Natural Remedies for the Common Cold - A Preppers Guide

What do you do when you get sick in a world without drug stores?

I caught a cold last week. Something that happens to all of us and should not be a big deal. I find that as I get older these run of the mill illnesses seem to get worse and longer in duration. I have gotten to the point where I need a prescription cough syrup to sleep at night once the cough starts.

If you look at the counter in my bathroom there will be cough drops, cough medicine, Ibuprofen, decongestants and whatever I can think of that might ease my suffering. I'm not trying to come off as a wimp here but having a cold sucks. I can't sleep or even think for the duration - which seems to get longer all the time. Back in the day I could count on being 100% after a week or so. Now the symptoms can last two weeks or longer.

Reasons to Prepare - Don't Wait, It Will Be Too Late

We all mention it in jest. What will you do when the end comes. Perhaps at a party or at the bar with friends. The fact is that one day the end will come and when it is here it will be too late to get ready. There is no need to panic now however. A little forethought and perhaps a small investment you too can be ready when the apocalypse arrives.

This end can come from many sources. All a person has to do is watch the news, read the paper, or just look at an online current events site. There is always some event being thrown at us that has some potential cataclysmic outcome. I am sure that is why some people even avohd the new all together. The barrage of evidence is obvious and now is the time to take note and get ready for the inevitable.

The first area of potential catastrophe and probably foremost is the environment or a natural disaster. The recent floods, hurricanes, global warming, and water crisis have probably brought a drop of sweat to your brow. It has mine. 

The Changes That Will Make Us Survivors

I one hundred percent agree in today's world we should be prepared for everything. I don't know if people realize how severe it could be for us at any given time. It scares me a little when my children go on trips even though I have tried to prepare them for many different scenarios. I learned a lot about the outdoors growing up so I was able to achieve a great advantage as far as bare survival but I think it should be taught to our children as well. What if something happens? I for one would love to know that my loved ones and friends have the ability to stay alive without an emergency kit.

Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to be some where you aren't familiar with and have nothing but the clothes on your back. Ask yourself,"what would I do in this situation". Survival is the key to the success of life now, not only in business but the way you approach everything. You will find less and less people will help you out of a jam these days. 

Flood Survival: What Everyone Should Know

Flooding is something that every country in the world is familiar with. This is why basic flood survival should be known by everyone. Indeed, it has been a problem that we keep on seeing close to us, or in some far off place. We see a lot of news on flooding disasters that have claimed lives and property. Due to the hydrological cycle, we can't seem to get rid of all of the water as it is being recycled through rain, evaporation and storms.

That doesn't mean we just have to succumb to the disaster. Ironically, flooding is one of the disasters that are easiest to manage, given a proper disaster preparedness program.

Floods can be classified into two categories; the regular flood from sustained rainfall over long periods of time and the flash flood. The regular flood is what we normally encounter. 

An Integral Part of Survival Gear: Honey Buckets

In planning for emergencies and purchasing survival gear, one phrase dominates my thinking.... "What if....?" What if the electric power goes off? What if there's an earthquake or tornado? What if...what if?

This morning, as I prepared for work, I happen to catch three very funny TV commercials for Angel Soft toilet paper. They were entitled, "Uncomfortable Bathroom Moments" and trust me, they were hysterical.

I giggled and then thought, "Oh no! What if I couldn't flush the toilet? What if an earthquake, flood, or other catastrophe caused damage to the water lines? What is in my survival gear to address this problem?"

Water flushed toilets cannot be used when water service is interrupted. What water may remain in the lines isn't generally sufficient to flush the wastes down the sewer. Attempting to flush simply results in clogging of the system, which will then back up, making your living situation much more unpleasant.

Food Storage for Hyperinflation

Plan Ahead, Set Up Your Own Food Storage While You Have Time

Thankfully for those having a willingness to prepare in advance, there's time still on your side to plan, prepare and execute your own food storage plan. This will save you and your family from hunger, food shortages and extremely high prices if the economy suddenly falls apart. Being prepared beforehand, will allow your family to physically survive through hyperinflation itself.

This article will concentrate on the initial steps you and your family will need in preparing your personal Emergency Preparedness Supplies. The first part of any survival plan will be setting up and stocking up your food storage.

Are You Prepared To Survive A Landslide?

