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Three Letters Re: How Much Food Storage is Biblically Justified?
Sir,
Knowing your Christian beliefs are similar to mine -- Calvinist, reformed -- I thought you'd want to know that the article you linked to is from a cult organization. It follows doctrines generally referred to as "Armstrongism" -- denying the Trinity and salvation by grace alone, and more false prophecies than can be counted.
Here's a write up from a cult watch group describing the doctrines:
Armstrongism: The doctrines and religious movement originating with Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986), who founded the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). Armstrong rejected such essential doctrines of evangelical Christianity as the Trinity, the full deity of Jesus Christ , and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Armstrong taught British Israelism and believed that worthy humans could eventually “become God as God is God.” Teaches salvation by works predicated on Sabbatarianism , tithing (20-30%), and keeping the Old Testament feast days and dietary laws. Under the leadership of Armstrong’s successors, Joseph W. Tkach and his son Joe Tkach, the WCG has undergone a radical doctrinal transformation. Scores of splinter groups, such as the Global Church of God and the United Church of God , continue to teach various forms of Armstrongism.
Though the article may have some merit re: survivalism, [linking to] it also could also lead some into this cult and away from Christ. With this in mind, you may wish to remove it from your site. With respect, - Chris B.
Jim:
He starts by tipping his hat to survivalist foresight, but it degenerates into "Forget all that survivalist stuff, put your faith in God and God alone."
I'm in agreement with that in part, but God also told us to take care of ourselves and others.
"God actually wants us to recognize and overcome our tendency to trust ourselves. He is measuring the coming destruction of America and other nations because of our sin, our faithlessness, our self-reliance, our ignorance of Him and our belittling of His power. And if you understand the Bible’s prophecies about the severity of that destruction, you realize that no private bunker will be safe for long. No one is going to escape the coming tribulation—descending on the nation because of God’s wrath—through survivalist moxie.
Those who plan to weather the coming storms through their own foresight and ingenuity are underestimating the savageness of the time ahead. More importantly, they are misplacing their faith."
He wrapped with...
"Above all, God seeks repentance. And to those who turn to Him with supple hearts, He offers individual protection—escape—from the worst of the coming storms (e.g. Luke 21:36). That is the only sure place to invest our faith."
Okay, I'm in agreement with that too, but only after I've done all I can.
I can't imagine that God would have given me the mind I have and sent me down the paths I've gone down to just roll over and go cockroach waiting for the redemption when it comes time.
That would be a really cruel joke. I know bad things happen, I'm pretty sure it's humans at work. The duality of our souls. I don't think God is mean for the sake of it. Probably more disappointed than anything. - Jim B
Hi James -
I am sure you are aware of the recent post on the Trumpet web site detailing their particular view on preparedness. I am not a member of their denomination, nor do I agree with their viewpoint that the Bible precludes preparation and storage of food for more than a few weeks. Did not Joseph store seven years’ worth of wheat in preparation for lean times? It seems to this preparedness neophyte that the Lord has provided us with the precious gift of life and loved ones, and that for us to knowingly waste these gifts would be an affront to Him and his gifts. When the final tribulation comes and we are all called before Him, will it matter that I left behind six months of freeze dried food that will go to waste? More important is how I lived His gift, and how I shared the storage with those whom He has placed in my life. Perhaps I am missing something. Thanks for your great service, - Hunkajunk
JWR Replies: Yes, I 've seen that article. The author (Joel Hilliker) misinterprets Matthew 6:19-2 ("Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth"), in trying to apply it to food storage. Storing grain for your family's sustenance in hard times does not constitute a "treasure". In the modern context, I think that "treasure" is far more applicable to 48-inch plasma HDTVs. But it is certainly not applicable to the large quantities of wheat and rice that I have in my basement. The extra quantity (beyond my own family's needs) is there for us to distribute in charity--not something to gloat about, or run my fingers through, cackling, just to admire.
In his conclusion, Joel Hilliker also quotes a 1966 article written by Herbert W. Armstrong, as if it were authoritative. Obviously, Armstrong's writings would only be credible if he had made accurate prophecies. But in fact he had a horrible track record as a prophet, and he was fortunate that the Old Testament laws on false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1-5) have not been enforced in modern times, or he wouldn't have lived to write that piece in 1966.
I've noticed that people tend to throw around terms like "hoarding" very loosely. Let's get something straight: Purchasing storage food before a crisis does not constitute hoarding. That is because it doesn't take food from anyone's mouth. But if someone tried to amass their supplies after the onset of a crisis, then that would be hoarding. Simple logic dictates that every citizen that is well stocked represents one less individual that will rush to the supermarket to clean out the shelves, when disaster strikes. Hence, instead of being part of the problem, preppers are part of the solution. As I've often stated in radio and television interviews, I don't consider my family's three years worth of storage food a three year supply for one family. Rather, it is a one year supply for three families. Charity is essential, and Biblically mandated for heads of households.
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Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Ike, Rita, and Katrina, by TiredTubes
In September, 2008, Hurricane Ike--a Category 4 hurricane--pounded the Gulf Coast of the southern US. Some coastal communities like Crystal Beach no longer really exist. Inland, life was severely disrupted. For those of us on the South Coast hurricanes are a frequent reality. We were quite well prepared, but used the disruptions and dislocations as a test and opportunity to tune up our preparations.
1. Be ready to help others and to accept help We didn't need much during Ike, but the power went out before a neighbor finished boarding up his house. My 1 KW inverter, hooked up to his idling truck provide the juice for a Skilsaw and a few lights; allowing him to finish. Usually it is skills and not "stuff" that helps others and yourself. Besides strengthening a neighborly friendship, the number of damaged houses was probably reduced by one.
2. Keep your stuff squared away.. I repaired a few generators during and after Ike. I observed that every one suffering from lack of use; i.e. gasoline that resembled turpentine in the carburetor. People were at a complete loss to understand this. My daugher-in-law owned one of the generators that I repaired. She ignored my admonition to change the dirty oil ASAP and then once every 50 hours. Early in the next week it [ran out of oil and] threw a rod. She was in the dark for another week. Just a $2.99 quart of oil would have saved discomfort, ruined food, etc.
My portable genset, loaned to my daughter, was ready to go; fresh oil, filters, valves set, exercised, load tested. It started on the first try. I came to check it and change it's oil as soon as it was safe to travel. The first thing that I did was turn it so the exhaust faced away from the house! She had placed it so that the starter rope was in a convenient spot. At least she had, like I had asked, chained and locked it to a foundation pier.
After every hurricane Darwin gets a few through accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't join them. If you have a generator, get a carbon monoxide detector in case the wind changes and wafts exhaust in your windows.
Our own [permanently-installed] genset uses natural gas (a tri-fuel generator)
which in the majority of cases is superior and much cheaper to operate. Over the 11 days that we didn't have power it consumed $100 worth of natural gas. I estimate that an equivalent amount of gasoline would have cost more than $300. I stopped it every 75 hours for oil and filter. If your genset doesn't have an hour meter, then add one. There are some inexpensive self contained hour meters made for lawn equipment that work very well and require no hard wiring. It's really the only practical way to keep track of operating time, without which, intelligent maintenance is impossible.
I noticed that many generators, some still in the box, on Craigslist following Hurricane Ike at bargain basement prices. I recommended to a friend he latch onto one of these and purchase a dual-fuel gasoline/natural gas carburetor] kit. Ants can profit from short-sighted grasshoppers.
It goes without saying have all your vehicles filled up and serviced so they can be depended upon with out much attention. Pay particular attention to cooling systems, oil changes, tire pressures, belts and battery terminals.
Develop a pre-event SOP: When we hear of a hurricane in the Gulf, we pick up loose items like branches that can be thrown by high winds and cause damage (aviators call this rubbish FOD), trim trees, check prescriptions, recharge everything rechargeable, treat the swimming pool with "shock" chlorine, get all the laundry and dishes done, get all the trash out for pickup, take “before” pictures, etc., etc., etc.
3. Have backups for your backups. The portable generator above was our backup to the natural gas-fueled genset. Then an inverter and ups. After that is a 100 Watt solar array I've been tinkering with to provide power for security lighting,etc.
My daughter spent up to two hours a day foraging gas, mostly waiting in lines. She found out that the problem with gasoline-fuel generators is gasoline! It's expensive, in short supply (when it is needed most), and it takes gas to go and get gas! Needless to say I rounded up the parts and the portable is now a dual fuel machine. Had it been able to use natural gas then she could have stayed home and been one less person waiting in line. And the machine still retains the capability to burn gasoline!
Since gasoline became hard to come by (it was impossible to get for a week after Rita) but diesel fuel was plentiful we did any necessary traveling in my old diesel Mercedes (which is EMP proof, BTW).
One important word on generators: Treat yours like it is the last one you'll ever get. Try and get a good one, I prefer either a Honda or Briggs Vangard engine. My Vangard portable is approx 10 years old and absolutely dependable. The difference is methodical maintenance. Keep the manuals, and read 'em ! Keep the oil changed, keep a fresh spark plug, keep spare [oil, air, and fuel] filters. Most importantly run it under load once a month. Unless it's new, pull off the cowling and clean all the dirt and dust from fins on the cylinder jug. Closely examine the starter rope, the fuel lines, et cetera. Replace 'em if they ain't perfect.
If you get a permanently installed generator carefully consider installing a manual transfer switch and other upgrades. With the exception of automatic "exercising" fully automatic generators these add a layer of complication and cost.
Don't store gasoline in the machine other than enough for one periodic test run. Develop a ritual on test runs: such as every other payday, or the last Saturday in the month, to reduce it to a ritual. I run mine monthly whilst cutting the back yard lawn. (The mower makes more noise.)
For storage between test runs: On portable gensets [with the ignition off, slowly ] pull the cord until you can feel that the engine is at the top of the compression stroke. This is where the engine feels like you are pulling it through a "detent". It puts the piston at the top of the bore and closes both valves. This protects the cylinder from moisture. If you store gasoline then use stabilizer, after six months burn it in your car and replace it. Few experiences are worse that trying to clean out a carburetor by a dim flashlight whilst being consumed alive by salt marsh mosquitoes. Trust me on this. BTW, I've had better results storing "winter" blended gas, since t has more light fractions and starts easier year round.
If you use gas cans; stick with metal, preferably safety cans. Plastics are slightly permeable and it will go bad much faster in a plastic can. On that note, [in humid climates] don’t keep spare spark plugs with the machine. This is because in outdoor storage the insulators can absorb moisture [and the metal parts can corrode]. Keep them inside or in a sealed can with some silica gel. An old one-quart paint can is ideal.
If you have a dual-fuel machine, then break the engine in on gasoline and make sure it operates properly on both fuels under load. Keep the necessary connectors for gas operation on the machine so that you don't have to go searching for that 3/8ths-inch pipe nipple with a flashlight.
Use high quality oils, and have enough. Don't forget to also store plenty of 2-stroke [fuel mixing] oil and chain oil if you intend to use a chainsaw. Maybe store some extra for your neighbors that are less prudent. I use Rotella brand synthetic oil and Wix brand filters, and have had good results with them.
Make sure you have enough oil, filters and plugs for at least two weeks (336 hours), or longer. Don't forget about your equipment after the crisis is over: There are valves to set, oil and plugs to change, etc. Even if you own two generators and have enough flashlights, automatic emergency lights, et cetera, things can, and may likely go wrong. Small children usually do not take kindly to being plunged into total darkness. Unless it is TEOTWAWKI, keep the candles in the cupboard, especially if there are small children about.
4. Double your plans for helping other people. Several relatives from coastal areas evacuated to our house (approximately 50 miles inland). I keep a 55 gallon drum of stabilized gasoline to fill up their cars to get them home. This was a lesson learned after the Rita evacuation cluster. How much food you will go through will surprise you. It finally dawned upon us that we almost always eat dinner (lunch to you Northerners) and sometimes breakfast away from home. So what we consumed whilst hunkered down seemed out of proportion.
We also sent some food home with people to hold them over. I was able to "lend" a retired neighbor enough generated power to keep his freezer, television, and fan going. He was genuinely happy. This also meant that he was one less person in line for ice, food, and so forth.
5. Keep a dial up phone line around, after 24 hours the cell phone tower generators started running out of propane, the cable modem (and the cable) went down with the power. Remember how to make that dial-up modem work.
If you're not a Ham radio operator, then find out where the local hams conduct their emergency nets, and listen on your shortwave radio (HF) or scanner (2-meter and 440 band) and you'll know a lot more that the local television news truck can find out.
If you have cable television, then keep a traditional antenna handy. If you live near a major market the local AM news station, then it is probably a good bet. Have a good UPS, plug the computer and the desk lamp into it. If you have a cordless phone, plug it into the UPS too. The UPS will take the "bumps" out of the generator's power; your computer will thank you. Make sure you test the UPS periodically by plugging in a 100 Watt lamp and pulling the plug on the UPS. I find I need to replace that UPS battery about every 2-to-3 years.
6. Plan for the guests. Have plenty of soap, have a small flashlight (preferably with rechargeable batteries) for each guest. Have things other than television to keep youngsters occupied. Try and get plenty of rest. You'll probably be plenty busy after you can poke your head out again. In this vein don't forget dishwashing supplies, laundry supplies, baby supplies, etc. If it's a predictable event such as a hurricane, have all the dishes and laundry done. before it hits.
A television in a room by itself will keep the racket contained from those who want to read, play games or just sleep. If you have the space, then a “quiet room” where people can just rest, read, be alone, have some privacy or get a fussy to baby to sleep cuts down on contagious stress.
7. Make sure you are medically prepared. Have a rather complete first aid kit that includes a backboard and splinting materials. There will be plenty of cuts,scrapes, bruises, sunburns and sore muscles in the aftermath. Have Band-Aids, 4x4s, neosporin, peroxide etc. Have plenty of acid reducer and immodium on hand (stress and unfamiliar cooking), have at least two weeks of prescription drugs on hand [and preferably much more for any chronic health issues]. Have a good assortment of Tylenol, cold and sinus preparations, BenGay [muscle ointment], good multivitamins, etc.
8.Be extra, extra, extra careful. You getting sick or more likely injured can really mess things up for everyone you have prepared for. Not to mention that the local fire/ambulance is probably already overtaxed. Be extremely careful handling fire and fuels. A lot of us are not entirely fluent in using chainsaws, small engines, fixing roofs, trimming trees and moving debris.[JWR Adds: safety equipment including heavy gloves, kevlar chainsaw safety chaps
, and a combination safety helmet with face shield and muffs
are absolute "musts"!] Don't get in a hurry unless there is a threat to life. Be hyper cautious, be very aware of your surroundings and things that can go wrong. Don’t toil alone. Make sure you have a clear path to beat a hasty retreat if things go wrong. Wear those gloves, safety glasses, boots and maybe a hard hat.
Don't overtax yourself. Getting a fallen the tree off of the roof today avails you little if it triggers a heart attack or heat stroke. Ask God's assistance and start over tomorrow.
Keep fire extinguishers near the gas generator, in the kitchen, and near the camp stove.
Avoid using candles at all costs, and absolutely prohibit smoking indoors for the duration. Have more than enough battery smoke detectors around.
9. Be ready to make temporary repairs.. The missing shingles, damaged windows, etc. Have some plywood, a few 2x4s, some Visqueen polyethylene sheeting, batting boards, duct tape, a tarp, some nails, and so forth around. If you happen to have a good cordless drill, then you'll find sheet rock and deck screws are very superior to nails. If you're squared away then you already have this stuff , but a neighbor might be in need, so buy extra.
Debris creates flat tires for quite some time after many events. Have a tire plug kit and a 12 VDC compressor in each vehicle. Repairs to structures, especially roof repairs guarantee nails in tires. Be ready for them..
Have everything rechargeable recharged. Make sure you have some traditional non-power tools, I have a handsaw that I've had for decades, a good bow saw, ax, maul, sledge and an old eggbeater style hand drill still get regular use.
10. If I had my choice of just one utility it would be running water. Fortunately where we reside is served by a well run rural utility district which has prepared well for hurricanes. Failing this, in addition to stored water I have a portable gas utility pump (Robin brand) that can pressurize our water system from our pool and has sufficient capacity for a fire line. The pool got a good jolt of shock a day before the storm hit.
11.Keep some cash money handy. For a few days [with no utility power] there were no functional ATMs, and no way to use credit or debit cards.
12. Keep a low profile. About a week after Ike a passerby indignantly asked "How'd you get your lights turned on?" This showed his ignorance on several levels. He seemed to think someone just had to flip a switch downtown and "shazam!" his lights are on. I couldn't make him understand there has to be an unbroken physical link between a power plant and consumer, this seemed to aggravate his obvious helplessness. Telling him that we had been making our own juice seemed to irritate him. I wonder who he voted for? People with this mindset (that the world owes them something) could be a genuine liability in a real catastrophe. (BTW on a news show during a piece about energy, I actually heard a lady refer to natural gas as “just another dirty fossil fuel”) and not be challenged on the facts. Little minds scare me. I think that the hyper-liberals would love to use the heavy hand of government to force the ants take care of the grasshoppers. Keep a low profile. The best advice I ever heard on the subject (I believe it was Howard J. Ruff
) was to "keep your principles public and your actions private".
13. Keep a notebook, keep a record of what happened, but especially keep a record of preps you overlooked or screwed up, or stuff you ran out of, or skills that need to be added or honed. That's where most of the preceding information came from! Also keep tabs on what's scarce after an event. Gas was scarce, but diesel plentiful after Rita. In contrast, after Ike there was plenty of fuel, but few operating stations due to lack of power. (There was a "mandatory evacuation" during Rita which turned out to be a fatal traffic jam for a few poor souls which quickly emptied the filling station tanks.) Out our way the local Wal-Mart made a heroic effort and opened up on locally-generated power, two days after Ike. The sheriff’s department was there to “maintain order”. (Let’s just say that they actually wear brown shirts here.). This event was a lifetime opportunity to study the varied behaviors of people under stress.
There were plenty of canned goods and auto supplies. But fresh fruits and veggies were a little thin, no meat due to lack of refrigeration for a few days, batteries, Coleman fuel, trash bags, paper plates, disposable diapers, formula, and nails evaporated. The pharmacy was closed.
Even with the numerous mistakes we made, we were able to stay safe, secure and comfortable and help others while "victims" were standing or idling their car engines in lines. It was an opportunity to try things out under more or less controlled conditions. WTSHTF there will not be controlled conditions!
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Linda Rawles Memorial Fund Donations
Before her recent death, my wife Linda ("The Memsahib") asked that any memorial donations be made to her favorite charity, Anchor of Hope Charities, the main sponsor of the Anchor Institute, a Christian school and orphanage in rural Zambia. It is a very deserving charity, with hardly any overhead expenses. You can make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal, credit card, or by check. See the via PayPal/credit card page, or the mailing address for checks at the Anchor of Hope Charities Donation Page. Thanks for supporting this worthy charity! May God Bless You.
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What Divides You from The Sheeple? Plenty!
Nearly every week, I get at least one frantic e-mail from a new SurvivalBlog reader, stating that they feel woefully under-prepared. The gist of these e-mails is: "I'm behind the power curve! How can I possibly get prepared in time?"
Fear not! Just by reading SurvivalBlog and taking some small, gradual steps at preparedness, you are miles ahead of your sheeple neighbors. And even with just modest preparedness measures, you have already substantially increased your chances of surviving most scenarios.
As I see it, here are your advantages:
Awareness
Most people are clueless. They have a naive Pollyanna outlook. But SurvivalBlog readers see the Big Picture, and plan accordingly. Because you are constantly aware of current events, you won't be one of the Generally Dumb Public (GDP) masses that invariably gets petrified in a crisis. Instead of just sitting there glued to a Crackberry, you will be taking concrete, meaningful action. While others spin in circles like beheaded poultry, you'll be busy helping to get things back to normal.
Skills and Knowledge
Unlike the folks that absorbed in the mindless American Idol television culture, you've spent your available time in taking hands-on training, and reading up on practical and tactical skills. You've also assembled a home library of useful references.
Networking
Most of you have teamed up with like-minded relatives, friends, church congregants, and neighbors.
Meanwhile, your average suburbanite doesn't even know the names of all of the neighbors on his block, much less know their skill sets.
Tools
You've bought the best tools you could afford, for all foreseeable eventualities. Whether it is your Hi-Lift jack 
or your Glock, you've done your homework and acquired the most appropriate and durable gear. Meanwhile, your neighbors have frittered away their funds on jet-skis, Beanie Babies, Hummel figurines, and big screen plasma HDTVs.
Planning
You've developed both "stay put" and "Get Out of Dodge" plans, plus a few alternates.
You keep your bugout bag and even your passport handy.
Logistics
Unlike the sheeple--who aren't prepared for even a three day power failure--you have your beans, bullets, and Band-Aids stocked away, in depth. While your sheeple neighbors are flocking to the grocery store, where they will most likely find only empty shelves, you'll be sitting pretty. And while they are pondering their two gallon gas can for their lawn mower--their only stored fuel--you have laid in enough to not only be ready for a crisis, but you cane even pick and choose your time to re-stock, when their are dips in fuel prices.
Locale
A minority of highly motivated SurvivalBlog readers have taken my advice and relocated to safer regions. I hope that more of you do the same!
Communications
You already have your commo and band scanning gear up and running. While most folks will be completely ignorant when the power grids and phone systems go down, you'll be coordinating with your Group, and keeping track of where the malo hombres are moving, and where they might be heading next.
Capacity for Charity
There is room in the hearts of most SurvivalBlog readers to dispense copious charity. We consider it our duty. And more than just the willingness to dispense charity, most of us just as importantly also have the capacity--namely, the requisite materiel. If you can't spare it, then you can't share it. As I often tell journalists in phone interviews: I don't look at my food storage as a three year supply for one family. Rather, it is a one year supply for three families.
The Bottom Line
To wax a bit metapohrical, SurvivalBlog readers are what the actuarial accountants would call "low rate qualifiers"--meaning that because we have minimized our risks and maximized our potential life spans we'd qualify for the lowest possible insurance rates. There are no absolute guarantees, but your chance of achieving room temperature at an early age is far, far below that of the average man. Pat yourself on the back, and then redouble your efforts to get squared way.
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Hard Times at Here--Are You Ready?
The hard economic times that I--and many others--warned you about are now here. We are clearly now in the opening stages of a full-scale depression that will last a decade or longer.
This news article (sent to me by SurvivalBlog reader Eric C.) .about an unemployed couple in Indiana is a microcosm of what we will be witnessing for the next decade. Take a few minutes to read it.
Our pampered society is in for a rude wakening. Now, at the risk of sounding unkind and judgmental, the term "white trash" comes to mind. Note that this man in Indiana had no savings, plenty of debt, and obviously no food reserves. Also note that despite his "austere" budget on unemployment insurance, he wastes hundreds of dollars per month as he smokes cigarettes, drinks soda pop, drinks beer (in large quantity), gambles, and pays for commercial car washes. His wife still carries a Blackberry with an airtime contract. Why are they buying disposable diapers, when they could be washing cloth diapers? The article also mentions that the husband has gained 40 pounds in the year since he was laid off. Did he consider planting a vegetable garden? Or washing his own car? (Both would have saved money and provided exercise.) This couple needs a serious lesson in budget priorities. They say that they are worried about their children's school grades, yet they still have a television and XBox games. It is time for a garage sale, to sell those time-wasting gadgets. Then regularly-scheduled trips to the local library, to get their children literate!
This gent is in his thirties, yet he has ruined his health with drinking, smoking, and over-eating. He and his wife seem to view military service as a last resort for their high school senior son. Well, I have a news flash for them: Both the son and the father should have enlisted! In 2006, the US military raised its maximum age of enlistment to 42. (BTW, as the economy continues to worsen, I expect the military to raise their standards considerably and eventually begin turning away large numbers of candidates, just as they did in the 1930s.)
It is also noteworthy that this man is on anti-depressants. He is not alone. Consider this article that was sent to me by Karen H.: Antidepressant Use Doubles in US, Study finds. That is alarming just by itself, but just consider what will happen if and when the Schumer Hits the Fan, and all those patients run out of their medications. (And their booze, and their cigarettes, and their marijuana, and their MTV, and their Crackberry instant messages, and their chocolate, and their American Idol, and their Dunkin' Donuts, and their porn, and their meth, and their soap operas, and their "Energy" drinks.) This could get very ugly, very quickly, once so many millions of suddenly very cranky, very desperate people start roaming the streets. My suggestion is: Don't be near then, in any significant numbers. Move to hinterboonies.
In summary: I had no idea that wallowing in self-pity was such exhausting, time-consuming work. At least they have a comfortable couch and recliner. This old quote mentioned by a SurvivalBlog reader sums up their situation: "The Lord does not bless the farmer who leans on his hoe."
Here is my advice for SurvivalBlog readers on how to survive the currently unfolding Depression:
- Work cheerfully and diligently. It is slackers that find themselves unemployed first.
- Get debt free and stay debt free. Take on no new indebtedness, and pay down the debts you already have.
- Learn to distinguish essentials from non-essentials.
- Write a budget, and stick to it. Whittle it, as necessary, to avoid debt.
- Sell off your useless Beanie babies and assorted knickknacks.
- Increase your savings
- Build up your food storage
- Diversify your investments. Don't put all your money in one bank.
- Check your bank or S&L's safety rating at TheStreet.com. Check your stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and insurers, while you are at it.)
- Hedge your investments with some tangibles
- Sell off any vacation or rental properties that don't have retreat potential
- If you move, then it should be to a place near a secure job, and preferably to a piece of farm or ranch land that provides some self-sufficiency.
- Develop a second stream of income.
- Release yourself from your addictions. Pray fervently, and if need be, seek help.
- Plant a garden.
- Stay in shape.
- Be willing to accept work that is lower paying or less appealing
- Be charitable.
- Most importantly: Get right with God. (Believe, repent of your sin, confess Jesus as your savior, and be baptized.) It is time to pray hard, folks! I believe in predestination. If you are reading this, and feel convicted to make change in your life, then you are fulfilling what God has had planned for you since "before the foundations of the Earth."
Forgive me for ranting, but that article about the unemployed family in Indiana got me a bit riled up.
One suggestion, in closing: If you get laid-off, do not move to a relative's basement in Michigan. Instead, move to where you can find work, even if it hard, "rolled up sleeves" work.
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Gear Up -- Appropriate and Redundant Technologies for Prepared Families
I frequently stress the importance of well-balanced preparedness in my writings. All too often, I've seen people that go to extremes, to the point that these extremes actually detract from the ability to survive a disaster situation. These range from the "all the gear that I'll need to survive is in my backpack" mentality to the "a truckload of this or that" fixation. But genuine preparedness lies in comprehensive planning, strict budgeting, and moderation. Blowing your entire preparedness budget on just one category of gear is detrimental to your overall preparedness.
Another common mistake that I see among my consulting clients is an over-emphasis on either very old technologies or on the "latest and greatest" technologies. In the real world, preparedness necessitates having a bit of both. At the Rawles Ranch we have both 19th century technology (like hand-powered tools) and a few of the latest technologies like passive IR intrusion detection (Dakota Alerts), photovoltaics, and electronic night vision. My approach is to pick and choose the most appropriate technologies that I can maintain by myself, but to always have backups in the form of less exotic or earlier, albeit less-efficient technologies. For example, my main shortwave receiver is a Sony ICF-SW7600GR. But in the event of EMP, I also a have a pair of very inexpensive Kaito shortwaves
and a trusty old Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio that uses vacuum tubes. Like my other spare electronics, these are all stored in a grounded galvanized steel can when not in use.
Here is my approach to preparedness gear, in a nutshell
- Redundancy, squared. I jokingly call my basement Jim's Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR)
- Buy durable gear. Think of it as investing for your children and grandchildren. And keep in mind that there'll be no more "quick trips to the hardware store" after TSHTF.
- Vigilantly watch Craigslist, Freecycle, classified ads, and eBay for gear at bargain prices.
- Strive for balanced preparedness that "covers all bases"--all scenarios.
- Flexibility and Adaptability (Examples: shop to match a 12 VDC standard for most small electronics, truly multi-purpose equipment, multi-ball hitches, NATO slave cable connectors for 24 VDC vehicles, Anderson Power Pole connectors for small electronics--again, 12 VDC)
- Retain the ability to revert to older, more labor-intensive technology.
- Fuel flexibility (For example: Flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), Tri-fuel generators
, and biodiesel compatible vehicles)
- Purchase high-quality used (but not abused) gear, preferably when bargains can be found
- If in doubt, then buy mil-spec.
- If in doubt, then buy the larger size and the heavier thickness.
- If in doubt, then buy two. (Our motto: "Two is one and one is none.")
- Buy systematically, and only as your budget allows. (Avoid debt!)
- Invest your sweat equity. Not only will you save money, but you also will learn more valuable skills.
- Train with what you have, and learn from the experts. Tools without training are almost useless.
- Learn to maintain and repair your gear. (Always buy spare parts and full service manuals!)
- Buy guns in common calibers
- Buy with long service life in mind (such as low self-discharge NiMH rechargeable batteries.)
- Store extra for charity and barter
- Grow your own and buy the tooling to make your own--don't just store things.
- Rust is the enemy, and lubrication
and spot painting
are your allies.
- Avoid being an "early adopter" of new technology--or you'll pay more and get lower reliability.
- Select all of your gear with your local climate conditions in mind.
- Recognize that there are no "style" points in survival. Don't worry about appearances--concentrate on practicality and durability.
- As my old friend "Doug Carlton" is fond of saying: "Just cut to size, file to fit,, and paint to match."
- Don't skimp on tools. Buy quality tools (such as Snap-on and Craftsman brands), but buy them used, to save money.
- Skills beat gadgets and practicality beats style.
- Use group standardization for weapons and electronics. Strive for commonality of magazines, accessories and spare parts
- Gear up to raise livestock. It is an investment that breeds.
- Build your fences bull strong and sheep tight.
- Tools without the appropriate safety gear (like safety goggles, helmets, and chainsaw chaps) are just accidents waiting for a place to happen.
- Whenever you have the option, buy things in flat, earth tone colors
- Plan ahead for things breaking or wearing out.
- Always have a Plan B and a Plan C
If you are serious about preparedness, then I recommend that you take a similar approach.
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Letter Re: TEOTWAWKI, Right Next Door
Jim:
Last Sunday night my family drove home to the sight of a pillar of smoke that looked like it was coming directly from where my house should be. It turned out to be the next door neighbor’s home. The blessing is that no one was home, so no one got hurt. The downside is that no one was home so everything owned was lost. I mean everything – clothes, food, water pump, furniture, bedding, cash on hand, tools, toys, games, appliances, equipment, books – everything.
The Red Cross put the family in a hotel for a few days. But after that they came home with a rented shipping container that they are sleeping in. Did I mention they lost everything? The local churches have provided clothes, the neighbors are providing meals. The local funeral home director of all people is donating an old trailer as temporary housing. They will eventually rebuild. But in the short term it is a post-SHTF situation that we can all learn lessons from. Here are the top three:
#1 for me is a profound sense of gratitude and appreciation for everything I own that might have been lost had it been my home. We shouldn’t take our blessings for granted. The end of the world as we know it could happen on a personal level at any time.
#2 This is the opportunity to share supplies meant for starting over in a post-SHTF world. You learn by doing. No matter how much I thought I was ready, I failed to think through the details. For instance one of the things I gave them was boxed mac and cheese with a kettle to boil it in. They had no stove to cook it on, or milk or butter that the directions call for. My bad. I just didn’t think it through.
#3 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I can not get over the idea that if my home had burned while we were away – they only possessions that we would have left would be what was stored away from home. If you don’t have a couple of caches. Get them in place ASAP.
Prayers for those in need are never wasted – thanks in advance for them, - Mr. Yankee
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Net Producer-Net Consumer Equations for Self-Sufficiency: Getting Out of the Pit
In a recent phone conversation with one of my consulting clients, I was asked why I placed such a large emphasis on living in the country, at a relatively self-sufficient retreat. I've already discussed at length the security advantages of isolation from major population centers in the blog, but I realized that I've never fully articulated the importance of self-sufficiency, at a fundamental level.
In a societal collapse, where you are in "You're on Your Own" (YOYO) mode, it will be very important to be a net producer of water, food, and energy. This will mean the difference between being someone that is comfortable and well fed, and someone that is shivering, hungry, and thirsty, in the dark.
If you were to create computer models of a typical suburban home as compared to a small farm, they would probably present two very different pictures:
A typical suburban home is an energy pit. It generates hardly energy other than a bit of garden waste that could be used as compost, or fuel. A farm house on acreage, in contrast, can often be a net producer, especially if the farm includes a wood lot. (Standing timber that is suitable for use as firewood.) Properties with near-surface geothermal heat, coal seams, or natural gas wells are scarce, but not unheard of. I've helped several of my clients find such properties. For some further food for thought, see this article by Lester Brown over at The Oil Drum web site: The Oil Intensity of Food
A typical suburban home is a food pit. Just picture how many bags of groceries you tote home each week, month, and year. Compare than with the net volume of food produced by a small farm, or the meat produced by ranch. (For the latter, a ranch that is large enough to produce its own hay and grain is ideal.)
A typical suburban home is also a water pit, dependent on utility-piped water. But with a spring, or with well water and a photovoltaic or wind-powered pump, you can be a water exporter--charitably providing surplus water to your neighbors.
There are are of course some work-arounds for these limitations, such as installing photovoltaic power systems and rainwater catchments cisterns. But it is nearly impossible for a family to be a net producer of water, food, and energy, when living on just a small city lot.
Consider the inherent limitations of life on a "postage stamp" lot:
Limited acreage means that your house will always be a net importer of home heating fuel. Unless you live on acreage where you have a wood lot for firewood, you'll end up on the wrong side of the production-consumption equation. Photovoltaics are practical for lighting and running some appliances, but the big energy loads like space heating, hot water, and kitchen range cooking exceed what PV panels can produce, unless you are a millionaire. Yes, there are substitute energy sources, but most of those--such as propane-but those-are also "imported." Hmm... Perhaps it is worth the extra time and effort to find a retreat property that has a natural gas well, a coal seam or that is in a geothermal zone. At least buy a property with a wood lot, so you can heat your home and water with firewood.
Limited acreage and a location inside limits usually means restrictions on raising livestock. You might find a property that has been exempted or "grandfathered", but without the room required to grow animal feed crops, you will still be a net importer. (You will be forced to buy hay and grain, rather than grow it yourself.)
In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to have a private water well in a neighborhood that is served by a public water utility. This usually has more to do with maintaining a monopoly, rather than any genuine worries about a public health issue. There are of course exceptions, such as older houses with wells, that pre-dated the advent of a water utility. In many jurisdictions, the owners of these wells benefit from grandfather clauses. If buying such a property, make sure that the grandfather clause exemption is transferable. (Otherwise, you will have to cap the water well.)
One of the great ironies of urbanized life in modern-day America is that there has been a great inversion. In 1909, it was dirt poor farmers that lived on acreage, while wealthy people lived on city lots. But now, in 2009, owning acreage is something that most people only dream of, for retirement. In the more populous coastal states, the price per acre of land that is within commuting distance of high-paying jobs has been driven up to astronomical prices.
Have you ever stopped to think why there are large Victorian-style houses falling into disrepair in some Inner City ghettos? This is because at one time, those neighborhoods are where rich people lived. They were nice, safe neighborhoods, and were conveniently close to work, shopping, and schools. But times (and neighborhoods) change. These days, most of the wealthy have long-since moved to suburbs or to the country.
If you decide that you must stay in the suburbs, then I recommend that you at least relocate to a stout masonry house that is on the largest lot that you can afford. When you search through real estate listings, some key phrases to watch for are "creek", "grandfathered", "mature fruit trees" (or "orchard"), "secluded", and "well water." Another key word to watch for is "adjoins". It is advantageous to own a property that adjoins park land.
As I've often written, I recommend moving to a house on acreage in the country--that is if you can afford it, and your work and family situations allow it. But I'll close with one admonition: Don't bite off more than you can chew. There is no point on living on acreage if you have a large mortgage, and no working capital remaining to build up the infrastructure for genuine self-sufficiency. In fact, that would be "the worst of both worlds", since you would have higher commuting costs, a bigger mortgage, and perhaps even a bigger annual tax bill. Owning non-productive land may be worse than owning no land at all.
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Letter Re: Successfully Trolling Craig's List
Mr. Rawles,
At the risk of turning on my local competition to the positive aspects of the
free section of Craig's
List,
I thought I would mention a few of the things I've picked up in the past
couple of weeks. These include:
A new round oak dining table and four oak chairs
Three boxes of canning jars with lids
A commercial fishing net (40' x 60'), to be used for keeping birds and other
critters out of the garden
36 Concrete cinder blocks (approximate value $130)
Remington electric chain saw (yes, it works!)
30+ wooden pallets (can be used for the usual "pallet" stuff, or
for use as firewood/kindling)
Commercial nursery went out of business; so I got more than 1,000 plastic seed
starting pots in 3 or 4 sizes (filled my pick-up to the brim).
5 Commercial toilets (out of a church - they were remodeling; two for my current
residence, and two for our retreat, plus one spare, for parts)
4 Large two-drawer cabinets
A 25 foot fifth-wheel insulated trailer for moving gear and supplies up to "der
bunker", and subsequent use for weather tight storage. (Try to get insulated
containers versus single wall, as there is almost no "sweating" inside)
The list goes on. . . .
As this current economic crisis gets worse, more and more folks are going
to be displaced, and not having the money to move their possessions they either
just
abandon
them,
or place free ads on Craig's list or elsewhere.
In addition, Craig's List is a good source for many other items at very reasonable
prices.
Keep your eyes open. On the more valuable items you have to be quick, sometimes
responding within minutes. On many items we realize as survival oriented, most
folks don't have a clue, so you might have more time.
One thought I had on the pallets for firewood/kindling is that while they are
readily available now, in the future they may be less easily found. Now they
can be cut into smaller pieces with a skill saw and/or electric chain saw,
stored in fifty-gallon plastic trash cans for next winter, or whenever you
might need them. Once TEOTWAWKI happens,
going outside to hunt firewood may not be such a good idea.
So, if you have Craig's List in your area, keep checking the free section every
now and then. There is no telling what you might find. - Chet
JWR Replies: I'm also a big believer in Craig's List. One
important note: In the long run, Craig's List only works if folks "return the
favor." Be
charitable whenever you have things in profusion--even when it is
just zucchini
squash.
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Making the Transition to Country Life, by Bois d'Arc
Many readers of Survival Blog are either in the process of moving to a lightly
populated area or actively planning to bugout to such an area when the balloon
goes up. Twenty years ago I moved from the edge of a large city to a fairly remote
property, and have been quietly setting up the doomstead and perfecting skills
ever since. In the process, I became part of the fabric of country life here
and have learned some valuable lessons which may benefit the rookie country dweller.
Most full-time country residents are descendents of frontiersmen who ventured
into the wilderness with little more than a rifle, axe, team of horses, and a
large supply of guts. Country people hold many of the same attributes as their
forebears; competence, toughness, perseverance, and a willingness to help their
neighbors, be it for common defense or a barn raising. Many of these traits are
at odds with modern city life supported by a specialized full-time job. Your
transition to country life will be smoother if you consider the following:
Country People are Closet Doomers:
They can do lots of useful things such as shoe a horse, grow corn, weld, back
a trailer, milk a goat, make tamales, catch a wild cow, troubleshoot an electrical
problem, can a tomato, and shoot lights out. And that's just the women.
