Blog Posts | AZ Prepper

What to Prepare For

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:02:05 -0700

For many people, prepping has become a part of their lives. In fact, every day more and more people are prepping. But what exactly are they prepping for? As I ask people this question, some have varied answers but most don't know. They simply feel a need to prep for something that is inevitably coming. So I've gathered some thoughts on what a person might be prepping for and things to take into consideration...

Possible Scenarios

First of all, a person should take into consideration of the most possible scenario that could happen with their family. Some of these things may include job loss, illness/major injury to family member, etc. These happen to people on a daily basis and are not "extreme" by any means. Even those who do not "prep" know these difficulties are just a part of life. The possible scenarios then continue down a road of most possible to more extreme scenarios, like Armageddon. Here is a list of possible things to consider:

Job loss
Illness, injury to family member, death of provider or caretaker
Natural disaster (flood, tornado, hurricane, etc)
Natural plague (disease in crops or animals, famines, droughts, etc)
Biological or natural diseases/plagues within human population
Strikes or other hinderances in shipping, trucking or air transportation of needed goods/services
Important resource problems (oil pipeline breaks, refinery explosions/failures, fuel shortages)
Terrorist attack(s) either on large or small scales
Local or national riots by gangs or extreme organizations with destructive motivations
Economic collapse (or on a smaller scale: recession, depression, etc)
Government collapse or large scale physical struggle for political power by force
EMPs (either natural from solar flares or man-made by high atmospheric nuclear detonations)
Foreign invasion on US soil
Complete world-wide turmoil and chaos

So the question is, how does one prepare for these things? Surprisingly, prepping for these is more similar than you might expect, with a few differences between each. But to start out, plan on the most realistic scenarios.

Medical Emergency & Preparedness

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:19:52 -0700

Recently we had an event happen in our family that really got me thinking about emergencies and obtaining proper knowledge and training in advance. Thank goodness it was a minor event, but still a very unpleasant one.

Scorpion Sting

While at the park with some friends having a picnic and socializing while the kids played on the slides, monkey bars and swings, my wife was introduced to the bark scorpion. She was sitting at the picnic table when all of a sudden she felt a sensation like a needle being jabbed into her hand. She looked down and a bark scorpion was sitting on her lap and had just stung her. She let out a scream and jumped up while another girl "recycled" the culprit into an unrecognizable wet spot the sidewalk. Immediately she ran to me to find out what to do. I considered what I had learned about the sting, knowing there was nothing you could do other than some simple remedies to ease the pain and unavoidable discomfort that would soon be coming.

We quickly packed up our things and gathered the kids together to hurry home before it got worse. By the time we took the 5 minute drive home and got into the house the pain had already gone up her arm in throbbing pain and her mouth, lips and tongue were going numb. I remember hearing the Benadryl and Advil were the best things to take so that's what she got. And we also got an ice pack to put on her hand. It was a constant pain that seemed to become excruciating at times, almost like labor pains. It would become overwhelming for a little bit then taper off for a bit, then come back, then taper off, etc.

Goals to Preparedness

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:46:18 -0700

Sometimes the whole idea of preparedness gets overwhelming, particularly to someone who is just getting started. Often times, it is so overwhelming that they give up before they get started. But this shouldn't be the case. In fact, there will never be a time when you are fully prepared. It is much more than just collecting a few things like food storage, camping and survival equipment and other resources. It is a lifestyle... a lifetime of learning skills, gaining knowledge, becoming a better stewart of resources, becoming a problem solver, utilizing resources and understanding your environment. And it's fun!

But it is impossible to just decide to be prepared and then accomplish this overnight. It takes many, many steps. Sometimes big steps, sometimes very tiny steps. But they are steps and this should be the first realization.

Many people, particularly these days do not have a lot of resources to go out and start buying truckloads of food, tents, survival supplies, camping equipment, water purification systems, solar panels, etc. These things are end goals, not today's goals. Start simple. Start with what you can afford, a little at a time.

Teach Your Kids...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:42:59 -0700

In the world today, things can turn upside down in minutes. One moment we can be going through a normal and then the next moment our worlds can change forever. This can be caused by a an accident, sickness or other catastrophic event in our lives. The recent events in Japan with the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant problems show how this can happen on a large scale as well. And it is certain to happen on an even larger scale worldwide in the future.

