Global Disaster Alert Coordination System. GDACSGDACS is worth taking a look at.

GDACS

GDACS is a cooperation framework between the United Nations, the European Commission and disaster managers worldwide to improve alerts, information exchange and coordination in the first phase after major sudden-onset disasters.

GDACS 

Weapons: Defending your Home, Food & Family with Light Carbine or Rifle

As promised in my last blog post on defending your home, food and family, here's #2 of my suggestions for your must-have weapons.

A light carbine or rifle

SKS

There are hundreds of firearms in this category and many of them are excellent. So I will simply tell you what I like and you can make up your own mind.

The SKS. If money is hard to come by and for a lot of us it is then you can't beat the SKS. It's not the best rifle in the world but you can get one for around $100 bucks. That's an incredible price for a good solid rifle. And it has the added benefit of the availability of cheap ammo. You can get crates of the stuff for a few hundred bucks.

VZ58

The VZ58. I am a big fan of the VZ58. It's a great rifle and you can get one at a great price. There are a few different models and I won't go into that here but you should be able to pick up one for $500 to $800. It's a much better rifle than the SKS but as it fires the same ammo so you can afford lots of it. 

One other thing to point out about the VZ and the SKS is how tough they are. They are old school weapons made from steel and wood. They can take a lot of abuse and keep on going.

Beretta CX4 Storm

Beretta CX4 Storm. 

Now this little gun is totally different from the SKS and VZ. It's a modern design made with a lot of plastic parts and it fires pistol ammo. But I really like mine. It's light and handy with no recoil to speak of and it would be a fantastic weapon for defending your apartment or suburban house. The pistol caliber ammo is also suitable for hunting small game like rabbits and you could drop a dear or other large animal if you had to. Not that I would recommend it for large animals. 

One drawback is that it is an expensive little gun. At around $1000 to $1200 it's not something everyone can afford. But it's a great little gun.  Another nice feature worth mentioning is that if you are a fan of Beretta pistols you can get one that takes the same mags as the Storm. That can be really handy.

AR 15

The AR 15 family of firearms. A person could write an entire book on the AR 15.  All I will say is that it is an excellent firearm. It has lower recoil and is more accurate than the SKS and VZ58. On the down side it's a little more prone to breaking and it's requires a bit more maintenance. The ammunition is more expensive but it's available just about everywhere. It is also more expensive at around $1000 to $1200.

As I said before there are lots of great carbines and rifles. The AK 47 family. The FN FAL family. The Ruger Mini 14. The M14 family of rifles. The list goes on forever. I am actually a big fan of my M1 carbine and would have listed it but for the fact that the .30 carbine ammo is getting a little harder to find.

Next up will be #3 - the handgun

Weapons for Defence: 12 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun

As promised in my last blog post on defending your home, food and family, here's the start of my suggestions for your must-have weapons.

The 12 gauge pump action shotgun

Probably the most versatile and effective weapon ever invented. The 12 gauge pump can do more jobs than any other firearm. With a simple switch of the shells you load into it the shotgun can go from a bird or rabbit hunting gun to a devastating buck shot or slug gun. In fact the only thing a shotgun can't do is long-range shooting. 100 yards is about the most any of us can get out of a smooth bore shotgun. However In 99% of situations 100 yards is more than adequate to get the job done.

Another advantage of the 12 gauge shotgun is the availability of the ammunition. You can get it everywhere. Almost every farmer has a 12 gauge and a box or two of shells and if the store sells ammo you can bet they have shells. The 12 gauge can be a little bit hard on the shoulder if you are not experienced with it so you will have to practice with it. You can't just purchase one and stick it in your closet and expect to be proficient with it. But with a few hours practice you will be amazed at how good you can get.

Stay tuned for #2 - the light carbine or rifle

Defending What You Have in an Emergency Situation

Defending what you have

So you are going to a lot of work to make sure you have all the supplies you need to weather the coming storm. Now it's time to start thinking about how you will defend what you have.

No one can tell you how to defend your place as only you know your unique circumstances. But there are a few general things that everyone needs to think about.

A Strong Defensive Perimeter

You need a strong perimeter. No matter how big or how small your perimeter is you must make it as secure as possible. Now perhaps your perimeter is only the walls of your apartment. Maybe it's the walls or yard of your home in suburbia. Or it's the fence around your 100 acres in the country.
The principle is still the same. You want to make it as secure as you possibly can to keep the bad guys out and you and your stuff safe.

Secure Doors & Windows

With that in mind start thinking about what you can do to strengthen your perimeter now and what you can do when the Zombies hit the fan. Look at your doors. Look at your windows. Look at your fence. What can you do to secure them. Extra locks? Bars on the windows? Some barbwire on your fence.

What can you have on hand to make them even more secure in an emergency? Big chains and padlocks? Heavy furniture pushed up against the doors and windows? Plywood to nail over the windows? Boards with nails in them to slow down attackers? There are hundreds of things you can do.

Do What You Can NOW, Not After the Crisis Hits

But you must start to plan it now. You won't be able to run to the store and get what you need in the middle of a disaster. And you may be too stressed out to think as clearly about what you need to do during a disaster.

And don't forget, you are planning what you can quickly do to strengthen your perimeter until you can fortify your dwelling even more or better. This is your Quick Plan for Defense.

Make Your Emergency Defense Plan

So make your plan and discuss it with others who will be there with you. Make sure everyone knows exactly what their job is to secure your shelter and your food stores.

We'll talk about weapons in my next blog post.