Two Letters Re: Lessons From an Ice Storm

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I have been a daily visitor to your site for about three years now. I want to drop you a line regarding our experience in the big Pacific Northwest ice storm–wit effects still being felt.

I live with my wife in a suburb of Tacoma, part way between the city proper and the farm country. The television and Internet news sites all warned of a “massive” and “record breaking” storm that would move into our area this past Monday. We are on PSE power and have our own water well.

We consider ourselves pretty well prepared (we read your site, right?) so all we did was top off the gas in our vehicles, plus put another 20 gallons into five gallon tanks. We did all our dishes and laundry, unplugged electronics, brought in a mighty heap of firewood, and got out a bunch of candles and hand-crank flashlights and radios. Because we knew we would have no water if the power failed, we filled the bathtub with water to have some extra if our bottled water (both drinkable and non-drinkable “flushing” water) was exhausted.

After getting a foot of snow Tuesday, (which is a lot for around here), on Wednesday the power went out. A one-two punch of cold arctic air and lots of moisture from the Pacific gave us  one nasty storm. Trees loaded with snow fell over left and right, taking out power lines and blocking roads. By Thursday frozen rain put a coating of ice on top of the snow, making driving almost impossible. Temperatures dipped into the mid-twenties but our wood stove kept us nice and toasty. For two and a half days we had no power, water, land line phone, television, or Internet. Not a big deal really, it was actually kind of an adventure since we knew we had the skills and the stuff to go quite a while without any of these things.

We did learn a few things, and spotted some holes in our plan. We could have used a generator but  it was beyond our budget, but I did use an inverter to run some electricity from my truck into the house, enough to recharge cell phones and my laptop, and to run the television to watch a movie. Lesson: get a hand-crank cell phone charger, and generator when we can afford it.

Because there was so much snow and it stayed below freezing for several days, we took most of the stuff from our refrigerator, put it in plastic tubs, and nestled them into the snow on our back deck. We packed snow around them and weighted the lids to keep critters out. Lesson: we should have done this on day one, rather than day two. By waiting we lost a few items and the fridge got stinky. And we had to empty some tubs to use, so next time we will pre-empty them, set them on the deck early in the storm, and transfer food to them sooner.

I went out to my truck to tour the neighborhood, more to see what was happening than anything else. I put on my chains but they rattled like crazy, which didn’t sound right. I limped over to the tire place a few miles away, suspecting that the chains were the wrong size, and sure enough, they were. (They did have power but in the case that they were open but had no power, I brought cash. No power means no registers, credit card or check payment, and they might not even be able to make change.) The truck is new to me and I did have chains but I had never put them on. Apparently I bought the wrong size  a few months earlier. Lesson: use your tools! Not just chains but everything. Practice with them before you need it. Stuff without training is just expensive doorstops/paperweights.

After chaining up properly I drove around a bit. Nearly all the traffic lights were out but most people obeyed the treat-a-failed-light-like-a-stop-sign rule, though I did see a few who just ran right through the intersection without stopping at all. About 80% of the area was without power but there would be a few blocks that had juice and boy were they packed. At least a hundred vehicles lined up for gas at the few stations that were open. The one grocery store that had power was absolutely mobbed. I didn’t go in because I didn’t need anything, but the parking lot was a madhouse of ice, slush, heaps of bulldozed snow, cars parked at crazy angles, and lots of angry people. I can only imagine what it was like inside the store.

Didn’t these people know a storm was coming a few days before it got here? It was all over the news, even the national mainstream media talked about it. Many, if not most, of the vehicles had no chains or snow tires and I saw several fender benders and cars stuck in the snow. Some lunatics drove way too fast for conditions, showering other cars and even pedestrians with ice and slush. No cops were anywhere to be seen.

I stopped to help one person but the conversation we had only made me shake my head in bewilderment. This guy wanted fresh coffee and hot food, so he put himself and others at risk because he was unwilling to sit at home and eat from a can and do without his precious coffee. He’d heard the news but disregarded it, he had not stocked up before hand, and was so used to his modern conveniences that the idea of going without them drove him onto roads he had no business on at all.

