May 2, 2024

Posts Comments

Search Results for: keeping cool

Have We Been Warned to Flee America?

January 1, 2014 by

Have We Been Warned to Flee America

We normally prepare for possible future events. For Christians, those possibilities should always include the biblically prophetic. That said, if you knew that a major, nation-changing, prophecy-fulfilling event were to occur in your lifetime, an event that would forever change America and alter the course of the world, would it change how you prepare?

Trudee and I recently read a book called The End of America. It is my opinion that every Christian should read this book and do their own study, pray on it and see if they come to the same conclusion as the author John Price has.

I have received many emails over the years, commenting on how America is not mentioned in the Bible. I usually say something to the effect that many nations are not mentioned, that for America to be unmentioned only means that it’s not a key player in the end times. When I look at the world as it is today, I wonder what would it take for the world’s only superpower to be absent? One thing I have considered is that something would have to be done to remove the USA as a defender of Israel from the armies and allies of Gog and Magog. This book offers a very plausible explanation.

The book covers so much information that there is no way I can touch on everything. I will cover key points and give my take on a few things. I also want to say that while I do read the Bible every day, I did not attend seminary and have an intermediate level of understanding. For this reason, I have a favor to ask; join with me in a study of this subject. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “Trust but verify.” I think it is prudent to study the topic John Price brings to light. While Mr. Price has done most of the legwork, it’s absolutely essential that we all verify through study and prayer how this translates to our lives.

I don’t want this study to go on in the comments of this blog post. It would get too cluttered and hard to follow. I have created a new section on the Prepared Christian forum, called “Have We Been Warned to Flee America?”. It requires people to sign up and I have to manually approve each membership. This makes things a little slower to get rolling, but it is the only way I can keep the spammers and hackers from posting their filth. Your membership will not be approved immediately, but I will be keeping a close eye on the forum this week to approve memberships. If I reject your membership, please send me an email to let me know. I have roughly 50 spammers creating accounts every day and sometimes I reject a legitimate membership by accident. You will need to log into the forum to be able to see the “Have We Been Warned to Flee America?” forum, once logged in you will find it under the Preparedness forum. You can get to the forum by clicking on the link above.

Mr. Price offers a lot of material on his site, the EndofAmericaBook.com. One item he offers is called PROPHECY 101: A Brief History of Prophetic Interpretation and another is Hebrew and Greek Annotation about the Daughter of Babylon verses.. He also offers a study guide, which I didn’t know about until we were almost finished with the book, that he gives away. He has given me permission to host a copy, which you can download by clicking here. If you need the study guide as another file type, please email me at Chris (at) preparedchristian (dot) net, and I will take care of it.

I have asked John Price if he would be willing to answer questions on the blog post and on the forum. He has agreed to do so. If you have a question for him, please ask and he may answer.

The Kindle version of The End of America is available for $.99 and should be affordable for most of us. You don’t need a Kindle to read kindle books, Amazon offers free Kindle software that allows you to read it on your PC. Click this link to download a free copy of the kindle software.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you read this article: I am a skeptical by nature. I like to have things proven to me. I like to see how people come to their decisions. When people make claims about the Bible or prophesy I scrutinize them even more. There are just too many false teachers who want to tickle ears to take anything on face value without scripture to support it. Mr. Price gives scripture to back up his findings. It is up to us to verify and see if we come to the same conclusion. He also gives several verses from the Koran when he explains the “religion of peace”.

 
The End of America

The book starts off looking at prophesy, specifically those dealing with the end times. It touches on Israel, and the timing of the Jews again entering the Holy Land in the form of their own nation, Israel.

Mr. Price explains that Israel getting its homeland back as well as the revived Roman Empire (the European Union) are two key prophesy events pointing to us being in the end times.
 

The Religion of Peace

In chapter two, entitled “The Religion of Peace”, Mr. Price gives a brief history of Islam. He follows the history of Muhammad and the creation of Islam, following the roots of Jihad through Wahabism, which is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. What the Wahabists believe is explained and many examples of worldwide terrorism are given.

Muslim End times prophesies are given. I have studied these a bit from other sources as well. When you consider them along with the Christian End times prophesies, it is as if you’re looking at two sides of the same coin. The Twelfth Imam or the Mahdi is their Messiah, and is a great political and military leader. Mr. Price makes the connection, calling the Twelfth Imam the Antichrist.

The Caliphate is also spoken of. The Caliph is the united religious leader of all of Islam. It was abolished in 1924 by Turkey. However, there have been calls from some countries to have it restored. This would greatly help in establishing a one world religion.

 
The Mystery and Identity of the Daughter of Babylon

I have received emails about the possibility of the United States being the Daughter of Babylon. It is a topic that has interested me but is something I haven’t had time to research. There are several prophesies from both the Old and New Testaments listed, giving the Greek definition of some words to better understand the verse. In fact, here are (–LINK Hebrew and Greek Annotation about the Daughter of Babylon verses.–) (Warning: There are 223 verses on 69 pages).

There have been many claims as to what the Daughter of Babylon is. I have heard claims of the ancient city of Babylon, Rome and even the Catholic Church or New York City. Mr. Price gives 23 clues and the scriptures for each as to what the Daughter of Babylon is. Here are just a few:

• Is the Daughter of Babylon the same as the Mother of Babylon?
• The Hammer of the Whole Earth
• A Latter Day Nation
• A Nation of Wealth and Luxury
• You who live on many waters
• Center of World Commerce
• The Great Voice
• They are Mad Upon Your Idols
• Where other Nations Gather
• She Has Been Proud Against the Lord

The above list is only 10 of the 23 clues. Mr. Price goes into these clues in detail, explaining why he believes America fits the description as the Daughter of Babylon, and why these verses rule out other countries and entities. These clues are very helpful, as is his explanation of how various scriptures just can’t be applied to certain places like ancient Babylon or Rome. If you believe that the Daughter of Babylon is in fact ancient Babylon, Rome or some other place or entity, please read his book and see how his arguments stack up.

 
How Does God View The Daughter of Babylon?

In this chapter the immorality of the Daughter of Babylon is mentioned, they are:

• Abortion
• Pornography
• Adultery/Divorce
• Same Sex Marriage
• Violence
• Drug Culture
• Witchcraft
• Sumptuous, Self-Indulgent Lifestyles
• Other Abomination

 
Summarization of the Future of America

This article is getting a little long, so I am going to summarize a few key points that need to be made. Mr. Price mentions a book called Eye to Eye, Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel. This book lists several times over the last twenty years where America has tried to force Israel to give up land and explains how God has judged us each and every time, usually within a single day. These are natural disasters, from Katrina to the economic crash in 2008. I’ve heard these claims before and was skeptical, but when we ask Israel to give up land twenty times and each of those twenty times, we face historic weather events and economic ruin, well, let’s just say I’m more of a believer now.

