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FEMA Director Urges Americans to Develop “a true culture of preparedness” But No One Is Listening
FEMA Director Urges Americans to Develop “a true culture of preparedness” But No One Is Listening
It looks like preppers aren’t that crazy after all. FEMA’s new director, Brock Long, has repeatedly said that Americans do not have a “culture of preparedness,” something that is much-needed with the startling uptick in natural disasters. Long has only been the director of FEMA since June 20 of this year and already has had to deal with a historic number of disasters in this short period of time.
It appears that Mr. Long has a mindset of self-reliance based on a couple of recent statements he has made to the media, but the MSM doesn’t seem too interested in his ideas about fostering a culture of preparedness, despite the practicality and essential nature of his suggestions.
First, in an interview from Sept. 11 that I personally only heard about yesterday, FEMA’s new director, Brock Long, spoke with journalists to discuss the response to Hurricane Irma. In the interview, he said some things that vindicate all of us who have spent time and money working toward being prepared.
“I really think that we have a long way to go to create a true culture of preparedness within our citizenry in America. No American, no citizen, no visitor to this country is immune to disaster. And we have a long way to go to get people to understand the hazards based on where they dwell, where they work, and how to be prepared financially, how to be prepared through insurance, how to have continuity of operations plans for their businesses, so that we can avoid the suffering, the strife, and the loss of life. It’s truly disappointing that people won’t heed the warnings.
Straight out of our favorite prepper handbooks, right?
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Cyber Experts Prove the American Power Grid Has Been Hacked
Cyber Experts Prove the American Power Grid Has Been Hacked
A report by internet security experts, Symantec, says that a hacking group called Dragonfly 2.0 has gained access to 20 power company networks. The American power grid has been hacked, but for some reason, the culprits restrained themselves from taking down the power like they did in Ukraine recently.
The targets were in the United States, Turkey, and Switzerland. According to Symantec, the hackers did gain access to the interface they would need to control the power equipment, with which they could cause a widespread blackout. Eric Chien, a Symantec security analyst, told Wired:
“There’s a difference between being a step away from conducting sabotage and actually being in a position to conduct sabotage … being able to flip the switch on power generation. We’re now talking about on-the-ground technical evidence this could happen in the US, and there’s nothing left standing in the way except the motivation of some actor out in the world.” (source)
While we were all focused on the natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes looming over us, this report went all but unnoticed by the mainstream and alternative media alike.
A power grid attack could shut down commerce and destroy our already precarious financial system. It could take down our medical system. If the damage was long-lasting, chaos would erupt and it wouldn’t take long for the death toll to skyrocket, so dependent are we on power at the flip of a switch.
How did the hackers get in?
Remember how John Podesta ended up being the victim of a phishing scheme that allowed the Clinton campaign to be hacked? This was pretty much the same thing. The Symantec report explains that this has been going on for a couple of years now, but that activity has sharply increased this year:
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Here’s Why I Completely Changed My Family’s Long-Term Survival Plan
For five years, I lived the prepper’s dream. I lived on secluded acreage out in the boondocks, with a gate at the driveway to deter those who just wander past. I moved from the Canadian boondocks to the American boondocks (in foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California) and lived the life that all the prepping books recommend.
I grew food, raised livestock, and had hardly any neighbors, and definitely none close enough to be up in my business. I learned more about self-reliance during those years than I ever realized I didn’t know.
I scrimped and saved to be able to move ever-further out into the woods. I loved finally being able to have a small farm. But, then, I came face to face with two people who had lived through the kind of epic, long term SHTF event that we all prepare for and they both told me, based on their personal experiences, I was doing it all wrong.
Here’s the reason I changed my long-term survival plan.
When I first began working with Lisa Bedford, the Survival Mom, on our live webinar classroom Preppers University, my job was to teach people the things that I had spent years learning. But I never expected our guest instructors to have such a profound impact on my own long-term survival plan.
