Archive for the ‘Preparedness’ Category

The reason you would make this choice?

Unless you are planning on STAYING in a survival situation, then a .22 is your best bet. A shotgun would be good for bringing down larger game such as deer and such. But how much meat can you reasonably expect to carry as you try to make it back to civilization? Also, you are more likely to be able to find rabbit, squirrel, and avians than you would be deer. These are large enough to sustain life without leaving too much meat behind for larger predators to sniff out.

There was one company, I don’t remember which one, that made a .22 Survival rifle that could be broken down and carried in a hollow plastic stock with a rubber butt cover. It consisted of the hollow stock, the rubber butt cover, the barrel (which screwed onto the receiver), the receiver that was “bolted” onto the stock with an attached bolt, and a small magazine.

Also, you can carry much more .22 shells than you can shotgun shells. More ammo = more food.

Technorati Tags: Survival Gear, Weapons

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Technorati Tags: emergency, food, Preparedness, Survival Gear

Save your game meat, fish and garden bounty from freezer burn with a professional-grade vacuum sealer. These systems also work great for protecting and storing clothing to keep it odor-free, bug-free and dry. You can use them to seal emergency items, such as matches and first-aid equipment. The GameSaver Deluxe features a hands-free, Easy Lock Latch System, CrushFree instant seal, accessory port and easy-clean drip tray. It also includes an extra-wide sealing strip, touchpad control, seal-only position, two vacuum speeds and hose storage. Two-level sealing-time adjustment switch. It has a built-in safety bag cutter and roll storage, patented vacuum channels that catch overflow liquids and an accessory port and hose for use with FoodSaver Canisters. Includes one 10-ft. roll of 11″ bag material and five pre-cut bags. Bags can be microwaved, frozen and boiled. – Virtually eliminates freezer burn to all items – Perfect for freezing, camping and long-term food storage – Marinates meat in a fraction of the time it normally takes – Hands-free, Easy Lock Latch System – CrushFree instant seal

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Technorati Tags: emergency, food, Preparedness, storage, Survival, Survival Gear

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, blizzards – nature has its fury days from time to time, not to mention the man-made threat of international terrorism. No-one is exempt from the possibility of being personally affected by such a disaster. You cannot prevent one but you can prepare for one.

1) Pre-emptive Planning

Vaccinations: make sure your pet is up to date with his/her vaccinations. Your veterinarian usually informs you when the annual booster is due, but this is not guaranteed to happen. Rabies vaccination is essential in addition to the standard multi-vaccine.

Identification: make sure your pet can be identified in the event that you are separated. A microchip or tattoo are important forms of identification but this should optimally be combined with a collar tag of some sort, as not all rescue personnel will be equipped with microchip scanners or quick access to tattoo/microchip databases. Likewise if a member of the public comes across an animal with a collar tag on they are more inclined to attempt to trace its owner. The collar tag should ideally contain a rabies tag, your home address, a phone number where you can be reached, and an out-of-state number of someone that you will be in contact with during or soon after the disaster/evacuation.

Recent photo: it is a good idea to have a recent photograph of your pet(s) in a safe place so that if the worst did happen and you were separated, you have the materials to hand to immediately make posters etc. Make a note of any distinguishing marks or features on your pet so you can provide a more accurate description.

Food: have at least a 2 weeks supply of pet food (and water) stored at all times. Store dry food in watertight containers, and if you store canned food do not forget to store a can opener nearby! A few treats should also be stored if possible to provide them with some comfort.

Medications: always keep a back-up supply of your pets medications. Your veterinarian will be closed for business during a disaster so your pet has a serious medical condition, you may not be able to obtain those crucial tablets for a few weeks.

Transportability: make sure you possess a secure pet carrier for small dogs, cats, rabbits and small mammals. Use the carrier at home before disaster strikes, so your animal is used to it. Larger dogs must have a secure leash or harness. In a panic, your pet may try to escape so secure transport is essential. If your dog rides with you in your car, keep a leash in the car so your dog can be safely controlled if you have to leave your vehicle.

Identifying a pet shelter: for public health and safety reasons, most emergency shelters do not accept pets. In case disaster strikes a small area that just happens to include your home, make sure you have numbers handy of hotels and motels in your area that accept pets. In the event of a wider area being affected, or a mass evacuation, you will need to contact your local emergency management office, animal shelter or animal control office. Remember, pet shelters may only accept your pets if you can provide proof of vaccination so keep your vaccination card somewhere safe.

