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Ben Sobieck

Video: This is How Fast a Flash Flood Hits

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This video of a flash flood, originally posted at OutdoorHub.com, shows a flash flood in Virgin, Utah.

Note the speed of the flash flood as it shoots through the dry stream bed. The sheer volume of water rushing by in the latter minutes shows the power of the flood. That's why it rooted up so much debris, visible at the beginning of the video.

Now imagine being in the path of that flood. Whether on foot, in a vehicle or behind a wall, a flash flood like this one will make itself noticed. The people in this video took a chance by being near this event. Had the flood shifted suddenly, it's not likely anyone would be watching this video.
Not everyone is as willing to make a sacrifice in the name of disaster education. In the event of a flash flood, evacuation is often the safest choice. That's when having a bug-out bag makes all the difference.


PowerPot

From rolling blackouts to hurricanes, floods to tornadoes, power can go out at a moment's notice. If the grid fails, the PowerPot will keep you charging! The PowerPot thermoelectric generator converts any heat source directly into power that charges your USB handheld devices. Get Yours Now

3 Reasons to Not Buy a Gas Mask

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3 Reasons Not to Buy a Gas Mask
Gas masks aren't as practical as they seem. (Image via sxc.hu)

Gas masks, the emblem of the survivalist, are impractical for preppers in North America and offer a false sense of security to those who buy them.

Israel: Where Gas Masks are Policy

If there's any place on Earth that knows about gas masks in survival situations, it's Israel. The Israeli government has on many occasions issued gas masks to citizens over fears of a chemical attack. Here's an excerpt of an Haaretz article from 2010:

Israel has begun distributing new gas masks to its 7 million citizens to offer protection against a possible chemical attack.

Israel's postal service is handing out the equipment in a process, it says, that will take about three years.

Avi Hochman, CEO & President of the Israel Postal Company stated that they have made the necessary preparations for the task, including a state-of-the art technological and logistical infrastructure.

With speculation about a possible war with Iran, Israel continues to distribute gas masks to this day. This excerpt is from an Aug. 17, 2012,  Reuters article:

Nonetheless, the spin, leaks and anonymous briefings have spread anxiety, with queues building for gas masks at Israeli distribution centers and hedge funds laying bets on a potential spike in oil prices because of the war threat.

That same anxiety prompted gas mask distribution in 1991 during the first Gulf War.

Preppers in North America may have similar concerns about attacks. Buying a gas mask seems to be a logical reaction. However, there are three reasons this is a waste of money.

1. What Chemical or Biological Attacks are You Anticipating?

How much do you really know about chemical weapons?

Gas masks are not one-size-fits-all. Depending on make and model, some work better against certain agents than others. Even then, consider the ever-changing nature of biological and chemical weapons. Yes, there are certain standbys, such as anthrax. But just as the flu changes from year-to-year, so can the technology behind these weapons. Government officials may know about the latest strains, but how much does the average prepper know about these things?

Since civilian gas mask products aren't as robust as flu vaccines, dollars are better spent elsewhere.

2. Gas Masks Have Expiration Dates

Many surplus military stores offer gas masks. However, buyers and sellers may not know the expiration dates of what's being sold. Just like anything else, the components that protect from chemical agents break down over time. That's why it's important to know when the gas mask expires.

Some models come with replaceable filters. See point 1. When compared with other items in a survival kit, these filters have a relatively short shelf life. Further reading about gas mask filters can be found here. Resources are better put toward other items.

3. The United States is a Big Place

Israel's 7.6 million people live in an area about the size of New Jersey, according to the CIA World Factbook. Nearly all of them, 92%, live in urban areas. A chemical attack has a better chance of affecting more people because of these demographics.

By comparison, 82% of the 315 million citizens of the United States are in cities spread out across a much larger area than Israel. Chances are good that even urban preppers won't live in the city where a chemical attack would happen.

The exceptions are New York City and Washington, D.C., where the threat of a large-scale terrorist attack has already been demonstrated. Because the events of Sept. 11, 2001, remain the only such incidents, it stands to reason preppers not living in those areas are less likely to encounter attacks requiring gas masks.

It's also reasonable to assume many preppers do not live in urban environments. The suburbs, exurbs and rural areas provide the space necessary for readiness. How likely is a chemical or biological attack in those places? Terrorists want to inflict maximum damage. They'll most likely choose urban areas.

Conclusion

If the odds don't provide comfort, preppers should ask this question: “What is the most likely disaster to afflict this area?” Adjust survival plans accordingly.

Survival Gear: Don’t Let It Kill You

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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Grill

Even if this image, found on this KnifeForums.com thread, isn't true, it brings up a good point. Having the right gear is important. But it's even more imperative to know how to use it.

