THE GREEN BERET POCKET SIZED

SURVIVAL GUIDE

FIRST AID, WATER, FOOD, SHELTER, SCAVENGE,

SPECIFIC EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
BOB MAYER
 CONTENTS

1. The Green Beret Pocket-Sized Survival Guide

2. KEY SURVIVAL INFORMATION
3. The Five Key Elements of Survival
4. The Rule of Three
5. The 3 Levels Of Emergencies And The
6. Three levels of Emergencies
7. Three Phases of Survival
8. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
9. Survival Stress Factors
10. First Aid
11. First Aid Apps
12. Breathing
13. Bleeding
14. BROKEN—Bone & Joint Injuries
15. Water First Aid
16. Cold Weather Injuries
17. Food
18. Bites And Stings
19. Personal Hygeine
20. Water Procurement
21. Water sources in your home
22. Water sources in nature
23. Ways to Purify Water
24. Food Procurement
25. For Your Home
26. Food In Nature
27. Building A Shelter And Starting
28. Clothing
29. Emergency Shelters
30. Building a Fire
31. Emergency Rally Point/Base Camp
32. BLISS considerations for the ERP
33. Navigating, Tracking
34. Your Survival Team
35. Cold Weather
36. Desert
37. Tropical
38. Specific Man-Made Events—Transportation
39. Specific Man-Made Events—Safety and Security
40. Specific Natural Disasters
41. Stockpile, Scavenge, Sustain
42. Scavenge
43. Congratulations
44. Sustain And Thrive
45. The Key Phrase to Remember: SURVIVAL
46. Coronavirus (COVID-1()
About the Author
 1

THE GREEN BERET POCKET-SIZED SURVIVAL GUIDE

BOB MAYER

(This publication has been carefully researched, is based on the author’s

training and experiences as well as the best available information as of the
publication date. It is all the advice and opinion of the author. It is intended
to provide helpful and useful material on the subjects covered. The author
and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical services and highly
recommend a doctor be consulted on all matters that require medical
attention, diagnosis or treatment. The author and publisher specifically
disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or
otherwise, that is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the
use and application of any of the contents of this book)

For information on Preparing, check out The Green Beret Preparation and
Survival Guide.
 KEY SURVIVAL INFORMATION

Survival Triage priorities:

Breathing.
Bleeding.
Broken.

B REATHING

CHOKING—SELF HEIMLICH
1. Try to cough object up. If you cannot get it out, you must act quickly,
before you lose consciousness.
2. Make a fist. Place it on your abdomen just above your navel and
below your ribcage.
3. Hold the fist with your other hand for leverage.
4. Drive your fist in and up. Use a quick j-shaped motion. Repeat.
5. If the object does not dislodge, quickly find a stable, waist-high
object, such as the back of a chair, a table, or a counter-top. With your
hands still in place, bend over it, brace your hands. Drive your body against
the object.
7. Repeat until the object dislodges.
CHOKING—OTHER—HEIMLICH ADULT
1. From behind, wrap your arms around the victim’s waist.
3. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim’s
upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel.
4. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper
abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine
the force of the thrusts to your hands.
5. Repeat until the object has been expelled.

CHOKING-OTHER-INFANT
1. Lay the child down, face up, on a firm surface.
2. Kneel or stand at the victim’s feet, or hold the victim on your lap,
facing away from you.
3. Place the middle and index fingers of both your hands below his rib
cage and above navel.
4. Press in with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the rib cage. Be
gentle.
5. Repeat until object is expelled.

NOT BREATHING—OTHER-CPR
1. Check the victim for responsiveness. If not responsive or not
breathing or not breathing normally, call 911. Place the phone next to the
victim and put in speaker mode. If necessary, the dispatcher can help you
with instructions.
2. If the victim still is not breathing normally, coughing, or moving,
begin chest compressions. Push down on the center of the chest 2 to 2.5
inches, 30 times. Pump hard and fast at a rate faster than one per second.
After 30 compressions:
3. Tilt the head back and lift the chin. Pinch the nose and cover the
mouth with yours. Blow until you see the chest rise. Do this 2 times. Each
breath should take 1 second.
4. Go back to 30 compressions.
 5. Two breaths.
6. Continue until help arrives.
7. If doing two person CPR, the person compressing stops while the
other person gives the two breaths.

BLEEDING
How to stop life-threatening bleeding. Signs of life-threatening are:
Spurting blood.
Blood that won’t stop.
Blood that is pooling on the ground.
Clothing that is soaked with blood.
Bandages that are soaked with blood.
Loss of all or part of a leg or arm.
Continued bleeding in a victim who is confused or unconscious.

T to find and compress the bleeding blood vessel to stop the

flow of blood.

1. Find the source of the bleeding. Remove clothing from over the wound.
2. Apply pressure. Any cloth will do, but if you have a Quikclot
bandage, that will help.
3. If the wound is deep, stuff the cloth/bandage into the wound.
4. Put a compression bandage on the wound. Push down as hard as you
can.
5. If a compression bandage is not available, apply continuous pressure
until help arrives.

T
For life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg and the above doesn’t
work.
 1. Wrap the tourniquet around the limb 2 to 3 inches above the source of
the blood. Do NOT put it on a joint. Go above the joint if necessary.
2. Pull the free end of the tourniquet as tight as possible and then secure
it around a solid stick or rod (windlass).
3. Twist the windlass until bleeding stops. Secure it in place or hold it.
4. Note the time it was applied.

BROKEN
Unless BROKEN is a compound fracture with life-threatening bleeding,
stabilize the patient, and look further in this book for how to treat.

STAY CALM. THINK. TAKE CHARGE.

THE FIRST FIVE THINGS TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY

FIRST
Do a First Aid triage of yourself.
Assess the immediate situation.
If in immediate danger, get to a safe place.
What are the priorities of threats?
SECOND
Call for help
THIRD
Do a First Aid triage of others.
Breathing
Bleeding
Broken
Can the wounded be moved?
What is the status of your family/team? How will those not present
assemble? Immediate Rally Point (IRP)? Emergency Rally Point (ERP)?
FOURTH
Assess the environment. Can you stay or do you need to leave?
If staying, check your supplies: water, communication, food and
medical.
 If leaving, dress in emergency clothing, take your Grab-n-Go bag.
If leaving, are you going to the ERP?
If leaving, and not going to Emergency Rally Point, what is your
destination? Priorities being shelter, water, food, medication.
FIFTH
Once in a safe place, assess the overall situation and make long term
plans.

M on each of these shortly.

You Can Do It!
This book is a quick reference guide for surviving emergencies and natural
disasters.
This book assumes you have prepared to at least a mild emergency level
using The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. That means you
have a basic Grab-n-Go bag at home, in your car and at work/school, and
your house has supplies at a baseline level. Your family/team has a
designated Immediate Rally Point (IRP) and Emergency Rally Point (ERP).
You have conducted an Area Study & Emergency and Threat Analysis.
You have prepared for the most likely threats in your area.

I this book, you are currently in an emergency situation or

one is imminent.
THE FIVE KEY ELEMENTS OF SURVIVAL
 WATER

Food
First Aid
Shelter
Fire

D evelop a priority for survival based on the situation.

There are five fundamentals to survival: water, food, first aid,
shelter and fire. However, their priority will be different based on
your situation. For example, in a cold weather, mountain environment, fire
and shelter will be more important than in a temperate environment. If you
are injured, then, of course, first aid would be a priority. Food is usually a
low priority initially in a survival situation because we can go a lot longer
without food than some of the other things, particularly water.
If your situation changes, you need to change your survival priorities. It
should constantly be evaluated and updated.
THE RULE OF THREE
 YOU CAN SURVIVE THREE MINUTES WITHOUT AIR.

You can survive three hours without a regulated body temperature.

You can survive three days, depending on environment, without water.
You can survive three weeks without food.

T his is why I put immediate action for lack of air before anything
else in this book, even the Table of Contents. Thumb through this
book, familiarize yourself with the way its laid out. Bookmark
sections so you can find them easily.

T :
First: FIRST AID
Second: WATER PROCUREMENT
Third: FOOD PROCUREMENT
Fourth: BUILDING SHELTER & STARTING A FIRE
Fifth: NAVIGATING, TRACKING
Sixth: SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS AND EVENTS
Seventh: STOCKPILE, SCAVENGE, SUSTAIN
Eighth: THRIVE LATER
 The First Five Things to Do in an Emergency.

E different and this is a guideline. Always make sure

your priority is safety for yourself first, then others. You can’t help others if
you don’t take care of yourself.

F :
Do a First Aid triage of yourself. Breathing. Bleeding. Broken.
Are you stabilized?
Can you move?
Assess the immediate situation. Take charge.
If in immediate danger, get to a safe place. If you’re not in immediate
danger, look around.
What are the priorities of threats? Other people will probably be
panicking. Don’t get caught up in that. Be aware that any situation can get
worse. In fact, assume it will. Also, having done your Area Study, you
know there are after-effects of various emergencies and natural disaster.
Earthquakes around the coast can lead to tsunamis. A terrorist attack could
have a follow on attack for first responders. A hurricane can lead to broken
gas lines which lead to a fire danger.
Check for smoke, gases and fumes. Locate and shut off the source if
possible. Fires, earthquakes, bombs, etc. produce structural instability. Just
because the roof is still there, doesn’t mean it will stay there.
If in a car accident, turn off ignition, look out for pools of gas or any
smoke.
Second:
Call for help. Dial 911. Yell. Blow a whistle. Tap on a pipe with a piece
of metal. Whatever is appropriate to the event. If you’re performing CPR,
yell at someone nearby to call for help. Tell them what to say.
Getting trained personnel on the scene quickly is the best assistance you
can render others. If you talk to a dispatcher, give a succinct summary of
the situation: Location; what the emergency is; how many casualties and an
estimate of condition; any potential threats.
 If it is a mass casualty event, let them know that right away as the
response will be different as a single responding unit would be
overwhelmed.
Third:
Do a First Aid Triage of others. Triage comes from the French word ‘to
sort’. The goal is to rapidly assess and prioritize a number of injured
individuals and do the most good for the most people. The key here is it IS
NOT to do the best for every individual.
First, make sure the injured are not in imminent danger.
How many are injured? How badly?
Who can assist you?
Can assistance get to you?
Your triage is what is at the beginning of the book: breathing and
bleeding.
Professionals triage as follows:
Immediate (Red Tag): Victim will not survive without immediate care (ie
not breahing, major hemorrhagic bleeding).
Delayed (Yellow Tag): Victim needs medical care within two to four
hours (ie compound fracture without hemorrhagic bleeding).
Minimal (Green Tag): Stable and ambulatory, but may need medical
care. Get these people to assist.
Expectant (Black Tag): Deceased or not expected to live (ie open
fracture of cranium with brain damage; multiple penetrating chest wounds).

C the wounded by moved if they have to be? Do you have the means to
move them?
If immediate help is on the way, don’t take any unnecessary risks. Don’t
move an injured person unless they are in danger. Don’t treat past life-
saving measures. Let the professionals do their job when they arrive. Your
job is to maintain order until helps arrives.
What is the status of your family/team? If some members aren’t present,
where are they? Can you communicate with them and arrange to meet? If
you can’t communicate with them, can you contact your out of area
emergency contact? If that’s not possible the priority of meeting locations
will be in order: home, IRP, ERP.
Fourth:
 Assess the environment. Can you stay or do you need to leave? Do you
have adequate shelter where you are for the environment? If you’re staying,
at home, at the IRP, ERP, work, school, wherever, inventory your supplies
and gather what you can. Focus on water, communication, food and
medical.
If leaving and have time, dress in your emergency clothing. Take your
Grab-n-Go bag (home, car or work/school). If leaving, are you going to the
IRP to meet family/team? Or is it best to go direct to the ERP?
If you’re leaving and not going to any of those, what is your
destination? Your out of area emergency contact? Are they clear of the
effect of the emergency or disaster? The destination should be chosen by
priority among shelter, water, food, and medication.
Fifth:
Once in a safe place, assess the overall situation and make long term
plans.
THE 3 LEVELS OF EMERGENCIES AND THE
 3 PHASES OF SURVIVAL:

T hese are the three phases of emergency and catastrophe response

and survival. They are based on two factors: level of emergency
and length of the emergency.
THREE LEVELS OF EMERGENCIES
 MILD

Moderate
Extreme

M ild: You experience some discomfort from your normal routine

for no more than 48 hours, but it is not life threatening.
Example: Your power goes off for a day or two.
Moderate: You experience a large change from your normal routine,
either natural or man-made, which is not immediately life threatening but
has the potential to become so if not dealt with, and/or it continues.
Example: Your power goes off for five days or more. Your car slides off the
road in a remote area and you are trapped inside. A powerful hurricane is
approaching. A 5.0 or greater earthquake strikes.
Extreme: A catastrophic natural or man-made event that immediately
threatens your life and the lives of all around you, and if it continues, will
be a constant threat. Example: A tsunami hits your coastal town. A tornado
destroys your home. Nuclear, biological and chemical warfare/terrorist
attack. A 7.0 or greater earthquake. The collapse of civilization. A
pandemic with a high transmission and kill rate. Assume the worst until the
situation stabilizes.
L / depends on how widespread it is,
how severe, and how long it takes society to recover, if at all. There are too
many variables to make any definitive parameters.
Some extreme emergencies could be very short in duration. For
example a severe car crash. A mild emergency that continues, might have a
severe, long-term effect, such as a drought that doesn’t abate. There could
be a slow economic failure that will take years. Thus there are three phases
to emergency and catastrophe survival that have no set time limits because
the variables are so many and affect each other. These phases are:
THREE PHASES OF SURVIVAL
 STOCKPILE

Scavenge
Sustain

S tockpile: Initially, you will live off of your stockpile. This is what
you have in your home, what you have in Grab-n-Go bags and what
you have in your ERP. For those who are not prepared, their
stockpile is poor or non-existent. It consists of what they might have on
hand and what they are desperately trying to buy before a catastrophe; if
there is warning.
Scavenge: This will occur both legally and illegally. After a disaster,
people are desperate for supplies, particularly drinkable water. This is why
in The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide, there was a priority to
what you needed to stockpile. Since power might well be out, cash will be
the initial basis of barter. If cash loses its value (and cash is ultimately only
valuable because we believe its valuable; it has no intrinsic value), then
water, medicine, expertise (especially medical), food, shelter, ammunition,
(whatever is most needed and scarcest) etc. will become the currency of
barter. That is while people are still willing to barter. Illegal scavenging is
when people take what they want. Whether by gathering or by force.
Sustain: This is when people will live off the land in a mixture of
scavenging and hunting, gathering, farming and livestock. Some people are
already living at a sustain level. It’s called living off the grid. However,
unless those people are not only off the grid but unknown, in an extreme,
long term emergency, they will become targets for illegal scavengers.

I , because you have adequately stock-piled for at least a

mild emergency, you will initially be in stockpile mode. Then you will
probably resort to scavenging, while some will go to sustain.
Thus the survival techniques in this book run the gamut from short-term
emergencies where help is only cell-phone call away, to long term
solutions.
I cover this more in detail in the Stockpile, Scavenge and Sustain
portion of this manual.
 8

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

Y ou’ve already considered the factors on when you should “bug

out” from your home in The Green Beret Preparation and
Survival Guide. However, there are so many possible emergency
scenarios and catastrophes, that it’s impossible for you to have covered all
of them.
If an evacuation has been called, such as for a hurricane, you evacuate
as soon as possible.
For some situations, smart people evacuate before the formal
announcement. For example, wild fires are unpredictable and can move
fast. Better to be safe.
There is a big difference between an evacuation and “bugging out”.
An evacuation has the expectation that you will return to your home in
the foreseeable future. In this case, it’s as simple as driving away and going
to your evacuation point or checking into a hotel. However, if you live in an
area where evacuations are likely, such as a hurricane zone, plan ahead.
Have a location you know you can go to and get a room or people you can
stay with.

F , let’s discuss reasons not to bug out:

You have your primary stockpile of supplies in your house.
You have a community around you who knows you and you know (this
could be a good thing or a bad thing).
 There is no immediate or foreseeable threat to you and your home,
whether natural or man-made.
It does not appear that the situation will degrade.

W :
The most obvious would be if the home is unlivable along with the IRP.
This would happen in the case of an extreme emergency that affects the
area. Ultimately the ERP will be the place for your team to meet up if all
else fails.
However, making the decision to “bug out” is a very difficult one if
your home is still livable. Because when you bug out, there is a good
probability you will not be returning to your home, so we’re talking
extreme emergency on a large scale where the ERP is your best option,
rather than your evacuation point.
There are several predictors on deciding to go to the ERP.
Your home is no longer livable.
The emergency or disaster is something that is approaching you and
can’t be stopped. The primary example of this would be a pandemic.
The rule of law has completely broken down and now your home is a
target and you cannot adequately defend it
Television stations go blank.
Local FM radio stations go off the air.
There are throngs of people trying to withdraw money from banks and
ATMs in a panic.
The water stops.
The power grid goes down over an extensive area without any sign of
repair forthcoming.
Long haul freight trucks are no longer moving. Most urban areas have
enough food to last no more than a week.
You’re running out of stocked supplies to the point where you’re
considering breaking into your main Grab-n-Go bag. Don’t. Use it to get to
your ERP.
Increased military presence, especially if its Federal forces, not National
Guard. Federal military Army, Air Force and Marines can only be
employed stateside in extreme emergencies. In your Area Study learn the
difference and what National Guard units are nearby; what their unit patch
is (on the left shoulder) and what unit designations would be marked on the
bumpers of their military vehicles.
In cities, if garbage is piling up and not being picked up, eventually this
will cause disease. It also indicates a slow breakdown of social order.
There is slim to no possibility of receiving aid. This latter is something
people don’t consider in mild or moderate emergencies. Localized
emergencies always have the advantage of outside assistance coming in. If
an emergency is on a national or international scale, this likelihood is
drastically reduced.
A disturbing aspect of this is that while governments will call for
evacuations, there really is no protocol for announcing things have gone to
s$%t. In fact, it is unlikely that such a thing will ever be announced. The
desire to avoid panic will often override reality. Thus you must make this
decision on your own.
Make sure you can listen in on the Emergency Broadcast Stations with
your crank radio. A smart move is to monitor emergency transmissions in
your area. Below is a free app that will allow you to do that. Often the
emergency services are better informed than the general public. You can
also get an idea of the scope of the emergency or disaster not only from
what is being said, but the tone of the emergency personnel:
Scanner App: (Apple):
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scanner-radio-deluxe/id498405045?
mt=8
Scanner App: (Android):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scannerradio&hl=en
 9

SURVIVAL STRESS FACTORS

I n 1967 Dr. Thomas Holmes and Dr. Richard Rahe developed the
Holmes Stress Scale. They developed a stress point system for various
life events. For example, the death of a spouse had a 100 point stress
value. The holiday season had a 12 point stress value. You can go down the
list and add up the events in your life and get the score. This is outside the
survival situation.
Consider an extreme survival situation well over 100.
Then Holmes and Rahe predicted, based on your point total, the
percentage chance that you have an illness or accident within the next two
years. The higher the total, the higher the percentage.
Here are some of the most common, significant stressors:
Death—of someone close to you or even of strangers around you.
Moving—this is change in your life pattern. If you’re evacuating,
bugging out to your ERP, or to an safe location, you’re moving.
Job Change—again, change and a degree of uncertainty. In an extreme
emergency, you are changing jobs to becoming a survivalist.
Uncertainty—you don’t know what is going to happen next.
Now, figure where a mild, moderate and extreme emergency would
rank. Consider the fact that if you already have considerable stress in your
life and you’re high on the Holmes Scale, you might already be close to the
breaking point.
Think about these stressors and the most common emotion they bring:
fear. I don’t think you can eliminate fear, nor would it be good to
completely eliminate it, as there are times when fear serves a very useful
purpose.
In an emergency situation, one issue is that there are many problems
occurring at once. Often you will be overwhelmed. Your reaction will be
the classic fight or flee. You will have a physiological response: your rate of
breathing increases; your muscles will tense up; your body’s stored fuel will
be used at greater rates (carbohydrates and then fats); if you’re bleeding,
blood clotting increases; your senses become acute; your heart rate will
increase, leading to a rise in blood pressure, in order to provide more fuel to
your muscles. While this physiological reaction can help deal with the
initial situation, it cannot be sustained for an extended period of time
without adverse effects.
Understand that once that initial adrenaline rush and overall body
response wear off, you will have a period of exhaustion. Be careful.
Understand that exhaustion, hunger, wounds, etc. make you more
susceptible to disease. It also clouds your judgment.
Stressors have a multiplying effect and you need to sort them out and
deal with them individually before they overwhelm you. Here are some you
will deal with in an emergency situation:
Death, wounds, illness
You might well be surrounded by dead and dying people and also face
the real possibility of your own mortality. The fact your death could come
from multiple sources is also very hard to deal with. If you’ve been
wounded or injured, this adds stress as it makes you consider the possibility
that the injury is mortal and also limits your ability to do the things needed
to survive. Think of the last time you had the flu. Imagine being in a
survival situation feeling like that. The reality is that illness has killed more
soldiers over the course of history than battle. Over 600,000 men (lately
revised to more likely 750,000) died in the Civil War, but two-thirds of
those died from illness, not wounds. Thus the section later on about hygiene
might seem superfluous, but it’s actually quite essential.
Guilt
Why me? Why was I spared? Was it luck? Fate?
While we can’t help but ask these questions after an event that hurts or
kills others and spares us, or destroys their property and not ours, they also
can be used either positively or negatively. A negative response can lead us
down the road of depression and despair. A positive response can be that
whatever the reason, it is now your responsibility to value your life even
more and work harder to survive.
Uncertainty and lack of control
How do you deal with uncertainty? If you don’t do well with it, start
wrapping your brain around the fact that an emergency situation is full of
uncertainty. Are you a control freak? Accept that you will have little control
and little information in such a situation other than your immediate
circumstances.
Extreme environment
Later in this book I’ll describe specific survival issues for extreme
environments. One out of every six people who go up Mount Everest in an
attempt to summit, die. Few people have ever experienced a night out in
nature at 15,000 feet and minus 60 degrees. Or a desert at 120 degrees and a
blasting sand storm. Ever wade chest deep through a swamp filled with
snakes and alligators? All of those can be additional stressors.
Hunger and thirst
What’s the longest you’ve gone without eating? Do you know how
much water you need to intake in your current climate every 24 hours to
survive?
Being hungry and thirsty not only debilitates you physically, it stresses
you because you will get more and more consumed with preserving and
gathering water and food.
Fatigue
People have literally fallen asleep into death. They become so tired and
dispirited, that they curl up in a ball. There are situations where you simply
cannot afford to fall asleep, such as when you are on guard duty for your
team.
Isolation
I focus on building a team, but the reality is that there’s a good chance
you will be alone in a survival situation, at least initially. How do you deal
with being alone? Think of Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away. Even
though he was surviving on that island, ultimately the loneliness drove him
to put his life at risk and go out to sea.

T a big reason why I’m a fan of putting together a team

before trouble and having a way for that team to link-up after a disaster
happens, if they aren’t together while it occurs. We’ll discuss emergency
rally points and link ups later.

THE KEY that if you’ve done the basic preparation in The Green Beret
Preparation and Survival Guide, you are ahead of over ninety-five percent
of other people facing the same emergency!

I’ a big believer a few things done well are better than a lot of things
done poorly or not remembered.
I focus on key items in each area. Entire books have been written
about subjects such as emergency first aid, or hunting, or fishing, or
trapping, etc. If you want more on those topics, take a course, go out and
practice, get specific guides. As you will see under Scavenge, knowledge
and expertise are high on the list in terms of books and personnel.
I do not believe this is the only manual you should have for survival.
But it is an excellent base from which to expand your base skills. For
example, in hunting and trapping, I give you the most effective trapping
technique using the snares you have in your Grab-n-Go bag. Also you
can improvise those snares. I don’t go into all the field-expedient traps
you can build because many are simply too time and energy consuming
and difficult to do; but also, you’re prepared for a more effective way. The
same for shelters. I tell you how to build a field expedient shelter in
various environments, but not the entire possible array.
My focus is to give a handful of the most effective tools for you to deal
with emergencies and catastrophes.

T . Check out the key word SURVIVAL at the end of

this book to remind yourself what that means. You’ve already done S: Sized
up the situation, your surrounding, yourself and your equipment. Now
remember, U: Use all your senses and Undue haste makes waste.
10
 FIRST AID

(Disclaimer: This is advice. But every situation is different.

I am not a medical expert. I am passing on what I have learned and what
I’ve gathered from those who are.
Get professional medical assistance.)

Survival Triage priorities:

Breathing.
Bleeding.
Broken.

