Oklahoma 2013 Tornadoes - Would you be prepared?

A man carrying a child away from a damaged school in Moore, OK. 
source: Associated Press

Today, I write this blog post in sorrow and grief. The news reports, pictures, stories and body counts of Oklahoma and Midwestern U.S. have been steadily updated since the deadly tornado outbreak began on Sunday, May 19^th. The most devastated of these areas is Moore, Oklahoma, which was hit by a F5 tornado on Monday, May 20^th.

We stand in solidarity with the victims of this disaster. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost their lives and for the families who grieve them. We pray for those who are still missing and for those who have lost everything.

The path of a tornado in Moore, OK.
source: Associated Press

Beware. This event, and others like it, must not move into the “Out of sight, out of mind” realm once the media discontinues their reports. The towns and people affected by these tornadoes will be rebuilding for months and years to come. Their lives have now been changed. Teddy bears, pots and pans, shoes, pillows, cars, homes, schools, jobs, hospitals, neighborhoods. Gone. These people are without the “everyday” that they had just a few days before. They are now dependent upon others who reach out to help them. The amount of volunteers and aid that has arrived is staggering and honorable. If you can contribute aid in any way, please do. The people that you see here are not actors. This is not a movie. This is life, and we are all in this together.

Heather - Survival-Pax Team Member

How to Prepare

Events like this are very tragic, but they are also learning opportunities. A few years ago, our local community was hit by a rather small tornado. Only a few homes were damaged, and power was out for a day or two, so it wasn’t anywhere near the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes.

We put together a blog post back about Severe Weather Preparedness that you can find here. 

I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a moment and think about how to prepare for next time, because a tornado may hit a community near you.

Tornadoes can hit almost anywhere, in all 50 states, so no matter where you live, it is a good idea to at least think about preparing for such a disaster. However, tornadoes are most commonly formed in the Midwestern United States in a geographical area known as Tornado Alley.

Tornado activity in the United States.
Tornado Alley is the Midwestern Area in orange and red.
source: Wikipedia

Tornado Alley spans portions of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. Tornadoes in this geographical area normally form during the springtime, such as what happened recently in Oklahoma. A simple way to prepare for tornadoes would be to move to a geographical area where tornadoes are less common. Alaska, for example, has only had 2 recorded tornadoes since its existence as a U.S. state: once in 1959 and once in 2006, both being weak F0 Tornadoes.

But that might not be so simple. For those who do live in an area prone to devastating twisters, here are some preps that you would want to have:

Safe Room

The #1 prep that I would recommend having would be a safe room. Almost any above-ground structure can be blown down, given enough wind-speed. The main cause of death from tornadoes is from structures falling down and crushing people. Since a tornado is above ground, having a reinforced room that can with stand the weight of your house falling down on top of it could save your life in the event of such a storm hitting your home. 

For everyday use, you can use the safe room as a storage room for emergency supplies. With a secure door, it can even serve as a vault for your valuables.

Food & Water

Since a Tornado is a localized disaster, having a large supply of food to prepare for one isn’t particularly necessary. (Although having a large supply of food is a good idea to prepare for other emergencies!) Local stores may be swamped with people purchasing supplies in preparation for or in response to a storm, so it would be a good idea to have at least 2 weeks worth of food on hand, along with 2 weeks worth of water.

Generator & Fuel

One of the most common utilities to disappear after a storm is electricity. This is due to the delicate nature of power lines and the rest of the power grid. If you live in a temperate region where rainstorms are common, you can expect the power to go out at least once every year, often leaving you int the dark for a short while. It doesn't have to be because of a tornado. For this reason, having a backup generator with fuel to power it for several days is a very good idea.

A generator will keep food from spoiling, keep the lights on, and allow you to use any other household appliances that you depend on for survival.

Flashlight(s)

A flashlight is a staple emergency preparedness item. In an emergency, a good flashlight is critical because being able to see when it is dark out is essential. I would recommend a high-quality LED flashlight with at least 100 lumen output, along with an ample supply of batteries. Have enough batteries on hand to replace the current set 3 times over, at least.

