SCP Survival

Best Survival Gear and Supplies

How To Prepare Your Business for a Hurricane

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How To Prepare Your Business For a Hurricane

We like to pretend we are masters of our environment, but the simple truth is, even in this day of mechanical marvels and technological wonders, we are still at the whim of Mother Nature. Natural disasters of varying degrees can happen anywhere on the planet, but if you happen to live and work on the coast, hurricanes are most likely your biggest concern. Just like you have a plan for your home, business owners should devise a plan that potentially can save you countless hours and dollars should a hurricane hit.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

The Boy Scouts got it right when they coined the motto “Be Prepared.” Knowledge and preparation ahead of time can make the difference between a difficult situation and a total loss.

First and foremost, know when the hurricane season starts and stops where you are. The National Hurricane Center states that hurricane season in the Atlantic is approximately June 1st through November 30th, and is approximately May 15th through November 30th in the Pacific. Check the news and weather updates frequently during this season to keep yourself from getting caught off guard.

Devise a Plan

Make sure you have contingency plans in place for your business. If you are making use of local providers or distributors, their business and transportation capabilities will most likely be affected as well, so have backup resources available to keep your business running. It may cost a little more, but the long term payoffs of keeping your customers happy will win out in the end.

Don’t skimp on the equipment and security you need. Things like hurricane insurance or flood coverage can help you save your business if there is damage. Off-site data management and cloud storage also can be invaluable. There are a lot of options available depending on your size and data needs that provide data backup, recovery and security, which is especially important if you equipment is damaged.

Do your best to prepare. Invest in quality storm shutters to protect your building from damage like flying debris. Secure products and equipment in bags or off the floor to prevent water damage if there is flooding. Unfortunately, some people might take advantage of the confusion to commit crimes, so make sure you have a complete inventory of your assets and products including pictures.

This also is a good tactic for insurance claims.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The decision on whether or not to evacuate can be tough. Many people think that staying will be easier and that they can weather the storm. However, most professionals will recommend leaving if you have the ability. Not only is it safer during the actual storm, but often times the aftermath can leave you without common services like electricity or water for extended periods.

Know your area’s evacuation plan. If you live in a high frequency area, odds are the local government has a system in place. If not, the national government has developed guidelines that will help you should the need arise.

If you go, go early. Waiting until the last minute can be disastrous and could leave you stranded, says Ready.gov. Should you choose to stay, make sure you have plenty of provisions. Again, don’t wait until the last minute to buy these. First aid, food and water will be the first things to go when word of an impending storm hits.

Hurricanes are easily one of Mother Nature’s most destructive forces, but with a little planning and preparation, they don’t have to destroy your life or your business.

How To Start Preparing for Emergencies

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This is some advice to provide a little guidance on getting into preparedness. Whether you are a “seasoned citizen” or a 18 year old  – getting started in prepping is pretty much the same.

Depending on finances and how quickly you want to “get ready” – many preppers stock up on supplies in baby steps. It is surprising how quickly a survival stockpile can grow by just picking up a few items each week. Within a few months a good safety stock of supplies can be accumulated.

Before going out and starting to purchase and acquire supplies you need to determine what your immediate short term goal is. Do you want supplies for a few days? A few weeks? Months? Get out a pen and a notebook and start brainstorming as to what you are preparing for and what you think you will need. Make note of what you already have around the house.

If you are just starting out you may think of different scenarios that could occur such as a power outage or ice storm. Lets look at a few basics:

Food

How may days worth of food is in your pantry right now? Set a short term goal to double it. Adding non-perishable food a little at a time can add up quickly and provide security. Easy to prepare foods such as soups, stews and pasta are good candidates to store in case of an emergency.

Consider how food will be prepared should there be no electricity and no refrigeration. Many homes in the United States have gas or charcoal grills. These would suffice as long as sufficient fuel is stored. An open fire pit can be used as well.

