Magnitude of Disasters

 Area affected by Event

 

• Individual:  Affects you/family and possibility your personal property.

 

• Local:  Affects your property and/or local community up to a county.

 

• Small Region:  Affects several counties to a complete state.

 

• Large Region:  Affects several states.

 

• National:  An effect on a nation.

 

• Global:  An effect on the whole planet.

 

All Disasters are local.

A 12 week Urban Survival Course.

   I got a book a couple of weeks ago. This book is different from other survival books I have. It is a full fledged 12 week Urban Survival Course that will take you through the process of getting prepared. At first I was like “yeah …ok”, but after skimming through it I noticed a lot of effort was put into this book when it was written. It was originally written as a 12 week course, with over 2,000 students gone through the course before the printing of the book. The book is “Urban Survival Guide” by David Morris.
  
   Over the next 12 plus weeks I will be going through the book as in a course and blogging my experience. Sometimes it is best to go back to the basics. This way you may find something you may have missed or need to work on more. As far as I can tell you can use the book or go through his online SurviveInPlace Course. I really don’t know what the difference is. The book covers the same thing as the online course does. He does mention of some fun additional surprises that won’t be disclose to non-students.

SurviveInPlace.com/UrbanSurvivalGuide.com Course Outline
From: http://secretsofurbansurvival.com/course-outline-sylabus/
Lesson 1. Overview

• Why Urban areas are a horrible place to be in a disaster.
• Why staying in an Urban Area may be your best option.
• Operational Security—How to avoid being a target for thieves now and looters later (part 1).
• First Steps To Get Your Family On Board.

Lesson 2. The Will to Survive

• Why your survival depends more on your mindset than your skill set.
• How to train your mind to become your most valuable survival tool.
• What’s worth surviving for?.
• Communications after disasters (part 1).
• How cell phones could stop you from making contact with relatives during an emergency.
• Prioritized Buying List & A process to keep you from ending up with a garage full of survival stuff you can’t use
• Your first exercise.

Lesson 3. Current Potential Threats

• How to know the parts of your city that pose a threat to you and your loved ones and still sleep at night.
• What areas will civil breakdowns effect most?
• Identifying choke points.
• Assessing your survival strengths and weaknesses.
• Basic supplies inventory.

Lesson 4. The 72-Hour Kit

• The 6 criteria that every 72 hour kit should meet.
• A systematic approach to stocking your car, home, and office kits.
• Hiding your 72 hour kits.

Lesson 5. Flu and Pandemics

• History of influenza pandemics.
• Tamiflu & Relenza.
• Simple tips to avoid cytokine storms and organ liquefaction.
• Cheap/free techniques to reduce your chances of getting the flu (Missing just one of these “obvious secrets” will increase your chances of getting the flu by 89 percent!).
• Proven flu-fighting items to keep on hand if you get the flu and going to the doctor is not an option.

Lesson 6. Chemical and Biological Attacks and Ghetto Medicines

• Brief overview of the terrorist threat.
• History of chemical & biological attacks.
• Recent chemical/biological attacks.
• Your response to airborne incidents.
• Your response to communicable pandemics.
• Creating your safe room.

Lesson 7. Building Your Own Team AKA – Mutual Aid

• How to build a team of likeminded people without compromising operational security.
• Operational Security (Part II) – Don’t share too much information.
• 7 point plan to vet people for your team.
• 9 places to find people for your team.
• Tips for keeping your team together.

“Gut Check”

• Self evaluate your progress to this point.

Lesson 8. Hardening Your House

• Secrets to quickly and cheaply “harden” your home and protect it from forcible entry and armed attack without advertising yourself as a target.
• FBI crime stats.
• The illusion of security.
• Using power tools without electricity.
• Bullet penetration in various materials.

Lesson 9. Economics of Survival

• Economic troubles on the horizon (doubling the money supply plus lower GDP = tough times ahead).
• Very simple food storage solutions that everyone in your family will buy into.
• What to do about your financial obligations after a disaster.
• Getting your family on board.
• Operational Security (Part III) and food caches.
• Using the water in your water heater without scalding yourself, drinking raw sewage, or having to drink brown water.
• Getting your Church prepared.
• Dealing with neighbors after a disaster.

Lesson 10. Alternative Means of Communication

• Texting, email, draft messages, and other alternative means of communication.
• War Driving.
• Two way radio communications.
• Graffiti & hobo chalk codes?
• The math behind batteries, solar chargers, and hand crank chargers.
• Why car batteries are horrible for survival situations.

Lesson 11. Lessons Learned From Katrina

• Timing is everything.
• Hungry/Thirsty people won’t die if you don’t give them your supplies.
• Misinformation kills. (The media is not there to protect you).
• Centralized solutions fail.
• Never trust a bureaucratic proposal in a disaster situation.
• You’re on your own. Accept it and deal with it.
• Why shelters may be your worst solution (NEVER become a refugee!).
• Some who have taken an oath to defend the Constitution are really a threat to it.
• Thank God for Bubbas and Rednecks.
• Withdrawal sucks…here’s how to profit from it.Protect your first responders and their families.

