End Times and Current Events

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A61rr0hWUjs

A public service announcement from FEMA is suggesting that we all get a survival kit, in case our ‘world is turned upside down’. Very interesting and "good advice".

I wonder if they know something coming up that we don’t know… (grin)

Get a Kit
Make a Plan
Stay Informed

The following is a pretty good basic list of items for a survival kit based on ready.gov recommendations. While any survival kit is better than no survival kit, and I know that many people have developed some pretty elaborate kits, and varieties of kits specifically for their own purposes (vehicle, bug-out-bag, home, etc…), this list of items is a good starting point.

Just know that getting started on a survival kit is all it takes. You will probably find yourself adjusting it from time to time. A challenge can sometimes be keeping it reasonably sized (e.g. 72 hour kit for your vehicle, bug-out-bag). At home though, the sky’s the limit. Have fun with it.

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Survival Kit:

Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers

Additional Items to Consider Adding to a Survival Kit:

Prescription medications and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
Cash or traveler’s checks and change
Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Fire Extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

From:
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kit/fema-says-get-a-survival-kit/

FEMA forgot this one very precious item - the 1611 King James Bible, at least one for each family! ;)

here is one thing i always harp on for survival gear as people dont normaly or really want to think about it.

Need a toilet urgently? Unfold one in a minute

The French have been credited with inventing the bidet and popularising ****oirs or public urinals, and now they can add the biodegradable and portable toilet to their name.

Frenchman Laurent Helewa designed the lightweight, easy to construct and carry toilet after Hurricane Katrina, when thousands of displaced people were crammed into a stadium for a week, with hardly any access to facilities.

"It's a taboo subject, but necessary in case of natural disasters," he told AFP at the annual International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, pointing to the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti that displaced tens of thousands of people.

"The first problem is to have access to a toilet. Because if not, people will do their business wherever, and you end up with epidemics such as cholera," said Helewa, who is a doctor.

Weighing about two kilogrammes (4.4 pounds), his invention is essentially a piece of cardboard that folds into a boxed seat in a minute, and comes with plastic bags that each contain an absorbent pad to soak up liquids.

Helewa, who gamely climbed atop a sample, claimed that the heavy-duty version is able to withstand a weight of 200 kg and usage of 20 hours a day, after it was tested by four armies.

rest: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110407/od_afp/switzerlandfranceinventionpatent_20110407144329

God knows I hope I don't have to spend 20 hours on that thing! ;D

Good idea though. Many people really don't have a clue about sanitation, and "going without the camp". In fact, it's even discussed in scripture...

12   Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: 
13   And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: 
14   For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
Beuteronomy 23:12-14 (KJB)

And the only survival kit people actually need is Jesus in their heart. Believers aren't to take any thought for the morrow. Storing up supplies and such is not of faith. Didn't God provide for Isarel in the desert? Yes, He did, just as He promised.

"the just shall live by faith"

I wont lie, im pre-trib and proud of it!!! But for those that are post trib, just what are you doing to survive all that is coming on this world? I have taken up section hiking, mostly to get back into shape and have some fun. I have learned a lot of new stuff and skill that would be super benifical to the post trib person. So ill post some stuff here, and books ill upload at the other site foe down loading.

What are you, the post trib person, doing to prepare?

this site here, http://sectionhiker.com/

is loaded with articles on surviving the elements. What good gear to have, how to use it, lots of info.

Here is a good example of one of the articles.

What is an External Frame Backpack?
i have an internal frame.  ;)

(http://sectionhiker-com.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/thumbskeep/P1050103-2.JPG)

What is an External Frame Backpack?

The suspension system on an external frame pack is a rigid aluminum frame. This is good for carrying very heavy loads because it’s rigid and ensures excellent load transfer to the hip belt if fitted properly. Externals frames are also have a lots of attachment points on for lashing down bulky gear like bear canisters, large sleeping bags, or tents.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of external frame backpacks?


External frame packs are fairly heavy, even when empty. The protruding frame can catch on trees if you’re hiking though dense vegetation and they also have more side to side sway when loaded, which can throw you off balance if you have to do a lot of rock scrambling. On the plus side, you can carry a lot of gear with an external frame pack and they’re very good for long expeditions where you have to carry a 50-100 pounds of pack weight. They’re also a lot cooler than many internal frame packs because there’s more air space your back and the back of the pack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBkFXlJuc5Q

Why don’t you see more external frame packs on the trail?


External backpacks used to be the norm, but most people carry internal frame backpacks now because they’re lighter and easier to maneuver with. Backpacking gear also weighs a lot less than it used to and people don’t need as big a backpack to carry it. Many hikers still use external backpacks, but they tend to be people who got hooked on them when they were growing up. They’re also used a lot by boy scouts because they’re easy to reconfigure for kids who are in the midst of their growth spurt.

Which pack manufacturers still make external packs?


The leading makers of external frame packs are Kelty, Jansport, Alps Mountaineering, Outdoor Products, and Mountainsmith. Amazon.com has the best selection under one roof among all the online retailers, including adult and scout backs. The price of external packs tends to be significantly less expensive than internal frame packs, so they’re a good value.

http://sectionhiker.com/what-is-an-external-frame-backpack/

Great site, loaded with information....

Freezer Bag Recipies.

quick easy camp meals all prepared from inside a frezzer bag. Great for hiking and backpacking, could be useful for that post trib person.

http://endtimescurrentevents.freeforums.org/post-trib-survival-books-and-stuff-t2956.html

How to **** in the Woods, Second Edition: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art

http://endtimescurrentevents.freeforums.org/post-trib-survival-books-and-stuff-t2956.html

Most people do not know what to do, with out making a mess....

Nothing more than what I do daily; not anymore than what I did at Y2K, aside from topping up gas tank and house fuel; not anymore than what I did for May 21, or will do for upcoming Sep 29, or Dec 21, 2011 and 2012.
To be honest, I'd be happy for a pre-trib rapture; I just can't see it, in light of 2Thess 2:3; btw, I lean towards pre-wrath.

cant go up, when your coming down, jsut dont work that way.  :D and 2 thess 2:3 dosent say anythign about pre or post, only that the antichrist will be revealed before the rapture. which still fits a pre trib.

i really dont want this to be a pre-post debate. just survival info.

Personally, my 1611 KJV and the Holy Spirit guiding me will be more than enough.

Thank you Jesus! :)

Dok i'm agreeing with you that there will be a Pre-Trib Rapture.

I know God does awesome things for me and as Romans 8 says:

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This is what i have been thinking about recently:

Writing a note (more like alot of pages) about what to do if you are not Raptured. This note would be for the benefit of unbelievers and people who thought that they were Christian but weren't Raptured. It would have all the KJV Scripture Verses on it (especially ones concerning protection and safety) and how to survive in the wilderness and all the tricks of surviving including radiation exposure, hunting, water collection etc. The note would be distributed to everyone at my "funeral". Or i could put the information including KJV Bibles in some safe storage area with instructions that the items be for anyone interested once i was declared "Missing". The items could be a witness to those even though i'm not on Earth.

What does anyone think of this plan?

A SUGGESTED SURVIVAL LIST

By Chuck Baldwin
October 20, 2011
NewsWithViews.com

It’s once again time for my annual survival list column. One does not have to be a prophet to know that we are on the precipice of some potentially catastrophic--or at the very least, challenging--days. In fact, most of us are already in challenging days, and some are already enduring catastrophic events. That is, if one would call being out of work, losing one’s home, facing life-threatening medical conditions without any prospect of medical insurance, several families being forced to live in one house due to homes being foreclosed, etc., catastrophic.

The potential for an escalation of cataclysmic events, however, is very real. Only a “blooming idiot” would call someone who attempts to prepare for “the day of adversity” a Chicken Little now. Anyone who does not see the storm clouds on the horizon isn’t paying attention.

For example, can one imagine what would happen if terrorists nuked a major American city or cities? (Once again, I encourage readers to watch the CBS TV series “Jericho” to get an idea of how quickly life, and even civilization, could change.) Imagine if there was another 9/11-type event. What would happen if some form of Zimbabwe-style inflation hit the US? What would happen if anything disrupted the distribution of Welfare checks, or food to local grocers? Imagine a Hurricane Katrina-style natural disaster in your town. I think people everywhere are beginning to awaken to just how vulnerable we all really are.

As a result, people from virtually every walk of life have asked my thoughts on how they should prepare. Therefore, I will, again, attempt to share with my readers some of the counsel I have given these folks.

First, a disclaimer. I am not an economist; I am not a survival expert; I am not a firearms expert; I am not an attorney; I am not a physician. In fact, I am not an expert in anything! For several years, however, I have tried to learn from others. I am an avid reader. My work has allowed me to travel extensively. I have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of--and learning from--many of America’s most learned, most trained, and most qualified “experts” in a variety of fields. What I write today, I have learned from others. I’ve formed my own opinions and priorities, of course, but everything I’m sharing has been said, or written about, before. But if I can share something in today’s column that will help someone be better prepared for the days to come, then my goal will have been achieved.

Location:

Analyze your living conditions. Where do you live? Do you live in an urban or rural environment? Is it a big city or small town? Do you live in an apartment or condominium? How close are your neighbors? Do you even know your neighbors? Would you trust them if the electricity was off and they were hungry? Could you grow your own food if you had to? How easily could you secure your home? If you live in a cold weather environment, how long could you stay warm without electricity? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself now.

Over the past several decades, masses of people have migrated into large metropolitan areas. More people currently live in urban areas than at any time in American history. While this may be well and good for times of prosperity, it is an absolute nightmare during any kind of disaster. Does anyone remember what New Orleans looked like after Hurricane Katrina came through? Can anyone recall what happened in downtown Los Angeles during the 1992 riots? Needless to say, any inner-city environment could become a powder keg almost instantaneously, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. And the bigger the city, the bigger the potential problems.

If you live in the inner city, I suggest you consider moving to a more rural location. Obviously, now is a very good time to buy property (especially rural property), but the downside is, selling property is not as favorable. If you can afford it, now is a great time to buy a “safe house” outside the city. If you are fortunate enough to have family or some true friends nearby, you may want to put your heads--and some resources--together in preparation for serious upheaval. Obviously, a team of prepared people is much better than being alone.

If you must stay in your urban location, have some commonsense plans in hand in the event of a major disaster. Get to know your neighbors: find out whom you can trust and whom you can’t. Keep some extra gasoline on hand, in case you need to get in your car quickly and leave. Have several exit routes planned ahead of time, in case roads are blocked. Have a “bug-out” bag containing essential ingredients to live on for 3 to 4 days. If leaving is not an option, have a plan to secure your home as best you can. You’ll need to think about things such as food, water, medicine, warmth, self-defense, etc. But at this point, to do nothing is absolute lunacy!

Most readers probably know that my entire family and I made the decision last year to move 2,600 miles from our home of 35 years in the Florida panhandle to the Flathead Valley of Montana, which is located about 75 miles south of the Canadian border just west of the Rocky Mountains. We’ve been here a year now (including dealing with one of the harshest winters in recent memory here, according to locals), and I can tell readers without equivocation or hesitation that we are so glad we made this move. We (including our womenfolk, southern girls all) absolutely love it here--all the difficulties and trials associated with such a life-changing move notwithstanding. In fact, I’ve never lived in a place I love so much!

If readers want to learn more about what prompted our move to Montana, please peruse the information on this web page.
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=2243

Provisions:

During a major disaster, food will quickly disappear. Living for over 3 decades on the Gulf Coast, I can tell you with absolute certainty that whenever disaster strikes (usually an approaching hurricane, for those folks), food and provisions at the store sell completely out in a matter of a few hours. People panic, and within hours, you cannot find food, bottled water, ice, generators, batteries, candles, etc. In a matter of hours, every gas station in the area will be completely out of gas. Not days. Hours!

Furthermore, almost all disasters include a complete loss of electricity. The water supply is compromised. Bottled water becomes more valuable than bank accounts. Dehydration becomes a very real and present danger. I remember witnessing a man offer an ice vendor $100 for an extra bag of ice during Hurricane Ivan. My wife and I went 2 weeks (14 days) without electricity in the aftermath of that hurricane. Believe me, I got a taste of just how precious bottled water, ice, batteries, generators, fuel, etc., can become.

I suggest you have a supply of food and water to last at least two weeks. A month would be better. Many survival experts insist that a three-month supply is the minimum. Personally, I can live a long time on tuna fish or peanut butter. You can purchase MREs from a variety of sources, as well as “camp-style” packaged food from many sporting goods stores. Of course, bottled water is available everywhere during normal times. Stock up! Distilled water will store longer than spring water. Plus, I suggest you have some water purification tablets or a Katadyn water filter on hand. And, if you are able, prepare to grow your own food. In cold weather climates such as we have here in Montana, people quickly learn how to construct and utilize green houses in which to grow food. Canning food is another very helpful hedge against deprivation. If your parents and grandparents were like mine, this was standard operating procedure.

Get a generator. Keep a supply of fuel on hand. Stay stocked up on batteries, candles, portable lights, first aid supplies, and personal hygiene items--especially toilet paper. Trust me, during times of intense and prolonged disaster, toilet paper could become more valuable than money. I also suggest you never run out of lighters or matches. You never know when you’ll need to build a fire--and during a prolonged survival situation, fire could save your life. If you live in a cold weather climate, you probably already have some sort of wood stove or fireplace.

Obviously, you need to take stock of your clothing. Do you have clothes suitable for extended outdoor activity? What about boots? During a disaster, you would trade your best suit from Neiman Marcus for a good pair of boots. Do you have gloves? Insulated underwear? What about camouflage clothing? These could become essential outerwear in the right conditions. Plus, any “bug-out” bag will need to include spare clothing. And as most folks here in Montana know, “cotton kills.” For extended outdoor wear in cold weather, wool is the only way to go!
http://sectionhiker.com/why-does-cotton-kill/

Communication and medical provisions are also a high priority in any kind of emergency. How will you communicate with your loved ones when the phones (including cell phones) go down? Portable ham radios are a very valuable resource. But the time to buy (and train to use) one is NOW! A preordained rally point (or safe house) might be something to think about. And what about medical supplies? Do you have enough to take care of routine (and not-so-routine) emergencies? What about your prescription drugs? How long could you function if you were cut off from your druggist for any length of time? Also, seriously consider learning about natural, herbal medicines. Those plants growing in your “back forty” might just cure a headache, stop bleeding, or even save your life. Think about it now.

And one more suggestion, while we’re on this subject: the best resources in the world are of little use if one is physically incapable of making good use of them. In other words, GET IN SHAPE. During any kind of emergency situation, physical exertion and stamina become immensely important.

Commodities:

I suggest you have at least some cash on hand. Just about any and all disasters will result in banks being closed for extended periods of time. That also means credit card purchases being suspended. You need to have enough cash to be able to purchase essential goods (if they are even available) for an undetermined amount of time.

Of course, some survival gurus insist that during any cataclysmic climate, precious metals will become the only reliable currency. A little gold and silver could go a long way in a prolonged emergency. For that matter, with the way our fiat money system is coming unraveled, you may want to seriously consider moving your IRA accounts into precious metals, if for no other reason than to better protect your savings. Ask yourself, how much money have I already lost at the hands of these banksters in the Federal Reserve and their toadies in the stock market?

If you are interested in converting an IRA into precious metals or simply purchasing precious metals, I personally recommend that you contact my friend Chuck Coppes. He is honest and trustworthy--and no one that I know can match his overhead and profit margins. And, yes, Chuck is one of my supporters. And I am proud to return the favor. To learn more, click here.

In fact, in a disaster, what is considered a valuable commodity can change rather quickly, as the barter system takes a life of its own. What is valuable is determined by what you need and how badly you need it. In a prolonged disaster, simple things such as toilet paper, canned goods, ammunition, and clothing could become extremely valuable; while cars, video games, televisions, etc., could be reduced to junk status. In antiquity, wars were fought over things such as salt. You might be surprised to learn that there are already active barter groups in your area. I suggest you establish a relationship with these people now!

Speaking of cars, remember that during a prolonged “national emergency” that might involve some sort of nuclear attack or widespread civil unrest, an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) might be employed; in which case, most every late model vehicle would be completely inoperable. Accordingly, if one can keep an older, pre-computer-age vehicle in good working order, he or she might be driving the only non-government vehicle capable of going anywhere. Of course, you might not want to drive it to town!

Self-Defense:

Needless to say, during any kind of disaster, your safety and protection will be completely up to you. If you really think that the police are going to be able to protect you during an upheaval, you are living in a dream world.

In both the New Orleans and Los Angeles disasters, police protection was non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly took control of the streets, and people were left to either defend themselves or swiftly become the helpless prey of violent marauders. In fact, in New Orleans, some of the policemen actually abandoned their oaths to uphold the law and joined with the criminals, turning their weapons upon the public.

Face it, folks: in any kind of disaster, you must be able to defend yourself, or you and your family will be meat for these animals of society that will quickly descend without mercy upon the unprepared, unsuspecting souls around them. This requires that you be armed! It also requires that you be skilled enough to be able to efficiently use your arms. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you purchase firearms sufficient to keep you and your family safe, and also that you practice sufficiently to know how to use them.

Now, when it comes to a discussion of which firearms are preferable for self-defense, the suggestions are as varied as the people who proffer them. These are my suggestions:

I believe every man (along with his wife and children of adequate age) should be proficient with the following weapons: a handgun in .38 caliber or above, a .22 rifle, a center-fire bolt-action hunting rifle, a semi-automatic battle rifle, and a shotgun.

My personal preference for a self-defense handgun is either a .45 ACP 1911 (either Colt or Kimber), a Glock .45, or a .40 S&W. In the .40 caliber, my favorite is a Glock 23. In the 1911, I like the Commander size configuration. I prefer either the Model 21 or the Model 30 in the Glock .45. And I will also admit to sometimes carrying a 9mm Glock 19 or a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. My two favorites in this caliber are the Model 66 with a 2 1/2-inch barrel and the Model 586 with a 4-inch barrel. My wife prefers to carry a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver in the snub-nose, J-frame configuration. But this is primarily due to the reduced weight of these weapons for carry purposes. If needed, she could make a good accounting of herself with the Glock 19. If you are someone who has never owned and seldom fired a handgun, I recommend you buy a Glock. They are as simple as revolvers to operate, reliable, and almost indestructible. Plus, they provide increased magazine capacity, and are safe. They are also very easy to disassemble and clean. Of course, in dangerous game territory, you will need the power of a 10mm (the Glock 20 shines here), .45 Long Colt, .44 Special or .44 Magnum, or even a .454 Casull. These calibers are not for the limp-wristed, but when one is facing a brown bear or mountain lion, it is what one will need to survive. Plus, when your life is on the line, you’ll never feel the recoil.

For a .22 rifle, I really like the Ruger 10/22. A Marlin tube-fed .22 is also very effective. The CZ bolt-action .22 just might be the most accurate .22 on the market. For a hunting rifle, my suggestion is either a .270 or .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle. I prefer the Remington Model 700 BDL or Browning X-Bolt, but there are several fine weapons in this configuration and caliber by numerous manufacturers. In dangerous game territory, a Marlin .45-70 could be a lifesaver. For a battle rifle, I suggest an AR-15-style weapon (I prefer Bushmaster) in .223 caliber or a .308 Springfield M1A. For a shotgun, I suggest a 12-gauge pump. Here I prefer a Winchester Model 1300, which is not made anymore. So, you’ll probably have to choose between Mossberg and Remington. For ladies, however, a 20-gauge shotgun is probably a better choice, and at “bad breath” range (where a shotgun shines, anyway), it is just as lethal.

Whatever you choose, practice with it to the point that you are able to use it proficiently. And be sure you stock up on ammunition. A gun without ammo is reduced to being either an expensive club or a cumbersome paperweight.

Go to your local independent sporting goods store (I don’t recommend the large national chain stores to do your firearms shopping) and get to know your hometown firearms dealer. Most of these people are kind and helpful folks who will be more than happy to assist you in finding exactly what type of firearm is suitable for you and your family.

Spiritual Power:

I firmly believe that man is created to have fellowship with his Creator-God. I really don’t know how people can face the uncertain future that we currently face without the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, comfort, and power that is made available through Jesus Christ. I believe the maxim is true: “Wise men still seek Him.” I strongly suggest that you seek to possess a personal relationship with God’s only begotten Son. In truth, spiritual preparation is far and away the most important preparation of all. Accordingly, be sure to pack a copy of God’s Word in your survival gear.

And if you have not been able to find a local church where the pastor isn’t afraid to deal with the kind of issues like I am dealing with in this column, I invite you to worship online with us at Liberty Fellowship. People all over America who are tired of these 501c3, establishment churches--who have no clue as to what is going on and who wouldn’t take a stand if they did--are tuning in to hear my messages at Liberty Fellowship every Sunday afternoon. To tune in this Sunday, click here.
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=2606

That we are facing challenging days is a certainty. Exactly what that means is yet to be determined. I trust that some of my suggestions will help you be better prepared for what lies before us. Plus, here is an excellent online Survival Blog chock-full of great suggestions and resources for all things survival. Check it out.
http://www.survivalblog.com/

And if you are considering relocation, please check out Joel Skousen’s web site.

And if you think you may want to relocate to the Flathead Valley of Montana, George Hudson, a man at Liberty Fellowship who “escaped” from California to locate here--and who is now helping scores of people from all over the country to resettle in our beautiful valley--may be contacted here.

Please give George a few days to email you back, but he will be happy to try to answer any questions you have about moving here.

I am sure that I have left out several items that others more qualified than me would include. I welcome their suggestions, as I am always desirous to learn from those who are wiser and more experienced. In the meantime, remember your Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.”

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin671.htm

"Prepare for the unexpected."
how to make a survival kit (http://www.survivalistkits.com/how-to-make-a-survival-kit)
survival techniques (http://www.survivalistkits.com/survival-techniques-for-surviving-in-the-woods)
apocalypse survival guide (http://www.survivalistkits.com/apocalypse-survival-guide)
survival shelter (http://www.survivalistkits.com/survival-shelter-3-different-structures-to-survive-the-night)

You forgot one thing - our 1611 KJVs(with the Holy Spirit guiding us in our understanding of the scriptures with it). :)

I would say most likely they are a spammer.

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/subculture-of-americans-prepares-for-civilizations-collapse

January 22, 2012 – CALIFORNIA – When Patty Tegeler looks out the window of her home overlooking the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, she sees trouble on the horizon. “In an instant, anything can happen,” she told Reuters. “And I firmly believe that you have to be prepared.” Tegeler is among a growing subculture of Americans who refer to themselves informally as “preppers.” Some are driven by a fear of imminent societal collapse, others are worried about terrorism, and many have a vague concern that an escalating series of natural disasters is leading to some type of environmental cataclysm. They are following in the footsteps of hippies in the 1960s who set up communes to separate themselves from what they saw as a materialistic society, and the survivalists in the 1990s who were hoping to escape the dictates of what they perceived as an increasingly secular and oppressive government. Preppers, though are, worried about no government.

     Tegeler, 57, has turned her home in rural Virginia into a “survival center,” complete with a large generator, portable heaters, water tanks, and a two-year supply of freeze-dried food that her sister recently gave her as a birthday present. She says that in case of emergency, she could survive indefinitely in her home. And she thinks that emergency could come soon. “I think this economy is about to fall apart,” she said. A wide range of vendors market products to preppers, mainly online. They sell everything from water tanks to guns to survival skills. Conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck seems to preach preppers’ message when he tells listeners: “It’s never too late to prepare for the end of the world as we know it. Unfortunately, given the increasing complexity and fragility of our modern technological society, the chances of a societal collapse are increasing year after year,” said author James Wesley Rawles, whose Survival Blog is considered the guiding light of the prepper movement. A former Army intelligence officer, Rawles has written fiction and non-fiction books on end-of-civilization topics, including “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It,” which is also known as the preppers’ Bible. “We could see a cascade of higher interest rates, margin calls, stock market collapses, bank runs, currency revaluations, mass street protests, and riots,” he told Reuters.

more

Here is a video on how to make a cheap Alcohol stove. Good for camping and hiking as its super light weight and takes up very little space. This is a keeper for me in my mess kit.

http://faceofchemistry.com/experiments/how-make-alcohol-stove

I also just got a PDF of the classic "the backpacker’s handbook" if anyone wants a copy. It is eull of info that the Post Trib survivalist is going to need to know. I wont be here to guide you as im leaving in the Pre Trib Rapture.  :)

Whether it's pre or post trib, let's be serious...as Christians, should we even be fearing or worrying, period?

Personally, my biggest concern is the modern-day church that is vastly ASLEEP - they're doing nothing but puffing up the pews' egos and telling them that everything is getting gooder and gooder, but end up failing to warn the flock to watch in these last days we're living in as these signs in Matthew 24 are starting to come to fulfillment.

With that being said - don't even bother with this secular survivalist stuff. I'm a post-trib believer, but let's be serious. The trib is ONLY 7 years, after that the LORD RETURNS!

with that being said, could you survive 7 years? could you survive a week on your own? That is the whole purpose of this thread, and as its hiking & camping season again i can post some good stuff.

