New Mexico Urban Homesteader

Hello, I am A 50 Something, Prepper ;-}; former 60's Flower Child, don't believe in taxpayer subsidized special interest groups (political parties), DO believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights (1st 10). Long time Independent & Informed Voter. Lover of the outdoors and firm believer that History Teaches - if only we will listen!

(No longer Urban or in NM. Now Rural in the mountains of Maine.)

This blog was started at the request of some dear friends that wish to become Preppers.

“No man who is not willing to help himself has any right to apply to his friends, or to the gods.”

Demosthenes (384–322 BC, Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens)


Monday, October 14, 2013

Farewell to NMUrbanHomesteader

Well folks I have my new site up and running for the most part; granted the Hoo, Haa, Haa section is still a work in progress, but all the other stuff, including downloads is up and running.

The first post on this new site is
What is a Bug-Out Vehicle & How do I Select One? so check it out for some good information on what to look for to meet your needs.

TNT

A 50 something, no longer so urban or in NM, prepping homesteader


I share Preparedness, Homesteading, Self-reliance knowledge & doc's at: http://FormerlyNMUrbanHomesteader.weebly.com


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Moving Saga and Moving Again! (figuratively)



Well I am getting settled in my new state and so far I’m loving it!  I should have done this years ago; don’t know what I was thinking by waiting so long.



Had a scare last week when it rained and rained – I was watching the stream by the house and it kept rising and rising.  I was really concerned until someone pointed to this spot where previous high water was recorded and this time around wasn’t anywhere near that. 



Yet this got me to thinking about flash floods.  So you can expect an article about that in the near future.



Living rural means that stores close up shop by 11PM (MacDonald’s) and most close at 8PM around here.  I no longer have all these various specialty shops and rely heavily on Tractor Supply and Agway.  There is a Wal-Mart and KMart and even a small JCPenny store front in the area, however any other chain stores are about an hour and more out. 



Recycling is mandatory and although I do have weekly trash pick-up at this place it is only for garbage, garbage.  All paper, plastic, metal and glass must be recycled and that means making a trip to one of the recycling centers.  No “Use and Toss” mentality here that’s for sure.



Meanwhile, the site I used to post my documents for download on decided that I had questionable content and removed my account.  (This means all the download links here @ my NMUrbanHomesteader site are invalid.)  

After much searching around I found a new site and am building my new blog and library there.  This is all still “under construction” however keep an eye out for it.  The site is called

"(formerly NM Urban) Homesteader" @ http://FormerlyNMUrbanHomesteader.weebly.com



The new site has a page for the “Blog”, “Events of Interest”, “Check these Sites Out!” and “Downloads”. 



My first official post at this new site will be about “Selecting a Bug Out Vehicle”.

Until then Keep On Preppin ;-}

TNTCrazyLady

A 50 something, no longer so urban or in NM, prepping homesteader

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

My Moving Saga Part 1

Well the movers were 2 days late.  Ok actually one day late then took 1 ½ days to pack and load, even though I had packed almost 200 boxes myself.  The move was good overall as only one item was damaged.

The drive from NM to Maine took 4 days and 3 nights.  The hotels along the way were good and the one in PA was so pet oriented that they had an outdoor area for dogs and treats, as well as a fenced outdoor area for cats.

We were stopped twice by state troopers in TX and IL.  Both apparently were ‘profiling’ based on a van with AZ plates, dark tinted windows and a big dog.   We would get out, sit in their car so their sniffer dog could get a good whiff, be told to slow down or not follow so close and then we were on our way again.  I must say that in both cases we were treated professionally and with respect and for that I am grateful.

We only had one truly bad experience during the drive and that was because when calling ahead for a hotel we got Travelocity instead.  They never identified themselves (not once in 4 phone calls), outright refused to let us speak to a supervisor or manager (even their web site doesn’t have a complaint form, email or USPS address, yet alone a phone number for customer service outside of booking a place or trip).  I strongly recommend never ever using Travelocity!!!!