Landslides are the sudden, massive and ominous fall of mud, rocks and debris from a higher area down to settle in lower levels. The massive land movements are usually triggered by heavy rain fall resulting in the softening of the soil. But, landslides have also happened with very light or no rain at all.

Depending on its origin and the path it takes, a landslide that begins from a higher level land mass carries mud, rocks, uprooted trees, garbage and other debris it collects on its way down. A landslide falling off a mountain might contain lots of trees and logs, while one that passes through an urban community could pile up garbage, sewage and even small vehicles.

Regardless of their origin, landslides are extremely dangerous. They destroy everything that crosses their path and bury property, animals and people under the massive pile of debris and mud.

Prepare a Personal First Aid Kit for Pets

If you are like most pet owners, your pets are valued members of your family. It is a documented fact that many have risked life and limb to save their precious pets during a disaster. Statistically, however, it is more often small cuts and scrapes that occur that require immediate attention, rather than major disasters such as an earthquake or flood. For this reason, every pet owner should have easy access to a first aid kit specifically created for pets.

What would you need immediately if your puppy fell of the bed and started whimpering? You'd need a first aid kit for pets. Supposing your cat had an altercation with the neighbor's dog and the vet was twenty minutes away? You'd need a first aid kit for pets.

A well-stocked first aid kit for pets is not a substitute for veterinary care, but it could save your pet's life, or at least make him more comfortable, until you can get your pet to a veterinarian. The likelihood that your animals will survive an emergency depends largely on emergency planning done today. Therefore, a first aid kit for pets is a necessity.

Giving a Helping Hand

We often encounter situations were we attempt to do the right thing but in the process we inadvertently endanger our family or friends. As compassionate individuals we frequently have a very naive perspective towards human nature when confronted with a crisis and as a result we can and do choose the wrong course of action. It is highly likely that in our desires to help our fellow-man we could end up not just in a dangerous situation but possibly dead.

The problem which I see is that there are not enough people who are preparing for an uncertain future in our nation. In that case the question is posed as to whether we should band together as members of a dead society or should we fight the hazards individually. We could in all reality go it alone but it would be nice to help others as we move along the way back to a civilized nation. Right now we have a bit of time where we can ponder our way of thinking about the future situations and discover the pros and cons of helping others. At some future date this advantage will be taken from us and instant decisions will need to be made.

Getting Started on Being Prepared For 5 Days After an Emergency or Natural Disaster

Most authorities you read about or see these days talk about being prepared for emergencies or natural disasters for 3 days. But think about it, how long it will take them to get to every person, home, or business. Not to mention, making sure the agencies themselves are up and running. This will take longer than 3 days. It could take a week or longer, but adding at least 2 more days worth of supplies couldn't hurt, could it?

Being prepared for the aftermath of an earthquake or natural disaster is most peoples goal. Here are some simple steps to get you started.

1. Get bottled or boxed water, enough for you and your family to cook with and drink for at least 5 days. An easy way to collect water for cleaning and possibly cooking is by putting collection barrels at the corners of your house and have the rain water drain into them.

Making a Wise Choice in Long Term Survival Food

Emergency or survival kits should obviously include food. Not just any other food, but foods which are typically ready-to-eat and practical for on-the-go situations. One of the most well-known companies that specialize in manufacturing and selling pre-made foods for emergency purposes is Wise Foods, Inc.

Many people claim that Wise Foods offer the best in survival, emergency and camping food on the market, and with good reason. Unlike other foods of the same kind, Wise Foods are the least expensive of them all. Moreover, it is packaged in compact serving pouches so it is very portable and light, it tastes great and is available in varieties. Survival foods should not spoil easily so that they can be stored for a long period of time. Wise Foods boast of a shelf life of 25 years!

A combination of dehydration and freeze drying method in preserving food was used, which makes maintains both the nutritional value and the great taste at the same time. 

Disaster Relief Tents: Do You Know Their Benefits?

Disaster management can grow exponentially in some cases where the correct tools are not available to help the victims. It is important that the basics of life- shelter, food, water, and medical facilities be made accessible to the areas suffering from natural or man-made disasters, as soon as possible. While the food and water have to be arranged for the victims, it is important that the temporary shelters set up as fast as possible. This way the volunteers can tend to the victims while they rest from the ordeal.