Camping stoves are wonderful methods of cooking. The camp stoves are small and compact for easy storage and run on small propane canisters. These fuel canisters can be purchased locally and stocked up on “just in case”. There are also camp stoves that run on other readily available fuel as well.

Some examples of common foods for increasing your food storage:

The theory behind the typical food storage program is to “store what you eat and eat what you store”.

Water

Depending upon your overall health you can live 2 – 3 weeks without food but only 3 days without water. Water is incredibly essential for the human body to function as it is supposed to.

It is commonly recommended to store 1 gallon or water per person per day. This is an absolute minimum. Consider that the one gallon of water will not only be be used for drinking, but also for washing one self as well as cleaning dishes. On gallon is not a lot.

So – water is necessary and must be stored. One of the least expensive methods is to refill empty 2-liter soft drink containers with water. These should be washed thoroughly of course.

Another inexpensive method is to buy 1 gallon bottles of Spring Water. Many preppers also buy cases of 16 oz bottles of Spring Water. These cases usually contain 24 bottles and are easily stacked.

Decide your method or use all. Just get it done.

Light

Flashlights and lanterns. Make sure you have a few good flashlights and plenty of extra batteries. Always use alkaline batteries rather than normal heavy duty. LED flashlights have advantages over old school flashlights as they are extremely bright and batteries last much longer.

Candles are useful as well to provide a soft low-level light. Remember that candles mean flame and precautions must be taken to ensure that in the middle of a disaster another one is not created when your home burns down.

Summary

Stocking up on food, water, and methods for lighting are good steps to getting ready “just in case”. Throw in a battery operated radio for good measure. For more information, check out these online resources:

The Best Flashlights For Preppers

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flashlight, preparedness, power outage, blackout,

You cannot get much more basic when it comes to preparedness supplies than the flashlight.

Flashlights have come a long way over the past few decades. I can remember as a child my dad having a silver flashlight that ran on 2 D-cell batteries. This silver flashlight had an external slide switch to turn on and off with a button on top of it to turn it on momentarily.

Not particularly bright by today’s standards but lit up the dark whenever the power went out.

A decade or so ago the legendary Maglite was the flashlight to have. Large, bright, machined aluminum – a beautiful creation. I had several as well as the AA smaller version. These worked good and were standard issue at my job. Only problem was I went through bulbs like a mouse goes through a hunk of cheese.

Over the past 5 years or so flashlights have gotten brighter and lighter. Some might say more expensive and in many cases that would be correct. I now own LED flashlights almost exclusively. Conventional bulbs work just fine but have a much shorter lifespan and consume much more energy, thus I prefer LED flashlights.

If you go to any Wal-Mart or Target you can find quite a few LED flashlights to choose from. Prices vary greatly from under $10.00 to over $30.00.

A couple things to consider if considering picking up a new light:

  • Lumens – the measure of how bright the flashlight is. The higher the lumens the brighter the flashlight.
  • Battery Type – AA and AAA batteries cost the least and are easy to store.
  • LED – again, make sure he flashlight states it is LED. I also prefer one which has a single LED lamp rather than a collection of LED lamps. Both will work fine but the latest technology uses the single lamp.
  • Run Time – some packaging will state how long the batteries will last. I do not concern myself much with this as all LED flashlights have an excellent battery life.
If you like Amazon.com (which I love) here are some great flashlights that are also excellent values:
Nebo Flashlight – 220 lumens – approx $28.00
TerraLUX Flashlight – 220 lumens – approx $25.00

 

Streamlight Stylus Pro LED Flashlight and Holster – under $20.00

Streamlight PolyTac LED Flashlight – 130 lumens – approx $35.00

 

So – get yourself a few flashlights along with a bunch of extra batteries. You will be much better off than most to handle a power outage.

What Is My Favorite Tool or Preparedness Item?

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I have a lot of preparedness stuff – some inexpensive and some absolutely not. Some of my stuff includes what might be considered a gadget, some are tools, some are essentials.

If I had to pick a favorite prepper item – it would be the Gerber Suspension multi-tool.

