Rise Of The Preppers: 50 Of The Best Prepper Websites And Blogs On The Internet

by Michael Snyder, Contributor

Are you preparing for the collapse of society?  If so, the truth is that you are definitely not alone.  The number of preppers in the U.S. has absolutely exploded in recent years.  It has been estimated that there are now approximately 3 million preppers in the United States, andDoomsday Preppers is currently the highest rated show on the National Geographic channel.  In fact, you could be living next to a prepper and never even know it.

All over America, families are transforming spare rooms into long-term food storage pantries, planting survival gardens, unplugging from the grid, converting their homes over to alternative sources of energy, taking self-defense courses and stocking up on just about everything that you can imagine.

The re-election of Barack Obama and other recent events seem to have given the prepper movement even more momentum.  For example, in January the U.S. Mint broke all kinds of records and soldnearly half a billion dollars worth of gold and silver coins to the public.  Not only that, Americans bought enough guns during the last two months of 2012 alone to supply the entire armies of China and India.  When it comes to prepping, nobody can match the passion that Americans put into it.

So what are all of these people prepping for?

Well, the truth is that no two preppers have the exact same motivation.  There is a general consensus among preppers that our world is becoming increasingly unstable, but when you sit down and talk with them you find out that there are a whole host of different civilization-killing events that various preppers are concerned about.  Some are preparing for the collapse of the economy.  Others are extremely concerned about the potential for crippling natural disasters and catastrophic earth changes. To other preppers, the rise of the "Big Brother" surveillance grid that is being constructed all around us is the greatest danger, and many of them warn of the tyrannical agenda ofthe New World Order.

Terrorism, killer pandemics, EMP attacks, World War III, martial law, solar megastorms, asteroid strikes and societal chaos are some of the other things that many preppers are worried about.  There are even some preppers that are not worried about any "threats" at all - they just want to get "back to the land" and want to become less dependent on the system.

Whatever the motivation, it is undeniable that the prepper movement has gotten very large and that it continues to grow.

In fact, there was a recent article in the New York Times about preppers that was actually written by a prepper entitled "The Preppers Next Door"...

To the unprepared, the very word 'prepper' is likely to summon images of armed zealots hunkered down in bunkers awaiting the End of Days, but the reality, at least here in New York, is less dramatic. Local Preppers are doctors, doormen, charter school executives, subway conductors, advertising writers and happily married couples from the Bronx. They are no doubt people that you know — your acquaintances and neighbors. People, I’ll admit, like myself.

I was absolutely amazed that one of the key mouthpieces of the establishment, the New York Times, would publish an article that was mostly positive about preppers, because the truth is that prepping is essentially a huge expression of a lack of faith in the establishment.   Even the article admitted as much...

PREPPING IS THE BIG SHORT: a bet not just against a city, or a country or a government, but against the whole idea of sustainable civilization. For that reason, it chafes against one of polite society’s last remaining taboos — that the way we live is not simply plagued by certain problems, but is itself insolubly problematic.

And that is exactly right.  There are millions of us that are entirely convinced that the world around us is becoming increasingly unstable and that "the system" will not be there to take care of us when everything falls to pieces.

With each passing day, even more Americans lose faith in the system and begin prepping.  If you are one of those new preppers, there are actually dozens of great websites out there on the Internet where you can get an education about prepping for free.  The list of websites and blogs that I have compiled below contains more articles and resources than you could ever possibly need.  Hopefully many of you will find this list to be extremely helpful.

The following are 50 of the best prepper websites and blogs on the Internet...

