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Your home should be your castle. For all the talk in the preparedness community about bugging out and heading for the country, unless your home is under direct attack, it is a far better plan to attempt to stay at home. It’s where your food supply is, it’s where your clothes and your tools are, and hopefully you have a solid, dependable roof over your head.

The fall and winter is usually the last time that you’d think about your outdoor areas, but it’s the ideal time to start planning for what you can do this spring and summer to help improve your home’s preparedness plan. Here are some great features to consider when creating your plan:

Food & Water Storage

Your backyard might not be the first place you think of when you start considering food and water storage, but it’s actually quite convenient.

The ideal food storage idea you can have in your backyard is a root cellar. If you’re creating a big one, you simply need to dig a large hole, build supports for the wall, and set up some form of ceiling with an air flow, add an entrance, and you have a walk-in storage solution for many of your vegetables that will keep your produce cool for the season.

Smaller root cellars can be as simple as burying a cooler in a shady spot, or digging a hole and covering the area with something. These are not the greatest or largest solutions, but they’ll work in a pinch.

Putting a survival cache in your own tree is also an option. PVC pip can be used to create an airtight seal that can contain anything you think you might need in order to survive. What’s nice about the cache is that in case of a fire, flood, or home invasion, at least you’ll have something you can use to get you through a tough time.

For Water Storage, a cistern is an excellent solution. Cisterns are usually buried under your lawn, but could be free-standing. In either case, this is something you likely will want to have professionally installed, as mistakes could lead to thousands of gallons of water flooding your property. Either way, these large storage tanks take much of the guesswork out of storing water for an SHTF situation, and are made large enough that they will be useful as water for people, plants and cleanliness.

If not a large cistern, then how about a rain barrel connected to your gutter system. When well managed, rain barrels are a great method of securing a source of water for your survival garden at least, and for your family in a pinch.

You could also consider installing a pond or large fountain, which would be the most scenic water storage choice, although likely the least practical for usage, as the water would require a more significant filtering and cleaning process before use.

Living Space

This past summer, when considering my preparedness plan, I noted that one thing we really needed was a redundant way to cook our food. We have gas appliances in our home, and I have a propane tank attached to the grill outside, but otherwise, we had no dedicated space or method for cooking. We solved this by putting a firepit in our backyard, along with a simple firewood storage box to keep nearby. Now we have a dedicated cooking area that will last as long as we keep getting branches from our trees (in other words, forever).

We ended up using our firepit so much that I installed a pergola, a few garden trellis walls, and a patio stone floor, and now we have almost a “room” outside where we can cool off, warm up, or camp out quite easily with minimal equipment. I’d feel comfortable out there with just a blanket if the weather permits.

My wife and I also like to adapt the kid’s stuff towards preparedness in some way. Our daughter’s play area includes a triangular set of trellises, and during the summer months, we plant pole beans around them to create a kind of teepee. Her tire swing and treehouse are built into our sugar maple, which we tap annually for syrup. She also has a small playhouse with a few built-in planters outside and a living roof that has a few herbs growing on top.

If you have the space for a shed, you could easily build one of those as a guest house, useful for storage, and if it’s far enough away from your main home, an easy bug out location on the premises in case of fire, flood or other catastrophe.

Food Growth & Gardening

Of course, in an SHTF situation, your backyard will serve as your grocery store. Raised plant beds are easy to install in any grassy area, and are perfect for growing all manner of veggies. Simply purchase the wood or bricks you wish to use, and lay them out in the area you choose. Build the wall at least four to six inches deep, and you’ll have enough soil to grow a bunch of different veggies in. If you want to go the extra mile and put landscaping fabric underneath, that may help control weeds, but it’s not necessary, and many people (myself included) have had mixed results.

In addition to raised beds, you can consider creating miniature greenhouses. Build a box with a glass or plastic lid that can be easily raised or propped open so you can work in it, and ensure that that area gets plenty of light. During the winter months, you can plant a large number of vines or crops in these mini greenhouses that can provide fresh foods year round. This is also an ideal spot to start your seedlings in spring.

Once the end of the growing season hits, you’ll be very thankful if you created a compost pile where you can get free dirt and fertilizer. Enclosed three-bin systems are very easy to build, and provide the easiest long-term plan for gathering compost, but a simple garbage can purchased from the hardware store can function as a tumbler. Some people I know don’t even have bins, they simply have a pile covered with a tarp or wrapped in chicken wire. Compost is excellent for growing crops and a good way to reduce the amount of garbage you throw away every week.

In case you don’t have a lot of room, there’s still plenty you can do to garden. It’s possible to grow fruit trees in large pots, or if you have even a little room for planting in ground, you can maximize space by growing vine plants like cucumbers, pole beans and squash on trellises. Espalier is a method of growing a fruit tree next to a wall, and is ideal for creating a smaller fruit tree that actually makes very large and wholesome fruits in a small area. Arbors also work for maintaining a small tree in a controlled area. This method works best for pear plants and apples. It’s easy to grow many veggies in pots as well.

If you have the space and the equipment, there is no better “greenhouse” solution than a Walipini. A Walipini is a dug out section of earth that is enclosed with a clear plastic or glass roof. Underneath, you have a 12-month greenhouse that can help your plants endure in any climate. A traditional greenhouse is an option as well, but may not offer the 12-month guarantee of a Walipini.

We got most of our ideas for our backyard from two sources – Pinterest and our local botanic gardens. Both of these options offer a wide variety of alternative options for growing plants, and their hardscapes are not only beautiful, but often have tutorials attached.

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Your home should be your castle. For all the talk in the preparedness community about bugging out and heading for the country, unless your home is under direct attack, it

In a past life I was involved in the Avalanche Survival Classes The Sierra Club taught. This was back when their ranks were filled with outdoor enthusiasts focused on survival and conservation as opposed to politics. Then the organization understood that hunters and fishermen and mountaineers were among the most aware and responsible of people in the wilderness and left the smallest of carbon footprints. As preppers we may end up in the mountains and snow and the physics of snow are another thing to understand to give ourselves the best chance at survival.

While this was all on-piste skiing, the ski patrol was always dealing with the clown that went off-piste and got into trouble. (A note: the term is loosely used to mean within the bounds of a ski area and outside the bounds of a ski area). Part of the certification process from the Professional Ski Instructors Association (PSIA) was to recognize avalanche potential, on or near ski resorts. As a scientist, I became very interested in this as it was a real world application of some highly technical textbook stuff – a lot of physics as to the bonding of materials, and a lot of fluid mechanics. Being buried under a few feet of snow somewhere, anywhere in maybe 200 acres of avalanche slab run off is one hell of a position to end up in. Of course, there were specially trained dogs, transponders and other technical devices to assist…somewhere. Maybe drinking hot cocoa at the warming hut and seldom less than 5 minutes away. I find this interesting because unlike a SHTF scenario your goal here is “how do I QUICKLY get found when I am buried alive!”

Anyone who lives in an area where snow is something to deal with knows the differences in the construction of the snow crystals caused by temperature and humidity. Colder and dryer makes for lighter snow with limited bonding capabilities. You have all seen this in films of skiers blasting through waist or chest deep “powder” with ease, or in trying to make snowballs. On the other hand warmer and higher humidity give you what we called “Sierra Cement” though it has many names, not all of them as complimentary, especially if YOU are the one who has to shovel the porch, walk and/or driveway. The “average” ratio of snow to water is 1:10 – 1 inch of water produces 10 inches of snow.

Well as you all know sometimes it snows when it is 8 degrees F with a relative humidity below 15% and sometimes it snows when it is 30 degrees F with a relative humidity of 38% or more. (Floridians will shake their heads at these humidity numbers). What this does is produces layers in any mountain snow pack of dry non-binding snow between layers of wet heavy bonding snow. Now take this snow pack and pitch it on a mountain slope. The steeper the slope, the more likelihood of an avalanche. The reason that a lot of areas that look so tempting around ski areas are “off piste” – closed to resort users. And the exact same reason some idiot is going to chance it to “cut first/fresh/new tracks”.

Now add another variable, the thickness of each layer. Sometimes you get an inch, sometimes it comes in feet. AND when you get a few feet of wet and heavy on a foot of light and dry it compacts it and, for the first few hours does not soak in and stabilize it. This is why after fresh snow fall so many ski areas open late as the ski patrol has to check all the known avalanche-prone areas and do an analysis of the thickness and water content of the fresh layer. Their insurance companies insist upon it. No one checks this outside ski areas so if you are off the grid in this situation this is the time of highest probability of an avalanche. The permutations to this are endless.

A few more fun facts before we talk about how we might survive.

A popular winter “sport” is called “high-marking.” Played with snowmobiles it is exactly what it sounds like – who can make the highest mark on an up-slope covered in snow.

