Category Archives: Emergency Preparedness

Emergency 1943 Radio Receivers, Including Converting Lightbulb to Diode Tube

Converting dual-filament lamp to diode tube

A homemade diode vacuum tube.

A wartime issue of Radio News, January 1943, includes an interesting article entitled “Emergency Radio Receivers.” The article notes that “‘horse and buggy’ receivers employing the simple detectors are just as workable today as they ever were.” With wartime tube and battery shortages, and the possibility of power line disruptions, “the present war emergency may yet recall these simple sets from their resting places on museum shelves.” Their greatest value in time of war was as emergency receivers. “Such sets may be placed into immediate service when power lines have snapped out and “B” batteries are not available for the family portable. They may be carried into bomb shelters where electric power is not available. Particularly unique is the fact that they may be made so small in size as to be carried easily in a pocket or handbag.”

This was not the last time that the usefulness of crystal sets was considered for emergency preparedness. A 1963 Office of Civil Defense report noted that for the “economy minded,” even a crystal set would be adequate for receiving local broadcasts after a nuclear war.

The article then describes a number of possible crystal detectors that could be used in an emergency receiver. (One not mentioned was the razor blade of the foxhole radio, which made its debut the following year, in 1944.)

VHF Crystal Set

For those interested in experimenting with crystal sets, the article provides a good introduction to the subject. Three of the ideas shown are rather novel. The first is an “effective crystal circuit for fixed-frequency ultra-high-frequency reception,” shown here. The terminology has changed, and we would today call these VHF frequencies. It notes that this circuit provides “interesting possibilities for portable (personal) use in short-range civilian defense communications employing the ultra-high WERS (War Emergency Radio Service) frequencies” of 112-116 and 219-225 MHz. Contrary to popular perception, there’s no reason why a crystal set can’t be used on VHF. In fact, here’s one interesting example of a crystal set for the FM broadcast band.

CW Crystal Set

The article also shows a method for receiving CW signals on a crystal set, a task I would have thought to be impossible without some active component such as a tube or transistor. The article explains that to receive CW, it is only necessary “to include in the circuit some form of continuously-running, high speed interrupter.” It shows how to do this with a motor-driven commutator which interrupts the RF circuit. This makes the CW signal audible, with a pitch proportional to the speed of the interrupter. A rheostat controlling the speed of the motor thus adjusts the CW pitch.

Converting dual-filament lamp to diode tube

But the most remarkable idea in this article is making a homemade vacuum tube diode using a double-filament lamp. The article explains how a diode tube can be made from a type 1158 lamp. This lamp, which is still readily available, has two filaments, one brighter than the other. The brighter filament is intentionally burnt out by applying a high voltage. This leaves the other filament intact. The good filament is then used as a directly heated cathode. And the support rod for the burnt out filament acts as the plate of the tube. The result is that the automotive light bulb is converted into a diode vacuum tube. It is used in the circuit shown here as a radio receiver:

Radio circuit using light bulb detector

The article notes that the filament has a rather high current (about 750 mA for a modern example), but “this drawback should not be of monumental concern if the diode receiver is to be operated during rather short, emergency periods.”

Any dual-filament DC bulb should serve the same purpose, but the 1158 bulb specified in the article is still readily available. It’s probably available at a local hardware store, and it’s also available at a reasonable price from Amazon. Since six-volt automotive bulbs aren’t very common these days, it would probably be better to substitute the 12-volt version, the 1157, which should be available at a local auto parts store, or online at Amazon or WalMart
. Another possible option would be to use a 120 volt 3-way light bulb. In that case, of course, you should take care to keep the headphones isolated from the AC line.

For ideas on where to get other needed parts, you can check my crystal set parts page.

Atomic Bombs in 1914

You probably wouldn’t expect to see the words “atomic bombs” in the newspaper a hundred years ago, but here they are, as they appeared in the Willmar (Minn.) Tribune a hundred years ago today, November 4, 1914.

