Letter Re: Resources for Preppers in South Africa

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Dear Editor:
This letter is a primer for new preppers in South Africa. The reason for this is simple, we don’t have the equivalent of a SurvivalBlog in South Africa and our family and confidants have had to find out the hard way where and what to buy. (Subtle hint to a South Africa-based prepper looking for a home business)

That said, this is not to be considered a definitive resource for the South Africa prepper, it is a list of known suppliers to us that we have purchased from, specifically for reasons of preparing. We have never had a hassle with these suppliers. Most suppliers are in the Gauteng area, but there are a number that are national, you will need to maintain your own OPSEC, as none of these suppliers knowingly supply the local ‘prepper movement’. We typically use reasons of self-sustainability, Camping/off-road trips, farm security or one of our own businesses if the situation/reason fits, if any direct questions are asked. We find giving an impression of ….. (choose one of the above) without outright lying is best, people make up their own stories. Lets jump into the list. This is in no particular order, as it flows. All of these suppliers will ship to you if you cannot find a local supplier.

Plastic Food Grade Containers.
Trim Plastics supplies a whole range of food grade plastic buckets. We have found the rectangular 10 and 20 litre containers to be perfect for storage as they can stack higher (7 high for 20 Lt and 12 high for 10 Lt.) They use less space in storage and seal really well. I think it’s the corners that assists with the strength. Unlike elsewhere in the world we do not have the luxury of free buckets, as they are typically scrounged by staff working in a ‘free bucket’ environment. (Cash or EFT)

Glass ‘canning jars’.
Consol jars are similar to the Mason jars in the US and Canada. Consol jars are often free for the taking in many older homes. It’s the seals that are hugely expensive. We have found the most cost effective solution is to standardise on a single size jar (Cross & Blackwell Mayo jars for example, get your friends to collect for you) and then purchase a few boxes of single use lids from www.bonpak.co.za the lids are 1/20th the cost of Consol seals. These can often be reused if the seal is still perfect. Note: We have not used these for pressure canning. Stick to Consol Jars and lids for that. (Cash EFT and Cards)

Your Local Fresh Produce Market is a great place to get bargains on in-season veggies for a canning exercise. We use AppleQueens at the JHB Fresh Produce Market. We plan a trip in once every second month and all spend part of the weekend processing at a fraction of the cost of buying elsewhere. Don’t go to the trouble of getting a buying card, the prices are not much different from the market floor or a wholesaler. Fresh produce markets also have a host of supporting businesses (for farmers) where you can get bulk packaging, bulk catering items and growing resources like seedling trays, ties, bulk seed (Hybrid) and irrigation systems. etc, so take your time and see what is available. (Most stores are Cash Only)

Grains.
Find your local Co-Op and purchase your bulk grains like wheat and whole mielies (Corn) there. Typically sold as Boer Koring or just plain Wheat, you will be paying about R200 per 50 Kgs. The same goes for mielies  but you are almost certain to get GMO Corn, unless you grow your own. (Depends on the store) Your Co-Op is also a great place to get veterinary medication at a good price. They also sell disposable syringes, gloves, needles and multi-use ‘sharps’. I have tried the multi-use sharps (B Co injection) it’s a bit more painful than the single use needles, but they work.

Dry Ice, find your local Ice-cream factory and buy from there.

Heirloom seeds
Contact the guys at www.livingseeds.co.za. We have had great service from these guys, all their seed is grown in South Africa and it’s a good local business to support. There is also a lot of useful info on keeping your seed pure from season to season and generally being self-sustainable. (EFT and credit card)

Beans and Lentils
Akhalwaya’s is a great place to buy bulk storage beans, lentils and spices. If you are outside of Gauteng then do a google for your local spice wholesaler. Spices, oils, beans, wheat, rice and the like are available there. I always leave with more than I planned to buy. (Cash and EFT)

Oils and Chemicals
Rebound Chemicals. These two ladies provide a great service and supply a wide range of chemicals at rock bottom prices. Food grade oils (Coconut, olive etc) and chemicals for making soaps and detergents, they will even supply you with recipes if you would like to start a home based soap making business. (Cash and EFT)

Another edible oil supplier is Pridon, they also have no web site, just e-mail Graham at pridon@isat.co.za (016 365 6073) they supply in bulk and are a good place to lay in your edible oils or Pomace olive oil for soap making. (Cash and EFT)

Essential Oils

www.essentialoils.co.za a great range and one of the most cost effective suppliers. We have been using them for years. (Credit card and EFT)

Off grid power. We use two sites/suppliers www.sustainable.co.za and www.redrhino.co.za  They stock all one needs, the service and prices are by far the best we have found. A self-installed solar geyser (hot water system) from Red Rhino is cheaper than taking advantage of the Eskom rebate with a more expensive dealer installed system, as long as you are handy and can do-it-yourself. (Cash, EFT and credit card)

