43% of U.S. homes are at high risk of natural disaster. Just look at the map.

Get Ready. It can happen to you.

The following article by Catey Hill for Market Watch.com is just more evidence of what I have always said. You Need To Prep! 43% of U.S. homes are at high risk of natural disaster and the rest are still at some risk. So get moving and get ready.


By
CateyHill

Reporter

 

Four hurricanes are currently brewing in the Pacific and Atlantic. Wildfires have ravaged more than 8 million acres in the U.S. in 2015 alone. And in just the first two weeks of May this year, nearly 150 tornadoes touched down in the U.S.
Many American homeowners might still be surprised at the risk their home faces of getting hit by a natural disaster in the near future. A report released on Thursday by real estate research firm RealtyTrac found that 43% of U.S. homes and condos — that’s a total of 35.8 million homes — are at a high risk or very high risk of at least one type of natural disaster. The report examined 2,318 counties nationwide and assigned each a score of natural disaster risk score from 0 to 300 based on their risk of wildfire, hurricane, flood, tornado and earthquake; the higher the score the higher the risk of natural disaster.

Read More.....

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 

RSOE EDIS - Emergency and Disaster Information Service

The Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE) operates Emergency and Disaster Information Service (EDIS) within the frame of its own website which has the objective to monitor and document all the events on the Earth which may cause disaster or emergency. Our service is using the speed and the data spectrum of the internet to gather information. We are monitoring and processing several foreign organisation's data to get quick and certified information. The EDIS website operated together by the General-Directorate of National Disaster Management (OKF) and RSOE, in co-operation with the Crisis Management Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides useful information regarding emergency situations and their prevention.

Disaster Map

NASA Predicts The Beginning Of The End

Time To Start Prepping

A study funded by NASA has attempted to understand why past societies have fallen apart has given us a bleak picture of the not so distant future. The study uses a mathematical model that incorporates both environmental pressures, social and political dynamics to explore how societies such as ours may be disrupted in the future.

In simple terms the study found that things fall apart when we use up our resources faster than we can replace them and when a small number of well off people control too much of the wealth and power. In other words if the rich eat all the food the poor will starve and the rich cant survive without the poor. Now this is not new information. Many of us have known this for years. But with NASA in the title it gets more attention in the press.

Will this happen? Who knows. What the study cant predict is what effect technology will have on the future of our civilization. All the past civilizations that were used in the study were primitive by our standards. The folks who did this study could not look at an advanced civilization like ours that collapsed as this is the first one that has ever existed. We are in uncharted waters here. We are in a race with ourselves. Can our brains and incredible ingenuity save us from our own stupidity?

Right now a lot of really smart people are working on new energy sources. Things like fusion power and advanced solar power. Other people are learning how to grow more food with less resources. And of course we have the power to regulate our population already we just don't have the will to do it yet.

Will civilization survive? Who knows. I however will keep prepping for the worst. But I hope for the best. It would be a shame if we let it all fall apart.

Heat your house for free.

Free Heat. Tossing a hunk of pallet on the fire.

 Ok so nothing in life is free. But some things are so low cost its almost like free. So how do I heat my house for free? Well I simply went back to the tech our ancestors used for thousands of years. Wood. Think wood is not free. Well it can be if you are willing to work for it. And if you live in the right area.

I burn shipping pallets or skids as we call them around here. Yep shipping pallets are free for the taking at most factories and stores. One skid will heat my house for 6hrs so that would be 4 a day. However I let the fire go out when I am sleeping ( That's what blankets are for ) so its only about 2 skids to keep me nice and toasty for the day.

Now to be honest I do burn a little bit of wood that is grown right here on my farm but not much. Skids are thin cut wood and that burns fast. So when a break is needed from filling the stove I will toss a log on. I don't like to get up from the table when eating just to keep the fire going.

Getting ready to cut up my skids for today.

