David Morris Since 2008, “Survival Dave” has taught more than 10,000 people how to survive long term breakdowns in civil order in urban areas—without having to run away to a fully stocked rural retreat. His students range from lifelong Spec-Ops operators & paramedics to newlyweds & retirees just waking up to preparedness. They all share a common desire to “be the solution” when disasters happen rather than depending on government to save the day. He is the creator of the SurviveInPlace.com Urban Survival Course, the author of the Urban Survival Guide, and his Urban Survival Playing Cards were recently featured on Glenn Beck’s Christmas Special as a “must have” gift for 2010. You can read more on preparing for urban survival at SecretsOfUrbanSurvival.com. Email this author.

Preparing For Hand Sanitizer-Resistant Infections

Recently, I was reminded about the importance of being able to self-support. Earlier this month, hundreds of passengers on two cruise ships, the Voyager of the Seas and the Crown Princess, contracted norovirus and experienced extreme “digestive system distress.”

Geocaching As An Introduction To Land Navigation And Orienteering

From time to time, I like to share ideas for fun activities that you can do on your own or with other members of your family that have a “hidden” preparedness component. Geocaching is an activity that fits into that category incredibly well, and it can be as much fun or as serious as you want it to be.

You Should Consider Owning A Silencer (Suppressor)

Most firearms enthusiasts would agree that suppressed firearms are some of the most fun and most desirable firearms toys you can play with. In addition to the cool factor, they have a tremendous amount of practical value for firearms enthusiasts in general and preparedness-minded people in particular.

Relay The Prepper Message

Over the years, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing notes on paper or on my phone whenever I hear news stories that relate to preparedness. When I’m having a conversation with someone, I sometimes step away to look at the notes on my phone to figure out a current story from the news that I can use to introduce the topic of preparedness.

Did The Fed Handcuff The U.S. Economy To The Euro?

What will economic destruction look like? When will it happen? All we can do is guess. What can you do? Prepare. The simplest and most powerful thing you can do is to stock up on the items you regularly use.

DHS Policy Is Criminal

It’s always bizarre to me when I hear people talk about wanting to deport only those illegal aliens who are criminals. The Department of Homeland Security said it will start focusing on deporting illegals with criminal records and leaving alone illegals without criminal records. Call me crazy, but if someone breaks our immigration laws and is in the United States illegally, he is a criminal.

Creating Water Out Of Nothing

Water is one of the most important things you need to consider in a survival situation. I want to share a few thoughts I have on things that can be done on a city or regional level to increase the amount of water that’s available in drought situations. These are measures that can be taken both now and in a grid-down survival situation.

Stay Safe When Order Breaks Down

The Occupy protests bring to mind a serious question: How do you protect yourself in a true riot or mob situation? Mob mentality has been causing riotous behavior for thousands of years. Although it’s chaotic, there are things about mob mentality that we can recognize and use in order to keep ourselves safe.

Large Solar Flares Among Threats To Power Grid

Two major threats have the ability to partially or completely destroy the power grid: electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Nuclear blasts can cause EMPs, and large solar flares can cause CMEs.

Develop Situational Awareness

With time being limited and the economy being the way that it is, it’s important to identify preparedness and survival skills that you can learn and practice quickly and inexpensively. One of the most important skills that you can learn happens to be free to practice: situational awareness.