From David in Israel: Storing IV Fluids, and Desperation Alternatives

James:
Regarding the article “Practical Skills for Surviving TEOTWAWKI, by Free Rifleman”: Intravenous (IV) fluid (normal saline) is inherently non-pyrogenic, pH stabilized, made of non-degrading substances, and packaged in a tough sterile wrapper. The biggest worry is that the packaging or drug ports may go bad from sunlight exposure. Check for sinkers or floaters discoloration or damage once you open the sealed outer bag. If you are really worried use a loop with a filter needle. Survival use of IV fluid usually implies a life is at serious risk so discretion would likely weigh toward use of a properly stored and packaged expired bag. (One data point: The International Space Station (ISS) does not rotate IV fluid until years past expiration. The ISS only stocks six liters. ISS planners say that they would use sterile-filtered water from ISS plumbing and NaCl mix to refill IV bags. Note: The following reference data is for EMERGENCY/DESPERATION ONLY and HIGH SKILL WARNING!!! – PARAMEDIC AND UP WITH APPROPRIATE TRAINING ONLY!!! From a physician at the Mile High clinic in Colorado who consulted for NASA on ISS medical issues suggests even in a wilderness situation to micro-filter (particulates), boil (sterility), and salinate with (un-iodized much preferred) NaCl at 0.9% (same as human blood, tears, etc) infuse preferably through one or two filter needles in your loop.
The reason I even post this medically sound but legally dangerous information is for educational purposes. If there is a skilled practitioner who in the course of treatment runs out of current dated IV fluid, then alternatives are at hand. Thus, it is possible that a life which is in the balance might be saved. Above all, use discretion!

Letter From Michael Z. Williamson Re: Firearms and Survival

Dear Jim,
The current thread on fighting in a post-disaster environment makes me recall just before Y2K, when set up at various gun shows.
I told another dealer I had enough ammo, and he half-jokingly said, “You can’t have enough.”
I believe my quote was, “After I shoot the first forty, the rest will move on or call for artillery, depending on who they are” An invading army won’t be scared of your rifle. And a roving gang will want easy pickings.
Had things come to a disaster, my wife and I were resident managers of an industrial facility. I figured to block the drives with cinder blocks or cars, pretend the site was empty, and stand by with a shotgun and carbine at the door. If the crowd moved along the road, I’d ignore them. Only if they sought to enter our attached apartment would I have fired. My guess was that someone on guard (We’re both vets) with weapons, armor and helmet would deter most, since it would be obviously an attack on a defended position for little gain.
And yet, there actually was one attendee who insisted his survival plan was guns and ammo and “Just take what I need from those who didn’t prepare.” I gently suggested that with food, a running water supply, medical gear, sundries and hard cover, I was prepared to hold him off until he ran out of ammo or food and had to retreat. He apparently hadn’t considered that having a gun wouldn’t make him Lord of All He Surveyed.
The goal in surviving, as Heinlein noted in his excellent young adult novel “Tunnel in the Sky” is to stay alive. Not conquer (conquest is how many of these disasters start), not crusade. Just survive.
I’m fortunate enough to have the skills, money and time to have built several hi-tech small arms. But I also keep shotguns and old bolt [action] guns around–they’re easier to fix in the garage with good scrap steel, and robust. While I want a crank-fired, belt-fed Browning 1919A4, at 400 rounds per minute and 30+ pounds plus tripod, it hardly makes sense as a “survival” weapon. It may be a “rebellion” weapon, but it’s still of limited use in all but a few circumstances. It’s an indulgent toy. At the same show, a gentleman was selling what may have been the ultimate survival rifle–a pre-1899 Mosin-Nagant and a case of 7.62 x 54R ammo for $150, cash and carry. I should have grabbed some spares. – Michael Z. Williamson

Odds ‘n Sods:

The U.S. is “Not Ready” for the Threatened Venezuelan Oil Embargo

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The NRA‘s Institute for Legislative Action reports that the ponderously-tiitled “U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,” will begin Monday, June 26. See the Stop the UN Gun Ban web site for details. Call and e-mail your congresscritters and remind them that their oath to defend the Constitution includes the Second Amendment. The US needs to opt out of this hoplophobic UN meddling!

