Click here to view the embedded video.

As always be careful with your food storage and don’t be cheap about it.

Article originally found at:

Winter Storm

http://www.prepare.org/text/basic/winterTX.htm

Reproduced here for education and discussion.

———————————————————————-

Prepare.org: Winter Storm

* What Are Winter Storms and What Causes Them?
* Awareness Information
* Plan for a Winter Storm
* What to Tell Children
* How to Protect Your Property
* Media and Community Education Ideas
* What to Do Before a Winter Storm and During a Watch or Warning
* Winter Driving
* What to Do After a Winter Storm

Why Talk About Winter Storms?

A major winter storm can last for several days and be accompanied by high winds, freezing rain or sleet, heavy snowfall and cold temperatures. People can become trapped at home without utilities or other services. Heavy snowfall and blizzards can trap motorists in their cars. Attempting to walk for help in a blizzard can be a deadly decision.

Winter storms can make driving and walking extremely hazardous. The aftermath can have an impact on a community or region for days, weeks or even months. Storm effects such as extremely cold temperatures, snow accumulation and sometimes coastal flooding, can cause hazardous conditions and hidden problems for people in the affected area.

What Are Winter Storms and What Causes Them?

Winter storms can range from moderate snow over a few hours to blizzard conditions that last several days. Some may be large enough to affect several states, while others may affect only a single community. Many are accompanied by low temperatures and heavy snow, which can significantly reduce visibility.

Winter storms can be defined differently in various parts of the country. Heavy snow in the south can be a dusting in the mountains. Check with your local emergency management office, National Weather Service (NWS) office or local American Red Cross for terms and definitions specific to your area.

Sleet is rain that freezes into ice pellets before reaching the ground. It usually bounces when hitting a surface and does not stick; however, it can accumulate like snow and cause a hazard to motorists. Freezing rain is rain that falls on a surface with a temperature below freezing; this causes it to form a glaze of ice on trees, cars and roads. An ice storm occurs when rain freezes immediately on impact; communications and power can be disrupted for days, and even small accumulations of ice may cause extreme hazards to motorists and pedestrians.

Learn about winter storm risk in your area. Contact your local emergency management office, National Weather Service office or American Red Cross chapter for more information.

Awareness Information

Know what winter storm and blizzard watches and warnings mean.

• A National Weather Service watch is a message indicating that conditions favor the occurrence of a certain type of hazardous weather. For example, a severe thunderstorm watch means that a severe thunderstorm is expected in the next six hours or so within an area approximately 120-150 miles wide and 300-400 miles long (36,000-60,000 square miles). The NWS Storm Prediction Center issues such watches. Local NWS forecast offices issue other watches (flash flood, etc.) 12-36 hours in advance of a possible hazardous weather or flooding event. Each local forecast office usually covers a state or a portion of a state.
• An National Weather Service warning indicates that a hazardous event is occurring or is imminent in about 30 minutes to an hour. Local NWS forecast offices issue warnings on a county-by-county basis.
• A winter storm watch means a winter storm is possible in your area.
• A winter storm warning means a winter storm is occurring, or will soon occur, in your area.
• A blizzard warning means sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater and considerable falling or blowing snow (reducing visibility to less than a quarter mile) are expected to prevail for a period of three hours or longer.

Winter storms are considered deceptive killers because most deaths are indirectly related. The leading cause of death during winter storms is from automobile or other transportation accidents. Exhaustion and heart attacks caused by overexertion are also common. Elderly people account for the largest percentage of hypothermia victims; many literally freeze to death in their own homes, or are asphyxiated due to improper use of fuels such as charcoal briquettes, which produce carbon monoxide.

House fires occur more frequently in the winter due to lack of proper safety precautions when using alternate heating sources (e.g. unattended fires, disposal of ashes too soon, improperly placed space heaters). Fire during winter storms presents a great danger because water supplies may freeze, making the job difficult for firefighters.

Plan for a Winter Storm

Develop a Family Disaster Plan and a winter storm-specific plan. Learn about your area’s winter storm risks, as they differ by region. Contact your local Red Cross chapter, emergency management office or local National Weather Service office for more information.

If you are at risk from winter storms:

• Understand the hazards of wind chill, a calculation of how cold it feels when the effects of wind speed and temperature are combined. As the wind increases, heat is carried away from a person’s body at an accelerated rate, driving down the body temperature. A strong wind combined with a temperature of just below freezing can have the same effect as a still air temperature about 35ºF colder.
• Service your snow removal equipment before winter storm season. Equipment should be available for use if needed. Keep it in good working order.
• Keep your car’s gas tank full for emergency use and to keep the fuel line from freezing.
• Get training. Take an American Red Cross first aid course to learn how to treat exposure to the cold, frostbite and hypothermia.
• Discuss with your family what to do if a winter storm watch or warning is issued. Designate one household member as the preparedness leader who informs the others. Everyone should know how to respond in a variety of situations in case all members are not together. Preparation helps reduce fear.
• Assemble a disaster supplies kit. In addition to basic items, be sure to include the following:
  • A warm coat, gloves or mittens, hat and water-resistant boots for each member of the family.
  • Extra blankets and extra warm clothing.
  • Nonclumping kitty litter. Kitty litter will generate temporary traction. Rock salt will melt ice on walkways but can damage vegetation and concrete. Other less damaging, ice-melting products are available from building supplies stores.

What to Tell Children

• The best way to stay safe in a snowstorm is to stay inside. Long periods of exposure to severe cold increases the risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Also, it is easy to become disoriented in blowing snow.
• If you go outside to play after a snowstorm, dress in many layers and wear a hat and mittens. Many layers of thin clothing are warmer than single layers of thick clothing. One of the best ways to stay warm is to wear a hat; most body heat is lost through the top of the head. Keep hands and feet warm too. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Covering the mouth with a scarf protects lungs from extremely cold air.
• Come inside often for warm-up breaks. Long periods of exposure to severe cold increases the risk of frostbite or hypothermia.
• If you start to shiver a lot or get very tired, or if your nose, fingers, toes or earlobes start to feel numb or turn very pale, come inside right away and tell an adult. These are signs of hypothermia and frostbite. If you experience these symptoms, you will need immediate attention.

How to Protect Your Property

• Make sure your home’s walls and attic are properly insulated. This will help you to conserve electricity and retain heat. Caulk or weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep cold air out and warm air in.
• Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside. This will provide an extra layer of insulation, keeping more cold air out.
• To keep pipes from freezing:
  • Wrap pipes in insulation or layers of old newspapers.
  • Cover the newspapers with plastic to keep out moisture.
  • Let faucets drip a little to avoid freezing.
  • Know how to shut off water valves.
• If the pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap pipes in rags. Completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they were most exposed to the cold (or where the cold was most likely to penetrate). A hand-held hair dryer, used with caution to prevent overheating, also works well.
• Consider storing sufficient heating fuel. Regular fuel sources may be cut off. Be cautious of fire hazards when storing any type of fuel.
• Before winter, be sure you install and check smoke alarms.
• Consider keeping safe emergency heating equipment:
  • Fireplace with ample supply of wood.
  • Small, well-vented wood, coal or camp stove with fuel.
  • Portable space heater or kerosene heater. Check with your local fire department on the legality of using kerosene heaters in your community. Use only the correct fuel for your unit and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Refuel outdoors only, and only when cool. Keep your kerosene heater at least three feet away from furniture and other flammable objects.
• When using alternative heat from a fireplace, wood stove, space heater, etc., use fire safeguards and ventilate properly. Fire hazard is greatly increased in the winter because alternate heating sources are used without following proper safety precautions.
• Install snow fences in rural areas to reduce drifting in roads and paths, which could block access to homes, barns and animals’ feed and water.
• If you live in a flood-prone area, consider purchasing flood insurance to cover possible flood damage that may occur during the spring thaw. Homeowners’ policies do not cover damage from floods. Ask your insurance agent about the National Flood Insurance Program if you are at risk.

Media and Community Education Ideas

• Sponsor a “Winter Weather Awareness Day” or week just before winter storm season. This is a good way to get emergency management officials and local Red Cross representatives involved.
• Publish a special section in your local newspaper with emergency information about winter storms. Place special emphasis on what people should do if they are caught out in the open or in a vehicle.
• Inform your community about the different National Weather Service announcements–winter storm watch, winter storm warning, ice storm warning, heavy snow warning, blizzard warning, severe blizzard warning and high wind warning.
• Conduct a series of presentations at the beginning of the winter storm season. Include information on alternative heat sources and home insulation.
• Interview local physicians about the dangers of hypothermia and other winter health conditions. Include discussions of exhaustion and heart attacks caused by overexertion.
• Advise people of the dangers of winter driving, and warn them driving in winter storms can put their lives at risk. Produce a series of announcements on what to do if you are stuck in your car during a blizzard.

What to Do Before a Winter Storm

• Use a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you informed of watches and warnings issued in your area. The tone alert feature will automatically alert you when a watch or warning is issued.
• Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross for information on designated public shelters in case you lose power or heat.

What to Do During a Winter Storm Watch

• Listen to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, or local radio or television stations for updated information. Local authorities will provide you with the best information for your particular situation.
• Be aware of changing weather conditions. Severe weather can happen quickly. Temperatures may drop rapidly, winds may increase or snow may fall at heavier rates. What is happening where you are may not agree with local forecasts.
• Move animals to sheltered areas. Have a water supply available. Most animal deaths during winter storms are from dehydration.
• Avoid unnecessary travel. Your safest place during a winter storm is indoors. About 70% of winter deaths related to ice and snow occur in automobiles.

What to Do During a Winter Storm Warning or a Blizzard Warning

• Stay indoors and dress warmly. Wearing layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing will keep you warmer than one bulky sweater. Remove layers to avoid overheating, perspiration and subsequent chill.
• Listen to a battery-powered radio or television for updated emergency information. If the power goes out, you will still have access to important information.
• Eat regularly. Food provides the body with energy for producing its own heat.
• Keep the body replenished with fluids to prevent dehydration. Drink liquids such as warm broth or juices. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine, a stimulant, accelerates the symptoms of hypothermia. Alcohol is a depressant and hastens the effects of cold on the body. It also slows circulation and can make you less aware of the effects of cold. Both caffeine and alcohol can cause dehydration.
• Conserve fuel. Winter storms can last for several days. Great demand may be placed on electricity and gas. Suppliers of propane and fuel oil may not be able to replenish depleted supplies during severe weather. Electric and gas services may be temporarily disrupted when many people demand large amounts at the same time. Lower the thermostat to 65ºF during the day and 55ºF at night. Close off unused rooms and stuff towels or rags in cracks under doors. Cover windows at night.
• If you must go outside, protect yourself from winter storm hazards:
  • Wear layered clothing, mittens or gloves and a hat. Layering clothes will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat. Outer garments should be tightly woven and water repellent. Mittens or gloves and a hat will prevent loss of body heat. Mittens are warmer than gloves because fingers maintain more warmth when they touch each other. Half of your body heat loss is from the head.
  • Cover your mouth to protect your lungs from extremely cold air. Avoid taking deep breaths; minimize talking.
  • Watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite. Frostbite is a severe reaction to cold exposure that can cause permanent damage. A loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in fingers, toes, nose or earlobes are symptoms of frostbite. Hypothermia is a condition brought on when the body temperature drops to less than 95ºF. Symptoms of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, slow speech, memory lapses, frequent stumbling, drowsiness and exhaustion. Hypothermia is not always fatal, but for those who survive there are likely to be lasting kidney, liver and pancreas problems.
  • If frostbite or hypothermia is suspected, begin warming the person slowly and seek immediate medical assistance. Warm the person’s trunk first. Using your own body heat will help. Arms and legs should be warmed last because stimulation of the limbs can drive cold blood toward the heart and lead to heart failure. Put the person in dry clothing and wrap their entire body in a blanket. Never give a frostbite or hypothermia victim alcohol or something with caffeine in it, like coffee or tea. Caffeine, a stimulant, can cause the heart to beat faster and hasten the effect the cold has on the body. Alcohol, a depressant, can slow the heart and also hasten the ill effects of the cold.
  • Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses much of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly away from the body.
  • Stretch before you go out. If you go out to shovel snow, do a few stretching exercises to warm up your body. This will reduce your chances of muscle injury.
  • Avoid overexertion, such as shoveling heavy snow, pushing a car or walking in deep snow. The strain from the cold and the hard labor may cause a heart attack. Sweating could lead to a chill and hypothermia.
  • Walk carefully on snowy, icy sidewalks. Slips and falls occur frequently in winter weather, resulting in painful and sometimes disabling injury.
• If you must go out during a winter storm, use public transportation if possible. About 70% of winter deaths related to ice and snow occur in automobiles.

Winter Driving

• Have your car(s) winterized before the storm season. Keeping your car(s) in good condition will decrease your chance of being stranded in cold weather. Have a mechanic check your battery, antifreeze, wipers and windshield washer fluid, ignition system, thermostat, lights, flashing hazard lights, exhaust system, heater, brakes, defroster and oil level. If necessary, replace existing oil with a winter grade oil. Install good winter tires that have adequate tread. All-weather radials usually suit most winter conditions. However, some jurisdictions require that to drive on their roads, vehicles must be equipped with chains or snow tires with studs.
• If you have a cell phone or two-way radio available for your use, keep the battery charged and keep it with you whenever traveling in winter weather. If you should become stranded, you will be able to call for help, advising rescuers of your location.
• Keep a windshield scraper and small broom in your car for ice and snow removal.
• Put together a separate disaster supplies kit for the trunk of each car used by members of your household. You should also bring a thermos of warm broth if you are on the road during a winter storm. If you should become stranded during a winter storm, these items will make you more comfortable until the storm passes. The kit should include the following:
  • Several blankets or sleeping bags
  • Rain gear and extra sets of dry clothing, mittens, socks and a wool cap
  • Extra newspapers for insulation
  • Plastic bags for sanitation
  • Canned fruit, nuts and high energy snacks; non-electric can opener if necessary
  • Several bottles of water (Eating snow will lower your body temperature. If necessary, melt it first).
  • Cans of broth or soup
  • A small shovel, a pocket knife and small tools such as pliers, a wrench and screwdriver
  • A small sack of sand for generating traction under wheels, a set of tire chains or traction mats
  • Jumper cables
  • A first aid kit and necessary medications
  • A flashlight with extra batteries
  • A candle in a metal can or other fireproof container (While candles are generally not recommended in disaster situations, having one in your car can be a source of heat and light if you are stranded).
  • Matches
  • Cards, games and puzzles
  • A brightly colored cloth to tie to the antenna
• Keep your car’s gas tank full for emergency use and to keep the fuel line from freezing.
• Plan long trips carefully. Traveling during winter weather can be hazardous. Listen to the radio or call the state highway patrol for the latest road conditions. Plan to travel during daylight and, if possible, take at least one other person.
• Let someone know your destination, your route and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• Avoid driving during sleet, freezing rain, freezing drizzle and dense fog, all of which can make driving very hazardous. The leading cause of death during winter storms is from automobile or other transportation accidents. Multiple vehicle accidents are more likely to occur, resulting in injury and death.
• If you do get stuck:
  • Avoid traveling during winter storms. If you must travel and do become stranded, stay with your vehicle. Do not leave to search for assistance unless help is visible within 100 yards. Disorientation and confusion come very quickly in blowing snow.
  • Display a trouble sign to indicate you need help. Hang a brightly colored cloth (preferably red) on the radio antenna and raise the hood (after snow stops falling).
  • Occasionally run engine to keep warm. Carbon monoxide can build up inside a standing vehicle while the engine is running, even if the exhaust pipe is clear. Experience has shown that running the heater for 10 minutes every hour is enough to keep occupants warm and will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and conserve fuel. Turn on the engine for about 10 minutes each hour (or 5 minutes every half hour). Use the heater while the engine is running. Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow and slightly open a downwind window for ventilation.
  • Leave the overhead light on when the engine is running so that you can be seen.
  • If more than one person is in the car, huddle together for warmth and take turns sleeping. If you are not awakened periodically to increase body temperature and circulation, you can freeze to death.
  • Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia. Severe cold can cause numbness, making you unaware of possible danger. Keep fingers and toes moving for circulation and drink warm broth to reduce risk of further injury.
  • Use newspapers, maps and even the removable car mats for added insulation. Layering items will help trap more body heat.
  • Keep a window that is away from the blowing wind slightly open to let in air.
  • Drink fluids to avoid dehydration. Bulky winter clothing can cause you to sweat and cold dry air will help the sweat evaporate, making you unaware of possible dehydration. When individuals are dehydrated, they are more susceptible to the effects of cold and heart attacks. Melt snow before using it for drinking water. Eating snow lowers your body temperature, increasing risk from hypothermia.
  • Avoid overexertion. Cold weather puts an added strain on the heart. Unaccustomed exercise such as shoveling snow or pushing a car can bring on a heart attack or make other medical conditions worse.

What to Do After a Winter Storm

• Continue listening to local radio or television stations or a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio for updated information and instructions. Access may be limited to some parts of the community or roads may be blocked.
• Help neighbors who may require special assistance (infants, seniors, people with disabilities). People who care for them or who have large families may need additional assistance in emergency situations.
• Avoid driving and other travel until conditions have improved. Roads may be blocked by snow or emergency vehicles.
• Avoid overexertion. Heart attacks from shoveling heavy snow are a major cause of deaths during winter.
• Follow forecasts and be prepared when venturing outside. Major winter storms are often followed by even colder conditions.

Produced by the National Disaster Education Coalition: American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency, International Association of Emergency Managers, Institute for Business and Home Safety, National Fire Protection Association, National Weather Service, United States Department of Agriculture/Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and United States Geological Survey.

©Copyright 2006, The American National Red Cross. All Rights Reserved.

Department of National Defense

Blueprint for Survival No. 4

Introduction

The Canadian Government has joined other peace-minded nations in doing everything possible to reduce world tensions, to assist in the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means and to achieve disarmament with such controls as are necessary to preserve the security of all nations. However, the awesome threat of a major nuclear war involving North America remains a factor in plans for the defense of Canada.

The nature and scale of a possible nuclear attack on North America, and the extent to which Canada would be involved in such an attack, cannot be predicted with accuracy. Our major centres would be at some risk of deliberate attack, random explosions could occur, and there would be the certainty of the danger from widespread, radioactive fallout over most of the Country.

Governments at all levels have made, and are continuing to make, preparations which will reduce the number of casualties, safeguard survivors and contribute to the capacity of this nation to survive and recover from such a tragedy. The purpose of this booklet is to assist individuals and families in making personal survival plans and preparations to guard themselves against the potential dangers of nuclear war. Many of the precautions which are recommended will serve a double purpose in that they will save lives in peacetime disasters such as flood, tornado, fire, hurricane, blizzard, ice storm or earthquake. Attention has been directed to this important feature throughout the various steps. All Canadians are urged to read “11 Steps to Survival” with care to act on the advice it contains and to keep it handy for emergencies. Although protected by Crown Copyright, the contents may be reproduced in whole or in part provided proper acknowledgment of the source is made. The Queen’s Printer
Ottawa, 1969
Cat. No. Id 83-1/4

The Eleven Steps to Survival

Governments and communities at all levels are planning for the survival of our Nation in the event of a nuclear war. But the survival of individuals also will depend upon the preparation that each person makes. Persons ready to take the right action before and following an attack will increase their chances of survival.

This pamphlet describes what YOU can do before and following a nuclear attack. You can greatly increase your family’s and your own protection by taking the Eleven Steps to Survival:

• Step 1: Know the effects of nuclear explosions.
• Step 2: Know the facts about radioactive fallout.
• Step 3: Know the warning signal and have a battery-powered radio.
• Step 4: Know how to take shelter.
• Step 5: Have fourteen days emergency supplies.
• Step 6: Know how to prevent and fight fires.
• Step 7: Know first aid and home nursing.
• Step 8: Know emergency cleanliness.
• Step 9: Know how to get rid of radioactive dust.
• Step 10: Know your municipal plans.
• Step 11: Have a plan for your family and yourself.

Step 1: Know the Effects of Nuclear Explosions

A nuclear explosion releases vast amounts of energy in three forms:

1. Light and heat
2. Blast
3. Radiation

The amount of energy released depends upon the size and design of the weapon. A wide range of weapons and delivery systems are available to an aggressor and we have no way of knowing what size of explosions might take place in Canada. For illustration purposes, we describe in this pamphlet the effects of a 5-megaton H-bomb equal to the explosive force of five million tons of TNT. Such a bomb could substantially damage the largest Canadian city.

The effects depend upon whether the weapon is exploded high in the air, or on, or near the ground. An air burst usually produces more fire and blast-damage than a ground burst which results in a big crater and more radioactive fallout. The effects described below are approximate for a 5-megaton explosion and can only be approximate since effects depend upon a number of conditions such as weather, terrain, etc.

Light and Heat

A blaze of light brighter than the sun is produced by a nuclear explosion. It lasts for about 15 seconds. Temporary blindness and eye injury can result from the glare if eyes are not shielded.

The heat rays from the explosion travel at the speed of light or about 186,000 miles per second. It can start fires up to 20 miles away. Many fires are caused when the heat pulse comes through a window to set fire to curtains, paper, clothing and furniture. The heat flash also can set fire to the outside of wooden buildings.

The following are some examples of the predictable effects on unprotected skin of the heat flash of a 5-megaton weapon exploded on a clear day:

• Skin is badly burned up to 15 miles from the explosion.
• Skin is blistered up to 18 miles from the explosion.
• Sunburn types of burns up to 23 miles from the explosion.

Nuclear explosions in the air rather than on the ground are more likely to produce a greater number of serious burns through the heat flash. Clothing will give some protection. A shield between you and the light will give protection against burns from the heat flash.

Blast

The blast wave travels more slowly than the heat flash. Several seconds may pass after you have seen the light or felt the heat before the blast wave reaches you, depending on the distance you are from the explosion. It is like the time between seeing the flash of lightning and hearing the sound of thunder. For example, at ten miles from the centre of an explosion, it would take about 35 seconds for the blast wave to reach you. If caught in the open during a nuclear explosion, this time can be used to find some protection from the blast wave.

You might be injured by being thrown about by the blast; therefore, keep low. The greatest danger is from flying glass, bricks and other debris. The blast from a 5-megaton explosion could injure people as far away as 15 miles.

The kinds of damage that the blast can do to buildings are:

• Complete destruction of all buildings three miles from the centre of the explosion.
• Damage beyond repair to buildings three to five miles distant. They would have to be torn down.
• Major repairs required to buildings five to 10 miles distant before they could be occupied.
• Light to moderate damage to buildings 10 to 15 miles distant. They could be occupied during repairs.

A 20-megaton bomb increases the approximate ranges of damage described above to five, eight, sixteen and twenty-four miles.

These are approximate distances as the strength of buildings is not uniform. For example, reinforced concrete buildings are more blast resistant than wood frame structures. In some areas four miles away from the explosion, concrete buildings might be repairable, while wood frame buildings would be completely destroyed. Windows, of course, are very vulnerable and are apt to be blown in as far away as 25 miles from the explosion.

Radiation

A nuclear explosion causes both immediate radiation and residual radiation.

Immediate radiation is given off at the time of the explosion. It is dangerous only within two or three miles. If you were near the explosion without adequate protection and managed to survive the effects of blast and fire, you could still be seriously affected by immediate radiation.

Residual radiation is given off by the radioactive particles left as “fallout” after the explosion. The danger from fallout would be so great and widespread that it is discussed separately, in >Step 2.

Protection against Heat, Blast and Immediate Radiation

The illustrations below show some of the most probable situations in which you might find yourself at the time of a nuclear attack, and what you should do:

Step 2: Know the Facts About Radioactive Fallout

If a nuclear weapon is exploded on, or near, the ground, danger from radioactive fallout is greatest. The force of the explosion may make a crater up to a mile wide and to a depth of one hundred feet. Millions of tons of pulverized earth, stones, buildings and other materials are drawn up into the fireball and become radioactive. Some of the heavier particles spill out around the point of explosion. The rest are sucked up into the mushroom cloud.

This radioactive material is then carried by winds until it settles to earth. This is called “Fallout”. Under some circumstances you may see the fallout; under others you may not.

The radioactivity it gives off cannot be seen. You can’t feel it. You can’t smell it.

But fallout doesn’t come out of the sky like a gas and seep into everything. It can best be described as a fine to coarse sand carried by the winds. Because the wind direction varies at different heights above the ground, it is not possible to judge from the ground where the fallout will settle. It can settle in irregular patterns hundreds of miles from the explosion.

The fallout from a 5-megaton explosion could affect seriously an area of 7,000 square miles. If nothing were done to gain protection during the period of high radioactivity, there would be a grave danger to life in that area.

Because fallout is carried so far and covers such a large area, it could be the greatest danger to the largest number of Canadians in a nuclear war. If Canada was not hit by nuclear bombs, those exploding in the United States close to our border could result in serious fallout in many parts of Canada.

There are four things which determine the amount of radiation reaching your body from fallout:

1. The time that has passed since the explosion.
2. The length of time you are exposed to fallout.
3. The distance you are from the fallout.
4. The shielding between you and the fallout.

Time

The radioactivity in fallout weakens rapidly in the first hours after an explosion. This weakening is called “decay”. After seven hours, fallout has lost about 90% of the strength it had one hour after the explosion. After two days it has lost 99%; in two weeks 99.9% of its strength is gone. Nevertheless, if the radiation at the beginning were high enough, the remaining 0.1% could be dangerous.

Radiation must be measured by special instruments handled by people trained to use them. But, if you stay in a shelter during the first days following an explosion, you escape the strongest radiation. You should stay in the shelter until radiation has been measured and you have been told aver the radio that it is safe to come out.

Distance

The strength of radiation reaching your body is reduced the farther you are from the fallout. Here are some illustrations of the safest place to be when you are in various kinds of buildings.

Shielding

The most effective protection is to place some heavy material between yourself and the fallout. The heavier the material the better the protection. Many common materials give excellent protection. The materials and design of the fallout shelter recommended in Blueprint for Survival No. 1 will stop penetration of 99% of outside radiation.

These thicknesses of material will stop 99% of radiation:

• 16 inches of solid brick
• 16 inches of hollow concrete blocks filled with mortar or sand
• 2 feet of packed earth Ä 3 feet if loose
• 5 inches of steel
• 3 inches of lead
• 3 feet of water

A fallout shelter is the best way to protect your family and yourself against radiation because:

• It keeps the radiation at a distance.
• It shields you from radiation.
• The time spent there is the period when radiation is most intense.

By providing your family and yourself with a fallout shelter, you are unlikely to suffer serious effects from radioactive fallout.

Personal Danger from Fallout

Radioactive particles in contact with your skin for a few hours may produce burns. Follow Step 9 to prevent this danger.

Radioactive particles swallowed in food or water might be harmful. Follow Step 9 to prevent this danger.

Radioactivity from an area of fallout may produce illness in the unprotected individual after a few days. Follow Step 4 to prevent this danger.

Radiation illness develops slowly. It cannot be spread to other people. Except for temporary nausea shortly after exposure, evidence of serious effects from radiation may only appear after an interval of from a few days to three weeks. A combination of loss of hair, loss of appetite, increasing paleness, weakness, diarrhoea, sore throat, bleeding gums and easy bruising indicate that the individual requires medical attention. Nausea and vomiting may be caused by fright, worry, food poisoning, pregnancy and other common conditions.

Step 3: Know the Warning Signal and have a Battery-Powered Radio

All Canadian communities where there is a likely need are provided, or will be provided, with sirens. Other areas should have warning arrangements based on local systems such as telephones, horns, bells or factory whistles.

Warning devices are only attention-getters. Dependent on the size of your municipality, the sirens, bells, telephones, etc., will sound the Attack Warning.

There is one type of siren warning signal in Canada:

• An attack on North America has been detected;
• Warning of fallout.

WHEN YOU HEAR THE WARNING SIGNAL, YOU SHOULD TAKE PROTECTIVE ACTION AND LISTEN TO THE RADIO FOR INSTRUCTIONS.

A Radio is Essential

When the Attack Warning sounds, you must take protective action. Take a battery-powered radio with you. Broadcast advice and instruction may help to save your life. If you don’t have a portable radio, turn up the volume of your house radio so that it can be heard in your shelter. If away from home you are forced to take emergency shelter and are near a radio-equipped vehicle, turn up the volume and open all the vehicle’s doors or windows.

The Canadian Emergency Broadcasting System, a network of all Canadian radio and television stations which will be formed when a nuclear attack on Canada has been detected, will tell you when and how to take emergency protective action against possible attack and shelter against fallout if an attack occurs.

Before Attack

If sirens or warning systems signal impending attack, regardless of where you are or what you are doing, you must take the best available cover against the blast, heat and light effects of nuclear explosions.

Emergency broadcast instructions will include the following advice:

• If you are at home go to the basement or strongest part of your house or building which offers the best protection. If material is handy, improvise blast protection. See Step 4.
• Take your battery radio with you, or turn up the house radio so that you can hear it while under cover.
• Stay away from windows.
• Lie down and protect yourself from flying glass and falling debris.
• Shield your eyes from the flash of an explosion.
• If you are away from home take protective cover immediately.
• If you are travelling, stop and take protective cover immediately, or if you are only a few minutes from a safe destination, proceed and take protective cover immediately.
• Listen to your radio for further instructions.

After Attack

If sirens or warning systems sound following nuclear attacks, the warning may mean another attack or that radioactive fallout is approaching your area. You will be advised over the radio. If the advice concerns fallout, you must take cover against the fallout effects. (See Step 4).

Radio broadcasts will identify areas which will be affected by the fallout and give instructions and advice. These might include:

• Location of nuclear explosions causing local fallout.
• Information about the parts of the country to be affected by fallout.
• Length of time before fallout is likely to reach specific communities or areas.
• Ways to increase fallout protection.
• Supplies to take to your fallout shelter.
• Whether it is safer to stay in your community or area, or to go to other areas.
• Advice as to which areas are free of danger.
• Advice on when to leave shelters and for how long as danger from radioactive contamination diminishes.
• Requests for help in rescue operations, such as rescue, firefighting and medical assistance.
• Advice on conservation of food, water and fuel.
• How to keep warm when power is off and the weather is cold.

Don’t Use The Telephone

When the sirens sound don’t use the telephone. Listen to a radio or television for information. In the event of an Attack Warning telephone lines will be required for official use.

Step 4: Know How to Take Shelter

It is important to provide your family and yourself with a shelter. But what kind of shelter? This is a decision you must make yourself after studying the problem.

Study your shelter requirements in the same way that you would study accident or fire insurance. Decide upon the degree of protection you want for your family and yourself. Shelter is your insurance against something you hope will not happen, but if it does, will give you protection.

Shelters of the type commonly used in Europe during the Second World War would not provide protection against the blast of a nuclear explosion. They were designed to withstand short shock pressures lasting something like 1/100th of a second. Shelters designed to withstand the pressures created by a nuclear explosion must be able to stand up to pressures lasting as long as 6 seconds. In addition, they must be capable of giving the occupants protection against fires outside the shelter as well as against radiation.

The fallout shelter is designed to give protection against radioactive fallout only. Because most people in Canada probably would not be affected by the blast and heat effects of nuclear explosions, protection against fallout is all that is required by them.

The type of shelter for good protection depends upon the distance it will be from the explosion. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know this in advance. That is why each individual must make his own decision when selecting the type of shelter he wishes to have.

Blueprint for Survival No. 1 gives details of a fallout shelter for the home in which you now live. If you rent the home, the decision to construct a shelter must be taken jointly with your landlord.

Blueprint for Survival No. 2 gives details of a fallout shelter for the new home you may be planning to build.

Blueprint for Survival No. 6 gives details of blast shelters which may be built outside the home.

These pamphlets are available from your local Emergency Measures or Civil Defence Organization.

Improvised Protection Against Blast

One of the simplest ways to improvise some anti-blast protection is to build a lean-to (bed springs or boards) against a work bench or heavy table, preferably in the basement, and pile mattresses on it and at the ends. If the material is readily available it could be built in a matter of minutes after the ATTACK WARNING is sounded and could protect you from loose bricks, flying glass, etc.

If you are in the open and there is a ditch or culvert within easy, quick reach, lie face down in it and cover your face with your arms. Make sure this shelter is not too close to buildings which could collapse into it.

“After” the blast and heat of the explosion, you would have to find other protection against fallout which will come down later. (Don’t forget your battery-powered radio). None of these improvisations is as good as a properly equipped blast shelter, but any single one of them could mean the difference between life and death.

Improvised Protection Against Fallout

You may not have a fallout shelter when warning of approaching fallout is broadcast. Here are some tips on how to increase your protection in a basement. The amount of protection you can build will depend on how much time you have available until fallout arrives.

• You can improvise a small emergency shelter by using furniture, doors, dressers, work-bench and other materials.
• Select a corner of your basement, if possible away from windows, in which to build your shelter. Remove inside house doors from hinges to use as a shelter roof over supports. Supports for the improvised roof can be cabinets, chests of drawers, work-bench, or anything which will bear a heavy load. Use the house doors as a roof surface to provide a base for the heavy material you will have to place on it. Bricks, concrete blocks, sand-filled drawers or boxes, books or other dense items on the roof will help reduce radiation penetration. Around the sides and front of your shelter build walls of dense materials to provide vertical shielding. A small cabinet or dirt-filled box as may be used as a crawl-in entrance which can be closed behind you.
• Remember, the heavier or more dense the material around you, the greater the protection.
• Block basement windows with earth, bricks, concrete blocks, books or even bundles of newspaper. In winter, use packed snow.
• On the floor above the corner of the you select as your shelter area, pile any heavy objects you may have available, such as furniture, trunks filled with clothes, dirt-filled boxes, books, newspapers, or earth from outside.
• Outside, against above ground walls of the basement around your shelter area heap earth, sand, bricks, concrete blocks or packed snow.

If your home has no basement or crawl space, build your emergency shelter in that part of the house (centre hall or clothes closet) farthest away from outside walls and the roof. Build it as described for houses with basements. On the floor immediately above your shelter area, and against surrounding walls, pile up furniture, trunks, dressers, dirtfilled boxes or other heavy material which will reduce radio-active penetration into your emergency shelter.

Step 5: Have 14 Days Emergency Supplies

Nuclear attacks on centres of production, and fallout conditions, may curtail the distribution of available food stocks for several days or even weeks following these attacks. Persons who had taken shelter against fallout might be advised to stay in their shelters for as long as 14 days. Those who had chosen to evacuate larger cities would be dependent largely on the resources available in reception towns. Because of these possibilities, it is recommended that every person should have emergency supplies. These supplies should include food, water, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, and where necessary, medical supplies as recommended in Step 7. Heavy clothing would be necessary in winter. Extra changes of clothing should be considered particularly stockings and underclothing.

For those who may choose to evacuate major centres, supplies must be selected carefully because of space limitation in the family car. Supplies should be packaged beforehand so that they can quickly be put into the car. See the pamphlet “Your Emergency Pack” available from your local Emergency Measures or Civil Defence Organization.

Many of the recommended items are already in your home.

Whether you choose to evacuate or take shelter locally, you should have a road map with you. You could then relate the information about areas under fallout, which you would hear about on the radio, to your actual location. Toys, games, books for your children would help to occupy their time if they had to remain in shelter from fallout. Your battery-powered radio will keep you in contact with the outside world.

The following is a suggested list of items from which your two weeks’ supplies should be developed to be in your shelter or handy to it.

Equipment

• Beds (bunks or folding)
• Bedding
• Toilet
• Polyethylene bags for toilet
• Table (folding or other)
• Stools (folding)
• Cups and plates (disposable)
• Knives, forks, spoons
• Can opener
• Cooking utensils
• Kerosene cooker (Do not use a pressurized stove in the confines of your shelter.)
• Kerosene lamp
• Kerosene (sufficient for 14 days)
• Candles
• Safety matches
• Hand basin
• Calendar
• Paper towels
• Garbage can (two if no waste water runoff is possible)
• Garbage bags
• Shovel
• Broom
• Battery radio and spare batteries
• Electric lamp and spare bulbs
• Clock
• Flashlight and spare batteries
• Fire extinguisher
• Hand tools
• Pocket knife
• Axe
• String
• Light rope

Recreational

• Books
• Paper
• Pencils
• Playing cards
• Chess, checkers, other games
• Crosswords, other puzzles
• Knitting, sewing, etc.
• Hobby materials
• Plasticine

Toiletries

• Soap
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Detergent
• Nail brush
• Razor, blades and soap
• Women’s basic cosmetics
• Tissues (face and toilet)
• Face cloth
• Towels
• Brush and comb

Clothing and Personal Items

Coveralls, rubber boots, rubber gloves for adults. To be used in venturing outside even after instructions have been given that this is safe for short periods.

• Bedding (blankets preferable)
• Warm sweaters and socks
• Change of underclothing and socks
• Personal hygiene items for women
• Baby clothes
• Baby feeding equipment
• Disposable diapers (two-week supply)
• Legal papers
• Plastic sheeting

Medical

(See Step 7)

Food

These are suggested items and amounts for each adult for 14 days in shelter. Check off the items as you stock them in the shelter and mark the purchase date on them. Food stored for emergency use should be used and replaced at least once a year.

• Milk: 14 cans (6-oz) or 6 cans (15-oz) evaporated milk or 1-lb dried skim milk
• Vegetables: 6 cans (15 or 20-oz) – beans, peas, tomatoes, corn
• Fruits: 6 cans (15 or 20-oz) Ä peaches, pears, apple sauce
• Juices: 6 cans (20-oz) Ä apple, grapefruit, lemon, orange and tomato
• Cereals: 14 individual packages (sealed in wax bags inside or outside)
• Biscuits:
  • 2 packages of crackers (1-lb. each)
  • 2 packages of cookies or graham wafers
• Main Dish Items:
  • 2 cans meat (12-oz) – corned beef, luncheon meats
  • 2 cans beef and gravy
  • 2 cans baked beans (15 or 20-oz)
  • 2 jars cheese
  • 2 cans fish (8-oz)
• Canned and Dehydrated Soups: 2 cans (10-oz) – bean, pea, tomato, vegetable

Other Foods:

• 1 large jar or can honey, syrup, jam or marmalade
• 2 lbs. hard candy
• 1 jar or can peanut butter
• 1 package tea bags or instant tea
• 1 jar sugar
• 1 jar instant coffee
• Salt and pepper
• Instant chocolate powder
• Chewing gum

Special Requirements for Children

• For each infant include 14 cans evaporated milk (15 oz) and infant food for 14 days.
• For each child up to 3 years, include 8 extra cans of milk.
• Decrease amounts of other foods according to appetite.
• Food for older children can be the same as for adults; adjust amounts according to appetite.

Water

• Requirements: 7-14 gallons for each adult member of family; more for younger children (some water may be replaced by canned beverages).
• Containers: Store in well-cleaned, covered containers such as large thermos jugs, new fuel cans, large bottles, or plastic containers.
• Change: Change stored water at least once a month.

Step 6: Know How To Prevent And Fight Fires

Misinformation about the fire danger from nuclear explosions is widespread and common. For example, some persons believe that the fire-ball would completely incinerate a city. This is not true.

The heat from the fire-ball lasts about 15 seconds and would create fires which are no different from the fires you see in peacetime. They can be put out with water and extinguishers, and if each survivor were able to put out a small fire quickly, mass fires would not take place.

The heat flash from the fire-ball entering through windows and doors could set fire to curtains, clothes, furniture and paper. Other fires could break out in attics, in backyard trash, on wooden shingles and on the outside of houses built of wood particularly if they are unpainted or weathered.

Knowing how to prevent and fight fires at home and at work reduces the number of peacetime fires. The same knowledge will also reduce the number of fires caused by a nuclear explosion.

But how can you fight fires in the presence of fallout? From 5 to 15 miles from the centre of the explosion, there will be many survivors. Fallout will not start coming down for about 30 minutes. During this half hour, survivors should inspect their houses and put out all the small fires they can. They must not rely on the fire department to extinguish these fires.

You should have in your home and place of work, fire extinguishers, or in an emergency, create a water supply for fire fighting in pails, bathtubs, washtubs, etc. Don’t rely on being able to use the established water supply system.

Even those who live in areas not attacked may find their fire departments will have to fight major fires elsewhere. Every householder should learn how to carry out fire prevention and know how to fight small fires. It may prove of value in peacetime!

Your local fire authorities are always anxious to advise you on how to fight fires. Attend any emergency fire fighting classes held in your area.

Here are some tips for an emergency:

• Prepare for emergency by preventing accumulations of trash and rubbish in and around the home. This would include dry leaves and grass, lumber, boxes, cardboard cartons, old unused furniture, bales of newspapers, etc. Keep waste and garbage in covered containers.
• The shaking and twisting of buildings and homes due to blast waves in wartime or earthquakes and explosions in peacetime, may break utility inlets at the point they enter the structure. This may allow gas or fuel oil to flow into basements creating a severe hazard. Do not smoke, strike a match, or a lighter, to light your way into a darkened basement. Gas or oil vapours may be present and a violent explosion and fire may result.
• To lessen the danger of fires and explosions follow local instructions about shutting off utility services when the ATTACK WARNING sounds.
• If you have a coal-burning furnace, or a wood-stove, extinguish it or at least be sure to close all fuel and draft doors.
• Close curtains shutters or venetian blinds on all windows and remove furniture from window areas.

TO FIGHT AN ORDINARY FIRE:

• Take away its fuel. Get the burning material out of your home.
• Take away its air. Smother it with a blanket, wet if possible, or a rug.
• Cool it with water, earth, sand or fire extinguisher.

GAS, OIL, ELECTRICAL FIRES REQUIRE SPECIAL METHODS:

• Gas fire: Make sure the gas is shut off and then try to extinguish anything still burning.
• Oil fires: Make sure the supply is shut off then smother the fire with earth, sand, rugs or other heavy materialsÄDon’t use water.
• Electrical fires: Make sure the electricity is shut off then put out the fire. Don’t use water if the power is still on.

PROMPT ACTION TO PUT OUT SMALL FIRES IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING A NUCLEAR ATTACK WILL SAVE LIVES.

Step 7: Know First Aid And Home Nursing

The acquisition of First Aid and Home Nursing skills prepares individuals to serve effectively in a national emergency. If such an emergency occurs, the care of many thousands of injured or seriously ill persons becomes a tremendous task for the organized health services. Doctors and nurses may not be readily available to assist you. Thus the importance of First Aid and Home Nursing skills takes on a new dimension. The survival of the injured or sick members of your family may become your responsibility.

The main objectives of training individuals in first aid and home nursing are:

1. To preserve life
2. To minimize the effects of injury or illness
3. To relieve suffering or distress
4. To provide continuing care and assist in rehabilitation.

Therefore you must:

• Know and practice life-saving first aid.
• Know and practice simple home nursing measures.

First Aid Supplies

A simple first aid box kept in your shelter or in your evacuation kit should contain:

• 1 bottle mild antiseptic solution (use to clean cuts)
• 5 yards 2-inch gauze bandage
• 2 triangular bandages (use for slings)
• 12 4″ x 4″ sterile pads (use to cover cuts, wounds and burns)
• 12 assorted individual adhesive dressins (use for minor cuts)
• 2 large dressing pads (shell dressing type) 8″ x 8″ (Available at minimal cost from St. John Ambulance Association)
• 5 yards 1/2 inch adhesive tape
• 9 assorted safety pins
• 1 small bottle toothache drops (for temporary treatment of toothache)
• 1 tube of petroleum jelly
• 1 small bottle aspirin tablets
• 1 thermometer
• 1 small scissors (blunt ended)
• 1 medicine glass
• 1 pair tweezers
• 4 oz baking soda and 8 oz table salt (make a drinking solution by adding 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda to 1 qt. of water)
• 1 First Aid Manual (St. John Ambulance Association)
• 1 Home Nursing Textbook (St. John Ambulance Association and/or Canadian Red Cross Society)
• 1 packet paper tissues

NOTE: individuals requiring special medication such as insulin should maintain at least 100-days supplies.

First Aid Hints

General Rules:

• Keep calm.
• Keep the injured person Iying down in a comfortable position, his head level with his body until you determine whether his injuries are serious.
• Examine for stoppage of breathing, serious bleeding or broken bones. These must be treated immediately before any attempt is made to move the injured person. Do not be hurried into this unless you are in a situation of extreme danger.
• Keep him comfortably warm with blankets or other coverings, under and above the patient.
• Never attempt to give a semi-conscious or unconscious person anything to drink.

Unconsciousness:

An unconscious patient lying on his back may be strangled by his own tongue which will tend to fall back and obstruct the airway. All unconscious persons should be placed lying half over on their faces, (three-quarter-prone position).

If the patient is breathing quietly and easily and his lips are pink and have no froth on them, breathing is not obstructed.

If the patient is breathing noisily and with difficulty, if his lips are blue and frothing, or if his chest is sucked inwards when he breathes in, his airway is obstructed and needs immediate attention.

Keep the airway clear by:

Placing the casualty on his back; supporting his shoulders on a pad of any suitable material available; tilting the head back with one hand on the forehead, the other lifting the neck.

