preparedness

Could You Still Survive Without Your Bug Out Bag?

It finally happened, but I was prepared. The catastrophic event I had been planning for had occurred. I spent thousands of dollars on gear. I had the right equipment for nearly any situation, and I had trained how to use it in the hot dry summer and the cold wet winter. I don’t know how many hours I spent learning and training. And now, all of it is gone because some punk got the drop on me while I was bugging out.

What if this scenario actually happens? What if when the SHTF occurs, your bug out bag is stolen? You may be ready to deal with most situations with your survival gear, but what if it’s taken away?

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Years ago, during training with flares, I was acting as the safety officer. The fire department chief pulled up and asked me where my fire fighting tools were. I raised my empty hands toward him and said, “Right here.” He smiled and said, “Good answer.”

Your training should include strengthening your mind and your will to survive. Not just expanding your knowledge but putting yourself in situations that allow you to deal with increased stress. For example, dealing with extreme heat or cold, survival camping weekends where you learn to survive with less and less gear, having to improvise an item that is “lost” or that you forgot to take with you.

Knowledge is the one thing no one can take away from you. That’s not to say you shouldn’t plan on bugging out with high-quality gear that will last a long time. But remember, the best and longest lasting tools are your mind and your body. With just those two things, you can create just about anything. So how do you get back into survival mode after being robbed and seemingly left helpless?

Have A Backup Plan

First of all, have a backup plan in case this occurs. If your bug out bag is lost or stolen, your backup survival kit should be what is referred to as a “body survival kit”. What I mean is equipment that you have on your body that is not readily visible but will help you survive. I am not recommending something as obvious as a full-blown utility belt–that may be taken from you as well. But at least a few items on your belt that will help you to survive.

On my person, I carry a folding knife, a neck knife as a backup, a firestarter, and a plastic storage bag with a small personal survival kit. I may have a multitool on my belt and a holster in my back, this would be covert and a possible surprise to any would-be thieves. If it is necessary to leave, I would also have a cell phone and some type of energy bar in another pocket.

Cave In The Woods

Find The Right Location

Your bug out location should be a place where you can survive for weeks or even months. But for now, focus on a place where you can survive for one week. The location should be higher up to provide a good vantage point for defensive purposes. It should have multiple escape routes in case your hiding spot is discovered. Choose a place that you can depend with warning traps as well.

Optimally, it should be relatively close to a stream to obtain water and a place where known plants are abundant. A great spot will also have prevalent wildlife such as rabbit and deer, any animals that can be snared and trapped.

Build A Shelter

Once at the location, shelter will be crucial to protect you from the elements. There are various types of shelters, but the best ones are those already provided by nature such as a cave, a rock overhang, or a tree well.

If you have to improvise a shelter, it must be sturdy, waterproof, and well camouflaged so that it’s nearly invisible to the eye. This article has some good examples of various types of shelters. Regardless of which shelter you build, I highly suggest an insulation bed such as the bough bed. This will help keep you warm in any climate or at any time of the year.

Find Some Water

Water is more important than food and should be procured at every opportunity because you may not know when you will get more.

Low lying areas such as canyons or gullies with small creeks leading to them are good indicators of where water might be. Look for leaf-bearing trees as they require more water to survive. If you encounter more insects in a particular area, a small pond or water source may be close by. Insects are always drawn towards water. In drier areas, look for water holes that have pooled up with hidden pockets of water.

Here are some ways to find water in the wilderness. Learn as many as you can because water is life!

Creek In The Wilderness

Find Some Food

It is definitely a good idea to learn some of the edible plants in your area. This site is a good place to start to find edible plants that are available. Some common plants to find almost anywhere include the cattail, broadleaf plantain, and berries such as wild strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, etc.

Research your local area and learn to identify these at various stages of growth. Plants are great because you can stealthily obtain them and they don’t fight back.

Build A Fire

Depending on the time of year, a fire may be a necessity to keep warm, cook food, or boil water. If temperatures drop below 50 degrees and you are soaked, you will definitely need a fire to dry out wet clothing. Fire has unlimited uses, but be sure to choose an area with not only trees that can be cut down and used but also trees with branches that can be plucked to start a smaller fire.