For a great introduction to flashlights, check out our blog post on the topic, found here.

Chain Saw

Part of what makes tornadoes so dangerous isn’t so much the high winds, but the objects that the winds can blow over, pick up and throw. One of the dangers that tornadoes present are trees and branches falling down. While little can be done to prevent a tree from falling, have a chainsaw for tree cleanup will be very useful. Do not forget to have enough fuel for it, as well!

Bug Out Bag

Sometimes, it may be necessary to leave your home. Whether it be before a storm or after, having a Bug Out Bag or Emergency Kit ready to go can be a great thing to have. It's foolish to think that, in an emergency, you will have the presence of mind to grab all necessary supplies to be able to comfortably leave your home and still be survive comfortably.

This wouldn't be a kit that you would necessarily be surviving off of, but rather a kit with things to help you live comfortably for the next few days while you rebuild. Spare clothing, hygiene essentials, some food/water and basic tools (knife, multi-tool, flashlight) would be the types of items in this kit. It would mainly be focused on leaving your home, but being able to stay at somebody else's house or at a local shelter until things are safe to come back home.

Strong Local Community

There is no better prep for any emergency than building a strong local community. No matter how much food, water, fuel and supplies you might have, you do not have the manpower to overcome every possible difficulty. That is why, ultimately, you could succeed or fail based on whether your local community succeeds or fails. You should not underestimate the importance of a strong local community.

We will look into ways of building up a strong community in future posts.

Will you be ready if you see a storm like this outside of your home?

So, how prepared are you if a tornado or severe storm were to hit your area? Do you have any other preps that you think are necessary that we haven't mentioned in this post? If so, let us know in the comments below.

Take care guys!

Simon - Survival-Pax Team Member

Solar Flares Are Still Around

An interesting thing happened to me this morning. I overslept. I set my alarm last night on my cell phone to wake me up this morning, but it never went off. I woke up, realizing that I slept about half an hour longer than I wanted to. Still sleepy and confused, I didn't remember the alarm going off.

I took a look at the time on my phone and saw that it was set about 2 hours ahead of the current time and the date was 5/1/1982. It's funny because the first thing that popped into my mind was that a Solar Flare hit the cell networks and messed with the signals, I kid you not. I quickly dismissed this as unlikely until I found out what had actually happened.

My wife's phone, however, had the correct time. I think the clock on my cell phone got changed because I have it set to change automatically.

A view of the solar flare released on May 12, 2013.
source: news.yahoo.com

When I turned on the computer this morning to check the news, I came across this article and I knew why my cell phone time was off. For those unaware, a solar flare was emitted last night, from the side of the sun not facing the Earth. Even though the flare did not directly impact the earth, it created an hour-long high-frequency radio blackout, which could have been the cause of my cell phone problems.

I was actually quite shocked, because the time that this happened, 10:17 pm EDT, accounts for why my clock was off by about 2 hours. The time signal from the cell tower must have scrambled because of the flare and it had reset to 12:00 am, May 1, 1982.

Solar Flares

I wrote a previous blog post in June 2011 about solar flares called "Solar Flare Misses Earth". I would recommend taking a moment to read it.

In 1859, the largest recorded solar flare hit the earth. This was called the Carrington Event. In 1859, the world wasn't very developed in terms of electrical power grids and communication networks, but the telegraph networks that were up and running were pretty much fried. Telegraph systems across the world failed, and in a few instances, shocked telegraph operators. Some telegraphs even sent and received messages despite being disconnected from a power supply!

On a positive note, beautiful Aurorae (plural for Aurora) were visible all over the world, even as far south as the Caribbean. It was said that the light emitted was brighter than a full moon. So bright, that miners in the Rocky Mountains began making breakfast because they thought the sun was about to come up.

A view of the Aurora Borealis from space. Now imagine seeing this across the whole globe.

