Poll Results and a New Poll

Here's the results from our last poll. The question: How political are you?
The answers:

• I'll email my legisaltors but that's about it 14 people/37%
• Lobbying, protests, I'm all over the issues 1 person/2%
• I am one of those policitcal people (city, county, state, or federal politician) 2 people/5%
• Corruption abounds--I stay far away from politics 20 people/54%

The results are just about how I expected they would turn out...

Be sure to check out our latest poll >>>

Interesting Ideas

It's the end of the month and I am cleaning out my 'favorites' file. Here's some interesting ideas:

• Twitchhiker: An interesting way to travel
• Unclutterer Workspace: I like a nicely organized garage
• ProNagger: Just shows that you can make a business out of anything (even your propensity to nag)

What to Do When You Find Yourself in the Middle of a Media Frenzy

Watching this whole "Octuplet Mom" fiasco on the news is like watching a train wreck. This is a clear example of someone who has never had to deal with the media and is suddenly thrust into the spotlight. It was the same with some of Sarah Palins interviews--didn't her handlers hire a media relations specialist to teach her how to use the media to her advantage instead of letting her go off into the wilds of public media scrutiny by herself? Anyway, since this is a preparedness blog, here are some tips to prepare you for the very slight chance that you may find yourself in the middle of a media storm:

• Be prepared. You need to know your subject backwards and forwards. Have written information to use if you suddenly blank out.
• Stay with your message. You want to get your message across, not be drug around by the nose by the reporter.
• Always tell the truth. Lies will be quickly unraveled so save yourself the grief and backlash.
• Don't speculate. Some reporters will ask you to give them answers to "what if" scenarios or ask you to guess about the answers to some questions. Don't do it. The information you give can take on a life of its own even if it turns out not to be true.
• If you don't know an answer, say you don't know. You may not know everything so there is no shame in saying you don't know something. This is better than guessing (see above).
• Keep your answers short and concise. There is less room to make mistakes if you give clear, concise answers rather than rambling, disjointed soliloquy.
• Never go "off the record"; this only happens on TV sitcoms. Whatever you say to a reporter, on camera, or on mic will be broadcast far and wide so be careful of what you say.
• Be poised and professional. Dress appropriately and keep your cool. Arguing, yelling, or going after the cameraman doesn't help your case at all.
• Don't blame others or slam others, just give the facts as fairly as possible. Disparaging remarks made about others rarely makes them look worse but it does make you look pretty bad. Don't do it. Like your momma said, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.
• State your own case. If a reporter phrases an answer and asks if you agree, the quote can be attributed to you.
• Don't fall for manipulative tactics from reporters or others. This makes for the best TV but you don't want to be remembered for the gaff shown round the world.
• Hire a professional media advisor; depending on the situation, they may be worth their weight in gold (**cough** Sarah Palin).
• Hold a press conference if necessary. It won't move the reporters off of your lawn but it will allow you to control the situation a bit more rather than giving the random off-balance quote to a whole string of reporters.
• Build good relationships with the media. If you will be working with the media often, it makes sense to build good relationships with them as this can come in quite handy in the future.

That's about all. The media can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on how it is used. If you do find yourself in a spotlight situation, remember these tips in order to keep your message clear while also keeping you out of trouble.

Turn Your Spouse Into an Avid Prepper (Or At Least Get Them On Board So They Won't Report You to the FBI)

I'm only half kidding about the part in parenthesis. Since opposites attract, it's a good possibility that if you are reading this, then your spouse will think all of this preppin and survival stuff is a bunch of hooey. Like any good sales pitch, if you want to turn someone to your way of thinking, you need to approach the target (um...spouse) like a professional would (that means with tact, understanding, and charm). Here's some ideas:

• If you have to use force or intimidation, you've lost the battle. Don't go about it this way.
• Appeal to what the person feels are their most important needs. You may feel that an AK 47 is what's needed to protect your family while the spouse may feel that life insurance makes more sense. Be prepared to buy the life insurance first.
• Lay out a plan. Explain how being prepared will make your family safer, not only from natural and man-made threats but from everyday disasters such as the loss of a job or loss of a spouse. The plan needs to be well balanced (ie: paying off debt and stocking food for a year should take precedence over buying a bug out shelter immediately), and should include something for everyone in the family (not just some new toys for you).
• Follow through. If you present a comprehensive disaster plan and your spouse rolls their eyes, consider what the issue may be. If you tend to start stuff and not finish stuff then begin this whole process with a small project that you can successfully complete before chewing off a huge, multi-faceted project.
• Be prepared. Much like a good defense attorney, consider what issues the spouse may raise and be prepared to answer them in a straight-forward, logical way.
• Start slow. If you have always been a hunter, gathering up survival gear will not be that big of a deal. If you have never left the city, the spouse may be a bit leery about the three-season tent that suddenly appears in the living room. Start off slow with a day hike. Then maybe an overnight camping trip with rented gear at a local park. Move on from there with gathering survival (er, camping) gear and supplies.
• Learn together. If you've ever taught the spouse to drive (or shoot) you may have had less than stellar luck with such an endeavour. Consider taking a class together (such as rock climbing or wilderness survival) even if you already know what you are doing. Both of you learning from someone else will place you both on a level field instead of you always being the dominant one (er, teacher).
• Get the kids involved. If the spouse sees that you are spending quality time instilling life skills to your children, they will be less likely to be negative towards your preparedness efforts.
• Lead by example. If you want to get your family into better physical shape, you need to be the example. Exercising on a daily basis, improving you diet, and seeking regular preventative medical care are simple ways to show your family the example that you want them to follow.
• Be responsible. While I can totally understand a massive shopping trip to prepare for any potential problem, you need to first and foremost be responsible. This means paying bills first then spending a budgeted amount on disaster supplies. This means ensuring that the batteries in your smoke detector are working even though you would rather put it off for later.
• Do activities together (and seek feedback). The family that plays together, stays together. Ditto for the family that preps together. Each family member should have the opportunity to plan, coordinate, and lead preparedness activities. These activities do not have to be major things such as setting up a radio station that could contact Mars--something as simple as planning a meal, buying the groceries, and preparing a meal can teach a number of team building skills. Be sure to get the family's input on what is working and what could be improved and actually institute their suggested changes.
• Save the grandiose schemes, the ranging conspiracy theories, and the abnormal behavior that could lead the spouse to think you had a psychotic break for your next novel. Maybe you need a grandiose scheme, you have hard-core proof of a conspiracy theory, or you do behave abnormally but all of these things draw attention to you, and in preparedness theory, the less attention you draw to yourself, the better. Besides, if you are truly up to your elbows in real-life black ops/covert activities/etc, the spouse will be better off if they know nothing about this.

Medical Care Options When You Don't Have Insurance

One problem that I see come up fairly often (more often lately as people are losing jobs left and right and their associated health insurance coverage) is lack of options for medical care. Here's some ideas if you find yourself in this situation:

• COBRA. If you become laid off or in some cases, fired, you may be eligible for COBRA coverage. This basically keeps your current health insurance in affect for a set period of time (sometimes up to 18 month). The catch is that you have to pay for this coverage which can be pretty expensive (especially if you just lost your job!).
• Spouse's insurance plan. You may have been covered by your own employer's health insurance plan but if you lose your job, the first place to look for coverage may be at your spouse's health insurance plan.
• Get another job that has health insurance. Back when Starbucks used to offer pretty good medical insurance for even part time workers, many people who found themselves without medical insurance would get a part time job at Starbucks just for the insurance coverage. While jobs with great medical benefits are getting fewer and fewer, this may be another option if medical insurance is high on your priority list.
• Other health insurance plans. You can purchase your own health insurance, although this isn't an inexpensive proposition. You may get a cheaper rate if you go through an association or organization that you belong to (such as the Writer's Guild or Small Business Association) or you can just check in the yellow pages under "insurance, health"). Be sure you completely understand the coverages, co-pays, and percentage that the insurance pays for various things such as doctor visits, hospital stays, and major medical procedures so you aren't surprised by a big bill.
• Community clinic. There are a range of community clinics available depending on where you live. Some offer low cost doctor visits, some are "free clinics" and offer free or low cost medical care, whereas other clinics may offer free or low cost specialized medical care (ie: pregnancy clinics, immunizations, etc). Most of these clinics base your costs on a sliding fee schedule based on your income.
• DSHS. In our state DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services aka welfare) offers medical options such as coupons for children's medical care for low income families, various plans for chronic medical care, etc. Simply go to your state's welfare office and see what you qualify for.
• Emergency medical care. Most hospitals in the US fall under EMTALA; this is a congressional act which states that anyone needing emergency care must be treated regardless of ability to pay. This basically means that if you have an emergency medical situation, get yourself to the ER and get treatment. You won't have to pay then but you will get an armload of bills after the fact which can sometimes then be paid for by the hospital's charity care program.
• Specialized medical centers. There are a number of medical centers that cater to specific populations such as veterans, American Indians, Shriner's Children's Hospitals, etc. which may be able to treat you if you fall into a covered category. If you are a veteran or have served in the armed forces at all, check with your local VA service center to see if you qualify for care. If you are an American Indian, check with Indian Health Services or your associated tribe to find out more about any health care you are entitled to. If your child has specialized needs, check with your local children's hospital for a referral to a hospital that may provide free or low cost specialized treatment for your child's condition.
• Overseas Medical Care. Medical tourism is getting to be big business. The reason? You can often get prescriptions, medical care, and even major medical procedures done for a fraction of the cost compared to the US. Places such as India, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries with a lower cost of living are doing a booming business treating the medical problems of Americans and Europeans. Google "medical tourism" and remember, buyer beware.

Three things to remember: if you are very ill or dying, get medical care first and worry about the bills later. Second, research your options and turn over every stone looking for help. Third, take care of yourself; preventive medicine is better than medical treatment for something that could have been avoided.

