Texas Preppers Network

Update on the American Preppers Booth at the Ram Home Safety Prep Tour in Houston

2012-05-24T04:39:00.000-05:00

There are going to be some great give-aways at the American Preppers Network booth at the Ram Home Safety Prep Tour in Houstonon June 2nd at the Reliant Center. Stop by the APN booth (#316) for a visit and enter the drawing for a chance to win some great preparedness products. There will also be examples and demonstrations of several of these great preparedness products for you to check out while you’re at the APNbooth on June 2nd.

Hope to see you at the expo at the Reliant Center in Houston.

In the mean time, you can read some reviews of some of the great items that will be included in the give-away at the APNbooth here.

Coast Products Rapid Response Knife 3.90

Lifestraw from Eartheasy

”Joshua” by John S. Wilson

You can also get more details here.

To sign up for the Houston expo, click this link and use the coupon code "APN" to save on your admission!

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn how to be better prepared to handle an emergency or a crisis!

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

APN at the Home Safety Prep Tour in Houston

2012-05-11T04:47:00.000-05:00

The American Preppers Network is going to be at the Home Safety Prep Tour 2012 in Houston at Reliant Parkon June 2nd. The sponsors of the Home Safety Prep Tour have graciously donated booth space to the American Preppers Network. The booth will also be staffed by some local Texas preppers who will be looking for preppers who want to take the opportunity to get more organized by developing meetup groups in the area or who may be interested in becoming meetup organizers.

They are going to have some great give-aways and a lot of classes by some very knowledgeable and interesting people. This is a great chance for you to learn how to handle a disaster and meet some local and celebrity experts on preparedness.

You can get more details here.

To sign up for the Houston expo, click this link and use the coupon code "APN" to save on your admission!

Don’t miss out a great opportunity to learn how to be better prepared to handle an emergency or a crisis!

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Special Thank You to JC and Our Supporters

2012-04-27T06:28:00.002-05:00

The Texas Preppers Network would like to say thank you to our supporters. With the continuing support of our members, it is my hope that we can continue our efforts to help everyone become better prepared for all those bumps in the road that seem to pop up now and then as we journey through life.

Thanks go out to the American Preppers Network and their continued support of the Texas Preppers Network. Please take time to check out our forum which is also sponsored by APN.

Special thanks to Getting Started in Emergency Preparedness for being a guest contributor and their continued support of preppers everywhere. Thanks Someone You Know!

Special thanks also go out to JC for his recent and very generous donation to TPN. Thanks JC!

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Tyler Preppers Meetup at Golden Road Park

2012-04-14T07:01:00.001-05:00

The Texas Preppers Network would like to announce the initial meetup of the Tyler Preppers. This meetup will be on Thursday, April 26th, 2012. After the meetup at Martin Creek Lake State Park, head over to Tyler and get to know a few more preppers in the area.

You can check out the meetup or register to attend at this link:

http://www.meetup.com/TylerPreppers/events/58603182/

They will be gathering at the pavilion in Golden Road Park. Bring the whole family. There is a playground near the pavilion with plenty of room for the kids to play. The meet will start at approximately at 6:30 PM and you might want to bring along something to eat or snack on while you are there. They plan to spend some time getting to know one another, introducing new members to the APN and discussing the basic principles of prepping. The organizer of the Tyler Preppers is an RN and also plans to give a brief presentation on preparing for the summer heat. This will include information about the signs and symptoms, treatment, and prevention of heat stroke.

Here is a link to the Golden Road Park website:

http://www.cityoftyler.org/Default.aspx?tabid=213

Current plans are for a meetup of the Tyler Preppers on the 4th Thursday of each month.

The Tyler Preppers hope all the preppers in the Tyler area will take some time out to attend the meetup and get to know each other a little better.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Prepper Meetup at Martin Creek State Park

2012-04-13T06:42:00.001-05:00

This is a reminder for those preppers in the Northeast Region of Texas that there will be a Prepper Meetup on April 20th through April 22nd at Martin Creek Sate Park .

You can also contact Bryan McLaughlin, the organizer of Longview Preppers, for further information at familypreparednessconsulting@gmail.com.

Bryan McLaughlin is the meet up organizer for the North East Texas region.

You can obtain additional information about the meetup here:

http://www.meetup.com/LongviewPreppers/

You can obtain additional information about the state park here:

Martin Creek State Park

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Happy Easter 2012

2012-04-08T08:01:00.002-05:00

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Prepper Group Meetings - Northeast Texas Region - Longview Preppers

2012-03-18T10:30:00.001-05:00

The Northeast Texas Region now has a meetup group in the Longview area that that has been set up for the benefit of preppers in that area. Here is a link to the site where you can find out additional information about scheduled meetups in that area:

http://www.meetup.com/LongviewPreppers/

Are you willing to learn how to get prepared?

