Lessons from This Week in Survival News

Some survival lessons from this week's news feed...

• Two women were rescued presumably from five months adrift at sea.  While the details are being debated, I'll point out that the fact that they had a year's worth of food stored and water filters is a good lesson in preparedness.
• The Weinstein scandal is toppling his and other careers like dominoes.  The lesson here is to teach your kids--both girls and boys--how to avoid as well as defend themselves against sexual assault.
• Global warming is a thing.  Whether you believe it is just cyclical weather change or a man-made deal, our planet is warming.  If you intend to be alive for the next 30 to 60 years, plan accordingly (ie: you might not want to live on beach-front property in Florida).
• Sears and Kmart are closing more stores.  This probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone but it is a reminder to not put all of your financial eggs in one basket.  No matter where you work, always keep an eye on the state of your company AND be prepared to change jobs at a moment's notice should your company suddenly go out of business.
• There was another terrorism-related attack in New York City a couple of days ago as well as a random shooter at a Colorado Walmart the following day.  While it is not something most people are used to, these days people need to keep their head on a swivel when they are in public places.  People shouldn't have to worry about their personal safety every time they leave their home but the sad reality is that random violence can happen anywhere, anytime so always keep your wits about you and pay attention to your surroundings.
• The President's Twitter account was recently deleted temporarily.  Not a bad thing IMHO but the overarching points about social media are many--you can't rely on social media to not be slanted/biased/misleading; you can't rely on social media to be available when you need it; social media companies are private companies so freedom of speech doesn't apply when using these services; social media, while quite useful, also has a number of negative effects on your brain (not a good thing).  The lesson here is to have alternate communication methods, reign in your social media use to something manageable, and don't believe everything you read online.

50 Survival Uses for Your Smart Phone

While some things make me leery about using a smart phone (example here), they are pretty much an ubiquitous part of life these days.  On the bright side, there are dozens and dozens of ways to use your cell phone in a survival situation...

1. Make a call to a friend or 911 for help.
2. To send text messages when cell calls aren't going through.
3. As a flashlight with the appropriate app.
4. As a compass with the appropriate app.
5. To send and receive money.
6. To pay for things instead of using cash or credit cards.
7. To take pictures to document car accidents or other incidents.
8. For directions (using Google maps, etc).
9. As a tracking device if you are incapacitated. 
10. To receive Amber alerts and other emergency alerts.
11. To track disasters happening anywhere in the world.
12. Hopefully, one day, to listen to FM radio.
13. For entertainment (watch Netflix, listen to music, play games, etc).
14. As a repository for your survival books.
15. To send emergency alerts to friends and family.
16. To start a fire with your cell battery.
17. As a place to store your important files and documents.
18. To follow emergency information sources on social media (example here).
19. To set off a panic alarm in an emergency.
20. To put an "ICE--in case of emergency" contact in case you are incapacitated.
21. As a phone book for all of your contacts.
22. To learn first aid skills from an app.
23. As a step-by-step guide for what to do after a car accident.
24. To access the internet (and, for example, find a shelter after a disaster).
25. To alert people that you are safe after a disaster.
26. To identify edible plants in a survival situation.
27. To check the weather.
28. To call 911 even if the cell phone doesn't have a service provider.
29. To create a hot spot for your internet devices.
30. To provide disaster-related info to researchers (like this earthquake app).
31. To listen to emergency service providers (fire, EMS, police) in real time.
32. To take care of all of your travel needs in case you need to evacuate.
33. To connect with FEMA before, during, and after a disaster.
34. To find evacuation routes and avoid traffic issues with the appropriate app.
35. As a radiation alarm with the appropriate app.
36. To determine if you are too drunk to drive with the appropriate app.
37. To make money with the appropriate app.
38. As a signal mirror.
39. As a flashing signal.
40. To find the nearest gas station.
41. To find emergency social service assistance (food banks, shelters, etc).
42. You can hide emergency cash in your cell phone cover.
43. As a spying gadget (note this may or may not be legal where you live).
44. To track and assist the elderly when you can't be with them.
45. To track and assist family members/children when you aren't with them.
46. To prevent suicide.
47. To improve your health and fitness (the top seven causes of death are health-related).
48. To track the spread of illnesses around the world.
49. To track (and learn about) medical conditions with the appropriate app.
50. Even a broken cell phone can be useful during an emergency.

30 Survival Uses for Your Smart Phone

These days, your smartphone is more like an appendage than a random piece of technology.  You are more likely to have your phone on you than most any other item you own, so I figured I would make a list of the many ways a smartphone can be used in survival situations...

1. Emergency alerts to warn you of local dangers (these warnings are often automatic through your cell service while other alerts need to be signed up for via Twitter and other social media apps).
2. To call for help (obviously, by calling 911)
3. To text for help (sometimes when a phone call won't go through a text will, either to friends and family or directly to your local 911 service if they have text-receiving technology)
4. To use as a flashlight (there are a number of powerful flashlight apps available)
5. To get the latest on breaking local news (via local news apps and Twitter accounts)
6. To listen to breaking news (the scanner radio app lets you listen live to many emergency service radio bands; other radio apps will allow you to listen to news programs)
7. To find your way with a compass app
8. To find your way with downloadable maps
9. To find your way via GPS (when you have cell reception)
10. To access emergency/survival information (emergency medical treatment info, the SAS Survival Handbook app, download the Army Survival Manual, etc)
11. To photograph information you can use later (everything from building evacuation diagrams to making videos of the route you are taking, etc)
12. To take a photo of a medical symptom and email it to your medical provider for appropriate information or assistance
13. Even a broken smartphone has many survival uses (examples here)
14. To find food (there are a number of apps that will help you track animals, identify wild edibles, and find local fishing areas, etc)
15. Set an ICE (in case of emergency) contact (there are a number of apps to alert loved ones that you need help and/or allow law enforcement or medical personnel to contact them through your phone)
16. To help if you get in a car accident (many insurance companies have apps that remind you what to do, what to photograph, and what information to collect if you get in an accident)
17. To locate loved ones (there are apps that allow you to track the location of a loved one's cell phone and vice versa)
18. To use as a panic button (again, there are apps that turn your phone into an audio--and email/phone call--emergency alert device)
19. To allow others to see what you see (Meerkat and Periscope are two streaming services that allow people to see everything you are seeing)
20. To receive alerts for natural disasters that are common in your area (there are apps for everything from tsunami warnings to earthquake alerts to hurricane warnings)
21. To check your medical condition (there are apps for everything from checking your blood pressure, relaying cardiac info to your doctor to determining if you are too drunk to drive)
22. For saving important documents that you may need in the future (ie: take photos of your passport, DD214, driver's license, etc)
23. To find loved ones after a disaster (and/or allow them to find you) via Google People Finder or the Red Cross Safe and Well websites
24. To record messages or reminders for yourself or others (via your phone's voice recorder, video recorder, or note taking app)
25. To take photos or videos after a disaster (for everything from insurance claims to assisting authorities after an event)
26. To find help (by calling 211 for social service help, by checking www.couchsurfing.org for a place to crash, by catching an Uber ride if you can't afford a taxi)
27. To survive in other cities (find medical services, download the local transit app, etc)
28. As a rescue beacon (authorities can 'ping' your phone to find out where it/you are)
29. To help you prepare in advance for disasters (there are apps for everything from building a first aid kit, to wilderness check off sheets, to "know before you go" information)
30. To call/text for help if you are having a personal crisis (such as the Suicide Helpline, the Rape Crisis Center, the PTSD Hotline, etc)

