Survival Strategy #16: A Bug Out Bag in the Philippines for Kids

Today is a very special day! Could you believe it, we're making the most exciting homework ever! I started this blog back in 2010 to chronicle my journey of preparedness. My little girl is now 8 and will be 9 in a few months. She was less than a year old when this was but a spark in my mind. All of these activities, the skills, prepping, equipment, training, blogging, its all for her.

And now WE BUILD A BUG OUT BAG TOGETHER. Major parenting win here folks!

So the task was to build an Emergency Plan and her very own B.O.B. And get this: their school calls it a "Z-Bag", playing on the name "emergen-zee". As far as I'm concerned, we all know what the Z really stands for! How cool is that??

My little survivalist will present two days from now these things in a show & tell format for Science. That happens to be one of my favorite subjects. Don't give me that look.

I. The Emergency Plan

In case she is ever caught in a calamity in school or at home all by herself. We constructed a few simple rules for her to follow to ensure safety.

We have safe-zones for her to stay in case of an earthquake, typhoon, flood, or riots & civil disturbances.

Listed down were the locations of where she will evacuate to if she is forced to leave these safe zones and where to find our supplies. Snazzy.

As you could see, many elements of the Emergency Plan came from our previous articles, particularly the Home Defense Analysis. It was really cool to revisit Floorplanner.com to find that my files from 2011 were still there.  Awesome!


II. The Z-Bag

The contents were expertly constructed by her mom. Mrs. Zombie Hunter sorted and zip-locked the contents for easy access. The mission was to be okay for two days. Stay warm & dry, hydrated, light her path, fix minor boo-boos, fill her stomach, and handle obstacles such as smoke, rain, and general confusion.

A key element for building a bug out bag for kids is being mindful of the overall weight. Mobility and having enough supplies are opposed to each other. Having "enough" is always subject to harsh debate.

Mrs. Z and I are never a few miles away from our daughter even while at work so being separated from each other by even the harshest of calamities will never go beyond two days of walking. Even if a massive earthquake, tsunami, zombie attack, or whatever happens, either of us can reach her in 24 hours.

Armed with this, we have outfitted our daughter to handle 48 hours for her pack.

A liter of water per day, 

she also asked for a few favorite snacks and canned goods...

III. Evacuation Drill & Area Reconnisance

We took a little tour of the neighborhood. We've been here for 10 years but this is the first time my daughter had a look around the place keeping in mind how things could be like during a disaster.

Lets go for a walk...

It was a lovely day. A few light showers didn't bother us, we had rain gear in case it got stronger. It didn't.


Its not exactly a long-range patrol, but it was good to have look around for possibly trouble areas like bottle-necks, flood-prone areas, dead-ends, points of ambush, hiding spots, and other points of interest.

I'm hoping to develop in her mind the technique of looking at her surroundings in this manner at all times. If it becomes second-nature, then she'll become increasingly self-reliant.

"how many neighborhoods surround us?"

"where does that creek lead to? is the water good or bad?"

"that street is a dead-end, but it has a good hiding spot"

"how many trees have edibles?"

"is that house really haunted?"

"where will daddy come and find me?



This way of thinking trains her mind. Looking at the world through a scout's eye will give her a tremendous advantage.

It was also the perfect time for her to evaluate our neighborhood to find good reception for communicating with home base. For a child like her born in this decade surrounded by Samsung Galaxy 8s, micro-drones, and other gadgets, the concept of handheld radios and UHF/VHF is a novel experience. Too many houses blocked line of sight. We did however find a few spots that gave clear signal and decent coverage.

At last we arrived at the safe zone. Its the club house where sports and parties are typically held. Its common practice to make this an assembly point for calamities as its a large building that has two basketball courts, 3 tennis courts, a bowling alley, and two large ballrooms. Its also got a few decent restrooms for a fairly large capacity. Its sturdily built and it can take a lot of punishment. I'm perfectly fine with her staying at this place if ever our home is compromised.

She made it!

