The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 11, Issue 4

It'll warm up someday, right?

Hey everyone, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. I don’t know about where you are, but the weather here has been downright nasty for the last week. Yesterday was the first time in several days that the temperature rose about freezing, though we still had a negative wind chill. Then, last night and today we’ve had sleet and freezing rain.

Making matters worse, by all rights I should be in Las Vegas right now, checking out SHOT Show. But it just wasn’t in the cards for me this year. For those unfamiliar with it, SHOT is the world’s largest annual convention devoted to shooting, hunting, and the outdoors. It’s where thousands of vendors gather to showcase the products that will be coming out soon. It’s a huge event and it’s exhausting, but it’s also a lot of fun.

*          *          *

Reminder - I'll be teaching a Prepping 101 class at Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn, WI on Feb 15th. Class is free to attend and registration is not necessary. I'll also have a few stacks of back issues of Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide available for purchase after the class ($10 each).

*          *          *

Prepper Tip -- If the only thing you ever do is train for war, then every interaction becomes a battle. Diversify your skill sets to increase your potential response options. Doing so will make your life, and the lives of those around you, easier in the long run.

*          *          *

I recently learned that both Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines are available through Libby and/or OverDrive in public library systems. So, that's an option if you're unable to find the magazines locally and do not or cannot subscribe to them.

*          *          *

Once upon a time, what feels like at least a lifetime ago, I spent about 15 years working as a private detective. One of my primary duties was process service. For those unfamiliar with the term, that’s what it’s called when someone delivers court documents, such as a summons or subpoena, hence the term, “You are served.”

All told, I served roughly 10,000 papers in that time and spent the bulk of my day driving around looking for addresses.

I tell you all of that to tell you this. An awful lot of people would be in a world of hurt if they needed the fire department or rescue squad to come to their home in a hurry. For far too many homes, the address isn’t readily visible anywhere. Sometimes it is missing completely, especially in rural areas.

Do yourself a favor. Some evening, just after it gets dark, get in your car and go for a short drive. When you get near your home again, take a look to see how visible the street number is to someone who might be looking for it. Regardless of any ordinances that might be in effect, experience taught me that the address was usually found in one of three places:

• On the mailbox

• On a sign near the driveway

• On the house near the front door

Of the three, the sign near the driveway was usually the easiest to find and read. Mailboxes get dinged up, especially in areas that receive a lot of snow and are thus at the mercy of snowplows. Stickers fall off, paint fades, and it doesn’t take long for those numbers are nearly illegible. As for numbers on the house, more often than not they can’t be seen well at night, even if the house is close enough to the street to make them out to begin with.

When seconds count and you need the fire or rescue crews to get there fast, help them help you. Make sure your house numbers are easily seen from the road.

*          *          *

A colleague of mine is the Emergency Manager for Portage County, Wisconsin. He’s arranged for a FREE two-day (12 hour) class called Disaster Preparedness and Survival: A Guide for Individuals, Families, and Communities. It be held March 23-24, 2024. I believe the class will run roughly 8:00am-4:00pm on Saturday, and 8:00am-Noon on Sunday, but that’s not been confirmed yet. Here’s the description:

This course is designed to prepare individuals who may be directly affected by a disaster help themselves, their family and other community members. Participants will learn how to develop a family preparedness plan, practice self-rescue, perform search and light rescue techniques, and understand the recovery process.

I plan to attend this class myself. The location will be at the Portage County Annex Building, at 1462 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481. I’m told that the class will run roughly 8AM-4PM the first day and 8AM-Noon the second day.

Registration is required. Here’s the link. Scroll through to find the Stevens Point session and follow the instructions to register. The title for the class online is slightly different -- When Disaster Strikes: Prepare, Act, Survive – but I’m told it will be changed soon to reflect what I posted above.

You will need to sign up for a FEMA SID (Student ID). You’ll be prompted to do so during the registration process.

This is an in-person class. Attending virtually is not an option at this time. This might be a great opportunity to network with others, as well as learn some new things.

*          *          *

I’ll readily admit I didn’t come up with this myself. I saw the idea mentioned on social media recently and thought it would have merit in some situations.

If you have elderly folks in your area who might need some help from time to time, this would be a good way for them to get the word out, so to speak. Give them three pieces of construction paper – green, yellow, red – and they use them to signal for help when needed. They simply hang one of those pieces of paper in a window that faces the road or sidewalk.

Green = all okay

Yellow = help is needed, but nothing urgent (i.e. could use help bringing in firewood)

Red = urgent help is requested (i.e. furnace is down in the middle of winter)

As with anything else, this isn’t going to work for everyone or in every situation. But it could prove useful to many people. Plus, it could be a great way to foster some community bonding in your neighborhood.

*          *          *

Due to the bitter cold, our hike was pretty short again this week. We’re really hoping it thaws out enough that we can get out and stretch our legs for real this coming weekend.

Survival Tip – Simplify Your Cash Flow

As a precaution against disaster, consider automating most of your routine financial transactions. Many of our common bills, such as utilities, rent/mortgage, vehicle loans, and the like can be set up to be paid on a schedule through automatic withdrawals from your bank account. This could be done through your bank’s bill pay system, or set up through each individual company needing to be paid.

Many employers today offer direct deposit as well. This eliminates the risk of checks being lost as well as the need to run to the bank on payday.

Combine these two options and you have a way to keep things running even if circumstances, such as a local disaster, keep you from running errands. While some companies might be lenient about late fees and interest charges in the wake of a crisis, you can’t count on it. This is a way to eliminate one potential headache from your disaster recovery plans.

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. 

You can find them just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions to both titles are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.