Paying Your Bills With Micro Businesses

When I was a kid there was a lady who lived next door to my grandparents. She had a small farm, raised chickens, and we called her the Egg Lady because she had a thriving business selling excess eggs from her chickens. One day I overheard her telling my grandmother that she used the money raised from selling her eggs to pay their monthly electric bill. She would read her meter monthly, estimate how much the bill would be, then put that amount aside from her small egg business so that she could pay the bill when it came in. She also used the money earned from her U Pick strawberry patch for Christmas gifts. Another set of neighbors recycled beer and soda pop cans to pay for their cigarettes. They smoked A LOT. They also had A LOT of cans around. They would let the neighbor kids come over and use the sledgehammer (this was entertainment in those days) to smash the cans so they would take up less room in the bags they used to haul their loot to the recycling plant. If they needed more cigarettes, they simply collected more cans. These people may have been on to something.

Many people look at their bills as one big glob. They think "I need a job that pays X thousand dollars a month so I can pay my bills." That can seem pretty intimidating, especially during this time of mass layoffs. What would happen if your broke your bills down individually and looked for income sources to pay each bill? For example, part time work will pay for your house payment. Watching the neighbor kids for a couple of hours after school will pay for food for the month. Mowing lawns or shoveling snow can pay for the cable bill. These kinds of "micro businesses" are good for a couple of reasons. First, if one source of income dries up, it isn't as devastating as having all of your bills dependant on one source of income. Second, you will know how much work you need to do. For example, if your cable bill is $100 a month, and you can mow five lawns for $25 each, you will be able to recoup your expenses (mainly gas for the mower) and pay the bill with work that you can conceivably do in one day. If you need to pay off a $2000 credit card bill, you could do something similar--take any crappy job and put all money earned towards paying off the bill. The high point? You have a definite goal--you won't need to work the crappy job forever, just until the bill is paid (you can even mark the days on a calendar until you can quit). Also, the lousy work will instill in you each time you go to work why you will never want to incur credit card debt again.

The idea of having a number of micro businesses doesn't only pertain to manual labor. A friend of mine drives a school bus during the school year and puts that money towards the family's summer vacations (and they go on some pretty nice vacations). If you are a web designer, you may want to set a goal of finding one new customer a month to create a website for. The initial income from the website design can go towards a debt you are trying to pay off and the smaller monthly income from the maintenance and updating of the website can go towards your monthly Netflix subscription.

Try this today if you are having difficulty paying your bills. First list each bill and it's approximate monthly amount. You may want to look over your list and cut unnecessary expenses as this will be one more source of income you won't have to drum up. Next, use your imagination to come up with ways to earn enough money to pay for just one of these bills. Next month, after you are successful with creating a micro business to pay one bill, you may want to shoot for two or three bills. Pretty soon each of your bills will have a source of income coming in to pay for it.

Note: you may want to devise businesses/work that can recur on a monthly business. Seasonal work may be used to pay off a debt completely or you can save the income for a special purchase. You want minimal cash outlay to get the business/work effort going, and you definitely want to keep track of the numbers--your income minus expenses needs to make the profit you need for one of your bills or it isn't worth doing.

A Week Without Shopping

I just caught the end of the "week without shopping" story on the news and thought it was a great idea. Here's the link. The premise is that the average American family can skip a week of grocery shopping with no ill affects. This will do three things for you: save the money you would have otherwise spent on your weekly shopping trip, allow you to use up the food that would otherwise be pushed to the back of the pantry/fridge/freezer, and let you practice for what would happen if a disaster strikes your area and you were unable to shop for an entire week. Consider giving this challenge a try...

If You Want to Know How to Survive a Disaster, Find Someone Who Already Has

Well the title just about sums up today's message but since this is a blog and not a list of headlines, I should probably expand on the topic a bit...

The simple fact is that no matter how much you research and how much you prepare, unless you have actually lived through a disaster, there are things you are going to miss. I go to a lot of disaster planning meetings and take part in a lot of drills and exercises; people can talk up a storm but the place to truly learn about what works and what doesn't work during a disaster is from disaster/drill/exercise after action reports and presentations from people who have actually been knee deep in the muck of a disaster.

Right after Hurricane Katrina, I was talking to some doctors and nurses who treated patients that were brought to the airport in New Orleans. Of all of the things they talked about, the one thing that has stuck with me to this day is the fact that the people who were left behind were mostly old and sick. Now I would have thought of many things that would have been useful in that situation...IVs, blankets, insulin, etc...but these medical professionals would have given anything for Depends. Can you picture wall to wall elderly people who couldn't walk themselves to the bathroom and had no Depends? Stuck in a hot airport for days on end? Quite the visual, huh? This is something that many people wouldn't have even thought of unless they had actually been in that situation.