Quite often, many will do things here and there to prepare themselves for uncertain future events so that they can survive and protect their families. These can be survival skills, self reliance or just basic skills. But what about your spouses and your children? Are they learning the necessary skills to help them survive if something was to happen to you or you weren't around to help them? Learn these skills TOGETHER.

First off, let me start by saying that I personally don't believe in scaring your children and relating all possible terrible things that could happen. But I do believe it can be done in a manner that is fun and exciting for them.

Raising Rabbits

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:30:06 -0700

We recently began raising rabbits once again, something I used to do several years ago. My grandfather used to raise hundreds of rabbits when my mother was young. They both got me into raising rabbits when I was still in junior high school. Because of the great interest by many people, I thought I'd compile some useful information and share it with you. The following information can be helpful if you have been considering raising rabbits or are already raising rabbits and still had some questions about it.

Raising rabbits is a very rewarding thing. It is a very efficient in the cost/production ratio. In other words, you can produce a lot of meat for a very low cost. And this is done in a very short amount of time and in very small places. Rabbit meat is delicious and tastes much like chicken, but better. Rabbit meat is 20.8% protein, 10.2% fat, 27.9% moisture and about 795 calories per pound...a much healthier meat than beef, pork, lamb or chicken.

The following "rabbit facts" were taken from C. Park Romney's book, Raising Rabbits at Home:

Get Healthy Now!

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:39:03 -0700

Some thoughts about being healthy, getting in shape and my own path to obtaining this... A critical part of preparedness!

A very important component of preparedness is good health. Besides having the ability to hike, walk and physically do the work that will be necessary for survival in any extreme condition, If you are unhealthy, you most likely will be in need of many things that may not always be available. For instance, due to bad health, you may need various medications that could be eliminated by getting healthy and taking better care of yourself. Although this may not always be the case, most of the time it is.

So the big question is, how do you get healthy? There are so many "quick fixes" and "secret diets" out there that people are often tricked into the latest fad or extreme, and often dangerous diet. These can include harmful drugs or hormones, unhealthy herbs, starving or just eating a particular type of food while avoiding essential parts of your diet. Through the studies that have been done, many of these work... temporarily. But not without a cost. And most often, the cost is harmful to the body, permanently damaging and sometimes even deadly.

Fruit Trees & Berry Bushes

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:29:06 -0700

For many people, food storage is a big part of preparedness. And most often, this will also lead to vegetable gardening. Because vegetable gardening has already been discussed briefly in a previous blog, I thought I'd touch on another part of gardening that isn't discussed as often as it should be... fruit trees, vines and bushes.

First of all, one of the easiest home produced foods come from your fruit trees. Although they do need care in planting, fertilizing, watering and pruning, it is far less work than a vegetable garden. For the most part, you plant, water once a week (depending on the tree and your location), prune once or twice a year, fertilized once or twice a year and that's about it. And from this many trees produce fruit in as little as a year or two, although some may take longer.

Then there are plants like grape vines, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc. There are so many different varieties of each of these that there is something for almost any climate in the United States. For instance, even in the hot Phoenix, Arizona area, Thompson seedless grapes thrive. There are also blackberries, raspberries and blueberries that do well in Zone 9 climates. And if you live in a cooler location, the varieties are even more plentiful. All that is needed is some simple, basic planning and a little effort and you can enjoy plenty of produce right from your yard.

Communications During An Emergency

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:13:39 -0700

Communication is one of the most vital components during an emergency, both man-made and natural. This is particularly true if you live in a city or close to a large population of people. Because we live so close to one another and are so interdependent for our survival, we can become very vulnerable during a crisis. Knowing what is going on, what is happening where, the direction things are moving and also being able to coordinate with others is critical.

There are several different reasons why communications would go down. The most common of these are caused by mother nature. Bad rain storms, winter storms, tornados, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. can take out communications either temporarily or permanently. During these times, phone lines can be knocked down, cell towers destroyed, power knocked out, etc. Later in this article, we'll consider some of these and how they might effect our communications.

