PREPPER/HEALTH: 30 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Catching the Flu

PREPPER/HEALTH: 30 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Catching the Flu

LATEST FROM THE PREPPING WORLD

2018 has started off with a bang… and not in a good way. So far, it’s shaping up to be the worst year of the flu in more than a decade. More than 100 people across the country have already died and we’re only 3 weeks into the new year. Hospitals are running out of IV bags. They’re setting up tents to treat people in the parking lot. Pharmacies are out of Tamiflu.
In short, this virus is bad news.

So how do you reduce your risk of catching the flu?

Here’s a hint:
Reducing your risk has absolutely nothing to do with being injected with a flu shot may only be 10% effective and could have mild to severe side effects.  This is despite the fact that you’ll hear about 10,971 variations that “The best way to prevent catching the flu is to receive your annual flu shot.” Just because the media repeats it verbatim every single day doesn’t make it true.
Reducing your risk of catching the flu has everything to do with personal hygiene, leading a healthy lifestyle, and boosting your body’s immune system.  Every year, I write about this topic, and every year, people respond by telling me that these ideas are fine for me but if you don’t “pick-an-excuse” then you just have to go and get the flu shot. I realize that all of these suggestions are not applicable to every family’s situation, but if one doesn’t work, there are still 29 more that may help.
None of these is foolproof. This year’s strain is particularly virulent and one new study suggests it can be transmitted by simply breathing. But every little bit helps and if your immune system is in good shape you have a much better chance of fighting the virus if you do get sick.
And a quick word about bleach and hand sanitizer: Our family doesn’t ordinarily use these products but during an outbreak, it’s go-hard-or-go-home time. Using these products for a couple of weeks during flu season will do more good than harm. The studies that say how bad these are for you are referring to people who use these items daily over long periods of time. Feel free to use natural products if you prefer but my recommendation is to use the strongest things available to you.

The absolute, number one way to avoid catching the flu is through the exercise of good personal hygiene.

1. Wash your hands frequently when you are out.
2. In public restrooms, use a paper towel to open bathroom doors and turn on taps.
3. Although I’m normally not a big fan of hand sanitizer, I always carry it with me in my purse during flu season. I use it generously when I’m out, before and after touching things that everyone else has been touching, like the handle of the shopping cart, door knobs, and debit machines.
4. Use sanitizing wipes (or at least baby wipes) to wash your hands and wipe the steering wheel when you get back into your vehicle.
5. Avoid touching your face – this welcomes germs that are on your hands into your body.
6. During the height of flu season, consider taking a quick shower and changing clothes when you return home, particularly if you have been in a germ-ridden place like a doctor’s office or pharmacy. Or Wal-Mart – every time I go there, I see loads of sick people sneezing and coughing into their hands, then touching items on the shelves.
7. Make sure the kids change clothes and thoroughly wash their hands when they return home from school.
8. I shouldn’t really have to say this, but….remember to wash your hands after using the bathroom and before preparing or eating food.

If your local area is being hit hard by the flu, practice avoidance to keep your family healthy.

9.  Stay home as much as possible. (Obviously, if you have work and school outside the home, this becomes more difficult, but you can still avoid malls, movie theaters, and sporting events for the duration of the epidemic.)
10.  Stay away from sick people if you can.
11.  Avoid eating at restaurants – you don’t know the health or hygiene habits of the kitchen staff.

If someone in your family gets sick, take steps to minimize the spread of the illness.

12.  If you or a family member become sick, stay home from work or school to prevent passing it on to others.

13.  If a family member is sick, keep them isolated from the rest of the family.

14.  Use disinfecting wipes to clean surfaces that the sick person touches – doorknobs, TV remotes, keyboards, toilet handles, and phones. (One of my daughters got so offended when I followed her around with bleach wipes during an episode of strep throat years ago.)

15. Immediately place dishes and flatware used by the sick person into hot, soapy dishwater with a drop of bleach in it.

16.  Teach children to cough into the crook of their arm instead of covering their mouth with their hands. This prevents their hands from being germ catchalls that transfer the contagious matter to everything they touch.

17.  Have the sick person wash their hands frequently with soap and water to help prevent spreading germs through physical contact. If soap and water are unavailable, have them use hand sanitizer.

Some other ways to stay healthy are to use natural strategies to maximize your immune system.

18.  Drink lots of water to keep your system hydrated and efficient.

19.  Take a high quality, organic multi-vitamin. (I like this one)

20.  Take at least 3000-5000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily – research has shown a link between a Vitamin D deficit and susceptibility to the flu. (This one has 5000 IUs) As well, eat foods rich in Vitamin D such as eggs, dairy products, and fish.