Are you willing to promote a positive image of Preppers?

Are you willing to help organize regular scheduled meetups?

Preppers believe that "everyone" should get prepared. Are you willing to be inclusive of others no matter their race, religion, gender, ethnicity etc...?

Tell us what got you interested in prepping and what you would like to see happen with this group. Bryan started out working for a prepper on his ranch while he was in high school. Bryan looks for this group to not only train together on a wide range of skills but to also gain trust and network together.

You can also contact Bryan McLaughlin, the organizer of Longview Preppers, for further information at familypreparednessconsulting@gmail.com.

Bryan McLaughlin is the meet up organizer for the North East Texas region.

Location: Longview, TX

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Protecting Your Loved Ones Against Home Invasion

2012-02-23T22:51:00.000-06:00

As a homeowner and a family man, you may not want to think about what might happen in the event of a home invasion. Of course, the only thing worse than thinking about an invasion is thinking about what could happen to your family and how you could have prevented it. That’s why no matter how good your neighborhood is you should always be prepared.

I have come up with a few tips you can use to help prepare your family.

1. Designate a safe area. Remember that movie “Panic Room” starring Jodie Foster? No? Oh…well, check out IMDB to get a feel for what I’m talking about. Basically, a panic room is described as a hidden room with reinforced walls, supplies and surveillance. It’s a refuge one can escape to in the event of an emergency. You don’t actually need a specific panic room; you just need an area you can lock from the rest of the home to guard against intruders. A bathroom works just as fine. Once you have a safe area picked out, make sure your family knows where it is. It should be in a central location.

2. Pick a safe house. If you have good neighbors, consider coordinating with them and designate their home a safe house, if you have their permission. Basically, their home can serve as a safe place for your family to escape to and call the police from if your home is compromised.

3. Practice, practice, practice. “Drill” might be a better word. Pick a weekend and have your family rush to the designated safe area or safe house. Be sure and time how long it takes, and develop ways you can make the escape routes more efficient if need be. Having a plan means being prepared.

4. Look into some home security. There are plenty of systems on the market and many of them are easy enough for children to use. Ones monitored by ADT, for example, come with keychain remotes that can manually activate and deactivate the system at the press of a button. If your children are in danger, they can even trigger the alarm instantly.

5. Consult with local law enforcement. If anyone is going to have the information you need regarding home invasions, it’s your local police. Take a trip down to the station and ask a few questions. Bring the kids, too, that way you can broach the topic of home invasion without scaring them. The police might even be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to home security systems or even what to buy to help protect your home.

6. Go to the hardware store. Some hardware stores offer different implements you can use to secure doors and windows. Of course, you should consult with the CPSC before you install anything in your home.

Remember, you can’t hide the threat of home invasion from your family and hope to be prepared if it happens. Everyone needs to be on the same page.

Thanks AR.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Heads Up on Texas Vehicle Registration Renewal

2012-02-08T14:49:00.001-06:00

Seems our wonderful State Gov't is now sending out vehicle registration renewal forms over a month before the month of expiration. If you send it back in quickly, they issue you a new annual registration sticker in which you lose one month. So for example, if I mail in my March 2012 renewal, I will receive a February 2013 expiration date.

Practical Prepping - A Common Sense Guide for Preppers - Part Three - Incorporating Change Into Your Lifestyle - The Substitution Method

2012-01-29T07:13:00.002-06:00

Changing your lifestyle can sometimes be a difficult thing to manage. It will require a definite commitment on your part to be effective. You will also need to decide just how big a change you may want to make in your life and how quick you may decide to incorporate that change into your lifestyle.

The hard part of making a change is that we are all creatures of habit. We settle into a comfortable daily routine and go about our daily lives in this “comfort mode” as a result. Suddenly, something unexpected happens and we are forced out of our “comfort mode” at a time when we may not be prepared to deal with a sudden change. The big question here is whether or not you want to small changes now or be forced into making drastic changes later.

The truth of the matter is pretty simple. It’s a lot easier to make small changes than big ones. This creates less disruption to your daily routine and is a simpler process that will enable you to adjust your lifestyle in a manner that will allow you to effectively deal with a crisis. Unfortunately, you will have to change some of your daily routines in order to accomplish this change.