I have neck and back injuries so I was going to put my health at risk to help numbskulls like that guy, and I reluctantly did not offer anyone else roadside help. It does raise the obvious question: what will it be like during a long-term and/or large scale emergency? What if people like that guy have to go weeks, months, or longer without electricity? Just how long will it take for the helpless, handout-dependent, unprepared general public to turn nasty? Based on what I saw, not very long. – P.P.P.

 

Dear James:
I am writing to to you on Sunday afternoon. We have been without power since Wednesday at 3 a.m. I live in western Washington.

Most of the contents of our refrigerator are history. My wife is cooking and canning the now thawed frozen meat.

We scored 5 gallons of gasoline from Fort Lewis for our generator. The generator has had problems with fuel starvation from ice and gunk in its fuel line. Had to work on that Saturday and today. Seems to be fixed. We are using the generator to recharge computer batteries and to pump water, running it about two hours a day. Dried some clothes that were in washer Wednesday when power went down.

We have been very well off with kerosene lighting and propane heating. Even so, getting reset for the new day is very tiring in a mad rush to get everything done while generator is running. Believe it or not, we are sustainable. We could go like this indefinitely as long as I can locate gasoline. Having said that, we did not go to church this morning to conserve energy for the day’s chores.

I read that Yelm city limits has regained power as of last night. Hopefully we can buy gas there. Here in the hinterboonies we may not see power service again until Wednesday evening.

A new wind storm is blowing in Sunday, which may worsen an already rough situation. At it’s peak there were 3/4 million people without power. This was the ice storm that kept on giving, and many people were without heat.

We are blessed and thankful for what has worked, and are on notice for what has not. Next time we will be in even better shape. I’m thinking that we will switch to propane refrigeration and diesel powered cars/generator with a 250 gallon diesel storage tank. It’s now on the list. I am online right now thanks to the generator.

This isn’t just a how are we doing letter. I’m writing this to show you the value of all the preps we have done over the years. I wear my tin foil hat with pride. Some, if they were with us might say “You guys are weird,” then in the next breath ask if there is any hot coffee left. My wife is running both ovens at the moment (they were imported from Italy). Try that with a glow bar start oven–which is presently all you can buy in the states.

Signing off until generator run time Monday. – D.&D.

Letter Re: Solar Panel Restrictions are Another Reason to Hate HOAs

JWR:
This television news segment was disturbing: Should HOAs restrict solar panel use? They cited “architectural standards.”

The family made the mistake of challenging the authority of the homeowner association (HOA) to pre-approve all changes (including tone of roof shingles, type of planted grasses, whether or not RVs can be parked on your property, et cetera) and impose their notion of right and good on you and your house, at your expense. HOAs should reduce the market value of a house by 40% at least, IMHO, for anyone contemplating surviving a grid-down, phones-down, plumbing-down situation.

Why would anyone subject their home to such meddling? Cheers, – Karl K.

JWR Replies: I’ve always advised my consulting clients to avoid buying land inside a HOA. The typical restrictions on livestock and gardens are ridiculous. Those alone is reason enough to avoid HOA-ruled developments. I started warning about HOAs and CC&Rs in the early days of SurvivalBlog, such as this piece from 2005: Zoning Laws, HOAs, and CC&Rs as Criteria for Choosing Your Retreat Locale. Parenthetically, I also included a cautionary description of HOA busybodies in my latest novel “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”. In that fictional description, the HOA committee had to be pushed out of control in order for large scale gardening to commence.

The bottom line: I honestly believe that it would take a full scale socioeconomic collapse for most HOA committees to even consider loosening their “visible from the street” appearance standards. So even in the midst of a 1930s-style depression, you’d be under their thumb.

Letter Re: Hypertension Prevention and Planning

JWR,
Regarding the recent article Hypertension Prevention and Planning, by  Dr. Bob and Docswife, I recently learned about a Chinese herb called Jiaoguluan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum) .  Jiaoguluan is a vasodilator, and is reputed to have several beneficial properties.  An Internet search  turns up research that suggests that is reduces blood pressure and reduces cholesterol levels.  How much credence to give to a lot of what’s on the net is hard to determine.  The plant can be grown in the US and brewed into a tea, which is the traditional Chinese way of taking it.

