What Do You Do?

The likelihood that you will survive a long-term emergency depends largely on survival planning done today. Planning and preparation will enable you to react to a developing situation quickly and safely. 

If a disaster strikes in your community, you might not have access to food, water, or electricity for several days. You may think that you will have enough time to run to the grocery store, but stores quickly sell out of important supplies following emergency warnings. Preparing emergency kits for your family is an important step in keeping them safe and healthy during a disaster.

Because your family may not be together when a disaster strikes it is important to create a plan in advance. Your plan should include:

• How you will get to a safe place
• How you will contact each other
• How you will get back together
• What you will do in different situations

It’s never too early to create a survival plan for you and your entire family - but if you wait it may be too late.

Water Storage

Water is an essential element to survival and a necessary item in an emergency supplies kit. Following a disaster, clean drinking water may not be available. Your regular water source could be cut-off or compromised through contamination. Prepare yourself by building a supply of water that will meet your family’s needs during an emergency.

A common recommendation is that you should store one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation. A medical emergency might require additional water. If you live in a warm weather climate more water may be necessary. In very hot temperatures, water needs can double. Don’t forget to include your pets and livestock when calculating how much water you will need during an emergency.

There are other things that you may need water for during an emergency. For example, it takes 1.5 to 2-gallons of water to flush a toilet. When there is no water coming into your home you can still flush your toilet by pouring water into the bowl, or by filling the tank and flushing as normal. If you plan to use your toilet during an emergency, be sure to have a water supply with which to flush it.

The most basic water storage is a 5 - 7-gallon container, such as the Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon Rigid Water Container. Larger storage containers such as a 35-Gallon Water Tank, or the Augason Farms 55-gallon Emergency Water Storage Kit are available to increase your water storage at home. Even when storing water in larger containers, I recommend that you have at least one 5 - 7-gallon container of water per person to allow a small supply of water to be carried with you if you are forced to evacuate your home.

35-Gallon Water Tank

A US gallon of water weighs about 3.78 kilograms or 8.34 pounds at 62 °F (17 °C). A 55-gallon barrel of water weighs about 209 kilograms or 459 pounds. So, be sure that wherever you are storing your water can support the increase in weight. Even a 7-gallon container of water weighs 26 kilograms (60 pounds), so you are not going to carry this if you have to evacuate on foot, but it is reasonable to add a 7-gallon container of water to your vehicle if you are able to drive out of the evacuation area.

When storing water, it is good to use household chlorine bleach to disinfect water from any questionable source. Store a bottle of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach (label should say it contains 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite) to disinfect your water, if necessary, and to use for general cleaning and sanitizing.

Add a container of water to your preparedness supplies today. It’s simple to do, but an essential if your regular supply of water becomes unavailable or contaminated.

Augason Farms 55-gallon Emergency Water Storage Kit

.300 AAC Blackout

The .300 AAC Blackout (also known as 7.62×35mm) is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States by Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) for use in the M4 carbine. Its purpose is to achieve ballistics similar to the 7.62×39mm Russian cartridge in an AR-15 while using standard AR-15 magazines at their normal capacity. The .300 AAC Blackout uses the same lower receiver, magazines, and accessories as the standard AR-15 rifle; you need only swap out the barrel for one chambered in .300 AAC Blackout to convert your AR-15 from 5.56 NATO to .300 AAC Blackout. 

For those who want the power of the Russian 7.62x39mm Russian (AK-47) cartridge, but like the AR-15 style rifle, the .300 AAC Blackout is the way to go. The shooting results shown here, demonstrate that there is very little difference between the 7.62x35mm cartridge and the 7.62x39mm cartridge. 

So, the question comes down to whether you prefer the AR or the AK style of rifle. And, of course, whether .300 AAC Blackout ammunition is available to you. 

Hidden and Disguised Weapons

In the Hávámal, Odin specifically instructs men never to go about unarmed, as a man will never know when he will meet danger, and have need of a weapon. However, one may not always carry a weapon openly, nor is it always desirable to do so. A hidden or disguised weapon can often give you an advantage against an attacker who makes the mistake of believing you to be unarmed and therefore an easy victim.  And, in today’s world filled with hoplophobes and oppressive governments that seek to disarm their citizens, a hidden or disguised weapon may be your best option to carry with you each day.

So, here are just a few hidden and disguised weapons that you may find of interest...

