Les, am I to assume that you served as well?

yes.. Air Force Security Service (Feb70- Aug73)... SIGINT intercept and reporting... radio traffic analyst.. just one term E-5... Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Okinawa

couple of shooting buddies are retired O-5 SF, still working at MacDill for SOCOM contractors

I'm a retired teacher, and one of my class projects was for an escape evade scenario in Syria (way before Sept 11)and they introduced PACE to me...regards

Thanks to you both! For your service to our country and also for sharing wisdom gained with all of us at ETS.

Jeanette, water does not expire or go bad, so unless it was contaminated in some way or leaking it should be good.

I would recommend to get some sturdy containers and refill and clean on a regular basis. That way you can be more sure of your stocks. Do not use old milk jugs, the residue will contaminate your water if stored for a long period (not sure how long).

Les, you were in a bit before my time, but I was in Okinawa and Japan in early 70s as a dependent. The Tampa Bay area is full of retirees, and a lot of former SF. I know a great many people down there doing what your friends are doing.

Phaedrus, I have learned a great deal from this forum. The people are great, and it is one place in today's society where you can still have a disagreement and remain civil and objective. I hope I make a positive contribution. There is a lot of knowledge, experience and just good sense in this community.

Wildman is doing a very good thing to begin this thread every year. Reviewing your checklists and plans periodically is essential to being prepared. His checklist is also very good and can be used for just about any person in any scenario with adaptations for the individual and their situation. It is a good place to start.

While my location is affected by hurricanes, we are not likely to need to evacuate. My primary plan is to shelter in place, so we stock up. We also shelter friends who may be in a more vulnerable situation. My main activity is to check on others who are less able to take care of themselves to make sure they are stocked up beforehand, and that they are OK after. Kind of a roving prepping consultant for the elderly and disabled. This forum has been a great help in this function.

I like keeping my emergency supplies organized almost to the level of being obsessive compulsive. For that reason I will stay with bottled water.

Jeanette Isabelle

Then I would rotate your stock, use the old and obtain new. You can do it gradually instead of all at one time.

I'm always rotating my stocks.

So do I; some things, like bottled, water rotate slower than others.

Jeanette Isabelle

I used to keep store purchased gallon jugs of water, but I had problems with leakage and fragility. I now do keep cases of bottled water on hand, but rotate them regularly as the kids use up the ones in the refrigerator. Handy tip: mark each water bottle in use with the person's initials or name using a Sharpie. This way you reduce wastage, as nobody wants to drink out of the bottle that nobody knows who it belongs to.

My main store is in 5 to 8 gallon Reliance plastic containers. These are periodically emptied and cleaned, then refilled and stored. They have a variety of styles so you can find one to fit your space. They are durable, some of them very durable (I think they are called Rhino containers).

The reason my stock of bottled water rotates slowly is because I'm constantly refilling the same water bottle and only getting a fresh bottle when the last is misplaced or too old.

Jeanette Isabelle