1. Survival Blog
2. American Preppers Network
3. The Survival Mom
4. SHTFPlan.com5. Survival 4 Christians
6. Urban Survival
7. Backdoor Survival
8. Off Grid Survival
9. Modern Survival Online
10. The Survivalist Blog
11. The Suburban Prepper
12. The Great Northern Prepper
13. Prepper Website
14. The Survival Podcast
15. Doom And Bloom
16. Provident Living Today
17. Prepper.org
18. Prepared Christian
19. SHTFblog.com
20. Survival Cache
21. Modern Survival Blog
22. Rural Revolution
23. Preparedness Advice Blog
24. Prep-Blog.com
25. Survival And Prosperity
26. TEOTWAWKI Blog
27. The Neighbor Network
28. The Apartment Prepper
29. Armageddon Online
30. The Berkey Guy Blog
31. The Home For Survival
32. My Family Survival Plan
33. Prepography
33. Prepper Dashboard
34. Bacon And Eggs
35. SHTF School
36. Canadian Preppers Network
37. Maximum Survival
38. Survivor Jane
39. Prepping To Survive
40. SaltnPrepper
41. SGTReport
42. SHTF Wiki
43. Jewish Preppers
44. Survival Magazine
45. Survival Week
46. Prepper Forums
47. Survivalist Boards
48. Tactical Intelligence
49. The Prepared Ninja
50. Common Sense Homesteading

The sad truth is that our world is becoming increasingly unstable in a whole bunch of different ways and we all need to learn how to prepare for the difficult years ahead.

Unfortunately, most Americans simply are not prepared for much of anything.

For example, a large percentage of Americans do not even have enough savings to get them through a single financial emergency.  According to one recent report, approximately 44 percent of all households in the United States are just one unexpected event away from financial disaster.

Most American families do not have much food stored up either.  One recent survey discovered that55 percent of all Americans have less than three days supply of food in their homes.

Could that possibly be accurate?  Do people really keep that little food in their homes?
Another survey asked Americans how long they think they could survive if the entire electrical grid went down and there was no more power for an extended period of time.  Incredibly, 21 percent of those who responded said that they would survive for less than a week, and an additional28 percent of those who responded said that they would survive for less than two weeks.  Close to 75 percent of those who responded said that they would be dead before the two month mark.

So who are the crazy ones?

Are the people trying to become more independent and self-sufficient crazy, or are the people who have complete and total faith that the system will take care of them no matter what happens actually the crazy ones?

I don't know about you, but I would prefer for myself and my family to at least have a chance to survive if society melts down for some reason.

What about you?

Are you a prepper?

Do you know some preppers?

Do you believe that people should be prepping?

Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below...

This article first appeared here at The Truth.  Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him onTwitter here.

Orginal post @ http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/rise-of-preppers-50-of-best-prepper.html

7 actions to take immediately following an EMP strike

The threat of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) strike on this country is a very well documented one, I have written about the threat in the past and have used information from the EMP Commission report which was published in 2004 in several of my articles.  Most recently I read an article published over on the Economic Collapse Blog which sums up nicely what impact an EMP strike would have on our country.

An electromagnetic pulse can range from a minor inconvenience to a civilization-killing event. It just depends on how powerful it is. But in the worst case scenario, we could be facing a situation where our electrical grids have been fried, there is no heat for our homes, our computers don’t work, the Internet does not work, our cell phones do not work, there are no more banking records, nobody can use credit cards anymore, hospitals are unable to function, nobody can pump gas, and supermarkets cannot operate because there is no power and no refrigeration. Basically, we would witness the complete and total collapse of the economy.

So what actions should you take immediately following an EMP strike?  Remember that time will be critical, the first few hours (days at most) will enable you to get a jump on everyone else and set the stage for your success.  You will immediately know that an EMP, be it from a nuclear weapon or massive solar flare, will have struck your area.  Your car will no longer work, your cell phone won’t work, the power will be out everywhere, planes will have fallen from the sky.  You will know it was an EMP but the vast majority of the public will not, they will be quite literally sitting around waiting for someone to tell them what to do.  You won’t know how large the scope of the strike is but you will have to assume the worst, which would be a nationwide outage.

First things first, if you are at work, get home.  Your boss no longer has authority over you, your co-workers no longer are a priority.  They will be trying to restart a computer that will never again work, trying to restart their smartphone, sitting in the break room trying to call 911 and saying things like: “This is ridiculous, I’m going to miss my 3pm sales call!”  You on the other hand will go to you car and change into the extra set of clothes and shoes you keep in the trunk.  You will don your “get home bag” and start walking, hopefully your walk will not take more than a day.

