The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its response level to the Ebola outbreak in Africa to the highest level possible to address the growing concerns of further escalation and the virus spreading around the world. The Ebola virus has now spread to Nigeria with nine confirmed cases and one death so far. The CDC’S Level 1 Activation allows the agency to take personnel involved with other tasks and bring them into the fold in West Africa. The virus outbreak shows no evidence of slowing down, and it could take months before the situation becomes under control. The CDC says that 50 disease-control experts could get to West Africa in the next 30 days.
Although this was to be expected as the virus spread, the Level 1 alert does show how seriously the CDC is taking it. The last time the CDC had a Level 1 alert was in 2009 during the H1N1 pandemic. The virus has killed more than 1200 people since the beginning of March, and there currently isn’t a FDA-approved vaccine. What scares health officials the most is the speed and fatality rate of the virus. The current outbreak has a fatality rate of nearly 60%. With numbers like these, it’s important to get prepared just in case the CDC’s worst fears are confirmed.
It’s imperative that you have the supplies in place to sustain a long-term pandemic. Although we often think of natural disasters when we think of emergency preparation, the threat of a pandemic should incite every household to have a preparedness plan in place that includes emergency food storage, water, and medical supplies for long-term use. For example, if the Ebola virus were to spread in the United States, a mandatory quarantine could take place. It would last at least 21 days as that is how long inoculation might take. As the virus outbreak continues to expand globally, households must get ready.
This summer, television viewers were reintroduced to their favorite ex-CTU, now rogue agent, Jack Bauer, the troubled protagonist of 24. This time Jack Bauer was in London, saving the world from drone attacks and perhaps a few old enemies from seasons’ past. If the ratings are any indication, we haven’t tired of Jack Bauer in the slightest.
The reason for this may rest in our own fears and distrust of those who are supposed to be protecting us. In the world of 24, Jack Bauer’s is often hindered by diplomatic ties, cumbersome bureaucratic rules, and turncoats within his own ranks. He is often forced to act alone or go against the status quo to save the day.
The very fact of the matter is that there are dangers and threats out there that can affect our daily lives. We have seen countless natural disasters, like Sandy on the East Coast, wildfires and drought in the West, and tornadoes in the Midwest. These disasters made some people homeless, others jobless and all affected in some way
We have also seen an economic downturn this century, which caused many to lose work. Some saw their 401K and savings become depleted, and many others were forced to scale back and focus on the bare necessities. Our economy is far from fully recovered and remains a major fear most Americans share.
And terrorism is always a threat as well. 24 premiered two months after 9/11, and although we haven’t seen a terroristic attack to that degree on our soil, the threat is always there as individuals and groups seek to destroy our way of life.
Given these factors, it makes sense that Jack Bauer is still a popular part of popular culture. Although Jack Bauer is not real, many of his principles are. Jack will stop at nothing to ensure that those who he cares for are taken care of and protected against any possible threats. He is always prepared and is proactive rather than being reactive. He depends on no one, but, rather, focuses on his own actions to get the job done.
You have the opportunity to be like Jack Bauer in a sense by preparing for any of these possible threats, which could affect your way of life. We encourage you to check out our wide selection of emergency survival equipment, food storage plans, and more, so you’re ready in the event that a disaster was to occur.
While 24 may be winding down, the possibility of these threats is far from over. Stay ready with the help of Food Insurance.
One of the United States’ monikers might be the “Land of the Free,” but you wouldn’t know this if you read the latest Gallup poll. Pollsters asked people in more than 120 countries whether or not they were satisfied with the amount of freedom they had in their lives. The end result was quite shocking if you’ve been led to believe that America is the freest country in the world.
As reported on July 1st, the numbers indicate that Americans feel that there’s a lot left to be desired. In just seven short years, the number of Americans who reported that they were satisfied with their freedom dropped 12%, from 91% to 79%. Consequently, the number of Americans who reported that they were completely dissatisfied with their freedom rose from a small 9% up to 21%.
This put the United States all of the way down to number 36 in the list of the countries with the highest levels of satisfaction with freedom in 2013. New Zealand topped this list, followed by Australia, Cambodia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates. The United States failed to make the top quarter percentile as it had done previously.