21. Other important immune-boosting vitamins are Vitamin C and Zinc. Most vitamin C is genetically modified, so be especially careful to find a non-GMO vitamin C. These Zinc Lozenges are good tasting and high quality. Enjoy foods rich in Vitamin C like citrus fruits and foods rich in Zinc like spinach, wheat, meat, and seeds.

21.  Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables (preferably organic and pesticide free).

22.  Get 7-9 hours of sleep per day – a tired body has a weaker immunity against viruses.

23.  Don’t smoke – this weakens your resistance against respiratory illnesses and worsens the effect on your body if you do become ill.

24.  Avoid or limit alcoholic beverages.

25.  Avoid or limit processed foods. Your body doesn’t recognize these as food and they do nothing to nourish you.

26. Get fresh air and sunshine as often as possible – your body absorbs Vitamin D from the sun’s rays.

27. Get at least 20 minutes of exercise a day. You don’t have to be training for a marathon – simply take the dog for a quick walk and you’ll improve your cardiac function, your circulation, and your respiratory function.

28. Choose personal care and cleaning products that don’t contain harmful chemicals. When you inhale the toxins into your lungs or absorb them through your skin, they can break down mucosal surfaces, making you more susceptible to germs and viruses. However, during flu season, I do tend to use harsher chemicals like bleach, particularly if someone in the household is ill.

29. Maintain a healthy body weight.

30. Try to reduce the stress in your life. When we are highly stressed, we’re far more likely to succumb to illness. This is because adrenaline and cortisol, in the long term, can drain your immune system, making it unable to fight off a cold or flu efficiently. Check out this natural product to help with stress and anxiety.

What if you still get sick?

The worst case scenario is that you do, indeed, contract the flu. Despite the hullabaloo, you are probably not going to die, be hospitalized, or suffer horrific permanent damage from a bout of the flu. People get sick, but death from the seasonal flu is still rare.
Check out the Flu Survival Guide for more tips if someone gets sick.

Resources:

• Cold or Flu? Here’s How to Tell (And Why You Need to Know)
• Fire Cider: How to Make a Fast, Effective Remedy for the Flu
• The Flu Survival Guide: Kitchen Remedies and Natural Strategies to Battle the Bug
• Alabama Declares State of Emergency for the Flu Epidemic as the US Death Toll Rises
• Sambucol Liquid Black Elderberry
• Organic Multi-Vitamins
• Nutrigold Vitamin D3 5000 IU
• Clarocet® NRI
• Viva Labs Premium Non-GMO Vitamin-C
• PURELL Sanitizing Hand Wipes
• Lysol Disinfecting Wipes
• Zinc Lozenges

 

10 Fundamentals Of Air Purification That Could Save Your Life

Watching the horrors of the fires in California is making more people than usual think about air quality and what to do about it in an emergency situation. Some of these people don’t realize that there is already unfolding crisis when air quality problems appear in the United States.
As asthma and other breathing related problems skyrocket, the question of how to purify air may become crucial. Learn how to purify the air in the event of some other crisis such as a major fire, gas, nuclear, or disease based crisis. Consider both DIY and pre-manufactured options to survive poor air quality.
Here are the ten things you should always keep in mind on this topic.

Finding Out What Needs to be Filtered Now

Before you start buying air purifying systems, find out what you need to filter out, following:
How much dust and “large” sized particulate is in the air?  If you can see a haze of dust, then you will more than likely need at least a MERV 5 or 6 prefilter in front of any other filter that you decide to buy for your system.  (MERV is an acronym that stands for Minimum Efficiency Rating Value.
The higher the number after the MERV designation, the smaller the particles and greater percent of them the filter is capable of removing from the air.  3M and some other brands use the MERV rating while other manufacturers use different designations.  In all of them, the higher the number, the better the filter.)
How much pollen, mold, and mildew spores are in the air?  You will either need to build an Arduino unit for detecting particles this size and slightly smaller, or purchase a pre-manufactured meter for this purpose.  While it takes some effort to learn how to assemble and program Arduino boards, they are also very versatile.
This means you can add different kinds of sensors to the board at a fraction of the cost of buying them separately.  When it comes to detecting gasses and toxins, you will find that Arduino controllers are truly your best and most affordable option.
If you are looking specifically for mold and mildew, you can also purchase testing strips or kits that can be used to capture spores from the air.  After you collect these samples, you can send the kit off to the lab to find out what kind of microbes are present.
While these kits are highly specific insofar as what is actually in the air, they are not reusable.  In addition, no matter what kind of mold or mildew you have growing in your home, the methods for getting them out of the air will be the same.
Since the Arduino system or a pre-manufactured sensor will alert you to the presence particles in the appropriate size range, this may be all you really need to know at this stage.
How much automobile exhaust, methane from waste dumps, and other chemicals are in the air.  In order to detect these gasses, you will need to build your own sensors using an Arduino board. Sadly, even a single device for a single gas can cost several hundred dollars pre-assembled.
By contrast, you will not spend more than 100.00 between the Arduino main board and an array of sensors that will cover most of the gasses that may be in the air right now.

