Mayan 2012    Disaster Survival or being prepared to respond to an emergency.

 Not every thing that is going to happen to you will involve a major natural disaster like a Meteor striking or Yellowstone National park blowing up and covering the whole of north America with ash or most of the other 2012 disaster survival scenarios.  Most of the uses for survival knowledge will be from accidents, ignorance or storms of some kind.  My family and I believe in being prepared to survive events that can and do happen often.  Being confident of surviving earthquake , storms, hurricanes or floods will ensure  protection of you and your family.  You have the choice of being prepared or risking the lives of yourself and your family.  It is not always disaster survival that you need to know but any emergency event that would jeopardize your family. Running off the road and down into a canyon in a snow storm, going up into the mountains and your car breaks down these require survival knowledge.   The knowledge and ability to survive emergencies are essential for everyone.  Yes you will need to make a plan to get out of your house two routes in case of fire or damage that blocks and exit.  Yes children need to be drilled until they know emergency phone numbers and have a place to meet both at the house and outside.  The aunt across town what ever you can agree on and who will know where you are if you need to meet up again. 

  One quick example of lack of knowledge and doing nothing for survival preparation or having disaster supplies might affect you.  One night my brother who is a mountain man and very skilled in survival and winter camping received a call.  It was from an acquaintance of his and he said that he had been out in the mountains four wheeling with his wife and two small children and had gotten stuck and could not free the vehicle and get his family back to safety. It was very cold with deep snow but the entire family had NO survival equipment.  The four wheeler was heated and warm so the only warm clothing that was there was a Levi jacket the wife was wearing.  The man had no radio with him no one knew even where they were going and decided to leave the wife and two small children in the vehicle and walk out.  He took the only jacket with him and tried to walk out of the woods in the dark.  After about a 14 mile walk he reached a phone called my brother to help him find his car again (he was walking in the dark and uncertain where it was).  My brother got another Mountain man friend and went up after him with survival gear and tools to help him.  They did find the vehicle and fortunately they were safe the car was still running and they did not freeze.  It was fortunate that my brother knew the area and had a radio to keep in contact with his wife if he had been unable to find them. If the man had the same common sense you do he would have placed extra clothes, coats, hats and gloves in the vehicle along with the survival gear you will have if it happens to you.  It is not uncommon for people to drive off the road and not be found for up to 10 days in the snow.  Most have actually survived but none had a cb radio (cell phones do not work well in the mountains) and few had what they needed to survive comfortably.  Most had not notified anyone of their travel plan or route so no one was looking for them as well.  When on a trip make a plan let some one know where you will be going and along the way let some one know where you are.  In a lot of states icy roads and sharp turns can leave you at the bottom of a canyon or in a river.

 Carrying a compact survival kit when traveling is essential.  I lived in Idaho and every time we took the car anywhere there was a complete change of clothing for each person including a hat, light coat and gloves for each person and usually an old pair of tennis shoes and dry socks.  During the winter season we often had rubber boots for the adults and kids or what were called moon boots. They were cheap insulated boots that could be left in the car.  These clothes were rotated periodically some by choice others by chance. The family being small there were inevitable spills and getting dirty or wet so the spare clothes were used and washed and put back at the end of the outing.  This kept the clothing clean dry and is something that would always fit.  We also have been known to stop along the way drag out a plastic sled that was rolled up in the back and spend some time sliding down some of the beautiful Idaho hills.  The sled had other uses as well it was good for assisting injured people back to the car, having a dry place to lay on while changing a tire, pulling young children up the mountain and in the event of an accident the plastic can be cut off, or used whole and allowed to assume its rolled up shape and used as a splint for broken arms or legs.

See the survival kit page for information on what to put in each survival kit for personal, automobile and home.

 2012 Personal Disaster Survival kit

The tools, supplies and medical items in your kit may save your life in an emergency. Carry your kit in a pocket – it is possible that you will become separated from your pack in an emergency. I often carried a fanny pack on me when leaving the car with my survival gear in it.  I also carried a pack when on longer walks with the bulkier emergency survival items which are explained later.

When you are selecting a container for your emergency survival kit ask yourself these questions:

A. will it float?

B. is it sturdy?

C. is it water proof?

D. is it compact, light weight and manageable?

E. can I get into it in a hurry with cold hands?

f. Is it a bright color so I can find it?

 YOUR PERSONAL SURVIVAL KIT

Each survival kit will reflect the needs of the user. Put Items in your personal survival kit that you know you will use, and alter the contents to reflect the expected environment you will be traveling in.  Things that you would use in a northern winter may not be the same as traveling through southwestern desserts.

