Jack Lawson Sends: Water is CRITICAL, Part One – Obtaining Water
This excerpt comes from Jack Lawson straight out of Chapter 13 of his two volume masterpiece, “Civil Defense Manual”. You can grab a copy of his book here. Jack is a strong supporter of American Partisan, and even had NC Scout write the chapter on Radio Communications (Chapter 17 in Volume I). I bought my copy the day it become available and I highly recommend you do as well.
Your NPP Medical Section should be well versed in poison neutralization, control and treatment procedures. In a worst-case scenario after a Catastrophic Event, thirsty and starving people will drink and ingest fluids and try to eat items that our imaginations can’t ‘wrap our minds around.’ Bad water and fluids that are harmful and poisonous, items that are dangerous or flat out poisonous to eat will be consumed.
The 13th Baktun unit of time at the end of the Mayan Calendar was frightening to the Mayans… Thirteen individuals, including Christ and Judas the betrayer, were present at The Last Supper… And on Friday the 13th of October in 1307, King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar, almost all of the present day ‘Crusaders’ and Free Masons, then hideously tortured and killed them all. Friday the 13th. Oh, that unlucky number thirteen!
What’s that have to do with this book? This Chapter is ‘Number 13’ ‘…thirteen’ if any of you Readers are superstitious and fear black cats, walking under ladders and buildings with ‘Floor 13.’ It was ‘As the cards were dealt’ so it just happened that this Chapter number was assigned to the subject of Water. I’m not superstitious, so I didn’t leave Chapter 13, or Water, out of this book like they leave the ‘unlucky’ floor number 13 off some buildings.
The H2O molecule… two Hydrogen atoms married to an Oxygen atom…Water. Without water, you and your CDM Neighborhood Protection Plan™ (NPP) will be more than unlucky… your existence will abruptly end and then, whether you are or are not superstitious, your existence and that of your NPP on this planet, will be of no further significance to you or others. Fear… is a thirsty business.
Water… the most important of the Critical Life Supplies and Services. You need water first.
Most of the world’s people can drink what you can’t…
As a friend of mine who lived in the ‘Third World’ recently reminded me… and as I witnessed in Third and Fourth World countries in Africa, Central America, Southeast Asia and I imagine much of the rest of the world… most of the world’s population can drink water from a mud puddle and they will generally be okay. Maybe some upset stomach and probable parasitic organisms from this, but they don’t flat-out die. We carry around water in bottles that has been disinfected for drinking when in those countries… you don’t want to use their ice cubes either. I advise so.
I am a beacon of testimony to what the American and Industrialized World intestinal system is like… with regard to ingesting water that has not been disinfected. And this is what your intestinal system is like. I drank water, after I treated it with ‘purifying tablets,’ from a cattle watering trough that had a decomposing monkey under the pump float cover of it in Mozambique, Africa. Within the day I had amoebic dysentery. My jumpsuit and my sleeping bag were both full of shite by morning. I had this amoebic dysentery for two months, even with taking powerful medicines.
The black soldiers with me were happy and just peachy after they drank their fill and topped off their canteens. They’d been born and raised using these water sources. But me!? …I wish I’d seen the submerged, decayed carcass of this monkey first. My American born and raised intestinal system was not accustomed to any of these bacteria, even as long as I’d been in Africa and even after treating the water with purifying tablets… as yours is not.
Dictionary Definition
potable
adjective
po·ta·ble / ˈpōdəb(ə)l /
Definition of potable: Water that is fit to drink; Safe to drink; drinkable.
Origin: From the Latin ‘Potare,’ to drink.
Most untreated water has the equivalent of a dead and decomposing monkey in it… and some water that looks really good will be worse than if you did have a dead monkey in it. Regardless, my intestinal system revolted violently. My Commando wouldn’t put me on medical leave, because you had to be shot full of holes and bleeding to death, before they’d take you out of the action. And I decided I would rather die than fail to complete parachute school. I met my wife and her parents about a month into this ordeal. Touchy. Think… fearing the smell.