L ifesaving Steps
Remain calm and do not panic. Check yourself first, then
render aid to others.
Perform a rapid physical exam. Look for the cause of the injury and
follow the ABCs of first aid, starting with the airway and breathing, but be
discerning. A person may die from arterial bleeding more quickly than from
an airway obstruction in some cases.
I your cell phone and power, you’ve already downloaded Apps
which can quickly guide you to First Aid topics and even show you video
of what to do along with audio instructions. Use these Apps if you can
rather than trying to read instructions.
Here they are again.
11
 FIRST AID APPS

R ed Cross First Aid (Apple)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-aid-by-american-red/
id529160691?mt=8
Red Cross First Aid (Android)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cube.arc.fa&hl=en

CPR C (Apple)
https://itunes.apple.com/app/cpr-choking/id314907949
CPR and Choking (Android)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.learncpr.videoapp

T below is only for emergencies when no other option is

available and is not the definitive word on First Aid.

F A T Covered in Order
BreathingHealth Causes
Emergency Causes
Symptoms
Treatment—Heimlich/CPR
Treatment—Allergic Reaction/Collapses Lung
BleedingSymptoms of life-threatening bleeding
Treatment of life-threatening bleeding
Controlling bleeding—Pressure and tourniquet
Treating open wounds
Burns
Shock
BrokenFractures (open and closed)
Dislocations
Sprains
WaterDehydration
Heat Stroke
FoodBasic, plant and animal
Cold Weather Injuries, Frostbite and Hypothermia
Bites and Stings. Ticks, bees, wasps, spiders, scorpions, snakes.
Personal Hygeine
12
 BREATHING

S ince we can only survive three minutes without oxygen, breathing is

a priority. At the beginning of the book I gave the Heimlich and
CPR, but there are an array of breathing problems from a variety of
source. I’ll go over both again, but first, let’s look at an array of possible
problems:
Shortness of breath.
Unable to take a deep breath and gasping for air.
Feeling like you can’t get enough air.
Not breathing.

H C :
Difficulty breathing is always a medical emergency. Health causes can
be:
Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Asthma
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), more commonly called
emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
Heart disease or failure.
Lung cancer, or cancer that has spread to the lungs.
Respiratory infections, including pneumonia, acute bronchitis,
whooping cough, croup and others.
Pericardial effusion (fluid surrounding the heart, including blood, that
won’t allow it to fill properly).
 Pleural effusion (fluid surround the lungs, including blood, that
compresses them).

E C :
Being at high altitude.
Blood clot in lungs.
Pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
Heart attack.
Injury to the neck, chest wall, or lungs.
Foreign matter in mouth or throat that obstructs the opening to the
trachea.
Inflammation and swelling of mouth and throat caused by inhaling
smoke, flames, and irritating vapors or by an allergic reaction.
“Kink” in the throat (caused by the neck bent forward so that the chin
rests upon the chest) may block the passage of air.
Tongue blocks passage of air to the lungs upon unconsciousness. When
an individual is unconscious, the muscles of the lower jaw and tongue relax
as the neck drops forward, causing the lower jaw to sag and the tongue to
drop back and block the passage of air.
Life-threatening allergic reaction.
Near drowning, with fluid build up in the lungs.

S :
Rapid breathing.
Unable to breathe lying down and needing to sit up to breathe.
Very anxious or agitated.
Sleepy or confused.
Dizziness.
Coughing.
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Bluish lips, fingers and fingernails.
Chest moving in an unusual way.
Gurgling, wheezing or whistling sounds.
 Difficulty speaking or muffled voice.
Coughing up blood.
Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
If an allergy is causing the problem, there might be a rash or swelling of
the face, tongue, or throat.
If an injury is causing the problem, there might be bleeding or a visible
wound.

T :
A key to remember is that leaning the head back opens the airway in the
throat as much as possible.
You can open an airway and maintain it by using the following steps.
Step 1. Check if the victim has a partial or complete airway obstruction.
If he can cough or speak, allow him to clear the obstruction naturally. Stand
by, reassure the victim, and be ready to clear his airway and perform mouth-
to-mouth resuscitation should he become unconscious. If his airway is
completely obstructed, administer the Heimlich until the obstruction is
cleared.
Step 2. Using a finger, quickly sweep the victim’s mouth clear of any
foreign objects, broken teeth, dentures, sand, dirt, etc.
Step 3. Using the jaw thrust method, grasp the angles of the victim’s
lower jaw and lift with both hands, one on each side, moving the jaw
forward. For stability, rest your elbows on the surface on which the victim
is lying. If his lips are closed, gently open the lower lip with your thumb.
Lean the head back to further open the airway.
S 4. With the victim’s airway open, pinch his nose closed with your
thumb and forefinger and blow two complete breaths into his lungs. Allow
the lungs to deflate after the second inflation and perform the following:
Look for his chest to rise and fall.
Listen for escaping air during exhalation. Feel for flow of air on your
cheek.
Step 5. If the forced breaths do not stimulate spontaneous breathing,
maintain the victim’s breathing by performing mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation.
Step 6. There is danger of the victim vomiting during mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation. Check the victim’s mouth periodically for vomit and clear as
needed.
Note: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may be necessary after
cleaning the airway, but only after major bleeding is under control.

SELF HEIMLICH
Try to cough object up. If you cannot get it out, you must act quickly,
before you lose consciousness.
Make a fist. Place it on your abdomen just above your navel and below
your ribcage.
Hold the fist with your other hand for leverage.
Drive your fist in and up. Use a quick j-shaped motion. Repeat.
If the object does not dislodge, quickly find a stable, waist high object,
such as the back of a chair, a table, or a counter-top. With your hands still in
place, bend over it, brace your hands. Drive your body against the object.
Repeat until the object dislodges.

CHOKING—OTHER—HEIMLICH ADULT
From behind, wrap your arms around the victim’s waist.
Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim’s
upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel.
 Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen
with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of
the thrusts to your hands.
Repeat until the object has been expelled.

CHOKING--INFANT
Lay the child down, face up, on a firm surface.
Kneel or stand at the victim’s feet, or hold the victim on your lap, facing
away from you.
Place the middle and index fingers of both your hands below his rib
cage and above navel.
Press in with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the rib cage. Be
gentle.
Repeat until object is expelled.

PERFORMING CPR:
Check the victim for responsiveness. If not responsive or not breathing
or not breathing normally, call 911. Place the phone next to the victim and
put in speaker mode. If necessary, in most places, the dispatcher can help
you with instructions.
If the victim still is not breathing normally, coughing, or moving, begin
chest compressions. Push down on the center of the chest 2 to 2.5 inches, 30
times. Pump hard and fast at the rate faster than one per second. After 30:
Tilt the head back and lift the chin. Pinch the nose and cover the mouth
with yours. Blow until you see the chest rise. Do this 2 times. Each breath
should take 1 second.
Go back to 30 compressions.
2 breaths.
Continue until help arrives.
If doing two person CPR, the person compressing stops while the other
person gives the 2 breaths.

T A R /C Lung:
D with a Severe Allergic Reaction leading to Anaphylaxis:
Call 911 immediately.
See if they have epinephrine auto injector and use as the instructions on
it indicate.
Keep them calm.
Have them lie on their back.
Raise their feet 12 inches and cover with a blanket.
Turn them on their side if they are vomiting or bleeding.
Make sure their clothing is loose.

D C L :
A collapsed lung can be caused several ways including:
A puncture from a broken rib.
A puncture wound through the chest wall (a sucking chest wound).
A weak part of the lung that starts leaking.
Signs and symptoms:
Sudden pain on the affected side.
Shortness of breath.
Obvious wound to the chest.
If you have a stethoscope you can listen on that side of the chest and
breath sounds are either absent or greatly decreased.
Treatment:
If it’s a puncture wound and the object is still in place, leave it in place
and call for help or get assistance.
If it’s an open sucking chest wound allowing air in to the lung, bandage
the wound, using an airproof material or bandage first, such as plastic wrap,
a plastic bag, or gauze pads covered with petroleum jelly, sealing it, except
for one corner, allowing air to escape, but not go in.
Do not:
Give the person food or drink.
Move the person unless absolutely necessary.
Place anything under their head to raise it as this will restrict the air
passage.
Wait to see if their condition improves before getting help.
13
 BLEEDING

A n average adult weighing between 150 and 180 pounds, has about
4.7 to 5.5 liters, or 1.2 to 1.5 gallons (5 to 6 quarts) of blood.
Losing 1 liter, or 1 quart, of blood will begin to send someone
into shock. Losing 2 liters, 2 quarts, will induce severe shock. Losing 3
liters, 3 quarts, usually results in death.

S - :
Spurting blood.
Blood that won’t stop.
Blood that is pooling on the ground.
Clothing that is soaked with blood.
Bandages that are soaked with blood.
Loss of all or part of a leg or arm.
Continued bleeding in a victim who is confused and unconscious.

T - :
The key is to find and compress the bleeding blood vessel to stop the
flow of blood.
Find the source of the bleeding. Remove clothing from over the wound.
Apply pressure. Any cloth will do, but if you have the Quikclot you
should have, that will help. If the wound is deep, stuff the cloth/bandage
into the wound.
 Put a compression bandage on the wound, if available. Push down as
hard as you can.
If a compression bandage is not available, apply continuous pressure
until help arrives.

T
For life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg and the above doesn’t
work.
Wrap the tourniquet around the limb 2 to 3 inches above the source of
the blood. Do NOT put it on a joint. Go above the joint if necessary.
Pull the free end of the tourniquet as tight as possible and then secure it
around a solid stick or rod (windlass).
Note the time it was applied.

M on all of these follow.

C B :
In a survival situation, you must control serious bleeding immediately
because replacement fluids (IVs) are usually not available and the victim
can die within a matter of minutes. External bleeding falls into the
following classifications:
Arterial. Blood vessels called arteries carry blood away from the heart
and through the body. A cut artery issues bright red blood from the wound
in distinct spurts or pulses that correspond to the rhythm of the heartbeat.
Because the blood in the arteries is under high pressure, an individual can
lose a large volume of blood in a short period when damage to an artery of
significant size occurs. Therefore, arterial bleeding is the most serious type
of bleeding. If not controlled promptly, it can be fatal. This is where you
break the rule of three in the B—breathing, bleeding, broken—and bleeding
is the number one priority.
Venous. Venous blood is blood that is returning to the heart through
blood vessels called veins. A steady flow of dark red, maroon, or bluish
blood characterizes bleeding from a vein. You can usually control venous
bleeding more easily than arterial bleeding.
Capillary. The capillaries are the extremely small vessels that connect
the arteries with the veins. Capillary bleeding most commonly occurs in
minor cuts and scrapes. This type of bleeding is not difficult to control.
You can control external bleeding by direct pressure, elevation, digital
ligation, or tourniquet.
Direct Pressure
The most effective way to control external bleeding is by applying
pressure directly over the wound. This pressure must not only be firm
enough to stop the bleeding, but it must also be maintained long enough to
allow the bleeding to stop on its own.
Using a Quikclot bandage can help greatly.
If bleeding continues after having applied direct pressure for 30
minutes, apply a pressure dressing. This dressing consists of a thick
dressing of gauze, a Quikclot sponge, or other suitable material applied
directly over the wound and held in place with a tightly wrapped bandage or
tape. It should be tighter than an ordinary compression bandage but not so
tight that it impairs circulation to the rest of the limb if on an appendage.
Once you apply the dressing, do not remove it, even when the dressing
becomes blood soaked. If blood continues to come through, though, then
you have a more serious problem. If bleeding stops, leave the pressure
dressing in place for at least a day, after which you can carefully remove it
and replace it with a smaller dressing.
In a long-term emergency, change bandages every day and inspect for
signs of infection.
Signs a wound is infected:
Expanding redness around the wound, including red streaks.
Running a fever.
Fluid draining that is cloudy or yellow/green pus or the wound is foul-
smelling.
Increasing tenderness, swelling or pain around the wound.
Elevation
Raising an injured extremity as high as possible above the level of the
heart slows blood loss by aiding the return of blood to the heart and
lowering the blood pressure at the wound. However, elevation alone will
not control bleeding entirely; you must also apply direct pressure over the
wound. If treating a snakebite, however, keep the extremity lower than the
heart.
Tourniquet
Use a tourniquet on a limb only when direct pressure over the bleeding
point and all other methods did not control the bleeding. If you leave a
tourniquet in place too long, the damage to the tissues can progress to
gangrene, with a loss of the limb later. An improperly applied tourniquet
can also cause permanent damage to nerves and other tissues at the site of
the constriction.
What can you use for a field expedient tourniquet? Use something that
is at least 1 inch wide out to 2 inches. Using something like parachute cord
or string, that is too narrow, can cut into the skin. A pressure cuff can
loosen. Using something too wide will make it too hard to tighten down. A
belt is good. There are commercially available tourniquets, such as a CAT
(Combat Application Tourniquet-- http://amzn.to/2gZEkF4 available for
less than $20 at Amazon).
If you must use a tourniquet, place it around the extremity, between the
wound and the heart, 2 to 4 inches above the wound site. Never place it
directly over the wound or a fracture or a joint. Use a stick as a handle to
tighten the tourniquet and tighten it only enough to stop blood flow. When
you have tightened the tourniquet, securely bind the free end of the stick to
the limb to prevent unwinding.
After you secure the tourniquet, clean and bandage the wound.
D :
Applying too loosely. This can cause bleeding to worsen as the venous
(return) blood is blocked because it is under less pressure, but arterial blood
still bleeds out.
Releasing it too soon, causing severe bleeding to resume. Also, this
could cause venous blood to damage compressed blood vessels.

A a tourniquet to a victim with low blood pressure who is in shock

or receiving CPR. If the person is revived, their bleeding will increase as
blood pressure increases.
O W
If the bleeding has stopped, you must now treat an open wound. Beyond
the problem of the tissue damage and blood loss, there is the great concern
of infection. In a high moderate to extreme emergency, the lack of access to
medical care makes infections a life-threatening situation. Better to prevent
them, than have to deal with them.
Infection comes from dirt on the object that made the wound, on the
individual’s skin and clothing, or on other foreign material or dirt that
touches the wound.

B proper care of the wound you can reduce further contamination

and promote healing.

C the wound as soon as possible after it occurs by:

Removing or cutting clothing away from the wound.
Always looking for an exit wound if a sharp object, gun shot, or
projectile caused a wound.
Thoroughly cleaning the skin around the wound.
Rinsing (not scrubbing) the wound with large amounts of water under
pressure. You can Use fresh urine if water is not available. Fresh urine is
sterile.
The “open treatment” method is the safest way to manage wounds in
survival situations. Do not try to close the wound by suturing or similar
procedures. Leave the wound open to allow the drainage of any pus
resulting from infection. As long as the wound can drain, it generally will
not become life-threatening.
Cover the wound with a clean dressing. Place a bandage on the dressing
to hold it in place. Change the dressing daily to check for infection.
If a wound is gaping, you can bring the edges together with adhesive
tape cut in the form of a “butterfly” or “dumbbell” bandage.
In an emergency you can superglue a wound, however it is not approved
by USFDA.
T :
Place a warm, moist compress directly on the infected wound. Change
the compress when it cools, keeping a warm compress on the wound for a
total of 30 minutes. Apply the compresses three or four times daily.
Drain the wound. Open and gently probe the infected wound with a
sterile instrument.
Dress and bandage the wound. Drink a lot of water.
Continue this treatment daily until all signs of infection have
disappeared.
If you do not have antibiotics and the wound has become severely
infected, does not heal, and ordinary debridement is impossible, consider
maggot therapy, despite its hazards:
Expose the wound to flies for one day and then cover it.
Check daily for maggots. Once maggots develop, keep the wound
covered but check daily. Remove all maggots when they have cleaned out
all dead tissue and before they start on healthy tissue. Increased pain and
bright red blood in the wound indicate that the maggots have reached
healthy tissue. Flush the wound repeatedly with sterile water to remove the
maggots. Check the wound every four hours for several days to ensure all
maggots have been removed. Bandage the wound and treat it as any other
wound. It should heal normally.

B
Put out the fire. If clothes are on fire, remove, douse with water or sand,
or roll on the ground until it is out. Remove charred clothing.
Immerse the burn in cold water for approximately 30 minutes if help
isn’t on the way.
Minor burns can be cooled using tap water.
Do NOT use ice or apply ice to the burn wound.
For burns caused by white phosphorous, pick out the white phosphorous
with tweezers; do not douse with water.
Soak dressings or clean rags for 10 minutes in a boiling tannic acid
solution (obtained from tea, inner bark of hardwood trees, or acorns boiled
in water).
Cool the dressings or clean rags and apply over burns. Rest as an open
wound.
 Replace fluid loss.
Maintain airway.
Treat for shock.

S
Shock is a life-threatening medical condition resulting from an
insufficient flow of blood throughout the body. It can lead to other
conditions such as lack of oxygen in the body’s tissues (hypoxia), heart
attack, or organ damage. If not treated, it can kill. Once shock sets in, unless
treated, it will get worse quickly.
In an emergency situation, without immediate aid, people with
survivable wounds and injuries can die from shock.
It’s beyond the scope of this book, but having a trained person on your
team who can administer IVs is a great boon. In Special Forces we trained
on giving each other and even ourselves IVs.
Symptoms of shock:
Cold, clammy skin.
Pale, ashen skin.
Confusion and lack of alertness.
Rapid pulse.
Nausea or vomiting.
Enlarged pupils.
Weakness or fatigue.
Loss of consciousness.

P T Shock
Assume anyone who is wounded or injured will go into shock, so treat
everyone for it, regardless of whether symptoms appear.
If the victim is conscious, place on a level surface with the legs and feet
elevated slightly.
If the victim is unconscious, place him on his side or abdomen with his
head turned to one side to prevent choking on vomit, blood, or other fluids.
Once the victim is in a shock position, do not move him.
Maintain body heat by using blankets, coats, whatever is at hand.
 If the person is wet, remove the wet clothing as soon as possible and
replace with dry.
If conscious, and other wounds do not preclude, slowly administer small
doses of a warm salt or sugar solution. If unconscious or there is an
abdominal wound, do not administer fluids.
Have them rest for at least a day to recover.
If it’s you, and you are alone, get to a shelter, and rest with feet slightly
elevated.
14
 BROKEN—BONE & JOINT INJURIES

B one and joint injuries include fractures, dislocations, and sprains.

F
There are two types of fractures: open and closed. With an open (or
compound) fracture, the bone protrudes through the skin and complicates
the actual fracture with an open wound. After setting the fracture, treat the
wound as any other open wound unless there is arterial bleeding. Stopping
the bleeding is then the priority. A closed fracture has no open wounds and
the skin is intact. Follow the guidelines for immobilization, and set and
splint the fracture.
Symptoms:
Swelling or bruising over a bone.
Deformity of an arm or leg.
Pain in the area that gets worse when the area is moved or pressure is
applied.
Loss of function in the injured area.
In compound fractures, bone protruding from the skin.
There could be grating (sound and/or feeling when two ends rub
together). This is called crepitus.
T :
As with any other injury, optimally you would stabilize the victim until
proper treatment or evacuation by trained professionals.
Move the broken limb as little as possible. A danger is that the broken
ends of the bone could cut a blood vessel causing internal bleeding leading
to shock and ultimately death. Moving the broken ends could also cause
nerve damage. If the area below the break becomes numb, swollen, cool to
the touch, or turns pale, and the victim shows signs of shock, a major vessel
may have been severed. Treat the victim for shock, and replace lost fluids.
Only try to reset the break if help is not on the way and you are isolated.
To set the break, you are trying to relieve pain and return the limb to its
anatomically correct position. This is called traction. You hold upper part of
the limb above the break in place, and put tension on the lower part, lining
them up. If alone, you can wedge a foot or hand, and then use the other limb
to push against whatever you are wedged in.
Once you set the break, you have to maintain the position with a splint.
You should have one in your Grab-n-Go bag. If not, use anything long and
solid, such as branches.
Put these on either side of the break. If it is an open fracture, keep them
away from the open wound. Then securely tie in place.
For a broken leg:
Very strong muscles hold a broken thighbone (femur) in place making it
difficult to maintain traction during healing. You can make an improvised
traction splint using natural material as follows:
Get two forked branches or saplings at least 5 centimeters in diameter.
Measure one from the patient’s armpit to 7 to 10 inches past the unbroken
leg. Measure the other from the groin to 7 to 10 inches past the unbroken
leg. Ensure that both extend an equal distance beyond the end of the leg.
P . Notch the ends without forks and lash a 7 to 10
inch cross member made from a 5-centimeter diameter branch between
them.
Using available material (vines, cloth, rawhide), tie the splint around the
upper portion of the body and down the length of the broken leg. Follow the
splinting guidelines.
With available material, fashion a wrap that will extend around the
ankle, with the two free ends tied to the cross member.
Place a 4 inch by 1 inch stick in the middle of the free ends of the ankle
wrap between the cross member and the foot. Using the stick, twist the
material to make the traction easier.
Continue twisting until the broken leg is as long or slightly longer than
the unbroken leg.
Lash the stick to maintain traction.
Over time you may lose traction because the material weakens. Check
the traction periodically. If you must change or repair the splint, maintain
the traction manually for a short time.
If the fracture is an open wound, but not arterial, make sure you apply
pressure and stop the bleeding.

D
 A dislocation occurs in a bone joint when the bones go out of proper
alignment. This tends to be very painful. It can also cause an impairment of
nerve or circulatory function below the area affected.
Symptoms:
Visible deformity in the joint.
Swollen or discolored.
Intensely painful.
Immovable.
Limited range of motion.
Treatment:
Sometimes it is difficult to tell if it is a dislocation or a broken bone, so
be aware of the dangers. Only try to set if there is no other choice.
To set the bones back into proper alignment you can use several
methods, but manual traction or the use of weights to pull the bones are the
safest and easiest. Once performed, traction decreases the victim’s pain and
allows for normal function and circulation. Without an X ray, you can judge
proper alignment by the look and feel of the joint and by comparing it to the
joint on the opposite side.
Immobilization is splinting the dislocation after traction. You can use
any field-expedient material for a splint or you can splint an extremity to
the body.
The basic guidelines for splinting are:
Splint above and below the fracture site.
Pad splints to reduce discomfort.
Check circulation below the fracture after making each tie on the splint.
To rehabilitate the dislocation, remove the splints after 7 to 14 days.
Gradually use the injured joint until fully healed.

S
A sprain is the overstretching of a tendon or ligament. They vary in
severity.
Symptoms:
One of the most common joints to sprain is the ankle. This is also the
most dangerous in an emergency situation as it reduces mobility. To deduce
if you have a sprained ankle or a broken one:
 Was there a sound/feeling when it happened? If there was an audible
crack, you’ve got a broken bone. If there was a pop, it’s likely a sprain.
Is the ankle deformed or crooked? Most likely broken.
Is the ankle numb? Most likely broken.
If you cannot move the ankle at all and/or cannot put any weight on it?
Broken.
Treatment:
When treating sprains, think RICE:
R - Rest injured area.
I - Ice for 24 hours, then heat after that.
C - Compression-wrapping and/or splinting to help stabilize. If possible,
leave the boot on a sprained ankle unless circulation is compromised.
E - Elevation of the affected area.
15
 WATER FIRST AID

S ince we can last only three days without water, it’s important to
understand some basics about our body and water. Water
procurement is in the next section of this manual.
Over three-quarters of your body is composed of fluid. Perspiration is
not the only way you lose water. We actually lose more water just by
breathing. And you can’t stop that loss. We lose around 2 to 4 cups of water
a day by exhaling (16 cups equal one gallon). We lose about 2 cups via
perspiration. We lose ½ to a cup just from the soles of our feet. We lose six
cups via urination. When you add that up (and it wasn’t easy converting all
that) you lose a more than half a gallon of water a day just existing; more
depending on the weather and your activity level.
Water is critical for functioning.
Dehydration results from inadequate replacement of lost body fluids. It
decreases your efficiency and, if injured, increases your susceptibility to
shock. Consider the following results of body fluid loss:
A 5 percent loss of body fluids results in thirst, irritability, nausea, and
weakness.
A 10 percent loss results in dizziness, headache, inability to walk, and a
tingling sensation in the limbs.
A 15 percent loss results in dim vision, painful urination, swollen
tongue, deafness, and a numb feeling in the skin.
A loss greater than 15 percent of body fluids may result in death.
Symptoms of dehydration are:
 Dark urine with a very strong odor. This is the one leaders must be on
the lookout for.
Low urine output.
Dark, sunken eyes.
Fatigue
Emotional instability.
Loss of skin elasticity. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and pull
it up. It should immediately go back into place. If it maintains the pinched
shape for a couple of seconds, then slowly settles back, you may be
dehydrated.
Delayed capillary refill in fingernail beds.
Trench line down center of tongue.
Thirst. Last on the list because you are already 2 percent dehydrated by
the time you crave fluids.
Treatment:
Replace the water as you lose it. Trying to make up a deficit is difficult
in an emergency situation, and thirst is not a sign of how much water you
need.
Most people cannot comfortably drink more than 1 liter of water at a
time. Nor do you want to. So, even when not thirsty, drink small amounts of
water at regular intervals each hour to prevent dehydration.
Drink sufficient water but don’t overdo it. Over-hydration is a
potentially fatal condition. You could drink too much water for your
kidneys to process. It’s not just the amount, but how quickly you drink the
water. Drinking too much water, too quickly, increases the amount of water
in your blood. This dilutes the electrolytes, especially sodium. Sodium is
critical in balancing the fluid inside and outside of cells. When there is an
imbalance from over-hydration, sodium moves inside the cells, causing
them to swell. This is particularly dangerous to your brain cells.
Thus one of the first symptoms is a headache. Nausea and vomiting are
also symptoms. If it gets worse, more symptoms follow, including high
blood pressure, confusion, double vision, drowsiness, difficulty breathing,
muscle weakness and cramping. If not caught in time, seizures will occur,
brain damage, coma and even death.
A dangerous thing about hyponatremia (what this is called) is that it can
be confused with dehydration and people can force the victim to drink more
water. Extreme sports athletes are at risk for this, as well people during a
heat wave. Without access to special medications, primary treatment for this
to stop the water intake. If symptoms are not extreme, try to balance out the
sodium with a sports drink that contains sodium.