The drop also put the United States in the top ten for the largest decline in confidence since the last poll was taken in 2006. While many of the other countries in this auspicious grouping have experienced major economic collapses to cause the rift in confidence, responses indicate that Americans’ attitudes towards the economy are improving. Therefore, something else must be at play here…
In another poll released a day before, Americans’ confidence in all three branches of government has reached a 6-year low. 30% of Americans have faith in the courts, 29% have confidence in the President and only a paltry 7% trust Congress to do their jobs. Our perception that we might not be the “Land of the Free” anymore might directly be attributed to the fact that we don’t have trust in our government.
While it’s impossible to say what the future holds in how we’re governed, it’s clear that self-reliance must be the top on any American’s priority list. Therefore, it’s imperative to prepare and protect your family anyway you can, and this starts with a proper emergency preparedness kit. With confidence waning and our personal liberties at stake, it’s important to have the basics, including a long-term food solution, clean water, and basic tools.
We encourage all of our customers to check out our inventory of emergency preparedness goods and supplies to ensure your safety and protection in the event of a natural disaster, long-term unemployment, terrorism or another economic downturn.
Have you had the opportunity to join our Preparedness Club yet? If not, we would encourage you to do so to take advantage of a wide variety of benefits. We’ll get to those in a second. First, though, we would like to announce the launch of a new contest for those who sign up to become a free member of our Preparedness Club. New registrants will be in the running to receive a free Premium 2-Week Bug-Out Bag valued at $269.99.
The Premium 2-Week Bug-Out Bag is an invaluable resource in the event that you’re in the dark and out of reach from help for a short time. It comes with a two-week, 3 meals per day supply of our delicious food, a cooking tin, a first aid kit, an all-in-one emergency tool, a flashlight/radio combo, waterproof matches, dusk masks, and more. It is the perfect addition for peace of mind in the event of an emergency. You can register for the Preparedness Club here.
Moreover, Preparedness Clubs are entitled to a wide number of different perks. Benefits include
Sounds good? We think so. However, there isn’t much time. The contest will run from 7/7/2014 to 7/21/2014, so we encourage you to register today. Rules about the contest can be found here. Join today and be part of a club that can help you prepare for any emergency that may lie ahead of you and your family.
For several years, we have been encouraging our readers to pay attention to how much they are paying for groceries. As our economy continues to stagnate, and the value of the dollar decreases, more and more Americans are feeling “sticker shock” at the grocery store.
An infographic by @SajKarsan showed up on Twitter this week, and it does a great job at showing just how much food prices have gone up this year.
A special thank you goes out to @SajKarsan for the hard work and research you put into this infographic.
Hurricane season is here and since the short time since it began, there has already been activity in the Eastern Pacific. Almost as quickly as she formed, however, Christina abruptly veered off course and dissipated into a tropical storm, just another media has-been.
In fact, most of the predictions for the season are for a relatively quiet hurricane season; 11 named storms and five hurricanes, two major, are potentially queuing up for 2014. There most likely won’t be a repeat of the 2010 season, which spawned 19 named storms and 12 hurricanes, but it only takes one hurricane making landfall to cause massive devastation. Hurricane Sandy came ashore as a Category 2 storm and caused over $68 billion in damage as she carved a path across the Caribbean Islands before finally walloping New Jersey, New York, and New England.
So, regardless of what the weather models are predicting, if you live near the coast in an area that has seen hurricane activity in the past, you should be prepared for the worst (think Katrina).
Here are several ways you can do that:
When it comes to hurricanes, don’t let the conservative predictions for the 2014 season fool you. One of those named storms could develop into the next Camille. Get ready now; preparation is the key to survival.
These days, more families have a bug out bag than ever before. A bug out bag is an easy-to-carry bag (often a backpack) that contains everything you need to survive for 72 hours. Once, these bags were rare and only the most die-hard survivors had them. Now, many families see it as a prudent and inexpensive safety measure that could pay off big one day.
But once you’ve assembled your bug out bag, does it have to just sit in the closet and wait for Doomsday? Not necessarily. In fact, if you leave it behind when your family goes on trips, there’s a very good chance you won’t have it when you end up needing it. That’s why we suggest making a bug out bag an essential part of every camping trip checklist.
Think about it. Camping is a lot of fun, but it’s also the perfect occasion for something to go wrong—just when you’re farther than ever from sources of help. If your car won’t start, if you get lost hiking, or if severe weather cuts you off from civilization, a bug out bag is the perfect survival tool to get you through those crucial days until you can reach safety. That’s exactly what it was intended to do.