It can be difficult to change our habits but there is a simple way that you can solve this problem. This is where the “Substitution Method” comes into play. It’s a lot easier to substitute one habit for another one. The trick is to substitute a better or more productive habit for one that is less productive. Many times our habits can produce more negative effects than positive ones. By substituting a positive habit for a negative one, we can change our lifestyle in an easier and more direct manner.

Simple things like taking a lunch with you to work instead of eating out each day are just one example. You will save money in the process and probably end up eating healthier as a result. Put the money aside and you change from being a “spender” to a “saver”. You may have even substituted a good habit for a bad one out of convenience or without realizing it. Maybe you used to change the oil on your vehicle and now you’ve gotten into the habit of letting someone else handle this chore. Perhaps it’s time you changed back. You may even want to drag out your travel mug and start taking a cup of coffee with you in the morning instead of paying exorbitant prices at a coffee shop or convenience store.

The end result of changing your negative habits for positive ones is that you will be better able to adjust to change and you may even save some extra money in the process.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Practical Prepping - A Common Sense Guide for Preppers - Part Two - Making A Lifestyle Change

2012-01-02T19:42:00.000-06:00

Common sense tells us that we can’t be prepared for everything. There are simply too many things that can go wrong on an everyday basis to cover them all. Just when you think you have all your bases covered, along comes an event that wasn’t a part of “the plan”. The basic goal you should keep in mind is to minimize these events by making prepping a part of your normal lifestyle.

1. Make prepping a routine activity. When prepping becomes more of a routine activity, it becomes easier to make it a regular part of your normal lifestyle. As a result, you will often be able to minimize the effects of the majority of events that occur on a day to day basis.

2. Keep changes to your normal routine small in the beginning. Radical changes of any type require serious adjustments in your lifestyle. They also require serious planning for them to be successful. Making big changes in your lifestyle may create additional problems you don’t need in the beginning stages. Small changes in your daily routine will cause the least amount of disruption and create fewer distractions to keep you from the goal of becoming better prepared.

3. Make prepping a part of your daily plan. All of our daily routines involve a certain amount of planning. Without realizing it, we plan our normal daily activities to include a variety of simple tasks. Many of these simple tasks are often repeated and form the basis for the “comfort mode” in our lives. Think of prepping as just another routine task in your daily life.

There is a simple method to help you incorporate small changes into your lifestyle with a minimum amount of stress and will be covered in Part Three. This easy-to-use method will help you incorporate small changes into your daily routine that will help you become better prepared for what life may send your way.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Practical Prepping - A Common Sense Guide for Preppers - Part One - An Introduction to Prepping

2011-12-26T10:54:00.002-06:00

Being prepared usually requires more common sense and time than it does money. There are many ways to incorporate prepping into your daily life-style that cost very little but will put you way ahead of the average person. Simple goals are often the easiest to accomplish and will have more benefit for you and your family on an immediate basis.

Focusing on the details, while keeping an eye on the big picture, is not the easiest of tasks. It helps to view it as a jig-saw puzzle whose pieces merely need to be put in place. Being prepared is a goal that will be easier to accomplish if it is broken down into smaller goals.

Prepping also requires a certain amount of organization to be practical. We all experience a certain amount of disorder in our lives. This is often a result of our own doing as well as unexpected circumstances. We have other things that require our immediate attention and these things can often lead us in a different direction than planned originally. Smaller goals will be easier to achieve if we find ourselves getting off the path to preparedness.

One of the easiest and most basic ways to get started in your prepping is to follow the Rule of Three’s.

THE RULE OF THREES

SECURITY

3 seconds: The amount of time you normally have to respond to any threat.

AIR

3 minutes: The amount of time to obtain breathable air.

SHELTER

3 hours: The amount of time before you will need some form of shelter.

WATER

3 days: The amount of time you will have to find safe drinking water.

FOOD

3weeks: The amount of time to find safe and edible food.

COMPANIONSHIP

3 months: The amount of time before you will need contact with other people.

Using the Rule of Threes, you can now establish your short term goals and get started with your prepping. Most people have limited resources that will affect their level of preparation. Start by examining your current resources in each of these critical areas and organize your efforts accordingly. Look for areas in your current resources that may be lacking and work to improve their status in your preparations. Many of the resources that will be required may already exist. They merely need to be organized in a manner so that they will be readily available when needed.

Time is another important consideration when being prepared. While being prepared for the long term is admirable, it is usually impractical and difficult to achieve for the average person who is focused on being prepared. Focus on being prepared for the short term and slowly increase your levels of preparedness. Eventually, you will reach your long term goals.

