The storm blows through, trees are downed, the power goes off.  No big deal, right?  Wrong.  Most people are not prepared for the power to fail, and some even panic when the lights go out.  How would your family deal with this emergency situation?  Here are some helpful tips that will guide you toward preparing your home for the inevitable inconvenience of a power failure.  Don’t wait until that situation arrives – get prepared today.

Lighting:

• Flashlights- Place reliable flashlights with working batteries in strategic locations – the kitchen cabinet above the
  

  Are you ready for a power outage?

  phone; the hallway closet with the coats; bedside drawers, the kids’ rooms (drill the kids on this fact); garage shelf by the door; utility room.  Think: “How can I easily find this in the dark?”

• Lamps – Provide longer term ambient lighting to cozy up the home and make the kids feel comfortable by investing in some affordable wick-style lamps.  They are the old-fashioned sort that may remind you of train engineers or an antique store.  Look for a round metal base with a hook for your finger and a hurricane glass.  Or, a hanging style “train” lamp that might be red or black.  You can also find glass bottomed home-style lamps that rise tall and give off a nice glow.  The unscented lamp oil is about $6.00 for 32 ozs at WalMart and will last quite a while.  Make sure you have a couple lamps for the big room in which the family will gather.  Maybe one for each bedroom.  Never leave these unattended as they have a live flame.  And, keep the wick low enough that it doesn’t give off any flicker or soot.
• Emergency Flame Pots – you can also find little lamp pots that will work just fine.  They have a simple flame, not as much room light or near as much fun, but practical for the short run. Look for “liquid candle”.
• Heat – If you have a wood or gas fireplace, then the issue of heating is not too difficult.  Grab the family sleeping bags, make some fun pallets around the fire, bring in the pillows and extra blankets and enjoy the time together.  However, without the fireplace, the issue gets a bit more inconvenient.  It’s possible for your insulated home to get down to 40 – 50 degrees depending on where you live and the weather conditions outside.  The harder the wind blows, the colder the house will get.
• Clothing – It’s time to layer up.  Put on your polypropylene undergarments, fleece or wool pullovers, thin insulated gloves, a wool beanie and extra fuzzy socks and slippers.
• Sleeping Bags – Even if you’re not a camper, this is the reason you should keep a zero-degree sleeping bag around the house.  Pull the family together in the warmest room of the house and bundle up.  Make a big cozy pallet with the bags, blankets and pillows and stay warm.  Don’t have the bags?  Then, grab all the comforters and blankets you have and build your nest.  For night time, circle the chairs and create a tent with blankets.  All the body heat will encourage everyone to sleep in.
• Cooking - A full tank of propane is a must at all times for the prepared household.  A heavy cast iron dutch oven and
  

  This Camp Chef double propane burner stove will work well, as soon as the snow is brushed off.

  a propane cooker out-of-doors is really all you need to keep the family fed during or after the storm.  Of course, it’s inconvenient to get out in the wind, rain or snow and stir the stew, but at least you have a hot meal to feed the kids.   If you have a one or two-burner camp kitchen, make sure you use it outside.  Cook under the eaves or on the covered patio but NEVER leave it unattended.

