Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

Sibi Totique
"For Himself and Everyone" The Free Online Survival Guide and Blog"

Bug In - An Introduction

Monday, June 6, 2011

How one should best prepare for a Crisis or Survival Situation is a well debated subject. Within the Survivalist and Prepper Movement there are two main strategies that dominates the approach to Crisis and Disaster Preparedness: Bug In and Bug Out. Bugging In or Bug In refers to a strategy that focuses on having the capacity to deal with a crisis or survival situation in the home. Bug Out Refers to having the option of evacuation if this would be needed.
In this introduction article I will discuss some of the factor that you will have to take into consideration when deciding what you should focus on for a Bug In approach. All locations are unique and this is just some of the factors that you may have to take into considerations.

1.) Climate
The Climate where you live in one of the most critical aspects when it comes to what strategies that you should focus on if you are preparing to Bug In. What type of temperatures and weather do you normally encounter? Do you live in a climate where Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards, Wild Fires, Extreme Heat or Extreme Cold can be a factor? Another critical factor is the seasonal variations in your climate.

2.) Setting
Your setting is also critical aspect that must be taken into consideration. Do you live in an Urban, Sub-Urban, Rural or Wilderness setting? Is your Home located near the sea, a river or lake? What type of terrain surrounds your local setting?

3.) Type of Housing
Another aspect is what type of housing that you are living in. Do you live in a House, Apartment or on a Farm? Many not have their own housing but may either rent a room, live with their family or live in other small types of accommodations like student rooms. How many people are there in the household?

4.) Access to Water
One of the most important factors for survival is water; a human will only survive a few days without water. Some settings like cities located in the desert may be almost totally dependent on water from other locations in order to maintain the needs of the city. How much rainfall do you get every year, is there nearby sources of water like lakes or rivers? If there are local sources to water how far away are they located from your home and is it safe to drink this water without treatment?

5.) Energy
What kind of energy systems do you relay on in your home? Some common types of energy that people depend upon are Electricity, Natural Gas, Oil Heaters, Wood Stoves and District Heating. Most people rely on electricity but other may also be dependent on Natural Gas or Oil for heating or remote heating in some cities.

5.) Transportation
Another critical aspect for your approach is your need for transportation. How long do you have to travel in order to get to work? How long are the distances you have to travel to hospitals, first responders, grocery stores and other types of services that you depend upon? How many vehicles are there in the household and is it possible for you to bike or walk for your basic needs like groceries? What other types of transportation is available like buses, airports, ports, railways and subways?

6.) Budget, Work and Income
People with a high budget can afford solutions that are not accessible to everyone like owning a farm or living in a gated community. How much income do you have every month and how big is your expenses? Economical Preparedness is also a critical part of Crisis and Disaster Preparedness and is often a prerequisite for many solutions.

Urban Environments often provide more opportunities for finding an income and work than a rural setting. The access to more specialized stores and education is often higher in larger cities as well and this is some of the driving forces behind the urbanization trend in the world today. The high population density of cities can however lead to many casualties if a disasters strikes and make evacuations a problematic process.

7.) Your Social Network
Another critical aspect for a Bug In approach is the proximity to your friends, family and social network. Is your family located near or are they located far away? Do you know your neighbors and what kind of relation do you have with them?

8.) Storage Solutions and Keeping an Inventory
All homes have different potential for storage, if you want to be able to store supplies you must find solutions that allow you to access the equipment that you may need and make it easy to organize. Keeping an inventory is also critical so that you what you got and where you can find it.

9.) What Kind of Scenarios Do You Prepare For?
Maybe the most important aspect to your approach is the risks that you are facing and what type of scenarios that you are trying to prepare for. What types of Natural Disasters are common in your area? Are Hurricanes, Wild Fires, Blizzards, Floodings, Tornados, Earthquakes or Tsunamis a potential problems? Are there other types of man-made threats like chemical plants, nuclear power plants or hydro plants in your proximity? By making a Risk Assessment you can get an idea of some of types of scenarios that could possibly affect you.
• How long do you want to be able to make it without external assistance?
• What are the most critical areas that you want to cover?

Summary
A remote rural or wilderness setting is often described as the most ideal setting to cope with a Crisis or Survival Situation. As I see it there is no perfect location that is superior, all locations have their pros and their cons and you must do the best you can with what you got.

