Letter Re: Riots and Civil Unrest in America

Mr. Rawles,
I had one more observation to add to B.B. in California’s letter about the 1992 Los Angeles riots. At the time, I was living in Bakersfield, a city a two hour drive from L.A., and I vividly recall watching the news coverage of the events. This was followed by stories of similar, albeit much smaller, incidents of ‘unrest’ in cities as far away from L.A. as Fresno, and Oakland, California. The most alarming thing was this: Each of these cities, indeed, even the city I lived in, had already sent some of the Police Officers (mostly California Highway Patrol) normally stationed there to assist in trying to restore order to L.A. In other words, the incidents of unrest had started to spread, even as the officers who were to stop it from spreading were sent someplace else.

Now obviously the incidents in other cities were very minor, and didn’t amount to much. However, the fact that [active component] U.S. Army troops were called in from Fort Ord (over 5 hours away) and even U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton shows how this one, relatively short, localized incident, stretched the abilities of the government to reestablish Law and Order. (As I recall the riots lasted for less than a week, and major rioting occurred in only one major U.S. city) Can you imagine what might happen if major nationwide civil unrest occurred today, when so many of our brave National Guard and active duty U.S. Military troops are stationed overseas?

In this day and age when people will riot over the whether or not their favorite sports team has lost or won a game, and the economy is teetering on the edge of deep, dark, depression, we are closer to edge of anarchy then we have been in a very long time. If you think that living far away from a major urban center means that you are safe from the effects of such things, or if you think that help is coming during an incident of rioting or civil unrest, then you are sorely mistaken. – Krys in Idaho

Seven Letters Re: A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI

Hi Jim,
In response to the letters sent to you regarding my article, the FORTE version of the antibiotics described would be appropriate for full-grown men and all but the most petite women (less than, say, 100 pounds or so). Children would be best served with the 250mg fish antibiotic dose. Frequency of these medications is from 2-4 times a day, depending on the individual drug. The risk of under-dosage would be suboptimal progress in healing. Overdosage often manifests itself as diarrhea.. Treatment length is usually from 5-10 days.
A good internet drug index can be found at rxlist.com.

If you suspect that you have influenza (a viral illness), antibiotics will do you little good. Instead, you should get Tamiflu and take it 2 times a day for 5 days. It is most effective when taken very early in the onset of the illness.

I would recommend stockpiling as many antibiotics as you can afford. Over the course of time, I guarantee you will need it; if you don’t need it, it will be an excellent barter item. Thanks again, – Dr. Bones

Hello Jim,
Here are a couple of resources for looking up drug information and recommended dosages:

At the NIH web site

At the FDA web site

Keep up the good work! – G.W. in Ohio

James Wesley;
Antibiotics, or any internally consumed medication for that matter, have a dosage range. To find the dosage range of a particular drug based on body weight, a drug information handbook will be needed. This will detail the appropriate milligrams of drug / Kilogram of body weight / per day (essentially the maximum dosage per day based on body weight) of the particular drug you need. All dosage amounts are in the metric system (mg) so you will need to convert it to the English pound system. Once you find the range, you can decide (based on the weight, age, medical status, virulence of infection and extent of infection) how much you would like to dispense.

A simple formula for converting the mg. of drug / Kg. of body weight / per day into mg. of drug / pounds of body weight / per day is:
(mg. of drug x weight in lbs. of person) / 2.2 lbs = maximum mg. of drug per day based on weight in lbs.

So, an example for the mathematically challenged using Amoxicillin:

The drug handbook lists Amoxicillin:
Child: 20-50 mg/kg/day in divided doses every 8 hours.
Adult: 250-500 mg every 8 hours.

If your child’s weight is 50 lbs. and he is in good general health (using the upper limit of the drug), multiple 50mg of Amoxicillin x 50 lbs. divided by 2.2 lbs = 1,136 mg/ lbs./ per day. So, 1,136 mg of Amoxicillin should not be exceeded per day.

Now, take the 1,136 mg and divide by 3 (because it is taken every 8 hours) = 379 mg every 8 hours (not to exceed ,1136 mg in a 24 hour period). The drug is only dispensed in capsule form as 250mg or 500mg capsules. So, based on the above child, I would prescribe a 250mg capsule every 8 hours for 7 days and monitor his response. If he starts to feel better, continue with the medication. If he gets worse, then up the dosage to 500mg every 8 hours and monitor or switch to a different antibiotic drug class.

