#7 Learn to love tarps

For the past few days I've been thinking a lot about tarps.
Yes. Really. Tarps.

Those big, plastic (or polyvinyl) blanket like things with grommets in the sides.

http://www.tarpsupply.com/buy-case1-blue-6x8.html

I have spent hours on the treadmill pondering the many uses for tarps because they are one of those things that you need to have. Simply put, if you own a home, or a car, or have children, or pets, or think that there is some point in your existence you may need to be outside for a while, you want to have a tarp handy.

The worst thing is to need a tarp and not have one. Well maybe not THE worst, but it can sure feel like it at the time.

But most people don't think, "hey, one day I may NEED a tarp so I will pick one up now, just to have on hand." If we did, everyone would have tarps and I wouldn't need to suggest this.

The problem I've run into with my consideration of tarps, other than the funny looks for from the interns who ask me what I'm thinking about on the treadmill, is that once I start thinking of all the things you need a tarp for, I (a.) want to run out an buy a bunch of new tarps in lots of different sizes, and (b.) keep coming up with ideas for things you can do with tarps.

And then I decided to google it. Yes. I googled "Tarps". The good thing is I realized I am not the only one who spends an excessive amount of time thinking about things to do with tarps. I feel like I'm a 10 year old being asked to build a fort, and survive in the outback with an ax, a tarp, and some duct tape. (Which is actually not too far off base.)

Okay, Climate change and tarps.

With climate change we are witnessing an increase in severe weather events. Increased rain, increased flooding, increased heat waves, increased freezes, increased snowfall, increased winds and storms, increased hail, increased tornadoes, increased hurricanes, and increased storm surges (where water comes in from the coasts). And even increased wildfires - though not technically weather -still closely linked, increasing and bad. Right now (August 2016) there are some pretty severe weather happening with unprecedented flooding in Louisiana that has many many thousands of people who didn't even live in flood zones flooded out of their homes. At the same time in California there are wildfires consuming homes and communities with a ferocity that is astounding.

Just to be clear - tarps won't stop flooding or forest fires, but they can help out a lot in emergencies like these.

Tarps can be used in the event that there is damage to your home including roofs and windows, your car, your yard, or any other area that is vulnerable to weather. And get some bungee cords too. They are super helpful.

Let's take an example - a lot of rain falls, the soil gets softer, the wind picks up and you have an uninvited tree in your living room. Until you get it fixed, unless you want rain, wind and critters coming in through that new hole, you want to cover it with a tarp. If needed you can even put a few tarps together. When it comes down to it, you don't want to have to try to find a tarp and bungee cords in the local home improvement store after a really bad storm, because you probably are not the only one looking for them then.

http://www.knoxvilleroofcontractors.com/emergencyroofrepairs/

Here's another example - your car is sitting in the driveway. Severe weather hits and you hear there is hail forecast. If you have a tarp in the car, you can run out, and grab your floor mats to cover the back and front windows and then cover it with a tarp. If you have a blanket or towels in the car, put those on too and then the tarp on top. It can prevent things like this from happening:

http://www.dings-n-things.com/how-to-protect-your-car-from-hail-damage/

And let's face it, a little preparedness can absolutely help in a case like this.

Other uses for tarps - looking at climate change.

If there is going to be extreme heat or extreme cold and you want to protect gardens, fruit trees in blossom, or outdoor animal habitats - tarps are great for creating a barrier between what you want to protect and elements. For cold - a tarp with a blanket under it can provide extra insulation and protect from harsh winds. For heat - a well staked tarp can provide shade over a garden to reduce the evapotranspiration and keep plants comfortable.  You want to have enough space for airflow so the plants are not smothered, of course.

You can also extend the growing season of your garden with a tarp system to create a green house, so that you have and extended growing season - in that case, light colored or clear plastic tarps are great. We'll talk about that in another installment.

You can also use tarps to collect water and direct water. In cases where the foundation of your house in not getting proper drainage in a heavy rain, using tarps beneath drain spouts can move the water out in to the yard. You can also collect water during dry spells with a tarp.