Once home it is time to start implementing your plan.  Remember time is absolutely critical and you only have a small window of it in order to set yourself up for success.  During these initial hours and days people will still have faith that some sort of government agency will come in to make everything better.  They will expect to see the power come back on any minute because someone will surely do something.  They will tell each other to sit tight, just hold on for a day or so because eventually the HMMWV’s will roll in loaded with supplies and some military officer or government official will explain that this is merely a temporary problem, nothing to worry about, sorry for the inconvenience.  You know better because you realize just how devastating an EMP strike is and the reality is that it could be months before systems start to come back online.  It will only take a week or two (at most) before things start getting really ugly because people start going hungry.  With all of that that in mind you take these 7 actions because you were prepared for this to happen.

1- Use your cash.  In the first few days after an EMP strike cash will still have value.  Take all of your cash and that radio flyer wagon your kids have and walk down to the corner store.  Avoid the big retail stores, I suggest finding the corner gas station or local drug store.  The owner of the store will no doubt be there, concerned that the items in the store are unprotected during a power outage.  Explain to the owner that you are in need of some supplies, can pay cash and do not require change.  Tell him/her that you will give them an extra $100 to allow you to “shop” for a few minutes.  Load up your wagon with anything you can find to include medication, candy bars, water bottles, pop tarts, lighters, hand sanitizer etc etc.  Of course you should be well stocked at home but you might as well get rid of your worthless paper money in exchange for any amount of extra supplies you can get your hands on.  In a week (maybe less) most stores will be completely looted so you need to take advantage of this moment.

2- Fill up the tub(s) with water.  Hopefully you have a water bob for each bath tub in your home in addition to several other water storage devices and water purification/filtration devices.  Remember a down grid means that fresh water will stop flowing to your home very quickly.  Fill up your tub as soon as you can, that extra hundred or so gallons could prove invaluable.  If you are concerned about the quality of the water remember you can add 8 drops of regular Clorox bleach per gallon to help purify what you have in the tub.

3- Talk to your neighbors.  This step is absolutely critical, you have to get out and talk to your close neighbors and explain to them what is going on.  They will be in denial for the most part, hopefully you have copies of the EMP report printed off which you can distribute as you go door to door.  Explain to them what is going on and that time is critical, let them know a worst case scenario means that there will be no help coming for quite a long time.  Additionally mention the following to them.

a. Discuss a neighborhood watch.  Tell them that in a few days or weeks things will get dangerous with hungry people roaming the streets.  It is essential that you define your neighborhood’s boundaries and set up a neighborhood watch of sorts, assigning people to different shifts.

b. Offer to hold a meeting.  Set a time that you will have a meeting at your home, say every day after sunrise in your garage.  Tell them they are invited and that every day you will be there passing out information.  At first you might not have anyone attend these meetings, in a few days there will be a handful and in a week you might have 50 or more hungry, scared, tired people demanding answers.  If you are going to assume the role of a leader, be prepared to do just that.

c. Tell them to use their cash.  Much like you should have already done, tell them that their cash will soon be worthless and that they need to get down to the market to spend it.  Most people have no cash on hand, so this probably won’t be a real issue.

d. Tell them to inventory their supplies.  Most people have 3 to 5 days food on hand in their home.  You should mention that they need to start rationing what they have, and taking inventory of everything else.

e. Start identifying those with skills.  I wrote about how to organize a survival community as well as what skills will be valuable after T-SHTF in a few recent articles  While making the rounds in your neighborhood you should start identifying who has special skills and make note of it.  Cops or military personnel could help with security, Doctors have obvious value, and so on and so forth.

4- Start rationing food.  Hopefully you have at least a 1 year supply of food for your family, if not more.  Start rationing immediately because more than likely you will have to share some of your food with your neighbors.  It will be unavoidable, you will need their help to survive as a community and there is absolutely no way that they will starve while watching you and your family live high on the hog.  This doesn’t mean that you cannot oversee how some rations are distributed, or seek out other sources of food, but just remember nobody gets through SHTF alone.