Know What Air Quality Issues that May Occur During a Crisis

No matter how bad the air quality may seem right now, it can get much worse during a major crisis.   Consider that there are several cities in or near the major fires burning in California.  Even though the residents of these areas are accustomed to high levels of smog and other forms of air pollution, the addition of the smoke from the fires is causing many to evacuate.
In a similar fashion, even if you live in a rural area, or some place else with better air quality, there is a chance that a major fire would either force you to evacuate or attempt to clean the air.  Without a question, if you are determined to bug in, or build a survival shelter, then concerns about smoke from fires would be one main reason for focusing a good bit of attention on air purification.
Here are some other crisis related scenarios that would require a good air purification system:
Nuclear attacks where you must be able to filter out dust and other debris.  Since some of the dust may be smaller than pollen or other very small particles, you should be prepared to install at least a MERV 7 prefilter in front of others in the array, and then follow that with a MERV 14.
Remember, during normal operations you may only have one pre-filter in your system, but during a major crisis, a set of washable and reusable pre-filters will be very important when it comes to prolonging the life expectancy of the higher rated filters sitting behind it.
Gas or other chemical attacks.  Unlike pollen, dust, or other forms of debris, it is not possible to filter out gasses by using progressively smaller holes in a filter. Instead, you will need to use activated carbon or some other material that is capable of locking these gasses into the pores of the material.  For gas attacks, as well as most kinds of chemical pollution, you will need filters impregnated with activated carbon.
Biological warfare or germ attacks.  Getting these pathogens out of the air can be very difficult.  You will need at least a MERV 12 filter for the innermost layer of filters, or go as high as a MERV 14 or 15.  Since most hospitals use MERV 14 and above for air based pathogen control, this would be a good choice.
Just remember, however, once you go past MERV-13, even in a home built air purification system, the reduction in air flow may be enough to reduce the overall effectiveness of the system.  If you are going to use higher than a MERV-13, set aside just one or two units, and leave the ones with lower level filters for increasing air circulation.

Must Have Sufficient Air Flow

Did you know that the biggest problem in most homes is the lack of good air flow.  While you may be constantly trying to block off air leaks for the sake of improving heat efficiency, the actual air quality in the house is always going  to be lower than what is outdoors.

This Device Easily Turns Air Into Water!

By the time you factor in pollution buildup from various fumes, odors from normal household activities, and imbalances in humidity, controlling internal air quality may seem impossible.  On the other side of the equation, the hidden secret to most of these problems is as simple as improving air flow throughout the building.
Today, many people mistakenly believe that dedicated air purifiers, electrostatic systems on the central air system, and even de/humidifiers can all do the job without blowing lots of air around the rooms.  This, in turn leads to a situation where most people give up on these expensive systems because they see little or no benefit.
Interestingly enough, the average pre-fabricated air purifying system only puts out between 100 and 500 CFM. As you can see from the tables in these links, that may be enough to filter air in small rooms, but it may not be enough for survival needs let alone modern heavily polluted homes.
By contrast, the average box fan puts out a whopping 2500 CFM, which means that pairing it with the right filters will give you a much better solution.

Filtering out Toxic Gasses

As noted earlier, MERV ratings, and to some extent, even a robust air flow won’t do much when it comes to getting rid of toxic gasses.  While increased air flow can make the gasses easier to dissipate, you will still need something else to capture the gases.
Typically, activated carbon will offer you the ability to filter out the widest number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other toxic gasses.  These filters are also readily available in disposable form and will last for about three months.
For an added layer of purification, you may also want to experiment with the polymers and other materials that are used in gas masks.  In this case, you will need to get ahold of the filter media and then figure out how to make it into a suitable filter.
Remember, when it comes to filter efficiency, the size of the filter is every bit as important as the speed of air moving through it.  A 10” x 10” filter may work just as well as a 20” x 20”, however the smaller filter will fill up faster and either excessively impede air flow or become unable to retain gasses.