And of course, if you have to leave your home, a tarp is a must have item.
(This is the true jackpot of the google search, btw)

You can build a tent:

http://instinctsurvivalist.com/tarps-tarps-and-more-tarps/

This is where having a Boy/Girl Scout in the family can be very helpful. But if nothing else, look at these and figure out how you would do it if you had to. Using a single tarp for ground cover, sides and top of the tent may work well, but be sure the open side faces downhill if it is raining, or you'll have a tent full of rain. Alternately, you can use a few tarps together and use one to cover the ground:


You can have a ground cover for your tent:

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/help-with-a-shelter-bedroll-for-light-wknd-hiking.117519/

Seriously, if you have to spend much time on the ground, and you are in an area that has any soil moisture at all, put a tarp down underneath you. This creates a barrier to keep you dry and comfortable, and if it rains it keeps you more comfortable. It also reduces the number of critters climbing in to snuggle.


You can create a nice covered outdoors area:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rclawson/3773547754

As climate change results in increased demand on the power grid - and air conditioning stops working, we will have to remember that our ancestors survived when it was more than 84 degrees outside. A tarp, strung between trees, or poles as needed, can create a dry shaded spot to gather. You can even get fancy and create privacy areas if needed by running a tarp around 3-4 trees close together. (Handy for changing clothes etc.) But use some common sense. Don't set up the bar-b-cue grill right underneath the low hanging edge of the tarp. And set up a way to capture the water that falls from it to use for washing dishes, bathing, etc. It's not as fancy as those electric crank out awning, but it sure can be nice, especially if it's raining.


You can use a tarp to carry things or move things

http://media.chicoer.com/2016/06/20/photos-news-week-of-6-20-2016/#1

Yard debris after a storm, other bulky stuff junk that needs to be moved, leaves and compostable yard wastes for your compost pile. Hauling things with a tarp is very efficient, if you have the right combination of weight to labor. And you look like you know what you're doing too.



You can make a hammock

http://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/10-survival-essentials/

It's not really the lovely, hammock you may fantasize about relaxing in, but in an emergency, it can keep you dry, off the ground, and insulated. There are times in an emergency that is a pretty AWESOME combination.



You can use it as an emergency rain poncho

http://popupbackpacker.com/the-search-for-the-holy-grail-waterproof-breathable-rain-gear/

Nothing says "I'm ready for anything" more than a poncho made from a tarp. It's stylish, if covers a lifetime of over indulgence, and it keeps you dry. Sort of a plastic muumuu, which can be used for all sorts of other things (like a tent!)

The Google search yielded so many tarp-tastic ideas, these are just a few.

Additional information for what you can do with tarps include:

50 Campfires - the Camping Authority 5 great uses for a blue tarp
Provides a quick overview of some additional uses with cute photos

Far Out Living - 101 Uses for Tarps
Provides an extensive list of uses for tarps that feel impressively as though many have actually been tried and true.

Off the Grid News - 19 Off-Grid Survival Uses for a Plain Old Tarp
Provides some videos on tent building and other uses...

Happy Preppers - Tarps Nine ways to use a tarp for prepping
Provides some good information on tarp uses, as well as a lot of other information.

You can see the pattern developing here.

Tarp = Useful

More Tarps = MORE Useful

As I noted above, get some strong good quality sufficiently large bungee cords (at least a dozen for a large tarp). They are great for tie downs and don't require too much fancy knot tying skills. Go ahead and get some rope too, but bungee cords are amazing.

Recommended would be at least 2-3 medium to large sized tarps for your home, at least 1 tarp to keep in your car - medium, and then maybe a few smaller tarps, depending on where you live and how much you use them.

Remember a tarp is a terrible thing to need.

Coastal Flooding Will Hit World’s Biggest Polluters Hardest

• Ryan GrenobleEditor at The Huffington Post

Three of the world’s heaviest polluters will likely face the greatest human and financial costs caused by coastal flooding, one of the effects of climate change.

According to a report released Monday by Christian Aid, an anti-poverty organization, people living in the U.S., China and India — three of the world’s very worst offenders in terms of greenhouse gas emission — face the greatest risks posed by coastal flooding.

By 2060, more than a billion people worldwide will likely confront coastal flooding due to sea level rise, storm surges and extreme weather, with the majority of those people living in major cities throughout Asia.