Perhaps some SurvivalBlog readers are knowledgeable about Jiaoguluan, and could provide additional information.  If it works as suggested it could provide an alternative to prescription meds, and you would have the additional advantage of being able to grow your own. – Rick S.

Recipe of the Week:

Wolf Brother’s Hardtack

Based on the Civil War Recipe:

Army Hardtack Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups flour (preferably whole wheat)
4 teaspoons salt
Water (about 2 cups)
Pre-heat oven to 375° F
Makes about 10 pieces depending on how you size them.

Instructions
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add just enough water (less than two cups) so that the mixture will stick together, producing a dough that won’t stick to hands etc.

Mix the dough by hand.
Roll the dough out, shaping it roughly into a rectangle.   What I did was to roll it into a cookie sheet that had about a 1/2 in lip all the way round.

I cut the dough into rectangles and used a 3 tine fork to punch holes in the tops.  Kinda/sorta like what you see today with crackers.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn each piece over and bake for another 30 minutes. The crackers should be slightly brown on both sides.

Chef’s Notes:

The fresh crackers were still somewhat soft.  I left them out overnight and the next day checked them again.  Still a bit soft.

So I stacked them in a toaster over, set the temp at 140 degrees and let them bake for about 4 hours.

I wound up with truly hardtack.

I divided them into eight Ziploc bags. 

6 months later tried the first bag.  Result was like you read about – Hard to bite, works better to sop liquids up.

1 year later – same condition.

2 years later – gave most of the bags to a Civil War re-enactor group – they loved them.  Gave the recipe to one of the wives.

Another year later – tried the remaining bag.  No change.

At all times these were stored on a shelf in a closet in my house.  No real temperature extremes. 

No one has suffered any ill effects.

I plan to try to make portable soup, pemmican, parched corn, and pinole.

 

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Mrs. Light suggested bookmarking and printing reference copies of the resources at Food Storage Made Easy.

John F. mentioned a link to a lady’s site where she features 52 weekly recipes using dehydrated foods, with a complete list of ingredients, and recipes.  

Do you have a favorite recipe that you have tested extensively? Then please e-mail it to us for posting. Thanks!

Economics and Investing:

A credit crunch is looming! European banks prepare for worst, hoard cash. (A hat tip to Sue C. for the link.)

Steve F. sent this news, which represents one more reason to stockpile nickels at home: Nickel will outperform Gold in next 12 months: Deutsche Bank

What To Expect: QE3, $2,200 Gold, and The Trillion Dollar Bazooka

Kinsley: About Rising Inflation, Please Remain Worried. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Silver and the Gold Standard

Government Math Hides True Unemployment

Hungary May Be First To Default

Warning Signs That We Should Prepare For The Worst

Odds ‘n Sods:

I was briefly quoted in a Reuters article that was a featured link in The Drudge Report: Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization’s collapse. The same article more extensively quotes Michael T. Snider, who writes the excellent blog The Economic Collapse.

   o o o

I just heard about a new blog on the scene: Prep-Blog.com. Check it out.

   o o o

Getting Out of Dodge, by Doug Casey

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My editor at Penguin Books confirmed that my nonfiction book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” is now available Costco membership warehouse stores. (A month ago, Sam’s Club stores also started stocking it.) I’m told that both of these “Big Box” stores offer a price that is lower than at Amazon.com. (Sam’s Club currently sells it for just $10.98, while Amazon charges $11.47 plus postage. OBTW, even though the book has been out since September, 2009, is is still consistently in Amazon’s Top 500 titles, overall.

   o o o

Sue C. sent this: Fears of mutant virus escape halt bird flu study

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become." – Brooke Foss Westcott

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 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, and 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 39 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

You May Not Get a Second Chance to Prepare, by Larry E.