IV. Lessons Learned

Most of her education regarding preparedness came from the classroom and this was the first time that we did this as a family. Mrs. Z was amused by all this saying that this blog has been waiting for the little girl all ths time.

As a parent, I'm swelling with pride because she's reached a point where all of these concepts of safety and self-reliance are finally within her understanding.

I was too accustomed to how I'd treat her like when she was younger.  I keep saying it to myself every year: don't underestimate her.

She had a good day. Her adrenaline was up till late night too. I'm so pumped, I wrote all of this in a single go. Before she slept, we talked about doing more practice runs like this, I'm so thrilled. Look out world, player three has entered the game. :-)


Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #15: The AR-15 for SHTF

Photo from UDMC Corporation

I. In a SHTF scenario, you need the right tools for the right job. In my family's moderately-sized collection of firearms, we only have weapons suited for short to medium range engagements. I have decided that we need a rifle that would be effective beyond 300 yards. Its time to save up for an AR-15.

I have been putting this off for years. Since my last post on this blog I had poured myself into competitive shooting and acquiring other survival essentials for my family. Before I get my first center-fire rifle, I wanted to make sure that we can live comfortably when the grid finally goes down. Hey, I gotta show Mrs. Zombie Hunter that I'm all about the skills and not just the "toys".

Im a pistolero but I'm kinda new to long range marksmanship. Sure we have two rimfire rifles, the Kel-Tec SU22 and a Marlin XT22. Both function flawlessly and have specific roles WTSHTF. I have tons of ammo for them and  hitting head-sized targets out to 100-150 yards with them is a cinch.

My wife and 8-year old daughter learned to shoot with these and we can take down thousands of Zeds from a safe distance quietly because they are suppressed.

Take a look at this photo on the right. This is a hundred yards and hitting head-sized targets wasn't so bad. We could easily land two-inch groups using both these rifles with a 1-4x on the Kel-Tec and a 4-16x on the Marlin.

However the .22lr can only do so much...

I hate to say it but we are at a huge disadvantage against HUMAN threats. Despite onerous Firearm Ownership Laws in my country, you can bet that there would be thousands of hostiles armed with the ubiquitous Elisco or Colt M16s over here when things go south.

And speaking of draconian firearm laws...

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Why so much fuss over a rifle? To my American readers, here's a few details on our laws that makes it difficult to just grab a few rifles off the shelf and call it a day.

II. Restrictive Firearm Ownership in the Philippines:

TLDR: Republic Act #10591 and its Implementing Rules & Regulations 

In my country, our laws assign you a higher bracket for each firearm you own:

Type 1 License allows a citizen to own and possess a maximum of 2 registered firearms.
Type 2 license – allows a citizen to own and possess a maximum of five (5) registered firearms
Type 3 license – allows a citizen to own and possess a maximum ten (10) registered firearms
Type 4 license – allows a citizen to own and possess a maximum of fifteen (15) registered firearms
Type 5 license – allows a citizen, who is certified gun collector, to own and possess more than fifteen (15) registered firearms.
                                                    Utter BS! Elitism!

Licensing fees range from $20 from Class 1 every two years to $320 for the Type 5 License, on top of other fees. Pretty dang hard for the regular Pedro and Juan to arm up. This really sucks! :-(

In America, you can basically own as much as you like. It is not the case over here. Count your blessings, fight for your rights!

Basically, the more you own, the more you pay for their registration every two years. So for Filipino gun owners on a smart budget like me, all purchases are deliberate. In my bracket of Type 3, I won't bump up my catergory needlessly.

III. So why an AR-15?

1. Parts and maintenance are readily available. Despite local terrorist groups using AKs, the NATO rifle is still the most popular long arm in the country.

2. I can use it for competitive shooting! We can train and become skilled with it. USPSA 3-Gun Nation events are actually running over here every month so there are many opportunities to become competent riflemen.

3. Ammunition is abundant thank goodness. I can get into reloading in the near future.

3. Its an ideal defense & survival weapon 'coz my wife and daughter can use it pretty well. They had more fun with the rifles compared to our pistols.

