Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In the brief span of my lifetime, we have gone from a nation where kids could order a .22 [caliber rifle] in the mail (with their parents’ permission) and go to Sears and buy a kit for casting their own lead toy soldiers to a nation where they are protected from ‘dangerous clothing’ [with drawstrings] and would be expelled from school for drawing a picture of a toy soldier.” – Tamara, Editor of the View From The Porch blog

Note from JWR:

Today is the last day to order the SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM during our mid-year 25%-off sale. The latest six-year compilation includes as a bonus my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” in digital format. Having an offline archive is the only sure way of knowing that you will have access to SurvivalBlog’s content, regardless of what happens to the Internet. At the sale price, the CD-ROM is $11.25 and the Digital Download is just $7.50. Be sure to order your copy before midnight, May 31, 2012.

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Today we present the last two entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The other articles still in the queue will “roll over” into the judging for Round 41. 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.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. 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, 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.) 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 40 ends today, but you can write and e-mail us your entry for Round 41. (At this point, with the queue full, any entries that have not yet been posted will run after June 1st and be part of the Round 41 judging.) 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.

Buying a Used Wood Stove by Sid S.

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Near the top of the List of Essentials is is keeping warm. One surefire way to do that is with a wood-burning heat stove. Wood stoves are reliable as a main source of heat or as backup but can cost between $1,000 and $2,000 new, so buying used is a practical way to go. Before you buy however, there are a few things you should know.

First of all, you need a good, certified wood stove. Why certified? Because they use less than half the wood that the previous generation of wood stoves used, don’t exhaust clouds of unburned soot into the air, and have close clearances to combustibles, some as close as 4?. Also because certified wood stoves are mandated by the EPA in all fifty states.

Virtually all certified stoves have a ceramic window that looks like glass but is impervious to heat, through which you can enjoy the fire and keep up with the need  to adjust the wood or to feed in more.  I don’t recommend getting a stove with a catalytic combustor as they are more expensive and have a declining efficiency. The efficiency of a non-combustor-equipped stove never changes and newer standards have been met without combustors since 1990, when the current EPA standards were established.

The fire chamber in certified stoves is engineered to burn wood efficiently without smoldering, even when shut down all the way. This gives you more heat from each piece of wood while exhausting cleaner and hotter, thus almost completely eliminating creosote buildup in the chimney. By the way, never connect a 6?-exhausting certified stove into a 8? chimney. Because of the engineered burn, all certified stoves are designed for a 6? flue which has a stronger draft than an 8?. Be sure to use listed stovepipe and adhere to the clearances on the pipe and the stove for a safe installation. Your insurance company can deny a fire claim caused by a stove that is improperly installed or is not safety listed. Also, I recommend a wind-directional rotating cap on all wood stove installations. They are the solution to back drafting, caused by a high wind forcing itself down your chimney and filling your house with smoke. You will want one after the first time the smoke alarms wake you up in the middle of the night!

Here are some things to look for on a used wood stove :
• All legal wood stoves must have an EPA sticker on the back. This sticker shows the production date, efficiency, grams per hour (gph) of emissions, as well as the clearances to combustibles for various applications.
• The production date should be July 1, 1990 or later.
• Inside the firebox and above the secondary air tubes is the baffle plate. Look for warped baffle plates from overheating the stove. This is more common in a smaller stove used to heat a larger area. The steel plates are removable and can be replaced for about $50.
• A cracked glass can be replaced for about $75. This is usually Robax ceramic and is impervious to heat although it breaks like glass. The prevention is to make sure the log fits inside the stove before closing the door on it.
• If the stove needs a paint job, use Forrest Stove Bright paint. After wire-wheeling off the rust and loose paint and cleaning with lacquer thinner, fog on the first coat. Follow with a slightly heavier second coat, and finish with a normal third coat. This paint fully cures under heat so a small fire must be built initially, followed by a hotter fire until out-gassing is completed. When the smell goes away the paint is cured. Open the windows during the curing process.
• The braided gasket around the door can be replaced for around $20 and will need to be glued in place. The special glue is around $10.
• Firebricks can be purchased at your local wood stove store. They are around $4 each.

Once installed, a wood stove should give you a lifetime of trouble-free service. There is however some maintenance involved. The ash will need to be removed from time to time and the window cleaned daily. The inside of the stovepipe will need to be cleaned annually with a wire brush but don’t be surprised if you don’t find much creosote. The newer stoves burn clean, remember? They accomplish this by burning hotter inside the firebox and exhausting hotter (and cleaner) into the flue pipe. The newer flue pipes are packed with ceramic wool and rated to 2100 degrees. The unburned creosote that used to build up in the old triple-walled air-cooled flue pipes is sparse and, with annual maintenance, so are flue fires. The newer insulated pipes get hotter quicker and stay hot longer, thus increasing the draft and practically eliminating creosote buildup.

Keep your eyes peeled on Craigslist for a good deal on a used stove. Just last week I called on a newer Lopi for $400 but someone offered them $450 and they took it. That was a $1,800 stove when  old new four years ago and it was barely used. Once in a while I will find a certified stove in good shape for around $200. I am always on the lookout for used stoves for friends and sometimes I’ll turn one over for a profit.

If you buy a used stove manufactured after July 1, 1990, it will comply with the Phase II standards which are 7.5 gph of particulates. Washington  is the only state to have it’s own standards which are 4.5 gph. Most new stoves and some used ones will meet this standard and some are as low as 1-2 gph. Check “EPA Certified Stoves” online if you find a used stove you are considering. This site lists most of the stoves which have been certified but not all of them. Some stoves presently being manufactured in other countries are missing from the list.

Inside the house, I keep a weeks worth of firewood near the stove in brick bins built for that purpose. The raised hearth is 3 1/2? thick concrete and full of rebar, allowing me to split kindling right on the hearth. Under the hearth is a large kindling drawer where I also keep paper. Implements are hanging on hooks nearby. I use a coal hod to carry out the ash and to carry in more kindling.

My favorite wood stove is a Brass Flame. They are certified of course, and are built like a Sherman Tank. They have a double-air opening for quick-starting the fire, they look good and burn efficiently. I have found used ones for several friends and relatives. I am a little prejudiced in this department; my brother developed the Brass Flame and it was the first stove to pass the emission standards without a catalytic combustor. All certified stoves on the market now copy his combustion process, the big secret being lots of secondary and tertiary air. He made 10,000 of them before selling to Earth Stove, who made them for a few years and then sold to a bigger company, who dropped the line. If you can find one, you won’t be disappointed! Other brands I look for are QuadraFire, Lopi, and Avalon but I will consider others, especially if they are in good shape.

When heating with wood, it is a good idea to keep a pot of water on the stove to replace the moisture removed by the dry heat. An old cast-iron kettle serves well for this purpose. Another addition that is very helpful is a ceiling fan, positioned close to the stove and used to move the heat away from the stove. Without a fan, the heat takes a longer time to fill the house. Since heat seeks cold, it does eventually warm the place up, but in the dead of winter, who wants to wait? This small addition makes a big difference!

One more thing that makes a big difference in helping to heat your home more efficiently is bringing in outside air directly to the stove. This is required in mobile homes and all new homes, but is a good idea in any home. If you have a crawlspace under your home, a 3?-4? pipe into the crawlspace is adequate for this purpose. In my case, I  put in a 4?  pipe to open air before the slab was poured.  Pedestal stoves are designed for outside air while stoves with legs will need to be adapted. Special outside-air adapters can be ordered or made for any stove.

When buying a wood stove, look for one with a flat top on which you can cook your food in a pinch. All newer stoves have a baffle plate around which the exhaust must go and in the process the stove top heats up nicely. Stoves with a stepped-top lack the space for a frying pan. During power outages, your stove can do double duty, heating the home and cooking your supper!

To clean the ceramic glass in the morning when the stove is cold, I simply get a piece of newspaper wet with water and emulsify the creosote, scraping it off with a razor. Even the best stoves get buildup on the window.

It is comforting to have my three cords of oak firewood put up for the winter, knowing that if a storm or blizzard should blow through or the power should go out (sometimes for days) my family and I will be warm and able to cook on our trusty wood stove. Our kids remember those times as special, with all of us in the same room not far from the stove while outside the snow is piling up and the wind blowing. There is nothing like the steady warmth of wood heat to soothe the soul and warm the body. It is primal. To me, it seems the way God meant it to be!

Beyond The Four Pillars, by Adam H.

Obviously it’s fun talking about boom sticks and charging in to save the day. But here are some other items for your consideration for the other 23 hours in the day when the castle is not under siege:

FOOD & WATER – Your body can last 30 days without food, and only 3 days without water. What are you doing to secure a minimum of a gallon/day for each member of your family. Remember, in a grid down scenario, it will NOT take long for industrious groups to recognize that water will be more valuable than gold. Plan on making a hike to a nearby stream each day with your bucket? How long do you think it would take a gang to recognize the power of strategically placing sniper or blockades to/from accessible watering holes? You’re going to need a Plan B – plastic water cans (5 gal) that can be carried, 55 gallon drums, 250 gallon rain capture systems. These will be life savers. One final word on water – consider a well hand pump like this one from Flojak. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A WELL DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE WATER! Without electricity, how do you plan to get that water up to you?

Figuring out food is easy. What did you eat today? Now buy 30 of that, with your goal to build up to 6-12 months of food for your family. Eggs/milk? Yeah, they have the powdered stuff. Remember that you will want to maintain as much of a normalized, familiar diet as possible so you don’t shock your body.  Don’t forget to throw in some sweets (Hershey Kisses, candy bars, etc.)  When everything seems like it’s off its hinge, you’ll appreciate having something sweet.

CLOTHING – What are you lacking right now that is either missing or in need of repair/stitching? Comfortable, water proof hiking boots should be priority. Poncho. Waterproof cold weather gear. Hats, gloves, sunglasses. Do you have extra batteries for your watch?  Also – 2 categories to prep: Everyday “civvies” /work uniform (khakis and polos, etc), and then your “playtime/hunting” gear. there is a time and place for both. Simple is best. And remember that “two is one, and one is none”.

SHELTER – This is more than do you have a roof. Consider what happens when the power goes down. Do you have light/candles/flashlights/phone service? What about backup heat? Here’s food for thought: In a grid down scenario, how long do you think you can “hold up” without operational sewage? Do you have an emergency 5 gallon bucket with lid and extra baggies? Hint: some extra kitty litter? Not a bad idea. Also – inventory any possible weak spots: Ground floor doors and windows. You may also consider pre-cutting plywood to act as reinforcement in the case of a hurricane (or other man-made threats).  Now is also a good time to begin contingency plans.  Where will you go in the event of some emergency and your house is no longer safe, or has been destroyed or damaged?  Have you considered forming alliances with people in your neighborhood or church where if you are homeless you can stay with them (for a pre-determined period of time), and vice versa.

TRANSPORTATION – Lets step back for a second. Before you go shopping for a diesel Bug-out vehicle, do you have the basics? Jumper cables? Gas can? Spare tire? Reliable jack? Extra quarts of oil and coolant? These cost $50 and can be the difference between a 10 minute ride home, or being stuck in the woods overnight. Also – were you aware that you can purchase a 14 gallon gas tank with wheels to store at the house? Think about it…if the pumps go dry, you have an extra 300-400 miles of mobility that can be bartered or utilized to get to your safe house.

Going Beyond The Four Pillars

Beyond the “4-Pillars” of Food, Clothing, Shelter, and Transportation, there are other vital tactics that you will need to sustain you and your family over the next 6-12+ months: They are Communications, Defense, Medical, and Community.

COMMUNICATIONS: – As the Ghostbusters would ask, “Who ya gonna call?” Do you have a local list of 5 to 10 reliable people that you would trust if you come home to a burning house, or you find yourself surrounded by a roving band of ne’er-do-wells trying to beat down your front door and windows? After the phone tree, given the phone dead zone in New York City on 9/11, you should probably consider getting your ham radio license. When disaster hits, this is the Internet, phone system, and postal service all wrapped up in one little box. In the field of battle, when you control communication, you also control movement of the enemy, and can cut off any vital supplies and shipments.

DEFENSE: This seems to be where us guys like to go first. There’s a reason this is further down the list. If you don’t have these other items squared away first, then what are you going to do? Well, you become one of “them”, the looter crowd that just thinks they are going to take whatever they need by force. The habit of planning the use of non-lethal force will avoid major unnecessary engagements that cost valuable resources, and cost lives. Still, you need to be able to defend yourself, your family, your home, and be prepared to come to the aid of your friends and community. It’s your duty as a man, in my humble opinion.

You don’t need to spend $1,500 on the fanciest AR and a drawer full of Glocks in every caliber. It means you need the basics – 1) Knowledge/Awareness, 2) Hand to Hand/Self Defense training, 3) Concealed carry, 4) Something to defend your home against multiple aggressors for 20 to 30 minutes until help can arrive (see Communications, above). At its core you can equip yourself with a highly-concealable Taurus TCP .380 for only $200, and reliable 12 ga Shotgun for $209.

Guess what? That leaves enough funds to pick up a Mosin Nagant rifle for less than $120 that will take down any large game you may need to put on the table for your family (or even two-legged predators). Now I’m no math major, but for $529 (+FFL fees), you can purchase all the home defense that you really need. But here’s the rub: These will do you no good unless you practice, practice, practice. Get involved with USPSA. Find other like-minded folks in your area who are interested in running various drills, shooting matches, and get the practice and experience you need. Losers practice so they don’t miss. Winners practice until they can’t miss. Chew on that for a minute.

MEDICAL – Preventive maintenance is most critical. Get off your duff and move for 20-30 minutes day. Walk, hike, hit up p90x or Insanity. Heck, go online and find some sort of fitness that you find fun. I have a 20 minute circuit of sit-ups, pushups, pull-ups, handstands, rev pull-ups, dips, burpees, curl/shrugs, weighted jump rope and deep squats/sprints that I knock out in the time it takes most people to watch television commercials. Beyond preventative, you will obviously need some basics: Supplements, pain meds, insulin, Neosporin, Band-aids, rubbing alcohol, etc. Don’t over think it. Just put together what you need as you need it in a water-tight tool box, or Rubbermaid tote container. Then find some place to get CPR certified.

COMMUNITY – No man is an island, and you aren’t going to be able to do this alone. We’re not wire up that way. Got a bug out retreat in the boonies that’s 50 miles from the nearest town? Awesome. Then what. Why not organize with people in your community. Find a common thread, and decide that if TSHTF that you, your family, your neighbors, and people within your community are going to be proactive in setting up all the items listed above.  Since before the formation of our nation, churches have played a vital role in our communities, both for spiritual guidance, as well as for community. We need each other.  As a former athlete I cannot tell you how many times I was reminded of the acronym “TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More!”.  It became a running joke, but today those words ring truer than ever.  There are people you know who can build shelter, run plumbing, electricity, fix cars and engines, set up and orchestrate civil communications and defense, bake, can, and coordinate anything you can imagine. But apart from community, those talents and strengths all go to waste.  But when combined, we all become a part of something much greater than the sum of our individual parts.

The media seems to enjoy casting “preppers” as outer fringe nut jobs, yet the federal government has underground bunkers and contingency plans for every conceivable disaster known to man. Did you know they even have contingency plans in the event an asteroid slams into the planet and wipes 90% of the population off the face of the earth? Yet you’re told that you’re nuts to set aside 30 days of food and water… well, to me that is nuts not to think about these things and set plans in motion. And above all else, find things that you enjoy doing and share them! Movies, plays, art, music, backpacking, dancing…and my favorite, eating! There is so much worth living and fighting for.

So why not start today with an open discussion with the people in your life? The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Start by picking up that extra 25lb block of rice at Sam’s Club. Then look to add 1 new thing each day or week. Remember, the days are evil, and each passing day is a lost opportunity to do good, not only for yourself, but for the lives of those around you who are beginning to wake up.  And see this time as a tremendous opportunity to become more as a person, and to minister to the needs of others.  Imagine the impact and good you can do when a family member or friend comes to you panicked by the reality that the world that they’ve always know is about to change.  Nature abhors a vacuum, and when a void is created, Edmund Burke once said that “All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing”.  Well, now is your chance to do something good.