Plan to get prepared by being more organized, utilizing more of your current resources and managing your time more efficiently to reach your preparedness goals. If you incorporate preparedness into your everyday lifestyle and make it a part of your daily routine, being prepared is a lot easier to accomplish.

Riverwalker

Merry Christmas from the Texas Preppers Network

2011-12-23T09:48:00.005-06:00

Painted Church in Texas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

everyone

from

the

TEXAS PREPPERS NETWORK

and

RIVERWALKER

Wild Hogs in Texas

2011-12-18T07:32:00.008-06:00

We have this problem at the compound but are not unique whatsoever. Got night vision?

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/A-Plague-of-Pigs-in-Texas.html?&submitted=y#comments_submitted

The good thing is they are quite tasty on the barbie...lol

Check out the VA Home Loan Rates currently available.

Frugal Prepping - Starting An Emergency Fund - The Spare Change Method

2011-12-04T06:25:00.005-06:00

In order to be prepared, you should expect the unexpected. Things happen that will disrupt your life and they usually occur at the worst possible time. This is what creates the need for a basic emergency fund. You will need to prepare for these unseen emergencies to enable you to avoid a major disruption to your lifestyle. Having extra money set aside is one of the best solutions
for this problem.

There are many types of financial situations where you will need extra funds to get you through a crisis. This could be anything from the loss of your job, increased medical expenses or emergency repairs to your home or vehicle. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you have to rely on credit cards, personal loans or other similar types of credit which could actually increase your financial problems.

Now starting an emergency fund won’t be easy for the average person. It will be especially difficult if you are living paycheck to paycheck. If you don’t have an emergency fund, the hardest part is getting started. If you find it hard to put aside extra money, you will need to start slowly and work to build a decent emergency fund. This will take time but if you set manageable goals for yourself, you will be able to eventually build your emergency fund up to a point where you will have several months worth of expenses covered by money you've set aside. If you take things one step at a time, you will have a better chance of reaching your goals.

Unfortunately, extra money is hard to come by when you are living paycheck to paycheck. If this the case in your situation, one of the easiest ways to build an emergency fund is the spare change method. There's an old saying " Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." Saving spare change is one of the simplest ways to save money for an emergency fund. It doesn't require a lot of sacrifice on your part. If given the right amount of attention, you will soon find yourself accumulating the additional money to build a substantial emergency fund.

Just keep a small container of some sort at home and in your vehicle and dump the change from your pockets each day. Don't bother to count it each time or you may find yourself tempted to spend it before it can grow. Once your storage container gets full of spare change, just transfer it to your emergency fund.

You will be surprised just how much extra money can be accumulated in this manner.

Got spare change?

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Interesting but for the drought

2011-11-21T07:04:00.000-06:00

BLUFFTON, Texas (AP) — Johnny C. Parks died two days before his first birthday more than a century ago. His grave slipped from sight along with the rest of the tiny town of Bluffton when Lake Buchanan was filled 55 years later.

Now, the cracked marble tombstone engraved with the date Oct. 15, 1882, which is normally covered by 20 to 30 feet of water, has been eerily exposed as a yearlong drought shrinks one of Texas' largest lakes.

RTRH:

http://news.yahoo.com/depleted-texas-lakes-expose-ghost-towns-graves-182124788.html

Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-11T04:27:00.003-06:00

Take time today to say thank you to a veteran for their service and their sacrifice.

Thanks.

SPECIAL WEATHER UPDATE - FREEZE ON FRIDAY

2011-11-03T06:52:00.002-05:00

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX

704 AM CDT WED NOV 2 2011

...FREEZING TO NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE HILL COUNTRY...AND THE ADJACENT LOW LYING AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FRIDAY MORNING...

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE IN THE HILL COUNTRY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND PUSH THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP RAPIDLY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT AS WINDS INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH. THE COLD AND GUSTY WINDS WILL COMBINE TO CREATE WIND CHILLS IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY BY SUNRISE THURSDAY. WIND CHILLS IN THE 30S TO NEAR 40 CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ALONG THE COLD FRONT THIS EVENING.THEY WILL BE MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE I35 CORRIDOR.