• Refrigeration – When the power goes out, the food goes bad.  Grab your ice chests and throw in your thawed meat, and cover with ice from your freezer.  Make sure you have extra ice bags or frozen water jugs (think big juice and milk jugs) for this reason.  Have one cooler for the meat and one for any other spoilable items.  After your family is nested and ready to ride it out, start cooking the meat so it can be stored outside at below 40 degrees, or put the meat back in the ice chest after it’s cooked, cooled down and contained.  Leave all the frozen foods in place and stay out of the freezer!  After a day, when you start to see signs of thawing in the freezer, start cooking.  You may have to spend your multi-day power outage cooking, eating and feeding the neighbors.  At least it gives you something fun to do.  Imagine a set of ovens cooking up stews, gumbos, soups and chowders for a big crew.  Get everyone to throw in their own meats. You and the neighbors will talk about it for years.  Relax on the situation and try to enjoy the challenge.
• Foods – Longer term survival situations (weeks following a hurricane or earthquake) require a good stash of canned and dried foods. Check out this article for tips on cooking with storage foods.  It can be important  to have a variety of dried beans, rice, pastas and powdered options on hand. Check out my other story on this subject:
• Water – Some well-publicized warnings about impending storms will encourage residents to fill up a clean bathtub with tap water. But, if you are caught without warning, you’ll want some back up solutions with stored water.  Count on two gallons per person per day for drinking, cooking and sanitation.  Some folks have bigger 20-gallons or more containers.  But, you can also store water in recycled gallon juice jugs.  Look for the numbers #2, #4 and #5 on the bottom of your juice jugs for the ones recommended to use for a short amount of time.  If in doubt about a jug, don’t use it.  Keep the water clean by using 1 teaspoon of food grade chlorine to 10 gallons of water.  And, you can always boil your water. Once the water reaches the boiling temperature of 212 degrees, that has killed everything that boiling will take care of.
• Filters – A water filter is a very effective addition to your preparedness efforts. Make sure it has the capacity to purify large amounts of water. The most effective water purification method may be boiling, so make sure you have a reliable heat source available. Read my other story on this subject:

Bottom line is to expect a power outage and take some steps to prepare your family for the inconvenience.  It’s a lot less troublesome to head into this emergency fully prepared to ride it out.  Your family will appreciate you for it and you might even make a few new friends in the neighborhood!

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Winter Driving Safety: This information comes from the La Pine (OR) Rural Fire Protection District. Thanks Chief Supkis, and thanks to all the emergency responders and personnel in South Deschutes County!

Winter weather presents challenges to drivers. Make sure you have a winter survival kit in your car! (SurvivalCommonSense.com photo)

With the season’s first significant snowfall in mid-November, the  LaPine Fire District Fire-Medics responded to five serious motor vehicles accidents in just the first two days, due to winter roads! There were many more slide-offs (fortunately no- injury).

Here are 10 very important winter safety driving tips – starting from the easiest and least costly. Note the first six cost little or nothing and you can start doing them immediately and improve your winter travel greatly!

#1 Slow Down – simple enough, but really – leave earlier and give your self time to deal with the additional hazards of slick roads and others who have not heeded this advice.

#2 Clear off ALL windows of snow and ice – yes, it’s a pain but it’s not going to blow or melt off quickly. Keeping a broom near your parking spot makes the job much more palatable.

#3 Headlights on at all times – This helps others see you so they don’t pull out in front of you.

#4 Adjust your travel time if you can – Fortunately here in Central Oregon the sun can quickly help our DOT folks improve road conditions by mid day. Check the Oregon Department Of Transportation’s road condition website and cameras for the latest.

#5 Add weight (a few sand bags) – this is more for balance rather than for traction. Most vehicles are lighter in the rear, even 4x4s. Balancing weight greatly improves handling and predictability in slick environments. (Think what NASCAR racers do to their vehicles.)

#6 Have winter survival gear in your car (flashlight, snow boots, gloves, hat). Be prepared to walk a mile if you need to.

#7 Sipe your tires – those extra little edges cut into the tread  really help, especially on pack snow and ice. These  are the conditions when vehicles most often loose control.

#8 Tire chains – for traction when going over the passes and in extreme conditions. They also force you to slow down –go figure.

#9 Snow tires on all four wheels – Helps in deeper snow and slush. Put on all four wheels – again for balance, steering, and braking.

#10 Studded tires – Adding studs can help on hard packed snow and ice, especially if it is glazed with water on top.

Click here to learn what to put in your vehicle survival kit.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Miner’s lettuce (Montia perfoliata), an edible plant, is widely distributed throughout the high desert areas of Central Oregon. Learn how to recognize this plant, and you’ll be able to come up with a tasty salad in the wilderness!  

Miner's lettuce (Montia perfoliata) is a common edible plant in the Central Oregon area. (Linda Stephenson photo)

 

by Linda Stephenson

 

I have been wanting to send out this information on a plant that I noticed in my gardens this spring. I can’t believe I haven’t paid more attention to it before this! I just considered it a weed and removed it from my gardens.