H.G. Wells (Wikipedia photo.)

This actually isn’t a news story. It’s part of the serialized novel The World Set Free by H.G. Wells.

By the time the book was published, the war in Europe was well underway. Wells predicted it, but he saw it as not taking place until 1956. He did correctly predict that by that time, the combatants would be equipped with “atomic bombs.” The bombs in Wells’ book did use nuclear reactions, but he got some of the details wrong. Instead of releasing all of their energy in an instant, Wells’ versions continued to ignite for months or years, leaving much of Europe uninhabitable. The previous peaceful use of atomic energy in the book had consisted of small amounts of the reaction material, the fictional element “carolinum,” used to power vehicles and machinery.

In the aftermath of Wells’ war, the people of the world united into a utopian one-world government. On the one hand, the new world government renounced monarchy. But on the other hand, the new government was presided over by the former kings, with the King of England at the helm of the new benevolent dictatorship.

If you don’t like plodding through old newspaper clippings, the entire novel is available as a paperback. It’s also available for free as a Kindle book. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the free Kindle reader app. It’s also available for free download at Google Books.

Other Books by H.G. Wells at Amazon

1939 British Gasproofed Room

Seventy-five years ago today, September 18, 1939, Life Magazine carried this illustration from the British Home Office showing a basement room equipped and gasproofed. The caption notes that if the occupants remain quiet, there will be enough oxygen in the sealed room to accommodate five persons for twelve hours.

Presumably, the gramophone is to keep you entertained between bulletins from the wireless.

Civil Defense Postattack Broadcast Planning: 1963

“Perfectly adequate” civil defense receivers for those close to transmitters. 1962 Radio Shack Catalog.

In an earlier post, we looked at how the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency had been planning for emergency broadcast antennas in 1973. The agency and its predecessors had long recognized the need for dissemination of information by radio, and had commissioned a number of studies on the subject. One which took a comprehensive look at the subject was conducted by Technical Operations Incorporated of Burlington Massachusetts. The study culminated in a report issued on 7 January 1963, entitled “The Civil Defense Role of Radio Broadcasting in the Postattack Period.”

The report began by identifying three distinct phases of the postattack period. The first was the Buttoned-Up Period, during which time the population would be confined to shelter because of high radiation levels or because further attack was anticipated. This would be followed by the Emergence Period when some outside exposure would be possible. At such time as a full workday was possible outside of the shelter, the Recovery Period would begin and recovery would be the focus of the public’s activities. Each of these time periods had distinct requirements with respect to broadcasting, and the report then moved on to discuss the numerous broadcast needs.

The first broadcast information discussed related to fallout, which would need to be broadcast frequently during the Buttoned-Up Period to facilitate planning by shelterees. In addition to general forecasts, these would include warnings of local hot spots, instructions on methods of decontamination and identification of safe foods, and information on the length of time over which shelter supplies would need to be rationed.

Broadcasts would also need to convey a large amount of information as to how the public could access emergency services, and would also serve a role in alerting those furnishing those services. Locations of food and water supplies could be broadcast, along with admonitions to avoid hoarding of those limited supplies. Locations of emergency hospitals and medical supplies could be broadcast, along with pleas for blood donors and volunteers to staff the hospitals. Information as to sources of fuel and power could be broadcast. And if the electrical mains were operative, the instructions might include rationing instructions. If fires were burning out of control, the broadcasts might include calls for volunteers to assist in their control, as well as warnings of fires close to particular shelters.

Much educational programming would be necessary. In addition to broadcasts of food decontamination methods, emergency first aid instructions would need to be broadcast during the Buttoned-Up Period, since no outside medical aid would be available at that time. Since some shelters might be stocked with radiological instruments with no trained personnel, this training could be broadcast as well, along with training on sanitation, shelter management, rationing of supplies, and even disposal of the dead.