5- Hygiene preparations.  Consider where you are going to dispose of your human waste, it might be a good time to start digging that pit.  Also consider where you will dispose of your trash and if you will bury it or burn it.  Remember the trash man won’t be around next Sunday and your toilets will stop flushing very quickly.

6- Listen to your weather radio.  Prior to the EMP strike you had a small solar/hand crank weather radio secured in an old microwave in the basement, it still works.  You should monitor NOAA Weather Radio frequencies throughout the day in case there is information being published which you can use to stay informed.  Maybe the strike only covered 500 square miles and help will be on the way in a week, or maybe there is nothing but static…not a good sign.

7- Consider your own security plan.  Despite all of the actions you are taking, trying to help those within your community by reaching out to organize them, realize that not everything goes to plan.  There could be dissenters within your neighborhood or those outside of your community who might choose to take advantage of the situation.  Looting will become prevalent very quickly and no neighborhood will be immune.  Consider your security plan, this is no time to rely on the charity and goodness of mankind.  Remain suspicious of all activity and never walk around unarmed.  Never allow your family members to venture out alone and remember to stay in after dark.  All of that said I would caution against using deadly force unless absolutely necessary.  Protect yourself and your family but remember that there will come a time when the power does come back on and people will be held accountable for their actions.

An EMP strike on our nation will be an absolutely catastrophic event and while I’m sure all of us hope that something like this never happens, hope is never a course of action.   Despite our best efforts to prepare for such an event there is a good chance that many will not survive.  Some have predicted that within a year of a strike, 9 out of 10 Americans would be dead.  In sports success or failure on the field of play is determined months before the actual game by how much dedication the athletes displayed during practice.  In much the same way success or failure following an EMP strike will have been determined by how seriously we took our prep strategy in the months or years prior, as well as actions which we take immediately after.  Life isn’t fair, plan accordingly.

Original post @ http://www.prepper-resources.com/7-actions-to-take-immediately-following-an-emp-strike/

Book Of Revelation Now Opening! Secrets Of The Seven Seals

If the Webbot project is to be believed, then just like animals have a 6th sense of impending earthquakes and storms, so we too have a subconscious awareness of things to come. Webbot suggests that the next great event on everyone’s mind is the end of the world.

According to the American Preppers Network, their website has been getting 10 to 20 thousand unique visits per day recently. 

Is it possible that the Webbot project has witnessed the end times envisioned by prophets of doom such as Edgar Cayce, Joseph Smith, St. Malachy and Sir Isaac Newton, who all predicted disaster for our times? We have all witnessed the signs suggesting that they may be right. Did they really witness the ‘end of the world’ and are we about to experience it? 

70 Things That Can and Will Go Wrong in a Disaster

As hip as it may sound to talk about zombies, the end if the world and a doomsday apocalypse, the reality is that a disaster is anything but cool and hip.  As we look back in modern history, we will find countless instances where a disaster, whether man-made or a freak of nature, has wreaked unexpected havoc, destruction and panic.  The recovery process is long, and the level of organization and dedication required to successfully mobilize resources is huge.

That brings me to the topic of today’s article: “70 Things That Can Go Wrong in a Disaster”.

I recently came across a listing of things that can go wrong during and following a disaster and while the list is not my original work, I felt that it was a list worth sharing.  Some of the points are common knowledge, but others were surprising and to be honest, a bit disconcerting as well.  Most of the 70 items are negative and many go against what we commonly believe will occur as first responders and rescuers come on the scene.

So what is a prepper to do?

Read through the list, remind yourself that trained personnel are human too, and that even with the best of training, mistakes will be made.

Things that will go wrong in a disaster

1. In an earthquake, there may be violent ground shaking; it will seem to last much longer than it actually does.

2. Fires will occur, caused by electrical shorts, natural gas, fireplaces, stoves, etc.

3. Fires in collapsed buildings will be very difficult to control.

4. The extent of the disaster will be difficult to assess, though this will be necessary to assure proper commitment of resources.