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SurvivalBlog reader Jim K. recommended this article: Record Meteor hits Norway A good thing that it wasn’t in downtown Oslo!

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Jim K. also mentioned this interesting web page: The $200 Machine Shop

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The scarce and desirable U.S. Army Long Range Patrol (LRP) Freeze Dried Entrees are back in stock at www.freezedryguy.com. I’ve heard that they now have Beef Stew, Beef Teriyaki, and Chicken & Rice. All are fresh 2004 production. They have a very long shelf life. For more info, see www.freezedryguy.com (They are indeed available to order, even though the web site still says “Out of Stock”.) You can also call: (530) 265-8333. Order soon, since their last batch or LRPs sold out almost immediately.

Note From JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction (for a fully stocked M-17 Advanced Medical Bag/Rucksack) is at $250. Special thanks to the fine folks at Ready Made Resources, who kindly donated the kit. Please submit your bids via e-mail. This auction ends on the last day of June.

Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Weapon Targeting Data?

Sir:
1) To reiterate the basics, the primary concern with a nuclear attack on the USA is fallout — since the other major effects of nuclear bombs (blast, thermal radiation,etc) are relatively limited in extent.
You are probably safe if you are 8+ miles upwind from a nuclear detonation of 1 MT or less, provided you don’t blind yourself by looking directly at the nuclear detonation. Fallout, moreover, is generated by nuclear strikes at ground level. But many nuclear detonations would be made 4000 feet above a target [“air bursts”]– in order to maximize the blast effect — and such air bursts do not generate fallout to any significant extent.
1) The highest priority targets for nuclear strikes on the continental United States are our Minuteman ICBM sites. (In order to reduce the damage from our counterattack.) Unfortunately, however, such an attack would generate massive fallout clouds because of the need for hundreds of ground strikes to destroy hundreds of underground Minuteman silos.
(Note that only Russia has the forces to mount such an attack — I believe China only has roughly 15 ICBMs. Note also that Russia’s missile forces are declining.)
Your blog entry of January 16, 2006 had a link to a report from Nukewatch which noted that our Minuteman sites are being reduced from 1000 missiles to 500 missiles. Note, however, that the remaining
500 missiles will continue to be deployed in the three existing Minuteman “nests” [a.k.a. “missile fields”] around Minot Air Force Base (AFB), (Minot, North Dakota), Malmstrom AFB (Great Falls, Montana) and F.E. Warren AFB, (Cheyenne, Wyoming).
2) Each of those three nests cover an area roughly 60 miles by 100 miles around the commanding AFB, as shown in the three maps in the Nukewatch report to which you linked.
It would still take hundreds of ground strikes to reduce each nest–which would still result in huge fallout plumes reaching to the East Coast.
See the FEMA 196 map — these major fallout plumes are shown in red.
Since the three decommissioned Minuteman nests were the easternmost of the sites, then the length of the major fallout plumes (shown in red on the FEMA 196 map) would shrink toward the west. For example, since the fallout plume from Minot AFB, North Dakota would no longer be enlarged by the plume from the decommissioned Minuteman nest in Grand Forks, North Dakota, then the major fallout section of the Minot plume (shown in red on the FEMA 196 map ) would probably reach only to western Michigan vice upstate New York. Note that upstate New York would still receive some fallout from Minot but it would be at more moderate levels (yellow shading vice red on the FEMA map.) Similarly, the red plume from Malmstrom AFB (Great Falls, Montana) would probably only reach to Iowa (vice western Pennsylvania as shown on the FEMA 196 map) , since it would no longer be enlarged by the plume from the decommissioned Minuteman site around Rapid City, South Dakota. Finally, the red plume from F.E. Warren AFB (Cheyenne, Wyoming) would probably reach only to western Kentucky (vice New York City) because it would no longer be expanded by the plume from the decommissioned missle nest in Missouri. So the net effect of the Minuteman cutbacks is to lower the fallout expected to be deposit on West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Surprising, huge classified bunkers intended to shelter government leaders have been publicly exposed in that area: Mount Weather in Berryville, Virginia. Raven Rock in Pennsylvania. The Congressional refuge under the Greenbriar Hotel in West Virginia. (Only our esteemed political leaders would put a shelter for global nuclear war under a five star hotel.) It is the fallout clouds [kicked up by grround bursts] that make survival in the states east of Montana-Wyoming-Colorado and north of latitude 36 degrees problematical.
Note moreover that daily shifts in the jet stream affect where those fallout plumes would be deposited. For example, Today’s map of the stream indicates that much of the fallout from a strike on the F.E. Warren AFB nest –if the attack were made today — would be deposited on Oklahoma and eastern Texas, rather than toward the east as shown on the FEMA 196 map.
3) What has changed since FEMA 196 is that missile nests in Missouri, South Dakota, and Grand Forks, North Dakota have been decommissioned. This would cut the size of the major fallout plumes (shown in red on the FEMA 196 map ) by roughly half.
The locations of both the active and decommissioned Minuteman nests in the above states can be seen by going here and selecting one of the “Dense Pack” states (shown in red)
4) Some of your readers have suggested that targets with economic value (oil refining area, cities,etc.) will be hit with air bursts or neutron weapons in order to kill people but save material. As I noted,
Little to no fallout is generated by such attacks. But I think it more likely that Russia would hit many of our cities with ground bursts in order to generate fallout. That would deny those economic resources to US survivors in order to prevent America from recovering and ever becoming a future threat. So probably the East Coast from Norfolk, Virginia north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and 100 miles inland would be in trouble even without the massive fallout plumes from the three Minuteman nests. As would the areas immediately east of the major West Coast cites.
5) There are many other point targets (e.g., airports with runways strong enough to handle B-52s ). As I noted earlier, for any one such target, you are probably safe if you are 8+ miles upwind from
the target. If you are downwind from one or more targets for which ground strikes are likely, then you have to estimate the likely fallout plumes, amount of deposited radiation at your location,
and the amount of fallout shelter you will have.
6) But fallout would also kill off wildlife and many farm animals. Plus even mild nuclear winter would hurt crops, as we’ve seen in past eruptions of volcanoes. Moreover, much of the massive fallout from an attack on the Minuteman nests would cover the prime food growing areas of the Midwest. So famine would be likely. As you have noted, the high population density in states east of the Mississippi would make survival difficult. – Don W.