Letter Re: Commercial Scale Organic Farming and Ranching

Hi Jim,
I wanted to let you know about an interesting visit I had last week.  Part of my job is to evaluate start-up companies for potential early-stage investments.    Ran across an interesting one last week.  Located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, they have embarked on a totally sustainable commercial scale organic farming/ranching enterprise.  They have about 1,000 acres in Oregon and another 1,000 acres in California in the Central Valley.  Here’s their process to convert regular farmland to sustainable organic agriculture and ranching:

1.  First, they acquire standard farmland, usually tilled.
2.  They convert it to pasture ensuring that there is irrigation and planting it with a robust mixture of grasses, clover, grains, hairy vetch, and other sturdy broadleaf plants.  It takes 3 years to be certified as organic so from this point on, they do not apply pesticides [herbicides,] or non-organic approved fertilizers.
3.  They then run sheep on the pasture land, moving them from segment to segment every 3-5 days. They sell the lambs yearly and keep the breeding ewes for about 5-7 years when they are also sold. They also harvest hay to feed the ewes over the winter.  Volunteer weeds are favorites of the sheep and very little land maintenance is required beyond irrigation.
4.  Sheep are alternated with very large chicken tractors that move on winches about 1 foot/hour.  Eggs and meat are harvested.
5.  Cows are run on the land occasionally.
6.  After three years of this production, the pasture foliage has filled in and is very dense.  The biomass has also been completely re-established in the ground.  The ground has rebuilt its nitrogen content and is now ready for crops.
7.  After several additional years of production (optional), pigs are allowed on the pasture.  The pigs rip up the soil and add natural fertilizer.
8.  After a partial season of pig use, the land is tilled and organic crops are grown for two years.
9.  After cropping, the land is re-planted in pasture and the process repeats.

As you can see, this requires substantial farm land in order to rotate the different utilizations at the proper time.  What is interesting is the financial dynamics of this process.  Typical farmland produces about a 4% return on investment (ROI) annually.  Margins have decreased since ethanol production and other factors have driven up the cost of fertilizers, additives and animal feed.  With their process, they are getting 8% ROI and it is indefinitely sustainable.  Plus, the meat, eggs, and crops are all organic commanding premium prices for the farmers.  I should note that their business model is to be simply owners/managers of the land.  They lease out the land to other commercial enterprise who raise sheep, cows, chickens, pigs and crops and sell them into the organic marketplace.  They lease the land on the schedule noted above.

I thought that this may have some value to homesteaders and people setting up their retreat.  Perhaps this could work on a smaller scale; say five acres or so with small numbers of sheep, pigs and chickens.  You would need ongoing access to grass seed to re-seed pastures if you chose to grow crops. – Sid L.

Letter Re: FTX Games for Developing Recon and Perimeter Security Skills

JWR,

Thought I’d pass on some field training exercise (FTX) grunt games that we used to use for training. It’s an excellent way to evaluate your rural home or retreat security, and develop reconnaissance skills.

I don’t know if the military still encourages this kind of training, but during the Cold War, there was a game we used to play to try and keep sharp. If I remember right, both my army reserve unit and later, my regular army mechanized infantry units both practiced this. It costs about nothing, but hones critical skills.

The premise is simple:

To send a team out to gather as much information on the opposing team as possible, and report back without being caught. To make things a little more interesting, each aggressor team member would have a deck of cards, and place them on items of value that they could have stolen or destroyed inside the defenders camp. And if one of the aggressors were caught, they were usually held inside the camp, and made to do something embarrassing (singing a nursery rhyme, clucking like a chicken, or whatever the officer or NCO felt like at that time).

The defensive team would, of course, try and create a defense where no one could sneak through, send out patrols to try and spot/capture recon-patrols, and set traps within their parameter to secure valuable/sensitive items.

Teams:

When training within the platoon, one group (usually a team to squad size – 4 to 13 people) are marked as the aggressor, the remaining play the defensive role. Sometimes this would even be one company against another company where both had aggressor and defensive components.

This was never official, and usually the losers had to pay for some beer when it was over, but you would be surprised how effective it was.

Training Goals:

Learn where your training is weakest – both in personal training and the tactical abilities of your team/platoon/company.
The best way to learn where your parameter is weakest is to try and get around it.
The best way to learn how to defend against small recon size patrols or individuals is to defend against them.
Not knowing the exact location of the defenders was critical. We would get a general location of where they might be, but beyond that we had to track down the defenders by search grids, and their lack of noise and light discipline.
Most of this was done at night. We had night vision, but the technology is not as effective as you might think in woodland terrain. Plus when the goggles are cranked up to full power, they send out a light beam that gives you away when the opposing team has the goggles too.

Sometimes the NCO on patrol would declare himself “injured”, and he would alternate putting E4s in charge during the remaining mission. It always caused a little confusion, but dealing with confusion was part of the exercise.

To avoid the ‘I saw you’ excuses, we would plan out the recon, mark times at different points, and if possible leave cards where you could have stolen or destroyed materials. In addition, there was on occasion a hidden case of beer. If you could get it out of the defensive parameter without being caught it was yours, if you could identify where it was you split it with whoever else spotted it. We mixed up the rewards all of the time, but you get the point.

One last note: we often did this over the course of a planned field exercise, and in-between normal training. If you only do this for one night, then the opposing force will be ready and have most of their people awake as possible. If they don’t know if you are coming tonight, tomorrow night, or early next week, then they have to use a normal schedule for security. It also meant that if we were to infiltrate when they were the most tiered from their daily training, we would be infiltrating under the same conditions, and with the added strain of the patrol. – Robert B.

Economics and Investing:

Pierre M. sent this: Debt crisis: a $46 trillion problem comes sweeping in

Pierre also suggested this by John Rubino: Welcome to the Currency War, Part 1: Iceland and the Tragedy of the Commons

Insight: European firms plan for Greek unrest and euro exit. (Thanks to Sue C. for the link.)

Ex-employees punish JPMorgan via CDS derivatives trades

Food stamp Usage Remains at All Time High, Record Number uf Households Receive $277 in Poverty Assistance Monthly

Items from The Economatrix:

Home Prices in US Fell at Slower Pace in Y/E March

Consumer Confidence in US Fell in May to Four-month Low

Oil Advances for Third Day on Outlook for US Economic Growth

Odds ‘n Sods:

A reminder that the ongoing Radio Free Redoubt podcast series is now available on iTunes.

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Simon Black brings us news of the latest absurdity from Nanny State Britannia: Trust me, this is good news. (OBTW, one of the comments to that article mentioned a parallel event, in California.)

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Almost half of new veterans seek disability

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G.G. flagged this surprisingly well-balanced article from The Guardian: Indian women turn to firearms against threat of violence. (Notes on the Video: The family in the opening sequence seriously needs to get some eye and ear protection! But you gotta love their Broomhandle Mauser carbine and the Road Warrior truncated double-barrel shotgun. They deserve a few style points, for those.)

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Pierre M. sent this news from Southern California: Flea-Borne Typhus Warning in Santa Ana

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“While the majority of Americans are oblivious to the warning signs around them, recent actions taken by our government and the governments of other industrialized nations suggest The Powers That Be know very well where we’re head. They are and have been taking steps for quite some time to prepare for what is coming next…

…When it hits the fan, and things go critical, the recent actions of our government demonstrate that it is only capable of responding in one way – through brute force and tyranny.

Everything they have done in recent years with respect to liberty-restricting legislation, the militarization of our police forces and the expansion of the security industrial complex has been to prepare for the inevitable.

They already know it’s coming. They’re getting ready for it. You might want to consider doing the same.” – Mac Slavo, in his SHTFPlan blog

Notes from JWR:

Our mid-year 25%-off sale on the SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM ends tomorrow (May 31, 2012.) The latest six year compilation includes my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” in digital format, as a bonus. At the sale price, the CD-ROM is $11.25 and the Digital Download is just $7.50. Be sure to order your copy before the sale ends.

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Today we present three more entries for Round 40 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.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $219 value courtesy of Next Level Training. 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, 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.) 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 40 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. (At this point, with the queue full, any entries received will likely run after June 1st and be part of the Round 41 judging.) 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.

For TEOTWAWKI, Do The Easy Stuff First, by Dale Martin

There are a lot of things to be fearful of in this old world.  But, for most of us Joe Average North Americans, there are things we believe that are likely to happen, and many other events that are a lot less likely.
Most of us are not all that worried about a magnetic pole shift, the Mayan calendar ending this year, the Yellowstone super volcano, or an alien invasion from outer space.  It’s not that all those things are impossible, but there are threats that are simply a lot more probable.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Average (the people that don’t have their heads stuck in the sand in denial) are most worried about an economic collapse.  Joe knows these events have happened historically in our own country (1929), as well as many other countries.  He is not so rigid as to think it can’t happen again.

In the current world, Joe hears about it from many different media outlets.  Prior to the last few years, since around 2008, Joe never heard such dire thoughts from any media source, much less from the now countless sources.  He knows the causes could be myriad, and everyone out there has a theory and a prediction.  It might be “just” a hard economic downturn like the Great Depression, and there still might be basic law and order.  Or, it could be truly apocalyptic social disintegration.  Joe is not so arrogant as to think he knows how all the countless variables will turn out.  He might not know what the eventual “tipping point” will be, but neither is he is oblivious to what is happening in the world around him.  He sees the signs.  A recent poll indicated that nearly 50% of Americans believe there will be an economic collapse within their lifetimes.  Many see it as imminent.
Joe, being a practical sort, has stored up a little extra food, water, and supplies, including outdoor gear.  Joe and his family would much rather “bug in” than “bug out”, but he can envision a social collapse where that choice might not be his to make.  He especially knows that if the power grid were to go down, all bets are off.  Joe, trying to look ahead, can foresee a time when cities might become dangerous places, at least for a fairly extended period of time.  Though he can see this possible future, he is still more than a little reticent about the thought of bugging out his family to a remote location in a “live off the land” scenario.

