Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 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.

Armed To The Teeth: Essential Survival Contingency, by Michael S.

There are many varying opinions on what makes a prepper prepared. After listening to my contemporaries for some time, and giving their opinions due credence, I always find myself arriving at the same conclusion. I know that food, water and shelter are staples for not only prepping, but also normal everyday life. I understand the importance of self-reliance and sustainability. Topics like alternative energy sources, shelves stocked with supplies, ponds teaming with fish, underground hideouts, rainwater collection, and so on all make clear sense to me. I’ve found that the term SHTF seems to be frequently taken out of context and often misused. I must draw a line in the sand at the notion I’ve found of some people rationalizing how a couple thousand rounds of .22LR in a backpack can make a Ruger 10/22 a serviceable “combat” weapon. While storable food and water are both mission critical, it is apparent to me that arming yourself with the proper weapons, training, and equipment is the most essential part of prepping. I am certainly not regarded as a subject matter expert, or an authority in prepping, but I have been part of an invasion force. I am a combat veteran, a sharpshooter and machine gun expert. I have priceless real world experience and training that many of you will never attain. It seems that time is running out, that is why I have chosen to share my own personal insights.
   
In an economic collapse, the loss of utilities will be a disruption to your daily life. A collapse such as this could unleash waves of armed criminals, rioters, and looters looking for easy targets and a free meal. The events unfolding on the East Coast following hurricane Sandy are a good reminder of this. The worst case scenario is losing your food and water stores and the creature comforts of your dwelling. Even if you plan to hunker down, situations change and what used to be relative safety can become certain death. Your storable food, water supply, and shelter may all be compromised in an instant by an armed adversary. Far easier is it to disengage a hostile force carrying your weapon and as much ammo as possible, than to carry your food and water supply. The last thing you want is to get shot in the back running away with water jugs. In combat, I have never run to grab MREs when our perimeter was being probed. However, I have never passed up the opportunity to procure extra magazines when an insurgent was in the wire or when I was heading out on a mission. When my convoy was hit with IEDs, my thoughts were not ‘where are the cases of water?‘. That’s something- having no regard for water in the desert. When your life is in immediate danger and you are protecting your loved ones, you will not have regard for it either.

Undoubtedly the .22 LR is a handy piece of kit. Accuracy, affordability, utility, and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ammunition are very persuasive arguments for any firearms enthusiast that can’t leave a gun store without a new piece. For many preppers, it is impossible for this venerable platform to evade your interest or collection. Limit your .22 LR rifles use to the role of plinking practice and acquiring small game. If this is your go to weapon in a SHTF scenario, you may want to revise your strategy. Here’s why…

I grew up and lived for the most of my life in a large urban center located in FEMA Zone 5. On any given New Year’s Eve, an assortment of automatic gunfire is rampant. Police officers are admittedly ordered back to the precinct for their own safety. It is likely that most, if not all of those weapons are illegal and possessed by individuals under weapons disabilities. Whether legal or not, those same weapons could show up at your door during a collapse. Another aspect to consider is the proliferation of armed criminals who possess bullet resistant vests. Combine the two and you have quite the formidable adversary. To dismiss this threat is suicidal. If well-armed, armor clad men show up at your door with sinister plans for you and your family, you don’t want to find yourself gripping a .22 LR, period. You don’t want to find yourself outmanned and outgunned. Your stockpile of ammo is of no value to you and your family if you are outmatched by the bad guys.

Whether you anticipate bugging in or bugging out in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, you may not be able to avoid a physical confrontation or fire fight. It is of my opinion to always bring enough gun. Take into consideration that you will have no say in who your enemy is or when they will assault you. Unless your survival group is actively scouting the ‘enemy’, which is offensive in nature (subject outside the scope of this article), you will not be able to predict the nature of your enemy’s weapons, armor, equipment, or level of training.

Training

Your training is the cornerstone of all things survival. It is the umbrella that protects all of your other life sustaining preparations. No matter how bad the situation gets, nothing is a SHTF scenario until you are literally fighting for your life. An armed force on force encounter is nothing short of combat. You need to be intuitive, decisive, and deliberately lethal. Your mindset must allow you to freely dispatch your foes, one target at a time, effortlessly transitioning to the next target of opportunity without fixating on a previous target that is no longer a threat. Be prepared to cause serious debilitating injury and take human life.

Regardless of which weapon system or caliber you invest in, it is completely useless if you cannot effectively place rounds on target. It is an utmost priority that you become proficient in marksmanship. For beginners, I recommend acquiring some basic training. Books, videos, and courses have become quite prolific:  www.magpuldynamics.com, www.vickerstactical.com, and www.gunsite.com. Military manuals are also a wealth of knowledge. Any book you find authored by the late Col. Jeff Cooper should be a no-brainer purchase. Another great place to look for help is the programming on the Outdoor Network and Sportsman Channel. You should find those channels to be very informative, as they demonstrate a multitude of realistic training drills, tips from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, expert advice from the nation’s most prestigious firearms training institutes and top national competitors. Study land warfare manuals (MOUT), scouting, land navigation, camouflage, etc. ‘Train hard, fight easy’ was the saying. Well, no fight is easy, but it is certainly better to sweat in training than to bleed in combat. An important aspect of training is that it gives you a realistic sense of your group’s overall mission capabilities. It will help identify your group’s weaknesses and strengths, create discipline, and help build confidence amongst the team members. Establish a chain of command. I recommend the most experienced person in regard to a specific task take charge in those activities. Otherwise, with no leadership your group may fail to react to a threat in a timely manner. This will compromise the mission of your survival. Unit cohesion is a prescript for any organization to perform the duties in which it was designed. Training will allow you to identify the strongest shooters in your group. These individuals should be appointed the role of designated marksman. At the same time it will allow your proficient shooters to coach the others and get them up to speed. Consistently training in small unit tactics will enable your group to move with precision and drastically reduce the risk of fratricide.

Never become complacent. Complacency can get you dead in a hurry. Never take short cuts in training; it will undermine the intended purpose of training in the first place. I am reminded of a story about police training. A SWAT team attending a training session zeroed their weapons to a range in which they would ‘like’ to fight. They were only expecting to engage hostiles in close proximity and this led them to believe they had no reason to train and zero to the maximum effective range of their weapons. I assume this dangerous habit might have been acquired by becoming complacent after numerous house search warrants. The argument (excuse) they presented was that it would be difficult to remember the different points of aim (POA) and points of impact (POI) at different ranges, especially under the stress of combat. Shortly thereafter training was interrupted. They were called out and responded to an incident, in which they found themselves in a field with an armed suspect at a range of 100 yards. They were unable to safely engage the target. Luckily for them he was apprehended and nobody lost their lives. After that close call, they changed their training doctrine. Had the event been more severe and the team been unable to carry out their mission, they certainly would have come under intense scrutiny, or worse. Their own complacency sabotaged their mission capabilities, and it could have cost innocent lives, or widowed their own wives.