Obviously the big caveat with all of the above information is that, in most cases, you smartphone needs to be working and have enough power to be usable.  For this it is always a good idea to keep you phone fully charged and have alternative methods for charging your phone in case you do not have access to electricity (such as having a car charger, a solar cell charger, and/or a power bank on hand)

Beat the Heat

Now that we have lived in Las Vegas for a couple of years, seeing temperatures over a hundred degrees has become routine.  However, for much of the rest of the country that is now suffering under a heat wave that is covering a fairly good piece of real estate in the northeast, high heat coupled with high humidity can be deadly.  Here's some tips for beating the heat:

• Go where it is cool (indoors if you have air conditioning, shopping malls or the library if you don't).  Keeping cool is, obviously, the best way to beat the heat.
• If you don't have central air (most houses in the Northeast don't), consider getting a window air conditioner and keeping only one room in your home cool where everyone can hang out (obviously it is better to buy this unit on sale, at the end of the season, and not at the height of the heat wave when prices are jacked up and/or they are sold out).
• If you normally sleep on the second floor, consider sleeping the the basement where it is cooler.
• Portable fans are a good go-to for basic cooling.  Fans blowing air over a tub of ice is even better.
• Do all of your outdoor activities in the early morning or the evening.  In cases where the temperature never really "goes down", consider suspending outdoor activities until the heat wave breaks.
• Stay hydrated.  It's easy to forget to drink extra water when the temperature rises but staying hydrated is the best way to ward off dehydration (and its symptoms which can range from nausea and dizziness to coma and death).
• Break out your first aid manual and refresh your memory on how to treat sunburn, dehydration, and heat stroke (obviously in life threatening cases, call 911 and skip the self-help).
• Check on elderly friends and neighbors (the ill and elderly often have difficulty regulating their body temperature and can more easily suffer heat maladies.  They also may not have the money/ability to set up their home to beat the heat).
• Know where cooling shelters are located.  You may not need them but in the event of a power outage which kills your AC, you may need to seek shelter away from home.
• If you do need to be outside during the heat of the day remember to dress appropriately (long pants, long sleeve shirt, a hat, 30+ SPF sunscreen lotion, a bandanna that you can soak in water and put over your head or around your neck, etc).
• Better yet, if you usually work outside, ask your boss if you can start really early (4am or so) and finish early so you can avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day.
• Head for the hills.  Cities are hot.  All of that concrete radiates heat and the temperatures can rise dramatically.  If you have the option of heading out for a few days, setting up camp near a river of stream in the cool mountains may be just the thing.
• Make sure your car is in good working order.  Fuel your car when it is cool.  Check the air in your tires. Make sure your tires are in good condition (every year in Las Vegas stories of blown out tires  due to poor condition mixed with super hot roadways and the ensuing fatality accident make the news).  In addition, keep extra bottled water in your car and if your car looks like it wants to overheat, pull over and let it cool off before proceeding.
• Carry an umbrella.  It's unusual in the US but in many hot countries people carry their own shade--an umbrella.
• Make sure you have cash on hand, a small stockpile of food, a stockpile of bottled water...basically all of the things you need to survive should the electricity go out (which it often does when everyone has their AC cranked up for days at a time thus overloading the electrical grid).
• Make sure your pets have plenty of water and access to shade or an area to cool off.
• NEVER leave anyone in the car, even if just for a few minutes.  This includes the kids, the pets, and grandma.  Temperatures in a closed car can spike quickly and cause death in minutes.
• Open the shades in your home in the morning and air out your house.  As soon as temps rise, close up your house like a tomb in order to keep the heat out.
• Don't use appliances that will heat up your house.  This includes the oven, the clothes dryer, and even the TV (which can put off a great deal of heat).
• Eat cooling foods--watermelon, cold sandwiches, salads, etc.

10 Survival Items to Have With You...Everywhere

Today as I was typing away on my latest project, the Anderson Cooper show came on in the background.  I usually don't pay much attention to what is on TV but when I heard the words "preparedness" and "survivalists" my ears perked up.  Of course I stopped and watched and was pleased that the show focused a couple of its segments on preparedness.  I was shocked, however, that when the host asked how many audience members had taken steps to be prepared only a few hands raised up!  I mean how hard is it to gather up a few things that could make your life a bit better in a survival situation?  So for those who need either a wake-up call or a refresher, here are ten items you need to put in your house, car, and in the desk in your office (yes, that means 10 things x 3 places so you will end up with a total of 30 items that you will package up and store away for an emergency):

1. Bottled water
2. Packaged, non-perishable food (granola bars, jerky, etc).
3. Cash (bills and coins)
4. Something to warm up in (jacket, blanket, emergency blanket, etc)
5. A whistle
6. A knife
7. Flashlight and extra batteries
8. Comfortable shoes you can walk (far) in
9. A portable radio
10. Matches or a lighter

Bonus item: three chargers for your cell phone, one at home, one for your car, and one for your office.

Those ten items will, surprisingly, take care of most of the problems you will face after a disaster.

Finally, as the Anderson Cooper show was wrapping up, he asked some ladies not related to the preparedness segment what they thought of the preppers and one responded "can you image how weird they would be to hang out with?" which shows she actually knows very little about preppers.  For many preppers, doing preparedness things isn't what they do 24/7.  In fact, many preppers do serious preparedness things only on occasion since once you are prepared, there is very little to do on a daily basis.  Of course their hobbies--shooting, hunting, growing a garden--are much more productive, useful, and entertaining than what many people do these days for entertainment, namely shopping or sitting on their couch watching TV.

100 Survival Items to Buy for Less Than $10

Even though times are tough for many people now, financially speaking, with just $10 or less you can still start to stockpile the things that can be useful--if not vital--during a disaster.  Here's some things you may want to consider buying with that $10 bill in your pocket:

1. Boxes of matches.
2. A smoke alarm for your home.
3. Candles.
4. A big bundle of toilet paper.
5. Three gallons of gas to store for future use.
6. A can of coffee or two.
7. A box of large, sturdy trash bags.
8. Boxes of ziploc bags.
9. Boxes of 13 gallon trash bags.
10. Fuel for your barbecue grill or camp stove.
11. Buckets. 
12. Water containers with caps.
13. Bandaids and antibacterial ointment.
14. Rubbing alcohol and peroxide.
15. Slingshot and BBs.
16. A knife.
17. Kitchen tools (large spoons, whisks, manual can opener, etc).
18. Food stuff: cooking oil.
19. Food stuff: spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc)
20. Food stuff: canned meat, tuna fish, sardines, etc.
21. Food stuff: sugar, honey.
22. Food stuff: powdered milk
23. Food stuff: grains such as wheat, rice, oats, etc.
24. Food stuff: dried beans, lentils, peas, etc.
25. Food stuff: baking supplies (yeast, baking soda, baking powder, etc).
26. Food stuff: protein foods (nuts, peanut butter, jerky, etc)
27. Food stuff: canned goods (vegies, fruit, etc).
28. Food stuff: tea, juice mix, instant coffee, etc.
29. Food stuff: candy, cookies, comfort foods.
30. Bottles of bleach.
31. Coffee filters.
32. Towels, wash clothes, rags.
33. Medicine: aspirin, non-aspirin pain reliever.
34. Vitamins.
35. Garden seeds.
36. Gasoline container.
37. Work gloves.
38. Face masks.
39. Duct tape.
40. Rain ponchos.
41. Plastic sheeting.
42. Aluminum foil.
43. Plastic wrap.
44. Baseball bat.
45. Saw/saw blades.
46. Rope/para-cord.
47. Sewing supplies (pins, needles, thread, fabric, buttons, etc).
48. Batteries of all sizes.
49. Flashlights.
50. Glo-sticks.
51. Clothing: socks, hats, long underwear, pants, shirts, etc.
52. Hygiene supplies: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.
53. Maps.
54. Books (survival, back to basics, etc).
55. Fishing supplies: pole, line, hooks, etc.
56. Garden tools.
57. Tarps.
58. Cookware (particularly cast iron pans).
59. Canning supplies: jars, lids, etc.
60. Entertainment items: board games, puzzles, playing cards, etc.
61. Baby wipes.
62. Bicycle repair supplies.
63. Small, useful stuff: nails, wire, glue, screws, nuts, bolts, paper clips, rubber bands, etc.
64. First aid kit items: gauze, medical tape, tweezers, cotton balls, etc.
65. Bandannas (varying colors, cotton).
66. Paper and pens/pencils.
67. Tools: screwdrivers, hammer, wrench, shovel, utility knife, etc.
68. Whistles.
69. Magnifying glass.
70. Disposable plates, bowls, cups, eating utensils.
71. Compass.
72. Scissors.
73. Razor blades.
74. Blankets.
75. Tow chain.
76. Transistor radio.
77. Feminine hygiene items.
78. Baby items. 
79. Supplies for the elderly (hearing aid batteries, etc).
80. Wood (everything from 4x4s to block a door to wood for making spears to firewood).
81. Bags and backpacks for carrying things.
82. A siphon (for water, gas, etc).
83. Sponges and scrubbers for cleaning.
84. Eye goggles.
85. Pry bar.
86. Nitrile gloves.
87. Pocket knife/multi-function knife
88. Pepper spray.
89. Padlocks.
90. Ammo.
91. Knife sharpening stone.
92. Firearm cleaning supplies.
93. Zipties.
94. Hatchet/ax
95. Disposable lighters.
96. Bottle of whiskey.
97. Canteen/water bottle.
98. Plastic containers (all sizes, with lids).
99. Mirror.
100. Emergency blankets.

And a side note, if you want to stretch your $10 even further, consider purchasing these items at a thrift store, $1 store, Walmart, garage sale, or other discount place.

Be a Survivalist in 10 Easy Steps

Being a survivalist is fairly simple.  I know this because I have met many, many people who have survived some of the worst things that a person can encounter (wars, genocide, grinding poverty, famine, et al) and they not only survived, but they were able to share their lessons learned with others, such as myself.  These people weren't former military, they didn't have an arsenal of food and guns and medical supplies.  Most often they had very little formal education and even less in the way of material goods.  What they did have were skills and common sense.  Here's what I've learned:

1. Step 1: Have the best health and fitness levels possible.  Much of surviving entails being able to literally run for your life if necessary.  I'm guessing that 75% of Americans would find this impossible to do what with super high obesity rates and reliance on a daily regimen of drugs for a litany of chronic health problems.  Your health is YOUR responsibility.
2. Step 2: Have assets.  This includes not only tools and firearms but money in the bank, gold jewelry, "people assets" namely people you can rely on in a crisis, a stockpile of food, cash on hand, etc.  In a true survival situation, you may lose many of these items but having a wide range of assets to draw from will give you an advantage over others who live paycheck to paycheck and spend every last dime they make on stupid stuff.
3. Step 3: Have no debt.  As Ron Paul says, "debt is the limiting factor."  I like that saying.  If you are carrying a lot of debt, you will severely limit yourself when it comes to preparing for a survival situation.  You can't eat as healthy if every dime you earn is going for a massive car payment, you can't control your stress level if you are forced to work at a job you hate because you have bills to pay, you can't stock your freezer or buy a nice firearm if every penny you earn is already spoken for.  Get out of debt NOW.
4. Step 4: Have knowledge.  There is no way to predict what skills will be needed to survive the next disaster you will encounter.  Will you need to perform CPR on a spouse who just had a heart attack?  Will you need to be able to evacuate within minutes after a chemical spill?  Will you need to shelter in place without the benefit of electricity for a week due to a severe winter storm?  Will you need to get your family out of the house in the middle of the night because your home is on fire?  Will you need to hunt for your own food because the store shelves are empty due to a total economic collapse?  Who knows. What I do know is that the more wide-ranging your survival knowledge, the more likely you will have these skills in your head when they are critically needed.  Take advantage of every opportunity to learn skills that would be useful in a survival situation (CPR, hunting, fishing, HAM radio, dressing meat, foraging for berries, etc).
5. Step 5: Have a BOB.  Sometimes you gotta just go.  Now, you can go with only the clothes on your back or you can go with a knapsack of items that would come in handy during a disaster.  Which option sounds better?  In an emergency you won't have time to pack up this useful bag so do it now and have it ready to go on a moment's notice.
6. Step 6: Have multiple ways to make money.  In other words, you need skills.  This was one of the major problems faced by people during the massive economic upheaval of the past few years.  They worked in middle management, paper-pushing jobs and had absolutely no other way to make money other than to wait for a paycheck from their boss.  What happens when these types of jobs go away?  You know the answer to that...massive unemployment and people ending up jobless, homeless, and hopeless.  You should be able to walk out your door and come back with $20 via a skill or service you can provide.  This doesn't include stealing, taking advantage of others, or begging on the streets, but rather it entails the ability to trade your services or skills for either cold, hard cash or a barterable item (dinner for two at a fine restaurant with the spouse perhaps? Yes, that would be a nice trade.).  There is no other way to learn how to do this but practice so get out there and...practice.
7. Step 7: Have people skills.  One of the most fascinating things I have learned from many of the refugees, illegals, and others I have encountered is how precision their people skills are.  They can read other people's intent and will stay away from "bad guys".  They have a person to person network that rivals AT&T (the immigrant word of mouth grapevine is massive and quick).  They aren't afraid to ask for what they need (money, a job, help with whatever it is they need help with).  Keeping their word and having a good reputation is important (like it was back in my grandfather's day). They help others out and expect help in return when they need it (again like back in my grandfather's day).  Overall, these are some very important skills to have.  Again, the only way to develop these skills is to practice.
8. Step 8: Have a survival mentality. The "poor me I'm gonna wait for my government handout" attitude will get you dead eventually during a disaster.  The "I don't care what I need to do I'm going to survive even if I haven't had to clean a restroom since I was in high school and even thought this job is beneath me any job is better than starving" attitude will serve you much better.  In a survival situation, people who embrace the challenge with both hands and do whatever it takes to come out the other side successful will survive.  The people who screechingly demand that the government save them will be screeching to themselves while others are eating eventually.  Kind of like Darwin's theory.  Rolling with the punches takes practice but it is also amusing, interesting, and can even be fun in some ways so go...roll with the punches.
9. Step 9: Have scavenging skills.  I know that many survivalists are told that they need to be able to "live off the land" and "head for the hills" during a disaster.  That's just going to get a lot of people lost, shot, or starved.  In a complex society which is what we live in, a much better skill set is to know how to scavenge.  With just the waste that the average American makes each year, people who are in third world countries could live happily for quite some time.  Reuse, recycle, make do, or do without is the motto of many people who embrace a scavenger lifestyle.  To practice, start with shopping at thrift stores and garage sales then work your way up to dumpster diving and re-purposing stuff that other people throw out.  In a true survival situation, scavenging what you need will be way more common than trying to survive a snowy winter in the mountains.
10. Step 10: Have the ability to protect yourself.  When society goes to hell in a hand basket, you will need to be able to protect yourself.  First of all, the police won't be there to do it for you and second of all, people can turn mean and socially psychopathic in post-disaster scenarios. There are a range of skills that fall under this category but basically you will want to band together with others (there is safety in numbers), use common sense (just because you can walk through any neighborhood you please during normal times doesn't mean you can do so after a disaster), and have the means to protect yourself (shotgun, pistol, rifle in that order).  And don't forget to practice.

