Finally moved to new internet provider

The Prepare or Die page has finally been moved to my new internet provider www.prepareordie.com Prepare or Die

Books and other sources

Non-fiction
It's a Disaster! ...And What Are YOU Gonna Do About It? by Bill Liebsch, Janet Liebsch
Wilderness Medicine, by William W. Forgey (a similar but slightly less relevant online book is Where there is no doctor (ignore the socialist ramblings))
Basic Essentials Camping, by Cliff Jacobson (He has other good books too)
U.S Army Survival (Costco was selling this for $10)
SAS Survival Handbook, by John Wiseman
The Essential Wilderness Navigator
Survival Simulator
Survival: The Last Laugh by Ron Hood (first 5 chapters online)
Backwoods Home Magazine
The Encyclopedia of Country Living
Homesteading
Make Your Own Groceries
How to Survive Library
The Merck Manual of Medical Information
Physicians' Desk Reference
Tactical Pistol Marksmanship by Gabriel Suarez (He has some legal problems but this is a great first book for shooting)
Survival Notes, Melbo
Fiction
Some of these are a bit far fetched and depressing (worst case) and mainly about TEOTWAWKI (sing “The End of The World as We Know It, and I feel fine" ) (they are fiction) but still give some good food for thought.

The Edge
Cast Away
Lights Out
Patriots by James Wesley Rawles

First Steps

1. Buy some unscented bleach and start storing water.
2. Start accumulating food and other supplies. Initially, just buy more of the food that you already buy that stores well. Re-pack as necessary. Get some food grade buckets or plastic crates and find a cool dark place.
3. Start reading more about the risks that you face personally and ways to deal with them. What is your plan to deal with each?
4. Organize your stuff into personal mini kits, personal fanny packs (or vests), one or more 72 hour kits for each person for each location they spend time, a car kit, a bug out kit, and your house stash.
5. Practice. This doesn’t have to be a military style exercise. Try camping and living without power and running water (in your backyard to start with). Load your car with what you think you would want to take if you had to evacuate. How long did it take? Did it all fit? Try driving back roads to get out of town. Go hiking with your 72 hour kit.
6. Periodically take an inventory and revise your plans.

Security

Protecting yourself from criminals is as natural as buying a fire extinguisher to put out fires (but more expensive). Get fences, dead bolts, and lock your windows at night but if someone really wants to get in your home they will. Police take 11 minutes or more to respond to violent crimes 40 percent of the time (sometimes hours), under normal conditions. A lot can happen in 11 minutes and you are going to wait a lot longer in a crisis. When someone is kicking in your door, it is too late to go buy a gun. You are on your own. Relying on the kindness of someone breaking into your home is not a good bet.

If you are a gun person, pick your own gun. This advice if for those who don’t own a gun or don’t shoot. I suggest a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun for every adult (check you local gun laws). If I had to only have one gun it would be a shotgun because of their versatility. A 20 gauge shotgun is more than enough for most purposes including home defense and has less recoil than a 12 gauge. The Remington 870 is a great choice but many people also like Mossberg. Take a class on using the shotgun for home defense. For home defense ammo, I use bird shot. This will not penetrate and stop a criminal as fast as buck shot but is also less likely to go through a wall and hurt an innocent person. Make your own decision here based on who is in adjoining rooms and how close the neighbors are. You can always load bird shot as the first few shells followed by buck shot (keep about 200 rounds on hand because it will be hard to buy in a crisis). The only options I recommend are hearing protection, glasses, a cleaning kit, a sling (guns with slings don’t get set down in bad places as much) and maybe a light or night sights. I think the factory stocks are fine.

Next on my list would be a .22. The Ruger Single Six is a nice revolver that is convertible to either 22 LR or 22 magnum (This might be a better choice as the only gun for some people). Also get a holster for it. Savage and CZ make bolt action rifles that are great bargains. A .22 is a little small for home defense (it is less likely to stop a criminal in his tracks) but a lot better than nothing. It is also important to be comfortable with your gun and a .22 is fun to shoot so you are more likely to practice (.22 ammo is very cheap and you can get 1,000 rounds for about $20). As soon as you are comfortable with the .22 and your budget allows, you should probably upgrade to a larger common caliber (.357 for a revolver, 9mm, .40 or .45 for an automatic pistol, 12 gauge for a shotgun, and .223, .308, 7.62x39, .30-30, or .30-06 for rifles). Get a concealed weapon permit if your state allows them even if you don’t plan on using it (carrying a gun). Again, these take some time to get so you have to get one before you need it even if you think that will be never. Also, the required classes are really great and focus mainly on when not to use a gun. Almost any gun range will offer such a class (and many others that are worth it too). In general, buying a used gun is fine (simple guns are very durable) but for the guns I recommend here, the premium for a new gun (gun store or some sporting good stores) will probably be less than $100 and probably worth it to avoid any mechanical issues to start with.

