13 Steps to Prepare for Civil Unrest

Gaye Levy

It has been over two years since I wrote about the “Perfect Storm of Civil Unrest”.  Looking back, it would be easy to think that perhaps the article was a bit reactionary given current events at the time.  On the other hand, not a whole lot has changed since then.

These are still uneasy times. The names and faces of the powers-that-be may be different, but the actions are the same. Normal, ordinary middle class families are still struggling and corporate corruption, hidden agendas, and cover-ups are still commonplace.

The threat of an Ebola or other pandemic, global economic collapse, severe water shortages, and immigration/border woes simply add to our concern about the future.  Fear, sickness, and deprivation evoke chaos; and as we reach that tipping point, it seems only prudent to prepare for civil unrest, riots, looting, crimes against persons, domestic terrorism, and more.

Today I take another look at the potential for a perfect storm.  In doing so, I have updated and expanded upon the steps we can take now to prepare for civil unrest.

Prepping As a Form of Personal Activism

Gaye Levy
Backdoor Survival

There are some days when I feel as though I am out there in the world alone, fighting a battle that can not be seen or heard.  The battle is one of preparedness and is one I endure day in and day out in spite of my best effort to step away and live a normal, middle class, mainstream life.

I have given a lot of thought to this and even though I tell strangers that I am a “crazy old prepper lady”, in my heart of hearts I know that I am doing both myself and every other prepper-type a disservice by minimizing the importance of embracing preparedness and self-reliance.

7 Ways to Rekindle the Quest for Truth

Gaye Levy

In recent months I have found myself shrugging in disgust as I browse the web and read the latest headlines. I mumble the words I used to say in the old days, “par for the course”. I say that as I find myself becoming complacent while reading the latest news of government excess, corporate shenanigans, sneaky banksters and Wall Street crooks.

More often than not I feel as though I am sitting on a deck chair of the Titanic, slowing watching the ship go down. Pretty sad, I know.

This is not just the alternative press that I am reading, mind you. The main stream media is slowing coming around too as courageous reporters and their editors issue a rally call to anyone who will listen. The message is loud and clear: things are bad, our elected leaders are out of control and any day now our society is going to go to heck in a hand basket.

I exaggerate a bit but not by much. Is it eyeball fatigue that is hitting me so hard? My perception is that much of what I read is the same news I was reading three years ago. The only difference is that it has been repackaged, rehashed and refreshed. The cast of characters may have changed a bit but the same tactics of oppression and submission have not. If anything, things are worse.

AND THE POINT IS?

39 Fantastic Prepping Tips

Gaye Levy

People often ask where my ideas and where my knowledge comes from. When that happens, I chuckle a bit to myself because just like the person asking, my knowledge comes from a variety of sources: first hand experience, books, online forums and of course, Backdoor Survival readers. So you see, it is not that I am smarter or more clever than everyone else but rather that I have taken my passion for preparedness and made it an active part of my life.

That leads me to the topic for today’s article. Following my own article on Five Minute Prepping Projects, I asked readers to submit their own tips – namely something that we all can do to prep that takes 10 minutes or less. There were some really good suggestions and so I thought I would share some of them here so that everyone can learn from them.

THE BEST TEN MINUTE PREPPING TIPS FROM BACKDOOR SURVIVAL READERS

Survival Basics: How to Build a Fire in a Rocket Stove

Gaye Levy

There comes a time when every prepper will say enough with all of the food and enough with all of the gear. Preparing a survival pantry, first aid kit and bug-out-bag are all important tasks but at some point we need to take a break from gathering stuff and move on to some of the basic skills needed to to insure our comfort in an emergency situation.

One of those skills is the ability to cook food outdoors. Sure, we all know how to fire up the barbie and grill burgers. But what if the backyard barbeque was not available?

If that happens, you are going to want to be ready to act. Like flipping a switch, you will want to immediately call up some basic outdoor skills that will help you get on with the business of cooking (and eating) until things, such as they are, return to normal.

This includes building a fire so that you can cook your food. A simple thing, yes, but important none-the less.''