Seriously if you sit and think about it, do you know how to gather wood and make a camp fire? its not what you think it is. How do you even cut wood for a camp fire? again, not what you think.

LOL, I'll admit, no. I'll admit too that I've grown up a *spoiled* kid(literally), although I won't go as far as saying I got my diapers changed all my life.

But yeah, I've been camping before, and while it was very good for me, it was nonetheless rough b/c I didn't know many of the camping skills(like you said above).

FYI, I believe Bryan Denlinger cuts wood for a living(he didn't say it explicitly, but he did say he doesn't work for an employer, and does alot of this stuff, so I'm guessing this is his self-employment).

And yes, while as Christians we should fast, it's not like the Lord requires us to do so for weeks like this(ie-Randall Baer talked about his fasting experiences in the New Age Movement - he said he would go out camping for a week and do without eating, as a result, he would faint, and end up being thrust into the spirit world).

I tell you what, could you email me that PDF document anyways?

Yep.

The biggest problem I ran into was keeping everything dry. Firearms rust. Clothing gets damp from sweat, condensation, or precipitation and starts to rot on the body. Ever tried to wear the same socks and underwear for a week? Cotton certainly takes a long time to dry in overcast, drizzly conditions.

Gathering wood and cutting to size was a daily chore. My best purchase was a 21” hand saw that was designed to cut quickly through wood. Camp axe proved to be slow, and very labor intensive. Firestarter was a godsend when dealing with wet wood, which was most of the time.

Why does Cotton Kill?
Have you ever wondered why people say Cotton Kills? Do you understand exactly why? Here’s an in-depth explanation as well as a list of other fabrics that you should avoid when shopping for hiking clothes.

Insulation
Clothing keeps you warm by trapping warm air near your skin. When cotton gets wet, it ceases to insulate you because all of the air pockets in the fabric fill up with water. When you hike, you perspire,  and any cotton clothing touching your skin will absorb your sweat like a sponge.

If the air is colder than your body temperature , you’ll feel cold because your cotton clothing is saturated and no longer providing any insulation. This can lead to disorientation, hypothermia, and potentially death if you become too chilled. Remember, hypothermia can occur in temperatures well above freezing and become serious if you get wet and chilled.

Wicking and Layering
In addition, wet cotton does not wick water away from your skin. Wicking fabrics move water from wet areas to dry ones using a process called capilary action. For example, a wicking baselayer shirt made out of Patagonia Capilene will move moisture from the surface of your skin to the outer layers of your shirt leaving the part of the fabric touching your skin dry. This is why layering is such an effective clothing strategy for hiking, because wicking fabrics move water away from your skin and up through your layers one after another, enabling the fabric near your skin to trap insulating air and retain your body’s warmth.

Wool
Wool does not wick as well as synthetic garments and will absorb up to 36% of its weight in water. Unlike cotton, it does insulate when wet and is considered an acceptable fabric for hiking clothes.

Other Forms of Cotton
Avoid wearing garments that are labelled as corduroy, denim, flannel, or duck. These are all made with cotton. In addition, steer clear of cotton-polyester blends, for example 50/50. They’ll still kill you, although it may take a little longer.

Other Fabrics to Avoid
Modal, rayon, viscose, tencel and lyocell are all manufactured fabrics made from cellulose fiber. They absorb water even faster than cotton and lose all of their insulation value when wet. You should also be very careful with clothing made from Bamboo, which is often advertised as being a green product having characteristics comparable to wool. Many bamboo fabrics are actually just a type of rayon and share all of its pitfalls.

Silk is also very absorbent and loses its insulation value when wet.

Additional Resources
REI’s How to Choose a Baselayer is a good source of additional information on the comparative strengths and weakness of different fabric types, and provides a good list of clothing synthetic and wool clothing manufacturers.

http://sectionhiker.com/why-does-cotton-kill/

Yes, actually I do. I have no problems with the thought of going out with nothing at all and surviving, indefinately. Done it already for nearly 3 years. But regardless of what fleshly skills I may have, Jesus is with me to guide me and protect me, so no worries.

The big thing is clean water to drink. You MUST be able to find clean water within 2-3 days. I can make clean water out of salty sea water. Or in a crunch, catch morning dew for water to drink.

I can even make a good cup of coffee over an open fire with no filters. Now THAT is a major survivor skill!  ;D

In a way, it's vain worldly stuff that believers don't need, but if nothing else it's interesting.

Thats good that you know this stuff, but a lot of people dont, mostly the ones that say we have to go through the Trib.

Also i wouldnt call it vain worldly stuff as most of this would have been everyday normal learning and knowledge in Jesus's day that they would have had to known just to survive. We live in a differnt world than they did and this kind of knowledge is lost to the modern person. And basically its stuff that people should have a basic knowledge of, especially if an earthquake or tornado hits your area and your with out power for days or weeks.

Pre trib, Post trib, or whatever - either way, God DOES provide for the born again believers' NEEDS, period.

Personally, maybe I should learn these survivalist techniques just for that...just in case a big tornado comes by my neighborhood and wipes out everything.

And FWIW too, assuming it's post trib, doesn't the AC round up and behead all the born agains who don't want to take the mark? So what's the point in stocking up on all this food for 7 years? Getting persecuted in the name of Jesus Christ means we get out of this world and into eternal life, right?

AND...look at alot of these foods to stock up on...CANNED FOOD, which has all this BPA poison stuff in it.

I say "vain" in the sense that we live by faith, and take no thought for the morrow. By believing in Jesus we are prepared for anything!  :)

Yeah, there is no "just in case" when living by faith. If you are taking care of your house, then it's all good to be thankful for.

And yes, not all believers will be beheaded during that time.

Canned food lasting only 2 years? Go with the industrial strength survival cans, up to 20 years. Or just put away a case of Twinkies!  ;D

That or some McDonald's.  ;D

Only if they can exclude all that MSG poison in it. ;)

The Two Types of Last Days Christians
on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 by Bill Salus

The following teaching is taken from Revelation Road, Hope Beyond the Horizon.

The historical accounts of the twelve spies contained in Numbers 13-14 point out that there were two types of Hebrews at the time of Moses. Courageous Joshua and Caleb represented those who had faith to die for. They realized the power God possessed, and relied entirely on Him to get through the giant obstacles— literally—that stood between them, and the Promised Land. They understood the signs of their times, and the significance of the days they were appointed to. They must have realized the Genesis 15:12-16 prophecy given to Abraham, predicting 400 years of Egyptian servitude had ended. Thus, they recognized the time had come to enter into the Promised Land in fulfillment of part-two of the prophecy.

(Part-one) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land [Egypt] that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict [enslave] them four hundred years. (Gen. 15:12-13)

(Part-two) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out [the Hebrew Exodus] with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, [the Promised Land of Canaan] for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. (Gen. 15:14-16)

Joshua and Caleb realized they were part of the fourth generation, the one destined to return and possess the Promised Land. Realizing they existed in fulfillment of this Bible prophecy, they exhibited the faith necessary to rely whole-heartedly on the Lord to deliver upon His prophetic promise made to the patriarch Abraham. They trusted the Lord would perform and safely deliver their generation home to the Promised Land. In Numbers 14:9 the two are quoted as saying, “Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

Conversely, their ten counterparts were spineless. When they spied out the land promised to them, they were intimidated by the enemies and were unwilling to war against them. Even though they probably understood the above prophecy, and even saw the Red Sea swallow up Pharaoh’s army, they still underestimated God’s power. In so doing they undermined his glory. For their lack of faith and courage, they were severely chastised and wandered in the wilderness, where all but Caleb, Joshua, and those under the tender age of twenty, died over the next forty years.(i)

Both groups were appointed to those hard times. They were all forced to live under the last, harshest days of the Egyptian bondage. Subsequent to their exodus, they were all expecting to enter into the Promised Land in fulfillment of Abraham’s prophecy. But only one group possessed the faith required to stand up to the challenges. One group represented survivors and the other deniers.

What is your condition in comparison? Do you possess the unshakable faith of Caleb? Are you willing to acknowledge the end of time draws near? Can you muster up the courage of Joshua, required to face the challenges appointed to the final generation? In the book of Joshua the word courage or courageous appears seven times, illustrating the importance of possessing a fearless faith. Or, are you destined to wander aimlessly in the wilderness of denial, anger, and depression, while your unbelieving loved ones face the real threat of missing the rapture and being plunged into the tribulation period? Are you a Christian survivor or denier?

End-Time’s Christian Survival

Since powerful prophecies are forthcoming, it’s prudent to prepare for them in advance. There is biblical precedent for prophetic preparedness. It’s smart to fill the storehouses with food in advance of a pending famine— that’s what Joseph did in the Genesis 41 historic account. Joseph possessed invaluable insights into the future, and took the necessary measures to provide for the Egyptians. In the process, his Hebrew posterity was also preserved. Joseph’s actions were blessed, because they glorified God, and were in alignment with the Lord’s plan for that time.

If a Christian exemplifies the lessons of Joseph by preparing for prophetic events, his or her actions, if rightly motivated and appropriately understood, can serve as a testimony to an unbelieving spectator. The goal is to temper the survival efforts with a clear demonstration of whole-hearted faith in Christ, and a wholesome understanding of Bible prophecy.

The believer’s behavior should resemble that of Noah’s. While his ark was being constructed, he used the opportunity to preach to those curious about his foreknowledge of the flood.(ii) Although only his immediate family heeded his warnings, the inaction of those in denial did not deter him from taking the necessary survival measures. In the process, his posterity was also preserved. Noah’s actions were also blessed because they glorified God, and were in alignment with the Lord’s plan for that time.

Additionally, stockpiling some cash, gas, and goods, in advance of the fulfillment of a Bible prophecy can insulate the believer from the predictable panic and hysteria that could follow. Long gas lines, food shortages, and inaccessible ATM machines for instance, can be temporarily avoided. This buys time for some resemblance of normalcy to resume. In the process, the believer’s posterity can also be preserved.

END-TIME’S CHRISTIAN DENIAL

Surprisingly, even though the end-time signs are plentiful and abundantly clear, many Christians don’t believe they live in the last days. The fact that the eschatological message is not being taught from many pulpits has a lot to do with this. Ignorance about the end times keeps many from realizing they live within them.

However, these next few paragraphs are intentionally written for those Christians falling into a different category. There are those who believe, or at least think it possible, that there is such a thing as an end time, but they shudder at the possibility that those trying times have officially been ushered in. In essence, they choose the path of denial. Rather than prepare for the end, they opt to ignore it.

One of the reasons for this is that they are young, and seek to live long, healthy, and happy lives. Or, they’re older and have children or grandchildren growing up that they want to send to college, or marry off. To them, the end times just doesn’t fit into their lifelong plan. In fact, some in this category even hope the blessed rapture gets postponed way off into the distant future.

Even though times are worsening, rather than accept and address them, they cling to the hope that world economies and geo-political events are going to get better. Unfortunately, if there is an end times, and if they are upon us, this mentality of denial can be downright dangerous because in the end analysis it parallels that of the ten-spineless-spies.

Certainly pursuing a noble aspiration, like sending a child through college, is a good thing, but if mankind has been plunged into a perilous period of time whereby hunting and fishing for survival is more essential than getting a four-year business degree, then what’s in the best interest of the child? Should he or she be taught to fish, or how to sell Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) when gas is priced at an unprecedented premium?

This example may sound facetious, but it speaks directly to the point. For instance, Christ says,

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:21)

This passage predicts a time is coming, which will be characterized by great worldwide tribulation. It implies that earning a college degree, or getting married and having a baby, is illogical. This coming “great tribulation” will necessitate survival, and eradicate denial. Everyone alive at the time will be forced to realize that the world is about to end! Christ is referring here to the final years of the biblical “tribulation period,” but some generation will experience this great tribulation first-hand!

This isn’t about minimizing the importance of a good education, which is scarcely affordable these days; rather it’s about being aware of the signs of the times. The fact many pastors avoid teaching about these last days, does not negate the fact that these last days need to be taught about. According to Acts 20:26-28, pastoral responsibilities require that the full counsel of God be taught from the pulpit. The full counsel includes Bible prophecy. Below is a quote that puts this into perspective.

“J. Barton Payne, the author of the Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, lists 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament, and 578 prophecies in the New Testament. That works out to a total of 1,817, by his count. And prophecies involve 8,352 of the Bible’s verses. And because there are 31,124 verses in the Bible, this works out to be about 27 percent of the total, meaning one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy.”(iii)

Picking and choosing what preaching is more conducive to filling the pews is not an option for an end-time pastor. Presenting about sixty-three percent of the Bible to a congregation, does not fulfill the requirements of Acts 20:26-28. Additionally, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that all 31,124 Bible verses are divinely inspired, including the 8,352 regarding prophecy. These two passages teach that even the prophetic Scriptures equip the man of God for service.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

It’s time for Christians to get right with the Lord, get ready for turbulent times, and get raptured, before the tribulation-period gets going!
___________________________________
Teaching taken from pages 142-145, and 147-148 of Revelation Road.
(i) Numbers 14:29-30
(ii) Noah’s testimonial actions are described in Hebrews 11:7, 1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 2:25.
(ii) The quote was taken from the Internet on 9/4/11 at this link: http://www.konig.org/wc24.htm

http://www.prophecydepot.net/2012/the-two-types-of-last-days-christians/

^^

Well, with Churchianity in America by and large insisting Christians have to vote Republican to be obedient to God...it's gonna be Obama vs. Romney, which is a Muslim vs. a Mormon...need we say more? Not that Reagan and Bush Jr were decent Christians themselves, but at least these 2 guys had somewhat of an OUTWARD appearance of trying to be "Christian".

Anyhow, the writing is on the wall...in BOLD print...this is a very good article overall.

I have a question for everyone here though - what if you don't have the resources to stock up on food et al like myself? No, I'm not trying to start to a BornAgain2 fund raiser end times here, but nonetheles what can you do if you don't have the resources to prepare? Sometimes I feel we have to do what Joseph did in Egypt when the Lord had him understand the times he was living in.

There are cheap ways to stock up on basics. For instance, some have bought dried beans and sealed them 5-gallon bucket. Bulk rice stores well. The idea amongst survivalists is not to eat well, but simply to eat. Of course, all this depends on a clean water supply.

There are too many variables to cover. Years ago, I witnessed a family on YouTube that had tons of weapons, ammo, food, and water stocked up. They lost all of it literally overnight due to an unforeseen chimney fire. There are seasons to life – sometimes shorter, sometimes longer.

I would say first and foremost to stay tight with God, and be open to whatever He would have you do personally. He sees all the variables and can take care of you and your family regardless of how things appear. He can also use you to help other people.

We are awash in lies, deceit, and propaganda ATM. We are being sold fear continually. Since iniquity abounds, I need His direct intervention to keep my love from growing cold. Correction: my love is already cold. I need His love working through me to cast out fear. I need both the love of truth and the truth of love. That is what will determine my actions.

edit

Police offered to buy people's cell phone vidoes? What? Somebody is gonna have to prove that because that would be a major issue.

 Things like this cause communities to explode. Letting a police dog loose in that crowd? You don't turn lose a dog in a crowd like that. That's riot/crowd control stuff, not a fleeing suspect!  ::)

Police fire on own citizens? No doubt in my mind. They do it every day, whether the person is armed or not.

"Agree with thine adversary quickly..."

 A SUGGESTED SURVIVAL LIST

By Chuck Baldwin
August 30, 2012
NewsWithViews.com

It’s once again time for my annual survival list column. One does not have to be a prophet to know that we are on the precipice of some potentially catastrophic--or at the very least, challenging--days. In fact, most of us are already in challenging days, and some are already enduring catastrophic events. That is, if one would call being out of work, losing one’s home, facing life-threatening medical conditions without any prospect of medical insurance, several families being forced to live in one house due to homes being foreclosed, etc., catastrophic.

The potential for an escalation of cataclysmic events, however, is very real. Only a “blooming idiot” would call someone who attempts to prepare for “the day of adversity” a Chicken Little now. Anyone who does not see the storm clouds on the horizon isn’t paying attention.

For example, can one imagine what would happen if Russia or China launched a nuclear attack against the United States? (Once again, I encourage readers to watch the CBS TV series “Jericho” to get an idea of how quickly life, and even civilization, could change.) Imagine if there was another 9/11-type event. What would happen if some form of Zimbabwe-style inflation hit the US? What would happen if anything disrupted the distribution of Welfare checks, or food to local grocers? Imagine a Hurricane Katrina-style natural disaster in your town. I think people everywhere are beginning to awaken to just how vulnerable we all really are.

As a result, people from virtually every walk of life have asked my thoughts on how they should prepare. Therefore, I will, again, attempt to share with my readers some of the counsel I have given these folks.

First, a disclaimer. I am not an economist; I am not a survival expert; I am not a firearms expert; I am not an attorney; I am not a physician. In fact, I am not an expert in anything! For several years, however, I have tried to learn from others. I am an avid reader. My work has allowed me to travel extensively. In fact, I have logged over 150,000 miles crisscrossing this great country over the last few years. I have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of--and learning from--many of America’s most learned, most trained, and most qualified “experts” in a variety of fields. What I write today, I have learned from others. I’ve formed my own opinions and priorities, of course, but everything I’m sharing has been said, or written about, before. But if I can share something in today’s column that will help someone be better prepared for the days to come, then my goal will have been achieved.

Location:

Analyze your living conditions. Where do you live? Do you live in an urban or rural environment? Is it a big city or small town? Do you live in an apartment or condominium? How close are your neighbors? Do you even know your neighbors? Would you trust them if the electricity was off and they were hungry? Could you grow your own food if you had to? How easily could you secure your home? If you live in a cold weather environment, how long could you stay warm without electricity? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself now.

Over the past several decades, masses of people have migrated into large metropolitan areas. More people currently live in urban areas than at any time in American history. While this may be well and good for times of prosperity, it is an absolute nightmare during any kind of disaster. Does anyone remember what New Orleans looked like after Hurricane Katrina came through? Can anyone recall what happened in downtown Los Angeles during the 1992 riots? Needless to say, any inner-city environment could become a powder keg almost instantaneously, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. And the bigger the city, the bigger the potential problems.

If you live in the inner city, I suggest you consider moving to a more rural location. Obviously, now is a very good time to buy property (especially rural property), but the downside is, selling property is not as favorable. If you can afford it, now is a great time to buy a “safe house” outside the city. If you are fortunate enough to have family or some true friends nearby, you may want to put your heads--and some resources--together in preparation for serious upheaval. Obviously, a team of prepared people is much better than being alone.

If you must stay in your urban location, have some common sense plans in hand in the event of a major disaster. Get to know your neighbors: find out whom you can trust and whom you can’t. Keep some extra gasoline on hand, in case you need to get in your car quickly and leave. Have several exit routes planned ahead of time, in case roads are blocked. Have a “bug-out” bag containing essential ingredients to live on for three to four days. If leaving is not an option, have a plan to secure your home as best you can. You’ll need to think about things such as food, water, medicine, warmth, self-defense, etc. But at this point, to do nothing is absolute lunacy!

Most readers probably know that my entire family and I made the decision two years ago to move 2,600 miles from our home of 35 years in the Florida panhandle to the Flathead Valley of Montana, which is located about 75 miles south of the Canadian border in the Rocky Mountains. I can tell readers without equivocation or hesitation that we are so glad we made this move. We absolutely love it here--all the difficulties and trials associated with such a life-changing move notwithstanding. In fact, I’ve never lived in a place I love so much!

If readers want to learn more about what prompted our move to Montana, please peruse the information on this web page.

Provisions:

During a major disaster, food will quickly disappear. Living for over three decades on the Gulf Coast, I can tell you with absolute certainty that whenever disaster strikes (usually an approaching hurricane, for those folks), food and provisions at the store sell completely out in a matter of a few hours. People panic, and within hours, you cannot find food, bottled water, ice, generators, batteries, candles, etc. In a matter of hours, every gas station in the area will be completely out of gas. Not days. Hours!

Furthermore, almost all disasters include a complete loss of electricity. The water supply is compromised. Bottled water becomes more valuable than bank accounts. Dehydration becomes a very real and present danger. I remember witnessing a man offer an ice vendor $100 for an extra bag of ice during Hurricane Ivan. My wife and I went two weeks (14 days) without electricity in the aftermath of that hurricane. Believe me, I got a taste of just how precious bottled water, ice, batteries, generators, fuel, etc., can become.

I suggest you have a supply of food and water to last at least a month. Many survival experts insist that a six-month supply is the minimum. Personally, I can live a long time on tuna fish or peanut butter. You can purchase MREs from a variety of sources, as well as “camp-style” packaged food from many sporting goods stores. Of course, bottled water is available everywhere during normal times. Stock up! Distilled water will store longer than spring water. Plus, I suggest you have some water purification tablets or a Katadyn water filter on hand. And, if you are able, prepare to grow your own food. In cold weather climates such as we have here in Montana, people quickly learn how to construct and utilize greenhouses in which to grow food. Canning food is another very helpful hedge against deprivation. If your parents and grandparents were like mine, this was standard operating procedure.

Get a generator. Keep a supply of fuel on hand. Stay stocked up on batteries, candles, portable lights, first aid supplies, and personal hygiene items--especially toilet paper. Trust me, during times of intense and prolonged disaster, toilet paper could become more valuable than money. I also suggest you never run out of lighters or matches. You never know when you’ll need to build a fire--and during a prolonged survival situation, fire could save your life. If you live in a cold weather climate, you probably already have some sort of wood stove or fireplace. And don’t overlook the necessity of a good knife.

Obviously, you need to take stock of your clothing. Do you have clothes suitable for extended outdoor activity? What about boots? During a disaster, you would trade your best suit from Neiman Marcus for a good pair of boots. Do you have gloves? Insulated underwear? What about camouflage clothing? These could become essential outerwear in the right conditions. Plus, any “bug-out” bag will need to include spare clothing. And as most folks here in Montana know, “cotton kills.” For extended outdoor wear in cold weather, wool is the only way to go!

Communication and medical provisions are also a high priority in any kind of emergency. How will you communicate with your loved ones when the phones (including cell phones) go down? Portable ham radios are a very valuable resource. But the time to buy (and train to use) one is NOW! A preordained rally point (or safe house) might be something to think about. And what about medical supplies? Do you have enough to take care of routine (and not-so-routine) emergencies? What about your prescription drugs? How long could you function if you were cut off from your pharmacist for any length of time? Also, seriously consider learning about natural, herbal medicines. Those plants growing in your “back forty” might just cure a headache, stop bleeding, or even save your life. Think about it now.

And one more suggestion, while we’re on this subject: the best resources in the world are of little use if one is physically incapable of making good use of them. In other words, GET IN SHAPE. During any kind of emergency situation, physical exertion and stamina become immensely important.

Commodities:

I suggest you have at least some cash on hand. Just about any and all disasters will result in banks being closed for extended periods of time. That also means credit card purchases being suspended. You need to have enough cash to be able to purchase essential goods (if they are even available) for an undetermined amount of time.

Of course, some survival gurus insist that during any cataclysmic climate, precious metals will become the only reliable currency. A little gold and silver could go a long way in a prolonged emergency. For that matter, with the way our fiat money system is coming unraveled, you may want to seriously consider moving your IRA accounts into precious metals, if for no other reason than to better protect your savings. Ask yourself, how much money have I already lost at the hands of these banksters in the Federal Reserve and their toadies in the stock market?

In fact, in a disaster, what is considered a valuable commodity can change rather quickly, as the barter system takes a life of its own. What is valuable is determined by what you need and how badly you need it. In a prolonged disaster, simple things such as toilet paper, canned goods, ammunition, and clothing could become extremely valuable; while cars, video games, televisions, etc., could be reduced to junk status. In antiquity, wars were fought over things such as salt. You might be surprised to learn that there are already active barter groups in your area. I suggest you establish a relationship with these people now!

Speaking of cars, remember that during a prolonged “national emergency” that might involve some sort of nuclear attack or widespread civil unrest, an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) might be employed; in which case, most every late model vehicle would be completely inoperable. Accordingly, if one can keep an older, pre-computer-age vehicle in good working order, he or she might be driving the only non-government vehicle capable of going anywhere. Of course, you might not want to drive it to town!

Self-Defense:

Needless to say, during any kind of disaster, your safety and protection will be completely up to you. If you really think that the police are going to be able to protect you during an upheaval, you are living in a dream world.

In both the New Orleans and Los Angeles disasters, police protection was non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly took control of the streets, and people were left to either defend themselves or swiftly become the helpless prey of violent marauders. In fact, in New Orleans, some of the policemen actually abandoned their oaths to uphold the law and joined with the criminals, turning their weapons upon the public.

Face it, folks: in any kind of disaster, you must be able to defend yourself, or you and your family will be meat for these animals of society that will quickly descend without mercy upon the unprepared, unsuspecting souls around them. This requires that you be armed! It also requires that you be skilled enough to be able to efficiently use your arms. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you purchase firearms sufficient to keep you and your family safe, and also that you practice sufficiently to know how to use them.

