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Chapter 2

Are You Ready?

“Every survival kit should include a sense of humor.”

Author unknown.

It’s 1:45 on a Tuesday afternoon. The office is quiet and your thoughts travel to what to make for dinner tonight. As you jot down a grocery list, the radio station you are listening to is interrupted with an attention signal from the Emergency Broadcast System. You tune out the irritating blare. They’ve been stepping up the tests to the point that it serves only as a mild disruption, nothing more. Your list is complete. As you lay down the pen, it occurs to you the voice coming from the radio is not the same recorded voice you’ve grown used to with other broadcasts. You turn up the volume on the radio and suddenly your blood runs cold “…nuclear attack,” the announcer says. Where? You listen, holding your breath as your heart races. “You are advised to remain indoors until further notice. Please stay tuned to the emergency broadcast system for further instructions. I repeat, this is the National…”

You are up and out of your seat. You grab your purse from the top of your desk and sprint down the hallway. Co-workers are milling about, their faces registering shock and disbelief. But there isn’t time to join them and try to make sense of the broadcast. You have one question, and you ask it of your boss as he exits the conference room. “Where was the attack?”

He continues walking towards the clutch of employees crowding near the receptionist’s desk, his expression unreadable. “Las Vegas. A suitcase bomb!” he replies, continuing his determined stride to the biggest concentration of employees, possibly to calm them, or to advise them, but you will never know because your goal is to make it to your son’s school before the roads are hopelessly gridlocked.

The elevators have gone to other floors and several crowding the bank of elevator’s are staring nervously at the uncooperative steel doors. You turn and follow the hallway to the stairwell and start down the stairs at a jog. The parking lot is seven stories down and the stairs are a blur as you take inventory of the situation. Las Vegas is 1,100 miles from Seattle. Your family has dogged the first bullet, but your getaway cabin is on Whidbey Island. Will the ferry be running? If it is, it runs to Whidbey every half-hour, so no time constraints there. But first, you will need to make the 35-mile drive to the Mukilteo Ferry. If luck isn’t with you, and the terminal is deserted when you arrive, you will need to make the 100-mile drive, some of it on narrow, secondary roads. Impossible! The roads will be choked with evacuees before you even reach your son’s school. Best to head home, and sort it out from there…

Your mind grasps for something positive to hold on to, something that holds more answers than questions and lands on the contents of your trunk; three overstuffed emergency backpacks and a couple of duffle bags filled with cooking supplies and camping gear. Your sigh of relief comes out in a huff of overworked lungs. And boots! Just last week you stuffed new hiking boots for everyone in the last available corner of the trunk. Even if the ferry isn’t running and it turns out your family will have to wait out the first wave of the backlash at home, your have MRE’s and water stored in the basement that will see you through. Your townhouse is nine miles away. If need be, you and your son will walk home, you tell yourself, as your pumps cut into the tops of your feet.

The parking lot is surprisingly full, nearly as full as this morning when you’d parked. A handful of people are walking to their cars and you recognize several co-workers. No one says a word. In fact, there is no noise at all. Even the birds are silent. Your peripheral vision catches the flash of metal moving towards you, and you dodge out of the way. The driver continues to tear out of the parking lot without glancing in your direction. They don’t get far. Cars on the arterial in front of the building aren’t moving and you are confronted with the first hurdle bridging the distance between you and your ten-year-old son.

Backing your car out of its spot, you head down the alleyway that spills onto a back street, away from the congestion. The neighborhood you travel is made up of desperately stacked 60’s-era apartments. The afternoon breeze carries through open windows into cramped living spaces as cooking smells waft through the air.

Residents are congregated here and there, gesturing in panic as if the coming devastation will go away so long as they stand near cars or on front lawns and voice their fears. You’re forced to navigate around hastily opened car doors on the narrow roadway as residents dump household goods and electronics into the backseats and trunks of their cars. They resemble busy ants whose nest has been disturbed; up worn stairs and back down to deposit more useless junk and it suddenly occurs to you most of these people will be a statistic if things get bad. How were TV’s, computers and Nintendo’s going to feed and shelter them? They wouldn’t!

You force yourself to tune out your thoughts: There is nothing you can do to change the outcome, not when your worst imaginings are being announced on the radio and you are still miles away from your son’s school.

It’s slow going, but the traffic is creeping forward a little at a time. You turn up the radio and a public service announcer is spilling out information, barely coming up for air. “Initial reports are the blast went off on the Las Vegas Strip. At this time the number of casualties has not been determined. You are advised to remain in your homes…” You turn off your radio, unable to hear more. Not until you’ve picked up your son. Your husband is clear across town—downtown, to be exact.