Solar water pumping. www.allpower.co.za this is a great locally made solar (PV) pump that can be repaired by most handymen. It uses commonly available spares in most motor spares shops. Proprietary parts are freely available from the manufacturer at a low cost. Well worth the investment. Get a spare controller board in case of a lightning strike, as well as extra diaphragms. (The system comes with a free set, replace every 12-24 months). I really like the fact that this system is user serviceable, important in a SHTF scenario. We used their Gauteng based dealer www.sunlec.co.za and are extremely happy with their service, they delivered onsite (120+km) and even supplied couplings that were not charged for to suit our unique installation. (Cash and EFT)

Security, we use a number of suppliers here. Oh, I’d give an eyetooth to be able to shop in the States but we need to maintain OPSEC locally and work with what we have. Maybe the Dollar will crash one day soon and we can get it on the cheap…)

For Mil Spec gear to drool over http://www.msequipment.co.za prepare to flatten your wallet, this site can hurt. (Cash and EFT)

Mil Spec Clothing and tents www.armystores.co.za they do postal orders which is cool. (Cash, credit card and EFT) Another option which we are exploring is to purchase a bolt of Mil Spec Camo material to make clothes on patterns. We are waiting for our first order to be delivered. Just find your largest haberdashery and say you need it for a bush camp that you are setting up…. Mmmm could very well be true, depending on how you interpret it.

Second-hand reloading kit at reasonable prices (New as well)  Try Craig at the Blunderbuss Tel 011 867 0370 Fax :  011 867 0369 E-mail : blunderbuss@telkomsa.net  (Sorry they have no web site) they also stock a range of militaria, however we have found their Military clothing to be a bit steep on price, but they do have some really cool original WWII stuff. They are a great resource for spare mags and additional (old and new) Mil Spec kit. If you need something rare or unusual they should be your first stop. (EFT, Cash and credit card)

Pick up brass at your local range or purchase brass from their shop depending on the range. We pick up everything that we can lay our hands on and put it in storage, you never know when its barter value will go through the roof. Also lay on some extra dies in common calibres and make sure you keep loading data for all of them.

As an aside, most larger gun shops have a large collection of spares for firearms. (They break-down and/or weld-up most of the weapons handed in by gun owners that did not want to go through the hassle of the new Firearms Control Act) You can often sort through crates of spares and mags looking for the peaches.

Reloading Components.
Contact www.questbullets.com for limited range of superb quality locally made rifle bullets at a good price. Don’t phone Oom (Uncle) Petrus, he prefers email. For any other components buy them cash from your local gun shops in staggered amounts and please stick to the law. (Credit card and EFT)

OTC Medical supplies.
We get some from www.dischem.co.za and some from www.clicks.co.za. Both of these national pharmacies require a verbal ID (Name, address and ID number) when ordering basic over the counter (OTC) medications. Create a pseudonym that you can easily remember, they don’t ask for a visual ID. Don’t buy your first aid kit supplies here, rather check out one or both sites that are mentioned below.

Online suppliers for medical kit and hardware that we have used with great success are. www.yms.co.za (They also supply security related products) and www.myomed.co.za

Hand powered equipment and antique tools.
Find your local smallholders’ livestock auction. Typically held on a Saturday in rural / Peri-urban areas. These auctions most often have a flea market attached to them that sell all manner of things. Get there early and browse the flea market. We have found some real gems like hand powered grain grinders, scythes and old wood working tools.

For anything else keep a watch on www.gumtree.co.za, at www.bidorbuy.co.za and at www.junkmail.co.za those three sites will often turn up an item that you are looking for. If it’s not urgent and the price seems a bit steep, the seller will often re-list at a lower price, if it’s up for three weeks you could probably negotiate quite nicely. Regards, – Joe Ordinary Voortrekker

Economics and Investing:

A chart published by The Financial Times says it all: America: Paydown problems

You’re insane if you don’t own gold, investors told

Muni Bonds Crashing For Third Straight Day, And This Is The Worst Yet. (A hat tip to Yishai for the link.)

John R. sent this by Gonzalo Lira: Why Democracies Will Always Go Bankrupt

The Latest Gold Fraud Bombshell: Canada’s Only Bullion Bank Gold Vault Is Practically Empty. (Thanks to Michael H. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

At Least 10 States Have Introduced Gold-As-Currency Bills

Industrial Production Rises By Most in Five Months  

Holiday Spending “Record” Not As Good As It Looks  

Wholesale Food And Energy Prices Rise  

US Mint Reports Unprecedented Buying Spree Of Physical Silver  

Bad Real Estate News Ignored To Spin Bright Future  

Odds ‘n Sods:

Pierre M. sent a link to a fascinating blog written by a wife and mother who lives deep in the interior of Alaska: The Last Frontier. Their main access to the outside world is via bush pilot flights. The blog is posted only sporadically, since they have to fly in the gasoline to run their generator. Now that is remote!

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Leading computer expert warns of cyber attack on National Grid. (Thanks to Dave B. for the link.)