5. Emergency equipment and field units will commit without being dispatched. There will be an air of urgency and more requests for aid than units available to send.

6. Communications will be inadequate; holes will appear in the system and air traffic will be incredibly heavy.

7. Trained personnel will become supervisors because they will be too valuable to perform hands-on tasks.

8. Responding mutual aid units will become lost; they will require maps and guides.

9. Water will be contaminated and unsafe for drinking. Tankers will be needed for fire fighting and for carrying drinking water.

10. Citizens will volunteer but their commitment will usually be short-term.

11. There may be a multitude of hazardous materials incidents.

12. Aircraft will flood the area; law enforcement, fire, media, civilian, commercial and military aircraft will be a major concern.

13. The Command Post and/or EOC will be overrun with non-essential personnel; media, geologists, architects, engineers, representatives from other jurisdictions, etc.

14. Staging will be essential; the flow of personnel, equipment and supplies will be overwhelming.

15. Although it is an EOC function, the Field Command Post will become the temporary seat of government.

16. Electric power will be interrupted or will fail completely.

17. It will be difficult to shut off the gas; valves that are seldom, if ever, used will be difficult to find, and may not work when they are found.

18. Phone service will be erratic or non-existent. Pay phones will be the most reliable.

19. The media will have the best communications available; be prepared to share or impound their resources.

20. Fuel will not be available because there will be no electricity to run the pumps.

21. There will be an epidemic of flat tires; police, fire, and emergency medical vehicles will sustain a multitude of flat tires that will require repair in the field.

22. Fires will need to be investigated; mutual aid should include arson investigators.

23. The primary police department concern will be law enforcement; there will not be sufficient time or manpower to provide miscellaneous services.

24. It will be dark; there will not be enough generators or lights available.

25. Portable toilets will be in demand; there will be no place to go, and if a place is found there will be six photographers there to cover the event.

26. The perimeter will be difficult to control; citizens and media alike will offer good reasons why they should be allowed to enter the restricted area.

27. Search dogs will be needed early in the operation.

28. Documentation will be very important; there will be a multitude of requests for information later.

29. Riveted steel (oil and water storage) tanks may fail.

30. Streets will be impassable in some areas; it will be necessary to clear streets of rubble in order to conduct emergency operations.

31. The same buildings will be searched more than once unless they are clearly marked.

32. In earthquakes, there will be after shocks; they will hamper emergency operations, create new fears among the citizenry and may cause more destruction than the original shock.

33. Many injured people will have to find their own way to medical treatment facilities.

34. Volunteer and reserve personnel may be slow to respond; they will put their own families’ safety first.

35. On-duty public safety personnel will be concerned about their own families, and some may leave their posts to check on them.

36. Law enforcement and the media will clash; all media representatives should be referred to the Public Information Officer.

37. Very few citizens will utilize evacuation/mass care centers; they will prefer to stay with friends and relatives, or to camp out in their own yards.

38. Structural engineers will be needed to evaluate standing buildings for use as evacuation centers, command posts, information centers, first aid stations.

39. The identification of workers and volunteers will be a problem; it will be difficult to determine who is working where and on what.

40. There will be rumors; people will be listening to their radios and must be given accurate information.

41. There will not be enough handie-talkies; batteries will soon go dead.

42. Many fire hydrants will be inaccessible (covered or destroyed by rubble) or inoperable.

43. Generators will run out of fuel; jerry cans of fuel must be obtained early to maintain generator powered lighting and communications.

44. Critical facilities will have to be self-sufficient; gas, lights, water and sewage may be out for days.

45. Emergency responders will require rest and must be relieved. Local personnel may be of value as guides for mutual aid responders, or as supervisors for volunteer crews.

46. Equipment will be lost, damaged or stolen, and may never be accounted for.

47. Someone will get the bill; record-keeping and accounting procedures will be important.

48. Traditional non-emergency personnel will want to go home at 5 o’clock; all public employees must be made to realize that they are a part of the emergency response team.

