An hour of preparation beats eight of panic.

I was taught: slow is smooth, smooth is fast

Even just thinking things through will do wonders for you. If you don’t even have a plan in your head, you certainly won’t develop one on the fly while you’re under stress.

People revert to their lowest level of training when things hit the fan so make sure that training is rock solid.

A surgeon once told me (I am a nurse),”Go slowly, I am in a hurry “… Napoleon

Yes, good idea. They're making some really good solar powered battery banks now with lithium iron phosphate batteries that might pair up perfectly with a small fridge.

The #VanLife folks have this all figured out. Provided there's sun available

12 volt cooler, battery, small solar panel and home made windmill. It's been running for a year. So absolutely. We live in the bush in northern Canada and even though we have electricity there could be a day when we don't.

100watt solar panel with charge controller, a cheap deep cycle marine batter and an inexpensive inverter will go a long way. Check Harbor freight.

Calm Cool Collective The 3 C's

🙂🥈

It’s all about the “muscle memory” for me. My body knows what needs to happen & my brain just kinda gets out the popcorn and watches the show. ✌️

My mother was an RN. At one time she was an Emergency Nurse. Day to day, she could be a bit of a nervous worrier. I saw her in an emergency situation. She was calm and efficient, in charge.

Every bottle of wine has tickled me - you have to make it through the survival too!

is it advisable to also do this using the cloud?

@@vitalsteve1 I don't feel like you can guarantee the security of a cloud storage system to have all of that info saved. You're talking about some very in depth information like passwords, SS number and information, access to bank accounts, etc. Now, that's just my thoughts on it and if you feel like you can secure a cloud storage, sufficiently, that would also be a good place to store the info. You would still need to make sure that a trusted contact did know how to access that cloud space, as well, in case something happened to you.

@@horsesasis4004 Its not quite that clear-cut. While its true that you're entrusting sensitive documentation to a third party, you also have to keep in mind that they're a third party full of security experts. Even if you're "good" at securing things, they simply have more people on the job. And if you still don't trust them its not that hard to pre-encrypt your data before uploading it (you then have to maintain the decryption key, but that's a lot easier than maintaining a whole suite of documents). Of course if you copy everything to a thumbdrive and keep it unplugged, its about as secure as it can be short of someone physically stealing it (and assuming your computer wasn't infected with something nasty whenever you do plug it in). There's also the issue of longevity. As with security, they are going to be _way_ better at maintaining the data than you are. A thumbdrive full of your most important information is absolutely useless if you plug it in and discover its no longer functional. And a lot of off-the-shelf thumbdrives are _very_ cheaply constructed. You can alleviate that problem by regularly checking and replacing your thumbdrives, in addition to having multiple copies, so its mostly a question of how much effort you're willing to put in - not just right now while you're thinking about it, but still keeping up with that effort 5 years from now when you really need the thing to work. I can't say one option is better than the other, its going to come down to how personally confident you are in your computer skills and your continuing motivation for possibly 5, 10, 20 years, however long. And how much risk you're willing to take. Its one of those situations where people rarely analyze risk correctly: - We tend to believe that those thumbdrives never fail, because _most_ of the time they don't while at the same time we tend to believe that cloud storage is basically just a free-for-all for anyone who wants to access your data. Neither of those things is entirely false, but they both lean more to the side of false than toward true. - We also have to consider the damages done should the worst happen. If you're using a thumbdrive, the damage done should the worst happen (your drive fails when you need it), you lose everything. On the other hand, if you're using cloud backups, the damage done should the worst happen is some hacker has your data and can potentially steal your identity, blackmail you or otherwise do something nefarious. The former is probably worse, but also less likely (not that a large organization like AWS or Microsoft is all _that_ likely to get hacked), so you have to balance those odds. - And of course, we all tend to be kind of egocentric. We often measure the risk of ourselves fucking up as way lower than the risk of someone else fucking up, even if there's absolutely no evidence to back that up (similar to the Dunning-Kruger effect). Losing motivation over the course of years in particular is a big way we often fail ourselves, because we always feel so motivated _right now,_ but as the months and years drag on and all our prep work amounts to nothing it becomes very easy to put it off until tomorrow.. and then next week.. and then its two weeks and then its forgotten about completely, and when that moment finally comes years later we've long since let slide all the things we "knew" we'd have prepared. Remember risk isn't just the probability of something bad happening (especially when you don't have a correct idea of that probability), its the probability of something bad happening multiplied by the damage done should that thing happen. My recommendation if you want maximum security with minimum risk? Get yourself a password manager. Create a difficult password (either do a battery-horse-staple thing or have the password manager autogenerate something at least 8 characters long, preferably 16-20) and then type that sucker out over and over and over until it becomes muscle memory and you'll never forget it. Alternatively, if you can't memorize something like that, get a second password manager (ideally a second service entirely, but a second account on the same service would work) with a password you _can_ remember and store nothing in it except the password to the other password manager. Don't include your account name, don't include a reference to the other password manager (no names, website links, etc). So if someone gets in there all they see is a single line of characters with no idea what its for. Now in your first password manager, create a really strong password - 100 characters or more if you want. Use that to encrypt your files (there is plenty of off-the-shelf file encryption software. Even most zip programs allow you to encrypt the files so that they need a password to retrieve). If you want to be even more secure, encrypt each file separately with a different encryption key. Hell you can go even further and create a separate password manager account for each password if you really want (though you'd need to store those somewhere as well, so you've added an extra level of indirection but ultimately you will have a list of some sort somewhere). Then use a cloud storage system to hold those files. Again, make an extremely long password (as long as your service will allow, ideally) and store it in your password manager. Alright, so where does that leave us? Let's see.. an attacker would need to be able to: 1) Get access to your files. This requires either hacking the hosting service you're using, or discovering your login name and ridiculously long password that not even you likely know - its only stored in that password manager. 2) Decrypt your files. This requires at least one more ridiculously long password, possibly many if you went the route of encrypting files separately. 3) So they need access to your password manager. Which means they have to know what password manager you used, what account you used, and requires yet another password. Possibly one that's less ridiculous, but still large enough to be difficult. 4) And if you went with that double-layer password manager option, they also need to figure out _that_ account and password. And when you need to retrieve it, how much work is it for you? - You have to remember which password manager(s) you used. - You have to remember the login info for that password manager. - You have to remember which cloud service you used. That's it. Three things for you to remember, and three-four layers of unbreakable (as far as we can tell, prior to quantum computers becoming commonplace) encryption. Its a lot of steps for you to setup in the first place of course, but once its done getting access to it later is fairly trivial and is accessible anywhere in the world with an internet connection. You can even double or triple all of those steps up if you want, if you're worried that any particular cloud storage provider or password manager service might go under. Of course that increases your exposure area, but provides you with an additional layer of redundancy. And obviously you can still have a thumbdrive as well, providing quick and easy access to those documents if you did happen to remember to bring it with you and it still works when you need it. Another layer of redundancy, and this time with very little exposure area increase.

