Survival Information for Everyone

Creating “The Plan” – Health/Medical – Part #1

2010-10-05T17:44:00.005-06:00

Believe it or not, this part of “The Plan” is often minimized in importance or perhaps even overlooked entirely. Take it from me; don’t underestimate the importance of having a plan dealing with health and medical issues. Now let’s get started!

I am going to carve up this section of “The Plan” into the following key components that will be spread out over several BLOG postings:

Hygiene
Sanitation
General Health and Nutrition
Health Supplies
Medical Supplies
First Aid and Common Symptoms

Hygiene – Whenever one is faced with a survival situation; often one of the first things neglected is proper hygiene. Why should you care about proper hygiene when you are in “survival mode”? Simple; without proper hygiene your chances for infection from a whole assortment of nasty bacteria, fungi and viruses can increase dramatically. When you are healthy, eating and sleeping well and in a non-stressed state-of-mind your body can fight off infection much easier. However, once your body is working overtime in a survival situation even the most common or mild forms of bacteria, fungi and/or viruses can quickly take hold and spread throughout your entire body and compromise your immune system and possibly be spread to others including your loved ones. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain the highest level of hygiene you possibly can manage under the circumstances. This includes both cleaning your fully body from head to toes (everything in-between too), as well as, proper dental hygiene since cavities, weakened enamel (leading to rotting or broken teeth), gum disease, etc… may slow you down or even stop you from surviving long-term. Please don’t underestimate the importance of proper hygiene.

Sanitation – This is another one of those “left to the last minute” type issues. Without proper sanitation, harmful bacteria can grow and spread and even with proper hygiene you will run the risk of disease and infections (not good); not to mention it just is really unpleasant to be around. Proper waste disposal is very important in survival situations. If you are in an urban setting and the sewer/septic system is still functioning then congratulations you have a leg up on those surviving out in the wilderness. If you aren’t so lucky and it’s no longer working then you might have a few more options still left to you before needing to consider the wilderness sanitation solutions. As long as, your toilet and water drains are still working you can have proper sanitation solution that can be used. If they are not backed-up and you have proper flow then you can always use “gray water” (water used for washing) to flush the toilet manually by adding the “gray water” directly to the bowl so that the water pressure combined with gravity forces a manual flush to occur. (You can also add the “gray water” to the toilet tank and flush like normal.) If you have clogged toilets and drains that can’t be unclogged then you need to seal off and ventilate that part of your dwelling so that the living quarters are not exposed to any gas fumes and bacteria. Closing a door and sealing it completely with plastic sheets and tape (perhaps also with chalking if you have it) so that nothing can get through to the living quarters is critical. Of course, finding a suitable place for waste is also critical. If you are in a high-rise building and there are abandoned units available to you, then designating one or more of the abandoned units for the purposes of waste removal and storage could be your best option (even if short-term). In both an urban and wilderness situation, you might be fortunate to have a chemical toilet commonly used in camping and with RVs (recreational vehicles) and then you only need to worry about where to “dump the tanks” when they get filled. If you are in a house with a yard or some amount of land, then consider making an outhouse for the purposes of waste removal and storage. In the wilderness, you will want to build a latrine system that is far enough away from your living area and also far away from your water source (to avoid contamination of your water). A latrine system is basically a hole in the ground as deep as you can make it and then after “business is done” dirt, sand and/or rocks are dropped down into the hole covering the waste. Eventually, the hole is completely filled and can no longer be used and then another latrine must be built.

Sample Outhouse (Outside)

Sample Outhouse (Inside)

Simple Latrine with wooden frame seat

Simple Latrine with steel drum

General Health and Nutrition – Assuming you’ve taken good care of the hygiene and sanitation aspects of survival, the next thing should be commonsense to most people. The basics are not to try and “overdo” anything so that you are not taxing your body more than necessary and avoiding easily avoidable injuries. As previously discussed in past BLOG postings remaining properly hydrated (drinking plenty of clean water) and eating balanced, nutritional meals (when possible) will go a long way towards keeping healthy. BUT, it may not always be possible to eat nutritionally balanced meals and with a little advanced preparation, you can address this issue. If the human body does not receive enough vitamins and nutrients then you run the risk of getting some potentially nasty side effects like weakening of your immune system, fragile bone system, poor eyesight, scurvy, etc….

TIP: Stocking up on 1-2 year’s worth of a top-of-the-line daily multivitamin + minerals (make sure you always rotate out the older supply and replace with a newer supply) is a good hedge against not being able to get the NATURAL nutrition you need from your food supply.

(See Chart below for what your body needs to stay healthy.)

Vitamin or Mineral	Examples of Good Food Sources	What It Does	Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) or Adequate	Upper Limit
Calcium	Milk, yogurt, hard cheeses, fortified cereals, spinach	Essential for bone growth & strength, blood clotting, muscle contraction & the transmission of nerve signals	Adults age 19-50: 1,000 milligrams/day Adults age 51 and up: 1,200 milligrams/day	2,500 milligrams/day
Choline (Vitamin B complex)	Milk, liver, eggs, peanuts	Plays a key role in the production of cells and neurotransmitters	Men: 550 milligrams/day Women: 425 milligrams/day	3,500 milligrams/day
Chromium	Meats, poultry, fish, some cereals	Helps control blood sugar levels	Adult men age 19-50: 35 micrograms/day Adult men age 51 and up: 30 micrograms/day Adult women age 19-50: 25 micrograms/day Adult women age 51 and up: 20 micrograms/day	Unknown
Copper	Seafood, nuts, seeds, wheat bran cereals, whole grains	Important in the metabolism of iron	Adults: 900 micrograms/day	10,000 micrograms/day
Fiber	Bran cereal, peas, lentils, black beans, fruits, vegetables	Helps with digestion and the maintenance of blood sugar levels; reduces the risk of heart disease	Adult men age 19-50: 38 grams/day Adult men age 51 and up: 30 grams/day Adult women age 19-50: 25 grams/day Adult women age 51 and up: 21 grams/day	None
Folic Acid (Folate)	Dark, leafy vegetables; enriched and whole grain breads; fortified cereals	Key for the development of cells, protein metabolism and heart health; in pregnant women, helps prevent birth defects	Adults: 400 micrograms/day	1,000 micrograms/day
Iodine	Processed foods and iodized salt	Important in the production of thyroid hormones	Adults: 150 micrograms/day	1,100 micrograms/day
Iron	Fortified cereals, beans, lentils, beef, eggs	Key component of red blood cells and many enzymes	Men: 8 milligrams/day Women age 19-50: 18 milligrams/day Women age 51 and up: 8 milligrams/day	45 milligrams/day
Magnesium	Green leafy vegetables, Brazil nuts, almonds, soybeans, halibut, quinoa	Helps with heart rhythm, muscle and nerve function, bone strength	Adult men age 19-30: 400 milligrams/day Adult men age 31 and up: 420 milligrams/day Adult women age 19-30: 310 milligrams/day Adult women age 31 and up: 320 milligrams/day	For magnesium in food and water, there is no upper limit. For magnesium in supplements or fortified foods: 350 milligrams/day
Manganese	Nuts, beans & other legumes, tea, whole grains	Important in forming bones and some enzymes	Men: 2.3 milligrams/day Adult women: 1.8 milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Molybdenum	Legumes, grains, nuts	Key in the production of some enzymes	Adults: 45 micrograms/day	2,000 micrograms/day
Phosphorus	Milk and other dairy products, peas, meat, eggs, some cereals and breads	Allows cells to function normally; helps the body produce energy; key in bone growth	Adults: 700 milligrams/day	Adults up to age 70: 4,000 milligrams/day Adults over age 70: 3,000 milligrams/day
Potassium	Sweet potato, bananas, yogurt, yellow fin tuna, soybeans	Important in maintaining normal fluid balance; helps control blood pressure; reduces risk of kidney stones	Adults: 4,700 milligrams per day	Unknown
Selenium	Organ meats, seafood, some plants (if grown in soil with selenium) Brazil nuts.	Protects cells from damage; regulates thyroid hormone	Adults: 55 micrograms/day	400 micrograms/day
Sodium	Foods to which sodium chloride (salt) has been added, like salted meats, nuts, butter, and a vast number of processed foods	Important for fluid balance	Adults age 19-50: 1500 milligrams/day Adults age 51-70: 1,300 milligrams/day Adults age 71 and up: 1,200 milligrams/day	2,300 milligrams/day
Vitamin A	Sweet potato with peel, carrots, spinach, fortified cereals	Necessary for normal vision, immune function, reproduction	Men: 900 micrograms/day Women: 700 micrograms/day	3,000 micrograms/day
Vitamin B₁ (Thiamin)	Whole grain, enriched, fortified products; bread; cereals	Allows the body to process carbohydrates and some protein.	Men: 1.2 milligrams/day Women: 1.1 milligrams/day	Unknown
Vitamin B₂ (Riboflavin)	Milk, bread products, fortified cereals	Key in metabolism and the conversion of food into energy; helps produce red blood cells	Men: 1.3 milligrams/day Women: 1.1 milligrams/day	Unknown
Vitamin B₃ (Niacin)	Meat, fish, poultry, enriched and whole grain breads, fortified cereals	Assists in digestion and the conversion of food into energy; important in the production of cholesterol	Men: 16 milligrams/day Women: 14 milligrams/day	For niacin in natural sources, there is no upper limit. For niacin in supplements or fortified foods: 35 milligrams/day
Vitamin B₅ (Pantothenic Acid)	Chicken, beef, potatoes, oats, cereals, tomatoes	Important in fatty acid metabolism	Adults: 5 milligrams/day	Unknown
Vitamin B₆	Fortified cereals, fortified soy products, organ meats	Important for the nervous system; helps the body metabolize proteins and sugar	Men age 19-50: 1.3 milligrams/day Men age 51 up: 1.7 milligrams/day Women age 19-50: 1.3 milligrams/day Women age 51 up: 1.5 milligrams/day	100 milligrams/day
Vitamin B₇ (Biotin)	Liver, fruits, meats	Helps with the synthesis of fats, glycogen and amino acids	Adults: 30 micrograms/day	Unknown
Vitamin B₁₂ (Cobalamin)	Fish, poultry, meat, fortified cereals	Important in the production of red blood cells	Adults: 2.4 micrograms/day	Unknown
Vitamin C	Red and green peppers, kiwis, oranges, strawberries, broccoli	Antioxidant that protects against cell damage, boosts the immune system, forms collagen in the body	Men: 90 milligrams/day Women: 75 milligrams/day	2,000 milligrams/day
Vitamin D (Calciferol)	Fish liver oils, fatty fish, fortified milk products, fortified cereals; also, formed naturally as a result of sunlight exposure	Crucial in metabolizing calcium for healthy bones	Adults age 18-50: 5 micrograms/day Adults age 51-70: 10 micrograms/day Adults over age 70: 15 micrograms/day	50 micrograms/day
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	Fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanut butter, vegetable oils	Antioxidant that protects cells against damage	Adults: 15 milligrams/day	1,000 milligrams/day
Vitamin K	Green vegetables like spinach, collards, and broccoli; cabbage	Important in blood clotting and bone health	Men: 120 micrograms/day Women: 90 micrograms/day	Unknown
Zinc	Red meats, some seafood, fortified cereals	Supports the body's immunity and nerve function; important in reproduction	Men: 11 milligrams/day Women: 8 milligrams/day	40 milligrams/day

