by Ron Foster
ARkStorm
Ron Foster
USA
© 2012 by Ron Foster
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13:
978-1478378921
ISBN-10:
1478378921
Printed in the United States of America.
Acknowledgements
MorningMayan
Cheryl Chamlies
LowBuckPrepper and Cat
GoatHollow
Misty Cluck and Mountain Man
SUNRNR
StoveTec
1
Dollar Days
15 year old Mark was leaning over his desk intently watching a YouTube vid when his 18 year old sister Nancy knocked on his doorway and asked him what he was doing.
“Are you playing a game or watching another one of those prepping vids?” she inquired.
“Prepper vid, I really don’t know what you got against them. I would rather be learning something about surviving in this world than trying to do it in a fantasy game.” Mark said tired of having to validate why he liked prepping as his favorite hobby.
“Well seems kind of gloomy and doomy to me. Anyway your other prepper buddy Jack from next-door said for me to ask you to help him put up the lawn furniture. He said we had some windy weather coming our way soon.” She replied looking at his monitor screen to see what he had been watching so intently when she had come to the doorway.
“What in the world is a “Dollar store survival kit contest”? Nancy asked while arching her eyebrows in confusion.
“You have a hypothetical $20 bucks to spend at a Dollar Tree or wherever as the only rule to play the game. Then you make a list of what you would buy to sustain you 72 hours at home or in a shelter or you try to include different things for a woodland survival kit. Its pretty interesting what some people come up with.” Mark said excitedly at the least glimmer of Nancy’s interest in learning more about prepping.
“I thought that the 72 hour kits or woodland survival kits listed in the catalogs were kind of expensive. I saw some in those catalogs you left lying around for Mom and Dad to pickup and get hints from.” Nancy replied as Mark reached over and clicked on a tab on the computer screen.
“Basic survival isn’t about how much you spend, not at all. It’s about how much knowledge you have on hand for solving something by improvisation and realizing other uses for something besides what it was ‘made for’. The Prepper and Survival oriented old internet forums and websites are full of contest entries to look over and compare community knowledge and advice on the lists contents they posted.
The idea is to put together a survival kit that costs no more than $20 total. The kits would be evaluated on how well they met the basic needs in the following areas:
Fire
Shelter
Signaling
First Aid
Tools
Repair
Bag, container, etc.
For the last couple of weeks I have been reading and researching all different types of survival kits. I have been comparing what’s in those expensive pre-made commercial kits in catalogs and on websites to what I have already assembled for myself from Wal-Mart and the Dollar store. I have come to the conclusion my stuff is way cheaper and better quality than anything I could buy preassembled.” Mark said proudly.
Mark was at that special time on the path to prepperdom, where one seems to spend every waking moment on the internet researching or thinking about prepping and finances. He wondered why what he called the “Old” school Preppers didn’t do these types of dollar store contests anymore. He certainly had been learning a lot and there were new products and ideas he could have contributed as an entry to try to win something in a contest if he could find one going on. He figured that maybe since everybody had already done these types of contests a hundred times before, it was probably now boring to the seasoned preppers.
He sure would have liked to have some of their advice though on things he had included in his own gear. A lot of those old Preppers were pretty ingenious, almost MacGyver like in their resourcefulness to make the game more intriguing and versatile.
One of the better exchanges of wisdom he had witnessed was LowBuckPrepper pitting his knowledge of prep purchases against a survivalist blogger named Randal. When the contest got down to the wire LowBuck blew Randal away with “2000 uses for WD 40” http://www.wd40.com/files/pdf/wd-40_2042538679.pdf/ he had added to his kit.
Randal did have a neat entry though; he had put Murray’s Beeswax Pomade on his list for the cost of two bucks. He had demonstrated how to use it as fire starter or as a grease lamp. He showed he could cover a wound with it, use it as lip balm, lubricate his weapon etc. with it, however he couldn’t come up with near the uses LowBuck had for his small can of WD. Mark had added cans of both to his preps. That hair pomade stuff could give you 400 minutes of light for $2. He had seen it in a YouTube video awhile back and was constantly dreaming up other applications for it.
Michaels original concept of creating some kind of 72 hour kit was based on 'having something in hand is better than nothing' and he also at that point of his travels on the road to prepperdom was geared more toward a smaller incident that may have required him to leave home and go to a public place for shelter or transportation out of an affected area.
As his knowledge grew though, so did his preps despite his miniscule pocket book based on his weekly allowance he was getting pretty well prepared.
“See Nancy, this submission here isn’t even the winning entry. There is a bunch more posts on the forum page, but it makes you think. The whole point of these contests (besides saving money) is that by reviewing list submissions, it makes you look at things in a different light.” Mark said poking his finger at a point on the forum page.
