Let me ask you a question, doesn’t it seem like there have been more earthquakes this year than in previous years?

While it seems we’ve had more earthquakes this year than in previous years, we haven’t… Well, so far that is…Knock on wood…

As of this writing, in 2019, worldwide, we had 919 earthquakes scoring 5.0 or higher on the Richter scale as compared to 1808 in 2018 and a high of 2481 in 2011….

I believe the reason it seems more is going on is we live in an era of instantaneous communication. A fart in Timbuktu could go viral in 5 minutes these days.

Combined with the fact that two powerful quakes hit the US in a couple of days, many believe it’s our turn to see and feel what the rest of the world goes through.

I believe the twin quakes in California were a blessing. A blessing called Awareness is designed to shake us(pun intended) from our belief that “it” can’t happen here.

“It” can come in the form of blizzards, fast-moving fires, floods, tornadoes, and of course earthquakes.

To help you prepare yourself and your family for an earthquake that could hit just about anywhere in the lower 48 without warning, we’ve pulled together a few of the best earthquake prep articles we could find.

How To Prepare For An Earthquake If You Have A Disability 

Earthquake Safety for Pets

10 Tips for Keeping Children Safe In An Earthquake

Basic Earthquake Preparedness Items And Tips

Are you new to preparing and want a quick and easy way to get started without having to gather a bunch of supplies from all over the place? If so, why not check out our friends as Wise Food Storage?

The folks at Wise have been in the prep business for years and specialize in being the quickest and easiest way to get you, your family, and pets ready for any disaster.

 Click Here to check them out and remember, you’re Just One Step Away From Being Prepared.

September 2015 is National Preparedness Month. Each week has its own theme to prepare your family in the event of a disaster. Part of any emergency preparedness plan should be how to reconnect with your family in the event you’re separated after an incident such as an earthquake, flood, tornado or terrorist attack.

Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes so it is important to plan in advance: how you will get to a safe place; how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations. Read more about Family Communication during an emergency.

Ready.gov has made it simple for you to make a family emergency plan. Download the Family Communication Plan for Parents and Kids (PDF) and fill out the sections before printing it or emailing it to your family and friends

Read The Whole Story(Click Here)

Connect With Your Family With Red Cross Safe and Well Listings

The American Red Cross Safe and Well Listings is an innovative platform that capitalizes on technology to pass on safe and well messages of assurance and comfort to families and friends in case of a disaster.

It helps us to locate friends and family in case of a major incident and acts a way of letting your friends and family know that you are well. You can use the platform, which is available throughout the year and 24 hours a day, in two ways;

If you have been affected by a disaster anywhere in the United States of America, go to the Red Cross Safe and Well Listings website and click on “List Myself as Safe and Well,” enter your pre-disaster address and phone number, and select any of the standard message options.

You can locate your friends and family by accessing the Red Cross Safe and Well Listings and clicking on “Search Registrants’’ where you will enter the person’s name and pre-disaster phone number or address. If they have registered, you will be able to view the messages they have posted.

The platform is available in English and Spanish while it serves to assure loved ones that you are well in case of a disaster and can be used by locals and expatriates living in the United States. Information on this website is accurate as people use their pre-disaster contact information.

However, everyone may not be in the database as some people may be unable to register at a time and may do so when they reach a relief center or some may choose not to register at all. During such moments, it’s advisable to try and call or text your friend and loved one or try to reach them through contact persons such as neighbors, coworkers, consulates and relatives.

The Red Cross Safe and Well Listings should always be considered as an option to let your friends and family know that you are well, when involved in a disaster of any kind.

Facebook Safety Check

Facebook has developed a tool called Safety Check. Safety Check is tool created to help folks let their family and friends know they’re safe after a major incident. This tool not only allows you to tell your people you’re OK, it allows your friends to know you’re alive and well based on your input

Facebook Safety Check was created in 2011 after the Japan earthquake. The developers notice how families and friends were going online to check on their loved ones.

