California Floods Remind Us Why We Prepare

California Floods Remind Us Why We Prepare! My heart’s been heavy this week watching the news out of Southern California. Seeing photos of flooded streets, waves crashing into beachfront homes, and families wondering what they’ll find after the water goes down reminds me how quickly life can change. Many of us think of California as sunny and dry, especially in October. So why’s this happening right now? Let’s talk about what’s behind this flooding, and then what it teaches all of us, no matter where we live.

Some of you’ve checked with me because my daughter, her son, and his family live in California. They’re okay for now. Thank you, my sweet friends, for asking about them.

What’s Happening in California Right Now

The flooding is being driven by the leftovers of a Pacific storm named Rachel. The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, along with a separate storm system over the Western United States, continued to sweep across the West on Sunday, fueling flooding in several Southern California coastal communities. abcnews

This isn’t something Californians see very often. For the second time ever, national forecasters issued a tropical storm watch for Southern California as Tropical Storm Rachel headed toward the region, bringing high tides, coastal flooding and drenching rain. Think about that for a moment. Only twice in history has that coast been placed under such a watch. theconversation

The damage has been real. The City of Newport Beach declared a local emergency on Saturday in response to the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Rachel. All beaches and piers in Newport Beach, California, are closed, officials said. Farther up the coast, from Newport Beach to Malibu, residents are surveying damage to their homes after high tides and waves inundated coastal communities, including Long Beach. Some California beaches forced to close after ‘unusually high’ ocean water levels from Tropical Storm Rachel – ABC News +2

The rain has been heavy too. San Diego and Las Vegas could see an inch or more of rainfall from this storm, which is about double the rainfall they usually see in all of October in San Diego, and triple that in Las Vegas. And the trouble isn’t over yet. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory through 2 p.m. Tuesday for beaches in Los Angeles and Orange counties as large waves, strong winds and high tides combine. CNNabc7

Why Is This Happening Now

When something unusual like this happens, it’s usually because several things line up at the same time. That’s exactly what we’re seeing here. Let me walk you through the pieces in plain language.

The first piece is the ocean itself. Normally, the water off the California coast is cool, and cool water weakens tropical storms before they ever get close. This year is different. El Niño conditions and an ongoing marine heat wave have pushed ocean temperatures approximately 10 to 13 degrees above normal, creating conditions that could help Rachel maintain or gain strength. Warm water acts like fuel for these storms, so instead of fizzling out, Rachel kept her punch longer than storms usually do. rollingout

The second piece is about El Niño. You’ve probably heard that term on the evening news. This natural climate pattern, characterized by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, increases the frequency of storms in the eastern North Pacific. This year’s El Niño is a big one. The Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that a strong-to-very-strong El Niño is likely through March. That means this may not be the last storm we hear about this season. theconversationsmdp

The third piece is something most of us have never heard of, called a Kelvin wave. It sounds complicated, but the idea is simple. The high tides are being pushed up in part by a Kelvin wave, a slow-moving bulge of warm ocean water that forms when El Niño weakens the equatorial trade winds. In other words, the sea level along the coast was already sitting higher than normal before Rachel ever arrived. While the wave itself isn’t considered dangerous, scientists say its effects can be amplified when combined with high tides, powerful surf and storm surges. smdpktla

High Tides

The fourth piece is the tides. Forecasters said high tides were expected to reach 7 to 7.5 feet over the weekend, 1 to 1.5 feet above astronomical predictions. When you add higher-than-normal tides on top of a raised sea level and then pile storm waves on top of that, the water has nowhere to go but onto streets, parking lots, and into homes along the coast. smdp

The final piece is timing. One climate scientist explained that this was an unusual event made possible by the coincidence of an early-arriving low-pressure trough off the coast of California and record-warm ocean temperatures off the coast. Any one of these things alone might have caused minor problems. All of them together caused a serious flood. yahoo

It’s also worth noting that the whole Pacific has been busy this year. Reporters noted that the last five Pacific hurricanes, Nolo, Odalys, Polo, Rachel and Simon, have all reached major status with winds of at least 111 mph. That tells me this season deserves our attention. laist

It’s Not Just California

Floodwater doesn’t stop at a state line. The flash flood threat was expected to continue on Sunday, with the greatest risk to parts of Southern California, northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah, where a level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place. Families in desert communities can be caught off guard because dry ground doesn’t soak up water quickly. Rain runs off quickly, fills washes and low-lying roads, and becomes dangerous in minutes. abcnews

Why We Prepare

This is the part of the story I really want you to hear. Most of the families affected this week didn’t wake up a month ago expecting a tropical storm. Many of them had been dealing with a heat wave just days earlier. One local paper described the region going from scorching to soaked almost overnight. That’s exactly why we prepare. We don’t prepare because we know what is coming. We prepare because we aren’t sure at any given time.

Here are a few lessons I’m taking from this week, and I hope you will too.