In my next BLOG posting I will talk more about Health/Medical specifically: Health Supplies, Medical Supplies, First Aid and Common Symptoms.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with Creating “The Plan” – Health/Medical – Part #2.

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Survival is a combination of preparedness plus a survival mindset. If you have the WILL to survive, the skills/knowledge to survive, as well as, some planning and preparation ▬ then you will ultimately survive. Don't wait until it is too late or your chances for survival will diminish accordingly. As always, good luck and know I am on your side. ~~ The Survival Guy

Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #4

2010-09-23T15:55:00.001-06:00

Let’s continue on with methods of creating fire without matches or a lighter.

Primitive people have been using and making fire without modern assistance (e.g., matches and lighters) for a very long time. The very first way that fire was made was through natural means like from a lightning strike or from the Sun rays starting a fire from dried vegetation or plant matter. Primitive humans discovered fire in this way and then carried it with them wherever they went from that time on. However, their fires sometimes went out and without another natural occurrence of fire spontaneously starting early humans needed to find a way of creating fire whenever they needed it. The methods created by these early and primitive humans (our ancestors) are still valid and very much useful for us especially today. The two basic fire starting methods they used are: friction-based and spark-based. I will cover some other fire starting methods later on in this BLOG posting; but, for now let’s concentrate on these two methods for getting a fire started.

Friction-based fire starting is basically “rubbing 2 sticks together” in order to generate enough heat (from friction) that the wood starts to burn and you can obtain a small ember that is put into some tinder and nurtured until it turns into fire. Friction-based fire starting can be done by one person or by two people working together. The most common methods of friction-based fire starting are the “drill” methods and the “plough” (aka: “plow”) method. All these methods require the use of Tinder as discussed in the last BLOG posting. Let’s start with the plough method first and then discuss the drill methods later since there are variations on the drill method.

Plough (or Plow) method – This method requires two pieces of wood. The first piece of wood has a long, shallow groove cut into it running the length of the piece of wood. The second piece of wood (or stick) has a somewhat sharpened point on one end of the stick (but not a sharpened pencil type of point – it’s more rounded). The principle behind the Plough method of fire starting is that the long piece of wood with the groove cut into it is placed down on the ground in a firmly supported and secured position. The second piece of wood (the stick) has its pointed end inserted into the groove of the first stick. Now all that needs to happen is forcing the second (pointy-end) stick back and forth inside the groove in a constant and fast movement. The two pieces of wood (if relatively dry) should generate enough friction to create a small ember that can be tipped into some tinder to start the fire. Sounds easy; but, it is a lot of hard work to get a fire going this way – so don’t give up too early – keep trying until you have fire.

Plough or Plow Method

Drill method – There are several variations to this method, some of which use two people versus the solo method. I will mention some of the variations by name; but, will only talk about the process in general since they all share the process in common. There are the “Bow Drill” (with 1 or 2 people), “One Person Friction Drill”, “Two Person Friction Drill” and the “Fly Wheel Friction Drill”. Probably the two most well known (heard of) friction drill fire starting methods are the “Bow Drill” and the “One Person Friction Drill”. Some diagrams included. The process involves 2 pieces (or 3 pieces if Bow Drill method) of wood that are used to create enough friction to generate a small burning ember. One piece of wood has a shallow depression (bowl shape) in it. The second piece of wood (stick) has a slightly sharpened, yet rounded end to it. The stick (sharpened end) is placed into the shallow depression (bowl) of the second piece of wood and held in a vertical position. While the two pieces of wood are together the “Stick” is spun around in a fast and firm manner inside the bowl of the other piece of wood. Eventually, this method will generate an ember from the heat created between the two pieces of wood. The ember is then put into some tinder to start the fire. In the movies this method always seems to make a fire very quickly; however, that’s a movie and in reality this method is also a lot of work – don’t stop until you have created fire.

Bow Drill Method

One Person Friction Fire Drill Method

Two Person Friction Fire Drill Method

Spark-based requires the use of two items that will create sparks when they are struck together. The sparks are directed into the dry tinder and eventually start a fire in the tinder. Sparks can be created when metal (e.g., steel) is struck against another hard surface like a rock (e.g., flint). You can also purchase these types of fire starters from a camping supply store for usually less than $5. One of the most common types is a magnesium bar with an embedded piece of flint on one side. The idea being that you scrape thin slivers off of the magnesium bar and then ignite them with the sparks generated from a knife or other piece of metal striking the flint side into the shavings and subsequently setting fire to your tinder which is then used to get your fire going.

Fire Steel and Tinder

Magnesium Fire starter Bar

Solar Fire Making utilizes the Sun’s rays to create fire. The two basic ways of using the Sun’s rays are either by using the Sun’s rays through a lens (e.g., Convex or Fresnel) of some material (e.g., glass or plastic) or by using a parabolic reflector (like the inside of a flashlight – reflecting “bowl” – with the tinder sitting in the hole where the light bulb would normally be) – both methods focus the Sun’s rays into a much narrower beam that is much hotter than normal creating fire.

Solar Fire Starting Method with Lens

Solar Fire Starting Method using a Flashlight Reflector

Battery and Steel Wool method – Believe it or not you can actually start a fire going by using a 9-Volt battery and some Steel Wool (minus the soap). The method is actually extremely simple. First gather all your fire making essentials (tinder, kindling and firewood) together. Next “fluff up” some steel wool so it is not so tightly spun together and place it between some of your tinder with some tinder on top and some tinder underneath the steel wool. Now gently touch BOTH ends of the battery to the steel wool and watch as the steel wool heats up, begins to glow and then sets your tinder on fire. Remove the battery and steel wool from the fire and quickly feed your newly started fire with kindling and wood. No fuss, no muss – just like magic.

Steel Wool and a 9volt Battery can be used to start a fire.

Pyrochemical fire starting will not be covered in this BLOG posting; however, you can try looking for the Discovery Channel’s “Man Woman Wild” show that takes place in Tennessee where it is demonstrated.

Dakota Fire Hole

Fire Pit with Rocks

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with the skeleton framework and will discuss #4 on the list: “Health/Medical”.

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Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #3

2010-09-13T16:29:00.000-06:00

In this BLOG posting, I will talk about methods for cooking your food (applies to boiling water as well) in case you do not have access to a working, functioning kitchen (stove, oven or microwave) anymore.

Some solutions might be very apparent to you like using a BBQ grill or hibachi grill. These solutions for cooking can work well IF you had the foresight to keep on hand the fuel for these grills. Typically the fuel will either be charcoal briquettes or gas (like propane or natural gas) and if your grill supports it then you might also be able to use pieces of wood. If this is what you are planning to use in a survival situation then you not only need the grill; but, also the fuel available for use. I recommend that you stockpile enough charcoal or gas to last for a minimum of 1 year. Charcoal would be my first choice for long-term fuel since it is relatively inexpensive to buy and if stored properly will last for years without creating a fire hazard. Gas fuel is much more combustible so it is a greater fire hazard (especially when stored in large quantities) and the containers need to be maintained to reduce or eliminate the possibility of leaks which not only are dangerous; but, will deplete your usable supply of fuel. Wood is renewable if you are near a forest where trees are plentiful. Certainly you can implement a hybrid system that incorporates using both – gas fuel for convenience in the short-term and charcoal/wood for the long-term. Whichever fuel you decide to use; just make sure you have enough for at least a year. If you have a fireplace and/or a wood-burning stove (e.g., pot belly stove) then having enough wood (sold in “cords” or “half cords”) stockpiled in a protected shelter would be the way to go. Of course, you could always go out and release your inner lumberjack and cut down trees for your own supply of wood and as long as there are sufficient trees available and you have the proper tools to do so, then this would be another way of supplying yourself with a renewable source of fuel. In an urban setting, wood lumber is all around us and of course there is also wood furniture potentially available to use as fuel. Don’t be afraid to consider using materials from abandoned or derelict construction for use as a fuel source.

NOTE: The above methods are not only useful for cooking; but, might also be needed for creating heat inside your shelter during the cold weather season.

In a wilderness setting, wood is likely going to be your only fuel source and you will need to make yourself a good fire to service all your needs – especially cooking. So how does one create a fire out in the wilderness? You need the following things to create and use a fire properly:

Something to create an ember, spark or actual fire. I’ll talk in another posting about some various techniques for fire starting; however, for now let’s take some obvious choices like: matches (ideally waterproof), lighters, fire steel, magnesium blocks (and knife), magnifying glass, wood-based friction fire starters, batteries and steel wool, etc…

Tinder – This is what’s needed to actually get a fire started. Tinder is a more flammable type of material. Examples of tinder include any and all of the following: saw dust, wood shavings, dry grasses, dry leaves, dry tree bark, shredded cotton, paper, commercial tinder from camping supply stores, etc…

Kindling – The next thing to catch fire after the tinder is burning. Kindling is simply small pieces of wood need to get the fire created from the tinder up to the next stage in intensity and size. When your tinder is on fire you will “feed” the fire with small pieces of wood (e.g., twigs) to get the fire more stable and established. You will keep feeding the fire with kindling and gradually increasing the size of the kindling until larger pieces of wood can be added without extinguishing or putting out the fire.
Fuel – It’s the wood you collected and/or stored.
Fire pit – the place you will have you fire burning in a contained and controlled manner so the fire does not spread out of control and burn down everything. Typically a shallow hole or depression you make in the ground that is clear of any materials that can catch fire, and is surrounded by large rocks to contain the fire within the pit.

I will devote other BLOG postings on specifics of starting a fire without matches or a lighter so stay tuned for those fire starting techniques.

Before I close out this BLOG posting I want to mention some very clever outdoor cooking methods that do not involve fire at all – I am talking about SOLAR cooking. As long as you have a clear, sunny day then solar cooking is a viable method of cooking, without fire. Solar cooking at its core involves harnessing (collecting and focusing) the Sun’s energy to heat up whatever it is you need to cook. Food is usually placed in a black (or VERY dark) food container (e.g., pot with lid) and placed in the center of the solar collector (sometimes the pot is also first placed within a large, clear bag) which focuses and transforms the Sun’s energy into a strong heat source. You can purchase ready made Solar cooking systems or make one yourself out of easy to obtain items like a bucket and a silver car windshield shade (see photo). However you choose to do it: I think you will agree that in certain situations this is a great solution to use for cooking.

In my next BLOG posting I will talk more about making fire.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #4.

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Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #2

2010-09-10T16:26:00.000-06:00

In my previous BLOG posting I talked about food for those of you staying in an urban or suburban setting. In today’s BLOG post I am going to talk about food for those of you deciding to survive out in the wilderness. Please realize that this post cannot cover every type of outdoor, wilderness environment and will be dedicated to the basics that could apply more generally and broadly. In future BLOG postings, I will go into specifics not only on the how-to; but, also on the where (geographically) it is most applicable. For the sake of clarity, let me define what I mean by wilderness survival setting – to me, it means surviving in the outdoors (wilderness) in a NON-permanent location and shelter. If you are settled down in one location and have a permanent shelter then ultimately you will fall more and more into the urban or suburban survival setting. Okay let’s get started then.

Surviving in the wilderness and getting enough food to sustain you and your loved ones boils down to three (3) techniques that I refer to as FFH or sometimes as F²H – this is short for: Foraging, Fishing and Hunting. It is critical to understand that in the wilderness you should be seeking food by expending the LEAST amount of calories. That means the food you get should not cost you more calories than you would gain from eating it. You will notice that there is no Farming listed as an option and this is very deliberate. If you are not staying put in one place for very long then farming just doesn’t seem practical. However, if you plan to return to a given location from time-to-time then planting (sowing) seeds for later harvesting might make sense; even though you would not be around to tend to the planted “garden”.

Foraging for food, if done right, can yield some immediate, nutritional things to eat that can sustain you and your loved ones. Now let’s be clear here. You WILL need an open mind and also some knowledge of plants and insects to successfully pull off foraging.

Quick TIP: Make sure you have at least one book suitable for your location that details edible plants and also what insects are in your area. The wilderness can be a great provider for food, IF you know where and what to look for.