Calcutta, India, tops the list, where around 1.3 million people are currently exposed to coastal flooding. By 2070, that number is expected to balloon to 14 million, according to the report. Mumbai ranks second, where an estimated 11.4 million people could face disruption due to flooding by 2070. Dhaka, Bangladesh, is third with a projected 11.1 million vulnerable people.

CHRISTIAN AID

The world’s top 20 cities ranked in terms of population exposed to coastal flooding in 2010 and 2070. The rising numbers reflect socioeconomic factors driving populations to the coasts, as well as increased coastal flooding risks due to climate change.

The poorest residents in these areas are likely to be hit hardest, as they would be ill-suited to respond to extreme climate events and would have the most difficult time rebuilding their lives afterward.

“Cruelly, it will be the poor that will suffer the most. Although the financial cost to cities in rich countries will be crippling, wealthier people will at least have options to relocate and receive insurance protection,” Dr Alison Doig, one of the authors of the report, said in a release accompanying the study. “Evidence shows that from New Orleans to Dhaka, it is the poorest who are most vulnerable because they have the worst infrastructure and no social or financial safety nets to help them recover.”

That includes people like Adan Morales Saracay, a 59-year-old fisherman in El Salvador whose family nearly died last year amid a series of wave surges created by a storm at sea.

We were in panic for the love of our families, we didn’t want to lose anyone. So we decided to abandon everything, but it was very scary.Adan Saracay, a Salvadoran fisherman who lost his house in a wave surge.

“It was a Saturday around 2pm. We saw that the waves started getting much larger. Within minutes they came into our houses. By the time the night came, we had to evacuate our entire families. The waves were about 13-14 meters [42 - 46 feet] high,” Saracay recalled to the authors of the report. “We were in panic for the love of our families, we didn’t want to lose anyone. So we decided to abandon everything, but it was very scary.”

“Never in my life have I seen any waves like this before,” he went on. “For the past ten years, the weather has been less predictable. We don’t have anywhere to go.”

After the disaster, Saracay’s house was buried in sand and debris, and the fish he relies on for his livelihood were harder to catch, having fled to deeper water amid the surge.

In addition to the human toll, the report predicts that flooding will exact a large financial cost on coastal cities as well.

In financial terms, Miami is the city that stands to lose the most as oceans rise — not just in the U.S. but in the world. The Florida city is projected to have some $3.5 trillion in assets exposed to coastal flooding by 2070. According to the report, the second most at-risk city in 2070 will be Guangzhou, China, with $3.4 trillion liable; the New York City/Newark, New Jersey area comes in third on the list with a projected $2.1 trillion.

CHRISTIAN AID

The top 20 cities ranked in terms of assets at risk to coastal flooding, both in 2010 and 2070.

To combat these massive human and financial costs, Doig and her co-authors argue strongly in favor of taking action now to lessen pain in the future.

“There is a chance this horrifying vision of the future can be avoided,” Doig, a HuffPost contributor, noted in the release. “It is striking that the cities facing the most severe impacts are in countries with high contributions of carbon emissions. The first thing we can do is speed up the global transition away from dirty fossil fuels to the clean, renewably [sic] energy of the future.”

“We can also do more to prepare for such occurrences,” she added. “Spending money now on reducing the risk of disasters will save money and lives later. Such investment is a no brainer.”

STRINGER . / REUTERS

Flooding at Alton Road and 10th Street is seen in Miami Beach, Florida on November 5, 2013.

Last March, in an address following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon noted that the cost savings of preparing for catastrophes ahead of time — and perhaps even preventing them — are significant.

“We cannot prevent natural disasters,” he said. “But at least we can prepare ourselves how to minimize disaster risk. We can reduce disaster risk.”

According to Ban, every dollar spent planning for and reducing risk ahead of time reduces the cost spent cleaning up after a disaster by around $7. 

“Resilient recovery means protecting societies against the worst damage from future disasters,” he said. “The money spent is not a cost — it is a valuable investment. Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. Climate change is increasing the risks. Disaster risk reduction is a frontline against climate change.”

From 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/biggest-polluters-climate-change-flooding_us_573a007ee4b08f96c183b311

#1 Preparing your Go Bag - Part 1

The idea behind a "go bag" is to have a bag of personal items that you want to take with you in the event that you need to leave your home in an emergency situation. The military has these, also known as bug out bags. But essentially if you had to leave your home in a matter of moments, what do you need to be able to survive?

