Prepping for survival : disaster emergency preparedness for disaster survival

37 Pages·2014·0.184 MB·English

by  Spencer Daly

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.