People here are armed every day as a matter of course. Most have been shooting
all of their lives, so the level of firearms proficiency is way above average.
I see lots of casual ARs and scoped bolt actions, so if my neighbors and acquaintances
are any barometer, potential rampaging MZBs are in for some exceedingly
tough sledding.
On a related note, there are a few bad apples in the country, but most tend to
migrate to the anonymity of the cities. The outlaws who remain are generally
well known to both law enforcement and the population at large, and are easy
enough to avoid once you plug into the local grapevine.
Be Scrupulously Honest:
Country people don't care that much what you think or how you wear your hair
as long as they can trust you. Lie or stiff a merchant one time and in 45 minutes
everyone in the county will know it, guaranteed.
On the flip side, if you've been given too much change or an error is made in
your favor with a bank deposit or charge purchase at a merchant, politely point
out the mistake and insist on paying the correct amount. While such a gesture
will usually be met with stunned disbelief in a large city, in the country it
will be acknowledged with a nod and sincere appreciation. And never doubt for
an instant that the country grapevine will work in your favor as the word spreads.
When I first moved here, I was able to open an account with any business in town
simply by asking if I could charge a purchase. No references, no questions, no
credit check, just an address so they could send a statement at the end of the
month. Such an accommodating policy would most certainly not have been the case
had I been late in paying those first bills.
Money is Overrated:
Country people never forget a kindness; they also rarely forget a transgression
against good manners or honesty. The most valuable commerce in the country is
not conducted in dollars but in trading, gifts, being owed a favor, and goodwill.
Become Part of the Community:
Self-sufficiency is a worthy goal, but in truth perhaps the most useful survival
skill is contributing to a community which has a stake in your well being. To
my mind, being able to call upon neighbors for specialized assistance or trade
is just as important as beans, bullets, and Band-Aids.
Schools and churches are the glue which binds a country community. If you have
children in local schools or choose to attend church, tapping into country networks
will be greatly accelerated.
Also, small communities run largely on volunteers, so consider volunteering at
the library, as a fireman, at sports fund raisers, community cleanup, or meals
on wheels. JWR Adds: If you homeschool your kids, be sure to
join the local
homeschooling "co-op" group. You will be sure to meet the preparedness-minded
folks in your community.
The Country is a Time Warp:
Time passes slower here, as it's based more on the seasons than on a clock.
Fight the city urge to hurry everywhere. Tasks are completed when time, required
supplies, and any needed help are available, and not on an arbitrary schedule.
Parts are generally not readily available as they are in a city, you might have
to order a particular part and wait days or weeks for it to arrive, and perhaps
have to improvise in the meantime.
The two main time-related lessons you’ll learn is that weather can throw
a kink into any plan, and maintaining household water supply trumps almost every
other concern. You’ll soon adopt a mañana attitude about
most other projects, as there is always plenty more to be done while waiting
for specific parts or
supplies.
Slow down enough to take time to talk about the weather, trade recipes, talk
gardening, help a neighbor with a project, and to watch a sunset.
Seek Out Those with Useful Skills Now:
Country life requires a generalist rather than a specialist, so trading your
particular skills – whether carpentry, electrical expertise, or knowing
what’s wrong with a row of beans - with neighbors in exchange for their
skills just makes sense. In fact, there is even a term here, “neighboring”,
which refers to a group effort of working each landowner’s livestock in
turn without hiring outside help.
I have also become acquainted with various people who have huge gardens or dairy
goats or sheep or hogs or teams of horses and mules or a small band saw mill
for
making lumber. Such people often don’t advertise and they may be hard to
find, but the search is potentially of huge benefit to the astute survivalist.
As an example, there is a man here who has an old steam-powered grain mill. Another
has a tiny combine for harvesting wheat and oats in the scattered small plots
where it is grown in this area. Up until now, I haven’t used their unique
services, but still make it a point to give these men a quart of honey from our
hives every summer.
You will choose to help many of these people in time of trouble, just as they
will choose to help you, but in the meantime always exercise OPSEC about your
underlying motivations and preps. Country people have a wide independent streak
so your desire to be more self-sufficient will never seem out of place.
Country People are Provincial:
But largely by choice, which doesn't mean they are stupid or uninformed. The
vast majority are Internet savvy and many are exceptionally well-traveled and
well-read. More than a few have made the decision to leave a lucrative city existence
in exchange for country life. The level of overall awareness is high, so you'll
hear more commonsense over a cup of coffee than you'll ever hear from Washington.
A few recent quotes I’ve heard regarding our current economic meltdown:
“I was going to sell all of my calves last fall but held back four in case
my
freezers start to look empty.”
“We’re breaking some new garden ground this spring, going to plant
a lot
more potatoes than we usually do.”
"I bought two more cases of .223 ammo, just in case the rabbits go on the
warpath.” Listen and learn.
Never Underestimate the Amount of Work Involved:
Few farms or ranches here are entirely self-supporting, with one or both spouses
usually working a “regular” job. The pay scale is considerably lower
than in a city, so often people work two or even three jobs in order to live
well. This is in addition to farming and working livestock on their own places.
People work hard, and that’s in relatively good times.
If this economy continues to unravel, more subsistence-level farming and ranching
may well become the norm, and that’s when the work really begins. Growing
and processing most or all of your own food requires a tremendous amount of labor
and expertise, with constant effort from everyone involved. Have no illusions
about some idyllic country life of sitting on the porch all day, chewing on a
grass stem while contemplating the vista. The trick for making subsistence agriculture
work is for everyone to always be doing something constructive, whether it’s
hoeing weeds in the garden, building a chicken coop, shelling beans, cleaning
a firearm, playing with a toddler, or rereading one of your how-to books.
With that said, no family or survival group can possibly be competent at all
of the skills required. This is when being on good terms with neighbors becomes
essential; give them half of a fresh beef now for the cheese they can provide
later on; the pickles you made are a fair trade for his baskets of peaches; your
stash of supplies may well allow you to trade for a rooster and five hens (along
with some expert advice on getting started); if you can provide the diesel, your
neighbor might plow your garden plot after your tractor has thrown a rod. - Bois
d'Arc
« Letter Re: Kids and Home Security |Main| Note from JWR: »
Perspectives on Prepping on a Very Low Income, by Kuraly
I was raised in a missionary family, on nine different mission fields around
the world. At the age of nineteen, I went out to serve the Lord on my own in
the former Soviet Union. I had no formal Theological training, but was accepted
by the missionary societies of my denomination because of my experience under
my father and my willingness to go to dangerous areas.
I married, and my wife and I have now six children. A few years ago, due to
some changes in my theology, I fell out of favor with my denomination and had
to return home to the USA. I was faced with a situation of suddenly having
to feed and care for a large family with: 1. no formal education/training/skills
of any kind and 2. very little understanding of the southern American culture
that I found myself living in. I was forced to take very low-paying jobs and
survive on a low-income.
With our savings we were able to buy a small rural house and 7.5 acres in the
southeast. We were able to pay cash, I wanted it to be ours with no strings
attached, regardless of what the future held. I figured that at the very least
we would have a roof and some plantable land. I bought in the area my parents
lived in to help care for them as they progressed in years.
Our income is very limited. I work at just above minimum wage. I work a full-time
job and another part-time job. I am thankful that the Lord provides.
As I studied current events I became concerned about the possibility of a world-wide
economic and/or societal collapse of some kind, or a societal break-down here
in the USA resulting from any number of possible reasons. I had witnessed the
chaos of the nineties in the former Soviet Union, had watched doctors and physicists
sweep streets and live off of potatoes and bread for months on end, and I was
concerned about my responsibility to feed my family should a similar collapse
happen here.
What can you do when you have very limited means? Actually there is much you
can do. It amounts to setting goals and getting your family on board with you.
The first thing I did was (after my wife and I had many long talks and she
began to see things in a similar way), I gathered the family around and explained
everything to them. I explained about our limited means, exactly how much money
was coming in, how much went to utilities, fuel, etc. I explained what I believed
the dangers were. I explained what we needed to do as a family. Let me interject
here that after being born and growing up on a third-world mission field, they
were far from spoiled children! They were accustomed to living in tight quarters,
washing in cold water, eating cheap, and basically just "roughing it."
My first priority was for two weeks worth of provisions. We began to buy a
few extra cans of food when we went shopping. I set a goal of 20 dollars per
week for prepping. Some weeks ten dollars of canned goods and/or dried foods
like rice, beans or noodles, and ten dollars in ammo or medical supplies. Some
weeks just food, some weeks just extra gasoline. We bought gas cans at thrift
stores and garage sales for a dollar apiece, Large scented candles (better
than nothing) at closeout sales and garage sales for 30 and 50 cents, and just
about anything we could scrounge that might come in handy if the lights went
out. It did not take us long to build up enough supplies to last two weeks
in an emergency. We had enough gasoline to drive to work for two weeks (if
needed), enough food for our family plus a little extra, and candles, radios,
batteries and other odds and ends to get by.
I had also along the way added
to my ammunition stocks for my Winchester .30-30, and my bolt-action .22 LR.
After we reached the point where we felt we had enough for a two-week catastrophe,
we began to focus on the six-month time frame. This opened up many entirely
new possibilities. since the food required for this amount of time was such
a major expense, we had to make sure that it would last for several years.
This raised the issue of long-term storage in buckets, mylar bags and oxygen-absorbers.
We had to save for months to buy an order of oxygen-absorbers and mylar bags
on e-bay! We found low-cost buckets and began to fill them with rice, feed
corn, corn meal, noodles, beans etc. Anything that was inexpensive. We taught
the children to like corn-meal mush and grits since they might get quite a
bit of it one day!
Gradually we worked our way up to 30 buckets. At this point I made a strategic
decision. I decided that we needed to invest our extra funds in gardening.
Not entirely stopping the food storage, but reducing it in favor of procuring
means and experience in growing and canning our own food. We began to buy canning
jars and lids to put away in the attic for the future. My father gave us a
tiller with a blown engine which we were able to get fixed, and we began to
garden. The first garden was not very well thought-out. Some things grew, some
did not. But we learned. We learned first-hand what pollination means and about
soil fertility. We learned about bugs and blight. We gained valuable experience.
We also invested in chickens, and watched some of them die, some of them be
eaten by neighbor's dogs, some get eaten by our dogs, and the hardy survivors
begin to lay eggs. We watched them eat their own eggs and learned to give them
calcium. We let half of them free range and half range in portable pens that
we built which have an open floor that we could move each day to fresh grass.
We learned how to make them roost and lay where they were supposed to.
We bought some rabbits and learned a lot, real fast! We experimented with many
types of portable cages for rabbits which would allow us to move them from
one grassy spot to another without giving them time to dig a burrow. Sometimes
we would wake up and find rabbit carcases torn to shreds, because a neighborhood
cat had gotten to them. My kids handled most of this, and they learned things
the hard way.
If you haven't figured it out yet, We were totally green. I spent my life traveling
and overseeing the translation of Christian literature into foreign languages.
My wife is a musician. We had zero experience at any of this, and no one around
that we knew to advise us. We had to learn everything from scratch. We bought
a goat and promptly saw it attacked and killed by a stray dog. That hurt,
financially as well as emotionally. After sending the dog to join the
goat "on the other side", I bought another goat. and then another.
These have survived. We have learned to care for them.
Gradually I am seeing my children grow confident in their relationship to the
animals under their care. Gradually we are learning the needs of these animals
and how to make them produce for us. If we had had some kind of hands-on training,
it would have saved the lives of a lot of animals, but we didn't. I am happy
to announce a much higher survival rate for animals that we bring home now.
I felt like I needed a greater firearms capability (what man doesn't?). I thought
long and hard. At first I bought a Mosin-Nagant since they were so cheap ($75)
and the ammo was dirt-cheap as well. I then began to consider what type of
semi-automatic I could afford. I looked at the prices of ammo which was very
critical since I would have to train my entire family to shoot. At the time
the best deal for us appeared to be the SKS rifle.
It was cheap (a good quality Yugo[slavian SKS] was less than $200), dependable,
semi-auto and the ammo was
very cheap at the time. I later added a cheap 12 gauge pump, and last but not
least,
a
17 round Bersa Thunder 9mm. After purchasing these guns I began to pick up
ammo for them when I could find it on sale. I have gradually gotten up to about
500 rounds for each of them.
I then turned my attention to our home and it's defense. While we live in the
country, we are close to our neighbors 100 yards +/-, about five miles from
a small town, about 15 miles from a large town, and about 90 miles from Atlanta
(upwind fortunately). My greatest concern is our proximity to the road. The
house is only about 65 feet from the dirt road in front of our house. A looter
or burglar/rapist could be at the door or windows before the dog barked. In
response to this my next expenditure is to be fence posts, fencing, and barbed
wire, along with a row of thorny bushes in front of the wire next to the road.
Our house is a soft target, offering no ballistic protection. My remedy/forlorn
hope is to have plenty of sand and gravel on hand, and to start checking the
thrift stores for pillow cases to buy and store. perhaps we would have time
to bag up sand bags and at least harden up certain corners or rooms of the
house. We also have several large piles of sandstone (we live on top of a mountain)
which could be placed strategically and then perhaps sand bags on top of that.
We could also cut logs and add that to the mix.
Our water supply is a [grid-powered] electric well. This is one of my biggest
worries. We have made it a priority to buy a generator at least strong enough
to run
the
well and freezers for an hour or two a day. I know that this is only a temporary
solution but is about all we can handle right now. I am very thankful for the
non-fiction writing contribution about the siphon pumps for wells such as mine,
that offered up new possibilities which I have not had time to address yet.
We also have a neighbor 1/4 mile away which has an artesian spring on his property,
though it has extremely high iron content. I have purchased two 330 gallon
plastic livestock watering tanks and several drums which I can fill at the
first sign of trouble. I can also load them on my little trailer and pull them
down to the neighbor's to fill up from his well. I just need to check on the
ramifications of the high iron content.
I am also trying to fill up as many containers as possible with gasoline. I
add Sta-Bil and plan to use/rotate it yearly (as long as the price stays low).
I would like to keep at least 250 to 500 gallons on hand at all times. I buy
old gas cans at yard sales and just found a source for cheap 55 gallon drums
with sealed lids ($3). I may start using them instead.
Our immediate plans are to build more pens and raise more chickens and goats,
maybe a pig or two. We also look forward to planting a much bigger garden this
spring and maybe use some of our hard-won experience of last year. We also
want to involve the kids in martial arts classes if we can afford it, as well
as herb-collecting hikes from the local community college field school (which
are free and fun). We want to spend more time with them in the woods and in
the garden so that they feel comfortable there and begin to think about survival
from their own perspective. We also are beginning to exploit the library for
free resources for them to study on various topics.
The future of this country looks grim. As Christians we have "read the
back of the Book" and we know Who wins. Our responsibility is to be good
stewards of the talents we have, perform our duties as husbands and wives,
mothers and fathers, and ultimately, to trust Him for that which is beyond
our vision and power.
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Survival Retreat vs. Neighborhood Survival -- Part Deux - Galt's Gulch vs. Idiocracy, by E.B.
Introduction
This is a response to a
previous article written by the esteemed
Dr.
Richard of the Virginia Prepper's Network. Dr. Richard and I agree completely
on a
great many issues but disagree on the issue of the Survival Retreat vs. Neighborhood
Survival. Here are my thoughts on the issue:
Dr. Richard makes some good points with respect to the desirability of an
informed and prepared neighborhood, but in the end it all depends on your particular
neighborhood and neighbors. Because I saw the collapse coming in 2005 I sold
my home in Northern Virginia at what the Washington Post called the
absolute peak of the market and put the proceeds into physical gold and silver
when
gold was trading around ~$400 an ounce and silver at ~$7. BTW, the guy who
bought my home tried to sell it less than a year later for significantly less
and could find no buyers. My goal was to move to low cost Austin, Texas where
I could be near my dad’s ranch which I could then get prepped to survive
the coming economic collapse. Unfortunately my wife thought I had gone completely
insane which along with other disagreements on the health of our children (She
believes in vaccination, sugar, aspartame, fluoride and AMA monopoly medicine
and I don’t) led to a divorce. Now I rent a single family home to be
near my ex-wife and kids where I can spirit them to safety when the SHTF. While
I have never been to Dr. Richard’s neighborhood the detailed description
(cul de sac, all single family homes on relatively large lots, high income/
high IQ neighbors in a development of less than 400 homes in a somewhat rural
area) sounds infinitely more survivable than mine.
My situation is much different. My neighborhood is a mix of single family
homes and townhouses with a much greater density than Dr. Richard describes.
The neighborhood is lower income / lower IQ as well. There is an apartment
complex about a mile away and I once found a cocaine baggie in the parking
lot while jogging through it one day. Unfortunately because I am so busy I
haven’t met as many of my neighbors as I would like and the ones that
I have met are essentially completely clueless to the realities of the world.
My neighbor with the most raw intellectual horsepower is a software architect
in IP security but he still hasn’t figured out that fire can’t
melt structural steel and giggled when I tried to explain the realities of
9-11. He is morbidly obese, addicted to sugar and nicotine, and completely
unarmed. Not exactly the guy you want to have your back fending off looters
and brigands. My second smartest neighbor is an engineer for an IP hosting
company. I spent 30 minutes one day taking him through the physics of WTC 7
and how 47 story modern steel framed skyscrapers don’t collapse completely
and symmetrically into their own footprints at freefall speed defying the laws
of physics. I thought I saw a glimmer of understanding but I never heard back
from him. I am assuming he went back to the TeeVee set. When I jog through
the neighborhood at night the street is lit up with the glow of flat screen
mental prisons.
Anyone that has ever unplugged someone from the matrix understands how difficult
and time consuming it can be to educate and free a single mind. I have a good
friend who is an entrepreneur/small business owner and has held VP level positions
at international networking companies. I have been working on him for years
and even after his son had a febrile seizure 24 hours after getting vaccinated
he is mad at me for trying to warn him and continues to see the same doctor
that potentially crippled his son. My ex-wife has P.hD and I can’t get
her to stop giving our kids fluoridated water even though the practice is opposed
by 14 Nobel Laureates, 2,100+ health professionals, and the EPA’s own
scientists through their union. If I can’t convince my own ex-wife to
quit giving her kids water “medicated” with a chemical used as
rat and roach poison which has been linked to lower IQ in 23 peer reviewed
studies from around the globe then how I am going to educate and convince dozens/hundreds
of acquaintances and strangers on the realities of the world.
So, since neighborhood survival is not an option for me then creating a survival
retreat with a self-selected group of individuals is my #1 strategy for survival
in an economic collapse. Compare some of the qualities and skill sets of our
group and those we are speaking with vs. the TeeVee bums in my neighborhood.
• A general contractor who is a firefighter / EMT in his community with
skills in general carpentry (framing, form, and trim), basic electrical, plumbing,
HVAC, masonry, roofing, and siding. Skilled in basic small engine repair, hand
tools, and appliances. He is taking classes in sustainable agriculture and
automotive repair.
• A retired naval Commander (helicopter pilot) with special operation experience
that has been working on his retreat for years.
• A world class software and information security architect.
• A C-level executive and former military intelligence officer.
All are completely aware, completely awake, completely armed, with good to
excellent preps and are already in high gear improving their skills and doing
what it takes to get ready for the coming collapse.
Now add the advantages that a remote survival retreat offers over attempting
to survive in an area populated with completely clueless starving TeeVee bums.
•
Security – Hidden from looters and brigands who would be more than willing
to kill for your stored food and supplies.
•
Rural Location – Self-sufficient agriculturally with farmers, dairymen,
and cattle ranchers. Plentiful wild game and plentiful wild edible plants.
•
Self-selected compatriots – Honest, trustworthy companions that are completely
prepped for the collapse and have a diverse blend of excellent skills to weather
the storm.
•
Designed for a collapse – Wood stove, solar power, well water, fruit
trees already planted, etc.
So while I wish Dr. Richard the best of luck I am headed to Galt’s Gulch
with other members of the intelligentsia. It doesn’t mean that I am not
willing and/or trying to help my neighbors, in fact I am having a large number
of them over next week to try to explain the realities of the coming collapse
but at the end of the day I must protect my family and myself and a self-selected
group of intelligent people awake to the realities of the world secure in a
remote retreat represents the best odds of survival.
Even if you are going to bug out here are some tips to help the folks who must
prepare for themselves:
Educate, Educate, Educate - Give DVDs, send links to web sites like this, Virginia
Prepper's Network, SurvivalBlog, WhatReallyHappened.com, InfoWars.com, and
SteveQuayle.com. When you pass along DVDs specify that the recipient must pass
it along to someone else and specify that the next recipient must pass it along
as well.
Share your Bounty and Improve Your Own Chances - I am sharing some of my storable
food with a neighbor with the caveat that we would share when the SHTF. If
I successfully bug out then they keep all the food for themselves. If I am
trapped in the neighborhood then I have improved my chances for survival with
diverse food stores.
Arm Them With Knowledge - Take your neighbor to the Appleseed Project and turn
a rifle owner into a Rifleman.
Plant an oversize or community garden - Share the costs of sod, seeds, and
the rental of a tiller.
Store Extra Preps for Friends and Charity - I have stored extra food for charity
and even stored items like diapers and wipes for a low income couple who live
in my neighborhood. I have cached food, money, and silver for the employees
of my business as well in a location they can access in an emergency.
« Letter Re: Should You Invest in Real Estate? |Main| Note from JWR: »
Survival Retreat vs. Neighborhood Survival, by Dr. Richard
Earlier this month, I posted Etienne's guest post Seeking/Starting
a Survival Retreat in Virginia / Maryland / Pennsylvania / West Virginia.
Today, I had lunch with Etienne
de la Boetie and another prepper here in Loudoun County [, Virginia].
We had a long discussion about survival retreats vs neighborhood survival.
Etienne is a big fan of the survival retreat concept. He previously had a
retreat where he did not own the land but where he was able to store a travel
trailer recreational vehicle in which he pre-positioned various preps and
supplies. Unfortunately, his friend moved and sold the property. There are
four major flaws in the survival retreat separate from your home concept:
- There are significant liabilities and social problems with communal retreats
where one does not own the property - you are vulnerable to the actions of
the others, particularly the property owner.
- Property left at unattended retreats is vulnerable to theft and vandalism.
This is going to be a growing problem as the economic depression gets worse,
especially if we have economic collapse.
- Getting to the retreat would be problematic in the event that it is
actually needed - particularly in martial law scenarios where the military
and law
enforcement block traffic at key intersections or in cases where there are
fuel shortages.
- Relatively undeveloped retreats with a trailer and undeveloped
land may not be sufficiently developed for long-term survival and offer insufficient
space
for storage of the various preps and other items you need. Many of these
items would likely be at your day-to-day residence and you cannot assume
that you
can transport everything at the last minute.
My view is that survival retreats only work if you live there full-time. Furthermore,
although remote locations are further removed from the masses, they are also
further removed from jobs, markets, customers, hospitals, and many other useful
infrastructure and will be harder pressed to gather a sufficiently large group
to cover all of the tasks needed in a true long-term survival scenario. Even
the best special forces operator cannot defend his property 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Unfortunately, we are rapidly running out of time and it
is probably already too late to relocate - especially if relocating means trying
to sell your existing home in this real estate environment -- in my neighborhood
we haven't had a sale in over eight months and anyone who bought in the last
four years and did the traditional 20% down payment fixed 30 year mortgage
now has negative equity.
I am a big proponent of the concept that your family, friends, neighbors, and
church are your survival group. Yes, I understand that many are unprepared
and clueless about both the threats and what they need to do to prepare for
them. However, your home is your survival retreat. Strengthen it to the extent
you can, but your odds improve exponentially if you can organize your neighborhood
and help everyone survive against the threat(s) you are facing in your survival
situation. You and those in the group who are better prepared or who have the
right skills are the cadre needed to get organized and do what is needed. The
rest of the neighborhood are your foot soldiers and do'ers. My philosophy is
to lead and organize but that charity starts with those who are willing to
help themselves and help the group in the survival situation. In a survival
situation, your first challenges are to assess the hazards/priorities/immediate
needs, organize the group, secure the neighborhood, and scrounge/barter/trade
for needed resources.
Be a leader. There are many things you can do to help develop your neighborhood
group of family, friends, neighbors, and fellow church members and increase
the odds of the neighborhood surviving:
- Get to know them.
- Have potluck dinners.
- Help them wake up and prepare.
- Start a garden club to help start victory
gardens.
- Start a community watch program for your neighborhood.
- Give them a copy
of Chris Martenson's
Crash Course on the economy DVD. I bought a case of
30 and gave them as 2008 Christmas gifts.
- Give copies of Holly Deyo's book
Dare to Prepare as gifts. I bought a case of 8 and gave them as 2008 Christmas
gifts to family and several neighbors
who got it and were starting to prep.
- Store extra preps for charity and be
prepared to give when it is needed for survival.
- Learn about their skills,
backgrounds, and interests - on my street we have a former Navy Corpsman/LEO/M16
Instructor/master scrounger/contractor/award
winning barbeque chef who "gets it" and is starting to prepare, two nurses,
a master gardener, an agricultural engineer / head of the 800-home neighborhood HOA,
a Mormon family that does food storage, and six members of the neighborhood
garden club run by our master gardener.
- Buy tools that would be useful that
could be shared like tillers.
- Buy extra seed such as a seven year supply of Survival
Seeds and be prepared to provide seeds for neighbors
- Build a survival library
of books and skills that you can use to train them when they need survival
skills.
- Buy several extra surplus rifles such as the Russian Mosin-Nagant
or SKS rifles and stock extra ammunition to equip your "community watch" patrols.
- Invite
them to go to a shooting range with you.
- Be prepared to give honest evaluations
of whether individuals should relocate once a survival situation begins
to relative's homes or even public shelters
if that is the best option for them.
You will be pleasantly surprised how many of your family, friends, neighbors,
and fellow church members that are starting to wake up and realize the reality
and danger of our current position. This number is increasing every week. Don't
simply assume that they are all clueless sheep - many simply need some education
and a leader to show them the way.
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Four Letters Re: Preparedness Through Tapping in to the Craig's List Culture
Sir;
By way of profession, I am a CPA (M.S. in Taxation), economic survivalist
by persuasion. One thing you may want to caution readers about is the Internal
Revenue Services' position on bartering income. Always, always, always talk
to a competent tax advisor regarding your particular situation. Under the current
administration, self-sufficiency activities such as bartering with others for
services or goods may be considered a reportable and taxable activity on the
part of both parties.
Just a "heads up" to all, we all want to stay within the letter of
the law. Thanks for the listen - C.
Sir,
Craigslist can be frustrating, for example, you see a super deal, you
call early, have the cash and can buy now, but the seller says, "well,
some guy called at 6 a.m. and is coming to buy it this Sunday. Sorry." Out
of politeness, you didn't want to call at 6 am, but because you didn't, you
lost the ability to buy the item because the seller is a "first call-first
serve" seller, and not a "first cash-first serve" seller.
On the other hand, it is irritating when you set an appointment, spend $20
on diesel to drive to the seller's home, and arrive to find someone else loading
the item in his truck. Maybe sellers ought to put a Terms-of-Service in their
ads! (I personally am a First-Cash seller, but cancel later appointments immediately
upon sale). - Willow, in Texas
Jim:
[Because of their posting rules], one must be very circumspect in listing
or putting a "Want to Buy" (WTB) ad on Craigslist.com if
it concerns guns, ammunition, or reloading.
They will delete your posting in a "New York Minute". - D.O.
JWR Replies: I've seen the same thing happen, many times. Do
not mention firearms in the title line of any Craigslist post, even
if you live in an ultra-conservative state like Wyoming. Some hoplophobic do-gooder
will indeed zap your post almost immediately. I've heard that it is best
to "bury " mention of your willingness to swap "sporting goods" in
posts on other topics. For those that specifically want to trade a firearm
or ammunition, I recommend advertising on a regional gun board, such as the
Northwest Firearms Board. , or in one of the many local newspapers or
advertising giveaway papers (such as the "Nickel" and "Penny
Saver" type papers) that offer free or low-cost classified ads.
Mr. Rawles:
Even though Craigslist does
not allows firearms and ammunition advertisements, it is still beneficial sure
to check the Sporting Goods section. In my my local
Craigslist there are "47 speed bicycles, AK brand", and similar items regularly
for sale. - J.M.
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Letter Re: Mobs of Young Beggars on the Streets of Baghdad
Jim
I definitely look forward to reading your blog every morning as I begin my
day here in Baghdad. I wanted to share some perspective on what I see on a
daily basis as an American GI patrolling the streets of Baghdad on the topic
of begging.
I think your readers might eventually come face to face with this type of behavior
and it might not be pleasant for them if not dealt with correctly. When my
team stops at a project site or we conduct patrols throughout the various neighborhoods
of Baghdad, we are besieged by Iraqi children asking us for items such as candy,
pencils, pens, and soccer balls. There are two ways these scenarios usually
play out. One, if soldiers hand out any items, the floodgates open and more
children appear as word spreads that items are being given away. A mob typically
surrounds the soldier and/or vehicle. Even if those children get that which
they ask for, they do not leave. Rather, they continue to ask for more.
Fights typically break out amongst the throng of children as they fight over
what
is given out. When we ask our interpreters why the children are not happy with
what they've been given, we are told that because they are poor (but no longer
starving, mind you, since the USA put an end to the UN Food For Oil scandal
and Saddam's reign of terror) and the Americans are perceived as being rich.
Another way this is dealt with is the children are told "Mako Shay" which
in Arabic means "I Have Nothing". If said soldier stands firm and
refuses to give in to the pleas of the beggars, they usually dissipate and
go on to other soldiers to beg from or go on to playing with their friends.
The key here is to stand firm and tell them that you have nothing to give them.
I see strong parallels between this daily occurrence here in Iraq and that
which could occur should the [American] populace flees their homes in search
of food
and shelter.
Just some food for thought, should the SHTF.
Regards, - The Survivalist
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Charity, Civility, Community, and Hope
Whilst pondering the various possibilities for the future, it is easy to
get caught up in the minutiae of radio frequencies, milligram dosages, microns
of filtration, calibers, and calories per ounce. (You'' read plenty of those
details in SurvivalBlog. But in doing so we can easily lose sight
of bigger, far more important issues such as charity, civility, community,
and
hope.
Charity
Most of you reading this are the heads of households that are far better
prepared than your neighbors. Your deep larder, expansive fuel storage, advanced
skills, and wide range of useful tools will put you in a distinctly advantageous
position in the event of a catastrophe. I implore you to be
charitable, even to those
that stubbornly ignored your warnings and shirked their responsibility
to provide for their families. My philosophy, oft-repeated, is to give
until it hurts.
Civility
Going hand-in-hand with charity is civility. Hard times call for increased caution,
but unless you are facing a bad element, there is no need to be mean or offensive.
When dealing with neighbors, do your best to keep
up
he standards or normal
pre-Crunch civil
interaction.
Be
courteous, be helpful, be generous, and in all ways pitch in to be a good neighbor.
Just be very circumspect about your preparations. Always keep the "need to
know" rule in mind, and drill it
into the heads of your family members. Unless a neighbor truly needs
to know,
then you should not mention--or allow to be seen--the nature nor the extent
of your preparations. Just make it clear that you have "a little extra" of
this
or
that, to help
out neighbors
that are in genuine need.
In contrast, when dealing with strangers, it is best to be far more
firm but non-threatening. Just leave them with the subtle impression that you
are
not
one to be trifled with.The sight of pistol on your hip or a rifle close at
hand speaks volumes. If you want to help refugees that are transiting your
area, then please show the foresight do so anonymously through an intermediary,
such as your local church. By donating some of your storage food to your church,
you'll
be able
to look firm and resilient to refugees, yet still have good news for them.
You can honestly say: "Some people in the community have been leaving food
and warm clothing at the church 1/2 mile down the road. It is at 123 Main
Street. They will be able to help you. God bless you." Note that this was carefully
phrased
in
a
neutral way, not indicating that you were
the donor. Parenthetically, this level of OPSEC means
that you will need to carefully brief your church pastors and elders and get
their solemn promise
not reveal who provided the food.
Community
I've written at
length about the need for a genuine sense community to achieve the best chance of survival in hard times, so I
won't repeat all that here. In essence, lone wolves will not be the most likely
survivors.
Build a true community, and you will have friends that you can count on (and
vice
versa),
when the Schumer hits
the fan.
Hope
As a Christian, I use word "hope" in far different way than non-Christians
do. In the Christian context, hope means absolute assurance of
eternal life for the
elect, bought and paid for by Christ's sacrificial death
on
the cross. With the sure knowledge of my salvation, I am willing to risk more
in this life, to do what is right--that is, what I believe will please God,
and glorify God. The perils in this mortal life are brief, but the promise
of
heaven is everlasting. That is my hope.
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Letter Re: Food Storage Versus Expecting Manna Falling from Heaven
Dear Sir,
Thank you so much for your insightful and educational blog. I highly respect
your opinion and I am e-mailing you today to ask for your advice.
My husband and I are both conservative Christians who are totally committed
to being prepared. Our problem is that we have encountered other conservative
Christians who believe that manna will literally fall from Heaven if famine
comes upon the land. I was personally told by my former pastor that
I was "stupid" for storing food and owning guns. He also told me
that by being prepared I was demonstrating a "lack of faith in God".
He told me that God would provide for me in the form of manna falling from
Heaven if disaster ever struck. This story, unfortunately, is extremely common
within the conservative Christian church. My husband and I have come across
people like this over and over again. Other than telling these people that
manna falling from Heaven was a one time event, quoting Scripture like Proverbs14:8,
and reminding them that even Noah prepared for disaster by building the ark
- how do my husband and I deal with people like this from a Christian perspective?
Prayer seems to be the only answer. Can you recommend any other solutions in
addition to prayer? Thank you for your time and attention. In Christ, - Heather
M.
JWR Replies: I often get e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers,
asking about how I can justify active preparedness in light of my Christian
faith. Some cite the "Lilies of the Field" passage in Matthew 6:25-34:
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall
eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is
not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the
air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you
by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought
for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much
more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore
no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself. Sufficient unto the
day [is] the evil thereof."
In my view, people are misinterpreting these verses. These are verses
about worry, not about work or preparedness. Never does
the Bible teach that we should laze about and not provide for our families.
Earning our daily bread is the Godly way to live. We are taught not to
be lazy or dependent on others. Yes, we are to trust in God's providence,
but nowhere do the scriptures absolve us of the responsibility to work or
to save up for lean times. Consider these four verses from the book of Proverbs:
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth
vain [persons is] void of understanding.. Proverbs 12:11, KJV
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to
penury.(Poverty.) Proverbs 14:23, KJV
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. Proverbs
21:25, KJV
The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one
[that is] hasty only to want. Proverbs 21:5, KJV
Food Storage
The Bible encourages storing food. Look at Gen. 41:47-49 (KJV): "And
in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.Gen 41:48
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land
of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which
[was] round about every city, laid he up in the same.And Joseph gathered corn
as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for [it was] without
number." And then see Gen. 41:53-57: "And the seven years of plenteousness,
that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.And the seven years of dearth began
to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but
in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was
famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all
the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.And the famine was
over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and
sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.And
all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy [corn]; because that the
famine was [so] sore in all lands."
The preceding is a good example that illustrates the need for food storage.
As I write this in 2008, a growing portion of the world is already experiencing
famine. You should recognize that famine could just a well come to stalk America,
Europe, the British Isles, and Australia. (The regions with the largest SurvivalBlog
readership.) It is prudent and Biblically supported
to stock up during good times in anticipation of lean times.
Prov. 6:6-15 (KJV): "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways,
and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat
in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep,
O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come
as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. A naughty person, a wicked
man, walketh with a forward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with
his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Forwardness is in his heart, he deviseth
mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come
suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy."
The lessons from scripture are clear: Don't be lazy and lax. Store up in good
times for future lean times. Consider this: "[There is] treasure to be
desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it
up." - Prov. 21:20 (KJV)
And ponder this Old Testament passage: Psalm 34:9-10 (KJV): "O fear the
LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.Psa 34:10
(KJV) "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek
the LORD shall not want any good [thing]." And then look at this New Testament
passage:, from 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV): "But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel."
One of the many names of God is Jehovah Jireh, which
means God Who Provides. As a Christian, I believe that God will provide for
his covenant people. I believe that one of the many gifts that the God has
provided is a conviction, by the Holy Spirit, to be well prepared. I realize
that we are only on Earth for about 80 trips around the sun, and that is just
the twinkling of an eye versus eternity. Where we end up after this
brief life is far, far more important in the grand scheme of things.
We will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell. But how we spend our +/-80
year life on Earth is up to us. (And the most important thing that we do in
the is life is make ourselves right with God, though his Grace, to accepting
eternal life in heaven. But stepping back to this temporal world: The Bible
makes it very clear that we are to be good stewards of the blessings that God
provides us. I therefore feel strongly convicted to not just share the gospel
of Christ, but also to physically prepare for my own family, and store extra
to dispense as charity. The bottom line: I can't continue to share the gospel
if I starve to the point of achieving room temperature!
Self Defense
Other readers question how I can justify owning guns for self-defense.
Some Mennonites, for example, eschew all means self defense and decry
even the willingness to defend oneself or one's loved ones. That,
in my opinion is taking "turning the other cheek" (Luke 6:29) to
an extreme that is not scripturally founded.
Exodus 22:2 provides Biblical justification for killing someone if he intends
to forcibly rob or kill another man: " If a thief be found breaking up,
and be smitten that he die, [there shall] no blood [be shed] for him." Exodus
22:2 (KJV)
And Jesus teaches that it is wise to be armed, in Luke 22:35-36 (KJV): "And
he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked
ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take [it], and
likewise [his] scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment,
and buy one."
In an article titled: What
Does The Bible Say About Gun Control? Larry Pratt keenly observed the
difference between self-defense and vengeance:
Resisting an attack is not to be confused with taking vengeance
which is the exclusive domain of God (Rom. 12:19). This has been delegated
to the civil magistrate, who, as we read in Romans 13:4, ". . . is
God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for
he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an
avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil."
Private vengeance means one would stalk down a criminal after one’s
life is no longer in danger as opposed to defending oneself during an attack.
It is this very point that has been confused by Christian pacifists who would
take the passage in the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek
(which prohibits private vengeance) into a command to falter before the wicked.
Let us consider also that the Sixth Commandment tells us: "Thou shall
not murder." In the chapters following, God gave to Moses many of the
situations which require a death penalty. God clearly has not told us never
to kill. He has told us not to murder, which means we are not to take an
innocent life. Consider also that the civil magistrate is to be a terror
to those who practice evil. This passage does not in any way imply that the
role of law enforcement is to prevent crimes or to protect individuals from
criminals. The magistrate is a minister to serve as "an avenger to execute
wrath on him who practices evil" (Rom. 13:4).