Pound-for-pound, insects have more protein than meat (beef, chicken, pork, lamb, etc…) which is a good thing since they are much smaller than the more traditional sources of protein. A general Rule-of-Thumb is that any insect (or other living thing) that is brightly colored, is poisonous and should be handled with care or avoided completely. Why go after food that could cause you serious injury or death? That means not risking your life by going after that bee hive (colony or nest) for some wild honey; unless, you want to get stung to death or you have the proper bee keeper’s outfit to wear. Be extra careful around bee colonies as there are fair amounts of the Africanized honey bee populations here in North America that will attack you even if you are not doing anything to them except just being close by. In some parts of Mexico, wasps are collected en masse (the whole nest) and put into a sack for collection. Later the women throw the wasps and nest onto a hot griddle, flat top cooking surface or frying pan to be cooked – and yes, they do get stung. Some common insects that generally should be okay to eat (although perhaps not so tasty eaten uncooked) are: termites, ants, larvae, maggots, worms, grasshoppers and roaches. This is quite an appetizing list – right? Well get over it. These insects (and others as well – get a book) can possibly save your life by providing enough protein to keep you going until perhaps you stumble upon that perfect “surf and turf” meal served on gold-rimmed china plates in the middle of the wilderness. Yeah, good luck finding that out in the middle of nowhere. So suck it up and deal with the reality that you and your loved ones just might be eating “bugs” for food. Of course, cooking the insects might make consuming them a lot more palatable for the average person and depending on how you cook them, they could be quite delicious, as well as, nutritious.

Keep a good look out for edible plants and herbs as well. Nuts, berries, wild onions, dandelion greens, sheep’s sorrel, various roots (e.g., cat tails) and a whole lot more await you if you are aware of what to look for in your given location. That’s why it is critical to have at least one guide book (with color photos) to help you identify the edible vegetation in your area and also the poisonous ones to avoid at all costs. Avoid mushrooms and other fungus unless you are 100% sure and even then – very, very, VERY confident they are NOT poisonous!

If you are near any water that has fish in it then the next option might seem obvious; but, is it really? Just because there are fish available doesn’t make them safe to eat. Is there a film or slick floating on top of the water? Does the water smell or have any strong or unpleasant odors coming from it? Are there dead fish (or animals) floating on the water or washed up on the shore? Is there a fair amount of garbage or debris floating on the water’s surface? If so look elsewhere. If you are by fresh water; you need to look for signs that animals (specifically mammals) use the water to drink from and then look around to make sure those same animals have not gotten sick and/or died anywhere around the water. If you are by fresh water, then another good sign to look for is the amount and overall health of vegetation by the water. If the vegetation by the “fresh” water is dying or dead that too is not a good sign. So assuming you’ve done all of the above checks is the water and fish contained in it safe? Well there is never any guarantee that they are 100% safe; however, at least you know that it is not highly poisonous to the point of death surrounding it. Now that you have reassured yourself that there aren’t any obvious signs of hazardous pollution or poisons in the water it’s time to go fishing. There are several ways to catch some fish (assuming they are in the water) that you can use. One method is the tried and true using a fishing rod and reel with some bait or lure attached to a hook. If you don’t have a rod and reel you can always use a drop line by itself or attached to a “green” branch (don’t use dry wood it might break) to use as a makeshift rod. You can also use a fishing spear with 3-4 sharp prongs (spear tips) close together at the end – ideally with barbs on each prong. If you have a bow you should also buy or make some fishing arrows (with barbs). Keep in mind that the water refracts light and makes objects below the surface seem to be in a position that is slightly off from where you think the object (fish) actually are – adjust accordingly or wear polarized sunglasses to help remove the optical distortion and reflection from sunlight. Lastly, you can create traps for the fish using either netting or created out of rocks and branches whereby you literally get the fish into a position it can’t easily escape from and thereby elude your attempts to catch them. If you are nearby an ocean then don’t forget the various types of shellfish which make some excellent eating – build traps for crabs and lobster. If you are near a bayou (or some types of streams) then crawfish (looks like a baby lobster) also make some tasty eating (use your hands or a net to catch these rascals). While on the topic of fish, I do not recommend eating the fish raw (a la the Sushi way) as there is still a chance for toxins to be in the fish or even parasites (which will transfer into a human body). Even if it doesn’t kill you, it can make you very sick – so it’s not worth the risk. Make sure you keep your catch alive ideally in some water before you eat it and if you are not eating the fish right away you need to clean out and remove all of the innards and rinse the fish clean. Smoking and/or salting the fish will dry it out and make it last a little longer from a food storage point of view.

Hunting is the last method to be discussed in the gathering of food section. Depending on how you are doing the hunting it could use up a lot of calories so be very mindful of this. Some of the more common ways for hunting are with a gun or with a bow and arrow (longbow, compound bow or crossbow) – these options make perfect sense when you are hunting game that is fairly large (basically you need the stopping power and it’s worth the cost of using scarce ammunition). Be mindful of the need to keep arrows and bullets for when you MOST need them so don’t go wasting them needlessly on small game that can be had using other methods of hunting. Some other proven methods of hunting include: spears (short and long), slings (like the kind that David used on Goliath in the Bible), slingshots (I prefer the modern versions myself), snares, traps and pits. Other methods like clubs tend to require you to use too much energy and hence calories to be really worthwhile. Using snares, traps and pits tend to not require you to use very much energy so I highly recommend these methods of hunting and you should learn as many of them as possible. Make sure you place them on an obviously well used trail or path that the animals use (generally to go to/from a source of drinking water). Of the 3 just mentioned, hunting pits do require a fair amount of labor to initially set up since you will have to dig the pit (deep enough to prevent escape), fill it with sharpened stakes, and cover it with thin pieces or wood covered by leaves, light coating of dirt and other vegetative mater. However, the pit can hopefully be used several times before it becoming worthless so the energy used to create it needs to be divided over it practical useful lifespan. IMPORTANT: You must realize that ANY animal will become 1000% more dangerous and unpredictable when it is trapped and/or wounded. Use caution when dealing with ANY trapped or wounded animal and try to finish them off from a distance so you do not get injured (or worse). Hunting with weapons that can kill from a distance requires you to master the arts or: patience, stealth, speed, accuracy and positioning yourself DOWNWIND from whatever it is you are hunting. Too many misses, screw-ups or other losses will ultimately train the game to avoid the area you have chosen as your hunting ground – even if just temporarily. If you don’t get a kill on the first attempt; but, the animal is stunned finish them off quickly and try not to waste scarce resources like ammunition. Once you are successful in your hunt you must quickly gut and clean your game so that it does not go bad (which it will do VERY quickly) and then cook it immediately (if you do not have some form of cold storage available) to prevent spoilage. Using the same technique described above for fish, you can also smoke, dry and/or salt your game so that it will last longer.

In my next BLOG posting I will talk about methods for cooking – including making fire.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #3.

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Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #1

2010-09-08T11:32:00.002-06:00

This BLOG posting will be dedicated for those of you that are going to be surviving in an Urban (or suburban) setting – or at least toughing it out at home for a period of time. I highly recommend that those of you planning to “stay the course” and survive in your home should have at least a year’s supply of food stockpiled somewhere in your dwelling (or VERY nearby in a secured structure). The Mormons are the only religious organization that I am aware of that teach this to their members and while this BLOG is NOT about religion, I think it is a great idea. There are lots of ways to stockpile a year’s worth of food so that when a situation or disaster occurs; you and your loved ones won’t go hungry. An average adult person doing “normal” amounts of physical activity will need at least 1,200-1,500 calories per day.

RULE of THUMB: Take your weight and multiply it by 10 to get the approximate amount of daily calories you will need to maintain your current weight.

To stockpile enough food for a year there are several ways to do this. The first and easiest way is to purchase “emergency rations”, “Camping food” or MREs (Meals Ready to Eat – what the military uses) in enough quantity to sustain everyone’s caloric needs for a full year. Depending on where you buy these items you are looking at a price-tag of at least $1,000 per person for a year’s supply of food. Pricing will vary and you might pay substantially more as demand exceeds supply or other factors drive up costs. If you go this route, please make sure that you get a very lengthy shelf life (some products have a 10-20 year shelf life).

QUICK TIP: If you are able to do it, then you should also consider having a home garden and fruit trees to supply yourself with fresh vegetables and fruits.

If you don’t go the above route (or even if you do and want to supplement the MREs) you can buy up dry and canned goods that will usually have a shelf life of 6 months to 1 year. These items will be bulkier and heavier then the MRE’s will be so plan on a fair amount of SECURED storage space for these items. Make sure you account for as many of the food groups as you can so that everyone remains as healthy as possible. Going this route also means developing a menu for the year that translates into a shopping list of items to buy. Once you have stockpiled up these canned and dry goods make sure that you use them in a rotation (first in – first out) and replenish them as you use them so that you always have a year’s supply of food on hand. Below is a handy guide for some common items to have always on hand.

