Interesting interactive map of the Oxfam relief effort in Haiti.

View Oxfam in Haiti in a larger map

Residents of Etchingham are being asked to offer their services for the emergency plan update – to be in place in case of disaster.

Come wind, snow, rain or fire – or even the surprise crash landing of a jumbo jet – the village has to be prepared – just in case.

The village’s emergency plan is in the process of being developed with the aim of securing villagers’ safety.
Continue reading Your village needs you in emergencies

[Thanks to Prepperbuzz.com]

In my last post I lamented to some degree, that all though I am preparing in earnest, I’m not sure what I am preparing for.

Yes it will be nice to have nearly unlimited candles during a two or three day power outage. But when I really boil it down in my own head what I’m really getting ready for is the big one. What form that will take is not entirely unanswerable. Given the geographical size of America it is hard to believe that the “Big One” will come in the form of some natural disaster. The country is simply to large for a single hurricane to wipe out the nation. Like the hurricane in New Orleans a natural disaster leaves a country badly bruised. But it is an event from which a nation, at least this nation can recover.

That leaves us with several “potentials” that could lead us in the direction of really needing to survive on your own or with your family for an extended period of time.

Throughout history societies and cultures are always in the state of becoming. We as individuals share this experience too, as we are in a constant state of “becoming”. You are not the same person you were twenty years ago, nor am I. Your ideas, values, and perhaps even your definition of right and wrong may have changed as you have matured. (hopefully for the better)

Generally speaking when any given government over steps their historical and/or statutory boundaries no matter if they are financial in nature,  policy driven, taking rights from the people or through taxation a revolt is not to far off. At some point you reach a tipping point and that is when the people have had and seen enough and they are literally willing to die rather than subject themselves or future generations to the lies and deceit that is being driven into their very souls.

Most recently we have seen this type of revolt in Iran after what appeared to be a very rigged election. In this particular situation at least for now the government will in all likelihood win the day.

We saw it in Tienanmen Square in 1989 when unpredictably the students and young people revolted against the government. At the time the protests were sparked by the death of Hu Yaobang, who was an advocate for democracy. Again, in this case the government was ultimately able to get control of their “subjects”.  As a side note on China I do expect that huge changes particularly in the politically arena in the next several decades. It is difficult to show people even a crack of freedom without them insisting on more…but I digress.

In Holland the Dutch Labor leaders are calling to keep Geert Wilders out of any new government after a “technical” default in their political structure. Wilders, billed as a conservative has and is advocating what is basically a cease and desist order on all immigration, specifically against Muslims. His position, supported by many, is tearing the country apart. His stance being that mass immigration is radically changing the culture of Holland and that a generation down the road the country will be unrecognizable.

French riots in July 2009 torn what is normally seen as a peaceful country apart night after night for nearly a week. In this case due to what was seen as an unjustified killing by the police. They are went from peaceful to a powder keg within a matter of hours.

Today here at home there is a undeniable proliferation of different groups taking sides on a variety of issue. There is a resurgence of Black groups, White groups and an immigration explosion of Latinos. Add to that, recent polls show a very high distrust for our government  Our culture is being separated. The common goal of the country lacks direction. And that is a sign of trouble.

Is the country on solid footing when it came to our financial matters. I don’t know. But we are not according to some of the professionals. Both Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner have now acknowledged that we were no more than a few hours away from a complete financial meltdown 18 months ago.

Today the government borrows forty two cents of every dollar it spends. Unemployment and I mean the real unemployment rate in the country is running between 17% and 18%. Don’t believe me go look at the governments own figures.

So with all of that observed and noted what have we seen in the very recent past that is one of those big “signs”.

The Tea Party. No, I’m not a tea party guy. But think about it. What does it take to get middle aged to granny aged people up off the butt to come out to rallies. What is going on then literally hundreds of thousands of people show up in Washington to protest. In my mind, it takes a lot. It tells me that something in their gut tells them that something is not right. And that my friend, is a sign along the way that should not be ignored.

Cheers, prepare hard! Paul Karcher

A bear attack is one of those things everyone thinks cannot happen to them. But with so many people, and fewer places for bears, conflicts are inevitable. Find out below how to avoid being attacked by a bear and avoid being a story on the evening news. (if you’re not worried about bear attacks, read this post)


Continue reading How To Avoid A Bear Attack

**Warning** some videos may be considered very graphic and may not be suitable for everyone

Woman Survives Vicious Bear Attack

Continue reading Worst Bear Attacks Caught On Tape

Dear Lou,
As a resident of South Mississippi, I think it is officially time to stock my swine flu/tornado/hurricane/foreign invasion pantry. How do I do this without filling it with a bunch of processed crap, but still manage to stock away flavorful and nutritious staples?
Kelly S.

Dear Kelly,
This particular swine flu pandemic—which may or may not be linked to factory farms—doesn’t appear to pose much of a public-health menace. But it reminds us of an old lesson: chaos happens. Regarding pandemics, our very own government advises people to keep two weeks’ worth of supplies on hand, which is truly the least the government can do given its recent disaster track record. You don’t have to be a Chuck Norris-obsessed, gun-packing paranoiac to stash a bit of canned food and water in case of hard times.
Continue reading The non-survivalist’s guide to stocking up for hard times