First, why would you need to leave your home and what does that have to do with climate change adaptation?

Good question. The impacts of climate change can be disasters that strike suddenly and with little warning. This can include: floods, forest fires, sudden power outages due to storms, infrastructure collapse (more on that to come), sudden contagious illnesses, civil unrest,  Donald Trump actually becoming president. The list goes on. The point is, you need to be prepared to go quickly and it's reassuring knowing you have a "go bag" ready.

So what goes in your "go bag"?

If you google "go bag", you will find a lot of recommendations, some from natural disaster preparedness sites, some from government agencies, some from "preppers"/survivalists, some from people planning to go sight seeing. 

For now, let's assume we are looking at the first two categories. The survivalist go bag is a good idea, depending on the threat level. We can always upscale as needed. The sight seeing go bag is great for sight seeing tourist, but those won't be enough, likely.

For each family member you should pack an individual bag for each person to carry. Assume you may get separated so don't leave everything with one person.

Some key things you need to have in your go bag:

• Copies of your important documents (health, home, care, and life insurance caazrds, house deed, photo IDs, passport, bank information, cell phone number, photo, and descriptions of each family member, including pets, physician contact information, family contact information, list of family member medications, general medical records and vaccination records for all family members) in a waterproof container. This can be a ziplock bag inside another ziplock bag. Do not assume having all these in your email or on your phone will work. You may need hard copies. Go ahead and do that now.
• Cash - up to about $300 in small bills, more or less. Have it in the local currency if you live abroad, or travel abroad. You may want to have more cash on hand, but for the "go bag" this should be enough. (Kids could have less money in their bags, but should have some cash. The amount should be based on age and responsibility.)
• A first aid kit with medicines you (and family members including pets) MUST take regularly. Include pain medicine, both aspirin/NSAIDs and tylenol. Multivitamins and supplements may be nice to have on hand, but in an emergency, you don't want to carry too much. You may want some pro-bitotics if your stomach is sensitive. Also, if you have anyone in the family with serious allergies, please keep an up-to-date epi-pen in your "go bag". 
• Phone charger, including cords, and hand crank or solar powered charger unit, ideally with a radio function.
• A flashlight - high efficiency if possible. 
• Granola bars/power bars/etc. each person should have at least 5-6
• Water bottle - sterilized, full, and refillable. Make the bottle durable - metal or nalgene are good.
• Dry dog/cat food for your pets - depends on size of the animal but enough for 2-3 days, in a sealed ziplock bag. 
• Collapsable water bowl 
• A full change of comfortable clothes, including socks and underwear - focus on durable, and comfortable first. Fashion doesn't matter much in an apocalypse.
• A towel - because the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is right - always take a towel. You can use it for a blanket, a towel, a ground cloth, etc. It doesn't have to be a big fluffy towel - but something with a little heft.
• A plastic poncho to use as a tarp, rain protection, ground cover etc.
• Strong nylon rope - at least 20 feet to use for everything and anything.
• Bungee cords - again 2-3 are useful for everything. 
• A bandana - because you can use them for EVERYTHING also. And they look really cool.
• A can opener - because you may need one. Please, only hand held. NOT electric.
• A full cigarette lighter - because you may want to light something on fire, plus if you cut the nylon rope, it will fray if you don't burn the ends to seal it.
• A swiss army knife - this should be obvious. No really. Please do not ask me to explain this... Unless you really need me to. 
• A deck of cards - because you will get bored at some point. 
• What else? Seriously, please add your suggestions.

No two bags are exactly the same, but:

Just a note on what sort of "go bag" you should use. 

This is good:

This, not so much. Don't be stupid. No one could outrun zombies or hike for 5 miles in this. No. Just  No. 

I don't care how good you look in heels, and love your rolling carry on-bag, we are talking disaster preparedness, not a trip to New York City. No one else should have to carry your bag over ground it won't role over and those shoes...? Lovely, but not practical in an emergency, or for long hikes over uneven ground.

Okay, now to be honest, I do not have a "go bag" prepared for myself, as of 3 February 2016. But, I promise I will do it, and let you know how long it takes.

Do you have one? 

What's in it? Or what will be?