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Picture shows a fire ring made of large rocks, a tee pee-style fire in the woods covered in snow.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 16: 10 Tips for Building a Fire in the Snow

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.

A silver package of sheet plastic, an amber prescription bottle with matches and a silver rimmed signal mirror on a multi-colored floral background.

Camping & Survival

Customizing Your Survival Kit

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.

Person from the back bundled up for winter shoveling snow on a driveway.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 15: Care for Your Elders

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:

Safety and Training

Don’t Run in a Straight Line? Says Who?

Many experts describing how to flee from an armed actively shooting attacker advise, “Don’t run in a straight line.” But the idea that running in a zig-zag or crouch is better than running in a straight line is pure conjecture, says Greg Ellifritz, a full-time firearms and defensive tactics training officer for a central Ohio police department and the president of Active Response Training.

Picture shows a herd of deer in the snow.

Hunting and Outdoors

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 14: What is the Best Way to Stay Warm During Late Season Hunts?

Didn’t hit your tags quite yet? To bag those late season bucks, you might be facing down some long hours in bittery cold weather. In order to take your shot, you need to be warm and comfortable in your stand or blind. Dress in or pack in strategic layers and pay special attention to staying dry to avoid the shivers, shakes and chatters affecting your aim. Following this short list of do’s and don’ts will help you tough it out when temperatures fall.

Picture shows a frozen outdoor water pipe.

How-To

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 12: How Do I Prevent My Pipes From Freezing?

When water freezes, it expands, creating pressure between the ice and a closed faucet. The mounting pressure on both copper and plastic pipes can cause a crack or burst, resulting in severe flooding and damage to your home. Pipes can freeze at 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Even the smallest crack in a pipe can spill 250 gallons of water a day. When temps are going to fall, there are a few things you can do to protect your pipes from freezing.

Picture shows a woman bundled up in a coat, sipping a beverage in the snow.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 11: Why You Should Stay Hydrated

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.

Picture show two young women standing in the snow by a pond with bikinis on.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 10: How to Prevent and Treat Hypothermia

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.