My daughter’s house is nestled into some woods on the side of a narrow road with a wide stream (which would be considered a big river back in NM) that runs along one side.  It is a rather strange stream as there are dams both up and down stream from house location and depending on which dam is releasing water the stream runs each way. 

My dog Max has seen ‘flying fish’, raccoon, possum, groundhog, fox and we have smelled skunk (thankfully Max hasn’t come face to face with one - yet).  There are tons of birds; yellow finch, sparrow, cardinal, robin, crow, osprey, hawk or falcon (couldn’t tell which) and golden eagle, to name a few.  I’ve also seen dear, raccoon and fisher (a type of weasel) tracks along the stream.

There are tons of wildflowers and I have to keep a constant eye out for poison ivy, oak and sumac which are abundant around here.

Since my in-law suite is not complete just yet I have gotten a room, close to my daughter’s for 4-6 weeks, out at an old farm that is owned by a person that rescues horses.  My dog now has several playmates to romp around with. 

The weather is pleasant; not too hot or cold (yet).  Although it does rain almost every night and the humidity is way up there compared to NM. 

Even though I didn’t want to live east of the Mississippi again, this is very rural, small town, mountain Maine and is surprisingly sparse with people that are good old fashioned down to earth, American, God fearing farmers.  Very few, if any, freeloaders, moochers or people controlled by any of the political parties.  These people employ American citizens before employing non-American residents.  In fact there are very few if any non-American residents here (maybe because this state does not pay out any service monies to non-Americans). These are real independent thinkers and doers – early to bed and early to rise, living off the land, American citizens.  A truly refreshing and blessed place to live for a spell!

Cell reception is sporadic at best and doesn’t really work in either house (probably due to the metal roofs), so it’s really kinda strange to walk outside, step away from the house and have the cell phone suddenly receive several text messages and ‘missed’ calls.

To those of you that regularly read my blog, I will be set up soon so I can get back to it (even though I am no longer urban or in NM).   My first article will be on Choosing a Bug-out Vehicle To Meet Your Specific Needs.

Also note that for some reason, scribd.com decided that I was an ‘inappropriate’ author and deleted my directory.  I am in the process of finding another web publishing site and will update the links to documents on my blog once I have accomplished that.

Keep in touch, take care and may the Creator bless you and yours always ;-}

TNT

Saturday, May 18, 2013

And So the Saga Begins ...

Those of you who have followed me these past years know I have been wanting to move rural for quite some time now.  

Well ...


I have sold my house and am moving to a rural area in a new state.   Since I am on a timeline to vacate etc, my postings will be few and far between until I get settled.

Keep an eye out here for the saga of a country girl gone metropolitan, to country again ...

Until then –

Prep On ;-}

TNT

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Utility Shut-off & Safety in an Emergency






If a crisis hits your home, neighborhood, town, state or region it pays to be able to locate and shut off your utilities before they can compound the problem.

Knowing where your utility mains are and how to operate them is key to household safety and can significantly decrease property damage during and after an emergency. 

Make sure every member of your household is familiar with the location of your main water, electric and gas switches and valves and knows how to operate them.

If the crisis is slow moving, where you have some time to prepare, like a hurricane – shut off your utilities BEFORE the crisis hits.  This greatly reduces the chances of additional sparks, floods, gas leaks and the like and keeps you much safer in your home during the crisis to boot.

Most municipal utility shut-offs require some kind of tool.  Each utility has its own versions of the various meters and such to shut off any gas, electric, water, propane and sewer intakes to your home.  So be sure to contact your local utilities and or propane, well and septic system vendors for specific information on your systems.  Also, be sure to measure exactly what size each of these wrenches or tools need to be, as different municipalities utilize different sized valves, switches and such.  You want a tool that fits perfectly, so it works perfectl!.

Everyday tools can work, but the going is tough and slow.  So if you have the required tools in your household emergency kit, this will save you time, energy and frustration, if not money and peace of mind too. 


