Book Reveiw....It`s A Disaster...and what are you gonna do about it?

OK, my first actual book reveiw.

I posted about this book earlier, but this was previous to my reading it. Now that I`m done (had to go back through it again!) here`s my thought`s....

From bee stings to biological terrorism, dog bite to dirty bombs, there`s something to cover it here. Very well laid out, Bill and Janet lead you through how to develop an emergency plan, listing out items in a very logical and straightforward manner. Developing emergency plans, creating a kit, supplies to stock, how to personalize it to meet your needs, its all there. There are even sections dealing with special needs, inculding the elderly, disabled, and even pets!

What to do before a disaster strikes, how to mitgate your losses. This is it`s own section, very thorough and to the point. They explain the who what where when and why`s of mitigation, making it easy for the reader to follow. This leads into specific sections on how to deal with whatever comes your way, be it fire. flood, or a whole other host of issues.

From there the reader is given specific instruction on how to work within each type of event. What to do beforehand, how to deal with the situation during, then how to recover once it`s over. Each section is item specific to the type of event you would be dealing with, so no fear of any over generalization here!

First aid. This is a section near and dear to my heart, being in the emergency response field for over 8 years now...all I can say is WOW! This part reads like a training manual given to new responders during their initial training classes. ABC`s, CPR, and a whole host of other topics are covered. Things to watch for, what to do, the procedure listed will guide you in the right direction, and impress the squad when they arrive! By following the instructions given, and you could save a life, I have no doubt about this. Much of the info listed in here is straight out of training manuals, I feel I could teach my squad refresher classes with this book!

A simple, straightforward, easy to follow format. Every family needs to have a copy of this book, to use as a guideline on how to be ready when disaster strikes.

I give this one 5 stars! I keep my copy in my EDC bag, it goes everywhere I go!

When You're The Doctor: Over The Counter Medicines

Another great post, this time from Dr Bones, a big contributor to the APN on medical issues.

When You're The Doctor: Over The Counter Medicines

Author:  Dr. Bones
Website: DoomAndBloom.net

Hey Preppers,

We spend a lot of time talking about natural and alternative remedies, and have made recommendations of what herbal medicines to have in your storage. We’ve also discussed antibiotics and a number of other prescription medications you should stockpile and how to obtain them. We haven’t spent much time, however, on which over-the-counter medications are important to stockpile now.

Over the counter (OTC) medications deal with a wide variety of problems; many of them were once prescription medications. These medications are widely available, and easy to accumulate in quantity. As such, they are ideal for the survival medic’s cache of medical supplies. Given the complexity of manufacturing pharmaceuticals, these drugs will be nearly impossible to produce after a collapse. Even aspirin, the oldest manufactured drug, won’t be available (at least not in a form you’ll recognize).

The Physician’s Desk Reference puts out a guide to OTC medications with descriptions, images, risks, benefits, dosages, and side effects. Consider this book for your survival medical library.
Let’s put together a list of what you absolutely must have in quantity as part of your medical supplies. The medications will be listed by their generic names, with U.S. brand names in parenthesis where applicable. Adult doses are also listed. Here’s our list, in no particular order:

Ibuprofen 200mg (Motrin, Advil): A popular pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, and fever reducer. This medication is useful for many different problems, which makes it especially useful as a stockpile item. It can alleviate pain from strains, sprains, arthritis, and traumatic injury. As well, it can help reduce inflammation in the injured area. Ibuprofen is also useful in reducing fevers from infections. The downside to Ibuprofen is that it can cause stomach upset. Ibuprofen can be used 1 or 2 every 4 hours, 3 every 6 hours, or 4 every 8 hours.

Acetaminophen 325mg (Tylenol): Another popular pain reliever and fever reducer, this medication is known as Tylenol in the United States. It can be used for all of the problems that you can take Ibuprofen for, with the added benefit of not causing stomach irritation or thinning the blood. Unfortunately, it has no significant anti-inflammatory effect. This drug is excellent for treatment of pain and fevers in children at lower doses. Tylenol comes in regular and extra strength (650mg); adults take 1-2 every 4 hours.

An Aside: Patients with heat stroke receive no benefit from efforts to reduce their body core temperature with Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen; these drugs work best when the fever is caused by an infection, and don’t work as well when infection is not involved (e.g., heat stroke).

