Summer Survival

The Winds Are Blowing Hot Air And It Is Not Even Election Season... 

Tempertures Rising!

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It is the imminent arrival of summer temperatures. In the desert of Southern Nevada it is necessary to re-adjust to the heat that greets us as we walk out our cozy, air conditioned offices and homes and face a brutal sun and the sizzling concrete and asphalt under our feet. The car steering wheel and seats lie waiting for our touch and it is like grabbing onto a hot stove. The air is blistering and anything you touch is heated to about 140 degrees or higher it seems. Stay out of the heat as much as possible. Summer survival is about shade and hydration!

What do we do to fight off the extremes of these temperatures? Me? I think of cool things. I have to. I work in this hot, arid air and start my day shined and ready to work but quickly feel like I am melting as soon as I get in my vehicle. I wear a full suit and tie and work out of a huge black car that can feel like a furnace at times. Thankfully, I do have a few spots I can stop and get shade and cool off occasionally. 

I do not recommend walking around at noon here in the valley during the months of June, July, and August. It is invitation to serious discomfort. It is amazing to me how may people come here, already in an unhealthy physical condition, imbibe in way to much alcohol, and then meander around the Strip in the heat of the afternoon. This is a disaster brewing.

Morguefile.com

The best thing we can do for summer is stay hydrated. The exhaust of our body water is dripping from our foreheads and down our backs and we must replenish it. Drink more than your daily recommended amounts of water.

We all know that the sun can cause serious sunburns but it also can be the kindling for internal damage as well.

Stay covered. head to toe. I don't mean walk around with a heavy tent on, but wear a wide brimmed hat and if you are going to be in the sun for any length of time other than for leisure,  wear light clothing that will cover your skin. The sun's rays are very damaging here and exposure should be taken in limited amounts.

What would you do if you were trapped in the wilderness and had to survive this heat? Find a shady spot and wait until the sun settles in the sky some. Hiking around at noon in this climate can be a death warrant. A lot of our city and area residents go nocturnal at this time of year. It is easier than having to deal with the higher temperatures here in Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert area. 

In the desert find a cliff face that has a shadow. Look for a nook that you can dig a pile of sand out of and give yourself a resting spot. Find a place to shade your body and let it cool down. A cool cloth on the back of the neck can bring some welcome relief. In the city, get indoors until you are able to cool off. 

MorgueFile.com

Being out in a high desert area brings on some necessary realities. First, there is the risk of sun exposure. Sun poisoning is a side effect of too much sun and it can bring on hypothermia just like exposure to cold can do. In this instance, you don't run the risk of losing limbs, but you may lose consciousnesses or become disoriented. Then you are really stuck. Find shelter. Stay hydrated. Stay out of full sun. Think of fishing trips to Alaska! 

For more about water and its cool benefits on our body see the following article:

A Dozen Healthy Reasons To Love Water

What if's we don't think about...

Photo credit: jusben from morguefile.com

From a conversation with one of my preparedness clients:

What if?
Where you live it is a possibility. The power grid shuts down. Guess what! No power means no water. Without electricity the city's water pumps aren't working. No water in the home?
No toilet, no water at the kitchen sink or shower. Family with no water? Sunk!

What if? You are sitting on a highway miles from anywhere with modern conveniences. There is a wreck on the highway and guess what!? You are left on that patch of road for hours until the emergency vehicles and authorities clear up the scene and get traffic flowing again. Having a kit with some basics in it is going to make that wait a little easier. With energy bars and a couple bottles of water, YOU won't be famished and dehydrated by the time things get going.

What if? Your neighborhood has a major fire or is close to a chemical spill. Your home isn't affected but they have blocked off the entrances to where your home is. They need to contain the fire or clean-up that poison. Waiting until you can return home again may be hours or days.

What if? You get a few water jugs filled. Prepare a bug out kit for your home. Put a 72 hour and a first kit in your car. Have some food storage and emergency energy sources standing by.

Plan for a what if. May it never happen, but if it does, be grateful you made sure you had your supplies ready.

For more information see: www.survival-recovery.com

Why Survival Preparedness?

Looking at ways we need to support ourselves in relation to preparedness planning brings me to address certain issues in uncertain times. 

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Scouring through reasons to plan  for crisis and disaster isn't difficult. 

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Look at the events in today's headline news with serious examples of why to prepare. Why Survival Preparedness? For me some of the reasons are clearly evident with natural disasters in the forms of floods, fires, storms, and financial difficulties. 

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Hedge your bets! Insure with your family for times when the budget is tight or the seasonal weather is rolling in. There are dozens of reasons to prepare! Bet it won't happen to you by planning ahead that it does!

From: The NEW! The Survival Recovery Blog on Wordpress
Author: RiaB

Descriptions of why you would need preparedness is as follows:

Severe storms ~ Image: MorgueFiles

Minor events vs Major Catastrophies

The lights went out last night in our home. Ok, so we won't be able to use the computer, and what else.

1) No electricity?

In our home in Florida this would have also meant the water supply was cut off because we have a drilled well with a water pump and a water softener filter system that both need electrical power to supply the home.

In my home in Nevada no electricity means the temperature of our home is increasing to unhealthy proportions in our blistering summers.

2) No water supply?

With no electricity and no water, we have no heat, no air conditioning or ways to cook, no bathing or showering.

Let's imagine this is a county wide situation. The absence of ...(more..)

Planning against disasters in these modern times is often approached with skepticism and views of preppers being paranoid. The events unfolding just in news headlines TODAY tell us otherwise. I am preparing for the same reason I would would fill up my car with gasoline. I want to make sure I have the things on hand I need. Fuel in the tank means I don't have to sit on a roadside because my car ran out of gas. Prudent planning is a smart idea! Two reasons are listed above for preparing. There are dozens more...

Additional preparedness issues:
 Preparedness Keys 

"American Red Cross Emergency Smartpack for One Person, Nylon Case"