Doomsday Preppers Manual

By Dwayne Cord

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Copyright Info

Foreward

Intro

Doomsday?

A Preppers Inventory

Let’s Start Shopping

Survivors - exactly who are they?

Disaster Readiness

Important Family Documents

Emergency Preparedness

Canned and Dry Food

The Preppers Next Door

Doomsday Structures

Bug Out Bag

Some Doomsday Preppers Are Doing It Wrong

Don’t be Naive

Quarantine and Isolation

Conclusion

About the Author

FREE PREPPERS APP

Copyright Info

Copyright © 2013 by Dwayne Cord All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.

Every attempt has been made to give accurate and pertinent information but no warranty is given or implied. Recognize that this information is constantly changing and the reader must check and verify before making decisions realizing that even then it is still an uncertainty. Some information is simply someone’s opinion.

Foreward

Book Description

This is a manual that every End of the World Doomsday Prepper needs to read! For those of us that are curious about what Preppers are all about, or you just want to get prepared for any number of potential emergencies that our world may be facing in the near future; this Doomsday Preppers Manual is the book for you! It is written by Dwayne Cord, an avid Prepper.

You will find great information about how a Prepper can get started preparing for the natural, economic or doomsday disasters that may be coming our way in the not so distant future.

Read this manual/book and it will get you started in the right direction and before long you will be proud to call yourself a "Prepper" and you'll be ready for whatever might come your way.

The world as we know it is constantly changing and becoming more volatile each and every day.  From natural disasters, war, terrorism and even violence from our own citizens. We need to prepare for these disastrous scenarios.  This book is aimed at preparing you and your loved ones to help you to prepare for any potentially disastrous situations.

We will help show you how to survive common natural disasters and also prepare you for the unlikely worst case scenarios such as terrorism, natural disasters and even economic collapse.  This manual contains easy to understand information that will guide you through the beginnings of the preparation process.

Whether you're a new Prepper or an experienced Prepper this manual/book contains valuable insight on how to handle a disaster should it occur.  Download today and learn how to protect your family and loved ones and pass the word to your friends and family.

In order to prepare for any disaster ranging from "common" to "worst case scenario" the principals each Prepper should understand and follow are:-

Doomsday?

A Preppers Inventory

Let’s Start Shopping

Survivors - exactly who are they?

Disaster Readiness

Important Family Documents

Emergency Preparedness

Canned and Dry Food

Preppers Next Door

Doomsday Structures

Bug Out Bag

Some Doomsday Preppers Are Doing It Wrong

Don’t be Naive

Quarantine and Isolation

Conclusion

FREE PREPPERS APP

Intro

“Are you prepared to be one of the few that will survive a Doomsday event?”

At some point in the future, sooner rather than later, a Doomsday event will occur. Statistically we are way overdue and our time is at hand!

What, and when the event will be, no one knows; a worldwide flu pandemic, a massive solar flare, an asteroid strike, major climate change, a massive natural disaster or an alien invasion. After the event, many people will survive, but then social order may collapse. There will be no rules, people will fight and die for water, food and resources.

However the "Preppers" will be one step ahead. They will have prepared for this scenario. They will have the resources in place that they will need to survive in the new world that will follow.

We may be in a world without electricity, medical services, telecommunications, internet, supermarkets and a water supply. The "Preppers" and their families will be the ones that survive. It is not smart or wise to make your plans and preparedness common knowledge. You will need to remain under the “radar” to prevent those that did not prepare trying to take what you have.

Some may not think a Doomsday event very likely. Could we be invaded by Aliens from another solar system? Most will say that is a very unlikely scenario. Could we be obliterated by a massive solar flare that will wipe out our entire electronic systems sending the world into another new dark age? Could we experience a worldwide flu pandemic that will wipe out over 60% of the world's population? Some medical opinions seem to indicate is that we may be long overdue for such a pandemic event.

You will need to learn which foods to store, we need to have a way to purify water, you need to know how to prepare your vehicle, how to choose and obtain suitable fuels, how to prepare for a world without medical professionals, how to cope with the loss of modern communication systems, how to hunt and protect your family from the mob and what requirements will be essential.

Make no mistake, if you don't prepare now, when the time comes you may be fighting with a mob of hungry people for your next meal. Don't put yourself in that position, take action now, learn the basics and prepare for life in a Doomsday scenario.

My hope is that some of the more experienced Peppers will also find a couple of ideas in this material. Prepping ideas are not written in stone and there is no right or wrong. Everyone's location or family situation will have different and varied dynamics and so you study all of the information you can find, and use what is relevant for you. Use this book to give you valuable insights into how to start your preparations for a potential Doomsday event.

Make yourself a student and look at all information and glean anything that can be useful in the event bad things happen. Be prepared!

About the Author

I am Dwayne Cord I have been preparing for life after a major Doomsday event for the past two years. I believe it isn't a question of if such an event will occur, but when, and how bad will it be. I want to be prepared when the time comes so that I and my family and friends will survive.

Although I prepare, I do not consider that I am fanatical. I live for the present and enjoy life. I believe in God and seek the best for all mankind.

Doomsday?

“Most people are over-confident”

Preparing and possibly experiencing nasty and horrible things that can happen in a national crisis, a financial meltdown, war, starvation, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, no television, no cellphones, no computers, no restaurants, little or no medical help. Fear and hopelessness are some of the types of scenarios that have been put forward by some Doomsday authors and scientist over the past several years.

A fascinating study can come from those that have studied some of the ancient civilizations and what they foretold of this time that we are now in. The Mayan calendar literally ended on December 21, 2012, and we are still here. It doesn’t set the pace for complacency and set the people up to be totally unprepared because things continue more or less as before. Let us stay on the cautious side and be prepared! Take the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared.”

Many subscribe to the idea that it is total nonsense, and some others take it to be fact. Those that take it to be a fact seem to fall into two groups.

Those that believe humanity will cease to exist along with great turmoil on our planet that will possibly even destroy the planet.

The second group put forward the idea that the Mayans had information given to them from extraterrestrials and the calendar ends because the “gods” or they might say ET will return and bring about a new “Golden Age” Did you hear the recent news about the former Senator that says that ET is already here with us? No kidding!

One thing is for sure in my opinion is that the financial mess that the world finds itself in cannot go on for much longer. The artificial money and wealth is about to implode. This will bring about devastating and chaotic conditions at best. The politicians are not solving the problem and cannot seem to make decisions to try to solve the problems.

You need to put some of the advice put forward here into action, and hope that with some planning we will be able to survive. The thing that scares me the most is that I have heard stories from my elders that lived through the bombings in London during World War II and how they kept their faith, and hope, and did not panic. They helped those less fortunate than themselves with no regard to their own wealth. I fear that the days and times of our present lives may have a sadder story to tell.

So let us not be over whelmed with the potential gravity of the situation that seems to be facing us, but may we embrace all that is good in our heart and give our neighbor a helping hand from our heart with gratitude. Perhaps we need to avoid giving attention to the doom and gloom, lest we create more of the same.

In our research of the global economic crisis, we discovered many signs of a coming food shortage. Of course, a food shortage will prolong and add to the economic crisis we are now experiencing. The idea of a food shortage isn’t news for people in some parts of the world. There are places where it’s already happening.

There is a debate surrounding global warming. The debate is not if global warming is happening, rather, the debate centers around the cause of global warming.

On one side of the debate, we have the majority of scientists in the world who agree that global warming is being caused, or greatly accelerated, by greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide) from the burning of “fossil fuels.”

Then there is the planet Niribu that is supposed to be heading our way, and due to its massive size will cause our planet to experience many disastrous events ending in massive destruction.

On the other side of the debate, we have a very small minority of scientists who say that our Earth is warming due to a natural cycle of our planet. They point to the fact that our Earth has warmed and cooled countless times throughout its history without the help of humans.

For our discussion of the coming food shortage, the debate surrounding what is causing global warming really does not matter. What matters is that global warming is in fact accuring. The fact that our Earth is warming is undeniable. The evidence is impossible to ignore. Global warming will contribute to the coming food shortage and is already impacting our daily lives.

Whether global warming was caused by humans or by a natural cycle of the Earth, doesn’t matter. The fact is, regardless of what’s causing it, the warming of our planet is just getting started, and there is no chance that it will begin reversing that trend any time soon.

Severe droughts in the past several years have caused critical declines in global food production worldwide. This has damaged humanity’s ability to produce every type of food product we rely upon, including grains, fruits, vegetables and meats.

The droughts caused by changes in weather patterns due to global warming have repeatedly caused crops to fail in the U.S. and other major food exporting countries in more recent years. In six of the past ten years, the world has consumed more food than it produced. This has caused world food reserves to fall to their lowest level since the early 1970’s.