Asprin, 325mg: If you have Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen in your medical storage, why consider Aspirin? Aspirin has been around since the late 19th century as a pain-reliever, fever reducer, and anti-inflammatory, but it has blood thinning properties as well, as may be all we have to help those with medical issues that require the use of anti-coagulants It also useful to treat older folks with coronary artery disease. If you suspect someone of having a heart attack, have them chew an adult aspirin immediately. The ingredient in Aspirin can also be obtained by chewing on a cut strip of the underbark of a willow, aspen or poplar tree. Take 2 adult aspirin for pain, fever, and inflammation, 1 baby aspirin (81mg) daily to help with coronary artery disease and as an anticoagulant. In a collapse situation, higher doses may be appropriate to replace drugs like Coumadin, but have not been fully researched. Watch for stomach upset.

Loperamide, 2mg (Imodium): There’s a high likelihood of food and water contamination issues in a collapse situation, so this medication is essential as an anti-diarrheal. By slowing intestinal motility, less water loss and, thus, dehydration, will occur; dehydration due to diarrheal disease killed more soldiers in the Civil War than bullets did. With diarrheal disease, you often have nausea and vomiting, so you will want to have:

Meclizine 12.5, 25, 50mg(Dramamine, Antivert): Mecilizine is a medication that helps prevent nausea and vomiting. Often used to prevent motion sickness, Meclizine also helps with dizziness, and tends to act as a sedative as well. As such, it may have uses as a sleep aid or anti-anxiety medication. Take 1 25mg tablet 1 hour before boarding , or 50-100mg daily in divided doses for dizziness, anxiety or sleep.

Triple Antibiotic Ointment (Neosporin, Bacitracin, Bactroban): In situations where we are left to fend for ourselves, we’ll be chopping wood and performing all sorts of tasks that will expose us to risk of injury. When those injuries break the skin, it puts us in danger of infections which could lead to a life threatening condition. Triple antibiotic ointment is applied at the site of injury to prevent this from happening. It should be noted that triple antibiotic ointment won’t cure a deep infection; you would need oral or IV antibiotics for that, but using the ointment immediately after an injury will give you a good chance at preventing it. Apply 3-4 times a day.

Diphenhydramine 25mg, 50mg(Benadryl): An antihistamine that helps alleviate the itching, rashes, nasal congestion and other symptoms of allergic reactions. It also helps drain the nasal passages in some respiratory infections. At the higher 50 mg dose, it makes an effective sleep aid. Use 25mg every 6 hours for mild reactions, 50mg every 6 hours for severe reactions, anxiety or sleep.

Hydrocortisone cream (1%): Speaking of rashes, this cream is used for various types of dermatitis that causes redness, flakiness, itching, and thickening of the skin. It’s a mild steroid which reduces inflammation and, as such, the various symptoms of allergic dermatitis, eczema, diaper rash, etc. Apply 3-4 times a day to affected area.

Omeprazole 20-40mg, Cimetidine 200-800mg, Ranitidine 75-150mg, (Prilosec, Tagamet, Zantac, respectively): In a situation where we may be eating things we’re not accustomed to, we may have issues with stomach acid. These antacids will calm heartburn, queasiness, and stomach upset. Calcium Carbonate (Tums) or Magnesium sulfate (Maalox) are also fine in solid form. These medications are also useful for acid reflux and ulcer disease. Look for my article on these issues and medications in the near future.

Clotrimazole, Miconazole cream/powder(Lotrimin, Monistat): Infections can be bacterial, but they can also be caused by fungus. Common examples of this would be Athlete’s feet (tinea pedis), vaginal infections (monilia), ringworm , and jock itch (tinea cruris). Clotrimazole and Miconazole are examples of anti-fungal medications that would be useful to treat these conditions, which will be just as common in times of trouble as they are now, if not more. Apply twice a day externally, or once daily intra-vaginally. Some vaginal creams come in different strengths. In some, the whole treatment course is over in one day; in others, 3 days or a week.

Multivitamins: In a societal collapse, the unavailability of a good variety of food may lead to dietary deficiencies, not just in calories but in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C deficiency, for example, leads to Scurvy. To prevent these issues, you should have plenty of multivitamins, commercial or natural, in your medical storage. You won’t have to take these on a daily basis; many multivitamins give you MORE than you need if taken daily, and you’ll just excrete what your body can’t absorb. In a collapse, once a week would be sufficient to prevent most problems.

The good news is that you can probably obtain a significant amount of all of the above drugs for a reasonable amount of money. To retain full potency, these medications should be obtained in pill or capsule form; avoid the liquid versions of any of these medicines if at all possible. When storing, remember that medications should be stored in cool, dry, dark places. A medicine stored at 90 degrees will lose potency much faster than one stored at 50 degrees.