There you have it.  Ten simple steps to become a true survivalist.  No go forth and practice.

The (Survivalist's) Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow made man's 'hierarchy of needs' famous by pointing out what each person needs to be a complete human being. Here's the CNI 'Hierarchy of Needs' for the survivalist:

1) Water. Without water, you would be dead within a few days. Water is basically free during normal times but if TSHTF, if you have nothing else, you may want to have some water stocked.
2) Food. You can do without most other things but you do need food. Preferably an assortment (prevents those nasty diseases such as scurvy and goiter). You can be living under a tree in rags but you do need food. Stock some of this as well.
3) Clothing. Appropriate clothing. You're going to wear something anyway so make sure it will work in a wide range of situations. Sturdy pants, shirt, shoes, socks, maybe a jacket.
4) Shelter. You can sleep outside but that offers very little in the way of protection from the elements, at least, and protection from predators, at most.
5) Things that protect your health. Such as vaccinations, soap for keeping you and the things you eat from clean, bleach to keep your environment clean, etc.
6) Things that protect you. Your own personal protection is definitely among the top things when it comes to actual needs. A gun is nice, but so is a sturdy lock for your door, a fire alarm for your home, or a sock filled with rocks or a crow bar to wield as a weapon.
7) Things that add to your comfort. This can be everything from an extra blanket to a cell phone to connect your with loved ones or the police to toilet paper.
8) Things that can keep you entertained. An iPod is nice but so is a book. Once your basic needs are met, the rest is gravy.

From there you can expand. You may want to include transportation, although your feet will work fine in many cases. You may want to add in socialization opportunities. All you really need to survive, as I have learned from countless refugees and immigrants all over the world, is really quite basic: water, food, and clothing. An intangible such as belief or hope for something better is also right up at the top of their list as well.
A step up from the basics would include shelter and things to protect/enhance your health and safety. Once the basics are taken care of, you can move on to things that aren't as critical but still quite welcome including things that enhance your comfort and keep you entertained.
On a side note, almost all of these things can be found free in our society.

Preparedness, Survivalism, and the Cascading Domino Theory

What we usually talk about here is preparedness with a touch of survivalism. Preparedness means you have taken the steps to be able to take care of the basics for your family (food, shelter, transportation, safety, etc) for a period of a few days to a few weeks depending on the disaster that strikes your area.

Survivalism takes preparedness a couple of steps further. In addition to doing the preparedness stuff (stashing food, cash, and supplies) you learn and practice the skills that you would need to create your own shelter, grow your own food, fix your own car, and perform a multitude of other tasks that could sustain you and your family for a few weeks to a year or longer should TSHTF in a more serious manner.

When you reach the point of needing to be a survivalist, then we really have a problem. In most parts of our society, it isn't very feasible to strike out on your own and live a life of subsistence for very long. Although in many rural areas, this would be a slightly more realistic scenario, the majority of our communities, our states, our nation, and in fact the world, are so intertwined that once things start to fall you have a disaster of exponential proportions on your hands (the cascading domino theory). Actually we, all of us, have a disaster of exponential proportions on our hands.

The first domino was given a swift kick about eight months ago. The situation had been building for some time--consumers buying to the point of complete over-extendedness, stupid housing loans that made absolutely no sense (the people in the know conveniently looked the other way since they were making so much money), government bail outs (bail outs don't much work for a number of reasons) and now you have consumers with no money and/or no will to spend, and without consumers you have very little economy. Which leads to the bottom line of this story...

When you have a multi-faceted breakdown of society, it starts with one domino falling (consumers unable to buy) followed by the next (restaurants, car dealerships, etc not being able to sell their wares), followed by the next (manufacturers not having any orders from vendors) followed by the next (layoffs), followed by the next (extreme reliance on government programs that will not have the funds to support such programs for long because there are less and less tax dollars coming in), followed by the next (homelessness, hunger, etc) followed by the next (desperation, violence) and then pretty much your society has gone to Hell in a hand basket.

Remember how Barack Obama was all smiles and positivity when he was running for office? Now that reality has set in (and he is receiving daily briefings by the top economists in the country) he isn't smiling so much any more. As well he shouldn't...an entire country of people is looking towards him to save them. Talk about pressure.

The CNI response to most problems is to watch where the crowd is going and swiftly move the opposite way. So here are some humble suggestions to help rescue our country and our way of life:

• Don't rely on the government unless absolutely necessary (you are ill, you are a widow with a half dozen kids, etc).
• Build relationships in your family, neighborhood, and community. These are the people you are going to be relying on in the toughest of times.
• Look for any way possible to save, not spend money--bartering, doing things for yourself, forgoing purchases that you can't afford.
• Stimulate your local economy. While saving money just makes sense, in order to create an economy, there needs to be some spending and buying. Instead of purchasing something from China, shop and buy local whenever possible. Then the vendor will have money to spend to order from a manufacturer, who will have money to hire staff, etc.
• Get creative if you lose your job. Future jobs may look different. Instead of a 9-5 with pension, benefits, and 20 minute breaks every four hours, you may have three part time jobs including selling firewood, hustling your services as a contract accountant a couple of days a week, and working a seasonal job in your home town until the economy picks up enough to need a full time accountant. Better yet, repackage your skills into a new type of career. If you were an accountant, check into the possibility of teaching accounting at a local college, setting up a kiosk in the busiest part of town during tax season for quick tax prep services, etc.
• Change your attitude. Life can look crappy or like a wondrous adventure depending on your attitude.
• Keep preparing if only on a limited basis. Even during the height of the Depression, grandma had her "pin money". She couldn't save as she had before the crash but she could certainly save a tiny bit out of every dollar made.
• Volunteer in your community. Not only does this strengthen the fabric of your community, it provides much needed services that may have dropped by the wayside due to lack of funding.
• If you have it, don't flaunt it. In very poor countries, you only flaunt your wealth if you have a death wish or a cadre of body guards. Why people think that they should separate the well-to-do from their wealth instead of earning it themselves is beyond me but that's what happens if you have and others have not.
• This too shall pass. Life can look pretty lousy for a period of time but things always turn around eventually. Vietnam was a Hell hole a few decades ago now it is over run with tourists. After the Wall Street Crash and Depression in 1929 people were flinging themselves out of windows yet a couple of decades later things were going well.