While splitting wood is usually the best choice, a smaller fire is more tactical and less likely to be seen. If you aren’t used to building fires in the wild, this article is a good place to start.

Increase Your Knowledge

The largest takeaway from this article is that you need to increase your knowledge. Always keep learning and don’t forget to practice what you have learned until you master them.

Additionally, be sure to practice your getaway procedures. Take your bug out bag, hit the road, and drive like your normal life is over. Plan more than one route and what you will need as you go. Scout locations along the way where you can obtain what you need. Where will you get fuel? Water? Food? Ammo? Supplies in general?

Another idea is to have a survival cache available with other supplies that you may need along with back up supplies. Should you have your items stolen, you can then replace what was taken. This situation is one you cannot perform poorly–your very life may be at stake. Since this is Plan B to Plan A, practice this one again and again.

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preparedness

4 No Cook Meals For Surviving The Pandemic And Food Supply Shortages

When it comes to your food supply, you just can’t risk not having enough. These no cook meals will be a great addition to your food supply planning. Check out the recipes below!

No Cook Meals to Help You Through the Pandemic

As of the writing of this article, there are 20 meat processing plants that have been shut down due to COVID-19 infections. We have been worrying about these types of effects on our food supply for months now, and this is the first real sign of how infections can affect the food supply.

When you walk into a supermarket, you might not see all the choices you had in the past. An empty meat case is a humbling thing for your eyes to fall upon. It’s the shocking realization that the seemingly infinite supply of chickens, pigs, and cows that are butchered for us has begun to run dry!

To deal with this issue, we are going to present four no cook meals that will help you create dinners at home that will feed your family without worrying so much about what’s available, or unavailable, in the meat case.

1. Smashed White Bean, Avocado and Salted Pork Sandwiches

Smashed White Bean, Avocado and Salted Pork Sandwiches | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

As preppers we get beans. There are a bunch of ways to use beans and this a great example of how you can pack a sandwich with great nutrition and protein.

Serving: Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Can of White Beans
Olive Oil
1 Avocado
8 Slices of Whole Grain Bread
8 Slices of Salted Pork (Prosciutto, Ham, Virginia Ham)

Instructions:

Begin by draining your beans in a colander then smashing them up in a bowl add a few glugs of olive oil, salt, pepper. This little mix is delicious. If you add some minced rosemary, you can even turn this into a delicious dip.
Pit your avocado and cut it in half and then quarters lengthwise. Leave the skin on.
Lay the bread out on a clean work surface for assembling the sandwiches.
Spread your mashed bean mix onto one side of the bread.
Peel your avocados and slice 1 quarter for each sandwich. Spread slices over the bean spread.
Add a few slices of your pork to over the top of the avocado.
You can finish this sandwich with some lettuces, fresh sprouts, or just eat it as is.

2. Delicious Crab Salad

Canned crab is a protein option that will likely be around through much of this meat crisis. It does have to be kept in refrigeration, but it’s delicious and this chipotle mayo salad is great in the spring and summer.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Crab Meat
1 Bunch of Asparagus
Chipotle Mayo
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1 Bunch of Cilantro

Instructions:

Drain your crab in a colander and set it in the sink.
Slice your asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Throw them into a bowl.
Thinly slice your onions and your cilantro and throw that into the bowl, as well.
Gently toss in the crab meat.
Squirt on enough Chipotle mayo to coat everything and toss gently not to break up the crab meat.
Chill in the fridge and serve.

3. Simple Greek Salad

Simple Greek Salad | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

The combination of simple summer ingredients makes for an incredible quick salad that you could add other proteins, too, if you wanted. These could be canned meats.