During the Recovery Period, a very high civil defense priority would be re-establishment of public transportation. Once again, broadcasting would play an important role, since it could be used to call drivers back to work, as well as to announce schedules.

Even apart from this vital information, radio would be important to the public morale. The report stressed the importance of morale-boosting messages from the President, as well as by state and local leaders. Similarly, to stop the spread of rumors and boost morale, it was deemed important to broadcast news of the attack and counterattack. This would also prepare the people for the conditions they would face upon emergence, and also instill a feeling in the people that this was not a personal disaster, but that the whole population of the nation was included. The report noted that good news is always best, but that even bad news is superior to no news at all, since it helps define the environment and diminish uncertainty. The report noted that any unaffected regions of the country should be kept up to date, in order to properly tailor relief and rescue operations.

Broadcasts should frequently give the time and date, since in such emergencies, people frequently lose track. In addition, program schedules should be announced, in order to facilitate conservation of scarce batteries.

Broadcasting could also play a role to re-establish normal commerce during the Recovery Period. Even during the Buttoned-Up Period, the report recommends that people be informed as to the rules and regulations over such things as “whether the needy will be allowed to take what they require without being charged with illegal looting.”

Radio would also play a role in the care of displaced persons, since stations could broadcast information to reunite families who were separated at the time of the attack. These broadcasts would include locations of camps, shelters, and displaced person centers. In addition, during the nighttime hours, lists of people safe in various shelters could be broadcast for the benefit of their families in other areas.

Evacuation instructions and warnings of another attack would obviously have a high priority for broadcast.

The report notes that broadcast stations would undoubtedly be used to call civil defense personnel and members of the National Guard to duty and provide some instructions. Broadcast stations could even be used to relay civil defense messages from one area to another. The nighttime hours, in particular, might be put to use relaying such official messages, and civil defense officials in other areas could be assigned to monitor broadcasts from neighboring areas.

Finally, the report recommends that some entertainment should be furnished, particularly during the time in which people are in shelters. It notes that “music properly chosen many substantially aid morale in the rebuilding phase.” The report warned, however, that people with battery-operated radios should be advised to conserve batteries by listening to only a minimum amount of non-essential programming.

The overall contents of the broadcast day of a typical local station are shown in this chart:

After identifying all of these needs, the report goes on to a discussion of how these needs can be satisfied. While some other options (such as public address systems) are briefly discussed, the only reasonable method of addressing these needs was with standard AM broadcasts. Virtually all American households had a radio receiver, and a large number had a battery-operated set. The report even notes that “for the really economy-minded, there are crystal sets selling for as little as $1.49,” which would be suitable for receiving local stations with no batteries, but with adequate antenna and ground. The footnote for this assertion is to the Radio Shack catalog, and the price obviously refers to the “Rocket Radio” shown at the top in the illustration at the top of this post.

The report did address many of the practical issues confronting broadcasting in the post-attack environment. Presumably, most information would originate at the civil defense Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and links would be necessary to studios or, preferrably, direct to the transmitter site. Since telephone lines would be vulnerable, mobile broadcast units would be advisable, although the report toyed with the idea of installing AM transmitters directly at the EOC, or the use of mobile or even airborne transmitters. Protection of station staff and equipment was addressed in this and other studies.

The report lamented the fact that the radio industry, even though some personnel served on relevant civil defense committees, largely lacked civil defense plans. For example, even radio station switchboards were poorly suited for civil defense needs. As addressed in my earlier post, vulnerability of transmitter towers to blast damage was a very big issue, as was fallout sheltering for station staff.

Station power was discussed, although the report noted that some stations already had emergency generator capability.

At the time of this report, public shelters were not stockpiled with radio receivers, and the report noted that this oversight should be rectified. This, of course, was never done, apparently the planners going along with the reasoning, “surely some people will bring radios to the shelter.”