This plant is one of those things in life that you can go for years without noticing, and then find it hard to imagine how you could have missed it. It is hard to hike anywhere around here in Central Oregon in the spring without coming across it.

The trail up to Paulina Peak, just north of La Pine, is thick with Miner’s Lettuce  between late May through July. It appears first in the sunlit areas, but the best stands are under shade. I just found a whole bed of it under our travel trailer.

As the days get hotter, the leaves turn a deep red color as they dry out. Once you get to know it, you will begin to notice the first shoots, even in your own yard after the first heavy rains.

Lettuce? Yes, you can eat it–raw in salads or boiled like spinach. Early settlers and Indians collected and ate it. It is said that California Indians used to place it by red ant hills to pick up formic acid as a dressing. I would be worried that the ants would eat it.

Click photo to sign up for our Email Update!

I rarely pass the young plants without pulling off a leaf to nibble on. It tastes a lot like raw spinach to me, not as delicate as lettuce. It has none of the peppery kick of the the somewhat similar garden plant nasturtium Tropaeolum majus, which is also in the Purslane family.

Take a hike around your property and see if you can find some of this low growing plant. It usually gets about 6 inches tall and 12 inches wide.

Miner’s lettuce is probably one of the most recognized wild edibles, yet many of you have probably never heard of it.

 

Let me know if you find some on your property and what you think of the taste! (Editor’s Note: Don’t consume ANY plant unless you’re positive of what it is!)

 

 

I have known the author, Linda Stephenson, of La Pine Oregon, for years, and she is a superb cook and close

Linda Stephenson at a Dutch oven cookoff.

friend. I have competed with and against Linda in Dutch Oven cooking contests, and she’s always a contender!

Linda and I teamed up to win the 2003 La Pine Frontier Days Dutch Oven Cookoff, then went on compete in the 2004 IDOS (International Dutch Oven Society) World Championships, where we finished eighth.

Linda is the owner of L&S Gardens in La Pine Oregon, and recognized expert in cold climate gardening and native plants. She has written numerous Dutch oven cookbooks and gardening books for Central Oregon plants.

 

 

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Some parts of the country are sweltering under heat advisories and August isn’t even here yet! Here is some advice from FEMA about handling the heat!

 

Extreme Heat

Heat kills by pushing the human body beyond its limits. In extreme heat and high humidity, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature.

Most heat disorders occur because the victim has been overexposed to heat or has over-exercised for his or her age and physical condition. Older adults, young children, and those who are sick or overweight are more likely to succumb to extreme heat.

Conditions that can induce heat-related illnesses include stagnant atmospheric conditions and poor air quality. Consequently, people living in urban areas may be at greater risk from the effects of a prolonged heat wave than those living in rural areas. Also, asphalt and concrete store heat longer and gradually release heat at night, which can produce higher nighttime temperatures known as the “urban heat island effect.”

 

 

 

Know the Terms

Familiarize yourself with these terms to help identify an extreme heat hazard:

Heat Wave
Prolonged period of excessive heat, often combined with excessive humidity.

Heat Index
A number in degrees Fahrenheit (F) that tells how hot it feels when relative humidity is added to the air temperature. Exposure to full sunshine can increase the heat index by 15 degrees.

Heat Cramps
Muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.

Heat Exhaustion
Typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim’s condition will worsen. Body temperature will keep rising and the victim may suffer heat stroke.

Heat Stroke
A life-threatening condition. The victim’s temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly.

Sun Stroke
Another term for heat stroke.

Take Protective Measures

Before Extreme Heat

To prepare for extreme heat, you should:

• Install window air conditioners snugly; insulate if necessary.
• Check air-conditioning ducts for proper insulation.
• Install temporary window reflectors (for use between windows and drapes), such as aluminum foil-covered cardboard, to reflect heat back outside.
• Weather-strip doors and sills to keep cool air in.
• Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings, or louvers. (Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent.)
• Keep storm windows up all year.

