Monthly Archives: March 2014

March 11th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

A Run on Ammunition Has Begun: “Russia Has Reportedly Halted All Exports to the US of Russian Made Ammunition”

Mac Slavo, SHTFplan.com-In recent month’s ammunition has slowly began appearing on store shelves at major retailers in the United States. But after nearly two years of shortages that had ammunition manufacturers running their factories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week because of consumer demand and massive government purchases, it appears that another supply pipeline may have been cut. If you don’t already have it then prepare to go without or pay double the price or more in coming days and weeks: “In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy and fears of new control legislation from the Obama administration, extreme shortages of ammunition have been sustained over the past 12-24 months, as panicked Americans have raided the shelves of Cabelas and gun-shows across the country buying literally every round they can get their hands on.

 GET 7.62x39mm NOW!!!

Combined with multi-billion round purchases from gov’t 3 letter acronyms such as the DHS and FBI, (including even the USPS and IRS), the shortages have continued even as manufacturers have responded by drastically increasing production.

Over the past 6-12 months, shortages of some calibers such as 7.62 used in the popular AK-47 semi-automatic weapon have been alleviated somewhat via massive imports of Russian production.

That is about to change.

The largest wholesale gun & ammo distributors in the US have informed us in private conversation today that a massive scramble is on for all 7.62 as Russia has reportedly halted all exports to the US of Russian made ammunition.

Our distributor source informed us that yesterday they had several hundred thousand rounds of Russian made 7.62 TulAmmo, and after receiving word early today on the halt of Russian exports to the US, they have been completely wiped out of every last round in the past 10 hours!

We have only several days supply of 7.62 on hand currently at SDBullion under normal market conditions, and expect it will disappear as quickly as 22 LR once word of the Russian export halt spreads.

While Obama and Kerry threaten Russia with economic sanctions over the Ukranian crisis, it appears that Putin has quietly taken the first step and launched economic sanctions of his own against the US.

We have a feeling that we are seeing only the beginning.

Via Silver Doctors

If this report is accurate, then the motivation may not necessarily be to cut off ammunition to U.S. gun owners. Perhaps Russia is just ensuring that they have plenty of ammo on hand in the event that a Russian invasion of the Ukraine is initiated by Vladimir Putin.

Whatever the case, this report highlights, yet again, how important it is to have necessary supplies on hand before a major crisis, announcement or political shift.

When the Fukushima radiation plumes began making their way towards the United States and the Department of Homeland Security announced that Americans should have Potassium Iodide on hand to help fight thyroid absorption Americans across the country panicked. The price of a single bottle of KI went from the manufacturer suggested retail price of around $20 to a whopping $200 per bottle on auction web sites.

After Sandy Hook, as the anti-gun faction of our government began moving to restrict the ownership of firearms and ammunition, prices skyrocketed 300% and shelves were emptied within days.

And, as we’ve seen during critical emergencies like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, as well as the ice storms that hit the eastern half of the United States in the last few months, grocery stores were cleaned out within hours.

If you’re one second late, you’ll be out of luck.

Develop a comprehensive preparedness plan today and start stocking up.

 

———————

From The Firearm Blog, by Steve Johnson-There has been a lot of speculation online about how the Ukrainian Revolution of 2014 will effect ammunition supply in the West. There is one large ammunition exporter in Ukrainian called Lugansk Cartridge Works (LCW). They manufacture 5.56mm, 5.45mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x54mm, 9x19mm and 9x18mm cartridges. Their rounds are made with steel-core FMJ bullets for military use and lead-core for consumer use. They export cartridges under their own brand but, more importantly, have been known to manufacture ammunition on behalf of international brands. They are known, for example, to make ammunition for Wolf.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: SHTFplan

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March 10th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

The End of Your World As You Know It

Guest post by P.Henry

As adults, we are expected by society to be mature enough to take care of a few basic but important things; namely ourselves and anyone we have responsibility for. Responsibility is a word that I use frequently on the Prepper Journal blog to describe my sense of duty to others. I feel a sense of duty to take care of and love my wife, children and family. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t something I look at as a chore that I begrudgingly do, but I look at this responsibility as a higher valued aspect of my job as a human in some respects. Anyone can go through life only thinking about themselves and how they feel, what they want or need. When you take responsibility for someone else, you are placing them and their needs above yours even if just for a relatively temporary period of time. Your friends, neighbors and even complete strangers could briefly fall into your sphere of responsibility if the right situation allows, and you would offer them your time, compassion, energy or resources in some way over your own immediate needs or concerns. This trait is in most of us to differing amounts at different times and I think prepping is another example of being responsible.