There is prophesy starting in Ezekiel 38, where Gog and Magog along with a host of other nations attack Israel. I’m not going to go into great detail, but Mr. Price describes how Russia, Iran and many other nations may attack Israel, and how America will turns its back on her, ignoring the treaty we’ve had for many years.

Because of this, God curses America, lifting the protection He has provided for so many years. Mr. Price goes on to explain that the Jihadists have asked for and have been granted permission from their clerics to use nuclear weapons on Americans. They have also attained a nuclear Fatwa, which is added as attachment A to The End of America. He also explains that Jihadists could seek nuclear weapons from Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Russia.

In Revelation 18:8 we’re told:

“Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Mr. Price explains how from scripture he believes that multiple nuclear detonations on key American cities including:

• America’s national capitol – Washington DC
• America’s financial capital – New York
• America’s major oil refineries
• America’s cultural pollution capitol – Hollywood, Las Vegas, Los Angeles
• For good measure the major centers of commerce, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Boston and so on.

As he points out it, it would take more than just a few nukes to bring down America, so he believes there will be an EMP as well. While true terrorist groups don’t have the missile capabilities to put a nuclear tipped missile into the American ionosphere, they could purchase missiles easier than they could the nuclear bomb to arm it. Both could be purchased from countries that are not friendly to America and, as I have covered in other articles, the nuke doesn’t need to be launched from a country thousands of miles away. They could load the nuke on a specially fitted cargo ship and launch it a hundred miles off of the coast of the USA. He says that this could result in millions of deaths during and immediately following the attack. Those not killed will face radiation sickness and a lack of food.

Mr. Price spends a chapter explaining that God demands an accounting for innocent blood. He notes that in the 38 years since abortion was legalized, there have been roughly 700,000 homicidal deaths, and in that same timespan there have been roughly 53,000,000 (or 75 babies for every person) murdered.

He makes note that God says in Numbers 25:33:

“Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”

He makes the point that because of the innocent blood of millions of babies, God demands an accounting and we could lose just as many American lives.
 

Warning to Leave the Daughter of Babylon

Mr. Price says there are nine separate warnings to flee and lists the verses for them. Seven of them to Christians and nine to Jews, commanding His people to flee the Daughter of Babylon.

He also explains that the “religion of peace” will give the rest of the world a warning to accept Islam or suffer the same fate as America. Mr. Price explains how Christians will be executed in the last days and asks who beheads people in the modern day? That’s correct, the “religion of peace”. Mr. Price then gives a brief history explaining why Muslims behead people.

We are given a history of Christians and Jews immigrating to other countries to flee religious persecution. Mr. Price spends a chapter covering what a Christian might look for in a new homeland.

John Price is not a prepper. In emailing, he said he sees it as something contrary to following Gods command to flee. I happen to disagree with John. I believe that God has called many of us to prepare. Even if I come to same conclusion Mr. Price has, deciding to leave America, I will still prep where ever I live. I’m not preparing just for the downfall of America, I prepare for the myriad of things that can and do happen every day, up to and including unemployment, floods and wildfires.

 
My Take:

Trudee and I spent a lot of time talking about the possibility of America being the Daughter of Babylon, and the implications from it. I knew early on that this was something I wanted to talk to all of you about. To be honest, while I think my Biblical knowledge is above average, it isn’t deep enough to answer the important questions I have. I know I need to study this material and I am hoping some of you will be willing to read the book and study it along with me.

If we come to a different conclusion than Mr. Price did, we’ve only wasted a small bit of time and will gain Biblical knowledge. If, however, we come to the same conclusions, there are some very, very big implications we must face.

I love America. I thank God frequently for the privilege of being born here. The thought of moving to another country saddens and overwhelms me. I honestly have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. However, while I have a very hard time hearing God’s voice in the moment, there have been two times where I have clearly known He was telling me this: “Do not put your love of country before me!” The first time was a few years ago, the second was while reading this book.

Are we considering moving? We want to be obedient. If further prayer and study tells us that the USA is in fact the daughter Babylon, yes, we’ll consider it or more.

Trudee and I were talking about the implications of this book and decided that we first needed to make sure we came to the same conclusions after study and prayer. We decided if we came to the same conclusion, we had to make the choice to leave or face the coming destruction. I felt convicted. When the God of the Universe tells you to do something, there isn’t an “if you want to” attached to it. It is a command!

If the scriptures on the Daughter of Babylon and the commands to leave are, in fact, aimed at America, the commands are no different than the commands God gave the Jews when taking them to the Promised Land. Remember what happened when they disobeyed?

I have studied prophecy and I have spent considerable time researching, thinking about and writing on what effect various threats may impact America. I have seen quotes by numerous American leaders, some in very high positions saying that it is not “if”, but “when” America is attacked with nuclear weapons (conventional or dirty bombs).

I believe it is very possible, if not probable that nuclear weapons could be smuggled in via ship, as only 3% of cargo is inspected. They could also be brought in through our ridiculously porous borders. I also know that EMP is a very real concern and is something our government is worried about.

There are some consequences to a nuclear attack that were not mentioned. The main one is the damage to nuclear power plants. They have generators that will run the cooling systems, with enough diesel to run for two weeks. If, after those two weeks, the power is not restored or more diesel brought in, we will see multiple Fukushima’s all over the country.
 

Closing

I hope you’ll get a copy of this book and join me in the forum to study and pray over these issues. If you join in reading this book and the study of the related scripture, please continually be asking for the Fathers guidance and wisdom for us as a group.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!
If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Filed Under: Christian World View, General Preparedness, Signs of the Times

Drills to Test Your Preparedness

July 24, 2013 by

Bomb Drill

Throughout life we are tested in a variety of ways; to see how much we learned, how skillful we have become, how resilient we are and in many more ways. Preparedness is no different! We may have some idea of how well prepared we are but there are only two ways to know for sure; by actually having an event that puts all of our planning into action, or by testing it before an event takes place.

I have come up with six types of drills that you could use to put your plans and preps to the test. First let me give some tips that might make these smoother with less resistance from the family.

Some of these drills will take a lot less time than others. Taking five minutes to do a fire or tornado drill isn’t that big of a deal. However, deciding to do a black out drill over a weekend isn’t something you want to do on a moment’s notice. Give everyone plenty of notice about the drills that will take more time. This gives everyone time to find things to occupy themselves without electricity.

The goal of doing these drills is to learn your shortcomings. Document anything and everything that you find you’re lacking in. If you plan ahead for some of these drills, you might discover some things you need to correct before the actual drill. Add these items to the list as well. For example, if you plan to do a blackout drill in two weeks and you decide to cook all hot meals on the grill, you might check to make sure you have enough propane. If you notice that you need to fill up, there is a good chance that you might be low on propane in the future. Getting another full propane tank might be prudent.
 

Fire Drill

Children are no strangers to fire drills. Schools do them a few times a year. Businesses have started doing them as well. Doing them at home makes good sense but they can be a little trickier, especially if you don’t live on the ground floor. If you have pets make sure to include them. If you live in an area where wild fires are common, this could become more of a bug out drill.
 