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From Chris S. comes a news account of YOYO time: Brazil Mudslide Survivors Carry Food, Water to Those in Remote Village.The mudslides have reportedly taken 600 lives.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The essence of exchange is the transfer of title. Here’s the essence of what happens when I buy a gallon of milk from my grocer. I tell him that I hold title to these three dollars and he holds title to the gallon of milk. Then, I offer: If you transfer your title to that gallon of milk, I will transfer title to these three dollars. Whenever there’s voluntary exchange, the only clear conclusion that a third party can make is that both parties, in their opinion, perceived themselves as better off as a result of the exchange; otherwise, they wouldn’t have exchanged. I was free to keep my three dollars, and the grocer was free to keep his milk. If you think it’s obvious that both parties benefit from voluntary exchange, then how come we hear pronouncements about worker exploitation? Say you offer me a wage of $2 an hour. I’m free to either accept or reject your offer. So what can be concluded if I’m seen working for you at $2 an hour? One clear conclusion is that I must have seen myself as being better off taking your offer than my next best alternative. All other alternatives were less valuable, or else why would I have accepted the $2 offer? How appropriate is it to say that you’re exploiting me when you’ve given me my best offer? Rather than using the term exploitation, you might say you wish I had more desirable alternatives. While people might characterize $2 an hour as exploitation, they wouldn’t say the same about $50 an hour. Therefore, for the most part, when people use the term exploitation in reference to voluntary exchange, they simply disagree with the price. If we equate price disagreement with exploitation, then exploitation is everywhere. For example, I not only disagree with my salary, I also disagree with the prices of Gulfstream private jets. By no means do I suggest that you purge your vocabulary of the term exploitation. It’s an emotionally valuable term to use to trick others, but in the process of tricking others, one need not trick himself. I’m reminded of charges of exploitation Mrs. Williams used to make early on in our 44-year marriage. She’d charge, “Walter, you’re using me!” I’d respond by saying, “Honey, sure, I’m using you. If I had no use for you, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place.” How many of us would marry a person for whom we had no use? As a matter of fact, the problem of the lonely hearts among us is that they can’t find someone to use them.” – Dr. Walter E. Williams

Medical Quarantine — Protecting Your Family from Infection, by Dr. Cynthia Koelker

Plague.  Yellow fever.  Cholera.  Diphtheria.   Diseases which evoke images of death and despair.  
Though less likely to transmit a fatal illness, would you open your door to someone with hepatitis, strep throat, or methacillin-resistant staph?  What about a person suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, a cough, or lice, or a fever?  Are you immune to measles, polio, and whooping cough – and would you even recognize these conditions?  How will you know if someone is going to come down with influenza in the next day or two?

Before antibiotics, before anti-virals, before immune globulin, societies used quarantines to protect their populations.  As early as the Middle Ages quarantines were imposed on potentially infected ships to reduce the risk of plague spreading to port cities. 

What will you do if someone shows up, seeking shelter?  Can you trust a child who appears healthy to be free of disease?  Does loving your neighbor as yourself require you to put your entire family at risk? 

In times of scarcity, when the marvels of modern medicine are unavailable, medical quarantine offers a possible solution.  The term quarantine applies specifically to apparently well people who may have been exposed to a contagious disease, and therefore may (or may not) become ill.  (For an obviously ill person, isolation procedures should be enacted, a topic for a future article.)

Almost every transmissible disease has an incubation period during which the person is infected but not yet showing signs of disease.  Quite often, a person can be contagious for one to several days before exhibiting symptoms.  Blood borne infections in asymptomatic individuals can sometimes be transmitted months or years before the infected person becomes symptomatic (as in HIV), hence the need for universal precautions.

In recent years the Haitian orphans provide an example of how the U.S. treats potentially contagious immigrants.  Though not quarantined in the usual sense, per the CDC even the apparently healthy children were all examined for:  bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, syphilis, intestinal parasites, Giardia spp., and Cryptosporidium.  They also had their immunization status checked and updated for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, rubella, polio, hepatitis A and B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, meningocococcus, pneumococcus, and varicella (chicken pox).

Lacking the means to do any of this, what constitutes a reasonable approach to strangers seeking help?

For the purposes of this article, I’ll assume those seeking to join your group are not suffering from any apparent signs of infection including fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, runny nose, peculiar behavior, or visible rash.  Again, lack of apparent infection does not guarantee health.  Certain illnesses such as chicken pox and influenza are often highly contagious even before symptoms have developed.  With other microbes, such as strep and typhoid, occasionally a person will develop a carrier state where they are able to transmit an infection but are not themselves infected.  In other cases an infection may be subclinical, that is, too mild to detect, as in the case of a toddler with infectious mononucleosis. 

The above reasons are the basis for quarantining apparently healthy individuals, isolating them from your established, (hopefully) healthy group, until sufficient time has passed to convince you that the well-appearing newcomers are, indeed, most likely healthy.  Even then, this cannot assure that an asymptomatic carrier is not in your presence, but the risk decreases as evidence of prolonged wellness accumulates.     

Quarantine measures depend on potential routes of transmission:  airborne, droplet-borne, direct contact, vector-borne (mosquitoes, fleas), fomite-borne (doorknobs, clothing, equipment, toys, or other inanimate object), food-borne, and feces-borne.  Blood-borne infections should not be an issue without exposure to blood or other body fluids.  (Warning: don’t have sex with strangers.) 