Civil Defense Emergency Antenna Instructions, 1973

In 1973, the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency was grappling with the issue of how to keep broadcast stations on the air after a disaster, presumably up to and including nuclear war. It was recognized that a station’s weakest link was its antenna. While most antennas are designed to survive normal environmental disturbances, they are the most exposed element of a station and could be destroyed by extreme disturbances. Therefore, the agency commissioned a study on the subject, the final report of which is available online.

In the report, the engineers propose that expedient antenna kits be supplied to stations, and proposed instructions are included. The report proposed kits for both AM and FM stations, along with instructions for station personnel to deploy them. The cost of the expedient AM antenna kit, a quarter-wave horizontal wire, would be $425.37. The expedient FM antenna kit would be about $1000. Both antennas would require installation at the station, prior to the disaster, the necessary utility poles that would support the antennas.

Recognizing, however, that the government might not want to bear this expense, the report also includes instructions for station personnel to construct an AM antenna using available materials. Once again, the recommended antenna is a horizontal wire, either the length of the destroyed tower or a quarter wavelength. The diagram of the recommended antenna is shown above.

Ideally, the feed point of the emergency antenna would be at the base of the fallen tower, but other options are discussed. A last resort, if the feed line were destroyed, would be to put the feed point of the antenna directly at the transmitter. The instructions caution that “it is possible to construct a transmission line, but don’t try. The performance of an antenna fed at a transmitter without a good ground will probably be better than the performance with a good ground and an improvised transmission line.”

These instructions also presuppose that the utility poles were never installed prior to the disaster. Instead, it advises to use “any existing structures available such as trees, buildings, and utility poles. A step ladder or even an automobile can be used if nothing else is available.”

Improvised antenna insulators.

Since antenna insulators probably aren’t on hand, the instructions suggest some possibilities, shown here, using things that might be found around the radio station, such as the soft drink bottle.

The main idea was to get back on the air as soon as possible. “Time is more important than radiated power, so an inefficient operation in 15 minutes is better than full power in two hours.”

Portable Gas Refrigerator

On various outdoor and “prepper” forums, one common question is the availability of refrigeration in the absence of electric power. In most cases, the best option is to do as our ancestors did before the early 1900’s and simply live without this convenience. But in some cases (such as those with medicines that require refrigeration), a reliable form of refrigeration is needed.

Until recently, there were only three options, each with shortcomings. The first was to procure a generator to power a traditional home refrigerator. This is a poor solution, because the home refrigerator has an electric motor and thus requires a large generator (or very large inverter) and enough fuel to run it.

Another option is a “12 volt cooler” such as the ones shown here:

One of these can be a relatively good solution in many cases. While they don’t work as well as the big refrigerator at home, they are often adequate for the task. Compared to a home refrigerator, they require much less current. However, they draw enough current that they can’t simply be left unattended for long periods of time. The battery needs to be charged quite often, which entails having fuel to do so, or perhaps a relatively large solar charger.

The best solution has been the “3-way” Refrigerator. This type of refrigerator is commonly used in RV’s, and runs on 120 volts, 12 volts, or propane gas. They typically use about 1/2 pound of gas per day, meaning that a 20 pound tank will last about 40 days. In other words, storing fuel for long-term use is a definite possibility. Here are some examples:

The disadvantage of this type of refrigerator is that it is not portable. It is designed to be mounted permanently and, at a minimum, you would need to construct a cabinet to house it.

This objection has now been solved, however, with the following portable 3-way refrigerators:

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Like the other 3-way refrigerators, these will operate on either gas, 120 volts, or 12 volts. But they are designed for portable use, and come with the hardware to hook it up to a portable LP tank, the type available everywhere. For those who absolutely need refrigeration “off the grid,” this is a very viable option.

