When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes Read online

  My hope for you and those you love is that the material contained within these pages offers you a positive yet realistic plan for living a safer, happier, more fulfilling life. After all, if your preparedness plan breeds mistrust, paranoia, and fear, you're missing the point.

  URBANELY Yours,

  —Cody Lundin

  September 2007

  PART 1

  HEAD CANDY

  1

  How to USE this BOOK

  Head Candy

  Many of the chapters in this book are fairly short in length, allowing you to peruse for just the information you require. The chapter subjects are based upon what will most effectively help keep your family alive during a disaster. When the topic changes within a chapter, the heading above the new paragraph will tell you what it's about. Obviously, your training will be most effective if you read the entire book in the order that it's presented.

  Surviving a life-threatening scenario is largely psychological on the part of the survivor(s). Get this fact into your head now that living through a survival scenario is 90 percent psychology, and 10 percent methodology and gear. Because of this, the "head candy," or psychological pep talk designed to inspire confidence and a "can-do" attitude is presented first. It will assist you in honestly evaluating, and then improving upon, what your family's presence will be under stress and fear and when doing without normal creature comforts. Countless survival stories from around the world and even science itself support the fact that a positive attitude and mind-set are paramount to your living through a survival situation.

  Your cheerleader, "Mr. Head Candy," appears throughout the book, delivering encouraging, thought-provoking, humorous, and at times uplifting quotes of wisdom and wonder from various people and cultures around the world. His role is to reinforce the writings in which he appears, and to remind you that you are not alone in your process of preparation and to never give up.

  Don't blow off the head-candy part of this book as it will give you the common-sense foundation upon which to base your survival plan. Survival supplies don't mean diddly if you're too scared stupid to use them.

  Hand Candy

  The "hand candy" or material goods that I recommend to keep your physical body alive are presented in the second half of the book. Specific chapters on emergency sanitation, water, transportation, food, communications, and others are presented in the most practical detail as possible. Entire books have been devoted to each of the above subjects, so please don't expect this book to cover every possible aspect of these skills. If, after contemplation, you feel your particular living situation requires advanced emergency communications training, for example, then locate the more specific information you and your loved ones require. This proactive mind-set is the hallmark of healthy self-reliance, so don't lean on this or any other book or instructional source as your one-stop shopping guide to surviving everything.

  Within each chapter category are several options that more or less all perform the same intention. For example, under the lighting chapter, several options are given to illuminate the night including flashlights, chemical light sticks, candles, lanterns, oil lamps, and even solar photovoltaics. After reading and digesting the many options, choose which lighting option(s) best fits your family's needs and budget. Resist the temptation to go on autopilot and buy stuff suggested in this book because I recommended or implied that you should. THINK about your family's situation and needs and YOU decide what is necessary to have on hand and what is not.

  Super Simple Summary

  At the end of each "hand candy" chapter is a super simple summary illustration flagging a section highlighting the critical points of the chapter. This condensed version is ideal for those who are short on time, those who want to refresh their memory on key points, or lazy family members with limited attention spans who feel that you're a paranoid doomsday freak.

  Helpful Hardcore Hints

  The Helpful Hardcore Hint sections present advanced survival information related to the chapter in which they are found, but beyond the basic needs of most families. Enjoy the options they may provide for you and your loved ones.

  A Brief Introduction To Da' Gang

  Vinny the (Uptown) Cockroach

  Without a doubt, cockroaches are one of nature's ultimate self-reliant creatures and convey innate and uncanny guidance in teaching others the art of survival. Their adaptability and talent for enduring hardships, in both town and country, is legendary.

  There are nearly 4,000 known species of cockroaches whose existence dates back more than 400 million years. Of these species, only a dozen or so are considered pests to people.

  Cockroaches can live for a week without a head, dying only of dehydration because they lack a mouth to drink, as their brain is scattered throughout the body. They can hold their breath for forty-five minutes, eat literally anything (they have a separate set of teeth inside their digestive system in case they need to eat on the run), run up to three miles an hour, and withstand an amount of radiation equivalent to that of a thermonuclear explosion—between 90,000 and 105,000 rems for a German Cockroach! (A lethal dose of radiation for a human is 800 rems or more.)

  Cockroaches have one big nerve connecting their heads to their tails, similar to a motion detector, thus alerting them to danger from behind. The claws on their feet enable them to climb walls, while their eyes, made from over 4,000 individual lenses, allow them to see in all directions at once. When getting out of harm's way, their highly sensitive and specialized antennae, containing between 150 and 170 individually jointed sections, allow them to make up to twenty-five body turns per second—the highest known rate in the animal kingdom—and they do it all in pitch darkness. They sense minute changes in air currents around their bodies—like a foot about to squish them—with the assistance of tiny hairs on two appendages that feed into a network of fourteen vital nerve cells that process the information.

  The cockroach heart is a simple valved tube that pumps blood backward or forward within the body. The roach can slow down or even stop its heart altogether without causing harm. If it loses a leg while out on the prowl, unlike some insects which gradually regenerate a leg over several molting cycles, the cockroach will delay its next molt in order to regenerate its leg first, thereby assuring maximum get-out-of-dodge speed and agility. The roach also excels at the ability to turn valuable nutrients into an energy source that helps it neutralize or lessen life-threatening chemicals.

  Always wise to conserving calories, cockroaches spend 75 percent of their day lounging around. Current research has shown that they possess certain complex behavior methods such as group-based decision-making when it comes to divvying up food resources. Most cockroach species give birth to live young—an anomaly in the insect world—to prevent other critters from eating their eggs and if food gets tough to scrounge, the cockroach kids can live by eating their parents' poop.

  A dapper survival guide, Vinny's humorous, can-do positive attitude and confidence reflect generations of wisdom and leadership gained from harvesting the trash cans and kitchens of some of the world's better known personalities. His vast, real-time field experience allows him to radiate a natural affinity, awareness, and intuitive knowledge for surviving, and thriving, during and after catastrophic disasters. He's gifted with being able to read situations and the motives of people before disaster strikes, thereby allowing him to devise strategies for successful survival based upon the cause of an issue, rather than its effect. He has a love for authentic Brie cheese.

  * * *

  Special Bonus (Irrelevant) Cockroach Trivia Tidbit! The current world record for eating the most live cockroaches in the shortest amount of time goes to Ken Edwards of Derbyshire, England. In 2001, Ken ate thirty-six hissing Madagascar roaches in one minute flat. Way to go, Ken!

  * * *

  Robbie Rubbish

  Robbie Rubbish was birthed in a county landfill south of Arivaca, Arizona. We summoned Robbie for his help with this project due to his activ
e persistence in doing more with less. He's known and admired as somewhat of a legend in the landfill and dump crowds for his inventive creativeness and willingness to wing-it on a budget. His intimate knowledge of back-alley resources in urban and suburban surroundings and their wealth of garbage, coupled with his skill at improvisation, make him invaluable when needing to make cheap, multiuse survival gear. Robbie is dedicated to the facts (he abhors survival fads and gimmicks) and is able to convey complex terminology and detail-oriented skills in a practical, no-nonsense fashion. His motto is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if it is broke, fix it yerself!"

  Trevor

  Trevor is a constant reminder to strive for simplicity in all things. If there is an easier way to accomplish a task, Trevor will find the natural way, in a calm and collected manner. His open heart, unselfish motive, and eager willingness to learn allow him to continuously improve upon his skills for the benefit of all. This fresh outlook provides needed flexibility in anticipating changing needs of the moment, minimizing static, knee-jerk "stay the course" training methodologies and responses. Although some may attempt to prey upon his good nature, childlike innocence and a lack of ego and bias are his natural protectors, along with a genuine desire to know and follow the truth.

  Holy Cow

  Although Holy Cow has at times been labelled a busy body, her true intentions have simply been misunderstood by our pass-the-buck society. Her penchant for personal responsibility, creative cooperation, thoroughness, and organization are udderly divine. She takes the bull by the horns with great determination and perseverance, and acts as the great recorder and doer of all that needs to be done. Holy Cow is our patron saint of decisive decision-making and fearlessness. Strong and focused, she balances her fiery courage with great gentleness, love, and respect for all who need encouragement and hope. She embodies the ability to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

  2

  FLASHBACK: Grooving to that Feeling of IMPENDING DOOM

  "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

  —George Bernard Shaw

  I remember watching the countdown on TV. It was East Coast time so we westerners figured the ensuing calamity would give us a few more precious hours to prepare for the inevitable—Y2K, the mother of all endings. Five, four, three, two, ONE! Happy New Year!!! And by God it was.

  For months leading up to the supposed megadisaster, I attended town meetings filled with fearful people barraging a hastily assembled panel of "experts" with their questions, comments, and accusations.

  "Whudder yew gonna do when my power turns off!" cackled an old lady.

  The panel did their best to smooth things over, saying that everything possible was being done to protect our little hamlet from the impending threat of power outages, stock market collapses, and delayed e-mail. Some from the panel of experts had obtained their wisdom fairly recently, like the stock market broker who lectured the town on how to safely "purify" their water supply from a hastily downloaded Web page.

  I watched the audience with awe. Never before had I seen such a display of fear all in one place, of people willing to put their personal responsibility into the laps of others, in fact, to demand that they be taken care of, or else! While I was proud of my town for holding the forums to educate the public, it was a psychological soap opera that was unequaled in my experience.

  Survival experts sprung up overnight, eager to join the feeding frenzy of fear by selling an incredible array of freeze-dried foods, solar panels, attack dogs, and nutritional supplements. Generators were on back order at all of the hardware stores. All claimed salvation, hope, and mercy through the purchase of consumer goods by the almighty dollar. The classified section of the paper advertised homemade survival kits, assault weapons (pre-ban, of course), and several other items that one might find useful for the coming end of the world. People would buy damn near anything to avoid taking responsibility for their lives. I was personally befriended by several people who haven't talked to me since. . .just in case, I guess.

  In the days, weeks, and months that followed an apocalypse gone soft, the world was showered with a plethora of new to barely used survival gear, all at bargain basement prices. After all, the crisis was over. We were all safe now, right? So we might as well unload all of this preparedness stuff to repay back the loans we took out to buy it in the first place. The people that had preached so hard about the end of the world were openly mocked and laughed at. "Urbania," throughout the world, slowly let its guard down, shuffling down the street of complacency and the fact that it wasn't going to happen to us after all. . .right?

  At first glance, we seem to be up a creek without a paddle. Even a casual peek at the news can cause one's pulse to quicken. A simple Google search for "fear in America" generates more than 13 million results, and the market is growing. The media on all fronts has and continues to crank up the fear factor and pummel America and the world about impending doom and scandalous "what if?" scenarios. Unfortunately, in recent days there has been much to report.

  More than 170,000 people died in a few minutes from a tsunami in Asia, a product of the strongest earthquake ever recorded since the documenting of seismic activity began in 1899. The United States' southern coast reeled from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, possibly the largest natural disaster ever recorded on American soil. Despite promises to the contrary preached by politicians, most of New Orleans still lies in ruins, more than two years after the disaster. Two jetliners intentionally crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, killing more than 2,700 people and bringing pause to the wealthiest nation on Earth, hearkening a new type of warfare based on terror. The so-called "war on terror" is fought in earnest all over the world, oftentimes reaching out to strike a shadow that quickly disappears only to resurface elsewhere. Fear of what has happened, or what could happen, played an integral role in the most important presidential election on Earth.

  New and continuing proof of global warming threatens to change the very fabric of our ecosystem. In the eastern United States, record snowfall and ice routinely knock out power, communication, and transportation options for thousands. Two years ago, Florida had one of the most extreme hurricane seasons in recent memory. Multiple storms ripped up homes and brought urban life to a standstill, causing more than $30 billion in property damage and killing 130 people.

  In the past few years, America and the world have entered a new era of change and the unknown. Perhaps like no other time in history, our dependence on outside technology as an urban society has become painfully real. Whatever the cause, when the power grid fails, urbanites the world over feel the pinch of their personal, city, state, and/or country's lack of prior preparation. Bogus, fear-based advice for dealing with urban calamities from "experts" (remember the rush on plastic sheeting and duct tape?) further fuels the fires of chaos and powerlessness.

  Every day, people become compromised from a breakdown in the greater system that could have been prevented or minimized with advanced preparation and knowledge. From neighborhoods to nations, we believe it can't happen to us, until, to our shock and disbelief, it does.

  3

  What is URBAN and SUBURBAN SURVIVAL?

  "Dear Mr. Lundin: Thank you for your interest in becoming an adjunct instructor with Arizona Division of Emergency Management. Although your services may be needed in the future, unfortunately there is no need of instructors with your expertise at this time."

  —Contents of the autosigned rejection form letter sent to me in June 2006 from the State of Arizona, Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Division of Emergency Management, Director of Training and Exercise.

  Whatever labels you choose to slap on it—urban, suburban, city, or town survival—this book will help you become more self-sufficient during times of turmoil in rural or populated areas. There are several different types of self-reliance survival training available from schools, books, videos, the Internet, and more. Whether your interest lies
in learning about modern outdoor survival, long-term survival, primitive living, ocean and water survival, escape and evasion, wilderness living, homesteading skills, urban survival skills, or others, all have certain themes in common.

  The first and most obvious survival skill is keeping yourself alive in the face of a life-threatening emergency. Regulating core body temperature, keeping it at 98.6 degrees F (37 degrees C), is a prime concern. In fact, the easiest way to die in the outdoors is by succumbing to "exposure," a generic term the media uses for someone failing to thermoregulate his or her body's inner core temperature. Statistically, one meets their maker through either hypothermia, low body temperature, or hyperthermia, high body temperature. As a general rule, all short- and long-term survival scenarios, whether in the mountains, the deserts, the oceans, or the city, must deal with combating environmental temperature extremes and their deadly affect(s) on the human body.

  One obvious difference in the genres of survival training is an element that is often overlooked by both the survival instructor and the student. This difference is the role or nonrole a third party will play in your game plan to stay alive. This third party is most often a Search and Rescue (SAR) team of some kind. While some of the training these teams receive is similar from country to city, each team will have specialized training depending upon the environment in which they spend most of their time. While a modern outdoor survival plan—such as what to do when the 4×4 breaks down in the mountains—should have signaling for rescue as a major component on what to do, homesteading skills, such as growing a garden and canning the surplus, would have little need for a SAR component.