Pulling your cell phone from your purse, you scroll through the contact list to your son’s school and hit send. You never got around to asking the school what their emergency policy was. What if they are on lockdown? It might be…how can they put students on a bus when some would be arriving to empty homes while their parents are stuck in gridlock? Hopefully, someone would be manning the doors and allow you to enter to claim your son.

The cell phone gives you a fast busy signal and a tentacle of fear wraps around you like a cold shroud. You try again. This time the call is placed to your husband. He could have been away from the office and somehow beaten the worst of the traffic. With luck, he could be at the school now. You hit send and get another fast busy signal. It’s no good. The traffic slows to a stop. Horns blare and the cars ahead of you take to the shoulder of the road to go around a stalled car. They must have run out of gas, you decide. Every gas station you’ve passed had impossible lines of drivers waiting their turn at the pumps. You follow the drivers ahead of you and move to the shoulder to get around an old station wagon, your thoughts alternating between worry over whether you will be allowed inside the school, and relief that your basement shelves are ready for whatever lies ahead.

It takes 45 minutes to drive the seven miles to your son’s school and during that time you’ve attempted to reach the school and your husband dozens of times with no results. The parking lot is full, forcing you to snag a parking spot on the street. You frantically search for your husband’s car, but it isn’t there. The next few minutes rest upon a policy maker with the school district, you realize, as your hurried steps approach the front steps of the school.

* * * * *

The above scenario is but one in a long list of possibilities. A crisis could just as easily be the result of an earthquake, or a banking crash, throwing the already belabored nation into panic. No matter what the crisis, the extent of preparations and planning you invest in survival now will have a direct bearing on how drastic the impact of a crisis is on you and your loved ones.

Hit the Ground Running

Being as physically fit as possible will increase your chances of surviving a crisis. Assess your physical condition honestly. Do you believe you are capable of walking miles to safety if you had to, or would you cower for cover? If the answer is the latter, you can start making small improvements by walking a few blocks each day and increase your distance a little at a time. If your days are crammed with work and taking care of others once you arrive home, you might consider committing half of your lunch hour to walking. Keeping a stationary bicycle at home (but not using it as a clothes hanger!) or joining a gym are other possibilities. Perhaps swimming interests you. It doesn’t take a Herculean effort to gain back what may have been lost over the years and you might even discover you like the new you! You shouldn’t be expected to suffer alone with this, so snag a friend or a family member to join you—play the guilt card if that’s what it takes.

Your goal is simply to condition your body to accept the rigors of walking long distances. When your muscles are acclimated to physical activity, you will be less likely to seize up when placing sudden demands on your body.

If you have physical limitations that would make walking or hiking difficult or impossible, this should be discussed with family members or those in your group, so alternative arrangements can be made to get you to safety.

Back to School

If you’ve never taken a CPR or first aid course, or enough time has lapsed that you have forgotten most of what you learned, it’s time to sign up for class. During a crisis, outside help may not be available for hours or days, so it is important to understand the basics. You will need a detailed, easy to follow book on first aid. Jot one down at the top of your preparedness list.

Take a self-defense class. No one wants to think about having to defend themselves at a time when we should be helping one another, but the truth is there will be opportunists willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If you encounter such a person, being able to disarm them will allow you to flee to safety. If you are on a tight budget, check with your local YMCA as many locations offer inexpensive self-defense classes.

72-Hour Emergency Kit Accessibility

There is no way to know the exact day or hour when a crisis may strike. The best you can do is access and prepare for any dangers your location is likely to experience, especially with regards to earthquakes, mudslides, hurricanes, and flash floods. Ask your city planners what contingencies they have in place for emergencies and find out where your area shelters are located in the event of nuclear attack (more on this later in the chapter).

For the most part, preparedness will cover most contingencies. Even so, your personal safety could be directly tied to getting where you need to be. This is made much easier with a 72-hour emergency kit that contains three days worth of basic survival goods. Recommended items are listed at the end of this chapter. These kits are sometimes referred to as emergency kits, 72-hour kits, bug-out kits, or grab-and-go kits, but whatever one chooses to call them, there are an alarming number of folks who recommend they be stored at home. I have a short, concise retort for that notion: Dumb idea! If you are at work or out running errands when a disaster strikes, the roads will quickly become gridlocked, especially if you live in the city, while your emergency kit is stored uselessly in your basement. I rest my case.

Emergency kits are meant to provide food, emergency shelter, communications (wind-up or battery-run radio) and basic medical supplies to get you past the initial confusion and gridlock that comes with a disaster. They are nothing less than a lifeline that will see you through a disaster until you’re able to make it home or to your getaway location safely. If you take prescription medicine, it is important to have extra medicine tucked away in your emergency kit. For those of you who commute or carpool to work, it is wise to keep an extra emergency kit at work.

