Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 3, by A.F.

(Continued from Part 2.)

Other than cutting the fallen trees off of our state road to gain access to the greater community, the only additional sawing we did was to clear the brush from our access to the larger hen house. Seeing that a massive white oak was bearing down on the fair-sized pine resting on the chicken run, I used two adjacent stacks of 12-inch block tied together with lumber and ratchet straps to pick up the load until I could remove the tree.

 

I want to give a huge shoutout and thanks to Thomas Christianson for his January article on giving electric chainsaws an opportunity to prove themselves as I ended up heeding his advice. Shortly after reading that article, I attended a national disaster relief round table and sat in a session hosted by Stihl during which they presented their battery chainsaws and offered us the opportunity to try them. For what they are, meaning battery-powered, I was impressed enough to enquire about availability and pricing once I got home. The saw, speed charger and two of the largest capacity batteries priced out at north of $1,000 and fortunately was not in stock. Sticker shock!

While the dealer was looking up price and availability for me, I saw the 18-inch cordless Echo DCS-5000 56-volt, 5 amp-hour saw hanging on the wall. Since there was no way I could justify the price of the Stihl, I asked the dealer about the Echo for general use and he replied that the previous customers whom he had spoken with after their purchases has been pleased. I bought the Echo kit which included the saw, chain, one battery and the standard charger for $250. When I asked for the price of a second battery, it was $200. So I decided to splurge on a second full battery kit for the additional $50.Continue reading“Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 3, by A.F.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, news of a positive court ruling, overturning an “Assault Weapons” Ban.

Illinois Black Rifle & Magazine Ban Struck Down!

Several readers mentioned this great news: Federal judge strikes down Illinois assault weapons ban as unconstitutional.

The USAF’s Kawasaki Mini-Bikes: Extreme Deployment

Reader Tim J. sent this video about an AFSOC mobility development: Special Ops Edition “Kawasaki” Mini-Bikes: Extreme Deployment in Action.

Washington Coast Avian Flu Devastated Caspian Terns

Reader H.L. sent us this: Washington coast avian flu outbreak devastated Caspian terns, jumped to seals. The article begins:

“An epidemiological study found that 56% of a large breeding colony of Caspian terns died from a 2023 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at Rat Island in Washington state. Since then, no birds have successfully bred on the island, raising concerns that the outbreak may have had a significant impact on an already declining Pacific-coast population.

As part of the study, a team including Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) as well as Washington State University researchers also documented that the avian flu virus H5N1was transmitted to harbor seals for the first time in the northeastern Pacific.

While there has not been another large coastal wildlife outbreak of H5N1 since, researchers estimated that about 10%–14% of the Caspian tern population in the Pacific flyway have been lost to H5N1 infections.”

A New Tick-Borne Virus in China

Reader C.B. flagged this news item: New virus uncovered in China—is this a sign tick-borne diseases are on the rise?

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 13, 2024

In a November 13, 1789 letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

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Continental Army Brigadier General Richard Montgomery took Montreal, Canada without opposition on this day in 1775. Ironically, shortly after this Montgomery was killed while fighting the British in Quebec, and the British retook the territory.

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Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was born in Scotland on November 13th, 1850.

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We are running a Week-Long Veteran’s Day Sale at Elk Creek Company. The prices of all of our in-stock military-issue rifles (and sporters) and our military-issue revolvers have been deeply reduced. Place your order before Monday, November 18th.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 115 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 2, by A.F.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Back to the Friday morning of the storm: The rain stopped here around 10 A.M.. According to our rain gauge, we received 5.6” overnight. As I walked our property, I found a tangle of trees had fallen with a very large white oak knocking over a decent-sized pine, and that in turn landed on one of our chicken coops. A sycamore had fallen from our side of the property line and damaged a section of our neighbor’s pasture fence, the top of a white oak had broken out and blocked one of our internal roads, a poplar was laying across our spring cistern, the road our driveway connects to was blocked by multiple trees in both directions, several hundred feet of utility lines were on the ground near our home and the creek that forms our property line was backed up by a nearby river such that the lowest elevations of our property were under five or so feet of water. We were fortunate.

As of this writing, the only loss we incurred was a two-inch irrigation pump that spent the night underwater. I may be able to repair it. Our neighbor had a young bull (around 500 pounds) escape and no one has seen it in three weeks. Remarkably, none of the homes in our community suffered damage beyond a few torn-off shingles. There were/are so many downed trees here and in the surrounding counties. Obviously, some homes took damage; but the number of occurrences where a tree fell away from a house, vehicle or property even falling opposite to surrounding trees gave a strong testimony that the Lord was watching over His people during the storm. At my in-law’s place, twenty-six oak and hickory trees were uprooted on their two acres. The way trees fell between my father-in-law’s parked trucks, tractors, and trailers without scratching the paint cannot be described as anything other than divine intervention.Continue reading“Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 2, by A.F.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Via SurvivalBlog reader C.B., we’ve just heard of the passing of Dr. Richard Cash, on October 22nd. He was the driving force in popularizing modern Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORSes). His work has surely saved countless lives, particularly in the Third World.  Dr. Cash was 83 years old. Our condolences to his family.

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Iran-Backed Houthis Reportedly Declare Ceasefire Shortly After Trump Victory.

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Texas Secessionists Declare ‘Revolution’ After Election Results. JWR’s Comment: Their choice of headline wording shows the statist bias of the Newsweek editors.

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On November 6th, my #1 Son, Jonathan Rawles, posted a set of 2024 presidential election maps showing the northwest states on X/Twitter: Total Redoubt Victory.

JWR’s Comments: Those maps confirm what we already knew about the ongoing conservative political shift, east of the  Cascades. The liberals are fond of saying: “Demographics Are Destiny.”  Well, I have a news flash for them: Demographics also work for us. Conservative families tend to have lots of kids, and if they are home-schooled, nearly all of those kids grow up to be conservatives. Game Over.

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An interesting SurvivalRealty property in North Idaho, with a house built of ICFs: Grid Down Fortified Homestead.

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Blog reader “Sis” wrote:

“Good morning. I’m of course following the recent stock-up article series. If people do have a blender they can make rice or oat flour in it. Also although it would be quite slow you can use your coffee grinder to grind up wheat, dried beans, etc. to use in cooking. It gives a person a lot more options when making food. Also, the book “Cookin’ With Home Storage” [by Peggy Layton and Vicki Tate] is helpful. Readers should be able to get a used copy quite inexpensively, online. Have a blessed day.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The whole of the Bill of Rights is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals…It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of.”  – Albert Gallatin, October 7th, 1789.

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 12, 2024

On November 12, 1926, the first recorded aerial bombing on US soil took place in Williamson County, Illinois, during a feud between rival bootleg liquor gangs, the Sheltons and the Birgers. Pictured is bootlegger Charlie Birger, in prison before his execution.

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Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor.

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November 12th, 1950 was the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 115 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 1, by A.F.

The following recounts some Hurricane Helene lessons learned from Western South Carolina.

Our power went off for the final time around 5:30 on Friday morning. It had blinked on and off twice earlier in the night, but I didn’t pay the warnings any attention. In the end, we were without power for nine days and only tonight as I’m writing this, 26 days post-storm did we get our regular Internet service back. I am fully aware that these are First World problems and compared to so many, Helene took it easy on us. Beyond ensuring that our vehicles were fueled, I didn’t make a single check, purchase, or additional preparation for Hurricane Helene.

In early August, I went through my storm checklists and made last-minute adjustments in preparation for Hurricane Debby. At least eight inches of rain from Debby were forecast yet we didn’t even see a storm cloud and could have used the “promised” rain. You could say normalcy bias kicked in because I dismissed the weather forecast for Helene since they had been wrong about the severity of storm impacts for our area all through the hurricane season.

When I last checked on Helene mid-day Thursday, it was still forecast to track through Florida and western Georgia to end up on the other side of the Blue Ridge mountains from us. Therefore, I went to bed on September 26th anticipating how to rearrange my work schedule so I could join one of our Disaster Relief teams helping out neighbors in a nearby state. I had zero expectation of Helene causing us anything beyond minor inconvenience. Lo and behold, we in upstate South Carolina awoke to wind damage galore, localized flooding, and the previously mentioned power and Internet outages. Most distressing of all, we had no ability to communicate by phone, by 9 A.M..Continue reading“Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 1, by A.F.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. The emphasis of this week’s column will be on some American Redoubt election results.

Region-Wide

In the left-leaning Inlander: Election results 2024: Who won, and which races are too close to call in the Inland Northwest.

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Two Oregon counties reject measures to dial back ‘Greater Idaho Movement’ meeting rules.

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Did you Know A Train Once Ran From St. Anthony, Idaho, to Yellowstone?

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Some nice snaps, in the Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper: Your Outdoor Photos: November 2024.

Idaho

Idaho election results.

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Note the tone of this news report from Boise State Public Radio News, an NPR affiliate: Southwest Idaho Health District Board pulls COVID vaccines from its clinics.  (Thanks to reader D.S.V. for the link.)

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Idaho Proposition 1, which would have instituted ranked choice voting, went down to a resounding defeat, in the November 5th, 2024 election. 69.7% of voters cast ballots in opposition to the liberal scheme.

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News from Sandpoint: North Idaho Town Rocked by Suspected Illegal Alien Rape.