An avalanche slab can move at up to 250 mph (highest ever measured). A large avalanche in North America might release 300,000 cubic yards of snow. That is the equivalent of 20 football fields each filled with 10 feet of snow. Avalanches are normally smaller, but so are we. The reality is if a victim can be rescued within 18 minutes, the survival rate is greater than 91%. Caught in an avalanche the survival rate drops to 34% in burials between 19 and 35 minutes. After one hour, only 1 in 3 victims buried in an avalanche is found alive, and only if they have taken some actions to preserve their lives, and after 2 hours, it changes from rescue to recovery. The theme through all of this that gives me nightmares is you may be buried alive.

So What Do I Do?

Move sideways if you can – like escaping a rip tide.

If you caused it then it may not be happening just above you – attempt to jump up slope to get off of the fractured slab. Claw and crawl if that works. If the slope is very steep, 45 degrees or more, this may only give you a moment to bust a move sideways as the snow above received some support from the slab now sliding away and it has now become unstable as well. And, to be clear, though you may have caused it, the slab above could fracture immediately upon losing the support from the slab already moving away. If the “straw” is there GRAB IT!

NEVER, ever be without a beacon/location transponder. NEVER. Skiing the bunny slope have one. Sitting in the base lodge having a hot buttered rum have one. Nordic skiing open prairie have one. They are water proof so only you will know if you have one when you shower, at home, in Miami. I won’t fault you as they also work in earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and fires. Not inexpensive but worth the investment.

Yell or blow that whistle if you can, it may help after the slab stops. Avalanches are thunderous. If you are close to a recreational area everyone will hear it and responders will be on their way, and then the noisy wheel gets the oil.

If you can grab something, other than another victim, grab it – a tree, a rock, a lift tower pole if you are at a ski resort, straws…ANYTHING. There is an equal chance this will injure you as opposed to save you but given the chance, take it. These objects will create their own air pockets, a best place to be buried, if there is such a thing.

If you are caught dump the skis or snowboard and always keep swimming up towards the surface, and parallel to the flow. You want to be on top or as close to the surface as possible and as close to the edge as possible.

If you are not at the surface create an air pocket as a last measure. Cover your mouth and nose and take a deep breath and push out against the snow in front of your face. If this worked then when you exhale you will have more air to sustain you while you wait for help. If you have the presence of mind wiggle (convulsively) as much as you can when you feel the slab slowing to create more of an air pocket. Once an avalanche stops, it sets like Quickrete.

If you are a skier try and hang onto one pole and keep it extended. Almost physically impossible when caught in tons of snow, but worth a try and when you comprehend where “up” is try and push it up to make an air channel as well as a marker for rescuers. When buried in snow, asphyxiation is your biggest worry.

Consider carrying an Avalung mouthpiece, avalanche balloon or avalanche ball. Again, a little pricey but if it is ever needed is does pay for itself.

If you have a pack leave it on: It provides valuable padding to your back and kidneys, it may contain needed supplies, though reaching them will be a superhuman accomplishment, and it makes you a larger object, possibly keeping you closer to the surface.

When the avalanche comes to a stop, try and relax. Again snow instantly freezes up like concrete, so most completely buried victims can’t even move their fingers—there’s nothing more you can do so try to relax.

If you do get out, stay in a safe place in the area as you have just become the single best source the Rescue Team and other victims have of being reached as you probably saw where at least some other people were.

Now who’s up for a game of “High-marking for Brews?”

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In a past life I was involved in the Avalanche Survival Classes The Sierra Club taught. This was back when their ranks were filled with outdoor enthusiasts focused on survival

Vodka is one of the highest concentrated alcoholic drinks available. Its relative tastelessness makes it a favorite for combining into mixed drinks, and it’s possible to find relatively inexpensively in almost every grocery store in America. Vodka, if used and stored correctly, is also a very important supply to have for prepping, because it has a wide range of possible uses and it never goes bad.

Vodka as a Bartering Supply

When the SHTF scenario finally occurs, one of the surest things that will happen is that alcohol’s value will skyrocket. People crave their vices, even if the vice is not one that causes a physical dependence, and they are usually willing to give up quite a lot to get even a drop of what they know and love.

It’s also a fairly sure thing that, as much as we prep for the future, we cannot possibly deal with every eventuality. You may think you’ve got enough to keep you and your family fed, until you suddenly realize that you have ten boxes of noodles, but no pasta sauce to make a meal with.

Since vodka stores indefinitely, and since it has such a high concentration of alcohol, it’s possible to get a buzz with a very limited quantity of alcohol, and in an SHTF situation, where dependents have been without for so long, it will take very little for them to get drunk. Therefore, you should have little trouble trading a bottle, or even a few sips, for something very valuable when that time comes.

Vodka as a Medical Supply

Like all alcohol, vodka can be used in place of ethyl or isopropyl alcohol in medical applications. Obviously, as a designed food item, the vodka is not quite as good of an alternative as the real thing, but in a pinch, you can certainly use it to disinfect wounds, or rub it on the body over an area you may wish to cut into or sew to reduce the risk of infection.

You could use it to clean your knife or other supplies as well, paricularly needles, or tweezers. Vodka won’t be as effective as other forms of made-to-use medical supplies like hand sanitizer or medicinal alcohol, but it will work well enough.

Alcohol is also useful as an analgesic for tooth pain, and can be rubbed on your skin to treat itches or poison ivy.

Vodka to Make Tinctures

If you grow herbs, or use herbal medicine in any way, then vodka should already be part of your fall purchase list so that you can use it in creating tinctures to preserve herbaceous medicines. The process is simple – in a small, dark and opaque bottle or jar, fill the bottle or jar with herbs (leaves, flowers, roots, or whatever piece you’d normally use). Top off the bottle with vodka, and let it sit for a week or so in order to have the medicine steep into the liquid. After you’ve allowed the mixture to steep, you can strain out the liquid tincture, and store it in dropper bottles, which take up less area and have an adequate measuring system included.

A few tips: you must ensure that your alcohol is at least 80 proof (40% ABV – alcohol by volume) so that the alcohol content can successfully break down the essential plant matter. You must make sure that your storage solution is opaque, as sunlight can damage the medicinal qualities of the tincture. Making a tincture is a method of storing herbal medicines nearly indefinitely if you preserve the bottles in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

To take a tincture, you simply add one full dropper to a beverage, or apply underneath your tongue. Because the tincture is an alcoholic product, it will allow the medicine to be absorbed quickly in to your bloodstream, and work quickly and powerfully to fix your ailment. Some herbalists recommend rubbing tinctures into your skin, although this is probably less effective.

Sage leaves, chamomile flowers, and willow bark are easy-to-grow plants that are common in many areas, and have a variety of useful effects. They make great starter tinctures.

Vodka as an Accelerant

Vodka is very high in alcohol content, and as anyone who experimented in chemistry can tell you, alcohol burns hot and quick. You can use vodka as an accelerant for fires (similar to lighter fluid). It does not create a steady, long burn, but it could help you catch a few twigs on fire, and is especially useful if you’re not all that skilled with bushcraft.

Vodka as a Gun Cleaner

If you’ve got a rag and a bottle of vodka, you have all the materials necessary to clean your gun. The alcohol in vodka can break down most of the buildup and gunk that accumulates inside gun barrels and can get all the moving parts cleaned and shined up well.

Vodka as a Weapon

With a rag, a bottle of alcohol and a fire, you have an effective Molotov cocktail, an exploding fire grenade that can deal massive damage to crowds, a vehicle or a building. If you’re in a one-on-one fight, a broken bottle is a very menacing weapon. But beware, glass bottles either do not break easily or shatter completely, depending on a lot of factors. Once again, the movie and TV stereotypes are a myth. On the upside, anyone you injure with this will appreciated that you were kind enough to use a weapon that will fight infection.

Vodka to Keep Warm?

Alcohol in general can make you feel like you’ve increased your body temperature, and therefore, it is often thought of as a way to keep your internal body temperature high. In fact, alcohol does the opposite. You feel warm when you drink alcohol because it actually lowers your internal temperature, causing you to feel like you just walked out on a warm summer day wearing a winter coat. Drinking in cold temperatures can be very hazardous to your health. However, that false feeling, along with the numbing effect, can be an effective method for calming agitated people.

Almost any of the applications here use vodka in unconventional ways, and in almost all circumstances, it is not the primary or ideal way to perform the action. Also, any high proof alcohol will do the job, but vodka is the most accessible and least expensive in my experience. Brandy, Ever-clear or moonshine will all work quite well. When buying vodka, it’s probably best to buy it in glass, not plastic, bottles, and you may wish to choose an organic brand. The higher the concentration of alcohol, the more effective it will be in almost every circumstance listed above.