You might be prepping for yourself or your entire community. You could be getting ready for an economic collapse, a global pandemic or the renewed threat of nuclear war. There are people preparing to survive natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, solar Flares and polar shifts. Even more common occurrences like an extended illness or the loss of a job can be motivating factors and just as worthwhile reasons to prepare. People from all walks of life, races, countries and beliefs are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. But in order to be able to start this journey of becoming prepared you might have to begin by going through the end of your world as you know it first.

You have to wake up first

Many of you reading this have already been making plans for how to survive any number of different scenarios with your family for years, but there are so many more who are just now sensing that tingling in the back of their brain. For those new to prepping, you might have seen or lived through recent events that proved to you how your life might have been better with some simple precautions. For others, your spidey sense is going off and you may not quite know why, but you feel that something bad is coming that you need to prepare for. This is what happened to me back in 2007/2008. I had a gnawing feeling in the back of my mind that wouldn’t go away so I started researching various topics on the internet. One thing led to another and my viewpoint of the world and more importantly, my sense of responsibility to my family changed. My initial research started at a high level but ended up going in a myriad of directions. From basic home safety tips to deep conspiracies and the stuff that most people laugh at. The end result was that learning and research evolved into a greater appreciation for just how fragile our society is. For you reading this, your reason could be completely different. Anything that trips your trigger to wake up to the fact that life isn’t always bed of roses. We don’t all have happy endings and some of the things you have been told, might not be true. It’s time to wake up Alice.

Don’t believe in conspiracies? No problem, you can still be a hard core prepper or someone who simply takes steps to protect and provide for their family and hold your head just as high as anyone else. You don’t have to believe in anything other than this one simple fact. You and you alone are going to be responsible for taking action to provide for your own survival no matter what happens.

Any threat you imagine from zombies all the way down to that lost job will work for this exercise. No matter what you think is possible, this much is almost certain and that is that neither FEMA, the National Guard, Navy Seals, your police, the neighbors, your family, the Avengers or the X-Men; none of them can be counted on to help you in a real emergency as quickly as you will need them to. You have to take responsibility now, for taking care of yourself and that means looking at the world differently.

The most overused (but very appropriate) example of this is from the movie The Matrix. The lead character Neo must make a choice between finally seeing the truth around him (waking up) or going back to a false reality that keeps him safe and secure (or so we think). I don’t mean to imply that we are all living in pods with our brains hooked to a computer, but the metaphor of waking up is pretty similar in my opinion.

To start with, you have to stop thinking that any organization or government and by that I mean any bureaucracy at all is going to be able to take care of you if a disaster happens. You don’t have to look very hard to see example after example of people who when faced with a real tragedy were forced to rely on themselves. Help may or may not have eventually arrived, but I guarantee it was not speedy. In hurricanes, floods, wars, conflicts, famines, uprisings, whatever situation you want to point to I can show you how a blind reliance on any government agency to fix any problem, bring quick relief or to save you was a futile hope. I am not talking about the US solely either. Look at the governments of other countries and you will see the same thing. When all hell breaks loose, you have to look out for yourself. The sooner you accept this as reality, the sooner you will be able to effectively take steps to take responsibility for yourself.

What you should do

Learn – Everything you do should begin with a learning component. If you want to learn about prepping, then the Prepper Journal certainly has a lot of information that you can use to get a decent understanding and make plans. There are tons of additional sites out there and information in our resources section that can help as well. Get up from in front of the TV and start learning about potential issues that could affect your family. Research your area and learn about geographic threats that might be around you but you didn’t know about. How close do you live to any kind of power plants? Are there military bases near you? Do you live in a flood zone? Is there a chemical plant that produces possibly dangerous compounds near your town?

