Flash Flooding

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Have you ever given any thought to flash flooding? They can happen at any time, when you least expect it. There might not be any rain in the area when it happens. Flash floods are caused by a lot of rain in a short amount of time. The water can come in seconds. Flash floods are the number one weather related killer in the United States.

Soil conditions, ground cover, ground saturation, topography all will determine how severe a flash flood might become.  Flash floods can occur within a few minutes or hours of excessive rainfall.  Keep in mind water is a powerful force, it can move cars, trucks, boulders, houses, take out bridges, tear up roads, rip out trees. Think what it could do to you.

If you have tropical storms, thunderstorms or hurricanes in your area, they can dump huge amounts of water in a short amount of time. If you live is this kind of area get yourself and family to higher ground. If you drive upon water going across the road don’t cross it. It only takes 6″ of fast water to move your car. A depth of 2′ can float your car. If you are still thinking about crossing think about this, the road could be washed out under the flood. You wouldn’t be able to see something like that. Dry creek beds, low spots in the road or gullies can flood in seconds

The difference between a flash flood and a regular flood are simple, a flash flood usually will occur within 6 hours of the weather rain event. A regular flood is more long term, they can last a week or more

So what can you do to protect yourself and family before it happens? Know the area you live in, do you know the evacuation routes, does your family?  Keep your car full of gas in case you need to leave immediately. Have some nonperishable food and water stored for you and your animals. Have a good first aid kit, get yourself a portable weather radio, make sure all flashlights and lanterns are charged up and ready to go in case power goes out. If you are storing canned food make sure you have a can opener that you can use without electricity.

After the flash flood don’t go down and check it out, there could be emergency operations or rescues taking place, you would be in the rescuers way. Report any downed power lines and stay away from them also. If you are thinking about building a disaster kit for this scenario here is a small list to get you started.

Water and food for every person in your group for at least 3 days, don’t forget your pets or animals. Have an extra set of clothes and socks so you can change into something dry and warm.  Sleeping bag or blanket, prescription medicine, a good first aid kit, extra batteries, extra set of keys and some cash in case the power is out.

 

 

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Before During and After an Earthquake

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Before, During and After an Earthquake

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

Before an earthquake make sure you know a few safety things. Do you know where and how to shut off the gas or utilities? Have you went through your house and fastened down anything that could fall? For instance heavy pictures, book shelves, ceiling fans , mirrors, your television and cabinet. Even all the little knick knacks you have are they secured so they don’t become flying death traps. There is a ton of things to do before an earthquake, take the time and acquaint yourself with your home and its contents.

What do you do during an earthquake?

Stay put where you are if at all possible until the shaking stops. If you are in a spot where something could fall on you try to get as low as possible on the floor next to some low furniture.  Standing in a doorway is not a good idea either, you could get hit by flying or falling objects. Stay as low to the ground as possible, a table might be a good spot to be. Drop down to the ground on your own before the earthquake knocks you down.  Stay away from the windows, glass or outside doors and anything that could fall on you. If you are in bed stay put if possible. Hazards are hard to see sometimes. If you happen to be outside when an earthquake strikes get out in the open. Stay away from buildings, utility lines and anything that could harm you if it fell. If you are in a car stay off the roads if you can, bridges and roads may have been damaged in the earthquake. Try to move your car into an open area and stay put.

What do you do after an earthquake?

If you find yourself trapped under rubble try not to move around too much, you could kick up dust making it hard to breathe or you could dislodge something that could harm you.  If you have a cell phone check and see if it works. If it does call for help. Find a rock or piece of rubble to bang on a pipe or wall with so the rescue people can find and help you. 

If you are not trapped when the shaking stops carefully look around. If you have an easy path to get to safety leave the building and go to an open area. Be prepared to drop down on your hands and knees in case there is after shocks afterwards. Watch for downed power lines or trees that could have been damaged that could fall.

Contact your loved ones and make sure they are ok. You should have a plan in case of emergencies to contact each other. Sometimes you might have to call someone out of state because the phone lines locally don’t work. If that is the case make sure everyone knows who to call and what your plan is.

Written By Barbara Conover

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A few things you might not have thought of for your bug out bag

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We all know we need an emergency kit, or bug out bag, we pretty much know we need food, water, shelter, knife, fire starter and so on.

But have you given any thought to other things. For instance do you have a copy of your identification in your bag, or a recent photo of your family members. What if you get separated how are you going to tell the authorities what the person looks like. A photo would make it so much easier.

Do you have a list of phone numbers? We are so used to just pushing one number to call or text we have all but lost the ability to dial a full phone number. You will need this in an survival situation.  Do you have a plan in place for all your people to call to check in. Speaking of the phone do you have an extra charging cord in your bag. In a survival situation I doubt you will be able to go to the local cell phone store and get another one.

If you take prescription medicine do you have extra in your bug out bag?  Do you have a good first aid kit, more than just bandaids? Have you had emergency first aid training? In an emergency you might be the only one with any training at all. Right now is the time to prepare. If you wear contacts do you have an extra pair of glasses?

For personal defense what about pepper spray or something of that nature. Do you have anything extra in your bag to barter with? Bartering is a good way to get the things you need without using up your cash supply. Do you have a map of your area in your bag and can you read a map? If not, now is the time to learn.

These are just a few things to think about when building your bag,  I hope you will think about it and maybe think of a few more things. The better prepared you are the better off you and your family will be.

Written by Barbara Conover

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What do you bring to the table in a survival situation?

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Have you ever given any thought to what skills you have that could be useful in an emergency? Can you build, hunt, garden, or any of a hundred different survival situation tasks. Some people think oh I will just go to your house, I am pretty confident saying nobody is going to take you in unless you have something to contribute. If you are planning on couch surfing through an emergency situation you might want to rethink that.