I have had and used many Gerber multi-pliers and the Suspension is by far my favorite. Why? It is very versatile. It is extremely useful and rugged.

I also have some other favorites including a Ka-Bar knife, my Stag M4, and a couple of Streamlight Stylus Pro flashlights.

17 Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps

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Vegetables to Regrow From Scraps

With as much as people talk about gardening, it can seem overwhelming at times. Sometimes though, it’s just a matter of not throwing away your old food scraps.

Here are 17 vegetables to regrow from scraps:

17 Vegetables to Regrow From Scraps

1. Potatoes

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to grow potatoes indoors, it’s pretty easy. Cut chunks of potatoes out that have one or two eyes and leave to dry for 1-3 days then plant in rich soil about 4 inches deep with 4 inches above to keep covering it as it grows. You can transplant into the garden when weather permits.

2. Ginger

Be sure it has some nubs on it. Press into the soil similar to planting an iris. Keep moist but not damp. When you need it in the kitchen again, just cut off a chunk leaving nubs to regrow. Pretty much all there is to growing ginger from scraps.

3. Garlic

How do you grow garlic from scraps? Simple. Take leftover cloves and press root side down into the soil and keep moist. I personally haven’t done this and the instructions vary from letting the top sprout and grow to nipping off the top so that all the energy goes into the root to regrow the bulb.

4. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are awesome to grow from scraps. They are vines are often grown as an ornamental in northern climates, but will also produce new sweet potatoes. Cut the potato end so that you have eyes. Stick toothpicks in and start it in glass of water. When roots develop and eyes are leafing out, plant in rich soil and keep watered.

Regrowing Celery & Small Onions
Celery & Small Onions

5. Onions

Ever buy a bag of onions and have small ones in it? Well, if you want to regrow onions, just stick in soil and keep moist and they will grow larger. When you cut off the root ends of onions, just press into the soil leaving the cut end up and uncovered and keep moist as they too will regrow.

6. Lemongrass

Growing lemongrass indoors is a cinch. Put in a glass of water and watch it grow! You can repot into moist soil. Harvest as needed.

7. Pineapples

When you’re all done with the pineapple, here’s how to plant a pineapple top: Cut off the top leaving no fruit on the plant. Look for the roundish root buds. Cut leaves to within an inch of the top. Stick in a pot with rich soil and lots of moisture. Once the roots begin to develop and the top begins to grow reduce watering to once a week – this may take 2-3 months. Harvest a fresh pineapple in 2-3 years – yes, YEARS. Because of the time requirement needed to grow pineapple, it’s probably a good idea to slot them into your garden layout someplace on the periphery, or elsewhere out of the way.

Regrowing vegetables from their scraps
I’m playing with the core of the iceberg lettuce, so we’ll see what happens – it has sprouted.

8. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are tricky. Cut the stem off and place it in pot of compost rich, moist soil. They tend to like warm filtered light during the day and cool nights and you will know in just a few days if it takes and will regrow a new head or rots in the pot. Just set it on the floor at night in a cool room. And boom, that’s how to regrow mushrooms!

9. Carrots

This one comes with a slight caveat…. there’s not really a great way to grow carrots from carrot tops. Yes you can regrow them, but the root will never truly grow back. Great for greenery or if you have rabbits or chickens.

10. Leeks

11. Spring Onions

12. Scallions

13. Fennel

Growing Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy
Growing Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy

14. Romaine lettuce

15. Celery

16. Bok Choy

17. Cabbage

For the green group: Press root ends into moist soil and let them grow.

For the blue group: There are several ways to do these. Cut and set them in a cup of water on a windowsill and watch them grow, harvesting as needed. Or start them in water and when roots appear transplant to moist soil. Or press into moist soil, keep the soil moist and watch them grow (this is my personal favorite, as I forget about things). Spritz with water weekly.

Ok so pineapple isn’t really a vegetable, but you get the point. It’s so easy to grow these, that throwing them away should be a sin! Remember, with anything started in water you must replenish water as needed and change on a weekly basis.