4. I need reach! My Shotgun, 5 pistols, air rifle, and two rimfire rifles won't cut it over 150 yards.

IV. What kind of AR-15?

• A 16 inch stainless steel barrel with a full-length handguard
• I'll put my Vortex Viper PST 1-4x on it plus back-up sights
• It will be suppressed
• Its a 3-gun rifle so it will be more expensive, but reliability & performance is what I'm after
• I want NV capability but that is a wishlist item for now since importing them to the Philippines would be very difficult... but not impossible!

V. Where am I now? 

I got ammo! Nearly 3000 rounds at a great deal and they are now squirreled away at a secret but convenient location. I can build up to a minimum of 6000 to store away and use excess for training and competition.

I have also selected the company to build my rifle: United Defense Manufacturing Corporation (UDMC). Why them? They are a relatively new firearm manufacturer but their high-quality rifles were selected by a Southeast Asian country as their army's next-generation rifle.

They use premium parts and Bergara barrels. UDMC rifles have won international matches. And here's a huge plus: their factory located really near my home! I am in good hands. 

My original plan was a budget rifle like the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport for the fantastic price and reliability. Other choices were from Noveske and Colt. My dad has a few M16A1s from the Vietnam era and maybe a Colt M4 or two, but I did not want to subtract from his collection.

Later on I'll get another one for my wife and daughter. For now I want a premium-grade one that could stand the rigors of competition.

I'm pretty excited to finally visit their store and make the down payment hopefully in August. They said they can build it in less than two months including customization. Stay tuned for that!

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Its good to be blogging again. I've got new topics to cover as well as the survival gear I mentioned earlier.

Family life and my career in Risk Management has been all good in the past two years since my last blog entry. I hope all of you guys are doing well and have made more progress in survival preparation.

I was originally going to make just a small journal entry when I started this 3 hours ago, but hey. I love this. I can't do anything half-arsed. Photo on the right shows you how I feel right about now...



Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #14: Proper Nutrition for the Zombie Apocalypse

I. Introduction

Surviving the zombie apocalypse relies on being properly equipped to adapt to changing situations. Hunger will be one of the greatest enemies in an undead world. What we take for granted in modern society will now become the number one agenda of daily life.

A hungry survivalist cannot function properly, all actions on a grumbling stomach are already impaired.

As stated by Max Brooks: "an army needs to be bred, fed, and led". At the heart of this is a well-fed family unit, this will become the first step and foundation of winning the zombie war.

II. Nutrition

A balanced diet will help you achieve your goals. A this means you need to get the right types and quantity of food to provide energy & nutrition for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs.  A good diet will also support proper growth and development. 

Children need to grow up strong and healthy to continue the fight. Eating right prevents sickness and heals wounds faster. A good meal is the best weapon you can give your loved ones.

III. Got Skills?

Long-term survival depends on planning ahead. Farming, fishing, hunting, and food storage are important skills that technology has removed from us. The zombie apocalypse will in turn remove these luxuries, and we shall be forced to re-learn these things as a matter of survival.

Important questions:

• Can I catch fish?
• Do I know what is edible in my neighborhood?
• Can my garden feed my family?
• What do I need to hunt for if I can't grow it?
• What is the 3 day dietary requirement for two scouts who will will be carrying 30lbs. of gear to search for survivors at Monroeville Mall?

IV. Conclusion

The hardest part is getting started. Most of us are stuck in the weekly grind of work, errands, and other to-dos. All of this will be swept aside like a hurricane when the dead walk the earth. It may or may not happen, but are you going to take that chance? Will your family appreciate your lack of foresight?

It can be a paralyzing thought to lose everything we know to brain-eating zombies. I can cure this, let us defeat fear with concrete action.

Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #13: Surviving the Great Panic

Part 1: Get Home Alive

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.

- Paul Atreides

I. Caught Up

What a lousy week, Chasing deadlines, long hours, and the urge to bash your idiot boss in the head is rising.

