Being Prepared for Disasters!

In the past I have had people write to me and tell me that I am a ‘fear monger’, using fear to sell products. I would think that Hurricane Sandy would put those statements to rest! Just think where those people are that had some supplies stored up, propane camp stove and a gravity fed water filter. I am pretty sure that they are not dumpster diving for food and going without water.

 

We have relatives in the lower Manhattan area that live in some pretty posh digs and they might as well be in a tenement building, they would be better off for sure! They have had no power or water since Sunday night. No internet no cell phone, no nothing! The company he works for finally got him a very expensive hotel room so that he could work, he is a ‘virtual’ employee.

 

He was going to coffee shops etc uptown but they are all packed since everyone has that same idea. They have power uptown and it is warm and you can buy food. Downtown, you can just forget about all that. Of course, getting from downtown Manhattan to anywhere can be an issue as well. Limited subway lines open and cars require fuel and there appears to be little of that.

 

Then you can look at the footage of this huge disaster, Staten Island is a mess along with long island and New Jersey. Fist fights over food and fuel are becoming common. Between that and the high level of destruction there are places with Martial Law now. Wow!  The survival instincts of many are kicking in and if food, water and shelter aren’t delivered ASAP you could see things deteriorate further.

 

I just hope that those that think storing up some food and making just very basic preparations is a crazy idea will wake up in time. We are having some pretty wild natural disasters of late and they might, just maybe get caught in one and wish they had taken the advice to prepare yourself and family for the unforeseen event that could cause a lot of suffering, more than necessary.

The bottom line is that the supply chains for virtually everything we use, food, water, fuel, etc. are very fragile indeed.  Once broken it can take a while to fix and during that time what will you do?

 

 

 

 

 

Gas prices set record in California, why?

As oil prices decline the price of gas in California continues to set new highs, record highs! You would be wise to ask why.

 

The reason for this is the ‘outages’ in several refineries in the state. One outage was a power failure that caused the Exxon refinery in Torrence to shut down. With this and other outages at other refineries happening the supply of gas has all but dried up with many gas stations closing as they can’t pay more for their product than customers can pay. This phenomena is not limited to ‘mom and pop’ shops but extends all the way to Costco…

 

This is yet another example of just how fragile our entire supply chain is in this country and how there are many things that one can do to better prepare for these type events, something that not everyone is prepared to do. After all, preparing for these events is just plain crazy right?

 

WRONG, it is just good common sense to put up a few extra groceries, water and other items one might need to exist without unnecessary hardship should something come to pass. Here in the mountains of Colorado the occasional snow storm can all but prevent the food trucks from resupplying the stores and believe me those stores empty out in just a couple of days. Almost everyone I know stocks up on basic food items just in case!

 

A supply chain disruption can be caused by so many things as evidenced by this recent event in CA. Add to that natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and the like that can destroy roads, refineries, dams and nuclear plants that generate power and can also generate huge swaths of destruction should something happen to them.

 

Once the chain is disrupted expect shortages in just about anything you can imagine as most everything we consume comes from somewhere else! Higher prices will just be a natural consequence of these shortages.

 

In short, be rational and be prepared.

Hurricane Issac

Isaac hit hurricane strength today and is unfortunately headed for Louisiana, or so it seems. I think that if I lived in New Orleans I would be headed for higher ground. After Katrina everyone should know that flooding is a high possibility.

 

The Army Corp of Engineers continues to be in control of the levy system and if those levies are not up to full strength we could very well see another disaster, even though the storm is weaker than Katrina. The question is how much can that levy system take?

 

For the rest of us outside of the hurricane’s path this should be yet another wake up call to be prepared for all types of events. Do you have a grab and go bag? Do you know what that is? How about water, do you have enough just in case the water system fails? Do you have enough food and fuel to cook it with? Those are just some basic questions and the more you think about it the more you will realize just how fragile our system really is.

