Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 1, by Always Learning

Our community was hit by a major wildfire a few years ago. The fire was purportedly started by utility power lines arcing during high winds in the late afternoon, at the same time as another fire started nearby. Firefighters had initially responded to the other fire, which delayed their response to this one. Firefighting was further hampered because our community’s water comes from a huge tank above it; this tank was drained dry during the first hours of the fire, so once that tank was empty, there was no more water available to the firefighters. Once the water was gone and the fire started to race through our community, the firefighters were ordered to pull out (about 8:30 AM). Before they left, they came door to door, indicating a mandatory evacuation order was in place and that we were on our own for firefighting.

We watched the water and retardant dropping aircraft head away from our community. For the first time ever (there have been fires in this area before) dozens of homes in our community were lost in this fire. The fire burned through the power poles and electricity was out. Compounding the situation, the burned power poles fell across the roads, impeding peoples’ evacuations through the area, particularly for those who did not have 4WD. The fire raged for 5 days and ultimately burned through more than 96,000 acres, all the way to the ocean and destroying more than 1,600 structures.

My husband and I evaluated the situation when the fire first broke out and decided we would stay and defend our home if we could. We had spent time in advance of this fire preparing and discussing what we would do and what gear / supplies we needed, so we had our plans and gear when the fire came. I have included a list of our gear below and we used EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF THIS GEAR. Our home is on a cul de sac on a plateau, surrounded to the north, south and west by canyon wildland state park that had not burned in more than 35 years. We had previously over the years cleared all pine trees and other brush off our property and reduced fire hazard absolutely as much as we could.Continue reading“Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 1, by Always Learning”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, more about the looming threat of a magazine ban in the United States. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Is Silver A Better Investment Than Gold Right Now?

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A video interview: Gold does well during inflation, recession: Is gold or real estate a better investment? – Jeff Clark.

Economy & Finance:

Steve Bannon has announced a new online payments system for patriots called the FJB Blockchain.

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John Mauldin: A Weird Recession.

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There are 4 possible recession scenarios, UBS says, including one where the S&P 500 rises 16% by the end of 2023.

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Over at Hedge Week: Most hedge fund subsectors lost money and investor capital in May as redemptions increased.

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Ben White, writing in the left-of-center Politico: Actually, a recession is inevitable.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 4, 2022

On August 4th, 1944, 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family were captured by the Nazi Gestapo. The Franks had taken shelter in a small space in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse along with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man. They were aided by Christian friends who brought them food and supplies. Her diary survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo, but Anne and nearly all of the others perished in the Nazi death camps.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Food As Currency, by SwampFox

The following is intended as an intellectual exercise.

Our nation has been the victim of the slide toward globalism over the last couple of decades. We still retain our independent Dollar, but for how long? The European Union has a unified currency that is a model for the rest of the world. There have been attempts at an Asian currency as well as a North American currency, which was briefly titled the “Amero” and even heralded by a short-lived government website, back around 2007-2008. But there is one thing that unites all humans – the need to eat.

My thoughts on this subject were triggered in part by a sci-fi novel. When I’m working long hours, I listen to audiobooks to pass the time, and I listened to The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. While the setting of the book was admittedly farfetched, one section stood out to me. This novel was published in 1974, but contained a vision of what life would be like in the 2020s. That vision was almost an aside in the test, but it gave me the chills. Some predictions were eerily accurate, like the decline of medical care, the devaluing of the aged, and the rise of LGBTQ culture and relationships. In the middle of this description was a section about wars over ration cards and calories as currency. With this inspiration, I figured a brief look at the topic would be in order.

There are many among us who are Bible-believing Christians, so the Book of Revelation is probably familiar. That book contains a description of global government, global economic control, and possibly a global currency. Revelation 6:5-6 is particularly salient. “When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand;  and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!”