At a meeting today a similar situation came up. A guy was talking about what happened when his business suffered a major event which drew national media attention. Since they had never experienced such a situation before, including the onslaught of the media, they quickly found that their disaster plans were not adequate for the fallout from the event. Now they could have bumbled through the situation but their Incident Command Team immediately contacted others in the field who had been through similar situations for some real life advice based on experience. They survived the event relatively intact and are now rewriting their disaster plan.

No matter what situation you find yourself in, there is probably someone who has come through something similar, for example:

• If the current economic situation is scaring the bejesus out of you, find the oldest person you know (someone born in the early 1900's) and ask them how they survived the Great Depression.
• If you are heading down the road to financial ruin and bankruptcy, find someone who has gone through the situation and come out the other side with plenty of good advice (don't pick the person who is heading for bankruptcy number two--you want people who have actually learned from the experience).
• If you want to learn how to protect your home from fire, ask a fireman. They see plenty of fires and can give some pretty good advice about what to and what not to do.
• If you have recently moved to an area where hurricanes are common, of course do your research online about preparing for such an event, but then ask all of the neighbors you can find about their tips for preparing for a hurricane--they will have the tried and true advice for surviving such a disaster.
• If you are planning for urban combat due to an unspecified socio-economic disaster, talk to people who have actually been in urban combat situations (think Iraq, Bosnia, and other random locations that included both social and economic collapse along with the need for urban combat)--I bet there will be plenty of lessons learned and information that had never even crossed your mind.

10 Cyber Security Tasks

When everything is going well, we tend to get lax. Many people are fairly lax with their cyber security because it is easier to hope that nothing bad will happen than to take the steps necessary to create a secure computing environment. Consider these ten tips to keep your computer and internet access safe:

1. Change all of your passwords regularly. Make sure you use good, strong passwords that can't be easily cracked.
2. Back up your files on a regular basis. Make sure your back-up system is password protected.
3. Disconnect your computer from the internet when not in use (ie: pull out the cable and shut off the wi-fi).
4. Update security patches, firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software regularly.
5. Depending on the value of the information kept on your laptop or other portable device, consider installing a GPS tracking device on the units.
6. Always lock down your computer when you leave it, even if you will be gone for only a few minutes.
7. Keep your portable devices locked up when not in use. Securely out of sight, securely out of mind.
8. Don't let anyone else use your computer. Better to buy a separate computer for family or guests to use rather than letting them use yours.
9. Depending on the importance of the information kept on your computer, consider removing and securing the hard drive if necessary. Keep a secondary hard drive on hand to install on your computer when you remove and secure your main hard drive.
10. Consider using two computers. One for your most secure work, the other for web browsing, opening email, etc.

DPT--Watching the Greatest Thinkers on the Planet

If you haven't heard of TED, check it out here. This organization pulls together some of the greatest speakers on the plant for their sold out conferences. Fortunately if you can't afford a multi-thousand dollar ticket to attend a conference in person, you can watch the video presentations on their website. Amazing info and amazing insight.

Quick Fixes

I am a gear aficionado. I can wander around REI or Cabellas for hours on end and gadgets always peak my interest. I like having the right tool for the right job however sometimes you need to be able to make due with what you have on hand. Here's some ideas:

• Super glue can be used like a liquid bandage. I saw this tip over on the Survivalist Boards and was surprised that many people didn't know this; we've used this for years in the field. Years ago a friend's dog's ear got torn on a hunting trip and he also used Super Glue to patch the ear back together. Obviously you don't want to pour Super Glue into a gaping wound, but for cuts, broken blisters, and other wounds, it works.
• Acidophilous in pill form works great for intestinal problems; it replenishes the bacteria in your intestines that may have been killed off from antibiotic use or an invasion of different bugs from new food and water.
• Lubricants can often be used interchangeably. Once at my sister's house she didn't have any TriFlow and the hinges on my car door were squeaking badly. The solution? Pam cooking spray. Traveling through the desert my son was getting nosebleeds from the hot, dry air. At the first restaurant we stopped at, I asked for some cooking oil, he rubbed it in his nose, and the problem was solved. I've used both TriFlow and Pam in a pinch to polish boots. Obviously you want to only use non-toxic oils on your body.
• For sunburn? Noxzema works great. The old time fix for sunburn was bathing the affected area in vinegar (actually granddad used vinegar for just about everything).
• Toothpaste can be used for bug bites and minor burns.
• Acetone (fingernail polish remover) can be used to remove Super Glue or other adhesives.
• Out of shaving cream? Try hair conditioner, butter, or other lubricant.
• Things with a whole bunch of uses: duct tape, toothbrushes, baking soda, bleach...

Some people make an art form out of finding new uses for everyday items. The idea is to be open minded enough to use what you have on hand in a pinch, and creative enough to come up with even more uses for the things you use everyday.