Two Letters Re: Stocking Up on Prescription Medications

Mr. Rawles:

I have found no problems in getting the meds I need in bulk. I simply do not use the insurance. If you have co-pays, your co-pay generally is the cost of the medication. Do some calling to Costco and Sam’s [Club] (in the state of Florida you do not have to be a member to use the pharmacy.) [JWR Adds: I believe this is true nationwide under a Federal law that assures universal access to pharmacies.] Ask for the cash price and at least for generics you will be surprised to find out how inexpensive they can be. Then have that sympathetic doctor write the scrip for however many you want. I bought a bottle of 2000 Tetracycline after 9/11 for $20 from Costco. And you can tell the pharmacy you do not want to use the insurance and there is no law that says you have to.
Also do not discount the help of a sympathetic veterinarian. They will not likely write anything that\ cannot be used on animals but you would be surprised what you can get. Imagine you had to treat a huge tank of koi with erythromicyn. If you buy it at the pet store the price is outrageous but if you have cultivated a vet- they can write a large bottle that you would be able to grind up and drop in the pond.
I have a few bottles of other things that might be useful as well. You can get a bucket of the active ingredient of robitussin at Costco, the same with their generic loperimide,these items would be great if
one had a bad case of bird flu or regular and you needed symptomatic treatment. Also just ordered a huge container of generic silvadene. I found a recipe for oral rehydration that you can make in the kitchen. I buy their bottles of generic Benadryl: 400 for $3.69. keep it simple and use your head.
There are other ways to get antibiotics as well. If you have a doc, call on the weekend- saturday morning and have an ear ache or a sinus infection and I have yet to have a doc refuse to call in a a scrip. Also
if you are going to be traveling for an extended period out of the country they are likely to write you one to carry with you as well. I went to England and the doc wrote me a cipro and another for my sinus
which sometimes gets infected. Now I could just have as easily not been traveling…. – Granny Woman