Police officers have superior training compared to average citizens (including CCW holders). It is noteworthy however, that police shooting statistics show they aren’t very accurate. Data suggests police accuracy to be in the neighborhood of 17% or so. Remember the Empire State Building police shooting in New York City not long ago? Bystanders were needlessly injured by the barrage of police gunfire. Perhaps some of you will recollect the shootout between Ohio State Troopers and the Kehoe brothers in 1997, where the exchange of gunfire took place at a distance of ten feet. The result was nobody being shot. Well, when the SHTF and you get an adrenaline dump, you’re going lose fine motor skills. If you think you’re going to be able to do any better than police with inferior training you’re dead wrong. You will be half as good in real life as you are on the range, and that’s being optimistic. The bad guys aren’t going to stand there like the targets of a static range, and you had better be moving too. What’s worse is they are trying to put bullets in you. 

When you’re on the farm post-TEOTWAWKI, don’t mope around in condition white with your head attached to your third point of contact. Keep your head on a swivel. If your rifle is not within arms-reach, you don’t have a rifle. When you find yourself completing mundane tasks, pulling long hours of perimeter guard duty or gate guard, your mind has a tendency to wander. You must overcome this tendency and remain focused at all times. It only takes a moment for the uneventful day to day grind to erupt into chaos. While serving in Iraq in 2003 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division, boredom would set in quite often. An order would come down and off we’d go pulling convoy security again. It beat guard duty and guard duty beat handling prisoners of war. The surroundings became familiar, as did the flow of local people. Even the ambushes at a bustling nearby intersection began to seem commonplace. I remember a group of insurgents randomly firing small arms and disappearing before someone could get a bead on those SOBs. As it turned out, that proved to be a poor career choice for those individuals. Sniper rounds often found their way into the airfield in Mosul and a man I know caught one of them. He was lucky, it only shattered his femur, and he was able to keep the limb. IEDs happen and there is no warning. Two of my brethren are very blessed to be alive; especially considering one sustained a shattered shoulder and multiple fractured vertebrae. They both suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). I have also had my share of close calls and near misses. I have seen firsthand the damage military small arms can inflict. These kinds of things happen fast and you need to ‘stay alert, stay alive’. Familiarity breeds comfort. Being comfortable in your surroundings gives a false sense of security. Complacency is a mass murderer.

Your inner circle should only consist of a small and limited number of deeply trusted individuals. You must actively attempt to make additions to your small group based on experience, specialties, and high value skills. Your training will bridge the gap between fear and mission effectiveness. Force multipliers must be identified and properly employed to gain every advantage for your well-trained dedicated force of do-good patriots. If you have never seen firsthand the barbarism of combat, you cannot fully appreciate the suffering it induces. Your survival completely depends on your ability to wage asymmetrical warfare against your enemy. Your ability to promptly overwhelm an enemy with firepower, decimate his ranks, disappear, and live to fight another day will be the key to your survival. None of this can be accomplished hiding in your basement, or foolishly engaging a superior fighting force with sub-par weapons and laughable training. Get real and get in gear. Shoot until it becomes second nature, then shoot some more. Make sure the personnel in your force are cross trained in each other’s skill sets and equipment to an effective degree. Everybody in the group must be familiar with all weapon systems that are deployable in your arsenal. Get the training you need. Keep shooting and prepare for the worst. Choose not to be a statistic, but rather the exception.

Firearms

Procurement of weapons and ammunition far exceeds the purchase of other seemingly important items. You will have to make choices that are tedious and might push the limits of your financial situation. It is a difficult proposition, but when your life is hanging in the balance spare no expense.  In a real life SHTF situation the only important thing is firepower. It is the only thing. You must absolutely overwhelm the enemy with superior firepower.

In close quarters the 12 gauge is arguably king. However, as effective as it is, if you step out into the street where ranges easily exceed 100 meters, you may quickly find yourself outgunned. Yes, that also includes your slug gun. Your .22LR will fit thousands of rounds in a backpack, yes. However, if this is your weapon of choice, then your plan will inevitably fail. If you can show me a military that fields a .22LR, I can show you a defeated army. Nations around the world have sought out solutions to maximize the number of rounds their soldiers can carry while considering weight limitations. It is not an accident that they haven’t arrived at the .22LR. You are depending on your weapon to keep you alive. Select your weapon’s chambering wisely, and make sure it has enough horse power to do its job of protecting you effectively.  Think in terms of maximizing your capabilities in any scenario. If I only could own one weapon (not recommended), it would be a carbine. Generally speaking, it easily transitions from close quarters to medium, to moderately long range offering far more security than a shotgun. Be aware of your specific weapon’s limitations and capabilities. Understand its intended purpose and keep it assigned only to tasks in which it excels, if possible. An M4 is not an M16 for all intents and purposes. While the M4 is more suitable and controllable in close quarters, your maximum effective range on a point target is limited by its shorter barrel. With the M16, you extend your effective range at the cost of cumbersome handling in confined spaces. If you anticipate longer range encounters in your area of operation you may opt for a different weapon system altogether.

In recent combat in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters have been utilizing .30 caliber weapons to engage our troops at ranges of ,1000+ meters, well outside the effective range of the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge of the M16 family of weapons our soldiers carry. Those engagements have prompted the United States military to take another look at the fielding of .30 rifles. Don’t just buy a firearm because of its CDI (chicks dig it) factor. Purchase them according to your threat assessment and the unique demands of your specific environment and situation. A firearm vetted at failing in cold weather environments is a poor choice for a defensive roll if you spend 4-5 months out of the year shoveling snow. Those climates are more demanding of you and your weapon. It is important to learn how to maintain your weapon in such environments.

Handguns are highly utilitarian, as your long gun is unlikely to accompany you to the store, to and from work, or anywhere else you are likely to end up. Choice of caliber is up to you, but the bigger the hole, the more bleeding it will cause, and the larger diameter bullet is more likely to hit a vital structure causing greater tissue damage. In context, your handgun should only be used as a back-up weapon, or to fight your way to a long gun in a SHTF scenario.