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University of Idaho murders suspect expected to appear in Ada County Courthouse Thursday. A quote:

“The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students is expected to appear in an Ada County Courtroom Thursday morning.

According to newly filed court documents, the court will discuss the death penalty among other motions surrounding the case against Bryan Kohberger.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Insurgents do not just use asymmetric tactics; they do so in the context of asymmetric strategies. The insurgent’s most fundamental objective is simply to thwart the counterinsurgent’s objectives. We may think of this as “monkey wrench power.” Throwing a monkey wrench is a form of sabotage. The purpose of sabotage is to interfere with a competitor’s goals and interests and to create disorder. Disorder is the strategic friend of the insurgent and the foe of the regime.

Insurgent movements often do not aim for decisive victory, but rather to prevent the counterinsurgent from achieving victory. They seek to be winning, not necessarily to be victorious. To be winning, the insurgent need only to disrupt, break, and resist. He does not have to build, create, or sustain. In nearly every way, the insurgent’s burden is much easier than that of the counterinsurgent. Henry Kissinger noted nearly a half-century ago, ‘The guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win.’ This asymmetry is the essence of resistance and it gives the insurgent an enormous advantage.

The asymmetries of constraint further multiply the insurgency’s power. The insurgent has much more tactical latitude to resist than the state has to quell the resistance. Insurgent tactics are constrained only by the ethos and popular support of the people. As long as the insurgent is able to take the people’s side, he can largely use any means they wish. The insurgent’s grand strategy of “not losing” involves persistently provoking, disrupting, and exhausting counterinsurgent forces. The insurgents provoke the state, hoping counterinsurgent forces will overreact with excessive force. The resisters then flaunt and leverage that regime’s response in order to mobilize their own popular support.” –  Randy Borum, Ph.D, in Seven Pillars of Small War Power

Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 11, 2024

November 11th is of course Veteran’s Day. If you value your freedom, then thank a veteran.

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This is the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr. (born 1885, died December 21, 1945.)

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We’ve started a Week-Long Veteran’s Day Sale at Elk Creek Company. The prices of all of our in-stock military-issue rifles (and sporters) and our military-issue revolvers have been deeply reduced. Place your order before Monday, November 18th.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson.

Cleveland Kydex Axe Sheath, by Thomas Christianson

I have a Cleveland Kydex Axe Sheath for my Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe. The sheath does an excellent job of protecting the blade from damage. It also protects surrounding objects from being damaged by the blade. The sheath is tough, has stood up well to a year of hard use, stays on the blade well, and is easy to slide on or off.

The primary advantage of a Kydex sheath over leather is that Kydex does not attract and hold moisture as leather is often prone to do. It is also more wear and weather-resistant than leather.

Cleveland Kydex has a large selection of axes for which they have already designed a standard sheath. If you have an axe for which they have not yet designed a standard model, you can send them the axe and they will make a custom sheath for it. Surprisingly, the cost of a custom sheath is the same as for their standard models.Continue reading“Cleveland Kydex Axe Sheath, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Granny M.’s Granola Bars

The following recipe for Homemade Granola Bars is from SurvivalBlog reader “Granny M.” This recipe makes a more chewy-style granola bar.

Ingredients
  • 4 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (you can use regular white flour.)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2/3 to 3/4 cup of honey
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • Optional Additions:
    • Chocolate chips (1 cup) and miniature marshmallows (1 cup), or
    • Chocolate chips (1/2 cup) and peanut butter chips (1/2 cup), or
    • Craisins, coconut, chopped almonds (to taste), or
    • Cinnamon and raisins — I  suggest no more than 1/2 tsp of cinnamon mixed with the other dry ingredients.)

     

DIRECTIONS
  1. Mix the oats, flour, baking soda and salt.
  2. Stir in any additions.
  3. In a large saucepan, melt butter and stir in honey, vanilla, and brown sugar. Pour this over the oat mixture and mix it well. (If the mixture seems too dry, then add a little more honey.)
  4. Press the mixture into a raised-lip cookie sheet (or just a 9×13 inch pan if you want really thick bars.)
  5. Press the mixture down firmly with a buttered spatula. It is okay if it doesn’t fill the whole cookie sheet.
  6. Bake at 325 F for 18-to-22 minutes. (Allow less time for thinner bars, and more time for thicker bars.)
  7. Press the bars down again with a spatula after taking them out of the oven.
  8. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan.
  9. Cut into bars of whatever size you prefer.
  10. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before removing. Note that the bars will crumble if you take them out too soon or if don’t press them firmly enough.
STORAGE

You can wrap them individually or place them in an airtight container. They also store well in the freezer. They actually taste pretty good frozen too!

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!