Lesson 12. Psychology for Survival Situations

• Burning ants with a magnifying glass.
• Why you’re better off teaming up with a drunk than someone who hasn’t slept in two days”.
• Insider powerful napping secrets that can increase your effectiveness by over 82% in 3 days.
• How to inoculate your mind to stress so you will react with speed and purpose when others are paralyzed by fear.
• Simple tricks to turn poisonous worry into productive action.

Lesson 13. Urban Movement After A Disaster

• Protect your body so your body can protect you.
• Where to find free local maps after a disaster.
• Scouting out gangs and community groups.
• Concentric circles of security.
• Be boring… it might keep you from getting shot.
• When to carry a padlock and a livestock marker.
• Surveillance detection and avoidance.
• Field expedient disguises.
• Barter items.
• Don’t look like the weak gazelle.
• Money counting lessons from a blind man.
• Group formations to avoid mugging.
• Reuniting your family after a disaster.
• “Smelling” danger in advance to gain a head start.
• How to keep yourself “invisible” in plain sight.

Conclusion

• Gain the peace of mind that comes from knowing you and your family are prepared.

   Well, I’m going to try to get started on this course in the next week or so. I have a few things that need to be done before I start on this course.


Here is some links for more info:
Urban Survival Guide
SecretsOfUrbanSurvival.com

Helping Your Children Prepare for Disasters

Helping Your Children Prepare for Disasters

E/PAK

 Emergency / Preparedness Action Kit was what James Talmage Stevens (author of “ Making the Best of Basics”) nicknamed his 72-hour+ kit. I like that nickname, I have one in my truck and several in my home. Why don’t I call it a bug out bag? or bug in bag? or emergency get home pack? The main reason I like this nickname is because it best describes what it is. When people talk about bug out bags (BOB), the first thing people think is that it is for bugging out. Ninety five percent of the emergencies you will encounter will not cause you to leave your home. I have had to bug out about three times in my live. Two was because of forest fires and the other because of a train derail that caused a chemical spill.  E/PAK’s allow you to have emergency supplies for 72 hours+ at your fingertips. They may be used to get home or to bug out if need be. Vehicle/Personal E/PAK’s are different then Home E/PAK’s.
Vehicle/Personal E/PAK’s are usually smaller than home ones. They are usually a small daypack that can be carried easily. Vehicle/Personal E/PAK’s are mainly used to get to a place of safety or if a disaster strikes and you need to get back home. What is contained in them and the amount of supplies may differ from person to person. I work 36 miles away from home, I have to calculate how long it would take to hike back to my home and supply my pack for that amount of time. Important is that you rotate any dated items such as food and medical. Also, depends on where you live, the heat may cause you to rotate food items on a more frequent schedule. I’m currently testing out a new system called gearpods for my Vehicle/Personal E/PAK. I can attach it to a fanny pack that has ration bars and water.

Home E/PAK’s will be bigger backpacks that can be carried or rolled with a suit case dolly. You can have one main Home E/PAK or have several for each individual in the home. They will carry extra changes of clothes, food and gear. I have enough food in mine for four days and along with my Vehicle/Personal E/PAK I now have seven days of food. And have been in several hurricanes…seven days is most likely the amount you want not the three days they recommend on several websites.
One rule on all your E/PAK’s is to keep them updated. Make sure you have copies of identification and proof of where you live, meds that may be needed, contacts and up to date emergency plans with locations to meet at. Rotate your food in the packs on a regular basis. Also twice a year to take the items out and check them for damage.
If you have pets. Make sure that they have their own E/PAK. They make packs for animals or you can attach them to their carriers.

Backyard Survival?

What is backyard survival? Backyard survival is a way to learn and to test out your gear. Basically it is learning how to use your gear and to learn new survival skills in your backyard. There is several reasons it is better to learn things in your backyard then in the wilderness or remote bug out location. If you use your backyard as a learning center you can be able to test things in all types of weather with out having to travel lots of miles. If something goes wrong and you need to call 911 it is a lot better response time then in a remote area. Plus if you are testing things in an extreme weather you have a quick safe shelter to get warm or cool and dry.
I do a lot of testing my gear out in my backyard and it really helps me learn the capabilities of my gear as well on just learning to use it. This is also a good way to teach young children about camping. They are less likely to get scared on their first camping trip. A great way to practice your skills like fire starting with different methods. Also starting a fire in different weather conditions. The other night I tested out two alcohol stoves in 26 mph winds. At night I tested out several flashlights and a head lamp. I have also tested out different survival blankets in 30F to see how they worked.
So the next time you are bored with nothing to do while it is raining outside… get on that rain gear that you never took out of the bag. Put it on and find some other gear you may want to test and head outside. But not if there is a lot of lightning… you still need to be safe. Try that wetfire tinder out or after the rain try making a fire with some of the wet wood from the wood pile. Most of all learn and have fun!