A remote area may be a nice place for a recreational house but there are many disadvantages for this type of setting as well; you may have to travel long distances in order to get supplies and groceries, medical assistance in case of accidents may be far away, you may be very dependent on vehicles for transportation, there may be less specialized resource to cope with a crisis in than in a large city and most importantly it can be hard to find a source of income.

Advantages
• You can store much more supplies in your Home than you could ever carry in a Bug Out Bag
• Your Home Provides an excellent shelter against the elements
• You often know your local terrain, local hazards and the people around you

Disadvantages
• Your Home and all your supplies can be possibly be destroyed by a number of events like a fire, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, earthquake or other types of disasters.
• Some scenarios like a Hurricane, Earthquake, Volcano, Wildfire or Tsunami may require an evacuation no matter if you would like to or not and you may have to abandon your home.

Bug In and Bug Out are two strategies that are often combined; personally I recommend that you should have the capacity to do both in case of an emergency.

Other Articles:
The Bug In Plan
Risk Assessments
Equipment For Your Home - Checklist

http://sibitotique.blogspot.com/2011...roduction.html

The Top 50 Survival Blogs!

1

SHTF Plan

2	Survival Blog

3	The Survival Podcast

4	Urban Survival

5	The Survivalist Blog

6	In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

7	The Survival & Emergency Preparedness Blog

8	Survival And Prosperity

9	The Survival Mom

10	American Preppers Network

11	WillowHavenOutdoor.com

12	Survival Topics

13	Pioneer Survival Blog

14	Preparedness Pantry

15	Off Grid Survival

16	Disaster Preparedness Blog

17	Ice-Qube - Emergency Preparedness Blog

18	Wilderness Survival Skills

19	Surviving In Argentina

20	CARD\'s blog

21	Modern Survival Blog

22	Backwoods Survival Blog

23	Back Door Survival

24	Modern Survival Online

25	Texas Prepper\'s Network

26	Preparedness and Response

27	Shepherd School

28	Stealth Survival

29	Save Our Skills

30	Be A Survivor

31	Bug-Out Survival

32	Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest

33	Doug Ritter

34	ATEP Emergency Preparedness Blog

35	Survival Joe

36	Preparedness Pro

37	The Just In Case Book Blog

38	TEOTWAWKI Blog

39

SHTF Blog

40	SHTF America

41	International Preparedness Network

42	Emergency Survival and Preparedness Blog

43	Code Name Bullseye

44	Keep It Simple Survival

45	Survival Times

46	Advanced Survival Guide

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49	Emergency Preparedness Blog

50	The Retreat

http://www.survivaltop50.com/

=> View these other great Survival Blogs that almost made the Top 50!

http://www.survivaltop50.com/runners-up/

Explosives Used To Blow Private Levee - Investigation Opens

Updated: 7:17 PM Jul 1, 2011

Explosives Used to Breach Levee, Investigation Underway

Explosives blew apart a levee in Pottawattamie County, Iowa Friday morning. Since the levee is private, there doesn't appear to be any laws broken, according to the county attorney.

Posted: 1:41 PM Jul 1, 2011
Reporter: Brian Mastre, Gary Smollen
Email Address: sixonline@wowt.com
Video at the link

Explosives Used to Breach Levee, Investigation Underway

An investigation is underway to make sure the explosives were in the hands of a licensed commercial operator.

According to a news release, a group of private citizens representing the Vanman #30 levee intentionally breached a half-mile stretch of levee from river mile marker 637 to 637.5 around 10 a.m. A good portion of it was mechanically excavated so that floodwater on the farm ground could go back to the river.

County Attorney Matt Wilber said he is disappointed no one told the county about the decision to go forward with the breach. "There are tens of thousands of citizens on both sides of the river who are affected by the flooding on the Missouri River and private activities such as this, which have the potential to affect those lives should not be undertaken without a full consideration of the consequences."

Wilber went on to say that the Army Corps of Engineers http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/124871614.html# indicated it had no authority to regulate this levee since it is not a federal levee. The blown levee is just a few miles south of Highway 30 near the De Soto National Park.

Wilber said because this was a private levee, there probably was no crime, but he is moving ahead with the investigation.

"These levees are saturated. We have the most water on them for the longest period of time we've ever had. This levee gets blown and we saw a several inch rise in the river shortly thereafter, so even a three or four inch pulse coming down the river when we're looking at every half inch as being significant is a fairly big event."

Wilber says the "pulse" of water has passed the Omaha/Council Bluffs area without any reported damage, but he added, the risk to everyone south of the Harrison and Pottawattamie County line was simply too great.