According to Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute in Washington D.C., “We are entering a new era of rising food prices and spreading hunger. Food supplies are tightening everywhere and land is becoming the most sought after commodity as the world shifts from an age of food abundance to one of scarcity.” The cost of our food is influenced by many factors including corporate greed and of course the increase in fuel prices has had a large impact on prices. In a recent book, Brown also said, “Food shortages undermined earlier civilizations. Each country will be fighting for its own survival. The world is living one year to the next.”

Even in countries where the food shortage isn’t yet obvious, it’s still not difficult to see signs of it approaching. If you pay attention when buying food, you have likely already seen some of the signs.

The rising prices are probably the most obvious of the signs. As food becomes scarcer, the prices are rising on the remaining limited food supply. You may have noticed food prices climbing faster than normal in your local store in recent years. Have you noticed the smaller containers and the smaller size of the package? Observe the next time you are at the grocery store.

If you have been paying close attention to the sizes of common food containers, you will have noticed that they are getting smaller. One example is orange juice, and in the U.S. there used to be a standard size container that was one half gallon or 64 ounces. The “half gallon” was quietly reduced to 59 ounces and at the same time, the price has increased.

This is not an isolated example. Food container sizes are gradually shrinking across a wide range of foods in almost every type of packaged food product. Look for it next time you go to the grocery store.

Then there is the fact that many food producers are resorting to inferior quality, cheaper ingredients or fillers without telling the customer. For example, this is being done with coffee. Due to the rising cost of high quality coffee beans, many coffee brewers worldwide have resorted to quietly changing the balance of their brew. They have secretly been using more of the cheaper and less flavorful bean in place of the more expensive “Arabica” bean.

Again, this is not an isolated example, but it is happening across a large range of food products. In ground meats think of the recent news of horse meat in hamburgers; olive oil diluted with cheaper common oils, like canola; fruit juices that are diluted with cheaper fruits juice, or possibly adding water and sugar; spices with filler herbs added.

The threat of global warming to food production is huge. However, even if global warming were not a threat, we would still have a problem.

According to a lot of scientists, our current global warming problem is caused by our use of oil for energy. It is therefore ironic that we have an even more immediate threat than global warming, but one which is directly linked to it. That is to say the world they say is running out of oil. The continuing decline of world oil supplies will cause massive disruptions to world food supplies in both the production and the delivery of food will suffer.

It seems to me that there should be a massive push for alternative energy and research for better alternative energy sources. The nations which produce the most food do so primarily with the use of modern farm machinery powered by oil based fuels. Without these fuels, farms will not be able to operate their machinery. As a result, we simply won’t be able to cultivate land, plant seeds and harvest food on the massive scale we have in recent years.

We have become dependent upon oil and it largely powers our entire food industry. With little or no oil it could mean little or no food for most of the world. Even if we had enough oil, or managed to plant and harvest the food by hand, transporting the food to market then becomes an issue. Transportation of food to stores and markets will be disrupted once there isn’t enough fuel to power our long haul trucks, trains and cargo ships. Our big cities will be hit hardest and it will happen quickly.

                      A big city, by definition, has a massive human population. Which, naturally, means more mouths to feed?

                      The big cities are dependent on a constantly refreshed supply of food.

                      Essentially all food must be delivered to big cities by some form of transportation and all of which depends on oil for energy.

                      It is estimated that in most big cities, the food supply on store shelves and in food markets would last 3 days, if transportation were disrupted.

What happens after the food runs out in a big city? Riots, chaos, and mayhem and civil unrest. A big city is not a place you will want to be when food shortages become reality. For wild edibles you need to seek out an expert ahead of time to show you any wild edibles that can be foraged in your area and to know you what is poisonous. Also are there any natural springs, or safe water supplies that are off the main travelled areas where you live. High ground that would give you a vantage point to survey the immediate area.

In my area a little mention of “snow” and by seven pm the grocery stores shelves are bare. Add in the fear of a real DOOMSDAY scenario and it can be a scary time.

A Preppers Inventory

“Take Inventory”

This is information that was compiled from a fellow Prepper one cold morning in an old country dinner off the beaten path.

This Prepppers Checklist is a list that you need to provide for in each of the survival categories especially if you’re a beginner at Doomsday Prepping.

You need to look at your Alternate Energy options. Solar power is a good source for minimum current operations. You need to have the ability to recharge NiMH or NiCad batteries from an alternate power source.

You possibly need a generator, with enough capacity to power critical needs for at least ten days. Things like a freezer, refrigerator and critical electronics. You will need to store fuel to power your generator for ten days away from the main structures, in a safe and secure place, preferably out of sight. Secure reasonable spare parts to keep your generator going.

Good communications is a walkie-talkie with extra batteries. A Shortwave radio with SSB capability, for listening to world events. An AM/FM radio, battery operated can pick up local news reports.  If you have a cell phone, have a solar power for recharging your cell phone just in case it still works.

With No Prepping you may end up at the mercy of the mob, the elements or dead!

Statistics consistently show that loss of life among victims of disaster mostly occurs by:

1. Starvation

2. Dehydration

3. The Elements

4. Ignorance of Survival Preparedness

Any experienced Prepper will tell you that having a Preppers checklist for a survival preparedness plan may possibly alleviate some of the risk. Cultivating survival techniques to protect your family through a strong survival preparedness plan does not necessarily have to be difficult or expensive to implement.

You must have a plan to know what you need to do.

You want to make sure that you have enough food, water, and Prepper supplies for each person under your protection for at least 6 months.

Ask yourself if you are ready to survive a crisis and are able to be able to protect your family as well?

1.  Do you know Food Storage Techniques (temp? humidity? shelf-life? etc.)?

2.  Do you have or know how to purify and store water during a crisis? Remember water is an essential element for your survival and needs to be a part of any emergency kit. In any disaster clean drinking water that is not at risk of being contaminated may not be available. Is there any natural springs in your area where you might find potable water?

3.  Do you know techniques for survival gardening?

4. Do you what wild edibles are in your area?

What an Emergency Survival Kit should contain.

Go online and locate the best emergency survival kit guide that fits your budget. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00149VP14

When it comes to survival kits, what are the options? I was so unprepared for a natural or man-made disaster due to a lack of a survival kit, and I needed to get serious when it came down to deciding on my emergency survival supplies, a survival food list and disaster emergency plans.

Spending a lot of money on emergency survival supplies, a huge survival food list and some disaster emergency plans was unrealistic for me as with most people. I needed survival techniques, a survival food list and some emergency survival supplies, for next to nothing.

I want to share with you my suggestions for 3 must-have items for outfitting your Preppers Kit. I not talking about the basics that you would put of your Preppers checklist, but the Pepper supplies that really gives you and your family an advantage to survive. It has taken me months to prefect my survival kit and it takes time. This would be in addition to the basics such as food and water.

1. Water Purification Tablets- Obtaining drinkable water in the case of a natural or man-made disaster is the key factor between survival and death. In my checklist for Preppers, I strongly recommend that you add Water Purification Tablets to your survival kit list. These water purification tablets will allow you to easily purify water sources that were not previously treated for human (or pet) consumption such as: rivers, lakes, puddle water.  Water purification tablets work by granular activated carbon filtering which adsorbs and cleanses the water of pollutants, mercury, metals, organic contaminants, and many more.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001949TKS

2) Vinegar – Vinegar is by far, one of the most important Prepper supplies that you need to add to your emergency survival kit. Why you may ask? Vinegar is one of the most versatile substances a Prepper could have in their survival kit checklist. Vinegar is used for ingesting and eating, cooking, first aid, medical uses, cleaning uses as a cleaning solvent, plus many more. Vinegar is a definite must have for improving your chance of survival!

3) 9mm - In my opinion, here is a great Prepper supplies item to have on your Preppers checklist in order to protect you and your family from the potential hordes of people that want what you have. Everybody has their own favorite weapon.

A Preppers Checklist – Getting it Fast and Cheap

Some may be asking what the heck is a Preppers checklist and why do I need one? Before we answer the question of what a Preppers checklist is, let’s start by explaining what the definition of a Prepper is to begin with. A Prepper is a person or a group of people that is or has been preparing for a life-altering natural or man-made disaster. Remember hurricane Sandy and multiply by a hundred. Having compiled a Preppers checklist or a survival kit checklist beforehand could be the difference between your family’s life and survival.

Now here is a list of 100 Plus items to prepare for survival. See what you can add to this list and prioritize it according to your individual position. Perhaps you can you divide a list of items amongst trusted close friends and family?

1. Water Filters/Purifiers (check out Mica Mineral at http:micamineral.blogspot.com).

Water is an essential element for your survival and needs to be a part of any emergency kit. In any disaster clean drinking water that is not at risk of being contaminated may be not available.

2. Portable Toilets and lots of toilet paper.

3. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 12 months to become dried for home uses.