A COLD DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS THURSDAY AND SETTLE OVER THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. CLEAR SKIES AND SUBSIDING WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR AN IDEAL NIGHT OF RADIATIONAL COOLING. TEMPERATURES IN THE HILL COUNTRY WILL FALL TO NEAR FREEZING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...AND FALL BELOW FREEZING INTO THE UPPER 20S BY SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING. THE ADJACENT AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS COULD ALSO EXPERIENCE NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES BY SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING. LOW LYING AREAS IN THE HILL COUNTRY AND THE ADJACENT AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS WILL BE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE FREEZING OR NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES FRIDAY MORNING. A WARM UP IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE WEEKEND AS WARMER GULF BREEZES RETURN TO THE AREA.

PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT TENDER PLANTS AND VEGETATION FROM THE COLD TEMPERATURES THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. IN THE HILL COUNTRY...EXPOSED OUTSIDE PIPES AND FAUCETS SHOULD ALSO BE COVERED OR WRAPPED DUE TO A MORE PROLONGED FREEZE.

BE AWARE. BE INFORMED. BE PREPARED.

RIVERWALKER

Bastrop Fire Victims - Helping Those in Need

2011-09-20T05:15:00.005-05:00

Texas finally got enough rain last weekend to help firefighters control some of the wildfires in Texas. This includes the devastating and very destructive wildfire in the Bastrop area that has been burning for several weeks. As of Monday, the Bastrop fire was approximately 95 percent under control according to officials with the Texas Forest Service. The Bastrop fires began Labor Day weekend approximately 30 miles east of Austin, Texas and has since burned more than 34,000 acres and destroyed more than 1500 homes in the area. While recent rains have helped somewhat, ninety-five percent of Texas is still in the grip of an extreme drought.

The Texas Preppers Network along with the American Preppers Network is currently making a donation of $100 each to two families that have lost their homes due to the fires in the Bastrop area. I wish to express my thanks to everyone at the American Preppers Network for their help and efforts. Hopefully, as more funds become available, the Texas Preppers Network can make more funds available to help with the relief efforts in the Bastrop area for the families who have become victims of this devastating wildfire.

My thanks to all of those who have made a donation to the Texas Preppers Network.

Be Aware. Be Informed. Be Prepared.

Riverwalker

How To Stay Cool During Rolling Black Outs

2011-08-06T09:45:00.004-05:00

No doubt that many of you have heard that Texas is on the verge of rolling black outs due to the immense amount of energy being used to keep cool homes. According to an article, one megawatt powers about 200 homes in Texas during hot weather when air conditioners are running for long periods. With the entire country going through a heat wave, it’s no wonder that the energy levels are out of control. Although I am hoping these blackouts will come to pass, I feel we need to prepare ourselves for this possibility and do what we can to decrease our energy usage, as uncomfortable as that may be. Preparation, after all, provides us with the peace of mind to hope for the best.

Prepare for the Problem

To be proactive, begin using perishable foods in the freezer and refrigerator to minimize food spoilage. Also, to keep items as cool as possible during rolling black, limit the amount of times the refrigerator or freezer door is opened. If you are concerned that the meat may spoil, preserve it beforehand, by either the canning method or the dehydration method.

Freeze soda bottles filled with water and when the rolling blackouts occur, place the frozen soda bottles in the refrigerator to maintain the optimum temperature.

Stay indoors and try and keep your body temperature as cool as possible. See tips below.

Close window blinds and curtains to keep the heat out.

If the home is too hot to stay in, try and beat the heat and head to the local pool.

Stay Cool

After exposure to extreme heat for extended periods, the body loses its ability to cool down naturally through sweating and evaporative cooling. Because heat-related deaths are preventable, people need to be aware of who is at greatest risk and what actions can be taken to prevent a heat-related illness or death. The elderly, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases are at highest risk. Remember to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. If you exhibit any of the symptoms listed below, be sure get to a cool location, and if symptoms persist, seek medical attention.

Dizziness

Severe headache

Nausea

Hot, dry skin without sweat

High pulse rate

High body temperature

Unconsciousness

Fatigue

Slurred speech or hallucinations

Typically, the duration of the black outs may only be for an hour or so. During that time, follow these tips to stay cool:

Wet your hair. Just like you lose the most heat from your head during winter, you can apply the same principle in the heat. Wet all your hair, or just all along the hairline in a pinch. The evaporation of the water will cool your head (though it may make your hair a bit frizzy if it’s curly!).

Take a cool bath. Taking a cool bath will lower your body temperature and relax you at the same time. When the air hits the wet skin, it will create a cooking sensation.

Wear a bandanna. A water-soaked bandanna or cool cloth tied around your neck or placed on your head will help lower your body temperature. Another option is to wear a wet terrycloth headband on your forehead.