Dust, Pollen, and Mold

When you go to the store and look at different kinds of filters, you may be led to believe that the biggest filter will always remove the most particles.  There is, however, a second part to MERV and other efficiency ratings.
Essentially, just because a filter will trap some smaller particles, that doesn’t mean it will remove every particle in that size range that encounters the filter.  As a result, you will find that a MERV 8 or above will be rated for filtering out pollen, however it may only remove 50% of those particles.
By contrast, a MERV 12 may remove well over 80%.
This is just one of many reasons why working with pre-filters is so important when it comes to creating a viable air purifying system.  Since you can easily find lower MERV rating filters in the washable and reusable forms, it is best to use those as pre-filters so that you can extend the lifespan of the higher capacity disposable ones behind it.

Meters and Gauging Success

Once you build a series of meters for detecting indoor air quality issues, you should continue to use them to see if your system is actually working.  While some people will go by changes in how they feel, measurements are still very important for managing a crisis.
A nuclear bomb, a fire, or some other crisis generating event can cause air quality to decay faster than expected. In these situations, you will need the meters to tell you when it is safe to remove gas masks, as well as to gauge how well the system is doing with managing the crisis.
If you keep a good recording of readings on a daily basis, you will also have a chance of estimating the systems effectiveness in other situations.  As an added bonus, if you continue to measure the air quality after the system is built, it gives you a chance to improve efficiency as well as to test out different products to see which ones work best for  your situation.

Recycling and Rehabbing Used Filters

Pleated filters offer the best in terms of filtering out particles from the air, but it can be both expensive and difficult to obtain pleated media in a time after a major social collapse. This is just one of many reasons why you need to learn as much as possible about rehabbing and extending the life of both disposable and permanent air filters.
The main problem with extending the life of pleated filters is they can become a source of microbe contamination. They can also build up quite a bit of mold and mildew as the spores are captured in the filter. If you can find a chemical that won’t ruin the pleated material, but will kill off the micro organisms, it may help you extend the life of each filter.
As with water filters made with activated carbon, it may also be possible to rehab the carbon in air filter media. Failing that, you should know how to make your own charcoal, and then add it to a cleaned up pad based filter.
Remember that these filters can also be a breeding ground for mold and mildew. You will need to make sure you can thoroughly clean them in order to avoid this problem.

Providing Power for Air Filters

A standard box fan is likely to take less electricity than a conventional air purifier.  Sadly, when you have no electricity at all, the fans will be useless.  Unless you can generate enough electricity to power the fans, you may have to look for smaller fans that can be used with batteries.
In many other situations, you might want to consider using gravity powered fans or others that do not require electricity. While these devices may work well enough for generating small amounts of electricity or pushing some air around a room, they are not likely to have enough power to cycle enough air in a short period of time.
That being said, you can always experiment with different fan blade designs to see if you can come up with something that spins faster while using less energy.

What About Ozone Based Air Purifiers?

Aside from trapping particles and gasses, some people claim that ozone generators can also solve air quality problems. Sadly, there is little if any scientific evidence to back up these claims. Here are some of the main problems you may encounter when using an ozone based air purifier:
ozone can interact with other gasses in the air and form even more harmful compounds than the ones you are already dealing with. Because of all the pollution in the air these days, there is no telling what you may wind up breathing in. One thing is for certain, simply changing the composition of a gas molecule doesn’t get rid of it, let alone make it safer.
Ozone cannot actually destroy mold, pollen, dust, or other particles.  If you purchased an ion generator, that may cause larger particles to clump together and fall out of the air.  This is still not as efficient as conventional filter media and a fan.
Aside from creating dangerous chemicals, ozone itself can cause breathing problems.  In fact, if you have an air purifier with an ozone generator, it may be more than worth  your while to see if you can find something that doesn’t generate ozone.
Even in situations where ozone is credited with cleaning up some air problems, it takes months to years to see results. If you must get rid of radioactive dust or other hazardous materials in the air, even a few hours is a long time to sit around in a gas mask.  At least conventional filter media will get the job done in a more reasonable time frame.