HOW TO BUILD A SIMPLE FIRE TO COOK OUTDOORS IN A ROCKET STOVE

4 Prepping Lessons Learned Following a Near Disaster

Before the smoke got really bad

Gaye Levy

Living in the Pacific Northwest, you become accustomed to the occasional earthquake. I still remember the earthquake of 1964 as well as the big Nisqually quake of 2001. I especially remember that there was a lot of destruction during the 2001 quake, and that our neighbor’s house slid off its foundation.

There is no way to anticipate these sudden, unexpected events. But we can do our best to prepare for them not only as individuals and as families, but as communities as well.

Here in my own small community, we experienced our own unexpected event on Wednesday morning when an 85’ yacht at our marina burst into flames. For those of you not familiar with boats and marinas, let me explain the danger.

First of all, boats these days are made of fiberglass. When burned, fiberglass produces heavy toxic fumes and smoke – lots of it. Then there is the matter of fuel. Typically, diesel fuel is flammable but not explosive. On the other hand, gasoline is both highly flammable and explosive. In this case, the burning yacht was adjacent to a fuel dock where both diesel and gasoline are pumped to visiting vessels...

What Happened to Independence from Tyranny?

Gaye Levy

Independence Day in the United States is a day that is commonly known as the 4th of July. Officially, it is a day to celebrate our declaration of independence from Great Britain in the year 1776. Sadly, for many it is just a day off of work to spend with family and friends, celebrating summer, hot dogs, ice cream and beer.

For the last two years, I have written about this day and, to be honest, there is not much that is new that can be added to what I have previously said. Rather than start over, today I bring back an article from July 4, 2012. Everything I said still applies, perhaps ten-fold.

A Prepper's Nod to Independence Day and the Revolution of Thought

5 Uncommon Skills That Will Be Useful After the SHTF

Gaye Levy

I believe that community will be important in a post-SHTF society.

It is also my belief that each member of a community will need to contribute in one way or another to the group as a whole. It is easy to think of those contributions as something physical that you can touch and feel such as food, medical supplies, fuel, firearms, ammunition and cash. The problem, of course, is that depending on economic circumstances and logistics, even experienced preppers may have very little extra in the way of tangible assets to contribute to the community as a whole.

Today I would like to move beyond the need for Prepper’s to have physical and monetary assets. Instead, I would like to suggest five uncommon skills that will be needed by every post-SHTF community. These are skills that do not take a lot of money to learn and yet they will be extremely valuable and in high demand if the SHTF. These are skills you may not have thought about, but important skills none-the less.

FIVE USEFUL SKILLS YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF

Learn to Love Worms with Vermicomposting

Gaye Levy

Three years ago, if someone had mentioned that they were purchasing some worms, I would have grabbed my pole and said “let’s go fishing”. Later, as I became interested in organic gardening, I started reading about worm bins and worm compost. A light bulb went off in my head: folks were purchasing certain types of worms so that could use them to create compost.

The technical term for this is “vermicomposting” which is, logically enough, the process of composting using worms.

Now before you go “yuck,” hear me out. Vermicomposting is clean, takes up very little space and, if done properly, is odor and bug free. Not only that, but vermicomposting is suitable for condos, apartments and other residences that do not have a suitable place to start a compost pile.

20 Items to Kick Start Your Food Storage Plan

Gaye Levy

No matter how many times I write about food, there is always something new to consider or a new and different way to present the same old information in a more useful manner. With that in mind, today I would like to share a method for getting started with your food storage program in an easy, step by step, and cost effective manner.

To be truthful, my initial goal with this article was to respond to readers who were just getting started and wanted a shopping list of things to buy for their food storage pantry. I also wanted to compile a checklist that more experienced preppers could use to compare what they had to what they needed. My goal can pretty much be summed up by saying that I wanted to write about getting started with food storage the easy way. No frills, no fluff – just a common sense list of food items to get you started.

With that goal in mind, let me say this: this is not a list of items intended for deep storage. Nor is it a list of items packaged so that they have a 25 year shelf life. (And in reality, do you really need your stored food to last that long?) I am also not going to list items that might be foreign to your palate, difficult to find, or too costly to absorb into your weekly shopping budget.