Thankfully, events of this magnitude only hit the earth about once every 500 years. Still, the flare that was emitted last night was an X1.7-class sun eruption, which is the strongest type of solar flare. Had it been directed towards the earth, waking up late may have been the least of my worries. I am not sure if it would have been as massive as the Carrington Event, but it's very possible that many communication networks and even power grids may have been damaged.

How to prepare?

As in my last blog post about solar flares, an absolute worst-case flare-induced event would be a wipe-out of most of the power grid and communication networks in the world. It would be an instant return to the 19th Century, and it's something that the majority of us are not prepared for.

To try to prepare for a situation like this, I would recommend taking a moment and imagining that from this point forward, for the near future (possibly several years), you will have no access to running water, fuel, electricity, or basic supplies. You can also be assured that any law enforcement or government help would be tied up or non-existent, so the majority of you would be on your own as far as security.

To start, it would be a good idea to have a water storage plan, 6 months to a year's worth of food, extra fuel for your vehicles, a backup generator, flashlights and batteries, defensive firearms (rifle, shotgun, handgun) & ammunition, hygiene essentials (soap, detergent, first-aid kits, etc.) and essential tools for fixing broken items. There is also a possibility that if things become really bad, you may need to leave your home, so having a well-stocked Bug Out Bag is also a very good idea.

It's really hard to imagine what would happen, since these events are fairly rare. However, they are common enough that within the next few hundred years, we are pretty much guaranteed to have an event like this.

I really hope that I never have to face a situation like this, but it is always looming in the back of my mind. This morning's occurrence is just a reminder that the effects of solar flares are real and can potentially be very devastating.

Have any of you had anything strange happen to you today because of the Solar Flare? Have any of you HAM Radio users found it difficult to communicate today? Let us know in the comments below.

Take care!

Simon - Survival-Pax Team Member

P.S.
By the way, Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there!

Sources Used:
Yahoo News. Major Solar Flare Erupts from the Sun, Strongest of 2013
http://news.yahoo.com/major-solar-flare-erupts-sun-strongest-2013-105422413.html

Wikipedia. Solar storm of 1859
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859

Everyday Carry Utensils?

The idea of everyday carry (EDC) is to be prepared for things that you may come across during the day. Carrying a folding knife for the time that you may need to cut open a box, a flashlight for when you drop something under your dark desk and need to find it, a cell phone to call a friend, a wallet to carry your cash, and even a handgun in case your life is threatened. However, there is one thing that is often overlooked and is still something that everybody does every day: we eat.

What tools do you carry with you to help you eat?

Many of you travel to work and bring lunches along with you. Normally, a standard metal fork, spoon and knife would work quite well. However, if you are looking to really limit the amount of utensils that you carry, desire something really small and light, or just want a cool new gadget to make eating your meals a bit more fun, then this post is for you. The information found here would also be useful to backpackers and campers, people who don't have the luxury of taking every possible tool with them, and need to save space/weight.

CRKT and Light My Fire

Two companies that are popular for things other than utensils are Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) and Light My Fire. However, in recent years, these two companies have ventured into the portable utensil market with great success. Let's look at some of the tools that they designed to help you eat on the go.

CRKT Eat'N Tool & Eat'N Tool XL

The CRKT Eat'N Tool comes in a wide variety of colors.

As the name implies the Eat'N Tool by CRKT is a tool designed for eating. The original Eat'N Tool has been very successful. I have personally carried one for over a year and have used it on several occasions. It performs many more functions that just an eating utensil. I like to think of it as a multi-tool. However, as with all multi-tools, it is a compromise.

The form factor of the Eat'N Tool is very small, only 4" long and 1.3 oz weight. It is fairly flat too, considering that it is a spoon/fork combination utensil. As part of its multi-tool functionality, it also has a bottle opener, two flat-bladed screwdrivers and three sized hex nut slots (10 mm, 8 mm, 6 mm).  I should also mention that it is made out of stainless steel, which makes it very durable.