Learning can also be in the form of skills that can help your family. This could be skills that could save a life like an EMT course. It could be skills to defend yourself or your family. It could be skills that would increase your ability to take care of your family if you suffered a layoff. This might mean that you don’t watch Dancing with the Stars every night, but I think that is OK.

Take action – Once you understand a little about the types of things you think are valid to prepare for, start with a plan. This doesn’t have to be complicated; I started by writing down a list of items on a notebook. Some of these items were simple to accomplish, others took time but writing that list gave me something to look to and check off as I made progress towards my goal of having everything on that list covered.

Start with the basics of Water, Food, Shelter and Security and build from there. Just having a basic supply of food and water for your family could be the difference between life and death, but don’t think that a gallon of water, some pop-tarts and a flashlight are all you need to be prepared. As you learn about the additional threats you are preparing for, increase your plans to be able to sustain longer duration events and that will further ensure your families ability to weather whatever you go through. This might require you to get organized and proactively look at elements in your life that need improvement like exercise. Action usually changes something.

Teach others – Getting back to that responsibility topic I started with. Once you have made a plan and started on your path to getting prepared, you need to share what you know with others. We all have a responsibility to take care of those around us and it is far easier to teach someone what you know so that they can do the same work as you than it is to plan for taking care of them too. Start by talking to close friends and extended family to broach subjects like this. We always seem to be having some weather event that knocks out power and disrupts life for people so there are plenty of examples of how being prepared could be a great thing. Don’t be afraid to talk about this because it is simple common sense. You don’t have to share the Matrix movie with anyone if you don’t want to. That will be our little secret…

You may find that your world has changed from the way you used to know it. You may look at events differently and take information and use it differently because you will be proactively thinking about how you as the responsible person for your family will need to act, or when the time comes, will be ready to act. I am glad I took the red pill and I think you will be too. I am pretty confident that if you are prepared to take care of your family, they will really appreciate it in the end as well.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: theprepperjournal

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March 9th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Build an emergency biomass block stove for around $4

 

Suppose you have to boil water for purification and need an effective way to do it. Here’s how to make a biomass stove out of concrete blocks to get you by until help can arrive.

Guess post by Leon Pantenburg

So the earthquake/tornado/whatever hits, buildings collapse, the street is covered in debris and you’re on your own. Or pick a disaster that is likely to happen in your area. Whatever happens, you probably can’t depend on help arriving very quickly.

The first priority might be purifying water. In this case, your choices might  be boiling and…boiling. You’re going to have to improvise a heating source that can use the wood biomass scattered all over. And you must be quick about it.

In fact, you may need to build several stoves to take care of the neighbors. Here is a simple biomass stove you can improvise out of the debris.


This improvised block rocket stove could be invaluable after a natural disaster strikes.

(Pantenburg photo)

 

Here’s the biomass stove materials list:

3-4 standard half-size concrete blocks: While concrete is not the best material for making a stove, in this case, the block may be the most readily available building material. A better choice would be fired farm drainage tiles, or pieces of chimney flue. Use what you have. One of the half blocks will have to have one side removed. You can do this – carefully – with some hammer work. Or you could look in the damaged wall until you find a three-sided block.

1-2 Size 2 1-2 tin cans, with both ends cut off. A taller can, like the large canned fruit juice come in, would work even better

Grill eyelet off a gas stove. Or something to raise the pot off the top of the stove by about 1/2 to 1 inch.

That’s it. Assemble the stove as seen in the video above, and you’ll build a pretty effective emergency stove.

If you like how this stove works, and want to make it a permanent fixture in your back yard, consider burying it in dirt at some point. That will help seal the air leaks, and bond everything together. It can also look kind of cool, like some high-tech Dakota  fire pit.

A biomass stove makes the best use of woody debris, and this stove will heat water quickly, with a fraction of the wood needed over an open campfire. It is also safer, since the heat, coals and smoke are confined in a small secure area.

Survival gear doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive – it just has to work. And the best survival investment is learning skills. Know-how doesn’t weigh anything, is always with you and can be a lot fun to learn.