• Stop bleeding (haemorrhage)
• Keep out germs (infection)

Cover the wound with a clean dressing to keep out dirt and germs. Bandage it on firmly to stop the bleeding. If a wound is bleeding profusely, hold it firmly with your hand until you can secure an emergency dressing. Any thick pad of clean, soft, compressible material large enough to cover the wound will make a good dressing. Clean handkerchiefs, towels, sanitary pads, tissue handkerchiefs or sheets make good emergency dressings.

Burns: Cover the burned area with large, thick, dry dressing and bandage it on firmly. Encourage the casualty to drink plenty of fluids. A solution of salt and soda is useful to give to casualties with burns and to those who have suffered from serious bleeding. Broken bones (fractures): If a limb is very painful and cannot be used, appears to be bent in the wrong place or the casualty says he heard or felt the bone snap, it is likely that a bone is broken. Sharp ends of a broken bone may damage important structures such as blood vessels and nerves. A broken limb should be steadied and supported to prevent movement of the broken ends before attempting to move the patient. If a person’s back or neck is so severely injured that he is afraid to move because of pain, or cannot move or feel his limbs, you should assume that he has a broken back. He should be moved on a hard, firm stretcher taking great care not to “jack-knife” him by picking up his feet and shoulders. Improvised stretchers can be made from a door, wide board, window shutter, etc. Fill in the natural hollows of the track and neck with padding and support the head on both sides to prevent movement.

DO NOT:

• Put strong antiseptics into a wound.
• Use a tourniquet.
• Remove clothing which is stuck to a burn.
• Break any blisters or apply creams or grease to a large burn.
• Give anything by mouth to a semi-conscious patient, or to a patient with internal abdominal wounds.

HOME NURSING HINTS

Before medical or nursing help becomes available you may also encounter infant care problems. emotional problems and persons suffering from radiation sickness. What to observe, and what to do for these latter cases, is outlined below.

Infant Care

Breast feeding is preferable but, if not possible, then a formula using powdered or evaporated milk should be prepared under clean conditions.

If vomiting or diarrhoea occurs infants and children become dehydrated very quickly. To avoid this happening give frequent sips of boiled water.

If a rash or fever develops, keep others away from the sick child.

Emotional Problems

Persons who become emotionally disturbed following a disaster should be treated calmly but firmly. They should be kept in small groups, preferably with persons whom they know and encouraged to “talk out” their problem. If they are not otherwise injured they should be given something to do. It may be necessary to enlist the aid of one other calm person to help subdue the overexcited patient. If a stunned or dazed reaction persists over 6 to 8 hours this should be reported to a doctor or nurse immediately one becomes available.

Radiation Sickness

The signs and symptoms of this illness are described in Step 2.

Treatment includes rest, the provision of whatever nutritional food and drink is available and personal encouragement to get well. Swab the mouth gently with mild, warm salt and water if it becomes sore. As these patients are susceptible to infection, keep wounds clean and covered with a sterile dressing. Separate these patients from persons with colds, rash or fever.

Improvised Equipment

The following suggestions may help you care for your patient when proper equipment is not available.

• Bed: A couch, mattress or any well padded, firm surface; if too low raise on bricks, boxes or wooden blocks.
• Bedding Protection: Old crib pads cut into a convenient size and placed over a waterproof sheeting; or several layers of newspaper and heavy brown paper covered with old soft cotton. (Never use thin plastic if patient is a child.)
• Backrest: A straight-backed chair turned upside down at head of bed and securely tied to bed; a triangular bolster or cushions from a chair or chesterfield.
• Bed Cradle: A light wooden box or firm cardboard carton approximately 10 x 12 x 24 inches, with two sides removed; or a hoop sawn in half and the two pieces joined together in the centre.
• Pressure Pads: Soft cushion or foam or sponge rubber pads will protect heels, elbows, back of head or any other body pressure point.
• Bedpan or Urinal: For bedpan use a padded dish or pan; for urinal any wide-necked bottle or jar.
• Hot Water Bottle: A heated brick wrapped in several layers of newspaper.

START TRAINING NOW!

ONE PERSON IN EVERY FAMILY SHOULD BE TRAINED IN FIRST AID AND/OR HOME NURSING.

Courses in these skills are available in most municipalities from your local St. John Ambulance Association or Canadian Red Cross Society.

REGISTER NOW!

Step 8: Know Emergency Cleanliness

Your limited supply of water will have to be rationed and used only for essential purposes. If you have enough warning time before the arrival of fallout, fill your bathtub, all available buckets and pans with water. And remember that there is an emergency supply in your hot water tank. (Don’t forget this if in peacetime your water supply has been temporarily disrupted).

The problems of garbage and human waste disposal can be solved even if fallout keeps you in the shelter. Put all your garbage in tightly covered garbage pails. After using your emergency toilet, you should tie human waste in waterproof plastic (polyethylene) bags and place them in the garbage pail. Store a 14-day supply of the plastic bags. After the second day in the shelter, you may risk leaving it for a few minutes for essential tasks. Therefore, when your garbage container is filled, move it out of the shelter.

Keep a soft broom in the shelter for tidying it up. Remember, personal cleanliness in crowded shelter conditions is important to you and your family. If your area is free of fallout but is without sewage services, bury human waste and garbage in the ground. Dig the pit deep enough so that the waste will be covered by at least two feet of earth.

Step 9: Know How To Get Rid Of Radioactive Dust

In Step 2, fallout was described as “sand”. To remove the danger, remove the sand. If you suspect that your clothes have fallout on them, remove your outer clothing before you come inside your home and leave it outside. Don’t shake these clothes inside the house or shelter. You would only scatter the fallout grit and create unnecessary danger to others. If you have water, wash thoroughly, particularly exposed skin and hair. But do not scrub your skin as this might rub in the radioactive particles.

Exposure to fallout does not make you radioactive.

Even if you are stricken with radiation sickness, this sickness cannot be passed on to others.

Fallout on your clothing or body would expose you and those close to you to radiation. If you suspect you have been exposed to fallout, you will not be a danger to others if you carefully get rid of your outer clothing outside the shelter and wash.

Food and Water

Since most of your food will be in tightly covered containers (cans, bottles, plastic, boxes), it will all be safe to eat or drink if you dust the containers. Food, if it is unspoiled and free of grit or dust, may be eaten during the emergency period. Be sure to wash fruit and vegetables and peel carefully. Water will be safe if it is in covered containers, or if it has come from covered wells, or from undamaged water systems.

Step 10: Know Your Municipal Plan

It is important that your local municipality have a plan for a war emergency. And it is just as important that you know that plan.

Over the past several years, provincial and municipal governments, with the assistance of federal authorities, have been steadily developing plans for the protection of the population and the continuity of essential government services in wartime. Most municipalities in Canada have emergency plans to deal with both peacetime disasters and a nuclear attack situation. These include the details of how welfare, health, police, public utilities, fire and other emergency services will operate.

Some larger communities have developed plans to assist in the evacuation of those who would choose to leave before an attack or who might have to be evacuated as survivors or casualties following an attack. These plans include traffic arrangements to reception centres and medical facilities in nearby communities.

It would be unwise to try and prepare your own family survival plan without first checking to see how it fits in with municipal plans. This would be true whether you plan to go to a safer area before attack or remain at home. It is particularly important that you know and understand the arrangements to instruct the public about staying in shelter and coming out of shelter when it is safe. Fallout is a health hazard which will require countermeasures for personal and family protection including assessment of radiation and advice and instructions to those in shelter.

There must be close understanding and cooperation between the public and municipal authorities responsible for their protection.

Find out about your municipal emergency plans now and keep well informed about them as they are further developed.

Step 11: Have A Plan For Your Family And Yourself

If you know what is contained in the first nine steps, and you know your municipal plan for a war emergency, you should now make your personal and family survival plan. The success of your plan will depend on how many of the suggested recommendations you carry out. Your chances of survival increase as you carry out each recommendation.

Thinking about the problems with which you would be faced should nuclear attack be launched against North America is the first important step. Blast, light, heat and radioactive fallout are the problems. A workable survival plan will include all of the preparations you can make in advance to meet those problems.

In making that plan, there are certain things you must know:

When to take protective action

When the sirens or other warning devices sound and your local broadcast station confirms that an attack on North America has been detected it means that you must take protective action immediately. Would you and your family

• Recognize the Attack Warning signal ?
• Turn on the radio or television and listen for instructions?

Where to take shelter

Deciding where you will take initial protective action and where you and your family will seek shelter from fallout are two basic points which you must consider in making your survival plan. Can you answer the following questions about seeking immediate protection and shelter:

• Have you decided where you will take shelter if you’re not at home when the Attack Warning sounds?
• Will you try to get home?
• Will your family know what to do if you are not at home?
• Is there a shelter plan for your children at school?
• Do you want them to try to get home?
• Does everybody in your family know your survival plan?

In thinking about what you will do or where you would go, you might consider leaving your home to find shelter elsewhere. Before you decide to plan on evacuation, consider the following questions:

• Will protection there be better than in your home?
• Are there sufficient supplies there?
• Can you carry emergency supplies for 14 days?
• Do you know how to get there quickly?

How to take shelter

If you don’t have a fallout shelter built in your home, study the guide given in Step 4. It shows how you can improvise emergency home protection. Bearing in mind that density and distance between you and the fallout is necessary, try to estimate if there is enough material and furniture to build an emergency shelter in your basement or the central part of your house.

• Can you move it to where it will be needed quickly?
• Will you have the help you require?

Based on the lists of emergency supplies suggested in Steps 5, 6, 7 and 8, try to answer the following questions:

• Do you have them at home?
• Can you collect and move them to the shelter area quickly?
• Does your emergency cooker, lamp, flashlight, radio work?
• Have you containers for water, garbage, hygiene?
• DO YOU HAVE A BATTERY RADIO AND SPARE BATTERIES?

There are many other points which you and your family must resolve for a workable survival plan. This booklet provides most of the essential information on which to base your plans. Read the Steps again, and, as you review each Step, try to answer the questions which apply to your surroundings, your home, your family. Here are a few more which may help:

• Do I know the recommended fire precautions?
• Does anyone in my family know how to fight small fires?
• Can an emergency supply of water be obtained quickly – for fire fighting? for personal use?
• Are first aid supplies and special medicines readily available?
• Does anyone in my family know how to render fist aid?
• Can materials for personal hygiene and cleanliness be gathered near the shelter area quickly?
• Do I know what I must do about radioactive dust?
• Do I know the emergency plans of my municipality – for public shelters? for planned evacuation routes? for schools, hospitals, welfare centres? other special instructions?

REMEMBER! YOU MUST PLAN FOR:

• PROTECTIVE ACTION WHEN WARNED OF ATTACK and
• PROVISION OF SHELTER AGAINST THE EFFECTS OF FALLOUT

On the basis of what you’ve read and the questions and answers you’ve thought about, you should now make your survival plan and start making whatever arrangements you can. BUT MAKE SURE THAT ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOUR PLAN AND WHAT TO DO WHEN THE TIME COMES.

The best way to arrive at a workable plan which will be remembered by your family is to practice it. If you plan on building an emergency shelter, try it now to find out if you have enough material, how much help you’ll need, if your proposed area is large enough, and how long it will take to build. Locate and practice moving essential supplies, water, clothing, bedding, etc. Practice the essential things you would have to do.

If you plan to move to what you consider a safer location, make a practice run to make sure you know the quickest and safest route, that protection is available when you get there, and that you can carry all the supplies you think you’ll need.

WRITE DOWN THE IMPORTANT PARTS OF YOUR PLAN.

List for quick reference the important things to be done in the event of warning. As examples, note when and where all members of your family will take shelter at all times; where essential items of food, shelter and other supplies will be obtained; how shelter will be improvised; what windows must be blocked; if you plan on going to what you consider a safer area, details of the route and supplies you will need at your destination.

Article originally found at:

the Survival and Prepardness Archive

Reproduced here for education and discussion.

———————————————————————-

Steve’s Retreat Survivalism
Disaster planning and preparations for families

From a British Viewpoint

Information, constructive comment and other useful articles for the family seeking to become better prepared

Introduction

I hope the reason you are reading this book is to help you choose what plans and preparations you wish to make to protect your family before, during and after a disaster.

I do not want you to see this as a “How To” book, Its prime objective it to make you think more about taking care of yourselves during times of crisis. If you find you agree with everything I have written then I have failed, Why ?, Because my needs differ from yours and those of your friends, the objective is to make you more aware of your own options and how to adapt your lifestyle best to meet the trials and tribulations that life will throw at you.

Disasters can be roughly defined as natural, political, ecological, or social in origin. They can be triggered by geological events, astral events, military and police activity, political and social upheavals are another common cause. Though you can do little or nothing to prevent these disasters happening you can to a certain degree try to minimise the effects of an event upon your family. The prime objectives are to survive the initial event and to continue to flourish and prosper after the event. In general it is everyone’s will to survive, However the view from mainstream society is to put their faith in the government to provide protection and support during and after a crisis. ( Even though very often it is the government that is the cause of the crisis in the first place). Survivalists are just ordinary folk who choose to take extra precautionary steps at individual and family level to protect their property and loved ones. Roughly speaking they take out extra insurance in the form of survival plans and preparations to ensure their family’s well-being. After this survivalists tend to adapt their lifestyles to take into consideration their survival plans.

People who turn to survivalism are usually by their very nature strong willed individuals with a strong desire to be as self-reliant and independant as possible. Survivalists for the most part are far more aware of global current affairs than Mr Joe Q Public, They foresee possible hazards and threats to their family’s integrity and well being, and choose to plan and prevent or minimise the effects of any unwelcome event.
The object of this little book is not to tell you how to survive this or that but to make you think a bit more about everyday lifestyle choices. House buying, Holidays, Work, Food supplies, Energy supplies, Health issues, Education etc are some of the things you make decisions about every day, What I want to do is to make you consider the survival aspect of your decisions and perhaps modify your choice accordingly.
I actually believe that survivalism as part of your way of life improves and enhances the quality of your view of the world and the environment around you. I hope you find this briefing of some benefit to you.

Steve Day
SURVIVALIST

A definition
One who provides for possible future events, be they natural disaster or social / political events so that they may have the food and tools necessary for continued survival.

Index
Survivalism in the millennium
Survivalism in the UK & across the world
Survivalism and the internet
Survivalist comparison
Readiness Levels
Retreat logic 1
Retreat logic 2
Lifestyle adjustments 1
Lifestyle adjustments 2
Your retreat
Real estate
Flood protection
Setting up your home as a retreat
Risk analysis
Risk
Threats from extremist government
Terrorism
Intelligence gathering
Earth changes
Aspects of support
Allies for survival
What do we teach our children?
Group security and defence
Transport considerations
Vehicle selection
The case for diesel
Self built campers as bug out vehicles
My bug out vehicle (2004)
Campervans as bug out vehicles
Fitting out your BOV
Towed trailer caravans
Mapping & Route Planning
Resource Mapping
Bug out checklist
Handy kit list
Bug out bags and bug out vests
Lightweight bug out vest ( Everyday wear vest kit)
Feel, fit, and familiarity (Getting to know your kit)
Stockpiling suggestions
Increased stock levels
Simple methods of caching
Food shelf life recommendations
Hygiene
Basic medical kit
Short term heat and light
Winter Preparation Check List

SURVIVALISM IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
As we move into the 21st century I firmly believe that there is more reason now to being prepared for trouble than there was in the 70′s and 80′s. Nuclear holocaust may not be a mainstream threat anymore but its still possible. Since the horrors on the 11Th September 2001 many people feel the threat from an Islamic nuclear or biological bomb is very high. However today I feel the threat is now more likely to be environmental / ecological in cause and the survivalist of the millennium has to be even more prepared and to have a broader skills base than ever was foreseen in the past. We must also consider the insidious threat from within, by that I mean tyrannical government or global terrorism action.

What has prompted this belief? , Well in the first place I watch news from around the globe from many various sources cross referencing where possible, I also monitor global weather events ( not as boring as it sounds) I also keep an eye open for items about unusual events and occurrences as well as what the worlds politicians are currently trying to screw up.

I will list a few and you can read from it what you may!
The severe weather aspect of El Nino is reported to be occurring more frequently and more severely, though the changes were well noted over the years it appears that the effects of El Nino are getting more extreme. Is it being enhanced by Global warming?

The recent discovery of super volcanoes, and as an example of such an item is the severe lifting of a lake in Yellowstone national park, Geologists believe that if this volcano decides to empty its magma chamber (which is overdue now**) it will screw up the worlds weather for five or more decades.

The last super volcano to erupt was Toba 74,000 years ago in Sumatra. Ten thousand times bigger than Mt St Helens, it created a global catastrophe dramatically affecting life on Earth. Scientists know that another one is due – they just don’t know when… or where.

**It is little known that lying underneath one of America’s areas of outstanding natural beauty – Yellowstone Park – is one of the largest super volcanoes in the world. Scientists have revealed that it has been on a regular eruption cycle of 600,000 years. The last eruption was 640,000 years ago… so the next is overdue.
(And the sleeping giant is breathing, vulcanologists have been tracking the movement of magma under the park and have calculated that in parts of Yellowstone the ground has risen over seventy centimetres this century. Is this just the harmless movement of lava, flowing from one part of the reservoir to another? Or does it presage something much more sinister, a pressurised build-up of molten lava?) Source BBC Horizon science program Feb 2000

Remember what the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa did in the 1800′s and magnify it many times. As of late 2004 interest in Super Calderas is once again on the increase as Yellowstone is once again showing signs of activity.

Even the ocean currents that help regulate Europe’s weather is under siege, the direction and flow of the gulf stream is reported to be changing beyond normal parameters and may be interrupted, This would cause Northern Europe and the UK to get the same type of weather that they get in Newfoundland as possibly as severe as Alaska.

Again in November 2003 the media is once more producing articles and science programs about the problems facing us if the Gulf Stream Conveyor Belt stops.
( This is covered in some depth once again on the BBC science program Horizon , Nov 2003)

Global warming is causing millions of tons of ice melt water from the poles pouring into the oceans which is reducing the salinity, which will eventually stop the gulf stream from flowing back south along the ocean bottom, this mass of melt water is also being supplemented by even more fresh water from Siberian rivers whose outflow has increased because of the huge increase in rainfall feeding the rivers because of global warming.

The underground aquifer which provides the water for the bulk of the great plains and its associated wheat growing areas ( the bread basket of the free world) is becoming so depleted through over extraction that where boreholes were originally dug to 60 feet are now being dug to 360 feet and the amount of water available for extraction and use is reducing annually, Fears are now being expressed that brackish salt water may find its way into the aquifer from coastal areas .
( This has been challenged by some of the more enlightened parties on the Misc Survivalism internet newsgroup who believe the fears about the water table becoming depleted are unfounded, but accept the risk from brackish water intrusion is genuine)

Earthquakes are occurring in places where they do not usually happen, or at least in areas where its been so long since the last one no record is available. In areas that do have earthquakes the severity of them and the frequency of them is increasing. ( Or is it as some people suggest, that its simply a case of better monitoring of fault zones and the increased reporting of shocks that drives the increased fears?)
The level 9 on the Rhichter scale sized sea quake in December 2004 in the Indian ocean created tsumanis ( huge sea waves) that devistated the coastlines of 14 nations leaving millions destitute and over 200, 000 dead with the majority of the victims being women and children.
Tornados are starting to occur in places like Utah and Maine and British Columbia where they never really occurred before.
European weather patterns are becoming unstable and more severe in there extremity.
The icecaps are starting to break up and huge ice masses are drifting into open waters, and the currents affected by the massive amounts of extra fresh water into the oceans are changing the flow pattern of the Gulf Stream.
To compound this we are still pouring ever increasing amounts of crap into the atmosphere, the ozone holes are getting bigger, fresh water is now becoming a valuable commodity (If you don’t believe me ask the folks in the mid west of the US of A, The folks in the southern part of Britain, The Palestinians and Israeli’s, parts of east Africa and southern Australia) Add to this the increasing world population and the trend of mass migration, 4 million Mexicans are trying to get across the Rio Grande per year and the EC believes that up to 7 million North Africans per year wish to relocate northwards. Currently the UK is receiving over 500,000 asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants a year all looking for a better life, it is estimated that those 500,000 have at least 750,000 dependants waiting to follow them to the UK if their application to stay is accepted.

Oil and coal is becoming harder and more expensive to extract, Current trends suggest a 30% shortfall in world needs within 25 years whilst demand is increasing at 22 % every 10 years. The UK is forecast to become a net importer of gas and oil in ten years time. Gas prices have recently tripled in the UK ( Autumn 2003). In the very near future the UK’s gas supplies will have to be piped over 3000 miles from Kazakhstan through some of the most geological and politically unstable parts of the world, I have no idea how they intend to protect the full length of the pipeline from terrorist attack.( Daily Mail July 2. 2003)

Power outages / brownouts, fuel shortages, interruption of logistics to keep the towns and cities going are increasing more in the developed world than in the third world.
( I wrote the comments above long before the big black outs that affected the north eastern US, London and Scandinavia in 2003, or the brown outs and power shortages that humiliated the people of California, outages will get worse and more frequent the more we have to rely entirely on vulnerable power systems.

Like it or not the world is getting a bit crowded and in the western world we are following the trend set by most of the great civilisations of the past in which the following equation came to be. The trend is of increased taxes and declining services, less cops, doctors, teachers, soldiers everything except bureaucrats. Declining services and quality of life, food, and our environment as more and more people place greater and greater demand on the social infrastructure.
The more civilised a society gets the higher the demands it places on its wealth, the more decadent the society becomes the more immoral and corrupt it becomes, the more tolerant a society became the lower the accepted values became, it always ends the same, escalating crime, collapse of society and family values, then the total disintegration of the society and in come the barbarians!

When a society collapses it is a gradual event to begin with then , at first localised problems gradually spilling out and increasing in severity until the chaos and violence simply overwhelms the society involved.
Most survivalists are aware of a moral and social problems locally in their area and the increased frequency of major events / issues which are for the most part bad. Those people are now taking the necessary steps to ensure the security & safety of their families and groups. What you also need to be doing is to prepare for a major social collapse of society in general. It usually begins with disharmony in one or two cities (shortages, strikes, riots, power outages,etc that the police, fire and medical services can not or will not attend, Cops start to look, dress and act more like soldiers, civil rights become suspended, freedom of travel becomes restricted etc)
This trend will then spread out to the suburbs and to neighbouring towns until it becomes a national crisis. The government will enact its emergency powers and promise to restore normality soon, but chances are it won’t happen.
Since 9/11/01 just how many more “emergency measures“ have been forced upon us in the name of national security? Do you believe any of them will be repealed if the crisis ends? How will a national identity card system and data recording system for the decent law abiding people prevent even one terrorist atrocity?.

Because of the size and complexity of the global market, once one nations finances become unstable or devalued and people in other countries get laid off en masse the rot will quickly spread until anarchy reigns and it becomes every person for themselves. What if say saltwater corruption of a nations freshwater aquifers occurs because of over extraction, or because of some tin pot dictator nuking or cutting off the oil to the free world, or perhaps America as the worlds greatest consumer of petroleum products deciding that it wants all of the available oil to sustain its people, They have the military might, no one else can hope to match them, If someone does have a go at them either way its going to cause a massive global depression.

Another cause for concern in western societies in the current trend for our own corporations to move much of their production to Asia and Eastern Europe to reduce costs. This is causing much dissent in the workforces of Europe and America as they see constant large influxes of economic migrants coming into their homelands who will work for less money than the indigenous people, and this is compounded by so many jobs such as banking and call centres moving away from the west to Asia at the same time.

Its just one of the not so pleasant aspects of the free market economy that has served us so well , Until Now ??????

If a collapse occurs (and judging by the extreme events of the first four years of the 21st Century the chances are that it is more likely now than ever ) you as survivalists need to be ready go it alone as self contained self-sufficient independent groups / communities for at least 18 months to 36 months, or until everyone has finished fighting, looting or has died through starvation, disease or conflict. Diseases such as BSE / CJD/ SARS /Avian flu have all caused great problems to man in only the first 3 years since the millenium, and of course AIDS / HIV has continued its trail of devastation across the globe. In the UK an untreatable variant of TB has caused London to become the TB capital of the western world.

Working together for our common objective is the most sensible way ahead, if anyone is going to survive it will be those of us who make sacrifices now to ensure the future for our children.

SURVIVALISM IN THE UNITED KINGDOM & ACROSS THE WORLD

In all the four corners of the world you will find survivalism flourishing, more people than ever before are trying to retake control over their own destinies and lifestyles. The United Kingdom is no different in that respect but it does have its own set of unusual circumstances for the modern survivalist to overcome.

Apart from the very obvious problems of the right to own firearms and the right to protect yourselves from criminals there is a strong public objection to people who are not mainstream in their lifestyles, If you don’t socialise in the accepted manner like enjoying soccer, going to the pub etc you are seen as an oddball. You compound this with the British survivalists natural conservatism and an inbred fear of others with whom they are not familiar you end up with a difficult environment in which to develop your skills and plans without being ridiculed by your neighbours or workmates.

Survivalism is a serious undertaking that is usually a very private matter for you and your family and not one you would choose to broadcast in any way, this in itself causes problems to overcome.

How do you gain the expertise you need in so many subjects without contacting others, how do you source the logistics and kit you require in the larger than normal quantities than Joe Public would buy, how do you gather the intelligence about current affairs, possible hazards, retreat locations etc without giving away your reasons, how do you overcome your natural curiosity as to what other survivalists are up to and are they doing something better than you are?

Some survivalists form “GROUPS” sharing costs, bulk buying, developing a communal retreat, having group “STANDARDS”, setting criteria for “MEMBERSHIP” etc these “GROUPS” tend to have a very strong willed “LEADER” controlling things and persuading the others to follow his way of doing things, sometimes this becomes elitist and at other times it becomes a “CULT” with the ruling elite controlling the ordinary members by intimidation, fear etc this is not a path that I would advocate that anyone follows for good reason.

The only things that survivalists should have to standardise upon are a set of communication frequencies and protocols for getting in touch with each other as and when THEY CHOOSE. Survivalists by their very natures are very intelligent, free thinking, broadminded individuals each with their own agendas to follow. This is why they became survivalists in the first place because the wish to be in control over their own lives and destinies without outside forces controlling their freedom of personal choice.

Yes it would be nice and easy if we all had the same equipment, fuel and ammunition calibres but for the reasons shown above individual people have their own preferences and reasons for choosing their kit etc.
Insisting that everyone uses petrol power cookers or generators or vehicles as part of being a “MEMBER” of the group is stupid if one of the group lives on a farm that is totally diesel powered and has 10.000 gallons of the stuff stored on site. Its the same principle if everyone has to have weapons available only in 7.62 rimless NATO calibre and one of the guys lives in a very heavily forested area that would be better served by a 12 gauge pump action shotgun. Individuality must be encouraged not stifled by diktat from government or the leaders of your local group. Communism and a single plan of development has been proven not to work where as freedom of choice and flexibility has been shown to flourish, this is especially true for survivalists.

It has been said “No man is an Island” this also holds true for survivalists and a way to share our skills, etc and to find others of a similar outlook to ourselves is part of human nature, we must balance the survivalists need for privacy and security against the need to gather information and contacts with other people like ourselves.

The way ahead for us I feel is something I saw when in the US of A where like minded people came together twice a year for what they called a RENDEZVOUS, At these events people got to meet each other on neutral ground to socialise, barter, cross train, get the latest gossip, share ideas, find out what’s new etc. These events have been very successful at bridging the gap amongst people of similar beliefs without putting any restrictions upon them, what was not acceptable there was anyone trying to force upon the others their ideals and beliefs.

SURVIVALISM AND THE INTERNET

In recent years the internet has provide priceless access to information about survivalism, people, places, plans, equipment, finding people with similar politics to yourself etc. The Survivalist and Self-reliance communities have made huge steps forward in sharing information by accessing the Internet. One particular problem people when using the internet is accessing and recovering information, contacts and intelligence etc that are of interest to you that is free from unwanted / unsolicited / abusive or obscene material.
On public news groups such as Misc Survivalism, Alt Survival etc one can find very enlightened and useful material, but one can also become exposed to Trolls, Flamers, Virus attacks, Spam, and people with questionable morals and intentions.
This is sadly an all to common an experience for people new to the world of survival and it has caused many of them to withdraw from trying to make useful contacts or to access the information they so rightly need. Fortunately for us a few valiant souls have taken on the role of setting up and running superb top notch moderated news groups and survival archives.
For example The Rocky Mountain Survival Group, Frugal Squirrel, and similar organised groups have created public archives of huge libraries of survivalist / self reliance information. But even better than these useful archives there has evolved the Miscellaneous Survivalism Moderated news group ran by the popular Canadian Survivalist called BAX which is hosted by Yahoo Groups. It currently has nearly 1600 members many of whom post to the discussion board frequently.
Bax and his team of skilled moderators have created a well balanced up to date well informed news group that does away with the unpleasant or unsolicited parts of the world wide web that most of us wish to avoid. Using his teams selective judgement they have set up MSM so that they the moderators can trawl the survivalist and self reliance news groups that have proliferated recently looking for intelligent posters who can be invited to join MSM . The advantage of this selective membership ensures that in general only contributors and users of the highest calibre are allowed to join the membership of MSM . The group is ran fairly but firmly with all posts being vetted before being posted. On MSM there is a a very busy bullitin board, file archives, real time chat room and other highly useful sources of information.So if you wish to participate in useful constructive and reasoned debate, or need access to quality archive material then you must apply to Bax for probationary membership or make enough constructive posts on survival oriented news groups for Bax and his team to identify and approach you.Jan 2004
Bax / MSM can be contacted via misc_survivalism_moderated-owner@yahoogroups.com
Interested in: Survival, Food storage, firearms, canning, gardening, self-sustaining communities, back to basics, water purification, alternative power, conservation, homesteading, first aid and more??
Come join us in this group MSM

A second group on the Yahoo Groups Forum is the rapidly growing SURVIVAL RETREAT news group ran by a chap called Rick, The popular group concentrates on the core survival issues of Survival Retreats and Secure Homes, Hot topic debates, and topic of the week issues ensure this group keeps boiling with ideas, concepts and debate on all thing Retreat oriented, current membership exceeds 300 and the quality of debate and subject matter is very high. I can recomend this group to all considering the issues around maintaining a secure home or retreat, Contact survivalretreat-owner@yahoogroups.com for more information .another Yahoo group is practical survival 3 in which varied debate can be found.PracticalSurvival3-owner@yahoogroups.com. In March 2005 a supplimentary group to these two was created, its called survival vehicles and as you can imagine it concentrates on the transportation aspects ( bugging out) of survivalism. survivalvehicles-owner@yahoogroups.com
SURVIVALISTS COMPARED

It is difficult to define what makes a survivalist different from any one else in the population? Why are we so different and what makes us tick?

Well to start with we don’t like to rely on governments to dictate how we live our lives and by what values we find socially acceptable. We tend to be a tad conservative in our outlook on the world.
We don’t ask for anything more from the state than we can contribute, we prefer to stand up for ourselves, and in return we simply wish to be left alone to live our lives by our own long established values.

We have a different perspective on how to live our lives in comparison to Mr & Mrs Joe Public, After work we tend to spend our free time on trying to better our life skills and improve our knowledge of our environment to better prepare us for any given crisis and we make time to live life to its fullest without harming anyone else or the environment where possible. We make contingency plans whilst Joe Public expects the Govt to provide for him when things go wrong.

If there is a huge electrical storm and the main power substations get toasted Joe Public will pick up the phone and call the utility companies and his councillor and sometimes even the police demanding that action be taken to put the power back on because “A” its not his fault, he pays his bills and demands the service paid for “B” Its the governments fault for not preventing it.

Meanwhile down the street the family of “weirdo’s” who are survivalists use their flashlights to get out the stored camping lanterns and candles, turn on their battery powered radio to find out more about what’s happening, Then go round their close neighbours providing hot drinks, spare candles and news reports.

Its the same with our kids and our free time, Joe Public will happily give his kids £10 and tell them to get out to play and get home before 11pm whist he and his partner head of to the Pub / Club/ Soccer match. Whilst the kids are tormenting the residents of some distant neighbourhood and getting into all sorts of bother (drunk, stoned, arrested, pregnant etc) the Public’s have gotten a skin full of beer and a takeaway meal and are screaming and swearing at each other in the taxi or on the walk home, ruining the peace and quiet of the late evening (Mrs Smith at number 37 will once again wake up and find a discarded Chinese meal in her garden and old Tom at number 43 will find vomit all over his car). When the Public’s get home they find a message from the police dept on the answer phone saying young Wayne has been arrested for being drunk and stealing a car, whilst discovering 15 year old Tracy is in bed with her boyfriend.

After the hassle with the police and social services you will find the Public’s in the pub again the next day / week! telling their associates that the government should do something to stop kids from getting into trouble and “don’t you think those stupid survivalists would have anything better to do than go round banging on peoples doors asking folk if they would like some candles and a hot drink”.

In the meantime what are the survivalists doing, First they are ensuring that should the gas / electricity / water go off they can get by comfortably with their reserve kit, Dad is taking the lads out to go camping and abseiling and Mum is going to help the girls at the white water canoeing event before she orders those books on helping educate your kids at home.
Tomorrow she will help the girls with their preparations for their exams and if they do alright she will let them off with their garden chores and let them have some free time providing they are in by 10pm and let her know where they are.

Last year when Mr Public and Mr Survivalist were laid off at the same time Mr Survivalist spent his time doing odd jobs for people to get a few bucks earned and to maintain his dignity whilst going to night school to improve his education.
Mr public told his mates in the club were he spends his enforced free time that he went down the social security office and told them straight ” I demand some benefits because I’ve paid my taxes” and then evicted his kids saying “Get down the council and tell them you must be given a flat rent free plus some dole because the bloody government wont help people like us when its their responsibility”.

Mr Survivalist at the supermarket asks his wife ” Cant we find something better than this for our main meal because the packet says it pre-processed, full of E’s and additives and preservatives, surely this cant be doing the kids any good”

Mr Public at the supermarket says to his wife ” Don’t go wasting any money on fancy crap because I need to get my cigarettes yet and we need some cash to go out with tonight”.

Mr Survivalist asks his wife at the travel agents store ” I reckon that a holiday near that outdoor pursuits centre would be good for us and the kids, you know the one I mean near that leather crafts and pottery centre, bags of fresh air and fresh grub and loads of exercise for the kids”

Mr Public says to his long suffering partner at the travel agents ” We are going back to that place last we went to last year, you know the one, its the place with the dirt cheap booze and an all night disco, The kids can go and play in the arcade again.

Mrs public got mugged last week her assailant ran up to her and demanded her purse, he got it, Soon after the same thug came across Mrs Survivalist and tried the same on her, he got it, a broken nose and fractured elbow from her telescopic baton. Of course it was the police and governments fault for allowing Mrs Public to get attacked.

Mrs Survivalist went home with a confident smile on her face, she did not bother to report the attack because she knew that she would be the one who got prosecuted.

There is a distinct difference between the mental attitude of the general public and survivalists in planning for and dealing with adversity, The attitude of Joe Public has been and is getting more biased towards relying on the nanny / social state to tell them how to live work and play and to not make major decisions or take actions of their own. The politicians leap at every opportunity to react to knee jerk public outcry over some tragic event and to introduce more and more draconian / orwellian legislation.

This leads us down a narrow path to a point of seperation, Society willingly gives away its given right to freedom every time a politician promises to make things right with new laws, The shooting incidents at Hungerford and Dunblain are perfect examples of vote grabbing, knee jerk politics used to disarm and pacify a population of willing serfs in exchange for hollow promises of a safer society. If this was not truly the case then why have the British Police with Home Office support, year after year since 1918 but en masse since 1966 demanded and received more restrictive firearms legislation on the assurance that when such laws were introduced armed crime rates would be dramatically reduced. Of course the opposite has been the effect, armed crime has risen year on year but the public no longer has the means to protect its self, The other evil side effect to this society of tolerance and understanding is that the criminals get off leniently or scot free to re-offend at will, and the public get prosecuted to the fullest effect of the law if they try to protect themselves or their property. From 1996 to 2002 crimes of violence involving firearms have risen over 51% in the UK according to the international crime survey. ( Since 1997 to 2004 Gun Crime and Violent crime in the UK have risen by over 100% while detection and arrest rates have fallen to an all time low, this has led directly to an increase in the migration of decent families from the cities to more rural pastures)

The Survivalist is taking the other route to taking responsibility for their own lives and destiny, Work hard, help others, ask for nothing, be intolerant of all crime, make decisions and accept the responsibility for their actions. For us there is hope that when society destroys itself we will be able to live our lives in a manner we choose, For the public I say to them ” don’t forget to kiss the hand that feeds you.

READINESS LEVELS

This is a suggested guide to prepare for any future crisis; it is not a hard and fast plan and should be adapted to your own needs.
Readiness level

1 What kit you carry about you at any given time (knife, multi-tool, lighter, etc).
2 What’s in your car, house, office, workplace at any given time.
3 What you pull out from storage during a time of increased awareness and keep about your person.
4 As per 3 but stored in car, house, office, workplace at time of increased awareness.
5 What you take with you when “away” from home should be increased to maximum level.
6 Extra stuff you obtain because of increased concerns (kit, food, fuel etc).
7 Extra stuff you obtain and distribute to home, car, cache, and retreat when you become aware that all may not be well.
8 When you stock the larder to 3 months level, keep the car and fuel cans topped up, check the cache and retreat stock levels, you start buying those urgent extra’s, move your books and reference materials to the retreat.
9 when you establish daily communications s with others in your support group and increase monitoring of news sources.
10 Where you insist on knowing where you family is at any given time and restrict how far they can travel from home.
11 Update and increase stock levels in cache, retreat and bug out bags to long term levels, relocate extra kit and clothes to the retreat, restrict families movements away from home, spend free time readying the retreat, monitor news hourly.
12 Put bug out bags by front door, keep family at home, put support group onto 4 hours notice, all fuel levels topped off.
13 Activate retreat, check all escape routes from home, relocate as many of family as can be spared to retreat ASAP if possible.
14 Monitor all sources of news, shut down home, put support group on 1 hours notice to go, anyone who can “”afford”" to go to the retreat doe’s so.
15 Bug out or batten down “BEFORE” crisis gets out of hand, ALL family and support groups to go to retreat locations immediately.
16 Full defence/security precautions to be put into operation, low profile/concealment protocols to be maintained, no lights to be shown after dusk/before dawn, no smoke to be visible during daylight, all vehicles hidden and fuel preservatives to be added to petrol, diesel etc.
17 Be ready for late arrival of members who may be ill, diseased, wounded or who are being forced to show hostile strangers the location of retreat.
18 Start patrolling area.
19 All external forays to be treated as patrols, no one goes outside on their own.
20 Pray!

RETREAT LOGIC

“Stay or go”
When is the right time to head for your retreat or safe haven is a question I am frequently asked, This brings into question the entire concept of retreating because everyone has their own views on “when to go (or stay) and Why ?”

My view is that most of us are not financially independent enough to afford a full scale total living retreat, Yes most of us have somewhere to go if the **** hits the fan and I am sure that you could survive for months on your own, but what about your dependants?
Can they and would they wish to rough it for months in a strange environment, They may have the physical strength but what about the mental and emotional strength?

What about you, how long can you exist, what will you do if you become incapacitated for any reason, I think you will need support from others in time no matter how good your survival skills and plans are.

When are you going to go? What will be the trigger for you to uproot your family and resources to your designated retreat? What will you do if someone else who outnumbers and out guns you has taken possession of your site? What if you can not get to your site in time before events overtake you?
All of these questions must be addressed and answers found NOW.

Food for thought.
Yes I know you have important commitments, work, schooling, housing and finances etc but all of your efforts will be wasted if some political or natural event causes your premature demise because you were not ready or able to react in time. So when is the right time to go to a location that will maximise your chances of survival without creating the added burden of severe emotional trauma?
The answer is now! you need to make your home your first level of safety and security. You must assess your community for risks, hazards, resources and assets, especially if you are in very high areas of population density.The same applies to areas of political instability or are in strategic target areas so on and so forth. Are you close enough to receive support from other survivalists with whom you have mutual support agreements?

If you are unhappy with your results then its time to move house as soon as possible.
Have you have wondered why many survivalist families move to north western US states or Yorkshire, Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland in the UK, Its not just that the areas are more rural and have lower levels of population density. The cost of living is less and properties are cheaper and there is more choice for your money. I agree that salaries are lower away from the big cities but so are the living costs. What some of you are now doing working from home, some of you transfer within your companies, some of you have sufficient skills to enable you to diversify in your choice of work, and some of you can live off the profits from the sale of your current properties. A certain percentage of you will not be able to do any of the above so you must develop contacts in the area you intend to retreat to (perhaps you can rent holiday cottages to become more familiar with area of your choice).
You will still need a hidey hole to bug out to if everything goes to hell and back but it wont need to be as highly equipped as a full scale retreat, you may even be able to get away with a set of caches near your new home if they are well chosen and well sited.
SUMMARY
You need the will and the commitment to take this route but it will work out cheaper than developing a full size retreat, and will not be as stressful to increase your level of readiness as it would to watch the world fall apart around you during a crisis. And you will not have to leave the security and stability of your home.
This will not be the answer to everyone’s wishes but does give a valid alternative to the purchase and running of two homes and it could if planned properly put you closer to other survivalists who can and will support each other when needed.

RETREAT LOGIC 2

Sometimes for various reasons the survivalist can not establish a permanent retreat location, It could be work commitments, family pressure or financial constraints etc, and of course the commonest reason for not doing anything is the lack of will to make a commitment .

So we must try to provide some other options for these good people to at least give them a choice on the matter of surviving the coming troubles.

What I want to do is suggest that you consider obtaining one of the following options.

A mobile home in a secure location that could be deemed as a main retreat, It will need auxiliary power and water supplies, IE solar/wind power system, composting toilet, bottled gas systems, cached kit nearby etc.

A towed caravan trailer with the same kit as for the mobile home placed on a small-secluded site away from major cities and developments.

A folding caravan, the type that is all alloy or glass fibre construction, A six berth model when folded down for transport or storage measures as little as 1.5 metre wide 2.4 metre long and 1.2 metre high. They can be stored on their sides to decrease the amount of storage space required. The same auxiliary kit will be required.

A motor camper perhaps with a towed trailer with your kit in it or a motor camper with your kit stored away from home, perhaps en-route to your retreat location.

If you are up to it perhaps a full scale overland expedition vehicle??? ( Unimog / Bremach/ Pinzgaur )

OPTIONS
It may be feasible if you go for any of the three towing options to simply adapt your current vehicle with a tow bar and electrics.

It may be worth your while to change your family car by making a motor camper your prime method of transport.

Some people have already purchased a 4WD vehicle for their survival plans and do not have enough resources left to establish a prime retreat, those folk could fit a tow bar etc and haul one of the options listed above.

Some people have suggested abandoning or not relying on their own private retreats, but finding suitable communal sites throughout the UK where upon they could team up with other members of a support network and spend their own limited resources on a mobile retreat / survival vehicle type system. This obviously means being prepared to bug out that bit earlier if necessary which may be a small disadvantage. (Which can be reduced if your vehicle is stored away from the cities) On the other hand it can combine your days off / holidays with your survival plans, reducing costs and duplication. Another point in the favour of investing in mobile equipment is that if your spouse or partner is a reluctant survivalist you can simply explain that the van / trailer / motor home is your new leisure hobby.

These options at least give you more food for thought and also give you the option of being able to remain independent and fully equipped when away from home for work or leisure.
You can get a decent used caravan from £1500 a folder from £2500 a good mobile home should be in the region of £6000 and up whilst a basic but usable motor home can be gotten for £3000.

For those of a maritime persuasion you could consider a cabin cruiser or convert an old lifeboat / fishing boat.

LIFESTYLE ADJUSTMENTS 1

As a survivalist you will need at some point in time to assess your personal level of readiness, You will become acutely aware of your local environment and begin to realise that you must make some adjustments to your lifestyle to give you the best chance of surviving.

To achieve this is not as traumatic as you think it simply means adding another consideration to your day to day living decisions, A few examples are listed below.

If you are moving house as well as the normal considerations such as price and room sizes / local amenities / schools etc add to your list has it got a cellar for your stockpile? Is the garden large enough to provide space to grow food? Is the water supply gravity fed or pumped? Does it present to you a sustainable position? Is it unobtrusive? Can you bug out from it quickly without having to fight your way through heavy traffic or refugee columns?

Career decisions are also important and financial reward is usually paramount in your decision making, but at some point if you take survivalism seriously you may have to trade off a big juicy salary against a more modest one but be in a position where upon you are not going to be stuck in the middle of a large city when trouble strikes.

Independence from the system and the ability to have alternatives available for you to choose from must be realised, Yes you may be making a huge salary in the city but if crap happens (as it does) your money is going to be worthless if you are stuck in Westminster or your local city centre and your kids (who are worth more than any job) are across town 10 miles away on their own, stuck in a school with no support from you, while your partner is 8 miles in the other direction wondering why the lights and elevators are not working and why are all those people ransacking the shops down in the street.