The example above might be hard to read, so here's the rundown. A couple out camping used a portable charcoal grill to cook food. Inside their tent. Carbon monoxide, a lethal yet often unnoticed gas, filled the tent. The couple needed emergency medical treatment as a result.

Heeding the many warnings on charcoal bags could have prevented this incident. It goes to show that even well-meaning, prepared people can be their own worst enemies. The right set of mental tools will help in the application of physical ones.


PowerPot

From rolling blackouts to hurricanes, floods to tornadoes, power can go out at a moment's notice. If the grid fails, the PowerPot will keep you charging! The PowerPot thermoelectric generator converts any heat source directly into power that charges your USB handheld devices. Get Yours Now

Video: How to Sharpen a Knife Anywhere

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If you remember anything about knife sharpening, let it be this: A harder surface can sharpen a softer surface. Find a material harder than your knife, and it's possible to hone an edge.

As this video points out, common materials can be used for knife sharpening in a pinch. Car windows, rocks, other knives and more are demonstrated. One not included, but cited often for alternative sharpeners, is the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.

Learn more about the science behind sharpening in this knife maintenance download from BLADE, a sister publication.

And if you prefer more modern sharpening systems, Gun Digest recommends this 5-Stone GATCO kit.


Outstanding Gear and Resources

u8506

Special Forces Survival Guide

Survival Straps Survival Bracelet

SAS Survival Handbook

Gun Digest the Magazine September 10, 2012

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Gun Digest is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. With a subscription to Gun Digest, readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews, how-to instructions and Second Amendment issues.

Click here to download this issue as a PDF from GunDigestStore.com.

Inside This Issue

Gun Digest the Magazine September 10 2012* Steyr's Pro African big-game rifle is put to the test in Alaska

* How to get into 3-gun competitions

* Misguided media

* Summer fun with the .22

* Trends of Values: Remington, Gary Reeder

* Field Gun Review: Nylon 66

* On Handguns: Kahr's P45

* Collector's Corner: A mysterious Indiana gunsmith

Click here to start a subscription to Gun Digest.

Did you receive a suspicious subscription offer? A bogus company is sending out Gun Digest subscription scams.

Video: Could a Solar Storm Shut Down the Power Grid?

 

 

The Weather Channel video above shows recent solar storms on the surface of the Sun. According to this article, such storms will only increase into 2013. This could spell disaster for power grids across the planet.

What are the odds? Pretty good, astronomically speaking:

Some U.S. experts estimate as much as a 7 percent chance of a superstorm in the next decade, which seems a slight risk, but the effects would be so wide-ranging — akin to a major meteorite strike — that it has drawn official concern.

Although the likelihood of this kind of geomagnetic storm, like a big hit from a space rock, is extremely low, its impact would be great. By comparison, the probability of a large meteorite hitting Earth is at some fraction of 1 percent.

If recent events are any indication, such an outage could take nations weeks, months or even years to repair. Power failure disrupted 600 million in India. The northeast United States went into a blackout following severe Earth-bound storms. The damage from these events are still being assessed. One can only imagine what havoc a planet-wide would cause.

While there's nothing anyone can do to prevent a major solar storm, there is plenty for preppers. Start here with 30 Items for a Home Survival Kit. Then up your preparedness with the Stay Alive book for advanced survival information.


Outstanding Gear and Resources

u8506

Special Forces Survival Guide

Survival Straps Survival Bracelet

SAS Survival Handbook

Who’s Responsible for Preparedness: You or the Government?

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video platform
video management
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When 600 million people lose power, who should be responsible for being prepared to get through it: Individuals or government? That question is being asked as India experiences the most widespread blackout in history.

As the video report above shows, a power grid failure in the northern part of the country caused a blackout affecting a population equal to North and Central America. By comparison, the video notes that the most disruptive blackout in United States history affected 55 million people in 2003.

The difference between the two events isn't as much a matter of population as it is economy. The average GDP per capita in the U.S. is roughly $48,000, according to the CIA World Fact Book. In India, it's closer to $3,800.

Despite India's population being four times that of the U.S., it consumes 600.6 billion kWh of electricity per year. That figure is 3.741 trillion kWh in the U.S.

This means people in India had fewer resources to set aside for blackouts, yet didn't lose as much on the personal level when the power went out. It was the large, socialized pieces of infrastructure that took it on the nose. As the video showed, scores of people were stranded waiting for public transportation, their only option for travel.

The opposite happened in the most recent blackout in the U.S. (read about it here). The power outage affected a fewer number of people, but they had much more to lose at the personal level. Individuals generally relied on their own energy consumption to get through the day.