Ideally the quarantine area will be a separate building from your own living quarters, such as an outbuilding, garage, empty house, or barn.   If you choose to offer a room within your home, choose one vented to the outside, without ductwork connecting to the rest of the house.  Make sure the room has a negative pressure by leaving a window cracked, so the air flows into the room from the remainder of the house rather than vice versa.  If you allow newcomers within your home, have them fold their arms across their chests as you lead them to the quarantine room, to prevent potential contamination of walls, doorknobs, and other surfaces. 

Food utensils must be kept entirely separate.  Do not offer to wash dishes nor remove waste.  When offering food, do not touch a potentially contaminated dish with your own utensils.  If this occurs, either leave them with the quarantined population, or sterilize them (by boiling or with a 10% bleach solution.)
A 5-gallon bucket with attached toilet seat and sturdy disposable bags is adequate for waste disposal, preferably with an adequate supply of sturdy disposable plastic bags until the quarantine is lifted.

Who should be quarantined?  The answer could be anyone outside your group who wishes to join you.  Of course, this will depend on several factors, including known epidemics, length of time since societal breakdown, potential resources of newcomers, etc.  Even a few days of separation are better than none at all.  People from unvaccinated populations may pose a greater threat than those likely to have had standard immunizations.  No matter how long you wait, you may not know if an asymptomatic carrier is in your midst. 

How long to impose a quarantine?  Many latent viral infections will manifest themselves within a period of 3-5 days, and most within 10-14.  A three-week period of wellness assures against most transmissible infections, though such a prolonged period may impose hardship on both host and guest.  Certain viruses such as infectious mononucleosis and hepatitis A sometimes have an incubation period of 6 weeks before symptoms occur.  Anyone over the age of 30, however, is presumed to have had mono whether they’ve ever exhibited symptoms or not.  A table at Wikipedia, culled from other sources, lists incubation periods of common illnesses.

Most illnesses are not truly airborne, but rather spread via droplet contamination of surfaces including hands, doorknobs, utensils, and tools  (TB, anthrax, and influenza may be either airborne or droplet-borne.)  It is not likely you will become infected by standing across the room from a person as long as you keep your hands to yourself.  If you do touch something, do not, repeat, do not touch your face until you have washed your hands adequately.  The mucus membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth are the primary entry points for most contagious diseases. 

If your newcomers still appear well at the end of whatever quarantine period you’ve chosen, don’t neglect to do a rudimentary physical exam.  Check their hair for nits (lice eggs) and their skin for rashes.  Ask about known infections, including sexually transmitted diseases.  Keep your ears open for a cough, or wheezing, or abnormal behavior.

This brings us, perhaps, to the point of turning someone away.  Before you even start down the road of quarantine, you should have a plan in place.  Will you turn away a child?  A slow-moving grandmother?  A hard-working adult?  Will your decision be influenced by the potential contribution of the newcomer?  Would you welcome a carpenter with lice?  What about a gourmet cook with herpes?  Or a doctor with shingles?

If I were a layman considering a post-Armageddon scenario, I would update my immunizations now, beginning with those protective against diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, chicken pox, pneumonia, and influenza.  Although other illness such as yellow fever, typhoid, and Japanese encephalitis are rare in the United States, immunizations are available.  See the American Academy of Family Physicians recommendations for a list of vaccines and associated costs. 

Note: Family quarantine will be addressed in detail in my upcoming book, Armageddon Medicine.

Learning to help yourself is a process, but an easy place to start is with my book, 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care, which includes dozens of sections on treating yourself affordably.  Available for under $10 online, the book offers practical advice on treating: respiratory infections, pink eye, sore throats, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, urinary infections, allergies, arthritis, acne, hemorrhoids, dermatitis, skin infection, lacerations, lice, carpal tunnel syndrome, warts, mental illness, asthma, COPD, depression, diabetes, enlarged prostate, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and much more.

Dr. Koelker has recently started a new medical blog on surviving 2012 and TEOTWAWKI at www.armageddonmedicine.net.  She welcomes your questions, comments, and critiques.

Letter Re: Firsthand Experiences in the Australian Floods

James,
I would like to bring you and your readers a synopsis of the floods in Australia and their probable scenarios; firstly I have a first hand view through sandbagging and seeing friends through rising floodwaters, so I have a strong viewpoint. Around where we were in Brisbane east side , the water rose very quickly, the house where our friend  is on a flat concrete slab, the water rose within 2 hours about 3 feet ! The house was saved along with much prayer.

It is estimated that seven billion tons of water has been dumped on Queensland !

Let me explain, Brisbane had floods in 1974, the city then was more like a very large country town, the population was a little over 1 million people, there was very little high rise then, the previous flood peaked  at 5.45 meters and put  6,700 homes under water contrast that with today 60,000 homes  and last week over 100,000 people had no power. The peak this time was about 1 meter lower I think.The devastation this time was over a much bigger area.

As of now 28,650 properties were still without power, sewage plants are not functioning, 75% of the state is has lost crops such as avocados, which happen to be very sensitive to having their feet wet,  they stress, prices for capsicums, tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli will skyrocket, the states sugar cane crop is under water, $500 million worth is wiped out. Two growers in Chinchilla have lost $20 million between them.

