Month: October 2024
Nuclear Survival 101: Essential Steps to Stay Alive and Survive the Aftermath of a Nuclear Detonation
In a world where tensions are high and the threat of nuclear conflict looms large, being prepared for the unthinkable is more crucial than ever. Recent global events have shown us just how volatile our times are, with nations flexing their nuclear muscles and the specter of war casting a long shadow. This article is your no nonsense guide to surviving a nuclear bomb detonation in the U.S. We’ll cut through the noise and give you the hard facts and practical steps you need to protect yourself and your loved ones when the worst happens. Stay sharp, stay safe, and be ready for anything.
On Foot: Get behind cover and lay face down to protect yourself from thermal damage and projectiles. Do NOT look at the blast, doing so will blind you.
Driving: If you are driving when a nuke goes off but are not near ground zero, consider yourself fortunate that you did not get vaporized. Again, do NOT look at the blast as doing so can blind you. If you can help it, you want to be upwind or crosswind of the nuclear fallout. Downwind is the worst place to be because the fallout is coming your way. If you are downwind of the blast, you have approximately 15-20 minutes before the fallout starts raining down on top of you in the form of radioactive dust and particles. Shut off your air circulation system in your vehicle and close the vents. Seek shelter immediately.
Seek Underground Shelter: Find a building made of dense material, like brick or concrete, preferably with a concrete basement. Situate yourself in an interior room away from windows and other walls. The deeper underground you get the better. Radiation levels significantly decrease the lower you go. Choose a corner of the basement that is most below ground level and away from outer walls and the roof. These spots are where radioactive material tends to collect the most. Increase shielding along walls and create a barrier wall in front of the door leading into the room, this can improve shielding from radiation. Think of the downstairs basement of an office with metal shelving and old books and manuals. Use all of this as shielding. Hunker in the basement for 72 hours, as the radiation levels will reduce until they are 1% of their initial value. Using plastic sheeting and duct tape, seal up all air vents, door cracks, etc. Another option for this type of shelter would be a homemade bunker made of sandbags. The sandbags must be at least 3 ft deep to stop radiation.
Decontaminate: Peel off the clothes you were wearing, they could be containing deadly radiation and fallout. Wash any exposed skin. Better yet, take a shower. Contaminated clothes need to go into a quarantined plastic bag and removed. If you must go outside again you PPE.
Supplies: Unfortunately, you were on the road for work and not at your survival retreat in Michigan’s U.P., stocked with 20 years’ worth of food and enough ammo to fight WW3. You will have to look around for what you can eat. Is there a refrigerator? Is there a nearby vending machine you could bust the glass out of? If you have them, take potassium iodide (KI) tablets to protect your thyroid. If you don’t have these tablets, rub a tincture of iodine on your stomach about the size of a basketball.
Communication: Find a radio if possible and listen for further instructions.
Rust Busters: Revive Your Knife with Baking Soda and Vinegar!
Rust Busters: Revive Your Knife with Baking Soda and Vinegar!
Top Ten Essential Medical Preparedness Books That Could Save Your Life!
- The Ultimate Survival Medicine Handbook by Joseph Alton M.D. and his Nurse wife Amy Alton
- Living Ready Pocket Manuel: First Aid Fundamentals for Survival by James Hubbard
- The Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs by Penelope Ody
- Where There is No Doctor by David Werner
- Where There is No Dentist by Murray Dickson
- A Book for Midwives: Care for Pregnancy, Birth, and Women’s Health by Sheila Kitzinger
- Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures for Emergencies by Hugh Coffee
- Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First Aid by William W. Forgey
- The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for When Help is NOT On The Way by Joseph Alton M.D. and his Nurse wife Amy Alton
- The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide for Herbalists by Thomas Easley and Steven Horne
***DON’T FORGET: Nurse’s PDFs; Wilderness First Responder manuals
Ready for Anything: The Top Ten Must-Read Books for Ultimate Preparedness
Top Ten Preparedness Books:
- The Disaster Preparedness Handbook-by Arthur T. Bradley
- How to Survive The End of The World As We Know It-by James Wesley Rawles
- Build the Perfect Bug Out Survival Skills-by Creek Stewart
- The Prepper’s Blueprint-by Tess Pennington
- Where There is No Doctor-by David Werner, Carol Thuman, Jane Maxwell
- The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide-by Joseph Alton, MD
- Emergency War Surgery-by the U.S. Department of the Army
- The Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Living-by John McPherson and Geri McPherson
- The Complete Guide to Emergency First Aid-by Paul McCarty
- Nuclear War Survival Skills-by Cresson Kearney
Honorable mentions and other books to have on hand:
Nurses PDFs
Preparedness/Survival Fiction: Any books written by James Wesley Rawles
Down and Dirty Old School Preparedness: Any old books by Ragnar Benson such as Survival Poaching
Medical Information: Any material by Joseph Alton, MD and his wife; Where There is No Dentist-by Murray Dickson
Homesteading/Long-Term Survival: The Encyclopedia of Country Living-by Carla Emery
Discover more survival and preparedness content at Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute!