Another reason why communications may go down is due to man-made catastrophes. The most devastating in terms of communications would be an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse), caused my a nuclear bomb, either detonated on the ground to cause physical damage or detonated high in the atmosphere with the intent of causing damage to electronic (including communications) with the EMP. There is also the very high possibility that an EMP could be caused naturally by solar flares from the sun. This type of catastrophe must be considered when planning for emergency communications plans. We will consider the effects this might have on different methods of communication.

How Long Have You Gone Without Food?

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:49:15 -0700

In thinking through emergency preparedness, food is always foremost on the list. That is usually where the preparedness starts. Extra food is put away for when food is needed, but not available.

But how many average people in America know what it’s like to go without food? Fortunately, most people I know haven’t gone more than a couple meals without food. Many have never gone more than one meal. Rarely have I met anyone who has gone more than 24 hours. In fact, the only people I personally know who have gone longer than 24 hours are in the military and because of situations in their military duties, went for longer than I’d like to go without food.

So a couple weeks ago, I decided to see what it would be like to go without food for a few days. So Monday I ate normal meals. Then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I didn’t eat. Friday morning I ate some fruit (something light to give my system a chance to get working again) and then went back to my normal diet. During that time I drank more water than normal so that I stayed plenty hydrated (this is extremely important).

Recent C.E.R.T. Training

Tue, 11 May 2010 21:37:42 -0700

A few friends and I had the great opportunity to go through a C.E.R.T (Community Emergency Response Team) training by Kenneth Moravec a couple weeks ago. It was a great experience and a true eye opener about how unprepared we really are as a community. In a nutshell, if a big emergency was to happen, many people would lose their lives because of the lack of simple preparedness.

So what exactly does C.E.R.T. involve?

C.E.R.T. simply involves the basic training of what is needed to prepare for and how to handle an emergency (both natural and man-made) when it occurs.

The topics within the class covered:

Disaster preparedness (impacts on infrastructure, role of CERTs in disaster response)
Disaster fire suppression (identifying and reducing potential fire hazards, basic fire suppression strategy, firefighting resources and techniques)
Disaster Medical Operations (airway obstruction, bleeding, shock, triage, head-to-toe patient assessment, treatments for various injuries, public health considerations, etc.)
Light search and rescue operations (priorities and resources, situation size-up and search, lifting, cribbing and victim removal, limitations and hazards)
Disaster psychology and team organization (post-disaster emotional environment, CERT organization, decision making, documentation)
CERT and terrorism (dealing with terrorism aftermath, protecting yourself and preparing for a terrorist situation)
Disaster simulation exercise (where we did a mock emergency)

It was an extremely beneficial training, even for those of us who are very preparedness-minded. What we soon realized is that even prepared people need specific training to handle specific emergencies. This is not about self-survival, but about helping others in times of need. These may be your own family, your close friends or complete strangers that you occasionally see walking their dog in the morning.

Food Storage: Where to Start

Mon, 10 May 2010 22:19:34 -0700

Food storage is one of the first things that people begin to consider when starting their preparedness plans. And this is obviously a smart thing to do, considering the importance of food and the consequences that come from the lack of it. This is particularly important in today’s world where we are so dependent upon others for food and much less self-sufficient than we used to be.

However, a lot of people begin to get overwhelmed when thinking about how to get started and what to do first. They have no game plan and only see it as a mountain of a project. But it really is a simple thing to do, when taking one step at a time.

First of all, start with the basic foods that you eat on a daily basis. These would be canned goods, basic staples (sugar, flour, cereal, etc.) and other things you keep stocked in the pantry. Every time you go to the grocery to purchase something you’ll be using that week, buy 2 or more instead of just 1 of that item (remember, we’re talking about pantry goods, not things that need kept in the refrigerator). Doing this will slowly begin to increase the food you have and use. Put the new cans in the back and use the older cans first. This will ensure you are always rotating your food and minimize waste.

Keeping Warm When Camping

Thu, 06 May 2010 20:12:53 -0700

My family and I love to go camping. There’s nothing like spending time in the great outdoors, away from the fast-paced rush of today’s hectic world. The peace and quiet, the sound of wind blowing through the trees and the occasional wildlife visitor is therapeutic and invigorating. The kids love running around exploring and building imaginary castles in the trees and we love relaxing around the campfire, telling stories about times long past. And when the evening comes, the campfire hypnotizes you as you sit long into the evening laughing, telling jokes and just enjoying one another’s company.