For many of the farmers are getting wiped out, this will be the end for many of them, in this part of Queensland most of the nations crop of sweet potatoes , zucchinis ,cucumbers, macadamias mangoes and lychees are grown.

In Queensland  beef prices can only go one way up! Livestock can’t get to market because the roads have been destroyed, also 200,000 tons of wheat and barley have been wrecked. Mines need to be drained and supporting infrastructure needs to be completely re built or replaced, in the mean time though countries around the world that rely on Australia’s coking coal will go elsewhere to get it, its estimated that Australia  loses 100 million every day the mines can’t get their product out.

When will the rail roads be up and running again? when will the large produce markets be up and running again ? what about the road networks ? no one knows !

Add to all that, some of the mining companies like Energy and Easternwell have reported damaged or non-operational rigs.

There have also been looters at work, they row along in small dinghies jump onto a roof of a flooded house, prize away some roof tiles and get into the roof space stealing peoples money and valuables stored there in safety and make off with the goods, people have enough heartache to contend with without having these low-lifes steal all they have left.

My wife thinks I am too harsh (I think the cops should shoot a them,  then hang him up on a pole with a sign around his neck  saying “LOOTER”) how many will loot after that? Not many I suspect.

Also there have been some instances of women being sexually molested in evacuation centers ( reminds me of Katrina )

I saw people come  in canoes or boats with what they considered their most valuable possession , one woman came in make up with all her diamonds and jewels with a mink coat, another woman with a short statue of eastern origin, and another guy with a old bottle of whisky , amazing to me, I guess under pressure we all will take what is most valuable to us.

My family had our 72 hour kit, our Bibles and our pets, we were ready and we are doing well, ( much better than almost all we know ) lots of people laugh at us and think we are nuts, not any more though.

It seems to me that the country is in for a rough ride around the world because of the loss of the floods,  people are now losing their jobs in other big cities such as Sydney or Melbourne, friends of ours have been laid off because the banks call centers and marketing firms have closed because of the Queensland head offices are under water.

Thanks to SurvivalBlog my family has a heads up and are miles ahead, I see many totally unprepared for food shortages ahead, this has greatly impacted this country and will effect many more areas in other states.

So in the meantime, I would encourage anyone, have your bug out bag (BOB) ready and food and water for at least 12 weeks as a minimum.

Economics and Investing:

Cost to Make Penny and Nickel Rises for US Mint. It now costs the U.S. Mint 9.22 cents to produce a nickel! Build your pile now, before the coin composition changes! (If you dawdle, then you’ll have to sort coins. And once the base metal value exceeds 2x face value, nickels will be driven out of circulation by the general public.)

Illinois Lawmakers Pass 66 Percent Income Tax Increase

Ben S. was the first of several readers to send this: Housing Market Slips Into Depression Territory

Items from The Economatrix:

S&P, Moodys Both Warn On US Credit

Hard Times In Illinois  

Long Shadows Cast Over US Economy 

FDIC Friday Follies: Regulators Shut Small Georgia Bank; Third This Year
 
Stock Indexes Gain For Seventh Straight Week   

Odds ‘n Sods:

#1 Son forwarded me this: In Nuclear Silos, Death Wears a Snuggie

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Some news from Israel for the Orchestrated Institutional Stupidity Department: IDF collecting settlers’ weapons

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Avalanche Lily flagged this one: “Food riots in America? You’re crazy…”

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P.J. sent this: Living large: Home going up in Highlandville to be one of country’s largest. This “one-family house” has some veeeery interesting specifications.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." – Nehemiah 4:14 

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 32 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

WTSHTF and Your Medical Needs, by S. in Oklahoma

With the rising number of people aware of the need to prep for survival in the coming times there are so many needs that must be addressed. When putting together a survival group, people draw from a diverse group of people and try to match talents and skills of the members so that they may cover a very large array of needs. There are so many steps one can take to prepare for or understand certain skills which could prove useful should their network be lacking of certain skills. One of the ones nearest to me is medical care!

So you don’t have a nurse, paramedic or doctor in your network of partners. What do you do when someone is faced with ailments typically treated by someone’s physician? When there is no one to give advice or prescribe medications, what are your options for hope of surviving even the simplest of things? We all have within us the capacity to adapt and handle certain emergent situations and there are field guides and how to books and manuals that can come in very handy as a reference on how to treat many different ailments. In many article I’ve read on the subject it seems there is something I have not read enough of!

I have been a patient of the healthcare industry and I’ve worked in administration. I am trained in emergency medicine but for years I have not graced the establishments as a patient! Years ago I was opened to the wonderful world of preventative medicine! I took to it quite quickly as I began to expand my knowledge in how the things we do and ingest affect our health. I’ve had bad experiences with doctors who are so eager to prescribe that they don’t often take enough time to really fix the problem as many medicines simply mask the symptoms.

This is in no way intended to persuade someone to ignore the advice of their doctors and go without the care they have been receiving. They are simply helpful suggestions that I have followed for many years with great success myself and my children. The healthcare industry serves a great purpose to society and I am very fond of the emergency medical service. However, if your ailment comes from within and is not a result of an accident etc., there is a large possibility you can get to know your own body and keep yourself in such great health as to survive much longer without the care of physicians.

