Landslides

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If you are having heavy rain and snow melt in your area, be aware that landslides could occur.  They can also occur after earthquakes and other natural disasters.  They can move really slow or they can move faster than you can run. If you are living in an area that had a forest fire be especially aware of landslides. It doesn’t take much to get one moving.  If the ground is saturated the area is more likely to have landslides.

If you are living in an area known for having landslides, talk to your family about evacuation plans, where are you going to meet, do you have someone you can all call in to in case you get separated.  Practice your plan, if you have handicapped or elderly people in your group make sure that you can help them in case of emergency.  Build a Go Bag or bug out bag. Something you can grab in a moments notice with some essential items in it to get you and your family through the crisis.

If you know a landslide is eminent get out of the area, call 911 so rescuers can get moving to the area.  Help your neighbors if possible. In times like these everyone needs to help each other.   Listen for cracking tree branches or rolling rocks, if there is water associated with it pay attention to how fast or slow it Is moving. Be aware there could be a flood behind the landslide. They can both be caused by the same weather events.

If you make it out of your house watch the road very carefully, water could have eroded underneath and taken the road out. Make sure to take your pets with you, who knows when you will be allowed back into the area. Many landslides happen at night, if you are experiencing a storm stay vigilant and alert. After the danger is over stay away from the area. There could be downed power lines, wait for the authorities to give the all clear before going back to your property.

Stay calm when facing any emergency. If you are prepared a head of time it will be a lot less stressful for you and your family.

written by Barbara Conover

http://www.sundancesurvivalsupply.com

http://www.sundancedivers.com

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

http://www.sundancesurvivalsupply.com

 

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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Winter is coming, are you prepared?

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It seems like every winter gets worse and worse. People get lost in snow storms, floods, severe storms you name it we seem to get it. Every person I know spends a lot of time in their cars. Wouldn’t it make since to make your car a personal safety zone?

Some things to keep in your car, a sleeping bag, a few blankets, extra coat, winter shoes, gloves, if you live where there is going to be a lot of snow, snow shoes. All of these items will fit into a small box that you can keep in the trunk, for just in case. A plastic tote works great for this.

You will also want to keep some food and water in your box, decide how many people will be in the car and plan accordingly. One food bar won’t be enough if you have five people.  If you take prescription drugs, keep a few extra in your box. I also keep a roll of toilet paper in my car, if I am going to be stranded I want to be comfortable.  Some other things you will want, a fire starter or lighter of some kind.  Another thing to have is a good first aid kit. Hopefully you will be rescued way before you need this stuff but you never know, it is better to be prepared and not need it.

I also keep a small fold up shovel in my car, I had to dig out once with a stick and I swore I would never do that again, it was hard to do. So now I keep a fold up shovel and a small axe in my box. There are a lot of items you could put in your box, these are just a few. You will need to decide what you may or may not need.  You never know when or where an emergency can happen. Be prepared as best as you can. You are in charge of your own safety, depend on no one but yourself.

What skills do you have for an emergency?

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If a disaster or some kind of emergency came to your doorstep, what skills do you have that would be able to help. Do you have medical knowledge, or self defense knowledge?  Can you take care of yourself in the event of a serious emergency. These are hard questions we all need to think about.

We all like to think when the time comes, we will all become like some kind of ninja rambo person. The reality is we aren’t. Not unless you practice and train. If you go out and purchase a weapon of any kind, practice with it, so you know it inside and out. If you are planning on growing your own food but you never have before, grow a garden and practice with it. Don’t wait until the time comes to learn. That is a pretty hard learning curve.

Take some classes, maybe a first aid class, or a self defense class. These things can help you in every day life also, but in an emergency these skills will be invaluable. Every person is going to have something they are really good at. In your own group figure out what each person is good at. Each person could take turns training everyone else until everyone is good at the skills.

A little planning before the emergency will go a long ways in helping you after an emergency.

Written by Barbara Conover

What do you put in a bug out bag

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First of all what is a bug out bag, this is a bag that you keep extra supplies in, in the event of a disaster or some kind of emergency. To determine what to put in the bag think about what kind of natural disaster is likely to happen in your area. Tornado,earthquake, flood, fire, hurricane, nuclear plant, you get the idea.  After you decide what you are going to prepare for then you can decide what to put in the bag.

I feel you should have a bug out bag for each person in your family or group. That way if you get separated each person still has some basic things to see them through the emergency. I also think you should keep a bag wherever you are going to be, like at work, in your car, at home, wherever you think you might spend a lot of time.

You will want enough food and water in your bag for at least 72 hours. Remember you need at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. Don’t forget your pets, they will need food and water also.  Inside your bag also put a list of phone numbers and emergency contacts. Have a person outside of your area that everyone can call and check in with in the event you do get separated.

Make sure the bag you choose is durable but not too noticable, a flashy bag might make someone want to take it from you. For water you can get the water in the small packages, make sure you have at least three or four a day per person and your pet.  For food get some MRE’s or something you can eat right out of the package without having to heat it up. For myself i would stash a candy bar or two also in case my sugar gets low.  Make sure you have a small first aid kit, nothing huge but something that you can still get some use out of. You will want a light, get a good one. LED is best but whatever you can do is ok too. You also might want to put some kind of protection in your bag, maybe a good knife or something like that. If you think your emergency might include some kind of hazard to breath or dust, put some masks in your bag.  You can also throw an emergency blanket, poncho, tarp, and other things inside the bag. Keep the weight in mind when you are putting your bag together. If you have to walk 20 miles a 20lb bag is pretty heavy.

This is just a starting point for you to build your own bug out bag. In the times we are living I highly encourage people to be able to take care of themselves. Those are the ones that will survive the emergency or disaster.

Written by Barbara Conover

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