Then when the time comes to turn in for the night, there’s nothing quite like changing into your pajamas and sleeping into a cold sleeping bag, especially in the winter months. And if you’re like me, my feet take half the night to warm up, if at all. If this happens to you, I’ve learned a few inexpensive tricks for those of us who can’t afford those nice, expensive sleeping bags.

Let me start out by stating that I am in now way trying to compare this set up to some of the great (and expensive) sleeping systems out there (such as foam sleeping bags). Those are obviously better setups, but the following system has worked great for me, which is why I’m sharing it.

Raising Chickens - Lessons Learned

Mon, 03 May 2010 20:02:42 -0700

Well, I’ve recently had the unfortunate experience of having to cull my flock of laying hens due to Infectious Coryza. This is a disease that essentially has no cure. You can medicate and do all kinds of things to improve the situation, but in best case scenarios, the Coryza becomes dormant and eventually returns. And the entire flock becomes carriers.

The only way to eliminate the problem is to cull the flock, eliminate the bedding/sand/dirt and sanitize the entire coop, feeders, waterers, etc. But if you are planning on breeding and expanding your flock, having this in the flock does nothing but create many future problems and slow deaths for those effected. Egg production decreases or halts, the chickens have trouble breathing, they carry a rotting-meat type of scent and are in bad shape and the quality of your flock diminishes. And there is also the possibility of spreading the disease to other flocks if you’re not careful.

So I made a very difficult decision to cull the flock and start fresh. Believe me, this was not an easy thing to decide. If you’ve ever raised chickens, you know the hard work, money and time that goes into it. Some of my hens I’ve had for a year and a half, many others had just started laying within the last few weeks. Very frustrating, indeed!

I'll Just Garden When Food Runs Out...

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:05:03 -0700

When the topic of preparedness comes up, there is a statement that is almost guaranteed to come up from the unprepared… “I’ll just garden when food runs out.” And then they continue to say that they have seed they’ve been storing for 5 years in their garage. And more often than not, this same individual has never gardened and wouldn’t know where to start.

If you are one of those that have made this statement, I’ll let you in on a little secret… You’ll Starve To Death!

Yip, if you’ve never gardened before, you’re going to be in for a rude awakening when the time comes.

First of all, anyone who has done any vegetable gardening will agree that gardening isn’t just a motion like making your bed or taking out the trash, it’s a skill that is learned through trial and error over many seasons. Beginning gardeners may quit out of frustration the first time they try it. Others get extremely lucky and have a bountiful harvest the first time they try it by sheer dumb luck. But most often, in the beginning you have some success and a bunch of failure. Some of the reasons are:

Raising Chickens (Tips & Tricks)

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:06:35 -0700

It seems like lately everyone has caught the “chicken bug” and started raising chickens in their backyard. Of course, this is a great thing and can be very rewarding. Not does this bring great, fresh eggs and meat to the table, but can also be very entertaining, therapeutic and also teaches children about work, life and responsibility. And I have to mention, it does become very addicting. Because once introduced to the different breeds of chickens with their various colored eggs, etc… there’s always another one or two you just “have” to get.

There is also a learning curve and some basic tips that can make raising your own chickens much easier and successful. I have posted the following tips on other forums, but thought it would be good to post them here as well.

