Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1

by George Shepherd

  Coping Strategies

  If you are one of the ones with the time and money to prepare a sustainable survival retreat, complete with a renewable energy system, garden, greenhouse, and fully stocked with spare parts (including key electrical components like inverters) and survival supplies, now is the time to head for the hills and retreat to your refuge from the coming storm, provided you can get there before it is occupied by others. However, if you are like the other 99.9% of the population, here are some strategies that you may find helpful:

  If you believe that your area may have been subject to a significant EMP or solar super storm, and you live in a metropolitan or suburban area, try to get out of town as soon as possible.

  In case you need to ditch your car somewhere down the line, be sure to pack your camping gear, backpacks, and sturdy hiking boots. Don’t forget the moleskin and cloth first aid tape for taping your hot spots before they blister!

  If traffic is totally tied up, do not waste precious gasoline idling your car in endless traffic jams. Pull over somewhere and try to get some sleep if possible. In the middle of the night, when most people are sleeping, may be your best chance for “getting out of Dodge” using your automobile.

  If you have a ham radio, or a multi-channel scanner, try to get up-to-date information about what is really happening before you decide on exactly where to go and what to do. If it was an EMP event, then your best bet is to head for an area outside of the EMP range, if at all possible.

  Remember that when struck by a severe Solar Super Storm, or an EMP, the situation will degrade quickly and significantly with each new day, as backup supplies of fuel for generators begins to dry up, leaving telecommunication, food distribution, water, sewage, and refrigeration systems incapacitated.

  Make sure you bring along your grab-and-go kits, key self reliant instruction manuals, illustrated edible plant guide(s), medical supplies, personal self defense and hunting supplies, and whatever food provisions you have room for inside your vehicle.

  Realize that America is a heavily armed population. Since every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be out hunting for game, the game will be quite scarce in almost no time at all, so your best bet for maintaining food stocks is if you have good foraging skills and a well illustrated guide to wild edible plants in your area, or a large surplus stock of valuable survival goods to use for trade and barter.

  I can assure you that a civilization disrupting solar super storm is guaranteed to happen. Since there have been at least two such events in the past 160 years, it is sure to happen again. Nobody knows when it will happen, but it is just a matter of time. Whether or not a crippling EMP event will ever occur is dependent upon human free will. Most people who analyze these things believe the odds are somewhere in the range of 50-70% that a terrorist organization or rogue state will launch such an attack on the United States, and its effects will be devastating to a large population covering a huge area. At the minimum, this will be on a par with the scope of the area crippled by Hurricane Katrina, and at the other end of the spectrum fomenting the collapse of our entire country.

  Mat Stein is is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. He’s the author of the acclaimed book: “When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability and Surviving the Long Emergency” (Chelsea Green 2008). He’s also an active mountain climber and serves as a guide trainer for blind skiers with the Ski for Light cross-country program. He can be reached at his website: www.whentechfails.com

  Resources:

  For more information on EMP and solar storms, you may download the government reports: Severe Space Weather Events: Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts Workshop Report and Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack. and there are numerous articles and web sites online that are devoted to these subjects. One such web site, which is posted by an electrical engineer and includes numerous valuable links, is http://www.futurescience.com/emp.html

  An Interview With James Wesley, Rawles

  by Ed Corcoran

  Ed Corcoran: My guest tonight requires no introduction for most of my listeners, if not all of them. He is one of the leading survival experts out there. He’s the author of “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse,” as well as “How To Survive the End of the World As We Know It” – or TEOTWAWKI, as it’s commonly referred to. He’s also the founder and editor of one of the biggest and most popular survival websites on the Internet, Survivalblog.com, which gets about a quarter of a million unique hits each week. It’s my great honor and privilege to have him on the show. So without further delay, let me introduce Mr. James Wesley Rawles.

  How are you doing, James?

  James Wesley Rawles: Just fine. Thanks for having me on!

  Ed: Do you prefer to be called “Jim,” or “James”?

  JWR: “Jim” is fine.

  Ed: OK, great. Your sequel to “Patriots” is coming out pretty soon, I understand. Do you want to tell our listeners a little bit about it?

  JWR: Yes. It’s kind of unusual as far as sequels go. It’s a novel called “Survivors,” and it will be coming out October 4, which is next Tuesday. The unique thing about this is novel is that, unlike most novel sequels, it doesn’t go out farther into the future; it’s actually contemporaneous to the first novel. What it differs in is that it follows a different group of characters under different circumstances. One of the things people encouraged me to do with my next novel was to focus on characters who were not so well-prepared as the protagonists in my first novel, “Patriots.” So in “Survivors” I’m showing people who aren’t well-prepared, who don’t have a deep larder and are forced to improvise for just about everything. So hopefully through that it will be an opportunity for people to learn a lot of tactics, techniques, and technologies for survival.

  Ed: Your first novel, “Patriots,” is often described as a survival guide disguised as fiction, and I couldn’t agree more. I mean, you get into great detail, and there’s a lot to be learned just by reading this fictitious work. And it’s also been called very prescient in its predictions of economic collapse and hyperinflation. I remember reading an interview with you that was conducted in 1995 in which you listed a number of events to watch out for. And some of those things have actually happened. How close do you think we are to a tipping point in the economy and the dollar?

  JWR: I think we’re very close to a tipping point. It will be interesting to see how things play out in Europe, with the bailout of the European periphery, most importantly Greece and Italy. There is definitely the possibility that we could see a credit crunch that is as bad, if not worse than, the 2008 crunch. And it could very well spell the doom of the United States Dollar and plunge us into a depression that might last multiple decades.

  Ed: Two of the things that kind of woke me up when I first started getting concerned about our society as a whole and as far as collapse goes are: economic collapse and grid crash. And in my mind they’re kind of part and parcel with each other. One could cause or trigger the other, and vice-versa. Do you see any kind of events like we’ve been seeing in the Middle East where people are just taking to the streets and rioting, or what is the level of severity you expect to see when this happens – and I think we’re talking about “when,” not “if”?

  JWR: Well, you’re absolutely right when you talk about the power grid. That really is the linch-pin of modern technological societies. If the grid stays up, we might see an economic depression similar to the 1930s, although with more crime and greater civil unrest, more rioting and protests and so on. But if the grid goes down, all bets are off. Without the grid, we will lose our modern technological infrastructure. We will lose all the automated inventory systems. We’ll lose communications. We’ll lose water systems in maybe eighty percent, or ninety percent, of American cities. They don’t have gravity water systems from end to end. There are a few exceptions, but t
he vast majority require electrically pumped water. And the big towers that you see over most cities, the big water towers, only provide a two or three days’ supply. And once those are gone, once those are drained, people will be out of luck. And in areas like the Southwest, you’re immediately going to see huge numbers of refugees on the road. They’ll simply be out of water.

  Ed: Right. Do you see any kind of martial law taking effect in a grid collapse situation, or do you think it’s even feasible on a broad scale?

  JWR: There is definitely the possibility of martial law, but I think it will be more of an attempt at martial law in a grid-down collapse, because I think that events will cascade to a point where the chaos that will ensue when the grid goes down is going to develop so rapidly, it’s just going to be galloping along, to the point where any attempt at martial law is going to be fruitless. They won’t be able to erect roadblocks. They’ll be bypassed, or overwhelmed if they attempt to bottle up urban populations. There are some situations where martial law would be feasible in grid-out situation, but in a grid-down situation, I think that the authorities would simply lose control very quickly.

  Ed: I failed to mention at the opening of the interview that you’re also a former Army intelligence officer. My work puts me in touch with other people who have your background in Army and Military Intelligence. And when the conversation gets to martial law, just about everybody says that even now – except for on a localized scale or a regional scale, that we just don’t have the manpower to enforce martial law, even when you consider calling in UN troops, and other such theories that are bouncing around out there. But one concern that I have – and this kind of leads into a location for a survival retreat – but I’ve been covering this on my show. Recently I relocated to a rural area. One of the topics that I keep revisiting is where the best places are. I know some people who are thinking about moving to Texas. And I think a border state move is a horrible idea, because there’s no way that we’re going to be able to enforce the border in a grid-down situation. And with all the crime and drug trade and violence coming in from Mexico, it’s just going to be chaos and a horrible situation.

  JWR: Well, I agree there, at least for the southern border. I think the Canadian border would probably be pretty stable. If anything, it will probably be the Canadians trying to keep the Americans out. [Laughter from Rawles and Ed.] Or, should I say, “ooot.” [More laughter.] There’s definitely a preferred range of locales that I’ve laid for in some of my writings in my blog and in my books. I tend toward the inland Northwest region. Basically eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming. And that’s an area I refer to as the “American Redoubt.” I think that’s all-in-all one of the safest areas to be, simply because the population density is quite low when compared to the rest of the United States.

  If you look at a satellite map of the United States, especially taken at night, and you see the lights of the United States, you can immediately see the population density is much, much higher in the eastern half of the country – eastern two-thirds, even. But once you get out West, the population density drops off dramatically, and the only exceptions, primarily, are on the Pacific Coast. In between, you have the basin and range country of the American West, and the northern range of that, which includes the Northern Rockies and basin and range country, I think, is ideal. Because you have a low population density, a lot of people involved in agriculture, extensive woodland areas, where you have all the firewood in the world, and you have geographic isolation from major population centers.

  Where I’m sitting right now, it’s hundreds of miles to the nearest big city, at least of an appreciable size. I don’t think that in the event of a major societal collapse we’re going to see many problems here compared to anyone on the coast, or anyone in the heavily populated eastern United States. I’m not saying it’s an absolute, but our chances of survival here are much, much better, simply because the population density is less, and fewer people mean fewer problems.

  Ed: Absolutely. In fact, your writing on the “Redoubt States” heavily informed my decision-making process. I had considered Idaho; I had narrowed it down to Idaho and New Hampshire. Unfortunately, I had decided due to family – I have family, and I have three nephews and a niece whom I’m really concerned about, and I really don’t want to be too far away from them when things go sideways. But Idaho was neck-and-neck with New Hampshire for all the reasons you describe – lower-density population, and lots of resources.

  Now, one of the things that I’ve been concerned about lately, and I don’t know if you’ve been following this, but back in June Obama signed an executive order which was called the “Rural Council,” and it’s basically an implementation of Agenda 21 principles. I’m talking, and you’re talking, and we’re telling people to relocate to a rural area, and this program, this Agenda 21, their goal is to block people from accessing rural areas and resources, and establishing urban habitation zones, as they’re called. Have you been following any of that, or have you been seeing this in your area?

  JWR: That planning has gone on for thirty-plus years, and it fits into the whole “biodiversity corridors” system that they’ve proposed. And the whole mindset behind it is social engineering. And it is quite frightening. Now, how much of that has been implemented, or will be implemented, is anyone’s guess. But we have to look at it as something to file under the “Emerging Threats” department, and make our plans accordingly.

  Ed: Do you see any NGOs—Non-Governmental Organizations – under the guise of “sustainable development” programs in your area?

  JWR: No, and I don’t think that it’s very likely that they’ll actually engage NGOs. I’m more worried about the corporatization of police, for example. I think that is one definite possibility. They’re already corporatizing prisons. I think they might try and corporatize police forces in the future. And in terms of individual action with authorities I think that would be a significant threat. Because they’re you’re dealing essentially with corporate law, rather than constitutional law. I think that in terms of NGOs, probably not, other than that. There might be some things done under the guise of environmentalism, wildlife management, and so on, that will have an impact on people. For example, if they do the biodiversity plan, and implement wildlife corridors, they could try to put travel restrictions on people – lock off huge areas of national forest lands, for example, and state forest lands. That could have an impact on people. You’d be reduced to cutting firewood in your own backyard, and hunting in your own backyard, if you can’t get access to public lands. So they’re definitely a risk there.

  But by and large, I think the greatest risk that we will face doesn’t come from the government. It comes from our neighbors. You know, I’m a big proponent of charity, but I’m also a big proponent of keeping a low profile. We may see a time in the near future when you won’t want to have any big outward displays of wealth. You won’t want to be driving a fancy vehicle that’s just a year or two old. You don’t want to be wearing a Rolex watch and nice clothes regardless of where you’re living, whether it’s in a big city or out in the boonies. I highly recommend that people blend in and dress down.

  Ed: Right. Now, you’re a big proponent – as am I – of connecting with your immediate community, and community preparedness. And one of the things I wanted to ask about that’s kind of a sketchy situation is that people are reticent to approach their neighbors with what they’re doing, at least for fear of being called a “kook,” or being thought of as one, and at worst of having a mob of people at your door when things do go sideways, and they’re all wanting to take what you’ve got. How do you approach it, and how do you get involved in your community, as far as organizing, or getting people aware of the need to prepare – or do you have to?

  JWR: Well, where I live – which is way out in the hinter-boonies – everybody’s pretty well-prepared, and self-sufficient. So the talk about preparedness is pretty commonplace. People around here only go shopping ab
out once a month in the big city, or what we consider a big city, a town of 50,000. So it’s not a major opsec issue, although I’m still very quiet about discussing the level of my preparations. I recommend that people do the same. There’s no need to tell people exactly what you have squared away. It’s just a matter of encouraging them – encouraging your neighbors, friends, fellow church congregants – to get prepared, to say, “I’ve laid in some food for my family, I recommend you do the same, and here’s why.” And of course, every family that gets squared away represents one less family that’s going to be begging on your doorstep when everything hits the fan. So it’s in your best interest to make sure that your neighbors get well squared-away.

  And of course, charity is important. It’s important to store extra for charity. I don’t look at my three-year food supply I’ve laid in for my family as a three-year supply for one family; I look at it as a one-year supply for three families. It’s important to think in terms of charity, but also to plan ahead to dispense that charity at arm’s length. I plan to do so through my local church – very quietly – where I will be handing off quantities of storage food to church elders, and they will distribute it to people without my name ever being mentioned. That way, when the food runs out, people won’t come looking to me for more. I want to maintain a low profile, but I also want to be charitable.

  Ed: Now, throughout the country there are several survival groups, or planned survival communities. And some of them are not in the most ideal locations. I don’t know what they were thinking when they decided to base it in western New Mexico, or somewhere there is not a lot of water availability. I lived the better part of a decade in Arizona. I love the Southwest, but I don’t think I can go back there just for that reason. [But] when it comes to putting together a deliberate survival group, what is the ideal number of people that will serve enough manpower for protection, security, as well as for self-sustainability?