Jesus taught both to turn the other cheek and to be well-armed
to defend oneself. The important factor is having the wisdom to know when to
employ either approach depending on the circumstances. I pray, for wisdom,
discernment, and discretion, daily. I don't seek out trouble, and
in fact I have moved my family to a remote, lightly populated region in good
part to avoid trouble. But if unavoidable trouble
comes my way, I want to have the option of resisting force with force.
And I only have that option if I am armed and trained.
Some critics of armed preparedness cite Matthew 26:52-54 (KJV), which descries
how Jesus responded when Peter cut off the ear of a high priest's servant,
using a sword: "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into
his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled,
that thus it must be?"
In context, Jesus is telling Peter that it would be suicidal to fight in that
particular situation, since they were quite outnumbered. And of course Jesus
knew it was in God's plan for him to be arrested, tried, crucified, and resurrected.
Jesus told Peter to put his sword in its place –which
was back in his belt. Jesus was telling Peter in effect that "there is
a time to fight, and this, my friend, isn't it." He didn't command him
to "throw that sword away", or "surrender it", or to "stop
carrying it". After all, according to Luke, Jesus had just recently ordered
the disciples to arm themselves. The reason for the arms was
obviously to protect their own lives when traveling--not to protect His
own life, which He intended to sacrifice, to pay for our sins, once and
for all.
The Old testament teaches both to be armed, and to be trained. We
read in Psalm 144:1:
Blessed [be] the LORD my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war,
[and] my fingers to fight:
Yes, as Christians our battles are mainly spiritual, but we must also be prepared
to defend our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, against evildoers.
Charity
Charity--both in time of plenty and in times of disaster--is a Christian responsibility
with its roots in the Old Testament tradition of Tzedaka. This responsibility--particularly
for the support of widows and orphans--was repeated in the New Testament, such
as in Acts 11:27-30: "And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto
Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the
Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came
to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according
to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas
and Saul."
The Biblical approach to survivalism is to avoid trouble, but to be ready
for it nonetheless. And when trouble does come, have extra stores on
hand, so that you can dispense copious charity. Give until
it hurts!
In closing, I'll leave you with a key verse: "A prudent man foreseeth
the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." -
Proverbs 22:3 (KJV)
Note: I've updated my original response to include all cites from the KJV translation.
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Letter Re: When Unprepared Folks Show Up on Your Doorstep
Mr. Rawles;
With the current state of the country more and more people have been stepping
up their preparedness. The question I get asked most is what to do
with the people who say they will be over when everything falls apart.
I know you have addressed this in the past, but it is something people need
to think through with the current state we are in. With my preparedness consulting
I have had story after story from preparing people of family, friends and people
who know they are preparing, but do not
prepare themselves saying they will be there when everything falls apart.
I have used your novel "Patriots" as
a guide
for how to prepare for any scenarios and it mentions giving charity to those
who show up and sending the unwanted on their
way and keeping those who belong or can contribute to the group. For the transients
or refugees this is a very good solution to the problem, but when it comes
to family and people who know you are preparing it calls for a
different solution or group of solutions. I hope you can give some advice to
everyone facing this problem. We can go into OPSEC when
it comes to not telling folks what they are doing, but there have been mistakes
made and it is hard to hide from non-preparing family
and for them to understand not to talk about it or you are trying to network
with people to get a group together and the information spreads.
Some of the stories I have heard are:
There have been several version of this first one, but it is basically the
same falling out in a group and the unwanted plan a unwelcome return.
"We had a member of our group and he turned out to be a slob, was not preparing
and thought that a case of ammo and a rifle was all you needed and they would
take whatever else was needed from the weak. They politely told him that
he was
not welcome and would not sharing in the preparations. This person is now
contacting
the group,
saying if it hits the fan that they "will be over".
The group believes they will have to defend themselves from this former member
who
will
bring his spouse and children with him."
"We have been preparing for several
years and have been trying to get family members, both close and distant involved
in a group.When things go bad they [declare that they] are all coming over.
We do not have the room for the extra people in our home. We do not have
enough food for the extra people. We do not have other supplies they will
need to
live here. They do not have the mindset to endure a long term situation nor
will they
contribute to the survival of the group.We already have a small group of
like-minded people we have networked with and are either leaving supplies
here or will
be bringing their supplies when
they
come and we have enough for only them."
With our networking efforts we have talked to many people and have picked up
some good people to be in a group. With the economy going down the tubes we
are having past contacts talking to us and they plan on showing up if it hits
the fan."
"We have had someone gossip about our preparations and now we have
people saying they will be over and we do not even know these people.
How may people know we are preparing and how many are going to show up and
what are they going to do to us if we turn them away or will they just take
our supplies?"
Respectfully, - Ron from Ohio
JWR Replies: Based on what I read in e-mails, nearly all
SurvivalBlog readers--save a few that are utter recluses that have few (or
no) family ties--all go through
the same
thing.
This most commonly
happens at holiday gatherings, when "Cousin Bob" first teases you for having
"that mountain of storage food in your basement", but then slyly
adds "...but
I know where I'll go when things fall apart." This is the same Cousin
Bob that has frittered away his earnings on plasma big screen HDTVs, Jet Skis,
and BluRay DVDs. My advice is to be
blunt and forthright.
Tell Cousin Bob that he's had the same period warning that you have had, and
that he's had comparable resources available to prepare. Depending on your predisposition,
you might say: "You've been warned. You must make adequate preparations for
your own family. Period." Hopefully that will spur your
relatives into action.
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Three Letters Re: Family Food Security for a Recession or Depression
Sir,
I have been checking a few other sites this morning that I frequent,
and while at the Viking
Preparedness Forum, I was checking the food and water
storage board and came across these
canned food shelves. It is a good set of shelves, making the best use of space,
and allowing them automatic stock rotation.
We live in a house with a monolithic slab foundation, and the footprint, does
not give us a great deal of room to work with, but I think that we can do something
similar ourselves.
I liked the way that they were set against the wall, and took up very little
space. I also liked the fact that they had extra space above for expanding
the shelves a bit more.
Just thought that it was an all around good idea, and one that some of your
readers might be able to make good use of also.
BTW, I also found these related web pages. Hope that they help.
How to Make a Self-Rotating Food Storage for Canned Goods
Food
Storage Shelves, Food Storage Racks & Food storage shelving Accessories
CanRacks.com
FIFO Storage Can Rack - Canned Food Rack - Improvements Catalog
As always, may God bless you and yours in everything you do. - Dim Tim
Dear Mr. Rawles:
I read your blog frequently and enjoy the information you publish. It helps
keep me informed and challenged.
However, lately I've been wondering about some of the provisions of Martial
Law and Executive Orders that have been signed by past presidents.
In the event of a declaration of Martial Law, can the Federal Government go-door-to-door
and confiscate food that citizens have stored for their own use? It is my understanding
that farms, equipment and food can be confiscated so that it can then be controlled/distributed
to the people who do not have any food.
There are anti-hoarding laws on the books in some states, but I don't know
all the details. FEMA guidelines
advise people to have a short-term supply of food on hand for emergencies.
But in the event of martial law, how much food is one family allowed to store?
If a family has made the effort to store a year or more of food, will they
be allowed to keep it or will it be confiscated?
Bottom line: Why bother purchasing dehydrated or freeze-dried food for long-term
storage if it will end up being confiscated by the Government to give to someone
else? Is it futile to do so or should one be prudent and go forward with plans
for long-term food storage? - Joan X.
JWR Replies: There is indeed a slim but nonetheless
real threat of storage food confiscation in the U.S. It is one of the many
reasons why
I emphasize OPSEC in
my blog. If you are concerned about the prospect of martial law, then
I recommend that you buy the majority of your storage food with cash, without
generating a paper trail. You should go pick it up in person. OBTW, there are
food storage vendors that advertise in my blog that are located in several
regions
around
the country (within reasonable driving distance for perhaps 80% of he SurvivalBlog
readership in the US), and many of these are "Mom
and Pop" operations
that will make cash sales. With these small vendors, you don't even need to
mention your
name.
While keeping circumspect is important, don't become so preoccupied with
secrecy that you cease being charitable. The two goals need not be mutually
exclusive.
You can maintain OPSEC if you dispense charity through your local
church . FerFAL (formerly SurvivalBlog's volunteer correspondent in Argentina) had
some interesting comments in
a recent blog post at his personal blog "Surviving in Argentina".
He
posited that dispensing charity face to face with
desperate poor people can be both risky and troubling. While I don't agree
with all that FerFAL wrote, I can see the wisdom of keeping a low profile to
avoid being "marked" by freeloaders. My advice: Give, and give generously
(both now and in turbulent times),
but be prepared give at arm's length. I recommend that you make arrangements in
advance with your church elders to act as
intermediaries for post-WTSHTF
charity. Be sure to get their promise to maintain your anonymity. My personal
philosophy is to give until it hurts.
Good Morning,
I have been reading for a couple years and I'm a 10
Cent Challenge subscriber. I have just purchased a quantity of five gallon
food grade buckets and wonder if there would be any benefit to storing in vacuum
sealable one gallon size bags, as opposed to the five gal metal lined bag using
the dry ice and O2 absorber method? Thanks for your ministry. I have learned
so very much. Also I just the purchased the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course taking advantage
of the pre-election discount, thanks. Sincerely, - John V
JWR Replies: There is indeed some utility in vacuum packing,
as you described. It is, however, much more labor intensive. With most bulk
foods the shelf life that you would gain with vacuum packing (versus CO2 packing)
is not that great. It can also be a mess, especially with flour and other powders.
In essence, the
marginally longer storage
longevity does does not justify the extra time or material required. The only
notable
exception
is for
foods
that
have
a high
oil or butterfat
content,
such as brown rice. It would also be worth doing with powdered milk, if it
were not such a mess. In that case, my advice is to store only nonfat powdered
milk, to reduce the risk of rancidity. (Since it is the butterfat content of
regular powdered
milk that contributes the most to rancidity.)
I describe a simple "do-it-yourself" CO2 packing method in the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course. With this method, a family can
pack several hundred pounds of wheat, rice, or beans in just one evening.
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Letter Re: A Recent Gasoline Shortage Underscores the Need to Be Low Profile
Sir:
I’ve been a reader of your site for only about a year and consider
myself a beginner-level survivalist. I’ve got the mindset and start of
some basic short-term survival gear and knowledge, but haven’t been able
to convince the wife to go all out yet. A few months ago, you had posted an
article
about keeping your level of preparedness secret from neighbors and I wasn’t
sure why until recently. I live in Middle Tennessee, and although we are hundreds
of miles away from Hurricane Ike, we experienced a short run on gas and spike
in prices. Probably close to a quarter of the gas stations in the city simply
ran out. From past experience, I had already purchased a 50-gallon drum with
manual pump (which I had filled in July), and I had three 5-gallon jugs that
I used to fill up the day before [the hurricane's] landfall. I could easily
make that last for a month even without changing my driving habits as long
as there
is
electricity
and I don’t have to generate. Plenty of time for capacity to return to
normal.
Not only did I get some evil looks while filling up at the
pump [in July], but I was also scrutinized at work by a few people that I had
told about my “cache.” Most
seemed to think I was the reason for the shortage (or a part of it.)
And while I agree that a hype can fuel a shortage, a shortage is still a shortage.
My
personal preparedness plays such a miniscule role in the big picture. But the
comments are enough to have made me learn my lesson. If 65 gallons of gas is
enough for people to question my intentions, then what would they say if they
discovered a much larger level or preparedness and the problem was much worse?
Suddenly
I’m not the guy trying to survive -- I’m the stingy hoarder who
won’t share with people in need and in some way contributed to the shortage.
Thanks for all you do. - Wes B.
JWR Replies: In my opinion, the modern American citizenry
has been badly misinformed by the mass media about what constitutes "hoarding." By
filling your gas drum and cans several months ago, you did not contribute to
a shortage
of fuel in
the present day. In normal times, chains of supply are continuously replenished.
By buying and
storing supplies well in advance, you actually helped to alleviate the
current short-term supply disruption. By having a pre-existing stockpile, you
represent one
less motorist
queuing up at the gas station. The same logic applies to any other shortage.
It is only people that attempt to buy a disproportionately large supply during a
crisis that could legitimately be called "hoarders." But
people in your category--that bought far in advance--are not part
of the problem.
In fact,
by having extra on hand, you can dispense charity, which makes you part of the
solution.
Maintaining a low profile is just common sense. The "need
to know" rule-- that
was constantly drummed into me when I was in the intelligence community--is
time-proven. There are great advantages in being circumspect.
I enjoy giving charitably. But there is no
reason why it has to be done with a high profile in the midst of a natural
disaster or other crisis. By anonymously leaving parcels on doorsteps or by
using an intermediary--such as your local church--you are far less likely to
attract
unwanted attention
from either government officials or members of your community with a twisted
sense
of ethics.
The other reason for being secretive about charity is Biblical: In Matthew
6:3 (King James Version) we are taught: "But when thou doest alms, let
not thy left
hand
know
what thy right hand doeth." Essentially, this means that when giving
charitably, we should do it without any fanfare, lest it be a source of pride.
Give generously,
but do so very quietly.
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Letter Re: Preparedness Versus Reliance on God's Providence and Protection
Jim,
I’ve struggled with the paradigm of preparing versus having faith in
God to provide for our needs and protection. There are many Biblical references/analogies
regarding both. Would you be willing to share your thoughts? Sincerely, - Short-ckt
JWR Replies: For some relevant Bible passages, please
see the latest additions to my Prayer
page. In particular, see the sections under these headings:
Clarification on Christianity and Physical Preparedness
Food Storage
Self Defense
Charity
May God
Bless You and Yours!
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Letter Re: Pre-Assembling Charity Food Packets for Storage
Jim-
As always I love your site (that's why I'm a 10
Cent Challenge subscriber), I
am so sorry to hear of your wife's accident and hope and pray she returns to
her
normal routine quickly.
Taking your inspiration (and some info from others) my wife and I have expanded
upon a concept called "365 meals". My original idea (after reading
your
info on "Dispensing charity from a safe distance" was to use our impulse
sealer
to make "quick meals" of some rice, bullion cubes and TVP to
distribute in the event that we needed to dispense charitable food stuffs to
others. It was also a great way to allow us to have home-made "MREs" that
could be easily made by our children.
My good wife then said "Yuck, we can do better than that" and found/made
several recipes that only require adding water and heat. We used our sizable
stores
of dehydrated vegetables, legumes and seasonings and TVP. We were originally going to make 365 (one for every day),
but after testing, (and discovering that a little went a long way) we calculated
that we only needed half as many. These meals are delicious, satisfying, and nutritionally balanced.
The great solace of this endeavor is that we now know for a certainty that we
have
at least one meal per day for our family, for an entire year. This is not our
only supply of food, but an important part of it. We have made a four part, video presentation of a lecture we gave on the
subject,
at a recent Emergency Preparation seminar that I teach once a month. These
can
be seen on YouTube.
Thank you for all that you do. - Kory
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Letter Re: Pre-Assembling Charity Food Packets for Storage
JWR –
I am putting together food stores, and collecting food grade buckets for bulk
storage (local store lets them go for 60 cents each), but I had a question
come across as I was planning this out.
Based on my own sense of charity, as well as your comments, I thought about
a self-contained package that could be handed out, some rice, wheat, dried
veggies and more, all sealed with a gamma lid using your dry ice method. Not
only would this be good to avoid having multiple bulk cans open at once, but
also as I said if people in need come asking, you can hand of 3-to-5 days food
in one package.
Then I started thinking about comfort foods, pretzels, chips, candy bars and
the like, and I wondered if you can actually put all of these different food
products in the same can, separated into baggies, and if so, can you keep some
foods like pretzels/chips or candy in their original packaging or repackage
them in baggies? - Geoff in North Dakota
JWR Replies:
Using separate clear plastic baggies--or better yet mylar bags--within a sealed container is a practicable
solution.
Distributing whole wheat is only marginally workable, since most folks are
used to baking with wheat flour. But this raises two issues: If distributing
flour, does the recipient have access to a working baking oven or Dutch Oven? In most disaster situations, that would be a rarity. And, if distributing
while wheat, does the recipient have a access to a wheat grinder. Of course
you could instruct them to make wheat berries (soaked wheat to eat as hot or
cold cereal). But then they must have water available and at least 10 hours
to soak the wheat. Because of the much shorter shelf life of flour (versus
whole wheat), you might consider packaging the wheat in the form of freshly-ground flour,
only on an "as-needed" basis, after the onset of an emergency.
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Letter Re: An Army Officer's Observations
Mr Rawles,
I found your web site a few months ago and have been pouring through it ever
since. This past week, I finished reading the SurvivalBlog archives through
the end of 2007. Just six months of archives left :) I also just finished
reading your excellent novel, "Patriots"
As a fundamentalist Christian who was homeschooled, I truly appreciate your
willingness to unabashedly share your faith and your conservative family values
through your web site and writings.
I am also a West Point graduate who became an Armor officer in 2000, so I really
enjoy and relate to your anecdotes and descriptions (and military jargon & acronyms)
of your personal Military Intelligence experience, as well as the fictional experiences of "Doug
Carlton". Your descriptions of M1A1 tanks, Fort Knox, Advanced Camp (Camp
Buckner for me), et cetera. are all spot on. Your description of tankers, down
to the details about being chronically horrible on security, was exactly correct.
I well remember getting a CS [tear gas] canister thrown into our perimeter at [National
Training Center] NTC by the [Observer Controller] OC because we were all asleep.
We received a briefing
on the vulnerabilities of Abrams tanks at the Armor Captain's Career Course
and,
in
light of that,
I found your discussion of the matter in "Patriots" very
interesting. As a note of interest, since the Iraq War, the training in the
Armor CCC seems
to place renewed importance on urban warfare and especially on combined operations
with Infantry. In fact, I believe Armor and Infantry CCCs have combined now
to form a single "Maneuver Captain's Career Course".
After my platoon leader time, I worked in the Fort Knox Garrison S3 shop as
a planner for two years at Fort Knox's Emergency Operations Center, working
on
their
contingency
operations plans for everything from earthquakes to terrorists attacks. I took
advantage of my time there in taking a lot of FEMA online
courses, getting my amateur radio license, and taking a lot of civilian and
military training
in [Search and Rescue] SAR. That being the case, I absolutely loved the Fort
Knox aspects of the plot
in "Patriots" and
wish to heck that I had your book during my time there to pass around to the
other guys. My time there was also the point in my life when I realized that
a lot can go wrong in this world and I'd better have a plan
to prepare for it.
Wanting some change, I later became a Civil Affairs officer with deployments
to Iraq and West Africa. Civil Affairs just became it's own branch in 2006
as the Army recognizes that "civilians on the battlefield" play an
enormous role in low intensity conflicts like Iraq. The civilian dimension,
both as potential OPFOR and BLUFOR, is being studied and analyzed in depth
in today's Army, as it should be. However, it is terrifying to contemplate
a "Patriots" type of scenario where that scrutiny, analysis, and
subsequent operations would be turned towards our own populace. Double ditto
for all things related to the new branch of Psychological Operations
After reading survivalblog, I've been re-examining my military experiences,
especially my time in Iraq and West Africa from the survivalist viewpoint.
I don't want to make this e-mail into a book, so I'll only mention a few things
for now: In many of the Medical Civic Action Programs (MEDCAP) that we conducted
in Africa, one of the hugely popular items was adaptive eyewear. Essentially,
they are adjustable glasses where the user can modify the power of each lens
to his or her needs. It works through fluid-filled lenses. You can checkout
their web site at http://www.adaptive-eyecare.com/index.htm . I'm not affiliated
with them, by the way, but I have handed out a lot of these things. They look
like the Army BCGs,
so they aren't pretty but they are effective. I went to a village last year
where they told me their number one medical need was eye
care. Actually, it appeared as though a large percent of the elderly people
had cataracts which we couldn't fix obviously, but the adjustable glasses were
a hot item for many others. I thought about it when I read some of the previous
posts about eye care and about barter items. How many people would have lost
or broken their glasses after a few years of TEOTWAWKI?
Or their prescription changes? Glasses might be a popular barter item, but
who wants to stock every
prescription imaginable? These glasses can be adjusted from +6 to -6 Diopters.
The only catch is... I think this company mostly sells their glasses in bulk
to NGO-type organizations for use in third
world countries, so I have no idea if they are available to the normal person
here in these united States. However,
now that you know they're out there, you might keep a watch out for something
like it. This is an example of something that is probably not currently marketable
in a developed country because of lack of need. However, that could quickly
change if TSHTF.
I think I heard that the glasses were about $10 or $12 each, but they were
trying to bring the costs down. Also, I'm no eye doctor, but
I surmised that one of the reasons for the surprisingly high number of cataract
and eye problems in these places is that they go through their whole life living
outdoors without sunglasses or eye protection. Granted, we were in or near
the Sahara Desert, where conditions are unusually harsh, but the lesson I took
away is that sunglasses and eye protection are essential, especially if spending
a lot of time in harsh-sun environments or anywhere there isn't an eye doctor.
On another note of interest, probably the number one ailment by far we saw
were bowel problems, probably related to unsanitary conditions and unpurified
water. There were also always a sizable number of people who had dental problems
who were hugely grateful when our dentist pulled their problem teeth. As you've
mentioned before, having a dental kit and knowing how to pull teeth doesn't
sound too exciting now but if the time came when you needed it, you sure would
be thankful that you could. Our dentist made it look so easy, pulling people's
teeth while they sat on an Army cot or the back of a pickup, that I asked him
to pull my wisdom teeth. He wouldn't do it, though, saying that there's a big
difference in pulling out a malnourished person's tooth and pulling out a McDonald's
fed American's teeth. Plus, he didn't want the liability in case of complications.
My wisdom teeth weren't a problem for me, but I went ahead and got them pulled
when I got back from the deployment. I figured it was better to get that
out of the way now rather than wait until TEOTWAWKI when I'd be sitting on
the back of a pickup while some goon is putting a pair of pliers in my mouth.
One huge "mistake" that we made was our method of handing out some
giveaways during our MEDCAPs. Be careful of your how you hand out charity!
We gave out bolts of cloth (the cloth had pro-American prints on them) to the
women of one village and within a few hours, we had near-riot conditions. Several
people were injured and nearly suffocated and/or trampled, the local police
grew, shall we say, heavy-handed, and we shut down all operations. Your advice
of giving out charity from a distance and using an intermediary like the church
is exactly correct. Another lesson is that bolts of cloth are another really
popular item for people who have to make their own clothes.
Thank you for all
you do. My 10
Cent Challenge contribution will be forthcoming. God bless you
and
your
family. Respectfully, - The Kansan
« Letter Re: The Importance of Storing Vitamin C |Main| Note from JWR: »
Budget Preparedness--Survival Isn't About Stuff, It is About Skills
I often stress that a key to survival is not what you have, but
rather what you know. (See my Precepts
of Rawlesian Survivalist Philosophy web page.)
In part, I wrote:
Skills Beat Gadgets and Practicality Beats Style. The modern
world is full of pundits, poseurs, and Mall
Ninjas. Preparedness is not just about accumulating a pile of stuff.
You need practical skills, and those only come with study, training, and practice.
Any armchair survivalist can buy a set of stylish camouflage fatigues and an M4gery Carbine
encrusted with umpteen accessories. Style points should not be mistaken for
genuine skills and practicality.
To expand on those precepts, consider the following:
Balanced logistics are important for everyone, but absolutely crucial for
someone that is on a tight budget. If you have a three year food supply, then
a quantity miscalculation for one particular food item will likely be
just an inconvenience. But if you only have a three month supply,
then a miscalculation can be a serious hazard. Be logical, systematic, and
dispassionate in your preparations. You need to develop some detailed lists,
starting with a
"List of Lists." Be realistic
and scale your retreat logistics purchasing program to your budget. Avoid
gong in to debt to "get prepared." A friend of mine who
was a Physician's Assistant went way overboard in 1998 and 1999, stocking
up for Y2K.
The massive credit card debt that he racked
up eventually contributed to a prolonged mental depression.
Choose your retreat location wisely. If you can't afford 40 acres, then be sure to pick the
right 5 or 10 acres.
Finding a property that adjoins public land, and/or property with like-minded
neighbors,
can make a huge difference. The smaller your land-buying budget, the longer
your search should be, to get the most for your money. In today's plunging
real estate market, don't overlook the possibility of finding a foreclosed
("bank
owned") farm or ranch at a "below market" price. Watch the foreclosure
listings in your intended retreat region closely. Two foreclosure monitoring
services that I recommend are RealtyTrac.com
and Foreclosures.com.
Buy used instead of new. It goes without saying that your purchasing dollars
will go farther if you concentrate on quality used tools, guns, and vehicles.
Remember that preparedness is not a beauty contest. There are no "Style"
points awarded. So owning gear with some dings and scratches is not an issue.
Just
be sure to inspect used items very carefully. In the case of buying a used
vehicle, it is worthwhile to run a check on the vehicle's history through
a service like CARFAX.
This will reveal if the vehicle might have been repaired after a major collision.
Also, hire a qualified mechanic to
do some checks before you buy a used rig. That will be
money
well-spent!
Clip coupons, watch and wait for seasonal sales, shop at thrift stores,
go to garage sales and flea markets, attend weekend farm and estate auctions,
and learn
to watch
Craig's List and
Freecycle like
a hawk.
The only
thing better
that finding inexpensive used items is having thing given to
you. This is a common occurrence with Freecycle. For example, it is not unusual
to
have someone
give you several dozen Mason-type canning jars. Just be sure to return the
favor, in the spirit of Freecycle.
Strike a balance between quality and quantity. I'm a big believer in the
old adage: "Better is the enemy of good enough." Why buy a $320
Chris Reeve folding knife when a used $30 CRKT or Cold Steel brand
pocketknife bought on eBay will provide 95% of the
functionality of a custom knife? Buying at 1/10th the price means that you
will have money available for other important logistics and training.
Take advantage of free or low-cost training. The WRSA,
for example, offers shooting and medical training at near their cost.
I've discussed other such training opportunities at length previously in
SurvivalBlog. In my Precepts page, I
noted:
Tools Without Training Are Almost Useless. Owning a gun
doesn't make someone a "shooter" any more than owning a surfboard
makes someone a surfer. With proper training and practice, you will be miles
ahead of the
average citizen. Get advanced
medical training. Get the best firearms
training that you can afford. Learn about amateur radio from your local
affiliated ARRL club.
Practice raising a vegetable garden each summer. Some skills are only perfected
over a period of years.
Learn to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. Do you really
need cable television? Eating out? snacks from the vending machine? ?
Use the
cash generated to buy the really important things, like
storage food.
When you don't have cash, then apply sweat equity. Do you need pasture fence
or garden fence at your retreat property? Don't hire someone and "have
it done"
Do it yourself. Not only will you save money, but you will also learn valuable
skills. You might even lose some of that flab around your midsection, in the
process. Also consider that people are often willing to barter their excess
tangibles
in
trade for
your skills
and
time.
Do you
have
an elderly neighbor with a big gun collection? Then offer to paint his house
in trade for a couple of guns or a few of those heavy ammo cans that he won't
live long enough to shoot? In my Precepts page, I wrote:
Invest Your Sweat Equity. Even if some of you have a millionaire's
budget, you need to learn how to do things for yourself, and be willing to
get your hands dirty. In a societal collapse, the division of labor will
be reduced tremendously. Odds are that the only "skilled craftsmen" available
to build a shed, mend a fence, shuck corn, repair an engine, or pitch manure
will be you.and your family. A byproduct of sweat equity is muscle
tone and proper body weight. Hiring someone to deliver three cords
of firewood is a far cry from felling, cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking
it yourself.
People often assume that because my blog
and novel are widely read that I am wealthy.
I
actually
have
a very
modest income. The only reason that our retreat is so well stocked is that
I have been systematically stocking up for 30 years. I am
not a "yuppie survivalist" as at least one fellow blogger claims.
I gave up my Big City salaried job years ago, to concentrate on living self-sufficiently.
Part
of
this was
a conscious
decision
to raise our children in a more wholesome environment. The major drawback is
that the Rawles
Ranch is in such a remote area that we don't get into town very
often.
The Memsahib Adds. The good thing about living so remotely
is there are no shopping opportunities. Even if I had the
urge to indulge in some retail therapy,
I'd have to drive more than two hours to do it. The next best things you can
do is cancel your magazine subscriptions. If you analyze the contents of most
magazines
you
will realize that they are designed to make you dissatisfied with your clothes,
your home decor, garden, electronics, autos because they aren't the latest,
greatest,
and most fashionable. I also highly recommend selling or Freecycling your television,
for the very same reason. A couple of exceptions to our magazine rule are Backwoods
Home, and Home
Power, since they are both light on advertising and heavy on
practical skills.
In closing, do the best you can with what you have. Be truly frugal. I grew
up in a family that still remembered both our pioneer history and the more
recent
lessons of the Great Depression. One
of our family mottos is: "Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without." I
thank my mother for passing that wisdom along to my generation, and I am doing
the same, with my children.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Resources on Packing Lists and Procedures from Expedition Planners »
Letter Re: A Clash of World Views--Socialism Versus the Libertarian Ethic
Mr. Rawles:
[Your frequent quotes from conservatives such as Thomas Sowell and Austrian
School economists] blithely ignore the reality of corporatism, authoritarianism,
predation, and
entrenched
elites. We've had our grand experiment in deregulation and the magic of the
market, and it's now perfectly clear where it got us. Why don't you look up
a good quote on the definition of an idealogue [sic] -- someone who won't let
go of pretty delusions even when the real world proves the idealogy [sic] wrong.
This
is where the right wing is today. They want yet more of what has driven this
country onto the rocks.
If you're interested in applying thought, rather than [vulgar word deleted]
right wing slogans, to our current economic problems, I'd recommend that you
spend a little
time
on Nouriel Roubini's web
site in the spotlight area "Do
We Need to Promote Localization to Save Globalization." Inequality and
the weakening of the safety net is hobbling, not freeing, the American economy. - David D.
JWR Replies: The context of the words "inequality"
and "safety net" and the overall tone of your letter are indicative
that you favor socialism. I am opposed to socialism, fascism, communism, and
any any other other "-ism" that
uses force to deny anyone else of their, life, liberty, or property.
One of my dreaded "-isms" is socialism. (And, FWIW, I am opposed
to it just a strongly as I am communism and fascism.) Red flags went up when
I
saw
you
use the terms "Inequality"
and "safety net". Those are are both popular buzzwords of socialism.
You asked me to look at a web
site. So it is only "fair" and "equitable" that you do
likewise: See
this
animation that nicely sums up my libertarian philosophy.
Ponder what socialism does: In essence, in redistributes wealth, by force.
Even if that force has a friendly American face, under the color of law, with
a neat and orderly system of taxation, it is nonetheless still force.
The bottom line is that under the socialist model, without my consent, some
of my earnings are forcibly extracted from me and eventually put
into the hands of another citizen that did not earn them. If I refuse to pay
my taxes, then I will pay huge fines and/or go to prison. Period.
Whenever you see a Federal courthouse, just imagine that there
a dungeon
beneath it. (Of course, in reality, the "dungeon" is a sprawling
prison, way off in some rural county.) The U.S. has the highest incarceration
rate in the "free" world. One contributing factor for the high incarceration
rate is our system of taxation.
All
of the foregoing is not to say that I don't believe in charity. Quite to
the contrary,
I'm part
of
the
small
Christian minority in this
country that still gives a full tithe (one tenth of my gross earnings) to
my church, as well as additional donations to other charities. I do so gladly,
as a "cheerful
giver." (And it is noteworthy that I'm not alone. Conservatives
are statistically far more generous givers than liberals.) To sum up my
point: To extract taxes by force to fund a wretchedly inefficient socialist
wealth redistribution plan
is the
worst sort if tyranny. It is slavery with almost invisible shackles.
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Christianity and Physical Preparedness
I occasionally get e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers, asking about how I can
justify active preparedness in light of my Christian faith. Some cite the "Lilies
of the Field" passage in Matthew 6:25-34:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important
than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying
can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?'
or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
In my view, people are misinterpreting these verses. These are verses
about worry,
not about work or preparedness. Never
does the Bible teach that we should laze about and not provide for our families.
Earning our daily
bread is the Godly way to live. We are taught not to be lazy or dependent
on others. Yes, we are to trust in God's providence, but nowhere do the scriptures
absolve us of the responsibility to work or to save up for lean times.
Consider these four verses from the book of Proverbs:
He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies
lacks judgment. Proverbs 12:11, NIV
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs
14:23, NIV
The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse
to work. Proverbs 21:25, NIV
The plans of the diligent surely lead to plenty, but those of everyone who
is hasty surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5, NKJV
Food Storage
The Bible encourages storing food. Look at Gen. 41:47-49: "And in the
seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered
up all
the food
of the
seven
years,
which
were
in
the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field,
which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered
corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was
without number." And then see Gen. 41:53-57: "And the seven years
of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the sevens
years of dearth [drought] was
in all lands; but
in
all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished,
the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians,
Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the
storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the
land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn;
because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
The preceding is a good example that illustrates the need for food storage.
As I write this in 2008, a growing portion of the world is already experiencing
famine. You should recognize that
famine could
just a well come to stalk America, Europe, the British Isles, and Australia.
(The
areas
with
the
largest SurvivalBlog readership.) It is prudent and
Biblically supported to stock up during good times in anticipation of lean
times.
Prov. 6:6-15: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer,
and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed
man. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a forward mouth. He winketh
with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Forwardness
is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore
shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy."
The lessons from scripture are clear: Don't be lazy and lax. Store up in good
times for future lean times. Ponder this Old Testament passage: Psalm 34:9-10: "O
fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The
young
lions
do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the
Lord shall not want any good thing." And then look at this New Testament
passage:,
from
1
Timothy
5:8: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially
for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
One of the many names of God is Jehovah Jireh,
which means God Who Provides. As I Christian, I believe that God will provide
for his covenant people. I believe that one of the many gifts that the God
has provided is a conviction, by the Holy Spirit, to be well prepared. I realize
that we are only on Earth for about 80 trips around the sun, and that is just
the twinkling of an eye versus eternity.
Where
we
end
up
after this brief life is far, far more important in the grand
scheme of things.
We
will
spend eternity
either
in
heaven
or in hell. But how we spend our +/-80 year life on Earth is up to us. (And
the most important thing that we do in the is life is make ourselves right with
God, though his Grace, to accepting eternal life in heaven. But stepping back
to this temporal world: The
Bible
makes
it
very
clear
that
we
are
to
be
good
stewards
of
the
blessings
that
God
provides
us. I
therefore feel strongly convicted to not just share the gospel of Christ, but
also to physically prepare
for
my
own
family, and store extra to dispense as charity. The bottom line: I can't continue
to share
the
gospel
if I starve to the point of achieving room temperature!
Self Defense
Other readers question how I can justify owning guns for self-defense.
Some Mennonites, for example, eschew all means self defense and decry
even
the
willingness to defend oneself or one's loved ones. That, in my opinion
is taking "turning
the other cheek" (Luke 6:29) to an extreme that
is not
sculpturally
founded.
Exodus 22:2 provides Biblical justification for killing someone if he intends
to forcibly rob or kill another man: "If a thief is caught breaking in
and is struck so that he dies, the defender
is not guilty of bloodshed." (Exodus 22:2 NIV)
And Jesus teaches that it is wise to be armed, in Luke 22:35-36: "Then
Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack
anything?'
'Nothing,' they answered. He said to them, 'But now if you have a purse, take
it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy
one."
In an article titled: What
Does The Bible Say About Gun Control? Larry Pratt keenly
observed the difference between self-defense and vengeance:
Resisting an attack is not to be confused with taking vengeance which
is the exclusive domain of God (Rom. 12:19). This has been delegated to the
civil
magistrate, who, as we read in Romans 13:4, ". . . is God’s minister
to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword
in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him
who practices evil."
Private vengeance means one would stalk down a criminal after one’s life
is no longer in danger as opposed to defending oneself during an attack. It
is this very point that has been confused by Christian pacifists who would
take the passage in the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek (which
prohibits private vengeance) into a command to falter before the wicked.
Let us consider also that the Sixth Commandment tells us: "Thou shall
not murder." In the chapters following, God gave to Moses many of the
situations which require a death penalty. God clearly has not told us never
to kill. He has told us not to murder, which means we are not to take an innocent
life. Consider also that the civil magistrate is to be a terror to those who
practice evil. This passage does not in any way imply that the role of law
enforcement is to prevent crimes or to protect individuals from criminals.
The magistrate is a minister to serve as "an avenger to execute wrath
on him who practices evil" (Rom. 13:4).
Jesus taught both to turn the other cheek and to be well-armed
to defend oneself. The important factor is having the wisdom to know when
to employ either approach depending on the circumstances. I pray, for wisdom,
discernment, and discretion, daily.
I don't seek out trouble, and in fact I have moved my family to a remote, lightly
populated region in good part to avoid trouble.
But if unavoidable trouble comes my way, I want to have the option of
resisting force
with force. And I only have that option if I am armed and trained.
Some critics of armed preparedness cite Matthew 26:52-54, which
descries how Jesus responded when Peter cut off the ear of a s
high priest's servant, using a sword: "Then said Jesus unto him, Put
up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish
with
the
sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently
give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures
be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"
In context, Jesus is telling Peter that it would be suicidal to fight in that
particular situation, since they were quite outnumbered. And of course Jesus
knew it was
in God's plan for him to be arrested, tried, crucified, and resurrected. Jesus
told Peter to put his sword in its place –which was
back in his belt. Jesus was telling Peter in effect that "there is a time
to fight, and this, my friend, isn't it." He
didn't command him to "throw that sword away", or "surrender
it", or to "stop carrying it".
After all, according to Luke, Jesus had just recently ordered the disciples
to arm themselves. The reason for the arms was obviously to
protect their own lives when traveling--not to protect His own life,
which He intended
to sacrifice, to pay for our sins, once and for all.
The Old testament teaches both to be armed, and to be trained. We read in
Psalm 144:1:
Blessed be the Lord my rock
Who trains my hands for war
And my fingers for battle.
Yes, as Christians our battles are mainly spiritual, but we must also be
prepared to defend our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, against evildoers.
Charity
Charity--both in time of plenty and in times of disaster--is a Christian
responsibility with its roots in the Old Testament tradition of Tzedaka.
This responsibility--particularly for the support of widows and orphans--was
repeated in the New Testament, such as in Acts 11:27-29:
"And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there
stood up
one
of them
named Agabus,
and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth [drought] throughout
all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the
disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief
unto
the brethren which dwelt in Judea."
The Biblical approach to survivalism is to avoid trouble, but to be ready
for it nonetheless. And when trouble does come, have extra stores on
hand, so that you can dispense copious charity. Give
until it hurts!
« Letter Re: Dramatic Increases in Food Prices |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Food Shortages in the US Underscore the Weakness of JIT Inventory Systems
The mass media is currently in a frenzy about spot shortages of rice,
flour, and cooking oil at COSTCO stores. I've fielded seven radio interviews
in the
last couple of days. The only good news is that we set an all-time record yesterday,
with 22,217
unique site visits to SurvivalBlog in one day! The rationing situation
is getting worse. Several SurvivalBlog readers sent me this: Wal-Mart's
Sam's Club limits rice purchases. Meanwhile, we read in The Washington
Times: Americans
hoard food as industry seeks regulations.
