The Labor Department announced on Thursday that another 1.006 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week.  Prior to this year, the all-time record for a single week was just 695,000, and so the number of Americans that are losing their jobs each week continues to remain at a catastrophic level.  But this latest figure is actually being spun as “good news” because at least it was lower than the week before.  And I am willing to concede that point, because we should definitely welcome any sign that the numbers are starting to move in the right direction.  However, there is no doubt that what we have experienced up to this point in 2020 is nothing short of an economic cataclysm.  Over the last 23 weeks, more than 58 million Americans have filed new claims for unemployment benefits.  Even if zero workers filed for unemployment for the rest of 2020, this would still be the worst year for unemployment claims in all of U.S. history by a gigantic margin.  Vast hordes of workers have been losing their jobs week after week as the U.S. economy melts down right in front of our eyes.  This has truly been an economic horror show, and the most nightmarish chapters are still ahead of us.

When economic numbers start getting really bad, the government often decides to “modify” how they are calculated, and on Thursday the Labor Department announced that it will be “changing how it adjusts weekly jobless-claims figures for seasonal swings”.

Presumably, that should help the numbers look a bit better starting next week.

But no matter how much they massage the numbers, they can’t erase the fact that tens of millions of people are deeply hurting right now.  According to one new survey, 61 percent of Americans need “another relief bill”, and about two-thirds of Americans from the age of 24 to the age of 54 say that they are currently in financial distress…

The latest survey by MagnifyMoney reveals 61 percent of the country needs another relief bill to pay for expenses. Over 80 percent of workers who have been laid off or furloughed due to COVID-19 are counting on more assistance. The poll of 1,010 Americans adds 71 percent of Generation X (ages 40 to 54) and 65 percent of millennials (ages 24 to 39) say they are currently in financial distress.

If you are not in financial distress at this moment, you should be very thankful for your blessings, because you are definitely in the minority.

And more layoff announcements just keep on coming with each passing day.  On Thursday, we learned that Lord & Taylor will be laying off all their workers and closing every single store…

Lord & Taylor, the first department store established in the United States, is officially going out of business, ending a nearly 200-year run.

The bankrupt company announced Thursday that all of its 38 remaining stores and website have begun liquidation sales — a reversal from last week’s decision to keep 14 locations open.

When I was a kid, I was always so intimidated by Lord & Taylor when my mother would take me to the mall.

I always thought that was where the rich people shopped.

I never imagined that someday I would see it go out of business forever.

Of course countless other retailers are going belly up as the worst “retail apocalypse” in U.S. history rolls on.  According to Coresight Research, approximately 25 percent of all malls in the United States “will close over the next three to five years”…

Another new report out this week from Coresight Research estimates 25% of America’s roughly 1,000 malls will close over the next three to five years, with the pandemic accelerating a demise that was already underway before the new virus emerged.

Can you imagine what our country is going to look like if that actually happens?

Already, communities all over America are being blighted by one boarded up property after another, and this is especially true in many impoverished areas.

Of course our economic problems have been accelerated by a series of very unusual events that have been beyond our control.  It has been one thing after another here in 2020, and the latest major disaster to hit us was Hurricane Laura.  We were extremely fortunate that neither New Orleans or Houston took a direct hit from this storm, because it was enormously destructive.  Just consider what one survivor told the press about the devastation in his community…

“It looks like 1,000 tornadoes went through here. It’s just destruction everywhere,” said Brett Geymann, who rode out the storm with three family members in Moss Bluff, near Lake Charles, Louisiana. He described Laura passing over his house with the roar of a jet engine around 2 a.m.

Let us hope that we will have at least a little bit of time before the next major crisis comes along.  Many had been hoping that August would be a quiet month, but that didn’t turn out to be the case, and now September is just a few days away.

And as we approach the fall season, it is being reported that wealthy investors have been “hoarding cash”…

A group of multimillionaire investors in the U.S. are hoarding cash at unprecedented levels.

Tiger 21, a club of more than 800 investors, reported Thursday that its members have raised their cash holdings to 19% of their total assets on concerns over the economic consequences of the covid pandemic in the U.S. That’s up from about 12% since the start of the outbreak. About a quarter now expect the crisis to continue until the end of next June, the group said.

Is this a sign that many of them believe that trouble is ahead for the financial markets?

Of course it isn’t just the wealthy that are deeply concerned about the months ahead.  Our nation has been gripped by endless turmoil for most of this year, and now a very hotly contested presidential election is just over two months away.  Meanwhile, economic conditions will continue to deteriorate, and that means that tens of millions of Americans will become even more angry and even more frustrated.  If you believe that the U.S. is just going to snap out of all of this somehow and everything will turn out just fine in the end, then you simply do not understand the times in which we are living.

For so long we were warned that a “perfect storm” was coming, and now it is here.

And if you think that 2020 has been bad, just wait until you see what else is ahead.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

The post Things Have Gotten So Bad That A Million New Claims For Unemployment Benefits In One Week Is Considered “Good News” appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

We need to keep a very close eye on this new “monster storm” that is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.  Laura was officially declared to be a hurricane on Tuesday morning, and at this moment it is projected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast on either late Wednesday or early Thursday.  But before it does, it is expected to undergo a process known as “rapid intensification”, and that just happens to be the exact same process that Hurricane Katrina went through just before it absolutely devastated the city of New Orleans in 2005.  After undergoing “rapid intensification”, meteorologists are expecting Hurricane Laura to come ashore as a category 3 storm with winds “of around 115 mph”…

Hurricane Laura will make landfall as a major hurricane, with winds of around 115 mph and a storm surge up to 13 feet, when it strikes near the Louisiana-Texas border late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm surge estimates are “staggering amounts, life-threatening amounts,” NHC Director Ken Graham said.

At this point, hundreds of thousands of people living along the Gulf Coast have already been evacuated, and we are being told that this storm could cause “devastating damage” to coastal communities…

Laura is expected to become a Category 3 storm, which routinely cause “devastating damage” to homes, trees and infrastructure, according to the National Weather Service. Recent Category 3 storms include Harvey, which hit Texas in 2017, and Rita, which hit Louisiana in 2005.

When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, it was also a category 3 storm with top winds of approximately 125 mph.

So if current forecasts are accurate, Laura will be a slightly less powerful storm than Katrina was.

But the truth is that we don’t really know for sure what will happen.

Rapid intensification is a highly unpredictable process, and Laura is heading directly into conditions that are extremely favorable…

“The conditions ahead of Laura do favor rapid intensification,” University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy said.

The phenomenon is typically defined to be a tropical cyclone intensifying by at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.

Hurricanes love warm water, and it is being reported that Laura will be hovering above waters that are very warm for this time of the year…

Seawater in the Gulf is plenty warm, forecasters said, in the neighborhood of 86-88 degrees, according to meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections. Laura “will have a long stretch of warm waters with high heat content Tuesday night until landfall Wednesday night or Thursday morning, and rapid intensification during that time is a good possibility,” Masters said.

So there is really no telling how powerful Laura could become.

But even if it just ends up being about as powerful as Katrina, it is a storm that you won’t want to mess with.  For those that may not remember, Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in all of U.S. history.  The following comes from Wikipedia…

Flooding, caused largely as a result of fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection system known as levees^[4] around the city of New Orleans, precipitated most of the loss of lives.^[5] Eventually, 80% of the city, as well as large tracts of neighboring parishes, were inundated for weeks.^[6] The flooding also destroyed most of New Orleans’ transportation and communication facilities, leaving tens of thousands of people who had not evacuated the city prior to landfall stranded with little access to food, shelter or basic necessities. The scale of the disaster in New Orleans provoked massive national and international response efforts; federal, local and private rescue operations evacuated displaced persons out of the city over the following weeks.

To this day, there are some parts of New Orleans that have never recovered from that storm.

The good news is that the current forecast track has Laura going past New Orleans and primarily hitting areas along the border between Texas and Louisiana…

On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move across the northwestern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. The hurricane should approach the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts on Wednesday evening and move inland near those areas Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

But of course anything could still happen.

Hurricanes often make very unexpected twists and turns, and we have seen frequent examples of this in recent years.

So nobody along the Gulf Coast should be relaxing just yet.

And the truth is that there are going to be some communities that are going to be absolutely devastated after taking a direct hit from this storm.  We just don’t know which communities they will be at this point.

Unlike the pandemic that we are going through, the horrifying economic collapse that we are experiencing and the civil unrest that is raging in our major cities, this is just a temporary crisis.  This storm will soon pass, but more are coming.  September is a key month for hurricanes, and I will be watching developments over the coming weeks with great interest.

And we appear to have entered a time when storms are becoming more powerful and global weather patterns are going absolutely nuts all over the globe.  2020 has already been a banner year for natural disasters, and many believe that the years ahead will be even worse.

But for the moment, the eyes of the meteorological community are all on Hurricane Laura.  At this hour they are telling us that it could be a similar storm to Hurricane Katrina in many ways when it finally makes landfall, and that should deeply alarm all of us.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

Armies of lawyers have already been recruited, reasons to question the legitimacy of the 2020 election results are already being floated, and top politicians on both sides are already urging a fight to the bitter end.  Initially, it appeared that we might avoid this sort of a scenario.  For several months Joe Biden had a large lead in all of the major national polls, and some people were even discussing the possibility of a “landslide”.  But now the polls are tightening up, and this is especially true in the swing states which will ultimately decide the outcome of the election.  If the race is quite tight once we get to election night, it is likely that neither side will be willing to concede until every conceivable legal challenge is completely exhausted.  That could mean an extended legal battle lasting for months, and that is something that none of us should want to see.

But it appears that such an outcome could be quite likely.  In fact, former FEC chair Michael Toner is warning that the 2020 election could potentially be “Bush v. Gore on steroids”…

The November presidential election is poised to become the most litigated vote in recent U.S. history, according to a former federal election honcho.

“The 2020 election might be Bush v. Gore on steroids,” said Michael Toner, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission and former chief counsel at the Republican National Committee.

I don’t like the sound of that at all.

When that election happened, I was actually going to law school down in Florida, and it was complete and utter madness.

In the end, Bush’s legal team was superior to Gore’s, and that may have made all the difference.

This time around, both sides have recruited “armies of volunteer lawyers” in the key battleground states…

President Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden’s campaigns have enlisted armies of volunteer lawyers in battleground states and swing districts to fight out close calls on Election Day. Both sides have already filed multiple lawsuits.

The Biden campaign has been particularly aggressive in rounding up lawyers.  At one point, Biden bragged that his campaign had already recruited 600 lawyers…

Joe Biden’s campaign is assembling hundreds of lawyers nationwide to monitor potential voting issues as part of its extensive voter protection efforts heading into the general election.

Speaking at a virtual fundraiser Wednesday, the presumptive Democratic nominee said his team has organized 600 lawyers and others across the country to “try to figure out why the chicanery is likely to take place.”

One of the fastest ways to ruin anything is to get lawyers involved.

I was once a lawyer, and so I know what I am talking about.

And I have a feeling that this election will end up in the hands of the lawyers after election night.  I do not believe that either side is going to be willing to concede if the results are remotely close, and earlier this week Hillary Clinton actually said that Joe Biden should not concede “under any circumstances”…

“Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don’t give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is,” Clinton said in an excerpt posted Tuesday.

That certainly sounds quite ominous.

On multiple occasions, President Trump has also indicated that he may challenge the outcome of the election, and one of the biggest things that he is concerned about are mail-in ballots.  The following is what he told “Fox and Friends” not too long ago…

“Now with that being said, I have to tell you that if you go with this universal mail-in, where you send millions of votes–in California tens of millions of ballots being sent to everybody and their dogs, okay? Dogs are getting them, okay? People that have been dead for 25 years are getting them–you have to see what’s happening. Then you’re never going to have a fair election.”

In this case, I think that Trump has a very legitimate point.

In some states, millions of mail-in ballots are being sent out to voters whether the voters request them or not.  That opens a door for all sorts of potential vote fraud, and this is something that alarms me greatly.

In this election, every single vote in the battleground states is going to matter, and the integrity of the voting process is of paramount importance.

At first, Joe Biden had built up impressive leads in many of the most important swing states, but now those leads are deteriorating.  Just check out the following numbers that pollster Frank Luntz just posted on Twitter…

Swing state polls on August 25th:

Pennsylvania

• 2016: Hillary +9.2

• 2020: Biden +5.7

Michigan

• 2016: Hillary +9.0

• 2020: Biden +6.7

Wisconsin

• 2016: Hillary +11.5

• 2020: Biden +6.5

Florida

• 2016: Hillary +2.9

• 2020: Biden +4.8

Those numbers should definitely set off alarm bells for Democrats.

And today Real Clear Politics has posted four new battleground polls that show how much the race is shifting.  One poll shows Biden up by only 3 points in Florida, another has him up by only 2 points in Arizona, a third has him up by only 1 point in North Carolina, and a fourth poll actually has Trump up by 1 point in Wisconsin.

Trump was definitely not supposed to win Wisconsin this time around, and so that should definitely be freaking Democrats out.

So why are the polls moving in Trump’s direction?

Well, it appears that all of the violence that is going on around the country is backfiring on the Democrats in a major way.  Trump is perceived to be the “law and order candidate”, and Biden is making a massive political mistake by not strongly speaking out against the riots that are happening on a nightly basis.

According to one recent survey, 59 percent of voters say that violent crime is a “very important” factor in deciding who to vote for…

The bedlam is now reflected in the polls, with Americans becoming increasingly concerned about law and order.

“A sizable 59 percent of voters in the survey indicate that violent crime, which President Trump has framed as happening in Democrat-controlled cities, is a ‘very important’ factor in casting their ballots,” writes Rusty Weiss.

And Zogby Analytics has just released new numbers that seem to show that the chaos in our major cities is helping Trump significantly…

“As violent protests and violent crime continue to spike in cities like Chicago, Milwaukee New York City, and Portland, Trump’s standing with urban voters in large cities (59% at least somewhat approved/38% at least somewhat disapproved), and small cities (51% at least somewhat approved/49% at least somewhat disapproved) continues to climb higher.”

It truly is ironic what we are witnessing.  All of these protesters think that they are promoting the cause of “social justice”, but their actions may be giving us four more years of Trump instead.

At this point, even CNN’s Don Lemon is realizing that Joe Biden’s inaction on these issues is moving the poll numbers…

“That’s all you. This is where I come in. We’ll get to that. But when you said it’s too little too late, I don’t know about that. I mean, we still have a lot of time left until election day. I do think that this —what you said was happening in Kenosha is a Rorschach test for the entire country. I think this is a blind spot for Democrats. I think Democrats are hoping this will go away, and it’s not going to go away.”

“I think maybe Joe Biden may be afraid to do it. I’m not sure. Maybe he won’t, maybe he is. He’s got to address it. He’s got to come out and talk about it. He’s got to do a speech like Barack Obama did about race. He’s got to come out and tell people that he’s going to deal with the issue of police reform in this country, and that’s what’s happening now is happening under Donald Trump’s watch. When he is the president, Kamala Harris is the vice president. Then they will take care of this problem. But guess what? The rioting has to stop. Chris, as you know, and I know it’s showing up in the polling, it’s showing up in focus groups. It is the only thing right now that is sticking.“

If the election had been held a couple of months ago, Joe Biden probably would have won by a large margin, but now everything is changing.

At this point it appears that we could have a very tight election with legal challenges that could last for months afterwards.  If such a scenario plays out, that could definitely set the stage for the sort of civil unrest that I warn about in my new book.

Could you imagine the national temper tantrum that we would see if Trump has a very, very narrow lead after election night?

Of course the left will pull out every legal trick in the book in order to try to deny Trump a second term, and Trump has his own army of lawyers ready to fight back.

I have a feeling that things are going to get very, very ugly, and that is extremely unfortunate.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

If you’re searching for the best bulletproof backpacks, you’ve come to the right place.

In recent years, the desire to upgrade to a bulletproof backpack has exploded in popularity. And it’s not hard to understand why.

It’s due to the increase in school, office, and event shootings happening all over the world.

Unfortunately, mass shootings have become a part of everyday life.

For example, in 2019 there were more mass shootings in the U.S. than days of the year. By the end of 2019, there were 417 mass shootings in the U.S.

These horrible tragedies injure and kill thousands of innocent men, women, and children annually.

Now, I believe the best defense against an active shooter is a good guy with a gun. But it’s not always a feasible solution due to the location OR whose targeted.

Gun-Free Zones are locations where concealed carry is not legally possible. And children are potential victims not allowed to conceal carry legally.

Worst yet, schools and campuses are places where those two restrictions come together. They are both “gun-free” and primarily filled with young children or youths.

That’s why schools are easy targets for a sick, demented human.

Now, I’m not here today to deep dive into your 2nd amendment rights. That’s NOT what this article is about.

Instead, today, I want to discuss a simple way to add some protection to YOU or YOUR LOVED ONES. I want to go over active shooting protection by investing in a bulletproof backpack.

Now whether your a gun enthusiast or hate guns doesn’t matter. We can ALL agree; any device that adds a layer of protection from bullets it a good idea.

So with that disclaimer out of the way, here are the following topics I will be covering today:

• What Exactly Is A Bulletproof Backpack Anyway?
• Why You Should Invest In a Bulletproof Backpack
• Do Bulletproof Backpacks Work? How?
• What to Look For In A Quality Bulletproof Backpack
• 6 Best Bulletproof Backpacks on The Market Today (with video reviews)

**Note: If you just want our top recommendations, feel free to SKIP AHEAD HERE.

As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We’re Giving Away Our #78 Item Complete Prepper Checklist. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A BULLETPROOF BACKPACK ANYWAY?