However, Joe, as I have described him, has a lot more going for him than he might think if he has to put into action his bug-out plan to a remote area.  Less than 2% of the population has made any preparations for such an event.  Joe has; at least to some degree.  When he reaches his bug-out location, he has food, water, and camping gear.  He also has a little basic fishing and hunting gear.  He may not have enough for months or years, but he has some.  Most of the population will have virtually zero.

Also, he has been thinking about all the “what ifs” this new world might bring.  Again, that is a lot more than the other 98% out there who think preppers are ignorant idiots who are wasting their time.  Those folks believe the government will “do something” so that it won’t get that bad.  Yeah, right.

Even for Joe, however, life in the wilderness won’t be a picnic, especially for months on end.  Joe, like the rest of us, will need a little change of mindset.  We will all have to realize that at least some of the rules have changed.

The following is a list of “possibles” to think about.  These are all situation oriented.  Obviously, what to do will depend on the exact situation we find ourselves in, and none of us can really predict that.  We have to prepare for a little of everything, but we don’t need to go out of our way to make it any more back-breaking than it has to be.

The mantra of this list is:   Use common sense, do the Easy Stuff First.

(1)  Joe needs to go to water.  Most of us live within a few miles of a stream, river, lake, creek, or even just a pond.  The easiest stuff to successfully accomplish is almost always near water.  Obviously, this won’t help if you are stranded in the Mojave, but Joe has transportation.  Find water.
(2)  Joe needs to clear his mind of at least some old precepts.  Not many people are going to be able to take their trusty bolt action rifle (that has been in the closet for years) and go out and get a deer every couple of weeks to feed their family.  Many people think they could, but it is really unrealistic for most of us.  There might be a few exceptions.  There are a few areas of the country that are simply teeming with large game, but those areas are extremely few and far between.  Even in those areas, there will be a lot of other people competing for that same game in a TEOTWAWKI situation.  Again, think easy.  Hunting is, in most instances, a fair amount of work.  You want to conserve calories, not expend them.
(3)  After setting up his camp, Joe should try water resources.  It is generally easier to obtain protein in (or near) water than elsewhere.  Try tiny hooks for small fish.  Almost any water source will have perch or other small fish.  I have caught many small perch by using bait I scrounged up at the site such as grasshoppers, grubs, crickets, etc.  Once, I used a petal off of a very tiny white flower (or weed) I found in the grass.  All you have to catch with this improvised bait is one of these tiny fish, and then you can cut it into tiny pieces for better bait.  Once you have these tiny pieces of fish flesh for bait, you can generally catch all you want of the little buggers.  Does it matter that you can only catch 3 inch fish?  In the old world, it would not have gotten you any bragging rights, but now is a whole new ball game.  A skillet full will be good, and will conserve the canned goods and MREs you brought with you.
After all, most of us Joe Averages out there have an immediate family of five or less.  Most Joes won’t be trying to feed forty people.
(4)  Joe will have started off with a success; not a failure.  It is, admittedly, a small success, but at least it is a positive outcome, not effort expended that produced nothing.  Failures breed worry and panic.  A positive outcome will help not only Joe’s attitude, but also his wife and children.  If the kids (and their Mom) see an initial positive outcome, it eases their minds.  On the other hand, if they see Dad fail miserably right off the bat, it scares them.  Dad needs to be seen as doing things that work.  A series of little victories is a good thing.
(5)  Set traps that will work while you don’t.  Again, think easy and conserve energy.  Cut a plastic 2 liter soda bottle so that you can reverse the cone end back into the larger end, forming a cone fish trap.  Chop up one of the tiny fish you caught earlier to use for bait inside.  Let it “fish” for you in shallow water while you rest.  Again, it will only catch very small fish, but so what.
(6)  Set individual lines from limbs overhanging the water (or cut poles) to fish while you do other things.  Multi-hooked trot lines, if possible, are even better.
(7) If the body of water has crayfish (poor boy’s shrimp), toss a burlap bag or some such thick cloth into the waters edge, pat it down flat, and let it set for an hour or two.  Crayfish will hide under it, and you can catch some of them by quickly yanking it out on the bank.  Some will have their claws caught in the underside of the bag.  A lot of them will escape, but so what.  You have expended little effort.
(8) If Joe thought ahead and brought with him a piece of large plastic pipe (4” diameter, or so, like is used in sewage drain lines), he can make an un-baited hollow log catfish trap with very little effort.  He would need a piece about 3’ long.  Wire off one end so that water will flow through, but the catfish can’t.  Leave the other end open.  Tie a rope to that end (to retrieve), and toss it into the water.  Leave for several hours at least.  Catfish will swim into these just like they will an actual hollow log that has fallen into the water.  Exactly why they do it, I don’t have a clue.  But, they do.  It is a fact.  “Noodlers” take advantage of this catfish behavior.  Have you ever seen the television show Hillbilly Handfishing?
(9) Something to think about.  Most of the activities mentioned thus far are things that will fish for you while you do something else, or maybe while you simply rest.
(10) Something else to think about.  Virtually all of the above things can be hidden so that a passerby would not even notice.  In a TEOTWAWKI situation, even a remote area might have some people passing through that would rob a fish trap (or set hooks) if they were visible.
(11)  Look for shallow inlet pools.  These are little offshoots of most all waterways where water (and fish) have overflowed into shallow pools just off the main body of water.  Eventually the water level dropped slightly, leaving the fish trapped in the small pool.  If the pool is too large to grab the small fish by hand, carve a spear to stab them with.  Bamboo is relatively easy to whittle into a multi-pronged spear with barbs.  Water birds (like kingfishers) utilize these small pools because their prey is easier to catch there than in more open and deeper water.
This method is obviously a little more work, since you have to physically have to spear or catch the fish.  It won’t work while you rest.  Sorry about that.
(12)  If there are no shallow inlet pools around, you can make your own fairly easily.  Find a spot on the bank where you can wade out at least a few feet without falling into deeper water.  Drive sticks (bamboo is good, but use whatever you have) into the mud making a fence out into the water.  Obviously, the farther out you go, the longer the sticks will have to be.  Move about three feet over, and build a second fence out into the water.  Then, form a cone back toward the bank from the end of both fences.  Looking at it from the bank, it should look like an “M”.  Leave the cone of the M open, so that fish can swim in.  In essence, it is just another cone trap like you made earlier with the plastic soda bottle.  Again, a little work is involved with this one, but once built it will work for you relatively permanently.
(13)  In some waterways, schools of small fish can be netted if you just had a net.  If you can cut a ten foot long pole with a Y shaped end, you can fashion one.  Take a t-shirt and tie the sleeves into a knot.  Then, tie the shirt onto the Y end of the pole forming what hopefully looks something like a butterfly net.  Again, small fish is about all you can hope for, but so what.
(14)  Hopefully, it goes without saying that if a “big success” stumbles into your lap, go ahead and take advantage of it.  Use that trusty old rifle if an elk ambles by your camp.  Everything is situation oriented.  Don’t let doing the easy stuff blind you to an opportunity of bigger and better.
(15)  If Joe has a minnow seine or a cast net, either is quick and easy to use if the water is shallow enough to wade out a few yards.  Again, these items produce a quick gain for little effort.
(16) After a pattern of success has been developed, and the initial panic and apprehension of being forced to bug-out has faded, Joe can move on to “bigger” things if he wants.  He can move on to trying for bigger fish, hunting wild game, setting animal snares, and the like.  Squirrel or rabbit hunting generally has a high success rate.  If his time in the wilds is extended, he will eventually have to set up a water filter for when his initial supplies run low.  The really hard stuff is now starting.   But, he will have avoided the initial fear and panic that could have proved fatal for his little family.

Hope for the best.  Prepare for the worst. 

About The Author: Dale Martin is the author of several books, including Every Man’s Guide to Outdoor Survival

Earthquake Preparedness for Preppers, by Janet C.