Josh Gerstein, the reporter that interviewed me for the
recent New York Sun piece, just got his two minutes of fame
on FOX News: Food
Shortage Coming? No Rice For You (It used to be called "five minutes
of fame", but apparently time is being rationed, too.)
Things can
get a lot worse, and they probably will, since
the recent shortages and jumps in food prices are global, and
were driven by increased fuel costs, the
looming Ug99 wheat rust menace,
and a pitiful wheat harvest in Australia. (Australia has had drought in
three
of the
last six
years, and this year they reported
their smallest wheat harvest in 12 years.) A tremendous amount of US wheat
and rice has been exported to east Asia in the past six months, leaving
short supplies here. It was inevitable that this would eventually show
up at the consumer level. Part of the current problem at the COSTCOs and
Sam's
Clubs is that commercial bakeries and restaurants have resorted to buying
more rice and flour at the Big
Box stores. It is not clear whether this is because of shortages at their
normal
suppliers,
or
because
the
COSTCOs weren't keeping up with price increases (making them cheaper than
buying
wholesale), some stockpiling in anticipation of future price increases,
or a combination of these factors. What is clear is that American consumers
have finally caught
on,
and are
now likely
to
stock
up. Yesterday, even the stodgy The Wall Street Journal jumped
on the preparedness bandwagon, when they printed this editorial: Load
Up the Pantry. I predict that if there is media attention that is any
more vocal than this, it could induce a buying panic like the Johnny
Carson toilet paper incident.
An underlying factor that is being under-reported by the mainstream media
is that the modern-day Just in Time (JIT) inventory control is a part of the
current problem. As
I wrote in SurvivalBlog back in February of 2007, by enthusiastically adopting
the Japanese kanban system,
America retailers have left themselves quite vulnerable to both wholesale shortages
and
consumer
demand spikes. Inventories are intentionally kept lean, for efficiency. This
is great for cutting costs in normal times, but it is dangerously fragile whenever
a disruption occurs. With JIT, every purchase is logged at the checkout counter
terminal, and once a predetermined shelf threshold is reached, an automatic
restocking order gets forwarded through the system. Typically,
these re-supply shipments take
around
24 hours.
But a big spike in sales can totally overwhelm the system, leaving empty shelves.
I'm glad that most SurvivalBlog
readers stocked up well in advance. By doing so, you are now part
of the solution in a food crisis, rather than part of the problem.
Because you stocked up many months ago, each one of you represents one
less buyer rushing
to the store at the 11th hour. And, by having extra on hand, you can dispense
charity to your less prudent neighbors.
If the current rice shortage gets any worse, you need to be prepared to dispense
charity. I assume that the average SurvivalBlog reader has about 200 pounds
of rice on hand. I recommend that you identify friends, neighbors, co-workers
and church brethren that are gluten
intolerant. For most of us, a shortage of rice, by itself, is not much
of an issue. We can simply shift to eating more wheat. But this is not an option
for folks that are gluten intolerant (also known as celiac disease, or celiac
sprue.) If any of your acquaintances are in this category and they report that
they are running out
of
rice,
then
quietly offer
to give
them some. For the sake of OPSEC,
just let them
know
that
you
have
"a little
extra" that you can share. Never hand out any of your rice stockpile in
more than five pound increments, or you might start some unfriendly rumors.
Hopefully, this will be a short term phenomenon. I anticipate that the Bush
administration will soon sharply curtail exports of rice and wheat. Once the
current shortage is alleviated, we should both thank God for his Providence,
and take this as a
reminder to
stock
up
even more, to be prepared for future shortages. Remember our motto:" Two
is one, and one is none."/p>
« Letter Re: Food Riots in Haiti |Main| Note from JWR: »
The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy
In the past week I've had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask
me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: "I could spend days
looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there
are hundreds
of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes
the "Rawlesian" philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?"
I'll likely add a few items to this list as time goes on, but here is a general
summary of my precepts:
Modern Society is Increasingly Complex, Interdependent, and Fragile. With
each passing year, technology progresses and chains of interdependency lengthen.
In the past 30 years, chains of retail supply have grown longer and longer.
The food on your supermarket shelf does not come from local farmers. It often
comes from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This has created an alarming
vulnerability to disruption. Simultaneously, global population is still increasing
in a near geometrical progression. At some point that must end, most likely
with a sudden and sharp drop in population. The lynchpin is the grid. Without
functioning power grids, modern industrial societies will collapse within weeks.
Civilization is Just a Thin Veneer. In the absence of law
an order, men quickly revert to savagery. As was illustrated by the rioting
and looting that accompanied disasters in the past three decades, the transition
from tranquility to absolute barbarism can occur overnight. People expect tomorrow
to be just like today, and they act accordingly. But then comes a unpredictable
disaster that catches the vast majority unprepared. The average American family
has four days worth of food on hand. When that food is gone, we'll soon see
the thin veneer stripped away.
People Run in Herds and Packs, but Both Follow Natural Lines of
Drift. Most
people are sheep ("sheeple").
A few are wolves that prey on others. But just a few of us are more like sheepdogs--we
think independently, and instead of
predation,
we are
geared toward protecting and helping others. People naturally follow natural lines
of drift--the path of least resistance. When the Schumer hits
the fan, 99% of urbanites will try to leave the cities on freeways. The highways
and freeways will soon resemble parking lots. This means that you need to be
prepared to both get
out of town ahead of the rush and to use lightly-traveled back roads.
Plan,
study and practice.
Lightly Populated Areas are Safer than High Density Areas. With
a few exceptions, less population means fewer problems. WTSHTF, there will
be a mass exodus from the cities. Think of it as an army that is spreading
out across a battlefield: The wider that
they
are
spread,
the less effective that they are. The inverse
square law hasn't been repealed.
Show Restraint, But Always Have Recourse to Lethal Force. My
father often told me, "It
is better to have a gun and not need it, than need a gun, and not have it." I
urge readers to use less than lethal means when safe and practicable, but at
times there is not a satisfactory substitute for well-aimed lead going down
range at high velocity.
There is Strength in Numbers. Rugged individualism is all
well and good, but it takes ore than one man to defend a retreat. Effective
retreat defense necessitates having at least two families to provide 24/7 perimeter
security. But of course every individual added means having another mouth to
feed. Absent having an unlimited budget and an infinite larder, this necessitates
striking a balance when deciding the size of a retreat group.
There are Moral Absolutes. The foundational morality
of the civilized world is best summarized in the Ten
Commandments. Moral relativism and secular humanism are slippery slopes.
The terminal moraine at the base of these slopes is a rubble pile consisting
of either despotism and pillage, or anarchy and the depths of depravity. I
believe
that
it takes both faith and friends to survive perilous times. For more background
on that, see my Prayer
page.
Racism Ignores Reason. People should be judged as individuals.
Anyone that make blanket statements about other races is ignorant that there
are both good and bad individuals in all groups. I have accepted The
Great Commission with sincerity."Go forth into all nations" means
exactly that:
all nations. OBTW, I feel grateful that SurvivalBlog is now read
in more than 100 countries. I have been given a bully pulpit,
and I intend to use it for good and edifying purposes.
Skills Beat Gadgets and Practicality Beats Style. The modern
world is full of pundits, poseurs, and Mall
Ninjas. Preparedness is not just about
accumulating a pile of stuff. You need practical skills, and those
only come with study, training, and practice.
Any
armchair
survivalist
can
buy a set
of stylish camouflage fatigues and an M4gery Carbine
encrusted with umpteen accessories. Style points should not be mistaken
for genuine skills and
practicality.
Plentiful Water and Good Soil are Crucial. Modern mechanized
farming, electrically pumped irrigation, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
can make deserts bloom. But when the grid goes down, deserts and marginal farmland
will revert to their natural states. In my estimation, the most viable places
to survive in the midst of a long term societal collapse will be those with
reliable summer rains
and rich
topsoil.
Tangibles Trump Conceptuals. Modern fiat currencies are generally
accepted, but have essentially no backing. Because they are largely a byproduct
of interest bearing debt, modern currencies are destined to inflation. In
the long run, inflation dooms fiat
currencies to collapse. The majority of
your assets should be invested in
productive farm land and other tangibles such as useful hand tools. Only after
you have your key logistics squared away, anything extra should
be invested in silver and gold.
Governments Tend to Expand their Power to the Point that They Do Harm. In
SurvivalBlog, I often warn of the insidious tyranny of the Nanny
State. If
the state where you live becomes oppressive, then don't hesitate to relocate.
Vote with your feet!
There is Value in Redundancy. A common saying of my
readers is: "Two
is one, and one is none." You must be prepared
to provide for your family in a protracted period of societal disruption. That
means storing up all of the essential "beans, bullets, and Band-Aids" in quantity.
If commerce is disrupted by a disaster, at least in the short term you will
only have your own logistics to fall back on. The more that you have stored,
the
more
that
you
will have
available for barter and charity.
A Deep Larder is Essential. Food storage is one of the key
preparations that I recommend. Even if you have a fantastic self-sufficient
garden and pasture ground, you must always have food storage that you can fall
back on in the event that your crops fail due to drought, disease, or infestation.
Tools Without Training Are Almost Useless. Owning a gun doesn't
make someone a "shooter" any more than owning a surfboard makes someone a surfer.
With proper training and practice, you will be miles ahead of the average citizen.
Get advanced medical
training. Get the best firearms
training that you can afford. Learn about amateur radio from your local
affiliated ARRL club.
Practice raising a vegetable garden each summer. Some skills are only perfected
over
a period
of years.
Old Technologies are Appropriate Technologies. In
the event of a societal collapse, 19th Century (or earlier) technologies such
as a the blacksmith's forge, the treadle sewing machine, and the horse-drawn
plow
will be
far easier
to re-construct than modern technologies.
Charity is a Moral Imperative. As a Christian, I feel morally
obligated to assist others that are less fortunate. Following the Old Testament
laws of Tzedakah (charity
and tithing), I believe that my responsibility begins with my immediate family
and expands in successive rings to supporting
my immediate
neighborhood
and
church, to my
community, and beyond, as resources allow. In short, my philosophy is to "give
until it hurts" in times of disaster.
Buy Life Assurance, not Life Insurance. Self-sufficiency
and self-reliance are many-faceted. You need to systematically provide for
Water, Food, Shelter, Fuel, First Aid,
Commo,
and, if need be, the tools to enforce Rule
308.
Live at Your Retreat Year-Round. If your financial and family
circumstances allow it, I strongly recommend that you relocate
to a safe area and live there year-round. This has several advantages,
most notably that will prevent burglary of your retreat logistics and
allow you to regularly
tend to gardens, orchards, and livestock. It will also remove the stress of
timing a "Get Out of Dodge" trip at the11th hour.
If circumstances dictate that you can't live at your retreat year round, then
at least have
a caretaker and stock the vast majority of your logistics in advance, since
you may only have one trip there before roads are impassable.
Exploit Force Multipliers. Night vision gear, intrusion
detection sensors, and radio communications equipment are key force
multipliers. Because
these use high technology they cannot be depended upon in a long term collapse,
but in the short term, they can provide a big advantage. Some low technologies
like barbed wire and defensive road cables also provide advantages and can
last for several decades.
Invest Your Sweat Equity. Even if some of
you have a millionaire's budget, you need to learn how to do things for yourself,
and
be willing to get your hands dirty. In a societal collapse, the division of
labor will be reduced tremendously. Odds are that the only "skilled craftsmen" available
to build a shed, mend a fence, shuck corn, repair an engine, or pitch manure
will be you.and
your family. A byproduct of sweat equity is muscle tone and proper body weight.
Hiring someone to deliver three cords of firewood is a far cry from
felling, cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking it yourself.
Choose Your Friends Wisely. Associate yourself with skilled
doers, not "talkers." Seek out people that share your
outlook and morality. Living in close confines with other families is sure
to cause friction but that will be minimized if you share a common religion
and norms of behavior.You can't learn every skill yourself. Assemble a team
that
includes members with medical knowledge, tactical skills, electronics experience,
and traditional practical skills.
There is No Substitute for Mass. Mass stops bullets. Mass
stops gamma radiation. Mass stops (or at least slows down ) bad guys from entering
a home and depriving its residents of life and property. Sandbags are cheap,
so buy plenty of them. When planning your retreat house, think: medieval
castle.
(See the SurvivalBlog Archives for the many articles and letters on Retreat
Architecture.)
Always Have a Plan B and a Plan C. Regardless of your pet
scenario and your personal grand plan of survival, you need to be flexible
and adaptable. Situations and circumstances change. Always keep a G.O.O.D. kit
handy, even if you are fortunate enough to live at your retreat year-round.
Be Frugal. I grew up in a family that still remembered both
our pioneer history and the more recent lessons of the Great Depression. One
of our family mottos is: "Use
it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."
Some Things are Worth Fighting For. I encourage my readers
to avoid trouble, most importantly via relocation to safe areas where trouble
is unlikely to come to visit. But there may come an unavoidable day that you
have
to
make a stand to defend your own family or your neighbors. Further, if you value
your liberty, then be prepared to fight for it, both for yourself and for
the sake
of
your progeny.
« Letter Re: Propane Heat and PV Power Solutions for RVs and Trailers |Main| Note from JWR: »
The Four Gs Update: Have You Got God?, Groceries?, Guns?, Gold?
In the next few paragraphs I'll be tackling four issues that for many years,
I've labelled "The Four Gs." One of my contemporaries, Richard "Doc" Sweeny,
even made the concept into and acronym: GGGG,
for "God,
Gold, Guns, and Groceries."
God.
I consider faith in God the cornerstone of my family's preparedness. Faith in God's sovereign control of the future gives my family hope and peace in these troubled times. If there is no hope, then why prepare? Our hope is in Christ Jesus.
Groceries.
There are continuing reports of shortages around
the country of wheat flour, corn meal, rice, and cooking oil at some of the "big
box:" stores
such as COSTCO and
Sam's Club. This phenomenon is not uniform. Some readers tell me that
it is "business at usual" at their local stores, while others report "one
bag per customer" rationing signs have been posted, and a few report empty
shelves. With galloping wholesale prices and shortages at the wholesale level,
I expect these spot
shortages to continue.
I've had a half dozen anxious e-mails from readers in the past week, complaining
that their storage food orders have been delayed, that they can't get a
firm answer on delivery dates from the vendors, or that the vendors won't even
return their calls or e-mails. In nearly all of these instances, the
companies in question are not SurvivalBlog advertisers. I've
heard from several vendors that the big packing and canning outfits like Mountain
House and Alpen Aire are essentially sold out of stock on hand, and
that their order backlogs are at least 30 days, and growing. The problem is
that in "normal" times, these companies serve a "niche" clientele.
They just aren't scaled to handle the order volume when more than 1% or 2%
of the population places orders. I witnessed a similar situation back in 1999,
just before the Y2K rollover.
Some good news that I can mention is that several of our advertisers such as Ready
Made Resources actually still have some storage food on hand.
It is actually on the shelf ("in captivity") and ready to ship. For
any of their items that are back ordered, just be patient. You may
have to wait four to six weeks. The other good news I can offer is
that our advertisers all have good reputations. (If they didn't, then they
would not be allowed to advertise on SurvivalBlog.) The most reputable food
storage vendors will not bill your credit card until the day that your
order is actually shipped. Beware of small "fly by night" vendors
that don't keep any inventory on hand and that will bill your credit card weeks
ahead of when they know they can ship. If you buy from a vendor that is not a
SurvivalBlog advertiser, my advice is simple: pick your order up in person
only from
stock on hand, and pay cash on the spot. If you are taking delivery
personally, then there is no need to leave a paper trail. Buying with a credit
card is advised, in instances where immediate delivery is not promised.
In that case, your credit card's "charge back" buyer protection policy
could protect you if you are
defrauded. Keep in mind, however, that a charge back complaint often must be
made within 30 days of the time of purchase.
Guns.
The next presidential election is huge question mark:
Will the Democrats take the White House? And if they do, will another so-called "assault
weapons"
and "high capacity" magazine ban be legislated in the US? (Something
similar to the
1994-to-2004 Federal ban.) At present, these possibilities are
difficult to predict. But even if the "worst
case" (namely,
another ban with no sunset
clause) doesn't come to pass, I still consider battle rifles, full capacity
magazines, and ammunition to be good investments and excellent barter items.
If nothing else,
like other nonperishable tangibles, they are good hedges on the falling dollar.
Stock up, but do so quietly. If it is legal to do so in your jurisdiction,
make all your gun purchases from private parties with no paper trail. Keep
your eye on the local newspaper classified ads, as well as ads from sellers
in your own state on GunBroker.com (on-line
auctions) or GunsAmerica.com (fixed
price sales--usually more expensive) Search only for
sellers from your own state. That way, you won't run afoul of the Federal law
that prohibits
the transfer of
a modern
(post-1898)
gun
across state lines,
except
through a FFL dealer. It might also be worth your time
to drive long distances to some of the larger gun
shows in your own state. Once there,
you should of course buy guns only from private parties.
The upcoming Heller
v. US supreme court decision should be interesting. I suspect
that instead of striking down all Federal gun laws--which they rightfully
should--the supreme court justices will pen a decision that is tightly worded
and hence will only apply to just that one gun ban in the District of Columbia.
OBTW, for any of you that think that my advocacy of gun ownership and training
is somehow un-Christian, all that I can do is direct you to Christ's
words in Luke 22:36.
Gold.
I'm addressing gold last, for a reason. You've undoubtedly
seen the recent headlines like this one: Gold
at $1,000 on Weak Dollar, High Oil. Keep in mind that $1,000 is a psychological
barrier. This might trigger some profit taking that could push the spot price
of gold down as far as $920 per ounce. Take advantage of such dips. However,
don't get caught up in precious metals buying fever. Your key responsibility
is to provide
for your family, not to be a speculator. Don't even
think about investing any of your money in precious metals until after you
have all of your crucial "beans, bullets, and Band-Aids" preparations
well in hand. If you don't have an honest one year
food supply, then stop wasting your time hitting reload at the
Kitco web site! (You probably won't get the web page to load with any regularity
anyway. The recent spike in gold and silver prices have generated so much web
traffic that it has nearly crashed Kitco's server. You might have better luck
at
the Swiss
America web
site.)
Remember: You can't eat gold! There may come a day when you
need to barter for day-to-day essentials. In such times, barter goods
like common caliber ammunition or one-gallon cans of kerosene will be more
sought-after than gold. Recognize precious metals for what they are: storehouses
of wealth and hedges on the dollar. Think of them as a "time machine".
They can be trusted to preserve your wealth from one side of an economic collapse
to the other.But do not expect them to keep your family fed
in the midst of a socioeconomic collapse.
An afterthought: Perhaps I should add a fifth "G"", for Ground.
I have long been a proponent of buying productive farm land. The nationwide
market for real estate
is clearly in
a tailspin, and probably won't bottom for several more years. But I firmly
believe that the price declines will not be nearly as significant for good
farm ground.
Just be sure to be a wise buyer. Study local markets thoroughly (including soil
surveys), and don't feel rushed into making a purchase. In today's
market, time is on your side. I now recommend keeping a close eye on foreclosures,
using services like Foreclosures.com or RealtyTrac.com.
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The "Come as You Are" Collapse--Have the Right Tools and Skills
In the Second World War, the United States had nearly two full years to ramp
up military training and production before decisively confronting the Axis
powers. In the late 1970s, looking at the recent experience of the 1973 Arab-Israeli
War, the Pentagon's strategic planners came to the realization that the next
major war that the US military would wage would not be
like the Second World War. There would not be the luxury of time to train and
equip. They realized that we would have to fight with only what we had available
on Day One. They dubbed this the "Come as you are war" concept.
In my opinion, the same "come as you are" mindset should
be applied to family preparedness. We must recognize that in these
days of rapid news dissemination, it may take as little as 10 hours before
supermarket shelves are cleaned out. It make take just a few hours for queues
that are literally blocks-long to form at gas stations--or at bank branches
in the event of bank runs. Worse yet, it may take just a few hours before
the highways and freeways leading out of urban and suburban areas are clogged
with traffic--the dreaded "Golden
Horde" that I often write about. Do not make the false assumption
that you will have the chance to make "one last trip" to the big
box store, or even the chance to fill your Bug Out Vehicle's fuel tank. This
will be the "come as you are" collapse.
The concept also applies to your personal training. If you haven't learned
how to do things before the balloon goes, up, then don't expect to get anything
but marginal to mediocre on-the-job training after the fact. In essence, you
have the opportunity to take top quality training from the best trainers now,
but you won't once the Schumer hits
the fan. Take the time to get top-notch training! Train with the best--with
organizations like Medical
Corps, WEMSI, Front
Sight, the RWVA/Appleseed
Project, the WRSA,
and the ARRL.
Someday, you'll be very glad that you did.
The come as you are concept definitely applies to specialized manufactured
equipment.You are dreaming if you think that
you will have the chance to to purchase any items such as these, in a post-collapse
world:
razor
wire, body
armor, night
vision equipment,
advanced
first aid gear, tritium
scopes, dosimeters
and radiac meters, biological decontamination
equipment, Dakota
Alert or military surplus PEWS intrusion
detection sets, photovoltaics,
NBC
masks, and semi-auto
battle rifles.
Think about it: There
are very few if these items (per capita) presently in circulation. But the
demand for them during a societal collapse would be tremendous. How could
you compete in such a scant market? Anyone that conceivably has "spares" will
probably want to keep them for a member of their own family or group. So
even in the unlikely event that someone was even willing to sell
such scarce items, they would surely ask a king's ransom in barter
for them. I'm talking about quarter sections of land,
entire strings of
well-broken horses, or pounds of
gold. Offers of anything less would surely be scoffed at.
Don't overlook the "you" part of the "as
you are" premise.
Are you physically fit? Are you up to date on your dental work? Do you have
two pairs of sturdy eyeglasses with your current prescription? Do
you have at least a six month supply of vitamins and medications? Is your body
weight
reasonable?
If you answer to any of these is no, then get busy!
Even if you have a modest budget, you will have an advantage over the average
suburbanite. Your knowledge and training alone--what is between your ears--will
ensure that. And even with just a small budget for food storage, you will be
miles ahead of your neighbors. Odds are that they will have less than two week's
worth of food on hand. As I often say, you will need extra supplies on hand to
help out relatives, friends, and neighbors that were ill-prepared. I consider
charity my Christian duty!
I have repeatedly and strongly emphasized the importance of living
at your intended retreat year-round. But I realize that because
of personal finances, family obligations, and the constraints of making a
living at an hourly or
salaried job, that this is not realistic--except for a few of us, mainly retirees.
If you are stuck in the Big City and plan to Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.)
at the eleventh hour, then by all means pre-position the vast majority of your
gear and supplies at your retreat. You will most likely only have one, I repeat, one G.O.O.D.
trip. If there is a major crisis there will probably be no chance to "go
back for a second load." So WTSHTF will
truly be a "come as you are" affair.
With all of this in mind, re-think your preparedness priorities. Stock
your retreat well. If there isn't someone living there year-round,
then hide what is there from burglars. (See the numerous SurvivalBlog posts
on caching and constructing hidden compartments and rooms.) Maintain balance
in your preparations. In a situation where you are truly hunkered-down at
your retreat in the midst of a societal collapse, there might not be any
opportunity to barter for any items that you overlooked. (At least not for
several months. ) What you have is what you got. You will have to make-do.
So be sure to develop your "lists
of lists" meticulously. If you have the funds available, construct
a combination storm shelter/fallout shelter/walk-in vault. It
would be virtually impossible to build something that elaborate in the aftermath
of a
societal collapse.
A closing thought that relates to your retreat logistics: The
original colonial Army Rangers, organized by Major Robert Rogers during
the French and Indian Wars of the 1750s had a
succinct list of operating rules. The version of the "Rules of Ranging" recounted
in the novel "Northwest Passage" by Kenneth Roberts started
with a strong proviso: "Don't forget nothing." That
is sage advice.
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Letter Re: Keeping a Low Profile is Crucial for Preparedness
Jim,
My missus and I have been into "prepping" for about 15 years. Our
house has a basement and it is practically wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling
with shelves--with just narrow aisles in between. The shelves are chockablock
with storage food (all labeled and organized "FIFO"-style),
medical supplies, assorted "field" type gear, tools, barter/charity
stuff, ammo cans, propane cylinders (that fit our camp stove and camping lantern),
reels of field phone wire, paper products, and so forth. Following the example
of Mr. Whiskey (from your "Profiles")
we have recently built up 27 sets of designated "charity duffles",
each packed in a cheap Made-in-Taiwan nylon duffle bag. Each of these contains
a Dutch Army surplus wool blanket, a Chinese knockoff of a Leatherman tool,
a pair of gloves, a pile ("watch") cap, a half dozen pairs of socks,
a thrift store man's jacket, room for four days worth of food (which we would
pack from our FIFO inventory, as needed), a collapsing plastic water container
(the type that Campmor sells), a waterproof match container, a tube tent, and
a hand line fishing kit. ("Teach a man to fish...")
When we moved back to California in 1998, we picked our house specially because
it was built in the 1940s. It is the oldest and sturdiest house on the block.
(The neighborhood built up around the house, when the property was subdivided
in the 1960s.) It has a basement and its own water well, which
is now "off the books"--since the house is now on "city" [metered]
water, but the well is still functional with a 24 VDC submersible
well pump. I have four flush roof-mounted Kyocera PV panels
(cannot be seen from the street) and six deep cycle batteries. The cables are
run series-parallel to provide both 12 VDC and 24 VDC outputs.
Even though we live in a standard suburban neighborhood, none of out
neighbors are any the wiser about our preps. At the core, I
consider my preparations my own business. When the time comes to
hand out the charity duffles, we will do so through an intermediary,
like our church. (We are Methodists.)
After seeing what
happened to that guy in Norco last year, I am glad that I keep a low
profile. The specific measures that we have taken to keep a low profile are:
1.) We take no UPS deliveries
at our house. Nearly all of our mail-ordered goods are sent to our private
mail box at the local UPS Store (it was formerly a "MailBoxes, Etc.")
From there, we take the boxes home in our minivan.We are always sure to unload
the van from inside my garage, with the garage door shut.
All of the empty boxes have the "to" and "from" address
labels cut out with a box cutter knife. I discard the flattened boxes in the
cardboard recycling dumpster behind the office where I work. (I'm a sales engineer
for a medium-size company.)
2.) We don't subscribe to any shooting or hunting magazines. We get all of
the gun information we need online. To "stay in the fight" politically,
I do make regular anonymous contributions to the GOA, JPFO and
CRPA [The California Rifle and Pistol Association, a firearms rights organization],
via Post Office Money Orders. (BTW, I do the same for the SurvivalBlog [10
Cent] Challenge. Shame on any of you that read this blog regularly but
don't pony up the 10 pennies a day!)
3.) We access all web pages via Anonymizer,
with no exceptions.
4.) Most of of our preps purchases are either made F2F,
with cash, or with Post Office Money Orders if ordering by mail. This eliminates
the "trail of paper" from writing checks or using a credit card.
We buy a lot from Nitro-Pak, Ready
Made Resources, Major
Surplus, and Lehman's.
5.) All of our guns, ammunition, gun gadgets, targets, and cleaning supplies
are bought "private party", mainly at SoCal [(Southern California)]
gun shows. Also, needless to mention, these are greenback transactions
only! In
California, we can still at least buy rifles and shotguns that are more than
50 years old
without having to buy through a [licensed] dealer. We have two [M1]
Garand rifles, and a FN.49, also [chambered] in .30-06. I'm still looking
for one or two more of those, but they are scarce, and even harder to find
private party. We also have three [Winchester] Model 12 pump[-action] 12 gauge
shotguns, two of which have had their barrels shortened to 18.5 inches. Handgun
buys in California all require paperwork, but by Divine Providence
I bought several Glocks
and [Colt Model] 1911s when
I was living in Arizona for a couple years, back in the late '90s. [JWR
Adds: That loophole was recently closed for Californians. Anyone moving
into the state must now register their handguns. Drat! But at least there was
a grandfather clause.] There is isn't much to do out in the desert except shoot,
so I bought a lot of guns when we were there.
6.) We signed up for an identity theft and credit report checking protection
plan three years ago. I noticed that SurvivalBlog just started running an ad
from Comprehensive Risk
Solutions. Their service has more bells and whistles and a lower subscription
cost that our current provider, so we will switch [to them] when our current
subscription lapses. [JWR Adds: I highly recommend this service.
It is cheap insurance to prevent what would otherwise be a very costly incident.]
7.) We use a TracFone
whenever
calling a mail order vendor. (No calling history paper trail.)
8. ) We don't mention our preps to anyone outside of our family.
We have coached our kids from an early age to keep their lips zipped.
9.) Whenever we have anybody visit our home, the basement door stays closed
and locked. (It is a keyed deadbolt lock.) The basement has
no windows. Most of our friends and relatives don't realize that we
even have a basement. (Basements are actually rare in California
tract neighborhoods.) To anybody that visits, the basement door just looks
like a locked closet.
10.) We don't leave anything "suspicious" out where it can be seen
in our house and garage.
These precautions might seem kinda "over the top", but put yourself
in my shoes. In the People's Republic of California it pays to be a bit of
a Secret Squirrel. I does cost me about $300 per year to get my mail and packages
at the UPS Store, but I consider that a small price to pay for my privacy.
I plan to retire to the mountains of central Nevada in nine years, but for
now, I am making do in my present circumstances. - F.L. in Southern California
« Letter Re: Best Items to Store for Barter and Charity? |Main| Note from JWR: »
From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Start With a "List of Lists"
Start your retreat stocking effort by first composing a List of Lists, then
draft prioritized lists for each subject, on separate sheets of paper. (Or
in a spreadsheet if you are a techno-nerd like me. Just be sure to print out
a hard copy for use when the power grid goes down!) It is important to tailor
your lists to suit your particular geography, climate, and population density
as well as your peculiar needs and likes/dislikes. Someone setting up a retreat
in a coastal area is likely to have a far different list than someone living
in the Rockies.
As I often mention in my lectures and radio interviews, a great way to create
truly commonsense preparedness lists is to take a three-day weekend TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experiment” with your family. When you come home from work on
Friday evening, turn off your main circuit breaker, turn off your gas main
(or propane tank), and shut your main water valve (or turn off your well pump.)
Spend that weekend in primitive conditions. Practice using only your storage
food, preparing it on a wood stove (or camping stove.)
A “TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experiment” will surprise you. Things that
you take for granted will suddenly become labor intensive. False assumptions
will be shattered. Your family will grow closer and more confident. Most importantly,
some of the most thorough lists that you will ever make will be those written
by candlelight.
Your List of Lists should include: (Sorry that this post
is in outline form, but it would take a full length book to discus all of
the following in great detail)
Water List
Food Storage List
Food Preparation List
Personal List
First Aid /Minor Surgery List
Nuke Defense List
Biological Warfare Defense List
Gardening List
Hygiene List/Sanitation List
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping List
Power/Lighting/Batteries List
Fuels List
Firefighting List
Tactical Living List
Security-General
Security-Firearms
Communications/Monitoring List
Tools List
Sundries List
Survival Bookshelf List
Barter and Charity List
JWR’s Specific Recommendations For Developing Your Lists:
Water List
House downspout conversion sheet metal work and barrels. (BTW, this is another
good reason to upgrade your retreat to a fireproof metal roof.)
Drawing water from open sources. Buy extra containers. Don’t buy big
barrels, since five gallon food grade buckets are the largest size that most
people can handle without back strain.
For transporting water if and when gas is too precious to waste, buy a couple
of heavy duty two wheel garden carts--convert the wheels to foam filled "no
flats" tires. (BTW, you will find lots of other uses for those carts around
your retreat, such as hauling hay, firewood, manure, fertilizer, et cetera.)
Treating water. Buy plain Clorox hypochlorite bleach. A little goes a long
way. Buy some extra half-gallon bottles for barter and charity. If you can
afford it, buy a “Big Berky” British Berkefeld ceramic water filter.
(Available from Ready
Made Resources and several other Internet vendors. Even if you have pure
spring water at your retreat, you never know where you may end up, and a good
filter could be a lifesaver.)
Food Storage List
See my post tomorrow which will be devoted to food storage. Also see the recent
letter from David in Israel on this subject.
Food Preparation List
Having more people under your roof will necessitate having an oversize skillet
and a huge stew pot. BTW, you will want to buy several huge kettles, because
odds are you will have to heat water on your wood stove for bathing, dish washing,
and clothes washing. You will also need even more kettles, barrels, and 5 or
6 gallon PVC buckets--for water hauling, rendering, soap making, and dying.
They will also make great barter or charity items. (To quote my mentor Dr.
Gary North: “Nails: buy a barrel of them. Barrels: Buy a barrel of them!”)
Don’t overlook skinning knives, gut-buckets, gambrels, and meat saws.
Personal List
(Make a separate personal list for each family member and individual expected
to arrive at your retreat.)
Spare glasses.
Prescription and nonprescription medications.
Birth control.
Keep dentistry up to date.
Any elective surgery that you've been postponing
Work off that gut.
Stay in shape.
Back strength and health—particularly important, given the heavy manual
tasks required for self-sufficiency.
Educate yourself on survival topics, and practice them. For example, even if
you don’t presently live at your retreat, you should plant a vegetable
garden every year. It is better to learn through experience and make mistakes
now, when the loss of crop is an annoyance rather than a crucial event.
“Comfort” items to help get through high stress times. (Books, games,
CDs, chocolates, etc.)
First Aid /Minor Surgery List
When tailoring this list, consider your neighborhood going for many months
without power, extensive use of open flames, and sentries standing picket
shifts exposed in the elements. Then consider axes, chainsaws and tractors
being wielded by newbies, and a greater likelihood of gunshot wounds. With
all of this, add the possibility of no access to doctors or high tech medical
diagnostic equipment. Put a strong emphasis on burn treatment first aid supplies.
Don’t overlook do-it-yourself dentistry! (Oil of cloves, temporary
filling kit, extraction tools, et cetera.) Buy a full minor surgery outfit
(inexpensive Pakistani stainless steel instruments), even if you don’t
know how to use them all yet. You may have to learn, or you will have the
opportunity to put them in the hands of someone experienced who needs them.)
This is going to be a big list!
Chem/Nuke Defense List
Dosimeter and rate meter, and charger, radiac meter (hand held Geiger counter),
rolls of sheet plastic (for isolating airflow to air filter inlets and for
covering window frames in the event that windows are broken due to blast effects),
duct tape, HEPA filters (ands spares) for your shelter. Potassium iodate (KI)
tablets to prevent thyroid damage.(See my recent post on that subject.) Outdoor
shower rig for just outside your shelter entrance.
Biological Warfare Defense List
Disinfectants
Hand Sanitizer
Sneeze masks
Colloidal silver generator and spare supplies (distilled water and .999 fine
silver rod.)
Natural antibiotics (Echinacea, Tea Tree oil, …)
Gardening List
One important item for your gardening list is the construction of a very tall
deer-proof and rabbit-proof fence. Under current circumstances, a raid by deer
on your garden is probably just an inconvenience. After the balloon goes up,
it could mean the difference between eating well, and starvation.
Top Soil/Amendments/Fertilizers.
Tools+ spares for barter/charity
Long-term storage non hybrid (open pollinated) seed. (Non-hybrid “heirloom” seed
assortments tailors to different climate zones are available from The
Ark Institute
Herbs: Get started with medicinal herbs such as aloe vera (for burns), echinacea
(purple cone flower), valerian, et cetera.
Hygiene/Sanitation List
Sacks of powdered lime for the outhouse. Buy plenty!
TP in quantity (Stores well if kept dry and away from vermin and it is lightweight,
but it is very bulky. This is a good item to store in the attic. See my novel
about stocking up on used phone books for use as TP.
Soap in quantity (hand soap, dish soap, laundry soap, cleansers, etc.)
Bottled lye for soap making.
Ladies’ supplies.
Toothpaste (or powder).
Floss.
Fluoride rinse. (Unless you have health objections to the use of fluoride.)
Sunscreen.
Livestock List:
Hoof rasp, hoof nippers, hoof pick, horse brushes, hand sheep shears, styptic,
carding combs, goat milking stand, teat dip, udder wash, Bag Balm, elastrator
and bands, SWOT fly repellent, nail clippers (various sizes), Copper-tox, leads,
leashes, collars, halters, hay hooks, hay fork, manure shovel, feed buckets,
bulk grain and C-O-B sweet feed (store in galvanized trash cans with tight
fitting lids to keep the mice out), various tack and saddles, tack repair tools,
et cetera. If your region has selenium deficient soil (ask your local Agricultural
extension office) then be sure to get selenium-fortified salt blocks rather
than plain white salt blocks--at least for those that you are going to set
aside strictly for your livestock.
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping List
“Buckshot” Bruce Hemming has produced an excellent series of videos
on trapping and making improvised traps. (He also sells traps and scents at very
reasonable prices.)
Night vision gear, spares, maintenance, and battery charging
Salt. Post-TEOTWAWKI, don’t “go hunting.” That would be a
waste of effort. Have the game come to you. Buy 20 or more salt blocks. They
will also make very valuable barter items.
Sell your fly fishing gear (all but perhaps a few flies) and buy practical
spin casting equipment.
Extra tackle may be useful for barter, but probably only in a very long term
Crunch.
Buy some frog gigs if you have bullfrogs in your area. Buy some crawfish traps
if you have crawfish in your area.
Learn how to rig trot lines and make fish traps for non-labor intensive fishing WTSHTF.
Power/Lighting/Batteries List
One proviso: In the event of a “grid
down” situation, if you are the only family in the area with power,
it could turn your house into a “come loot me” beacon at night.
At the same time, your house lighting will ruin the night vision of your LP/OP pickets.
Make plans and buy materials in advance for making blackout screens or fully
opaque curtains for your windows.
When possible, buy nickel metal hydride batteries. (Unlike the older nickel
cadmium technology, these have no adverse charge level “memory” effect.)
If your home has propane appliances, get a “tri-fuel” generator--with
a carburetor that is selectable between gasoline, propane, and natural gas.
If you heat your home with home heating oil, then get a diesel-burning generator.
(And plan on getting at least one diesel burning pickup and/or tractor). In
a pinch, you can run your diesel generator and diesel vehicles on home heating
oil.
Kerosene lamps; plenty of extra wicks, mantles, and chimneys. (These will also
make great barter items.)
Greater detail on do-it-yourself power will be included in my forthcoming blog
posts.
Fuels List
Buy the biggest propane, home heating oil, gas, or diesel tanks that your local
ordinances permit and that you can afford. Always keep them at least two-thirds
full. For privacy concerns, ballistic impact concerns, and fire concerns,
underground tanks are best if you local water table allows it. In any case,
do not buy an aboveground fuel tank that would visible from any public road
or navigable waterway. Buy plenty of extra fuel for barter. Don’t overlook
buying plenty of kerosene. (For barter, you will want some in one or two
gallon cans.) Stock up on firewood or coal. (See my previous blog posts.)
Get the best quality chainsaw you can afford. I prefer Stihls and Husqavarnas.