Natural Air Purification Methods

Did you know that some plants are capable of removing formaldehyde, methane, and other toxic fumes from the air?  As an added bonus, plants are the only air filtration method available that can use the carbon dioxide removed from the air in order to produce much needed oxygen.
As a result, if you are concerned about air purification for survival shelters, plants may be a very important part of your system.
While some plants are more effective and efficient than others when it comes to filtering gasses, sufficient numbers of them can improve air quality without the need for buying and replacing more effective filters.  Unfortunately, plants won’t get rid of pollen, mildew, mold, and other particles that are also a part of air quality problems.
You can use plants to increase oxygen levels and decrease toxins, however a comprehensive air purifications system will still require filters and the capacity to circulate large volumes of air.
If you do enough research on air purification, you will soon find that it is similar to purifying water.  There is no such thing as one filter, chemical, or device that will satisfy all of your air purifying needs.  The best you can do is start off with a basic filter system and a batch of air cleaning house plants and work upward from there.
It is also very important to start off the process with a suitable set of meters and testing equipment so that you can see how much progress you are making, and how much of an impact various changes make to the air quality.

Would Your Children Survive On Their Own?

We’ve all read about the street children in Argentina after the economic collapse there, who wander the streets begging, stealing and scrounging through trash to survive.

Many were forced into child labor and prostitution.  Some of their own parents that could not support them or worse exploiting them for their own gain. In many ways, children suffer most from a disaster.
In the aftermath of the 7.0 Earthquake that shook Haiti on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 many children become parent-less. We have seen the same thing happen to children in Sri Lanka after the tsunami on Sunday, December 26, 2004.
Many more examples of orphaned children after a disaster could be presented here, but let’s get to the point.
There is a distinct possibility that something could happen to you during or after a disaster leaving your children or grandchildren on their own. Could they survive? Have you done anything to increase their chances?
Could your children survive on their own after a major disaster or TEOTWAWKI event? What would they do if you were no longer there to care for and protect them? Could they make it on their own – would they know what to do?
This is one of those things parents don’t want to think about, but not thinking about it won’t lessen the possibility.
Most kids today have few survival skills or an interest in such things, most kids are more interested in playing video games or when the latest teen celebrity is getting released from rehab.
If you can get them interested and motivated you have already won over half the battle.
How you do this will depend on the child, but most will respond best if you make it a game, in other words, do your best to make it fun. Don’t go screaming at them that the world is going to end, or that you could die leaving them orphaned and on their own. This is especially true when dealing with younger children.
Make it fun and use it as an opportunity to spend time together. Teach, them to fish, hunt, trap, shoot, use tools, build a fire, grind grain, garden, cook etc. The important thing is to make it fun and don’t stress them out by being pushy or militaristic when teaching.
Books and videos can help your children learn some needed skill, and give you an idea of what to teach them and how to go about doing it. I suggest, “Willy Whitefeather’s Outdoor Survival Handbook for Kids” and “The American Boy’s Handy Book“, and don’t forget to teach other skills such as gardening, hunting and staying safe.
Awhile back, I wrote this post “How Cross-Dressing Makes You a Better Survivalist” where I stressed the need to cross gender lines when learning survival skills. The same thing applies when teaching your children. Don’t just teach boys the “guy stuff” or the girls  “girlie stuff” both should have a well-rounded and complementary skill set.
Even disciplined and well-trained children would be at great risk of being harmed or exploited without the guidance and protection of a loving adult. Having an arrangement with a relative or friend to take care of your children, if something were to happen to you is important,  but not always possible.
Many will decline, not wanting the responsibility or make a promise to do so that they never intend to keep.
If you are lucky enough to find someone ready to take on the responsibility of caring for your children in case of such an unfortunate event, the next thing you have to consider is their capabilities.
Let’s face it, many people aren’t ready or capable of taking care of themselves or their own children after a disaster. How can they be expected to take care of yours? Can they do it? If not it’s best to keep looking until you find someone who can.
Whoever you choose be sure your children get to know and trust them. Spend time with them, hang out, go camping or whatever both families enjoy doing, this will give them time to get to know each other. The last thing you want is a frightened child shooting the stranger who is coming to help them.
Depending on the circumstances, it is probably best if your children stay put or move to a close and predetermined location and wait for the adult to come to them, instead of going out on their own. This should be understood in advance. Be sure your children know what to do ahead of time.
This is one of the most difficult survival situations to contend with and unfortunately, there are no easy answers. I wish I could give you a guaranteed way of keeping your children safe after such an unfortunate event, but I can’t. There are too many variables,  most of which we have no control over.
All you can do is teach them the best you can, make arrangements for their care and pray that God will protect them.
What have you done to prepare your children if you are no longer able to care for and protect them?
Recommended Reading and Resources

• Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival
• Ultimate Explorer Guide for Kids
• Realistic Self-Defense
• Morakniv Bushcraft Survival Knife with Fire Starter

Preparedness On the Go

It seems like we spend a lot of time on the go - commuting to work, school, church, shopping, and so forth.  For many of us, our cars seem like a second home, we spend so much time in them. When the time comes to bug-out, most of us will depend on our vehicles to get us out of danger. Here are some ideas and tips for preparedness on the go:

1- When traveling long distances or short, it is best to let someone know where you are going, what route you plan to take, and when you expect to arrive or come back. That way, if something goes wrong, folks can more quickly realize you have "gone missing" and have some idea where to start looking for you.