Tornado Drill

There are a lot of us who live in areas where tornados are a part of life. How long does it take your family to get to your shelter? Trudee can get herself and all of the dogs to the basement in less than thirty seconds. She grabs treats and they all follow her. If you live in an area that is prone to other extreme weather, run a drill for it!

 
Bug Out Drill

There are two types of bug out drills, one to see just how long it would take your family to get the vehicle packed and everyone inside and the other to see how long it takes to get packed and living with only what you packed. The time it takes to get packed and be ready to pull out should be measured in minutes; preferably less than fifteen. If you’re going to actually bug out to your BOL and live off of what you packed, you’re definitely going to want to give the family plenty of warning.
 

Kitchen Sink Drill

I named this drill the kitchen sink drill because you have time to pack everything, including “the kitchen sink”. The name of this drill is facetious. I don’t really think you should pack everything. This would be an event that is much longer-lasting than an event for a typical bug out, like a wildfire. You have plenty of warning and there is a high chance that your home may catch fire. For this event you need to move quickly but have enough time to take items that may be needed for a longer stay away from home. Having a list written ahead of time that names the items to grab and their locations will save a lot of time.
 

Blackout Drill

This is one of the drills you’ll want to give the family plenty of warning about, so they can make plans. There are many different ways to do this. I have read of people shutting off the main breaker. Others unplug everything except the fridge and the freezer. If you do this they should both be off limits. Put the food you plan on eating for the weekend in coolers. The goal is to only use items that require no electricity. If you have a generator, you run the generator to power the items you want to use. If you are on city water and sewer, keep in mind that if there is a blackout in your area, you won’t have running water. Make sure you have plenty of things to keep everyone busy. I also recommend doing this when the temperatures are bearable. While true that there is a chance you could lose power when the temps are not pleasant, the first time or two you do this drill it is to find holes. After that, if you want to test things when the temps are more extreme, use caution, but go for it!
 

Civil Unrest/Batten Down Drills

This drill could be added to some of the others or done on its own. I don’t expect much civil unrest where I live, but if there were, among other things, I would be standing watch after dark. Having a plan in place for spouses to share four hour watches during the night is a completely different thing than actually doing it. Here are a couple articles I have written on this type of situation. They are called Keeping Watch Once It’s Hit the Fan and Light, Sound and Smell Discipline.
 

Final Thoughts

I hope these drills are helpful. If you follow through on any of them, I would love to hear about them!
 

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips

Tidbits One

April 3, 2013 by

I occasionally have a couple ideas for articles that are too short for me to post by themselves and I don’t want to send more than one email on an update per day, to keep you from feeling spammed.  When this happens, I’ll just string them together and make one blog post, with one email going out.

 

Preparedness Club

I mentioned last week that I would be launching a premium membership that I’m calling “The Preparedness Club”.  Today, I want to give you a little more information about it.  This will be one way to support the Prepared Christian Ministry.  I’ve been asked a few times about a donation button.  After careful consideration and prayer, I have decided to include one, but I also want to have the Preparedness Club as an option to give something back to you.

This is where the cool part comes in; I have approached companies that offer goods and services in the preparedness market place and so far, 17 have offered discounts.  My goal was to try and get you a discount on any product that you might want to buy and I’ve come close!  From ammo, many kinds of food storage, water purification, paracord, first aid, and books; if you purchase items from the companies who have offered discounts, the Preparedness Club will save you money.

The Preparedness Club will have one giveaway a month, minimum.  Some of the items so far are: a Midland weather radio, the Total Home Prep Now DVD’s, books from Paladin Press, and more.

For those of you not interested in The Preparedness Club, I haven’t forgotten about you.  I have some giveaways planned for you as well.  I hope to launch the Preparedness Club next week, or the week after at the latest.  To celebrate I am going to give away a one year membership, to enter either fill out the form below, or send an email with the subject of Preparedness Club to chris (at) preparedchristian (dot) net and let me know that you would like to enter.

[onw_simple_contact_form]
 

Keeping In Touch With Prepared Christian

If you’re someone who uses Facebook or Google Reader to stay up to date, you might need to make some changes.  It seems Google has decided to shut down Google Reader on July 1, 2013.  If you use them to read my RSS or any RSS feed, you’ll want to find another reader.

Over the last months, Facebook has changed how updates are received.  They want to charge companies for advertising, so only a small segment of people actually see my updates via Facebook.  For example, as of the time of this writing, my last two posts have only been viewed by 101 and 185 people, respectively.

To make sure you see every update, it has been recommended that you create an “interest” list.  I’ll give the steps below.

First, go to the page you want to create an interest list for.  For this example, I went to Camping Survival.

 

Hover over the “like” button and click on “New List”.

interests

 

 

Click the “Next List” button on the bottom right.

 

next

 

Name the new list and click “Done”

create list

 

Your new Interest list will show up on the left hand side of Facebook.

 

hover

 

Bulletproof Mind

I have recently discovered something some of you might already be familiar with; The Bulletproof Mind from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.  Lt. Col. Grossman travels 300 days a year, giving The Bulletproof Mind lecture but it is also available on DVD.

Here is what is mentioned about Lt. Col. Grossman and the Bulletproof Mind on the USCCA website, where you can also watch a video and purchase the Bulletproof Mind DVD.

“Most of the people in our society are sheep.  They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. But they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it.  There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

Then there are sheepdogs, and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior – someone who is walking the hero’s path – someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.”

I had read the above years ago, but wasn’t aware of The Bulletproof Mind.  I will be attending the seminar this fall.  I cannot wait!  If you consider yourself a fellow sheepdog, you might consider checking out the seminar or buying the DVD.  You can see Lt. Col. Grossman’s bio here and his calendar here.  As I mentioned, you can find out more about the DVD at the USCCA website.

I will be giving my thoughts on the seminar afterward.  Did I mention I was really looking forward to this?!

 

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

Filed Under: Tidbits Tagged With: ,

The Ins and Outs of Food Storage

March 15, 2013 by

canned emergency food storage
photo credit The Survival Woman


I mentioned in the comments section of the What Would You Do: North Korea Attacks that I would put together some options for those of you without basements.  I started working on one and soon realized that to do the topic justice I needed more time.  Instead, I am going to post the article I had planned to post today and will post an article on the topic of radiation and fallout next week.

 

 

The Ins and Outs of Food Storage

It’s been a while since I have covered food storage.  Because of that and a couple good forum threads, I thought I would bring the subject up again.  One of the five basic human needs is food.  It can be one of the more difficult to figure out when you’re new to preparedness.  I think the reason for that is because the sheer size of the problem can be overwhelming.  Take a family of four, eating three meals a day, and two snacks a day, that is 84 meals and 56 snacks in a week, or 336 meals and 224 snacks in a month.  Seeing as most people shop for what their needs will be in the next week or two, planning that far or further ahead can be a lot to wrap your brain around.