49. People will die and there is nothing that can be done about it. Non-public safety personnel will not understand why everyone cannot be saved. Priorities must be set to save the most lives possible.

50. Dead bodies should not be an initial concern. Rescuing the living should be the first priority.

51. If phones are working, the number of requests for service will be overwhelming. People will have to fend for themselves; it will be difficult for dispatchers to ignore these pleas for help.

52. Some field units will disappear; you will not be able to reach them and will not know where they are or what they are doing.

53. Security will have to be posted at hospitals, clinics, and first-aid stations to control hysterical citizens demanding immediate attention.

54. Representatives from public agencies throughout the United States and many foreign countries will want to come and observe the operations or offer assistance. They will be a significant problem.

55. Department heads (EOC) staff may not have a working knowledge of their assigned areas of responsibility, and will play it by ear.

56. Some citizens and media representatives will question your decisions because they will not recognize that the safety of field responders is paramount.

57. There are no critically injured in a disaster; only those who are dead or alive.

58. Handicapped and disabled persons will probably die unless personal family and friends can care for them and maintain their life-support systems.

59. Management will not be familiar with field response procedures, and may attempt to change standard operating procedures.

60. Emergency responders (public safety and medical alike) will not be adequately trained to respond efficiently.

61. There will be initial chaos; supplies, materials and equipment needed will not be readily available.

62. There will be a general lack of necessary information; coordinators will want to wait for damage/casualty assessment information to establish priorities.

63. Emergency equipment will not be able to reach some locations because of traffic jams. Tow trucks will be at a premium. Parked or abandoned vehicles will block streets, and emergency responders will be the worst offenders.

64. Even though there will not be enough people to initially deal with emergencies, many available personnel will never be identified and never used. After the initial shock, there will be too many volunteers.

65. General information will be offered in response to specific questions because field units cannot verify the requested information.

66. Individual public safety officers will be asked to do the work of squads or companies; they will have to recruit volunteers on the spot to provide assistance to their efforts.

67. The message flow to, from, and within the EOC and Field Command Post will break down and become inefficient and unmanageable.

68. There will be an over critical desire to verify all incoming information. If it is received from a field unit, it should be considered as verified.

69. Some EOC and Command Post personnel will become overloaded; some will not be able to cope with the volume of activity and information they have to deal with, and some will not be able to cope with the noise and distractions.

70. Things will get better some time after they have become considerably worse.

Credit for this list:  A July 6, 2006 article by Lt. Dan Blackston, Chula Vista Police Department

As you read through this list of 70 things that can go wrong following a disaster, realize that while many of these things may not happen each and every time there is an emergency, many of them will indeed occur.  And it is true.  Things will get better – eventually – but they may also get a lot worse than you can imagine before the road to recovery begins.

As a layman citizen, think about your own needs now and how they might be impacted in an emergency.  Recognize and acknowledge up front that if things can go wrong, they will.  Go back and re-visit your most basic prepping skills and supplies by reviewing 12 Months of Prepping.  And of course, continue to stow away extra food, water and especially tools that will help get you through if a disaster occurs in your community. Couple that with basic outdoor skills and a bit of faith and you will have done your best to prepare.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

How to Choose Groceries for Long Term Food Storage

When you want to establish a food supply for long-term storage, you must consider a few factors. The food items you choose must be easy to store and store well over the long term. The food must also be easy to prepare and provide nutritional value. Long-term food storage will not be difficult if you follow a few basic tips.

Type of storage:
While a freezer is excellent for storing many foods, it may not be your best choice. Unless you have access to a generator or use solar power, your freezer may not be operational when you need it the most. The best choices for grocery items are those that are canned or well sealed in plastic.