Now I realize this only works for some people. You must have a wood stove or fire place. You must have a truck, van or trailer to haul the skids home. And you must live close to the factories or stores that have the skids. Now gas is expensive so you don't want to make special trips to get your skids. I know each place in my town that has them so on a trip to the coffee shop I can grab the skids from the places that are along the way. When I go to the bank I know the hardware store around the corner will have some. I burn almost no extra gas to get them. You get the idea.

This will not work for everyone but it works for me and it reminds us that to survive we need to use what we can find around us. WASTE NOTHING.

Virus Resurrected From 30,000-Year-Old Permafrost

Its back after lying dormant for around 30,000 years

 French scientists are celebrating after successfully revitalizing an ancient virus that had been lying dormant for around 30,000 years in Siberian permafrost. “This is the first time we’ve seen a virus that’s still infectious after this length of time,” said Professor Jean-Michel Claverie, from the National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS) at the University of Aix-Marseille in France. However we dont need to worry just yet as this virus has no intrest in humans. However this should be a warning. There are few humans living in areas with permafrost right now, but many more are expected to arrive there as the thawing Arctic makes exploitation of natural resources there much easier. The new find suggests that some of the new arrivals may potentially come in contact with infectious agents that have been out of circulation for tens of thousands of years. This doesn't mean the permafrost will necessarily be a hotbed of emerging diseases, but we should take the possibility seriously.

It's not a threat to humans, but does show that ancient viruses can persist for millennia and remain a potential health threat


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/worlds-largest-virus-was-just-resurrected-34000-year-old-permafrost-180949932/#qdXKUz7lsRxZzUlS.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

It's not a threat to humans, but does show that ancient viruses can persist for millennia and remain a potential health threat


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/worlds-largest-virus-was-just-resurrected-34000-year-old-permafrost-180949932/#qdXKUz7lsRxZzUlS.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

It's not a threat to humans, but does show that ancient viruses can persist for millennia and remain a potential health threat


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/worlds-largest-virus-was-just-resurrected-34000-year-old-permafrost-180949932/#qdXKUz7lsRxZzUlS.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

Dominion Arms Grizzly. A handy Zombie gun or just a novelty. Pt 2

The Grizzly

So in Part 1 we established that while the Grizzly is perhaps not the best hunting shotgun, it can be used effectively for small game animals. But what else is this little gun good for? Self Defence? Wilderness Survival ? Well it is in this area that the Dominion Arms Grizzly really comes into its own.

Lets take a look at the Grizzly as a survival gun. A survival gun can mean different things to different people but in the context of this Blog post a survival gun is a firearm that you might take camping or hiking in the wilderness or perhaps carry in your truck, boat or plane in case you are stranded. First lets ask what qualities you would want in a firearm for this purpose.

(1) Reliability. Its no good if it wont work. The Remington 870 action is one of the best shotgun actions available so we know the design is good. Now as to the quality and reliability of the Grizzly only time will tell. So far the limited shooting I have done with the Grizzly has been without incident but more use is needed.

(2) Light weight and handy. You will not carry a firearm with you if its too big and awkward. The Grizzly gets good marks on this one. Its short and handy so it wont get all caught up in tree branches and brush. With a sling you can still work, climb and generally do what you need to without resorting to leaning it up against a tree someplace. I can tell you from experience how tempting it is to put your gun aside when you are struggling to work in the bush.

(3) Versatility. In a survival situation you may need a firearm to do many jobs. Well a 12ga is probably the most versatile gun ever invented. All you need is a few different kinds of shells in your pocket. Small shot like #4 #5 or #6 for small game. A buckshot load will defend you against large predators or get you a deer at close range. It is also a good signal gin as a 12ga is nice and loud and you can get flares for it. Now you can also shoot slugs out of the Grizzly but I have not had good luck with that so far. I believe its an issue with the front bead sight being so low. I am going to change the front sight at some point and will let you know how that works out.