With creativity, personal relationships, hard work, and a good attitude, this current disaster will be a great story that you can tell your grand kids.

101 Survival Skills

There are lots of skills that come in handy in a disaster/survival situation. Here's 101 of them:


Food/Water

1. How to purify water.


2. How to grow a garden.


3. How to forage/gather food in the wild.


4. How to kill and dress an animal.


5. How to cook (in home/over a fire).


6. How to bake (in home/over a fire).


7. How to raise animals for food.


8. How to fish.


9. How to preserve food (dry, can, freeze, pickle, etc).


10. How to seek food in other ways (dumpster dive, barter, etc).

Outdoor Skills

1. How to navigate via GPS, map compass.


2. How to start/maintain a fire.


3. How to set up a primitive camp (shelter, fire, water source, etc).


4. How to camouflage yourself.


5. How to leave no trace.


6. How to traverse ice, rocks, mountains, water, etc.


7. How to stay warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot.


8. How to dress appropriately for the outdoors.


9. How to track (people and animals).


10. How to avoid outdoor hazards (animals, poisonous plants, quicksand, etc).

Communications

1. How to operate a HAM radio.


2. How to use a computer.


3. How to publicise an issue in the national media.


4. How to set up a pirate radio/TV station.


5. How to send and receive secret, encrypted messages.


6. How to gather information in a survival situation (from the media, from the street, from officials, etc).


7. How to contact the people you need in an emergency.


8. How to signal in a variety of ways (smoke, Morse code, SOS, etc).


9. How to do dead drops/live drops.


10. How to use sign language to communicate.

Disasters (what to do before, during, and after)

1. How to survive a hurricane.


2. How to survive an earthquake.


3. How to survive a tornado.


4. How to survive a tsunami.


5. How to survive a wildfire.


6. How to survive a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) incident.


7. How to survive a flood.


8. How to survive a winter storm.


9. How to survive a personal disaster (financial, medical, social, etc).


10. How to survive a socio-economic collapse.

Transport Skills

1. How to drive.
2. How to ride a motorcycle.
3. How to swim.
4. How to fly a plane.
5. How to ride a bicycle.
6. How to pilot a boat.
7. How to ski/snowshoe.
8. How to ride a horse.
9. How to walk long distances.
10. How to hitchhike (by car, train, small plane, etc).

People Skills

1. How to lead people.
2. How to mediate problems.
3. How to read people.
4. How to gain people's trust.
5. How to coordinate a response.
6. How to barter.
7. How to sell your services/products.
8. How to teach others.
9. How to learn from a variety of sources.
10. How to acquire the things you need (through legal and not so legal means).

Medical Skills

1. How to do CPR, use an AED, and perform the Heimlich Maneuver.
2. How to treat viral and bacterial infections.
3. How to treat for shock.
4. How to deliver a baby.
5. How to set a bone.
6. How to suture a wound.
7. How to prevent the spread of disease and infection.
8. How to put together a comprehensive first aid kit.
9. How to treat basic medical conditions (bleeding, puncture wounds, gun shot wounds, allergic reactions, etc).
10. How to perform medical rescue techniques.

Firearms/Self Defense Skills

1. How to use a handgun, rifle, and shotgun.
2. How to clean your firearms.
3. How to reload ammo.
4. How to set traps.
5. How to fight (hand to hand combat).
6. How to set up a comprehensive home security system.
7. How to use escape and evasion tactics.
8. How to fortify any location you happen to be in.
9. How to use alternate weapons (knives, Mace, Tazer, throwing stars, etc).
10. How to utilize combat shooting techniques.

Home Skills

1. How to sew.
2. How to do basic plumbing.
3. How to do basic electrical work.
4. How to do basic carpentry.
5. How to do basic masonry.
6. How to use basic tools (everything from a hammer to a chain saw).
7. How to budget, spend, save, and invest your money.
8. How to educate your children.
9. How to process your own garbage (recycle, compost, burn, etc).
10. How to do an assortment of rural skills (raise children, bury the dead, make candles, tan animal hides, etc).

Other Useful Skills

1. How to travel in foreign countries.
2. How to speak a foreign language.
3. How to play games of skill (pool, poker, chess, etc).
4. How to dress and act appropriately in various situations.
5. How to maintain physical fitness and health.
6. How to stockpile food and supplies.
7. How to do basic educational tasks (read, write, math, history, science, etc).
8. How to disguise yourself.
9. How to perform an investigation.
10. How do do basic auto repairs.
11. How to build assets and create passive income for your future.

Your Survival Community

When TS hits TF, who will you rely on? Do you know who makes up your survival community? Here they are:

• You. When it comes down to it, you really have only yourself to depend on.
• Your immediate family. If you have family (spouse, kids, cousins, etc) living in your immediate vicinity, they will usually be your first "go to" people during a disaster and vice versa. Some pre-planning and pre-preparing with these people is a good idea.
• Your neighbors. In many disasters, the people that you will be in it with, what ever it is, will be your immediate neighbors. It's good to know a bit about your neighbors. The information you want to ascertain about them can range from who has a generator and who is elderly and would need checking on after a disaster, to which neighbors you personally know to be reliable, responsible, and preparedness-oriented.
• Your friends. Friends will play a part in your survival whether they live near or far. If they live near you, they will be able to come to your aid or vice versa. If they live far away from you they can be equally valuable by acting as a central communications point for your family, as your bug out location, or in some cases they may be able to swoop in and rescue you if need be.
• Your survival team. Some people have gone to great effort to gather like-minded, survival-oriented people and create survival teams specifically for the event of a local, regional, or country-wide disaster. Usually the teams meet in person or online and focus on a wide range of disaster preparedness topics including resource typing, training, drills, etc.
• Your co-workers. Depending on the type of job you have and the type of co-workers you have, these people may be an excellent resource during a disaster. Some workplaces have a comprehensive preparedness plan, some may require you to come to work (first responders), while others don't intend or expect for you to come to work after a disaster and really have no plan in place should the worst happen.
• Your community. Before a disaster, you can connect with the Red Cross, the Department of Emergency Management, or other disaster preparedness groups in your community. These groups usually offer disaster skills training and the opportunity to network with like-minded people. After a disaster, many of these same agencies will be responsible for search and rescue, setting up shelters, and providing other needed information and services.
• The Feds. These are the last people on the list for the reason that they may come eventually but depending on the type and extensiveness of the disaster, your area may be first or last on their list to provide assistance to.

In order to connect with any of the people listed above, you usually have to take the first step. Discussing what to do before, during, and after a disaster with your family and friends is often the simplest way to get started. You may also want to talk to your employer about their company disaster plan, sign up for training with local disaster preparedness agencies, participate in survival/preparedness forums, meet ups, and other groups.

Spare Me the Gung Ho Survivalists Who Have Gone Off the Deep End

I love preparedness stuff. I love gadgets. I love having an small armory of firearms and a year's worth of food in my home. The only thing that I don't like so much about this field are the wackos that seem to pop up regularly. They either brag about how great they are, claiming adulation and honor that they don't deserve (wacko type #1), or they are so far past the preparedness/survivalist mode that they think that being a survivalist means being set to take on the US government and overthrow the country (wacko type #2).