Time for an Escape Plan

As reflected in the scenario presented at the beginning of this chapter, it is important to find out what the emergency plan for your child’s school is, or if applicable, their daycare. Will your child be evacuated to another location in the event of a weather related disaster, or an earthquake, or a terrorist attack? If so, find out where that location is. Ask if you will be allowed to pick up your child and if you can appoint a designated contact person to pick them up in the event you are unable to reach them yourself. If so, be sure to give the school or daycare their name and give your signed consent to your contact person.

Select an alternate designated contact person who lives outside your immediate area who is unlikely to have experienced the same emergency as your location. If for any reason you become separated from a member of your family or group, and landline and cellular service is operable, the designated person can relay messages to help calm any fears over the safety of those missing.

Having just discussed designating a phone contact, it is important that you do not rely on your cell phone’s storage capabilities to access emergency contact numbers (more on this later on in the chapter under When Communications Fail). Here’s where nagging is perfectly acceptable. Make sure everyone has the designated person’s phone number written down and available at all times. Unfortunately, procrastination is a fact of life for many of us, but procrastination does not get along well with a crisis.

If your area takes a direct hit in a disaster, it is possible your neighborhood will be under evacuation orders. If this occurs, police and military personnel will be evacuating people out of the area and you may find yourself unable to get past roadblocks. Most of us have watched newscasts of residents forced out of their homes during a wildfire. And we’ve seen those same residents arguing with authorities to let them return. To my knowledge, none of them came out the victor. This situation highlights why you must have an emergency kit available for each member of your family or group.

You should select an alternative meeting place, away from home, in the case of evacuation. Each member must be familiar with the chosen location and a dry run, much like a fire drill, should be practiced. If things go wrong during the exercise, you’ll have plenty of time for re-do’s.

Familiarize Yourself with Breakers & Shut-Offs

If you’re woken in the middle of the night to mayhem; grab a flashlight (always keep one at your bedside) to make a home inspection. If you have natural gas lines running into your home, never flip on a light switch or use a candle or a lighter to inspect your home. This can be the vector to ignite built-up gas fumes.

Here’s an example: in the 80’s, two men from the gas company were sent to inspect a gas leak in a derelict building. Most of the bare light bulbs in the hallway of the building had been broken out; so one of the men flicked his Bic lighter. The result made him a candidate for the Darwin Awards.

Natural gas has an odorant added to it so it is easily detected. Natural gas must have the right concentration of fumes for it to be life threatening, but don’t risk it! If you detect a gas leak, get everyone outdoors, pronto, and keep the door open on the way out to let the dangerous fumes escape.

If you have propane appliances or a heating system, it is important to understand that unlike natural gas, propane is heavier than air, and does not dissipate into the air as readily as does natural gas. The same rules apply for a propane leak as they do with natural gas—get everyone outdoors, leaving the door open. Propane will settle to the lower levels of your home such as the floor, a basement, or crawl space and it will take longer to clear out of living spaces.

Familiarize yourself with the location of your natural gas or propane shut-off, and in the event of a leak, turn it off immediately. Propane will have a service valve on the tank, whereas natural gas shut-off valves are located on the meter, which is typically installed outside against the foundation of the house, but this can vary. In the event of a leak, turn the valve to the off position.

Some emergencies require turning off the power to your home at the electrical panel. Circuit breakers are typically behind an easily identifiable panel. Every member of the family old enough to be of help in a crisis should be taught about utility shut-offs to your home.

Water main shut-offs aren’t always as easy to find, especially in older homes where they can be buried in an obscure corner of a basement or crawlspace. I speak from experience. Having just finished renovations on a Victorian home, I was showing off the years of hard work to my brother and sister-in-law. Suddenly the wall in the entryway began to spout water (reminding me about the consequences of pride). It looked as if someone had turned on a showerhead at full force as water gushed down the stairway and onto the foyer. My brother ran to the netherworlds of the 1890-era basement to look for the water shut-off with the spiders and the other creepy-crawlies, and my sister-in-law and I began frantically sweeping the worst of the flood out the front door and onto the frozen veranda.

Ten minutes later, the torrent had only grown stronger as it blew out the newly installed drywall and I ran for the phone to call the fire department—hey, plumbers can take hours to reach—when we heard a muffled voice calling triumphantly from below; “Found it!”

It turned out the water shut-off was hidden in a crawlspace, tucked away from the finished basement where a century’s worth of old doors and trim lay. My advice is to take the time to find out where your water shut-off is located now, before an emergency, so you won’t be floundering in the dark wondering if you’ll ever find it.