Start a buddy system with a friendly neighbour: arrange to check on each others pets in the event of you not being home when disaster strikes. You will need to provide them with a key to your home. Brief your buddy on any medications necessary, discuss mutual evacuation plans and agree to care for one anothers pets in your/their absence. Inform your veterinarian of this arrangement and have your buddys number put in your file at the vets just in case.

Pet survival kit: consider packing a pet Survival kit to have available if disaster strikes. The kit should be assembled in an easy to carry, waterproof container and stored in a cool, dry area. Food and medications will need to be replaced from time to time in accordance with their use-by dates. Some medications may need to be refrigerated. It is wise to keep an emergency first aid guide together with your survival kit, such as our downloadable Pet Doctor Online Pet Emergency Guide.

Suggested components of Pet Survival Kit:

2 week supply of food (dry and canned)
Can opener
Spoon
2 week supply of water in sealed plastic bottles
Food & water bowls
Secure pet carrier for each pet, labelled with your contact information
Copy of medical history, including vaccination record
List of emergency contact telephone numbers
Disaster Preparedness guide
Emergency First Aid guide (see above)
Emergency First Aid kit (see below)
Flashlight
Radio
Batteries (radio, flashlight)
Medications
Instructions (notification of allergies, medications, veterinarian details)
Muzzle
Comfort items (toys, blankets, treats)
Spare collar, leash, harness
Cat litter, tray, pooper scooper
Paper towels
Trash bags for waste disposal
Maps of local area
Recent photo of each pet

Pet First Aid Kit: Your local vet clinic may well be closed due to the disaster. In fact, if the whole region is affected you might not have access to any veterinary care for a while as relief teams will prioritise human casualties. This is when having your own pet first aid kit can keep you one step ahead.

Suggested components of Pet First Aid Kit:

Oral rehydration powder (for reconstitution with water)
Antidiarrheal tablets/liquid
Activated charcoal (in case of poisoning)
Medications specific to your pet
Routine preventative medications (e.g. heartworm, fleas, ticks)
Antiseptic scrub (Betadine, Nolvasan, Hibiscrub)
Saline solution (for rinsing wounds)
Sterile eye rinse
Antibiotic eye ointment
Antibiotic ointment for wounds
Hydrogen peroxide
Styptic powder (clotting agent)
Alcohol wipes/prep pads
Gauze pads and rolls
Latex gloves
Ice cream sticks (can be used to splint fractured bones)
Elastic bandage rolls
Cotton bandage rolls
Cotton wool
Non-adherent bandage pads
Bandaging tape
Scissors
Tweezers
Syringes
Thermometer
Towel and washcloth
Tourniquet

Matthew Homfray

http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/disaster-preparedness-for-your-pet-part-1-68560.html

Technorati Tags: emergency planning, emergency preparedness

You never know… so be prepared with our 1/8 quart supply of emergency drinking water. 5-year shelf life. This posi-sealed bag may be checked by squeezing. Replace bag if air or water escapes.

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Technorati Tags: emergency, emergency preparedness, emergency survival kit, Preparedness

Technorati Tags: 2012, collapse, disaster, disaster preparedness, Disaster Survival, emergency, Survival, SURVIVALIST

It’s natural disaster season in the South—the time when hurricanes are due to hit and winter storms are due to bury us all under freezing temperatures. This is the time of year when getting stranded or stuck without power proves to be the most dangerous. In acknowledgment of this time of year, the Huntsville Utility companies have come out with a list of ways that you can prepare for emergencies.

Clothing:

Huntsville Utilities advocates dressing in layers. This doesn’t have to mean panty hose inside of tights inside of leggings inside of jeans. While some might feel better about going to these extremes, dressing in layers is for practical purposes not just keeping warm. When you wear layers you can take off or put back on clothing to help keep you feeling comfortable. You don’t want to make yourself look like the little brother from A Christmas Story. You want to be comfortable and prepared.

Test Test Test

Test your home’s smoke detectors and invest in a carbon monoxide detector as well. The winter months lead to more use of fireplaces and other things that produce carbon monoxide. Make sure your detectors all have fresh batteries. Check the batteries in your flashlights every couple of days (this only has to be a quick flick; you don’t have to leave them on). Test the batteries in your transistor radio. Check, test and double check everything.