(4) Ammunition Capacity. This sounds important and it is true that the more shots you have the better. However in real life practical terms it really is not as important as it sounds. I have over 30 years hunting experience and can tell you that its the first shot that counts. Most game that I have taken in my life went down on the first shot. I have on occasion got something with the second shot but I cant think of a single time when a third shot was needed. Animals move fast and disappear quickly. With the exception of waterfowl hunting most people who take a 3rd shot are doing it out of desperation and frustration. As to defending your self against predators. 3 shots with a 12ga should do the job. If you cant drop a charging bear with 3 shots from this gun you probably cant do it with any gun.

Self Defence against human predators is another use that people often suggest for the Grizzly in fact its the most often suggested use. I think that we can all agree that it has some value in this area. It really comes down to the 3 shots issue. Are you comfortable with just 3 shots? I can tell you when looking at the statistics on gun fights that most bad situations are over quickly with just a few shots fired. 3 shots from a skilled person with a 12ga will resolve most situations one way or another. In fact just looking at a Grizzly is intimidating and I would bet a lot of attackers would take one look at this nasty little gun and head for safer pastures.  I myself would feel comfortable using it in this role but I know others would not agree with me. Its a matter of taste.

The myth of the Sawed Off Shotgun. One little issue that I should touch on is the myth in popular culture that a sawed off shotgun can literally spray the room with shot. This is of course silly as the photo below illustrates quite clearly. Even at 25 yards you can only expect about a two foot spread of shot. That's is hardly going to clear the room.

At 25 yards the shot spread is just a tad over two ft.

So get yourself a Dominion Arms Grizzly. Its a handy little gun. 

Do you live near a nuclear reactor? You need to know.

When the Zombie Apocalypse hits and all the workers and technicians at your local nuclear power plant have abandoned there posts or are dead. Many reactors may simply melt down. While the people who build and run the power plants will tell you they are safe the fact is that No Nuclear Reactor has been designed with the idea that all the workers will simply be gone forever. Yes the reactors have lots of automatic pumps and generators and backup systems. But they will all fail one by one in time. Automatic fire suppression systems will fail. Fires will be started by lightning or looters. Looters may steal vital equipment like the fuel that runs the back up generators. One can spend hrs thinking of ways the reactors could be damaged.  If you are a serious Prepper you need to know the location of any reactors that are in your area.

A few links that will provide you with locations and info on nuclear reactors.

The NRC

Greenpease

Nukepills

Apocalyptic Scale Of Philippine Typhoon Overwhelms.

Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan slammed the Philippines Friday, with estimated maximum sustained winds of 235 kph and gusts up to 275 kph.


With thousands dead and large parts of the country destroyed desperate people are looting malls, shops and homes of food, water and consumer goods.

Dead bloated bodies lay uncollected and uncounted in the streets and the survivors have no food, water and medicine.

A few Police guarded stores to prevent the looting but in most cases its hopeless.

We are getting reports of violence as civil order breaks down.

Pandemic Protection ~ What Can You Do Part 1

Are You Ready For The Flu?

I have done a number of Blog Posts about the possibility of a flu pandemic but perhaps its time to talk about what you can do to protect your self if the worst happens. To protect yourself you must have an understanding of how the flu spreads.


Influenza or the flu as most of us call it can be spread several ways. One is when an infected person sneezes mucus directly into the eyes, nose or mouth of another person. Another is the airborne route when someone inhales the droplets that contain the virus produced by an infected person coughing, sneezing or spitting. And of course the good old dirty hands that our Mothers warned us about is one of the best ways to spread the flu through hand-to-eye, hand-to-nose, or hand-to-mouth transmission, either from contaminated surfaces or from direct personal contact such as a hand-shake.

