One of the reader-suggested questions that we want to answer is - How can people who have certain limitations, be they physical or otherwise, survive in some kind of long emergency or disaster? Very good question, and one that we will attempt to answer within the extremely limiting * confines of a blog post.
* Because this format is so limiting, there is only so much we can cover. If you are interested in learning much, much more, you may want to look into attending one of Duncan’s survival training seminars.
Recommended Reading: Dies the Fire, a novel by S. M. Stirling
If you're interested in survival, read this book!
While people will recommend this manual or that one, often they are dry, difficult to plow through, and they’re not what you would c all light reading. One of the most helpful books we’ve come across on the topic of survival in a Changed world is not a how-to book. It’s a novel, and a darn good one. Engaging, absorbing, and with a ton of human interest and an all around great read from a very talented author.
It belongs to a series of books called the Dies the Fire (Emberverse I) Series, penned by S.M. Stirling. This, the first book in the series, is also called Dies the Fire. The second and third books are The Protector’s War and a Meeting at Corvallis. Additional books set in the same time make up the Change series (Emberverse II).
Why do we mention this? Because you can get a wealth of knowledge and have a fun and easy time doing it, just by reading this novel especially and the ones in the rest of the series, which spans several books.
The Change, With a Capital “C” . . .
Dies the Fire is set in the late 1990s. An unknown “event” takes place that wipes out all electricity in one instant — worldwide. In addition, things like guns and steam engines also become completely inoperable. What happens next provides much food for thought.
Some people stay in their homes, waiting for things to get back to normal. One of the heroines of the book, one Juniper Mackenzie (who is also a practicing witch which yields even more helpful information and insight), has the foresight and fortitude to get her daughter and what members of her coven she can muster and flee out of the city to her farm in the countryside. There, after much struggle involving bandits, sickness, and near-starvation, they are able to build a new community and start over.
Why is This Book so Important?
This goes back to the original question someone asked about how people who have limited abilities or resources can survive. Stirling has thought out and painstakingly researched what would happen in an event like this. And yes, those with survival expertise do manage to do well most of the time, but also regular, normal people do as well — well, some of them do. Most don’t.
There are many books and TV shows that cover this topic, but this book in particular goes into detail regarding the mechanics of survival and is so well researched it’s like a manual. After you read it, you may not know how to do everything, but you’ll know how to do some stuff, and more importantly you’ll know what sorts of things you need to learn — log homes, canning, fortifying buildings, making bows, using leaf springs from cars to make weapons. Lots of stuff about leaf springs, actually. Who knew?
What makes the difference between those who survive and those who don’t? Is it just a knowledge of woodcraft and brute strength? Hardly.
One of the things that we keep saying is that your best weapon is your mind and your ability to use it. This includes having a strong will to survive and a deeper understanding of trauma: What it is, what it does, and how to avoid it or deal with it and survive in spite of it. If you have physical limitations, it is even more important to be able to use your head, your instincts, and your full awareness.
Juney (Juniper Mackenzie) was a musician before the Change in the book. Yet she was not only able to survive, but to help others along the way, living by the threefold law (which says that every action you take, good or bad, will return to you three times as much).
A World Without Electricity
What happens in this world? After the initial shock, there are food riots in the cities. And guess who the most organized and powerful groups are when that happens? Gangs. Many different gangs take over, taking food from the weak and running rampant through the city. It’s a bit of a sobering thought to think that a street gang is better equipped to handle a large-scale disaster than your average neighborhood watch group.
Many people simply have nowhere to go, and no plan. The ones that survive are the ones that get out of the cities and band together in small groups, finding locations that provide farmland, clean water, and can be defended.
Those people who survive are faced with even more obstacles to remaining breathing, because then comes the disease. Without sewer systems working, diseases like typhus and yersinia pestis (bubonic plague) decimate the remaining population. Those who are not able to learn how to hunt their own food go after a more available food source — humans. They become known as Eaters. Bleah, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Lessons Learned in Harsh Times
It’s difficult in a way to train people for the specifics of survival because no one knows exactly what hurdles they will have to face. But the constants remain — having the attitude that you are going to survive, and being able to think ahead, plan, and adapt to your surroundings.
A lot of this may seem like basic common sense, and it is. But it’s important to mention because even though people know this stuff, when a disaster actually happens, it becomes less about knowledge and more about frame of mind and having the right attitude. Those who are trained in disaster response, such as EMTs, often do much better in a situation like this because they have already experienced traumatic, chaotic, horrible situations and they have learned how to react without losing their minds or hope.
Good Essential Skills to Cultivate for Survival with Physical Limitations
Ideally, you would read every book on survival you could get your hands on, attend survival training and be comfortable when dropped into the wilderness with nothing but the shirt on your back. However . . .
This list isn’t so much about the specific survival knowledge as it is about survival mentality (The former is too big of a topic for one blog post). So here goes:
- Learn how to be totally aware of your environment — Don’t just focus on what’s right in front of you, use your peripheral vision and be aware of everything that’s going on. This can take some practice.