When You Are the Fireman

You should purchase several ABC fire extinguishers for emergencies. Why specifically an ABC model? They use monoammonium phosphate, designed to put out liquid fires, combustible material fires, as well as electrical fires. So cover your bets with an all-inclusive extinguisher.

Remember, your local fire department may not be able to reach you in the case of fire or other emergencies during a full-blown crisis. Landline and cell phone coverage may be down or jammed. With the use of candles, oil lamps, and cooking with an unfamiliar heat source during a power outage, the possibility of fire increases.

If your home has a fire-burning devise such as a woodstove or fireplace you will need chimney fire retardant in case of a chimney fire. If the chimney flu hasn’t been cleaned recently, it should be checked for creosote buildup. Make sure your wood heat stove or wood cook stove has a protective, non-flammable barrier installed behind and under them such as cement board, sheet metal, or ceramic tile.

Keep Your Car Emergency Ready

It is important to keep your gas tank as full as possible for reliable transportation in the event of a crisis. Gas pumps may be inoperable due to power outages, and even when the grid is working, the pumps will soon run out of gasoline. Any auto repairs that have been put off should be addressed as soon as possible. Be sure you have a dependable spare tire and keep a can of Fix-A-Flat or something similar on hand. The donut tires supplied with newer cars are not meant for long drives, and they certainly aren’t designed for the off-road driving you may find yourself having to perform when navigating around stalled cars. Keep extra motor oil, jumper cables, a jack, lug wrench, a basic toolkit, and a battery-run air pump stored in your car. You’ll find a suggested list at the end of this chapter

Keep important documentation accessible: Birth certificates, last will and testament, health insurance documentation, health records, inoculation records, marriage certificate, driver’s license, Social Security documentation, school records, Tax (IRS) paperwork, automobile title, mortgage information, automobile and homeowner’s insurance documentation (proving your policy is current), property tax information, banking and all other financial documentation such as annuities, 401K and other retirement plans, and stocks and bonds.

This is only the most basic of paperwork you will need. From there, you will want to build your own list dependent upon your specific circumstances. Keeping copies of these documents in your car, or the office if you commute to work, is the obvious solution. If you are worried about sensitive information getting into the wrong hands, consider blacking out account numbers with an indelible marking pen and jotting them down on a separate piece of paper that can be tucked away in your wallet. To be doubly certain, you might consider keeping duplicate copies at home, at your workplace, and your getaway destination, if applicable.

Unfortunately, emergencies do not come gift wrapped with instructions before hand, but it’s possible the Internet may experience disruptions. Institutions depend almost exclusively on digitized bytes for their records and you will need proof of your banking information, or that you hold title to your car or home, and you will want to be able to prove insurance coverage on your car and home. Short of that, you may find yourself in enough red tape to ticker tape the next Macy’s Day Parade!

Beat the Bank Crunch

Depending upon the emergency, it is possible banks will be closed for an extended period of time. During such an event, having as much cash on hand as possible will be a saving grace. Services such as grocers and hardware stores may still be open and you may need cash to purchase the goods and services you need. Keep small denominations—no more than $1’s, $5’s, and $10’s in case change for purchases is unavailable. I realize many have invested in gold, which has skyrocketed as the dollar continues its nosedive. But to have only bullion to offer in exchange for something like a loaf of bread when there is no change would be a terrible situation to be in. If you prefer tangible currency that will hold its value, consider keeping at least part of your investments in silver coins. That way the loss, should change be unavailable, will be merely an annoyance.

The amount of cash you will want to have on hand varies with each person’s circumstances. Will you be driving a long distance to a getaway destination? If so, you will need cash for things like tires, snow chains, and sundry goods. But whatever you do, be sure to calculate your gas needs and have that available and stored in a safe place in transportable gas cans. It is almost a certainty that you will not find available gas during an extended trip.

When Communications Fail

When preparing for an emergency, it is wise to make contingency plans in the event communications are down, if only for a short time. EMP pulse from the sun or weaponry can render communication systems inoperable. Telco buildings are not known for overabundant security to protect them. Telecommunications are dependent on the electrical grid and battery backup, satellite, microwave, T-1 lines, and in the case of some cellular providers, are reliant on landline phone companies for switching services to hand off phone calls for their customers. Additionally, it is a common occurrence for landline and cell phone lines to get jammed during an emergency. Because of this, it isn’t prudent to expect your cell or landline phone to be operable during a national or local emergency. So please do not put all your eggs in that basket!