If you can afford it, buy two of the same model. Buy extra chains, critical
spare parts, and plenty of two-cycle oil. (Two-cycle oil will be great for
barter!) Get a pair of Kevlar chainsaw safety chaps. They are expensive but
they might save yourself a trip to the emergency room. Always wear gloves,
goggles, and ear-muffs. Wear a logger’s helmet when felling. Have someone
who is well experienced teach you how to re-sharpen chains. BTW, don’t
cut up your wood into rounds near any rocks or you will destroy a chain in
a hurry.
Firefighting List
Now that you have all of those flammables on hand (see the previous list) and
the prospect of looters shooting tracer ammo or throwing Molotov cocktails
at your house, think in terms of fire fighting from start to finish without
the aid of a fire department. Even without looters to consider, you should
be ready for uncontrolled brush or residential fires, as well as the greater
fire risk associated with greenhorns who have just arrived at your retreat
working with wood stoves and kerosene lamps!
Upgrade your retreat with a fireproof metal roof.
2” water line from your gravity-fed storage tank (to provide large water
volume for firefighting)
Fire fighting rig with an adjustable stream/mist head.
Smoke and CO detectors.
Tactical Living List
Adjust your wardrobe buying toward sturdy earth-tone clothing. (Frequent your
local thrift store and buy extras for retreat newcomers, charity, and barter.)
Dyes. Stock up on some boxes of green and brown cloth dye. Buy some extra for
barter. With dye, you can turn most light colored clothes into semi-tactical
clothing on short notice.
Two-inch wide burlap strip material in green and brown. This burlap is available
in large spools from Gun Parts Corp. Even if you don’t have time now,
stock up so that you can make camouflage ghillie
suits post-TEOTWAWKI.
Save those wine corks! (Burned cork makes quick and cheap face camouflage.)
Cold weather and foul weather gear—buy plenty, since you will be doing
more outdoor chores, hunting, and standing guard duty.
Don’t overlook ponchos and gaiters.
Mosquito repellent.
Synthetic double-bag (modular) sleeping bags for each person at the retreat,
plus a couple of spares. The Wiggy’s
brand Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS)
made by Wiggy's of Grand Junction, Colorado is highly recommended.
Night vision gear + IR floodlights for your retreat house
Subdued flashlights and penlights.
Noise, light, and litter discipline. (More on this in future posts--or perhaps
a reader would like to send a brief article on this subject)
Security-General: Locks, intrusion detection/alarm systems, exterior obstacles
(fences, gates, 5/8” diameter (or larger) locking road cables, rosebush
plantings, “decorative” ponds (moats), ballistic protection (personal
and residential), anti-vehicular ditches/berms, anti-vehicular concrete “planter
boxes”, razor wire, etc.)
Starlight electronic light amplification scopes are critical tools for retreat
security.
A Starlight scope (or goggles, or a monocular) literally amplifies low ambient
light by up to 100,000 times, turning nighttime darkness into daylight--albeit
a green and fuzzy view. Starlight light amplification technology was first
developed during the Vietnam War. Late issue Third Generation (also called
or “Third Gen” or “Gen 3”) starlight scopes can cost
up to $3,500 each. Rebuilt first gen (early 1970s technology scopes can often
be had for as little as $500. Russian-made monoculars (with lousy optics) can
be had for under $100. One Russian model that uses a piezoelectric generator
instead of batteries is the best of this low-cost breed. These are best used
as backups (in case your expensive American made scopes fail. They should not
be purchased for use as your primary night vision devices unless you are on
a very restrictive budget. (They are better than nothing.) Buy the best starlight
scopes, goggles, and monoculars you can afford. They may be life-savers! If
you can afford to buy only one, make it a weapon sight such as an AN/PVS-4,
with a Gen 2 (or better) tube. Make sure to specify that that the tube is new
or “low hours”, has a high “line pair” count, and minimal
scintillation. It is important to buy your Starlight gear from a reputable
dealer. The market is crowded with rip-off artists and scammers. One dealer
that I trust, is Al Glanze (spoken “Glan-zee”) who runs STANO
Components, Inc. in Silver City, Nevada. Note: In a subsequent
blog posts I will discuss the relationship and implications to IR illuminators
and tritium sights.
Range cards and sector sketches.
If you live in the boonies, piece together nine of the USGS 15-minute maps,
with your retreat property on the center map. Mount that map on an oversize
map board. Draw in the property lines and owner names of all of your surrounding
neighbor’s parcels (in pencil) in at least a five mile radius. (Get boundary
line and current owner name info from your County Recorder’s office.)
Study and memorize both the terrain and the neighbors’ names. Make a
phone number/e-mail list that corresponds to all of the names marked on the
map, plus city and county office contact numbers for quick reference and tack
it up right next to the map board. Cover the whole map sheet with a sheet of
heavy-duty acetate, so you can mark it up just like a military commander’s
map board. (This may sound a bit “over the top”, but remember,
you are planning for the worst case. It will also help you get to know your
neighbors: When you are introduced by name to one of them when in town, you
will be able to say, “Oh, don’t you live about two miles up the
road between the Jones place and the Smith’s ranch?” They will
be impressed, and you will seem like an instant “old timer.”
Security-Firearms List
Guns, ammunition, web gear, eye and ear protection, cleaning equipment,
carrying cases, scopes, magazines, spare parts, gunsmithing tools, targets
and target
frames, et cetera. Each rifle and pistol should have at least six top quality
(original military contract or original manufacturer) full capacity spare magazines.
Note: Considerable detail on firearms and optics selection, training, use,
and logistic support are covered in the SurvivalBlog archives and FAQs.
Communications/Monitoring List
When selecting radios buy only models that will run on 12 volt DC power or
rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery packs (that can be recharged from
your retreat’s 12 VDC power system without having to use an inverter.)
As a secondary purchasing goal, buy spare radios of each type if you can afford
them. Keep your spares in sealed metal boxes to protect them from EMP.
If you live in a far inland region, I recommend buying two or more 12 VDC marine
band radios. These frequencies will probably not be monitored in your region,
leaving you an essentially private band to use. (But never assume that any
two-way radio communications are secure!)
Note: More detail on survival communications gear selection, training, use,
security/cryptography measures, antennas, EMP protection, and logistical support
will be covered in forthcoming blog posts.
Tools List
Gardening tools.
Auto mechanics tools.
Welding.
Bolt cutters--the indispensable “universal key.”
Woodworking tools.
Gunsmithing tools.
Emphasis on hand powered tools.
Hand or treadle powered grinding wheel.
Don’t forget to buy plenty of extra work gloves (in earth tone colors).
Sundries List:
Systematically list the things that you use on a regular basis, or that you
might need if the local hardware store were to ever disappear: wire of various
gauges, duct tape, reinforced strapping tape, chain, nails, nuts and bolts,
weather stripping, abrasives, twine, white glue, cyanoacrylate glue, et cetera.
Book/Reference List
You should probably have nearly every book on my Bookshelf
page. For some, you will want to have two or three copies, such as Carla
Emery’s "Encyclopedia of Country Living". This is because these books
are so valuable and indispensable that you won’t want to risk lending
out your only copy.
Barter and Charity List
For your barter list, acquire primarily items that are durable, non-perishable,
and either in small packages or that are easily divisible. Concentrate on
the items that other people are likely to overlook or have in short supply.
Some of my favorites are ammunition. [The late] Jeff Cooper referred to it
as “ballistic
wampum.” WTSHTF, ammo will be worth nearly its weight in silver.
Store all of your ammo in military surplus ammo cans (with seals that are
still soft) and it will store for decades. Stick to common calibers, get
plenty of .22 LR (most
high velocity hollow points) plus at least ten boxes of the local favorite
deer hunting cartridge, even if you don’t own
a rifle chambered for this cartridge. (Ask your local sporting goods shop
about their top selling chamberings). Also buy at least ten boxes of the
local police department’s standard pistol cartridge, again even if
you don’t own a pistol chambered for this cartridge.
Ladies supplies.
Salt (Buy lots of cattle blocks and 1 pound canisters of iodized table salt.)
(Stores indefinitely if kept dry.)
Two cycle engine oil (for chain saw gas mixing. Gas may still be available
after a collapse, but two-cycle oil will probably be like liquid gold!)
Gas stabilizer.
Diesel antibacterial additive.
50-pound sacks of lime (for outhouses).
1 oz. bottles of military rifle bore cleaner and Break Free (or similar) lubricant.
Waterproof dufflebags in earth tone colors (whitewater rafting "dry bags").
Thermal socks.
Semi-waterproof matches (from military rations.)
Military web gear (lots of folks will suddenly need pistol belts, holsters,
magazine pouches, et cetera.)
Pre-1965 silver dimes.
1-gallon cans of kerosene.
Rolls of olive drab parachute cord.
Rolls of olive-drab duct tape.
Spools of monofilament fishing line.
Rolls of 10 mil "Visqueen", sheet plastic (for replacing windows,
isolating airspaces for nuke scenarios, etc.)
I also respect the opinion of one gentleman with whom I've corresponded, who
recommended the following:
Strike anywhere matches. (Dip the heads in paraffin to make them waterproof.)
Playing cards.
Cooking spices. (Do a web search for reasonably priced bulk spices.)
Rope & string.
Sewing supplies.
Candle wax and wicking.
Lastly, any supplies necessary for operating a home-based business. Some that
you might consider are: leather crafting, small appliance repair, gun repair,
locksmithing, et cetera. Every family should have at least one home-based business
(preferably two!) that they can depend on in the event of an economic collapse.
Stock up on additional items to dispense to refugees as charity.
Note: See the Barter Faire chapter in my novel "Patriots" for
lengthy lists of potential barter items.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Start With a "List of Lists" »
Letter Re: Best Items to Store for Barter and Charity?
Mr. Rawles,
My wife and I are are in our 50s, (never had kids) and we live
in a four bedroom house on 80 acres (mostly leased out [for farming]), eight
miles outside a
town of 20,000
population,
in south-central Iowa. Two of our cousins and one nephew--all military vet[eran]s--that
live in town are planning to come out [and live with us], if and when times
get nasty. We have now have (or will soon have) all our basic preparations
in hand,
including a three year food supply for five people, which
we
got
mostly
through Safecastle and
Ready Made Resources,
plus some extra
meats
from Freeze Dry Guy,
and some canned butter from Best
Prices Storable Foods. We also took your advice
and upgraded to a propane [chest] freezer.
(That took a lot
of
searching, believe me!)
It
now holds almost a a side of beefalo, and almost 15 gallons of frozen
olive oil. (Thanks for mentioning [fats and] oils--that was something that
we had
totally overlooked!).
My wife and I plan to book the four day handgun course and the four day rifle
course back-to-back at Front
Sight, with some
sightseeing in Vegas, on the weekend in between [the two courses]. We are going
in April--before the really scorching
weather starts in southern Nevada. (We've been warned about the summers
there!) Per your suggestion posts, we [standardized] with Glock 21-SF
.45s and FN-FAL clones.
With five of each--not to mention the rest of my [gun] collection, which
was ah-hem substantial before I ever started reading your blog--we
should be able to hold off a small army. We have well water, but have a very
reliable windmill that pumps [water up] to a 850 gallon tank with its overflow
piped to a 2,700 above-ground
concrete cistern for irrigating our garden. Water is not an issue.We also
have oversize propane and home heating [oil] tanks. (Large enough that they've
each prompted
comments
from visitors. I've just told them that I like to buy in bulk whenever
fuel prices dip.)
Now that we have all the basics covered, we are ready to acquire some stocks
for barter, assuming one of your "Grid
Down" collapses. We have plenty of
[storage] space, since our house has a full unfinished basement. FYI, it has
never had any dampness or
flooding
problems.What
do
you
suggest
as the
most important
barter [item] to stock up on? We also want to have extra items for charity.
We plan to do that through our church, so that our family name never
gets
mentioned.
- Karl in Iowa
JWR Replies: It sounds like you are "Away squared"!
For
anyone living in an inland area, I consider salt the
highest priority barter and charity item. Buy a lot of salt,
in several forms. As space allows, buy 20 to 30 of the 50-pound plain white
salt
blocks
from
your
local
feed store.
These are great for barter--both for folks with livestock and for people that
want to attract wild game. Buy a couple of 25 pound sacks of iodized salt for
your own use. Also buy 100 to
200 of
the
standard
cardboard
one pound
canisters
of
iodized
salt
for
small scale barter transactions.
The second highest priority for barter and charity is fuel.
If you have an outbuilding that can provide safe and secure storage, then buy
at least a 20
one-gallon
gallon cans of Coleman stove/lantern fuel, 30 to 50 standard propane cylinders
(the size
used for torches
and camp stoves) and 40 to 60 one-gallon
cans of kerosene. You might also lay in a few extra welding cylinders (Oxygen
and acetylene.)
Also store some bulk fuel. If you can afford it, also install
a 300 to 800 gallon underground gasoline tank and a 600 to 2,500 gallon underground
diesel tank. (And of course make sure that you have at least one diesel vehicle.)
You should carefully camouflage the filler necks and hand pumps for those
tanks, as I've previously described in the blog. (In the "Search" box
in the right
had bar, enter the word "wine".) If you ever use any of your gas
or diesel for barter, do not reveal how much you have stored,
or the fact that you have underground ranks. All that your customers should
be allowed
to
see is a few 5 gallon cans. Also, depending on the local circumstances, you
might also consider getting a pair of used 80 gallon aboveground tanks (typical
farm and ranch tanks on metal stands)
clearly stenciled "Unleaded" and "Diesel" to
leave behind your barn unlocked
and
nearly
empty, as a decoy for burglars.
The third highest priority for barter and charity is common caliber
ammunition.
I have discussed this at length before in SurvivalBlog. (In the "Search" box
in the right hand bar, enter the word "wampum".)
Beyond, those three categories of high priority barterables, if you still
have extra cash and storage space available, see my book SurvivalBlog:
The Best of the Blog - Volume 1 and/or the SurvivalBlog archives for
dozens of other barter items
that have been suggested by blog readers.
OBTW, one of my consulting clients recently suggested buying several extra
pieces of inexpensive night vision gear, such as first generation Russian monoculars.
These would be
in demand
from
any folks fearing nighttime attacks from looters. Since light amplification
night vision gear is still relatively uncommon it would surely be a desirable
item for barter. If you are looking for
night vision
gear, please contact our advertisers such as JRH
Enterprises and Ready
Made Resources,
first.
« Two Letters Re: Retreat Group Recruiting and Organization |Main| Note from JWR: »
Davos Delegates Deeply Denigrate the Dissipated Dollar
The once Almighty US Dollar got its comeuppance this week at the annual Davos,
Switzerland conclave. After too many years of maxing out her credit card
at Macy's, the
weak sister of the currency world was strongly
chided by her siblings. The Federal Reserve's unprecedented one-day 75
basis point cut in interest rates was seen as exactly what it was: a
desperation measure.
Jean-Claude Trichet, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) said that
there is little
chance of a European interest rate cut, to match the Fed's rate cut Soon
after, Steve Forbes went so far as to call the US Dollar policy 'Zimbabwe
Economics'. Not
surprisingly, the US
Dollar Index is still bouncing along the gutter of the high street at around
75.90 (it now takes more
than $1.46 to buy a Euro), and the
spot price of gold spiked to over $921 per ounce in London and New York
trading before settling to around $910.
What does the castigation of the US Dollar at Davos mean to the average American?
In the short term, very little. But in the long term, look for a much weaker
dollar in foreign exchange. This means that imported goods are going to get
a lot more expensive. If you have been forestalling buying any big ticket imported
items,
buy them
soon. That $250 British Berkefeld water that you've wanted may cost
$400 or more, next year. (That is, if you really need something for preparedness,
and you
can pay cash.) Obviously recession is right around the corner.
That means lower stock prices, big layoffs,
a cascade of
economic
troubles
overseas,
declining
house prices, more mortgage foreclosures, big bailout programs, and so on.
In my estimation, sometime in the next two years the economic and currencies
pendulums
will reach
a collective
turning point. Foreigners will simply stop buying US Treasuries--at least
at the currently-offered rates of return In order to finance the Federal debt,
the Treasury department will have to offer higher rates of return. Then they
will be inextricably stuck. Higher interest rates will tank the economy.
But
then it may get worse: Like the Banana Republic treasury that it has truly
become, the US Treasury will get into the spiral of offering higher and
higher rates of return to lure overseas investors. Interest rates will start
to
accelerate, as they did in the late 1970s. Smelling blood in the water (pardon
the mixed
metaphor) the foreign investors will play the cycle for all that it is worth,
pushing Treasury rates up past 20% annual interest.
What does the Federal Reserve's recent big interest rate cut tell us? It is
now apparent that Ben Bernanke and his deck chair rearranging committee are
subservient
to Wall Street. Rather than accepting the natural outcome of a normal market
cycle , they are furiously trying to pump liquidity in hopes of propping up
stock prices. They cannot afford to let mutual funds and pension funds collapse.
(Nor does the Republican party want to lose their soon-to-be-retiring
Baby Boomer political
base,
in
the process.) In the process the Fed is destroying
the value of the dollar and making the inevitable economic dislocation
of the forestalled recession even worse.
SurvivalBlog readers are hereby advised to batten down the hatches. Be
ready to lose your job. (See my
previous advice about starting a home-based business that you can fall
back on, if need be.) Be ready to relocate on short notice. Be ready for
a recession that will go on for so long and
get so bad that it
will
be called
The Second
Great
Depression. Be ready for substantially higher crime rates. Be ready for mass
inflation. (As I've stated before, given his predisposition, Ben
Bernanke will try to inflate his way out of this mess. He will monetize
the debt.) Be ready for drastic measures by the government, including "soak
the rich"
tax
schemes--that will actually target the middle class.
Be ready
to help
out your idiot brother (the one with the matching pair of Jet Skis and the
72" plasma
television), who will appear on your doorstep, pleading that he can't
pay his mortgage or his
credit
card
bills. Be ready to feed your family out of your own garden and food storage.
Be ready for your employer to get suddenly bought out by a European conglomerate.
Be ready
for $6 per
gallon
gasoline
and milk
prices.
Be ready
for any stock-heavy 401(k) and pension funds to be "wiped out"
overnight.
Be ready, folks!
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Grandpappy's Pemmican Recipe - A Native American Indian Survival Food »
Letter Re: Home Canning Your Garden Produce and Meat
Howdy!
I appreciate the SurvivalBlog site and loved your novel "Patriots". Keep up the good
work!
Let’s assume TSHTF in a long term way. Let’s further assume you
have made reasonable preparations for food, both stored food, and open pollinated
seeds for future gardens. How do you store all this future food?
Freezing will be iffy since the electricity may become unreliable. It only
takes a few days to ruin a freezer full of meat and veggies.
Drying can be effective for some, but not all foods. It’s a very time
consuming to prepare the food, and it has to be stored cool and dry, which
is not always easy. This will affect flavor and texture a lot. Cooking with
dried foods is also different.
Pickling works for some foods, and depends on acidity and/or salt to preserve
the food. Limited shelf life if not heat sterilized. Definitely affects flavor/texture.
Not everything tastes good pickled.
Canning with glass jars is very satisfactory, with good to excellent shelf
life. Color, texture and flavor are often excellent for years. Recent studies
suggest
that
the nutritive value may be pretty good for a decade or longer, though flavor,
texture, color and nutritional value does decline slowly. Shelf life varies
a lot depending on the food too.
Now for the real problem with canning. Where are you going to get disposable
canning lids and jars and canning equipment after TSHTF? The lids are only
good for one use, though the glass jars may last for a hundred years.
The shelf life on the disposable lids is pretty good, and the jars last forever
if you don’t break them. I’d bet real money that canning
lids become excellent barter goods. [JWR Adds: I
recommend that you stock
up whenever you find lids on sale, purchasing above and beyond the supply
that you anticipate needing for your own use--for barter, and for charity.]
If possible, buy a pressure canner that does not need or use a rubber gasket,
but rather, uses precision machined metal surfaces to make the seal. Anything
with a rubber gasket will probably be out of commission in ten years or less.
A spare parts kit would also be a good idea. Here’s
a nice one,
though they are not cheap.
Another jar sealing alternative is using paraffin wax. It’s not nearly
as reliable, but it is reusable to a point and may be more available after
TSHTF.
The most up-to-date directions/instructions/recipes for canning is a product
of our tax money (one of the rare good results of our tax money). This is a
great book, it costs less than twenty bucks and that includes shipping to the
continental U.S. If you do a bad job at canning, botulism has a pretty
high mortality rate, meaning that it can kill you the first
time. Do it right or don’t
do it at all.
[The canning jar and lid maker] Ball also produces a nice little booklet for
less money, but it’s
not as extensive.
I’m sure there are other options out there, but I wanted to point out
the urgent need for procuring canning lids and jars now.
Finest Regards, - Troy H.
« Letter Re: Strategies for Saving a House in a Foreclosure Situation? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Two Letters Re: Grain Storage and Preparation
Sir;
We have what may be stupid question, however, we do not know how to grind wheat.
We would like to ask how to prepare wheat for cooking and use.We have searched
your great site but I did not find the answer on this. We would like to
take advantage of this inexpensive food. Thanks so much . Your work is appreciated.
- EG
Mr Rawles,
My family and I are doing our best to prepare for the tough times ahead. Something's
brewing, I'm sure we all can feel it. One thing we'd love to keep a store of
is cracked corn. The versatility, caloric and nutritional value, etc., makes
dry corn a great prospect for our stores. We get it in 50 pound sacks from
our local feed store for only about $6.50, where 50 pounds of wheat now costs
us
$50 ($15 of which is shipping). Please advise me how best to keep cracked corn.
I know it won't keep long in the paper sacks. I've looked into five gallon
buckets with seals in the lids, and we have a vacuum sealer. I would also like
to know how dry corn holds up with climate change. Here we experience temperatures
between about 5 degrees F and 120 degrees F throughout the year. Can corn be
sealed and stored outside with these temperatures? For how long at best?
We're striving
for five
plus years if at all possible, most likely not having electricity. As time
is short, please try to get back to me as soon as possible or link me to where
you may have already answered these questions. Thank you very much in advance
for any help at all which you're able to offer.
God bless you! - Mitch
JWR Replies: For someone planning ahead for "grid
down" circumstances,
I recommend getting a hand crank-powered grain mill. To
make flour that is fine enough for bread baking, you need to run wheat through
a
mill
twice.
The best mills use stone burrs.
Some of the less expansive mills use metal burrs. But these are just fine for
making
corn meal. The meal burr mills such as the "Corona"
are
less
expensive but more labor intensive. With these you might have to grind
wheat three
times to make fine flour. Here at the ranch we use a Country
Living grain mill. They are
very efficient, and their crank wheels have a V-belt notch, which makes motorizing
or pedal-power converting them quite easy. OBTW, I heard that this model will
have a 15% price increase from the manufacturer on February 1, 2008, so if
you want
one,
get
your order
in soon.
Metal burr grinders are available from Nitro-Pak, Lehman's,
and several other vendors. Stone burr grinders are available from Ready
Made Resources, Lehman's,
and many other vendors.
OBTW, in addition to buying yourself a mill for grinding flour, don't overlook
the easiest preparation method of all: soaked wheat berries.
By simply soaking whole wheat for 24 to 36 hours, it plumps and
softens.
When
then
heated, wheat berries make a nutritious breakfast cereal.
Corn stores best in whole kernels. Once it is cracked, the
inner germ is exposed. This decreases its storage life and nutritive value
by 80%. Running whole corn
through a grain mill at a coarse setting to make cracked corn is quick and
easy. A finer setting will yield corn meal.
Unless you have large scale grain
bins, one of the most efficient means of
storing wheat and corn for small-scale animal feed or human consumption is
to buy new galvanized trash cans with tight-fitting lids. If they will be on
a damp
floor,
put the cans up on 2x4 blocks to prevent rust. When galvanized trash
barrels go on sale, buy a bunch. Another good storage method is 5 or 6 gallon
food grade plastic buckets with gasketed lids. These stack
well, but be advised that they are not as vermin-proof as galvanized steel
bins or barrels. Determined
rats have been known to gnaw their way through plastic food buckets. So if
you choose this method, be sure to set traps, and check the buckets once every
few weeks for signs of damage. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, do
not use
utility-type plastic paint buckets. Even if bought brand new these can taint
food, because
they are often molded using non-food-grade (toxic) mold release agents.
Grain storage is a crucial aspect of family preparedness. Grain will soon
no longer be cheap or plentiful, so stock up! Readers JP and Commander Zero
suggested this Financial
Post (Canada)
article: Forget
oil, the new global crisis is food And meanwhile, we read: Japan
to Increase Emergency Stockpiles of Grains, Wheat has jumped to $10 per
bushel, but I anticipate that it will go much higher in the next
year. Stock up, in quantity. Buy plenty for your family and your livestock.
A total of 200 pounds of wheat and 50 pounds of corn per family member are
good figures for planning purposes for a family without livestock. I also
recommend buying plenty of extra for barter and charity. You'll soon be glad
that you did
Speaking of charity, if you store extra wheat and/or corn for charity, remember
that your charity recipients will need a way to process that grain. So be sure
to be on the lookout for a few inexpensive used grain mills. You can often
find used Corona
brand mills (or similar) on eBay or
on Craig's
List
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Sources for Gasoline and Diesel Fuel in a Grid-Down Collapse »
Letter Re: LDS Church Offers Food Storage Starter Kit
Jim,
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [LDS or comminly
called "The
Mormons"]. I am also the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for my ward.
As you know the leaders of the church constantly speak of preparedness. In
April 2007 a
talk was offered by Keith B McMullin in the Saturday evening session of
conference titled "Lay Up in Store". This talk proclaimed again all
the benefits of preparation.
While not every Latter-day Saint is fully prepared, a percentage somewhere
in the mid-teens have done at least a 72-Hour Kit (Bug-out Bag). The Church's preparation
web site was simplified as most were overwhelmed when trying to prioritize
to prepare. The focus is now on a Three Month Supply of normal items
In support of this, the Church now offers [at cost] a Family Home Storage Starter
Kit. Like everything we as the dominant two legged creatures on this orb learn..Food
Storage and Preparedness is "line upon line and precept upon precept."
The following is quoted from the Provident Living web site:
"The family home storage starter kit may be used to teach family home storage
principles and help individuals get started with longer-term food storage. The
kit includes materials that teach the importance of a three-month food supply,
water storage, and savings and 6 cans of longer-term food supply items.
The kit contains:
* All is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage pamphlet
* All is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances pamphlet
* All is Safely Gathered In: Basic Recipes pamphlet
* Financial reserve and drinking water teaching aids
* Two #10 cans of hard red winter wheat
* Two #10 cans of white rice
* One #10 can of pinto beans
* One #10 can of rolled oats
Available for shipping to United States addresses only.
Available from Church home storage centers in the Spring of 2008 with a savings
in shipping and handling."
[end quote]
This kit is available for anyone--not exclusively for church members. Cheers,
- Tim C.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Four Letters Re: Extended Care of the Chronically Ill in TEOTWAWKI
Mr. Rawles:
Every once in a while, at topic comes up that I feel somewhat qualified
to comment on. I'll offer some miscellaneous comments on Dave T's letter and
your
thoughts
on medicine WTSHTF, as posted on SurvivalBlog. This is not meant
to be exhaustive, and of course may not apply to your particular situation.
Since I can't see you, its hard for me to diagnose you or give you specific
advice.
Disclaimers all 'round.
Chronic renal failure: It may be worth learning to do peritoneal
dialysis if
you may have to help someone deal with this condition in a grid-down situation.
It is not as effective as hemodialysis, but it is much simpler. The risk of
infection would be significant, especially in less than optimal hygienic conditions.
It might, however, be a useful technique, especially as a 'bridge' for use
until hemodialysis can
(hopefully) be arranged. Dialysate is introduced into the abdominal cavity
and later removed (or exchanged continuously). Another thing to consider is
renal transplant, if that's reasonable for the patient, but that has its own
perils.
Diabetes: The key here, as many will realize, is the type of diabetes. Diabetes
Mellitus ("DM") Type 2 is the most common. WTSHTF, it may be self-treating,
as it can often be eliminated by weight loss. DM Type 1 is treated with insulin.
Living on the edge of starvation is a brutal but somewhat effective treatment,
if insulin can't be had. Islet cell transplants (often in the context of a
kidney transplant) can lead to years of no insulin requirement (they make insulin),
but you have to be on (often expensive, toxic, and obscure) immunosuppressants.
Might be better to stock up on insulin. Be careful with Lantus (long acting
glargine insulin). Potency decreases by about half , six weeks after the bottle
is opened. Are you dedicated enough to learn how to *make* insulin, and confident
enough to use insulin you made yourself? I did biochemistry for a while, and
I'm not confident I could do so. Diabetes insipidus is fairly rare, and not
what most people think of when 'diabetes' is mentioned.
Lung disease: By far, most lung disease is self inflicted. Don't smoke. Some,
obviously, is not. Move lower, where there is 'more air in the air', is sound
advice. If you have asthma, learn what your triggers are, and avoid them (this
goes for many 'episodic' chronic illnesses). Stimulants such as caffeine can
often help at least a little with an acute asthma attack. CFC-propellent
inhalers are nearly gone, and the newer versions (such as Proventil-HFC)
are often in short supply; plan ahead.
If someone requires oxygen, again, moving to a lower elevation may make sense.
Small oxygen concentrators are a common home health item; they require electrical
power but do not require a supply of oxygen from the medical supply company.
Most welding oxygen is generated on exactly the same equipment as medical oxygen,
but is not certified for medical use. Diving gas?
Coronary artery disease: Do you need bypass surgery? Can you arrange to get
a 'cadillac' surgery with both a right and left internal mammary artery graft
instead of just a left, and a bunch of venous grafts?
Other miscellaneous chronic medical conditions: these run the gamut. If your
doctor put you on Toprol-XL and Diovan because your blood pressure was running
150/90 all the time, and you are sedentary and overweight, you can probably
bring the blood pressure down by losing weight and exercising. It may not
come down to normal, and you may still have an increased risk of heart attack
and
stroke, but your life expectancy won't be reduced by much compared to the
reduction that would accompany socioeconomic collapse. If you need to choose
between
blood pressure medicine and insulin for your type-1 diabetic son (who can
otherwise pull his weight and then some), I'd probably go for a little extra
insulin.
You might also try to change from these top-shelf meds to generic metoprolol
(which has to be taken more often, but costs a lot less) and lisinopril (which
might or might not make you cough, and costs a lot less). If your doctor
has you on five different drugs for blood pressure and you still run
150/90, even though you're 10 pounds under actuarial ideal weight, well,
you may need
those medications to keep from dying from a stroke in the short term.
Alternative medicine: I have to expose my bias here. I have been practicing
medicine for 10 years, and my wife worked for a 'nutriceutical' company while
I was in graduate and medical school, keeping tabs on clinical studies on alternative
treatments. 'Alternative' is often code for 'expensive placebo'. This is a
many billion dollar a year business. Most alternative treatments, if they worked,
would have been studied and would be accepted for use as medical treatments.
There are no (governmental, whether good or bad) controls on what actually
goes into these 'treatments'; if, for instance, a particular flower was effective,
the companies could put in the stems and the leaves, and leave the flower out.
Also, 'natural' does not mean 'safe and effective'. Curare is natural (and
the basis for all the paralytics that are used in surgery and anesthesia).
Foxglove is natural (and deadly, and the basis for the anti-arrhythmic medicines
digoxin and digitoxin). Uranium (including U-235) is natural. There are water
wells in north-central New Mexico that would almost qualify as uranium mines
(but rarely does anyone test for it). The usual
response to this is 'well, it works for me'. The fallacy here is, of course,
mistaking correlation for causality. You would have gotten better anyway (or
with another placebo).
Veterinary medicines: Most come from the same factories as the human equivalent.
I am told by my veterinary friends that meds intended for horses may be higher
purity than those intended for dogs and cats. One of our geldings, Jack, had
a pretty bad, dirty laceration on his hip. Our vet sold us equine trimethoprim/sulfamethoxizole
(bactrim or septra are brand names in the human medical world) -- the pills
were marked exactly the same as the ones I prescribe. We put 15 of them into
a syringe with some water and injected the paste into Jack's mouth, twice a
day. That's a 7.5 day course for an adult human in one dose for a horse.
Expiration dates: I have heard of (not personally read) military studies
that suggested most (dry) medicines would lose less than half their potency
after 10 years storage in the cool and dry. I can't confirm this myself, but
it has the ring of truth to it.
Dentistry: This is a black art to me, as it is to many medical doctors. There
is a product called Cavit-G that dentists have recommended to me as temporary
'patch' material... I don't know how long you can stretch out its use. Oil
of cloves (does that count as alternative?) is a fairly effective oral topical
anesthetic for short-term use.
Eye surgery: my PRK is settling even further. I started at -5.5 and -6.0 diopters;
I am now at 0 and -0.5 diopters, which works well for me. I do get some "haloing"
around lights at night, and I think my contrast discrimination is slightly
reduced. Now I wear glasses primarily to protect my eyes, rather than
correct them. Everything is a trade off, but if my glasses get crushed, I will
not be nearly as crippled as I would have prior to surgery.
Appendicitis: It is not uncommon for folks planning travel ["over-winter"]
in Antarctica to undergo elective laparoscopic appendectomy. If you develop
appendicitis
in
the back country in Colorado, you apologize to your traveling companions (for
inconveniencing them). If you develop appendicitis in Antarctica, your friends
may well be apologizing to you (because you're going to die). Post-SHTF,
things start to look like Antarctica. Are you going to have your aching gallbladder
removed? Ask your surgeon to take out your appendix at the same time. If not,
maybe ask a different surgeon.
Antibiotics: Most readers will be attracted to the idea of having at least
a small stockpile of antibiotics. These can indeed be lifesavers, however they
are over prescribed in the extreme. Common reasons for giving antibiotics are
'bronchitis' (almost always viral, and thus unaffected by antibacterials),
'pneumonia' without any abnormal physical findings or even an abnormal chest
x-ray (usually this is the same thing, a viral upper respiratory infection),
'strep throat' which may be viral pharyngitis masquerading as a bacterial infection.
Some bacterial infections don't really need to be treated with antibiotics:
a lot of folks come to the ER with
a 'spider bite', without ever having noticed any spider. These are often abscesses
caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus [MRSA], which can
be cured by incision and drainage, but will be unaffected by most of the commonly
prescribed
antibiotics. Even urinary infections will often clear (in females) with large
volumes of fluid and acidification of the urine (i.e, cranberry juice). Expert
advice both on when to use an antibiotic and which one to use can be helpful!
It ain't rocket surgery, but it ain't always intuitively obvious either. (I
am fond of saying that, as a doctor, I don't give orders, I just sell advice).
Another thing a lot of folks don't consider is actually talking to your doctor
about your concerns. The knee-jerk liberal AMA does
not represent the attitudes of all physicians. The American Academy of Pediatrics'
position
that guns and children should not coexist on the same planet does not represent
the opinion of all physicians. You can open the discussion with your doctor with
questions like 'what if there was a hurricane Katrina here' (insert the natural
disaster most likely to occur in your geographic area); what would I do about
my medications/conditions? If your doc looks at you and blinks, then suggests
a good [psycho]therapist, maybe you should find a new doctor. If he starts telling
you about cheaper alternatives so you can afford a year's supply without the
insurance company's help, or talks to you about sizing your solar panels and
backup diesel genset to run your medical equipment, you may have found someone
worth
knowing outside the doctor-patient relationship.
Apologies for the length of this letter, but perhaps there are some useful
tidbits in there. - Simple Country Doctor
Dear James,
In response to the medical supplies listed on your blog, I would also add that
it would be a good idea to stock up on the following:
1. Over the Counter Meds: imodium (for diarrhea), laxatives (for constipation),
gatorade/pedialyte for dehydration, Tylenol, ibuprofen (and children's tylenol/ibuprofen),
cough and cold medicines,
benadryl, vaseline.
2. Prescription Meds: pain medication such as T3's, percocet, or hydrocodone,
anti-virals such as Tamiflu or Relenza (note that there has been some recent
controversy about these drugs recently with reports of psychiatric conditions
and suicide amongst Japanese children on Tamiflu), Sambucol (a herbal remedy
for the flu), nitroglycerin (for angina/heart disease), blood pressure meds,
and very importantly, antibiotics. For skin and soft tissue infections (impetigo,
diabetic ulcers, human or animal bites, etc) amoxicillin-clavulanate, 500 mg
po ["by mouth"] tid ["three times a day"] for 10 days, for post nail puncture
of the foot,
ciprofloxacin 750 mg po bid for 2 weeks, for most upper respiratory tract infections
I would use amoxicillin 500 mg po tid for 10 days. Erythromycin is also a good
antibiotic to have on hand for community acquired pneumonia (500 mg po qid
["four times a day"] for 10 days). For gastroenteritis and traveller's
diarrhea I would use ciprofloxacin 500 mg po bid ["twice a day"] for
5 days. Urinary tract infections can also be treated with
ciprofloxacin. Make sure to speak with your physician about any of these as
this does not represent medical advice.
3. Palliative Care medication: in the event of a long term grid down situation
there will be many people dying and in distress, not only from trauma but also
from end stage cancer, heart disease, etc. Three of the worst symptoms to be
faced with when dying are pain, nausea, and shortness of breath. Having morphine
on hand can be very valuable as this can help with pain and shortness of breath.
Other good narcotics include dilaudid and fentanyl. For nausea it is a good
idea to have phenargen or compazine as well as zofran or kytril. These medications
can be very expensive, so again, plan accordingly and prioritize. Find yourself
a good family doctor that is willing to work with you.
4.Anaphylactic reactions: whether from bee stings or other sources, you must
be prepared to deal with an anaphylactic reaction. Having an Epi-pen on hand
can save someone's life. Also, have lots of benadryl and if possible some prednisone.
(Benadryl is over the counter).
5. Burns - You will want to store up on sterile NaCl as well as silvadene
and lots of gauze. If you need to sedate someone to perform any kind of debridement,
versed and ativan are useful as well as morphine for pain.
Hope this helps. - KLK
James,
With regard to your suggestion that the Big Island of Hawaii might be a good
place for people needing kidney dialysis, let me add a little local knowledge.
The Big Island has a good percentage of alternative energy sources (wind farms,
geothermal, hydropower and small scale solar) which would allow our local power
company (HELCO) to direct power to a home or facility pre-designated as being
for "emergency use", so in that respect, you're right.
However, the diesel powered generators that still make up the bulk of power
provided have very little on-island storage (fuel trucks make the run from
the port of
Hilo to Kona virtually every day) and there are no projected plans to increase
storage capacity in any significant way. Earthquake damages to bridges or tsunami
damage to the port could literally limit or shut most of the power off for an
extended length of time. As serious as that problem is, a much greater negative
is the status of medical facilities on the Big Island. The hospitals are quite
small and so inadequate for major medical emergencies that patients with serious
injuries or conditions are routinely flown to Oahu (300 miles away) via air ambulance.
It is often said (by local doctors) that the hospitals on-island are limited
to an equivalent of "third-world" care, which is something that has
to be seriously stressed with regards to chronic care.
This is not to say that it would be the wrong choice for everyone. In the case
of CPAP machines (for sleep apnea), it could be a very good possibility, but
when it comes to machines that require extensive supply replacements and constant
thorough cleaning (such as dialysis machines), one might be better off looking
elsewhere. The availability of emergency electricity is only one factor of the
equation and when the necessity of ongoing sophisticated medical treatment (which
is normally required for chronic care) is added in, the Big Island loses some
of its luster as a survival retreat possibility. - Hawaiian K.