So lets say you wake up one morning and you turn on the news only to find that health authorities are saying they have an outbreak or possibly a pandemic starting to spread around the world. What can you do? Well the first and most obvious precaution is to simply isolate yourself and your family from others as best as possible. Hopefully you have your supplies stored and ready so you don't have to run to WalMart and face all the possibly sick people. However if you do have to go out for supplies you can take precautions to mitigate the risk. Obviously a full military biological warfare outfit would be great but if you are the kind of person who has no supplies at home you probably don't have a biological warfare outfit in your closet. However you can at least dress in a way that will help lower the risk of catching the bug. You must cover your mouth and nose and eyes. A surgical mask or even a workshop dust mask will help stop the larger droplets from infecting you. Even something like a scarf or other cloth can lower the risk but it needs to be tight to your face. Swim goggles can provide good eye protection as they are tight fitting but any kind of large glasses are better than nothing.
Gloves are extremely important. Surgical gloves may be best but rubber kitchen gloves are not bad. Again anything is better than nothing so even work gloves or driving gloves can help.

Dispose of or decontaminate your clothing. It wont do you any good if you bring the bug home on your clothing so take it off outside and don't take it in. Burn it or wash it with disinfectant. You could boil it if you have the time. And don't forget that good old sunlight will often kill the bugs so just hanging out in the hot sun for a few days will help.

Decontaminate yourself. Get a shower with lots of soap and hot water if you can but even a cold shower is better than no shower. In fact you may want to shower outside first if you can. If you have a pool or hot tub take a dip in that. All the chemicals in the water will help.

Isolate yourself from the other members of your family if you can. If its possible you should avoid contact as much as possible. Consider living in the garage or the tool shed for a week or two. If you cant do that then try to isolate your self in an extra room like the spare bedroom.

Don't let your new supplies contaminate you. Wipe them off with disinfectant before any one handles them with bare hands. If you cant wipe them of remember that the bugs cant live on the surface of them for long. So every day the supplies sit out in the open the safer they get to touch. Two or three days will kill most viruses on most surfaces but twenty days is best. If you must touch them use gloves and wash your hands after.

Isolate your family from each other. You cant tell if any one in your house may be sick so its best if you can to have as little contact with each other as possible. I know this could be hard or even impossible in a survival situation but do the best you can. Avoid hugging, kissing and hand holding. Disinfect doorhandles and any other commonly touched surfaces as much as possible. Don't share eating or drinking utensils. In other words run your house like a hospital. It wont be fun but it could save your life.

Remember that people can have the flu and be spreading it to others and yet not look sick themselves. People who contract influenza are most infective between the second and third days after infection. Children are much more infectious than adults and shed virus from just before they develop symptoms until two weeks after infection.

Contact with outsiders should be avoided. But one cant always avoid this so if you are forced to have contact then you must decontaminate and isolate yourself from your family after. Remember the virus could be spreading in the air so stay as far away from outsiders as you can. No one knows how far a virus can spread in the air outside but most experts agree that if you stay 100 feet away from others when outside your chances of being infected are low.  
 

Zombie Gear Special At Marstar

 Things have been a little bit dark and serious on here as of late with all the talk of Bird Flu and Tornado's and such. So here is something a little more fun.......

Zombie Gear Special

Now I think the shotgun would be a fantastic Zombie Destroyer I am not sure about the single action revolver. The single action is nice and simple and reliable but its just so slow to reload.

Is a volcano a threat to you

Many people on earth worry about volcanos. However they tend to be people who live near a known active volcano. In reality we all need to be concerned with the possibility of our lives being disrupted by a volcanic event even if we live in places that have no volcanoes. Last year's eruption in Iceland was a tiny event in the middle of nowhere yet it shut down air traffic in Europe for days.

Read more at

http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/09/atlantis-volcano/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49037141/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Make sure you're prepared!

West Coast Earthquake Hazard - Are You Prepared?

Are you prepared? Do you have your emergency food and water supplies for at least 3 months? Get your plan for a disaster ready now! Don't wait until disaster strikes. 

