Again, having fun with the season, I want to
talk with you about one of the scariest aspects
of urban survival after a disaster…zombies. (stay with me)
You see, “zombie” is code for the masses of
unprepared people who wander about in a daze
after natural and man-made disasters.
They loot, steal, and do whatever they have to
to survive.
They aren’t necessarily infections, undead,
or wrapped in burial clothes, but they are
dangerous.
It’s just that when people get hungry, thirsty, tired
and desperate, their ability to think rationally
disappears.
History shows us that this will manifest itself
in the form of violence against people who have
food, water, or other needed supplies.
And don’t think you’ll be able to call the police
or EMS in a disaster situation. You’re on your own.
Why? Because law enforcement and first responders
are going to be swamped.
Most cities have between 1 non-administrative officer
per 1000 people and 1 officer per 10,000 people on
duty at one time. That works when people WANT to
follow the law, and you only have 1 out of 10,000 people
breaking the law at a given time, but disaster situations
open the door for people who are on the fence about
whether or not to follow the law.
In addition, if you do have a violent encounter during
or after a disaster situation, you probably won’t get
medical help. Again, first responders are stretched thin
during good times…with about the same ratio, but since
fire/ems respond in teams, the same number of people can’t
respond to nearly as many incidents as law enforcement can.
In the 12 week SurviveInPlace Urban Survival Course, I go
in-depth into operational security strategies that you
can put into place today to help keep you from being a target
of thieves now and looters in a disaster situation, but I
want to share a few of them with you today.
One of the best ways to help law enforcement and first
responders in a disaster situation is to do everything possible
to make sure they don’t have to spend their time taking care
of you.
The simplest way to do this is to make sure that you and
your house aren’t as good of a target as your neighbors’ houses.
Pure and simply, hiding your preparations will go a long way
towards protecting you from attack.
1. Look at your garage with the eyes of both a thief now and
as a looter after a disaster. If your survival/camping/food
supplies are visible, move or camouflage them.
2. Be careful about where you talk about your disaster
preparations, who you talk to about them, and what you disclose.
Always try to disclose LESS of your preparations than what you
have really done.
3. Make sure your supplies are not centralized/visible in your
house. There’s no reason for repair men, babysitters, friends,
kids’ friends, or anyone else to know how much “stuff” you’ve
got. Again, hide your supplies or store them in multiple locations.
4. Follow basic home security guidelines, like getting a dog,
motion lights, and at least an alarm sign.
I go DEEP into Operational Security and fortifying your home
in the SurviveInPlace Urban Survival Course and I encourage you
to sign up for it today.
If you have any interest at all in preparing so that you
can survive disasters in urban environments, you really
need to check it out.
Other people like you who’ve taken the course
agree that it is the best book or course on surviving
disaster in an urban environment that they’ve
ever read. Here’s what Doug in California had
to say:
“In 23 years service in the Air Force, I completed both
arctic and jungle survival training, many combat/battlefield
skills courses, and I served under daily fire in Vietnam.
I think I’m fairly well prepared to survive the environmental hazards.
However, your course has significantly broadened my
perspective when it comes to urban survival and surviving
both the good and malicious intent of my fellow citizens.
Thank you so much for digging out the information and for
shortening the learning process.”
-Doug (Retired Air Force) in California
All I can say is, “WOW!” Thanks Doug.
To get signed up, go to:
