U.S. Army

Here’s everything you need to prepare for the next hurricane

The U.S. Army has been playing an active role in the preparation, rescue, and recovery efforts following natural disasters like hurricanes for years. Now, with large storms seemingly battering our nation’s coasts more frequently than ever, they, as well as a number of other federal agencies, have begun releasing information aimed at helping ensure you’re as prepared as you can be for the next major storm.

This guidance, prepared by James Dean, the contingency planner with the Fort Stewart Directorate of Plans, Mobilization and Security at Fort Stewart, Georgia, has three simple tips that he believes will help ensure your safety, as well as the safety of your loved ones.

“Have a plan to evacuate; have a kit to support your family and pets for three days and stay informed,” Dean offered as advice before reminding all service members and civilians alike that September is National Preparedness Month and that it pays to be proactive, particularly for those living on the East coast.

“Most of the year, we’re in hurricane season — from May through November,” Dean said. “This is the height of the hurricane season. Most hurricanes happen in the Atlantic August and September.”

In the Army release, Daryl Lusk, safety specialist with the Fort Stewart Safety Office, also chimed in with his own advice, which he says he’s gained through a combination of real life experience and the training he’s received working for the Army. His recommendations were sourced from FEMA’s hurricane training:

create an emergency supply kit
ensure vehicles are fueled up and serviceable
store loose items around the house such as hoses and grills
follow local directions from the local authorities.

Military personnel are also reminded to maintain open lines of communication with their chain of command, in order to ensure overall force accountability. For civilians, that serves as good advice as well, but include family, rather than formal command structure, in your notifications.

Other advice offered by the Army’s specialists included unplugging appliances before evacuating your homes, bring a minimum of three days’ worth of any prescribed medications with you, and, of course, “Take your pets with you,” Lusk said.

If you find yourself evacuating with pets, be sure to bring a pet carrier or crate, as some shelters will not permit entrance to pets without one.

Ready.gov is a government-funded national public service campaign that offers advice on how best to prepare for different situations. Much of their advice parallels that of the Army’s release, but they offer a bit more detail into what you should maintain in your hurricane kit. Per their website, a basic disaster kit should always include the following:

Water – one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food – at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
Flashlight
First aid kit
Extra batteries
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Manual can opener for food
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

You can get many of these items and much more delivered right to your door with a subscription to the Crate Club.

While you can consider that list to be the bare necessities, Ready.gov does go on to include another list of things you should be sure to have in your home as you prepare for the possibility of extended power outages, flooding, or having to remain in place as you wait for rescue:

Prescription medications
Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
Glasses and contact lens solution
Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Cash or traveler’s checks
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper to disinfect water
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Be sure to keep your storm preparation kits in a readily accessible place in your home, and if you are preparing for the possibility that you may need to evacuate, assemble a three-day “go bag” using these lists as your guide – or one of these articles written by experts in doing exactly that.

Do you have everything you need to prepare for the worst? If not, check out CrateClub.us to shop for gear in the AirDrop store, or sign up for their crate service to get hand picked gear delivered to your door each month!

Image courtesy of the NOAA

Loadout Room photo of the day: Jungle Warfare School

AKIM ODA, GHANA

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Infantry Division, receive a class of instructions from the Ghana Armed Forces during United Accord 2017 at the Jungle Warfare School on Achiase military base in Akim Oda, Ghana on May 20, 2017. The Jungle Warfare School is a series of situational training exercises designed to train participants in counter-insurgency and internal security operations. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joseph Friend)

Courtesy of DVIDS

Loadout Room photo of the day: Preparing to portage a Zodiac

JOHNSTON, IA, UNITED STATES

Billed as “50 teams, 50 hours, 50 miles,” the U.S. Army’s 11th annual Best Sapper Competition tests combat engineers in a variety of technical and physical challenges April 25-27 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Here competitors, including Team 35 from the Iowa Army National Guard, prepare to carry a 350-pound Zodiac boat to the Big Piney River, so they can paddle downstream to their next event. (Contributed photo courtesy of Fort Leonard Wood)

Courtesy of DVIDS

Loadout Room photo of the day | 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conducts live fire training exercise 2017

UNITED STATES

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Mar. 28, 2017) – Spc. Matthew Ritter, an infantryman, assigned to Charlie Troop, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, provides security while his squad mate prepares to scout the objective during a platoon live fire validation exercise. The event consists of air assault, platoon offense, LOA, casualty medivac, surveillance and breaking contact to ensure troop readiness (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc Liem Huynh).

