Whether you’re taking a trip off the grid or preparing for an emergency, you’ll find the camping and survival articles you need to stay ready here. From topics like choosing the right prepper weapons to tips for dealing with severe weather, prepare for any potential disaster with advice shared by our experts.
Ice storms, blizzards and other severe winter weather can force you to stay inside your home. Before the storm hits, be prepared to go without electricity for at least three days. You should not wait until the day before weathermen predict a severe winter storm. Get last minute emergency gear now, while it is still in stock. Following is a list of 15 items to get now.
Emergency management officials always tell you to have a Plan “A” in place in case of an emergency, and this is sound advice. However, you should also take that a step further and have a Plan “B.”
Hot chocolate is not only yummy and comforting; it actually warms your up. You don’t have to forgo this delicious treat when the power goes out—severe winter weather is the perfect time to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate using a few ingredients from your long-term food storage and a gel fuel camp or survival stove. I whipped up my own ultra chocolaty version in about 20 minutes. Here is my favorite single-serving hot chocolate recipe using a Swiss military surplus gel fuel M1 stove kit.
A whiteout or blizzard can make driving conditions so hazardous that you voluntarily pull over to wait out the storm. The first thing you need to do is call for help if you find yourself trapped on the road during severe winter weather. Until help arrives, you will need to focus on staying safe, hydrated and warm. Pull your emergency vehicle kit out of the trunk or back seat and follow these 10 rules:
We are little over a half way through our 30 days of preparing for severe winter weather. So far, you should be geared up and ready to face a blizzard on the roadways and a snow-in at home. If you have been following, you have winterized your home and car and both your house and vehicle are stocked with enough supplies to ride out a winter storm. So far all posts have merely skimmed the surface of prepping, each covering simply the basics. In the past, The Shooter’s Log has gone more in-depth in winter weather survival. Today, Day 18 is a good day to revisit the following past posts.
Making a fire on the fly is tough already without snow and ice on the ground. I hope you never have to fend for yourself over night in a winter storm, but in case you must—knowing how to start a fire in wet and adverse conditions can save your life. First, get the basic fire building skills down. Since building a fire in wet weather is a bit more challenging, here are 10 tips to get a fire going in the snow.
The unexpected can, and does, happen and being prepared with a customized survival kit makes it a bit easier to handle. Get prepared with this list of essentials and tips on how to store your survival kit in a space-saving way.
Mortality rates increase by 15 percent in the winter over summer. Hypothermia, flu, pneumonia, falls, carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires all contribute to the higher rate during colder months. Elderly citizens are more at risk to suffer the consequences of winter weather. Even people as young as 60 years old are susceptible. Do you have elderly neighbors or family members without much support? The best thing you can do for them is make sure they are prepared for winter weather. Here is a checklist of things you can do for the elderly to keep them safe:
Did you know that drinking water is just as important in winter as it is in the summer? In fact, dehydration can come along quicker in winter than summer. Further, we are less likely to reach for a cool, glass of water to regulate our temperature in the winter. Not to mention that dehydration can actually speed up hypothermia. Drinking plenty of water also helps us fight colds and other respiratory illness as well as prevent dry, chapped skin. You need to store at least three days of water for you and your family in preparation for winter storms.
Though a person’s temperature may vary from 97 to 100 degrees—a healthy range—it takes just a few degrees cooler for our bodies to become dangerously too cold to function. When body temperatures fall just 3 degrees under 98.6 to 95 degrees, it is at a risk for hypothermia. Roughly 600 Americans die each year from hypothermia. Fortunately, hypothermia is easily preventable when you follow these tips.