1. Know your flood risk. You don’t have to live on a beach to flood. Low spots in your neighborhood, nearby creeks, washes, and storm drains can all overflow. Take a walk around your home and notice where water would collect.
2. Have a go bag ready for every family member. Include water, snacks, medications, copies of important papers, phone chargers, a flashlight, a change of clothes, and something comforting for the little ones. If you have to leave quickly, you won’t have time to think.
3. Protect your food storage. Water damage can ruin years of careful work in a single afternoon. Keep food off the floor on sturdy shelves, store items in waterproof buckets with tight lids, and if you live in a flood-prone area, avoid keeping your main stash in a basement.
4. Store plenty of clean drinking water. Floods can contaminate wells and city water systems. Aim for at least one gallon per person per day, and more if you can manage it. Don’t forget your pets.
5. Never drive through flooded roads. It only takes a small amount of moving water to sweep a car away. Turn around and find another route, even if it takes longer.
6. Have a plan to stay informed. Power often goes out during storms. A battery-powered or hand-cranked weather radio will keep you updated when your phone is low on battery and the internet is down.
7. Make a family communication plan. Decide ahead of time where you’ll meet and who you’ll call if you get separated. Write phone numbers on paper, because many of us don’t know them by heart anymore.
8. Check your insurance. Most standard homeowner policies don’t cover flood damage. It’s worth calling your agent to find out what you have and what you might need.

A Word of Encouragement

When I see news like this, I’m reminded that preparedness is really an act of love. It’s love for our families, love for our neighbors, and a way of being good stewards of what we have been given. Preparing doesn’t mean living in fear. It means we can face hard days with a little more peace because we’ve done what we can in advance.

If you have loved ones in California, Arizona, Nevada, or Utah, reach out to them this week. Ask how they’re doing and whether they need anything. Sometimes a simple phone call means more than we know. And please keep the families who are cleaning up from this storm in your prayers. Many of them are facing damaged homes, closed businesses, and a long road ahead.

What to Do Before a Tropical Storm Hits

Super El Niño vs. El Niño: How to Prepare Your Home and Pantry

Final Word

With a strong El Niño expected to stick around through the winter, this is a perfect time to take stock of your supplies, refresh your water, check your go bags, and talk with your family about your plan. Start small if you need to. Every step you take today makes tomorrow a little easier. Thank you for being here and for caring enough to prepare. Stay safe, my friends. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: California Beaches High Tide Depositphotos_94301638_S, California Strong Winds With Huge Waves Depositphotos_379477474_S

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Signal Flares – What Every Prepper Needs to Know Before Trusting One With Their Life

A signal flare is one of the few pieces of gear that can turn “lost” into “found” in a matter of seconds. Pop one at the right moment and every boat, plane, or patrol car within miles knows exactly where you are. Pop it at the wrong moment and you have burned your best shot at rescue on an empty sky.

Most people toss a few flares in a trunk or boat locker and never think about them again. That is how you end up with expired, soggy, or illegal signals when it counts. This guide covers the main types of signal flares, the laws around them, how to use them without setting yourself or the woods on fire, and how to build a signaling kit that does not depend on any single device.

How Signal Flares Work, and Where They Fall Short

A pyrotechnic flare is a tube packed with a slow-burning chemical mix that produces intense colored light, smoke, or both. A Department of Defense research review of perchlorate sources, published through the EPA’s CLU-IN site, lists the typical road flare burn mix as mostly strontium nitrate, which gives the red color, with smaller amounts of potassium perchlorate, sulfur, and sawdust. That chemistry burns extremely hot and keeps going in wind and rain.

The weakness is simple: a flare only works if someone sees it. The BoatUS Foundation points out that pyrotechnics can be used only once, carry a real risk of burns and property damage, and should be fired only when you see or hear a boat or aircraft, or are reasonably sure someone on shore can see you. A flare is a way to say “I’m right here” to someone already looking, not a way to call for help from nowhere.

The Main Types of Signal Flares

Each type of flare does one job well. Knowing which is which keeps you from bringing a road flare to an ocean rescue or an aerial flare to a dry hillside.

Road Flares (Fusees)

These are the red sticks you see at highway accident scenes. The same DoD review notes they typically come in 15, 20, and 30 minute burn times, which makes them good for marking a position for a long stretch rather than grabbing attention for a few seconds. A pack like the Orion 15-minute road flares 3-pack fits in any glove box and covers the three-flare pattern most drivers need.

Road flares are ground signals. They are excellent for warning traffic and marking a camp or landing spot at night, but they are not designed or approved as marine distress signals.

Handheld Red Distress Flares

Marine handheld flares burn brighter but for a much shorter time, usually a few minutes at most. BoatUS rates red handheld flares as usable by day but most effective at night or in fog and haze. They are the backbone of most boat safety kits because three of them satisfy both the day and night requirement on most recreational boats.

Aerial Meteor and Parachute Flares

Aerial flares launch a burning star high into the air so it can be seen over the horizon. A meteor flare streaks up and falls within seconds, while a parachute flare hangs and drifts down more slowly. BoatUS notes that an aerial flare can be seen over a long distance on a clear night, but a handheld flare is often more useful once rescuers get close and need to pinpoint you.

Some aerial flares are self-contained rockets, while others fire from a pistol-style launcher. A kit like the Orion Alerter launcher kit packages a 12-gauge launcher with aerial flares in a waterproof case.