@@altrag I stand corrected

@@vitalsteve1 not enough people know the simple rule: The Backup Rule of Three: Have at least three copies of your data. Store the copies on at least two different media types. Keep at least one of those copies offsite.

Thank you

Great analogy!

A copy of the one you learned from might be the most valuable book for it's weight for you. I've got a 2oz backpacker's bible myself.

🙂🥉

yeah we do

Zombies as a metaphor. Do you hear yourself? Consider please why the public loves Zombie movies. Is it because the heroes can kill literally hundreds of HUMAN BEINGS but because they are undead you aren't the psychopath you would be if you murdered that many live people. What Justin is unwilling to say out loud is that Zombie scenarios usually involve firearms, lots of ammunition and a willingness to kill your (undead) neighbors when they come for you. That's why you have to rid your enemy of their humanity. That's why I call libs zombies. Think about it.

@@christophervandenberg4830 That's an extremely narrow view of the zombie metaphor. It's a bad faith argument built around a grain of truth. Yes, that is part of the appeal of the movies, but that is not what Beau is talking about. He is talking about leveraging the problem-solving aspects because it's a familiar scenario. Firearms have a small niche place within a well-rounded survival plan. The fact that you openly admit to intentionally dehumanizing those you disagree with politically says a to about you, and it's not flattering. As does the fact you call him Justin. Yes, it's his name, but it's not what he goes by in this situation, and it comes across as being rude for the sake of being rude.

@@ericapelz260 I'm not looking for your approval....I'm telling it like it is. Please continue to refuse to accept the truth but don't come out into the country expecting us to feed you. Best bring a shovel to expedite digging your hole.

