Outskirts Press, INC.

Stay Alert, Stay Alive If Disaster Strikes—What Will You Do?

If you pay any attention to the news, you know that disasters happen all the time. Sometimes there’s a warning, as in the case of a hurricane, an extreme weather front, or a spreading epidemic and sometimes disasters strike out of nowhere, like an earthquake or a wildfire. But for most of us, emergencies have one thing in common: We don’t believe it can happen to us. “Soup Sandwich” Survival is here to confront you with reality—emergencies happen, and you can be prepared not only to survive them, but to protect your loved ones and even train and lead others around you. It’s a preparation guide to get ready for a crisis, and a field guide you can use when you’re in the middle of an emergency situation. If you haven’t ever put together a disaster kit or a survival plan because you think you don’t have the time, money, or skills to do it, then this book is for you. Simple, thorough, and based on real-world experience, “Soup Sandwich” Survival will instruct you in the principles of planning, communication, navigation, personal security, and much more. It’s better to be ready a day early than a day late—starting your emergency preparedness plan now could be the best life-saving decision you ever make. Don’t wait!

A SECOND CHANCE – WHAT IF? Sherry was driving to pick up her two small children from the local community daycare. She lived out in the country about twenty miles from work. As she was driving, the emergency broadcast system broke in to make an announcement on her radio. The broadcast announcement indicated that an unknown terrorist group had declared war against the United States of America! Sherry chuckled to herself and thought “When are these idiots going to give up and get with the program? It won’t have an affect on me, whatever!” Suddenly, there was a bright light in the sky which looked like some sort of silver flash and at that same moment, her car’s electrical systems started shutting down and the motor died causing her new SUV to come to a rolling stop. Sherry wondered to herself if this was just a coincidence or somehow related to the emergency statement she had just heard. It didn’t take long to realize that this was no coincidence as all the other motorists in her vicinity were in the same predicament. Sherry’s heart started to race and her breathing was becoming rapid as she remembered that it was only 32 degrees outside. She thought to herself about how her children were still twenty miles away and that she only had a mid-weight jacket. Talking to herself, she decided to give her husband a call for help but then quickly realized that her cell phone no longer worked. Now her mind was racing and searching for any ideas on what she could do next to get out of this horrible situation. She thought about a family friend who had been in the military and remembered him talking about EMP’s (Electro-Magnetic Pulses) and the effects they had on electric grids and electronic devices. At the time, she thought he was being dramatic and worrisome. Now she wondered if this could, in fact, be what was happening. She also wondered who would do this and how could the United States have let this happen. She had to stay calm, think clearly and come up with ideas on what resources she might have. Because of prior planning by her husband (at the advice of his military friend), Sherry knew that all was not lost. Sherry’s husband had packed a “Go/Get Out Bag” and placed it in the back of her SUV. He had packed it with some required emergency items over a year ago. Sherry and her husband had also done some research on the “Survival Prepper” topics and discussed different scenarios that could happen. They had made a plan to meet at the Church that was located at a mid-point between her workplace and home, waiting by the door every ten minutes on the hour until they found one another and then figuring out how to get to the children from there. At the time, Sherry had thought it silly but now was realizing that it wasn’t at all silly! Due to their prior planning, Sherry now had a plan in place and she was able to calm herself and consider her resources. She knew she had at least a ten-mile hike in front of her. She also knew that she had walking shoes in the back of the SUV she would need to change into, as the shoes she was wearing would not be suitable. She knew that she should and would use the duct tape in the bag on the balls and heals of her feet to protect them after walking to the three-mile marker. Sherry gathered her “Go/Get Out Bag” and began her journey. She met up with other walkers on the highway and realized they had not prepared in any way. They had no emergency plan in place with their families, no supplies and were driven by panic, fear and extreme discomfort. It was a frightening situation. Sherry was now so grateful that her husband had the foresight to insist that they plan and prepare. She knew that she did not want to sweat due to the cold weather and consequences of that. She knew that layers are the key to survival and she could place them on and off as required. She changed out of her coat to just a T-shirt and a light jacket for the hike. At about the four-mile mark, she began looking for a spot to obtain water, as she needed to maintain a good hydration level in her body. She reached into her bag and pulled out a canteen and some water purification tablets they had packed in it. She stopped to rest under a bridge. There was a clear running creek just below it so she filled her canteen, placed the water tablets inside and rested for thirty minutes while the iodine tablets went to work. She also dug in her bag, found some candy bars and consumed them. She knew she also needed to rest, so she pulled out her coat, put it back on to stay warm and began her mantra of “Things are bad, but could be worse. I will survive”. She silently chanted this to herself as it helped to keep her anxiety under control. Gaining control of her thoughts again, she figured it would take a total of about two to three hours of walking to reach the Church and her husband. Questions churned in her head about what she would encounter next and what the future would hold for her and her family. What changes lie ahead as yesterday’s “status quo” was now a thing of the past? She did know that the difference between things being a total disaster and mild disaster were decided by how she and her family handled it. Sherry being the determined woman that she is, with emergency training, proper equipment and a solid plan, will survive this situation! Think of yourself and your family in the above situation. Would you be prepared if something occurred right now or would you be up the creek without a paddle? What is it that you can do right now to prepare in advance with the right stuff and plan in order to make it through a similar emergency situation? You never know when you will be dealt a “soup sandwich” emergency survival situation (and you may not get a second chance) so the “right time” to prepare is now!