Prepping and Your Level of Awareness

Many times preppers have an increased level of awareness. This is usually due to the fact that they stay informed about current events in order to be ready if something out of the ordinary occurs. Everyday day events are usually quite easy to manage but an unexpected event can cause you a lot of grief if you aren’t prepared. This is why your level of awareness is of vital importance.

                                                                         

Unexpected events complicate things and destroy the routine and familiar parts of our lives that help us maintain a comfortable level of existence. Being aware of our surroundings is a vital part of any daily routine. Your level of awareness will help you see the potential for a bad situation before it develops into a crisis.

Your level of awareness can involve numerous things that can be easily accomplished if you make them a routine part of your life. That strange noise coming from your vehicle could be a sign of a possible breakdown. One that will most likely happen at the worst possible moment. It may be a simple change in the weather and your level of awareness will help you avoid a flash flood or other dangerous weather-related circumstances. With the proper level of awareness you can be in a better position to handle an unexpected event.

It is a simple process of being aware of your surroundings, being informed of possible changes to your environment and making sure you are properly prepared.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

3 Things to Know When Storing Water

There are things people routinely store: clothes, food, exercise equipment, furniture, antique photographs, etc.

But water? Hmmm, an interesting concept. Believe it or not, the average person needs to drink at least one gallon of water per day. And that doesn't include water for important tasks such as bathing or cooking.

So, when an emergency arises, it stands to reason that clean water is one of the most precious commodities around.

Water storage really is a vital part of any disaster preparedness process. But what’s the best way to go about it? Here are three things you must know when storing water:

1.  Choose the right container

If you don’t know what to look for in a container, you’ll be sunk before you even start trying to store water. Key container attributes include:

·                                 Size — Strive for a container that holds 14 gallons per family member.

·                                 UV yes, BPA no — UV coating keeps light out of your water, preventing contaminant growth. And you won’t want your unit to have BPA in the material, because this chemical can seep into the water.

2.   Clean the container

Once you have a water storage container, make sure it’s sufficiently clean before filling it up. Add a teaspoon of unscented household bleach to 1 quart of water, then let it sit for 30 seconds before pouring out the solution. Your container is now clean and ready to store water.

3.   Change it or preserve it

You should only keep your stored water for about six months before swapping it out for fresh stuff. But if that sounds like too much of a hassle, consider using a liquid preserver to boost your water’s shelf life up to several years. You can also purchase water filters or a water filtration device.

If a natural disaster occurs, the absolute last thing you can afford to be without is clean water. Considering how good people are at storing things, why not put this skill to good use for your family and invest in water storage?

This guest post is a courtesy of Food Insurance ™.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

5 Easy Ways to Start Your Food Storage

The amount of man-made occurrences and natural disasters continues to climb. It's during these times that electricity, gas and water supplies aren't functioning. There are also emergency situations where you may be quarantined to your home, or even evacuated from it. Either way, you probably won't have access to groceries because most stores will be closed. So, what will you do? How will you feed your family?

5 Different Ways to Go About Building Your Food Storage

The best way to ensure that you're able to feed your family when a disaster strikes is by being prepared with a food storage plan. Wondering exactly how to get started? Here are five different ways to build your food storage without breaking your bank:

Buy in Bulk
 

As you know, anything you buy in bulk will get you more for your dollar. Buying non-perishables and other foods in bulk allows you to pay the lowest prices possible, per item. If you do choose to go this route, be sure to check the expiration dates of your products. The last thing you want is to have a need for your emergency food storage just to find out everything has spoiled or turned rotten.
 

                   Buy a Little at a Time
 

In today's economy, it may put a dent in your finances to buy large quantities of food at one time. This is especially true with food storage, as these are foods you won't be eating until a future date. If you're on a strict budget, a good way to build up your food storage is to buy a little bit at a time. Each time you go grocery shopping; simply add a few items that will go directly into your emergency food supply. In time, it will build up to include the amount of products needed for you and your family's emergency crisis.
 

                    Sales & Coupons
 

Are you a coupon-clipper or sales-watcher? If so, this is another cost-efficient way to start your food supply. Let's say you see a 2-for-1 coupon or a sale on a food item you generally buy. Simply add one to your pantry, and the other to your food storage. Keep following this procedure on a regular basis and you'll soon have the food supply you need.
 

                    Clean Your Cabinets
 

Many people don't even think of this great idea. You'd be amazed at some of the items in your pantry and kitchen cabinets that would make great additions to your emergency food supply. Go through them today! If you have two containers of salt, add one to your storage. Do you see 12 boxes of mac n' cheese. At least six of those can be stored away for an emergency. Continue this process until you've gone through all of the duplicate food items in your kitchen.
 

                     Freeze Dried Foods
 

These foods are one of the best investments you can make towards your emergency preparedness plans. Freeze dried food is prepared before being flash frozen. That means that they retain their quality, freshness, look and great taste. The foods also last more than 25 years, giving your family decades of security.
 

Author Bio

This content was prepared by Dirk Puckett. Daily Bread is an industry leader in long-term food storage plans. Ready to begin putting your food storage plan together? Start here and place your order today.

