Disaster Prepping For Dummies
Description
A grounded, effective guide to preparing for serious natural and man-made disasters
In Disaster Prepping For Dummies, experienced Navy pilot, writer, speaker, and disaster preparedness expert David E. Stevens delivers an eye-opening and practical guide to preparing yourself and your family for natural and man-made disasters. You'll learn to develop a survival mindset that equips you to handle the real-world issues that arise when things go sideways. You'll discover how to prioritize the resources you would need to survive, including shelter, water, food, and communication.
Stevens brings a down-to-earth realism to a subject that's often clouded by outlandish paranoia and head-in-the-sand denialism. He explains how you can prepare for specific disasters-like earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and blackouts-while keeping the risks in perspective. He shows you how to make measured, proportional preparations to support yourself and your loved ones in the event of large-scale disruptions to society.
Inside the book:
- Practical, step-by-step guides to obtaining, storing, and preserving necessary resources, including food, water, and energy
- Techniques for measuring your local and personal risk exposure to a variety of external threats and potential disasters
- Strategies for developing a resilient survival mindset that adapts to local conditions as they change in the real world
Perfect for everyone concerned about the possibility of natural and human-caused disaster events, Disaster Prepping For Dummies is a realistic and hands-on roadmap to identifying your risk exposure and taking simple, practical steps to improving your ability to survive and thrive in the face of unexpected events.
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David E. Stevens was a Navy commander and engineer. As an F-18 pilot and the Strike Operations officer for the Persian Gulf, his job consisted primarily of planning and executing "disasters." After losing a friend on a low altitude mission, he created and patented a warning system to prevent pilots from flying into the ground. Realizing society is also at risk of "flying into the ground," he became an expert in catastrophic disasters with an advisory board of renowned experts - TED talk: "How Do We Prevent Our Inevitable Extinction?"
Content
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Preparing for Prepping 5
Chapter 1: Preparing for the Worst or Something Less 7
Prepping 8
Understanding the threat 8
Surviving with the basics: Air, water, food, septic, and medical 8
Sheltering in place: Staying connected, powered, and protected 9
Evacuating: When, how, and with what 10
Achieving independence from municipal infrastructure 10
Having some fun while prepping 11
Developing a Survival Mindset 12
Surviving an apocalyptic disaster 12
Mind: Learning to "MacGyver" 13
Attitude 14
MacGyvering 14
Humor 14
Body: Evaluating Your Physical Condition 15
Medication 15
Fitness 15
Spirit: Understanding the Impact of Spiritual Outlook 16
Chapter 2: Identifying the Top Potential Global Disasters 19
Ranking by Probability and Consequence 20
1: Asteroids/comets: Increasing odds of a catastrophic impact 20
2: Artificial general intelligence: Arriving sooner than you think 26
3: Global war: Growing international tension and rogue states 30
4: Biological threat: Expanding biotechnology and pandemics 31
5: Solar superstorm: Taking out the global power grid 33
6: Super volcano: Exploding cubic miles of ash 35
7: Climate change: Growing superstorms and a slow-motion train wreck 38
Estimating the Odds of Global Disasters 39
Table of Contents iii
Chapter 3: Identifying Local Disasters and Their Impacts 41
Evaluating Vulnerability 42
Hurricanes/Typhoons: Surging Water Carries Away Houses, Cars, and People 43
Classifying hurricanes 43
Considering storm surge 44
Assessing risk 45
Taking immediate action 46
Preparing 46
Heat Waves: Overheating Is the #1 Cause of Weather-Related Fatalities 46
Assessing risk 47
Taking immediate action 47
Preparing 47
Floods: Drowning Is the #1 Cause of Storm-Related Fatalities 48
Assessing risk 48
Taking immediate action 49
Preparing 49
Tornadoes: Blowing Away Structures and Creating Deadly Projectiles 49
Assessing risk 50
Taking immediate action 51
Preparing 51
Wildfires: Driving Winds Push Fires and Kill by Smoke Inhalation 51
Assessing risk 51
Taking immediate action 52
Preparing 52
Earthquakes: Collapsing Roofs and Walls Cause Most Fatalities 52
Assessing risk 52
Taking immediate action 53
Preparing 53
Industrial/Nuclear Accidents: Poisoning the Air You Breathe 53
Assessing risk 53
Taking immediate action 54
Preparing 54
Blizzards/Ice Storms: Freezing without the Power Grid 54
Assessing risk 54
Taking immediate action 55
Preparing 55
Active Shooter: Running, Hiding, Attacking 55
Assessing risk 55
Taking immediate action 55
Preparing 56
Cyberattack: Shutting Down the Digital Economy and Your Bank 57
Assessing risk 57
Taking immediate action 57
Preparing 57
Chapter 4: Avoiding Personal Disasters 59
Evaluating Your Vulnerability 59
Avoiding Fraud, Identity Theft, and Cyberattacks 60
Losing Your Job 62
Spiraling Debt 63
Suffering a serious injury or illness 65
Losing your significant other 66
Part 2: Surviving - Basic Life Support 67
Chapter 5: Breathing When the Air Is Toxic 69
Level 1: Protecting Yourself from Toxic Gases, Bacteria, and Viruses 70
Stocking N95 masks and knowing their limitations 70
Upgrading to a paint respirator for better filtering and dual use 71
Escaping with small cans of pressurized oxygen 72
Improving air filtration with central air HVAC systems 74
Improving air filtration if you don't have central air 75
Level 2: Securing the Air in Your Home for Longer-Term Disasters 75
Upgrading to a gas mask 75
Sealing doors and windows to reduce air infiltration 76
Installing an ultraviolet air purifier 77
Buying a standalone air purifier 78
Expanding your portable oxygen supply 79
Considering your vehicle's need for air 80
Chapter 6: Drinking When the Faucets Run Dry 81
Determining How Much Water You Need 82
Calculating water for drinking 82
Calculating water for flushing 82
Calculating water for cleaning 83
Calculating water example and worksheet 84
Acquiring Immediate Water When Water Pressure Is Lost (Level 1) 85
Accessing water that you may already have 85
Stockpiling water 87
Treating contaminated water 90
Securing Water for Longer Duration Disasters (Level 2) 94
Creating a larger water reserve 94
Collecting and treating water 94
Finding new sources of water 95
Using an atmospheric water generator 96
Chapter 7: Eating When the Grocery Stores Shut Down 99
Determining How Much and What Kind of Food You Need 100
Forget the old food pyramid; for survival, fat is your friend 100
Testing the best types of survival foods 102
Acquiring Basic Survival Foods for a Week or Two (Level 1) 102
Identifying the right types of food 103
Choosing optimum foods to fill your pantry 104
Trying a multi-day fast to learn your body's response 109
Securing Enough Food for a Month (Level 2) 109
Stocking basic staples 109
Using powdered and freeze-dried foods 110
Expanding your nutritional supplements 111
Choosing to maintain a vegetarian or vegan diet 112
Evaluating ready-made survival foods 113
Fishing and hunting 114
Chapter 8: Pooping When the Sewer Stops Working 117
Creating a Backup Plan for When Things Back Up (Level 1) 118
Gloves 118
Trash 118
Municipal or city sewer system failure 119
Toilets to go 120
Finishing up the paperwork 121
Using Technology to Improve the "Backup" Plan (Level 2) 121
Chapter 9: Treating Injuries and Illness without Emergency Medical Services 123
Understanding Your Personal Health 124
Evaluating your medical condition and medication requirements 124
Consulting with your doctor to consolidate or eliminate medications 125
Acquiring First Aid Kits and Supplies (Level 1) 125
Getting first aid training and having a medical guide 125
Stocking over-the-counter medications 126
Stocking your prescription medications 127
Choosing or Building First Aid Kits 128
Nitrile gloves 129
Epinephrine Autoinjector 131
Venomous snake or insect bite medication 131
Radiation exposure measures 132
Expanding Your Medications and Supplies for Longer-Term Disasters (Level 2) 133
Requesting important emergency medications 133
Creating a shelter agreement with medical personnel 134
Part 3: Sheltering 135
Chapter 10: Sheltering in Place 137
Preparing to Stay (Level 1) 137
Finding immediate shelter for time-critical disasters 137
Improving Your Home's Security (Level 2) 144
Fortifying your home from storms and intruders 145
Creating an earthquake sanctuary inside your home 149
Improving your home's resistance to wildfires 150
Using an RV for a Backup Shelter 151
Chapter 11: Connecting without the Networks 153
Using Apps That Provide Advanced Warning 153
Wireless Emergency Alerts 154
Weather apps 154
Space weather apps 155
Wildfire apps 155
General warning apps 155
Staying Connected When the Cell Phone Network Fails (Level 1) 155
Understanding cell phone network and Internet vulnerability 156
Using radios 158
Using your cell phone without cell phone towers 160
Texting via satellite 161
Protecting electronic devices from EMPs 162
Setting up non-local emergency points of contact 164
Staying Connected Long-Term from Anywhere (Level 2) 165
Iridium satellite network phones 165
Switching your Internet to a satellite network 166
Protecting your entire home from an EMP 169
Storing and accessing digital information 169
Chapter 12: Powering without the Power Grid 171
Understanding and Prioritizing Power 172
Defining power grid limitations 172
Prioritizing power 172
Understanding how much power you need 173
Powering Communication, Lights, and Medical Equipment (Level 1) 177
Powering critical medical equipment 177
Powering communication and lighting 178
Jump-starting your car and phones with one device 181
Dealing with the loss of refrigeration, heating, or air conditioning 183
Exploring Power Options (Level 2) 184
Powering with gas generators 185
Portable power stations 189
Portable solar panels and wind turbines 190
Powering Basic Heating and Cooling (Level 2) 191
Combining a gas-powered generator with a portable power station 191
Powering Central Air and More (Level 2+) 198
Powering your home's central air and heat 198
Bidirectional charging with an electric vehicle (EV) 200
Chapter 13: Protecting Yourself during Civil Unrest 203
Evaluating Your Self-Defense Mindset 204
Keeping a low profile 204
Listening to your gut feeling 204
Trying to be a lone wolf is dangerous 205
Observing Orienting Deciding Acting (OODA) 205
Defending with Non-Lethal Devices (Level 1) 207
Observing 207
Defending with pepper spray 208
Defending with a stun gun 209
Taking self-defense classes 210
Defending with Non-Lethal Devices (Level 2) 211
Surveilling with security cameras 211
Protecting with a bulletproof vest 212
Surveilling with night vision goggles (NVGs) 213
Defending with a gas-propelled stun gun 214
Defending with gas-propelled pepper 215
Nonlethal versus lethal defensive devices 216
Defending with what's at hand 217
Chapter 14: Defending with Firearms 219
Using Lethal Weapons 220
Understanding Rules of Engagement (ROE) 220
Determining Your Rules of Engagement 221
Dealing with retribution 221
Considering legal consequences 221
Determining strategy based on mindset 221
Evaluating Types of Firearms 222
Rifles and shotguns for home defense 222
Handguns for home defense 222
Choosing a Home Defense and Bug-Out Bag Firearm 223
Home defense handgun 223
Bug-out bag handgun 224
Using Other Resources and Firearm Safety 225
Chapter 15: Fixing Stuff 227
Doing It Yourself (DIY) Repair Mindset 227
Preparing for Failure 228
Avoiding single-point failures 228
Stocking basic tools and supplies 229
Stocking basic maintenance items 231
Troubleshooting Problems 231
Troubleshooting advice from The Greatest Generation 231
Troubleshooting with the Internet 233
Part 4: Evacuating 235
Chapter 16: Evacuating When You Can't Stay Home 237
Planning an Immediate Escape 237
Determining an escape path 238
Identifying escape aids 238
Determining When to Evacuate 238
Evaluating the resources required to stay 239
Considering physical and medical factors 239
Evacuating with uncertain disaster impact or duration 239
Timing your evacuation 240
Deciding Where to Evacuate 240
Staying with friends or family 240
Considering camping 241
Choosing What to Take with You 242
Bugging out with a bug-out bag 242
Identifying additional important items 244
Considering a Recreational Vehicle for Evacuation 246
Chapter 17: Traveling during a Disaster 247
Evaluating Transportation Options (Level 1) 247
Owning a multispeed bike 247
Using your current vehicle 248
Evaluating Transportation Options (Level 2) 250
Considering pre-1980 vehicles 252
Chapter 18: Funding during a Disaster 253
Maintaining Cash for Emergencies (Level 1) 254
Stashing cash 254
Hiding cash from yourself 254
Having Enough Liquid Assets for an Extended Disaster (Level 2) 255
Stashing more cash 255
Spreading assets across multiple financial institutions 255
Diversifying liquid assets 256
Considering Non-Liquid Assets 259
Expanding Sources of Income 259
Preparing for events that might happen to you 260
Preparing for events that might happen to everyone 260
Developing secondary incomes 261
Choosing a business model or asset 262
Part 5: Next Level Disaster Preparation 263
Chapter 19: Developing Independence from Municipal Water 265
Drilling a Well 266
Catching the Rain - Rainwater Catchment Systems 267
Determining your consumption 268
Determining your home's rain collection potential 268
Sizing storage tanks 269
Evaluating rainwater catchment for your location 270
Filtering Surface Water: Lakes, Rivers, or the Ocean 271
Filtering freshwater 271
Desalinating ocean water 271
Generating Water from the Air - Atmospheric Water Generators 272
Combining water production options 273
Replacing the municipal sewer system 273
Chapter 20: Developing Independence from the Power Grid 275
Powering with the Wind 276
Powering with Water 277
Powering with the Sun 278
Determining your location's suitability 279
Choosing a solar array that can power your house 279
Whole-House Generators 282
Chapter 21: Creating a Survival Retreat Destination 285
Choosing a Survival/Vacation Location 285
Choosing an RV, cabin, or house 287
Using an RV at your survival or vacation location 288
Considering a small off-grid camper van 290
Chapter 22: Creating Your Own Shelter 297
Installing a Bomb Shelter 298
Survival/Vacation/Short-Term Rental Cabin 299
Choosing the size 300
Choosing the construction method 301
Optimizing the layout 303
Selecting your utilities 305
Choosing the right HVAC and appliances 307
Designing the "Cabin" 311
Powering with Solar 312
Backing Up with Batteries 312
Optimizing Space 313
Buying a Readymade Off-Grid Cabin for Anywhere 315
Chapter 23: Finding the Right Vehicle 317
Evaluating Disaster Preparation/Daily Driver Vehicle Characteristics 318
Identifying the most important characteristics 318
Identifying security and evacuation characteristics 318
Comparing Electric versus Gas Vehicles 319
Evaluating internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles 320
Evaluating electric vehicles (EV) 320
Disaster-specific situations for ICE versus EV 321
Determining the Best Vehicles in Their Category 322
Chapter 24: Preventing Global Disasters 323
Preventing Asteroid/Comet Impacts 323
Finding comets 323
Moving a near-earth object (NEO) 324
Penetrating impactor deflection 324
Lasing deflection 325
Educating governments 326
Preparing for Artificial Intelligence 326
Predicting how AI will unfold in the next five years 326
Predicting the global impact of AGI 327
Evaluating immediate AI concerns 329
Preventing an AGI catastrophe 329
Regulating AGI 330
Preventing Nuclear/Biological Disasters 331
Preventing nuclear war 331
Preventing biotechnology disasters 331
Mitigating the Effects of a Solar Superstorm 332
Improving Super Volcano Warning 333
Preparing for Climate Change 333
Trying to reduce the global warming peak 333
Preparing for the effects of climate change 334
Part 6: the Part of Tens 335
Chapter 25: Ten Fun Things to Do While Claiming to Prep 337
Soaking in Your "Emergency Water Supply" 337
Testing "Survival" Desserts 338
Scaring Neighbors by Wearing Night Vision Goggles on Your Deck 338
Playing with Your Walkie Talkies 338
Taking a Tactical Driving Course 339
Designing Your Survival Retreat 339
Finding Vacation/Retreat Destinations with Airbnb 339
Testing Evacuation by Renting an RV 340
Honing Your Fishing Skills 340
Pursuing Related Subjects That Interest You 340
Index 343
Chapter 1
Preparing for the Worst . or Something Less
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summarizing the book
Considering your "why"
Developing a survival mindset
The first and most important question is "why?" Why should you spend time, money, and effort preparing for a situation that might never happen? Believe it or not, I consider myself an optimist. I honestly believe people live longer if they have a positive attitude and outlook on life. With that said, I'm also an engineer, and you don't want your airliner or elevator designed by an optimist. Occasionally, considering potential negative outcomes can also help you live longer.
As a Navy F-18 pilot, I trained to drop nuclear weapons. Later in my career, I served as the Strike Operations Officer for the Persian Gulf during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. These occupations consist largely of planning and executing disasters. During Desert Storm, I saw the impact of destruction on a massive scale. I'm proud of my military service, but for my next career, I decided to focus on how we, as a society, might prevent or prepare for disasters. My TED Talk "How Do We Prevent Our Inevitable Extinction?" at https://www.ted.com/talks/david_e_stevens_how_do_we_prevent_our_inevitable_extinction provides an overview.
Prepping
The term "prepper" is sometimes perceived negatively. Some assume that preppers are all about themselves or that they are anarchists looking forward to the collapse of civilization. While there are always fringe people in every group, disaster preparation is actually positive for both local communities and society in general. During a disaster, those who have even a basic level of preparation will need little or no government resources, allowing those limited assets to go to those who are in dire need. Those who prepare are also in the best position to help others. Regardless of philanthropic motivation, a starving person can't help another starving person. Not to worry, just because you're making some disaster preparations doesn't mean you have to call yourself a "prepper." Disaster Prepping For Dummies is just a catchier title.
Understanding the threat
Before tackling disaster preparation, it's important to understand what disasters you might face. Conventional disasters like floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires will be covered, but you may live in an area that's not prone to any of these. So, I'll start with global disasters. These include everything from pandemics to asteroid impacts, nuclear war to artificial intelligence. Even though most of these have a lower probability of occurring, they can affect anyone, no matter where they live. Because of this possibility, I believe everyone should work toward at least a basic level of preparation.
Much of the preparation covered in Chapters 2-4 is general to most situations, but some preparation is specific to the type, severity, or duration of a disaster.
- Chapter 2 begins by identifying and attempting to rank the top global disasters.
- Chapter 3 determines your most likely local disaster, such as a flood or fire, but also covers the specific impacts of both global and local disasters.
- Chapter 4 covers personal disasters such as a serious injury or illness, or the unexpected loss of a job.
Surviving with the basics: Air, water, food, septic, and medical
Part 2 has five chapters that cover the basics needed to survive: breathing, drinking, eating, eliminating waste, and maintaining your health. Chapters 5-13 are broken into levels of preparation based on cost and effort.
- Chapter 5 covers the air that you breathe. Air is something you don't think about until you don't have it. Most people can't hold their breath longer than 90 seconds, and consciousness is usually lost past 3 minutes. This chapter will cover ways to protect your ability to breathe when disasters create toxic or contaminated air.
- Chapter 6 covers water. After air, it is the most important resource. The average person can only survive about three days without water. This chapter covers places to source water, where to efficiently stockpile it, and how to treat it.
- Chapter 7 covers food. Most people can survive for up to three weeks without food, but dieting during a disaster is a bad idea. Your ability to remain alert and take action is affected, as well as your motivation and reasoning. This chapter focuses on which types of foods are optimal in a survival situation. It also covers how much food you need to stockpile based on your situation and disaster duration.
- Chapter 8 covers waste. What goes in must come out. It covers everything from getting rid of trash to what to do when your septic system no longer works.
- Chapter 9 covers how to maintain your health when emergency services are limited or non-existent. It focuses on basic first aid and supplies, as well as what medications or equipment you may want to have on hand.
Sheltering in place: Staying connected, powered, and protected
Part 3 covers the next set of priorities: shelter, staying connected, power, and defense. When possible, the best strategy is sheltering in place. You're familiar with the area, you have an existing shelter, and you can avoid the dangers of evacuation. The focus in this part is on how to stay in your home when power, water, and grocery stores aren't available.
- Chapter 10 covers your home and emergency shelter and is broken into two areas. The first area covers finding immediate temporary shelter during time-critical emergencies like tornadoes. It also covers basic items to have on hand to take care of immediate threats, such as fire. The second area focuses on ways to fortify your home to improve its ability to weather disasters, both natural and human-created.
- Chapter 11 covers how to stay connected if cell phone service and the Internet are lost. It's important to have access to emergency services, maintain your connection with family and friends, and know what's happening to determine if you can stay or need to evacuate.
- Chapter 12 covers powering your important devices if municipal electricity is lost. This includes everything from phones and computers to refrigerators and heating or air conditioning. This could also include important medical equipment such as CPAP machines or oxygen concentrators.
- Chapter 13 covers protecting yourself, family, and friends when there's an interruption in first responder services. The emphasis is on situational awareness, training, and passive defensive measures such as security cameras. It also includes more active defensive strategies, such as pepper spray and stun guns.
- Chapter 14 briefly covers firearms.
- Chapter 15 highlights strategies for fixing and maintaining critical devices.
Evacuating: When, how, and with what
An emergency or disaster may require you to evacuate. Part 4 covers evacuation strategies, including what to take with you, how to travel, where to go, and funding.
- Chapter 16 focuses on deciding in advance under what circumstances you need to evacuate. It also covers what to take with you in the form of a "Bug Out Bag" and where to go.
- Chapter 17 covers different transportation options for evacuation, including your current vehicle, as well as emergency backups such as bikes and scooters.
- Chapter 18 covers ways to maintain the ability to purchase needed products or services when the power grid and Internet are down. Credit cards, debit cards, and even old-school checks won't be an option. This chapter looks at ways to stash paper currency and to protect and diversify financial assets and income.
Achieving independence from municipal infrastructure
Part 5 looks at more extensive strategies to move toward permanent independence from the power grid and municipal water. These Level 3 preparation options are considerably more expensive but, in some cases, may pay for themselves or even create income.
- Chapter 19 highlights ways to achieve permanent or long-term independence from municipal water. This includes standard approaches such as drilling water wells, but also introduces rain catchment systems, filtering surface water, and atmospheric water generators.
- Chapter 20 covers systems that can reduce or replace the need for municipal power, such as solar powering your entire home. While these strategies are expensive, they may be good investments.
- Chapter 21 covers how to identify the optimum evacuation location for a recreational vehicle (RV), or future cabin site, with emphasis on dual use as a survival retreat and a vacation destination. RVs can span anything from small camping trailers to luxury motorcoaches.
- Chapter 22 covers all the options for buying, modifying, or building a survival retreat/vacation cabin/short-term rental. It covers modifying or building it to operate efficiently off grid, but also to be attractive for vacations and short-term rentals.
- Chapter 23 covers vehicle categories, features, and technology that provide...