I have been guilty for years of talking about preparing verses actually putting forth the effort and taking the necessary steps to prepare for my family.  I began my prep life back pre-2000 Y-2K bug times.  I began to read about the potential time bomb that was ticking as it pertained to the technology crash back in 1995.  I had subscribed to a homesteaders magazine called Countryside (highly recommended) and began to study what impending danger that our nation and world was faced with.  As did many, I did not want to face the facts that this could actually happen to the good ole USA and like many laughed it off.  As the end of 1998 came closer we lived on a historical farm in central Ohio and I began to take serious the issue at hand.  I became very convicted  that if there was even a small chance that this “bug” could paralyze our society and send us back to the stone age then I at least needed to protect my wife and children.  We all chipped in and began to prepare.  To say I went over-board would be very mild.  We put in a 100’ x 100’ garden (our first) and proceeded to plant everything that came in a seed packet.  I went to the garden center and looked down at the very small tomato plants and thought to myself “how much can one small plant produce”?  So I proceed to buy 52 tomato plants!  Guess what we did all summer long!  After fighting massive amounts of weeds and a wife that resembled Lisa on the old television show “Green Acres”; we had put away over 500 quarts of tomatoes, carrots, beans, okra, cherries, apples, pears, salsa, pickles, soups, sauerkraut, jellies, jams and other various garden goodies.  Farmer wife even entered canned goods into local county fair and won a few ribbons.  Not to bad for a couple of rookies.

Now that we had our food supply secured we concentrated on water storage and after a 3 day winter ice storm, installed a direct electric hook-up from our well to a portable generator.  Now we felt like we could supply the much needed water to our family and the 30 feeder calves that I had purchased to supply our family and friends with beef.  Again going “overboard” and never having raised cattle before did I ever realize how much free fertilizer 30 head of baby calves can produce when they get to be 800 pounds!  Securing a independent water supply is critical when you have livestock, especially 30 head! We made every mistake imaginable but along the way we were learning very valuable survival skills.  Learning how to care for cattle, horses, and chickens is something that will definitely come in handy again. As our pantry, water and meat supplies had become secured we turned to our home.  Our 200 year old farm house had three non-working fireplaces so my next goal was to provide heat in case the “lights went out” during the winter or for an other reason.  Yes, we had the small portable generator but we needed more to heat our old home.  We then worked on the fireplaces to secure our heating source by installing a wood pellet stove.  We then bought pallet full’s of pellets for a years supply.

After securing food, water and shelter we turned our attention to our finances.  I might mention that during this time of preparation I reduced my income by 50% and started a new career in finance.  Bad timing just two years prior to 9-11!  As I continued to read about the impending danger of Y2K, I began to visit pawn shops and flea markets buying “junk” silver dollars.  At the time I paid $7 for each Morgan Silver Dollar (not too bad return on investment–as they now sell for $30+) and began to accumulate quite a bit of silver and some gold as well.  During a very tough financial time in our lives we were sacrificing a lot to prepare for something we had no idea if it was going to happen or not.  Yet there was something inside that said there is enough warning signals to prepare and to protect your family.

FAST FORWARD:  January 1, 2000 came and as we went to bed fully stocked and prepared to meet the new world, everyone woke to a new year and almost with an arrogant sigh the media and naysayers began to ridicule anyone that had prepared sighting their extreme behavior as crazy and naive.  Remember this is the USA nothing can touch us!  I must admit that there was something also inside me that almost wished that the Y2K bug would have brought this country to its knees and humbled us a little.  Just think if we had went through that pain, how much better we would be today.  Just think if Facebook would have not come about how better our society would be. Technology can be good such as this web-site and others for educational purposes but too much of a good thing is dumbing down our country.  I could write an entire article on my thoughts concerning technology and how vulnerable this country is to a cyber attack.  Take away cell phones and the Internet and our economy will certainly collapse.

Okay, everyone knows where this is going.  As many, we fell back into our comfortable lives laughing at all the fuss and chasing the all mighty dollar.  We moved from our historical farm, sold all the animals and off to the city we went where we proceeded to fall back into the “world” and all its enticements.  I started my new business in a new community and weathered the economic storm of 9-11.  We built our business and became “successful” in the eyes of many.  We bought a big home, spent mucho dollars adding and renovating, and even bought a yacht.   Yes, life was good and remember this is the good ole USA, nothing can keep us down.  We continued to buy into the hype and then 2008 came and nearly put us out of business.  We borrowed more to get us through (sound like any country you know) and made it out the other end. 