There is no place for free loading in an emergency. Every movement and action counts. Your survival and the survival of others are going to count on you pulling your weight. No one is going to have the time or desire to help someone that didn’t think it was necessary to help themselves. Take a good hard look at your personal skill level, if you are lacking in different areas now is the time to fix that. Get some training to overcome it. Be an asset to your group not the person they want to kick out.

Remember also if you do find yourself in a survival situation, keep a positive outlook. Everyone is in the same boat, whining about it won’t change anything. Have you ever watched the series survivor? People get at each others throats over the smallest thing. They will beat each other down for a grain of rice. Imagine if that was a real life scenario people will be in a different mind set.  Being polite and kind for a lot of people will go out the window.

This is where you are going to need to know how to protect yourself and your family.  Your good friend that lives next door may all of the sudden be waving a weapon at you trying to take what you have. Get some training now while you have time.  Be wary of strangers that show up on your doorstep, they may seem harmless but maybe they are planning your demise.

I like to make a list of people that would be good in my small circle during an emergency. I make a mental note of who has what skill. People that I like with no skills don’t make it to my circle. Survival is not a game, it is life and death.

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New Products For Your Survival Kit

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If you are anything like me, I am always working on my emergency gear. These two products are pretty cool.  Both are lightweight and can be very useful. Think about what you are preparing for and prepare accordingly.

The LED BEAST

  • Survival LED BEAST
  • 12 in 1 multi tool with LED Light
  • Comes with batteries
  • Includes:
  • Flashlight and signal flasher
  • Flashlight is 70 lumens
  • Fish scaler
  • Fish Hook remover
  • Scissors
  • Small phillips head screw driver
  • Saw
  • Knife
  • Small flathead screw driver
  • Can and bottle opener
  • Medium flat head screw driver
  • File
  • Large flathead screw driver
  • 6mm and 7mm hex wrench
  • 24 hour burn time on high power
  • 48 hour burn time on medium power
  • 72 hour when in flashing mode
  • Perfect thing to put in your emergency kit 
  • Either in your house, car or office.
  • Click this link to get yours
  • LED BEAST SURVIVAL TOOL

The Box Cutter keychain is an amazing little tool to have

  • KEY GEAR BOX CUTTER
  • Quick access to a cutting tool when you need it
  • Blade retracts into the handle when not in use
  • Grooves on handle provide sure grip
  • Constructed of durable lightweight aluminum
  • Keep in your car, emergency kit
  • Easily put in your emergency kit, car, office, home, bug out bag
  • Click this link to get yours

    Box Cutter Keychain

LED Beast
Keychain boxcutter

Emergency Items You Might Want To Think About

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We are all thinking about survival these days. We have made plans, built our bug out bags and prepared the best we can. One thing that people forget about when preparing is the every day things you might need to have with you.

Here is a list of things I think are pretty important to have in an emergency situation.

1. Prescription Medicine, if you can, have your doctor write you a script for extra medicine.

2. Don’t forget about your pets or other animals. If you are taking your pets with you, bring food and water for them also. If you have livestock that you must leave make sure to have a way to get them food and water. Either get a bigger water trough or put out more food for them.

3. If you have a baby, does it have special needs, do you have formula and diapers extra ready to go.

4. You might want to think about personal feminine hygiene supplies

5. Bring a paper and pen so you can write phone numbers or notes down for information.

6. Bring a sleeping bag for each person, if you live in a climate that is cold you need to consider your needs. If you live where it is warm maybe just a blanket will work. Look at your own situation and decide on what you will need.

7. If you have children bring some games or puzzles to keep their minds off of the situation. A little entertainment really goes a long ways. You know your children best, so decide what they would need.

8. Some kind of utensils or paper plates will come in handy.

9. My personal favorite bring some toilet paper. If things are bad, public restrooms will not have any of that kind of thing.

10. Matches in a water proof container, or some way to start a fire.

These are just a few things to think about that wouldn’t normally be thought about to put in your emergency kit. The better prepared you are, the easier the emergency will be for you and your family.

Written By Barbara Conover

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Have you thought about a get home bag?

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We are all concerned with having the equipment we need when we need it. We spend a lot of time working and preparing our bug out bags. But what if you are at work and you need to get back home. What kind of plan do you have for that. I have a get home bag.  What if you are several miles from home and the power is shut down, or your car won’t start or a million other scenarios. Think about building a Get home bag.

Your get home bag doesn’t have to be elaborate but it does need to have some basic survival things in it. You will want to have some water, either bottled or the packages you can get. You need 1 gallon of water per day per person. You will want to have some kind of food in your bag, maybe some protection like a knife or whatever your choice is. In my bag i like to keep a good pair of shoes made for walking. You will also need to consider if your area has snow or is sunny all the time. That will dictate what kind of shoe you will need for your situation. You wouldn’t want to wear sandals for walking twenty miles in snow.

A few other things you might want in your bag, a small first aid kit with moleskin for blisters if you will be walking. A map of the local area, even if you know the area everything looks different outside of your car. Keep a list of emergency contact numbers in case you lose your phone. If you have to leave your car leave a note telling potential rescuers where you went.

I like to keep a lighter and a fire starter in my bag just in case. I also have an emergency blanket, a poncho and some paracord. If you have to stay in one spot you can use it to build shelter with.

The number one thing is don’t panic. Panic will get you hurt or worse. Keep a cool head and things should turn out fine. There is a lot more to this but you get the idea. If you have children in school you should have a plan in place for them also. Are they going to stay put, are you going to come to them or is someone else going to pick them up.

Think about all the what ifs before an emergency. We never know when or where something will happen so be prepared it could save your life or the life of someone you know.

Written by Barbara Conover