 

How long do you think it takes for a grocery store to completely empty out of all consumables? I can tell you at most just a matter of days. Will you have what you need to last until they restock the shelves? That could be days if not weeks depending on the crisis. Up here in the mountains this happens all to frequently when we get a big snowstorm.

 

I urge everyone to think about these things. Adapt your preparedness list for your geographic region and the natural events that could change your living circumstances dramatically.

Billionaire Money Manager Bets Big on Gold

Billionaire John Paulson has bet big on Gold, raising his firms investment in the metal to 44%. He has been big on gold since 2009 but his luck has not been so hot for the past 2 years with record losses.

 

He is betting that gold will remain a great hedge against currency debasement, rising inflation and the possible break up of the euro. All things that everyone of us should be concerned about! He must be really concerned with a bet that size.

 

Seriously folks, while this guy’s recent track record isn’t the best his long term record is pretty dang good! For those of us out there that continue to hold gold and silver we can take comfort in the knowledge that some very sophisticated investors are feeling the same way as we are and doing the same thing..buying gold and silver.

 

The prices are down and the macro economic situation hasn’t changed at all, in fact in my view it is even worse. Now you have the Israelis talking about bombing Iran again. Syria is falling apart and the news on the Euro, Spain and Greece is just not improving. Added to all this is the threat of a world wide food shortage and I have not listed all the bad stuff out there either!

 

Time to get prepared? I would think so in spades! Food, water, gold and silver make up a really great starter kit!

 

 

Drought News Still Dismal

There has been much reporting on the effects of the current drought on crops, particularly corn and soybeans, and the news isn’t getting any better!

 

The new estimates coming out are even worse than anticipated and the prices continue to rise. Get ready folks this is going to be a record year for higher food prices. Those of us that actually cook will also pay higher prices but even those that eat junk food will pay higher prices since corn and soy products are in virtually every fast food/junk food item!

 

Have you thought about a greenhouse? Growing an organic garden or just buying some dried beans and grains now to help reduce the impact that higher prices will have on your household budget?

 

I am continuing to get prepared for this by storing some foodstuffs now before it is too late!

Crisis of Confidence for the Euro

As the can tumbles down the road, we are now hearing that the Euro is showing signs of some deeper issues developing. At first the Euros flowed from the troubled nations to the core now the capital flows are outward, from the Euro to outside currency havens.

 

The Euro has lost 8% against the dollar just since May. For many that might not seem too large but in the currency game this is huge! Seems that everyone is just losing hope as the European Central Bank and Germany can’t seem to come together on anything.

 

Ultimately the only weapon that they have is the printing press…buying more bonds with newly printed money to keep rates down in the ‘troubled’ nations. This in turn will eventually lead to inflation. Too much money chasing limited goods and services leads to higher prices for those same goods and services…at least that is the traditional thinking.

 

In my opinion we have not seen a ton of inflation in typical safe haven assets such as real estate due to the tremendous amount of price inflation that was artificially injected into the system via virtually unlimited cheap credit. Now we are seeing that ‘fluff’ taken out of the market entirely.

 

Given this logic then we might see a ‘bottom’ in that market and then a huge bounce. Rates will begin to rise and so will prices. We are already seeing food costs soar due to the drought and the drop in worldwide food supplies.

 

We will see if the making of the perfect storm are here and develop. The system is, in my opinion, severely stretched and it won’t take a lot to just see it disassemble. The rate and timing of this event is a moving target and when it becomes evident it may be too late for those that are not prepared!

Euro Problems not Over

Since my last posting on this subject,not a whole lot has changed. Well, except the fact that this situation is getting worse, as we all knew it would, and the markets are noticing.

 

The stock markets have fallen in 3 of the last 4 days and most of the MSM is placing the blame on the European Financial crisis. Our corporate earnings are getting hit, with more to come many think, and the prices are diving.

 

It was just the other day that one of the ‘doomsday’ guys, that have good track records by the way, was saying we have fallen off the financial precipice. I don’t think he is far from wrong.