Prepper fever has gripped the nation!  While I can find no exact numbers on how many of us there are, public awareness is gaining momentum. The National Geographic Channel has a television show on the subject, which showcases some of the most colorful preppers in the United States, and their approach is as varied as their personalities.   You Tube is full of videos teaching old time skills that were a way of life for generations before us, such as cooking beans from scratch, making fire with a bow drill, or raising and butchering rabbits for meat.  With a little spare time, one can learn handy new skills in minutes and a few hours practice, for a lifetime of application.

I have been a prepper in the making since my earliest memories around age six, and I am now in my fifties.   The Great Depression left indelible marks on my parents and grandparents. I grew up watching them save rubber bands into giant balls, reuse tin foil and little bits of soaps were treated as valuable as a new bar. “Waste not, want not” was more than a cliché in our home.  

Stories of how folks survived by bartering with neighbors, hunting for wild berries, keeping a garden and caring for livestock, were told by my grandmother with the flair of James Herriot, the resourceful country veterinarian who authored the best-selling book All Creatures Great and Small.   Granny loved to recount how she could catch and dispatch a chicken, de-feather and put it in the pot, all by the time she was eight years old!  Sadly most of us wouldn’t know how to do that if our life depended on it…and one day soon, it may.

 While I have never had to endure that kind of “work or don’t eat” ethic growing up, the lessons were not lost on me. My ancestors had survived a colossal event and I was acutely aware of that possibility in my own life as a result.  Like Scarlett O’Hara, in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, they would “never be hungry again”, and I didn’t want to either. The ‘seeds’ of survival had been planted in my young impressionable mind.

About four years ago those ‘seeds’ started to sprout in my imagination; I developed a keen desire to start an emergency supply of foods and necessities for my family. Concerns gleaned from watching news of a changing and suffering world prompted me to action…it was time to reap what I knew.   It started with one five shelf rack in a corner of our four car basement garage…then I had a wood platform built over an open dirt area to support a supply of water.  Added a few more rack systems here and buckets there, it would be alarming if it wasn’t so wonderful!  Everything kept growing until Hubby realized just how serious it all was when I announced I wanted to become a one car family to “make more room.”  

Three quarters of our four car garage later, we have finally run out of room to add many supplies.   One of the characteristics of Prepper fever is that symptoms continually evolve. One rarely recovers once you catch it, the condition is progressive.  And so I looked into developing farming skills, keeping chickens, gardening, dehydrating food and canning. Stores of supplies won’t last forever; I will have to grow my own food to be viable for any long term event.  Granny would be proud!

You Tube is now my favorite story hour showing how to prepare for uncertain times.  I love to watch as preppers take me through their basements, closets and homes, displaying neatly stacked rows of every variety of canned goods, homemade preserves, pickles and gleaming jars of golden applesauce.  From Spam and Top Ramen to the gourmet food prepper I saw on the National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers, I soaked it up.  Everyone has their own idea of what food and items to store.    And that’s fine, personal taste and pocket book size will come together to create a food supply as unique as the individual who stores it.  

One day while reviewing some of my favorite food storage videos, I noticed a common pattern emerging.  All those neatly organized rows of jars, bottles and cans were sitting right up to and on the edge of disaster, literally.  Nothing between them and the hard floor below and it dawned on me, what would happen if there was an earthquake? 

In this day and age of escalating earth moving events, earthquakes are predicted to become more common place than ever.  From Bible prophecy to web sites that update world-wide seismic events daily, they are poised to become a reality to be reckoned with.  The problem with earthquakes is that they aren’t a problem, until they are!  Suddenly, unpredictably so!   And we are told they can happen anywhere!

People that have never lived through an earthquake don’t have it in their minds to consider the havoc that can be created in less than a minute.   I lived through the Northridge, California Quake on January 17, 1994, which lasted 20 seconds and left damages of nearly $20 billion. Our best friend had to vacate his now leaning “tower of Pisa” condo, which took nine months to restore, and he had to pay the mortgage the whole time!  My mother lost two irreplaceable antique glass birds off her piano, and every dish and tumbler we had crashed to the floor, most were broken, and all from behind closed cabinet doors!  It was a mess…but nothing we lost affected our survival…we were lucky. 

I went back and reviewed my favorite videos with a whole different thought in mind.  All of these precious stores of food, along with the time and money poured into their loving procurement and placement on shelves could be destroyed in mere moments.   What then?   Aside from the obvious, cleaning up the mess and taking inventory, stalwart preppers would go back to work and try to replace what was lost. 

But, what if we couldn’t?  What if supplies were no longer available? What if inflation had taken hold and canning jars are now $12 each, instead of $12 a box?   Or maybe gasoline prices had gone sky high and there is no longer a budget to buy extra food for storage.  What if the season to grow fruits and vegetables was still months away?   Or what if hard times have already brought rationing?   All of these things are expected to happen at some point, to some degree, by those who prepare.  Maybe our supplies might not be replaced, to our liking, if at all.

So let’s reverse the projector movie image of crashing jars and cans, in our mind, and have those smashed jars and dented cans now fly backwards onto the shelves, pulling themselves back together again!  Your goods are safe!   There’s still time for you to take precautions against just such an event.   

In this article my wish is to inspire you to join me!  I didn’t want all my efforts go to waste, by way of an earthquake, for want of a few precautions.  Here are some of the solutions that that I have implemented in my own situation.  Not having many tools or skills to match, but handy with an electric drill, I have met my goals with minimal expense and effort.   I was also limited by having to work with the space configuration I had created…there was no going back and starting over.  

The first thing I did was tackle my six foot tall heavy steel shelf racks. We emptied and re-arranged them, placing them back to back to each other, so products would butt up against one another in the middle, and keep the inside items relatively safe.  This type of freestanding steel shelf system can be bolted to the floor, for added stability.  We did not do this, as we also have water issues in the basement with heavy rain of more than a week’s duration, but it is an option for those who don’t have flooding problems. 

On the open side of each steel rack unit, I put up cross bars to block items from flying off.   The corner posts of the shelves have V shaped openings through which bolt heads can be attached.  I measured and purchased long boards, 2.5”x .75” x 6.5’, the width of the shelf from frame to frame.  I drilled two holes at the end of each board to correspond with the V slots in the corner posts, to allow for different positions.  Slip the four inch bolt through a hole in the board and spin the wing nut onto the threaded end.

Now position the board across the food items on the shelves to the desired position, and slip the bolt’s nut head into the V slot on the outer frame.  Because of the V shaped grooves, the bolt head sets in securely.  Spin the wing nut to tighten, and voila!  I had a secure stopping point in front of my valuable goods.   You can raise and lower the bar to any level and even put the boards at an angle, by just setting the bolt head in a higher or lower V slot, and adjusting the bolt in one of the two holes drilled in the board and securing the wing nut.  

Permanent blocking bars can be added instead, but the wing nuts make this system extra serviceable.  They spin off and on quickly and the boards swivel up or down to add product, or remove completely if needed. Even if you don’t have the metal type shelves that I do, placing long bars across book shelf style cabinets or wood shelves works just as well, just measure and drill accordingly.  Add more boards if needed, to accommodate tall products or stacked boxes. 

Blocking bars should be placed high enough that items cannot tip over them in an earthquake, but low enough to keep things from slipping through under the board as well.   Double boards usually fill most requirements for holding goods back.  I am still delighted with the design every time I use them, no carpenter skills needed and a very affordable solution.

I had a few areas where I could not use these boards, due to foundation poles and walls being in the way.  For these areas I tried bungee cords.  These do a marginal job and will hold things like toilet paper and paper towels back, but even stretched taut, they did not have the holding power of the boards.  Still, I do find them handy for temporary applications.  Multiple bungees can make a difference. The bungee ends are re-useable, so pick up a spool of the bungee cord, and you can tie your own later when they fray, which they will with time. I have found with one year of use outdoors, and about two years indoors they need to be watched or replaced.  

After the boards and bungees were in place, we simulated earthquakes, shaking and moving the shelves and decided keeping things from falling to the floor was just the first step.  I had originally stacked canned goods three or more high, as they do in grocery stores.   It looks nice and stays just fine, when not moving!   So I decided to box all cans and jars.  This also had the added advantage of preventing mold on some of the paper labels, as well as keeping like items together.  Marking the exteriors of the boxes with product, number and dates also makes a handy reference system for rotating boxes, as needed.   And they slide out like drawers (I remove the box lids), when I take down the wood bars holding them in place.  It’s still as easy to grab an item off the shelf as it ever was.