How Facebook Safety Check Works

This tool will activate either based where you told FB you’re from or where FB knows you are (yes, if you have the app on your phone Facebook knows where you are). A one button option will appear allowing you to tell the world you’re safe. Not only will this app allow you to tell your friends you’re safe, it will allow you to know if your friends who are in a disaster zone are OK too. Safety check also allows you tell the app it’s sending off a false alarm and you’re not in the disaster zone.
“Facebook-Are you OK? It looks like you in the area affected by XYZ. Let friends know you’re safe.”

With millions of Facebook users out there, safety check is a handy tool that can immediately let your people know you’re OK(assuming the cell network is up-texting may be quicker) and they can calm down as best they can until they actually hear from you.

Connect With Your Family After A Disaster Resources 

American Red Cross Safe & Well Listings(Click Here)

Facebook Safety Check(Click Here)

Make An Emergency Communication Plan(Click Here)

Cashing In On Disaster

According to a 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Emergency management specialists earn a mean hourly wage of $27.36 per hour or $56,900.00 per year. The same study goes on to say that of the 13,060 folks in this growing field, many earn up to $90,340.00 per year.

“Emergency Management Specialists  coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies, hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations” Source:Bureau of Labor Statistics 

What is Emergency Management?

In a word, it’s all about coping. The emergency management degrees, courses, and certification

Emergency Management Specialist

you’ve taken up are distilled into this one reality—coping with dangers, coping with risks, and coping with consequences. If you’ve undergone training through enrolling in an emergency management course, you’ll realize that coping is a highly nuanced reality—it encompasses both the proactive and reactive phases of this interdisciplinary field. In the proactive phase of emergency management, there’s mitigation and preparedness—reducing the damage. In the reactive phase, there’s response and recovery—repairing the damage.

 Emergency Management Defined

If you’ve ever reviewed for an emergency management certificate, you know that this field is involved in the protection of a group of people or communities from the aftermath of disasters, wars, and acts of violence and terrorism. To achieve this end, emergency management brings together expertise from many disciplines—law enforcement, military, scientific research, environmental science, governance, and so on.

For layman, they may understand emergency management as the basic search and rescue activity that comes after a disaster like the Japanese tsunami or the terror bombing in Bali. To the one who has obtained an emergency management certification, however, it’s a little more involved and complicated than that.

In emergency management, managers try to predict disasters by taking into account all kinds of hazards, threats, and risks arising from all quarters—people, environment, climate, etc.—that a particular community or group is vulnerable to and then putting in place mechanisms to address these threats.

The Four Phases of Emergency Management

Broken down into its minutiae, emergency management has four phases—something you’ll probably learn on the first day of your emergency management course: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

 The proactive phases are the following:

1. Mitigation. Basically, mitigation is focused on knowing what and where the risks and hazards are and avoiding them as much as possible. You can reduce the consequences of disaster by establishing structural (firming up buildings, dams, homes, and other edifices) and non-structural measures (involve knowing how to prevent brushfires or constructing homes away from known sinkholes areas).
2. Preparedness. It’s all about being ready to deal with and manage a disaster or calamity while it’s happening. It’s about having the procedures and equipment in place, ready to respond the instant a catastrophe occurs. Rehearsing fire drills, and identifying evacuation centers and hurricane kits are just a small part of being prepared.

The reactive processes are the following:

1. Response. Search and rescue efforts figure largely during or in the aftermath of a disaster (floods, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, etc.). There are other responses as well—providing basic human needs, medical assistance, and so on. The first responders are always the local authorities but depending on the scope of the calamity, national or international groups may come in to provide disaster relief and assistance.
2. Recovery. This phase of emergency management takes place once the risk to life and limb has passed. Emergency managers shift to reconstruction of the disaster area—clean up, repair, and relocation.

If you’re interested in becoming an emergency manager, public and private educational institutions are now offering emergency management courses to educate you in the many aspects of this modern field. A search online for “emergency management certification” or “emergency management degrees” will bring you to resources that might help.