Over the counter drugs are just another tool in the medical woodshed; accumulate them as well as prescription drugs such as antibiotics. Essential oils, herbal supplements, and medical equipment are also important. With a good stockpile, you’ll have everything you need to keep it together health-wise, even if everything else falls apart.
Dr. Bones

What would you do in a survival situation when help is NOT on the way? The Doom and Bloom™ Survival Medicine Handbook is a must-have addition to your survival library! If you're responsible for the health of your loved ones, you'll want this medical guide to keeping it together, even if everything else falls apart. See the trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb3vdQecUPM

The origian was published here on Sunday, January 29, 2012....

 

http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/01/when-youre-doctor-over-counter.html

 

The 10 Rules For Your Emergency Food Pantry

Here`s a great post I found that was published on the APN by Tess Pennington. There`s a lot of good information here, things you should consider when building up your pantry stores....

The 10 Rules For Your Emergency Food Pantry

By Tess Pennington 

Those of you who plan to take the first steps toward preparing for emergencies may feel a bit overwhelmed at where to begin. After all, there is a lot of food to choose from at the grocery stores. Many websites, including this one encourage families to start buying small amounts of food related preparedness items each time they go shopping. This way, your budget is not dramatically affected.

Food storage calculators are a great tool to incorporate in your preparedness planning, and can help you understand how much food your family will need for a given emergency. The food storage calculations can also be printed out and used as an inventory list to keep you on track in terms of what preparedness supplies you have and will need.

To make the most of your emergency food supply, keep these essential food pantry rules in mind before purchasing:

1. Caloric intake is an important factor in survival. In any disaster situation, you want to avoid malnutrition. Having foods stored to prevent this health issue will keep you at your optimum health. Stock up on foods that provide you with essential nutrients to maintain body functions, proteins and carbohydrates, fats for energy, as well as foods that are not high in salt (the more salty your food is, the more water you will drink). To calculate how many calories you will need in your diet, click here.
2. Consider buying multifunctional food items. Items that can serve more than one purpose will help your finances, as well as save precious space in the food storage pantry. Items such as oats, pasta, rice, wheat and beans are some great low-cost foods will serve a variety of uses.
3. Store high energy snacks to help boost energy levels. Eating snacks that are high in complex carbohydrates and protein will provide you with a guaranteed energy boost. High energy snacks such as nuts, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars and trail mix can be stored for up to 1 year and will help keep energy levels and spirits high in an emergency scenario.
4. Bring on the protein! Protein is an essential ingredient in our daily diets and cannot be omitted out of a survival diet. Canned meat is a good source of protein and can also help you maintain your energy level. Meats such as tuna, ham, chicken and spam are great additions to the food pantry and are multifunctional. (Remember, the oil in canned meat can be used as an emergency candle.) Beans are another great source of protein, and when beans are accompanied with rice, it makes a complete protein which provides all the amino acids needed to survive. One serving of beans and rice provides 19.9 g, or 40 percent of your daily vitamins.
5. Don't forget the basics. Essential staples such as cooking oil, flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder and vinegar should not be overlooked.  If they are present in your kitchen, they should likewise be present in the emergency food supply.
6. Convenience helps in stressful situations. Many moms know that boxed dinners can be a lifesaver when you are in a time crunch. Having some pre-packaged dinners and meals-to-grab during emergency scenarios will help you being acclimating yourself to cooking in a grid down scenario as well as can help provide some comfort at the same time. Personally speaking, my family has the "just add water" pancake mixes, corn breads and drink mixes that are a great convenience.
7. Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's pleasure. Variety in your food pantry is important and can prevent the monotony of the same type of food. Having a well rounded food storage will cut down on culinary boredom, as well as balance your diet. Further, stocking up on a variety of spices will also enhance your food pantry.
8. Find comfort in the little things. Have some comfort food items that provide enjoyment to the family. Items such as popcorn, sweet cereals, hard candy, juice boxes, pickles, applesauce, pudding, cookies could be a great way to provide a bit of normalcy to the emergency situation you may face.
9. Have backs up for your backs ups. Compressed food bars are lightweight, taste good and are nutritious. Having food bars as a back up to your existing food supply can provide you with piece of mind knowing you have an alternative to turn to if you run out of food. Further, these are great additions to your 72-hour bag or bug out vehicle. A review of the different types of bars can be read here or you can practice your survival skills and make your own with this recipe. MRE's are another alternative food choice to turn to if you happen to run out of food in your pantry. Although many have turned their nose up at MRE's (due to their high amounts of preservatives), it will provide you with sufficient calories and nutrition when it counts. Note: These should not be the only items in your food supply. Overtime, you could become nutrient and vitamin deficient. Need a Kit? click here
10. Rotate and resupply when needed. Any items bought to the food storage closet should be used, rotated and resupplied. This is the best way to have the freshest foods available in the event that a disaster occurs. When organizing food reserves place the item that has the earliest expiration date in the front so that it is used first. FIFO is a well known acronym used in the restaurant business that stands for, “First In, First Out,” and can be incorporated in your food storage endeavors. Do an inventory check every 6 months to make sure that canned goods, preserves and other storage items are within their expiration dates.