Orange Smoke Signals

In bright daylight, smoke often beats fire. BoatUS calls handheld and floating orange smoke signals excellent, if not the best, day signals, especially on clear days with light to moderate wind. Floating smoke signals come in versions lasting roughly 5 or 15 minutes, and a handheld orange smoke signal is a smart addition to any daytime kit.

Electronic Flares (eVDSDs)

Electronic visual distress signal devices are LED lights that flash a recognized distress pattern for hours instead of minutes. In December 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard adopted RTCM Standard 13200.0, accepting compliant eVDSDs as nighttime distress signals on recreational boats. Because they are night signals only, you still need a day signal, which is usually a 3 by 3 foot orange distress flag.

BoatUS notes that a USCG-compliant SOS distress light never expires and can flash for up to 60 hours, compared with minutes for a pyrotechnic flare. Units like the Sirius Signal C-1003 electronic distress light are worth a look if you are tired of replacing flares every few years. For roadside use, a set of rechargeable LED road flares gives you a no-flame option for dry grass or a fuel leak.

Flare Guns: Legal, but Not What Some People Think

In the eyes of federal law, a flare gun is a signaling device, not a weapon. ATF Ruling 95-3 states that devices designed for expelling pyrotechnic signals are not weapons and are exempt from the destructive device definition. The same ruling makes clear that a 37/38 mm gas or flare launcher possessed with anti-personnel rounds such as rubber balls, wood pellets, or bean bags becomes a destructive device that must be registered.

State rules add another layer. BoatUS warns that some states may consider pistol launchers firearms, and Michigan’s rules for vessels carrying passengers for hire flatly state that a person shall not possess a pistol-type flare launcher. Check your state and local laws before you buy, and never modify a launcher or carry it as a weapon.

We covered the legal fine print in more depth in our piece on stealth weapons you don’t need a license for. The short version: treat a flare gun as a rescue tool, keep it unloaded until needed, and keep it with signal cartridges only.

Coast Guard Rules If You Have a Boat

If you boat on coastal waters, the Great Lakes, or the territorial seas, federal law requires visual distress signals aboard. According to BoatUS, boats 16 feet and longer need signals for both day and night use, while boats under 16 feet, manually propelled boats, and small open sailboats only need night signals when out between sunset and sunrise.

If you go with pyrotechnics, you need at least three that add up to three day signals and three night signals, and three handheld red flares cover both. Pyrotechnic devices expire 42 months after their date of manufacture, and BoatUS notes that you may carry expired flares as backups, but they do not count toward the legal requirement.

One more rule matters for everyone. Under the Coast Guard’s visual distress signal regulations, no one in a boat may display a distress signal except when assistance is needed because of immediate or potential danger to the people aboard. Practicing with a live flare on the water, or lighting off old ones on the Fourth of July, can trigger a real search and land you in real trouble.

How to Use Signal Flares the Right Way

Wait Until Someone Can See It

Every flare you burn before help is in range is one less you have when it matters. Light handheld flares and smoke when you can see or hear a vessel, aircraft, or vehicle, and save aerial flares for when you are confident someone is in a position to spot them. If you are on the water, try your VHF radio on Channel 16 first, then use flares to guide rescuers in.

Handle Hot Pyrotechnics Carefully

BoatUS warns that pyrotechnics have a very hot flame and that the ash and slag can cause burns and ignite anything that burns easily. Wear a glove, hold the flare at arm’s length, keep it downwind, and on a boat hold it over the side so drips fall into the water. Launched flares deserve the same respect as a firearm, so never point one at a person, a boat, or anything you do not want to set on fire.

Set Road Flares in a Safe Pattern

Federal motor carrier rules give a good template for any breakdown. On a two-lane road, 49 CFR 392.22 calls for one warning device about 10 feet behind the vehicle on the traffic side, one about 100 feet behind, and one about 100 feet ahead. On a divided highway, the devices go at about 10, 100, and 200 feet back toward approaching traffic.

The same rule bans lighting a flame-producing signal anywhere near leaking gasoline or other flammable liquid or gas. If you smell fuel, use reflective triangles or LED flares instead.

Respect Fire Danger on Land

A burning road flare dropped in dry grass is an ignition source, and an aerial flare that comes down on a dry ridge is worse. In wildfire country, keep pyrotechnics on bare dirt, gravel, rock, or pavement, and lean on LED flares, mirrors, and smoke when conditions are dry. Starting a wildfire is a terrible way to get noticed.

Storage, Shelf Life, and Disposal

Store flares cool, dry, and where you can grab them fast. A small waterproof dry box keeps marine flares from soaking up moisture in a damp locker, and road flares should stay in their sealed pouch until needed. Write the expiration dates somewhere you will see them, and set a reminder to replace them before the 42-month mark.

Getting rid of old flares is harder than buying new ones. A California Senate press release notes that about 174,000 marine flares expire in California every year, that there were no facilities in the state permitted to treat or dispose of them, and that nearly all household hazardous waste sites could not accept them. It also warns that expired flares can accidentally explode while being handled, so never toss them in the trash, dump them overboard, or leave them on a fire station doorstep.