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A bulletproof backpack is a backpack that includes an armor plate. That’s it.

Now some readers might not be familiar with armor plates. These are plates designed to stop firearm bullets from deadly penetration.

These are the exact same plates inside bulletproof vests.

A plate is a mobile, portable ballistic shield that ANYONE can add to their backpack.

Let’s move on to a more important question – WHY?

As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We’re Giving Away Our Ultimate Survival Gear Checklist. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.

WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN A BULLETPROOF BACKPACK?

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Easy answer – to stop bullets.

School shootings, and mass shootings, are the primary concern here. And in today’s modern world, shootings are more frequent – especially in “gun-free zones.”

Unfortunately, “gun-free zones” attract mass shooters. Why? Because these locations have a limited ability to put up any immediate resistance.

If an area is deemed a “gun-free zone,” a shooter assumes they’ll be the only person nearby with a gun. At least until law enforcement arrives (but that can often take several minutes or longer).

So kids become sitting ducks to such horrendous acts of senseless violence.

I recently heard some gun enthusiasts rename “gun-free zone” to “start shooting here zones.”

That’s why you must equip yourself (or your kids) with some bulletproof protection.

AND just think – IF THIS SMALL BACKPACK INVESTMENT PAYS OFF – it will be the BEST investment you could make. And it’s not even close.

It could save your life or the life of a loved one.

How much would you pay to protect a loved one during an active shooter situation? I know I’d give up ALL my wealth to save my kiddos. My guess is you’d do the same.

So what’s a few hundred dollars compared to that?

As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We’re Giving Away Our #78 Item Complete Prepper Checklist. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.

DO BULLETPROOF BACKPACKS WORK? HOW?

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Yes, they do work (to a point).

However, how well they work depends on several factors. Factors such as the type of firearm used, the caliber of the ammo, and the type of plate inserted.

But in general, most backpack plates will protect against the most handgun calibers.

A few backpack plates can even protect against high powered rifles. Great! But why not all plates?

Because the plates that can stop a high powered rifle are usually too heavy for most people to carry. These thicker armor plates are upwards of 10+ lbs.

And that’s a weight you must carry before adding any textbooks or survival gear a backpack.

So there is a tradeoff between the amount of protection you get and how much weight you must carry.

How Bulletproof Backpacks Are Used

Now let’s talk about HOW bulletproof backpacks work in a real-world situation.

Note: the following is mostly my opinion – I don’t have any data/evidence to support – I tried to find some but could not…

Most people assume a bulletproof backpack will prevent a surprise shot from behind. But this scenario is not likely.

For a shot to be a surprise, you’d need to be an active shooter’s first target. Possible? Yes. Likely? I have my doubts.

Why? Because I think it’s more likely the person wearing the backpack will hear a few shots before they become a target.

And the first reaction is to flee away from the sounds of gunfire to escape the danger. OR if you become cornered, you’re next instinct is to hunker down.

If escape is possible, wearing a bulletproof backpack provides some layer of protection. If an active shooter sees a fleeing target, they may unload a few rounds in that direction.

But this added protection comes with a high cost. Heavy bulletproof backpacks will slow down your escape. Everyone knows you cannot run as fast or be as agile while wearing a heavy backpack.

So wearing a backpack, as opposed to not wear one, could make you a more attractive target (slower) for a shooter.

Which is correct? To ditch the backpack or leave it one? It’s a tough one…

That’s why I think a bulletproof backpack is more useful in a “hunker down” situation.

When cornered with a shooter, our natural reaction is to get small and hide behind something (a desk, a table, etc.)

Well, if you have a bulletproof backpack, you could take it off and use it as an incognito bulletproof shield.

The hope being, the shooter, will unload the rounds into the backpack and move on. Hopefully, the panel stops the bullets from penetrating saving the life of the one behind it.

Either way, carrying a bulletproof backpack gives you some level of added protection. More security and options than NOT having one – that’s for sure!

And while it’s far from “perfect”, it’s way better than having nothing at all.

As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We’re Giving Away Our #78 Item Complete Prepper Checklist. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A QUALITY BULLETPROOF BACKPACK

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First off, the backpack should be of high quality. It doesn’t matter if its a survival backpack, office backpack, bug out bag, tactical backpack, or school backpack. In general, you want your backpack to have the following key features:

High-Quality Fabrics

There are many different fabrics a backpack manufacturer could choose. For example, there are cotton, nylon, polyester, or eve unique blends of each.

And fabrics have comparison metrics such as stretch, abrasion resistance, tear resistance, etc.

So you’ll want to choose a backpack that won’t rip or tear easily. You’ll want one that can withstand the daily toils of use (whether it’s at school, work, or outdoors).

Strategic Use Of Double Stitching

Backpacks are designed to carry loads on your back. And backpacks are not made from a single piece of fabric.

Backpacks are stitched together using separate swaths of fabric.

These stitches are always the weakest point on a backpack. We’ve all seen packs where seams have popped.

That’s what happens when the load on the joint/seam exceeds what the stitching can handle.

That’s why a bulletproof backpack must have DOUBLE STITCHING at the high load points.

High load points are where the back and should straps meet or where the haul handle meets the pack.

Why not just use double stitching everywhere? Because that requires more materials and more time than necessary. This strategy makes such a backpack unnecessarily more expensive.

So look for quality double stitching at the high load points.

Lots Of Compartments (for better organization)

I prefer my backpacks to have lots of separate compartments. This separation helps stay organized. I can keep any books or survival gear, or spare clothes, in their own compartments.

I also prefer to have a special compartment near the top of my backpack for a pair of sunglasses.