Read on for guidelines on turning off your Electric Service, Water Service, Well Water, Natural Gas, Propane, Oil Furnace and Plugging your Sewer to avoid backflow  @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/142005848/Utility-Shut-Off-Safety-in-an-Emergency

Then

Keep On Preppin'

TNT


Monday, April 15, 2013

Building A Needs Based Preparedness Plan – Putting it All Together

I'm not so good at putting things into the written word, and this final part to building a Needs Based Preparedness Plan is more along the lines of 'gotta see it', so bear with me and follow the link at the end of this post to 'see' all the examples that give you an idea of what I am trying to explain ;-}

Organizing a plan is probably the toughest part in making any plan and a preparedness plan is no exception.  Over the years, the following strategy has proven instrumental in accomplishing this.  It is basically a ‘grouping’ of the ‘needs’ that are then put into an outline format.

Outline format allowed changes to my plan as I moved into or out of various areas that were prone to specific types of crises – without having to re-write the entire plan!  All I had to do was cross the Roman numeral out and then move that page to the end of the plan when I moved out of an area; or write a replacement Roman numeral for any new crisis when I moved into a specific area.  It sure does beat re-writing the entire plan ;-}

First and foremost we have to remember that a preparedness plan is NOT a set of how-to instructions on utilizing your goods or supplies.  Rather, this is the basic methods, processes and procedures associated to each need (goods, knowledge, skills) on your Per Crisis Needs Lists.

Let’s take Food Storage as an example:

Your preparedness plan will deal with the projected timeframe you want the food storage items to sustain you.  It will NOT however be your detailed inventory of how much food you have in storage at any given time or even exactly where it is stored.  Nor will the plan contain any recipes or medicinal uses.  Any detail or physical inventory on the quantity of each food item in storage, etc., will be in your Important Documents book under ‘Food Storage’.

So if your ultimate goal is a year’s supply of food and water, but you only have 6 months right now, your preparedness plan will read something like this:

Food Storage
  • Quantity: 6 mths, goal 1 year; budget is on track with our goal
  • Location(s):  primary retreat and several caches; goal secondary retreat

Note: If you have some ‘goods’ that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, you won’t be able to utilize without a set of step-by-step instructions, then highlight these and be sure to create a ‘How To’ or ‘Instructions’ section in your Important Documentation book and put the instructions for these items there.

Most of the ‘needs’ on your Per Crisis Needs Lists can likely be grouped into one of the following group types.  So review your Per Crisis Needs lists with these potential groupings in mind.  

Keep a scratch pad with several columns on it and just make quick notes as you notice the various groupings of ‘needs’.

When you finalize these groupings, try to give each Roman numeral its own physical page when you type it up.  This will allow changes without having to re-write the entire plan.  Once this is completed print it off and put in your Important Documentation book – hard copy is for the truly prepared.  Make  changes as needed to your hardcopy to keep it up to date.


These ‘groupings’ are what I call ‘organizational indicators’ for your preparedness plan outline.

I.    The simplest ‘grouping’ concerns those needs that fall into the ‘goals and objectives’ realm.  Think along the lines of what you have yet to acquire, the quantity you wish to obtain or a retreat location goal or the example above on food storage and the like.

II.    Repeat ‘needs’ tend to be the more critical stuff and that alone forms one type of ‘grouping’ of needs.  For instance most of the following will usually fall into your repeated needs ‘grouping’:

  • Budget
  • Equipment
  • Supplies
  • Storage Areas
  • Practice Drills
  • Mobility
  • Physical Necessity to life:  breathable air, nutrition, water and shelter from the elements (clothing, shelter, heating, cooling)
  • Psychological Necessity to life:  spiritual and mental wellness, entertainment to eliminate boredom
  • DSS:  Defense, Safety and Security
  • Communications:  contacts, call tree, listening network, alternative powered radio, alternative 2-way communications
  • Medical, Dental, First Aid
  • Sanitation and waste
  • Alternative energy for heating, cooling, cooking and the like
  • Maintenance needs of all of the supplies:  usage and rotation of items based on use and shelf life.