Over the course of a number of years, I have run into quite a few people who have either stretched the truth so far past reality that it was no longer discernible or just flat out lied about such things as being a soldier, being a war hero, being a cop, firefighter, etc. I'm not sure what drives people to do this but it drives me crazy. I don't care if they have raging insecurities, I don't care if they couldn't get past the psych test, what I do care about is people who talk about "the war" when they weren't even there just to get the esteem and accolades that they didn't earn and don't deserve. Years ago I was at a function and a group of people were standing around chatting. One guy started talking about 'Nam--going into detail about his Special Forces unit and throwing out so many insider terms I thought he was going to choke on them. Now, I did pass math and something didn't seem to jive, namely his youthfulness, so I asked him what year he was born which he told me without giving it much thought. After a quick calculation I announced that he would have been about 12 when Saigon fell. The room got quiet awfully quickly. Now I may need to work on my social skills but when someone defies logic or is just flat out bullshitting me, I tend to point such things out, crowd or no crowd. Moral of the story: if you want to be able to tell great war stories, you need to have have earned the right to do so by putting in the time and the work to qualify; if you want to spew fiction, go write a book.

The other category of people that I tend to run into seem to have a distorted view of survivalism. Yes, I firmly believe that everyone should be able to take care of themselves (physically, financially, psychologically, etc), and being a survivalist who can grow your own food, raise up good kids by example, go kill your dinner and bring it home, run off any roughneck fool who is dumb enough to target your home or family, help rescue people during a disaster, and do the myriad other tasks that true survivalists can do should be applauded. Being a survivalist means being prepared for any eventuality. It is not all about having guns and being prepared to play shoot 'em up. Actually that is the fastest way to get killed which would preclude 'surviving', which would be the antithesis of being a survivalist. While I enjoy a good Rambo type movie as much as the next person and scenarios of action adventure flicks give me some ideas of things I could improve upon (I definitely need to shoot better, I would like to be able to run further, one movie that showed a guy with a huge safe full of cash made me think that's a good idea, etc), being a survivalist is less about getting ready to shoot all comers and more about getting ready for the next big winter storm. Moral of the story: true survivalists include the guy who puts money away for his kid's college education so his kid can "survive" in the future job market, the woman who can raise three kids single-handedly, the karate instructor who imparts skills to his students that could save their lives, and the average Joe who knows his rights and exercises his right, for example, to bear arms while encouraging others to know and defend their rights now instead of waiting for the world to cave in then gleefully fighting their way through the mess that is left over. I'm thinking it won't be such a gleeful situation and that fixing small problems as they occur, surviving each day with an eye on how to improve your future and survive future problems, is a better option.

...I'm done ranting and have now hopped off my soap box...

Being a Survivalist--The Intangibles

Many times, people equate their "survivalist quotient" with all of the tangible things they own. They figure that having a BOB, a Ka-Bar, an AK, etc makes them a survivalist. Although these are all good things to have and important in many survival situations, there are as many, if not more, intangible things that make a person a survivalist. Here's some of the intangibles that all survivalist need:

• People you can call for help in any emergency. These may be friends or family but having people to help you, no questions asked, at any time of the day or night, can be the difference between surviving and not, between success and failure, and between a positive outcome and a negative outcome in many survival situations.
• Education and knowledge, whether formally or informally acquired, is a critical component of survival. You don't need a degree and you don't need to know everything but you do need to know how to find out the information you are seeking, how to put together pieces of a puzzle and figure out complicated situations, and you need to have the desire to continually seek out knowledge, skills, and experiences to make you a more well-rounded human being and therefore more capable of surviving difficult situations.
• Common sense is really quite important but sometimes in critically short supply. A person can be extremely educated, but if they lack common sense, they will rate very low on the survivability scale.
• The ability to take personal responsibility in all situations will help you survive. People who always blame others for their problems, rely on others--including the government--to take care of them, and otherwise relinquish their lives and souls to others, literally won't survive when TSHTF.
• People skills are often underrated but in any situation where you need to engage others (whether to get a job, find out information, or request assistance), you need to have good people skills so that others will be much more likely to like you and want to help you.
• A sense of adventure is one of those intangible qualities that really separate the survivors from those who will fare less well in many trying situations. Usually these people have a positive attitude, expect a good outcome, and are up for any challenge--all good survival qualities.
• Flexibility is right next to a sense of adventure when you are looking for personal qualities that can help people out of difficult situations. When things are going chaotic, knowing how to roll with the punches and go with the flow can lead to a favorable survival outcome.
• Creativity is another one of those personal qualities that can help get you out of many kinds of jams. Seeing the possibilities, putting together a unique response to a situation, and thinking outside of the box can help you to survive any situation.

The bottom line is that you don't have to have "things" in order to be considered a survivalist. I know many people from third world countries who have nothing but can easily head out and travel around their country or around the world with little more than the clothes on their backs--and the aforementioned intangibles--and survive. I think with America's overwhelmingly consumeristic society, we often think that things will make the difference in survival situations. However when you lose everything and need to rely only on the intangible assets that you already possess, you will be a true survivalist.

Survival, Pinoy Style

I came across this article http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=122651 when I was reading the news this morning (I try to read a couple of sites from outside our country every morning to get a different take on the news). Anyway, if people in the Philippines can cut back even more due to ever increasing gas and other commodity prices, I think I could probably do better. One thing I always notice in the Philippines is the people's happy attitude no matter how difficult the circumstances. Attitude + creativity = a much better outcome.

100 Survival Items for $10 or Less

Some people think it takes a lot of money in order to buy survival supplies. Here are 100 items you can buy for $10 or less. Next time you are passing buy Walmart or your local general store, stop by and buy a couple of these important items for your survival supplies cache:

1. Duct tape
2. Plastic sheeting
3. Manual can opener
4. Vitamins
5. Ibuprofin
6. Leather work gloves
7. Spare gas can
8. Bottled water
9. Calling card
10. Land line phone (sans answering machine)
11. Soap
12. Razors
13. Bleach
14. Emergency blankets
15. Socks
16. Heavy duty aluminum foil
17. Heavy duty plastic bags
18. Ziploc bags
19. Rope
20. Flashlight
21. Batteries
22. Matches
23. Lighters
24. Parachute Cord
25. Candles
26. Water purifier tablets
27. Compass
28. Map
29. Canned food
30. Handiwipes
31. Sewing kit
32. Scissors
33. Permanent markers
34. Hand sanitizer
35. Mirror
36. Bandana
37. Condoms
38. Ammunition
39. Propane fuel bottles
40. Water-proofing spray
41. Fix a flat
42. Tweezers
43. Antiseptic cream
44. Latex gloves
45. Alcohol wipes
46. Face masks
47. Whistle
48. Plastic bucket with lid
49. Staple item (beans, rice, oil, peanut butter, etc)
50. Sun screen
51. Bug spray
52. Toilet tissue
53. Fishing supplies (line, hooks, etc)
54. Sterno
55. Transistor radio
56. Coffee filters
57. Spices
58. Flares
59. Glow sticks
60. Tarp
61. Magnifying glass
62. Knife sharpening stone
63. Glue (epoxy, wood, Super, etc)
64. Wire
65. Pliers
66. Hand saw
67. Crow bar
68. Screwdriver
69. Hand warmers
70. Candy
71. Stocking cap
72. Nalgene water bottle
73. Toothbrushes/toothpaste
74. Bolts/screws/nails
75. Metal cup
76. Fluorescent signal cloth
77. Scalpel
78. Towel
79. Roll of quarters
80. WD40
81. Smoke detector
82. Utility knife
83. Petroleum jelly
84. Playing cards
85. Lysol/disinfectant
86. Garden seeds
87. Mosquito net
88. Zipties
89. Safety glasses
90. Padlock
91. Shovel
92. Paper plates/plastic utensils
93. Utility shut-off wrench
94. Spare set of keys
95. Books (how to, survival, etc)
96. Bungee cords
97. Pencils/waterproof paper
98. Slingshot
99. Cast iron skillet
100. Doodads (safety pins, rubber bands, clothes pins, etc)