I under physical and mental stress or subject to severe

conditions, increase your water intake. Drink enough liquids to maintain a
urine output of at least half a quart every 24 hours.
In any situation where food intake is low, drink 6 to 8 quarts of water
per day. In an extreme climate, especially an arid one, the average person
can lose 2.5 to 3.5 quarts of water per hour. In this type of climate, you
should drink 14 to 30 quarts of water per day.
With the loss of water there is also a loss of electrolytes (body salts).
The average diet can usually keep up with these losses but in an extreme
situation or illness, additional sources need to be provided. A mixture of
0.25 teaspoon of salt to 1 liter of water will provide a concentration that the
body tissues can readily absorb.
Make sure you drink water while eating. This aids in digestion. In
adverse conditions, particularly cold and wet environments, a leader must
force his or her people to drink water, even when they don’t feel like it.
Of all the First Aid problems encountered in a survival situation, the
loss of water is the most preventable. Acquiring water is a different
problem, one we will deal with shortly.

D T :
For dehydration that is short of heat stroke:
Drink two quarts of water, juice or sports drinks in 2 to 4 hours, not all
at once. Small sips every few minutes work best.
If vomiting, try ice chips, popsicles and small sips.
If also suffering from diarrhea, stay away from using sports drinks as
the sugar can make it worse.

H S
 The breakdown of the body’s heat regulatory system causes a heat
stroke. It occurs when your core body temperature goes to 104 degrees.
Other heat injuries, such as cramps or dehydration, do not always precede a
heatstroke.
Heat stroke is extremely dangerous. As with all other dangerous
conditions, call 911, evacuate or get profession help if possible.
Heat stroke can kill or cause serious damage to the brain and other
organs. It happens after prolonged exposure to high temperatures in
combination with dehydration.

S :
Swollen, beet-red face.
Reddened whites of eyes.
Victim not sweating. Red, hot and dry skin.
Unconsciousness or delirium, which can cause pallor, a bluish color to
lips and nail beds (cyanosis), and cool skin.

T :
Fan air over the victim while wetting skin with water.
Apply ice packs to the armpits, groin, neck, and back. These areas have
more blood vessels on average, so cooling them can reduce the body
temperature.
Immerse the patient in a shower or tub of cool water. Or a stream or
lake.
Be sure to wet the victim’s head. Heat loss through the scalp is great.

E , during cooling:
Vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Struggling.
Shivering.
Shouting.
Prolonged unconsciousness.
Rebound heatstroke within 48 hours.
Cardiac arrest; be ready to perform CPR.
16
 COLD WEATHER INJURIES

H ypothermia
This occurs when the body’s core temperature falls to 95
degrees F or cooler. It is the opposite of heat stroke. Wind chill
multiplies the effect of cold. Wind chill is the effect of moving air on
exposed flesh. Wind always exacerbates the situation, which is why your
outer garment should not only be water resistant, but wind resistant. A key
in building shelter is to get out of the wind.
Here is a handy chart showing the effect of wind chill.
G wet accelerates the onset of progression of hypothermia since the
body loses heat 25 times faster in cold water than in cold air. Since it
changes the core temperature this means that the brain, heart, lungs and
other vital organs are affected.
Some people are more susceptible to hypothermia: the elderly, children,
and those under the influence of alcohol. Children and thin people lose
body heat more quickly.

A , even relatively mild water temperatures of 70 to 80 F can

cause hypothermia. While those times are for immersion, getting wet and
not being to get dry or to a shelter also causes hypothermia. As does simply
staying cold even if you’re not wet.

P :
Avoid getting wet!
Stay hydrated.
Stay fueled; eat properly with sufficient calories for the energy
expended. In Winter Warfare training, we upped our rations, knowing what
we would be facing.
Seek shelter. Get out of the elements if possible. This is a situation
where shelter can become more important than water or food, as being
hypothermic outdoors for 3 hours can kill.
In your Grab-n-Go bag you have a wool hat and gloves. You lose 40 to
45 percent of body heat from an unprotected head and even more from the
unprotected neck, wrist, and ankles. These areas of the body are good
radiators of heat and have very little insulating fat.
 Avoid sweating in a cold weather environment. That’s causing yourself
to become wet.

S :
Shivering. Confusion. Uncoordinated actions.

T :
Get into shelter.
Build a fire.
Remove wet clothing and replace with dry or get in a sleeping bag or
cover with blankets. Have someone who is not hypothermic share it, to give
their body heat.
Sip on a warm beverage (nothing with caffeine or alcohol).
Do gentle exercises.
If you have hand warmers, put them in the same place ice would go for
heat stroke: neck, armpits and groin.

Frostbite
Frostbite is the freezing of your external blood vessels and the flesh
surrounding them. The most common places for this to occur are exposed
skin in the ears, nose and cheeks. Also, toes, feet, fingers and hands.

P : Proper clothing, worn correctly in layers, as described in The

Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide.
Wearing gloves all the time.
Use a buddy system to check each other for symptoms.
Maintain circulation by twitching and wrinkling the skin on your face
by making faces. Warm your hands. If outdoors in cold weather for an
extended period of time, men shouldn’t shave. Doing so removes natural
oils that protect the skin.
Wiggle and move your ears. Warm with your hands.
 Move your hands inside your gloves. Warm by placing your hands close
to your body.
Move your feet and wiggle your toes inside your boots. Change your
socks often to keep them dry and clean.

S :
Stinging pain that turns into numbness. You might not even feel the
pain, depending on the circumstances and what else is going on in an
emergency.
The skin becomes cold to the touch and white spots develop.
Treatment:
As with everything else, medical attention ASAP if possible; frostbite
can cause permanent injuries and even amputation.
If medical attention isn’t available within the next two to three hours,
get into shelter and/or build a fire. Submerge body parts in water that is
between 104 and 108 F; tepid water, not hot. Submerging in hot water will
cause extreme pain and even shock. Do not expose frostbite to flame. This
tepid water will cool quickly, drawing the cold from the body. Change it
often.
When drying frostbite injuries pat them. Don’t rub. Rubbing causes
more damage.
Blisters may appear. Do not pop or lance them as that increases the
chances of infection. Apply a loose sterile dressing over the affected area.
17
 FOOD

A lthough you can live several weeks without food, you need an
adequate amount to stay healthy. Without food your mental and
physical capabilities will deteriorate rapidly, and you will become
weak. Food replenishes the substances that your body uses and provides
energy. Food provides vitamins, minerals, salts, and other elements
essential to good health.
The two basic sources of food are plants and animals (including fish). In
varying degrees both provide the calories, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
needed for normal daily body functions.
Calories are a measure of heat and potential energy. The average person
needs roughly 2,000 calories per day to function at a minimum level. In
extreme situations we can go down to 800 calories but not for long. I
recommend 2,400 calories as your planning baseline in The Green Beret
Preparation and Survival Guide.

P F :
These foods provide carbohydrates—the main source of energy. Many
plants provide enough protein to keep the body at normal efficiency.
Although plants may not provide a balanced diet, they will sustain you even
in the arctic, where meat’s heat-producing qualities are normally essential.
Many plant foods such as nuts and seeds will give you enough protein and
oils for normal efficiency. Roots, green vegetables, and plant food
containing natural sugar will provide calories and carbohydrates that give
the body natural energy.
The food value of plants becomes more and more important if you are
eluding the enemy or if you are in an area where wildlife is scarce.
You can dry plants by wind, air, sun, or fire. This retards spoilage so
that you can store or carry the plant food with you to use when needed.
You can obtain plants more easily and more quietly than meat.

A F :
Meat is more nourishing than plant food. In fact, it may even be more
readily available in some places. However, to get meat, you need to know
the habits of, and how to capture, the various wildlife.
To satisfy your immediate food needs, first seek the more abundant and
more easily obtained wildlife, such as insects, crustaceans, mollusks, fish,
and reptiles. These can satisfy your immediate hunger while you are
preparing traps and snares for larger game.

F .
18
 BITES AND STINGS

I nsects and related pests are hazards in everyday life, not just
emergency situations. They often carry disease. In some cases, bites
and stings can be fatal because of poison or a severe allergic reactions
in some individuals.
Ticks can carry and transmit diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted
fever common in many parts of the United States. Ticks also transmit Lyme
disease.
Mosquitoes may carry malaria, dengue, and many other diseases.
Flies can spread disease from contact with infectious sources. They are
causes of sleeping sickness, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.
Fleas can transmit plague.
Lice can transmit typhus and relapsing fever.
The best way to avoid the complications of insect bites and stings is to
keep immunizations (including booster shots) up-to-date, avoid insect-
infested areas, use netting and insect repellent, and wear all clothing
properly.
If you get bitten or stung, do not scratch the bite or sting, it might
become infected. Inspect your body at least once a day. If you find ticks
attached to your body, cover them with a substance, such as Vaseline, heavy
oil, or tree sap, that will cut off their air supply. Without air, the tick releases
its hold, and you can remove it. Take care to remove the whole tick. Use
tweezers if you have them. Grasp the tick where the mouth parts are
attached to the skin. Do not squeeze the tick’s body. Wash your hands after
touching the tick. Clean and disinfect the tick wound daily until healed.
 Bee and Wasp Stings
If stung by a bee, immediately remove the stinger and venom sac, if
attached, by scraping with a fingernail or a knife blade. Do not squeeze or
grasp the stinger or venom sac, as squeezing will force more venom into the
wound. Wash the sting site thoroughly with soap and water to lessen the
chance of a secondary infection.
If you are allergic, you should always have your EpiPen auto-injector
with you.
Spider Bites and Scorpion Stings
The black widow spider is identified by a red hourglass on its abdomen.
Only the female bites and it has a neurotoxic venom. The initial pain is not
severe, but severe local pain rapidly develops. The pain gradually spreads
over the entire body and settles in the abdomen and legs. Abdominal
cramps and progressive nausea, vomiting, and a rash may occur. Weakness,
tremors, sweating, and salivation may occur. Anaphylactic reactions can
occur. Symptoms begin to regress after several hours and are usually gone
in a few days.
Threat for shock. Be ready to perform CPR. Clean and dress the bite
area to reduce the risk of infection. An antivenom is available.
The brown house spider or brown recluse spider is a small, light brown
spider identified by a dark brown violin on its back. You usually are not
aware you’ve been bitten at the time because there is little pain. Within a
few hours a painful red area with a mottled cyanotic center appears.
Necrosis does not occur in all bites, but usually in 3 to 4 days, a star-shaped,
firm area of deep purple discoloration appears at the bite site. The area turns
dark and mummified in a week or two. The margins separate and the scab
falls off, leaving an open ulcer. Secondary infection and regional swollen
lymph glands usually become visible at this stage. The outstanding
characteristic of the brown recluse bite is an ulcer that does not heal but
persists for weeks or months. In addition to the ulcer, there is often a
systemic reaction that is serious and may lead to death. Speaking from
experience, a brown recluse bite goes un-noticed, but eventually is painful
and noticeable.
Reactions (fever, chills, joint pain, vomiting, and a generalized rash)
occur chiefly in children or debilitated persons.
Tarantulas are large, hairy spiders found mainly in the tropics. Most do
not inject venom, but some South American species do. They have large
fangs. If bitten, pain and bleeding are certain, and infection is likely. Treat a
tarantula bite as for any open wound, and try to prevent infection. If
symptoms of poisoning appear, treat as for the bite of the black widow
spider.
Scorpions are all poisonous to a greater or lesser degree. There are two
different reactions, depending on the species: Severe local reaction only,
with pain and swelling around the area of the sting. Possible prickly
sensation around the mouth and a thick-feeling tongue.
Severe systemic reaction, with little or no visible local reaction. Local
pain may be present. Systemic reaction includes respiratory difficulties,
thick-feeling tongue, body spasms, drooling, gastric distention, double
vision, blindness, involuntary rapid movement of the eyeballs, involuntary
urination and defecation, and heart failure. Death is rare, occurring mainly
in children and adults with high blood pressure or illnesses.
Treat scorpion stings as you would a black widow bite.
Snakebites
The chance of a snakebite in an emergency situation is rather small, if
you are familiar with the various types of snakes and their habitats.
However, it could happen and you should know how to treat a snakebite.
Deaths from snakebites are rare. More than one-half of snakebite victims
have little or no poisoning, and only about one-quarter develop serious
systemic poisoning.
The primary concern in the treatment of snakebite is to limit the amount
of eventual tissue destruction around the bite area.
A bite wound, regardless of the type of animal that inflicted it, can
become infected from bacteria in the animal’s mouth. With nonpoisonous as
well as poisonous snakebites, this local infection is responsible for a large
part of the residual damage that results.
Snake venoms not only contain poisons that attack the victim’s central
nervous system (neurotoxins) and blood circulation (hemotoxins), but also
digestive enzymes (cytotoxins) to aid in digesting their prey. These poisons
can cause a very large area of tissue death, leaving a large open wound.
This condition could lead to the need for eventual amputation if not treated.
Shock and panic in a person bitten by a snake can also affect the
person’s recovery. Excitement, hysteria, and panic can speed up the
circulation, causing the body to absorb the toxin quickly. Signs of shock
could occur within the first 30 minutes after the bite.
 Before you start treating a snakebite, determine whether the snake was
poisonous or nonpoisonous. There are four types of poisonous snakes in
North America. In your Area Study you should have determined if any are
endemic to your area.
Overall, venomous snakes have a triangular head (not so much on the
Coral), while non-venomous have more spoon-shaped heads.
Cottonmouths: elliptical pupils and range in color from black to green.
They have a white stripe along the sides of their head. They are normally
found in or around water. The young have a bright yellow tail. They usually
are alone.
Rattlesnakes: A triangular head with elliptical eyes. And of course, a
rattle on their tail.
Copperheads: Brightly colored from coppery brown to bright orange,
silver-pink and peach. The young also have yellow tails.
Coral snakes: Several non-venomous snakes look like Coral snakes.
They have a distinctive coloring, with black, yellow, and red bands. They
have a yellow head with a black band over their nose. They are extremely
shy and rarely bite. The difference between a Coral and a King Snake is:
“red on black, venom lack. Red on yellow, deadly fellow.”
Bites from a nonpoisonous snake will show rows of teeth. Bites from a
poisonous snake may have rows of teeth showing, but will have one or
more distinctive puncture marks caused by fang penetration.
Symptoms of a poisonous bite may be spontaneous bleeding from the
nose and anus, blood in the urine, pain at the site of the bite, and swelling at
the site of the bite within a few minutes or up to 2 hours later.
Breathing difficulty, paralysis, weakness, twitching, and numbness are
also signs of neurotoxic venoms. These signs usually appear 1.5 to 2 hours
after the bite.
If you determine that a poisonous snake bit an individual, take the
following steps:
Reassure the victim and keep him still.
Remove watches, rings, bracelets, or other constricting items.
Clean the bite area.
Maintain an airway (especially if bitten near the face or neck) and be
prepared to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or CPR.
Use a constricting band between the wound and the heart. Immobilize
the site.
 Remove the poison as soon as possible by using a mechanical suction
device or by squeezing.
Do not
Give the victim alcoholic beverages or tobacco products.
Give morphine or other central nervous system (CNS) depressors.
Make any deep cuts at the bite site. Cutting opens capillaries that in turn
open a direct route into the blood stream for venom and infection.
Put your hands on your face or rub your eyes, as venom may be on your
hands. Venom may cause blindness.
Break open the large blisters that form around the bite site.
After caring for the victim as described above, take the following
actions to minimize local effects:
If infection appears, keep the wound open and clean.
Use heat after 24 to 48 hours to help prevent the spread of local
infection. Heat also helps to draw out an infection.
Keep the wound covered with a dry, sterile dressing.
Have the victim drink large amounts of fluids until the infection is gone.
Snakes usually avoid people. Rattlers never really concerned me; we
used to eat them and they do taste like chicken. Where snakes can be
dangerous is in the water. Hitting a nest of water moccasins can be deadly.
19
 PERSONAL HYGEINE

D uring a high moderate or extreme emergency, you might go

weeks, months and longer in uncomfortable circumstances,
whether in the wild or in crowded centers. Hygiene isn’t just a
matter of politeness or comfort, but it helps prevent infection and disease
and becomes critical in such circumstances.
Wash yourself when possible, paying particular attention to the feet,
armpits, crotch, hands, and hair. Those are primary areas for infection and
infestation.
If water is scarce, and weather permitting, strip down and expose your
body to the air for a little while, without getting sunburned.
Keep Your Hands Clean. This goes even in non-emergency situations.
Germs on your hands can infect food and wounds. Wash your hands after
handling any material that is likely to carry germs, after visiting the latrine,
after caring for the sick, and before handling any food, food utensils, or
drinking water. Keep your fingernails closely trimmed and clean.
Keep Your Hair Clean. Your hair can become a haven for bacteria or
fleas, lice, and other parasites. Keeping your hair clean, combed, and
trimmed helps you avoid this danger.
Keep Your Clothing Clean. Keep your clothing and bedding as clean as
possible to reduce the chance of skin infection as well as to decrease the
danger of parasitic infestation. Clean your outer clothing whenever it
becomes soiled. Wear clean underclothing and socks as much as possible. If
water is scarce, clean your clothing by shaking, airing, and sunning it for 2
hours. If you are using a sleeping bag, turn it inside out after each use, fluff
it, and air it.
Keep Your Teeth Clean. Thoroughly clean your mouth and teeth with a
toothbrush at least once each day. If you don’t have a toothbrush, make a
chewing stick. Find a twig. Chew one end of the stick to separate the fibers.
Now brush your teeth thoroughly. Another is to wrap a clean strip of cloth
around your fingers and rub your teeth with it to wipe away food particles.
You can also brush your teeth with small amounts of sand, baking soda,
salt, or soap. Then rinse your mouth. Flossing your teeth with string or fiber
helps oral hygiene.
Take Care of Your Feet. To prevent serious foot problems, break in your
shoes before wearing them. Wash and massage your feet daily. Trim your
toe-nails straight across. Wear an insole and the proper size of dry socks.
Powder and check your feet daily for blisters. If you get a small blister, do
not open it. An intact blister is safe from infection. Apply a padding
material around the blister to relieve pressure and reduce friction. If the
blister bursts, treat it as an open wound. Clean and dress it daily and pad
around it.
Keep Camp Site Clean. Do not soil the ground in the camp site area
with urine or feces. Use latrines, if available. When latrines are not
available, dig “cat holes” and cover the waste. Collect drinking water
upstream from the camp site. Purify all water.
20
 WATER PROCUREMENT

A stockpile of water was your first priority in The Green Beret

Preparation and Survival Guide. Your baseline requirement is a
gallon a day, per person. This is variable depending on
environment and what you are doing.
Water: On average, we can survive three days without water versus
three weeks without food.
Over three-quarters of your body is composed of fluid. You lose a more
than half a gallon of water a day just existing; more depending on the
weather and your activity level.
Water is critical for functioning. A 5% drop in body fluid will cause a
25% drop in energy level. A 15% drop will cause death. Even in normal
day-to-day living, it is estimated that 80% of people are fatigued simply
because they are chronically dehydrated.
What water resources did you list in your Area Study? Which of those
are accessible now?
Warning!: Most Water in Nature is Unsafe to Drink
The spread of Giardia has made most water sources that you used to be able
to trust, unsafe. Whatever purification system you use, make sure it will get
rid of Giardia. Giardia is spread through animal dropping. If you get this
bug, it will seriously degrade you physically and reduce your ability to
survive.
By drinking non-potable water you may contract diseases or swallow
organisms that can harm you. Examples of such diseases or organisms are
—
Dysentery. Severe, prolonged diarrhea with bloody stools, fever, and
weakness.
Cholera and typhoid. You may be susceptible to these diseases
regardless of inoculations.
Flukes. Stagnant, polluted water—especially in tropical areas—often
contains blood flukes. If you swallow flukes, they will bore into the
bloodstream, live as parasites, and cause disease.
Leeches. If you swallow a leech, it can hook onto the throat passage or
inside the nose. It will suck blood, create a wound, and move to another
area. Each bleeding wound may become infected.

W the problem of industrial and chemical pollution almost

everywhere. We have little idea what run off is going into the water. So stay
away from water that is near roads. As a corollary to this, ever notice the
sheen on a road as rain starts? That’s all the oil and other pollutants in the
road lifting up. This is the most dangerous time for traction.
Don’t drink downstream of factories that discharge into the water,
sewage systems that discharge, mines or, frankly sites of major human
habitation.
Don’t drink water draining out of utilized farmland. You don’t want to
know what they’re spraying in that soil and on those crops.
If you are in an area that has been flooded (aka Katrina), consider all
water sources affected by the flooding to be contaminated, even if they
were previously considered drinkable.
 You have to assume that any water that isn’t marked as potable
(drinkable) is contaminated. Even in the deepest forest, there is a chance the
water is tainted. Always stay on the safe side, because contracting Giardia
is no fun at all and cholera can be fatal.
21
 WATER SOURCES IN YOUR HOME

T he hot water heater contains a considerable amount. There is a drain

at the bottom. Make sure you have something to collect the water
in, open the drain, then open a faucet to complete the water circuit.
(Make sure, if not already off, that you turn off the gas/power to the heater
before working on it. If the power/gas is already off and comes on, make
sure you immediately refill the heater before you turn it back on or else it
can overheat.)
The water pipes in your house can be drained of the water in them.
The toilet tank (not the toilet bowl) contains fresh water. Get over it and
use it.
A swimming pool or hot tub contains non-potable water you can use for
washing, but not for drinking unless you make it potable.
If you have adequate warning, you should fill every available container
with potable water. Also fill all tubs and sinks.
There are items in your house that can be used to purify water:
Chlorine Bleach. Standard bleach is 5% chlorine. If the strength is not
known go with ten drops per quart or liter for clear water, double that for
murky water.
22
 WATER SOURCES IN NATURE

W
potable water.
arning! Purify any water that you are not positive is drinkable.
Rainwater collected in clean containers is usually safe for
drinking. This is the quickest and most effective way to gather

Lakes, ponds, swamps, springs, streams. Must be purified regardless of

how clear and clean it looks. This is especially true if it is anywhere near
human settlements.
Underground water: Muddy ground indicates a water supply. You can
filter the muddy water or dig down about a foot and gather what collects. It
still must be purified.
Snow and ice: Are as pure as the water from which they came, this is
particularly true for ice. Do not eat snow or ice without melting first, as
doing so will reduce your core body temperature and actually lead to
dehydration more than hydration. If you care carrying a water container in
freezing temperatures, remember that it will freeze. Keep your ready source
of water inside your coat so remains liquid.
Green bamboo thickets are a source of fresh water. Water from green
bamboo is clear and odorless. To get the water, bend a green bamboo stalk,
tie it down, and cut off the top. The water will drip freely during the night
and collect. Old, cracked bamboo may contain water. Bamboo is a lot more
common than you realize. When you did your Area Study, this is something
you should have looked for: all the sources of water that you might not have
considered before.
 Morning dew can provide water. Use an absorbent cloth (this is one case
where cotton isn’t rotten) or a handful of long grass and wick up moisture
that has condensed. You can also tie rags or tufts of fine grass around your
ankles and walk through dew-covered grass before sunrise. As the cloth,
rags or grass tufts absorb the dew, wring the water into a container. Repeat
the process until you have a supply of water or until the dew is gone. This
water is consider potable (unless you collect it off of poison ivy or recently
fertilized/sprayed grass, etc.)
Banana/plantain trees: Cut down the tree, leaving a stump about a foot
high. Scoop out the center, leaving a bowl shaped hollow. Water from the
roots will come and being to fill the hollow. The first several fillings will be
bitter, but then it was become more palatable. This can supply water for up
to four days. If you are going to re-use, cover it to keep insects and bugs
out.
Tropical vines: Cut a notch as high as you can reach. Do not drink if it is
sticky, milky or bitter-tasting.
Coconuts: The milk from unripe (green) coconuts. The milk from
mature coconuts contains a laxative.
23
 WAYS TO PURIFY WATER

G rab-n-Go bag: You have: Survival straw. Survival filter. Water

purification tablets. Use those sparingly if you can find potable
water or can purify by other means. You also have at least one
water container. Check the instructions on the filters and tablets and use
properly.
If the water you find is muddy, stagnant, and/or foul smelling, you can
clear the water by placing it in a container and letting it stand for 12 hours.
Or by passing it through cloth multiple times. Or through sand. But these
procedures only clear the water and make it more palatable. You will still
have to purify it.