Longevity of food products:
• Low acid canned foods – 2 to 5 years
• High acid canned foods – 1 to 2 years
• Boxed cereal – 6 to 12 months
• Uncooked cereal – 1 year
• Peanut butter – 2 years
• Crackers – 1 year
• Jellies – 2 years
• Dry pasta – 3 years

Honey, rice, sugar and chocolate powder will keep almost indefinitely if stored correctly. Honey may crystallize but it will still be safe. If you doubt the safety of an item, throw it out.

Ease of use:
No matter how long a food item can last, it will not be helpful if you cannot use it. Canned goods should not present a problem as long as you have a can opener. Canned goods with pop-top lids may be a better choice. Items that require heating to higher temperatures can present a problem. While you should arrange for ways to warm your food, exact temperatures may be hard to control.

Choose foods that are pre-cooked or do not require higher heat for use. You can re-hydrate most items with a minimal amount of warmth; it just may take a bit longer. It is extremely important that you consider the additional water needs of dehydrated foods when you are planning items for storage.
Nutritional value:
Soups, nuts and energy bars all provide good nutritional sources. Add in dehydrated or freeze dried fruits and vegetables for variety. Energy or nutritional drinks are also an excellent choice.
When you work on your long-term food storage, date the items as you store them. Rotate these food items into your regular meals to keep your supply fresh. Every six to twelve months you should re-evaluate the types of items you are storing. Your needs may change over time.

Ray Boeyenga+ is an emergency preparedness and self-reliance advisor who regularly blogs at Canada’s Emergency Preparedness Centre.

Source: http://www.rockymountainsurvival.com/how-to-choose-groceries-for-long-term-food-storage/

Getting Your Mind Right for Survival: When You are the One Walking Point

Hurricane Sandy left a lot of people without power, food, water, fuel, medicines, and shelter. Many people are still going without — in the middle of the wealthy NYC area.

Imagine a larger scale disaster where state and municipal emergency response systems were knocked out, and you were left entirely on your own to assure the survival of yourself and those close to you. What would you do?

The success triad below: training, tangibles, and mindset should give you some ideas on where to start.

Success in Emergency Preparedness

Some common preparedness tangibles are:

• Silver
• Ammunition
• Food and water
• Spare gasoline
• Batteries
• Coats, hats, gloves
• Camping gear

Some common preparedness training includes:

• Personal protection
• Gunsmithing
• Food preparation
• Carpentry and home repair
• Small engine repair and maintenance
• Survival
• Orienteering

Some common successful mindset qualities are:

• Aim, Focus
• Perseverance
• Adaptability
• Curious and inquisitive
• Enthusiastic
• Evaluative- scrutinizes his self, choices, etc for continued improvement

_Successful Preparedness Mindset

Here is a look at 15 skills to survive TEOTWAWKI from MD Creekmore:

1. Food Processing – many survival planners overlook food processing in favor of more exciting elements of preparedness. This is a mistake, I think cooking and preparing basic storage foods is one of the most important elements of preparedness .

2. Bulk Food Storage – without sufficient qualities of storage foods our demise is practically guaranteed after a major catastrophe. Storing basic grains and beans isn’t difficult and any dunce can do it properly in a couple of hours with proper instruction.

3. Medical Training – every survivalist should have sufficient medical training. A good start is taking a basic CPR and first aid class, check with your local Red Cross for scheduling. If time and finances allow taking EMT classes would also be a good idea. Don’t overlook herbal medicine, which maybe all we have to work with on an individual level.

4. Gardening – because of space and finances most of us can not put back enough food to last the rest of our lives. We’ll need to replace our storage foods with fresh supplies. Gardening is an excellent way to do this, and is it easy to learn with instruction and practice. It is amazing at the amount of food that can be grown in a small space under proper conditions.

5. Preserving – Most foods spoil rather quickly resulting in loss of quality, edibility and nutritive value – food preservation is an important survival skill . We need to learn to Can, Dry, Freeze, Salt, Smoke, Pickle, Bury, Vacuum Pack, Sugar, Jelly, Pot etc.

6. Hunting – contrary to popular belief all wild game will not disappear after a collapse. Most people would rather stand in a food line waiting for a handout than scour the backwoods looking for game and let’s not forget that the extent of most peoples hunting skills doesn’t go beyond the latest Cabelas video game.