4. Lamp Oil, Wicks and Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. Stockpile in a safe place.

5. Coleman Fuel.

6. Guns, Ammunition, Knives.

7. Charcoal and lighter fluid.

8. Water Containers: - food grade if for drinking. Even better is to have glass bottles.

9. Mini Heater (Propane)

10. Grain Grinder

11. Propane Cylinders - will be scarce and can be used to barter but make certain you have a safe place for storage. You have a potential bomb here.

12. Survival Guide Book.

13. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc.

14. Baby supplies, diapers/formula etc.

15. Broom, Mop and bucket.

16. Cooking stoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)

17. Vitamins.

18. Feminine Hygiene/Hair care/Skin products.

19. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)

20. Axes and hatchets.

21. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty

22. Generators and gas storage is risky and is a target of thieves, and then there is the maintenance. But if you can afford the expense it will be a major plus.

23. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)

24. Garbage Bags (Other uses all the time).

25. Toilet Paper and Paper Towels

26. Garden Seeds NonGMO is a must.

27. Repair kits for the toilet or any pump

28. Milk - Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)

29. Chickens for eggs.

30. Chocolate and Cocoa

31. Tuna Fish in oil as the shelf life is longer than in water.

32. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies

33. Graham crackers, saltines, jerky and Peanut Butter

34. Tea

35. Coffee

36. A variety of dried beans and rice sealed in air tight containers

37. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.

38. Assorted Candies

39. Lots of Apple cider vinegar (many uses)

40. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar, stevia for diabetics.

41. Vegetable Oil (for cooking)

42. Flour, yeast & salt

43. Paper plates/cups/utensils

44. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & antibacterial soap

45. Dog and Cat food.

46. Cast iron cookware

47. Hand-can openers.

48. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)

49. Matches. ("Strike Anywhere" preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches

50. Writing paper/pads/pencils.

51. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in wintertime.)

52. Work boots, belts, Levis & durable shirts

53. Several fire extinguishers.

54. Several First aid kits

55. Colloidal Silver (Best Virus killer because you may not be able to get antibiotics)

56. Batteries (all sizes...buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)

57. Flashlights and a flashlight/radio that has solar cell and a hand crank for power.

58. Plastic Garbage cans

59. Men's Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, and Mouthwash/floss.

60. Fishing supplies

61. Mosquito coils/repellent sprays/creams

62. Lots of Duct Tape

63. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes

64. Candles the long burning kind and no smell.

65. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)

66. Laundry Detergent (liquid)

67. Backpacks and Duffel Bags

68. Garden tools & supplies

69. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies

70. Knives & Sharpening tools: files and stones.

71. Bicycles...Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc.

72. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats

73. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)

74. Rat poison

75. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach bait killer.

76. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.

77. Hand pumps & siphons (one for water and one for fuels)

78. Several Reading glasses

79. Magnifying glass

80. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens

81. Window Insulation Kit.

84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)

85. Lumber (all types)

86. Wagons & carts for transporting

87. Cots & Inflatable mattress's

88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.

89. Glue, nails, screws, nuts & bolts.

90. Cigarettes for barter

91. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc.)

92. Supplies to make Moonshine

93. Paraffin wax

94. Cup grease.

95. Some kind of rig for an outside shower.

96. Hats and caps.

97. Toothpaste or Baking Soda and Tooth brushes.                                                                               98. WD 40

99. Isopropyl alcohol-rubbing alcohol.

100. Assorted tools

Maybe share some of the items with a trusted neighbor and depending on the size of your family or your finances you may need to cut back on the quantities. Can you think of any additional items that can be added to this list?

Let’s Start Shopping

“Don’t shop when you are hungry”

So let me ask you, “How will you react?” Regardless of how much I beg, a number of you, without doubt you have not done anything to prepare. What else can I say? I will provide you with the information; it is then your decision to do something. Just DO IT!

You still have to prepare, so listed here are ten things that can be done at this time that makes you better prepared than 90% of the population.

You can do all ten suggestions at the same time or divide each right into a separate shopping time. But you need it done as quickly as possible.

1. Drive to the nearest large store and pick up 30 pounds of whitened or brown grain and 30 pounds of pinto beans. Whitened grain has a better storage existence while brown grain has more dietary benefits. Maybe you should do both.

2. While you are there pick up 10 lbs. mixed beans, 10 pounds of whitened sugar, 10 lbs. of iodized salt, 5 gallon of olive oil, 10 pounds of Oats, 20 pounds  of whitened or wheat flour and cornmeal.

3. Now go to the canned meals and pick-up 20 cans of canned fruits and 40 cans of canned veggies. Make sure to purchase only brands and items you normally eat.

4. Pick up 40 cans of numerous meats, stews, and tuna in oil.

5. Now the peanut butter shelves get ten 40-ounce jars. The listed shelf existence is over 2 yrs. and every jar has over 6,000 calories. Peanut butter is a fantastic instant survival food.

6. Get powdered drink mix; get two or three large drink storage containers. Get the one that is fortified with vitamin C.

7. On the vitamin and supplement aisle, pick up 800 pills “one a day” multivitamin and mineral supplements. 1000/500 mg Ascorbic acid or VitaminC.

8. Get 20 five gallon water containers.

9. Buy 400 rounds of ammunition for the primary defensive weapon. More if you're able to. Do not forget a good universal cleaning package. We have already seen ammunition prices and availiabity skyrocket.

10. Get two of the very best bright LED flashlight you can afford and extra batteries. Also grab two boxes of wooden matches and many multi-purpose matches.

Remember use and rotate or remember first in first out.

As far as preparing it’s just important to put the supplies together and maintaining them so that we can address any safety issues we need to keep your canned food in a cool dry place. Boxed food needs to be in tightly closed plastic or metal containers to protect them and to extend the shelf life. Throw away any canned goods that become swollen or corroded and make sure to use foods before they go bad and replace them with a fresh supply. Always place your new items at the back of the shelf and the older ones in front. Replace stored food and water supplies every six months and be sure to write the date stored on all containers.

Survivors - exactly who are they?

“Only the prepared will survive”

1. They stay busy. Your preparations will never be complete, always there is something we are able to do to increase our possibility of survival. The effective survivalist knows this, and plans to complete a minimum of one item each week to improve their degree of readiness.

2. They will use what's useful. There's a lot discussed on readiness, in books and on the internet. The effective survivalist realizes that all the information presented, does not have to do with our individual needs or our situations. We have to select the information to formulate our own personal survival plan.

3. They find solutions. When something doesn’t go as expected the effective survivalist will discover a means to fix the issue. They'll make it work.

4. They stay relaxed even in disaster whether it is worldwide, countrywide, regional or personal it is going to be demanding and will push many people beyond the breaking point. Individuals who stay relaxed and employ reason to work things out and remember their strategy will be the ones that survive.

5. They are responsible. We have the responsibility of the survival of our family. An effective survivalist doesn't depend or rely on anybody in order to save them. The aid of our neighbor's or community any help is going to be welcomed although not guaranteed.

6. Expect the majority of things to become difficult because functions which are common today will probably be difficult following a collapse. Survival requires persistence and tests the determination of the person.

7. They're open-minded. An effective survivalist appreciates the advice given thirty years ago might not be relevant to needs and situation presently on hand. To help their survival, they welcome new ideas and suggestions.

8. They do not procrastinate. An effective survivalist knows what must be done and will do it without hesitation.

9. Inside a survival situation choices will have to be made, and quickly, and there is not any time for self-doubt or indecision.

10. They Stay on the READY.

Important Family Documents

“Common Sense Thinking”

1. Change your physical appearance. Re-think your whole lifestyle. Change your mode of living and get into the “Survival” mindset.

2. Develop discernment about people.

3. When you invest make sure it is with the right people. Become very observant of people and watch their eyes. It has been said the eyes are the windows to the soul.

4. Review yourself honestly, and determine your talents as well as your weak points.

5. Seek the counsel of others you trust. Be wise in whom you trust.

6. Find like-minded individuals who can participate in a mutual support group with which you can cooperate with and trust.

7. Find alternate ways for doing everything.

8. Develop an instinct for that which doesn’t feel right. Regardless of how good something looks or sounds at first glance, go with your gut feeling, with your instinct, together with your intuition.

9. Eliminate non-necessities out of your existence. Eliminate waste and things not necessary, the extra TV’s, fancy electronics, some clothes, furniture, junk and the pretty things etc.

10. Simplify your way of life and learn how to say ‘no’ to things or activities that do not cause you to be self-sufficient.

11. Develop physical, mental and spiritual disciplines.

13. Shop for what will last and is not quick to spoil or break.

14. Acquire tools that don't rely on electricity.

15. Learn how to spend some time alone on your own with your loved ones, aside from superficial entertainment and distractions. Practice getting back to nature.

16. Learn something from every situation you're involved with. All you hear, see, touch, or feel involves a lesson to be learnt and you need to look for it.

17. Make certain your belief is incorporated in the Creator and never in your personal readiness. Pay attention to what’s inside your heart.