B : Minimum one minute at boil at sea level. Add one minute for
each thousand feet you are above sea level in altitude. You can get your
altitude off your contour map.

S (S D ): Given the proliferation of water

bottles and the fact you probably have some in your Grab-n-Go bag, car,
home, etc. this is a particularly effective method.
Find a clean, clear plastic bottle no more than three liters (1 liter is
slightly more than one quart). It needs to be a PET bottle. You can tell by
looking on the bottom. Most will say if they are PET or PETE. Otherwise it
will have a number. You want a #1. Any other number is a different kind of
plastic. The narrower the bottle, the better for solar penetration.
Fill it three quarters full with clear water, or water you have cleaned
through sand or whatever tightly woven cloth you have available.
Shake the bottle in order to get as much oxygen as possible into the
water.
Fill the rest of the bottle and replace the lid.
Place the bottle in direct sunlight for six to eight hours. You can
increase the efficiency by placing the bottle on a reflective surface such as
metal or aluminum foil.
If you have to move, hang the bottle on the outside of your pack.
If it isn’t sunny out (yeah, you in the Pacific Northwest) or the water is
cloudy, leave it in the light for at least two full days. Really, if you live in a
cloudy area like the Pacific Northwest get a water filter. In fact, no matter
where you live, get a water filter. SODIS is only for extreme situations
where there is no other options. Considering you can find empty plastic
bottles pretty much anywhere, including the middle of the Pacific Ocean
(alas Ancient Mariner, this does not convert salt water), it’s a useful one to
know.
How SODIS works: The sunlight treats the water through three ways,
all involving radiation.
UVA reacts with the oxygen dissolved in the water to produce a highly
reactive form with free radicals and hydrogen peroxide, which kills
microorganisms.
UVA interferes with the reproductive cycle of bacteria by crippling their
DNA.
The sunlight heats the water and once it gets it above 122 degrees F, the
disinfection works three times faster.

L , the combined effect of the three is cumulative.

However, this technique DOES NOT remove chemical contamination.
Also, it works better in central latitudes where sunlight is not angled so
much. Optimum is 35 degrees latitude north and south.
The plastic bottle should be as new as possible, not colored, and free of
scratches. Glass bottles can be used but only as a last resort as they are not
as effective.
 The thinner the bottle, the better, to allow the sunlight to penetrate.
Of note, SODIS is being used in various places around the world to
produce potable water, due to the lack of treated water.

A S : To make the aboveground still, you need a sunny

slope on which to place the still, a clear plastic bag, green leafy vegetation,
and a small rock (Figure 6-6).

T —
Fill the bag with air by turning the opening into the breeze or by
“scooping” air into the bag. Fill the plastic bag half to three-fourths full of
green leafy vegetation. Be sure to remove all hard sticks or sharp spines that
might puncture the bag.
Place a small rock or similar item in the bag.
Close the bag and tie the mouth securely as close to the end of the bag
as possible to keep the maximum amount of airspace. If you have a piece of
tubing, a small straw, or a hollow reed, insert one end in the mouth of the
bag before you tie it securely. Then tie off or plug the tubing so that air will
not escape. This tubing will allow you to drain out condensed water without
untying the bag.
Place the bag, mouth downhill, on a slope in full sunlight. Position the
mouth of the bag slightly higher than the low point in the bag.
Settle the bag in place so that the rock works itself into the low point in
the bag.
To get the condensed water from the still, loosen the tie around the bag’s
mouth and tip the bag so that the water collected around the rock will drain
out. Then retie the mouth securely and reposition the still to allow further
condensation.
Change the vegetation in the bag after extracting most of the water from
it. This will ensure maximum output of water.

B S : To make a belowground still, you need a digging

tool, a container, a clear plastic sheet, a drinking tube, and a rock (Figure 6-
7).

S where you believe the soil will contain moisture (such as a

dry stream bed or a low spot where rainwater has collected). The soil at this
site should be easy to dig, and sunlight must hit the site most of the day.
To construct the still:
 Dig a bowl-shaped hole about 1 meter across and 60 centimeters deep.
Dig a sump in the center of the hole. The sump’s depth and perimeter
will depend on the size of the container that you have to place in it. The
bottom of the sump should allow the container to stand upright. Anchor the
tubing to the container’s bottom by forming a loose over-hand knot in the
tubing.
Place the container upright in the sump.
Extend the unanchored end of the tubing up, over, and beyond the lip of
the hole.
Place the plastic sheet over the hole, covering its edges with soil to hold
it in place.
Place a rock in the center of the plastic sheet.
Lower the plastic sheet into the hole until it is about 40 centimeters
below ground level. It now forms an inverted cone with the rock at its apex.
Make sure that the cone’s apex is directly over your container. Also make
sure the plastic cone does not touch the sides of the hole because the earth
will absorb the condensed water.
Put more soil on the edges of the plastic to hold it securely in place and
to prevent the loss of moisture.
Plug the tube when not in use so that the moisture will not evaporate.
You can drink water without disturbing the still by using the tube as a
straw.
You may want to use plants in the hole as a moisture source. If so, dig
out additional soil from the sides of the hole to form a slope on which to
place the plants. Then proceed as above.

S of thumb if things are extreme and you must drink without

time or ability to purify:
Running water is better than still water.
Water coming out of a spring is better than running water.
Clear water is usually better than cloudy or discolored water (but only
in an emergency as you can’t see what will make you sick).
Avoid water that has algae in it.
Avoid swamp or marshland water.
I system when you have gone into Scavenge
mode, find an abandoned house that has a water system. Find the filters for
the purification system. In my current house, my kitchen sink has a three
filter system that could be cannibalized and used. The key is that it requires
pressure to push water through the system. But gravity provides pressure,
slowly but surely.
Make sure you clearly mark and separate potable from non-potable
water containers. Never, ever, mix the two.

Q , from a large Area Study of the entire world environment,

potable water is becoming the most valuable resource and will soon outstrip
even oil as the most precious.
I predict some future wars will be fought over access to drinkable water.
Scavenge Water
Full, unopened, water bottles are everywhere in our civilization. Don’t just
check stores. Homes. Businesses. Vending machines. Inside cars and trucks.
More under the section on Scavenge.
Look around. Listen. Smell. Watch animals. They need water.
Sustain Water
A non-stop source of drinking water should be your priority in finding a
place to live. There are easily defendable locales such as an island or a
prison, but do they have water?
24
 FOOD PROCUREMENT

F ood is not an issue for mild emergencies. We can survive for several
weeks without food. Since you have your supplies in your house
and your Grab-n-Go bags ready, you are able to live off your
stockpile for a while.
Your baseline in your house is a 3 days non-perishable supply. The same
for your Grab-n-Go bag. That gives you six days. Your ERP should have
more. There is also food in your car.
And initially, on top of that, you have your everyday pantry and
refrigerator.
If the power goes out, use the food from your refrigerator first, starting
with the freezer.
As we move from mild into moderate emergencies, and the time gets
longer, food will start to become more of an issue.

D : If you want to learn how hunt, trap, fish, skin animals,

butcher them, etc. after an emergency or disaster happens is not the best
time. The smarter plan is to have someone on your survival team who
knows how to do this or learn to do it beforehand. I will give some basics
from which you can expand.
Food is an area where people will go into scavenge mode and, if
resourceful, can stay there for a long time. Long enough, most importantly,
to begin planting crops. As we will note in Sustain, if civilization collapses,
we will follow the historical path our ancestors did in building back up:
after scavenging no longer works, those who are still alive, will become
hunter/gatherers, while some will jump right to farming. The danger with
farming is that it makes you stationery, which makes you a target for
scavengers.
It’s a vicious formula.
The same with having domesticated animals. Great idea, and they are
moveable, but they are also targets.

E :
I noted that a person can go three weeks without food. That, however, is
really stretching it. I’ve gone eight days without food; interestingly I
stopped feeling hungry after a few days. However, the ability to function
begins to degrade.
When our output exceeds our caloric intake these are the symptoms:
-physical weakness
-confusion, poor judgment, and disorientation
-weakened immune system
-inability to maintain body temperature which can lead to hypothermia,
heat exhaustion/stroke.
The Coast Guard has determined that with fresh water people can
survive in a life raft 8 to 18 days without any food. The Coast Guard also
believes you need a minimum of 800 calories a day for survival; but that’s
sitting in a life raft, not being very active and just focused on pure survival.
If you are in a situation where you’re not moving and have to ration, use
that 800 calories as a baseline.
25
 FOR YOUR HOME

O nce you go through your food stockpile, what is left? Don’t

assume some food is unedible just because its past the expiration
date.

F :, There are several terms stamped on the food.

This is what they mean:
SELL BY: How long a store should display the product for sale. This is
a guide for the store. It is optimum quality date, but food is still edible for a
while after.
BEST IF USED BY OR BEFORE DATE: This is only about quality,
not safety.
GUARANTEED FRESH DATE: This usually refers to bakery items.
They will still be edible after that date.
USE BY DATE: This is the last recommended day to use the product at
peak quality. It is still edible after this.
PACK DATE: This is on canned and packaged goods. This actually
might not be clear as sometimes it’s in code. It can be done by month-day-
year as MMDDYY. Or it could be Julian calendar for the year, which means
January is 001-0031. December would be 334-365.

F not to eat past their expiration date?

 Eggs. Deli meat. Mixed greens. Alfalfa sprouts. Oysters. Shrimp. Raw
ground beef. Berries. Soft cheese. Chicken.

S for?
Milk: a week after Sell By.
Eggs: Three to five weeks after you buy them. Double-grade A will go
down a grade in a week, but are still edible.
Poultry and seafood: Cook or freeze within a day.
Beef and pork: Cook or freeze within three to four days.
Canned goods: High acid foods such as tomato sauce can last to 18
months. Low acid such as canned green beans can last for five years.
However, do not store these in a hot space. A dry, cool place, is best.

G . If you have the ground, plant the seeds at the appropriate

time. This is a sustainable source of food. It is seasonal in most places,
unless you have a greenhouse. However, it is also a fixed location. Also,
consider the fact that you will target gardens that have been abandoned
during the scavenging phase, so you should have a basic familiarity with
some of the staple foods that are usually grown.

U ’ , stick to some basics if you are

going to be in one area for a while and need sustainability. Remember, you
can hide a garden among wild growth, but that it also food for animals.
Beans: Green Beans grow fast and replenish. Normally planted in early
summer. They also need poles or branches to grow on. They are good
sources of fiber, calcium and Vitamins A, C and K.
Peas: Very easy to grow. Fast growing. Source of fiber, protein, and
several vitamins.
Peppers: plant after last frost. High in Vitamins A and C.
Potatoes: Plant a month after last frost. High in fiber and Vitamin A and
C.
Lettuce: Easy to grow.
 Cucumbers: Warm weather crop. Easy to grow. Pick constantly and it
will continue to yield results. Vitamins A, C, K and potassium.
Tomatoes: Plant in late spring and/or later summer. Vitamins A, C, E, K,
potassium, thiamine and Niacin.

T - . As with many specialties, there are two

factors that need to be considered in during your scavenging phase before
you go to sustainment and needing to grow food:
Find people who know how to grow food to be part of your team.
Scavenge books on how to garden, material and tools for gardening,
locate hidden sites to plant food, and make seed scavenging a higher
priority as the sustainment phase comes closer.
26
 FOOD IN NATURE

D epending on your skills, your location and your needs, you might
turn to food in nature before you turn to scavenging. We’ll tackle
some basic techniques here.

G : cultivated plants, wild edible plants, insects, birds eggs.

Think of two types of edible plants. Cultivated crops and certain plants
in the wild.
When you did your Area Study, you noted what crops are grown in your
locale. Which are edible? How do you make them edible? Some, such as
corn, as obvious. Others require more study.
Edible plants have such a wide array across so many different climates
and environs, there isn’t the space to cover them here. Particularly to
describe them.
A person who can recognize plants, which are edible, which are useful
for other purposes such as herbs, and also grow them, is as valuable to a
survival team than a top notch hunter.

H : You need the means to hunt. Normally that means firearms,

although skilled crossbow and bow hunters will be very valuable. Firearms
have a noise signature. Arrows don’t.
As far as field expedient weapons such as spears, bows, etc. that is
beyond our scope here. Not only do you have to make them, you’d have to
become proficient. The time and energy put into such field-expedient
weapons is almost prohibitive except in the most extreme survival
situations.
Hunting is recommended for large game, with a large return in terms of
not only meat but other by-products.
If you have a .22 caliber rifle, the sound signature is much less, and you
can carry many more rounds. But you will also be hunting much smaller
game. Remember, though, that there is more small game than large game.
All mammals are edible and excellent protein sources (except the polar
bear and bearded seal which have toxins in their livers). Remember, though,
that a wounded animal, even something as small as a raccoon, can cause
nasty wounds which run the risk of infection.

U , focus on . . .

T : In your Grab-n-Go bag are ready made snares. Remember?

Here they are in case you skipped the Prepare book:
Dakota Line Versatile Snares: http://amzn.to/2e2AuFv or their
equivalent.
You might have wondered at the time why they were included. Now you
know. While there are field expedient traps you can make, this is the
simplest and most effective way.
Snares are very effective for harvesting small game. They were used by
our ancient ancestors and they still work. The ones you have are
lightweight, easy to pack and relatively easy to use.
Your snare is made from tightly wound steel cable five or more feet
long. It has a one way locking mechanism on one end and a swivel and loop
on the other.
First, find a trail where the game you’re after is known to travel. Look
for worn trails through the underbrush.
Anchor your snare. Use wire, such as from a coat hanger, slide it
through the loop, and tie it around the base of a tree or post. Make sure the
wire can’t be pulled apart or unwound by the animal as it fights the trap.
 Find a stick as the stand for the snare. Prop it up between the anchor
point and the loop for snare. Have the slide lock of the loop about a half
inch in front of the support. Essentially you’re hanging a noose down over
the trail. Once you’re in place, push the stick down into the ground fixing it
in place. The loop must be at the proper height for your target—where it’s
head would go into the loop. This is from 3 inches to 10 inches off the
ground.
Set multiple snares to increase your odds. This is another way trapping
is more effective than hunting.
Check your traps every day. The animal will be dead because the sliding
lock closes around their necks and either cuts off circulation or breaks their
neck during their initial struggle to get free.
Some notes on trapping:
Animals have to drink. Trails to watering holes are excellent places to
emplace snares.
Don’t disturb the area where you emplace your snare any more than
necessary. Have all your parts ready, then go to the location and emplace.
Do not use freshly cut vegetation in either the snare or to channel animals
as the sap gives off an odor. Most mammals you are hunting depend heavily
on their sense of smell for protection. You can use the fluid from the gall
and urine bladders of previous kills to mask your scent. Coat your hands
with it before assembling the snare. You can also ‘smoke’ the traps to
remove your scent.
You can build a ‘channel’ along the trail to ensure the target runs into
the snare, but odds are doing so will leave too much odor and visual sign.
However, few wild animals will back up.
You can bait a trap, but it must be a bait the target wants and isn’t
readily available all around. Peanut butter is a good bait. So is salt.

T what you’ve caught:

First make sure it’s really dead. Even the smallest critter can bite or
claw you. Use a club.
Hang the animal by its back legs. Slice into the skin on both legs at the
ankle. Pull down on the skin. It comes off like a glove. Remove the head
and feet. Squirrels tend to be a bit tougher. Slice the skin on its back about
two inches. Reach in, grasp both sides and pull them apart.
 Gut it by pinching the upper stomach and make a small incision. Open
the stomach cavity up and down. Remove the inner organs, being careful
not to rupture the bladder. Keep the kidneys, heart and liver (you will use
those in a stew).
Cook the meat.
This is very basic, but it will get you started and get you food.

F : In your Grab-n-Go bag, you have some basic fishing essentials.

Line, hooks. What is your experience level?
Some basic guidelines on survival fishing:
Fish tend to feed before a storm, not after.
Light attracts fish at night.
Fish gather where there are deep pools, overhanging trees and brush,
and around submerged foliage and logs that offer shelter.
There are no poisonous freshwater fish. Catfish do have needle-like
protrusions on their dorsal fins that can inflict painful wounds, which leave
you open to infection.

C all freshwater fish to kill parasites.

Cook saltwater fish caught inside of a reef or under the influence of a
freshwater source. Fish caught in the open sea can be eaten raw because of
the salt water. However, there are some poisonous saltwater fish such as
porcupine, triggerfish, cowfish, oilfish, thorn fish and red snapper.

H :
Identify the best location.
Set multiple lines. Use trees branches hanging over the water instead of
poles. Tie a baited hook, with a weight, on a line. For bait use live worms.
Pretty much anything that crawls and you can put on the hook will serve.
Once you start catching fish, use can use pieces of those fish as bait.
I likely that after you finish your stockpile of food you
will turn to scavenging the man-made food supply.
Scavenge
Reverse the food distribution network. The consumer gets food from a
store. A store gets food delivered from a warehouse or a local producer. The
warehouse gets food from where? Locally? Another distribution center?
This goes on until we get to the true source of the food.
Where in that chain can you intervene and get food?
More on this under Scavenge, as food is just one many items you will
be looking for.
Sustain
Grow a garden. If you have the ground, plant the seeds at the appropriate
time. This is a sustainable source of food. It is seasonal in most places,
unless you have a greenhouse. However, it is also a fixed location. If you
are enterprising, you could camouflage your garden out in nature, mixing
up your edible plants in a forest or field, but be aware animals and birds like
edible plants also.

B / on the move.

B : Some skills will be worth others paying for in terms of food.

Medical expertise is one such skill set.
27
BUILDING A SHELTER AND STARTING
 A FIRE

A s we discussed in The Green Beret Preparation and Survival

Guide, your home is your primary shelter. You’ve also designated
an ERP that has a shelter nearby.
Beyond that, unless you’re in the middle of nowhere, mankind has built
millions of possible shelters, ranging from homes, factories, schools,
churches, warehouses, etc.
If you aren’t in your home, your Grab-n-Go bag has shelter, ranging
from a tent, to a poncho, to an emergency sleeping bag.

A anything that can protect against not only the elements, but
also danger. That means other people, but also the danger attendant with
various emergencies and catastrophes.
In extreme emergencies, shelter can become the number one priority not
only because we can survive only 3 hours with an un-regulated body
temperature, but also because shelter can protect us against various other
threats. So let’s start with . . .
28
 CLOTHING

Y ou’re stuck with what you’ve prepared or what you’re wearing.

Here are key factors to keep in mind:
STAY DRY as much as possible.
Layer clothing in a cold weather environment.
Inner layer. Whatever is directly against your skin. The goal is to wick
moisture away from your skin to the next two layers. Your body heat does
the work, so the better the material for this, the less your body has to
expend. This layer should fit snugly around your body, as the body’s heat is
what wicks the moisture. The material used should absorb less than one
percent of moisture.
Middle layer. This layer is your insulation. Its purpose is to keep your
warmth, while it also helps wick away the moisture to the outer layer. This
middle layer must move the moisture outward while keeping heat in. When
you think middle layer, consider several garments instead of just one, so
you can adjust as the temperature changes.
Outer layer. The primary purpose of the outer layer is to battle outside
elements, primarily wind and wet. If you do not have this outer layer, you
must build a shelter.
Focus on socks, gloves and hats. Dry and clean socks are important.
You lose 40% of your heat through your head. Your hands are your most
valuable tools. Protect them with gloves.
Protect yourself from the sun, even at the risk of being uncomfortable
with long sleeves and pants. Wear a hat. Light colors reflect sunlight, black
absorbs it. As already noted in The Green Beret Preparation and Survival
Guide, your clothing and shelter material should match the environment to
encourage camouflage.
Sweating in a cold weather environment can be a killer as you are
covering your body with moisture. Use your layers as a variable to avoid
that.
29
 EMERGENCY SHELTERS

A
stay warm?
field expedient shelter out in nature takes several times longer to
build than you think. Consider that in terms of the threat. If it’s
dark, do you have a light source? Or is it better to keep moving to

Location is the first consideration. If there isn’t a man-made scavenge-

able one available, is there a natural shelter? Tree well, where a tree has
fallen and the roots have opened a large hole? Burned out log? Cave? Rock
overhand? A log with a dry spot underneath?
Get out of the rain and the wind.
If a natural shelter isn’t available, and you don’t have one in hand such
as a tent or poncho, the first option is a lean-to; if you can build a fire and
have the materials to build a shelter.
You face a key decision if you are losing body temperature. Do you
build the shelter first or the fire? If it’s raining and you know you can’t get a
fire going, then the shelter comes first. If the warmth of exertion from
building the shelter won’t stop the onset of hypothermia, then the fire first.
A tarp shelter is the most basic shelter. Using the poncho and paracord
that should be in all your Grab-n-Go bags, or scavenged from your
environment. A few keys apply when putting one together:
Look for natural or manmade surroundings that give you a good
location and enhance the shelter. Incorporating a wall, a blown down trees,
a large rock, etc. as part of the shelter is a good idea. Notice prevailing
wind. Have your opening facing away.
 One key to all emergency shelters: Smaller is better! First, a smaller
shelter is easier to build, using less materials. Second, it will keep your
body heat enclosed. Third, it is less noticeable (if that’s one of your
concerns).

T five main areas to consider for an emergency shelter:

Urban: The most important aspect to consider here is other human
beings. In an extreme emergency, survival is more important than etiquette
and sometimes even law. When I lived in South Korea, when the alert siren
went off, everyone was required to go indoors via the closest door to you.
Didn’t matter whose it was. They had to let you in. During a civil
disturbance or a riot or extreme emergency, don’t hesitate to knock on
doors, whether it be homes or shops, to get out of danger.
There are dangers to watch out for besides unfriendly people. Downed
power lines, broken water mains, unstable ruins.
Cities are three dimensional. Look up. Going to upper floors of
buildings gives you the high ground and a more easily defended position.
However, it also traps you. Cities have a veritable maze underneath them.
Subway lines, sewers, communication tunnels, steam tunnels. No human
being knows the exact extent of what is under New York City. Chicago has
old coal tunnels that few people are aware of. These are things you looked
for in your Area Study.
A key to remember with all emergency shelter in crowded areas is that
others will also be seeking shelter.
Forest: The most desperate shelter is the debris hut. Just gather as much
material around you as you can and bury yourself in it. If you have any sort
of waterproof material put it as the outer layer, just like with clothing.
Putting waterproof material next to your body traps your body’s moisture
and makes you wet.
Use as many branches and sticks to make a solid frame. Tie some
together, or lacking paracord or other tying material, jam them into the
ground and against each other. Then layer branches, leaves, sod, etcetera
over the framework as tightly as possible without collapsing it.
Jungle: Essential the same as the debris hut, except you have more
material to work with. You have vines, hollow shoots, larger leaves and the
ground is usually softer and often provides clay. A key in the jungle shelter
is get out of the moisture. In a swamp you want to put your shelter on the
highest piece of ground you can find. Even a few inches can make a
difference.
Snow/Winter: While survival shows have people building igloos and
snow caves, these are time and labor intensive. Certainly, if you have both
resources and time you can build them. However, my experience is that a
snow trench is the simplest to build, if you have a poncho or other material
to cover it. Once more, smaller is better. Dig a trench long enough and
narrow enough for you to get into. Deep enough for you to be below the top
surface of the snow. Make sure you put something at the bottom to keep
your body off the snow. Put the poncho or tarp over the top, using snow to
anchor each side. Leave a small opening you can slide in and out of and that
you can fix in place.
A snow cave is similar except you are going deeper into the snow (thus
requiring deeper snow) and leaving a snow roof in place. To fix the sides of
a trench or cave, and the roof of a cave, use a candle or lighter to glaze the
snow, briefly melting it, then allowing the temperature to turn it into ice.
Desert: Are you going to be traveling or not? If you’re going to be
moving you need a shelter for the day, to keep you as cool as possible and
out of the sun, as you’ll be traveling at night. If you’re not traveling, then
your shelter also has to work at night. As we noted discussing Desert
survival, it often gets quite cold at night in the desert.
Use any vegetation available such as a juniper tree or sagebrush. Use
piled up sand or rocks for one side of a shelter. If you can, dig into the
ground. A belowground shelter can reduce the temperature thirty degrees.
30
 BUILDING A FIRE

Y ou have windproof lighters and matches in your Grab-n-Go bags.

Even on your survival vest. Also a magnesium fire starter which
you’ve practiced with.
Some caveats on fire starting. Make sure whatever you start doesn’t get
out of control. Fire is our friend until it becomes our enemy.

