How to make Fire Starters or Fuel Cells for your Compact Stove.

I have made a video for my YouTube channel on how to make Fuel Cells for your compact stove.  These are good to make for camping or for urban survival situation when your gas might be shut off.

Earthquake Safety - Before, During, After and Recovery

Before:

• Become aware of fire evacuation and earthquake plans for all of the buildings you occupy regularly.
• Pick safe places in each room of your home, workplace and/or school. A safe place could be under a piece of furniture or against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases or tall furniture that could fall on you.
• Practice drop, cover and hold on in each safe place. If you do not have sturdy furniture to hold on to, sit on the floor next to an interior wall and cover your head and neck with your arms.
• Keep a flashlight and sturdy shoes by each person’s bed.
• Make sure your home is securely anchored to its foundation.
• Bolt and brace water heaters and gas appliances to wall studs.
• Bolt bookcases, china cabinets and other tall furniture to wall studs.
• Hang heavy items, such as pictures and mirrors, away from beds, couches and anywhere people sleep or sit.
• Brace overhead light fixtures.
• Install strong latches or bolts on cabinets. Large or heavy items should be closest to the floor.
• Learn how to shut off the gas valves in your home and keep a wrench handy for that purpose.
• Learn about your area’s seismic building standards and land use codes before you begin new construction.
• Keep and maintain an emergency supplies kit in an easy­to­access location.

During:

If you are inside when the shaking starts...

• Drop, cover and hold on. Move as little as possible.
• If you are in bed, stay there, curl up and hold on. Protect your head with a pillow.
• Stay away from windows to avoid being injured by shattered glass.
• Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit. If you must leave the building after the shaking stops, use stairs rather than an elevator in case there are aftershocks, power outages or other damage.
• Be aware that fire alarms and sprinkler systems frequently go off in buildings during an earthquake, even if there is no fire.

If you are outside when the shaking starts...

• Find a clear spot and drop to the ground. Stay there until the shaking stops (away from buildings, power lines, trees, streetlights).
• If you are in a vehicle, pull over to a clear location and stop. Avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines if possible. Stay inside with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Then, drive carefully, avoiding bridges and ramps that may have been damaged.
• If a power line falls on your vehicle, do not get out. Wait for assistance.
• If you are in a mountainous area or near unstable slopes or cliffs, be alert for falling rocks and other debris. Landslides are often triggered by earthquakes.

After:

• After an earthquake, the disaster may continue. Expect and prepare for potential aftershocks, landslides or even a tsunami. Tsunamis are often generated by earthquakes.
• Each time you feel an aftershock, drop, cover and hold on. Aftershocks frequently occur minutes, days, weeks and even months following an earthquake.
• Check yourself for injuries and get first aid, if necessary, before helping injured or trapped persons.
• Put on long pants, a long­sleeved shirt, sturdy shoes and work gloves to protect against injury from broken objects.
• Look quickly for damage in and around your home and get everyone out if your home is unsafe.
• Listen to a portable, battery­operated or hand­crank radio for updated emergency information and instructions.
• Check the telephones in your home or workplace to see if you can get a dial tone. Make brief calls to report life­threatening emergencies.
• Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire is the most common hazard after an earthquake.
• Clean up spilled medications, bleach, gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately.
• Open closet and cabinet doors carefully as contents may have shifted.
• Help people who require special assistance, such as infants, children and the elderly or disabled.
• Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and stay out of damaged areas.
• Keep animals under your direct control.
• Stay out of damaged buildings.
• If you were away from home, return only when authorities say it is safe to do so. Use extreme caution and examine walls, floors, doors, staircases and windows to check for damage.
• Be careful when driving after an earthquake and anticipate traffic light outages.

Recovery:

As you rebuild

•  Install strong latches or bolts on cabinets.
• Place large and heavy objects and breakable items (bottled foods, glass or china) on lower shelves.
• Anchor overhead lighting fixtures to joists.
• Anchor top-heavy and freestanding furniture such as bookcases, china cabinets and other tall furniture to wall studs to keep these from toppling over in an earthquake.
• Secure gas appliances to the floor to prevent them from tipping over in an earthquake.
• Use heavy gauge metal strapping, sometimes called "strap iron" or "plumber's tape," to anchor the water heater to wall studs to keep it from moving or tipping. Find out if there are local building codes that describe the type of metal strapping that may be required in your area.