18. Learn how to enjoy simple pleasures and the little things.

20. Establish relationships, needs, present needs, future needs. Set goals for areas you will be proficient or self-sufficient in. Set a timeline according to expense you are able to purchase towards self-sufficiency.

21. Study civil disobedience history. Decide what your action is. Consider and calculate a method that fits the good of all men and only then act on it.

22. Learn how to analyze questions in each and every situation. Weigh the pros and the cons.

23. Bring orderliness to your existence. If you live in a state of disorder, it will pull you lower and break your focus. Learn to get rid of the distractions in your life. Learn to meditate.

24. Self-sufficiency concepts are learned on the day to day basis.

25. Also have many different plans for different situations that warrant it.

26. Everyday life crisis requires the ability to be adaptable.

27. Real learning takes place only when change occurs in our attitudes, actions, and way of life. The mind is a powerful thing. Thoughts create things.

28. Wisdom is making practical applications of what you know.

29. Fix in your own mind the truth about your capabilities. In a crisis situation, this principle will keep you from rashness and will provide you with confidence.

30. Decide ahead of time before a crisis arrives, how you will react in a given situation so that you are not swayed by the circumstances, the situation, or your emotions.

31. Beware of being spread too thin in your life. Decide on the few things in life that you must do and do them well. Stay focused. Make sure that unimportant, non-essential distractions don’t keep you from achieving your most important objectives.

32. Learn to quit wasting things. Be a good steward of all that God provides.

33. Buy an extra one of everything that is essential and important and you use regularly, and set the extra one aside for the time when such items may be difficult or impossible to obtain.

34. In every situation, train yourself to look for what doesn’t fit, for what’s out of place, for what doesn’t look right. Be observant.

35. Teach your children that they are not obligated to give information to a stranger. Role plays what they should do if they find themselves confronted by a stranger.

36. Sell or give away things you do not use or need. Simplify and streamline your life.

37. Find someone who lived through the Great Depression or World War II in Europe and learn from them how they were self-sufficient, how they made do with little, and how they found joy and contentment in the midst of hard times. There are many excellent books on these accounts.

Disaster Readiness

“In an emergency important documents are lost”

After my interview with Joe my friend that is kind of a lawyer he provided me with a “CHECKLIST OF IMPORTANT FAMILY DOCUMENTS.”

It is important to locate, list, and review your documentation so that, in the event of your disability or death, your family will be able to administer your estate according to your wishes. However in a doomsday scenario some of this preparation may not be able to be acted on immediately or at all. It will depend on the severity of the doomsday scenario and how quickly if at all civil authority can be put back in place.

The following is a starting place, a generalized list of documents and information needed. A list of document locations and information should be given to your attorney, executor and other honest and responsible persons. The documents themselves should reside in a secure location.

PERSONAL DOCUMENTS

         Birth Certificates

         Adoption Papers

         Citizenship/Naturalization Papers

         Military Discharge Papers

         Last Will and Testament

         Trust Documents

         Burial Instructions

         Safe Deposit Boxes and/or Safes

         Powers of Attorney

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

         Bank / Credit Union Accounts

         Retirement Accounts

         Brokerage Accounts

         Pension System Statements

         Credit Card Accounts

         U.S. Savings Bonds

         Money Market Accounts

         Certificates of Deposit (CDs)

         Stock Certificates / Bonds /Mutual Funds/Insurance policy’s

FINANCIAL PAPERS

         Real Estate Deeds

         Mortgage Documents

         Property Tax Records

         Inventory of Assets

         Vehicle Titles

         Income Tax Returns for Several Years

         Rental / Lease Agreements

         Partnership Agreements

         Outstanding Loans (either owed to you or by you)

         Pending Legal Actions / Lawsuits

MEDICAL AND INSURANCE INFORMATION

         Health Care Provider and Personal ID Number

         Living Will / Health Care Proxy

         Long Term Care Policy Information

         Life Insurance Policy Documents

         Veterans Administration Insurance Policy

         Mortgage Insurance Policy

         Property and Casualty Policies

Emergency Preparedness

“We spend a lot of our time at work!”

Here is another friend that I met at a Doomsday Preppers meeting, and he provides anonymously an emergency preparedness checklist for the office, car and home.

1. THE ESSENTIALS FOR THE OFFICE

Read your company's evacuation plan and know where to meet after an emergency.

Know where exit routes, stairways, fire extinguishers, and medical kits are located.

Assemble supplies in a single pack and have them stored in your desk. Along with your supplies, store a pair of comfortable walking shoes.

You need to be prepared to bunker down for at least perhaps 24 hours. Make sure you have food and water and all the necessities like your medicines. Be sure to have some comfortable walking shoes at your workplace in case circumstances necessitate walking long distances. These items should be in one container ready to use at a moment’s notice in case. Carry a list of important phone numbers that have been laminated to protect them in your wallet from moisture etc.

Keep the area under your desk free of waste paper baskets. This 5 square foot area might be home for a few traumatic moments. If you are not at your desk when something happens, don't count on being able to make it back.

2. ESSENTIALS FOR THE CAR

Even if you are at home when a disaster strikes, and your home is well stocked, you may still need the supplies in your car. Your house may not be safe to enter or may catch fire after a disaster like an earthquake.

Your car will be one of your most important resources after a disaster strikes. Keep it mechanically sound, and pay close to all maintenance. In case you're stranded you need to keep an emergency supply kit in your car and should include the following:-

1. Jumper cables

2. Flashlights and extra batteries

3. First aid kit and necessary medications in case you away from home for prolonged length of time.

4 Food items containing proteins, hand Can Opener

5. Water for each person

6. AM/FM radio to listen to traffic and emergency messages

7. Cat litter or sand for better tire traction

8. Shovel and ice scraper

9. Clothes, gloves, hat, sturdy boots, jacket and an extra change of clothes

10. Blankets for sleeping bags

11. Phone charger

12. Baby formula and diapers if you have a small child

13. Keep your gas tank full.

Always keep your gas tank full! Fill it when it reaches 1/2 a tank. You will thank yourself the first time you are stuck in a traffic jam in bad weather, never mind a disaster scenario.

Think of your car's trunk as a big steel supply cabinet. Keep your supplies in the trunk along with other items like tools, jumper cables and spare tire.

Keep the car mechanically sound and ready to use.

Replace your battery every 2-3 years. In an emergency, your car battery will need to run the radio and heater for extended periods.

Have a mechanic check the following items on your car to keep it ready:

Battery

Charging system

Antifreeze

Wipers and windshield washer fluid

Ignition system

Thermostat, belts

Lights and flashing hazard

Exhaust system

Heater

Brakes

Defroster

Windshield wipers

Check that the tires have adequate tread

Spare tire and jack

Spare oil

Spare anti-freeze

3. FOR THE HOME

Home is where you can do the most to be prepared. But remember that you are only home for about one half of the hours in a day. You must also be prepared at work, and have additional supplies in your car.

Remember gas appliances are a real danger in an earthquake, and are the cause of most fires after an earthquake.

Know where and how to shut off the water, power, and gas and place the tools for shutting them off in a safe place where all family members are aware.

Replace solid gas lines with flexible lines on stoves, water heaters, and dryers.

Anything that would have fallen on someone's head should be secured to the wall.

Move the bleach and ammonia to separate locations.

Know the unsafe locations in the house.

Make an emergency plan ahead of time and know escape routes and meeting places.

Install Emergency lighting in selected places.

Know the location of the nearest police, fire station, and hospital.

Know which neighbors have medical experience.

Talk with neighbors about emergency preparedness.

Your very trusted family should have keys to your house, and they know how to turn off your utilities.

Your neighbors also have a list of your important phone numbers.

Conduct a home evacuation drill.

Your children need to know how to get help from neighbors and 911.

Each family member carries a family photo and a list of telephone numbers.

Evaluate what supplies your family needs to store.

Have the proper amount of water stored for emergency use.

Store emergency food supplies.

Store cooking items for emergency use.

Store emergency items to use as shelter.

Have a first aid kit.

Store emergency lighting equipment.

Have tools positioned so that if you need them in an emergency.

Store sanitation supplies.

Store supplies for the baby.

Stored misc. supplies including money for emergency use. Some silver coins.

Know your house:

Place a LED flashlight or an emergency light next to your breaker panel.

Place or attach a tool in a convenient safe place known to all family members for turning off the gas.

Evaluate each room in your house. Look for what may fall on you, or will keep you from getting out if it fell? Make these hazards secure.

Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere someone can be hit.

Fasten shelves securely to walls and place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.

Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low closed cabinets.

Store household chemicals on a bottom shelf of a lockable cabinet.

Never store bleach and ammonia in the same cabinet. These chemicals when mixed will create a deadly toxic gas. It will kill you!

Identify the best and worst places to be in your house. Remember that you might not have any choice as to where you will be located when a disaster strikes.

The best places inside the house are under major beams that are secured to the rest of the structure, or in strong doorways, or inner structural walls. The worst places are in front of windows, or near fireplaces and chimneys.