Keep spare parts on hand for parts that are likely to break with hard use of your weapons. Consider enrolling in a gunsmith course to personally enrich yourself, and to pass on acquired knowledge to your group members, because somebody has to keep those weapons serviceable. Keep your weapons properly lubricated and well maintained. Take care of it today, and your weapon will take care of you when you need it most. Your group should select weapons chambered in readily available calibers. Yes, the HK7 is one cool PDW if you can get one, but how do you plan to feed it? Proprietary ammunition has its niche, but the difficulty in amassing ammunition for them is too great a burden to bear. Limiting your overall ammunition requirements simplifies logistics for your group. It is also likely that your group will be able to barter with or for common ammunition more readily than the fancy stuff that only you have a need for.

Force Multipliers

Once you have become the master of your weapon, you need to keep training, and train harder. The addition of force multipliers to the equation is in order. Red dots, holographic reflex sights, magnifiers, and medium range scopes manufactured by EOTech, Aimpoint, and Trijicon to name a few are excellent choices. Magpul also supplies a number of gizmos for your shooting pleasure. Their PMAGs have become an industry standard and are stocked exclusively in my collection. Lasers are also a welcomed addition to my tiny arsenal, as they serve two purposes. The first is target acquisition. The second is the red dot that it produces on a target is universally recognized and has the intimidation factor that has caused assaulters to stand down in the past. I currently use and recommend Crimson Trace and Insight Technologies lasers. Trijicon also manufactures the tritium night sights that have made their way onto my service pistols. The ability to see your sights in any lighting condition is obviously advantageous. The life span for green and yellow sights is 12 years. Orange sights putter out after five years.

Edged weapons are also important. A hearty blade like the iconic Ka-Bar has numerous applications. You can find great deals on Ka-Bar knives at www.manventureoutpost.com. Combat tomahawks are well suited to the task as well. I recommend picking up a ’hawk’ from the folks at RMJ Tactical www.rmjtactical.com. Their products have been used extensively overseas and are credited with taking out the trash and keeping our boys safe. They are designed to pierce a Kevlar helmet, which is a pretty nice feature if your proximity to an assaulter momentarily takes your long gun out of the fight. I recall this story airing on television. A bright reliable flashlight should already be part of your daily routine. Surefire is the apex predator in that arena. I have carried several of them on deployment and highly recommend their products. Night vision devices are an absolute must, as they allow the viewer to see in near total darkness without breaking light discipline and giving away their position.

Buyer beware! Simply attaching as many accessories as your rails will accommodate makes you no more a sharpshooter than purchasing a scalpel makes you a surgeon. Likewise, stockpiling ammunition and owning several weapons does not make you a soldier, sorry fellas. They are tools to use in conjunction with, not a supplement to, skill. Keep in mind, every additional piece of kit demands more training. You will have to work hard and train intensely to develop your skill sets.

Regardless of your chosen weapon platform- high capacity magazines, magazine couplers, drum magazines or beta mags should always find their way into your home. Surplus ammo is fine if your chosen weapons will put up with it. I have found that old steel cased ammo, even the moderately rusted kind, still allows my weapon to run like a sewing machine. While not an ideal scenario, it’s better to know that now than to find out otherwise when my life is on the line. The relevancy here is that more ammo allows for extended fighting periods (horse power included). That means I don’t have to cringe if I blow through a mag or four laying down suppressive fire. This may be unlikely, but I‘m planning to win in any scenario. Because surplus is cheaper, you can acquire a whole lot more for the money. You will need a way to carry all of your gear. Load bearing equipment goes hand in hand with weaponry, so be sure to choose quality gear that is able to handle your mission critical load out.

It is important to consider force multipliers when defending against the aforementioned rogue criminal elements. Several companies offer bump fire stocks on the market for weapons such as the AR, the infamous AK series, and even the Saiga 12 gauge and others (www.slidefire.com and http://fostechoutdoors.com/index.php). These stocks increase your standard semi auto weapons cyclic rate to mimic full auto fire. More specifically, around 900 rounds per minute with the AR platform. It will spit out an entire 30 round magazine in under 2.5 seconds! While the criminal hordes have select fire weapons illegally, we have the option to purchase these stocks for mere hundreds of dollars and all approved by the BATF with no tax stamp or waiting period. Your assaulters may not know the difference, or care. But they will know somebody on the other side of the door or down the hall is not to be trifled with.

I believe in fighting fire with fire. This ideal extends to the use of body armor. With so many options available to the consumer, bullet resistant vests are everywhere and can be had for reasonable prices if you look in the right places. And why not? The criminals waste no time acquiring these items to use against you. Make educated purchases as the vest’s bullet resistance degrades over time and with everyday use. Surplus Kevlar helmets are pretty much everywhere as well. There are many more force multipliers than mentioned here, but I believe I have outlined a practical foundation for you to be well prepared and well protected. The people aiming to harm you will be well prepared. It’s up to you to determine the level of threat you face, and how best to protect your family. We’re definitely not talking about the run of the mill home invasion that is seemingly innocuous by comparison.

Being geared up for combat is an intelligent approach to protecting yourselves against the inherent risks of outsiders when TEOTWAWKI arrives. It is the only way to stay alive when the SHTF. Your goal should be to emulate law enforcement and military training, tactics and arms. These brave people risk their lives every day and know very well how to protect themselves. If you are well armed and trained, you have a degree of sustainability. Your weapon can produce food. Your food and water supply cannot protect or defend you when engaged by enemy forces. Your mind is the most dangerous weapon you possess. It is up to you to hone the mind and prepare it to keep you safe. “Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands” – Col. Jeff Cooper. The weapons are simply an extension of your mind. All excuses will fall silent when the brass meets the grass. There cannot be enough emphasis placed on proper equipment and training. In the end, it is all you have to fall back on.

Letter Re: Durable Paper For Printing Maps and Crucial Documents

Jim,
Some time ago, I sent you an e-mail about durable printer paper. Since then, the HP LaserJet Tough Paper that I then recommended has been discontinued.

I found this out when I tried to order some more, and this forced me to do some research. I found a replacement for the Tough Paper (in fact, I suspect Graytex may be the original supplier of Tough Paper as well as iGage Weatherproof Paper), and a few more options.

So here’s a summary of what I found:

There are some good “paper” products for printing documents that need to survive exposure to the elements—emergency contact lists, customized topo maps, equipment operating instructions, radio frequency lists, etc. I use the quote marks because some of them are plastic, not paper.
 
Rite in the Rain makes paper that is chemically treated to be water repellant, but it’s still paper so it can still tear and abrade fairly easily. On the plus side, it’s available in subdued colors.
 
iGage’s Weatherproof Paper is actually made of plastic. It’s very strong, to the point that you can’t really tear it without cutting it first, but it’s still compatible with laser printers, Sharpie markers, and Fisher space pens:
 
Graytex’s Power Paper appears to be similar (and may indeed be exactly the same stuff), but I haven’t tried it.
 