Then I got my copy of Patriots. I began to read  about a scenario that haunted me in my dreams. I read more and more about how many were prepping for something that reminded me of what I did back in the late 1990s but much, much worse. The funny thing was that even when we “back slid” into the world did  I ever stop my subscription to my homesteading magazine and always felt like we had made a mistake in our abandonment of the simple life on the farm.

WAKE UP CALL!  Well it seems like light years ago that I was worried and preparing for something a small as the Y2K Bug!  Our country has seen more negative change and has more challenges than all the previous 75 years.  We stand at the brink of financial bankruptcy and our government continues to deny the critical nature of our country’s financial house.  We owe hundreds of trillions of dollars of debt, we have unemployment over 12% (don’t believe the media), a housing market that has collapsed, we are nationalizing health care, bailouts a plenty for those corporations that have the right politician in their pocket, sky high oil prices, food costs and quality out of control, job sectors that will never return to this country, government regulations killing small business and finally a moral corrupt society that is more interested in who won “Dancing with the Stars” or who is the next “American Idol” than the downward spiral of this once great society! We have Iran threatening us, a 20 something old man-child in North Korea with nuclear weapons and China is threatening to cut off our life support.

So what does this article have to do with survival?  I can tell you the juices are flowing again and thanks to this great survival blog, Mr. Rawles best selling books, patriotic leaders like Chuck Baldwin, and other great writers, preppers and good loving Americans; I have found my old self and have once again put my family and friends into a much better place to weather a much bigger storm that is coming.  People need to heed the words of so many not only on this blog but the hundreds of thousands that believe this country is headed for times we can’t even imagine. 

Yes I have stored the food (two years at least for just for the two of us), yes I have secured heat, (wood burning stove) shelter and water.  Yes, we not only have the gold and silver we kept from back in the late 1990s we now have substantially added to our supply which we believe one day will be worth substantially more than the worthless fiat dollars we have depended on for some many decades.  We now have, thanks to books like: “Patriots” and “Survivors”,  added a substantial supply of guns:  AR-15, .30-30 Winchester, a .243 and .30-06 with scopes for longer range, two .22 rimfire rifles and a .22 pistol. My sidearm is a .45 Auto and the Mrs. has a .380 Auto.  We have two .410 shotguns for small game, a Remington 870 20 gauge pump and Remington 12 gauge automatic. two more .38 Specials and a .25 automatic. We have over 20 thousand rounds of all types of ammunition and feel we need more.  We have secured medical supplies, books, and survival gear from various suppliers including Amish items from Lehman’s non-electric store out in Ohio.  We have accumulated a dozen or more hurricane lamps of various sizes and have an ample supply of lamp oil.  We have purchase bulk wheat, sugar, salt and beans along with all the necessary non-electric tools to begin to live off the grid if needed.  We have prepared our home best we can and also have friends and family that are starting to become believers and want to learn from us.  We even have folks that want to start groups to discuss coming together to defend a small community.  “Strength in numbers”!

If you think that our society is due for a real “wake up call” than I highly recommend you visit Lehman’s web-site to see how the Amish live and when the SHTF this group of Americans won’t miss a beat and will actually flourish as the masses scramble and sell off everything at pennies on the dollar.  When we look back at history during the Great Depression, it was simple farm folk that already lived a simple sustainable life that weathered the storm and came out the other end better than most. Wake up people, and remember the old adage that says:  “If we don’t learn from history then we are doomed to repeat history”.  This could never be more valid than it is today.

In closing, if you have read the many articles, blogs, books and information that has described how many have seen the impending danger signs and you have not started to prepare; and you are still waiting for a sign than I say:  good luck!  The clock is ticking and like myself you may not get a second chance to prepare for the inevitable.  Oh by the way we are selling all the toys and using the money for the many supplies I mentioned above. I thank God for second chances!

I pray that you heed the warning signs and not wait a any longer.  Your first step is the hardest!

