Georgia: Hurricane Helene – Part 1, by Forward Preppers

Our background: We have been prepping and part of the SurvivalBlog community since 2011. We moved to our bugout location in the summer of 2016, a secluded spot in Middle Georgia. I work full-time at a local bank in a town about 25 minutes away. My husband had total knee replacement surgery several weeks prior to the hurricane, so he was unable to help much. We are in our late 50s/early 60s, respectively.

Back in September 2017 and 2018 we experienced hurricanes with power outages of five days on the first one and three days with the second one. And I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, so hurricanes are nothing new. I always go into this storm prep mode where I do all my laundry, top off my gas tanks, buy a few extras at the store, etc. This year was different because we had so much going on in our lives. I also want to emphasize that things don’t always happen at the most opportune times! And things don’t always go like you think (or hope) they will.

My storm prep consisted of clearing the porches, deck, yard, gardens, and animal areas of anything that could fly in the wind. I topped off all animal feed and water. However, we had four baby chicks that we had hatched out a few weeks prior, so they were a bit more needy. I had to unhook their heat lamp, gather up the extension cords and give them a pep talk. They were in a rabbit cage inside of a small covered coop to protect them from snakes, this would turn out to be the safest place to keep them from drowning.Continue reading“Georgia: Hurricane Helene – Part 1, by Forward Preppers”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We had some trouble with a cow and her heifer calf.  We had been separating the Mom from the heifer on some nights, by putting the Mom inside one section of our milking parlor and the heifer on the other side, divided by a tube gate. This way, they would feel close to one another, and wouldn’t bellow all night. The purpose of this was to briefly keep the Mom separated from her calf, so that the calf wouldn’t hog all of the available milk, overnight. After Lily did her morning milking (several days each week), the two were reunited. This worked fine for a few months until those two Bovine Co-Conspirators figured out a clever positioning for the calf to be able to stick her head through the tube bars, and still get her fill of milk.  So Lily asked me for a solution. I cut up part of an old frayed tarp and wrapped two thicknesses of it around the tube gate. I secured it with a dozen plastic zip-tie cable fasteners. We’ll see how that tarp holds up.  If it proves to be too fragile, then I will replace it with some wire mesh or perhaps even plywood.

Now, Lily’s report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.” – Ecclesiastes 6:1-10 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 11, 2024

October 11, 1923, under the Weimar government, the value of the hyperinflated German Mark fell to 10 billion per British Pound and 4 billion per US Dollar.

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Today is the 74th birthday of novelist William R. Forstchen (born, 1950.) He is best known for his survivalist novel One Second After.

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The last day! The big sale at Elk Creek Company ends tonight!  We’ve been running a 3-week-long sale at Elk Creek Company.  Today, October 11th, 2024, is the last day for sale pricing on all of our blackpowder revolvers, all of our M1891 Argentine Mauser rifles, and all of our sporter rifles. Their prices are deeply discounted. Get your order in before midnight, tonight!

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Please continue to pray for all of those who were hit by either of the two recent hurricanes in the Southeast. For those who were, we’d appreciate reading your Lessons Learned. They need not be full-length articles. Thanks, – JWR

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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.

Practical Wood Stoves, by Tunnel Rabbit

Wood stoves are the heart of everything that happens at a off-grid homestead. The obvious reason is that it provides heat that keeps the home warm and comfortable, yet it can also be used to cook and preserve our food, boils water for drinking and cleaning, and just as important, wherever it is located there will be the family gathered together.

The Fisher/Forester style stoves were produced in the the early 1980s all over the U.S. in small and large metal fabrication shops that purchased the doors that had the name brand cast into the door. Had the name plate been Fisher that marketed their Bear line of stoves that became widely sold and earned a very positive reputation, this same stove might be advertised in excess of $1,000 on Craigslist or eBay even without a fresh coat of paint.

The reputation of these stoves is well deserved. But they were cleverly marketed and featured certain brass ornamentation that could cozy up a home. So it became fashionable to show off the latest adornment the house could afford. It wasn’t just another unimpressive hunk of steel, but became a part of the furniture and today it has some collector value.Continue reading“Practical Wood Stoves, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at higher mortgage interest rates. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

JPMorgan: Gold Getting a Boost from the “Debasement Trade”.

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Frank Holmes: Gold SWOT: Hungary has raised its gold reserves, citing the precious metal’s role as a haven.  JWR’s Comment: Part of the recent slip in the U.S. gold price is attributable to the U.S. Dollar hitting a 7-week high on the Forex.  The more important metric:  As priced in Chinese Yuan, gold recently hit another all-time high.  When gauging precious metals markets, I suggest looking at long-term global trends and ignoring  short-term currency fluctuations.

Economy & Finance:

Rates increase – Today’s mortgage rates for October 8, 2024. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now average 6.40%,

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Reported on Monday:  Dow closes lower by nearly 400 points as surging oil prices and rising Treasury yields weigh on stocks: Live updates

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The Unstoppable Path to Ever-Increasing Currency Debasement.

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Pew Research: Economic ratings across 34 countries are more negative than positive.

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At Gold-Eagle.com: Fake News on the Economy Is Driven by Fake Money.

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At Zero Hedge: Biggest Hong Kong Crash Since 2008 On Record Volumes: What You Need To Know.

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Consumers Crack: Credit Card Debt Suddenly Plunges Most Since Covid As APRs Hit Record High.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.” – John Adams

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 10, 2024

On October 10, 1902, Tom Horn‘s murder trial began. He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged in 1903.

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Today is the birthday of composer Giuseppe Verdi. (Born 1813, died 1901.)

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On October 10th, 1913, the Panama Canal officially linked the Atlantic to the Pacific when the Gamboa dike was demolished with dynamite charges.

