Franke Schein is a author of several books and a freelance journalist whose articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the world. He writes from a street level perspective with a unique insight and style across a wide range of subjects. His articles appear on several websites in many different countries.
Welcome to 2012; and you thought it was all just fluff.
Tornadoes are roaring across the country tearing up cities and towns, as well as killing indiscriminately as it traces a path cross the mid-west.
Indiana is one of the hardest hit areas:
Is this just the beginning…?
One of the primary element of my own family survival plan is the ability to quickly get away in the event something happens.
Here in Alaska we are faced with several real potentials for disasters. All of our plans detail our little family being able to stop whatever we are doing, and jump into the main BOV that awaits us in the driveway.
I have outfitted with old Suburban 4x4 with a brand new 5.7L 350hp engine, reworked all of the electronics, and outfitted the truck with programmable scanner, mobile HAM/Commercial radio, and a standard Citizen’s Band radio.
Double stuffed winter tires, and extra lights keep us on the road during those long and dark winter nights when seeing 50 yards up the road is almost impossible without High Intensity Discharge (HID) spotlights. They are tinted in blue in order to cut through the snow.
Inside the 4x4 we keep extra a clothing, wool blankets, tools, and our personal survival gear. Theirs is 1-month worth of food in back, as well as a full blow EMT kit for medical emergencies. Extra fuel cans, motor oil and fluids round out the inventory.
The roads in Alaska are ALWAYS glazed over with ice. Unlike the lower-48 states where the snowplows keep the roads clean; here in Alaska we have so much snow, that it is always ice covered and dangerous. Whiteouts occur with little or no warning, and oftentimes the weather will change in a heartbeat. Those who venture out into the remote areas have to keep basic survival supplies in the car, or they could potentially die within a few miles of the nearest gas station. Most small (mom & pop) gas stations close a little after dark-thirty.
The radios utilized by The Alaska Watchmen Group are Yeasu FT1900R 55-Watt mobile HAM radio that have the MARS/CAP option installed. The radio is capable of receiving and transmitting on the 136 MHz – 174 MHz band. In a SHTF event, a 100-Watt power amplifier cross-linked to a repeater system allows the group to maintain constant radio communications with each team.
[ Better days for the old 4x4 Work-Horse ]
[ Typical Spring Weather In Alaska ]