Memorial Day(May 26th, 2014), marks the unofficial start of summer. Spring leagues have ended, It’s time to start thinking about summer little leagues or junior sports leagues. No more nice cool spring temps, were talking about days where heat indices in the 90’s or 100’s are the norm

These are the days where I’ve seriously considered cutting deals with the man upstairs if he would simply allow the cloud that just blocked the sun to sit there for another few innings knowing that in a few months, I’ll be asking for heat as I’m digging out from the latest snow storm.

With the heat in mind, The Lazy Bear would share some of his summer sport league prepping essentials proving survival is more than eating beans in a bunker, capping zombies, or building the ultimate road machine with the hope of staying one step ahead of homicidal road gangs hoping to steal your gas

 Water/Hydration

First on the list of essentials are hydration choices. A kid running around in the hot sun needs all the water he or she can get. Mom and dad on the sidelines need to drink as well. There’s nothing sadder(or funnier if said daddy just happens to be the other team’s douche bag coach) than to see an unprepared daddy lying on the field after passing out.

My first hydration choice would be the ever-present water bottle. I’m not the greenest person on the planet lord knows but I’m also not the most polluting one as well. I don’t believe in wasting city dump space on little plastic water bottles.

1-CamelBak®BPA-Free Better Bottle with Bite Valve

I love the CamelBak®BPA-Free Better Bottle with Bite Valve. This is a no-fuss or muss water bottle that holds up to 24 ounces of cool refreshing H2O. Just flip, bite and drink and you’re ready for the next inning. For the mom or dad cast in the role of coach, referee, or umpire, with duties that include running up and down the field with the herd of kids, my hydration pick is the 

2-Camelback® HydroBak Pak

The Hydro holds a whopping 50 Ounces of thirst-quenching goodness. This sporty-looking pack doesn’t feature a militaristic look you would expect from CamelBak.  You can sneak a drink with this nifty pack while keeping up with the kids and not missing a play.

First Aid

First aid is the next most important item to have on or near the field of play. I’m not suggesting an IFAK(Improved First Aid Kit for little Jimmy (it couldn’t hurt to have one around, I do), I’m suggesting some basic first aid gear to treat minor boo boo’s and ouches that come when you have kids out being kids.

3- Johnson and Johnson Safe Travels 

This first aid kit steps up to the plate and fills the role of a boo-boo kit. This great kit weighs in just less than 13 ounces and doesn’t take up a lot of space. I would supplement my soccer field kit with items such as an EpiPen (assuming your child may need one), and Benadryl instant cold packs.

Nose Bleed 

4- Celox Nosebleed

For the nose bleed crowd, I carry  Celox Nosebleed dressings (QuickClot also has a similar product) to stop a nose bleed fast. While we’re on the subject of Celox, a couple of 2gram packets of Celox couldn’t hurt just in case you find yourself treating a larger bleeding type injury.

General Stuff For The Field

Other essential little league survival essentials include:

5-A good hat
6-Bug repellent
7-Folding Chairs
8-Sun screen
9-Sun glasses

A Great Bag To Carry It In

10-Maxpedition Jumbo EDC Versicpack

Armed with a basic list of essentials, we’re left with one question, what will I tote this gear in? I tote my little league survival gear in a Maxpedition Jumbo EDC. Versipack Versipack sling bag.

The Jumbo EDC is a cool version of a man purse(I once saw a dude using this bag as a bitchin’ diaper bag)that bag fills the role of little league survival gear toter. Rugged, well built, and easy to clean this bag will not let you down. The Maxpedition Jumbo EDC features:

Overall size

• Approx. 13″(L) x 11″(H) x 5.5″(W)
• Main compartment approx. 9″(L) x 8″(H) x 3″(W)

Exterior Front

• 10″(L) x 8″(H) enclosure flap
• 2″ quick release enclosure buckle
• One (1) 6.5″(L) x 2″(H) loop field for patches
• One (1) 6″(L) x 5.75″(H) zippered pocket
• One (1) 6″(L) x 5.5″(H) slip pocket
• One (1) 7″(L) x 7.5″(H) x 1.5″(W) zippered pocket
• Internal 4-channel elastic organization