Learning to Render Fat

Gaye Levy

Old habits die slowly. For years we have been told that animal fat is bad and to be honest, I personally subscribe to a diet plan that is primarily plant based. That said, there is a place in my diet and my kitchen for organic meat and meat products, including the fat that is typically discarded after the fact.

For the longest time, something I absolutely tossed out was cooking grease. Healthcare experts, government and public health agencies and even the editors of popular cooking magazines all jumped on the fat is bad bandwagon. Low fat was good, no fat was better and animal fat? Forget it.

The result of all this blather was an epidemic of obesity and heart disease as well as a bunch of inexplicable diseases. Now understand this: I am not a medical professional and by no means am I suggesting a diet heavy on animal fat. But, as with everything else in life, a bit of fat used in moderation may not be so bad and most certainly can add a dimension of flavor and satiety to your food.

Water – The Survival Basic

Gaye Levy

A frequent theme in the preparedness community is the importance of water. Where to find it, how to store it, how to purify it and how to filter it. Whether you are a prepping newbie or an experienced survivalist, water should be high on your list of prepping priorities.

Every year or so, I like to share an article on water, not only for the benefit of the many prepping newbies that visit Backdoor Survival, but also as a refresher course for those of us that are more experienced. Today’s article is an update to information that I have previously shared but that does not make it any less important.

In addition, see below for information on how you can win one of three free LifeStraw personal portable water filters.

BACK TO THE BASICS: WATER FOR SURVIVAL

An Open Letter to the Reluctant Prepper

Gaye Levy

Becoming prepared can be a lonely journey. Family members scoff and friends roll their eyes and shy away, thinking you have joined the tin foil hat society. You want to share and you want to talk, but say too much to the wrong people and you may be setting yourself up for future free-loading, looting, or worse.

This is a dilemma faced by almost every prepper I know. Most want to join up with other like-minded people but who do they trust? The issue of trust is one reason why most of us want family members and close friends to come on board the prepping wagon; but, alas, few do so willingly and even then, only give lip service to the effort. I know. Other than my husband, Shelly (also known as the Survival Husband) none of my family preps, and very few of my friends do so either.

44 Really Cool Uses of Paracord for Survival

Gaye Levy, Contributor

My love affair with paracord continues. Not only is it strong and useful for a myriad of tasks, it is colorful and fun to work with while making bracelets, key fobs, belts and other goodies.

Enter paracord into your search engine and you will be treated to a ton of stuff – what is it, how is it use, where to buy it and more. It seems like everyone has a stake in the paracord love-fest.

What Exactly is Paracord?

I first wrote about paracord in May 2012 in the article Paracord for Function and Fashion. I described paracord this way:

Paracord is a lightweight nylon rope that was originally used in the suspension lines of US parachutes during World War II. Soldiers, however, found that this miracle rope was useful for far more than their paratrooper missions. In the ensuing years, both the military and civilians alike have found hundreds if not thousands of uses for paracord.

It is available by length, typically 50 to 100 feet (or more) and in a variety of colors. It is also available is large quantities by the spool. Many hikers and outdoor sports enthusiasts make or purchase “survival bracelets” made of several feet of paracord which is woven into a compact bracelets that can be unraveled in the field.

By the way, you will often see paracord referred to as Paracord 550 means that it has a breaking strength of 550 pounds or more. Now that is strong!

Building a DIY Rocket Stove

The Almost Free DIY Rocket Stove

Gaye Levy, Contributor

Rocket Stoves are pretty neat. Common among campers and backpacking enthusiasts, rocket stoves are relatively new to urban dwellers or those that do not spend a lot of time outdoors. But wait – here come the preppers who seek fuel efficient ways to cook outdoors when the grid goes down. Not to make light of the situation, five years ago I had no idea what a rocket stove was nor did I know how they worked.

How times have changed.

While there are many commercial rocket stoves (and I own two including the Solo Stove and the EcoZoom Versa) an efficient rocket stove can be had for as little as a couple of bucks if you are willing to do a bit of work.

But first, just what exactly is a rocket stove?

Meat Glue and Pink Slime. What Evil is Lurking in Your T-Bone?

Gaye Levy, Contributing Writer

Some things simply defy my senses.  This is especially true when it comes to food.  After all, you might remember the saying among us old-time computer geeks?

