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

by Cody Lundin

  24

  EPILOGUE

  "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists."

  —A Course in Miracles

  Perhaps the greatest survival skill of all is the ability to maintain harmony in the feelings in the face of seeming chaos.

  This is accomplished by having discrimination about where you put your attention, thought, and feeling, and how you choose to speak and act. You are on the planet for a purpose, for a mission only you can fulfill. You are given greater latitude for service in certain ways, by certain Laws because you have a physical body, because you are composed of the earth element. Keeping your body alive and in the best health that you can is your sacred duty in order to more effectively serve life using whatever gift it is that you radiate. Regardless of sometimes negative appearances, we must all sooner or later awaken to this destiny for the benefit of all.

  This is not to say that attachment to the body is the point. If you are exclusively attached to your body, you will find a neverending list of things and events to fear. You are not truly your physical body anyway, although it seems so in the short term. The close-up, "one-pointed" view of the mouse can be helpful when needing to focus in upon a single aspect of a need, yet to live in this myopic world full time invites self-generated patterns of a limiting and binding nature. Fluctuate between the balance and common sense of having the view of the hawk, as well as the mouse, soaring high above the big picture of whatever it is you wish to understand.

  REALITY IS MERELY AN ILLUSION, ALBEIT A VERY PERSISTENT ONE.

  —Albert Einstein

  It is obvious that the Earth is going through a cycle of intense change at this time, and has been for several decades. If you choose to set the beer down, turn off the TV, shut your mouth and listen, really listen, this truth will become apparent. This deep listening is also what will prompt you to make correct choices and decisions that will keep your family safe during a crisis. Like any other time of flux, there will be leaders and there will be followers. If you have made it through the book to this point and paid attention along the way, you may be called upon by life to be a leader during very trying times in the future. You now know much more than the average person about what it takes to be prepared for a crisis and how to mitigate its effects after the fact. Who knows why you picked up or were given this book, much less read the contents. How it happened is not important—the fact is it happened.

  CONFUSION IS A WORD WE HAVE INVENTED FOR A ORDER WHICH IS NOT UNDERSTOOD.

  —Henry Miller

  As I've said before, one of the most challenging aspects of a survival situation will be dealing with the human nature of others. Even if you think you know someone very well, the stress of an emergency may show you a different aspect of that person that even they didn't realize was possible. This aspect can be positive or negative; it can be heroically altruistic or incredibly selfish. In times of great chaos and confusion, if you're open to the possibilities of receiving help—that for the most part is initially invisible to our physical sight—the help will come. This is not blind hope or simple wishing, it is Law. When one part of the web of life genuinely tugs and asks for assistance, tremendous assistance will come, it has to come, as the web is all one body. If you inadvertently touch your hand to a hot stove, your entire body will assist you in removing it from the heat as quickly as possible. If you are open to greater-than-normal assistance being given to you during an emergency, you might be amazed at what is instantly downloaded into your life. Where there was initially borderline panic, you might suddenly possess the calm, peaceful, and determined command presence to instantly and effectively deal with a disaster scenario.

  This concept is not a bunch of wishful thinking or hippy hooey. It is very real and has been "proven" by many, many people during crisis situations, from seasoned military combat soldiers and professionally trained disaster response personnel to the elderly and little kids. What was needed the most came regardless of scary appearances. You can intensify this action of assistance by actively and purposefully asking for help and then expecting it to come. You must ask for the assistance you require and do so with great determination! Do not be passive or wishy-washy, and don't second-guess as to what form the assistance may come. It will appear however it appears and the form is irrelevant, but pay attention so you don't miss it as sometimes the assistance can be subtle. The physical skills of survival are incredibly important and necessary to life, yet it's your "presence" as a person under stress, who you have become and what positive force you radiate out that will save more lives in times of catastrophic chaos. It's the "walk" not the "talk," the doing, not just the wishing that will accomplish the most good for your family and the planet as a whole. Like Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

  I HEAR AND I FORGET. I SEE AND I REMEMBER. I DO AND I UNDERSTAND.

  —Confucius

  Don't be afraid to do what you're here to do. If you receive promptings from the heart to do certain things in life that after much quiet introspection and honest self-evaluation are deemed to be more than just the ego wanting to glorify itself, DO THEM. In the grand scheme of things, it's not what you have stored that will save your life; it's who you have become as a person. These past few paragraphs don't need to make sense intellectually. In fact, they will not make sense to the human intellect and ego with its desperate and infantile desire to justify itself by picking things apart, analyzing, ridiculing, and doubting them in order to create separateness from the One. Throughout history, there have always been individuals who have willfully missed the boat due to their own self-created falsehoods and limitations. Through openness and innocence, if this stuff seems to "click" on some level, if it feels good, even though it can't be explained, then don't be concerned.