- Become adept at threat assessment — if you can see threats coming before anyone else does, you will have a leg up on the situation.
- Learn how to read people — The better you can do this, the more you will be able to avoid conflict and be better able to interact with people
- Understand trauma and get comfortable with it — Some people will simply give up and sit down. Others may get hysterical. Can you keep a cool head while others are losing theirs? Panic will kill more people than a disaster oftentimes. Trauma can make people crazy. Don’t let that be you. It’s not just yourself that you have to worry about. How will your family react? How will you deal with those around you who are freaking the *bleep* out?
- Learn how to be sneaky –Sneakiness often has a negative connotation. Maybe “stealthy” is a better word. This means to not give away your emotions on your face so that others can read you. It also means that you won’t be the person that sticks out and gets attention drawn their way. Remember — when people underestimate you, that gives you the upper hand.
- Learn how to use a knife — Not just as a tool but as a weapon for survival. If you can successfully conceal a knife on your person and be able to use it up close, this can protect you very well, even against a stronger opponent and even if you are not as physically able as others. If you need to sit down a lot, have one within easy access, such as strapped to your arm and hidden.
- Learn how to use a stick as a weapon — Sticks and stick-like implements will probably be the most available weapon around. They can work very well for self defense. If you have some skill in using one, that will put you ahead of most people. For that matter . .
- Learn how to use anything as a weapon — Look around you. You should know the fastest way to get out of a place, as well as observe the other exits. See what you can use in the location as a weapon. Learn to be in a room where you can see who comes in and goes out.
- Be resourceful — You may not know how to set a rabbit snare, fashion an IUD out of pennies, or build a trebuchet, but cleverness, resourcefulness, and an iron will count for a lot.
- Make Friends — Know the story Stone Soup? A small group of able friends is worth more than the sum of its parts. By pooling knowledge and energy, you are much safer. Do your survival planning with your friends and plan for as many contingencies as you can, including evacuation so they can help you.
- Have Something(s) to Offer — Even if you don’t know how to build a crossbow out of chopsticks and pop tops, or haven’t memorized a field book on woodcraft, if you have a few things that you are really knowledgeable about, these skills can be bartered. In a disaster situation, your checkbook or credit card isn’t going to get you very far. Many people will have the same basic knowledge (“Maybe we should boil that creek water, eh?”) which won’t get you far as currency. In Dies the Fire, issues arise around human slavery, and prostitution (yep, the “oldest profession”) is one form of transaction. It is mentioned here certainly not as a suggestion, but as a warning to get good at at least a couple of things and not get in a situation where that is the only option available. This is not a pretty thought, but one needs to think about things, even ugly ones, in order to figure out how to avoid them. Pick something(s) that you enjoy learning about, otherwise you will put it off. If you’re passionate about it, you will be inspired to learn as much as possible.
- Avoid confrontation — The best fight is the one you don’t have to have. Avoiding fights should be your number one skill.
- Think fast — The quicker your reaction time is, the better chance of your survival. In Dies the Fire, those who sat around waiting for help were the first ones to die. Don’t look to anyone or organization to save you. DON’T believe anyone that says “It’s going to be ok” until you check for yourself. In the book, a group of people liberate an old covered wagon from the abandoned museum and buy up all the bows at a sporting goods store immediately as they are leaving town. By being just a few hours ahead of the game made the difference in their survival.
- Be adaptable — You can do a ton of planning for one thing, only to have something completely different happen. For example, someone may stock their property with everything needed for survival and have beans and silver dimes coming out their ears. Good for them. But what if a group of people invade and take everything? What if you are across the country on a business trip when something happens? Do not think that just because you have the right equipment that is all it takes.
- Don’t rely solely on books to learn, Do, Do, Do! — Reading books and reference material is great, but as we know, in the real world things never turn out quite as easily as they sometimes seem in books or on TV. Doing things and testing them is the only way to know for sure that you can do something.
- Have an evacuation plan — Be able to get out of the city fast — Millions of people packed into an area of relatively small square mileage is not a good thing when there is a large-scale disaster. Do what you can to plan a way out of the city you are in by car, bike or motorcycle, and walking.
- Be able to take charge in a situation — You may not be the strongest or the fastest, but when things get crazy people will look for guidance and direction. Your skills as an organizer will go very far indeed and make you valuable to the group. This is not an easy job, far from it, but a very necessary and helpful one.
- Be able to survive without medication — There may be a situation where you have no access to medication or refills. Research alternative plants or remedies that may be more available.
- Get used to going without — Train yourself to test your ability to handle a situation where lack is the common theme. Try showering with just cold water (brrrrr). Try eating emergency rations-types of food for a week. See what it would feel like to walk everywhere (if you can).
- DON’T GIVE UP– This sounds a bit rah-rah, but it’s true. There is a lot to be said for tenaciousness and just plain old garden variety stubbornness. Don’t ever think that just because others are more survival-y than you that you don’t stand a chance. Got that?
