Guest Post- Danielle M.

The Colorado flooding earlier this year washed away highways, interstates and even small towns. In its wake, it left behind another lesson on disaster clean up and preparedness.

The storm

Heavy rainfall hit on September 9, and didn’t let up until Sept. 13. The storm front was trapped against the Rockies, which meant four days of heavy rain. Rainfall totals equaled 14.62 inches — about two-thirds of the annual rainfall for the area.

The aftermath

Nine people died in the flooding, and many, many more lost their homes. Eighteen towns, including Denver, were hit by flash flooding. Smaller towns high in the mountains were hit particularly hard, and assistance was a long time coming thanks to roads being completely washed out. In many places, only bedrock is left where asphalt used to be — a state that could remain until 2015.

Left without options for getting down the mountain, Colorado flood survivors can (Read more....)

However my attitude towards preparedness changed after a really big storm. A hurricane swept through my area that was so bad and did so much damage that my home was without power for almost two weeks. Even the big chain stores and places with backup generators only lasted a few days before their power went down too. All was quiet in my large city, and it was terrifying.

So much damage was done and so many trees were down that relief efforts were hampered and even repair crews had a hard time accomplishing anything. Thankfully our water came back only after a day or two, because we are not on the main grid, but others went for weeks without water also.

My family was not very well (Read more....)

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra

How to Make the Most of The Year of the Snake

Now that 2012’s been laid to rest, and the dirt’s been kicked on its face, we calibrate out sights on the year ahead…and what you can expect.  According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the Year of the Snake.  What’s more, it’s the year of the water snake.  Here’s how to make the most of it…

“This is a year of water Snake,” says one Chinese Zodiac website, “and all things will be possible.  Saving money and being thrifty should be your top priorities.  To gain the greatest benefits from this year, you must control spending and use your talents wisely.”

Certainly, this is sage guidance…no matter what year.  While (Read more....)

Monitor- Always monitor your child’s computer usage to prevent anything bad from happening. This can be done several ways:

· Place their computer in the same room that you will be in. This will help prevent them from wanting to go to sites are not appropriate. You can also keep an actual eye on what they may be doing and conversations they might have.

· Check their history on a weekly if not daily basis. Be sure to visit unfamiliar sites that they may have visited.

· Computer monitoring software programs are great for keeping tabs on your child’s every move but will cost you.
Educate- It is important that your children know how and why they should be safe online. There are predators out there that target children and know how to talk to them into dangerous things. Here are some rules you (Read more....)

If you’re like the majority of other people, most likely not. And, it’s not that we don’t have the capability to, because we all know our ancestors lived off the land, but we have become so accustomed to our easy way of life, we must re-train ourselves to be self-sufficient. Luckily, numerous schools and courses have popped up over the last few years that specialize in teaching survival 101.  So, if you’re looking to get back in touch with your instinctual, survival side, you might consider enrolling in one of these.

Bushcraft & Wilderness Survival Courses

Offering potential college credit to its students, the Bushcraft & Wilderness Survival Courses, (Read more....)