Here are a couple of the things I live by that have kept myself and my girls in pristine health even when others around us are sick and flus, colds and bugs are spreading among others! My not work for everyone and you really have to work on knowing yourself and your body for these techniques to work at all. The better you know your body the quicker you know if you’ve been infected with a bug or virus and the quickest action you take in preventing it from taking control of your system the better chance you have to keep from being sick at all!

Apple Cider Vinegar
I’m sure many people are thinking “yuck” right about now! However, this is one of the greatest defenses I can offer you for keeping what is going around from taking grip of your health! I am very aware of my body and I know quite quickly when something is not right. Yes I know I am not a doctor, and cannot diagnose myself with a sickness, but I have common sense enough to know when others around me are sick. When I start with a single symptom I am likely to be getting it soon!

Strep throat for example! I went from no symptoms to a fever and sore throat within hours one day and I knew I had been exposed to it. I was pretty sure what was going on. I immediately started taking straight vinegar as often as I could handle it. It burned quite a bit going down my sore and irritated throat. I did not treat the fever at that point because I knew that was simply my body reacting to the infection that was trying to take over my body. Well, I’ve had strep throat before and been to the doctor, so I know it is not uncommon to have the discomfort and symptoms for a week or more. However, being aware enough and by taking immediate action, I was over any and all symptoms with vinegar alone within 48 hours of the initial symptoms.

Common Colds and Flus
Germs are always in the air especially when we are in public places and when you live with a large number of people it can spread and re-spread in-between them and sometimes you can even get it again after being well for a week or more because others are getting it at different times! I have found that mixing the vinegar with honey to taste and drinking with hot water as a tea can prevent any germs from setting in! Years ago I finally got my daughters to do this by coming up with my special “honey cocoa”! It had no cocoa but the name put them at ease as they hated the vinegar alone. It became a ritual during the cold seasons especially. May not work for everyone but I cannot tell you how long it has been since myself or my children and had a cold or the flu and we do not get any immunizations for the flu! While germs and viruses are being passed even in our own homes we manage to escape untouched by the ailments! I’ve not managed to convince too many people of it but when you are in a WTSHTF situation and cannot get to a doctor, preventing a sickness from taking place gives you far better chances than having a sickness get so bad that you need antibiotics when there are none!

Local Honey
For those that suffer from allergies like pollen and other things that they typically seek treatment for or end up with drainage and are miserable there might be hope! There have been many articles in various magazines and web sites about this. The Google search engine is your friend! You will find many more uses than I will list here! If you take a tablespoon of local honey everyday it almost serves as an immunization to the allergies typically present in the local environment that the honey came from. This is thanks to the wonderful bees and cross pollination! I don’t know how many people it will work for but I do know it has worked for many people that have tried it including myself. You do have to be disciplined enough to do it each day and it doesn’t take effect overnight. It may take weeks or months before you can be in your environment that typically gives you allergic fits before you feel you can breathe easy and avoid the drainage and sometimes resulting sicknesses from all of it!

There are many more ways to stay on top of your own health and prevent many sicknesses from ever taking residence in your body. I will not list them all as I feel the above are the two most critical factors in my being able to maintain the health of myself and my daughters. However, there is a world of information out there and I would advise anyone to read books, articles and everything they can get their hands on about natural healing. I will say one thing I am doing myself, taking herbology classes! I am a novice practitioner of this already. I use herbs, essential oils and natural remedies as often as possible, as I am not a fan of pharmaceuticals. I don’t recommend anyone stop taking their medications. I am simply suggesting it may prove useful in the days ahead, if you no longer have access to medications, and you need to rely on Mother Nature! Even if you choose not to do or learn these things I would definitely advise that you take the time and effort to compile reference books on the subjects and have them in a safe waterproof place. One day they may be more valuable to you then you know!

One other little helpful bit of information that I would like to share even for now is the importance of getting water! I’m sure everyone has read of the greater success one will have if they conquer their addictions to anything before that time comes. Many people are hooked on sodas and drink very little water. Lack of water can cause quite a few ailments that people attribute to sickness but can be curtailed by staying hydrated. Just a couple I have read about; fatigue, headaches, nausea, and hunger pain, the list goes on and on. Definitely another topic worthy of research!

Good luck to all of you. Get to know yourself, because no one can possibly know your body better than you do yourself!

Everything Happens for a Reason, by Leep

In 2006, I left my job of 20+ years as a maintenance mechanic and construction designer, my wife left her job of 10+ years in real estate, and we cashed in a pension and a 401(k), to buy a small farm. At the time we were deemed crazy. We thought so too and to this day can’t really put a finger on the exact reasoning.

This farm was one of the last small agriculturally-zoned properties in the area. The rest is sub-division. It was only five acres, but had a large 8-stall horse barn with a large loft & a half-acre pond. We fenced extensively to utilize all the property and over the next three years we got by with giving tours to schools, groups and individuals, and selling various farm related items. Over the past four years we have had virtually every animal known to a farm. Hereford bull, Angus heifers, goats, pigs, sheep, quarter horses, a pony, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, quail, doves, pigeons. Also, ferrets, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, gerbils, a hedgehog, a dozen dogs and even more cats.