Some translations of the text use the term “penny” or “denarius” for the coin used for payment. Other translations simply use the idea of a “day’s wages.” In Roman times, a denarius was the coin used to pay a common laborer for a day’s work. So I started with this idea. What is a day’s wages right now? In my area, a common laborer can get an unskilled job in construction, or as a trash collector, or in a store for between $13 and $15 per hour. Assume $15, which is the minimum wage for which the left prefers to advocate. Assume also a workday of 8-10 hours. The “denarius” of Bible times can thus be calculated at a value range in 2022 of $104-$150.Continue reading“Food As Currency, by SwampFox”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at the threat posed by the inevitable repeat of a Carrington Event scale solar storm.

FEMA Report: 4 to 10 Years Without Electricity After Major Solar Storm

FEMA Warning: 10 Years Without Electricity After Major Solar Storm (A Perfect Solar Storm Similar to One That Slammed Into Earth In 1859 Would Knock Out The United States Electric Grid.) The article begins:

“A perfect solar storm similar to one that slammed into Earth in 1859 would knock out the United States electric grid for four to 10 years if it hit today, an unpublished report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) indicates.

The 36-page report was posted this month at GovernmentAttic.org, which uncovers old government documents that often are acquired via Freedom of Information Act requests. The 2010 document was titled, ‘Mitigation strategies for FEMA command, control, and communications during and after a solar superstorm.’

The storm that hit Earth in 1859 was dubbed the Carrington Event and caught telegraph machines – the most advanced technology of the day – on fire.

Predicting what would happen if that type of solar crashed into Earth in the 21st century, the document says: ‘Significant power grid collapses may occur in North America and elsewhere; could require 4-10 years to fully restore.’

But even a smaller storm, like the one that hit Earth in 1921, would ‘could cause large-scale power grid collapse’ if it hit today.”

Canada’s Mandatory Rifle Buy-Up

Reader D.S.V. spotted this report by CTV: Gun buyback: Here’s how much the feds are proposing to pay for banned firearms. JWR’s Comment:  I refuse to parrot the contemptible term “buyback” to describe such craven schemes. A government cannot “buy back” something that it never owned!

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 3, 2022

On August 3rd, 1914, Germany and France both declared war on each other, formally beginning the First World War.

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We have revised our rules for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Writers are now eligible to win any of the top three prizes once every six months.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 2, by J. Smith

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Battery Alternatives

When one acquires one or more of these flashlights, how do we keep them running if the batteries are not available at the local store or there is not power during a blackout to run a battery charger? Over time I have come to appreciate four types of batteries or cells to power my flashlights and buy them accordingly. AA lithium or rechargeable NIMH, CR123 primary cells, 18650 rechargeable lithium ion and cells or batteries that are built into the light and charge by USB or magnetically. These cells can meet all my needs quite well. Usually, I have alkaline batteries on hand as well, but one must be careful not to leave them in any light of value due to the possibility of the cells leaking. Do not let that stop you from having some. Rotate them as needed in cheaper lights and in my opinion, Energizer6 cells tend to not leak as often as Duracell.7 Lithium cells andCR123 have no such leaking problems and can be stored for 10 years or more retaining full power. These are sometimes called primary cells and are not rechargeable.

NIMH8 cells, NiCd9 and lithium Ion (Li-ion) cells like the 18650 are rechargeable and come in many sizes. I have found having a mix of all the above is a good strategy for being prepared should the lights go out long term.

One thing to be aware of is rechargeable cells will not last as long in a light and will need to be recharged when compared alkaline or primary cells. This is a small shortcoming and nothing when you consider that rechargeable batteries can be recharged 500 to 3,000 times depending on their chemistry.Continue reading“Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 2, by J. Smith”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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“Wolverines!” As evidenced by the photo topping this column, the Ukrainians are still putting up a spirited resistance to the invading Russian army. But sadly, both troop numbers and time are not on their side. We can assume that the Russians will maintain their resolve, even when continuing to take huge troop and vehicle losses. Even with a torrent of armaments continuing to arrive from western nations, the Ukrainians are simply going to run out of combatant-age soldiers. We will know that territory concession talks are near when the Ukrainians start throwing in both very young and very old fighters to the front lines. Bottom line: A  nation of 145 million people invaded a nation of 41 million. So, unless there is some tremendous military technological superiority to the less populous side, then eventually The Big Kid On The Block wins. It may take another year, but I predict that Russia will get Ukraine to cede its eastern region and a fair-size chunk of their coastline. That is just the sad truth. – JWR

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Family Of Six Moves Into Toolshed To Escape Inflation Storm. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.)