General rule for optimal space for dual-purpose type chickens: 10 sq feet per chicken for run, 4 sq feet per chicken in coop (this is optimal, but not required… free ranging changes this number… less can work fine, but not optimal and should be at a minimum of 6 sq ft per chicken)
Perch space requirements per bird: 1 foot. If there’s not enough room for one perch, use two smaller perches at the same height, 18″ apart and at least 18″ from the wall. Some prefer using a ladder-like perch system, with perches starting around 2 feet off the ground, with each perch 12″ higher and 12″ over. The mature birds (highest in pecking order) will claim the top perches, while younger (lower in pecking order) will occupy the lower ones. The step system is also convenient for the birds to get to the higher perch.
Perches count as space for chickens… add perches to increase space coop space
Nest box space requirements: 12″ wide x 12″ deep x 12″-14″ high is generally a good size for most chickens
Nest box numbers: 1 box per 3 birds. Keep them at least 1.5 feet off the ground.
Litter for nest boxes: Pine wood shavings (not sawdust) are great and highly absorbent. Do not use ceder shavings!
ALWAYS have perches higher than the nest boxes…they’ll perch at highest point (this will help eliminate chicken droppings in nest boxes and give you clean eggs)
Sand on ground helps absorb moisture and keep things dry, also eliminates almost all of the smell (be sure to get medium grain, SANITIZED sand, usually bought at Home Depot or Lowes)
If using sand, get a kitty litter scoop for cleaning up droppings in sand (picks up droppings, leaves sand)
If you live in the desert (AZ), get a small mister to point into the run and have it on from around 12pm to 4pm on the hot days… it will keep things much cooler, eliminating overheating and panting. The sand will absorb the moisture and become very cool, regardless of the outside temperature. If you have a dirt floor, this may become very stinky (which is why I’m a big believer in sand floors, which eliminates that stench).
During the winter, have a timer for lights in the coop. 14 hours of light per day results in optimal egg laying. Less light during the day results in less or even halted egg laying.
If you have more than one rooster, have a feeder for each rooster and keep them at least 10 feet apart. This may reduce fighting as each cock will claim a feeder and his hens will generally use that one as well.
Chickens will molt (lose feathers and grow replacements, a little at a time) once a year (after 18 months of age) for about 2-3 months. During this time, egg production ceases or slows drastically.

For baby chicks…

Temperatures in the brooder should stay as close to the following:

0 – 1 Week: 95 Degrees F
1 – 2 Weeks: 90 Degrees F
2 – 3 Weeks: 85 Degrees F
3 – 4 Weeks: 80 Degrees F
4 – 5 Weeks: 75 Degrees F

Make sure that you watch their behavior around the heat lamp. If the are spreading out away from the heat lamp, it’s too hot. If they are laying on top of each other in the very center of the heat lamp, it’s too cold. If they are gathered, but not on top of each other, it’s usually perfect.

Put Away The Generator!

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:06:35 -0700

Put Away the Generator!

After reviewing a list of “100 Items to Disappear First in a Panic“, I noticed the very first thing that was listed was a generator. And this is quite often the first thing that people think about when the power goes out. And in a short-term situation, this is definitely a nice thing to have. A generator (with the knowledge of how to connect it to your home grid via the breaker box) can keep your refrigerator running for enough time to keep things cool inside, can power the television for news/entertainment, can give lighting if needed, etc. After storms or extended power failures, this is a great thing to have.

However, lets say that there has been a catastrophic event which will end up causing a long-term power failure (terrorist attack, pandemic, huge natural event, etc.). And lets say that this power outage will last for many weeks or months. And lets assume that besides power failures, there is a disruption of food deliveries into the city, water service, etc. So in all, there is more of a need for survival and a huge lack of modern comforts. In this type of situation, the worst thing you can do is crank up your generator periodically and let everyone know where you’re at and that you’re more prepared than most. This is a sure way to get unwanted guests coming over to see what else you have that they might want. And no longer how prepared you are, you cannot shoot every bad guy in the city.

The Last Firestarting Kit You'll Ever Need!

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:06:35 -0700

The Last Firestarting Kit You’ll Ever Need!

Going along with the most important thing in a survival situation (shelter) is your ability to start a fire. Without fire, you lose a great resource for warmth, the ability to boil water (making it drinkable) and also ability to cook food (sometimes also very important to make safe to eat). But how many people are actually prepared with both the knowledge and skills to build a fire in the wilderness?

Surprisingly few people have actually practiced making fire. In fact, I’d guess that most people think that if you have a lighter, you simply light it under a log and in a matter of moments, BAM! You’ve got a fire! But even if you have a lighter with you, nothing could be further from the truth. There is more to it than that.

For the sake of time, lets focus on firestarting tools on this post and leave the how-to’s for another day. After all, if you don’t have the tools, the how-to’s are completely pointless.

First of all, when you consider the tools needed to start a fire, you’ll want to think of this in two different ways. There are long-term tools and short-term tools. Short-term would be things like matches, lighters, etc. We’ll skip over the short-term and discuss long-term firestarting tools.