The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 11, Issue 10

Spring has finally sprung

Mar 20, 2024

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. Happy Spring! I hope all is well in your part of the world.

Last Thursday, I gave a presentation at the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

My session had about 60 attendees, which was great. They were from various levels of emergency management, from state to county to local. My talk boiled down to showing them various ways they could work on educating the public about disaster readiness, and why that’s important.

The presentation was very well received. Afterwards, several attendees stopped by to chat for a moment and trade contact information. A few mentioned the possibility of bringing me to their area to lead a class on preparedness. I was very happy to see so many people from the government end of things so interested in prepping.

* * *

Prepping Tip – Chemical lights are a great addition to your illumination toolbox. While you can get all sorts of “crack and shake” chemlights at dollar stores and the like, I favor Cyalume Snaplights. They’re brighter and last longer. Plus, you can get them in a range of colors.

Chemical lights have several advantages:

They require no batteries or recharging.
They’re safe for kids.
They pose no fire risk, so you can use them anywhere.

The only real disadvantage is that they’re single-use. I don’t use them as my primary means of illumination, but I keep several on hand for use during power outages. I can hang one in a room and it’ll provide enough light to keep people from bumping into things. They can certainly be bright enough to read by, if you sit kind of close to one.

I also keep a couple of them in each of my packs. They’re backups for my flashlight, but they can also be used for emergency signaling. If you attach one to a short piece of cordage, say about 18 inches long, you can spin it and it will create a glowing circle of light that can be seen for quite a distance.

It’s definitely worth your while to pick up a few.

* * *

For local-ish folks who might not have seen it yet, I recently created a Facebook group called Walworth County Emergency Readiness. We already have a couple of events planned, with more in the works. The goal is to network with like-minded people in the area while also getting some education and training.

If you know someone in the area who might be interested, please feel free to pass along the link. Originally, I'd wanted to limit membership to those in Walworth County, but we're loosening that a bit, with the understanding that all events scheduled will be taking place within the county.

* * *

In case you’ve missed hearing about it, we’re going to experience a total solar eclipse on April 8^th. Here’s what NASA has to say regarding the timing as well as viewability throughout the US.

Many of the cities and towns located in or near the prime viewing area have been cautioning residents to stock up on supplies and be prepared to hunker down at home for a bit. I’ve heard that some schools are going to be closed, along with some businesses.

Why?

Because tens of thousands of tourists are going to be flooding into those cities and towns so they can see the eclipse. Hotels have been sold out a year in advance. Most of these places don’t have the infrastructure to deal with this sort of massive influx of people. The gridlock alone is going to be a nightmare in many areas.

If you’re in that viewing area, be ready for some large crowds.

* * *

For those who might be interested, here’s a little peek behind the curtain. I’d just finished tidying my desk up a bit and thought I’d commemorate the occasion with a photo. I’ve written and edited several hundred magazine articles and written at least one full book in this very spot.

* * *

It was 16 years ago this week that my mom passed away. She was only 58 years old. The official cause was listed as COPD, but she had a whole boatload of health issues, many of which were the result of decades of heavy smoking coupled with prescription drug abuse. It was also 16 years ago today that my dad pretty much gave up. While he survived until 2019, I don’t think anyone would say he actually lived most of those years.

I tell you that to tell you this.

When we lose someone, what is often left unsaid, perhaps because it sounds callous, is that life goes on. You need to grieve, absolutely, no question about it. But, at some point you need to pick up the broken pieces and get back to living your life. Otherwise, you end up languishing in a recliner, mindlessly watching TV for years as your world grows smaller and smaller. I’m positive that those we’ve lost won’t want that for us.

* * *

Doing what I do for a living, I’m obviously a strong proponent of home-based survival libraries. The collection and curation of useful information is incredibly important.

However, it shouldn’t stop at just buying books and magazines, and/or printing out blog posts and other information online. The only way that information is going to be useful to you is if you actually read it.

It’s sort of like buying gear but never practicing with it. Tossing a book on your shelf with no intention of reading it is kind of a waste.

I remember mentioning in a Facebook group once that you should actually read the survival/prepper books you acquire. One guy commented that he wasn’t about to start reading the advanced medical texts that he’d purchased, implying that he’d just consult them as needed when medical issues cropped up. That seems like a recipe for failure to me.

* * *

We went to visit our college son over the weekend, so we chose a park along the way for our hike. We’ve been here many times. This tree has been bricked up since long before we started coming here. A friend of mine told me that they likely did that to keep critters from making a home inside the tree, which makes sense. But the budding novelist in me wants to believe it has some sort of eerie or creepy reason, LOL.

Survival Tip – Bugging Out with Pets

When it comes to emergency evacuation, we spend hours poring over our plans. We carefully assemble our packs and plot numerous routes to our various potential destinations. We brainstorm any possible problems and come up with ways to handle them. But, what about our faithful four-legged companions?