Channel 6 News did try and contact the chairman and clerk of the private levee system, but no one could comment.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/124871614.html

Agenda 21- Codex- Fema Camps-80% Depopulation = New World Order (Terror Camps: The Global Agenda)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUWByt813fA&NR=1



Feb 15, 2011

Mark Matheny exposes the plan of the Elite to create a New World Order through carefully coordinated agendas of the U.N. disquised as humanitarian and ecological efforts. These plans however, are geared to reduce the total earth population by 80% and bring all nations under an international post-industrial Feudal Military Global Regime. (Originally completed in May of 2009).

Jesse Ventura : DEPOPULATION is the plan

Feb 18, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ty4YfMu ... re=related



"The End Of Liberty" Full Length HQ Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maV4CY4F ... re=related

NWO FILES - Depopulation Plans Exposed

Feb 14, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVuiDG5b ... re=related



BILDERBERG PLANS CRASH IN 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN_Rl0A1 ... re=related

Gardening Hints And Tips

June 20, 2011 by Peggy Layton


Don't let a lack of space keep you from gardening. Try container gardening.

Gardening season is upon us, and the garden must be tended in order to have a successful harvest. Gardening is one of the more popular leisure activities in the United States. An average backyard garden will cost about $30 for seeds and about $50 for organic potting soil and fertilizers, yet it will yield more than $600 in fresh, organic produce. That is a great investment, not only for our finances but also for our health.

5 Reasons To Grow A Garden

1. Health is the main reason people grow gardens. The food we plant, grow and prepare for our families is healthier than produce purchased from the grocery store. If we grow our own food, we know whether it is organic, since we control the fertilization, pest-control and harvesting methods. Gardening is great for mental health, too. Working hard in a garden gives us pleasure in accomplishing something wonderful.
2. Stress relief occurs when we do something meaningful that makes us happy. Planting and digging in the dirt relieve stress and make us feel better.
3. Connecting to the Earth slows us down and grounds us. The soil, the worms and the living plants are fascinating to watch. When we slow down long enough, we become aware of the miracle of life.
4. Self-sufficiency is another great reason to grow a garden. With the cost of commodities rising rapidly, gardening can offset the high cost of food. This puts more money in our pockets to use for other necessities.
5. We save money by going to the grocery store less often. It’s possible to save hundreds of dollars per growing season, which really helps with the food budget.

Location

If you live in a cramped space and have a small yard, you can still grow a garden. Look around and see if you have places to put tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, etc. Flower gardens are ideal, because you can plant vegetables between flowers. Some flowers help with bug control. For example, marigolds ward off some garden pests.

The location of your garden is important. It needs to be a sunny, well-drained location, rich in compost and soil texture. Plant taller plants on the north side of the yard or garden so they won’t shade shorter plants. Plants can be planted along fences, patios and corners of lots, even in the yard. A strip of grass can be removed from the lawn and worked to become a raised vegetable bed.

Raised Beds

Raised beds are ideal for small areas. You can either shape the dirt into a hill or use a wooden frame around the grow bed. The frame is made of 2-by-4 planks placed in a rectangular shape. Use two 2-by-4 planks stacked one on top of the other to make the bed 8 inches tall, or use two 2-by-8 planks stacked one on top of the other to make the bed 16 inches tall. Make the bed 3 feet wide and as long as your space allows. The soil in the raised beds can be added to and maintained even if the texture of the surrounding soil is poor and has bad drainage. Make your raised bed level even if your garden spot is on a slope, so the water will remain in the bed and the soil will not wash away. Cultivate the soil 2 inches deeper than the height of the grow bed. Add mulch, compost or organic matter, and then dig down and turn the soil. Use a pitchfork to break up dirt clots. Rake it into a nice, level bed. Once that’s done, it is ready for planting.

Continue to add more compost so the soil improves each year. My husband is in the process of putting wood chips between the rows to keep the moisture in and the weeds out.

Container Gardening

If you are an apartment dweller and long to have a garden, try container gardening. Herbs and vegetables are great for containers, because they can be moved indoors when the weather gets too cold. Onions, radishes and lettuce mixtures can be grown in containers. Tomatoes and sweet bell peppers can be grown in large pots on the balcony. Zucchini and cucumbers can be trained to grow up a trellis or wire fencing. This way, they grow in a smaller space and the vegetables can be picked easily.

