Category: NBC

Letter Re: Maintaining the Nuclear Survival Mindset

Hi, I won’t mention my name because of the privacy concerns you so eloquently pointed out in your blog, but here’s an example of what you were asking about in regards to preparations for a new cold/hot war. I was in the USAF in Security Police from 1980 to 1989, the height of the Cold War, when President Reagan was stepping up the pressure on the then Soviet Union. I served in ICBMs (Minuteman III’s and the Peacekeeper) at Warren AFB in Wyoming and overseas in Ground Launched Cruise Missiles (GLCMs) at Florennes Air Base, Belgium. One of the things …


Letter Re: A Reminder to Readers About Botulism

I think that the author of “Letter Re: A Reminder to Readers About Botulism” [posted on July 18th] is a little mistaken about the deadliness of “even a single small whiff of Botulinum toxin.” The video in the link he provided is a discussion of the effects of weaponized botulism toxin. In the video, it’s stated that botulism doesn’t make a very good open-air weapon, although it may have potential as a weapon in enclosed areas or by infecting food. According to the Botulism Handbook for Epidemiologists, Clinicians, and Laboratory Workers: …botulism can be picked up by (a) eating contaminated …


Letter Re: Novel Recommendation–“Solar Flare” by Larry Burkett

Mr. Rawles, I have read your novel Patriots and passed it along to several people that I know. Most of them now own their own copy as well and it has been a big boost in helping them see the need for making preparations for the times ahead. It is with great interest that I have read the recent discussions about solar flares on the blog. The novel that first piqued my interest in survival and preparedness was the book Solar Flare by Strategic Air Command veteran and former NASA employee Larry Burkett. The premise of the novel is an …


Letter Re: Solar Flare Spike in 2012?

Jim:Regarding your recent interview on Fox Business about the significance of 2012: When I was a teenager, it was the Mayan 2012 [calendar] event that got me interested in preparedness. I ran with a bit of an impromptu Boy Scout like crowd (we weren’t Boy Scouts but our parents encouraged us to hunt, fish and camp). It was fun imaginary scenario when we were kids. I grew out of my Mayan 2012 phase. As an adult, I am preparing for a solar 2012 event. Essentially, a couple of years ago, I came across some research by a guy who was …


Letter Re: Potassium Iodide Versus Potassium Iodate for Post-Nuke Thyroid Gland Protection

Dear Jim, I read with interest the posted letter on KIO3 versus KI. “Letter Re: Potassium Iodide Versus Potassium Iodate for Post-Nuke Thyroid Gland Protection”. As a manufacturer of both KI and KIO3 I would like to point out that KIO3 is FDA approved and inspected. All of the ingredients are FDA approved and inspected as is the facility where it is made. Even the tableting machines and mixers are registered with the FDA and the DEA. KIO3 as well as it’s ingredients are, by law, approved and inspected by the FDA. Here is an example where our KIO3 is …


Letter Re: Advice on NBC Air Filtration Systems for Home or Retreat Fallout Shelters

Hello, I’m in the process of building a gun vault / safe room and would like to hear your recommendations on a good NBC filter system. Thank you, – M.T. JWR Replies: By coincidence, SafeCastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) currently has a special sale in progress, for their fallout shelter HEPA air filtration and ventilation systems. They are priced at 30% off, and the sale ends at the end of June. I highly recommend their products.


