Latest Dreck...

One More Bad Bomb Shelter

One of the things that annoys me the most in this world is the general population’s lack of knowledge when it comes to bomb shelters, fallout and radiation. For the most part, people don’t even want to know about. It scares them. Most people take the view of the ignorant woman from The Atomic Cafe who said: “I wouldn’t worry near as much about the atom bomb if it were to kill you right out. What scares me is that awful gas that deforms ya.” This statement makes me laugh uncontrollably every time I hear it. But then, I know better. Unlike the bulk of my fellow citizens, I know radiation is not some spooky gas. I know the different forms of radiation. I know the radiation types

Read More »

Tiny Prefab Free Plans

Michael Janzen at Tiny House Design re-released his free Tiny Prefab plans in the wake of the recent tornado outbreak. Here’s what he had to say along with the link to download the plans… The storms raging across the eastern United States are a terrible reminder of nature’s power – and how our homes are not always up to the task of shielding us to the level we need. I imagine most folks are busy preparing for storms to hit while some are already working hard to pick up the pieces. Hang in there folks. Our prayers are with you. Back in 2009 I drew up a set of free plans for a do-it-yourself prefab shelter. The plans can help you build structures that measure 8×8, 8×12, 8×16, 8×20, etc.

Read More »

Stormchaser Andy Gabrielson 1987 – 2012

By Matt DanielFEB 06, 2012 Andy Gabrielson, founder of FindTheTornado.com, passed away Saturday, February 4, 2012 in a car accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was hit in a head-on collision due to a wrong-way driver near the town of Sapulpa. The accident directly killed Andy and one other person. Four total cars were involved in the accident, which was caused by a drunken driver behind the wheel. Andy Gabrielson was known for his amazing footage documenting severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. His dedication and passion for storms was evident as he continuously provided the National Weather Service valuable information that helped save many lives. The entire meteorology community is saddened to hear about the passing of Andy Gabrielson. Although I have never met Andy personally, I really admire his work

Read More »

A Vision Of The Future

Just a A Vision Of The Future… I believe the future belongs to those who develop Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors and Electric Vehicles. Yes, you can quote me on that. As I write this, there is a movement out there to bring to light a technology developed many years ago. Known as LFTR (pronounced “lifter”), the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor is a form of Molten Salt Reactor that uses the radioactive element Thorium as its primary fuel. As I’ve discussed in a previous article it’s a much safer, cleaner and cheaper form of nuclear power that really should have been the direction the world headed in when developing nuclear power as the way to generate electricity. I won’t go into all of the details because there is a

Read More »

Announcing First Nationwide EAS Test

Posted by: Damon Penn, Assistant Administrator, National Continuity Programs As we often say here at FEMA, it’s critical that all members of the team, whether its federal, state, local and tribal governments, or the public, have an emergency communications plan. Knowing how you would get in touch with the residents in your communities, or your loved ones, is a key part of how we all can prepare for disasters, both natural and man-made. One of the most important communications tools that helps federal, state, local, territorial and tribal authorities issue emergency information and warnings to the public is the Emergency Alert System. This system is frequently used and tested at the local level, but to date it has never been tested on the national level. Chances are you have

Read More »

Pot-In-Pot Evaporative Refrigerator

The Pot-In-Pot Evaporative Refrigerator or “Zeer Pot” is an astoundingly simple but effective device. The refrigerator consists of two ceramic pots of different sizes, sand, water and a towel or cloth. It cools the inner chamber and its contents using evaporative cooling, much like a swamp cooler. Constructing the pot-in-pot refrigerator is an easy process. Obtain two ceramic flower pots, one large and one the next size down, so they nest one inside the other with a gap between them. If there are holes in the pots, cover them with duct tape or fill the holes in with putty so that no sand or water escapes out the bottom of the large pot, or enters the smaller pot. Pour a layer of sand in the larger pot. Set

Read More »

One More Bad Bomb Shelter

One of the things that annoys me the most in this world is the general population’s lack of knowledge when it comes to bomb shelters, fallout and radiation. For the most part, people don’t even want to know about. It scares them. Most people take the view of the ignorant woman from The Atomic Cafe who said: “I wouldn’t worry near as much about the atom bomb if it were to kill you right out. What scares me is that awful gas that deforms ya.” This statement makes me laugh uncontrollably every time I hear it. But then, I know better. Unlike the bulk of my fellow citizens, I know radiation is not some spooky gas. I know the different forms of radiation. I know the radiation types

Read More »

Tiny Prefab Free Plans

Michael Janzen at Tiny House Design re-released his free Tiny Prefab plans in the wake of the recent tornado outbreak. Here’s what he had to say along with the link to download the plans… The storms raging across the eastern United States are a terrible reminder of nature’s power – and how our homes are not always up to the task of shielding us to the level we need. I imagine most folks are busy preparing for storms to hit while some are already working hard to pick up the pieces. Hang in there folks. Our prayers are with you. Back in 2009 I drew up a set of free plans for a do-it-yourself prefab shelter. The plans can help you build structures that measure 8×8, 8×12, 8×16, 8×20, etc.

Read More »

Stormchaser Andy Gabrielson 1987 – 2012

By Matt DanielFEB 06, 2012 Andy Gabrielson, founder of FindTheTornado.com, passed away Saturday, February 4, 2012 in a car accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was hit in a head-on collision due to a wrong-way driver near the town of Sapulpa. The accident directly killed Andy and one other person. Four total cars were involved in the accident, which was caused by a drunken driver behind the wheel. Andy Gabrielson was known for his amazing footage documenting severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. His dedication and passion for storms was evident as he continuously provided the National Weather Service valuable information that helped save many lives. The entire meteorology community is saddened to hear about the passing of Andy Gabrielson. Although I have never met Andy personally, I really admire his work

Read More »

A Vision Of The Future

Just a A Vision Of The Future… I believe the future belongs to those who develop Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors and Electric Vehicles. Yes, you can quote me on that. As I write this, there is a movement out there to bring to light a technology developed many years ago. Known as LFTR (pronounced “lifter”), the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor is a form of Molten Salt Reactor that uses the radioactive element Thorium as its primary fuel. As I’ve discussed in a previous article it’s a much safer, cleaner and cheaper form of nuclear power that really should have been the direction the world headed in when developing nuclear power as the way to generate electricity. I won’t go into all of the details because there is a

Read More »

Announcing First Nationwide EAS Test

Posted by: Damon Penn, Assistant Administrator, National Continuity Programs As we often say here at FEMA, it’s critical that all members of the team, whether its federal, state, local and tribal governments, or the public, have an emergency communications plan. Knowing how you would get in touch with the residents in your communities, or your loved ones, is a key part of how we all can prepare for disasters, both natural and man-made. One of the most important communications tools that helps federal, state, local, territorial and tribal authorities issue emergency information and warnings to the public is the Emergency Alert System. This system is frequently used and tested at the local level, but to date it has never been tested on the national level. Chances are you have

Read More »

Pot-In-Pot Evaporative Refrigerator

The Pot-In-Pot Evaporative Refrigerator or “Zeer Pot” is an astoundingly simple but effective device. The refrigerator consists of two ceramic pots of different sizes, sand, water and a towel or cloth. It cools the inner chamber and its contents using evaporative cooling, much like a swamp cooler. Constructing the pot-in-pot refrigerator is an easy process. Obtain two ceramic flower pots, one large and one the next size down, so they nest one inside the other with a gap between them. If there are holes in the pots, cover them with duct tape or fill the holes in with putty so that no sand or water escapes out the bottom of the large pot, or enters the smaller pot. Pour a layer of sand in the larger pot. Set

Read More »