And its only Tuesday.

6:00 PM:

• You're still at the office, and there's some garbage on Bloomberg about a mysterious disease that turns people into homicidal killers. 

7:30 PM:

• You're getting TWEETS about the dead getting up in the morgue. On Youtube there are videos of policemen shooting at patients & doctors. 

8:30 PM:

• A commotion's started outside, the internet is down and you finally close your laptop. You see cars aren't moving and people are fill the streets. What the hell is going on?

8:35 PM:

• Your mobile's stopped working. You can't reach your wife and kids. Now you're scared.

You've committed the first mistake of a survivalist, you weren't vigilant.

II. The Great Panic

Really bad things happen when you least expect it. Many have met their end when the proverbial pants are down.

Let's face it, nobody will be completely prepared. You'll only be as good as your worst day of your week because this is when the shit could hit the fan.

This is the early stage of a zombie outbreak, some scholars call it the beginning of a "great panic". People don't know what's going on, and they still won't believe it even when the living dead are chewing on their brains.


III. Preparation Defeats Fear

You need to know about these to get you through the opening phase of the zombie war.

1. Before any big catastrophe happens, train your family to have an emergency plan. For example:

• Where do the kids wait for us if we can't call them up?
• Do the kids know which door to barricade?
• Where is our muster point in case the house needs to be abandoned?

and so on.

This will solve your first worry. You'll feel better knowing that everybody's going to be smart when something really bad starts to happen!

2. Always carry a get-home bag. Some folks have all kinds of “Everyday Carry” or EDC. This one need to help you get through the day or three you'll need to make it back.

Typical contents:

• multi-tool or similar knife
• high-calorie snacks that marathon runners use because they're small and effective
• grooming kit
• flashlight (preferably one that is a hand-crank or solar powered)
• first-aid
• city map
• grappling hook
• etc.

3. Are you physically fit? Have you been working out? Stamina is more important, it will help you get places without getting your brain eaten.

4. Transportation will collapse and new hazards will arise. Your map & street smarts can help you find the best way home to reach your family. Back streets and shortcuts will save your life.

Can you make it home on foot?

5. Be strong, stay focused, and stick to your plan. Your family needs you, don't wimp out now.


It is about to get worse, but with your odds dramatically improve with everybody safe & sound!


Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #12: Your Personal Survival List

The Problem

A lot of survivalists have got it wrong. The zombie apocalypse won't be one big party where we rock & roll with guns on the living dead and party in our survival shacks for a couple weeks. Its gonna be way more serious than that. 

People fail to see that we could be in for a long-term crisis. Years, maybe decades of fighting to survive! Many could not comprehend the collapse of civilization, much less the loss of modern amenities such as running water, electricity, health care, or the internet. 

What's gonna happen is that many survivalist folks will do fine for the 1st few weeks, scrape by the later months, and turn into total cavemen before succumbing to the millions of infected brain-eating zeds. 

Not if you're me.

The Solution

There's hope if you plan ahead, and it ain't hard. Start by making a Personal Survival List made up of important things that will be changed by living in an undead world. 

Where do I begin?

Everybody will be affected in their own way. Think of essential stuff  that you'll lose access to or eventually run out of. Find ways to adapt and you'll improve your chances.

Examples

1. Medical

• If you or a loved one needs special medication, you'll need to know where to find them when the city is overrun by walking dead. Draw a battle plan that cuts a path from your various safe houses leading to that hospital that has a big cache!  Alternative medicine will help in the long run.

• Got prosthetics? Spare parts will be very important! Stocking up or improvising better ones may come in handy.

• Dental issues? Life will suck if you didn't plan ahead.

2. Food

• Think of how you'll be feeding your family when modern agriculture collapses. Livestock will probably be wiped out by the undead, farmland will also be swallowed by wild growth. Think of the children!

• Meatloaf MRE packets for the next 5 years? Your lady is gonna kill you. Your kids will revolt. And its still your fault.

