OUR WEEKLY ARTICLES FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 21st, 2020

TELL US HOW IT REALLY WAS

If you lost the “grid” during the hurricanes in Florida or the blackouts in California, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us what you lost, how you got through and, especially, how long it took for the different parts of the grid to be restored. How long before you had water, sanitation, food, power, police, fire, medical and any other aspects. Too many people believe that “someone “will be there in two days or so to “take care of them”.  Let’s hear how it really was after the TV crews left.

 

FROM THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN: THINGS IN COMMON

I don’t care if you are a white collar, red neck, or in a blue state, we all have some things in common.

Most of us get our water from the tap by way of some water company directly (home owners) or indirectly (renters).  We shop some kind of store, or stores for our food. We are on some kind of sewer system. We rely on some kind of local medical center and ambulances. We get our electricity through the wires from some supplier. We use some kind of banking/credit system be it on line, ATM’s or whatever. We all look to our local police for protection from crime.

All of these make up our “grid” that we share in common. And all of these can be affected, if not cut off, individually or collectively by any of a number of events ranging from short term, small and local all the way to long term,  large and widespread.

Yet, the average Ann and Andy refuse to even think about the possibilities until they hit.  Then it becomes a case of “What do we do now?” usually followed by some kind of whine of “Somebody do something to help us!”, and usually finishing up with the demand that “the government needs to be here to help us.” The final stage is where they are grumbling to themselves as they stand in line at a water truck, or to get MRE’s in the cold and rain.

It is so much easier to take the few simple steps to “prep” for what are becoming common disruptions of such parts of the grid as the water lines, electricity and in some cases, food supplies. It does not take much to go from “What do I do now?” to “I know what to do now.”

It’s not about politics, guns, camo outfits, or zombies. It’s about flashlights, canned food, bottled water, blankets, and a number of other simple, economical steps. It’s about knowledge. But most of all it’s about taking charge of your own life, becoming self-aware and self-reliant, not to want to live off the grid, but to be able to do so if you have to.

Today, more and more people are becoming dependent on a grid that is daily becoming less and less dependable.

The choice is yours.

From the foot of the mountain, Yours in Freedom and prepping

 

PREP TO LIVE OR LIVE TO PREP?

            There are some fine people out there who feel they need to prep every day and spend almost every available dollar on prepping. I say more power to them if this is what they have chosen to do. I don’t say they are wrong, or my way is right.

            But if you are staring out in prepping and wonder if that is what you MUST do to pep, my opinion is NO.

            As you work your way up as your budget and circumstances allow, from 72 hours, to a week, then 2 weeks, and beyond, keep in mind you have to weigh the pros and cons of how far and now much you want to prep. I offer one general rule of thumb. Don’t obsess, assess. Assess the most probable threats for your location and then “game plan” the worst case scenarios, from EMP/Solar Flare on up.

            We will discuss long range prepping, but always with an eye to cost for the average Ann and Andy. But we will also show you how prepping does fit into a normal budget and lifestyle. A simple example of this is when we pick up a large pack of hamburger, 1 lbs. of it is set aside to make hamburger jerky. (It doesn’t last long here because it is so good!) If we spot a sale on thin steak, that goes for regular jerky. Last time the store had 5 lbs. of potatoes on sale for $1.99 which I snagged up to make dried potatoes in the dehydrator.  We pick up cucumbers and beets at famers markets to pickle, add pastas when they have the 5 for $5, and canned veggies by the case when we have the extra, or when they are on sale. And every now and again, Wal-Mart has a “dump” bin of band aids, cold meds, elastic bandages and other first aid items for 88 cents!

            Know what you use and need, and then know your budget, so you can swoop down on sales and add to your stocks. In this way you prep to live and don’t live to prep.

 

 

 

 

POOR RICHARD’S CORNER   THE BASICS: PART IV

HAVE AN AWAY PLAN: PART I

The odds are that the average Ann and Andy will be away from their home when an event hits.

That is because most of us have to earn a living so we will be either commuting to or from, or be at work. If we aren’t doing that then we are shopping, out with friends, at movies, sporting events, etc., or we are taking the kids to and from school or be at some school event. We might even be on vacation somewhere.