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Vodka is one of the highest concentrated alcoholic drinks available. Its relative tastelessness makes it a favorite for combining into mixed drinks, and it’s possible to find relatively inexpensively in

Get In Shape

No, really. With absolutely nothing to your name, you can be better off than a quarter if not half the preppers with gear, land, and partners. Want a little ‘for example’? How about the huffing and puffing we hear when folks run from the cold or rain? Or are forced to hustle to catch mass transit of some kind?

There’s the muscle injuries and heart attacks that get warned about ahead of winter storms. There’s a lesser publicized set of aches that even active homesteaders work through at the beginning of spring or late summer and autumn as we get back in to full swing – doing more than shoveling snow, poking in checking on things, hauling feed to the (usually) closer barn than to and around pastures. Every year, there are hikers who end up overextended and in distress.

We shake our heads at news stories when people put themselves in sucky situations. Let’s make sure we’re not one of them sometime in the future.

Get in Shape for WORKING

General physical ability can be helpful, and it’s a leg up, for sure. However, there’s gym fit and there’s street-woods fit. Gear your “workouts” to things you’ll be doing. You can also find exercises that directly relate to activities you expect.

Mix up your walking/packing/jogging/sprint surfaces. If you live rural and plan to cut cross-country, if you’re away from home, sure, focus on the “natural” surfaces around you. Don’t ignore hardtops, but they’re less important for one-time, single-digit day-count packing. If you live or work in a lot of urban environments, though, make your training more fifty-fifty.

Walk on the sides of ditches and in loose leaves to build your ankles up. Sandy beaches offer a variety of challenging textures that can also help seriously strengthen legs and ankles depending on where in the tide line or above it you exercise and run. It’ll be helpful in snow and ice as well, and in tilled gardens or hand-harvesting hay and grains and big bean plots.

Those strong ankles will also be an aid in keeping your balance anytime you lose it – like if you anticipate ever getting shoved or tripped.

If you live somewhere floods are a risk or where you get a fair bit of snow, start plowing through some water if any’s available. You may be able to find times of day or parts of parks where you won’t attract attention slogging through a little stream or knee-deep in lake, bay, or marsh water. You may also be able to find an affordable YMCA or similar pool, although you’ll be “stuck” with waist-high instead of the more-unique pulls of calf- and knee-high slogging. (Please watch for snakes that will be annoyed with you and wear good sneakers.)

Go slow – this isn’t a sprint, it’s preparing you for winter work and bug-outs, not a footrace. Steady, certain steps are the biggie, and developing the muscles. Don’t be too ambitious at first. Rushing is a broken ankle or wrist and be careful waiting to happen. Be smart in cool weather – hypothermia doesn’t require freezes.

You can find gym equipment or band workouts that can help you build muscles for raking and shoveling, swinging an ax, or hauling and pushing carts and wagons. Bands require an investment, and there are contrasting opinions about them, but they’re affordable and compact – exercise anywhere.

Boxing and kick boxing exercises abound on the internet. Both build an enormous amount of core strength.

A gallon of water weighs about eight pounds. (Start with a half-gallon or liter, please.) If we get milk, we can get weights at home without spending an extra penny or having to build in time to go somewhere. When you’re ready for more, look around your environment for pipes, golf clubs, sturdy pruned limbs, etc., that can be used to create a bar. (Duct tape them – sliding weight, even “just” 8-16 pounds, is a recipe for an injury.)

Do Exercises Correctly

Do weight, stretching, and isometric exercises slowly. Use a mirror to check your form. When your form is muscle memory, close your eyes and concentrate on the feel.

Bucking, rocking, kipping or whatever you want to call them are not only cheating yourself. They’re also an injury waiting to happen. You also work more of your muscles, longer and harder, by working them slowly.

Build the Right Strengths

Start with low weights and high reps. Keep those high reps and slow motions even when you advance in weight. Practice holding at each point, and stopping midway for holds, too.

There are the instant-action parts of homesteading and camping/packing/paddling, absolutely: that moment when you heave the pressed hay up and over, to stack or to carry, or slinging a bag of feed up and over your shoulder, shoving off rocks or getting flipped backwards. There are “power pops” when you stress your tool maintenance guy and your body taking bypass pruners to tough wood and at funny angles.

However, many of our tasks are endless repetitions – raking, forking, shoveling, paddling, hauling a rope of a beaver slide or pulley lift to get hay or straw to a loft or hoist an animal for butchering.

In low-power or no-power situations, and low- or no-noise situations, there’s also hand sawing – which is a fast action, but a lot of it. There’s things like rocking a garden weasel back and forth, and push-pull lawn cutting with a rotary mower. There’s the bent or crouched schnick-schnick-schnick-turn-toss-schnick-schnick-schnick of harvesting grains or hay or straw, or gathering small branches or vines, or trimming down tree feeds for livestock.

Do, absolutely, work some of the hand-and-footwork speed drills, too. There are times when higher weights and quick motions do come into play.

I have to have the “snatch” strength to catch that ladder before it tips, or to snag a tree when rotting stuff gives way underfoot, to help somebody on steep trails or slipping on ice, or the harness line when my goofy dog accidentally bounces another dog over the edge of something (most recently it was her brother off a boat dock).

My medical supplies do me no good if I can’t heave my heavy dog over my shoulder and get it somewhere, or drag my family and partners out of something or into something. Maybe it’s a house fire, maybe they slipped off a bridge, maybe a bookshelf tilted. Maybe it’s a large animal, and being able to slam and brace and hold a gate to keep something out and away from them.

Even so, most of those have an endurance aspect. Catching for a moment is only half the battle.

I have to sustain that hold, and I have to be able to pull without losing my grip. I have to scramble with that hold sometimes, or not lose my footing.

Maybe today there’s an earthquake or tornado that starts a fire, some nut-job shooting, or a 500-year flood strikes. If I can’t carry or drag my loved ones all the way out of harm’s way, I lose them.

Maybe today’s task is sitting on the ground or edge of something, digging in heels, straining against a rope and “climbing” to haul something to a loft or my kid/partner/lover/parent out of a well or somebody’s deer pit. If I can’t hold onto that timber we’re hauling, if I slip as belay anchor or lose my grip on that rope, I hurt somebody.

Initial adrenaline will only take us so far. It’s worth getting in shape for.

Prepare Your Body, or Prepare to Fail

All the gear in the world isn’t going to help somebody who can’t get out of a building or down the road, who can’t escape a fire or flood, who can’t evade a mob and then put enough distance between them to beat the police barricade lines.

The best bug-out location on earth won’t help somebody who can’t get to it and keep it going – who can’t lift their kid and that fancy bag up over a fence, who can’t build a shelter against cold, wet weather to keep their family from hypothermia, who can’t lift enough water in big buckets to keep livestock and gardens watered, let alone bathe.

The expensive spotting scope and fancy rifle that found and took a deer doesn’t help the guy who then can’t get it up a hill or across the flats – at all, without injury or heart attack, or “fast enough” in some parts of the world where bears, hogs, and human scavengers like to check out gunshots.

Side Benefits to Exercise

Exercise is also incredibly good for the brain, both in combating stress and depression, and in sharpening our minds and senses. Tired bodies help us sleep better, with sleep hugely important to stress, recovery, mood, and decision making.

When you feel stronger and fitter, you’ll also find your confidence increasing, which in some cases actually decreases aggression and combative attitudes. (Lack of confidence tends to lead to those small-dog yappy-snappy, argumentative people who take everything as a personal insult and a direct challenge to authority.)

That’s going to make a disaster of any scale a whole lot easier to deal with, no matter how active or sedentary it is.

Prep for Retaining & Regaining Strength

If you’re lucky enough to have a bunker, a storm cellar, or a tight compound, don’t forget to stash ways to stay in shape while you’re locked down. You only need a little space and some things that – besides bands – are probably already there. Make sure you also have a variety of exercises, stretches, and drills printed out and stashed.

Not only is endurance and raw strength important, and something that can be easily handled at little to no cost, work on flexibility. Exercises for seniors can be an excellent source there.

Physical therapy exercises are beneficial as well. Don’t forget to print up what they apply to. It can range from post-stroke and nerve damage recovery, to knee replacements and torn ACLs, out to oddballs like whiplash and dislocated fingers and wrists. Not only are many actually pretty fantastic stretching, mobility, dexterity, and strength-building regimens, if there is an accident or injury, you’re prepared for full recovery.

The One Irreplaceable Prep

Every disaster and evacuation, we hear of refugees surviving incredible hardships and long journeys, and people managing incredible physical feats to save their loved ones. But for every feel-good victory, there are losses. Not everyone makes it fast enough, far enough.

Increasing physical ability can be done in two, three, or four 10-20 minute sessions a day, a few times a week. It can cost nothing.