 

Guidelines

Food storage isn’t one size fits all.  You’ll need to tweak things to fit your family’s needs.  That being said, here are some guidelines that can help you build your food storage and keep it rotated.

 

Shelf Stable

My definition of a shelf stable food is one that can last for six months or longer without freezing or refrigeration and won’t spoil.

 

Eat What You Store, Store What You Eat

This is the food storage golden rule.  It will make sure that you don’t waste money on foods your family doesn’t eat.

When building your pantry, I recommend getting a notebook and writing down all shelf stable food that your family consumes for a week or two.  These are the “eat what you store, store what you eat” foods to concentrate on.

There are exceptions to every rule and this one is no different.  We happen to eat foods that don’t store well, so if we only stored foods that were shelf stable that we consumed regularly, our food storage wouldn’t last for very long.  What we have done is stored some shelf stable foods that we eat occasionally along with some that, because of their long shelf life, we have decided to leave as storage foods.

 

First In, First Out (FIFO)

When you grab a can of vegetables take it from the front of the line.  When you replace it, put it in the back of the line.  This is the best way to rotate your foods.

 

What Kinds of Foods Should You Store?

If you’re like me, what can you do to supplement your food stores with foods other than the ones you eat frequently?  There are many options available for foods that have a long shelf life, though some you will need to repackage.

 

Staples

A staple is a food that is used commonly.  Think of sugar, flour, salt, rice, beans and so on.  These staples, when repacked into Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, can have a shelf life of 25+ years.

 

Dehydrated

There are commercially dehydrated foods sold that tout a 25+ year shelf life.  This can be achieved because the oxygen in packaging is replaced with nitrogen.  Most of the data I have seen on home dehydrated foods say 1-2 years.  We’ve mostly dehydrated fruits, but you can make jerky, soup ingredients and so much more.  Sadly the dehydrated foods never seem to last more than a couple weeks around me, so I’ll never get to see if they could be edible after a few years. J

 

Freeze Dried

There are many brands of freeze dried foods on the market.  I have tried a few and enjoyed most.  Trudee and the kids did not like some.  Some manufacturers have gotten smart and have the entrees available in a pouch and a #10 can.  I highly recommend you try the pouch, as it’s only a few bucks and will save you money if it turns out no one likes it.

Freeze dried foods also have a shelf life of 25+years, as long as the packaging isn’t opened.  Once you open the #10 can, you need to consume it within two weeks. I don’t know if it is possible to freeze dry your own food.

Because of the shelf life, and some other factors, we decided to add some freeze dried food to our food stores.  We purchased some entrée’s as well as some baking ingredients like powdered egg,  powdered milk, powdered cheese and powdered sour cream.

 

MRE’s and Emergency Ration Bars

MRE’s or Meals Ready to Eat are already cooked meals.  They include a heating element that you add water to in order to activate.  They often come with a desert and some condiments.  Emergency Ration Bars often say something like “2400 calories”.  That is for the total bar.  However, there are usually nine separate bars, each one containing 250+ calories.

These foods have their place in food storage.  They make good additions to BOB’s and car kits.  Shelf life can vary from 5-8 years if stored in optimal conditions.

 

Home and Manufacturer Canned Foods

Whether you purchase commercially canned food or can it yourself, canned food is a great way to supplement your food storage.  The most common question is: “how long does canned food last?”  Food Reference.com and the FAQ at the Ball Jar Company state the same basic information.  Properly canned food that is stored in temperatures above freezing and below 75 degrees will last at least two years.  The food will often last a lot longer than that, but over time there may be changes in the color, texture etc.  If the home-canned food looks edible from the outside, open it and see how it smells.  If it is store purchased and not bulging, open it and see how it smells.  If it smells fine it’s probably safe to eat.

 

What are the Dangers to Food Storage?

The life of many foods can be extended greatly by avoiding the following dangers.

Heat

Temperatures between 40 degrees and 72 degree Fahrenheit are ideal for food storage. For every 18 degrees above 72, the food loses up to half its nutritional value. If the food is exposed to temperatures over 72 degrees for an extended amount of time it can lose its color, texture and taste.

Light

Keep things in a dark space if at all possible, light can affect the appearance and taste of food. Mylar bags and food grade buckets will also help here.

Oxygen

When fats oxidize they turn rancid. Keeping your food in an oxygen free environment will prevent this, as well as kill pests that may be in the food. You can remove oxygen with oxygen absorbers in an airtight bag. I’ll cover deciding how many to use below.

Moisture

Moisture can take the form of humidity, condensation or even a water pipe breaking. To mitigate this, I keep much of my preps in Mylar bags and put the Mylar bags in food grade buckets. You can also add a desiccant to the inside of the Mylar for added moisture removal. I try not to have any food with cardboard packaging out in the open, as it is susceptible to accidents involving liquids, such as broken pickle jars, broken pipes or the “Not Me Ghost”, you know, children.

Pests

Pests range from larvae in bulk food to mice in your food storage area. There are a few ways to deal with each. For larvae, you can place a bag of rice, beans or whatever dry food you intend to store in your freezer for a couple days. This will kill any bugs, larvae or eggs. I used to do that, but it’s time consuming, my freezer isn’t that big and it’s usually full. I found, on a forum, that the simple act of removing the oxygen would kill any pests in the food. This made sense and they were steps we were already taking. We have not had any problem with pests in any of the food we have stored this way. If you want to make sure, feel free to do both. I have also read that Bay Leaves will keep pests away and some people add them to the inside of the Mylar bag as well as the inside of the food grade bucket.

To summarize, keep your food storage in a dry, dark, cool area in oxygen free and pest resistant containers.

 

How Much Food Should I Store?

This is something everyone will have to decide on their own.  That being said, I think everyone should have a minimum of three months food stored.  I personally would eventually like to get to one year stored for my family.  This will give us a large cushion if I should lose my job, or a number of other things take place.  It would also give us room to help those in need in a short term situation.

When you’re beginning your food storage it may be difficult to wrap your mind around storing an extra 90 days of food, or an extra year.  Don’t overwhelm yourself!  Break it down into easier chunks, like a week, then two and just keep adding to it.

 

How Do I Know How Much Food I Have Stored?

There are a couple ways to approach knowing how many days’ worth of food you have stored.  The first is to determine the required caloric intake for your family, then count up the calories of all the food you have stored, divide calories needed into calories stored and you now know how many days of food you have put up.

The second way is to use a food storage calculator.  Emergency Essentials has a very good one that is free.  With it, you can add how many family members you have and some basic information about them.  There are over 500 foods already populated to choose from and the ability to enter your own foods that might not be populated.  Once you’ve entered in all of your food storage, simply hit “calculate” and it gives a tally of how many days food you have stored, along with the nutritional information.  If you shop from Emergency Essentials, you also have the ability to add items that you want to purchase on your next order.

 

How Can I Afford Food Storage?

I recently wrote an article called “Frugal Preparedness”.  It has many tips and the comments have even more suggestions from readers.   There are many easy things you can do to build your pantry.