Jim,
I found it interesting that your comments about Hawaiian Electric essentially
concede, without explicitly saying so, that in some situations, the chronically
ill are doomed to die without medical care provided by the Establishment. This
is, of course, true (unless you have unfathomable financial resources at your
disposal to proactively re-create a private, parallel medical infrastructure).
Without insulin, diabetics will eventually die; without dialysis, so will kidney
patients; without oxygen, so will those who need assisted breathing. These
are just facts. Let me suggest that for those who are in the unfortunate situation
of having to care for a loved one with a chronic condition, contingency planning
needs to be broken into short- and long-term time horizons.
In the short term, all of your points are well taken re: stockpiling supplies.
The plan here is to hold out on your own for as long as you can, and hope that
things eventually go back to normal (e.g., Hurricane Katrina). I would add
that many insurers will fill a 90-day supply of medicines, provided that you’re
willing to use a mail-in service, and generic substitutes are available. If
finances are tight, look into this route—it will give you an additional
60 days of stockpile for the same co-pay.
One thing you sort of skipped over was medical knowledge. All the supplies
in the world won’t do you a lick of good if you don’t know how
to use them. So take the time when things are good to amass a reasonable medical
library. Like I mentioned in a previous letter, I own a copy of "Medicine
for the Outdoors" for acute care issues, and obviously as a new parent, I own pediatric
references too. But it would probably be a good idea to add books like the
PDR to have information about drug interactions; a slightly out-of-date edition
might be available on ebay. I’m sure real doctors out there could make
recommendations.
In terms of longer-term planning, it’s going to come back to relying
on the Establishment for drugs, life-saving chronic therapies, etc. My view
is that if things go to hell, they may or may not go to hell all at once and
everywhere. Cities will get worse before the countryside; collapse may be local
before it is national. So use this time, when the internet still works, to
do research. For example, how much could it hurt for a dialysis patient to
have a list of every public and private dialysis center within 200 miles? The
hope would be that if your locale turned ugly, an operating medical establishment
could be found somewhere nearby.
The rest of your post dealt with preventative care: elective surgeries, dental
care, physical fitness. I’m in wild agreement with everything you said
(but now we’re far afield from the original question about chronic care,
notice). I’d add that I’m a post-Lasik patient myself, and recommend
it highly. I can understand budgetary constraints, but these days Lasik is
no longer nearly as expensive as it used to be. Depending on the amount of
correction you need, the surgery can be obtained for the cost two handguns,
or one good rifle, and is probably worth more to you in a SHTF situation than
another firearm in the arsenal, or an extra 1,000 rounds of .308 Winchester.
Keep up the great thinking and writing. - DCs
JWR Replies: I'd be reluctant to consider Oahu, since its
population density is so high that it could not be self-sufficient in the
event of an economic
collapse and the likelihood of rioting and looting seems much, much higher
than on the Big Island. There are at least three dialysis centers extant
on the Big Island
(One on the Kona coast, one
in
Hilo--both
operated
by Liberty
Medical--as well as another in Hilo at
the Hilo
Medical Center. OBTW, I've also read that a large, new dialysis center
was just recently
opened on Maui.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Extended Care of the Chronically Ill in TEOTWAWKI
Hello Jim,
I am a 10
Cent Challenge subscriber and have looked at your site daily -- great
job!
I have a medical background and would advise readers to consider what gear
they will need if a friend, relative or team member becomes ill, hurt, disabled
etc. The basic first aid supplies will not provide the level of comfort et
cetera needed. We are talking basic nursing care, not "first aid".
Take care, stay safe and God Bless! - Dave T.
JWR Replies: Thanks for bringing that subject up again. Aside for
fairly some brief mentions (such as photovoltaically-powered CPAP
machines for sleep apnea patients, and refrigeration of insulin) we haven't given this
the emphasis that it deserves.
Acute Care
Preparing to care for injuries or acute illnesses, is well within
the reach of most middle class families. You should of course build up a large
supply
of
bandages, antibiotics, and so forth. Also plan ahead for such mundane items
as drinking straws, hot water bottles, bed pans, and diaper wipes. I also recommend
looking for an older-style used, adjustable
hand-crank hospital bed. Just watch Craig's
List regularly, and chances are that you will
eventually find one at a bargain price.
Chronic Care
It may be difficult for us to confront issue of care for the chronically
ill, because it can seem so overwhelming. But for the vast majority of us
that do
not subscribe to the "park granny on an ice floe" (senilicide
and invalidicide) mentality, these issues demand our attention, our concerted
planning, and considerable
financial commitment. Since there are such a wide range of chronic illnesses
and disabilities,
it
is impossible to address them all, but I will mention a few:
Lets start with the most difficult to mitigate: Chronic kidney disease requiring
dialysis. In a "grid-down" situation, dialysis patients will be out
of luck once the hospital backup generators run out of fuel. To see a loved
one slowly have their blood turn toxic and die would be absolutely heartbreaking.
My suggested solution may seem odd, but think this through: Move to the Big
Island
of Hawaii,
or to a natural gas producing region, or to near a refinery in an oil-producing
state.
In Hawaii, each island has its own independent power generation infrastructure.
For many years, the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) utility has used diesel
fired generators (using
crude oil that is shipped in and then fractioned at refineries), but they
may soon switch over to natural gas, using imported liquefied natural
gas (LNG).
There are any number of different circumstances, including an EMP attack,
wherein the continental US power grids will go down, but the lights will
stay on
in Hawaii. My only unanswered question is: how much a of crude oil
supply is kept on hand? And if and when HECO switches over to LNG,
will the number of months of reserve fuel increase or decrease?
As for natural gas-producing
regions
(such as parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and several other
states), such a move would first require considerable research. You would
have to find a community adjacent to natural gas fields with a kidney dialysis
center
that that has a natural gas-fired backup generator and that is
in an area with sufficient wellhead pressure to pressurize local lines.
(You
can expect to be making a lot of phone calls, finding
such a rarity!) As I've mentioned previously in SurvivalBlog, in the late
1990s,
my mentor Dr. Gary
North bought
a property in Arkansas that had its own natural gas well, and two-natural
gas-fired
generators. To borrow the modern parlance,
talk about a "sweet" set -up!
Another option might be to find a dialysis
center
with a diesel-powered backup
generator that is within 25 miles of a refinery that is also in oil country.
(Providing a local source of crude oil for resupply.) As biodiesel plants
start to come
on
line in the next few years, this should widen your range of choices.
But keep in mind that you will want to find a biodiesel plant that is
independent
of grid power. The key word to watch for in your web searches is co-generation.
A plant that has co-generation capability is likely one that could operate
without the need of the power grid.
Next down the list is diabetes. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, relatively
small and inexpensive (under $3,000) packaged photovoltaic power systems with
inverters (such as those sold by Ready
Made Resources) can be used to operate
a compact refrigerator (such as the Engel
compact refrigerator/freezers sold by Safecastle). A system of this size
could also be used to run a CPAP machine or other AC-powered
medical equipment with similar amperage demands.
Another category of chronic illness to consider is the care of post-surgical "-ostomy" patients--folk
s that have had a colostomy, iliostomy, urostomy, and so forth. These often
require keeping on hand a large
supply of medical appliances, bags, catheters,
and so forth. Thankfully, most of these items have fairly long shelf lives
and are not too expensive
to
stock
up on--at
least compared to some of those "$5 per pill" blood thinner medications.
Yet another category of chronic disease to consider is bronchial and lung
ailments. There are some ailments that can be relieved (at least to an extent)
by relocating.
Getting to a more suitable elevation, moving to avoiding pollen or fungi,
and so forth can make a considerable difference. If this is your situation,
then I suggest that you go ahead and make the move soon if you have
the opportunity. Chronic
asthma
is
quite
common, and of course an acute asthma attack can be life threatening. Ironically,
buying a wood
stove--one of the key preparedness measures that I recommend to my clients--is
not good for someone that has an asthmatic in their family. If that is your
case,
then
consider
moving
to the southwest, where passive solar heating is an option, or moving to an
area where you can use geothermal heating. I mention a few such locales, such
as Klamath Falls, Oregon, in my book "Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation".
For the many folks that now depend on medical oxygen cylinders, it is wise
to at least stock up on extra cylinders. One alternative suitable for long
term scenarios is to buy a medical oxygen concentrator. High volume units
are fairly expensive,
but owning
your own would be an incredible
resource
for charity or barter as well as for your own family's use. Large (high volume)
units can sometime be found through used medical equipment dealers such as East
Tennessee Sterilizer Service. Smaller, factory new oxygen concentrators
are available in the US from Liberty
Medical, and in England from Pure
O2, Ltd.
A much more common situation is caring for someone that requires regular medication
that does not require refrigeration. The high cost of some medicines make storing
a two year supply difficult. And the policies of most insurance companies--often
refusing to pay for more than a month's worth of medication in advance--only
exacerbates the problem. In these cases, I suggest 1.) Re-prioritizing your
budget to provide
the funds needed to stock up, and 2.) If possible, looking at alternative treatments,
including herbs that you can grow in your own garden or greenhouse.
If you
decide yo go the route of stocking up your meds to build a multi-year stockpile--all
the way to their expiration dates--this will require not only lots of cash
but also very conscientious "first in, first out" rotation
of your supplies. I have seen a deep, open-backed cabinet used for
this method. After you have bought your "all the way to the expiry date
supply",
you simply continue to order your monthly supply and put each newly-arrived pill
bottle in the back of the cabinet and use the bottle that is closest to the
front.
Alternative treatment, such as using
herbs or acupuncture, is a touchy subject. Again, it is something that will
take considerable research and qualified consultation, and in effect making
yourself your own guinea pig. If you decide to use this approach, I recommend
that you make any transition gradually, with plenty of qualified supervision.
If it takes a lot of extra visits to to your doctor for tests, then so be
it. Just do your best to make the transition, before everything hits
the fan. Living in Schumeresque times
will undoubtedly be extremely stressful, and the
additional stress
of changing
medications might very well be "one stress too many."
I have seen some folks in preparedness circles on the Internet recommend stockpiling
low-cost veterinary medications, but I could only advise using such
medications in absolute extremis. (When your only other option
is certain death.)
As for using meds beyond their "official" expiration dates, this
requires some careful study. Some medications have listed expiries that are
overly conservative. (I suspect that any of these expiration terms are driven
by the advice of corporate staff malpractice attorneys rather than by the advice
of the formulating chemists.) A few drugs, however, are downright dangerous
to use past their expiration dates. Consult your local pharmacists
with questions about any particular drug. (I lack a "R.Ph." or "PharmD." after
my name, so please don't ask me. I am not qualified to give such advice!) Parenthetically,
in my novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse",
I mentioned a WHO-approved
titration test that is useful for some antibiotics. This method was developed
for use in Third World countries where out-of date
medications seem to end up with amazing regularity.
Speaking of the Third World, there are some valuable lessons that can be learned
from studying
the way that chronically-ill are treated in poor countries. (I'm not taking
about neglect. Rather, I'm talking about creative ways to care for people when
there isn't the money or there aren't "the proper facilities.") Do
some Internet research on the chronic illness that is of concern to you with
search
phrases
that include "In Cuba", "In Africa", "in Thailand",
and so forth.
Elective Surgery and Dental Work
If you have an existing problem that could be cured with elective surgery
or dental work, then I strongly recommend that you go ahead and do
so,
if you have the means. If your condition worsens after medical or dental facilities
become unavailable, it could turn a simple inconvenience into something
life threatening. I've heard of several wealthy preppers that have had their
nearsightedness cured by Lasik
or PRK, just for the sake of being
better prepared for a foreseen new era that will not have the benefit of ophthalmologists
and a handy shopping mall "eyeglasses in about an hour" shop. Living
free of eyeglasses or contact lenses also makes wearing night vision goggles
and NBC protective
masks much easier, and makes defensive shooting--particularly at long
range--more
accurate. Lasik
is
an expense
that I cannot personally justify on my tight budget, but if you can afford
it, then do so. (BTW, I even had one consulting client go so far as to have
his
healthy
appendix removed, just to avoid the prospect of appendicitis. That qualifies
as "going to extremes"! I would not recommend this, since new
research suggests that the appendix does serve to maintain good digestive bacteria
populations.)
Fitness and Body Weight
One thing that every well-prepared individual should do is to stay
in shape.
Good muscle tone prevents back injuries and other muscle strains, and leaves
you ready for the rigors of an independent, self-sufficient lifestyle. (There
surely
will
plenty
of
19th Century muscle work involved, post-TEOTWAWKI!)
Keeping a healthy diet and maintaining an appropriate body weight (or getting
back down to a proper weight!) is also very important. Again, it
will leave you ready for physical challenges and it falls into the prepper's "one
less stress to worry about" mindset. And, notably, watching your weight
will also make you less likely to become diabetic. The only thing more tragic
than having a chronic illness is unintentionally making yourself chronically
ill!
One important side note: Many injuries and illnesses cause difficulty chewing
and digesting solid foods, because of the patient's weakness, dental problems,
or jaw/palate/throat trauma. It is important to have a hand-cranked food grinder
available so that
you can accommodate the needs of these patients. Old-fashioned
grinders
(the type that clamp on the edge of a kitchen table) can often be found used,
for just a few dollars at yard sales. If you want to buy a new one, they are
available
from both Ready
Made Resources and Lehmans.com.
In Closing
The bottom line is that caring for someone with a chronic illness
in a protracted emergency or in the midst of a societal collapse is something
that
will take
plenty of research, planning, and unfortunately, expense. As previously
noted, it might even require relocating.
Perhaps some SurvivalBlog readers with
(or with loved ones with) chronic health conditions or disabilities would
care to chime in. I'd also appreciate hearing from
those in a health care professions.
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Storm After-Action Report and More Thoughts on Western Washington as a Retreat Locale, by Countrytek
Introduction
I'm a life-long Western Washington resident - except for five years in Kansas & two
in Berlin while in the U.S. Army. I'm the great-grandchild
of Washington pioneers. I love this state - the ocean, mountains and fertile
valleys - but what it has become -- not so much.
This past weekend, (November 30 - December 1, 2007), the Olympic Peninsula
of Washington state was hit by an arctic front from the Gulf of Alaska, dropping
3-6" of snow in our area. The weather folks told us not to worry, that
it wouldn't last long, because we had a "Pineapple Express" blowing
in from Hawaii. (If this were the other Left Coast, they'd call it
a tropical depression -- but up here in the Great North Wet, we don't rate
such notoriety,
so they just call it a "Pineapple Express.") The West coast of Washington
(and parts of the North coast) experienced sustained hurricane force winds,
with gusts as high as 130 mph in places. An aircraft landing at Boeing Field
in Seattle recorded gusts of 140 knots at 4,000 feet on his approach.
I took one look at weather conditions this morning, and decided that it was
a good day to hunker down and take care of me and mine. I called into work
about two hours later. (Days when they expect bad weather, I get up extra early.).
They said "Yeah, yeah, all the roads between here and there are closed
. . . Have a great day!" They were right. The embankment above U.S.
101 slid out and across both the southbound and the northbound lanes.
To make the picture complete, S.R. 8 was closed by slides, as well, so going
the back roads to get to 8 to go around the slide on 101 was out of the question.
My supervisor was more optimistic than me, and spent about ninety minutes in
traffic snarls before getting turned around to go home.
So, anyway, for those of you who might be thinking that there are parts of
the West side of Washington state that might make a good retreat, here's the
shakeout:
- U.S. 101 & S.R. 8 both closed by mudslides in multiple locations leaving
only one route on or off the Olympic Peninsula: S.R. 3 via S.R. 16
from Tacoma, crossing the Tacoma Narrows bridge. (It wound up being choked
down to one lane
late in the day, due to flooding and mudslides.) All alternate
secondary and county roads blocked by mudslides, flooding, fallen trees or
washed-out
bridges.
- At the end of the day, every river in Western Washington
is above flood stage. The Skokomish River (always the first to flood, and the
last back in
its banks)
is in a record flood from this event. (Mix heavy lowland snow with over 9" of
rain and unseasonably warm temperatures, and you get big water!) This means that
you have flooding in every county in Western Washington.
- My county (Mason County ) lost its main feed from the Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA),
putting the majority of the county in the dark for about eight hours. We had
to wait for a BPA engineer to replace the blown breaker. I'm sure it's much too
complex for our county PUD engineers! (Funny! I live next door to one, and across
the street from another, and both seem pretty competent to me.)
- Three small towns in Lewis County evacuated due to flooding.
- 20 miles of I-5 closed South of Chehalis (Lewis County) due to flooding.
- Hood Canal floating bridge closed due to high winds
- All North-South rail corridors blocked by slides or flooding
- Tahuya & Skokomish river valleys isolated due to mudslides and flooding
- Fire district had three separate relief centers set up. The problem was, none
of the people who needed them could get to them, and rescue crews couldn't get
to
the stranded people to rescue them. Entry into the isolated areas required a
lot
of
chainsaw and bulldozer work.
- One beach community was evacuated by Coast Guard helicopter due to isolation
by
mudslides
- One death in Mason county, two in Grays Harbor. (Mudslide, falling tree, medical
equipment made non-functional by power outage.)
- As of this writing, there are still about 1,000 people who are stranded and
un-reachable by emergency services -- including a woman in labor. (And this is
just in my mostly rural county!)
- Very few grocery stores in Western Washington have backup generators, which
means that if the power is off for more than a few hours, all refrigerated
foods, dairy, and fresh meat must be disposed of -- and, of course, is unavailable
to feed hungry people.
Personal Actions:
- Had a breakfast of French toast so we got some warm food into us -- just in
case.
- Went out and stowed anything liable to blow away, including our Christmas tree
and
barbecue.
- Touched base with family and close friends
- Talked to my wife's sister and brother-in-law on their return from their
jobs in the Great Cesspool. (Known to the more urbane as Seattle.) They had to
brave
the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Always an adventure in high winds! [JWR Adds: This
bridge's predecessors was the one that was made famous by the movie of its wild
wind oscillation
and collapse],
drive
to
Bremerton, then back-track down S.R. 3 to get to their house and rental house
that
were both flooding.
They reported that there were frequent encounters with water flowing over the
road surface on S.R. 3.
- Talked one nephew out if taking the same route that my sister and brother-in-law
came in, tried to talk another out of taking the back roads back to his house.
He
made
it okay,
but power is out and the creek is threatening. (God bless the man who designed
4-wheel drive!)
- Loaned an extra 100' extension cord to brother-in-law sister so she could get
power from
their genset to their house.
- The BPA breaker blew about 10 o'clock, so we munched cold rations and read
by
sunlight
until it was time to dig out flashlights and candles.
- Listened to local news on our hand-crank radio.
- Kept in touch with my brother-in-law's siblings via hard-wire phone (No cellular
service
at all,
which is not all that unusual here in "cell hell," and - of course
- cordless phones don't work when there's no power.)
- Gave ten gallons of water to my brother-in-law's sister when she came back
into town. (They're on a well and chose to power the freezers and refrigerator
instead
of
the
well. they
should consider getting a second [or larger] genset.)
- Lifted our Pepsis toward our next door neighbor's house after the lights came
back on an hour earlier than the last prediction.
- Checked the fridge and freezers to find everything as cold as if the power
never hiccupped at all.
- Made dinner.
- Sat down at the PC to check for road closures for the morning and to compose
this
AAR.
This is yet another "100 year event." Funny, those "100 year events" seem
to be coming up every couple years nowadays. Global warming? Over-development?
(Much formerly absorbent ground is now capped by spec houses, strip malls, big
box stores and the asphalt that accompanies them.) Natural weather cycles? I
don't know. Could be a combination of all three.
Okay, that's the feed-back on one event. Here are my other observations on Western
Washington as a potential retreat locale:
Land: Due to the real estate bubble, this stuff is pretty
precious. Good luck finding good land below $10,000 per acre. Expect to pay
more. Finding land
of any size is getting pretty difficult as well, as anything that's twice the
size
of the minimum growth density (5-to-20 acres) gets sub-divided for spec houses
or snapped up by conservation Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs).
(Look for that to change somewhat now that the
bubble has sprung a leak.) Expect unrealistic expectations from the sellers.
The past 30 years have been spent in pursuit of the mythical California buyer
(or green NGO) who can afford to drop multiple millions on the "right" place.
Reality may set in on that front too -- eventually. If you can find good land
at a decent price, buy it! It won't last long. Be careful about water -- especially
out here on the Olympic Peninsula. Either buy it with developed water (a working
well), or make the sale contingent on both being able to develop a
good water supply and being able to get a septic permit. (Yes! You
can do this. Anything
in writing is legal in a land transfer in Washington state -- which means you
need to read and understand all that fine print. Beware of
[restrictive] covenants!)
Several things you need to bear in mind when looking for land:
- 44% of Washington's land is in Federal hands.
- This includes the vast majority of the Olympic Peninsula - there's a narrow
band around the coast that's in private hands - except for the dozen tribal reservations
and the National Park.
- Big timber means something out here. Most of the large non-NGO private tracts
belong to one of the big three timber companies: Simpson, Weyerhauser or Louisiana
Pacific.
- NGO. Learn what it means. There are a lot
of them out here. One stated goal is to acquire all the private land on the
Olympic
Peninsula and SW Washington and "rehabilitate it." (That means get
rid of the unwashed.) Which brings us to . . .
Regulatory Environment:Welcome to the Nanny state! Forget
about throwing up a cordwood castle with "a little house out back." Those
days are long gone this side of the hump (and from
what I've seen on my too infrequent
trips
over the hump, fading fast on the dry side [of Washington], too). Forget about
being able to put in a gravity flow septic system. This is the land of the
engineered system!
Almost always above ground, usually including one or more [electrically-powered]
pumping systems. If you buy developed land that includes an existing gravity-flow
septic
system,
the baby that puppy! You do not want it to fail! Because, if it does,
you will be putting in a very expensive engineered system to replace it.
System capacity is calculated by the number of bedrooms in your residence,
so having a wink wink "den" is not unusual around here. Get creative!
You can
have sewing rooms, libraries, media rooms (Children are the ultimate
media, after all -- they are you writ on eternity . . . or at least the next
generation.),
or whatever non-sleeping purpose room you can think of -- just do not exceed
the number of bedrooms that your system is designed to carry. If you decided
to "second-purpose" some
of those non-bedrooms, it would be wise to find out about - and make friends
with - the local septic pumping guy who can keep his mouth shut! (Hint: If
he's one of the County Planner's brothers-in-law, he probably ain't the guy
you're
looking for!)
Think that's the worst? Not hardly! Ever heard of "Critical Habitat Zones" or "Aquifer
Recharge Areas?" This is new-speak for "We're taking your land, and
you get to pay for it!" It's a toss-up for which is worse, because basically
what it means is that the land-owner gets to pay for returning the land to
some mythical "pre-aboriginal state," Whatever in God's creation that is
supposed to be -- and however some pencil-neck with a PhD is going to verify
it! Because - unless I miss my mark - the only ones who are going to know what
this land looked like before the aboriginal peoples got here would
be the bears
and God! I don't think too many PhDs hereabouts confer with either. Oh, yeah
. . . Once you're finished paying for restoring your land to it's long-previous
pristine condition, you - nor none of your kith nor kin - may ever set
foot on it again. Did I mention you do get to keep the inestimable
privilege of
paying taxes on said land that you were compelled to improve in a way that
you might - or might not - agree with -- and may never use again? It boggles
this country boy's mind, let me tell you!
I could go on and on . . . But at the risk of stretching your incredulity
even further -- Let's jump to Politics!
Political Environment:
All policy is set by the Seattle set. If you think otherwise, you're delusional
and should seek proper assistance. Yes, we have some real conservatives hereabouts,
but not enough to matter. It doesn't help that most of the "loyal opposition" are
more interested in sticking it to each other (in one sense or the other) than
fighting the foes across the aisle. This state is the gold-bound proof to the
theory that at least 85% of evangelical Christians refuse to register to vote
or go to the polls. There are a lot of very nice Christian folk hereabouts
- but
either
they don't vote, or there's a complete disconnect between their faith and their
politics. So now that we've settled that little question, let's look at the
characteristics of a typical denizen of the Great Cesspool:
o Frequently seen at the statue of V.I. Lenin in Ballard
o Is a deep ecologist
o Supports radical feminism
o Believes that animals, trees and flowers are more valuable than children
o Is staunchly "pro-choice"
o Hung out/ sat-in upon / got lucky at "Red Square" whilst attending "The
U"
o Has dabbled in Wicca, Earth Mother Worship, an Eastern religion, or is "spiritually
sensitive"
o Probably a union Democrat, or the spawn thereof
o Drives - or covets - a high-end Japanese or European luxury/sport sedan, SUV,
or hybrid vehicle
o Thinks most Christians need re-education, or at least intense sensitivity training
o Believes that the owning property is for the privileged -- not the un-washed.
(Guess which camp he/she/it falls in?)
o Rabidly anti-gun
o Radically Politically Correct (PC)
o Is certain that patriotism is a curable condition
o Voted for Kucinich and will vote for Obama
o Is convinced that Starbucks is a cultural center
o Thinks the U.N. is humanity's only hope
Public Education:
Perennially over-funded and under-performing. Case-in-point: The top-rated
public school district in the state has a 44% drop-out rate for boys. Girls
do much
better: 36%. Most districts turn out the barely-literate as their average students.
What can one expect from a system that comes up with concepts like "compulsory
volunteerism" Oh yeah, your kids can get extra credit for participating
in an anti-war rally or an Act-Up event. My advice to anyone moving here that
has children - or expects to have children - avoid the Washington public
school system like the plague! Fortunately, we still have a pretty
much hands-off homeschool environment here and some very good parochial schools.
Raise 'em
up right, teach
them critical thinking skills, and there just might be some hope for this socialist's
paradise!
Media:
Bookmark your favorite conservative radio shows' web sites! Because you are
not going to hear them on the airwaves around here. To give you an idea
which way the wet side media leans: A cat getting shot with a BB gun will be
reported
with more gravity and sympathy than the beating death of a child or the gang
rape of a young woman. 'Nuff said?
Culture?
- We got tons of it! As long as it's oh-so properly PC.
Crime:
- Can we say "methamphetamine?" Keep an eye on your back 40. It may
sprout a meth lab. (So might the neighbor's rental property.)
- High rates of burglary and car theft
- Robberies and home invasions up
- I.D. theft on the rise
Hazards
- The Economic Bubble os due to burst. We've always had a boom and bust economy
here, and it's been riding high for too long.
- Earthquake
o We're overdue for "The Big One." This is especially true for the
Cascadia Subduction Zone and the Seattle
fault complex.
· Either of these could spawn dramatic Tsunamis. Avoid locating in low-lying
costal areas or areas prone to slippage. You really want to learn about the
Cascadia Subduction Zone and plan accordingly. An event on this system will be
a regional event -- from Alaska
to mid-California.
Outlying areas will be on their own - probably for at least a month
- due to bridge collapses and land slides. Also, aid will go first to where
it does
the
most good for the highest number. I'm thinking that means the Puget Sound Metroplex,
Portland, the Oregon I-5 corridor and San Francisco.
· We're talking a magnitude 9+ event with a duration of 10-15 minutes
at the slip point, which translates to a 6-8 magnitude event of the same duration
in the
heavy population centers, possibly followed by a Tsunami measured in the hundreds of feet.
· Historically, there's been an event on this system every 300 years or
so. The last one was in the mid-1700s. You do the math.
o Volcanoes
- All the major Cascade and Olympic mountain range peaks are volcanoes. Most
are active.
- The Golden Horde
o The Puget Sound Metroplex currently holds 3.5 million people. It is expected
to grow to ~ 5.2 million by 2025
- Most have supplies for no more than three days - if any at all
- Most are used to an upper-middle class existence with all the urban/suburban
amenities.
- Most are familiar with the Cascade and Olympic regions.
-
Despite the anti-gun environment they foster and support, many will be armed.
- Many have off-road capable vehicles (The up-side is that 95% of those
have never actually taken their vehicles off-road.)
- Many have boats
- Many have quads or dirt bikes
- Many have RVs
- You won't need to worry about them during a Cascadia event or a Nuclear
strike, because they won't be able to get to you in the former case -- and most
will
be vaporized in the latter.
· All other scenarios: Plan for and expect The Golden Horde.
- One more happy thought: Here on the Olympic Peninsula we see just as many
Oregon plates on the weekend as we do from Washington, so expect some of the
Portland
Horde
if you settle on the Peninsula or in southwestern Washington.
- And yet another: Many rural Washington counties contain prisons . . .
What's going to happen when the lights go out and/or the guards don't get paid?
- Terrorism
o Due to the high population and strategic location of the Puget Sound Metroplex
it is a high-value/high-visibility target.
- Nuclear First-strike Target List
o Primary
-
Ft. Lewis & McChord AFB (Tacoma/S Pierce County)
- Bremerton Naval Ship Yard
- Bangor Submarine Warfare Center and Base
- Whidbey NAS
- Everrett Naval Station (Everett/Marysville)
- Fairchild AFB (Spokane)
- Hanford Nuclear Energy Complex
o Secondary
- Seattle
· Boeing
·
Other heavy manufacturing & high tech
· Port
· Ship yards
·
Transportation & communication center
- Tacoma
· Port
· Shipyards
·
Other heavy manufacturing & high tech
·
Transportation & communication center
- Everett
· Boeing
·
Other heavy manufacturing & high tech
· Port
- Bellingham
· Port
- Portland, Oregon
· Port
·
Transportation & communication center
- East Side Corridor
·
High-tech & biotechnology
· Communications center
· Transportation corridor
- Cherry Point (Bellingham, Whatcom County)
· Petroleum Refinery complex
- Padilla Bay (Anacortes, Skagit County)
· Petroleum Refinery complex
o Tertiary
- Kelso/Longview
· Port
· Rail hub
- Aberdeen/Hoquiam
· Port
- Olympia
· Seat of Government
· Minor port
- Anacortes
· Minor port
- Moses Lake
·
Long runway (Fighter & Bomber capable)
-
SEA-TAC (Both the City & Airport)
·
Long runway (Fighter & Bomber capable)
- Tri-cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick)
· Brain drain Battelle, etc. (Hanford staff/researchers)
If the nukes ever fly, the Western half of this state is going to look like
we had missile silos all over the place. Why? Transportation, military, high-tech & communications.
- Pandemic
o Both SEA-TAC {seattle -Tacoma airport] and to a lesser extent, PDX (Portland
International) are international hubs -- and of course, Vancouver BC's airport
is their Canadian
counterpart.
Flights originate for the Pacific Rim countries, Europe, Mexico and Central
and South America.
o Washington sits in the mainstream of the Pacific Flyway for migratory fowl.
o Washington is a major poultry producer
Conclusion
So, are you wondering why I haven't run screaming
for the hills of Idaho yet? Like I said in my intro: I love this state. It
has its problems -- probably
more than its fair share, for that matter. But, it is beautiful. One acre
of good Western Washington bottom land will support a cow and her calf well
--
two will support a horse at a high level of feed. It will also grow just
about anything,
and you are blessed with a long growing season. Rain can be a bit problematic
at harvest times -- but my ancestors managed to muddle through somehow. There
are a lot of nice folk, too . . . Just wish they'd let me tell 'em how to
vote -- and then actually do it!
Of course, I could just be living in the state of De Nile. - Countrytek
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Charity During Hard Times, by Grandpappy
Hard times usually result in an overwhelming number of people who:
1. Do not have a job of any kind, and
2. Have no steady income from any source, and
3. Are usually either homeless or are living with close relatives.
During hard times these individuals need almost everything, including food,
shelter, clothing, and basic medical care. During really hard times the large
and growing number of homeless individuals greatly exceeds the carrying capacity
of the local community in terms of voluntary charitable donations. There are
just not enough homeless shelters and free food/soup kitchens that provide
one meal per day to accommodate everyone. To survive during hard times these
homeless individuals must choose between becoming thieves or beggars or both.
Therefore, during hard times the crime rate increases significantly. Since
God was expelled from our school systems and our work places many decades ago,
there are now a large number of people who have little or no respect for any
type of authority, or for the rights of anyone other than themselves. These
individuals do not evaluate their actions on any moral or ethical principles
other than whether or not their action results in an improvement in their own
personal welfare.
As our current hard times tragedy continues to unfold, any family
that still has a home that contains a wage earner will quickly learn that if
they are going to continue to survive they must not make themselves an obvious
or easy target for thieves or a target for a continuous stream of beggars.
Each individual family will need to make their own decision on whether or not
they can afford to be charitable. Some families are already in such serious
financial difficulty that they are barely able to meet their own basic survival
needs and charity is simply not an option. Other families may be a little better
off and they may be able to afford a little charity every now and then. The
difficulty is that homeless families do not need help every now and then; they
need it continuously.
If a person or family makes the decision to dispense charity directly from
their home or apartment, then they may experience the following problems:
1. Having anyone and everyone knocking on your door at any time of the day
or night.
2. Receiving verbal abuse, or something worse, when you honestly have no charity
to give away at the current time.
3. Experiencing the occasional angry face-to-face confrontation with an individual
or family that is not grateful for what you do offer to give to them, and they
accuse you of being able to give more and they demand that you do so or suffer
the consequences.
For these reasons, among others, a prudent family will need to determine how
they can be charitable without putting the safety of their own family at risk.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this charity question. After determining
what they can actually afford to give away, each family can make donations
of money, food, clothing, and/or medicine to a local food bank, homeless shelter,
orphanage, or local church with the stipulation that the gift be used to help
the needy families in the local area.
The donation may be made to one of these organizations that is located close
to the donating family, or to one that is a reasonable distance away if anonymity
is considered a prudent course of action. The advantage of donating to a nearby
establishment is that the donating family can direct any beggars to its location.
The family would not have to mention whether or not they personally donated
anything of value to the charitable organization; they could simply say they
heard that food was available there.
During hard times the beggar (hobo) information network works extremely well
and everyone knows which homes always say “no” and which ones sometimes
say “yes” and which ones always “give directions to the nearest
charitable organization.” A family can put a simple note and a directions
map on their front door (or gate) to help reduce the number of beggars who
actually knock on their door. The note could be written in English and Spanish.
Without opening the door, the family could ask who is knocking and what their
business is, and then give directions through the closed door. Remember that
an innocent looking beggar could also be a very skilled thief and/or killer.
Always keep your doors closed and bolted during hard times and ask and answer
questions through the door. Do not open your door even to those who pretend
to have or who actually do have hearing deficiencies. The note on your front
door should be adequate to answer any question the hard of hearing may have.
During serious hard times the local churches and their leaders will be confronted
with an increasing and overwhelming number of requests for help. Many churches
will respond by setting up committees to oversee the collection, storing, and
distribution of food, clothing, and other supplies to needy families. Some
churches already perform this function in their communities on an ongoing basis.
The advantage of making your charitable donations to a church or other charitable
organization is that they can more equally distribute the available charity
to everyone who is in need. And when the charity is all gone, those who received
it will know that more will not be available until some future time, whether
it is a free hot meal the following day, or a few more free groceries one week
or one month from now.
A nearby local church or other charitable organization is a superior method
for equitably distributing charity to everyone who is need. The reasons are
as follows:
1. They will receive charitable donations from anyone regardless of whether
or not the individual is a member of the organization or church.
2. They are usually located within a reasonable distance of the families who
are donating the charity.
3. They are usually within walking distance or bicycle distance of the needy
families.
4. They distribute charity to local residents and individuals passing through
the community and therefore they help to relieve local suffering and reduce
the local crime rate.
5. They minimize the chance of one family receiving more charitable assistance
than another family.
6. The local charitable organization usually knows if any work is available
locally and they will pass that information on to the welfare recipients. This
helps those in charge of dispensing charity to identify the families who have
members who could work but chose not to. Families who accept work assignments
and faithfully discharge those work duties will also usually be told where
they can rent a meager but simple room to live in.
7. The recipients of the charity quickly learn where the charity is being given
and it helps to minimize their investment of time and energy in receiving assistance.
8. It provides everyone in the local area with an immediate and helpful answer
to anyone who is in need of assistance. No one ever has to say, “No,
I can’t help you.” Instead everyone can provide directions to the
nearest charitable organization.
9. Beggars will quickly learn that it is fruitless to beg door-to-door in a
local area because anyone who has anything to give has already donated it to
the local charitable organization.
10. When the total amount of available charity in an area is not adequate to
sustain all the families in that area that need charity assistance, then some
of those families will realize it is time to move on to another area where
the overall conditions might be more favorable.
In closing may I suggest you read the book written by Pitirim A. Sorokin called “Man
and Society in Calamity.” It contains historical information
about how starving individuals have actually behaved during previous hard times.
A condensed summary of his book can be read at my web site: Man
and Society in Calamity - Summary.
Respectfully, - Grandpappy
JWR Adds: It is noteworthy that there are many stories dating
back to the Great Depression about the
methods that hobos used to "mark" the property of families and
businesses that were willing to give charity to strangers. The recent upsurge
in "warchalking"
of free wireless access locations is reminiscent of this practice.
I do recommend being
charitable, but like Grandpappy, for your own safety, I recommend that you
be charitable at arm's length. Working through a church as an intermediary
is
a time-proven
method.
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Letter Re: Show Caution When Dispensing Charity
Jim,
I read the letter posted about showing caution when dispensing charity. I like
the "give
'til it hurts" philosophy from "Patriots" a
lot. I have had some training on handling displaced refugees/evacuees/displaced
persons which I hope could
benefit some readers. I would strongly suggest dividing charity into two distinct
areas; charity to neighbors (fixed location) and charity to refugees (mobile).
The main purpose of giving aid to refugees is to enable them to keep moving
along.
Give
them water and (if you can spare it) food that they can prepare later when
they stop for the night and anything they are desperate for if you can spare
it, give them advice about routes and potential destinations. Do not cook for
them or allow them to cook and under no conditions let them camp or sleep over,
unless you want to adopt them. There is no better way to make
a group stick around better then feeding them and letting them sleep! Give
them what you
can and keep headed down the road! To give credit where credit is due I though
dealing with this situation was handled well in "Patriots".
When dispensing charity to neighbors in a long term TEOTWAWKI situation
I would suggest sticking to teach a man to fish type items like fish hooks/nets,
game
snares, seeds, etc. Unless you are able and willing to feed the neighbor for
a prolonged period of time (i.e. through winter until they can plant and harvest
crops with the heirloom seeds you give them) I would not start. Telling a neighbor
that you can't continue feeding his family seems like the beginning of a real
nasty problem to me.
Thanks for the great work keeping this blog going. Seeing what interesting
new stuff gets posted is a highlight of my day and unlike most entertainment
is could someday help me out.
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Letter Re: Show Caution When Dispensing Charity
Jim--
Some years ago, we enjoyed a power outage when we were living near Tacoma,
Washington. It occurred on Thanksgiving day, so everybody's turkeys were
slowly cooling in their ovens. Our next door neighbor, knowing we were
into preparedness, called over (land line phones were okay) asking to borrow
our
Coleman stove so they could heat up water for coffee. I sent one of my
girls over with the stove. After about 15 minutes, the neighbors called again
asking
for help in lighting the stove. It was an old stove and I was embarrassed
that it might have given up the ghost. When I got there, however, I found
them in their family room (housewife, pre-teen daughter and Mom and Dad)
all huddled around the stove. Several burnt matches were in and around
the stove box. To my surprise, the gas tank was still in[side] the
stove body. I realized
that had they managed to turn the red knob on, they could well have started
a dangerous fire.