Disaster relief tents are the latest innovation in this regards. These tents are light weight and easy to be carried or delivered to far off places that have been hit by any kinds of disasters. The tents can be folded up and set up within minutes and they do not require extreme equipments or many hands to be set up. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. This helps the volunteers to customize their tents according to the area available.

When You Become One of the Homeless

We all dread the potential nightmare where we may lose our jobs and ultimately our homes and have no where in which to lay our heads at night. Unfortunately, for many American's this is an actual daily reality. In any large city you can readily discover a vast number of homeless folks living under bridges or nestled up in other abandoned spaces hoping to be left alone to finish our their lonely life in solitude. Naturally, the local police will try to round-up these homeless folks and direct them to one of the local shelters in order to make their life a bit more bearable. This is not the unusual situation any longer but rather the expected and we can only look forward to things deteriorating at an even worse level.

That's right, I expect the situation to get even worse as the economy continues to drop to lower levels and public confidence becomes completely destroyed. During this economic decline many people will lose not only their means of livelihood but their homes as well. Many families will be forced to join efforts and perhaps move together or face the same fate as those homeless in the streets. America is quickly making its way back to households with three or four generations under one roof.

Stun Guns and Tasers - Pros and Cons

If you have done even a little bit of research regarding self defense, you surely have encountered modern weapons such as stun guns and tasers. These are just 2 of the most common and most popular types of modern self defense weapons available out there in the market. Since personal and property security are always on top of most people's priorities, a lot of individuals these days have a stun gun or a taser gun in their bags or even pockets. They come in different models and they are available for use by civilians in most countries. They are proven to be very effective when it comes to protecting your self and your property but they are also known to have some disadvantages.

Pros

Taser guns and stun guns are very easy to use so people would save a lot of time if they choose these modern weapons for self defense. 

Top 10 AED Myths

There are many automatic external defibrillators (AED) available in medical related as well as public places. Most of the public know what an AED is - but have never had their hands on one or been trained on how to use one. And, because of this, many myths regarding AED use has developed. So, here is a list of the myths that Michele and I hear the most often from our healthcare students as well as the general public.

1. Myth: AEDs are difficult to use.

No. After you have called the emergency response team (Code Blue or 911) and you have begun CPR on a victim who appears pulseless and breathless, ask a bystander to get the AED. When an AED is available, simply turn it on and follow the AEDs directions. The AEDs are easy to use and are highly accurate in determining if a shock is needed. 

Be a Survivor With a Wilderness Survival Kit

Hiking makes for a great pastime because of different reasons: enjoyment, physical fitness and de-stressing. But while hiking surely has perks and benefits, it can also result in accidents and other unfortunate mishaps. It has been reported that there are approximately 50,000 hiking-related search and rescue missions each year. While hiking in a back country may seem like a totally simple outdoor activity, there are still some possibilities that may cause your hiking trip to go awry. Falling, twisted ankles, thunderstorms and getting lost are just some of the potential incidents that can ruin your day and worse, put you in great danger.

That's why it is very important to take with you a wilderness survival kit when you decide to go on hiking trips in back countries. Now, most people would think that survival kits are only used by extreme backpackers and that common hikers surely would not need one. But as mentioned above, that surely is not the case.

Disaster Survival Kits: Keeping Yourself and Your Family Prepared

Disaster can strike at any moment, so purchasing or building a disaster survival kit is always considered a good and practical investment. A disaster survival kit is one type of survival gear which is generally used for providing sustenance and protection to a person or to families in the event of natural or man-made calamities. The content of disaster survival kits should vary depending on the location of your home and the kind of disaster you will be preparing from. If you live in the Southeast, then your place is more hurricane-prone. States in the Midwest areas, on the other hand, more likely need protection from tornadoes and floods. The Northeastern part is susceptible to snowstorms while the Southwest normally suffer from a number of earthquakes and forest fires. Survival kits therefore have distinctions and should be patterned according to your needs.

Preparation should involve careful analysis of probable situations and considering possible worst case scenarios. 

Hyperinflation Preparedness - Water Storage And Purification

Water will take up a lot of your storage space, keeping it in small 1 gallon plastic bottles would be expensive if store bought. Another better and cheaper solution is to have a number of 30 or 55 gallon plastic sealed drums with bung holes and tight fitting screw on bung caps that have been cleaned out with a water/bleach solution. Fill each drum with clean or filtered tap water and place 2 drops of household chlorine bleach per quart or 8 drops per gallon into each water drum and seal the bung caps tightly. Try to store the water drums out of direct sunlight if possible. This will keep your stored water fresh. You can also use products such as Polar Pure Water Disinfectant with iodine to aid to keeping your bulk water storage even fresher.