• If someone's lactose intolerant or allergic to something, make sure that you got it right on your scavenger hunting or its back to that infested supermarket for you!

• Vitamins. If you can't buy them, grow them.

3. Daily Living

• I'll be messed up when there are no more diapers. If you've never changed one, you won't understand.

• Sanitation is a major concern. When running water runs out, life will suck.

• Entertainment is important even in a post-apocalyptic world. Collect good books. 

• Ever had a fist fight over a game of Monopoly? It can happen. Find alternatives.

• It may be worth risking life & limb fighting through a mall full of zeds to retrieve that Gibson Les Paul.

There's way more.  

I've done this a few years in advance and its helped my family gain a lot of confidence. We intend to do more than survive, we'll be doing it in style.

Stay vigilant!

SURVIVAL STRATEGY #11: Store your gear properly!

You live with your family and its your job to protect them without causing undue stress with your accumulated gear & firepower.  

Its true that many of us are competent individuals, with skills & experience to face the coming crisis.  What we often neglect is the maintenance of HARMONY in the household.

We must prevent DISHARMONY in our homes and uphold safety.

Let us discuss the importance of storing our gear in the correct manner.

Observe the photo below.  A typical closet for your clothes, towels and unmentionables.  Mine is in the middle, right beside her stuff.

Now we take a look inside the leftmost one which has our towels & sheets.  As I was storing away a few things, Mrs. Zombie Hunter started an important conversation with me.  

It went a bit like this:

Mrs. ZH: This ain't right.

TZH: Babe, the gear is out of reach. They're all on the top shelf...

Mrs. ZH:  (quickly cuts in) Did you know that your Hoppe's, Redisol and that big can of action cleaner gets into the smell of our towels?

TZH: Golly, they do? But the caps are tightly closed...

Mrs. ZH: Our stuff smells like the Iron Sheik. We don't want the little one smelling funny, don't we? And your gloves absorb oil.

TZH: Yes dear, I'll tidy up.  (with a can-do smile)

Mrs. ZH: And get that axe outta the closet.

I am thus enlightened with her wisdom.  

Take a look at the next photo.  This is not how it actually looked, this only an example of HOW NOT TO STORE YOUR GEAR.  Keeping your stuff this way is extremely dangerous.  

the wrong way

This is how you do it.

way better

So here are the rules:

1. Your firearms & live ammunition must always be stored in a safe & secure manner, away from anybody who is not supposed to reach them. SAFETY FIRST!  

2. Be mindful of the people you live with.  Some of our survival gear are not visually pleasing. This contributes to DISHARMONY.  

3. Gun Oil has a FUNNY SMELL and can cling to all sorts of fabric.  Especially the pretty and delicate stuff.  It is also highly TOXIC.  You do not want to let everyday things touch these chemicals!

4. Avoid DISHARMONY in the household.  Any true Zombie Hunter will uphold this, least he draws the righteous ire of lady Zombie Hunter.

Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #10: Long Term Essentials

Zombie Hunters need to go green.

Not the sickly-colored rot of the living dead.  I am referring to the fresh vibrant colors of Green Energy and recycling.  Pay attention, this is serious life & death stuff.

Most of us are fortunate enough to live in a first-world economy where everything is served on a silver platter.  We take many modern miracles for granted: the internet, electricity, cable TV, groceries, health care, WIFI, Facebook, your fancy little iPad, etc. Thinking about surviving is nonexistent because we're all too busy chasing our diversions.

Kiss all of this goodbye WTSHTF.

You're in for one salty pickle if you've never been outdoors,  learned to hunt or fish, learned how to collect & sterilize water, build a proper shelter, or planted & stored your own food.

And we're not just talking about you.  Think about your family.  If they're cold, hungry and without shelter, you have failed as a survivalist. 

Being prepared is more than stocking up on a few days of guns, ammo, food, and water.  You need to be capable of supporting yourselves for many years to come.