Now, when it comes to a discussion of which firearms are preferable for self-defense, the suggestions are as varied as the people who proffer them. These are my suggestions:

I believe every man (along with his wife and children of adequate age) should be proficient with the following weapons: a handgun in .38 caliber or above, a .22 rifle, a center-fire bolt-action hunting rifle, a semi-automatic battle rifle, and a shotgun.

My personal preference for a self-defense handgun is either a .45 ACP 1911 (either Colt or Kimber), a Glock .45, or a .40 S&W. In the .40 caliber, my favorite is a Glock 22 or 23. In the 1911, I like the Commander size configuration. I prefer either the Model 21 or the Model 30 in the Glock .45. And I will also admit to sometimes carrying a 9mm Glock 19 or a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. My two favorites in this caliber are the Model 66 with a 2 ½-inch barrel and the Model 586 with a 4-inch barrel. My wife prefers to carry a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver in the snub-nose, J-frame configuration. But this is primarily due to the reduced weight of these weapons for carry purposes. If needed, she could make a good accounting of herself with the Glock 19. If you are someone who has never owned and seldom fired a handgun, I recommend you buy a Glock. They are as simple as revolvers to operate, reliable, and almost indestructible. Plus, they provide increased magazine capacity, and are safe. They are also very easy to disassemble and clean. Of course, in dangerous game territory, you will need the power of a 10mm (the Glock 20 shines here), .45 Long Colt, .44 Magnum, or even a .454 Casull. These calibers are not for the limp-wristed, but when one is facing a brown bear or mountain lion, it is what one will need to survive. Plus, when your life is on the line, you’ll never feel the recoil.

For a .22 rifle, I really like the Ruger 10/22. A Marlin tube-fed .22 is also very effective. The CZ bolt-action .22 just might be the most accurate .22 on the market. For a hunting rifle, my suggestion is either a .270 or .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle. I prefer the Remington Model 700 BDL or Browning X-Bolt, but there are several fine weapons in this configuration and caliber by numerous manufacturers. In dangerous game territory, a Marlin .45-70 could be a lifesaver. For a battle rifle, I suggest an AR-15-style weapon in .223 caliber or a .308 Springfield M1A. For a shotgun, I suggest a 12-gauge pump. Here I prefer a Winchester Model 1300, which is not made anymore. So, you’ll probably have to choose between Mossberg and Remington. For ladies, however, a 20-gauge shotgun is probably a better choice, and at “bad breath” range (where a shotgun shines, anyway), it is just as lethal.

Whatever you choose, practice with it to the point that you are able to use it proficiently. And be sure you stock up on ammunition. A gun without ammo is reduced to being either an expensive club or a cumbersome paperweight.

Go to your local independent sporting goods store (I don’t recommend the large national chain stores to do your firearms shopping.) and get to know your hometown firearms dealer. Most of these people are kind and helpful folks who will be more than happy to assist you in finding exactly what type of firearm is suitable for you and your family.

Spiritual Power:

I firmly believe that man is created to have fellowship with his Creator-God. I really don’t know how people can face the uncertain future that we currently face without the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, comfort, and power that is made available through Jesus Christ. I believe the maxim is true: “Wise men still seek Him.” I strongly suggest that you seek to possess a personal relationship with God’s only begotten Son. In truth, spiritual preparation is far and away the most important preparation of all. Accordingly, be sure to pack a copy of God’s Word in your survival gear.

And if you have not been able to find a local church where the pastor isn’t afraid to deal with the kind of issues like I am dealing with in this column, I invite you to worship online with us at Liberty Fellowship. People all over America who are tired of these 501c3, establishment churches--who have no clue as to what is going on and who wouldn’t take a stand if they did--are tuning in to hear my messages at Liberty Fellowship every Sunday afternoon. To tune in this Sunday, click here.

That we are facing challenging days is a certainty. Exactly what that means is yet to be determined. I trust that some of my suggestions will help you be better prepared for what lies before us. Plus, here is an excellent online Survival Blog chock-full of great suggestions and resources for all things survival.

And if you are considering relocation, please check out Joel Skousen’s web site.

And if you think you may want to relocate to the Flathead Valley of Montana, George Hudson, a man at Liberty Fellowship who “escaped” from California to locate here--and who is now helping scores of people from all over the country to resettle in our beautiful valley--may be contacted here.

Please give him a few days to email you back, but he will be happy to try to answer any questions you have about moving here.

I am sure that I have left out several items that others more qualified than me would include. I welcome their suggestions, as I am always desirous to learn from those who are wiser and more experienced. In the meantime, remember your Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.”

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin716.htm

Just a quick look at NY and NJ and why it is so important to have basic survival skills and equipment. The so called "natural disasters" are going to get worse and worse, you need to be prepared.

Yeah, when I saw the news reports on this, it looked like northeasterners were just not prepared for a disaster like this. At least New Orleaneans and Gulf Coasters have been prepared their entire lives to respond to even the most massive of hurricanes. Yes, the hurricane was pretty devastating, but for the most part, it's been the aftermath of it and how the lack of preparation on part of the citizens was what stood out the most.

These weather disasters can come at a flicker of the moment without much warning - we saw the big tornados that hit Joplin, MO in a heartbeat last year.

Hers is a really big reason as to why you need to be ready and prepared.

Sandy Price Gouging Probed: $7 Loaf of Bread, $10 Box of Matches

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hurricane-Sandy-Price-Gouging-Scams-Investigation-177279531.html

According to a report by YouGov.com, a research and consulting organization, 64 percent of Americans are woefully unprepared for a major natural disaster, even after the events of Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, and a series of other major natural disasters smacking us around in recent years.

The report finds that people making disaster-readiness plans has slightly increased from 31 percent to 36 percent since 2011, showing that the majority of Americans have failed to adequately prepare themselves in the event of another major disaster. This is the breakdown of YouGov’s numbers,

    Of the 36 percent who said they were equipped for natural disasters, their preparations included the following:

        Emergency supplies (for example, flashlights or first-aid kits): 89 percent
        Food stocks: 74 percent
        Creating an evacuation or an emergency plan: 50 percent
        Disaster insurance: 22 percent

    Of the 89 percent who had emergency supplies, their supplies included the following:

        Flashlights:  97 percent
        Water:  92 percent
        First-aid kits or medicine:  92 percent
        Sleeping bags or blankets:  83 percent
        Face masks: 18 percent
        Iodine pills:  15 percent

While general preparedness is low, concern and fear over another natural disaster has increased, especially across the Northeast, where 31 percent report that they are “very concerned” following Hurricane Sand, doubled from the previous year’s report of 17 percent concern in polling done after Tropical Storm Irene, the highest percentage in the country.

A lot of people have prognosticated in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that this was finally the storm that got everyone’s attention, and that in the future, people will be more prepared for the advent of another natural catastrophe. I’m not so sure. While Sandy’s devastation was massive and destabilizing, only time will tell how New Yorkers will prepare and respond, both personally, and politically, should another superstorm come to wreck our city.

http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/11/report-majority-of-americans-still-not-prepared-for-a-major-disaster/

U.S. Electrical Grid 'Inherently Vulnerable'

With the world focused on the latest Middle East flareup and the increasing prospect for a wider military conflict there, a little-noticed U.S. report has sounded new alarms over the vulnerability of the U.S. electric power-grid system to terrorist attacks, which could cause even more damage than natural disasters. The effect, according to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, would be blackouts over large regions of the country for weeks and even months, costing billions of dollars to repair. The NRC report warned that the power grid is “inherently vulnerable” physically given the distances it covers, an already overly stressed bulk high-voltage system that can result in multiple failures. In addition, most of the major facilities remain unguarded.

more: http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/u-s-electrical-grid-inherently-vulnerable/

The whole thing is old and outdated and really anything could take down the whole system. Remember a couple of years ago when a transformer in Ohio took down half the US eastern sea board and part of Canada

How To Build Up Food Reserves For An Apocalypse Survival Kit

Whether you’re preparing for the possibility of another hurricane or an impending catastrophe, Judgement Day or even the zombie apocalypse, you can never go wrong with an emergency supply kit stocked with the right foods. Store foods that you eat regularly. Include vitamin, mineral and protein supplements. Store enough foods for two weeks. Make sure to include a manual can opener, disposable utensils and plates. Consider including candle warmers, a fondue pot and portable gas-powered stove for cooking. Keep food in a dry, cool spot out of the sun. Keep sugar, dried fruits and nuts in screw-top jars or airtight cans. Avoid eating canned goods that have become dented, swollen or corroded. Avoid fatty, high-protein or salty foods when your water supply is low. Keep your hands clean with either soap and water or hand sanitisers. If water supplies are low, eat salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals, and canned foods with high liquid content.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/2012/11/28/how-to-build-up-food-reserves-for-an-apocalypse-survival-kit

10 Ways to Prepare Your Community for Economic Collapse

As economic collapse approaches, the only question is whether it will remain in slow motion or take a dramatic turn for the worse. If we're lucky it will remain in slow motion to give people and communities enough time to prepare as much as possible.

We only need to look at the chaos that occurred during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy where hardly anyone was prepared for weeks without power, and they even had some forewarning. Unfortunately most people are still blind to the coming economic storm. They're frogs in slowly simmering water getting ready to boil.

It's one thing to prep for yourself, but if the economic collapse is sustained for a long period of time, it will take a tribe to survive as comfortably as possible. The bigger your extended survival group the easier it will be, and if you can encourage your greater community to move more toward self-reliance the better off you all will be.

If you're a prepper who understands the severity of the coming events, now is the time to get your community involved. You don't have to convince everyone the sky is falling, only the importance of more self-sufficiency just in case there is an unforeseen emergency.


Here are ten ways to help your community prepare:

Meet Your Tribe: This starts with forming your core group of local prepper friends. These people will share your understanding, have great ideas, and can share the burden of prepping. Then, at the very least, meet all of your immediate neighbors and size them up as to their mindset and ability. Organize fun and educational block parties to demonstrate and encourage the solutions outlined on this list. Finally, take some of your ideas to town hall meetings to seek broader cooperation and more volunteers.

Alternative Water Sources: Water is the most important element for survival. If the grid goes down, public water will be sure to follow. Locate private wells that can be switched to hand pumps or generators, or streams, rivers and ponds that can be piped and stored near your community. Create a map of these resources for everyone in your group of volunteers to keep safe if crisis strikes. Educate your neighbors with flyers or demonstrations at block parties about having back-up water supplies, rainwater and greywater use, and water purification methods. Encourage your neighbors to keep at least 3 days of drinking water stored in their homes.

Garden Projects:  Encourage and help neighbors with their individual gardens and they'll help you with yours. Hold neighborhood workshops with experts on composting, permaculture, aquaponics, small livestock, seed preservation, and canning. Stress the importance to the greater community of gardens in public spaces that are being wasted on grass that must be mowed at the taxpayer's expense. With more of the local landscape turned into an edible landscape, the easier the community will be able to absorb the impact of economic collapse, particularly rapid inflation of food prices.

Local Food Co-Ops: Another very important element to local food self-sufficiency is becoming involved with your local food cooperatives. These typically include many of your local artisan farmers and organic gardeners. You may be surprised by how big the local food movement already is in your area, but it needs to be much bigger when severe economic crisis hits. Support them with your business and whatever skills you can bring to the table. Encourage your neighbors to join and participate as well. Not only will this help expand local commerce and food production, it also helps build a healthier community. A great resource to find local farmers in your area is LocalHarvest.org.

Barter Systems: If the dollar collapses (which most people predict will be the trigger of economic collapse), having a local system of trade will soften the impact tremendously. Even if you just begin with trading services with your neighbors, get the idea barter to spread. You may already have a local grassroots currency or barter exchange in your area. Many food co-ops already have them as well. If they don't, there are plenty of resources that teach you how to start one yourself. The importance of laying the groundwork for such an exchange cannot be understated, and if the collapse miraculously evaporates, the barter system will still encourage local trade so the community flourishes. This is also a great way to identify team players with vital skills needed during collapse situations.

Alternative Energy:  This is perhaps the most challenging issue facing any individual prepper as well as a small community as a whole. Virtually all areas are beholden to large interconnected electric grids and multinational oil companies for their energy. But as we saw recently with Hurricane Sandy, people without fuel or power go crazy after just a few short days. Imagine weeks and months without power or fuel. For personal preparation, it's wise to at least have a generator, and perhaps some solar panels for refrigeration and electronics. Encouraging your neighbors to do the same may be the best you can hope for community involvement, but present ideas like generators for all essential services to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Work on implementing a community or co-op biodiesel refinery for used cooking oil, or a windmill or solar station for the back-up water supply, etc

Neighborhood Watch: All communities are unique and will require different levels of security in times of crisis. As we saw with Katrina and Sandy, the National Guard and the local police were no match for keeping the looters at bay. And, again, these were just temporary setbacks. A sustained economic crisis could bring many desperate people or worse - organized gangs - to your neighborhood. The cops will likely be preoccupied with much bigger concerns than your community assuming the locality can still afford their salaries. Start with a simple neighborhood watch to create a basic plan for deterring invaders. Make note of neighbors who are former military or hunters to recruit should things get dicey enough to require some firepower.

Food Bank:  Everyone should have their own personal supply of survival foods. But you may also consider grouping with your tribe of preppers or a few neighbors to create a food bank where you can combine funds for bulk food storage. This food bank should consist of the most basic of foods like wheat, rice, and beans.  This can serve as an "open only in case of an emergency" cache. Beyond that, helping out with your community food bank or other food programs for the less fortunate is also a way to help keep your community stable during the crisis.

Communications: Don't underestimate the importance of maintaining open communication with your community.  If the power goes off, it may not be long before phones and Internet are gone too. Emergency radios are great to monitor the "official" activity outside the community, but being able to speak to each other is vital to survival.  Back up systems can be as small as your core group using walkie talkies, or as large as creating an alternative Internet connection. You can have one person get satellite Internet and they can beam it with a simple line-of-sight microwave panels to other hubs, perhaps a school.  This sounds complex, but it's not that difficult or expensive. Additionally, you could set up a community intranet that can at least communicate with each other if not the outside world. When meeting neighbors, don't discount their skills if they're a tech geek or working for the phone company, as they will be needed in a collapse situation. Again, having individual solar chargers for laptops and this system would have to be considered as well.

Medical: Big hospitals will likely be overtaxed during a crisis and they'll certainly be a target of drug addicts who have nowhere else to get their fix. It may be unrealistic to form a small clinic in your community prior to a collapse situation, however, identifying the doctors, nurses, EMTs, veterinarians, and holistic healers in your neighborhood will go a long way in preparing. Additionally, encouraging all households in your neighborhood to keep a month or more of essential medications stored in their homes will be crucial to get through difficult times. If you're lucky enough to find a few doctors who share your prepper mindset, creating a bank of strategic medicine (insulin and antibiotics) would be ideal as well. And don't write off the hippie who knows how to grow quality cannabis....

These are all realistic preparations that you can do in your communities. They shouldn't be motivated by fear of some potential apocalypse. Rather, it should be fun and joyful to get to know your neighbors and encourage the strengthening of your community.

Please tell us your ideas for surviving the economic collapse in the comment section below.

http://www.activistpost.com/2012/12/10-ways-to-prepare-your-community-for.html

Hey Mark, why don't we start a thread on this from the perspective of what the bible says about "prepping"? For or against it.

I'm not seeing where it makes sense for a Christian to be doing all this prepping stuff, so if we can show scripturally what we are to do, then it would make more sense. Just the topic itself seems like we are no better than the fearing unbelieving world, which of course we are no better, but I think you get the idea, and well, believers have no fear of what's coming, but look forward to it, right?

25   Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 
26   Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 
27   Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 
28   And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 
29   And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
30   Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? 
31   Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 
32   (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
33   But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 
34   Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:25-34 (KJB)

1Ti 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

We know that before the Lord returns at the Rapture, that there will be wars, earthquakes, and natural disasters. We know this because the Lord told us this would happen. So if we do not prepare for that, how are we taking care of our house and family, knowing in advance what is coming?

I'm quite sure there are Christians living in areas hit by Sandy. Those people should have been prepared for that. There is nothing wrong with preparing for what is coming and is in fact already happening on the Earth. The Lord said it was coming, and we are told to provide for our own, that includes being able to take care of your family in the event of natural disasters.

And that is the very reason I suggested that we have a specific thread on it, mainly because while I know that verse well, I disagree with the interpretation.

Remember, we are to walk in the Spirit, by faith, taking no thought for the morrow. If a person is trying to stock up for something that might take place tomorrow, how is that by faith? Wouldn't that be taking thought for tomorrow?

I believe the interpretation for that verse is spiritual, meaning that we are to provide for our household;s spiritual needs, as the Spirit moves us. Man looks on the outward appearence, but we being the sons of God are to look at the spiritual, and not walk according to the flesh.

Besides, you cannot protect a person that doesn't believe, and quite frankly, you can't protect one that is, as Jesus has already done that.

Consider that we are not to fight or resist the world, as it isn't our fight. We are to suffer being defrauded, to take it on the cheek, and not render evil for evil. So why then would we do just the opposite and try to protect ourselves from something that Jesus says we are already protected from?

It just doesn't seem like living by faith to me, and thus is why a seperate thread is on order.

Maybe a closer look at what Jesus told the disciples as He sent them out, firstly to take nothing, then take what they had.

I have to agree with Kilika here - personally, I'm single, am unemployed due to the worsening job market, and am living with my parents, so obviously my material resources are limited.

No, I'm not offended at all for the posts made here over prepping, and yes, I agree that people need to be aware and not asleep over what is going on in current events now. But nonetheless there are people like myself who's resources are limited, and definitely wouldn't be a good idea to stray away from what scripture says, but to walk in the Spirit, by faith. B/c this is all I can do.

And no, I'm not trying to put out a "BornAgain2 prepper fund" out there, just so you know.

As for the events of Sandy - I'm surprised alot of the residents there didn't evacuate. My heart goes out to them, but nonetheless their biggest mistake was not taking the hurricane seriously and not fleeing at the opportunity.

Another thing - if anyone plans to stock up on food, you better be VERY careful over the foods you buy, b/c even some of the PREPPER food sites like EFoods have MSG in them.(ie-doesn't Alex Jones promote EFoods?)

FWIW, last week I was reading an article over how the NFL rival New Orleans Saints/Atlanta Falcons has been really heating up in recent years. When the Saints's team plane arrived in Atlanta, the Falcons fans were throwing eggs at them. Seriously, don't these people know that food prices, in particular the ones for eggs, are starting to soar now?(especially after the record drought that hit last summer)

When the fan really hits the ceiling, these people are REALLY going to hit the fan...you ain't seen nothin yet! Either get right with Jesus, or get left.

Matthew 12:29  Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Mat 12:30  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

I see prepping more as God’s personalized plan for His saints. I do as much as I am financially able. A saint may be called upon in the future to help his neighbors and the head of household is called upon to care for dependents to the best of his ability. It does not indicate weak faith. Staying tight with God is still a higher priority. The saint cannot depend on stockpiles since they can literally vanish in an instant due to unforeseen circumstances.

On the other hand, if a personal situation changes where prepping becomes less feasible, then dependence upon Him becomes more obvious. The former case is still just as dependent as the latter. But, to us, it just seems more obvious. I’m not saying that the saint should fall into the “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” mentality as that would indicate a loss of hope.

Personally, I seem to be transitioning from the former to the latter scenario. A fixed income with rising prices has caused financial erosion as the former stockpiles of food deplete. Even though Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow, I still struggle with it.

I see both scenarios as Biblically valid.

That's some good input folks. I was praying that a nice coversation would result. I by no means intend to squelch info that is sound, which the survival type stuff presented has been...viable.


Yes, I know exactly what your saying, we all experience that period from time to time that we are caught up inour daily lives that we tend to drift out of the Spirit, and get momentarily distracted by carnal things, and the carnal unbelieving around us. Thank you Jesus, if it wasn't for Him, there are many thigns that I use to do and think that were totally a common thing for a person to do in secular society. It's just how THEY do it. That's a hard thing to break when your raised that way, as it seems by all logic that you'ved learned so far in life it's the way it should be. But it's not in so many cases. It's just that we were taught wrong by our parents and the people around us. That's the blunt truth. It starts with parents not teaching what truth faith in Jesus really is. Instead, they are lukewarm at best, mainly are caught up in the world and many of them are lost and not born-again (...in works deny Him...). God knows.

When we are born-again with the Spirit, we litrally become "a new creature", "all things are become new". We then have the Holy Ghost in us to teach us and direct us by our faith and trust that He will lead us in the right direction. Sometimes our old man ways creep back in due to the corrupted fleshly body we still reside in, and we step out of walking in the Spirit.

Consider the thought one must have in order to prep for some kind of emergency. Your literally taking "thought for the morrow". We who are His are saved, and it's not up to us as to who will be damned, no matter what calamity, people quite literally are on their own with their Maker. You cannot save them with stores of food and water. If our Lord wants them, or you, He WILL take them, lest we be found even to fight against God.

I know it's hard to deal with family that are not spiritually on the same page. We all experience that, which is why Jesus tells us...

35   For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 
36   And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household.
Matthew 10:35,36 (KJB)

I believe that if we are to provide for our house, it's their spritual needs, feeding them the Word as the Spirit gives to us. Now, does that mean we don't on the sabbath pull the donkey out of the ditch? Of course not, as the Spirit WILL move us to love our neighbor and help as needed. We naturally now have the desire, the Spirit, to be that way towards others, but again we must trust the Spirit to guide us to what is true, and what is of faith. "Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith..."

I merely am exhorted to keep my brethren in remembrance...

19   For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
20   For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, 
21   Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
22   For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 
23   And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. 
24   For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 
25   But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it]. 
26   Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 
27   And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. 
28   And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. 
29   For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 
Romans 8:19-29 (KJB)

I agree, this is an excellent discussion here.

I will add this - if anyone has a good bit of resources sitting around in the banks et al, it would not be a bad idea to move it OUT before the banksters eventually get to it, and invest on better things like stocking up on emergency stuff.

But again, OTOH, if you have few resources on you like me, then it would be best to walk in the Spirit by faith.

Ultimately, the 501c3 Churchianity crowd will be in for a shocker in the near future - you walk into these church buildings now, and you get the impression that Christianity is a bunch of peaches and cream. Yeah, the next false flag event, if/when it happens, is going to blind-side them.

Matthew 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

http://news.yahoo.com/russians-pay-1-000-doomsday-party-soviet-bunker-183146169.html

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Cold War-era bunker designed to save Soviet leaders from a nuclear attack will host a 24-hour party for Russians willing to pay $1,000 for a ticket to escape the apocalypse, which, according to New Age prophesies, could come on Friday.
 
Bunker No. 42, now a tourist attraction full of red alarm lights, is located 56 meters (184 feet) under ground in central Moscow, near the Kremlin, and can accommodate up to 300 people.
 
"Many people would feel much calmer if they could spend this critical day enjoying maximum comfort and safety," said Alexei Pavlovsky, a tour guide at the bunker, adding there was strong interest in the party which will start at midnight on December 20.
 
Pavlovsky said the idea of holding a party at the bunker, which has served as a museum since 2006, came from visitors keen to mark the end of an era in the Maya Long Count calendar due at sunrise on December 21 - an event interpreted by some groups as the end of days.
 
"We don't have control over things such as the end of the world. But we are ready for pretty much everything," he said.
 
"There'll be a children's room with cartoons, for adults there'll be movies, talks dedicated to the end of the world and tours of the museum. There'll be live broadcasts from other bunkers in other countries."
 
Upon entering the bunker, built in 1956, visitors will be whisked 18 floors down in an elevator to a warren of rooms where loudspeakers blast out the old Cold war warning: "Attention! Attention! The enemy has carried out a nuclear attack!"
 
"The bunker is rather big, but everything here is arranged in a way that makes people feel safe. This is a comfortable, cozy place to spend not just a day, but a whole war and even the end of the world," said Anna, a student visiting the bunker on Wednesday.
 
Other resorts across the world are offering refuge for those fearing the doomsday predictions.
 
A hotel on the slopes of Mount Rtanj in Serbia is selling itself as the best place to survive the apocalypse, basing its promise on the mystical powers that locals say have flooded the area since the mountain swallowed a castle belonging to a well-to-do sorcerer, trapping him inside [ID:nL5E8NJ96S].
 
(Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Yeah, from all of the reports I've read, it just came unexpectedly - it seems to have been that way with a lot of natural disasters recently, really not much of a window for warning(and they weren't earthquakes either).

As for preparing ahead of time - just follow the Holy Spirit, and he will guide you into all things.

This is how people in Morocco survive:

(http://s15.postimg.org/5vvd98prv/168221_380584828728728_1594184657_n.jpg)

Increasing Your Odds of Survival

Today, most Americans believe that the United States is on the verge of a total economic collapse and will soon be entering another Great Depression. The government believes it as well.  However, unlike most Americans, the government is prepared as evidenced by DHS and their recently purchased 2.2 billion rounds of ammunition and 2700 armored personnel carriers.

Only a small percentage of the people are prepared for what is about to happen. Just what does it take to be prepared? How much of this and how much of that, are questions that many preppers ask. Unfortunately, most Americans are not asking any questions at all. Most of these ignorant people will be among the first to die.
 
There are two major types of crises which could come to our country. We could get lucky and have a soft landing, which will be catastrophic, but survivable. The other possibility is that we will be looking at a complete collapse of everything and this country could become a very dangerous place in which to live. This article examines strategies for dealing with a complete breakdown of our society.   


Economic Collapse
 
With $200 trillion dollars of unfunded liabilities and corresponding amount in personal debt, it is not a matter of if, but when the economic collapse is coming.

Are you prepared for what could be visited upon in you and your family a moment’s notice, or do you still trust Big Brother to meet your needs?
 
Here are some things that you and your family might consider stocking up on in order to survive.

Water

Most people can survive for a number of weeks without food, but without water you will die in just a few days. 

Subsequently, where would you procure water if your taps run dry?  If you do not have a plan, this would most likely be the most likely cause of death? Do you have an abundant supply of clean water near your home? Do you have the ability to boil water if you needed to purify it? Gathering water is your number one concern. Do you have a swimming pool? If you are one of the few that has a swimming pool, you need to be able to defend the water because your house will be a target.

Water purification tablets are critical because the water you have access to in a crisis, may not be suitable for drinking. So you may find that water purification tablets and a water filter will prove immeasurably important.

Food
 
Most families could not last longer than a month on what they have in their house right now. When the economic collapse comes, how long could you survive on what you have? 

You need to start growing food right now. Having your own garden, both in and out of your house is critically important, for if you don’t, when your family runs out of food, you will suddenly find yourselves competing with the desperate mobs of hungry people who are looting the stores and roaming the streets looking for victims in order to steal their food.

Begin to store food, now! Store seeds and plants now. Seeds will be the first item to disappear. So, begin to gather them now. Of course, if you are hungry, the government would be happy to take you to a safe refuge, a FEMA Camp. The question is, will you come out alive?

Avoid Roads Like the Plague
 
Highways will become death traps as they will be targeted by bad guys, many of who will don military and police uniforms in order lure in unsuspecting people. To a starving and thirsty gang, there is not a better target than a passenger vehicle, a truck or better yet, and RV loaded down with stored food and ammunition.

If you have a bug out location,  plan to leave the very moment that the event happens and get to where you want to be within 72 hours. Once the trouble starts, do not attempt to travel. The government, and the gangsters are equally dangerous during this time.   
 
Military strategy documents all advise that when governments fail, roads are to be avoided at all costs.

Should You Expatriate?
 
This is a very controversial question. The world, not just the United States will experience systemic failure. However, America carries a special bulls eye on its collective backs. Why? Well, when President George W. Bush said that “they hate us for our freedoms,” he was half right. The NWO which is using the government to strip America of its civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorists funded by the CIA, do indeed hate us for our freedoms. Therefore, I expect the accompanying political crackdown to much more severe in America than anywhere else.

If expatriation is an option, you better be where you need to be within that 72 hour window, or you are not getting there. My favorite countries that I have considered expatriation to are Norway and Costa Rica.  However, you would be far better off owning a cabin in a remote area, stocked with hidden food, water, guns and lots of ammunition, than attempting to get to a foreign land.

If you come up short on these options, hunker down in your neighborhood. However, you better have a network of like-minded people for community defense against the marauding hordes that will be roaming the streets looking for food and water. And just don’t own a gun, learn how to use it and maintain it.
 
Prepare Three Day Bug Out Bags
 
It is possible that you may have to flee your home in order to stay alive. Surviving the first three days in these cases is the first critical challenge. Prepare a bug out bag for each family member and store it in an accessible place.

Some of the items in the bug out bag should contain are sleeping bags, flashlights with extra batteries, guns and ammo, knives, forks, spoons, weather appropriate clothing, toiletries, change of underwear and other clothes, bottled water, snacks, water purification device and tablets, small pot for boiling water, backpacker mini-cook stove with fuel, towel, ability to make fire, flashlight with extra batteries, a first aid kit and medication, fishing line, small fishing hooks, a compass, and your critical papers (ID, birth certificates and bank account books and bank statements.

Prearranged Meeting Place
 
If you are in your normal 8-5 routine, have a preset place to meet your family. Make sure you coach your children, that under no circumstances, are they get on a school bus that will take them to “safety.”  Schools across America annually practice bus evacuation drills. The problem that I have with these drills is that they never tell the public, or even school authorities what kind of places they will take your children. In a major Denver disaster drill, a couple of years ago, they took busloads of children to Invesco field where the Denver Broncos play football. Does anyone remember the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina? And of course, the bus could always head to a FEMA Camp as well.

I have coached my son  onhow to drop out of line to the bus and where to hide until I come and get him. You should practice reuniting both in a vehicle and on foot. I keep a bug out survival bag in my car. Paranoid? Look at the economic numbers that I listed at the top of this article and ask yourself, paranoid, or prepared?
 
Leave the City
 
If you are convinced as I am that the collapse is on the near horizon, you should have a bug out location outside of a major metropolitan area and once you see the signs, don’t wait to act, go right away. 

If you cannot get out of the city, you need to give your home a ransacked look and feel.  Throw old clothes and wrappers along with dresser drawers out on the front lawn. Barricade your doors. If you can afford it, by special awnings, now, to go over your windows to prevent easy access. 
 
Again, if you are departing the city, stay off of the main roads as much as possible. Tray and network and travel in a caravan if possible.

 Sanitation
 
In the third world, the leading cause of death is typically dysentery as water mixes with sewage. In cities, sewers and subsequently toilets will be backing up. If one does not bury excrement properly this too can lead to serious diseases. You will need portable toilets, lots of toilet paper, and bleach to scrub clean the messes.

In major cities, trash disposal will become a major problem as well. It will attract dangerous animals. The disease component will expand exponentially after a week. In these cases, trash should be burned.

Store Medicines
 
This may be the most difficult aspect of preparation because a lot of life-saving medication (e.g. diabetes, heart pills, asthma inhalers, etc.) are controlled by prescription. First, one should immediately learn about natural remedies and stock up on these products. Secondly, if you can take a tiny bit less of your meds today, without endangering yourself, begin doing so. Ignore the expiration on your medication labels. Medications far outlast the posted dates as Big Pharma wants you to keep coming back. Finally, consider a series of smuggling shopping sprees to Mexico or to Canada.  Empty out old pill bottles and fill them with over the counter medications that you can purchase with medication that matches the labels on the pill boxes. Most immigration officials are not going to challenge something so trivial that appears to be legitimate. Of course, you will have to be judicious in the amount you smuggle back. Keep in mind it is a crime to bring back foreign medication to our country. Oh, I forgot to mention that America is the only country in the world which does not allow its citizens to purchase foreign drugs. Isn’t it nice that your government does such a good job of protecting Big Pharma’s monopoly?

Conclusion
 
If society experiences a meltdown, the odds for survival are not good. For example, Congress Trent Franks (AZ) produced a video which showed that in the event of an EMP attack, 90% of the people would be dead within two years. Estimates call for a 50% mortality rate in the event of a total economic breakdown. If civil war accompanies a breakdown, the casualty estimates would be impossible to gauge. Either way, the odds are stacked against survival. Preparation does not guarantee survival, but if one does not prepare, they are sealing their own fate. And most of all, do not forget your spirituality, you may need a miracle in the days ahead.
 

This article, by no means, is meant to represent an exhaustive list for survival needs. Rather the contents listed here are intended to get the reader to reflect on their own preparation and what they could do when disaster strikes.

Part three of this series will look at strategies people may employ in the event of a currency collapse but the country remains relatively intact. There are things that every American should be doing today to prepare for a financial meltdown, for when it starts, no bank account, stock market investment, 401k or pension will be safe from the clutches of the bankster controlled government. 

http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/05/29/increasing-your-odds-of-survival/

I DISAPPEARED, BUT I AM IN GOOD HANDS

     You are welcome to all of this food and water. If you are reading this and I have disappeared, I would like to tell you that I was waiting for the very moment when it happened. I watched for it and longed for it many years before it happened. The news reporters may well be telling you that UFO’s were spotted just before all the Christians disappeared or that radiation caused many people to just disappear. I am sure there will be any number of imaginative ideas, but I assure you that it was neither UFO‘s or radiation etc. Jesus came and took the real Christians to heaven. We had been studying the Bible and expecting it for years and we were ready to go! Unfortunately, it appears that you were not.

     First let me assure you that I am fine and so are any of the people you knew (family or friends) that disappeared when I did. We are all in heaven with Jesus taking part in our judgment for the things we tried to accomplish for Jesus while we were on earth. We will come back in about 7 years riding on white horses with Jesus in the lead on his own white horse. You can read about our return in Revelation chapter 19, verses 11 through 14 in the Bible. We will be back, but there are a lot of bad things that are about to happen to the earth in the next few years. You can read about them in the Bible starting in Revelation chapter 6.

     I sure wish you had known Jesus before we all left because you could have left the earth with us and been spared the ugly judgments that are about to happen to the people who didn’t know or didn’t care about Jesus. Had you accepted Jesus as your savior before we all disappeared, you would have been raptured with us when we left. Oh, the rapture? You can read about that in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13-17 in the Bible. The word ‘rapture’ is actually a Latin word that means “a catching away” and is not a word that is actually used in the Bible, but the meaning is clearly seen in that passage. All of the ‘TRUE’ believers got caught up into the clouds with Jesus when the great trumpet sounded. We are the ’saved’ people spoken of in the Bible. (A lot of religious people either did not really believe the Bible, or they put their faith in some false teaching instead of in the actual words of Jesus in the Bible).

     The next few years are going to be real hard for the people on this earth , and most of the people on earth will be killed by catastrophes, diseases, earthquakes, famines and various other dangerous things listed in the book of Revelation in the Bible. The last earthquake listed in Revelation 16:20 will level most of the mountains on this earth. The first one listed in Revelation 6:12 &14 will move every mountain and island out of their places. Let me warn you now that there is a very real possibility that you will not live through the next few years on this earth. God is about to reshape the face of the earth and begin His kingdom, which will last for 1000 years on this earth (Revelation 20:4-7).

     I realize that things do not sound good for you, but let me assure you there is hope if you will turn to Jesus now. He was crucified on an old rugged cross many years ago to pay the penalty for your sins, and he wants to save you from the ultimate judgment when you will have to face God at the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The problem is that you have sinned against God, and He is not happy about many of the things you have done in your life when you were disobedient to His laws. Those laws are written in the Bible, and God expects us to find them and obey Him. The size of your sin is not important. To God, stealing a pencil is no different than stealing millions of dollars. He said not to steal (Exodus 20:15). Every sin small or great, and every idle word you have ever spoken (Matthew 12:36), you will have to give account to God for. All sin will be punished in one way or another. Either you accept what Jesus did for you on that old rugged cross when he gave his life a ransom for you, or you will pay for your own sins in the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15). I chose to accept Jesus as my savior! You should too!!! His death on Mount Calvary nearly 2000 years ago paid for the sins of the whole world (1st John 2:2), and the Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:11 that God was satisfied with what Jesus did for us. Romans 10:9-10 and 13 assures us that if you will believe Jesus and call upon him for forgiveness he will forgive you. He wants to save you instead of judge you but it is up to you. All who trust in Jesus will live forever with him, and all who ignore his offer of forgiveness will perish in a lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:15).

     You may still choose to believe that there is no God or that you will never have to face Him and answer for your sins, but I assure you that there is and you will! Your only good option is to repent of your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you right now. You may not live through today. Call upon Jesus while you have breath to do so. In the Bible you can learn about what is coming to the earth and about Jesus, the God who became man for thirty-three years and gave his life on that old rugged cross to pay the penalty for your sins. You may die a horrible death in the next few years, but if you will repent of your sins and trust in Jesus now, you will be in heaven with me when you do die. There will be no more tears there! Call upon Jesus while you can. He can hear your prayer right where you are. Now is the day of salvation! Don’t put it off. Tomorrow may not come for you on this earth!
 

The Post Rapture Survival Guide

The purpose of this manual is twofold:
First of all, it is to warn those who receive this manual prior to the rapture of the events that will take place in the last days as foretold in the Bible. Based on what the Bible has to say about future events, nobody in their right mind would want live on earth after the rapture. Hopefully, many will read, believe, seek God, repent and be saved. Salvation is very simple, so simple to attain, in fact, that most people cannot accept its simplicity; thereby reject it completely. However, it is complex because it is life-changing and based on that which we cannot see; it is based on faith. Simple, because Jesus does all the work. If you want to be saved and have eternal life, simply pray in belief and humility to Lord Jesus:

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me of my sins and prepare for me a new heart. I surrender my life to you."

Secondly, to those left behind after the rapture, this is indeed a survival manual. You still have an opportunity to repent and have eternal life. The same prayer of salvation is applicable to you; the only difference is that you will spend a little time experiencing a taste of hell while you remain on earth.

Let me be really frank with you. If you are reading this manual and the rapture has already occurred, then you probably are not going to physically survive; you most likely will die sometime un the next few years. This manual is about the survival of your soul. You are going to go through terrible suffering. The only question that remains is whether you will go to Heaven or go to hell when you die.

Definition: Rapture--This is the event that will occur when Jesus calls His followers (both gentile and Jewish believers) with a trumpet blast, and in the "twinkling of an eye" they will be removed from the earth and transported to be with Jesus in the heavens.

Biblical Foundation for the Rapture

"Take notice, I am telling you a secret. We shall not all die but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet call. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51-52).

"For with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven, and those who died in Christ will rise first. Afterward we, the living who remain, will be caught up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall forever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

"...For I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when I have gone and have prepared a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself so that where I am, you also will be" (John 14:2-3).

Events and Circumstances Prior to the Rapture

At the time that this manual was being written, and for the remainder of the time left in this age, the one word that describes the condition of the world is change. All of this change is being accomplished through the work of Satan, as he cannot tolerate anything that originated from God's creation. Originally, the Bible tells us that when God created the world He declared that it was "good." That means that it was perfect and no changes were necessary. Included in His creation were standards to live by that He gave to Adam and Eve. These standards covered everything from how to live in our private lives, to proper domestic relationships, to principles for governing a community. Satan seeks to change everything that God has created and established, thus he has used his power and influence in the world to make subtle deviations to God's original plan. Satan's goal is to establish a world order headed by his protege (the world dictator known in the Bible as the Beast and anti-christ) who will spend his time and effort changing everything to be in opposition to God's will as expressed in the Bible. This is predicted in the Bible in the book of Daniel: "and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law."

POLITICAL

In today's political environment there is no effective leadership in the world. Every nation lacks strong and competent leaders able to deal with the problems at home and abroad. The United States, which has been the world leader for the last 50 years, has steadily lost its influence among other nations because of political leaders in the United States who have no moral center to direct their decision making process. However, this distrust and dislike of government and government leaders is not just an American phenomenon but is a common theme in Europe, South America, Asia and the entire world. Because of this leadership vacuum in the world, there is now an opportunity for a man to arise who is very charismatic, strong, and attractive to peoples of all nations. Based on the prophecies in the Bible such a man will arise, and he will be successful in uniting the various nations to rule as a dictator.

The move to unite the world under one government has been active since the early 1950's, and in recent years this has become more of a reality as many nations have given up their sovereignty to the United Nations during armed intervention of conflicts (eg. Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia). In these conflicts, the nations of the world contributed manpower and machinery to be used under the flag of the United Nations. The United States of America surrendered its sovereignty in these situations to much weaker nations by allowing its military to be controlled by these nations. In addition to these military actions the nations of the world also agreed to control trade and labor practices with international treaties such as NAFTA and GATT.

There is no dominant nation to provide leadership to the world, thus the stage is set for a man to arise out of the masses to unite the world as dictator.

SOCIAL

The foundational building block of society, that element which has always been responsible for social order and peace, is the family, and it has been virtually destroyed. The family is to be a man, his wife and their children. The man provides for the wife and children, the wife nurtures and educates the children, and the children obey their parents. In a community of families, adults hold the other adults and children accountable for their actions. The family is based on marriage.

Marriage is an institution of God and therefore hated by Satan. The devil has worked very hard, primarily through communications media such as TV, movies, news journalists, and entertainment in general to convince women that marriage is detrimental to their freedom and fulfillment in life. Satan has deceived women into believing that they have the same sexual desire as men and that all differences are the result of culture. Satan has worked hard to divide men and women and have them at war with one another, and because of this, the violence between men and women has dramatically increased.

Civil war has been a constant theme of this age and unrest will continue into the end times: man vs. women, black vs. white, Muslim vs. Jew, Catholic vs. Protestant, Muslim vs. Christian, one Muslim faction vs. another Muslim faction, one black African tribe vs. another black African tribe, nation vs. nation, people vs. people. Whatever divides people into different groups, Satan uses to inspire hate, strife and violence.

Homosexuality and all sorts of perverse behavior are accepted as normal. The world dictator (anti-christ) himself will not have the normal sexual attraction to women and may be asexual. Many theologians believe that he will probably be openly homosexual as indicated in the Bible in the book of Daniel 11:37: "and he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women". And therefore, after the rapture, more than likely marriage will be discouraged or illegal, and homosexual and lesbian relationships highly encouraged.

ECONOMIC

On the economic scene, the trend is toward poverty for the masses with wealth concentrated into the hands of very few people. These controllers of the wealth will be the kings of commerce and banking and also be the power behind politics of the world. Small businesses are merged into larger companies and the larger companies merge with themselves to increase profits. The result is huge multi-national companies that have no allegiance to any community, state, nation or people, whose only allegiance is to increased profits for management and shareholders. The result is workers who are little more than peasants and presidents of companies who are more and more like kings. It will be these "kings" who usher in the world dictator to protect their wealth and power. Expect all commerce, buying and selling, to be controlled by a mark on the right hand or forehead of every person who wants to participate in the economy. Only those people with the mark will be able to buy and sell, but the consequences of taking the mark is eternal damnation (Rev 14:9-11).

Therefore don't take that mark. You will have a very difficult time surviving, and probably won't, but you will save your soul. Again, don't take the mark on your right hand or forehead.

GEOPHYSICAL

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus spoke to his disciples and indicated to them that one of the signs of the time of the end of the world would be, "...as it were in the days of Noah so will the coming of the son of man be." We read in Genesis that in the days of Noah "the earth was filled with violence.". This speaks not only of the violence that men inflict on one another--war, civil wars, ****, brutality, murder, abortion, and other indiscriminate, random acts of violence, but the earth itself is also filled with violence. We see increasing earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, drought, lightning storms and unusual atmospheric phenomena. While all of these have existed in the past, over the last 50 years, the number and intensity of these conditions and the property damage associated with these natural catastrophes has increased. As the level of violence that the human species has inflicted on one another has increased, so has the violent reaction of the earth increased.

Signs of the Times

When Jesus' disciples asked Him about the signs that would be a precursor to His coming and the end of the age His response, recorded in Matthew 24, was:

Wars and rumors of wars
Nation will rise against nation. It is very interesting to note that the Greek word that is translated as nation is "ethnos" which deals with ethnic background and race. Most of the wars and conflicts in the 1980's and 1990's are wars among ethnic groups and tribes.
Kingdom will rise against kingdom
Famines
Earthquakes are like the early pangs of childbirth. As the time grows nearer and nearer to His coming, the frequency and intensity of these five signs will increase.
The followers of Jesus will be handed over to be persecuted and killed. This is happening with more frequency in the Muslim controlled nations in the Middle East, and in Africa where Black Muslims are enslaving Black Christians.
Christians will be hated by all nations on account of His name. In many parts of the world, Christians are jailed and killed for their beliefs; in the United States those who are Christians are hated by the media and liberals, and are known by the code words "religious right."
Many will fall away...that is, many who claimed to be Christians will recant their faith, and betray and hate Christians.
Many false prophets will arise and deceive many.
Due to excessive lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold.

The Rapture

This is an event that will not be hidden. The concept of the rapture has already been made known to the masses. It will be treated with ridicule, contempt and mockery by the world's media, but God will see to it that it will be highly publicized before it occurs just so that those left behind might still come to their senses. It will occur in the open, and everybody left behind will know someone who was raptured.

It will happen suddenly, unexpectedly, and lightning fast--"in the twinkling of an eye," as the Bible puts it. And there will be evidence all over the world that this event occurred. Some national leaders will disappear, celebrities in entertainment and professional sports will disappear, entire families will disappear, disbelieving spouses will see their mates vanish, children will disappear. Bank accounts, homes, cars, businesses and relationships will be left behind. The problem for the world's leaders will be trying to convince people that it didn't happen. Because if the world's leaders admit that it did happen then, logically, everything Christians preached about Jesus Christ being the Son of God, the Savior, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings and everything that Jesus preached and taught must be true. And if all of this is true, then the only logical response would be to fall on one's knees before God in confession and repentance and absolute submission to every word of God (as revealed in the Bible). But all of this is diametrically opposed to the way of the world, which preaches freedom from the constraints of God's word, perverse sex, materialism and the devaluation of human life. So, although the rapture will shock everybody and will be covered in the media and everybody left will be aware of someone who is gone, the leaders of the world will begin their great deception, trying to convince the population left behind that there was no rapture.

How is this going to be accomplished? Well, pretty easily because most of the people left behind are already in a state of deception. They have been deceived into believing that Jesus is not the Messiah; they have been deceived into believing that the word of God is not true; they have been deceived into living a lifestyle that only brings constant pain and suffering instead of the freedom and paradise that God offers. The world's leaders will declare that there was no rapture, that a mass hysteria took place, and the news media will follow the party line. Then to make things easier, shortly after the rapture, one-fourth of the world's population will be decimated due to wars, famine and plague. Those who were raptured will be counted among the dead.

After the Rapture

Shortly after the rapture, a seven-year period known in the Bible as the Great Tribulation will take place. It will begin with the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and her enemies and it will end with the physical return of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom on earth. In between, will be seven years of terror for those on earth. The following events and trends will take place in that seven-year period:

 

A man will arise who will achieve victory after victory both in politics and in war(Rev 13:7). This man, who should be easily identified by his rapid rise and popularity, is your the anti-christ. Many people believe that this person must be Jewish. That is, in order for Jews to accept him as Messiah, only a Jew will suffice. This is not necessarily the case. The Bible does not specify that he is a Jew, and it does not specify nationality. Only God-fearing Jews will require a Jewish Messiah. The liberal, ungodly Jews who dominate Israel will be as lost when it comes to Biblical truth as the Gentiles of the world and will be deceived by his charisma, and more than likely, the desires of the world's media. Currently the new nickname for the United States is the Great Satan. This may have some significance.
Violence will increase in all parts of the world, both nation against nation (ethnic wars) and domestically. Men will indiscriminately slay one another as peace will be removed from the earth (Rev 6:3-4).
There will be extreme inflation, poverty, and lack of food as one day's wages will buy enough food for one day for one person (Rev 6:5-6).
In a very short period of time, one-quarter of the earth's population will be killed due to wars, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. These wild beasts could very well be viruses, bacteria and other microbes. In late 1995, Time magazine ran a cover story on the rise of new infections and called microbes "malevolent little beasts" (Rev 6:7-8).
Many people will experience a religious conversion and become followers of Jesus Christ and most of these people will be hunted down and killed (Dan 7:21).
There will be a great earthquake, the sun will be blackened, the moon will turn red and all mountains and islands (which are underwater mountains) will be moved (Joel 2:30-32).
There will be a brief period of calm on the earth following this great earthquake which will give those who survive a false sense of security.
One-third of the earth, one-third of all of trees and all the green grass will be burned up due to a comet or meteor that hits the earth (Rev 8:7).
A meteor will hit the earth causing the sea to become like blood, killing one-third of all sea creatures and destroying one-third of all shipping (Rev 8:8-9).
A "star" named Wormwood will fall from the sky and poison one-third of all fresh water killing many people (Rev 8:10-11).
The sun, moon and stars will be darkened by one-third. The day and night will be reduced by one-third. There is some speculation that this means the rotation of the earth will be changed so that a day lasts only 16 hours instead of 24 hours (Rev 8:12).
Fearsome locust-like beings will be released from underground who only attack people who are not followers of Jesus Christ. These attacks will be very painful but last only 5 months (Rev 9:1-11).
An army of 200 million horse-like creatures will kill one-third of mankind (Rev 9:13-19).
Two men (known as witnesses, see item 7 below) of Jewish origin will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for 3 1/2 years and be killed at the midpoint of the 7 year tribulation. These two will be responsible for a 3 1/2 year world-wide drought and will be killed by the anti-christ (also known as the beast in the Bible).
People will be required to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead in order to buy and sell. Those who receive this mark will develop a loathsome and malignant sore on their bodies within a short period of time (Rev 13:13-18).
The oceans will chemically change and become like the blood of a dead man (congealed?) and everything in the sea will die (Rev 16:3).
The fresh waters will become like blood (Rev 16:4-7).
The sun will scorch the people on earth with fierce heat (Rev 16:8-9).
The throne of the anti-christ and his kingdom will become darkened (Rev 16:10-11).
The Euphrates river will dry up allowing the kings of the east to march westward (Rev 16:12).
The kings of the world will gather their armies together to battle God at Armageddon. There will be an earthquake so great that all of the mountains and islands will disappear. There will be hailstones weighing close to 100 pounds that will crush the armies that have gathered (Rev 16:17-22).
Shortly after this great earthquake, Jesus Christ will return with His army to claim the earth as His possession (Zech 14:3-5).