“That sounds like that Rural Ranger book I gave you for your birthday. You used that logic on Mom to root through all the kitchen drawers collecting all kinds of weird stuff.” Nancy replied and then began reading the quote her brother had pointed out.
$20 bug out bag
Cliff Bars or Nature Valley granola bars - $2
roll of TP free - 50 cents
large bottle(s) of water 50 cents - $1
space blanket $1
flashlight -$1
rain poncho - $2
paper towels or hand wipes 50 cents - $1
tea light candles - $1
lighter - $1
thrift store back pack - $2
cheese crackers (cheap) - 50 cents to $1
cheap nuts or peanut butter - $1.50
basic utility knife - $1
fast food packets- salt / pepper / hot sauce / lemon juice / bbq sauce / ketchup / mustard - FREE plastic knives, forks, spoons & straws- FREE
bag of trail mix- nuts and dried fruit - $1.50
hand sanitizer - 50 cents
knock off brand of Neosporin/antibiotic cream - $1
bottle of rubbing alcohol 50 cents-$1
“Oh I get it! That’s pretty interesting…” Nancy began before hearing the doorbell chime.
“That’s got to be Jack looking for you. I saw him when I was taking out the trash and said you would probably be down in a minute to help him put up that lawn furniture. I will go let him in while you shut down the computer or save whatever your doing. Email me that page first though; I want to look at it later.” Nancy told him and went to let Jack in.
“Glory be and hallelujah! Had he finally after all these months got somebody in this house interested in prepping? It would be really cool if Sis got on his side sometimes and got their parents to think about adding to their emergency supplies.
Just enough food and water for 72 hours in reserve my ass. Didn’t his parents realize besides being in an earthquake prone area there were many other reasons to store more! Geez, they usually used up all the bottled water they had held back or stored if they didn’t feel like going to the store to replace the everyday consumption of what was in the fridge.” Mark mused to himself as he forwarded the link with web address to his sister’s email.
“Hey Mark, your sister said you all got sidetracked looking at 72 hour kit lists.” Jack said looking down at the computers screen.
“Hey Jack, sorry about that. I think I finally got her interested in prepping though.” Jack said lowering his voice conspiratorially.
“Really, man? No shit? Well will miracles never cease! Which one of these lists are you looking at on here?” Jack said motioning at the screen.
“All of them really, but I was showing Nancy this one in particular just to give her a general idea of a Dollar store kits contents.” Mark said pointing out what he and Nancy had been discussing.
“Oh I remember those contests; I entered a few of them myself. You don’t see them occurring much anymore. Let’s check out this guy’s entry.” Jack said glancing over the list.
“Hell man...you call that a survival kit? You don't even have any Twinkies in it. Everyone knows that Twinkies are the ultimate survival food!” Jack said laughing and then carried on with a grin “When everything and everyone is gone and all is in ruins, the Twinkies will survive!!” he said with a chuckle.
“Good one! Hell that’s probably true.” Mark said chuckling and saved the page to his favorites before rising from his desk chair and following Jack down the stairs to help him with the patio furniture.
“I don’t have Twinkies in my bug out bag either. However, I do have chocolate chip brownie MREs that ought to be around for a good long while. Remind me to give you a few for helping me out today.” Jack said as they exited the door.
“Way cool! Thanks Jack!” Mark said beaming a smile and remembering what having a prepper for a next door neighbor was like. For him it was a godsend to Jack helping him build up his stash from given or donated items to help him along.
Jack was not really a hardcore prepper in the sense that he and his mom stocked a bunch of “bug in” supplies. Living in the LA area, his Mom had always had the notion that a “bug out” of the city was the only chance they had. She had tailored their budget and preps to escape from it, rather than trying to “bug in” and survive it.
Mark couldn’t really blame them there; he felt the same way and had been trying to get his folks thinking about how they were going to get the hell out of dodge if the poo did hit the fan someday and they needed to leave. Most of what Mark said to them about prepping fell on deaf ears and they gave him crazy looks like he was going through some sort of a faze they were trying to be patient with.
They were your typical California computer programmer nerd types that only thought of disaster planning as something the IT guys did in the backup office for the servers and computers at the companies they worked at.
“It had taken an act of God and a lot of wheedling and begging on Mark`s part as well as others supporting him to get the Henry 22 survival rifle he had received as a present from his parents this Christmas. If it hadn’t been for Jack and his Mom helping him convince his parents that he wasn’t going to “ shoot his eye out or anyone else’s” he would of never got it. As it was his mom that made him keep it secured over in Jack’s gun safe which embarrassed the hell out of him, but at least he had one.
He had yet to broach the subject of getting the combination of the gun safe from Jack for “emergency purposes only” but would get around to it when the time was right. He had already got the over 21 year old prepper friend to surreptitiously buy some ammo for him. No way in hell was he going to try to justify needing a few hundred rounds of 22 caliber to his folks at the moment and trying to get them to buy it for him.” Mark mused to himself as they walked over to Jack’s Moms house.