The essentials for long term survival:

I. Green Energy
When the power grid goes down, we'll need to learn new ways to harness energy.  With it, you could cook, stay warm, communicate, and do other things that would improve your chances for long term survival. 

Here are a few handy favorites from the Green Energy Insiders blog:

• Waste-to-Energy - Fertilizer and energy from your refuse?  Free energy is always great.

• Doggie Poop = Energy - In some cultures, you've got the family cow, pig or chicken.  Now your dog can help fuel your kitchen gas stove and contribute to the war effort!

• Solar Powered Homes -  If every home had these, the post-apocalyptic world won't be so uncomfortable! Take that Meralco.

• Green is Here to Stay - Everybody wins when more folks get with it.

Mr. Davis is a wizard.  What more would you need?

And I've found the wonderful Mike's World of Mike Davis.  Go check out how the untiring pursuit of his hobbies has materialized into real-world energy solutions.

And the man's also done some mighty fine cooking!  Wins big groovy points with the ladies 'coz of all his talents, I'll bet.


II. Rainwater Harvesting
The average human needs about a gallon of of clean drinking water per day, and about double the same amount for cooking and maintaining one's hygiene.  Water collection and conservation techniques will be a must.  Especially if you want to be a responsible parent and look after the needs of your family.

III. Food Preservation and Gardening
These will assist your family's daily need for nutrition.  In an extended crisis, foraging for food will be one of your primary tasks.  So knowing how to properly store what you've found and augment it with growing your own will be of paramount importance to your survival. 

Warning: Learn how to sterilize your food properly to avoid posioning.

There are serious health risks if you get this wrong!

IV. Summary

All of this may be too much for just one person.  The good news is that teamwork will go a long way.  You'll be amazed at how the different talents of each family member could attain sustainable survival.  

All we want is to never get caught unprepared.  There are more disasters other than a zombie apocalypse that are waiting to happen! As the head of the family, its your duty to make concrete preparations for their sake.

Get them involved today!

Survival Strategy #9: Amateur Radio vs the Zombie Apocalypse

Staying in touch.  Its a phrase we take for granted with today's technology. People exchange more tweets and SMS with each compared to traditional forms of communication.  When was the last time you actually had a conversation with your mother on the telephone?  But when she starts tweeting or opens a Facebook account, you find it weird.  

All that will change WTSHTF.  

The internet and electricity will go down when a major crisis strikes.  When the millions of dead rise up & eat living flesh, the whole world will be thrown into chaos.  Much of high-technology will fail, but the trusty radio won't.  

To the survivalist, amateur or "ham" radio will always be a relevant hobby.  There are at least three million ham radio enthusiasts around the world.  Its not as popular as it used to be.  The main obstacle are the tests you need to get past to earn a license.

You need to know your radio theory, operating rules, and the laws for amateur radio.  And if you want to get into High Frequency, Morse Code is a requirement. It took me much longer than I expected to get it all done.  

This will be a crucial skill for survival when the crisis comes.  And I cannot stress how important the role of amateur radio operators will play in the long-term struggle against the hordes of undead.  

Since we cannot count on our governments to adequately protect us, survivor groups will be relying on radio communication.  Building a radio station is relatively simple.  Once you have an antenna, installed a transceiver & power source, you've got the basic setup & are ready to go. 

If the pen is mightier than the sword, the radio beats any mere gun.

With a transceiver, you can communicate with other survivor groups.  This will come in handy for tracking the movements of undead hordes, update the status of danger or safe zones on your emergency maps, call for help or rescue other survivors.  Hearing other human voices can keep morale up because studies have proven how long-term exposure to the endless moans of the undead can drive anybody crazy.

The key here is to help each other.  This will be the only way to endure the crisis.

The voice of resistance could come from this humble trailer...

And let us take it one step further.  

If people could talk to each other, they can also help each other.  From this the seeds of resistance could be planted.  And once you have a growing number of communities helping instead of preying on each other, mankind will have its first serious chance at defeating the zombie apocalypse.  

So now it would be good to learn how to become a competent radio operator and perhaps construct your first radio station.