 

Common sense indicates that the world wide economy, including our own, has yet to see the worst. That is coming on a daily basis. Please don’t believe these talking heads when they tell you that they are ‘fixing’ the problem. I am not sure they, nor anyone else, know what the problem really is!

 

When you don’t know the problem, you certainly can’t fix it, even if they could and I for one don’t believe that the efforts (read money they are printing) undertaken will do any good at all.

 

The entire system is crumbling as I write. Since the Lehman debacle we have seen far too many financial houses succumb tot he economic pressures and of course sheer greed and fraud.

 

Look at PFG, the future clearing house that went broke and dang few of these people will ever see any money. Given the fragile state of affairs, why would anyone want to put their money in such a clearing house, just to take more risk to make money that, due to the risk of bankruptcy of the futures firm, they might never see again!

 

Folks, this financial crisis will slowly unravel the fundamentals of our economy. I suggest you get prepared…take a look at where your money is and how easy or difficult it will be to access it in the event of some financial catastrophe. Do you own any gold or silver? How easy is that to get to? I am all for the Boy Scout Motto here “Be Prepared”!

Food Shortages Coming?

After the stormy weather several weeks ago we should all be aware that food shortages can happen even when there is food in a state near you. Without electricity grocery stores can’t offer many types of food for very long and then, well no more food until the juice comes back.

 

Now with a late frost that damaged the wheat crop and the drought that is just baking the corn crops, we might see some folks panic that just assume that food will be available. World-wide there will be food shortages and sadly many people in some countries will starve.

 

Our food stocks in this country are low and will prevent us from exporting our normal allotment which will make the food issues even worse in the poorer countries that really need more food!

 

I suspect that we will see some pretty awful consequences of this drought as we go through the summer. Apart from the crop failures, we have already seen the worst forest fire season in decades! The economic effects of these fires is pretty high and will cost us all in increased premiums on our insurance for years to come!

 

I would ask each and everyone of the readers here: Are you prepared for a food shortage? Can you supplement with your own food stocks in the event that food is rationed? If your answer is no, then you had best get prepared and store some good, healthy and nutritious foods.

Economic Disaster coninues to unfold in Europe

As the financial disaster in Europe continues, the German Chancellor Merkel tells Spain to think again on a bond issue backed by the European Community. Spain’s borrowing costs have sky rocketed and are close to 7%. To put that in perspective that is a historical high! For a sovereign country to pay more than a corporation is somewhat indicative of the financial disaster that most of these countries are experiencing.

 

The problem is that the private companies are really going to get hit hard as the ‘ripple’ of the economic woes spread outward, even to the shores of our country. As we all know we don’t need any more economic pain, enough already!

 

Merkel Rebuffs Rajoy Plea, Shuts Door to Euro Area Bonds

By Tony Czuczka and Patrick Donahue – Jun 27, 2012 7:14 AM MT

 

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel shut the door to joint euro-area bonds as a means of lowering Spain’s borrowing costs, saying they are the “wrong way” to achieve the greater European integration needed to stem the debt crisis.

 

Speaking three hours after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made a plea for help from tomorrow’s European summit, Merkel said that euro bonds, euro bills and debt redemption funds are unconstitutional in Germany and economically “wrong and counterproductive.”

 

 

“I fear that at the summit there will be much too much talk about mutual liability and far too little about improved oversight and structural measures,” Merkel told lower-house lawmakers in Berlin today. “Oversight and liability have to go hand in hand. There can only be joint liability when adequate oversight is ensured.”

 

Merkel is under growing pressure from her European and global counterparts to soften her opposition to debt sharing in the euro area and do more to cut borrowing costs for Spain and Italy. Rajoy, outlining his goals for the two-day European Union summit beginning in Brussels tomorrow, said that Spain can’t go on financing itself at current borrowing rates for long.

 

“The most important thing today is being able to finance ourselves in the markets, that’s the main issue,” Rajoy said in Parliament in Madrid. “And on that point Spain, Italy and other countries are going to push for reasonable decisions to be made,” using the “available instruments.”

