Emergency Shelter

In virtually every survival situation that does not involve a medical emergency, protection from the elements rises to the top of the priority list. The human body quickly and easily suffers from overexposure to the sun, wind, cold, humidity or lack thereof. While there are tales of heroic survival situations suggesting that the human body can endure a great deal of torment and depravation (all of which is true), it is far better to prevent the suffering than to endure it. Proper shelter, established early in the game, is one of the best ways to avoid unnecessary physical and psychological distress. 

The first line of defense, when it comes to shelter, is your clothing. Any time you leave the controllable environment of a heated and air-conditioned house or vehicle, your clothing becomes your most important shelter. We use and make adjustments to this shelter almost without thinking, as we turn up our collar against the cold wind, pull on gloves, or zip the coat a little higher. These actions can be compared to adjusting the thermostat at home, to keep ourselves comfortable and safe.

Proper selection of outdoor clothing is important, because you never know when you will have to rely on what you are wearing to keep you alive — at least long enough to improve on the shelter situation by finding or building a structure. Fabrics that turn the wind, refuse to absorb water, wick moisture away from the body, and dry quickly are most highly prized. Before the days of synthetics, wool was the material of choice (and still is for many outdoor enthusiasts) because it provided all of these desirable features to a limited degree. But now there are high-tech fabrics that offer wind and moisture protection, retain body heat, and are more lightweight and comfortable than wool. Cotton is comfortable, but absorbs moisture like a sponge, so it is generally avoided by serious outdoors people who are concerned about such cold-weather threats as hypothermia. Wearing several layers of clothing is best, because it allows you to add or subtract insulation and protection to match the conditions at the moment. And in hot, sunny weather, it's best to cover up with lightweight and lightly colored clothing to help prevent sunburn and slow dehydration.

Erecting a shelter actually plays several roles in a survival situation. First, it protects against the elements. Second, it may serve as a visual signaling device that can aid in a search and rescue operation. And third, it provides a powerful psychological benefit by allowing the individual to enjoy the relative comfort of a secure camp.

The best shelters are those that are tight against the wind and offer protection against precipitation. These are enemies of the human body, so staying dry and protected against either the blistering heat of the sun or the chilling wind is most important. Of secondary concern is that the shelter is secure from invasion of insects and animals. A third desirable feature is that the shelter be highly visible so it can attract the attention of potential search and rescue teams. Sounds like a colorful expedition-quality tent, doesn't it? But a high-zoot piece of camping gear may not always be available, so the survivor needs to know how to improvise.

Protection against the elements may be offered by something as primitive as a rocky outcropping, an overhanging ledge, the protected space created by the upturned root system or massive trunk of a downed tree. These natural shelters can be improved by using available brush, rocks, limbs, slabs of bark or whatever can be found in the area to further enclose the area. By paying attention to the direction of the prevailing wind and utilizing what nature has provided, a cozy enclosure can be constructed.

Perhaps you're lucky enough to have a few things with you that can be employed in making an emergency shelter. Something as inexpensive and lightweight as a pocket poncho can perform extremely well at turning the wind and rain. Propped up in lean-to fashion against a log or boulder, this simple expanse of plastic can keep you dry and protected from the wind.

If you're near a vehicle, the best shelter may be inside. However, if you're dealing with extremely high temperatures, taking refuge inside may be exactly the wrong thing to do. In that case, it may be preferable to remove the hood and prop it up to form a make-shift lean-to shade shelter. Or, the carpeting, headliner or door panels could be stripped out and put to similar use. When it comes to survival, don't worry about a little cosmetic damage to the vehicle — you're trying to save your life.

It's important to be careful about where you set up the shelter. Make sure it is on ground that is not infested with ants or other insects, and where the natural drainage of rainwater won't flood the camp. Try to establish a shelter whose opening takes advantage of the prevailing climate. North-facing would be best in hot weather, to avoid the direct glare of the sun. During cold weather, the shelter should face southeast so it can catch the earliest warmth of morning sunshine.

Once the elements are no longer a threat, attention should be turned to making the shelter as visible as possible, to aid in the search and rescue effort. Do anything that will attract the eye of a searcher. Clearing foliage around the area may help. Make tracks that lead to the shelter. Set up "unnatural" objects such as piles of rocks, or arrows on the ground made of small rocks that point to the shelter, or a message drawn in the hard soil. If you have a space blanket or other bright fabric, use it as an attention-getting cover for the shelter, or simply spread it out on the ground so it can be seen from a distance.

Storm Predictions

According to the Tropical Meteorology project at Colorado State University, the 2010 hurricane season is predicted to be more active than normal. Estimates are for approximately 11 to 16 named storms, 6 to 8 hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes during the 2010 Atlantic season that runs from June through November.

That might sound like important news for folks who live along the Gulf Coast or the Eastern Seaboard, where hurricanes and tropical storms can have a direct and devastating impact. But what about the rest of the country — why should any of this matter to the rest of us?

I don't know if you noticed, but almost within minutes of Hurricane Katrina slamming ashore, the price of gasoline went through the roof. There was talk about massive damage to the infrastructure that pumps oil out of the sea floor below the Gulf, the refineries that process the oil, pipelines that deliver it, and a whole host of other "reasons" why the price of gasoline suddenly skyrocketed. And I can almost understand that kind of reasoning. After all, Katrina did a huge amount of damage. But here we are five years later and the price of gasoline still hasn't recovered to its pre-Katrina level. Seems like once they (whoever "they" are) got us used to paying five bucks a gallon, they could look like heros by slowly bringing the price back down to the mid-three-dollar range. And now, by golly, we're all thankful.

See, it wasn't about Katrina. That was just a convenient crisis that delivered an excuse to pilfer the populace and exert control over our lives. Any crisis will do, and we all know how the good folks in government administration are dedicated to not letting any crisis go to waste, to quote White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

So, am I getting all paranoid about the government? Not even a little bit. I'm not paranoid at all — I'm a realist who can recognize what's happening and call a spade a spade. Paranoia is a thought process influenced by anxiety or fear that often leads to irrationality and delusion. When I see what the government is doing to the county today, I would have to be irrational and delusional to ignore the outright theft and unauthorized use of power by elected officials and appointed government personnel.

Getting back to the 2010 storm predictions, though, I want to alert you to the fact that when big storms hit, it isn't just ground-zero that takes the punishment. Far away from the storm, you will be paying a price for the damage. Wisdom would dictate that you stock up on necessary commodities that might become scarce in the aftermath of the storm season.

• Keep your vehicles topped up with fuel, so you aren't suddenly smashed by an overnight fuel price hike. At least you'll be able to get around for a while on the cheaper gas you had stored in your vehicle tank. 
• If there are landscaping or construction projects in your future, get them done now, before a sudden price hike for materials and delivery costs can cripple your budget. 
• Stock up on produce that comes from areas that might be impacted by storms. Stock your shelves with canned goods, freeze what you can, and store fresh produce in Evert Fresh Green Bags that prolong freshness and dramatically slow the spoilage of fresh foods. Search for these online or at grocery stores. 
• Learn to use local produce in place of the foods that must be imported from storm zones. This might require some alteration of your eating habits, but that's okay. Let's not be whiners, just get on with life. 
• Plant as much of a garden as you can, given your circumstances. Do some landscaping to include trees and bushes that produce edible fruits. Harvest and eat from your yard, freeze or dehydrate the oversupply. 
• Stock up on other commodities. Do you have enough toilet paper? Toothpaste? Soap? Other stuff that you use on a daily basis? Some of these things come from parts of the country that might be shut down for a while. So just because you don't live in the crosshairs of a hurricane doesn't mean that you won't feel its impact. 