A storage system like this would allow water to stay fresh for up to 6 months before you needed to swap out or clean, refill & retreat each drum. You might even be able to construct a simple system for collecting rain water runoff from your roof by disconnecting your downspout and attaching a large funnel with a hose attached to it that can be used to fill standby clean plastic water barrels. 

How to Find the Most Appropriate Self Defense Devices for You

Personal protection can be accomplished in different ways. The use of a self defense device is one of them. If you are thinking about purchasing a self defense device which can help protect you, you need to consider several factors:

Size and weight. If you wanted to use something in order to protect you, you should not settle for products which will be hard for you to operate. Situations when you will need these devices require fast action. In order to be able to respond quickly, the products that you are using needs to be light and simple to use.

If you need to carry the device or product in your bag when you get out of the house, you should take into account how large or small it is. Choose one that isn't too large. You won't need these items every day. You just want to be prepared when the time comes. 

Discover What The Best Survival Knives Have In Common

A Survival Knife is one of the most important survival tools that you can take with you during an emergency situation. A survival knife is created specifically for surviving in a backwoods environment, and it is the primary tool for making it through an unexpected emergency scenario. It is the survival tool that you're going to get the most use from and for that reason it needs to be one of the most durable and reliable pieces of survival gear that you own.

Survival knives are available in two different versions: the fixed blade and the folding blade. Foldable knives are occasionally favored since they're smaller and therefore much easier to carry. However, since their tang is really small, they are generally weaker and much easier to break. The folding knives most popular types are lock-back folding and pocket knives.

Vehicle Go Bag: Survival Bag for Your Car

This is a 2-5 day walking Go-Bag, designed to get you home safely. These items are just a suggestion and an idea to get you to make your own vehicle go bag designed for your location and climate.

    Backpack - Large - Military or camping style
    2-3 Flashlights and Batteries for flashlights
    1 head band / hands free flashlight - with red light for nighttime walking
    2-3 Knives - one for defense and others for basic needs
    Water Filtration device - Pump, Siphon, Gravity feed.. Etc.
    Water Storage device - Canteens, Water bladder, Camel back... Etc.
    2-3 Fire Starting Kits - make one or buy one
    3-5 Complete, unopened MREs

How To Get Your ACLS Certification

Getting an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification goes beyond CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS). It provides healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to make crucial decisions in emergency and critical situations. These include administering IV's, using intravenous drugs and other specialized equipment.

Who Needs to get Certified?

ACLS Certification is required and mandatory in most states for all doctors, nurses, paramedics and healthcare workers that are involved in emergency rooms, cardiac units and emergency transport.

Other jobs such as teachers, firefighers, lifeguards, coaches and people who deal with children may be required to get an ACLS certification.

It's Time We Prepare Emergency Food

Top 7 reasons to begin a food storage system

Food prices are soaring. Food demand around the world is mounting additionally, the volume of rich terrain for harvesting is running out. It is estimated that about one billion folks go to bed at nighttime hungry and that number is rising by 50-60 million extra since 2008.

Here are several reasons you really should begin a food storage program today

1. Unusual climate patterns are on the rise everywhere. It appears every day there are more earthquakes, tornadoes, severe weather and snow storms. With one of these variables striking an increased amount of people, they can result in a substantial demand on the food which can be found.

Emergency Preparedness - A Recipe for Peace of Mind

Envision the news flash of an upcoming storm. Disaster readiness experts are wailing as loud as the sirens. The graphics on your local station show that a major storm is heading straight for your area. Shortly, the forecasted deluge begins. The winds are howling but somehow, everything holds together. The panic and anxiety of an impending disaster subside as you focus on how well your personal emergency preparedness supplies have been staged. You begin to relax and take pride in your emergency preparedness acumen. Everything is OK. Or so you thought. With nighttime approaching you head for your basement only to find boxes full of your life details floating by. You quickly rush to salvage this cardboard flotilla from certain doom only to discover that your most important papers and household information have turned into a soggy, unreadable mush. Now is the time to panic.

Where is my insurance policy? What is the number I should call? What IS that policy number? Who is gonna help clean up this mess? How much time can I get off from work? What do I do if the food in the freezer spoils? Where are those phone numbers anyway? Usernames and passwords? Forget it.