Mind you, the housewife was a school teacher and her Dad a physician, so
they were not uneducated people.
My point: handing these folks, educated as they were, a surplus bucket of
wheat or beans would be worse than useless--you lose the food, but they don't
get
fed. Even if you gave them flour, honey, salt, oil, water and yeast, they
still would not know what to do with it.
In a disaster scenario, they probably wouldn't even have a can opener to
deal with any canned goods you might hand them.
You'd better either: (1) prepare for woebegone beggars who will need/expect
your continuing generosity/expertise, or; (2) plan to order needy folks to
get on their way.
Worst case scenario: they circle the block and show up back on your doorstep,
hungry children in the forefront. Now it's one thing to threaten, perhaps
even to have to kill a thief, but what will you do with the obviously desperate
(no food/water for 24 hours) neighbors?
Thinking about all this made me realize that perhaps one charitable solution
is a 6-pack or two of energy bars, plus a few liters of water as you send
them on their way.
But doggone it, then they're likely to pass the word to others who are needy
and you are back to numbers (1) or (2) above.
Sure looks like urbanites and suburbanites who want to and/or have made some
survival preparations need to also prepare a place away from home so they
can G.O.O.D. and not have to face these unhappy choices.
On a different note: Some years ago, I read an article in a Farm magazine
reporting that most large-acreage farmers didn't have their own gardens. The
article
was praising
the virtue
of having a garden and quoted a few farmer's wives waxing poetic about their
little plots. I couldn't believe it--farmers being encouraged to do a little
self-help farming!
So, you may escape to your retreat only to find neighbors stopping by for
a handout even there. Better start preaching self-reliance a little more
vigorously,
maybe an article in the local rag, free handouts on the local store bulletin
board regarding 72-hour kit contents, etc. Maybe throw in a little scare
about the economy and inflation. Good luck with that. - Bob B.
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Letter Re: Peace of Mind Through Systematic Preparedness
Dear James and SurvivalBlog Family:
Thank you for this tremendously vital preparedness forum. It has been the direct
impetus for me to seriously prepare to survive various natural disasters
that could assail the New England area, but more importantly, to be prepared
for the inevitable TEOTWAWKI situation,
which I expect, we will face within a decade, as soon as the oft-predicted
Winter Solstice of 2012--Which
still leaves us plenty of time to prepare, if we only make that crucial decision
to begin (or to enhance) our preparations and remain steadfast in our intentions
to survive whatever may come our way.
For the newer SurvivalBlog readers, and those just becoming interested in survival
and preparedness activities, I say, do not be overwhelmed
by the enormity of that which you feel you need to do to be get yourself reasonably “prepared” or
anywhere near as prepared as others that have been preparing for a long time.
Make the decision to prepare for survival and methodically acquire the basic
food, water and equipment you will need to handle any emergency situation,
short or long-term.
I am a charter 10
Cent Challenge SurvivalBlog subscriber and I enclose two
$5 rolls of silver dimes to cover years two and three of my subscriptions (2007
and 2008). In addition, I have enclosed a boxed silver round medallion that
commemorates the 1975 Bicentennial of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
. Paul Revere
is featured on the medal’s obverse with the words “American Revolution
Bicentennial” and “The Shot Heard Round the World”. Please
accept this coin as a token of my appreciation for all you have done for me
and your other readers, in the name of survival and preparedness—for
your tireless, Christian efforts as a true American Patriot--an
honorific you have so justly earned. Keep up the good work and may God bless
you and your family!
I have been an avid reader of SurvivalBlog for over a year and a half and
have learned a tremendous amount of valuable insight from [Mr. Rawles] and
the many outstanding contributors to SurvivalBlog. Not a week goes by that
I do not receive valuable preparedness advice and tips to add to my store of
knowledge.
I am proud to say that I have made a deep, personal commitment to change my
life’s focus from a wasteful, spendthrift mode, bent on acquiring so
many useless things and squandering cash on drinks, gambling and other frivolous
entertainment, to a conservative mode, investing the bulk of my discretionary
income in durable goods, firearms, ammo, long-term bulk food, silver and gold
coins, a generator, and the like.
At the beginning of 2007, I resolved to eliminate all discretionary purchases
that were patently unnecessary. Socks and underwear are okay, no CDs or movie
rentals. Less fast food and daily coffee’s, and no impulse eBay buys,
etc… Rather, I have been earmarking (budgeting) a substantial portion
of my discretionary income for stocking my “pantry” and procuring
key survival supplies and equipment. Having recently finalized my child support
and alimony commitments (ensuring that my ex-wife could keep the house), I
have had been fortunate to have a significantly larger amount of money to “invest” the
past six months and now going forward.
Each month, I buy at least $200 worth of silver or gold coins (mostly silver).
I have amassed nearly $750 in face value junk silver coins (although I do not
consider them “junk” by any means) and nearly 5 ounces of [fractional]
gold coins (mostly American Eagles, Maples Leafs and Krugerrands).
Each pay period I add another $100 in reserve food stores and other basic survival
gear. I have a half dozen cases of #10 Mountain House cans and will continuously
add to that store a few cases a month with a goal of two dozen cases by the
end of 2008.
I am pleased to have finally exercised my 2nd Amendment constitutional right
to purchase and own firearms. I had never been a gun owner before 2006 as my
father was never a sportsman and would not (still does not) allow guns in his
house. Since I do not hunt, there was never a need for a gun or guns. That
20th century mindset has changed and I now know just how crucial firearms are
in this present age of uncertainly and fear. I keep the knowledge of my guns
to myself (and to my two adult sons) and am now fully comfortable to own several
guns and will be buying more on a regular basis.
I have respect for my firearms and keep them safely stored (but strategically
loaded). If fact, I keep a loaded .40 caliber Glock in my laptop computer bag
in a secure, zippered pocket. No laptop, just files and the Glock. My bag is
always with me, either in my car, office or at home ensuring that I will always
be close to a weapon in the event of an emergency. While I have no concealed
carry permit (and am leery to obtain one), I think I will continue to look
askance at my state’s laws that prohibit one from having a loaded handgun
in their immediate possession without a concealed carry permit. I’ll
just risk the consequences. I’d rather be safe than sorry.
I have been averaging a firearm purchase every two months or so to include
two (2) Glock 23 .40 pistols, four (4) .22 pistols, six shotguns (a Remington
870) for home defense and five Mossberg 500s for home defense/target/game,
and two new Ruger .22 rifles (since I must have accumulated some 20,000 rounds
of that ammo so far). I will continue to buy shotguns on a regular basis so
that I am able to arm as many able bodied sons, daughters and other family
members as possible (with two guns each).
Here are a few of my SurvivalBlog“Pearls”:
1. Stock up on: beans, bullets, and band-aids!
2. Live by the Golden Rule, Treat others as you would like to be treated…
3. Buy two or more of everything!
4. Pray for peace and thanksgiving
5. Buy silver (pre-1965 [US 90%]) and gold coins; an excellent way to preserve
wealth for the recovery period); Take physical possession of all precious metals
6. Stock that pantry! You can never have enough food! Check those expirations
dates! Rotate your stock! Donate almost expired food items to the local food
pantry.
7. Buy guns, ammo and multiple magazines for every firearm! You can never have
too many guns, ammo, or magazines. Try to standardize weapons and ammo.
8. Pack several bug out bags (one for each person)
9. Buy “survival” presents for your family and friends (flashlights,
batteries, first-aid kits, camping equipment, sporting goods (guns) bugout
bags, etc…)
10. Buy a (bio) diesel pickup truck and a small SUV for a G.O.O.D. vehicle
(and consider a used U-Haul (or the like) too; also buy a bicycle for everyone)
11. Exercise, get fit, go for long walks (also food for the soul)
12. As the Boy Scouts say, “Do a Good Turn Daily” and it goes without
saying, “BE PREPARED”.
13. Life is unforgivingly short! Live for each moment; get the most out of
life,
14. Don’t hold grudges. Forgive everybody and give thanks to God!
15. Oh yeah, please give blood!
I plan on buying several more firearms and the next several purchases will
be a mix of shotguns and a series of 9mm weapons: four 9mm pistols (Glocks)
and two (or three) KelTec 2000 folding rifles (super-sweet) that use the 33
round Glock magazines (which are available for a bargain at $25.99 each at
Natchez Shooters Supply). I figure a dozen 33-round mags will be a good start
to outfit this part of my arsenal. Those high capacity mags work in the Glock
9mm pistols too.
[Since originally writing this letter in July, I’ve bought one KelTec
2000, one Glock 19 (9mm) and one 20 gauge shotgun]
Finally, I will look to acquire two AK-47s and two then two long-range rifles.
I figure this part of my plan should take another two years to accomplish,
one gun per month or two.
I consider my cache of firearms as an extremely valuable store of wealth in
the face of the inevitable economic collapse. These guns and ammo will be worth
as much as I paid for them, or likely even more in the future. Guns and ammo
are like money in the bank (except better) and will make tremendous items for
barter in a post TEOTWAWKI society.
I have stocked several "But Out” bags (for my two sons, dad and
I), thousands of rounds of ammunition ($100/per month at WalMart) and many
other
suggested
items. I have been chipping away at my extensive list and ply eBay and yard
sales for many of the items that I deem essential. At present, I am prepared
to withstand a month or so without power, and am primed to protect my investments,
but I am not so confident about surviving a really long-term societal collapse
as predicted by so many learned prognosticators. My next level of preparedness
will be to survive fully three months off grid, with an eye towards a more
complete ability to survive any SHTF circumstance by 2012.
I live (rent-free) with my elderly dad and am committed to staying with him
in a quite pleasant coastal New England town. I work for the state in a good-paying
civil service position. I have no monetary resources to relocate to a tsunami
resistant, easily defensible retreat in the mid west (or abroad) and am committed
to my dad who was born in this community, owns his home outright, and has absolutely
no inclination of moving. Further, I run into an elderly parental mindset when
I suggest basic survival activities such as drilling a simple well or installing
a wood stove (forget about voice mail or a dishwasher).
I have gotten away with my ostensible preparations for a hurricane (high New
England possibility) but when I expound on the potential collapse of the US
economy (due to any of several likely scenarios), dad disregards my exhortations.
Since I am the “baby” of the family (even though I’m
50) and am the only family within 400 miles, he accepts my advice as if I were
a teenager. Therein lies the actual predicament for me.
Retreat Considerations
I need to prepare for a short, medium, and long-term
siege in my existing locale. I expect that most SurvivalBlog readers find themselves
in a similar, structurally restricted situation. All of my family, and my fiancé’s
family reside along the East coast from New Hampshire down to South Carolina
. As a result, I hope to secure a farmland retreat that will be strategically
located such that immediate family members could get to the retreat by bicycle
or on foot in a worst case scenario. I’ve been thinking about northern
New Hampshire or the northwestern quadrant of Pennsylvania .
A topic that I have yet to see discussed in SurvivalBlog is the bugout in the
Atlantic region of the country. I understand that there is nowhere along the
East Coast that one can escape the fallout from a nuclear detonation in the
New England or middle Atlantic region but there will many people stuck along
the Atlantic coast in the event of some type of cataclysmic event. I would
greatly appreciate hearing from other readers about places in rural New York/New
England or anywhere along the Atlantic coast that would be suitable in the
occurrence of TEOTWAWKI.
I know that the world is headed for a day of reckoning and that the United
States is teetering on collapse due to decades of financial and administrative
malfeasance. As a student of history and social sciences, I have always been
an ardent patriot but as of late, I have come to the tragic understanding why
most people in the rest of the world distrust us, and in many instances, hate
us. The current administration’s brainless deficit (and mostly pork-barrel)
spending, the spiraling national debt, our sole world super-power mindset,
insatiable consumer demand and burgeoning trade deficit will surely land this
once great nation in the scrap heap of history’s supercilious, bankrupt
empires. I’ll be ready, however. Thanks, JWR and loyal SurvivalBlog contributors!
At least our forefathers were insightful when they insisted that our (appropriately
silver and gold-backed) monetary instruments be inscribed with the dictum, “In
God We Trust”. My one suggestion would be to go back to silver and gold
coins and add the alliterative phrase “…Glocks and Gold” after
the word “God” to aptly symbolize our current plight.
As it was in the story of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the
(preparedness) race.May peace be with you all. - David J. (in a blue New England
state)
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Letter Re: Dispensing Charity in the Midst of a Societal Collapse
Hello Mr. Rawles,
Perhaps you and the readers could help me sort through an issue I’ve
been wrestling with for some time. From what I’ve read in the archives
it appears that some of your readers are struggling with it also.
For almost two decades I have been preparing for the SHTF scenario I believe
is inevitable, given our country’s course. I have read about the need
for Christian charity during the difficult time that will come and as a Christian
I agree. Many suggest that you should store extra food and necessities and
dispense them during difficult times. Good idea, but I haven’t found
much agreement on precisely how to accomplish this – the mechanics of
doing so, if you will. This may be because the issue seems to raise questions
that have no simple answers. For example:
Say you set aside 10% of your supplies as “give away” stock. How
do you deal with the former recipients of your charity when the crisis persists
and that 10% has been given away? You know it was all you planned to give away,
but will they know (or care)? How will you control the remainder of the supplies
they are now aware of?
I live around many people I call “fivers.” (These are the
people with $500,000 homes…who drive a $50,000 pickup truck…that
pulls their $5,000 ATVs…on weekends they’re spending $500 to attend
a pro football game…but they can’t seem to afford $50 for a water
purifier…or
$5 for emergency candles.) Do I dispense charity to these fools? Should I?
While they’ve been living the good life, I’ve been living frugally
so I can afford to purchase my preparedness items. Something about a Grasshopper
and an Ant comes to mind about now…
If the crisis is truly short-lived (it ends before your shared supplies run
out), what have the recipients learned? That someone else will be there to
bail them out the next time this happens? That if there’s a problem they
can always come to my place for supplies? Isn’t that reinforcing the
entitlement mentality that’s already far too prevalent in this country?
You touched on the issue of dispensing charity in "Patriots" when the characters
encountered passersby who showed up, were helped, and conveniently exited
the scene, never to return. That won’t be the case when those people
live down the street.
In the “City Survival” chapter in Ragnar Benson’s Living
Off The Land In The City And The Country he contends (and I concur)
that most people simply do not have the luxury of leaving an urban or semi-urban
environment
and moving to a rural retreat. For the city survivor, he suggests, “It
is far better to be discreet. Don’t broadcast the fact that you are
caching for survival. Keep your stores and caching places to yourself. Then,
after
the collapse if someone comes around, it will be a random scavenger that
can be more easily dissuaded.” Another author simply stated, “In
a survival situation you can’t afford charity” and went on to
say that unwise (read “unprepared”) people who have nothing of
value to offer you should be terminated (read: “killed”). Yikes!!!
I believe the answer lies somewhere between “doing nothing” and “doing
them in,” so to speak. This 10
Cent Challenge supporter would appreciate input from you all on this issue.
Thanks, and God bless. - John in Colorado.
JWR Replies: I agree that urbanites that choose to stay
put will not have much opportunity
to be very charitable WTSHTF. There would be precious few practicable ways--other
than perhaps anonymously leaving things on the doorsteps of widows--to be charitable
without
the risk
of getting cleaned out by opportunistic riff-raff. But for those of us that
live in the country and even for those in the suburbs, there will be plenty
of opportunities to
share.
But first let's address this issue at the most basic level: As a
Christian, I believe that charity is not optional. It is Biblically mandated. I
feel this very strongly, for several reasons. First: it is there in The Book,
over
and
over
again. There
is no denying it. God said it. I believe it. That settles it. Secondly,
I came to recognize God's gift of salvation bestowed upon me, through
election, and I
learned that His gift was unmerited. I
didn't deserve salvation any more than
some of my
neighbors deserve my charity when things get Schumeresque.
But God freely gave that
gift to
me, so I'm going to do my utmost to freely bestow charity on everyone that I
can. Lastly, everything
that I've earned and saved, I consider providential gifts from God. So I intend
to share some of it with those that are less fortunate and even those that
currently lack the
foresight
to stock up for potential bad times. It's not my stuff. It's God's
stuff. I'm
just the steward of a part of it.
Charity with no strings attached is
a powerful witness for God's love and for the gospel of Christ. You don't
need to be an eloquent
speaker.
Just
tell them: "Its the Christian thing to do." That speaks volumes. And, BTW,
it won't hurt to hand out a few gospel tracts and Bibles along with the grub.
I strongly encourage charitable giving both the present day and post-TEOTWAWKI.
It is important to keep far more storage food on hand than you expect to consume.
If all that you have is the bare minimum to supply your own family or retreat
group, you won't be in any position to dispense charity.
In particular, I recommend that you stock up on extra wheat, rice, beans,
and sprouting seeds. If purchased in food grade 5 gallon buckets they are
currently
still relatively inexpensive. Just an extra two or three hundred pounds of
grains and legumes could save dozens of lives. God's providence is a gift.
Share it.
I'm sure that there will be a lot of such
people wandering about when the balloon goes up. Consider yourself an ambassador
for Christ, and act accordingly. Do it for God's glory rather than your own.
If the situation warrants it, give at arm's length. I describe
one way to do this in my novel "Patriots".
It may sound almost absurd, but you may need to dispense charity by passing
it over concertina wire or even while holding the beneficiaries at gunpoint
at a safe distance. If times are bad enough, they'll understand your caution.
How much of your preparedness stockpile should you set aside for charity? Generally
I'd recommend at least a tenth. That is in line with the tradition
of tithing, which
has its roots in the Old Testament law of Tzedaka.The Bible says
that you provide for your immediate family first, then your extended family,
and
then your local community, and so on.
What
if it is a localized natural disaster and you know that the situation is
likely to get back to normal with in a few months? Then you can probably afford
to
be more charitable than just giving a tenth.
In essence, you can look at your three year food supply as a one year
supply for three families, or as a six month supply
for six families.
« Letter Re: Late Blog Posts and Supporting SurvivalBlog |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Generators? »
Letter Re: Charity Begins at Home--At Least in the U.S.
Jim,
As usual, I found this
article [from London, Ontario, about national differences in charitable giving] while
browsing something unrelated. I read through it, thought
you and
possibly
the
blog readers
might benefit
from it. I offer a small text extract, to whet your whistle:
"Brooks also found a strong and specific correlation between political ideology
and charity. In both the United States and Europe, conservatives who believe
in limited government are far more likely to make charitable contributions than
are liberals who think government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality.
Note the irony: Liberals who support the governmental redistribution of income
are apt to deride conservatives as selfish, yet these liberals are far less likely
than conservatives to donate their own time and money to help the poor and needy.
Of course, there are subsets within both groups: For example, religious liberals
are a lot more generous than secular conservatives.
Many of the liberals who give little or nothing to charity try to justify their
selfishness by saying government is more effective than private charity at redistributing
income.
Brooks argues that the combination of relatively small government and high rates
of charitable givings has contributed to the extraordinary economic prosperity
and relatively high living standards for all income classes in the United States."
Regards, - Ben L.
« Letter Re: The Pension Gamble: Cash In or Stand Pat? |Main| Note from JWR: »
Mental Preparations for Survival, by jc
For many people preparing to survive has become an obsession; a pursuit placed
above all else in their lives. Others feel as if survival prep should be
more of a priority if they could only afford to do more. Still others feel
as if they may have already gone overboard in their preparations. Preparing
for survival after TEOTWAWKI can make you feel overwhelmed, under-supplied,
overspent, under-funded, over-your-head, or under-the-gun (no pun intended).
There are those who have the ability to purchase a retreat, stock it with
supplies and equipment for a year or more, and have enough to share with
those in need
at will. They expect to support parents, siblings and spouses, nieces and nephews,
grandkids, and several families of friends, and have already stocked their
retreat with all the food, water, and supplies for all of them to start completely
over. Most of us, however, fall far short of that ability, and hope that we
can simply prepare for ourselves and our immediate family.
Please understand, I am not criticizing those who are able to prepare in this
way. That’s what this country is all about – the chance to make
and keep your fortunes. As Christians we don’t believe in luck, but we
do believe in hard work and good fortune. We can only hope that most, many,
or all of these fortunate people have the Christian outlook of sharing with
those in need.
Whether you are a preparedness guru (PG) or a “newbie” (NP – for
New Preparer), getting prepared to survive after any disaster, or even a total
collapse, seems like a daunting task. PGs know just how expensive and time
consuming preparing can be, and many NP’s have become discouraged as
they begin to realize what they are facing. It is for that reason that mental
preparedness (MP) is so important.
Mental Preparedness involves many aspects and the first and foremost of these
is an individual’s Spiritual preparation. Are you a Christian? Have you
accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Are you ready to die if that’s
what God’s will for you is? Christianity – that is, evangelical
Christianity (Christians who believe that Jesus died for their sins, was buried,
and rose again as a living Savior sitting at the right hand of God) offers
living hope for our future. We worship a living Savior, one Who has gone before
us to prepare a place for us in heaven.
If you have not already done so, accept Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior.
It’s so easy to do. Any good Christian can help you or go to www.sbc.net
and click on the small green link at the top of the page “I want to know
Jesus.” Until you make Christ real in your life the rest of the preparations
are just going through the motions.
Once you are Spiritually prepared, the next step is prayer. Ask God to guide
you in your preparation, to give you insight into the survival mindset, to
lead you to the resources you need to get your mind ready for the preparation
task, and to guide and help you in the decisions that must be made to prepare
yourself and your family for survival. Ask Him how you can become a better
Christian and person through this process – He will show you if you are
open to receiving the answers. Finally, ask the Lord help you communicate the
urgency and necessity to others to prepare to survive.
Is there Biblical mandate for survival? For preparation? Yes, God has given
us instructions in His Word for survival and preparation. Following is a list
of Scriptures for you to look up for yourself rather than quoting them here
for brevity, but please take the time to look up each one and understand what
God is trying to tell us, tell you, about being prepared and surviving.
Proverbs 6:6–11 – tells us that we are responsible to do the work
of preparation while we are able.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 – basically says that if you don’t work, you
don’t eat. Of course that does not include the sick or the aged; those
should be taken care of by family or Christian charity. It plainly teaches
that indolence or laziness should not be rewarded. In other words, if we could
have prepared for the crisis but we didn't, we can’t expect anyone else
to take care of us. It is a principle that applies in every-day-life or in
crisis situations.
1 John 3:17 – 18 – exhorts us to help others in need. Yet, you
can not help someone who is in need if you haven’t prepared for or can't
help yourself. If we are to obey this verse then some sort of preparation is
not only called for, but required.
Some great thoughts from another (unknown) Christian author:
“
With regard to fleeing from life-threatening situations - what one brother
sarcastically refers to as ‘hidey hole’ theology - Both Peter and
Paul escaped from life-threatening situations. Peter fled from Jerusalem after
his miraculous deliverance from prison by the angel. Paul was let down over
the walls of Damascus when a plot against his life was uncovered. Both of these
were escapes from the physical persecution that arose against them because
of their testimony and preaching of the Gospel. Are we supposed to believe
that God is only interested in preserving His people if they are in danger
as a result of their following Jesus? That if the shortsightedness or greed
of the world, places Christians in danger, that somehow that is not sufficient
reason to escape in order to continue to serve, worship and love God and those
around us? I can't speak for others, but I know my purpose in preparing for
eventualities. It is not merely to save my hide; it's not worth that much anyway;
but to do what Christians have done throughout the centuries, namely to maintain
a living witness to the redemptive love of God in Christ, and to continue nurturing
the Church which God has called me.
Some Christians believe that it is wrong to leave your urban or suburban home
to find a rural setting where survival would be more likely. Again, this is
called, ‘hidey hole’ theology. Yet, after the stoning of Stephen
much of the Church in Jerusalem dispersed precisely to preserve their lives,
to continue to care for each other and spread the Gospel in the new surroundings.
God called Stephen to martyrdom, but not the whole Church. The Church in Rome
met in the catacombs. Some lived in the catacombs. Was that ‘hidey-hole’ theology?
When Jesus began his ministry He read from Isaiah in the synagogue, ‘The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me....This day the Scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.’ They wanted to kill Him, but He ‘passed through them.’ He
escaped. Was that ‘hidey-hole’ theology?
In 1 Kings 17:8 - 16, Elijah instructed the widow of Zarephath to give him
her last cup of flour and last bit of oil. He told her don't be afraid, God
will provide. God caused there to be a daily miracle provision of flour and
oil for her survival. But another widow and her son in 2 Kings 4: 1 - 7, were
instructed by Elisha to gather many containers, for God was about to provide
for her needs. There was an immediate miracle of multiplication of the oil,
part of which she was told to pay off her debts with, but the remainder she
was to store. Thus, there was preparation, provision, and then storage in order
for this woman and her son to survive. Sure, the provision was miraculous;
but her use of God's provision was quite normal and mundane. Nor did Elisha
criticize her for storing her oil for her family’s future needs. [This
author adds: it could be that your provisions may be provided in an equally
miraculous fashion.]
Am I stupid, sinful and unbiblical because I want to see that my family survives?
Am I supposed to believe that God doesn't want me to do anything about the
survival of those whom I love, whom He has given to me? Have I no responsibility?
Do I just stand with my eyes scrunched closed and say, ‘OK God, you take
care of me and mine?’ Survival is not the ultimate value or goal for
me or my family. It never was or will be. ‘Glorifying God and enjoying
Him forever’ is. If God wants me and mine dead, so be it, and may He
be praised forever. But I don't see that glorifying God and staying alive are
mutually exclusive, especially when He seems to be graciously giving us advanced
warning precisely so that we may continue to survive, so that we may serve
Him and others.
And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns
surround you and you live among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words,
and do not be dismayed at their looks. Ezekiel 2:6
The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on, and suffer for it. -
Proverbs 22:3.
A closing thought (on Spiritual Preparedness): "When Noah built the ark, it
wasn't raining.”
Get your life right with God and prepare for tomorrow.
Many other aspects of survival require mental preparation as well. Too many
people believe that because they witnessed some depravity that man had wrought
on an individual, or on others, that they are now prepared to go through the
hard times a severe crisis or even TEOTWAWKI can bring. Witnessing a tragic
car accident, a shooting or murder, a knife fight in a bar, a shootout with
the police, or even trying to help a rape victim can not begin to prepare you
for the mental anguish of long-term crises. For the few who have had to kill
in self-defense or seen the starvation and disease in some Third World country
first hand as a missionary, these only begin to understand. If you served in
combat – Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, or WWII – and you had
to kill or be killed, you had to care for a wounded and dying fellow soldier,
or you had to survive as a prisoner of war, you understand some of what will
be faced in an end of the world situation. Many of you may have loved ones
or
know someone
who suffered with or still suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
and can understand the mental stressors the individual endures. Unless you
have been through it too you can’t really comprehend all that this individual,
these individuals, is/are going through.
So how do we prepare ourselves for what is to come? Everything starts with
planning! And, it all hinges on organization. If you’re a NP, start a
list of preparations that need to be made. Do research on the Internet to find
lists of the things you will need to do and what you will need to have on hand.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the lists of supplies – all of these things
can be obtained one item at a time. Remember, if you start today you’re
still ahead of the majority of people. Continue to remind yourself that whatever
you do today to prepare, won’t be a need tomorrow.
Prepare your mind through the research you do. Read everything you can get
your hands on about preparedness and survival, but read with a “grain
of salt” so that you can discern good advice from bad. Read books and
articles that are recommended by friends or reliable sources. Even other people
who are preparedness minded can get and give bad advice – proceed with
caution, but proceed.
One reliable and trusted Internet resource is www.SurvivalBlog.com, written
and maintained by Jim Rawles. He is also the author of one of the best survival
preparedness books on the market called Patriots – Surviving the
Coming Collapse. While the book is a novel, there are
many, many good references and teachings throughout. He has numerous other
resources of his
own and others on the web site.
To continue mental preparations for survival the NP must understand that they
are basically on their own. Of course, they may have a supportive spouse, other
family members, or a friend or two who understands survival prep, but beyond
that you won’t find individuals who are willing to open up their homes
or retreats and say, “come see how I’ve done it.” Because
of the secretive nature of our preparations for ourselves and our families,
and because we want to protect those preps from those that would steal them
or want to show up at our front gate when TSHTF, we just don’t let others
know what we’ve got. Thus, we are on our own. It is a very difficult
position to be in when a best friend refuses to recognize the importance and
urgency or preparation. PGs understand this and have developed techniques and
questions to discern how a person feels about preparedness and survival without
really asking. Only time, practice, and mental preparedness can help in this
area.
Preparing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that outline what every family
member will do in a crisis will ease your mental state as your preps continue.
SOPs are nothing more than written directions to cover every contingency for
every person. Make sure you have instructions written for all members
who will be with you in a disaster situation. Different situations call for
different
SOPs – try to cover all the bases for at least 72 hours. This is not
something you will accomplish overnight or even in the first few weeks. As
you study and prepare you will continue to rewrite and edit your SOPs. Some
may take years to finish while others may never be done.
Once your lists are in order you should begin putting together a BoB (Bug-out-Bag).
This is a bag – a backpack, a duffel bag, a pillow case (although I think
you will discover that a pillow case just isn’t big enough) with everything
in it you’ll need to survive for three days to one week (or more). Every
family member should have his/her own BoB, even children (as long as they are
big enough to carry it). Weight for each BoB is obviously determined by each
individual’s size and ability. When you know everyone has the things
they need to survive for several days, your mind is much more at ease.
The BoBs are like everything else involved with prep and survival – they
will evolve through shrinking and growing for months before you are satisfied
with all the preps for them. Only you can determine what is best for you to
carry in the end, but there are literally 100’s of list suggestions for
BoBs on the Internet. Again, be prepared to sift through and decide what is
best for you.
By prioritizing your purchases you can buy a little at a time – in fact,
you can buy one item at a time if that is all your budget (or your wife [I’ll
address this issue further down] will allow). For instance, water must be a
top priority for everyone in preparing for disaster. You can go for days without
food but only hours (in comparison) without water. If you have a free-flowing
spring in your yard then you are obviously covered, but for most of us water
is something we must prepare for. Do we try to store enough bottled water for
our family? Do we depend on our neighbors? (I think we know the answer to that
one – remember, we depend on no one but ourselves) Storing bottled water
is impractical for long-term preparedness. Water is needed at the rate of at
least one gallon per person per day. In hot or humid conditions or if you are
working outside strenuously, you will need more – maybe even twice that
amount. So, a water filter, with extra filters, is an obvious priority. You
may have to save for a couple of weeks or more to buy one, but since it is
an important item it will clearly be worth it.
Food is a relatively easy category to begin to fill out your supply of. If
you will make a list of items that you and your family regularly eat (in dry
or canned items) and then begin to buy one or two extra items each time you
go to the grocery store, you will find that your food supply will grow quickly.
Don’t forget things like toilet paper, tissues, baby items, feminine
products, and the like; if you will buy these two at a time when you need them – one
goes on the shelf to be used and the other goes in the prep closet or tub.
These type products will also add to your stash quickly. P. S. You can never have enough toilet paper if TSHTF (no pun intended).
Continue to move down your Priority List is similar fashion and you will suddenly
find yourself short of space to store things and your mental attitude eased
by the fact that you are becoming prepared much quicker than you ever thought
possible. Remember, organization is the key. Once you begin to buy items for
prep or survival you must be organized. Lists are required, and keeping up
with them is paramount for making sure you get what is necessary. It is very
easy to buy things twice (or even more) if you are trying to keep up with your
purchases by memory, or to think you bought something and miss the chance to
buy it. Use lists!
Lists and organization are important to your MP in other ways as well. If you
have your mind cluttered with mental lists, past or future purchases, and trying
to keep up with all of your preps, family, work, etc., your going to be stressed
beyond belief. Good MP calls for good organization.
I mentioned above that I would address the problem of a spouse who is a non-believer
in preparedness or survival. When you want to talk about prep or survival all
they do is change the subject or patronize you quickly and then dismiss it
as unnecessary. They don’t want to waste money on it.
Many spouses believe there’s plenty of time to get what’s needed
if an emergency comes up later. Some will say that God will provide for us,
so we don’t have to do that. And, the excuses and objections goes on
. . .
My own wife is one of those, or was one of those types. I went ahead with some
small purchases a few years ago and she would question them, but I never hid
my purchases from her, lied to her about them, or dismissed her inquisitions.
I simply explained that I had bought the item so we would be prepared in case
of an emergency and what it was for. I would try to talk to her about it each
time SHE brought something up, but she always changed the subject or said we’d
talk about it another time. I never forced the issue. Whenever she would hear
a news story about some crisis situation (hurricane, tornado, lost hiker, violent
robbery or home invasion) I would take the opportunity to point out the lack
of preparation on the part of the individuals involved or what they needed
instead of what they had, and I would say, “You know, I think I’ll
get one of those (whatever was mentioned that someone else needed) for us next
time I get a chance so we won’t be caught unprepared.” She would
usually agree we needed it, and the next day (or even that very day) I would
buy whatever it was and add it to my supplies. She never questioned those purchases
and eventually became (a little) more interested in our preps. I’m now
trying to get her interested in a piece of retreat property by explaining the
exact things I’m looking for (wooded acreage with room for house, barn & garden,
a spring or free-flowing creek, isolated, defensible, etc.) and why. It has
caused a few arguments (of course, the making up is fun), and she still won’t
read "Patriots" or any of the other books I’ve bought on the subject, but
our (my) prep supplies are steadily growing and she’s beginning to understand
slowly. I’m still open to new suggestions in this area if anyone has
any, but I know this has worked for me so far.
Mental preparedness for survival is very important if you are to ever feel
like you’re well on the way to being prepared. I’m one of those
who believes that you can never be 100 percent prepared, but you can be well
prepared. You can get to a point of calling yourself prepared and feeling good
about your preps as long as you continue to monitor expiration dates, rotate
fuel supplies, grow and can your own crops, and have all the things needed
for starting over after TEOTWAWKI. A survival mindset is the first step. Making
lists, prioritizing those lists for purchase or acquisition, and organizing
the lists and acquisitions will help to keep you mentally prepared for survival.
« Letter Re: Retreats in the Eastern United States |Main| Note from JWR: »
Charity in Disaster Situations--Insuring the Cohesion of the "We"
At the risk for sounding preachy, I'd like to re-emphasize
the importance of storing extra logistics so that you can be charitable
when disaster
strikes. Charity is Biblically supported, and makes common sense.
(I strongly advise it, regardless of your religious beliefs.) When
the Schumer Hits the Fan (SHTF),
you will want neighbors that you can count on, not people
that you fear or distrust.
By dispensing
copious
charity to
your neighbors
that did not have the same foresight that you did,
you will solidify them as strong allies instead of envious potential
enemies. In describing communities, psychologists and sociologists
often talk
in
terms of
the "we/they
paradigm". Typically, this is used in a negative connotation,
such as when they describe racism. (And rightfully so--I loathe racism.)
But I can see something positive in building an
appropriate "we/they" distinction during a societal
collapse--the distinction between your local community and
predatory outsiders. Just ask anyone
that
has ever lived "inside the wire" at a Forward Operating Base (FOB)
in Iraq.
Those soldiers
will
tell
you that they felt a strong cohesive bond, and were
absolutely determined to repel anyone that attempted to attack their
FOB. Their steadfast resolve can be summed up with the words: "They
are not getting through the wire. Period." Dispensing
charity helps build a cohesive "we"
and draws
into
sharp
contrast
the "they."
(In my view of the near future, the "they" will likely
be roving bands of criminal looters. Imagine a situation like
in the movie The
Road Warrior,
and you are inside the perimeter at the refinery. Can you
see the appropriate "we/they"?)
By logical extension, you can dispense significant
charity only if you have it to give. Clearly, you must
stock up above and beyond your own family's needs. So, for
example, if you calculate that you need 300 pounds of wheat for your
family,
don't
buy just 300
pounds. Instead,
buy 600,
900, or even 1,200 pounds. That might sound expensive, but presently
you can buy 50 pound sacks of hard
red
winter
wheat for
around $7 to $8 each. About 45 pounds of wheat will fit in a plastic
6 gallon food grade bucket that costs just over $2. Or even if you
pay more to buy wheat that already packaged
for long term
storage
in
buckets
(from
a vendor
like Walton
Feed),
a 45 pound bucket of wheat still
costs
just
$17.15. Beans and rice are similarly priced. Consider that extra food
as a key to building a "sense
of community." Even for even those of you that are non-religious,
dispensing charity will be part of your "we/they
paradigm" insurance.
If purchased in bulk quantities, it is also cheap insurance.
Don't neglect buying your family that insurance! OBTW, speaking of
wheat, the threat of the
wheat "super-blight" is looming. This makes it urgent for
families to stock up.
Where is the Biblical support for charity? It can be seen throughout
the Old and New Testaments. Remember the Bible's guidance about leaving
unharvested rows of crops, to benefit "gleaners"?
For example, see Leviticus 23:22: "And
when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance
of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather
any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and
to the stranger: I am the LORD your God." (KJV)
The Old Testament law regarding charity can be found
in Deuteronomy Chapter 15, verses 7-11 (KJV):
15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within
any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,
thou shalt
not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
15:8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely
lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
15:9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying,
The seventh year [of Jubilee], the year of release, is at hand;
and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him
nought;
and
he
cry
unto
the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
15:10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved
when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy
God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest
thine
hand unto.
15:11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I
command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother,
to
thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
From these verses it is it clear that we will always have poor people
in our community ("the poor shall never cease out of the land"),
and it abundantly clear that it is our duty to help
them ("Thou shalt surely give...") End of preachy mode. My
apologies if this offended those of you that
aren't Christians or Jews. But again, even folks that are strident
atheists should see the wisdom of having extra food storage to provide
for charity.
It
is in
your
own best interest.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Book Excerpt: "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse" »
Letter Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
Sir:
Seeing the discussion regarding the gentleman who loaned a flashlight
and leaf blower to his ungrateful neighbors, I'd thought I'd share
my method of loaning out items. First off, never loan
out primary tools. I have three sets [that I've designated - mine [primary],
for friends, and a lower quality set for
loaning. If you've never borrowed from me before and I don't know your "borrowing
character", then you get the cheap set of greasy, grimy tools
or the flashlight with weak batteries. If you return them in the state
that you borrowed them, you get to borrow them again sometime. If the
tools come back cleaned and oiled and new batteries in the flashlight,
your "borrowing character" had been elevated to trusted borrower
and you may soon be ready for the set of tools reserved for friends.
(Hint: When you borrow tools, always bring them back in a better state
than when you took them.) If you do not return them, you will be reminded
over and over of this fact and hopefully you will shamefully remember
to return them. If you don't ever gain some character or have no shame,
then stay outta my yard!
Also, people forget a couple of simple words: please and thank you.
I don't
have to loan you my tools. If you ask nicely, I may
just think a bit more nicely of you. These words don't cost anything
to use yet they
reap huge benefits if used sincerely. - Matt B.