They also sell a treated paper that seems similar to Rite in the Rain.
 
Finally, note that none of these synthetic papers can be written on with pencil; the surface is too slippery. Pencils work fine on Rite in the Rain and presumably Graytex’s Ruff-n-Tuff, but if you need a pencil-compatible synthetic paper, then I can recommend Yupo. Used with pencils made from plastic rather than wood, this creates a solution that can be used and even stored under water. Best Regards, – P.N.G.

Letter Re: A Veterinarian’s Perspective on Prepper Medicine

Dear Jim,
I am board certified in family medicine. I believe D.A. gave sound advice, but  I would suggest staying away from clindamycin as about 20 percent of people who take it get C. Diff. collitis.

I have several patients who have been successful in purchasing medications through AlldayChemist.com. Typically, at 75 to 90 percent savings of the U.S. price. Keep up the good work. – J.W.

Three Letters Re: Hurricane Sandy After Action Reports

James Wesley,
By now you probably know that the mountains of West Virginia got snow generated by Superstorm Sandy so our local disaster looks somewhat different than other areas. 

In our case we got better than 3 feet of very heavy wet snow dumped on us in short order.  Trees came down over a couple of day period in numbers great enough to make walking outside hazardous. One of the local farm families I know had to cut their way to the barn to care for the live stock and then cut their way back home.  Over a week later we are still without electric power at the house.

A couple of thoughts on the storm from our perspective: 

You may not be well when Armageddon descends on you. Prepare to be able to do what needs to be done in a diminished physical capacity.  I was just coming down with some flu like bug when we where hit. Being sick really complicated the situation. I managed everything except getting the snow off of the various buildings roofs resulting in the loss of several roof vent pipes when the snow avalanched on its own.

Having back up plans are nice!  We just moved into a new office.  I designed a full kitchen and full bathroom into it the which was appreciated by all the staff that lived out in the country and are also without electric power.  The new office is on the same block as our local hospital so guess who got power back on sooner than just about anyone else.  The office also has a couple of other things that may seem strange do the unknowing that are use to JIT delivery or have never given much thought to this sort of thing.

Having the ability to lock various interior doors makes you feel a lot better if you have to run cords out the door to the generator instead of out the window you planed due to depth of snow and the fact I was too ill to wade through chest deep snow on that side of the house.  I have lost track of how many hurricanes I have been through having grown up in the Gulf Coast region, but this was my first natural disaster to have a generator available so surviving without one is very doable for any who care to think about it a bit.  Having a generator seems to have spoiled us a bit however and I expect to have one big enough to run my whole house before too long.

An All Wheel Drive (AWD) is not the same thing as a 4X4!  Having driven a 4X4 for years the wife talked me into a nice AWD van with the birth of our son a while back.  It is pretty good for lots of things, but bucking heavy wet snow appears to not be one of them.  I broke out my old diesel 4X4 for the duration with much better results.

Coal stoves are God’s gift to a cold wet world!  I burned wood for over a dozen years in several different quality wood stoves and would not trade the lot of them for my anthracite coal stove.

PALights which I thought where probably the most foolish flashlight design I had ever seen when I first saw them several years ago actually rock in a disaster situation.  Their Always-On (Off) position is enough light if pointed at the ceiling to not only always be able to find and lay hands on them, it is also enough light to light up the room enough to see kids, wife, dog, weapons, high powered lights etc as well as enough light to see if/when someone steps into the room who is unexpectedly.

I suppose lastly if you remodel your house do so with it being as functional as possible with no/minimal electric input.  I switched out an electric water heater for a pilot light gas fired instant unit and was able to run everything water wise as normal except the dishwasher/clothes-washer which was very well received by all who benefited by the endless hot water even if the bathroom was lit by a barn lantern at the time.

Still digging out!, – S.D. in West Virginia

 

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I believe that we are not hearing about the situation in the worst hit areas of New York and New Jersey and it may be weeks or months until we do.  Survival blog readers from this area are without power, phone, water, etc. and are struggling to just get through each day. Let me tell you briefly about my cousin on Staten Island.  I managed to contact him last weekend on his cell phone.  We spoke only a few minutes; with him doing most of the talking and me listening.  What follows are his words.
He was not in an evacuation area but was hit by what he called an 8 foot tsunami; it was storm surge.  He and his wife got out of their house when the water was waist high.  They ran for it and are lucky to be alive.  Everything in the basement is gone; circuit panel, oil burner (furnace), his home office with computers, printers, external hard drives, furniture.  There is 2 inches of silt in the basement.  He had three contractors there at the house, working to try to get it in some kind of shape.  Everything has been soaked in corrosive sea water and there is debris all over.  There may be a mold issue to deal with.  The contractors broke open the sewer pipe to allow water to drain backwards out of the basement.  He had another contractor coming in the afternoon to fix the sewer piper after the water drained.  He said, “You cannot believe the devastation” and I could hear sirens and general commotion behind him as he was talking.  He thinks it will take $30,000 minimum to get the house livable again.  He would like to borrow the money from his pension but banks are closed, it is a long process, forms need to be notarized; all of which is unavailable right now.  His wife is going to take a short term loan from her life insurance policy to get the house fixed, and then he will work through the pension loan and pay the life insurance loan back.  He was juggling multiple issues at once and very stressed (contractors, cleaning up, and work calling him if you can believe that).  They were staying at his stepson’s house that lives more inland and did not get flooded. People were waiting in line for 6 hours near him to get gas.  He cannot get up to Yonkers (north) to visit his elderly mother to check on her.  It is a disaster.  He cannot believe what happened.