Call your local household hazardous waste program or fire department and ask what is allowed where you live. Some areas hold flare collection events, and some marine stores will take old flares when you buy new ones.

The Perchlorate Problem

Road flares can also leave a chemical mess. The DoD review cites Santa Clara Valley Water District research finding that about 3.6 grams of perchlorate could leach from an unburned, damaged 20-minute road flare, while a fully burned flare leached only about 1.9 milligrams. When you use a road flare, let it burn completely rather than leaving a crushed, half-burned stub on the shoulder.

Build a Layered Signaling Kit

No single device covers every situation. The Coast Guard’s eVDSD policy itself says any single distress signal should be considered only part of a complete distress system, and it recommends an EPIRB or 406 MHz personal locator beacon, GPS, and a VHF-DSC radio for faster rescue.

A 406 MHz personal locator beacon is the one item that can summon help when nobody is looking your way. The Coast Guard’s SARSAT program notes that U.S.-coded 406 MHz beacons must be registered with NOAA by law and the registration renewed every two years, so do it the day it arrives.

Here is a solid way to layer signaling gear for the three places most preppers need it:

• Vehicle kit: three road flares, a set of LED flares for dry or fuel-soaked conditions, and reflective triangles.
• Boat or ditch bag: three current handheld red flares or an eVDSD with an orange flag, a couple of aerial flares, orange smoke for daytime, a whistle, a handheld VHF, and a PLB or EPIRB.
• Bug-out or hiking pack: a signal mirror, a whistle, a PLB, and a small headlamp with a strobe mode, plus a compact aerial flare kit if your local laws allow it.

For low-tech backups that never expire, our guide to 10 ways to signal SOS covers mirrors, flashlights, smoke, and ground signals.

Ask a Prepper may earn a commission on purchases made through the Amazon links in this article, at no extra cost to you.

When Help Isn’t Coming, Will You Know What to Do?

A signal flare can save your life, but what happens when it burns out, your equipment fails, or there’s nobody coming to rescue you?

True preparedness isn’t just about having the right gear. It’s about having the knowledge and skills to survive when modern conveniences disappear.

That’s exactly why Lost Skills of Independence is such a valuable resource for anyone serious about self-reliance.

This comprehensive guide brings back the practical, time-tested skills that helped previous generations survive without depending on electricity, supermarkets, modern technology, or outside assistance.

Inside, you’ll discover how to:

• Become more self-reliant: Rediscover traditional skills that reduce your dependence on modern systems.
• Handle emergencies with confidence: Learn practical techniques that can make a difference when your usual resources are unavailable.
• Build a more independent household: Explore forgotten methods for managing everyday necessities.
• Make better use of natural resources: Understand how traditional knowledge can help you become more resourceful.
• Preserve valuable survival knowledge: Develop useful skills you can practice and pass down to future generations.

The biggest mistake you can make is waiting until an emergency to learn how to survive one.

A flare might tell rescuers where you are. But the skills you carry in your head can help you stay alive until they arrive, or help you manage when outside assistance simply isn’t available.

Discover Lost Skills of Independence and start reclaiming the forgotten knowledge that could make all the difference when modern systems fail.

The Bottom Line

Signal flares are cheap, simple, and incredibly effective when someone is already looking for you. They are also hot, single-use, regulated, and on a ticking expiration clock. Pick the right type for your situation, learn the rules where you live and boat, and pair your flares with a beacon and a few no-expiration backups.

Check your kit tonight. If the dates on your flares have passed, or you cannot remember the last time you looked, replace them before the day you need them.

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9 Useful Prepping Lessons I’ve Learned After 60

When I was younger, I measured my preps by how much I had stacked in the basement. Back then, a full shelf of buckets and batteries felt like all the safety a family could need. But somewhere past 60, I noticed that the plan I built at 40 no longer fit the man who had to carry it out.

I’m past 80 now, and those last twenty-some years taught me more about getting by than the forty before them. My knees started complaining on the cellar stairs, and a full water jug got heavier every summer. So I went back to the old ways my grandparents lived by. Turns out, they solved most of these problems long before anybody called it prepping. And the older I get, the more sense their way of doing things makes.

9. Grandma’s Pantry Beats a Survival Bucket

I’ve bought my share of freeze-dried buckets over the years, and I still keep a few around. But they cost a small fortune, and I realized that my stomach couldn’t handle all that salty, tasteless food. So I’ve gone back to the foods my grandmother relied on during the Depression, when a lot of families still kept their food without a refrigerator. 

As you might already know, pemmican is one of them, and making it is a lot simpler than the name lets on. You dry lean beef until it snaps, then pound it into a powder and mix it with rendered tallow and dried blueberries. A single pound packs around 3,500 calories, so one small brick covers more than a full day of hard work. On top of that, a well-made batch can last up to 20 years. I’ve been making it since long before anybody called it a survival food, and my son still helps me pound the meat every fall. So if you’ve never had it, try my pemmican recipe and put a few bricks away, because it has never let me down.

And rendering your own lard and tallow belongs right next to it on the shelf, because good fat is the first thing a lean pantry runs out of. My grandmother never threw away a scrap of beef fat, and now I understand why she guarded that crock like it was money.