The problem with under-dosage would be the bacterial infection is not eradicated from the body and the infection gets worse and possible resistant to the antibiotic. Over-dosage of an antibiotic when be difficult to do and the results even harder to estimate in my opinion. I would postulate that a prolonged over-dosage of an antibiotic (depending on the type of antibiotic) would alter the normal micro flora of an individual leading to gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea). I hope this helps, – Tennessee Dentist

Dear Jim,
I am board certified in family medicine. In general, I agree with the antibiotics recommended by Georgia Doc. Ten day courses of Levaquin and Bactrim are usually adequate for most infections. I have found Alldaychemist.com to be a reliable and reasonably priced source for most common antibiotics and other medications. It is based in India. Perhaps some of your pharmacist readers, can comment on if it is true the eighty percent of the world’s generic medications are manufactured in India. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, – Dr. Jim

 

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Please let your readers know that there are three resources available to help determine the drug and dosage needed for specific illnesses. The first is The Merck Manual, which is a thick book with every known disease and syndrome. It’s used by doctors and gives dosage recommendations for adults and children (including how to calculate dosage); it also provides alternative drugs should the patient be allergic to the first drug of choice.
The second resource is The Pill Book which is for sale at many pharmacies and most bookstores. It’s a little less technical and is organized alphabetically rather than by disease, as The Merck Manual is.
Finally, everyone should be aware of what drugs they take for frequently occurring disorders such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, cystitis, etc. If your doctor regularly prescribes 500 mg Amoxicillin, you can be assured the drug and dosage are correct for you.
Thanks so much for your blog. – S.S. in Tennessee

 

Hello JWR,
First off, thank you for the site. My wife and I have just recently ‘woke up’ regarding preparedness (less than a month ago). It’s really been a great bonding experience and also allows us to get back to basics. We are nowhere near ‘ready’, but we are working on it daily and have a plan of action. Hopefully we’ll never really use any of this, but again, thank you for potentially saving our lives! We are very grateful, maybe I can give back a little with this e-mail.

I am writing regarding the recent pharmacy articles. Very well written and I agree with them completely. As a pharmacist and owner of an independent pharmacy myself, I can’t stress enough that if SHTF, the pharmacies at CVS (I used to work there), Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and the like will be locked up. Count on it. I know if times became truly bad, I would take everything home with me and work from there while I had supplies left to prevent looting. I’ve stocked up on antibiotics, blood pressure meds, pain relievers, diuretics and other ‘survival meds’ (the cheap ones anyway) in bulk for the communities that I serve for awhile, but I doubt that most places have. I worry about my diabetic patients, along with those in the nursing home and homebound. I guess that the only thing that keeps me awake more than the Golden Horde is the image of those patients in the nursing homes that I serve, post SHTF, it really breaks my heart to think what could happen there.

I would just like to add a couple more products that I haven’t really seemed mentioned anywhere that would be extremely beneficial, potentially lifesaving in my opinion.

Meclizine, brand names Bonine, some versions of Dramamine, (double check the active ingredient which are usually highlighted in yellow on the back of the box) can be used for multiple uses, but it’s main function is preventing and treating nausea and dizziness. I imagine needing to gather firewood, hunting, or other outdoor activities while undergoing a dizzy spell. Not a good combination, although the job may need to be done You can get a generic bottle of 100 tablets with a long shelf life at my pharmacy (I’m assuming others as well) for around $5. The brand name is much much more expensive for the same amount. Be careful giving to children though, there is a Bonine for Kids that is a different ingredient that I use for my kids on car trips. Make sure that you’re not confusing dizziness with dehydration.

Silver Sulfadiazine (brand names SSD and Silvadene). This is a prescription medication but if the opportunity presents itself, get hold of some. Treats burned skin to prevent secondary infections and it greatly increases healing time. Will work for cuts, burns, infected bug bites, etc. Similar product to Neosporin (triple antibiotic cream, without a prescription), except much more effective. My suggestion to get hold of some, next time you get a normal burn from the lawn mower muffler or curling iron, instead of treating it at home, go see your physician. Tell them a friend used SSD and you would like some. Shouldn’t seem like a strange request. I’ve heard you may be able to get the same stuff from your Vet, but I’m not sure on that. This product is inexpensive, so ask for [a prescription for] a large quantity. Also, be careful if your have a sulfa allergy, since SSD has sulfadiazine in it, which is sulfa based.

Prednisone is another prescription that would be extremely beneficial post-SHTF. Can be used for strains and the like (although ibuprofen and naproxen are over the counter and much safer with far fewer side effects). However I envision it for near emergency situations with flu and breathing issues. Prednisone has a lot of side effects both short term and long term so be careful.