7. Trapping – trapping is more practical under survival conditions than hunting. By setting a trap you can be other places and do other things while the trap does the hunting for you. Learn to set snares, build deadfalls, box traps, fish traps, and the use steel traps. Becoming a proficient trapper is not difficult – all you need to do is get off the couch and learn by doing.

8. Firearms Repair – basic firearms repair (replacement of broken parts) isn’t all that difficult if you have the parts needed when something breaks. There’s no need in learning to repair every make and model of firearm in existence. You do need to have an in-depth understanding of your chosen weapons, how they work and repair methods for each.

9. Self-Defense Skills – the most effective self-defense techniques are also the easiest to master. Striking vulnerable points, biting and eye gouging are simple and effective techniques that can be quickly learned and when applied with aggression can bring down the most determined attacker.

10. Firearms Skills – if you’re new to firearms a basic safety course is necessary before learning defensive skills. Concealed carry permit classes are held in most areas as are hunter education programs – I suggest you participate in both. The National Rifle Association offers a number of classes that are most helpful. As for books and videos I recommend “Tactical Pistol Shooting” and Kelly McCann’s inside the crucible series.

11. Water Purification – another simple skill often overlooked is water acquisition and purification.

12. Using Tools – you should have a survival toolbox of basic tools, such as; hammers, saws, screwdrivers, winches, vice grips, wire cutters, files etc. And the skills needed to put these tools to use.

13. Animal Husbandry – raising animals goes hand-in-hand with gardening, hunting and trapping to provide a continuous source of nourishment during hard times. I highly recommend “Barnyard in your Backyard” this book covers everything you need to know.

14. Home Power – while it may be possible to survive with no electrical power, having some source of current will make life easier. My solar set up was under $600 batteries included and building my homemade generator was under $100.

15. Investing – after getting your survival necessities in order (food, water, meds, shelter, defense) it’s time to start thinking about investing in precious metals, namely gold and silver. Just be sure not to make the mistake of going into debt while investing in these metals. _MDCreekmore

And since “no man is an island,” and your chances of surviving an emergency are greater when in the company of other skilled and competent persons, here are some ideas on the topic of finding like-minded persons — again from MD Creekmore:

Take a look at your situation, family and friends – would they be there for you and each other when the balloon goes up? What are their skills? What do they have to offer? Will they work together?

If the answers to the above questions are negative, than you need to look elsewhere for support. But where do you look. And, perhaps more importantly, how do you do it without drawing attention to yourself or inviting danger into your retreat.

Consider looking into:
Churches with similar religious convictions to your own.
Hunting clubs
Gun clubs
Garden clubs
First Aid & CPR class attendees
Those attending self-defense classes or seminars
I’m sure you can think of other possibilities, but you get the idea.

Starting your own related club, as a ruse to attract like-minded people for an inital “feeling-out” process isn’t out of the question. Even if you don’t find a worthy candidate you’ll at least have gotten off the couch.

I know a former Army ranger who offered free wilderness survival classes as a ruse when building his survival group.

They would spend a weekend out in the woods learning various outdoor survival techniques. While he would secretly evaluate each as a potential member for his survival group…. _More info at: MDCreekmore: Survival Group

List of top 10 best survival guns from SHTFblog

If the stock market crashes, it will be because investors are afraid of a lot more than “the fiscal cliff.”

Preparation starts by accumulating the rudimentary elements of survival: food, water, shelter, medical supplies, security, survival skills and a basic reactionary plan. _SurvivalBlog

Think of emergencies related to Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters as short-lived reminders of the bigger ones that are coming down the road. The graft and corruption of modern governments are degrading the ability of official institutions to assist citizens in the event of sustained disasters. The growing inability of government institutions to come to the meaningful aid of citizens makes it all the more important for citizens to know how to help themselves.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

More at http://peakoil.com/generalideas/getting-your-mind-right-for-survival-when-you-are-the-one-walking-point/