Then, if you own a pressure canner, canned beef gives you a ready meal that never needs the freezer. You can start with my burger in a jar recipe, and from there work your way through other long lasting survival foods, such as MREs that last for years.

8. Water Has to Fit the Back You Have Now

A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds, so a full 5-gallon jug comes in at over 40 pounds. I used to carry two at a time without thinking twice. Then one day, a single jug was enough to remind my back how old it was. So these days, I let my setup do the lifting for me.

That’s why my water plan changed more than any other part of my preps. A year’s supply still makes sense, but it has to sit close to where you’ll use it, so you aren’t hauling heavy jugs across the yard every day. Rain barrels raised on cinder blocks help a lot, because gravity fills your bucket right at the spigot without any lifting.

What made the biggest difference for me was setting up the 3-barrel water harvesting system, since it catches far more rain than a single barrel ever could. For the shallow well, I went with a simple hand pump like the ones folks used long before electric pumps came along, and it fills a bucket with very little strain on my back.

Smaller containers help too, since a 2.5-gallon jug weighs about 21 pounds. That’s half of what a full 5-gallon jug weighs, so your back only takes half the load on every trip.

7. A Small Garden Can Feed More Than a Big One

My father plowed a big garden every spring, and I kept that habit going for years after he was gone. But bending over long rows got harder with every season, and at my age a fall between the bean rows is no small thing.

So I started growing up instead of out. A pallet fence turned into a vertical garden can grow beans and leafy greens at waist height, right along the property line. And because it looks like an ordinary fence, it doesn’t tell the whole street that you’re growing food behind it.

Dwarf fruit trees work on the same idea, since they stay low enough that you can pick most of the fruit with both feet on the ground. That means the ladder stays in the shed, which suits my knees just fine.

The old-timers also knew that some plants do better when they grow side by side. My grandmother always tucked marigolds between her tomatoes, and she planted beans at the foot of her corn so they could climb the stalks and feed the soil. If you want your small beds to give more food with less spraying, take a look at which plants protect each other from pests, and you’ll also see the pairings that ruin a harvest when they share a bed.

From there, I picked a handful of small-space projects that let an old man keep gardening without wearing himself out:

• Aquaponic tower that can produce up to 200 pounds of fresh food. The fish feed the plants with their waste, and the plants clean the water for the fish in return. Since the tower stands upright, you harvest standing up instead of kneeling in the dirt.
• Straw bale garden. Each bale works as its own raised bed, and it sits high enough that you barely have to bend. Then, once the season ends, the old bale breaks down into compost for next year.
• Vertical pallet garden. An old pallet stood on its end holds lettuce, herbs, and strawberries between the slats. So you get a full bed of greens in a spot no wider than a doorway.
• Regenerative garden. You build the soil up with compost and mulch every year instead of tilling it. That way the ground gets richer each season, and you never have to fight a tiller again.
• Self-sustaining garden. Perennials like asparagus and rhubarb come back on their own every spring, while plants like dill and lettuce reseed themselves if you let a few go to flower. So the garden keeps feeding you even in a year when you can’t do much planting.
• Self-watering raised garden beds. A water reservoir sits under the soil, and the roots pull up what they need. I can’t drag a hose around the yard like I used to, so the bed does that work for me, and I only top it up every week or so.

6. A Blackout Plan Needs More Than a Flashlight

In a grid-down situation, the nights get long, and that’s when folks our age are most likely to get hurt. Falls are already the leading cause of injury deaths for Americans over 65. Worse, lighting researchers have found that a 60-year-old needs about three times as much light as a 20-year-old to see equally well. So with the power out and 911 swamped, a dark hallway can leave you on the floor until morning.

My grandparents never had a light switch by the bed, so they planned their nights around the dark. The matches and the oil lamp always stayed in the same spot on the nightstand, and I’ve kept that habit my whole life. I never gave up oil lamps either, since they haven’t failed me once since I was a boy, and you can make an Amish oil lamp at the kitchen table in no time. Just keep the flame well away from curtains and bedding, and only burn the oil the lamp was made for.

On top of that, battery motion lights in the hallway and glow tape on the stair edges show me where to put my feet at night. But batteries run dry in a long blackout, so my backup is a 3D solar sphere out in the yard. Its round shape catches sunlight from more angles than a flat panel, and you can build your own 3D solar sphere to keep your lights charged long after the grid goes down.

Still, no light helps if nobody knows you’ve fallen. So my neighbor and I worked out a simple signal during outages, and I open the front curtains by nine every morning. If they’re still closed by ten, he walks over and knocks. In a long blackout, when you can’t count on 911 answering, a neighbor who notices is worth more than any gadget in the closet.

5. Summer Outages Are Harder on Us Than Winter Ones

For years, my blackout plan was built around winter, with plenty of firewood and wool blankets. But heat is harder on an older body, because it doesn’t cool itself as well as it used to. The CDC lists adults over 65 among the people most at risk from extreme heat, and some common medicines make it even harder to handle.

