Preparedness
Unloaded Gun Saves Couple from Camouflaged Intruder’s Terrifying Attack
A chilling episode unfolded in the stillness of North Carolina when a couple’s quiet evening was interrupted by a camouflaged intruder wielding a firearm on their back porch. In a rather strange twist of fate, the man identified as Tyler Messer, appeared to fire a gun that had not been loaded, as revealed in surveillance footage shared by the couple with local news and law enforcement.
Messer, caught in the act, was seen peering through the rifle’s sights, his attention divided between the couple who were inside their residence at the time.
Preston McHone, one half of the distressed couple, recounted his experience to WLOS, stating, “As I’m folding one towel, I have my phone lying in front of me and I see an alert that there’s some motion on the back, so, I just turn around and yell, ‘Billy, there’s somebody at our back door with a gun,’”.
The situation took a sudden turn around 11 p.m. when Messer, still on the porch, operated his rifle’s action. The video’s audio clearly picked up the sound of the gun failing to discharge any projectiles, suggesting an empty chamber. However, whether this was a misfire or simply an unloaded gun is still undetermined, with different interpretations being drawn by local news outlets.
Messer, seemingly befuddled by his gun’s failure, took a moment to examine his weapon before hastily departing from the scene.
The suspect’s intentions remain obscure. Notes from law enforcement have described Messer as being “mentally ill,” adding an unsettling layer to an already distressing episode. According to the McDowell County Magistrate Bail Explanation Form, Messer had declared to his family that it was his mission to “rid the world of sin”.
Elucidating on the terrifying incident, McHone said, “As he pulls the trigger, he turns and, in that short turn, he’s realizing it didn’t go off because he’s supposed to, at that point, have shot [my partner] and would be turning towards me. He didn’t follow through because he missed one step, and that was loading his weapon”.
In the aftermath, the couple remained hidden within their home until the police arrived. The incident was not the first encounter with Messer, who had allegedly visited the couple’s home thrice in the past year, purportedly searching for his father. Messer’s association with the couple remained a mystery to them.
The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged Messer with assault by pointing a gun, first-degree trespassing, and stalking, accompanied by a bail of $200,000. Two days later, the charges against the 29-year-old Messer were elevated to include attempted murder.
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
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The Water Survival Guide: Finding, Filtering, and Storing the One Thing You Can’t Live Without
You can go weeks without food. Maybe months without sunlight. But go three days without water, and your body starts to shut down. In a real survival situation whether it’s a natural disaster, a grid failure, or getting lost outdoors clean water isn’t optional. It’s the first and most important thing you need to secure.
This guide breaks it down into something simple and doable: how to find, filter, and store safe drinking water anywhere.
1. Finding Water When There’s None in Sight
When the taps stop running, it’s time to think like nature. Start by looking downhill. Water always follows gravity. Watch for damp soil, thick green vegetation, or insect activity these are signs there’s water nearby.
If you’re outdoors, collect rainwater anytime you can. Lay out plastic sheets, ponchos, or even trash bags to funnel it into containers. In the morning, you can also gather condensation by wrapping a T-shirt or towel around grass or branches and wringing out the moisture.
In urban settings, drainpipes, water heaters, and toilet tanks (not the bowl) can provide clean, stored water in an emergency.
2. Filtering and Purifying
Finding water is only half the job making it safe is what keeps you alive. Clear-looking water can still contain bacteria, chemicals, or parasites. The rule of thumb: If you didn’t see it come out of a sealed bottle, purify it.
Here are the main ways:
- Boiling: The oldest and most effective method. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute (three if you’re at high altitude).
- Bleach: Add 8 drops of regular, unscented bleach per gallon of water. Wait 30 minutes before drinking.
- Filters: Portable straw filters, gravity filters, or ceramic pumps remove most contaminants. Always follow up with chemical treatment if possible.
- Improvised options: Pour water through layers of cloth, sand, or charcoal to remove sediment before purification.
3. Storing Water for the Long Haul
Once you’ve got clean water, store it like it’s liquid gold. Use food-grade plastic containers, glass jugs, or heavy-duty bottles with tight seals. Keep them in a cool, dark place away from chemicals and direct sunlight.
A good goal is one gallon per person per day half for drinking, half for cooking and hygiene. Rotate your supply every six months to keep it fresh.
The “Clean Water Anywhere” Method
If you forget everything else, remember this three-step formula:
Find it. Clean it. Protect it.
Locate a source, purify it before you drink, and store it safely for when things get worse.
Final Thought
Water is the ultimate equalizer. It doesn’t care how strong, rich, or prepared you are without it, nothing else matters. Learn how to find and protect it now, before you ever have to. Because when the world runs dry, those who know how to stay hydrated will be the ones who stay alive.
How to Survive the First 24 Hours Without Electricity
Picture this: you wake up and nothing works. The lights don’t turn on. Your phone’s dead. The fridge hum is gone, and the tap only spits air. You check outside streetlights, silent houses, blank car alarms. It’s not just your house. The entire grid is down.
