It’s Official, It’s Hurricane Season

Hurricane wreckage

Well Hurricane Season is here again!! It officially began on June 1st. The season runs from June 1st through November 30th. This in no way means that one can’t happen in May or November. Since the frequency of tropical development in June normally does show a small increase, June 1st is the  official starting point.

There have  actually been some big hurricanes in June, like Hurricane Agnes and Audrey, both of which were very devastating storms. Audrey reached Category 4 intensity making it the strongest June hurricane on record. Then there was Hurricane Agnes, which produced unprecedented flooding from Virginia to upstate New York.

In June, Atlantic Basin tropical storms are most likely to form in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and just off the Southeast coast of the United States. Storms are unlikely to occur through the central and eastern Atlantic this early in the season, since sea surface temperatures are below the minimum for a storm to develop.

The names for this year’s storms have been released. They include Bill, Fred, Kate and Mindy, they don’t sound too scary….but as you know, one or more of these names may become synonymous with destruction and death. We have already had our first tropical depression of the year. So we’re off to a quick  start!

No matter if we have 1 or 10 Hurricanes, it is so important that you get prepared early, and be ready. If you live in hurricane country along the gulf coast or eastern seaboard, you should have at least a 72 hour survival kit, hopefully more.  Make sure you have a stock of emergency food, water and emergency supplies to help you survive the storms when they come. (and they will).

We must be prepared before a Hurricane hits, all the supplies in the world won’t help you if they are still at the store!!

Visit http://www.survivalgearsource.com and get yourself prepared today!

Survival Information: How to treat water so it’s safe to use

Water is the most important aspect in our survival, and obviously the best course of action is having some stored in case of emergency. One source of stored drinking water that is often over looked is the water in your hot water heater, maybe 55 gallons worth!!! If you do happen to find yourself in an emergency situation with no available drinking water, here are a few simple tips to help treat the water you do have access to. If you are in doubt of the quality of any water source, it is best to treat it first using these methods.

Straining and Aeration

A recommended first step would be to run the water through a clean cotton cloth, such as a handkerchief. This filters out some of the larger particles (like dirt and tiny organisms). Aeration just adds air to the water and reduces substances that affect the taste and smell of water. Partly fill a container with water and shake it vigorously.

Three Container System

According to the WELL Resource Center for Water Sanitation and Environmental Health, simply letting water sit in a container will also improve its quality. They recommend a three-container system. Container one stores newly collected water. After one day (24 hours), pour the water from container one into container two. Be careful to leave the particles or cloudy layers behind, which are at the bottom of the container one by now. Discard the rest of the water from container one, and then fill it again so that you are constantly repeating this cycle. The next day, pour the water from container two into container three. Once stored for two days, the water in container three can be used for drinking.

Disinfection

After straining the water, the most common way to disinfect the water is to boil it. There is some question about how long exactly to boil water in order to kill all the pathogens. The U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends boiling water for several minutes.

Another common method to disinfect water is to chemically treat it by adding chlorine or bleach to it. This method is a bit trickier as there are many different kinds of bleach. Household bleach has been known to lose its strength over time, whereas powdered chlorine can last 10 years without losing its strength. Ensure you use pure bleach, and not anything that has other additives (like laundry chemicals). For bleach that has 6-10% chlorine, you can use 3 to 4 drops per gallon of water. Let it sit for about thirty minutes, and then smell the water. You should faintly smell the chlorine. If you don’t smell it at all, repeat the procedure and then let it sit for another half hour. After a few hours, aerate the water by shaking the bottle vigorously, which helps reduce the smell and taste of chlorine.

Another way to deal with and treat water so that it is safe to drink is use a water filtration bottle that filters out 99.99% of pollutants and contaminants found in water sources. Find one that uses a proprietary Ionic Adsorption Micron Filtration System, and can produce up to 100 gallons of filtered water on one filter. Keep one of these in the car at all times as well as in your home.

It’s best to know all ways to be able to protect yourself and your family completely, because you never know where you will be when disaster strikes!

Will You Be Prepared For A Tornado?

It’s important that you pay close attention to the news and to weather alerts when inclement weather occurs. However, no one can stop a tornado from occurring. Ultimately, proper emergency preparedness is the best choice for you to do for both yourself and your family!
Before a storm know what you will do and where you will go if there is a threat of a tornado. If you have small children, be certain they know the plan as well in case the plan must take place very fast. Having a weather radio as well as backup batteries is desirable and relatively cost effective for singles and families alike.
Ultimately, emergency food and emergency survival items are abundant, however knowing who to trust when purchasing these items is imperative. Having a first-aid kit and other disaster kits on hand is a responsible choice especially if you have children. Lower your risk of injury by staying away from windows. If you are caught on the road and/or outside during a storm, stay within a ditch or somewhere the ground is lowered.
A variety of survival kits for the home are available for various natural disasters from Survival Gear Source. Items such as 72 hour survival kits and first aid kits are must-have for every home. Survival kits include a variety of things:
- Water
- Emergency Food bars
- Radio w/batteries
- Rechargeable flashlight
- Candle & Matches (lighter too)
- Sleeping Bags
- Body Warmers
- Tube tent w/rope
- Ponchos
- Knife, gloves, dust masks
- Hygiene Kits
- First Aid Kit
- Paper & Pencil
- Playing Cards
- Trash Bags
Ultimately, emergency preparedness is important and staying alert and informed is the first step to staying safe. Next, preparing by purchasing a variety of disaster relief items and having them on hand makes the chance of surviving a natural disaster even more likely. Don’t take a chance, purchase survival kits today!