Honeyville Discount Code for Emergency Storage Food

On my website, I have a number of pages regarding emergency food storage. Even if, like me, you don’t own a single piece of camouflage clothing and don’t think of yourself as a “survivalist,” it is prudent to keep some food on hand in case of emergency. You can find my food storage pages at these links:

One excellent source for bulk food for emergency storage, Honeyville Grain, has a sale this week (until August 26, 2014). By using coupon code SCHOOL14, you will receive 15% off your order.

No matter what size your order is, the flat rate shipping cost is only $4.99. Therefore, it is very economical to order food in bulk. To take advantage of the discount until August 26, 2014 use coupon code SCHOOL14 when you check out.

You’ll find a full selection of their food storage products at this link.Here are some of the products that I think are most useful.

Milk Alternative

Honeyville’s “Milk Alternative” is about the best way I know to store large quantities of powdered milk. It’s not actually whole milk, but it is a dairy product, and has nutrition very similar to milk. The first ingredient is whey, and the second ingredient is nonfat milk. While it doesn’t taste exactly like real milk, it’s actually quite close, and tastes much better than products such as Carnation instant milk. It’s also quite economical. It’s also available in chocolate and strawberry.

Fruit Smoothie Mixes

The fruit smoothie mixes are excellent. You’ll use them regularly, and they’ll ensure that you have an emergency dairy product on hand.

Hot Cocoa Mixes

The hot chocolate mixes are about the same price that you’ll find for comparable products in the supermarket. But in my opinion, they’re better quality, and come in a variety of flavors.

Powdered Drink Mixes

The powdered drink mixes are comparable to what you’ll find in the supermarket. These are economical for storage large quantities.

9-Grain Cereal

The Honeyville Nine Grain Cereal is excellent. It makes a hot cereal that tastes much better than oatmeal and is more nutritious. It’s quite economical, and you’ll use it in your normal menu, as well as for emergency storage.

Powdered Eggs

Admittedly, most people have a bad reaction to the words “powdered eggs,” usually stemming from a prior bad experience. Fortunately, the Honeyville powdered eggs do not live up to that reputation. They are excellent, and when used in scrambled eggs or baking, they are indistinguishable from the real thing. They can make an excellent source of protein in an emergency.

The only downside is that they come in a large can. They’re good when you open the can, but after about a month, they once again start to live up to the reputation. Therefore, they are hard to use in your daily cooking. But for emergency storage, I highly recommend them.

Note: All of the above links are affiliate links, and I get a small commission is you make a purchase after following these links. But in my personal experience, the Honeyville products are all excellent, and I’ll probably be placing an order myself this week.

Expedient Winter Shoes from Newspaper

Even if you’re not contemplating a nuclear war, the book Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearney is chock full of interesting information. This book is freely available at various sites, including the Google Books link above. It is based on research done by the author while employed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and was published and placed in the public domain after his retirement.

One of the items that I’ve always found intriguing is the description of homemade winter boots found in Chapter 15. Here are Kearney’s instructions for making boots from newspaper:

IMPROVISED WINTER FOOTWEAR

Cold-weather footwear that is warmer than all but the best-insulated winter boots can be improvised readily. The trick is learning how to tie the several insulating layers securely in place, so that you could hike for miles in the snow if necessary.

For use in dry snow, first tie a porous insulating layer—such as two bath towels or 10 big sheets of newspaper -over each shoe. If you have no lowheeled shoes, make a paper sole by folding 3 large newspaper sheets to make a sole that has 72 thicknesses of paper. Then proceed in the following manner:

1. Place your foot and the sole on 10 newspaper sheets, as pictured in Fig. 15.5.

Fig. 15.5. Insulating a foot with a folded newspaper sole and 10 sheets of newspaper.

2. Fold all the sheets over the top of your foot while keeping the sole in the proper place, as indicated in Fig. 15.5.

3. Use a strip of cloth about 3 inches wide and 5 feet long to tie the papers in front of your ankle with a single overhand knot (half of a square knot). With the same strip, tie another single overhand knot over the tendon behind the ankle. Finally, tie a bow knot in front of the ankle.

