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NOTES ON PREPAREDNESS FOR NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS WITH
EMPHASIS ON EARTHQUAKES FOR ROSSMAN SCHOOL

Prepared by Ken Seger
With editorial assistance by Patt and Jerry Welk

Copyright Notice:  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without prior explicit written permission from the author.

If you find the information in this file of use to you, would you please send $10 to Rossman School, 12660 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63141 with the check made out to Rossman Parents Club.  The funds will be used to purchase
additional survival equipment for the children.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

When I first started writing this text it began as an 18 KiloByte outline of the steps Rossman School should take to be prepared for an earthquake.  This quickly grew to 28K with the addition of more information.  Soon a glossary and more additional information was added bringing the total to 58K. Additional activities were added bringing the K up to 70.  At that point the entire file was reorganized and an explanation of what the term survivalism really means  was included. Hopefully this trend will continue through the future years as additional information, techniques, supplies, and training are added to improve the disaster preparedness capability of Rossman School.

I would like to thank Patt and Jerry Welk for their encouragement and editing of this text.  One of their criticisms was the inclusion of the words survivalist and survivalism. They felt, and rightly so, that the term survivalist has acquired a notorious connotation recently. They suggested that those terms should be replaced with blander, image-neutral terms. 

While the negative connotation might be the accepted definition for people who assume that everything they read or hear in the mass media is the absolute truth, a more accurate picture is acquired by those who search for what is true and what is false concerning the survivalist movement.

There are individuals and groups, incorrectly labeled as "survivalist" by the mass media, who are not worthy of the name. These incorrectly labeled people tend to be political or religious extremists who violate the principles of survivalism (see appendix #4) by neither helping others nor advocating freedom.  Even though true survivalists outnumber the falsely labeled "survivalists" by over 100 to 1, the true survivalists get less than 5% of any mass media coverage.  This merely reflects the mass media's appetite for bad news versus good news.

Since the activities suggested in this text are PRECISELY what true survivalism is all about, the terms survivalist and survivalism have been retained, and rightfully so. 

I have been studying the topic of survivalism since 1982. Since 1983, I have been a member of LIVE FREE which is the world's oldest (founded in the early 60's) and largest survivalist organization, been a life member since  1985, been a Certified Survival Instructor since 1988 (passing with the second highest score ever), and have given lectures on nutrition, nuclear war survival skills, and water purification at various LIVE FREE seminars.  I have an extensive library of survivalist literature and subscriptions to all major survivalist newsletters and magazines written in English in the USA, Australia and Europe.  I have participated in the various survivalist computer/modem information networks since 1984 and have been the SYStem OPerator and host node of a survivalist BBS since 1986.

Anyone who would care to examine what real survivalists are truly like should refer to appendix #4 for a brief explanation of the topic and sources of additional information from which they can derive their own conclusions.

Ken Seger, March 1990, St. Louis

THE PURPOSE OF THIS TEXT

WHAT THIS TEXT IS FOR

The purpose of these notes is neither to forecast a disaster nor recommend a specific line of action, but to serve as a framework for discussion of the different levels of earthquake hazard, and show the many different methods and levels of preparedness to cope with those hazards.

There is no way to predict, with any degree of confidence, when or how strongly an earthquake will occur.  While people such as Dr. Iben Browning have predicted the New Madrid to quake on Dec. 3, 1990 plus or minus 3 days, most other authorities place their predictions in decades rather than in days.

Even in the highly unlikely event that this particular disaster does occur between Oct.31 and Dec. 7th, other types of disasters can certainly occur before and after those days.

If you are moderately prepared for a major earthquake, you are very well prepared for smaller disasters, and at minimum, partially prepared for other larger disasters.

Different levels of problems are identified as ideal, fair, poor, and worst case conditions in the following categories: time of day, time of year, weather, utilities, building damage, support services, level of damage and duration of emergency conditions.

Levels of preparedness are organized around the topics of shelter, lighting, water, food, sanitation, heating and cooling, medical, communication and safety requirements.  Each of these topics is covered to illustrate how different levels of preparedness can be obtained.

WHAT THIS TEXT IS NOT FOR

Just because the different categories of problems happen to be lumped into a single problem level does NOT mean that this is likely to be the case in an actual disaster situation.  The likelihood of a disaster staying within such nicely defined parameters is practically nil.  It is most likely to be a mixed bag of events. In the same vein, the topics in the levels of preparedness are grouped ONLY to show that different levels of preparedness can be sought and they are not meant to be a rigid set of goals.  Different levels in different topics will be chosen based on perceived needs and the amount of money and man-hours available for the preparedness project. 

WHAT ROSSMAN IS CURRENTLY DOING AND THE NATURE OF DECISIONS

If one accepts as true the saying, "The act of not making a decision in itself is a form of making a decision", then one can expand that to, "The act of not even considering a topic at all is itself a form of a decision." If that is the case, then Rossman has made the decision to be very unprepared for an earthquake or any other major disaster.

Let us look at what that decision entails.  We have decided that in a major disaster the students of Rossman will be without safe drinking water, they will only have whatever form of shelter happens to be available at the time, communications will only be that which is usually available, if intact, if students must stay overnight there will be no provision for emergency light, bedding or shelter, and that easily corrected hazards will not be eliminated causing great property damage to carpeting, materials, books, etc. 

Now that the topic has been brought up, I hope that the old passive decision will be rejected and replaced with a new actively made and acted upon decision.  Hopefully this document will make this change occur sooner than it would have otherwise and long before it is needed.

As one seismologist stated, "You need to choreograph an earthquake well in advance, otherwise you will NOT like the dance." 

SO WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF A QUAKE?

According to a Memphis State University study, the chance of a major earthquake from the New Madrid fault is:

A Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau study gives the odds as:

Please note: the Richter scale is a logarithmic scale and refers only to the power of the earthquake expressed as a power of ten and by itself does  not predict the level of damage.  An earthquake of Richter 8.0 has the same  amount of power as 10 - Richter 7.0 quakes or 100 - Richter 6.0 quakes or 1,000 - Richter 5.0 quakes.  In other words, to dissipate the amount of energy that could be released by one single Richter scale 8.0 earthquake would require a Richter scale 4.0 earthquake to occur every single hour for one year and two months or a Richter scale 5.0 earthquake to occur every hour for six weeks.

In 1985 Dr. Otto Nuttli, professor of geophysics at St. Louis University, estimated that the New Madrid quakes in the 5 month period of 1811-1812, ranged as high as 8.0 to 8.8 Richter and that 15 to 18 of the aftershocks ranged from 6.5 to 7.0 Richter.  Others estimate that 5 of the two dozen or so quakes were 8.0 or higher.  In 1985, the amount of energy stored in the fault was enough to produce an earthquake of 7.6 Richter according to Dr. Nuttli.  The last large quake was in 1895 and estimated at 6.0 Richter.  It is estimated that a quake of this size should occur about every 80 years.  Due to the difference in structure, a quake in the Midwest will have a damage area 20 times larger than the same quake would have in California.

It is virtually impossible to predict at what Richter scale a major quake would occur.  Even if it were, it would be equally difficult to predict the precise damage level that would occur in the Rossman School area.

If the New Madrid has a 6.7 Richter scale quake, the greater St. Louis area can expect the following effects: people have trouble standing upright, loose bricks fall from buildings, heavy furniture overturns, many windows break and some buildings are damaged. 

For a 7.6 Richter scale quake: drivers have difficulty steering, towers and chimneys fall, tree branches break and some buildings partially collapse. 

It is estimated that a 7.4 Richter scale quake will do approximately six billion dollars in damage in just the state of Missouri.

For a 8.6 Richter scale quake: the ground is cracked conspicuously, considerable damage in masonry structures especially designed to withstand earthquakes, some buildings collapse and underground pipes sometimes broken.

Estimations of damage to the West County area published by authorities indicate that on a 8.6 Richter scale earthquake damage levels of 7, 8 or 9 may occur.

Level 7 is described as: "Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction.  Numerous windows and some furniture are broken. Considerable damage occurs to concrete irrigation ditches."

Level 8 equals: "Trees shaken strongly with branches and trunks broken off. Slight damage occurs in brick structures built especially to withstand earthquakes. Buildings partially collapse. Stone walls are cracked or broken seriously."

Level 9 equals: "Ground is cracked conspicuously. Considerable damage occurs in masonry structures built especially to withstand earthquakes. Some buildings collapse. Underground pipes sometimes broken."

Please note that those damage levels will NOT be uniform throughout the St. Louis area.  Some areas will be devastated while others nearby will suffer only minor damage.

However, even if there is only a 0.1% chance of an earthquake happening, if it happens, it happens.  One can not control the likelihood of an earthquake occurring, but one can control the amount of preparedness for an earthquake or other disaster.

WHAT IS THE RANGE OF POSSIBLE CONDITIONS?

When a quake happens, the magnitude of problems will be dependent on the severity of the quake and other circumstances not related to the quake: time of day, time of year, weather conditions and the ability of governmental services and parents to provide assistance.

IDEAL CONDITIONS

Time of day - during the middle of the night when nobody is at school
Time of year - during winter or spring break, summer vacation, or on a weekend when nobody is here!
Weather - mild spring or fall, nice temperatures with no wind
Utilities - no loss of electricity, phone, gas, water, or sewer
Building - a few books and art projects knocked off of the shelves, a few minor cracks in windows or walls
Police/fire/hospital - there and ready, available by phone and everybody in the yellow pages waiting to take your money
Injuries - no people at school equals no injuries
Damage level - no major problems, quake was a small one
Duration - at no time were there emergency conditions

FAIR CONDITIONS

Time of day - before school when just staff and faculty are in or after the PM carpool is over when there are a just a few students and most of the staff and faculty are still here
Time of year - spring or fall during a school day 
Weather - spring or fall with rain, or summer or winter with very mild  temperatures and winds and no precipitation
Utilities - no electricity, water pressure low,  however, the gas, phone and sewer are working
Building - numerous small cracks in drywall, a few windows shattered, some windows with substantial cracks, many windows with minor cracks, repairs not covered by insurance covered by Board of Trustee's Discretionary funds
Police/fire/hospital - available but only for critical emergencies, triage is much tighter than usual
Injuries - lots of bruises and scrapes, some minor cuts, just a few significant injuries such as major cuts, sprained or strained joints or broken bones
Damage level - the quake was significant, and some aftershocks are expected
Duration - most students are picked up before sundown with just a few being picked up the next day, utilities return to normal in a day or so

POOR CONDITIONS

Time of day - around AM or PM carpool when there are many parents at school available to help
Time of year - summer with rain and wind or winter with snow and wind
Weather - a hot summer or a cold winter
Utilities - only the phone is working, and it is overloaded with long delays for connections
Building - significant damage, most windows broken or cracked, some deformation at a few door frames, repairable, but expensive, a loan is needed to cover repairs and expenses until lawsuit with insurance company is resolved
Police/fire/hospital - difficult to get to or contact, services are very overburdened
Injuries - numerous minor cuts, abrasions and bumps, several significant injuries and one life threatening injury such as sucking chest wound, severe bleeding, shock, etc.
Damage level - major quake, aftershocks are numerous but smaller 
Duration - moderate number of students have been picked up by 9PM but the balance are not picked up until noon of the next day with a few distant students not picked up for another day or so

WORST CASE POSSIBLE SCENARIO

Time of day - between 9AM and 2AM when there are the fewest number of parents available for assistance
Time of year - either the heat of summer or the cold of winter 
Weather - summer/no clouds, high heat, drying winds or winter/clouds, 35-40 degrees with rain
Utilities - none except gas (leaking), no water, electricity or phone
Building - Profound damage to older building.  Due to the collapse of pantry wall, the gas shut-off valve is inaccessible with strong smell of gas around valve.  Gym & the new wing have damage of brickwork and deformation at corners. Both are suitable for shelter with some risk, however children are afraid to enter.  Older building may not be financially worth fixing. Insurance company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Police/fire/hospital - No phones to call for assistance, besides all services hopelessly swamped with other demands.  Conway road hopelessly clogged due to cracked pavement and people trying to get to St.John's & St.Luke's
Injuries - bleeding major and minor, sucking chest wounds, eye injuries, broken arms, legs of students, faculty and staff.  Some cases of hysteria, panic and catatonia of students, faculty and staff.
Damage level - high!, 8+ Richter as in the early 1810's
Duration - majority of parents unable to retrieve children until next day with several faculty, staff and students who live farther out unable to go home for a few days, electricity and phone will be out for at least week

PLEASE NOTE: Estimations of damages in all cases are HIGHLY speculative.  Actual damage to building is dependent on quality of land or landfill under the building and underlying rock formations on which the preparer has no meaningful data.  Also the degree of resistance of buildings to seismic shock is unknown to the preparer of this report.

TRAINING OPTIONS

FACULTY AND STAFF

Minimum - Review "duck and cover" techniques, review evacuation drills and check that all Red Cross First Aid and CPR cards are current.
Good - Above plus retake standard classes
Better - Above plus see if 50 hour Red Cross course could be arranged, view Practical Preparedness video and listen to the, What you Should Know About Earthquakes, audiotape.
Best - Over the summer loan VCR (if needed) and view Nuclear War Survival Skills video tapes 1-4 and Soviet Civil Defense video tapes 1-7. See appendix #1

STUDENTS

Minimum - Incorporate "duck and cover" earthquake safety routines into the fire/evacuation drill
Good - Talk about earthquakes and how they are rare, with effects usually limited to minor building damage
Better - Tell about Rossman's preparations as is appropriate to age. Talk about what you would do if you didn't have utilities for an hour or a day etc.
Best - Practice skills in a drill, perhaps as an after school activity.  Have the children talk to Rowan-Woods students about their experience of going to school without having running water.

PARENTS

Minimum - Give all parents a sheet explaining what preparedness steps Rossman School has taken.
Good - Offer general preparedness information to all parents interested.
Better - Offer a special evening in which preparations are discussed and demonstrated.  Offer more detailed preparedness information.
Best - Form a Parent's Preparedness Club in which members can learn in more detail about preparedness.  Develop a Parent Volunteer list for communications, assistance and housing of remote students, faculty and staff during a disruption of normal transportation facilities.

EQUIPMENT NEEDS

Equipment is needed to fulfill the basic human needs of shelter, water, food, sanitation, heating or cooling and medical needs.  The secondary needs of light and safety are important for the well being of the children as well.

SHELTER

Shelter is needed to protect the children, faculty and staff from hypothermia, hyperthermia, rain, snow and wind. While high quality shelter would be preferred, it should be remembered that the scope of this preparedness plan only covers keeping the children from harm until their parents can take over the children's needs.

WATER

Water that is both potable and palatable is needed for drinking, sanitation, and possible food preparation.

FOOD

Food is needed for psychological aid more than physiological need if the duration is a few hours.  It is highly useful for group activity, a sense of normalcy, comfort, etc.

SANITATION

"When ya gotta go, ya gotta go!"  There will be enough stress in an emergency without forcing the kids to use a trench toilet.  Also, this will speed cleanup after the disaster.

HEATING AND COOLING

This demand will be minimal if reasonable shelter is provided. Cold and hot packs might be needed in special cases for medical purposes.

MEDICAL

At least the basics are needed.  A higher level of preparedness in this topic allows greater safety.

COMMUNICATIONS

At least inward communications should be available to listen to AM and FM radio.  If units with an outward ability are purchased, SSB CBs would be the minimum.  Mobile and portable phones might be utilitized, if still functioning.

LIGHTING

Illumination is needed for group activities, private activities, a sense of security, special cases, etc.

SAFETY

Since Rossman is located in a low density, upper income area, this need is unlikely.  However, protection from rodents, dogs, other animals and humans may always be a possibility.

SSRsi NOTE: Making this kind of assumption is a serious mistake. Low density, high income neighborhoods will become prime targets for marauders seeking to prey on "soft" and "safe" areas... but to these people "soft" means easily overtaken and "safe" means they are unlikely to meet any official opposition (as the emergency services will be overburdened in heavily damaged areas).

LEVELS OF PREPAREDNESS

EASIEST PREPARATIONS ARE NO PREPARATIONS, BUT ALSO THE WORST

CURRENT LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS

Shelter - What is on everybody's back
Light - Are there candles and working flashlights?
Water - How much do the water heaters hold?
Food - What is in the kitchen on average or lowest point?
Sanitation - Those two large bushes in the woods over there and hopefully a shovel.
Heat/cooling - hmmmmm.....
Medical - First aid kits, oxygen system, splints, venom extractors, Epi-pen and whatever is in the faculty and
staff's cars.
Communication - clock radios, hope the phones still work, two three channel standard CB's used for car pool with all three channels hopelessly clogged by more powerful transmitters; therefore, if no phones, communication with
outside world consist of Ms. Czech and Mr. Huusko transporting slips of paper.
Safety - There are trees from which switches can be cut.

SHOE STRING, MAKE DO, JURY RIGGED

Shelter - A few rolls of 5 mil plastic and some rope (in the science room) are a lot better than nothing for expedient
tents.
Light - A good plastic flashlight costs $6 at Wal-Mart, Cheap D cells can be purchased, but need to be rotated.
Water - a crystalline iodine "generator", a 5 gallon jug with tap and a container of paper cups would help
Food - a 5 pound bag of hard candy is cheap and will last for years
Sanitation - for $10, two box style port-a-potties can be purchased via mail order
Heat/cooling - a few instant cold packs and hot packs for the first aid kit would be nice
Medical - additional supplies added to the current medical kit would be nice
Communication - at least one AM/FM radio with batteries to match, again the batteries need to be rotated
Safety - mace, tear gas, cap-stun or other sprays are fairly effective

MINIMAL BUDGET

Shelter - a few large good tarps with ropes and tent spikes would be better than plastic
Light - numerous plastic flashlights with 20 year storage batteries plus a battery operated fluorescent light
Water - a few iodine purifiers with 25 gallons of water stored at all times in various locations would be nice and cost
only $30
Food - Purchasing some foods that require no water or heat (if you don't mind eating cold chicken with gravy, etc.)
Sanitation - The box style portapotties again but with the addition of a portable sink (5 gal.)
Heat/cooling - quite a few heat and cold packs + some aluminized mylar sheets (the so-called "space-blankets")
Medical - a second kit can be added
Communication - one radio for scanning AM and another for FM, 20 year storage D cells
Safety - a higher grade of anti-personnel incapacitating gas

MODERATE BUDGET

Shelter - a tent that would house two dozen children or any injured can be purchased for $300
Light - numerous plastic flashlights with 20 yr. D cells, several fluorescent lights with 20 year D cells, several
cyalume sticks of various types
Water - Several iodine purifiers, with filter papers and activated charcoal to improve palatability, some "Tang" or
"Wylers" would be nice and multiple stored water mylar/boxes in several locations
Food - a large meal in an MRE can be had for about $3.50 and will store for years, a cheaper method would be to purchase MRE components
Sanitation - 3 box style portapotties, 2 - 5 gallon portable sinks and a "solar" shower for cleaning spills and accidents
Heat/cooling - heat and cold packs, numerous space-blankets plus numerous "space" sleeping bags
Medical - medical kit should contain all possible supplies that faculty and staff are qualified to use
Communication - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV band radio with 20 yr D cells
Safety - a flare gun for signaling, or in a worst case scenario, defense

WELL BUDGETED, CONVENTIONAL

Shelter - an army surplus 16' x 32' tent can be bought for $500
Light - numerous Mag-lite flashlights with 20 year storage batteries, fluorescent lanterns with 20 yr. batteries,
cyalume sticks -  several bright white 30 minute units for special applications and various colored 12 hour units for
night identification of people and objects
Water - Water storage as above with Katadyn microfiltration purifier and activated charcoal filters
Food - one or two MREs for everybody, with additional foods for special requirements
Sanitation - 2 or 3 plastic hassock style port-a-potties, 3 - 5 gal. portable sinks, 2 "solar" showers
Heat/cooling - all of the above with a small stove or immersion heater for heating water. A kerosene lamp can also be used to heat water.
Medical - all medical supplies to cover a large number of minor problems, plus a kit that would be useful for a General Practitioner M.D.
Communication - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV band, 1 - 40 channel SSB CB
Safety - sidearm locked in "gunsafe" with safety bullets ASSUMING several of the faculty and staff are trained to use it in a proper safe and legal manner.

VERY WELL BUDGETED, U.S.A. STYLE SURVIVALIST'S PREPARATIONS

Shelter - Standard "Fighting Chance" style blast/fallout/bio-chem war shelter consisting of below ground
cylindrical steel tank outfitted with hammocks for all occupants and air blowers with purifiers.
Light - Protected deep-discharge battery operated fluorescent lights for the shelter, with portable fluorescents and
Mag-Lite with 20 year cells
Water - Shelter would be equipped with a well for cooling, sanitation and drinking.
Food - For short-term, MREs, MR8s and freeze dried.  For long term year-long, Morman 4, Kearney Diet or Morman 4 + 40.
Sanitation - Each shelter equipped with chemical toilet and pump to a holding tank buried outside shelter.
Heat/cooling - The shelter air and water systems can control any heating or cooling needs.
Medical - as above plus a kit that would be useful for the highest qualified M.D./parent in their various fields of
medicine.
Communication - as above plus protected from lightning and EMP with antennas for maximum range and clarity, plus phones between shelters
Safety - sidearm with shot shells for rodents, snakes and other short range (5 to 20 feet) problems plus a longarm for dogs, skunks and other problems which need to be removed at a longer range (20 - 100 feet).  Both properly stored in a locked safe with safety ammunition.

FIRST CLASS PREPAREDNESS, TYPICAL SWISS GRADE SCHOOL

Shelter - Standard Swiss below ground blast/fallout/chem-biowar shelter consisting of below ground reinforced concrete rooms with bunks for all occupants with wartime air handling system. See appendix #2 for details.  As an
alternative, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's 3,400 SQ. FT. Blast-upgradable Hazard-resistant Earth Sheltered
Residence could be easily modified for a totally underground use at a savings of 20%.
Light - protected fluorescent lights run from generator or deep discharge batteries plus all of the above portable lights
Water - A well as per Technical Directive 1966 2-7 which can provide 100 grams water per hour per shelter space.
Food - Nestles Corp. Uberlebens Nahrung (survival rations) 
Sanitation - A well and a septic system
Heat/cooling - standard Swiss blowers and filters for dust, radioactivity, chemical and biological warfare
air-bornes, blankets on all of the bunks
Medical - Standard "First Aid Post" (also known as a Protected Practice) with 32 beds for triage and first aid with
supplies, or "First Aid Station" with 120 to 140 beds or bunks with an operating table for triage, first aid, and
final treatment of lightly wounded patients 
Communication - EMP hardened radios, separate units for AM, FM, TV, Emergency channels, SSB CB, HAM and shortwave 
Safety - "All facilities can operate for several days independent from the outer world." - OUR CIVIL DEFENSE p.16,
plus a standard soldier's kit of full-auto military rifle, helmet, backpack, etc. for all males.  See Appendix #2 for
additional information.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS FOR PREPAREDNESS - Detached building for supplies, chainsaw, kerosene lights and perhaps a heater, military ammo boxes or PVC tubes for storing supplies 

WELL THAT'S REAL NICE.........................HOW MUCH?!?

These prices should be considered low estimates as shipping will have to be added to items not available locally.  See appendix #3 for details.

Remember: You get what you pay for!  TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)

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PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS PACK FOR THE 33 FACULTY AND STAFF

If the staff and faculty are expected to care for our children during the first phase of an emergency, we parents should, at least, provide materials for the care of the faculty and staff.

In order for normal school functions to resume as soon as possible, it is in our best interests to minimize the effects of an emergency on the home lives of the faculty and staff.  It is fairly unlikely that staff and faculty members are personally prepared for a major quake.  It would be advantageous to develop emergency packs for them.  Stored at the school, these packs would be taken by the faculty and staff when they return home.

For faculty and staff who live far away, volunteer parents should arrange temporary housing until normal transportation becomes available.

The following would be in the pack the 33 faculty and staff would carry home with them. They represent a strictly MINIMUM kit to be upgraded and expanded as time and funds permit. A few upgrade items are listed in (-).

Crystalline iodine water purification kit
Trash sack for expedient poncho (heavy duty military poncho)
Trash sack to carry all items in (backpack - medium ALICE, no frame)
How to live without utilities book NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL SKILLS
Aluminized mylar sleeping bag 
Aluminized mylar 5 gallon water container
Box/bag/disinfectant for expedient toilet
Zip-lock bag, large for large items
Zip-lock bag, small for small items
1 MRE (2, 3 or more)
Flashlight with batteries & spare bulb (Mag-lite with 20 year cells)
Matches, water resistant (lifeboat matches)
Candle
Trioxane cooking fuel tabs

For a minimal kit TOTAL $1,980 $60 per kit

For partially upgraded kit  TOTAL $3,894  $118 per kit

For a more thorough look at emergency kits, review the various kits available from Preparedness Products Inc. and The Emergency Lifeline Inc.  Also, various survivalist recommended backpacks lists and lists of home survival supplies are available from Ken Seger.

RETROFITTING THE EXISTING BUILDINGS

RETROFITTING THE BUILDING'S CONTENTS

Many small modifications can be made that will reduce injury and property loss for a small expenditure of time and material.  The best way to accomplish minor retrofits would be to examine all rooms, hallways, closets and storage areas and consider what would happen if there was a sudden horizontal or vertical acceleration. 

For each area an inventory sheet should be made with two main categories: physical injury and property loss. Each of these categories having a major threat and minor threat division.  For example, under major injury: the need to secure tall, top-heavy bookcases, filing cabinets that could cause injury on impact, or water heaters, kilns or kitchen equipment that could generate a fire or explosion.  Under minor threat: the need to secure frames that have glass or computer printers.  Under major property: the need to secure computer equipment, copiers, video equipment, heating and cooling devices, etc.  Under minor property: the need to secure records, and other breakables.

While Mr. Yokley most certainly has the ability to effect these improvements, having the time to implement them, in addition to normal services within normal working hours, is unlikely.  His terms of employment could be expanded if he is willing and finances are available, or a task force of moms and dads handy with tools could come in on scheduled weekends. 

RETROFITTING THE BUILDINGS THEMSELVES

Both the necessity and the feasibility of major retrofits on the structures need to be studied by a qualified engineer or architect. Carmen Johnson has lists of publications that might aid this activity. If one of the Rossman parents is qualified for this activity, and is willing to waive their fee, the school should purchase any needed materials and reimburse expenses. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

If Rossman parents, faculty and staff were typical people, the results of viewing this information would be, "Yup that's a good idea. Somebody should do some of that stuff sometime.", and that would be the end of it.  We would continue at our current state of unpreparedness.

Rossman people are not typical people. Otherwise, Rossman would not be the unique quality institution that it is.

I am certain that all of us would like to see the children of Rossman have the same chance of surviving an emergency that a Swiss child has. Unfortunately our society does not place as great an emphasis on safety as the Swiss do.  If we did, this report would be unnecessary.

Unlike the Swiss, we can not expect funding from either the Federal, State, county or city government.  Like everything else at Rossman, if we want it done, we need to do it ourselves. 

While manhours and funds can, and will, be made available for preparedness, their amount is not unlimited.  Therefore, we should first put our time and money into items that will make the greatest amount of difference. This would be the area of medical preparedness.

While food and shelter are quite important, a child can die from a sucking chest wound or cut blood vessel much faster than they can from hypothermia or starvation.  After the possible critical injury needs have been prepared for, attention should be paid to items that can afford the greatest amount of safety for the least amount of time and money.  This would be shelter from the elements.

After this need has been at least minimally prepared for, the remaining topics can be covered as time and money permit. Please note that much of the equipment can provide great utility at very low cost. Example, portable lighting items for each staff member will cost at minimum over $100, whereas sanitation requirements for human waste can be dealt with for less than $30.

A wildcard that can frustrate preparedness planning is the arrival of additional people not considered part of the original plan.  This problem has two aspects.  First, while it is hoped "more hands make lighter work", those hands are attached to a body that needs food, water, sanitation, shelter, and perhaps, medical attention.  Second, the additional individuals will not have taken part in the preparedness training.  This places an added burden on managers to maintain control and perform expedient training during the emergency.

Since the individuals are outside of the system, their sense of willingness and ability to follow orders may be less than ideal if not outright disruptive.  Care should be taken not to offend others who desire shelter as they may be ideal candidates for various tasks that one does not want to employ the trained staff and faculty on, such as, menial tasks, scouting, heavy labor, etc.

Discrete inquires should be made to nearby populations such as Lucky Lane and Missouri Baptist College to determine their level of planning.  If their attitude towards preparedness planning is positive, then a possibility of combining resources and purchasing power would be very advantageous to all parties. If their attitude towards preparedness is negative, pains should be taken to denote the limited scope of Rossman resources.

The illustrated degrees of preparedness, are meant to demonstrate the  different levels of preparedness available. Sticking to one level on all topics cannot be assumed to be the most effective use of money. Depending on varying opinions as to the degree of need in each area, different topics can be prepared for at different levels.

As stated in the overview, these notes are merely a framework for discussion.  Cost estimates of different levels should be used like a menu for a 7 person dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  Choose one appetizer, one soup, several entrees and one dessert.  The mix of preparedness levels will be determined by the perceived degree of need.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN

After this information folder has been presented to Mrs. Betz, and she has had time to read and digest the material herein, a demonstration of the various survival supplies and kits may be necessary so she will have a clearer idea of the concepts involved. From thereon Mrs. Betz can determine the best course of action.

Some suggested courses of actions might be: duplicating this folder for the Board of Directors, arranging a demonstration of survival supplies for the Board of Directors after they have had the time to study this folder or requesting a smaller folder be constructed for faculty, staff and parents.

It should be pointed out that this folder, with its glossary and supply source list, is very useful as a source book for individuals who wish to improve their home preparedness; therefore, it is hoped that it will be distributed in its present length. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOLDERS

Ultimately, there are two sets of information folders that may need to be created for the preparedness plan.  One set for information before a disaster and another for use during the disaster.

Preparing for disaster: This set of folders should contain informational checklists to help various people and groups prepare to mitigate the effects of a disaster.  Obvious targets would be the various task force members, faculty and staff and parents who wish to enhance their home preparedness level. Each folder should include a bibliography of additional information resources.

Executing preparedness plans: During a disaster, everybody's adrenaline is up and people who could recite their disaster plans backward and forward on a typical day are incapable of remembering the priorities of their own plan under the extremely stressful circumstances.  Instead of a bulky folder that might be misplaced or not carried along due to its size, a laminated 3"x5" or larger card with the essentials printed on both sides might be very helpful. This could be put in a glove compartment, taped to the CB, etc.

A similar card, stating in simple terms how to use the supplies, should be included in the preparedness supplies.

While it is tempting to use 8 point or smaller type face and make the card an encyclopedic warehouse of information, it should be remembered that the card is not intended to be used under ideal conditions, but under the worst possible conditions where lost or broken eyeglasses or with a flashlight whose batteries should have been replaced many months ago might be the case.

TASK FORCES

Since Parent's Club meetings already have a full agenda, a separate evening meeting of parents who wish to become involved in school disaster preparedness would probably be best.  Those parents who choose to come should be given this folder several days before the meeting so topics can be covered more fully.

One of the more important aspects of that, and subsequent, preparedness meetings, would be the creation and activation of various parent task forces. These task forces would carry out the needed activities to implement whatever level of preparedness is desired. Below is a list of some of the possible task forces.

RETROFITTING - This could consist of several teams depending on skills. One team could catalog retrofits concerning the contents of the building.  Another team could implement the recommendations of the first.  If there are parent volunteers who have the training, a study of the present building's seismic fragility could be made.  If not, this would have to be contracted out.

PURCHASING AGENTS - Most of the prices of preparedness items are listed at retail.  Very little price reduction can be effected on items purchased in small quantities.  However, on items purchased in quantities of one-half or one full gross, a sizable discount might be available if purchased directly.

CB NETWORK - If the school purchases a 40 chan. SSB CB, it would be helpful to have a network of parents who have similar equipment.  Ideally each node of the network would be located a significant distance from each other throughout the area of parents homes so that each Rossman parent would know whom they could go to for communication with the school.  A primary, secondary and tertiary channel should be for school to parent communication.  Another set of channels should be established for parent to parent communication. This might be especially needed if certain nodes have difficulty communicating directly with the school.

PORTABLE PHONE NETWORK- While the CB network would be totally independent of utilities, there is a possibility that car and handheld phone service might either be unaffected or the first to be repaired. This network would not be as reliable as the CB network, but if it is available it would be of great benefit.

KIT MAKERS - These people will create and assemble the various kits.

TEMPORARY HOUSING - These would be volunteers who would agree to house students, faculty, and staff who have difficulty getting home after most others have left. These might be considered way stations for traveling home.  These volunteers should have stored bedding, water, food, sanitation and shelter for the number of people they choose to house.

4WD OWNERS - Since transportation might be quite a problem if the quake is large enough, a volunteer group of owners of 4 wheel drive vehicles with adequate ground clearance should arrange an expanded carpool based on the capability of their vehicle.  One possibility would be a shuttle service from school to the way station houses to reduce the distance parents without 4WD would have to go to pick up their children should transportation be limited to 4WD in certain areas.  Establishing this emergency carpool would also be a good idea if there were ever a blizzard-like storm in which 2WD travel becomes difficult. 

FINANCING PREPAREDNESS

It should be very clearly stressed that financing for preparedness be above and beyond normal school finances.  It simply won't work for a parent to say, "Well, this year I'll give to the preparedness fund instead of annual giving." This will not work.  Annual giving supports the day to day operation of the school.  The endowment giving is strictly for the endowment fund.  Any donations to the preparedness fund needs to be above and beyond normal giving patterns least the rest of the school functions suffer.

The funds for preparedness should be considered similar to a single premium insurance policy.  Funds to purchase an item that will need to be replaced in five years are similar to a single premium 5 year term non-renewable policy.  Funds for an item that will last for decades would be like a single premium paid life policy.

A PREPAREDNESS PLAN IS INSURANCE.  If you are fortunate enough not to have cause to use it, it was an unnecessary purchase.  But it is too late to purchase it after the need arises.  What you purchase is piece of mind.  By having a preparedness plan implemented, each parent knows they have fulfilled their moral obligation to care for their child to the best of their ability.

CLOSING COMMENTS

This paper can not possibly convey all of the information needed to create a preparedness system.  There are many fine texts available from various sources that the serious student of preparedness should study. Demonstrations of survival products are available from Ken Seger by appointment.

Ken Seger does not sell or have any economic interest in any sales of survival supplies. While Ken Seger is a Certified Survival Instructor for LIVE FREE, the material presented here, or in any demonstrations, are strictly Ken Seger's personal viewpoints and opinions and do not necessarily represent the opinion of LIVE FREE INTERNATIONAL.
Ken Seger can be contacted at 763 Haw Thicket Lane, Des Peres,Mo 63131 or (314)821-9147 (voice line).

Preparedness planning necessitates working around a big "Catch 22".  If the quake is small, the extensive preparations are not needed. Utilities are all intact, police, EMTs, hospitals, ambulances and other emergency services are all there, but not needed.  If the quake is large, no amount of preparedness planning will be able to solve every single problem.  Utilities, police, EMTs, hospitals, ambulances and other emergency services will all be desperately needed, but unavailable.

Planning for the worst case, can lead to, what may be considered,  "overdoing it".  If all disasters occurred under ideal conditions, preparedness planning, and the attendant expenses, would be greatly reduced.  Real life situations rarely have easy answers. 

APPENDIX

APPENDIX #1

ON THE TOPIC OF NUCLEAR WAR

Why should books and videos on the subject of nuclear war be included here?

1) A confidence building mechanism.  If a teacher acquires the knowledge and skills to survive a full scale nuclear war, they then know that surviving a much smaller catastrophe like a major earthquake is certainly within their capabilities. 
2) It focuses the mind on what is and (perhaps more importantly) what is not needed for survival.
3) To put our activities in perspective.  1/4th of the world's population has effective Civil Defense (the U.S. does not).  There do exist other cultures that are willing to dedicate more manpower and money to protecting their children than we do at present.  When comparing their preparations to the ones that we are considering, our efforts are not that expensive or extensive.
4) A realization that the topic of emergency preparedness, if it is to cover one situation in a thorough manner, must cover all aspects of emergencies. To a large extent the techniques and research that are helpful to earthquake preparedness stem from developing the technology and skills to survive a nuclear war. It is useful to know how a technique evolved, rather than to simply know the answer. 
5) Thinking about a nuclear war is an excellent method of making a checklist of needed skills and materials for other disasters.  By comparing the needs of surviving a nuclear war with the needs of a lesser emergency you can make more effective use of time and material.  There are many survivalists who have absolutely no expectation of a nuclear war; however, they prepare for one as a method of preparing forfuture emergencies they do expect to occur.  If you are prepared for a nuclear war, you are prepared for anything else that might happen.
6) If the estimates by the CIA do come true, and there are 20 nations in the year 2000 that have Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (in comparison to the current 5), then this small, limited introduction will be of assistance to any additional steps of preparedness that may be chosen in the future.

APPENDIX #2

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON SWISS SHELTERS

The Swiss have the best all-hazards preparedness system in the world, followed closely by the Scandinavian countries, USSR, Red China, and Israel.

Below are some specification extracted verbatim from Federal Swiss law.

The shelter shall not exceed 5% of total building cost, excluding the purchase of ground (as per Swiss Federal Law BUILDING MEASURES FOR CIVIL DEFENSE dated 4 October, 1963 Article 8 - 1) with the Federal government providing 30-70% costs of building and equipment (same law  Article 5 - 1) with canton (state) and community (city) assuming the remaining costs (same law Article 6-1). 

Shelter spaces shall be 2/3rds the number of seats in school as per Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police, Office of Civil Defense - Technical Directive for the Construction of Private Air Raid Shelters 15 November 1966 Chapter 2.1.1.2 - upgraded to one space per person as per Report of the Federal Council to Parliament on the 1971 Conception of Civil Defense 11 August, 1971 Chapter 4.3.4 with one fully protected space for each member of the nation by 1985/1990.

As per Technical Directives etc. 1966 there shall be per shelter space - from 2.1.1.3 - 10.8 sq ft floor space, 88 cu ft volume, 10.8 sq ft per ventilator, 0.54 sq ft floor space for air lock, 0.76 sq ft for decontamination room - from 2.1.1.1.2 the shelter shall be divided into gas tight cells each containing a maximum of 50 people with a total capacity of 200 persons. 

Several shelter groups may be situated next to or on top of each other if decentralization is not possible - from 2.2.2.3 if shelter has 101-200 spaces separate decontamination and air rooms are mandatory - from 2.2.3.1 for 101-200 place there shall be at minimum 1 category I escape-way, 1 or 2 (depending on cell configuration) category II escape shaft(s) and 1 category IV escape tube with all entrances, exits and ventilation openings able to withstand 1 ATM <or 3 ATM> ie. a Hiroshima level of blast (12KiloTon) at 0.4 mile <0.2 miles>, a 100 KiloTon blast at 0.8 miles <0.4 miles>, a 1 MegaTon blast at 1.6 miles <0.9 miles> or 10 MegaTon blast at 1.6 miles <0.9 miles>.

All laws and technical construction notes are available from the Federal Office for Civil Defense, WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, in Berne, Switzerland.

The inclusion of the above information is to put a small earthquake preparedness plan into perspective as far as what can and what can not be done.

Please note that the Swiss system is NOT just a theoretical abstraction of what should be done.  There are fallout shelters for over 115% of the Swiss population and fallout/blast/biochem shelters for 90+% of the Swiss population installed and operational as of 1988.

APPENDIX #3

PRICES OF PREPAREDNESS SUPPLIES

(Please note; some of these prices might be out of date)
40 channel SSB CB - $160 with antenna and battery pack, Santa Fe Distributing,  14400 West 97th Terrace, Lenexa,KS 66215
orders only 1-800-255-6595

45 ACP revolver & shotshells - used $150, refurbished $200, new $300

Activated charcoal filter - depends on size and packaging $30-60, SI

Aluminized mylar blanket - Ie."space blanket" $3 from Cabela's, 812-13th Ave., Sidney,NE 69160  orders only 1-800-237-4444

Aluminized mylar sleeping bag - Ie. "space" bag $9 Cabela's

AM/FM radio - small unit that runs on AA or C cells $5-10 any discount store larger units that run on D cells have better sound since they have considerably larger loudspeakers, $40 AM/FM radio, solar/generator powered - $30 from Preparedness Products

AM/FM/TV radio - as above with TV audio band $20-30

Ammo cans, military - smalls $3-10, larges $15-50, many stores

Audiotape, How to Survive a Major Earthquake, 32 min. $5.00 The Emergency Lifeline,1514 E. Edinger, Suite 1, Santa Ana,CA 92705 (714)558-8940

Book, Emergency/survival Handbook by the American Outdoor Safety League, $3.45 from Preparedness Products, 3855 South 500 West, Bldg. G, Salt Lake City,UT 84115  (801)261-8823

Book, The Preparedness Handbook $2.40 from Preparedness Products

Book, Reader's Digest First Aid Book $1.25 from Prepared. Prod.

Book, Earthquake Preparedness $4.00 from The Emergency Lifeline

Brinkman (imitation Mag-Lite) (3 D cells) Wal-Mart $18

Cap-stun - $10-25 in 5 different sizes, Phoenix Systems Inc P.O. Box 3339, Evergreen,CO 80439 for individual sales, Guardian Security Products Dept.SH-3 8350 North 7th Street, Phoenix,AZ 85020 for $144 26 unit package

Cyalume sticks - 12 hour 10/$10 from Sierra Supply P.O.Box 1390, Durango,CO  81302, $2.50 other sources

D cells standard - Wal-Mart $3/8 cells

D cells alkaline - Wal-Mart $5/6 cells

D cells 20 year - $228/96 cells The Emergency Lifeline, 1425 Culver Drive, Suite A-474, Irvine,CA 92714 (714)558-8940

EMP protector - $35 Kootenai Radio & Energy, best prices in USA, Box 215, Kootenai, Idaho 83840  Also has solar panels and radios.

Flare gun - $80, shells $11 from Phoenix Systems Inc.

Flashlight, incandescent, plastic, cheap -  Any dept.store $2

Flashlight, incandescent, plastic, good quality - Any store $6

Fluorescent lantern - Wal-Mart Ray-O-Vac $20

Gas valve shut-off wrench, domestic $5.29 from Preparededness Products or $8.50 from Emergency Lifeline

Generator flashlight - $7  from S.I. Outdoor, Food, & Equipment, P.O.Box 3796, Gardena,CA 90247 orders 1-800-533-7415, questions (213)324-8855 or 324-8859 

Gunsafe, suitable for storing sidearms, $70 at most gun stores

Gunsafe, suitable for longarms, $150 at gun stores, $110 on sale at BEST Store

Hassock style portapotty - $40 from SI

Immersion heater - used $25 from  Bob Lewis Army Surplus or new $80 Graingers

Instant cold pack - Walgreens $2 on sale

Instant hot pack - $7.95/6 Cabela's, or $2 at Walgreens

Iodine generator - crystalline "Polar Pure" $8.49  Indiana Camp Supply, P.O.Box 211, Hobart,IN 46342 (21)947-2525 ***This item could be produced for $2 each in lots of 50***

Katadyn water filter - $180 (1987 price sheet) Kootenai Radio & Energy Systems Box 215 Kootenai,Idaho 83840 (they sell US distributor direct and are the least expensive source in the US for many radio, solar, & survival supplies)

Kearney Diet - See Nuclear War Survival Skills, approx. $250 for adult/year depending on type of packing (a discount from 30-70% for large quantities) 

Krypton bulb - $3 for standard or alkaline batteries, $6 for ni-cads, (per pair) Spartan Supply box 310 Hixson,TN 37343
1-800-251-3904

Mace - common non-lethal temporary anti-personal spray $15/unit

Maglite (3 D cells) - Wal-Mart $20, Spartan Supply $16

Matches, water resistant - 96 boxes/$20 BW trading,box 692, Newark,OH 43055

Matches, life boat - 25 matches per vial, 5 vials/$10, Brigade Quartermasters, 1025 Cobb International Blvd., Kennesaw, GA 30144-4300 orders 1-800-228-7344, (BQ never has the lowest price, but in MANY cases they have quality equipment that can be found no where else)

Metal garbage can - Builder's Square $9, or other hardware store

Morman 4 - approx. $200 for adult/yr.(discount on large orders)

Morman 4 + 40 - approx. $300 per adult/year(ditto)

MRE - 50/$150 from Sierra  Supply, Box 1390, Durango,CO 81302

MR8 - 50/$130 from Brigade Quartermasters

Nuclear War Survival Skills $10.95 each, or $80.00 for 10, plus postage (10%) Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, P.O.Box 1279, Cave Junction,OR  (503)592-4142

Oak Ridge Laboratory Hazard-mitigating house plans - 1,200, 1,400, or 3,400 sq ft set of blueprints $25 from TACDA The American Civil Defense Association Box 1057 Starke,FL 32091 (904)964-5397 phone, (904)964-9641 FAX

Plastic, 5 mil, Rolls - various sizes, $10-30, any hardware store

Portable sink - $30 Cabela's or Preparedness Products

PVC - Any plumbing supply store, price is relative to diameter

Rope, polyester - 50ft. 3/16" (#6) $4 any good hardware store

"solar" shower - $17 Cabela's

"space blanket" - See Aluminized mylar

"space" sleeping bag - See Aluminized mylar

Tarp, polyethylene - 5'x7' $3, 6'x8' $4, 8'x'10' $7, 8'x12' $8, 10'x12' $10, 10'x18' $15, 10'x30' $24, 12'x18' $18, 14'x24' $27, 15'x 30' $36, 20'x20' $32 20x40' $64, 26'x 40' $84, 40'x40' $128, 50'x50' $200 Pool Surplus P.O.Box 370 Benton,AR 72015

Tarpurethane, coated nylon, double seams, triple folded sides - 5'x7' $18,  7'x9' $25, 8'x10' $32 Indiana Camp Supply

Tents, used with no poles or tent stakes  - 12' x 15' $200, 17' octagonal $250, 16' x 32' $350, 18' x 50' $500 Bob Lewis Army Surplus, Rt. 19, Box 162, Lebanon,MO 65536 (417)532-9657 9 miles south on Highway 5

Tents, new with poles & floor, no stakes - 12' x 14' $635, 16' x 18' $1.015  B&B Gun Sales, Rt. 2, Box 244, Groesbeck, TX 76642 (817)729-2631, other sizes too.

Trioxane fuel tabs - $1.50 a box, discount for larger orders - Infinity Self-Reliance Center, Box 382, Columbia,MO 65205

Uberlebens Nahrung - not available in the USA

Videotape, Fast Food Storage, - $7.00 from Preparedness Products

Videotape, Nuclear War Survival Skills-  1-4 371 minutes $30 each or set for $95  Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, Box 1279, Cave Junction, OR 97523

Videotape, Practical Preparedness - 64 minutes $30 from TACDA

Videotape, Soviet Civil Defense 1-7 - 624 minutes - $30 each, set of 7 for $145 Available from and 1989 Copywright by OREGON INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE P.O.Box 1279, Cave Junction, Oregon 97523 (503)592-4142

Water bag, 5 gal with tap, box, human waste bag and disinfectant - 5 for $29 Preparedness Products 80 So. Redwood Road - Suite 215, North Salt Lake City Utah 84054  (801)292-3481 292-3483

APPENDIX #4

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RESOURCES

BBSs (computerized "Bulletin Board System" accessible via and computer, modem, and phone line)

Literally thousands of pages of additional information are available at no charge by calling with computer/modem, KEN'S SURVIVALISTS' BBS 300/1200/2400 bps 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (except for maintenance routines) at (314)821-2815.  All brands of computers are welcome with adjustable characters per line and lines per page or continuous readout for all monitors. All text files can be "TYPE"d with adjustable line length or downloaded with any of eight different protocols (seven with  intelligent error correcting).

ExecuNet is a BBS service, prices start at $25/yr, in Illinois which has most of the files found on Ken's Survivalists' plus other files of interest to survivalists. Many of ExecuNet's additional files can be found on Ken's Survivalists' under the <N>ews area under ExecuNet Files.

Please check with ExecuNet for latest listing. is a full service system with 6 simultaneous phone line abilities at (618)397-4569, via P.C. Pursuit long distance service at (618)451-5074, and in St. Louis, MO at (314) 772-9409.

MAGAZINES & NEWSLETTERS

Here are some newsletters and magazines of interest to survivalists. 
DIRECTIONS  - monthly  newsletter of LIVE FREE,  $15.00 per year,$200 lifetime  - 12/yr. Box 1743 Harvey,IL 60426

LIVE FREE is Jim Jones's organization and has been around for over 25 years.  Articles cover all areas,  mostly  member submitted ,emphasis is on do it yourself and small group. Once you are a member you can also purchase the LIVE FREE papers and booklets.  LIVE FREE sponsors many seminars and get-togethers every year.

SELF RELIANCE GROUP - monthly newsletter, $10/yr 1355 N. McCarran  Reno,NV 89512, mostly reprints from ASG, and other sources.

THE LIGHT SPECTRUM - $18/6 issues/yr.  Box 215 Kootenai, Idaho 83840 THE SOURCE for info on solar panels and communications

SURVIVAL TOMORROW - $48/12 issues/yr. p.o.box 910 Merlin,OR 97532  Homestead and do it your self oriented.  Very good.

USEFUL INFORMATION - $20/6 issues Box 3132 West Palm Beach, FL 33402  Excellent, from woodsman, civil defense advocate David Lobdell.  Also sells booklets How to build a 20 person permanent concrete fallout shelter for under $2,000. - $6, and How to live through a nuclear war - $16 

FIGHTING CHANCE - $60/12 issues/yr. Box 1279 Cave Junction, OR 97523 Emphasis on steel-walled blast shelters.

AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE (ASG) - $22/12 - $39/24, 12 issues per yr. McMullen Publishing, P.O.Box 15690, Santa Ana,CA 92705-0690 Large magazine covering all areas, tends to cater favorably to advertisers in its product review.

JOURNAL OF CIVIL DEFENSE - $18/yr. $34/2 yrs. 6 issues/yr. Box 1057 Starke, FL 32091 THE AMERICAN CIVIL DEFENSE ASSOCIATION's (TACDA) bi-monthly magazine. THE civil defense advocate magazine!  Sells blueprints for shelters and banked earth houses.

THE TACDA ALERT - $8/6 issues/yr. TACDA's newsletter. You can get both newsletter and magazine with $35/yr membership.

AUSTRALASIAN SURVIVOR - $18(US$)/4 issues/yr Box 11, Dickson A.C.T. 2602 Australia Emphasis on on free enterprise, tool making, blacksmithing, hand built milling machines, etc.

SPECIAL REPORT SERVICE - $49(US$) Periodic reports from Bruce Silbey on various civil defense topics. Available from JOURNAL OF PRACTICAL CIVIL DEFENSE, 11 Newport Creent, Waddington, Lincolnshire, LN5 9LZ, England.  His excellent book SURVIVING DOOMSDAY is available from here at $15 US.

Back issues of now defunct newsletters
Duncan Long's newsletters - last 12 issues $1.50 each - available from LIVE FREE
Practical  Civil  Defense - Bruce Silbey's  old  magazine. $63(US$ ppd.) for all three years  VERY authoritative! Excellent resource for nuclear war preparedness. (see SPECIAL REPORT SERVICE for address)
Personal Survival Letter - Mel Tappan's old newsletter available from SI Box 3796,Gardena,CA 90247
Foresight - Dick Oster's old newsletter available from LIVE FREE via Ken Sarabok. 
There are many other survivalist newsletters but these are the most widely read.

The Survivalist Pledge

To help all that can be helped,
To defend all that can be defended,
To save all that can be saved,
To free all that seek freedom,
To stay alive as long as I can 
and stay free as long as I live.

from LIVE FREE INTERNATIONAL



GLOSSARY

40 channel SSB CB - Citizen's Band radio (no licensing requirements) with 40 channels in AM, 40 channels in Upper side band, and 40 channels in Lower side band. Conventional CBs have just the 40 AM channels, which will probably be clogged in an emergency.

(Handgun) purchased and registered by an individual.  Even with conventional ammo a pistol is only useful as a short range weapon.  The use of shotshell converts the pistol into what amounts to a short range .410 shotgun and is ideal for rodent, snake, and small animal control.  A shotgun is unwieldy and bulky.  The shotshell is also powerful enough to be useful in controlling criminals.

Activated charcoal filter - water filter to remove chemically reactive pollutants and is most effective if the water has first passed through filter paper to reduce turbidity.

Aluminized mylar blanket Ie."space blanket" - Extremely compact and lightweight (though very noisy) mylar sheet that has been coated with an aluminum film which will reflect 80% of body heat, will not allow wind to pass through.

Aluminized mylar sleeping bag  Ie. "space" sleeping bag - same as above but in the size and shape of a sleeping bag instead of a flat sheet. 

AM/FM radio - It would be nice if radio selection could be limited to units that either use D cells or for which external D cell adaptors could be made.  This would reduce the need to inventory different battery sizes and also extend the number of hours of use of the unit before battery replacement is needed.  Unfortunately most D cell portable radios are large and expensive.  An excellent alternative is an AM/FM radio that has self contained solar cells, hand powered generator, and integral nickel cadmium batteries.

AM/FM/TV radio - As above but can receive the voice portion of VHF TV

Ammo cans, military - heavy, durable, air and watertight steel or plastic boxes of all sizes and shapes.  Useful forstoring all manner of items.

Audiotape, How to Survive a Major Earthquake, 32 minutes - a good  introduction to the topic of earthquake preparedness

Brinkman (imitation Mag-Lite) - My experience with flashlights that look like Mag-Lites but are a few dollars cheaper has been a disaster.  A waste of money.

Cap-stun - the best of many brands of non-lethal debilitating aerosol

Cyalume sticks - a photochemical light source which, while not very bright, produce no heat or sparks during operation or activation and are totally waterproof in storage, activation, and use.  Completely soft plastic with no sharp or hard edges and can't generate sparks by being bumped against other materials.  Handy eyelet for attachment. There are 12 hour versions that are fair for 2-3 hours and dim, but bright enough for identifiers for the remaining time.  There are 1 hour or 30 minute versions where a brighter light is needed for a short time.  Available in red, green, blue, yellow, and white.

D cells standard - normal carbon zinc batteries.  Cheap, but prone to leakage need to be rotated every few years.

D cells alkaline - alkaline battery.  Cost more but less likely to leak and have a five year 80% charge life.

D cells 20 year - a cell in which the chemical components are isolated from each other until the cap is twisted.  When activated, voltage & power is similar to a standard D cell.

D cell nickel-cadmium - popular rechargeable battery.  Only puts out 1.2 volts per cell (normal carbon-zinc or alkalines produce 1.5 volts).  Must be recharged frequently.  Acquires a charge limit if not fully charged after full or partial discharge which can only be normalized by full discharge and full recharge.  Has a very sharp discharge slope.  Ie. when it starts let a light go dim, it goes out quickly whereas other cells will continue to keep the light dim for a long time.

EMP - ElectroMagnetic Pulse - multifrequency radio wave capable of burning out solid state electronic components such as microchips and transistors.  EMP is caused by nuclear explosions.  If the nuclear explosion is inside the atmosphere, the EMP range is very small. If the explosion is outside the atmosphere, the radiation strikes the atmosphere and can create the EMP wave thousands of miles from the explosion.  One well placed explosion in orbit above Omaha could knock out all semiconductors from L.A. to N.Y.  This would cause a greater loss of life and property damage than a bomb going off in a single city and might be the next terrorist threat in the 21st century. EMP will be picked up by any item that can act like an antenna and conduct the EMP burst to equipment.  An EMP protector must be installed in series with  the antenna or power cord or phone line of any radio, computer or other solid state device which might operate in a nuclear war environment.  Lightning protectors are not useful against EMP as the rise time of EMP is MUCH faster than a lightning pulse.

Flare gun, shoots 26.5 mm NATO flares, 350' elevation, 6 sec. burn time

Flashlight, incandescent, plastic, cheap - assume 10% will break during use

Flashlight, incandescent, plastic, good quality - more durable, better lantern, battery operated which is much better than flashlights since they produce a greater quantity of light with less glare and better distribution than an incandescent at a lower drain rate on the batteries

Gas valve shutoff wrench - a wrench specially designed to turn off gas valves in emergencies that will not cause dangerous sparks and will not corrode if attached to the gas valve by rope to the gas valve or located near the gas valve under shrubbery if vandalism is likely, see Rope. 

Generator flashlight - you squeeze a lever which turns a dynamo, you have to keep pumping for light, they are cheap and will wear out under heavy or careless use, unless you can find a military model

Gunsafe, suitable for storing sidearms, opens with adjustable push button code approx 4"x8"x12" and useful for storing various items

Gunsafe, suitable for longarms, opens with tubular key approx 1.5'x1'x4' and useful for storing all sorts of items

Hassock style port-a-potty - plastic drum with conventional toilet seat, more comfortable than box type but costs 5 times as much, can be used for storing supplies when not in use

Immersion heater - kerosene powered water heater which is put inside metal garbage can, heats a lot of water very quickly to boiling 

Instant cold pack - chemical pack that becomes cold upon activation

Instant hot pack - many styles, most are single use either continuous or can be put in air tight bag and "paused", costly ($20) style can be recharged

Iodine generator, crystalline - this consists of a small glass bottle with a lid the iodine won't dissolve, called a generator since you use it to create a saturated solution of iodine/water you add to a quart of water, under normal temperatures it will sterilize the water in 20 minutes.

Katadyn water filter - based on a ceramic microfiltration core that is so fine no living organism is small enough to pass through including giardia

Kearney Diet - the Morman 4 plus beans for better amino acid balance in proteins and a source of oil for essential fatty acids both of which is lacking in the Morman 4

Krypton bulb - produces a much brighter light than a standard incandescent bulb, use the krypton unit and save the normal flashlight bulb for a spare

Mace, or tear gas - traditional non-lethal non-permanent anti-personnel aerosols, there are better systems now available for the same price

Maglite flashlights (available in 2 AAA, 2 AA, 2,3,4,5,6,7 C, 2,3,4,5,6 D cells) are made of machined aluminum and are more reliable and durable than plastic flashlights though they are more expensive.  The focus of the light beam is adjustable from spot to flood.  While they are advertised as waterproof, I would not trust them to be explosion proof.

Matches, water resistant - should work if damp, but not wet. They need a special striker surface to light in any case.

Matches, life boat - basically a heavy duty friction match dipped in a burnable varnish, when wet will light on any rough surface.

Metal garbage can - suitable for use with immersion heater which would melt the bottom out of a plastic garbage can

Morman 4 - survival rations developed by the Morman church of Latter Day Saints designed for economy and long shelf life, consists of wheat, sugar, salt, and dried milk.

Morman 4 + 40 - the Morman 4 plus 40 rotated canned goods for improved taste and variety

MRE - Meal Ready to Eat, retort packaged meal containing a full balanced meal for combat soldier, outer bag contains separate retorts of entree, crackers, cheese, jelly, candy, cocoa mix, and fruit depending on pack.  All packs contain accessory pack of toilet paper, pepper, salt, chewing gum, spoon. Can be stored up to ten years under ideal temperatures.

MR8 - NATO approved compact ration bar containing minimum daily diet requirements.  Neutral tasting, it can be eaten with or without water or heating.  It can be made into a drink or crumbled over other foods.  Each pack contains four individually packed two part portion with 1040 calories. The all vegetable source contains added sugar.  Protein 15.1%, Fats 14.9%, Carbo. 64.1%, Moisture 4.5%, Minerals 1.4%

Nuclear War Survival Skills book, 1987 version 282 pages with index - While the main point of this book is to teach you what to do before, during and after a nuclear war to survive, it is a great source of information on how to live without utilities for extended periods of time.  Unlike other survivalist books, the use and purchase of specialized survival equipment is not covered, instead, it illustrates how to create that special equipment from readily available common household items.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Hazard-mitigating house - a series of blueprints for constructing 1,200 sg ft.,1,400 sq.ft, and 3,400 sq.ft. underground houses that can be converted to blast/fallout shelters with sandbags and railroad ties.

Plastic, 5 mil, Rolls - can be used to create tents, see Nuclear War Survival Skills book for proper technique

Portable sink - black plastic 5 gal. water container that is a sink, stoppered drain, and pump faucet, being black it will heat up water if left in the sun. 

PVC - PolyVinyl Chloride pipe used in plumbing.  Available in 1", 2", 3", 4", 6", 8".  Can be cut with a hacksaw to any length desired.  Glue a cap on one end and a screw base on the other. Coat threads with thread sealant, screw in cap and you have a wonderful lightweight, rust proof, non-corroding, air and water tight container, that will last for decades, for storing survival goods either above or below ground.

Rope, polyester - The best rope to use to secure your emergency gas wrench to your gas valve.  Unlike manila or sisal rope it won't rot when left wet,and it is less degraded by sunlight that nylon or polypropylene ("poly") rope. Rope is preferred over metal chain as metal chain could create a spark.  Be certain to leave plenty of slack in the rope to maneuver the wrench.  Storing the wrench in the basement is a bad idea because it may be inaccessible when needed. Securing the rope is advised if theft is likely.  To reduce theft, melting instead of tying a knot is advised.

"solar" shower - 2.5 or 5 gallon bag that is insulated on one side with foam and reflective barrier and clear on the other side.  It will heat water if left in the sun.  Top has loops and rod for hanging from tree branch and bottom has hose, valve, and shower head

"space blanket" - See Aluminized mylar

"space" sleeping bag - See Aluminized mylar

TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch! (Attributed to Robert a. Heinlein, Author)

Tarps - poor man's tents running the gamut from worthless to Herculean

Tents - Used patched surplus Military tents are the best buy. You get twice the quality at 1/2 the price of new tents. They ARE heavy, but very good. 

Trioxane fuel tabs - easy to light, burn very hot, compact, smokeless fuel for heating rations

Uberlebens Nahrung - Food powder formulated by Nestles for Swiss Civil Defense System.  Used for a beverage base, soup, gruel, or paste.

Videotape, Nuclear War Survival Skills 1-4 - While most of these tapes cover topics more appropriate for nuclear war or nuclear power accidents, they do cover a lot of information on how to live without utilities.
Tape 1: Expedient Blast and Radiation Shelters (102 minutes)
Tape 2: Shelter Ventilation and Various Other Survival Skills (78 minutes)
Tape 3: Home-makeable and Commercial Fallout Radiation Meters (117 minutes)
Tape 4: Nuclear War Facts as Told to Teenagers (74 minutes)

Videotape, Practical Preparedness - This is an EXCELLENT tape as it covers all aspects of what a home owner can do to live through a disaster situation in safety and comfort. If you view only one tape, make it this one. Total time 64:00, Mains topics are heat, shelter, sanitation, food, water.

Videotape, Soviet Civil Defense 1-7 -  These tapes show the very extensive training and preparations being made by a culture that has a very low standard of living but devotes 2% of its Gross National Product to Civil Defense.  It not only teaches survival skills but also is useful when comparing how the USSR, the Scandinavian Countries, Red China, Switzerland, Israel, and the USA treat preparation for disaster.

Here is what is on the back cover of the tapes:
"Civil defense in the Soviet Union is a $6 BILLION per year defense effort with 150,000 PAID PROFESSIONAL and 20 MILLION VOLUNTEERS working to prepare Soviet citizens for civil defense procedures including the use of their $200 BILLION CIVIL DEFENSE SHELTER SYSTEM.  Little known in the West, Soviet civil defense constitutes an entire branch of the Soviet military and an important part of Soviet education with mandatory civil defense courses beginning in the 5th grade.

Now the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which distributes extensive written, audio, and video tape information on civil defense procedures and preparations, has produced this definitive seven video tape series on Soviet Civil Defense.  The tapes feature extensive information from the leading American authority on Soviet civil defense, Dr. Leon Goure, 15 actual Soviet civil defense training filmstrips for adult training, and 2 filmstrips prepared for use in Soviet 5th grade classes.

With English translations in the soundtracks, these include:
1. Injury from Fallout Radiation Can Be Avoided
2. Actions in the Face of Nuclear Attack - The Main Point is Not to Panic
3. The Shelter - A Dependable Means of Protection
4. What You Must Know About Nuclear Weapons
5. Learn How to Use Your Gas Mask
6. The Danger of Bacteriological Weapons
7. Blast Shelters, Fallout Shelters, and the Rules for Using Them (5th grade)
8. Skillfully Respond to the Threat of Attack and to Warning Signals (5th Grade)
9. Protecting Livestock
10. Dealing with Public Utility Emergencies
11. Fallout Shelters and How to Build Them
12. How to Counteract Chemical Contamination
13. Countering Pathogenic Bacteria
14. Fire Fighting
15. The Reception and Billeting of the Evacuating Population
16. If the Siren Sounds
17. After Departing the Area of Destruction

Tape 1: Introduction and Interview of Dr. Leon Goure (97 m)
Tape 2: Soviet Training Manuals, Books, & Journals - Section 1 (86 minutes)
Tape 3: Journals - Section 2 and Soviet Training Film #1 (81 minutes)
Tape 5: Soviet Traing Films #7, 8, 9, 10, snd 11 (91 min)
Tape 6: Soviet Training Films #12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 (89 m)
Tape 7: Presentation by Dr. Leon Goure, Soviet Training
Film #17, and Soviet Civil Defense Posters (92 m)"

Water bag, 5 gal with tap, box, human waste bag and disinfectant - 5 boxes that can be used for either storing, carrying, and stacking water bags or for box toilets with human waste bag and disinfectant. Water bag includes tap and is made from aluminized mylar, which unlike other plastic water containers, is totally opaque, to prevent internal growth of bacteria, and gas impermeable so water will not absorb surrounding chemicals, flavors or smells.  Water bag can hold 6 gallons when not in stacking box. 

 

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