I fashioned a diaper out of a kitchen terry cloth type thin towel and stuffed it with toilet paper and I refrained from eating around my wife and her parents. It’s an ‘interesting experience’ going through firefights and then later to parachute school with crap sliming down the inside of your legs… on down my jumpsuit pant legs and drizzling on into my socks and boots. Squishy. A fit and muscular young man wearing a green beret… and a diaper. It takes any romanticism out of being a soldier.
I impatiently waited for this affliction to pass. My ring piece was sore from constant wiping. I was in a virtual constant state of dehydration and secondary complications of rashes and infections followed. A Doctor going through parachute school with me, finally put me on the path to a cure for this with his unconventional ‘bread plug’ and more medicines. I will spare you the ghastly details.
Sounds like a war story? Well it is… but to get a point across. Because this, and probably worse, is how you and yours will suffer if you don’t have clean, potable, bacteria and parasite free drinking, cooking and bathing water and when you have little or no medical attention. Bacteria laden water will appear here after most Catastrophic Events. Americans and peoples of the Industrialized World would die from one teaspoon of what most people in the world drink for water, or at the least become violently ill.
Why? Because our intestinal systems are not accustomed to the bacteria and organisms in such water. In addition to over use of antibiotics, everything Americans ingest is so devoid of bacteria as a result of chemical treatment, preservatives and refrigeration, that even slightly spoiled food gives us diarrhea or worse. This is food that most in the world would voraciously, hungrily and with an ear to ear smile on their faces, consume with little or no ill effect. Think… recalls of food for salmonella bacteria, E. Coli (Escherichia coli) etc.. Never used to be as prevalent.
Diarrhea can kill faster than just about any affliction… have the drug Loperamide and Oral rehydration solution DripDrop on hand to control it.
These are common bacteria that Americans were not as sensitive to in the past. Americans do not have the bacteria and parasite resistance that our ancestors had. ‘Bad water,’ that our ancestors could drink with minor gastro-intestinal issues, will kill most Americans after they drink it. If it doesn’t kill you… you’ll probably be so sick that you wish you were dead. My experience was one of the most miserable times in my life that I can recall.
Water from streams and other sources of ‘unprocessed’ water can contain contaminants from sewer systems, heavy metals, animal and human fecal matter, pesticides and chemicals, petroleum waste, crop nitrates run-off and human and animal urine. When an Extraordinary Catastrophic Event occurs… water will also soon contain all the goodies from dead bodies leaching into above ground water sources.
Single cell protozoa called Cryptosporidium and Giardia Lamblia will also mostly likely be in your raw untreated water source. Outbreaks of these still occur frequently in the modern industrialized world because chlorine, the common swimming pool disinfectant, does not kill these ugly, stubborn little hard-shelled parasitic buggers. They can live over 12 hours in strong solutions of chlorine. These parasites create severe intestinal problems accompanied by diarrhea.
Either bad water… or the lack of it… will be the first item to kill millions of the Industrialized World within days of an Extraordinary Catastrophic Event.
One of the most important Critical Life Supplies and Services, actually the most critical, that is taken for granted… is water. We just turn the faucet on, right? Think of the gallons of water you use just to rinse dishes, wash your car, bathe, shower and to clean with. Think… the next time you turn on a water faucet how simple and abundant it is. Water.
Whatever your source, water in addition to food, is critical to your NPP succeeding. Most people can go without food for up to maybe two weeks, however, lack of water under the best of conditions, will incapacitate most people after a few days, and all certainly within one week.
There is also clean potable water for a few days in your water heater and your toilet tanks. When you have access to a swimming pool full of water, you’re in luck. Other than that, it is critical that your NPP have a water source that is reliable and fairly secure to access. If not… again, you must look at relocating your NPP.
Keep in mind also that in addition to drinking water, you will need water for cooking, hydrating food and bathing. You won’t be able to eat the dehydrated food you are storing, keep yourself hydrated, wash cookware and dishes or clean yourself… without water.
