Year: 2020

The Appalachian Redoubt, by Bethany

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Encompassing parts of 13 states from southern New York down through the northern region of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, the Appalachian mountain range offers a Redoubt alternative for those east of the Mississippi. More than just a geographical designation, Appalachia offers some unique cultural aspects that contribute to its potential viability for preparedness living. The “Appalachian Redoubt” has been referenced various survival-minded authors, who mainly focused on the Cumberland Plateau region and the more rugged mountains of North Carolina, primarily geared towards a “bug out” /retreat scenario. I’m going to address the area that I live in — Southeastern Ohio/Eastern …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the wide-reaching economic implications of the Coronavirus outbreak in China. Precious Metals: News of the spread of the Wuhan Pneumonia virus put a scare into the industrial side of the precious metals market — with silver, platinum, and palladium all turning down. If the outbreak gets any worse, then …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“How could I improve on what we’ve done so far? Well, I would rather we didn’t give Fallujah back. There’s a few things I think we need to stand up to. I think we can’t just ignore terrorism, we cant just turn our back on it and expect it to go away. I mean, somebody around here seems to think if you treat them nice they’ll like you and they’ll leave you alone, but that’s not the case. But our guys are in good shape, we’re ready to go any time. Matter of fact, call me back, I’m ready to …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 30, 2020

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January 30th is the birthday of historian Barbara Tuchman (born 1912, died February 6, 1989). She wrote some very engaging history books. January 30th is also the anniversary of the 1945 Great Raid on Cabanatuan Prison Camp where US Army Rangers and Filipino Guerrillas liberated Allied prisoners. The book Rescue At Los Baños, by historian and bestselling author Bruce Henderson is fascinating reading. And the movie The Great Raid was loosely based on this raid’s history. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of …


On Respirators and Viruses, by Marius

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I want to start off by saying that some of what I will discuss here is based on simple facts, and some is based on nothing but my own meandering experience. I am not a doctor, and nothing I say here should in any way be construed as medical advice. This article does not in any way constitute respirator training. With the outbreak of the unknown virus overseas, I have seen a lot of questions about respirators. I hope to answer some of those questions here, just please be patient if I cover things too poorly. Most people are asking …


Letter: Clarifications on N95 Masks

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Dear Editor: There seems to be a lot of misunderstandings about N95 masks.  I have quoted some information from CDC, NIOSH, OSHA, and the FDA to help clear some of the confusion. The main issue I hear is that “only medical rated (by the FDA) N95 masks should be used to protect oneself against Coronavirus  and other flu.”  This is not necessarily true.  The “95” part of the N95 stands for the percentage of particulate matter that the mask will filter out.  The size of the test media is .03 micron.  At .03 micron an N95 mask is more than …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at how NYPD police officers are using facial recognition. Demand for “Prepper Properties” is Soaring Demand For “Prepper Properties” Is Soaring As More People Seek Refuge From The Nightmare That Is …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 29, 2020

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Today is the birthday of journalist and inventor Thomas Paine (1737–1809.) And speaking of Toms, this is the birthday of actor Tom Selleck (born 1945), best known for playing the title role of Magnum, P.I. He is an avid shooter and quite pro-gun. — A special note on our waterproof 2005-2019 archive USB sticks: We discovered a formatting glitch on the first batch that were mailed out. So… We are mailing free replacements (properly formatted) for all of those customers. You may keep the old sticks–free of charge–and erase their contents, to be able to use those sticks for whatever …


Building the Castle – Part 2, by Jake R.

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Metal Siding Metal siding is common on a lot of the newer barndominiums and shop houses. Essentially, it’s the same as the metal roofing used on the building. These are becoming more and more popular and have their advantages and disadvantages. Pros Durability – This type of metal is typically durable and has good longevity. To top that off, it’s also easy to maintain. Easy Installation – The installation of this is also straight forward which reduces the labor costs to have it installed. Fire Safety – This material is also good …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on the  recently-released The Bridge on the River Kwai BluRay. (See the Movies section.) Books: Leadership Strategy …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 28, 2020

January 28th is the anniversary of the rescue of General James L. Dozier from his Italian Red Brigades kidnappers. Tangentially, Colonel Jeff Cooper created a shooting drill in honor of those who freed him – The Dozier Drill. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from veteran-owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course …


Building the Castle – Part 1, by Jake R.

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This two-part article describes some TEOTWAWKI considerations for home building and long-term maintenance. — Have you ever daydreamed about building the perfect home for the end of the world as we know it? If you’re like me, you may have caught yourself daydreaming about various configurations and options you would like to have on your home to help you survive with better security and better comfort. I would like to say that there is a perfect home configuration out there for everyone but that just wouldn’t be true. When building a home, you must take multiple things into consideration including …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on wolf population estimates.   (See the Idaho section.) Region-Wide: Reader M.K. spotted this wire service article that mentions the American Redoubt movement and real estate agent Todd Savage: Survivalists who fear a looming, urban catastrophe are swapping city life for a fresh start …