NOTE: It is not a complete list and you will need to add to it and customize it for you and your loved one’s needs.

Best Foods to Stockpile for an Emergency

Fueling your body during an emergency is very different from your everyday diet. Because you’ll probably expend more energy than you normally would, you should eat high-energy, high-protein foods. And because you have a limited supply, the higher-quality foods you eat—and the less of them—the better. In a disaster or an emergency you want those calories, you want some nutrients and some fiber—something to keep your diet normal.

What to Always Keep in Your Pantry

These items have lengthy expiration dates, so you can stash them away for long periods of time. Make a list of everything in your stockpile and check expiration dates every 6 to 12 months to keep things fresh. And don’t forget to have a can opener on hand at all times — all that food won’t be of any use if you can’t open it.

Honey – Is a great source of energy and lasts virtually forever.
Peanut butter – A great source of energy, peanut butter is chock-full of healthful fats and protein. Unless the jar indicates otherwise, you don’t have to refrigerate after opening.
Whole-wheat crackers – Crackers are a good replacement for bread and make a fine substitute in sandwiches. Due to their higher fat content, whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers have a shorter shelf life than their plain counterparts (check the box for expiration dates), but the extra fiber pays off when you’re particularly hungry. Consider vacuum-packing your crackers to prolong their freshness.
Nuts and trail mixes – Stock up on these high-energy foods — they’re convenient for snacking and healthful. Look for vacuum-packed containers, which prevent the nuts from oxidizing and losing their freshness.
Cereal – Choose multigrain cereals that are individually packaged so they don’t become stale after opening.
Granola bars and power bars – Healthy and filling, these portable snacks usually stay fresh for at least six months. Plus, they’re an excellent source of carbohydrates. You can get more energy from carbohydrates without [eating] tons of food.
Dried fruits, such as apricots and raisins – In the absence of fresh fruit, these healthy snacks offer potassium and dietary fiber. Dried fruits provide you with a significant amount of nutrients and calories.
Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, or turkey – Generally lasting at least two years in the pantry, canned meats provide essential protein. Vacuum-packed pouches have a shorter shelf life but will last at least six months.
Jerky – Beef, Turkey, Fish jerky is a great source of protein and sold in vacuum sealed packs will last at least 6 months.
Canned vegetables, such as green beans, carrots, and peas – When the real deal isn’t an option, canned varieties can provide you with essential nutrients.
Canned soups and chili – Soups and chili can be eaten straight out of the can and provide a variety of nutrients. Look for low-sodium options.
Sports drinks – The electrolytes and carbohydrates in these drinks will help you rehydrate and replenish fluid when water is scarce.
Powdered milk – Almost all dairy products require refrigeration, so stock this substitute for an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D when fresh milk isn’t an option.
Sugar, salt, pepper and other spices – If you are able to do some cooking then a basic supply of seasonings and sweeteners will improve the flavor of your food, both fresh and packaged.
Multivitamins – Supplements will help replace the nutrients you would have consumed on a normal diet.

What to Buy Right Before an Emergency

If you’ve been given ample warning that a “situation or disaster” is coming, there’s still time to run to the market and pick up fresh produce and other items that have shorter shelf lives. Most of these foods will last at least a week after they’ve been purchased and will give you a fresh alternative to all that packaged food. Make sure to swing by your local farmers’ market if it’s open; because the produce there is fresher than what you’ll find at your typical supermarket, you’ll add a few days to the lifespan of your fruits and vegetables.

Apples – Apples last up to three months when stored in a cool, dry area away from more perishable fruits (like bananas), which could cause them to ripen more quickly.
Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits – Because of their high acid content and sturdy skins, citrus fruits can last for up to two weeks without refrigeration, particularly if you buy them when they’re not fully ripe. Oranges and grapefruits contain lots of vitamin C and will keep you hydrated.
Avocadoes – If you buy an unripe, firm avocado, it will last outside the refrigerator for at least a week.
Tomatoes – If you buy them unripe, tomatoes will last several days at room temperature.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams – Stored in a cool, dark area, potatoes will last about a month.
Cucumbers and summer squash – These vegetables will last a few days outside of refrigeration and can be eaten raw.
Winter squash – While most are inedible uncooked, winter squashes, such as acorn squash, will keep for a few months. If you’ll be able to cook during the emergency, stockpile a bunch.
Hard, packaged sausages, such as sopressata and pepperoni – You can’t eat canned tuna and chicken forever. Try stocking up on a few packages of dry-cured salamis like sopressata, a southern Italian specialty available at most grocery stores. Unopened, they will keep for up to six weeks in the pantry.

More Food Advice for an Emergency

If the electricity goes out, how do you know what is and isn’t safe to eat from the refrigerator? If your food has spent more than four hours over 40 degrees Fahrenheit, don’t eat it. As long as frozen foods have ice crystals or are cool to the touch, they’re still safe. “Once it gets to be room temperature then bacteria forms pretty quickly, and you want to be very careful about what you’re eating.” Keep the doors closed on your refrigerator and freezer to slow down the thawing process.
If your family has special needs — for example, you take medication regularly or you have a small child — remember to stock up on those essential items, too. Keep an extra stash of baby formula and jars of baby food or a backup supply of your medications.
If you live in an area at high risk for flooding, consider buying all your pantry items in cans, as they are less likely to be contaminated by flood waters than jars. It’s recommended that people don’t eat home-canned foods or jarred foods that have been exposed to flood waters because those seals are not quite as intact.

In my next BLOG posting I will talk about getting food in the wilderness.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with Creating “The Plan” – Food – Part #2.

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Creating “The Plan” – Water – Part #3

2010-09-04T11:29:00.004-06:00

The first step in making potable (drinking) water is filtration. Depending on the overall source and quality of the water this can be a relatively simple and straight forward process or more complex process. If your municipal water supply is still functioning then you could use off-the-shelf products that contain a replaceable water filter within a water pitcher (brand names not mentioned). You can find these types of product easily within most grocery stores and supermarkets. These products can remove microbial cysts, some metals, some pollutants and chemical taste. However, they can’t make water totally safe by themselves, unless the water was basically okay to begin with. Filtering basically takes out the debris, some harmful chemicals/metals and other bad things; but, it does NOT treat the water so any microorganisms contained within it are killed. That’s why I ALWAYS say to do BOTH water filtration AND water treatment. Let’s look at some other options to do water filtration prior to you doing the water treatments below.

Filtering large particles out of the water can be accomplished with any of the following methods:

Punching small holes in the bottom of either a metal can or a plastic bottle and running the water through it first.
Using a piece of relatively clean cloth (non-colored is best) and pouring the water through it.
Gravel (especially Limestone gravel) – is very effective in removal of larger particles in the water.
Paper can be used as a filter too (especially standard Coffee filters); but, will filter slower than the options listed above.

Filtering small particles out of the water requires the use of a filter with VERY small holes like:

Sand – Yes, clean, chemical-free sand in sufficient amounts can help filter out a lot of stuff you don’t want in your water.
Clay – ever notice how yards with clay always drain so much slower than other yards without as much clay?
Charcoal – Yes, good old UNTREATED (natural and chemical-free) charcoal is great for removing impurities in water.
Ceramic filters – More expensive than any of the other options above; but, can filter out particles down to 2 microns or less.

A very good “homemade” filtration solution can be created with two (2) clean buckets of identical size (at least 5 gallons or more) with their lids and a spigot that can be attached to one of the buckets.