Spanish Bonds

 

Spanish 10-year bond yields were little changed at 6.86 percent after jumping 24 basis points yesterday, nudging the 7 percent level that forced Greece, Ireland and Portugal to call for sovereign bailouts. Equivalent German bonds yielded about 1.54 percent.

 

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, speaking at a separate event in Berlin, said his country’s borrowing costs are “unnaturally” low and shouldn’t continue. “It’s more an expression of anxiety than stability” in financial markets, he told reporters.

 

EU leaders meeting in Brussels are due to discuss a plan for closer European integration spearheaded by EU President Herman Van Rompuy that centers on common banking supervision and deposit insurance, along with a “criteria-based and phased” move toward joint debt issuance. The blueprint also suggests that the EU could impose upper limits on annual budgets and debt levels of nations that use the euro.

 

 

While Merkel said that she welcomed the Van Rompuy proposals and agreed with his four building blocks toward integration, she rebuffed any notion Germany shoulder the cost.

 

“I decisively reject the presumption in this report that the principle of collectivization takes priority,” she said. Rather, individual countries must “keep to agreed rules” and raise their competitiveness through structural reforms, using the best in Europe as the standard “rather than mediocrity.”

 

“The sovereign debt crisis shows us daily that deficiencies in one euro-zone country can cause difficulties in the entire euro zone,” Merkel told lawmakers. “It also shows us that national answers aren’t enough to secure the euro area’s stability.”

 

Merkel is increasingly isolated as Rajoy, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti unite to push for quicker action to ease the crisis that emerged in Greece in late 2009. The three leaders back the creation of euro bonds and are pushing for measures to spur growth. Merkel is due in Paris later today for talks with Hollande, and will travel to Rome to meet with Monti on July 4.

Crisis Timeframe

 

“The key negotiators, including the German chancellor, do not really understand the timeframe we’re working under,” Niall Ferguson, a professor of economic history at Harvard University, said at a conference in London. “The timeframe for financial crises is days. The timeframe for structural reforms is years.”

 

Spain formally requested a European bailout for its banks on June 25 and discussions continue as to what conditions lenders will have to meet and whether the loan of as much as 100 billion euros ($125 billion) would take precedence over other debts in the event of default.

 

Rajoy said he will fight so that rescue loans “aren’t superior to the rights of other creditors of public debt.” Germany, Finland and the Netherlands want official loans to Spain to be repaid first in the event of default, undermining the interests of existing bondholders, two European officials said this week.

 

Rajoy also backs a so-called banking union, which he says includes joint deposit-guarantee funds and would allow Europe’s rescue funds to recapitalize banks directly without going via the government. German officials have rejected those proposals.

 

“It all hinges on her,” said Ferguson of Merkel. “She has to realize the cost of disintegration to Germany would be mindblowing.” Whatever happens, “Germany pays,” he said. “Do they pay through massive defaults or fiscal transfers?”

 

I continue to buy silver and think gold is also a great buy in here. I also continue to get prepared with more storable food and water. My son is buying guns and ammo as well.

Colorado is on FIRE

For those that don’t watch mainstream news, Colorado is suffering the worst wildfire season in history. Hundreds of homes burned to the ground in several areas and the fires continue to rage.

 

As a resident of Colorado we are keeping a constant watch on the forest and mountain areas near us. Fortunately for us none of the fires are near our home but many people are being evacuated as we speak in several different areas.

 

These folks need some very positive energy and prayers!

 

Colorado wildfires: Wildfires burning Colorado, prompting evacuations, destroying properties

KUSA – There are several active fires burning in Colorado as of Tuesday morning, and it is hard to keep all the fires straight if you are not in the immediate area. 9NEWS is here to help with this comprehensive list.

 

Below are the largest fires in the state that are causing either evacuations or threatening homes.

 

CHIMNEY ROCK FIRE

 

A downed power line sparked a one-acre blaze in southwestern Colorado Monday, threatening homes and prompting evacuations. The Forest Service says the fire is burning on the north side of Cabezon Canyon. The fire was running up the canyon towards the residences Monday afternoon. Pre-evacuation orders were given to residents, but firefighters were able to fully supress the fire. The firefighters are in the mop-up stages now.