I know. That conflicts with the PC image of the “prepper/survivalist” huddling in their home a step away from their bunker. It also happens to be reality.

There are exceptions, of course, where the event can be seen coming (the slow train wreck) such as icy roads, heavy snow, wind or rain storm or tropical storm, school is canceled and your boss might actually let you stay home (LOL! Yeah, right). But many events hit without warning ( bolt out of the blue)  such as earthquakes, tornados, some flash flooding, power outages, , bridge/highway collapse, landslide, wild fire, terrorist act or other shooting rampage, nuke plant problem, or solar flares. 

Because of this you have to try and plan for the worst case scenario in which your freedom of action is limited by some authority and you have very little gear.

Your freedom of action may be limited by your boss or the company “emergency plan” in general. Many of these are well meaning and quite a few of them are well planned and reasonable. But there is always the bozo who thinks because they are in the boss they know how to deal with that kind of event.

You may also be faced with a “lockdown” situation, especially if you are a student on a campus, or at your child’s school.  Lockdowns can also be put into effect by police for people at work or in stores. Also stores themselves, when faced with a power outage, may “lockdown” to prevent looting or people leaving with items. While this may be illegal, some bozo store manager may not be able to be reasoned with. Any kind of threat or direct action in this case should be used only under life threatening circumstances. As with the boss at work, you have to be careful that your actions don’t come back when the dust settles to bite you on the butt.  As unbelievable as it seems, many people were later punished because of actions they took at the height of Katrina. Again, this is the real world ladies and gentlemen, so forget Hollywood and the movies.

In turn this will mean you can’t get to any kind of emergency bag in your vehicle. You are without your gear. Now what?

First try to assess the situation. What type of event is going on? Is it simple power outage or a solar flare/EMP?  Is it a weather effect? Knowing can give you an idea of how long you may be in lockdown and whether you should just “chill out” for now.

Lack of gear can be handled to some degree depending on the situation. If you are at work you might have been able to have a “lunch box” emergency kit, so you have something to work from. Such a kit, as we described in the last articles, can be in a desk drawer or locker.  Where possible you can carry it to work each day as part of your normal “lunch bag”. What you can have depends on the security issues of your firm.

In addition to that are items that can be carried in a pocket or purse. Again we will go into detail about these later, but they could include pepper spray (where legal),mints, gum, antacids, a keychain pill holder with water purification tablets, a mini flashlight, a cough drop tin with a bouillon cube or energy drink mix, a small but sharp knife ( there are numerous styles)  and sandwich baggies for water. Also try to have $20 or so of cash in fives, ones and change on you at all times. I know that’s not easy for all of us.

As far as information, most people have cell phones. The fact that they all would be out would be one warning sign of possibly a major event. Having a mini AM/FM radio in a lunch bag kit is recommended also.

Stores in general and “big box” stores in particular are very bad places to be if the situation is widespread enough and disruptive enough to prevent police protection as they will be the target  ( no pun intended) of looters in a very short time. If you are caught in such a store get away from the front area and any high dollar item areas. If you must hide, go to a janitor’s closet, rest room, or non-fashionable clothes area. It will probably be dark, so you should be relatively safe. But, don’t hesitate to pick up a weapon if you so choose, A crowbar beats nothing if your life is at stake. Also, see if you can find an emergency exit. Be careful however, as looters may be trying to come in or go out that way. The advantage a small shop might have is that it is not worth the looter’s interest at least at first and it may have soda, candy or other food and support items you can buy with your cash.

So you hang in there until the lockdown is lifted and you have your freedom of action again. Now what?  With luck the event is over. If your vehicle is intact and operational and the roads are passable, head home as best you can.  If not, then we will cover some options in Part II.

 

 

POOR RICHARD’S CORNER

GETTING OUT WALKING     PLANNING – PART IV

 

            No matter how good of a safe haven your home is, your prepping should include a plan to quickly “bug out” (Get out of Dodge/ GOOD). This is because a number of after effects of an EVENT could negatively affect you. AN EMP or other power outage could cause the transformer down the street to blow and set fire to a neighbor’s house.