Exterior rear

• Breathable padding for comfort
• Exterior left
• One (1) 7.5″(H) x 3″ diameter paracord cinch pouch with base-grommet for 32oz/1L water bottle or radio
• 1″(L) x 5″(H) Hook-&-Loop retention strap
• Exterior right
• One (1) 4″(L) x 7″(H) x 1.5″(W) zippered pouch
• 3 rows of 2-channel PALS webbing

Exterior top

One (1) 7″(L) x 3″(H) x 1″(W) zippered pouch

Exterior bottom

• Drainage grommet
• Main interior front
• One (1) 8″(L) x 6″(W) slip pocket
• Main interior rear
• One (1) 8″(L) x 6″(W) slip pocket

Straps

Fixed shoulder strap made from 2″ webbing with 2 non-slip shoulder pad, 2″ quick release buckle and D-Ring attachment point

Removable waist strap

Additional storage

9″(L) x 10″(L) concealed zippered compartment with internal 7″(L) x 8″(H) loop field for CCW

I prefer this bag in black but it is offered in every color of the rainbow (Great for Mom)

I am an affiliate for the Mountain House, Amazon if you buy something I mentioned in the article, I earn a small commission. Please know that I only recommend products that I believe in.   I don’t try to hide the fact I earn money from this blog. My credibility is more important than making a quick buck and putting you in harm’s way. For More Information Check Out My Ethics & Privacy Page

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 “Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.”

― Gen. George S. Patton

What’s In Your Bug Out Bag?

The contents of a BOB can range from very basic supplies to the most complex stuff you can think of  based on the person who plans to carry this bag. What works for the Lazy Bear may not work for you. My bag is essentially a what would I need if I were forced to flee my New Jersey home in the dead of winter after my town was destroyed by a hostile alien force.

RECOMMENDED: Part 1- Build A Bug Out Bag You Can Live With

 The Bag-As you may have noticed, there are more “tactical” back packs out there than you can shake a stick at. My top bug out back pack choices were the Maxpedition Condor II and Rush 72(hour) Back Packs.

Believe it or not, it was a hard choice. I based my choice on a few things, online back pack comments, price and manufacturer. All things being fairly equal, I went with the quality I knew and an awesome YouTube video from one of my favorite preppers.

 My choice for my BOB was the Maxpedition Condor II. For the most part I followed Sootch’s suggestions but added a few items I felt were of more importance to me.

Trick That Bag

In order to get more utility out of my Condor, I decided to add a few more components such as:

• 1-Maxpedition Anemone Utility Pouch (great for small stuff that you may need to get at often)
• 1-Maxpedition F.I.G.H.T. Pouch (I carry my trauma based IFAK stuff in this)
• 1-Maxpedition FR-1 Medical Pouch (I use this for minor first aid, energy gels and other gear as noted in the video)
• 1-Maxpedition 10” X 4” Bottle Holder (will hold a 32oz water bottle and great place to carry water purification tabs)

 Water– As mentioned earlier, water is the most important consideration in a survival situation. Run out of H20 and you’re a goner. It’s not enough to have access to water, you have to have a means to clean it, carry it and finally drink it without getting sick.

In addition to the half dozen emergency water pouches I already have in my bag, my water strategy also includes:

• 1-32oz Nalgene Water Bottle
• 1-Berkey Sport Filter Bottle
• 1-Camel Bak Antidote 50oz bladder
• 2-Bottles Potable Aqua water purification tabs
• 3-Seychelles Pure Water Straws (1 on my key chain, 1 in my Anemone Utility Pouch, 1 in my FR-1 Pouch)
• 1-Stansport 2 Gallon Water Bag

I’m sure some of you are thinking all this water related gear is overkill but when it comes to water, a movie quote comes to mind, “overkill is underrated.”

Food-The Lazy Bear is a big guy and loves to eat. After walking all day I’m really going to love to eat. Burning off calories is a good thing when you’re on a diet, it sucks when you’re in the middle of SHTF situation.