 

CR 102 FIRE

 

The containment of the CR 102 Fire in Elbert County was changed around midnight on Monday from 100 percent contained to 75 percent contained. By Monday afternoon, the fire reached 90 percent containment. The fire has burned 300 acres and caused 100 people to be evacuated. The pre-evacuation order for the town of Elbert was lifted on Monday. The CR 102 Fire broke out Sunday afternoon.

 

FLAGSTAFF FIRE

 

A fire burning in Boulder County Tuesday afternoon has prompted evacuation notices. Boulder County officials say the fire is 300-acres and burning on the west side of the Flatirons. The Rocky Mountain Fire Department is using a heavy tanker and ground crews on the Flagstaff Fire. Residents living south of Dartmouth Avenue, west to Table Mesa and east to Broadway are under a pre-evacuation notice. A resident in the area says lightning was seen before the fire started. Smoke can be seen from the City of Boulder and surrounding areas.

 

HIGH PARK FIRE

 

The High Park Fire is now 87,250 acres with only 55 percent containment. The fire started on June 9 around 6 a.m. and is burning approximately 15 miles west of Fort Collins. More than 1,900 personnel are fighting the blaze. On June 11, authorities confirmed 62-year-old Linda Steadman died from the blaze. Search crews found Steadman’s remains at her house on Old Flowers Road. Authorities say Steadman received two notification calls. A deputy was on his way to personally warn her, but he was pushed back by flames. Larimer County officials confirm at least 248 homes are destroyed from the High Park Fire. The cause of this fire is lightning.

 

LAST CHANCE FIRE

 

A fire burning near the town of Last Chance prompted evacuations and closed a portion of Highway 71. The 44,000-acre fire is 95 percent contained as of Monday night. It forced residents near the town of Last Chance and Woodrow to evacuate. Two homes and three outbuildings have been destroyed.

 

LITTLE SAND FIRE

 

The Little Sand Fire is now 22,010 acres with only 29 percent containment. The fire started on May 13 around 4 p.m. and is burning approximately 13 miles northwest of Pagosa Springs. More than 200 personnel are fighting the blaze. No structures have burned or threatening in this blaze. The cause of this fire is lightning.

 

STATELINE FIRE

 

The Stateline Fire grew to 350 acres and is at 50 percent containment. The fire started on June 23 and is burning near the Colorado-New Mexico line along U.S. Highway 550. About 140 personnel are fighting the blaze. One home was destroyed by the fire, but no other homes are threatened. It is burning in a very remote area. The fire is considered to be human caused, but there are no suspects at this time. An information line is now available at 970-799-1179.

 

TREASURE FIRE

 

The Treasure Fire is burning 320 acres with only 10 percent containment. The fire started on June 23 at 11:10 a.m. and is burning five miles northeast of Leadville. No structures have burned in this blaze. The cause of this fire is human-caused, but it is still under investigation.

 

WALDO CANYON FIRE

 

The Waldo Canyon Fire is now 5,165 acres with 5 percent containment. The fire started on June 23 around noon and is burning in Pike National Forest in El Paso County. About 600 personnel are fighting the blaze. The cause of this fire is under investigation. Massive amounts of evacuations were issued for Tuesday afternoon.

 

WEBER FIRE

 

The Weber Fire is burning more than 8,930 acres. The fire is 15 percent contained. It started on June 22. The fire is burning in Montezuma County just six miles south of Mancos and just south of Highway 160. More than 100 homes were evacuated. No homes have been damaged in this fire. Nearly 400 personnel are fighting this fire. Officials say someone started the fire, but no further details are available at this time.

 

Think about it, what would you grab in the event of an emergency? Take some time and think about it. Food, water, important papers perhaps? Being prepared is not a bad idea for most people and those in Colorado are really having to either get out fast unprepared or preparing in a double quick hurry. Where are you on the preparedness scale?

 

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