Outdoor Edge Para-Claw Paracord Bracelet

Spyderco Dog Tag Plain Edge Folder with 1.23" Blade

Carbon Fiber Folding Knife

Bench Mark Belt Buckle Knife

NAA Mini Revolver

Coin Sap

Benchmade - SOCP Dagger, Skelentonized Dagger

Stun Gun and Led Rechargeable Flashlight

SOG Key Knife (1.5" Blade)

Iain Sinclair Cardsharp2 Credit Card Sized Folding Knife 

Hoffman Richter Stinger Tactical Pen

SABRE 3-IN-1 Pepper Spray

United Defense Self Defense Cane

Ka-Bar TDI Law Enforcement Tanto Knife

Security Awareness Courses (Free & On-Line)

Security threats may be physical, such as workplace violence, active shooters, and terrorist attacks; or they may be cyber-threats, such as hackers, phishing, and cyber-stalking. Regardless of what type of threat we may face, we must first understand the threat in order to mitigate it. This is where security awareness training becomes important. 

There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of security awareness courses on-line. Some of these are free, others cost money. Some of the courses are worth your time, and others perhaps not so much. The American government has published several security awareness courses on-line, most of which are available to the general public, for free.

Here are a few courses that can help develop your security awareness. 

IS-906: Workplace Security Awareness (1 hour)

This course provides guidance to individuals and organizations on how to improve the security in your workplace. No workplace-be it an office building, construction site, factory floor, or retail store-is immune from security threats. Employees are often the target of these threats as well as the organization's first line of defense against them. Threats endanger the confidentiality, integrity, and security of your workplace, as well as your virtual workplace and computer systems. This course presents information on how employees can contribute to your organization's security.

IS-907: Active Shooter: What You Can Do (1 hour)

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and other populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.

Active Shooter Prevention Training with OSHA Message - YouTube Video (27 minutes)

JS-US007 - Level I Antiterrorism Awareness Training (2 hrs)

The purpose of this training is to increase your awareness of terrorism and to improve your ability to apply personal protective measures. It also provides links to resources you can use in the future.

AWR 187-W - Terrorism and WMD Awareness in the Workplace (30 minutes)

This Web-based "Terrorism 101" course prepares learners to successfully recognize, report, and react to potential terrorist incidents. In the first two lessons, learners develop a broad understanding of terrorism, including a definition of terrorism as well as examples of terrorist groups and targets. In addition, learners gain insight into the importance of protecting private sector resources through awareness-level training. The last two lessons list various weapons of mass destruction (WMD), relay indicators of potential terrorist activity, and outline actions to be taken in the event of a potential terrorist attack.

Cybersecurity Awareness (1 hour)

The course introduces the automated information systems (AIS) environment and the threats and vulnerabilities faced when working within the government or defense industrial systems. It provides a working knowledge of cyber intrusion methods and cybersecurity countermeasures to assist employees in preventing cyber-attacks and protecting their systems and information.

Cyber Security (Udemy) (2.5 hours)

The Udemy Cyber Security course aims to provide well-rounded, entry level information relating to important terms and the ideas supporting Internet security practices. The MOOC is instructed by DeVry University and Professor Robert Bunge. Starting with threat analysis and risk management, additional lessons explore core technologies such as encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. Cloud security is also featured, as are incident response, disaster recovery, and how to conduct cyber exercises.

Cybersecurity (TEEX) (Multiple Courses)

The web-based courses are offered through three discipline-specific tracks: general, non-technical computer users; technical IT professionals; and business managers and professionals.

New York State Citizen Preparedness Corps (2 hours)

New York State is offering two-hour training courses for residents to have the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. (This on-line course is available in Russian.) 

Your Family Emergency Communications Plan

When disaster strikes it is quite likely that all members of your family will not be at the same location. Some may be at work, children may be at school, others family members may be traveling or simply away from home for the day.

The first step in creating an emergency communications plan is to select three meeting places where everyone will gather if you can’t go to your home.

1. In Your Neighborhood - Choose a place in your neighborhood where your family members will meet if there is a fire or other emergency and you need to leave your home. This could be under the big tree at the end of your driveway, the 24-hour market down the block, or the gazebo in the city park at the end of the street. Just be sure that this location is close and easily accessible by all members of your family.

2. Outside of your neighborhood - This is a place where your family will meet if a disaster happens when you’re not at home and you can’t get back to your home. This could be a library, community center, house of worship, or family friend’s home.

3. Out of the Area - Having an out-of-town meeting place can help you reunite if a disaster happens and:

• You cannot get home or to your out-of-neighborhood meeting place; or 
• Your family is not together and your community is instructed to evacuate the area.