The first seed of doubt was planted by FerFAL (Fernando Aguirre), the author of The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse, who taught a class sharing his experiences during the collapse of Argentina. He commented that the people who lived more remotely were nearly always victims of horrific crimes. Their little homestead nirvanas were pillaged by criminals. The women were raped. The men were slaughtered. As ideal as their situations sounded, by nature of their very solitude, it made them the perfect target for those without morals.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Want to Be Better Prepared? Find Some Prepper Friends
Want to Be Better Prepared? Find Some Prepper Friends
We’ve all heard about Jim Rohn, the motivational speaker and business philosopher who said that we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time. This relates to so much more than business success.
If you are a person who is striving to be better prepared, it applies to you too. With this in mind, perhaps the best way to up your prepping game is to find some prepper friends.
Whenever we’re surrounded by people who don’t understand what we do, it makes it a lot more difficult to maintain motivation. It’s so easy to slide into their habits when that becomes your “norm.” Regardless of what you want to achieve – whether it’s a higher level of preparedness, self-reliance, weight loss, business success, or some other goal – surrounding yourself with people on that same path can propel you to success much more rapidly.
Now, I’m not saying you have to ditch your best friend or your spouse if they aren’t on board with prepping. Definitely not. However, networking with people who are more into preparedness is a very good idea.
The other day, I had to go to the courthouse to fill out paperwork for my new Concealed Carry Permit. The City Clerk’s office happened to be on the same floor as the criminal court. There was a marquee just across from the elevators, and while I was waiting for mine to arrive, I overheard a conversation that really got me thinking.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
How to Build a Low-Carb Prepper Stockpile
How to Build a Low-Carb Prepper Stockpile
Does your health require a diet that is low in sugar and carbohydrates but high in protein? If that’s the case, you may have found that building a low-carb prepper stockpile is pretty difficult. After all, “beans and rice” is the prepper standby. And those buckets of food? Forget it if you’re watching carbs. The meals are all based on rice, pasta, and potatoes.
So how do you create pantry full of freeze-dried food for a low-carb prepper?
Why people are eating lower carbohydrate diets
There are many health concerns that require a diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. To name a few:
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Cardiovascular disease
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Obesity
- Colitis/Irritable bowel syndrome
The list goes on and on. Some folks simply feel better when they lower their starch and sugar intake.
Regardless of the reason that you’ve chosen a low-carb lifestyle, going off it abruptly could result in gastrointestinal distress, a recurrence of symptoms, bloating, sluggishness, and joint pain. An emergency would be the worst possible time to deal with that.
Here’s how to build your own low-carb prepper food supply.
At this point, there aren’t really any buckets of food that will meet your needs, so you’ll have to choose an “ala carte” style supply by ordering specific freeze dried foods. A diet of protein, vegetables, and fruit is ideal.
Protein:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Meat combo bucket
- Whole eggs
- Milk (This may be too high-carb for some diets)
Vegetables:
- Tomato Powder
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Green Beans
- Carrots (this may be too high carb for sensitive people)
- Chopped Onion
Fruits:
Some people on lower carb diets restrict fruits, while others consider them “good” carbs. Here are some freeze-dried fruit options.
What would a low-carb prepper menu look like?
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
How to Build a 30-Day Emergency Food Supply…Fast
How to Build a 30-Day Emergency Food Supply…Fast
If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you may be feeling on edge. You may feel as though time i
If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you may be feeling on edge. You may feel as though time is running out for you to get your preparedness supplies and emergency food in order. You may be new to prepping, and feeling like there’s too much to accomplish. The stress in our country is at peak level. We’ve listened to the war drums beat louder. We’ve witnessed riots breaking out in cities across America. We’ve watched the bumbling efforts of officials to respond to natural disasters and potential pandemics. Threats are everywhere, and you may be in the situation where you need to build an emergency food supply fast.
This feeling of urgency can make you feel hopeless and panicked, and that’s not productive. There’s no time for a lack of productivity. It’s time to focus and create your food supply immediately. If an event occurs during which you are unable to leave your home, you’ll want to make certain that you can keep food on the table without waiting for a handout to be doled out at the whim of some government agency. Such an event could be a mandatory quarantine or self-imposed isolation due to a pandemic, civil unrest in your town, martial law, a nuclear event, or even a natural disaster that leaves you stranded, without access to the store.