Make an emergency plan including escape routes and meeting places. Choose both a nearby meeting place and an out of town relative to be your contact for the family.

Test your emergency plan with all members of the family present.

Keep all tree and shrub limbs trimmed so they don't come in contact with the wires.

Keep trees adjacent to buildings free of dead or dying wood.

Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the house.

Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and near sleeping areas and a carbon monoxide detector near your gas line at your heater in the house

Know your neighbors, and neighborhood:

Contact your school district to obtain policy regarding the procedure for how children will be released from school in the event of a disaster.

STORE AT HOME

Water:

30 gallons per person (2 gallons per person per day for 1 week). This might sound excessive, but look at your water bill this month! This figure assumes that when at home, you will eventually want a sponge bath, or will cook beans or rice. You might even wash your hair or clothes, and will eventually flush a toilet. You can purchase large 55/30/20/15 gallon size food grade plastic barrels that are ideal for bulk water storage. A good location is in a detached garage or away from any heavy structures. Remember that your water heater in the house is typically 50 gallons, and may be used as a secondary water supply if your home survives. Additional water should be stored in 5 gallon plastic containers and should be stored in separate locations away from your main water supply.

Food:

Each person or family should have on hand an emergency food supply other than your weekly store bought food. People tend to consume their emergency food supply to easily when it's too readily available like canned foods, mixes, soups etc. That is why we recommend purchasing freeze dried, dehydrated, MRES, type of foods that have an extremely long shelf life that are nutritious and can be stored in the same area for accessibility, while still maintaining your weekly store bought food supply. Plan for a minimum of two weeks of food per person.

MREs - Meals ready to eat. These are ideal for inside and outside storage conditions. Remember, the key is to distribute your supplies at various locations. These may be stored in the worst of conditions.

Freeze Dried Food- this superior storable food is available in #10 cans approx. (one gallon) size cans that have many servings in them, and is a great choice for your main bulk storable food supply.  Freeze dried food has a shelf life of up to 20 years. While the pouched meals are a great choice for distributing your food in various locations.  The freeze dried food pouches are also a great choice for storing in your vehicle, or any place where a lightweight hot meal is desired. They have a 5 year shelf life, taste great and retain their nutrition.

For Cooking:

40 pounds charcoal and two cans of starter fluid Store in suitable approved containers. Or a propane unit with two 20 pound containers of propane. Pot and pan for cooking

Kitchen knife

Silverware. Spoons and forks.

Styrofoam cups.

Water proof matches and a lighter.

Zips lock bags.

Aluminum foil. Lots of this item.

Shelter:

Two person minimum tent, a larger size even better.

Several wool blankets or sleeping bags.

Emergency space blanket.

Propane powered Heater.

Medical:

First aid kit. The Preparedness Center has several First Aid kits available. One is ideal for your car supplies and another is ideal for the home.

We also recommend taking a first aid class including CPR.

Also store the following items:

First aid manual.

Extra prescription medications (Be mindful of the shelf life, but some will not survive without their prescription med’s).

Aspirin, Tylenol and Ibuprofen.

Light:

LED Flashlight with 3 sets of spare alkaline batteries and one spare bulb or an emergency light.

Lantern, battery, kerosene or propane powered. Store fuel or batteries, but never use fuel based lighting until you are sure gas leaks are eliminated.

Long life bulk candles.

Water proof matches or lighter.

Tools:

Fire extinguisher large 5-20 pound, type ABC.

Crow bar,

Leather gloves.

Multi-function pocket tool or knife.

Plastic tarp, 9x12 ft. min.

Rope, 100 foot.

Duct tape, 6 or 7

A multi-purpose tool for shutting of gas and water main valves.

Portable generator. Make your selection based on what really needs to be powered and the run time of the model. Our recommendation is for a maximum size of 5 HP, 2250 Watt 120vac only. To get a 230vac generator will require an 8 HP motor, and your run time will drop in half. Typically, the only items in your house that will require 230vac are an electric heating system, an electric water heater, or an electric range. What you really need to power is a refrigerator, a few lights, and a radio.

Power converter for running 120 volt items from car battery.

Communication:

AM/FM/Shortwave radio. Store at least 3 sets of alkaline batteries for standard units. The best radio is one that has rechargeable NI-cads built in, and may be charged with the built in solar cell, or by cranking on a built in generator handle. We recommend this radio for your supplies in your car as well.

Pen, pencil, and paper pad. Store in zip lock bag.

Your house might be gone, but if you still have a mailbox, the mail may continue service. Then again there is talk now days about the Postal Service going away!

List of important phone numbers, including your out of state contacts.

Weather radio or police scanner. A bit expensive, but weather radio is a must in tornado or hurricane areas.

Power converter for running 120 volt items from car battery.

Sanitation:

Portable chemical toilet and disinfectant crystals. Store in garage away from house. You will only need this if your dwelling is damaged, the sewer system quits or if your water supply is limited.

Toilet tissue rolls. Store inside portable toilet. Garbage bags. Can also be used as toilet liners.

Pre-moistened towelettes.

All purpose liquid soap.

Tooth brush and paste.

Disposable razors.

Feminine hygiene items.

Latex gloves.

Gallon of disinfectant.

Baby stuff (if needed):

Baby formula and plastic bottles.

Large box disposable diapers.

Pre moistened wet wipes.

Baby blanket and knit cap.

Two or three complete change of baby clothes.

Misc:

One complete change of clothing for each person.

Emergency poncho.

Pair of boots each person.

Change. $10.00 in quarters.

$50 cash min, in ones, five's, and tens. I prefer the idea of having all silver coins in that paper money may finally be truly worthless as the paper it is printed on.

Duplicate or paper copies of credit cards, just in case you want to go on a last spender.

Photo copies of ID.

Spare checks.

Spare keys.

Barter

Take barter to its full potential and anything may be used in barter. Make a list of all potential bartering items. Discovered how huge the options of barter are.

I don’t recommend heading out and buying excess amounts of the products in this list, which is not my purpose. Many people do not have all of the necessities they will requirement for a tragedy. However perhaps stockpiling an adequate amount of the necessities will be a good idea.

The very best barter products are themselves essentials and just simply become qualified for barter when you have ample supply.

Canned and Dry Food

“I had no idea this tasted so yummy”

Canned Food and Dry Food will be a vital part of your preparedness for a doomsday scenario. There have been studies done as to how long can these foods can be expected to last. Much more information can be easily found on the internet.

A Food and Drug Administration Article about a shelf life test that was conducted on 100-year old canned foods that were retrieved from the Steamboat Bertrand. Among the canned food items retrieved from the Bertrand in 1968 were brandied peaches, oysters, plum tomatoes, honey, and mixed vegetables. In 1974, chemists at the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) analyzed the products for bacterial contamination and nutrient value. Although the food had lost its fresh smell and appearance, the NFPA chemists detected no microbial growth and determined that the foods were as safe to eat as they had been when canned more than 100 years earlier. The nutrient values varied depending upon the product and nutrient.  Significant amounts of vitamins C and A was lost, but the protein levels remained high and calcium levels were maintained.

"According to a recent study cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NFPA, canned foods provide the same nutritional value as fresh grocery produce and their frozen counterparts when prepared for the table. NFPA researchers compared six vegetables in three forms: home-cooked fresh, warmed canned, and prepared frozen. 'Levels of 13 minerals, eight vitamins, and fiber in the foods were similar,' says Dudek. In fact, in some cases the canned product contained high levels of some vitamins that in fresh produce are destroyed by light or exposure to air."

A canned food shelf life study conducted by the U.S. Army revealed that canned meats, vegetables, and jam were in an excellent state of preservation after 46 years. I would suggest that this may not be the case for all brands currently. Back then there were no brands produced and canned in Peoples Republic of China.

The Washington State University summary article can be read at:

http://www.whatcom.wsu.edu/family/facts/shelflif.htm

A scientific study conducted at Brigham Young University on the shelf life of a variety of different dry foods can be read at both of the following links:

http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2005/sharing_stations/pdf/52a.pdf

http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7797-1-4222-1,00.html

A brief summary of the above web site information shows the following estimated shelf life per dry food item:

Over 30 years for wheat and white rice.

30 years for pinto beans, macaroni, rolled oats, and potato flakes.

20 years for powdered milk.

All dry food items should be stored in airtight moisture proof containers at a temperature between 40ºF to 70°F.

Salt, baking soda, and granulated sugar still in their original containers have no known shelf life limit if properly stored.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0208-keeping_food_for_years.htm

Following are some direct quotes taken from the above web site:

Food scientists now know that, when properly sealed, some dried food that has been sitting on shelves for years, could still be ok to eat.

Scientists have known certain foods like sugar and salt can be stored indefinitely, but wanted to learn the shelf life of other food like dried apples stored since 1973 and tried by taste testers.

