Preparing For and Surviving Natural Disasters

Are you prepared the next time a natural disaster strikes? Unfortunately, many people have not made the simple and inexpensive preparations necessary to help them get through a natural disaster. What if an earthquake, tornado or hurricane strikes? The direct damage caused by these natural disasters can tear your home apart. What most people don't understand is that these disasters can cause widespread power outages. These outages can cause the closing of supermarkets, ATMs and other important businesses, which could leave us cut off from those basic supplies and services that we normally take for granted.
Fortunately, by taking a few minutes and spending a little cash, you can prepare yourself against these types of disasters. In emergencies, it is important to have the right type of survival kits, communication products and emergency food and water supplies that will help get you and your family through these difficult times. These types of kits are inexpensive, when compared to the money you might have to spend to get the basics you would need to survive. With these types of products, for disaster preparedness, you can be sure your family and pets will be safe and it is all within your reach.
The cutting off of electricity, is one of the most widespread effects of a natural disaster. You won't be able to operate anything electrical that cannot run on an alternate source of electricity. Depending on the extent of the natural disaster, the power could be out for hours, days or even weeks. You will want to make sure there are essential items, easily accessible, when the power goes out. This will guarantee, you and your family, will have what they need until the power is restored and local businesses can reopen.
A flashlight is a natural choice when the power goes out. Hopefully, most people will have one handy. You will also need other devices, such as a cell phone and emergency radio, to call out for help. The radio is important as it will keep you in communication with what is happening around you. A battery-operated radio is nice, however, the batteries will run down. A better choice might be a hand crank radio that you wind every 30 minutes or so. This type of radio will last as long as you need it.
Another necessity is fresh water, non-perishable food and prescription medicine that will last you a specific amount of time. Depending where you live and what type of natural disasters strikes your area, will determine how much of the necessities will be needed. The worst disaster is not being prepared for one.

The First 30 Days: Survival After the Fact

It has happened, the Doomsday scenario has happened and you find yourself holed up in your home, shelter, apartment.. etc. You need Water and Food. If you have been planning for this day you will probably have them stored and ready, if not you need to get them.
Water:
Water is one of the most important items in your check list for survival. But what if you don't have any stored?
Get a garden hose and attach it to the tank output spigot of your hot water heater. Open the spigot and fill a pan with the water, try to pass the water through a strainer with coffee filters lining it. this will filter out most of the big crap that has settled at the bottom of your hot water tank over time.
If you have the ability to make fire, boil the water to kill any nasty bugs that might be in it, or better yet, if you have a pressure cooker distill the water.
You now have some source of water, you can do this to water from a stream, river, or to snow if need be. Also, as gross as it may sound the water tank on the back of your toilet will have anywhere from 2 to 5 gallons of water in it also. Do the same treatment as the water from the hot water tank.
Food:
Anything in a can that you can open, if it is a small can like 15.x oz size, eat it all and eat 3 cans a day. Doesn't matter what it is as long as you get food into your gut!
If it is the 60oz Size, #10 size can, get some resealable freezer bags and dump the leftover from the can into the freezer bag and eat it over the next day and a half. It will be boring to eat and even bland, and selection will be lacking, but that is not the issue right now. You need to survive so you need to eat.
Don't be afraid to eat the cat or dog you see running around, most of us live in a city where deer and other like animals are not around. Learn to Field dress each animal beforehand.
Also you will have very little time between seasons to gather and store food for the winter months. Make the most of your food gathering time and plan well into the future.
Make a garden and plant lots of different vegetables and fruits. Potatoes and onions last awhile but most of your stuff will need to be canned to last through a winter.
City Life:
People will leave the Cities in droves, try to search empty homes for food to eat, just watch out for the gangs that will eventually start coming out also. Do a lot of your work at night via cover of darkness, shutoff your flashlight, get a flashlight that has a red lens so you are not spotted 7 miles away.
In the city you will have to deal with roving gangs out to either kill you and then steal your food, or steal your food and leave you for dead.
GET A WEAPON if you do not already have one.
Most people will die in the first 30 days of starvation, this will leave the groups of people that banded together and planned or that raided others to get their food.
If you Prep and stored food, enough for 30 days, try to lay as low as possible, or better yet get your stuff together and move out after dark to better locations, like out to the country side, BEYOND the suburbs.
Find a high vantage point and a pair of Bino's and search around the neighborhood during the day, and look for flash lights at night.
Be Prepared to move around as you make your way out of the city, plan where you will go next as you make your way to the country side.
Be mindful of the season, if it is End of winter, beginning of spring you will have some time to plan and gather food for the next winter. If it is summer, fall you may have to stay put and collect food for the winter in the city. Just keep in mind in winter you will need warm cloths and a source of heat to keep you warm during the cold days and nights.
Country Life:
Lay low; if anyone comes to your door tell them to go away. Board up your home as much as possible on the lower levels. Barricade your doors on the inside and add in as much security as you can. Build yourself an underground bunker, Root cellar, and storage locations on your property. Houses can be burnt down, you need to make something underground to keep you and your loved ones safe.
A great portion of people will be heading your way form the cities and you will want to be able to defend your home and supplies.
Like in the Cities there will be roving gangs, not as many but just as tough and ruthless.
DO NOT FALL FOR ANY SOB STORIES... they can get you killed.
Band together with your surviving neighbors, you lived next door to them, so you know them, but don't trust them completely, and they have the same agenda, keep their families alive also.
It comes down to surviving the first 30 days and planning ahead. Start now putting food aside for when you need it most, like when it is not available to buy and eat.

It's Time We Prepare Emergency Food

Top 7 reasons to begin a food storage system
Food prices are soaring. Food demand around the world is mounting additionally, the volume of rich terrain for harvesting is running out. It is estimated that about one billion folks go to bed at nighttime hungry and that number is rising by 50-60 million extra since 2008.
Here are several reasons you really should begin a food storage program today
1. Unusual climate patterns are on the rise everywhere. It appears every day there are more earthquakes, tornadoes, severe weather and snow storms. With one of these variables striking an increased amount of people, they can result in a substantial demand on the food which can be found.
2. Family crises may appear any time. Having a weak global economy lots of individuals have already been displaced from their jobs and having 1 week, four week period or longer source of food can easily make a difficult time easier.
3. Common sense isn't usually common nevertheless we should all guard our house from not having adequate food. Many people don't think about their own food supply till there is a legitimate crisis.
4. It's always good to have a supplemental source of food for all those circumstances you run out of fresh goods and you can just go to your pantry and snap up some of ones own ready to eat foods.
5. Food is a great expenditure. Many of us have some type of savings plan however, do you realize that food is the ideal investment you can make? The long term foods that you can buy with be valued at more in the future years and are bound to rise in value. Other investments rise and fall over time but food constantly increases in cost.
6. Outbreaks are a constantly escalating peril for our way of life. The last significant flu killed millions of individuals in 1918 and the past several years we have all heard of the hazard of Avian Flu, H5N1.
7. Brand new technologies makes foods be preserved longer. While using creation of the new technologies, quite a few freeze dried foods last up to 20 years and there now is a canned meat that can last for 15 years. These items can be bought at a very economical price plus there is little concern with waste because they will stay fresh for so many years.
It seems like it really is time for all those Americans to take the all important factor to guard their own families by keeping food for the minor disasters and also the serious disasters that we hope will not take place. Devote some time right now to check your food storage demands and also prepare properly.

Vehicle Go Bag: Survival Bag for Your Car

This is a 2-5 day walking Go-Bag, designed to get you home safely. These items are just a suggestion and an idea to get you to make your own vehicle go bag designed for your location and climate.

• Backpack - Large - Military or camping style
• 2-3 Flashlights and Batteries for flashlights
• 1 head band / hands free flashlight - with red light for nighttime walking
• 2-3 Knives - one for defense and others for basic needs
• Water Filtration device - Pump, Siphon, Gravity feed.. Etc.
• Water Storage device - Canteens, Water bladder, Camel back... Etc.
• 2-3 Fire Starting Kits - make one or buy one
• 3-5 Complete, unopened MREs
• Extra Clothing - for area and season - Dress in layers if needed
• 2 T-Shirts
• 2 Pair Shirts / 1 Sweat Shirt - 1 Outer cargo style top
• 2 Pair Pants / 1 Sweat pants - 1 Outer cargo style pants
• 2 Pairs of underwear
• 2 Face cloths and 2 towels
• 3-4 Pairs of socks
• Extra pair of Sneakers or Hiking Boots
• Light Jacket
• Medium Jacket
• Small med kit
• Small Survival kit - Fishing line, Hooks.. Etc.
• 3-4 Compasses - In case one is lost or damaged
• Toilet Paper - Napkins
• Small Tarp for shelter -
• Rope/550 Cord - 50' Rope (Climbing) - 100' 550 Cord (Mil Spec)
• 2 Leatherman multi-tools

Optional depending on state you are traveling in. (I always carry these items)