If you just need to bring in more money, one option, if you qualify, is donating plasma.  I checked into it a couple years ago and you can do it twice a week, receiving $25 each time.  That’s an extra $200 a month!  Blood Banker is just one online resource.  It may or may not list locations that buy plasma near you.

 

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

 

Filed Under: Food Tagged With:

Review of the Snare-Vival-Trap

January 9, 2013 by

The folks at Camping Survival let me know about a pretty cool item they have started to carry.  They were kind enough to send me one to review; the Snare-Vival-Trap™.

First, some info about the Snare-Vival-Trap™ and then I’ll give my review.  From camping survival:

“Created and manufactured by Solo Scientific in the USA the Snare-Vival-Trap™ is a pocket sized survival snare system that is used to capture wild game or fish (see video below).

snare-vival-hand

–CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER CREATIVE USES FOR THE ITEM AND WHY IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KEEP IN YOUR POCKET AS IF IT WERE JUST COIN?

When in the stowed configuration the Snare-Vival-Trap™ is only 1.56″ in diameter and .135″ thick! See complete specifications below. The Snare-Vival-Trap™ can easily be carried in one’s pocket and quickly deployed in the field! Just press the center of the Snare-Vival-Trap™ and your ready for action!

The Snare-Vival-Trap™ by Solo Scientific has a manually windable wire snare, an escape proof sliding-locking noose that is engaged automatically during operation tightening around the animal’s neck or limbs killing or disabling the animal instantly. The Snare-Vival-Trap™ also has a mounting loop and mounting ring that are used to position and mount the Snare-Vival-Trap™ over a known animal path in the field.

The pocket sized Snare-Vival-Trap™ by Solo Scientific is a complete snare system that can fit in the palm of your hand. As a matter of fact, you could easily hold 4 or 5 Snare-Vival-Traps™ in the palm of your hand when in the stowed configuration!

The Solo Scientific Snare-Vival-Trap™ (like all Solo Scientific products) is designed to function in any environment that will support life and is made from corrosion resistant materials. The Snare-Vival-Trap™ is great for all of your outdoors adventures and can also be used for self defense to disarm an assailant. The survival uses of the Solo Scientific Snare-Vival-Trap™ are only limited by your imagination and ingenuity! Comes with complete instructions showing how to set up snares in the field.

 

 

Specifications: Weight 1.12 oz (31.75g) Diameter 1.56 inches (39.62mm) Thickness .135 inches (3.43mm) Wire Length 26 inches (66.04cm) Maximum Load approximately 160 lbs. (72.48Kg)”

snare-vivaltrapInstructions

 

My Take:

I have researched how to make snares and learning to make them is on my never ending list of things to learn about but  I haven’t practiced making them.  I have some food in my BOB and a small fishing kit, as well as some paracord.  I figured I could use the paracord for making snares if needed.  Notice I said I never learned how to actually make a snare, so I would need to learn the right knots, as well as how to set the snare.

With the Snare-Vival-Trap™ , one of the tricky parts is taken care of; there are no knots to be tied.  You just pop the center out, run the mounting ring through the ring, forming the snare.  You then place the mounting loop on a branch or small tree you’ll use as an anchor.

Of course, this doesn’t give you everything you need.  You’ll still need to know how to recognize a game trail.  Knowing how to bottleneck game to your snare would also be helpful, as would how to set the trap itself.  Much of this you can learn online and the included instructions give you four different types of snare traps you can build.

What the Snare-Vival-Trap™ gives you is a high quality, light weight wire snare that takes knot tying out of the equation.  I think knot tying is a good skill to have but I don’t practice enough to remember them.  Plus, if you’re in a survival situation, you could be cold or tired.  Your hands might not have the dexterity to tie the knot but forming a snare and attaching it to an anchor would be much easier I would think.

The length of the snare (26 inches) and the maximum weight load (approximately 160 lbs.) make it great for small to medium sized game.

I would like to get a couple more of these over time, put one in each BOB.  If we ever have to use them, having more Snare-Vival-Trap™ ’s to set will increase the odds of making meat.  I also like that they give you directions and four examples of how to make four snares, while keeping it small enough to store in your BOB.

 
The Snare-Vival-Trap™is available from Camping Survival.
 
I give the Snare-Vival-Trap™ four stars.

Four Stars

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!
 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With:

The Many Uses of Shipping Containers

September 5, 2012 by

Over the years I have read many articles and forum posts about shipping containers; how people want to use them or have tried to use them, what has worked and what hasn’t. It’s a topic that interests me for a few reasons, some of which I’ll cover below.

 

General Information
 
Shipping containers come in two sizes; 8’x20’ and 8’ by 40’. You can buy them new or used. Many of the used containers have been on ships sailing the ocean and are exposed to salt water, which means they may have rust. The US has an abundance of these. In the CNN video below, the reporter says we received 7 million containers into America, carrying goods, but only 2.5 million left, exporting goods. This means there is a huge amount of these things available. Most are near shipping ports, but many make their way inland via trains. Some businesses have sprung up due to the popularity of them.
They can be used for everything from a shed, essentially placed on property and left alone, to offices or emergency shelters during a hurricane or other natural disaster. They have also been used to make multi-level homes and even fallout shelters.

 

 

 

Building With Containers
 
There are several companies that will sell you a prefab house, or even build one for you out of containers. I list some below and almost all of them want your e-mail or phone number before you can get a quote. The pluses to building with shipping containers is that they are fire and mold resistant. You can be very creative in your designs, as you can see in Amazing Homes and Offices Built from Shipping Containers, which has roughly 46 pictures of some very cool and unique housing designs. 9 Cutting-Edge Modular Homes has 9 more designs. Just do a Google image search for cargo container homes and you’ll be amazed.

Here are a couple of blogs where people are living in container homes, one in Australia and another in Panama.

I have seen several projects that other prepper’s have done with shipping containers. This video is of a group that built a large shelter with two 40’ containers on each side and a large open middle space. They added a roof, which they will use for rain catchment.

 
 


 
Here is another video where they are using a 20’ container as an underground shelter. I have some concerns about the weight of the concrete which I’ll cover later. A warning on the video: the music is horrible in my opinion. You’ve been warned. 
 
 

 

Building Codes

Since these types of structures are fairly new, many municipalities don’t really know what to do as far as building codes go, so I would look at your local zoning laws and talk to local officials. I have read that if you put in concrete footings and set the container on them, it may not be viewed as a permanent structure and can bypass some zoning restrictions and even taxes in some cases. Again, talk to your local officials! (Or completely pretend they don’t exist. It’s your call. Just sayin.)

 

Fallout Shelter
 
This is one of the most often mentioned projects that I have seen on prepper forums. It can be done, but there are some things to keep in mind. Jack Spirko from The Survival Podcast did an excellent interview with a man who has done this. The interview is called Episode-560- Shipping Container Construction – The Good, Bad & Ugly.