Poll Results and a New Poll

Our latest poll: What is your weakest area of preparedness? Just wrapped up. Here's how everyone answered:

• Financial 31 people/41%
• Food and supplies 4 people/5%
• Shelter 3 people/4%
• Security/weapons/etc 3 people/4%
• Communications 12 people/16%
• Skills (survival, medical, etc) 8 people/10%
• Getting others on board (ie: family) 14 people/18%

It's no surprise that finances is the weakest area of preparedness for many people. With the current economy, tanking stock market, unstable job situation, et al, many people are concerned not only for their financial future but for their immediate financial needs. Getting others on board is often a challenge--they say opposites attract which means that if you are all gung ho into preparedness, there's a good chance that the spouse isn't. Finally, I'm glad that people are aware of the challenges of communications during a disaster--it is often after a disaster that people realize that their land line is dead, their cell phones have no reception, and they have no other communications alternatives (such as a HAM radio and the skills to use one).

With these challenges in mind, we will focus future posts on working out these problems. Be sure to check out our new poll.

DPT--Goal Setting

I am big into goals and big into lists. I haven't quite found the right combination yet--101 goals in 1001 days moved too slowly to be motivating and setting 10 goals and working on nothing else until they are completed was too limiting (I often accomplish 25 to 30 small things a day on a good day). I recently ran across this blog (http://www.magichundred.blogspot.com/), promptly wrote down 100 goals, and have knocked out five goals and made significant progress on others since I began this challenge last Sunday. Anyway, if you are into goal setting and want a challenging and motivating way to reach goals both big and small, write down your 100 goals to accomplish in the next 100 days and get busy!

Tactical Skills You Can Use

My general thought is that if you haven't been properly trained and do not have a use for tactical skills, then you shouldn't be out playing Rambo (or even pretend to play Rambo because someone is sure to call you on it). That said, there are a number of tactical skills that the general public should have. These include:

• Leadership and team building. These are important in a tactical setting but also valuable skills in work and life. One person cannot do everything so knowing how to put a team together and lead them to work together successfully towards a goal will work whether you are putting together a business proposal or organizing a team to clean up the neighborhood after a disaster.
• Documentation. This skill seems like it would be quite low on the tactical skill totem pole however the ability to clearly and concisely document the things you do is actually quite important. While you may never have to defend yourself via your documentation skills in front of a review board, learning how to document important information is a skill you should have. Documentation includes everything from updating your comprehensive annual home inventory to getting into the habit of writing down things that look out of place (ie: the make, model, and license plate of a car that seems out of place) to keeping up your medical and financial records.
• Carrying a pack over a number of miles. Unless you are an avid backpacker, you probably don't have the need or desire to fill up a backpack with your gear and head out for a multi-mile hike. In a disaster, the ability to pack up critical gear quickly and efficiently and walk your way out of a disaster may be necessary so why not practice now?
• Communications. In any event that necessitates a tactical response, communications usually come out at the top of the list as both most important and most likely to have problems. Consider ahead of time who you may need to contact, what method you will use to contact them, and what contact information you may need (ie: after a disaster that wipes out all regular communications, you want to be able to let your brother know you are OK. What is your communications plan? Do you have a list of his cell number, office number, home number, HAM call sign, pre-arranged out of state contact, etc?).
• Firearms skills. Tactical use of firearms usually means you are taking an offensive position, however your task here is to learn how to defensively use your firearms so that in the event of an emergency you will be able to respond skillfully and effectively.
• Hand to hand combat skills. Many people who advance through karate, tae kwon do, or boxing ranks fortunately never have to use these skills in a life or death situation. That said, all of these types of fighting skills are excellent forms of exercise and give you the confidence to know that you can fight back if necessary.
• Navigation skills. Map, compass, GPS...these are critical items to know how to use during a disaster (think Hurricane Katrina when all landmarks were washed away) or if you get lost in the wilderness while on a day hike.
• Tactical medical skills. Everyone should know basic first aid--CPR, how to stop bleeding, how to treat for shock, etc. These skills are useful whether you are in a disaster scenario or at the golf course (lots of heart attacks happen on the golf course).
• Driving skills. Defensive driving skills are a must for anyone who drives. There's a lot of crazy drivers out there! You also want to practice convoy skills, how to follow someone effectively, and how to lose someone.
• Rapid deployment. Tactical teams are known for their ability to mobilize and deploy ASAP. How quickly can your family or co-workers mobilize and deploy in the event of a fire or earthquake?
• Tactical clothing. The clothing you choose needs to be based on your mission. Hunting? Your mission is to blend in with the scenery so camo is a good choice. Intimidation? Your mission is to visually intimidate your opponent (and identify yourself to other team members) by the type of uniform your SWAT team, soccer team, or other group wears. Doing some recon among the natives? That's why individuals who work undercover dress like the locals so as not to stand out.
• Strategic planning. Tactical operations revolve around strategic planning (ie: the who, what, when, where, why, and how of reaching a specific goal). Strategic planning is also useful when planning your career, growing your business, or preparing for a disaster.

