This week’s roundup of must-read articles includes several ways to prepare your home so you can hunker down for the long haul.
You’ll discover what tools you’ll need for basic home repairs (including one that may surprise you), nine ways to upgrade your garden for a better harvest, the four most likely causes of a grid-down scenario (and the worst mistake to avoid) and more.
Let’s dive in.
1. Emergency Home Repair Items You Should Stockpile
If you hunker down at home during a natural disaster — or just a really bad storm — chances are your house will sustain some damage. Whether it’s a hole in the roof, a broken window or leaky pipes, sometimes you have to patch the problem yourself until you can get a professional to finish the job.
That’s why it’s important to stock some basic tools and materials for home repairs along with the rest of your emergency gear. Not only will these supplies likely come in handy during an emergency, but they’ll be available any time you need to make a quick, temporary fix.
Take a look at the article above for a list of suggested items. Note that you need to have manual versions of any power tools in case the power is out for an extended period and you can’t charge them.
2. Claim One of These SEAL-Certified Blades Just Released to the Public
After a hurricane, tornado — even a heavy thunderstorm — you usually find your yard littered with branches and fallen limbs. A machete is the perfect manual tool to help you clear your property of this kind of debris. It’s also a great gardening tool to get rid of overgrown weeds and gnarly vines.
The thing is when people hear “machete,” they think Rambo. But machetes have a TON of everyday uses. They really are an indispensable survival and bushcraft tool.
The powerful SEAL Saber XL measures 18 inches — with nearly 13 inches of blade. The blade is made of military-grade 3Cr13 stainless steel with a hardness rating of RC 44.5. It will not rust, corrode or tarnish. And it’s a “full tang” knife, so it won’t come apart, period.
Click on the link above to claim your SEAL-certified blade today.
3. Facebook Privacy Bug “Affects 14 Million Users”
Thanks to a software bug on the social media platform, you may have posted private information for the whole world to see without even realizing it. The glitch automatically made posts public, even if your privacy setting specified a restricted audience, such as “friends” or “friends of friends.”
According to a spokeswoman for Facebook, this problem affected users from May 18–22. I recommend reviewing anything you posted during that time to make sure it’s nothing you don’t want strangers knowing.
Better yet, ditch social media altogether. Not only are social media accounts easy to hack, but the companies themselves are sharing and selling your information without your consent. If you decide to keep your social media accounts, at the very least don’t list any true personal details.
4. Nine Ways to Make Your Garden Soil More Fertile
Last week’s article roundup included a piece on vertical gardening hacks to maximize your growing space in addition to a post on suitable crops for drought-prone regions. This week, I wanted to share with you a great article that features nine ways to make your garden more productive by boosting the quality of the soil.
Discover the easiest way to determine the type of soil you’re working with, how to test your soil’s pH (and what the ideal pH should be), three different types of soil treatment and more.
With these helpful tips, come fall you can enjoy fresh, delicious produce straight from your garden to your table.
5. Four Likely Causes of a Grid-Down Scenario — A Prepper Nightmare
The biggest mistake you could make is assuming a large-scale grid-down disaster could never happen. That’s not paranoia — it’s just practical. The energy infrastructure in the U.S. is old. It’s outdated. And it’s extremely vulnerable.
In addition to outlining four probable scenarios that could result in a widespread blackout, this piece from the Prepping Guide also details what that would look like. Plus, it runs down the three most important supplies you need to gather now.
As a society, we’re not used to operating in the dark. That’s why another useful item to stock up on is high-quality flashlights and plenty of extra batteries. An easy — and inexpensive — way to do that is to buy them in bulk.
Click here for a bargain bundle that includes two SEAL Torch flashlights, one SL5K headlamp, three mini tactical flashlights and one tactical survival glove.
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