The Two Witnesses

These two men are God's gift to the people of the earth who refused to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ prior to the rapture, but who will recognize the error in their life and seek God knowing the terrible mistake they have made. These two men will proclaim the gospel and provide hope for those left behind. Their message is for the salvation of the soul. They will have no message as to how you can avoid the hell that life on earth has become, because there is no hope to avoid that tribulation. If you are left on earth, then your destiny is to suffer and more than likely die. But you still have the hope of salvation. Listen to what these two men are preaching and turn to God.

The Bible does not say who these two men are. Many speculate that they are Elijah and Enoch, two ancient prophets of God who never died. Regardless, they will be responsible for many of the natural catastrophes that will wreak havoc on the property and economy of the earth. They will have the power to prevent rain, and there will be a 3 1/2 year drought on earth until they die. They will turn water into blood and cause all kinds of plagues on earth and, in general, make life miserable for those who are living on earth. Also, they will be invincible, as many will try to kill them only to be killed by their own hands. Those who attempt to blow them up will themselves be blown up; those who attempt to shoot them will have their guns explode in their hands; those who attempt to poison them will be poisoned by their own efforts. Only the world dictator will be able to kill them and only when God allows it.

The purpose of all the misery that these two witnesses inflict on the earth dwellers is to turn people back to God in repentance. The misery will be so great that when the world dictator does finally kill these two, the world will rejoice in a Christmas-like celebration, giving gifts to one another. Three and one-half days after their death they will be resurrected and, in full view of the entire population of the world, ascend to heaven at the command of God when He calls them to "Come up here." Shortly after he kills the two witnesses, the world dictator will declare himself to be God. He is the anti-christ.

The 144,000 Jewish Witnesses

Shortly after the rapture, God will call His army of 144,000 Jewish believers into service to provide a voice of hope for Jews throughout the world. The best friends and most staunch supporters of Jews have always been true, believing Christians. It was this element of the world's population that provided help and support for Israel and Jewish people. The rapture removed the Christian people from the earth and awakened the 144,000 to their purpose. These 144,000 preach to Jews worldwide that Jesus is the Messiah. These 144,000 will be spread out worldwide and more than likely go about in pairs, two by two, as Jesus instructed His disciples to do. It will be these 144,000 who will oppose Israel signing a peace treaty for protection; it will be the 144,000 who will identify the anti-christ for who he is; it will be the 144,000 who will warn Israel of the treachery of the anti-christ, and it will be the 144,000 who will lead the Jews worldwide to the hiding place prepared for them by God in the Judean desert. These 144,000 Jews are going to be strange people by normal standards: they will be celibate, very bold, fearless, spiritually strong and probably very much like John the Baptist. You can read more about the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 14.

Money

Hard currency will become obsolete. This is no surprise, as banks and governments have been working to eliminate currency, coin money and paper transactions for decades. Currency and coin is expensive to produce, lends itself readily for drug trafficking and, with high tech equipment, is too easily counterfeited. Banks desire to eliminate the teller position as an expense item, and with the elimination of paper checks and currency, all financial transactions can be handled with a computer. The debit card will become the tool for all personal financial transactions. However, at some point after the rapture, probably right after the two witnesses are killed, everyone will be required to get a mark on their right hand or forehead in order to buy and sell. Do not, do not, do not under any circumstances participate by receiving this mark. All those who receive this mark known as "the mark of the beast" are doomed for eternity. By taking this mark you are swearing allegiance to the anti-christ. You may as well attempt to enjoy life as best you can because eternity for you will be hell. It is at this point that God will have separated His followers from Satan's followers. Those who have taken the mark will persecute those without the mark. God will render judgment on those with the mark by inflicting them with a disgusting looking and very painful ulcer covering their bodies.

So how can a person without the mark survive and still buy and sell? Again, this will almost be impossible, but there will be people who are part of the anti-christ's regime who don't believe in the anti-christ; they are just "survivors" who pick the "winner" and seek to profit from that relationship. Therefore, save up for yourself gold; gold has always had value as money and always will, even in a cashless society. Identify one of these profiteers and seek to purchase food and living supplies from him. However, don't ever disclose to him how much gold you have and where it is. You want to be more valuable to him as a dealer than as a bounty. By the way, you will have a price on your head for not taking the mark. Obviously you won't be living an open life, as you will be in hiding somewhere at a remote location or in the forest on the outskirts of a large city. Your only goal will be to eat to live and hope to escape the militia hunting for you and those like you. Should you get caught, your fate will be either death or slavery.

If you receive this manual before the rapture and plan to be around after the rapture, then start storing up food and living supplies and put them into hiding in some remote and difficult to access area. You should include weaponry to defend yourself and medical supplies as part of your living supplies.

Safety Concerns

This era will be the most violent of times in the history of the world. Death, brutality and destruction will be part of everyday life. One of the defining characteristics of the last days following the rapture will be a lack of peace. There will be civil wars throughout the world: people will kill one another indiscriminately. Random acts of violence will fill people with fear. Car-jackings, home invasions, drive by shootings, and bombings will all increase with an intensity that will leave people with absolutely no sense of security.

In order to survive this time, you will need to remove yourself from society and live in a remote area that is difficult to access. Getting together with a group of like-minded people would provide additional support and safety.

As mentioned earlier, stock up on food, medicines, living supplies, weaponry and gold. You will need enough for 7 years. Don't plan on being able to supplement your food with hunting and fishing because the stocks of wild animals and fish will have been depleted and destroyed by the 3 1/2 year worldwide drought and three successive meteor-like or comet-like objects that strike the earth sometime after the rapture. The 3 1/2 year drought is brought on by the two witnesses. The first object from outer space to strike the earth will destroy 1/3 of all trees and all the green grass on earth. The second object, more like a meteor, strikes the sea and destroys 1/3 of all sea creatures and 1/3 of all shipping. The third object turns 1/3 of all fresh water poisonous and kills many people. Needless to say, all of this will also seriously deplete the food supplies for the world's population, causing food prices to skyrocket. Those people in the world who never before missed a meal or worried about food will become very familiar with hunger pangs and the feeling of going without food for long periods of time. This will be one of the causes of the increased violence as people become more self centered, short-tempered, and competitive for the food sources in short supply. As Jesus spoke to His disciples about these days, He said, "people will betray one another and hate one another...the love of many will grow cold."

Health Concerns

Prior to the rapture, the world experienced an increase in health-related catastrophes, an increase in new infectious diseases and an increase in the return of diseases thought to have been eradicated or brought under control. The past two decades have brought on AIDS, EBOLA virus, flesh-eating bacteria, the return of tuberculosis, incurable gonorrhea, herpes and many other virtually incurable sexually transmitted diseases. After the rapture, things do not get better, as one quarter of the world's population will die as the result of wars, famine and plague. Sometime after the two witnesses are murdered and after people are required to take the mark on the right hand or forehead, there will be a terrible plague causing a loathsome and malignant ulcer on the bodies of those who have taken the mark. This will be a very ugly and very painful sore that will make life miserable for those who have it.

In addition to all this, because of the poor economic situation worldwide and the 3 1/2 year drought that depletes the world's supply of water, sanitation practices will deteriorate even in what were advanced nations in Europe and North America. With the short supply of water, there won't be sufficient water for flushing toilets, taking baths, washing clothes and transporting wastewater to treatment facilities. This will result in the increase of typhus, cholera, salmonella and E.coli infections.

Therefore, since you have decided to reject Christ's offer to join in the rapture, your concern is how to maintain good health in the post rapture era. You must build a supply of multiple vitamins with particular emphasis on anti-oxidants such as C and E and minerals. It will also be necessary to have a supply of disinfectants, particularly one that can be added to water to make it potable.

Above all, do not accept the mark of the beast on your right hand or forehead. If you do take the mark then nothing can be done for you. You will suffer the malignant ulcer making the rest of your life almost unbearable. Did you ever have a canker sore in your mouth? If so, then you know how painful that one little canker sore was. Now think of having canker sores all over your body, on your genitalia, in your mouth. Think how painful and unbearable your life will be. Then follow that misery with eternity in hell. Don't take that mark.

http://www.raptureready.com/rr-survival-guide.html

There's no such thing as a post-trib rapture. Thank you Jesus for delivering us from the wrath to come! :)

Thankyou Lord Jesus too.

The great persecution of the Church has gone on for about 2000 years and now God is going to bring us who are alive into Heaven because God has had enough of the wickedness that is going on today.

I'd say a King James Bible, notepad and a few pens or pencils are good. You can write down the events as they happen, so you know how closer you are to the Second Coming.

I have no doubt at all that the Holy Ghost will tell us how close we are. No need for taking notes. God already gave us His notes! Besides, who would you leave those notes for? Posterity?  ;)

Well you could also doodle in some free time, provided you have free time.  ;D :D

There are many survival situations where a working cell phone would be your go-to piece of equipment. A phone call could have help on the way in an instant. Unfortunately, cell phones also break quite easily. Even a slight impact can leave them unusable for communication, which at first glance appears to be the only thing they are good for. You may be surprised to discover, however, that you can use the components of a broken cell phone to create multiple survival tools.

More than 5 billion people in the world carry cell phones, and out of that group 1 billion are smartphone users, according to Forbes. Even if you are without your survival kit, you or someone you are with will likely have a smartphone. It can be said that major companies are moving from cell phones to smartphones to stay alive. BlackBerry knows all about survival, and has made a major move from only offering business cell phones of the past to smartphones anyone would enjoy using. Let’s begin be stating that you should only use your cell phone in these ways if it is already broken. A working smartphone is far more useful than any of these other tools. Even if you cannot get signal at first, you may be able to later. Emergency crews may be able to locate you through your phone as well.

1. Fire Starter

Daily Infographic offers up one of the best tips in the world for surviving out in the woods — using your phone to start a fire. Anyone who has ever tried to start a fire with only found materials — with a fire bow, for instance — understands just how challenging it can be. Starting a fire without a reliable ignition source requires practice, and you do not have this luxury in a survival situation.

When you take a wire from your phone and use it to connect the positive and negative connectors on your phone’s battery, the wire will get extremely hot. It is definitely hot enough to light dry, lightweight tinder. However, you need to have your fire all set up beforehand and your tinder ready, as the heat generated by this process will cause the wire to disintegrate very quickly. One wire will give you one chance.

2. Make a Signal Mirror

When you break your phone apart layer by layer, you will discover a metallic, shiny section. This makes a perfect signal mirror. Signal mirrors have been used throughout history as survival tools.

Make a peace sign with your fingers and use it to target the reflection of your mirror towards rescuers. Reflections can be seen from miles away, so try to flash any potential help you see.

3. Cutting Tools and Fishing Lures

The metal backing in your phone and the circuit board can both be shaped into numerous tools, including sharp knife edges and fishing lures. Art of Manliness even shows how to sharpen the circuit board into a spear point which you can then use to protect yourself or spear fish.

A broken phone is filled with useful survival materials. You may have nothing else on hand, but if you have your phone and a little know-how, you could conceivably survive for some time with what you find inside. A phone call may be better, but sometimes you do not have that option.

http://beforeitsnews.com/survival/2013/07/turn-your-cell-phone-into-a-survival-tool-2481238.html

(http://s22.postimg.org/sdpogllkh/1234204_614343205254611_1813367083_n.jpg)

I'm no chemist, so what's the deal with the salts and sugar? Why is that a good thing for plants?

i think it has something to do with the NPK ratio that is Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorous. Most plants need them elements in some ratio. i think that is achieved with this sugar and salt.

FYI, like I mentioned on another thread - the snow has frozen and iced b/c of the frozen temperatures. So not only is it impossible to shovel the snow, but it's stuck not only around my gates, but also at my front door. Not that there's anywhere to go(as everything's closed), but nonetheless we're not able to leave outside our home, not even to the front yard through the weekend.

Pt being that I've gotten my first taste, even though not THAT big, of what it is to "survive" in these situations. It's not like I have a lack of food, clothing, heating/AC, and in the woods, but nonetheless I'm seeing my first taste of this.

texans...  ::) 

Yeah - will admit, I'm a long-life southern guy, so I'll admit I'm really not used to this. ;)

Maybe this is why all of this has caught me by surprise(see my last post in the Cleon thread in the Weather forum).

ive been saying to get prepared. natural disasters are going to get worse and worse all the way up to the trumpet. And that is just going to skyrocket inflation. its not going to be pretty

Just look on the bright snow side of life :D

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/12/11/imagine-america-without-los-angeles-expert-warns-southern-california-isnt-ready-for-major-quake/
12/11/13
‘Imagine America Without Los Angeles’: Expert Warns Southern California Isn’t Ready For Major Quake

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A leading earthquake expert has issued a dire warning to Californians about the expected impact of a major disruption to the San Andreas fault line.

The title of Dr. Lucy Jones’ lecture this week to the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco was titled “Imagine America without Los Angeles.”

As KCAL9′s Dave Bryan reports, Jones, a Science Advisor for Risk Reduction at the U.S. Geological Survey, says when the “Big One” hits Southern California, the damage could be much greater, and could last much longer, than most of us ever imagined.

“Loss of shelter, loss of schools, loss of jobs and emotional hardship. We are risking the ends of our cities,” she said during the presentation.

According to a USGS study called the “Shakeout Report,” when a high-magnitude earthquake rocks the San Andreas fault, the damage will go far beyond the collapsed buildings and freeways seen in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

For example, LA-area supermarkets now depend on Internet systems for warehousing and shipping food to stores, and the food is stored on the other side of the San Andreas fault.

“With the development of the Internet and the new just-in-time economy, none of them store food on the Los Angeles side of the San Andreas anymore,” Jones said.

“So this is one more place where the development of the complexity of our modern society is creating new vulnerabilities as we face the big earthquakes.”

Fiber-optics could also be cut off when a disastrous earthquake hits the San Andreas fault.

“Two-thirds of the connectivity from Los Angeles to the rest of the world go through fiber-optic cables crossing the San Andreas fault,” Jones explained. “So we expect at the time of the earthquake when the fault moves, we will break these fiber-optic cables and two-thirds of the data capacity between LA and everyone else will disappear,” she said.

Natural gas pipelines also cross the San Andreas fault, so gas for cooking and heating would be in short supply.

And the area’s aging water pipes, which seem to break with great regularity even without a temblor, are not expected to stand up well when the big earthquake hits.

“The water pipes — remember the first thing you put in in a city is the water pipes. That means our water pipes are some of the oldest parts of our infrastructure,” Jones said.

“Seventy percent of the water pipes in Southern California are AC pipes and many of them will be breaking when this earthquake happens.”

Much of the high-tech damage could hinder the recovery effort in the weeks and months after the earthquake, according to Dr. Jones, so getting Southern California back on its feet could be a wrenching process.

“The World Wide Web wasn’t in existence at the time of the Northridge earthquake,” she said. “Right now think of how much both your personal life, but also our economic system, depends on having cell phone communications and internet connectivity (sic).”

The “Shakeout Report” from the USGS estimates it could take six months for the broken water pipes to be replaced across Southern California after the earthquake.

And they say while the Northridge quake directly affected about a half a million people, a maximum credible earthquake on the San Andreas fault could affect 10 million Californians.

Be prepared: Wall Street advisor recommends  guns, ammo for protection in collapse

A top financial advisor, worried that Obamacare, the NSA spying scandal and spiraling national debt is increasing the chances for a fiscal and social disaster, is recommending that Americans prepare a “bug-out bag” that includes food, a gun and ammo to help them stay alive.
 
David John Marotta, a Wall Street expert and financial advisor and Forbes contributor, said in a note to investors, “Firearms are the last item on the list, but they are on the list. There are some terrible people in this world. And you are safer when your trusted neighbors have firearms.”
 
His memo is part of a series addressing the potential for a “financial apocalypse.” His view, however, is that the problems plaguing the country won't result in armageddon. “There is the possibility of a precipitous decline, although a long and drawn out malaise is much more likely,” said the Charlottesville, Va.-based president of Marotta Wealth Management.

Marotta said that many clients fear an end-of-the-world scenario. He doesn’t agree with that outcome, but does with much of what has people worried.
 
“I, along with many other economists, agree with many of the concerns expressed in these dire warnings. The growing debt and deficit spending is a tax on those holding dollars. The devaluation in the U.S. dollar risks the dollar's status as the reserve currency of the world. Obamacare was the worst legislation in the past 75 years. Socialism is on the rise and the NSA really is abrogating vast portions of the Constitution. I don't disagree with their concerns,” he wrote.
 
In his latest note, he said that Americans should have a survival kit to take in case of a financial or natural disaster. It should be filled with items that will help them stay alive for the first 72-hours of a crisis, including firearms.
 
“A bug-out bag is a good idea depending on where you live even if the emergency is just power outages, earthquakes and hurricanes. And with your preparedness you will be equipped to help others who might be in need,” he wrote. “Be prepared. Especially because it keeps you from being scared.”
 
He provided a list of items and even a link to bug-out bags on Amazon.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/be-prepared-wall-street-advisor-recommends-guns-ammo-for-protection-in-collapse/article/2541205

I agree. Look at Greece with their financial collapse, and a few other countries. Yes, they had some riots, but localized. It wasn't total anarchy, or even close. I think in part that's because there is other countries to move to, so people don't see it as THAT big a deal. They don't want to to change, but moving I think would be an option rather than staying and trying to fix it. People still see options. Desperation is when they are backed into what they perceive as a corner with no way out.

Now if the government were to restrict travel, which they could, seeing governments have been known to lock up financial accounts to prevent huge withdrawals from banks, then that could cause some major problems in the US, seeing Americans are use to freedom of movement whenever they want, and access to THEIR money.

A "BOB" isn't a bad idea I guess for the world of unbelievers. For believers? We already have our bugout bag in the Holy Ghost.

37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39 (KJB)

Colossians 2:10-15(KJB)
10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Yeah, there's no reason to fear what's to come - whether it's the global economic collapse, FEMA camps, etc.

Matt Drudge Issues Warning: “Have An Exit Plan”

His web site may consist of just a single page, but Matt Drudge is arguably the most influential media personality in the world. Garnering nearly one billion readers monthly, the Drudge Report is able to literally shift public sentiment, making it an essential read for D.C. insiders, Wall Street professionals, and anyone who wants to stay on top of the latest global issues.

If Matt Drudge headlines a story its viral spread to millions of readers in near real-time is guaranteed.

With his established connections to critical spheres of influence that include everything from politics and government to finance and entertainment, when Drudge speaks, people listen.

Over the weekend, as noted by Steve Quayle and Susan Duclos, the self made media behemoth took to his Twitter account with a simple warning consisting of just four words… Have an Exit Plan

(http://shtfplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/drudge-exit-plan.jpg)

Drudge included no other details with his Tweet.

The warning, while cryptic, may be the result of direct insider information. Considering he once nearly brought down the Clinton administration by revealing the President’s indiscretions with a White House intern, one could make the case that if anyone has legitimate sources pouring in from across the world it’s Matt Drudge.

Could his warning be for stock market investors regarding foreknowledge of an imminent collapse of financial markets in the United States, China and Europe?

Or has Drudge’s access to insiders in key positions given him the ability to connect the dots for an event that may occur in the near future? Few may recall, but just three weeks ahead of the September 11th attacks, Drudge headlined warnings of possible strikes on US-based targets, so there may well be a credible insider source for his most recent warning as well.

In recent years the mogul has expanded his news distribution service to  include alternative news powerhouses like Alex Jones’ Infowars, which researches and analyzes key events and happenings globally. As of late, Drudge has made it a point to link to a variety of topics at Infowars that include the militarization of America’s domestic policing apparatus, Constitutional transgression at the highest levels of our government, and other insider reports often ignored by the mainstream media. While establishment news media shuns the rapidly growing alternative media, a warning to “have an exit plan” is one that the alternative news sphere has consistently suggested, while often being laughed at in mainstream circles.

Given Drudge’s massive following, reach, and credibility, perhaps we shouldn’t be laughing any more.

Something has spooked Matt Drudge and he’s not alone. Last year one of America’s leading talk show hosts, Mark Levin, warned that the U.S. government has been simulating the collapse of our financial system and society with the potential for widespread violence. There are countless such examples of highly influential media personalities who are issuing similar warnings.

Within the realm of the alternative media, the last several years have yielded incredible insights into the inner workings of the U.S. government, political system and economic machinations. Everything from manipulations of our monetary system to the sometimes unbelievable expansion of the American police state has been extensively studied and reported by thousands of independent journalists, broadcasters and bloggers operating outside of the mainstream establishment’s sphere of influence.

There have been insider reports indicating that a crisis of unprecedented magnitude is coming to the United States. Contrarian economists, who are almost completely ignored by mainstream media, have warned of dire consequences to the continued operation of our systems of commerce, including our domestic food distribution networks. And though it has not been reported on the alphabet news channels, the U.S. military has been actively war gaming collapse scenarios and engaging in highly suspicious exercises across U.S. metropolitan areas.

While Matt Drudge’s latest comments could be referring to anything, given the types of stories he’s covered in recent years we could make the case that he is referring to worst-case scenarios.

His exit plan warning may encompass any number of potential scenarios such as a coming shock to financial markets, evacuating major cities in an emergency, preparing for the destruction of our currency, or having a way to get out of the United States in the event of a Soviet-style purge.

Whatever the case, Matt Drudge understands that his views and comments are followed by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, thus we are confident that he would not publicly issue such a warning unless he has access to credible information that supports his claims.

That being said, we urge readers to remain vigilant. And, in the off chance that some terrible event is in our near future, we strongly suggest having a preparedness plan that includes emergency food storage, barter supplies, medicines, precious metals, and a strategic relocation plan in case you are forced to evacuate your current residence.

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/matt-drudge-issues-warning-have-an-exit-plan_01272014

Or what if the next event happens to be the rapture? :)

If this is the case, then sorry Matt, but there will be no "exit plan"(with the exception of getting saved AND not taking the MOB) when the Lord unleashes the Revelation judgments.

Exactly! And Drudge knows what makes his readers jump. Stay tuned for the next phase of his marketing plan. I suspect it will be some offer of insight, only found through him and his many "sources".

How 2 inches of snow created a traffic nightmare in Atlanta
1/29/14
http://news.msn.com/us/how-2-inches-of-snow-created-a-traffic-nightmare-in-atlanta

A light snowfall in Georgia shut down its capital's traffic. How is that possible?

I know what you're thinking (I grew up outside of D.C. and Boston): "How can 2 inches of snow shut down Atlanta?"

Before I got here, I thought that too. I wonder it every time there's a run on the grocery stores before a storm, or when some other city cancels schools before a flake has even hit the ground.

And surely, the drivers play a part. I was out getting coffee around noon yesterday, just when things were starting to get bad (at the time there was, at most, a half inch of snow on the ground), and set out to drive my 2 miles home, a straight shot on a fairly major surface street. It took me around 30 minutes. Part of the reason was one of the drivers in front of me (with Tennessee plates) was going 5 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone with no cars in front of them. But even with my car — 2013 model, 10,000 miles on it — I was skidding at times on the gentle incline of a street that hadn't been treated with sand/salt/gravel at all.

My wife left work in Woodstock, a city 30-35 miles northwest of here, a little after noon yesterday, and took 3.5 hours to get home. She was one of the lucky ones.

Yes, Atlanta has many drivers who are inexperienced in the snow, but for a region that gets a storm (I know, I know, "2 inches = storm") like this at most once every few years, how is anyone supposed to be experienced in the snow? How do you think San Francisco would handle a couple inches of snow? Going north/south on Franklin or Gough, or east/west on Fell or Oak? How do you think the N-Judah out in Cole Valley or the Sunset would handle it? This is a metro area of 6 million people, and it's time to think beyond "those silly southern drivers."

Metro areas of 6 million people need to be prepared for anything.

Which leads into the blame game. Republicans want to blame government (a Democrat thing) or Atlanta (definitely a Democrat thing). Democrats want to blame the region's dependence on cars (a Republican thing), the state government (Republicans), and many of the transplants from more liberal, urban places feel the same way you might about white, rural, southern drivers. All of this is true to some extent but none of it is helpful.

How much money do you set aside for snowstorms when they're as infrequent as they are? Who will run the show — the city, the county, or the state? How will preparedness work? You could train everyone today, and then if the next storm hits in 2020, everyone you've trained might have moved on to different jobs, with Atlanta having a new mayor and Georgia having a new governor.

Regionalism here is hard. The population of this state has doubled in the past 40-45 years, and many of the older voters who control it still think of it as the way it was when they were growing up. The urban core of Atlanta is a minority participant in a state government controlled by rural and northern Atlanta exurban interests. The state government gives MARTA (Atlanta's heavy rail transportation system) no money. There's tough regional and racial history here which is both shameful and a part of the inheritance we all have by being a part of this region. Demographics are evolving quickly, but government moves more slowly. The city in which I live, Brookhaven, was incorporated in 2012. This is its first-ever snowstorm (again, 2 inches). It's a fairly affluent, mostly white, urban small city. We were unprepared too.