Some of it can be done pumping our fuel or during regular shopping trips, adding less time than we’ll stand in a checkout line or lust over goodies behind glass. Some of it can be done one hand at a time, reading or scrolling the internet with the other. We can keep up with weekly shows/sports doing cals and Pilates and physical therapy on the carpet and kitchen chair, or using a bar hung from a sturdy doorway.

Your body is the one thing there is no backup for. There are no excuses. Not time, not money, not current physical limitations. We can get stronger, and by doing so, improve our chances of survival.

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Get In Shape No, really. With absolutely nothing to your name, you can be better off than a quarter if not half the preppers with gear, land, and partners. Want a

You don’t need to dig an underground bunker to start planning for the next big disaster. Investing in upgraded disaster preparedness equipment is a smart move. Add these tech items to your disaster preparedness kit now, and you’ll be ready for pretty much any eventuality.

Portable Generators

A good portable generator is the backbone of a survivalist’s tech arsenal. Gas-powered generators can keep your lights and refrigerator on when there’s a serious outage. They also allow you to use cellphones and computers to stay connected.

Small 2 kw generators are ideal for emergency preparedness for most individuals. These units are quiet, fuel efficient, and ideal for keeping low-power appliances on for extended periods of time. Keeping the refrigerator, a few lights, and a computer on can be more than enough during a temporary power loss.

Huge hardwired units, on the other hand, can keep most of your home operational during a blackout. With this kind of generator, you can continue your day-to-day tasks like normal.

Headlamps

Having light can make a world of difference in a survival scenario, even if you’re only using it to finish the next chapter of a good book. The best lights on the market have long-lasting LED bulbs and are often USB rechargeable for convenience and flexibility.

Headlamps are the best emergency lights since they keep your hands free for other important tasks. Lights like the Pelican 2765 are ideal for disaster preparedness kits because they withstand impact, dangerous fumes, and water damage, ensuring you’ll have light when you need it most.

Electricity-Generating Wood Stoves

You can’t always count on electricity or gasoline being available, but you can almost always count on having wood to burn. The BioLite CampStove 2, for example, is an exciting piece of technology that uses a smokeless fire to generate electricity.

This stove is ideal for charging a smartphone or powering a headlamp. It can also be used for heat and cooking. The dual-purpose nature makes this piece of tech an ideal survival tool for the worst-case scenario. When there’s no imminent disaster, the smartphone charging capability can also come in handy during camping trips and tailgate parties.

Water Filters

Ensuring you and your family have access to clean drinking water is an essential step in disaster preparedness. Clean water sources are easily contaminated if a storm compromises treatment facilities. A water filter is essential for both short and long-term resilience to a disaster.

While most filters can capture large particles such as heavy metals, potentially harmful viruses can still pass through to your drinking water. For the most consistent results, it’s best to filter out contaminants with a hollow-core or ceramic water filter, followed by UV water purifier treatment. These handy devices use ultraviolet light to kill off viruses that most filters miss, ensuring clean water access over long periods.

Portable Solar Panels

Barring a meteor impact, sunlight should always be abundant after a disaster. Tapping into the sun’s energy for power is a great way to keep your cellphone and lights going when the power is out. Portable solar panels offer a convenient and lightweight power source you can easily stow in the back of your car until needed.

Portable solar panels, reliably generate power in sunny conditions, and their flexible design makes them durable enough to last during a disaster. You can even pair these systems with a battery pack so you can continue using your phone while your panels soak up the sun.

Smartphone Survival Apps

With a reliable backup power source, your smartphone can provide essentially limitless information for many survival scenarios. There are several apps that provide off-line access to critical information for emergency situations, ensuring you can make informed decisions when it matters most.

The American Red Cross offers several first aid apps, including a guide to common first aid issues and a pet first aid guide. The organization also offer several applications for emergency alerts and disaster monitoring for everything from tornadoes to floods.

Home Security Systems

Keeping your family safe doesn’t necessitate a massive disaster. Threats like a home invasion can be just as financially and emotionally devastating as a flood. You can ensure your home is safe and protected with a comprehensive home security system. Bleeding-edge technologies in the security field also offer many benefits for homeowners concerned with preparedness.

Smart home technologies, including automatic locks, doorbell cameras, and smart smoke detectors work around the clock with home monitoring services to ensure your home is completely secure, even when you’re not home. Many systems also interface with digital assistants like Amazon Alexa so you can easily program and monitor your system from any mobile device and any location.

Portable Emergency Weather Radio

It’s not flashy—and it certainly isn’t high tech—but a reliable hand-crank emergency weather radio is one of the best tech items you can include in your disaster planning. Weather radios pick up NOAA weather bands to keep you alert and prepared during any natural disaster, even if your local cell towers are already down.

The best emergency radios double as flashlights, and many newer models include a USB outlet for charging a cellphone or USB-powered light. Most models charge using a hand crank or solar panel, ensuring they’ll work in all weather conditions. An AM/FM receiver can also entertain you with music when you’re waiting for the lights to come on.

As you look to expand your current disaster preparedness kit, consider adding the above-listed items so you’ve got the tech you need to help you weather any storm.

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You don’t need to dig an underground bunker to start planning for the next big disaster. Investing in upgraded disaster preparedness equipment is a smart move. Add these tech items

We as preppers tend to always be prepared for the worst scenarios possible, but what if we are caught in a bad, but not worst case, scenario? As a man who has lived through a few disasters of different descriptions, I would like to share some thoughts with you all.

Imagine the following scenario if you will:

You have just survived a disaster without any casualties or major damage. Your generator is gassed up, plenty of oil and gas to keep it running, non-perishable food, medical supplies, etc. You have your own water well, and with your generator, you are not worried about water supply. You have power, but nothing happens when you turn the faucet on. Why? Because the wind/water/etc. Has damaged your plumbing. Now what?

This is the exact scenario my family faced after hurricane Rita in 2005. The force of the wind shifted the pump house, moving the water tank and breaking the plumbing. Thankfully pvc pipe can be patched relatively quickly. However, as the last freeze taught us, you must be prepared to potentially replace ALL of the plumbing in your home. Always have extra pipe and fittings on hand in the appropriate sizes and materials for your home plumbing system. Do not forget primer and cement if you are working with pvc.

And what of electrical? A disaster can seriously damage your electrical system. Perhaps it will be as simple as capping off an unnecessary leg of a circuit. Perhaps you will need to rebuild a vital part of the system. Either way, having extra wire on hand is a great idea. Not to mention the correct tools for the job, as well as wire nuts and electrical tape.

I am ashamed to admit this, but there was a time when certain among us were caught without a manually operated can opener. Not everyone was born a prepper. Make sure to have extras.

A bathroom can be damaged too. It never hurts to have trash bags and toilet paper stored away. I speak from experience when I say that toilet paper is a wonderful luxury after a disaster.

Something I have not yet obtained, but fully believe everyone should have is a small boat. I lived through the flood of 1994, and did not think the water could ever be higher. Harvey taught us all a lesson. Myself and my family were blessed enough to not have to be rescued, but it was 1” away. Literally, 1” from the threshold. I will be adding a boat to my supplies.

Now let’s think about that generator. You probably have many gallons of fuel stored away, of course with the correct amount of stabilizer mixed in. There are probably cases of oil stored in a safe location as well. But what if this turns into an extended outage? Do you have spark plugs? Spare air filters? Oil filters (if your model uses one)? What about carburetors? From years of being the local guy everyone brings small engines to, I can tell you that carburetors often fail with today’s fuel. Even those that are cared for in the best manner possible. Ignition coils can fail without warning as well. It is worth to know your machinery and have spare parts on hand. You only want to use your backup generator for the few minutes it will take to repair your main unit.

Having your chainsaw in good working order is also very important. There have been occasions where it is imperative that you be able to clear fallen trees or large wooden debris quickly. I have seen outbuildings mostly toppled after storms, and sometimes it is better to just cut them apart in a controlled manner and eliminate the danger of them falling the rest of the way. Assuming you can’t yank them down with your truck in the redneck style, that makes it go faster. The point is, you should always have fresh fuel for your saw, a spare chain, spare spark plug, and plenty of chain oil on hand.

There are some smaller jobs where the hassle and fuel consumption of power tools is just not warranted. For those moments, I always like to have a few sharp axes, machetes, hatchets and the like on hand. Most people have them stored away somewhere, but when was the last time you checked the edge on it? It is easier to sharpen them now with power tools than it will be to take the time and file sharpen them in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

Perhaps these things I have mentioned do not apply in every circumstance. Or perhaps some of you have already taken the steps I have mentioned. My hope is that my experiences may be able to keep even one other person from having to learn these things the hard way. In the end, that’s what is all about. If the prepper community does not endeavor to support and educate each other, we will all suffer in the long run.

