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Emergency Preparedness FAQ for Domestic Terrorism

RMSG Note: This FAQ is mirrored (in a more legible format) from http://www.pipeline.com/~jeriwho/emer_faq.htm where it was originally found. All credit belongs to the compiler, Jeri Massi.

Table of Contents

** Overview

** AIR

• A-1) Gas Masks

** Water

• W-1) The Quick and Dirty Way to Purify Water: Strain + Boil + Treat
• W-2) Water Utilities are Disrupted.
• W-3) Water Supply Cut Off by Hostile Forces.
• W-4) Water Supply Poisoned or Fouled By Biological or Chemical Agents.
• W-5) Water Supply Poisoned by Radiation

** Food

• F-1) Creating a stored food supply in your home.
• F-2) Cooking food without a utility power supply.

** Shelter

• S-1) Lighting in Emergency Conditions
• S-2) Clothing in Emergency Conditions
• S-3) Emergency Structures and Shelter
• S-4) Maintaining a sanitary shelter: the Essential Latrine

** Resuscitation/Recovery/First Aid

• RR-1) Get Educated in Emergency Care
• RR-2) Maintain Adequate First Aid Supplies
• RR-3) First Aid Supplies on the Web

** Relocation/Evacuation

• RE-1) Forced/Requested Evacuation to a Safe Zone or Shelter
• RE-2) Forced Evacuation with Assistance But No Refuge
• RE-3) Forced Long-Term Evacuation with No Assistance
• RE-4) Stuck in an office building/city street far from home

** BIBLIOGRAPHY

01/01/02: Overview.

This FAQ covers *basics*: those questions most asked by newcomers to these topics. The information has been compiled mostly from the people on the newsgroup misc.survivalism.

Please note that I have listed many stores, including online stores. These are merely references I uncovered in my research. READERS MAKE PURCHASES AT THEIR OWN RISK. I am **NOT** recommending any of these stores, real or virtual. Let the buyer beware. Do your homework. Do not place an order unless you assure yourself that it is safe to order from any company mentioned in this FAQ.

This FAQ is arranged according to the hierarchy of needs for survival, starting with the most urgent items. The urgent items form the headings, and under each heading the information is arranged either by supplies and tools or by scenario, and these sub-topics are arranged from least dangerous situation to most dangerous situation.

Back to Table of Contents

AIR

The problem of breathable air may arise in the event of localized unconventional attacks or regional unconventional attacks.

A-1) Gas Masks

Gas masks come in different shapes and sizes. This FAQ addresses over-the face gas masks. The best gas masks are rated as usable against Nuclear dust, Biological entities, and Chemical gases and aerosols. Therefore, these types of masks are called "NBC" masks.

An NBC mask should cover the eyes, nose, and mouth, at least. Superior models provide ear coverage and a hood that covers the shoulders and protects the face and head. You must remember that chemical agents can be walled-out from your lungs and air passages by a good NBC mask, but some chemical agents will blister your skin or access your body through your skin over time. First aid for chemical exposure is covered in the **Resuscitation/Recovery/First Aid section of this FAQ. Some people choose to purchase special suits for protection against bio, nuke, or chem attacks. Such gear goes beyond the basics covered in this FAQ.

The most popular gas mask is the Israeli Gas Mask, which is the type issued to Israeli civilian populations during the Gulf War. These can be purchased for about $25 - $35 dollars from military and emergency supply houses. Usually if you buy the mask, a filter comes with it, but you can buy replacement filters. Most posts that I checked recommended that you keep one mask and three filters per person in your household. The life of the filter varies depending on the airborne contaminants and the rate of respiration of the person wearing the mask.

A good filter will have activated charcoal wafers layered around a particulate filter layer. Filters range in quality and sophistication, but the three elements that they have to protect from are nuclear, biological, and chemical. Specialized gas masks may be designed for only one or two of the three dangers, so be sure that the gas mask is "NBC" before you make a purchase.

Additionally, a good gas mask has a filter that can be changed without obligating the user to remove the mask. In a contaminated environment, you would not want to remove the mask for any reason, so look for a gas mask that stays on while you change the filter(s).

Most filters must be screwed on to the mask and the user must also remove the protective cap or tape over the filter inlet. Failure to remove the protective cap or tape will result in suffocation. And, yes, inexperienced users have suffocated in emergency situations because they did not clear the filter air inlet.

In the USA, there is no real quality control that is governmentally mandated in the manufacture and sale of surplus gas masks. Therefore, gas masks can be highly suspect. Rubber breaks down over time and small cracks can form in it. Usually, the consumer has no reliable information on how well (or badly) surplus masks have been handled. A few months in a hot warehouse can ruin a mask that spent its government life in climate control. Similarly, filters may be inert or damaged, and fresh filters may be unavailable.

On the other hand, if you have only a few hundred dollars to spend on your civil defense needs, and you spend it all on a gas mask, you make yourself vulnerable to other, more likely emergencies. So far, all of the information I have found discrediting surplus gas masks has ultimately come from web sites selling new gas masks.

Until an impartial third party rates surplus gas masks, the consumer will have to weigh all information, all sources of information, all other input, all the risk factors for where he or she resides, and budget constraints.

An in-depth discussion on the pro's and con's of all gas masks is beyond the scope of this FAQ, which is designed to present only basic information. Read all the information, check all the URLs, and then start asking intelligent questions in order to make your own decisions.

For more information on discontinued, failed, and expired gas masks, check this URL: http://www.asod.org/id5.htm
I wish to add that this site is a seller of gas masks and this site provides no documentation on the gas masks that it declares unusable. I have a difficult time believing that gas masks and their filters are quite as fragile as the writer of that page says. You will have to decide for yourself if a gas mask is a good buy, how much to spend, and how to evaluate quality. My best hope is that some third party would test gas masks, filters, and supply an evaluation.

Here are some gas masks and the suppliers that usually sell them:

The Israel Gas Mask
Coleman's Surplus
http://www.colemans.com/
360 Klinger Road
Millersburg, PA 17061
1-888-478-7758 ext. 224

The Millenium Gas Mask
Filters are interchangeable while wearing
http://www.botachtactical.com/msamilgasmas.html

MSA (Mine Safety Appliances)Advantage 1000 mask.
Comes in three sizes (medium fits just
about everyone). Requires the GME-P100 filters.
Available through Forestry Suppliers. (Search for "Advantage" on the Forestry site's search box, or search by catalog number.)
The masks have these catalog numbers from Forestry:
76624 (large)
76625 (medium)
76626 (small).
The filters you'd want are GME P100 which are catalog number 23365.
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/

Also, check this URL for the Advantage 1000, and remember, you need to buy both the mask and the filters:
http://www.brentonsafety.com/store/adv1000.htm

Other NBC Masks:
The Swiss (Huber & Suhner) SM3 mask.
The Swiss (Huber & Suhner) SM-10 mask.
The Avon S-10 mask

Emergency Escape gas Masks
These gas masks are rated to provide 15-20 minutes of breathable air so that a person can escape a sudden, hazardous situation. These disposable masks are carried in a packet or pouch. For subway and train travelers, they are a good idea.

If you want to buy an "escape mask", always check to see how it is rated. Most of them are rated only for smoke and carbon monoxide. (They don't protect against chemical clouds or biological agents.) If you want protection against a chem-bio threat, check the fine print. Newer models are advertised as being effective in chem-bio attacks.
Just remember that these masks, like permanent masks, may require that a person pull out plugs or remove adhesive strips from the filter or nose piece before putting on the mask. People have suffocated from putting on masks that did not have their filters/breathing tubes cleared first. Always read the directions before an emergency occurs.

Quick-Gear makes the Survivair Quick 2000, and they advertise it for protection against chem-bio, for 15 minutes:
http://www.quick-gear.com/

Response Escape Hood, also advertised for chem-bio protection for 15 minutes:
http://www.rjsafety.com/RS10.html

How to build your own NBC gas mask

An NBC gas mask is a "Nuclear, Biological, Chemical" gas mask. Its design limits the particulate size of dust that is allowed to pass into the lungs of the person wearing it, thus reducing or eliminating exposure to radioactive dust or biological entities. It is also equipped with activated charcoal filtering. Activated charcoal absorbs 4000 known toxins, attracting them to adhere to the ultra- porous surfaces of its own particles.

So a survivalist fellow has figured out how to build his own gas mask, and he has done it for less than $25 (or, if you use a better made respirator piece, it costs less than $60), with materials purchased (or scrounged) from the drug store, Wal-Mart, a home improvement store, and an automotive store. Here is the list of materials required:

• inner-tube (tire store)
• eye-protectors (like in Chemistry class or for shop work) (Wal-Mart)
• lightweight oxygen mask w/tubing, (available at better drug stores or local medical supply stores. Looks like an asthma inhaler but with a neoprene tube attached. Pictured on his web site.) (SEE NOTE, below)
• Rubber cement. He used "Shoe Goo" (Wal-Mart)
• Activated Charcoal (local drug store. For general first aid purposes, I ordered a bottle thru my local pharmacy. They do not carry it on the shelves, but the pharmacist knew exactly what it was, and I got my bottle of AC about two days later.)
• 2 small PCV valves (Wal-Mart--automotive)
• HEPA vacuum cleaner Bags (Wal-Mart)
• 3/8 inch copper tubing (Hardware store.Try Lowe's/Home Depot)
• 1 2-liter pop bottle
• 1 20 oz Gatorade bottle
• He also included rubbing alcohol at first, but later he eliminated that, and eliminating it was a good idea.

(NOTE: Instead of the lightweight respiration mask, he now advocates a *chemical mask* of the type used when people spray herbicides (NOT one of those dinky paper things but a real respirator mask. They cost about $35 at stores like Home Depot. For his own uses, he has chosen to use the flimsier medical supply mask, but he seals it heavily with Shoe Goo to keep it airtight. However, he recommends that most people use the better made mask. Return to list of materials

An introduction and instructions on how to build the mask are at his web site. The URL is posted below:

http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/oct/03/arwh100301.htm

He also got feedback from an engineer, and so he revised some of his advice. The revision statements are at this URL:

http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/oct/04/arwh100401.htm

It's almost impossible to buy a gas mask right now. But if you feel unsafe without one, you can now build your own (testing it thoroughly, of course, before you put it on). Or you can at least have the materials and directions on hand, so that if a bio-chem attack anywhere in the US happens, you would at least have the materials to build one. Additionally, if bio attacks happen on a small scale and disease spreads in epidemic form, the NBC gas mask would probably help protect you from the contagion of some illnesses, especially smallpox. (In fact, *any* device that prevents your hands from coming in contact with your face will greatly reduce the risk of getting a contagious disease.)

RECAP: Basic instructions on how to build your own gas mask:

http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/oct/03/arwh100301.htm

Necessary revisions on instructions of how to build your own gas mask:
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/oct/04/arwh100401.htm

If you are sharply concerned about bio-chem attacks, check the Quick Reference Table of Chemical and Biological weapons FAQ, which presents a table of information on substances, their effects, and their treatments. A link at the bottom of that page will bring you back to this FAQ.

Back to Table of Contents

WATER

Obtaining pure water becomes more difficult as situations escalate. The survival situations are listed from least dangerous to most dangerous.

W-1) The Quick and Dirty Way to Purify Water: Strain, Boil, Treat

Strain "suspect" water through several coffee filters until visible sediment is removed. Then boil the water for 10-20 minutes, depending on altitude. You can add three drops of iodine per liter of water to purify it. Some people advocate two drops of liquid chlorine bleach per liter. REMEMBER THIS: GRANULAR BLEACH CAN BE POISONOUS IN ANY AMOUNT FOR HOUSEHOLD USE. DO NOT ADD IT TO CONTAINERS OF DRINKING WATER. I prefer the idea of iodine to chlorine, but which ever you choose, experts say to use an eye dropper for the task, measure carefully, and restrict the use of that eye dropper for that one purpose. The very best idea in the "quick and dirty" method is to have water purification tablets on hand, and use those instead of iodine or chlorine. If you use the filter-boil-chemical method of purifying water, purify the water in batches that last no longer than 48 hours. Beyond 48 hours, surviving contaminants in the water can revive and re-colonize, making the water dangerous to drink.

Swimming pool water is considered unsafe for drinking purposes, though it can be used for washing.

Potable Aqua Tablets are advertised at this URL:
http://theepicenter.com/water_drums_barrels_rations_and_storage_containers.html
Water Purification Tablets are advertised at this URL:
http://www.simplerlife.com/watpurtab2.html

Polar Pure is an iodine based water treatment that costs only about $10, treats up to 2000 quarts, has an indefinite shelf life even after opened, as long as they are stored properly. This treatment reportedly kills the health ruining viruses and is somewhat effective against the weekend ruining cysts.

Polar Equipment sent this dosage chart for it's Polar Pure:

• 95 deg. F (35 deg. C) = 1.2 capfuls per quart(cpq)
• 86 deg. F (30 deg. C) = 1.3 cpq
• 77 deg. F (25 deg. C) = 1.5 cpq
• 68 deg. F (20 deg. C) = 2 cpq
• 59 deg. F (15 deg. C) = 2.5 cpq
• 50 deg. F (10 deg. C) = 3.5 cpq
• 41 deg. F (5 deg. C) = 4 cpq

http://www.polarequipment.com/

Here is a URL where Polar Pure is sold.
http://www.nitro-pak.com/productdetails.asp?SKU=2180

This just in from John Monico, and I will quote it word for word:

An expedient water filter can be made by tying off the bottom of one leg of a pair if jeans and taking charcoal from a fire [the charcoal must be from a purely natural wood fire--no briquettes, chemical additives, cardboard, plywood, etc. ---ed.] and putting it down the leg. You should then step on it to crush the charcoal. Water can then be poured down the inside of the leg and out the bottom through the fabric comes clean water.

I haven't seen this one anywhere on this group before but have seen it in action.

W-2) Water Utilities are Disrupted.

This is a low level emergency situation that occurs fairly frequently in some locales in the USA. People who routinely prepare for hurricanes are probably old hands at this type of emergency preparation. Those who live in exceptionally cold climates occasionally experience water delivery disruption when pipes burst.

Keeping at least one five-gallon container per person per household in storage is a good idea (or keep a larger container that equals five gal per person). Collapsible water containers can be purchased at camping supply stores and at some military surplus or emergency readiness stores.

You can boil water if you have fuel, and there are "cardboard solar funnel cookers" (discussed further down) than can be built from household materials. On sunny days, these solar funnel cookers can purify water a quart at a time, providing as much sanitizing as boiling would do. Water needs to be heated to 160º Fahrenheit for at least six minutes to be considered "pasteurized". This is below boiling point, but in testing situations, water heated to 160 F for six minutes killed bacteria and Giardia.

Excellent instructions (with pictures) on how to build a cardboard solar funnel cooker
are posted at this URL: http://solarcooking.org/funnel.htm

An emergency water filtering device rated to filter out bacteria, protozoa, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and other viruses can be a great help. These are sold in camping stores. Such filters are designed for typical emergency scenarios, but they cannot purify water polluted by heavy metals beyond a limited amount, nor do they protect against organophosphates (found in agricultural products and nerve gas) and they do not guarantee protection against new strains of bacteria or viruses. But if you have to draw water from sources possibly contaminated by sewage or animal waste (that is, "untreated" water, but not poisoned water), these filters are useful.

A single person can make due with a SweetWater Guardian Plus Purifier, which comes with a detachable iodine filter for killing viruses. At the other end of the scale, the "British Berkefield" seems to be the reigning king of water filters.

Other low-end filters for untreated water include the following:
SweetWater Guardian Plus (with iodine filter)
Pur Voyageur
Pur First Need purifier

The user needs to check carefully to see if there are iodine attachments to those filters that will kill viruses, as well as bacteria.

Here are some Web Sites for suppliers of these types of filters:
Back Country Equipment
http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/hydration/filters.html
Caribou Cry
http://www.cariboucry.com/storefront/filters.html
Katadyne and Combi filters can be purchased here
http://www.homestead-products.com/kat_pf.htm
Really large, ceramic water filters ("British Berkefield") are sold here:
http://www.jamesfilter.com/

W-3) Water Supply Cut Off by Hostile Forces

For short duration emergencies of this nature, plan on storing one gallon of water per day per person. That's the optimal amount, figured on an average. Those who do strenuous labor will need more. Also, it is a mistake to assume that cold weather reduces the need for water. You need about the same amount of water to survive in cold weather as in hot.

If your water supplies run out, then catching rain water and digging new wells is the only remedy here. And you will need a filtering device or at least implements to boil the water. See the information above above on purifying and filtering water.

W-4) Water Supply Poisoned or Fouled By Biological or Chemical Agents

The best way to handle this is to obtain water from a protected source. Failing that, this situation calls for extensive filtering and treatment of water.

Building a still that distills water is an excellent idea, but I still cannot find instructions on building a simple still.
**SUPPLY INFO HERE**

You could store up clean, unused sponges and in the event of badly contaminated water (ie, from nerve gas) suspend the sponges in windless areas just over steaming water. Periodically squeeze out each sponge over a fresh, clean container, and the squeezed out water will be distilled. Such a practice wouldn't guarantee the removal of all toxins. I cannot find additional information on what can be distilled out and what would evaporate with the water and condense with it.
**SUPPLY INFO HERE**

The idea of distillation is simply to steam water slowly, let the steam collect and condense above the water, and contrive a way for the collected condensation to run into a separate, clean container.

W-5) Water Supply Poisoned by Radiation

The following information is taken from the book _Nuclear War Survival Skills_, written by Cresson H. Kearny. This book has been posted online and is terrific.

Here is the URL for the chapter on obtaining water during and after a nuclear event:
http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p919.htm

If you do not have water from a protected source, the author recommends finding the *least* contaminated water available. Here are his top three choices, quoted word for word from his text, after a nuclear event:

**begin material quoted from Kearny **
1. Water from deep wells and from water tanks and covered reservoirs into which no fallout particles or fallout-contaminated water has been introduced. (Caution: Although most spring water would be safe, some spring water is surface water that has flowed into and through underground channels without having been filtered.)
2. Water from covered seepage pits or shallow, hand-dug wells. This water is usually safe IF fallout or fallout-contaminated surface water has been prevented from entering by the use of waterproof coverings and by waterproofing the surrounding ground to keep water from running down outside the well casing . . . . If the earth is not sandy, gravelly, or too porous, filtration through earth is very effective.
3. Contaminated water from deep lakes. Water from a deep lake would be much less contaminated by dissolved radioactive material and fallout particles than water from a shallow pond would be, if both had the same amount of fallout per square foot of surface area deposited in them. Furthermore, fallout particles settle to the bottom more rapidly in deep lakes than in shallow ponds, which are agitated more by wind.

**end quoted material from Kearny**
Copyright (c) 1986 by Cresson H. Kearny. The copyrighted material may be reproduced without obtaining permission from anyone, provided: (1) all copyrighted material is reproduced full-scale (except for microfiche reproductions), and (2) the part of this copyright notice within quotation marks is printed along with the copyrighted material."

Back to Table of Contents

FOOD

F-1) Creating a stored food supply in your home.

Food can be made unavailable for a variety of reasons. In extreme situations, relying on a food store within the home is the best preparation.

Here is a URL for food storage guidelines from Virginia Cooperative Extension:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/348-960/348-960.html

You have to determine how many days you want to prepare for. Once you determine this, then multiply the number of days by the number of servings or calories required. The best formula I found was to calculate food needs based on 2000 calories a day per person per household and then make categorization of types of food based on 20% protein, 20% fat, and %60 carbohydrates in storage.

Dry simple foods are the least expensive to buy, but they require water (sometimes four times their own volume in water) to prepare, and they also usually require a heat source. Preparation, in turn, requires water for cleanup.

Compressed food such as Power Bars provide taste and essential vitamins and minerals, but they are expensive and heavy to store in bulk.

At the top of the chart, the elite of stored foods are civilian MREs and freeze dried camp foods. These require minimal water, and some are prepared right in the bag, so there is almost no clean up. But they do usually require a heat source, and they are the most expensive food items. Also, people with food allergies must be wary of the recipes. Most of the camp food preparations include dairy. Some include eggs, nuts, or soy (ie, textured vegetable protein).

When you store food, be aware of what melts. We Americans love desserts, but storing 50 dozen chocolate bars could be disastrous. However, I once read that Tootsie Rolls are a practically indestructible source of chocolate. Good in all types of weather!

Here is a list of dried foods normally available at the grocery store:

- White rice
- Brown rice
- Dried beans
- Crackers
- Hard Tack
- oatmeal (instant and quick-cook)
- grits ... for the southerners ;^)
- Cream of Wheat
- powdered milk (must be kept in a dark place - light will diminish
nutritional value)
- dried fruit
- various nuts (some keep better than others)
- ramen noodles
- dry soup mixes
- pasta
- rice and pasta mixes (a la Lipton or those Uncle Ben's rice bowls)
- soy-based meat replacement products: Lumen Foods is recommended.
Here is the Lumen Foods URL:
http://www.soybean.com/
- Popcorn. After being ground, popcorn can be used to make cornbread, corn fritters, or a batter for preparing small game.
- Tootsie Rolls
- Freeze- dried fruit bits/veggie bits
- Trail Mix (Commercially prepared
- This just in from a reader named "Stephanie," and I will quote her word for word:

* Corn and Bran Flakes (frosted or regular - the frosted ones are a source of sugar, yum yum). Roughage! Flakes can also be used in bread mixes, pie mixes, and when mixed with milk and let set for awhile til mushy, good for baby food, or if you're in need, even for pets great and small. And believe it or not, makes a good hot porridge, too.
* Hot Cocoa - source of chocolate! More sugar!
* Also, for dried milk, after you can it, before you store it, wrap foil around the can - keeps out more light and heat.
* Jerky - without spices. Keeps for a long time.
* Honey - honey is a natural antibiotic (the Romans even used to keep bees, like the Greeks, and give honey to the ill and to surgery patients), stimulates the immune system, and also good for flavoring all kinds of food and drink. Honey, lemon juice (not the "ReaLemon" sugar-coated stuff), and *hot* milk [CAUTION: see my note---ed] will also kill a lot of germs and help with fever when sick, and if had soon enough, can kick a common cold. The lemon keeps the milk enzymes from coagulating, and is also a fantastic germ-killer.
* Vitamins - I keep "Vitalert", and I keep them in 4-pack sample pouches which you can get at the pharmacy or chain drugstore.
Here is a URL for "Vitalert":
http://www.vitasupplements.com/vitalert/

**SUPPLY MORE INFO***

Here is a list of compressed food bars:

You can buy a lot of these very cheaply at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, or CVS.
- Power Bars (the non-harvest variety are just about lactose-free)
- Met-RX Bars
- Cliff Bars (These are very high in carbs, not providing the MDR of
other brands)
- Balance Bars
- Mainstay Food bars/Ration Bars
- Datrex ration bars
- Survival Food Tabs
- Tiger's Milk Bars

A terrific supplier of all kinds of compressed food bars is Netrition, which is the online nutrition supply company that I use. They give bulk discounts, provide great customer service (as far as my experience goes), and ship promptly. Of course, you should check them out for yourself and make up your own mind. They also supply vitamins of several brands and herb formulas. Here is their URL:
http://www.netrition.com/
Here is a URL for Tiger's Milk bars:
http://www.tigersmilk.com/
Here is a URL for Emergency Compressed Food Bars:
http://www.baproducts.com/1206.htm

Here is a list of companies that provide MREs and camp foods:

The Epicenter - MREs
http://theepicenter.com/mre_military_meal_ready_to_eat.html
Heater Meals - self contained heating unit in each box
http://www.quakepro.com/HeaterMeals/Entrees/index.html
Dehydrated food (long-term storage)
http://www.foodreserves.com/dehydra.html
Alpine Aire's Web Site:
http://www.alpineairefoods.com/

F-2) Cooking food without a utility power supply

A cardboard solar funnel cooker can be a huge help in preparing food. These devices are easy to build and require only a sunny day of enough duration to allow the food to cook. People in northern climates might be shortchanged here, but I have read that people south of the Mason-Dixon Line have used these homemade solar funnel cookers almost year round to assist in cooking food. Bear in mind, if you build your own solar funnel cooker, that it cooks only about a quart and a half of food at a time. You can always modify the basic directions, and some people of great ingenuity have built huge and very efficient solar funnel cookers that cook lots of food in only a couple of hours.

Excellent instructions (with pictures)
on how to build a cardboard solar funnel cooker
are posted at this URL:
http://solarcooking.org/funnel.htm

You should also be warned, though, that if you get into building the type of solar ovens that get beyond the solar funnel idea and have multiple reflectors, you can burn down structures accidentally, or create "hot spots" that will severely burn human flesh if it gets in the way. Solar funnel cookers are completely safe, but once you get into the difficult art of building reflectors or creating "hotter" forms of the solar oven, you have entered the realms of risky business.

Propane-fueled burners, grills, and other cookers are available through camping stores and emergency preparedness stores. Propane is a great fuel, but it is toxic and must be burned in well ventilated places. Outdoors is considered the only safe place to use camping-type or emergency-type propane cooking equipment.

Here are some URLs for propane-fueled cooking tools. I also urge you to check places like Wal-Mart and K-Mart for supplies of this nature. I have found all kinds of great camping equipment at our local Wal-Mart.

Coleman Propane Stoves and Burners
Click on the "Stoves" icon
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/ProdList.asp
Primus Stoves
http://www.survivalequipment.net/primus.html

Ethanol and other non-explosive "candle"-type burners are available through camping stores and emergency preparedness stores. Candle-type cooking fuels are usually safe to use indoors (Read all directions, cautions and warnings that come with any candles), but they take longer than propane to heat up food. They also require a separately-purchased device, usually collapsible, to prop the food over the flame. I bought a "Sterno stove", which is just a lightweight, unfolding stand that props the food over the candle. The food prep takes longer and only small amounts can be heated at a time, but in a tiny space, well insulated (like a closet), you may get some light and a few degrees of heat from it. You could not do this with propane, which emits toxic fumes.

In cold weather, using propane (outdoors) to sear meat, then cooking it with veggies and/or pasta in several solar cookers, and then storing the cooked food in some cool place that acts as a refrigerator, enables you to use the ethanol device for re-heating. Such a routine may enable you to be most efficient in the long run by using the propane only for the required high temperature work, letting the sun do the rest, and then using the Sterno-type candles for moderate heating.

I got a few cans of Sterno fuel from Wal-Mart, but I had to buy the Sterno Stove off the web. I also bought the ethanol candles off the web.

Here is URL for Sterno supplies:

Sterno Stove and Sterno candles
http://www.baproducts.com/p62.htm
Here is a URL for Sterno alternatives,
including Hexamine fuel tabs and Ethanol candles:
http://hqcompany.com/hexamine_fuel.htm
Also, here is a product that comes with its own heater in the box:
Heater Meals - self contained heating unit in each box
http://www.quakepro.com/HeaterMeals/Entrees/index.html
The Heater Meals are quite similar to MRE's, which come with MRE heaters. You can also buy MRE heaters separately.
The Epicenter - MREs
http://theepicenter.com/mre_military_meal_ready_to_eat.html

Pressure cookers can be had for about $20. You may be able to find one at a Sears, Rich's, or perhaps Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Pressure cookers cook food in a fraction of the usual time, so they are great fuel savers, and they can be made more efficient by using them in conjunction with insulating materials so that they retain heat and cook slowly with no continuing fuel. This is an art in and of itself and goes beyond the scope of this FAQ. But skills in using a pressure cooker may be worth investigating.

Back to Table of Contents

SHELTER

Staying warm and staying dry are two vital considerations in emergency conditions. Additionally, staying cool in hot conditions can also be vitally important. And even though artificial light is not required for survival, light provides comfort and efficiency in accomplishing tasks.

S-1) Light in Emergency Conditions

Having emergency candles, flashlights, and batteries on hand are pre-requisites on preparedness for any emergency situation. You should have a flashlight and spare batteries in each vehicle and at least one flashlight and spare batteries for every adult in the home.

If you wonder how many batteries/candles to keep on hand, calculate how many hours of light you need. Emergency candles are usually rated as "5-hour" or "10-hour". But battery light for a flashlight will depend upon the size battery, the size of the flashlight bulb, and the efficiency of the flashlight itself. I count one hour of light for each single battery, but that is not a scientific calculation. But if a flashlight holds two batteries, that's two hours I count on. My Coleman lantern holds six size D batteries, and I count that as six hours.

If you use your batteries with other emergency items, you'll need to calculate hours of use for those items as well. Radios and other camp supplies require batteries.

Another option is the use of oil lamps. The old fashioned "hurricane lamps" or other oil burning lamps and lanterns are sold at Sears, Wal-Marts and K-Marts. They are often sold at camping stores and---in hurricane areas---in larger supermarket chains.

The risk of glass lamps is their breakability and the resultant danger of house fire. If you have children, the presence of flammable oils encased in fragile glass will have to be measured against safety concerns.

The Olive Oil Lamp. One option is for you to make your own oil burning lamp. The olive oil lamp is reusable and burns about as brightly as a single candle.

Materials:

small mason jar with a tight-fighting lid
Cotton wick (must be 100% cotton--- See Note)
Olive oil to fill the jar
Straight pin or safety pin
Heavy weight foil (less than 1 square foot)

Tools:

hammer and screwdriver

Instructions:

1. Cover the lid with several layers of foil or other flame-resistant material.
2. Use the screwdriver and hammer to punch a 1/2 - 1 inch line in the top of the foil-covered lid. (Strike from the top down, so that the sharp edges are on the underside of the lid).
3. Slide a wick through the hole on top.
4. If the wick is loose and seems likely to slip out, push the pin through the wick across the hole on top of the lid to keep the wick from falling inside. If you use a safety pin, close the pin.
5. Fill the jar with olive oil and screw down the lid with the wick. A good wick will reach all the way to the bottom of the jar.
6. Let the wick soak up the oil until it is saturated and then light the wick. NOTE: It took *three hours* for the wick I used to soak up the oil so that I could light it. Patience is required!]
7. The olive oil lamp can also be fueled with a 50/50 mixture of corn oil and paraffin (standard lamp oil).

Warnings:

Keep away from curtains and other flammables.
Keep away from children, unconscious, or incapacitated individuals.

NOTE:
Store-bought wicks are 100% cotton. (Synthetic materials melt and do not burn, so you must use cotton.) If you must make your own wick in an emergency, you will have to tightly braid cotton fibers if you want the wick to last. Some people have managed to make due with single cotton shoelaces, but these will burn up within a half-hour to an hour. The more dense and tightly packed you can make your wick, the longer it will burn. (Dense cotton wicking also requires longer to soak up the oil before you can light the wick, so be patient.) Return to Instructions for Olive Oil Lamp

S-2) Clothing in Emergency Conditions

Clothing is actually a defense system for protecting the well being and optimum performance of the body.

Above all else, clothing must be clean, comfortable, durable, and it must fit well. Anything that is too small or too tight will ultimately handicap a person. And unclean conditions invite problems with lice. Start with clean clothing and try to keep it as clean as possible.

The range of clothing that you select will depend upon your climate. Ideally, clothing is worn in layers. The inner layers should be natural fibers and cool, able to wick away moisture to outer layers. The outer layers are heavier and insulating, holding in warmth. Overall, a waterproof outer garment, hooded or with a waterproof hat, is essential---the lighter the better.

Be prepared with clothing that protects and warms the head, hands, and feet. The body loses a great deal of warmth through the head, and that heat should not go to waste!

The hands also should be kept warm and dry, and pockets are not enough in severe conditions.

Most of all, the feet have got to be protected. In evacuation or refugee situations, you may have to walk long distances or for long periods of time in bad conditions including mud, slush, snow, or water (or all four).

- Boots - Every member of your family requires good, comfortable, waterproof boots, broken in.
- wool socks for outer wear
- cotton socks for inner wear
- natural fiber, lightweight under garments that breathe and wick away moisture
- heavier, insulating garments for outer wear
- a waterproof outer garment
- a waterproof head covering
- insulated gloves

I must confess to being extremely partial to LL Bean's wool socks and their selection of boots. Here is the LL Bean URL:
http://www.llbean.com/

Military surplus stores and camping outfitters also sell excellent selections of durable clothing, specifically designed for trekking and exposure to the elements.

Here are some good outfitters for men, women, and children:
**SUPPLY INFO HERE**

S-3) Emergency Structures and Shelter

For emergency shelter structures, a person has to create something that will shed water, is reasonably waterproof, and that offers both insulation and adequate ventilation. Nuclear blast shelters are out of the scope of this FAQ. The book, Nuclear War Survival Skills, written by Cresson H. Kearny, covers all topics related to surviving a nuclear blast. This book is posted at the following URL:

http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p919.htm

The rest of this FAQ covers non-nuclear survival:

A good tent may suffice as shelter in emergency conditions.

How to build a shelter is out of the scope of this FAQ, but materials that insulate include newspapers and cardboard; and plastic sheeting can be hung over a line and tacked down on the ends to make a quick tent that sheds rain. A waterproof ground sheet is essential as well.

People with good strength and a good understanding of how to use materials properly may be best equipped with ground sheeting and a good hatchet that enables them to construct a quick lean-to in wilderness conditions.

In emergency conditions, a shelter is used to survive, not to make a second home.

Here is a list of things NOT to do:

The ground will absorb away your body heat. Always lie on insulating materials such as wood, layers of newspaper, cardboard, etc., covered by a groundsheet.

In cold weather, seeking shelter in a metal covering is dangerous. The metal holds the coldness and will wick away any warmth that you generate. Do not take shelter in an unheated school bus, airplane hangar, or other metal structure that is not heated.

One mistake in building a quick shelter is to make it too large. For a shelter to insulate and protect, it has to be just big enough to cover the people it shields. One choice for any group seeking to survive is to quickly erect several small shelters.

Here are some URLs for shelter information:

Click on the "shelters" button in the top frame
http://www.seek-it.com/wilderness/index.html
This page may be too ambitious, but it provides some excellent tips
http://www.aircav.com/survival/asch15/asch15p03.html
This guy snags your e-mail address when you visit, but he offers good information
http://www.theozarks.com/Outdoors/SheltersMain.htm
Here is another great idea on a "pit" shelter from the same person
http://www.theozarks.com/Shelters.htm

Stuck in Urban America? When I reviewed existing info on the web, the problem of being a city dweller in a time of catastrophe was usually answered with glib advice that we should all "get out of town" during (or in the aftermath of) a great upheaval. But I like my home and cannot afford to buy a half acre somewhere "out there" in a place I may never reach if gasoline supplies are cut off or if the roads are too dangerous to travel. The following are some web sites for those of us urban Americans who also plan to defend our homes rather than flee before terrorism.

So you live in the city! Congratulations, you are an "Independent Urban Dweller" (But we *don't* like to be called IUD's, okay?) Here are URLs with tips on maintaining your current urban shelter

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1216/index.html

This person's answers are brief but usually helpful.
Some of his concepts are ridiculous (living on sprouts).
http://geocities.com/~y2k- survivor/aptliving.html

Apartment and home dwellers who stay in their homes during utility cut-off improve their conditions by creating a diminished, efficient living space. Select a single room and make it your camp site. If possible in winter conditions, pick the room that gets the most sunlight. Fortify the rest of the house: boards over windows, sturdy locks, etc., (maintaining an escape route, of course) and reside in the select room. I plan to invest in some plywood rectangles to put over the windows of my select room, possibly with insulating material between the glass and the boards, just in case temps drop unbearably low and there is no heat.

If you remain in your apartment with utilities cut off, remember all the rules for safety in dealing with flammables and anything that emits fumes. You may need to do any cooking out of doors where there is better ventilation.

What about eviction? It is very possible in an extreme emergency that local governments will ban evictions, especially if impoverishment becomes a city-wide problem and is viewed as directly related to the war or terrorist attacks. Local government does not want to add to city troubles by unleashing hordes of the homeless onto its own streets. A violent battle against eviction cannot be won, but battling eviction by stalling, by directly communicating calmly with the landlord or land agent, by seeking recourse through the legal system, by finding compromises, by appealing to local government, might work. If you've been a good tenant over a long period of years, your landlord may be persuaded that you're a "frozen" asset that will come back to life once the economy is sound, and you may still be the best investment going in an impoverished economy.

S-4) Maintaining a sanitary shelter: the Essential Latrine

If utilities are cut off, no matter where you live, you'll need a latrine.

Human waste carries human disease, and so keeping food, water, and people away from sewage is vital. Human waste must also be kept away from streams, lakes, and other bodies of water.

- Latrines should be over 150 feet from open water or springs,
and never uphill from a water source
- Clearly mark the latrine. Emergency ribbon to point the way
might work.
- The latrine should be no more than one foot by one foot wide,
and it should be four feet deep. Preserve the soil in a neat pile
for fill-in later. The latrine should always be covered when not in
use, and when its contents are within 18 inches of the rim, the
contents must be buried and a new latrine dug. The latrine must be
checked daily so that it does not overfill.
- Keep the latrine covered (with a wooden plank) and wash the cover
daily to reduce risk of disease and insects.
- Keep lime and/or ashes from a wood fire in a can nearby. Sprinkle the
lime or ashes over your "donation" and then add some dirt to completely
cover the waste.
- Use large coffee cans with plastic lids keep toilet paper dry and clean.
Always inter the toilet paper in the latrine pit. Wash hands afterward.
- Maintain a container of water with 1% bleach nearby for hand washing.

Back to Table of Contents

**RESUSCITATION/RECOVERY/FIRST AID

RR-1) Get Educated in Emergency Care

In terms of first aid, preparedness in the event of a domestic terrorist attack is a second story of knowledge that has to be built upon a good foundation of basic first aid knowledge. If American citizens become displaced or if professional medical rescue becomes an impossibility because of widespread calamity, then each citizen will benefit from knowing how to treat injuries in emergencies---at least well enough to stabilize a wounded or sick person until professional help arrives.

But here's a piece of advice specifically aimed at rescue from a terrorist attack. If you use a gas mask to successfully survive a chemical attack, remember that many chemical agents will attack you through your skin, as well as your air passages. You must protect all body openings, especially your ears, and you must protect your body surface.

Should you come in contact with a chemical or bio-chem agent on your skin, use a cloth or gauze pads to blot the substance off your skin (without rubbing it in). As soon as you've gotten the excess off, thoroughly wash the area with soap and water. Spend several minutes washing it away.

The topic of first aid is so big, that it is absolutely impossible to cover it in a FAQ. Here is a list of recommended books on Emergency First Aid and Rescue for the home.

- THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID AND SAFETY HANDBOOK by
Kathleen Handal M.D., Kathleen A. Handal (Contributor), Elizabeth
H. Dole. This is considered the best handbook for Home First
Aid. You can get it at Amazon.com for $14.36. Otherwise, it's
retail price is $17 - $20
Here is the URL for amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/

- FAST ACT POCKET FIRST AID GUIDE by Kurt Duffens, Brad Rickey

- THE MERCK MANUAL OF MEDICAL INFORMATION : HOME EDITION
by Robert Berkow (Editor), et al

- MEDICINE FOR THE OUTDOORS : THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROCEDURES AND FIRST AID by Paul S. Auerbach

- HANDBOOK OF FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY CARE by Jerrold B. Leikin
M.D. (Editor), et al

- AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS FIRST AID MANUAL

- BABY & CHILD EMERGENCY FIRST-AID HANDBOOK : SIMPLE STEP-BY-
STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MOST COMMON CHILDHOOD EMERGENCIES
by Mitchell J., M.D. Einzig (Editor)

If you have the tools to administer first aid but lack the knowledge, the tools are just about useless. Knowledge and tools go hand in hand.

The Red Cross offers First Aid training, and this certification course can be followed up by CPR training. Beyond that there are courses of increasing sophistication, culminating in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course work. The more that Americans learn these skills as avocations and hobbies, the better equipped we are as citizens to protect out communities, our friends, and our families. Contact your local chapter of the Red Cross to get information on enrolling in these courses. Certainly, if any scenario like that of the World Trade Center tragedy were to be repeated on our soil, than people on the scene with Red Cross training would be able to serve their country and save numbers of their country men.

There is a tutorial on typical emergencies at the following URL, but it is not adequate. The real answer is to get the training and to have a good first aid reference book on hand.
http://www.survival-center.com/firstaid/index.htm

The Survival Medical FAQ supplies many good references and many handy lists of how to stock your first aid kits. Notice that I said kit*s*. It's always a good idea to have a first aid kit in the home and one in the car. In times of danger and duress, these kits may need to be expanded. And if evacuation is necessary, then you'll need a smaller first aid kit for your backpack. Here is the URL for the Survival Medical FAQ:
http://www.survival-center.com/med-faq/index.htm

RR-2) Maintain Adequate First Aid Supplies

As mentioned above, the ideal situation is to have three first aid kits in your life: one for the home, one for the car, and one prepared for emergency evacuation, relocation, or escape from danger (called "bugging out").

Here is a home first aid supply list supplied by Benjamin Klinger, a regular on misc.survivalism:

The home first aid kit:
- Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes,
- 2-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
- 4-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6),
- Hypoallergenic adhesive tape,
- Triangular bandages (3),
- 2-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls),
- 3-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls),
- Scissors,
- Tweezers,
- Needle,
- Moistened towelettes,
- Antiseptic,
- Thermometer,
- Tongue blades (2),
- Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant,
- Assorted sizes of safety pins,
- Cleansing agent/soap,
- Latex gloves (2 pair),
- Sunscreen,
- Non-prescription drugs,
- Aspirin or non aspirin pain reliever,
- Anti-diarrhea medication,
- Antacid (for stomach upset),
- Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control
- Center),
- Laxative,
- Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center),
- Antibiotic Ointment
- Aspirin Tablets (5 grain)
- Kaopectate
- Medication recommended by your doctor
- Bandages
- Ace bandage
- Adhesive tape, 2" wide roll
- Bandages, plastic strips
- Bandages, large triangular
- Butterfly bandages
- Cotton-tipped swabs
- Gauze pads (4" x 4")
- Sterile absorbent cotton
- Sterile gauze bandages, 2" & 4" wide rolls
- First Aid handbook
- Petroleum jelly
- Pocket/utility knife
- Rubbing alcohol
- Scissors
- Thermometer
- Tissues
- Tweezers

To Benjamin's list I would add these items:

- K-Y Jelly
- tea tree oil, one fluid ounce, a natural antiseptic
- one of those emergency blankets that look like foil,
folded up to about three inches by three inches, and
are sold for about $5 each in camping stores.
- one enema bag per person, with the knowledge of
when to give enemas to rehydrate, raise core body temp,
and flush out the intestines from cholera and similar
bacterial diseases that lodge in the intestines and can
be flushed away. In the absence of professional medical
care, properly administered saline enemas can save a person
from cholera.

Other survivalist "lifers" recommend sutures, syringes, and other medical supplies that most of us view as fairly sophisticated. This FAQ deals with basics, so I recommend that readers start with what's listed here and then study Red Cross materials and determine what they should keep in stock for their own situation.

The car first aid kit is less extensive, and it should not be confused with the car emergency kit, of which it is a part but not the whole.

- Burn ointment
- Gauze bandage rolls
- ACE bandage rolls
- Dressing sponges
- Antibiotic ointment
- Gauze pads
- Iodine or similar prep pads
- Alcohol prep pads
- Butterfly bandages
- Antibiotic ointment
- Medical adhesive tape
- Blanket
- Scissors
- Signal flares or reflective upright triangles

The evacuation first aid kit (part of the bug out kit) should contain the following, as a minimum:

- Bandages
- ACE bandage
- Antibiotic ointment
- Anti-Fungal ointment
- Gauze pads
- Iodine or similar prep pads
- Alcohol prep pads
- Butterfly bandages
- Antibiotic ointment
- Medical adhesive tape
- Aspirin and/or non-aspirin pain relievers
- Tweezers

RR-3) First Aid Supplies on the Web

Here are some URLs where you can find pre-packaged first aid kits for sale
http://www.survivalequipment.net/firstaid.html
http://www.atyour.com/readyone/

This site offers Dental Emergency first aid kits:

http://healthytraveler.safeshopper.com/1/cat1.htm?187
Another Dental first Aid kit
http://www.baproducts.com/ac202.htm

Back to Table of Contents

**RELOCATION/EVACUATION

In the US, we periodically have forced or requested evacuations: usually in the event of hurricanes, which are common enough on the east coast for Americans to understand that groups of the population may have to leave an area. In localized, temporary evacuations, it's expected that the American Red Cross and other emergency relief groups would assist refugee citizens.

At the other end of the scale is the idea of anarchy or catastrophe forcing an evacuation for an undetermined amount of time, with conditions being so severe that each person must depend on himself or herself entirely, or at least be responsible for maintaining the well-being of the family or community group of which he/she is a part.

For Evacuation/Relocation, survivalists have coined the terms "Bug-out Bag" and "Personal Evacuation/Relocation Kit (PE/RK)". The contents of a bug-out bag depend on the duration of the evacuation and the severity of conditions. I can only suggest items or conditions for which to be prepared. I consider evacuation to a shelter to be far more likely for me than an anarchical situation in which I am forced to escape to the wilderness. Even if my immediate locale were completely devastated, the wilderness is so far away from me that I would have to find a way to live in an urban/suburban jungle.

Any bag that a man at a normal level of fitness carries should not weigh more than 33% of his ideal body weight, and a woman should carry no more than 25% of her ideal body weight if she has not trained for athletic endurance.

RE-1) Forced/Requested Evacuation to a Safe Zone or Shelter

Ahead of time, determine the amount of time you would most likely spend in transit and how long you would have to wait for food and water to be supplied to you in a shelter. Consider issues of how to make your own transit as safe and comfortable as possible. Whatever the weather, if you must leave your home, leave it wearing an outer garment with a head covering. If conditions are too hot for an outer garment, throw one into the bug-out bag, and don't forget a head covering.

The first issue is shoes and socks. If you have to walk a distance to get to a public shelter, or if you are going to be away from your home for a length of time, you want to make sure that the shoes on your feet are durable, sturdy, comfortable, and waterproof. Pick out the shoes of choice ahead of time, and don't leave home without them.

*B*O*B* Several pairs of thick, durable socks should be in your bug-out bag.

If you have to walk a long distance, those in the know say to stop every few hours, sit down, take off your boots, and thoroughly massage your feet. Periodic foot massage will keep those feet working far longer than if you allow fluid to build up in them from the pressure of walking.

The subject of walking also brings up the need for a small first aid kid. The absolute minimum, even for a short transit to a public shelter, is to carry gauze pads, medical tape, antibiotic ointment, Band-Aids, and pain reliever such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen, etc. And if you are a woman, carry tampons or sanitary napkins, wrapped to stay sanitary. Your bug-out bag may require more first aid materials if you anticipate a longer transit time.

*B*O*B* A first-aid kit appropriate for your transit conditions should be in your bug-out bag.

As a minimum, you should carry a separate change of clothes with you. You might want to carry two changes if you anticipate a long stay away from home. Underwear is light to carry, so consider stowing away three or four pairs, no matter how temporary you anticipate the relocation to be.

*B*O*B* At least one change of clothes and three sets of underwear should be in your bug-out bag (minimum).

Your toiletry needs will not disappear away from home, so toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, shaving razor, deodorant, and a bar of new soap (which may see double duty washing clothes) should go with you, too. Also, carry any medicines that you require: a minimum of a three day supply, even if you anticipate only a day's absence from home is a good idea. Others say that if you depend on medication, the minimum is a one-week supply.

*B*O*B* toiletry items and required medicines go in the bug-out bag.

Along with the toiletry items, you'll make yourself more comfortable if you have a towel and washcloth with you and other needed accessories such as facial tissues (which can double as toilet paper), foil-wrapped moist wipes, and an emergency blanket of the type sold in camping stores. These emergency blankets cost $3-$5 and come folded up in tiny packets.

*B*O*B* towel, washcloth, tissues, wipes, emergency blanket (ultra lightweight type) go in the bug-out bag.

Finally, as a minimum, food and water may be hard to come by for several hours, and on a short evacuation in an urban setting, lighting a fire to cook food may be impossible as well. If you are caught in an emergency evacuation, it may be impossible to stop and eat.

A one-quart water bottle is a minimum for an adult to carry. I have a shoulder-strap carrier that takes a water bottle. Other people may have canteens or fanny packs that hold water bottles. Some durable means of carrying water as you travel is essential.

Food should be something you can eat while traveling. I recommend Power Bars, as they are almost lactose free (the non-Harvest variety, that is). Met-RX bars of the cookie dough variety taste good to me, though they squash easily. Bars like these supply vitamins and minerals. I would consider 2000 calories to be essential as a minimum, so that's about ten Power Bars. Or you can take out some Power Bars and use fruit roll-ups, hard candy, Tootsie Rolls, jerky, or pemmican for variety. You should realize that high fat or spicy foods may complicate your transit with diarrhea.

*B*O*B* Supply your bug-out kit with one quart of water in a good carrier and 2000 calories of food in durable form (minimum).

Finally, there is probably little use for credit cards in a shelter, and the nearest cash machine may be miles away, so it's a good idea to have cash with you, and it ought to be in one's and five's if you are in a public shelter. No large bills, and no big wads of money. Carry a few bills in each pocket, and the balance in a money belt or hidden carrier.

The Bare-Bones Bug-Out Bag (*B*O*B*) and Kit:
one *B*O*B* per person
__Outer garment and hat/hood
__Several pairs of thick, durable socks
__A first-aid kit appropriate for your transit conditions
__At least one change of clothes and three sets of underwear
__toiletry items and required medicines
__towel, washcloth,
__tissues/toilet paper, wipes,
__emergency blanket (ultra lightweight type)
__one quart of water in a good carrier
__2000 calories of food in durable form
__Cash appropriate for your transit conditions in small bills

You may also want to consider adding any of the following:

_____ Rain suit/ poncho
_____ ground sheet
_____ Sleeping bag
_____ Swiss Army knife (utility only)
_____ Deck of cards/paperback books
_____ Sunscreen
_____ Diarrhea medicine
_____ Flashlight
_____ Walkabout radio
_____ Spare batteries

RE-2) Forced Evacuation with Assistance But No Refuge

In a scenario worse than the previous, you would be moving away from your home for a period of 36 - 72 hours minimum, in urban or suburban conditions, but with the infrastructure broken down to the point that you must be self-reliant. This is a much more open-ended situation, more similar to the refugee conditions that existed in the invasion of the Low Countries during WWII.

You'll need a larger bug-out kit than what was listed previously, yet mobility is still essential.

As a minimum, add the following to your existing bug-out bag (listed above):

__Rain suit/ poncho
__ground sheet
__Sunscreen
__Flashlight
__Spare batteries

Additionally, you'll need to increase the amount of required medicine, food, and cash that you carry. A few MREs with heaters will provide a hot meal at least occasionally. You may want to expand your first-aid kit. The addition of a fiber blanket, if you have the strength to carry it with everything else, may solve the problem of moisture build up that occurs with the airtight emergency blankets. If conditions are bad, you may want to add water purification tablets to your bag.

The question of carrying a weapon at this point arises. And this FAQ will not address it. Certainly, being master of yourself and having a firm and yet kind demeanor is the best way to ward off danger from predators. But a firm demeanor will not ward off all potential thieves. Yet relying exclusively on a weapon for safety is foolish. A weapon is only a tool, and a tool is only as useful as the knowledge that handles it. A person who does not know how to use a knife or gun will only be stabbed or shot if he or she relies on a knife or gun against an experienced attacker. These are issues that go beyond the scope of this FAQ.

RE-3) Forced Long-Term Evacuation with No Assistance

This type of scenario is almost impossible for me to envision. I'm not isolated enough or in a rural enough setting to go off to the mountains for three months to two years and live off the land. I envision that in a grand emergency that completely wipes out my home and my lifestyle, that I would walk and journey until I could take refuge with friends, and then I would have to work very hard as part of a team to help us all survive.

However, if you can get to the wilderness and see such a journey as a possible way to outlast bad conditions, here is some advice from Geoffrey Hardin, an experienced survivalist:

+++BEGIN QUOTED SECTION

It [the BoB or PE/RK] must provide the wearer with a MINIMUM of 72 hours' worth of food and shelter while also having the tools necessary to allow the wearer to obtain more food (off the land) for up to two weeks. This includes any utensils, cooking sets, food types, fishing kits, stuff or snares, and generally everything associated with your mess.

It must provide the wearer with a MINIMUM of 24 hours' worth of water as well as being capable of purifying/filtering water for up to two weeks. This includes water carriers (canteens, water bladders, etc.) as well as filters/purifiers, iodine/chlorine tabs, and anything to do with drinking water.

It must provide the wearer with shelter appropriate for the climate of the poster. Shelter includes clothing as well as tents, tarps, etc. Tools that are to be used to make more permanent shelters are to be included as well. It must provide the wearer with some level of personal security. Be it with knife, Uzi, 90mm recoilless rifle, a pointed stick or a bowl full of raspberries. You choose everything down to the brand of ammo and any items necessary to keep them up and running (e.g., your cleaning kit, lubes, etc).

+++END QUOTED SECTION

Geoffrey Hardin actually provides an expanded and more instructive rationale in a post that I found on Usenet. It is dated 2001-09-15 from the newsgroup misc.survivalism. Here is the URL:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%2Bsurvival+%2B%22PE/RK%22&start=10&hl=en&rnum=11&selm=3BA35D4E.4E694B57%40abcs.com

Two sample lists taken from misc.survivalism:

SAMPLE LONG-TERM BOB #1 (from Benjamin Klinger)

Information:
========================
__Edible plant info cards
__Nature Bound survival book
__Guide to wilderness medicine
__Survival cards
__Pen
__Pencil
__AM/FM radio with batteries
__Maps
__Compass
__Small notebook
__2-Meter Transceiver w/spare batt.
__(have amateur license)

Food Prep
__==========
__aluminum foil
__Stainless Steel cup
__Water filter(Pur)
__Nylon bag
__1 Qt. Canteen filled
__Freeze dried meals(4)
__Glock hunting knife
__Water purification tablets

Clothing/Shelter
__==========
__Poncho
__Sewing kit
__Pair socks
__Underwear
__Pair shorts
__T-Shirt
__Sunglasses
__Bandana
__Small leather bag
__Camo headnet
__Space blanket
__Spare pair glasses

Medical/Toiletries
__==========
__Large Bandage
__soap bar
__toothbrush
__toothpaste
__dental floss
__tissues
__Insect repellent
__Condoms(5)
__Bandages(15)
__Neosporin
__Razor Blades(5)
__Snake bite kit
__Nail clippers
__Antiseptic wipes(4)
__Medical tape
__Aspirin(30)
__Vitamins(10)
__Small Towel

Misc
__===========
__Sharpening stone
__Magnesium fire starter
__Butane lighter(3)
__Swiss Army knife
__Wire saw
__$200 cash & credit card
__Colt .22 auto pistol (for wilderness)
__.22 LR cartridges(80)
__Mini Mag lights(2)
__Super Leatherman
__Plastic trash bags(5)
__50' small gauge wire
__Camo makeup kit with mirror
__50' nylon cord
__candles(3)
__Fish hooks(10)
__fishing line

SAMPLE LONG-TERM BOB (PE/RK)#2
Courtesy of XXX XXXX

Section not included until permission received to reprint

Back to Table of Contents

*B*O*B* Supply your bug-out kit with one quart of water in a good carrier and 2000 calories of food in durable form (minimum).

RE-4) Stuck in an office building/city environment far from home.

Read the entire Relocation/Evacuation section for this topic, as it explains many different conditions that some people will face while others will not. The essence is that you ought to have a bug-out bag prepared at your office. This is not so much to get away as it is designed to get you home. Or at least it can help you wait out a blackout or lockdown in reasonable comfort. As far as I can determine, the ultra-essentials are good walking shoes, a bottle of water, a lightweight, water- proof jacket with hood, and some cash. If the bag gets too bulky, you can always discard stuff at the time. Remember it's easier to discard what you don't need in an emergency than it is to find what you do need and don't have. Here's the full list:

The Stuck-in-the-City Bug-Out Bag (Office *B*O*B*) and Kit:
one *B*O*B* per person
__Outer garment and hat/hood (waterproof is best)
__Several pairs of thick, durable socks
__Good walking shoes, already broken in
__A first-aid kit appropriate for your transit conditions
__At least one change of clothes and three sets of underwear
__toiletry items and required medicines
__towel, washcloth,
__tissues/toilet paper, wipes,
__emergency blanket (ultra lightweight type)
__one quart of water in a good carrier
__2000 calories of food in durable form
__Cash appropriate for your transit conditions in small bills

You may also want to consider adding any of the following:

_____ Rain suit/ poncho
_____ ground sheet
_____ Swiss Army knife (utility only)
_____ Deck of cards/paperback books
_____ Sunscreen
_____ Diarrhea medicine
_____ Flashlight
_____ Walkabout radio
_____ Spare batteries

**BIBLIOGRAPHY

Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage Stevens

Living Safe in an Unsafe World : The Complete Guide to Family Preparedness by Kate Kelly, (Introduction by Randall C. Duncan)

First Responder Chem-Bio Handbook by Ben N. Venzke (Editor)(Spiral-bound)

Chem-Bio: Frequently Asked Questions by Barbara Graves

-------------------------------FOOTNOTES-------------------------------
NOTE ONE: As a person extremely allergic to milk, I post Stephanie's information with a caution. Evacuating to a safe place is the worst possible time to have a child sick with diarrhea and stomach cramping, and it is just as bad if you are sick. I don't think using milk is a good idea in emergency situations because milk is hard to digest, and most people are at least somewhat intolerant of it. Many survivalists/preparedness advocates list dried milk as a staple. I don't. The problem is not just the lactose, which is a sugar that many people cannot digest. The casein protein of cow's milk (which is not identical to the casein protein in human mother's milk) is difficult to break down in digestion. It can block other nutrients from being absorbed. What you can tolerate at ease in your own home may not be the same thing that you will tolerate in a highly stressful situation. So use cow's milk with caution.
Go back to where you were in the text.
-------------------------------END FOOTNOTES SECTION-------------------------------

THIS ENDS THE FAQ
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
~jeriwho

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.
--Lamentations 3:22-23

 

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