I downloaded the CDC's zombie "comic they put together. It was fun to read, got me thinking of ways to be better prepared for flooding and tornado's that are common in Oklahoma. I have some trauma from having experienced 6 tornado's directly and I think about 15 indirectly (they hit my town but not the house or my block). The Zombie concept dodged my PTSD and made it silly. My kids had fun with it too as they were actually into spooky stuf. They actually like horror stuf, I usually don't. I think my brain preferred to think of an action theme rather than trying to dodge a tornado. I can think of nature disasters now, I don't live in tornado valley anymore. Some time moving can help with PTSD folks.

You are light years ahead of the U.S.

I don’t live in the US and am not particularly paranoid, but the idea of the “gov” having all of that info makes my stomach do flips. I know my info is available, no matter how private/safe I try to be, but I hope one would need more than 20 seconds to access all of my info.

@@pandabear4014 Things did not happen overnight 🤣 It started in Healthcare.. where you didn't have to bring all your papers and documents with you to different appointments...one click and your X-rays from the hospital were on your doctor's pc, dentists records were accessible if you needed surgery after an accident etc... and it gradually evolved from there. NO ONE is allowed to aimlessly access your records, without your data protected permission and that includes taxes, bank accounts or medical It makes life safe and simpler.. I do think that the Scandi mentality of trust, also plays a huge factor. We do not delve into each others private spheres, and this spills into our law-making, as well 😉

@@pandabear4014 I think the determining factor here is the quality of people in the particular government and the history of the particular government. I don't know much about Denmark's govmt, but ours has a long track record of being unreliable with the safety of its citizens.

@@Zandain I live in Canada. The healthcare parts are digitized. The tax parts are also digitized, but they are not accessible in the same place (via SOC #). And my banking info is NOT and never will be on my telephone provider's server. We have that ability, but I work in a bank, and see the ridiculous amount of fraud. I think the part I object to is having all info in one place. I would rather have as many firewalls as possible. 😁

Absolutely, solar is the way to keep things running. Bigger is better but if all you can afford is one of those tiny phone-charger panels that'll at least make sure you're not completely cut off.

@@lyns0302 LLLose your train of thought?

I decided to buy some of the vegetarian hiking meals for these reasons bc I thought if it's a real emergency I'm going to want actual tasty food. But yes buy stuff you can taste and then for goodness sake product rotation!

I've heard or read that most of that stuff is crap. I've used Mountain house freeze dried meals multiple times and they aren't bad. They are more expensive though. I've bought them in bulk from Costco.

Those are good. I love dates now. Middle Eastern people have been relying on them for centuries. It only takes me (and my little chihuahua) 2 and we’re good til supper. I think that unless you ARE hiking out somewhere, that we stock up on cans of vegetables, and soup. You can really flesh out some soup with some canned potatoes. And you can always add rice. Anything fresh, like a sweet potato makes the whole thing taste homemade!

Also, try out that stuff that you plan to eat. No sense making an uncomfortable situation more uncomfortable…

I have the solar powered battery packs (3, lol) but I need the solar powered fridge. Thanks for the recommendation!

An alternative is a watertight bag, weights, rope, and a float. At about 15-20 metres (50-65 feet) you are past the thermocline & the water will stay a consistent 4-6 C (39-42 F). That’s how our ancestors kept their mastodon meat from spoiling after a hunt. Well, probably not with the watertight bag; but the rest. You can use similar techniques for making butter & cheese. Ground temperatures will preserve most vegetables for quite a while, too. I think you need about 3-4 feet of dirt for insulation, so it’s best to have your root cellar earth-bermed if you can. We really don’t need probably 2/3 of the electricity that we use daily; we mostly just use it to buy convenience.

@@firequeen2194 Sure! There are many alternatives, besides spending that much money. In an emergency situation what we have may not be readily available. Such as a flood while we’re sleeping. Having those solar packs can be a game changer.

@@DneilB007 Nice! I priced inflatable boats a couple years ago, and they are expensive. Your suggestion reminds me of the guy who created his own island with mesh bags filled with empty plastic bottles. He’s been living on the island for 15+ years now. Thinking outside the box is definitely a good plan.

I go back and forth on where. I live in a tornado prone area over a flood zone, but who knows thanks for giving me more to consider, appreciate it.

Good advice Margaret! If you live in a flood prone area, an inflatable boat can come in handy to move yourself, and your things as well.

@@tgardenchicken1780 Put everything on top of an inflatable boat or raft, cover it all with a large net which you've staked into the ground? Wind - undo enough netting to reach the goods. Water - undo the netting from the ground and inflate the boat. There you go!