What do you need to treat your NPP water source?
You have to test your NPP renewable water source beforehand to fully understand what type and how much treatment of the water from this water source is necessary. Water contains chemicals, heavy metals such as arsenic and lead, contains calcium, magnesium, iron and protozoa. Take a sample of your water to your municipal water treatment facility, the county agriculture office or have it tested from the many companies on the internet that will do this for a reasonable charge.
When a real Shite Hits The Fan scenario develops and potable water sources shut off… people will be drinking from ditches, mud puddles, rivers and lakes without treating this water… many will die within days and the rest will be miserable and incapacitated until they get over the intestinal convulsions and associated problems… if they do.
Rainfall and snow are not reliable water sources
For a supplemental source of water, that is generally safe to drink if process treated like storage water, when you live in an area with sufficient rainfall, use your home’s roof surface or extend tarps to catch rainwater. If you don’t have gutters on your home, get them installed to be able to divert the flow from your roof, that goes out on the ground… into barrels. But do this only as a supplemental water source.
Generally, thirteen inches of snow equals one inch of rain. To make snow a much more unreliable water source, the amount of equivalent rain from snow can vary from a few inches of sleet type snow to an inch of rain… to fifty inches of dry snow for an inch of rain. The lighter and ‘dryer’ the snow… the more snow it takes to convert to the comparable inch of rain. It might be fun to lay down in, move your arms and legs to make ‘snow angels’ in, but as a dependable source of water… snow doesn’t work.
Potable Water means safe drinking water. In all areas, whether it is a public water system or not, water has to be treated. Water has to be filtered to take out sediment and to remove lead, arsenic and heavy metals, further filtered or bathed with chemicals or distilled or boiled to kill microbes and water borne organisms dangerous to your health. It is questionable what actually comes through your municipal water system. Think… Detroit and Lead. For years.
You must have a renewable water supply source
Assuming that the water is not the potable, safe to drink kind… you must learn how to make it safe. You need it to hydrate your body and dehydrate foods and to cook and bathe in… since the current water source you have during Normal Civility may not be available. Again, your water source must be within one mile of your CDM Neighborhood Protection Plan™.
Get a well bucket
Is there a private well? Get a well bucket from Lehmans. Go to Lehmans.com for the Lehman’s Own Galvanized Well Bucket. They have butt-loads of other ‘back to the basics’ items also. You need to supply the 3/8’ polypropylene, hemp or nylon rope enough to get to the water at the bottom of the well plus another 100 foot. This little jewel is about 3 ½’ in diameter so will fit down just about any well casing. Holds 1.9 gallons of water that you pull up after letting it fill at the bottom of the water well casing.
Can this private well pump be run on emergency power or the water drawn by hand pump, can you dig a water bore hole or an open well… is there a river, lake, reservoir, or stream nearby? Are they polluted… or will they be, in your estimation? Will upstream rotting flesh and bodies pollute them after there is a severe Catastrophic Event? I have tested an open water source close to my area. I know in advance what needs to be done to the water and I have the supplies, equipment and chemicals necessary to treat it.
Bore Holes
In most areas where the water table is close to the surface, a simple ‘bore hole’ well or open well can be dug. I have seen areas in the arid desert where water will start to accumulate in a hole dug two feet into the ground around tree growth. ‘Bore Holes’ are a forgotten water source to people and source for your NPP. This is how our ancestors provided water for themselves.
Dig down 8 to 20 feet inside your subdivision in the lowest areas and you’ll most likely have a water source. It may fill slowly, but it will fill. You can use a pail and rope to fetch water or buy a hand pump and piping to draw it out. Consult with well drilling people and explore digging a well in your neighborhood as your water source. Some well drilling people will poo-poo this idea and say it won’t work. Wrong. But they make their money sinking well pipe into the ground.
If digging a bore hole well, you must be aware of progressively shoring up the sides of the hole as you dig down… or risk being buried by a cave-in.
