ARkStorm

By Ron Foster

The ARkStorm (for Atmospheric River 1000 Storm) has brought a devastating flood of biblical proportions to California forcing millions of people to evacuate. For the preppers attending PrepperStock this year the troubles brought about by the this disaster have just begun as the economy begins a slow collapse and acts of terrorism threaten America`s survival. Refugee camps are filling up with millions of evacuees who remained at shelters and were not lucky enough to bunk in with friends or relatives and try and start over again. The end of a functioning U.S. economy is compounded by mysterious grid failures nationwide. The ARkStorm fiction book series is patterned after the 1861–62 historical events that flooded the central valley of California. The scientifically realistic "superstorm" scenario developed and published by the United States Geological Survey has been adapted as a story line that includes the author's modern day applications of emergency management principles with a prepper community slant. Keep your feet and your powder dry folks!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ron Foster
• Release date: Sep 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005616793

Ron Foster

Southern author, Ron Foster has shared his vast knowledge in a large library of books about survival and preparedness, both fiction and nonfiction. He is best known for his "prepper fiction"- Even his fiction books are loaded with survival and self sufficiency techniques that one can learn from. Ron Foster's knowledge in his field is extensive and has well prepared him for writing about survival in a post-apocalyptic world, where society has broken down. He has had many competencies in his background including, being a Gemologist (diamond and colored stone appraiser), an Investment Banker, an Army Soldier and an Air Force Airman. Other skills landed him as a Corporate Administrator and Entrepreneur in many different capacities. Ron has also received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Empire State College in Human Services, with a specialty in Emergency Management Administration and Planning, at the age of 50. He has a Masters of Administrative Science (MAS) Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University with seven graduate certificates. Certifications include: Alabama Emergency Managers Association (Certified Emergency Manager), National Association Of Safety Professionals (Certified Emergency Management Specialist), FEMA Professional Development Certificate Series awarded. Graduate Certificates in: Administrative Science, Emergency Management Administration, Global Security and Terrorism Studies Certificate, Displaced Persons Certificate, School Security & Safety Administration Certificate, Law and Public Safety Administration, and Non Profit Organization and Management. He also holds a Masters of Science Degree from Capella University in Human Services. Read one book written by Ron Foster, and you'll want to read more. You'll be sure to enjoy, and you'll have a few tricks up your sleeve when your done! Tricks that could save your life.

Book preview

Ron Foster

USA

© 2012 by  Ron Foster

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13:

978-1478378921

ISBN-10:

1478378921

Printed in the United States of America.

Acknowledgements

MorningMayan

Cheryl Chamlies

LowBuckPrepper and Cat

GoatHollow

Misty Cluck and Mountain Man

1

Dollar Days

15 year old Mark was leaning over his desk intently watching a YouTube vid when his 18 year old sister Nancy knocked on his doorway and asked him what he was doing.

Are you playing a game or watching another one of those prepping vids? she inquired.

Prepper vid, I really don’t know what you got against them. I would rather be learning something about surviving in this world than trying to do it in a fantasy game. Mark said tired of having to validate why he liked prepping as his favorite hobby.

Well seems kind of gloomy and doomy to me. Anyway your other prepper buddy Jack from next-door said for me to ask you to help him put up the lawn furniture. He said we had some windy weather coming our way soon. She replied looking at his monitor screen to see what he had been watching so intently when she had come to the doorway.

What in the world is a Dollar store survival kit contest"?  Nancy asked while arching her eyebrows in confusion.

You have a hypothetical $20 bucks to spend at a Dollar Tree or wherever as the only rule to play the game. Then you make a list of what you would buy to sustain you 72 hours at home or in a shelter or you try to include different things for a woodland survival kit. Its pretty interesting what some people come up with. Mark said excitedly at the least glimmer of Nancy wanting to hear more about prepping.

I thought that the 72 hour kits or woodland survival kits listed in the catalogs were kind of expensive. I saw some in those catalogs you left lying around for Mom and Dad to pickup and get hints from. Nancy replied as Mark reached over and flicked a tab on a screen he had already open

"Basic survival isn’t about how much you spend, not at all. It’s about how much knowledge you have on hand that you can spend solving something by improvising or realizing its other uses. The Prepper and Survival oriented old internet forums and websites are full of contest entries to look over and compare community knowledge and advice on the lists contents they posted.

The idea is to put together a survival kit that costs no more than $20 total. The kits would be evaluated on how well they met the basic needs in the following areas:

Fire

Shelter

Signaling

First Aid

Tools

Repair

Bag, container, etc.

For the last couple of weeks I have been reading and researching all different types of survival kits. I have been comparing what’s in those expensive pre-made commercial kits in catalogs and on websites to what I have already assembled for myself from Wal-Mart and the Dollar store. I have come to the conclusion my stuff is way cheaper and better quality than anything I could buy preassembled." Mark said proudly.

Mark was at that special time on the path to prepperdom, where one seems to spend every waking moment on the internet researching or thinking about prepping and finances. He wondered why what he called the Old school Preppers didn’t do these types of dollar store contests anymore. He certainly had been learning a lot and there were new products and ideas he could have contributed as an entry to try to win something in a contest if he could find one going on. He figured that maybe since everybody had already done these types of contests a hundred times before, it was probably now boring to the seasoned preppers.

He sure would have liked to have some of their advice though on things he had included in his own gear. A lot of those old Preppers were pretty ingenious, almost MacGyver like in their resourcefulness to make the game more intriguing and versatile.

One of the better exchanges of wisdom he had witnessed was LowBuckPrepper pitting his knowledge of prep purchases against a survivalist blogger named Randal. When the contest got down to the wire LowBuck blew Randal away with 2000 uses for WD 40 http://www.wd40.com/files/pdf/wd-40_2042538679.pdf/  he had added to his kit.

Randal did have a neat entry though, he had put Murray’s Beeswax Pomade on his list for the cost of two bucks. He had demonstrated how to use it as fire starter or as a grease lamp. He showed he could cover a wound with it, use it as lip balm, lubricate his weapon etc. with it, however he couldn’t come up with near the uses LowBuck had for his small can of WD. Mark had added a can to his preps of both. That hair pomade stuff could give you 400 minutes of light for $2. He had seen it in a YouTube video awhile back and was constantly dreaming up other applications for it.

Michaels original concept of creating some kind of 72 hour kit was based on ' having something in hand is better than nothing' and he also at that point of his travels on the road to prepperdom was geared more toward a smaller incident that may have required him to leave home and go to a public place for shelter or transportation out of an affected area.

As his knowledge grew though, so did his preps despite his miniscule pocket book based on his weekly allowance he was getting pretty well prepared.

See Nancy, this submission here isn’t even the winning entry. There is a bunch more posts on the forum page, but it makes you think. That’s the whole point of these contests besides saving money, is that by reviewing list  submission s it makes you look at things in a different light. Mark said poking his finger at a point on the forum page.

That sounds like that Rural Ranger book I gave you for your birthday. You used that logic on Mom to root through all the kitchen drawers collecting weird stuff Nancy replied and then began reading the quote her brother had pointed out.

$20 bug out bag

Cliff Bars or Nature Valley granola bars $2

roll of TP free - 50 cents

large bottle(s) of water 50 cents - $1

space blanket $1

flashlight $1

rain poncho $2

paper towels or hand wipes 50 cents - $1

cheap tea light candles $1

lighter $1

thrift store back pack $2

cheese crackers (cheap) 50 cents - $1

cheap nuts or peanut butter $1.50

cheap utility knife $1

fast food packets- salt / pepper / butter / hot sauce / lemon / bbq sauce / ketchup / mustard and plastic knives/forks/spoons FREE

bag of trail mix- nuts and dried fruit $1.50

hand sanitizer 50 cents

knock off brand neosporin/antibiotic cream $1

bottle of rubbing alcohol 50 cents-$1

Oh I get it! That’s pretty interesting... Nancy began before hearing the doorbell.

That’s got to be Jack looking for you. I saw him when I was taking out the trash and said you would probably be down in a minute to help him put up that lawn furniture. I will go let him in while you shut down the computer or save whatever your doing. Email me that page though; I want to look at it later. Nancy told him and went to let Jack in.

Glory be and hallelujah ! Had he finally after all these months got somebody in this house interested in prepping? It would be really cool if Sis got on his side sometimes and got their parents to think about adding to their emergency supplies. Just enough food and water for 72 hours in reserve my ass. Didn’t his parents realize besides being in an earthquake prone area there were many other reasons to store more! Geez they usually used up all the bottled water they had held back or stored if they didn’t feel like going to the store to replace the everyday consumption of what was in the fridge. Mark mused to himself as he forwarded the web address to his sister’s email.

Hey Mark, your sister said you all got sidetracked looking at 72 hour kit lists. Jack said looking down at the computers screen.

Hey Jack, sorry about that. I think I finally got her interested in prepping though. Jack said lowering his voice conspiratorially.

Really man? No shit? Well will miracles never cease! Which one of these lists are you looking at on here? Jack said motioning at the screen.

All of them really, but I was showing Nancy this one in particular just to give her a general idea of a Dollar store kits contents. Mark said pointing out what he and Nancy had been discussing.

Oh I remember those contests, I entered a few of them myself. You don’t see them occurring much anymore. Let’s check out this guy’s entry. Jack said glancing over the list.

Hell man.........you call that a survival kit? You don't even have any Twinkies in it. Everyone knows that Twinkies are the ultimate survival food! Jack said laughing and then carried on with a grin When everything and everyone is gone and all is in ruins, the Twinkies will survive!! he said with a chuckle.

Good one! Hell that’s probably true. Mark said chuckling and saved the page to his favorites before rising from his desk chair and following Jack down the stairs to help him with the patio furniture..

I don’t have Twinkies in my bug out bag either. However, I do have chocolate chip brownie MREs that ought to be around for a good long while. Remind me to give you a few for helping me out today. Jack said as they exited the door.

Way cool! Thanks Jack! Mark said beaming a smile and remembering what having a prepper for a next door neighbor was like. For him it was  a godsend to Jack helping him build up his stash from given or donated items to help him along.

Jack was not really a hardcore prepper in the sense that he and his mom stocked a bunch of bug in supplies. Living in the LA area, his Mom had always had the notion that a bug out of the city was the only chance they had . She had tailored their budget and preps to escape from it, rather than trying to bug in and survive it.

Mark couldn’t really blame them there, he felt the same way and had been trying to get his folks thinking about how they were going to get the hell out of dodge if the poo did hit the fan somedayand they needed to leave. Most of what Mark said to them about prepping fell on deaf ears and they gave him crazy looks like he was going through some sort of a faze they were trying to be patient with.

They were your typical California computer programmer nerd types that only thought of disaster planning as something the IT guys did in the backup office for the servers and computers at the companies they worked at.

It had taken an act of God and a lot of wheedling and begging on Mark`s part as well as  others supporting him to get the Henry 22 survival rifle he had received as a present from his parents this Christmas. If it hadn’t been for Jack and his Mom helping him convince his parents that he wasn’t going to shoot his eye out or anyone else’s" he would of never got it. As it was his mom that made him keep it secured over in Jack’s gun safe which embarrassed the hell out of him, but at least he had one.

He had yet to broach the subject of getting the combination of the gun safe from Jack for emergency purposes only but would get around to it when the time was right. He had already got the over 21 year old prepper friend to surreptitiously buy some ammo for him. No way in hell was he going to try to justify needing a few hundred rounds of 22 caliber to his folks at the moment and trying  get them to buy it for him." Mark mused to himself