"I like to call it the emergency shelf life of the food, food that you'd still be willing to eat in an emergency," Pike says. "It's not as though it were freshly canned, but it's certainly edible."

He says the best foods to store are low in moisture, like wheat and powered milk. But keep all foods away from heat and light to stop it from going stale and losing nutritional value. "All the foods that we've tested have been stored at room temperature or below, so you want to avoid attic and garage storage."

In the study, researchers’ taste-tested rolled oats that had been stored in sealed containers for 28 years. Three quarter of tasters considered the oats acceptable to eat in an emergency.

It is important to first identify what is meant by "food storage" and "shelf life." "Food storage" that is intended to be held long-term is generally considered to be low moisture food packed in either #10 cans or in metalized bags placed within large buckets. "Shelf life" can be defined in the following two ways:

"Best if used by" shelf life - Length of time food retains most of its original taste and nutrition.

"Life sustaining" shelf life - Length of time food preserves life, without becoming inedible.

There can be a wide time gap between these two definitions. For example, most foods available in the grocery store that are dated have a "Best if used by" date that ranges from a few weeks to a few years. On the other hand, scientific studies have determined that when properly stored, powdered milk has a "Life sustaining" shelf life of 20 years. That is, the stored powdered milk may not taste as good as fresh powdered milk, but it is still edible.

Shelf life is extremely dependent on the following storage conditions:

Temperature: Excessive temperature is damaging to food storage. With increased temperature, proteins breakdown and some vitamins will be destroyed. The color, flavor and odor of some products may also be affected. To enhance shelf life, store food at room temperature or below; never store food in an attic or garage.

Moisture: Excessive moisture can result in product deterioration and spoilage by creating an environment in which microorganisms may grow and chemical reactions can take place.

Oxygen: The oxygen in air can have deteriorative effects on fats, food colors, vitamins, flavors, and other food constituents. It can cause conditions that will enhance the growth of microorganisms.

Light: The exposure of foods to light can result in the deterioration of specific food constituents, such as fats, proteins, and vitamins, resulting in discoloration, off-flavors, and vitamin loss.

Now recent scientific studies on dehydrated food have shown that food stored properly can last for a much longer period of time than previously thought. Some up to 20 years!

The Preppers Next Door

“They are next door!”

Recently a large group gathered at a church in North Carolina for an informative show and tell session sponsored by a group of Preppers. I was eager and nervous about going. I survived! Many had their firearms with them and various other Prepper items like “bug bags” Many were selling many items and everyone seemed to be friendly and serious about sharing their information about their particular Doomsday scenario.

There were many tables set up to display a multitude of Doomsday items for sale. There were an array of disaster products and even some handmade items, There were compasses and iodine pills. I recommend Lugol and can be purchased at:-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AEFM9Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001AEFM9Y&linkCode=as2&tag=2012freerepo-20

Hand-cranked radios and solar-powered flashlights, magnesium fire-starters and a solar area, a portable still etc. Many of the items on display went far beyond the basics. Some had them tweaked to fit their owner’s needs and interests.  A vegetarian had a stash of homemade dehydrated GMO free vegetables and seeds if you wanted to start growing your own.

Charlotte did not seem like a natural location for what has become known as a Prepper’s movement. However the city’s prepping community is not only large but also growing.

To the average citizen a “Prepper” creates images of armed nut cases bunkered down in bunkers awaiting the end of the world. The reality is it consists of a diverse group of citizens and many are very educated and business people, doctors, carpenters, doormen, charter school executives, music teachers, writers and your next door neighbor. People that you know, your acquaintances, friend, family and neighbors. Just average and ordinary people in most cases.

Being a Prepper these days puts you in the light and image from television programs like “Doomsday Preppers” with their record ratings from a varied cross section of the population. More recently eyebrows were raised when it turned out that the mother of Adam Lanza, the shooter in the Newtown, Conn., killings, was a Prepper. Even though prepping is increasingly visible in the culture of today, and it continues to be thought of as a small business, something on par with believing that Aliens are running the government behind the scenes.

Prepping became a very interesting subject when it occurred to me that the financial system is very unstable and that the possibility grew faster for a reduction in the value of our money.

I called a family friend in Wyoming and did a lot of research, and determined to become a Prepper myself. While close friends visiting my home might be allowed a look at my bug-out bag, I mostly kept quiet about prepping, aware of the embarrassment that I may face. I have found myself several times recently among some Preppers who intuitively understood my desire to be prepared. Sometimes however you can meet Preppers in Charlotte that are preparing for extreme events like solar flares or alien invasions. Most concerns are more immediate and more local. The main thing among them being terrorist attacks, natural disasters and economic collapse.

“The Earth isn’t going to crash into Planet X and the Mayan thing never happened and the aliens are not here.” Is the general consensus. However recent natural disasters caused the Preppers to be in the lime light with all their preparedness.

Understand that a well prepared bug out bag was only part of the equation. You need to have a plan mapped out to take you to safety and it may be very difficult but just as important knowing where to go. If the bridges are blocked, you might have to use a raft to get across the river. Everyone’s situation will be different.”

Acquiring skills over decades from military manuals and from Soldier of Fortune magazine and going to a course in civil defense hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency is helpful. Years past the government was still relying on “cold war supplies of Vienna sausages and five pound bags of sugar.” These days the prepping movement is very different and is a cross section of America now.

Why shouldn’t everyday citizens react and be Preppers? It’s impossible to forget that we live in a world vulnerable to hazards, man-made and natural. “We are all first responders.”

Doomsday Structures

“Noah built an Ark”

The secret “underground” building market for what are now being called Doomsday shelters is on the rise. Self-proclaimed Doomsday Preppers are spending thousands and up to millions of dollars on their innovative shelters.  They are planning for a scenario, in which it is no longer safe to live in their current home. They choose to live in an underground bunker, a converted missile silo or an above-ground fortress until if and when the Doomsday disaster passes.

What disasters are they preparing for you ask? It varies for each individual Prepper, but they can include pandemics, financial apocalypse, alien invasions, oil crisis, mega-storms, solar flare created power failures and nuclear disasters.  The TV hit show Doomsday Preppers on the National Geographic Channel has brought this secret society to the forefront.

Ask yourself which Doomsday Shelter fits your needs best? There are many different types of shelters that you can have built in an array of different price ranges that fit your particular survival needs. From the top luxury models down to the most economical that exist today.

Now if your pocketbook can afford it a luxury residence for any Prepper is located in Kansas, and called the Survival Condo. Your living space would contain approximately 1,800 square feet of living space for possibly 10 people. Luxuries would include, but are not limited to, full kitchens with stainless steel appliances, LED lighting throughout, Kohler fixtures, 50 inch LED TV’s, finger print reader access, comes with a five-year food reserve for each person and is fully furnished and professionally decorated. You will also be able to enjoy 9,000 square feet in their monolithic dome, access to an electric and water supply with a minimum of 25,000 gallon reserve tanks, air filtration systems that provide protection from Nuclear, Biological & Chemical weapons, A general store & organic hydroponic gardens, indoor pool, spa & workout facility, movie theater, bar & lounge, library & classroom, medical center, communication center with internet access and a digital weather station. At a price tag of 2 million dollars per condo all of this could be at your fingertips.

The readymade shelters will run you approximately $50,000-$100,000. They include reinforced steel and are insulated and have air-filtration systems. These types of shelters typically will hold at least a 2 year food supply for a family of five. You can combine these types of steel structures to hold larger amounts of people usually up to 20. You can have these built custom made or bare bones and you can also have them completely stocked with supplies if you want to leave it up to the experts. These products are engineered to withstand catastrophic storms, nuclear, biological & chemical disasters. For the DIY Preppers on a budget of $50,000 or less they choose the option of DIY when it comes to their survival. The most common types of shelter material are thick walls of poured concrete, old semis or large shipping containers. If you are serious about becoming a Prepper you might want to rethink DIY shelters because you can end up spending a lot more than you should if you would have let the professionals to do it.

There are also a lot of Preppers that are having their shelters built in the ground before their house is done so they have their living space under their current residence. This way you could have a tunnel going down to your shelter and quick access to safety.

Unique in their beliefs, motivations, and strategies, Preppers will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared for any of life’s uncertainties. There are literal homes made underground, out of concrete, complete with all the conveniences one may need. They are expensive!

From watching the Doomsday Preppers show you need to have your survival bunker ready in a remote location, and you do not tell anyone where your bunker is located.  You keep secret where your survival supplies are located to prevent anyone from finding them and stealing it.

While I am more than willing to be prepared for any potential disaster, I am not willing to spend thousands building a survival bunker!  I think many on the program are taking things to the extreme and most due not have the resources to carry out such elaborate plans. However these are some great points about safety, protection and being ready for an any disaster in the program.

I am all for everyone having the right to own guns, and to be able to store them safely. However some of the guns I’ve seen on this show seem to be a bit extreme.  I personally can see having a few hunting rifles and a pistol or two. A strong steel door and good locks.