• Pistol and 150-250 rounds of ammo and magazines for weapon
• Rifle, 200-300 rounds of ammo and magazines for weapon
• Sleeping Bag system
• Small Bolt Cutters - to cut bike locks (better than walking)

This is just a rough outline of items that you might need in your go bag. It is made to get you to think of what you might need for your specific area and needs. For example, If I was in California I would add more food items and more water storage / purification products. If I was in Florida or Texas, more water storage and definitely sun screen in the med kit.
Also in the northern latitudes I would put more warm clothing and more socks into the go bag. Once you have your bag completed know that the heaviest items will be your weapons, ammo and tools included in the go bag. Take the bag and get used to carrying it on the trails. Go and take it for a spin on a small / short trail at first to get used to it. It makes no sense to make this killer go bag only to not be able to carry it.
Don't forget medical needs, like medications you have to take on a daily basis, or that your family members or pets might need.

Discover What The Best Survival Knives Have In Common

A Survival Knife is one of the most important survival tools that you can take with you during an emergency situation. A survival knife is created specifically for surviving in a backwoods environment, and it is the primary tool for making it through an unexpected emergency scenario. It is the survival tool that you're going to get the most use from and for that reason it needs to be one of the most durable and reliable pieces of survival gear that you own.
Survival knives are available in two different versions: the fixed blade and the folding blade. Foldable knives are occasionally favored since they're smaller and therefore much easier to carry. However, since their tang is really small, they are generally weaker and much easier to break. The folding knives most popular types are lock-back folding and pocket knives.
Fixed bladed knives are typically a lot more rugged and dependable then folding knives. The best survival knife should have something that is known as a full tang, in which the blade runs the length of the handle of the knife. Fixed blade knives including the Bowie Knife, or perhaps a heavy duty hunting knife, are excellent examples of top quality fixed blade survival knives due to their exceptional steel blades and durable handles. Fixed blade knives, nevertheless, are usually thicker, heavier, and very dangerous if not stored and handled properly.
The survival knife is sometimes called a tactical knife; however the two are not the same thing. Both styles of knives can be used for a survival situation, but they are designed to handle different tasks. The benefit of the tactical blade is its usefulness in a number of applications, from hunting to protection, from chopping wood to make other tools like spears or bows and arrows. Another essential feature which a tactical knife offers, which makes it completely different from the common survival knife, is definitely the design of the blade. The tactical knife is often designed with a serrated edge that provides it with the capability to cut through materials of any strength. The tactical knife is multi-functional by design, assisting the camper in a wide range of survival and camping activities.
The type of steel used to make the knife is another important factor. The steel quality of the blade determines the durability of the knife, its strength, how simple it is to hone, and determines how long it's going to keep an edge. Your best option of steel for any survival knife will be choosing one which isn't too hard, which would make the blade very brittle and tough to sharpen. This would limit its usefulness while in an emergency situation. Steel for survival knives come in two types: Stainless steel and Carbon steel.
Carbon Steel knives can rust if used frequently without covering the steel with oil. Survival Knives with Carbon Steel generally have a tendency to maintain a sharper edge longer than stainless steel. Carbon steel blades can be sharpened to a razor-sharp edge and is better to use for splitting or chopping wood, and other heavy duty camping tasks.
Stainless steel is harder steel making it more brittle then carbon steel and the blade doesn't retain a sharp edge as long as carbon steel, however it doesn't rust as easily.
There are a few new blade designs which try to provide the very best of both worlds by either making a high carbon stainless steel, or sandwiching high carbon steel between two layers of stainless-steel. These knives offer the strength of high carbon steel and the ability to resist rust like stainless steel.
In conclusion, any person who needs to use a knife in a survival situation, where their life depends on it, would need one that is created to be difficult to break with heavy duty use, and yet stay sharp, and handle like an extension of your arm.

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Prepare a Personal First Aid Kit for Pets