DPT--Set a Goal and Exercise

You need to be as healthy and physically fit as possible because good health has a number of survival implications. For example, you may be able to get off meds for chronic conditions such as high cholesterol or diabetes (always a good thing during a disaster when medications may be hard to come by), you will be better able to haul your carcass out of a second story window during a fire or run from your neighborhood carrying a fully filled BOB, and healthy people tend to recover better if they are injured in a disaster or other type of accident.
Now having a routine exercise program can bore the socks off of you, especially if you are working out with no real goal. To "get in better shape" is too vague and unmeasurable to be very effective. The military has physical fitness goals in writing that recruits can strive for. The "Biggest Loser" has a competition to lose more than the other people to strive for. The runner has the New York Marathon to strive for. Get the idea? If you want to get in optimal (or even just better) shape, it is quite helpful to have a worthwhile goal to reach. A girl in our office is now working out with a group of beginners who want to enter a mini triathlon. Sounds like a big goal for someone who doesn't exercise but she is enthusiastic, she has a goal with a set deadline, and she has the group to help her be accountable. This is an excellent way to pull yourself back into shape. Consider setting a reasonable goal (ie: start off with a 5k run instead of a full marathon), work your way up to the condition necessary to be successful at your goal, then sent another, larger goal. You will thank yourself for this foresight should disaster strike.

Driving Survival

As one commenter pointed out in yesterday's post, many people died in the Australian wildfires in their cars. Here's a bundle of car survival tips that may come in useful:

• Always keep your car in optimal condition. Everything on your car--from regular oil changes and newish wiper blades to brakes that work well and lights in good working order--should work as well as when it came from the factory.
• Always keep at least a half tank of gas in your car. You never know when a power outage, longer than expected drive, or five hour freeway back-up will keep you from filling up your tank and you don't want to be running on fumes at a critical moment.
• Always keep your car well stocked. What if you couldn't get home and were stranded in the boonies in your car? Do you have the supplies to keep yourself watered, fed, warm, and entertained for a day or two in your car? Make sure you have a car BOB, extra water, tools and supplies, and anything else you may need to stay self-sufficient in your car for a period of time.
• Practice driving. You may be quite used to driving in your city but what if you had to drive in the mountains? Maybe desert driving is part of your regular routine but driving in the snow isn't. In any case, you want to be well versed in all driving conditions. If a driving situation is new to you, practice (ie: go to a big snowy parking lot and practice your snow driving skills). Ditto for other driving skills. Can you parallel park? Make a quick three point turn? Back up a hundred yards rapidly and precisely? Do a backing 180? Many skills you can learn on your own, others are better to be learned from an experienced teacher. There are a number of schools that teach everything from basic driving skills to executive protection and combat driving skills; seek them out if necessary.
• Be prepared for the most common road disasters you are likely to come upon. In the woods, it is a good idea to carry a chainsaw with you as you never know when a tree will go down across the road and you need to clear it in order to go forward. A wench on your truck is also a nice to have item. In the city, you are more likely to come across a medical emergency or car fire so carry a blanket, some basic medical supplies, and a fire extinguisher. Always carry a cell phone and car charger.
• Have an evacuation plan. You don't want to figure out the how and where of evacuation as the police are driving down your street ordering everyone to leave. That's too late. Keep maps in your car and study them occasionally so you will know which routes are your plan A, B, and C to get away from your home or office. Have your car stocked and ready to go--you don't want to pack up your stuff after you've been given the evacuation order; this causes confusion and important things to be left behind. If possible, evacuate ahead of time. Figure that an evacuation (ie: because of an impending hurricane, a wild fire, a chemical spill, etc) will take much longer than usual and leave before you get the order. By paying attention to the news, you will know that a wildfire is in the area or that a hurricane is heading your way. Also note that if one of these quick-moving disasters is even in your general area, there is a good possibility that it could change directions and head straight for you so leave with plenty of time to spare.
• Consider your family members. Some things to consider: make sure everyone of age has good driving skills; they may need to be your driver in certain instances. If you have young children or medically frail relatives, pre-plan for their evacuation by keeping some of their necessary supplies (diapers, meds, etc) in the car and taking extra time to evacuate them. You will also need a plan D with these types of family members because while your sturdy teenager may find a few nights camping in the winter wilderness a fun experience, great grandpa or your newborn baby will not. Consider hotels or other shelters in these cases.
• Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you are a high profile target (ie: ambushes, kidnapping, and shooting in your direction is to be expected), you may want to consider an armored-type vehicle made for your protection that features run flat tires, bullet proof glass, and reinforced paneling. A good driver can be worth his weight in gold so get one if necessary. A professional security team will also be able to plan routes, set up decoys, and manage other facets of getting you from point A to point B if necessary.
• Some other pointers: I always keep one car in the garage and one outside; if I need to leave in a hurry I will have options. I always back into my parking space/area--it is safer and faster to pull forward out of a parking spot when you leave. My cars are as plain as can be--nothing on the inside or outside of the cars says "steal me". If you do want custom feature on your car, don't make them obvious (ie: if you must have a nitrous system in your car, don't put Nos stickers all over the outside of it; you want to have the ability to do some fancy maneuvering if necessary but you don't want the world to know about it).

