Posts Tagged: Preparedness Planning

Food Storage is Critical

If you have been following the discussions on the Preparedness Podcast, you know that one of the main focuses of the show has been working on your preparedness plan. We’ve also been harping on the fact that there isn’t a lot of time to get ready. There are many crises currently facing us today and we simply don’t have the luxury of time on our side.

Case in point is this story: Walker’s World: New food crisis looms.  The first two paragraphs sums it up:

“We tend to forget that the worldwide plunge into recession last year was the result of three separate phenomena that combined to breed disaster. The financial crisis was joined by a food crisis and a fuel crisis as the prices of food and energy soared, triggering food riots across the world.

And now there are ominous signs of another food crisis in the making this year, spurred in part by the ongoing credit crunch that has made it difficult for farmers to get loans.”

While I don’t see major food shortages in this  country, food storage is still critical to survival. There can be localized short term shortages and there may be shortages of certain food items. One thing that I think we’ll definitely see is an increase in food prices.  When you look at the economic problems that we have coming and add to that a world-wide food shortage, we can see that even though food prices have been rising, they are still relatively cheap – especially the bulk food. Stock up while you can.

- Rob

Our Fragile Infrastructure

Two act of sabotage has left a large portion of Central California with distrupted communications, especially telephone communications.

Hundreds of thousands of AT&T, Verizon, Nextel and Sprint customers with land lines, cell phones and Internet service were affected.

Reminiscent of the hours after an earthquake, widespread communications interruptions baffled emergency service providers, businesses and residents as cell phone chatter, Web surfing, ATM, credit card and other electronic data sharing came to a screeching halt overnight.

Lets face it, we’re pretty reliant on our working infrastructure.  Disrupting it in any way has far reaching and last effects.  Read through the linked article then ask yourself how disrupted your life would be if you faced the same dilemma.  How would you overcome your communication obstacles?  Where do I even start to plan for something like this.  I’d recommend starting with the Preparedness Capabilities Checklist, specifically, the section on Communications.  Please take the time to read through the section and write down questions or goals as they occur to you.

I also recommend an investment in time in becoming Ham Radio Operator at the level of Technician.  It isn’t a difficult test and is something that can be accomplished with a rather low investment in time and effort.

Communications is incredibly important, and it’s often easy to forget how important until after you lose it.  This is something that should be ranked right up there with food and water.  If given a choice, I’d choose Comms over a weapon, though the thought of doing without either makes me cringe.

No, I’m not going to get into why it was cut or any other black helicopter stuff.  There are other sites for that, our and my focus is about being prepared for when things like this happen.

http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_12115324

Mike@prepcast.info

Principles and Values, The 912 Project

An anyone that watches Glen Beck knows, He has come up with a list of nine principles and twelve values.  Today (03/13/2008) on his “We Surround Them” episode, Glen unveiled his new website, The 912 Project.  Glen says the site is a place where like-minded folks can come together and reassure each other they, “they are not alone.”  In what seems like a darker and darker world, It’s ever more important to surround our selves with people we trust, love, and can count on.  It’s been said before here and other places; get out there and make connections, start networking.  Surviving turmoil and disaster requires a support network and community, no matter how small.  It can’t be done alone, we have to have people we can rely on and trust.  What have you done to prepare for the worst?

(more…)

Mindset, focus, and tunnel vision

One of the things that commonly happens to people is they become inundated with news, viewpoints and other media. They become inundated to the extent that either A: They “overprep”
or
B: They give up.

Folks, when you’re prepping, have a plan. Don’t take too big of a bite, even though you see how much you have to do. Don’t become overwhelmed by everything. Take your time, and do it right.

Mindset for preppers is critical, and it’s part of the prep lifestyle. We need to realize how the body and mind react to stress, and how those reactions figure in our daily lives and interactions with family, friends, and colleagues. It’s all too easy, as many of us that have been doing this awhile see, to let preps take over your life. Unfortunately, that usually leads to issues within family or job. So approach prepping with an eye to the long haul, don’t just jump into the deep end. Take a look at the Capability Checklist – note how it takes you through basics first, and then builds on those basics. Focus on the basic goals, or, if you’ve already gotten those done, then start working on the others. Note that it’s ok to take a break too – if it’s too overwhelming, take some time off. Do this with the knowledge that you’re already better off than most of the folks around you!

Matter of fact, sometimes it’s prudent to just turn the TV off, don’t listen to the radio, ignore the newspaper, and go smell the roses. Take a walk in a nice area. Go see a movie. Plan a vacation. You get the idea…take a danged break sometimes!

Another issue that we see quite a bit is tunnel vision. Everyone, and it might be more critical for preppers, needs to have some kind of backup and a sympathetic ear or three around when times are stressful. For many of us, this will be on one of the many survival forums out there, and for some of us, we’ve actually got networks of like minded folks we can actually talk to. We need to have someone that’s in the same long term prep mindset, to back us up. Someone to bring us back to a realistic viewpoint when we start getting tangled up in ideas or projects that dominate our time a bit too much.

It’s yet another argument for developing that network of friends.

-Greg

Starting Your Preparedness Plan, Part II

Hopefully, everyone has a good start on their preparedness plans, and are now ready to expand on it.  Expanding on it in the areas that we’re going to be talking about will provide more capability to your preparations, which gives you a better chance of surviving.

Remember, these are only some of the highlights of what you should have.  See the Preparedness Capability Checklist for more.

Alternate energy

  • Have extra batteries for all of the battery operated survival gear.
  • But alkaline batteries eventually die, so you can expand your capability by using rechargeable batteries, like NiMH, and a way to recharge them.
  • Solar or a generator would be the easiest way to achieve this.  Solar is silent and requires no fuel, so it’s nearly perpetual and makes a good choice.  You can get small, foldable panels to power the battery charger.
  • Standardizing on AA and use adapters for C and D sizes.
  • Make sure your battery charger runs on 12VDC.  
  • Think about a generator, one large enough to power your fridge and freezer.

Sample chargers

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/nimh-aa-aaa-battery-chargers.php

Folding solar panels:

http://www.radiolabs.com/products/electronics/power/solar-panel.php

Battery adapters:

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/batteryadapter-index.htm

DIY Lawn Mower Genset:

http://thepreparednesspodcast.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=42

(more…)

Listener Survey

Audible Ads

Help Support the Podcast!

Help Support the Podcast and Donate $5 per month.


If you find the information useful and enjoy the podcasts, please consider signing up for a $5 monthly donation to help support the Preparedness Podcast.