You will stack the two buckets on top of one another. The BOTTOM bucket will hold the filtered water.
The BOTTOM bucket will have the spigot firmly attached (no leaks) to its side, about 1-2 inches from the bottom of the bucket. (You might need a drill for this or at least a VERY sharp knife – be careful.)
The BOTTOM bucket’s lid will also have a small-medium sized hole created in the center of the lid prior to attaching it to the BOTTOM bucket.
The TOP bucket will have some smaller (diameter of a pencil) holes created in the center of its bottom. These holes need to lineup with the larger hole in the lid of the BOTTOM bucket.
You need to fill the TOP bucket with layers of sand, charcoal and gravel almost to the top; leaving about 3-5 inches clear all the way to the top lip of the TOP bucket. (see diagram)
Gravel should be put into the TOP bucket first so that it completely covers the bottom of the TOP bucket to a depth of at least 4-6 inches.
Untreated, Chemical-free Charcoal (pellet-sized and NOT ground-up into powder) piece will go into the TOP bucket next on top of the gravel to a depth of at least 12-18 inches (or more).
Clean, untreated Sand will be the layer on top of the Charcoal to a depth of at least 6-12 inches.
With the TOP bucket AWAY from the BOTTOM bucket pour water into the top and let it run through. You will notice the water will have the color of charcoal to it. Keep running water through the TOP bucket until the water runs through clear.
Place the TOP bucket on top of the BOTTOM bucket’s lid (centering the holes from the TOP bucket and the BOTTOM bucket’s lid).
Pour water into the TOP bucket and let it filter through into the BOTTOM bucket until the BOTTOM bucket is full.
Use the spigot on the BOTTOM bucket to get filtered water out that still needs to be treated (purified) before drinking or used in cooking.
Keep the lid on the TOP bucket when not filling with non-filter water.

You can also buy “kits” sold without the buckets that contain a spigot and a ceramic filter (used instead of the sand, charcoal pellets and gravel) from some outdoor stores for about $30-$60 dollars. Additionally, you can also purchase from these same outdoor suppliers, manual pump systems for water filtration that also use a ceramic filter (plus other layers). These pump systems are generally lightweight and portable compared to the bucket systems above. Prices for these types of filtration systems are generally in the $80 and higher price range. Replacement filters for these systems can also be purchased at an additional cost. However, once the water is filtered I still strongly recommend that you treat it (below).

I’ve mentioned that the water needs to be “treated” several times and while I have explained what I meant, I wanted to repeat myself – since it is such an important part in making sure you (or your loved ones) don’t get sick or die from the water you drink. You can “treat” (make safer to drink) water in the following ways:

Heat: Boiling the water for 5-10 minutes will usually kill off just about anything living in the water.

Chemical treatments or Water purification tablets added to water will also kill off the microorganisms usually within 20-30 minutes and sometimes longer (always follow the directions for the product you are using) and it might make the water taste “funny”. You can usually find these products in Outdoor or Camping supply stores for under $20. The most common chemical water treatments for water purification are some form of: chlorine, iodine and/or oxidizing chemicals. All of these chemical water purification options require time to work properly. Generally the water treatment takes at least 20-30 minutes after adding the chemicals and potentially longer for cold water, since the chemical treatment will work slower in colder temperatures. Waiting is probably the biggest drawback to this form of water treatment.

Chlorine – Probably the least effective, chlorine is somewhat unstable, adds some taste to the water, and leaves behind some chemical residue now associated with a small cancer risk.
Household Liquid Bleach that contains at least 5.25% sodium hypochlorite can be used. Do not use scented, color-safe, or bleaches with added cleaners. Add about 3 to 6 drops of bleach per quart of water, mixed thoroughly and allowed to work for 20-30 minutes.
Iodine – is another option that is more effective than chlorine; but, leaves behind an unpleasant taste. It isn’t suitable for people with thyroid problems. The awful taste associated with using iodine can be countered by adding ascorbic acid to the treated water; however, this can only be added after the water treatment is complete (30 minutes) since it neutralizes the iodine’s ability to treat the water.
Oxidizers – The fastest acting chemical water treatment option. Oxidizers don’t alter the water’s taste that much and also produce the least amount of “undesirable” chemical residues. Oxidizers are also generally more expensive than chlorine or iodine.
Ultraviolet (UV) lighting when inserted into the water container will also kill off the microorganisms (timeframe will depend on the quantity of water, size/power of the UV light and the amount of living organisms). You can readily purchase items from either a Travel store or an Outdoorsman-type store to do this for under $200 and depending on the model you buy perhaps even under $100. Just be aware that these items require batteries and can also wear out and/or break so having a spare unit or a backup plan is highly recommended if you go this route.

Distillation is another great way to make water safe to drink. The beauty of distillation is that it not only purifies the water it also filters it. Yes, this is the ONLY method to combine filtration and purification into one solution. When you distill water the end product is 100% pure water with absolutely NO microorganisms, chemicals, metals, solids, etc. of any kind. My friends, this is pure 2H₂O₂ (water). See below on how to make a “Solar Still” to be able to distill and purify water.

Plans for making a Solar Still for Water Distillation / Purification

Items you'll need:

At least 10 Feet of plastic tubing ideally surgical
Plastic (clear) sheeting that is ideally 10 feet X 10 feet in size
Clean container (plastic or metal) that has a wide mouth of at least 3 inch diameter (to catch the clean water).
Small shovel or gardening-type spade (knife, machete, stick or even your hands will do if you have nothing else).

The solar still must be built in the wettest (dampest) and lowest area available. (in a dry river or stream bed, bottom of a hill, or some other low lying area perhaps with some vegetation). You want to put your solar still in these types of locations because it is where ground water will accumulate and therefore would be the best place for collecting it.
Make sure you have the items listed above with you at all times so that you can create your solar still wherever you are.
Using your shovel (or whatever you have) dig a hole in the ground that is at least 2-3 feet deep and 3-4 feet in diameter. Keep digging until you find damp soil or ground water. If you don’t, then find another spot and repeat until you do find damp soil or ground water.
Put the clean container in the center and bottom of the newly dug hole.
Now you need to put one end of the plastic tubing into your clean container (make sure you don’t move the container from its stable and centered position in the bottom of the hole or get dirt into it).
Carefully place the plastic sheet over the hole; making sure you cover the hole completely.
Make sure you leave the plastic tubing hanging out of the hole; but, between the ground and the plastic sheet.
You need to weigh down and seal the plastic sheet that’s covering the hole, so that it is as airtight as possible. You can use sand, dirt, rocks, and wood (or a combination of all of these things) to help seal things up tight. Make sure the free end of the plastic tubing is easily accessible.
Place a weight (small round rock works great) in the center of the plastic sheet. You want to create the point of a cone that is hanging directly centered above the container – so that the distilled water drips into the container.
As the sun heats up the soil inside your solar still, any water or moisture contained in the soil (or vegetative matter) will evaporate and condense on the plastic. The water will then drip to the lowest portion of the plastic and into the container.
Drink from the container by sucking on the end of the tubing you let hang out of the plastic sheet.
Only water will evaporate and in the distillation process, microorganisms and impurities are not going to be in your container.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with the skeleton framework and will discuss #3 on the list: “Food”.

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Creating “The Plan” – Water – Part #2

2010-09-02T14:19:00.001-06:00

As noted in the previous BLOG posting, a human cannot survive without water for more then 3-4 days. In this BLOG posting, I’m going to discuss some possible options for obtaining water that can be used in both an urban setting and a wilderness setting.