The total number of compartments is a personal preference. But I recommend staying away from cheaper single-compartment backpacks.

These packs leave you without any organization options, and all your stuff sits in a jumbled mess. No Thanks.

Quality Zippers And Zipper Tabs

The zippers and zipper tabs are an often overlooked aspect of a quality backpack. And it’s a shame.

Because if the zippers fail, the entire pack becomes completely worthless.

So look for thick chunky zippers.

Zippers that can take some abuse and are not prone to separation issues under the intense weight.

Quality Armor Plates (not too thick or too thin)

There are lots of armor plates on the market today. Heck, I wrote an entire post of plate carriers, and I went into some details about different armor plates.

But in general, the thicker the plates, the more protection they offer. But, the trade-off is, the thicker the plate, the heavier it becomes.

So you’ll want to settle on armor plates strong enough to stop the penetration of all common calibers. Yet, still, keep the weight of the armor plates in a reasonable range.

Now, this extra weight depends on the age and health of the person who intends to carry the backpack.

For example, little kids can only take so much weight.

So it’s a delicate balance between protection and weight. It’s a tradeoff you’ll have to decide for yourself.

As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We’re Giving Away Our #78 Item Complete Prepper Checklist. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.

6 BEST BULLETPROOF BACKPACKS (and DIY Options) ON THE MARKET TODAY

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Finding the best bulletproof backpack solution for YOU can be tricky.

• It depends on if your searching for your small child, your teenager.
• Or perhaps you’re a college student looking for more protection.
• Or maybe you want something you can take with you to the office.

Each of these scenarios presents different needs. Different pack designs and different weight requirements also come into play.

DIY BulletProof Backpacks – Adding An Armor Panel For Backpacks

So let’s start with a few DIY bulletproof backpack solutions. Why? Because you can DIY MOST packs into a bulletproof backpack by merely adding an armor plate.

That way, you can buy the plates and then add them to whatever backpack you’d like.

This strategy works exceptionally well for kid’s bulletproof backpacks. Because they can quickly grow out of their smaller Paw Patrol backpack or Dora backpack by next year.

So by getting the plates separate you can future proof your investment.

1 – AR500 LEVEL III BACKPACK ARMOR – 9.5 X 13

The AR500 Armor Level III Backpack Armor is designed to slip into any backpack. It will fit in nearly any backpack on the market.

So it can fit easily into school bags and laptop pockets capable of accepting 15.1″ laptops. Many times with the laptop in the pocket as well.

It not only stops all handgun rounds, but it also is designed to stop rifle calibers up to 2,780fps! But this extra level of protection comes at a price – it weighs 8 lbs!

If you’re an adult and can handle the excess weight, then perhaps this is right for you. But for most small kids, carrying an 8 lbs. panel on top of books and school supplies starts to get unreasonable.

Here’s a good video testing and reviewing all AR500 plates – if you want to know more about different armor options:

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2 – Premier Body Armor Panels

Maybe you’d like even more choice in selecting the “ideal” body armor panel for your backpack. Then look no further than Premier Body Armor Panels.

Each of their panels is unique in their size, shape, weight, and protection level. Yet they ALL have one thing in common – they are all designed to fit into most backpacks.

First off, they have a small/medium/large “Universal” sized panels option.

But many premier panels are specifically sized for the best backpacks on the market. For example, they feature plates for packs from brands such as:

Eberlestock, Vertx, Haley, 5.11, Under Armour, The North Face, Maxpedition, Nike, L.L. Bean, GoRuck, Adidas, etc.

They even have bundles where you can purchase BOTH the panel and the backpack together!

So feel free to browse any of Premier Body Armor’s Bulletproof Backpack Inserts OR Bundles!

Shop until you find the one that offers the perfect combination of weight and protection.

Here’s an excellent video discussing how Premier Body Armor Panels work:

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Full-Featured Bulletproof Backpacks

Next up are full-featured bulletproof backpacks that come with plates.

These plates part of the design of the backpack. So these panels fit perfectly and won’t shift around when you’re running.

Making these bulletproof backpacks are ideal for older youths, college students, and adults.

Some of them are more focused on a casual office setting. But others are geared towards tactical features such as camo and MOLLE.

3 – Phoenix 2.0 Armored Backpack

The Phoenix 2.0 Armored Backpack is built to stop bullets used in 95% of gun-related homicides.

This lightweight backpack is suitable for either kids or adults.

The backpack is always well designed for the office or school. Because it’s a generously sized primary compartment that features a laptop sleeve.

The backpack also features durable zippers, padded backing and padded fully adjustable straps.

Finally, you have several customizable options to choose from, including

• Color (Blue, Gray, Mauve)
• Threat Protection (Pistol 3 lbs. / Rifle 13 lbs.)
• Armor Size (10″ x 12″ OR 11″ by 15″)
• Add Trauma Pad? (Yes / No)

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4 – The Firebird Armored Backpack

The Firebird Armored Backpack has many similar features to the Pheonix.

But it comes with a few more technical design features such as additional pockets and an 11″ x 15″ armor system.

This backpack only has one color option, Black. But you have a choice between Pistol Rated Soft Armor (sub 3lbs.)

OR Rifle Rated III” LW Steel Armor (10 lbs.).

You can also add a trauma pad or an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) if you’d like.

And here’s an excellent video showing both the Phoenix and the Firebird bulletproof backpacks from AR500:

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5 – Spartan Armor Systems AR650 Backpack Level III

This Spartan Armor System Ballistic Backpack offers excellent protection at a great price.

It combines the popular condor assault backpack with a 10″ x13 AR650 Level III+ Plate Insert.

The backpack is of very high quality. It includes lots of compartments, padded adjustable straps, and double stitching throughout.

The panel is rated to stop 7.62 M80 Ball, as well as Special Threat Rated to stop 5.56. This bulletproof backpack weighs 9.5 lbs and carries a single 10″ by 10″ panel.

