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For most Americans the crisis is over. For the people of Syria, war rages on and the fight for survival continues. According to The Daily Mail, over 120,000 people are without food, water, medicine and essential services in Syria’s capital city of Damascus. Many are starving to death. Humanitarian aid has been slow to come amid complications with Syrian leadership, continued fighting in the country and the sheer size of the population requiring assistance. This is what it looks like when a country’s entire infrastructure is completely destroyed and its safety nets fall apart. People searching for resources as far...

From a reader: What items should a Catholic include in a bug out bag [BOB] besides the usual survival gear?What does a Priest’s bug out bag look like? I would assume supplies to administer the sacraments in an emergency. Good question.  I will confine myself mostly to a priest’s BOB.  That said, every lay person should have a Rosary: ideally one made from paracord, which will not be reflective and will not make noise when moved (tip from a Marine).  Also, one of those tiny, vest-pocket size New Testament and Psalms volumes could be of comfort.  There is a small...

In that short period before s. hit the fan with full force, people usually lost their lives because they did not recognize situation. People were out rioting, stealing, fighting. But all that was still like “moderate”. At that moment people still were “inside” the system, so we all were trying to hide more or less when looting was going on in neighborhood. Police were still arresting people and trying to control things. People were shooting each other yes, but it was not yet like full scale shooting and violence, mostly people were scaring each other with shootings. One of my...

Clear your calendars: Viking apocalypse scheduled for Saturday Thor, Odin, Loki all scheduled to attend epic battle hastening world's end Now's the time to cash out your life insurance policy and have a little fun, because, according to Norse mythology, the world is ending this Saturday. Sorry to be a bummer, but you should know we're about 100 days into an epic battle that will culminate with the earth falling into the sea, NPR explains. On the bright side, at least you'll have an excuse for not going to your nephew's Chuck E. Cheese's party on Sunday. For those whose...

These individuals were able to weather the storm in conditions ranging from basic temporary self-reliance to minor discomfort and inconvenience. They had a source of food, water, and heat. They had a means to defend themselves if necessary. They did not require supplies after the fact. They were also a distinct minority. Others still believed they were prepared . . . until the storm hit. They had generators but no gas. They had extra food but no way to cook it. They had a well but no way to pump the water. Some had fireplaces with no logs or firewood...

A man in Kansas lost all his feet toes after walking for an hour in the snow wearing only dress shoes. As I read the article (link), I wondered how many people could have easily been caught in the same situation. Some people do keep an emergency kit of some sort in their cars. Usually this is some kind of basic car breakdown kit or of bug out bag.

Subfreezing temperatures and a night of rain and sleet on top of Wednesday’s snow promise to keep the Triangle largely shut down through Thursday night and possibly into Friday. The second stage of the storm was setting in even as police and tow trucks tried to clear the vehicles abandoned on the sides of roads and highways Wednesday. Forecasters had predicted the storm for days, prompting Wake County schools to close Wednesday, but the snow seemed to catch thousands off guard, trapping columns of cars on snow-whitened streets and highways.

Every year somewhere in our country tens of thousands of Americans experience an emergency resulting from any number of scenarios that may include natural disasters, economic hardship or other unexpected circumstances. And every year we watch with amazement as those in areas that have been affected by snow storms, hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes lose everything and have no backup plan to deal with the crisis. The thin veneer of our civilization should be apparent to everyone, yet it seems that no one really gets it.

The rise of the modern "prepper" is no accident, with shows like National Geographic Channel's, 'Doomsday Preppers' heralding a larger shift in social awareness. In the wake of storms like Katrina, Irene, and Sandy, even stubborn New Yorkers are realizing that Mother Nature packs a punch, and that most people aren't ready to roll with it. This, combined with rising concerns about economic troubles ans a bumbling government, has caused a flood of newbie preppers to take to the stores, eagerly looking for the security of stored food, water, and medicines. The prospect can be daunting, especially if you're trying...

When winter weather starts to get ugly, it’s times like this that your hour-long commute on the interstate can turn into an unexpected adventure, leaving you stuck in a snowy ditch miles from help. In most cases you can expect to be there for no more than a few hours, says Tony Nester, founder of the Ancient Pathways survival school in Flagstaff, Ariz. and author of the e-book A Vehicle Survival Kit You Can Live With. “Statistically, you’re more likely to encounter small scale episodes where there’s a blizzard, you spin off the road and you’re there for maybe a...

A sense of pessimism pervades on the island. Streets are lined with empty storefronts in San Juan and in smaller cities like Mayagüez; small businesses, hit hard by high electricity, water and tax bills and hurt by drops in sales, have closed and stayed closed. Schools sit shuttered either because of disrepair or because of a dwindling number of students. In this typically convivial capital, communities have erected gates and bars to help thwart carjackers and home invaders. Illegal drugs, including high-level narcotrafficking, are one of the few growth industries. Puerto Rico, about 1,000 miles from Miami, has long been...

Ol' Backwoods just finished a book that I have been avoiding since my teen years, a book, I supposed, so utterly despondent in its outlook, so stolid in its prediction of failure of civilization, that it would cast its pall of darkness over me, without recovery. But I was wrong. Earth Abides (Amazon) Earth Abides by George R. Stewart is one of the most important, one of the more comforting, and one of the more hopeful books I have ever read. Surprised?  Yeah, so am I.  What could an atheist Berkeley professor write that should impress a backwoods Christian engineer...

This is a public service announcement for readers living in Venezuela: you may be running out of food within a month. I know that because I have heard through my clients and business partners that the regime has been holding reunions frantically to try to negotiate, at least with the food sectors, a minimum package so some basic stuff is produced while the regime comes up with some new cockamamie plan. The common feeling from those I spoke to is that the regime has little idea of what to do. The regime spokescreeps, in a wonderful case of military self...

Like I said before, situation can change from good to bad quickly. Especially when people are tired of whats going on. In my country 40% of people have no jobs, widespread corruption, prices are expensive for almost everything. There are now riots in several cities in my region here, spreading all over the country. I have been in riots before, and also been in riots that lead into the full scale war we had, so there are few things that I want to explain you about riots:

1. Invest in a water filter. 2. Build an emergency medical kit. 3. Keep a few hens. 4. Grow some vegetables and/or fruits. 5. Learn to can. 6. Get a stand-alone freezer. 7. Learn to bake bread. 8. Purchase at least one firearm and get comfortable using it. 9. Homeschool your children.

While President Obama and Congressional members have made an effort to convince their constituents that the provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act will never be used against citizens of the United States, the fact is that the laws clearly allow for the detention, arrest and detainment of Americans without charge or trial. The President attempted to assuage these fears of potential abuse of the law by including a signing statement promising he would never use the law against Americans, but the statement itself is non-binding, leaving the possibility of misuse wide open. In the event of a declared national...

We understand that Doomsday predictions are aplenty these days, but given what’s going on around the world right now it may be time to revisit the eerily prescient forecast of an elite insider. Grady Means is a former advisor to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, a former economist at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and has managed multi-billion dollar firms over his career. Back in October of 2012 Means penned a commentary and analysis for the Washington Times in which he noted that “America’s fall will take global economies with it.” But he didn’t stop there. Means gave...

Celente isn’t suggesting that a massive collapse is going to happen in the future. He says we’re already in it – and it’s taking hold right before our eyes across the entirety of the globe:

Advice or a Warning? You be the judge– American media mogul and creator and editor of the Drudge Report, Matt Drudge issued a dire warning this weekend. The influential conservative warned his Twitter followers “Have an exit plan…” Drudge has access to confidential information from numerous sources inside media and politics.STHF Plan reported, via Free Republic: His web site may consist of just a single page, but Matt Drudge is arguably the most influential media personality in the world. Garnering nearly one billion readers monthly, the Drudge Report is able to literally shift public sentiment, making it an essential read...

His web site may consist of just a single page, but Matt Drudge is arguably the most influential media personality in the world. Garnering nearly one billion readers monthly, the Drudge Report is able to literally shift public sentiment, making it an essential read for D.C. insiders, Wall Street professionals, and anyone who wants to stay on top of the latest global issues. If Matt Drudge headlines a story its viral spread to millions of readers in near real-time is guaranteed. With his established connections to critical spheres of influence that include everything from politics and government to finance and...