 

Dear James,
In order to get a very nice stash of antibiotics, you must begin to think compassionately about your fish. Everybody reading this blog is of course planning to someday start a nice survivalist fishpond and needs to get bottles of pharmaceutical grade, gel capsules, of fish antibiotics, that just happen by coincidence to be packaged in pills in dosages identical to what humans take. But that is sheer coincidence, and you are buying this for your fish of course, because the bottles say “not for human consumption” by law, even though they are what humans take already, and there are tons of doomers out there using them who swear by them, though of course you are-as I said-only getting them for your fish- or dogs.
Do a google search under Veterinary supplies. I was happy with California Veterinary Supply and Liz there assured me that the products are stored in climate controlled buildings.

See their site for the many antibiotics that they stock. Plus flagyl for giardia. Plus fungal. Plus other nice medical things. For your dogs and fish of course.
Here are some human dosages, just since we are on the subject, just so you know, since your dog weighs as much as an adult and I just want to be helpful.

DISCLAIMER – I am not a doctor, I found these dosages online or used them with pharmacy products for humans.
LYME DISEASE:
My MD dermatologist uses Keflex, some use amoxy or doxy….
Keflex 500 mg 2xdaily, for 3 weeks
Doxy 100 mg 2x daily, 3 weeks ( I had a horrible sun sensitivity reaction and hate the stuff, but my primary MD prefers it for Lyme disease.)
Amoxy, 500 mg 3x daily, 3 weeks
SIMPLE CELLULITIS, URINARY, SKIN, SINUS INFECTIONS
Keflex 250 mg, 2Xdaily
MYCOPLASMAL PNEUMONIA (if your dog has asthma, you might want to get this)
Tetracycline 500 mg 2x daily, 10 days
( preferred is Biaxin 500 mg 2 x daily for 10 days, or one 6 pack of zithromaz-azithromycin)
EAR INFECTION:
Amoxy 500 mg 3x daily 2-3 weeks ( I had it really bad)…..my kids were only on 250 mg 3 x daily for 2 weeks.
GIARDIA: (“Beaver fever”) Flagyl: not sure of the dosage, you’d better check. But if you’ve ever had giardia you better think about this. I’ve had it three times and was in bed for a week. I am of course only thinking of my dogs and fish, not me. Hope this helps. – Lyn

Letter Re: Great Depression II What Will it Be Like?, by Buckshot

Jim:

Kudos to Buckshot for a well written and timely article on a possible next Great Depression. Those who doubt that it could happen again only have to consider present day Zimbabwe, which is suffering over 1200% inflation as I write this.
Many good books and articles have been written about the Great Depression, but nothing drills home the brutality of it like a photo album from the period. Warning: This link is not for the squeamish, or those in denial. – Doc at www.bigsecrets.cc

Odds ‘n Sods:

Wow! Because of a temporarily stronger dollar, someone in New York just kicked the slats out from under the spot price of silver, pushing it down more than 10% in one day, to under $9.90 per ounce. Meanwhile, gold tumbled more than $35 per ounce. As I’ve stated before, it is best to buy on these dips. This correction is a great buying opportunity before the metals bull resumes his charge. This is essentially a second chance for everyone that felt that they had “missed the boat.” Just don’t hesitate, because I suspect that this is the deepest dip we will see for quite a while.