Two separate geological studies suggest the earthquake hazard in the transboundary region of the Pacific Coast of North America — including southern British Columbia — is significantly greater than previously believed, with both teams of U.S. scientists urging heightened readiness for a future offshore “megathrust” event that could compare with the one that triggered Japan’s catastrophe last year.

In one study, a 13-year, comprehensive analysis of the Cascadia earthquake-prone zone between Vancouver Island and Northern California, a team of researchers led by Oregon State University earth scientist Chris Goldfinger concluded that the “clock is ticking” ahead of a potentially devastating earthquake in the region within the next 50 years.

Read more

Preppers Special Report: In-depth look at the prevalence of 'prepping' in the Ozarks

One in seven. According to a Reuters study, that's how many people worldwide who believe the world will end during their lifetime. Those numbers are backed up by a recent proliferation of doomsday websites and TV shows like National Geographic's Doomsday Preppers. They're devoted to those who believe the Mayan calendar supposedly ending this year means the world will end on December 21, 2012.


Oother preppers, like Springfield resident Vincent Finelli, laugh at the Mayan apocalypse predictions. But he, and fellow preppers that meet every week at a local Ziggie's, are very serious about being prepared for real life worst case scenarios.


Read More

'Third World' power outages plague US

In an annual report, Eaton, a multinational power management company, said power outages affected 17.5 million people in all 50 states last year when there were 3,419 separate power outages, up from 2,840 the year before. The average blackout lasted four hours, but together all the outages added up to 156 days. California had the most incidents by far (508) followed by New York (176) and Texas (145). Bad weather was responsible for one in four outages, and faulty equipment or human error caused one in eight incidents.

Read More

Should you worry about alien invasion ?

A few weeks ago some friends of mine were chatting about what to do in the event of an Alien attack. It was a light hearted discussion but it got me thinking. Should you worry about alien invasion?  Then the other day scientists announced the discovery of a super earth that just may be in the right place to have some life. And of course we have all seen the movies. Aliens invade earth, millions are killed and mankind is just able to defeat the invaders by the skin of our teeth.

Well don't worry too much about it. Of all the possible disasters that could befall our civilization this is the least probable one. Mind you if you are serious about being prepared for everything. You can take some comfort in the fact that the preparations you have completed for all the other, much more likely disasters. Are probably all you could do anyway in the unlikely event you find ET at your door.

Lets look at the facts.

1. As far as we know Earth has never been visited or invaded by aliens.

2. We don't even know that aliens exist.

3. If aliens do exist. How would they know we are here. Our radio signals have only traveled out about 100 light years as of right now. That's not very far.

4. How would the aliens get here. As far as we know you cant travel faster than the speed of light. If this is correct it would be really hard for ET to get here.

5. How do we know ET is hostile. Aliens could be quite friendly.

6. Would we have any thing they want? As far as we can tell the Earth has nothing special that you cant find on lots of other planets. The earth is made of the same stuff as the rest of the universe. Aliens are not going to travel all that way to take stuff they don't need.

7. Any Aliens that are advanced enough to get here would be so technologically superior to us they could probably wipe the floor with us. So not much point in worrying about it. Then again. I could be wrong.

Emergency Food Supplies for a Family of Four

Hubs and I have a lot of food stored for an emergency. We watch the grocery store flyers carefully so that we can stock up on needed food items when they are on sale. Every family should have at least 3 months of food on hand in case of a disaster or emergency situation.



Sometimes families want to start stockpiling food but they are overwhelmed by the challenge and don't know what to get and how to store it. We aren't experts but we've done a lot of research and a lot of trial and error so we have a pretty good idea of what nutritional value is in certain foods, which foods have the longest shelf life and which are best value for the money (in terms of shelf life, ability to extend the ration, variety of meals possible, and cost)



I've already given you the list of 7 basic essential foods which will keep you alive. I explained how much of each you need for one adult for one week. I know you can do the math but let's look at how much of these basic essential foods an average family of 4 needs for 3 months.