Sounds dramatic, right? But blackouts happen all the time, and most people are wildly unprepared for even a few hours without power. The key to surviving a real grid-down event isn’t stockpiling gadgets it’s knowing how to stay calm and use what you already have wisely.
Hour 1–3: Don’t Panic, Get Oriented
The first few hours are about awareness. Check your surroundings. Is it just your block or the entire city? Turn off and unplug major appliances to protect them from a surge when the power returns. Use your phone sparingly battery power becomes gold.
Start filling containers, bathtubs, and pots with water. When the grid fails, municipal pumps stop working fast. You’ll want every drop you can store.
Hour 4–8: Secure Light and Warmth
Once the sun starts dropping, light becomes your lifeline. Use flashlights, candles, or headlamps never burn open flames near flammable surfaces. If it’s cold, layer clothing and block drafts instead of wasting energy trying to heat a room. If it’s hot, stay hydrated and open shaded windows for airflow.
Now’s also the time to check on neighbors, especially anyone older or living alone. Community awareness is survival in disguise.
Hour 9–16: Protect Your Food and Water
Your fridge will stay cold for about four hours your freezer for about a day, if unopened. Group food together to preserve cold air and start eating perishables first. Keep bottled water handy, and if you have a gas or charcoal grill, that’s your new kitchen.
Stay inside if possible; confusion and panic can spread quickly outside when communication fails.
Hour 17–24: Rest and Reset
As night falls, light discipline matters. Too much brightness could attract attention if things get tense. Conserve power, stay quiet, and rest. Tomorrow, you’ll need clear thinking to find information, help, or supplies.
Grid-Down Checklist
✅ Store water before pressure drops
✅ Conserve phone battery
✅ Secure light and warmth
✅ Eat perishables first
✅ Check on neighbors
✅ Stay calm and rest
When the lights go out, the people who do best aren’t the ones with the most gear they’re the ones who keep their heads and think clearly. Preparation starts now, not when the power dies.
These Everyday Skills Could Save Your Life Or Someone Else’s
When an emergency hits, it’s too late to start Googling. Whether it’s a power outage, car breakdown, unexpected hike gone wrong, or full-scale disaster, knowing what to do before chaos strikes is the difference between staying calm and spiraling. The good news? You don’t need military training or a bug-out bunker. You just need to learn these 10 core survival skills ahead of time and they’ll serve you in everyday life too.
1. Fire-Starting Without a Lighter
Being able to start a fire in wet or windy conditions is a skill that spans thousands of years and it still matters. Learn to use a ferro rod, flint and steel, or even a magnifying glass. Practice with damp tinder, and always carry some dryer lint or cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly.
2. Basic First Aid
Knowing how to stop bleeding, treat burns, or manage a broken bone is essential. Sign up for a CPR/first aid course you’ll gain life-saving knowledge and confidence. Bonus: it’s just as useful at a family BBQ as in a forest.
3. Navigation Without GPS
Batteries die. Satellites fail. Learn to read a paper map, use a compass, and find direction using the sun or stars. Even basic orienteering skills can get you out of a jam.
4. Knot-Tying for Real-World Use
The right knot can save your gear or your life. Know how to tie a bowline, square knot, and trucker’s hitch. These knots can help build shelter, secure loads, and make emergency repairs.
5. Water Purification and Collection
You can survive weeks without food but only 3 days without water. Learn how to boil, filter, or chemically treat water. Know where to find it in urban and wild environments, like rain catchment or condensation traps.
6. Shelter Building With Natural Materials
Even in a warm climate, exposure can be deadly. Practice building lean-tos, debris huts, or tarp shelters using branches, leaves, and cordage. A good shelter keeps you warm, dry, and protected from the elements.
7. Situational Awareness
Learn to scan your environment, trust your instincts, and notice small changes around you. Awareness prevents problems, whether it’s spotting a fire hazard, noticing someone following you, or avoiding dangerous terrain.
8. Cooking Without Electricity
Know how to cook over open flames, on a wood stove, or using solar ovens. It’s more than survival, it’s resilience. Start by learning to boil, grill, or bake without relying on modern conveniences.
9. Signaling for Help
If you’re stuck, you’ll need to be found. Learn how to use mirrors, flares, whistles, or even create large ground signals like “SOS” using rocks or logs. Understanding rescue priorities can make you easier to spot and faster to save.
10. Mental Resilience and Problem Solving
This is the quiet skill that holds it all together. Practice staying calm under pressure through breath control, visualization, or even journaling. In any crisis, your mindset determines whether you freeze… or adapt.
🧭 Final Thought
The best time to learn these survival skills is when you don’t need them. They aren’t just about extreme situations they teach self-reliance, confidence, and control. The more you know, the less you fear and the better prepared you’ll be when life throws the unexpected your way.
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