Garbage In = Garbage Out

And, thus, the same with the food that serves as fuel for our bodies.  Eat the good stuff and you feel good.  Eat the bad, and, well, eventually you are going to feel bad too.

With this in mind, I set off on a tear when I read that glue was being used by some restaurant chefs to hold meat together in a cohesive lump.  Did you read that correctly? G – L – U -E.  Like that stuff in a white bottle you used as a kid to hold stuff together.  Like that grown-up stuff you use to make repairs around the house.  

Gucky, yucky glue holding your food and more specifically, your meat, together.  Let me explain.

10 Simple Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency

Gaye Levy, Contributor

In a utopian world, we would be 100% self-sufficient. We would have enough food, enough water, enough power, and enough fuel, and perhaps most important, enough money to live a well-rounded, healthy and comfortable life. We would have to work hard, yes, but at the end of the day we would have the satisfaction of being able to take care of ourselves without selling out to greedsters or taking a handout from the government.

Alas, everywhere you look there are roadblocks to achieving this state. Not the least of these roadblocks is our dependency on transportation systems and the power infrastructure to deliver goods and energy products to our homes and homesteads. And then there are the entitlements such as social security and Medicare for the older members of our population and disability and Medicaid for the disabled and the sick. Over the years, these systems have been set up – for better or for worse – to create dependencies rather than self-sufficiency’s. (And by the way, the names may be different but these dependencies exist in all Western countries, not just the United States.)

Luckily, though, self-sufficiency is not an all or nothing proposition. At one end of the spectrum is a total, off grid, agrarian lifestyle and at the other is a moderately self-sufficient lifestyle where steps are taken to move toward 10% or 20% self sufficiency. Not a lot. But something.

Survival Healthcare: 5 Things You Can Do Now to Promote Medical Self-Care

Gaye Levy, Contributor

Something not frequently addressed within the survival and prepping world is the importance of good health and medical self-care. What I am referring to is the importance of having the physical and mental wellness capacity to give you the stamina to to withstand adverse conditions, perhaps with minimal shelter, minimal water, minimal food stores, and minimal health care facilities.

Think about it. As much as we prep and do our best to store a years worth of food and supplies, how much attention do we actually pay to taking care of ourselves and staying informed of medical issues and topics? For most of us, I can pretty much guarantee that food and supplies come first, closely followed by bullets and band-aids.

In a very worst case scenario, would you have the stamina and health to leave the comforts of your home with only the clothes on your back, a bug-out-bag and whatever else you could physically carry? Answer honestly – are you healthy enough to do that? 

The Burden of Truth and Knowledge

Gaye Levy, Contributor

These days, the enlightened carry a heavy burden of truth and knowledge that, without conscious effort, can be both exhausting and debilitating.

One merely has to look around, read some news, and watch a little television to realize that there is major subterfuge going on. 

Knowing that deceit and trickery is around every corner, we are forced to dig deep to examine facts, evaluate actions and derive truthful conclusions based on evidence and fact rather than spin and political innuendo.

Not only is that time-consuming, but that truth and knowledge can begin to eat at our very core, manifesting itself in the relentless and unstoppable pursuit of even more knowledge, more facts and sadly, more acceptance that our world as we have known it is doomed.

One Simple Piece of Advice for Raising Livestock

image source

Gaye Levy, Contributor

As it would happen, I have become somewhat chatty, email wise, with Ron Brown, the author of Lanterns, Lamps and Candles. When the subject turned to backyard farming – and livestock in general – well, the conversation became interesting.

But I digress. I need to explain that for the past few years I have had a romanticized vision of raising chickens and possibly some farm animals. Alas, I have almost no yard space and live in an area where such a thing would be impossible. Yes, I can grow veggies in my front landscaping. That is considered charming. But chickens, rabbits and sheep? Not so much.

So I continue to think about it and hope that some local farmer will take pity on me and allow me to share their chickens. And actually, truth be told, I do have one that periodically shares eggs with me.

But back to Ron. He knows a little about a lot of things, raising livestock and chickens included. Since it is Saturday, and I feel the need for a some serious fun, I thought I would share his simple piece of advice for raising livestock.