Extreme Wilderness Medicine: APSI Instructor Teaches Suturing Skills for Wilderness Survival
Extreme Wilderness Medicine: APSI Instructor Teaches Suturing Skills for Wilderness Survival Using Fishing Line
In this video we show how to perform suturing using fishing line in an austere environment. #survivalskills #suturing #fishingline #wildernessmedicine #firstaid #survivalguide #outdoorsurvival #emergencypreparedness #survivaltactics #DIYfirstaid #survivaltraining #natureskills #bushcraft #selfsurgery #fieldmedicine #prepperskills #suturetechniques #survivalhacks #fishinglinesuture #wildernessfirstaid #wildernessfirstresponder
Life-Saving Tactics: Mastering the Tourniquet for Emergency Situations
Life Saving Tactics: Mastering the Tourniquet for Emergency Situations
https://youtu.be/uOoSIjooYqk?si=3jfoG4IuTwoibv89
How to use a tourniquet. #survivalskills #firstaid #tourniquet #wildernesssurvival #emergencypreparedness #outdoorsafety #survivaltips #bleedingcontrol #preparedness #lifesavingskills #survivaltraining #learntosurvive #stopthebleed
Emergency Ready: The Ultimate Bugout Bag Checklist
Bugout Bag Kit List: We live in extremely uncertain times, from the port strikes, to the war in Ukraine, and to the soon-to-be apocalyptic war in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. We have no idea what is coming, but we all need to be ready for any emergency that may present itself, and I cannot recommend enough, having a bugout bag for yourself and each of your loved ones. Please see the checklist below.
1. Shelter (You want to regulate your body’s core temperature)
- Tent, rainfly, hammock or tarp: Lightweight, rain-proof, and weather-resistant.
- Sleeping bag: You want a bag with down insulation. Down insulation is lightweight, compressible, and has the excellent ability to maintain warmth. This is what you want for cold weather.
- Blanket: You want wool, it is easily compressible, lightweight, and is excellent for warmth, even when wet. You can even sleep with 2-3 wool blankets sandwiched in a tarp on the ground.
- Emergency space blanket/mylar blanket: Use to keep you warm, for signaling, and for an emergency shelter. Drape it around your shoulders, sit against a tree, light a candle and warm yourself inside the emergency blanket.
2. Food/Water
- Water purification device: Filters and devices such as a LifeStraw.
- Water bottles or bags of water: Portable and easy to pack
- Water purification tablets: Easy to pack and small.
- Non-perishable food: MREs, freeze-dried food, energy bars, hard candy.
- Mess Kit: Portable stove, cook pot, plate, cup, spork
3. Med Kit
- Basic first-aid supplies: Bandages, antiseptic wipes, gauze, adhesive tape.
- Medications: Personal prescriptions, allergy meds, antihistamines, pain-killers, heart-burn meds, (optional but recommended-Epipen, Narcan).
- Tools: Tweezers, multitool, scissors, safety pins, cloth sail needle.
- Tourniquet: Gunshot wounds, apply so you don’t bleed out.
- Corn starch: Stops bleeding effectively.
4. Tools and Equipment
- Multi-tool: Get a Leatherman such as the Wave.
- Survival knife: Get a Mora Black or Mora Pathfinder.
- Paracord/#36 bankline, cordage: So many uses.
- Duct tape: For repairs, first-aid, signaling, cut into strips to light a fire, and make emergency fixes.
5. Navigation and Signaling
- Map and compass: Always have a physical map, find them at MyTopo, get a Suunto mc2 compass.
- Whistle: Use for signaling.
- Portable charger, solar charger or power bank: For your iPhone, electronics, etc.
- Walkie-Talkies: For comms between your teammates.
- GPS with batteries: Most reliable method; map and compass are a backup to your GPS.
6. Clothing
- Clothing: Waterproof coat, multiple layers when cold, you want real wool.
- Extra dry socks and clean underwear: Keep yourself dry, clean, and comfortable.
- Rugged footwear: Broken-in, durable, think Salomon shoes, they are the best in my personal experience and affordable. Merrell’s are good and affordable but tend to make your feet hot in my experience.
- Gloves: Protect your hands when grid down and in rugged environments.
7. Personal Items
- Hard Cash: Bring cash for emergencies, and if grid down, bring silver such as American Silver Eagles.
- Toiletries: Soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipes which are easier to pack than toilet paper, gold bond.
8. Self-Defense
- Hand Weapons: Buy a full-tang tomahawk, a good utility tool and self-defense weapon. Carry a good knife for both bushcraft and self-defense. I like my Mora Pathfinder. For something more intimidating, try the Becker BK9, it looks like a short sword. Also consider a foldable saw like the Bahco Laplander or Silky Gomboy.
- Firearms: Just buy a Glock in .9mm.
9. Miscellaneous
- Flashlight: Get a Sure Fire with extra batteries. A headlamp is also a good option.
- Fire-making: You want a minimum of 3 ways to light a fire, such as fero rod, lighter, matches, or perhaps flint and steel. Put in a small bag, also add tinder.
- Outdoor contractor bags: Buy at Dollar General, cheaper and more rugged than regular trash bags.
- Notepad and a pen: Use for notes.
- Cotton Bandannas: Many uses, bandaging, signaling, making char cloth, mark a waypoint, filter water.
10. Optional Items
- Fishing kit: For gathering food.
- Bivvy sack or emergency tent: Bring for a quick shelter.
Pro Tips:
- Check your inventory and the condition of your gear once a month.
- Mod your gear based on your own personal needs. Example, for me that would be including both Claritin-D and Xyzal for my allergies.
- Get your family and practice bugging out twice a year at a minimum. Try it in warmer months (spring, summer) and cold months (fall, winter).
- Try to keep your bag at 25-30 lbs or less, because ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.
- This list is highly modifiable!