The body needs fuel, I plan to fuel mine by packing:

• 1 Package- SOS or Datrex Food Ration Bars-While these babies don’t taste very good (coconut graham crackers) they come in handy when you’re hungry.
• 5 or 6-Cliff Shot or GU Roctane Energy Gels-These little gel packets are great when you feel the bonk[LINK TO A BONK SITE] coming on and are a great source of quick energy.
• 1 or 2 Mountain House Beef Stew Pro-Paks-While these freeze dried food packs require boiling water, nothing goes down better than some hot beef stew after you find yourself in hiding from that hostile alien force.
• 5 Packages-Chuckles Candy. This sounds like non-essential dead weight but believe me, when things are going bad left and right and you find yourself in a tough spot, nothing can make you feel better than a non-essential comfort item such as candy.

Shelter-Your walk to safety and your family could only last a few hours, it could last a few days. Shelter is an important component you don’t want to skimp on. My primary shelter component is the British Individual Protection Kit I carry in the straps beneath my pack..

An IPK is a 2 pound kit that comes with:

• 5X9 OD tarp
• 6- 10 inch aluminum tent stakes
• 55’ of paracord.

As with anything in any type of survival pack two of anything beat one of anything. To back up the IPK, I also carry:

• 1-Emergency Tube Tent
• 1-Adventure Medical Heat Sheet Survival Blanket
• 4-Mylar Thermal Blankets. Why so many? Why not? You never know when the extras can come in handy or you can help your fellow man out in a pinch and share.

First Aid-All sorts of things are just waiting to jump up and get you during a SHTF situation. Some more easily treated than others. A good basic first aid kit is something you don’t want to leave home without.

A kit acceptable to most preppers should at the very least include items recommended by the Red Cross such as:

• 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
• 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
• 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
• 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
• 5 antiseptic wipe packets
• 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
• 1 blanket (space blanket)
• 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
• 1 instant cold compress
• 2 pair of non latex gloves (size: large)
• 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
• Scissors
• 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
• 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
• Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
• 2 triangular bandages
• Tweezers
• First aid instruction booklet

These items by themselves make a nice BOB first aid kit. Personally, I take first aid way past the next level by carrying my personal trauma based IFAK great for self aid, buddy aid or helping a guy you come across(check back later for my IFAK contents).

Communications– Communications in a disaster are a must. My IPhone5 is of course part of my communication plan. However during a major incident, cell phones may become a bit unreliable or I may find coverage to be lacking on during my long walk.

 In order to stay in touch with my cadre or find out what’s going on out there, I have packed:

1-Motorola MT350R two way radio, the other radio will be with whomever it is I want to speak with.

1-Sony ICF-S10MK2 pocket radio reminiscent of the old school transistor radios. A great low cost item for listening in on official broadcasts and announcements.

My communication gear runs on batteries so I have packed plenty of them away in my pack.

 A Good Compass Or Two- If you’re forced off the road and must do an overland hike through the woods, a good compass could come in handy and mean the difference between getting where you’re going or missing it by miles.

I’m sure some of you modern preppers can believe you can rely on GPS to get you where you need to be. Sure there’s are GPS and compass apps on your phone but what if THEY turned off the GPS system.

“December 15th 2004- President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis”

This means in the event of a national crisis, the GPS system could be shut down leaving your butt hanging in the navigational wind. Get a good compass and relearn all that good land navigation stuff you’ve forgotten from your old Boy Scout or military basic days.

 There you have it, toss in a couple of flash lights, a good knife, a multi-tool (I carry mine in that Anemone pouch) and you have a nice basic Bug Out Bag just waiting for your personal touch.

While I use Sci-Fi, alien or monster invasions as a reason to put together a Bug Out Bag, these fictional events could be compared to real life scenarios such as an approaching super storm, a train derailment that leads to a chemical spill and mandatory evacuations.

Disasters that force us from our homes can come out of nowhere, we can mitigate our personal losses by having a grab and go solution on hand ready.