Sun Screen in bulk. You run the risk of dehydrating much much faster with a sunburn. At least wear a hat and loose lightweight long sleeve clothing. Dehydration will kill quickly and it is not a pleasant way to go.

Get a hardcopy of a medication book (I recommend The Pill Book by Harold Silverman, but there are others). Invaluable in my opinion. It will tell you side effects, common uses, common dosages, some interactions, etc.

I can’t stress this one enough: Get healthy, now. Quit smoking/chewing, lose weight, get in shape. You may not even need that blood pressure, diabetic or cholesterol med if you loose the gut. It’s hard work but it does work. You are going to have to become much more active post-SHTF, might as well get in shape before hand. Makes the whole civilization ending thing easier to handle. I’m working on my caffeine addiction now, I can’t imagine these headaches after the Pepsi shelf is empty.

There are so many others to be addressed (diuretics, pain meds, anxiety meds, vitamins, etc.) but this would be a place to start along with Michael’s advice. Just my two cents. – Dustin in Kansas

 

Mr. Editor:
Thanks to Dr. Bones for the tip on sourcing antibiotics from aquarium supply stores.

The main bacteria present these days in open trauma wounds is called methicillin (penicillin family) resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta) top recommended oral
antibiotic for MRSA is Bactrim DS, 3-4 tablets per day for 10 days. This is more than the classic Bactrim dose of two tablets a day that got used for female urinary tract infections and other less serious infections. Pharmacists sometimes challenge the higher dosage, but only because they are uneducated on this use for the drug. Other drugs that are often prescribed for for open trauma are Levaquin, and Augmentin. Levaquin cannot be given to kids. Augmentin syrup is the number one antibiotic for kids.

Here are the contents of the first-aid pack attached to our G.O.O.D. bags:

1- Trauma Pack; Tac-Pack Battle Pack, Option 2;
2- CELOX-A Hemostat syringe;
2- Betadine scrub, B-D Easy Scrub Brush
2- Sterile pairs of gloves
1- Sterile instrument set, tweezers, scissors, forceps, and needle driver, all in a sterile double peel pack
2 -1% Lidocaine 5ml syringes with capped needle
2 -No. 15 Sterile scalpel
1 – 5-0 Monofil suture
1 – 6-0 Chromic Gut suture
2- Steril gauze, Israeli 4″ Field Dressing;
1- Coban, 2″ Tan roll
1- Cheaper Than Dirt Universal Splint;
10 – Fever/Pain medicine, Tylenol travel packets-Extra Strength
Antibiotic tablets, Bactrim-DS: qty 30 (3/day x 10 days)
Antibiotic ointment, Bactroban cream, one tube

I am looking to add a transfusion kit, such as described in your novel, “Patriots”. Thanks, – Ragnar in Texas

Economics and Investing:

Flagged by G.G.: Jim Rogers predicts a new recession in 2012

Also from G.G.: Drip after drip of deflation data

I was doing some web wandering, and found this over at Gold Eagle: The Coming Silver Supernova

Reader K.S.B. sent a link to a CBO report on the U.S. debt crisis that is a must read. The key word: unsustainable levels of debt. There are some articles discussing the CBO report in The American Spectator and in The New American.

John L. mentioned an article about counterfeit silver coins.

Frequent content contributor KAF sent this: North Dakota, Alaska lead US job creation, study says.

Another link from KAF: Home Vacancies Rise as U.S. Ownership Falls to Lowest in Decade

Odds ‘n Sods:

Remember what I wrote about cross-border threats in my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”? Well here it is, even before TEOTWAWKI, folks: Mexico Drug War Spills into U.S. (A hat tip to B.B., for the link.)

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Phil K. sent this item: Power grid upgrades could pose security risks, experts says. And meanwhile, we read: Power grid hacking fear grows as industrial-targeted virus emerges. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)

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National Guard troops to head to border states August 1st. (A hat tip to John B. for the link.)

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KAF sent this troubling article: Seven People Have Been Entrusted With The Keys To The Internet. Oh, and five of the seven people, from all over world need to gather in the U.S. to re-start the Internet, in the aftermath of the disaster. This sounds like something out of a Michael Crichton novel.

 

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 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 between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 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, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry for Round 30. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Home Pharmacy Preparedness, by Michael V.

