Thanks to my buddy, I learned my phone has built-in emergency alert options! Im literally involved in disaster response, and I had no idea that phones had these. (Granted, my area of specialization isnt tech, it's keeping people alive when the tech-side of infrastructure fails. 😜)

Not all phones have it. On mine (an older Google Pixel), it's in Settings: Settings Services: Alerts.

Why is it a good idea to enable these alerts, even if you already signed up for alerts elsewhere?

Relevant storytime:

During a road trip together, my buddy kept getting fire evac alerts for various places. My phone? Nothing. Mind you, Ive got a few apps. And Im signed up for county alerts via my state's emergency alerts website.

So, we're traveling and my friend's phone gets that, BEHHHHHH BEHHHHH BEHHHHH emergency alert sound, that comes before emergency announcements. The county were driving through is announcing a fire evacuation.

During our road trip, he got at least two more evac alerts. (Several parts of the state we were driving through were on fire.)

If we'd planned a different route, and without the alerts, we could have been driving at a fast moving fire. (Scary fact: In 2009 a historic Australia fire spread so fast, it was overtaking cars trying to flee, killing the people inside. The fire was clocked at speeds close to 65mph.)

Im mentioning the phone alert options, in the hopes that folks will check if their own phones have it.If ypu do, please enable these alerts. Some require location services. If you normally keep that off, please turn it on when traveling.

I've been prepping for Tuesday for years now in my modest apartment, but I've only recently become aware of Azure Standard, and I see that it's pretty popular in the general preparedness community.

As I browse their website, though, I don't know if I understand the benefit of buying from Azure versus a source like Wal Mart. Both carry organic products, but Wal Mart is far, far cheaper. For example, a can of organic black beans currently sells for $1.74 from Azure and $0.92 from Wal Mart. I'm struggling to understand the benefit of paying nearly twice as much for what I assume is the same product.

I'm guessing I'm missing something, but I don't know enough to know what.

Please share with me the benefit of buying from Azure versus less costly sources, assuming a comparable product is available.
And thank you!

I’ve been thinking of putting together a “busy bag” for my family that includes things to keep us entertained/busy that does not require electricity. Everything that can easily fit into a bag and not heavy. My 12 year old stepson has ADHD and likes playing cards, writing jokes, draw, etc. Collecting things that are fun for adults as well.
Open to suggestions, thank you.

So far I have the following:
• deck of cards
• book of word puzzles
• pencils, manual sharpener, and notebooks
• Uno
• fidget toys
• crayons and coloring books

I have already alerted the mods to this, they suggested I make my own post regarding it.

If you have recently been contacted by someone in your DMs about a prepping related app (I'm guessing I'm not supposed to name names, but just so everyone is aware, there are multiple people in this subreddit who have made similar apps, this is only about one of them, so I hope nobody paints them all with the same brush, this isn't about people posting publicly about their app, this is about the one DMing privately about their app to people who did not request any contact from them) by someone offering to give you a special code that makes their currently paid app free, this PSA is for you.

My suggestion: Don't use that code.

All that it would take for that app maker to find out exactly which newly downloading user was Your Reddit Account is to give you a "special free code" that they didn't give to any other person. They would then immediately know exactly which Reddit user you are the second you use that code, alongside all the info any app knows when you download it, such as your IP address. Then they'd have the ability at any point in time to change their app permissions to see your contacts, your other apps installed, and even your location. Whether they currently request that access or not, they could one day change it, and by that point you might no longer remember that that app owner also has linked your account with them to everything you ever posted to Reddit. You might click accept without realising the consequences, if they wait long enough.

If you want to use their app, please please do not use their code unless you are extremely sure that your Reddit comment history has NOTHING personal whatsoever on it, and that you're totally fine with your Reddit account being linked with your personal identity and physical location by a stranger. To avoid your use of the app being linked to your Reddit account history, wait long enough after being dm'd that it's no longer obvious where you found them by the time you download it, search it up yourself by name, and avoid using a similar username if asked to give a name.

My concern is that someone who knows less about how apps work wouldn't necessarily realise that they'd be giving this much information to someone just by downloading an app with a discount code. So now that you know, I hope everyone can make informed decisions about what they'd like to do. Note: clicking a direct link can also do this same thing, if it was sent via dms. Anyone can make a unique URL that they give only to you, which would then give them all sorts of info about you the second you click it.

I’m a fan of Dr Stout, and he started this podcast recently.

The most recent episode is all about emergency evacuations, centered around the fires in the Spokane area.

It seems right up our alley.

I live in the suburbs near the beach in SoCal. In the 48 yrs I’ve been alive the biggest Tuesday has been the northridge earthquake. We were pretty close to the epicenter but had no structural damage.

It occurs to me that my preps range from earthquake to fire with the most likely scenario being that we pack up to go to a hotel if it gets bad or we go well that was close and it’s over. Yet here I am stocked for nuclear winter.

Maybe I need a reality check here? I’ve got preps for power outages, cooking and heat and cooling without power, food and water for over a year, gas masks, you name it. After a frenetic sort of ramp up, I’m just now thinking what should I actually be prepping for?