Here is a fun little video to get you thinking:

Investing for Preppers: Gold vs. Silver

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Gold and Silver Precious Metals Storage

In life, the best thing you could want for both you and your family is security. Whether that comes in the form of a secure home, adequate finances or emotional support, you want to have a system in place that will take care of you throughout any situation. In the modern world, there are a great number of things you must worry about on a daily basis, and one of them may be the state of current affairs.

As it is, the world sometimes seems as if it is heading towards a path of despair, one that may culminate in a catastrophic event that is either manmade or natural: the Doomsday event.

If you are someone who has already begun preparing for the possible Doomsday—storing mass goods within your home, from clothing to self-defense items, purified water to food—or if you are someone who has contemplated investing in preparation materials, you might be a Doomsday Prepper.

Many Doomsday Prepper lists will offer you a large quantity of items to keep stockpiled, including:

These lists can be quite extensive, but it is the final item that begs the question: Which currency works best?

Gold and Silver vs Currency

What Currency Is King?

Without knowing what Doomsday will bring, it can be difficult to discern which currency is going to provide you with the best financial security both in the immediate aftermath and the long run.

While cash is easy to store in large quantities, the likelihood of its current value staying following an apocalypse is quite low. Inflation will hit and the USD will crash, leaving the dollar more or less useless not long after the world takes a turn for the worse.

For this reason, it is best for you to invest in precious metals—silver and gold. Whether in the form of bullion bars, jewelry or rare, collectible coins, these items hold both a monetary and visual value that make them suitable for buying and trading items with other people.

These items are relatively easy to stock up on in preparation for Doomsday, as they work as investments for the future, whether or not a Doomsday event occurs. The value of gold and silver is something that is intrinsic to human history, and it is certain that these precious metals will continue to reign supreme no matter the direction of the future.

Yet, between these two precious metal options, which makes for the best long-term investment for you? There are two characteristics of both gold and silver to consider when first thinking about investing.

Preppers Precious Metals

The Cost Effectiveness of Each

Even when prepping, you need to make investments while considering your finances in relation to now. For this reason, you must consider the spot prices of both gold and silver to determine just which would make for the best investments for you.

At this time, the spot price of gold currently sits at just under $1300 per ounce, while the silver spot price is approximately $15 per ounce. While the value of gold might be greater than that of silver, the initial cost required to invest in gold is equally steep, and frankly just might not be in the budget.

If you’re looking to stockpile in larger investments of coins and bullion for the time being, it might be in your best interest to invest in silver; however, if you’d like to add some noteworthy pieces to your collection—items that could be used in dire times, when someone dearly needs to be influenced—you can rely on a piece of gold.    

While having a higher spot price, gold makes for a beneficial investment due to the advantage it has to increasing in worth over time. The value of gold has continually been shown to be greater than that of silver, but as the global mass of gold begins to shrink—and whenever doomsday hits—it can be expected that the value of gold will only continue to grow as all other precious metals become difficult to come by.   

Intrinsic Trading Value

Due to the difference in spot price between gold and silver, these items will serve different purposes when trading with others. Simply put, silver would be used to purchase small items, while gold would work best for items of much greater value.

Consider the following scenario: Doomsday has come and you have stockpiled a notable amount of both gold and silver; however, as you have continued thriving in the post-apocalyptic world, your supplies begin to dwindle.

You know someone still living within your region has the essential supplies you need, particularly food and water. For smaller items such as this, you could offer them a considerable amount of silver coins to purchase these basic items—a fair trade; however, if they were not pleased with the amount of silver you offer them, you could always provide them with gold, making it more likely to capture their attention.

Storing Gold and Silver for Preppers

What You Should Invest In

While we have provided you with insight into the differences between investing in gold and silver, but we really can’t make a declaration as to which would work best for you.

The truth is that each item carries its own worth, both monetarily and socially. It will depend entirely upon the size of the purchase as to whether silver or gold would be the most fitting item to trade. Furthermore, it will depend upon your current finances as to which investment you should consider most.