We had to buy hay 12 months of the year, but we were able to make arrangements with three beer micro-breweries to pick up their spent grain after brewing and also with a few produce stores that would load up 32-gallon cans (which we dropped off daily) with their waste fruit, vegetables and greens. No charge for anything, but we had to supply the cans. They didn’t fill up their dumpsters and everyone saved money.

Everything was going smooth until the end-of-summer, 2008. We had that noticed things weren’t quite right in our previous lives (my wife was in real estate), and this was verified in early fall, when we had a visit from someone who had a unique (for us) idea. This person was an owner of an investment firm and had scheduled a tour with his family to “see” the farm. What really was being “seen” was us. Later, we were asked if we would like to join/form a co-op of sorts where a few people with an initial investment and monthly fees could have a supply of fresh meat and eggs and in the case of an “emergency” would have a retreat.

I got the co-op part but the retreat part? Retreat from what? Growing up, I was a big-fan of end-of-the-world movies and books. Movies like “On The Beach”, “The Day The World Ended” (watch it first, then comment) and “The Last Man On Earth” with Vincent Price. “The Last Ship ” was a favorite book later, too. Then we were told about what was going to happen in the beginning of 2009. He told us unless the Fed stepped in somehow, we would have just one of the big three automakers left, if that, banks will fail and inflation and shortages would come. This was in late September of 2008.  My vision of a TEOTWAWKI situation was more nuclear war or even monsters, before the real one, a financial “Rome’s about to be surrounded!”

We thought about this a few days and agreed. Though this co-op set-up only lasted a few months, people lost interest in it to make it not worth our while, we were now permanently “Preppers” and had a tremendous head-start. We started our own personal storage program for food and supplies, but given our location in the suburbs of a very major Midwest city, this was futile at best. Too many people! Too many had the knowledge of what we had and where we had it. My head about imploded after I read “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” by Mr. Rawles. (I’ve since read “Patriots“, which if I had read it earlier, would have really gotten me freaked!)

These major eye-opener(s), coupled with Glenn Beck and the endless doom and gloom on the History Channel and others (ABC even had one) we had been watching throughout ‘09, we knew we had to Get Out Of Dodge sooner, rather than later. This process was to be expedited by others. We had our own web site for the tours we had been giving, and still had some information on what we may had going on, though nothing saying we were prepping. At the time we had some links to other useful sites, etc., but then I added Glenn Beck’s and one for a non-hybrid survival seed company we really liked. wrong move! This definitely must have sent up red flags somewhere, somehow. A few weeks later our world was suddenly invaded with anonymous threatening letters and notes saying they’re going tell our suppliers of beer-grain and produce that our animals were being treated poorly, complaints to the police, township, county (Health, Zoning, Building), and state department of agriculture. All of a sudden everything we were doing was deemed “wrong“!

Pop-in visits asking for a look around became common. Picture taking from the other sides of the gates, also. Now, we were located on a corner property on a well-traveled 2-lane road with a 30-mph limit. Joggers, walkers and bicyclists were common. Never a complaint! They would stop at one of our gates to chat. We gave tours and had an open gate policy at first and kept the place cleaner then the typical acceptable conditions of a farm in the area. Anyway, all the, “You didn’t get a permit for this,” “You can’t do that,” and, “Someone said you did this,” were new to us. We had checked on what we could and couldn’t do on the property before we purchased it. You read the list of animals we had or had at one time or another. Some of these “officials” had even been at the farm earlier in friendly times and used to say “Keep up the good work,” and, “Wish more people were like this,” and came back with their kids on the weekends!

Was it a coincidence that things changed when the web site stuff was added? We don’t think so. Our not believing in coincidences in the first place had nothing to do with reaching this conclusion. Were we paranoid? Read on. This continued and escalated. We had an excellent relationship with our local County Sheriff (we were in an unincorporated semi-affluent, McMansion area which was converted from farms over the years, with few holdouts. Ours were probably the first cows you would see driving out of the major city nearby). He told us things behind the scenes he was aware of and things we should do to protect ourselves. Trust me, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you what he said. We had been finding broken glass, bottles, shards of metal and such in our pastures and walkways. For instance, based upon what was said, on Easter Sunday, my wife and I installed 99 eight-foot solid fence panels on our roadside perimeter existing fencing. Just the start. Next were infra-red security cameras, motion-activated lighting and alarms. Firearms were a non-issue. But that is a subject for another time.

In April, 2010 we started looking for a new farm west of the Mississippi. My wife was originally from South Dakota, but we settled on SW Minnesota. I hate flies and mosquitoes, so cold and snow half the time is wonderful to me. I have issues with sustainability in a lot of South Dakota, but they’d probably say the same about me.