Another design:

The “4 Block” Rocket Stove! – DIY Rocket Stove


 

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: survivalcommonsense

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March 8th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Surprisingly Great Emergency Flour Tortilla Recipe


In a time of emergency, you can become the best cook ever!  In your families’ eyes, you can assume “Chef “status by just having a few simple ingredients and recipes on hand.  Your family will be saying “Move over Chef Ramsey, there is a new Master Chef in town.”
Have you ever noticed how your family turns into little monsters when hungry?  Imagine a scenario of being without electricity in an ice storm.  Would you be prepared?  Do you have enough food on hand?  How about an alternate cooking source available?  Enough water on hand to include cooking?  This would be a great time to have deliciously planned food available to keep the family from turning into potential monsters.

Flour is a simple staple that most people have available in their pantry.  In a time of emergency, flour could stretch your food storage and works well with many canned goods and make a potentially bad situation more bearable.

Flour Tortillas – There are many ways to eat a flour tortilla!  A few suggestions: roll up peanut butter and jelly inside a tortilla, bean burrito, make enchiladas, quesadillas made in the skillet, cut up tortilla into strips and lightly fry to make crispy for a soup topping…etc.

Simple Flour Tortilla Recipe

3 cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
4-6 Tbsp. Vegetable Shortening
1 ¼ cup Warm Water

  • Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Add Vegetable Shortening by using a fork to cut in the shortening (or just use clean hands).
  • Next add a little Warm Water at a time. Do this until your dough is soft, but not sticky.
  • Knead dough for a couple of minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 12 small balls and let them “rest” for 10-15 minutes.
  • Heat up your skillet to a medium-high heat.
  • Dust each ball of dough with a little flour before you roll them out.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is fairly thin.  If you do not have a rolling pin, you can use a glass or even your hands to shape the dough into a thin, round tortilla.
  • Lay the tortilla onto the hot skillet.  Watch carefully as it only takes a few seconds to cook.  Flip the tortilla to the other side.  You know the tortilla is done when you see many brown spots.   Place the tortillas onto a plate and cover with a clean dish towel until ready to serve.

Note: due to the shortening in the tortilla dough, it is not usually necessary to use oil for “frying” the tortilla.  If you notice any sticking, use a small amount of cooking spray or oil.

Yields: 12 tortillas.

MORE IDEAS FOR USING FLOUR TORTILLAS

A simple complete protein meal is that of a tortilla with beans. The bean burrito is a classic example as well as a bean and cheese quesadilla. Both of these examples can be adapted to fit your families tastes and what ingredients that you have on hand.

Thin crust pizza can also be made using tortillas! Use two tortillas with cheese placed between the layers to make the crust, top with sauce and toppings of choice. These can be backed or put into a large cast iron skillet for the stove top. It is best to cover with a lid as the steam will help to cook the pizza.
 Besides being a meal, the tortilla can become a dessert too!

  •  Try making apple enchiladas (canned apples, powdered sugar, tortillas, cinnamon…etc.).
  •  My grandmother used to give me buttered bread sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Why not do the same with a tortilla.
  •  Don’t have graham crackers? Make a new version of Smores using a tortilla.

Since you are the type of person that plans ahead, you have the necessary ingredients available to make some great food.  Why not plan now to make a potential experience much more bearable.   Try recipes now and don’t wait until an emergency.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: americanpreppersnetwork

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March 7th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Ten ways to recycle and reuse empty prescription pill bottles

 

It seems like everybody has some sort of prescription medication. Most of them come in plastic bottles with seal-able caps. Here are some ways to make the best use of this underused resource.

Guess post by Leon Pantenburg

You never give much thought to plastic prescription bottles until someone gets put on medications. Suddenly, you are accumulating several of the small containers each month. Having a “Waste Not, Want Not” Depression-era mentality, I keep them, trusting that someday I will need a prescription bottle and have just the right size. Today, I have – literally – a bushel of different sizes, shapes and cap styles.

If you look around, you can find all sorts of uses for them.

Here are some general tips on using the handy little containers.

  • Check the cap fit first: make sure the container will seal and stay waterproof. If in doubt, test the sealed container in water.
  • Wrap them with several feet of duct tape. You need to carry duct tape anyway, and this is one place where the tape will be handy. You might also wrap a container with a bootlace or piece of paracord.
  • Use labels: You might know what is in the containers, but you may not be the one who needs to use it. On some containers, such as the cotton balls and petroleum jelly, you should post directions on how to use the contents.