4. Cover the insulating layer with a tough fabric, such as canvas or burlap sack material; secure with a second strip of cloth and tie as described above.

If the snow is wet, place a piece of strong plastic film or coated fabric outside the insulating layer, after securing it with the first strip of cloth. The outer protective covering should be tied over the waterproofing, with the second strip of cloth securing both it and the waterproofing. (When resting or sleeping in a dry place, remove any moistureproof layer in the foot coverings, to let your feet dry.) Figure 15.6 shows a test subject’s waterproofed expedient footcovering, held in place as described above, after a 2-mile hike in wet snow. His feet were warm, and he had not stopped to tighten or adjust the cloth strips.

Since the temperature this afternoon was about -10 degrees Fahrenheit, it seemed like an ideal day to test this expedient footwear. Since I was using it for only a short test close to home, I didn’t bother using the full ten sheets of newspaper called for by Kearney’s design. Instead, I started with a sole

20140105_144144 made of corrugated cardboard, and used only about three sheets of newspaper. I then tied these as indicated in Kearney’s instructions. I finished by covering them with a plastic grocery bag.

The completed shoes.

The completed shoes were surprisingly comfortable, and they also kept me surprisingly warm and dry as I walked around for a few minutes outside. I was able to walk quite comfortably through a snowbank.

With the very thin insulating layer, I’m sure that my feet would have gotten cold eventually. But the concept obviously works, and with more insulation, I think I could have stayed outside indefinitely.

Also, in a true survival situation, I would want to have the waterproof layer by considerably more durable than the thin grocery bags I used. Eventually, the thin plastic would have torn, my feet would have gotten wet, and I would be in a lot of trouble. But for my short venture outside, these proved perfectly adequate.

Of course, after seeing me test these, my kids wanted to give it a try themselves, and they both made themselves a set of emergency winter boots. So yes, I allowed my kids to go outside without shoes with the temperature of ten below zero.

For more interesting emergency preparedness books, see my listing of free e-books.

SNAP Challenge: Lessons for Disaster Planning

One cup of flour, turned into edible form.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I don’t own a single piece of camouflage clothing, so I must not be a “survivalist.” On the other hand, I do recognize that it’s a good idea to have some rudimentary preparations for getting through life’s emergencies. Those emergencies can range from the very serious, such as the Zombie Apocalypse, down to the very minor, such as not wanting to go buy a carton of milk because it’s raining. In either case, it’s a good idea to have some food around the house.

For some people, that might mean investing in special “storage” food in adequate quantities to last the entire duration of the zombie outbreak. For other people, it’s a more modest supply of canned goods to last the length of a winter storm. I tend to be in the middle of that range. Therefore, when I think of emergency food storage, I think in terms of keeping adequate quantities of “normal” food on hand, rather than buying special “survival” food. As outlined on my food storage basics page, that can generally be accomplished at no cost, since it entails buying things that we will normally eat.

On the other hand, there is a limit to how much “normal” food one can store. If preparing for a longer term emergency, it might be advisable to purchase some items that can be packed away and forgotten about. On another page on my website, I have some ideas on how to store larger quantities of foods such as milk and eggs and a fairly reasonable price.

During the SNAP Challenge, I ate very well. This was in stark contrast to the experiences of others who were forced to eek by for a week on starvation rations. I was successful where others failed for one reason, and one reason alone. I was able to eat well because I invested a small amount of my very limited food budget on two items: A bag of flour, and a bag of sugar. Between these two bags, I spent less than five dollars, but these bags took care of all of my caloric needs for a whole week. With my remaining money, I was able to easily take those basic calories and make the meals appetizing and nutritious. But the flour and sugar kept me fed very well, and I had leftovers at the end of the week.