For those of you who don’t listen to podcasts, if this subject interests you, I recommend you make an exception. One of the things they cover is the problem of weight on top of the container. You see, these containers are built to be stacked, on one top of the other. All the weight bearing is on the corners and the sides, not on the top. If memory serves, it takes 12“ of concrete and 3‘ of earth to stop radiation. Putting that much weight on top of a cargo container without reinforcing the inside walls and ceiling could likely cause it to collapse. In the Podcast, they explain how this is done, so I’m not going to cover it here. Another option with the concrete is to extend the concrete 2’ wider on each side. This should help displace some of the weight to the earth.

Another problem is water. These containers are made of steel and unless you do something to protect the metal, it will rust through over time. The way “Mike” from the interview said to approach this was to use a roll of EDPM rubber coating, overlapping by 6”. EDPM is the stuff that big stores with flat roofs use to coat the roof to waterproof them. He said to use a roll, but it looks like there is also a liquid rubber version of it as well. I’m not sure which option would be better. This is an expensive route, but if you’re trusting your life to it, the expense is justified to me.

He also said to place rough gravel under the container as well. He mentions also adding 6” of gravel to the sides. This would help with drainage as well as his main reason for it, which is keeping any creatures from chewing through the EDPM and exposing the bare metal to the soil, as once a creature hits the rocky gravel they’ll stop chewing.

You also need to keep the water table in mind. You don’t want to spend the time digging this huge hole to find you’re a foot below the waterline.

There are other topics explored, such as drainage and using a sump pump, and air filtration, but I’ll leave those for the podcast.

 

Shipping Container as a Shed
 
I have a couple different ideas on this, depending on if you want it seen or not. If you have a BOL (Bug Out Location) that is just raw land, having a 20’ by 8’ container could hold a lot of emergency preps. Having it out in the open, with no one to keep an eye on it, could be asking for Joe Dirtbag to break in to see what’s inside. I think if you wanted to hide this, one could dig a hole, say 6 or so feet deep and 22’ wide. Put rough gravel or something similar on the bottom to help with drainage, placing multiple concrete forms to keep the container above the trap rock by six inches or so.
Some of the container may show above ground. Use the same methods as above, using EDPM to protect it from moisture, burying it with only a foot or so of dirt on top of the container. This would greatly reduce the weight on the container, though adding some supports is still a good idea. Now plant whatever local vegetation is around to camouflage it. You’ll need to leave access to the door, but those could be hidden with some bushes that wouldn’t look out of place.
If you want to use it on land that you live on, I would say to add a roof of some kind to protect it and add a rain catchment system to it as well.

 

Some final thoughts
 
If I ever get to buy the acreage I dream of, I would like to set up a couple of storage containers and bunk houses for guests. I’d like to possibly have one buried as a storm shelter/storage. I also like the idea of putting them on concrete forms. That way it would be easier to make them mobile if needed.
Cost isn’t mentioned on most sites. I’ll list the sites below. They want your information to give you a quote. For a bare bones shipping container, I would expect to pay a minimum $2500 for a 8’x20’, and up to $5000, depending on quality. You also need to consider delivery and installation, especially if you’re burying it.

 

Shipping Container Resources
 
I have a bunch of resources. Some are companies that sell fully designed units and some sell just the containers. Others sell design plans. There are a few other resources listed as well. I looked through all of them, more to get an idea of what was possible. I’m pretty impressed with what some of these people have done.

Here is an article on Bob Vila’s site called Home Sweet Container, Steel shipping container homes are strong, safe, and eco-friendly.

Here are some sites that sell fully developed containers. Again, you’ll need to give them your info to get a quote but they’re good for ideas if nothing else.

Container Home Consultants is a blog on the subject. It looks like they may sell some plans and an eBook, but there are many free articles.

Here are a few companies that sell prebuild systems:

Global Portable Buildings, Inc.
ModSpace
Sea Box
American Container Homes, Inc.

Here are two sites that just sell empty shipping containers:

The Big Blue Box
Interport

Here are two sites that just sell plans:

Shipping Container Homes
Container Home.info
Container Homes.net has a variety of services. It looks like they sell some plans and some boxes, as well as blog about their journey.

I realize that this article has just scratched the surface but hopefully you walk away seeing more possibilities for shelter or storage.

 

Filed Under: Shelter

Farming, Gardening and livestock

Gardening

Gardening Guides

National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service

Ministry of Agriculture Allotment & Garden Guides

Benson Agricultural & Food Institute & Corporation (free eBooks)

National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service

Plant Breeding eBooks

Soil And Health Library

Growing Vegetables From Seed

Growing VegetablesOrganically

Container Gardening

Container vegetable gardening

A Guide to Raised Bed Gardening in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Short Season Vegetable Gardening (good for cooler climates)

Gardening in Small Spaces

Basics Of Gardening

A Revolutionary Way To Grow Tomatoes! Why you should plant everything in a homemade EarthTainer.

The EarthTainer III TM “Convertible” Edition Construction, Planting, and Maintenance Guide

Container vegetable gardening

Minigardening (Growing Vegetables in Containers)

Raising Vegetables in Mini Gardens

Growing Vegetables Organically

A Guide to Growing Potatoes In Your Home Garden

 

 

Livestock

Educational Information on livestock

UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Extension

LEARNING HOW TO KEEP BEES

Beekeeping/Apiculture (click download PDF for free)

Bee Keeping Basics

Beekeeping Business Plan Workbook

Backyard Beekeeping

Small scale beekeeping

Keeping Rabbits

POULTRY APPUANCES AND HANDICRAFT

 

Green Houses and cold frames and Hydroponics

PVC plans for greenhouse, pastured poultry pens, row covers and cold frame

Hydroponics for Home Gardener

Backyard Greenhouse

Principles Of Hydroponics Gardening

Building a Floating Hydroponic Garden

 

Composting

Backyard Composting

Vermicomposting

 

 

Watering

The Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting

Small Acreage Low Flow (Micro or Drip) Irrigation System Design and Installation

INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC GARDENING

Drip Irrigation: An Introduction

 

Rooftop gardening

Guide to Setting Up Your Own Edible Rooftop Garden

The Edible Vegetative Roof: A Design for the Plant and Environmental Sciences Building at UC Davis

 

Misc Gardening articles

The Industry of Wildcrafting, Gathering, and Harvesting of NTFPs: An Insider’s Perspective1

Pruning Trees and Shrubs

Edible Landscaping

HERBAL MANUAL; The Medicinal, Toilet, Culinary and other Uses of 130 of the most Commonly Used Herbs

 

Permaculture

INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE BY BILL MOLLISON

PERMACULTURE TECHNIQUES BY BILL MOLLISON

WATER IN PERMACULTURE BY BILL MOLLISON

PERMACULTURE IN ARID LANDSCAPES BY BILL MOLLISON

PERMACULTURE IN HUMID LANDSCAPES BY BILL MOLLISON

DESIGNING FOR PERMACULTURE BY BILL MOLLISON

PERMACULTURE ON LOW ISLANDS; PERMACULTURE ON HIGH ISLANDS; PERMACULTURE ON GRANITIC LANDSCAPES

Permaculture design software

If you have a link that you would like to share on this page, please post it in the comment section, leave the title and the URL. After I make the decision to post the link I will delete the comment to keep the page easy for me to tell what I have already looked at.