The issue is that you have three layers of government — city, county, state — and none of them really trust the other. And why should they? Cobb County just "stole the Braves" from the city of Atlanta. Why would Atlanta cede transportation authority to a regional body when its history in dealing with the region/state has been to carve up Atlanta with highways and never embrace its transit system? Why would the region/state want to give more authority to Atlanta when many of the people in the region want nothing to do with the city of Atlanta unless it involves getting to work or a Braves game?

The region tried, in a very tough economy and political year (2012), to pass a comprehensive transportation bill, a T-SPLOST, funded by a sales tax. It wasn't perfect, but it was an attempt to do something. The Sierra Club opposed it because it didn't feature enough transit. The NAACP opposed it because it didn't have enough contracts for minority businesses. The Tea Party opposed it because it was a tax. That's politics in the 2010s. You may snicker, but how good a job has any major city done with big transportation projects over the past 30 years?

Just from all of the news coverage I've seen and read, it's yet another "But they weren't prepared...enough..." rhetoric(a lot like Katrina and other natural disasters that have happened).

http://news.yahoo.com/atlanta-s--snowpocalypse--turned-ordinary-commutes-into-chaos-and-confusion-174131033.html;_ylt=A0SO80AUvOtS33cAlJ1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzYWJhZXB2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDMyMl8x
Atlanta's 'Snowpocalypse' turned ordinary commutes into chaos, confusion

Yahoo News readers' personal stories about a three-inch snowstorm that paralyzed a metro area
1/30/14

It’s likely not the birthday celebration James Freeman wished for.

The Rome, Ga., resident spent Tuesday — his 31st birthday — slogging across 72 miles of icy metro-Atlanta roads for 12 hours after leaving Norcross at 2:30 p.m.

“Some called it ‘Snowpocalypse,’ others ‘Snowmageddon.’ I called it my birthday,” Freeman wrote in a first-person account for Yahoo News on Thursday.

While his wife awaited him with cake and presents, he crawled along in his car: “After 10 minutes, I had gone a whopping mile.”

After learning of “grim” traffic reports that warned of “gridlock in every direction,” he spied a nearby Target store and hopped in to buy Cajun-style beef jerky, roasted peanuts, bottled water, and lighters.

The next six-and-a-half miles took him seven-and-a-half hours.

He writes:

“Although my drive was less than fast, it was full of excitement. At one point, the man in the car next to me jumped out of his vehicle and made a pit stop in the nearby bushes. Additionally, I saw a group of mothers blocking the 400 south exit onto Holcomb Bridge in order to help their children's school bus get through the intersection and into the parking lot to unload the kids. In this encounter, there were plenty of curse words, middle fingers, and horns, but the mothers fearlessly stood in front of traffic to hasten the retrieval of their children. It looked dangerous but was fueled by motherly love. I was just glad to have a couple lanes between me and the raucous scene.

“Over the course of 12 hours, I saw countless cars stuck on ice, abandoned and crashed after sliding off the road. After 72.5 miles and almost getting stuck 50 feet from the house, I finally arrived safely home at 3 a.m. I might have missed my birthday, but my wife greeted me with a kiss and a glass of wine, and we toasted my birthday adventure.”

Here are more tales from this week’s storm that dumped three inches of snow on metro Atlanta, iced roads, canceled nearly 800 flights, caused roughly 1,200 accidents, injured at least 130 people, killed two, wrecked countless commutes and stranded thousands in local schools and businesses.

In surreal scene, cars pile atop each other  

On Camp Creek Parkway, there were enormous amounts of traffic, but I couldn't turn around to go another way. The traffic was at a standstill. I said to myself, Where are all of these people coming and going? It’s only 2:45 p.m. Little did I know my 15-minute drive home was going to turn into a four-hour nightmare.

The traffic was “moving” at 5 mph, with large 18-wheelers turned over and others' cars in ditches; needless to say, it was cluster of accidents. I wasn't driving in the snow. I was driving on ice. Three hours later, I was two miles from home. At the intersection of Camp Creek Parkway and Campbellton Road, cars were piled up on top of cars. It was surreal; there was no law enforcement around to get motorists out of this mess.

— Garry Jones

 Atlanta and state officials need to answer tough questions  

By 1 p.m. on Tuesday, it was obvious the snowfall was too steady for the predicted light sprinkling. It was really snowing, and I innately knew that Georgia was not prepared.

I phoned my mother to see if her job was letting employees out early. "It's business as usual today," she said. But about three hours later she was stuck in the massive traffic jam that hindered commuters. Fortunately, she was able to get home in three hours instead of the 20-plus some Atlanta drivers endured.

Public officials are dancing around key concerns of metro Atlanta citizens: What time had workers officially started pre-treating roads with salt? Who gave the official go-ahead for schools, government and private businesses to send people home at the same time? These questions haven't been answered.

I thought Atlanta had learned from 2011's winter atrocity, but apparently not fully.

— Nicole Denise

On the road for more than 24 hours

My brother-in-law, Don, lives in Dalton. He drives an 18-wheeler. We were scrambling to reach him by phone. We reached him around 5:30 p.m.; he had been sitting on I-285 since 11:30 a.m.

At midnight he was still there. The law required him to get some sleep. There was a knock on his cab door — two motorists seeking warmth. By noontime he was moving. Under normal traffic conditions, he was an hour away from home. He arrived home safely seven hours later. He had spent twenty-four and one-half hours on I-285.

— Harold Michael Harvey

Family’s short trips turn into long nightmares

My wife drove home around noon — first amazed at the snowfall – but suddenly the roads changed and she witnessed two accidents. Her usual 20-minute drive turned into a two-hour slog to get home.

Our son spent several hours driving a few miles; he, too, saw numerous accidents. He lives nearby and still cannot make it home.

Our other son works near Atlanta and it took him seven hours to drive seven miles. He finally had to park his car and walk the remaining three miles home. Fortunately, he plans for survival and had serious winter clothing in his car.

My wife's brother did not have such good luck. He is handicapped so walking home is not an option for him. Before arriving at his home, his car slid down a hill. He was in an accident but able to continue driving. He tried several hotels and they were full. After spending the night with a friend, he finally got home Wednesday.

— Bill Harbin Jr.

Drivers abandon cars after accidents

Now that it has been two consecutive days of logjam, it's clear that as a state we should have heeded their warnings.

Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, before the ice storm really hit its stride, I was trying to get home from a grocery store that is only two miles from my house. It took 45 minutes to get home and in that two-mile stretch, there were four car accidents. The entrance to my neighborhood is a long, winding road and I also live in the midst of a steep hill, but luckily I made it back before the street became impossible to travel on.

On Wednesday morning, I decided to bundle up and venture out on foot to see how the conditions on my main road, Highway 92, were. The walk was dicey because of the ice and my inadequate footwear, but I managed to get out of my neighborhood safely. As I progressed about a mile farther, I saw about a half-dozen cars that had been abandoned by the owners and have yet to be retrieved.

— Benjamin Hanes

 Tuesday’s storm the ‘beginning of massive hysteria’  

Many Atlantans saw the precipitation as an excuse to cut out from work early and schools to close shop. What ensued, however, was the beginning of massive hysteria.

Some of the worst chaos and confusion was in Buckhead — right outside our front door. Our house is located off of Mount Paran Road and is very close to Roswell Road. Roswell Road connects to I-285, one of the main interstate highways that travels around Atlanta. Cars were backed up from the light on Roswell Road for miles.

The snow froze so fast it was hard for cars to maneuver up and down the small two-lane road. Many drivers abandoned their cars to complete their trek home on foot. At one point in the night, two cars got stuck, and my roommates and I helped push their cars off the ice and directed traffic. Our neighbors handed out bottle water, gum and crackers to help those who had been stuck in their cars for hours.

My parents were forced to sleep at a Waffle House and an office building, and my roommate’s parents slept at a hospital and a CVS pharmacy.

No pictures or stories can describe the real panic from Tuesday.

They haven't learned apparently dating all the way back to the blizzard of '93. Since then, there have been more than one occasion where traffic got piled up on the interstate because state officials were too slow in acting, causing this very thing, again, and again.

I speculate the ultimate motivation is out of the love of money, in that officials are under pressure from corporate America to keep access to businesses open as long as possible, so it becomes a focus to push it as far as they can, and that greed ends up costing the public.

If the word was put out to go home or stay home just maybe a few hours earlier, things would have been much different. And that was possible to do because that weather system didn't just sneak up on them. Weather experts were saying it was going to happen basically just like it did. They got some totals wrong here and there, but it was no secret really bad weather was coming. Government officials knew, but waited too long.

When I was a young boy growing up in the south, if there was any hint of snow, they would cancel school/work. When I read reports over this how government officials in GA et al acted poorly, I was very surprised.

Good insight, now I think I see potentially why.

Two Women Shot in Georgia Store Packed With Storm Customers
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-women-shot-georgia-store-packed-storm-customers-n26806
2/9/14

Two women were shot Monday inside a suburban Atlanta supermarket packed with customers scrambling to stock up before a winter storm slams the area, police said.

Police are still trying to find out what led to the incident at the Kroger grocery store, which left the two unidentified women hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Lawrenceville, Ga., police spokesman Greg Vaughn told NBC News.

"When we arrived, the scene was pretty chaotic," Vaughn said. "Everybody's getting ready for this storm we're gonna have."

Vaughn said one woman was shot in her leg and the other woman was shot in her torso amid the noon shooting.

Kroger officials said in a statement that no store employees were hurt and that the store was "evacuated and will reopen at a later date," according to The Associated Press.

Police have a suspect in custody, Vaughn said.

The region is expected to be pounded by an unusual mix of ice and snow this week.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/bone-chilling-winter-blast-wipes-out-power-south-n28156
Bone-Chilling Winter Blast Wipes Out Power in South

An army of emergency crews were gearing up for battle Wednesday with a vicious ice storm in Georgia that had already cut off power for tens of thousands of people across a long arm of the Southeast and left the streets of Atlanta looking like a sci-fi wasteland.

Nearly 300,000 customers across Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and the Carolinas were without power early Wednesday. But Georgia was bearing the brunt of the wicked weather, with more than 200,000 customers in the dark Wednesday after frozen tree limbs slashed power lines, while emergency planners urged drivers across the state to stay off “deceptively dangerous” roads.

Metro Atlanta was a veritable ghost town as an eerie calm settled over desolate streets slick with ice. The highways were deserted as freezing rain and ferocious wind gusts kept drivers at home. At local retailers, shoppers scrambled to stock up on supplies before the brunt of the storm came crashing down.

As many as 5,000 state personnel plus an additional 3,000 support crews were fanned out across the region and at the ready, according to Brian Green with utility company Georgia Power. The National Weather Service issued an ominous warning for a potentially "catastrophic event," urging Georgians to "be prepared to be without power in some locations for days and perhaps as long as a week."

As of mid-morning Wednesday, 3,003 flights across the U.S. were canceled and 3,198 delayed — over 2,000 of them at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson hub, where only 259 flights were scheduled to fly today, an airport spokesman said.

“Be prepared for power outages, long periods in the cold/dark,” The Weather Channel tweeted as the first freezing rain fell in what was forecast to be a 36-hour deep freeze. It comes less than a month after snowfall practically ground Atlanta to a halt, stranding motorists on highways — some overnight — and forcing kids to camp out at school.

As it crawls eastwards, the same weather system was forecast to dump up to 12 inches of snow on New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., on Thursday, snarling travel plans for millions.

“There will be disruption,” Weather Channel lead meteorologist Kevin Roth said. "The whole region will be in a deep freeze."

Desperate to avoid a repeat of January’s fiasco, when children were stranded in school gyms overnight and drivers camped in their cars on frozen interstates for 24 hours, authorities in Atlanta had issued dire warnings.

“This would have been bad timing for the morning commute, but with so many people heeding the warnings to stay home, there should be less disruption,” Roth said.

“A lot of people might work from home – that is, if their power stays on,” he added.

Georgia's state operations center issued an advisory early Wednesday warning of "extremely hazardous conditions" that will cause power outages "and substantial structural damage due to falling trees and ice."

"All motorists are urged to stay off of the roads as the threat of icy conditions continues to increase throughout the day," the advisory said.

"We're not kidding. We're not just crying wolf," Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said Tuesday. "It is serious business."

Georgia Power spokesman Brian Green said between 4,000 and 5,000 power crews and support personnel were standing by to react to power outages, with an additional 3,000 workers on standby in surrounding states.

President Barack Obama declared an emergency in Georgia, calling on federal agencies to lend a hand to state and local response efforts. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to Georgia.

Amtrak said it would suspend service Wednesday on 10 trains in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas "to reduce the exposure of Amtrak passengers, crews and rail equipment to extreme weather conditions."

With as much as a half-inch of solid ice expected to coat roads and power lines, the governors of both Carolinas, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland also declared states of emergency for much or all of their states. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said flatly, "No one should be on the roads tomorrow at all."

"We do need to brace ourselves," she said. "This is going to be a pretty bad ice storm."

However, the focus was expected to shift northward later Wednesday, as the same weather system turns into a classic Northeaster - dumping snow on the Mid-Atlantic and New York. But the risk of power outages was likely to be lower.

“There shouldn’t be as much ice further north,” Roth said.

At least six deaths were already blamed on the storm Tuesday as it gathered power over Texas and Mississippi.

Four people were killed in separate accidents on icy north Texas roads, including a Dallas firefighter who was knocked off an interstate ramp, NBCDFW reported. And two were killed in separate accidents in Mississippi, the state Highway Patrol said.

First published February 12th 2014, 2:36 am

Get Prepared: 122 Of The Best Prepper Websites On The Internet

Getting prepared for the chaos that is coming to America in the years ahead is not that complicated.  Help is out there – if you know where to look.  And it doesn’t have to be expensive either.  In this article, I have put together a list of 122 of the best prepper websites on the Internet that will teach you how to prep for free.  The great thing about the prepper community is that there are always highly skilled people that are willing to freely share their knowledge and experience with the general public.  As the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, I am constantly being asked about what people need to do in order to get prepared for the hard times that are coming to this country.  And when I am asked, I do my best to encourage people to build up their emergency funds, to store food and supplies, to put together bug out bags and to do everything that they can to become more independent of the system.  But sometimes people need a lot more than that.  Sometimes people need to have someone give them some real hands on practical advice about things like canning food or setting up home defense systems.  So in this article my goal is to connect you with some of the top experts from all over the nation for free.  I think that this list is going to be a great resource for people that they can reference again and again, so don’t forget to bookmark it.

And sadly, the truth of the matter is that most Americans are not prepared for much of anything at this point.  The following statistics come from a survey conducted by the Adelphi Center for Health Innovation.  As you can see, a substantial portion of the population is not even prepared for a basic emergency that would last for just a few days…

    44 percent don’t have first-aid kits
    48 percent lack emergency supplies
    53 percent do not have a minimum three-day supply of nonperishable food and water at home
    55 percent believe local authorities will come to their rescue if disaster strikes
    52 percent have not designated a family meeting place if they are separated during an emergency
    42 percent do not know the phone numbers of all of their immediate family members
    21 percent don’t know if their workplace has an emergency preparedness plan
    37 percent do not have a list of the drugs they are taking
    52 percent do not have copies of health insurance documents

So needless to say, there is a great need to educate the general population about preparedness.

Before we get to the list, I want to explain a few things about it.

First of all, this is a list of sites that offer practical advice about prepping.  So I kept most websites that focus on the news off of it.  Perhaps in the future I will do a list of my favorite alternative news websites.  Some of my favorites include Infowars, Zero Hedge, WND, SteveQuayle.com, TruNews, and Raiders News Update.

I have also not included my websites The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News.

In addition, I have only included websites that offer information for free.  There are a lot of great companies out there that sell some really cool survival supplies, but the goal of this list is to help people find useful information that they can access without cost.

Finally, I want to make it clear that these websites are listed in no particular order.  Some of the best known prepper websites are toward the front of the list, and some of the newer ones are toward the end, but I do not want anyone to get offended if they are not as “high on the list” as they think they should be.  In this list, I have not attempted to assign a value to each site.  All of these sites have excellent information, and in fact some of the ones toward the end have some of the best hands on practical advice.

With that being said, the following are 122 of the best prepper websites on the Internet…

links: http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/get-prepared-122-of-the-best-prepper-websites-on-the-internet

100 Items to Disappear First in a Panic

This list of 100 items to disappear first has been passed around the Internet for a while and it’s a great guide. I recommend printing it so you can fold it up and put it in your wallet. Then when you’re out and about at flea markets, dollar stores or wherever you end up, look it over and keep an eye out for good deals.

1. Generators (Good ones cost a lot. Noisy, target of thieves; maintenance, etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried.
5. Lamp Oil, Lamps, Wicks (Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar22
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY.
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.)
17. Survival Guide Book
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without it, long-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products
25. Thermal Underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many)
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First Aid Kits
38. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches (“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experiences)
48. Garbage cans – Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with wheels)
49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, etc.
50. Cast Iron Cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning Supplies (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles – Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc.
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand Pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable Mattresses
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin Wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens

http://www.prepperfortress.com/100-items-disappear-first-panic/

Here's the GREAT News - our King James Bibles WON'T disappear through thick and thin...PERIOD! :)

hide the bible verses in our hearts :)

10 Ways To Survive and Escape Martial Law

"A violent and horrifying life in a concentration camp is what you may face one day under martial law.

We’re not talking about a regional or short term enactment of martial law. We’re talking about martial law under a government with an agenda to root out and destroy any elements that are not in line with their specific agenda.

How many Jews learned the hard way in World War II that the Nazis hated Jews and wanted to exterminate them?

In a government collapse following any number of disastrous events that might befall a nation, we can bet that the next government to come to power in this day and age will need force, and a lot of it, in order to quell a rebellious people.

Force shows power and overwhelming violence spreads fear across a population. And there’s no better way to show force and enact fear into a people than to violently enforce martial law.

Escaping Martial Law
1. Run, Don’t Walk, Run

With death bearing down on your community, on your neighborhood, on your front door, it’s better to make a hasty retreat for the countryside than to wait too long and find out the hard way … that you waited too long to evacuate.

From the countryside, you can hide safely under the cover of the forest, and make plans and preparations for the next leg of your journey.

A large number of Jews were able to escape the Nazis by fleeing into the forests, surviving the weather and foraging for food (or just handouts of free food), and eventually escaping. Sometimes they had the help of “underground” elements, resistance fighters and their supporters.
2. Seek Cover and Stay Camouflaged

Jews who waited too long to evacuate, or moved too slowly, or didn’t do a good job hiding out, were rounded up, or simply shot where they were found. The key to not being found is to:

– Stay under cover (you don’t want to be spotted from a drone, helicopter, or plane circling in the air)

– Avoid “line of sight” (position yourself so that your path of travel isn’t visible to anyone scouring the land with binoculars; trees and tall brush can provide concealment from every direction; avoid meadows and open spaces).

– Be ready to belly crawl … slowly (not getting caught is of utmost importance; be ready to drop to your belly and crawl on all fours, stomach and head low to the ground, and move at a snail’s pace; moving extremely slow will help you avoid snapping twigs and also avoid shaking the brush or tall grass around you, movement which can give away your position to anyone close by).

– Be patient (if you have any questions or suspicions about a possible searching party trying to track your position, be ready to stop moving completely and simply lay right where you are for the next several hours — until the cover of dark perhaps — or when you feel it’s safe to start moving again).

– Hide well off trail (the further you can get from any noticeable trail to hide, or just to sleep, the better; if these are just soldiers acting on orders, they may not be too excited about slugging through a swamp or wetland, or climbing a steep hill of dense brush, which brings us to…)

3. Choose the Path of MOST Resistance

From your starting point, what is the hardest way into the wilderness? What has the most brush, the steepest gully, that is still passable? If authorities are not right on your tail, and you have a head start, consider taking a path that no one in their right mind would be likely to take.

It might take you 30 minutes to climb a 200 yard hillside through the woods, but if that hillside climb puts you on a path off the beaten track, you can increase the odds that you’ll never be found, and that no one is going to follow the path you have taken.
4. Cover Your Tracks

Soldiers acting on authorities to round up evacuees might not be well trained (or have any real training) in tracking. That said, you should be cautious along whatever path you take not to leave signs of your presence, and especially not to leave signs revealing the direction you are traveling.

Signs to avoid are:

– Broken branches (avoid breaking branches; even twigs breaking off brush as you pass by are tell tale “white” signs pointing to your presence)

– Flattened grass (crawling through an open area of grass comes with a danger; you may leave a trail of flattened grass pointing in your direction of travel; if you have time, and you have to travel through grass, for a short distance into the grass, turn at repeated points, and use your hands to stand the grass back up, so that it’s no longer flattened and conceals your path of travel)

– Foot marks in damp soil (be ever cautious about open areas of soil, especially damp soil; damp soil is a fast way to leave a shoe print revealing your direction of travel; step cautiously over and around open areas of soil to avoid leaving shoe prints).

– Camp fires (smoke from camp fires can alert people from miles away to your location and ashes from a camp fire on the ground can tell trackers just how long it’s been since you were there; as much as possible, avoid any camp fires until you are a very safe distance away; keep them short, brief, and very small when you do need one)

– Litter (don’t drop anything to signal your presence, from an empty matchbook to a cigarette lighter to garbage from your food supplies; bury everything you don’t want well off trail where it won’t be found)
5. Fool Any Pursuers

So you plan on entering the woods near a highway? Cross to the other side of the highway and break a number of branches and clear a path of brush and create what looks like a trail leading in the opposite direction you actually plan to travel.

Continue forward along that false trail you’ve started, and leave additional signs giving pursuers the impression that is the direction you or others are traveling.

Now go back to your original planned starting point, perhaps “choosing the path of most resistance” (see above), and head off in the opposite direction.

Pull this off and you’ve just made a safe getaway and any pursuers will be shortly later on a wild goose chase leading to nowhere.

– Now is a great time to litter. Remember that rule above about avoiding littering — well there is a time to litter, and that is when you want to use litter as a way to fool pursuers into believing you went one direction, or crossed a river, when you actually doubled back and went another way.

Consider dropping an empty matchbook and arranging things to look like a temporary camp site.

In one area, urinate (or pour water) on the ground, and then make foot prints in the damp soil, that look like you are walking in a certain direction.

Got an old shirt? Cut a length of paracord and tie it securely to a rock, and then tie both to a shirt. Wrap the rock in the shirt and then throw both over a narrow river you have no intention to cross (choose a point in the river where it would be a dangerous crossing) so that the rock and shirt fall on the other side of the river where the shirt is visible to anyone searching from your side of the river (dunk your shirt in the water to give it more weight prior to your toss — it should travel a few feet further than it might if dry)

In a short while any pursuers who see your shirt may be fooled into thinking you crossed over the river. By the time they cross (if they are even able to cross, remember this is a fast point of the river we’re talking about) and discover the rock tied to your shirt, and possibly realize they’ve been fooled, you may be far off in a different direction.

Make it more believable by making foot prints in a damp area of sand or dirt near the river bank that point to the river.
6. Only Carry the Essentials

If you’re prepared, and in reality everyone should be prepared, you would have had a Bug Out Bag packed and ready to go, though a lighter weight Bug Out Bag may be called for if you find that you need to make a hasty retreat and have a tough road ahead of you.

What are some ways you can shed pounds from your backpack?

When it comes to the outdoors, it’s common for people to bring more changes of clothing than they actually need. The more time you spend in the outdoors, and the more time you spend on any treks of any real distance, you’ll realize that you can get by in the same set of clothing just fine. Having a second outfit you can wear as an additional layer is recommended, as evening temperatures can drop, and you don’t want to freeze. The point of all this is that too many outfits will only bulk up your bag and add extra weight and only slow down your travel time.

Additional ways to shed pounds —

– Avoid carrying a tent — instead, carry a simple waterproof bivy sack. A bivy sack is a thin yet rugged bag designed to fit over a sleeping bag and keep you sheltered from the elements.

– Carry less water into the wilderness (unless traveling through dry areas where natural water sources are few or non-existent for several miles at a time — then you’ll want to carry a lot more water than normal); be sure to have a plan for procuring drinking water along the way.

– Choose a smaller flashlight that takes smaller batteries (but always have a few extra)

– Cut your emergency candle in half (have a 55 hour emergency candle? Take a hacksaw to it, and cut it in half to 22.5 hours of burn time)

– Pack calorie-rich freeze dried food or light weight high calorie survival food and be prepared to go longer between meals

– Include a plan to snack on edible insects; some of you are squeamish at this idea — but edible insects can provide enough calories and help you get by for a few extra hours or even days at a time, adding time and distance to your escape from otherwise captivity and possible death in a concentration camp.

Right now your goal is to just get away — you can hunt, fish, and trap once you are dozens of miles away or more into a remote area.