This brings me to my final point: people. We all attempt to educate and inform friends and family regarding the world of preparedness. And that in itself is a good thing. What if a young child mentions it to his/her friends? Or a good friend talks to outsiders? Even a spouse with a random comment? This poses two distinct issues. First, people know where to steal from. But have you ever considered political correctness? I hope this inspires you to be very careful before discussing your plans. As sad as it is, you must consider all possibilities in today’s society. Which may, in the long run, be the biggest threat we face. Nature will do as nature does, but people are the most unpredictable thing there is!

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We as preppers tend to always be prepared for the worst scenarios possible, but what if we are caught in a bad, but not worst case, scenario? As a man

Whether strolling through the park or romping in the backyard, there are a number of things that parents and caretakers should know and pass along, especially to young kids.

Recent statistics show that children younger than six account for a disproportionate percentage of poisoning cases, including nearly half of all poison exposures, according to the National Capital Poison Center.

The highest incidence of poisoning typically occurs in one and two-year-old, the poison center says, though all age groups are affected.

This guide will help parents and guardians know how to prevent poisonings from plants and pesticides and respond quickly to help keep kids safe.

Types of Poisonous Plants

The most common – and dangerous – types of poisonous plants found near backyards, parks, and trails include solanine, grayanotoxins, and cardiac glycosides:

  • Solanine can cause moderate nausea, vomiting, headaches or diarrhea. It’s found in a number of different foods and ornamental plants, but most often in Jerusalem Cherry, Nightshade, potato sprouts and unripe tomatoes. If a kid eats a plant that contains a lot of solanine, they might get drowsy, sweat a lot or experience changes in blood pressure and heart rate. Effects most often occur within two to 24 hours.
  • Grayanotoxins are common in azaleas, rhododendron, and other yard plants. If you’re off-road, watch out for Lambkill and mountain laurel. If a child ingests these plants, they might experience burning, tingling or numbness in their mouths. Other common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sweating, and confusion and occur within three hours of exposure. In extreme cases, a child may have a seizure.
  • Cardiac Glycosides are most often found in Lily-of-the-Valley, foxglove oleander and squill. First signs include headaches, confusion, vomiting, stomach pain, and dizziness. Children might also experience changes in heart rate and blood pressure.

Here are some other plants to keep an eye out for:

  • Elephant ear plants
  • Daffodil and hyacinths
  • Larkspur
  • Wisteria
  • Acorn and oak leaves
  • Black locust
  • Mistletoe
  • Hemlock
  • Poppies
  • Poison oak, ivy, and sumac

How to Prevent Poisoning from Plants

The best thing parents can do for kids is to teach them never to pick or eat anything from a plant they find outside, regardless of how good it smells or looks. Make sure your children know to eat plants or fruits from outside only if they have permission and if the plant has been washed thoroughly.

Be careful not to confuse your child by picking items from a family garden and eating them outside. Be mindful of tops of potato plants and green portions of potato, which contain solanine, as well as rhubarb leaves, which are poisonous.

If you have or are taking care of a young child, take stock of backyard foliage before letting the child play. Keep berries, seeds, and bulbs out of reach, avoid using poisonous plants for decoration and eliminate all mushrooms from the yard. Be sure to double-check if it has rained recently.

In addition to regular supervision, consider constructing a safe gardening space within a raised garden or container and placing it in your yard. Fill the space with pesticide-free soil, smooth rocks or other items that are safe and will keep your child engaged.

If you’re planning a trip to the park, take a quick walk through the area and note any plants that may be poisonous. Same goes for any wilderness adventures or hikes. Remember that young kids will be attracted to plants with bright flowers or poisonous berries; avoid these at all costs.

What to Do If Your Child Touches or Eats a Poisonous Plant

If your child ingests a poisonous plant and starts to choke, has trouble breathing, swallowing or falls unconscious, call 911. If your child has come into contact with a poisonous plant but isn’t showing any immediate signs of distress, don’t wait for symptoms to show – call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Be prepared to share your child’s age, symptoms, and your best guess of the plant he/she consumed and, to the best of your knowledge, when the plant was ingested.

If you cannot seek immediate assistance, make sure that your child doesn’t have any fragments of the plant in their mouth and give them only small sips of water. Do not try to make them vomit. If there is any skin irritation, rinse affected areas with fresh water. Again call your local poison center as soon as possible.

Pesticide Safety

Remember that all pesticides carry a level of toxicity and pose a risk to all people, but especially to infants and small children, who are extra sensitive to their toxic effects.

If you choose to use pesticides, read the product’s label thoroughly. Shop around for the least toxic pesticide you can find and keep it in its original container and far away from children and pets.

When applying pesticides, take extra care to keep your children and pets as far away from the area as possible. Remember that the pesticide will take extra time to dry. If your lawn has recently been treated, ensure your children wear closed-toed shoes and sit on blankets or use other barriers between them and the grass. Make sure your kids wash their hands after playing in the grass.

Safe alternatives to combat pests in your garden and yard include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and natural repellents. Here are a few ideas:

  • Vegetable oil mixed with a mild soap for insects like aphids and mites
  • Mild soap mixed with water for insects like whiteflies, beetles, aphids, and mites
  • Neem oil mixed with mild soap and water to disrupt the life cycle of insects and to protect plants before they become infested
  • Diatomaceous earth as a natural pesticide
  • Pureed garlic mixed with vegetable oil, mild soap, and water to act as an insect repellent
  • Garlic, onion, and cayenne pepper, mixed with liquid soap as a natural insecticide
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Whether strolling through the park or romping in the backyard, there are a number of things that parents and caretakers should know and pass along, especially to young kids. Recent statistics

Sanity is important. Really. It’s easy to think that in a disaster we’ll just make do because we won’t have any choice. That’s adding a lot of stress to our bodies and minds in an already stressful situation.

People die and are brutalized as a result of today’s stresses, and various reactions to them. We are not all going to be immune should something occur – income loss, natural disaster, or nation-altering event. However, we can make some sanity-saving preparations to ease those stresses rather than increase them.

Curtains

We’re used to a great deal of privacy in most Western cultures. It’s no longer the norm to have 3+ generations in a single household. It’s no longer the norm to have even a nuclear family live without separate bedrooms and usually at least one family room to choose from and “getaway”.

People make it through boomerang children and sudden house sharing. Flipside: Consider how many conflicts (and separations) occur when folks retire. Sometimes, two people are “suddenly” exposed to each other 24/7/365 and discover they actually only liked each other in small doses.

When we share tighter spaces or share with more people than usual, conflicts tend to arise. Being able to retain even a minor visual escape from fidgets and from annoyances can be huge.

Cubbies can be arranged for tiny reading nooks, as well as to create smaller rooms or block off a bunk to provide some escape space. All we need to maintain some privacy and individual space are some sheets or fabric, and some screws, screw-in hooks, or some heavy-duty staples. You might also want to snag something like garden mesh or tulle that can be doubled up to provide a visual barrier but not block as much airflow.

Ear Plugs

As with getting out of sight, getting away from sounds can be enormously sanity-saving. The earplugs fit a variety of canals, fluff out fast, aren’t scratchy, and you can sleep on your side. They can also be used in conjunction with over-the-ear and around-the-ear headsets, which can further reduce the intrusion of outside noises.

Music & Headsets

Many of us like music, but don’t want to hear somebody learning to play the harmonica and singing may require those earplugs. Within my family, various infidels think Skillet is a pan, Pitbull is a breed, Celtic Woman is plural, FFDP=5FDP, and it’s normal to howl to country music. There’s audio torture in there for pretty much everybody.

Happily, we have options that will allow us to all dance to the beat of our own drummers.

There are umpteen music and video download services for smartphones or tablets. MP3 players have become wicked inexpensive. Phones are media storage devices, giving those old electronics we replace frequently new life. Terabyte external hard drives not much bigger than a wallet, fit compactly in Ziploc and EMP boxes and shields

Even more happily, there are these handy things called “headsets”. This is different from earbuds. Headsets go over your ears or fit all the way around the ear, sealing off even more of the outside world. Plus, you can wear earplugs with a headset.

You’ll want to make sure you’re also stocking multiple power options. There are rocket stoves that can produce electricity. Small solar chargers are inexpensive. Some are barely bigger than an old flip phone, some are the size of smartphones and tablets, and some that are still in the $20-$50 range take up the space of a laptop – some of which expand to 2-3x times that for collection. Most will handle cell phones and mp3 players easily.

Cough Drops & Syrup

It may seem ridiculous, but somebody repeatedly hacking really will get on others’ nerves. It can also be disruptive to sleep – theirs and others’. Sleep deprivation is one of those things that generates emotional outbursts and bad decisions. It’s an easy fix.

Books, Games & Entertainment

Don’t ignore entertainments just because you think you’ll be working and then sleeping, and won’t need light or distractions. We watched and listened to stories and played sports and games even during pretty tough, lean periods of history.