Sheltering in Place

Even when plans are to relocate to an alternate location, you should put aside food, water, and medical supplies, and have a workable solution for cooking and heating at home. If roads are gridlocked or blockaded due to dangerous conditions, travel may be impossible at the onset of a crisis. In the case of climatic disaster, roadways may remain impassable. To have all your preparedness goods in one location, outside walking distance to your home, leaves room for failure and failure in a time of crisis is not an option.

Use What You Have Wisely

If the electrical grid goes down in your area, stretch your food storage by consuming what is in the refrigerator first (with the exception of freezer perishables like ice cream). Consume frozen goods next, making certain to open the refrigerator and freezer as little as possible to avoid warming the interior.

Nature’s Meal Plan

I highly recommend including a book on edible plants with your emergency kit. Most likely, it will never be needed. For such a book to be a necessary, the state of the emergency would have to be of gargantuan proportions; either that, or you finally found the time and money for that dream vacation and Murphy’s Law took a chokehold on your plans. Still, it may be the best $10 you will ever spend if you find yourself stranded. Many books written on edible plants and herbs are zone specific, and if you can locate one for your climate zone, I suggest you buy it. I purchased two such books. My favorite, Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide by Elias & Dykeman, gives a close-up color photograph of the plant or herb. When a poisonous look-alike exists, the reader is warned and is supplied with a detailed description and a photograph of the imposter. It also supplies a state map next to the plant’s photograph, highlighting the area(s) where it grows and a description of where it is likely to be located (example: in moist fertile soil, at the margins of woods, etc…). It advises what time of year to harvest the plant or herb, how to cook it, and its nutritional benefits.

Stake Your Water Claim

Chapter 3 is devoted to water sources, purification, and storage, but as water is imperative for survival, we will touch upon it here. In a preparedness plan, water must always come first, for without it, you might as well use this and any other preparedness book you may read for kindling. Begin your preparedness with stored water and a good quality water purifier such as a Berkey or Katadyn. If the grid goes down and you live in an area that depends on municipal water supplies, you may continue to receive water, but only as long as the water plant’s battery or diesel backup lasts.

If the electrical grid goes down during a crisis, this is an excellent time to fill bathtubs and sinks with every drop of water they will hold. But be careful. When calamity arrives in the form of Mother Nature, it is possible the water pouring from your taps may be unsafe to drink. Listen to emergency broadcasts on your hand-crank or battery-run radio (Yes, you do need one!) for alerts on water contamination.

Vanity Makes House Calls

For all my years of preparedness, I’ve cast my net far and stood toe to toe with trading a once spoiled consumer-crazed lifestyle for that of a penny-pincher in order to fill empty storage shelves. But even then, I can’t conceive of a time when bathing, or doing laundry, or washing dishes would be considered a luxury.

The fault, I’ve decided, lies with Hollywood. Do you recall even a B-movie of apocalyptic proportions panning in on an actor whose hair has turned to dreadlocks, wearing filthy clothing with dirt embedded under their nails? Well, neither do I!

But the reality is, if we don’t plan ahead, that’s where we’ll find ourselves. Arrange for a makeshift tub for bathing because unless you have a well with a manual hand pump and a septic system, once the battery backup gives out at the municipal water station, it’s likely your tub and sinks won’t drain when pumps become inoperable in a grid-down situation. Tuff Stuff makes tubs that work well for bathing that are relatively cheap. While you’re purchasing the tub, pick up a clothesline and clothes pegs. At the end of this chapter, I have listed the link for a do-it-yourself washing machine made out of a 5-gallon bucket and a toilet plunger. No, I’m not kidding!

It’s a Stinky Subject

At a time when water and electricity has been knocked off grid, waste management will have to be addressed. Compost toilets are available that can be neutralized with sawdust or dirt, but if you live in the city with little if any yard, I can’t see a landlord agreeing to let you store a mound of either material. The best option for those living in an urban setting is a camp toilet. There’s nothing “bling” about them, but at least they come with a toilet seat and a collapsible lid, and they cost next to nothing. Line them with heavy plastic bags so the contents can be carefully transferred outdoors. If possible, dig a hole deep enough for sanitary disposal.

In rural areas, an outhouse will solve the problem of waste issues, no matter how long a crisis lasts. For those of you who live in the suburbs, I don’t see how CCR’S will preclude an outhouse when the alternative leads to disease and health risks. If you have any doubts, an outhouse that resembles a shed will work—the “don’t ask, don’t tell” dictum can have you breathing easy through a difficult time. I doubt you will be breaking any rules by using it once things have gone south.

It might take children time to get used to these new accommodations, so even if you have the Cadillac of outhouses, think about keeping a camp toilet or a port-a-potty on hand for in-home use. If an outhouse is in your future after the fact, make sure you have a heavy-duty shovel and enough plywood, 2X4’s, roofing material, nails and screws to build one. The end of this chapter lists a link for an excellent site that has do-it-yourself instructions on building an outhouse.