Don’t plan on your pharmacy being open or not looted after Day 1 after the SHTF.  Just like most cops have reported on this site that they will leave their posts to protect their families, pharmacists will do the same.  Most chain pharmacists have no loyalty other than a paycheck, so unlike “One Second After” it would be unlikely that a chain pharmacist would show up to work and risk their life after the SHTF.  Independent pharmacists who own their own store, and have their fortune tied to it have a better chance of being there, armed, with a more controlled environment, but even those will only last for a few days, at most.  Once armed bands of thugs start roaming, they will be long gone.  All pharmacies get deliveries every business day. (I have worked as a pharmacist in both chain & independent stores as well as hospital pharmacy, so I am familiar with all three types of facilities).  Most pharmacies have to pay for their drug orders within seven days, and many drugs are so expensive that inventories are kept low, (typical inventories are about $200,000) since re-supply is almost daily it is not a problem until deliveries dry up.  Within one day, many drugs will be dispensed, especially if patients are given a larger than normal supply.

Insurance companies, Medicaid, and Medicare Part-D all try to stop patients from stockpiling drugs.  So, what can be done?  First of all, as mentioned here on this site; improve your health by diet & exercise.  Stock up on the vitamins & supplements your family uses.  Keep all over the counter (OTC) drugs in the sealed, original container, and rotate your stock.  Store all medicine according to the storage directions from the manufacturer; I’ve seen mentioned on this site or others where drugs should be stored in the refrigerator, but not all drugs should; so read the label or check with your pharmacist.  Have your Doctor write prescriptions for a year supply as a quantity and you should be able to purchase whatever quantity you can afford at the pharmacy.  Use the generic or ask your pharmacist if there is a generic available that is similar to the brand name in the same therapeutic drug class; he may be able to get the doctor to change your prescription for you.  Pharmacies typically carry much larger quantities of generics than the high priced brand names.  If you are on high priced brand names (like Insulin), try refilling your prescription every 23 days, a little known fact is that many insurances will allow an early refill as long as it is within 7 days.  Begin to stockpile your insulin or expensive brand name drugs by marking your calendar and getting a refill whether you need it or not; every 23 days.  Some insurance companies like Medco keep track and won’t allow any early refills, so ask your pharmacist and try.  Work with your doctor and pharmacist to increase the quantity of critical expensive medicine like insulin so you can increase the number of vials you can get, and get it refilled regularly until your stockpile grows. 

Ask your pharmacist if you can have your long term storage meds dispensed in the sealed original containers with the expiration dates visible and rotate your stock.  If not; ask that they include an “adsorbent” which is typically found in the original containers, and have the pharmacy staff write the expiration date of the drug on your label.  Having anti-virals like “Tamiflu” and antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin, a broad spectrum cephalosporin like Cephalexin, an antibiotic eye drop like Gentamycin, an antibiotic ear drop like generic Cortisporin at home is also a good idea.  Avoid Tetracycline; one of the few antibiotics that is toxic once it expires. Doxycycline is the drug of choice for Lyme disease, but is related to Tetracycline and should be discarded after the expiration date. Clearly mark your bottle with the expiration date, and rotate your stock.  Pain meds like Hydrocodone or Acetaminophen with Codeine will be useful too.  Don’t forget anti-fungal creams, topical steroids, and assemble a great first aid kit. 

In my years of being a Boy Scout leader and dealing with scouts at summer camp I have treated a large number of ‘usual cases’; so these are conditions that regularly occur while away from civilization: diarrhea: use Loperamide it’s OTC now and a good drug, prescription drugs like Diphenoxylate/atropine are better and Belladonna Alk with PB help with cramping if available. Stomach aches: have an antacid like Tums EX, plus a PPI like Omeprazole (now OTC). 

For cuts and scratches, have Hydrogen Peroxide and triple antibiotic ointment (and Band-Aids).  Knife cuts: use Steri-strips are a great product made by 3M. I have used many times to avoid an ER visit, works great except for hairy areas that are difficult to shave.  Head lacerations may require stitching or staples; so get a suture kit with 1% Lidocaine (to deaden the area before stitching).  How to suture a wound can be found in this US Army video.  Poison ivy: use Tecnu wash to cleanse the area after exposure and treat with topical steroids like Hydrocortisone or non-steroid Domeboro. Both of these are OTCs that work, but prescription steroid creams like Desoximetasone or Fluocinonide are better.  Topical fungus are common (ringworm, jock-itch); use Clotrimazole (OTC) or Ketoconazole (prescription).   Developing a relationship with your doctor and pharmacist is crucial in getting the supplies you need before TSHTF. 