T keys to starting any fire. First is gathering the proper

flammables. They should be dry. If your environment is damp or wet,
search for dry material under hanging rocks, under logs, or even gather
damp material and put inside your shirt to use your body warmth to dry it
out. Breaking damp sticks should expose a dry portion. Don’t use soggy or
rotten wood.
You need three piles:
Tinder: Dry, flammable material that needs only a few sparks to ignite.
Thin, fibrous plant material. Fine steel wool. Tinder is easy to ignite but
does not sustain fire. So you need . . .
Kindling: Slightly larger organic material that feeds the fire initially.
Dry wood chips, twigs, dry strips of bark, dry grass stalks, refuse such as
paper.
Firewood: Thicker branches and logs take longer to ignite, but once
they do, they sustain the fire longer.
F :
Hand drill: The easiest field expedient way to build a fire is also the
most labor intensive. Use a piece of hardwood as the fireboard. Make a
notch in it with a knife or pointed rock. You need to a two-foot-long stick
whose tip fits into the notch. Surround the notch with tinder. Roll the stick
between your palms (wear gloves if you have them), causing friction.
Enough friction causes heat. It will start smoking and ignite the kindling.
Slowly add kindling.
Mirror/Glass: This requires two items. Sunlight and a parabolic mirror
or lens. The reflector of a flashlight, the clean inside of a soda can are
possibilities in a pinch. A clear bottle filled with water. Anything that can
focus the rays of the sun.

S : keep the flames going. If a fire burns

down to embers, you use the core of that to restart the fire, using the same
flow as starting a new fire: tinder, kindling, firewood. Tossing firewood on
embers could disperse the embers and cause you to start over again.
31
 EMERGENCY RALLY POINT/BASE CAMP

Y our ERP is the alternative to your home. If you did not make it to
your ERP or the ERP was not viable, you can establish a base
camp that serves the same function.
It is where you plan to survive during a moderate to extreme emergency
when your home is untenable.
When thinking about an ERP or base camp, use the term BLISS.
32
BLISS CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE ERP
 BLENDS IN WITH SURROUNDING

Low in silhouette
Irregular in shape
Small in size
Secluded

T here are, of course, exception to this guideline. There might be a

time when bunkering up in a high rise might be a good option. This
is if a massive chemical/biological attack makes a top floor position
desirable.
The key to the ERP/base camp is to stay hidden. That’s your best
defense. It is where you rest, recover, and live. How long depends on the
emergency.
A key to the hide site is a Catch-22: water. You need water, yet water
will draw predators, both human and otherwise. Consider locating the site
about a half hour walk from a water source. That allows you to draw water,
but not be so close that casual passerby’s will stumble across your site.
The ERP/base camp should have concealment first and cover second.
The difference between the two is this: concealment means you are hidden
from observation. Cover means the position has protection against direct
and indirect fire weapons (remember, arrows are indirect fire, as Custer
learned). The reason I prioritize concealment over cover is because the best
defense is not to be found.
 How do you get to your ERP? If you drive to it, make sure to leave the
vehicle far enough away, at least two miles, so that it doesn’t point others
toward your site. Disable the vehicles by taking an engine part. Assume the
vehicle will be looted, but perhaps you can use it if you return with the part.
The easiest part to take is the main fuse. You can conceal the vehicle as
much as possible, but if you drove it there, it’s on a trail that takes vehicles
which means others can drive there too.
Another thing to consider is putting your site behind a gate that can be
locked. Many parks, logging roads, etc, have lockable gates. Cut the current
lock on it, drive through, out of sight, and put your own lock on the gate.
Still, keep at least a two mile distance between the vehicle and your hide
site.
As soon as you are settled in your site, search out an escape route and a
Rally Point and make sure everyone knows where it is. The Rally Point is
where you will all meet if the site is attacked.
When getting water, don’t use the same trail all the time. Mix it up.
Always maintain security. One person must be up and alert at all times.

Should I Stay or Should I Keep On The Move?

T many variables to be able to make this decision until you

are actually in the situation. The most important is what is the nature of the
emergency or catastrophe?
Is your ERP/base camp under threat?
In extreme emergencies, more and more people will be moving out of
urban areas. What was secure at the beginning of the emergency might
become insecure later on.
Are you running out of scavenging supplies if you’ve reached that
phase? Remember, though, that scavenging is taking place everywhere. Just
moving might not improve the situation. It might be better to stay and move
to sustainment.
You should always be prepared to move. This means keeping your
Grab-n-Go bag packed as much as possible. Don’t leave your gear strewn
about everywhere. Be able to tear down your tent or tarp quickly and stuff it
in the bag.
There are dangers to being on the move. You could run into strangers
who are not friendly or desire to scavenge off of you.
Do you have a destination? Just moving with no destination is
demoralizing and serves little purpose.
Scavenge
Scavenging shelter means occupying buildings or facilities that provide
shelter. Or scouring what’s available for material with which to build an
expedient shelter.
More on this in the Scavenge Section.
Sustain
Water is the priority. Next is food. Can you build a sustainable site?
More on this in the Sustain Section.
33
 NAVIGATING, TRACKING

I n an emergency situation, especially moderate to extreme, it is highly

possible you will have to move from point A to point B. It is likely
you won’t have a GPS to do that with.
So let’s walk through basic land navigation before briefly touching on
tracking and evasion.
Based on The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide, you’ve
already downloaded or purchased topographic maps.
Your map is a very valuable document. Treat is as one. Keep it in the
waterproof map case you have and keep it tied off to your body.
When you look at a topo map, you immediately see that it’s different
than your road map. Features on it include:
Roads, buildings, boundaries, railways, power transmission lines. Etc.
In Germany, the maps were so accurate that actually had fence lines around
fields on them.
Water: lakes, rivers, streams, swamps, rapids, kraken, etc.
Relief: mountains, valleys, slopes, depressions, ridges, knolls, gnomes,
etc.
Vegetation: forested or clear areas, orchards, vineyards, Ents, etc.
Toponymy: a fancy word for the names of the various things on the
map.
Use the map legend to learn how to use the symbols, colors and lines on
the map.
Scale is the relationship between size on the map and in the real world.
One thing I’ve noted on many GPS systems is that they don’t indicate scale
since they give directions and distance. This can be disorienting. Everything
always looks a lot closer on a map than when you’re walking.
Legend
It gives you a guide to the various symbols on the map. The types of
roads will be defined in the Legend.
Contour lines
This gives you an idea if elevation. If you trace a contour line on the
map, you are tracing a line of equal elevation. If you walked that line, you
will not go up or down. Check the legend for the contour interval—this is
critical. There’s a big difference between a 10 meter contour interval and a
50 meter one. As you go from one contour line to the next, that is the
contour interval difference. Usually contour interval is based on the terrain
the map covers. Relatively flat terrain will have very short interval, while
mountainous terrain might intervals as great as 100 meters. Every fifth
contour line is an index and labeled with a number.
The closer lines are, the steeper the terrain. When they’re piled on top of
each other, that means a cliff. Do not walk off it. If they are very far apart,
that equals relatively smooth terrain. Notice how contour lines always dive
in toward streams and rivers.
The key to using a map is orienting it to the terrain. While there are
many field-expedient ways of doing this, the easiest is to orient using a
compass. Next easiest is to use roads or easily identifiable terrain features
around you.
But suppose you don’t have a compass or readily identifiable terrain
features?
Using the sun and shadows
The earth’s relationship to the sun can help you to determine direction.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but not exactly due east or due
west. There is also some seasonal variation. In the northern hemisphere, the
sun will be due south when at its highest point in the sky, or when an object
casts no appreciable shadow. In the southern hemisphere, this same noon
day sun will mark due north. In the northern hemisphere, shadows will
move clockwise. Shadows will move counterclockwise in the southern
hemisphere.
The shadow methods used for direction finding are the shadow-tip and
watch methods.
Shadow-Tip Method
 Find a straight stick 3 feet long and an open, level spot on which the
stick will cast a definite shadow.
Step 1. Place the stick or branch into the ground where it will cast a
distinctive shadow. Mark the shadow’s tip. This first shadow mark is always
west —everywhere on earth.
Step 2. Wait until the shadow tip moves a few inches. Mark the shadow
tip’s new position.
Step 3. Draw a straight line through the two marks to obtain an
approximate east-west line.
Step 4. Stand with the first mark (west) to your left and the second mark
to your right-you are now facing north. This fact is true everywhere on
earth.
The Watch Method
You can also determine direction using a common or analog watch—
one that has hands. The direction will be accurate if you are using true local
time, without any changes for daylight savings time. Remember, the further
you are from the equator, the more accurate this method will be. If you only
have a digital watch, you can overcome this obstacle. Quickly draw a watch
on a circle of paper with the correct time on it and use it to determine your
direction at that time.
In the northern hemisphere, hold the watch horizontal and point the
hour hand at the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and the 12
o’clock mark to get the north-south line. If there is any doubt as to which
end of the line is north, remember that the sun rises in the east, sets in the
west, and is due south at noon. The sun is in the east before noon and in the
west after noon.
Note: If your watch is set on daylight savings time, use the midway
point between the hour hand and 1 o'clock to determine the north-south line.
In the southern hemisphere, point the watch’s 12 o’clock mark toward
the sun and a midpoint halfway between 12 and the hour hand will give you
the north-south line.
Using the Moon
Because the moon has no light of its own, we can only see it when it
reflects the sun’s light. As it orbits the earth on its 28-day circuit, the shape
of the reflected light varies according to its position. We say there is a new
moon or no moon when it is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
Then, as it moves away from the earth’s shadow, it begins to reflect light
from its right side and waxes to become a full moon before waning, or
losing shape, to appear as a sliver on the left side. You can use this
information to identify direction.
If the moon rises before the sun has set, the illuminated side will be the
west. If the moon rises after midnight, the illuminated side will be the east.
This obvious discovery provides us with a rough east-west reference during
the night.
Using the Stars
Your location in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere determines
which constellation you use to determine your north or south direction.
The Northern Sky
The main constellations to learn are the Ursa Major, also known as the
Big Dipper or the Plow, and Cassiopeia (Figure 18-3). Neither of these
constellations ever sets. They are always visible on a clear night. Use them
to locate Polaris, also known as the polestar or the North Star. The North
Star forms part of the Little Dipper handle and can be confused with the Big
Dipper. Prevent confusion by using both the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia
together. The Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are always directly opposite each
other and rotate counterclockwise around Polaris, with Polaris in the center.
The Big Dipper is a seven star constellation in the shape of a dipper. The
two stars forming the outer lip of this dipper are the “pointer stars” because
they point to the North Star. Mentally draw a line from the outer bottom star
to the outer top star of the Big Dipper’s bucket. Extend this line about five
times the distance between the pointer stars. You will find the North Star
along this line.
Cassiopeia has five stars that form a shape like a “W” on its side. The
North Star is straight out from Cassiopeia’s center star. After locating the
North Star, locate the North Pole or true north by drawing an imaginary line
directly to the earth.
T S S
Because there is no star bright enough to be easily recognized near the
south celestial pole, a constellation known as the Southern Cross is used as
a sign post to the South (Figure18-4).
The Southern Cross or Crux has five stars. Its four brightest stars form a
cross that tilts to one side. The two stars that make up the cross's long axis
are the pointer stars. To determine south, imagine a distance five times the
distance between. These stars and the point where this imaginary line ends
is in the general direction of south. Look down to the horizon from this
imaginary point and select a landmark to steer by. In a static survival
situation you can fix this location in daylight if you drive stakes in the
ground at night to point the way.
N .
Water flows downhill. That sounds basics, but sometimes we need to
remind ourselves of the basics.
You’ve covered this already in your Area Study, but to update. Know
which side of the Continental Divide or the Appalachians you are on. The
Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains have divides. Study a map of your
region. What are the major streams and rivers? Where do they join? How
many bridges cross them? Where? Remember, bridges are chokepoints.
Are there any significant terrain features in your area that are noticeable
from a distance? Pilots Peak in Utah was a landmark for many people
traveling west.
Know your pace count. This is how many times your right foot hits the
ground per one hundred meters. This allows you to stay oriented. You can
go to the local high school and pace off one hundred yards, which is close
to one hundred meters (a yard is slightly longer). But remember, that will be
on flat ground. Pace count changes greatly when you move through rough
terrain.
Tracking and Evasion
This usually comes into play during an extreme emergency when there
is conflict among people. In order to understand how to evade being tracked
down, you need to first understand how to track someone.
The key to tracking someone is not examining bent twigs, or marks in
the dirt, but rather understanding the mindset and habits of whatever you
are tracking. Predators tend to cluster near water sources in areas where
water is scarce. Rather than tracking down their prey, they let their prey
come to them. People tend to take the easiest path. That’s why ambushes
are set up along paths and choke points.
Where will whoever or whatever you are tracking be going? What is
their destination? If you’re very sure of their destination, perhaps you can
get there before them. Will they need food? Water? When setting your
snares for food, this is a key consideration.
To evade someone tracking you, you must avoid the easy way. You
must break bad habits. You must confuse them. You must make it difficult
for them to follow.
My first platoon sergeant told me an interesting thing: few people ever
look up. Remember in Hunger Games when the heroine hides up in a tree?
Like everything else, this is a double-edged thing: you might not be noticed,
but if you are, as she was, you are trapped.
One of the best ways to avoid being followed is to use water. Few
people want to wade through water or go into that swamp. A little
discomfort can be worth your life.
Here are keys to evasion:
If ever captured, try to escape quickly. The longer you remain a
prisoner, the lower your chances of escape.
If ever arrested, say nothing. You have the right to remain silent, so
remain silent.
Don’t be noticeable. Ever watch a crowd? Ever see the people who
stand out? You don’t want to be that person. A rule of survival on the New
York subway is to not make eye contact. One of my rules is to never poke
the crazy person. When walking down the street, avoid eye contact and all
contact with those who could possibly be threats. When avoiding a riot or
civil unrest, the same applies.
If your team has to evade, you must make an important decision:
whether to break the group up into pairs or try to evade as a team.
Remember, of course, that you are evading to a point, usually your ERP. So
if any team members are captured, you must assume they will give up the
location of the ERP. On the other hand, pairs have a greater chance of
evasion than a large group.
Don’t leave tracks. This seems obvious, but few of us have ever thought
about it. And even fewer have ever looked behind ourselves to see if we are
leaving tracks.
I C
The odds that you will have to track or evade are low in a mild or
moderate emergency. But the odds you will have to land navigate without
electronic aid isn’t so low. Make sure you have maps, both road and
topographical. Make sure you have a basic understanding of the terrain
around you. Practice your routes from your home to you IRP and ERP and
on to the Hide Site.
When traveling, plan your route and plan alternate routes.
34
 YOUR SURVIVAL TEAM

I f you are not with your team, you are in the dangerous situation of
considering whether to make it on your own or join forces. There are
advantages and disadvantages to a team.
Advantages
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You can’t be an expert on
everything. Having an array of people who bring different, needed skills, is
important.
Some people just can’t handle being alone. Can you?
A sense of purpose. In combat, soldiers fight for each other, not for a
cause. Being a member of a team can increase your motivation to get out of
yourself and fight for the survival of those who you care about and are with
you.
In an extreme emergency, long term survival will eventually depend on
team building. In this scenario you often won’t have much of a choice who
you will ally with. Groups will form with different agendas. You have to
evaluate your goals, and also whether you will be an asset to the team and
whether the team will view you as an asset. What do you bring to the table?
Disadvantages
You make a larger target. It is indeed better to run away rather than
fight. Your running away is limited by your slowest member.
How prepared are the others?
Will the members of the team actually pull their weight?
Team Building
 The whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. Think what this
means for survival. Honesty is the cornerstone of strong teamwork because
it builds trust and respect. Do you trust them with your life? And remember,
the worse the emergency, the more people will lie, cheat and steal, and
eventually, kill, placing their survival ahead of yours. There will also be
those who won’t. There are those who would give you the shirt off their
back and those who would steal the shirt off your back.
A key decision that has to be made is a chain of command. Someone
must be the leader.
A survival group is not a democracy. Often there is no time to sit around
and debate options. Decisions have to be made quickly. Hammer out the
leadership issue before the emergency.
Team Communication
The first issue is going to be communicating. We are overly reliant on
cell phone communication. In a moderate or extreme emergency, it is likely
that this service will either be interrupted (lack of power, towers destroyed)
or overwhelmed with too many people trying to call at the same time. On 9-
11, many people were frustrated in their attempts to use their cell phones.
Also, if there is an extended power outage, even if service isn’t
interrupted, are you able to recharge your cell phone?
Texting has a higher likelihood of getting through than voice, so
consider that if you are unable to get a call through during an emergency.
When you consider using a GPS on your cell phone, remember that in
most cases, the mapping information is being downloaded from your net.
Organizing Your Neighborhood/Work Place
This is particularly key in moderate emergencies. During natural
disasters such as a hurricane, flood, extreme weather, wild fire, etc. an
organized neighborhood can be essential to survival. When I say
neighborhood, I also mean your work place.
Check out the resources in your neighborhood. Do you know who your
neighbors are and what they do for a living? What special skills they have?
That person you think is a nurse going off to work in her scrubs might
actually be someone who works at a kennel washing dogs. Don’t make
assumptions.

Y to identify people who have the following skills and experience:

 Medical
Law enforcement and military
Electrical
Leadership
Survival
Child care
Communications
Engineering
Weapons
Gardening

I :
Chain saws
Winches
Four wheel drive vehicles
CB and other radios
Water purifying systems

I :
Where are all the natural gas meters and propane tanks?
Who needs special help? Focus on the handicapped, the elderly, and
children who might be home alone at periods of the day.
Each household should have large placards made up with OKAY on one
side and HELP on the other. Use fluorescent colored poster board available
at your local supermarket. Have this stored near a front window under a
rug. Display as needed.
Determine where the neighborhood gathering site will be. People should
go here before trying to run around and rescue others. Organization saves
time and lives.
Have a contact tree of who alerts who. In the military we always had
alert systems. This is a way of communicating so each person knows who
they are responsible for contacting.
Since you’ve done your Area Study, you have a good idea of what you
are facing in your area of operations.
 Depending on where you live or travel, you must make special
arrangements for extremes in terrain and weather. I’m going to briefly cover
key points in preparing for four special environments: cold weather, desert,
tropical and water survival.
35
 COLD WEATHER

1 ) Everything takes at least twice as long to achieve in cold weather.

2) Fire is eventually an essential. Whether for melting snow and
ice into water, cooking meals, drying out clothing and gear, or just
warming people up.
3) Moving on snow with equipment is extraordinarily hard.
4) Cold weather affects equipment in different ways. One key to
remember is that any exposed water container will freeze. We quickly
learned to keep our water source inside our clothing, allowing our body to
keep it from freezing. The same with thawing out our next meal. On the
positive side batteries keep their charge longer in the cold; in the bad side,
they expand power faster when used.

W the effect of moving air on exposed flesh. Wind always

exacerbates the situation, which is why your outer garment should not only
be water resistant, but wind resistant. A key in building shelter is to get out
of the wind.
A . You lose 40 to 45 percent of body
heat from an unprotected head and even more from the unprotected neck,
wrist, and ankles. These areas of the body are good radiators of heat and
have very little insulating fat. The brain is very susceptible to cold and can
stand the least amount of cooling. Because there is much blood circulation
in the head, most of which is on the surface, you can lose heat quickly if
you do not cover your head. This is also why scalp wounds tend to bleed
profusely.
There are four basic principles to follow to keep warm. An easy way to
remember these basic principles is to use the word COLD—

C C .
O avoid Overheating. (once more: sweating is very dangerous in the
cold)
L wear clothes Loose and in Layers.
D keep clothing Dry.

C K . This principle is always important for

sanitation and comfort. In winter, it is also important from the standpoint of
warmth. Clothes matted with dirt and grease lose much of their insulation
value. Heat can escape more easily from the body through the clothing’s
crushed or filled up air pockets.
O Avoid overheating. When you get too hot, you sweat and your
clothing absorbs the moisture. This affects your warmth in two ways:
dampness decreases the insulation quality of clothing, and as sweat
evaporates, your body cools. Adjust your clothing so that you do not sweat.
Do this by partially opening your parka or jacket, by removing an inner
layer of clothing, by removing heavy outer mittens, or by throwing back
your parka hood or changing to lighter headgear. The head and hands act as
efficient heat dissipaters when overheated.
L Wear your clothing loose and in layers. Wearing tight clothing and
footgear restricts blood circulation and invites cold injury. It also decreases
the volume of air trapped between the layers, reducing its insulating value.
Several layers of lightweight clothing are better than one equally thick layer
of clothing, because the layers have dead-air space between them. The
dead-air space provides extra insulation. Also, layers of clothing allow you
to take off or add clothing layers to prevent excessive sweating or to
increase warmth.
D Keep clothing dry. In cold temperatures, your inner layers of clothing
can become wet from sweat and your outer layer, if not water repellent, can
become wet from snow and frost melted by body heat. Wear water repellent
outer clothing, if available. It will shed most of the water collected from
melting snow and frost. Before entering a heated shelter, brush off the snow
and frost. Despite the precautions you take, there will be times when you
cannot keep from getting wet. At such times, drying your clothing may
become a major problem. On the march, hang your damp mittens and socks
on your rucksack. Sometimes in freezing temperatures, the wind and sun
will dry this clothing. You can also place damp socks or mittens, unfolded,
near your body so that your body heat can dry them. In a campsite, hang
damp clothing inside the shelter near the top, using drying lines or
improvised racks. You may even be able to dry each item by holding it
before an open fire. Dry leather items slowly. If no other means are
available for drying your boots, put them between your sleeping bag shell
and liner. Your body heat will help to dry the leather.

D
 When bundled up in many layers of clothing during cold weather, you
may be unaware that you are losing body moisture. Your heavy clothing
absorbs the moisture that normally evaporates in the air. You must drink
water to replace this loss of fluid. Your need for water is as great in a cold
environment as it is in a warm environment even though you don’t feel as
thirsty. In fact, we often don’t want to drink water when we’re cold.
One way to tell if you are becoming dehydrated is to check the color of
your urine on snow. If your urine makes the snow dark yellow, you are
becoming dehydrated and you need to replace body fluids. If it makes the
snow light yellow to no color, your body fluids have a more normal
balance. You can also smell the sharp odor of the urine when someone is
dehydrated. It’s very hard to make people drink water in a cold
environment, which makes dehydration a particular danger. A team leader
must keep track to make sure every person stays hydrated.
36
 DESERT

I ntense sunlight and heat are present in all arid areas. Air temperature
can go well over 100 degrees F every day. The highest recorded
temperature in the United States was 134 F in Death Valley. Heat
comes from more than direct sunlight. Hot wind, reflective heat (sun
bouncing off the sand/ground/rocks) and conductive heat when you make
direct contact with the ground.
The ground is going to be much hotter than the air. For example, if the
air is 110 F, the ground could easily be 140 F.
Naturally, your requirements for water will be much higher in a desert
environment. Shelter is also as critical in this environment as in a cold
weather environment. If you have to move, travel at night to avoid the sun.
Equipment behaves differently under extreme temperatures. High
temperatures affect batteries adversely and they will not last as long as
usual.
Wide Temperature Range: Temperatures will vary widely in desert
areas, particularly high desert. During the day it can be well over 100 F and
at night quickly drop to below 50 F. This means you have to be prepared for
both extremes, especially with clothing.
Sparse Vegetation: There is little vegetation in a desert area. This means
you’ll have a tougher time making an expedient shelter. Sometimes the best
shelter you can find during the day is in the shadows. The temperature in a
shaded area is significantly less than in the open. Also, reflective and
conductive heat will be much less.
 Another problem in the desert is estimating distance. On average, we
underestimate distance by a factor of three. What looks like a mile away, is
actually three miles away.
Water requirements: Your body sheds heat by sweating. The hotter you
are, the more you sweat. While in a cold weather environment you can
modulate this by shedding layers of clothing, in a desert you don’t have this
option. What you can do is conserve your sweat as much as possible. Wear
clothing that covers you. This not only protects you from the sun, and the
wind heat, but it absorbs your sweat and keeps it next to your body as long
as possible rather than getting immediately evaporated.
Limit eating as much as possible. Food requires water for digestion, so
you are walking a fine line. Remember that water is more vital than food.
You cannot trust your sense of thirst to determine your water
requirement. It’s been found that a person who relies on thirst drinks only
two-thirds of what they actually require.
37
 TROPICAL

A tropical region has high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and high

humidity. Tropics cover about seven percent of the world’s land
surface but contain over fifty percent of the species. Temperatures
rarely fall before freezing, unless one is at altitude.
Since the tropics are near the equator, day and night are usually of
roughly equal length. Night tends to come quickly, as does dawn.
On the plus side, the tropical environment provides plenty of raw
material for shelter, food and water is plentiful. On the negative side, germs
and parasites multiply at an alarming rate.
38
 SPECIFIC MAN-MADE EVENTS—TRANSPORTATION

C ar
Tornados. If you can see a tornado, drive away from it as
quickly and safely as possible. Move at right angles to the tornado.
If you can, stop and seek shelter in a building or underground, such as a
culvert. If you get caught while in the car, do NOT get out of the car. It’s
not entirely safe, but it’s better than the options. Pull off the road, out of
traffic, because that other idiot is still going to be barreling down the road at
70 miles an hour even though he can’t see. Make sure you have your seat
belt on. Put your head down to avoid broken glass and hurled objects.
Cover your head with a blanket or jacket. Do NOT seek shelter under
overpasses. Tornados can move at sixty miles an hour, so think hard before
trying to out-run one. To get an idea of the path of the storm, pick a
stationary object near you and watch how the tornado moves in relation to
that object. If it is moving to your left, drive to the right and vice versa. If it
doesn’t seem to be moving left or right, then it’s either coming right at you
or away from you. If it’s getting bigger, guess which of the two? Get out of
the car and seek safety in a building or culvert if you have the time.
Fire: If you smell burning rubber or plastic or any smoke, immediately
pull over to a safe place and check it out. If a fuse continues to go out, that’s
a sign of a short. Don’t ignore it. Get the car checked out. You must carry a
fire extinguisher in your vehicle, if the fire is fueled by your gas line, forget
about using it and get a safe distance away. At least 150 feet. Warn others in
the area and keep them away while calling 911.
If you skid, turn into the skid to straighten out.
 Never, ever, use gas to start a fire.

P C
Where to sit? Statistics from crashes indicate it’s safest to sit in the rear
of the plane. Yes, I know it takes longer to get on and off, but that’s what
the numbers show. Despite that, I prefer to be near an exit. I’ll take the exit
row every time, and not just for the extra room.
What to wear? There is a reason military flight crews wear a specific
outfit. It’s because the greatest danger is flame. Wear long pants, a long
sleeve shirt, and shoes you can move quickly in: ie, don’t be doing the
Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals.
Keep your seat belt fastened at all times. Flight attendants will tell you
horror stories of abrupt, unexpected turbulence that bounced them off the
ceiling of the plane.
Brace for impact. Feet flat on floor, head tucked in.
If the oxygen masks drop, do put yours on before helping others.
What is the most important thing to know? Where the closest exit is.
Yes, turn and look behind you. Orient yourself to the plane. They put that
safety lighting along the aisles in after learning that in the smoke and
confusion of a crash, people quickly became disoriented.
When evacuating the plane, get away from it. At least five hundred feet
upwind of the plane. Burning fuel is the most dangerous element after a
crash.
Yes, when evacuating, leave it all behind. That computer is not worth
your life or the lives of others.
If you have to put on your life vest (yes, you’re screwed), DO NOT
inflate it until you are out of the plane. Inflating it inside and then having a
water landing, simply traps you inside the plane as the water pouring in will
pin you against whatever part of the plane is right side up.
If your plane crashes in a remote area, should you stay with the plane or
not? Stay. Most planes have a transponder. And it’s easier to find a crash
site than you wandering in the wilderness.
Shift into scavenge mode, using the plane as the source.
39
 SPECIFIC MAN-MADE EVENTS—SAFETY AND
SECURITY

P ower Outage
Cook perishable foods first. Of course, you can only do that if
you have that secondary cooking source, which was covered under
equipment. Do NOT use gas grills or stoves inside. They release carbon
monoxide and can cause death.
Do you have a back up method for heating and cooling? For heating, a
fireplace works. If you have propane in a tank, can you start your fireplace
or heating systems without electricity? Do you know how to work the pilot
light and clicker? For cooling, there are portable fans that are battery
powered, but they have limited life. Have you considered getting a
generator? That house that I just purchased has a whole house generator
that kicks in automatically when the power goes out. It’s claimed that it can
power the entire house for a week on one tank of propane. However, the
reality is, if you use a generator, cut power outage down to the absolutely
essential: refrigerator and heating and cooling at the margins. Turn off all
unnecessary power users. It is not business as usual.
Use your crank power radio for the latest news.
Close the curtains to keep heat or cool in. Also, remember, a basement
will be the most consistent in terms of temperature.
Downed Power Lines:
Shuffle away from downed lines, with your feet close together and in
constant contact with the ground. When a live wire hits the ground, power
goes in all directions. The voltage decreases with distance. Water is a
powerful conductor of electricity, so stay away from wet spots.
 Never drive over a downed line. Even if it doesn’t have power, it can
become entangled in your car.

F
If your clothes catch on fire, Stop-Drop-Roll, to put the fire out.
Close doors behind you as you leave.
If you touch a door handle and its hot, or the door itself is hot, don’t
open that door.
Once out, do not go back in.
If you’re trapped inside the house, stay in a room with the doors closed.
Place a wet towel under the door opening and call 911. If you have a
window, open it and wave something colorful or use a flashlight at night.
If you have to escape through smoke, go low, under the smoke.
If you use a fire extinguisher remember the acronym PASS:
Pull the pin and hold the extinguisher facing away from you.
Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle.
Sweep the extinguisher from side to side until the fire is out.

Robbery
This is when you are confronted outside of your home and someone
wants to take something of value from you, whether it be your wallet,
purse, watch, car, etc.
The rule is simple: give it up.
You are more valuable than any material object.
The most important thing is to remain calm and don’t panic. Remember,
the robber is often in a turbulent emotional state and could be under the
influence of drugs or alcohol. Your panic could add to their panic.
Make eye contact while you agree to comply. Move slowly. Hand over
whatever they want. Do not act overly weak or aggressive. Try to remember
as much about them as possible. Let them get away, then call 911.

C U and Riots
 This can quickly become an extreme emergency on a local or large-
scale level. The psychology of crowds is very interesting, but suffice it to
say people act very differently when in groups and especially when scared
and/or angry.
To get through the initial stages of a riot, you must learn how to survive
your fellow human beings.
If you can prepare and have to travel through an area that might have a
riot, carry a solution for rinsing your eyes out in case of tear gas.
Make sure you have identification.
When traveling, aim for as many crossroads as possible because they
give you three options for directions.
Remain calm.
Hide. Avoidance is always best.
Blend in while moving away. Avoid law enforcement if they have
donned their riot gear because they will tend to arrest first and ask questions
later.
If you must pass through rioters/looters/etc. wear long sleeves, long
pants, consider a motorcycle or other helmet.
Walk, don’t run. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t confront people. Don’t
stop. Don’t run as you might attract attention. If you’re with someone from
your team, hold hands tightly.
Don’t get involved. It’s not your riot.
Stay close to walls, on the edges of crowds. Avoid bottlenecks.
If you’re in your car, don’t stop. You are in a position of power as long
you keep moving, slowly but surely. Don’t speed up or act aggressive.
People will give way. Keep your doors locked and your windows up.
Riots usually happen on streets, not in buildings. Get off the street and
into a building. Stay away from windows. Look for another exit. Be careful
of fire.
If necessary, on foot, go with the flow. Become part of the crowd and
edge your path away from the violence.

T A
Top targets for homicide bombers: subways, train and busses. Malls.
Restaurants and night clubs. Stadiums. Movie theaters. Schools. Churches.
In essence, places where people gather together tightly. Whenever you are
in such a place, you should always be aware of where the nearest exit is.
Actually, any time you’re indoors, you should always know where the exits
are. That knowledge can save your life. Think if the power goes off, a fire
starts, someone begins shooting. In the panic, it’s hard to do what you
should have done upon first entering the place.
Be aware. Those warnings not to leave your luggage unattended in the
airport are serious. If you see someone walk away from a bag, that’s
something you shouldn’t ignore.
If you are ever in a hostage situation, realize that when the good guys
break in to free you, they’re going to cuff everyone until they can sort out
who is who. A trick kidnappers can play is to tape toy guns to hostages’
hands, or pretend to be hostages themselves in order to escape. Let the
experts do their job.
If you are at home and hear of a terrorist attack nearby, stay at home. Do
not go out. Listen to reliable media sources.
A suicide bomber is carrying a bomb. That sounds self-explanatory, but
you need to consider where the bomb is. If it’s a vest, they will appear
unnaturally bulky. If someone is wearing a coat or jacket that is
inappropriate to the weather, that’s a warning sign. If they’re carrying it in a
backpack, briefcase, etc. they often will clutch it to their chest just prior to
detonation.
If a bomb goes off, be aware that a common plot is to have follow on
bombs designated to kill the first responders. Do not gather in the area
unless you are helping those injured, and even then, be aware there could be
secondary or follow on attacks.
While it is best to run away, as a last ditch effort, an effective way to
disrupt a homicide bomber is to go low and take their legs out from under
them. It is an instinct that a person will put out their hands to break their
fall, thus releasing the detonation switch. Unless it’s a dead man’s switch in
which case releasing it makes it go off. It’s pretty much a sucky situation all
around and you can only do the best you can.

A S
Remember these three words: RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.
If you can, evacuate. Leave regardless of what others want to do. Leave
everything behind, just like escaping a plane. Help others escape if they
want to come, but do not move wounded people. Keep your hands visible as
you exit so police can see you are not armed. Follow the instructions of the
police, no matter what they tell you to do. If they tell you face down on the
ground, get face down on the ground. There is a good chance you will be
cuffed.
If you can’t evacuate. If you are in a hallway, get into the nearest room.
Secure the door in the room. Lock it and blockade it with the heaviest
objects you can place against it. Silence your cell phone. Turn off any other
sources of noise. Hide behind large objects (desks, filing cabinets, etc.).
Remain quiet.
Call 911. If you can’t talk, leave the phone on so the dispatcher can
listen.
If, as a last resort, you must take action, act aggressively and without
reserve. Throw whatever is handy, scream and charge. Take them down.

U how law enforcement will be reacting.

They will usually assault in teams. They could be wearing a variety of
uniforms, since they might be responding from different agencies. They
might use gas, flash-bangs, and other non-lethals to secure an area.
Do not have anything in your hands. Keep your hands visible at all
times. Don’t make any quick movements. If they are passing you by,
searching for the shooter, move in the direction they came from. Remember,
the initial breaching team will not stop to provide assistance to wounded.
They are going for the shooter. Medical personnel will be following. If you
are able, help the medical personnel as they arrive.
If you can, provide police or the dispatcher with the following
information:
Location of the shooter. Number of shooters. Description of shooter.
Number and type of weapons. Number and location of victims.
Once you are out, you will be held in an area until the situation is under
control. Do not leave until instructed.

Specific Man-Made Events—Nuclear, Biological and Chemical

N P
Here are the keys to minimize your exposure:
Distance. Get away. The further you are from the source of the
radiation, the better. If it is going into the air, check prevailing wind
patterns. If you want some history on this, check out how Chernobyl
dispersed radiation across Russia and Europe.
Shielding. Put heavy, dense, material between you and the source of the
radiation. That is why paper works well. Hunker down in the middle of a
library. Or a records center.
There are a series of alerts, curiously named mostly to prevent panic,
that you should be aware of if you live near a reactor:
Notification of Unusual Event: A minor problem has occurred but no
radiation has leaked or is expected to leak. We’re just notifying you because
the law says so and we want to scare you. But no action on your part is
necessary.
Alert: A small problem has occurred and small amounts of radiation
have or may leak inside the facility. This won’t affect you—we hope—and
you don’t have to do anything. Personally, I’d be bugging out. Because they
are, in essence, telling you they’ve had a breach of containment. They
wouldn’t be telling you that unless absolutely necessary.
Site Area Emergency: They’re a little vague on this one. Area sirens
may sound. Listen to your radio or television for safety info. I’d be listening
to the radio while leaving.
General Emergency: Radiation could be coming off the plant site.
Sirens are sounding. Tune to radio/TV for information. I’d check the
information first, before bugging. Because you might be better off
hunkering down inside your house than going through a radiation cloud.

M in a nuclear emergency:
Keep windows closed in your house and car. Use re-circulating air.
If you are advised to stay in your house, turn of the air conditioner,
ventilation fans, furnace and any other air intakes into the house. Go to the
basement or other underground area.
 If you have been exposed to nuclear radiation take off all clothing. Bag
it and seal it. Don’t ever wear it again. Safely dispose of as soon as possible.
Take a thorough shower. You are literally washing radiation off you. Put
fresh, unexposed clothing on. Any exposed food should be disposed off.
The bottom line is to get as far away as quickly and as far and fast as
possible if you can.

N W
Duck and cover. How many remember that?
A nuclear attack could be limited to a single explosion or a World War.
Let’s focus on what you should do:
First, a nuclear war probably won’t happen in a vacuum. Keep an eye
on the news. Currently the situation between Israel and Iran, or North and
South Korea, are the most likely flashpoint for a nuclear exchange. It is
more likely there could be a small yield nuclear explosion by terrorists and
it will probably be a ‘dirty’ bomb. That means the fallout is more dangerous
than the actual explosion, as the fallout will be very radioactive.
We have DEFCON levels, which are defense readiness conditions for
the Armed Forces.
DEFCON 5: lowest state of readiness. Supposed to be the norm.
DEFCON 4: Increased intelligence watch and strengthened security
measures. Above normal readiness, but no running around screaming in the
streets yet.
DEFCON 3: Increase in force readiness. This is when alerts go out to
military forces to up their alert status. The Air Force is on 15 minutes notice
to mobilize. Still no running around screaming but take some deep breaths.
DEFCON 2: The next step will be nuclear war. All military units are
ready to engage in six hours. Start screaming.
DEFCON 1: Nuclear war is imminent. The code name for this is
Cocked Pistol, which gives you an idea.
We’ve never gone to DEFCON 1. Publicly, we’ve gone to DEFCON 2
once, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. On 9-11, we went to DEFCON 3.
O that a nuke has gone off somewhere is the EMP effect. If all
electronic devices suddenly fail, assume a nuclear bomb has been detonated
high in the atmosphere and expect more to be coming.
If a nuke goes off, seek shelter immediately. The first sign of an
explosion will be a flash, which travels at the speed of light. Behind the
flash comes the shock wave, so you will have some moments to react. Do
not look in the direction of the blast. If outdoors, seek a depressed area,
exposing as little of your skin as possible. If indoors, get away from
windows and fight the temptation to look to see what the bright light was
about—the imploding window will likely kill you with lacerations. If you
survive the initial blast, you have to take the correct steps to stay alive.
Most people who survive initially, will want to flee. However, this is the
exact wrong thing to do. You are exposing yourself to fallout by fleeing.
The blast has thrown a large amount of irradiated debris into the air. This
fallout will be coming down. You don’t want it to come down on you. Your
goal is to place the most protection between you and the fallout and
radiation. Ideally be underground.
Fallout tapers off relatively quickly. After an hour it’s down about 50%.
After a day it can be down to only 20%. So these first hours are critical.
After that, the issue is whether this has been a large-scale attack or a
local event. If a local event, wait for responders. If a large-scale event, time
to bug out.

I D and Biological and Chemical Weapons and

Accidents
A pandemic will most likely consist of a virus. Viruses are tiny
organisms, 100 times smaller than a single bacteria cell. They are an
infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein
coat that is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host. Thus, by
itself, the virus is not alive. It needs a host. When a virus infects a host, it
invades the cells and take them over in order to carry out its own life
process of multiplication and growth.
An infected cell produces viral particles instead of doing its normal
functions. When a virus infects a host, it invades the cells and take them
over in order to carry out its own life process of multiplication and growth.
 Anthrax is the most likely agent to be used. It is pretty much 100%
deadly when it enters a person’s lungs. A minimum fatal dose is one spore
and the problem is the symptoms don’t show up for days. However, the
spores are highly static and tend to clump together and with dust and dirt,
making them too big to actually get into the lungs. Thus a package
containing anthrax would be very dangerous to the person opening it, or an
anthrax bomb deadly for those directly exposed to it, but beyond that
immediate circle, others could quickly clear the area and be safe, because it
has a very low rate of secondary uptake. This means once it’s on the
ground, it tends to stay there. So if you are in an area where anthrax is
released, go to a sealed room and wait it out. Of more concern is smallpox,
because it spreads more easily and is more persistent, although its lethality
rate is lower. The problem is that you must quarantine people who are
exposed because symptoms might not appear for several weeks.

W the Six Stages of a pandemic?

The World Health Organization has a Six Stage influenza program, plus
two Periods:
Stage 1 No animal influenza virus circulating among animals have been
reported to cause infection in humans.
Stage 2 An animal influenza virus circulating in domesticated or wild
animals is known to have caused infection in humans and is therefore
considered a specific potential pandemic threat.
Stage 3 An animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has
caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not
resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-
level outbreaks.
Stage 4 Human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal
influenza reassortant virus able to sustain community-level outbreaks has
been verified.
According to the WHO, if an influenza pandemic were to emerge
today, we could expect:
As people today are highly internationally mobile, the pandemic virus
would spread rapidly around the world.
Vaccines, antiviral agents, and antibiotics to treat secondary infections
would quickly be in short supply.
 Several months would be needed before any vaccine became available.
This is because some pandemic viruses are new ones.
Medical facilities would be overwhelmed.
There would be sudden and potentially considerable shortages of
personnel to provide vital community services as the illness became
widespread.
Stage 5 The same identified virus has caused sustained community
level outbreaks in two or more countries in one WHO region.
Phase 6 In addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5, the same virus has
caused sustained community level outbreaks in at least one other country in
another WHO region.
LOST PEAK PERIOD Levels of pandemic influenza in most
countries with adequate surveillance have dropped below peak levels.
POST PANDEMIC PERIOD Levels of influenza activity have
returned to the levels seen for seasonal influenza in most countries with
adequate surveillance.

W T D ?
Depending on where you live and how much you travel will determine
what your chances of getting infected. If you live in an urban setting, the
chances are higher. Whether it’s a pandemic or just the flu, here are basic
steps to take:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Throw it away after use.
Use a mask if you become aware that people are getting sick. Actually,
it might look odd seeing those people in airports wearing a mask, but it’s a
good idea. Better to look a bit foolish than catch something that will make
you sick and might possibly kill you.
Wash your hands with soap and water. Use disinfection.
Stay away from the sick people.
Stay away from crowds.
If it’s a true pandemic, it’s not likely that a hospital is a place to go as it
will quickly become overwhelmed with the sick and dying.
The bottom line is to stay aware and isolate yourself and your team as
quickly as possible.
I at home when there is a chemical/biological attack or accident,
shut all air intake into the house: windows, doors, garage. Turn off your
heating/air conditioning. You do not want air circulating inside the house or
coming in from outside. Choose the room that has the least windows and
doors. Run tape along any windows where there are seams. Cover the
windows with polyethylene sheeting.
You should have one room in the house designated as the safe room to
survive the initial stages of a nuclear, chemical or biological incident. When
you have all team members and supplies in the room, finish sealing it by
taping around the door, paying particular attention to the gap between the
bottom of the door and the floor. You can use a wet towel and then tape it
over. Look for any air vents (either in or out) and seal those with sheeting.
40
 SPECIFIC NATURAL DISASTERS

T
NOW!
ornado
Tornados strike with little warning. If an alarm or alert has been
sounded, even if you don’t see one, assume it’s there. Seek shelter.

Underground is always best for a shelter. Those areas that are prone to
tornadoes have designated shelters. If your house is in a tornado area, you
should have a room, a neighbor’s house with a room, or a shelter already
decided upon.
If a shelter is not available, go to the basement of a building. Stay away
from windows and glass. Cover yourself with a mattress, cushions, blankets
or a sleeping bag. Look around you for objects that could be blown over
and don’t be in their path if they fall.
If stuck in a building with no basement, go the lowest floor and the
smallest room near the center of the house. Or under a stairwell or in an
interior hallway with no windows. Bathrooms are good because you have
pipes in the wall which help strengthen them and you can lie in the bathtub.
Lie on the ground, face down, and cover your head with your hands and
arms. If you have a strong table, take cover under that. Cover yourself with
cushions, blankets or a mattress.
Stay in your safe place until well after the danger has passed. Have your
G&G bag with you with your crank radio so you can check in to the
National Weather Service.
When you do leave your shelter, be careful. Avoid power lines and
water that might be touched by power lines. Stay clear of buildings as they
still might collapse. Avoid using open flame as it’s likely there are gas
leaks.

H
Evacuate.
Board and tape windows. Plywood is best for covering window. For
taping, use alligator tape, not duct tape. Masking tape is not useful.
Fasten your roof down to the house with tie down straps. Really long
ones. You need to have these on hand before the hurricane is coming.
Turn off gas and/or propane.
Clear away debris that can be picked up and smash into the house and
windows.
Secure all outdoor furniture. If you have a pool, put the furniture into
the water.
Make sure your garage doors are closed.
Looking at the deaths from Hurricane Sandy, over half of them were
from falling trees/limbs. Make sure the trees around your house are
properly trimmed and if old and unstable, pay to have them removed. It’s
worth your life and your family’s lives.
As the storm approaches, turn your freezer and refrigerator to their
coldest settings.
Pack any coolers with as much ice as possible. Use them first instead of
opening the refrigerator door. If you grew up like I did, your dad was
always yelling at your for opening the fridge door anyway.
Fill bathtubs with water.
Make sure all vehicles are topped off.
Know where the closest shelter is for you and for your pets.
If you have to evacuate leave a note saying where you are going.
Unplug everything before leaving.
Turn off electricity, gas and water.
After the hurricane passes, beware of flooding.
Use flashlights or chem lights, never candles.
Do not use tap water after the storm until you are sure it isn’t
contaminated.
EVACUATE.
If you did not evacuate and it strikes, then you are in tornado mode.
H W and Drought
Keep your air-conditioning at a livable level. However, if there is a
power outage or you don’t have air-conditioning there are things to keep in
mind. Lower floors are always cooler as heat rises. Close shades and lower
blinds. Go somewhere that does have air conditioning such as a mall or
theater.
Drink sufficient water but don’t overdo it. During heat waves and also
athletic events, there is the danger of over-hydration. This is a potentially
fatal condition. Not long ago a student in Ranger School died from this. You
drink too much water for your kidneys to process. It’s not just the amount,
but how quickly you drink the water.
Drinking too much water increases the amount of water in your blood.
This dilutes the electrolytes, especially sodium. Sodium is critical in
balancing the fluid inside and outside of cells. When there is an imbalance
from over-hydration, sodium moves inside the cells, causing them to swell.
This is particularly dangerous to your brain cells.
A dangerous thing about hyponatremia (what this is called) is that it can
be confused with dehydration and people can force the victim to drink more
water. Extreme sports athletes are at risk for this, as well people during a
heat wave.
Without access to special medications, primary treatment for this to stop
the water intake. If symptoms are not extreme, try to balance out the sodium
with a sports that contains sodium.
Eat lighter meals during a heat wave so the body doesn’t have work as
hard digesting, producing more internal heat. Keep your skin covered. If
outdoors, wear a hat to protect from sunlight. Wear lighter colors to reflect
sunlight.
Use fans in your house to promote circulation of air. In the evening at
night, open windows to let in cooler air, then close them in the morning
along with blinds and shades.
Turn off extra sources of heat such as lights and appliances. Don’t use
the stove or oven.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine as they are diuretics and dehydrate you.
Recognize heat-related illness symptoms. Covered under first aid earlier
in this manual.
 Remember your pets. They also suffer in a heat wave. Put them in the
shower. Give them a cool, wet towel to lie on. Make sure they have plenty
of water to drink.
Heat waves contribute to drought.
Use rain barrels and other ways of collecting rain water. The typical
roof produces 500 gallons of run off from just one inch of rain! Typically
the water is considered non-potable, but it can be used for a variety of uses,
and can be filtered in an emergency.
Make sure the dishwasher and clothes washer are full before using.
Don’t leave water running on a faucet. Take shorter showers.

R that drought can lead to . . .

W F
The wind throws embers one mile or more ahead of the flames. These
embers start new fires. A fast wild fire has an intense wall of heat in front of
it. Even if the flames haven’t arrived, it will combust the most flammable
material.
As the main fire approaches your house, strong winds blow embers
everywhere possible – under decks, against wood fences, into woodpiles,
and through open doors and windows. Embers blown onto the roof can
come to rest in piles of dry leaves.
In some places the air is so smoky that you can’t see more than 10 feet.
Close to where the fire is burning most intensely, the air is far too hot to
breathe.
The rising smoke and ash create winds on the ground causing all the
fires to burn even more intensely.
 Fires like this occur every year. Wild fires don’t just happen in the
summer; in many areas fires can happen year round. When it is dry and
windy be watchful and be prepared to take action to protect your family and
property.
To prepare your home if you live in an area prone to wildfires, here is a
list of things to do:
Keep your roof and gutters free of leaves.
Store firewood at least 30 feet away from structures. The nice pile up
against the side of your house is called fuel for a wildfire.
Your outdoor furniture should be made of noncombustible materials.
Clear the area around your house of other combustible material such as
leaves, bark, pine needles and underbrush. Especially trim grass and brush
around your propane tank. Optimally you want a hundred foot barrier of no
trees, shrubs or bushes around your house.
When building walls, barriers, gates, landscaping, etc use
noncombustible materials.
When evacuating a wildfire, you should leave as soon as you receive
notice. Considering there is a chance your house might not be there for you
to come back to, besides your G&G bag, also take that fireproof container
with all your key documents in it. And your pets. Beyond that, forget about
it. Just like below, when discussing a tsunami, people are more important
than any keepsake. And wild fires move fast!
While evacuating, make sure you have enough gas. This goes back to
always keeping your tank at least half full and having at least a five gallon
spare can that you can grab to take with you.
Leave any gates open for firefighters and others.
Drive with headlights on. If it’s smoky, close all windows, and
recirculate air inside the vehicle.
If you get trapped, park in an area that is clear of vegetation (parking
lot, gravel area, dirt), close all windows and vents, cover yourself with a
blanket or coat and lie on the floor. Car tires may burst from heat.
In an extreme situation, you have to consider whether you can stay in
your house only if: your only escape route is blocked; smoke is so thick you
can’t travel; you don’t have time to evacuate; or emergency personnel tell
you to.
You cannot stay in your house if: you have wood siding or shingles;
you’re located in a narrow canyon or on a steep slope; you have a lot of
vegetation close around the house. Find a neighbor with a better house.
If you do stay in a house, do the following: use a sprinkler or the
sprinkler system to wet the yard. Wet the roof with a hose. Turn off all
propane and gas. Close all windows and doors. Move fabric covered
furniture away from large windows or sliding doors. Turn off everything
that circulates air through the house. Close all interior doors.
On the opposite extreme from wild fires, there is . . .

B
Like a hurricane, there is usually warning before a blizzard strikes. A
blizzard is defined as a severe snowstorm with sustained winds over 35
miles per hour and lasting more than three hours.
Build your shelter. Get a fire going.

E
If you’re indoors, stay there.
Get under and hold onto a desk or table. Or stand against an interior
wall.
Stay clear of exterior walls, glass, heavy furniture, fireplace and
appliances.
Stay out of the kitchen.
If in an office building, stay away from exterior walls and glass.
Do not use elevators.
If you’re outside, get into the open, clear of buildings, power lines, trees
or anything else that can fall on you.
If you’re driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. DO NOT park
under bridges or overpasses. Get clear of trees, light posts and power lines.
If you resume driving, watch out for road hazards, broken levels of roads,
and downed power lines.
If you are in a mountainous area, be aware of the potential for
landslides.
After an earthquake, watch out for fire hazards. Shut off valves for gas.
If electrical wiring is damaged, turn off the main breaker.
If you are near the ocean be aware of . . .
T
Again, you should be relatively well prepared based on what you’ve
already done from this book. Here are specifics for a tsunami:
If you live in a tsunami zone, any earthquake should be cause for
concern. Even one across the ocean.
If the water recedes suddenly, get out. Don’t go pick up the flopping
fish or you’ll end up being one.
If animals start acting strangely, or running away, follow. Animals are
often a good indicator that something in nature is abnormal. Often they are
smarter than us. They don’t grab a flashlight in a horror movie to go
investigate that strange noise in the basement.
Evacuate when warned. Right away. Don’t stop to gather personal
items. Get your Grab-n-GoG and go.
Make sure you have a vehicle route and a walking route to higher
ground. In the panic of evacuation, the vehicle route can turn into an
obstacle.
Bottom line, get to higher ground. If you caught as it hits, climb a large
tree, go up the stairs to the roof. Do not stop to watch the tsunami.
If you are caught in the water, grab onto something that floats. The real
danger is being smashed against other objects. You also might get washed
out to sea.
Do not return until officially notified. Sometimes tsunamis come in
groups.

V
Leave immediately if ordered to evacuate. Keep tuned in on your radio
for the latest updates.
Get to high ground. Lava follows the rule of gravity. Don’t try to outrun
it, try to out-altitude it.
Avoid breathing poisonous gasses. Do not go to low ground as gasses
accumulate there.
The gas flow from an eruption can expand at over 300 miles an hour.
Beware of roof collapse if a lot of ash is being deposited.
 Never try to cross a lava flow even if it appears the surface has cooled
and solidified.
Most people die in mudflows and flooding after an eruption. Thus, even
though you are out of the immediate danger, be aware of these other
dangers.

M /L Slide
Warning signs:
Periods of heavy rainfall or snow melt saturate the ground and cause
instability in sloped areas. Areas prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires
and other natural disasters are also prone to slides. Roads cut through hills
and mountains are susceptible since the natural geography has been
disturbed. Locations at the base of steep ridgelines, hills and mountains are
in danger.
If you’re in a building and notice cracks developing in the walls, that’s a
sign that trouble is coming. More signs:
If doors and windows begin to get jammed.
Utility lines start to break.
Fences, poles, and trees start to tilt.
Water starts accumulating in abnormal places.
The terrain starts to bulge or starts slanting at the base of the slope.
GET OUT.
If trapped in your home as its occurring, move to the highest floor.

D
Get out of channels below the dams. Most people killed in a dam
emergency are caught by the massive amount of water being channeled
downstream and the debris carried with it.
Avoid moving water. Even just half a foot of rushing water can take
your feet out from under you. The odds are you won’t drown: you’ll get
bashed to death as you are tumbled downstream.

F
 A flood WATCH means a flood is possible.
A flood WARNING means the flood is happening.
If you have time, move valuables in your house to the highest level
before evacuating.
When evacuating, move to higher ground, away from water sources,
such as rivers and lakes.
Never go around a barrier on a road during a flood. It’s there for a
reason. To keep you from being dumb.
If evacuating in your car, avoid standing water. Drive very, very slowly.
Many people have lost their lives driving into a dip in the road and
submerging their vehicle.
Don’t walk through moving water. Even very shallow water can knock
you off your feet and sweep you into deeper water.
Flash floods kill a lot of people every year. Here are the keys:
Never drive through a flooded road or bridge.
Stay to high ground.
Keep track of weather information. Just because it’s not raining where
you are, doesn’t mean it’s not raining up-water.
Do not stay in a flooded car.
If the car is swept away or submerged, stay calm and wait for the
vehicle to fill with water. The doors will not open before then (although you
might try to get out the sunroof). Open the door, hold your breath, and swim
for the surface. You will now be in the current. Point your feet downstream.
Go over obstacles, never under. Strive to angle toward dry ground, but don’t
fight directly against the current.
If you are stuck above the flash flood, such as in a tree, stay in place and
wait for rescue rather than risking the fast-moving water.
41
 STOCKPILE, SCAVENGE, SUSTAIN

T hese are the three stages of dealing with emergencies and natural
disasters.

Stockpile

Y ’ this using The Green Beret Preparation and

Survival Guide. However, if there is an impending emergency or natural
disaster, you still have some time to do more.
Stockpile up to mild level initially, then move on to moderate and then
extreme.
42
 SCAVENGE

Y ou will probably begin scavenging even while in the stockpile

stage if the emergency or catastrophe is a high level moderate or
extreme. If you can add to your supplies, do so. Legally.
The two variables are expected length of the emergency and type.
Sustain
Sustainment occurs when it becomes clear things will not return to normal.

Y in the stockpile stage. You’ve prepared your home,

your ERP, your car, and your Grab-n-Go bags.
So let’s discuss Scavenge and Sustain.

B :

F ’ extinction events.
This falls under extreme emergency.
In that case, forget about it, as we used to say in the da’ Bronx.
However, don’t just assume it’s over. There is a theory that mankind went
through a population bottleneck 75,000 years ago when Mount Toba
erupted. Based on DNA, it seems we might all be descendents of that
handful of people who survived. I would always assume I’m part of the
survival group. That’s the mindset you need.
Special Forces Assessment & Selection Thought:

Defeat isn’t bitter if you don’t swallow it.

I’ to cover some of the more likely ways our civilization can

collapse to give you methods to survive the collapse. Also, give you insight
on how to cope with some specific extreme emergencies. Beyond the first
thirty days, you’re going into sustainment mode and I cover that in detail in
the second book in this series: The Green Beret Sustainment Guide After
The Apocalypse, Zombies & More.

W the collapse of civilization?

World War III.
The use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons on a large scale.
A series of local conflicts that disrupt trade and commerce on an
international level.
Water shortages. This is one of the most glaring threats to our world.
Many places in the world already lack clean water. I predict that wars in the
future will not be over oil, but over water.
Climate change. While people debate this, I prefer to deal with the
scientific reality that we are damaging our environment and Mother Nature
has a way of equalizing things.
A large solar flare that bathes the planet in an EMP pulse that destroys
electronics.
A pandemic. When we cover this in a bit, realize one will happen and
sooner, rather than later.
Over-population, which leads to a depletion of resources.
Zombies. Which actually is a form of pandemic.
A meteor strike of sufficient size.
 A volcanic eruption that spreads enough ash to start the equivalent of a
nuclear winter.
Economic disruption that spreads. We’re seeing Europe in the midst of
an economic meltdown. What if what is happening in Greece spreads?
For a long time Peak Oil was a looming catastrophe that many pundits
thundered about. While we are still overly reliant on oil and need to wean
ourselves from it, it seems as if technology is finding ways to pull oil out of
places that weren’t considered before. Actually, the next great change of
technology will be when someone invents an effective capacitor than can
store energy efficiently, thus allowing wind, sun, water, tidal and other
forms of energy to be stored.
Remember that great civilizations have collapsed before. Often it wasn’t
a single event, but an accumulation of events. The Mayans, Mesopotamia,
Persia, Greece, Rome, and on and on. While I am not an alarmist, I think
we have a reasonably good chance of seeing a major disruption of our way
of life in the next thirty years. As they used to say in the old Army, when
they had cigarettes in the C-Rations: Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
Less than that, there are a number of various possibilities. What most
people fail to realize is how fragile civilization is, and how easily it can
break down, with a domino effect that will be shocking.
In researching this, I found many of those addressing this issue are
either naïve or gloss over the depth of what will happen. Many dwell on
political issues. I’m just going to focus on the practical issues.
While New York and New Jersey struggle to recover from Hurricane
Sandy, a friend just emailed that they got their power back, and a crew from
Alabama had been working in their neighborhood day and night doing this.
While this shows the great spirit of America, it occurs to me that that crew
would not be there is Alabama needed them. This is key: a large-scale
catastrophe that covers most of a continent will preclude aid from inside
that continent.

Pre-Collapse
There are stages to surviving an extreme emergency. While a dramatic
event might bring it about, it is more likely you will see many signs
indicating the collapse is coming. Most people will ignore these signs. The
closest I can liken it to is Germany in the 1930s. Many people saw what
was coming; the vast majority chose to ignore it. On a much lower level, as
the housing market bubbled and boiled in 2006, my wife and I sold our
house, against the advice of pretty much everyone. We crunched the
numbers and also accepted that things had to change, and not in a good
way.
You will see signs of bad things coming. A highly contagious plague is
something we’ll discuss. It won’t happen overnight. Severe power outages
that don’t get better are another sign.
The key to pre-collapse is, like everything in this book, to prepare. The
base level of survival, Grab & Go bags, etc. will not be sufficient. Some
preparations can be integrated into your current life as a way of living, such
as growing a garden. But you have to start now.
I’m not going to cover the likelihood of various scenarios, because it’s
just as likely a random, unexpected event can cause the collapse of
civilization as easily as war, peak oil, global warming, etc etc.
The bottom line is it isn’t going to be pretty. You can expect food
shortages, fuel shortages, riots, power outages, martial law, war and the
complete breakdown of law and order.
And that’s only the first month.
I cannot overemphasize how quickly the veneer of civilization can be
stripped away. Some of the ethnic fighting in various places around the
world have shown how quickly apparently civilized people can rapidly fall
into barbarism. In 10 th Special Forces, I found many of our soldiers were
most dismayed by the fighting they saw in the Balkans because those places
seemed so much like their own home (Sarajevo hosted the Olympics not
long before the war). We tend to think this “can’t happen here” but it can.
Another key to wrap your brain around is that there won’t be any help
coming. Once civilization breaks down, there won’t be a reaching out from
any remaining pockets. They will be desperate for their own survival.
Supermarkets have a three-day supply of food. The world, the entire world,
has about a month and a half supply. One of the signs will be panic buying.
Right now we’re seeing long lines for gas in the area struck by Hurricane
Sandy and many of those people actually don’t need gas—they’re
panicking. You don’t want to be caught up in the panic.
On the plus side, you will be amazed how quickly many human beings
can adapt to a change in their standard of living. While we will miss our
cell phones and lights and supermarkets, we can adapt and evolve.
 I started this book by discussing the mindset needed to survive. An
extreme emergency requires an extreme mindset. You have to let go of
many habits.
So what do you need to do to prepare?
Prioritize your needs based on your area study. The first question is if
you can even stay where you are. If you are in a metropolitan area, most
likely not. If you live in the suburbs, consider that you will see massive
urban flight through your communities. Where can you go? This is taking
the concept of the hide site to a whole new level. Since you have now done
all your preparations for mild and moderate emergencies it’s time to take it
to the next level and prepare for an extreme emergency.
The priorities are the same except on a sustainable, long-term basis:
water, food, shelter.
The key word is sustainable. You can stock up a year’s worth of food
and have a water source, but that’s not sustainable. Also, a food stock, like
any other, is subject to being taken from you.
Here’s a sobering thought: few areas in the United States are locally
self-sustaining. Without industrialized food processing, we simply can’t
produce enough food to feed our current population level. Think what that
means: many people will starve to death. Starving people are desperate
people and they will do anything to get food. So your food stock will be
like fresh brains to zombies.
Can you live off the land? Do you know how? Do you want to learn
how to?
There are things you can stock up on that will be useful. While initially,
cash and valuables such as gold coins might have value, when things get
desperate enough, other things will become more precious. Weapons and
ammunition are two of those. Medical supplies are another. So is food.
I’m not going to rehash what’s already been covered in equipment.
Look at what has been discussed and then consider it in terms of years of
use. The Sustainment book goes into making it past the thirty-day mark and
into the future.

Collapse
Run for the hills boys!
 Not necessarily. Evaluate the situation. If you are not in immediate
danger, this is a moment when taking your time is important. Gather as
much information as possible, understanding that you will hear conflicting
accounts. There will be an effort by those in power to suppress panic.
Remember reading or hearing about the original broadcast of War of the
Worlds? Panic can cause tremendous problems and is dangerous, but in an
extreme survival situation, you have to make your own decisions.
There were those on 9-11 who evacuated the second tower, and then
went back to their offices when given the all clear. I’ve listened to tapes of
some of those people on their cell phones, decrying this decision as they
were trapped after the second plane hit. Be very leery of those who declare
an emergency over. In many emergency situations there are after-effects,
whether it be follow-on earthquakes, more bombs set for first responders in
a terrorist attack, or others.
How do you know civilization has collapsed? When the infrastructure
(electricity, roads, rail, flight) fails and does not appear to be coming back
any time soon. Many people will wait for “them” to help. Unfortunately,
“them” will be in the same situation. As you will see in the Sustainment
book, it’s a question of considering your hide site your new home, or, if
untenable, moving until you find a locale you can develop a self-sustaining
community for your team.

S C
Understand that a collapse can be a gradual thing or it can happen very
quickly. There are some keys that collapse is imminent. Steer away from
the fear mongers who warn you that society is going to collapse and you
should run out and invest in gold or whatever product they’re hawking.
Their goal is to make money, which makes little sense if they truly believe
society is collapsing. My theory here is that it is a possibility, but not a
probability.

S :
Power outages that cover entire regions and show little sign of
being restored.
Multiple nuclear explosions.
A solar flare that fries the world’s electrical grid.
When an endemic (confined to a particular area) becomes a
pandemic (spread over all areas). A pandemic also has a higher
infection rate and usually a higher kill rate.
Remember, a huge problem you will face is that most people,
unlike you, are not prepared for emergencies. Panic is inevitable
regardless of the emergency, especially if it affects everyone in
your area.
Scavenge
Consider this stage two ways. The most obvious is when you have to do the
scavenging. But there is also the danger of those who try to scavenge you
and your stockpile, since you are already prepared.

D : Here are keys:

Be aware of your situation. What are current threats, growing threats
and potential threats?
Avoid conflict if at all possible.
Are you armed? Are you willing to use your weapons?
Make your situation a hard target. Simple scavengers go for the easiest
targets first. How many people know you have stockpiled supplies? This is
not something you want to broadcast. If they know, do they know you are
also prepared to defend your home?
Act decisively. This is something you should have done during your
Area Study. How far are you willing to go to defend your home and when
will you bug out? You will go even further to defend your ERP/base camp,
because you wouldn’t be in them if it wasn’t a high moderate to extreme
emergency.
Be prepared to retreat. You defend up to a point, but discretion is
smarter than being overwhelmed. Part of bugging out of your home is when
you know it is no longer defendable. In your ERP/base camp, you have
designated your Rally Point and kept your Grab-n-Go bag packed. In the
face of overwhelming attack, retreat.
Your first choice is to scare scavengers off. Your second is to retreat.
Your last option is to incapacitate scavengers. If you go to this mode it’s all
or nothing.
A sad reality of extreme situations is that the bad people will be more
decisive and act more ruthlessly than the good people.
You want to be the alive people.
T a line between scavenging and looting. That lines moves as the
situation becomes more extreme. In a life and death situation, there is no
line.
People will loot if given the opportunity. A power outage in an urban
environment is one such opportunity. During this, your goal is stay secure.
Looters are not looking for things they need to survive. They’re simply
criminals taking advantage of the situation.
The timeline on when people turn into scavenger depends, but during
Hurricane Katrina, things deteriorated after only 48 hours.
Scavengers take only what they need for survival. However, scavenging
other people in a survival situation is criminal and unethical. You scavenge
places, not people.
Where to Scavenge
This is only limited by your imagination and location. As with every topic,
there are so many variables, so there are no hard and fast rules.
A major consideration is to accept that if you are in scavenge mode, so
are others. Less prepared people will actually go into those mode before
you do. Thus, they will be more experienced. They will also be more
desperate.
Be counter-intuitive. Don’t go for the obvious.
Where to scavenge will be determined by what supplies you need in
priority order. How much you scavenge depends on how desperate your
situation is.
This is something you should have considered during your Area Study.
Take a look at your map. What’s in the area? Housing, factories, parks,
businesses, hospitals, schools, etc.?

T a list of locations, along with what can be found there.

Note that some places will yield supplies you might not expect to find there.

H . Make sure any home you scavenge isn’t occupied. It’s not worth
fighting over. You’ll search depending on your needs. Meds? Food?
Clothing? Don’t forget the attic, basement and garage. Garages can yield
surprising results. Consider sustainment items such as seeds and gardening
tools. Trash bags for waterproofing and carrying your supplies. Something
that people will miss are water filters! A high end home might have very
effective filters that you can rip out and use at your base camp. Coffee
filters are also useful to clean water before having to boil it. View the house
as you did when you were looking at your own house for survival. There is
drinkable water in the same places—the water heater for example.
Apartment buildings. More bang to time than single houses as they
hold multiple homes. Don’t forget the parking garage where you can search
...
 Cars and trucks. If you are mobile in your own vehicle you can
scavenge gas and parts. However, vehicles can yield other supplies such as
food, weapons, and water. Check the glove compartment. Check the trunk.
Tire iron? Emergency kit? An car jack that can used to get into other
places? Check the engine. Do you need the wiring? Does the battery still
have life? Could you use the battery to start a fire? Tires can be burned to
make an emergency signal with black smoke. NEVER use gas to start a fire.
Mirrors can be used for signaling. Abandoned semi-trucks can be full of
whatever!
ATV and Off-Road shop. ATVs are a better form of transportation than
cars in severe emergencies. Remember, vehicles require . . .
Gas stations. The obvious goal here is gas, although getting it out of the
ground tanks without power requires you have to have a pump (battery or
hand powered) and a long enough siphon hose. There are easier ways to get
gas.
Automotive stores. For vehicles parts.
Food and grocery stores. These will be first targets of scavengers and
will quickly be picked clean. Don’t forget to check in the back, where the
restock is stored. You might consider avoiding these places in the early
stages of an extreme emergency. After all, you have your own stockpile.
Perhaps bypass the stores and go to the . . .
Distribution Center. During your Area Study, did you find local and
regional distribution centers for stores? These will be full of supplies and
not initially be on most people’s scavenging radar as they go for the low
hanging fruit first. Don’t forget to check the semi-trailers parked outside
that might not have been unloaded or recently loaded.
Restaurants. Food, but also check for knives, pots and pans.
Bars. You really don’t need alcohol, but check for bottled water.
Weapons hidden under and behind the bar.
Schools (including colleges and community colleges). First aid kits.
Tools in the maintenance room. Does it have a shop class?
Hospitals. What are you priorities medically? Again, though, these will
be among the first targets for scavengers. Also, they will be a place people
will congregate. Depending on the threat, it might also harbor the threat,
such as a pandemic.
Pharmacies. Initially people will go for the drugs. There are other items
that might be overlooked. Ace wraps are very useful for a variety of things.
Bandages. While most people think of hospitals and pharmacies first for
medical supplies, consider these . . .
Veterinarians and animal hospitals. These are stocked with medical
supplies, including medications
Nursing homes. Ditto.
Storage units. It’s certain some people have put their emergency stash
in a locked storage unit. In addition, there are all sorts of supplies to be
found, concentrated in one place.
Office buildings. Often they will have first aid kits and some
emergency gear in them. Consider what kind of business it was. What will
be there? Check desk drawers.
Police stations. Weapons. Tools. Emergency kits. Radios.
Fire stations. First aid kits, emergency tools, radios. A pump truck
could hold hundreds of gallons of water. Don’t assume its potable.
Military posts and National Guard Armories. If abandoned, they
might contain weapons and other equipment. However, to get to a level
where you’re scavenging, the National Guard and military were most likely
already called out and deployed.
Animal Control Centers. Guess where you can find traps?
Dumpsters. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. They can also
be shelters.
Dumps. You never know.
Train stations. Vending machines, restaurants. Check the bathrooms.
The lockers.
Trains. Check the luggage.
Airports. There are supplies inside an airport and restaurants and
stores. Also, think of the parking lots, rich with all those vehicles. And gas
in those cars.
Aircraft. Check the galley. The luggage.
Marinas. Check not only the marina, but abandoned boats. A boat can
be an excellent base camp, depending on the threat, where you are, and if
you know what you’re doing.
Farms. Look not only at the house and the barn, but what’s being
grown. Could it be a source of sustainable food?
Libraries and bookstores. This is a place that almost all scavengers
will bypass or ignore, but is the most important if you are in scavenge
mode. Because it is possible you will transition from scavenge mode into
sustain mode, rather than recovery. Books are knowledge. Knowledge is
power. You have this book. Get others that are on topics you need and will
need. Get books that will help you transition into sustainment. How to farm.
How to make things.
How to Scavenge
When on the move in an emergency or catastrophe, you should always be
on the lookout for useful materials as needed. Don’t hoard, but complement
what you already have. Also, save your stockpile of prepared material as
much as possible by using scavenged supplies.
If you are in your home, ERP or base camp and need supplies, you must
plan a scavenging expedition. This not something to be done lightly. If you
are in scavenge mode, so are others. And you are all looking for the same
supplies.
That’s the first planning consideration. What are the priorities of
supplies needed? You don’t simply list everything you need. You prioritize.
People can only carry so much, but you might also have your scavenging
time cut short by the presence of others.
After you have determined the scavenging objective (location and
priorities of supplies), the first step is to send a scout. The scout should
have optics and a way to communicate back. It is optimal to put 24 hours of
surveillance on any target because you then have an entire daily cycle of
observation. The scout must have a communication schedule to strictly
follow and a time limit to return. If either of those two pass, you must
consider the scout compromised, along with your location.
The scout should check the objective for ingress and egress. Dangers.
Special equipment that will be needed, such as bolt cutters. Whether the
objective is damaged and dangerous structurally.
Once the scout reports back, it’s time to put together the expedition.
Never send someone alone. Always work in at least buddy teams. Someone
is designated as the leader. Factors include how much is needed and how
much can be carried. Plan security on the move and at the objective.
Everyone should carry:

T :
Gloves.
Mask.
Flashlight.
 Multi-tool.
Bolt cutters.
A backpack. As many empty bags as they can carry when full. Also
remember, you can scavenge a location and then spend time moving
material out and caching it nearby where other scavengers wouldn’t look.
Then go back for it. Also consider things like a wheel barrow, a bike with
baskets, etc. to carry supplies.

E , multitool, flashlight, and weapon. The

expedition should have at least one crowbar. If you are scavenging gas, you
need a siphon and containers.
The scavenging party must have a Rally Point where they will regroup
if attacked or forced to disperse while on the expedition. This Rally Point is
not simply going back to the home/ERP/camp. In fact, it should be in a
direction that will not lead others to the home/ERP/camp.
If going into a large building, you must have a way to mark your way
back out. Glow sticks, spray paint, markers. Remember, any mark you leave
tells other you exist and were there.

S by your imagination, your resources, your

environment and the type of emergency/catastrophe.
43
 CONGRATULATIONS

S ince you made it this far because you were well-prepared and
knowledgeable, you are a true survivor.
If it was a mild or low end moderate emergency, such as a power
outage for several days, you expect things to return to normal eventually.
The same with a hurricane you evacuated from. As you now know, the
possibilities are endless. It might have been a personal extreme emergency
or a localized emergency and now outside help is here to help in recovery.
Here’s what to do:

I ’ or sick, seek medical help.

Contact your loved ones. Let them know you’re okay and make sure
they are too.
Check your surroundings and make sure it really is safe.
Help out others who need assistance.
Contact your insurance company. Find out what it needs. Get a damage
assessment.
Before you start cleaning up, make sure it’s safe to do so. Is your home
stable? Is it safe to enter? You might have to get help.
Be careful of scams. Sad to say, there are those who prey on those
who’ve just gone through trauma.
44
 SUSTAIN AND THRIVE

I f things have not recovered to pre-emergency conditions, and it

doesn’t look like they will in the foreseeable future, you are into
Sustain. While water and food and medicine and ammunition, etcetera
are essential getting to this phase, there is a point at which things will
stabilize and you will look past the present and simple survival to the
future.
The future must be more than just survival. We want mankind to thrive
when we start over.
The most important things you will need is knowledge and experience.
That comes in two forms. Books and people. This is why the last place list
listed in where to scavenge is libraries/bookstores.
The reality is that we have become very ignorant of the everyday
processes of civilization that we take for granted. We’re used to going to the
store to get food, turning on the tap, having our cell phone work with no
clue exactly how it was made or how it works.
If you’re at this point of Sustain, that veneer has been stripped away.
Technology has mostly, if not completely, failed.
You need not only the base knowledge, but also how to use the
knowledge. You need the seeds of civilization. With the proper seeds, you
can leapfrog history and accelerate recovery. A rebooted civilization will
not look like what we have now. It will be a curious patchwork.
I use the word Sustain because before we move forward, we need to
have achieved a sustainable level of living. The keys to a sustainable level
are:
 Sufficient food and water to support the community.
Clothes and shelter.
Medicine.
Building materials, sources of energy.

T a flow by which we can regain much of what was lost. It’s

beyond the scope of this book to cover it, along with the information
needed. Here is how you go about it as you have now passed the threshold
of sustainment:

H . You have a renewable source of water. Your

gardening, hunting and gathering is sufficient that food is not an emergency
concern. You have adequate medical supplies. Much of your supplies were
gathered by scavenging.

P . You might stay in your ERP/base camp location. Or it

might be wise to relocate to a better spot. With better resources. Better
defenses. This depends on too many factors for us to pre-determine.

G . People bring knowledge, skills, and physical and

emotional support. You need to build a community. You want people with
these skills:
Medical
Law enforcement and military
Electrical
Leadership
Survival
Child care
Communications
Engineering
Weapons
 Gardening
Those are basics. But there is a role for everyone.

G . When you gather people, you are gathering

knowledge. But you want sustainable knowledge.
Physical books are the key. Thus we are back to the library and book
store. Electronic books are nice, but they need power. There will most likely
be a gap between the power going out and the power being restored that
needs to be bridged.
Gather books on topics based on a priority of needs. Make sure they are
safely stored.
They are your future and your children’s future!

This book is full of practical advice. However, the most important tool
in a survival situation is your will to survive!

If you’ve gotten this far, you can go further!

45
 THE KEY PHRASE TO REMEMBER: SURVIVAL

T he most important tool for survival is having the right mindset. All
the training, preparation, information, tools, etcetera, are useless
without the will to survive. This will is birthed from having the
right mindset.
Don’t be intimidated. The will to survive is in every person. Luckily, for
most of us, we haven’t had to tap into it. But when you have to, you will.
Human beings are amazingly adaptable. I’ve talked to many people who
say: If it’s that bad, I don’t want to survive. But my experience says you’ll
react differently. And when you do, this book will have you ready.
Here are some tools to help you:

The word Survival provides you with the first letters of the keys you need.
S - Size up the situation, your surroundings, yourself, and your equipment.
U - Use All Your Senses & Undue Haste Makes Waste
R - Remember Where You Are
V - Vanquish Fear and Panic
I - Improvise
V - Value Living
A - Act Like the Natives
L - Live by Your Wits
S: Size up the situation, your surroundings, yourself, and your
equipment.
There are two ways to do this: one is in preparation and the other is in
the actual situation. For preparation, you size up your potential situations by
doing an Area Study, which is in The Green Beret Preparation and Survival
Guide.
Size up your situation: Focus on what exactly is the threat in order of
priority? This might seem obvious, but consider the situation in Japan in
2011. The initial event was the earthquake. That, however, wasn’t the
primary threat. The resulting tsunami caused much more devastation. And
following that, the problems at the nuclear plants presented immense issues
that are still having an effect.
Size up your surroundings: When in a situation, tune in to the
environment. Wherever you are, you are part of a system. This is key to
survival. You don’t want to fight your environment; you want to work with
it. There is a pattern to nature. In an urban environment there are also
patterns. Make note of the patterns and also focus on any time the pattern is
disturbed.
One thing that always struck me was that no matter where my A-Team
went in the world, no matter how hard we tried to hide, no matter how far
from civilization we were, the locals always knew we were there. Because
our presence was abnormal. They sensed it. We weren’t part of the normal
pattern. Do the same with your environment.
Size up yourself: Have you, or someone on your team, been hurt or
wounded? Often, in the initial rush of a trauma, we miss potentially lethal
injuries. We’ll discuss emergency first aid later, but you must take the time
to assess everyone’s physical condition. For example, with gunshot wounds,
the exit wound can often be more dangerous than the entrance wound, but
often people don’t look for it.
Keep yourself healthy. Dehydration, which we’ll cover under water, is a
major problem that can easily be avoided. Notice how this is emphasized in
The Hunger Games. The first piece of advice the mentor gives to the two
candidates from his district is to find water. We can survive quite a while
without food, but water is critical. Cold and wet are also enemies that you
have to monitor and deal with.
Size up your equipment: What do you have? What can you get? What
condition is your equipment in? Some situations might require field
expediency. What do you have that is necessary and what can you do
without? People have been killed in natural disasters by trying to carry too
much stuff with them. During the tsunami in Japan many people died while
they tried to pick up what they felt were irreplaceable items. Some people
even went back to their houses after initially evacuating and died. The most
important things are people, not memorabilia or jewels or money.
Nothing is more valuable than life.

U-U A Y S , Undue Haste Makes Waste

Use all your senses. A key trait, which mystifies many people, is called
th
6 sense. Great point men in the army are valued for this trait. They’ll be
leading a patrol along a trail and suddenly stop. Something has alerted
them, but they can’t pinpoint it right away. We all have 6 th sense, but many
of us don’t pay attention to it. 6 th sense is one or more of your other 5
senses picking up something real and alerting your subconscious. You
actually saw or smelled or felt something, but didn’t consciously register it.
Trust that feeling. Focus and shift whatever it is to your conscious mind.
Listen, smell, taste, touch, see. All are critical.
Undue haste makes waste: Unless you are in imminent danger, slow
down and think things through. Panic is a killer. If you don’t think and plan,
you could do the wrong thing and in some cases cause a “no do-over”
action, which is usually fatal. Don’t take an action or move just for the sake
of doing something. Every action and movement must have a purpose.

R-R Where You Are

Know your location at all times. Also, know where the people on your
team are. Stay oriented. Often you can use significant terrain features for
that, whether it be a coastline, a mountain range, a river. They can also give
you boundaries.
Make sure everyone in the group is oriented. Make sure you know who
has the map and compass. The map is inside a waterproof case. The map
and compass are tied off to your body with a ‘dummy’ cord. Never rely on
others to know where you’re located. If you are moving, make note of key
terrain features and water sources. Remember, water sources are where
game congregates and usually have fish in them, so they are also food
sources.
During my training at the International Mountain Climbing School, an
experienced mountaineer told us a key to his surviving situations where
others had perished: while going up the mountain, he repeatedly looked
back. He wanted to see what it would look like when he was coming down
the mountain. More people get lost and killed coming down the mountain
than going up. We’ll cover emergency rally points later, but once your
team/family goes there on a visit, it will be easy for them to find it in an
emergency.

V-V F and Panic

Courage is acting in the face of fear. We are all capable of being heroes.
Don’t let your imagination run too far in a fatalistic direction, much like
the one soldier in Aliens who kept screaming “We’re all going to die.” You
don’t want someone like that on your team.
Think about times in your life when you were in a crisis. How did you
react? How did those people you want on your team react in a crisis? How
someone reacts in a crisis gives you a very good idea of someone’s core
personality type in a survival situation.
Panic and fear also drain your energy. You’re not focused on what needs
to be done; you’re focused on what could possibly go wrong. One way to
help lower fear and panic is to be prepared, have a plan, and practice
aspects of survival training so you build your confidence.
Which you’re doing right now, by reading this book.

I - Improvise
Look at the things around you with a different mindset in a survival
situation. What might have one particular use in civilization can have a very
different use in a survival situation.
No matter how well prepared you are, in an extended emergency, some
of your gear will wear out. How can you use other objects around you?
We’ll cover some readily available objects and how they can be turned into
other useful tools.
V-V L
The will to survive. You have it; tap into it.
Two men with similar wounds. One lived and one died. What was the
difference? The one who lived wanted to with every atom of his being. The
one who died succumbed to his fear and pain. He didn’t value his life
enough.
We tend to be creatures of comfort. Civilization has advanced to the
point where few people have the day to day survival skills that many people
had just a few generations ago. We buy our food prepared and pre-
packaged. Our water comes from a tap. Electricity is taken as a given,
rather than a precarious luxury. However, don’t let that make you think you
can’t handle a survival situation.
One thing I have seen is that when people value living, they adapt
surprisingly quickly. Most of our life consists of habits. When we are forced
to change our habits, we rapidly adopt new ones.
No matter how hard it gets, never quit.

A - A Like the Natives

If you are out of your natural environment, then observe those around
you, both human and animal. Those that are native to the area have adapted
to it. What do they eat? Where do they get their food and water? Are there
places they avoid? What are their customs and habits? Remember, even
customs that seem very strange, often have a very practical root.
Watching animals is key. They also need water, food and shelter.
Animals can also be an alert for the presence of other humans. And they can
alert others to your presence.
If you are a stranger, gain rapport with the locals. In order to get respect,
you have to show respect first.

L-L Y W , But for Now, Learn Basic Skills

There are skills you need to practice now, actions you need to rehearse
before having to use them in an emergency. I will highlight these skills as
we go through the book. Again, preparation is the key to success, both in
terms of equipment and training.

A :
Above all a determination to survive. All else is secondary. Even if
things look hopeless, you can’t ever give up.
You’re capable of what is unimaginable to you right now.
In Special Forces we found a sense of humor could make the most
difficult situation look a little brighter. In my team Standing Operating
Procedures, under my commander’s policy letter, the last thing listed was to
“keep your sense of humor, you’re going to need it.” Laughter can be a
pressure release. That’s a big reason why I put it in this book. When we take
ourselves too seriously, we lose track of the purpose of surviving.
As part of that, you also need to be able to let it go. Don’t dwell on bad
luck, past mistakes, or losses. Negative thinking drains energy. Deal with
the present, prepare for the future and accept you can’t change the past.
But you also can’t control everything in the future either. You have to
face it with a positive attitude but also accept that the future is uncertain.
This entire book is based on that fact. It would be great if your current
situation continues and you never face an emergency or survival situation or
accident or disaster, but you have no guarantees. One symptom of disaster
situations is that there will be considerable confusion and disinformation
initially. Both because it won’t be clear what’s going on, but also factor in
people spreading false information to further their own ends or sprouting
from their fear and panic. You have to sort through it all and make the best
possible decisions.
We’re in this together.

I , you will find that the traits of the survivor are also the
traits, in everyday, normal living, make a person successful. So you can use
this book not only to prepare, but also to learn traits that will make your
current environment more fruitful and positive.
Survival
S Size up the situation, your surroundings, yourself, and your equipment
U Use All Your Senses & Undue Haste Makes Waste
R Remember Where You Are
V Vanquish Fear and Panic
I Improvise
V Value Living
A Act Like the Natives
L Live by Your Wits

T G B Preparation and Survival Guide contains this survival

information; but the first half also has information on the preparation
needed BEFORE there is an emergency or disaster. The goal of this book
was to make a pocket survival manual available.
46
 CORONAVIRUS (COVID-1()

H ow To Deal With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak.

W Special Forces elite is our training and, most importantly, our

planning. Before going on a mission, we would conduct “Isolation” where
we would be in a secure compound and plan our mission. We’d conduct an
Area Study, which focused on the Area of Operations where we would be
doing the mission. We’d plan the mission from infiltration, actions on the
objective, through exfiltration. Key was war-gaming what could go wrong.
We’d try to think of every possible contingency using Murphy’s Law: What
can go wrong, will.
With that in mind, given I’ve already written The Green Beret
Preparation and Survival Guide based on my training, deployment
experiences, and having taught at the JFK Special Warfare Center & School
at Fort Bragg for a number of years, I’ve added an Appendix to both it, and
the Pocket-Sized Survival Guide (smaller and compact without the
preparation part), focused specifically on COVID-19, the Coronavirus.
There’s a Good Chance We Will Be Exposed to the Coronavirus.
Why is it likely? Because the unique combination of how long a person
can be infected before it manifests itself and the fact we have no vaccine for
it and won’t have one soon. Also, even with a vaccine, it won’t go away. It
will become something else we need to get a shot for every year. Once the
shot is invented.
 Don’t panic, though. You might be asymptomatic (show no symptoms).
You may develop mild symptoms and be fine. You might get sick but the
odds are you will get through it. The mortality rate is very low.
There are two factors to consider: the odds of getting it, and then the
odds that it will be fatal. Again, don’t panic. Read and become educated on
it. I’ll explain as best I can using the latest information as of 2 March 2020.
Background:
When Avian Flu broke out in 1997, it was something that had been seen
before, but only in birds. When the first human fatality occurred, authorities
acted swiftly. Initially, 18 cases were identified. 6 people died. In the last
two decades Avian Flu has killed 455 people. The reason the number is low
is because this flu is so deadly. It presents itself quickly, before it can
spread. It has a roughly 60% mortality rate. The ‘regular’ flu has less than a
.1% mortality rate. Yet it kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Why? Because it can spread before showing symptoms and thus more
people get it. This is why it is likely we will be exposed to COVID-19.
Right now, it’s estimated that Coronavirus has less than a 2% mortality
rate. But because it is slow to manifest itself, people who have it show no
symptoms and can spread it. This is the danger of Coronavirus: it is deadly,
but not overly deadly. A perfect storm of virus. People are testing positive
for it without showing any symptoms. Which means it’s spreading right
now and we can’t tell how fast and how far.
How does it spread?
The Coronavirus is not airborne like measles or smallpox. It is spread
through droplets. This means it is spread by contact. It only infects the
lungs.
Thus, someone sneezing can spread it several feet around them when
sneezing. Use six feet as your blast radius. If you’re sitting on a plane and
someone sneezes and doesn’t cover it up, that is the distance they are
spreading it, give or take.
While your mask might protect you from inhaling a droplet, it can still
get on you (and the mask so you can put the virus on your hands if you
touch it or when you take it off) and then in you via contact by your hand
with your nose or mouth.
How long does it last on a surface? This is the most dangerous part you
have to factor in to everything you do.
 While much isn’t known right now, here are the best estimates:
Depending on the material and the conditions, human coronaviruses can
remain infectious from 2 hours to 9 days on a surface. At temperatures of
around 4°C or 39°F, certain versions of the coronavirus could remain viable
for up to 28 days. At temperatures of 30–40°C (86–104°F), coronaviruses
tended to persist for a shorter time. High humidity also helps it hang
around. This is not good.
At room temperature, a coronavirus responsible for the common cold
(HCoV-229E) persisted significantly longer in 50% humidity than 30%
humidity. For working purposes: Human coronaviruses can remain
infectious on inanimate surfaces at room temperature for up to 9 days. At a
temperature of 30°C [86°F] or more, the duration of persistence is shorter.
Veterinary coronaviruses have been shown to persist even longer for 28
days.
The bottom line is that there are variables in how long the Coronavirus
will be viable on various surfaces in varying environments. Anywhere from
several hours, to weeks. We should know more as more research is done.
But consider the problem this presents. Anything you touch might have
the virus on it. One thing I’ve thought of is Amazon Prime. Think of the
number of people who touch the product and the box before it gets to your
doorstep? The newspaper I get out of the mailbox each morning? This is
why the spread will be so large.
To disinfect for Coronavirus: Hydrogen peroxide (.5%) or bleach (.1%)
appears to work. Chlorhexidine digluconate, often used as antiseptic, is not
effective. Hand sanitizer with better than 60% alcohol based. Keep a bottle
by every entrance to your house. Keep it in your car. Use after contacting
any possibly contaminated surfaces.
I am not a doctor and just referring to the information I have researched.
Containment:
The first goal to prevent a pandemic is containment. While there is a
chance Coronavirus will be contained, it grows less likely each day as more
cases pop up around the world. Particularly when we see it in people who
have not traveled to a contaminated area or, as far as can be determined,
have not had contact with someone who has. The virus, as of 27 February
2020, is in forty countries. Just a few days ago that number was twenty-
four.
 Coronavirus has developed in people who were asymptomatic. Thus,
people who appear and test normal, are spreading it. Some epidemiologists
believe that within a year, forty to seventy percent of the people around the
world will be exposed to Coronavirus. Many will be asymptomatic and fine.
Some will have mild symptoms and turn out all right. Those with chronic
health problems and the old are the most at risk of serious complications
from it. It is a virus that causes a respiratory illness.
What are the Symptoms?
Coronavirus causes pneumonia. If infected, you’ll suffer cough, fever
and difficult breathing. If its severe, there can be organ failure. Because it’s
a viral pneumonia, antibiotics are not useful. Flu antivirals also don’t work.
Ultimately recovery depends on the strength of a person’s immune system.
The majority of those who have died had weakened immune systems or
were in poor health to begin with. Heavy smokers are at risk.
How do you protect yourself?
Wash your hands constantly. Also, you can get it from touching a
surface with droplets on it. It’s unknown how long Coronavirus remains
active outside the body, which is part of the problem. It persists longer in
colder, more humid environments. Using soap and water or an alcohol-
based hand kills the virus that may be on your hands. Dry your hands on a
paper towel you don’t reuse rather than a cloth towel or use an air dry.
When you wash, do it for 10 to 20 seconds. I’ve seen people ridiculing
videos and instructions on-line about ‘how to wash your hands’, since they
think that’s a simple skill they learned as a child. Take your cell phone. Go
to the timer. Set it for 20 seconds. Run it. Never knew 20 seconds was that
long, eh? A nurse told me he was taught to silently sing “Happy Birthday”
to himself three times and that was long enough. As a kid in the Bronx,
when we played touch football in the street we’d go “One-Mississippi-Two-
Mississippi-Three-Mississippi” etcetera before we could rush the
quarterback.
Wash your hands constantly. When caring for the sick. Before, during
and after preparing a meal. Before eating. After toilet use. When hands are
dirty. After handling animals or animal waste.
Hands: Don’t shake hands. Use your knuckles to turn on light switches,
use elevator buttons, etc. Use a paper towel or have gloves on when getting
gas. Wear disposable latex gloves when going out, remembering to not
touch your face. Dispose of when entering your home.
 Masks? Their effectiveness is debatable and I see arguments on both
sides. The CDC doesn’t recommend that healthy people wear one. Most
people don’t know how to use one properly; they might not fit well; most
dangerously, they can give a false sense of security. Use a mask if you are
caring for someone who is sick. A positive of a mask is to remind you not
to touch your face. An infected person should definitely be masked. If
masked it must cover both mouth and nose.
Gloves: Use disposable latex gloves when coming in contact with
surfaces that could be contaminated. Remember, they will be contaminated
then, but if you don’t touch your face and discard, it’s a plus.
Avoid touching your nose and mouth. If the virus is on your hands, and
you touch either of those, that is how it enters your body. If you touch food
or drink with contaminated hands and then consume it, it can enter that way.
Practice respiratory hygiene. This sounds fancy but it means covering
your mouth with your bent elbow (not your hand) or a tissue when you
sneeze. Dispose of the tissue.
Avoid close contact with others. This is called keeping social distancing.
Keep at least 3 feet, especially if someone is coughing or sneezing. Don’t
shake hands or hug others.
If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care
early. Call your health provider and find out where you should go.
Zinc lozenges: These have some effectiveness if you use them as
scheduled. Lie on your back while you let it dissolve so it gets to the back
of your throat and nasopharynx.
Stay informed and follow advice. This is an ongoing and fluid situation,
so keep up to date with the latest. One report I saw indicated that it is
possible to get COVID-19 again, after it clears up. I don’t know if that’s
true or not, so stay up to speed.
Practice food safety. Use different chopping boards and knives for raw
meat and cooked foods. Wash your hands when switching between handling
the two.
Protect others from getting sick. If you have fever, cough or difficulty
breathing, isolate yourself and seek medical attention. Don’t go to work or
school and spread it.
T ? Avoid it as much as you can. Avoid nonessential travel. Avoid
cruises.
Preparation:
While you should be prepared at a basic level as indicated in my Green
Beret Preparation and Survival Guide, there are things you can do now.
Consider how you’d prepare if there was a snowstorm in your area. Stock
your cupboards with additional food. Canned coup, beans, pasta, rice are
good examples. Consider having enough on hand to last several weeks. This
is covered in detail under Food in the preparation portion of that book.
Make sure you have aspirin or ibuprofen on hand.
If you take prescription medicine have as much on hand as you can.
Consider if you have to home school. Japan has already closed schools
to reopen later in the year.
Consider if you can work from home.
The Vaccine:
Scientists are already at work on vaccines because the Chinese, once
they identified it, sent the data to other scientists around the world.
Making vaccines is difficult. Researchers have to copy the virus’s RNA,
which is happening right now. Then the hard part: finding a viral sequence
that will cause a protective reaction from the body, but not an acute one that
will cause problems of its own. That fine tipping point is difficult to find. It
requires considerable testing or else the solution might be as bad as the
problem.
The best estimates are 12 to 18 months to a vaccine. Even then,
manufacture and distribution will take time. Thus, the next year will be
critical. There are other complications. What if manufacture requires an
intact supply chain and the pandemic has broken that chain? What if one
country comes up with a vaccine but closes its borders until all its citizens
are vaccinated?
A large problem is that governments and particularly private industry,
have been unwilling to invest large amounts of money and time into
developing the capability to invent vaccines when there is no urgent threat.
But once there is an urgent threat, it takes time to spin up the mechanism to
do so. The United States recently went backwards in this regard with cuts to
various agencies that research and deal with the possibility of pandemics. It
is not something that can spin up at full speed since they’ve been shuttered.
Also, research needs to be ongoing.
 What is a Pandemic?
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads across a
large region; usually multiple continents. Some of this information
replicates the material for COVID-19, but there is the probability of
different pandemics in the future.
Experts believe the odds of a pandemic within the next fifty years are
very high. Estimates are that: 1 billion people would get sick. 165 million
will die There will be a global recession and depression. If you do the
percentage, that’s a 1.65% mortality rate. Currently, it’s estimated that
coronavirus has a mortality rate of under 2%
Why are the odds of a pandemic high?
1. Global population has increased dramatically.
2. People are moving to crowded, central locations: cities.
3. World-wide travel is much faster and more common.
If it’s a true pandemic, it’s not likely that a hospital is a place to go as it
will quickly become overwhelmed with the sick and dying. The bottom line
is to stay aware and isolate yourself and your team as quickly as possible.
The problem is that the spread of Coronavirus won’t be instantaneous
and burn out just as quickly. If your area is seeing cases it would be prudent
to isolate for a month, but it will probably take longer for the virus to pass.
That is why the chances of contracting it are high. This isn’t being alarmist,
but realistic.
I hope I am wrong about all of this. Nothing I’ve written about is locked
down. There are many variables. but I’ve found it best to be knowledgeable
and realistic about possibilities.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thanks for the read!

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Bob is a NY Times Bestselling author, graduate of West Point and former Green Beret. He's had over
75 books published including the #1 series The Green Berets, The Cellar, Area 51, Shadow Warriors,
Atlantis, and the Time Patrol. Born in the Bronx, having traveled the world (usually not tourist
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NON-FICTION:
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide: A Common Sense Step-by-Step Manual for
Everyone
Survive Now-Thrive Later. The Pocket-Sized Survival Manual You Must Have
Stuff Doesn’t Just Happen I: The Gift of Failure
Stuff Doesn’t Just Happen II: The Gift of Failure
The Novel Writers Toolkit
Write It Forward: From Writer to Bestselling Author
Who Dares Wins: Special Operations Tactics for Success

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Copyright © 2020 Bob Mayer

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