III.    Another ‘grouping’ usually shows up with long duration crises:

  • Education
  • Physical Fitness and exercise
  • Renewable food, gardening, seed saving, canning, dehydrating, Hunting, fishing, trapping, snaring and or food animals like fish, goats, chickens, etc.
  • Replenishable water

IV.    What methodologies, processes and procedures are utilized for the consumable and reusable ‘goods’ is another ‘grouping’; like food or sanitation and waste.

When looking at food we have some process and procedures as well as methods and tools or equipment associated to it:

  • Storing – containers, a safe location with the proper food storage environment
  • Preserving  - each food preservation method requires a ‘device’ or two to perform.  Think canning, dehydrating, smoking, curing and the like
  • Cooking  - pots, pans, utensils and a cooking heat source
  • Replenishing  - methods of procuring more food. Like gardening, hunting, fishing, trapping, snares, butchering, etc.
  • Eating – bowls, plates and utensils

Sanitation & Waste is another of this type of grouping:

  • Personal Hygiene – body, teeth, hair
  • Laundry
  • Cleaning of the various food cooking, eating, preserving and storage containers and utensils
  • Human waste disposal
  • Grey water re-use and disposal
  • Compost
  • Trash/garbage disposal

V.    Another type of ‘grouping’ appears when items repeat for a couple of specific crises on your list and are direct reflections or symptoms of the consequences of these particular crises.  For example let’s say you have 4 crises on your list along the lines of:

  • An ice storm takes out electricity, county wide for 5-7 days
  • A CME takes out electricity for several months or more, multi-nationally, and fries all digital devices
  • A hurricane takes out electricity, regionally for several weeks
  • An EMP takes out electricity, regionally to nationally for several months or more and fries all digital devices

All 4 of these crises involve loss of electricity and all that electricity provides, for more than an hour or two.

The ice storm gives one a chance to have a generator for 3 or more days, depending on how much fuel fire codes in your area will allow you to store.  After that you need something for cooking and heating.  A renewable energy source like solar, wind and hydro, complete with energy storage (battery bank, inverter, etc) would provide electrical energy for the long haul.

For the two electromagnetic crises, things are for a much longer time period.

Some of your items, like inverters and radios will need additional protection – a Farady Cage and you will also need to plan for replacement parts to some devices that are critical. Then there is the radiation and radioactive fallout hazard to consider too.

A CME does have some radioactive aspects, however geological evidence shows that most of the deadly radiation is diverted by the earth’s atmosphere and magnetic fields.

An EMP incident will present a much greater radiation aspect as it is detonated in the upper atmosphere.  In this case the radiation will be greatest near the detonation area, however windblown microscopic radioactive fallout can affect a much larger area for a longer timeframe.

For a ground detonated nuclear device, the range of the effects of the EMP portion of the blast will be reduced.  However the radioactive fallout from a ground detonated nuclear bomb will generate much more particulate debris (fallout) that ‘rains’ down for quite a while, over a very large area (even global).  It can take months for all of this debris to completely exit our atmosphere and we won’t always be able to see it.

This means that in the case of an EMP or ground nuclear detonation event you are not only dealing with no electricity for an extended period and the Farady Cage for electronic devices; you will also need radiation protection.

Note:  A CME or Coronal Mass Ejection is much stronger than a solar flare or storm.  A solar flare does have some electromagnetic elements; however it is mostly in the light spectrum range and not the super charged electro/ferromagnetic range of a CME.  Also, not all CME’s are associated with solar flares or sun spots or vice versa.  (See CME? EMP? Farady Cage? – Oh My! @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/123512814/CME-EMP-Farady-Cage-%E2%80%93Oh-My-Ver-2-includes-Electromagnetic-Spectrum-Frequency-Radiation-Charts for more detail)

VI.    The last type of ‘grouping’ concerns the non-repeated or singular needs.  The placement of these ‘needs’ is based on the priority of the crisis itself in your Moderated Crisis List.