Are your vaccinations up to date?  Recommended immunization schedules can be found at the CDC’s web site. If TEOTWAWKI does happen having your family up to date on vaccinations will improve your chances of staying healthy.  Many of the diseases that are found in third world countries are controlled here in the United States by vaccinations, proper hygiene, sanitation and working sewer infrastructure; when that disappears these diseases will reappear here.  The CDC has a very cool web site with travel information and vaccines for every part of the world. It is worth a look.

Is your training up to date?  We had not only our leaders, but all our scouts in the Venturing Crew take the Standard First Aid Course with CPR from the American Red Cross.  I have taken the Wilderness First Aid Course by them also, which is a ‘step up’ in training.  The National Outdoor Leadership Schools (NOLS) has some of the best training available for wilderness medicine; check out their web site.  Their web site is also useful in planning a good first aid kit.  Click on the WMI store tab, and search their first aid kits to get the list of items they recommend.

If you are planning on going to your pharmacy on the day TSHTF, remember; with no electricity your pharmacist is going to have to rely on knowing you and seeing your bottle before you are going to get any medication, since he cannot access any of his records.  Also, developing a relationship with an independent pharmacist if you are on life saving medication is critical, since he is going to be taking a lot of that inventory back to his home or retreat to use it for barter.  Walking into a pharmacy where the employees don’t recognize you (big box stores) and especially without your bottle is going to get you nothing.  Hopefully, by planning ahead you won’t have to be one of the hundreds of people trying to get a refill on life saving medicine with no electricity available and no deliveries coming. – M.V. in Missouri

Two Letters Re: A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI

JWR,
Regarding the recent post on antibiotics, I would love to hear the good doctor or someone else with relevant knowledge describe how to determine dosage (I’m assuming based on weight), as well as any risks associated with over- or under-dosage. Thanks! – E.W.

Sir;
I’m a relatively new reader of your excellent site and have learned an incredible amount of valuable information from you and my fellow readers. Thank you for such a wonderful service.
I read Dr. Bone’s submission with great interest since the medical issues of a SHTF scenario are a great concern of mine. I’m knowledgeable in First Aid, and small trauma treatment, but major injury and illnesses are far beyond most untrained personnel such as myself.
Dr. Bone’s listing of available antibiotics answered one big question, and the shelf life hint answered another, however I have one more that wasn’t answered.
Could you, Dr. Bones, or even some other reader, tell me what is the usual length of an antibiotic regimen for an infection? Also, is there any difference in regimens for ‘flu-like’ infections and septic wounds?
The issue for me is the quantity needed to have a reasonable supply on hand when necessary. I’m in good health but always manage to catch ‘cold’ once a year and the ‘flu’ every third or so. I’m also wise enough to realize that since I’m such a city boy that I will probably get quite a few minor wounds,(many accidental and self inflicted most likely). I would hate to have a few thousand tablets stored and discover that it was sufficient for a few wound treatments and a handful of illnesses, especially in regard to contagion rate among family members. Thanks again for all you do, everyone of you, in helping us get ready. – WJN

JWR Replies: Antibiotic dosing, typical uses, and courses of treatment were covered thoroughly in the article Antibiotic Use in TEOTWAWKI, by Georgia Doc that was posted in December of 2009.

Economics and Investing:

AmEx (American Expatriate) sent us this piece by Charles Hugh Smith: Six Reasons to Expect Slow Economic Growth Ahead

G.G. sent this: Hussman: Betting on a Bubble, Bracing for a Fall.

GIC (Singapore ) Says World May See Recession Sooner Than Expected. (A hat tip to M.W. for the link.)

Phip flagged this from Phil Stock: America is 234 Years Old, and Today it is Finished.

Reader Steve K. suggested this news piece: America Now: Friends and Neighbors. NBC’s Ann Curry travels to Ohio to take a personal look inside the lives of families who have lost jobs, homes and dreams.

Paul W. liked this article by Marty Weiss: Four Shocking Bombshells Bernanke Did Not Tell Congress About Last Week

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.F.J. recommended this article, over at Instructables: How to Freeze Blueberries. “High in antioxidants, blueberries are considered a ‘super fruit’. In order to reap the health benefits of these tasty little berries all year, while taking advantage of seasonal prices, freezing is an easy way to preserve them.

