#maybe take another route or invest in a vehicle with a roof

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The "vague, anonymous warning note" is one of my favorite storytelling cliches ever. No actionable info, impossible to tell if a threat or a well-intentioned warning. Always delivered in a weirdass way.

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

As the snow falls and the drifts get higher, we are all familiar with the approaching seasonal end-game – even Punxsutawney Phil has stated the “melt” is less than five (5) weeks away. While celebrated as a part of the right of Spring, while searching for those first green shoots to push their way out of the still cold and damp ground, we all know what comes next from the Mississippi Valley to Gulf States and points north, south, east and west. Mother Natures gift to us all which in some cases can be overwhelming. The potential for floods even without the storms that brought them to us last year. An article submitted by Scott Huntington with a preppers twist.

Whether you live in a flood-prone place or there’s merely the possibility of a rising water line in your area, preparation is everything when it comes to flooding. Every household and workplace is different, but if you’re wondering about some common essential steps to take while preparing for a flood, here are five (5) good places to start.

Build a Preparedness Kit

One of the first things you should do if you want to be prepared for a flood is also the most straightforward. No matter where you live or who you share your life with, it’s worth taking the time to gather the things you’ll need in the event of a disaster. From there, think about where you can place them so you can easily grab them in a hurry.

You can find lots of tips at the DHS’s Ready.gov page, but here are the highlights for what you should have ready:

Any special-needs supplies, especially for children, seniors and pets

Three (3) days’ worth of food (non-perishable)

One (1) gallon of water per day for each person

Multiple flashlights

Emergency Radio with a hand-crank as well as batteries and a solar recharger built in

Well-stocked first aid kit, and the knowledge to use all its contents correctly

A survival whistle for each person, and some practiced signals

The cell/mobile phone just in case its infrastructure magically survives, a method to charge it off grid

A ham radio because the bullet above is sketchy at best

Fires tarter – weatherproof container with matches

Again, for a full list from the government, consult some of the DHS pages about emergency preparedness.

And, as a prepper don’t forget the other essentials:

A dependable knife, and a backup in a pack as these can be lost

A weapon that you are safe, familiar and accurate with in times of need

A plan as to where you are going

After you’ve gathered these supplies, consider how and where you’ll stage them. Place a few “go bags” in a known, public spot in your house. You should always have one in your automobiles and one at your place of work if you commute there via public transportation.

Make a Plan for Communication and Regrouping

Flash floods are proof enough that anybody, nearly anywhere, can be caught flat-footed by mother nature. However, even the most unpredictable flood is no excuse for not having a plan in place. Unless you live by yourself, you owe it to your family to put your heads together and come up with plans for all of the eventualities you can think of where your ability to rejoin or communicate with each other is compromised in any way.

As you put together your household plan — or a plan for your workplace, for that matter — everybody under your roof should be confident answering the following questions:

If a flood happens, will I have the means to receive official warnings and alerts?

Where will I seek shelter?

What is the safest, least flood-prone route I can take to my destination?

How will I get in touch with my family?

The people in our lives are our network and safety net, but that safety net will have big holes in it if you don’t spend time spelling out the details and making sure everybody has the same expectations should you become separated. Suppose you end up separated from your cell phone — do you have all of the relevant phone numbers memorized, recorded and with your supplies?

Once you’ve hammered out a plan, commit it to paper and practice it with your family, including the routes you’d take to make it to safety — either together or apart.

Have a Getaway Vehicle

When push comes to shove, one of the best things you can do for yourself and the ones who depend on you, if you live someplace where floods are common or a possibility, is to own a getaway vehicle. That almost always means a boat. Every person living from South Central Texas to Miami and up to the Jersey Shore now knows the value of a boat of some type.

Knowing how your boat will be powered, and that you’ll have access to extra fuel or power, is essential. Your choices come down to battery-powered or gas-powered, both of which have their ups and downs, or self-powered. Some boat batteries are rated for up to 15 days of operation with a full charge, something to know before you buy.

With a boat it is recommended that you avoid soft-bottom boats so displaced wreckage doesn’t puncture it. Apart from that, remember to choose a model that provides all the storage space you’ll need and all the seating required to accommodate your entire family. It should also be highly maneuverable and lightweight, in case you ever need to carry it to dry land.

Following the mantra of “any port in a storm” there are some less expensive options, with small footprints. More for the individual.

Know How to Prepare — And Upgrade — Your Property

For one reason or another, it’s not always possible to live outside a flood plain. After all, some of these regions might only see significant flooding events once in a blue moon or every few years.

No matter the frequency or likelihood of flooding in your area, you can take some measures around your home and property to ensure it’s prepared to withstand oncoming waters, whether it’s from heavy rains or a bonafide flood. Some examples include the following:

Consider elevating your water heater, furnace and other appliances so they’re out of harm’s way.

Have a professional look over your plumbing system and install check valves. These ensure water can’t enter your home if the water flow is reversed in your pipes.

Take a look yourself, or have a landscaping professional help you, and appraise areas on your property that could benefit from retaining walls and other barriers. Even the wise deployment of sandbags could save some of your property from harm.

Seal any cracks and imperfections in your foundation and basement walls. Choose a waterproofing compound and apply it according to the directions to provide another defense against water intrusion.

If your home has a sump pump, ensure it has a backup power source. If it doesn’t have one, you should seriously consider installing one.

Your property is probably your biggest investment, so take the time required to make sure it’s as prepared as you can make it.

Look After Your Home and Body Systems

Here’s another obvious — keep yourself and your family vaccinated. There’s no excuse not to. In the event of a flood or another type of natural disaster, there’s no telling the debris and other materials you might come into contact with. Ensuring your loved ones are protected against tetanus and other threats is an easy thing to do.

After the flood watch has been declared, you can take several precautions to prepare your home’s systems, too, now that your body’s systems are as ready as you can make them. It’s essential that you shut off your electricity and your gas in the event a flood becomes imminent, and assuming you have warning enough to do so. A flood can be bad enough, but losing your home to a preventable gas leak and resulting explosion is almost certainly the worst-case scenario.

You will find further preparation tips specific to your circumstances and your family’s needs. As you do, ensure you spend time addressing them before severe weather rolls around. There might be some scrambling required today — and maybe tomorrow — before you feel confident you’ve planned adequately. But if you do it right, it means a lot less worrying on the day the flood comes.

The post The Spring Thaw and How to Prepare for a Flood appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[waycarwash1]

Top 7 habits that can potentially harm your car’s appearance and paint

Perhaps you don't give a hoot about the paint on your car. Maybe you live on a gravel road and have forgotten what color your car is beneath all the dirt. Perhaps you prefer to go off-roading with your vehicle on the weekends, and the caked-on muck is your own monster's badge of pride. That's all well and good. If you want your vehicle to seem bright and fresh - even after thousands of kilometers or more - there are a few bad habits to avoid, behaviors that may damage your automobile's paint. If you want that shine like it is brand new, yes, you need to find the best car wash in Austin, TX (Way.com will help you with that) to keep it clean, and you should also avoid these seven behaviors.

1. Inadequate parking

Taking no care of where you park is one of the simplest ways to harm the paint of your vehicle, truck, or SUV. Consider the following possibilities for the sorts of betrayal you may inflict on its body panels:

Sun baking can cause the paint to deteriorate and fade. UV rays are at the top of the list of things that might damage the color of your automobile.

Buried in the snow isn't much better. Snow and ice will not cause direct harm to the paint, but you may. Scraping with a scraper and brushing aggressively with a brush can damage body panels and scratch a clear coat.

Environmental dangers to paint finishes include tree sap and bird droppings. These pollutants can eat away at the paint surface if they are not removed. Scratches might occur if the surface is not cleaned correctly.

Bicycle handlebars too close to the car door, packing boxes on the bonnet, or a suitcase dragged over the roof are all potential sources of clearcoat scratches.

Where you park is important in each of these scenarios. When feasible, park in a garage, carport, or parking structure. Keep a safe distance from trees that flow sap, such as maples and pines, and keep an eye out for overhanging power wires where birds may perch. Make sure, there is enough room to navigate around the car in the driveway or garage and that routes for toddlers riding tricycles are adequately out of the way.

2. Dusting (Dry)

When dirt, debris, and dust accumulate in a thin layer on your car's clear coat finish, resist the impulse to remove it with a towel. Dust is very abrasive and will leave fine – and occasionally not-so-fine – scratches behind. To eliminate dust, wash your automobile with soap and water, or use a cleaning spray or specially designed duster. Oh, and painting a smiling face or saying "wash me" might permanently harm the polish.

3. Scratchy spot removal

Is your car's paint covered with bugs, road tar, or tree sap? These pollutants are unlikely to harm the paint. However, as previously said, if you attempt to remove them incorrectly, you may accidentally harm the clear coat. To remove impurities, avoid using your fingernails, paper towels, SOS pads, steel wool (yes, some people believe they are doing their car a favor by using a Brillo pad), or sandpaper. Instead, blot with a microfiber cloth and apply appropriate cleansers such as insect and tar remover, soda water, or other cleaning agents.

4. Satin staining

The majority of automobiles today feature a lot of flat or satin black trim. Mirrors, window moldings, headlamp seals, wheel flares, and other details are frequently flat black. One guaranteed method to harm these components is to use improper chemical cleansers, which can discolor them. Another method is to get wax on them while applying the clearcoat. Any stains on flat or satin black trim are difficult (if not impossible) to remove, so avoid getting wax (or inappropriate cleaning chemicals) on them.

5. Fuel dribbling

This is a hit-or-miss type of situation. It may or may not have an effect on your vehicle. This might be a problem if you have a vintage (or just old) automobile. This might be an issue if you have had any paintwork done. Fuel spilled (and left) on a refinished paint surface will discolor it. Modern factory-applied paints are less prone to fading—plastic components, perhaps much more so. A healthier practice, though, is to wipe any gasoline leaks with a cloth rather than massaging them.

6. Making use of the roof as a storage shelf

You parked your car in a garage. Check. You never use a dry towel to clean. Check. You wash and pre-treat pollutants like a pro. Check and double-check. And you are extremely cautious while waxing and even when filling up your tank. Check and double-check. Then you go and put your coffee and briefcase on the roof of your car so you can open the door. That's not a good plan. Your car's surface is always covered in dust and grime, even if your car is spotless. Any object put on a panel has the potential to scratch the clear coat. Stop doing this and safeguard your investment.

7. Car wash

Why does it take a professional detailing expert several hours to clean your car using expensive materials and sophisticated equipment, yet it only took you fifteen minutes? What is it that they are doing that you are not? Improper washing methods might cause paint damage. Here are some instances of bad washing habits:

Plastic brushes should only be used on wheels and wheel wells, not on painted surfaces. Small scratches left by the bristles may only be eliminated by sanding and polishing.

After-wash water stains can linger on the automobile and, in some circumstances, erode the clearcoat.

Scratches can also occur if coarse cloths, filthy rags, or dirty water are used on the paint. Professional detailers utilize numerous buckets of water to keep their wash mitts clean and clear of dirt, and they use microfiber towels instead of bath towels.

Dish soap is inexpensive and widely available; nevertheless, it is not advised for automobile washing. Dish soap's compounds can remove protective layers from your paint. Rather, use a pH-balanced vehicle wash soap.

Obviously, it's safe to opt-out of a professional car wash in Austin instead of doing it all by yourself. Car washes regularly maintain both the inside and outside of your vehicle, which increases the value of your car when you sell or trade it in. A car that has been washed is far superior to one that has been dusted. For $10, you can get your car washed at a touchless car wash in Austin with car wash subscriptions that is convenient for you. Using a Way.com Carwash Voucher is the ideal way to save even more money on your carwash subscription with an unlimited car wash near you in Austin. Get your car washed at a top-rated touchless car wash in Austin for less than $5 when you use the Way.com Carwash Voucher. For $19.95, you may get a Family Car Wash Pass, which allows you to get multiple car washes in a month.