You always have a choice and most of us will make some wrong ones when it comes to living our lives, You say for example “I have to work in the city” for any amount of reasons, I respect your decision as its yours to make but it is you that has to live ( or die) with that decision not me. Try asking yourselves why has MR A moved to the outskirts of town or why MR B has moved out to the countryside, what prompted Colin from admin to buy a 4 WD RV and spends all his free time at his chalet /caravan/camping lodge. You here comments like “I wonder what got into Claire from planning to fit solar panels to her house roof and her friend Sandy has just fitted a composting toilet system / waste water recycle system to her bungalow “. It’s your choice but money is a poor substitute for wisdom.

Can you come to some agreement with your boss allowing you to become a home office worker (“why the hell does everyone else seem to be doing that ?” you ask yourself ) Can you relocate to one of the smaller regional offices / stores / departments. Every bit helps swing the pendulum in your favour.
Who can I contact to get help and support if I want to improve my odds in a crisis? Is there a place my family can escape to if we have to get out of town fast? Is there anyone else out there who feels the same as me? Where can I learn more about self-reliance? What do I do NOW?

This is why you need to set up or join a MUTUAL SUPPORT NETWORK so that like minded people can get together for their own benefit, Without anyone forcing their opinions, values and beliefs upon you, NO religion No politics, without you soliciting those opinions first. That’s what you could do, it wont be perfect but what is, all that matters is there are people out there who don’t like the way society is going or trust the system to protect them.

LIFESTYLE ADJUSTMENTS 2

Logic decrees that your everyday life and your survival plans will coexist in harmony after a while, the route to this can be smoothed over by trying to make things multi functional / dual purposed such as making enlightened choices when buying things. A few possible examples are listed below.

In your kit selection plans you will inevitably have need for some flashlights and perhaps a baton or night stick, Why not combine both together, Instead of getting a couple of Eveready torches or similar generic junk why not get something like a maglite 6 x C cell flashlight, it will provide you illumination and also be of use as a baton.( The Current trend is for ultra powerful military tactical flashlights and long battery life LED head equipped flashlights)

Daft things like key rings are useful, people are always buying novelty key rings that answer to whistles or have games in them, why not get a kubotan from your local martial arts store and fix it to your keys, this way you have your keys close to hand and when combined with the kubotan you have a good defensive weapon and a flail combined, its legal as well.

Buying a new stereo? Make sure its got short-wave on it and marine and air bands, this helps provide Intel from sources outside your area and are not influenced by government pressure, also at times you can monitor amateur radio broadcasts and inter-group transmissions from the US of A

Transport is another consideration, if you are buying a new vehicle think about it as a useful survival vehicle, Consider how much kit you can get in it, Can it go off road, (not necessarily a 4 wd but good ground clearance helps), Can you fold the seats down or is the load bed long enough to sleep in (without having to empty everything out), Can you obtain spares for it easily without having to order parts from Japan or Europe, Can you fit long range fuel tanks with enough fuel to get to your retreat by the longest possible route.

Holidays, If you choose not to vacation in the countryside at your chosen retreat location then at least go somewhere that you can recon as you rest and play with one eye on spotting useful resources and escape routes should you become trapped there.

Perhaps you are doing some home improvements? At the very least do not end up with only one source of heat/light etc, if you can afford it get a multi-fuel AGA or Rayburn type stove, if you can’t then get a multi fuel barbeque type stove that will burn wood /coal/charcoal and bottled gas.

Nearly everything that you get that is electrically powered should be capable of running of batteries as well and you need to get plenty of rechargeable Ni cads and a solar powered recharging unit to go with them, IE hair dryers, flashlights, radios, soldering irons, water pumps, etc.

Try where possible to make everything serve two or more roles and this will help your adjustment to a higher state of readiness that bit easier.

YOUR RETREAT

You are probably well aware of what you need at your retreat, things like independent water supplies (preferably artesian or deep well) independent power (solar panels, wind turbines, surface deposited coal, peat bogs, sustainable woodland, methane generators etc) Thermally efficient south facing structures for domestic and work use, low maintenance structures etc.

The other concerns have also been equally well addressed in other articles by some very enlightened people, concealed approach roads, space for agricultural use, defendable territory, low profile aspects, expandable etc .

So now you have your retreat, you have either moved in to it and made it your permanent residence or perhaps you use it for your days off and holidays, or you share it with other members of your group on an ad hoc basis. Now what you need to consider is how you keep it secure and out of the public eye until you need it, Its no use just trying to hide it with camouflage or hoping your neighbours wont be curious about your plot, sooner or later someone is going to come calling, be it a nosy neighbour, the vicar, someone from the council or water board, the local cop, some poachers, it could be anyone that blows your cover.

So what can you do to maintain a low profile? I suggest a system of twists upon the truth when approached about your retreat or the activities going on there. If someone asks about the amount of gun noise coming from the place try something along the lines of ” We have a plague of barn rats and once a month me and my friends get together to cull them”.

Perhaps it becomes noticed that you have been getting huge deliveries of food to your base, Try telling them that you run a catering business out of town but you keep your stocks at home, as you can see the objective is to remain mainstream respectable to the rest of the public.

As to the retreat itself with its waterwheels, turbines, 28 tons of coal, loads of animals in the public eye your best bet may be to play the role of a bunch of environmentalist hippies who are into ecology, pollution control, healthy living etc, another trick is to pretend you are some sort of govt sponsored research base or an outward bound centre or a retreat for the victims of emotional trauma.

It is difficult to be inconspicuous but its a better bet than just relying on concealment, other points you could consider is having a barbeque every now and then with the locals ( after hiding the anti social stuff) to help maintain a sense of normality, perhaps during the summer months you could allow the local scouts and guides to use your field at no charge for their annual camp or hold the village fair or an antique car show anything that lets folk think you have nothing to hide. Perhaps you could flog off your spare eggs and fresh vegetables to the local pensioners at cost or even better FREE, all of this will help endear you to the locals thereby helping you lose yourselves in the community.

A wise sage once said the best place to hide a tree is in a forest.

REAL ESTATE

Most survivalists at some point will choose to move home for one reason or another this gives them a golden opportunity to make some of those lifestyle adjustments, You do not need to go looking for a 5 bed detached farmhouse next to a river to improve your chances as some people believe.

Most people involved in survivalism can not afford to go for the ” Ideal” place, its always a compromise of costs, work, schools, transport etc that have to be a balancing factor in your choice, but if you consider a few of the following tips and perhaps achieve even one of them then you will improve your survival odds as well as improving your lifestyle.

Don’t go for a property that is on a main road or is likely to be used as a shortcut to a main road, avoid where possible the large dormitory estates that are springing up all over the country. You certainly don’t want to be along the chosen route that the panicked hoards of refugees use to flee the cities.

Don’t buy property near substations, telephone exchanges, TA centres, motorway junctions, railway facilities, hospitals, industrial or retail units or shopping malls, (the local shops are OK). Basically avoid things that will attract refugees or police / military attention during a crisis.

Try to find property that is nondescript, out of view from the main thoroughfares, shielded from prying eyes by hedges or walls. Make sure it’s not prone to flooding.

Try to find property in low population centres if at all possible, is this the time to ask the boss if you can work from home or transfer to the smaller regional office?, American thinking on this point suggests living in a community that is small enough to not be affected by the problems in the cities but big enough to have a full skills base and be able to go self sufficient.

Older properties have more useful facilities than newer ones such as cellars, out houses, workshops, old but still useable wells, larger gardens, established fruit trees, places that could be used to keep food animals. Can the property take a wood/coal Range or AGA type cooker in the kitchen, does it have proper chimneys so a wood / coal fireplace can be fitted if necessary?

Consider the aspect of the property, take a compass with you, the best properties have south facing gardens to get the most sunlight, can you add solar panels and/or a wind turbine discreetly, is it windy enough for a turbine?

Does the property have sufficient storage space for an office / storeroom/ shelter / workshop / bunkroom? If you need any of them.

Is the property in a low crime area? Does it have easy access to the schools and your works if you have to grab the kids / spouse etc to bug out in a crisis, Is there a choice of bug out routes, foot /bike / car / water/ etc that are separate from the main public routes. Are there fields pastures etc close by that provide the kids room to learn and play safely whilst also being suitable for growing food on, Is there an independent source of fuel available such as trees, opencast coal/sea coal/peat etc in the vicinity?

Can you get your vehicles off the road and out of sight at the new property, are the vehicles going to be secure when not in use, can you load / unload bug out kit / food etc without your neighbours seeing what your up to?

Can you get good radio reception (SW/FM) in the area so you can communicate with others in your group?

ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIVES THERE IF YOU HAVE TO?

If failing all else and you end up with a three bed semi that relies on mains gas and electric power you need to ensure that its fully insulated and you get at least 2 large Calor gas type bottles* a camping cooker / heater and gas powered light source, A portable camping toilet, you should also consider investing in a portable generator and a large quantity of preserved fuel for it.

*An absolute minimum of two 13 KG bottles for short term emergencies.

My experience has led me to believe that older properties are best for space, the newer developments of the last 40 years are the worst unless purpose built for independent living, I like bungalows in particular especially ones built between 50 and 70 years ago, they tend to be very spacious inside with lots of storage room and the grounds are usually quite large. They also tend to be built away from the main areas of development in our towns. I must admit that newer properties are better insulated than oldrer properties but it is fairly simple to retrofit an older house with modern insulation techniques.

If you must choose only one thing then let it be that you move out of town as far as possible.

FLOOD PROTECTION

Not all of us can afford to move home to locations that are the most beneficial to survivalists, many of us have to compromise over one or more preferred attributes.

Whilst in many cases we can move within a given area to places a that are more rural, more secure, more remote, more defendable, more sustainable etc, very often because of work or family or other commitments we are unable to move more than a set distance. One problem that can occur is that because of these restrictions you are unable to move to ground high enough to avoid the risk from flooding.

**Of course if you are planning on moving to a property on higher ground it is generally accepted that you buy a property at least 30 feet above the maximum recorded flood height for that area. This is because if higher water levels become the norm the first ten feet of the 30 may be the new normal high tide mark, the next ten feet in the frequently flooded area, followed by another 5 feet of land that could be unusable because of the new higher water table, leaving only 5 feet of dry land for agricultural use.**

So if you are stuck in a position where the risk from occasional flooding is unavoidable you need to try to reduce the risks to your home or retreat.

Starting from your boundary line consider these options

Can you raise a levi or earth berm around the perimeter of your home or house.
Can you build a brick / stone or concrete garden wall that is strong enough to hold back at least two feet of floodwater ( you would need to be able seal off the gate during a period of high risk.
Can you make your water proofed gates outward opening so that the more the water pushes against them the tighter the seal is made.
Can you create a run off gully or soak away to help the water to rapidly drain away.
( not into your neighbours garden)
Can your car be moved to higher ground but still close enough if you have to bug out.

Moving in from your boundary can you fit one way flap valves to your waste water and toilet outflow pipes to prevent water and waste backing up into your home.
Can your construct or obtain covers to seal off the air bricks in your walls and to seal off any gaps surrounding utility pipes and cables where they enter your home.
Can you obtain or make a shuttering board to seal off your front and back doors ( and French or patio doors)
Can you have your gas and electrical distribution boards moved to a much higher position in the wall.
Can you arrange for the upstairs section of your home to be able to be isolated from the downstairs ( If you can and your D/Board is not immersed in the flood you may be able to keep the power on upstairs during the flood)
Can you apply a water proof rendering to the outside of your home ( only worthwhile in places where flood risks are high and frequent.

Ensure the gap around all windows in well sealed with a quality silicone sealant.

Moving now to the contents.

It is wise to pre plan where exactly you are going to move your possessions when a flood warning is issued.
For example can the design of your furniture allow for you to simply be able to lift the TV/ VCR, Sat system/ PC / music centre onto higher shelving in the same room.

In my house the PC can be lifted straight up onto the top shelf of my desk to a height of 4ft 6 inches, my TV / VCR can be lifted straight up to a height of 6 FT. My book collection is in a portable bookcase that can easily be carried upstairs.
( My precious books now live upstairs in my office)

In the kitchen you need to allow space on the work surfaces ( that’s 3 feet up at least) to move your white goods ( Fridge/ freezer/ washer/ Drier/ Dishwasher etc) up onto if you get enough warning.

The only thing I can not easily move is the carpets, suite and an aquarium.

Do keep all your personal documents including your insurance policies in a water and fireproof box upstairs.

Keep your BOB bags etc close at hand but off the ground ( at least three feet) and preferably stored in waterproof bags

Keep a good selection of waterproof zip lock bags to store your valuables in.

Be ready to get out quick at all times , never get into a position where as the water becomes so high or so fast moving you can not safely escape without endangering your lives.

If you are wealthy enough to be able to afford a boat/dinghy/ inflatable of some sort, ensure that you have the skill and competence to use it in a flood, it is nothing at all like a jaunt around the local lake, boats in the hands of inexperienced folk can be more of a health hazard than a life saver.
Another prudent step is to keep a role of heavy duty water proof plastic garden refuse bags , these can be used to pack belongings into if you decide you must move everything out of the house.( if for example there may be a risk of the house collapsing.)
Another use of course is if the flood water is going to stay for a long time it may be wise to pack away clothing and other belongings to prevent them from getting damp or mildewed.
Don’t forget to make sure everyone in the houses has decent knee high waterproof Wellingtons available and the head of the house may decide to keep a pair of waders as well.

I would also add the proviso that if you choose to live on a beach front development then get a house that is elevated on stilts in case of tsunamis this wont save you from the rare monster waves but it could save you from the more frequent surge variant of the type that decimated SE Asia in 2004.

WARNING
********************** The moment problems occur with flood water leaving the normal boundaries of the local water ways, you MUST assume that the water supply is tainted and boil or chemically treat all drinking and cooking water.******

SETTING UP YOUR HOME AS A RETREAT

For financial reasons most modern houses were not built with survivalists in mind, few houses have chimneys that can be easily opened out so that a wood/coal fire be installed in a crisis, this would be needed to provide sufficient space for cooking as well as providing heat, many older houses that had coal fired back boilers have had theses fittings ripped out, those that do / did have such structures usually had them in one of the living rooms. The ideal location for a large chimney fireplace structure would be in the kitchen. It would not be easy to build or alter the structure of a modern house to accept a chimney and fire place, even more problems are caused by the small size of most modern kitchens and the weakness in the properties flooring making it difficult to fit in an AGA or Rayburn type stove, and we have not even yet considered the costs involved.(1)

Most modern houses now have direct feed water supplies to supply a combination boiler, shower etc with little or no facility to store any reasonable amounts of water. (2)

Electricity supplies are supplied by the national grid to 99 % of properties and its been that way for over fifty years, local suppliers / generators of electricity are extinct in the UK. (3)

Gardens in properties have been reducing in size on new developments since the late 1950s; it would be almost impossible to use a modern garden to provide sufficient food to feed a family. (4)

Most modern properties have very limited storage space in them, next to none but the most expensive have more than 4 bedrooms, or a loft or cellar. (5)

Options available

If you have decided that you must stay in a town or city and that your home is going to be your retreat then your options are limited and on a sliding scale of viability/sustainability. Remember the higher the population density the higher the risk is of epidemic and pestilence, Can you at least move out of the city/town centre to the suburbs?

Your first choice would be to buy an old Victorian / Edwardian house that has a cellar, large enclosed rear garden with a kitchen that can be returned to its original format, these buildings usually have a large cellar that can be used for storing food, water and equipment in large amounts it can also be used for a shelter/ hidey hole if the doorway is concealed, (During a crisis its still best to disappear by living low key in the cellar until it quietens down).A lot of Victorian gardens were designed with self sufficiency in mind, outhouses for keeping fowl and rabbits in, grain / coal stores, big useful green houses fed by the heat from decaying compost in a pit alongside. The high wall provided shelter to the plants and provided a security screen to prying eyes, a lot of the gardens had quite a reasonable selection of fruit trees in them as well.

Don’t forget to buy property that’s well above the flood plain but near enough to water that it can be pumped / transported to your house, gravity fed supplies are best. Treat all water for purity, Coastal towns of which most were developed during Victorian times offer some excellent potential with access to good property plus salt and fresh water products (and life giving salt itself)

After that its a sliding scale of size / type of house up to the early sixties types that had lofts and attics that were convertible, had big enough gardens to supply basic nutritional support supplemented from other sources like allotments.

Post sixties unless you could afford to invest in properties with large gardens / grounds most would require extensive investment and effort to be made usable and sustainable.

One other option that may fit your criteria would be to buy a large property and grounds in partnership with someone else ( another family) with whom you can work with and live alongside.

Apartment dwellers need to be on the top floor of south facing property with a flat roof so they can set up a roof top garden, build wind turbines and solar systems, and collect all the rainwater by diverting the down pipes into water tanks in a secure location.

(1) If you have a chimney that can be opened up you could in quite a few types of house fit a cast iron stove of the type that can be found at your local machine mart, No chimney? Another possibility would be to get the same stove plus a vent kit, in a crisis replace a window near to a good spot to site your stove with a heat proof insulation board and fit the flue kit through it to the stove, at least you will have heat and a source to cook off. Lastly fit a stove in your garage or outbuilding and do your cooking there.
Cooking outside is not really feasible in the UK for climatic as well as security reasons.

(2) If you are in the predicament listed above with your water supply then you need to find a place like an out house, loft or cellar and reinforce the floor, after that you need to tie in a take off pipe to your cold water feed pipe and run it to some large covered insulated water tanks via a ball cock cut off valve. The tanks need to be as big as you can afford to get, This is going to be your drinking water source so you need lots of it, If the tanks are kept full from the day of installation they will need to be drained off every three months and the system flushed and sterilised before refilling.
Outside the house every roof and gully (garage, shed, greenhouse etc) needs to have its guttering feed the rainwater into storage butts, this is your supply for washing your clothes and watering your crops and flushing the toilet if its still in use and you have not gone onto cesspit waste disposal. (Don’t forget to turn off the water supply feed to your house during a crisis in case the supply has become tainted.)

(3) You need to consider installing solar panels where you can with deep cycle storage batteries and the associated paraphernalia to power 12v DC equipment (available from caravan outfitters), wind and water power need to be looked into along with storing very large amounts of wood /coal/peat etc for cooking and heating, You will also need to get some paraffin lanterns, wicks, spare glasses and as much paraffin as you can afford to buy and store, (a paraffin greenhouse heater would be nice as well )

(4) You need to look at getting a secure allotment or access to some secure land for growing extra food stuffs, Green houses are a must as are cloches etc for growing food stuffs, your garage can be converted into a secure rabbit and chicken coop, don’t forget they need food as well. (Grow your crops in informal clusters so not as to attract attention to your house being habited, make the planting look as though its just natural plant growth spreading about an abandoned garden)

(5) You may need to allot a room in the house for storing your supplies and equipment that no one outside the family ever gets to see, consider having an outbuilding built or an existing structure adapted to keep food / water/ kit/ fuel /grain etc in, It must be very secure to be of any use. (An underground-concealed store would be perfect)

The object of the exercise is to first survive the original crisis, then to stay clean, warm, well fed and healthy for as long as possible (min 6 months) then be in a position to team up with other healthy survivors and rebuild your lives and hopefully your communities. Never ever get yourself evacuated for political or policing reasons, Environmental and military reasons are another ball game altogether. Don’t become a refugee relying on the good will and charity of other already overwhelmed communities or govt handouts. Your safest place is usually your home on familiar territory it gives you the advantage being on home ground. Never give up the option to bug out safely if all goes to hell and back.

RISK ANALYSIS

Oh boy, what should we be prepared for as survivalists is the question most frequently asked and the common answer of “everything” will not satisfy the enquirer.

Spatial bombardment (meteors, comets, asteroids but not haemorrhoids.)
Solar flare radiation bursts (like the ones that crippled Ontario Canada in 1988)
Crop / food destruction caused by the holes in the ozone layer.
GM crops spreading uncontrolled and becoming dominant then going sterile.
Over fishing causing a species extinction cascade.
Deforestation and its myriad of local, regional and global problems.
Pollution poisoning,
Global earth changes that are man made, CO2 ,Nox etc etc
Earthquake/Seaquake/volcanic activity/ seismic activity/Tsunamis.
Flooding.
Over extraction of ground water from aquifers causing saltwater encroachment of water supplies.
Exhaustion / shortages of coal / oil / electricity etc
Food shortages / crop failure / blight
Over population / overcrowding
Political unrest / war / terrorism / civil unrest / industrial action / mass protest
Crime
Poverty
Disease epidemics
Mass hygiene failure
Mass hysteria
Prolonged extreme weather events
Government extremism / Tyranny (banning guns, certain books, certain groups, unauthorised meetings etc)
Major power failures
Economic collapse / mass recession.

That’s enough to worry about for now, but remember if you prepare today, tomorrow wont come up and bite your ass. The only thing I’m certain of is that it takes a much braver man than me to live in a city.( I honestly can not understand anyone who puts career ahead of kids !!)

RISK
Survivalism is the art of risk management

Every day of your life you take risks, calculated ones mainly but many are simply risks, crossing a road, driving after dark etc.

Survivalism simply makes you become more aware of the risks involved and how best to handle them. During a crisis be it natural, manmade or an act of God you will need to make many decisions and take many risks, its how you handle these choices that defines you as a survivalist.

Joe Public will put his blind faith in the government to make the decisions for him, he will put his life and that of his family in the hands of complete strangers who have tens of thousands of other families to care for as well. So to start with he has made a poor choice and taken a possibly lethal risk with his families safety.

There are various types of risk, but its the one we can consider and alter that affect the outcome to our families safety, Lets look at some of the commonest risks that affect us as survivalists

Food, Do we rely on the govt and supermarkets to ensure a continuous supply of good health foodstuffs in quantities that can sustain us, or do we keep a stockpile of food to see us through some unforeseen crisis, farmers and many rural folk keeps months of food at home in case they get cut off by bad weather. Can you buy your grub off the local market gardener whose quality of food you know?, or do you just accept what you get at Wall-mart /Asda , perhaps you could grow some of your own food therefore reducing your reliance on the food chain.

Water , do we rely on legislation and the good will of some water utility to ensure we get a continuous clean supply of potable water that has not been polluted by accident or as an act of terrorism., Or do we get ourselves a filtered secure supply of water independent of the system. At the very least we should have our own water filter systems at home and in our retreats ( no water reaches my kids mouths unless its been filtered through our Big Berky)).

Shelter do we rely on the state and the social services/police/council/govt to ensure will live in warm clean housing in an area that is free from crime / poor health / overcrowding / terror risks, or do we try our best to locate our families in the best environment we can afford. This does not mean access to shops, discos, schools, hospitals etc ,this means a clean low crime rural environment where we can try to be as self sufficient as possible, a place where terrorists or govt interference is going to be minimal, somewhere where we can go unnoticed, an area that is conducive to good health and low risk from authorities who may wish to ship you out as refugees in a crisis.

Environment Do we live in built up urban conurbations that are highly populated therefore at risk from epidemics, shortages, crime waves, overcrowded schools, under funded hospitals, choice terror targets mainly because of the financial rewards for making such sacrifice. A well paid job in the city is VERY tempting but in the long term is it worth your health, your security , your environment, Is it not perhaps wiser and a better risk to take a bit less money and live in a better environment.

Travel Do you commute to work each day or work locally to save on fuel but also to be closer to hand if you are needed at home? Do you travel to the big city for appointments when perhaps the people you need to see can visit you or have another more local office they could meet you in? Can you do you business by phone or PC rather than travel into high risk areas? At the very least can you postpone or alter the dates of your visit to avoid peak commuter times or times of high risk? If you have to go to town do you have to use the same route every time or can you use alternative routes thereby gaining more knowledge of you area should you need to bug out?

Security Do you rely on the local two policemen to protect you and the other ten thousand families in your area or do you take active as well as passive security measures of your own, Its no bloody good having food, shelter, water, medicines etc all nicely stored at your home or your retreat if the local low life’s or starving hoards from the city can take it from you with ease.

In most case the public will surrender there right to self determination for the temporary security of government promises and benefits, Where as the survivalists will try their best to leave nothing to chance and to reduce unnecessary risk where possible by developing survivalist skills and practises.

THREATS FROM EXTREMIST GOVERNMENT

More and more of the survivalist /self reliance/ communities and groups are considering a threat to their personal privacy and security is now likely to be at the hands of their own governments or global governmental organisations.( UN / WHO / NATO / EU etc)
>
People are starting to question the intentions of these bodies as they introduce ever more intrusive laws involving monitoring of the population as it goes about its lawful daily business. Monitoring is the first step in controlling a populations freedom to move about openly.
>
The usual excuses are to help detect and prevent crime, or to improve the flow of traffic.
>
Its the definition of the phrase ” criminal ” that is worrying, no one is to worried if it helps track down shop lifters, or car hijackers, but what if its the state deciding it is people who are simply outspoken against the govt in power. Perhaps it could even be something like your government not wanting people to flee / evacuate / or bug out from the town in case it interferes
with military or other traffic movements.
>
CCTV systems on roads, freeways, motorways etc are now in theory being becoming capable of tracking the individual movements of single vehicles from start to finish of the vehicles journey. Shopping malls and other public places have surveillance systems that use computer programs that can identify and name people from CCTV camera stills if their details are stored on a database.

Britain is becoming notorious for its erosion of its citizens rights, from the failed attempts to reduce gun and violent crime by stripping law abiding citizens of the right to own guns, to some of the blanket coverage anti terrorism laws that can just as easily be used to subjugate the population as well as it fights terrorists. A few current example are the suggestion that all roads and highways right across the nation become toll roads charging vehicles automatically ever time they venture down any given route. They talk about black boxes compulsorily fitted to all vehicles that sent an ID code and pin number to these black boxes sited on every junction along the road network.

Another option being actively considered is using similar back boxes linked to satellites to monitor the movements of every vehicle and charging them a toll automatically at the end of each journey. If you think those two systems in themselves are bad enough but before they are even off the drawing boards the Police are saying they would like the systems linked together to the DVLC ( vehicle registration agency) the police computer network and the motorway camera system. In Britain at this very time if an ordinary cop on duty at an airport takes a dislike to you all he has to do is say he believes you MAY be a soccer hooligan preparing to travel abroad to cause trouble, if he does that he can seize your passport there and then
stopping you from going overseas.
>
( On a side note , It is very amusing to me that many Americans still think of Britain as a freedom loving democracy, So long as the US govt continues to support extremist socialist government in power then freedom will continue to die out in the UK)
>
The paranoia coming from the aviation industry in response to the horrors of 9 /11 and Bali is understood, but some of the intrusive actions taken against legitimate and law abiding citizens is at the very least draconian.
>
So where does this leave the survivalist in his plans to use his retreat / holiday home / camping trailer etc, At the moment it is still fairly easily to drive from A to B without attracting undue attention or to be followed / monitored but it is getting harder.
Again using Britain as an example the City of London has so many CCTV cameras now that they authorities can follow any vehicle from one side of town to the other without a break in camera coverage, add this to the armed police checkpoints set up in response to IRA / Al Quaeda terrorism you can see how its becoming harder for city dwellers to move about or bug out in secret, This gets worse because the underground is heaving with CCTV cameras and transport cops, The airports are almost no go areas for outdoors folk travelling with their kit.

The M25 orbital motorway ( Like Washington’s Beltway) that surrounds London is very well covered on all on and off ramps with cameras, the road is heavily patrolled, and their is usually lots of air cover as well. Many cities, towns and main highways in Britain and the US are covered completely by CCTV cameras and aviation monitors this in my mind is simply creating a high risk of being detected or captured by who ever wishes to spoil your day. Also do remember that the authorities are becoming very expert at quickly closing off all roads to and from the larger towns and cities.
>
So where does this ever increasing level of surveillance leave the survivalist, At the moment you can travel safely to and from your retreat or bug out location without duress, but how long will it be before the authorities can simply enter your personal or vehicle details into their database and get a record of your movements for the last month ( don’t say it wont happen, governments introduce laws like this all the time under the fighting terrorism guise), Imagine the joy on their faces when the database shows your vehicle repeatedly stopping in some remote location for up to six hours before returning home, BINGO they know at least the vicinity of your retreat, you may vary your route but your destination is always your retreat, Then along comes the state and seizes your stuff.
>
What are your options ? who knows, I am certain that if the socialists in Europe ( and the democrats in the US) got their collective ways they would microchip every citizen ( excluding themselves of course) but so far it has not got that bad .( Nov 2003 the UK Home Secretary has announced plans for compulsory ID cards containing personal details and biometric data) But it does leave the question of getting to your place of safety or your caches without detection, I personally believe in spreading my resources about so that if the bad guys raid my home then at least my caches or my retreat kit is still secure, but even though I use my rural home as my prime safe place I may need to get the hell out and move to one of my alternatives. Motor vehicles so far are still fairly secure but as each day goes by the monitoring systems get better and the governments get more intrusive, So I plan my caches and hideaways along reasonably reachable footpath or bridle routes and waterways, I leave open the option of doing without mechanised or motorised transport, Maybe you folks may wish to consider using bicycles, horses, small boats, microlights as auxiliary methods of bugging out they are going to be far harder for big brother to track. It is easy enough to cover 25 miles a day using bikes or horses and its easier to avoid detection or attract unwanted attention. You can make thinks easier for yourself by pre-dispersing your survival assets in secure locations outside your town / city limits ( Caching). Please consider options for reaching safety without resorting to your vehicles or public transport, especially if its your own government you are trying to avoid.

TERRORISM

In the later half of the twentieth century and gaining momentum in the first part of the twenty first century global terrorism is becoming an issue we all must address in one form or another.

When Police / Terrorist actions were fairly localised in individual or neighbouring countries the trend among the terrorists themselves was to strike at governmental targets first, then foreign owned economic targets, then domestic and economic targets, lastly attacking the general population of the target nation.

Soviet sponsored terrorism such as Mao Mao Terrorists, the Vietmin, the MPLA etc tended to try to topple governments in the hope of replacing them with ones more friendly towards the soviet block. Other terrorists fought for Republicanism / Marxism / Religion/ Regional independence etc etc. The American supported PIRA and its clones murdered over 3000 Police officers, British troops and very many innocent people in its later years from the 1960’s to the 1990’s, With weapons coming from places like Libya and Russia and funds coming from Bank robberies protection rackets and a fair sized amount of supporters in the USA ( Noraid raised millions of dollars to support the republican Marxist cause in Eire). The Conflict in Northern Ireland only subsided when the Nu Labour Government of Tony Blair surrendered to the IRA and freed most of the convicted killers and bombers.
It is often large powerful governments who support or keep foreign dictators in power that provoke the formation of terrorist groups. Terrorism does pay if you have a weak government that is more interested in sound bites than justice. It also depends on whose side you support that also decides if your group is titled as terrorists or freedom fighters. At some point nations can be called“ Good Friends and allies” and at other times the same nation is part of the “ Axis of evil” depending of course on the political trend in favour at that time.
In recent years Iraq was a friend to the USA when the US was in conflict with Iran, Its reward was to be bombed back to the stone age as the US lashed out blindly in any direction after the attack on its homeland on 9/11. General Manuel Noriega in Panama was a friend to the US at one point but when he fell from favour he was turned into the bad guy and deposed by his former allies. In Zimbabwe the fighters that formed the government which came to power after a long protracted war of terror against the white dominated government of Ian Smith have turned out to be far worse than the original colonial power, Zimbabwe has gone from being the breadbasket of South Africa to being on the point of total economic collapse and mass starvation.

The facts are now plain for all to see that no matter where you live, no matter how peaceable you are, how benign your nation at some point you are going to become targeted by hostile groups or nations in acts of terrorism against unguarded civilians.

A huge bomb detonating in a school, mall or market place filled with innocent civilians has the same effect no matter if it was a car bomb, suicide bomber or dropped by an aircraft from 30,000 feet, innocent victims of violent attack are still innocent victims even if they are called “Collateral damage” A pile of dead children is still a pile of dead children no matter if it was a Palestinian religious zealot blowing them up or a 120 MM Israeli tank round being fired into their classroom.

So what can you do to reduce the threat to your family?

Once again it’s a case of looking closely at your lifestyle, IE Where you live, Where you work, How you spent your free time, How you shop, How you communicate, How you prepare for trouble and the choices you make.

Simple steps such as shopping mail order when possible, getting your groceries delivered or shopping in smaller towns that are less appealing to terrorists as potential targets. Refuelling your vehicle at rural gas stations, not using public transport, avoiding air transport like the plague, working from home, tele conferencing, putting the kids in non denominational schools, avoiding major cities etc can all go towards reducing the risk of you being in the same place at the same time as a terrorist bomb going off. Similar considerations should be made on other things like for example where you go on vacation, currently its not very wise for American or British passport holders to go on holiday to very many Islamic states. Choose your make of car wisely when driving abroad, When possible drive a locally produced vehicle or one that is not produced by a nation that is out of favour with the people of the country you are visiting, Often protestors and terrorists alike will attack symbols of the nation they are in conflict with, so driving a Buick through Baghdad , Bombay, or Beirut is simply painting yourself up as a target. You may live in a large town or city and for reasons best known to yourself you are unable to move out, but you can still take sensible steps to reduce the risk to yourself. If for example you hear on the news that country A has just killed a large group of people in country B and you have a large local immigrant population from country B living in part of your town, then it makes sense to stay away from that area for a while in case the expatriots from country B decide to riot in protest.

INTELIGENCE GATHERING

“Intel”, sourcing and finding information that may be relevant to your position, being well informed, gaining an advantage, knowledge is power, knowledge is wisdom, getting the edge over others, That’s what it’s about for you as survivalists, you use whatever sources of information that are available to you at the time collecting, collating, sorting, absorbing and utilising as best you can. Using information wisely should ensure you and your group survives while Joe Public believe without doubt what snippets of propaganda the govt decides they need to know.

You watch the TV news, listen to the radio, monitor the web, subscribe to publications that provide info you want, You join groups of like minded individuals to share information, its all good stuff but what is useful and what is not?

Its difficult for one person to absorb and digest all of the Intel that comes their way and all to often they may miss something important. You may as an individual see the relevance of a news article that is released from source (A), and another member of the group may have missed article (A) but seen article (B) in a magazine, but if one of them had shared this snippet with the other they would have been forewarned of a flood, storm, kit sale, free booze up, cheap holiday, police clampdown etc.

To give yourself the advantage over the rest of society in a crisis firstly you must obtain the Intel, then understand it, then put it to use, You need to have a radio tuned to a station that provides good current affairs news turned on about the house, office etc all day, You need to read you paper mail, you need to check your E, mail, You need to get the world news from differing sources so you can get an unbiased overall view, you need to subscribe to magazines and E groups, (A good recent article Jan 01 from the misc survival news group gives details of a massive power crisis in Southern California, Worst case scenario will be a massive global recession).

What use is getting half the facts or information if you can not be bothered to cross reference it with others in your group, It then causes you to be caught out in a big way, You should open your snail mail in the morning and check your Email as well, If you have some news you think may be important then get it out straight away don’t wait till the weekend.

It is for everyone’s benefit to keep up to date so we can prepare accordingly. Here is a hypothetical scenario to chew over, Neil hears in January of an outbreak of some fungal disease that effects wheat grain, In April Debbie finds that her favourite grain seed is unavailable from her suppliers, during June Dave finds no one can guarantee to deliver his bulk grain before the winter for his stockpile, Steve during this time hears of unspecified problems with the grain crop in the US, Canada and Russia and as time goes by can no longer get in touch with his contacts in Kansas. September comes and the cost of bread quadruples, the govt say there is no problem its just the grain ships are delayed by storms in the Atlantic, October arrives and tales of mass starvation creep out of Russia, November comes and the US declares it wishes to return to a state of isolationism for nationalist reasons and is no longer prepared to sell grain abroad. In December the Arab states say that because America has cut off the grain they are going to cut of the oil to the west in protest. January arrives with the worst winter storm for 60 years. Escalation is followed by deterioration followed by chaos followed by collapse. THE GROUP SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESPONDING AND REACTING BY JUNE, making enquiries, discussing possible consequences of grain blight, making plans to ensure you are prepared.

If you do not cooperate on a regular basis, if you don’t communicate frequently, if you do not continue to stay informed you will not be any better off than the masses and will throw away your main advantage over the rest of society. We all have other commitments and responsibilities to consider every day which must be addressed in a responsible way. Work problems, health issues, family commitments, business needs etc all which put a strain on the amount of time you can devote to survival preparations, so the best route left to you is to be as well informed as possible, and to compensate for your preparation shortfalls, All of your “other commitments” are of no use to you if your dead.

EARTH CHANGES

Well, I’ve listened to all the arguments for and against earth changes and global warming and its time for you to make your minds up about the possible short term and long term effects.

Since my early days as a survivalist I have paid a bit more attention to the possibilities of global warming than perhaps Joe Public has and it affected some of my lifestyle choices then, and even more so now.

Whatever the arguments are you as a survivalist need to consider your immediate prospects as to your choice of home and retreat locations?

A play safe common sense approach is all that is needed here, you need to have a good look at your maps and charts for where you live and where your retreat is sited, you also need to look at your bug out / escape routes and look for the following.

How far above sea level are you based, 30 ft or less and you are at risk.

Are you located in a flood plain / drainage area?

Has heavy building development and / or deforestation occurred upstream of you?

Have any unusual local occurrences of flooding / landslips been recorded in the last 30 years ?

Are you in an area that has had major water protection programs developed like the Thames barrier or sea wall height increases?

Are you living in an area that has to be drained by man made channels / ditches / canals etc like the north Somerset plains?

Are you living in an area that is sinking / settling like the chalk beds of London?

As a fail-safe question, again do you live more than 30 ft above the high tide mark for your area?

If the answer was no to any of the above questions then its time to look at moving to another area.

The risk to you is more real than you think, the likelihood of being overwhelmed by a mega tidal wave / tsunami is quite low, Though Dr Simon Day * of UCL may disagree with me on that but the chance of having everything you own being submerged or washed away is 50% higher than it was only 35 years ago. Its not just the weather that’s changing the risks to you, having all the hills stripped of trees and having huge housing / shopping / building developments put up on areas that were laid aside for water drainage are just as much of a hazard, The risk of being drowned by a bloody big wave is real just as is getting squashed by a B& Q warehouse floating down your street.

In trendy terminology there is a current clear and present danger from flooding so have a look around you and if there is a risk then take steps to deal with it NOW.

*Dr Day has found a huge geological fault splitting the volcanic island of Las Palma in the Canaries, it shows a history of previous collapse in ancient times. If this fault fails which it appears it must do, the following tsunami will cause the inundation of the East Coast of America and most of lowland Europe.

ASPECTS OF SUPPORT

As survivalists we try to become as independent of society as we can and to this aim some of us attempt to become more self reliant by working from home or turning their retreat into a source of income, I think that survivalists who are trying this route to independence should be supported where possible by the rest of us.

If for example an associate decides to buy a small holding and starts producing home made produce it would be beneficial to all for more than one reason.

To start with if you all went to the farm and helped to get it sorted by doing a bit of work on it FOC you would be able to socialise, cross train, build trust and relationships. You would become familiar with the area and see if that route is suitable for your own needs. If you went at harvesting time it could also be turned into a RENDEZVOUS where you could barter, learn new skills, get in some practise as well as help a colleague, and of course it would be good for our associate to have that support when they need it most.

Of course it would have to be a two way trust gaining exercise because the last thing a new farmer needs is loads of strangers running riot on his / her land and eating her limited food stocks and playing silly buggers around the farm. Equally it could become the start of a low cost break in the country through working the farm in return for cross training and a change of scenery and building trust up with the retreat owner.

Another aspect are survivalists who work from home and retailers who support survivalists with discounts etc, These people to require your support as and when you can, If there is one member of your group who deals in military surplus equipment it makes sense to try him out first because he’s just at the end of your keyboard. Another associate may make soap in various forms and it would be a sign of solidarity if we at least tried her products out, who knows you may prefer her stuff to the chemical crap that you get at Safeway.

Between us there are a hell of a lot of useful skills, crafts and hobbies and the sensible thing to do would be to start to create our own market place for goods and services.

ALLIES FOR SURVIVAL

We try to the best of our beliefs to gain all of the necessary skills, knowledge, logistics and kit to ensure our survival long term and enable us to rebuild a healthy sustainable community. We build relationships and friendships with other survivalists to improve our chances of making it through and beyond the collapse to come but in all honesty we will be hard pushed to achieve all of our goals on our own.

Perhaps the way ahead for some if not all of us (excepting the forcemen survivalists) is to develop working links with other groups who have the skills, crafts and knowledge we seek.

There are groups in society who are into developing Eco-villages, these are totally environmentally friendly low impact back to nature types of residential developments that utilise all of the latest “green” techniques in the building of residential communities and villages. There is a very good example at Findhorn in northern Scotland that has been featured in a TV series on the discovery channel, then there is the “green” co-ops who are trying to develop low cost alternative energy sources, You could consider making approaches to leather workers, blacksmiths etc as well.

Then there are some charitable organisations looking into low cost self build property developments that have a strong green self reliance perspective to them.

If you made low key approaches to these folk you could find some good sources of skills and crafts that could become allied to you during and after a disaster. They also tend to be better supported by government and EU grants to buy land and cover R & D costs, they can get funds to form co-ops and small businesses, I have heard of one guy who has made some superb contacts via the VOLUNTARY SERVICE OVERSEAS organisation. We as “survivalists” have no chance of getting access to funds for building retreats for our own use but if we were seen to be part of the green movement for a better environment we could find support from other groups.

If we want to Survive we can achieve this by ourselves as survivalists BUT if we want to SURVIVE and FLOURISH we need to adapt and expand our sphere of influence by developing contacts with others of similar objectives to ourselves.

WHAT DO WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN ?

My wife has brought up the subject of my son’s education, so like a good hubby I went and spoke to the local school to see what exactly he will be taught.

When I came home I was shell shocked by the standards of education available to Mr Joe Public in Britain today.

“We don’t encourage competitive sports its unfair”,
“We don’t allow anyone to teach disgusting things like boxing / martial arts, archery or shooting.”
“We don’t allow children to go and visit the countryside or working farms in case the children have accidents or contract E- Coli”.

“The history lessons no longer emphasise the achievements made in Western Europe during the industrial revolution because it’s imperialist and may offend ethnic minorities” ???????????????????????????

Need I go on, anyway it’s got me agitated enough to consider home schooling for my son or at the very least I will arrange extra tuition for him. Political correctness and anti racist policies (which are right so long as they do not become unbalanced) have made the long term plans for our children even more difficult to establish.

We need to ensure that education of our kids is a high priority subject that will guarantee that they develop the necessary life skills required for their own best interests. They obviously need to know all of the basics and these can be drawn from the education system, but they will need to be supplemented by program developed by their parents.

They must learn to read between the lines and not to accept carte blanche that what teacher says is absolutely right. They must learn to question for themselves. They do need to learn how to protect themselves and to be competitive. They do need to know about the lessons history has taught us. They do need to become totally at home in the countryside from an early age. They do need to learn how to make and repair things.
They need to be able to survive and flourish in whatever tomorrow brings, be it in the city or in the towns. All of our efforts of today are for our children’s future and I for one am not going to raise a narrow minded, blinkered child that turns into a worker drone that accepts gratefully what the politicians think he should have, nor is he going to be a victim of political trends or be unable to make decisions for himself. We have to fight for our rights to be free thinking, free speaking individuals. We as survivalists do not accept that we are unable to be governors of our own destinies, we demand the right to choose how we live our lives and we must expect the same for our children.

GROUP SECURITY AND DEFENCE

In the UK the problems of defence and security for survival groups are enhanced by the nanny state mentality and the political structure of our government. Politicians have reacted to criminal events with a media attention / vote grabbing, knee jerk type of response. The successive governments of the last thirty years have repeatedly introduced undemocratic, freedom restrictive legislation outlawing firearms held by the public.
Be assured that these laws were not introduced for the benefit of the community, they were introduced to allow big brother to gain more control over the population.
So we in UK have to be able to improvise even more than ever.
We can not legally own firearms so we have to look towards other tools to provide for our needs and if necessary use these expedient weapons to obtain self defence weapons from other sources after a collapse and complete failure of law and order. No responsible survivalist would take any form of action against the legal government agencies of the day such as police and military units. We can only react to situations as they develop and we must not disobey the democratically elected governmental agencies until they cease to function.
When it becomes Every man for himself that is when you should seek to obtain weapons for hunting and defence. These tools should be such things as 12 gauge and .410 shotguns and ammo for game hunting/ vermin control and close quarters defence, I suggest that you look for these tools from unmanned or abandoned police stations/ TA centres/ sporting shops/ army camps/ gun clubs and rural properties such as farms and manor houses.
It is also worthwhile trying to obtain .22 lr calibre rim fire rifles from the same sources.
Large calibre weapons in 5.56 NATO /. 223 Remington or 7.62 NATO /. 308 Winchester are usually only available to the police and military and are kept well secured by the owners,
Unless you are looking for a gun battle with someone you don’t need these weapons, The best way for all survivalists to exist is not to get into fire fights in the first place, because most aggressors will probably outgun you. Stay out of fights if you can.