Regardless the setting (urban, suburban or wilderness) the following are possible sources of water:

Rain – You should never overlook this option, especially if you are located in an area where it rains frequently (e.g., the Pacific Northwest) at least part of the year. You should be putting as many collection containers and/or have a cistern available to collect rain as possible. If you have access to the downspouts from your roof – attaching a cistern (large water storage device) directly to the downspout will provide you with many more gallons of rain water then just sticking out containers to catch the rain directly. Why? Simple, you are utilizing a greater surface area (the roof) to gather the water then the surface areas of the containers themselves. I recommend filtering and treating any water source regardless of how “clean” it appears as impurities like pollution might have contaminated the water. Rain falling, will absorb various chemical pollutants in the air as it makes its way to your collection containers – not to mention whatever else might contaminate the water as it runs down your roof and into a downspout before getting into your cistern. Since rain (or snow or ice) is not always available, it’s a good idea to collect more than you think you might need, as well as, have additional and alternative sources of water – just in case.
Melting Snow and Ice – If you live in an area where snow and ice is plentiful (at least part of the year) you must add this to your water collection options. One thing to never forget is that filling a container full of snow will not yield the same amount of water. Why? Snow has a lot of air mixed into it and once melted you might notice that you only get about 1/10^th as much water as you had of snow. Ice on the other hand is frozen water and while there isn’t a problem with air (like snow) it has expanded when it entered its solid stage. Once ice has melted back into its liquid state (water) it will fill more of the original container then when it was a solid (ice). Just like with rain, you will still need to filter and treat the water you get from either snow or ice to be on the safe side.
Lakes, ponds, streams and rivers – I hope you’re not thinking that these are not applicable in an urban setting are you? Many urban planners have designed a city or town around bodies of water or streams and rivers. Depending on how used these sources of water are (boats, industry, etc…) will determine how useful they are for survival. Let’s assume that all these sources of water are at least moderately used and polluted at best and really polluted at worst. If there is only little to moderate use/pollution of the water source then traditional filtering and treatment methods should be sufficient to provide you with a potable water supply. On the other hand if there is heavy use/pollution you have three choices which come down to your level of acceptable risk. (1) Forget this source of water and find another. (2) Filter and Treat this water source like you would any other and take a risk that you did a good enough job so you won’t get sick or die. (3) Use another method to make this water safe to drink – like distilling it.
Wells – Okay, so you are not likely to find a well in an urban setting. However, there is a good chance that you will find existing wells in the suburbs or countryside. In the wilderness, you might be able to create your own well should you have the right tools (at least a shovel) and a lot of luck (the water is not too far down below the surface). I always like to err on the side of caution and would still filter and treat well water. No sense taking chances – right?
Salt / Brackish water (Sea or Ocean) – Assuming that you are located in a area that has an Ocean or Sea close by (and No other freshwater source available) then using saltwater might be your only option. The ONLY 2 ways this water becomes safe to drink is through filtering, desalination and treatment OR through distillation (effectively doing the other process in a one step process). I will be talking about distillation in my next BLOG posting about water.
Swimming Pools – Okay, not the place most people might think of for a source of water. However, by using the same process to make saltwater safe to drink you can also make pool water safe to drink – specifically distillation.
Various plants, trees, grass and cacti – You might be able to obtain enough water from vegetation to sustain you. I am not going to go into any detail here as there are too many types of vegetation to cover (both to use and to AVOID). I recommend picking up a couple of books that cover the common vegetation in your area to see if this is even a viable option for you to use for your survival.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with Creating “The Plan” – Water – Part #3.

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Creating “The Plan” – Water – Part #1

2010-08-31T16:06:00.002-06:00

It is commonly known that you can survive for at least a week without food; however, you can’t survive for more than a few days without water. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone reading this survival BLOG that I will be doing more than a single posting about water: getting it and making it safe to drink.

In North America and other industrialized parts of the world we tend to take water for granted. You need water and you go turn the tap on and it flows freely (often wastefully) out of the facet. But what if water no longer flowed freely out of the facet or if it was no longer “clean” potable water that came out? Or perhaps, in a non-urban setting like the wilderness where and how would you obtain enough water for you and your loved to survive on? NOTE: The average adult needs 64 ounces of water to drink per day and as much as 1 gallon per day in a hot, arid or strenuous situation – when you sweat a lot. This does NOT include the water needed for cooking, washing and sanitation purposes.

Let’s tackle the urban setting first. If you know in advance of an impending disaster and you can’t leave in time to avoid it; then you should be saving enough water to last you in every, pot, drinking glass, bottle, pitcher and storage container you have – including your bathtubs and sinks.

Drinking water needs to be clean and free from debris, toxic elements/metals and living organisms. Generally speaking, if you have obtained your water from a municipal (city) water system you won’t have to worry about debris being in your water (not so in the wilderness). However, every municipality has their own standards for what is the acceptable amount of toxic elements, chemicals, metals and living organisms allowed in the water they supply to you. While there are US Federal guidelines that say what the maximum amount of these materials allowed in “treated water” supplied by a municipality (measured in parts per million – or PPM for short) nothing is in place for being better than the Federal standard (which I think is not very good). That’s why the quality of water varies so widely all over the United States (which is still better than most of the world).

Debris is visible to the naked human eye within a water sample. Some common examples of debris include: dirt, sand, plant or vegetative matter, pieces of plastic, glass fragments, metal shavings, rocks and animal/human waste. Large screen filtering should take care of this rather easily and as I said before, it’s not something normally needed to be dealt with from “treated water” from a municipality.
Toxic elements, chemicals and metals are still present in your everyday water supplied to you in an urban setting. While your municipal water treatment facility remove much of these harmful things from your tap water; they will still leave some amount of them in it based on Federal regulations and standards and their own guidelines based on a certain amount of PPM. Of course, this does not account for whatever gets back into your water supply from the water delivery system in your home (e.g., pipes). You can buy and use water filters from the store to remove a much greater percentage (PPM) of this from your drinking water.
Living organisms like bacteria, protozoa, cysts and viruses can also be delivered to you in your municipal water supply. Many store bought water filters will remove these from your drinking water based on the filter’s pore size. A pore size is the size of the “holes” in the filter that can get through into your drinking water. The pore size of most water filters is measured in “microns” or fractions of a “micron”. You need to use the smallest pore size possible to filter out most of these living organisms. However, you will NEVER filter out all of them so in survival mode it is ALWAYS recommended to do something to kill these microorganisms. You can kill the microorganisms in several ways. Heat: Boiling the water for 5-10 minutes will usually kill off just about anything living in the water. Chemical treatments or Water purification tablets added to water will also kill off the microorganisms usually within several hours (although it might make the water taste “funny”). Ultraviolet (UV) lighting when inserted into the water container will also kill off the microorganisms (timeframe will depend on the quantity of water, size/power of the UV light and the amount of living organisms).

To sum up the situation in an urban setting I recommend water filtration followed by water “treatment” like boiling when in doubt to the safety of the water you are getting from the facet.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with Creating “The Plan” – Water – Part #2.

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Creating “The Plan” – a Skeleton Framework

2010-08-27T11:10:00.001-06:00

In this BLOG posting, I will provide you with an outline or skeleton framework that you can use to create your own plan or plans for surviving whatever comes your way. In no way should you accept that this framework is complete. In fact, you should take this framework and expand upon it as much as possible so that it meets your individual requirements, needs and limitations.

Regardless of whether or not you are looking at Urban survival or Wilderness survival the basic framework for both are going to be very similar. The basic characteristics for both frameworks are going to have the following in common – subject to the limitations of your location and of course, any unique circumstances that might come into play could cause.

Survival can be broken down into the following 6 basic requirements:

Shelter
Water
Food
Health/Medical
Security
Sanitation

Shelters will certainly vary depending on your environment (urban or wilderness settings). In an urban setting, staying in your current dwelling (house, condo or apartment) might be a valid choice. If it is, then preparing your current abode to serve you well in the future is something that must be addressed. If your current home is not suitable for long-term survival then you are going to need to find another place to use as your shelter. Be aware that in an urban setting you will be competing with other survivors for the same available shelters. Possible shelters may include: houses, condos, apartment buildings, school buildings, fallout shelters, subway tunnels, places of worship: churches/synagogues/mosques/temples, hospitals, police stations, fire departments, and military bases. Your plans for urban shelter need to take into account the location, structural integrity of the shelter, security of the shelter, maintenance of the shelter and other factors. Additionally, you will need to figure out how you will gain access to these possible shelters and what you might need to do if others are either already occupying them or competing with you to occupy them.

Generally speaking, I would not seriously look at shelter in an urban setting for long-term survival because of the need for renewable food sources, abundant water supply, sanitation and potentially dangerous security issues with large groups of people also trying to survive and vie for the same limited resources that you also want. Grocery stores or supermarkets usually only have about 72 hours (3 days) worth of food items available and on their shelves. However, widespread looting is highly likely to happen and all the available food could be gone in just a few hours or less. The stores are dependent on shipments of food to restock their supplies and without regular shipments the shelves will be stripped bare and nothing will be available to you once the looting is done. If you plan to stay in an urban setting for awhile, then you need to plan for the other 5 items on the basic requirements list and make sure you have them when you need them.