Hopefully, the day will come when we, as a nation, pick ourselves up out of the entitlement gutter and start doing things for ourselves. I look forward to the day when communities don't just sit on their tush and wait for everybody else to come in and rescue them — but they link arms as neighbors and dig in to start rebuilding after a disaster. Hey, I believe we can become American again — a country where we help each other, but we also help ourselves. 

There's an old story about the ant and the grasshopper. I recommend that everybody should read it, ponder the meaning of the story, and then figure out how to take personal responsibility for emergency preparedness. 

Don't put it off — the storms are coming. 

Hurricanes as Teachers

When a big wind storm hits, or an earthquake knocks out the electricity, or ice builds up on power lines and tears them down, or some other type of disaster disables the power grid, here are some of the things that can be learned after seven days without electricity. It’s supposed to be “tongue in cheek” so it’s okay to smile, but I’d really like you to take it serious enough to get prepared.

Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.

No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.

My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it).

Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hand.

He who has the biggest generator wins.

Women can actually survive without doing their hair.

A new method of non-lethal torture — cold showers

There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.

TV is an addiction, and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.

A 7-lb bag of ice will keep a 14-pound turkey frozen for 8 more hours.

Flood plane drawings on some mortgage documents are seriously wrong.

Contrary to most beliefs, speed limits on roads without traffic lights does not increase.

Just because you're over 40 doesn't mean you can stay out as late as you want. At least that's what the cops said during a curfew stop.

People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

A Lincoln Continental will float, but it doesn't steer well.

Some things do keep the mailman from his appointed rounds.

Hampers can only contain a certain amount of clothes.

If I had a store that sold only ice, chain saws, gas and generators … I'd be rich.

Your waterfront property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.

I learned what happens when you make fun of another state's blackout.

Disaster Math 101: Thirty days in month, minus 6 days without power equals 30% higher electric bill — how does that work?????

Drywall is a compound word, take away the “dry” part and it’s worthless.

I can walk a lot farther than I thought.

The only good thing about not having telephones — you haven't had a call from a telemarketer lately, have you?

Do Not Cross

David and Kartina Baudek  of Mayer, Arizona loaded their two children into a pickup truck to drive their six-year-old son, Jacob, to a hospital because he was ill. A powerful winter storm was raging as they headed toward Phoenix, 70 miles distant, following a desert road they had traveled many times before. But on this day tributaries of the nearby Agua Fria River had already reached flood stage, and the normally dry dirt road was inundated. 

After crossing one section of flooded road, David decided that it was too dangerous to continue, so he turned the truck around to head back. Before them was a 50-foot-wide wash that was now quickly filling with swift-moving water. The truck made it 40 feet across before it was overwhelmed by the current and carried 20 feet downstream. 

Katrina managed to escape to high ground while David moved the children into the relative safety of the truck's bed. A bystander tossed the end of a rope to David, and another witness called for help. Trapped in the truck bed, David was helpless as the floodwaters rose until they covered the roof of the truck. Rescuers arrived, but were unable to reach David and the children. All they could do was stand by and watch the scene unfold. What was really needed was a helicopter, but the weather was too violent for that. 

For two hours, David fought to hold onto his children and to the end of the rope, while the current raged around them. Finally, losing the battle to stay with the truck, David and the children dove toward the nearest shoreline. By some miracle, the little girl, Desiree, made it to shore, where she was snatched to safety by her mother. David and Jacob were swept into a tree downstream, where the father clung to his son against the mighty force of the water. 

Eventually, David lost his grip on Jacob, and his son was swept away to his death. Remarkably, rescuers were separated from the family by the raging torrent until the next day when the water subsided. 

This is a stark and tragic example of the consequences of underestimating the power of moving water. Here are some startling statistics to remember:

• As little as 6 inches of fast-moving water can sweep a person off his or her feet.
• One foot of flowing water can move most vehicles off the road.
• Most flood-related deaths happen at night and are vehicular. 
• Small stream floods, and those happening in urban areas, often occur in less than one hour. 