For instance say you live in an area that is just above sea level and usually very dry, yet on your Crisis List you have ‘Global Warming’ Flooding.  One singular need that may appear in this case is some kind of boat or raft or moving to higher ground.

Any of these bullet points could be their own Roman numeral in the preparedness outline, yet don’t have to be.  These groupings are merely to give you an idea of where to place these items in the overall plan.

Once you have notes on what kind of groupings your needs fall into, review them and decide which way you want to organize these in your outline formatted preparedness plan.

Some individuals will find a particular grouping method works best for them, while others may like utilizing more than one grouping method for their plan.  This is where the plan becomes even more customized for you and your household’s needs.


(There is an example of the Doe Family Preparedness Plan at the link on the end of this article.)

This plan should be stored in the beginning of your Important Documentation Book.

Recap

  • Prioritized Crisis Lists: Possibility (emotional), Probability (science & education odds), Moderated (balance of human gut instinct and irrational fears against science and educations truths and fallacies).
  • Per Crisis Needs (goods, knowledge, skills) Lists, Prioritized; along with a list of what we have yet to acquire.
  • Mobility Issues: getting home to shelter in place and evacuation/bug-out (Who, What, When, Where schedule & map, alternate retreats, routes and secret communication/rest stops)
  • Organizational Indicators to a Needs Based, Outline Formatted Preparedness Plan
  • The finalized plan in outline format

All of these steps have been geared to grab those variables within our realm of control, to balance emotions and logic and raise our survivability quotient.

These steps do take effort, time and some soul searching and none of this is easy in today’s world. Yet if we really want to be prepared, if we really want to do more than just survive, we will do this and reap the rewards.

If you feel you do not have enough time or money, really stop and think for a minute.  I hate to tell you this, but you are most likely wrong about that!

Don’t believe me? 
Well I was a single parent with two toddlers, two dogs and a non-child support paying ex; I worked two jobs, stayed off welfare and only took WIC assistance for the first year; I grew most of our veggies and melons; baked bread (cause it was cheaper than purchasing) and sent my kids to school with bag lunches.   In order to keep a roof over our heads, cloths on our backs, the utilities on and nutritional food to eat I had to make the best use of my time and money.  I can’t say it was easy; however it is indeed quite possible.

If you ‘don’t have enough time’ consider this:  Everyone has 24 hours in a day, no exceptions.  The average person gets about 8 hours of sleep, so that leaves 16 hours.  Then this person works for a living so take out 10 hours to allow for commuting and lunch, that leaves 6 hours.  Now let’s apply those 10 hour work days to the weekend to account for all those household chores and such.  This means that the average person has 6 hours every day to devote to other things.  So if preparedness takes only 1 of those hours every other day, you can be prepared in a year!  (And ya gotta admit that 20 hours a week for household chores and tasks is a bit on the generous side, which should balance out if the workweek day are a little longer than 10 hours for work.  For people who do not work, I don't know what to say except that you must not be utilizing your time wisely or you don't really want to be prepared.)

If you ‘don’t have enough money’ try this little experiment:  As a family put a jar or can in the kitchen and then for the next two weeks every time any one of you gets ready to pull out the wallet to pay to do something or purchase something ask yourselves “Will I die in the next month if I don’t get or do this right now, this instant?”.  If the answer is NO, then every other time, don’t do it or buy it and when you get home put the monies in that jar.  At the end of the two weeks count the money in the jar.  I’m willing to bet there will be more money than $30.00.  Here are your preparedness monies!

Above all, remember that a Preparedness Plan cannot be wrong unless you do something nucking futs like build a house on the San Andres fault and do nothing more for earthquakes than match building codes - OR - You chose not to obtain or learn something that could prevent your family from suffering more trials and tribulations (or worse), when you could have; and when a crisis hits you then become a danger to yourself and everyone around you.