During a Heat Emergency

The following are guidelines for what you should do if the weather is extremely hot:

• Stay indoors as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.
• Stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine if air conditioning is not available.
• Consider spending the warmest part of the day in public buildings such as libraries, schools, movie theaters, shopping malls, and other community facilities. Circulating air can cool the body by increasing the perspiration rate of evaporation.
• Eat well-balanced, light, and regular meals. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Drink plenty of water. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restricted diets; or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
• Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.
• Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight, and light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible.
• Protect face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat.
• Check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone.
• Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
• Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat, and take frequent breaks.

First Aid for Heat-Induced Illnesses

Extreme heat brings with it the possibility of heat-induced illnesses. The following table lists these illnesses, their symptoms, and the first aid treatment.

Additional Information

An emergency water shortage can be caused by prolonged drought, poor water supply management, or contamination of a surface water supply source or aquifer.

Drought can affect vast territorial regions and large population numbers. Drought also creates environmental conditions that increase the risk of other hazards such as fire, flash flood, and possible landslides and debris flow.

Conserving water means more water available for critical needs for everyone. Appendix A contains detailed suggestions for conserving water both indoors and outdoors. Make these practices a part of your daily life and help preserve this essential resource.

After Extreme Heat

Follow the instructions for recovering from a disaster in Part 5.

Knowledge Check

You and a friend have been outdoors in the sun for some time. Shortly after coming inside, your friend complains of nausea and headache but tells you not to worry as it is probably a food allergy.

What would you advise him or her to do?

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

In an instant, the backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains turned from an idyllic family outing to every parent’s nightmare. One moment, my son Daniel, 16 months old at the time, was playing around the campsite. In the next, despite the close supervision of four adults, he had vanished.

Though warmly dressed, this youngster would be hard to find if she got lost in the winter woods. Her clothing blends in with the surroundings and there is no whistle attached to her coat.

The adults immediately split up to search for Dan. I sprinted back down to the lake, while my wife, Debbie, ran the other way, up the hill. Out of the corner of her eye, Debbie caught a flash of Dan’s bright red jacket as he disappeared over the rise. She collared the would-be wanderer, who thought the chase was part of a game.

We took my oldest son, Dan, on his first backpacking trip when he was five months old. Debbie carried him and all the paraphernalia associated with an infant, and I carried all the camping gear.  When my brother, Mike, went backpacking with us, he and I would split the weight up. We didn’t go far, but we still managed to get back into the mountains, away from most of the crowds.

Infants are easy to take along, as long as you have properly prepared their gear. They can’t wander off, and a tarp in the sunlight, along with some favorite toys, quickly turns them into happy campers. And talk about fantastic  memories!

The difficulty starts when kids reach the toddler stage and before they’re old enough to go to kindergarten. Kids in this age group have boundless energy and curiosity, no concept of danger, and a near suicidal lack of  common sense. By the time children reach kindergarten age, they are generally considered old enough to be taught. But if you’re taking a little kid into the backcountry, plan on spending all your time on full alert.

There are some steps to make your child as safe as possible, and outing preparation should start long before you arrive at the trailhead. These tips have worked well with all three of my children:

* Always dress kids in bright clothing. Soft, muted earth tones or black or white jackets are like camouflage, and the youngsters should be highly visible at all times. You may want to take along some fluorescent duct tape and/or flagging and attach it to the youngsters so they will be even more visible. ALL FLORESCENT FLAGGING TAPE

* Permanently attach a whistle on their coats or somewhere it won’t be lost. Explain that the whistle is always to be carried with them and only used if they get separated. Fox 40 Pearl Safety – Pink

* Teach them (and practice) the drumming game: Teach the child that if separated from the group, find a tree and a stick and start hitting it to make noise. Blow the whistle as part of the game.

* The usual rules about not talking to strangers are suspended if the child gets lost in the wilderness. Explain that there will be many nice people trying to help find him or her, and these searchers will know the child’s name. You don’t want the child hiding from rescuers. Re-enforce this idea as you hike, so they don’t forget.