Keeping the above considerations in mind when purchasing your food supply will provide your family with a well rounded food pantry stocked with an array of foods that will assist in promoting a healthy diet. Not listed in the suggestions is water. You must have water to survive. To learn more about potable water, click here. It would be prudent to have a 2-week supply of water on hand, as well as a water filtration device to rely on for extended disasters.

Prepping is a passion for some. For others it is the most efficient way to keep their family as safe as possible. For further resources and a list of essential items for your emergency supply, click here.

The original was posted here on January 28, 2012....

 

http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/01/10-rules-for-your-emergency-food-pantry.html

The American Preppers Network is conducting a Network-Wide Roll Call....

These Network-Wide Roll calls only happen a few times a year and serve a few purposes. They remind people that haven't been to the forum in awhile to come back and check us out and see what's new, plus they also serve as a membership drive. But it's much more than that. They help you, our members, to better network with each other. Members who haven't been back in awhile can reconnect with members that are still active. New members can network with more experienced members, and members who've been trying to start meetup groups and get-togethers have a better opportunity to connect with each other. But most of all, there is a huge brainstorm of tips, ideas and information that we all share with each other.

Please respond to this post and let us know what you've been doing to prepare lately. Share any tips, ideas or educational information that you might have for others. The information you share is especially helpful to new members who are checking in.

In addition to responding to this post, please also respond to your states group as well and check to see if there are any new meetup plans.

To respond to your states roll call, follow this link to the state directory:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewforum.php?f=36

Then click the "Check In Here" link for your state and respond to the most recent Roll Call.

It`s a Disaster....

Gotcha dint I!

Really it`s not that bad, just putting up a post for FedHealth, to promote their book "It`s a Disaster"

No matter where you live there is a chance some type of disaster or emergency can (or at some time will) occur. Whether it’s a flood, wildfire, hurricane, a chemical spill forcing an evacuation, or your child getting a bloody nose – stuff happens.

The question is … what are YOU gonna do about it?

"IT'S A DISASTER!..." helps families and businesses "be aware, be prepared, and have a plan" for most types of emergencies and disasters (including Terrorism). The 268-page paperback provides quick-reference instructional bullets in 2-color format. It is not written to alarm people, rather it suggests tips on what folks should think about and do before, during and after specific types of scenarios, as well as how to administer basic first aid.

There is a lot of information in our book … possibly more than some people may want to read, but it's a handy reference tool to keep on the shelf, in kits, desk drawers and vehicles. We believe if more people take responsibility and learn what to do ~ it could alleviate some problems, fear and stress on ourselves, our First Responders and nation.
Most books combining both disaster preparedness and first aid can run $30 - $50, but our $14.99 paperback is available here for only $14.00 U.S. (for 1 to 4 copies) .. or .. $7.00 (for 5 to 20 copies)! Need over 20, please call.

If you would like to order the book, there`s a link on the top right of my page that takes you directly to their site...

thanx,
Ed

Cooking with Cob, Part II.....cooking vessels

So you`ve built your oven and developed a bit of a homesite for your rag-tag group...

You`ve learned you CAN build with only your bare hands and maybe a camp shovel (if you’re lucky enough to have one…)

Now, how do you cook with this thing?

  Direct contact. Place your raw food directly on the floor of the oven. This will work best for bread or similar items. You will need to fashion a peel to load/unload the oven, so on to the next step.

  Get your axe….you did remember to grab it didn`t you? The tools and utensils you will need can all be made with just an axe, and refined a bit with a hatchet if you have one along...everything can be made by riving (splitting along the grain lines). Even the carving part can be done by a bit of judicious splitting.

  Planking. This is an old method of cooking, mainly used for fish or meat. Start with a piece of wood approximately 1” thick, and as long/wide as the food you will be cooking. Typically people use cedar, but many woods are good like alder, oak, maple, cherry or apple. You can make planks rather easily by splitting them down from logs, riving out the size you need. Give the planks a good soak in water for around an hour or so before use that will keep them from bursting into flames when you put them in the oven.