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A short but vicious thunderstorm on Sunday evening left three dead in the Washington, D.C. region. Some residents won’t have electricity restored until Friday. As of Tuesday, there were still 150,000 households without power, most in Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County is one of the richest counties in the United States. Parts of Montgomery Co. were without power for a week after Hurricane Isabel in 2003. If one of the wealthiest places in America takes three days to recover from a localized storm, what might happen with a larger disaster in a less-affluent area? (Thanks to Bob M. and Steve H. for the links.)

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Signs of the times: Thousands Show Up at Tulsa Food Pantry. (A hat tip to KAF for the link.)

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Reader Patrick M. was at the Revolver Liberation Alliance web site and spotted a source for American-made gardening hoes.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 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 between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 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, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry for Round 30. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Growing Apples in the Prepper’s Garden, by Whit H.

I am a commercial apple grower in New England and in this article I will explain why the prepper should consider growing apples and how they should do so.

Why Grow Apples?
As crops go, apple trees are relatively easy to maintain and can be grown almost anywhere. A properly selected apple tree can survive the cold of Canada to the desert heat of the American Southwest. After the first year, an apple tree in the Eastern United States can typically get all the water it needs from rainfall and requires little fertilizer. From planting to harvest, apple trees can be maintained with little other than a shovel, pruners, a small saw, a hand sprayer, and a ladder. (Commercial apple farmers still do much of the orchard work by hand including tree planting, pruning and picking.)

Most importantly for a survival situation, a large apple contains over 100 calories that can be stored and saved for months with the appropriate storage conditions. While one can not survive on apples (or any other fruit) alone, few plants can produce the quantity of versatile calories that the apple tree does. For example, apples can be eaten raw or made into applesauce, dried apples, boiled cider, hard cider, or cider jack. Apples contain dietary fiber, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.

Site Selection
Apple trees need full sun. Like most crops, they will not do well below the forest canopy next to a hidden mountain retreat. Traditionally, farmers have planted orchards on marginal, hilly land. Save your prime, flat, rock-free land for growing vegetables and grains. Slopes promote airflow (which can reduce some tree diseases) and they give cold air a place to go to, reducing frost damage. Well-drained soil is best; swampy wet soils will rot the apple tree roots. Rocky soils are okay, as long as the initial planting hole has large stones removed from it. Some books will tell you to plant on the southern or eastern slope of a hill, but most of us are not going to have a lot of choice and just have to work with whatever land that we have at hand. If you are attempting to conceal your position, then plant your trees in a field or slope at random. From a distance, apple trees can appear like other trees. The easiest way to spot an orchard from a distance is the orderly spacing of trees in a grid.

Tree Selection
More than almost any factor, tree selection will determine your success or failure. There are several issues to consider.

1) Hardiness: Pick a tree that is appropriate for your USDA Zone. Any apple tree that is purchased is grafted, and it is important that both the rootstock (the roots) and the scion (the grafted part above the roots) be able to withstand your winters. The easiest way to insure this is to buy apple trees from a local nursery that grows their own trees. (Who knows where the fruit trees from the big box stores are originally grown? They also don’t look very well cared for, they typically have a poor selection of varieties, and they aren’t much cheaper than you would buy from a local nursery or farmer.)

2) Rootstock: You’ll notice that a lot of apple trees are planted on dwarf rootstock. Commercial orchards traditionally liked dwarf rootstocks because they created dense orchards with short trees that were quick to produce and easy to spray and pick. The downside is that dwarf rootstock trees are not as vigorous, long-lived or tough. A dwarf rootstock tree can die after a few years of neglect or even after 20 years of excellent care. On the other hand, I have seen abandoned orchards planted on standard (full size) rootstock that still produce apples after decades of neglect. If you have ever seen an big, ancient apple tree, it was almost certainly planted on standard rootstock. I strongly suggest that the survivalist should try to select standard rootstock for his apple and fruit trees. The extra vigor and hardiness will serve you well in a world where you won’t always have the best pesticides or the ability to replace trees easily. With careful pruning, a standard rootstock apple tree can easily be kept to a manageable size.

3) Variety Selection: You may love buying Fuji apples at the store, but that does not mean that you should try to grow Fuji apples at home. Apples vary greatly in terms of their vigor and disease-resistance. Many of the store varieties are disease-prone and require lots of pesticide and fungicide sprays. You probably don’t want to be stock piling extra pesticides and fungicides in addition to everything else you will need in TEOTWAWKI. Many of the most popular apple varieties are bred to look pretty in grocery stores. (I have one variety in my commercial orchard that’s only claim to fame is that it is redder than other similar varieties.) For the prepper looking to grow apples to survive or just the do-it-yourselfer looking to grow their own food, I strongly suggest that you consider one of the new vigorous disease-resistant cultivars like Liberty or Freedom (Freedom is more tolerant to warmer climates).