            In the worst case you won’t have your vehicle due to any number of reasons.  This means a pack on your back and whatever else that you can grab and go with in the shortest time possible. Pre-packing will be of great help here. For some, a bicycle may be of use, but remember roads may be blocked or dangerous. The faster you can get away the better.

            If you are going from work and can’t get to your car, fall back on your “last ditch lunch bag kit”. If you can get to the car, but it can’t be used, have in it your “Bug out Bag/BOB” and a “fishing vest” with more “last ditch” survival gear. You can have a basic 72 hr. homemade or commercial BOB, or a bigger backpack with sleeping bag and tent. (What’s in a BOB will be covered later.)

            If you are leaving from home and have a significant other who is up with your plan, you add to your support depending on what they can carry. My wife, Mama Donna, can tote a standard 72 hr. survival backpack and a mini shoulder GO bag with water bottles.

            Know where you are going to and have alternate routes, overland if possible, and know beforehand sources of water, as you can’t carry a lot of it.  Have “strip” maps of your routes if nothing else. Have a safe meeting point along the way in case you have to start out from separate locations.

            Weapons are a tricky aspect that depends on your local area and situation and your own personal beliefs. You may go with pepper spray. An alternative is a folding stock rifle in a case inside or strapped to a backpack and a pistol, along with a good sheath knife. You may have to keep the weapons hidden until you are out of an urban area and into the countryside. Remember, you don’t have to be carrying “heavy artillery”. In the words of Pat Frank, a writer from the cold war days,” A .22 will kill you just as dead as a 20 megaton”

 

 

 

 

GETTING OUT DRIVING         PLANNING: PART V

 

            After an event, a vehicle offers a number of positives from the amount of people and equipment it can carry to how fast it can get you to your safe haven. The negatives, however, have to be recognized and expected.

            First the vehicle has to be gotten to. Rubble, fire or downed power lines may prevent this. Know how to open your garage door without power. (You can open one with an extension cord that runs to an inverter plugged into a car’s cigarette lighter, or if possible, manually.)

            Then it has to be operational, having suffered no effects to prevent it from working, or being put back into operation quickly.

            Next, the roads themselves have to be unblocked enough to get out. A four wheel drive vehicle has some advantages here.

            And lastly, there is the question of fuel. Odds are an event will happen when you are at a half tank or so and hopefully not less. Try to keep the vehicle fueled.

            A vehicle also stands out and can be a target for looters and mobs, or can be stopped at a roadblock of police, or National Guard troops, who will direct you to a “safe containment zone” they have set up (a school, football stadium, etc.). The general rule here is :

THE FASTER YOU CAN GET OUT OF AN URBAN AREA THE BETTER CHANCE TO AVOID THE LOOTERS OR THE “AUTHORITIES”

            Fighting your way out or bailing out are possibilities, but have high risks. Leaving from home generally is safer than leaving from a work area.

            Your GOOD plan can include your vehicle, but also keep the option of walking out and plan your “GO” bags or BOB’s accordingly.

 

TODAY’S ODDS AND ENDS

DEFINITION:      PRE-PACK CHARLIE

            These are any item or items that you can have pre-packed for a “bug out” either in a car or in the garage, or a closet near the door. It also can mean items placed in a closet or storage area packed away in case you have to shelter in place (SIP). These can be in a backpack, duffel, or even a shopping bag.

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

 

THE AVERAGE PREPPER DOESN’T WANT TO LIVE OFF THE GRID,

THEY WANT TO LIVE WHEN THE GRID GEETS TURNED OFF.

 

THAT WHICH IS TODAY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE WHAT WILL BE TOMORROW.

YOU CAN CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER.          RPM 

 

FAR BETTER IS IT TO DARE GREAT THINGS THEN TO TAKE RANKS WITH THE POOR, TIMID SOULS WHO KNOW NEITHER VICTORY NOR DEFEAT.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT

 

IN TIMES OF TROUBLE AND NOT BEFORE

GOD AND SOLDIERS WE ADORE

BUT WHEN TROUBLE’S GONE AND ALL IS RIGHTED

GOD’S FORGOTTEN AND SOLDIERS SLIGHTED                SOURCE UNKNOWN