Soil

Use organic, inexpensive material such as vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, tea leaves, manure, chicken droppings, mulch, potting soil, leaves, grass clippings, sawdust, wood shavings, straw or hay to make a nutrient-rich topsoil. Avoid using anything that might have weed seeds in it. Peat moss, perlite or vermiculite can be used in composting, but they are more expensive and have no nutritional value. The better the soil, the more worms will be attracted to it, which is a good thing. Worm castings and worm holes help develop nutrient-rich soil as well.

Every year, new compost made from all-organic materials must be added to the soil. It is good to mix the compost in a pile as you add to it and let it rest for the year before putting it on the garden — especially if it contains manure or chicken droppings. Manure is considered hot and can burn plants if it’s used fresh. That is why you mix it with compost and let it set for a year.

We have a compost pile near our chicken coop so when we clean out the coop we can add the droppings to the compost pile. Mixing it often allows it to decompose throughout the year.

Till the garden by hand

My husband prepares the soil by hand because he likes to break up dirt clots and rake out the beds before he plants. He likes to use a D-handled spading fork and a U-bar digger. A small tiller can also be used to till the soil and prepare it for planting.

Seeds

The best types of seeds to store are called non-hybrid or heirloom seeds. They can be saved from year to year and will be true to form each season. To learn more about non-hybrid garden seeds, refer to my article Growing A Backyard Garden Can Be Good For Your Health.

The hybrid- or regular-type seeds that can be found in most garden centers are good for only one season. You need to purchase seeds from year to year. The seeds cannot be saved because they are genetically altered. Their offspring the second year will look like a crossbred vegetable.

Keep garden seeds in a container with a lid so mice don’t get into the seeds and eat them. It is best to keep them in a cool, dry, dark container to avoid light exposure. The cooler the temperature, the longer the seeds will last. Seeds have a shelf life of up to five years. To extend the shelf life, keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Herbs can be started from seed or can be purchased from a nursery and planted in an herb garden or around decorative rocks and flower beds. Fresh herbs have great flavor, and they are good for your health.

Planting

Certain plants do well if started indoors or in a greenhouse first and then transplanted later. These plants include tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and onions. Some plants do just as well if started in the ground. These include corn, spinach, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, peas, radishes, Swiss chard, carrots, potatoes and garlic.

Corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers need warm soil before germination can take place. Onions, spinach, lettuce, peas, cabbage, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower and Swiss chard may be planted early in the spring. A second crop can be planted in late July or early August to extend the growing season.

Watering

The frequency of watering depends on the texture of the soil. In dry climates, more frequent watering is very important. Gardens with sandy soil require more watering than those with clay-based soils. Sandy soil does not hold moisture so you will need to water more frequently. After the garden has been planted, it is really important to keep it moist so the seeds will germinate. Carrots are very touchy. They must be kept moist every day to germinate.

My husband puts finely chopped wood chips around our plants and grow beds to hold in the moisture. You could also lay black plastic or newspaper, covered with dirt or chips, around plants to hold in the moisture and keep weeds from growing. Because plastic is an inorganic material, it must be removed in the winter and replaced the next spring. Straw will hold moisture also. However; we tried using straw last year, and it had grain seed in it. As a result, we had an outbreak of oat grass and had to do a lot of extra weeding. If you are using straw, sift through it and use only the stems of the straw.

We have found that it’s best to water either early in the morning or just before dark. Whenever we watered the plants during the day, the leaves got burned from the sun reflecting on the water.

Metal Cages And Fencing Wire

When we plant peas, we put tomato cages around them — at least three across — and as many as needed for the length. The peas grow straight up and cling to the metal for stability. As the peas reach the top of the metal cages, we put up a higher fence to support them as they grow taller. This makes it easier to pick the peas, and the plants do not fall over. (See the photo at the right.)

We put up metal fencing for the pole beans, cucumbers, melons and squash. They also climb straight up, which takes up less space. The plants cling to the fencing, which gives them stability and makes it easier to pick the vegetables. All the tomatoes and peppers have cages around them to protect them from the dogs and cats running through the garden. The tomato cages give the tomatoes stability as well.

I once heard that metal around a garden conducts electromagnetic energy during a rain or electrical storm, which stimulates the growth of the vegetables.

It is a good idea to put a fence around the entire garden to keep out deer and other animals. We live near the mountains, and many of my neighbors have a serious deer problem. At night the deer come from the mountains and graze on anything they can find. Many gardens have been completely eaten before they matured. It might be a good idea to have an outside dog near the garden to scare off the nighttime predators.