Here are 10 different ways to use plastic prescription bottles:


Cotton balls and petroleum jelly make a great firestarter. Carry them in a prescription bottle and take along a quality ferrocerium rod for ignition.

Matches: Even if your matches are waterproof, they should be carried in a waterproof, shock proof container. You may have to trim the ends of some for them to fit in a prescription bottle, but that’s not a big deal. Make sure to put the abrasive strip from the match box in, too, even if they are of the strike-anywhere variety. Some brands of matches won’t work with different strips. And, you may be in a situation – as in falling in a river on a rainy day – where there is no dry place to strike a light. Carry several backup match caches in your gear.

Cotton balls and petroleum jelly firestarter: My all-time favorite, go-to firestarter is cotton balls infused with petroleum jelly. (Don’t waste your time with dryer lint.) The treated cotton balls can be lighted with anything, but I prefer a ferocerrium rod. (Check out the video.) Each treated cotton ball will burn for about four to five minutes, which should be plenty of time to get a fire going. I usually tape two bottles together, with matches in one and firestarter in another. Tape a ferro rod to both and you have a firestarting kit to depend on.

Sewing kit: A backpacking sewing kit doesn’t have to be elaborate. You need some needles, sturdy thread (I’ve been sewing on buttons with monofilament fishing line forever) and maybe a button or two. Look at the clothing you will be wearing, and think about what could tear or rip, and what you might need to fix it. Then pack your sewing kit bottle accordingly.

Fishing stuff: I don’t carry fishing gear in my pocket survival kits. Here’s why. But on a day hike, I might grab a lightweight fishing rod before leaving and some flies or lures. The prescription bottles are ideal for packing lures, hooks, weights etc. If you segregate your different types of fishing equipment, you can take what is needed instead of a hulking tackle box with stuff you won’t use.

Sunscreen: Or other specialty lotions, such as chamomile, may be needed.  Sunscreen is one of those lotions you’ll use year-round, and there’s no point in carrying a bulky tube if it isn’t needed.

Pills: Many of us regularly carry prescription medications, and that’s what these bottles were designed for. If you have different meds, separate them in little plastic bags before putting inside the bottle. You can also carry over-the-counter pills for minor aches and pain. As a minimum, I pack aspirin, Imodium and benadryl in addition to prescriptions.

Containers for flashdrives and digital cards: All records can be saved digitally, and you can take credit card numbers, ID info, PDFs of important documents etc and put them on a flash drive for safekeeping. Put the flashdrives or digital cards in a bottle to protect them from moisture, dust or dirt, and getting broken. Wrap the item in some cloth or something to pad it and keep it from rubbing.

Small screws, items needed for quick repairs: John Nerness, my hiking partner for more than 40 years, always carried a collection of aluminum pins, clevises and small repair pieces. The items are not heavy, and are well-chosen to fix a broken backpack and possibly a stove. (John is also an engineer, and always on the lookout to fix things.) During a hike in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, the strap connection on a backpack broke, and he had the repair part. Take along an aluminum pin, some split rings, a couple feet of wire, and any small parts that may break.

Geocache containers: A great field exercise for learning to use your GPS is geocaching. The idea is to put a cache somewhere, post the coordinates on any of a number of geocache websites and let someone else find it. It should be good, clean fun – the motto is “Cache in, trash out.”

Food containers: If you’re backpacking and want to reduce weight, only take along what will be needed.  Check to make sure the lids seal. For insurance, carry any liquids double wrapped in a plastic bag. You can carry cooking oil, syrup, spices or whatever is needed to turn trail food into a gourmet meal.

Look at your gear – chances are you can find something that can be packed more efficiently in a small prescription bottle. In addition to recycling a resource, you’re also making the best, most efficient use of items that might otherwise get thrown away.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: survivalcommonsense

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March 6th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Should you include fishing gear in a pocket survival kit?

 

Check out commercial personal survival kits and you’ll notice many of them include hooks, sinkers and fishing line. I don’t include sport fishing gear in pocket survival kits, and don’t see much value in fishing equipment as an emergency survival tool. Here’s why.

Guess post by Leon Pantenburg


This pocket-sized box holds all the lures I need for a day of smallmouth bass fishing on Oregon’s John Day River.