Take advantage of Club Stores bins of free boxes and use these for sorting your cans.  I like boxes that are double folded and have a nice polished finish on them, for example, the boxes that hold olive oil are great for stacking. This type seems to hold up well against moisture, which can be a problem in humid areas.  There are sizes to fill most needs.   Once you have identified boxes that fit and work with your products and spacing, fill and place them on the shelves. Select all of the same size, and you can stack them more easily. Test shaking these newly arranged boxes we decided glass items would need a little insulation from one another.  While most bottles and jars would probably survive a modest shaker, it would still be possible to lose glass to a long or serious earthquake, as they clinked repeatedly against each other.  

 Earthquakes can last a long time.  The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 had strong motion that lasted four to five minutes, with reports up to eight minutes.  With this in mind, I repacked all glass with a plastic grocery bag around each, twisting the top around the sides, to create bulk between them and close out dust and moisture.  Grocery plastic bags are still free at most markets, so start collecting them while they are available.  Some areas are actually starting to charge for them, I have seen added fees as much as ten cents a bag. I plan to recycle the bags in the future, for a variety of uses.  A simple inexpensive solution, no more clinking glass! 

Earthquake straps proved to be the solution for one tall wood cabinet holding miscellaneous goods.  At nearly seven feet tall, it was a concern for human safety as well as my supplies.  There are several styles of these straps on the market.  I didn’t want to drill holes in the cabinet, so I selected a design with peel and stick Velcro® brand hook & loop straps on one end to attach to the cabinet and a steel bracket that I mounted to a stud in the wall.  The straps are connected by a buckle in the middle that is adjustable for a snug fit.   I used child safety locks to secure the four doors, which could easily fly open, even if the cabinet would no longer fall.  I finished the whole project in less than an hour.  These two solutions I installed throughout my entire home, for added security and peace of mind.   

For smaller glass items and spices, I purchased zip style sandwich baggies, and sealed each container inside and arranged them in suitable sized boxes.  The baggies act as buffer for glass against glass, and will also come in handy for reuse.  Smaller boxes of spices were nested in larger boxes by type and use, so they could be organized behind the safety bars.  No shake, rattle or roll, with heavy handed rocking tests. Socks also work great, instead of plastic bags.   The jars won’t clink and the socks can be recycled later for feet or rags.

 Taking inventory of my cooking oils, I was pleased to see I had amassed quite a supply by picking up a bottle each trip to the market.  If these were damaged in a shaker, I would have a mess I didn’t care to imagine.  I also realized I had a small fortune in future liquid gold here, so these needed some serious attention, quickly!   Each bottle was wrapped in adhesive bubble wrap (it’s a wonderful product, sticky like post it notes, re-useable and tears to fit the size required) and arranged to fit snuggly in a five gallon plastic bucket.  I added oxygen absorbers to the bucket, and sealed with a gamma lid (screw top lids) so I could get to them easily, adding new oxygen absorbers each time I took out a new bottle.  There is also the added advantage of keeping them protected from light and air, which are time enemies of oil.

Buckets were also my choice for extra supplies of syrup, jam and other delectable glass jar delights whose loss we would mourn.   But to keep costs down, as buckets can add up, a more frugal method would be to store in boxes by alternating a plastic jar with a glass jar, to prevent clinking glass.  Peanut butter mostly comes in plastic jars, and jelly mostly in glass, although there are exceptions.  I rotate my peanut butter and jelly jars this way, and they are perfect “moving buddies” should things start to shake.   We tested vigorously, with no alarming sound of glass.  

When I first started storing bulk food in buckets, I had not yet discovered mylar bags.   I had put up quite a bit of Jasmine rice this way.  So I opened one of these buckets after three years of storage. The rice was still fragrant, dry and perfect, even though I stored it directly on concrete, which I have since learned is not a good idea due to moisture coming up through the cement. I now stack all of my buckets on pallets.  For the budget minded, free buckets can be had by asking at your local market bakery, and there are free pallets on Craigslist for the vigilant watcher.

I decided to repack my rice in mylar bags, inside their buckets.  This way if they should tip or fall in an earthquake, and the buckets crack open, the product is still intact inside.  If the bucket does fall and break, but just slide the mylar bag into another bucket with no serious loss of food. 

My spices and jars of dehydrated foods are kept in a book case type cabinet, with dowels as blocking bars.  I worried that some of the taller jars could topple over the dowel, and smaller spice jars could slip under, if they tipped over. I fixed this problem by adding small bits of quake hold to the bottom of each jar.  It is a brand name for museum putty, a non-toxic dough that secures the jar to the shelf.   After my experience with the quakes in California, I tried this product on decorative items I had around the house and it works great!  NOTHING with the Quake Hold fell in any earthquake after that, and I have been through several.   It is re-useable, just stick the jar back where you got it, push down and it holds, again and again.  Museums use it, it works! 

Since most of us don’t have the luxury of unlimited space to make everything ground floor, some stacking may be necessary with buckets.  I arranged mine five high, before I started thinking safety and loss.  But I needed to know how they would survive a crash to the ground.  I set up an area with four by four buckets, stacked five high, there were 80 buckets.   Knocking them down I had a moment of hesitation, as it’s like sticking a balloon with a pin, awaiting the dreaded pop.  

To simulate how they might fall in an earthquake, we used six individuals to push some buckets with long handled tools from a distance and the rest of us pulled lines tied to handles, to get all to fall in the most spectacular fashion possible.   It’s not easy to knock that many buckets down, we discovered, and only the upper most fell, from the fifth and fourth level.  I was amazed that not a single bucket cracked or broke open!  I did gain confidence in their ability to do the job.  Even if some do break, if a real test comes along, the mylar bags are like a second line of defense that will hold things together.  

 Based on personal experience, I no longer stack gallons of water more than two high!  Water is heavy and I have lost some to eventual leakage, just from the weight of the top bottles over time.   I now only buy my bottled water still in boxes.  Grocery stores will order and hold them for you this way, if you ask.   The water you buy in gallon jugs on the shelf arrives from the shippers boxed, but are removed to be put on the market shelves.  

One item I will only keep on ground level is powered milk.  Mine came in six gallon super pails, with no mylar bags.  I chose not to repackage them, as they have oxygen absorbers in them, and the lids were all sealed.  If they fell from a high position and cracked, the milk powder would be flow freely.  Beans can be swept up and used after a good rinse, but powdered milk is fine and sticky, and at least some would be lost.  If you have canned milk at the LDS Canneries know what a mess it is to clean up, even when you are careful not to spill much.

Assess your supplies, and a logical order will dictate your storage needs.  If you have to stack higher than you like, consider placing soft landing items next to areas where taller buckets would fall.   Blankets, sealed in plastic vacuum bags, toilet paper and paper towels, bundled in large 55 gallon bags.   Also  the same bags full of market grocery bags.   I have one whole row of soft items stored next to my only six high stacked wall of buckets.  If they do fall, their landing will be softer and items below will also survive.

I feel my storage is now measurably safer than before I implemented these simple and inexpensive ideas.  Like food prepping, safety prepping is addictive. I will continue to imagine the worse, so I can prepare the best.  I look forward to viewing new You Tube videos showing some of these ideas, as well as others I didn’t use. The prepper community is resourceful and clever.  Whatever the skill level and budget one has to work with, I hope I have demonstrated that taking a little time and effort will pay off if and when the ground starts moving in a town near you!  . 

Preparedness as a Disabled Individual, by Barbara H.

Disability has many faces and people with disabilities come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you are born with a disability or become disabled at some point in your life, learning to survive “differently” than able bodied persons is a challenge. Life in general is geared for those who are strong in mind, body and spirit. Having a disability, whatever it is, does not mean that you are less of a person or unable to have a good life, or survive catastrophe should it occur. Our Disabled Veterans would surely agree since some of their injuries are visible and some are not, and this is true with all people. We must not judge a person’s value by how they appear.

 Growing up I learned a great deal from my parents from how to paint a wall to refinish furniture. I loved using tools and became confident about building and repairing things. Broken tile? Need a new light switch? Leaky water pipe? No problem. I learned to do things that were traditionally male type tasks and I enjoyed it as much as I did art, cooking, gardening and sewing. Suddenly, I found myself disabled at 40 years of age. I was physically unable to do many things that I once took for granted. Some days, just standing up was the victory of the day. I am 53 now, with good doctors and treatments and while I will never be able to do the things I once did, I am always looking for ways to do something useful, to be an asset rather than a burden. Even if the world wasn’t in a state of turmoil, and I was not compelled to make preparations for what could be radical, desperate and life altering changes, I would still want my life to have purpose. I like and need a reason to be.

I began to think, especially as the idea of survival preparedness loomed ever larger with the start of 2012. I live in the woods, on good defensible land, with an abundance of fresh spring water and resources. Even though I know what to do, have made some preparedness plans and continue to do so, what can I really do? As someone unable to run, get down on the ground, lift heavy objects or survive without medication, what am I going to do? How can I make sure that I am not one of those counted as a liability? The thought made me cringe.