The power went out in both cases, yet there is a major difference. In India, individuals lacked the resources to set aside for emergencies. In the U.S., the average person had much more to put in reserve. This begs the question about where the responsibility of preparedness falls. Is it the individual or is it government?

For example, is it up to individuals to store potable water for emergencies or is government responsible? Should individuals in India, where rolling brownouts are common, anticipate these events and prepare for them? Should people in the U.S., where wealth allows for individual preparedness, still expect an effective government response to disasters?

It's this author's view that there is only the illusion of a middle ground when it comes to blackout preparedness. Large-scale electricity production is a socialized function heavily regulated by government. Private companies sanctioned to perform this work are not beholden to individuals, only to the governments that approved their monopolistic existence. That would seem to place the burden of blackout preparedness on government.

However, government disaster relief services only go so far. Literally. Help has to be shipped in from other places. That's going to take time. It could be hours, days or weeks. The response to Hurricane Katrina is one example.

The same is true of any place in the world. Yes, there will be governments preparing for disaster. No, it won't be a perfect response. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security.

The reality is individuals are responsible for their well-being, and need to be prepared to the furthest extent they're able. True, people in developing countries, such as India, are at a disadvantage when it comes to preparedness. But the core principles of survival are as true today as they were thousands of years ago.

In the end, no one is going to help you but yourself.


Build a Survival Kit, Make it Through a Blackout

Make a survival kitWhen Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trucks roll into town to offer relief, no one will hand you a pack and say, “Here's the survival kit I made just for you.” It's up to individuals to be prepared by building their own survival kits. Learn how in Build Your Own Survival Kit.

Click here to order Build Your Own Survival Kit for 34% off retail.

Video: Review of CUMA Tak-Ri 2.0 Survival Knife

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Survival knives come in many shapes and sizes these days. But history has selected a handful of designs that stand the test of time. One of them is the khukri (koo-kree), a knife that got its start in Nepal. Its familiar curve almost resembles a metal boomerang, and it'll want to push out of your hand just like one. The curve moves the weight forward and down. As generations of workers, soldiers and regular folks can attest, the khukri is perfect for chopping and slashing.

Fast forward to today. The TOPS CUMA Tak-Ri 2.0, designed by Waysun Johnny Tsai, updates the khukri as a modern tactical and survival knife. This video reviews why it's a good choice for your collection of survival knives.


Survival neck knife

Gun Digest Recommends

It's never a good idea to carry only one survival knife. But it's also not a good idea to carry too much gear. The CRKT Crawford N.E.C.K. is the perfect solution. Wear it on a lanyard around the neck while taking care of business with the TOPS CUMA Tak-Ri.

Click here to get a CRKT Crawford N.E.C.K. Knife for 27% off retail from ShopBlade.com.

Video: Pencil Sharpeners for Fire Starting

 

Survival tipsJohn D. McCann, author of Stay Alive! Survival Skills You Need, demonstrates how to start a fire using pencil sharpeners. These tools are perfect for making tinder with wet sticks.

For more practical survival tips, order McCann's book for 33% off retail.

Photos: The Many Uses of Paracord Netting

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Of the many paracord uses, netting is perhaps the most versatile. It can be used for any number of purposes, from transporting items to fishing to shelter. Here's how to make paracord netting.

Where Disaster Strikes: Desert Survival Situations

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Desert survival starts with being prepared
The outcome of a desert survival situation depends on preparedness. But even that can only go so far in extreme conditions.

There's a tendency to think disasters happen on large scales, but that's not true. The geographic scope of an event doesn't matter when you consider it's individuals who experience them. To that individual, a local disaster may as well be the whole world.

Which is why it's important to remember desert survival situations, such as that of William Martin LaFever. This 28-year-old man from Colorado Springs spent three weeks lost in a Utah desert. He survived off scavenged food and river water, according to FOXNews.com.

LaFever has autism, which may have contributed to him losing his way during a hiking trip to the scenic Escalante Desert.

This small-scale disaster resulted in a serious survival situation. Yet in an ironic twist, it may have been LaFever's autism that also saved him this July.

From the article:

Gardner's training in searching for people with autism taught him they are naturally drawn to water, so the helicopter search focused on the Escalante River, the department said.

The helicopter team spotted LaFever Thursday afternoon, sitting in the Escalante River about five miles from Lake Powell, barely being able to wave his arms.

Desert survival tipsHowever, that's not a coincidence anyone should rely upon. Gun Digest recommends picking up a copy of Stay Alive! Survival Skills You Need for tips on desert survival.

Click here to discuss outdoors survival tips on KnifeForums.com.