USEFUL ALTERNATIVES
Obtain the following and they will go along way to helping you survive.
A modern cross bow (Barnett commando type) with 5 spare strings and a spare prod, get at least 30 bolts absolute minimum, and a quick detachable 4X scope that does not interfere with the iron sights, use for defence and large game
A modern pistol bow (Barnet trident type) same extras, use for close quarters defence.
A modern .22 cal high-powered air rifle with a gas strut conversion (replaces the spring) try and get one with a synthetic stock, minimum 1000 pellets and a 4X scope. A laser sight is another good option, the system can be used for small game/ vermin control and intimidation factor (from a distance)
Large and compact field glasses, see them before they see you.
Snares for trapping game, and a book on how to prepare and use them.
Night vision equipment and perimeter portable defence alarms

Large boot knife like Gerber guardian or Cold Steel tanto or a top quality large locking folder like a Cold Steel voyager XL make very good general purpose tools as well as self defence weapons.

TRANSPORT CONSIDERATIONS

In theory this bit is easy, Ideally you need to get fit enough to be able to walk long distances whilst carrying a full pack on your back containing everything you need to sustain you and your family on its journey to your place of safety. BUT in the real world we are not all fit enough, nor can we carry all we need about our persons, add to this equation a wife, two kids, a baby and an elderly in law. So you need to consider vehicles, think about fuel types and availability after a disaster, think about type and style of vehicle that suits you best, think about power to weight ratios when you have the entire family aboard plus food and other outdoor survival kit, think about having to sleep out using you vehicle as a bedroom, think about storing your full bug out kit aboard and the family, think about maintenance, think about having to go “off road”, think about fuel tank range, and think about its suitability for your survival needs.

You need to discuss your requirements in depth with other survivalists and overland expeditioneers to get the best advice you can. Most favour large bodied large diesel powered 4 wheel drive utility vehicles, though camper vans and panel van conversions are gaining popularity.

Learn new skills, If you get the chance to learn to ride a horse, grab it. Same with a motorcycle, motorboat, sailboat, quad bike etc, if the opportunity arises get on a course on how to use a 4WD properly off road then take it.

The more operator skills you gain with differing modes of transport the better your chances are in bugging out or getting home safe after a disaster.

If more members of your family or group are capable of using the methods of transport chosen then get them trained up as well?

VEHICLE SELECTION

What do you need to consider when choosing a vehicle that must double up as a survival vehicle?

To begin with it needs to be able to take you and your family plus your bug out kits, your group tools and kit, your food, water and cooking kit, extra fuel for the vehicle, vehicle maintenance tools and components, sleeping bags, tents and camping kit etc.

In many cases we survivalists are simply just switched on ordinary people with limited budgets and our BOVs are also our families only form of transport, so whilst something like a 7.5 litre all terrain truck is great for driving across the hills in winter its not much use on the school run , not to mention attracting unwanted attention from undesirables.

Once everything and everyone is loaded aboard the vehicle it still needs to offer reasonable performance characteristics on and off road, if bugging out cross country is planned then go the 4 wheel drive route, alternatively if you are planning on using the highways, byways and trails to reach your retreat in some cases a large fuel tank range will offer more practical use than off road ability.
In many cases as proven by travellers through sub saharan Africa and eastern Russia two wheeled drive vehicles with rugged build quality and decent ground clearance are more than enough to meet the needs of most travellers. In either case when it comes to engine size the trend tends to be engines over 2 1/2 litres and 100 horsepower. The safest fuel to handle and the easiest to store is diesel.

Obviously the more severe the terrain you are planning to cross the more likely it is that you will need an all wheel drive vehicle fitted with a winch and high lift jacks.

Tow bars and hitches, heavy duty roof rails / racks are other worthwhile considerations if you have a large amount of kit to move in one go

Fuel options usually are unleaded gasoline, diesel oil, and liquid petroleum gas; the commonest choice is diesel in Europe, and gasolene in North America.

Diesel has better storage and safety properties whilst petroleum offers more power,
Availability is near enough equal in the UK

Extras such has high level exhausts, long range fuel tanks etc are also desirable but not always necessary but carrying extra fuel provides you will a universal currency for barter as well as the extended range the fuel provides.

Directable auxiliary lighting fore and aft are almost mandatory.

Two way radios, CB radios, GPS systems are other considerations.

It really needs to be long enough for some or all or your party to be able to stretch out in the back to gain some sleep without having to unload the vehicle.

It should be well insulated floor, walls and ceiling for use in extreme weather, it should have decent heating preferably from easily obtainable fuels such as LPG ( bottled gas) or run off your vehicles fuel supply ( ideally low volatile diesel)

You will need a second ( leasure ) battery and split charger system fitting and this can be topped off with a solar panel unit mounted on the roof.

Town and country tyres are a must, steel road wheels are ideal as they can be bashed back into shape if partially damaged, and alloy wheels are simply far to delicate to delicate for survivalist use. one spare wheel and tyre is a must, but two spares are better.

The vehicle should in an ideal world be one that is manufactured in your home country; this improves the chances of obtaining spare parts after a disaster. In general commercially built recreation vehicles / camper vans are simply not rugged enough for BOV useage but they can be beefed up with a bit of effort. So that leaves you with buying an expensively prepared overland expedition vehicle or doing as most of us mere mortals choose and elect to build one yourself based on upgrading a panel van or pickup truck.

THE CASE FOR DIESEL

Yes I know there are far more people driving Cars, Vans, Suv’s , Pick ups, 4X4’s etc with petrol ( gasoline) powered engines than there are driving similar vehicles running Diesel engines, But hang on a moment, is that a good thing for us claiming to be switched on survivalists?

Some points I think need chewing over by the preparedness communities especially those with retreats, homesteads, secure homes and bug out plans.

If ( or more likely when ) TSHTF and fuel availability & storage becomes a major issue what will society in general start doing?

Lets accept that most of us already keep our vehicles topped off most of the time and also keep a few gallons of fuel stored for “The Day” but nearly all of us must admit that overall we have not got enough fuel cached until normality returns or the sheeple expire leaving the pieces for us to pick up.

Question?, What are the sheeple going to do as soon as finding fuel supplies become a major issue ?

Answer Yes they are going to form huge queues at almost every petrol ( gas) station they can, the rest of this tale you already know, huge queues, long waits, rationing, violence, riots, people getting killed for a gallon of fuel, the sheeple will go berserk in next to no time at all.

So what are the big boys and the prepared people doing ?

What do the Railways ( railroads) use in its non electric fleets?, What do Road Hauliers ( truckers) use? What do the coastal Maritime trade boats use as fuel?, what do the Farmers choose as fuel for their tractors, ploughs, etc?, What do the military in general also prefer to power their vehicles?

Diesel, Yes Diesel, This fuel is found almost everywhere a survivalist would choose to look. Its safer to handle and store, its got a better shelf life untreated than petrol ( gas) and its used to power most of our commerce.

So whilst Joe Q public is waiting in the ever growing queues for his ration of gas, or burning his house down after poorly stored petrol fumes ignited in his garage, the switched on survivalist will have not only more safely stored fuel, but be using the same fuel he will need to run his tractor at his retreat / small holding. He will be able to cache diesel far easier than gasoline, he can “” OBTAIN”” more from truck fuel depots, rail refuelling points, farm supply points, boat yards, truck stops etc all places that will offer nothing to the masses of sheeple who need petrol.

Next time you are out and about have a look around and try to identify places you could “”Source”” petrol (gas) and diesel. Yes petrol (gas) in general is only available at petrol (gas) stations and in other petrol powered vehicles ( cars, lawn mowers and jet skis ? ) . Its only found in fairly small quantities as well. If you are lucky you will be able to fill your vehicle and a few jerry cans from a retail source before government restrictions or shortages become an issue. But look at places you can find diesel in an emergency and in what quantities?. Trucks alone have tanks that carry many hundreds of gallons of diesel, truck stops hold huge amounts in comparison to petrol stations. Look at you local railroad locomotive, even the smallest carry 1500 gallons of diesel whilst the mainline locos can carry as much as 6000 gallons.

Coastal vessels have fuel bunkers of around 500 gallons whilst deep water vessels carry many thousands of gallons, Consider those facts plus the places the trucks, locos and boats refuel at ? , buying, storing, caching, scrounging, stealing , finding you name it diesel has a huge advantage over petrol (gasoline) powered vehicles.

Also in recent years modern diesel engines have advanced technologically to a point that the power issues that traditionally separated diesel vehicles from petrol ( gas) powered vehicles has shrunk to a point that unless you are into sports cars a turbo diesel can and will match your gasoline powered car in everything except the 0-60 MPH stakes, plus modern diesels are still more economical than petrol engines.

Then of course when it comes to the reliability and vulnerability aspects of comparing the two types of engine diesel wins hands down.

I am also advised that certain types of heating oil can be used to run a diesel engine.

So in closing If you have a rural retreat or bug out plans and you believe that sourcing fuel is going to be a major issue common sense directs you to choose the good old compression ignition engine.

SELF BUILT CAMPERS AS BUG OUT VEHICLES

Currently growing in popularity in Europe, Australia and the USA is the trend for people to build and fit out their own campervans, not only is it far cheaper to do than buying a factory built model (being as much as 70% cheaper in many cases) but the builders can also tailor the specific design of the vehicle to exactly match their own requirements. All this is topped of with the fact that the self builders can also control 100% of the build quality of the vehicle. Of equal importance is the fact that if you build the thing yourself you can do most of the maintenance and repairs yourself as well.

Think about it for a minute, how often do survivalists and the preparedness community talk about wishing they could get a family vehicle that would double up as a recreation vehicle and as a bug out vehicle. So if Ford, GM, Chevrolet , Land Rover, or whoever not produce a vehicle that best suits your needs why not build your own ?.

To begin with you need a suitable base vehicle to meet your own personal criteria, for some folks it will be a panel van like a Ford Transit or Ford Econoline, Other people will prefer the attributes of a four wheeled drive jeep type vehicle, other will prefer a motor home type base. In the US ex school bus conversions are becoming popular, whilst in the UK panel van conversions dominate in a choice of two basic formats. First is to convert a panel van into a custom built camper, fitting it out almost identically as a factory built camper with windows, air con, fancy stripes, etc but in heavy duty format. The alternative is the “”Stealth Camper”“ designed for wild camping. These stealth campers are plain panel vans externally, but fitted out internally with the full range of fittings needed to support you and family. Toilet, Shower, Kitchen sink, H & C Water, Cooker and Oven, Wardrobe and Storage space, Seating and Beds, Heating , Long range fuel tanks etc. Natural lighting is normally provided by fitting roof top windows instead of glazing the sides of the van. Some vans are also laid out internally to be able to accommodate a motorcycle or quad bike whilst still providing a full range of living facilities. In my humble opinion the stealth option gives the survivalist the best basic option to work with because practicality is more important than pretty stripes and chrome wheel trims.

In a Bug Out Vehicle that you may need to possibly live in for up to six months you will need to carry more logistical support than Joe Q Public does when he goes on vacation, So survivalists will need to plan far more storage capacity within their base vehicles than a conventional camper would.

The Survivalist primarily needs a large capacity engine supplied with fuel from extra large fuel tanks, The further he can go without refuelling the less vulnerable he is to meeting trouble in gas stations during a crisis. He is also less affected by localised or short term shortages of fuel that could paralyse a conventional vehicle. Diesel is the preferred option in most European countries due to its cost and its safe handling characteristics .

You mayl need large fresh water tanks ( usually mounted under the floor between the chassis rails) usually in 250 or 400 litres sized tanks, they will need to be insulated in northern climes

You may need dirty water receiving tanks so he does not foul your environment if you are stuck in one location.

You may need heating and hot water systems for cooking and hygiene

You may need cooking facilities, ( Usually bottled gas fed cooker rings)

You may need seating that converts easily and readily into berths for his entire family group.

He / She will need storage for food, clothing, hygiene, tools, vehicle spares, weapons , books and maps, medical kit, recovery kit ( tow rope, axe, jack, etc), Refrigeration is also required for fresh foods, most camping fridges run on all three primary power sources, IE 12V DC, Mains Electric, and Bottled gas.

Many hot water systems also utilise all three power options.

In general you will benefit from a 12 volt electrical system , often supplied by a leisure battery, solar panel or micro turbine. A mains hook up is also often fitted to connect up on camp sites.

Those are the basics and can be adapted , omitted or altered to suit your own needs and budgets.

Do ensure your vehicle has more and adequate fresh air ventilation so you do not kill yourself with carbon monoxide poisoning from your heaters if they are diesel fuelled, and you can still also die from oxygen starvation from Butane / Propane heaters if a fresh air supply is not provided.

www.sbmcc.co.uk is a good place to start if you decide to convert your own vehicle.

MY BUG OUT VEHICLE ( 2004)

My families criteria for a Bug Out Vehicle have been dictated by various considerations, they are

Cost
Where we live
Where we would bug out to
Local geography
British politics
Size of family
What I want to take with us
What logistics I have cached
What logistics I have access to at my retreat locations.

Firstly in my neck of the woods a 4 x 4 SUV would not be of much real gain for the extra cost involved in purchasing and running such a vehicle. Access to what open terrain we have is very limited which puts all wheel drive lower down the list of priorities than fuel tank range and the vehicle being as inconspicuous as possible. But to my advantage is the fact that in this area there is literally thousands of miles of roads and trails that a rugged vehicle could travel along or hide along. There are old railway track beds, old roads now used as public footpaths, old bridle ways, B and C grade roads and unsealed lanes, footpaths that are actually wide enough to get a vehicle down etc.

So I must admit that I have had to trade off some capability for crossing rough ground for being able to carry more equipment and supplies within my BOV, I am to a certain extent relying on my being able to read between the lines as a crisis develops allowing me at the very least to place the BOV outside the city limits giving me enough time to get ahead of any possible road closures by the authorities.

Some considerations in my planning involve the fact I need to feed , care for, protect and shelter not only myself but my beloved wife and son as well, so where as I could happily get by with a rucksack and tent I know my wife and child could not.

Add to this the limited funds available to me I have chose the following options.

For day to day use for my wife who is a district nurse we have chosen a small diesel powered 4×4 which gives her a better chance of getting to a rendezvous point should she get our pre arranged “bug out” message from me. The prime vehicle which we now will rely on for the foreseeable future will be a much modified panel van.

I have started on converting a 4 year old Ford Transit van of medium roof height and a short wheel base body, it has a 2.5 litre naturally aspirated diesel engine driving the rear wheels via a five speed MT75 gearbox .The oil is 100% synthetic and the coolant runs at a 50% mix which is more than enough for current British winters. If necessary a fuel system pre heater can be installed. All hoses and filters have been changed, the brakes have been up rated to sintered pads and shoes pushing against ventilated discs at the front and drums at the rear, a 95 AH alternator charges the batteries shortly to be supplemented by a PV panel on the roof. The headlights have had their bulbs replaced and upgraded to ultra bright H4 aftermarket bulbs that are 50% brighter than normal, all drive belts such as Cam, Power steering and Alternator have been replaced with upgraded new belts.
The tyres have all been changed for new 8 ply, 195 R 14C commercial vehicle tyres mounted on 5 stud steel wheels, wheel nuts (lug nuts) are drilled and wired.

Inside the vehicle extra storage has been built above the driver / passenger compartment that will take clothing, bedding etc. seating/ storage has been added along both sides of the van, a toilet compartment has been built in the remaining space at the rear of the vehicle. Across the vehicle behind the seats kitchen unit containing a cooker, sink, water pump, gas bottle locker and water tanks has been installed, a hammock can be slung diagonally across the rear of the van providing an extra berth. A certain amount of overhead storage has been built but I really want to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible. Tinted side windows will be installed in the side of the vehicle when funds allow. The rear doors have been bolted shut and the door release mechanisms disconnected in an effort to reduce break ins. Hopefully we will soon install either a diesel powered or butane powered cab heater to keep us snug on those cold nights. An A frame steel bull bar has been fittted to protect the front of the vehicle and a heavy duty tow bar fitted to protect the rear. The spare wheel has been moved from under the vehicle onto a custom made wheel carrier in the back door.

Food, fuel, clothes, medical kit, tools and spares, radios, batteries, and all the assorted bug out paraphernalia are stored within the now partially insulated van body, So far I have not mounted anything outside the body of the vehicle though in time I can see the need to add external fittings for jerry cans, spare wheel carriers, roof racks etc.

Currently funds are scarce so increasing the fuel carrying capability of the vehicle rests on carrying extra jerry cans within the vehicle which is highly undesirable and smelly to boot. As an interim measure I will fabricate a rack to go on the tow bar to carry extra cans.
The vans own fuel tank carries 68 litres which gives a range of 450 miles and even in the small British isles is totally useless, so I also carry four 20 litre jerry cans of diesel which more than doubles the range of the vehicle without refuelling at a garage.

I have two friend who have fitted huge long range fuel tanks to their works vehicles which has insulated them against fuel price fluctuations and fuel shortages. The first guy drives a 1 ton Dodge ram pick up truck in south west Kansas, across the load bed of his pick up he has had installed a huge U shaped auxillary fuel tank right up against the cab rear window, he bought it to allow him be be more selective on which ” gas station” he has to use because he always shops around for the cheapest fuel, this also serves him very well as a survivalist because when all his tanks are full he has a range over over 1500 miles. The second chap drive a truck from the UK to Greece and back. He has also fitted twin fuel tanks of some immense size that allow him to drive on cheap Greek fuel all the way to the UK and back again without him having to buy expensive British diesel. Once again he has insulated himself against the threat from fuel shortages with the added bonus both he and his wife can live fairly comfortably in the large sleeper cab on his wagon should the need arise.

Water carrying capacity in my BOV is still also unsatisfactory at 50 litres of fresh water but finding fresh running water in the UK is not currently an issue unless you are very unlucky, plans are in the pipeline to fit a 200 litre insulated freshwater tank between the chassis rails.( If I lived in the great plains of the US I would store at least 400 litres of fresh water)

If push came to shove my family could comfortably live in the vehicle for weeks at a time requiring only occasional replenishment from outside sources such as caches.

MOTOR CAMPERS AS BUG OUT VEHICLES

This intro speaks for itself, camper van can in many circumstances make very good bug out vehicles for individuals or families, they can make the trauma of fleeing from ones home during a crisis a lot less stressful by travelling in a familiar vehicle surrounded by familiar facilities and equipment. A well sorted, reinforced and well equipped camper can help sustain your family during some very traumatic times. However getting the biggest and best camper van may not be the best method of choosing your BOV. Some campers are brutally large gas guzzling monsters with very low ground clearance and huge overhangs. They may be very well equipped with everything to sustain you, but if they need 70 feet of road to do a right or left turn, or if they sink up to their axles the second they leave Tarmac then they become more of a liability than an asset. Re-fuelling some of these beasts can bankrupt some people, and if fuel is already in short supply trying to feed something that only does 8 to the gallon is suicidal. What must be remembered is that ready made camper vans/ motorhomes are in general too delicate to make good BOVs, their construction is designed around gently driving along metalled roads and not venturing off road more than reversing onto a camp site pitch.

At the end of the day all you really need internally is berths for your group / family, a cooker, a fridge (not essential) A cassette toilet, washing facilities, storage facilities, water storage, waste storage, gas supplies, back up battery, PV cell for recharging batteries, maintenance tools, spares, food, clothing, maps and other basic kit.

Many people simply fit out a normal commercial panel van with basic camp cooker, toilet, water containers, folding seats and camp beds ????, keeping it simple does have many advantages.

Try not to use bottle gas appliances like cookers and fridges in enclosed spaces like vans unless correctly installed and well ventilated, and a fire extinguisher kept close to hand is a must, even with extra vents fitted its always prudent to keep a door or window well open. If you are changing a gas bottle always leave the van doors open in case of explosive leaks from either bottle

A popular type tends ( but not always) to be the demountable camper on a 4WD pickup 1 ton truck, this is followed by the utility vehicle conversion that uses the standard steel body of the vehicle to contain the fittings and facilities.

Whenever possible try to get at least a 100 BHP non turbo diesel powered engine with long range fuel tanks, as well as being more simple, durable and reliable than a gasoline engine you can install a heater system from a full size truck ( Semi Trailer) that runs off diesel, This makes staying warm that bit easier and convenient without having to break into your limited bottled gas supplies. Ground clearance is another important consideration, availability of parts , tyres, service components is also important.

The more bland, the more common, the more uninteresting your BOV camper looks the less likely you are to attract unwanted attention from people who may be looking to relieve you of your hard earned survival supplies. Remember there are far more people who would rather waste their spare money on idle luxuries preferring to rely on the state to bail them out in a crisis or during hard times. There are many in society who like to deride survivalists during times of plenty and stability, it is these same people who will come knocking on your door when things go wrong, and many of them will steal or try to take by force the supplies and equipment you have strived so long to save for. A low profile for your family and your vehicle is called for during troubled times, this is why so many of us now purchase standard panel vans and when fitting them out as camper BOV’s fit extra sunroofs for illumination instead of fitting glass panels in the side of the van.

Options

Consider combing your BOV with a towed caravan (camping trailer) to increase the functionality and flexibility of your survival plans. If you can afford to change your family car that is used to tow the caravan for a panel van or camper van then this is an option you may wish to consider.

FITTING OUT YOUR B.O.V
There are some very important things to consider when designing, fitting out and loading your Bug Out Vehicle, they range from
Selecting the best vehicle you can afford to buy and run.
Fitting it out as best as possible.
Distributing the load evenly between the axles.
Keeping heavy items stored as low down as possible.
Balancing the weight evenly along both sides of the vehicle.
Keeping often needed and important equipment readily to hand.
Ensuring you don’t have to offload kit to get to the bed, toilet or kitchen.
Not overloading your vehicle so as to affecting handling or ground clearance.
Ensuring the vehicle is made as BOV suitable as possible ( IE Rugged).
Remembering to redistribute weight in the vehicle as fuel, food and water are consumed.
Incorporating as many useful features as possible / affordable.
Making it easily repairable as possible

A fully fitted out Panel van , SUV or a family vehicle converted to double up as a BOV is not to be confused with the simple camper vehicle , the similarity stops at the type of fittings used in the creation of the vehicle like kitchen, toilet and bed. Most motor homes are meant to remain on smooth roads, they can be very delicate vehicles when it comes to the construction of the furnishings, plus they usually tend to have long overhangs fore and aft of the road wheels. Very often motorcampers have very poor ground clearance and any or all of these points can lead to the stranding of your vehicle even in something as benign as an unsurfaced car park or truck stop. Your vehicle can become stuck solid on a bump or become grounded fast at a time when good Christian charity in the form of a tow out from your fellow man is in short supply as everyone heads for the hills. A BOV in camper form is more akin to an overland expedition vehicle with good ground clearance, rugged construction, large fuel and water capacity with various internal and external storage facilities as possible.

Ideally if you want a BOV with internal sleeping accommodation a 4×4 panel van conversion will meet your needs the closest, followed by a 4×2 panel van, the other common option of course is the 4×4 SUV or utility truck with a roof mounted tent or towed trailer containing some sort of opening or demountable sleeping arrangement.
Many survivalists choose the Off Road vehicle option as it suits their needs best, but I feel that many survivalists with family members both young and old will be better suited to sleeping inside a BOV rather than in a tent or trailer tent.

Your BOV will ideally be fitted with reinforced commercial vehicle grade tyres, very often the ( wiser) BOV owners will sacrifice high speed cornering capabilities and low road noise tyres for duel purpose ( road / trail) slightly noisier town and country tyres giving that bit more traction when off the highway. I’m not saying go out and fit huge great knobbly off road tyres because in general it is forecast that the majority of people bugging out will be doing so on the highways, with only occasional forays off road to camp or avoid obstacles. In all cases your vehicle wants STEEL road wheels which if dinged or dented can be bashed back into shape with a hammer, alloy wheels are fine for sports cars and leisure SUV’s, they may give a slight unsprung weight advantage to your jeep as you go for a blast through the boonies, but if you hit a rock and crack the wheel whilst bugging out you will be stuck. A nice extra to consider is to carry an extra spare wheel / tyre making it two spare wheel/tyre sets, and of course if your vehicle is of the type that only has a slim line short term emergency spare wheel you need to change it for a regular one.

Two final points on wheels and tyres, first its always prudent if you are in a hurry to carry and use one of those emergency tyre repair / inflation sealant aerosol sprays, it may get you going quick if someone is taking pot shots at you, and finally if your spare is mounted underneath the vehicle then move it, to the back door, inside, roof or bonnet ( hood) of the vehicle, you don’t want to be crawling around in the dirt trying to extract the spare from a vehicle that has already started to sink into the ground.

Your BOV should have the capacity to carry extra fuel, extra food, extra water, extra clothing, extra equipment and logistics to make the bugging out event as least traumatic as possible, it has been debated to great length over the years but a commonly held belief is that your vehicle should carry enough fuel to cover a distance four times of that equalling the most direct route to your final destination, IE if its 150 miles to your retreat you should carry fuel enough to go 600 miles. This allows for road blocks, diversions, natural and man made hazards and pure bad luck. You can supplement and extend your range by caching fuel along the most likely routes you will follow to get to your retreat, but what you must NEVER do is plan on using gas stations to obtain extra fuel in an emergency, not only could they be closed, empty or looted but you can guarantee trouble makers will be loitering around them waiting for people just like you to pull in.

I believe that the case has been made firmly in favour of diesel powered vehicles ahead of gasoline powered vehicles, though I do respect other peoples choices, reasons and desires in selecting gasoline power. But for economy, reliability, accessibility, storage and safe handling, efficiency and availability Diesel is in my honest opinion the best choice for survivalists.

Your BOV will ideally be able to provide enough sleeping space for all of your group/ family MINUS ONE, because at all times someone should be outside keeping watch. You do not want to have to unload equipment or supplies in order to make up a berth because if you are forced to suddenly flee for your lives then you will probably have to abandon the stuff you offloaded.

Use your head when designing and loading your vehicle, if for example your fuel tank is on the right hand side of the vehicle then position the extra fuel tank on the left to balance the weight, if not the extra fuel tank perhaps a water tank, inside if you position the toilet on one side then store a gas bottle opposite to counter the weight. Ideally the heavier fittings and supplies should be stored between the two axles, in my own vehicle the modular and detachable kitchen unit is mounted across the van just behind the seats ( Its got sink, cooker, gas, clean water tank, dirty water tank, and quick use food storage tubs all in one unit making it the heaviest fitting in the van.
As you use up your supplies do remember to rebalance the vehicles load to compensate.

As well as balancing the vehicle keep the centre of gravity as low as possible, keep all the heaviest stuff as low down as possible, fuel , bottled gas, water etc on or under the vehicle floor, followed by food and tools, with lightweight stuff like clothing and bedding stored in the highest spots. Make sure you have adequate ventilation in your vehicle when burning gas for cooking or heating.

FOUR THINGS must be kept / stored easily to hand at all times, your
Vehicles Keys,
Defensive Weaponry,
Fire Extinguisher
First aid kit.

What should your vehicle have in an ideal world ? ( only my opinion)

Good Ground Clearance ( better off road capability).
All Wheel Drive ( Selectable 4wd preferred to save fuel)
Diesel engine
Manual Transmission ( Automatics waste far to much energy from an engine)
Long range fuel tanks ( Greater independence and security in avoiding gas stations)
Twin Batteries ( one charged from engine, other from auxiliary systems)
Auxiliary power supplies ( PV Cell, Micro turbine, Bottle gas powered genny)
Upgraded Lighting (with auxiliary driving lights on separate circuit to main lights)
Belted Seating for everyone.
Domestically manufactured ( for spares accessibility)
Commercial vehicle reinforced tyres ( for durability)
Internal insulated water tanks ( Drinking/ washing)
Dirty water tanks ( leave no trace of passing)
Toilet (with sealed easy clean tanks)
Shower ( an external spigot will do)
Strongly build cabinet fittings
Kitchen Unit ( sink, cooker, grill, fridge)
Dirty / Wet Locker ( keeping wet and dirty clothing separate)
Vented Bottled gas locker ( Min two 7.5 kg bottles)
Satnav/ map locker
Good quality AM FM DIGITAL radio in cab and saloon
Power / light fused distribution board
External hookup for 120/220v
Ceramic or Reverse Osmosis water filter (if you fill up possibly impure water sources.
Mobile phone charger.
External storage racks for stuff like Jerry cans, Bicycles, Spare wheel carriers etc.
Winch and bull bars & swivel spotlights ( protection and self extraction and lighting)
Tool & Spares locker ( vehicles tools and common spares).

Please do remember that for the average modern western family all of the above can be accommodated into a long wheel base panel van like a Ford Transit or Econoline, and accordingly can be used as everyday transport for one of the family, The vehicle can most certainly be used for leisure purposes as well as survivalism.

TOWED TRAILER CARAVANS

The idea of having two homes both equipped and furnished in a manner and style of your choosing is a highly desirable concept, but for many of us a house in town and another in a secluded rural location will never amount to more than a pipe dream..

But wait, what about a good modern well equipped and winterised caravan (camping trailer for the Americans), for only upwards of a few hundred pounds and a bit extra for upgrade and refitting you can have your second home in the country, and what’s more you can move it to better pastures if you find them. Obviously the more you spend on the basic van the better the results are likely to be.

A caravan ( trailer) can have multiple berths ( fixed or stowed away) Heating ( Gas, Electric 12v and mains) 12 v and mains lighting, gas cooker and oven, microwave, fitted kitchen with sink and taps, a separate bathroom with integral shower and cassette/ cartridge toilet, Fridge Freezer, wardrobes, cupboards, TV / cell phone / satellite / radio aerials, solar panels, water filters, auxiliary battery, portable generator, spare gas bottles, Wardrobes, integral water and waste water tanks, double glazing and well insulated as well. If you uses an awning ( tent structure attached to the side of the caravan) it can double the size of the covered area available to you.

If you think about it a caravan pre-positioned in case of emergency at some location of your choice will not only provide your family with an ideal weekend holiday home but a very well equipped retreat as well, some people have made arrangements with land owners and farmers to keep their vans on secluded spots on the farmers land in return for a rent and an assurance to help the farmer keep his livelihood protected during a crisis. Other people have purchased their own small plots of land in secluded locations and conceal their vans in wooded copses or behind man made or natural berms, it is remarkably easy to camouflage even a white caravan in the middle of a wood. Don’t forget as survivalists blending in with Joe Public is paramount and attracting undue attention could be very unpleasant for your survival plans, but as a reminder sighting your van in the middle of a load of other caravans in a nice decent quality rural caravan site can offer many benefits apart from good company and camaraderie, a case of hiding a tree in a forest if you wish :o)

Should circumstances change there is no real reason for you not to move your van to other locations / positions of your choice as determined by global, natural, civil or political events. Above all else it gives you more options to consider for your social, domestic and survival plans.

Modern caravans are built on galvanised alloy chassis with integral braking systems, their construction can be of aluminium, glass fibre or ABS construction ( or a mix of any or all) over a laminated timber framework packed with insulation, with a little care a caravan can be kept in a functioning condition for decades at minimal cost.
Much standardisation of parts throughout the industry ensure spares are plentiful and inexpensive, items such as electrical fittings, lights, water pumps, taps (faucets) locks, hinges, upholstery, gas fittings and white goods are readily available in most areas.

From a survivalist point of view a well-sited van near a sources of clean water (and preferably electricity) can sustain your family during a crisis for months. If one keeps a good supply of food stuffs cached at or around your caravan as well as inside of course, you can feed your family a healthy balanced diet for extended periods, that is far better than becoming a refugee at the mercy of strangers or your govt. A supply of bottled gas ( butane / propane with spare regulators and gas flexi pipes) backed up with a solar panel (PV CELL) and a micro wind turbine feeding your 110 AH auxiliary battery can provide all your energy needs again for months at a time (depending on climate, how much gas you keep, and how frugal you are with it.
Many people keep small sheds or garden stores with their vans in which to keep gardening implements , keeping extra gas bottles in one is not going to attract attention.

Other considerations are trailer tents but these can not sustain a family as well during extremely cold wet windy weather and are more prone to damage, the only one we have tried and approved of is the Combi-Camp trailer tent for 3 season usage. All the others appear to be to fiddly or to delicate for our needs.

The most basic and functional van for our needs appear to be restricted to one model, the Knaus Sport and Fun, this van offers very little in the line of frills or fancy refinements, but does offer functionality and durability. other makes that appear to come the closest to our needs are the Compass range of caravans, this is the make two of the north British survivalists choose to use for various personal reasons.

MAPPING & ROUTE PLANNING

When preparing to move to a RETREAT or even on EXPEDITION TRAINING you must make careful notes of certain important factors in planning your journey, Also when in location at your base or retreat you need to record for future use some vital information.
Listed below are some of the most important items that should be included on your maps.
1 Main routes to and from your base.
2 Secondary routes to your base.
3 Escape paths and alternate routes along your route to avoid hazards/ambushes/checkpoints/bad weather etc. etc.
4 Water and possible food supplies /and pre arranged caches along your routes.
5 Water supplies around your retreat, are they likely to remain that way are they pure ? (Potable).
6 Escape routes from the retreat in case of bad weather or overwhelming opposition.
7 Natural hazards, bogs, rivers, marshland, large forests, old mine workings, rock faces etc.
8 Manmade hazards, bomb sites, fallout zones, mine fields, militarised zones, refugee camps, check points, known patrol routes, comms sites, ( COMMS SITES =communication sites=ergo radio masts, communications/radio / microwave relay towers and broadcasting masts, telecommunications facilities, military network communications masts, broadcasting stations both civil/military and commercial etc. etc.)
Towns with populations exceeding available resources for self-reliance, etc.
9 Strategic targets, Bridges, factories, refineries, garrisons, police stations, airports, chemical and steel plants, reservoirs, road and rail junctions, marshalling yards, power stations, etc.
10 climatic hazards depending on time of year.
11 Opposition, police, military both foreign and domestic, paramilitaries, refugees, renegades, looters.
12 Allies, Red cross, civil defence groups, other survival groups that are friendly.
Resources, Food stores, supermarkets, fuel dumps, grain stores, petrol stations and POL dumps, (Pol dumps = Petrol Oil and Lubricating dumps = fuel storage and distribution facilities, civil and military, petrol stations, oil storage facilities, refineries and crackers, wagon depots, rail refuelling depots, gas storage and distribution facilities, methane generator facilities (pig farms and ground fill sites), camping gas suppliers (butane / propane/map gas-calor-gaz-coleman-taymar etc)
Water supplies, tool stores, gun and sports shops, armouries, builders merchants, isolated shelters, farms, caves, tunnels, underpasses, fish farms, rivers and streams, colonies of cattle / small and large game etc.

A warning about Supplies.

Do ensure that when you approach sources of supplies that they are not already under someone else’s control, do not take unnecessary risks, go elsewhere or try again another day.
Avoid confrontation and unnecessary contact until things get as normal as possible, be prepared to barter for supplies.

RESOURCE MAPPING

Identify and keep records of any useful resources that may be useful to your group post collapse.

Some materials like coal or building materials can frequently be left in situ and they are unlikely to come to any harm, unless of course such materials are going to be in short supply.

Identify the following.

Recoverable sources of Firewood, Coal & Coke, Peat, Heating and fuel oil, Bottled Gas ( butane and propane). Check coal yards, railway sidings, gas bottled refilling centres etc.
Petroleum Products, Petrol, Diesel, Avgas, Paraffin ( Kerosene), Hypoid, Lubricants etc
( Most petroleum products will need treating with preservatives) Petrol stations, refineries, transport depots etc
Building materials, Lumber, Bricks, Cement, Aggregates etc . builders yards, DIY centres, quarries, building sites etc

Water Supplies, Tanks, ponds, reservoirs, streams, wells ( including capped ones) artesian and aquifer supplies,
Water filtration and purification equipment and stockists.
Identify locations of fast flowing or fast falling water that could be used to turn generators , mills, etc.

Food stores, supermarkets, distribution centres, regional warehouses, grain stores, etc
Free range herds of cattle, sheep, chickens, deer etc
Rabbit farms, Rabbit warrens, Fish farms, Angling clubs.

Tool stores, engineering suppliers, plant hire agencies, camping, caravanning and outdoor stores, sports shops, gun shops, gun smiths, boat yards, marinas, ships chandlers preserved railways etc

Remote housing that is conducive to self reliance, IE has things like functioning large chimneys and fire places, ultra insulated, double/ triple glazed, multi-fuel heating / cooking facilities, has a well or other clean water supply, solar panels, wind turbines, methane digesters, local supplies of fuel, defendable, etc other facilities like outdoor residential centres, outward bound centres, alternative technology centres, camping hostels, retreats etc are worth considering.

Check out footpaths, bridle ways, navigable water ways, rail lines, broadcasting masts, radio masts, wind farms, etc.

Please remember that in survival INFORMATION is not only power, but a lifesaver as well.

BUG OUT CHECK LIST

Transport, fuelled up, vehicle checked over, pols*, tyres, lights, brakes, steering, spares etc spare fuel loaded, noise level tested., radios /scanners fitted and checked.

*petrol /oil/lubricants

Kit packed ready and loaded, food, water, clothes, med kit, maps, comms kit, nav kit, weapons and ammo on hand.

Routes and alternative routes access checked

Media sources monitored

Others contacts / members contacted

Caches in place.

Rendezvous and checkpoint times understood

Emergency and immediate action drills understood

Gas / electricity / water at home isolated

Central heating and water systems drained down

Property secured

Livestock / Pets dispersed

HANDY KIT LIST
Modified list of handy stuff to have around ready for emergencies,this is like an extended general purpose emergency kit

Shelter Water
______ Tent ______ Water Purifier
______ Ground sheet ______ Purify Tablets
______ Space Blanket HD ______ 1 litre Canteen
______ Sleeping bags ______ 5 gall Canteen
______ Plastic Sheeting ______ Water Packets
______ Mossy net ______ Active charcoal

Clothing Heat/Cooking/Light
______ 4pr Socks ______ “Lifeboat” Matches
______ Gloves ______ Butane Lighter
______ Hat ______ Candle Lantern
______ Sweatshirt ______ Extra Candles
______ Windbreaker ______ Re-sealable food containers
______ Gore-tex top coat ______ Canteens Insulated
______ Bandana ______ Fire lighters
______ Underwear ______ Eating/Cooking Utensils
______ Underwear Thermal/ _____ Camping Gas cooker
______ Boots 1pr ______ Camping gas refills
______ Bootlaces 1pr ______ Paraffin / Kerosene lanterns
______ Hiking shoes ______ Paraffin / Kerosene
______ spare laces

Utility Communications
______ Folding knife ______ AM-FM-SW Radio
______ Sheath Knife ______ Batteries spare
______ Knife Sharp Kit ______ Flashlights
______ Multi tool ______ Bulbs & Batteries extra
______ Telescopic baton ______ Pad of Paper
______ Parachute Cord ______ Pen & Pencil
______ Nylon Rope ______ Chemical Light Sticks
______ Mending Tape ______ Light Stick Case
______ Folding shovel ______ Mirror

______ Gill Net ______ Whistle
______ Pick/spade/fork ______ Flares (aerial)
______ Pry bars/hatchets ______ Cash
______ Field glasses ______ Trade Goods
______ Rifle / pistol
______ Cleaning kit
______ Spare mags
______ Ammo
______ Wood saw / secatuers

Navigation Hygiene
______ Maps ______ Soap bars
______ Compass ______ Liquid Soaps & Shampoos
______ Map Aides ______ Washing up detergents
______ GPS system ______ Sanitary products M/F
______ Survival Skills Manual ______ Sterile /Baby wipes
______ Edible plants book ______ Bottles of bleach
______ Medical book ______ Bottles of disinfectant
______ Tooth care products
______ Shaving kit
______ Garbage bags H/D
Food
______ 3 to 7 MRE *Meals * meals ready to eat
______ Small can cashews or other nuts
______ Other personal preference food items
______ Meats
______ Fish
______ Vegetables
______ Pastas
______ Rice
______ Fruits
______ Milks / Whiteners
______ Salt/sugar/herbs/curry powder

Food Stuffs must be chosen for nutritional value and preferred taste ahead of cost, Its no good buying twenty trays of Tuna if only you out of your entire family like it.

BUG OUT BAGS AND BUG OUT VESTS

These interesting items are basically a form of insurance that many survivalists have become used to having about, They are simply bags, briefcases or travel vests that are loaded with useful and handy pieces of equipment , tools and supplies that you can grab and go with should the need arise.

SURVIVAL BUG OUT BAG ( My Own personal kit)

Leather/ Cordura Multi pocket tool bag
Soviet AK 47 Bayonet for rough chopping
Pocket Binos or Monocular
Multi tool with plier head
Multi-tool with pruning head
Flashlights Plus spare Batteries
Minature FM radio plus batteries
Chemical light sticks
Rations MRE
Hexamine cooker
Butane lighters
Lock knife ( Cold Steel XL Voyager Tanto)
Knife sharpener
Maps
Survival instructions
Survival book
Medical kit
Spare prescription specs
Paracord
Large folding wood saw
Ziplock bags
Small tin with button compass, signal mirror, spare batteries
Telescopic baton

SURVIVAL BUG OUT VESTS

Survival vests or load bearing vests or multi pocket vests are becoming increasingly popular with survivalists, they can be worn instead of carried which many people prefer for various reasons, they can either suppliment or replace bug out bags though I must admit to having both. The main advantage for concerned people about having useful equipment about their person on a daily basis is that a partially loaded vest can be worn as noral daily attire in most cases, this allows people quite a bit of leeway in choosing what kit that can have readily to hand all day every day. I also have a lightweight bug out vest to suppliment the BoB and BoV that is light and comfortable which I wear all the time as part my normal dress.

SURVIVAL VEST KIT

Below is a description of my own Bug out Vest and its contents

Snowbee Multi Pocket ( 14) vest in olive drab, ( Modified, Larger Heavier Zip fitted, two out of three mesh outer pockets removed)
Storm proof butane lighters x2
Silva type 4 / 54 compass ( Tritium illuminated) in Mils and Degrees
Survival whistle
LED Flashlight plus spare batteries
Mini LED torch Zipper fitting model
Thermometer
Fishing kit
Pain killers ( Aspirin, Brufen, Paracetamol)
Assorted Band aids
Gloves ( leather single skin)
Lock knife ( CS voyager Tanto)
Maps O/S 1:50,000( Or A4 Sectional maps)
Zip lock bags
Para cord 550 ft lb
Water puri tabs
Knife Sharpener
Coffee, sugar and whitener sachets.
Map reading aide memoir
Baby wipes

I am considering adding another set of folding secatuers to vest kit, but this would open the door to me carrying another multi tool which I already have on my belt, I also find that both Mini mag lite and LED flash lights that need 2 or 3 AA batteries take up to much space lengthwise, so I have now changed them for a pair of lens focused LED flashlights than run on silver oxide 357 button batteries

All contents of pockets in Zip lock bags

LIGHTWEIGHT BUG OUT VEST

Last year ( 2003) one of the American contributors on Misc Survivalism mentioned in passing he was working on a lightweight Bug out Vest that he could wear every day without attracting unwanted attention.
I thought I would take a look at the subject from a British viewpoint. The main differences between the two systems will be the make of the vest and its type of construction ( mesh backed for warm climes and poly-cotton for colder climes) and of course the inevitable firearm that the American could carry and Briton could not, The American system had a seven (???) shot revolver in .22 cal Long Rifle included in its make up.
I have been thinking about some sort of compromise between the basic pocket survival tin that most of us carry around and a full blown bug out vest weighing in at an average of 7 or more kilos.
What I am playing around with is a lightweight vest that I can wear every day without attracting unwanted attention, but has enough practicality to act as an interim survival vest.
The sort of thing I am considering is something like the new Regatta cotton / mesh travel vest ( slightly modified to suit my own needs) in olive drab material, it only weighs in at about 1 ½ lb.
In this vest which is only about the third of the weight of my Snowbee Bug out vest ,I was thinking about the following space and weight saving options.

A Swisscard credit card tool (Scissors, fine knife, rule, pen, tweezers.)*****
A Tool logic credit card tool ( Compass, magnifier, 2 inch skinning knife, tin / bottle opener) *****
A BCB steel credit card tool ( Solid Steel , reflector, spanner, screwdriver, can be made into mini axe)*****
A key ring size LED flashlight
A Gerber EZ out lightweight folder ( or possibly a Spyderco spydercard knife?)
A Gerber Pen sized sharpening stone
10 yards para cord
A plasticised aluminium pouch for cooking in / carrying water (type of thing MREs come in)
A card of Brufen, Aspirin, and Paracetamol
A selection of band aids/ steri strips
A card of 10 water puri tabs
A sachet of Potassium Permangenate
A Sun Micro compass
A Lightweight FM radio
A Windproof butane lighter.( the type with a safety catch )
A few energy bars, bits of jerky, mint cake.
A micro monocular
A wire Saw
A fishing line, hooks and lead shot
Four micro chemical light sticks
A laminated A 4 sectional map of the area you are visiting
All the above in Zip lock bags
A large plasticised survival bag

The total weight including the vest is still less than 5 lbs

***** These tools are in my wallet anyway, I always have a Multi tool like a Gerber Mod 600 and quality folder CS Voyager Tanto on my belt

This leaves me the option of keeping my heavy full sized Bug out Vest in my car or at home, but still affords me some increased level of protection without me looking like a member of the SAS on a scud hunting mission.
* The contents of the lightweight BoV could also easy be kept in a hip pack.