Keep a spritz bottle filled with water in the refrigerator. When you’re feeling hot, mist your face and neck a few times with the cold water for instant relief. If you have a battery operated fan, you can use this to cool off further. As you mist and fan yourself, the water is evaporated on you skin and cools you off instantly.

Stay in the lowest part of your home. Downstairs is the coolest part of the home. If you have a multiple story home, limit your time upstairs.

Learn From the Experience

If we can use these brief interruptions from our modern day conveniences as a rehearsal for short and long-term emergencies, then we can use it as a learning experience towards being better prepared for hot weather during emergencies. As uncomfortable as this energy conservation method may be, using the above stated tips and staying as healthy as possible during the black outs will make this a short-lived minor inconvenience.

By: Tess Pennington

Thanks Tess for a very timely and informative post. RW

The 4 Most Likely Ways You Can Die if the SHTF

2011-07-26T06:26:00.003-05:00

The subject of survival in a long term disaster goes beyond having stockpiles of beans, bullets and band-aids. Those that do survive during a long term emergency will no doubt be tried and tested with a great many things. One of those trying scenarios is dealing with death.

Zombie attacks seem to be a prevalent theme for preppers to prepare for. In fact, the CDC has even posted a preparedness article on how to ward off zombie attacks. While I believe these zombies will likely take the form of substance abusers, mental patients, chronically ill or diseased, and desperate individuals whose basic needs have not been met, they will die out in the first few months of an onset of a major disaster, and there presence will rarely be an issue in a long term situation.

In reality, a majority of those that will die during a long-term disaster will be from illnesses brought on by acute respiratory infections due to cramped living conditions, poor water conditions (or lack of), or bacterial infections from wounds. If we survive a major disaster, America would become a third world country and the aftermath of such a scenario will be similar to those living in Africa, Ethiopia and India.

Illness Due to Poor Water Conditions

Typically, any diseases that are brought on by lack of sanitation and hygiene are controllable and preventable. In a disaster where water sources are compromised, people within a 50 mile radius could be adversely impacted by illness and disease if just one person incorrectly handles water or incorrectly disposes of waste. Contaminated water, poor sanitation and/or lack of hygiene leads to diseases such as Hepatitis A, viral gastroenteritis, cholera, Shigellosis, typhoid, Diphtheria and polio. If these diseases affect enough people, an epidemic will ensue.

Dehydration and diarrhea are also water-related matters to contend with. Those without adequate water conditions and/or are suffering from disease brought on by poor water conditions could quickly dehydrate. These types of illnesses typically affect at-risk populations such as children, the sick and the elderly. Young children in particular are at high risk for diarrhea and other food- and waterborne illnesses because of limited pre-existing immunity and behavioral factors such as frequent hand-to-mouth contact. The greatest risk to an infant with diarrhea and vomiting is dehydration. In addition, fever or increased ambient temperature increases fluid losses and speeds dehydration. Having knowledge beforehand on how to properly clean drinking water and food, and the symptomology and treatment of these types of diseases can prevent further outbreaks from occurring.

Recommended preparedness items: water filtration systems, water purification tablets, chlorine granules, bleach, electrolyte or rehydration powders, anti-diarrhea medicines.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition from either improper water conditions or from lack of nutrients is also a large killer amongst those in impoverished communities. Medical experts say there is a symbiotic relationship between malnutrition and diarrhea. Malnutrition increases the severity of diarrhea while diarrhea can cause malnutrition. Either way, prevention for both of these health issues is key.

Those that are malnourished are more susceptible to illness and disease. Individuals who are malnourished will also be vitamin deficient and their health is likely to regress further. Those who survive from malnutrition are permanently affected by this disease and may suffer from recurring sickness, faltering growth, poor brain development, increased tooth decay, reduced strength and work capacity, and increased chance of chronic diseases in adulthood. Adult women with this condition will give birth to underweight babies.

Recommended preparedness items: dietary supplements, vitamin powders, seeds for sprouting or seeds for fresh vegetables and fruits, survival bars, knowledge of alternative means to attain vitamins.

Acute Respiratory Infections

Upper respiratory infections (URI) will also be a leading cause of death in a long term disaster. Upper respiratory infections include: colds, flu, sore throat, coughs and bronchitis can usually be cured with additional liquids, rest and nourishment. Allowing the illness to exacerbate will lead to secondary infections such as bacterial pneumonia. The germs from pneumonia are easily spread from an infected person to others by coughing or sneezing or through close contact. A major concern about respiratory infections is that there are many drug resistant strands of viruses, bacteria and diseases (including tuberculosis), that regular medicine will not cure. In a long term disaster situation, many could perish.