This is an important lesson for storing food for emergencies: In order to do long-term storage at a reasonable price, it is necessary to have some of that food be in the form of basic ingredients, such as flour and sugar. Of course, much of your emergency food storage should be in the form of foods that can be eaten with no preparation or minimal preparation. But as the SNAP Challenge has proven, this can make the cost prohibitive. To give you some idea, this special One Year Emergency Food Supply of “survival” food will set you back almost $10,000. The equivalent number of calories, if purchased in the form of flour at supermarket prices, would be about $400. In other words, special “survival” food can cost about 25 times as much as “normal” food in the form of basic ingredients.

Therefore, it is clear that to have long-term food storage, you do need to plan around basic ingredients, just as I did during the SNAP Challenge. The difficulty with this approach is, of course, that it will entail cooking. During the SNAP Challenge, I made use of many modern conveniences, such as an oven, a toaster, and an electric coffee maker. During many disasters, some or all of these modern conveniences would be unavailable. And, of course, during many disasters, the electric power and/or natural gas will not be available.

One way of dealing with this issue is to spend thousands or millions of dollars on a survivalist bunker with all of the conveniences of home. All you need to do is stock it with thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, and you can live out the zombie apocalypse in style. For many, however, this is not an option. And for someone like me, who doesn’t even own a single piece of camouflage clothing, this isn’t a particularly good option.

A better way of approaching the problem is to be creative and figure out how the minimal preparation of food can be accomplished without all of those modern conveniences. In most cases, this will add some difficulty, but those difficulties are rarely insurmountable. Therefore, this morning, I decided to see how I could turn a cup of flour into edible food without using the oven. I normally use the oven to cook food, because it is very convenient. I merely set the temperature, put in the food, wait the specified number of minutes, and then remove the item. This process is made extremely convenient by luxuries such as a large volume in which to cook, an automatic thermostat, and even a timer. But these are mere luxuries. At its most basic level, the oven does one thing: It generates heat. This is all that is necessary for cooking. Everything else is nice to have, but not necessary. As long as you have a method to generate heat, it will be possible to cook. Therefore, as long as you have a method to generate heat, you can cut your food costs from $10,000 per year down to $400 per year. And at these lower prices, it is possible to store food for longer term emergencies.

To demonstrate this principle, I decided to turn a cup of flour into food that I can eat, without use of the oven. There are many ways in which this can be accomplished, although all of those methods require heat. For the heat, I could have used a charcoal grill or a backyard gas grill. I could have used a Solar Oven. I could have used a campfire. The exact method of generating heat is unimportant. Depending on the method, the exact cooking procedures might need to be modified. But as long as heat is available, then the flour can be turned into food.

I decided to use an electric turkey roaster to generate the heat. In many disaster situations, this would not be an option, since it requires electricity. But again, the exact method of generating the heat is unimportant. I merely want to demonstrate that it is possible to turn flour into food with any available source of heat. To one cup of Self Rising Flour, I added a quarter cup vegetable oil and a quarter cup milk. I used fresh milk, but powdered milk would have worked just as well. And since normal flour stores better, in an emergency situation, I probably would have used regular flour along with baking powder. But I’m merely establishing the concept here. The details can be worked out depending on what is available.

If you want more ideas about the concept of generating heat during an emergency, please visit my How To Make Coffee Without Electricity page.

The resulting biscuits are shown above. I baked the biscuits in the turkey roaster at the highest temperature setting (marked 400 degrees, although I suspect the actual temperature is lower) for about 40 minutes. Without a real oven, the biscuits never really get brown. But they tasted just fine. And more importantly, they represent food, even though they started out as basic ingredients that were not edible in their original form.

The important lesson of the SNAP Challenge is that with a bit of planning and a bit of creativity, it is possible to prepare for emergencies at a very low cost. If you think in these terms, then you don’t have to worry so much about FEMA coming to rescue you after a disaster. And more importantly, if you are concerned about others, then FEMA doesn’t have to worry so much about coming to rescue you after the disaster, and they can concentrate their efforts on others whose situation is more dire.

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