Hand dug Water Bore Hole/Open |
Digging a water bore hole or open well in the basement of a High Rise Residential Building is also a possibility, if you have the means to get through concrete and to ground soil.
This water will most likely be heavily polluted and will need to be filtered through coffee type filters, boiled or distilled or put through a Lake Filter System to make it potable.
You won’t get some contaminants out of water, period… but you can remove most of them when you run the water through a carbon based Vitasalus Lake Filter System.
This is a dicey situation in some buildings as this can permanently flood your basement. Some High Rise Residential Buildings have such a problem with water seeping into their basements that they have to install sump pumps to pump water out and drainage systems to route the water to a storm drain.
A word on water well pumps
My Friend and Electronics Engineer Dan D. is installing one of these variable voltage AC/DC well pumps on his new home as part of his preparedness program.
This is the Grundfos SQFlex Solar Well Pump. Grundfos has a great track record with pumps and various other items. If you have a hot water circulation pump on your home water heater, the chances are it is made by Grundfos.
I’ve used Grundfos equipment for years and it is extremely well engineered, quiet and reliable.
If you have a well, or are going to install one, this is the pump that gives your NPP the most options for power sources if shielded for EMP.
The Triple-One Rule of Thumb
Water… the Triple-One Rule of Thumb. This ‘rule of water use’ will give each person in your NPP sufficient drinking, minimal cooking and wash cloth or sponge bathing water. This obviously depends on the time of year, your climate, and individual needs. But this rule will generally keep all Group Members functioning adequately.
You need to calculate water needs on the basis of…
One Gallon for One Person for One Day.
When a Crisis occurs remember to immediately fill everything you have in your home that will hold water… bath tubs, sinks (duct tape over the drains), containers, bowls, glasses, buckets etc. When the electricity goes out… water will stop flowing, or will soon.
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Good article on an often overlooked prep. That book is too pricey though. No hard sell please.
It depends on how much you value information that is in these books. If you already have all the bases covered, perhaps you should write and publish a “cheaper book”. I don’t view this post as a hard sell, rather a free example that gives you more information with which to decide if you want to purchase it. YMMV.
5
American Partisans and Others,
A free resource that you and your team might be interested in, Prepper: Surviving the Tough Times Ahead at http://prepperstta.blogspot.com/
It has a chapter on Water at https://prepperstta.blogspot.com/2012/06/chapter-five-water.html
Sincerely, Someone You Know
P.S.
The book looks interesting, but like E. M. Johnson said, it is a bit pricey. SO, .. it will have to wait.
4.5
Excellent advice, and deserving of a major chapter of any NPP plan. The book I have is the original “Failure of Civility”, and it’s priceless at this point. My advice: Get this one if you are serious about starting a neighborhood survival plan that is more than a “Watch”. Think “lights Out” by Half-Assed.
Once you purchase the books you will see why its $100. Its 2 volumes and over 900 pages of shit you need to know and if you dont, you can find it in there. I have ” A failure of Civility” and the current defense manual and consider them the most important books in my library besides my medical texts. That 2k scope your bought only does one thing; These manuals cover many and lots cheaper. EM buy the books and if you dont think they are worth it, hit me up over at the BB blog and Ill take them off your hands as I get them for loved ones when I see the need. I look forward to hearing from you but I have a feeling I wont as you will see they are worth it.
R
Would these books be a add on for the Failure of Civility book he co-authored? That book was fantastic all in itself.
“When the electricity goes out… water will stop flowing, or will soon”
Texans just learned this lesson back in February.
I noticed Jack talks about the importance of water throughout the books. His emphasis on a clean secure water source as being the key element to any successful defense plan should be noted. Its not nearly as cool as ACOGs and NODs, but I cant think of a more important preparedness investment.
[…] Part 1 – Obtaining Water […]
[…] posted a three part series of his about water that comes straight from his book. you can find those here, here, and here. He also recently did an interview on the David Knight Show, which you can view […]