Never attempt to drive across a flooded road. It's impossible to determine the condition of the road surface while it is covered by water, and the pavement might already be ripped away, leaving a hole that will swallow your vehicle. The rule is, if you cannot see the road surface or its line markings, do not drive through the water. 

A Test — A Challenge

Have you ever wondered whether or not you are prepared to survive a disaster?  Are you up for a little test? If you find your head nodding in the affirmative, then I challenge you to do the following role play as a make-believe survivor. This is as close to the real thing as you will be able to come without actually plunging into a real-life disaster. I hope that will never happen to you, but to be on the safe side, it's a good idea to test your ability to survive.

Let me warn you up front that, if you decide to accept the challenge, life will be inconvenient for a while. Things you had planned for today and tomorrow will be left undone. Sorry about that, but in all fairness, disasters strike without advance warning, so you must enter this challenge in the same way, with no warning. If you're not already prepared, you'll find that out almost immediately. This is a test that will reveal to you the weak spots in your emergency preparation. Trust me, this is a huge favor to you, even though you who accept the challenge will be cussing me before it's over. Suck it up and tough it out. I'm trying to save your life.

Okay, so here's the test. Let's pretend that right now, right this very instant, some kind of catastrophe hits your area. I don't care what it is — a tornado rips up your town, a massive earthquake makes rubble out of your community, a hurricane blows your region to shreds. Miraculously (because I am going to be kind and gentle with this first test), your home is still intact. However, beginning right this very minute, there is:

• no electricity
• no community water supply to your house
• no natural gas
• no sewer system
• no telephone
• no grocery stores
• no restaurants
• no gas stations
• and all the roads are impassable, so you can't leave the area

Okay, that's your scenario. Remember, I've gone easy on you this time, because I didn't factor in that your home or apartment was destroyed. You can still live there in perfect comfort and safety. This is a test of how well you are prepared to survive without outside services. If you are bold enough to take me up on this challenge, you must live for the next 48 hours (again, I am being exceedingly kind and gentle to limit the challenge to such a short time frame) using only those supplies that you already have on your property. But remember that you cannot use any municipally-delivered water, nor anything that uses electricity (this means you have to unplug your refrigerator, freezer, electric stove, microwave, TV, etc.), nor natural gas (no furnace, no gas stove), and you can't use the telephone. You are allowed to use any battery-powered or solar-powered items you have. And you can also use a power generator, if you have one, but are restricted to using only the fuel you have now on your property. 

Sound fair enough? This is Disaster Role Play 101. It gets harder later on when I factor in the total destruction of your home and your vehicles. So for now, kick back and be comfortable and see what you can do with the scenario I've outlined. 

At the end of the challenge, I would like to hear back from you who are courageous enough to actually take me up on this little test. Leave your comments and I will publish those that are appropriate. Let me know how it all went, what you discovered about your existing level of emergency preparedness, and how you creatively solved the challenges of living totally "off the grid" as it were for a short time. Give it your best shot for 48 hours. Make notes about deficiencies that you will correct later. Have fun.

Good luck.  

Predators 1 vs Human 0

Alaska school teacher, 32-year-old Candice Berner was, by all reports, in good physical condition. Although she stood less than 5 feet tall, she was a boxer, a gymnast, and a distance runner.

Yesterday, while she was out for a run along a road near the small village of Chignik Bay on the Alaska Peninsula, something horrible happened.

When authorities found her body, she had been dragged off the road to a spot near the village lagoon. In the snow were imprints of wolf tracks. Alaska State Trooper Colonel Audie Holloway reported that, from the number of tracks around the body, there could possibly have been as many as 4 wolves involved.

I refer you back to my post of February 25, 2010 as a review of how to handle a confrontation with wolves. My condolences to the family of Candice Berner.