Stock Up

Those people who run to the store and bring home cases of bottled water and batteries as soon as disaster season starts are not paranoid. They are prepared. You don’t have to build your own bunker, but you do want to have a large supply of bottled water, batteries and food that will not spoil—canned foods, jarred foods and dry foods are best. Food that you can put into a box and not have to worry about whether or not it has expired. It is also a good idea to keep some dried milk on hand and extra baby food for any pets that will need feeding.

Make a plan

Have a designated place for everything that you will need and practice having to get to those things in the dark. Run your family through drills where you exit your home via a variety of escape routes. Keep a map of your home posted somewhere that everyone can see. Make sure that these escape routes and supply locations are memorized and that utilizing them is second nature. That way you won’t have to worry about what to do next in the event of an emergency.
When we were kids we learned all about being prepared and that need for preparation does not go away as we get older. If anything it gets more important because we will have our own families depending on us for leadership and Survival. Make sure that you know what to do, how to do it and how to make sure that others are safe as well. You’ll be glad you took the time to work everything out ahead of time!

For more information on preparing for disasters, visit http://www.huntsvillemicroblog.com and http://www.alabamamicroblog.com.

John Parks
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/disaster-Preparedness-754411.html

Top 5 Food Shortage Nightmares
By Lauren McKechnie in Top FiveMon., Nov. 23 2009 @ 12:10PM
?Simultaneous shortages in Libby’s canned pumpkins and Eggo waffles in the last week have led to some puzzling moments of hysteria. The situation got us thinking about which foods we’d totally freak out about if, suddenly, we couldn’t get them.

?5. Peanut Butter – The salmonella scare was almost a year ago, but that doesn’t stop me from buying the double pack of Jif every time supplies run low. Without it, school lunches and midnight snacks would be one unending stream of pre-packaged deli meat. Bleh.

?4. Potatoes – If you thought the Irish had a hard time without them, imagine a world where frozen spud supplies are dwindling. I already feel like going 187 when the shake machine is out. If McDonalds ever ran out of fries, anarchy would surely follow.

?3. Riboflavin – Although I don’t really know or care what Riboflavin is, I’m pretty sure they can’t make cereal without it. Imagining our favorite grocery store aisle empty makes our inner child weep.

?2. Blue Bell – Texan ex-pats have been known to have the stuff packed in dry ice and shipped; it’s no surprise we can’t live without our Blue Bell. That “eat all we can and sell the rest” attitude is real cute until there’s not enough to go around.

?1. Bacon – The chronic desire for bacon needs no explanation. Even the mention of a bacon scarcity is enough to incite terror and activate hoarding tendencies in the most restrained of addicts.

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Eggo Waffles
27 comment(s) / Post a Comment Vernon Guy says:
Ketchup.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 12:47PM Ricardo Tubbs says:
You make Ms Shilcutt look like Gore Vidal.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 12:59PM MrSnarkyPants says:
Funny, both Libby’s canned pumpkin and Eggo frozen waffles were in abundance at the neighborhood Sprawl Mart yesterday. Makes you wonder how much of this is “shortage” and how much of this is “create sales.”

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 1:03PM Jay says:
Easy Cheese. Please never forsake me, Easy Cheese.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 1:06PM Anonymous says:
BEER…is food. A golden carbohydrate that combined with vegetable protein (peanuts) makes a wholesome, complete meal.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 1:10PM Sara says:
I was sad when the e. coli spinach scare hit. When I went to the grocery store and saw bags of baby spinach back on the shelves, I went “EEEEEE” loud enough to make people stare.

Also, I think a serious chocolate shortage would mean the end of civilization as we know it.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 1:17PM Theo says:
Perhaps this one was too easy: Corn. If we ran out of that we’d all be in deep shit.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 2:00PM Cac says:
Who is Gore Vidal and what does she have to do with food shortages? Famous Irishman?

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 2:14PM Katharine says:
I don’t want to live in a world without chocolate. Yes. Chocolate. That would be my freak-out food if there were ever a shortage. I’d kill you all for the last Snickers bar on earth.

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 2:44PM Kyle says:
Alright fess up, this was ghost-written by the Shameless Chef, am I right?

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 3:33PM Lisa says:
I was sad when Morningstar Farms corndogs went awol for a while…and now they’re gone for good. Those were better than the real thing!