This collection would be carried in addition to my pocket kit. (Pantenburg photos)

 

My friend, Phil Brummett, was showing off. That’s what I told him.

Phil, several other adults and I were accompanying a group of Boy Scouts on a “Ten Essentials” campout. The idea was to survive the night with only the gear you’d carry on a day hike. Along with the rest of his Ten Essentials, Phil took a reel with flyline, several flies and some paperclips.

Phil whittled a rod from a six-foot willow switch. He made line eyelets out of the paperclips, and duct taped the eyelets and reel to the rod. He could easily cast 40 feet with it. His son, Jesse, used the setup to catch a nice rainbow trout of a small creek.

But Phil is not your average outdoorsman.  A professional fly fishing guide in Central Oregon, and the merit badge counselor for the scout fly fishing merit badge, Phil is on the water well over 200 days a year, under all sorts of weather conditions. IMO, Phil can catch fish anywhere, under any conditions with sport fishing gear.

But that doesn’t mean you or I could have the same kind of “luck.” I’d guess the average, untrained person would not be able to catch a fish with Phil’s makeshift gear.

But hooks, a piece of line and some sinkers seem to be standard in many pocket survival kits. I’m not sure why that is, other than customers seem to expect them to be included. From the manufacturer’s viewpoint, a hook line and sinker are three pieces of cheap gear they can include in the kit to boost the item count with little expense. They take up space, and pad the contents list.

 Here are some thoughts about pocket survival kits, and why you don’t need fishing stuff in yours.


This survival kit weighs about as much as your IPod.

Carry it in a waterproof container for added security. Don’t waste space!

A pocket kit should be kept with you at all times as an addendum to a full-blown Ten Essentials pack. Statistics show that most lost people are found within 24 hours of being reported missing, provided they stay put. If you play your cards right, and carry food along as part of your essentials, foraging won’t be necessary. Your pocket kit must be, above all, light and convenient to carry. Don’t carry gear that isn’t important.

Survival fishing isn’t fair play sport fishing.  If you desperately need to catch fish to survive during a long term survival situation, sportsmanship goes out the window. There are many effective, though highly illegal, ways to catch mass quantities of fish. I don’t encourage doing anything illegal, and won’t explain unethical ways to gather fish. But check out your state’s fishing regulations. Any illegal activity or technique is probably barred because it works too well!

Return on time investment: In a survival situation, your time and energy are finite resources that must be hoarded and used wisely. Before you spend time fishing, you need to have a shelter finished, firewood gathered, signaling devices set up and a survival plan established. Don’t fritter your time and energy away fishing until all these necessities are in place.

Food value: This is another ROI that needs to be considered. Check out diet plans, and you’ll probably find fish listed as a low calorie food recommendation. Your calories intake will determine your energy level. Your energy will determine if you stay warm and active enough to assist in your rescue. So do the math: If there is the potential to catch a trout that supplies 100 calories, and you use more than that to stay warm, and burn up 200 calories in the exertion, you’ll soon have an energy deficit.

 Priorities: Immediately upon realizing you are in a survival situation, sit down and come up with a plan for surviving and what your next action will be. Use the STOP exercise. Don’t be distracted by an activity of lesser importance such as fishing.

Chances are, if I’m backpacking in an area with the potential for catching fish, I’ll have along a lightweight rod, reel and the appropriate lures. But when it comes to your pocket gear, take only what you need. Otherwise, the kit may get heavy and bulky, and left in the vehicle.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: survivalcommonsense

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March 5th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Huge asteroid to whiz near Earth today

A massive asteroid will be hurtling past Earth today, and it’s expected to sail past a bit closer than the moon does. At somewhere between 60 and 140 feet in diameter, asteroid 2014 DX110 is bigger than the space rock that injured hundreds of people in Russia last year, but NASA believes it won’t come any closer than around 217,000 miles from us; that’s “9/10th of the distance to the moon,” explains a NASA rep. It will be at its closest around 4pm EST, and the chances of a direct hit are only around one in 10 million, USA Today reports.


