The poor man's survival guide

BE A SURVIVOR NOT A STATISTIC!

OVERVIEW

Bad things happen to good people. We cannot predict what challenges may present themselves. However we can prepare to face them. We have a duty to ourselves, our families and our nation to be prepared for emergencies. The purpose of this document is to provide information on how to prepare for emergencies and provide links to free sources of more detailed information. This document is written from the perspective of an average income family that doesn't have thousands of dollars to spend on gear and supplies. When possible I have recommended low cost solutions to problems.

THE BASICS: FIRST AID, FOOD, WATER AND SHELTER

FIRST AID

The first aid kit

Every home and vehicle needs a first aid kit. Do you have one? As a minimum pick up a pre-made first aid kit for your home and vehicles.

FEMA suggests the following minimum contents:

Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes

• 2-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
• 4-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
• Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
• Triangular bandages (3)
• 2-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
• 3-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Needle
• Moistened towelettes
• Antiseptic
• Thermometer
• Tongue blades (2)
• Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant
• Assorted sizes of safety pins
• Cleansing agent/soap
• Latex gloves (2 pair)
  
• Sunscreen
  

Non-prescription drugs

• Aspirin or non aspirin pain reliever
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Antacid (for stomach upset)
• Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Laxative
• Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Consider Potassium Iodine pills for protection against radiation ( only take these if needed an overdose of KI can be harmful.)

For your home kit I recommend that you add:

A good sharp knife

30 day supply of prescription medications for each member of the family.

Sterile saline solution for rinsing eyes.

Triple antibiotic salve.

Feminine pads or military trauma wound dressings for large wounds

Antibiotics

Augmentin, Keflex and Levaquin are suggested. You may be able to have your family doctor write prescriptions for these drugs. If not, an other option is to order them directly from a company that does not require a prescription. There are several. At the time of this writing Anti-biotics sold for fish are an option,There are many on-line sources for information on these and other medications. The Merck manual is one of the best sources of medical information available: URL: http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/index.html John Hopkins has a useful site with information on choosing the correct antibiotics: URL: http://hopkins-abxguide.org/

IMPORTANT NOTE: Antibiotics are powerful drugs and should be treated accordingly. Be especially careful with allergic reactions which can be fatal. Before ordering medicine online determine if it is legal where you are located.

Do your research before administering antibiotics. I recommend down loading and printing Indications,dosing and cautions. Store this with your antibiotics.

Super glue

Useful for closing cuts.

First aid manuals

Keep at least one first aid manual with your First aid supplies. Suggestions: The American Red Cross First Aid and Safety. Handbook American Medical Association Handbook of First Aid and Emergency Care. The US Army first aid manual is highly recommended and available to down load free in pdf format URL: http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/fm4_25x11.pdf It can also be purchased in a hard copy version from various sources.

An inexpensive plastic toolbox makes an excellent storage box for your first aid supplies. Whenever possible store your supplies in a cool dry area above the potential high water line if you are in a flood zone.

FOOD

FEMA recommends:

Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water. If you must heat food, pack a can of Sterno. Select food items that are compact and lightweight. Avoid foods that will make you thirsty. Choose salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals, and canned foods with high liquid content.

*Include a selection of the following foods in your Disaster Supplies Kit:
Note: Be sure to include a manual can opener.

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables
• Canned juices, milk, soup (if powdered, store extra water)
• Staples--sugar, salt, pepper
• High energy foods--peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, trail mix
• Vitamins
• Foods for infants, elderly persons or persons with special dietary needs
• Comfort/stress foods--cookies, hard candy, sweetened cereals, lollipops, instant coffee, tea bags
  

I strongly recommend at least thirty days for each person in your family. By adding inexpensive food and purchasing it gradually you can build your stock pile over a six month period without breaking the budget. These are listed because they are inexpensive, easy to store and available at your grocery store. If money allows a more balanced diet is strongly recommended. 2000 calories per day is recommended. This works out to approximately 60,000 calories per person per month.

Some inexpensive food to stockpile and approximate caloric values:

Rice Approximately 6.4 oz 600 calories per cup before cooking

Navy beans 7.3oz 700 calories per cup before cooking

Rolled oats 3 oz 300 calories per cup before cooking

Canned Tuna 5 oz 250 calories per 5 oz can

Canned Chicken 5 oz 250 calories per 5 oz can

Pasta 100 calories per ounce

Potted meat 3 oz 300 calories per 5 oz can.

Spam 90 calories per oz

Kool Aid No nutritional value

White sugar 1700 calories per pound

Vegetable Oil 120 per tablespoon

Salt No calories

Pepper No calories

Chicken Bullion 5 calories per cube

Beef Bullion 5 calories per cube

Ramon noodles 380 calories per block

Fruit and vegetable juice varies

Powdered milk

Hard candy varies, approximately 1000 calories per pound

Vitamin mineral supplement :Stockpile at least one per person per day. It is essential that each person receive a supplement to supply vitamins and minerals not present in the survival diet. Scurvy is not your friend!

Estimated affordable food for a average adult for one year

400 pounds grains

60 pounds legumes

10 quarts fats and oils

75 pounds sugar

60 pounds powdered milk

8 pounds of salt

365 vitamin tabs

During non emergency times: Rotate your food. Cook and eat the oldest stock and replace it immediately. Add more variety as your budget permits. Consider adding MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and freeze dried food. Although this is probably the most expensive food you can buy it has a long shelf life.

During emergencies: Keep all food secured. Ration all food. Calculate the caloric needs for your group and plan menus accordingly.

Note: A little food is better than none. When you are down to your last week's supply of food and no help is apparent cut rations to 1000 calories per day. After two days if the situation does not change cut calories to 250 per day. Stretch the food by adding more water.

Got pets? Put food aside for them as well. If you are rationing your food you will have no left overs. The chances of a domesticated animal foraging for themselves are slim.

Cook stoves: At a minimum you will need some way to heat water. Consider Coleman LP camping stoves. The LP containers can be stored almost indefinitely. 10-15 of the 16.4 oz containers should suffice. Adapters are available to use the larger tanks used on Gas barbecue grills. One or two of these tanks will suffice.

There are many other options. If you are in a area where fuel is available an improvised wood stove is an option.

A bucket stove is one example: Take one metal bucket cut a hole approximately four inches square in the side near the bottom. ( save the piece you remove ) Punch three pair of holes directly across from each other about 1 ½ inch from the top.. Punch another set of three holes at a 90 degree angle from the first set. Insert six wire hangers through the holes. Bend the protruding wires against the side of the bucket so they can't pull through. Punch two holes across from each other above the hole you made in the bottom. Punch two holes in the piece of metal you removed. Loop wire through the holes to act as a hinge. This simple stove is very fuel efficient and can be used with wood, charcoal or paper.

WATER

Estimated daily water requirement source: Mayo Clinic

So how much water does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? In general, doctors recommend 8 or 9 cups. Here are the most common ways of calculating that amount:

• Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter (about 4 cups) of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace your lost fluids.
• Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Although the approach really isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this easy-to-remember rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.
• Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
  

For simplicity sake plan on one gallon per day per person.

If you are in an area with abundant water purifying water is an option.

Purifying with bleach:

Step one: Remove as much solid material as possible. Let the water sit for several hours to allow sediment to settle to the bottom. Carefully strain the water through a clean cloth into a second container. Add the recommended amount of bleach from the chart below:

Treating Water with a 5-6 Percent Liquid Chlorine Bleach Solution
Volume of Water to be Treated	Treating Clear/Cloudy Water: Bleach Solution to Add	Treating Cloudy, Very Cold, or Surface Water: Bleach Solution to Add
1 quart/1 liter	3 drops	5 drops
1/2 gallon/2 quarts/2 liters	5 drops	10 drops
1 gallon	1/8 teaspoon	1/4 teaspoon
5 gallons	1/2 teaspoon	1 teaspoon
10 gallons	1 teaspoon	2 teaspoons

Source: Washington state Department of Health URL: http://www.doh.wa.gov/phepr/handbook/purify.htm

Let it sit for at least one hour before using. Preferably overnight.

Purifying by boiling: Boiling is the best way to purify water. If adequate fuel is available boil your water for at least one minute before using.

Sources for water: Your water heater should have 20-30 gallons of water. The tank of your toilet holds from 2-5 gallons of water.

Collect and purify rain water from your down spouts. Local streams, ponds and rivers are an obvious source. Dry stream beds are a potential source. Locate a low area where green vegetation is located. Dig down until you hit water or muddy soil. Let water collect in the hole. MAKE SURE YOU PURIFY THE WATER.

Storing adequate water supplies ahead of time is an option. 

The following is an experiment I performed to determine how long I could store water. 

At the end of seven years the water was still good.This method was not approved by any government or health authority. It worked for me. Use at at your risk, use only new drums to avoid chemical contamination.

n June of 2000 I prepared five 30 gallon drums of water for long term
storage as follows:
New thirty gallon natural ( non-colored)PE drums were sanitized by adding 8 ounces of household bleach to one gallon of drinking water. The drums were
rolled around and turned upside down so that the solution came in
contact with all interior surfaces. The drums were allowed to sit
overnight with the bungs closed.
The cleaning solution was removed as much as possible. One cup of
household bleach was added. The drums were then filled to the top with
regular drinking water. The bungs were tightened to the manufactures
specifications.
The drums were stored outdoors at ambient temperature approximately (O
- 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in the back of a closed truck out of
sunlight.
Care was taken to avoid contaminating the threads of the bungs and the
hose I used to fill the drums was cleaned with undiluted bleach prior
to filling.
A single drum was opened sampled and tested for appearance, pH*,
bacteria** and odor at 2 year intervals.
Results:
2 years: appearance Clear and colorless, pH 8.5, no bacteria detected,
slight polyethylene odor.
4 years:appearance Clear and colorless, pH 8.5, no bacteria detected,
slight polyethylene odor.
6 years:appearance Clear and colorless, pH 8.6, no bacteria detected,
slight polyethylene odor.
7 years: appearance Clear and colorless, pH 8.5, no bacteria detected,
slight polyethylene odor.

The test was ended at seven years because I moved. At the end of seven
years the water was quite drinkable with a slight plastic odor/taste.
*Note: I used a Watersafe or equivalent bacteria test kit.
** Several different pH meters were used.

SHELTER

Hopefully your home will be in livable condition. In this case your shelter needs will be met. If not some sort of improvised shelter will be needed.

Your best bet is a quality tent. I prefer a dome tent with rain fly. Buy the biggest, best quality tent you can afford. Keep in mind that tent manufactures tend to over estimate the number of people that a tent can accommodate. Consider using a tent rated for at least two more people than in your group. Practice putting up the tent. Needless to say, don't loose any parts. Pitch your tent with the opening at a 90 angle to prevailing winds. Place a tarp or other waterproof ground cloth under your tent. Choose a flat level area that is higher than the surrounding area. If you are near a stream pitch your tent well above the highest waterline in case of flash floods. In cold climates choose a spot sheltered from the wind approximately half way up a hill.

The options for design of an improvised shelter are endless depending on the resources available in your area. As a general rule keep these features in mind: Waterproof roof, higher than the surrounding area shaded in hot climates, protected from the wind in cold climates, oriented with prevailing winds in mind and elevated floor or waterproof ground cover.

See VI-4 of fm 21-76 available for free pdf down load at: URL: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/21-76-1/index.html

Keep one sleeping bag on hand for each person.

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT

One challenge many of us have experienced is loosing your electric for days or weeks. A generator and fuel can be a useful temporary solution. In many ways a generator is a luxury. If the emergency is not too widespread and fuel is available use it. If not get ready for some lifestyle changes. You don't need a TV and microwave to survive.

Keep in mind that it will require from 5-10 gallons of fuel to operate your generator 24 hours a day. The smallest recommended output is 3000 watts, a 5000 watt unit is preferable. A Coleman PM0435005 or Honda EG5000 are two good choices for most families. This guide from Honda is  useful :
To determine your basic home power needs, start with these three questions:

1. Do you use city or well water?
   Well pumps require a larger 240 volt generator (3800 watts or above).
   
2. Is your heating system electric, heat pump, or gas or oil forced air?
   Gas or oil forced air systems can get by with a very small generator – as little as 2500 watts. The power needed is based on the size of the furnace fan motor. See below for details.
   Electric furnaces and heat pumps typically need 15,000 watts or more to run.
   
3. Is your hot water heater electric, gas, or oil fired?
   Gas or oil fired heaters use less power – as little as 2500 watts.
   Electric heaters often require at least 4500 watts.
   

Homeowners can often power most household appliances using between 3000 and 6500 watts.
If your home has a smaller furnace and city water, you can generally expect that 3000-5000 watts will cover your needs. If you have a larger furnace and/or a well pump, you will likely need a 5000 to 6500 watt generator.
Some things to keep in mind:
Running your generator in an overloaded condition can destroy your generator and what ever appliance you are using.
NEVER operate your generator indoors, this includes basements and attached garages! The exhaust can kill you.
ALWAYS use heavy duty cords rated for the wattage your generator puts out! Small gauge extension cords can start a fire and kill you.
Consider running your generator every other hour or more to conserve fuel. Consider using only necessary appliances to conserve fuel and avoid over loading your generator.
Fuel: I keep ten gallons of gasoline on hand. This lasted me three days by carefully rationing generator run time. Treat your fuel with a fuel stabilizer. Keep a couple quarts of oil for the generator on hand. Motor oil lasts indefinitely if the container is closed.
Storing your generator. I fill the tank with fuel treated with a stabilizer, start the generator run it until it is warmed up then close the fuel valve and let it run until it dies. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for storing your generator.
Something to keep in mind: There is often a rash of generator thefts during power outages. I recommend that you chain your generator to something solid when it is outdoors.
Lighting: Keep a good supply of candles and flashlights on hand. Consider oil lamps and fuel also. Windup flashlights are handy as well. I like one in particular: it has a LED flashlight with two brightness settings, FM radio, an outlet for charging cell phones and an emergency alarm.
UPS (uninterrupt1ble power source) I recommend using a UPS on your computer to protect it during brown outs etc. A UPS is also a good source for charging cell phones, operating radios etc. It will also operate a small single LED night light for several nights. When you loose your power shut down and disconnect your computer and routers to conserve the powered electric.


