by Leah Justice

Area preppers, or want-to-be preppers can learn several skills today and this weekend in Saluda to be prepared for a disaster.

Prepper Camp, the largest three-day outdoor preparedness event in the country will be held Sept. 12-14 at Orchard Lake Campground in Saluda.

In observance of National Preparedness Month, FEMA asks families, communities and workplaces to take action by planning a national PrepareAthon Day.

Prepper Camp was organized to help people understand the need to be aware that disasters know no time or place, according to a release sent by Rick Austin and Survivor Jane, who are sponsoring the event.

The Prepper Camp is designed for participants to receive hands-on learning and education from more than 36 of the nation’s leading preparedness experts and instructors.

Interactive classes include what to do if the “grid should fail;” radiation preparedness; survival medicine; how to tie the top 12 knots that can save your life; what to put in a medical kit; using the sun to cook food; how to create a sustainable garden that you can plant once and harvest for a lifetime; how to prepare for a financial crisis; basic self-defense using Krav Maga; how to build a human powered generator; Ham Radio and emergency communications; what you need to know about buying gold and silver; how to get off the grid-right now; how to exercise in extreme environments and confined spaces; old fashioned blacksmithing; natural beekeeping; basic animal tracking and trapping; awareness and evasion-with basic survival techniques; archery for survival; alternative power solutions and cooking with food storage as well as other classes.

Instructors for the weekend include Eugene Runkins, of the Discovery Channel’s “Hillbilly Blood;” Scott Hunt of Practical Preppers and William Forschen, author of the book, “One Second After.”

Austin and Survivor Jane were recently featured on Season 4 of National Geographic Channel’s “Doomsday Preppers” are hosting the camp. Austin has the number one best-selling book in garden design, “Secret Garden of Survival-How to Grow a Camouflage Food Forest” and is the host of the radio show on Preparedness Radio Network.

Survivor Jane has the number one preparedness website for women (www.SurvivorJane.com) and is the founder of the largest preparedness community on Twitter. She is also the author of “Emergency/Survival Hygiene-A cookbook for Making Survival Hygiene Products.”

For more information go to the Prepper Camp website at www.Preppercamp.com.