– As you move along the forest floor and or along a rivers edge, be ready to collect edible plants, roots, nuts, and berries — but be careful, many are poisonous and not edible. It may be a lot easier for you to recognize edible insects and make do with these instead of risking your life with plants, roots, nuts, and berries found in the forest.

Remember, the wrong plant or berry can be a fast way to an early death. Foraging is a skill that today can be learned by reading books on foraging for wild plants, taking classes, and then practicing what you have learned so that you are ready for a survival situation.
7. Be Careful What You Tell People

If you come across strangers, keep details about your travels to yourself. Unless they’re part of your group, no need to share details just in case these strangers you’re talking with are soon after caught by authorities and give up your location.
What about tracking dogs?

While tracking dogs may be a threat for some evacuees, a large scale evacuation into the countryside is likely to leave authorities short handed and short on adequately trained canine teams.
8. Press On and Keep Traveling

Feel like there’s enough distance between you and them? Don’t take any chances and be ready to spend a few more days and even weeks traveling into remote areas. Better safe than sorry.

Hunting pressure and large numbers of evacuees fleeing into the wilderness in several regions of the country will send native wildlife fleeing for remote areas where there is a lot less human activity. It is these remote areas that the hunting is likely to be best — especially hunting for bigger game like deer, elk, antelope, and moose.
9. Seek Out Remote Wilderness

The difference between the World War 2 Jews vs survivors from a tyrannical government that may one day come to power today is that the Jews had allied nations that they could flee to. In fact many fled Europe completely and made it to the U.S. and of course millions had help being relocated to the present day nation of Israel in the years following World War 2.

If we have to run from a tyrannical government that one day comes to power and enacts martial law, we may not have any allied nations to flee to at all, and so the only real way to survive long term may be to seek out remote wilderness far off the beaten track, well under the cover of forest (gotta hide from those drones), as well as lands shielded by mountains (where there’s no roads, there’s no easy way for armies to move enemy soldiers in and out, putting the odds of escaping the clutches of tyranny and martial law in your favor).
10. Teach the Children

While the history books are being re-written by the new powers that be, while the White House lays in ruin and Lady Liberty is just a scattered mountain of debris and a face laying horizontally across the ground, there will be one book that stands the test of time, with a history that can and should be passed on to children. There may be a lot of debate and some people swear by it and others swear against it — but only in the last pages of the Bible and the many prophecies concerning the End of Days will any of this ever make any sense.

There are several more details on survival when it comes to martial law and being forced into a life of living off the land and living off what you and your family can carry on your backs. Unfortunately, this isn’t fiction and it’s something that has occurred more and more in recent years.

Refugees in war torn nations (do I need to make a list?) and other nations struck by catastrophic disasters (Haiti, for example) have sent survivors fleeing for the countryside or simply living in the ruins of their towns and villages and large tent cities that have bred crime and corruption along with dangers to women and children — and the fathers and brothers who would otherwise seek to protect them.
Conclusion

In war torn nations in the modern day, and regions turned to ruins by natural disasters, many have died from starvation and disease, and others from drinking contaminated water; others have fallen victim to gangs or been killed by rogue armies that have come to power, perhaps enforcing their own version of martial law.

Could martial law under a tyrannical government come to the U.S.? Could it come to the UK, Canada, and other Western Nations? Best to be ready and not caught off guard, should martial law one day arrive soon."

Perhaps Jesus said it best when he said:

Luke 21:34-36 KJB

http://worldtruth.tv/10-ways-to-escape-martial-law/ (dont click this link there are inappropriate images on here)

70 Tips That Will Help You Survive What Is About To Happen To America

You may have noticed that things are starting to get crazy. Financial markets are imploding, violent crime rates are soaring in our major cities, and we have witnessed a truly unusual series of natural disasters in recent months. War in the Middle East continues to rage out of control, and Islamic terror continues to spread all over the globe. And many believe that 2016 is going to be a year of political shaking, civil unrest, governmental crackdowns and great economic chaos in the United States. All it is going to take to plunge our society into full-blown panic mode is a major “trigger event” of some sort. Another 9/11, a new “Lehman Brothers” moment, a massive EMP burst from the sun or a historic seismic event are all examples of what this “trigger event” could look like.

So are you ready for what is about to happen to America? In previous articles, I have urged my readers to focus on the five basics – food, water, shelter, energy and self-defense. If you focus on those five things, you will probably be in pretty good shape during any major disaster or emergency.

In this article, I want to dig a little deeper and give people some more specific tips regarding what they can do to prepare for the times that we are now entering. The following are 70 tips that will help you survive what is going to happen to America…

1. A lot of the “experts” out there are urging people to get rid of all of their cash. That is a huge mistake. You are going to need cash to pay your bills – especially during the initial phases of the coming crisis. Today, 63 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and millions of them will be severely hurting almost immediately once they lose their jobs or their businesses go under during this new economic downturn.

2. Get to know your neighbors. As the coming time of trouble unfolds, you are going to want to have people around you that you can trust and depend on.

3. Learn how to grow a garden. Food costs will continue to rise and our food distribution system is far more vulnerable than most people would dare to imagine. Any way that you can become more “food independent” would be a good thing.

4. At this point, you should already have several years of emergency food stored up for each member of your family. And don’t forget to store additional food for friends and family members that haven’t prepared and will need to come stay with you.

5. Make a “bug out plan” for your family, and make certain that every member of your family knows what the rally points are in case you all get separated.

6. Every member of your family should have a “bug out bag“. These should contain everything that they will need in the event of a major emergency.

7. If you are going to “strategically relocate” before things get really bad in this country, hopefully you have already done so by now. If not, you are working on borrowed time.

8. When civil unrest starts really spiraling out of control, it would be in your interest to avoid “America’s death zones” if possible.

9. Always have the gas tanks in your vehicles at least halfway full. You never know when you will need to hit the road in an emergency situation.

10. Put away some extra fuel for your generator while fuel costs are low.

11. Think ahead about what medicines and medical supplies you and your family will need during a major crisis.

12. Try to stock up on things that will make good barter items when the overall economy begins to totally break down.

13. There are non-electric versions of various appliances. Some examples include washing machines and coffee makers.

14. How are you going to cook your food when the power goes out for an extended period of time? You may want to consider a sun oven if you don’t have one already.

15. Don’t have all of your eggs in one basket. That includes not having all of your money in one location. If you have a bank account, consider spreading that money around to two or three different bank accounts.

16. You will want to keep at least some cash at home in case you are not able to access ATM machines during a major crisis.

17. If you can get out of debt without jeopardizing your other preparations, you should consider doing so. Those that are “lean and mean” financially will be in much better shape – especially during the initial stages of the coming crisis.

18. Physical gold and silver are good ways to protect your wealth over the long-term. As I have warned repeatedly, we will continue to see big ups and big downs for precious metals, so if you are going to invest you have got to be able to handle the ride.

19. Reduce your expenses and get accustomed to a more minimal standard of living. Now is not the time to be spending lots of money on fancy new toys.

20. If you have the time and energy, starting a side business may not be a bad idea. That way if you lose your job, you still have some income coming in.

21. You need to have a plan for fresh water in the event of a major emergency. Without water none of us can survive, and is imperative that you have a plan to provide clean drinking water for your family when disaster strikes.

22. If you can afford to get partially or totally “off the grid”, that would be a very good thing. Many preppers are discovering that they can do amazing things with wind, solar and water power.

23. Anyone that has spent more than a few hours without power knows how frustrating this can be. You need to have a plan for how you are going to provide power to your home that is independent of the power company.

24. Rotate your food supplies. Eat your oldest stuff first even though it may be tempting to dig into the stuff that you just purchased.

25. If you have a baby, don’t forget the special things that your baby will need during a major crisis.

26. Many preppers totally forget about their pets. You should store the food and supplies that they will need during an extended emergency.

27. This may sound trivial, but the truth is that our entertainment-addicted society would become very bored and very frustrated if the grid suddenly went down for an extended period of time. Card games and other basic forms of entertainment can make enduring a crisis much easier.

28. In the years ahead, being able to defend your home is going to become increasingly important. When the economy crashes, people are going to start to become very desperate. And desperate people do desperate things.

29. No plan ever unfolds perfectly. When your plan is disrupted, what will you do? It will be imperative for all of us to have a back-up plan and to be flexible during the years ahead.

30. Do not go around and tell everyone in the area where you live about your prepping. If you do, then you may find yourself overwhelmed with “visitors” when everything falls apart.

The following are items that are commonly recommended by survivalist experts that you may want to consider storing in case they are needed during a major crisis or emergency…

31. Blankets

32. Warm Clothing

33. Gloves

34. Extra Flashlights

35. First Aid Kits

36. Lighters

37. Matches

38. Duct Tape

39. A Shovel

40. A Tent

41. Knives

42. Mylar Blankets

43. Body Armor

44. Salt

45. Propane

46. Vitamins

47. An Axe

48. A Can Opener

49. A Battery-Powered Radio

50. Extra Batteries

51. A Fire Extinguisher

52. A Sewing Kit

53. A Tool Kit

54. Comfortable Shoes Or Hiking Boots

55. A Map Of Your Area

56. A Compass

57. Sleeping Bags

58. Candles

59. A Camp Stove

60. An LED Headlamp

61. Lightsticks

62. Heirloom Seeds

63. Clorox

64. Wood Socks, Sweaters And Mittens

65. Personal Hygiene Items

66. Ziplock Bags

67. A Watch Or Some Other Way To Tell Time

68. Extra Copies Of Your Financial Records

69. Spare Glasses

70. Prescription Medications

Are there any additional tips that you would add to this list?

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/70-tips-that-will-help-you-survive-what-is-about-to-happen-to-america

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzLvqCTvOQY

This was in my Youtube recommended section.

Before I was saved and I dabbled in religion, I was so nervous for the tribulation that I lost sight in the Second Coming. I do think at all Christians, regardless of end-times view, should try to learn some basic survival techniques.

Cities Of Refuge: Why Are People Creating Hundreds Of Places Of Refuge All Over America?

All over the United States, cities of refuge are being created.  Now when I say “cities”, I don’t mean vast areas of land that can hold hundreds of thousands or millions of people.  Rather, I am talking about much smaller places of refuge that can accommodate dozens or hundreds of people.  In a few cases, I know of places of refuge that will be able to take in thousands of people, but that is about as big as they get.  There are individuals all across America that have specifically felt called to build communities where large numbers of people will be able to gather when society totally collapses.  So why is this happening?  Why do so many people feel such an urgency to create cities of refuge that would presumably never be used if we don’t ever see full-blown societal breakdown?

In the headline, I claimed that hundreds of these “cities of refuge” are being created, but the truth is that it could easily be thousands.  I have personally talked to countless numbers of people that are like my wife and I and are planning to be able to take in members of their own extended families when things get really crazy.  But there are others that are taking things to an entirely different level.

I was recently contacted by a man in New York state that plans to convert a hotel and surrounding facilities into a place of refuge that could potentially accommodate hundreds of people for an extended period of time.  I know of a ranch in southern Idaho where the staff has been feverishly preparing to take in thousands of people when society starts completely falling apart.  And I have corresponded with so many others both inside the United States and outside the country that are creating these types of communities.

It has been estimated that there are three million preppers in America today.  But those that are creating these places of refuge are not just “prepping” for themselves.  Instead, they feel called to prepare a place of safety where others will be able to gather when times get really crazy.

Due to the wide reach of my articles, I have had a lot of people involved in these communities reach out to me over time.  Some have graciously let my wife and I know that there is a place for us if needed during a major emergency, and others have wanted for us to become personally involved in what they are doing.  I wish that I could get involved in all of them, but there is a limit to what any one of us can do.  But I always encourage people to keep pressing forward with their preparations, because without a doubt they will be needed someday.

In addition to what is happening inside the United States, there are others that have already left this country and are creating places of refuge abroad.  There are people that are doing this in South America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

And of course every “place of refuge” looks different.  As I mentioned above, some plan on transforming existing hotels or ranches into places of refuge.  Others plan to use open land to host large numbers of RVs or to construct vast tent cities.

But there are five big things that all places of refuge need to be thinking about…

1. Food – It is going to take vast quantitites of food to even feed dozens of people.  When you are talking about hundreds or thousands of people, the amount of food required for a place of refuge will be off the charts.

2. Water – None of us can live without water, and it has been estimated that the average American uses 80 to 100 gallons of water every single day.  Of course we would all use a lot less during an emergency situation, but if your “place of refuge” does not have easy access to water that could become a major problem very rapidly.

3. Shelter – It is nice to think that you are going to take in a lot of people, but where are all of them going to sleep?  Most people don’t think of mattresses or cots as “survival items”, but the truth is that they are going to be greatly in demand when things get crazy.

4. Power – If the electricity goes off and stays off for an extended period of time, what are you going to do?  How will people stay warm, how will you cook food, and how will your community function without any artificial light whatsoever?  Having an alternative source of power for your place of refuge is very important.

5. Security – If there was a full-blown collapse of society, any place that still has ample resources is automatically going to become a target.  So it is great if you have everything that your community will need, but if you have no way to protect it you can end up losing it all very quickly.

For even more tips on preparing for what is ahead, please see my recent article entitled “70 Tips That Will Help You Survive What Is Going To Happen To America“.

There are a lot of preppers out there that are only preparing for themselves and their immediate families, and anyone else that comes looking for assistance when things get really hard will end up looking down the barrel of a shotgun.

But there are so many others that feel called by God to prepare a place for large numbers of people to gather during the coming storm.  They are doing this by faith, because such places have never been needed before in modern American history.  Perhaps if you go all the way back to the Great Depression of the 1930s you could find large groups of people that needed somewhere to go, but since that time we have generally been regarded as the wealthiest and most prosperous nation on the entire planet.

Unfortunately, things are rapidly changing in this country.  Our economy is in the process of crumbling, there is evidence of social decay all around us, natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity, and World War 3 could erupt in the Middle East at any time.

If I am right, the time when these cities of refuge will be needed is not that far away.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans are not preparing for what is ahead, and so most of them will be absolutely devastated by the great trials that are directly ahead of us.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/cities-of-refuge-why-are-hundreds-of-places-of-refuge-being-created-for-when-society-totally-collapses

Earth Changes In 2016? How To Get Prepared For The Coming Earthquakes And Volcanic Eruptions

All over the world seismic activity is increasing.  In recent weeks we have seen a dramatic earthquake in Ecuador, more than 600 earthquakes have experts extremely alarmed about what is happening to Japan’s southern Island, and 37 volcanoes around the planet are erupting right now.  Most of the large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that we have witnessed lately have come along the Ring of Fire, which is an area of seismic instability which roughly encircles the Pacific Ocean.  Fortunately the west coast of the United States has been spared so far, but scientists tell us that tension has been building up along the San Andreas fault and the Cascadia Subduction Zone for decades, and they assure us that it is only a matter of time before we see a major event.  What that day arrives, will you be prepared?

There were a couple of notable seismic events which took place on Monday.  First of all, the largest volcano in Russia’s Far East known as Klyuchevskaya Sopka violently erupted.  Steaming hot ash was shot more than three miles up into the air, but fortunately it is not a heavily populated area.  This represents yet another major volcanic eruption along the Ring of Fire, and this has some scientists extremely concerned about what may be coming next.

Here in the United States, an unusual swarm of 21 earthquakes along the Arizona-Nevada border is also raising eyebrows…

More small earthquakes shook northwest Arizona Sunday adding to the list of temblors that have struck the area since March 29.

The Arizona Geological Survey said two quakes occurred, including a magnitude 2.6 quake at 12:07 a.m.

There has been a swarm of 21 quakes in an area along the Arizona-Nevada line south-southwest of Littlefield, AZ, which is also close to southwestern Utah and the frequency and span puzzles geologists.

The good news is that we have not had a truly historic earthquake in the U.S. for decades, and there have been no major volcanic eruptions since Mount St. Helens exploded back in 1980.

But scientists assure us that we are living on borrowed time, and there are three extremely dangerous volcanoes in North America that I am keeping a close watch on right now…

#1 Mt. Popocatepetl

Popocatepetl is an Aztec word that can be translated as “smoking mountain”, and more than 25 million people live within range of this extraordinarily dangerous mountain.  Experts tell us that during the time of the Aztecs, entire cities were completely buried in super-heated mud from this volcano.  In fact, the super-heated mud was so deep that it buried entire pyramids.  In the event of a full-blown eruption, Mexico City’s 18 million residents probably wouldn’t be buried in super-heated mud, but it would still be absolutely devastating for Mexico’s largest city.

#2 Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier has been dubbed a “time bomb“, “the most dangerous mountain in the United States” and “one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world” because it sits so close to Seattle, Tacoma and other major cities along the coast of Washington state.  In the event of a full-blown eruption, countless numbers of people would literally be buried alive in a tsunami of super-heated mud.  These tsunamis of super-heated mud are known as “lahars”, and scientists believe that Mt. Rainier is capable of producing lahars that could move at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.  I am so convinced that an eruption of Mt. Rainier is in our future that I even put one in my novel.

#3 The Yellowstone Supervolcano

Many of us that are a bit older still remember the eruption of Mount St. Helens back in 1980.  Well, scientists tell us that a full-blown eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would have up to 2,000 times the power of that eruption.  Salt Lake City would be toast, anything caught outside in Denver would probably be dead in pretty short order, and a layer of volcanic ash at least 10 feet deep would be dumped on everything even up to 1,000 miles away.  Food production in America would be virtually wiped out, and a “volcanic winter” would cool global temperatures by up to 20 degrees for an extended period of time.

In other words, life as we know it would come to an end.

That is why the extremely unusual activity going on at Yellowstone right now is such a concern.  If it decides to blow, world history will make a dramatic turn in a single moment.

So what should we do?

As always, we should never give in to fear.  There are definitely going to be major earthquakes and historic volcanic eruptions in North America, and we are going to have to deal with them.  Doing some common sense things in advance will give you and your family the best chance of calmly and smoothly making it through such a crisis.

Below, I have shared some tips that come directly from the CDC.  This first set of tips suggests things that you and your family can do to get prepared for a major earthquake…

—–

Gather Emergency Supplies
Stock up now on emergency supplies that can be used after an earthquake. These supplies should include a first aid kit, survival kits for the home, automobile, and workplace, and emergency water and food. Store enough supplies to last at least 3 days.

Evacuation Plans
If an earthquake occurs, you may need to evacuate a damaged area afterward. By planning and practicing for evacuation, you will be better prepared to respond appropriately and efficiently to signs of danger or to directions by civil authorities.

Take a few minutes with your family to discuss a home evacuation plan. Sketch a floor plan of your home; walk through each room and discuss evacuation details.
Plan a second way to exit from each room or area, if possible. If you need special equipment, such as a rope ladder, mark where it is located.
Mark where your emergency food, water, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers are located.
Mark where the utility switches or valves are located so that they can be turned off, if possible.
Indicate the location of your family’s emergency outdoor meeting place.
Establish Priorities
Take time before an earthquake strikes to write an emergency priority list, including:

important items to be hand-carried by you
other items, in order of importance to you and your family
items to be removed by car or truck if one is available
things to do if time permits, such as locking doors and windows, turning off the utilities, etc.
Write Down Important Information
Make a list of important information and put it in a secure location. Include on your list:

important telephone numbers, such as police, fire, paramedics, and medical centers
the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of your insurance agents, including policy types and numbers
the telephone numbers of the electric, gas, and water companies
the names and telephone numbers of neighbors
the name and telephone number of your landlord or property manager
important medical information, such as allergies, regular medications, etc.
the vehicle identification number, year, model, and license number of your automobile, boat, RV, etc.
your bank’s or credit union’s telephone number, account types, and numbers
radio and television broadcast stations to tune to for emergency broadcast information
Gather and Store Important Documents in a Fire-Proof Safe
Birth certificates
Ownership certificates (automobiles, boats, etc.)
Social Security cards
Insurance policies
Wills
Household inventory, including:
list of contents
photographs of contents of every room
photographs of items of high value, such as jewelry, paintings, collectors’ item
—–

Preparing for a volcanic eruption requires a strategy that is a little bit different.  Here are more tips from the CDC…

—–

If you are told to evacuate
Follow authorities’ instructions if they tell you to leave the area. Though it may seem safe to stay at home and wait out an eruption, doing so could be very dangerous. Volcanoes spew hot, dangerous gases, ash, lava, and rock that are powerfully destructive.

Preparing to evacuate
Tune in the radio or television for volcano updates.
Listen for disaster sirens and warning signals.
Review your emergency plan and gather your emergency supplies. Be sure to pack at least a 1-week supply of prescription medications.
Prepare an emergency kit for your vehicle with food, flares, booster cables, maps, tools, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, sleeping bags, a flashlight, batteries, etc.
Fill your vehicle’s gas tank.
If no vehicle is available, make arrangements with friends or family for transportation, or follow authorities’ instructions on where to obtain transportation.
Place vehicles under cover, if at all possible.
Put livestock in an enclosed area. Plan ahead to take pets with you, but be aware that many emergency shelters cannot accept animals.
Fill your clean water containers.
Fill sinks and bathtubs with water as an extra supply for washing.
Adjust the thermostat on refrigerators and freezers to the coolest possible temperature. If the power goes out, food will stay cooler longer.
As you evacuate
Take only essential items with you, including at least a 1-week supply of prescription medications.
If you have time, turn off the gas, electricity, and water.
Disconnect appliances to reduce the likelihood of electrical shock when power is restored.
Make sure your automobile’s emergency kit is ready.
Follow designated evacuation routes—others may be blocked—and expect heavy traffic and delays.
If you are told to take shelter where you are
Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Local authorities may evacuate specific areas at greatest risk in your community.
Close and lock all windows and outside doors.
Turn off all heating and air conditioning systems and fans.
Close the fireplace damper.
Organize your emergency supplies and make sure household members know where the supplies are.
Make sure the radio is working.
Go to an interior room without windows that is above ground level.
Bring your pets with you, and be sure to bring additional food and water supplies for them.
It is ideal to have a hard-wired (non-portable) telephone in the room you select. Call your emergency contact—a friend or family member who does not live near the volcano—and have the phone available if you need to report a life-threatening condition. Remember that telephone equipment may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency.
—–

In the end, you have got to do what you feel is best for you and your family.

Personally, I would be extremely hesitant to live in very high risk areas along the west coast or near the Yellowstone supervolcano.  This is especially true considering how dramatically global seismic activity is increasing.

But others point to the fact that these “danger areas” have not seen any major events in decades, so they wonder what all of the fuss is about.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/earth-changes-in-2016-how-to-get-prepared-for-the-coming-earthquakes-and-volcanic-eruptions

Going Underground: Christians Hiding Their Light & Running From the Beast (preached on 6/08/16)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJgetLwATgw

Easy to make wood burning stove.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxODae_BS74

Which Items Will Disappear First During A Major National Emergency?

One day in the not too distant future, a major emergency will strike this nation, and that will set off a round of hoarding unlike anything we have ever seen before.  Just think about what happens when a big winter storm or a hurricane is about to hit one of our major cities – inevitably store shelves are stripped bare of bread, milk, snow shovels, etc.  Even though winter storms and hurricanes are just temporary hurdles to overcome, they still cause many people to go into panic mode.  So what is going to happen when we have a real crisis on our hands?

We can get some clues about which items will disappear first during a major national emergency by taking a look at where such a scenario is already playing out.  One recent survey found that over 80 percent of all basic foodstuffs are currently unavailable in Venezuela, and about half the country can no longer provide three meals a day for their families.  Thankfully, some stores still have a few things that they are able to offer, but other key items are completely gone.  The following comes from USA Today…

    Oh, there are some things to buy. Besides salt, there are fresh vegetables and fruits, dairy products but no milk, some cereal, lots of snacks and a few canned goods.

    The only meat is sausages; there are three kinds of cheese. The only problem: A kilogram of each costs more than a fourth of our monthly minimum wage of 15,050 bolivars.

    But basic foodstuffs – the things most Venezuelans want to eat  such as corn meal, wheat flour, pasta, rice, milk, eggs, sugar, coffee, chicken, mayonnaise, margarine, cooking oil and beef – are conspicuous by their absence. And there is no toilet paper, no sanitary napkins, no disposable baby diapers, no shampoo, no toothpaste, no hand soap and no deodorant.

Do you have plenty of the items in bold above stored up?

If not, you may want to stock up while you still can.

Venezuela was once the wealthiest nation in all of South America, but now lines for food often begin as early as three in the morning.  Some people have become so desperate that they are actually hunting cats, dogs and pigeons for food, and there are even a few very sick people that have been killing and eating zoo animals.

Someday similar things will happen in the United States and Europe too.

When that day arrives, will you be prepared?

One of the things that got my attention from the article quote above was the lack of milk.  My wife is always telling me that we should store up more dried milk, and I believe that she is right.

Just imagine not having any milk and not being able to get any more.

What would you do?

Another thing that really stood out to me in the article was the fact that there is a severe shortage of personal hygiene items.  Most people don’t really think of those as “prepper goods”, but the truth is that life will become very uncomfortable without them very rapidly.

What would you do if there was no more toilet paper?

And if you have a little one, how are you going to manage without any diapers?

