The Survival Wire

Preparedness- A Key Component of Liberty

10 Tips

By: Devin S. Standard

Do you remember 911, Katrina, the California wildfires, the New Hampshire ice storm, the East Coast black out? Think something similar could happen again? What will be your reaction to the next disaster?  Will you be waiting for the government to “help” you as the waters rise, the fires crackle, the earth splits and rioting mobs of looters hungrily eye both your daughter and your car? Will you gladly enter into the madness and depravity of a FEMA camp, forcibly dis-armed at the door, trusting your family’s sovereignty, security and prosperity to some person, of unknown origin? Do you trust your government? Will you trust them to treat you respectfully when you are desperate? Do you really want to trust some guy in a blue windbreaker with a four letter word spray painted on it? Yes, FEMA is a four lettered word! So just say no to victim hood!

Don’t care for the taste of government cheese? Want to do something about it? Keep reading..

Congratulations! You are now one of the 3% who are doing something to prepare to maintain your independence 24/7/365! Fortunately for you, your friends & family, it’s not very difficult to be prepared.

A little planning, a bit of preparation and a wee bit ‘o God’s Good Grace will see you  through almost every  disaster.

1^st- think about what could, or is most likely to happen where you live:

Flood, Tsunami

Fire

Hurricane

Earthquake

Riot

Plane Crash

Terrorism

Avalanche,  etc

2^nd think about the major items essential to modern life:

Food , Clothing, Shelter, weapons, Money

3^rd think about what you probably won’t have:

Electricity

Telephones

Water

Heat/Air conditioning

Refridgeration

Hot showers

Police service

ATM machines, bank access

Ok, now what?

#1 A PLAN:

Now that you have considered your unique geographical threats, what are you going to do about it? I recommend some serious thinking about food, water, shelter, 1^st aid, evacuation locations and means, hunkering down without re-supply, and protection.

Make a plan spelling out a role for each member of your family. Write it down, then when you are faced with a crisis you can utilize your plan, hopefully ensuring you will reduce the number of mistakes you and your team make.

Who will make decisions, what is your decision criteria, how do you communicate with one another, who will pick up the kids or deal with the pets, where your important documents are located, how much cash will you need if the ATM’s don’t work for a week or two.

#2 PROTECTION:

Firearms: Get serious and decide to survive. Get a gun, lots of ammo, learn how to use it and start practicing.  Decide for yourself, ahead of time, in what scenario you will use it to protect your family. Hopefully you will never need it; but if you do and you don’t have one, you may wish you were in a FEMA camp.

Shotgun

Rifle

Pistol

Suppressor( “Silencer”) legal to own in multiple states.

Air rifle

Sturdy belt knife

Folding pocket knife

Bow and arrows

A future article will go in to detail about the role of firearms in preparedness.  In the meantime, buy Boston’s Gun Bible. It is a fantastic resource.

Fire extinguishers- You definitely want to have several of these on each floor of your house, as well as one in your car. They are made for multiple types of fires these days. I will discuss these with you in a future article.

Smoke & Carbon monoxide detectors- You can’t get out if you learn about the threat too soon.

Your Bible- still comforting many after all these years.

#3  EVACUATION:

Hopefully you won’t have to flee; but in case you must, a little planning now can make your evacuation a calm and rational exercise rather than a panicked, painful and disastrous event. You already know you’ll require a plan, food, water, clothing, shelter, money, medicine, identification, protection, flashlights, a radio, walkie-talkies, tools and transportation for everyone in your family. Start getting the items organized today.

A future column will discuss this in detail and help you build a bug-out bag ( a portable, “get out of dodge“, 72 hour emergency kit) for every member of your family in case you have to evacuate. )

#4 CASH:

It’s nice to have marketable securities, real estate, paintings and commodities; but in times of turmoil, CASH is often KING. Make sure you ALWAYS have an adequate supply of cash on hand. During the next emergency, banks may be closed, ATM’s may not function without electricity and stores may not be able to use their credit card validation machines. Moreover, those shops or service providers that continue to function may resort to price gauging as they try to quickly build a cash hoard.

Extra points for a stash of gold and silver coins. They are very valuable, recognizable, portable, and have been exchangeable for food, clothing, shelter, and transit throughout recorded history.

#5 FOOD & WATER:

People can generally live for up to 3 days without water and up to 3 weeks without food. Start acting today so you and your family won’t have to reconfirm these statistics. Stock up on non-perishable supplies in your house. Whether it’s a blizzard, flood or riot keeping you homebound, having a week or two supply of water and a couple of month’s worth  of food on hand means you won’t be forced out into the middle of the disaster to procure provisions for your family. Talk about   avoidable stress, and it only requires buying a few extra cans EVERY time you go shopping. I will discuss the details of water storage in a future article.  Extra points for having a well or a stream on your property.