In my mind preparedness, beyond first aid kits and insurance policies, means that you care, so it is a way of 'taking care' of your loved ones and who doesn’t want to do that!?!

For additional examples of the various groupings, the Doe Family Needs Based Preparedness Plan and additional information see: Building A Needs Based Preparedness Plan – Putting it All Together @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/136067627/Building-A-Needs-Based-Preparedness-Plan-%E2%80%93-Putting-it-All-Together

Good Luck & Be Prepared, Not Scared

TNT




Sunday, April 7, 2013

Building a Needs Based Preparedness Plan – The Final Data Collection

Well now, we have created our Crisis Lists (possibility, probability, moderated), we have defined what goods, knowledge and skills we need to survive these crises for their potential scope of involvement and duration, plus what needs we already possess and have yet to acquire; and we have planned for the worst case scenario, utilizing our Who, What, When and Where Schedule and Map. 

What else can there be before we actually draw up our plan?  To be honest, two more biggies in terms of potential ‘dings’ to our survivability quotient and a few, shall we say, housekeeping issues. Both of these fall under what I call the ‘sad and bad’ ‘don’t want to think about it’ category.

To avoid some of our nasty human characteristics – like hating to think about anything bad or sad.  Remember that it is far easier to think and plan about this ‘sad and bad stuff’ when we are NOT under the duress of actually being in that situation, than it is to attempt to do so in the middle of a crisis. So here we go …

Mortality:  We humans just hate discussing death, yet this too is best done without the burden of the actual crisis. 

Most of us have wills of some kind, this is good and a copy should be in your Important Documentation Book.  However, our world now and our SHTF world could be two very different things.  You may wish to have a ‘SHTF Will’ that covers what to do when funeral homes and the like are not available, or if say, the disposition of your remains are taken out of your survivors hands. 
  
When your household knows how you want things done in the case of a SHTF death, there will be no guilt or remorse because they could not fulfill your physical body disposition last request. 


The next biggie is the dreaded Evacuation or Bug-Out scenario.   Many of us feel we would rather die than consider that we may have to vacate our homes.   However, reality is that there are some things that could cause us to do so in order to stay alive.  As mentioned before a house fire is the most common that we will likely face.

Before we can discuss the possible evacuation from our homes we need to understand some fairly standard authorative/governmental actions that occur when evacuation notices are issued or when a large crisis hits that requires authorative/governmental post crisis action.
    
It takes a lot of money, effort, organization, equipment, supplies, human-power and time to issue and implement an evacuation – no matter if it is large or small.  So issuing one is almost always done at the last possible moment!

This means that once the notice is issued you will NOT have the time to decide and pack what to take with you, yet alone to decide where to evacuate to.  Nope, you have to be ready to go within minutes of the notice being issued.
   
Most countries have two (2) types of Evacuation Notices:

  • Mandatory, which does NOT mean the authorities will drag you out of your home kicking and screaming.
  • Suggested, which is used when the scope of involvement has a few too many variables.  (Remember New Orleans and Katrina)

In the United States, where our states still have some independence and sovereignty, you may have only one type of notice or several additional types of evacuation notices. 
   
For instance in New Mexico they do not have a mandatory notice, only suggested evacuation notices.  Also in the US there is this thing called the ‘No Notice Evacuation Notice’ that can be issued by any department of transportation entity, at any time and does not require door-to-door notification.  This is generally issued in the case of say, a toxic spill or gas explosion and the like.
  
Then there are the usual ‘After Crisis Protocols’ which all the public safety, fire, search and rescue entities use to leverage their minimum equipment, human-power, time and finances to help the most people.  It goes something like this:

  • The area that received NO Evacuation Notice will be addressed first.  This is where the greatest number of people are likely to be trapped and or in need.
  • The area that received a Suggested Notice will be addressed second, as this is the next largest number of people trapped and or in need are likely to be.
  • The area that received a Mandatory Notice will be addressed last.  Historical crises have shown this area to have no more than 7% of people who are likely to be trapped or in need.

