On this page, in no particular order, you will find the articles which didn't seem to fit the categories on the other pages. Nevertheless, there's lots of interesting content here:
The Need to Stock Up is More Urgent than Ever
New Zealand-written (June 2022), this article is a timely reminder that the time to stock up is not next week: it is now. This 2-page document contains links to the work of international speaker on energy and global finance, Nicole Foss, together with suggestions for adding to your mid to long term food supply. Reprinted with permission from HB Prepper - Emergency Preparedness.
Timely Reminders and General Thoughts
We are again indebted to HB Prepper - Emergency Preparedness for this thought-provoking summary of the many concerning and confusing events which now seem to be taking place with increasing frequency. Written in February 2023, it covers a multitude of local and global prepping considerations.
Preparing for the Next Three Years in New Zealand
This short document (written in August 2021) is not intended as a definitive checklist, but simply as a starting point for consideration, further investigation and to identify gaps in preparations. It is recognized that everyone will have different needs and ways of meeting those needs. As well as category groupings, in the belief that many shortages may begin as temporary inconveniences, the New Zealand-based author has attempted to separate out preparations for short-term and long-term effects.
Becoming Self-sufficient for Six Months
Written back in 2007, this 21 page document is primarily concerned with the H5N1 flu pandemic. However, it deals with many topics relevant to today: food for six months; household supplies for six months; disruption of utilities and public services; cooking without your kitchen; water; emergency power; personal protection equipment and a number of additional considerations.
Start Prepping! An Introductory Prepper Guide
Written by Kris, author of the City Prepping YouTube channel (over 700,000 subscribers), this introductory prepper guide is designed to get you started by breaking down the types of disasters you may face and providing you with a basic understanding of the minimal things you may need to survive them.
Your Family Disaster Plan
Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services – water, gas, electricity or telephones – were cut off? Follow the steps listed in this brochure to create your family’s disaster plan. From the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross.
A Family Emergency Plan Template
For families with pets and / or livestock. As well as the template, this 5-page document also contains a brief list of preparedness resources and an evacuation checklist.
The LDS Preparedness Manual
This substantial 509-page manual covers topics such as mental and spiritual preparations for survival, a basic food list, the seven major mistakes in food storage, basic cooking instructions for grains & legumes, the storage life of dehydrated food, tools for your vehicle, communications, finances, heating cooking & lighting, clothing, emergency shelters, sanitation and a whole lot more ...
Last Minute Preparations
This single-page list is based upon what the author suggests you should attempt to purchase in your final shopping trip after the SHTF – when everyone else will be panic buying.
Surviving the Unexpected Emergency
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the degree of preparation and planning necessary for all contingencies of disasters and activity. The Surviving the Unexpected Emergency model provides a basic structure and framework to approach the planning and preparation process for prepping. This is chapter 1 from the book Surviving the Unexpected Emergency by Robert B. Kauffman.
Top Ten Myths of Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
If you're ever in a disaster or emergency and attempt to do something you've heard about from a faulty source, it could very well be the last time you attempt to try it. Listed here are 10 common survival myths followed by more accurate information.
Survival Cheat Sheet
"A reference guide of useful survival instructions, conversions and general information". 6 pages. NB: You may need to rotate the pages in your PDF viewer.
The Boy's Guide to Home Skills
Author's description: "This is a boy’s handbook [but we're fairly sure girls are also allowed to read it] - designed to help teach boys basic, fundamental home skills while they grow into young men. Lots of boys have a desire to learn how to cook, fix a few things around the house, sew on their own buttons, plant a garden, make wood crafts, etc. But in our busy, computer driven age, these important skills are often set aside. The goal of this book is to come alongside the parent and help build an interest in basic skills — cooking, home repair, camping, woodworking, sewing, first aid, knot tying, tools, gardening, hunting and finances." Lots of useful information.
Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities.
Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs. Compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross. For the millions of people who have physical, medical, sensory or cognitive disabilities, emergencies can present a real challenge. The same challenge also applies to the elderly and other special needs populations. Protecting yourself and your family when disaster strikes requires planning ahead. This booklet will help you get started.
Scrounging Metal and Survival Blacksmithing
In a long-term survival situation knowing how to make simple tools by using primitive blacksmithing techniques might allow you to produce wealth by your own efforts in the form of useful items and goods for trading. This 75-page book is well illustrated. As always, safety first!
How to Make your own Archery Equipment
Produced by World Archery, this 56-page book seems to cover nearly all aspects of making your own equipment, including:
- making your own bow handle & limbs
- making your own strings
- making your own sights
- making your own arrow shafts & fletchings
- making your own arm guard & finger protector
- making your own quiver & bow stand
- making your own target & target stand
- and much more ...
The Encyclopedia of Knots
Everything you've wanted to know about knots in just 49 pages. This well-illustrated book begins with the general principles of knot tying and then proceeds to show how to tie square knots (reef knots), surgeon's knots, deep ties, instrument ties and even granny knots.
The Household Cyclopedia
Included primarily for historical interest, this 710-page volume was first published in 1881. It contains a wealth of long forgotten information (some, no doubt, should remain forgotten) on a wealth of subjects. Unfortunately neither the table of contents nor the index contain references to page numbers (pages are not numbered, anyway), meaning that probably the best way to locate information is via a word search in your PDF application.
Nuclear War Survival Skills - Cresson H. Kearny (1987)
From the introduction: "When Hitler first bombed London the panic the bombs caused did far more damage than the bombs themselves. After the citizens of London lost their exaggerated fears of the bombings, life went on much as normal. And so it would be with a nuclear terrorist attack on the U.S. One nuclear bomb exploded in a U.S. city would likely be very small. And though it could do catastrophic damage in a small area, its relative impact on the physical infrastructure of the whole United States would be extremely small. However, because of the irrational, universal fear people have of any radioactivity, the panic that would ensue from such an attack would do far more damage than the attack itself.
The purpose of this book is to provide Americans and other unprepared people with information and self-help instructions that will significantly increase their chances of surviving a nuclear attack. It brings together field-tested instructions that, if followed by a large fraction of Americans during a crisis that precedes an attack, could save millions of lives."
317 pages. Foreword by Dr Edward Teller.
What Nuclear War might mean for New Zealand
At the time of writing (mid-October 2022) a northern hemisphere exchange of nuclear weapons, while hopefully not inevitable, is seemingly increasingly likely.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a fatalistic belief amongst many preppers that, if we are not all immediately irradiated, a nuclear winter will soon ensure our demise. In other words, “We’re all gonna die!”
However, much of the admittedly limited research undertaken on the likely effects on New Zealand of a nuclear war does not support such beliefs. According to the researchers quoted in this article, due to our very fortunate geographical isolation, we are not all doomed to die. Most New Zealanders are in fact probably doomed to survive a nuclear war.
We will, however, face many huge challenges. Life is likely to become nasty, brutish and short.