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6 – Spartan Six Backpack Body Armor Carrier

The Spartan SIX Backpack offers discrete ballistic protection. It comes with a Level IIIA Flex Fused Core panel.

Now, instead of sewing in the panel into the backpack, the Spartan SIX uses a Velcro pouch to hold the panel in place.

This setup allows you the flexibility to wash your pack or replace your ballistic panel.

Backpack features:

• 420 Denier nylon
• YKK Zippers
• Adjustable Sternum strap
• Padded and lined laptop pocket
• Haul handle

Panel features:

• Rated to stop .44 MAG SJHP, as well as Special Threat Rated to stop.357 SIG FMJ
• 35″
• Weight 1lb 9.4 oz.

Here’s a helpful video explaining the different protection levels in Spartan Bulletproof Backpacks:

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FINAL THOUGHTS

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Do you (or your kids) plan to wear a backpack to work or school ANYWAY? Then why in the world wouldn’t you upgrade that tool to make it better?

Why not add an extra layer of protection – just in case.

To me, it’s a no brainer. It’s safety with minimal sacrifice. It’s taking a tool you already use and turning it into a legit defense mechanism.

The risk/reward analysis says – you risk a few dollars and a few ounces in weight to save a life. That’s why this is NOT a hard decision – do it now.

“Just In Case” Jack

P.s. Do you know where the closest nuclear bunker is from your home?

There are a lot of natural nuclear shelters in the US that are absolutely free. And one of them is near your home.

Click here to see the Closest Natural Nuclear Bunker to Your Home?

Click on the image above to find out where you need to take shelter.

The post 6 Best Bulletproof Backpacks (and DIY Options) On The Market Today appeared first on Skilled Survival.

More than a million Americans were not supposed to be losing their jobs every week by the time we got to the middle of August.  By now, vast hordes of unemployed Americans were supposed to be returning to their old jobs and economic activity was supposed to be returning to normal levels.  But it hasn’t happened that way.  Instead, the U.S. economy continues to unravel at a steady pace.  Every week more businesses go under, more layoffs are announced and more people get behind on their bills.  What we have already been through has been far worse than anything that we experienced during the last recession, and it appears that this new economic downturn is entering yet another new phase.  On Thursday, we learned that another 1.106 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week…

The number of people filing for unemployment benefits last week was greater than expected, raising concern about the state of the economy as lawmakers struggle to move forward on a new pandemic stimulus package.

The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims for the week ended Aug. 15 came in at 1.106 million. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected a total of 923,000. Initial claims for the previous week were also revised higher by 8,000 to 971,000.

Instead of going down as most analysts were anticipating, the number of initial claims shot way back above a million.

And this means that we have now gotten a number that is above a million for 21 of the last 22 weeks.

Prior to 2020, the worst weekly number in all of U.S. history was 695,000.  To absolutely dwarf that old record for 22 weeks in a row should be almost theoretically impossible.  If you would have asked me last year what it would take to have the kind of unemployment numbers that we are seeing now, I would have probably suggested that it would take something like a world war or a major asteroid strike to produce such figures.  The numbers that we keep getting week after week are simply absurd, but they just keep coming.

After all this time, the number of Americans filing for unemployment should be falling back below record levels, but instead last week we got a number that was more than twice as high as anything that we witnessed during the last recession…

“However, the number of individuals claiming benefits remains extraordinarily high – more than twice the peak of the great recession – underscoring that the labor market is a long way from being healthy,” economist Nancy Vanden Houten wrote in a note to clients.

It would be difficult to overstate the scale of the economic devastation that we are witnessing.

Do you remember Hurricane Katrina?  It was the worst natural disaster in the history of Louisiana, but in 2020 the state has lost twice as many jobs as it did after Hurricane Katrina.

Just think about how crazy that is.

Overall, 57.3 million Americans have filed new claims for unemployment benefits over the past 22 weeks.

57 million.

We’ve never seen anything like this in our history.  For a while, our unemployed workers were being kept afloat by a 600 dollar a week federal supplement, but now those extra benefits have expired…

Those recipients who are receiving unemployment on an ongoing basis are now getting far less aid because a $600-a-week federal benefit has expired, which means the unemployed must now get by solely on much smaller aid from their states.

The loss of the federal benefit has deepened the struggles for many, including a higher risk of eviction from their homes.

President Trump has signed an executive order that would provide payments of 300 dollars a week to unemployed workers, but many states have chosen not to participate in that program.

So we should expect the level of economic suffering in this country to go up even more.  At this point, tens of millions of Americans are unable to pay their bills, and that number will almost certainly increase in the months ahead.

Meanwhile, we are seeing businesses fail at a rate that is absolutely unprecedented.  For example, the hotel industry is warning that close to a quarter of all hotels in the United States “are at risk of foreclosure”…

In a desperate plea for help, the hotel industry said it faces a default disaster, in which 25% of hotels are at risk of foreclosure.

The report, sent to Congress this week and compiled by Trepp, shows that the percentage of hotel loans 30 or more days delinquent is 23.4% as of last month — the highest percentage on record. By comparison, the percentage of hotel loans that were 30 or more days delinquent at the end of 2019 was just 1.3%.

The hotel industry wants a federal bailout, but of course just about every other major industry wants one as well.

In the end, Congress is going to decide where the money goes, and not everyone will come out a winner.

The overall global economy is deeply struggling as well.  In fact, the level of merchandise trade around the world just fell to the lowest level on record…

“This reading – the lowest on record in data going back to 2007, and on par with the nadir of the 2008-09 financial crisis – is broadly consistent with WTO statistics issued in June, which estimated an 18.5% decline in merchandise trade in the second quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period last year,” the WTO said.

This is what an economic collapse looks like, and the entire planet is being hit extremely hard.