FIT, FEEL AND FAMILIARITY
(Getting to know your kit)

OK, so you have done the research, bought the kit, developed your plans and stockpiled everything including the assault systems kitchen sink. Now what are you going to do? Wait for Armageddon?
Its no good at all having a great piece of kit if you are not totally familiar with its feel and fit and you need to be very comfortable about using it. Why buy an all singing all dancing tactical folding knife then put it away until it is needed? Does it open and close smoothly, can you cut a rope, fillet a rabbit, defend yourself with it, sharpen it or is it to big or to lightweight for the task?
Does it sit comfortably on your hip now? What about after 8 hours with your rucksack pressing it into your hip, can you unleash it, open it and use it with cold, wet, tired hands?
Your expensive flashlight with its lifetime warranty, can you strip and replace the self cleaning switch, Is it big enough powerful enough to do the job for a full evening in your blacked out camp site or retreat, or is it always getting in the way, pulling your belt down, and eating batteries faster than a kids toy?
Be honest, if you were stressed out, scared stupid and fleeing for your life along with your family, Could you put your hand straight to your compass, flashlight, map, knife or whatever in your bug out vest /bag without having to unpack or rummage about for it. What about the vest / bag itself Is the vest up to the job, comfortable, not going to slide up or down, ride up into a knot or disintegrate at the first time its put to use.
Its the same with the super duper tyres you paid a premium rate for, and what about the PV unit or wind generator you have obtained, will the tyres give the traction you seek or are you going to end up with terminal wheel spin in the inevitable piece of swampy real estate along the route to your destination, or the PV and turbine working flat out simply don’t provide enough energy to stop your freezer from thawing out. What if for example the turbine produces enough noise to let the residents of the next county home in on your secluded retreat?
You have the will, you have the need, and now you have the kit to enable you to survive, so get familiar with it use it, get comfortable with it, reassure yourself that it will be up to the task, Why not for example wear your vest for a few days at a time partially loaded, so you get used to it, let it find its shape, find out the best way to load it with your kit. You don’t need to go into town looking like you are ready to start a war, but it will do you no harm at all to use your vest as a gillet carrying your knife, flashlight, compass, first aid kit, Para cord, wallet etc for a few days, perhaps you could make it your car coat or your dog walking jacket. It’s the same with the new boots you have recently invested in.
Now you have realised that bugging out in a vehicle is going to be almost impossible and have purchased those 200 dollar boots, are they up to the job? To stiff, poor fit, not broken in, not water resistant, take forever to dry out etc? you need your bug out boots, clothes and kit to be snug, comfortable, familiar at hand, and up to the job.

I got myself what I thought would be an ideal garment to use as a bug out vest, I bought it, loaded it up, then put it away whilst I waited for Armageddon. Then one day I thought I would take the mutt for a good long hard walk and decided to try out the vest…………………………. It is now into its third set of alterations and modifications to make it more comfy and better suited to the task it was originally designed for.

STOCKPILING SUGGESTIONS

There are many lists available on the web and in books about what to stockpile or cache, this article is simply a guide of useful things to consider having around “just in case”

Some items you may wish to obtain can be useful on a day to day basis as well as being invaluable during a crisis for your own use or to barter with.

Tea / coffee / whiteners
sugar / salt
flour / grain / pasta
soap / bleach / detergents
tooth paste / deodorant
ziplock bags / bin bags
Candles / parafin
Coal /charcoal / wood

All of the above are everyday consumables that will quickly become in very short supply during a crisis and pound for pound the likes of salt, paraffin, coffee, and candles will become more valuable than gold.

Writers of survival planning often suggest that you should keep a supply of pure gold and silver coins for use as barter currency, perhaps they are correct but in my mind if you can not eat it or burn it or preserve food with it I don’t think it will be of much use to you. People will sell their souls for the supplies I’ve listed when its in short supply and you can not really have two much in store because its something that you use continuously in your every day lives.

OTHER USEFUL ITEMS

Flashlights
Batteries
Nylon cord
Rope
Shovels
Picks
Pry bars
Hand operated tools
Paraffin and candle lanterns
Boots, insoles and spare laces
Ordnance Survey maps 1:50,000
Compasses
Ducting tape / insulating tape
Multi tools Gerber / Leatherman etc
Compact field glasses
Short wave radio or scanner
Spare knives
Hiking clothing /gor-tex type
Rucksack
Medical kit
Weapons
Tents / bivouac bags
Blankets
camp cooker / barbeque ( multi-fuel)
Water containers
Extra personal sanitation kit / spare prescription glasses

FOOD stuffs that have a long shelf life or can be reconstituted easily are required and it must be food you like. It does not put much of a strain upon your financial resources to spend an extra £ 2 a week on food to lay away for emergencies (unless you are a British pensioner) Don’t forget to rotate your cached food through your everyday supplies so you always have the freshest stuff in reserve.In many cases rural folk and those who are affected by restricted access to the shops keep a lot more tinned and dry goods than would normally be found in the average families town house. I tend to buy tinned goods like baked beans, soups, vegetables, fruit, corned beef, tinned hams, peas, carrots, potatoes, tinned milk etc by the dozen, tins if looked after have a good shelf life and fairly easy to store. Do write on the end of the tin with a marker pen whats its contents are and its expiry date, just in case the label falls off during storage. I have added a shelf life list further towards the end of the book.

NICE STUFF TO STRIVE FOR

A retreat or holiday cabin/lodge/mobile home/caravan in an isolated location.
A four-wheel drive utility vehicle is good , an estate or people carrier is next.
A full two way amateur radio set-up.
A portable diesel powered generator
Solar panels /composting toilet/wind turbine/water turbine/ and a well for your house or retreat.
Moving out of the city (everyone should be pushing for this)
Horses /mountain bikes / boats.
Living within 50 miles of other friendly survivalists.
Working from home or being self employed.

These lists can be endless and bloody expensive, but if obtained over time they can be achieved and if you accidentally become overstocked you can always barter the excess with other survivalists for something you do want, This is why the UK survivalists needs to have frequent rendezvous so they can exchange goods and services with like minded folk.

INCREASED STOCK LEVELS

People have asked exactly what I mean when I say I am increasing my stock levels during a perceived loomimg crisis, Listed below are some of the things I do and some of the things I get in extra to my normal shopping .

Fill vehicles with fuel
Fill Jerry cans
Check over vehicles systems, POL* as required
Strip, clean and adjust all tools and blades and other pieces of kit

*POL Petrol, Oil and Lubricants

Fill potable water containers and treat.
Pack extras into bug out bags
Monitor news continuously
Change batteries in flashlights and radios
Top up normal shopping stock, I always keep about four months’ foodstuffs anyway.

Then I get extra

Tea bags 2000
Coffee 4 jars
Sugar 8 kilos
Salt 2 kilo
Whitener/creamer 1 kilo

Rice long grain 12 lbs
Pasta shells 12 lbs
Wheat flour 12 lbs
Cereal grain 12 lbs
Noodles etc 4 lbs

Tinned
Salmon/Tuna x8
Ham/Turkey x8
Processed meats x8
Soups Asst x32
Stews x 8
Tinned meals x 16 (all day breakfast etc)
Peas x 8
Carrots x 8
Potatoes x 16
Baked beans x16
Beans with sausages / burgers etc x 16
Mushrooms x 8
Mixed vegetables x 16
Mixed fruit cocktail x 16
Tins fruit various x 16
Tins cream x 4
Tip Top x 20
Tins custard x 16
Tins / jars cooking sauces x 12
Tins oriental / Asian vegetables x12

Dried fruit
Dried nuts
Dried meats

As above but vac packed assorted x 12

Get extra toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo etc bars neutral soaps x 32
Top up all medicines inc prescription stuffs

Bleach unscented x 4 gallons
Fairy liquid washing up liquid x 4 gallons
Batteries AA, x 24 ,12 x 357 silver oxide button batterys, 10 litium CR123A batteries
Solar powered battery chargers and a set of Ni-Mh batteries is a good option

Above normal stock requirements.

Other items are obtained as and when deemed necessary, refer to your own main kit lists and select adjust as necessary.

SIMPLE METHOD OF CACHING

One of the best and easiest methods of hiding your emergency equipment is to cache it in some safe location away from your home or retreat.

The commonest method of caching is to bury it at a place that
A you can easily find again
B It can not be easily found or accidentally uncovered by someone else
C it is in a position were it can be retrieved during a crisis without
exposing you to danger
D It is not likely to become exposed due to erosion or land slip or
agricultural activity
E it is not likely to become covered over by development or flood water

There are many locations for you to choose from, some will suit you some will not, its up to your own personal choice and the environment you live in. I hid my caches by burying them next to manhole covers, inspection pipe covers in rural locations along the various bug out routes I have chosen.

One of the best types of caching container I have used is the one made from plastic drainage piping, I buy a 3 metre length of 8 or 10 inch diameter heavy duty waste water piping and 6 blanking end caps, I chop up the pipe into 1 meter lengths and use either pipe welding solvent or external grade silicone sealant to seal an end cap onto one end of the pipe, I then fill the pipe with whatever I choose (maps/ rations/medical kit/ tools/ fuels/etc)
Then I add some moisture absorbent crystal sachets to the contents and seal the top on.

One point of note, you don’t always need to bury the tube in a vertical position if the area is reasonably undisturbed and is not likely to attract the attention of animals you can bury it about 18 inches down, put a few rocks on it to hold it in place then back fill the hole, remember to put back the turf or whatever was on the surface so it blends in with its surroundings.

Food Shelf-Life Recommendations

FOOD Shelf-Life in Months
Baking Power 18 or exp. date
Baking Soda 24
Bisquick Exp. Date
Bouillon 24
Cereals 6-12
Chocolate Pre-melted Semi Sweet 12 18 18
Choclate Syrup 24
Cocoa Mixes 8
Cocoa Mix 24
Coffee 24
Coffee Lighteners (dry) 9
Cornmeal 12
Cornstarch 18
Argo Cornstarch Indefinite
Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix 24
Crystal Light Drink Mix 24
Tang Drink Mix 24
Kool Aid Drink Mix 18-24
White Flour Whole Wheat 6-8 6-8
Gelatin, all types 18
Jell-O 24
Grits 12
Honey 12
Honey 12-24-
Jellies, Jams 12
Molasses 12+
Marshmallow Cream 3-4
Mayonnaise 2-3
Milk Condensed Evaporated 12 12 6
Pasta 24
White rice 24+
Minute Rice 18
Bottled Salad Dressings 10-12
Salad Oils 6
Oil – Crisco or Puritan 24
Corn Oil 18
Crisco Shortening Indef.
Vinegar – Container with Plastic Lid Indef.
Salt Indef.
Sugar Brown Confectioners Granulated Indef. 18 24+ 24+
Syrups 12
Tea Bags Instant 18 36 24
Vinegar 24+
Biscuit, Brownie, Muffin Mix 9
Cake Mixes 9
Casseroles, complete or add own meat 9-12
Cookies 2-3 weeks
Pillsbury Mixes 18
Betty Crocker Mixes 8-12+
Jiffy Mixes 24
Crackers 3
Stove Top Dressing Mix Exp. Date
Frostings Canned 3 8
Hot-Roll Mix 18
Pancake Mix 6-9
Pie Crust Mix 8
Pies and Pastries 2-3 days
Potatoes, instante 6-12
Pudding Mixes 12
Rice Mixes 6
Rice-a-Roni Exp. Date
Pasta-Roni Exp. Date
Rice & Sauce 10-15
Noodles & Sauce 12-24
Pasta & Sauce 9-12
Sauce/Gravy Mix 6-12
Soup Mix 12
Soup Base 120
Country Kitchen Soup 36
Toaster Pastries 2-3
Canned Baby Foods Canned Tomato Sauce 12 12
Canned Cheese Sauce 24-36
Canned Tuna, Fish, and Seafood 5 Years
Canned Cranberry Sauce Exp. Date
Canned Fruits 36+
Canned Fruit Pie Fillings 24-36
Dinty Moore Spam Ham Chunks Chili Dried Beef Indefinite
Black Label Ham Exp. Date
Canned Meat Canned Chicken 36 36
Canned Soup Exp. Date
Canned Tomatoes 36+
Canned Vegetables 24-48
Canned Baked Beans 24-36
Canned Black Beans 24
Canned French Fried Onions 24
Canned Ragu Spaghetti Sauce Use by Date
Canned Five Brothers Pasta Sauce 24
Canned Fruit Juices 6
Juices 12-24
Dried Fruits 6
Dried Vegetables 12
Dried Peas and Beans 12
Catsup 18-24
Chili Sauce 24
Mustard, Yellow Prepared 24
Jar Pickles 12-24
Spices 12-24
Steak Sauce 24
Tobasco Sauce 60

Extracts Vanilla 24 12
Vegetables, Dehydrated Flakes 6
Cheese, Parmesian Grated 10
Coconut, Shredded, Canned, or Packaged 12
Meat Substitutes TVP; Imitation Bacon Bits 12
Metered-Caloric Products, Instant Breakfast 6
Nuts In Shell Pkg. Nutmeats Pkg. 4 24 3
Peanut Butter 6-9
Jif Peanut Butter 24
Popcorn 24
Freeze Dried Mushrooms 24
Whipped Topping (dry) 12
Yeast (dry) Exp. Date

HYGIENE FOR SURVIVAL

If you think the greatest risk to your groups continued existence is going to be starvation or violence then you are very much off the mark, it will more likely be a failure of your hygiene protocols that kill off most of you and the bulk of the countries population. Sanitation failure, bugs, food poisoning, rodents, disease (common ones more so than exotic ones ) will kill more than any other reason.

If you need to be paranoid about anything post collapse then it should be hygiene, hygiene in the home / retreat, hygiene in the kitchen, hygiene when coming into contact with strangers or late arriving group members.

In a crisis for example economic collapse you will need to consider the following protocols.

Patrols to fill in and disinfect all pools / ponds/ puddles that are not used by the group for a large around the retreat.
No footwear or clothes that have been used in patrolling/ foraging / agricultural work / cesspit digging to be allowed anywhere near the kitchen or food prep / storage areas.
Anyone on kitchen / food prep duties who leaves the work area must wash again before re-entering the work area, especially if going for personal ablutions.
All toilet habits must finish with a good wash with hibiscrub or similar disinfectant.
No one with so much as a sniffle to be allowed near the kitchen / food prep storage areas during the first 6 months of the crisis.
All visitors / late arrivals to be quarantined for 10 days during first 6 months of crisis.
All suspicious food sources (old tins etc) to be treated with absolute caution (food taster volunteers!)
Internal cleaning of the home / retreat to be of a standard that would satisfy conditions for an operating theatre or strive to be as hygienic as possible.
Washing and cleaning of clothes, crockery and pottery that ensures sterilisation be adopted every day during the first year of the crisis.
All waste foods that are not being recycled / composted to be buried in a way that rodents and animals can not dig them up.
All rodents, squirrels, and scavenging types of wildlife to be eradicated within a 500 yd radius of the home / retreat if possible.
All cesspits to be limed and filled in every two weeks.
All used bandages, dressings, nappies, sanitary products to be treated as though they are lethal and must be incinerated.
All water for consumption and personal hygiene MUST be boiled or chemically treated, never presume anything about the quality of water.
All fruit and vegetables must be washed with clean water.

The above suggestions are by no means complete and its your own responsibility to ensure that high levels of hygiene are maintained, I suggest that any member of your group who chooses to ignore your hygiene protocols be dealt with as though he were a mass murderer.
An outbreak of flu is an inconvenience to you now whilst you are healthy, but post collapse it will kill your young, your weak and old folk, Imagine what an outbreak of dysentery or gastro enteritis will do to your groups integrity, Measles, mumps, TB are going to crucify those who don’t maintain their health and hygiene protocols.
Please don’t forget that post collapse most forms of wildlife will be a risk to your group especially if rabies travels down the channel tunnel, The hairy arsed tree rat (grey squirrel) is as big a disease carrier as the brown rat, and don’t forget feral dogs and cats they will have been feeding of all sorts of unpleasant carrion.
Post collapse most cute furry things are not to be trusted.

SENSIBLE MEDICAL KIT

Sterile Packs, containing coated sterile field, 2 comp procedure tray, non woven swabs, dressing towels, latex gloves, yellow disposable bag.
Gauze swabs
Sterile dressings assorted sizes
Field dressings
Band-aids
Tapes
Alco wipes
Burn gel squares
Steristrips
Sterile gloves
Stitch cutters
Tweezers
Scissors
Spencer Wells Forceps/ Haemostats
Syringes for irrigation

Aspirin (liquid and tabs)
Paracetamol (liquid and tabs)
Ibuprofen (liquid and tabs)

Antihistamine cream and tabs
Anti-inflammatory cream and spray
Anti fungal cream and spray
Antiseptic cream
Anti-biotics, tabs, powder and liquid
Bonjela mouth ulcer & teething treatment
IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome) Tabs ( Colofac)
Eczema spray and cream
Insect repellent lotion and spray
Hydrocortisone cream
Acne & spot treatment ( Nicotinamide 4%)
Vaseline
Eye Ointment ( styes)

Nasal decongestant ( Otravine spray)
Diarrhoea treatment
Eye drops
Ear drops
Worming treatment
Re-hydration sachets (dioralyte)

IF AVAILABLE
Broad spectrum antibiotics
Local anaesthetic spray and cream
Malaria treatment

Important do obtain

All prescribed medications for everyone in group
all prescribed spectacles, dentures, hearing aids etc

This kit is in no way complete or comprehensive, but it does provide a good basic kit to build from, watch out for expiracy dates and rotate / replace as necessary.

SHORT TERM DOMESTIC HEAT AND LIGHT

Having limited financial resources offset by a need to have some sort of heat / light backup has sent me on the following route.
the stuff listed below is ideal for short term contingencies such as storm induced power outages.

For situations that need me to provide heat / light for my family on a short to medium term situations I have obtained a portable bottled gas fire and a building site bottled gas lantern / cooker combo, I intend to keep three of the medium size bottles for them and rotate the bottles via my gas barbeque which is itself a reserve source of heat.

These will be backed up in turn by a camping cooker (SINGLE BURNER) and a pair of camping gas lanterns, I keep loads of gas canisters in a vented fire resistant locker at the bottom of the garden.

The third level will be (If I underestimate the duration of the crisis) supported by paraffin lamps and a home made wood / charcoal burner and a pile of hexamine cookers.

I have disposed of my portable petrol generator as it was underpowered and unreliable and I was not too happy about keeping so much gasoline about. Gas powered Generators as gaining popularity as they are reliable, clean, safer than petrol and cheap to run though I hope to be able to source a diesel powered on soon.

Being the type of person who has not practised what I preach I lived in a bungalow that had an electric cooker, electric microwave, and a electrically operated gas central heating system, My gas fire had been removed during a major refurbishment of the house because it was worn out, I also refuse to pay out the money for a replacement (£400 for what is basically a piece of bent tin with three bricks and a bulb in it.)

For long term I am still looking into solar power to provide auxiliary heat and power but at present these systems are still too expensive.

I have since moved home three times in two years in an effort to find a more suitable home (Nov 2003)
Jan 2004 I have recently moved into a new house right on the very edge of a small northern town.
Dec 2004 I have moved again to a small rural village in northern England.

WINTER PREP CHECK LIST

House
Wood cut and dried?
Coal stocks ordered?
Gas bottles changed and refilled
Gutters cleaned
Fencing and posts checked
Window seals checked
Boiler (furnace) serviced
Doors /windows draught proofed
Drains free flowing

Spare candles / flashlights etc, emergency heating kit
Snow shovel
Spare fuses/ circuit breakers
Boarding up shuttering for broken windows
Weather warning radio

Personal

Extra food stocks got in in case of snow / ice storm / whiteout

Prescription medicines gotten in

Winter clothing got out of storage and cleaned aired
Boots weatherproofed

Vehicles
top up / change antifreeze
tighten /adjust drive belts
tyre condition /pressures
check hoses
lube locks
change wiper blades
check M & S tyres condition if still in store
check your tyre chains
fit thinner oil if you live in very northern climes.
Check battery condition and leads
Radio tuned to weather and traffic station
Sleeping bag/ survival blanket
Chemical light sticks / flashlights/spare batteries
Candle/ matches
Snow dye
Survival kit
Shovel
Snow mats
ShortWave radio
Hot drink making kit
Vehicle spares,
bulbs,
belts,
fuses,
plugs,
leads,
oil,
coolant,
hose clips,
hose repair kit,
exhaust repair kit,
cable ties
duct tape
snow chains
wheel brace
spanners / sockets and screwdrivers
sockets
tyre levers & tyre pump

This essay is intended to address the serious “peaknik,” that is to say a person who accepts as axiomatic that Peak Oil will occur and that the consequences will be devastating for most of the world’s Homo sapiens. As one of these people, I am often frustrated by the lack of practical suggestions for what to do to survive the Peak and the Crash. Recently I read a list of things that the people who participate in the forum of a noted Peak Oil site were doing “to prepare for a future that can no longer depend on cheap oil.” These included having a rain barrel, a one-month supply of canned goods and a one-week supply of bottled water, “adjusting my stock portfolio with more energy and other commodity stocks,” setting the thermostat at 62, and replacing the light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescents. While all of these are good things to do now, they fail to even minimally prepare for a world with no food distribution, no electricity, and lots of hungry people, things that I think are an acceptable picture for a post-Peak future. Therefore I would like to set out my suggestions, assuming that the worst-case scenario is the one we may have to deal with.

Before action one needs theory. My first suggestion in this regard is, if you’ve read three or more books on oil depletion, stop. You have reached a point where more statistics will not convince you any more. Use your time to read other books. First you need a basic understanding of how we got here, of why our subspecies of Homo sapiens sapiens is in this pickle. Essentially, our hunter-gatherer ancestors reached the limit of the carrying capacity for hunting and gathering and so needed to intensify food production. The solution was called agriculture, and while it requires more calories in for fewer calories out, it allows more people to live in the same area. In other words, twenty square kilometres could support many more agriculturists than it had supported hunter gatherers, but the agriculturalists needed to work a lot harder for their calories. This last part may come as a surprise: to “earn” the daily minimum of 2000 calories, an agriculturalist “spends” 1000, the hunter gatherer 400. For more information on the “agricultural solution,” read Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael or Beyond Civilization, and Overshoot (William Catton).

Now you need some theory about where we are going. While there has never been a world-wide collapse, history offers us numerous other examples of societal collapse. They are best presented in Jared Diamond’s aptly-titled Collapse and Joseph Tainter’s classic The Collapse of Complex Societies. Tainter’s book is especially important because he searches for a comprehensive theory for collapse, and concludes that it is essentially diminishing marginal returns – the same theory that explains why oil that is further away (underwater, in Siberia) is less attractive. He also presents us with a picture of what happens when collapses occur (e.g. decline in constabulary duties by the state, hunger, occupation of public buildings for shelter, etc.). Another much-maligned source of information on how the future could be are books of the so-called “survivalist” genre. These novels give us an idea of how people could react to a collapse. The best of these is perhaps Parable of the Sower, which deals with an America of the future where energy is at a minimum and a pseudo-fascist government takes over. Finally, if we do indeed return to a stone-age level culture, we need to know how to live in it. Luckily there are well-documented examples in anthropological literature of just how hunter-gatherers do it, how they eat and how they self-govern. Limited Wants, Unlimited Means is a collection of essays on the economics of hunter-gatherers and includes an essay from the groundbreaking book Stone-Age Economics by Marshall Sahlins, the first to understand that hunter-gatherers do not live on the edge of starvation, but rather are “the original affluent society.”

That done, you need a place to retreat to, if necessary. I hope that the collapse will be gradual enough that we can shift to an organic agriculture slightly less harmful to the environment, and that this gradual collapse will allow us to develop local currencies and smaller, more understanding communities. I am not, however, planning for this future. I am planning for one with lots and lots of hungry people that are desperate. In that case a small, energy-efficient condo in the suburbs with fluorescent lights (that don’t work), a tiny garden, and a one-week supply of food just doesn’t cut it, rain barrel or not. You need a place where you can be safe, far from the vast majority of people and out-of-sight, i.e. not a target for marauders (“marauders,” by the way, means hungry, desperate people, not bad people). This means a smallish house in the country with some outbuildings (for storage, food preserving operations, etc.). Yes, it’s hard to see an investment on that level, but see it as insurance. If Peak Oil and Collapse arrive, you’ve insured yourself. If not, you have a vacation house that is off-the grid and therefore has a higher resale value.

I can’t go through the intricacies of finding and buying rural property, but look for something relatively isolated, out of view from the road, with a large woods (and swamp if possible) and some areas for gardening as well as an existing structure. Having acted, you now need to return to theory. Begin your lists: lists of priorities to make your property a lifeboat, lists of books you need to buy, lists of supplies you need on-hand. For the first list you need to consider what I call “systems”: heating, cooking, hygiene, water-supply, and energy. Does the house have a super-efficient “Swedish stove”? Can you use passive solar energy? Can you cook for ten people, day in and day out, and with what energy (solar ovens, wood, etc.)? To avoid sickness and maintain good hygiene, are their suitable bathrooms and shower or sauna facilities? Is there a source of drinking water – if it’s a well, is the pump solar? Are there solar panels or a windmill? DC lights?

Obviously you may know little about all these things, hence the book lists. I find amazon.com fantastic for this part, as for each search you do you turn up other topics you may need to look into. You search for raising barnyard animals and they offer you a book on common diseases, or slaughtering and preserving their meat. Spend a thousand dollars and buy a lot of books on a lot of topics: passive solar construction, active solar energy, windmills and microhydro, using greywater, composting toilets, gardening, orchards, preserving food, etc. These books will then help you develop the lists of tools and other supplies you need to survive. Chelsea Green (www.chelseagreen.com) and Storey Publishing (www.storey.com) are great places to start. These lists will give you many practical things to do, other than reading about greywater systems, the advantages of saunas, and windmill-solar cell combinations. You’ll soon be scouring yardsales for old tools and canning jars.

That brings me to the most important part of your refuge, and that which is least-discussed in other “Peak Oil planners”: food. You can go without a shower, melt snow in the winter, burn wood in a stove for heat, but eating is something that is hard to improvise. Assuming the average person needs 2000 calories to live, you have around ten people to feed, and that you’ll need a year to “figure out” how be self-sufficient (an extremely optimistic estimate), you’ll need about 7,300,000 calories stored. That’s seven million, three hundred thousand calories. Let’s imagine for a moment it weren’t a problem to get all of these calories from wheat (it is): you would need about thirty-five 55-gallon drums of wheat. Do the calculation yourself – there’s an extremely helpful Excel spreadsheet available from Walton Feed (waltonfeed.com/grain/calc.html) which gives you the values for sixty-five nutrients as well as calories for over one hundred and sixty foods. Already we have some major problems, the first of which is that even the Bible recognized that “man cannot live on bread alone.” You need a variety of foods to stay healthy, and monotonous diets in stressful situations causes bad health and “food refusal,” especially with the old and the young. You need other foods, and “comfort foods”, i.e. low-calorie and high taste. Then there’s the problem of storage: you can’t just throw all that wheat in fifty-five gallon drums and seal them with silicone. You need to put in desiccants (to absorb bacteria-breeding moisture), oxygen absorbers, and diatomaceous earth (to kill little bugs already in the grain). Foods are difficult to keep fresh, and buying that much canned food will put a hole in your budget.

“I’ll just garden!” you say! Remove this illusion from your Refuge plan. Ask friends who are gardeners and have large gardens what percentage of their yearly food intake comes from the garden and I’ll be astounded if any say more than two percent. Gardening, like agriculture, takes an enormous input of energy for the return you get, and that’s assuming your good at it. Ask yourself what you know about gardening, and whether that’s enough to risk your life on the tomatoes coming in and rows of corn ripening. Horticulture alone is not a valid answer unless you’re already an expert, and even then it’s tough. In addition to your stored food and the [initially meagre] returns from your garden, you will need another source of calories, and these (I have come to think) must come from wild plants. Pick up a book about wild foods (a classic is the entertaining book by Euell Gibbons, Stalking The Wild Asparagus) and you’ll be surprised at how much food (read: calories) is available all around you, with no planting, fertilizing, or other care. But you must know what you can eat and when it’s collected. While you may not get all your food from the wild (also because it takes a lot of rural area to support a small number of people), you can supplement your diet of stored and home-grown food. Wild foods, in my opinion, will be the difference between life and death, and becoming an expert in them is a lot easier than becoming an expert in gardening.

But whether or not lots of calories are available at a certain time of the year (Summer, early Fall) doesn’t mean that they will be in the winter or early Spring. You need to be able to store the harvest from your gardens and from the woods; this is both food preservation and food storage. You must, I repeat, must become an expert in this. You need to know about drying, canning, and fermenting foods in order to store them for the winter. Once again there are lots of available books (start with Keeping Foods Fresh from Chelsea Green and Janet Greene’s Putting Food By). You should start now with store-bought and garden-grown food try making pickles, drying zucchini and tomatoes, and making sauerkraut. You can speed up the process of educating yourself with good books but need to hone these skills with practice. Remember that botulism is not a big threat in First World conditions when canning twenty jars of pickles but imagine three hundred jars in Third World conditions. Learn about pressure canners and check out Lehman’s website (www.lehmans.com) for special tools. I personally am counting on making pickles and chutneys and fermented dishes from a mix of wild food roughage (to provide the bulk of the calories) and normal vegetables (to provide taste). Your research will be greatly helped by the freely-downloadable FAQ at rec.food.preserving compiled by Leslie Base (www.faqs.org/faqs/food/preserving/part1), as well as the files on Prudent Food Storage by Alan Hagan (www.waltonfeed.com/grain/faqs). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons), because they believe in the “End Times,” also instructs its members to have a large store of food on-hand. Mormons often run so-called “Mormon Canneries” and these can be a wealth of information. Call your local Mormon church.

This is a tall order – find isolated rural property, add solar panels and other “systems,” buy hundreds of books, begin experimenting with canning and fermenting, become a food-storage expert, learn to identify and eat wild foods – but if you really believe that Peak Oil and collapse are coming, then turning down your thermostat and investing in energy-sector stocks are doing nothing to save you. Realize that things may potentially get much uglier than you can imagine, and plan for that reality. You may be pleasantly surprised, and if not, you’ll save your ass.

——————————————————————————–

Article originally found at:

Energy Bulletin

http://www.energybulletin.net/19929.html

Reproduced here for education and discussion.

——————————————————————————–

During the Civil War, hardtack was a staple food (when fresh bread was unavailable) for both the Federal government and the Confederates defending their homeland. Hardtack was a virtually indestructible 1/2-inch thick cracker about three inches by three inches, pierced with sixteen holes and made from flour and water.

Tack was a contemptuous term for food and the soldiers “affectionately” referred to hardtack as worm castles, sheet iron crackers and tooth dullers. Some of the hardtack issued to soldiers in the 1860′s was supposedly left over from the 1846-48 Mexican War. The daily ration was nine or ten crackers, but there was usually enough for those who wanted more since some men would not draw a full ration.

They were eaten plain, soaked in coffee or crumbled and added to the stew pot. A dish known as Skillygalee was made by soaking hardtack in cold water and then browning it in pork fat and seasoning to taste. A favorite seasoning of the times was cayenne pepper. Confederate Cush provided a dinner entree that consisted of bits of cooked beef, seasoned with garlic, fried in bacon grease and then stewed with crumbled hardtack or cornmeal mush. The crackers included in military C-rations and the current MREs are similar to hardtack, being much more dense, containing more flour and less air than commercial saltine crackers. When fresh, hardtack was not unappetizing, but when boxes of hardtack sat on railroad platforms or warehouses for months before being issued it hardened and often became insect infested. Because hardtack was packed in boxes marked “B.C.” (probably for “Brigade Commissary”), soldiers said they were so hard because they were baked “Before Christ”. The following account indicates how much hardtack was appreciated:

“While before Petersburg, doing siege work in the summer of 1864, our men had wormy hardtack, or ship’s biscuit, served out to them for a time. It was a severe trial, and it tested the temper of the men. Breaking open the biscuit and finding live worms in them, they would throw the pieces in the trenches where they were doing duty day by day, although the orders were to keep the trenches clean for sanitary reasons. A brigade officer of the day, seeing some of the scraps along our front, called out sharply to our men ‘Throw that hardtack out of the trenches.’ Then, as the men men promptly gathered it up as directed, he added, ‘Don’t you know that you’ve no business to throw hardtack in the trenches? Haven’t you been told that often enough?’ Out from the injured soldier heart there came the reasonable explanation ‘We’ve thrown it out two or three times, sir, but it crawls back.’”

Hardtack (original 1860′s recipe)

Use one part water to six parts flour. Roll dough flat and score into cracker shapes. Bake 20-25 minutes and cool off until completely dry before storing in canisters. The crackers should be hard as bricks and indestructibly unappetizing. If not consumed by hungry soldiers, the crackers might last at least until the Lord returns!

The following recipes don’t duplicate the indestructible nature of 19th century hardtack, but they are more appetizing since they are made from more than just flour and water:

Corntack

1-1/4 cups cornmeal
1 cup water (about)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Combine the above ingredients, using enough water to moisten. Bake in a greased 7×11-inch pan at 375 degrees for around 15 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. While still warm, cut into squares. A modern day cross between hardtack and cornbread, these thick crackers are actually pleasantly tasty served warm or reheated.
Swedish Hardtack

1 cup water
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. honey
3 cups rye flour (or 1-1/2 cups rye & 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 tbsp. brewer’s yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix liquids together. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Combine the mixtures, stirring to moisten throughout. Form a ball. On a floured surface, flatten the dough, and roll out thinly. Cut into squares and prick each cracker with the tines of a fork a couple of times. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 425 degrees around 8 minutes, checking to be sure not to over-brown. Best served warm.

Editors Note: The following are excerpts of various articles written by an individual living and surviving in a current real SHTF (Sh*t Hitting The Fan) situation. Few Americans know about the collapse of the Argentinean economy back in 2001, or their ongoing struggles and continued slide down the ladder of prosperity. FerFAL (a pseudonym) has been graciously sharing his everyday struggles to survive on the Preparedness/Patriot website www.frugalsquirrels.com.

Only minor editing has been done for the purpose of clarity and readability. What you are reading is essentially (99%) his words, and FerFAL’s words speak volumes. Everyone should read this and his other entries to get clear insight into what we could and WHEN the SHTF.

Update:
6/3/08

FerFAL now has a blog and can be found at:
http://www.ferfal.blogspot.com/

He has more articles about life in Argentina as well as commentary on the condition of the US.

—————————————————————————————————————

As you might have figured out, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is located, precisely, at the other end of the American continent, as the small map above points out.

I was born here, though all my grandparents emigrated from Spain during the civil war, and I lived for a few years in USA as a kid. I picked up my English there and I also attended bilingual schools all my life.

Argentina, though a Latin American country, used to be one of the best, if not the best, countries in Latin America. Our standard of living was similar to the one in USA. Our population is mostly Catholic and it’s about 90% white, descendant from Europeans. The rest is either mestizo (mixed blood, Native American and European) or Native American.

Our cultural level used to be quite high. This is a country that has survived many tragic events, such as civil wars, dictatorships, and the war against UK. But the one of the greatest recent crisis was in December 2001 when our economy, which used to be pegged to the US dollar, collapsed, and our paper money lost 66% of it’s value to the US dollar.

Banks closed their doors, keeping the people’s money, rioting and looting spread all over the country like a forest fire. The citizenship protested and concentrated in front of the government house asking for the president’s resignation. The president did resign, and so did 5 other presidents in the period of one week.

Today, almost 6 years later, we are still suffering the consequences of what happened. Some believe that we are doing a little bit better, some think that we are still sinking and we haven’t seen the worst of it yet. Me? I think that things didn’t get better, but that people got “used” to living like this so they try to convince themselves that we are doing ok.

Buenos Aires is one of the largest cities in America, one of the top 5 largest cities in the continent.

I will be writing articles on urban survival, things I do or learned that help me in keeping my family safe.

Please forgive any grammar mistakes you may find, I’ll do my best to keep them to a minimum.

I hope you find my articles useful and thought provoking, and that they help you to better understand what world would be like, if you ever have to deal with circumstances similar to mine.

- FerFAL
PART 1 – October 20, 2005

My brother visited Argentina a few weeks ago. He’s been living in Spain for a few years now. Within the first week, he got sick, some kind of strong flu, even though climate isn’t that cold and he took care of himself. Without a doubt he got sick because there are lots of new viruses in my country that can’t be found in 1st world countries. The misery and famine lead us to a situation where, even though you have food, shelter and health care, most of others don’t, and therefore they get sick and spread the diseases all over the region.

What got me started on this post is the fact that I actually saw this coming, and posted on the subject here at Frugal’s, months before the new viruses spread over the country and the news started talking about this new, health emergency, which proves that talking, thinking and sharing ideas with like minded people (you guys), does help to see things coming and prepare for them with enough time. So I started thinking about several issues, what I learned (either the hard way or thanks to this forum) after all these years of living in a collapsed country that is trying to get out an economical disaster and everything that comes along with it. Though my English is limited, I hope I’m able to transmit the main ideas and concepts, giving you a better image of what you may have to deal with some day, if the economy collapses in your country. Here is what I have so far:

URBAN OR COUNTRY?
Someone once asked me how did those that live in the country fare. If they were better off than city dwellers. As always there are no simple answers. Wish I could say country good, city bad, but I can’t, because if I have to be completely honest, and I intend to be so, there are some issues that have to be analyzed, especially security. Of course that those that live in the country and have some land and animals were better prepared food-wise. No need to have several acres full of crops. A few fruit trees, some animals, such as chickens, cows and rabbits, and a small orchard was enough to be light years ahead of those in the cities.

Chickens, eggs and rabbits would provide the proteins, a cow or two for milk and cheese, some vegetables and fruit plants covered the vegetable diet, and some eggs or a rabbit could be traded for flower to make bread and pasta or sugar and salt.

Of course that there are exceptions, for example, some provinces up north have desert climate, and it almost never rains. It is almost impossible to live of the land, and animals require food and water you have to buy. Those guys had it bad; no wonder the Northern provinces suffer the most in my country. Those that live in cities, well they have to manage as they can. Since food prices went up about 200%-300%. People would cut expenses wherever they could so they could buy food. Some ate whatever they could; they hunted birds or ate street dogs and cats, others starved. When it comes to food, cities suck in a crisis. It is usually the lack of food or the impossibility to acquire it that starts the rioting and looting when TSHTF.

When it comes to security things get even more complicated. Forget about shooting those that mean you harm from 300 yards away with your MBR. Leave that notion to armchair commandos and 12 year old kids that pretend to be grown ups on the internet.

Some facts:

1) Those that want to harm you/steal from you don’t come with a pirate flag waving over their heads.

2) Neither do they start shooting at you 200 yards away.

3) They won’t come riding loud bikes or dressed with their orange, convict just escaped from prison jump suits, so that you can identify them the better. Nor do they all wear chains around their necks and leather jackets. If I had a dollar for each time a person that got robbed told me “They looked like NORMAL people, dressed better than we are”, honestly, I would have enough money for a nice gun. There are exceptions, but don’t expect them to dress like in the movies.

4) A man with a wife and two or three kids can’t set up a watch. I don’t care if you are SEAL, SWAT or John Freaking Rambo, no 6th sense is going to tell you that there is a guy pointing a gun at your back when you are trying to fix the water pump that just broke, or carrying a big heavy bag of dried beans you bought that morning.

The best alarm system anyone can have in a farm are dogs. But dogs can get killed and poisoned. A friend of mine had all four dogs poisoned on his farm one night, they all died. After all these years I learned that even though the person that lives out in the country is safer when it comes to small time robberies, that same person is more exposed to extremely violent home robberies. Criminals know that they are isolated and their feeling of invulnerability is boosted. When they assault a country home or farm, they will usually stay there for hours or days torturing the owners. I heard it all: women and children getting raped, people tied to the beds and tortured with electricity, beatings, burned with acetylene torches. Big cities aren’t much safer for the survivalist that decides to stay in the city. He will have to face express kidnappings, robberies, and pretty much risking getting shot for what’s in his pockets or even his clothes.

So, where to go? The concrete jungle is dangerous and so is living away from it all, on your own. The solution is to stay away from the cities but in groups, either by living in a small town-community or sub division, or if you have friends or family that think as you do, form your own small community. Some may think that having neighbors within “shouting” distance means loosing your privacy and freedom, but it’s a price that you have to pay if you want to have someone to help you if you ever need it. To those that believe that they will never need help from anyone because they will always have their rifle at hand, checking the horizon with their scope every five minutes and a first aid kit on their back packs at all times…. Grow up.

SERVICES
What ever sort of scenario you are dealing with, services are more than likely to either suffer in quality or disappear all together. Think ahead of time; analyze possible SHTF scenarios and which service should be affected by it in your area. Think about the most likely scenario but also think outside the box. What’s more likely? A tornado? But a terrorist attack isn’t as crazy as you though it would be a few years ago, isn’t it?

Also analyze the consequences of those services going down. If there is no power then you need to do something about all that meat you have in the fridge, you can dry it or can it. Think about the supplies you would need for these tasks before you actually need them. You have a complete guide on how to prepare the meat on you computer… how will you get it out of there if there is no power? Print everything that you consider important.

WATER
No one can last too long without water. The urban survivalist may find that the water is of poor quality, in which case he can make good use of a water filter, or that there is no water available at all. When this happens, a large city were millions live will run out of bottled water within minutes. In my case, tap water isn’t very good. I can see black little particles and some other stuff that looks like dead algae. Taste isn’t that bad. Not good but I know that there are parts of the country where it is much worse. To be honest, a high percentage of the country has no potable water at all.

If you can build a well, do so, set it as your top of the list priority as a survivalist. Water comes before firearms, medicines and even food. Save as much water as you can. Use plastic bottles, refill soda bottles and place them in a cool place, preferably inside a black garbage bag to protect it from sun light. The water will pick some plastic taste after a few months, but water that tastes a little like plastic is far way better than no water at all. What ever the kind of SHTF scenario you are dealing with, water will suffer. In my case the economical crash created problems with the water company, that reduces the maintenance and quality in order to reduce costs and keep their income in spite of the high prices they have to pay for supplies and equipment, most of which comes from abroad, and after the 2001 crash, costs 3 times more. As always, the little guy gets to pay for it. Same would go for floods or chemical or biological attacks. Water requires delicate care and it will suffer when TSHTF in one way or another. In this case, when you still have tap water, a quality filter is in order, as well as a pump if you can have one. A manual pump would be ideal as well if possible. Estimate that you need one approximately a gallon per person per day. Try to have at least two-four weeks worth of water. More would be preferable.

POWER
I spent WAY to much time without power for my own taste. Power has always been a problem in my country, even before the 2001 crisis. The real problem starts when you spend more than just a few hours without light. Just after the SHTF in 2001 half the country went without power for 3 days. Buenos Aires was one big dark grave. People got caught on elevators, food rots; hospitals that only had a few hours worth of fuel for their generators ran out of power. Without power, days get to be a lot shorter. Once the sun sets there is not much you can do. I read under candle light and flashlight light and your head starts to hurt after a while. You can work around the house a little bit but only as long as you don’t need power tools. Crime also increases once the lights go out, so whenever you have to go somewhere in a black out, carry the flashlight on one hand and a handgun on the other.

Summarizing, being in a city without light turn to be depressing after a while. I spent my share of nights, alone, listening to the radio, eating canned food and cleaning my guns under the light of my LED head lamp. Then I got married, had a son, and found out that when you have loved ones around you black outs are not as bad. The point is that family helps morale on these situations.

A note on flashlights. Have two or three head LED lights. They are not expensive and are worth their weight in gold. A powerful flashlight is necessary, something like a big Maglite or better yet a SureFire, especially when you have to check your property for intruders. But for more mundane stuff like preparing food, going to the toilet or doing stuff around the house, the LED headlamp is priceless. Try washing the dishes on the dark while holding a 60 lumen flashlight on one hand and you’ll know what I mean. LEDs also have the advantage of lasting for almost an entire week of continuous use and the light bulb lasts forever.

Rechargeable batteries are a must or else you’ll end up broke if lights go out often. Have a healthy amount of spare quality batteries and try to standardize as much as you can. I have 12 Samsung NM 2500Mh AA and 8 AAA 800mh for the headlamps. I use D cell plastic adaptors in order to use AA batteries on my 3 D cell Maglite. This turned out to work quite well, better than I expected. I also keep about 2 or 3 packs of regular, Duracell batteries just in case. These are supposed to expire around 2012, so I can forget about them until I need them. Rechargeable NM batteries have the disadvantage of loosing power after a period of time, so keep regular batteries as well and check the rechargeable ones every once in a while.
After all these years of problems with power, what two items I would love to have?

1) The obvious, a generator. I carried my fridge food to my parent’s house way to many times on the past. Too bad I can’t afford one right now.

2) A battery charger that has both solar panel and a small crank. They are not available here. I saw that they are relatively inexpensive in USA. Do yourself a favor and get one or two of these. Even if they don’t charge as well as regular ones, I’m sure it will put out enough power to charge batteries for LED lamps at least.