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there were numerous reports of dogs found still chained to posts, having been left behind when the owners bailed. Sadly, most of those animals were found well after they’d already perished, drowned in the floodwaters.

If you have pets, you have an obligation to include them in your emergency plans, which includes bugging out if that becomes necessary. For the purposes of our discussion here, we’re going to concentrate on dogs and cats, simply because they are the most common pets in the United States. However, many of the suggestions will be applicable to whatever other critters you keep.

Where Will You Go

One of the most basic elements of a successful bug out plan is knowing where you can go if disaster strikes. To be clear, in the vast majority of likely scenarios, hunkering down at home is likely to be your safest bet. However, not one of us knows exactly what the future holds, so it is best to cover all your bases.

Most situations that require evacuation will be local or perhaps regional at best. If you’re able to drive, say, 30 miles in a given direction, you’ll likely find restaurants, motels, and other services are running without interruption. Even if you plan to ride out the crisis at the home of a family member or friend who live in the next county, take some time to check out other accommodation options, just in case.

Call around to motels to find out which ones will accept pets. Despite rumors to the contrary, businesses are not required by law to make exceptions to their pet policies in a time of crisis. Don’t count on them to make any deviation from their standard rules. Once you’ve identified a couple of places you could go, program their numbers into your phone and add them to any written emergency contact list you might keep with your kits. Worse comes to worst and you do need to take off from home, call the motel as soon as you can to make a reservation. If nothing else, spending a night there will give you breathing room as you plan your next move.

What to Bring

Depending on the size and number of the pets you’ll be bringing, you could either set up their own bag or just add their supplies to your own. There are a number of different carry systems that can be worn by medium or large dogs that would allow them to at least take some of the load. Failing that, you’ll need to find room among your other packs.

Water

A collapsible water dish (and another for food) with a couple of bottles of water will be essential. While some animals seem to have a more robust digestive system, one that allows them to consume water and food that we might not be able to stomach, the last thing you want is to have to deal with a sick animal on top of everything else. Having a supply of clean water will go a long way toward preventing that.

Food

Some people have expressed the idea that they’ll just feed their animal leftovers of their own meals. There are a couple of problems with this plan. First, it is rather bold to assume there will be leftovers to be had. You’ll probably need all the calories you can find for you and your family, let alone having to share some of them with a pet. Plus, many of the foods we eat aren’t good for our animals. They may be high in sodium, for example, or have other ingredients that could make them sick or worse.

The other plan that crops up from time to time is the idea that they’ll just let the animal hunt and otherwise fend for themselves for food. If your pet has known nothing but a largely sedentary life, you cannot reasonably expect them to suddenly be expert hunters. (Of course, we can say the same for the pet owners as well.)

Your best bet is to pack and carry a supply of food for your pets, at least enough for a few days if not longer. One key here is to stick with the food your pet eats regularly. Many animals get an upset stomach when their food is switched. This is why if you’re going to switch brands of their daily food, it is recommended you do so gradually, mixing the foods together for a while to allow them to get accustomed to the new stuff.

If your pet eats mostly dry food, pack individual servings in sealable plastic bags. This makes it easy to portion it out as you travel. Plus, should something happen to one of the bags, such as it somehow gets waterlogged or breaks open, you’ll have the others to use rather than lose the entire supply at once.

On the other hand, if canned food is on the menu, when possible stick with single-serve cans. Most canned pet food must be refrigerated once opened. If you’re on the move, that’s obviously not going to be possible.

Restraints

No matter how well-behaved the pet might be in normal times, stress can do funny things to them just like it can to us humans. Make sure you have a good leash and collar for each animal. Even better than a collar would be a harness as they tend to be more secure, as well as more comfortable for the animal. A muzzle might be a good idea as well, just in case.

A crate is important, especially for cats, assuming they aren’t leash-trained (yes, that can be done). Even if you never normally use crates or cages for your pets, some motels that accept pets might require them. Should you end up having to make use of an established emergency shelter, they might require them as well.

Medicine

If your pet is on any sort of prescription medications, make sure you have an emergency supply packed with the bug out gear. You might go so far as to have a conversation with your veterinarian about a supply of pain relievers or other medications that might prove useful in an emergency. They know your pet’s history and can advise you accordingly. If you’ll need an oral syringe or other device to administer the medicine, make sure you have it stored.

Records

While you’re at the vet, ask for a full copy of your pet’s record. It should show all immunizations as well as known allergies and other potential issues. Keep this with your bug out pack so you can prove Fido is up to date on all shots, should that come up somewhere along the line.

Make it a habit to take a photo of you with your pet at least a couple of times a year and store that photo somewhere you’ll be able to access it easily, either by printing a copy or by stashing it in cloud storage. If you’re separated from your pet, this will help searchers find them as well as help you prove ownership.

Our pets provide us with unconditional love. Don’t let them down.

Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for both Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines. Here are the covers for the current issues that are available in stores right now.