But at least the U.S. stock market is doing well.  Stock prices have been absolutely soaring in recent weeks, and according to Forbes the market is now “about 77.0% overvalued”…

According to the popular market cap to GDP ratio, the U.S. stock market, collectively, is about 77.0% overvalued. Despite the worst economic backdrop since the Great Depression, stocks have held up reasonably well since the March 23 bottom. While it’s true that the stock market has disconnected from the underlying economy, it has also done so in the past. With such an extreme level of overvaluation, it does beg the question, “Are we witnessing the formation of another bubble?”

So for the moment, America’s financial idol is safe.

Unfortunately, this stock market bubble is going to be a whole lot shorter than the last one.

Thanks to unprecedented intervention by the Federal Reserve, stock prices have been pumped up to record levels, but we are only in the early chapters of this economic storm.

Much worse is coming, and without a doubt the Fed will try to keep asset prices inflated, but in the end it will be a losing battle.

As we keep getting hit by one crisis after another, eventually investors are going to figure out that the future ahead of us is not a positive one, and when confidence about the future disappears so will the bubble.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

The post 2020 Is An Economic Nightmare – And Things Just Got Even Worse appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Did you know that an asteroid just flew by our planet at an extremely close distance?  The good news is that it was only about the size of a car, but the bad news is that NASA had absolutely no idea that it was coming.  In fact, NASA only discovered it about six hours after it had passed us.  If NASA could not see that asteroid coming straight at us, what else is heading toward us that they cannot see? It has been estimated that “about 17,000 big near-Earth asteroids remain undetected”, but the truth is that we don’t really know how many giant space rocks are floating around out there.  Of course scientists all around the world are doing their best to catalog new potential threats all the time, but what most people don’t realize is that this is an area where our technology is still very limited.

The asteroid that almost entered our atmosphere on August 15th was hurtling toward us at 27,600 miles per hour.

In other words, it was traveling at almost 8 miles per second.

That is fast.

And according to the official NASA website, it came within just 1,830 miles of our planet…

Near Earth Asteroids, or NEAs, pass by our home planet all the time. But an SUV-size asteroid set the record this past weekend for coming closer to Earth than any other known NEA: It passed 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometers) above the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 12:08 a.m. EDT (Saturday, Aug. 15 at 9:08 p.m. PDT).

In astronomical terms, that is an extremely close shave, and NASA is openly admitting that “we didn’t see it coming”…

The flyby wasn’t expected and took many by surprise. In fact, the Palomar Observatory didn’t detect the zooming asteroid until about six hours after the object’s closest approach. “The asteroid approached undetected from the direction of the sun,” Paul Chodas, the director of NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, told Business Insider. “We didn’t see it coming.”

This admission surprised many Americans, because most people assume that NASA would give us plenty of advance notice if a civilization-killing asteroid really was heading our way.

Of course that is not necessarily true at all.  There are many giant space rocks floating around out there that are exceedingly difficult to detect, and that is especially true if they are coming at us from the direction of the sun…

There’s not much we can do about detecting inbound asteroids coming from the sunward direction, as asteroids are detected using optical telescopes only (like ZTF), and we can only search for them in the night sky. The idea is that we discover them on one of their prior passages by our planet, and then make predictions years and decades in advance to see whether they have any possibility of impacting.

NASA has a plan to improve our ability to detect incoming asteroids, and that will be welcome news for those that are concerned that a civilization-killing asteroid may be heading our way.

But the bad news is that the space telescope at the heart of NASA’s plan will not be launched until 2025…

NASA has a plan to address these gaps in its asteroid-hunting program. The agency is in the early stages of developing a space telescope that could detect asteroids and comets coming from the sun’s direction.

NASA’s 2020 budget allotted nearly $36 million for that telescope, called the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission.

If funding continues, it could launch as early as 2025.

We have about five years to wait before this plan is implemented, and so let us hope that a giant space rock is not headed our way before then.

But we do know that a fairly sizable asteroid will be making a very close approach to our planet next month.  On September 1st, a 150 foot rock known as “asteroid 2011 ES4” will fly past us at more than 18,000 miles per hour, and it will do so “at a far closer distance than the Moon”…

Asteroid 2011 ES4, which measures approximately 150ft (50m) across, is expected to hurtle past the Earth at staggering speeds of 18,253mph (29,375kmh) next month. And although the size and speed of the asteroid is not that unusual, this space rock will fly past Earth at a far closer distance than the Moon.

I want to stress that scientists do not expect this asteroid to hit us, and I do not expect it to hit us either.

But the fact that it is flying by us at just “0.00048 AU” is definitely alarming…

The CNEOS database reveals the asteroid will pass by the Earth on September 1 at 3.49pm BST (10.49am ET).

Asteroid 2011 ES4 will fly by at 0.00048 AU (Astronomical Units) away – approximately 44,618 miles).

This distance is far closer to Earth than the Moon, which usually orbits at a distance of 238,855 miles (384,399km) distant.

But just because this one won’t hit us doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be concerned.

Earlier this month, I wrote an article about what scientists have discovered would happen if a very large asteroid hit the Atlantic Ocean.  It is estimated that the resulting tsunami would send waves that are hundreds of feet high toward the east coast of the United States, and millions of people would perish.  Of course most Americans that live on the east coast never even imagine that such a thing could happen, but the truth is that we have been repeatedly warned about such a potential disaster.

I truly hope that NASA will be able to give us as much advance warning as possible when that day finally arrives.

But NASA didn’t see the asteroid that almost entered our atmosphere a few days ago.

And there have been countless other asteroids over the years that NASA didn’t see until they were past us.

This is an area of research that I am particularly interested in, and at this point I don’t have a whole lot of faith in NASA’s ability to see what is coming.

In addition, even if they do see a giant space rock heading directly toward our planet, that doesn’t mean that they will actually tell us.

Rather than alarming the general public, they would probably start implementing plans behind the scenes to save those that are deemed to be “essential”.