Where To?

You should store both topographical and street maps in your vehicle that covers your immediate location and on to your destination point, no matter how many maps this may entail. Keep a compass in your car to navigate to your destination. Even in a worst case scenario, and you must walk part of the way to your destination, you will have the means to get there (and the reason for keeping topographical maps).

Never depend on GPS or any other digital navigational device that depends upon electricity to relay or download your coordinates. Why? Your device may be battery-run, and you may have thought ahead and put extra batteries aside, but should your GPS provider depend on electricity (and they do), with grid failure comes eventual GPS failure. GPS devices have another issue that involves terrain that is referred to as line of site. Line of site simply means data is grabbed from your GPS device and downloaded to you via a straight line from an orbiting satellite or a relay site to you, the user. Line of site does not move around corners or “dip” down between mountain ranges when you happen to be in a deep valley surrounded by a mountain range. They are also a bit temperamental about traveling through a solid mass such as a tall building. A bit of trivia: this is why your cell phone coverage is sometimes disrupted when traveling in valley or mountainous regions. Never trade a compass for GPS.

When It’s Time to Leave

The emergency kits stored in your car may not be needed solely at the start of a crisis, and if this is the case, you will want to transfer your items from your car to your home or getaway location, behind closed doors for safekeeping. The first reaction to a crisis may freeze people into inactivity, but if the emergency is prolonged, and people begin to run out of food and water, looting will follow. It may be that your location is safe at first, but as time goes on, and looting increases, it may become necessary to get away from your present location and flee to a safer place. In most cases, this is likely to be to a wooded area.

Take a few practice runs to the area of your choice and camp overnight. If camping isn’t allowed at your “safe place”, then use an alternate for practice. Test your skills with building a campfire, putting up a tent, and cooking meals over an open fire or a camp stove. If you’ve never been camping, now is the time to learn! But remember: bring comfortable, layered clothing and hiking boots or high-topped tennis shoes. A reference guide like the Boy Scout Manual will see you through. It has solid information on camping, building a campfire and camp-style cooking.

Practice using your water purifier, and eating the MRE’s or canned goods you’ve put aside for a crisis. That way, you will be better prepared both emotionally and logistically for a smooth transition when disaster strikes.

Keep mental notes on your progress. If you discover you forgot a bowl to mix the pancake batter in, throw it in with your emergency supplies once you return home. That same bowl can be used to scoop water from a creek or a lake to pour through a water purifier. If the bowl happens to be metal, it can be used to cook with if need be. If you forget matches or a hatchet or newspaper and find yourself unable to start a campfire to keep warm by, this is the reason why you’ve taken this weekend getaway. Developing camping skills takes practice. There is nothing more eye opening than spending a night shivering in the cold to be reminded of the need to prepare.

Survival Note: Keep all foods and garbage stored away from your campsite area, as food smells will attract animals—some more dangerous than others.

Alternative Modes of Transportation

Brainstorm alternative modes of transportation for a time when you may have to relocate. A mountain bike, dirt bike, ATV 4-wheeler, or a motorcycle will help get you safely to your chosen destination when roads are not navigable. If your mode of transportation is motorized, set aside gasoline containing fuel additives to extend its life in a portable gas container with a pour spout. It must be stored in a safe place, away from the home and open flame sources like that of a heater or hot water heater.

Traveling During or Directly After a Crisis

If you must travel during or directly after a crisis, be especially careful of downed power lines. In the case of an earthquake or flood, be cautious when crossing a bridge, as the foundation may have been weakened with the movement of the earth. Watch for roads that may be crumbling or otherwise weakened.

There’s Safety in Numbers

If you live alone, consider banning together with others. During a crisis, isolation will leave you more vulnerable to looters and opportunists. Physiologically, it is better to be with others you can talk to and lean on as you help one another through the stressful times that lay ahead. Why not open up the subject with neighbors, friends, or family members?

Surviving a Nuclear Attack

There are ways to protect yourself in the event of nuclear attack. Ingesting iodine or iodine tablets can help control the damage of radioactive exposure, specifically thyroid cancer that can result at a later date after exposure. Pregnant and nursing women and those with small children should seek medical advice before ingesting iodine. An allergy to iodine is rare, but if you are prone to allergies, and especially if you have had a reaction to shell fish (they contain iodine), it is best to get tested before ingesting iodine. Signs of allergic reaction are nausea, flushing, fever, or labored breathing. Seek medical help if this occurs.

Suggested doses are 16mg for infants; 32 mg for children, and 50 to 70 mg for adults. Dosages must be taken for 14 consecutive days.