Like I said, it is a compromise, since it has to be functional and portable. In a pinch, it will work well, but the spoon may be a bit shallower and the fork not as pointy as you are used to. However, for it's size, it really is a great tool.

The CRKT Eat'N Tool XL gives you a larger,
more functional utensil.

Going along with the Eat'N Tool, CRKT recently came out with a larger version, the Eat'N Tool XL. The Eat'N Tool XL gives you a more usable, albeit larger, handled utensil, with even more functionality. With the increased size, you get a deeper spoon with a more functional fork. You also get a can opener and 4 sized hex nut slots (1/2 in, 7/16 in, 3/8 in, 5/16 in, 1/4 in). Weighing a bit more (2.8 oz) and being a bit longer (6.1"), the added functionality of the Eat'N Tool XL may be a better choice if you can spare the extra size/weight.






Light My Fire Spork

The Spork by Light My Fire is a lightweight and functional
multi-purpose utensil.

Light My Fire, a company known for its ferro rods, tinder materials and other tools having to do with fire, has also ventured into the world of utensils and outdoor food supplies. One of their most popular items is a spin on the Spork, something that we all remember using during grammar school lunches.

What Light My Fire does differently with their Spork is actually quite innovative. On one side of the Spork, you have a functional spoon. The spoon works very well and is similar in dimensions to a normal spoon that you would use at home. On the other side of the utensil, there is a very functional fork with one of the prongs having small serrations on it, to be used as a knife. While I can't really comment on the usefulness of the knife, the idea of having a multi-function utensil that doesn't have a spoon with little fork prongs sticking out of it is very appealing.

The Spork by Light My Fire also comes in a Titanium version.

With the design of the Spork, there really are no drawbacks to having a spoon and a fork in one utensil, since they are both on opposite ends and don't interfere with each other. The Tritan polymer that Light My Fire uses to make their Sporks is also very durable and lightweight; the Spork weighs in at only 0.4 oz and is 6.6 in long.

To those who look down on a plastic utensil as not being durable enough, Light My Fire also makes a Titanium Spork for a reasonable price. The Spork Titanium is the same size, but weighs in at 0.68 oz, which is a bit heavier than the original polymer version.

Light My Fire also makes a SporkCase to carry your Spork in.

But how do you carry your Spork? Light My Fire has also answered that question with the SporkCase. Conveniently enough, the SporkCase comes with a polymer Spork, but will also fit the Spork Titanium.

These are just a few of the portable utensils on the market. They are all a compromise in one way or another, but they allow you to have some basic eating tools with you wherever you go.

What are your experiences with these utensils, if you have any? Have you found any other useful tools on the market that may work better? Chime in below in the comments section.

Simon - Survival-Pax Team Member

WROL & Gun Control

As many of you have noticed, we are starting up the WROL Series of videos again. When we did them in the past, we got many positive responses and have decided to start them up again. This series will be set 2-3 years in the future from the last one.

This is the newest video in the WROL Series.

To bring all of you up to speed, WROL stands for Without Rule of Law. It's a situation where, due to a large-scale disaster, either local, regional or national, society is so disturbed and unprepared for the emergency, that the rule of law and order in society is temporarily upset. This can happen in the aftermath of a large storm, earthquake, hurricane or other natural disaster. It can also happen when economic and political systems collapse.

In the scenario illustrated by the videos, the collapse was caused by an economical and political collapse of the United States. Think of it as a worst-case scenario of where our country may be headed. Our goal is to have one WROL video up every 2 weeks. Our next video should be up on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013.

Here is the last WROL Series for your viewing pleasure.

Gun Control

Here, at Survival-Pax, we don't get political. Personal politics are your business. We are here to help you be prepared for emergencies. However, when politics come to attack our right and ability to be prepared, well, that definitely deserves a response from us.

What is a gun and what is it good for?