Closing thoughts;
1.     My cousin and his wife are in their 50s.  They did not need this at this point in their lives.  It will be a huge financial hit.
2.     They have no internet, phone, power, water; couldn’t contribute a posting to something like the web site and having shelter, food, safety, etc. is their top priority now.  We will only hear from people like this weeks or months in the future.  Their stories will wait until then.
3.     Flooding like this could wipe out all or a good portion of your survival supplies.  Re-think where you put them if you live in a flood zone.  The basement may not be a good choice.
4.     Even if the power comes back on, if your circuit panel or furnace has been flooded, it probably is damaged and won’t work.  What will you do for heat?
5.     I watched people on television looking through what is left of their house.  They were looking for photos; only sentimental value but something that people value highly.  I have to re-think what I am going to do with the boxes of photos I have that I took before digital cameras and have not been organized in books. Maybe put them in one plastic container that I could grab and go or put in the car.
6.     I am going back to re-read all those posting on this web site about what to put in a grab and go bag.  I have supplies in the trunk of my car in case of an earthquake but what else would I want to grab?  Photos?
7.     My cousin was not told to evacuate.  The “authorities” don’t know any more than we do about what the effects of a storm or other natural disaster will be.  Use the brain that the Good Lord gave you, make your own assessment and follow it.  Better to be safe than sorry.  You do not want to be running for your life through waist deep flood waters/storm surge.
8.     The US has had floods, record tornado outbreaks, wildfires, drought, unprecedented hurricanes, etc.  I live in California.  I am expecting an earthquake next.  What else is left? I hope I am wrong but this is how all these disasters are making me think.
9.      It appears that disasters are no longer confined to California.  This is the new normal.  Prepare, prepare, prepare. – A.S. in California
 

Jim:
Here is Storm Update # 6, one week after Hurricane Sandy.
 
Margate City:  Not much to add… it’s a mess. Clean-up at the Shore continues, and incoming weather will exacerbate the problems. Mom is energized, edgy and emotional – can’t imagine why. I’ll drive down this weekend if she needs me.
 
Princeton: Power was finally restored on Sunday. I sent the promised Text messages to all those neighbors that had left for greener pastures. House by house, life returned. We are lucky. My understanding is that several hundred thousand PSEG New Jersey customers remain in the dark, including people in our township. This was also confirmed by an informal poll at school yesterday. The teachers had gathered the children to discuss storm experiences, and one of the questions related to how many were still without power. My wife reported about 25% raised their hands – the school had invited parents to stay for coffee and assurance that everything was safe. The estimate from PSEG is that everyone in our township should have power by Friday. For those counting, that would be twelve days from Hurricane Sandy’s landfall! Consider that reality next time someone mentions storm preparations.
 
The load of firewood that I requested on Saturday was delivered around noon Sunday. It was the largest “cord” of wood that I have ever seen…  I greeted the contractor warmly, offered coffee and overpaid for the emergency service. I then sorted and stacked for the next few hours. After that, I scooped the mounting ash from our fireplace (it went into our mulch pile), and then reloaded it with kindling and fresh logs – an old habit – I like it ready for the match after each use. During this time, my wife ferried the girls to quilting lessons and pottery. Gas lines at the local borough stations were fairly short – though we are still under the odd/even rationing order. As you travel to the main highways and north of here – gas remains an issue.
 
In the late afternoon, I serviced and filled the genny, and then stowed it in the garage. The five gallon safety cans will be topped off with gas today. That Nor’easter is coming, and I won’t lay odds on whether the shaken power systems in our area will hold.
 
On Monday, I finished returning the house systems to their pre-storm configuration. Cable is still down, but so what… we don’t watch much television anyway. Work – yes I do have a job – once the house Internet WiFi was operating as well as the office phone and my desktop computer… I began the process of catching-up on client communications and transactions. I also phoned my youngest brother at his office in New York City, and to my surprise, discovered that his entire team had procured a U-Haul, filled it with food, blankets, toiletries, etc., and had driven to Queens for direct distribution to folks. Well done little brother.
 
Halloween had been rescheduled for Monday night. My heart wasn’t into it, but our daughters were so looking forward to the costumes and fun. We all got dressed, and we were joined by another young girl who lives a few miles away – her dad was out of town. I took care of the shuttle service. I told the girls not to expect much and that we would only knock on houses with an obvious welcome mat. I also let them know that we would reverse the tradition in part – I was giving away light glow sticks (12-hour green chemical version) and a few bottles of wine for a handful of close neighbors. The night was abbreviated, but we had a nice time after all. I spoke with every family (renewing ties and asking as to status) and then gave them gifts. We all needed a break.
 
This morning, I have one eye focused on work, and the other on that Nor’easter. A penetrating rain with 50 mph wind gusts is not the prescription we were hoping to hear. Later today, we will take the girls to Vote as a family. They know about the Constitution and our voting system… we also discuss candidates and their parties – Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Tea, Green, Constitutional, etc., and even write-in possibilities. I make no prediction as to the Election outcome, and I truly wish for peace regardless of who wins.
 
The switch has been flipped – we have grid power – and yet, the events of this past week have made an indelible mark. Things aren’t normal. Folks are discussing house-wide generators, food supplies, solar energy systems, and water sources. Fireplaces that were either non-functional or which served as little more than interior decoration, are being inspected for duty. I don’t anticipate these sentiments will last… it’s so easy to fall into society’s Lotus-flower sleep… but for the moment, I’m encouraged.
 
Thank you for SurvivalBlog. I have gleaned much over the years. – Bill H.

Economics and Investing:

Turmoil in Greece escalates as unions strike. JWR Adds: The strike by doctors won’t mean any loss of income to them since most of them have been paid in several months, anyway.

Toilet Paper as currency, post Sandy.

Items from The Economatrix:

Mining, Ski Slopes and Condos: Buying Real Estate in the US with Silver in Mind

Why Thanksgiving Will Cost More This Year

What The Jobs Report Says About Housing

Why Economic Shock From Fiscal Cliff Will Last Over A Decade

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader W.J. wrote to remind me about letter in our blog archives that bears a new mention: Hurricane Preparedness Steps

   o o o

Northeastern Nuke Plants Came Close to Disaster, With Sandy. Reader Pierre M. sent some news that you might have missed: Storm Impact on Nuclear Plants – Oyster Creek, Salem, Indian Point, Peach Bottom, Nine Mile Point and Feds: “Atmospheric steam dump” at New Jersey nuclear plant — All 6 circulators lost at Salem due to debris, high river level.

   o o o

G.O. mentioned their editorial in a Utah newspaper that decries the funneling of news through PIOs: Stop The New American Censorship.

   o o o

Yes,”Part II” it is still showing in some theaters! Find an Atlas Shrugged Movie Theater Near You

   o o o

J. McC. spotted this: In the Gym: Clean Energy from Muscle Power. (See also: Green Microgym expands with franchise model.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." – G.K. Chesterton

Notes from JWR:

Today (Tuesday, November 6, 2012) is Election Day in the United States Please vote for candidates who defend personal liberty and who favor smaller, less intrusive government.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 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.

But first, some brief commentary from your Editor:

Hurricane Sandy Hits Home With The Eastern News Media

The preparedness movement in America just got a huge boost with Hurricane Sandy. In effect, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy vindicated America’s once marginalized survivalists and preppers. It is one thing to talk about major disasters abstractly from a distance, but quite another to live through one yourself. Heretofore, mainstream media reporters have tended to ignore societal fragility and vulnerability issues. But now they’ve felt the impact personally. Our friend Tamara, over at the View From The Porch blog astutely observed that New York City is “the navel of the news media universe.” And the greater New York City region was hit hard by Sandy. So, unlike Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast in 2005, I predict that the Hurricane Sandy experience will spur mass media reporters to cover preparedness topics with greater seriousness.