By the way, did I mention that I am a woman? Sure, I can cook, and cook well but when the rubber hits the road I have to act to protect me and insure that I can handle myself with the trials that may come. However, with an uncooperative body there are extra steps that I want to take, and anyone with physical challenges may want to think about them as well. I need to be able to do what I have to do in order to stay alive, and this is where I started.

It helps to enjoy the outdoors and be comfortable with less. I think that surviving an apocalyptic shift depends on being able to adapt and make due. The richest man in the world, comfortable in his condominium with a view and a private chef to feed him won’t be able to pull out that credit card and build a fire, or have fresh water to drink. Sure, there are a small percentage that will buy the bunkers, stock them, and be ready for a while but those provisions will run out and that is when true survival begins.

As a person with physical limitations, it has also limited my ability to make a living and greatly diminished the “disposable income” that one needs to prepare for a future of uncertainty. Do the best you can to obtain the things that you will need and teach yourself some survival skills. Find like-minded people who are willing to work and purchase as a team if that is what you need to do in order to make survival realistic. Cooperation will become very important and a strong core of individuals or families who have been preparing together and working together will fare better than most, but be sure that you teach yourself the basics and buy the best that you can, whenever you can, where supplies are concerned.

THE BASICS

Self-Preservation   
I have a gun and I am willing to use it. I imagine that some people see disability as a weakness, and it is. Some may think that because I am disabled that I am an easy target but they are wrong. This is why it is important to own a gun, or guns for self-defense. (As well as a variety of other weapons and tools) Purchasing a handgun is a very personal choice; one you must be comfortable with. You need a pistol that you can comfortably clean, load, carry and shoot based on your limitations.

Go to a gun store and ask questions, (talk to gun-owning friends if you have them) handle multiple weapons and look at the differences between automatics and revolvers. They are different in weight, ease of use, cost and ammunition. Remember, if you are going to one day raise a gun in defense against another person, you want to stop the oncoming attack. Be sure that the pistol and ammunition you choose will do that.

Go to an indoor range that rents guns and test them because handling at the gun shop is not enough for you to make a final decision. Firing a pistol is not like in the movies and it takes time to learn how to do it well. It is a good idea if you have not handled firearms before, to take a gun safety course. Learn about your weapon. Learn everything about it. Take it apart and reassemble it until you can do it comfortably and quickly. Clean it often. Practice firing until you can hit a target consistently well at 25 and 50 feet and then practice some more.

Once you have chosen your weapon, start putting ammunition away as you can afford to do so. Every chance I get I buy a box of shells and lock them up because it is getting harder to find ammunition, and it is certainly hard to afford on a fixed income. Do the best that you can.

Now that you have a pistol, think about a rifle. A pistol will help you defend yourself up close, but in a situation where you must protect your life, property and supplies, a long reaching weapon will be needed. You may need a way to hunt for food including large game or keep away intruders from a distance. Follow the same rules as when buying a handgun. You have many choices. The most important thing is being able to use the weapon effectively should you have to. To my way of thinking, a variety of weapons is ideal. A 9mm pistol, long range centerfire hunting rifle, .22 rifle, BB rifle and shotgun are my basic choices where guns are concerned but what you need is what you can shoot.

For protection there are a myriad of choices beyond guns and all have their uses. From knives to crossbows and everything in between it is smart to have a variety for defense and beyond because bullets can run out. Knives and hatchets have a hundred uses and are necessary components for any survival situation. Your research and physical abilities will dictate what works well for you.

Cooperation or Creating Your Own Army  
No man/woman is an island, especially when disabled. We are disabled due to specific limitations, and those limitations will affect us in a time of survival. There are some things that I cannot do and I rely on someone else to fill that gap in my everyday life. The same is true in a survival situation and we have to be able to adjust or rely on others. It doesn’t seem to matter who I talk to these days; everyone has varying concerns about the state of the world and the desire to prepare for “something that is coming.”

It didn’t take very long for me to find a small group of people who shared my concerns as well as my desire to plan ahead. Some of these folks have limitations and some are able bodied and between us we have the physical capability, knowledge and a growing arsenal of supplies to support ourselves safely and effectively. Do the best you can to build a reserve of supplies and create a team of like-minded people, even other disabled folks with the same thoughts on surviving. I may be crippled, but it is my able-bodied friends who are asking to be in my home for safety should the world become apocalyptic that let me know I am heading in the right direction.

Do the same for yourself and remember that these are the people who you will have to be around, work with and depend on for a long time. Take into consideration the personalities, ethics, (work, personal and political) and habits of your army. You will rely on them, live with them, and answer to them so make sure all of you can work together and compromise when needed. Your very lives will depend on these bonds and each person should have skill sets that make them a valuable asset to your team. You must also have skills to make yourself an asset, and when your body doesn’t work, let your mind fill the void. Let your knowledge of survival tactics be part of your contribution.

Knowledge is power, and throughout history this has proven to be true time and again. The Spartans repelled thousands and their performance at the battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) is often used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment and good use of terrain to maximize an army’s potential, as well as a symbol of courage against extremely overwhelming odds. It was the knowledge of the few that led the Spartans to historical glory. As a disabled person with physical limitations, your place in your army can be solidified by having great knowledge. Survival can be learned by reading and watching videos on everything from fire making, stockpiling, shelter and weaponry to turning your living space into a defensible fortress. Be the one with the answers by gaining knowledge. Create a library of reference, but hold as much as you can learn in your head for later. This is part of your contribution.

Looking Beneath the Surface
We have to look deeply at ourselves, our habits, and the habits of our survival companions. I mention this in order to give examples of how deeply we will be affected when a quick trip to the corner store is no longer an option. Let’s say that one of your potential team members is an active pack-a-day-or-more cigarette smoker and they are now out of smokes; or perhaps someone who must have “a few beers” after work. I am talking about “addiction”, or “dependence”. When you talk about disability, prescription medication often goes hand in hand and that is a frightening consideration, but many people are dependent on over the counter substances as well and all of these things will have an effect on a person’s abilities and state of mind when those items are no longer available. Now is an important time to consider these things and learn to do without, rather than when you need all your senses to protect yourself.

Cigarettes, alcohol, allergy medicine, foot powder, antacid, calamine lotion, eye drops. How long will these things last? How much money do you have to put aside in order to buy a lifetime of things that we take for granted? Take a look at all the little packages in your bathroom, just as an example, and make a list but don’t include prescriptions. In all my research and with the people I speak with regarding survival preparation there is a commonality. Everyone focuses on what we need to survive; what we must know, possess, do and think. Now, look at your list and decide on what you must do without in favor of food. My list was long and detailed because I enjoy comfort and instant gratification. If I sneeze, I want a tissue. If I have an itch I want some cream.

Survival means knowing about how to live with less and I believe realistic preparation includes preparing your mind. We reach for a little pill here and a bit of lotion there without a thought and it will take a toll on your psyche if you don’t take the time to think and prepare for this in advance. As a disabled person I am already used to discomfort. It is an unfortunate part of my disability but in a way it puts me a step ahead. I have learned over many years to make due as my physical and financial abilities decreased. It is the little things that will disturb people more than the bigger changes. Let this be your strength, and with it add to your arsenal of knowledge.

Natural remedies are many and the “health and wellness” business is big, but much of it is in the form of compressed pills, processed liquids and foul smelling powders for “convenience”. It all has its place in this world but in the times to come; natural will mean plants, herbs, insects, animal parts and more. We will be forced to find our own remedies. For instance, poison ivy is the bane of most people. Growing near ivy in many cases is a plant called jewelweed. Crack the stem open and you will find the inside to be gel like and similar to aloe. Rub it on your affected skin and you get instant relief. Being able to recognize and use medicinal plants in the old days made you a valuable asset to any village. The Healer had Power. Get it?

But What About…
Prescriptions. My disability requires medication. It is illegal to stockpile prescription medication. We are given prescriptions in the amount we need for each month with instructions on exactly how to take it and when. At the end of each month the medication should be all used and you should be better off for it. For those of us with chronic conditions requiring maintenance medicine every day without fail, apocalypse is a frightening consideration, and we have to think about and consider how we will live if we must do without. Blood pressure, thyroid, depression, heart, oxygen, and the “biggie” – pain relieving prescriptions are critical to survival for many people.

