire and then connect it to a car batteries.

You should also stock your shelter with candles and take all the candles you can with you into a shelter. Make sure your matches are kept in an airtight waterproof container such as a Mason jar. Humidity in shelters can cause matches to become so damp that they cannot be lit.

You can also make safe expedient lamps for shelters. These are long lasting shelter lamps that are made of cooking oil or fat and a small lamp wick that is placed inside the jar. This type of lamp is very practical as it burns only one once of oil every eight hours. Another bonus to using this type of lamp is that it also traps mosquitoes and bugs that are attracted to the light and then fall into the oil.

Remember as well that the effect of any light can be magnified with a mirror, aluminum foil or white boards. These materials reflect light and make the place seem better lit.

Remember too that it is can be disastrous to light a fire inside a shelter as the smoke can cause a build up of carbon monoxide. Gasoline and kerosene lamps should also not be taken inside a shelter because they also off-gas. If gasoline or kerosene lamps or knocked over the results can be tragic for the occupants.

Survival

Human Water and Salt Requirements

We take water for granted. Most of us drink two pints a day which is enough for us to feel comfortable. Ideally we should be drinking eight eight ounce glasses a day to stay healthy. In an emergency water may be scarce and this may not be possible.

If the weather is cool a person can survive on three pints of water per day for many weeks and feel alright as long as the food consumed is also low in protein. However in a nuclear disaster or a disaster with fires then you may need a lot more water.

So how do you calculate how much water you need? According to a test done by the U.S. Navy about 15 gallons of water PER person should be stowed away for a two week stay in a shelter.

If you are sweating heavily and not eating salty food then you need to take salt or you could develop cramps. You need to eat about ½ tablespoon of salt a day in order to stay well. If there is no food available at all and you are just drinking water then you should add this daily salt ration to water at one point.

If it is an emergency you can carry water in doubled green garbage bags inside pillow cases or other bags. Over ten gallons of water can be carried in a burlap bag if necessary. Even a pair of jeans or trousers can be used to carry water if the legs are tied securely shut.

Inside your shelter or basement there should be a cylindrical water-storage pit inset into the ground. This helps keep the water cool and may protect it from radiation. Simply dig a pit and then line it with plywood and plastic. You then cover this pit with more plywood and plastic so that it does not evaporate and so that it is protected from fall out.

Some survivalists recommend that the water pits be rectangular in shape. This prevents any water bags from slopping over each other in the pit.

The best way to remove water from a bag filled with it is with a flexible tube. The water should be siphoned into a waiting vessel. If you open the bag it is too easy to spill it. If you dip some kind of ladle into the water you risk contamination. When not using the siphon fold the tube over and secure it with an elastic band or paper clip.

Never underestimate the importance of salt and water supplies during a disaster. They are the very stuff that life is made is made of.