Jacks mom Joyce was a pretty unique prepper herself. She was a beautiful woman who had many facets to her life. She also had a YouTube channel he watched often but instead of talking about the physical aspects of storing food etc. she focused more on the spiritual and political aspects of prepping.
This was why her friend Randal had asked her to be guest speaker at this year's PrepperStock and that was where she was at the moment to give a lecture and some unique insights. Randal’s theme for his talk would focus on his predictions and research that there were are two parts to this EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) threats coming our way, there is a "Man Portion," and a "God Portion" and the government knows it but does little about either.
Scientists definitely recognized the Man Portion and have numerous facts and experiments that support the widespread effects it will have on an electrical grid. Randal was going to take this end of the risk assessment. Most scientists are now considering a God Portion is definitely also in our possible future in the form of solar storms and even the possible effects of a star going supernova. Joyce would take this segment and beside just its technical and scientific aspects, she would also expound upon her understandings of the different spiritual and esoteric aspects of such an event occurring.
Mark was still a little miffed he couldn’t go with her to PrepperStock this month, but his parents had said adamantly no. They had put many reasons on the table for refusing him the privilege, but mainly it was because they would be out of town at the same time PrepperStock was going on and they preferred he stay home with his sister.
They were attending an IT programmer’s convention in Atlanta and would be gone for a week.
“What is up with the weather? I haven’t even had a chance to look at it today.” Mark said as Jack and he both lifted a heavy wooden sun lounger and deposited it in the partially empty garage.
“They are saying that we got some bad storms headed our way tonight. Something to do with El Nino or the Pineapple express but I am not so sure that’s entirely correct.” Jack said worriedly.
“What do you mean not sure? Just another storm with possible flood warnings isn’t it they are describing?” Mark said as helped Jack get the other lounger.
“I saw a YouTube video yesterday from one of the professional Preppers who monitor these type of storms as a part of their daily jobs and he said it looked like the moist flow of air from Hawaii--often called an "atmospheric river" or the "Pineapple Express" was really stirring the weather up much more so than some meteorologists were letting on. He was worried that the conditions for an ARkStorm might become a possibility to contend with very soon...” Jack replied and then carefully deposited his end of the lounger on top of the other and then shoved both of the pieces of furniture back towards the wall.
“What’s an arc storm?” Mark inquired.
“Well its spelled capitol A, capitol R, small k, capitol S, storm all in one word. The "AR" stands for "Atmospheric River", the "k" for 1,000 (like a 1-in-1000 year event), or 1000 (k), as in a real "kilo" storm or “killstorm." Then of course "ARkStorm" is meant to summon visions of a biblical-scale deluge, similar to the great California flood of 1862.” Jack concluded.
“I never heard of the great California flood before, did an ARkStorm cause that?” Mark asked.
“Well you might say that, but not really. Let me explain. An ARkStorm is a hypothetical but scientifically realistic "superstorm" scenario developed and published by the United States Geological Survey. The event they based it on for emergency planning purposes would be similar to intense California storms which occurred in 1861 and 1862.
The name ARkStorm is also meant to be drawn as a parallel to the biblical Noah's Ark story. It’s easy to see why they chose to do that because it rained 45 straight days back then and flooded California’s central valley and turned it into a lake 300 miles long and 20 miles wide.” Jack said knowingly
“Holy shit! We don’t have one of those mega storms headed our way do we?” Mark sa
id shocked at the possibility of being in such a thing.
“No, I just said it’s a possibility that some scientists are watching carefully, just like they do when they track hurricanes. Just something to keep an eye on so there won’t be too many big surprises all of the sudden.” Jack said carefully and looked around the garage for a likely spot to put the beach umbrella and tables at.
“I guess it’s a good thing my cars in the shop and moms away or we would never have gotten all this furniture in here. Tell your sister that they are predicting lots of hail so she will put her car in the garage when she gets home the next few days.” Jack stated and had seat on one of the beach chairs to cool off.
“I will tell her, but I want to understand this ARkStorm thing better. I never heard of one and now you got me a little worried.” Mark said sitting down next to him.
“Well please don’t be overly worried. It’s like the 200 year flood zones and 500 year ones. They are going to likely to flood one day according to scientific data, but odds are in our favor mostly.” Jack told him.
“Well what are the chances of this one? 200 or 500 years? Because if its two hundred we are about due for one hell of a storm are we not?” Mark said worriedly.
“That was pretty astute of you to compare dates with the Great California flood.” Jack said pausing for a moment looking directly at Mark. “Here I will tell you the 5 basic things you need to know about an ARkStorm. Then we can better talk about them. I will give the keytakeaway points to you as we go.