NASA/Public Domain

The 33,000mph flyby will be broadcast on the website of the Slooh space telescope, though a Slooh spokesman says “there is a high probability we will not capture the asteroid during the broadcast” from its Canary Islands observatory because of uncertainties about its orbit—the same uncertainties that foiled an effort to track a giant asteroid nicknamed “Moby Dick” last month, NBC News notes. A NASA spokesman says the asteroid’s flyby will last around seven hours and stresses that there’s no need to worry—though the asteroid will be closer than the moon, some 21 smaller ones have come even closer over the last year.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: treehugger

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March 5th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

7 Things Your Child Should Have in His Bedside Table

It’s important that your kids are familiar with the basic concepts of survival and emergency preparedness. For any emergency situation, whether it’s a middle of the night asthma attack or an unexpected evacuation, your child should have these five things in his bedside table (or another easy to access location) and should know how to use them.

Flashlight – This one’s pretty obvious, a flashlight can be used in just about any emergency scenario.

 

Light stick – Consider adding a light stick that comes with a neck cord and teach your child to activate the light and wear it around her neck in the case of an emergency. When the power goes out, you want to be able to find each and every family member, thus the handy neck cord, and light always brings comfort.

 

Emergency Medical Supplies – If your child has asthma, diabetes, hypoglycemia, or another medical condition which involves sudden attacks, it might be difficult for him to make it to the medicine cabinet for his emergency inhaler or find the right snack to stabilize his blood sugar. It’s much more efficient to have these things at hand.

 

Mini First Aid Kit – This doesn’t need to be a full size first aid kit, just enough that your child would be able to grab a bandage quickly whenever necessary.

 

List of Emergency Phone Numbers – Of course this will probably be somewhere else in your house, too, but it can be comforting for your child to have the list right with him.

 

Small Survival Kit – This should be something that he could grab anytime he leaves the house, so he has the basic tools for most survival situations. This one is a good example, of course it might need to be adapted for younger kids.

 

Shoes – Everyone in the family should get in the habit of keeping a pair of shoes right by the side of their bed or directly underneath where they can be easily accessed. Tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, house fires, and other disasters often happen when the sun goes down and a scared kid trying to get out of the house might find himself walking on glass shards or splintered wood.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalmom

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March 4th, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Make a Common Sense Urban/Wilderness Survival Kit

Guest post by Leon Pantenburg, Survival Common Sense

One aspect of the “prepper” philosophy is “Common Sense.”  After all, it is just common sense to plan for the future, regardless of what may or may not happen. That’s why we have retirement funds, car, home and health insurance and regular well-checks with the doctor. Planning ahead is also why you may stick an umbrella in your brief case or carry a light jacket on a sunny day. And it would be stupid to not carry a spare tire and tools to change a flat!

So when it comes to wilderness or urban survival, being prepared is just common sense, and you should insert a healthy dose of that commodity into any disaster or emergency planning.


Carry survival gear in your wallet. I always have (from left) firestarter, charcloth (in a waterproof, plastic bag) and a signal mirror with me.

So, I propose that you, a prepper, should also make a compact, easy-to-carry wilderness and/or urban survival kit to include with all your other survival gear.

Ask yourself these questions to get started:

  • Can I dunk a basketball? I can’t. Never could. But watch any NBA game and you’ll see the guys slam the ball home at every opportunity. If you watch the survival “reality” shows, you may also see incredible techniques done routinely, under the worst circumstances. So what? Use the common sense filter. Just because somebody can dunk a basketball or perform wondrous survival techniques on TV doesn’t mean you can, or might be able to learn. Don’t rely on gee-whiz technology or esoteric aboriginal survival techniques. The idea is to survive, and during a disaster: You won’t have time for on-the-job training!
  • Do I know anything? Be honest! It doesn’t matter how much survival stuff you have.  It’s worthless if you can’t, or don’t know how, to use it. Take a good look at your skills and abilities, and face your inadequacies. (See on-the-job training, above.)
  • Will I make a commitment to learn? Again, be honest, and don’t put this off. If you don’t know how to perform first aid or make an emergency shelter, learn now. Sign up for a community college course, read good survival books, and talk to folks like the Search and Rescue people who are actually using these skills. If a disaster happens this afternoon, maybe all
    you will have to work with is what you’ve got.
  • What gear is practical? I am honored to
    serve as an assistant scoutmaster of a Boy Scout Troop in Bend, Oregon. Over the past 10 years, I’ve noticed a lot of “survival gear” that is nothing more than expensive junk. Talk to someone in the know, and find out what urban or wilderness survival gear they use. Assess those items with your skill level and then decide what you need.
  • Will I make a commitment to carry this survival kit with me? The best gear in the world does you no good if you don’t have it with you! Your survival kit must be compact and convenient to carry or it will get left behind.