The Survival Community

Do you have survival-related information to share? Do you have survival-related questions to ask? There are a number of online communities that allow members to share information, ask questions, and provide answers to other's questions with just a bit of information to get you registered. Here's some of the best sites I've found:

• Survivalist Boards http://www.survivalistboards.com/
• Black Flag Cafe http://comebackalive.com/phpBB2/index.php
• Yahoo Prep Links http://groups.yahoo.com/group/preplinks/
• Everyday Carry Forum http://edcforums.com/

How the Oldtimers Survived the Great Depression and Why We May Not Measure Up

Anyone who grew up with relatives who survived the Great Depression and World War II probably have the stories that were passed down from those eras engraved into their subconscious. I know that whenever I go to purchase something expensive and not truly necessary, my grandmother's voice saying "do you really need that?" immediately comes to mind. If I open my wallet and find only a few dollars, my grandfather's warning to never leave the house without cold, hard cash also flashes through my memory. Now that we could quite possibly be heading for another depression, the lessons from family old timers about how they survived are quite telling, and, at the same time, it makes me look at society today and pick out many ways that we may not survive such a period as successfully as they did. Here's why:

• Many people lived on farms during the Depression which softened the blow as far as food was concerned. They could pretty much grow the food they needed and not have to go to a grocery store for every single morsel to feed their families. How many people do you know today that can grow most of their own food including fruits, vegetables, eggs, chickens, milk, pigs, cows, etc? The only things that I remember they made a big deal of, and conserved like it was gold, was coffee and chocolate. There was no such thing as picky kids or food that went to waste.
• The skills to acquire food were part of the fabric of life. Berry picking in the summer, foraging for nuts in the fall, growing food, processing food (ie: smoking meats, canning vegetables and fruit, making cheese), fishing, and hunting were skills that every kid learned from his parents and grandparents. How many people these days could take a live chicken and make it into a fried chicken? How many kids have no idea how something as simple as butter is made?
• Skills in general were used to do a lot of work with very little material goods. Clothes were washed by hand, fertilizer was made at home (thanks to the cows) and not purchased, and home shops (wood, welding, etc) were quite common and thoroughly used. Many people today would have no idea how to wash a load of clothes by hand or dry them without the dryer telling them what setting it needed to use.
• They didn't have credit back then. Granted some people received credit for various purchases (house, car, farm machinery, etc) but it was a BIG deal. You didn't sign a paper and wait for a shiny card to arrive in the mail. The banker had to know you, your parents, your grandparents, and practically receive the title to your first born before you would be given credit to purchase what you needed. With credit so easy to receive today, much of the population is up to their eyeballs in debt, setting up themselves and their lenders for bankruptcy at the slightest financial glitch.
• They didn't have the bills that we have today. My bills include: gas, electricity, water, garbage, sewer, cell phone, home phone, cable TV, and DSL internet (not to mention the housekeeper, yard guy, car wash, and all of those other "have to have" services that we take for granted). My grandparents paid for electricity and didn't have a phone or TV until way after their kids were born. They filled up the propane tank when they could afford it but mainly used the wood stove for heat and cooking, water was from a hand-dug well, garbage was processed on their land (burned, recycled, composted), sewer was a septic tank (with an outhouse for backup), and there were no cell phones, DSL, or cable. Grandma was the housekeeper, grandpa was the yard guy, and the kids were the car washers.
• They didn't go shopping or out to eat. I can count on one hand how many times my grandparents went out for dinner. They always ate at home and if they would be away from home at meal time, they packed up their food and took it with them. They also rarely went shopping unless it was for a necessity. It probably helped that they were in farm country and the number of stores and restaurants available could also be counted on one hand. These days if you don't go out to eat or shop regularly you are in the distinct minority. I know people today who would be hard pressed to go an entire week, possibly an entire day, without eating at a restaurant or purchasing a latte.
• They didn't spend their money unless it was absolutely necessary. A yard of fabric would be made into a dress, grandma would add ruffles to keep the dress wearable as the owner grew, the dress would then be passed down to the next sister and the next, when it grew threadbare in places it would then be cut up into quilt squares or used for rags or doll clothes. How many clothing items have you bought that either are still hanging in the closet with the tags on or, worse, were worn once and since you didn't like it, tossed it into the Goodwill bag? Next time you go shopping, consider whether the items in your basket are absolute necessities or just stuff you want.
• Life revolved around social connections. If more work was needed than one man could do, friends and neighbors would show up and help, knowing they could expect the same help in return. Families were closer and friendships were lifelong. How many people do you know would welcome grandma into their house to live with them for her final years? It's no secret that nursing homes and retirement communities are such big business. How many parents would know how to deal with their kids if the electricity was out for an extended period of time? Many parents rely on the TV, internet, texting, and video games to keep their kids quiet, socialized, and entertained.
• They made money at anything possible. If they needed money, they didn't turn to credit, they turned to work; they had the skills and ingenuity that could be used to immediately make money. Among the jobs that my grandparents told stories about: they had farm stands and U Pick farms, grandpa was a welder who worked at Hanford and on various bridges in Portland, grandma worked in knitting mills and sewing factories as money was needed, they ran a dance hall on the weekends (grandma took the tickets and grandpa played in the band), grandpa raised and bred horses, and they both hunted/fished/trapped animals for food and to trade or sell to others.

The moral of the story is that although we are so "advanced" technologically, economically, and socially compared to decades past, it is imperative that we all develop the basic skills necessary to survive should all of the technology, economic infrastructure, and social structure that we have come to rely on suddenly disappear.

Problem Solving 101

The nightly news has done a pretty good job of telling the country that the sky is falling. I'm not sure if the planets are not aligned correctly or what, but the past couple of months have put reasonably sane people into a tail spin. I won't even go into the whole topic of whether the doom and gloom from the media is encouraging the swift downfall of our economy or if economic indicators are doing that job on their own. But I digress...

When everything is going along well, there is usually little impetus to improve or change what you are doing (from the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' theory of management), however, when there is doubt or uncertainly in any area of your life (financial, marriage, job, kids, et al) people usually enter into some predictable actions: panic, anger, depression, denial/head in the sand, and (hopefully, eventually) change.