Australian Wildfires and the Purpose of this Blog

If you had the news on at all today, you can't miss the latest on the Australian wildfires. With over a hundred people killed by the fast moving fires, it brings home the necessity of preparedness and the skills necessary to survive such a situation.
The main purpose of this blog is to provide just such information. There are plenty of military/paramilitary websites and blogs that offer reviews of the various ARs available on the market, explains the use of various camo patterns, and offers tips to keep you in peak physical condition. Not discounting the necessity of such information, it is statistically clear that the survival and preparedness skills that 99% of the people need 99% of the time are for the random natural and man-made disasters that can affect anyone at any time. Among those, wildfires, earthquakes, floods, street violence, food shortages, medical incidents, etc. So stay tuned for plenty more posts on how to keep you and your family safe, prepared, aware, fit, and healthy...with a bit of the military/paramilitary stuff thrown in to keep things interesting.

Poll Results and a New Poll

Here's the results from our last poll: The question--what kind of food makes up the bulk of your emergency food stores? Here's how people answered:

• Canned, boxed, bagged--the kind you get from the grocery store 44 people/72%
• MREs all the way 1 person/1%
• Nitro-packed, freeze-dried, and dehydrated 1 person/1%
• An equal portion of each of the above 14 people/22%
• None--I'll hunt my food down when I need it 1 person/1%

The results were what I expected. The easiest and most convenient way to store emergency food supplies is just to pick up a few extra cans or bags of food when you do your regular grocery shopping each week; with these kinds of foods you can pull them out and use them if you need to cook for a big party, want to donate to the local food bank, or run low at the end of the month. MREs are quite specialized and a bit more expensive so having only one person who stocks these exclusively is not surprising. Ditto for the nitro packed and freeze dried variety. I like that some people chose to store some of each types of these foods--it makes perfect sense to store food that will meet all of your needs, both for basic disaster and bugging out. I'm surprised that only one person will hunt down their food when they need it--I know quite a few people who do that now!

Be sure to check out our new poll and keep sending in the ideas for future polls.

DPT--Keep an Eye On State Legislation

Our state (and federal) legislators are hard at work. If you think they are trying to make your life easier, think again. Ron Paul is the only legislator I know who routinely tries to undo legislation. For 99.99% of the country's legislators, their goal is to make as many new laws and regulations as possible so it looks like the are producing something. That means more laws and regulations that impact us. It is critical that the governed (that's us) keep an eye on the multitude of bills that are being discussed in the state legislature and congress so that we can write or call our representative either in support of or against proposed legislation. Some of these bills will impact your gun rights and other freedoms.
Also, these people can be sneaky--the title and basic premise of a bill can be light years away from gun rights (such as child health, a nice sounding topic) however there will be a couple of sentences tucked into that bill which will outlaw certain gun rights. We need to pay attention to all aspects of the legislative process.

Survival Skill #5 Finding Opportunities

A critical skill to survive in any situation is the ability to find opportunities. There are always opportunities around no matter how your personal situation looks this week, no matter how the economy looks this week, and no matter how you perceive your abilities to be this week (or any other time past, present, or future). Just today there was a news story on TV about how many burgeoning opportunities there are because of the current economic situation. Businesses are springing up all over to clean up foreclosed homes that need to get back on the market, to haul away excess stuff that people can't take with them when they leave their foreclosed homes, and to help people who are facing foreclosure.
Have you ever wondered how businesses such as the "cash for gold" companies you see advertised on TV happen to hit the airwaves just as people begin thinking about selling their gold due to the poor economy? Or how Amazon can carry a number of books on the crashing economy that are published about a week after a recession is officially announced? Or how one week you couldn't find a company to help you avoid your foreclosure anywhere and then the next week there are a dozen such companies advertising everywhere you look?
All of these businesses are created because people look at a situation and see an opportunity. They think about how the situation will impact people then determine what the people's needs will be based on the information they have.
When businesses were growing exponentially a decade ago, many people looked at the situation and saw opportunity: the companies would need office space so office space was built, their employees would need to eat lunch so restaurants sprang up near the offices, maybe a particular area of town was a tech/office draw so businesses that catered to these kinds of people sprang up as well (think office supply and computer stores), these employees were making around X amount of salary so homes in the X dollar range were built to accommodate people who wanted to live in communities that fit their needs, demographics showed that the people who populated these growing cities and suburbs had 2.5 children in the mostly 2-15 age bracket so businesses that catered to these kids also developed (think My Gym, movie theaters, skateboard shops, etc). Anyway, you get the idea.
Tomorrow, pay attention to the things you see and hear. Watch the news, check out what's happening on your way to work or on your way to town, ask people how they are doing and listen for what their needs are. When you come back home, list down ten potential opportunities based on your findings. Who knows, you may come up with a business out of this research. If nothing else, you will have practiced the survival skill of finding opportunities where the average person would think none existed.