Here’s one way to keep some of the basic survival tools with you at all times. On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark firemaker and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other knife rides in a pouch on my belt, wherever it is legal.

Here are a few suggestions, once you’ve made a survival kit commitment:

  • Make your own: Commercial kits may include cheap and worthless things in them to keep the cost down. The components in my pocket-sized Altoids tin kit would cost about $50 to $60 to replace. My life is worth that to me!
  • Can you use everything in the kit? Using some suggested items (remember that dunk shot?)  may be beyond your skill levels. Your choice is to learn how to use everything, or replace that particular component.

  • Don’t let your survival kit give you a false sense of confidence. Gear doesn’t replace knowledge.
  • A survival kit is not a substitute for your Ten Essentials: Every survival book or website has some variation of this basic list of essential outdoor tools. Some of the items are common sense, such as a survival knife, fire-making gear, extra clothing, and a map and compass. Always make sure you have all the recommended items with you!

Finally, apply the common sense filter to anything associated with your survival. Beware of “survival experts” websites, TV shows and articles. Just because someone has a website, logo, book or magazine column doesn’t mean they know anything!

View any information with your eyes open and apply the common sense filter. If your BS alarm starts to go off, there is probably a good reason for it! And how about that dunk shot!

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalmom

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March 3rd, 2014
post by policysup | | 0

Drought Stricken California gets Drenched

The drought stricken state of California received some much needed precipitation over the weekend; however this massive rainfall did very little to reduce the effects of the drought, and in fact created additional problems in the form of mudslides and sinkholes. While the rest of the country has experienced one of the harshest winter seasons in recent memory, California sat perched on the West Coast begging for relief in the form of water.

The unrelenting effects of the drought in California created such arid conditions that wildfires raged through several areas, stripping away trees and foliage that helped keep the soil intact. Before the storm hit several hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate their homes for safety reasons associated with landslides and sinkholes. While most residents appreciated what little relief the rains provided, state officials warn that drought conditions are not resolved, and will continue without several more storms passing through the area.

NHR:

“A thunderstorm that brought sorely-needed rain to drought-plagued California is winding down after sending mudslides down foothill communities, flooding roadways and opening up sinkholes.

Evacuation orders remained in effect for hundreds of homes in Los Angeles County foothill communities where recent wildfires have burned away vegetation that holds soil in place, and bursts of rain caused occasional debris flows.

The storm marked a sharp departure from many months of drought that has grown to crisis proportions for the state’s vast farming industry. However, such storms would have to be much more frequent to make major headway against the drought, weather forecasters say.

The heavy band of rain drenched parts of the state throughout Saturday before tapering off by nighttime. While the danger of mudslides was subsiding, officials urged residents who left their homes as much as three days earlier to stay away until Sunday morning.

“The good news is that it looks like the storm will pass … but we still need to evaluate the safety of the area” before people can return home, Assistant Chief Steve Martin of the Los Angeles County Fire Department told a webcast news conference.

In California, about 1,200 houses in the adjacent cities of Azusa and Glendora as well as nearby Monrovia were under evacuation orders because of the possibility of destructive flows from the San Gabriel Mountains, a rugged range largely covered by the Angeles National Forest.

The storm was the much more powerful second act of two systems that hit California during the week.

Downtown San Francisco received 8.01 inches of rain by Saturday evening, bringing the city to 44 percent of its normal rainfall but avoiding the city’s driest-ever “rain year” record by roughly half an inch, NWS meteorologist Matt Mehle said. The driest year was in 1851, with just 7.42 inches. The rain year begins July 1.

In the Hollywood hills, a mudslide took down a tree which knocked down a power pole, leaving homes in the neighborhood in the dark late Saturday.”

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: survivalist

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