Category: Emerging Threats

Hurricane Preparedness Experience- Part 1, by N.K.

S.G.’s recent observations about living through hurricane Matthew is well presented information. If I may, I’d like to contribute my experiences with hurricanes Charlie, Frances, and Jean in Central Florida during 2004. Charlie made landfall in southwest Florida the afternoon of Friday August 13, 2004, coming ashore at Punta Gorda in Charlotte Bay as a strong category 4 with 145 mph winds. After devastating that area, it rapidly traveled diagonally across the state eventually impacting Kissimmee and Orlando in Central Florida before heading up the Atlantic coast. Orlando International Airport recorded winds of 105-110 mph, just below the 111 mph …


Guest Article: A Primer on Tactical Intelligence Collection, by Samuel Culper

Tornadoes, flooding, and wildfires are just three examples of localized and very personal emergency events that we saw last year, and they illustrate the devastation by an event for which there is immediate early warning. We can be alerted to a tornado warning and seek cover. We can vacate our homes in case of flooding or an approaching wildfire. As we deal in the likelihood of SHTF scenarios, the likelihood of natural crisis events is 100%. However, on a regional or national scale, we’re looking at more unpredictable events for which there is little to no early warning: an electromagnetic …


Letter: Tor Software Vulnerability

HJL, A recent article detailed the FBI using secret software to exploit vulnerability in the Tor Browser. The government set up a child porn site in the dark web and nabbed some folks that were using Tor. Agents used a “Network Investigative Tool,” or NIT to identify information from people who logged into the porn site. This is found in an article in the Seattle Times paper of Dec. 14th. The government refuses to detail the workings of the secret software. – D.C. JWR Replies: The editors of SurvivalBlog certainly don’t condone child pornography, but the case that you cite …


Letter Re: Hurricane Experience

Friends, After reading the contribution about hurricane preparedness, I would like to recommend the bathtub liners for water. We were without water for three or four days. We barely tapped one. I feel that we could have gone six weeks with what the two afforded us. I also keep one full outside contained in a 95-gallon horse trough. There were no problems noted. I so appreciate what all of you do. Thanks. – A. Reader JWR’s Comment: (The WaterBOB bathtub liner is no longer in production, but The Reservoir is comparable.)


Bugging-in vs. Bugging-out, by John M.

In most preparedness magazines and on most prepper websites, bug-out bags are an ever-popular topic for discussion. The idea of “bugging-out” in a SHTF scenario makes us dream of an idyllic cabin in the mountains where we grow or hunt our own food and live happily ever after, or it’s where we take on an enemy in a Red Dawn (United Artists, 1984) scenario, hopefully minus the attrition rate of the Wolverines. However, practical preparedness should be about looking at possible real-life scenarios, rather than things that rarely happen. In a real-life emergency, would it be better to “bug-out” or …


Letter Re: Five Things Women Need, by J.W.

JWR, Another great article, thank you. One of the things I would like to comment on, that unfortunately must be strongly considered when working with our youth, is “prohibited places”. Volunteering and picking up the kids at my children’s school, I am constantly un-holstering and securing my weapon (at home or work, never in the car) BEFORE I make the trip. I carry wherever and whenever I am legally allowed. However, there have been times I was late because I realized I was armed and had to turn around to secure my firearm. Could you imagine the joy of the …


Letter Re: Ammunition Buying OPSEC

Mr. Rawles, In response to Cliff’s e-mail regarding ammunition OPSEC, I just wanted to write in and express my firm belief that the worst thing one can do, unfortunately, is to conduct e-commerce for bulk ammo via any Internet sites. I have nothing against any of the online vendors, but their records are kept and not immune from subpoenas or government seizures. I have had particular luck with bulk ammo sales on Sunday afternoons at gun shows. The fact of the matter is that no vendor wants to carry that weight of unsold inventory back to their trailer after the …


Letter: Stock Up on Magazines!