Friends, Feuds, and Emergency Roadside Kits

"I told you so!" Don't you just love it when you get the chance to say this? Especially to someone who's been bugging you since childhood. Even if you don't actually let the words slip from your lips, everyone around knows that you could say it, and that's even better! You gather the brownie points for not saying it, yet the basic fact is understood by everyone... you were right!

My friend Joe (his name has been changed to protect the 'no-so-innocent') spent a considerable amount of time and effort trying to convince me that "all this emergency prepping stuff is foolishness and borders on paranoia." He thinks my emergency roadside kit is a waste of money and my insistence that my family all have survival gear in their cars is downright dumb.

He has also repeatedly made jokes at my expense, which I have borne with amazing self-control.

For our neighborhood gift exchange one Christmas, I drew Joe's name, so put quite a bit of thought into what to bestow upon my friend. 

The First 30 Days: Survival After the Fact

It has happened, the Doomsday scenario has happened and you find yourself holed up in your home, shelter, apartment.. etc. You need Water and Food. If you have been planning for this day you will probably have them stored and ready, if not you need to get them.

Water:

Water is one of the most important items in your check list for survival. But what if you don't have any stored?

Get a garden hose and attach it to the tank output spigot of your hot water heater. Open the spigot and fill a pan with the water, try to pass the water through a strainer with coffee filters lining it. this will filter out most of the big crap that has settled at the bottom of your hot water tank over time.

Emergency Flashlight, Dynamo May Be Your Answer

When I was a child, my father insisted on having a flashlight in every room. At the time, I didn't understand this obsession, since all that was necessary to light our home was to flip a switch. Instant light.

Then, one dark August evening, a thunderstorm hit our town with a vengeance. Naturally, the power went out, as did our lights. In a flash (no pun intended), I understood Dad's insistence about flashlights... and I became just as obsessive as he was.

In those days, the only flashlight readily available was a heavy, Army-green monstrosity that required four batteries. Now, flashlights span the gamut from simple, basic lights to sophisticated high-tech gadgets that are so strong, they literally could blind an adversary. There are tiny, solar powered lights that hang on a key-chain, and huge lights that could illuminate an entire neighborhood.

Economic Crisis, Personal and Home Defense - Non Lethal

As the economic conditions worsen inside the United States expect crime rates such as physical assaults and theft to increase. Everyone should have some form of personal protection to deter a would-be assailant from harming you, your family or your property.

Major areas that need to be secured within your home would be emergency food storage and equipment, which will carry your family through the hardest of times once the economy finally collapses. Should anyone suspect or learn that you have a stash; it will become a prime target for looters and beggars. If it goes missing you and your family are out of luck. Initial steps that should be taken are insuring your family does not tell anyone you have emergency supplies, precious metals or additional food stashed away. If people find out it won't be too long until everyone knows it. That would be a very bad situation to be in.

Hurricane Coming? Don't Get Caught Without These Five Items!

Top 5 things you will need when it's time evacuate!

WATER - Guess what the number one request was for during Hurricane Katrina? Exactly, water. The survivors of that Hurricane complained daily that never ever was enough water. When you evacuate, cram as much water in your bags as you can. Just don't over do it since you might be evacuating on foot for some time, imagine how heavy your bags will get.

Water pouches are a great option, and you can find water pouches on sale at Amazon.com every day. Now you're asking yourself, how long can I live without water? The average person can survive about three to five days without water, in some cases, luckier folks have survived for an average of one week. Don't deprive your body of fluids because the cells and organs in the body eventually begin to deteriorate.

Preparing For and Surviving Natural Disasters

Are you prepared the next time a natural disaster strikes? Unfortunately, many people have not made the simple and inexpensive preparations necessary to help them get through a natural disaster. What if an earthquake, tornado or hurricane strikes? The direct damage caused by these natural disasters can tear your home apart. What most people don't understand is that these disasters can cause widespread power outages. These outages can cause the closing of supermarkets, ATMs and other important businesses, which could leave us cut off from those basic supplies and services that we normally take for granted.

Fortunately, by taking a few minutes and spending a little cash, you can prepare yourself against these types of disasters. In emergencies, it is important to have the right type of survival kits, communication products and emergency food and water supplies that will help get you and your family through these difficult times.