This may the most important batch of must-read articles I’ve ever prepared. Each and every one of the stories below contains intelligence that is critical to your survival. Including:
- What to do before the taps in your town run dry
- An often overlooked — yet essential — aspect of emergency prep
- How to choose durable and practical protective clothing.
And more…
But first, let’s take a look at one key item that may make the difference between life and death in a survival situation.
1. The One Thing That Stands Between You and Survival
In some survival situations, it’s best to hunker down and wait for the danger to pass. In others, you’ve got to get the heck out of Dodge — and fast.
This is why you should have a bug-out bag packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Now, I realize that if you’ve never tried to put together one of these emergency packs before, the task can be daunting. There’s a lot of advice out there on what to include… and what not to include… and it doesn’t always line up.
Why don’t you let an expert do the work for you? Click on the link above and sign up to have SEAL-approved survival gear for your go bag shipped to you every month. Not only will we send you the goods, but we’ll tell you how to use them AND show you exactly where to pack them in your go bag for optimum accessibility.
2. Cape Town Crisis: Preparing for Life Without Running Water
In a little over three months, after decades of increased population growth and decreased rainfall, the taps in South Africa’s second-largest metropolis will run dry.
Let me repeat that: On April 12 — also known as “Day Zero” — 4 million inhabitants will find themselves without water… and no one quite knows what will happen.
Once the city shuts off its pipe network, people will have to travel to a designated collection point daily to retrieve a measly 25 liters of water. That’s only 6.6 gallons to use for drinking, cooking, washing and flushing.
People have started to panic. It’s too late to build up an emergency supply — and far too expensive. Water is being sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. City officials are bracing for disaster.
Don’t think for a moment this couldn’t happen here. Large-scale droughts have plagued the U.S. many times before — and certainly will again. This is why it’s critical that you gather your own supply of emergency water NOW.
3. Ring of Fire’s Volcanic and Quake Activity Is Normal, Say Scientists
There have been quite a lot of seismic and volcanic events occurring on the “Ring of Fire” lately… These earthquakes and eruptions have triggered other natural disasters such as avalanches and tsunamis.
But according to scientists like professor Chris Elders, a geology expert from Curtin University in Australia, this uptick in activity is perfectly normal.
Even if there’s nothing out of the ordinary going on, these deadly natural disasters are still dangerous for anyone in their path. Be sure to sit down with your family and discuss emergency plans for each of these potential scenarios.
There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all disaster protocol. It’s best to outline all your contingency plans ahead of time so everyone know what to do no matter what happens.
4. Critical Document Backup: An Often-Overlooked Prep
I know I’ve recommended storing critical documents on encrypted flash drives when you travel, but as the above article points out, this is also a critical step in emergency prep.
This post from Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You offers a fairly comprehensive list of important documents you’d want to have stored all in one place in case of disaster. It’s a small thing you can do that will make a huge difference in an emergency.
To store this sensitive information, I recommend using an IronKey encrypted flash drive. The IronKey D300 has a zinc casing and tamper-evident epoxy seal that will hold up in tough situations — and it is waterproof up to four feet.
5. Top 10 Rules to Follow When Choosing Protective Clothing
As with any item you expect to last, it pays to invest in quality. Lucky for you, Carmela Tyrell over at Survivopedia has put together a fantastic list of things to consider when choosing protective clothing — so you can be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
Learn how to protect key areas, which colors affect heat absorption, what fabrics work best in certain temperature ranges and seven other factors you should consider when evaluating a piece of clothing.
This checklist will not only help you ensure you get good quality gear, but also save you money by helping you buy clothing that will last. Check it out.
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
