I see three levels of survival emergencies. A disruption is one where the services we take for granted are temporarily disrupted. A survivalist can get through this by being prepared to survive with no outside support “until help arrives”. Allowing for government screw ups, he prepares for two weeks. The second level I call a disaster.
That may be where a large area is affected, or the event is so traumatic it overwhelms (or destroys) the emergency response system, or maybe civil disorder occurs so help cannot reach you. If you live in the mountains, an avalanche that takes out the only road to your home would be a disaster in my book.
A survivalist can get through this by being prepared to survive with no outside help for four months; in other words through the winter. The third level survivalists know as TEOTWAWKI – The End Of The World As We Know It.
A survivalist can get through this by being prepared to live completely self reliant because he
knows there is no help coming. He prepares for three years with supplies, and more importantly, training.
During the American Revolution, all of our forefathers kept a four month supply of food and other goods in their homes in order to get them through the winter. This was standard for just about everyone.
As late as the 1950s houses were still being built with a pantry because that’s the way we’d always done it. In the 1960s the federal government embarked upon a shelter program that could shelter 63,000,000 Americans for the two weeks it would take radioactive fallout to decay after a Soviet nuclear attack.
In the 1970s the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had a seven year supply of foodstuffs for every man, woman, and child in the USA. If you think these were all good ideas, you’re not alone. At one time everyone from the poorest sharecropper to the federal government thought so too.
But, hey, welcome to the twenty first century! Nobody in a position of power cares about that stuff anymore – just survival kooks, like you and me and the millions of others just like us. Nothing bad ever happens to America! (Even when it does some Americans ignore it as long as the electricity to their house stays on.) Today, the shelters are abandoned and unusable, the USDA food stocks were given away to the homeless or as foreign aid and not replenished, and most Americans keep less than one week of food in their houses as they live from paycheck to paycheck.
The Department of Homeland Security says American cities have an average of two days worth of food in them. This saves the stores a lot of money not storing any in regional warehouses, as used to be the standard. The CIA says the world’s food supply is 47 days. How much do you have? How much do you think you need?
Ask yourself this simple survival question; How long could your family live in your home if all of the electricity, water, and gas was turned off to your city right now? Assume that all of the stores are emptied within the first two days and you did not get there in time. Now, how long can your family subsist on what you have in your home? How many days? weeks? months?
One thing that all big emergencies have in common is disruption of the food supply. As survivalists we all know we need food. But what we actually need more than food is water. Some of us also depend upon medicines. Consider all three of these…now, how long can you last?
The state and federal governments say in their emergency preparedness pamphlets and web sites everyone should be prepared to last three days. HAHAHAHAHAHA…err…sorry. Our forefathers thought anything less than four months was irresponsible. I have no option but to agree.
In a future article I will discuss where to get special equipment needed to survive special disasters. But today, let’s talk about the three most common items that will get you through most disasters. It makes sense to prepare the basic items which apply to a wide range of disasters first, then pick up the special stuff later.
There are three things everyone needs in a disaster. A man will not survive one winter’s night outside without warm clothes, three days without water, thirty days without food. We all have clothes. Could you spend several winter nights outside in yours where you live? Most of us can. For those of us who can’t, think long johns, gloves, a long coat, multiple thin layers of clothing underneath, and a sleeping bag. Clothing is easy to purchase today.
Water becomes our next priority. It’s amazing how many survivalists don’t think about water. Probably because it’s everywhere. But, even if you live close to a river or lake, what if the water is contaminated? During most floods the water is undrinkable. Some survivalists store water. If you choose to do so, you will need a minimum of one quart per person per day. That is a survival ration only. A comfortable level is four times as much; one gallon per person per day.
This is enough to maintain good health by drinking two quarts per day and using the other two for washing. Food grade barrels can hold your emergency water for up to a year. Then the barrels should be cleaned and the water changed out. I know several men who do exactly that.
Another option is to filter water. This involves buying a water filter. The advantage of a water filter is you can carry it with you. A filter and two canteens is enough water for the day. The disadvantage is the filters tend to be expensive.
The last requirement is food. There are three approaches to storing food. One is the cheap “do it yourself” bulk storage method, another is the “one extra for the survival box” method, and the other is the expensive “best technology available” method. My food stores includes all three.
This concludes a historical American view of survival and three most important points that every survivalist needs to understand. Details will follow in The Three Survival Essentials (Survival Tip #3)
May the Lord bless you.
Ski
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