2- Be sure to keep your cell phone charged, and keep a phone charger in your vehicle.

3- Keep your vehicle in good repair. Perform all routine maintenance on a regular basis. Make sure your tires and brakes are in good condition, and all your headlights, taillights and directional signals are working. Drive safely, and practice defensive driving. Pay attention to the road. Don't drive distracted (no talking on a cell phone or texting while driving). Doing these things will make you less likely to get in a wreck, break down, or get a ticket. It will also mean your bug-out vehicle will be ready when you really need it to be.

Check out my article Preppers' Auto Maintenance Schedule.  

4- Keep your gas tank topped off. I rarely let mine drop to even the halfway mark. It is also a good idea to keep some gas safely stored at home. I keep five 5-gallon gas cans safely stored on my property away from my house. Remember to keep your gas fresh by rotating every few months. Consider getting a portable fuel filter, for reasons I outlined in a recent article.

5- Keep a pair of jumper cables and/or a car battery charger in your vehicle. Make sure all drivers in your family know how to use them.

6- Make sure you have a good spare tire in your vehicle, along with all tools you need with it.  Make sure all drivers know how to change a flat tire. There's a great commercial that used to run on TV, showing a teenage girl by herself changing a tire on her car in an empty parking lot at night. The camera then swings back showing Dad standing twenty feet away watching, not helping or doing it for her. Be that Dad.

7- Consider a can of Fix-a-Flat for quick use in an emergency. Fix-a-Flat is NOT a long-term fix, and can actually damage your tire and rim if used for an extended period. It may also void your warranty if the tire is still under warranty. But, better a damaged tire and voided warranty, than getting stuck in a bad neighborhood/situation.

8- All drivers should know how to check the oil level, and how to add extra oil if needed. Same for transmission fluid, brake fluid, engine coolant, and other fluids.

9- Its a good idea to always keep an overnight bag packed and ready to go at a moments notice in case you ever need to evacuate your home on short notice (approaching wildfire, nearby chemical spill, and so on). Peppers and survivalists typically call this "bugging out" and put together "bug out bags" that can be quite extensive. 

Non-preppers should at least pack a change of clothes, personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.), some snack food (possibilities: packs of seeds & nuts, peanut butter crackers, energy/protein bars), and a couple of bottles of water for each person. 

Other items you might consider: a small first aid kit, a compact emergency survival kit (see my article on putting one together), a good blanket, a road map of your area, a three-day supply of any prescription medications. an extra pair of eyeglasses, and a good multi-tool.

10- If your typical footwear is dress shoes, high heels, sandals, or flip-flops, I suggest you keep a pair of more practical athletic shoes or hiking boots in you vehicle, for when you need them.

11- Maps, a road atlas, and written directions to possible destinations in an emergency (Grandma's house, Uncle Fred's place, etc.) are a good idea. Smart phones, Google maps, and GPS may be temporarily (or permanently) down.

12- Here's an idea many folks haven't thought of: keep a 4-way sillcock key in your vehicles and bug-out bags. They are small and inexpensive, so get one for each vehicle and BoB. Sillcock keys are used to open water spigots on commercial buildings, and at parks & golf courses. Get access to water that you otherwise wouldn't be able to get.

13- Always practice situational awareness when you are on the go. Watch what is going on around you and be aware of possible problems and threats. Be wary of people who look out-of-place, are loitering, or who act nervous. Before getting out of a car or walking out of a building, look out a window first to identify possible dangers.Park in well-light, highly visible areas.

14- Avoid dangerous neighborhoods and sections of town. Travel, walk, shop in groups. Park in a highly visible, well-light location near the entrance to minimize chances of ambush & muggings. Don't make yourself a target by wearing expensive, flashy clothes & accessories, or driving an expensive luxury car. Don't make yourself a target by appearing easy-prey - instead wear practical clothes, and walk confidently, head up.

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