Learn the gun safety rules and locking up any guns not on your body is a good idea and a necessity if you have kids (or adults who act like kids) in your home. For pistols you can get a cheap keyed safe for about $20 (also good for documents). Then you have to hide the key where you can find it quickly but no one else can. A combination safe is better but a lot more expensive (practice opening it in the dark). For long guns you can get a locking cabinet for about $100 (some cases have a good lock and that is a good idea for taking with you in the car), put a lock on a closet, or get a real safe for about $1,000. Trigger locks are generally a bad idea because you can accidentally pull the trigger when getting them on or off.

If you decide against a gun, at least get pepper spray, a baseball bat, or a flashlight. A self-defense class would be good too (martial arts classes are good but take a long time to become practical). A bullet proof vest and helmet would be good but neither is inexpensive. Finally, there is safety in numbers. Staying with family and friends during a crisis is a good idea if resources and space allow.

First Aide Kits

Take a first aide class and more training if you can. For supplies, the place to start is with a pre-made small portable first aide kit and a larger home or car first aide kit. These are usually $10 to $20 on sale (but can be $100’s if you want). You can add items from your medicine cabinet and replace things like the cheap scissors that usually come with them. However, these usually are not good for much more than minor cuts and scrapes (going to a hospital/doctor may not be an option or may take a while—so do your best until you can get to one). For more serious injuries you probably have to make your own kit. The best book is Wilderness Medicine, by William W. Forgey. His suggested kit in the back of the book is great (I learned the hard way I needed some of the items that he recommends and figure the other items are ones I may need in the future). Amazon and Moore Medical have most of the items if you can’t find them locally. For the house or car first aide kit, I suggest a hard sided box like a tool box. Dental care is also important. A toothache is really distracting. A little dental kit like this could make you a lot more comfortable until you can see a dentist.

Other kits
Make other kits as you see fit. I have a kit that is mainly in case of terrorist attack (I live and work too close to a likely target). I have Jane’s Chem-Bio Handbook and what to do if a nuclear attack in imminent as well as Potassium Iodide (seven days), plastic sheeting, duct tape, tyvek clothes coverings, and a face mask (this is not as good as a gas mask but its what I have). You can spread this to your other kits if you want.

Bug out kit (extra large)

This is stuff that is too heavy to carry in your 72 hour kit but something you can throw in your car (in addition to what is already there) quickly if you need to evacuate. You might be able to take it in a garden cart if you can’t drive but travel by roads is still safe. Here is an example to help you make your own kit (or here). Pack it in crates or duffle bags. Here are some suggestions (what fits in your car will vary):

More survival books or books on camping/country/simple living
5 gallon water cans (full)
Food (cans and other heavy bulky items)
Cooler (grab some ice and any travel friendly fresh items that are still good like cheese, peanut butter, apples, lemons, and bread)
Large first aide kit
Dutch oven
Stove and fuel or barbeque, Kelly Kettle
Lantern (petromax is good but expensive)
Unscented bleach
Tent and large tarps, rugs
Blanket and pillows (sleeping pad, hammock, or cot)
Paper plates, utensils and cups
Paper towels and wipes
Foil
Solar shower
Bucket toilet (you can store garbage bags, toilet paper, wipes, and soap inside the bucket)
Many garbage bags
Laundry soap
Clothes pins
Soap and shampoo
Ant traps and insecticides
Fishing gear
Radio and batteries
Several extra fuel cans (enough to get to your destination without refueling)
Propane heater with fuel
Generator
Small safe for guns and documents
Bikes (on rack and with pump and tire repair kit)
Frisbee or other games

Car kit

Keep this in the car if possible. I used to keep a lot of this in my car but since some of it was stolen, I keep most of it in the house and load it up for longer trips. I have something similar to the personal fanny pack that I keep hidden in the jack compartment.

72 hour kit
Flashlight and batteries
Fire extinguisher
Jumper cables
Seat belt cutter and window breaker (keep within reach)
Water (bottles can go under the seats)
Matches
Gloves
Tarps
Garbage bags
Wipes
Maps
Driving compass
Rope and/or tow strap and bungee cords
First aide kit (any medications)
Siphon hose for water or gas (do not drink gas)
Window washer/scraper
Crowbar and other tools (hammer, saw, wrenches, duct tape, fuses, belts, and screws)
Ax, bucket and shovel (this is required in some forests)
Engine oil
Gas can (keep it empty and unused unless you have a place for it on the outside of your car or truck)