Ingredients:

2 Large Tomatoes
1 Cucumber
1 Red Onion
¼ Cup of Feta Cheese
A Few Sprigs of Fresh Mint
½ Cup of Kalamata Olives
Balsamic Dressing

Instructions:

I like to cut the tomatoes in large chunks and have them kind of be the main course in this salad. Peel and slice your cucumber in half. Remove the seeds and either dice or slice in half-moons.
Peel and slice your red onion in half. Julienne your, or thinly slice, your half onion.
Add all these ingredients to a bowl. Finely slice your mint.
Add your olives, crumbled feta, and mint to the bowl and add enough dressing to coat everything.
Stir it up and allow this to chill for at least an hour for the flavors to really blend.

4. Mediterranean Tuna Lettuce Wraps

Mediterranean Tuna Lettuce Wraps | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

Using some similar ingredients and adding a protein like tuna, you can create some delicious lettuce wraps. The key to a good lettuce wrap is to have most of the items around the same size. So, consider that when you are preparing this dish.

Ingredients:

Iceberg or Butter Lettuce
Canned Artichokes
Canned roasted Red peppers
Fresh Cucumber
Feta Cheese
Minced Olives ¼ Cup
2 Cans of Tuna
Green Onions
Basil

Instructions:

Start by peeling all the full leaves from your lettuce. Set them on a plate either cover them with a wet paper towel or put them back into the fridge.
Dice the peppers, artichokes, and cucumbers into cubes. Go no larger than ½ an inch.
Thinly slice your green onions and basil and add them to a bowl with your diced vegetables. Add your loves to this bowl and mix them thoroughly.
Crumble your feta cheese over the mixture.
Drain your tuna thoroughly and then add that to the bowl, as well.
Gently toss this mixture. Try not to break up the tuna and the cheese too much but incorporate it thoroughly.
If you want, you can add some olive oil to the mix or a few glugs of balsamic vinegar. It’s also delicious just how it is.
Scoop a few tablespoons into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and eat up!

These no cook meals should help lessen the stress you feel when thinking of what to feed your family. If you don’t have the specific ingredients, use your creativity, and use what you have. You might discover a new recipe while you’re at it!

What’s your favorite no cook meal recipe? Please share it with us in the comments section!

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This Article Was First Found at survivallife.com Read The Original Article Here

preparedness

Billionaire Whistle Blower: Wuhan Coronavirus Death Toll Is Over 50,000

Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui recently revealed leaks from Wuhan crematoriums. He claims based on the number of bodies their furnaces are burning, the death toll could be as high as 50,000.

A Chinese billionaire and whistleblower who lives in U.S. exile says Wuhan crematoriums have burned 50,000 coronavirus victims. | Credit: Chinatopix via AP

The official coronavirus death toll in China is a little over 800. But an exiled Chinese businessman says crematoriums are leaking the real figure.
A billionaire whistleblower alleges Wuhan has crematoriums working 24/7. He claims they’ve cremated some 50,000 coronavirus victims.
Guo Wengui is a Chinese billionaire living in exile in the United States.

The official coronavirus death toll is some 800 people in China. The current official death toll worldwide, outside of China, is 774. But a Chinese billionaire with a history of blowing the whistle on his former government says the real figure is much higher.

Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui recently revealed leaks from Wuhan crematoriums. He claims based on the number of bodies their furnaces are burning, the death toll could be as high as 50,000. Wengui made the bombshell allegations in an interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Whistleblower: 1.5 Million Coronavirus Cases In China, 50,000 Coronavirus Deaths In Wuhan

He also claims to have inside information that there are 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in China. Wengui is emphatic that these are not merely quarantined or “under observation” but confirmed cases of coronavirus infection:

China has struggled to contain the coronavirus. But it has also struggled to contain public outcry against censorship and tight control of information. Dr. Li Wenliang, who sounded the alarm about the disease, succumbed to an infection and died this week. The Chinese government arrested him for blowing the whistle.

Then officials tried to suppress news of his death. Afterwards, millions of Chinese citizens saw the hashtag #IWantFreedomOfSpeech on Mandarin language social media. But the Chinese government censored that too.

Are Wengui’s Crematorium Claims Credible?

Watch VICE’s 2017 profile on Guo Wengui. At the time, he published bombshell documents alleging corruption in the Chinese government. He got the attention of the media and reportedly the U.S. State Department.

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