Generally, I write about healthy food. I write about focusing on whole foods without additives, and I firmly believe that is the very best way to build your food supply. I believe strongly in the value of a pantry that you will use day to day to nourish your family. You can learn how to build a pantry like that in my book The Pantry Primer: A Prepper’s Guide to Whole Food on a Half Price Budget.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Letters from Venezuela: This Is What Life Is Really Like in a Post-Collapse Society
Letters from Venezuela: This Is What Life Is Really Like in a Post-Collapse Society
If you ever wondered what life was really like in a post-collapse society, look no further than Venezuela. Today, I’d like to share a first-hand report of everyday life there.
The country has been on the way down since a socialist government destroyed the economy. Here’s a quick timeline:
- Private ownership of guns was banned in 2012. Then things began to go downhill in a hurry.
- In 2013, preppers were relabeled “hoarders” and the act of stocking up became illegal.
- In 2014, the government instituted a fingerprint registry for those who wished to buy food to ensure they didn’t take more than their “share.”
- In 2015, things began to devolve more quickly as electricity began to be rationed and farmers were forced to turn over their harvests to the government.
- 2016 brought the announcement that folks were on their own – there was simply not enough food. As well, despite the rationing, an electricity shortage was announced.
- 2016 also brought the news that the country was out of everything: food, medicine, and nearly all basic necessities. People were dying of starvation and malnourishment made other illnesses even worse. Hyperinflation brought exorbitant prices, like $150 for a dozen eggs.
- Now, civil war is near (if not already happening.) They’re calling it “protests” but violence between the people and the government is ongoing. This rage is stoked by wealthy Venezuelans who enjoy luxurious meals, fabulous parties, and lush accommodations while the rest of the country struggles to find a bag of rice they can afford. Let them eat cake?
It appears there is no end in sight to the tribulations of the Venezuelans.
So, what is day-to-day life like for the average Venezuelan?
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Small Space Prepping: 25 Ideas for Stashing Your Stockpile
Small Space Prepping: 25 Ideas for Stashing Your Stockpile
The biggest challenge in small space prepping is finding storage areas for your supplies. While I don’t recommend stacking food buckets to the ceiling in the living room where you receive visitors, there are all sorts of charming ways to hide preps in plain sight as part of your everyday decor. As well, just a few small tweaks to rooms all around your house can add considerable amounts of storage space.
Here are 25 ideas to get your wheels turning.
Hide Preps in Plain Sight
- Store some of your food “country kitchen” style. Consider adding a rustic shelving unit full of various mason jars containing dried foods, beans, pasta, flour, jams, herbs, and other shelf-stable goods. If all of the jars are clear and labeled the same way, it looks very organized and appealing. (Maybe use those cute little chalkboard labels – but be sure to get the ones marked “reusable.”)
- Put candles or oil lamps in every room. Use your emergency lighting as an old-fashioned statement. Add a decorative little box with matches or lighters. (You can pick the boxes for a song up at the dollar store or a yard sale.) Boom – let there be light the moment a power outage occurs.
- Decorate with cozy throws and blankets. Soft, fuzzy blankets not only look inviting, but they can also help keep your heat bill down when nobody is able to resist curling up under them. Pile them in wicker hampers, put them on the foot of beds, and toss them over the arm of the couch. Bonus: When the power is out, you have a way to stay warmer within arm’s reach.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Official Narrative: In Which the Truth Is Entirely Optional
The Official Narrative: In Which the Truth Is Entirely Optional
This Week in the News
This week on Survival Saturday, you can tie everything together with one common thread. People are told what officials want them to be told. Whether officials are covering their butts for mismanagement of infrastructure or trying to take over the White House, we’ll never get the full story. In every situation, there is an official narrative and the truth is entirely optional.
It can be difficult to operate under the reality that the truth is unattainable. The best things we can do are to question everything, believe nothing that comes through official channels, and look out for our families independently.
You are operating completely in the dark. You have to disregard the noise and focus on the things that you can control.
The time has come to realize that you can’t depend on anyone but yourself. If you aren’t prepared, it’s time to get that ball rolling.
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Is President Trump being ousted?
This week, with the resignation of Gen. Mike Flynn, it became more blatant than ever that the presidency of Donald Trump is under attack by those who pull strings in the background. Why?
