Destiny Survival

Once again this year the FEMA Ready Campaign is partnering with Citizen Corps and the Advertising Council to promote National Preparedness Month. The aim is to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities.

The simple steps they want people to take are: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed and Get Involved. Their site includes info for individuals and businesses, and you can check it out by clicking here.

Of course, September is the month in which the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon occurred in 2001. Promoting preparedness is a way to keep that in people’s minds.

But it also sends the message that Uncle Sam isn’t going to be there to hold your hand in the event of emergencies or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, which have a nasty habit of making themselves known in a big way during September.

You’ve probably heard public service announcements on radio or TV. It’s part of the Ready Campaign, which goes throughout the year. But they choose September to spotlight what they do and recruit new coalition members to promote preparedness awareness.

FEMA’s campaign is making an impact. Last year almost 2,700 organizations joined the Ready Campaign to promote the message of preparedness.

National Preparedness Month (NPM) coalition members pass along preparedness info to their members, employees, customers and communities. NPM Coalition membership is open to all public and private sector organizations.

Citizen Corps is what FEMA describes as their “grassroots strategy to bring together government and community leaders to involve citizens in all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience.” Got that? It’s typical bureaucratic language, isn’t it?

What it means is that local Citizen Corps Councils are designed to bring about collaborative planning between government and civic leaders. They also support programs and exercises to educate the public.

Perhaps you’ve heard of places like hospitals and schools having emergency drills in your area. Maybe you’ve participated in such drills.

The Ready.gov kit recommendations have been criticized as being minimal, but it’s still good info. The info on making plans is basic, too. But if you’re new to preparedness or know someone else who is, it’s a place to start.

You have to admit. We all do indeed need to be prepared for emergencies and disasters. And we can’t and shouldn’t count on the government to be there. Focusing on preparedness this month is one thing the government gets right.

How are your preparedness efforts coming along?

Aftershock is a term we usually associate with earthquakes. Essentially aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that follow the larger one. However, some aftershocks can be of similar magnitude to that of the big quake.

I think most people would agree that what happened economically in 2008 was the equivalent of an economic earthquake. And we’ve had several smaller aftershocks since then.

The authors of a book called Aftershock saw the trouble signs ahead of time and predicted the events of 2008. Aftershock predicts more to come.

The complete title of the book is Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown, by David Wiedemer, Robert Wiedemer, and Cindy Spitzer, published late in 2009.

In spite of all that has happened, the media can’t publish or broadcast a news story about the economy without referring to “the recovery,” or how the recovery is slow or even in danger. It’s as if there’s an unwritten law that sets forth some kind of quota about mentioning recovery.

If you’ve lost your job or home, or if you know those who have, you’re no doubt saying, “What recovery?”

The authors of Aftershock are right there with you. Things will never be the same again. We’re in uncharted waters. More bubbles will pop.

The real estate bubble, stock market bubble, private debt bubble, and discretionary spending bubble have supposedly already popped. Yet to pop are the dollar bubble and government debt bubble, which will change the face of the world, so to speak, when they go.

Get ready for inflation and perhaps 40-60/% unemployment. Expect national sales and value added taxes.

Of course, predictions are just that. They may or may not happen. But reviewers say Aftershock is excellent for its analysis of what’s happening in the economy. And I’d hate to bet against the predictions.

So what’s a person to do? If you’re prepping, you may already be on the right track. Do whatever you can to get liquid. Get out of the stock market. Have currency you can use. Have barter items.

Here are some more suggested solutions from an article you can view in full here.

The only one of these I question is #6. Unless you’re homesteading already, it may be better to rent. That way it’s easier to pick up and move elsewhere.

One thing seems certain. We’re being lied to by the government and the media about the economy, and it’s likely to get worse. Brace for the long haul. Keep prepping.

If you want to check out possible scenarios of what may soon be in our future, buy your copy of Aftershock by clicking on the image of the book below and order it through Amazon.com.

If you’ve considered living on a boat but have a few misgivings and questions, this week’s DestinySurvival Amazon Pick of the Week is for you. It’s a paperback entitled Home is Where the Boat Is, by Emy Thomas. It rates 4.2 out of 5 stars.

You don’t have to be a wealthy yacht owner taking world cruises to live on a boat. Those who make the break from traditional housing often experience pleasant surprises. For instance, there’s a sense of community and a different mentality among those on the water.

Home is Where the Boat Is gives the account of Thomas sailing the Pacific and Caribbean for 13 years with the man she loved. It’s not a how-to book or boating encyclopedia, but an easy read about their lifestyle on a low budget. She simply tells what it was like.

Thomas brings to light practical matters, such as handling laundry and garbage, getting food and water, making it through sickness and storms, making a living, and encounters with people along the way.

Discover what’s possible when it comes to escaping the rat race. Click on the image of the book below and order your copy of Home is Where the Boat Is, by Emy Thomas from Amazon.com.

If living on a boat as a means of survival appeals to you, buy Home is Where the Boat Is and consider what it takes to do what you want to do.

Today I’ve got more questions than answers. I read an article called “We Killed the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg,” which you can view by clicking on its title, if you’re so inclined. It’s good at analyzing the problem of unemployment, but offers no solutions.

The article notes how globalization and cut-throat corporatism has led to loss of jobs, and those jobs aren’t coming back. Get used to it because this is the new norm.

