This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: 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.
—
Officials warn that EVs could catch fire if inundated with saltwater from Hurricane Helene.
o o o
A Patrick Feeney video interview with Tucker Carlson: Do This With Your Family and the Apocalypse Might Not Be So Bad.
o o o
News from Nanny State California: Newsom Signs Bill Banning Single-use Propane Cylinders.
o o o
White House Says Iran Missile Attack on Israel Is Imminent.
o o o
“Arm Yourself” – Persecuted Former FBI Specialist Urges Americans To Stock Up On Food And Prepare For Hardship.
o o o
Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs 24 Gun Control Laws in California.
o o o
Reader R.W. sent these comments on the recent Final Countdown article:
“If I may be so bold, may I add a few things I’ve emphasized in my preps?
Magnifying glass(s), Opti visors, readers in different strengths, loupes (I’m getting old)
Salt (lots of salt) Iodized, table, non-iodized flake, granular, kosher, pickling, pure block salt (from the farm store) sea salt and Real Salt(tm)
Mineral blocks (because you’re going back to raising animals)
Spices for use and barter. Herb garden seeds. Food boredom is a serious condition
Enough canning jars to pressure can your precious proteins in the fridge and freezer when the grid goes down?
Reusable canning jar lids.
Scale to weigh metals, scale to weight condiments, spices and small barter goods.
Cases of Bic lighters (Because Selco said so)
Cases of butane mini torches and butane bottles to refill them.(Bi Mart)
CAL (calcium hydroxide) in bulk to nixtamalize the corn you’re going to be relying on for a long time.
A couple of comal’s as they use way less fuel to cook tortillas..BiMart, $7.
Alcohol stoves (I like Trangia). Silent, odorless, economical, no visible flame. Uses Isopropyl Alcohol.(99%)
Baking soda in bulk quantities
I can crank it manually, run it off a half horse AC motor, my AC heavy half inch chuck angle drill, my 36v Makita 1/2 inch angle drill charged with my solar panels. 3 different pulleys on a single pillow block/jack shaft. Replace the back bearing with a sealed bearing and you can grind wet nixtamal directly into masa.
Many SPARE rechargeable batteries and chargers, DC lights and bulbs, charge controllers, EMP resistant thumb drives with important data and pics, devices to display your data etc. JWR has a great one! All put away as spares in a Faraday cage/safe. I have 4 SPARE charge controllers for every solar charger/battery, because there will be multiple EMP’s if it goes down that way.
Conventional incandescent flashlights with plenty of good bulbs and alkaline batteries because you just don’t know that an EMP can’t degrade or defeat LED lights and rechargeable batteries and their chargers. They will work fine with rechargeables should they survive. Sometimes LED lights are not discrete enough in a tactical environment.
A full suite of cordless tools charged with your solar panels stored in a Faraday cage when not in use. If we have to rebuild civilization I’m not going to do it with hand tools at my age.
Hand crank/rechargeable radios (4. two in the spares Faraday cage).
Spare parts for everything, especially guns and reloaders
Tires, tubes, tire repair kits with both plugs and patches, extra cement.
Solder, glue of all types.
Foil tape for improvising Faraday cages, duct tape, masking tape, electrical tape, medical tape. Lots of tape.
Acetylene welder (can use propane for cutting)
Oxygen generator for welding and medical uses
12v DC air compressor
Hand pump for tires
Hand pump for water
Hand pump for fuels
Pails with sealing lids, buckets, tubs, caged water tanks on pallets,
Containers of all sizes and types to dole out barter goods. I like the little square snack ziplocs from Waremart/Winco. For really good ziplocs in bulk the Chef’s store can’t be beat.
Reference books of all types, lots of books.
Barbed wire. A lot of barbed wire. Never sleeps, doesn’t need batteries, can layer concentric rings, attach tin cans with pebbles in them for early warning. Bury your trip wire for your claymores or flares in it. Farm auctions, very cheap area denial tool. Claymore’s are nice, but single use, You can improvise with cartridge boxes like MTM.”
o o o
And Reader L.E. also had some comments on the Final Countdown article:
1 – We have a LEO across the road in our rural neighborhood and he has already stated unequivocally that should the balloon go up, he will immediately take “all his vacation days at once” and then permanently stay home to protect his own family and property. I think we may take this as an indication of what most law enforcement will do, so don’t count on anyone coming to your rescue except maybe another armed friendly. Even if commanded to show up, organizations like the National Guard or Army Reserve will stay home to protect their own. However once the initial stages are over, they may be unofficially organized to oversee and regulate food distribution and collection of dead bodies.
2 – We have a maximum security prison just 10 miles from us, in the same #1 scenario, I have no idea whether some outsiders will rush the prison and free everyone or whether the guards will flee leaving the prisoners to starve in their cells or be shot by the guards to eliminate any threats permanently. Certainly none of the prison subcontractors will risk their lives to venture far out to deliver food to the prison. In any case, I assume barring a small amount of nearby car/weapon thefts, the vast majority of them will disperse into small bands and head South along the highways to the bigger cities.
3 – How NOT to attract 2-legged predators by eliminating cooking smells. Someone once said while fasting their sense of smell was so heightened they could smell a neighbor’s roast beef sandwich from several blocks away. If someone hasn’t eaten for 3 days any little food scent will draw them like flies to you-know-what. If you are unable to mask the inviting smells of your cooking by blocking the doors and windows with rags to keep your food smells “in-house”, you might consider using only cold items, such as Ritz crackers spread with either bean dip, cheese whiz spread or peanut butter or canned protein type foods such as tuna fish or salmon or canned beans These can be consumed quickly without heating and are a good source of “keep ya alive another day” foods. If you have to cook outside, consider using only non-inviting smell type foods such as plain rice or macaroni then take it inside to season it. The scent of fresh baked bread or bacon or coffee will be irresistible.
4 – Children-if you have children it will be difficult to keep them corralled indoors or strictly contained on your property-they will naturally be very curious and will want to wander outside and look at things. Imagine turning your back to hang out laundry or clean out a woodstove, you turn around and little Timmy is gone, only to reappear being restrained by a lurking homeless person. What would you give up to save their life?”
o o o
SaraSue sent this brief snippet:
“Just a quick note to tell you that my family and I are fine [after Hurricane Helene]. We live just West of the devastation in East Tennessee. The damage in Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as other locations, can be described as “biblical”. The only charity I can recommend contributing to is Samaritan’s Purse.
o o o
New Biden-Harris Executive Order on Gun Control.
o o o
A pointed video from North Carolina: THEY WILL NOT MAKE IT IF THE GRID GOES DOWN! JWR’s Comment: If you are in a hurry, skip forward the 48-minute mark.
o o o
And lastly, some more food for thought: “Coffee and a Mike” Matt Bracken and Steve Murray.
Please Send Us Your Snippets!
Please send your snippet items for potential posting to JWR. or AVL. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.