In general, it is wise to always have an extra supply of just about everything that you use on a daily basis stored away somewhere in your home.  The generation that went through the Great Depression of the 1930s understood this concept very well, but most of us that are younger have had it so good for so long that we don’t even really grasp what a real crisis looks like.

Another thing that we are seeing happen right now in Venezuela is the rise of a barter economy…

    Many of my urban friends are now planting vegetables in their outdoor spaces – if they have any – or in pots. Another friend, who is a hairdresser, is charging clients food to do their hair. For a shampoo and dry, she charges a kilo of corn meal, saying that she doesn’t have time to stand in line like some of her clients.

As you prepare for what is ahead, you may want to consider stocking up on some items that would specifically be used for bartering in a crisis situation.

For example, you may not drink coffee, but there are millions upon millions of people that do.  In a crisis situation, there will be many that will be extremely desperate to get their hands on some coffee, and so any coffee that you store away now may become a very valuable asset.

We live in a world where one out of every eight people already goes to bed hungry each night, and where one out of every three children is underweight.  As global weather patterns become more extreme, as natural disasters continue to become more frequent and more intense, and as terror and war continue to spread, it is inevitable that the stress on the global food system is going to continue to grow.

Today you can waltz into Wal-Mart and buy giant cartloads of very inexpensive food, but it will not always be that way.

Unfortunately, more than half the country is currently living paycheck to paycheck, and most Americans do not have any emergency food stored up at all.

In addition to food and personal hygiene supplies, here are some other items that are likely to disappear very rapidly during a major national emergency…

-Flashlights

-Batteries

-Generators

-Propane

-Can Openers

-Water Filters

-Water Containers

-Anything Related To Self-Defense

-Axes

-Knives

-Sleeping Bags

-Tents

-First Aid Kits

-Matches

-Candles

-Firewood

-Shovels

-Bottled Water

-Warm Clothing

-Lanterns

-Portable Radios

So in addition to food and personal hygiene items, you may want to do an inventory of the items that I have listed above and see where you may have some holes in your preparation plans.

I understand that there will be some people that will read this article and think that all of us “preppers” are being just a tad ridiculous.

But when a major emergency strikes this nation and you haven’t done anything to prepare, you will dearly wish that you had bothered to take action while there was still time remaining to do so.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/which-items-will-disappear-first-during-a-major-national-emergency

Non-Electric Refrigerator

(http://www.freesmfhosting.com/gallery/endtimesandcurrentevents/0/1_16_01_17_7_35_21.png)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfKgOpJc7Ps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_fVM1fAlEM

Since most people only have less than three days’ worth of food in their homes, it won’t take long for all those millions of people out there to get desperate. Do you make these fatal mistakes in the aftermath of a disaster?

You’ve got to realize that in the aftermath of any crisis, people are going to be on the prowl. You’ve seen it on the news reports; people looting, stealing, breaking into homes, even rooting around in garbage dumpsters for the things that they need to survive.

You’re going to see it again; only this time, you’ll see it much more up close and personal. That’s why you need to learn how not to become a target.

While there are no accurate figures as to how many preppers there are in the United States, estimates put it at somewhere between two and three million people. The rest of the people out there are expecting FEMA to come to the rescue, riding on a white horse and with federal government funds (otherwise known as your tax dollars) in their hands to solve all their problems.

Since most people only have less than three days’ worth of food in their homes, it won’t take long for all those millions of people out there to get desperate. Then they’ll start hunting. They’re first stop will be the stores, which will be cleaned out of anything useful. Then, they’ll start preying on each other.

There will only be two basic ways to prevent being attacked. The first is to look so strong to the attacker that they decide to leave you alone and find somebody else to pick on. Not only is that rather expensive to accomplish, it’s just about like putting up a billboard on the roof of your home that says, “Preppers Live Here!”.

The other way is to fool people into thinking that there’s nothing to be gained by attacking you. Poor people generally don’t think of stealing from other poor people, unless they see that the other poor person has something that they want.

The general assumption is,“They’re as poor as I am, it’s not worth attacking them.” Instead, they go looking for somebody who’s going to have something worth stealing. That somebody else is you, unless of course, they don’t realize that you have anything worth grabbing. Therein lies the secret; making it look like you’re not worth bothering with.

You’re home defense problems are going to be greatly lessened if they don’t come to attack you. So, it’s important to do everything you can to make sure that they don’t know who you are, what you have, or that you are living any better than they are.

If you’re living like everything is hunky-dory, that will be like putting up that billboard again. Many of the things that you are doing to prepare for a disaster can very easily make you and your home stand out, making you into the target that you don’t want to be.

Even while you’re enjoying your stockpile of food and drinking from your well, using the light produced by your solar panels, you don’t want others to know.
How Does OPSEC Help You?

All this is called Operational Security, or OPSEC. In the military, it’s the idea of denying the enemy information about who you are, what you’re doing, what your capabilities are and what your plans are. That’s really no different than what you need to do with your prepping. You need to deny the same information to all the people around you who might want what you have.
Light Discipline

One of the easiest giveaways that you are in better shape than your neighbors is having lights shining out of your windows, when everyone else’s power is out. Most preppers have alternate sources to provide their home with power in the case of an emergency.

Even so, if people see that light shining through the windows, they’re going to be wondering where it is coming from, and why you are the only one who has electricity. To stay safe, use low wattage electric lights, that won’t be so obvious.

If you have a battery backup system, you can run wires through your house to run 12 volt automotive lights. These may not be as bright as what you’re used to, but they will provide enough light for most activities.

The best thing to do is to install blackout curtains. These are dark, heavy curtains, which are designed to prevent light from escaping through the windows. They need to be made of heavy fabric and be larger than the window, so that they cover the window and can seal the space around it.

Don’t forget about flashlights either. While there will be other people with flashlights, the longer the disaster lasts, the less batteries there will be available for them. If you have to use a flashlight, use it sparingly, and do whatever you can to hood the light and keep it from being obvious.

In the military, they use a red lens on flashlights, with a light blocker behind it. The light blocker is a solid plate, with just a pinhole in the middle. Between the two, very little light escapes, keeping it from being seen from far away.

Cooking

Unless you’re one of those fortunate people who has a propane stove or a cast-iron one, you’re probably going to be doing your cooking outdoors, which means cooking on your grille or in a fire pit. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a good alternative for when your kitchen is out of order, but there is a very high risk that your neighbors are going to know exactly what you’re cooking. If that’s a pot of beans and rice, it won’t be such a big deal, but if you’re cooking steaks every night, everybody will know about this.

The longer you go without power, the greater a problem that’s going to be. The first couple of days after the power goes out, you’re probably going to smell a lot of steaks on the grille, as people try to use up what they’ve got in the freezer before it can go bad.

But once that first few days are over, there won’t be too many people with steaks to grill.

This is one of those cases that you can cover up with a bit of subterfuge. Hopefully, you’ve got a good enough relationship with your neighbors, that you’ll be helping each other out in a crisis.

So, if you go hunting and get a deer, it would seem normal that you would pass on some meat to your neighbors. Hopefully, the next week one of them will go hunting and share with you as well. If everyone in the neighborhood is grilling meat outdoors once a week, it won’t seem all that strange. The rest of your meat can be turned into jerky, and used in soups and stew that way.

Spices are another thing that can give away your abundance of food. When people are eating the most basic of foods, their sense of smell for well-seasoned food can actually be increased. If they smell well-seasoned food coming from your back yard, that will serve as another indicator that you have food.

I firmly believe in stocking spices, and I like well-seasoned foods. However, if my spice rack is going to cause me trouble, I’ll put a padlock on it and throw away the key. My family’s survival is more important to me than having gourmet meals.
Trash

Simple things can give everything away, especially to people who are looking for them. If you have a bunch of trash piling up at the curb and somebody is going to take a look in it and find a bunch of empty food packages, they’re instantly going to know that you have food while everyone else is starving.

The easiest way to solve the problem is to burn your trash. You’ve got to be careful about that, though, as burning trash could be a give away in and of itself. However, if you’re cooking outside over a fire, there’s nothing to say that you can’t use your trash to start the fire and burn some more of it as fuel. That will serve two purposes for you; get rid of the trash, and save your stock of fuel.

The same can be done if you’re using a fireplace to heat your home. Since you’ll be burning wood in it anyway, throwing some packages in there as well won’t be a problem. Once again, this can serve to dispose of the trash, while helping provide heat to your home.

If there’s no other possibility, then hide your trash in your basement or backyard, being sure to separate edible garbage from trash. The edible garbage can go into a compost heap, eliminating it, which will also help cut down on the stench from storing so much trash.

Appearance of Your Home

If you are in an area that was hit by a hurricane, there will be a lot of damage to homes and other buildings. While there might be a few which avoid any major damage, they will be few and far between. If your home is the only one in the area which doesn’t look like it sustained any damage, then it might look suspicious to people passing by. Likewise, if you manage to get it repaired faster than anyone else.

An easy thing that you can do to make your home look more damaged and increase your physical security in other ways, at the same time, is to put plywood over your windows. Some people who live in hurricane prone areas have pre-cut pieces which they can install whenever needed. If you have these, or can make some out of plywood, it will help make your home appear abandoned.

At the same time, those pieces of plywood will prevent anyone from seeing what’s going on inside and help keep any light from your lamps indoors. Should anyone decide to attack your home, plywood is fairly hard to break, making it harder for them to come through your windows.

Any gardening for fresh vegetables or livestock you have needs to be hidden in the back yard, preferably behind a privacy fence. If people don’t see it, hopefully they won’t think it’s there.
Noise Discipline

Noise can be another dead giveaway. The average person doesn’t realize how much noise they create, just doing everyday chores. That noise will show that your home is occupied. If you want to appear like an abandoned home, you’ve got to control the noise.

Even besides that, if you’re not trying to present the image of being an abandoned home, you still want to watch your noise levels, especially any sounds made by electronic devices.

If you have music playing in your home or your kids are watching a movie on the TV, it can probably be heard from outside your home. People hearing it will wonder how it is that you have electric power, when they don’t.

It’s not too much of a leap of imagination from there to wondering what else you might have that they can use.

Kids can be a real problem when it comes to noise discipline. If you have children, especially small ones, you’ll need to watch them constantly to keep them quiet. The best way to do this is to keep them busy with tasks that don’t make a lot of noise. Get them to help you and your wife around the house as well, making them a part, rather than just leaving them to play.
Activity

You’re going to be more physically active in the aftermath of a disaster, than you are today. Just trying to survive is going to keep you and your whole family busy.

Pretty much everything you do will have to be done manually,without the benefit of modern conveniences. That’s going to be a lot of hard physical work.

Trying to hide all this activity will be virtually impossible. Even so, there are a few things that you can do to camouflage your actions. More than anything, you can try and make your actions look like those around you. They’ll be busy trying to survive as well, so your actions to look like you are trying to survive shouldn’t look all that different.

Many things, like going to collect water from a nearby stream or lake will be the same as your neighbors are doing. Here again, you have a great opportunity for cooperation. If you can work together to collect and haul water, then you’ll just be part of the group.

You’ll also make the job easier for both of you, as you can help each other out. Of course, you’ll be the one with the water filtration system, so maybe you can help them out with that, in exchange for them helping you out in other ways.

Keep as much of your survival activity in your house or backyard as you possibly can. That will limit the number of people who can see what you’re doing to your immediate family and your immediate neighbors.

Here again you can co-opt them in your plans, by helping them. If they see you working in the backyard, growing vegetables, offer to help them get their garden started too; possibly in exchange for some labor.
Personal Appearance

With food shortages all around you, there’s a good chance that people are going to be losing weight. If you’re not, this could be another sign that you’re in much better shape, supply-wise than anyone else. In a town full of malnutrition, a chubby person is going to stand out like a sore thumb.

Of course, if you’re already thin, you’re not going to have a problem with this. It’s only those who are currently a bit on the heavy side that are going to end up looking a bit strange to others. They might want to go on that diet that they were talking about for years, as part of their OPSEC routine.

In addition to weight, there are other considerations about your appearance that you should keep in mind. Clean clothing, shoes that are in good condition, shaving, haircuts, and nail polish are all things that will stand out like a sore thumb, if nobody else around you has them.

Once again, this is one of those things that’s going to get worse with time. At the beginning, everyone will look fairly normal. But as the lack of soap and water make an impact, people will wear their clothes longer, even though they’re dirty, wash their hair less frequently, and let their beards grow.

To some extent, you can get away with not looking like everyone else in this case, as long as it is easily explainable to the people around you. If they see you hauling more water than anyone else, they won’t have a problem with you wearing clean clothes.

If they see your wife cut your hair, they won’t think much of it. As long as there’s an explanation, they won’t worry about it.

https://www.truenewsworld.website/millions-people-get-desperate/

7 Ways To Stay Alive in a Post-Collapse Society

As is extensively detailed in The Prepper’s Blueprint: How To Survive Any Disaster, life will definitely be different when the SHTF. You will not be able to rely on the law to protect you; however, you will also not be prosecuted under the law for some superficial or superfluous reason: your life and your family’s lives take precedence.  That being said, what do you do?  How do you handle these attackers…people that are intent on taking you down and taking what you have?  Let’s outline some basics that you can use post-SHTF.

    Never travel anywhere alone: always go in pairs with one to guard and watch over the other one.

    Never go anywhere unarmed: preferably with a rifle or shotgun, a main sidearm (pistol), a backup sidearm/piece, plenty of ammo for all of them, a fixed-blade knife, and a folding (lock-blade) knife at a minimum. Read more about SHTF firearms in this article. Yes, that is a lot of stuff.  Let’s make some further suggestions on these.  Mossberg 500 series 12 gauge shotgun.  .45 ACP main pistol.  .22 cal lr revolver or pistol…suppressor is optional but highly recommended.  Gerber Mark II fixed-blade knife.  Spyderco police model folding knife.

    Never travel anywhere without the rest of the family/group knowing where you’re heading: Don’t mess around with this one. If trouble arises, you cannot go off wandering on your own and expect anyone to come to your aid.

    Consider all strangers armed and potentially dangerous: If you wish to be the “Good Samaritan/Mister Rogers,” this is your choice. After the SHTF, however, the rules are off, and it is (paraphrasing Jack London) back to the Law of Club and Fang.

    Keep your distance when talking to strangers: As President Reagan phrased it so eloquently, “Peace through superior firepower.” Watch their eyes, watch their hands, and conclude your discussion in a businesslike manner.  Don’t waste time: get to the point and then get going. Along those lines, pay attention to the way you carry yourself in public. Your body language can be very telling. Predators normally watch their victims before they strike and look for key indicators.

    Meeting strangers: You may wish to have a couple extra people roaming around at a distance to watch for the approach of an ambushing force. Many attacks begin by placing people at ease and using a larger force held in reserve to swoop in when the parlay has begun, and everyone’s guard is down.

    Territory: You need to stake it out, post it (warn others), and enforce the fact that it is your territory. Many times, attackers will be “persuaded” to find a softer target: one that is less organized with people not in a readiness stance at all times.

Related: 10 Ways To Avoid Marauders and Looters After the Collapse
These Post-Collapse Rules Will Keep You Alive

There are some rules to follow that are hard rules, but will serve you in good stead.  They apply in a wartime situation, and they will apply equally in a disaster such as an apocalyptic event with societal collapse.

    Everybody Wants Something: they aren’t traveling toward your home turf for nothing.  They want something: food, water, clothing, shelter, tools, or interest in the opposite sex.  This last we’ll cover as an “individual item.”  You need to find out what they want, and if they’re willing to trade something for it or if they’re just out scouting to raid (the more likely of the two choices).

    Discretion is the Better Part of Valor: Keep a cool head, a steady hand, an unflinching eye, and the ability to go into fighting mode in an instant.  An aggressor will notice these things.  He will want to assess your abilities.  This also means keeping your cool.  It doesn’t mean shutting up and allowing yourself to be verbally bullied into a corner.  The enemy can sense weakness, as well.  Mr. and Mrs. Hallmark?  You’re going to have to step up and do your own dirty work…your own fighting for once.  Better be smart and don’t bite off something that is bigger than you can chew.

    Interest in the Opposite Sex:  This is a fact of life.  The primary groups will be groups of men that are correlated directly with ancient hunting parties of old.  These groups of men will no longer have rules they have to follow and they will want your wife, your daughter, or your sister.  They will adhere to no rules or propriety.  They will want children as well: girls or young boys.  Let me be perfectly clear: you will have to kill them when they come for such.

    Cannibalism: Yes, cannibalism is always something you may have labeled as a “fluke” event, such as “Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors,” but it is not.  There was an Army study years back that found that 1 human out of 1,000 will actively hunt other humans for food.  I’m here to tell you, that number is grossly underestimated.  Cannibalism begins almost immediately, at least within the first 1 to 2 weeks following a disaster.  There is plenty of history out there to document it, such as the Donner Party, as well as a presentation done by the Discovery Channel.  Be aware of it: they’ll be out there, and you need to be ready for them.

You need to continuously assess your fighting skills and training.  Assess these realistically, and take into account your shortcomings.  Learn to “pair” your preference with what is most effective.  Although I can more than handle myself in a knife fight, I prefer to meet an attacker carrying a blade with a nice 24” Aluminum T-Ball bat.  I’m here to tell you, when the bat is swinging?  The bat is singing, and the song it’s playing is all mine.  You have to find your own personal weapon of choice for “close encounters” where a firearm may not be able to be used.

In the end, taking care of yourself is a stance, and when the “S” hits the fan, the rules will disappear: they are as fragile as society itself, as fragile as cobwebs drenched with dew in the summer sun.  A strong wind will blow them away, just as an event will blow down the Hallmark houses made of straw and blow away the thin veneer of civilization masking the underlying, atavistic barbarism along with it.  Now is the time to assess yourself, make your plans, and execute those plans to strengthen your body, mind, and spirit to prepare for the times to come.  JJ out!

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-01/retired-green-beret-7-ways-stay-alive-post-collapse-society

What We Can Learn from the Riots in Chile - The Organic Prepper
10-12 minutes

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By J. G. Martinez D.

One of my best friends lives in Chile since a few years ago.

He mentions the psychological impact on the Venezuelan refugees was huge. Practically every people who experienced the clashes between national guards and demonstrators had a nerve meltdown. Of course, children were scared as well, watching their parents freak out.

Based on what I have learned after living through SHTF in Venezuela, I want to provide you with a few pieces of important advice for anyone facing such turmoil.
Do your best to remain calm.

If you show openly your fear, your family will immediately catch up with your mood. Not good. It´s supposed you have to protect them. Man up, even if you´re a single mom. I know this is easier for some people than for other ones.

My friend mentioned tear gas and gunshots close to his place and the concerned looks on his kids´ faces. He just shrugged and kept doing his stuff. Kids were like WTF? At the beginning but he told that it was just some guys passing by running from the police and the army who was protecting the people. Kids slowly calmed down and relax a little bit. They trust their papa. They know they will be protected no matter what. But if papa and or mama becomes a nerve mess and has a meltdown, your warm home is going to look like the Simpson´s Springfield nuclear plant facing meltdown. Hysteria everywhere.

My younger kiddo hates noisy environments. He was kept under a cocoon of silent since he was a baby: classical music sometimes, but other ones I used to listen to rock at high volume to train him to withstand noise. Not bad, just that he now loves My Chemical Romance, Fallout Boy and Green Day. Hilarious.

But looking at your parents concerned, at age 15 is a bitter feeling. I know how that feels. I experienced that at 15, and remember could not even swallow my lunch. Much worst was once the tear gas started to get into our patio. Our house is entirely open. Even the dogs were having a hard time. Vinegar spraying in the face was quickly started.

Get more information on surviving civil unrest and riots.

It´s a good moment to remind you all: adding a good gas mask (one for each family member) and after bought, everyone must learn how to wear it in a hurry, and do it properly. This can make an important difference.  Small children are going to be the most severely affected. Seen it happening in Caracas. Guards attacked a hospital. Jeez. If you´re hunkering down adults must take turns to monitor the surroundings (AND. DON´T. OPEN. THE. CURTAINS).

A face covered with a gas mask sticking out an apartment window is very likely to be targeted. So don´t do that. “Regular” “Normal” people do not have gas masks. But we know this is a good tool. Perhaps some drops of Valerian herb essence in a cup of water will help with those nerves, something I strongly recommend. Just put some music, and grab a book while installing yourself in an observation post that allows you to check to see what´s happening outside. If you have (as I indeed have recommended in some previous articles) to have an array of 2 or 3 remote cameras to see what´s happening outside without sticking the nose outside of a window, this is the moment to use them. Quietly and unnoticed. This will work as a means to calm down yours, too.
Don´t leave your place unless it´s extremely necessary.

I´m sure someone thinking they´re smart cookie will call me Mr. Obvious and other stupidities. But try to dialogue with your (non-prepper) wife once the food is gone and her rattle is shaking as if there´s no tomorrow. Trust me, the streets are not going to be safer once this rattling starts. Jokes apart, not because you don´t see anything from your window doesn´t mean something is NOT coming your way.

If you feel the need to make it to the supermarket 4 miles away with the best prices, maybe you can get there. Maybe you could even buy your stuff if the place hasn´t been looted. And maybe, too, a turmoil gets between you and your home and can´t be surrounded. You could get yourself into trouble just because. No need to do it. Keep your place supplied, be creative and use your brains. What I mean is, if the water, power or phone gets cut off, it´s stupid to leave the place believing that you´re going to make it to their offices to make a claim. I know there is plenty of people that would do this. So don´t call me Cap. Obvious. You´ll be underestimating the endless human potential for dumbness.

OK now, let´s elaborate a little bit. Suppose you are in your apartment in downtown Chile. On the second floor. Going higher in one of the countries of the Fire Belt is not wise. Anyway, tear gas is starting to feel. You pull out your gas masks, or even your swimming glasses and a cloth soaked in vinegar over your mouth. The 3 supermarkets nearby have been looted. Not just looted, they have been destroyed. Cashier machines, transport belts, even the shelves island have been demolished. Some reports have told that even factories have been burned. Senseless, irrational violence. And you don´t have where to buy fresh vegetables, nor fruit. You have still water and power.

But it´s here where our preppings are going to shine and your kids will learn that it pays off to play squirrel, at the end of the day.

Your horizontal freezer is filled up with supplies. Your pantry is stocked from floor to roof with canned vegetables, beans, pasta and whatnot, enough for six months. You have toilet paper to wipe off an entire primary school battalion for one year (if you have children under 10 you know how they go through toilet paper FAST). Toothpaste, shampoo, and soap? No problem. That couple of cases of beer is still safe under your bed.

Depending on your level of preparedness, defined according to your real needs, you could leave once you find it´s safe and make it to your bug out location.

One of my friends informs me that in Chile his job was not affected. He could attend to his office, just walking carefully…and a cab every now and then. The train is not functional. There are massive demonstrations. When these start, people just leave the office and go home. Usually, the turmoil starts when these people reach a certain point.
Things are becoming more chaotic all over – stay vigilant.

The SSNN have been playing a good role to establish safe routes. It´s incredible the organization level of these groups that are battling. They report (EVTV journalist interviewing Victor Higuera 30/10/2019, the Director of a Venezuelan media in Santiago, Capital of Chile) even a horde of 6500 people. Three more large commerce establishment burned down, and a clinic. A CLINIC. A MEDICAL FACILITY burned down. It´s a Red Dawn. No doubt about it. Whatever the reasons are, it has started to circulate the motto “Migrating in Latin America is like changing staterooms in the Titanic”. Go figure. Some Chilean media are spreading dubious information. They say the military is “repressing”, but…what can they do when a mob wants to set on fire a mall, or a clinic? It´s incredible that the democracy in that country is hanging from such a thin thread.

Going back on topic. Managing stress is important. For that, an entire awareness of the surroundings is necessary. Do you have a cheap couple of CCTV cameras? Then install them in the windows, and you won´t need to jeopardize your integrity. I say this because in Caracas the colectivos shot to windows even when listening to someone banging a casserole. That´s why. In the worst of 1989, people would block with mattresses and boards the windows. They had to sleep in the hallways because of the shootings. If you don´t believe me, just search “Caracazo 1989”, open your best online translator, and prepare some good coffee. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am. That was the first attempt to set South America on fire. Red Dawn. It´s starting again now, just that the Chilean Antifa is being paid with the money stolen from us Venezuelans.

And I want (need!) to remark this. How is it possible that a situation like this one simultaneously arises in different cities, all of a sudden? This is not spontaneous. This has to obey some kind of coordination. We have to analyze the sequence of the events, because maybe our location, one that we believe is peaceful, can be, in the matter of a few hours or even minutes, a focus of turmoil and disorder. Or it presents itself in the middle of one of our strategic evacuation routes to our bug out location.

Whatever the situation is, we certainly can´t allow ourselves to be caught in the streets. And if we are, we must know what to do.
Thank you.

Thanks for your support, encouraging words, for your comments, and for all that spectacular receptiveness you’ve shown to this engineer whose life has been so deeply transformed by the power of destiny.

I will keep writing no matter what.

And may God bless us all.

Jose

https://www.theorganicprepper.com/learn-riots-chile/