A gun is a tool. It is, at its most primitive state, it is a pipe packed with an explosive charge with a projectile on top. Igniting the charge accelerates the projectile. That projectile can then be directed to deliver its kinetic energy towards a target. It's a very simple piece of technology that has existed since the 12th Century.

When you think of what a gun is good for, due to what you see and hear in the media, the thoughts you get are often very negative. Since the horrible crime that happened at Sandy Hook, the media's coverage of the gruesome misuse of that tool has been greatly increased. If you have never shot a gun before, you may think that there is absolutely no legitimate use for a firearm and that's very unfortunate.

The fact that so many people are so passionate about the ownership of firearms should give you a clue that maybe they are on to something, that there are legitimate uses for guns. The people calling for the defense of the right to keep and bear arms are not fringe radicals, but rather mothers, fathers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. They are the people all around you.

An AR-15 may look scary with a standard capacity, 30-round magazine,
but there is no better tool for defending my family.

The reasons that I am even taking the time to write this are to show that guns have a legitimate use and their use can be indispensable in an emergency. I understand that many like to use guns for fun at the range, for competitive shooting, and even for hunting, but that is only a secondary function. Their primary reason for even being invented is for self-defense. When an adversary is about to hurt or kill you, a firearm is a very efficient and safe way to defend yourself. By safe, I mean safe to you since you do not have to come into contact distance with the adversary. The ideal outcome when being attacked would be to walk away without a scratch, and a firearm is about the only tool that even gives you a chance at achieving that end.

Yes, they can be misused, but the amount of times that guns are used in self-defense outnumbers the amount of times they are used to hurt or kill the innocent. If you take them away, criminals will still find a way to continue their crimes (crimes were committed before the invention of guns), while the law-abiding will have lost the ability to defend themselves effectively.

The approach that many in the media are screaming for is totally backwards. In the face of extreme evil, they are calling the citizens of this nation to disarm. Well, what will we be able to do when that evil comes breaking into our home in the middle of the night? I want to have the ability to defend myself and, even more importantly, my family. When the risk of being hurt is increased, it is logical to beef up security and not to lessen it!

In all the times that I have heard politicians call for gun control, not once have I heard them call for taking the guns away from criminals, only for taking them away from you and me, people who have done nothing wrong.

In any mutual relationship, there is a level of trust. If there is no trust, then the relationship cannot possibly be a healthy one. I do not want to have a government that does not trust its own citizens. Not only that, while the government is seeking to disarm us, they are increasing their own armament!

Back to WROL

How does this relate to WROL? Well, these topics are some of the topics that I will touch on when I record this next series of videos. I have a very bad feeling that if this call to disarmament is not contained, we may be facing our very own WROL scenario in the future.

Simon - Survival-Pax Team Member

Is "Free Shipping" Really Free?

The people have spoken and we are listening.
You want cheaper shipping and we're doing all we can
to give you guys the best deal.

Shipping costs have become quite the hot topic here at Survival-Pax. We've been receiving several questions/comments a week about cheaper shipping, but most of all, "FREE" shipping, for our customers' orders. We actually had a poll on our Survival-Pax Facebook Page, which resulted in a strong lead for "Cheaper Shipping".

Many people don’t know how shipping costs are calculated, so I wanted to first simplify the mystery before we got into deeper discussion.

There are three factors that are always used to calculate shipping:

1. Weight of the package

2. Distance of travel

3. Speed of travel

1. The heavier the package, the greater the cost to transport it.

2. The further the package must travel, the greater the cost to transport it.

3. The faster the package must travel, the greater the cost to transport it.   

Shipping Cost calculations also take into account the cost of gasoline, type of transportation vehicle (local ground, freight, air, water, etc.), personnel, facility upkeep (utilities, electricity, etc), and other variable factors. No matter what you are shipping or where you are shipping to, shipping will always cost money.

After taking it all into consideration, "FREE" Shipping
may not be as good a deal as it sounds.

At Survival-Pax, we work hard to have reasonable shipping costs in order to keep our product prices low. We get compliments all the time about having some of the lowest priced gear on the internet, including the ever-popular 550 Type III Paracord. There is no question that shipping costs can make or break an online purchase; as an online shopper myself, I understand this perfectly. We’re currently working on new, more efficient shipping methods, which will mean even lower shipping costs and more money in your pockets!

But… there’s that “FREE” Shipping option still in question…

Many stores advertise “Free Shipping”. This might seem like a GREAT deal, but check out their product prices. “Free Shipping” is never free, as we already discussed above. The “Free Shipping” that companies advertise actually hide the shipping costs by raising the price of their products. By the time you calculate the difference between “Free Shipping” and low shipping costs, you’ve most likely paid more for the “FREE” shipping!!!

Check out the example calculations below:

“Free” Shipping over $40 from 60056 to 98101

1000ft Spool E.L Wood Paracord – Galaxy @ $64.99 = $64.99

“Free” Shipping to Seattle @ $0.00 = $0.00

$64.99 + $0.00 = $64.99

UPS Ground from 60056 to 98101

1000ft Spool E.L Wood Paracord – Galaxy @ $48.00 = $48.00

UPS Ground to Seattle = $13.22

$48.00 + $13.22 = $61.22

See the difference in price? You end up paying $3.77 more for “FREE” Shipping!

Now, this doesn’t always turn out to be the case. Low Shipping vs “Free” Shipping obviously has its variables. Sometimes, you will definitely save with “Free” Shipping. However, more likely than not, you will end up saving more money by going with the lower priced products with lower priced shipping as opposed to the higher priced products with the “Free” Shipping option.

If you’re still not convinced, check it out yourself! You can use our website, www.Survival-Pax.com, to compare product and shipping costs with other companies who sell the same products as we do… Lord knows there are plenty out there!

I hope this blog post helped to shed a little light on the world of online shopping and shipping. Feel free to leave a comment or question here, or contact us directly via e-mail (support@survival-pax.com) or phone (847-305-3779 M-F 10am-5pm CST).

Heather - Survival-Pax Team Member

Living Through Sandy: Tips from a Survivor

I got this in an email not too long ago, and thought that many of you would enjoy reading it. I felt it was good enough to publish on our blog and it goes along with the theme of Hurricane Sandy from our last post.

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A satellite view of Hurricane Sandy. Notice the Florida Peninsula at the top of the picture.

Living Through Sandy: Tips from a Survivor

By Frantz Ostmann

1. The excitement and coolness wears off around day 3.

2. You are never really prepared to go weeks without power, heat, water etc. Never!

3. Yes it can happen to you.

4. Just because your generator runs like a top, does not mean its producing electricity.

5. If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble.

• A couple of cases of bottled water is “NOT” water storage 

6. Should have as much fuel as water

• Propane
• Gas
• Kerosene
• Firewood
• Firestarter, (kindling, paper, etc)

7. Even the smallest little thing that you get from the store should be stocked up... (spark plug for the generator, BBQ lighter, etc)

8. If you are not working, chances are nobody else is either.

9. I was surprised how quickly normal social behavior goes out the window. I am not talking about someone cutting in line at the grocery store.

• 3 people were killed at gas stations within 50 miles of my home.
• I did not say 3 fights broke out, 3 people were killed.

10. Cash is king (all the money in your savings means nothing)

11. Stored water can taste nasty.

12. You eat a lot more food when you are cold.

13. You need more food than you think if your kids are out of school for 2 weeks.

14. Kids do not like washing their face in cold water.

15. Your 1972 honda civic gets to the grocery store as well as your 2012 Escalade… but the Honda allows money left over for heat, food, water, a generator, fire wood, a backup water pump, you get the idea.

16. The electrical grid is way more fragile than I thought.

17. Think of the things that are your comfort, your escape, a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and a ding dong before bed, tequila, etc. Stock up on those too. You will need that comfort after day 3.