If you are prepared to get a survival bunker built, here’s a site I found that can do that for you:

http://www.hardenedstructures.com/

This one looks like they can build a survival bunker underneath your existing home.  Might be a great option.

Companies can also build you survival bunkers in a separate remote location, if you have land somewhere and would prefer your bunker to be placed there.  Needless to say this is not cheap, but for the ultimate Doomsday Prepper a survival bunker is necessary.

Now let me ask you, “Do you have a survival bunker?” “Or are you considering getting one?”

Bug Out Bag

“A BUG what?”

A Bug Out Bag is a funny name for a very important part of your survival supplies kit. A bug out bag is part of the three bag system, and is the largest of the three.  It contains a wide range of supplies you need in a portable bag to grab when you need to leave quickly, or will be traveling for any length of time.

Keep this kit in a designated place so that you are ready at a moment’s notice if the emergency arises.

A few things you should have in this bug out bag are:

         water purification tablets

         wooden matches in plastic container

         clothes change

         $20 in silver coins

         knife

         Led  flashlight

         rechargeable and regular batteries

         your vital medicine

         raincoat

         snacks

         beef jerky

         scissors

         aspirin/ibuprofen

         bandages

         antibiotic ointment

         liquid soap

         hand sanitizer

         comb/brush

         a small saw to cut wood for a fire

         local maps

A Bug-Out Bag is a portable kit that contains the items one would require to survive for seventy-two hours when evacuating from a disaster. The focus is on evacuation, rather than long-term survival, distinguishing the bug-out bag from a survival kit, a boating or aviation emergency kit, or a fixed site disaster supplies kit.

The term "bug-out bag" is related to, and possibly derived from, the "bail-out bag" emergency kit many military aviators carry. In the United States, the term refers to the Korean War practice of the U.S. Army designating alternate defensive positions, in the event that the unit(s) had to be displaced. They were directed to "bug-out" when being overrun was imminent. The concept passed into wide usage among other military and law enforcement personnel.

Now the primary purpose of a bug-out bag is to allow one to evacuate quickly if a disaster should strike. It is therefore prudent to gather all of the materials and supplies that might be required to do this into a single place, such as a bag or a few storage containers. The recommendation that a bug-out bag contain enough supplies for seventy-two hours arises from advice from organizations responsible for disaster relief and management that it may take them up to seventy-two hours to reach people affected by a disaster and offer help. The bag's contents may vary according to the region of the user, as someone evacuating from the path of a hurricane may have different supplies from someone one who lives in an area prone to tornadoes or wildfires. I remember hurricane Katrina victims. So many thought that help would come in 72 hours but it did not. So be prepared!

Some Doomsday Preppers are Doing It Wrong

“Spock said to be LOGICAL!”

There’s a big trend on the television of not just reality shows, but reality shows involving extreme people. It doesn’t get more extreme than people devoting all their time and monies to preparing for the apocalypse. Another friend of mine has watched all the show’s and has become a Prepper and has shared the following information and advice with me:

Some questions:

1) Are you ready for doomsday?

2) What version of the Doomsday apocalypse is your favorite?

         Planet Niribu

         Nuclear wasteland

         Global economic collapse

         Invasion of the Aliens

3) Are the doomsday Preppers admirable, self-reliant people with useful doomsday skills or just nut jobs spending insane amounts of money on bomb shelters that will never get used?

Now, I believe these folks have good intentions and are doing a mix of smart things and insane things. Being prepared is a smart move. Having a Bug-Out Bag in your car or home is good for any kind of emergency, whether it’s a massive earthquake, an alien invasion or getting a tire blowout 60 miles from nowhere.

Now, let’s talk about three big Prepping mistakes.

1. Fancy bomb shelters are a waste of money

Spending lots of money on bomb shelters is a waste of money, brains and time.

These things cost as much as a house, with generators and enough fuel and water to keep things going, as if nothing happened, for six months. But what happens after six months and all the supplies are depleted. You’ve got to then leave the bomb shelter and run around looking for food, water and supplies.

A wise person will not spend all their assets on doomsday shelters and stockpiles of food and water. Maybe you need to build something reasonable next to a stream with fish for food. Focus on sustainability instead.

Spend some money on a fishing pole, a book on eating worms and what flowers and greens you can forge and eat instead of hundreds of dollars on a lifetime supply of ammo, and other weapons. Even if you think a nuclear wasteland is coming and you need to learn how to be creative and think outside of the box.

2. Don’t prep for the wrong Doomsday

I believe that a worldwide nuclear war is unlikely. Even the bad guys want some life to continue.

So what is a more likely doomsday? Aliens are my favorite. Global economic collapse, maybe after the world runs out of oil? Worldwide food shortages? The ultimate virus released by some crazy terrorist group.

Be wise and study all the information that comes across your path and use common sense in making your decisions. Form a master mind group to formulate a master plan for survival.

3. Don’t tell friends and neighbors about any gold or silver coins you have stashed.

Don’t be Naive

“Know the FACTS”

You would think that Preppers were cool high school kids that dressed preppy and those that were not in your group. Thanks to the media we now understand that they are in fact the new generation of Doomsday Survivalists.

Bug-out bags are not used to keep critters and mosquitoes out, they are bags that people have prepared in case the world-as-we-know-it ends (TWAWKIE) and it contains things they might need to survive as they escape the city. Solar-powered flashlights, matches, dried foods and silver coins.

There are Prepper television shows and Internet based networks of resources and suppliers dedicated to Prepper needs. Discount stores will deliver a month’s worth of freeze dried food to your home or bunker every 30 days. But nobody has asked the question of what happens if and when the Postal Service, UPS and FedEx are no longer delivering. There are many websites and blog filled with places to spend your money purchasing your supplies.

It goes without saying that the news and our emails are filled with pending doom of one type or another. We do live in fact live in very perilous times. Those of us that are on the edge of going the distance with the end of the world as we know it does not take much to get us in the survival mode.

Preppers, as they are affectionately called, have given rise to an industry of bug-out bag providers and businesses that cater to the doomsday scenario. Some companies have a range of survival gear that begin at $150 and run up to nearly $900. Cost vary, depending on whether it includes a gas mask or other exotic protections against bio hazards and the likes.

A friend of mine called from Wyoming and while we were talking the subject of Preppers came up. He told me that in Wyoming being prepared is a way of life and the environment can at times put you into a survival mode, and it just comes natural to be prepared. The thing about North Dakota and Wyoming is we don’t need to escape. We are already in survival mode!

Read some of the stories of settling the Wild West and the survival rates and what many had to do to survive.

Quarantine and Isolation

“Some decisions will be hard”

This is an area of discussion that many do not want to talk about but it is the difference possibly of whether you and your family survive.

People can be infected with dangerous diseases in a number of ways. Some germs, like those causing malaria, are passed to humans by animals. Other germs, like those that cause botulism, are carried to people by contaminated food or water. Still others, like the ones causing measles, are passed directly from person to person. These diseases are called "contagious". Contagious diseases that pose a health risk to people have always existed. While the spread of many of these diseases has been controlled through vaccination and other public health efforts, avian influenza ("bird flu") and terrorist acts worldwide have raised concerns about the possibility of a grave disease risk. That makes it important for people to understand what can and would be done to protect the public from the spread of dangerous contagious diseases.

The CDC applies the term "quarantine" to more than just people. It also refers to any situation in which a building, conveyance, cargo, or animal might be thought to have been exposed to a dangerous contagious disease agent and is closed off or kept apart from others to prevent disease spread.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the U.S. government agency responsible for identifying, tracking, and controlling the spread of disease. With the help of the CDC, state and local health departments have created emergency preparedness and response plans. In addition to early detection, rapid diagnosis, and treatment with antibiotics or antivirals, these plans use two main traditional strategies—quarantine and isolation—to contain the spread of illness. These are common health care practices to control the spread of a contagious disease by limiting people's exposure to it.

The difference between quarantine and isolation can be summed up like this:

Isolation applies to persons who are known to be ill with a contagious disease.

Quarantine applies to those who have been exposed to a contagious disease but who may or may not become ill.

The list of diseases for which quarantine or isolation is authorized is specified in an Executive Order of the President. This list currently includes cholera, diphtheria, infectious tuberculosis, plague, smallpox, yellow fever, viral hemorrhagic fevers (Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo, South American, and others not yet isolated or named), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and influenza caused by novel or re-emergent influenza viruses that are causing, or have the potential to cause, a pandemic.

Isolation

Isolation would last for the period of communicability of the illness, which varies by disease and the availability of specific treatment. Usually it occurs at a hospital or other health care facility or in the person's home. Typically, the ill person will have his or her own room and those who care for him or her will wear protective clothing and take other precautions, depending on the level of personal protection needed for the specific illness.

In most cases, isolation is voluntary; however, federal, state and local governments have the authority to require isolation of sick people to protect the public.