Here are the basics of using a bug out bag effectively as a camping emergency tool:
Having a bug out bag along could be a lifesaver. Do you take your bug out bag camping?
When you’re living off the land, there’s no time for frills. By rule of thumb, all you need to survive is food, water, and shelter.
But what is “shelter”? We know what food and water are – anything you can safely eat and liquid made of 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen – but shelter can be anything. It can be a wooden hut with a thatch roof, a tipi made of sticks, or a hammock made with a tarp and some string.
A survival shelter can be all of these things, but as you can probably imagine, many of these shelters require a huge amount of time or are very impractical (like the tarp hammock).
The three tarp survival shelters outlined below only take minutes to set up and allow you to enjoy the “luxury of practicality.”
For these simple tarp shelters, you only need a tarp, a set of metal stakes, and a length of string (except for the last shelter that requires only a tarp!). It also helps to have an object to drive the stakes in when your foot isn’t enough. This can be a rock, a large stick, or refined tool like a hammer.
The A-frame tarp shelter is a great shelter for people surviving in hot areas. It offers a sufficient source of shade and gives you a place to call “home” in a matter of minutes. Because of its two open sides, it’s not ideal for storms, but it can weather light rain. It has six tie-down points and requires two trees, anywhere from 20-30 feet apart depending on the length of your tarp.
To set up the A-frame tarp shelter, follow these instructions:
1. Tie a length of rope to opposite center sections of your tarp (on 2 of 4 sides).
2. Tie one end to the closest tree, then tie the other end to the other tree – tightly.
3. Stake down the corners of your tarp and make taut.
Depending on your needs, you can either make your tent taller or longer. If you tie the longer sections of the tarp to the trees, your shelter will be taller; and if you tie shorter sections to the trees, you shelter will be longer.
If you’re in an area that’s prone to frequent rain storms, the wedge tarp shelter is a better option than the A-frame tarp shelter. Unlike the A-frame, it only has one open side, which makes keeping rain out easier. During a storm, rain will come in the open end, but you can position the open side in the direction of the wind to decrease your rain exposure.
To set up the wedge tarp shelter, follow these instructions:
1. Spread your tarp out on the ground about 5 feet away from a tree, making sure the tree aligns with the tarp’s center loop.
2. Stake down the two corners of the tarp farthest away from the tree.
3. Tie a string through the center loop closest to the tree.
4. Pull the opposite end of string upward in a diagonal fashion and tie to the tree, preferably above a branch for added stability.
Stake down the two corners closest to the tree.
You can also station a tall stick behind the center loop to create a rain flap at the head of your shelter.
This is the most basic tarp shelter, and it’s great for all kinds of weather conditions. While it’s not ideal for people with claustrophobia, it’s perfect for the survivalist who is on the go and needs to set up a shelter fast – 30 seconds-fast.
To set up the tarp burrito shelter:
1. Spread your tarp out flat and fold one end into a third.
2. Take that same end and fold again so that you’re left with a 3-layer-thick tarp.
3. Tuck one end of the tarp under itself and leave the opposite end open.
From the open end, you can slide your sleeping bag inside the tarp and any other gear for survival that will fit.
Summer is great for vacationing, lounging on the beach, swimming, and jogging outside. But it’s also a great season for something else that not many people think of – preparing for disaster.
Summer and disaster. The two words don’t go together so well. In fact, they seem like complete opposites. But this is exactly what makes summer prepping so attractive. Due to the lack of harsh, cold weather and the blooming environment, summer is great for entry-level “disaster trainers.” Warm-weather preparedness activities can be really fun, too. Almost like camping.
But how do you prepare for disaster? Where do you go and what do you need? Continue reading “Prepare for Disaster with This Fun Summer Activity”
Who would have thought something that was made to help soldiers jump out of a perfectly good airplane could be used for so many things that could help you survive in a pinch. Paracord can help you keep your pants up and protect your food from hungry bears, paracord should be part of any emergency preparedness plan. We put together this infographic with the help of our good friend Gaye Levy from BackDoorSurvival.com. Gaye did a great job figuring out over 40 ways to use paracord to help you stay prepared for any situation. Feel free to check out her site for more amazing uses for paracord and let us know what you think in the comments.