Dear Editor: The upcoming Presidential election is cause for concern. As an avid daily reader of your awesome blog, I would highly encourage those out there to buy those full capacity, or really any magazines that they need today. Not tomorrow, right now. Now! Stop reading the blog for a few minutes and find what you need. Some sellers are already selling out of AR-style magazines. Ruger factor-made 10/22 BX-25 (25-round) magazines are presently available at one of the major outdoor retailers online for less than $20 each. As an example: HK G3 alloy 20  round magazines (for HK91 rifles …


When and How Do We Fight? That is the Question, by X. Liberal

This message is more on a serious note. Before we get started I want to make an attribution to Lavoy Finicum. My wife and I had the privilege of being present in Utah to pay respects to him and his loved ones as we were driving back from our final Redoubt Property inspection in Montana while traveling home to Nevada. His sacrifice sparks this message: “THEY” say Lavoy Finicum and his cohorts were illegally occupying the Wildlife Refuge in Burns Oregon. THEY say nothing about the Occupy Wall Street Movement illegally occupying City Squares. THEY say that it was unsanitary …


Letter Re: Water Storage Options for Suburbanites

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Hi, I was reading SurvivalBlog’s special page with info for newbies and I realized we are behind the eight ball. But my husband and I are Christians and we are both over 50. I am on disability but I am a retired Registered Nurse and I also sew, crochet etc. You mentioned that we needed to have an underground water tank and I don’t see that as possible for us, however we do have a pool just off the back deck. Any advice?  Thanks, – Carol C. JWR Replies: My mentions of underground water storage tanks were intended for people …


Just In Case: Preparing for the Evening and Day After Election 2016

There is a substantial risk that Hillary “Hitlery” Clinton will become our next President. She is notoriously anti-gun, and has made many promises to her gun-grabbing campaign donors to give “gun control” (read: civilian disarmament) her top priority. Consider the guidance in this article just a contingency. You can simply ignore it, if Donald Trump is elected. (Since he is outspokenly pro-gun.) But if Clinton is indeed elected, then gun, ammunition, and magazine prices will surely start to rise immediately. And by the time she actually takes office, prices might well have already doubled or tripled, and shortages of some …


Letter: The End of OTC Veterinary Antibiotics

Dear Jim: Many preppers store antibiotics for fish or livestock water/feed medications over the counter (OTC). As of January 1st, 2017 this will come to an end as livestock producers will be required to get a VFD (veterinary feed directive) from a veterinarian to obtain these antibiotics. I don’t want to go into the specific differences but think of it as a prescription.   For anyone  wanting antibiotics I would recommend getting some before the first of the year.   I am a mixed animal vet in  the Ozarks. –  E.E. JWR Adds: A full list of drugs transitioning on …


Letter: The Global Cyber War and DDOS Ping Attacks

JWR, For some background, I’ve worked as a UNIX systems administrator  for more than 20 years in the financial environment. This background includes working for major bankig and stock mark trading companies. I’m not saying that to impress, I am saying it so you know that I have a good amount of experience in the field. Although logs and paths can be modified, a significant amount of scanning and denial attacks on both commercial and personal computer systems really does seem to come from Russia, China, and the Netherlands. Now a layperson may ask:  “Why does China care about my …


Letter: Understanding Bank Transaction Reporting in the U.S.

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers: I have noticed over the last few weeks a couple of articles discussing banking and transaction reporting etc. I would recommend (if one is having trouble sleeping at night) that everyone who is interested read the audit manuals for the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), which includes currency transaction reporting (CTR), suspicious activity reporting (SAR), and monetary instrument logs (MIL). Bank’s are required by law to perform these on all customers based on activity and the bank’s teller system analysis. Most people know about CTRs – deposit or withdraw more than $10,000 in cash – but they do …


Terror in Texas: An Active Shooter, by Sophie

This is a wake-up call for all of you who think you’re ready when the Schumer Hits the Fan (SHTF). Whatever trigger may cause the mayhem, you think you’re ready for it because you read all the advice from experts like SurvivalBlog so that your prepared to handle anything thrown at you. Well I’m here to tell you that when it does come your way, either by lack of practice, planning, forgetfulness or not doing what you know you should, life can turn for the worst to immediately change your life and those you love. Yesterday was my day to …