This meeting place could be the home of a relative or family friend. Make sure everyone knows the address of the meeting place and discuss ways you would get there.

The next step in your emergency communications plan is to review your various communication options. Many people carry mobile phones, and when the cellular network is up and running the mobile phone provides a quick and efficient means of communication. During a disaster however, mobile phone circuits can become quickly overloaded, and lack of power or destruction of cell-towers can cause the network to fail.

As the cellular network becomes more congested, SMS (Text) messages will get through when voice calls fail. During a disaster, all members of your family should send their location and status (condition) by text message. Be sure that everyone knows how to send a group message, so that all family members can stay informed about everyone’s welfare, location, and planned actions.

Keep charged batteries (a power pack), a car phone charger, and a solar charger available for backup power for your mobile phone. Make it a point to keep your mobile phone batteries charged, so that you begin each day with a fully charged battery.

Consider other means of communication if the cellular network fails completely. I previously wrote about GoTenna  as a way to use your mobile phone off of the mobile network. Think about adding FRS, PMR, GMRS, or CB radio to your communications plan. Amateur (HAM) Radio is an excellent means of communication, but it can be a little bit expensive to set up, and everyone will need to get their HAM radio license.  If you choose to add radios to your family emergency communications plan, be sure that everyone is clear on what channel / frequency to operate, and when to make and listen for calls. Practice running your family radio net so that everyone is comfortable using the radios. There can be a bit more to emergency radio communication than push button and talk.

When using radio communications, you will want to conserve your battery power as much as possible. The "Wilderness Protocol" is to monitor specific frequencies Every 3 hours starting from 0700 hours - on the hour until 5 (five) minutes past the hour. (7:00- 7:05 AM, 10:00 - 10:05 AM, ... 10:00 - 10:05 PM). An alternative timing is 0655 to 0705, etc. 5 before until 5 after to allow for differences in peoples watch settings). You can always listen for longer if you want, and if you have a good source of power.

When trying to make initial radio contact, monitoring and transmitting your call for five to ten minutes every three hours can extend your battery life for several days. Once you have made initial contact, you may want to change to radio contact to once per day - say at 11:00 every morning. If you lose contact, such as by missing two consecutive check-ins, return to the Wilderness Protocol until radio contact is re-established.

The Wilderness Protocol is not just limited to radios. If you don’t have a way to keep your mobile phone batteries charged, then maybe you only turn it on every three hours to send and receive text messages.

Use the Internet to communicate by email, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media networks. These communication channels allow you to share information quickly with a widespread audience or to find out if loved ones are OK. The Internet can also be used for telephone calls through Voice over Internet Protocol. As soon as you get outside of the area most affected by a disaster, it is quite likely that there will be some sort of Internet access available. Include the Internet as part of your communications planning.

Designate an out-of-area emergency contact person. This person should be well out of your local area, so that any disaster affecting you and your family is unlikely to also affect your emergency contact. An out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate with separated family members simply because they aren't in the midst of the disaster situation. If your family can not all get together at one of your three designated meeting places, at least the out of area contact person will be able to serve as a centralized point of contact for everyone until the disaster is over and your family can be reunited. Everyone in the family contacts the out of state designated contact. This person is able to give an update on everyone who has yet to call in, and how everyone is doing. They are the central source of information.

Write out contact telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and your family communications protocols, and keep this on a laminated card in your wallet. Yes, all of this information may be stored in your mobile phone, but what happens if your phone is lost or broken and you are trying to contact your family using a telephone at an emergency shelter.

Every family emergency communications plan will be unique. So build your plan, test it, and practice it regularly.

Herbal Medicine for Survival and Self-Reliance

Despite the progressive development of contemporary medicine, the majority of Russian citizens prefer "grandmother’s" tried and tested remedies to cure diseases, and there are many different recipes for non-traditional medicine in existence. Despite the fact that many Russian doctors actively encourage people to consult a specialist for their ailments, many Russians still prefer to heal themselves to this day. In Ancient Rus, wise men and healers were worth their weight in gold: They were the ones who knew the secrets of the wonderful influence that herbs can have on the human body. Later on, beginning around the 11th century, monasteries in Ancient Rus became healing centers, where medicinal plants would be harvested and medicinal recipes put together.

Herbalists exist in Russia to this day. Moreover, they enjoy great success in contemporary Russia - especially among the elderly. Healing with the use of herbs has steadily become a business industry in Russia and herbal centers have appeared in many Russian cities in recent years.