Also because of this, if you have a comment on the link library, please make it on the main Link Library page.

 

Expiration Dates; Fact or Fiction?

July 11, 2012 by

We are a consumer based society that has been trained to believe the “expiration”, “best used by” or the “you’ll die if you use after this date” are firm dates that mean the product is no longer usable. Marketers have figured out that one great way to get continuous repeat business is to train us to pay a lot of attention to those dates and throw the product out after that date has passed. Am I saying that all expiration dates can just be ignored? Of course not, but I have literally seen expiration dates on paper and plastic goods.

It’s impossible for me to cover all types of products, so I am just going to touch on a few that I think might be popular or important. There are some pretty standard storage rules that will increase the life of just about everything. Keep your items in a cool, dark and dry area.
 
 
Staples

Wheat, sugar, honey, salt and so on. I have a pretty extensive list of staples., and here is a link showing you how to store them long term. Many of these items will last 25+ years. Some, such as honey, will store indefinitely, when stored correctly.
 
 
Canned Food

From Food Reference.com “Canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of processing. Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture. Canning is a high-heat process that renders the food commercially sterile. Food safety is not an issue in products kept on the shelf or in the pantry for long periods of time. In fact, canned food has an almost indefinite shelf life at moderate temperatures (75° F and below). Canned food as old as 100 years has been found in sunken ships and it is still microbiologically safe! We don’t recommend keeping canned food for 100 years, but if the can is intact, not dented or bulging, it is edible.”

For home canned food, the Ball Jar company used to have the following in the FAQ on their site. They have since revamped their site and I can’t find it again. But what they said was:

“How long can home canned food be stored?
Food that has been properly canned, using an up-to-date, tested recipe and that has a vacuum seal will keep indefinitely; however, over an extended period of time changes do occur. These changes may affect the flavor, color, texture and nutritional value of the product. For the highest quality, use home canned food within one year.

How do I know if a jar of home canned food is spoiled?
When up-to-date guidelines, such as those outlined on this site, are followed exactly, there should be little concern about the quality and safety of your home canned foods. As with commercial packaged foods, it is always wise to examine any food before using it. When you take it from the shelf, check each jar to see that it has retained a vacuum seal and that no visible changes have taken place during storage”
 
 
Pop, soda, coke, whatever you call it, where ever you live

This one is a bit tricky. I can’t find any firm numbers, but the research that I have done shows that regular, NON diet, pop will last for a long time, some places say years. As long as the can remains sealed, it will remain carbonated. The corn syrup lasts much longer than artificial sweeteners.

Diet pop goes bad not long after the expiration date. This has to do with the artificial sweeteners.

 
 
Chocolate

Chocolate by itself, according to Hershey’s Product FAQ

Q. How should I store chocolate?

A. Solid chocolate products will maintain their quality if well wrapped and stored in a cool, dry place (55-60°F). While refrigerated chocolate is certainly safe to use, we don’t recommend it. Chocolate kept in the refrigerator may “sweat” when brought to room temperature and may not melt properly. Cocoa is considered a non-perishable item which should maintain quality if stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

Chocolate may turn white. This is called “blooming”. The chocolate is still perfectly edible. Here is what Hershey’s has to say in the Hershey’s Product FAQ

Q. My chocolate sometimes turns tan or white. What causes this?

A. Chocolate contains cocoa butter, a vegetable fat that is sensitive to heat and humidity. Temperatures above 75°F will cause chocolate to melt. The cocoa butter can rise to the surface and form a discoloration called “cocoa butter bloom.” Condensation on milk or semi-sweet chocolate may cause the sugar to dissolve and rise to the surface as “sugar bloom.” Chocolate that has “bloomed” is certainly safe to use, but flavor loss and texture changes may be noticed.

 
 
Bottled Water

The water itself won’t go bad but the chemicals from the plastic can leech into the water over time. If you use water bottles regularly and rotate through your supply, this shouldn’t be a concern. If you are storing water bottles for pure water storage, rotate every 6-12 months.

 
 
Medication

I am not a Doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV, but I have done plenty of research on the subject of medicine. From the below links I’ll show you how I had come to believe that in large part, big-pharma has sold us a bill of goods.

Drugs Frequently Potent Past Expiration details how in the mid 1980’s the military was faced with spending billions to replace medications that were reaching the end of their expiration date and requested the FDA to test whether medications were still effective after their expirations dates. Read the article for full details, but some of the high points:

The testing, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ultimately covered more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The results, never before reported, show that about 90% of them were safe and effective far past their original expiration date, at least one for 15 years past it.

In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis Flaherty, says he has concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr. Flaherty notes that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The expiration date doesn’t mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being effective after that, nor that it will become harmful.”

“Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, says that with a handful of exceptions – notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics – most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency has tested for the military. “Most drugs degrade very slowly,” he says. “In all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many years, especially if it’s in the refrigerator.””

Here are more articles dealing with the expiration dates of medicines from MD’s that are themselves prepper’s.

From SurvivalBlog.com

Antibiotics and Antiviral Medications; by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD
Part One, Part Two, Part Three.
A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI, by Dr. Bones

The Survival Podcast
Episode-685 with Dr. Eric Wilke on Survival Medicine

Doom and Bloom
The Truth About Expiration Dates by Dr Bones

There was only one medicine that I could find that was in fact harmful when used after it had expired. That was Tetracycline and it only effected one person in the 1960’s I believe. It was suggested that it could have been something else that caused the reaction, but it was blamed on Tetracycline.

From the research I have done it looks like medicines that are in pill form only, not liquid or gel, will last much longer than the expiration date suggests. I have and will continue to store and use medicines that were prescribed and not fully used that have exceeded their expiration dates.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

Preparedness Club

Filed Under: Food, General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips

The First 100 Things to Disappear

June 14, 2012 by

There is a list that floats around in the realm of preparedness called 100 Items to Disappear First in a Panic. I don’t know if the link I provided is the original source of this list, but I think it is. 

I don’t want you to treat this list as a list of things to run out and get if the “fan” starts to rotate, but rather as a tool to see where you may have holes in your preps.  I am going to copy and paste the list and add my comments marked in red.  I don’t know if the link I provided is the original source but it was one of the easier to read when I searched. 

 

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers You should have this as a priority now, not when it’s hitting the fan.
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots. (In the London riots sporting goods stores ran out of bats, people purchased them to protect their homes.)
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat (this stuff stored for 20+ years when done right, don’t wait for a last minute run.)
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY – note – food grade if for drinking. (It doesn’t need to be in clear plastic, in fact many of the food grade water drums are hard blue plastic)
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book. 
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels (This stuff can go in the attic as it’s not subject to heat, stack it igh and deep.)
31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food) (So people run out and purchase dogs when there is an impending emergency?  Don’t get me wrong, dogs are a great alert system, I just don’t know if it belongs on this list.)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches. {“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with wheels)
49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens  (Again, not an item I am sure people run out and get in an impending emergency).