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Howdy there Swan 👋

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Cotton yarn and a pair of needles = washcloths and towels which are always overlooked when packing "to go" :)

@@Sally4th_ Too right on that

This might seem unrelated, but can I suggest listening to Tao Te Ching (translated by S. Mitchell). It's short and it might give you some ideas, answers and/or questions. Do you know how those ppl feel about emergency prep? Does everything they know about it come from TV? Could you get them to "play along" with your "hobby" because there are interesting things to do, skills to develop, personal growth, fears to face, strengths to discover? It might be easier to learn from people than to teach. ( get your buddies to help you out with gardening, fixing electronics or mechanics, carpentry, metal working, plumbing...)

I'm thinking along these lines, I have CFS/ME and now husband has Long Covid, so in an emergency (she says, looking down the barrel of the UK's highest ever temperatures) we would have to shelter in place. I'm wondering if we should aim to expand our disaster provision so that we could take others in, at a pinch, should they be caught unprepared, be unable to evac, or be from further out and have run out of supply, etc. As we are stationary we don't need to worry about weight, so extra canned goods are cheap and easy, as would be water storage, the possibility of harvesting rainwater, even micro-generation of electricity (though that would be so far out of our non-existant budget, but theoretically). Essentially communities could rally around those who need to shelter in place, as a potential mini distribution hub, I think is what I'm trying to get at? Disabled neighbours as a boon, not a burden?

@@katbairwell That sounds like a smart idea to me, assuming that you take all necessary precautions against wolf-preppers and that at least part of what you can contribute is knowledge, wisdom, skill or some other thing that can't be simply stolen. Basic first aid would be highly coveted. Sewing skills, repairing skills, anything that can keep people going is a plus. Simply being the kind of person who can keep others calm and with high morale would make you valuable. (Of course, since you're in the UK where people are much more decent to each other than here, you might not have to worry about wolf-preppers.) Regarding electricity, one of the best things that you can get, for lighting at least, is fairly cheap: a hand-cranked or hand-pumped flashlight, or more than one. These are easy to use, even with my wrecked hands, and never run out of batteries or need plugged in. My husband and I have already used them multiple times during power outages.

@@DoloresJNurss Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! Your absolutely right to bring up the safety issue, it's something that would take some careful thought! I really appreciate your input, thanks again!

Food is food when you're hungry enough.

ABSOLUTELY!!! Good call my friend!

“Two is one, one is none!”

Your experience is powerful. Maybe you could share it more often. The average person wouldn’t know what to do with the gear they collect, much less have knowledge on daily survival in normal circumstances. Thank you for sharing this.

LBV is a great idea. You could sew a pocket into the back of a jacket to stash your documents or thumb drive. Thank you for sharing your story. You're one of those people I really wish I could sit down and have a coffee with.

@@margaretnicol3423 Hi Margaret. How are you?

@@Andrea.1tree I Andrea. I'm great, thank you. How are you doing? I'm wondering if Trump will go to Ivana's funeral. Shows how interesting my own life is. :-D

@@margaretnicol3423 I’m doing well. I haven’t heard that Ivana passed away. That’s sad. I’m sure he won’t go. He’ll probably say something backhanded on a social media site.

when your life is on the line, paying a bit more seems like an easy choice to make

@@autohmae my worry is that not everybody needing them will be able to afford buying one 😥

@@enricogattone432 I understood that one and on the other hand I'm trying to make sure everyone who really can probably should. :-) I can't imagine the situation where you can't afford such a thing and then something bad happens. But probably my bigger worry is if that's where you are with health issue and the limited budget (especially in the US) that even in normal life things a precarious.

@@autohmae that's where building a community may definitely help... Anyone who can afford a potentially life-saving gadget may want to help those among his friends/acquaintances/neighbors who can't

@@enricogattone432 yes, totally agree !

Now, that I am in South Dakota, not Florida, my plan has more like what you have said. The emergencies are more varied. I am thinking of breakdown of civilization and self reliance is at the top of my list. I think about things like rivers, flood plains, nuclear power plants, prisons, bridges, tents, boats, food/water/fire, boots. I like the jumper cable adapter. Looky loo folks are natural but unnecessary. I like Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchens’ outfit. I would volunteer for them. And stay away from service-to-self groups.

Feminine products can double as first aid supplies.

Because of some of your earlier videos I bought a little solar panel and a power bank. Use them everyday now to power my mobile. Else several solar lamps (look up the Little Sun project, where the money earned finances development peojects as well), built a simple solar cooker in a box, ordered a radio with a crank and have enough food to last about 3 weeks.