GAS
Gas has decreased in quality as well, there is little gas. Try to have an electric oven in case you have to do without it. If both electricity and gas go down, one of those camping stoves can work as well, if you keep a good supply of gas cans. The ones that work with liquid fuel seem to be better on the long run, since they can use different types of fuel. You can only store a limited amount of compressed gas and once you ran out of it, you are on your own if stores are closed of they sold them out. Anyway, a city that goes without gas and light for more than two weeks is a death trap, get out of there before it’s too late.

A DIFFERENT MENTALITY
I was watching the People & Art channel with my wife the other night. It was a show where they film a couple for a given period of time and some people vote on who is the one with the worst habits, the one they find more annoying. We were in our bed, and this is when I usually fall asleep but since the guy was a firearms police instructor I was interested and managed to stay awake. At one point the guy’s wife said that she found annoying that her husband spent 500 dollars a month on beauty products for himself. 500 USD on facial cream, special shampoo and conditioner, as well as having his nails polished! If you are that guy and happen to be reading this, or if you know him, I’m sorry, but what an idiot!! “500 USD, that’s a small generator or a gun and a few boxes of ammo” I told my wife. “That’s two months worth of food” she said. We were each thinking of a practical use for that money, the money this guy was practically throwing away.

Once the SHTF, money is no longer measured in money, but you start seeing it as the necessary goods it can buy. Stuff like food, medicine, gas, or the private medical service bill. To me, spending 500 dollars on beauty products, and to make it worse, on a guy? That’s simply not acceptable. The way I see it, someone with that mentality can’t survive a week without a credit card, no use in even considering a SHTF scenario. And this guy is a firearms instructor?… probably the kind of guy that will say that a handgun is only used to fight his way to his rifle… and his facial night cream…

Once you experience the lack of stuff you took for granted, like food , medicines, your set of priorities change all of a sudden. For example, I had two wisdom tooth removed last year. On both occasions I was prescribed with antibiotics and strong Ibuprofen for the pain. I took the antibiotics (though I did buy two boxes with the same recipe just to keep one box just in case) but I didn’t use the Ibuprofen, I added it to my pile of medicines. Why, because medicines are not always available and I’m not sure if they will be available in the future. Sure, it hurt like hell, but pain alone isn’t going to kill you, so I sucked it up. Good for building up character if you ask me.

Make sacrifices so as to ensure a better future, that’s the mentality you should have if you want to be prepared. There’s stuff that is “nice to have” that has to be sacrificed to get the indispensable stuff. There’s stuff that is not “basic need stuff” but it’s also important in one way or another. My wife goes to the hairdresser once every month or two. It’s not life or death, but it does make her feel better and it boosts her morale. I buy a game for the Xbox or a movie to watch with my wife every once in awhile, just to relax. 7 or 10 dollars a month are not going to burn a hole in my pocket. Addictions such as alcohol, drugs or even cigarettes should be avoided by the survivalist. They are bad for your health; cost a lot of money that could be much better spent, and create an addiction to something that may not be available in the future. Who will have to tolerate your grouchy mood when your brand of smokes is no longer imported after TSHTF?

PART 2

GRAY/BLACK MARKET
Once the SHTF the black/gray market will take no time to appear all around you. In my country, gray markets were even accepted in the end. At first it was all about trading skills or craft products for food. Districts and towns would form their own barter markets, and created their own tickets, similar to money, that was used to trade. This didn’t last long. Those tickets were easy to make on your home computer, there was no control and eventually people went back to paper money.

These markets were usually placed on warehouses or empty land, and were managed by some wise guy and a few thugs or hired security. Anyone can go rent a kiosk inside these markets for about 50-100 pesos (about 20-30 dollars) a day and sell his goods and services. Peace within these markets is usually respected… lets just say that these managers don’t call the police if someone tries anything funny, like stealing, fighting or taking advantage of women. That’s not good for their business and anyone that tries to mess with their business finds out how much pain the human body can actually experiment or gets a free ticket to meet the Lord. Sometimes even uniformed cops manage security on these markets, for a small fee of course. As always, you still have to be careful. They may still try to pick your pockets or even attack you once you leave the market. Once you leave the market, you are on your own, as always.

These markets evolved and now a lot of different products are available. Today I visited my local market, a warehouse that is fairly well set up and cleanly managed. They had problems for selling stolen merchandise and fake Brand name clothes a few days ago. What can be found at a local market? Mostly food and clothing, some have more variety than others but cheese, canned food, spices, honey, eggs, fruits, vegetables, beer, wine and cured meat are generally available, same as bakery products and pasta. These are less expensive than those found at supermarkets. Fresh fish is sometimes available but not always, people don’t much trust products that need refrigeration and they get those at supermarkets instead.

Clothes are also popular and you can find copies of brand name clothes, imitations, or even original stolen new clothes, the same goes for shoes and snickers. Children clothes, underwear, socks, sheets and towels are all very popular. Some sell toys, but they are always China made, mostly poor quality though there are some few exceptions. Others sell tools, also made in China can be found as well, but they are of poor quality. Some offer their services and repair stuff or offer work as handyman. You would be amazed of the junk that these guys manage to fix: TVs, CD players, Power tools, etc. They even manage to solder the small integrated circuits boards sometimes. Give one of these guys a screw driver and a bar of chocolate and he will fix a nuclear submarine.

After food and clothes, the 3rd most popular item has to be CDs and DVDs, movies, music, play station 2 and Xbox games, programs, it all ends up there just one or two days after the official release in USA. Seems that they have a guy hidden under Bill Gate’s desk or something. Anyway, almost everything can be found there, and if you want, you can ask around, talk to the right guy and buy illegal stuff like drugs or black market guns and ammo. The quality of the drugs is questionable, of course, and a lot of addicts die from the mixtures these guys sell. Guns are mostly FM High Powers, Surplus 1911s and Colt .45s, Sistemas, and old Colt Detective revolvers in 38 special that found their way from police and military armories into the black market. Condition isn’t very good but if you have money you’ll be amazed of what you can end up with. Everything that is used by the military and police, including SMGs a, Browning 50 BMG Machine guns, and even frag grenades, is available in the black market, if the customer has the amount of money and a little patience, of course. The big guns may take a while, but the handguns and grenades are readily available.

GOLD!!
Someone hit me in the head please because I messed up about the gold issue. Everyone wants to buy gold! “I buy gold. Pay cash” signs are everywhere, even on TV! I can’t believe I’m that silly! I just didn’t relate it to what I read here because they deal with junk gold, like jewelry, either stolen or sold because they needed the money, not the gold coins that you guys talk about. No one pays for the true value of the stuff, so big WARNING! Sign on people that are buying gold coins. Since it is impossible to determine the true mineral percentage of gold, small shops and dealers will pay for it as regular jewelry gold. What I would do if I were you: Besides gold coins, buy a lot of small gold rings and other jewelry. They should be less expensive than gold coins, and if the SHTF bad, you’ll not be loosing money, selling premium quality gold coins for the price of junk gold. If I could travel back in time, I’d buy a small bag worth of gold rings.

Small time thieves will snatch gold chains right out of your neck and sell them at these small dealers found everywhere. This is VERY common at train stations, subways and other crowded areas.

So, my advice, if you are preparing for a small economical crisis, gold coins make sense. You will keep the value of the stuff and be able to sell it for its actual cost to gold dealers or maybe other survivalists that know the true value of the item. In my case, gold coins would have been an excellent investment, saving me from loosing money when the local economy crashed. Even though things are bad, I can go to a bank down town and get paid for what a gold coin is truly worth, same goes for pure silver. But where I live, in my local are small time dealers will only pay you the value of junk gold, no matter what kind of gold you have. So, I’d have to say that if TSHTF bad, gold jewelry is a better trade item than gold coins. Forgive me for not talking about this before, but I didn’t realize this until today, when I visited my local market warehouse and saw a “Buy Gold” sign.

PART 3

GUNS, AMMO AND OTHER GEAR
After TSHTF in 2001, only the most narrow minded, brain washed, butterfly IQ level idiots believed that the police would protect them from the crime wave that followed the collapse of our economy. A lot of people that could have been considered antigun before, ran to the gun shops, seeking advise on how to defend themselves and their families. They would buy a 38 revolver, a box of ammo, and leave it in the closet, probably believing that it would magically protect them from intruders.

Oh, maybe you don’t think that firearms are really necessary or your beliefs do not allow you to buy a tool designed to kill people. So you probably ask yourself, is a gun really necessary when TSHTF? Will it truly make a difference? Having gone through a shtf scenario myself, total economical collapse in the year 2001, and still dealing with the consequences, 5 years later, I feel I can answer that question. YES, you need a gun, pepper spray, a machete, a battle axe, club with a rusty nail sticking out of it, or whatever weapon you can get hold of.

A LOT has been written on survival weapons. Everyone that is into armed survival has his or her own idea of the ideal gun battery. Some more oriented to a hunting point of view, others only as self defense means and others consider a little of both, and look for general purpose weapons. Talking about guns, there is one special subject I want to rectify, and it’s the point on what’s the primary weapon for the survivalist, specially a urban survivalist that has to function in a society, yes, even after the SHTF. The primary defensive weapon for the survivalist is his HANDGUN. It’s the weapon that stays with him when he is doing his business around town of working on the field. The survivalist IS NOT a soldier, even though you are a soldier or you once were the meanest mother on the battle filed, your home town is not a battlefield and it wont be, even if the SHTF. A LOT of water has to go under the bridge until the situation gets to a point where you can calmly walk down the street with a rifle on your shoulder.

People, if you are interested in real world SHTF situation, and you want to prepare for the real deal, then understand that this isn’t black or white. You wake up one day and listen on the radio that the economy collapsed and that the stock market closed indefinitely. What do you do? You still have to go to the office/work/whatever. Kiss the wife good bye and walk to the office with your AR across your back, or across your chest, Israeli style, ready to shoot? You won’t get far. Someone will shoot you or throw you in jail, or in a mental institution.

What I’m trying to explain, is that it’s ok to prepare for China invading you country, Germans and UN or Martians. That is the extreme, less likely worst case scenario. There is an infinity spectrum of gray between the black and white. White being your average normal day and black being total TEOTWAWKI, lizard men invading the planet. Rifles do have a place in the survivalist’s arsenal, and a very important one. But you have to understand that 90% of the time, the handgun will be the weapon you have available when you need one. You can’t compare to a trooper in Iraq that has his weapon with him at all times. I ask you how many soldiers do you know that keep wearing cammo and totting their M4s around town when they return home?

What works for war does not work for the survivalist, especially the urban survivalist. Even if you live in a retreat far from town, you have to work, don’t you? Or do you have employees that take care of all your mundane tasks, leaving you all day to keep watch with your rifle ready? A soldier is part of a huge machine; HIS job is to carry that rifle, while others take care of other needs. A survivalist, one that is not part of a large survivalist group, has no one to cover for him. When a new guy looks for advice on what to get for defense, some will recommend a rifle or shotgun as a first defensive weapon. Let’s say race riots start in this guy’s city. He still has to go to work every day. What is he supposed to do? Shove his pump shotgun in his pocket? A handgun, even though less powerful, can be used for home defense AND go with you wherever you need to go. If the place floods, he can still hop into an evacuation boat without leaving his weapon behind. I’m sure no rescue team will pick you if you are carrying a long arm. They’ll ask you to leave it behind for sure. What if your government, realizing that TSHTF and that they lost control of the events, bans all firearms indefinitely? Don’t know about you, but if things are that bad, I’d like to be armed. You can hide a handgun under a jacket. You can’t hide a long arm under your clothes.

I think it was Clint Smith who said that the handgun is only used to fight his way to his rifle. Man! That sounds “macho”. I’d love to see him walking into Wal-Mart with his tactical M4, taking the subway, visiting the doctor or going to the bank. “Over here Mr. Smith, you can hang you M4 right next to my coat” I don’t think so. Guys, unless you have your own shooting school, you do not get to carry your rifle to work.

OK, now that I got that out of my chest lets look at some options.

Handguns: Revolver or Pistol? Pistol ALL THE WAY! Yes, I saw the video of the guy that accurately emptied his S&W in _ a second. I also saw the shooting range and the crowd behind him, watching the event. Can he shoot and reload that way if he is in his car, driving with one hand and shooting with the other, while a bunch of scum bags in another car are shooting at him? Hey, maybe he can. I know I can’t. Can you? Generally speaking, the revolver is more difficult to master than the pistol. The double action is hard and it affects speed and accuracy. It can be done, but I found that pistols are easier, as did many shooters. Also, even though they seem to be more simple, revolvers are not as rugged as service pistols, the mechanisms that cycles the cylinder and cocks the hammer is both complicated and fragile compared to auto pistols.

Before anyone starts casting evil voodoo spells at me for insulting their prized S&W or Ruger: I own revolvers and like shooting them, I just don’t think they are the best option for self defense, and I see that everyone I talk to in my country who is worried about security as I am also chooses pistols. Quality pistols resist sand, mud and dirt in general better than revolvers, where a small pebble locked in the mechanism may render the revolver inoperable.

I personally had a problem with a new stainless steel Taurus Tracker .357 magnum. After shooting it a couple of times I reloaded it and shot all 7 rounds as fast as I could and when I tried to empty it, I found that the empties were stuck because they expanded because of the heat. I had to wait until the gun cooled a little so I could empty the gun. Stuff like this can get you killed, even more in a 7 round handgun. I once saw a man walk into a gun store wanting to trade his 357 magnum revolver for a 9mm high capacity pistol. He said he was driving when thugs from another car started shooting at him. He was chased for a few blocks. He said that he pulled his revolver and started shooting at them, and ran out of ammo real fast. He wanted more capacity and fast reloading. I could not agree with him more. Some will consider this “Spray and pray”, thinking that all rounds should hit the target and if some don’t then it means that you need more time at the range. Those same people will tell you that they intend to use bolt action rifles as defensive rifles, making each shot count, without ever missing their target, one shot one kill. I don’t agree with this. One shot one kill is ok for snipers, but the survivalist should have other alternatives.

I don’t see anything wrong with shooting four or five rounds at a chasing car. If those rounds make them think twice about their intentions, they are rounds well spent in my book, even if they don’t kill the attacker. Suppressive fire is possible if you have a high capacity pistol. I wouldn’t doubt on using such a tactic if it serves my purposes, or if it buys me time to get out of there. Also keep in mind that criminals are cowards and therefore attack in groups. The survivalist should be able to face more than just one attacker. Getting into a gunfight with two or three armed men while packing a 6 round revolver is rather hard to deal with. A high capacity pistol can load about 15 or 19 rounds, and that can certainly make a difference in a gunfight where you are outnumbered.

A forensic doctor that used to live in my neighborhood got killed last year. He was ambushed when he exited a restaurant by 5 or 6 men. Even though they did kill him he managed to kill 4 of them and severely injure another. He shot regularly and carried a Glock .40. I’m sure he was lucky but I also think that his choice of weapon was also important in the outcome. If anyone is wondering, people in my country that are serious about self defense carry Glocks. Those that don’t have the money for a Glock carry Bersas, FM High Powers or 1911 surplus .45s. At first I wasn’t sure about the Bersa, but once I tried them I saw that they are very descent guns. I now own two Bersas and am pleased with they performance.

The caliber choice calls for endless debate and it is not my intention here. Lets just say that 9mm , 40S&W and 45ACP are the obvious choices. 40S&W seem to be the most adequate, both in FMJ and HP, while 9mm lacks some stopping power and hollow points should be used if possible. Though the 9mm lacks power compared to the 40S&W, it is more popular world wide, a factor to consider seriously when choosing a handgun for SHTF. Besides, 9mm can also be used in a number of carbines and SMG, another important fact to be considered.

SMGs and carbines chambered for 40S&W and .45 ACP are also available, but they at not nearly as popular as those chambered for 9mm. Whatever you choose keep 500 or better yet 1000 rounds of quality ammo for your handgun at all times. 100 rounds won’t last much if the crisis lasts long. Also consider that once the balloon goes up, governments tend to restrict guns and ammo.

RIFLES
I previously stated that the urban survivalist will be using his handgun 90% of the time he needs to defend himself and family from attackers. I didn’t pull this figure out of thin air; it is quite accurate based on what happens here on daily basis, even a little optimistic. Cold harsh reality has shown us that most attacks occur when entering or exiting your home, when you are more vulnerable. Almost no one is stupid enough to try to enter a barred house with armed occupants. Believe me people; the gene pool will clean itself rather fast once the SHTF. So, is a rifle necessary? Of course it is! There is still that 10%, and that 10% can still ruin your day. And this percentage sky rockets if you intend to use that same rifle for putting meat on the table. If you have to settle with just one rifle, go for a semi auto. Ideally you should have a bolt action one and a semi auto rifle. A bolt action and a semiautomatic 308 would make a nice combination. Whatever you choose, try to keep it within military calibers and military weapons if possible.

It may seem that I have something against bolt rifles but I don’t. I think they are fantastic weapons, but I think that semi autos are much better fighting weapons. The idea of “picking them out” 300 meters away with your bolt rifle, as they come in a row blowing whistles and firing warning rounds is laughable at best. Bolt rifles do have advantages over semi autos, accuracy not being the most important one. Bolt rifles such as Mausers last forever and are harder than rocks, THAT’S important. They are simple, easy to repair tools that will serve you (within their limitations of course) longer than any other weapon. For example, the coil spring on my Mauser 1891 safety broke into 3 separate parts, after almost 100 years of faithful service. I dug into my tool box and found a spring left over from a kitchen shelve door. I cut it approximately to the length of the previous spring, replaced it and the rifle was fixed. There are not many weapons that allow this. And it is a very valuable attribute once the SHTF and spare parts are no longer available.

Stick to common calibers, 223, 7.62x39mm, or 7,62×51 (308). 223 vs. 308? I’m not going there. If you prefer 223 because it has less recoil, it’s lighter, or you favor the AR rifle go ahead. If you think that 223 is more powerful than 7,62 sign up to Physics I. Just remember what I said before, a survivalist is not a soldier serving in Iraq, and you don’t have the entire USMF to back you up. You are on your own. You are not going to pin your attackers down with a questionably effective round and wait until someone hits them with artillery.

About ARs… I wouldn’t trust my life to a rifle that has more versions than Rocky sequels… the way I see it, it means that the basic design was the problem and there is no solution. On AK … all has been said. The most popular rifle on the planet, and popular not because of politics, but because it works. It also fires an intermediate power, effective round, available world wide. SKS are also good, but I’d rather have removable magazines. Again, don’t use voodoo on me because I say I wouldn’t trust my life to an AR. If you keep your weapon clean, know its limitations and feel comfortable with it, go for it please. A couple of rounds of 223 will kill anyone just as well.

If you want a rifle that can do a little bit of everything relatively well, do yourself a favor and get either a M1A or a FAL in 7,62 (308) with a carbine length barrel. Preferably with a red dot scope and some kind of light mount. Leave full length barrels to hunters and bench rest shooters. Do your homework on both guns and you’ll see what I mean.

Choose 308 not because of the added range you can get out of it, but because of its power at all ranges, choose it because it turns cover into concealment. Think about all the possible cover material you can find in a city, like cars, trees, low walls and other structures. The 308 will go right through it, or destroy it after a few rounds. It’s a proven cartridge through out the years.

SHOTGUNS
Shotguns are good general purpose guns. The main advantage I see is the devastating stopping power and the ability to use special ammo, like slugs and less than lethal ammo. I’m not so sure about the role as an “inside house” gun. The muzzle blast is great and quick follow up are not easy, especially when adrenalin is pumping through your system or, even worse, when someone is shooting back at you.

PISTOL CALIBER CARBINES & SMG
If possible, I’d choose a SMG reduced to semi auto (only if necessary, of course, full auto selector is better if possible) or other kind of short, small, pistol caliber carbine. The combination of a 9mm handgun and a 9mm carbine or SMG reduced to semi auto or full auto class III has lots of advantages in my book and is a fine combination. Some think that full auto is a waste of ammo. I don’t think so, not if you know how to use your head, and use this feature wisely. If you can get a short barrel and collapsible stock, you’ll also have a weapon that can be hidden under a heavy coat. A red dot scope would enhance accuracy a lot. The advantage of having the same ammo for long and small arm is not to be taken lightly. From the logistical, survivalist point of you, this is one big thumbs up! Think about cowboys and Americans that lived in the west, they also knew the value of using the same ammo for rifle and handgun. They had single action handguns and lever action handguns chambered for the same ammo, the modern survivalist can have the same ammo for his auto pistol and his sub-rifle as well.

Some think that a pistol caliber long arm is just one big clumsy pistol or a rifle sized gun that delivers pistol power and accuracy. This is BS. Anyone that ever fired a pistol caliber rifle or SMG knows that they are much more accurate, hitting torso targets at 100 yards is easy, and a little more if you have a red dot scope. Also, SMGs can manage hot ammo specially made for such guns, much more powerful than the one for handguns. Even if you use regular handgun ammo, the added barrel length adds a few extra feet per second making it more powerful. Just check the information on boy armor. Body armor that is rated to stop 9mm, for example, is not rated to stop the same 9mm ammo out of a SMG or carbine, because the added speed will make that same round penetrate the vest. Anyway, +P ammo is more than enough power out of a SMG or carbine; you don’t have to go looking for special SMG ammunition.

If you can get full auto that’s one nice feature to have, not worth it if you are on a tight budget, but if you can get it, it may come in handy someday. Full auto SMG are giving police in my country a lot of headaches. A criminal with little or no training will put 3 or 4 cops armed with pistols and shotguns on their toes, just because of the sheer volume of fire these high capacity 9mm deliver. There was this case of a bad guy standing in front of a patrol car full of cops on a red light stop, pulling a 9mm SMG out of his coat and emptying it on full auto. The cops didn’t have a chance, he killed them all. The car looked like Swiss cheese with 40 9mm holes all over the vehicle.

SOUND SUPPRESSORS
All I’m going to say on this subject is: Have one if you can. That’s it. I’ll leave the rest of it to your imagination, don’t make me say it. Today it may seem like a “nice to have” feature… after the SHTF, it may be an “O God I’ve got to get a suppressor!!” feature. I’d buy a good suppressor instead of a ultra high dollar scope like the SOG. Buy a good quality scope, but don’t spend a fortune on it, and use the rest of the money on a suppressor. If you are serious about preparing for SHTF, you’ll thank me one day; just trust me on this one. 9mm and 45 suppress quite well. Not as well as .22, but there is much more power on the big bore ammo. Combined with a full auto SMG, the possibilities are much greater. Sometimes it’s just better to go unnoticed, especially in a SHTF crisis.

BODY ARMOR
Dear God! Buy body armor PLEASE!! It’s dirt cheep in USA. Preferably, get the police concealable kind (class II) then continue to work on it and get class III A military armor and some rifle plates, just as you do when you start buying guns. You’ll end up with 2 or 3 sets of armor which are great to have for family members and spares. Just so you know, I got so desperate about body armor I ordered it from USA through internet (bulletproofme.com), I ended up paying a total of nearly 600 USD for body armor that costs 200 USD in USA. Buy it while you still can. When the SHTF you’ll end up wearing it, believe me. I don’t wear mine all day long but I do wear it when I have to go some place dangerous, deal with people I don’t trust, or when I have to go teach Architecture Representation late at night, and must travel through a much dangerous road at 12 PM.
PART 4

INTERLUDE
Studying the SHTF at the University: Dark omens.
I forgot it! Darn, same as the gold stuff but worse, much worse. I’ve never been good at remembering some things, like numbers and names of people I meet, I forget those (instantly), they just flee my mind, uneventfully, but I do remember some other things that don’t seem to be as important. I do remember living in USA as a kid. I remember my school, Pierce School, Don’t remember exactly were it was, because we lived some in Boston, Massachusetts and some in New Hampshire. I remember my best friend, Freddy, and a girl (why is there always a girl?) Samantha, Sam. She was red haired and tall, I had a picture of her playing together but I lost it. Some time between the age of 3 and 26 I lost that picture that was so dear to me. I remember the smell of an orange shaped “scratch and smell” sticker my kindergarten teacher stuck in a small book we made once. But I almost forgot this forever. This, this was important, a moment where the life we once knew stopped existing, and a group of students, in a class room that looked like and abandoned building, realized it, all 60 of us at the same time.

It’s 1:06 AM over here. I just finished showering and my wife and son are asleep. I was putting shampoo on my hair, thinking about what I wrote today on this post, and remembered the exact moment when I realized along with several other people, not only that TSHTF (that we all knew) but that the world we once new no longer existed, and that this was not a hurricane, this was an ice age period, it wouldn’t just go away.

We understood it the same way a kid understands photosynthesis: Because a teacher coldly explained it to us, even used graphics. I slept 5 hours yesterday, 2 hours the day before yesterday. Saturday night I didn’t sleep at all. I’m already used to it. Deadlines at the University, staying late at night, drawing in CAD 3D, waiting until Renders are ready. It’s a competitive world out there, and no one sympathizes with what you are going through, they just want you to perform as expected, and the standard is always high. It happened 4 years ago, almost a year after the December 2001 crisis. It was a social studies class and this teacher, don’t remember if it was a he or a she, was explaining the different kinds of social pyramids. God! Now I remember more! We even had a text book with those darn, cruel pyramids!

The first pyramid explained the basic society. A pyramid with two horizontal lines, dividing those on top (high social class) those in the middle (middle class) and the bottom of the pyramid (the poor, proletarian). The teacher explained that the middle of the pyramid, the middle class, acted as a cushion between the rich and the poor, taking care of the social stress. The second pyramid had a big middle section, this was the pyramid that represents 1st world countries. I which the bottom is very thin and arrows show that there is a possibility to go from low to middle class, and from middle to the top of the social pyramid. Our teacher explained that this was the classic, democratic capitalist society, and that on countries such as Europeans one, socialists, the pyramid was very similar but a little more flat, meaning that here is a big middle section, middle class, and small high and low class. There is little difference between the three of them.

The third pyramid showed the communist society. Where arrows from the low and middle class tried to reach the top but they bounced off the line. A small high society and one big low society, cushioned by a minimal middle class section of pyramid. Then we turned the page and saw the darned fourth pyramid. This one had arrows from the middle class dropping to the low, poor class.

“What is this?” Some of us asked.

The teacher looked at us, “This is us.”

“It’s the collapsed country, a country that turns into 3rd world country like in pyramid five where there is almost no middle class to speak, one huge low, poor class , and a very small, very rich, top class.”

“What are those arrows that go from the middle to the bottom of the pyramid?” Someone asked.

You could hear a pin drop. “That is middle class turning into poor”.

I won’t lie, no one cried, though people rubbed their faces, held their heads and their breath.

No one cried, but we all knew at that very moment that all we thought, all we took for granted, simply was not going to happen.

“You see, the income from the middle class is not enough to function as middle class any more. Some from the top class fall to middle class, but the vast majority of the middle class turns into poor” Said the teacher.

I don’t know how many people in that room suddenly understood that he/she was poor.

The teacher continued “You see, we have a middle class that suddenly turns to poor, creating a society of basically poor people, there is no more middle class to cushion tensions any more. Middle class suddenly discovers that they are overqualified for the jobs they can find and have to settle for anything they can obtain, there for unemployment sky rockets, too much to offer, too little demand. You see they prepare, study for a job they are not going to get. You kids, you are studying Architecture because you simply wish to do so. Only 3 or 4 percent of you will actually find a job related to architecture.”

We all sat there, letting it all sink in. After a few months, it all proved to be true. Even the amount of students that dropped out of college increased to at least 50%. They either so no point in studying something that would not make much of a difference in their future salaries, had no money to keep themselves in college, or simply had to drop college to work and support their families.

Someone once said, in this forum, that if this had happened in USA, the social unrest would have been much worse, because people from S. America are stronger. At first, I told him that I didn’t think so, I said that all humans adapt when they have no other choice. But now that I consider it more, maybe he was right. Not that S. Americans are stronger, but they are more used to adversities. Most of us are children from grandparents that escaped civil war, either in Spain or dictators in Italy, our parents survived the dirty war, even more dictators, and therefore their children are of strong character too. Can USA citizens survive what we survived? Of course they can, though I think that there are too many that are not like you, many that don’t prepare, and take everything for granted. Those are the ones that will be responsible for the increase in the social unrest once the SHTF, those that were too lazy to take care of themselves before the SHTF, or that had gone soft through out the years, believing that the government will “take care of them because they pay their taxes”. But in the end, they will pull through. People will adapt, they always do. You’d be surprised. And those that don’t want to adapt to the new reality they live in, will die young, thus cleaning the gene pool and ensuring the continuity of the specie. It’s been this way for thousands of years.

PART 5

CRIME AND INSECURITY
Even though crime has always been an issue in South America, my country was quite the exception. It was dangerous, yes but nothing like after the 2001 economical crisis. One used to be able to let kids play on the sidewalk, or walk back home from a party, a few blocks, and be somewhat safe. This all changed now. There are no kids playing on the sidewalks anymore. I should emphasize this a little more. There are absolutely NO kids playing on the sidewalks at all, at any time of the day. Maybe a kid rides his bike a few meters on the sidewalk, but always under the supervision of an adult. A kid riding a bike on his own will get that bike stolen in no time, probably get hurt in the process, therefore no responsible parent leaves a kid alone on the street. Teenagers present a greater problem. You can’t keep a 15 or 16 year old inside a house all day long, and even though they are big enough to go out on their own, when the sun goes down things get much worse.

This is when parents organize themselves; either taking them to someone’s house or to a club and picking them up at a certain time. Taxis and remises are used sometimes, but there have been lots of cases of girls getting raped, so no parent worth a buck leaves his son or daughter in hands of a stranger. After years of living like this, almost everyone learned to be careful; sometimes they had to learn the hard way. Practically no one leaves a door or window opened or unlocked. Nor do they hang out in front of the house talking to friends. A bad guy might just see you there, like a sitting duck, pull a gun on you and take you inside your house.

There are no “bandit’s law” anymore. One used to hear people talk about “You shouldn’t resist a robbery, give them what they want and they’ll go away”. That holds true no more. These guys are under the influence of drugs, epoxy glue, or just hate your guts so much, because you have a better life than they ever dreamed of, because they were abused since the day they were born, that they will hurt and humiliate you as much as they can. Letting a criminal inside you house almost guaranties you that he will rape/beat/ torture and abuse whoever they find inside. I personally drew a line a few years ago and decided, after one long, serious conversation with my wife; that no one would be allowed inside the house, no matter what. We figured that there are worse things than death. Having decided that, I make sure I always have a weapon on me. They’ll have to pay dearly for my life, plus interests.

By far, the most dangerous moment of the day, is when I (or my wife) leave/enter my house. A solid, secure house cannot be broken in easily, so criminals wait until you are standing on front of the door with the keys on your hand to jump on you. This is why we are extra alert when approaching our house, look all around us and if we see anything strange, keep walking around the block or keep on driving. No door is ever opened when there is a strange person around. Whenever someone knocks on our door (and we don’t know him/her), they are answered from a second story window. Criminals sometimes disguise as electric company guys or something like that, saying that they have to fix something. NO! If there is something to be fixed they can fix it on the sidewalk. Anything inside your house is your responsibility and the company is not going to fix it for you. Either way, it’s always better to play it safe. Better to be rude than dead.

On the car/driving issue, that calls for an entire post dedicated to SHTF driving. For now I’ll just say that windows and doors have to be closed at all times, a weapon must be within arms reach, and that stop signs and traffic lights have a hole new meaning once TSHTF. If your country ever falls as mine did, you’ll remember me whenever you see a traffic light. You never stop at a red lights or stop sign unless there is traffic, especially at night.

At first, police would write you a ticket for not stopping at a red light if they saw you (another way of saying that they will ask for a bribe if they see you pass a red light), but after a few months they realized that nothing could be done, people would rather risk a ticket than risking their lives, so they decided to turn traffic lights to permanent yellow at night, after 8 or 9 PM. This is, of course, very dangerous. Night car accidents are both frequent and brutal since sometimes both cars hit each other at full speed.

MissingLink asked some good questions that might interest others as well, and since we are on the security issue, here they are:

quote:
“Do the invaders of homes in the country just drive up in cars or trucks? Do they hide and sneak up? How do these home invaders attack a home in the country? A similar question could be asked for homes in the city.”

Sometimes they just drive up to where you are working, if you are far away from the home, but most of the time they sneak up on you. Criminals are not stupid, and they will spend days checking the place and specially YOUR ROUTINE. For example, if they see that you lock the gate at night, as most do, they will wait for you behind a tree until you are close. This is done a lot. Dogs are the best alarm you can find, and criminals know that. They will poison them with pills when you go to sleep and attack the place in the middle of the night. I know of many that had their dogs killed. If they think that security is tight, they will just hide near the main gate, and wait for you to leave or return. When you stop at the gate and must get out of the truck to open/close the main gate, they attack. I’d say that the most frequent kind of attack is attacking by surprise when you enter/leave your home.

quote:
“Most common times of attack? Day night evening morning? I understand occur when coming or going from ones home, etc.”

7 am, 9 am, 1pm 7pm, all are common times for attacks. There is no “safe” hour of the day. Night is particularly dangerous. Maybe attacks during the day are faster, they want to get some money or jewelry and leave fast, while at night they might stay inside more time, maybe till the next day. But there are no fixed patterns. If I could give one advice concerning SHTF security, it would be: Eyes and ears wide open when you enter/leave your home. If possible, keep a gun on your hand when doing either one. If something looks, even “feels strange, then go around the block and check again, carefully. If you see them still there, either call the police (if still available) or get help. If you approach the house with a large number of people they will leave. One time, I saw a couple of strange looking guys at my door. I went round the block and saw them still there. I started flashing the car lights and the horn and they left. I had a gun with me, though, so be careful when trying this. Also, remember that a car is one heavy, powerful piece of machinery. I know a guy that had one of those big chrome-tube bumpers installed on his truck, especially for hitting those that were stupid enough o try to make him stop by standing in front of the car.

If I had a truck, I would do so myself. Though I would keep my mouth shut about it, as always. Just say that you think it looks cool or something. Every now and then someone tries to force me to stop my car by standing in front of it (I suppose there are still fools out there that get robbed this way), in the middle of the street. I just aim at them and accelerate at full speed. They always jump out of the way before I hit them. By the way, at first, doing this made me feel nervous, but can you believe that now it’s just common driving, as normal as changing gears? I guess it’s a little sad.

Addendums:
Packinup asked: “Very good observations and thanks! Oh and what have you noticed about bartering? Does it make you a target to show others that you have extra? I would think it wiser to keep your mouth shut and go your own way and do your own thing.”

Packinup, I actually started to write on the development of gray/black market but I didn’t finish it, need to work on it a little more. I’ll include it on the second part. I consider it gray market because, even though some of the products are stolen or illegal imitations of brand names, these markets have turned out to be so popular that they are guarded private security and sometimes even police. Police taking care of markets that deal with stolen or illegal imitation products…who would have known… On your second question: YES!! You have to be very, very careful. Keep everything to yourself. For example, I dress with unknown brand clothes, even though I have lots of quality brand clothes, just because a little crocodile, Calvin Klein or New Man logo on your shirt can turn you into a victim. Even talking with a friend on the street about money is dangerous, the streets have ears. A relative living abroad is something you should never talk about openly, since kidnapers are always looking for good victims that can get hold of euros or US dollars.

ProGlock asked: “I’m confused on the power situation down there. You mention you have no power for light, but you also state you were watching TV…the People and Art channel? What’s going on down there?”

ProGlock, power comes and goes, that’s what I mean when I say that services suck. Some parts of the power grid are worse than others. The apartment I used to live in was a disaster; I’d spend 2 or 3 hours every one or two days without light. Now I’m living in what used to be my parents house (moved to Spain) and it is perfect because it’s interconnected with 3 different grid branches, even though one goes off, the others may still work. I sometimes have light while my neighbors spend hours without light. Don’t be confused about the cable TV stuff; almost everyone has cable (within city limits, of course). Some poor people, they just connect themselves illegally ( I don’t, I pay for my cable) but I’m talking about wooden shacks with no tap water connection or gas, that have a Direct TV satellite dishes or they connect themselves illegally. I should get a picture of this so you understand it better, promise I’ll try to get one next week. By the way, the last cable employee that tried to cut them off, got out of the place with no fingers… Same goes for light, they just connect themselves illegally, companies figured out that they better loose some profit and not employees hands and fingers…

Packinup asked: “I hate to ask but the old adage is “cash is king” in these types of situations. Does this hold true and has gold or silver played any part in day to day expenses? I was thinking that gold or silver may work for say a doctor’s services? or is the currency of the dollar and euro more preferable. I’ll keep quite and wait for part 2.”

Packinup,
Absolutely, cash is king. And US Dollars and Euros are King of Kings. Just don’t display them in public too much or you wont live very long. That is why I recommend you guys to keep some Euros, just in case. Our local paper money lost its value (to USD) when the economy crashed in 2001 (lost 2/3 of its original value) Quality health services are expensive for most, and they adjusted to the new value of money accordingly, meaning they almost kept to USD prices. You can pay for these with USD. Gold and Silver did hold their value of course, but they are not used to buy goods and services, besides, displaying a gold coin in a public market is as good as committing suicide.

quote:
Originally posted by Wartrace:
As quoted by FerFAL; “Forget about shooting those that mean you harm from 300 yards away with your MBR. Leave that notion to armchair commandos and 12 year old kids that pretend to be grown ups on the internet.”

Maybe in your experience the thought of 300 yard shot is for the armchair commando. To me its smarter than letting them get within their guns range. In my situation I have 200 yards to the road from my house. I have six dogs on watch. If I am fortunate enough to detect the intruder at 2-300 yards why shouldn’t I have the gun I can use in the situation?

“Ah! You said it yourself “If I am fortunate enough…” You wont be. Don’t prepare for an idiot shooting a Raven at you 200 yards away, prepare for the sneaky son of a gun that waits until you are distracted, fed the dogs some nice pills, and gets to you when you less expect him. THAT is much more likely than someone attacking you 200 yards away.

I didn’t mean it as an insult to anyone, I’m well aware that there are cases of people shooting enemies 1000 yards away. That is war. Killing someone that wants you dead before he gets close to you is perfectly logical. Please name me one case of self defense where the person shot the bad guy 100 yards away. I had a guy try to steal my car a while ago while visiting a friend at his farm. I saw the guy next to my car about 300 meters away. I had my FAL PARA with me, since we where going to spend some time shooting that morning. I could have shot that guy from a safe distance, right? But you can’t do that in real life. People that shoot others 300 meters away for no reason, claiming self defense, are called psychos. I had to fold my rifle, hide it under my coat, walk to where my car and the guy where, and ask him what he wanted. When he said that he was there to take the car I leveled my FAL at him, and as it usually happens in real life, the guy almost pissed his pants, and left, babbling some BS story I no longer remember.

If someone starts shooting at you 300 yards away, and you shoot back in self defense, that’s ok, but that rarely, if ever, happens. Any bad guy that has survived through puberty will be smart enough to get close, very close, maybe when you are distracted with some chore/fieldwork and point a gun at you, asking you to calm down and walk into the house. No way can you know what a man’s intentions are 200 yards away, unless he starts shooting at you like an idiot. And if he wants you dead that bad, he will get close enough and make sure that that one shot is the last thing you hear on this planet.

As I said, dogs are the best alarm on the field, though those too can be eliminated, as it happened to my friend. A shame by the way, they were nice dogs. But if your idea of a self defense plan is shooting anyone that happens to be within your 200 yard range, do as you wish. You will not have to worry much about survival; State penitentiary will provide all you need. It is one thing to go to war, and it is another, completely different, to live your life in a SHTF situation.

When you deploy in a war zone, you set yourself mentally to do a job, when the job is done, you return home, you turn the mental combat switch off. You cannot live your entire life as if you where in combat, it’s impossible. I’m as alert as I can be, all day long, and all night. Thanks to that I kept my family and myself safe, while everyone else I know has at least been involved in one or more violent crimes. I’m so wined up that the slightest sound will make jump out of bead at night and have my pistol ready even before I’m conscious of what I’m doing. My house is the only one in the block that has not been broken into, my wife and son are safe, safer than all the other stupid sheep that blame God for whatever happens to them, and do nothing to prevent it themselves. But still, you have to live your life, go to work, go to the supermarket… live a life! Do everyday stuff. The stress of living that way will be the end of you, I’m 26 years old and already have problems related to high stress like high blood pressure, migraines, insomnia, etc.

Hey guys, you are welcome, thanks a lot for the nice words. I’m basically new at this, compared to others in this forum that have spent a lifetime preparing for the worst. Those are the ones that have the best information and knowledge. I’m only doing what I can to keep my family and myself safe and healthy. Sometimes I get it right the first time, others I have to learn the hard way.

Storm57, I live in Buenos Aires city, on the south part, where houses are placed consecutively, sharing the wall on the right and left, all around the block. Most houses in my neighborhood have gardens and swimming pools. Gardens are also separated by walls, unlike the American style were you can simply walk from one garden to another. Keep in mind that this has always been a 3rd world country, meaning that though our economical reality was completely different before the 2001 crisis, security in Latin America has always been an issue.

“You mentioned that your home has been the only one in your block not burglarized, what do you attribute this to? Is someone always at home?”

My house is particularly safe because it has a 7 foot iron fence with 1 foot long spikes where the property meets the sidewalk. There is also a small garden between the house and the fence. My home is a two story house that has barred windows as well. Anyone that wants to brake in has to jump the fence (risky, a kid that forgot the keys to his house and tried to jump a similar fence in my neighborhood, was found lifeless by his parents, still impaled on the fence) and brake the door or the bars on the windows. Shooting someone trying to break the door or bars would be like fishing in a barrel. The fence would stop a group of people enough to shoot them down. A large, well armed group would be needed to break into my house if I’m in it. The alarm also helps (needs to be upgraded by the way). Surprisingly, we did spend a lot of time out of the house, sometimes for 3 or 4 weeks, but I guess other houses are easier to brake into. My next door neighbor is a widow with children. I know that a couple of times they broke into her house and raped her and her girls. There is another family in my block that has a private security guard (not effective against determined criminals in my opinion since they lack training and proper weapons). Still, a couple of guys broke into that house and abused of the wife one evening. I suppose that they now take security more seriously.

“Have you been able to form any kind of mutual aid agreements with your neighbors? That is to say, your neighbors will help you if you are in need and you will help them if they are.”

No, they are sheeply and have sheep mentality. At best, they organize to pay for private and police security, which I do, but that is only good against small time thieves. I did offer my help to my next door neighbor, the one with the girls that got raped. I told her that if anything happens again she should call me or scream. I have to worry about my own family, but I just can’t stand that kind of stuff happening next to my house. Besides, she’s a widow, her husband died shortly after they married. I know that I have to be alive to help my OWN family, but we will all die some day. I’m a Catholic and I will not have animals raping people next to my house and do nothing about it. How could I explain that to the Lord, not doing anything? Leaving a woman with no husband and her daughters in the hands of animals and do nothing? I wont risk myself unnecessarily, I don’t have any hero delusions, but I’ll make and exception in this case if I ever have to hold true to my word and what I believe in.

“Have you put any effort into building a fortified room in your home for your family to fall back to in case of home invasion? What are your thoughts on this?”

Wish I had a “safe room”, but I just don’t have the money right now for one. The house is still very solid, with independent reinforced concrete structure and double brick walls. Not much protection against sustained rifle fire, but enough for pistol rounds and some random rifle rounds. Combined with the steel barred windows, its practically impossible for someone to brake in when we are inside. They would make a lot of noise, and need a lot of time to pry open the bars. Not likely to happen if I’m shooting at them from the inside. What I fear the most is someone pulling a gun at me or my wife when we enter or exit the house.

“If you did have a generator how could you prevent it from being stolen in your circumstances?”

The generator would be safe if I put it in the back garden.

Brother Silicon asked: “FerFAL: I’ve been compiling your posts to make a mass mailing to everyone on my list. My question is: If your posts receive wider attention, will your security be affected? Would your govt. hunt you down and kill you if you become an embarrassment? I’d like to wake some more folks up but I don’t want to increase your risk.”

Brother Silicon, don’t worry about it. My government has no control of this country, nor can they care less about what we citizens think about it, as long as politicians can steal as much as they want, they are cool with your beliefs, that’s probably why we got here in the first place. This country is one big bad joke! Can you believe that the actual president has a logo for his that says “For a serious country” They are accepting that the country is not serious!

I try to be discrete in my city, just because I fear information on my guns getting to the wrong people, magazine fed center fire rifles are almost impossible to obtain these days, even in the black market, so I keep quiet about it. But feel free to mail your friends; I hope they see that nothing is for granted. Even though today you may be having a hard time deciding between a new plasma TV or new jewelry, tomorrow you may be thinking about weather you better pay for private medical health or paying Police officers for security.
December 2004 post – situation report on the fall of Argentina

OK, here it goes, hope it helps. We often call unprepared people, the mass, sheep. Sheep describes them pretty well. They do as the rest of them do, don’t fight for their rights, accept almost everything and so on. But what happens when “sheep” get desperate? Well, that ´s what happened here.

After years of closing factories and the destruction of the national industry, extremely low wages, people got fed up. This destructive economy by Menem, our previous president, one of the most corrupt presidents in the history, (he was into the bombing of the Jewish Embassy, managed the drug market in the country, just to mention some) plus the stupidity of the following president, De la Rúa, was a formula for disaster.

One day the Minister of Economy declared that no one would be able to get more than 100 bucks a day from the ATM (correct?) nor close accounts. You could just get 100 bucks out of the bank a day. That was it. Then came the devaluation. Before this happened 1 U$S= 1 $ Argentine peso. Suddenly this changed into 1 U$S dollar= 2 peso then 2.5 even 4 pesos. Today 1U$S= 3 Pesos. The banks kept the people’s money, including their deposits in US dollars. If you had 1000 U$S dollars in Bank Boston for example, they turned it into 1000 pesos, that equaled 333 U$S dollars. They stole 666 dollars from you! Prices went up 200%, 300% and sometimes more. Imagine for one moment what your life would be like if today you go to your local 7-11 and everything has gone up 200%. How would you survive with your pay check?

The sheep got desperate. First, because they had been stolen by banks and wouldn’t return the money to the people. (The so called “corralito”) then because the classes with the lowest income found out that their salaries weren’t high enough to buy the minimum food stuff to survive. The country marched asking for the president’s resignation. He had to leave the presidential palace in a chopper… Banks were destroyed by people that wanted their hard earned money back. Supermarkets and other shops were looted, as well as regular houses. This lasted for about a month, the chaos spread all over the country, concentrated in the largest cities.

I remember being at a supermarket and the mob outside, negotiating with the manager. Sometimes, they would not destroy the place if the supermarket surrendered them the goods peacefully. Food got scarce. I mean, you could buy just a certain amount of milk or water, 4 bottles for example. And most imported goods disappeared. Electro domestics such as TV, videos, and refrigerators kept their prices in dollars, inaccessible for most people. The same happened with real estates, cars and luxury goods. Today this all seems far away. Not because it got better, but because us humans have this damn capacity to “get used to”. How did our lives change? I cant even being to explain… everything changed! The streets are more dangerous than ever, thanks to the general poverty.

Education suffered thanks to this as well, kids working or stealing to survive instead of going to school. How could I explain this to you? For example, tools are really expensive, since most come from abroad. Remember, our national industry was sold out or destroyed. Stuff like MRE, Emergency food bars are impossible to get. No one imports them anymore. (I paid 10 dollars for 1 MRE a guy had) Guns and ammo are really expensive and are sold in small quantities. Forget about buying a “case” of ammo! Forget it! I know its hard for some of you to imagine this, but you just can’t buy a “case” of anything. A large store may have 10 or 15 boxes of 308, 20 rounds each box. Small stores have 10 or less. Only common ammo is available such as 22, 38, 357. 9mm, some 40 s&w, 12 ga 308 and a little 223, that’s pretty much it. Ammo for my 357 sig is hard to get. I buy a box of it every time I find one around… and it’s extremely expensive.

IF you just HAVE to buy something strange like 300 magnum or 270 (strange for us J) there’s one place you can get them from but be prepared to pay +100 dollars for 20 rounds. While we are at it, there are also few models of guns, 70 % of it is used. You can find about 4 or 5 12 ga pumps, Mossberg 500, Maverick or Remington 870 in each store. Handguns are relatively plentiful, not the newest models but still there’s some Beretta, Glock, Colt, S&W, Walther, Taurus, Rossi and Sig. Same goes for Mausers and bolt action rifles as well as side by side shotguns. Semi auto rifles are hard to get. Some big gun shops have 1 FAL each. M16 are quite rare and expensive. Saw a Galil and a SKS (600 dollars) the other day, but it’s not common and the red tape is HUGE. I found a good FMK3, one of the few left around, and bought it for 250 dollars, but this isn’t common.

Shoes and clothes are also, expensive, even in U$S. Labor is cheep; you can have a maid and a gardener for 300 dollars. There’s no “safe” job. With 20% unemployment they pay you whatever they want and if you don’t like it there are 100 persons waiting to get your job. Owning a shop-business is hard. You have to consider armed robbery (some get hit 10 times a month) and still you have to pay the police for protection (from themselves) Hope it helps, at least so you can have an idea how your world would be if this happened in your country, hope you never have to experience it in the flesh… If you have any questions just ask away. Hope I can help.

December 2004

quote:
Originally posted by stonerebel:
FerFAL I have a question if do not mind. We all like to think we are prepared for a situation like this, but I am sure there is always something you are not prepared enough for. What one thing do you think you were not prepared for or what is something we might overlook?

Well, one thing I learned with all this is that people adapt, people get “used to”. And finally, people accept. I have a hard time seeing people eat out of trashcans, that’s one thing I’ll never get used to. Every night entire families, wife, husband and 2 or 3 kids, little kids about 3 years old go throw trash cans in search of food. At almost every light stop there’s little bare foot kids begging, all dirty and skinny. That’s the thing that affected me most, the starving children. One guy in another board told me he didn’t care for this “bleeding Heart thing” and that Life is rough. Get used to it.” I told him that I didn’t need someone that lives in San Diego, California, explain me how rough life is. I’ve seen dead people, man, I once saw a guy “sew” his mouth shut with a piece of rusted wire he got out of a broom, and all that I can handle, but a 3 year old sobbing because he’s starving, I’m sorry, I can’t.

Believe me, its one thing to see a little kid starving in Africa, you probably saw that terrible image a million times, but now imagine that that kid speaks English, with an American accent, and you see the Hollywood sign in the background. Both cases are terrible, but the one that looks as if he could be your son and not some kid in Africa or Croatia hit’s a nerve. Because “those things don’t happen here”. It happens to others, not in my country, not in my neck of the woods. Sorry, I’m babbling here. Back to your question:

You guys have most stuff covered, but there’s some stuff I’d like to share:

1) Don’t invest all your money in your country. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket, just in case economy goes to hell. Invest in a country in Europe, in Australia, whatever, I don’t know, but not in the same place. I did this, but most people didn’t and got screwed.

2) Keep cash. Both dollars and Euros. I know some of you just don’t like the European money, but it’s the only way you have to cover most bases. Here the national paper money was worth 1/3 from one day to another.

3) If you have land, have some animals. Even a few chickens and rabbits can make a huge difference and will complement your staple food.

4) Buy guns and ammo. Not 20, but a couple of fighting guns, 1 or 2 Mausers and 2 or 3 handguns. You know the kind. Get lots of 22 ammo.

5) Try to get 2 or 3 similar guns, like 2 or 3 AR, Fals, or SKS. This way you can use the same ammo and if 2 guns brake you may be able to fix 1. For example, if I were you, I’d buy 3 or 4 SKS and 3000 rounds of ammo. If your SKS brakes, you have a spare gun that you already know how it works and are used to.

6) Spare parts are ok, but make sure you know how to replace them; a gunsmith may not be available. If not, get a similar gun as back up.

7) Don’t trust the media. If you watch the news here, reporters say everything is ok, everything is fine. But then you talk to your neighbor and it turns out Mr. X got shot yesterday, the nice girl on the next block got kidnapped and raped, and today the boy next door was also kidnapped. This is the kind of conversations I have in my neighborhood, I’m not kidding.

8) Keep 6 months- a year worth of food stored if you can and have a well or at least a good supply of bottled water stored as well a 2 water purifier and a good supply of filters for them. The water network works but it’s not safe. Some time ago an entire town got sick because of the contaminated tap water and lots of people died.

9) B-proof vest. I’d sell my left testicle for one these days. I never believed I would ever need one and now here I am. Get one of those that can go under the regular clothes.

10) Keep your passport and cash ready. If you can afford it, the best thing to do in such a country is getting the hell out of it! Maybe you have family somewhere else, keep in touch just in case. I did with my family in Spain and I going there as soon as I can.

OK, that’s pretty much it for now, hope I helped a little.

December 2004

quote:
Originally posted by Lawyerman:
What about essential services like power and water? Were they always delivered reliably or were there blackouts etc….What about medical care, how do people get treated for injuries or illnesses? Is the crime mostly simple street crime or is it highly organized with gangs and cartels/mafia style? What about weapons training? Gabe Suarez an instructor I know is going to Argentina in the near future-April. Are civilians able to get good weapons training or are their laws on that-restricted to police etc….

“What about essential services like power and water?”

Power got cut some times but not for long, a couple of flashlights and your ok. Water is still working but you can’t drink. Most of the water supply in Buenos Aires shouldn’t be drunk, I used to drink it but this year the water was just too dirty. Even if we still pay our water bill and the gov. says it’s ok for drinking this water wouldn’t be accepted in the US. Here the water companies can bribe their way out of it. “We’re they always delivered reliably or were there blackouts etc….”

There were blackouts, I remember once most of the country was without light for about a day. Buenos Aires was without light for 4 days.

“What about medical care, how do people get treated for injuries or illnesses? ”

If you have private health you are ok, but if you don’t have the money for it you might as well put a bullet in your head. Free hospitalization, forget it, you’ll die because of an infection. They don’t have supplies; even sterile needles are hard to get in a public hospital. No way, if you don’t have private health you have a foot in your grave already.

“Is the crime mostly simple street crime or is it highly organized with gangs and cartels/mafia style?”

Both, the police handle most organized crime. The governors are the head of the organizations on each Province. The worst part is the kidnapping. About 2 or 3 persons get kidnapped each day in my neighborhood. For example, I keep 10 pesos (about 3 dollars) bills to give to the police if I get stopped when driving. You HAVE to bride the cop that stops you, the last time I got stopped by a couple of cops I played a little hard to get (pretended I didn’t understand he wanted money) the cop got really nervous so I just have him the money and he calmed down, he let me go. The cops are involved in most illegal activities like drugs, prostitution, robbery and kidnaps. That’s why I keep the high power Hirtemberg 9mm stuff and AP 308, because there a big chance the “perp” might be wearing a “Policia Federal” body armor vest.

Tip: Have some AP, and not only for your rifle, but for your handgun. That may be the only weapon you have available and it should be able to penetrate a vest (well ate least in my country or in any other TSHTF situation). A good advice would be, for example, to keep the first 6, 7 rounds of your 9mm mag with +p JHP, and the last 5 with AP ammo. Or 1 JHP and 1 AP. Locals build their own AP with pointed all-brass bullets and a +P charge of powder, not “fancy” but gets the job done. It seems to work ok.

(“AH! That doesn’t work for the latest body armor from ABS ” Trust me, it goes through the BA cops have here, that enough or me) I don’t reload, but I got a couple of boxes of Hirtemberg petronen that work ok for BA.

“What about weapons training? Gabe Suarez an instructor I know is going to Argentina in the near future-April.”

Really!? The guy from SWAT magazine? Man, I’d like to meet him. I miss SWAT magazine, they don’t import it anymore after the SHTF. What will he be doing here? Do you know? There’s only one private facility that trains civilians that I know of. Jejee…he’ll have one heck of a surprise. Here, crime has reached sci fi levels. There was this gang that use to hit armored cars, they had a 50 bmg (stolen/bought from the military) Browning machine gun mounted on the back of a F-100…

“Are civilians able to get good weapons training or are their laws on that-restricted to police etc….”

The restriction is economical. The only facility I know of is very expensive.

“We really do appreciate your time in this. This whole site is about preparations and that’s all fine to talk about but most of us haven’t actually LIVED it like you have and so your insight is greatly appreciated.”

Glad to help anyway I can.

Dealing with Stress
“How do people deal with the everyday STRESS of living that way of life. You had mentioned earlier of your mother’s worry of what life is like for you and yours – how do many people cope with the situation that is beyond their control?”

Oh man, I guess I SHOULD write a book after all…
The stress that comes with insecurity, social unrest, unemployment and the constant fear of loosing your job, if you have one, is exhausting. Stress affects people in so many ways, some get depressed, the immune system is more vulnerable and heart problems, are just a few problems that come with stress. The percentage of people dieing because of heart problems has increased to the point where it’s almost the first cause of death among us. Funny way of dieing after TSHTF, right? To die because of a heart attack caused by the stress of living under constant pressure.

How do you prepare for that? Psychoanalysis has become very popular, as well as anti depressives. Many, specially the older folks, choose denial. They try to convince themselves that things aren’t that bad, or that it’s the same all over the world. My grandmother will say “Look, USA isn’t better off than we are, look at all those hurricanes”. There’s no point in explaining her and people like her that what’s going on here isn’t “normal” that you shouldn’t have to fear getting robed or killed every time you walk out of your house.

“For example, if their wife / husband / son / daughter leaves on their daily errands and don’t return when they are supposed to – what then?” You get as scared as he!!. Even the most sheeply people wouldn’t do anything like that. You tell your family where you are and where you are going to be all the time. If you go missing for a couple of hours people will instantly think that you are in trouble.

“How do the older generation of people, who thought they had saved up enough for their ‘Golden Years’ cope when they find they cannot afford to retire – work will be a fact of life for the duration.” That’s curious. Today, people organized a protest to stop the attack on old, retired people. Attacking old folk seems to be a popular crime these days. Today, they stopped a criminal band that specialized in attacking retired people. The leader of the band was an active duty police Sergeant. Poor old folks, these b******* beat them up, burned them with cigarettes, and electrocuted 70, 80 year old grandmas and grandpas. The old folks that have no relatives to take care of them; either live in constant misery or end up on the streets.

“Children – what is the effects of the ‘Argentinean way of Life for Now’ on them. Children the world around are generally born pretty playful, stress free and see the world with open eyes. Living in ‘black out’ conditions after dark to avoid criminals, constantly being ‘shushed – did you hear that?’ – what does this do to the children that are around you?” Well, kids absorb the stress and tension going on the house. You just try to not talk about stuff like that in front of them so they don’t absorb that. Kids also miss a lot of experiences, since they can’t play on the streets on their own, they have no freedom. Take care.
1. “How does Argentina’s current economic situation compare to other South and Central American countries?”

Well, right now our economy is as bad, or even worse than other Latin American countries. What’s noticeable is that even though our economy is bad, our middle class cultural level (though now poor in its great majority) is relatively high compared to other Latin American countries. This is because you can still appreciate their higher cultural level even though they dropped in the social scale, the residual effect of what life used to be BEFORE Dec 2001 is still present. Most still have the relatively nice house, the good clothes, the car they bought back in the year 2000 (though they are getting older year by year) and the private school education they can’t afford for their own children.

After a few more years, the change from middle to poor class will be more noticeable. Most wont be able to take care of their houses as they should, many will have to sell them, the cars will get old and most wont be able to buy new quality ones, and their children will have to go to the disastrous public schools. The next generation, the one that won’t be able to afford the education their parents had, will make the change more visible.

This doesn’t happen in 24 hours, it takes a few years. You see more children on the streets, more scavengers. You see more prostitutes on the streets every year. You see them where there were none before. Restaurants, libraries and theaters, close and are replaced by stripper clubs, brothels, Bingos, casinos, and other facilities, typical of 3rd world countries. It’s sad.

2. “Before the collapse, was Argentina’s economy better than other South and Central American countries or worse?”

It was by far the best country in South and Central America. As a matter of fact, and I don’t mean any offence by it, the guys that worked at American airports would watch as Argentinean tourists packed piles of luggage, and they would wonder where these guys came from. Rich white guys, they though were Europeans, but the Spanish confused them .In the 90s our middle class was more wealthy than the American middle class. Just check what was the average income for the Argentinean middle class and the American middle class, both in USD, back in the 90s. That’s why the 90s are referred as the “sweet money” decade by our economists. You must understand that before Dec 2001 our salaries where in USD, a guy that earned 3000 pesos a month was earning 3000 USD. But after Dec 2001 the devaluation set the peso to a 3 pesos=1 USD rate. Meaning that you now earn 3000 pesos, but it’s only 1000 USD. And prices went up 300%, equaling the dollar. So now your salary only buys 1/3 of what it used to buy.

Imagine if this happened to you TODAY, what would you do if your boss cuts your salary to 1/3 of what it used to be? How would you survive? Scary, isn’t it? This is why for months after the Dec 2001 crisis, trains where out of order most of the time: Every morning (3 out of 5 of the labor week) someone would commit suicide by jumping under one.

3. “If you could ‘wave a magic wand’ and fix just one problem, what would that be?”

Easy. I’d eliminate corruption. Corruption is the root of all 3rd world countries miseries.

PART 6

Employment in a post SHTF scenario:
I’d love to say that if you specialize in X or Y trade you are safe from unemployment but that’s just not true. Maybe an economical crisis in USA wouldn’t be as bad as it was here, but if it gets as bad I’m sorry guys but it will be ugly. A person asked me the other day “you say that you don’t dare shoot a criminal 200 yards away, but that the police does nothing to stop the criminals, did SHTF or not?” I got a little mad and got all sarcastic, I’m sorry for that. I now see that what’s pretty obvious to me isn’t as obvious when you live in a “real” country, where police do actually investigate crimes, and services and institutions actually work as the are supposed to, most of the time, at least.

Life isn’t fair in general. But once the SHTF, it’s WORSE. Meaning? Meaning that no one will be there to protect you but they’ll darn sure be there to sue you. Meaning that even though you pay your taxes, you’ll also have to pay for private health because the public health you pay for isn’t worth a band-aid. Meaning that you might end up in jail, and even if innocent, you’ll have to spent two years in jail until some drunk judge decides you deserve a fair trial and “Oops, guess you where innocent after all”. And the same happens with jobs.

You might be a very successful person, with a University degree and decades worth of experience in some of the most renown corporations, world wide, and you’ll find yourself unemployed by the time you are 50 years old. That happened to my father, he was one of the finest managers in the country, he taught managing all over the world. From South America to Japan, USA and UK. Yet he found himself unemployed one day and moved to Spain, as did thousands of others, where someone had offered him a job. Yes, there are careers and skills that have more jobs than others. Doctors, welders, carpenters, accountants, managers, lawyers, they can all find a job, though the lawyers, manager and accountants may go for months or years before they can find a job that pays barely enough to survive.

Keep in mind that unemployment here is about 20-25 %, even more if you see the BS the gov. considers “employed people”. There are a lot of skilled workers waiting in line, willing to work for peanuts. And also consider that even by official numbers (which are favorably SUPER inflated) half the employed country earns less that 500 pesos (less than 170 dollars) while a person needs, AT LEAST 1000 pesos to survive. And I’m talking about barely surviving; forget about having a car, private health, or a real education, 1000 pesos is barely enough to put a shabby roof over your head and poor quality food on the table. If you want to have a normal standard of living, like a car, internet access, live in a neighborhood that doesn’t look like Iraq, eat meat every now and then, and have some sort of education, you are talking about 1500-2000 pesos per person.

So that’s why the situation in this country is the one I describe, numbers just don’t compute, people don’t earn enough to live like people should, most barely survive like animals. Only 3% of the population makes more than 3000 pesos a month. The only way you have to live like you do now in USA after TSHTF is owning your own company. Owning large amounts of land and producing food products has kept high class society rich for as long as I can remember, so it’s worth thinking about it.

Farmers that own large amounts of land will sure be rich after TSHTF if they know how to run business. Small farmer will be swallowed y the big fish after some time. The rest of the rich society in my country is either politicians, (we call those thieves over here) Business men that found out how to profit out of the misery of other like the fellow I described that own the paper recycling company (hey, better them than me, right? If you can live with it, its an option) Or those that knew how to manage their investments, like my father did, investing in other countries, buying and selling properties, using the head to make his saving “work” for him. The trick is not to stick to one country. Had he invested in Argentina alone (he never invested much in this darn country anyway, whenever he invested a penny here, he lost it) he would be on the street right now, and so would I and the rest of my family.

No safe job guys, just the “weapon” you have attached to your neck. Make as much money as you can in your current line of work, have a “Skill”, that’s always useful, at least like a “hobby” (I’d try mechanics, welding and fixing machines in general), and invest smartly as much as you can. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. Have cash and gold, and well, prepare as we learn to do here, the stuff we talk about all the time.

The real gem, the real “golden egg chicken” when it comes to survival would be this: Have a close friend or relative in another country that you could count on if SHTF. As many have discovered and as I discovered, the best, final solution to a country falling apart is moving to another country. Don’t be afraid of doing so if needed. Maybe you are a patriot willing to “hold the fort” till the end, I respect that. But when there is no solution, I’d rather escape. “A soldier that runs away, lives to fight another day” as they say. Maybe you are willing to die instead of leaving your country, are you willing to sacrifice your children as well? Can you make that decision FOR them?

Sorry, I got carried away.

Stuff to think about.

PART 7

Tea with Aunt Sheeply
“Why do you want to move to Spain? Here you can live much, much better. Her you can afford 3 maids, and a gardener, private school, private health and tennis lessons. You can live in what Europeans would consider a mansion”.

The argument was an old one already. My mother, my aunt and my grandmother where having tea in my parents living room.

My mother was arguing with my aunt again. My father was gone before it even started. He went to fix something in the house as he usually does when my aunt is around. It’s been years since he last had the patience to withstand even 5 minutes of the woman’s narrow minded, sheep mentality ramble.

“Alicia, I don’t care about how many gardeners or maids I can afford here. You can afford to have that many people working for you precisely because there is so much misery that people will almost work for food. I’d rather live in a country where I can safely walk the streets and not have a maid. Don’t you see that the same reality that allows you to have 3 maids and a gardener is the one that can get you killed every time you walk out of your house?”

The argument went on and on, with my grandmother siding with my aunt. Not because she thinks that the reality of this country is good, no, but because she doesn’t want to see one of her two daughters leave to a country at the other end of the world.

Most Spanish immigrants, like my grandparents, hate to see the new generations, sons and grandsons, leave to the country they once escaped from, because it promises greener pastures. They escaped hunger, civil war, and now, 50 years later, they want to go back?

Old folks just don’t understand that. They had to leave everything behind, family, possessions, to give their family a better life. And in those days you just didn’t take a plane, my grandparents had to spend a month in a stinking boat to get here. They all remember that trip, and they just don’t get used to the idea of, thanks to airplanes, being just 24 hours away.

For all of them, moving to Spain means that their loved ones are a month in a stinking boat away.

There are many like my aunt in this country. People that, surprisingly, don’t fear SHTF, but actually look forward to it.

It means cheaper workers, cheaper services, and new exploitation opportunities. And I’m not only talking about locals, I’m talking about large international corporations as well.

What locals seem to ignore, or simply don’t care about, is that you still have to live WITH those that are in a much worse position. Maybe you are incredibly wealthy, yes, but wherever you go you will have to go with an armored car and bodyguards. You wont have freedom, not real freedom at least.

As I said a number of times before, people will surprise you by being incredibly resourceful and/or incredibly stupid.

Most of the “Herd” will simply sail through life being happy that their favorite soccer team won the finals and that they can go have a couple of beers with their friends.
Notice that not much has changed since the ancient Roman times, where the emperor claimed that you only have to give the population “circus and wine” to keep them content and under control.

People like my aunt, are the fools that love vacationing in Brazil, and think that Cuba’s communism is the greatest creation right next to sliced bread. They will come back from Cuba in love with the place. Oh! The resorts, the food, so many cheerful people. They seem to forget that if Cubans don’t put a happy face they get executed, and that they have a great time because they are tourists with money that can afford to live like kings. Why don’t they move over there without a penny, and live as Cubans really do? Let’s see if they like pimping their wives and daughters to survive, lets see if they like living like rats. Of course they don’t.

Another issue I want to point out. SHTF such as political crisis or economical collapses take time to settle.

There won’t be a declared SHTF day. Yes, there are events that are like landmarks, milestones in the course of history. But it will take time, society will change little by little, until the new reality is assimilated and accepted, consciously or not, by the entire population. After a few months, you’ll see people talking about before and after a certain event that changed their world. For you it may be 911, for me it’s life before and after the 1:1 (meaning the 1 dollar, 1 peso conversion) or life before and after the 2001 crisis. People use it on their daily conversations. “So, you’ve been to Hawaii?, wow!” , “Yes, yes but we went back before the 1:1, now it’s impossible to pay for such a trip.” ” Yes, too bad.”

This time of uncertainness, until people accept that the world around them changed, takes time, months or even years, and it’s a SLOW decline, slowly slipping down. One day you’ll start seeing more people begging, more prostitutes, houses not painted, cars will start to look a little more shabby, because people don’t have money to fix them, until one day you will tell yourself “wow, this wasn’t like this 6-12 months ago.” Things do not get accepted over night, a SHTF event may occur in a matter of seconds, but it takes MONTHS to sink in.

That’s why you should keep an open, independent mentality, and eyes and ears listening all around you, so as to stay ahead of the herd.

Financial security, and the ability to move: The greatest survival trait

Which brings me to my final consideration on survival, my final conclusion concerning surviving mayor crisis.

Money.

Yes, some paper money, gold, silver, but mostly money in accounts in a couple of “safe” countries and money invested in real estate.

We had people going from middle class to poor over here. We had people going through some terrible situations, and it’s safe to say that those that fared better where those with solid finances.

Our society runs on money, people. Not only paper money, but accounts and virtual money. It would take a world wide collapse, practically the end of humanity for money to be useless as a concept.

A country, or several, even a continent can go down into misery, dragging it’s local paper money with it, but the other end will rise proportionally. I truly believe this, and history also shows that there are always losers and winners, conquered and conquerors, the balance, the ying yang always remains.

A giant meteor could destroy earth and little green men could enslave us, yes, but in the infinite spectrum of possibilities, that scenario is the less likely one. I’d rather prepare for those that are more likely. And it’s very likely that though your country can go down with an economical collapse, suffer civil war or natural disasters, you will probably have the possibility to escape to somewhere safe – greener pastures.

Hell!, that’s what thousands of Argentines ultimately did, what my family did, and what I intend to do as soon as possible.

Just last week my parents told me that they ran across some old friends that recently moved to Spain. Bad guys broke into their home with them inside, don’t know exactly what happened but it must have been ugly, so they got fed up of the insecurity and moved to Spain with their daughter.

I consider myself a citizen of the world, and have no problem moving if I must. I strongly suggest you think about this, because it may be the ultimate survival solution. While I do believe in the stronghold, retreat concept, I do not believe it is possible to fight off an entire starved, crazed nation.

If we are going to consider long term, permanent TEOTWAWKI, do consider moving to another country, far away, and plan accordingly. This means, having money in accounts, documents and passports ready, maybe even learn a second language.

Now that I think of it, a solid financial situation and making sure his kids had a worldly, ample mentality, was all my father did, unconsciously or not, to make sure his family survived, and he sure did succeed where millions of others failed. Considering he lived in a shack with earth floor when his parents moved from Spain 50 years ago, he sure did better than the rest.

My father’s “survival arsenal” ? A 22 semi auto, a .22 revolver and a box of ammo, until I convinced him of buying a 1911. Still, we did okay. Savings and investing was the key to our survival.

The survivalist that has 5,000-10,000 bucks worth of weapons, years worth of food and a safe water source but no money invested anywhere is not doing things right. Even if you invest all you have on your retreat, and manage to get of the grid and live in your retreat without the need of anything else, you are pinning yourself down to one single point in the map, from which you can’t move.

Look to what happened to an entire generation of Spanish. They fled Spain escaping civil war. Look at what we are now doing over here. Moving to Spain, escaping from a economical/political SHTF scenario. See a pattern here?

I know that some refuse to leave their country because of patriotism, but you still CAN be a patriot and still leave if you have to.

Many of the most dedicated fighters had to leave my country during the “Dirty War” (civil war/dictatorship in the 70′s). They where alive to come back and bring those dictators and murderers to justice, while those that stayed and fought simply got executed. Which would you rather be?

Save money, invest, travel, make new friends, visit those long lost parents in the old continent, they will be happy to see you, travel around and learn about different cultures, how to be flexible and adapt to them. This is, by far, the best advice I can give you all when it comes to bad, bad, SHTF.

Sometimes, you simply run out of options. Happened here, happened before, and happened in several places. It can happen to you.

A person is not a survivalist simply because he lives in the woods, wears camo all day long, and always has a rifle hanging from his shoulder and looking for trespassers to shoot. That is not what I want in life, and that is not what I consider a flexible, adaptable person. In my humble opinion, the survivalist can feel as comfortable in the woods as in a cocktail party surrounded by sheep. He can play both games, he can adapt. He’s a person that can smile back at those that think differently and keep his convictions to himself if needed. A person that cannot tolerate the presence of others that are not like him has a limited adaptation capability and therefore is limited when it comes to survival. Maybe he’s great at wildlife survival, but not at the real-world, society surviving. He’s good at the kind of survival required to survive a plane cash in the Amazons, which is great, but he can’t deal with society and other people.

You have to get over the idea of the retreat being the ultimate, final survival answer to a crisis. That’s incorrect. The final, terminal solution is to leave the country or region. And that requires some social skills and savings. Keep that in mind before you spend every single penny you have on the ultimate retreat. Before anyone beats me in the head with a cinder block, the retreat/bug in house is very important, yes, it’s the semi-last solution, it’s the place that keeps you safe through small and medium crisis (which are more likely than big time SHTF), and it’s also your home, the place you are more than likely to spend the rest of your life in if nothing goes WAY down the swage. But when TSHTF in a large scale, you have to get out, as many of you advised me to do.

Final Thought: A Message of Hope
Finally, I want to give a message of hope to you all, and remind you and me both that survival is about surviving, but not for the mere fact of living , but to live happy, rich lives.

Prepare because it’s the smart thing to do, and not because you are looking forward to SHTF and other disasters.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that TSHTF will be a brand new start for you, and that all your problems will just go away and you’ll have a new start in the brave new world.

It doesn’t work that way. Quite the contrary, everything will get worse, small problems will turn into bigger, more serious problems. If you have drinking problems, you’ll drink more, if you can’t keep a job, you’ll spend years unemployed, if you have a disease, you’ll see that it’s harder to get attention and medications. Again everything gets WORSE.

Someone once asked me, “How is it that you can’t shoot a criminal 200 meters away, but police don’t do anything to stop them?”.

SHTF, whatever type of crisis it may be, isn’t fair. It will be absolutely unfair.

You’ll have good, honest people starving, while corrupt ones make profit, you won’t have a cop to protect you but they sure will come after you when a criminal presses false charges against you. That’s the way it works.

So, anyone looking forward to TEOTWAWKI for a fresh start, better think again, and get your life straighten out NOW.

Survivalists are often considered as dark fatalists, doomsday worshipers. This is not so, the real survivalist should not be like this.

Negative people will have a hard time dealing with a crisis. It takes a positive, good natured person to make it through.

Know that there are dangers, and situations you can not predict and prepare as best as you can for them. But never forget to live life at it’s fullest.

You and I, we don’t know how long we have on this Earth, so make the best out of it, each passing minute.

A survivalist should not be a pessimist, he should always be positive, happy and enjoying life more than anyone else because he understands that each minute of peace we have is precious and unique, and he never takes it for granted.

The way I see it, the survivalist is a vital, fit, ever curious, good humored person. He’s fit because he takes care of his body, and his body takes care of him, he’s curious, because he thinks that it’s important to learn new things all the time, and he enjoys learning, he has a good humor because he’s sure of himself, and treats others the way he wants to be treated.

That’s how we should behave. Being a survivalist is 90% mental attitude. And even if SHTF does not occur in our life, that attitude makes our life more rich and fulfilling.

There are things in life we can control and others we can’t, the survivalist way of thinking makes sure we control those we can and accept those we can’t.

So, if you have that mentality, either by having a fully independent homestead or simply a few funds, some supplies, a couple of weapons and bug out bags, set that chin a little higher, walk a little bit straighter, no mater if you are a doctor or accountant, trucker or plumber, be proud my friend, because you are a dyeing breed.

You are, without a doubt, a better person.

november 25, 2005 – SHTF DRIVING

Yesterday I was driving back from UBA (University of Buenos Aires) at about 10 PM.

I was tired, since I had to present a project for the 3rd year thesis, and only slept a couple of hours that day and the day before.

I was thinking about what I wrote about SHTF driving, thinking it was rather short and missing many issues, when out of nowhere a jerk starts flashing his lights at me, getting his car only a few inches from the back of my car.

I was driving at about 120, 130 km/h, and considering that the maximum speed limit is 100km/h, I can say that my speed was not the problem. Besides, he had the entire highway to go at whatever speed he wanted.

This happens very frequently, people that just get behind you and start bugging you, just looking for a fight. As we hear, more often each day, over here, people are crazy.

And why is this?

Well, it’s a complex issue, but anyone that lives here for a while will notice that people are much more aggressive than those that live in 1st world countries.

It always impresses me, whenever I go to USA or Europe, how people just seem nicer. Of course there are always exceptions. But generally speaking, the average person you come across isn’t halfway as aggressive as those you would encounter here.

Over here, “normal” people get out of their cars and beat each other almost to death or simple get shot.

This is because people live under much more pressure, much more stress. The constant day to day struggle, such as insecurity, ever increasing prices, lack of job opportunities, affect people’s nerves.

These kind of situations, where people start fights for no reason, is every day stuff.

Anyway, I had this guy accelerating on my back, bothering me. I reached for my yellow weapon (yellow is a very noticeable color, which is important for a weapon that is meant to intimidate as well) and lifted it so that the guy could see it.

The guy got the message, and got out of the highway on the next exit.

He was looking for a fight, but he sure wasn’t looking to get his head smashed in, I suppose.

And this brings us to the purpose of this article, which is to analyze SHTF driving a little more deeply.

First, how did I know that this guy was simply looking for a fight, and wasn’t a kidnapper/burglar? The short answer would be that I encounter guys like this almost every day, and after 5 years you can simply tell.

The longer answer, would be that:
1) Someone that wants to rob you won’t bug you for miles, getting on your back. He’ll simply follow you to a stoplight, or get side by side and shoot you, whatever, but he wont “warn” you of his presence.
2) He was alone, and criminals work in two’s or three’s, AT LEAST.

I’d also like to add that I was in a rather bad mood, and you could say that I wasn’t feeling particularly patient that day.

Most of the time, they throw their car at you, you move away, they feel all “manly” and happy about themselves, and that is the end of it.

Of course, moving aside and letting the lunatics go bother someone else is always the best way of handling these incidents.

Still, you have to be ready to defend yourself if the bad guy has a fixation with you, or even worse, he’s a criminal and has other things in his mind.

You should have several weapons in your car to deal with different situations.
I have about 4 or 5 defensive tools in my car. The funny thing is that I didn’t plan it that way; I just kept adding them according to the ever-increasing threat level until I got to the current amount:

Folder Knife: It’s a serrated Cold Steel El Hombre. It has never been used since it’s my last resort fighting knife and I want the edge to be as sharp as new. The edge is sharp enough to cut into flesh as a hot knife cuts into butter. At contact range it’s a fearsome weapon indeed. I’ve been carrying this particular knife for years now. I have several knives, about 20 or 30, and this is by far the one I like the most for personal defense. There are many options out there, but I’d rather stick to serrated quality folders, and keep them unused until needed.

Safety bar/yellow bat: It has a good amount of dissuasive effect and it can be used quite effectively to break bones, but I’d rather not risk getting into melee fights, if possible. Someone can pull a gun or someone can attack you from the behind. I try to stay inside the car as much as possible.

Pepper spray: I find these small cans very useful and always keep one (medium size Saber Red) in the door compartment, within hands reach, even when driving. They are no replacement for guns, of course. But they can be quite effective against attackers who are not armed with firearms. Driving next to someone as if you were going to talk/insult him and spraying into his car is very effective, but keep in mind that this is a last resort technique. Spraying someone who is driving will make him crash for sure, unless you do so at a red light or while the cars are stopped (which I would encourage). And a person in a moving vehicle that is suddenly left blind will crash against anything, hurting himself, and innocent bystanders. Just keep this in mind and use your own judgment.

Remember the title of this article. It’s “SHTF” driving, meaning that law enforcement is either non-existent or as good as non-existent. So if, you have to defend yourself, DO NOT STOP THE CAR.

My brother crashed my father’s car when he was learning to drive. He was young, about 17 and he crashed against a parked car. No one was injured, but he got out of the car, and he had crashed outside our “nice” neighborhood. People started to crowd around him, claiming that he could have killed someone driving like that, they started insulting him and began to throw stones at him and the car. He ran away and was lucky not to get lynched by the small crowd.

Handgun: Even though your laws may allow you to have a long arm in your car, you wont be able to use it while driving. You’ll have to stop the car, which is always a big no-no.

A long arm sure is invaluable. When your country goes down like mine did, each day is a small (or sometimes big) adventure and you never know what you may have to deal with. This calls for a long arm (shotgun or rifle) and a SEK (Survival emergency kit). We will deal with these in future articles, but now I want to talk about your car handgun.

This is not your carry handgun, though you can work around your daily conceal carry gun to double as a car handgun as well.

The car handgun has to deal with different issues. It’s the gun you use against other drivers, either while driving (using only one hand) or when they intercept you with other cars.

Since you are not likely to use your sights, ammo capacity plays an important role. A 16 round capacity will double your odds of hitting your target, compared to an 8 round capacity handgun. I’d favor a pistol over a revolver for this same reason. 6 rounds can be fired rather fast, and you may find yourself unable to reload while a car full of thugs is chasing you.

This is no Hollywood setup. People chasing and shooting at you from another car is a very real, very dangerous possibility. I know several people that where involved in these kinds of situations, where one or two cars intercept them.

The caliber is also important. While you should favor big bore JHP rounds for your self defense handgun, your car handgun should, be able to penetrate your attacker’s car, either to wound the attackers inside the car, or to puncture some essential part of the engine, like hoses or the radiator, or maybe even the gas tank.

Unfortunately, criminals have used 9mm FMJ effectively against people inside cars. Therefore that’s what I use as well. Granted, it won’t penetrate with the precision of a 308, but it will go through windshields and most car doors with enough strength to wound or kill the person inside.

The bullet will move out of its trajectory once it penetrates, but this shouldn’t worry you much; you won’t be aiming much either. You will have to rely on your point aiming, your odds of hitting something important and the high capacity of your handgun.

Again, this is what I do over here. This country is not USA, over here cops toss bodies of gunned down criminals to the river just to avoid the paperwork for Christ sake! So you get the picture I’m talking about.

My choice of a car handgun is a particularly accurate Bersa Thunder 9 with a 19 round capacity magazine. I highly recommend service size, high capacity 9mm pistols loaded with FMJ as car handguns. Another important feature when considering a car handgun is ambidextrous safety and slide release, which the Bersa has.

When looking for a car handgun, try point shooting with it. You should be able to hit a windshield size target at 10-15 feet without using the sights. This is not that hard, but some pistols point aim more accurately than others, depending on the grip geometry and your particular hand. Glock pistols point quite accurately for most.

Light, high capacity and utterly reliable, the Glock 17 is the perfect car handgun, if you ask me.

Note that I’m not recommending FMJ 9mm as self-defense loads; I’m recommending it as car handgun loads. Of course, your defensive gun should be loaded with big bore JHP ammo.

On the issue of defensive driving, you should attend of a school that teaches proper techniques.

There is a “language” to driving, similar to the “body language” we are used to hearing about.

A shy, timid person projects an image of weakness. A person that drives insecurely does so as well.

There is a “car language” similar to body language, that tells drivers near you if you are decisive about the maneuvers you do or not.

A person that reduces speed when a car or person stands in front of him, only encourages the interceptor even more. The person that does not flinch for half a second will convince them that he does not intend to stop, and that they should get out of his way fast.

Rule number one: No one wants to crash his car. If you convince drivers near by that you ARE going you crash them if they don’t let you through, they WILL move.
Rule number two: People don’t want to get hit by cars. Accelerate against attackers or people that are trying to intercept you and they will move away. If they are shooting at you ducking will offer some kind of protection, though there are many ways in which the bullets can penetrate and still hit you.

Still, if you ask me, if someone stands in front of my car and points a gun at me, I’ll duck as low as possible and accelerate. I like my chances much more than stopping and surrendering myself to a criminal.

I once saw some motorcycle cops use a trick that worked very well. I saw them using it while driving in front of the president of China. Huh? I’ll explain.

I was driving through the main Buenos Aires Avenue at 7 AM and saw a rather large formation of policemen on bikes, opening the way for a couple of limos, one had the little China flag up front. I knew that the Chinese president was visiting so I figured what it was all about.

Anyway, one of the cops got right next to me and started making a small “S” with his bike. Small at first, but larger ones next. My involuntary reaction was to move away form him, therefore he opened the way for the limos.

I thought it was a good trick and used it later while driving with good results. You must be careful while doing this, but the result is very good. If you want cars to move away from you, you just start zig-zaging and they will move away from you, either out of fear of crashing or because they think you lost control of the car, I don’t know, but it works.

Today I used it against another guy that was bugging me on the road; he got too close behind my car, on purpose. I started zig-zaging and after a couple of “S”s the guy left the proper distance between cars. Nice trick to keep in mind.

The car itself should be picked with a few considerations such as agility, speed and reaction.

I’d avoid high vehicles, since they are more prone to flipping over when turning 90, 180 degrees with the hand brake.

A small, low 4×4 would be the ticket for an urban survivalist.

Speed is also important, as well as the reaction you get out of the car. I didn’t notice the way I was driving until my brother visited us and noticed it. “Driving rally style, huh?” he said. “What?” I didn’t get it.

I drive at rather high revolutions with a manual gear car (all cars are manual over here).

My right hand stays on the stick and my left one is on the wheel, almost at all times. This allows faster reactions in case something happens, and something does happen over here, almost everyday, as I said before. Either people crossing highways, animals loose, junk or rocks on the street, huge bumps, etc.

So this should also be considered. A huge 4×4 that is slow wouldn’t be a good idea. It may be good if you live out in the country, but not for the urban survivalist, who relies mostly on speed and agility to stay alive. Just like in the wildlife, where hares and other small critters rely on their reflexes and speed to evade predators.
December 12, 2005 – NIGHT SHIFT

Protecting my family while in the house is probably the most important reason for having a gun in the first place.

Protecting a house against intruders from the inside is relatively easy, if you have enough warning and see/hear them coming.

In order to do this your house should be as hard to brake into as possible. This will buy you enough time to get your gun, call the police and place the family members in a safe place.

Some experts recommend that every member should get into the master bedroom, call the police and wait until they arrive while you cover the door with your gun.

With all due respect to these experts, this just doesn’t work for me, and it won’t work for you if you ever find yourself in a situation similar to mine.

First, if you live in a post SHTF situation, police may take hours to arrive, or maybe just not answer the call at all. It’s mostly a matter of luck and I simply don’t trust my family’s security to it.

Second. If I hear them trying to brake in, the surprise factor has suddenly switched to my favor, I’m not going to waste that by locking myself and my family in a room, so they can shoot through the door, set the place on fire or whatever. If you hear them, get your weapon, get your family as far away as possible, and ambush THEM in your own terrain. Once they brake into your house, you have more than enough reason to fear for your life and you are entitled to defend yourself and your family.

Study your terrain, your house. Find the weak spots and work from there. No matter how well a house is fortified there is always one spot at least that is more vulnerable than the rest. They will try to brake in from there.

Plan ahead of time. See where you can take cover and shoot from relative safety, what walls work better. Stairs are excellent kill zones if you have the bedrooms in the second floor and someone brakes in from below. Once they get to the middle of the stairs they are as good as sitting ducks.

Most criminals will try to brake into your house at night, but there have been lots of cases in which they broke into the house during the day. Some trick the persons inside, saying they are from the phone/gas/water company, others get in through a opened back door or window, and some simply kick the main door in.

So here is where you should start to think about securing your place. A strong main door, preferably a fortified safety door with a good lock that locks on all 4 sides.

Barred windows sure look ugly, but it’s by far the safest way to secure windows, and artistic forged bars are not as bad, though they are expensive.

Add an alarm with motion detectors and you will be as safe as you can be.
A house with these three features, and an owner that remembers to lock the doors is as safe as a fort. Burglars will look for easier targets.

A dog or two will also work as alarms and deterrents. German Sheppards are my favorites, but any smart mid/large size dog will do. Street dogs are particularly clever.

My house has a couple of weak spots. The wooden garage door, which can be cut open, and a door on the second floor, that opens to a small balcony for drying the laundry that looks to the inside of the block, to the back yard. Someone jumping through the roof could get there, and either brake the door or calmly work the lock until he gets in.

This is where a guy once tried to brake in. I was watching TV right next to this balcony’s window and saw him jump from the roof. Before he even realized what was happening I had my 1911 pointed at him, through the window, and the guy jumped back to the roof and left. See? No need to even shoot the guy. Guns can save lives without taking them.

You should also have guns hidden (or locked if you have kids) around the house. I keep a 357 magnum revolver locked in a chest on the 1st floor, just in case I have to investigate a “strange noise” upstairs when I happen to be downstairs. Revolvers are good weapons to keep around the house because you can load them and forget about them until needed, not worrying about magazine springs failing.

Nighttime involves another set of rules and some more planning. You are no longer vigilant and while asleep some people loose contact of what is happening around them. Here is where your mental attitude comes into play. If you have the proper mindset, you will wake up whenever you hear the slightest noise.

It gets to a point where you suddenly wake up and grab your gun before you even know what you are doing.

It has happened to me on several occasions, that I just jump out of the bead fully awake and grab my gun and flashlight without even consciously registering the noise that woke me up. Maybe it wasn’t even a loud sound, it’s simply something that at an unconscious level, your brain screams “wake up, somethings not right!”.
You don’t have to be a super warrior to react like this, I’m just a regular guy with a regular life. It’s all about proper mind set.