To properly prepare for this type of medical situation, learn about the more prevalent viruses and bacteria in your country and how to prevent them in order to provide a healthy living environment in a long term situation.

Not only are URI’s a concern but other air-borne diseases such as tuberculosis will likely fester during a long term scenario. In regular non-SHTF times, treatment for tuberculosis requires 6-12 months of medication. In a long term emergency, chances of surviving tuberculosis are slim. The best way to prevent tuberculosis is adequate nutrition, vitamin D and living in a properly ventilated shelter.

Survival groups that have multiple people living under one roof will only increase the likelihood of passing air-borne infections and diseases to one another. In addition, those in an at-risk group (elderly, immuno-deficient, infants) are more likely to catch illnesses. If a survival group is sharing a home, an infirmary or sick room should be prepared for those who have fallen ill. Isolating the person who is ill will limit exposure to the other members of the group. Adequate nutrition, water, rest, good sanitary practices and ventilation of the home is essential in curbing this.

Recommended preparedness items: decongestants, expectorants, upper respiratory medicines, antibiotics (for secondary and bacterial infections), knowledge on medicinal herbs, prepare a sick room at your survival homestead.

Infections From Wounds

Open injuries have the potential for serious bacterial wound infections, including gas gangrene and tetanus, and these in turn may lead to long term disabilities, chronic wound or bone infection, and death. Anitibiotics will be few and far between and will be more precious than gold. Without proper medicines, antiseptic and knowledge on proper medical procedures, many will die of bacterial infections. Learning medical skills, gaining knowledge on natural medicines and alternative medical antiseptic (i.e., Dakin’s Solution) before a disaster occurs could help people survive from wound infections. Also, ensuring the area that you treat medical emergencies is clean and as sterile as possible may also prevent bacterial infections.

Recommended preparedness items: stock up on maxi pads for wound absorption, gauze, celox, antibiotics, suture needles and other basic first aid supplies.

Additionally, consider developing the following skills: basic first aid class, sign up for EMT classes in your community, an off-grid medical care class such as those offered by onPoint Tactical. Also, consider investing in books such as When There is No Doctor and When There is No Dentist.

Also look into making your own antiseptics utilizing alcohol distillation, such as the custom made units from LNL Protekt.

These illnesses (provided above) have impacted countries all over the world. These illness and conditions, coupled with unsanitary living conditions such as substandard sanitation, inadequate food and water supplies and poor hygiene, make disaster-affected people especially vulnerable to disease. These illnesses will affect us no matter what part of the world we live in, what socio-economic status we currently hold, and no matter how prepared we think we are.

Understanding what can happen and being prepared when it does is absolutely essential. The last thing we want to do when a serious condition arises is to panic. Preparing your supplies, developing your skills and educating the rest of your family and preparedness group on how to prevent, identify and counteract these serious conditions will provide a significant boost to your ability to survive if the worst happens.

Written by Tess Pennington

Tess Pennington is a guest contributor of the Texas Preppers Network. Thanks Tess.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Prepping and Preparedness - Life As We Know It

2011-06-26T07:45:00.002-05:00

Our life as we know it is clearly being assaulted on a number of fronts until it seems that civilization is at the verge of collapse. Our own dependence on the trappings of what many consider a civilized society is our biggest enemy. Its effects on you and your family can be lessened or avoided with a decent amount of preparation ahead of time. On the other hand, you may have decided to let the institutions that control our civilized society take care of your problems. If so, you may be in for a rude awakening to the reality of our situation.

Let’s consider a variety of present day situations that can affect our lives.

1. While we are able to predict the occurrence of certain natural events to some extent, we do not have the ability to stop them from happening. Major flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters will continue to threaten our existence and without a proper amount of planning ahead of time will be an even greater threat to your survival. Our society is already crippled by an inability of our institutions to respond to these threats in an efficient manner. The strain which has been placed on our emergency services by these natural events has already been seen in recent events over the past few decades.

2. While we have one of the better systems of emergency services of any civilized society, it is increasingly burdened with a greater number of events and more people that need those services. As the population continues to increase and the severity of natural disasters, which also seems to be on the rise, increases, our emergency services which have been hindered by a lack of resources themselves due to a lack of adequate funding, mismanagement and an increase of government “red tape” will eventually be unable to keep up.

3. While our government institutions are largely responsible for a number of policies that affect our everyday lives, they are not the only ones responsible for our current situation. Many private institutions also have a role in these problems. Corporations driven by greed that are seeking ever larger profits continue to do so at the expense of those who have come to depend on their products and services without regards to the true cost of their actions.