I was just interviewed by a USA Today reporter and I noticed a pleasant change. He showed no trace of the incredulity, snobbishness, and bemused detachment that I’d heard before from East Coast reporters when discussing preparedness. They have now seen the elephant.

In the coming weeks, I hope to see much more complete and earnest reporting on preparedness from news outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. (See, for example, this recent piece: Dining Through Disaster.) And if you thought that National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers was popular before… Well, in my estimation they’ve just been handed assurance of a multi-season renewal.

While Hurricane Sandy didn’t turn everyone on the East Coast into preppers, it has most assuredly reduced the the teasing and taunting of preppers. And if nothing else, it will raise America’s preparedness quotient–at least for a little while. (There will probably be some bargains on “like new” backup generators in about a year, as Mr. and Mrs. Mundane lose interest in disaster readiness.)

Addenda: Just after writing this, a reader sent me a link to an editorial piece by Mike Adams of Natural News that echoes my observations: Liberal media, White House owes preppers and survivalists a massive apology in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy

A Veterinarian’s Perspective on Prepper Medicine, by D.A., DVM

First let me advise you that I am not an MD, nor am I qualified or authorized to give medical advice to humans.  Keep in mind, however, that we are all animals.  The information herein is for reference only, and I bear no liability for misuse or adverse effects (allergy) by using any of these antibiotics.  Essentially all of the antibiotics used in veterinary medicine are from human medicine, and most were tested on animals before being used in humans.  Although you may have used a particular antibiotic in the past, your body may have developed a sensitivity or allergy to the very same product since then, and you should discontinue any medication if you are exhibiting negative signs (usually a rash).

Everybody gets sick sooner or later.  It can be a mild “cold” or upper respiratory infection, or blood poisoning from an infected scratch.  In a post-disaster situation, the risk of infection likely will go way up, due to lack of medical care, contamination, stress, poor nutrition, exposure, and reduced hygiene.  Even gunshot wounds are possible, or lacerations and broken bones.  Having a stock assortment of common antibiotics ready now is a good idea.

Antibiotics don’t change to poison the day after they expire.  It has been proven that antibiotics are safe to use for at least five (5) years beyond their expiration date.  Don’t throw away expired antibiotics or other medications for that matter.  They may not be as effective as when they were “fresh,” but they are probably 90+% still active.  In a disaster situation they may not be available again for a long time, and you’ll be longing for the Amoxicillin you flushed down the toilet. [JWR Adds: The only exception might be cycline family antibiotics, which have been reported to cause Fanconi Syndrome when they break down. This has been previously discussed in SurvivalBlog.]

Try the “First Choice” medicines; if they aren’t working, try another First Choice, or go to the “Resistant/2nd Choice” column.  You won’t have the luxury of doing a culture and sensitivity test to see what is causing your infection and what the best antibiotic is to eliminate it.  This will all be trial and error.  You have to give an antibiotic at least a three-day try before deciding it’s not working, and even slight improvement is a sign to continue what you’re on.  Don’t jump from one antibiotic to another unless symptoms are worsening.  Checking body temperature is a good way to judge.  If your former fever of 103°F is coming down, it’s a good indicator that things are improving.  (Add a digital or “old fashioned” thermometer to your list.)

An abscess generally needs to be drained before it will heal.  That means lancing it at some point to “let the corruption out” of the body.  Your immune system is trying to throw out the bacteria by killing and consuming it, creating pus, but sometimes the bacteria reproduces faster than the white blood cells can work.  That’s where antibiotics help out by interfering with the bacteria’s reproduction or by actually killing the bugs.  Often the abscess will rupture by itself, when the skin over the infection breaks down, but you can also get pretty sick before that happens.  (Add a half-dozen scalpel blades to that list, too; #10 curved edge for slicing, #11 sharp point for lancing.)

There are various categories of antibiotics, such as the penicillins (-cillins), sulfas (sulfa-), tetracyclines (-cyclines), and fluoroquinolones (-oxacins).  If you have Ciprofloxacin and it isn’t working, then the other “-oxacins” probably won’t be any better.  This isn’t always a hard/fast rule.  Amoxicillin may not knock down a cat bite abscess, but amoxicillin-clavulinic acid combination usually will.  Survival medicine is a situation where you do what you can with what you have.  And add lots of prayer.

An antibiotic doesn’t do the job of wiping out infection all by itself; it basically gives your own immune system a “backup.”  You can optimize the effect of an antibiotic by keeping yourself well hydrated, warm, comfortable, well-fed, and by reducing stress as much as possible. 

If you are stocking up, it would be good to have something from each category, such as Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, and Trimethoprim-sulfa.  Or substitute Amoxi-Clavulinic acid for plain Amoxi.  It’s a “bigger gun” for treating infection.  Also, you want to use the first line of antibiotics in nearly all cases (exception might be a bullet wound or deep laceration).  If you continually use the strongest/newest antibiotic, you risk developing resistance to that antibiotic.  And use the antibiotic until you are certain the infection is over, and add a few days treatment to be sure.  A wound would usually take two weeks’ treatment or more.

Cost can be an issue with some antibiotics.  I traveled to a very remote atoll in 1997, and I knew the place was a virtual cesspool.  I asked my doc for a prescription for a week’s worth of Ciprofloxacin, and the 14 tablets cost me $100.  Today you can get 30 for $4.  Generics in nearly all cases are just as effective as the original trade-named product.  Some in-store pharmacies (Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Giant Eagle) offer a 30-day supply or 30 doses of common antibiotics and other medicines for just $4, or sometimes free. 

Viral infections, such as flu, are not affected by antibiotics.  But my opinion always has been that if a virus is causing damage, there are secondary bacterial “opportunists” that are also present, and an antibiotic can’t hurt.  It may reduce the overall recovery time.

I’m not including injectable antibiotics for several reasons.  First, they require syringes and needles, which in today’s world are used only once and replaced.  Before plastic came along, syringes were made of metal and glass and were reused until worn out.  Needles were re-sharpened, sterilized, and reused as well.  Not nearly as sharp as today’s disposables.  Second, many injectable antibiotics require refrigeration and may have a shorter shelf-life overall.  Third, once you put it in, you can’t take it back out, but you can stop giving tablets if there is a reaction.  Lastly, injectable antibiotics are nearly always in glass vials or bottles, and subject to breakage.

 

Infection Site
Urinary Tract                        First Choice                                                            Resistant/2nd Choice
           
                                    Amoxicillin                                                            Ciprofloxacin
                                    Amoxi/Clavulinic acid (Augmentin®)           
                                    Ampicillin                                                           
                                    Cefadroxil                                                               Cephalexin (Keflex®)                                   
                                    Trimethoprim-sulfonamide

Upper Respiratory (sinus, throat)

                                    Amoxicillin                                                            Azithromycin
                                    Amoxi/Clav                                                           Ciprofloxacin
                                    Ampicillin                                                           
                                    Cephadroxil/Cephalexin                                       Tetracycline/Doxycycline                                   
                                    Trimethoprim-sulfonamide

Lower Respiratory (bronchitis, pneumonia)

                                    Amoxi/Clav                                                          Azithromycin
                                    Cefadroxil                                                            Cephalosporin 2nd/3d gen.                                               
                                    Cephalexin                                                            Tetracycline/Doxycycline
                                    Ciprofloxacin                                                       Combinations
                                    Trimethoprim-Sulfonamide

Skin/Soft Tissue (wounds, abscesses)

                                    Amoxi/Clav                                                          Clindamycin
                                    Cefadroxil                                                            Dicloxacillin
                                    Cephalexin                                                            Ciprofloxacin                                   
                                    Trimethoprim-Sulfonamide                                 Oxacillin
                                                                                                           

External Otitis (ear canal to the eardrum)

                                    Topical therapy:  Clotrimazole, Tresaderm, Ciprodex Otic
                                    (You want to use a liquid that will flow into the ear canal all the way to the ear drum.)

Internal Otitis (middle ear)

                                    Same as first-choice Lower Respiratory

Oral Infections

                                    Amoxi/Clav                                                            Metronidazole plus
                                    Clindamycin                                                            Amoxi/Clav

Bones
                                    Amoxi/Clav                                                            Clindamycin
                                    Cefadroxil                                                               Ciprofloxacin
                                    Cephalexin                                                              Metronidazole                                               
                                    Tetracycline/Doxycycline                                   

Human Dosages

     Amoxicillin:  500mg every 12 hours (severe 500mg every 8 hrs)
     Amoxicillin/Clavulinic acid:  500mg every 12 hours
     Ampicillin:  500mg every 12 hours
     Azithromycin:  500mg first day, then 250mg per day for 4 more days
     Cefadroxil:  500mg every 12 hours
     Cephalexin:  500mg every 12 hours
     Ciprofloxacin:  500, 750, or 1000mg once a day
     Clindamycin:  450mg every 6 hours
     Doxycycline:  100mg every 12 hours for 7-10 days
     Metronidazole:  500mg every 12 hours for 7 days
     Oxacillin/Cloxacillin/Dicloxacillin:  500mg every 6 hrs for 7-21 days
     Tetracycline:  500mg every 6 hours for 14-30 days
     Trimethoprim/Sulfonamide (Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim):  800mg every 12 hrs
           
Notes:  The two most important things you can do to prevent infection are wash your hands with soap and clean water often, and dental care: both brush and floss your teeth daily or three times a day

There is a “Guide to Veterinary Drugs for Human Consumption, Post-SHTF” that covers readily-available veterinary medicines that we can use [in true disasters].

However, it is just as easy (and probably less expensive) to buy from All-Day Chemist at https://www.alldaychemist.com/.  These are generics that are very affordable.

            If you are on your own, I would recommend having a couple weeks’ or a month’s worth of the following in the largest sizes (mg):

            Amoxi/Clavulinic acid (Augmentin®)
            Azithromycin (Z-Pack®)
            Cephalexin (Keflex®)
            Ciprofloxacin
            Doxycycline
            Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole

If you need a prescription, you might confide with your family doctor and tell him/her your concerns about preparing for all possibilities.  There are legal ramifications in the good old litigious USA, but if you’re lucky you’ll have a doc with common sense.  It would also be wise to read the antibiotic inserts (also available online at www.drugs.com ) and familiarize yourself with what they’re used for, side effects, and dosages for various problems.  The dosages listed above are “shotgun” amounts, or highest levels.

About The Author: D.A. has had a veterinary career in mixed practice (large and small animals)

Letter Re: Hurricane Sandy: An Outsider’s Perspective

JWR,
I don’t live anywhere near the affected area from Sandy, but now that we’ve had some firsthand accounts, I wanted to throw in my $.02 as an observer from afar:
When the storm hit, I defaulted to the main stream news channels and sites, which got old and repetitive quickly without being very informative.  To get a better feel for the local perspective, I resorted to my smart phone’s 5-0 police radio app.  By bouncing around and listening in on the various police, fire, and EMS dispatch feeds from Northeast counties and cities, I was able to get a better feel for the ground truth around the region and was also able to learn how “the authorities” prioritized their response to various incidents.  

The first thing I will mention is that government at all levels is better prepared than most citizens.  They have survival plans so that they can maintain operation, but that does not mean they will maintain services to citizens.  This is probably obvious to most readers here, but I thought it was important to mention that the government is heavily invested in the survival business.  They just won’t put it in those terms.

The second thing I noticed was that mobility was severely limited for everything but foot traffic.  Sometimes fire trucks could not respond to calls a few blocks away because of downed trees, water, and live power lines in the streets.  Later on, some response vehicles who were isolated from their stations were taken out of commission because they simply ran out of gas and could not get back to fill up the tank.

The third thing I noticed was that looters were the lowest priority during and immediately after the storm.  Responders called in suspicious characters from time to time, but most were too busy clearing roads, putting out fires, and fixing power line hazards to deal with looters.  This makes sense when you consider that loss of life from fires and downed power lines is more important than the theft of Mr. Jones’ big screen television.

I did hear one interesting call:  I don’t remember what city, but a fireman noticed three people walking in the storm wearing camouflage [uniforms].  I don’t know who they were, but they were immediately considered a threat.  If they were preppers, they need to learn to blend in.  If they were looters, God bless them for putting a big police target on their own backs.

One final observation.  This was not WWIII, and it would take something much bigger and of longer duration for things to degrade to that point.  Many amateur preppers put a disproportionate emphasis on armaments, and then when disaster strikes, they lack basic creature comforts and have to go primitive or bug out.  After Hurricane Sandy, which would you rather have had: a $2,000 tricked-out battle rifle or a decent generator and 50 gallons of gas?  From what I’ve seen and read from afar, thanks to the lack of roving mobs, security during Sandy could be as easily maintained with a .38 Special revolver or even a baseball bat.  After all, what’s the point of being prepared for the the zombie apocalypse if it means you suffer more during less severe disasters?
Thank you James for running a site where normal people can find and share reasonable, balanced information on preparedness.

God Bless, – Robert in Texas

Letter Re: Lessons From a Knife Attack

James,
A local surveillance camera [in Albuquerque, New Mexico] caught this stabbing incident.  There are lots of lessons here, but I’d point out three: 1–the attack was quick, with no warning and no known reason, and 2–the victim fought back as best as he could, probably saving his life as the attacker was trying to stab him again and 3–“smoke shops” should be avoided. – Scott B.

Two Letters Re: Hurricane Sandy After Action Reports

Hello,
I am a native New Yorker who has lived in the city for more than 30 years. As much as I would like to live elsewhere safer, I still very much love the city and have to remain here because of work and my mother. The recent devastation left by Sandy wreaked havoc in the city. You can read about plenty of details on the hurricane from the news and other posts so I’m just going to keep this post short based on some of the problems encountered that were unique to an urban environment. In addition to the basic necessities of being prepared, I would like to add some further precautions that can be utilized to help minimize some future problems that can occur in a highly populated city such as New York.

• Electronics/communications: Many people who were in downtown Manhattan had no power and these days, we are tied to our cell phones, laptops, etc. They had to travel uptown in desperation to charge their lifeline. Without a cell phone, there would be no way for many people to contact anyone. Having an extra external charger would’ve been handy along with another charger that utilizes AA batteries as part of their emergency kit will make a good last resort back up.
• Money: ATMs were down in certain places and because there was no power, restaurants and stores only accepted cash. If you had no cash and the ATM wasn’t working or was empty, you weren’t getting anything. Always have some cash on hand.
• Gas: This was a big problem since many people from surrounding areas had no gas due to power outages and so people from New Jersey, Long Island were driving to NYC to fill up. People waited more than 3 hours in line for gas. There was a lot of tension and anxiety caused by a gas shortage. Many gas stations were eventually closed when there was no gas left. My girlfriend had the foresight to remind me to fill up on gas before the storm hit so this should be a good lesson to fill up and stock up in advance of a possible disruption.
• Transportation: The lifeline of New York was cut off since trains were flooded along with extensive damage to the rails and tunnels. There was major traffic lasting hours since it created a bottleneck effect at the bridges that were open. There was also chaos at shuttle bus stops everywhere. Many buses were full and simply bypassed many passengers who were waiting for hours to get on and the city put restrictions by creating carpool lanes into Manhattan with a 3 passenger minimum. Any less and you would have been turned away. This turned what normally would have been a 30 minute commute into a three hour commute. Having a bike or being able to walk for long distances would eliminate the dependency on cars and public transportation.
• Of course, other typical events related to post disaster scenarios occurred (especially in poor neighborhoods like Coney Island) such as: food/water shortages and looting.

A great tragedy occurred in this great city. I hope that people here will start to wake up and become more self sufficient. Those who were spared have been given another chance to do better for themselves and their families in the future. For those who were directly affected, we all pray for your quick recovery. May peace be with you all – A.I.K.

Dear James,
Greetings from New Jersey and thank you for your fantastic blog. My power was not restored until Sunday after losing it one long week ago.

Survival preps, i.e. food, water definitely not a problem for me. Between frozen food,cans and home canned then long term food in Mylar and pails, I can go a year or more. This hurricane is a great “dry run” and those that endured devastation, my heart and prayers go out to them.

On the other hand, so many don’t even have the simple things a day or too. Simple things like filling the car or truck fuel tank before the storm, or getting a few more batteries. As the storm hit, I sat back, having gotten my sick elderly mom from the New Jersey shore, made contact with friends and relatives to try and get out of harm’s way. The power went out very early and within lays a comfort level knowing you can provide for you and your family.

Sitting around the table listening to the hand crank radio under the glow of the Coleman lantern. As the wind howled communications failed. Cell towers along the coast ceased. Roads closed throughout the state. Those with cell phones had no way to charge them if cell service was available.

As our procedure, the emergency two way radios were put into use. At midnight I heard the call signal and a brief verbal check in. We would monitor and contact every 8 hours. Communications are very important. Even someone’s a quarter mile away might as well be in Europe during an emergency, without communication, and a source of immediate back up or help if needed.

As the storm hit us harder, we lost contact with friends and family throughout the night. Communications can not be stressed enough.

The next morning, reports of devastation along the coast, of millions of people without power, without water and food. I’m sure not everyone believes in prepping for a year or more, but please, some cannot even feed themselves for two days without demanding that Uncle Sam must help them.

Within the day, people realized that without gas, you can’t drive or run generators. Without generators, no gas at the gas stations. Yes I personally saw lines at the few gas stations with gas and open over a mile long. Society was breaking down after just 24 hours.

Milk could not be delivered, no diesel for the trucks. Milk could not be picked up at the farms, again, no fuel. I ask, doesn’t anyone prepare?

During the day Tuesday, I get a radio message, rumor has it there is some looting, and its time to lock and load. So be it.

During the frost two days, you would hear generators running day and night. I thought to myself they must have huge amounts of fuel. In order to conserve, I would run it for few hours, shut it off and run it again. One by one, you heard the generators go silent. By conserving, 50 gallons would last for a month or more.

As for eating, oh my, we ate terrifically. Long slow cooked meals and knowing, it would be a long time before we ran out. And yes, there would be lots of rice and beans in the future, but not yet.

As of today, sunday, there still is no fuel available. Food distribution is at a stand still.

What have I learned. Fuel s critical. If you don’t have it, you won’t get it.

Cell phones become useless when the power s down. Alternate communications are a must. With that a thought. If the government became abusive, how would you spread the word? How would you get pictures out so others can see? Internet was not available locally and can be shut down at will by the government.

Have backups. My transistor radio stopped working. The crank up took its place.

Be ready to move fast. New York City was locked down. Tunnels and bridges closed. Have a way to travel and avoid check points.

People have lost everything and many more are suffering. Learn what you can from these warnings.

God bless America and pray for out country on Tuesday. – Rich S.

News From The American Redoubt:

Gun sales, concealed permits on rise in Wyoming before general election

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Wyoming’s wolf season is starting off slowly, but some zones have already closed, with the small quota numbers already reached. (FWIW, the standing joke in my region is that “wolf tags come 20 to a box.”)

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Mapping Migration: Who Moves To Idaho

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Sabotage in the Redoubt? Damage Reported At Sinclair Refinery Near Rawlins

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Man missing for a week came out of Idaho woods on his own