4) Crab Apple: Even better than one of the new disease-resistant cultivars are most crab apple trees. I find crab apple trees to be exceptionally hardy, vigorous, and to require very little spraying or maintenance. Now I don’t mean ornamental flowering crab apples (which are primarily bred for their flowers and produce marble-sized fruit), but culinary crab apples like Chestnut Crabapple and Dolgo that produce fruit about 2″ in diameter. They can be more time consuming topick, but they amaze me in their ability to thrive in most conditions and be unaffected by apple tree diseases and pests. I picked Dolgo crabapples from an unmanaged orchard that were nearly perfect. They often have a much more tart flavor (which is likely what makes them less appealing to pests, but also means they likely have more vitamins and antioxidants.) They can be eaten raw, but also are great for canning, cooking, and cider.

Tree Care
1) Planting: Planting trees is generally done while the trees are still dormant in the spring, although it can be done in the fall in milder southern climates. As my father used to say, you want to” dig a ten dollar hole for a two dollar plant”. A large, 18-inch-deep, 3 foot-wide hole will ensure that your new tree’s roots have plenty of good uncompacted soil to grow into. If your tree’s roots are happy, the rest of the tree will probably be happy. If your soil is depleted, you may want to add organic material like compost and some very light fertilizer at planting, although most decent soils will work fine. You want to plant the tree at roughly the same height was planted in the nursery, making sure the graft line is off the ground. The most important practice is to water the tree the entire first growing season. I typically water each tree with 3 gallons of water twice a week, counting any significant rainfall event (~1″) as one watering. Dumping 5 gallons of water once a week is also okay– the goal is for the tree to develop deep roots. If your soils are sandy and drain quickly, you may need to water more frequently, conversely if your soils are soggy, then make sure you don’t overwater. Healthy new trees can take a fair amount of wind, however if you have a very windswept site, you may need to stake the tree the first few years. If you can, mulch around the trees to keep weeds and grasses back for the first few years to make sure the tree is not competing for nutrients before its roots have fully established themselves.

2) Pruning: You can find lots of online and book guides to pruning apples trees, so I will touch on the most basic ideas here. Timing is important. You primarily just want to prune in the winter after the worst of the cold weather is over, but before the tree comes out of dormancy (about March in New England). The first step is to cut out any dead, diseased, or crossing branches. Then, you want to cut out wood to encourage the tree to spread out on strong branches. They say “you should be able to throw a cat through a well-pruned tree”. This means there is good air circulation and sun. Burn all prunings to prevent them from becoming a disease host.

3) Spraying: Apples trees can be beset by a host of diseases and pests that tend to vary from region to region. Ask a local farmer or nursery what the typical diseases and pests tend to be. Growing organic apples in the Eastern US without significant crop losses can be very challenging. Organic apple growing in the arid West somewhat easier; however, you will have to ensure that you have a steady source of irrigation water in a survival situation. Sprays of a broadband insecticide and a fungicide (which can be done with a common backpack sprayer) early in the growing season (after petal fall to avoid killing bees and pollinators) will likely dramatically increase your yields. If you don’t like the idea of being dependent on pesticides and fungicides, then I strongly recommend that you go with culinary crab apple trees.

4) General Orchard Care: If you can, rake up all the apple tree leaves in the fall and burn them, as they can harbor diseases (like apple scab) from year to year. Deer will eat off all the lower fruit buds on your trees, leaving you with no fruit below eye level. However, in TEOTWAWKI, if there are any deer left in your area, you will likely have no hesitation about hunting them out of your orchard.

Harvesting and Storage
1) Harvesting: Harvesting apples is not rocket science. When they taste ripe and easily come off the tree, then they are ready to harvest.

2) Storage: Commercial orchards store apples in refrigerated rooms without any oxygen. That’s how you can eat a 10 months old apple in July in the US. At the personal scale, you can still store apples for months in a low temperature, high humidity root cellar or basement. Periodically check your stores and throw out rotting apples. The expression “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch” comes from somewhere. For longer term storage, you can dry apples or can them as applesauce or juice. I plan to discuss the basics of making hard cider and fruit wine in an upcoming article.

Book Review: My Empire of Dirt

My Empire of Dirt: How One Man Turned His Big-City Backyard into a Farm by Manny Howard.

This book relates the story of a journalist who recently attempted to garden and raise chickens, ducks, and rabbits in his very small Brooklyn backyard. The stated goal and his contract with New York magazine was to raise enough food to eat out of his backyard for one month.

While the dysfunction of the marriage and lack of family support is disturbing, the book highlights the grave difficulty of trying to survive in an urban setting by raising livestock and gardening. The deeply polluted soil had to be replaced with many tons of topsoil. The dumb rabbits either died by fly-strike, a hideous death, or tore the heads off of their newborns. Predators and the pecking order constantly picked off his barnyard fowl. A tornado decimated the garden. An infinitesimal potato crop yielded a few spuds, most smaller than a quarter. Howard lived through food poisoning and lost 29 pounds in the year-long effort to sustain himself alone.

For urbanites who are mulling over whether they can “farm” in the city to survive, this book is a starting place. The smells, handling the animal wastes (blood from butchering and daily waste products), the extreme disappointments, and the grinding daily labor illustrates what might be faced.

Two years after the experiment, he settled for growing a few tomatoes and keeping a few chickens for the fresh eggs. Now, there is no talk of living off the land, just supplementing. – E.B.

Letter Re: Situational Awareness, Instincts and “Wargaming”

Hello, James
That was an excellent article by H.H. (Situational Awareness, Instincts and “Wargaming”.) I would like to add to his points one additional. Many people who carry for protection don’t get taught one of the golden rules of self defense tactics. That golden rule is this: Picture yourself having squared off with a would be assailant. You get to the point of having pulled your firearm out and aligned in the threat’s direction. If the would-be assailant moves, you move. He takes 4 steps to your right, you take some steps in the opposite direction. By moving if he moves, you accomplish several things:

1. You maintain that safe gap / reaction time to do what is necessary;

2. You maintain equal footing by not letting it dictate the the terms. If he’s trained in criminal ways, you just told him you know how to handle this situation. He might back off or seriously hesitate at this point. Consider the other article posted on SurvivalBlog re: criminal gang members getting free training from Uncle Sam’s military, by the LEO in Chicago. Your assailant just might have some excellent training under his belt.

3. You don’t allow the subject to gain an advantage by assaulting you from the direction he chooses. Imagine him circling to get the sun in your eyes, circling to get your back to his associates, moving in a way to put him in between you and your kids / wife / fill in the blank. A quick assessment of the situation will provide you with instant feedback of your planned route. If said subject moves in a direction of your kids and you move to that gap to block him and he chooses to get danger close, he made that decision, not you. Articulating in court that you feared for your kids’ life is part of the justification to use that firearm.

4. You avoid falling prey to the Folsom roll. Get training on how to aim that firearm. Don’t be so focused on that front sight so much that if he makes a quick duck down and sprint at you from an angle, you lose the subject momentarily. He is coming at you fast. How long does it take to get that front sight back on target? The answer to that depends on your level of training / ability. For the un-trained, 21 feet is all he needs and by then he’s on top of you. Being tactically sound / aligning your sights properly for the situation takes training. You must look over the firearms’ front sight to keep an eye out on what the target is doing. LEOs are trained in this, and so should you. For any nonbelievers, think about this: when I was younger, I could do a 40-yard sprint from a stand still position in about 4.8 seconds, and even faster going down hill. (That’s not a joke, an assailant could attack from higher ground, see point #3). That’s not fast by athletic standards but it is in this situation. How fast can a motivated physically capable assailant cover 21 feet? Pretty quickly. It’ll seem even quicker if it’s night time. This leads to teh question: Which self defense tool do you have? A handgun? this is not an easy shot. Shotgun? it’s an easier shot but then again it depends on barrel length, semi auto / single shot, type ammo (00 buck, slugs, other) and your level of training. Rifle? There are too many rifles to cover. You get the idea.

H.H.’s scenario involved a small caliber handgun. If his scenario ended up with pulling the trigger with his first gun, it may not have stopped the guy. That 9mm may not have stopped him either. It would depend on shot placement and type of rounds used. The smaller the caliber the more critical shot placement becomes. But a miss with any caliber is still a miss. I don’t know of any U.S. police departments that still issue 9 millimeter [chambered pistols]. There is a reason for this. They are not dependable man stoppers. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be shot by a 9mm or anything else, but I do intend to fight to win. Winning a gun fight means you don’t get a scratch. Not tht other guy lost but that you still took some lumps and survived. Possibly serious lumps.

Good luck, I hope this helps. – Flhspete