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The big sale at Elk Creek Company ends tomorrow!  We have been running a 3-week-long sale at Elk Creek Company.  Until October 11th, 2024, all of our blackpowder revolvers, all of our M1891 Argentine Mauser rifles, and all of our sporters have their prices deeply discounted.  Place your order soon!

—

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.

 

Pressure Cooker Lessons Learned – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

The first issue when I started was using the pressure cooker even though the gasket had some very small wrinkles along one surface. On the previous two experiments the pressure hadn’t gotten above normal and the gasket held. The second issue developed after Experiments #1 and #2. The lid was harder to turn into place so I applied butter to act as a lubricant for this third experiment. The owner’s manual suggests a little mineral oil if a small amount of lubrication is needed. Too much butter making the gasket too slippery was the probable cause for the gasket blowing out at the end Experiment #3. The wrinkled gasket probably didn’t help. Take-home lesson: when the manual says to not use an imperfect gasket, they mean it! Another important lesson: if anything is amiss with a pressure cooker such as the lid being harder to turn than normal, figure out what the problem is before using it.

To try the blowout-plug test again, I removed the gasket butter with hot soapy water. I’d be standing back 20’ so if there was a malfunction again, no problem. Unfortunately, the test failed because the gasket was damaged enough that the lid wouldn’t seal and pressurize, all I saw was steam was coming out from under it. My first three experiments showed a pressure cooker can often work normally even when slightly defective, but the last experiment showed how dangerous it can be when it gets under abnormally high pressure. For that reason, don’t ever use a gasket with even small defects. Replacement gaskets are inexpensive and as always, two is one and one is none.Continue reading“Pressure Cooker Lessons Learned – Part 3, by St. Funogas”

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, we look at gradually increasing interest in homeschooling by families in the United States.

Homeschooling Increases Across the US, Post-Pandemic

Over at The Christian Post: Homeschooling continues to increase across the US post-pandemic: report. (A hat to SurvivalBlog reader D.S.V. fo  the link.)

Florida Hit With a Category 3 Hurricane

Hurricane Milton video — Storm spawned multiple tornadoes in Florida. JWR’s Comment: Please pray for the safety of everyone in the storm’s path.

The Sun Unleashes its Strongest Flare This Cycle

On October 4th, the editors of Phys.Org reported: The sun unleashes its strongest flare this cycle. The article begins:

“Yesterday the sun released a huge solar flare, and it’s heading toward Earth. It’s nothing to worry about since it’s nowhere near as large as the Carrington Event of 1859, but it is large enough to give us some amazing aurora.

Large solar flares happen periodically. Quite literally, because the sun goes through an 11-year cycle of lower and higher activity. Right now the sun is near the maximum of a cycle, so we see lots of sunspots and flares. When astronomers first studied the cycle they could only measure the number of sunspots at a given time. Solar flares were largely invisible to early telescopes.

But now with orbiting observatories such as the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we can capture images of solar flares in real time. Astronomers now categorize the strength of solar flares by the intensity of X-rays they emit, known as their x-class. The categories are numbered by power level, with each category double the previous one. So, for example, an X2 flare is twice as powerful as an X1 and half as strong as an X3.

This latest flare is rated as X9, which is much stronger than most .”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 9, 2024

On October 9, 768, Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I were crowned Kings of The Franks.

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On October 9, 1000, Leif Ericson discovered “Vinland” (possibly at what was later named L’Anse aux Meadows, Canada) reputedly becoming the first European to reach North America.

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And on October 9, 1865, the first US underground pipeline for carrying oil was laid in Pennsylvania.

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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.

Pressure Cooker Lessons Learned – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.)

I took the pressure cooker back into the house and washed and checked everything again.

Pressure cooker knocked over in use – Next, I wanted to know if a pressure cooker got tipped over or knocked off the stove, what would happen? I was expecting a steam release, but how much? I set up the stove and pressure cooker on a stump in my north 40. This time I just used water. I placed an old sleeping bag next to the stump to avoid damage to the pressure cooker when I pushed it over after attaining full boil.

I fired up the stove and once the cap was rocking, took a 10’ piece of PVC and pushed the pressure cooker over. I repeated it three times. The first time the cooker landed upside down resting on its steam vent, and the other two times on its side. In none of the cases did the cap fall off. The one which landed upside down had a muffled release, the steam vent was mostly blocked by the sleeping bag so the steam came out slowly. When it fell on its side the steam release was similar to the first two small blasts in Experiment #2. The cap didn’t fall off either time and even though the steam was released quickly, it wasn’t getting a lot of distance before moving upwards in the air and dissipating. It wasn’t as loud as I was expecting.Continue reading“Pressure Cooker Lessons Learned – Part 2, by St. Funogas”

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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SurvivalBlog Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this, from X/Twitter:  Generator Disparity: How dare this man continue to live his life?

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Several readers sent us this: Farmers Turn Agricultural Drones into Lifelines in Hurricane Helene Aftermath.

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Martin Armstong: CDC Changes Child Developmental Milestone Guidelines. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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Reader R.T. had this response to my recent article titled Tools For The Next Generation:

“I’ve used 5% vinegar successfully to remove rust. I see that Home Depot sells a 30% cleaning version. As for oil I use mineral oil as it is cheap and easy to live with. The cleanest way to remove oil from tools without any residue is to use xylol.”

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Hurricane Milton Intensifies Into A Category 4; Prompts Hurricane And Storm Surge Watches In Florida.

And an update on Tuesday morning: Milton Downgraded To Dangerous Cat. 4 As Crosshairs Locked On Florida’s Gulf Coast. Please pray that the storm dramatically weakens and for everyone in its path!

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of today.” – Theodore Roosevelt