First Five

This is a basic tip but one worth considering. I was talking to an emergency manager a few weeks ago and he mentioned the rule of "first 5". What are the first five things you are going to do when you get up in the morning? What are the first five things you will do after an earthquake? What are the first five things you grab during an evacuation? Who are the first five people you call in an emergency? The idea is to put together a quick plan in your head (or on paper) before you act. This also lets you focus on the most important things, get them done, then move onto the next most important things during what could be a very chaotic time.

Getting Help When Help Is Needed

Some people are still doing fine in this economy, many others, not so well. Now I am not a fan of government help whether it be Welfare, or other handout programs. Once people get into the food stamps, Section 8 housing, AFDC, and other "here let us help make you poorer" government programs, they tend to spiral down instead of up. That being said, there are occasions when you hit rock bottom and need some kind of help. The trick is to know what kind of help is available, take what you need but not more than you need, and work your way out of the desperate situation as quickly as possible. Here's where to find help:

• Your first line of defense against financial disaster is friends and family. It should be difficult to take handouts and help from those closest to you, you don't want to get comfortable with this kind of situation, so make sure that the help you get from others (room, board, money, etc) is repaid in kind. You may not have money but can you wash their car, do yard work, clean the house, etc; this makes you a more welcome guest.
• Check out community service agencies. The Salvation Army offers a number of services in our city--everything from free haircuts, free breakfast and lunch daily, and help with utility payments among other things. The Goodwill also offers a variety of service programs in addition to their thrift store.
• Churches are another source of help, offering everything from free meals on a regular schedule to free clothing to occasional emergency housing options.
• Veteran's Service Centers offer a number of services to help people through hard times such as rental assistance, training opportunities, help with food/clothing/utilities, etc. Many of these services are available no matter how many or how few years you served.
• There will usually be one or more food banks in the town/city where you live so if you are hungry, by all means find out where they are and accept what they offer.
• Food stamp programs have grown exponentially due to the great need. With documentation, signing up is relatively simple.
• Homeless shelters are not the most pleasant places to stay but if that is your only option, it is warmer than sleeping outside. Generally other housing programs take quite a while to get into as waiting lists are long.
• Unemployment is another source of income which you actually earned through being employed so sign up immediately if you find yourself unemployed (according to a recent article in the newspaper, it may take some time getting through to the service since phones and websites for the service have been overwhelmed).
• Medical care can be found at community "free" clinics. As a last resort, hospital emergency rooms cannot refuse to treat you (and they usually have some sort of charity care program too). They can, however, make you wait for ages to be seen.
• And then there are all of the federal and state welfare programs (many of which are available if you have dependant children): medical coupons, cash for families with children, disability payments, assistance with paying for child care, etc.

When you are desperate, especially if you have a family to take care of, there is no shame in asking for help when you need it. On the other hand, if you are doing OK it is always a good idea to help those in need whenever possible.

Ice Storm!

I feel for the people in Kentucky and other states hit with a snow storm, ice storm, and now a wind storm. It's been a while since we have had a severe ice storm here, but the thought of trying to drive (nearly impossible), trying to walk anywhere (ditto), and watching firefighters try to put out a fire when all of the water that falls onto the ground freezes almost instantly are still embedded in my memory. After keeping up with the Kentucky situation via online and television news sources, here's some reminders:

• Never use a generator, barbecue, or other combustible heating/power source in your home. The carbon monoxide fumes will kill you (so far four deaths in Lexington were attributed to this).
  
• Have a chainsaw on hand. Even if you don't use it regularly, it will come in handy when the tree limbs start falling on your house.
  
• Check on your elderly and infirm neighbors and relatives. There is no excuse for people to die of hypothermia in their homes when there are people around who know they are home alone during a lengthy power outage and thus have no source of heat.
  
• If you are not prepared for a lengthy power outage and don't have heat, go to a shelter. The Red Cross usually sets up shelters in these types of events and it is much better to be warm with a bunch of stranger than freezing in your home.


• Keep enough extra food in your home to carry you through at least a month. Many people were out of food in the area affected by the storm within the first few days. With grocery stores closed, they had to rely on rations provided as the National Guard who went door to door to check on people.


• Have water on hand too. Many water systems wouldn't work because of the storm.
• There's something to be said for body heat. One family that was interviewed by a reporter had 18 friends and neighbors staying with them. They all stayed in a large room heated by a fireplace. Not the best situation but better than freezing.


• Communications have been out for almost a week in some places; this means land line phones and cell phones that ran out of battery power were dead. Having a hand held, battery powered HAM radio and/or a car charger for your cell phone is a good idea.


• I do like how the net has played a role in storm reporting. Check out the Twitter page for the ice storm here.


• Imagine...no power for the Super Bowl :(
  
• Be careful with candles and lanterns when the power is out. There always seem to be fires, sometimes deadly, attributed to the use of candles during a power outage.

Well that's about it from here. If anyone in an area hit by the storm has more advice for the rest of us, please post in the comments section.