* Keep them hydrated and fed, even if separated from you: Dehydration in the wilderness is a danger to anyone. For youngsters, especially, it can be deadly. My kids each had a bladder-style hydration system, as which work well. CamelBak Skeeter Kid’s Hydration Pack The novelty of  being able to drink out of a drinking tube, and the fact that the system was carried like a backpack, means the child probably won’t lose their water.  If the child is lost, it may take several hours to find them, and they will need to drink. It’s also a good idea to put snacks in the backpack part of the bladder backpack, so the child learns to look there for food. Clif Kid Zbar Variety Pack – 8 Chocolate Chip, 8 Chocolate Brownie and 8 Honey Graham per Box

Here are some child safety recommendations from Deschutes County (Oregon) Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue:

* Everybody stays together.

* Teach the children that if they get lost or separated, to sit down, stay put, drink water and eat their snacks.

* Look bigger for searchers: Your waiting space, if possible, should be near an open space. Blow your whistle if you hear or see anybody!

* Don’t lie down on bare ground.

* Stay away from large rivers and lakes.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

One of the few edible wild plants most people can recognize is the cattail. Found virtually everywhere, the plant flourishes wherever there is water and mud.

It is a four-season food, medicinal, and utility plant. What other plant can boast eight food products, three medicinals, and at least 12 other functional uses?

This cattail would provide good firestarting tinder.

Here is an informative article from Backwoods Home magazine. Check out the many uses of this plant:  click here.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

All things considered, any emergency situation can be made worse by the weather!

How will you stay cool when the power goes out during a heat wave?

By Leon Pantenburg

What happens when an earthquake occurs along the New Madrid Seismic Zone (The United States’ second largest earthquake area, located near New Madrid, Mo., along the Mississippi River)? And how much worse will conditions be if this catastrophe happens during the winter when it’s -20 degrees?

On the other hand, how will you stay cool and safe, if an earthquake, flood, tornado, tropical storm etc. knocks out the power grid when the temperature is well over 100 degrees outside? If you don’t have to evacuate, how can you stay cool inside your house without power?

Shift into SurvivalCommonSense.com mode by educating and preparing yourself.

To start with: Don’t underestimate the danger of high temperatures!

About 400 Americans die each year from summer heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, the National Weather Service claims excessive heat is the number one weather-related killer, causing more fatalities per year than floods, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms and extreme cold.

There are energy-efficient, environmentally-sound methods of dealing with the heat inside your house, says Bobbie J. Bourne, Emergency Services Director of the Bend, Oregon American Red Cross.

Start staying cool by taking care of yourself, and keeping hydrated, Bourne advises, and reduce physical activities during the hot part of the day.

“If you’re thirsty, that means you’re not drinking enough,” Bourne said. “Avoid caffeine and hot drinks and make sure you drink lots of water and drinks that replace electrolytes, such as Gatorade. Eat smaller meals, and eat something cold. Wear loose, light-colored clothing. You might want to put water in a spray bottle and cool yourself off with that.”

Keep the sunshine, and heat, out of your house by pulling the drapes shut.

Then take a look at your home and think about how you can reduce the heat coming in, and regulate the interior temperature naturally. That beautiful sunshine pouring through the windows also heats up the air inside, so a good way to reduce that heat source is with drapes or window coverings.

An effective way to use the coverings, Bourne says, is to pull them shut during the day when the sun is beating on the windows.

“Keep your windows open at night, so the cool air can come in, then shut the windows and pull the drapes in the morning,” Bourne said. “Your house will stay cooler during the day. When it gets cooler at night, open the windows and get the hot air out of the house.”