K-1 was given to children during the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown with positive results. Potassium iodide works by “saturating” the thyroid with stable iodide so it’s less likely to absorb radioactive iodine that is released during a nuclear event. Under current dosing guidelines, a fully saturated thyroid would be protected for up to one month, which is typically long enough for radioactive iodine (which has a half life of 8 days) to dissipate from the environment. The exception to this is an event like the Fukushima nuclear meltdown that continues to carry radiation via trade winds on a global scale.

Either potassium iodide (K-103), or potassium iodide (K-1) will work, but you will need slightly more K-103 than K-1.

Wearing a simple cloth facemask found at drug and hardware stores will help reduce exposure to radioactive fallout. You cannot see, smell, or taste fallout, so do not be deceived into thinking your surroundings are safe and follow the information you are given over emergency broadcasts. It is imperative to stay indoors during a nuclear attack.

If you are traveling and get notification from the Emergency Radio Broadcast System or a local news station of a nuclear attack, drive immediately to the nearest shelter if possible. Most shelters are designed for fallout protection. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the location of fallout shelters in your area.

If you are traveling and are unable to reach a fallout shelter, seek a culvert or a location where you are protected from the out of doors and sheltered by earth, as it will help absorb some of the radiation. The effect of fallout is cumulative, therefore, long exposure to radiation, or continued on and off exposure can build up in the body which can lead to health risks.

If you are at the office or at home when a nuclear attack occurs, you should move to a basement if possible. Remember, being below ground level will protect you from the worst of the fallout. Never go outdoors until you are given notice it is safe to do so.

Should a basement be unavailable, stay to the center of the building, as far away from window and door openings as possible. If there is time and you have the materials on hand, cover doorways and windows with heavy-mill plastic sheeting and secure it with duct tape.

When the immediate danger has passed, and if you suspect you were exposed to radioactive fallout, strip off all clothing and place them in a bag, which should be stored away from your immediate area. Wash your hair and skin thoroughly with water, but do not scrub, as this could rub fallout particles into your skin.

The following is a breakdown of various locations and their degrees of exposure to fallout:

Outdoors – Very little Protection

Home or Office – Medium Protection

Basement – Better Protection

Fallout Shelter – Optimal Protection

Root cellars can serve as a fallout shelter when built properly. Shelters can be constructed in basements or can be dug in-ground or into a hillside. To get the most protection against fallout, incorporate any one of the methods listed below:

16 inches of solid brick

16 inches of hollow concrete blocks filled with mortar or sand

2 feet of packed earth, or 3 feet if loose earth

5 inches of steel

3 inches of lead

3 feet of water

There is no way to predict the exact impact of a nuclear attack without the advice of experts trained to measure fallout and its trajectory. The spread of fallout is dependent upon a bomb’s yield, and whether impact was at ground level or if it was detonated above ground. An above ground explosion will spread radioactive fallout further (as experienced with Fukushima).

Another factor considered when predicting radioactive fallout is wind; the direction it is traveling, and the velocity of the prevailing winds that carry the plume. It is possible that radioactive fallout may be spread for hundreds or thousands of miles and may have long-lasting health effects for anyone exposed. Conversely, the majority of damage from a nuclear blast might be contained within a 15-mile radius.

Rain or snowfall will spread fallout. Radioactive particles in the atmosphere are collected in precipitation and are carried to the ground, creating “hot spots”.

If you receive news of an imminent nuclear attack and you are certain there is a space of time before impact, gather whatever food or preparedness goods that you will need from outdoor storage (including your vehicle) and move them to the lowest spot in your home—preferably a basement or to the center of the space you will be occupying.

Be sure to include a battery-run or a wind-up emergency radio with your provisions. A radio will be your lifeline over the next few weeks after a nuclear event, letting you know the circumstances and impact of a nuclear event. Be sure to include clothing, medicine (including prescription medicine), bedding or sleeping bags, and a camp toilet. Keep several flashlights and extra batteries on hand where you will be sheltering, as it is possible that the electrical grid may go down.

It is important to store at least two weeks worth of water and food for your family or group indoors, before an emergency strikes. To go in search of water or food items stored in a shed or outbuilding after a nuclear event will expose you to fallout, and should concentrations be heavy enough, exposure can lead to death.

You should keep all pets indoors, and don’t forget to grab their food if it’s stored outdoors or in an outbuilding.

As already mentioned, heavy-mill plastic sheeting can be fitted to windows and doorways with duct tape to better protect indoor spaces. Turn off air conditioning and heating systems that draw outside air into your home.

Try to remain calm. Busy work in times of stress can help take your mind off the uncertainty of the next few minutes or hours. Keep your radio tuned to information that will keep you abreast of the situation and help you plan for what lays ahead.