Being in a wilderness setting presents its own set of unique challenges with regards to having proper shelter. Certainly, geography and weather will dictate the type of shelter you will need at the minimum for survival. Also, how long you plan to stay in a given location will also impact what kind of shelter you will want to either find or build. In cold weather environments your shelter is your first defense from dying from hypothermia. In wet environments your shelter needs to keep all of you dry, as well as, your supplies that you are counting on for survival. In hot, arid environments your shelter needs to provide shade and some respite from the heat without which you will run the risk of sunstroke and/or heat exhaustion. Lastly, in the wilderness, humans must always contend with various insects, reptiles and predatory animals and so your shelter needs to provide some protection from these “critters” that would not make very good “house guests” with you. Predators, like bears, will be attracted to any food supplies you might have and so special care must be made to not have food or garbage located too near (or inside) your shelter. Like the Native Americans before us, surviving in the wilderness might very well mean moving around to other outdoor locations depending on what the availability of water and food supplies in the area you are in are like.

Having a great shelter in the wilderness without food and water is no better than having a great shelter in an urban setting without food or water. Making shelter in a survival situation without proper consideration of the other basic requirements (above) is just a no-win situation – consider everything together and not just as a checklist item all by itself.

NOTE: I will be writing more about selecting, building and securing your shelters (the “how-to” information) in future BLOG postings

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will continue with the skeleton framework and will discuss #2 on the list: “Water”.

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Survival Mindset – Do you have what it takes?

2010-08-26T09:57:00.002-06:00

Let me ask you a few questions and I want you to be really honest with yourself (I really won’t know your answers anyway) with your answers.

If your loved ones were being viciously attacked or raped would you kill to protect them?
If you were being viciously attacked would you kill to protect yourself?
What if you or your loved ones were starving; would you steal or kill to feed them or yourself?
How about if you or your loved ones were dying from dehydration; what would you do to make sure that you had enough water for you and your loved ones?
To what lengths would you go to provide shelter for you and your loved ones?

These are tough questions that ultimately you will need to not only answer; but, resign yourself to having to do something that you might find morally or ethically objectionable under normal circumstances. Depending on the situation you find yourself in anything you choose to do or not do will absolutely have consequences (either good or bad). Would you take a life to save a life? Who’s to say which life is more valuable?

These are very tough and complex questions and you won’t have time to ponder over the answer when the time comes to act. Remember these quotes: “He who hesitates is lost.” or “Better you then them.” or “Shoot first and ask questions later.” Now, I know you can probably come up with other quotes that can be used to counter these quotes. However, that’s not the point of this “exercise”.

The point of this part of my BLOG is for you to come to terms with whatever action you are going to do and then be resolute in actually doing that action. Protecting yourself and your loved ones or not protecting them. Feeding and supplying drinking water to yourself and your loved ones or not. Providing shelter for yourself and your loved ones or not. The list could go on and on; but, hopefully you got the point. Make a decision; come to grips with the possible ramifications of your decision and then follow-through with your decisions.

I can’t help you make these kinds of choices as it is something that you must decide for yourself and your loved ones on your own. What I can tell you is that faced with a tough situation I would do whatever I could to make sure my loved ones and I would survive – no matter what.

Stay tuned for the next BLOG post that will provide you with the skeleton framework for you to use in creating your Plan.

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Your Mindset – Thinking About Surviving and Getting Out of Shock

2010-08-25T11:02:00.003-06:00

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: “Of course, I will be thinking about surviving…is he kidding me?” In reality, when something “bad” or “catastrophic” happens your mind is likely going to be in shock and you will not be thinking about survival at all. In fact, this is probably the first major moment when you and your loved ones are the most vulnerable since there is going to be a whole lot of nothing going on with regards to all of you surviving whatever just happened. During this mind state you are totally wide open for bad things to happen – depending on what has happened. (For example: terrorist attack, plague, nuclear fallout, natural disasters, war, civil unrest/riots, etc….) You need to be able to snap out of whatever “funk” or mental state of mind you are in and begin to put into action the plan that you had previously developed for survival. (You *did* put together a survival plan; didn’t you?). NOTE: I will discuss survival plans in several upcoming blog postings.

Easier said than done – right? The shock of initially surviving or witnessing whatever just happened can be very great and you need to prepare and mentally condition yourself to come out of it as soon as possible. I’m not a psychologist; however, there are tricks you can use to assist you in getting your focus back and your mind in the proper survival state. One trick is to have some photos around you or easily visible to you to remind you of the urgent need to start “acting and reacting” to whatever the new situation is (the result of whatever bad thing is or has happened). You can also use other items in addition to or in replacement of the photos. Some examples of other items might be: a watch, rings/jewelry, trophies and/or a cherished memento/gift from someone special. It doesn’t matter what item or photos you choose to help you snap out of being in shock, as long as, you get started on executing your survival plan. For any others in your group that are also in shock, you need to get them out of shock ASAP so that everyone is operating according to the survival plan you developed ahead of time. You can use the same methods you used on yourself or you can use some of these techniques to bring them out of shock and more ready for action. You can use auditory methods like talking to them to help bring them out of shock. I recommend talking calmly and soothingly first before trying to shout or speak in a loud voice. You may also try physical contact with the other people. Hugs while gently rubbing or stroking them is good and you can combine this with speaking softly and calmly to them as well. Tickling them gently may or may not work depending on the individual you are trying to bring out of shock. The power of smell can also work to help bring them back out of shock. Try using items with strong odors like: vinegar, cider, ammonia, flowers, etc… to place under their nose so that they would get a chance to smell it as they breathe. The absolute last resort should be to try shaking them, pinching them or slapping them as this might backfire and drive them deeper into shock.

Okay, so now everybody is no longer in shock and is focused on executing the survival plan that had been previously been created and you are beginning to think like a survivalist – right? Well, close; but, no cigar. There is something else you need to do before just blindly following your previously created survival plan and that is reviewing the plan and making any necessary adjustments to the original plan. Why? Think about it for a moment. You created your plan prior to the bad events actually happening and there absolutely will be a need to “tweak” or adjust the original plans to compensate for the “unplanned for” natural or man-made situations that now exist. Being flexible in times of stress and willing to update your plans to deal with the new situation will be a test to determine just how well you are going to survive in the environment you and your loved ones find yourselves in.

Next BLOG posting will be more on the Survival Mindset so stay tuned!

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First Post with lots more to come

2010-08-24T14:30:00.003-06:00

Hello and welcome to my first BLOG about survival. Let me tell you what I am not going to be spending a lot of time on with my blogs. I’m not going to be spending much time on the causes and reasons why there would be a need for survival techniques. For example, I am not going to be discussing “end of the world” scenarios like those suggested by: the Mayans, Nostradamus, 2012 theorists, the Bible’s “Book of Revelations” or other sources saying the end is near.

Suffice it to say, if something bad is going to happen (and I think it very likely it will) then you and your loved ones will want to be able to survive as best you can. Surviving might mean doing without all the comforts that we have grown accustomed to having at our disposal each and every day and that we often take for granted. Depending on what has happened (natural disaster, terrorist attack, war, martial law, etc…) the electrical grid, communication networks, sewage treatment, water supplies, transportation, fuel supply, food supplies, medical treatment facilities and government services (police, firemen, mail delivery, military, etc…) may no longer be available either in the short term (days and weeks) or for even longer (months, years and decades).

If you and your loved ones had to survive and thrive in such a situation wouldn’t you want to have a plan, supplies, tools, knowledge and skills put together BEFORE you actually needed to use them? That’s what I am going to be covering every week – sometimes once a day and other times at least once per week until I have exhausted every bit of knowledge and information that I can pass on to you.

Stay tuned – lots more to come!

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Survival is a combination of preparedness plus a survival mindset. If you have the WILL to survive, the skills/knowledge to survive, as well as, some planning and preparation ▬ then you will ultimately survive. Don't wait until it is too late or your chances for survival will diminish accordingly. As always, good luck and know I am on your side. ~~ The Survival Guy