If you are like most pet owners, your pets are valued members of your family. It is a documented fact that many have risked life and limb to save their precious pets during a disaster. Statistically, however, it is more often small cuts and scrapes that occur that require immediate attention, rather than major disasters such as an earthquake or flood. For this reason, every pet owner should have easy access to a first aid kit specifically created for pets.
What would you need immediately if your puppy fell of the bed and started whimpering? You'd need a first aid kit for pets. Supposing your cat had an altercation with the neighbor's dog and the vet was twenty minutes away? You'd need a first aid kit for pets.
A well-stocked first aid kit for pets is not a substitute for veterinary care, but it could save your pet's life, or at least make him more comfortable, until you can get your pet to a veterinarian. The likelihood that your animals will survive an emergency depends largely on emergency planning done today. Therefore, a first aid kit for pets is a necessity.
What should yours include? To some degree, that will depend upon the type of pet. However, the basics include the following:
2 - Paw Tip Bandage (Knuckle)
2 - Fingertip Bandage
1 - Tape Roll
1 - Trauma Pad (5 x9)
4 -Gauze Pad 4" x 4"
4 -Gauze Pad 2" x2"
1 -Gauze Roll 2"
2 -Examination Gloves
1 -Instant Cold Pack
1 - Tweezer
2- Antibiotic Ointment
10- Alcohol Pads
10 - Antiseptic Towelettes
1 - Bag
1 - Pet First Aid Guide
4 - Leg Splints/Tongue Depressors
10 - Cotton Tip Applicators
1 -Elastic Bandages 2" ("Ace" Type)
2 - Splinter Removers (Lancets)
3 -Sting Relief Pads
Assemble an emergency supply pack which includes the first aid kit for pets, pet food, water, medications, medical records, leashes, a well-fitting muzzle, ID tags and other appropriate supplies. Put this kit in a central location in your home. Remember to take this pack with you when going on an outing, or else prepare a second pack for the car.
The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) offers information regarding managing urgent care situations such as car accidents, wounds, electrical shock, and eye, foot and ear injuries. Their website is http://www.avma.org/firstaid. Additionally, the Red Cross offers a Pet First Aid booklet with suggestions on creating a first aid kit for pets.
What should you do to ensure your pet's survival and to avoid those feelings of panic when an accident or illness occurs? Plan, purchase, prepare and practice. Obtain a first aid kit for pets, and then review the materials it contains. It isn't sufficient to simply have the supplies; you must know how they are used. Learn the necessary skills so your actions become instinctive...even when you are under stress
Planning ahead is the key to keeping your pets safe when disaster strikes.

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Flood Survival: What Everyone Should Know

Flooding is something that every country in the world is familiar with. This is why basic flood survival should be known by everyone. Indeed, it has been a problem that we keep on seeing close to us, or in some far off place. We see a lot of news on flooding disasters that have claimed lives and property. Due to the hydrological cycle, we can't seem to get rid of all of the water as it is being recycled through rain, evaporation and storms.
That doesn't mean we just have to succumb to the disaster. Ironically, flooding is one of the disasters that are easiest to manage, given a proper disaster preparedness program.
Floods can be classified into two categories; the regular flood from sustained rainfall over long periods of time and the flash flood. The regular flood is what we normally encounter. It happens when heavy rains run for a long duration. The excess water that cannot be readily accommodated by the soil or storm drains causes the flooding. It steadily rises until it reaches disaster levels.
The second type of flood, the flash flood is more dangerous than regular floods. The fast rate at which the water level rises leaves people no time for safety measures. Some flash floods could happen in just minutes, catching people off guard. Flash floods happen in typhoons bearing heavy rains. During these times, it is advisable to
always have at least one member of the family awake and monitor the water level during the night. You can always catch up on sleep later. Flash floods have been reputed to reach areas where no flooding has ever happened.
Safety Measures During Floods
Minor flooding can be a nuisance. It destroys property and the clean up process is extremely tiresome. Major floods are disastrous. They can claim lives and cause immense damage to property. If you are planning to buy a house or relocate to a new neighborhood, it would be prudent to ask around the area about their flooding experiences.
As much as possible, stay away from areas the have been flooded before. It doesn't matter if the last flood occurred five or ten years ago, the fact that it has been flooded before indicates that it can be flooded again. The flooding indicates its low geographical topography and it's only a matter of time before another flooding occurs.
Unless there have been significant preventive measures implemented to prevent flash floods as well as regular flooding, you cannot safely conclude that flooding won't occur in the neighborhood again.
If you are living in a multi-story house, move important items like documents and fragile personal effects to the upper floors during heavy rains and storms. If possible, move all non-washable items like sofas and mattresses off the first floor.
Avoid driving through a flooded area. Most cars start to stall in six inches of water. It is very dangerous to get trapped in a car during flooding. You can get carried away in the current and washed away to deeper waters.
Basic utilities like electricity and tap water services may be cut off during flooding disasters to prevent other accidents like electrocution and disease from happening as a result of sewage over-flow. Part of your disaster preparedness program is to provide enough drinking water and lighting provisions like LED lamps, candles and matches to last a minimum of 72 hours after the danger has passed.

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