The day in June, moving the animals was the epitome of the Schumer we were in. Just blocking only half the street on an early Saturday morning, loading a dozen cattle and two dozen goats in a really residential neighborhood. The things that were said to us and our transporters showed how Godless the area was becoming. Idolatry and hypocrisy rule. We moved our whole operation 500 miles away. We took a major monetary hit on the “city” farm (just to get it sold and done with), but sold it in six months, paid off all major debts, and bought the new farm outright. The new farm is four times the size of our old one, and is self-sustainable for both our family of five, our ten dogs and the farm animals. We had a lot of help from a God-send of neighbors to get us going.

After all the harassment we put up with, not one civil or criminal complaint was ever filed, so motivation and individuals personally involved is unknown. We believe everything is done for a reason. Our lives are being steered in a certain direction, but let no man tell you which direction you must go. Only God knows which direction you must go. We never pray to God to ask Him for anything. We pray to God to thank Him for everything. Remember, God helps those that help themselves (and others). Not those that “help” themselves (and not others). Get it? Here’s a quote I like from the recent movie, “Legion”: “Maybe God’s just tired of all the bull**t.”

Get Your Schumer Together. Sell your junk, buy tangibles, pay off your debt, make peace with your maker. Pass it on. Do it now. Maybe it’s not too late to get it right.

Right before graduating a rough four years of high school (full of mischief, mostly harmless), sitting with my Dad at the kitchen table weighing my options: go full-time at the car dealership I was working at, do the ol’ work your way through college or the military. A World War II Vet, he said to me, “Son, it has and always will be better to know a little about a lot, rather than a lot about a little.” Within a week I joined the Marine Corps. Four years later I met my wife of 24 years. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Everything happens for a reason. Semper Fi.

Letter Re: Grateful for SurvivalBlog in Australia

Dear James,  
I read much of your blog site and started to get prepared two years ago when the financial crisis first hit.  Now, while staying dry enough, I am surrounded by flooded towns and washed out roads and bridges.  So much of what you have written is of value here right now.  I thought you would appreciate an on-the spot report.  Now my friends are scrambling and I don’t look like such a fool.     

We in Jandowae have potable water but our nearest neighbouring town, Dalby was trucking in a million litres a day.  Even locally I have seen some gastrointestinal infections and am grateful for good water filtration equipment.  We have needed our battery operated radio as there have been frequent blackouts, the bug out bags are ready in case we get more rain upstream and evacuation is needed, and it is a comfort to have sufficient food for a year and a good supply of heirloom seeds to plant as soon as the water goes down as they expect food prices to double in the coming months as more than half of the state has been underwater with massive stock and crop losses.  I even bought a spare house to have more land to cultivate and storage room, and I think we are going to be glad of that. (I live in the shop.)  

Everything that seemed common sense and intuitively correct is coming true – we are all so interconnected and interdependent that without a functioning road network, no one can get anything in or out.  Livestock cannot get to the slaughterhouse or meat or milk to market or processed and packaged goods back to the country.  Many large towns are out of fuel, and no one anywhere can get bread or milk. No one.  The bakeries are out of flour so can’t even bake any.  There has been panic buying and shop shelves are stripped bare, but you can still get the odd treat like chocolate at our local store.  There are only a few of us in my town who can go to work as most men I know are truck or transport drivers, farmers with paddocks and sheds under water or coal mine workers. (The mines have shut down as both rail and roads are washed out and there is no way to get the finished product to the ports or export. They are losing $100 million every day in exports, and Australia supplies half of the world’s supply of coking coal).  When the holiday pay runs out, many will be unable to meet their mortgage payments and with food costs about to go through the roof, there will be widespread hardship.  

I have enough issues with my store and looking after the unprepared that I am so glad all our personal needs are well looked after.   

I also look at the big picture, the months of recovery ahead, the isolation which will continue for a very long time and the huge inflation we will be dealing with and it has all happened just as you predicted.   It is still unfolding tonight as the capital city, Brisbane, loses 3,500 businesses, 20,000 homes and many kilometers of roads and bridges. You probably saw what happened to people in the Lockyer Valley when a wall of water went through the main street of Toowoomba, (where we do most of our shopping), and then down the mountainside, washing away houses.  Many were stuck on their roofs and no one could rescue them because it was too large a scale of disaster and torrential rain continued all the next day, which hampered rescue efforts.  We are pretty good at handling disasters here in Australia, but at the moment, the resources are stretched very thin. When things get this bad, we have to be able to take care of ourselves and each other.  

Thanks once again – the amount of stress that I don’t have on account of listening to you and acting on your advice is fantastic. – Karen in Queensland

Economics and Investing:

In Entitlement America, The Head Of A Household Of Four Making Minimum Wage Has More Disposable Income Than A Family Making $60,000 A Year.

Moody’s warns US, Europe countries on rising costs

25 Hard Questions That You Will Not See Asked On CNN, MSNBC Or Fox News. (Thanks to J.D.D. for the link.)

More banks and servicers walk away from properties

Items from The Economatrix:

Gerald Celente:  Internet Nuke Bomb Waiting To Go Off  

Virginia Creates Subcommittee To Study Monetary Alternatives In Case Of Terminal Fed “Breakdown” 

Real Silver Highs

Stocks Dip After Unemployment Applications Rise  

Over 1 Million Americans Seen Losing Homes In 2011