In an age of budget deficits and spending cuts. How in the world can a government agency afford something as frivolous and silly as the Zombie Apocalypse campaign? Suddenly the net seems to be full of terms and phrases such as zombie apocalypse, surviving a zombie assault, zombie survival guides, tips, etc.

On Sunday nights, millions of viewers tune in to see the latest episode of The Walking Dead, and millions more borrow, rent or steal classic zombie movies such as Dawn of The Dead.

Where is this talk coming from? Do THEY know something the rest of us don’t know? Is this chatter THEIR way of trying to warn the rest of us in a subtle way that we need to be prepared for an imminent zombie attack?

What Are Zombies?

The original term zombie or zonbi originated in Haiti long ago where it referred to a body that was brought back to life through the use of some kind of magic or a living person exposed to some type of strange drug.  Nowadays, when one thinks of a zombie we think of a ghoulish corpse that rose from the dead through a variety of means which can include some type of radiation and/or a virus.

The modern zombie once a slow-moving creature bent on gorging itself on your flesh or succulent brains, is now a fast-moving unstoppable Juggernaut. They’re frequently observed traveling in  relentless, voracious packs

What Is This Zombie Apocalypse?

The zombie apocalypse in my opinion is a metaphor for an unstoppable, overwhelming event that many of us, Preppers or otherwise feels is fast approaching. Ask 5 people what they think that event could be and you may get 5 different answers such as:

• Economic Collapse
• Electrical Grid Collapse(either through cyber terror, EMP or the sun)
• Mass Casualty Terror Events such as a cyber attack against our infrastructures such as the electrical grid or a nuke strike
• Major Earthquake (e.g. New Madrid  or San Andreas regions)
• Super Storms (Such as hurricanes Katrina or Sandy)
• Your Mother In Law Moving In

The Zombie Apocalypse as presented by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) is a fun novel way to get a message to the public at large. That message is you will not be able to count on any official help from the government after a major incident or disaster.  Rather than show images of a virus such as Ebola, a nuclear blast, or a tornado, they have chosen to use zombies.

There is conspiracy theorist amongst us that believe the government “knows something, after all, they’re buying up bullets at an alarming rate, secret camps are being erected, etc. I here to tell you, right here, right now, the government does know something but it’s no secret.

The government knows sooner or later, a disaster, man-made or natural will go down somewhere in this country. They know you can’t count on help from the man for at least 72 hours. This means for 3 days you and your family will have to go for yourselves. You will have to come up with your own food, water, medical supplies, and possibly your own temporary shelter.

The zombie apocalypse is an initiative designed to get folks to think seriously about disaster or emergency preparedness, floods earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes pandemics or zombie attacks are easier to bear for those who are prepared.

The CDC along with other government agencies along with the American Red Cross suggests the following:

RECOMMENDED: Why You Need A Get Home Bag

Items recommended for emergency kits:

• Medications (7day supply) and medical items
• Multipurpose tool (Swiss army knife)
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items (soap, toilet paper, towel)
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of
• address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Family and emergency contact information
• Manual can opener
• Two-way radio
• Extra set of car keys and house keys
• Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, and bowl)

Supplemental items:

• Whistle
• N95 or surgical masks
• Matches
• Rain gear
• Towels
• Work gloves
• Tools/supplies for securing your home
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
• Plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Household liquid bleach
• Entertainment items

RECOMMENDED : One Dozen Low Cost Must Have Gifts For Preppers

That’s it! This easy, fairly inexpensive kit is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to preparing for the worst. Is the Zombie Apocalypse initiative a waste of money? If teaching kids to read through the use of puppets, rhymes, and songs a waste of money, my answer is no.

If these methods teach just one kid to read who later becomes a productive citizen rather than a young urban warrior, it’s worth it.

If this initiative encourages your neighbor to put a survival kit together, you’ll see where that money went when said neighbor stays in his home after the SHTF, filled with supplies rather than beating on your door and forcing you to share your freeze-dried ice cream with his family.

Get it together and never stop preppin’.