After 10 Years–Some Observations and Lessons Learned by a Y2K-Era Prepper

It was June, 1998. Y2K was a salient topic of conversation. It got my attention. When the electricity went off and there would be no water to drink, and no fuel to move food to the JIT grocery stores, I could see things getting very ugly. I had been willing to fight for this nation as a member of the US Army. Now it was time to fight for my household. I bought a Springfield Armory M1A. I bought a safe to store it in. I bought another M1A (for the spousal unit of course!) I bought ammo. Lots of …


Letter Re: Potassium Iodide Versus Potassium Iodate for Post-Nuke Thyroid Gland Protection

Jim, I’m doing some preparation research now since I’ll be pretty close to Yucca Mountain when it comes online, which I ultimately expect it to. I recently saw a posting on your blog [from “Cody”] regarding the taking of the thyroid blockers Potassium Iodate [KI] and Potassium Iodide [KIO3] in case of a nuclear event. The person writing you said that Potassium Iodate was superior because it didn’t cause as much stomach irritation as Potassium Iodide. I did a web search on “potassium iodide versus potassium iodate” and came up with these links: Approved Brands Iodide Versus Iodate WHO Guide …


Letter Re: The Northwestern US as a Retreat Locale–the Downwind Issues

Hello; We are on board with what is coming. Regarding location, my concern for the Idaho and Montana areas are the Yellowstone caldera – should it have a massive eruption and being downwind from the Seattle area should there be a nuke attack there. What are your thoughts, please? Thank you – John JWR Replies: All of Idaho is upwind of Yellowstone except for during the most unusual weather conditions. Ditto for any parts of Montana where you would likely want to live. This is because anywhere that is east (downwind) of Yellowstone is also potentially downwind of the Montana …


How To Prepare for Radiation Emergencies, by KLK

Scenario 1 You are sitting at your retreat, enjoying the scenery, when you hear on the radio that there has just been a nuclear weapon that has detonated in a contiguous State . You decide to run into your shelter. After a few days in there, you start to wonder when it might be safe to come out. You also wonder if you would have been better off evacuating and getting as far away from the radiation source as possible. A radiation disaster is a scenario for which we must be prepared. It may be from a radiological source, such …


Letter Re: Retreat Locales in the Eastern United States

Mr. Rawles: I see that [in your Recommended Retreat Areas page] you only list information for retreat selection in 19 western states. Do you not think other states are worthy of retreat locations? We live on 300 acres in southwestern Missouri (Polks County). Not totally ideal I am sure, but it is home, children and grandchildren are here and more over we feel placed here by our Lord over 35 years ago. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts pro/con on the state of Missouri so that we might be better prepared. — Paulette JWR Replies: I consider …


Two Letters Re: Observations on a Tour of a Telephone Company Central Office

James: The batteries are why the phone still works when the power goes out. That is if you still have an old style (hard wire) phone and not all cordless phones. The cordless phones need 120 VAC power to run the base station. You should maintain at least one all wire somewhere in your house. I believe the [common design for COs is that the] whole building is built in such a way that it is a big Faraday Cage. It would take a pretty close proximity EMP to take one out. The EMP danger is in the above ground …


Letter Re: Observations on a Tour of a Telephone Company Central Office

Hi Jim, I just came back from a tour of one of our local phone company’s central office (CO) and this is what I learned: Besides finding out how our phone lines work, I found out that the hardware there runs on 48 volt DC power. There is a large battery bank in the basement and the batteries are charged by the grid. It is made up of large clear cylinders and you can see the acid level and the plates inside. In the case of the grid going down it has a generator back up. Many of these offices …


The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy

In the past week I’ve had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: “I could spend days looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there are hundreds of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes the “Rawlesian” philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?” I’ll likely add a few items to this list as time goes on, but here is a general summary of my precepts: Modern Society is Increasingly Complex, Interdependent, and Fragile. With each passing year, …


Letter Re: A Severe Storm Provides a Valuable Lesson

Hi Jim, I’m a long time reader. I wanted to relate to you a recent experience I had, which may be of value to SurvivalBlog readers. I live in a state that is prone to tornados and severe weather. We recently had a storm tear through our area, causing several million dollars in damage across much of the state, my neighborhood notwithstanding. My wife and I went to bed Wednesday evening, expecting only scattered thunderstorms. What we awoke to at 3:30am was much, much more than a thunderstorm. As I looked out our bedroom’s open window, I saw and heard …