War.
War is huge money. (If you want to understand why everyone in Washington is insatiably hungry for war, read Gen. Smedley Butler’s expose War is a Racket. It’s less than $4 and will change your beliefs on everything.)
But the greater question is this: do our elections mean anything? President Trump was constitutionally elected, but people are continuously stirred up and manipulated by the media, the intelligence community is taking down everyone in Trump’s administration, and Congress is completely refusing to cooperate – even Trump’s own party.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Without Rule of Law: How to Survive a Real Life Purge Like the One in Brazil
Without Rule of Law: How to Survive a Real Life Purge Like the One in Brazil
In southeastern Brazil, a real-life version of the movie The Purge is going on.
Police officers in the state of Espirito Santo went on strike Friday. Their families have barricaded the exits of eleven law enforcement barracks, preventing any officers from performing their jobs.
And the state has descended into a kind of anarchy usually reserved for post-apocalyptic movies.
The Brazilian website Globo.com reported on the dire situation.
Murders have increased by a thousand percent, with 62 people being killed over the course of three days. While that sounds like a normal weekend in Chicago here, the state only had four murders in the entire month of January. There are so many dead that they’ve exceeded the capacity of the morgue to hold them all, and corpses are lying on the ground.
Stores have been vandalized and looted, some of them utterly destroyed. Many merchants have boarded up their windows and will remain closed for the duration of the crisis.
Banks, schools, parks, public hospitals, and public transit have all closed.
Gangs have taken over the cities, and the military has been dispatched to regain order.
This has been pretty much blacked out by the media but I was able to find one video showing what it really looks like down there.
Without Rule of Law
This is a classic example of what can happen when society is Without Rule of Law (WROL), a common term that preppers use to describe a complete breakdown of society and the rules that maintain order. (Here is the best book you can buy for surviving this type of scenario.)
Now, look at the situation here in American cities right now. Thankfully, we haven’t devolved to this point yet, but the protests about the Trump administration just keep escalating.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Retailpocalypse 2017: Hundreds of Stores Will Be Closing
Retailpocalypse 2017: Hundreds of Stores Will Be Closing
After Christmas, all is not calm and bright in the retail world.
For those who are still under the illusion that our economy is great and prosperity is nigh, you might want to consider the massive loss of jobs that will be forthcoming as stores across the country go into damage control mode to try to stop the hemorrhaging from lackluster holiday sales.
Thousands of non-seasonal jobs are being cut as retail stores across the country close down or slash expenditures. If December is the most wonderful time of the year, then January is the most dismal. The beginning of the first quarter is the most common time to announce store closures and assess budgets.
The start of the year is a popular time to announce store closures. Nearly half of annual store closings announced since 2010 have occurred in the first quarter, CNBC reports. (source)
Last year, Wal-Mart stunned the country when they closed 269 stores in January.
Macy’s
The department store chain blames online sales for their woes.
Macy’s said Wednesday it has either closed or will shutter 68 stores and cut an additional 6,200 positions at a time when shoppers are going online to buy everything from scarves to lipstick.
Of the 68 stores out of 730 in total, nine closings had been previously announced and three locations have already shut down. But the retail giant revealed the locations of the remaining 59 stores, which will be shuttered by the middle of this year and affect 3,900 employees, some of whom may be offered jobs at other locations
…Additionally the retail giant says that it will be cutting “layers of management” at its central operations, and paring the number of managers supporting stores, making up the bulk of 6,200 jobs that will be lost.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
21 Life Hacks To Help You Breeze Through the Apocalypse (or at Least the Next Power Outage)
21 Life Hacks To Help You Breeze Through the Apocalypse (or at Least the Next Power Outage)
Life hacks are all over the place at the minute (seriously, they’re everywhere) and some are really good – but often they’re more Martha Stewart than Grizzly Adams.
Here are a few life hacks that are applicable not only to regular everyday lifestyles but to those crazy preppers – ahem – people who are of a preparedness mindset as well. While all of these aren’t necessarily life-saving, they all have the potential to save you money and effort in a survival situation.
