Our Safe Spot

 by olgoat

When I retired from the Navy some years ago we came to West Virginia because we felt the world was going to hell soon. At that time we never even heard the term "Prepper" but that's what we were.
We own fifty acres surrounded by several thousand acres of prime timberland, not far from the New River Gorge National Park.
We bought a used house trailer and moved onto our property. From there we bought a sawmill and began cutting timber from our property. With just me and my wife doing all the work, we eventually moved into our log home (owing $300 on a credit card on the day we moved in).
Since then we have built a barn, purchased hand tools, seeds, food and medical supplies, guns and ammo, livestock and a very big dog.
We formed a group of family and friends (thirty of us to date) and continued prepping.
Currently we have enough supplies to last us over a year with no outside assistance from anybody. One of our members, Mike, is a former Seal and his wife was a medic for a Seal Team in Afganistan and now a RN.
Mike teaches combat training under contract to the military and has stored twelve M-16s and twelve 9mm pistols here at our safe place (all legally purchased).
Half of our group are children and teens. We are teaching them everything they'll need to know to survive in a post SHTF society.
We aren't fanatics or doomsayers but we believe in preparing for anything that is survivable just because the world is getting to be a more dangerous place. We aren't building bunkers because we don't want to live in a world where that's necessary. We don't even care about prophecy because prophecy is so vague.
What we care about is giving the children a fighting chance if things go to hell.

Reply to this thread here:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=390&t=15186

The Record Heat Waves

With the record heat waves and drought across the nation, the American Preppers Network hopes that you have been prepared.  Disasters of any type can and do happen anywhere, at anytime, and without warning.  We are now witnessing and will continue to witness a prime example of how one disaster can cause a chain reaction leading to other disasters.  Here are some potential disasters to be aware of as a result of the drought and heat waves.


1) Water shortages.  Water is the number 1 most important necessity to survival.  The average human can only survive 3 days without water, and even less in a heat wave.  I hope you've stored some.  If the water system shuts down or does not have enough, you could turn on the tap only to have a few drips.  If you run into a situation where there is not enough municipal water supply to your home, start looking for other sources of stored water.

• Your hot water tank may have 30 - 50 gallons of water stored. 
• The top supply tank to your toilette is typically clean water that you can use.
• Your plumbing in your house could have a few gallons.  Open a higher faucet in your house as in a shower, sink, or upstairs source to relieve pressure, then open a lower outside faucet to retrieve water from your plumbing system.

Don't short change yourself on water!  Make sure you have plenty for personal consumption.  If you stop sweating, that means you are dehydrated!   

Got Water?

2) Heat.  Heat poses many risks, including but not limited to:

• Heat Stroke.  Watch family members closely, especially the elderly, watch for slurred speech and disorientation.  When in doubt, call for help.  Time lost is brain lost.  Never leave pets or children in a vehicle, and keep them out of the direct sun.  Drink lots of water.
• Fire.  Fires are much more common in the heat.  Things dry out and become more flammable.  Keep dry brush and trash picked up.  Do not store fuel in or around your house, and keep well ventilated in a cool area out of the sun.  Keep grass cut short, especially if your city is rationing water and not allowing watering of lawns.  Do not store any flammables in the direct sun or in your attic.  
• Vehicle breakdowns. Avoid driving unless it's absolutely necessary, or drive at nite. Check your fluid levels and make sure your oil and coolant are topped off.  Bring extra oil and coolant with you in case you need it.  DO NOT top off your fuel tank!  Make sure your tires are property inflated and not over or under inflated.  Bring extra water with you in case you do break down.  Drive with the A/C off when going uphill.  Watch your vehicles tempature when climbing grades.  If your car starts to overheat when going uphill, pull over at a safe location to let it cool.  Check to make sure your thermostat is working before you make your trip.

3) Blackouts.   The nations grids are maxed out.  With everyone using A/C, expect rolling blackouts.  If you are in a blackout, you can wrap sleeping bags around your refrigerator or freezer to help insulate it.  To conserve power, only use what you absolutely need.  Keep lights turned off and keep your A/C set to the warmest temperature that you can safely stand.  Do you have a generator?  Be prepared to use it.  Do you have plenty of non-perishable food stored?  If there is an extended blackout, you may need it.  Stores and gas stations will be shut down in a blackout.  Do you have an emergency battery powered radio and flashlights?

