Preparedness and Survival

Video:  WV Response

"Preparedness 101" and some of the realities about survival that most people try to ignore

The Ultimate Step-By-Step guide to creating your 40 Day Plan:

After I’d been serious about preparedness and self reliance for a year or two, I realized that my buying, training, and planning had been based on whatever was the most exciting or urgent to me at the time. I’d go through a gun phase, then a food phase, then a natural medicine phase, but I didn’t have anything to tie it all together.

I want to go over a few things that have acted as a compass for my personal preparedness planning. Yours should be unique to you, but feel free to use mine as a jumping off point to create your own. We’ll get into more nuts-and-bolts stuff tomorrow, but this is an important place to start so that you know that we’re on the same page. There’s a lot of nuts out there. I’m not one of them. I’ve got a wife, two YOUNG boys, and my planning is based on reality and proven, tested techniques–not fantasy.

1. Self-Reliance vs. Bureaucratic “solutions”: I define survival/preparedness/self-reliance, in part, as the ability for my family to survive and possibly thrive during periods of civil breakdown without having to depend on government agencies or non-government agencies. This will be as a result of a combination of our family preparedness and because of relationships with friends who have also prepared in advance. I don’t hate government agencies. In fact, I’m a first responder under FEMA–but I’ve repeatedly seen how one bureaucrat can destroy the effectiveness of dozens of competent first responders.

2. Maintain Morals: We have decided in advance that we will make the necessary preparations so that we don’t have to compromise on our morals and values in civil breakdown situations. A large number of people’s survival planning involves stealing/looting after a disaster. Ours does not. Remember, at some point, some form of stability will return and you’ll have to live with the consequences of your actions.

3. Carpe diem–Enjoy The Journey: We are not so focused on potential disaster that we miss out on daily fun. We continually evaluate our decisions and purchases based on how they will play out, regardless of whether we ever have to live through civil breakdown. This keeps us balanced. As an example, we tend to buy large quantities of food that we already eat rather than large quantities of MREs that, truth be told, we really don’t like. We actually USE a lot of our survival supplies on a daily basis.

4. Enrich Your Daily Life: Preparedness planning should not only be useful in a disaster, but enrich your daily life. Increasing your situational awareness will cause you to see more beauty as well as more potential threats. Exercise will help you be more resilient in a disaster, but will also burn off stress hormones and help you sleep better every day. Learning trauma skills and natural health care will allow you to treat yourself when there are no doctors available and it will put you more in tune with your body.

5. Preparedness Planning Should be Realistic. I’m always amazed at the number of people I talk to who’s plan is STILL to “head to the hills” when “it” happens. I kind of laugh because if half of those people actually DO go to the wilderness, the wilderness is going to be hunted clear of food in no-time. Then all the people will die…except for the handful who actually know what they’re doing. The reality is, most people live in urban areas (even communities of a few thousand) and will have to survive disasters in those areas.

6. “Survival” is not Necessarily Romantic, Fun, or Comfortable. If it was, it would be “Primitive Living.” Understand it, prepare for it, practice it if you’re able, and if you are ever forced into a situation where you need your skills to survive, you’ll have a more realistic idea of what to expect.

7. Most People will Never Understand Why You Prepare. Whether you call yourself “self-reliant”, a “prepper”, a “survivalist”, or just practical and moderately observant…everyone is not going to share your passion. Fortunately, we have a community online that does share your passion.

8. You’ll never be 100% prepared for everything that could happen…deal with it. We’ve got dozens of natural and manmade threats to contend with. Dirty bombs, EMPs, earthquakes, hurricanes, mud-slides, cyberattacks, economic collapse, attacks on the electricity grid, local accidents, etc. etc. Don’t waste your time worrying about it…Just start taking steps to prepare.

If all of your gear is at home and an earthquake buries it while you’re at the store, you’re going to have to improvise, adapt, and overcome. (and maybe decide to set up some caches) Especially as you’re starting out, try to focus on the basics…food, fire, water, shelter and then medical, security, and tools. These are all things that will help you on a regular basis and will help you if you go through rough economic times. They’re also ways that you can get prepared that are more “tolerable” for relatives who aren’t on board yet.