 

 

 

Home Disaster Plans: 5 People Who Need Extra Considerations

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In the 10 Steps for a Disaster Plan You Can Make Right Now article, the final tip advised to consider people with special needs. Many may think of people with mobility impairments, but that's not always true. Here are five kinds of people who need extra considerations in a home disaster plan and survival kit, as written by Pat McHugh.

Home disaster plan
Home disaster plans and survival kits should take extra considerations for these five kinds of people.

1) Hearing impaired may need to make special arrangements to receive a warning.

2) Households with a single working parent may need help from others both in planning for disasters and during an emergency.

3) Non-English speaking people may need assistance planning for and responding to emergencies. Community and cultural groups may be able to help keep these populations informed.

4) People without vehicles may need to make arrangements for transportation.

5) People with special dietary needs should have an adequate emergency food supply.

Read more in 10 Steps for a Disaster Plan You Can Make Right Now.


Need Help Making a Survival Kit?

Home disaster plan survival kitCheck out Build the Perfect Survival Kit. It offer tips for customizing survival kits to individual situations. Because there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all survival kit.

Click here to order Build the Perfect Survival Kit at 34% off retail.

Where Disaster Strikes – Northeast Power Outages

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DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

As this video from MyFoxDC.com shows, disasters inflict an emotional toll on those who survive them. It's one thing to experience a power outage after a devastating storm. It's another to wait through extreme heat for electricity to be restored. Nerves will be fried.

It's not a surprise that the Washington, D.C.-area man in this video vented frustrations onto the news crew. The stress of the situation got to him.

Preppers spend time and money accumulating materials for survival situations. What about emotional preparedness? How will preppers and their families manage stress?

It's a consideration that isn't as easy as saying, “Buy product XYZ.” As with concealed carry, another topic Gun Digest covers, no amount of gear can prepare one for the actual emotionally charged event.

What may help is getting in touch with the spiritual side of things. Some may find comfort in a Bible, Torah or Koran tucked into a survival kit. Others could reach out to neighbors beforehand to curb stress post-disaster. Building a feeling of community can pay off when people need to come together. For adults, stress management may even mean a flask of the good stuff next to those MREs.

However one chooses to do it, stress management is as important as anything in a bug-out bag or survival kit. People under stress tend to eat more or less than usual, causing any number of effects on food supplies. Their vitals, such as blood pressure, may also be affected. This can cause havoc on those with strict medical orders.

For more on stress management and emotional preparedness, click here to browse Gun Digest‘s selection of survival books.

Where Disaster Strikes – Colorado Wildfires

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The Waldo Canyon fires ravaging Colorado will go down as one of the worst in the state's history. In Colorado Springs alone, an estimated 350 homes have been destroyed by the flames, according to USA Today. Dangerous conditions forced thousands to flee the area.

It's a dire survival situation. Unlike floods, which tend to follow predictable geographic routes, fires can quickly change course with the wind. Thick smoke can travel miles in minutes, affecting air quality of areas not close to the blaze.

Faced with a total loss of property, a short-term bug-out bag isn't going to cut it in this situation. Now is the time to follow the full-fledged disaster plan preppers should have already created. This should include the five home survival kit items listed here that most people forget.

Fires like the one in Colorado do afford more time to evacuate, unlike flash floods. But don't count on taking your sweet time. Develop that disaster plan now.

If you need help, click here for home survival kit ideas from Build the Perfect Survival Kit.

Where Disaster Strikes – Duluth Deluge

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It's being called the “Duluth Deluge.” The worst flooding in more than a century hit the Lake Superior port city in northern Minnesota on Wednesday, June 20, as well as surrounding towns.

The rain came fast and hard, dumping 10 inches in a matter of hours. The flood ripped apart paved roads, washed away vehicles and even hoisted animals over their Lake Superior Zoo compounds.

The geography of Duluth compounded the flash flooding. Much of the city is built on a hill leading into Lake Superior. This natural waterway focused drainage through city streets. It trapped many residents who couldn't get out in time.

This is why a bug-out bag is so important. Having something portable to grab during an emergency allows for a quick exit. This also helps first responders. Their resources can be focused on the elderly, injured or disabled.

Don't wait another minute. Click here for instructions on how to make a bug-out bag.

Video: How to Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag

 

 

Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag
"Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag" offers tips for home disaster survival kits.

In this video, author and survival expert Creek Stewart discusses survival kit tips from his book, Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag.

Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag shows you how to create a self-contained disaster preparedness kit to help you survive your journey from ground zero to a safer location. Survival expert Creek Stewart details from start to finish everything you need to gather for 72 hours of independent survival—water, food, protection, shelter, survival tools, and so much more.

Click here to order Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag from GunDigestStore.com and save 34% off retail.

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