Ask a professional to

• Install flexible fittings to avoid gas or water leaks. 
• Bolt the frame of the house to the foundation.
• Repair deep cracks in ceilings and foundations and make sure they are not indications of structural damage.
• Provide structural engineering design advice. Ask about home repair and strengthening tips for exterior features, such as porches, decks, sliding glass doors, canopies, carports and garage doors.

Different Survival Logistics

Many people who know me have heard me talk about the logistics of survival plans. When you look at all the types of items you need to survive it may seem a bit overwhelming. I hope to break down some of the logistics in order to give you a simplified view on what to prepare for.

First you need to be prepared for Initial Response. Initial Response is your first response to a situation. The situation might be big or small, from major earthquake to small power outages. You might be in this situation for a short amount of time. If it continues for more than a day you will need to be prepared for that. Simple things for your first response are first aid, water, some food, candles, and other minor items.

If your crisis situation is more than one day you will need to move on to the next step. This is your time to locate all the canned food, maybe tap into your water heater for water rations. Get gas for your generator, collect fire wood to heat your home. If gas stations are closed, which they probably will be, you will need to siphon gas from one of your vehicles. I would choose the less fuel efficient car, because it probably has a larger tank and in an emergency evacuation you want to conserve your gas by using a more fuel efficient car to evacuate the city. Next if you have small children gather them and play board games to keep their spirits up. Another tip is, don't use your generator to power your whole house. It is not appropriate to power your whole house, and will use too much fuel. Use the power for important things like your refrigerator, radio, and other essential items. You might be in this situation longer than you may expect and if you are, you may want to conserver your resources. If this situation lasts more that 3-4 days it’s time to move on to your long term survival plan.

I believe being prepared for your long term survival is the most important one of all. This is the time that you need to conserve every resource you have. Now is the time to turn off your generator. If your power isn’t back on yet it may be a while until it is. Government aid might be on its way, but if we look at the past natural disasters we know that even though the government aid is on its way it may be a long time before they get to you. If it is possible for you to leave your city now is the time. Most people who were not prepared are now driven by desperation and are starting to loot. Disorder and chaos usually starts after the 4 day period. If you can get far from it, do it. You should have food storage like grains, flower, pastas like macaroni and cheese, water rations and so on. If you decided to evacuate your home, make sure you have shelter like a tent and camping gear. You might not be able to find a hotel that has vacancy. Were you decided to go it up to you however I would recommend you be far from any city. Criminals love to take advantage of crisis situations. You will want to listen to your radio and talk to others on your CB radio to find out when it might be safe to go home.

The most important thing I can tell you is this... Your survival depends on you. Not your government. As we have seen in the past, many people die before they get government aid.

Items needed for each stage differs upon were your live. But the stages of survival are true were ever you are.

Dear Dr. Hootan Roozrokh

To Dr Hootan Roozrokh,

I am truly sorry that this world has been so mean.  You did not deserve those horrible things.  I'm so mad that you were judged by everyone.  It just shows me how shallow and simple minded everyone can be.  I am so ashamed of the American people and of everyone who used the internet to slander you.  In a split second you can save a life and in one second your life was destroyed.

I feel it is my duty as a human being to say, I am sorry.

Sacrificing the Old

Let’s imagine a scenario for a minute. The world has changed. The society as we know it has collapsed and there is no longer any government. It's been this way for a long time. It’s been ten years or more since you've laid eyes on the light of a TV, or heard anyone on a telephone. Most people who could not survive the change have died. The ones who could, slowly found others like them and have built community somewhere in the wilderness. You have a system for things, and order around your community. Some people hunt for food, others grow and harvest viable food and clothing material. Every single person has found a way to contribute to the greater good of the community. Each and every person has to carry their weight and do his or her job everyday in order to keep the community alive.

Have I painted a good enough picture for you?

What do you do with the elderly? Not the ones who are wise and can still contribute an intellectual view to the community. But the ones that are too old to work or even walk. They can’t remember who you are or who they are. Every day the hunters go out to hunt and the gatherers plow, grow and harvest food. Is it fair that a person who could not do anything for the community eat that food?