A couple of times the article states that there aren’t enough jobs to go around. Who says? Are jobs a finite quantity? Only so many, and that’s it? To overuse a worn out cliché, can’t we think outside the box? Why can’t we create our own jobs? Am I being idealistic or naïve?

Like the author of the article, if I worked at it, I could also write an analytical article describing how we’re being enslaved, forced into serfdom, etc., but what good would it do?

Why complain about the state of our sick world? If you’re prepping, you’re already at some level of awareness and are taking steps to improve your own situation.

It could be you want to get prepared, but you don’t have money to get the storage food or other survival supplies we’re really like to have. Maybe you’re struggling to make ends meet. Maybe you’re out of a job already. Don’t give up. Tiptoe toward preparedness.

More and more sites are popping up about living a more frugal and self reliant lifestyle. Swapping and bartering are on the rise. I suspect the underground economy is growing.

Some communities are also doing innovative things, such as creating local money and putting their own value on goods and services. Ithaca Hours is one example.

I applaud these efforts. Why aren’t more of us doing it? Why should we believe there aren’t enough jobs to go around? Why can’t we pave the way for survival in the new norm?

The BBC is broadcasting life-saving information to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the monumental flooding in Pakistan. So many are cut off from emergency aid efforts. They’re issuing bulletins in the languages spoken most there on staying safe, avoiding disease, and how to get food and other help.

It’s not uncommon for this to be done by the BBC and other international broadcasters, including Christian ministries like Trans World Radio. Most international broadcasters have cut back on shortwave transmissions in favor of partnering with local AM and FM outlets who receive designated programming by satellite and Internet.

Though the Internet is growing world wide, many in lesser developed countries still rely heavily on radio for information. Local and international broadcasters provide a useful and valuable service that can literally save lives.

When there’s a major natural disaster here in the U.S., where do most of us get our information? Though many turn to the Internet with computers or smart phones, plenty of us still turn to local radio. AM and FM broadcasts may be the only option when the power’s out.

A key advantage to listening to radio is you don’t have to be connected to the Internet. No wireless connection required. The only thing you need is good batteries or another source of power, such as a wind-up generator or solar power. Radios have gotten better at stretching battery life, too.

We often turn to radio in severe weather. But think back a few years to a bigger event–Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Radio stations in New Orleans combined efforts and personnel to provide useful information to their listeners.

People who still had phone service of some kind could call into the stations to report what was happening in their neighborhoods. For me the listener, this was fascinating.

I was able to listen in because, like many, I can hear WWL radio, New Orleans, at night from hundreds of miles away. In fact, WHRI, a U.S. shortwave station, broadcasted WWL to an even larger audience.

When the big earthquake struck San Francisco in 1989, I heard the rebroadcast of one of San Francisco’s stations on WLS, Chicago. Again, for me it made for fascinating listening.

In 1999 during the pre-Y2K jitters, one expert made a list of skywave radio stations available on his Web site. He believed it was important to be able to listen to those stations which could be heard over great distances at night.

You may have your own examples of how standard broadcast radio has been helpful to you in a time of disaster. If so, you already know how important it is to have a simple AM/FM radio in your survival supplies.

Many companies offer small portable radios as part of their ready-made survival kits. Some radios are combined with flashlights. Without trying out such radios ahead of time, it’s hard to say whether they’ll meet your needs adequately during or after a disaster.

I recommend getting a good radio. It may be necessary to monitor stations at a distance if local stations are knocked off the air. Cheaper radios may not pick up distant stations well.

The CC Observer or the Kaito WRX911 both have excellent AM reception. The Observer has weather band coverage and a LED flashlight. The Kaito is a pocket radio with shortwave coverage. Both are simple to operate, which is a plus in stressful situations. Neither are expensive when you consider what each does.

Unless we have a giant EMP (electromagnetic pulse) one day which takes out all things electronic, you can’t beat an AM/FM radio as an information source when disaster strikes. Make sure you have one or two among your survival supplies. I wouldn’t be without mine.

A few of the companies featured here at DestinySurvival offer buckets of grain for sale as long term storage food. Miller’s Grain House offers organic grains.

But have you considered growing your own grains in your survival garden? An article called “Growing Your Own Wheat” offers a brief primer.

A reader’s recent inquiry prompted me to bring this up. He asks, . “Does anyone know about emmer wheat? Could it have survival value? Where can you obtain seeds?”

A company I’m not affiliated with, called the Sustainable Seed Company, offers emmer wheat as well as other heritage and heirloom grains. They sell in small quantities to gardeners. By the way, they offer another wheat with the unusual name of Wit Wokoring.

Emmer wheat was one of the earliest wheats grown in the Near East and was widely grown in the ancient world. It’s able to produce well in poor soils and has a high disease resistance.

A hulled wheat known as faro, emmer is experiencing a resurgence among gourmets and health conscious people. That’s because it’s nutritious and flavorful. Emmer combined with legumes makes for complete protein for vegetarians.

Wit Wokoring, originally from South Africa, is a tall wheat that’s good for organic growing. It can outgrow many weeds and is said to be easy to harvest. Reportedly it makes a good bread flour.

If you’re ready to make a place for some grain in your survival garden, below are three book suggestions to get you going. Click on any one of the images to be taken to the Amazon.com page featuring that particular book.

So what do you think? Is there survival value in growing your own grain?