  Follow your intuitions and prepare as you see fit, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Pay no attention to those who would choose to rip you down for doing so, but remain guarded. At all times, cultivate the wisdom of discrimination with others that allows you to know when to share information and when to remain silent. There is no need to defend an idea that remains invisible. As you work toward greater self-reliance in your physical world and otherwise, never give up. Never give in. Have courage, and don't compromise what's important to you. After all, when you finally lay your body down, you'll take absolutely nothing from this planet other than your honor.

  THE GREATEST WAY TO LIVE WITH HONOR IN THIS WORLD IS TO BE WHAT WE PRETEND TO BE.

  —Socrates

  No one plans to find himself or herself in a survival situation. That's part of what makes those situations so terrifying when they happen. While there are no guarantees during a disaster, advance preparation, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually can pay off handsomely for you and your loved ones. Even though this book is packed with technical information on surviving an emergency, don't forget about the art of simplicity and common sense in all things. If you find yourself facing a life-threatening emergency, calm yourself the best that you can, consider your options, and TRY. If you seem to fail and are knocked down from the effort, then get off your ass and try again! Your life and those of your family are precious. As long as there's breath in your lungs and a heartbeat within your chest, never, never give up and always remember to Party On!

  TIMES OF GENERAL CALAMITY AND CONFUSION HAVE EVER BEEN PRODUCTIVE OF THE GREATEST MINDS. THE PUREST ORE IS PRODUCED FROM THE HOTTEST FURNACE, AND THE BRIGHTEST THUNDERBOLT IS ELICITED FROM THE DARKEST STORM.

  —Charles Caleb Colton

  or E-mail us at: abodude@alssadventures.com

  or Snail mail at:

  ALSS, LLC

  P.O. Box 3064

  Prescott, Arizona 86302 U.S.A.

  ALSS specializes in ancient and modern self-reliance training:

  Urban, suburban and rural preparedness training and disaster mitigation

  Real estate analysis and consultation for self-reliant living

  Wil
derness survival and indigenous living skills field courses

  Sustainable design, building and living systems

  Water harvesting methods for arid landscapes

  Consulting, lectures, corporate training

  The more you know, the less you need.

  NOTES

  Talk is cheap! Purposefully, peacefully, and patiently practice your preparation plan!

  WATER WISDOM. . .

  Commercial water disinfection products and good ol' household chlorine bleach.

  Disinfecting, drop by drop, a gallon of water with chlorine bleach using an improvised dropper made from a strip of paper and a spoon.

  Disinfecting nonpotable water on the roof using ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

  MORE WATER. . .

  A smattering of water storage and transportation options. Note the infamous condoms and the heavy-duty freezer bags, gallon and quart size. The weird-looking brown thing in the middle is a gourd canteen.

  More in-home water storage options: Fill the sink and access water from the back of the toilet. The washing machine can also be turned on and filled, sans detergent and clothes, if advance preparation allows.

  An easier way to carry 113 pounds of salvaged water. . .

  . . .another option.

  using plastic and metal storage tanks.

  Various rain catchment systems

  B.O. busters. Both the large pressurized sprayer and the hand spray bottle can be painted black or a dark color for better heat absorption from the sun.

  Kitchen containers and bathtub filled with the luscious liquid called water. Harvest and store what you can until the pipes run dry.

  Pasteurizing nonpotable water in a commercial solar oven.

  Various forms of stored food: (from left to right) Pasta, dried fruit, canned food, MREs (meals ready to eat), freeze-dried and dehydrated food in single-serving foil packets, whole grains and legumes, and dried food in nitrogen-packed #10 can.

  Cook stove options. The small fold-up stove in front uses hexamine or other fuel tablets for fuel. Notice the coffee-can cook pot on the far left with bailing wire handle and tinfoil lid.

  No conventional kitchen stove? Not a problem with a handy dandy two-burner camping stove.

  Preparing to break-in a Dutch oven with its first meal in the backyard.

  Picture perfect pots; one sporting a genuinely jamming Ace Frehley (my boyhood hero) rubber ducky. Note the metal loop on the lids for securely tying them down, with or without survival ear inside, when needing to hit the road.

  1 Bright ideas to light up your life! The blue LED flashlight in the middle has its own solar-panel charger built in, thus it never needs conventional batteries. Note that extra batteries are stored within their original package.

  2 Lovable lanterns. The white gas (middle) and propane (right) models smell and get hotter than hell when lit. Use caution, common sense, and serious ventilation if you dare use them indoors. The battery-operated lantern on the left is the only safe lantern of this variety for use indoors.

  3 Curious candle collection. The big green one in the back, through a combination of poor design and cheap wax, sucks as the flame tunnels into the candle as it burns, hiding the flame before it finally puts itself out. The "turd"-shaped candles in the front are handmade from beeswax and bear fat with a hand-twisted, two-ply wick made from a dogbane plant (Apocynum cannabinum).

  4 Two "lights" for the price of one by using a mirror. Horrid, jail jumpsuit orangecolored candles can be bought cheaply in after-Halloween sales.

  5 Smaller oil lamps give off a surprising amount of light. "Glass wicks" ensure worry-free operation for years.

  6 Oil lamps, just like grandma used.

  7 Homemade oil lamp made from a tuna can, cooking oil, and a wick created from a strip of paper towel.

  8 Candle lanterns. Notice the homemade one in the center created from a glass food jar, wire for hanging, sand, and a candle.

  1 Cute but "ho-hum" chemical light sticks before boiling.

  2 Bright. . .

  3 Brighter. . .

  4 Brightest!

  5 Heated sticks kick out a fierce amount of light, at the expense of longevity.

  Piece of resin-saturated wood (pitch stick) propped open into four prongs to allow for greater oxygen when lit and burning.

  Awesome aboriginal candle. Raw pitch wood (from a conifer) is below. Notice yellowish color at far left.

  Ready to roll. The "single-shoulder" carry allows the pack to be dropped from the body very quickly.

  The "double-shoulder" carry is similar to a modern backpack. This method is more comfortable for longer treks.

  Improvised fabric backpack with gear.

  When the pack is "closed," this side will be in contact with your body. Stuff sacks allow you to carry odds and ends in an organized fashion without losing them from the pack. Water bottle weight is counterbalanced on either side.

  Long live the wheel! Don't let an addiction to petroleum dumb you down when needing to transport the goods, human or otherwise.

  Help with "getting out of dodge" while keeping your hands free: conventional backpacks, day packs, fanny packs, and portable shelter options (tents and tarps).

  1 "Taking out" the pantry rodent raider. Urban deadfall trap made from a book, two pencils, dental floss, a match, and a shish-ka-bob skewer.

  2 Two raisins skewered on bait stick serve as an incentive.

  3 Commercial traps set in a rodent run. The mousetrap in the middle, baited with peanut butter, can be modified like the rattrap at right using a piece of whatever to improvise a "death paddle," allowing the animal to trip the trap by scurrying across its surface; no bait needed.

  1 Five-star survival cuisine: mouth-watering rat on a platter with colorful garnish.

  2 Welcome home, honey!

  3 You'll dazzle after-disaster dinner guests with your succulent mouse on a stick. Watch 'em beg for the recipe!

  4 Eating what bugs you. A hopper-ka-bob, fresh off the grill.

  Got rats? Watch the wee ones squeal with delight when playing fashion with their dolls using the pelts from your kills. Surviving in style for the "nuclear family"!

  Light my fire! A few of the more common ways to achieve ignition. Unfortunately, the white-tipped strike-anywhere matches in the Prince-approved purple match safe are slowly but surely disappearing from the market due to federal regulations. Thanks for keeping us safe, guys!

  A bevy of commercial technical tinders and other things that burn. Tinders are typically used to help ignite fuel, wet or otherwise, when using meager ignition sources. Other than my homemade tinder described in 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!, my favorite is the Fire-Up brand in the middle.

  Extreme close-up of using 0000 steel wool and batteries to create heat.

  Notice the tinder bundle made from juniper bark and dryer lint.

  The "glowing snake" of steel wool at the bottom will be quickly put into the tinder bundle and blown into flame—a harmony of heat/ignition, fuel, and oxygen.

  Robbie Rubbish homemade sleeping bag created from barrel liners, duct tape, and newspaper.

  Keeping in touch with updates from authorities with a hand-crank powered AM/FM radio.

  Emergency potties in the garage ready for deposits. Notice scrap lumber as an improvised toilet seat.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction: My Intention for this Book

  Part One: Head Candy

  1 / How to Use This Book

  2 / Flashback: Grooving to that Feeling of Impending Doom

  3 / What Is Urban and Suburban Survival?

  4 / The Foundation of Your Self-Reliance. . .and Trust

  5 / Predator vs. Prey: A Clue into Your Survival Psychology

  6 / You Are What You Eat, and Think, Feel, Speak, Act, and Focus Your Attention Upon

  7 / Gettin' Hammered by Stress and Fear