Ready or Not - A Disaster Survival Handbook

Keeping things simple is not very popular these days. In this modern age of technological innovations our world has become remarkably complex. Nowhere is this more evident than in Emergency Preparedness. Hundreds of books have been written, dozens of videos and survival kits marketed, and many informative web sites created, each one more complex than the one before; each one desperate to convince the reader, viewer or buyer of the value of the product.

Yet study any one of these sources and you will find the most crucial piece of advice is missing - a statement regarding your survival priorities.  Understanding your priorities in an emergency situation can mean the difference between life and death. And the simple truth is these priorities are always the same in any environment, in any emergency. Quite simply, you just have to ensure that your basic needs are met.

Ready or Not is a handbook that provides the basics so you can do your part as a citizen to stay alive in a disaster survival situation.  Wilderness skills are adapted into an urban setting that you recognize and the techniques are based on utilizing resources in your immediate environment, whether you are in a high rise apartment or a rural ranch. No matter what season of the year, the survival priorities, shelter, water, fire and food are the same in any environment and are presented in the handbook in detail.  This is information you will not find in other handbooks or in the telephone book!  The simple skills and techniques are designed for you to meet your needs not your wants.  And when you realize that what you feared losing the most, you don’t need anyway, the rest is simple. 

Being prepared and having emergency supplies on hand in case of a disaster is sensible and we have listed essential items to keep in your survival kit in many of the chapters of this book. Though it is important, and certainly prudent, to stock up on food, water and other supplies, it is only a partial solution. To be truly prepared for changing times ahead you need a solution that goes beyond 72-hour survival packages. Ready or Not is different in its approach by offering survival tips to be used whether you are prepared or not.  Consider for a moment that you stored your supplies at home and the disaster occurs while you are at work.  You can still survive by following the suggestions in the handbook. 

The skills shared in this book are based on those that passed the ultimate test in the wilderness. They are simple and they work.  The information may be used in any emergency situation; from the simplest—a power outage—to the most complex—an earthquake, quarantine situation or evacuation. The priorities are always the same. And, the more you prepare, the better off you will be. But, in case your supplies run out, or you are away from your supplies, or someone needs them more than you do, remember: knowing what your survival priorities are and how to take care of your needs with little more than your bare hands and your brain will get you through. 

 Once the fear of the unknown is taken away, by knowing the priorities and understanding that you can do it yourself, you become an asset rather than a liability to your family, neighbours, or community.  By learning the techniques contained in Ready or Not and sharing this knowledge with others, you can create your own private “civil defence system.”  In Ready or Not you will discover all you need to know to keep you and your family safe in the aftermath of any emergency.  In any situation where life as you know it has been disrupted, you will have the means to survive until the authorities have the situation under control or civilization has caught up with you.

You are the missing part of the survival equation. Your ability to rise to the occasion, to think outside the box, to fend for yourself, will make all the difference.  You will discover how the instinct to survive will fill you with ingenuity, determination and strength to overcome the toughest of situations! 

So if you are the type of person who believes that the responsibility for your life lies in your hands, and not those of bureaucratic agencies, then read on. For you are the Captain of your own destiny.       Go sail your ship.