There are compact card versions of a lot of board games, quickie fun like Man Bites Dog, and games like Qwixx that can cross purpose into Farkle, Yahtzee, and other dice games with some pre-printed instructions. We can create holiday, seasonal, and educational versions of Pictionary, Last Word, BINGO, and Scattergories. (Budget extender: home-print prompts and draw for letters instead of buying the game/alphabet die.) Notebook-sized dry erase boards provide reusable playing and scorekeeping.

Books run the gamut from the usual suspects (crosswords, Sudoku, search-a-word, “Brain Busters”) to fiction in line with family’s TV or gaming interests. Large-print versions will be easier to read in dim light. Some of the free papers in front of supermarkets have a puzzle page (don’t forget to snag the next addition for answers, and pencils).

There’s nothing wrong with adding books to our electronic media, but have some hardcopies.

Places like Oriental Trading Co. can be great for nabbing tiny jigsaw puzzles, finger-fidgets, all kinds of crafts, brain teasers, small activities, dominos, and bead mazes, for less than $5-$10 per lot of 4-24. Watch for their free shipping with no purchase limit specials ahead of holidays.

You can have jigsaw puzzles made out of favorite photos, or print your own. A dozen with their pictures fit in a shirt box. Some Nerf or airsoft guns and home-printed targets can make for an all-ages pirate or zombie party. Indoor bowling sets, non-pokey dartboards, mini indoor basketball goals, homemade bean-bag tosses, and similar are all ways to keep boredom and stress from boiling over even if we’re not trapped by weather or in a bunker/compound situation.

If there are adults and adolescents, don’t forget the condoms. Especially if you don’t plan for other entertainments.

Vices

For some, books, games, movies, music, and the internet are vices. For others, it’s nicotine or booze, chocolate or caffeine, popcorn or chips. Some people are pretty well addicted to their sports, watching or playing. Socializing and shopping will be a hard loss for others.

Loss leads to stress, and we’re already looking at stressful situations. We can either add to losses, or mitigate some. People “Jonesing is only going to further stress them and those around them.

Vices can absolutely be poor choices, especially in contained spaces. Still, weigh them out. Some aren’t so bad. Many addiction vices can be stocked for an initial transition period. Other types can be stocked to be a once-in-a-while treat or easily, inexpensively indulged.

Cool-Downs

Heat can be the straw that breaks a camel’s back. Heat can also cause actual medical stress, so combating it checks extra boxes.

One easy, fairly inexpensive helper are battery-operated fans. Some of them are tiny little AA and AAA mini’s we clip to strollers and dashboards. Box fans come in 6”-10” and 12”-20” ranges, running off 4-8 AA or 1-4 C or D batteries. Many can now be charged directly via USB.

Some of them generate a fair bit of breeze, which can help tremendously with perceived temperature. Even the less-effective ones can help a little. You can increase effectiveness by sticking something cool or cold in front of them, like a frozen water bottle, wet sponge, or one of those crack-cool ice packs (especially wrapped in a damp cloth).

Dunk-snap bandanas and soak-activated neck coolers (those start to get slimy after multiple uses) can also help significantly.

Exercise

The loss of friends and family, the loss of purpose after losing a job or retiring, loss of social outlets, and injuries already cause people to spiral into depression. It’s a common problem as-is, and is fairly guaranteed to increase if our worlds are ripped away. Anything that can fight it will be a big help – exercise is one of those things.

Exercise also helps with stress. It’s going to be a necessary outlet for active folks who are suddenly “trapped”. It allows some to release some of their frustrations – some, not everyone. It can also ease anxiety.

Physical therapy and senior citizen exercises can be helpful even for young, healthy bodies. We can leave mat space for calisthenics and Pilates, have chairs sturdy enough for exercise props, and stock resistance bands. There’s also the option of sticking a bike on a rack – which has the advantages of potentially being connected to a grinder, a laundry machine, or a generator. Hand bikes, rowers, or reclining bikes have their own advantages.

I personally wouldn’t install a boxing bag or treadmill somewhere everybody has to hear it getting pounded, since that’s only going to create more conflict and frustration.

Dealing with Conflicts

Anytime you increase stress, problems are going to start showing up. It’s not like preexisting issues go away, either. Especially in situations where you’re doubling-up in homes, living in RV or camping conditions, or in a bunker-barracks scenario, conflicts are going to arise.

Study, train, and stock material related to anger management, stress, grief processing, PTSD, forgiveness, passive-aggressive tendencies, abuse/assault, compromise, divorce, loss specifically related to parents and kids and miscarriages, for-real conflict resolution, and both assertiveness and sensitivity training. Get training on listening – specifically listening to family members – for as many as can attend.

We see divorces, PTSD, business partnership dissolutions, and family meltdowns every day. Thinking that high-stress will only bring our people closer, not crack some and create fissures, is delusional.

Sensitivities

Sensory Processing/ Perception Disorder can manifest in a range of ways. Some “feel” and “see” certain sounds – sometimes like corduroy rubbing in the ear, or that awful sensation of a pencil eraser’s metal scraping paper and desk. I don’t actually recognize background noises – clocks ticking, ceiling fans whirring, dogs panting, conversations behind a door, and rubbing of a callous are as prominent to me as face-to-face words. It has advantages and frustrations.

Other common and regularly undiagnosed sensitivities include misophonia (triggered by picking at nails, whistling breath, chewing, sucking on teeth, flicking and tapping pencils, thumbing pages of books) and misokenisia (many of the same, plus twiddling thumbs, jerking feet, bouncing knees, etc., especially when the repetitive motion is at the verge of peripheral vision).

It’s not just “get over it” territory or being appalled by bad table manners and fidgets. The mis-wired brain triggers extreme flight-fight reactions. It can make sufferers want to cry, scream, or stab someone. People have grit their teeth so hard they crack fillings, and dug nails so hard into their own thighs and earlobes that they draw blood.

Providing escapes and being cognizant of bad habits, sensitivities to bad habits, and finding resolutions is going to be important. Especially since being trapped for a long winter already causes people to go postal (hello, cabin fever) and so many people have weapons handy.

Other sensitivities to note now, especially for tight, closed quarters, are things like somebody wheezing from Vick’s or Aspercreme, somebody sneezing and sniffling until aerosol deodorizers dissipate (and that person not covering their mouth/nose properly), regular detergents making somebody itch, improper hand washing (“Gross!” & “Don’t touch food/dishes!” tiffs), and the smell of certain cleaners turning somebody’s stomach. There’s usually a work-around.

Anytime there’s nowhere to flee – trapped together by a hurricane or frigid weather, or in a bunker-type situation – the reaction to stressors is going to be to fight.

Pay attention, learn sensitivities ahead of time, and figure out ways to prevent and mitigate them. Distractions and mini-escapes will help tremendously.

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Sanity is important. Really. It’s easy to think that in a disaster we’ll just make do because we won’t have any choice. That’s adding a lot of stress to our

The internet has become an indispensable part of everyday life. In a disaster scenario, though, it may be one of the first utilities to go. This loss can compromise both rescue efforts by trained personnel and your own ability to look after loved ones.

There’s a solution, though, and it’s one you may not be aware can help: satellite internet.

What Is Satellite Internet?

Satellite internet is exactly what it sounds like: an internet connection beamed directly from a satellite in orbit. Much like satellite TV, satellite internet has the advantage of being available almost anywhere. All you need is a dish antenna and a clear view of the sky.

In the case of disaster prep, satellite internet also offers another advantage: it doesn’t require on-the-ground infrastructure. If a storm or disaster destroys cable lines or cell towers go down, you can still pop out your satellite dish and get online. In a potentially dangerous disaster situation, that’s priceless.

You’ll have some trade-offs, of course. Satellite internet tends to be a little expensive compared to other options. It also tends to suffer from high latency due to the enormous distance the signal has to travel (a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit is at an altitude of +/- 22,236 mi above mean sea level). However, in an emergency, you’re probably not going to be doing much gaming—satellite internet is there when it counts, and that’s really all you can ask for in a disaster scenario.

Why Is Satellite Internet Important in a Disaster?

A storm or earthquake can knock out cable and cellular internet access, but it can’t reach satellites. In the event that other infrastructure is damaged and out of commission after a disaster, satellite internet can still be counted on to work, especially if you have a mobile dish that automatically adjusts. The reliability makes satellite a smart choice for an internet connection in almost any situation.

Here are a few specific ways satellite internet can help in a disaster:

  1. You Can Call for Help When Landline and Cell Signals Are Out

Satellite internet can be used to make VoIP calls when other forms of communication and networking aren’t functioning due to disasters. This can be critical for getting emergency help or letting family know you’re okay.

What’s a VoIP call? It’s a phone call made over the internet, rather than traditional phone lines. It’s often used in business settings because it’s easier to implement advanced features. In a disaster, though, it can also allow you to make contact when phone lines are down.