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 4:24PM Gary Packwood says:
Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley appeared together on TV once every five years to demonstrate for the world to see and hear the concept of uneasy peace.

Twas magnificent if you had access to a large dictionary.

Even the thought of what they could have done with Eggo Waffles as a discussion topic just boggles the mind.
::
GP

Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 4:34PM Anonymous says:
Wow this was fucking stupid

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 5:01AM Dingus says:
Cracklin’ = http://bit.ly/5GG4hy

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 5:30AM James says:
and people wonder why you lot are so fat

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 6:02AM random says:
Theo: Just imagine how much healthier we’d be eating if there WAS a corn shortage. I almost welcome it. You’re right though, it is in absolutely everything.

Also, blue bell? bah.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 6:11AM 1ton says:
I have never eaten any of these products – haven’t even heard of them – except for frozen potatoes (but why… ??? the world has fresh potatoes everywhere I’ve ever lived… on 3 continents and in 6 countries – fresh potatoes never let you down…)

Why do you think your odd and strictly local weirdness translates into some generic human reality???

In Britain they say of your ilk they are, ‘tossers’ in Australia ‘wankers’, in France… well never mind.. … Jif.. Kix??? Bluebell WTF??? These are just random groupings of letters with no meaning! (I’ve just checked this among English-speaking work colleagues from at least 6 nations

Hello planet Houston…there’s a world out there!!

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 6:20AM Chris says:
There were people getting hysterical over a frozen waffle and canned pumpkin shortage? Really? Social scientists say that after 72 hours of societal collapse, the average human freaks out. I’d say in America it’ll take considerably less.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 6:20AM JIm Watson says:
Wow, I am suddenly hungry! Lets eat!

Jess
www.complete-privacy.se.tc

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 7:42AM JonM says:
@1ton
you sir, are a moron. “Jif” is a brand of peanut butter, “Kix” a type of cereal. Blue bell is a brand mentioned by name, but just expand the sentiment to all ice cream.

read the article before you post, there are 10 sentences(11 if you count “Bleh.” as it’s own) it’s not that hard. He even says Peanut Butter, not Jif; and Riboflavin, not Kix.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 8:58AM Kristin says:
I second the BEER post.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 10:08AM Chris says:
I think bacon needs a hiatus. What was a once simple and customary side for breakfast, burger topping, etc etc. is now a trite fad.

You’d think civilization just discovered it.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 11:19AM Robert says:
We did have a hops shortage a few years back, luckily the big companies had huge back stocks and were willing to share with the smaller producers… man what would i do without my beer?

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 12:22PM Holly Berry says:
first, if you don’t know what riboflavin is, why the HELL are you even writing about it? look it up before you write an opinion about it. second, McDs doesn’t use potatoes for their fries, they use some artificial potato-like substance with artificial and natural flavoring. someone mentioned corn above and they are absolutely right– we would be LOST without corn, considering we use it as the base ingredient in everything and use it to sweeten just about every commercial food product on the shelf. what about wheat? what about peanuts? milk? interesting topic to discuss, but terribly executed. more thought was put into the pictures than the actual writing.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 12:39PM Andrew says:
Ms. Berry, you should look up your claims before commenting. McDonalds’ fries may not be 100% potato, but they are still the largest purchaser of potatoes in the United States.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 1:44PM drew says:
worst article ever, think about the people in other countries who have no food except what they grow. Think about people who have no water, not even a well. If all our food was gone we’d be like the other 2/3 of the world….think about that.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 3:37PM Daisy says:
I bought Jif once…we never finished the jar. It was the most disgusting, oversweet excuse for peanut butter ever.
I now only buy peanuts-only peanut butter with no additives.

Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 5:00PM

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2009/11/top_5_food_shortage_nightmares.php

Technorati Tags: collapse, crisis, economic, emergency, food, Preparedness, Survival

BatchMaster Software, Inc. has provided advanced ERP solutions for over two decades with more than one thousand five hundred installations worldwide. BatchMaster’s customers can be found in every formula or recipe-based business, including food, beverage, cosmetic, personal care, paint, coating, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemical industries. Flexible, easy to learn and use, and scalable to grow with a process manufacturing business, BatchMaster is the definitive solution for the challenges facing small to midsize process manufacturers. BatchMaster has more than a hundred technical staff numbers of highly-qualified software professionals.