For those of us with an interest in survival and self-reliance, herbal medicine is an important part of the skills we seek to develop. Being able to care for ourselves and our families in remote areas, and treat illnesses and injuries makes us more self-sufficient and able to survive without the need to rely on government run hospitals and clinics.

Someone wishing to become a master herbalist or naturopathic healer can spend years in training and invest millions of rubles in their education. For most of us however, we are not becoming professional healers, rather we need to develop the knowledge and skill to treat the most common illnesses and injuries that may affect us and our families from time to time.

There are books that address this particular topic, such as:

• Survival Medicine: Learn How to Heal Yourself at Home or In the Wilderness
  
• Kitchen Medicine: Household Remedies for Common Ailments and Domestic Emergencies
  
• Prepper's Natural Medicine: Life-Saving Herbs, Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for When There is No Doctor
  
• Herbal Medicine Natural Remedies: 150 Herbal Remedies to Heal Common Ailments
  
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
  
• Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal

These are just a few examples. There are many others good survival medicine and herbal healing books that you can find at your local book store or library. It is certainly worth reading a few of these books and making note of those things that we can apply in our own lives.

There are also on-line videos that introduce herbal medicine for survival and self-reliance. A couple of my favorites are:

• Survival Lilly - Herbal Medicine YouTube Videos
  
• Pathfinder School - Materia Medica YouTube Videos

To develop a greater depth of knowledge, completing courses in herbal medicine will certainly be beneficial. The courses listed below begin with two free self-study programs, and then include three more formal courses that cost around $500 (25,000 - 30,000 rubles) each. Following one of the formal courses can help build a strong foundation in herbal medicine that can then be further developed through self-study.

• Natural Health School (Free) A Self-Study Course in Herbalism
• Beginner Herbal Studies Program (Free)
• The Herbal Academy ($590) Family Herbalist Package
• Herbal Medicine Making Course ($529)
• School of Natural Healing ($495 / $295 on-line material only) Family Herbalist Course

A few examples of herbal medicine, from products you can find in your local grocery store include:

1. Ginger - Ginger aids the digestion, quells nausea, and relieves stomach spasms.  It is an effective treatment for travel sickness and can also be used effectively for morning sickness during pregnancy. Ginger tea is effective in relieving sore throat, sinus congestion and coughing during the flu or a cold.  You can increase its effectiveness by combining ginger with lemon juice, flax jelly, and honey in the treatment of colds and flu. Ginger is effective in increasing circulation when used externally.  Make a massage oil by combining a ginger oil, bees wax, olive oil, and cocoa butter to a thick paste.  Keep it in a sealed jar and use for cold muscles, cramping, or combine with cayenne pepper, rosemary, and balm of gilead for arthritis relief.

2. Garlic - When raw garlic is crushed or minced, compounds within it are activated which have a very strong anti-biotic effect. It also has anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic can be used to treat ear infections (this works best by infusing it into an oil), and ward off a cold, flu or infection more quickly.

3. Chamomile - Chamomile is good for calming the nerves, inducing sleep, and relieving upset stomach. It is anti-spasmodic, carminative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, vulnerary, aromatic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, nervine, sedative, and tonic.  When used externally it reduces inflammation, and swelling and speeds wound healing. Use the cold tea as a mouth wash in mouth inflammation, a gargle for sore throats, or an eye-bath for sore eyes.

4. Cayenne Pepper - Sold in the spice section of the grocery store, cayenne is the dried and ground fruit of the hot pepper. Cayenne helps to ward off coughs, helps in the treatment of cancer for its antioxidant properties, and helps in stomach complaints.  It promotes sweating and so helps in the treatment of fevers. One of cayenne’s active ingredients is "capsaicin". Capsaicin has very powerful pain-relieving properties when applied to the skin.

5. Cloves - A powerful antiseptic, mild anesthetic, and digestive stimulant, clove oil and clove spice have been used for centuries.  It is the spice that is used by your dentist to deaden the pain in your gums before he inserts the needle.  It is a useful antiseptic for tooth ache, both deadening the pain of toothache while dealing effectively with the bacterial infection.

We have no objection to modern medicine, and in some cases, it is the very best choice for treating illness and injury. In other cases, we may not have access to hospitals and physicians and thus need to be our own doctor. And in some cases, herbal medicine and home remedies are just as effective as anything you will be given at the doctor’s office. So take the time to learn to take care of yourself and your family and to treat minor illnesses and injuries at home.