Courtesy of DVIDS

Army to Test Jungle Combat Boot, Hot-Weather Uniform Next Year

The U.S. Army is set to begin testing its Improved Hot-Weather Combat Uniform and Jungle Combat Boot early next year.

Speaking at a media roundtable on Dec. 7, the service confirmed plans to send 65,000 uniforms and around 750 boots to soldiers within the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii this January in time for the Pacific Pathways exercise in February. In March, PEO Soldier will use the feedback it receives from soldiers and apply it to future versions of both systems.

As the names would imply, both the Improved Hot-Weather Combat Uniform and Jungle Combat Boot are designed to allow soldiers to operate more effectively in hot and wet environments.

“Today’s Soldier must be ready to execute the mission in any operational environment,” said Col. Stephen Thomas, project manager with Soldier protection and individual equipment. “[We’re] providing a capability to Soldiers that may give them a decisive edge in that type of environment.”

The Improved Hot-Weather Combat Uniform is touted as being more breathable and lightweight, doing away with the excess layers and seams that trap heat and moisture. In addition, past field tests have allowed PEO Soldier to make some changes, such as eliminating the mandarin collar; allowing the shoulder pockets to open from the top rather than the sides; replacing the zipper closure with buttons; removing the breast and back trouser pockets; gusseting the crotch for an improved fit; and an articulated knee.

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*Photo courtesy of U.S. Army

Army EPM: Is the US Army Fielding Inferior Rifle Magazines?

Photo by U.S. Army/Sgt. Joe Padula

Bang, bang, crap. Bang, bang, crap. Repeat as necessary. The year was 1987. The place was Fort Benning, Ga. The weapon was a Colt M16A1 that I had meticulously maintained.

This was a bolt-over-base malfunction. SPORTS—or “Slap, Pull, Observe, Release, Tap, Squeeze,” what we were taught to do as immediate action in the event of a malfunction—wouldn’t fix it. In this case, the bolt slips past the base of the cartridge and catches it amidships. Most commonly, friction will carry the round partially out of the magazine and dent the body of the cartridge case, locking the bolt half open. To fix the stoppage, you have to lock the bolt to the rear, remove the magazine, clear the damaged round, reload and fire. Even under perfect conditions, that takes a while. The culprit this particular day was not the rifle, but its rubbish magazine.

Origin Story

In 1955, Eugene Stoner completed design work on a most remarkable firearm. The AR-10 melded modern state-of-the-art materials science drawn from the 1950s-era aircraft industry into several existing gun designs. The magazines for the original AR-10 were pressed from light-gauge aluminum and imbued with a waffle pattern to enhance their rigidity. They were originally intended to be disposable.

The AR-10 eventually morphed into the AR-15/M16. The gun’s magazines plodded predictably along this same evolutionary track. When the M16 hit the streets, the lightweight, pressed-aluminum magazines of the AR-10 were simply miniaturized to accommodate it. The waffle pattern became the more familiar longitudinal grooves, but the concept was the same. Ultimately, the small, boxy 20-rounders were replaced by 30-round magazines.

The lightweight magazine bodies were mightily susceptible to denting, but the biggest problem rested with the followers. The lack of no-tilt legs on those old cast-aluminum followers is what created such a headache for me that day so long ago at Fort Benning. The result was that bolt-over-base stoppage that was such a pain to clear.