TOOLS MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES

A partial list of tools to consider keeping on hand is:

Shovel or spade to dig a latrine and bury waste.

At least one good solid fixed blade knife. I recommend the Buck Special 0119BKS-B or the USMC Tactical/Fighting knife or K Bar.
Hatchet
Crowbar
Hammer
Saw
Tarps
Rope
Plastic buckets with lids
Plastic trash bags
Toilet paper
Prescription medications and glasses
Disposable diapers
Matches in a waterproof container
Zippo type cigarette lighter with fuel
Unscented household bleach
Fire extinguisher
Personal hygiene supplies
Mess kits
Paper plates,cups and plastic utensils
Consider using backpacks or duffel bags to store your gear.
Cash, if ATM's aren't working you are broke regardless of how much you have in the bank.
At least one gun and ammunition if you hunt. A twelve gauge pump shotgun is a good choice. Keep several boxes of ammunition in a waterproof container. Number six shot is good for small game. Consider at least one box of OO buck for larger game. There are several good 12 gauge pumps available. I like the Mossburg model 500 and Mossberg 835 ( The 835 takes up to a 3 ½” magnum)
A 22 cal rifle would make a good second gun. Ammo is cheap, consider keeping a thousand rounds or so. Consider a Ruger 10-22 or Marlin model 60.
There are literally hundreds of other rifles available. I like the Ruger Mini 30. It fires the 7.62 X 39 round. This ammo is cheap and readily available. A couple of on-line sources for bulk ammo are: http://cheaperthandirt.com and http://sportsmansguide.com/
A relatively inexpensive semi automatic rifle is the SKS which also chambers the 7.62 X 39 round.

Recommended books to keep on hand
Merck manual
First aid book
FM 21-76 MULTISERVICE PROCEDURES FOR SURVIVAL, EVASION, AND RECOVERY (Either down load and print the pertinent sections or purchase a hard copy.)

FM 4-25.11 First aid It's worth paying for a hard copy

PORTABLE SURVIVAL KIT FOR YOUR CAR AND WORK PLACE

Emergencies don't always occur while you are home. A portable survival kit in your car and stored at work is a good idea. Space and weight are important considerations.

Some items worth considering:

A good solid knife.

Space blanket

First aid supplies

Water treatment tablets

Compass

Granola bars or other food suitable for rough handling.

Canteen or water bottle.

Instant coffee, tea or Koolaid

Road map

Gloves

Multi tool

Three day supply of any medications you may be using.

Caffeine pills

Tylenol

Disposable poncho

55 gal trash bag

Miscellaneous:

EMERGENCY FIRE STARTERS
Cotton ball tinder
A handy item to add to your equipment is some sort of emergency fire starter kit.
Work a quantity of petroleum jelly into a couple of cotton balls. Store the saturated balls in small baggies. Place them in a pill bottle along with a quality cigarette lighter.
* Another option is to make up the cotton balls as before and add a quantity of fine Magnesium to the baggies and work the magnesium into the cotton ball / petroleum jelly.

Waterproof matches.
Dip strike anywhere matches in melted paraffin covering the entire match. When using them you will probably have to scrape the was off of the Phosphorous tip. Store in a water proof container.

Wind proof / waterproof  Matches

 Using waterproof matches from above  dip the top half inch in a 50 / 50 ( by volume) mixture of paraffin / powdered Magnesium mixture. DON'T DIP THE ENTIRE MATCH YOU MAY GET BURNED WHEN YOU LIGHT THEM!

Comments on Magnesium:   Magnesium burns very hot and bright. Work with small amounts away from flame. Do not look at Magnesium while it burns. It may blind you.

Magnesium burns at approximately 3000 degrees Fahrenheit.