Quarantine

Modern quarantine lasts only as long as necessary to protect the public by (1) providing public health care (such as immunization or drug treatment, as required) and (2) ensuring that quarantined persons do not infect others if they have been exposed to a contagious disease.

Modern quarantine is more likely to involve limited numbers of exposed persons in small areas than to involve large numbers of persons in whole neighborhoods or cities.

Quarantined individuals will be sheltered, fed, and cared for at home, in a designated emergency facility, or in a specialized hospital, depending on the disease and the available resources. They will also be among the first to receive all available medical interventions to prevent and control disease, including:

Vaccination.

Antibiotics.

Early and rapid diagnostic testing and symptom monitoring.

Early treatment if symptoms appear.

The duration and scope of quarantine measures would vary, depending on their purpose and what is known about the incubation period (how long it takes for symptoms to develop after exposure) of the disease-causing agent.

Examples:

A few hours for assessment. Passengers on airplanes, trains or boats believed to be infected with or exposed to a dangerous contagious disease might be delayed for a few hours while health authorities determine the risk they pose to public health. Some passengers may be asked to provide contact information and then released while others who are ill are transported to where they can receive medical attention.

There have been a few instances where state and local public health authorities have imposed a brief quarantine at a public gathering, such as a shelter, while investigating if one or more people may be ill. Enough time to provide preventive treatment or other intervention. If public health authorities determine that a passenger or passengers on airplanes, trains or boats are sick with a dangerous contagious disease, the other passengers may be quarantined in a designated facility where they may receive preventive treatment and have their health monitored.

For the duration of the incubation period. If public health officials determine that one or more passenger on airplanes, trains or boats are infected with a contagious disease and that passengers sitting nearby may have had close contact with the infected passenger(s), those at risk might be quarantined in a designated facility, observed for signs of illness and cared for under isolation conditions if they become ill.

When would quarantine and isolation be used and by whom?

If people in a certain area were potentially exposed to a contagious disease, this is what would happen: State and local health authorities would let people know that they may have been exposed and would direct them to get medical attention, undergo diagnostic tests, and stay at home, limiting their contact with people who have not been exposed to the disease. Only rarely would federal, state, or local health authorities issue an "order" for quarantine and isolation.

However, both quarantine and isolation may be compelled on a mandatory basis through legal authority as well as conducted on a voluntary basis.

States have the authority to declare and enforce quarantine and isolation within their borders. This authority varies widely, depending on state laws. It derives from the authority of state governments granted by the U.S. Constitution to enact laws and promote regulations to safeguard the health and welfare of people within state borders.

Further, at the national level, the CDC may detain, medically examine or conditionally release persons suspected of having certain contagious diseases. This authority applies to individuals arriving from foreign countries, including Canada and Mexico, on airplanes, trains, automobiles, boats or by foot. It also applies to individuals traveling from one state to another or in the event of "inadequate local control."

In a doomsday scenario if the civil disobedience has reached a chaotic point all the sane and humane, decent policies will be forgotten and those that are isolated or quarantined will be at great peril for their lives. Understand that in a doomsday scenario the rule book will possibly go out the door. This is one of the reasons some fear the worst and want to prepare to use force if needed to protect their families.

The CDC regularly uses its authority to monitor passengers arriving in the United States for contagious diseases. In modern times, most quarantine measures have been imposed on a small scale, typically involving small numbers of travelers (airline or cruise ship passengers) who have curable diseases, such as infectious tuberculosis or cholera. No instances of large-scale quarantine have occurred in the U.S. since the "Spanish Flu" pandemic of 1918-1919.

Based on years of experience working with state and local partners, the CDC anticipates that the need to use its federal authority to involuntarily quarantine a person would occur only in rare situations—for example, if a person posed a threat to public health and refused to cooperate with a voluntary request.

Definitions

For more information, see the CDC's "Fact Sheet on Legal Authorities for Isolation/Quarantine".

Modern quarantine is used when:

A person or a well-defined group of people has been exposed to a highly dangerous and highly contagious disease, resources are available to care for quarantined people, and resources are available to implement and maintain the quarantine and deliver essential services.

Modern quarantine includes a range of disease control strategies that may be used individually or in combination, including: Short-term, voluntary home curfew.

Restrictions on the assembly of groups of people (for example, school events).

Cancellation of public events.

Suspension of public gatherings and closings of public places (such as theaters).

Restrictions on travel (air, rail, water, motor vehicle, pedestrian).

Closure of mass transit systems.

Restrictions on passage into and out of an area.

Modern quarantine is used in combination with other public health tools, such as: Enhanced disease surveillance and symptom monitoring.

Rapid diagnosis and treatment for those who fall ill.

Preventive treatment for quarantined individuals, including vaccination or prophylactic treatment, depending on the disease.

Modern quarantine does not have to be absolute to be effective. Research suggests that in some cases partial quarantine (that is, quarantine of many exposed persons but not all of them) can be effective in slowing the rate of the spread of a disease, especially when combined with vaccination.

Modern quarantine is more likely to involve limited numbers of exposed persons in small areas than to involve large numbers of persons in whole neighborhoods or cities. The small areas may be thought of as "rings" drawn around individual disease cases. Examples of "rings" include:

People on an airplane or cruise ship on which a passenger is ill with a suspected contagious disease for which quarantine can serve to limit exposure to others.

People in a stadium, theater or similar setting where an intentional release of a contagious disease has occurred.

People who have contact with an infected person whose source of disease exposure is unknown—and therefore may be due to a covert release of a contagious disease.

In the aftermath of a disease outbreak or biological attack, there may be dozens of small "rings," each one including the people exposed to a single case of disease.

Implementation of modern quarantine requires the trust and participation of the public, who must be informed about the dangers of contagious diseases subject to quarantine before an outbreak or intentional release of biological agents, as well as during an actual event.

Everyone has their own ways of dealing with stressful situations. Resilience—the ability to adapt well to life's ups and downs—can help manage stress and feelings of anxiety. Everyone can develop resilience. It involves thoughts and actions that can be learned and practiced over time.

Anyone who experiences a disaster is affected by it, whether directly or indirectly through location, family or friends, or exposure to media coverage of the event.

Even if a disaster, such as a terrorist act, produces little physical damage, it can bring fear, confusion, and uncertainty into daily life. Strong and varied emotional reactions to such an event are natural. People are resilient and able to recover from difficult experiences.

Given the uncontrollable nature of disasters, some people question whether they can take steps to plan for catastrophic events. Actually, we know that the more people prepare for the unexpected, the better they manage these situations.

Go online to the relevant government site and familiarize yourself with this information and do your own research. Be pro-active.

Conclusion

“Time to reflect”

The storm has subsided somewhat now, and the waves have quieted down compared to the much more intense surges many of you experienced recently. This is all parts of the natural cycle of things, and you have all more or less become rather familiar with how this works. At this time, we think you will all feel the need to take some deep, deep breaths and savour the stillness that will follow in the wake; many have certainly been through the wringer in more ways than one.

Let us assure you all that you will have become so much strengthened by this ordeal, contrary to expectations, these intense situations do not leave you totally floored for long. During these very intense bouts of adjustments, anything concerning the future, whether it is imminent or more distant, seems almost impossible to even contemplate. But now, as this mental fog seems to have dissipated along with all of the physical symptoms, you will find yourself eager to set things into action.

For some, there will be things to plan and endeavors to initiate, while for others, there will still be the frustration of wanting so strongly to just do something while at the same time you have no clear idea yet as to what this something is. This frustration of not knowing just what to do with all of this energy surging through your body and soul now can be a bit hard, but trust us when we say that you will all in some way find an outlet for all of this seemingly pent-up energy.

In other words, much will be set into motion now so that you will find a way to maneuver yourself into the right position as it were. For some, this will even entail a very different physical setting than the one they are currently in. In other words, do not be surprised if you find yourself moving away from something, or finding yourself searching for a new place. This could pertain to your workplace, or even where you live, so this can be experienced in all sorts of ways.

About the Author

Dwayne Cord

I am Dwayne Cord I have been preparing for life after a major Doomsday event for the past two years. I believe it isn't a question of if such an event will occur, but when, and how bad will it be. I want to be prepared when the time comes so that I and my family and friends will survive.

Although I prepare, I do not consider that I am fanatical. I live for the present and enjoy life. I believe in God and seek the best for all mankind.

Blessings on you and your family should we see a Doomsday!

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Table of Contents

Copyright Info

Foreward

Intro

About the Author

Doomsday?

A Preppers Inventory

Let’s Start Shopping

Survivors - exactly who are they?

Important Family Documents

Disaster Readiness

Emergency Preparedness

Canned and Dry Food

The Preppers Next Door

Doomsday Structures

Bug Out Bag

Some Doomsday Preppers are Doing It Wrong

Don’t be Naive

Quarantine and Isolation

Conclusion

About the Author