This is a list of some of the things you can and should carry in your survival kit. Add to this list when you discover another useful item. There is no need to carry all of these items:

a. matches – at least 20, the kind that will strike anywhere and are waterproof – it is a good idea to store matches in a separate container inside you kit. Put the striker from the match box in the container with them. 35mm film canisters are good for this. But digital film has made these harder to find. Use any crush resistant bottle small travel size bottles from Wal-Mart work fine. Wooden matches can also be coated in wax to make them water proof. The wax does need to be scraped off before trying to light them.  The little bit of wax will even help the fire start quicker. Break matches in half to save space if required;

b. candles – tea light or small candles get the kind that burns for several hours not just one

c. snare wire – #18 gauge brass wire or motor wire about 15 feet. If you are stranded or lost you may be there a while and need to get food.  How to use it is explained in another section.

d. strong thin cord  30 feet. If you use 550 lb. parachute cord then there are 7 strands inside of it that can be used for tying together a shelter, fishing building snares or traps as well as the very strong outer sheath.

e. fishing gear  15 feet of  15 pound test line, bare hooks, a lead weight and a cork .  The fish hooks can have the sharp points inserted into the cork.  The cork can be substituted with a small stick tied to the fishing line, but care needs to be taken to make sure it is not to large so as not to be able to see from the action of the line if is a fish. If it is to large fish will not be able to pull the float under to indicate a bite, to small an it will not hold the hook an bait at the desired depth.

f. medical kit – iodine (iodine can be used to purify water as well as for first aid) 3 drops per quart of water let stand 30 minutes, adhesive bandages of various sizes, roll bandage, small medical scissors, adhesive tape and dressing, moleskin or second skin for blisters, water purification tabs which can be found at camping stores or just use iodine.

g. small safety pins

h. plastic bags – 2 large orange garbage bags for shelter and signaling they can also be used as a ground cloth or filled with leaves for insulation and comfort, 2 small bags for water collection.  If you have a larger clear bag as well it can be placed over the branch of a tree and during sunlight can collect water for you from the tree.  Or cut in half and spread out over sand or dirt to form a solar still for more dessert areas.

I. a whistle for signaling and getting the party back together.  Some whistles have small compasses built in as well.

 1. food – concentrated soup ,boullion cubes store well and are small and make a nice warm drink as well, tea, coffee, sugar, hard candy the breakfast bars stay fresh for a long time as well.

 2. aluminum foil – 9 feet long for baking roots, making temporary cookware and the foil can be used for signaling and for the shiny part of a fishing lure.  In case of cold or severe wind if the foil is placed between layers of clothing it can block wind and reflect heat to keep you warm.  It can form small cups for melting snow, sterilizing water, or baking roots and vegetables.

3. fuel tablets or fire starters sealed in plastic to avoid contamination of the rest of your survival kit, and for the larger kits the small sterno cans.

4.  magnesium stick or flint and steel they are small lightweight and your matches may run out.

5. mirror – unbreakable and shatter proof (not glass or plastic), for signaling aluminum foil can be used for signaling as well but is not rigid and not as shiny but will reveal your location for searchers

6. basic compass which can be included with the whistle but a larger reliable one  is better.

7. emergency blanket for your personal kit one of the shiny foil backed plastic ones. In cold the shiny side in will keep your body heat in.  In hot shiny side out will reflect heat and also signal others (don’t use it while hunting?)

8 .a good flashlight, spare bulb and batteries, I tend to carry one of the new led flashlights that you can shake and get light from so you do not have to worry about the batteries dying on you or corroding. The bulbs are also more shock resistant.

9. several sizes of needles and 6 feet of strong thread;

10. Cable type saw oiled before storage

11. crayon (will write anywhere) and paper or in hot climates since the crayon would melt a grease pencil from a hardware store works and the paper you peel off is good fire starting material so save it.

12. personal hygiene items – dental floss bring the whole roll you can use it to tie things with as well and is light, baking soda for tooth brushing, a small piece of soap;

13. duct tape which can be wrapped around crayon grease pencil or outside of container and can be used to seal the plastic trash bags to make a rain outfit etc.

14. Knife or preferably a leather man even the small ones are good and versatile if space is a premium you can carry a single edge razor blade.  It can cut string for tieing shapen small reeds etc for fishing.

 If you can carry only a bare minimum,

1. carry matches, waterproof or in a watertight container

2. a signaling device (whistle),

3. protection for your body from the elements two garbage bags

4. a container to heat water, a small metal cup aluminum works fine something you can put into a fire to boil water, melt snow and make your soup and cook with. Aluminum foil will also form and emergency cup and allow the boiling of water and cook bird eggs etc.

5. quick energy food such as candy, chocolate and adhesive bandages.

 In winter you can dip string in paraffin wax and wrap this around your matches. This will make the match burn longer and will help with starting fires.

For a car or back pack disaster survival kit which will accommodate a small group like a family short term these items will be useful.

 * 3trauma dressings

*4 Gauge compress

* elastic bandage 3in

* latex surgical gloves

* splint or the plastic roll up slides

* antiseptic like iodine for wounds and purify water

* assorted band aids

* bug repellant deet is best can be placed on clothes instead of you

* 12 aspirin or ibuprophen depending on your need but if you get hurt you will want them

* adhesive tape

* roll of gauze

*  antibacterial soap

 This is a minimum kit and certainly NOT inclusive of all the things you could or should have.  I carry a much larger kit but that would fit easily in the glove compartment along with survival kits.  By the way survival kits are per person.  If you have several people then you are going to have to build bigger shelters,  trap more food or fish etc and sterilize more water.

Tools

1. Folding camp shovel to dig shelters, dig out vehicles, make snow shelters clear fire areas

2. Sturdy knife 4-6 inches in length with case and sharpener

3. Light sticks and flashlights at least one GOOD flashlight like the led maglight or good quality shake and recharge lights are a must it will get dark.

4. Waterproof matches, flint and steel , emergency flares can be good as well both for signaling and if you have only wet brush to help you start a fire

5. A 10x10 sturdy tarp with grommets  you may be sleeping under it and keep you out of the wind.

6. Several emergency blankets the plastic foil sided ones work but sometimes a wool blanket comes in real handy. Can be used to put a fire out, keep a victim warm and keeps you warm even if it gets wet.

7.  A pry bar to open your trunk or pry doors open.  In states where these are considered burglary tools a Life Hammer or a Res-Q- Me can be used these will break out the side glass window and cut seat belts to free trapped occupants.

8. Cigarette lighter the butane type

9. A small pot for cooking, melting snow, boiling water

10. Signaling mirror unbreakable

11. Cable puller or come along 2000 pound capacity this may pull your car out of a drift or mud or right a turned over car.

12. Portable water filter brita would work or small pump type

13. Tiny camping grill to cook, purify water and heat,  This can be a collapsable grill and a couple of cans of sterno or a one burner coleman stove

14.  Folding bushman saw for cutting wood and brush, for shelters or under your tires to get out of mud, snow or ice.

15. Compass even if you dont know how to read a map ( the deer hunting guides and survival guides cover it) the compass will keep you                                     from  walking in circles.

  Personal Items

 Change of clothing including socks, underwear, pants, shirts, and jacket with a hat, warm gloves for each occupant likely to be there

1. Tampons or sanitary napkins

2. Medicine for high blood pressure, heart , asthma etc for at least a few days

3. This should be stored in a small back pack along with survival gear and the food

4. hard candy, peanut butter in a small jar is good and lasts a long time

5. Hats with a brim are good to keep sun out of your face

6.  Sunburn lotion
7. Work gloves
8. Hand sanitizer
9. Toilet paper

10. Water at least a gallon which can be broken down into the small drinking bottles

11. Dry soups like the top ramen packages or foil wrapped

12. Dehydrated food can be bought in camping supply stores but you need 1200 calories a day minum per person and you should plan for three days.

13. Cool Aid drink mix presweetened tastes good, gives you energy and covers the taste of less than good water.

14. Toothbrush and toothpaste
15. Bug repellant for mosquitos, knats, flies etc ,100% deet is best and can be placed on clothes instead of on the person if you are sensitive.

  House kit

Everything that was in the personal kits and the car kit but  the food needs to be for at least a week as well as water figuring a gallon of water per day per person.  The emergency supplies should be stored in the basement since in time of storm etc that is where to go.  If there is danger of flooding especially place all the supplies in the 5 gallon buckets you can get at paint stores or hardware stores these will seal the supplies and be good even if the basement floods.  Good tip if you still have power and the basement is flooding then go to the main breaker and turn it off or risk electrocution as you step into the water.

1. Canned food something that does not need refrigeration

2. Canned meats, spam , chicken, tuna etc you need at least 3 ounces of protein per person per day.

3. Water can be stored in the 2 ½ gallon containers with the pour spout which are sturdy and easily stackable.  Other sources of emergency water are discussed in the water section.

4. Blankets should be available for all

5. Water filter Brita or pump type

6. Sugar cubes for energy, breakfast bars

7. Small grill , propane barbeque or camping grill ( power is likely to be out)

8. Cash for purchases if the power is out using small bills because change may not be possible.

9. Parachute cord 100ft 550 pound test

10. Duct tape one roll to seal around doors and window, tape bags together for emergency shelter or rain gear, and general mending.

11.  Needles and thread just sturdy thread clothes will need to be mended and occasionly a cut will need to be sewn shut as well

12. Survival manual one that has a lot of pictures and information in it several are recommended on this site

13.  Plastic tarps with grommets at least 2 of 10 ft x 10ft each.

14. Plastic coated playing cards

15. Battery operated radio preferably crank type rechargeable and two changes of batteries
    

16. Dishwashing soap and clean dish towels 2 or paper towels water can be scarce
    

17.  Manual can opener either the ecko hand crank type or the smaller survival type

18. Trash bags 30 gallon or larger two for each person with twist ties.  They can be used as emergency ponchos, trash bags, emergency toilets ( the plumbing may not work)
19. Buy a 3 gallon paint bucket, one cheap toilet seat $5 and use the seat on the bucket and deodorise with aqua chem, an RV tank sanitizer to control the smell. Otherwise twist tie the bag closed it will smell bad in a confined area.
    
20. Some sturdy dishes metal plates work fine and can be found at camping stores.  A family sized mess kit will have pots plates and cups inside along with some silverware usually but check it. 
21. One or more really good flashlights.  The new LED lights use a lot less power and last longer than regular bulbs. 
22. Bug repellent larger size since bugs will come in out of the rain as well 
23. General medications like aspirin ibuprophen, pepto bismol, mouthwash,
24. Deodorant you may be living cramped for quite a while and a couple of washcloths and towels.
25. Air matteresses are good but blankets and bedding are a must for sleeping.
26. Candles the power is likely to be out a long time and it gets real dark without it. 
27. Box of wooden matches in plastic with the striker so they do not get wet
28. Butane lighter at least one more is better one of the long ones to light the candles and stoves
29. Coleman lantern and Coleman stove  
30. Two gallons of the liquid fuel they are interchangeable and it can be used to start a barbeque pit or wood fire later if the wood is wet.
31. Prescription medications at least enough for two weeks lots of times you can get a 30 day supply for travel etc and just rotate it out to keep it fresh.
32. Towels and wash cloths with a bar of soap
33. Diapers and extra trash bags if you have infant children any lotions or powders you may need and dry or canned formula.
34. Several changes of clothing which are comfortable and right for the season
35. Tooth paste and brushes 
36. A portable toilet seat and extra 20 gallon size trash bags with wire ties for your shelter if indoors.
37. Handy wipes or baby wipes, water may make cleaning up difficult.
38. Sanitary napkins for any women likely.
    

Household tool box

·         1 - Wire Cutters/Dykes 

·         1 - Adjustable end wrench  6 inch (crescent)

·         1 - Pipe Wrench – 12 inch

·         1 - Lineman's Pliers

·         1 - Set Asst. Screwdrivers, Straight Tip and Phillips

·          1- Pair of 8 inch slip joint pliers

·          1 - Channel Lock Pliers

·          1 - Needle Nose Pliers -

·          1 - Pipe Wrench  10 inch

·          1 – Claw hammer

·          1 – Small digital multimeter to check for power

·          1- Pipe cutter

·          1- roll of Teflon tape

·          1 Set of small chisels

·          1- Adjustable end wrench 12 inch ( crescent )

·          1-  Sharp knife

        1 - Hacksaw frame and 10 metal blades 

        1 Metal frame bushman saw for clearing away debris getting wood for fires and  cutting           .                    saplings for improvised shelters they are good to carry in the car as well.

Things that are good to have

A small generator  1200 watts or bigger

enough fuel to run it at least 12 hours a day for several days.  

Heavy duty extension cord 100ft.

One GFI outlet cord multi- outlet or a power strip with it

Gas powered chain saw for clearing debris or firewood

Wood cutting hand saw

Measuring tape

Shovel round nosed for digging

Menstrual pads

Medicines for each member of the family

Iodine or bleach to purify water  4 drops per quart ( discussed in water section)

2012 Surviving Disasters Disaster Preparation
2012 Surviving Disaster and finding emergency water

2012 Contact US links and Privacy page

2012  Survival Preparation and the Mayan calendar

2012  Finding emergency water for surviving in your home or outdoors

2012  Survival Kits personal, auto, and home with first aid kits

 Topics that will be discussed on these pages include 2012 survival site preparation,2012 survival what can happen, 2012 disaster survival, Daniel Pinchbec the authors book disaster preparation and for natural disasters, earthquake checklist preparation, disaster safety, prepare for disaster ,emergency preparedness food survival kit, emergency water water purifier both emergency water preparation and if you buy the book how to build a permanent portable one in your home, how to build snares and traps,first aid kits and personal survival kit for the upcoming Mayan 2012 disaster of 12.21.2012