That takes care of the authorities, what about other things that might cause us to vacate our homes or render them un-safe to stay in?  Well I feel we are all smart enough to think these up ourselves, so I won’t list them.  Just know they are out there and ‘Murphy’ is just waiting to throw one our way.
   
No matter what, we need to identify what to look for in determining if we should vacate our home, be it a potential ordered evacuation or just a judgment call our part.  Discussing this NOW, without the stress of an actual crisis, is not only much less stressful, we also have more time to think about it than if we attempt this during the crisis.

Bottom Line: If we do not discuss and plan for this, it can lead us and or our loved ones into a deadly situation.
   
There are 3 key questions to ask yourself on this subject:

  • Will staying change anything when it comes to ‘saving’ my home?

  • If I stay behind and keep my family with me, can they handle what I can handle?

  • If I stay behind and send my family on, can we all handle the possibility that we may never see each other again?
  
Note:  There is a great podcast on this subject that discusses in detail the 12 questions that are pivotal to making a bug-out or evacuation decision @  Bug In or Bug Out - 12 Questions to Ask - Episode-289 found at: http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/bug-in-or-bug-out-12-questions-to-ask
  
We also need to hone our Situational Awareness by keeping an eye out for some ‘signs’ that ‘indicate’ that others feel evacuation is eminent or the authorities  are contemplating issuing an evacuation notice.
   
The more ‘signs’ we can quickly identify, the faster we can pack and go, and decide which secondary retreat will be best.  A side benefit to this is that you and your household will have a very good chance of beating the rush to get out of Dodge!

  • Stay aware. Keep your eyes and ears open and be alert to what is going on around you.  Take advantage of every possible type of news communication in your area:  Newspapers, TV, Radio, HAM, CB, Scanners, internet, weather alerts and the like.  The more sources of information, the faster you will be able to determine if you can stay put or must bug-out.
  • A rush or long lines at banks, gas stations, grocery, home improvement, sporting, camping or gun stores and the like
  • An increase in police, fire, rescue and military personnel or vehicles
  • An increase in barrel, barricades and their trucks
  • Ambulances and medical personnel are flocking to the hospitals
  • Long term care facilities appear to be removing residents
  • Nearby airports or military bases appear to be ‘on alert’ and or are calling in personnel.
  • Civilian air travel may be halted or flights canceled.
  • Public transportation may be halted, delayed or unusually crammed.
  • A sudden shift of who and what is out and about in your area.  Are the streets suddenly empty or crammed?  What kinds of people are out and about, doing what?  What kind of vehicles?
  • There is more traffic leaving your area than approaching 

All these signs tend to appear before any evacuation notice is ever issued or the potential is reported on the local news.
   
Remember that the needs and agendas of authorities and governments are different than that of its citizens.  They are not being cruel or mean, it is just the way things are, especially when contemplating something as complex as an evacuation.
    
All of this is your choice, your responsibility and yours alone! The stakes to this bet are the lives of you and yours.

Recap
  • We have identified and prioritized what crises we are concerned about, both consciously and unconsciously.
  • We have identified and prioritized what goods, knowledge and skills we need to survive the crises on our list.
  • We have identified and created our Who, What, When and Where schedule and map with its alternate routes and retreats.
  • We have addressed the two types of mobility issues and what we plan to do about them.
  • We have used methods to grab control of the few variables to our survivability quotient to reduce (or eliminate) the trials and tribulations of surviving the crises on our list.

Some things I have not mentioned or discussed are your budget and Important Documentation Book.  Although these things are very important, they do not affect the needs based plan per se. We’ll cover these later.

Next time we will go over how to take all this data collection and formulate a plan that is good, cheap, flexible, viable and based on the process and procedures behind all our goods, knowledge and skills or needs, required to survive any crisis on we are concerned about.

TNT

"Be Prepared - Not Scared"

To download this information see:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/134500818/Building-a-Needs-Based-Preparedness-Plan-%E2%80%93-The-Final-Data-Collection