Category: FEMA & Other Disaster Agencies

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 …


Neophyte Survival Observations and Lessons from Hurricane Matthew- Part1, by S.G. in Florida

Our family of three lives in a suburban area of Florida that was greatly impacted by Hurricane Matthew. While our home survived without damage, we were left without power for approximately a week and without city water for around three days. This article summarizes some observations and lessons, after reflecting on this experience. Hurricane Matthew took a very unusual track in the Caribbean, threading the needle between the mountains of Cuba and Haiti to maintain its strength. After this move, Matthew took a very unusual jog to the West, threatening Florida with a severe Category 4 storm. Once Matthew made …


Letter Re: Huge Secondary Disaster

Hurricane Matthew, the category 3 or 4 hurricane likely hitting at or near coastal cities like Miami and Jacksonville, each with greater metropolitan areas approaching a million people, will be a huge disaster. The fact that this hurricane looks to stay very strong as it hits every other coastal Florida city in-between Miami and Jacksonville, then weakening to a category 2 before hitting Savannah and all of the coast of Georgia, then hitting Charleston and all of the coast of South Carolina, then hitting Wilmington and all of the coast of North Carolina, will make this a very huge disaster. …


Quick Reference Manual Regarding Disaster Survival and Recovery on the Road- Part 1, by J.P.R.

Preface I wrote this manual for those family and friends who don’t believe we need to be prepared for anything huge happening. I still feel responsible for these people in my life and wish the best for them as they travel about in our uncertain world. The other reason I wrote it was to subtly introduce them to the impact of what may occur in each scenario in an effort to ignite their personal journey towards preparedness and independence. I hope many more find it a useful tool in helping others handle adversity with knowledge rather than fear. TRAVEL REFERENCE …


Surviving the 2015 Fire of Lake County California- Part 1, by B.G.

This is a true story of a thirty-something survivalist/engineer and his family as well as some lessons learned in the second most destructive fire in California history. I had seen other large fires in Lake County over the years, and they would arrive in apocalyptic fashion, as the up swelling of a mushroom cloud. This one started no differently on a windy afternoon as I was pulling pork chops off of the grill. At about one o’clock in the afternoon, the wall of black smoke that erupted to our south immediately flattened out due to the wind. It formed an …


Red List, Blue List, Black List, You List

4

There has been a lot of conjecture in the past 40 years in patriot circles about the existence of government “round up lists”. Large-scale disaster and war planning exercises, like REX-84 (Readiness Exercise-1984) and Jade Helm 2015, have stimulated endless discourse about whether or not the government maintains a so-called “red list” and “blue list” of people that they deem to be dissidents who they might target for harassment, travel restrictions, or even detention without due process of law. Because any such lists would presumably be developed and updated under the wraps of a security classification and the Need To …


Letter: The Lack of Police and Fire Training or Preparation For the Aftermath of An EMP

I have been visiting west coast fire departments and law enforcement agencies, and none of them, including LAPD, LA Sheriffs, Seattle PD , Oakland PD, or Portland PD, have or plan on scheduling any EMP training drills, and they are not even thinking about how their police or fire agency is going to deal with the aftermath of an EMP. Everyone talks about how devastating an EMP could be and how the aftermath will affect everyone, but no one from Police and Fire is talking about what and how are they going to react to a catastrophic EMP event. Has …


Tyranny 101, by M.T. – Part 2

In Part 1, I shared some of the history of tyranny and some of the acts of the well-organized conspirators against liberty, here in America and around the world. However, there is more that should concern us and much to do in preparation. There are other reasons to prepare wisely in a God, guns, and grub reality. Our open society is totally reliant on vulnerable technology. Consider the electrical grid, the water supply, trucking, computers, the Internet, and our food supply in general. All these, as well as many more key categories, are extremely vulnerable to mechanical malfunction, human error, …


Tyranny 101, by M.T. – Part 1

This article is a fairly long read, but given the topic, it’s an extremely valuable endeavor. Tyranny is not to be taken lightly; it is as serious as a heart attack or, more aptly, a nuclear strike on our nation. Everything is on the line these days, whether it’s about you and your family or the entire free world. We must all have the courage to stand firm in the truth and the wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. You need strength to get through the truth of our reality, which is exposed in this article. Tyranny, can you define …


Letter: Emergency Preparedness

Gentlemen: My County Sheriff called me out of retirement to consult with him and the County EMA director on these topics. I drafted this letter after several hours of discussion with them and a few other community members in the meeting. I sent this to every County EMA director and County Sheriff in Ohio and also every EMA County and State level DHS Emergency official in Michigan. (It was sent to Michigan on the day of the recent Detroit outage, for enhanced effect.) It would be great to be spread wider, if you could see fit to link it on …


Spanked!, by K.B.

I saw a weather commentary on television one night in late August, 2005, that was a bit different from any I had ever seen before. It appeared that a pair of chubby fraternity brothers were yucking it up over an incoming hurricane. They were downright giddy. “Yes, indeedy,” the first guy said with a big smile. “It sure looks like Louisiana is a-gonna get spanked. And spanked good! This looks like it might just be the best hurricane ever!” The other guy agreed with great enthusiasm. “Yes, indeed! A once in a century event. Maybe even a once in a …


Letter Re: 1 Year Followup on Colorado Flood Experience

I was displaced from Jamestown, Colorado, in the 2013 flood, and was evacuated on a Blackhawk helicopter in the second biggest airlift after Katrina. I live in a town of 300 souls in the mountains, where the flood wiped out 20% of the homes. The most valuable preparation I was able to use was a laminated emergency checklist. The checklist was for a fire, but it served well for the flood. When the helicopters are overhead and you’re freaking out with phones down, it’s important to know to turn the gas tank off, which elderly neighbors and pets need help, …


Identifying and Protecting Yourself and Your Family Against Hazardous Chemical Materials Incidents, by a Marine in Missouri – Part 2

There are many different levels of protection out there. Military gear is specifically designed for CWAs. There are three general levels of protective equipment– level A, level B, and level C. Military gear is somewhere in between level B and C because it is designed for specific chemicals. Level A gear is fully encapsulated, typically a chemical-resistant plastic suit with a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) or provided air through a pressurized air system and a hose. This provides both splash and total vapor protection. However, the downfalls to this nearly complete protection are: It is cumbersome to wear, Depending …


Identifying and Protecting Yourself and Your Family Against Hazardous Chemical Material Incidents, by a Marine in Missouri – Part 1

We live in a society that depends on hazardous materials to create the technological wonders and comforts we expect for everyday life. Whether you take your kids to a swimming pool or drink any sort of city water, you knowingly or unknowingly depend on large amounts of chlorine to ensure the water is safe. Anywhere there is a mechanic shop there are chemicals required to lubricate, clean, and repair materials; some of those chemicals are potentially dangerous or deadly. As you drive down the highway you see thousands of semi-trucks carting loads of materials that could be more deadly than …


A National Guardsman’s Experiences During Hurricane Sandy, by FDO

I’ll give you a little background about me. I was born, raised, and am currently living in New England. I have a B.A. in History and have just begun work on my M.A. in the same field of study. This past June marked four years in the National Guard, and I received my commission as a Field Artillery officer (13A) in 2013. Currently, I serve as a Battery Fire Direction Officer and am a graduate of Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader’s Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and the U.S. Army’s Air Assault School. I have been reading the blog for …