9. You don’t have to be rich to get prepared. Focus on skills and double up on groceries as you’re able and you’ll be light years ahead of people who have a pallet of food in their garage but no manual can opener to get them open.

10. Plan To Survive Where You Are Right Now. Since most people live in urban areas, most people are going to have to survive disasters in urban areas. Some have no intention of leaving and feel honor-bound to stay. Full-time law enforcement and first responders, sheepdogs, CERT personnel, and others who aren’t willing to leave. It may not be ideal, but if your plan (or backup plan) for survival is to Survive In Place in an urban area, you aren’t going to be on your own. After every disaster, there will be remnants who are currently training to be able to help stabilize neighborhoods, cities, and regions if necessary.

The fact that you might HAVE to survive for a time in an urban area is the core of the 12 week SurviveInPlace.com Urban Survival Course. You don’t have to buy it to enjoy the free mini course, but I’ll give you an opportunity to sign up at the end of each email.

I have received several responses about the course and how much people got out of going through the exercises in the lessons.

Stayin' Alive,

David Morris -  SurviveInPlace.com  -  40-Days of Survival  -  To get a sneak peak of the Urban Survival Newsletter, you can go to: www.SecretsOfUrbanSurvival.com  -  Thanks to Glenn Beck and the Blaze~ >> Click here for instant access to my FREE SURVIVAL MINI COURSE

And then we have to help the Republic Survive!! Check out: The 2012 Check List for America’s Survival

Obama Perpetuates The '90 Percent Of Mexico's Weapons Come From The U.S....

Quote: Why Does Obama Continue to Blame America???

Obama Perpetuates The '90 Percent Of Mexico's Weapons Come From The U.S....

Quote: "A demand for these drugs in the United States is what is helping keep these cartels in business ... more than 90% of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States," President Barack Obama said Thursday. However, Fox News debunked this claim weeks ago: "It's just not true. In fact, it's not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S."

Fox Report: Mexican guns not from US

Only About 10% of Weapons Used By Mexican Drug Cartels Come From America Says Former Drug Czar William Bennett

William Bennett, former drug czar, verifies that the notion being floated by liberal media and the Obama administration, but disputed by most reliable sources, on the weapons used by Mexican Drug Cartels coming primarily from the United States ‘is false’!!!

Secretary of State Clinton and others have tried to push the notion that 90% of the weapons flowing into Mexico come from the United States. That has already been repudiated. In reality 90% of the weapons captured from the Cartels,that they could identify, were from the United States. That is because the United Stats is diligent at marking the weapons produced in the U.S. for identification which is now being used against us by our own government.

In reality only between 10% and 15% of all weapons used by the Mexican drug cartels come from the United States; William Bennett said 10% in his interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s Situation Room. And if anyone should know, it would be William Bennett!

Dr. William Bennett serves as a political contributor and Republican strategist on CNN’s The Situation Room.

In addition to serving as a CNN contributor, Bennett is the host of a nationally broadcast radio show called Morning in America. In the 1980s, Bennett was the secretary of education and the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Ronald Reagan. Following that, he served as President George H.W. Bush's "drug czar." He currently serves as chairman of Americans for Victory over Terrorism, a project dedicated to sustaining and strengthening public opinion as the war on terrorism moves forward.

Also an author, Bennett has written and edited 16 books, including The Book of Virtues and The Children's Book of Virtues. The success of The Book of Virtues led to the creation of a PBS series, seen in the United States, Great Britain and 65 other countries.

In April 2005, Bennett was described in the New York Times as the "leading spokesman of the Traditional Values wing of the Republican Party."

Bennett studied philosophy earning his bachelor’s degree at Williams College and his doctorate at the University of Texas. He earned his law degree from Harvard University. He is the Washington fellow of the Claremont Institute.