#6 LIGHT:

While the others are panicking in the dark, your actions today and tomorrow will ensure that your family Dominates the Darkness. Adequate lighting adds immeasurably to your psychological sense of well being in addition to allow you to avoid hidden dangers. Firewood, candles, camping lanterns,  flashlights and lots of batteries will serve you well. We experience a six-day blackout, last winter, in New Hampshire. Follow this advice today. Get yourself a set of top-notch “tactical” LED flashlights(non-breakable led bulb), small keychain LED lights or clip on LED lights as well as a large D cell Maglight or 2. The LED lights are extremely bright and the tactical versions now come with dimming, strobing, SOS features. Some have crenellated bezels( the business end is somewhat spiked so it can be used as a weapon of last resort) The old D-Cell Maglight, while not very bright by today’s standards, doubles as a handy club.

Extra points for a weapon light: Several firms are now manufacturing powerful lights which attach to your weapons. When you are under duress, it never hurts to double or triple check who you are pointing your firearm at.

Extra Points: Buy some night vision equipment. Decent gear can now be obtained for around $3,000. It will definitely give you an advantage in a survival situation. Look at Insight’s NVM.

#7 TRANSPORTATION:

When it’s time to go, you need to be sure you can get where you need to go. You never want YOUR FAMILY to be the ones trudging along the side of the road mixed in with a long line of refugees. Your vehicle can also offer you shelter from the weather , some privacy, temporary protection from hostiles, as well as being a source of fire, entertainment and information.

Please keep your car or motorcycle gassed up with at least ½ a tank at all times. Change the oil regularly, maintain the tires and perform other regular maintenance. If you live in a city, at the very least have a bicycle with luggage racks accessible. Car owners need bikes too, in case they need to ditch the car.

If possible, have a trailer, bike rack and roof rack handy.  Extra points for bicycles equipped with luggage racks

#8 FIRST AID

Injuries happen, especially during disasters. Ensure you have access to an extensive 1^st aid kit in your house, portable 1^st aid kits in your vehicles, and mini 1^st aid kits on your person if you need to get out of dodge. You can buy low cost, pre-packaged 1^st aid kits at any department or out door store. Some of my favorite brands are Johnson & Johnson and Adventure Medical Kits.

In addition to the store bought, or homemade medical kit, you should definitely have:

Over the counter pain killers, aspirin and non-aspirin

A couple of ace bandages and safety pins

Duct tape

Surgical gloves

Anti-bacterial lotion

Antibiotics

A strong needle and thread

Chemical ice-packs

Prescriptions if you require them

Eye drops

Real tweezers

Extra points: There is a great new product available called Quickclot. It is a special chemical laced sponge developed for the battlefield. You slap it in directly onto the major wound and it quickly helps stop the bleeding. Many troops in Iraq & Afghanistan have been saved by this product. I have bought it from Cabelas and always take it with me on hunting trips, range visits, and keep some in the car.

9) DOCUMENTATION

Licenses, passports, birth certificates, school records, immunization papers, diplomas, certificates, mortgage docs, bank accounts, credit card #’s, and names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of reliable loved ones & neighbors residing outside your neighborhood or town. Compiling these papers, digitizing them on secured flash drives, or password protected CDs/DVDs, will ease the reestablishment of your life if your house, or car goes up in smoke. 1^st responders may not even let you back into your own neighborhood without them once the incident has calmed down. Start digitizing today, it may save a ton of heartburn down the road.

Storing physical paper copies in a bank box, and, or with trustworthy friends or relatives may prove helpful as well.

Extra Points: Digitize key family photos, diplomas, letters, documents and heirlooms in order to rapidly have some semblance of home when your time of turmoil arrives. Little things make a house a home, and doing this today means you won’t be scrambling around grabbing photos when the flames are licking your house.

10) TRUE GRIT

Times of turmoil & disaster do not call for weeping & gnashing of teeth. Hysteria helps no one, and it may frighten those around you into inaction. Those of us who will come through whatever misfortune challenges us, will maintain a positive mental attitude, a fighting spirit and a believe that HIS sword and shield will strengthen us throughout the time of trial. Whether it’s flood, flames, hurricanes or insurrection, you and yours will need to call upon that deep reservoir of true American grit that modern society is trying to grind out of you.

I will never go to a FEMA camp, giving up my rights in order to dine on government cheese. You shouldn’t either. Focus on the goal of overcoming the threatening obstacle. Break the challenges into tasks and help everyone pull his or her oar. Deal with the most serious threats first, and then to the lesser ones. You’ve decided you will be a survivor. Do it! Fight until your last breath, and then keep on fighting.  Most of  you reading this, will see it through. Very good luck to you and yours.

Extra Points: Get fit enough to walk 5 miles with your 72 Hour emergency kit and learn some basic firefighting, first aid, camping and hand to hand combat skills. The Boy Scout handbook is a great resource.

About the Author: Devin S. Standard is a corporate executive in the defense industry, an NRA pistol instructor, an accomplished martial artist, a bird hunter and a family man who has lived, worked and traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. He has somewhat successfully survived several disasters and 1 war.