  Trencher. A carved wooden plate, the name coming from the Old French tranchier; "to cut". When you’re splitting out planks, save some of the more straight grained pieces to be carved out for trenchers. They work well for porridges and stews, or you could make them a bit small and make a basic pie using them for the serving dish. If you carve them deep enough you can fashion loaf pans for bread baking.        

You will also need utensils, so whoever in your group is handy at a bit of woodworking will be the one to take on this task and teach the others. First item is to make a peel. You`ve probably seen them in the pizza commercials or on the cooking shows, the long handled gadget that they reach into the oven to get the pizza out with.  Your probably won`t need to be quite as big right now, you`re working with a smaller oven.  You`ll also need a hook, something long enough to reach the back of the oven and pull out planks or trenchers.

By dividing up the tasks, you can make short work of all this, and build confidence in the group by delegating out work to those best suited. This seems like a lot, but your new “family” will need to stay busy. Too much free time and people start to worry about their situation. Keep them busy and productive, at the end of the day they`ll feel like a more cohesive unit, the ties they develop during this work will help to foster the strength to get them through the hard times.

You`ve built an oven, a place to feed the group. You`ve made tools and utensils, and things for people to eat off of. You`ve done this as a group, with hardly any tools.  An axe, maybe a hatchet and a shovel are all you need for this.

The heart of every home is always considered the kitchen….guess what?

You just gave your new “home” a heart…

Cooking with Cob...

So you`ve made the great escape, made it out of dodge with your BOB intact. You didn`t have enough time/money/whatever to develop a BOL, and you have a group of people along that you`ve collected along the way. Everybody has contributed something in the way of supplies (food mostly...). So, now they look to you as their “leader” to figure everything out.

They`re getting hungry, and not everybody will be willing to take their turn waiting on dinner to be cooked in the one little pot you managed to salvage along the way, so how to feed this mob? This is where cob comes in.  Lots of food can be cooked at one time, and rather quickly. No need for a large fire, this method is from ancient days and is still being practiced today.

So what is cob? Cob is an earth based building material, normally fashioned from mud, clay, straw, grass, rocks, or whatever else you have on hand. Think adobe, mud hut, just on a smaller scale. To build you oven requires only time and manpower, all the materials can be found in nature. Straw/grass can be cut & dried from any field or roadside.  Rocks…well everybody can find rocks, they`re everywhere. Mud/clay, this is the part you might have to hunt/dig for. Most regions of the US have natural clay deposits; you just have to know how to find them.

Once you find your clay, dig a lot of it and move it to your chosen building site. Start a “pit” to mix the clay and mud, add the straw/grass as a binder. Mixing works easiest when done by foot traffic, so pick a few people to stomp around in the goo. Send everybody that`s not mixing on a rock hunt, the more the merrier.  Find as many as possible, the bigger the better. If you can find a pile of discarded bricks even better!

Now you`ve got your rocks, you`ve got your clay/mud/straw mix (cob), now to get building. Start by stacking your most stable rocks in a ring, fill the inside with the smaller ones and dirt, and pack it down good. Once you get up to a workable height, make a level platform with your flattest rocks (or bricks if you have any). This will be your cooking surface, make it as nice a possible using your best materials. Build a ledge on one side; this will be the entry/exit for your oven. Now,  build up a dome shape using sand or something you can remove later without too much trouble, size it to hold a small fire and what you will be cooking. Cover this with paper, straw, old fabric, or what you have, just something to keep it from sticking to the next layer.

Now comes the cob. Cover your dome with a generous layer, several inches thick. Form into whatever final shape you desire, most of these I have seen are simple mounds, but here`s where the artist in your group can flourish. Let them have free reign to finish the final coat, adding whatever decoration they might fancy.  Allow this to dry for a few days, maybe up to a week. Then dig out the inner dome, smooth the inside faces of the oven while you’re at it. Let this dry for another day or so, and then build a series of small fires inside the oven to help speed up the curing process. While working through this stage, fashion a door for the oven, this will help speed the cooking process by controlling heat loss.

You can cook with the fire inside of the oven, or dig out the coals and let the residual heat do the job, this will allow for more food to be in the oven at one time. Remember, wood burns at over 400 degrees, so once you have your oven fired and warmed up; this will be the temperature range you will be working with. Plan ahead on how you will be cooking, as the oven will hold heat for a long time.

Once all this is said and done, you will have a very serviceable oven capable of cooking a wide variety of foods. You have also established a sense of order and permanence in your group; this will help to build the bonds of community and family, as they are your new “family”.

Here`s a link to one of my favorite ovens I have found on the web…

http://sourdough.com/building-cob-oven