Chapter 1 – When It All Goes South

 

My little accident was not the end of my world. Thankfully, I was fine and able to make a full recovery. That’s one of the advantages of localized accidents. They don’t imperil anyone outside of the immediately affected. But major disasters are different. They will disrupt life for an extended period of time for thousands or millions of people. The type of crisis will vary. Maybe it’s a hurricane, earthquake or other natural disaster. Perhaps an act of war or terrorism that disturbs normal day to day life. Sometimes medical emergencies provide the back drop for the disaster scenario.

 

No matter what happens, the emergency is going to impact how you conduct yourself in the immediate. What this book seeks to do is ensure you can overcome the emergency, no matter what it is.

 

To accomplish this, we need to keep in mind the essential elements of survival. The behavioral psychologist Abraham Maslow postulated that all humans have a hierarchy of needs. Any survival crisis tests those most basic biological, physiological and safety needs that make up the bottom two levels of Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy. Without successfully providing for these needs on the lower levels, our needs centered around happiness, fulfillment and achievement can never be met.

 

The following are a sampling of needs that Maslow enumerated in his theory: food, drink, shelter, sleep, security, stability, order and freedom from fear. In a crisis all of these preconditions for happiness are threatened. Of pre-eminent importance, our lives themselves are threatened in crises. This is what makes disaster preparedness so vital not only for our survival, but for all the things that make life worth living.

 

In the pages to follow we will review those essential needs on which Maslow rests our happiness, sense of fulfillment and ability to achieve our desires and dreams. Surviving a crisis is merely the first step, but it is a critical first step. We will spend time on that most vital of needs our basic sustenance. We’ll build on that by reviewing how we keep our homes safe and secure as well as what kinds of self-defense measures make sense for both close-quarter combat as well as protecting ourselves from intruders at a distance.

 

Towards the end of the book, we’ll go over how to help prepare ourselves and others for crisis, including why it makes sense to band together with friends and neighbors for protection and safety. We’ll also spend time on how to protect yourself from the pathogens that become more prevalent in disasters and emergencies. Finally, we’ll go over the six most important preps you can have to ensure your safety and survival.