18. You quickly become the guy in the neighborhood who knows how to wire a generator to the electrical panel, directly wire the furnace to a small generator, or get the well pump up and running on inverter power or you are the guy whose Master’s degree in Accounting suddenly means nothing. (Love you Steve!)

19. A woman who can cook a fine meal by candle light over the BBQ or open fire is worth her weight in gold. And women, whose weight in gold, would not add up to much, usually die off first. Sorry skinny women.

20. It takes a lot of firewood to keep a fire going all day and into the evening for heat.

21. All the food storage in the world means nothing if your kids won’t eat it.

22. You might be prepared to take care of your children and their needs, but what about when the neighborhood children start to show up at your door?

23. Some people shut down in an emergency. There is nothing that you can do about that.

24. Your town, no matter how small is entirely dependent on outside sources of everything.

• If supply trucks stop rolling in due to road damage, gas shortages or anything else you could be without for a long time.

25. In an emergency Men stock up on food, Women stock up on toilet paper.

26. I was surprised how many things run on electricity!

27. You can never have enough matches.

28. Although neighbors can be a great resource, they can also be a huge drain on your emergency storage. You need to know how you are going to handle that. It is really easy to be Bob the guy who shares on Day 3, not so easy on Day 11. Just reality.

29. Give a man a fish he eats for that day, teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry again.. Now I get it.

30. All of the expensive clothes in the closet mean nothing if they don’t keep you warm.

31. Same goes for shoes… Love you Honey!!!!

32. You cannot believe the utility companies. They are run by politicians!! Or so it seems...

33. Anything that you depend on someone else for is not avail anymore.

34. Quote “A man with a chainsaw that knows how to use it is a thing of beauty” hahaha

35. Most folks don’t have any emergency storage. They run to Wal-Mart and get water and batteries and then fill their tubs with water. That is it. A lucky few will get a case of ramen and a box of pop-tarts. That will be your neighbors supply. (especially if you live outside of Utah)

36. Fathers, all the money you have ever made means nothing if you can’t keep your kids warm.

37. Mothers, everything you have ever done for your kids is forgotten if your kids are hungry.

38. You really do not want to be the “Unprepared Parents” The kids turn on you pretty quick.

39. Small solar charging gadgets will keep you in touch. Most work pretty well it seems.

40. Most things don’t take much power to operate.

• Computers
• Phones
• Radios
• TV
• Lights 

41. Some things take a ton of power to operate.

• Fridge
• Toaster
• Freezer
• Hot plate
• Microwave 

42. When it gets dark at 4:30pm, the nights are really long without power.

43. Getting out of the house is very important. Even if it is cold. Make your home the semi- warm place to come home to.. not the cold prison that you are stuck in.

44. Someone in your family must play or learn to play guitar.

45. Things that disappeared are never to be seen again for a very long time. 

• Fuel, of all kinds
• Matches, lighters of any kind, etc.
• Toilet paper  
• Paper plates, plastic forks and knives
• Batteries, didn’t really see a need for them. 
• Milk
• Charcoal
• Spark plugs (generators)
• 2 stroke motor oil, (chainsaws)  
• Anything that could be used to wire a generator to the house.
• Extension cords  
• Medicines (Tylenol, Advil, cold medicine, etc)

46. There was a strange peace to knowing all I had to do each day was keep my family safe, warm, and fed, but my peace was someone else’s panic.

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Take care and stay prepared!

Simon - Survival-Pax Team Member

Hurricane Sandy & Twinkies

With the somewhat recent closing of Hostess Plant, we are starting to see the further decline of our nation's economy.

Sorry guys, Twinkies are now a thing of the past.
Source: news.yahoo.com

For those who are not aware, the Hostess Company, the one who makes Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Ho's, Wonder Bread, Nature's Pride and Butternut Breads, has declared that it will be closing after failure to reach an agreement with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM).