  1. Emergency Services Can Locate You More Easily

As you probably know from the creepy ads that seem to follow you around online, it’s pretty easy to determine your location based on your internet connection. In situations where other options for determining location (like cell signals) aren’t working, having a satellite internet connection can serve as a way for responders to find you.

Sure, you can buy an expensive satellite locator beacon, but that’s a one-trick pony. Satellite internet can be used for other tasks, as well.

  1. Emergency Management Services Can Coordinate Rescue Efforts

Satellite internet isn’t just useful to disaster victims—it’s also used by emergency management services to conduct rescue operations. Having satellite internet can be an indispensable asset to rescue efforts in your area. Emergency teams can use a satellite connection to communicate with each other and coordinate rescue efforts in the areas that need it most.

Another way satellite internet can help rescue teams is what’s known as telehealth: when trauma teams in one area consult with experts in another area to walk through procedures, confirm diagnoses, and more. Telehealth allows a smaller medical team to gain some of the capabilities of specialized trauma teams like you might find in large hospitals.

  1. You Can Still Have Access If You Have to Evacuate 

If you’re in a situation where you need to evacuate—say, a hurricane or wildfire is approaching—mobile satellite internet can give you a way to get online without needing to worry about cable access. While you could use your smartphone in these cases, either directly or as a mobile hotspot, it isn’t always practical to do so. Some mobile plans have strict limits on how much mobile hotspot data can be used, for example.

In these circumstances, having satellite internet can give you a much-needed connection to the outside world to stay up on news or to stay in touch with family and friends in disaster-affected areas.

  1. If Everyone Is Okay, You Can Stay Entertained

Once you’ve checked in with family and the latest news and made sure everything is okay, you might find yourself—well, a little bored. Sometimes a disaster, like a hurricane, comes through and knocks out power and infrastructure without causing major damage or injuries. In these cases, authorities could want you to stay put, but without internet or phone, you might quickly find yourself a little restless.

Even if cable access and cell towers are down, satellite internet can still give you access to gaming or streaming services to help keep your family entertained and as stress-free as possible given the circumstances. Plus, you’ll be able to check in with your job and even work remotely if possible.

While many might dismiss it as slow and expensive, satellite internet is highly practical for the prepper that wants to be ready for anything. Find a package that fits into your disaster plan and sleep a little easier knowing you’ll have vital internet access and the benefits it offers.

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The internet has become an indispensable part of everyday life. In a disaster scenario, though, it may be one of the first utilities to go. This loss can compromise both

Living with chronic pain, caused by any medical condition whatsoever, is an experience that nobody wants to go through. Unfortunately, there are millions of people that are experiencing chronic pain and wishing they knew how to once and for all get some relief.

We are all familiar with the concept of pain, we all have felt it at some point in our lives whether it was because we have cut our finger or broken our leg, our body has used the concept of pain to inform us that something is not quite right. However, in those examples, as soon as the reason is treated, we get lasting relief from pain. And that is the main difference between acute and chronic pain.

You see, chronic pain does not go away even though the injury has healed. You feel that annoying and challenging chronic pain for months, even years. It can occur as back pain or ankle pain or even a headache.

Chronic pain can be either mild or severe. You can feel it as shooting, burning, squeezing, stinging sensations or as a dull ache. It can lead to decreased appetite, insomnia, depression, and fatigue. And that is why it is essential to be treated appropriately. But what is causing chronic pain to occur?

There are quite a significant number of medical conditions that can lead to chronic pain. However, there are few of those that are occurring more commonly than others. And that is what I am going to talk about.

Let’s discuss these eight medical conditions that are most commonly described as the causes of chronic pain, shall we?

Peripheral Nephropathy – Caused by damage to your peripheral nerves, peripheral nephropathy causes weakness, numbness, and chronic pain usually in the hands and feet to occur. The cause of peripheral nerve damage could be traumatic injuries, metabolic problems, infections, diabetics, etc.

Chronic neuropathic pain can be treated with the use of medications, physical therapy, and massage therapy. You can also try exercising, which has been proven as an efficient way to relieve the pain in this case. Acupuncture has also produced results.

Fibromyalgia – Is a medical condition that causes chronic muscle pain, fatigue, depression, and sleep troubles. Although none of these symptoms can be seen, they do produce a considerable impairment in the patient’s life.

Although we are talking about a chronic pain here, there are a few powerful medications that you can try. And of course, there are the necessary lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet and regular exercise.

Perhaps exercising is the last thing on your mind when you feel your muscles aching. However, activities like swimming, walking, stretching have been proven to help relieve the pain.

Arthritis – With its 100 different types is among the most worrying medical conditions out there. If you gather your information about arthritis, you will soon find out that there is no cure for Arthritis.

All that you can do is perform a few tricks to help relieve the symptoms such as pain, stiffness, inflammation and decreased the range of motion. Once again, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and moderate alcohol intake can help you combat all of these symptoms.

Headache – We ALL know this one. However, when your headache lasts for more than a few hours, then you can consider your problem as a chronic one. And with a persistent headache, depression, vomiting, nausea, and insomnia come as well.

So, what can you do to relieve it? Getting a massage, trying acupuncture and some of the famous herbal remedies for chronic headaches in combination with an active pharmaceutical might be the thing that you are looking for. Hydrate. This, like low-dose aspirin, thins the blood slightly allowing it to more efficiently the areas where the pain is being generated.

Past injuries/surgeries – Can also be the cause of your joint pain. If your surgery is relatively recent, 6 months or less, keep your doctor informed as there are many things that can affect healing. If the surgery was severe – an amputation, then these take much longer to retrain the nervous system to deal with. Again – your doctor. And who among us does not have at least one relative or friend who claims their “fill in the blank” surgery can predict the weather better than their local news source?

Low back pain – This has taken part in everyone’s life at some point. However, for many people, it becomes harder and harder to deal with the more chronic it becomes.

Previous injuries, surgery, arthritis can all be the cause of your chronic back pain. And once again, massage, acupuncture, yoga, physical therapy and, in extreme cases, traction can help you combat your low back pain.

Multiple sclerosis – This has been listed as one of the standard causes of chronic pain. Chronic pain due to multiple sclerosis can be either neuropathic pain, pain due to fatigue and immobility or illness related to a spastic condition. Of course, pharmaceuticals are the best answer to your prayers here, but you can also try the unexpected effects of physical therapy, yoga, and massage therapy as well as some dietary changes.

The curvature of the spine – Such as scoliosis and kyphosis can also be the ones that are causing your chronic pain to occur over and over again. Since you know what is causing your chronic pain, in this case, the trick is working to remove the cause and with that your chronic pain.

But how can you do that, you ask? The best thing that you can do for scoliosis and kyphosis is physical therapy and lots of functional exercises. In the meantime, you can also look to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and over-the-counter painkillers as well, under the advice of your doctor.

Conclusion

What you need to remember is the fact that you may not have to live with chronic pain even if you are not able to remove its cause once and for all. As you can see, we have listed 8 of the most common causes of chronic pain and explained what you can do to recover from the illness, or at least find some relief. The recurring theme of exercise, eating right and getting enough sleep should not be lost on you.

Additionally, you can try a massage or physical therapy or perhaps even yoga or acupuncture, whatever you choose we hope that it will help you to combat your chronic pain, lessen its severity and bring you some sense of control over your condition.

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Living with chronic pain, caused by any medical condition whatsoever, is an experience that nobody wants to go through. Unfortunately, there are millions of people that are experiencing chronic pain

The explosion in popularity of backyard chickens doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and it’s no wonder why. They are cheap to keep, very self-reliant and an incredibly hardy animal. Not to mention those fresh eggs you get every day taste too good!

Raising chickens can be incredibly straightforward once you understand the basics. Fortunately for you, today we are going to cover the simple steps you need to know to make your journey into the chicken keeping world a successful one.

Simple chicken keeping all starts with choosing the appropriate breed of chicken. In order to do this you need to think about why you want chickens. Some people want meat chickens to grow and slaughter as a cheap source of food; however, the majority of people want chickens to lay eggs. Once you’ve figured out why you want chickens you can choose an appropriate breed.

There are three ‘groups’ of chickens:

  • egg layers,
  • meat birds,
  • dual purpose.

Clearly if you want a meat bird then you should choose either a meat bird breed or dual purpose. Most of the birds available today from hatcheries fall under dual purpose. This is also what I would recommend to beginners as they are generally hardier and less prone to illness.

In case you’re wondering dual purpose means; the hens are both good for egg laying and also meat birds.

Now you’ve actually chosen and bought your hens you should want to keep them healthy. In my experience chickens need three things to stay healthy; food, water and shelter. In terms of chicken feed, a high quality layers pellet will make up the core of their diet. They will pick up other trace nutrients through free ranging and foraging. As for water you can keep it nice and simple; just make sure they have access to clean, cool water, 24/7.