Most of the time, 99% of the time it’s simply nothing. It’s either the wind, the clicks and sounds we all hear around a house, but it’s this same mental attitude that will wake you up when something does go wrong, when someone IS trying to brake in.

A few years ago, just after I got married I lived in a much more dangerous part of Buenos Aires called Villa Dominico. Man, that was something. I would wake up to people shooting just outside my house, on the sidewalk, or even people running through the roof of my house.

The place was barred like a bird cage, but still it was hard to sleep in those conditions. My wife couldn’t sleep at all under those circumstances.

Now, my wife sleeps like a baby, it is I that jumps at every little sound. So be it.
There are some things that should always be next to you in your bedroom when you sleep.

1) A defensive handgun, in a respectable caliber, for obvious reasons.

2) A flashlight (or light mounted in your weapon). Not to turn it on immediately, but to use it if and when necessary. Remember that you know your house like the palm of your hand, while the intruders are just bumping around. Use this to your advantage and don’t give up your location by turning the light on as soon as you wake up.

3) A set of keys. This is to throw to the cops if you call them and you are locking yourself in the room. This way you won’t have to leave the room and the cops won’t have to brake down the door to get in. If you are close to your local sheriff maybe you can trust him with a set of keys. That’s impossible for me but it might work for some of you, especially in smaller communities.

4) A cell phone, charged, Just in case they cut the lines, or phones happen to be out of order.

On the proper weapon, any quality big bore pistol should do. A long arm can also come in handy. A shotgun might be a good idea in a house, as long as you have a short barrel for it, or even a short carbine like a AK or a pistol caliber SMG.

Just use your head on what will work better for you. If you happen t live in a small apartment, a shotgun or rifle might not be such a god idea, since it could get caught around a corner by an intruder. In that case a pistol or a 2 inch revolver would be better. Same goes for the kind of walls you have in your place. Shooting an AK inside a house with thin walls is very dangerous. Those rounds will go through 3 or 4 hollow walls without braking a sweat. If this is your case, a shotgun loaded with birdshot will prevent over penetration, and your handgun should be loaded with frangible ammunition as well. Remember that any big bore round will go through 2 or 3 hollow walls as well.

Don’t fall for the rumor of birdshot not being effective. At inside a house ranges it will work almost like a solid slug. If you don’t trust me try it against some soft targets yourself.

Remember that inside a house ranges are 5 to 7 meters maximum, usually more like point blank range. Birdshot will do. If you have solid brick walls then go for buckshot, specially if you have a large place or a large yard where ranges can increase substantially.

If I could, I would use my 9mm SMG as my night weapon, right next to my Glock 31 and my Surefire light ( ;^) ) but the legal issues of using it makes me go for my 14 inch barrel Mosbberg 12 gauge shotgun instead. The pump holds 6 rounds + 1 in the chamber and has a stock carrier with a variety of special ammo.

Whatever you weapon selection is, remember the main, bump in the night gun rule. FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER GUARD UNTIL YOU IDENTIFIED YOUR TARGET AND ARE READY TO SHOOT. I cant emphasize this enough. You will get to point your gun at your kids, your parents and your wife who went downstairs for a glass of water 100 times before you point it at an actual intruder.

Just a few days ago my father was visiting and he had to travel to a nearby country on business. One night I heard a sound downstairs at about 2AM and found myself pointing my Glock at my father: He had come home a day earlier because he had finished with all the meetings he had planed on the same day, so he came home early.

When I was a kid, something similar happened with my mother.

Finger of the trigger guard until you identify your target PLEASE! Or you will regret it for the rest of your life.

Another item I keep in my room is my body armor vest. I don’t use it every time, but I would if I had enough warning and I know for sure someone is in the house.
Maybe vests for the rest of the family that gather in the main room while you check what that noise is all about is a good idea.

A weapon for your wife, like a shotgun or handgun should be close by so she can protect the kids while you check the house.

You should work on a code so that she knows that it’s all ok when you come back, so she doesn’t shoot you.

Secure you place, plan ahead of time, role play all the possible situations you can imagine, be consistent with the security measures you apply until they become involuntary, and most important; be sure of your target before you pull that trigger.
december 21, 2005 – WALKING THE CITY AFTER TSHTF

Some people are very proud of themselves because they can remove their handgun from their holster and accurately shoot their target 15 meters away in less than a second or something like that. Others walk proudly because they just received their 3 Dan in karate and are confident of their hand-to-hand fighting skills. These skills are without a doubt precious for the urban survivalist and one serious about surviving in any city or town should try to reach such a level.

There are many schools that teach such defensive techniques. Hundreds of martial art schools, and hundreds of firearms schools as well.

The only problem I do see is that these are schools that teach you what to do when you already screwed up, and there are absolutely no schools that teach you how to actually prevent from getting into situations where you have to defend yourself in the first place. There are body guard schools that teach how to be observant, but always towards protecting a certain person. If you find yourself in a parking lot surrounded by three attackers and end up using your “1 shot each” from left to right technique, it means that you failed in seeing these guys close around you in the first place.

The only thing that will prevent you from getting into these situation, apart from a nice dose of luck, is mental attitude, mental awareness.

I’m not alone when saying that mindset is the most important part involved in any survival situation. This applies for surviving in dangerous cities as well.

The brain does work in strange ways. If you focus on observing those around you, looking for threats, listening for sounds out of place, after a while you will end up doing these practically without noticing it.

You may not even realize what’s wrong but you just know that something is not right. No, it’s not a secret ninja spiddy sense, it the subtle shift of the footsteps of the person behind you, that shows the change of pace, a small gasp, or the steps suddenly stopping. Maybe it’s the way the guy in front of you is looking all around him, or that other guy standing as if waiting for something on the sidewalk but there is no bus stop and there is no one visibly near him, what the heck is he waiting for? It’s strange, and your brain will take notice of it after a while. First you do it consciously, it takes a little effort from you, but then it’s unconscious, as when you are driving and you don’t tell your brain to tell your hand to shift to 3rd gear, you just drive.

One thing that always gets my attention is people that are not carrying anything, no suitcase, no backpack, no shop bag, maybe they are just going to visit someone near by, or running a small errand but you usually have something, at least a small paper bill if you are going to the bank.

Also, people standing on the sidewalk doing nothing and either talking too low or too loud, as if pretending to be just chatting, that’s also strange.

Having said this, it seems that the line between the mental preparedness mindset and paranoia is thin indeed. But careful! The paranoid does not have the proper mental attitude, nor is he truly conscious about the reality that surrounds him, therefore he cant see problems coming.

There is often the misconception that the paranoid person, the guy that goes overboard is more alert than the centered smart person, this is not so. He may have 1000 firearms, tons of ammo and cases of MRE to the rooftop but the paranoid person does not understand the events unfolding, therefore he can’t prepare for them accordingly.

Alert, yes, paranoid, no.

The urban survivalist must be a very flexible person, someone that can talk to persons from different walks of life and fit right in. Surviving in a retreat and surviving in a city require different skills. If you are going to make it in a city, you must be able to talk to the poor in their own accent, and an hour later talk with the accent people from higher social positions use.

For example, if you go to one of the grey/black markets talking like someone from the high society you are going to get ripped off for everything you buy, and if you happen to be looking for something more, shall we say, of doubtful legality, you won’t get it because they won’t trust you.

On accessories and hairstyle. I like to keep my hair short for several reasons. Not only is it more comfortable, but in a fight you wont have long hair for an attacker to grab you by. Also, in a SHTF situation, lets just say that hygiene does decrease, and if you use public transportation, the chances of you getting bugs on your hair increase with long hair.

I was never much of a piercing fan, and after seeing someone bleed like a stuck pig when he got punched on the face on the piercing, I think even less of them. No earrings, no nose rings, no piercing. A piercing would be the fist thing I’d go for in a fight and so would anyone else. Those things bleed like a volcano if you tear them, even just hit them.

You also have to set your mind to react aggressively when grabbed on the street. A civilized person’s reaction to someone grabbing him is to freeze, that’s what educated people do in a educated society. A post SHTF society isn’t precisely educated, people grab you to ask/steal money from you, to mug you, or crazed street people may simply attack you for no reason.

Whatever the reason, you should react aggressively whenever someone touches you. At first you will have to think about your reaction, but then it becomes instinctive and you shove and push whoever touches you without even noticing it.

The way you dress is extremely important. The idea is to be invisible among the pedestrians, and I’m not talking exactly about camouflage patterns.

I choose plain T shirts, in black, gray, blue or earth tones, with no printings, jeans and sneakers. So far, it has worked for me. People don’t seem to pay you any attention when you are dressed in such a way, and that is good. Use cammo patterns and all eyes will be set on you.

We all use a certain amount of tools and gadgets on daily basis. A wallet and a cell phone are objects most of us carry every day. Some also carry some sort of pocket knife.

I carry a folding knife specially for fighting. I do not use this knife for any other task, I never cut anything with it in order to have the factory razor edge for when I need it to defend myself.

I like knives and have many, but I found that the waved serrated Cold Steel El Hombre is about the best combination of portability, size and cutting edge perimeter you can find.

I also have a pocket knife on the keys which I get to use a lot. I’m also carrying a small multi-tool. These two are used most of the time while the fighting folder has never been used.

I highly recommend carrying two folding blades. One with straight edge for daily use and a serrated one for fighting.

The small 5 LED flashlight in the picture has stayed with me whenever I go out since last Friday when I went to the supermarket to buy some meat for my son (meat looks worse each passing day, by the way) and all of a sudden lights went out. The generator kicked in and some lights and the freezers came back to life. I saw that the elevator was running, but since the place is small and only has one underground parking level I took the stairs.

Man, was I surprised when I saw that the underground parking lot was as dark as a tomb.

Maybe I could have asked some of the security guys to help me out with a light, but for some reason I took that small 5 LED that uses a single AA light with me, and it proved itself very valuable.

Since summer blackouts already started, I’m carrying this light all the time now. I chose the LED because it can go running for almost 24 hours, and though the light is kind of dim, dim light is FAR better than no light at all.

A good friend recently gave me a SureFire G2 as a present. Excellent light and I can’t recommend it enough. Those lights are rare over here, and it holds sentimental value, so I wouldn’t like loosing it if someone robs me on the streets. I keep it in my night table, to use with the Glock, when looking over “strange noises” in the middle of the night.

If I lived in USA I wouldn’t doubt carrying one every day.

Shades are also useful this time of the year. The sun is really strong and quality shades help a lot. I have Ray Bans, which are of good quality.

A word on head sets. Stay away from walkmans, CD players, I pods, or whatever gadget you use to listen music. They disable your hearing sense which is pretty bad. Someone could sneak up on you and you wouldn’t hear him coming, you wouldn’t hear a shot fired, people screaming or arguing, a car speeding your way, to name just a few.

A few days ago my father came to visit, and he gave me the mp3 player In the picture. I find it useful to take CAD blue prints to the plotting center since they are rather big archives, same as rendered .tif images, but I simply cant use it to hear music while walking on the street.

I tried it but I didn’t last more than a few minutes. I felt too vulnerable, not being able to hear what’s going on around me.

The other important reason I’d stay away from it is that it looks expensive, even though my Dad got it for free at a seminar, someone would rob me sooner or later if I walk around with the thing.

Same goes for expensive cell phones. Stay away from those. As long as they have a good battery and good signal, that’s all you need.

People, before anyone emails me telling me I’m a freak, read the title. This is the stuff I do in my city, which turned into a decadent, dangerous place after the 2001 crisis.

The difference between the way you live in a 1st world city and the way you live in one like mine is noticeable.

I know because I have been to many places in USA, Spain and France and people act different, much more relaxed and not worried about their surroundings. The people in Barcelona, Spain where so relaxed, easy going, that they freaked me out. I couldn’t understand how people could be so much like, well, sheep.
Maybe your personal situation does not require such measures, maybe it does, you have to decide it for yourself. Just know these things, in case things do go down because of any given reason.

- FerFAL

*Non-commercial use permitted so long as the entire work, with attribution, is used, and it’s not used or associated in any way with any group or groups with racist or criminal intent.*

Welcome to misc.survivalism and this FAQ. This FAQ is designed to help people new to the concept of survivalism formulate some plans that will lead them to gaining the experience, knowledge and materials they will need to be safe and secure in their lives. Other FAQ’s will address some of the philosophical issues involved, and specific fields of study (food preservation, etc.) that might be of interest. Whenever possible, we will provide pointers to the FAQ’s of other newsgroups – if we tried to reinvent every wheel, we’d never get anywhere.

Others can tell you why you want to survive, and if it’s a good or bad idea. I think that survival is better than any other alternative, and so I will do everything in my power to maximize the chances of my family and myself to survive. I presume that you have some serious interest in the subject, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

This FAQ is specifically designed to help you develop your own specific threat analysis. This threat analysis will describe for you the things that you are most concerned about happening to you. Threats are different to each person or group, and they change with time, the environment and your level of preparedness. For example, in the 1970′s I was particularly concerned with three main threats to my
safety, earthquakes (I live in southern California), global nuclear war and economic collapse (remember the sort of inflation we had back then?). Since then, my circumstances have changed so that I’m better prepared for an economic disaster (although by no means completely ready, yet), I personally feel that global nuclear war is not a high threat, (although attack by a terrorist with a nuclear device is a concern), and I still worry about earthquakes (still in So. Cal). Your threats and concerns will be different than mine, and personal threat analysis will of course be different. You might live in areas that don’t have too many earthquakes, but are subject to hurricanes, or severe winter snows, or something else. You may be better prepared for the future than I am. And, you may be willing or unwilling to take some of the steps that I am willing or unwilling to take – personal defense, for example.

DISCLAIMER: Use at your own risk. Disagree with me civilly, or don’t disagree with me at all – I enjoy a good discussion, but I don’t get paid enough to get upset. Finally, much of what follows is based very closely on a book by Bruce Clayton, Ph.D. called _Life_After_Doomsday. The book is very good, excellent even, within it’s limits – it was written around 1980, where the nuclear threat was much more significant than it is now, and the structure of the US military has changed so that some of his maps and information about various military installations has changed. Also, the threat then was from the Soviet Union, I doubt that the Russian Republics are as much of a threat today. Clayton offers explanations on why he makes certain choices, and they’re excellent – just change the assumptions to fit the current facts. I tried to write to both Clayton and his publisher, asking for permission to use his material, both letters were returned undeliverable. [Note: I've contacted Dr. Clayton and am discussing the possibility of encorporating more of his book into this faq. - RDeC].

The first step:

This analysis will be a long-term process – It’s best to write it down! Get a notepad and a pencil or two, probably an eraser will be handy as well. This may take several weeks, altogether, for the preliminary steps. Once you have them, you’ll be modifying your lists often.

Who are you planning for? Are you single, married, with kids, expecting kids, extended family, pets, friends, neighbors? You first need to define the universe of people you’re worried about. What sort of problems does that universe present? Does someone have chronic health needs? Is there an infant that requires diapers and formula? List the people on a piece of paper, then list the special needs they have.

Next, on a separate sheet of paper, list all the things that concern you. Don’t worry about putting them in any order, and don’t worry about their relative likelihood – just write them all down. Some things to think about:

* Natural Disasters:
* Weather
* Floods
* Drought
* Winter Storms
* Hurricanes
* Tornadoes
* Heat
* Climate changes
* New diseases (new forms of diseases)
* Wildfire
* Avalanche
* Mud slides *
* Earthquakes
* Volcanic activity
* Tidal Surges (Tidal Waves, Tsunamis)

Man-made Disasters:
* Political Disasters
* Riot
* Foreign invasion of the US
* Marshal law
* Totalitarian government
* Environmental Disasters
* Hazardous Materials spills
* Nuclear material or plant accidents
* Dam failures
* Water / Air pollution

Economic Disasters:
* Depression
* Inflation
* Loss of your job / income / home

War
* All out nuclear
* Limited nuclear
* Terrorist nuclear
* Chemical (see also Haz Mat)
* Biological (see new diseases)

Terrorist Attack
* Kidnapping
* Hijacking
* Attacks on the infrastructure (water, electricity)
* Hostage taking
* Sabotage (see nuclear accidents, Haz mat)
* see also WAR

Others:
* House damage or destroyed due to fire or accident
* Family subjected to crime
* Robbery
* Burglary
* Car jacking
* Kidnapping

Once you have all the possible threats written down (don’t be worried if you come up with new threats as you work on it, it’s a dynamic process). Write down what that threat will mean to you and your lifestyle – what will you have or not have, what will you be able to do or not be able to do, what will you need (even if you already have
it). Finally, rank them in the order that YOU perceive them to be a threat. For example, if earthquakes are your most serious threat, put them as number 1. You may have things that you think are equally threatening – in that case, rank them both at a number – this isn’t supposed to be hard.
Do you see why having a notebook (or better yet, a computer) to do this with is handy? Don’t get frustrated if you have a couple of false starts, deciding part way through a list to completely start over. This is a good indication that your knowledge and awareness is expanding, and the knowledge and experience that you gain will serve you well. I’ve been personally studying the entire survivalism field pretty consistently for more than 20 years, and I still learn new things, and still add to my list of things to learn, skills to master and materials to buy.

You should now have a prioritized list of the hazards that you think are significant. This allows you to devote your time, money and energy resources to the most important things first. With this list, you can start deciding what sorts of preparation you need to do to meet the threat. For example, lets say that hurricanes are your most significant concern (presumably you live in hurricane land). Hurricanes can cause power outages, block roads, flood or damage homes, cause temporary food shortages, create a big mess, etc. So, what do you need to survive?

What now?

All survival and survivalist preparation can be broken down into several broad categories, knowledge, skills, experience, and materials. So, list the things that you need in each area for the threat – for knowledge, you need to know how to prepare, the skills you need are in preparation for hurricanes (boarding / taping windows, first aid, home repairs), you get experience by practicing the skills, and the materials you need are things like plywood, masking tape, water storage containers, food that doesn’t require refrigeration, etc. Do this for each threat area.

The kinds of skills and materials you need can be very widespread. Depending on the threat you’re planning for, you might want the ability to recreate civilization as we know it. This is almost certainly impossible for one person, or even one family – there are too many skills needed, and too many kinds of specialty equipment and materials, for one person to be competent at them all. This is why survival groups or small communities are almost always preferable. You don’t always need a veterinarian, for instance, but when you do need one, a plumber won’t do.

As you complete this list, you’ll find that certain things are needed for many different threats. First aid skills and materials are always useful, you may find that they show up for every category. Stored food and water might be needed for many things as well, while having and operating a chainsaw might only be needed for a few.

You now have a roadmap of the skills and materials, that you need to become self-reliant. The longer you pursue the field, the more information that you’ll decide you’ll need. For example, you might decide that you need to be proficient in emergency first aid, food preservation (drying, smoking, canning, pickling) , animal husbandry, engine mechanic, construction (design and building), fire fighting, sailing, fishing, computer programming, ham radios, weaving cloth, sewing, tanning leathers, bee keeping, accounting, trading, cabinet making, farming, dentistry, childbirth, small military unit tactics, advanced emergency medical treatment, improvised explosives, hunting, trapping, welding, metal working, power production and generation, telephone systems, and almost anything else you can think of.

Where to get trained: In addition to the various courses that are from time to time discussed on the internet, your local community probably offers a wide variety of courses that will help you in your quest.

Check with your local community college, high school adult program, community center, or other educational programs. Just don’t expect to see a category called “Survivalist Training”. Your local fire department probably offers training in CPR and first aid, and if you can join, they’ll offer you more and better training. The local law enforcement agency may offer training as well as your county’s civil defense / emergency preparedness office.

Where to get experience: The best way to learn some skills is to do it. This can be difficult, since your plans may be based on skills you simply can’t even start learning, yet. For example, learning to grow food is not hard, but it does require some dirt and space. You may want to learn how to fix small engines, but can’t take your car out of service. There are lots of other examples.

Generally, you can offer your services as a volunteer to any one of a number of organizations. For example, if you’re not sure how to cook for large groups of people, volunteer at a food bank, meals-on-wheels, or church group, and learn! If you want to learn how to build houses (and fix them, and how to use tools), organizations like Habitat for Humanity are available, just looking for helpers. You’ll learn some skills, but more importantly, meet people who can show you more tips and tricks. Organizations like the American Red Cross usually need disaster workers, first aid instructors, etc., and they’ll train you.

Also, it may not be practical to study your specific area of interest, but can learn something that’s closely related. If you don’t have a field to farm, how about a back yard you can start growing a few vegetables in? If you’re an apartment dweller, and don’t have a yard at all, you can grow some vegetables, or even just flowers, in window boxes. You probably can’t provide all your food needs from a window box (unless it’s a huge window), but you can start finding out what it’s like, what works, and what doesn’t.

Commercial Schools. In general, survivalist and survival oriented commercial schools are an iffy proposition. There’s no standards for the course content, and some instructors seem to think (and worse, teach) that they’re way is the only one true way to do something. Schools like this are dangerous, and should be avoided. Survival, and Survivalism, is the art of the possible – there are lots of ways to build a shelter, depending on what you have available, the time available, and the weather you need to be sheltered from, no one style is ideal. No one idea is right in the entire spectrum of knowledge and learning, and it’s up to the student to be aware of the different styles and schools of thought. Some schools are also quite expensive, and the worth is left to the student to determine.

Areas that schools can be a great benefit in include shooting and firearms. The more famous schools, like Thunder Ranch in Texas, and Gunsite in Arizona, have taught thousands of people how to be the most proficient with firearms they can be. They offer a graduated series of classes to take a student from little or no experience to being phenomenally quick and accurate with all sorts of firearms, but these schools are not quick or cheap.

Materials. It’s almost impossible to completely develop a list of everything that you might need to survive. Even the US Military, which has a great deal of experience in people living in strange places under less than ideal circumstances, finds that they neglect something or other, and things they thought were important weren’t. It’s possible to have a pretty good idea of what you need, though, with a little diligence and effort.

Keep track of everything you buy for a year, including food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, clothes, etc. Don’t get too worried about doing it for a year, although you should track it for a full year – peoples appetites change over a year. You can start preparing with one quarter’s list, you just might be modifying it. It’s more important to get started than it is to wait hoping to get it all perfect in one attempt, and find that time has run out. After a period of time, you’ll have a good idea of what it takes to live and support yourself for that period. You can begin stockpiling based on that list, after you take into account the changes that are almost a sure thing – if you have small kids, they’ll grow up and eat more, for example.

Inventory what’s on the shelf. Don’t worry too much about things that have been there for a long time. In general, if you don’t have to replace things within a year they aren’t a significant part of your diet, and you don’t need to store them (except perhaps as a barter item).

Practice with new things. Buy some flour, and practice making breads and things from scratch. Buy some whole grains, and a grinder, and make your own flour. It’s critically important that you know how to use these sorts of foods if you’re going to make them a part of your survival plans, especially for children.

Getting the stuff – Develop a rotation program – whatever you get, when you put it in storage, date it using a waterproof pen or pencil, then use the oldest first. This will keep the freshest for emergencies.

Food – for fresh and canned, get one extra every time you buy something. This includes common toiletries such as soap, toothpaste (and tooth brushes), etc. Clothing. First of all, save old things that might be a little too ragged for regular use. Buy sturdy clothes. Learn to patch things, and store the required materials (spare buttons, needles, thread, scissors, etc.) You might even want to learn to knit, and store the required materials. Books: The most comprehensive listing of books that might be useful for survival and survivalists is posted once or twice a month on the internet, in the misc.survivalism newsgroup. It has hundreds of both non-fiction educational books, and fictional motivational books. Barter: You may think that by having lots of stuff you’ll be able to barter for everything else that you need.

Tools: Your roadmap will list many items that are best considered tools. Things that you might not normally need, such as hand tools, first aid and medical equipment, rope, farming implements (shovels, rakes, etc.), kerosene or white gas lanterns, chain saws, power tools, repair materials, etc. You can start determining what you need, and putting these items on your list, with expected quantities. Have a section to keep track of both the things you need, and the things that you have and where they are – you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to forget that you’ve already got something, and how hard it is to find when you need it. This list is by no means complete or comprehensive, but it does give an idea of some things that you may want to start stockpiling.

Finances: Most likely, whatever you think your threat(s) will be, your financial condition will be a significant factor. I personally feel that an economic disaster (including a nationwide depression, and possibly hyperinflation) is a strong possibility, and if you agree you should do whatever you can do prepare for it. With societies current “enjoy now, pay later” mentality, and the absolute fact that almost nobody in the US has any significant liquid savings (your home doesn’t count, since in an economic disaster you wouldn’t be able to sell it for your mortgage cost), we are all in trouble. Combine that with the impending crash of Social Security (the current 1996 average monthly payment for social security is around $900) and people not having any long term savings for retirement, we’re in a dangerous position.

In the near term, do everything you can to remove any short-term (credit card, auto loan, home-equity loan) debt that you have. This doesn’t mean getting a “bill consolidation” loan, it means cutting up your credit cards, getting a second job for you and your spouse, and paying the debt off. Once you have no regular expenses except for telephone and utilities and perhaps your mortgage, you’re in a better position to survive than most everyone in the US.

Are there times for short-term credit? Certainly, but not as a way of life. I have to laugh (or cry) when I see people at the grocery store, paying with their credit cards. It’s OK so long as they pay the bill off completely each month, but how many people do that? How many people do you know that are just increasing their credit card debt, and so long as they continue to pay the minimum every month, the credit card companies will keep increasing their limits and giving them new cards.

I personally never buy any product on my credit card if it won’t be around when the bill arrives, if I can. I pay cash for gasoline and restaurant meals, and use my checking account for almost everything else except airline tickets, hotels, and renting cars. It’s one way I use to “sanity check” a purchase. It also means that I have large unused balances on my credit cards, available for some emergency that might require me to break my rules. Save all the cash you can, do without things that aren’t necessary for your life. Instead of buying a new car, maintain the one you have. Invest your money in your future – by getting the things you’ll need for it, and by reducing your dependence on forces and factors that you have no control over.

In the longer term, in addition to your home, you might want to start collecting hard assets, including pre-1964 “junk” silver coins. They’re called junk silver since they have no collectors value, but are (almost) pure silver. You might still occasionally see silver coins in circulation (if you’re incredibly lucky), if you do then snap them up. Otherwise, you might start buying a few, dimes and quarters, as you’re able to. But, don’t pay a huge premium over the bullion price. Get a book on precious metals investing to find out more. Once you have some silver, you might want to hedge your bets buy getting some gold. Again, don’t pay a huge premium over the bullion price, and be very careful of what you’re doing. Gold is too concentrated a form of wealth to be very useful in an economic crisis – silver is probably better.

Major investments: Your planning may lead you to decide that you need to make some very serious investments. You may decide that your security requires you to move from the city you live in, and find a retreat. You may decide that you need to buy a new or different vehicle, or some items that have little use in your life other than survivalism. If your personal threat assessment and roadmap leads you to this conclusion, be careful. You don’t want to get yourself into financial difficulties while you’re trying to prepare yourself for survival. Other than that, the resources listed in the misc.survivalism books.list are much better able to describe the things to look for, and watch out for.

Other sources of information:

Books: In addition to Life After Doomsday, which is a good primer on most everything, I maintain two lists – one is a summary of well over one hundred books on all topics relating to survivalism, and another is a list of several hundred mail order sources of equipment. These are posted every two weeks (approximately) to misc.survivalism.

Misc.survivalism is also a good place to ask questions, with a wide variety of people to provide answers. This is both good and bad, sometimes the people are not as competent as others, and may steer you the wrong way. But, there will usually be others to correct the misstatements.

One of the more interesting ways of learning about some of the threat, and preparation, that’s available is the cyber-book The Gray Nineties, by Jim Rawles. This book is currently available on the internet from http://www.teleport.com/~ammon/gn/cover.htm. While I don’t necessarily agree with all of Jim’s assumptions and plans, he has written a good story about the plans and lives of several people after an economic collapse in the US.

Individual Meals

The first thing we will cover, is homemade survival meals. This meal should be made now, as time has run out. We can still order, and still have deliveries, but we should plan on them quitting anytime, and the chores still have to be done.

If you can order more food, do so, if not, then pay attention to this quick way to build meals, that will keep you from starving.

I developed these meals, when I was doing major time in the wilderness, and had to cover many miles, and utilize many hours of daylight, for my work. Not having much time for meals these meals were developed to sustain and supplement with wild meat when available.

I dried my own veggies, in a commercial food dryer, and cured most of my own meat in a smoker I had made. I practiced meat drying for ease of storing, persevering, and maintaining the protein within the meat itself.

Here is what you will need to start making your own MRE’s,

• vacuum seal a mealer ( go with quality, and figure about 200$ to get one)
• Plenty of seal a meal bags, start with the pints, first, until you get good enough sealer. The bags can become expensive, so you will have to pay attention to detail and not make mistakes.
• Dried veggies, cut in small pieces, and when drying, dry an extra 4 hours to ensure that all the moisture is out of veggies.
• Bullion cubes, ( place two cubes in each meal)
• 25# of rice and barley

When I started making these meals, it worked out about 18 cents apiece, I think now they would be little higher, but still very cheap to make in mass. When sealing the open end, I always doubled the seal to insure they did not leak. You have to be gentle when packing these meals, so they do not loose there seal, but once packed, they last a long, long time………

Now if you can’t dry the veggies, you can go to health food stores, and large chain stores such as Albertson, Winco, etc,… and they have bulk foods, and you will find the veggies there already dried ready to be used.

With a pint size vacuum seal a meal bag, I place 1/2 cup of rice and barley in bags, add 1/3 cup of dried veggies and two bullion cubes and seal. There is your meal, already to go, with 20 minutes of cooking you have enough to stave hunger, and you can throw in some squirrel meat, or fish to get more protein. I always pack my dried meat in another package to ensure nothing went bad. With these individual meals, you can put about 45 meals in one 5 gallon plastic bucket. That could be one persons food for about 20 days and it would weight in about 4 pounds.

I myself have broken down my foods and resealed them in vacuum seal a meal bags, for several major reasons, one, is like supplies you do not want all of them at one place, same with food, if you had 10 1/2 # bags of sugar, instead of 1 pound container, you are less likely to spoil, or loose all 5 #.

You can very quickly put together a pack full of food that will pack well, not spill, or get damaged. I can put 25 meals into my ruck and head out……..with #10 cans, you will have to take care in moving them without them being spilt. Remember you will have animals smelling and tracking you. In say 5 minutes you could issue 2 buckets to each person in your group and head out. You can combine these individual meals into one big stew, but there is more positive to making these meals that there is not. And trust me, if you have to get into these meals, or buckets, you will most likely be very happy to each rice and veggies.

Survival Bucket

I had developed the survival bucket or cache bucket in the late 80′ working in the field and wilderness of the pacific northwest. Something I have realized, in developing these buckets is they can be used for anything, last a long time, weather proof, can be sealed tightly, and successfully stored in two positions, right side up and upside down, which will be covered in depth later in this essay.

First you want to find a source of free or cheap buckets with lids. Most chain stores who have bakery’s can furnish you these buckets on a regular bases. Some might want to charge a little, but that is okay as well. You want to make sure they have no holes in them, a lid with a rubber seal, and a good handle for carrying. Wash out bucket with hot, hot steaming water with lots of soap. Most of these buckets held frosting, so you need to get the smell out as much as possible, to keep bears from digging these valuable contents.
Container distributors are everywhere just check your yellow pages, and when you buy bulk, it comes much cheaper.

The contents of these buckets can be most anything. I would start with placing some of these homemade meals in these buckets, and also put water purification, toilet paper, and matches to make sure there is water, fire and food available.

I have made radio buckets, battery buckets, first aid buckets, toilet paper buckets, ammo buckets, food buckets,……books buckets ( how too books) and the list can go on and on.

The one thing you do want to do, and that is evacuate all the air ( oxygen) out of bucket before sealing so as not to cause condensation which can cause damage to electronic, medical and special gear.

In all my buckets that I have sealed, and will not open again till needed, I have used an only technique to force all the air out of bucket. Have on hand, in the freezer some (dried ice), once you have placed all that you plan on putting in the bucket (as full as you can get it), place apiece of dried ice in the bottom of the bucket, then place lid on the bucket, but do not seal just yet. The dried ice will create a fog that will force out all the air in the buckets, once that is done then seal bucket on just 4 sides. Wait another day, burp the lid, and reseal immediately, and the bucket will be sealed and secure until you need it. Now you can stack, store, bury, or even place underwater until you need it.

Here is some ideas when you build these buckets, first of all paint them something earthy, anything but white. Also scrub the buckets before painting, with ammonia to neutralize the smell of humans and or frosting then paint.

I would also urge all to make an inventory of what you have placed in buckets and mark them so you will know what is inside without having to break the seal to the bucket.

You might want to rub some Vaseline petroleum jell on the rubber gaskets in the lids. Replace any that is broken, cut or not whole.

Once you get into the field of bucket preps you will see all the advantages of exploring this field and becoming involved.

Now think of all that you could do with all the empty buckets you have now at your base camp…………….so it has gone from a container, to now a tool, whether it be for hauling water to the garden, porty potti, to storing next years food you have preserved this year………………………..

Caching

Cache: to store, hide, keep hidden, when needed, safe for the future

Heck the word cache, means just what it says, doesn’t it. The pioneers that first set foot in this country, always divided their supplies and secured them in a cache through out their area of operation. They did this for the protection of their supplies, against man and animal (bear), and with out caching their supplies, it would of taken another 100 years to settle this great land. During the pioneer day in the lower 48 the caches were usually burdied or hung in trees, or in caves or in among large rocks, more to have ready when needed, or resupply their possible bag… and in some cases when they were overwhelmed within their forts and had to escape and evade the attackers they could go to there cache, resupply and escape. In Alaska cache were more to keep the animals out of your supplies, than it was humans, and so they built their cache 12′ to 15′ above ground.

Cache means an entirely different reason for us in the very near future than what it meant say 100 years ago. Cache for us will be a resupply of items and supplies that can not and most likely will not be able to replace anytime soon.

Here is an outline for what you might want to do, if you was say burying buckets, and the order in which this should be accomplished. Further along in this paper, I will also share ideas on where, how, and when to do this cache effort.

1. Deciding what you want to cache,
2. Picking a seal proof container to store your supplies
3. Utilize your inventory so that not all your cookies are in just one cache, ie: DO NOT put all of your ammo in one cache, spread it out among all of the caches.
4. Figure where you want to put your cache. Not in flood plain, good digging soil would be nice. Plenty of cover and concealment to allow you privacy to dig hole, or recover gear coordinate actual placement of cache and camouflage of same.
5. Actual guidelines for preparing hole. Separate topsoil and place on tarp removing dirt to accommodate the buckets or things to be cached. Removing displaced dirt from site to attract attention
6. replacing dirt and top soil and camouflaging site to look undisturbed
7. Marking the site of cache in such a way only you and your group would recognize the sign that a cache is near.
8. Being able to find cache in all four seasons, day or night.

Now you have filled and recorded all that you put in buckets, you have evacuated the excess oxygen within the bucket, you have painted the buckets an earthy color. Now you are ready to bury cache. You have located the area you want to cache the buckets. Making sure nobody has seen you move the gear to this site and dug hole, you have spread a sheet of plastic near intended hole, you very carefully take off the first 4 inches of top soil in squares and place the top soil on the plastic and set aside.

Now you dig the hole and all the displaced dirt from hole, you will place on a sheet of plastic as well.

If you are going to place just a single layer of buckets into the ground, so you will need to dig hole about 30 inches deep. Place buckets rightside up in hole very tightly, once you have gotten the buckets all stacked properly within the hole, you now place another tarp or sheet of plastic over all the buckets and tuck the excess plastic along the sides of the hole, to add another layer of protection upon the buckets. Now you sprinkle ammonia, and bleach all around the hole and the cache this will remove all the human scent and not attract all sorts of wild animals,.

You back fill the hole with the dirt you had taken out of the hole, and placed upon the plastic sheet. once you have done that now you can place the original top soil back onto the existing hole and make it look like nothing has been done there. The excess dirt you still have left on the sheet of plastic, you will now need to remove approx. 200 yards from where you buried your buckets.

Now I placed the size of print bigger and changed the color to red, because you need to remember this. From the time you dig hole, till you fill it in, and remove displayed dirt, HAS to be the shortest possible time, to evade all the technology that is out there today.

All that is left is to mark it, so you will recognize it when you return, whether if has been for weeks, months, or even years.

For those who plan on staying in place or within the confines of a built up area, there are many places to cache. Most man hole covers within your streets have a crawl space to store many buckets, the trouble here is, you could only use them after the infrastructure has failed. Burying in the back yard, I know a couple who have built there shelter and rootcellar under their homes and barns with connecting tunnels, with the idea that they will burn down their home and barn upon them covering up all known exit except for the one they have planned on using. the exposed pipe from the plumbing of their house will also serve as a breather piper for them to draw in fresh air. Anyone coming onto this site, will see there is no need to poke around because everything above ground has been destroyed.

Many cities and towns, have vast areas already underground and reinforced. From utility tunnels, to sewer tunnels. You just need to research these things out, or talk to old timers and you will learn much.

The only guidance I would give these people is make your caches small, so if discovered you haven’t given your idea and supplies away. Always fill in the hole after recovering cache, so as not to teach the bad guys about this trick.

Here again, the active imagination will come up with cache techniques that haven’t even been discovered yet.

Now that you have painted the buckets, you did remember to also paint the bottom and tops, and here is why. I have stored buckets in trees hung by a rope, in my elk camps,(reason bear), but like animals, humans in the woods do not normally look up, especially in mountainous country. So painting them on top and bottom, you have reduced the chance that somebody might JUST look up and see the white bottom of a unpainted bucket.

If you do not intentionally evacuate the oxygen out of the buckets, you can attach a short piece of rope say 3 feet, and weight it down to sink, throw outfit into 20 feet of water, and your bucket will ride safely upside down just three feet from the bottom. Here again if the bottom is painted, even in clear water, the chance of these buckets being found in unlikely. Take caution here in what you place in buckets due to the high percentage of condensation due to cold water. Wisdom is used in situation like this.

My rule is never make a cache bigger than you can carry away when you leave.

Always cover hole back in, and return site as close as possible to before you dug it up.

Where I live, there are many old wrecks and old mining equipment in the mountains, and thanks to the relic and antique act the government passed years ago, it has been illegal for years to remove from the woods. So there is plenty of old rear ends or transmissions laying around, something so big nobody would want to haul it out, but something that would be there after a forest fire. You need to take extra care in picking a spot for your cache, as seasonal change and disasters such as forest fires, flood or landslide, can change the landscape.

If you have an old wreck in the national forest near you, why not dig hole next to it, place your buckets in hole, fill up, and use comealong to pull old wreck over your cache.

Every farm has a dump, and you can bury much under them, and nobody will bother them, not in the short time left.

I even know a guy who buried his cache deep in the sand traps of his golf course he lives next too. He knows what hole he needs to go to, to get something special, good prior planning.

OLD VERTICAL MINE SHAFTS, OLD WELLS, AND CISTERNS

Do not use compass to plot your cache, use natural terrain instead. The compass will not be reliable in the very near future, because of pole shifts. Where I live now, the runway azimuth has changed 23 degrees in the 5 years I have lived here. So use landmarks that only god can move, you can use pace count but learn to not rely on the compass.

There is a section in Steve Quayle’s website with a downloadable manual on Cache used by the Special Forces. There is also many other books on cache, but the best cache is the one not thought of yet.

Something that might happen to you, when you are out scouting locations for cache. You could very easily stumble upon one not done correctly by somebody else.

Stay way from grave yards, because many grave yards will be dug up and looted for the jewelry, when there is no law to stop them.

If you booby trap your cache, remember a booby trap is not prejudice, they kill anybody.

There are many things you can do to protect something you want to bury or hid. Just plan on the worse thing happening and you will be set. If the worse happens you at least planned on it, and made arrangements to solve problem. Anything less is considered a blessing from the only true I AM………..

originally found at:

http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/06_Prep_tips/080109.meals.caching.html

100 Items to Disappear First

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves, maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, and Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY – note – food grade if for drinking.
14. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
15. Survival Guide Book.
16. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
17. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. Ointments, aspirin, etc.
18. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
19. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
20. Vitamins
21. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
22. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
23. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
24. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
25. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
26. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
27. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
28. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
29. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
30. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
31. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
32. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
33. Tuna Fish (in oil)
34. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
35. First aid kits
36. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
37. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
38. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
39. Flour, yeast & salt
40. Matches. {“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
41. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
42. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
43. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
44. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
45. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
46. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with wheels)
47. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
48. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
49. Fishing supplies/tools
50. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
51. Duct Tape
52. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
53. Candles
54. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
55. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
56. Garden tools & supplies
57. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
58. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
59. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
60. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
61. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
62. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
63. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
64. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
65. Board Games, Cards, Dice
66. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
67. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
68. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
69. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
70. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
71. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
72. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
73. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
74. Reading glasses
75. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
76. “Survival-in-a-Can”
77. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
78. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
79. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
80. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
81. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
82. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
83. Lumber (all types)
84. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
85. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s
86. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
87. Lantern Hangers
88. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
89. Teas
90. Coffee
91. Cigarettes
92. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
93. Paraffin wax
94. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
95. Chewing gum/candies
96. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
97. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
98. Goats/chickens

Notes from other posts

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity – it’s the easiest to do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy – it makes a lot of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially if you buy it in bulk.
6. Bring some books – escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway – trust me, you’ll have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches.

Another item to work on it you have room for storage is to get the plastic 55 gal. drums that have re-sealable wide lids. Fill them with clean used clothing of various sizes. Use cedar chips or of some shape to prevent moths. You might want to include good used shoes, bricks of 22?s and any of the items on the above list. It would really be a good idea to make a list of contents and lay it on top just before closing and sealing. An extra copy to be kept with your valuable records would be useful. Seal barrel using silicone caulking and protect from the elements as much as possible.

You can pick up items at rummage sales at the end of the day ? sometimes free for the hauling away. These will be invaluable to be used to provide for friends and family who refuse to prepare should you be so inclined. Also items could be used for barter.

Source: http://www.ezonline.com/ditto/texts/reality.html

Realities of Being a Survivalist

(Getting Past the “Bug Out” Mentality)

Written by Benjamin T. Moore

Those of us who’ve figured things out to various and lessor degrees, realize the need to prepare for a time in the not to distant future when the society we’ve become accustom to will no longer be functional. Let’s pause a moment and savor the meaning of what I just said. Some people who have not really paused to consider the true ramifications of a societal collapse, look forward to these times with an almost naive glee. Visions of “Red Dawn,” fire fights with well armed but incompetent troops, camping out and feasting on venison seem to figure heavily in these ill conceived fantasies.

Let’s explore some of these myths. Anyone who has spent anytime in the bush or in actual combat knows that running and gunning is the option of *LAST* resort!!! When things get down to running and gunning your prospects for long term survival have just become tragically thin. Even elite forces such as the Navy Seals, try to avoid “running and gunning.” They operate from a base. They are inserted, do their jobs and are extracted back to the safety of their base. In the scenario so often fantasized, it would be like being permanently behind enemy lines with no support, no hope of extraction and no supplies. Could you survive? Some could, but they are few and far between. Even they could not survive for long.

Let’s explore the notion of living off the land. The reality is, there isn’t enough game except in a few places out west, to support a group of any size for any length of time. By the way, you’ve got to figure you’re not going to be the *ONLY* person or group out there fighting for the limited resources. Small game? How many rabbits will you have to kill to feed your self per day? Per week? How about your family? You’re going to run out of rabbits pretty quick in whatever area you happen to be in.

Fishing? That’s a good plan if you’re near a body of water. But again, you’re not going to be the only one with that idea. Suppose you have a good day and harvest a deer, or twenty or thirty fish, how are you going to preserve the meat? You’re probably aren’t going to be lugging around a refrigerator or a freezer.

What about items you take for granted, like toilet paper? How much are you going to carry with you on a bug-out? There are many things to consider. The closest description of the bug-out experience is the Mountain Man life style. However, it’s important to note, even the “Mountain Men” had to come back to society for supplies every so often. When you begin to consider all the ramifications of “bugging-out,” the magnitude of what you’re attempting begins to become clear. Of course all this becomes a moot point if you become stuck in a traffic jam trying to leave the city, or if you get rounded up at an unexpected road block. A simple rule for survival in these circumstances is, look at what everybody else is doing, and don’t do it!

Let’s be smart. The best place to be at in a survival situation is your home. Your home should be your survival retreat! If it’s not, make it into your survival retreat. If it’s not suitably located, buy one or build one that is. Even a well conceived and located apartment or condominum can become a survival retreat with some work and planning. The two most powerful assets you can have are storage and concealment. If you want to understand survival, study the masters. The animal kingdom is without exception the best place to learn survival. Almost all animals, as a first line of defense use concealment or camouflage. Even predators such as tigers, cheetahs and lepoards use camouflage to assist in their survival. How can we profit from this strategy? The most important thing we can do as survivalist is to *NOT* draw attention to ourselves. A friend of mine once suggested we join an “intentional” community of like