Basically, on November 14th, the company said that it would close if enough employees did not show up for work on the 15th and that's what they did. They weren't able to stay afloat financially and had to close their doors, laying off most of their 18,500-member work force.

You can read more about it here:
http://hostessbrands.com/Closing.aspx

What can we learn?
My prediction is that we're going to be seeing more of this happening as this country moves forward. I also predict inflation taking a greater effect on our economy within the coming years.

What can we do?

Even a simple rain barrel can be a big help during an emergency.
Source: household-tips.thefuntimesguide.com

Well, my best advice would be to prepare for possible economic instability. I'm surprised that our economy isn't in worse shape, following all of the bailouts and loans that our government has been giving out.

To hedge against such instability, I would recommend thinking about the things that you need to live (food, water, fuel, hygiene supplies, etc.) and try and have a surplus of those things stored. Perhaps it would be wise to visit a Mormon Cannery and stock up on a few months worth of dried food. It might be a good idea to have a rain collector for water storage. It might also be smart to have some gasoline/diesel fuel stored up in case of an emergency, along with a generator.

Storing these items will not really cost you much in the long run. In fact, it might actually save you money. What do I mean? Well, if these are things that you use already, having a surplus of these items and using the old stock and replenishing it with new stock means that you aren't wasting money on things you won't use. Rather, you are spending your money on things that you would use anyway. The only difference would be that you are purchasing more initially, to build up a surplus, and then going back to your usual purchasing of that item.

You can even save money by doing this because having a surplus will allow you to wait until there is a sale on an item before resupplying. However, if you do this, it is important that you take an inventory of your stored items from time to time in order to not run out.

Pretty common sense, huh? Well, to some people, common sense is not all that common. Many of the people in New York that endured Hurricane Sandy were not prepared at all for what happened to them.

Hurricane Sandy

The devastation that Hurricane Sandy left was horrible in certain locations.
Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Many were unprepared for the damage that Hurricane Sandy inflicted on the Northeast Coast of the United States. Over a hundred people died and millions were without power, even weeks after the storm. Although tragic, here is a really interesting web page tracking New York City's residents who died in the storm, along with how they died.

Looting

A sign made by a homeowner to discourage looters.
Source: Reuters

After any major disaster where people are evacuated, looting becomes a huge problem. Opportunists who stay behind when others leave feel that they have a right to smash and grab things left behind. Hurricane Sandy was no exception, with looting being very common in areas severly hit by the storm. Some gangs even posed as electricity company and aid workers, knocked on doors in the middle of the night, and robbed houses when people opened. In neighborhoods where looting was prevalent, citizens resorted to posting signs to ward off looters. Unfortunately, due to New York's strict gun control policy, many citizens did not have firearms to defend their homes and resorted to other weapons such as baseball bats, machetes and even bows and arrows.




Dumpster Diving
As can be seen here in the following video, people who were unprepared resorted to scavenging food from the neighborhood dumpster to try and feed themselves and their families.


Lessons learned
When major disasters happen, infrastructures fail. That means businesses, utilities and governments do not provide the services that they are supposed to. The person who is ultimately responsible for taking care of you and your family is you. Like I mentioned earlier, you need to stock up on necessary items now and not during a disaster. Even stocking up before a disaster happens will be tricky, since many others will "all of a sudden" discover that they are also unprepared and store shelves will be left empty.

Another important thing to have, as I mentioned in a blog post titled Are YOU Prepared for Rioting?, is to have a means of defending yourself and the items that you have taken time and effort to store. Having a firearm can very well mean the difference between life and death should a gang of looters attack your house. At the very least, it may mean the difference between having your stored items or having them taken away.

Take care and stay prepared!

Simon - Survival-Pax Team Member

Sources Used:
-Mirror News. Superstorm Sandy looters: New Yorkers arm themselves with bows and arrows...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/superstorm-sandy-looters-new-yorkers-1415662

-New York Times. Mapping Hurricane Sandy’s Deadly Toll
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/17/nyregion/hurricane-sandy-map.html