The Overnighters: Coming to a Neighborhood Near You, by Frank C. in California

The collapse has come.  It could be economic, geopolitical, a natural disaster, or any combination of the above.  Suppose it has now been three weeks since your last trip to the grocery store.  It has been two weeks since you lost power to your home.  A week ago, two large families broke into, and are squatting in a vacant, foreclosed home down the street.  Three days ago, you heard gunshots and loud shouting very close by.  You wanted to call the police, but there is no longer any type of phone service, and the last you heard, the police had their hands full battling a large, violent group of Occupiers camped out at your local mall.   Yesterday, you noticed five grubby men slowly stalking down the street.  Two of them were pushing shopping carts heaped with canned goods, sleeping bags, wine jugs, bottled water and other items.  One of them brandishes a large crowbar, another carries a knife, and the third pulls a pistol from inside his belt.  The three armed men peel off from the others and knock at the security door of your neighbor across the street.   The neighbor and his family had loaded up their large motor home a week ago and gotten out of Dodge.  Now, the man with the crowbar is breaking through the front window, easily pulling away the French window panes to create a large hole.  The man with the pistol peers inside, sweeping his gun to “clear” the room.  He gets a boost from one of his buddies and hops inside. 

You are getting edgy, very nervous.  You have decided to “bug in” instead of “bugging out,” and are wondering if you made the right decision.  You have a large stockpile of home-canned fruit, and many five-gallon containers full of beans, rice and grain.  Now, what do you do?  Do you pull out your own shotgun and confront the group?  Or do you lay low and wait to defend your home, in case you turn out to be the next target?  What if they knock at your door, and ask for a handout?  What if they threaten to toss a “Molotov cocktail” through your window, unless you give them a lot of food?”  What do you do?  Who are these looters?  Where do they come from?  How far will they go in their desire to gain the goods they are used to receiving for free, via handouts, welfare and food stamps, which they no longer get? 

How will the “homeless” react in a SHTF situation?  I have been a volunteer at our local rescue mission for several years, and I am only now beginning to understand some of the motivations, thinking and possible future behavior of “homeless” people.  In the past, I have donated food, clothing, and have also preached at the mission’s chapel, hoping that somehow my messages will make a difference.  But, how effective are rescue missions, really?    A lot of people have the impression that their local rescue mission is helping homeless people to get off the streets, get them cleaned up, sober from drugs and alcohol, gives them training to get a job, find housing, then finally move out and become an independent and productive member of society.  Is this true?  Well, yes, and no.  You need to understand that rescue missions basically help two very different groups of people:  People who are in “The Program,” and “The Overnighters.”

A person in “The Program” is typically referred to the rescue mission by court order.  They’re forced to be there.  Suppose a guy is arrested and convicted of possession of drugs.  Whether he does jail time or not, upon his release, he is ordered by the judge to choose between several different drug treatment programs, and your local rescue mission is usually on the list.  Once he is accepted into “The Program,” he is required to submit to drug testing, stay at the mission, and attend Christian-based classes and chapel service (most rescue missions are Christian-based).  At the same time, those “residents” who stick with the program graduate and are moved from on-site dorm housing to “transitional housing,” get a job and hopefully, later on move to permanent housing.  These are the success stories you hear about at rescue missions.  However, there are some graduates, who unfortunately, do go back to their life of crime. 

On the other hand, there is, simultaneously, an entirely different group at the average rescue mission:  The “Overnighters.”  The Overnighters are people, usually men, who show up in the late afternoon for a free meal and a bed.  Some of these guys do have jobs, both permanent or temporary.  They either walk, catch a bus for work, or get a ride from a friend.  Many of them have cell phones.  Now, you may ask, if they have a job, why on earth are they at the rescue mission?  Good question.  Some of these men have truly fallen on hard times and lost their apartment or home due to finances, divorce or other circumstances.  A few, very few of these, do want to find permanent housing.  However, the vast majority of the Overnighters prefer to roam the streets and “game the system.”