« Letter Re: The Last of the $49 MURS Radios |Main| Letter Re: Junk Shop Survival Tools »
Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
Mr. Rawles:
Your "The Next Pandemic" article and he responses to it that you posted
really got me thinking. If it all hits the fan, how can I possibly
hand
out
charity
to refugees
without
them just taking it all, by force? Once a bunch of people are in your
house, or even in your front yard, they have the advantage. I really
want
to
be generous and charitable, since it is my duty as a Christian.
(I have more than 2 tons of wheat, rice. and other stuff stored,
for example.) But
I don't
want
to
get cleaned
out and
then
have nothing
for my own family. How do I solve this dilemma? Should I hide half
of my storage food somewhere in a "cache"? Should I just leave what
I earmark for charity in big white plastic buckets marked "Take
just one" by the
side
of
the
road a
couple of miles from my house? Thanks, Brother!
- L.T.Y.
in not-so-rural Minnesota
Dear Jim,
I found Bob in Georgia's letter re: The Next Pandemic both educational
and unsettling. It confirms, in many ways, fears I harbor about a
post-SHTF environment, and leaves a number of unanswered questions in my mind.
I have read and often thought your admonition to dispense charity,
but in the event can't honestly say what I would do. I believe we who "have" are
compelled morally and Biblically to voluntarily share with those less
fortunate than we, who "have not." I do not, however, believe
any government, anywhere has any right to force us to share through
coercion and state-mandated giveaways, which is wealth distribution
and communism.
That said, what should I do if/when TSHTF?
I wish I knew the answer. I am close to some neighbors and would feel
no compunctions about sharing
with them and helping them to the greatest extent possible. I wouldn't
think twice. Others remain largely unknown to me and are question marks.
Still others have impaired moral compasses (or none to speak of,) whom
I would avoid sharing with altogether, as I am convinced it would only
invite a violent attack (repeat visits by our local P.D. to their homes
give me that feeling). My family's safety trumps charity in my way
of thinking.
Bob in Georgia's letter speaks volumes for the declining moral fiber
of our lost society and its values (or the lack thereof), and should
serve
as a strong reminder to the Patriot to exercise great caution not only
in sharing, but in even discussing your preps. Keep up the good work,
Jim. Yours in Jesus Christ our Lord, - Scott in California
JWR Replies: In my novel "Patriots" I
describe a couple of methods for dispensing charity "at arm's
length."
One of
them is through a
local church. The other would be reserved for absolute worst case situation,
where you would literally keep refugees off at a distance, at
gun point,
while you dole out food as charity. That might not sound very Christian,
but it might come down to that, in a situation where law and order
has completely broken down.
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The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
At the dawn of the 21st century, we are living in an amazing time
of prosperity. Our health care is excellent, our
grocery store
shelves burgeon
with
a huge assortment of fresh foods, and our telecommunications
systems are lightning fast. We have relatively cheap transportation,
and our
cities are
linked by
an elaborate and fairly well-maintained system of roads, rails, canals,
seaports, and airports. For the first time in human history, the majority of
the world's population will soon live in cities rather than in the
countryside. But the downside to all this abundance is
over-complexity, over-specialization, and lengthy supply
chains.
In the First
World, less than 2%
of the population is engaged in agriculture or fishing. Ponder that
for a moment: Just 2% are feeding the other 98%. The food on our tables
often comes from hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Our heating
and lighting is provided by power sources typically hundreds of miles
away. For many people even their tap water travels hundreds of miles.
Our
factories produce sophisticated cars and electronics that have subcomponents
that are sourced on three continents. It is as if we are all
cogs in an enormous
invisible
machine, each playing our
part
to
make
sure
that the average Americans
comes
home from
work
each day
to find: his refrigerator well-stocked with food, his lights
reliably come
on, his telephone works, his tap gushes pure water, his toilet flushes,
his paycheck is automatically deposited to his bank, his garbage is
collected, his house is a comfortable 70 degrees, his TV
entertainment up and
running
24/7,
and
his DSL
connection. We've built our fellow Americans a very big machine that
up until now has worked remarkably
well, with just a few glitches. But that may not always be the case.
As Napoleon found the hard way, long chains of supply and communication
are fragile and vulnerable. Someday the big machine
may grind to a halt. Let me describe one set of circumstances that
could cause that to happen:
Imagine an influenza pandemic, spread by causal contact, that is so
virulent that it kills more than half of the people that are infected.
And imagine the
advance
of the
disease so rapid that it makes its way around the globe in less than
a week. (Isn't modern jet air travel grand?) Consider that we have
global news media that is so rabid for "hot" news that they
can't resist showing pictures
of
men in respirators, rubber gloves, and Tyvek coveralls wheeling
gurneys
out of
houses, laden with body bags. They report
countless stories like: "Suzie
Smith brought the flu bug home from school. Everyone in her family
died." and, "Mr.
Jones brought the flu home from work. Everyone in his family
died." Over
and over. Repeated so many times that the majority of citizens decides
"I'm not going to go to work tomorrow, or the day after,
or in fact until after 'things get better.'" But by not going
to work, some important cogs will be missing from the Big Machine.
Orders won't
get processed
at the Wal-Mart distribution center. The 18 Wheel trucks won't make
deliveries to groceries stores. Gas stations will run out of fuel.
Policemen and firemen won't show up at work. Telephone
technicians will call in sick. Power lines will get knocked down in
wind storms, and there will be nobody to repair them. Crops will rot
in the fields because there will be nobody to pick them, or
transport
them,
or magically
bake them into Pop-Tarts, or stock them on your supermarket shelf.
The Big Machine will be broken.
Does this sound scary? Sure it does, and it should. The implications
are huge. But it gets worse: The average suburbanite only has about
a week's worth of food in their pantry. What will they do when it is
gone, and there is no reasonably immediate prospect of re-supply?
Supermarket shelves will be stripped bare. Faced with the alternative
of staying
home and
starving
or going
out
to meet
Mr.
Influenza,
millions
of growling stomachs will force Joe American to go and "forage." The
first likely targets will be restaurants, stores, and food distribution
warehouses. Not a few "foragers" will soon transition to
full scale looting, taking the little that their neighbors have left.
Next, they'll move on to farms that are in close proximity to cities.
A few looters will form
gangs that will be highly mobile and well-armed, ranging deeper and
deeper into farmlands, running their vehicles on siphoned or stolen-at-gunpoint
gasoline. Eventually their luck will run out and they will all die
of the flu,
or of instantaneous
lead poisoning. But before the looters are all dead they will do a
tremendous amount of damage. Be ready to confront them. Your life,
and the lives of your loved ones will count on it. You'll need to be
able
to put a lot of lead down range--at least enough to convince Mr. Looter
that he needs to go find some other farm
or ranch to loot.
In recent months, the press has shifted its attention, ignoring the
continuing threat of Asian Avian Flu mutating into a strain that can
be easily
transmitted
between
humans.
If and when that mutation occurs--and the epidemiologists tell us that
it is more a question of "when" rather than "if"--then
things could turn very, very ugly all over the globe. Be prepared.
To start getting ready, you should first read the background article
on pandemic preparation that I wrote last year, titled "Protecting
Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic."
Next, think through all of the implications of disruption of key portions
of our modern technological infrastructure. Plan accordingly. You need
to be able to provide water, food, heating, and lighting for your family.
Ditto for law enforcement, since odds are that a pandemic will be YOYO
("You're on your own!") time. Get your beans, bullets, and
band-aids squared away, pronto. Most importantly, be prepared
to hunker down in "self quarantine" for three or four months,
with no
outside contact. That
will take a lot of logistics, as well as plenty of cash on hand
to pay your bills in the absence of a continuing income stream.
One closing thought: There are only about 15 large food storage dealers
in the country, and even fewer firms that sell non-hybrid ("heirloom")
gardening seed. How long
do you think
that their inventories will last, once there is news
that
there is an easily transmissible human-to-human flu strain of flu,
anywhere on the planet? Prices are currently low and inventories are
plentiful. It is better to be a year too early than a day too
late. Please consider patronizing one of more of
our advertisers. We have half a dozen of them that sell long term
storage food and heirloom garden seed. They deserve
your business.
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Letter Re: Observations on the Recent Oklahoma Ice Storm
Jim:
Well, I just got back online. I had to go up to the roof and thaw the
wireless [Internet] antenna with a heat gun. It seems the ice grounds
out the antenna. It was an easy fix with my heat gun for heat shrink
tubing. More precipitation is on the way but colder. It will
probably just be snow. We never
lost power but
were ready anyway. I have friends with no power and they
have been without power for days and no idea when it will
be back on. The further
out you live, the less chance of getting back on line. Power is also
out at the feed mill so feed stores are short on feed and they say
that they no idea when more will com. We bought extra and can always
supplement with
more hay or alfalfa. We could butcher the pigs early or sell some
cattle if needed but all of our preparation this Fall is paying off. Think ahead!
Wall-Mart is out of propane cylinders and no extra tanks around.
We have plenty
of tanks and are set to fill from the bulk tank here as needed. You
always need an alternative means to do everything. Redundancy is
the word
for survival. I have some friends with no heat. They report
46 degrees in the house. Standard fireplaces put out very little
heat. [JWR Adds: Yes, in fact they have been documented
to put more heat up the chimney than into a room!] We have electric
heat, woodstove,
and propane heat. Redundancy means you will always be warm. We lost
some branches and the storm knocked down my 160 Meter loop antenna
but it works almost as
well
on the ground. (Thanks to the design and the antenna tuners we can
just re-tune and are up and running.) Repair should take about 2
to 3 hours since the antenna is set to go up and down at each pole
for
maintenance. Hint: the design was well thought out and therefore
easy to fix. Think ahead. Of course we have 4 or 5 ways to receive
and
transmit, plus the mobile radio. Again, redundancy. Our
[photovoltaic] solar panels were covered with ice but still function,
and we have more
in the barn
to use that are thawed. We continue to look for weak spots and all
I came up with is the need for more batteries and more power. We
have tow or three ways to do everything so if one system is down
we just go to the next. Sure makes you feel good that instead
of driving new
vehicles we [instead] have heat, power, water, and food and backups
for each. No worries about heat is a big relief. One of
my friends has
a generator, but no heat. Although he knows the items he needs
to provide heat, there is nothing available. It is all sold
out. Guess that is why
I take
those
old propane heaters and put them in storage. Backup for the backup.
We are looking forward to the snow--better than ice. We have wood
to pick up today at the lumber mil. (We get the slabs from the mill,
load
on
the trailer banded together and take them home. We cut it [for fuel]
as we need it. More in the woods [hereon my property] but I will
leave it for more backup. Keep
preparing. Do one thing each day and it will all add up. Anyone got
a good milk cow? We need a new one, since even livestock gets worn
out and old. God Bless,
- Alphie Omega
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How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest
How many times in the course of a conversation at a meeting, party, event,
or whatever, has the subject of emergency preparedness come up, and you make
a comment about the having done something (anything) about it in some way,
and
someone says "the next time [something bad] happens, I'm coming over
to your place!" How do you reply? You can't invite everybody in need,
you don't want to invite parasites, you don't want to piss off friends and
co-workers, and you may not be able to tell if they are joking or serious.
However viscerally satisfying a "I got mine, you socialists are yer on
yer own, and I'll shoot you parasites on sight in an emergency" may be
in the short run, I think it is generally counter-productive on a number of
levels.
I've struggled with how to reply to this comment over the years (at least since
the early 1990s), because there are so many variables in each situation (how
recently there has been an "event," how close of friends you
are with the person making the comment, what sort of mix there is present of
good friends-acquaintances-strangers, the tone of how it was said, how much
you
know about the background of each one, what the relative wealth and social
standing of all parties present are, location, etc.), and many times there
are far to many unknowns to give a really good, tailored answer, that will
get more people to become preparedness oriented and independent-minded (which
is what we really want, right?).
But after reading a very long thread on the topic recently, talking it over
with my other half, and in light of this specific comment being directed at
me several times in the last month (I am in the Puget Sound area, so the windstorm
hit where I'm at pretty good - lots of trees and branches down around here,
and I had fun making lots of chain-saw-dust), I think I may have come up with
a pretty good "all purpose opening response." Look directly at them,
and then quietly and matter-of-factly say: "A long time ago, I
made the conscious choice to not be dependant on other people, and I was willing
to
forgo some of the luxuries of life in order
to accumulate the stuff and the skills to prepare me to take care of myself
and my immediate family for any likely emergency that may occur in the region
where I live. I would be happy to help you figure out how you can do the same
thing most efficiently."
There are four very important things about this phrasing: you are saying some
things very clearly, some things are obviously implied, a lot is left completely
unsaid, and you are not being in any way threatening, arrogant, condescending,
judgmental, or patronizing. You are offering them help on how to help themselves
now, and you are not saying you will shoot them on sight in the future (you
are helpful and non-threatening), and you are not saying you will give them
a handout and implying that there are limits to what you are able to do (but
don't expect free-bee's). You have stated a basic
philosophy with a fairly limited and hard-to-argue-against scope, you have
not given away to much information about what or how much you have, you are
alluding to a simple method for others to do the same; you are opening a conversation
that puts the ball in their court on how to respond, at which time you'll have
a much better idea about what to say, or not say, from there. You are serious
but neutral; if you can get them to seriously consider and
pursue emergency preparedness, you have expanded your "mutual-defense
circle," if they don't and the need arises, you can
turn them away with a much clearer conscious. You haven't given them any more
reasons to hate you, target you, fear you, or depend on you (which is a good
defensive
move). All you need to do is ask some pointed questions, like "this
area gets snowstorms regularly, why not have chains for your car and just keep
them in the trunk all winter?" or "$45 a month for cable
TV? That'd put up a lot of extra food in a year." Make observations like "yes,
a generator is nice, but not everyone needs one, not everyone can afford a
good one, and not everyone has a place for one; you just have to be ready to
work
without power," or "supplies aren't everything; what if the
disaster you are preparing for causes your well-supplied house to burn down
and it takes everything with it? Attitude and skills are just as important."
If they say "what sort of luxuries did you give up?" some possible
follow-ups might be: "I don't have a new, big screen TV, I have an old
19-inch beast; but I do have a generator."
"I don't have a Rolex or a Hummer, but I am debt-free except for my house
mortgage."
The first one might not be the best example to use if they were bragging about
their spiffy new 55" HD 1080p wonder-vision unit [HDTV], just after freezing
their butts off in an ice storm, but you get the idea. Get across the idea
that it is all about making appropriate choices now, using as neutral a tone
and wording as possible. Don't say "of course only an idiot would
drive a Lexus when he doesn't have a month's supply of food in snow-storm country" when
talking to someone you know has a Lexus parked out front and no food in the
fridge. If you have no idea what sort of 'stuff" they have, focus on skills,
e.g., "I don't spend money on yoga classes, I take self-defense and home-repair
classes." Keep it neutral, informative in
a general way, and neither promise anything or sound judgmental for the opening
few minutes (even if this requires biting your tongue, hard, for a bit), until
they have done a fair bit of talking and you have a much better feel for the
lay of the land, whereupon you can teach, share, run, or whatever as needed.
Think through a couple of paths that the conversation could take, and how you
would respond in a way that would appeal most to the sort of person who would
go down that path. A socialist who is used to depending on the state might
say "are you saying you wouldn't feed me if I showed up on your door-step
after a major earthquake if you had any extra food?" Saying "of
course not" will just piss them off and may make you a target, with them
calling you a "greedy hoarder." Saying "I would have a hard
time justifying taking food out of my children's mouth tomorrow to feed a casual
acquaintance today, especially if we did not know when services were going
to be restored and supplies replaced" puts a whole different appearance
on it.
Information is your friend; don't start by telling them what you have, what
you have planned, how stupid they are for not being equally well prepared,
etc. Find out a bit about their mind-set, skill-set, resources, and then go
from
there in the best direction. Best of luck with your next "conversion" into
the mindset of independence and preparedness!
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Letter Re: Some Good Things Prompted By SurvivalBlog
Jim,
The following are some things SurvivalBlog.com has prompted me to do
since I began reading it:
I've had no debt for 20 years, but my meager holdings are now about
1/3 precious metals. Is lead considered a precious metal? :-)
My freezer is full of elk, whitetail deer, and caribou. I added to
my long-term foods during your Safecastle special,
but I'm now reviewing the viability
of my existing stocks. Like the realtor's mantra of "location, location,
location", a survivalist's creed should be "Rotate, rotate,
rotate. "
A 10 KW Generac
generator is ready to be wired to my primary residence.
My primary heat source is now a shelled
corn burner
My wife and I just finished a first aid course refresher and bought
a couple of family-sized first aid kits from the American Red Cross.
I upgraded my firearms battery to include a third .308 Winchester rifle--a
DPMS Panther LR-308 [AR-10.] An accurate load for the Sierra 168-grain HPBT has
been found and loading on the Dillon
press commences soon.
During this year's whitetail deer hunt, our group adhered to the hunting
laws but still kept in contact with our MURS
Radios.
And thanks to your blog, I'm practicing preparedness more. I've never
learned how to take a deer apart other than simple de-boning. So with
instructions at the ready, the wife and I will skin this year's buck
and carve the meat into steaks, roasts, stew meat and burger. But with
a full freezer, I'll be practicing charity by giving it to my friend
Mike, a less fortunate carnivore.
Now it's time to renew the 10
Cent Challenge subscription. There is much more to do and learn.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, - Redmist
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Letter Re: Preparedness and Charity
Dear Mr Rawles,
As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, churches and charities are conducting
food drives. Besides being a chance for us to act in a charitable manner
to the less fortunate, it is also a terrific opportunity to cycle out some
of our food stockpiles. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been donating
excess wet-pack canned good (with 2007 expiration dates), and replacing them
with new, 2008/2009 expiring items. From my way of looking at things, it
is a win-win for the recipients and us -- the donors; the hungry are fed,
and the shelf life of our food reserves are extended. Best Regards, - Jim
K.
JWR Replies: I have always placed a strong emphasis
on Christian charity. Rotating your food storage is a great opportunity
to dispense charity. If the food goes to a charity organization rather
than an individual family, be sure to thoroughly vet the organization.
Many charities have huge staffs and overhead costs, resulting an less
than
half of cash ending up in the hands of the needy. Such organizations
should be shunned. Also, some food bank organizations are distrustful
of donated long term storage canned foods
and
have
been known to discard or destroy them, even if they have clearly marked
expiry dates. Ask a few key questions before making a donation! If
in doubt, then donate it elsewhere.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Another Perspective on Selecting Barter Goods, by OSOM
Dear Jim:
The recent letter on barter goods caused me to sit down and organize
my thoughts on the matter. Running a successful retail/wholesale
operation, I can see some caveats and analysis that needs further
exploration.
What's WRONG with Barter Goods
As has been well emphasized before - forget about barter goods until
you are squared away for your own logistics. Beyond that, remember
that barter goods are much inferior to money or cash in a functioning
economy, with a good division of labor. If you need to sell them to
raise cash, it will take some effort, and you can easily lose money
- especially if you need to sell them fast. Barter goods tie up your
cash, take up valuable storage space, and must be carefully stored
so rust / staleness, etc., etc. don't degrade the value of your inventory.
Obsolescence is a major factor to consider for any technology item.
And how do you know exactly what will be valuable in the future?
So why go to the trouble of storing any barter goods at all?
Barter goods, if well preserved and in demand, will preserve your purchasing
power from inflation - and it is very hard for the taxman to collect
on barter transactions! But of course gold and silver would do just
as well, probably better, in a hyperinflation, and are much easier
to store, easier to sell, more liquid, etc., etc.
So barter goods are for a real TEOTWAWKI when
the economy is not functioning - a catastrophic breakdown in the division
of labor. Think about a
rapid and uncontrolled decline from a Western industrialized economy,
to a primitive Third World economy - but without the low-tech skills
the Third World folks survive with.
Your money (even real gold money) can't buy much because there simply
isn't a functioning market to spend the gold or paper money. The shortages
and/or civil disorder is so bad that immediate survival is the overriding
issue, and the viability of money to get goods is in question. If it
isn't this bad, gold and silver is the way to go. If it ever gets this
bad there will be a horrific loss of life as it is the efficiencies
of the division of labor that keeps our interdependent and sophisticated
economy wealthy and our population fed.
In this horrific situation, tangibles for barter rule because, "you
can't eat gold". For example let's imagine Farmer John who won't
sell you one of his pig's for those gold coins you have. Even if there
is a local market accepting gold and silver, he doesn't want to take
a dangerous trip to town and leave his property unprotected. Transportation,
communications and security are all in horrendous shape.
But Farmer John will consider trading the pig for tangible stuff that
solves a critical problem for him. Stuff he has trouble getting, lets
hypothesize: fuel for the tractor, or bullets for his gun (or a gun
for his grown kids that are now back on the farm and under-equipped).
How awfully bad it has to get before barter goods trump gold and silver
is a prime factor to consider in evaluating what will be valuable -
the desperate situation dictates that hard core survival items will
be in highest demand, consumables, especially. If you don't think it
will get this bad, just store gold and junk silver. Best bet is some
of both.
War and/or hyperinflation are the most common circumstances, historically,
where things get this desperate, with the fiat money collapse destroying
the division of labor. Unless we were "bombed back to the Stone
Age" sooner or later a functioning economy would evolve again
with real gold and silver money reestablished. But that would take
time - after the worst of the population die-off had occurred, and
some stability re-attained. In the interim, barter goods will give
you purchasing power to buy consumables you run out of, stuff that
breaks or wears out, items you didn't think ahead to store - or unforeseen
needs, e.g., medical, new baby, new people at the farm, etc., etc.
Be be advised that when storing barter goods you are entering the realm
of running a business. You had better be able to predict what will
be valued by your local market when you need to barter - supply and
demand. Otherwise you will be wasting money, time and storage space.
What problems will people need to solve? What will be in high demand
and/or short supply?
1. We don't know for sure, so be careful. It bears repeating - don't
worry about barter till you have your own supplies well stocked.
Don't commit more than a small percentage of your assets to barter
goods. Concentrate on stuff you can probably use yourself, or would
like an extra spare of. Predicting the future is a tough game - put
the odds in your favor so that even if TEOTWAWKI doesn't happen on
schedule you have stuff you can use, sooner or later, or at least hold
it's value for resale. You can predict your own demand better than
anyone else's, so fill that first.2. Consumables Rule - If they
haven't gone bad. Obviously consumables are depleted much faster than
durable
goods wear out, so supply will be tighter. Durable goods are likely
to be in much better supply. The ugly truth is that barter only comes
into it's own in a really desperate situation with a significant decline
in the population. So there would likely to be a lot of durable goods
left behind by the deceased - and you don't want to compete with that
supply.
So my first choice for barter items would always be consumables that
you consider essential as your core logistics that you store anyway.
Just store more than what you need for food, ammo, fuel, batteries,
etc., etc. But this has a strict limit, as you must be very careful
on the storage life, and your rotation, so you don't end up sitting
on a wasting asset.
That said, the guy who has stored gas or diesel, treated for long term
storage, will be sitting very pretty after all the untreated fuel has
gone bad (unless TEOTWAWKI is an EMP strike
and not many vehicles are running.)3. Back to basics. When things are
desperate, the first rung
of Maslow's hierarchy of needs will prevail - the basic physical needs:
shelter, warmth, water, food, defense, medical needs, etc., etc. Comforts
and luxuries are not as sure a bet. If the situation is good enough
to worry about luxuries your gold and silver will probably do just
fine - no need for barter goods. Addictive substances such as cigarettes
and alcohol are comforts that might be an exception to this rule (not
that I would want to supply those items, however lucrative).4. Items
that are less needed or uncommon in peaceful times, but sorely needed
in TEOTWAWKI times will be good candidates because, even if they are
not consumable, demand will outstrip supply. Best bets would be durable
items where long term storage is not so much of an issue, e.g., work
gloves, water filtration, defensive firearms and accessories, perimeter
security, Body Armor, etc., etc.5. Stick to items that are good for
a wide range of scenarios. Nuk-Alerts, radiation meters, etc., etc.
wouldn't be "as good as gold" in a nuclear scenario - they'd
be "better than platinum"! But they would have relatively
low demand in other scenarios. Essential for yourself, but not a good
barter bet. Stick to general use items.6. KISS. Don't got too complicated.
High tech will degrade rapidly - stick with what is simple and easy
to keep working.7. Keep it local - look at what your neighbors will
need in your neighborhood, your climate, your situation. You won't
want to travel far to trade, even if you can. For example propane conversion
kits for gas generators would be a superb item out in the country with
a lot of propane tanks about. But what if the only customers nearby
only have a model that you don't have the right kit for? Travel would
not be worth the risk. On the other hand, non-hybrid garden seeds that
are optimal for your climate, and hardier than standard factory crops
would be ideal.
8. Keep most items reasonably small and easily divisible. .22 Long
Rifle ammo will be the "nickels and dimes" of post-TEOTWAWKI
barter. Be able to "make change", or you might have to settle
for a bad deal.9. Lower your risk by buying low. If it's an super deal
it's hard to go wrong - but you must know the ins and outs of what
you are buying, and the market pricing. Stick with what you know.
Some ideas: garage sales, auctions, eBay and craigslist.com (Craigslist
is the free,
online local classifieds.)
[JWR Adds: I also like Craigslist, but I also highly
recommend www.freecycle.org.
If you watch the daily local freecycle ads closely, you can pick up
lots
of useful, barterable
items, free
for the taking. Often someone is moving and they list their excess
household goods on freecycle. Check it out, you'll find lots of great
stuff free. Since both "available:" and "wants" are listed,
you will also see some opportunities to dispense charity to folks that
are presently
needy.]
Garage sales are generally the lowest cost supply - but hit or miss
on useful items. If you're in or near a large city, crisis is the
way to go, after garage sales. They are hoplophobes who won't accept
ads for any kind of weapon, but their free, online classifieds is fast
replacing the newspaper classifieds section in our metro area. It let's
you deal consumer to consumer, cutting out the middleman.
By the way, Craigslist is also a great place to turn your unused items
into cash. The eBay auctions
are good
for specialized items without a big local market, Gunbroker.com for
weapons, but craigslist for everything else. A digital
camera photo, a good description, and you are in business, cheap. You
can actually buy furniture, cheap at garage sales, and resell on craigslist
and make money - if you know your product.
Some of my favorite barter items:
Ammo: Common calibers that you can always use yourself. Consumable,
easily divisible, in high demand, long storage life. And if TEOTWAWKI
doesn't\ happen on schedule, you can have fun "rotating your storage" ;-)
A lot of folks have guns, but not very many have enough of the right
ammo, so think self defense first, then hunting and practice rounds.
(A lot of folks will be smart enough to figure out that a gun and 100
rounds of practice, is better defense than a gun and 200 unfired rounds.)
Cheap food that stores well long term, e.g., wheat properly packaged.
I like
cans over mylar for durability, but you won't want to trade a gallon
can that looks like you have a bunch of stored food. Repackage into
plastic before trading ."Tactical Kits" For the folks that
don't have suitable defensive firearms a complete kit of an easy to
operate rifle, spare mags, ammo, web belt, mag pouches, sidearm, holster,
and even Body Armor, could have a value greater than the sum of the
parts. The bonus here is that you can have spares for your weapons,
and also be stocked to equip your Neighborhood Watch on Steroids, refugees
that you take in, or long lost relatives that show up after The Crunch.
Batteries and Solar Powered Chargers - obviously a great consumable,
and solar powered chargers will be better than gold when there is no
electricity. Check storage life for batteries and the number of recharges
possible
very carefully on batteries. From what I have read NiMH battery
technology is the way to go - any battery experts out there? Work gloves
become consumables
when used constantly.If other folks can suggest items that fit the
criteria, please, let's hear them! The above list is just a start.
Regards, - OSOM "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Getting Ready for Survival On a (Broken) Shoestring Budget by J. Cole
Since the mid-1960s,
after reading Pat Frank’s novel Alas Babylon, I have
been interested in preparing myself for TEOTWAWKI. And, as a child
of the 1950s
growing up in central Florida, I was taught early to be ready in case
of nuclear war, so Frank’s book was not that far-fetched to me.
My family was poor by any standard you could compare it to in those
days. There was no chance of us ever affording a “bomb shelter” but
preparations were made as best we could. We stocked up on canned food
and water, we had a central hallway with a fuel oil heater and a bathroom
immediately off of it, and we put together a first aid kit and some
other emergency supplies in a feeble effort to be ready. Since we were
not in a blast zone, we felt like we had a chance for survival.
As a teen I began to use Alas Babylon as a teaching tool just
as I am using "Patriots" today.
I studied each scenario in that book to glean whatever tidbit of knowledge
about surviving that I could. By the time
I was ready to move out on my own I had amassed quite a stock of not
only what I needed to survive, but a large supply of barter goods as
well. I had first aid supplies, water purification tabs, a nice collection
of knives, guns, and ammunition, and a number of items that Frank’s
novel pointed out would be in short supply post disaster. Things like
coffee, salt, and batteries were all part of my emergency supplies.
When I turned 18 I joined the Army and volunteered for Special Forces
just so I could be even better prepared. I survived Special Forces
training, Jump School, Ranger School, Officer’s Candidate School,
and Vietnam. I found out that the Army is very good at losing things
and
sometimes the soldiers would find them (and most were willing to
trade for what they found). Needless to say, my survival supplies increased
greatly while I was in the Army. Not only could I trade for many items,
but my income was greater then than I had ever known and I could buy
many things I had been doing without before when it came to my survival
stockpile.
Even with my steady income there just wasn’t enough to sink a
great deal of money into survival – after all, I only made $98.00
per month when I went into the army in the late 1960s. As soon
as I got out of the military I got married, the babies soon followed,
and there was always too much month at the end of the money. Things
haven’t changed much except that the kid’s are grown, but
they have given me some of the greatest grandkids any man could ever
want (and some that give me a lot of gray hairs).
So here I sit, later in life, with the same desire to be prepared,
but with a lot less energy than I used to have and a whole bunch of
antiquated equipment. The K-rations and C-rations are all still edible
(albeit a little “tinny” tasting) [JWR Adds: Ancient
military rations may still be palatable, but their nutritive value
is nil.
Since they are now collectible (i'm not kidding!), you are far better
off selling them on e-Bay to re-enactors, and then spending the proceeds
on recent date of pack MREs
or comparable civilian retort packaged foods] , the jungle rucksacks
were never any good to start with (and
they hurt
even
more
now), the
entrenching tools are still in great shape but haven’t gotten
any lighter with age, and the ponchos are all cracked and dried but
the poncho liners are still the best around.
Of course my income has slipped back into the poverty level once again
so major investments are out of the question. And I’m married
to a wonderful wife who understands nothing about survival (and doesn’t
want to). She just keeps thinking all the equipment and supplies I
collect are just stupid junk ((I bet she won’t be saying that
later).
All that said to set up a situation pointing to the fact that I’m
nowhere near prepared for the day TSHTF and don’t have the resources
to get prepared quickly. So, what to do? Can you relate? Have you priced
dehydrated food supplies? Guns and ammo? Even just first aid supplies
can put a hurtin’ on your budget! Well, here’s what I’ve
done and it’ll work for you, too.
Do Your Prior Planning
If you haven’t made a list of supplies – and this should
be a total list of supplies, not just the ones you still need – get
one made, copy one from the Internet or use one from FEMA or the Red
Cross. Break it into manageable sections or categories. I use “kits” for
my lists. There’s a “Water Kit” that lists all things
pertaining to water; canteens, holders, cups, filters, spares, etc.
There’s a Food Kit, Shelter Kit, Commo Kit, Light Kit, Knife
Kit, Gun Kit, and the always needed Miscellaneous Kit. My Kits
lists go on for over 20 pages, but when I have all of that equipment
together
and ready to go then I’ll know I’m almost prepared. Make
you a list and make it complete.
Now do an inventory of all of the things you already have. You may
be surprised at the number of things you can check off your list. If
you are a hunter, no doubt you already have one or more hunting knives,
you should have boots, and field clothing, you may have a small pack
you use in the field and canteens or water bottles. You probably carry
rope, maybe a compass, and you might carry a pack saw, hatchet, or
machete to clear your fields of fire. And, you already have some items
to add to your gun kit.
Are you a camper, backpacker, canoeist, boater, fisherman or outdoors
type person? Then you’ve already got some preparedness equipment – mark
it off the list. As you mark it off the list, put today’s date
on it. That will at least give you a reference for how old something
might be so you’ll know when you may need to replace it.
Obviously, you’re not going to put a date on every item. For
instance, I wouldn’t put a date on my military compass w/tritium
markings, but I would put a date on my inventory sheet just as a reference.
Dating items becomes important when you have to rotate stock (canned
foods) or replace outdated items (medications). These items not only
need to have the date on the item, but each one should be dated on
your inventory sheets, as well.
Looking for What You Need
Once you’ve done your inventory and compared it to your list,
you can make your list of items still needed. Now’s when the
fun starts – it’s time to start looking for the items you
still need. I have spent countless hours on the Internet looking for
distributors, comparing prices, doing Google searches, writing to chat
groups looking for items or advice, and, yes, actually ordering many
of the items I need. I know, JWR recommends we not order online using
our credit cards because it puts us in somebody’s database, but
by the time I got that advice it was way too late for me. I figure
I’m already in so many databases they’ll be too confused
to worry about me anyway. Besides, when you see the way I order (following)
I’m not sure it’s going to trigger any red flags.
Please understand, the only times in my life I made any significant
amounts of money were spent saving for the future times when I knew
I wasn’t going to be making that much money. I’ve worked
in the building trades most of my life and after working steady for
several months came the inevitable lay-off at the end of the job. Then
I’d spend several weeks, if not months, looking for another job
(all the while using up the savings I put away while I was working).
I gained a lot of valuable experience but never had the money to invest
in survival preparedness.
Now, I’m steadily employed making just over minimum wage (I’m
no longer physically able to work a 40 hour construction job), so I’m
still not able to make the major purchases required to become fully
prepared. Does that mean I won’t do anything about getting prepared?
Not on your life!!! I make small purchases whenever I can (usually
every couple of weeks) and if I need something more expensive, I save
up for a month or so. I decided what was most important and started
getting those things first and then moved on to others.
Set Priorities
With water as # 1 priority in a survival situation I decided to make
it my # 1 priority in becoming prepared. I already had two military
canteens from my previous prep but knew that there were none for my
wife.
So I set out trying to find the best deal on military canteens (w/cups
and covers) on the Internet. Turns out that I found the best deal on
eBay and ordered 4 more (so I’d have a couple of extras). I’ve
got less than $2.00 each, including shipping, in the sets (canteen,
cup, & cover). Now that I can afford!!! Then I found a guy on eBay selling water in small pouches and offering FREE shipping. So I spent
$10.00 and got 12 small pouches for my auto & office kits. A month
later the same guy had a better deal for $20.00 (still with free shipping)
so I ordered some more of the pouches. Now I have enough to put in
all of my kits as needed.
A water filter is an expensive item to me. I researched the smaller
filters and decided that since water is a necessity I wanted the best
and would not buy some cheap imitation just to have a filter. I had
to stop all of my smaller (survival) purchases for 2 months to buy
a filter (and a spare cartridge) but now I have added that to my inventory.
I then bought some water purification tabs to complete my water kits
in all of my emergency kits. Obviously that’s not the only items
in my water kits but this gives you some idea of how I went about completing
my purchases.
My First Aid Kit was next, although I did make a few purchases toward
getting what was necessary for my Food Kit, too. A friend gave me some
MRE’s (military) for me to try. I thought these would be just
what I needed for emergency rations, but I quickly learned that they
are too heavy for a Bug out Bag (BoB) and not tasty enough (unless
it’s a dire emergency) for long-term storage. I ordered a few
(3-4) individual freeze-dried meals to see if we could tolerate those
and we actually liked them. They are lighter and much better tasting
than the MRE’s, but they do take a little longer to prepare.
I also bought a few food bars and added them to our BoB’s in
case we need something in a hurry. I’ll continue to add more
food bars and freeze-dried meals as my budget allows, but I am trying
now to finish up my first aid kits.
I first made my decisions on which kits I wanted to put together, i.e.,
BoB, Long Term, Truck Kit, Car Kit, Office Kit, etc. Then I had to
determine what I wanted in each First Aid Kit. Again, it was the Internet
searches that gave me my list and the research for the individual items
I wanted. It was obvious from the start that the larger quantity of
any item I could buy, the cheaper the price per item would be. After
making my “still needed” list (as above) I started shopping
for the needed items. First I did the Internet search, and then began
to shop around locally. I found that the big box stores (Walmart, Costco,
CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, etc.) had the best prices, but not all of
the items I wanted. I began buying a few boxes of bandages and tape,
then some antiseptics, tape, etc., until almost all items were purchased
over about six weeks. I’m still looking for a couple of things
in specific sizes, but with patience and perseverance, I’ll find
them.
Saving For the More Expensive Items
One of the hardest things to do is control your spending when you are
trying to save for a major purchase. When you always need things to
add to your survival stores, it’s difficult not to buy when you
know you have enough money for something. Self-discipline is required
when you’re saving for something else – just as in life
when the family needs a new car, or washing machine, or a water heater.
The same holds true for survival supplies. I’m attempting to
set aside money for a retreat purchase, yet I know there are still
dozens of items I still need for completing my survival supply lists.
You must decide what is most important and how you will go about making
these decisions. Other major purchases may include battle rifles, pistols,
shotguns, or stores of ammunition. Fortunately, ammo is one of those
things you can buy a little at a time (just be sure to set your priorities
as to which caliber to by first).
Food stocks are another costly expenditure. To get the best price food
should be bought by the case or larger lots. My suggestion is to buy
extra of the canned and dry goods you eat on a regular basis (be sure
to date them) and rotate your stock as you use them. In this way you
will have extra food building up in your pantry while you are saving
for several cases of freeze-dried meals. In the mean time, buy some
individual freeze-dried meals and food bars to stock your BoB and emergency
kits. Some of the dry goods (rice, flour, instant potatoes, and even
dry milk) are not that costly and could be bought by adding one large
size container of each of these each time you go to the store. Soon
you’ll have a fairly good sized supply of food.
In Conclusion
Get prepared – that is, make your lists, do your inventories,
and know ahead of time what you need. Stay alert for sales and opportunities
to purchase at reduced prices. And buy what you can when you can, save
for the things you need, and no matter what you’re still missing
when TSHTF you’ll be far better off than if you did nothing.
Don’t depend on Uncle Sam – he cannot and will not do
it all. Don’t depend on friends and family – they all have
their own to take care of. Stock up for yourself and be ready to share
with those less fortunate and in need.
« The Ultralight Bug-Out Bag, by Hawaiian K. |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Advice on Ammunition and Precious Metals for Barter?
Mr. Rawles,
I recently read your post about your attending a coin show in California.
What are your recommendations for getting started in collecting a few
gold coins in case the monetary system collapses (I don't have the
foggiest idea how to begin)? How much should I purchase, what types,
and in what quantities? I assume that having a couple extra cases of
shotgun shells and a few boxes of .22 [rimfire] rounds will also go
a long way in a barter environment (not to mention a water filter
or
two.)
Any advice or direction that you can share would be greatly appreciated!
- Sean
JWR Replies: As mentioned in my novel "Patriots",
I think th