So I’ve relearned the old ways of cooling my house without electricity. Closing up the sunny side of the house in the morning and opening the windows at night pulls cooler air through, just like my grandparents did. A wet sheet hung in an open window cools the breeze coming in, especially in dry country.

Then there’s the food that needs to stay cold. An evaporative cooler made from a clay pot set inside a bigger one, with wet sand packed between them, can keep vegetables fresh for days without a drop of electricity.

4. Looking Confident Keeps Trouble Away

Criminals pick their marks the way a coyote picks out the slow calf, and gray hair can look like an easy target. Back in the early 1980s, researchers showed prison inmates videos of people walking down a street. The inmates chose their likely victims based mostly on how those people moved.

That’s why I pay more attention to how I carry myself now than I used to. Walking with your head up and meeting a stranger’s eyes sends a message most troublemakers read in seconds. And when someone tests you with an insult or a pushy question, the first few seconds of your answer often decide how they’ll treat you from then on.

It also helps to notice the people who are noticing you. A car that rolls past your house twice at the same slow speed deserves a second look, and so does a utility worker with no truck. Pioneers went a step further, stringing trip lines with cans or bells around the homestead so nobody crossed the yard at night without being heard.

3. Old Remedies Earned a Forever Place in My Stockpile

Do you know why my grandmother always kept a jar of garlic cloves covered in honey on the kitchen counter every winter? Or why she kept giving me this mysterious pine needle tincture whenever I came in cold? Or why she made mullein drops every time my throat started aching? As a boy I never thought to ask, but years later I understood that her kitchen was the family’s medicine cabinet.

And she knew her remedies better than anyone I’ve ever met, but she never wrote a single one down. So over the years, I worked them out again by memory and by trial until each one came out the way she made it. From there, I wrote every recipe down as a legacy for my family, because the world I’m leaving them in is more uncertain than the one I grew up in.

Still, at my age, my quality of life also depends on prescription meds. A crisis can cut you off from the pharmacy for weeks, so I ask my doctor about a 90-day supply and rotate it like the rest of my pantry. Then, for the small stuff like a nagging cough, the old remedies let me save the real medicine for when it counts.

2. Know How to Stop Bleeding Before You Need To

Plenty of folks take a blood thinner these days, and that changes what a simple cut means. A slip with a pruning saw or a hatchet will bleed longer and harder than you’d expect, and in a crisis there may be no ambulance on the way.

Firm, direct pressure is still the first step, and nothing replaces it. But for the smaller cuts, what has always worked for me is my famous stop bleeding powder, which I picked up in the army nearly seven decades ago and have been making ever since. Over the years I’ve used it on my kids, and later on the grandkids who came to the farm every summer and always found a way to scrape a knee. And it has patched up more than a few of my cows and goats too.

Even so, I keep a modern pressure bandage and a tourniquet in the kitchen and in the truck. An old remedy makes a fine backup, but the first few minutes after a deep cut matter too much to rely on a backup alone.

1. Pass It Down While You Still Can

My grandparents could cure a ham and patch a roof, yet very little of that reached my generation intact. I spent years relearning from old books and older neighbors what they could have shown me in an afternoon.

So at some point, I stopped putting it off. Whenever the younger ones in the family come by, we pick one skill and work through it together with our hands. Kids remember what they do far better than what they’re told, and a skill learned beside someone they love tends to stick for life.

Written notes help too, because memory isn’t as reliable as we’d like to think. For years now, I’ve kept a notebook in the kitchen drawer with every skill I’ve tested, step by step. That way, whoever comes after me won’t have to start from scratch. By now it’s thick and dog-eared, and it may be the most useful thing I leave behind. I’d guess the same is true for a lot of us.

The Notebook That Became a Book

Some of you may already know my new book, The Lost Skills of Independence, which grew out of that kitchen-drawer notebook. I wrote it for the younger folks who never had a chance to learn these things. But I wrote it just as much for those of us who did learn them and want them all in one place.

Keep in mind that most of the projects inside are ones I can still do myself, slow knees and all. The off-grid refrigerator that runs without electricity is a weekend afternoon’s work, and the pallet fence garden goes up one board at a time. Others need hardly any strength, like the honey and garlic remedy or the plastic bottle heater that uses the sun to warm a room.

I also made sure every one of the 200 skills comes with full-color drawings made by human hands, since so many pictures these days are made by a computer that has never held a hammer. Each one starts with a list of what you need, so you’re never halfway through a project and missing a part. And it’s spiral-bound, so it lies flat on the workbench while your hands are busy.

I’ve seen too many skills buried along with the folks who knew them, and my grandmother’s remedies nearly went the same way. So have a look at the book, and pick one project you can work on with your grandkids this season, while you’re still around to show them how it’s done.

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How to Make Coffee When The Grid Goes Down

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Although it is enjoyed throughout the world, coffee has become an essential part of many Americans’ morning routine. Historians trace this affinity back to the time of the Boston Tea Party when many colonists replaced their previous hot beverage of choice – tea – with coffee.

According to a recent survey, 87 percent of American adults consider themselves as devoted coffee drinkers. The study found that only 2 percent of survey respondents hated coffee.