It is going to shock you. But it's doable! An important fact to remember is that any child over the age of 7 is considered a adult in terms of food storage.



I am using mostly metric measurements but you can convert for a fairly accurate measurement by using the following:



1 liter = 0.26 US gallons

1 kg = 2.2 pounds

1 US cup = 236.6 ml but you can convert using 250ml=1cup and remember that 1,000 ml or 4 cups is pretty close to 1 L

ITEM	1 ADULT 1 WEEK	4 ADULTS 3 MOS	SHELF LIFE
Grains	3.5kg	168kg	20-30yrs
Legumes	1/2kg	24kg	20-30yrs
Oils	3/4 cup	36c (9L)	forever if vegetable oil
Salt	2/3 c	32 c (8 L)	forever
Water	7-21L	336-1008L	forever
Sugar	1/2kg	24kg	forever
Milk	1c	48c	20yrs if powder

Vinegar, The Magic Food, Medicine and Cleanser for Survival

Vinegar the magical food item. That's what I call it. It's something you should have on hand for long-term food storage.



What can you do with vinegar? Vinegar can be used as a disinfectant. Put it on wounds, or with your laundry, or dilute it and wash floors and bedding with it.



Vinegar has medicinal properties and is useful for treating bedding in a sick room. In the 19th century vinegar was an important item for ships' surgeons to have on board. Entire ships were disinfected using vinegar and water to wash floors and bedding and clothing.



Vinegar was in use as a healing medicine and antibiotic in ancient Greece and during the Civil War.



You can also make a salad dressing with vinegar, oil and sugar.



Indigestion can be treated with a dink of vinegar and baking soda.& Yes the old "Make a volcano for science fair" trick. But if you drink a bit, it helps a burp and thus relieves the indigestion. It works better if you use apple cider vinegar.



My father used to drink a small glass of vinegar after every meal. He claimed it helped him digest his food! And my grandmother swore that a tiny glass of vinegar daily helped thin the blood. Who knows, maybe there's some truth in these old home remedies!

Hurricane Irene a wake up call.

Hurricane Irene is yet another reminder of just how important it is to be prepared. It may not have been the doomsday disaster that many had feared but it did cause severe flooding and power outages. 4 or 5 million people lost power at some point. Irene left at least 21 people dead in eight states. And Initial property damage estimates ranged up to $7 billion.

Again on the news before the storm we had thousands of people running around trying to purchase water, batteries and other supplies.  DON'T WAIT TILL ITS TOO LATE. You must get ready for emergencies before they happen. And forget the 48 or 72 hrs of supplies that the Government authorities tell you to have on hand. If you don't have every thing you need to be totally self sufficient for at least a week you are a fool. Sorry to be blunt but that's how I feel.

Its not hard to have a weeks worth of supplies on hand. Every one can do it. It just takes a little effort.

Water Water Everywhere...

Water Water everywhere and not a drop to drink? Hopefully you've planned your water storage for emergency situations. An adult requires 1 to 3 litres of water daily so for one month you need 30 to 90 litres! That's for ONE ADULT. Phew. That's a lot of water.

This past weekend I purchased several rain barrels. They hold 200 litres of water so a full one is good for my wife and I for at least one month, perhaps longer. I set one up yesterday on the deck and added a spigot so I can have a tap and a hose to drain the water out. I'll use it for watering my herbs grown in window boxes on the deck. And it will be one of three that we're going to set up around our house and outbuildings.



We have a small garden shed which only needs a bit of eaves troughing and bingo we can set up another rain barrel. We have another larger shed which can be set up easily too. That gives us 3 200-litre rain barrels, enough water to last the two of us for 3 months or more.



Rain barrels plus large containers of water stored in your basement or closet are a good way to be sure you have enough water on hand for any crisis or emergency situation.