 

I’m not sure where the following came from, but it good info none the less.
From a Sarajevo War Survivor:
Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war – death of parents and
friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate
near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity – it’s the easiest to
do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy – it makes a lot of
the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs
enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially if you buy it in
bulk.
6. Bring some books – escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival
guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway – trust me, you’ll
have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many
people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of
toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to
lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips

Preparedness for Diabetics

July 27, 2011 by

According to the American Diabetes Association there are 25.8 million people with diabetes and 79 million people with pre-diabetes; I am one of the 25.8 million. For a few different reasons, diabetes is also one the hardest diseases to prepare for in terms of a survival situation.

I have done plenty of research and I was able to find some good information, in bits and pieces, scattered across the web. I’ll try to put it all together, in hopes that I can help those with or those caring for someone with diabetes learn how to prepare for living with diabetes in a survival situation.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor; all information provided is based off my own research and personal experience. I would advise you to use the information I give here as part of your research. Instead of covering what diabetes is, what insulin is or the different kinds of it, I am just going to cover the difficulties in term of preparedness.
 
 
Insulin

Insulin is the chief reason this disease is difficult to prepare for. Many of the modern delivery systems (pens) make it very handy, but also cause a very short shelf life. Because of this, building a supply of insulin can be difficult. Insulin also has to be kept in temperatures less then 86F and above freezing at 32F.
 
 
Shelf Life

Here is a Chart for Insulin Storage and Expiration. The top chart is for the insulin pens, some of which have a shelf life of as little as 7-10 days, with the longest going as far as 28-30 days. The bottom chart is for bottled insulin; the left column is the one that is most interesting to me. It points out that insulin that is refrigerated properly (not frozen) will last until the expiration date on the package, which is often 1-2 years after purchase.
 
 
Keeping It Cool

As I write this, the Midwest is going through a nasty heat wave, with temps in the low 100’s and a heat index of around 115 F. Right now we’re sitting in an air-conditioned room (praise God). If there were an extended loss of power, it could take as little as a few hours or as long as a few days for the insulin to reach temperatures that make is unsafe for use.

Here are a few ideas that I have come across through my online travels and a fantastic product that could very well be a game changer in terms of preparing for diabetes in a survival situation.

One option is to buy a small fridge that runs on propane and a few cylinders of propane. Another option I saw was to store it in the toilet tank, as that water is often cooler then the air around it (that’s why toilets sweat). If you have no other good option, as a last ditch plan you could dig a hole a few feet deep as the temperature should be within limits.

The option that I like the most is one I discovered recently, FRIO Insulin Cooling Wallet

“The principle is simple. To activate the wallet, immerse it in cold water for 5-15 minutes. Crystals contained in the panels of the wallet then expand into a gel, which remains cool for several days — relying on the process of evaporation for cooling. Just towel dry the outside and it’s ready to go! To use it again, put the FRIO® back in water — it can be reactivated over and over again”….” FRIO® wallets keep insulin safe for a minimum of 45 hours”

I don’t own one of these, mostly because I’m not insulin dependent, but I might be buying one as a gift.

New insulin requires no refrigeration
Everything I know about this I have learned from this article. If their claims hold true, this discovery is huge. Here are just the first two paragraphs.

“A young Monash University chemist and her colleagues have successfully strengthened insulin’s chemical structure without affecting its activity. Their new insulin won’t require refrigeration.

They have just filed a series of patents with the support of their long term commercial partner ASX-listed Circadian Technologies who are now negotiating with pharma companies to start the long process of getting the invention out of the laboratory and into the homes of people with diabetes.”
 
 
What Kind of Insulin?

When it comes to building up a supply of insulin, while convenient, the pens’ short shelf life throws them out. This leaves the vial. As stated above, vials of insulin that are not punctured can last one to two years. If preparing for insulin dependent diabetes is a big concern, you may want to talk to your doctor about switching to this type of insulin.
 
 
Purchasing Insulin

I came across a chart that shows state-by-state requirements on whether you need a prescription for insulin or syringes. I want to preface what I am about to say with this: I am not making a brand recommendation; I am just passing along something I read while researching this article. That being said, on one of the forums I saw, there was a user that mentioned they have found that Walmart sells a generic brand of Novalin called Relion. They claimed that Novalin is normally $45+ a bottle while Relion is only $24. I checked a few on-line sources and found this to be true.

This insulin should be rotated just like anything else. Start out slow and increase your store of it as your budget and fridge space allow. I think it would be a good idea to have at least a 90 day supply on hand, but seeing as the shelf life is a year or two, you could get a year supply and just keep rotating it.
 
 
Can Syringes Be Reused?

I think we all know that sharing a syringe is a dangerous thing to do, but can you reuse it yourself and, if so, for how long? Here is a six page article called “A Look at the Reuse of Insulin Needles”. Here is a study done on “Multiple Use of Disposable Insulin Syringe-Needle Units”. Here are some of the details:

“Fourteen insulin-dependent diabetics were asked to use their insulin syringe-needle units three times in succession to determine the efficacy and safety of this practice. The mean duration of time each patient participated in the study was 20.4 weeks, and a total of 2,000 injections were taken. No signs of infections at the injection site were observed. Multiple use of disposable insulin syringe-needle units appears to be safe and cost-beneficial.”

While researching, I also found instructions on how to sharpen used syringes. However, I can’t find the site now and doing a search directly brings up way too many drug related sites.
 
 
Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetics

Doctors have told me that if your parent has diabetes you have a 50% chance of getting it and if their parent has it, you have a 75% chance. That being the case, I have also heard two doctors say most type two diabetics do not need to be diabetics. There is a real chance that with life style changes the diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise or even completely reversed. I kick myself for not making the lifestyle changes that I have had to make because of the diabetes sooner. I fall into the 25% that is genetically predisposed but I am really trying to reverse it with diet and exercise.

I have heard doctors say that the medications for type 2 diabetics only help a little, that the real help comes from, you guessed it, diet and exercise. The plus here is that storing up a large supply of type II diabetes meds isn’t nearly as important as storing insulin for our type 1 brothers and sisters. I recommend that you have a store of type II diabetes medication on hand. I have also read that Cinnamon as well as Apple Cider Vinegar can aid in keeping blood sugar levels low.
 
 
Another Useful Site

Bay Medical has an article on their site that has some good information. It is called “Caring for Diabetes During A Disaster”. Some of their food storage items they selected could be improved, but over all it’s good info. They also mention a glucose tablet or hard candy, I think this is a must for any diabetic. I carry the tablets as part of my EDC (Every Day Carry).

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

Preparedness Club

Filed Under: Medical and First Aid
«Previous Page
Next Page»