Preston Blevins, vice-president with BatchMaster (www.batchmaster.com) received the APICS (Association for Operations Management) CSCP certification and recently contributed a feature article for the APICS newsletter titled, “Conformance for Performance.” Blevins highlights the importance of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act implemented through regulatory compliance requirements to ensure food safety. Blevins acknowledged that, “Solving the problem is not easy given the size of the food and beverage manufacturing industry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises that there are 400,000 United States-based food and beverage companies, many of them small enterprises. Food safety and food defense are often confused by those outside the food industry. Food defense is concerned with the physical security of the manufacturing site and employee screening. Food safety is about the disciplined management of processes, application of science, and accurate record keeping. Much of this is in eight requirements established by the FDA. The one that can lead to world-class inventory management is Section 306, the final FDA directive on interpretation and implementation of the Bioterrorism Act—a record-keeping requirement for full lot traceability of all ingredients used in the manufacturing process and products produced.”

Blevins notes that Section 306 is explicit as to what is required; however, the power for improvement is in the implied requirements. The reason: If there is a lot recall and people’s health and lives are at risk, what good is an inaccurate lot trace record? The implied requirement is absolute accuracy in all information contained in the lot trace record. How does a company achieve the data accuracy needed to satisfy the implied requirement of Section 306 that also provides the foundation for world-class inventory management?

What is the data quality level needed? It must exceed the long-accepted target values used when building products that are not life threatening:

? Recipes/bills of material = 98% +

? Inventory record accuracy = 98% +

? Order shipping accuracy = 99% +.

To satisfy the implied requirements of Section 306, company management must look at recipe management, shipment receipts, warehouse (stockroom) processes, inventory records, and computer-supported lot trace.

Recipe management (bills of material), shipment receipts, warehouse (stockroom) processes, inventory records and computer-supported lot trace are all addressed in the APICS newsletter feature article.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/apics-newsletter-addresses-bioterrorism-preparedness-and-response-act-108423.html

How many times has something good come into your life and you were not prepared to embrace it? This happens to so many people. When a special chance to do or have something great presents itself, most people will not be ready. How disappointing!

Preparedness plus chance equals success. Believing you can succeed and preparing to succeed go hand in hand. Both are an extremely vital part of winning in life. In fact, a person will not even prepare to win if he does not even believe he can. Otherwise, why would he put in all the necessary effort it takes to succeed if he really doesn’t believe he ever will?

Many people want to win in life, but their self-image limits them on how far they actually can go. Your self image is how you see yourself, and if you see yourself as a loser you will not even prepare to win. The fact is, a person will only prepare to succeed if he really and truly believes he can.

Part of preparation is seeing yourself as a winner. You cannot attract to yourself anything that is greater than the way you see yourself. Therefore, if you become, you can attract. Until you begin to think and act like the person who has the things you desire you will not attract those things.

A common misconception concerning success is that it comes from luck. How many times have you heard people say something like, “He was just in the right place at the right time” to explain away someone else’s success? It’s a myth, just like the idea of the overnight success. The chances of becoming a success due to luck are about as good as winning the lottery–50 million to 1.

When you succeed, because you prepared to succeed, others may explain it away as luck. How irritated will you be, knowing you have toiled, sweated, and teared in order to prepare for the success you enjoy, and someone says you were just lucky?

One must understand that champions aren’t made on the day of the game. That’s simply the day the world recognizes all of the preparation that took place before that day arrived. In thousands of little ways, these champions disciplined themselves to do the things that everyone else could’ve done, but didn’t.

The cheering crowds, television cameras, and reporters aren’t around when champions are made because they’re made in the early morning hours when everyone else is sleeping in just a little bit longer, and in the late evening hours when everyone else has given up for the day.

The will to succeed is obviously important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.

Preparing to win is not doing the big things most people think. It usually isn’t the big things that will cause you to succeed in life anyway, but it’s all of the little things that you can do over and over. For example, the discipline to plan each day’s work the night before, no matter how tired you are, will have more to do with your success than any big thing you will do. Also, little things like hitting mute on the tv during commercials so you can grab a little reading time. Not a big thing, but a necessary thing in preparing to win.

Prepare to succeed by first believing that you can and then do the little necessary things required, for preparedness plus chance equals success. When the next chance to do or have something great presents itself, will you be ready? Life is way to short to be missing out!

Daniel N Brown
http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/preparedness-plus-chance-equals-success-3954.html