4. As our population increases, there will be even greater demands on our food and energy resources. Shortages of food and fuel are already commonplace events in many parts of the world and we shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking we are immune from those same shortages. The availability of these resources is continuing to decline and will eventually put us on a collision course with disaster.

5. We are also beginning to suffer the effects of an aging infrastructure that has been neglected to the point where we may not be able to fix the problem without drastic measures. This will only increase the cost of maintaining many of our basic services that are now taken for granted. Water supply systems, sewage systems, electrical power systems and many of our transportation systems (highways and bridges) are failing and very little if anything is being done to alleviate this problem and is being largely ignored until something actually does fail.

6. All of the above factors continue to place a severe strain on our economic situation as well. You also need to consider the effects of high unemployment rates, low wages and inflation rates that affect the cost of basic needs such as housing, food and fuel. Many of our basic institutions continue to ignore these problems and rely on government hand-outs to correct fiscally irresponsible business practices or rely on government printing presses to furnish the funds for reckless spending levels which are unsustainable.

It is this basic inability of our institutions, both public and private, to deal with these problems and situations in an appropriate manner that puts us in this rather precarious situation of needing to be prepared.

Be aware, Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Hacked!

2011-06-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

After several years of having a posted email on my website, someone has decided to hack my account and send out unauthorized emails to persons on my contact list.

Apparently my email account has been hacked by some sort of social networking or messenger site. It's sending invites to people who I have sent emails to or received emails from at one time or another.

My apologies to everyone for this problem.

Please do not respond to these unsolicited emails. Mark them as spam or delete them.

I am working to solve this problem on my end.

Apparently this is affecting a lot of persons other than myself, including gmail users as well.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Secure it is.

2011-06-10T13:06:00.001-05:00

My fellow Texans need to be aware of the escalation going on.

Pickdog

Short Term Emergency Check List

2011-06-04T02:53:00.006-05:00

ESSENTIALS:

Flashlight

Battery-operated radio

2-way radio or other form of communication

Extra Batteries

First Aid Kit (one for your home and one for each car)

Note: As a precaution, do not include candles. Candles cause more fires after a disaster.

WATER:

3 gallons of water per person, minimum, in a food-grade, plastic container

Water purification tablets

Additional water for sanitation

FOOD:

Minimum 5-day supply of non-perishable food that requires no refrigeration or preparation and little or no water

Dry cereal

Peanut butter

Canned fruits

Canned vegetables

Canned juice

Ready-to-eat canned meats

Ready-to-eat soups (not concentrated)

Quick energy snacks

SANITATION:

Disinfectant

Household chlorine bleach

Soap, liquid detergent

Toilet paper, towelettes, paper towels

Personal hygiene items

Cloth towels (at least 3)

Feminine supplies

Plastic bucket with tight lid

Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation use)

CLOTHING:

Plastic garbage bags, ties

Sunglasses

Rain gear

Sturdy shoes or work boots

Blankets or sleeping bags

Complete change of clothing and footwear per person

TOOLS & SUPPLIES:

Whistle

Aluminum foil

Crowbar

Compass

Paper, pencil

Plastic sheeting

Medicine dropper

Needles, thread

Signal flare

Matches in a waterproof container

Assorted nails, wood screws

Pliers, screwdriver, hammer

Plastic storage containers

Heavy cotton or hemp rope

Cash, traveler’s checks, change

Map of the area

Non-electric can opener, utility knife

Cell phone with charger

Mess kits, or paper cups, plates and plastic utensils

Tape, duct tape and plumber’s tape or strap iron

Patch kit and can of seal-in-air for tires

Shut off wrench, to turn off household gas and water

FOR BABY:

Formula

Diapers

Bottles

Medication

Powdered milk

Baby food

PETS:

Food, water

Non-tippable food and water containers

Leash, harness, carrier

Records of vaccinations

Pet medications

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:

Important telephone numbers

Record of bank account numbers

Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)

Inventory of household valuables

Copy of will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stock and bonds

Records of credit card account numbers and companies

Copy of passport, social security cards and immunization records

FAMILY MEDICAL NEEDS:

Insulin

Prescription drugs in original containers

Heart and high blood pressure needs

Denture needs

Extra eye glasses

Contact lenses and supplies

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

Family photos

Jewelry

Irreplaceable personal items

Thanks to Tess Pennington at www.readynutrition.com for putting this short term emergency checklist together.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker