Wisconsin family discovers 50-Year-Old, fully-stocked, fallout shelter in back yard

For more than a decade after they moved into their house in Neenah, Wisconsin, the Zwick family knew they had a Cold War bunker in their backyard. 

It was not until 2010 that anyone thought to open the heavy steel hatch, climb down the ladder and explore the 8-foot-by-10-foot chamber that the home's previous owner had built to protect his family from a nuclear attack. 

Floating in five feet of water that had seemed into the bunker were sealed U.S. Army boxed packed with all of the supplies a family would need to survive two weeks underground.

Hidden treasure: Metal bulkhead doors protect the entryway into the underground fallout shelter in the Zwick family's backyard in Neenah, Wisconsin

Preserved: The previous owner of the shelter packed away candies, raisins, Hershey's syrup and other sweets - likely as treats to get through the long weeks underground

Locked up: The family clear away the bushes the had grown over the cover of the shelter and unlocked the chain that secured the doors closed

'We assumed it was just this empty space,' homeowner Carol Hollar-Zwick told the Appleton Post-Crescent. 

The boxes, old military ammunition crates, contained markings that suggested there might be explosives inside, so the family called the local branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. 

Agents opened the crates to find... Hawaiian Punch.

'It was all of what you would expect to find in a 1960s fallout shelter. It was food, clothing, medical supplies, tools, flashlights, batteries - items that you would want to have in a shelter if you planned to live there for two weeks.'

Everything remained remarkably well-preserved, thanks to the airtight containers the supplies were kept in. 

The family donated all of the items to the Neenah Historical Society, which has curated an exhibit about the Cold War and the fear of the Soviets using 'the bomb.'

Down, down, town: The muddy ladder leading to the bunker reveals that the underground shelter has endured years of flooding

The rusted military supply boxes preserved the contents remarkably well

Even these paper towels were freshly sealed after 50 years

'It’s interesting that you can open up something and find 1960 inside of it,' Mrs Hollar-Zwick told the Post-Crescent. 

The home's previous owner was Frank Pansch, a local surgeon, built the shelter in 1960 - two years before the Cuban Missile Crisis had Americans across the country digging their own 'fallout shelters' in their backyards. 

The idea of a fallout shelter was not to protect from a nuclear blast, but rather from the radiation that would likely contaminate the surrounding area. 

It's unknown what fallout  the late Dr Pansch was expecting in Neenah. The small Wisconsin city is 100 miles from Milwaukee and nearly 200 from Chicago - the population centers that might have been targeted by the Soviets.

Supplies: Candles, a garden hose and a funnel were dozens of items that were stashed in the bunker

It's unknown why the past owner decided he needed to store a phone directory in his fallout shelter

Source: DailyMail

How to Turn a Beer Can Into The Only Camping Stove You'll Ever Need

When we first stumbled upon this we thought it was too good - and too cheap - to be true; but it is for real.

In this day and age, where natural and economic calamity always seems to be knocking at our doors, preparatory and survivalist methods of carrying on the basic functions of living should be imperative for all people to learn. 

Please be sure to watch this video until the end if you are going to attempt to build yourself the stove, it contains all of the necessary tips and trick to safely extinguish and dispose of the materials.

Ingredients for this project include:

- An Aluminum Can
- A Pocket Knife
- Rubbing Alcohol

How to turn one bicycle into an electric generator, water pump, grinder and blender

This is a DIY Maya Pedal multiuse bike machine.

Its functions include:


-knife sharpener, to maintain farming equipment

-grinder, for grinding coffee, grain, spices, or to make animal feed

-corn degrainer to simplify and accelerate a necessary but time consuming task in processing corn

-electric generator for off the grid lighting

-blender to improve nutrition and add enable home based micro industry

-water pump, capable of moving 5 gallons per minute

The tools are mounted on tables which attach to a simple 3 point mounting system. The tool tables can be switched easily using only one tool. Changing attachments usually takes under 5 minutes.

The design is simple yet versatile and I am still working on developing more attachments.

Similar pedal powered machines have proved to be very useful to subsistence farmers in rural Guatemala. My design combines these 6 machines into one simple design, to streamline production and lower costs. While it is unlikely any one user will want all 6 tools, the machine provides more utility at a lower cost.

All of the parts are locally available and it can be built and maintained with a minimal number of tools. (source)

So how do you make this you ask? It's going to take a bit of experimentation because the there are no instructions to build this specific model. However, here's how to make the 4 basic versions of the Maya Pedal bike, you'll have to combine them if you want to make the wonder bike from the video above:

Pedal Powered Blender

Pedal Powered Corn Mill

Step by step guide to build a pedal powered water pump

Pedal powered electric generator which we wrote about before. The bike generator in this video isn't a Maya Pedal model but similar



For more info and to support please visit mayapedal.org

Here is a professional promotional video in Spanish about Maya Pedal

Heat Your Room For 15 Cents a Day

Natural Cures Not Medicine

Image: YouTube

The following video shows us an ingenious way to heat a whole room for under 15 cents or possibly even cheaper if you find cheaper candles or maybe larger ones. It's simple, here's what you  need:

1. Small candles such as the ones seen is the video which are found at Ikea
2. A metal cake pan
3. Two clay planter pots, one smaller than the other
4. A lighter to light the candles

This awesome idea works on convection, which is accomplished by the air moving around between the two clay pots. This helps create a forced air effect which pushes the hot air around the room. Watch the video below to see how it's done:

Could 'Prepping' Be Banned in America?

Image: www.spike-team.com

As people who spend a lot of time focusing on preparedness, we can learn a lot about our future by watching as the economies and civilizations of other Western countries crumble.

Today’s lesson is that when times get tough, the government can and will persecute those who have planned ahead.

The Attorney General of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, called on prosecutors to target people who are “hoarding” basic staples with serious sanctions.

She called on prosecutors to seek their detention.

The attorney general called on people to remain calm, not to fall for provocations, and not to be afraid of the “alleged” food shortage.

Based on the figures provided by the Central Bank of Venezuela, shortage hit 20% in August; in other words, 20 out 100 items are missing from the shelves.

According to a press release, the Attorney General Office has designated an ad hoc group of prosecutors to work nationwide with other authorities and cope with the threats against food security and, consequently, against the State. (source)

So basically, the Venezuelan government intends to treat those who prepared ahead of time like domestic terrorists…sound familiar?

Last February the South American country responded to soaring inflation with some crippling economic strategies.

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner responded to her country’s sky-rocketing inflation rates by freezing prices on food, a move Forbes magazine says will soon lead to widespread corruption in the business community and government.

In Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez has attempted to control all aspects of his country’s economy, price freezes instituted on essential goods like diapers and cleaning products over a year ago failed to curb soaring inflation which registered at over 22% last year. In response, with their quiver out of arrows, the Venezuelan government announced today that they are devaluing their national currency, the Bolivar, by over a third. The announcement had the immediate impact of increasing the price for a US dollar in Bolivar by nearly 50%. (source)

There’s Already an Executive Order in Place

The game pieces have already been moved into place to ban “hoarding” in America.  In 2012, our Fearless Leader signed an executive order that gives the federal government authority over every resource and infrastructure element in the United States.  Mac Slavo of SHTFplan warns:

It should be clear from the laws that are already in effect that the government has given itself a legal pretext for confiscating anything they so choose in the midst of an emergency.

Should an emergency befall the United States, the military, national guard, and local police operating under orders from the Department of Homeland Security will have carte blanche to do as they please.

In a widespread emergency where supply lines have been threatened and millions of Americans are without essential resources because they failed to prepare, the government will swoop in and attempt to take complete control.

They will enter our homes and search them without a warrant. They will confiscate contraband. And they will take any ‘excessive resources’ that you may have accumulated. This includes food, toiletries, precious metals and anything else emergency planners and officials deem to be a scarce material. (source)

The Importance of OPSEC

By all means, don’t stop preparing.  But be aware that everything you do online leaves a trail. Every purchase you make that is not a cash transaction can be traced right to your doorstep.  It is vital to practice OPSEC (Operational Security) by keeping your preparedness related activities on the down low.  Preparedness and self-sufficiency author Tess Pennington warns that in a crisis situation, things you said months or years ago could come back to haunt you.

A person should think twice about telling others about any prepping investments they have made.  If a SHTF scenario occurred, anything said previously can be used against that prepper.  For example, if you tell your neighbor you have silver coins stashed away, if times were desperate enough, that neighbor could turn on you.  Keeping quiet about what one does is second nature to some.  But for others that are new to the idea of prepping, they do not see the whole SHTF picture.  If one person tells another about their preps, one person could tell another person about what preps their neighbor has.  Then, the word spreads throughout; especially when a severe situation occurs.  People will remember what you have told them, and come to you for help (if they are unprepared).  Helping a neighbor or family member in need is a noble deed.  However, those preparedness items are an investment for you and your family; and therefore, no one outside of the family should know what you have (unless you want that person to know). (source)

Time is short.  Our economy is collapsing before our very eyes.  We’ve been blatantly warned about the potential for total grid failure. If you aren’t prepared, there is little time left.  Maintain your freedom by becoming self sufficient. Get started now to put together a one year food supply – but be discreet because you just don’t know when that supply may make you an outlaw.

The following links are to articles on OPSEC:

http://americanpreppernation.ning.com/profiles/blogs/prepper-opsec-operations-security-or-opsec-is-an-important-topic-

http://graywolfsurvival.com/how-to-be-a-prepper/opsec/

http://readynutrition.com/resources/mums-the-word-using-opsec-with-preps_21032010/

http://uscrow.org/2013/05/24/opsec-for-preppers-and-survival-groups/

http://reluctantprepper.blogspot.com/2012/07/opsec.html

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/02/importance-of-opsec-for-preppers-when.html

Image: TheOrganicPrepper.ca

http://readynutrition.com/resources/prepping-on-the-down-low_23082013/

Source: theorganicprepper.ca

Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca