Section I

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• Introduction, The Ultimate Preparedness Manual

  Introduction Changing Your Mindset from Victim to Survivor "Does anything in nature despair except man? An animal with a foot caught in a trap does not seem to despair. It is too busy trying to survive." -­-­ May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude At 2:00AM on Aug. 12, 2000, then 83-­year-­old Tillie Tooter set out to pick up her relatives at the Fort Lauderdale /Hollywood International Airport. She never arrived.        Eventually her Granddaughter, Lori Simms and her boyfriend took a cab to Tillie's apartment. When she was not there,  fearing the worst, Simms reported her missing. Where she actually was, Simms could not have imagined in her wildest dreams. Tillie was hanging suspended, trapped in her car, in a clutch of trees above a mangrove swamp. Her car had caromed over a divider, when it was struck from behind by a hit and run. Bruised and broken, there Tillie stayed, for three days, surviving on rainwater she gathered with a steering wheel cover she poked through the shattered windshield, and a few pieces of candy. Tillie's story made headlines nationwide, and the feisty Florida ...

• PREPARATION IS POWER OVER PANIC

  PREPARATION IS POWER OVER PANIC When getting yourself mentally prepared for disaster, always keep in mind that it doesn't take a major catastrophe or earth-­shattering event for you to find yourself in an emergency situation. As the saying goes "Sh*t Happens." Cars breakdown, power goes out, unexpected weather moves in... a simple wrong turn and you can be in dangerous and unfamiliar surroundings. The Central Indiana Wilderness Club (CIWClub.org) advises any would-­be adventurers out on any trek to "Win the Mind Game" by "knowing     what     you     know,     and     admitting what you don't", before venturing out. They also tell all backpackers to always "STOP" -­   S=Stop    T=Think    O= Observe   P= Plan That also applies to being prepared for any disaster, and not just ones that could occur on the trail. Think of the hardest mental challenge you have ever had to face and overcome in your life. In any survival situation you will likely be confronted by problems far worse. Your mental attitude will be your greatest strength, but it could also be your downfall. You will have to defeat negative thoughts and emotions, and ...

• ATTITUDE

  ATTITUDE Being mentally prepared to face a crisis is as important as any piece of equipment or technique that will be mentioned in this manual. A generation ago, being prepared was more than just the motto of the Boy Scouts;; it was a way of life.  Your grandparents knew it just made common sense to prepare for an unexpected emergency or disaster. Today, your friends and family may look at you like you're nuts. when you talk about the need for emergency supplies and a disaster plan. That is because in recent generations we have become complacent. We have had ever increasing modern conveniences, making life easy, and have enjoyed long periods of relative financial ease. Rarely have any of us or our friends or neighbors had any problems with the availability of goods and essential services. When you read the headlines of terrible disasters in Japan, Haiti or even closer to home in New Orleans, but still take an attitude of "it's sad, but something like that can't happen to me." You may be taking the incorrect attitude as this ...

• HEALTH

  HEALTH Next to being mentally prepared, one of the most important things you can do to increase your chances of surviving a disaster or crisis situation, is to keep yourself as physically fit as possible. The time to try to get in shape is not during a crisis! Start with getting a complete physical by your doctor. Have your teeth thoroughly checked by your dentist. If you have any problems with your teeth, get them taken care of. Believe it or not a minor tooth problem can turn deadly in a survival situation. The things you have heard about improving your diet for everyday health, are even more important if you want to increase your chances of survival during a crisis.   Getting yourself into "Survival Shape" is all about conditioning your mind and body for more optimum performance. And you can do this whether you are 25, 45, 55, or 75! The benefits you will gain by beginning a proper fitness regimen will go well beyond increasing your odds of surviving a natural disaster - it will boost your odds of surviving an ever-­increasing ...

• OTHER RISKS

  OTHER RISKS An important part of assessing your risks and preparing for them comes with an understanding that not all the risks you and your family face are those involving physical damage or harm. Disaster planning also involves assessing your financial risks, and preparing accordingly. You have no doubt heard the expression "save for a rainy day" - well what if that "rain" turns out to be a Hurricane, Tsunami, or major Blizzard? Are your personal finances set up to survive a natural disaster? There are two aspects of financial preparedness. One is to simply make sure that you are prepared to get through a few days cut off from your normal financial infrastructure in the event of a natural disaster or crisis. The other involves more long-­term risk planning in the event of a personal economic crisis, such as extended job loss, or a large-­scale national or global economic meltdown. Being prepared for the first part is easy. You need to make sure to have cash on hand and make sure it is part of your Disaster Go Bag. You will learn more ...

• Assessing Your Risks

  Chapter 2 Assessing Your Risks       "A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Proverbs 27:12 One of the most important things you can do to prepare is to assess your risks of what you may need to be preparing for. There are general preparedness skills and techniques that will serve you well in any emergency situation. But if you live on the coast of South Florida for example, you probably do not have to spin your wheels too much preparing for earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions - but you really should have a great Hurricane Survival Plan in place. Risk assessment basically boils down to thinking about "what is the worst that can happen, and how likely is it going to happen to me." Governments, corporations, healthcare facilities and other entities vital to infrastructure, have a vested interest in understanding the risks to their operations. So the good news is that emergency preparedness organizations have invested a whole lot of time and research into compiling risk assessment data, and there are many reliable ...