Dear Black Bag Confidential Reader,
A lot has happened since last week. So without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s batch of must-read articles:
1. After the Horrific Charlottesville Nightmare, Prepare in Five Ways
Here’s your action to take after the violent events that occurred over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. These are steps everyone can (and should) take regardless of political ideology.
Click on the article above to find out your best option for self-protection, what five items you should include with your everyday carry (EDC) gear and one virtually effortless thing you can do that will make your community significantly safer.
2. What Will You Do When No One Can Save You?
If you worry about your loved ones’ safety, click on the link above for a lifesaving solution to many survival dilemmas. This NASA-inspired survival device has more than 50 different uses in emergency situations.
It can prevent heat stroke when you’re exposed to the elements… replace a tent when you’re in need of shelter… start a fire by harnessing the sun’s rays… collect water… signal for help… even cook food.
And that’s not all. Find out why this item is a must-have for our elite fighting forces abroad — and how you can get one for yourself.
3. More Than 300 Killed as Roads Turn Into “Churning Rivers of Mud”
It is never my intention to turn a tragedy into a cautionary tale, but if you’re a person who doesn’t have any emergency supplies or an evacuation plan, take a quick look at this sobering story out of Sierra Leone — and then perhaps re-evaluate your lack of preparedness.
Landslides — like tornadoes, earthquakes and flash floods — can occur with little to no warning. Any steps you can take ahead of time will decrease your reliance on emergency services and increase your chance of survival whether you’re bugging in or bugging out.
Be sure you’ve got plenty of food and water on hand, check to see that your bug-out bag is packed and ready to go and always have at least a half tank of gas and a paper map in your car. Lastly, make sure you have multiple escape routes planned in case one way is washed out, at a standstill or otherwise impassable.
4. The Forgotten Threats Lurking Around Your Food Storage and Shelter
If the SHTF, roving bands of the ill-prepared won’t be the only thing against which you have to guard your emergency supplies. Rodents and insects could destroy your food and water stores before you know it.
This piece from BeSurvival.com gives you three ways to combat these pernicious pests and reinforces that “the best, and easiest, way to deal with all these problems is to prepare now.”
Wise words.
5. U.S. Firm Reveals Gun-toting Drone That Can Fire in Midair
A few weeks ago, we published an article on the use of drones for home security purposes (The Drone Wars: Which Side Are You On?). In recent years, drones have become a hot-button issue in the tech sphere — and I have a feeling the debate is about to get even hotter…
The BBC reports that “the Tikad drone, developed by [U.S. technology firm] Duke Robotics, is armed with a machine gun and a grenade-launcher.” Not only does this device possess the maneuverability of a drone, but it can also take aim and fire from midair.
Of course, this technology could save the lives of soldiers in war-torn regions, but what if it falls into the wrong hands? Is that possibility worth the risk?
Tell me what you think by sending an email to SPYfeedback@LFB.org.
Until next time…
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