That’s right.  In a normal economy, the non-working Overnighters could find work if they really tried.  Most rescue missions will really help those who want to work, to find work.  But as our economy continues to worsen, it makes it that much harder for the Overnighters to find work, if they wanted to find a job.  And that’s a big “if”.  The working could get together with one or two others and split the rent on an inexpensive home or apartment, or even rent their own room, but they choose not to do so.  Instead, they tend to drift from the rescue mission to a friend’s house, or to Aunt Edna’s, or Brother Joe’s, where they moan about how “horrible” it is over at the mission, all these “terrible” rules they have to follow, and that “boring” chapel service they’re required to attend, to get a meal and bed for the night.  They sleep until noon on the sofa, lounge around and enjoy Brother Joe’s satellite television and Internet, and raid the refrigerator as long as they can, until they wear out their welcome, when Aunt Edna finally gets up the gumption to kick them out. 

Then, Mr. Professional Overnighter goes back to the rescue mission for a few days, or a week or two, until he can find some other gullible sap who will fall for his sad story and let him in.  “Someone jacked my wallet!  Please, help me!” is just one of many tricks in their book.   Some of the Overnighters even drift from a rescue mission in one city to another.  They exchange information between themselves about the different rescue missions, the conditions and rules, which missions are “cool,” and which ones are “strict.”  Many of those who are drug addicts only go to the rescue mission just to get free drugs, which are administered at the beginning of their “rehabilitation.”  Then, as soon as they get a free fix, they leave.  Many of the Overnighters have also been kicked out of certain rescue missions due to drunkenness, being high on drugs, fighting, stealing, and throwing psychotic tantrums.  In such cases, the police are called and they are arrested.  And remember, many of these same Overnighters have long criminal histories, including vagrancy, burglary, home invasion robbery, rape, assault, battery, and murder.  A lot of the Overnighters are ex-cons, and many of them, after their release from jail or prison, started out under court order as residents in “The Program.”  However, they were dropped from The Program after testing positive for drugs, fighting, stealing or some other offense.  Once again, many of these are people who are not necessarily the downtrodden, oppressed, down-on-their-luck souls they would like us to think they are. 

Now, you may ask, what do the Overnighters have to do with you?   In a grid-down situation, they will have everything to do with you and anyone else that has food and other stuff they want.  The Overnighters will be the ones pushing those grocery carts down your street, looting whatever they need, by whatever means necessary, including force.  And remember, the Overnighters comprise just one of many looting groups, which will most probably include gangsters, hard-core criminals, radical Occupiers, and other assorted oddballs and juvenile punks who are wigged out, because they can no longer stuff their faces from mom’s fridge as they play video games or surf the internet.  Now, all of these people will have to get off their rear ends and actually find something to eat and drink, and they will all be ravenously hungry, angry and utterly vicious.  Not to mention the ones that are going through painful withdrawals from a lack of caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.  Each of these groups will be competing intensely for any fat target, which is your home, with the potential promise of a tantalizing supply of stored food,  water and other supplies. 

In the case of the Overnighters, they didn’t work for their food before.  What makes you think anything will change in a collapse situation?  What’s interesting to me is that, whenever I preach at a chapel service full of Overnighters, I have noticed that many of them know their Bible.  Several of them can quote chapter and verse.  They know what is right and what is wrong.  But when crunch time comes and food is scarce, all this learning, will for the most part, go out the window.  In fact, I would say that their current choice of lifestyle shows they have little or no intention of living by the rules the rest of us live by.  The Overnighters are, for the most part, lazy bums who want absolutely no responsibility, and they want to be accountable to no one.  Most of them don’t want to work, and would not work if a job were offered to them.  The rescue missions of the world are giving these leeches every opportunity to escape their squalid lifestyle, but they willingly and stubbornly refuse to change.  Personally, I find this highly disturbing. 