Depending on the emergency, there might not be electrical power to the area for months, or it might be sporadic. If the power does come back on, even briefly, a good, quick way to get the hot air moving out of the overheated house is with a pair of electric fans. Coleman Free-Standing Tent Fan

Place one facing in by the window where air is coming in, Bourne said, and one at an opposite window positioned to blow warm air out. This can create a nice “wind tunnel” effect in pulling air through the house, and that will cool the interior.Texsport FAN/LIGHT DELUXE COMBO

Let’s suppose that there is some intermittent electrical power available, but you can’t use the central air conditioning. Here are some tips from the American Red Cross for staying cool inside when it’s hot outside:

• Make a “swamp cooler” by putting a bucket or pan of water in front of a fan. This will help cool the air as it is circulated. (I lived in an antebellum house in Mississippi, with no air conditioning, for several hot summers. This technique works!)
• Minimize the use of your oven. Use your grill outside, Bourne recommends, or plug your toaster oven into an outside electrical outlet to cook.
• Wait until after the sun has gone down to run heat-producing appliances.
• Line-dry your clothes to avoid using the dryer.
• Use ceiling fans to create a breeze and to re-circulate air.
• Run the bathroom fan after you shower to pull the humidity out of the house.
• Trade your hot shower in for a cold one.
• Let your hair air dry after a shower, and enjoy the cooling effect of wet hair while you wait for it to dry.
• Minimize the amount of bedding you use.
• Make sure all air vents are free of obstructions. If they’re covered with furniture, the cool air won’t circulate.
• Close your fireplace flue to avoid losing cool air.

Survival of any emergency, be it in an urban or wilderness survival situation, ultimately all boils down to education and preparation. Think about possible weather scenarios – hot or cold - as part of your family’s preparedness plans.

(Here’s an unrelated poem by James Autry called Nights Under a Tin Roof. It’s here because I like it!)

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

I was the guest on Susan Labbee’s new BlogTalk Radio Show “Let’s Talk Preparedness” yesterday.

The discussion was about off-grid cooking, tornado preparedness and general survival common sense tips!

To listen to the show, click on the icon below!

Listen to internet radio with Preparedness Radio on Blog Talk Radio

For more information on making a survival kit, click here

To learn more about survival recipes and off-grid cooking, click here

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

More than 100 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a tornado tore through the city of Joplin, Missouri, last week.

This photo shows a "textbook" tornado extending from the wall cloud of a classic supercell, with a "clear slot" cutting through the cloud base around the near side of the wall cloud. The slot represents part of the occlusion downdraft, an arc of sinking air believed to contribute to tornado development in many cases. ("Photo courtesy of NSSL")

This is in addition to the other storms that have devastated other parts of  the United States this spring.

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Virginia have also been hit, by over 200 tornadoes so far this year.

by Leon Pantenburg

Obviously, tornado season is here!

If you live in area where these storms occur, a realistic preparedness question should be: What do I do to get ready for a tornado?

Here’s a place to start, preferably on a bright, sunny day with no storm clouds, when you have time to think logically: Realize that you could be in danger! If you live in tornado areas, it isn’t a matter of if the big winds will hit, but when!

Talk with family members about what to do, where to go, and how to re-connect after the event is over. But start the planning now!

To learn more about how to plan and what to do when a tornado threatens, click here.

For the latest update on the Joplin tornado, click here.

For more tips and stories about making survival kits, click here!

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

I was the guest on Destiny Survival Radio  show Thursday.  The discussion was about starting out camping, what gear to look for, and how to use that gear for prepping and wilderness survival.

A tarp shelter can be a valuable addition to any camp.

“How do I get started?”

That seems to be the most frequent question asked by newcomers to the prepping and survival scene. And for many,  where to start buying camping gear, when you have no equipment  or camping experience, can be a daunting prospect.

Here is a discussion about what gear to buy, what properties to look for in sleeping bags and tents, ways to carry water, and what kinds of food to pack in your survival kit.

We also talked about tarp shelters, and why it is important to know how to make and use one!

To listen to the interview, click here.

For tips on survival recipes and off-grid cooking, click here!

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Write a note to let people know where you went, before you left.
• Have a plan to make a tarp shelter.
• Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
• Find the most effective fire ignition system.
• How to make charcloth, a material that can catch a spark from any source.
• Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
• Hardtack: A great emergency food
• About Leon Pantenburg

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com