4) Food Prices   Expect food prices to increase.  Especially meat.  Many ranchers are butchering all of there livestock as there is not enough food and water to care for them, this means shortages in the future.  Produce crops are drying up. Prices of corn, wheat and other grains will increase.  Even produce grown in unaffected areas may increase in price as well due to demand.  If the blackouts are too severe, stores, gas stations and truck stops may close down temporarily disrupting the supply chain and preventing food from making it to the stores.

Stay safe during this heat wave and dought.  This is a serious and potentially devastating national disaster.


If you have tips, ideas, news, videos or pictures that you wish to share regarding this heat wave you can submit your article to americanprepper@yahoo.com.  If your article is chosen we will post it on your states preppers network blog.  Top articles will get posted on APN.  The top article of the week will win a free flashlantern valued at $49.95 (made in the USA).  Articles must be submitted before 7/29.

Feel free to copy and repost this article in it's entirety.  Credit source as AmericanPreppersNetwork.com

Here are some free helpful pdf files to download

Fire and Heat Waves
- ARC - Are You Ready - Fire

- ARC - Are You Ready - Heat Wave

- ARC - Are You Ready - Wildfires

- Fact Sheet: Fires

- Fact Sheet: Fire Safe

- WildFires

Water
- ARC - Food and Water in Emergency

- Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water 

- How To Make A Solar Still (Plastic Cover)

- Purification Of Water On A Small Scale 

- Simple Solar Still For The Production Of Distilled Water

- Slow Sand Filters

- Water Purification

- Water Treatment

Fire Safety 

- Fighting Fire 

- Fire Safety

Get More Free Downloads here:
http://preppers.info/Free_Downloads.html

West Virginia Preppers Roll Call - All Preppers Please Check In

The American Preppers Network is conducting a network-wide roll call.  Whether you are a member or not please check in and let us know what you are doing to prepare.

This is a good opportunity to network with other preppers near you.

West Virginia Preppers, to respond to the roll call please follow this link:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=389&t=9290

• Reply to the Roll Call and let us know what you have been doing to prepare.

If you are not yet a member of the forum you can register here for free:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/ucp.php?mode=register

Canning Green Beans

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25 Police State Update: TSA Pat Downs, Bag Searches AFTER Passengers Get Off Trains

Author: Mac Slavo

- February 25th, 2011

According to a first-hand video account from a train station in Savannah, Georgia the Transportation Security Administration is now performing security pat downs and bag searches AFTER passengers disembark from their trips.

First Hand Account as Reported by the Videographer :

The only bad thing on our trip was TSA was at the Savannah train station. There were about 14 agents pulling people inside the building and corralling everyone in a roped area AFTER you got OFF THE TRAIN! This made no sense!!! Poor family in front of us! 9 year old getting patted down and wanded. They groped our people too and were very unprofessional. I am all about security, but when have you ever been harassed and felt up getting OFF a plane? Shouldn’t they be doing that getting ON??? And they wonder why so many people are mad at them.

We realize that this will fall on deaf ears at the TSA, but it’s worth pointing out that there’s this old Constitutional amendment that was designed to protect the American people from this exact type of violation of personal liberty:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV) to the United States Constitution

At the onset of the backscatter and pat-down controversy in 2010 we opined that TSA airport security was just a stepping stone to the next level of government intrusion into our lives.

Now that travelers are more or less used to getting groped and prodded, the TSA is stepping up efforts. All public transportation systems and venues are fair game, including trains, buses, planes, sporting events and shopping malls.

This is to be expected in a country like China or the former Soviet Union, but there is simply no legitimate justification for such actions in the United States of America, unless our government is now attempting to mimic authoritarian regimes, which seems very much to be the case.

Hat Tip Sherrie Questioning All

Author: Mac Slavo
Date: February 25th, 2011
Visit the Author's Website: http://www.SHTFplan.com/

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Belt-fed .22 caliber full-auto pellet gun…..cool!

I came across this product on Facebook. Looks like it would be very fun to have. Years ago I had a full-auto BB sub-machine gun that ran on canned Freon. It was made by Larc International and cost $39.95. This full-auto pellet gun shoots at over 600 fps……and cost over $500.

Not cheap – but still cool.

Product information is available at http://air-ordnance.com.

Those poor squirrels!!

Rourke

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History this day in West Virginia

January 1
On January 1, 1853, the first Baltimore & Ohio train: To read more of this day and the rest of the month please follow the link below:

http://www.wvculture.org/history/thisdayinwvhistory/january.html

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