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On the night of Wednesday, May 15, 2013, an EF-4 tornado ripped through the North Texas town of Granbury, killing six people and injuring many more. That same night, I was driving home from running errands 72 miles away in Dallas. As I was entering downtown Dallas, my riding partner exclaimed, “Look at that weird car! What is that?” I glanced over to see a car pulling off the highway that appeared to be the Tornado Intercept Vehicle from Discovery Channel’s television show Storm Chasers. Being fully aware these professional guys know more about tornados and severe weather than I do, should I have pulled over as well or kept driving? What are you supposed to do when on the road and a tornado is approaching? Can you outrun a tornado?
Can you pack a 72-hour bug out survival kit in such a small area? You sure can. Working with a small space means you eliminate heavy and unnecessary items. When you gotta get outta Dodge quickly food, water and shelter are your main priorities. These three essentials, plus a few extras all fit in a .50 caliber ammo can. Why an ammo can? Ammo cans take up little space, can be stored virtually anywhere and are stackable. I have seen ammo cans used as center consoles in vehicles and as alternative to saddlebags on motorcycles. An ammo can, be it metal or plastic can withstand temperature extremes and have water-resistant O-ring and gasket seals. So storing them in basements, attics, crawl spaces, and even buried underground means the gear inside stays dry. Metal military surplus ammo cans are durable, while new plastic ammo cans are untraceable to metal detectors—in case you want to cache your gear.
All cicadas are nutritious and tasty. With the emergence of Brood II magicicadas, there will millions of tasty critters ready to be harvest and cooked. Here are some tips for people who have never eaten cicada before. Being able to live off the land is a valuable skill no matter what your situation. When you’re out all day working the fields or stalking dinner through the woods, a couple of fresh cicadas will give you the protein boost that you need to keep on keeping on. And if dinner doesn’t come easy, those cicadas might be your best bet for a decent meal, so you should start trying recipes today in preparation for the future.
If you already own a crossbow, but do not have a cocking device or crank system, you may have to do a little Internet research. While all crossbows have some type of draw-assist system, not all have a crank that makes it uber-easy. A little homework will ensure a better introduction and shooting experience.
It is important to point out a compass is only as good as the person using it. Translation, if you do not know how to accurately use a compass you could be wandering around for a very long time. You need to ask yourself a few questions before buying a basic compass. Is it made with anti-fog materials? Is it easy to read with the naked eye? Does it offer a sight window? Does it float? Does it have a lanyard?
Throughout history, people have returned to the barter system when money has become scarce or lost its value. During the Great Depression and a long recession during the 1980s, Americans returned to a system in which people traded goods and services without the exchange of currency. Many Americans are losing faith in the American dollar and believe economic collapse is inevitable. Only time will tell if that will happen, but David A. Stockman, former Republican Congressman and President Ronald Reagan’s budget director has said, “The future is bleak.” If our paper money becomes meaningless do you know how and what to barter?
Let’s say you are tent camping in the pouring rain, and you are soaked to the skin. Your commonsense tells you to make a fire quickly, but every available stick and kindling you find is equally soaked. What would you do? Not a fun situation to find yourself in, especially if the temperature begins to fall. If you are not careful hypothermia can set in quickly, so it goes without saying, making a fire as fast as possible is vital to your well being.
Though great for preventing floodwaters from damaging your home, these made in Indonesia these MIL-SPEC sandbags constructed of heavy gauge polyethylene plastic have many more uses. Each package includes 25 OD green bags that have double stitching at the bottom and the top. Each bag has a hole punched through the top of the bag with a 27-inch long plastic string. They are much larger than what the picture shows. Laid out flat and unfilled they are 26 inches long and 15 inches wide. They hold 40 pounds of sand when filled. Don’t forget to pack a shovel, duct tape and a knife in your bug out kit!
Prepping does not have to be the extreme measures. But you do need to be stockpiling some of the basics just in case something happens, even if it happens on the other side of the country. For me, the term prepping does not conjure up fear; it does not mean I am crazy. In fact, prepping does just the opposite as it gives me a piece of mind knowing I have done my best to prepare for the unexpected.
In subsequent discussions with like-minded friends, most were under the impression—prior to the bombing—that tourniquets were taboo and had been for decades. A little research revealed the use of tourniquets traces back as far as the Roman Empire and were popular during most of the 1800s and 1900s. It wasn’t until Vietnam Era that doctors came out against their use and most of that was due to a perception that tourniquets were responsible for the amputations. It’s true, some were misused and attached too high unnecessarily sacrificing tissue and others were not tight enough, which can actually increase bleeding, but lives were, and are, being saved by the use of tourniquets.