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Andre alerted us to this news: Extremely large flares/multiple large flares expected from sunspot groups with large area.

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From SurvivalBlog reader “Bear Mama”, in Kentucky:

“Hi there! We’re all fine after the storms and flooding. We’re up very high. Just now had internet (and therefore phones) restored, and power is back tonight too! Please please pray and ask the SurvivalBlog readers to pray for all the families affected. So many have lost everything. They are still searching for the missing. Our neighbor’s coworker died trying to cross a bridge to get to his wife and infant son. Another neighbor’s grandson was on the Search & Rescue team that found the toddler, the youngest of four children who all died. Our mail carrier’s house was swept down the river and she lost everything. I can’t even type this without crying. All we can do is beg God for mercy. This event is beyond anything in living memory…”a thousand-plus year flood”, they say.

I am still praying all the time for Miss Eloise. I pray Psalm 121 over her, that she may LOOK UP to the mountains and know from whence her help comes, to restore and heal and calm her and from there, her relationships with family. God’s got her, I know He does!”

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Reader C.B. sent us an interesting news item. Cicada killer wasp: It’s big, but it’s not a ‘murder hornet’.

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Fred The Valmetmeister flagged this video link: At US/Mexico Border With Texas Sheriff.

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A quite practical video, also suggested by Fred: Can I Survive Alaskan Winter with No Sleeping Bag, No Tent & No Tarp?

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 2, 2022

August 2nd was the birthday of Peter O’Toole (1932–2013). When his name is mentioned, Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 1, by J. Smith

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it…” (John 1:5)

A real light can get people’s attention. Not long ago, as we sat inside of our home one night, I heard a thud sound and excited commotion on the street. I peeked out of the window and saw a car with people milling about. I went out on my deck to see if I could offer my assistance, using one of my favorite lights – a Malkoff ‘Hound Dog’1. Without pointing it directly at anyone, (I use the spill or edge of the beam) and lit up the area with the Malkoff’s 1600 lumens of bright light. The commotion turned out to be two teenaged girls who, if their story was true stated that they swerved to avoid an unknown animal and hit a tree. There was only minor damage to their vehicle and no medical attention was needed. As I was headed back into the house, I heard one of the girls ask the other, “was that the police?” She assumed that someone with a light as powerful as the one I had must be a police officer. When you think about that, it is not surprising since most of the population relies on their phone’s flashlight app as a flashlight. I am sure that most of the readers of SurvivalBlog already know this but would agree with me, your smartphone is not a flashlight.

At another time, my wife and I were at an Italian restaurant having dinner when the power went out due to a lightning storm. The entire place went dark. There was no generator back up and so it was pretty dim. My wife and I, within seconds, each took out of our packs a light and proceeded to continue enjoying our dinner. The restaurant owner was impressed that I was able to use the clip on a small AAA light and attach it to the window curtain, so it shined down on our table.

Believe it or not, even first responders can be unprepared when it comes to flashlights. As an EMT, I have been on medical calls where there were a half dozen or more responders from medical, fire, and police departments and I was the only one with a flashlight; so, we could move the patient out of the home and through the dark and unfamiliar yards to the ambulance safely.Continue reading“Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 1, by J. Smith”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the Moose Fire, in east-central Idaho. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

Thunderstorms fuel Moose fire activity.

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New aerial technology helping crews battle Moose Fire.

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At Fox News: Idaho sheriff sends dire warning to ‘idiotic’ Biden officials: ‘We are on the cusp of complete collapse’ .

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Construction starts for Schweitzer’s new employee housing project in Ponderay.

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Idaho officials will allow remote bidding for state lands.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”