Finally the shelter. Chickens are humble creatures and aren’t fussy at all. They don’t need much out of a shelter, just dry, warm and security. Security being key here; especially if you live rural or off grid. You don’t want a coyote taking your chickens for its dinner.

Once you’ve got your chickens used to their day to day routine (feeding, letting them out to forage, etc.) you will need to periodically perform a few ‘maintenance’ tasks to keep them healthy. The most important maintenance task you will need to perform is the monthly health check. This should involve handling each chicken and checking them over for any lice or parasite infection. In addition to this, each day, as you let your flock out, you should keep an eye on them. Once you establish what normal behavior is for them, you will soon realize something is up if they start acting abnormally… As I mentioned earlier, chickens are incredibly hardy however they do still occasionally fall victim to illness or some form of ectoparasite.

The final topic you need to know in order to raise healthy chickens is: the pecking order. I imagine most people reading this will already be familiar with the term but uncertain about its origin.

The pecking order refers to the social hierarchy between chickens; you will find this in any flock of chickens. The hens at the top of the pecking order get first access to food and the best roosting locations. Hens towards the bottom of the pecking order can be bullied and treated as a second-class hen. At times this can become too extreme and you will need to take action; you know the pecking order and bullying is too extreme when blood is drawn from one of the lower ‘ranked’ chickens. If this happens you should remove the chicken causing the damage for a few days before re-integrating them back into the flock.

I mentioned the pecking order because the occasional bickering and pecking between hens is to be expected and is perfectly healthy chicken behavior. It’s only when it goes too far that it becomes a problem; however this is fairly rare in practice.

We hope this foray in the exciting world of chicken keeping has given you the confidence you need to go out and get yourself some hens. They are incredibly hardy and won’t give you much trouble at all. Leave a comment below letting me know which breed you decided to go with.

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The explosion in popularity of backyard chickens doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and it’s no wonder why. They are cheap to keep, very self-reliant and an incredibly

Have you ever been in a situation whereby there is no food left and fishing for your next meal is a possibility? In this context survival fishing refers to the kind of fishing done in order to save yourself and your loved ones from starvation.

You may indeed experience such during emergencies and being off the grid, without the luxuries of good equipment, is a real possibility. Things break. There are several ways of doing it although most of them are illegal in most countries. Such techniques include fish weir, fish poisoning, basket trap, gorge hooks, hand line fishing, fish spears and hand fishing.

So they are presented here for your information.

Gorge Hooks

In this technique, bait is made using a sharply pointed thorn or a sharpened bone from that small animal you ate yesterday, or last Thursday, or, who remembers but you kept some bones. The object is to get the fish to swallow the bait and be unable to dislodge the thorn or bone and to be reeled in. Cruel? Depends on your situation and where one stands in the food chain.

Can you imagine your children being hungry for over 24 hours? 48 hours? More?

Immediately after placing gorge hook in the water, hopefully the bait is swallowed. When it is you must be patient. If you don’t feel immediate hard pulling wait and let out more line. You want to “set” the bait when it is deep in the digestive track as opposed to the mouth.  To maximize your chance for successful survival fishing using a gorge hook, there should be a net waiting so you need just get the fish to the net and snag it that way as opposed to betting that the thorn or bone will not fail against the weight and pull of the fish. This way you will avoid disappointments.

Fish Weir

You can make a weir using many different things from sticks and rocks to a big funnel, around a place where flowing waters narrow to drive the fish towards a trap or even a damn you have created. The weir directs the fish towards the trap you have set, be it a net or whatever. How you lay the traps depend on your creativity and fishing experience and the things you have on hand.

On the other hand, you can also construct temporary ones using sand or mud. You can also use a weir and take the fish with a spear. In spear fishing, once the target fish have been caught up in the trap, it’s then easy to spear them. With net fishing, you will simply need to lay your net directly after the weir. This will easily lead the fish into the net and all you have to do is pull them out.

Hand Line Fishing

All you need is bait, a line, and a hook. In order to catch the fish, you will have to cast the hand line in the water with a hook. Once the hook gets the fish you can then pull it out using your hands. This works best in places where you have observed fish and does not work without both practice and patience.

Simply get a good fishing line from someplace like KastKing braid , a decent hook and some bait. This is actually an experience anyone who is passionate about fishing would love to try, but, again, it is illegal in most states. It’s one of those basic methods that a beginning angler can really learn the art of casting and you would be surprised by the kind of catch the technique would give. This method is also a good way to engage the mind and learn the importance of positioning of your line and how to make a repeatable cast.

Fish Poisoning (READ all of this part PLEASE)

A poison for the fish can be made by crushing leaves of some specific plants. The leaves will release some juices that you then pour in the water. Components found in the juice will kill or shock fish. Such a technique should be employed in very high emergencies and with an understanding of the possible side effects. The perfect place where such a technique could effectively work is manageable pools and still water. However, while the technique can still work well in rivers and even large water channels, we strongly recommend against it for all the obvious reasons and it prompted my questions below.

The Editors quarry about this Fish poisoning system:

Do you have a specific mix that will work? If so, what?

The plants to use during survival fishing vary in terms of the technique to employ. Some plants will only require you to take a few leaves and throw them in the water. Once the fish smell their scent they become inactive and float on the waters. You job is simply picking them with your hands.   For others you will need to crush the leaves before putting it into the water to catch the fish. Once the fish takes in the mix then it becomes inactive. You can then go for it. Examples of plant to use in this kind of technique include tephrosiavogelii, adenialobat, munduleasericea, and neoratanenia.

How does this dissipate so you don’t keep killing fish once you have moved on?

For you to ensure that the remaining fish remain safe after exhausting the catch you will need, you can opt to remove the leaves from the water. This can only work if you use the leaves without crushing them. If you use this method in running water then you will have to create barriers to control the flow of the water. Obstacles/barriers are temporarily put in the running water to prevent the flowing water from washing away the poison. Once you are through with fishing you can then remove the barrier to allow the water run again. This way the poison will become diluted and be washed away making the water safe.

Is the poison bad for humans?

The components found in the plants do no pose any harm to humans as the practices started way back in the ancient times. It was one of the most primitive way for people to fish before the current development and new methods.

Fish Spear

Fish spearing techniques only look easy in the movies. Beyond your experience and aim this is more difficult simply because of the nature of the body of the fish. For you to employ this method you will really need to be smart and accurate and understand light refraction. There is a lot to be said for balance here as well as being able to recover the spear. The use of the weir above makes this a less frustrating experience. Also looking for still coves and pools in running water as even fish like to take a break occasionally.

Basket Trap

Get a container with shaped like a funnel as the entrance to your basket trap. You can make a trap using a plastic bottle or jug. The funnel should be wide enough to arrest the size/kind of fish you are seeking. Before you adopt this method there are several factors to consider including the size of the fish, their habit, and location.

After that, you can lay the trap to fit their specific nature and improve upon your chances for successful. Apart from using bottles to make minnow traps, you can also use wooden materials to prepare the trap as well.

Using basket traps will help you catch fish such as the catfish. As long as you pay attention to the characteristics of the fish in place, there’s no room for regrets adopting this method. In the event that such materials aren’t available, adopting alternative creative measures would benefit you a lot. Go for materials that don’t wear out when placed in the water. The same material should also be able to form resistance from the water force for the trap to be effective.

Hand Fishing

Just like the sound of its name, it means grabbing the fish using your hands. You will have to get out of your comfort zone into the muddy water for a catch. You can put on your gloves and wed the areas suspected to contain fish. On spotting one bounce at it with your hands and smile your way out thereafter.

This technique can be very tiring especial in a circumstance where the fish keeps slipping out of your grasp. Best to just fling it up on shore as soon as you have the leverage. The technique also requires you to have lots of energy because it literally means chasing after the fish. However looking at it positively it can give you lots of fun especially when fishing in a group. The method is actually one of the most primitive ways of trapping the fish.

Hand fishing has several other names depending on your location geographically. Some of its popular named include fishing tickling, noodling, stumping, gurging and hogging among others. Do you want to get fish for survival? If so dive on is and jump for any opportunity that presents itself. It might just turn out to be surprisingly fun than the sound of it. It would also be good to distinguish between fish and say, water moccasins, and alligators…

Conclusion

Whichever method you may decide to go for, just know that you are out for a kill in order to survive. Avoid frustrations that might pop up during the event by carrying out more research on the kind of surrounding you expect to be in order to be able to tell which kind of fish to expect. Also, the kind of water sources to look out for including their accessibility. As with everything, the more information you get, the better your chance for you to make the right decision in the midst of conflicting choices.

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Have you ever been in a situation whereby there is no food left and fishing for your next meal is a possibility? In this context survival fishing refers to the