We lock up our chickens in their run during the months we are planting and harvesting our garden. The chickens will scratch the soil and find all the seeds we have planted. When the tomatoes are ripe, the chickens will peck at them and eat holes into the fruit.

Weeding

We get the baby weeds before they even have a chance to grow. A small rake made for weeding the garden is the best. It is small enough to go around the plants and loosen the dirt. This disrupts the root system of small weeds, and they die. We do a lot of weeding early on, which saves us many hours of weeding. Weeds use up the nutrients in the soil, so you want to stop them before they grow.

We put wood chips or sawdust on the walkways between the grow beds. This keeps the moisture in the garden, and the weeds don’t grow through it. Taking care of the weeds early on saves much frustration later.

Pest Control

Raising a completely organic garden means not using any chemicals in the soil or on the plants. There is always a problem with pests such as tomato hornworms, cutworms, aphids, whiteflies, ants, etc. To kill insects, mix a solution of water and a few drops of dish soap into a spray bottle or a large sprayer and spray the plants with it. When you spray it on the plant, make sure to spray the underside of the leaves where aphids hide. After spraying the plants with the mixture of dish soap and water, rinse the plants with warm water to remove the soap and the dead bugs.

Diatomaceous earth is used as a mildly abrasive insecticide that can be sprinkled onto and around the base of plants. Diatomaceous earth can be purchased in home-and-garden centers. Do not use the one for swimming pools. Get the one for plants and vegetables.

A friend of mine raises ducks to eat grasshoppers, earwigs, worms and other pests. Ducks will eat the insects and not necessarily the vegetables. Ducks are less harmful to produce than chickens. However, chickens will eat any insects they can find, so that might be an option if you can keep the chickens from getting into the vegetables.

We Love Having a Garden

I believe tending a garden is like therapy for the soul. We love the fresh, organic vegetables we get from the harvest. We feel happy that we do not have to depend on the grocery store for our fresh produce. And we know that our food is organic, with no sprays, chemical additives or preservatives in it, which is much better for our health.

Peggy Layton is a freelance writer and the author of seven books on the subjects of food storage and emergency preparedness. She and her husband grow a backyard garden every year and live off the land during the growing season. Peggy bottles and dehydrates excess produce. Peggy and her husband keep winter vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, squash, onions and apples in a root cellar they built. During the winter when produce is less plentiful, they grow food in their greenhouse. And they gather fresh eggs daily from their chickens. Provident living is a way of life in their home.

If you would like to purchase emergency supplies, books written by Peggy Layton and a variety of heirloom garden seeds, click here.

Are you interested in emergency Food Storage Meals packaged in Mylar® pouches with a 15-year shelf life? They serve four people, are ready to just add water and cook, and are delicious, convenient and easy. Go to www.peggylayton.efoodsglobal.com.

http://www.personalliberty.com/survi...ints-and-tips/

Survival US Blog

http://www.survival.us/

Survival US Blog

Cold Steel Spetsnaz Survival Shovel

Spetsnaz = Russian Special Forces
By james
April 1, 2011

I was looking for a good shovel that would fit on the side of a bag, or that would be good for emergencies in the car. After doing quite a bit of research I ended up deciding on the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel, or Spetsnaz Shovel. This is a replica of the shovel used by Russia’s special forces (Spetsnaz) who are somewhat relative to Americas Green Berets.

Spetsnaz Entrenching Survival Shovel


If you have ever used any sort of camping or survival shovel you know how easily it breaks as they are usually made out of cheap materials. The beauty of this shovel is that “The shovel head and socket are forged from medium carbon steel, then heat treated for maximum strength. The edges come sharpened to a utility/axe edge that can easily be improved to razor sharpness.“

This shovel is so strong that you are able to chop wood, pound with it, or even use it as a throwing weapon just like a throwing knife, or axe out to about 30 feet with practice. This shovel would also be great for self defense in any situation. I highly recommend this tool, you wont be disappointed.

Spetsnaz Throwing Shovels in Block of Wood

Shovel Links
————–
Cold Steel Shovel on Amazon
Cold Steel Spetsnaz Shovel Official Page
Spetsnaz Entrenching Tool Combat
Spetsnaz Links
————–
Green Beret vs Spetsnaz full episode
The Aftermath – Green Beret vs. Spetsnaz

http://www.survival.us/2011/04/01/co...rvival-shovel/

Fire Piston ~ fire starter that uses compressed air and burns at 500 degrees!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Win_t0xt ... r_embedded



Jul 2, 2009

Make your own fire starter that uses compressed air and burns at 500 degrees!