Now let’s back up for a second. In today’s society there still is a place for the elderly. In fact they may not work, walk, or even remember your name but that okay. Their money, or families’ money might be paying for their care. That money goes into the pockets of the caregivers and so the world turns. We also have the resources and technology to take care of the old. Today we can give just a little in order to keep our elderly alive so have we may still enjoy them in our lives. We should give ourselves a hand for being able to do that.

But in this imaginary society, the elderly will end up being like or dogs getting the scraps that we did not eat and if there aren't any they will starve. If they starve they will die, and starving the elderly will be a form of clear-conscience-sacrifice.

Haiti Earthquakes and Calirfornia Quakes.

Do not think for a minute that what is happening in Haiti cannot happen were you live.

If you completely live in the dark let me update you. Haiti was flattened by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake and over 50,000 people died. More are dying every day because their wounds are not being treated.

Here in the bay area we have been hit with more than a dozen earthquakes over a week ago. Also a bit north in Humboldt County they were just rocked with a 6.5 earthquake. Shortly after the quake, hardware and grocery store were slammed with people trying to get supplies. But because of gas leaks, power outages, and structural damage customers were not allowed into the stores. DUH!

Do you want to know the difference between The Haiti Earthquake, and California Earthquakes? California has earthquakes all the time, but Californians are still not prepared! My god people!

I do feel sorry for the people in Haiti right now, but I am truly ashamed of you Californians. Get it together and get prepared. Honestly it doesn’t take very much to be prepared. Being aware of your surroundings is the first step. Having a few things ready is the second. These simple things will prevent panic. Even though you might act calm, going down to the hardware store to buy up everything you can shows that you’re panicking.

Here are some simple tips so you don’t end up dead.

Have an earthquake survival kit on hand.
All family members should know how to turn off gas, water, and electricity.
Plan family emergency procedures, and make plans for reuniting your family.
Know emergency telephone numbers (doctor, hospital, police, 911, etc)
Anchor heavy objects to walls (bookcases, wall units, mirrors, cabinets, etc.)
Never place heavy objects over beds, and keep heavy objects lower than head height of shortest member of family.

DURING AN EARTHQUAKE STAY CALM
Inside, stand in doorway, or crouch under a desk or table, well away from windows or glass dividers.
Outside, stand away from buildings, trees, telephones and electrical lines.
On the road, drive away from underpasses and overpasses; stop in safe area; stay in vehicle.

AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
Check for injuries-provide first aid.
Check for safety-check for gas, water, sewage breaks; check for downed power lines and shorts; turn off appropriate utilities.
Check for building damage and potential problems during aftershocks.
Clean up dangerous spills.
Wear shoes
Turn on the radio and listen for instructions from public safety agencies.
Use telephone for emergencies, only.

And finally dont leave your family to run down to the store. There might be roits about to go down!

Dogs are Tools for Survival.

Your dog is a companion and a tool. You don’t buy hammer to chop wood do you? There are two major problems with people and their dogs. 1. They get the wrong dog for what they want out of it. 2. They don’t know how to train their dog to be obedient. What I hate are people who train their dog NOT to bark or bite. Here is an idea, train your dog WHEN to bark or bite.

My dogs barks at the door, but when I call them off they relax. If I can yell at the internet this is what I would scream. IT'S A DOG, THAT’S HOW I WANT MY DOG TO BE. The key is obedience. I want my dog to bark at noises it hears, and bite any intruders. But I want it to obey when I command it. That’s why my dogs are tools.

Imagine for a moment a riot has broken out in your city. I’m going to get my guns loaded and my dogs perked up. I will be sitting in my chair watching the riot on TV with my shotgun in hand and my dog by my side. Because I am a survivalist, I am prepared to survive a riot. If someone comes to break into my house I will be the only one left surviving.

At Cesar Millan's compound I can hop the fence and mark my territory all over his lawn and not one of those dogs will do their job. That is sad.

Let me conclude with this. If you ever had to put down a dog because it bit an innocent person, it’s only your fault. But if I’m being attacked, I want to know that I have a trusty tool at my side ready to fight for my life.