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Prepping for survival : disaster emergency preparedness for disaster survival PDF

37 Pages·2014·0.184 MB·English
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Prepping for Survival: Disaster Emergency Preparedness for Disaster Survival SPENCER DALY Copyright © 2013 Spencer Daly All rights reserved. Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Be Prepared ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Meeting the Basic Needs ................................................................................................................. 7 Shelter ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Getting Together a Basic Home Emergency Preparedness Kit ...................................................... 11 Camping ......................................................................................................................................... 20 First Aid .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Surviving Past the First Few Days: Ensuring a Food Supply .......................................................... 30 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Introduction No one wants to think about the unthinkable; that is, after all, why we call it the unthinkable. However, the fact is that disasters can and do happen. Whether it’s a natural disaster like a hurricane or an earthquake or a manmade disaster like war or political upheaval – or something almost unimaginable like complete economic or societal collapse, you have to think about what you would do if it were to come to pass. You probably think that these kinds of cataclysmic events aren’t terribly likely and you’d be right to think so. However, anything can happen and if some kind of catastrophic event does occur, it won’t do to be a Pollyanna. If you’re a believer in Murphy’s Law (and you should be), you know, at least at the very back of your mind that you need to be prepared for the worst case scenario. This isn’t to say that you can’t be optimistic, but you should be prepared for the worst thing that could possibly happen by simultaneously hoping for the best. If you’re fortunate – actually, if all of us are fortunate, then you may never need the information contained in this book. None of us hope for disaster, but the possibility of disaster is something that we simply can’t ignore; to tell ourselves that it can’t happen here (wherever “here” may happen to be in your case) is, to put it bluntly, dangerous. Forewarned is forearmed, particularly in the case of some kind of catastrophic event. When you know what to do to keep yourself and those close to you going through even the direst of circumstances, knowledge can make all the difference between survival and death. We’re not trying to alarm you, it’s simply a fact. You need to know how to react and just as importantly, how to prepare to survive when your usual means of meeting the basic needs are no longer available. In this book, you’ll learn how to make sure that you have all of the basic needs covered, namely shelter, food and water. You’ll learn how to prepare yourself with a set of essential supplies, whether it’s for a few days or for the long term. Depending on the nature of the catastrophe you’re facing, you may find yourself needing to make your way out of your city and find refuge in the countryside; and we’ll cover how to survive outdoors, including how to create shelter, find food and generally keep yourself alive in the wilderness. If it’s safer for you to take shelter in the city, survival in an urban setting is also something which we’ll go over in the chapters to follow. Additionally, we’ll talk about how to survive over the long term if things really go downhill and you find yourself needing to ensure a food supply for a period of years, rather than weeks or months. Again, if we’re lucky, this isn’t something that you’ll need to know in order to stay alive – but if you ever do find yourself in this kind of situation, it’s knowledge which will be absolutely essential. Don’t panic yet. In fact, don’t panic at all. When you’re well prepared for any kind of disaster that might come your way, whether manmade or natural, you won’t need to, either; you’ll know what to do, have your supplies at hand and be well prepared to make your way to safety, seek or improvise shelter and generally stay alive until things blow over or help can reach you. Be Prepared The Scouts (both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) have a motto which could easily serve as the title of this book, just as it does as the title of this chapter: be prepared. Being prepared is key to surviving any kind of cataclysm, whether it comes in the form of flooding, earthquakes, war or any other disaster you care to name. All disasters have something very important in common: the better prepared you are, the better your chances of survival. Being prepared for any emergency situation that might arise also gives you something else which is equally important: peace of mind. For all we know, none of these catastrophes may affect you in your entire lifetime – but if you’re ready for them, you’ll definitely sleep better at night knowing that you’re ready for anything that comes your way. Be prepared. It’s a rule to live by; and if something does happen, it’s a rule which could quite literally save your life. Getting Started The first question that naturally arises here is what exactly you’ll need to be prepared to survive a natural disaster or other threatening event. The short answer is that it really depends. For instance, the kinds of supplies that you’ll need will depend a great deal on where you live; surviving a disaster in a city is different than making it through a similar event in a suburban or rural area. The climate in the area also makes a difference – you won’t need the same supplies in a subtropical or tropical climate as you would in a temperate or cold climate, for instance. However, there are some basics which you’ll need no matter where you live or what the weather tends to be like, so we’ll talk about these first. We’ll cover outdoor survival later on in this book; for starters, we’ll assume that you’re able to take refuge in your own home. Meeting the Basic Needs No matter where you are, you’re going to need to provide for the three basic needs: food, water and shelter. Without these, you’re not going to make it no matter how well prepared you are otherwise. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to survive in your home when you’re cut off from the services and amenities you’re used to having access to. Food In the event of a disaster of any kind, it’s likely that your access to your usual food sources (for most of us, that means the grocery store) will be disrupted, especially if you happen to live in the suburbs or a rural area. Certainly, those of us who live in cities might have the opportunity to loot for these essentials, but in a truly dire situation, it isn’t likely that you’ll be the first person to have that idea – and readers should take note that we absolutely do not endorse looting except in truly life or death situations. Since you’re not going to be shopping at your local markets any time soon, one of the most important things you can do to prepare and ensure your survival is to have ample food supplies on hand to sustain yourself and the rest of your household for a time. Exactly how much food you need, again, depends on a number of factors: how many people you anticipate needing to feed, how long you expect to be without any other food sources and of course, how much storage space you have available. Keep in mind that even though your food supplies will consist of non- perishable food, there are very few food items (with the possible exception of honey) which are truly non-perishable. In other words, you’re going to need to replace your stocks of food periodically as their expiration dates near – a large supply of spoiled food is, for all intents and purposes, the same thing as not having any food on hand at all. Basic Supplies for Short Term Survival If all you think you need is enough to live on for a few days to a week in case of a natural disaster where help is likely to reach you in a fairly short time, then you can probably get by with a small basic supply. A good rule of thumb is to keep enough non-perishable food on hand to last for three days to a week; remember that you’ll need enough for everyone in your household and probably a little extra, just in case. You’ll also want to keep food on hand for any pets you may have in your home. What Kind of Food Should You Store? One thing to remember is that if something disastrous happens, you may not be able to cook, so what you’ll want are food items which don’t require cooking. Think canned goods which can be eaten as is, peanut butter, dehydrated foods, crackers and other food which will last for a long time, do not need to be refrigerated and need little to no preparation. Again, you’ll need to replace your food before it expires, so keep a list of what you have on hand and when it’s due for replacement somewhere handy. The only thing worse than not having food on hand when disaster strikes is getting a severe case of food poisoning from food which is long past its expiration date – and not being able to get to medical help due to what’s going on around you. Make a point of knowing what you have and how long it will last. It’s much better to spend some money on replacement food for your emergency preparedness supplies than it is to make yourself sick when there’s no help available. Along with your food supplies, you’ll also want to have at least one can opener, utensils and plates or bowls. You might want to consider picking up a military-style mess kit for each person in your household and perhaps an extra. Even though you could eat without these, you’ll be glad you have them – and having a can opener is an absolute necessity. Water As far as the basic needs go, water is even more important than food. It may not be pleasant, but the average person can live for a month or more without food, but only a matter of days without water. Always have plenty of water on hand in your emergency supplies. At a bare minimum, you should have one gallon per day for each person in your household; this is for both drinking and basic hygiene, so you may actually want to have a little more than this if you have enough room to store it. Just like food supplies, it’s a very good idea to have extra for pets as well as to get you through if you end up having to hole up in your home or another emergency shelter for longer than you’d planned. Shelter If you’re lucky enough not to be forced from your home by the unfolding disaster, whatever it may be, then you’re fortunate in that you have one of your basic needs already covered: shelter. Even if you live in a colder climate, you’ll be indoors, so exposure to the elements won’t be an issue. Your heat may no longer be working in this situation, so you will want to make preparations for cold temperatures if that’s a concern where you live – but just by virtue of being indoors, your odds of survival are greatly increased, regardless of the weather. There are still some concerns which you’ll have to address, though. Depending on the nature of the situation that’s forced you to take shelter in your home, security may be something that you have to worry about. Even if you’re not faced with a Mad Max style scenario, it is still entirely possible that you may have to hide from and/or fend off looters who are after your food, water and other supplies or that want to claim your shelter as their own. Securing your home could be as simple as keeping the doors locked, just as you would normally. If you live in a larger city, this is likely to go a long way towards keeping your home secure; there will probably be plenty of low hanging fruit for looters to go after. Even so, you’ll probably want to barricade your doors and windows, since nothing good can come from making it too easy for intruders to make their way in. Chances are that you’ll also want some sort of weapon on hand in case you’re forced to defend your home (again, this may or may not be an issue, depending on the nature of the disaster you’re facing). You’re more than likely going to need one anyway, since it’s something that will come in extremely handy in other survival situations – we’ll discuss this a little more shortly.

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.