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Frequent SurvivalBlog content contributor R.B.S. spotted this great site on economics and investing: UrbanSurvival.com. It is dubbed “A One Man Business & Financial Newspaper.” It is written from a Elliott Long Waver’s perspective. Great stuff. By all means check it out.

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From SurvivalBlog reader Steve H.: A specific N95 mask recommendation

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The World Bank reports: Less than $384 million spent on combating Asian Avian Flu out of the $1.9 billion that had been pledged

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“People are always blaming circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” – Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Act 2 – by George Bernard Shaw

Note From JWR:

As you’ve probably heard, my novel “Patriots” has been out of print since late 2004 when the publisher went out of business. In the past year, prices for the book have risen to the range of $35 to $70 plus postage for even used copies. I am pleased to report that I found a dealer that still had a few cases left, and I was able to buy some of them from him. For a limited time, I am offering autographed copies for $35 each, or $32 each if you buy three or more, or $30 each if you buy 10. (Up until recently, I had sold these for $50 each!) These prices are postage and tracking paid (via Book Rate) to U.S. addresses. These won’t last long. See my mail order catalog. for ordering details.

Letter from David in Israel Re: Expected Near Future Prices for Precious Metals

James:
Just a hint to my SurvivalBlog friends, if I had cash in the USA, then I would start buying gold now, and continuing to dollar cost average into the market since it may still go lower than Au @ $600 and Ag @ $11.02. Both are good investments for long term hedge/wealth preservation. Proviso for the record: I would never make a suggestion or advise in financial matters since that carries personal legal risk.

I suspect that we are witnessing the final metals manipulation before Euro conversion of some oil trading and inflation driven dollar devaluation. Do some web searching and find out how sales and bogus leasing of gold reserves by central banks to funds has been theorized to have manipulated gold markets for many years, pummeling prices.
As always beans then hardware a few bullets and then some gold/silver, cover your mundane survival stuff before making an expensive hobby with gold coins or gadget guns.
Don’t expect to be able to get too much survival stuff off of your gold gains as prices for this gear will likely rise as well, but be watchful of deals from the uninitiated. Try to do business as far from home as possible as you don’t want to break from your Grey Man “nothing to see here” image.

JWR Replies: I agree that gold and silver are great investments in the current economic environment. Of the two, I prefer and recommend silver for anyone that has sufficient vault space. At the current price of just under $11 per ounce, silver is a screaming buy! After the summer doldrums, I expect precious metals to break out substantially to the upside.

Three Letters Re: Updated Nuclear Weapon Targeting Data?

Jim:

Perhaps this will be a good point from which to begin your research:
Projected US Casualties and Destruction of US
Medical Services From Attacks by Russian Nuclear Forces

Regards, – Christian W.

 

Jim,
The short answer is that most of the targeting information on the old 1960s era maps that Bruce Beach incorporated in his book are still valid. Sure, the Russians and the Chinese know what sites are decommissioned and not worth wasting a nuke. Critical infrastructure (dams, oil and gas fields with storage facilities, large grain silos, food distribution warehouses, etc) is targeted by enhanced radiation
air burst devices (neutron weapons) to preserve the equipment but destroy the personnel. Likewise, the population centers and active military bases are targeted by such enhanced radiation devices. The deep penetration devices that produce the preponderance of fallout are targeted on hardened silos and military command centers deep underground.
Russia and China have shifted emphasis from land based ICBMs to sea and air launched stand off cruise missiles….and they are using guidance technology conveniently provided to them by Bill Clinton and his administration. They now have state of the art guidance thanks to Loral Communications and enhanced radiation micro nuke warheads thanks to pilfered files from Sandia Labs and Lawrence Livermore [National Laboratory]–pilfered by foreign agents, assisted by the the Clinton administration.
Though they have shifted targeting to get more bang for the buck, decommissioned military sites that have runways capable of being used to support bombers and fighter/interceptors are still targeted….but so are civilian airports with runways and fuel depots capable of supporting such bombers, fighter interceptors, or hastily reconfigured 747,757,767,and 777 airliners. Boeing puts hard attachment points in the wings of civilian airliners so they can be rapidly reconfigured to carry air launched cruise missiles. [JWR Adds: Reference, Lawrence? I hadn’t previously read anything about this.] Anyway, the old 1960s era targeting maps will still give the survivalist a good idea of where not to be when TSHTF. Regards, – Lawrence

 

Hi Jim,
Regarding Rourke’s recent letter to SurvivalBlog on updated nuclear weapon targeting data: I’ve been collecting thousands of pages of the old, original US government documents on civil defense, sheltering, and targeting info for the past 10 years or so…some of which goes back to 1942. I also have a very high interest in creating an updated targeting database, based on open source info and the original, unclassified documents that have become available in recent years, such as the Nuclear Attack Planning Base 90 report, which can now be found at the FAS web site (my site as well). I obtained FEMA 196 years ago, and made sure Bruce got copies of that and many other reports years ago, and also created the PDF version of 196 for digital download of the entire book, which can be found on my web site, along with hundreds of other PDF documents.

I have had one of the original targeting lists online for many years as well, at www.survivalring.org/cd-targets.htm and ask for input regarding updates on this page. Currently, I’m redesigning SurvivalRing.org to use a database driven design, versus the static html version as it has been since inception, and with the update, will be adding data systems that allow instant online updates (as well as site user updates) of data just like this. Adding online mapping ( i.e. Google Maps) into the equation brings a whole other level of info refinement.

Regarding Bruce and Shane, I’ve been working with both of them since pre-2000 for building, creating, and sharing info just like this. I’m hoping we can continue to work together in the future to get information and prepping data out as widely as possible.

We all know that the possibility of all out thermonuclear war is a mere fraction of what it was during the real heat of the Cold War, but the possibility of multiple terrorist nuclear detonations or warheads or dirty bombs is truly the worst fear of the current, and future, administrations. As with 9/11, [Hurricane] Katrina, and other catastrophic events have recently shown us, there is no defense from massive disaster, only recovery. And when it comes to the government, a very slow response to immediate need for help. And, yes, here I know that I am preaching to the choir.

Having a starting list as the Feds have provided, and updating it with current and known changes, to create a new possible target list, is a very high need for all US citizens. Unfortunately, in all my latest research, I have not found any reference to any updates to unclassified target lists. The 1990 printing of FEMA 196 seems to be the end of the road, and all other target documents predate this booklet. High Risk Areas (TR72) was the basis for NAPB90, and 196 was the consumer follow up.

So…this area of interest should most definitely be followed up, and a project started to produce an updated mapping of safe areas in the continental USA. It all depends on getting enough folks to decide to work on it. Anyone interested? Contact me at SurvivalRing.org. – Rich Fleetwood

Odds ‘n Sods:

A report from Boston, Massachusetts about another futile gun buy-up program (I refuse to call them “buy-backs” since the government agencies and/or liberal do-gooders never owned these civilian guns.) Does anyone honestly believe that criminals are turning in their guns under these programs? This is just more liberal feel-good politics. How nauseating.

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Bubblewatch: 10 Cities Where House Prices Will Deflate. Also, don’t miss John Rubino’s commentary on the expected ugly denouement of the U.S. bubble.(As quoted at Financialsense.com.)

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Doc at www.bigsecrets.cc spotted an article about some of the current desperate measures to stay alive in hyperinflation-ravaged Zimbabwe, as reported in www.ZimbabweSituation.com (scroll down to the bottom of the page): “Hungry entrepreneurs in the making are resorting to selling rodent meat in Zimbabwe. One such man is catching rats and mice in the bushy areas on the outskirts of Bulawayo (Burnside). Roasting the rodents rats and mice, spiced with salt and chilli powder, he then commutes to the western suburbs of Makokoba and Luveve where he fetches between $75,000 to $ 100,000 [Zimbabwean dollars] per mouse/rat. People are so desperate to eat meat that business is thriving. Beef is retailing at $790,000 per kg in most butcheries around Bulawayo.”