Panic is usually the first response to a change of situation. A lost job, a wayward child, a wayward spouse, a financial disaster, basically any change from your "norm" can set forth a negative response. Flapping around like a chicken, losing hope, imagining every possible negative scenario--the usual "I'm going to freak out now" response. Although it feels comforting initially, you will find that this response is not very useful at improving your situation. The panic response is generally followed by anger and depression; also rather unuseful emotions. Some people will then go into a state of denial and figuratively bury their head in the sand and hope the entire situation blows over before they come up for air. Finally there is change--either for the better or the worse. It is up to you which one to choose.

So how do you whether an emotional/financial/physical storm? Here's some steps:

1. Give yourself about ten minutes (alone) to release all of your negative emotions. Yell, scream, cry, punch a wall (not too hard--you have more important things to do after this step than waiting in the emergency room).
2. Assess the situation. Unlike an immediate emergency which requires immediate action, storms of this nature usually give you some time for thought and response planning. Get out a piece of paper--or ten if need be--and list down each and every one of your immediate crisis. Get every worry, concern, situation, event, problem, etc. onto paper. Don't editorialize as this will send you back to panic mode (step #1).
3. Detach from the situation and put yourself into General mode. A General doesn't have time to obsess about one issue--there are many fronts and each situation needs to be handled efficiently, effectively, and simultaneously as many soldier's lives depend on the decisions he makes. Detachment is necessary in highly emotional settings as people loose the ability to think clearly when they are too close to the action and too hung up on the outcome. How many times have you marveled that an otherwise competent friend can't see the disaster that is his love life?
4. Make goals. Next to each problem, list the way that you hope the situation will be resolved. For example, next to "electricity will be shut off next week", write, "my electric bill is paid in full, the lights are on, and there is money in the bank to pay the next month's bill".
5. Make a plan. And a back up plan. You have the situation clearly outlined in front of you, so the next step is to make a plan. Remember the old adage that "if you keep doin' what you're doin' you're going to keep gettin' what your gettin'". It is time for evolutionary thinking that will propel you past your current problems. With the electricity bill example, consider the steps it will take to move from the current situation to the resolved situation. Your plan may include: find out the total owed, ask for an extension until payday, look into community organizations that provide assistance with electricity bills, reduce electricity usage to the bare minimum to keep future bills lower, raise the money to pay this bill by selling something on EBay, babysitting the neighbor's kids, or collecting cans. Consider back up alternatives (such as taking in a roommate to help pay the bills temporarily), and put $1 a day into a savings account to pay next month's bill when it arrives. Most importantly, make plans that have a reasonable opportunity for success--if the spouse has moved out and filed for divorce, consider that planning to get them back may be unreasonable as it takes two who want to be married to make it work. Finally, realize that you can only change yourself and your responses--having a goal to change others, to make changes that clearly are against the law, or changes that rely solely on hope, not action, will be doomed from the start.
6. Take action. Lists are great for organizing thoughts but the thoughts don't jump off the paper and go to work solving your problems--you need to do that. Get up and get going!
7. After some time passes, review the results of your efforts. Continue doing what works to improve your situation and change tactics in situations that are not improving. This is called evolving. The opposite of evolution is called death. While you cannot change situations, you can change your reactions to them. It is often not possible to keep the status quo when everything around you is changing rapidly so it necessary that you plan your responses in a way that will help you to positively evolve out of your negative situation and put you into a positive situation where you will be comfortable and happy, at least for the time being.

The bottom line--if you are not succeeding at various aspects of life, it is you that needs to change and improve your reactions and responses. You cannot change other people, mandate employment in a profession that has moved overseas, or wish yourself into a better situation. Use your God-given talents and creativity to change your circumstances and change your life for the better.

Notes from a Rain Storm (and Subsequent Flood)

So far this year we have had a windstorm and snowstorm. Rounding out the trifecta was a rain storm this weekend that soaked our region (and melted all of the snow) causing pretty big flooding problem in some areas. Here are some lessons learned:

• Know the roads in your area and have maps in your car. Many of the usual routes were inundated with water so alternate routes were the only way to get around.
• Don't drive through flooded roads. In a few cases, doing this led to a couple of minutes of airtime on the local news and no problems as the driver meandered through rain-swollen roads, in many other cases it led to cars being abandoned, flooded engines, people being rescued from car rooftops, and in some rare cases, cars were driven into what was assumed to be a few inches of water that actually turned out to be washed out roads and sink holes--these unlucky cars won't be seen again until the rain stops and the flooding subsides.
• Do as much pre-event prep as possible: clean out gutters, make sure the sump pump works, move animals to higher pasture, make sure any drainage problems are taken care of ASAP, have sand and sandbags at the ready if flooding is common in your area.
• At the risk of sounding like a broken record--have a well stocked BOB in your home and car. Some people had to evacuate at a moments notice, while other were stuck in their cars on closed highways for literally hours (a couple of freeways will be closed for days until repair work and/or flood waters can be taken care of). You need to be able to take care of yourself (food, water, amusements, etc.) for the duration of such events.
• Stay home. If your home is safe and secure, that is absolutely the best place to be. First, it alleviates added cars in what is already a mess of traffic; second, it keeps you from becoming stranded; third, it is (or should be) well stocked with all you would need to hunker down for days to weeks. There's no point in risking life and limb to get a dozen eggs, get to the office, or run to the video store.
• Have alternate forms of transportation available. During the worst of the flooding, motorcycles, bicycles and even (especially) rafts and canoes were far easier to use for transportation than cars.
• Don't buy or build in an area that floods. Duh. Every year, the same neighborhoods, the same houses, even the same people are interviewed on the news about the flood that just washed out the lower level of their homes. Obviously when buying a home or land take into consideration the likelihood of floods and mudslides (or any other natural disaster) before buying.
• Avoid wading through flood water (it can be contaminated with sewage and other nasty stuff).
• Keep up on what's happening. Our local news, radio news, and county DEM website all provide up to the minute information on conditions as they change.
• If your home does flood: turn off all utilities, raise things (furniture, etc) to higher ground, evacuate if necessary, don't use your well until the flood waters recede and the well has been decontaminated.

The Preparedness Bookshelf

As much as more and more of our reading, research and education is conducted online, it is still a good idea to have a basic set of actual *books* to refer to in times of emergency (or boredom). Here is a basic list of books that should reside on your preparedness bookshelf:

• The Encyclopedia of County Living by Carla Emery
• Back to Basics by Readers Digest Editors
• Where There is No Doctor by David Werner
• Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First Aid by William Fogery
• Where There is No Dentist by Murray Dickson
• Medicine for the Outdoors by Paul Auerbach
• SAS Survival Handbook by John Wiseman
• Putting Food By by Janet Greene
• Preparedness Now by Civilian
• Organize for Disaster by Judith Kolberg
• Edible and Medicinal Plants (look up this title on Amazon and order the version suited to your location)
• Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills by John and Geri McPherson
• Primitive Technology by David Wescott
• US Army Survival Manual by Department of Defense
• New Fix It Yourself Manual by Readers Digest
• How to Be Invisible by JJ Luna
• Privacy Crisis by Grant Hall
• SAS Urban Survival Handbook by John Wiseman
• How to Survive Anything, Anywhere by Chris McNab
• Wilderness Survival by Mark Elbroch and Michael Pewtherer