After a nuclear blast, remain indoors. Canned, boxed, or food stored in buckets that have not been left open to be exposed to the elements (radiation), can be eaten. But first, they must be wiped down before opening. Be sure to keep your hands and the area under your fingernails clean to avoid transferring fallout material to the food. Fruits that have an outer protection such as a banana or an orange can be wiped clean and carefully peeled before consuming. Any foods that are left exposed, such as a canister of flour or sugar that does not have a protective lid should not be consumed as ingesting contaminated food may lead to internal damage.

Water stored in containers is safe to drink as long as it was kept covered. In most cases, water drawn from a covered well is also safe to drink and cook with. However, if you suspect your well water may have been contaminated, follow the Fallout Filtering Methods found in Chapter 3.

If you rely on city water, once stored water has run out, listen to your local radio station for information on the advisability of drinking or cooking with your area’s water supply.

If the only water source available is from a lake, stream, or pond, you must filter water before drinking or cooking with it after a nuclear event. A water purifier will not remove fallout. See instructions in Chapter 3 under Fallout Filtering Methods for instructions on purifying contaminated water.

If radioactive particles have come into contact with your skin, you may experience burns within a few hours. Radiation illness will not spread to others except for nausea soon after being exposed. Serious signs of radiation illness are as follows: hair loss, loss of appetite, paleness, diarrhea, sore throat, bleeding gums, and easy bruising. If you or anyone in your group experiences any of these ailments, you should seek medical attention.

Emergency Kits, Automobile Safety & Camping Gear

The following are items you should have available for emergency kits, automobile safety, and camping gear preparedness. The recommended foods are intentionally simple, meant for easy preparation. Keep in mind: if you are caught far away from home, or worse, stranded for any length of time, you will wonder why you hadn’t thought to include many of the items mentioned below.

72-Hour Emergency Kit: Battery-run, wind-up, or solar powered radio, water purifier, canteen/water bottles, magnesium flint and steel fire starter, matches, MRE’s, baby food, formula and diapers (if applicable), water, knife, flashlight (include a shaker style for when batteries run out), batteries, wire, two-way radios, nylon rope, prescription medicine, medical supplies, duct tape, first aid book, edible plants and herbs book and important documents.

Camping Gear: Tent, duffle bags for each person, sleeping bags for each person—rated for your climate zone, warm blankets, Swiss-style army knife, fishing pole and fishing tackle, weapon and ammunition, rope/twine, clothes pens, battery-run or propane lantern, lantern fuel or extra batteries, lantern socks, tarp, camp stove, camp stove fuel, hatchet, axe, tree limbing saw, newspaper (to start fires) and waterproof matches.

First Aid: First aid book (also listed under 72-hour emergency kit section), rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antacid, anti-diarrhea medicine, thermometer, aspirin, children’s pain medication, bandages, gauze, gauze pads, surgical tape, suture pack, ace bandage, calamine lotion, daily prescription medicines, antibiotic ointment, eye wash and ointment, contact lens wash, anti-fungal ointment, pain and anti-inflammatory medication, burn treatment ointment or spray, iodine, electrolyte drinks (for dehydration), cold remedies—children and adult, cough medicine, cough drops, scissors, tweezers and needles (for splinter removal), sun block, mosquito spray, dental kit for denture repair, and toothache gels.

Cooking Supplies can be stored in a cooler for portability. You will need: fire pit grate, (camp stove—already listed under camping gear section), cooking spices, cooking oil, Dutch oven, frying pan and pots (best if they’re cast iron), unbreakable dishes, eating utensils, camp-style coffee maker, mixing bowls (metal can be used to cook with), spatula, stir spoon, metal drinking cups, can openers, dish soap, dish towel, matches or lighters—there’s NO such thing as too many matches, scrubbing pads, buckets, zip-lock bags, tin foil, plastic wrap, hot pads and canned goods.

Clothing: Hiking boots/high top tennis shoes, socks, stocking cap, gloves, jacket, bandana, extra changes of clothes and underwear—always plan ahead for clothing appropriate to your climate zone and don’t count on warm weather if your area has distinct seasons. Many of us have been caught in a freak snowfall, especially in mountainous areas. Never assume that summertime means packing shorts and T-shirts!

Hygiene Products: Shampoo, body soap, solar camp shower, hand lotion, razor, feminine pads, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, liquid laundry soap, clothes pegs and clothesline (already mentioned under camping gear).

Car Repair & Navigation: Spare tire, jack and lug wrench, fix-a-flat, street and topographical maps, compass, extra motor oil, jumper cables, basic toolkit and battery-run air pump.