- This sounds like more of a beauty tip than a prepper tip, but don’t forget to moisturize! Your skin is a barrier that prevents infection. Keep it supple to prevent cracking which provides a route for infection to get into your body. This is an important infection prevention method if antibiotics are either unavailable or no longer work.
- Carry plain, refined sugar with you at all times. Those little sachets from fast food restaurants are ideal. Plain sugar poured into a wound keeps it clean and aids healing.
- In the midst of a winter power outage, if you’re burning fossil fuels to keep warm, make sure you have adequate ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. You can also get an inexpensive battery operated CO detector.
- A slice from the inner tube of a bicycle tire makes an excellent tourniquet. Bonus: It burns even when wet, so it’s also a great fire starter.
- Never use a ‘space’ blanket on someone who is cold. The silver surface prevents heat from getting to them. Cuddle up and wrap the foil around both of you to retain body heat. (Here are more ways to use one of those blankets for survival.)
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
How to Survive a Personal Economic Collapse
How to Survive a Personal Economic Collapse
But what if it isn’t a huge event like a stock market crash or a currency collapse that you actually need to be concerned about? What if our disaster starts out looking nothing like the economic crises in Argentina, Venezuela or Greece? What if the real financial disaster in the future is more personal? What, if that financial disaster has already happened?
It’s here and it’s not what anyone expected.
Despite the lack of fanfare in the media, for many North Americans, the collapse is here. In homes across the country, the struggle to survive has already begun. And it isn’t what you think. This isn’t relegated to only lower income neighborhoods. As an article from a Cinncinnati new station stated, “Hunger doesn’t know a zipcode.”
For many people who were formerly financially comfortable, the economic collapse has already happened, in the form of a job loss, hours that have been cut back due to Obamacare requirements for employers, an exorbitant medical bill or other crushing debt, or simply an inflation rate that has outstripped your pay increases. Despite all of the warnings, many people are still going to be absolutely blindsided.
For many families, personal finances have reached a catastrophic level – they are left to make terrible choices:
- Which utility can I live without?
- Should I walk away from my mortgage?
- Should I eat something so I can work harder or should I skip meals so my kids have food?
- Should I use the grocery money to take my child to the doctor or should I wait and hope he/she improves without medical intervention?
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
How to Convince Loved Ones to Prep (and When to Give Up)
How to Convince Loved Ones to Prep (and When to Give Up)
And many of us have friends and family without those necessary supplies. Raise your hand if you have ever tried to convince loved ones to prep. Yep, just as I thought. Hands everywhere.
Chances are that when you brought up the topic, your friends and family considered you anywhere on the nuts scale from “a bit eccentric” to “downright certifiable.” If you’ve ever broached the subject with them, the responses were probably one or more of the following:
“Lighten up!”
“I don’t want to sit there and think about the bad things all day long.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Live a little!”
“If the disaster is that bad, hopefully, I’ll just die in it. Who’d want to live in a world after ***fill in the disaster of your choice***”
“Hahahahahaha!!!!”
“You worry too much.”
“I’ll just come to your house.”
There’s the smug dismissal, the deer-in-headlights fear, the rolled eyes, and the outright denial that anything bad could ever happen to them. There’s the justification of “We keep a case of water in the pantry at all times” and the “I have survival skills” delusion. Most folks just don’t even want to think about it.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Why You Need to Become More Self-Reliant NOW, No Matter Where You Live
Why You Need to Become More Self-Reliant NOW, No Matter Where You Live
The situation in the US right now is very comparable to the early stages of the Venezuelan collapse. It’s essential to watch Venezuela and treat it as a cautionary tale, because the same signs are right in front of us. How would you handle rationed food, rationed electricity, and mandatory cuts of work hours? What would you do if food was no longer available at the grocery store?
Even city dwellers in Venezuela have been told they need to grow their own food if they want to eat. If food is rationed, you can bet that the supplies will be meager. You’re going to want to supplement that if your family is to remain healthy.
Self-Reliant Resources:
The Pantry Primer: How to Build a Whole Food Pantry on a Half Price Budget
The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide
Hydroponic Gardening for Beginners
Venezuela Shows Us What an Electricity Shortage Looks Like
Venezuela Is Out of Food: Here’s What an Economic Collapse Really Looks Like