Of course they might finally inform the rest of us just before it hit, but by then it would be far too late to do much about it.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

For whatever reason, you may one day find yourself in an outdoor survival situation. Maybe you are on an outing with family or friends, one …

Read moreLost in The Woods Survival: 13 Do’s and Dont’s

The post Lost in The Woods Survival: 13 Do’s and Dont’s appeared first on Survival Cache.

I am a huge fan of Vortex Optical Scopes.  Lots of questions come my way about what scope I use and why.  Almost without fail, …

Read moreVortex Diamondback vs Crossfire Rifle Scopes: Head-to-Head Comparison

The post Vortex Diamondback vs Crossfire Rifle Scopes: Head-to-Head Comparison appeared first on Survival Cache.

Every summer is hot, and every summer there are heatwaves, but what we are witnessing in 2020 is rewriting all of the rules.  It has been blistering hot across the Southwest, and record after record is being broken.  In a year when we have had a seemingly endless series of things go wrong, we definitely didn’t need a historic heatwave to hit us, and it is causing all sorts of problems.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will be getting any relief for at least a few more days, because it is being reported that record-setting heat is “expected to last throughout the week”…

As many as 52 million people remain under heat alerts in the West on Monday, where some could see temperatures between 110 and 130 degrees. The heat is expected to last throughout the week, possibly setting more than 100 new daily record highs.

A high temperature of 100 degrees is really hot, a high temperature of 110 degrees is dangerously hot, a high temperature of 120 degrees is catastrophically hot, and a high temperature of 130 degrees is not supposed to happen.

But it just did.

On Sunday, the high temperature in Death Valley reached 130 degrees…

A temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) recorded in California’s Death Valley on Sunday by the US National Weather Service could be the hottest ever measured with modern instruments, officials say.

The reading was registered at 3:41 pm at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in the Death Valley national park by an automated observation system — an electronic thermometer encased inside a box in the shade.

Prior to Sunday, modern instruments had never measured a temperature that high anywhere in the world.

The old all-time global record of 134 degrees has stood since 1913, but the validity of that old record has been heavily disputed…

In 1913, a weather station half an hour’s walk away recorded what officially remains the world record of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius).

But its validity has been disputed for a number of reasons: regional weather stations at the time didn’t report an exceptional heatwave, and there were questions around the researcher’s competence.

In any event, everyone can agree that what happened on Sunday was truly a historic event, and it definitely wasn’t an isolated incident.

Just one day before, we witnessed a new daily record high temperature in Sacramento…

Downtown Sacramento set a new record-high temperature of 111 degrees on Saturday, during what is the biggest heatwave of the year so far in the area.

And that came on the heels of Palm Springs absolutely smashing a daily record on Friday…

Palm Springs shattered the previous record of 117° for today’s date by recording 120° this afternoon! Thermal set a record for the ‘highest minimum’ for the days date with a low temperature of just 92° this morning.

Needless to say, all of this heat is putting an enormous amount of strain on California’s power system as people endlessly stay indoors and try to cool off.  In fact, things have gotten so bad that authorities just announced “the first rolling blackouts in the state since 2001”…

As California struggles to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, wilting heat and wildfires, it’s facing another dangerous crisis: blackouts.

As temperatures broke records across the state, California energy officials announced the first rolling blackouts in the state since 2001 and warned that the state was bracing for what could be the largest power outage it has ever seen, likely on Monday.

Do you remember those crazy days back in 2001?

It seems like it was just yesterday that the Enron scandal erupted, but it really was almost 20 years ago.

Where has the time gone?

Officials are hoping that the rolling blackouts in California will be limited to this week, but they aren’t making any promises.

Meanwhile, record high temperatures are also happening in Nevada.  Las Vegas has been absolutely baking, and new record highs were being anticipated for both Monday and Tuesday…

It’ll be record-hot on Monday and Tuesday in Las Vegas, according to the National Weather Service, as southern Nevada bakes beneath a heat wave that tied a high-temperature mark on Sunday.

The expected high Monday was 114 degrees (45.56 Celsius) at McCarran International Airport, well above the current record temperature of 111 degrees set Aug. 17, 1939, meteorologist Dan Berc said.

And over in Phoenix, there have already been eight days this year with a high temperature of at least 115 degrees, and that breaks the old record that was set in 1974…

According to the National Weather Service in Phoenix, Phoenix reached 115°F during the afternoon hours of August 17, breaking a record set in 2013.

On August 14, Phoenix tied a record for the date with a high of 117 degrees (47 Celsius). Friday was the eighth day in 2020 with a high of at least 115 degrees (46 Celsius), beating the old record of seven days in 1974, the National Weather Service said.

Quite a few years ago I was in Phoenix during a heatwave, and I remember absolutely scorching the bottoms of my feet when I walked along a concrete path without any shoes on.

Dangerous heat is a constant reality this time of the year in Phoenix, but residents have learned how to live with it.

However, the record heat that we are seeing this year combined with extremely dry conditions have created an ideal environment for giant dust storms, and the millions of people living in the area have been warned that some are likely in the days ahead.

Throughout the Southwest, we are starting to see alarming patterns emerge.  If you look at the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map, you will notice that nearly the entire Southwest is already in some stage of drought right now.  In the 1930s, very high temperatures and exceedingly dry conditions for months on end combined to create “the Dust Bowl”, and many are concerned that something similar may now be starting to happen.

Even if you are not yet convinced that a new “Dust Bowl” is coming, everyone should be able to agree that what we are witnessing in the Southwest right now is very, very unusual.

In so many ways, our world seems to be going completely nuts right now, and many believe that this is just the beginning.

The good news is that September is coming, and that means that the weather in the Southwest should begin to cool off a bit.

But throughout this year it has just been one crisis after another, and we shall see what else 2020 has in store for us in the months ahead.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

Our homes are sacred, safe places where we raise our families and lay our heads down at night. Most of the time when we are …

Read more10 Tips for Preventing and Dealing With a Home Intruder

The post 10 Tips for Preventing and Dealing With a Home Intruder appeared first on Survival Cache.