Today, you’d be hard pressed to find a morning commuter train, office meeting, car cupholder, or breakfast table without the presence of coffee. For many of us, a hot mug of coffee gives us a morning pick-me-up and a comforting sense of normalcy.

But in a world that is subject to the increasing frequency of power outages, what can you do when you can’t have your usual cup of joe?

Fortunately, brewing a basic cup of coffee is not a high-tech task. With a little planning and know-how, you can enjoy your favorite beverage when the grid goes down. For most of the options on our list, you will need to begin with hot water.

Without power, you can heat water in a variety of off-grid ways, including a wood stove, fireplace, camp stove, rocket stove, solar kettle, or other non-electric device. Now, on to our coffee-making list.

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1. French press

A French Press is a manual coffee brewer made from metal or glass. A French press can come in many different sizes, but they all contain a plunger, spout, lid, rod, spiral plate, handle, mesh filter, frame, cross plate, beaker, and base.

With this device, you press down the coffee and pour hot water over it to get a filtered brew. As you press the plunger, the liquid coffee remains on top near the spout, and the grounds stay at the bottom.

2. Pour over

Another way of making coffee without electricity is to use the pour over method. Some coffee ships use fancy devices, but simplicity works well too. All you really need are hot water, ground coffee, and a filter.

The idea is to slowly pour the water over the coffee grounds, allowing it to drip through the filter into your cup. Many coffee aficionados believe the pour over method enables the grounds the best time to bloom into fully-extracted coffee.

3. Cowboy coffee

Cowboy coffee is the term commonly used for making coffee over a campfire. All you do is add coffee grounds to hot water and let it sit in a pot over the fire for a few minutes.

Then, you remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to steep, just as you would a cup of tea. Then, you pour the coffee through a strainer or filter and into your mug.

4. Percolator

You can also use a non-electric percolator to make coffee over a campfire or another alternative heat source when the power goes out. As the water boils in this kiln-hardened blue kettle, it moves up a central tube to the top, where it sprays over the grounds.

5. Aeropress

An Aeropress is a coffee brewer that uses pistons to force coffee directly into a mug through a thin filter. You can use an Aeropress in two ways. The standard method involves placing the device on top of a cup, filling it with water and ground coffee, inserting the plunger, and pressing it.

The inverted method involves placing the filled Aeropress upside down on top of the plunger and then flipping it onto the cup to be pressed.

6. Cezve

Using a cezve is a traditional method for brewing coffee that originated in the Middle East. With this device and a heat source, you boil finely-ground coffee in a small pot. Turkish coffee is very strong – here’s how to make it.

7. Battery-operated coffee maker

Another option is to purchase a battery-operated coffee maker to use on camping trips and as a backup when the power goes out. You don’t need hot water to use the Makita DCM501Z Coffee Maker. Using a 12V or 18V lithium-ion battery. It does all the work for you.

8. Cold brew

Another way to satisfy your longing for coffee during an extended power outage is to make a cold brew. It takes a while – eight or more hours — but requires no heat and tastes great. Many coffee drinkers believe cold brew has a less bitter taste than coffee made with other methods.

The process is pretty simple. Place coarsely-ground coffee in a jar of cold water and allow it to sit covered for a minimum of eight hours. Strain out the grounds and then drink it as is or heat it if possible.

Plan Ahead For A Power Outage

If powerful storms are in your forecast, you can add coffee making to your to-do list as you prepare for a potential power outage. Here are some ideas:

• Brew a few pots of coffee and pour it into insulated thermoses. Stanley claims that its classic vacuum bottle keeps drinks warm for up to 24 hours.
• Start some jars of cold brew.
• Stock some instant coffee in your survival pantry.

A power outage and the factors that cause it are stressful enough. You can help yourself manage the chaos by planning ahead. Although you don’t need coffee to survive, that familiar warm mug in your hands and the jolt of caffeine it offers can help you handle things a lot better.

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Strait of Hormuz: Do We Need to Be Concerned?

Strait of Hormuz: Do We Need to Be Concerned? If you’ve been watching the news this year, you’ve probably heard the words “Strait of Hormuz” more times than you can count. Maybe you’ve noticed it at the gas pump or the grocery store before you ever heard it on television. Today I want to explain in plain language what’s going on, why a little strip of water on the other side of the world matters to our families, and what we can do about it without panicking.

What Is the Strait of Hormuz?

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. It’s the only way for ships to travel from the Persian Gulf out to the open ocean. At its narrowest point, it’s only about 21 miles wide. That doesn’t sound like much, but an enormous share of the world’s energy travels through it. Before this year’s conflict in Iran, roughly a quarter of the oil shipped by sea worldwide and about 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas passed through the strait. WikipediaWikipedia

Think of it like the one road in and out of a busy town. When that road’s blocked, everything backs up.

What Happened This Year?

Shipping through the strait has been mostly blocked by Iran since February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel began an air war against Iran. In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned ships not to pass, attacked and boarded merchant vessels, and placed sea mines in the water. Wikipedia

Since then, there’ve been several rounds of talks, ceasefires, and agreements, followed by setbacks. In June, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding meant to end the war and reopen the strait. Sadly, it didn’t hold. That interim truce fell apart on July 8 after Iran struck several commercial ships in the strait. WikipediaWikipedia

Where Do Things Stand Right Now?