There is nothing that I can tell you to do that is legal. There is nothing any of us can legally do right now to prepare for a time when and if prescriptions will not be readily available. What I can say is to think about it. Consider natural remedies that will help replace your prescriptions when possible and talk to your doctor about options. In some cases there will be none and we will all be facing the same thing. It is up to the individual or group to figure out how to bridge this formidable gap. Do not try to replace your medications with herbal remedies without the advice of your doctor. As long as you are able to get your medications you should take them without fail. Again, knowledge is key so utilize the doctor, pharmacist and reference material to prepare yourself and help others do the same.

Time To Go – Right NOW

You may be forced to move suddenly to avoid danger. Whether you live in a metropolitan condominium or a backwoods cabin the need to flee may arise and it is important that you have a plan and a “Bug-Out Bag” or “Personal Survival Kit”. This is a small, easy to manage collection of basic items that you must have in order to survive if required to suddenly leave your home, or wherever you are. The items in this kit will vary from person to person and even from week to week based on weather and other factors. The choices you will make will be personal and important, but all kits must contain items critical to survival.
As a disabled person, my needs differ somewhat from an able bodied person. If I have suddenly been forced out of my home I need shelter and a way to create it. I must be prepared to tailor my shelter to my needs. For example, I am unable to get down on the ground and get back up without help. Based on your disability, you must formulate a shelter that you can create on your own if you have to. In order to do that, you need basic tools and equipment as well as any specialty items that will assist you in your ability to survive. Give this careful thought, as these specialty items will be specific to you. There are a variety of items that each person needs to have without fail. Start with the items listed below.

  • Knife and Scabbard – A strong, sharp single edge knife with a sharpening stone is a tool for many operations. There are so many to choose from that you may find it difficult to decide what to buy. Quality is an important factor because if you are out on a cold day with the sun going down and the blade breaks while getting your first piece of wood you will be stuck. Buy a knife designed for outdoor, strenuous use.
  • Fire Starting Kit – Keeping warm, cooking and treating water are only three reasons you need to make fire. Lighters and matches are great and will serve you well for a time, but knowing how to make fire from “scratch” will save your life. I have a small tool the size of my hand. It is a rod of magnesium and striking steel fixed to a wood handle. Attached with a cord is two pieces of saw blade. A spark hitting a little pile of magnesium in a bed of tinder will quickly become a blazing fire once you know how to do it, and the tool will last a lifetime. Find one that you can manage with your disability.
  • Cordage – You can use rope or twine but paracord is light and strong and reliable. Shelter comes faster and easier when para cord is used, so a fifty foot roll will keep you out of the weather with enough left for traps and many other uses. Also include a finer gauge nylon cord to help with repairs and small snare traps.
  • Mess Kit – A small complete kit for your meals is necessary and inexpensive. They are light weight and take up a small amount of space in your bag. Choose one that includes a pot with lid, pan, dish, cup and cutlery. They come in their own waterproof bag for easy storage.
  • Tarpaulin – For use as shelter, windbreak and protection from the wet ground, a tarp or piece of heavy duty commercial plastic is an asset. In a pinch, you can wrap your supplies in it and use it as a pack. A tarp helps to radiate the heat from your fire, collect water, and shelter you, so use a good, lightweight but strong tarp measuring 8’ by 8’ at the minimum.
  • Space Blanket – A reusable “blanket” with a ton of uses, but in this instance, for sleeping. You can substitute a tarp for this, but to me, a Space Blanket goes the extra mile to keep you comfortable, and you must be able to sleep in order to have the mental alertness to effectively survive.
  • Backpack – The above items, which are the top six survival items you need, should be stored permanently in a weatherproof, easily accessible backpack or bag that is easy for you to find and carry. You should keep your pack, your Bug Out Bag, in an easily accessible place at all times. Keep it clean and well stocked.
  • Additions – To increase comfort and ability to survive there are other items that can be included in your bag.
  • Fire Kit – An assortment of items ignitable under any circumstance. These can be made at home or purchased.
  • Duct Tape – Carry a roll of high quality tape. When in doubt, use duct tape.
  • Saw – A folding saw will help you create shelter and manage firewood. Camp saws are both strong and inexpensive.
  • Ax or Hatchet – A perfect tool to help with firewood and to fashion more permanent shelters.
  • Sharpening Stone – Your edged tools work best when sharp, so you must have a stone or kit to keep them that way.
  • First Aid Kit – A waterproof basic kit is good protection and a comfort to have when adapting to a survival situation. There will be small injuries and keeping them small with bandages, topical antibiotics and cleanliness is important.
  • Containers – Lightweight collapsible containers are important for liquid and food. You must be able to store water.
  • Compass – In a survival situation, GPS systems may not be available to help orient us as to our locations. The use of a compass is easy to learn and will tuck into any small pocket of your pack.

Continuing your Bug-Out Bag is personal. For me, my medication has to go in, along with my book on medicinal plants. I also have water, a small assortment of food and clothing. Consider your needs and add to the bag accordingly. In the end, your bag needs to be light enough for you to handle and close enough to grab in a hurry.

The need to understand how to live under survival conditions could be upon us tomorrow, and what we may face is unknown, but it is certain that those with a plan, tools and the cooperation of others will stand a better chance than the average person who has not done any preparation. As disabled people, we need to take a few extra steps to claim our place in the new world, because we do belong, we have much to give and we can certainly prepare for whatever may come. Our advantage is in knowing how to operate with limitations, and our ability to show others what we know will solidify our place in the world of tomorrow.

Letter Re: Concertina Wire Sources

Mr Rawles,
Thank you for your excellent Blog. Can you direct me to a supplier of rolls of military concertina wire?  I am looking for 6-to-8 rolls.  I live in Central Florida.  Google searches have revealed nothing but Chinese and Indian companies overseas.
 
Thank you for you help – Jim M.

JWR Replies: Buying new concertina wire or razor wire from manufacturers and distributors is a costly proposition. In my experience, the best way to buy defensive wire is used, from military (DRMO) or other government auctions. These can be found through the GovLiquidation.com web site. Here is a typical auction, at Fort Lewis, Washington. Used concertina wire often sells for near scrap steel prices. Buying used defensive wire has two other advantages: 1.) It will be weathered and hence it will not be as reflective as new wire. This will make it blend in, at least when seen from a distance. 2.) It may have some rusty spots. This will likely induce fear in those with “rusty nail” phobias.

Letter Re: DMSO — Pain Relief Without a Prescription?

James:
I read with interest Dr. Koelker’s article/letter regarding DSMO and its pain killing effects and would like share my own personal experiences with it since I am an alternative health care practitioner (not a doctor). First, DSMO is a by product of the paper industry and yes, horse people have used this for years with excellent results. Outside of this country and within the US some doctors use it by injection directly into the joints with amazing results. A quick google search will bear this statement out. In my own experience I have used it topically for muscle problems such as pinched nerves, backaches, sore muscles, pulled muscles, etc. I have used both the gel form (which I recommend for areas of the body that the skin is not so sensitive such as legs and arms) in the pure form and then use the liquid form diluted to 50% for sensitive areas such as the neck and face (I suffer from TMJ and it works wonders for relaxing the involved muscles and stopping associated pain) and dilute down to 75% for back and front torso areas. My son is a runner and pulled a deep inner thigh muscle and used it (diluted DSMO) only twice with excellent results (pain was gone and he was able to run again normally). I use it on my dogs also (diluted). Personally I have put a few drops of peppermint essential oil into one ounce of the gel mixing well for joint pain I have in one knee due to having an ACL replacement a few years ago after an accident to stop arthritic pain. I use DSMO to help my clients (I practice massage therapy) with chronic neck and back pain from overly tight muscles. Usually it only takes a few applications to resolve such issues with muscles. Maybe repeated as needed and just a very small amount is sufficient…allow to dry before putting on clothing.
 
Word of caution. DMSO may cause a feeling of ‘burning’ and redness at the application site, similar to some essential oils with high phenol content such as basil and oregano. If you are sensitive to essential oils I would advise not to use DMSO. If you have skin conditions I would advise to not use DMSO. Do not use if you have a burn on site or sunburn. IF you choose to try DMSO I would advise to buy the liquid form (and its very cheap on ebay) and dilute 50/50 with water and test a spot on the inner elbow to see what reaction you may or may not have FIRST. If you use DMSO and the burn/stinging sensation becomes too much to bear you may simply use water to wash it off…no soap! just water and a wash rag to gently remove it. One other note: DMSO is drying to the skin so if you have dry skin already you may notice an increase in dry skin.
 
Overall, I have personally found DMSO to be of excellent pain relieving for sore muscle, stiff muscle (such as the neck) and back pain due to muscle issues and it does have its place in a prepared home’s first aid kit.
 
Thank you for your time and efforts to help others! – R. Laura