 

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

 

5 Essentials for Your 72 Hour Kit

5 Essentials for Your 72 Hour Survival Kit

Catastrophes always strike without warning. When they do, they hinder the services of local government agencies and community emergency crews. Their equipment, communications, buildings, and personnel will all be affected, making them basically immobile. If this happens, there will be no one to respond to your emergency calls in a timely fashion. This could be a very overwhelming situation for you, unless you're prepared.

5 Essentials Every Prepper's 72 Hour Kit Must Have

Experts on emergency preparedness warn that everyone should be prepared for self-sufficient survival for no less than three days after a catastrophe. That means that you need to have the emergency supplies you need to survive for 72 hours. Many recommend that you keep a 72 hour kit in your home, your office and your car. Here are five basic essentials that every prepper should have in a 72 hour survival kit:

1) 3-Day Supply of Water

·         A 1-day supply is 1 gallon of water, per day = 3 gallons for one person for 3 days

·         The human body can only go only so many days without water before suffering from dehydration. During major emergencies, local water services may become contaminated, or simply may not be working at all. It's vital to your survival that you have enough clean drinking water to last until these local services are restored.

·         Experts recommend such a large amount of water per day because you'll also need clean water for more than just drinking. Your water supply will be there when you need to bathes, wash dishes or clothes, brush your teeth, and other hygienic purposes.

2) Food Storage Supply for 3 Days

·         Should contain at least 9 meals per person (3 meals per day)

·         Being prepared with emergency food storage will really help to ease your stress during a crisis situation. Remember that your local stores will have suffered the crisis with you. So, they will probably be closed, along with all your other local businesses. Also, credit card processors and ATM machines may also be down. That means you'll have no way of going out to buy food during your emergency situation. Be sure you have enough food stored to feed yourself until things get back to normal.

·         Your food storage should be made up of mostly non-perishable foods. These types of products have longer shelf lives than fresh or frozen foods. That way, when you it’s time to eat your emergency food, they're still good for consumption. For good ideas for your 72 hour food storage plan, look into buying canned food, dehydrated food and/or freeze-dried food.

3) Basic First Aid Kit

The following items are recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services to be included in your basic first aid kit:

·         Antibiotic Ointment

·         Hydrogen Peroxide

·         Antiseptic Wipes

·         Gauze and Adhesive Tape

·         Safety Pins

·         Tweezers

·         Instant-activating cold packs (disposable)

·         Sharp Scissors – should have rounded tips

·         Bandages – assorted shapes and sizes

4) Battery-Powered Flashlight

Electrical services will probably be non-operational. So, be sure that your flashlight is battery-operated and pack extra batteries.

5) Battery-Operated Radio

·         There will probably be no power in your local area after the disaster strikes. Make sure your radio is battery-powered and be sure you have extra batteries for your radio.

·         During a man-made or natural disaster, television services may be out. The radio will be your only form of communication with the outside world. You'll need your radio to stay tuned for important emergency updates like more upcoming disasters, emergency shelters, evacuations, etc...

Author Bio

This content was prepared by Dirk Puckett. Daily Bread is an industry leader in long-term food storage plans. Ready to begin putting your food storage plan together? Start here and place your order today.

 

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

RW Attends the Ready, Set, Prep Summit in Irving, Texas

I recently had a chance to attend The Ready, Set, Prep Summit in Irving, Texas on March 20-21, 2013 which was hosted by Food Insurance™. I had a chance to network with a number of people in the preparedness community from around the country. I also had the chance to network with and meet a number of people whom I knew only by their online presence.  It was a very informative preparedness summit.

Here’s the list of attendees at the Summit:

Food Storage And Survival

Barbara Salsbury

Nautical Prepper
 Survival And Prosperity

Tactical Intelligence

Backdoor Survival

Jibe Media

Prepper Podcast Radio Network

Rankitecture

Stealth Survival

Survival Common Sense

Off Grid Survival

Survival Joe

Practical Preppers

The Doomsday Moose

Simply Canning

Waging War On Debt

Food Insurance™

Common Sense Preparedness

There were a number of very informative speakers with several new ideas for being prepared that I will cover in later posts on TPN or on my main site at Stealth Survival. You may want to check out the sites of the others in attendance. They all have valuable information that will help you be better prepared.

The Summit ended with an appearance by the attendees on the Glen Beck Show as part of his live studio audience. I also like to give a big Texas thanks to our host Food Insurance™.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

Free Library of Survival Skills

Rocky has put together a free Skills Library for Preppers. It's made up of books from the 1800s through early 1900s. All of these books are in the public domain or have expired copyrights. Most are available for free but are pretty time consuming to search for on the web.

There are many skills and a lot of knowledge that has been lost and many of these are skills that can be invaluable in surviving a disaster or a crisis. Although the Survival Skills library hasn't been completed yet, it has grown quickly and there is a huge number of free books that can be downloaded at the site.

You can visit Rocky's Survival Library here:

http://www.lighthousesurvival.com/library.html

Our thanks go out to Rocky, the Lighthouse Survival Librarian

Be informed. Be aware, Be prepared.

Riverwalker