As of this week, the situation has actually grown more tense. Maritime security sources report that at least 12 oil and gas tankers were attacked around the strait between September 28 and October 5, the most in any single week since the war began. India’s foreign ministry said 12 crew members were hurt when a projectile hit a tanker called On Peace as it passed through. thestarthestar

Very few ships are getting through. One independent tracker reported just 4 ship crossings on October 4, compared with a normal pace of about 85 a day before the crisis. Please keep the sailors and their families in your prayers. Many of them are simply doing their jobs, far from home. straits. Please keep in mind these numbers will change often.

How Does This Affect Our Families?

This is the part that matters most for those of us running households.

Gas prices. When less oil reaches the world market, prices rise based on supply and demand pressures. Brent crude oil climbed above $100 per barrel in early March for the first time in four years, peaking at $126 per barrel. Here at home, AAA reported the national average for regular gas at about $4.41 on October 1, following a record September when the monthly average was $4.33. A year ago, it was about $3.16. That difference adds up quickly for a family with two cars and a busy schedule. Wikipedia

Grocery prices. This is the one I want you to pay close attention to, because it’s easy to miss. The Persian Gulf region produces a large share of the world’s fertilizer. Up to 30 percent of internationally traded fertilizer normally passes through the strait. By late March, urea fertilizer prices had jumped 50 percent. Analysts warned that higher fertilizer costs and shortages during spring planting could reduce corn yields in the United States, which feeds our beef, poultry, and dairy animals, and could push food prices higher into 2027. When farmers pay more to grow food, we eventually pay more to buy it. 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis +2

Everyday costs. Higher fuel prices touch almost everything, because trucks deliver nearly every item we buy. In March, the OECD projected U.S. inflation of 4.2 percent for 2026, about 1.2 points higher than it had expected before the war. Wikipedia

So, Should We Be Concerned?

My honest answer is this: we should be aware, not afraid. There’s some reassuring news. Some economists point out that today’s economy is less vulnerable to oil shocks than it was in the 1970s, and a July survey of 74 economists by the Wall Street Journal found most still expected the United States to avoid a recession. Nobody knows how long this will last. It could ease quickly with a new agreement, or it could drag on through the winter. That uncertainty is exactly why a prepared family sleeps better at night. Wikipedia

Practical Steps Your Family Can Take Today

Keep your gas tank at least 3/4 full. If prices spike suddenly or supplies get tight, you won’t be stuck. Combine errands and plan your driving for the week to save fuel.

If you store gasoline, do it safely. Use approved containers, add fuel stabilizer, keep it away from your home, and rotate it every few months. Never store more than your local rules allow. Gas Stabilizer

Build your pantry now, a little at a time. Prices on many foods may keep creeping up, so buying a few extra cans each week while prices are still reasonable is smart stewardship. Focus on what your family actually eats.

Stock up on the basics that store well. Rice, beans, oats, flour, pasta, canned meats, canned vegetables, and powdered milk/instant milk are great choices. Remember the rule: store what you eat, and eat what you store.

Plan next year’s garden. If fertilizer and produce prices stay high, a backyard garden becomes even more valuable. Start a compost pile this fall so you have rich soil ready in the spring.

Prepare for winter heating costs. Energy prices affect more than your car. Check your windows and doors for drafts, have warm blankets on hand, and set aside a little extra in your budget for higher utility bills.

Build a small emergency fund. Even a few dollars set aside each week can soften the blow of rising costs.

Avoid panic buying. Steady, thoughtful preparation is always better than rushing to the store when headlines get scary. Panic buying empties shelves for our neighbors and stretches our own budgets thin.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Strait of Hormuz

Is the Strait of Hormuz closed right now? It’s not officially closed to every ship, but attacks and threats have kept most commercial traffic away. Only a handful of ships are crossing each day, compared with the norm.

Why does the Strait of Hormuz affect gas prices in America? Oil is bought and sold on a world market. When a large portion of the world’s oil supply is blocked, prices rise everywhere, including here at home.

Will food prices go up because of the Strait of Hormuz? They may. Higher fuel costs in the trucking industry and fertilizer shortages both raise the cost of growing and shipping food, and some analysts expect effects to continue into 2027.

What is the best way to prepare? Keep your gas tank more full, slowly build a food storage pantry, plan a garden, and set aside some emergency savings.

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Final Word

Events like this remind us why we prepare. We can’t control what happens on the other side of the world, but we can control how ready our own homes are. A stocked pantry, a little savings, and a calm heart go a long way. Take one small step this week, and then another next week. You’ll be amazed at how much peace of mind that brings. May God bless this world, Linda

Sources:
2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, Wikipedia
Attacks on tankers in Hormuz hit highest of any week, Reuters via The Star
Straits daily brief, October 9, 2026
AAA Gas Prices, October 1, 2026

Copyright Images: Strait of Hormuz AdobeStock_2093994789 By Noor Afzal, Strait of Hormuz with Red AdobeStock_1983460073 By alones

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