So, what should you do when faced with the Overnighters of the world?  Know, first and foremost, that the Overnighters are quintessential con men.  They know every trick of the trade to get you to open your door and give them a handout, including quoting the Bible.  Ever notice the beggars on the street corner with the signs, “Need Food…God Bless!”  These are people who could very easily get off the street, if they would simply enter The Program at their local rescue mission, instead of choosing the Overnighter lifestyle.  These are the same people who, if you give them food, will sometimes throw it back at you and demand money.  No matter what you give them, oftentimes it is never enough.  Also, if you give to one homeless person who stops at your door, the buzz will quickly travel through the network about where the next big fat target is located, which is your house.  And, before you know it, you could very well have a motley mob outside your house, shouting loudly that you are one of the “filthy rich one percent,” and that you need to “share the wealth” with them, the poor, oppressed 99 per cent.  Am I saying that we should never help others in a time of need?  No, I think there are certainly some people we should help.  There are many poor families in and out of our church we have quietly helped over the years.  And they usually are very meek, almost ashamed to accept help from someone else.  They are also profusely thankful.  I can’t tell you if and how to help others, but whatever you do, maintaining OPSEC is of utmost importance.  I believe we need to show love and compassion to some, but we also need to protect our families from potential psychotic killers.  Remember, the Overnighters and criminals of the world are right now, as you read this, making their rounds of naive victims, not only emptying Aunt Edna’s pantry, but doing home-invasion robberies where innocent people sometimes end up brutally murdered.  And, in TEOTWAWKI, you will need a lot of wisdom and prayer, so you and your family won’t become the next victims.

[JWR Adds: It is important to be charitable, but my consistent advice has been to distribute charity through intermediaries, such as your local church or food bank. Do not hand out charity right on your doorstep! And make sure that your name and address never get mentioned by local charities.]

Letter Re: Comprehensive Crisis Communications Planning for the Prepper

James:
With reference to the Comprehensive Crisis Communications Planning for the prepper, by Hammer the portion where he described the Dakota Alert using the MURS frequencies is very good, to say the least.
 
I have the system and anywhere I go around my property  or further I carry the the transmitter on my person. If the barrier is broken according to the audible alert voice system telling me which zone has been broken I can check it out. It is a very reliable system, not cheap but reliable. Each zone can carry whatever amount of receivers you want to put on that zone. So a large area can be covered with many receivers. You can add extra receivers when you are able to do so.
 
We have two transmitters, one as I leave to go outside and one inside for my wife. We can talk to each other without always having to use the cell phones.
 
I have never had outside interference with the system. False alarms are rare.
 
I have a friend that put me onto this MURS as he lives way, way out and is well protected by this system. He is always aware of anyone coming through the barrier to his property. – H. in Central Florida.
 
JWR Replies: As I’ve mentioned several times in SurvivalBlog, I’m also a big fan of MURS handheld radios. We use them here at the Rawles Ranch. Not only are they interoperable with Dakota Alerts, but you can also program your local National Weather Service frequency as one of your presets. These are of course “listen only” limited frequencies.

Economics and Investing:

Jim T. suggested a good piece by Thorsten Polleit: How Deflationary Forces Will Be Turned into Inflation

AmEx (American Expat) sent us this: Local currencies: ‘In the U.S. we don’t trust’

The FDIC Friday Follies have resumed: Banks closed in Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania; first failures of 2012

A reader in Manitoba wrote ask me about possible trigger dates for a financial panic. I told her that a key date is March 15, 2012. That is the day that the Greek government must either cough up the cash, or admit default. Fitch seems to consider Greek default almost a certainty.

Items from The Economatrix:

World Bank Cuts Economic Outlook, Says Europe in Recession, Warns Developing Countries to “Prepare For The Worst”

Silver to Explode Upward

Wall Street Rises On Bank Results, But Google Sinks Late

12 Things To Keep In A Safe At Home, Not In A Bank

Oil Above $101 On Hopes IMF To Curb Europe Crisis

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this little gem: Kitchen Renovation: How to Make a Secret Toekick Drawer

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Federal official in Arizona to plead the fifth and not answer questions on ‘furious’

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Fairbanks man accused in ‘meat for heat’ case hires lawyer. [JWR Asks: Why is it that in many of the United States that only Native Americans can legally sell or barter wild game? As long as bag limits are respected (to maintain stable game populations), then what you do post facto with your meat from legally-harvested game should be of no concern to the government. These antiquated bans have an echo that sounds far too much like “Charged with killing The King’s Deer”, to me.]

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This is worth watching: The Shock of a New Paradigm

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J. McC. sent me the link to this handy web site: FindLatitudeAndLongitude.com

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 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, and 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 39 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.