You should also touch base with groups like the Philippine Amateur Radio Association.  The authorities and mass media will fail,  but these folks won't.  They will be at the forefront in the coming struggle and its best that we get all this started right away.

Another important lesson for you survivalists is to accept the fact that your private stash of weapons and supplies can only go so far.  The only way to truly survive and overcome the zombie apocalypse is to co-operate with other folks.  

Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #8: Home Defense Analysis II, The Siege

In Part I of our Home Defense Analysis, we examined how we could fortify the interior of our homes in case TSHTF with nifty help from Floorplanner.com.  With that essential first step, we have learned how to identify a few critical areas that could turn our home into a castle.  

In this segment we complete the picture by integrating other survival strategies to be ready for the worst-case scenario: The Siege.

The Situation:

Your group has kept a low profile for a long time since the outbreak.  Your home's defenses have been hardened & have stocked up on renewable sources of sustenance.  Things were going well until hordes of walking dead began moving through your neighborhood. Your family knows how lay low, early preparedness & vigilance have seen to that.  However one of your neighbors have somehow managed to attract the attention of a big group which are now attacking their home.  To your horror, they detect your presence despite everything you've done.   They are at the gates...  

click to zoom

If you've done your homework, entry points would be barricaded, weaknesses have been corrected, defensible areas created, and you've also prepared multiple emergency exits that lead to safety.  Take note of the SUV that's wonderful at blocking gates.  You won't need it in a major outbreak.  The wiser choice would be to travel noiselessly by foot or bicycle to your next safe houses.  

The Problem Grows

Most people assume that a perimeter wall and lots of guns will do.   I've got a tall one made of cement & the front's got sturdy iron bars.  Mrs. Zombie Hunter is pleased because of the quality workmanship.  Unfortunately, this will not be enough.  Once they've detected you, the horde will pull at your gates endlessly and the metal will give way after a few hours.  They don't tire, sleep, or pause for breaks.  Use this time to make final defensive measures.

once they've detected you, they won't go away

Hard Choices

At some point you will need to take action.  You need to assess the situation to decide if your defenses will hold or not.  If they will not, mostly because of ever-increasing numbers, your family must be prepared to escape.   Getting trapped only means delaying the inevitable. If you're trapped, you're dead. Don't ever get trap.  Remember that the fear of change and the unfamiliar can be too much for some of you. Time is life, act before its too late!

• Step 1:  Agree on the conditions that identify when it is no longer possible to defend your home.  This will help break paralysis of some fearful or unwilling group members.

• Step 2: Stay on top of the situation so you know when its time to leave.  Before this happens, your family needs to be ready to go.  Bug-out-bag, emergency maps, back-up plans, etc.

• Step 3:  Slow them down. Create a path. Escape!

For step 3 to work, you need to keep the undead from entering your home long enough to get your family ready.  Yeah yeah, this is when we start shooting those undead bitches. 

Enemy at the Gates
Have your shooters quickly assemble at pre-designated firing positions.  The goal is to slow them down long enough for your family to get their stuff ready.  Hopefully you've been able to train your wife and other family members to use firearms proficiently.  The more shooters per household, the better.  Always have at least ONE person going around your home to make sure that the undead have not found an unforeseen weak spot in your defenses.

For this scenario, rifles would be best suited because of the distance from the windows to your gates.  Accurate shots to the head from beyond 15 meters will be hard to do with any other weapon.

The ideal firing positions would have a good field of view and have a criss-cross pattern so that your two shooting positions form a kill zone.  This is where the maximum amount of damage can be inflicted at an area where the enemy has been funneled into.  See the above figure to see what I mean.

At this point, your family members should be ready to escape to the emergency exits.

this is it. don't get scared now

The Breakthrough
This will be the most distressing part of the siege. Once they've reached the main doors, shotguns and close range weapons will be effective.  Before they break in, your non-combatants should be already near the exits.  The whole idea is to gather the zombies into one area: the front door.  This is to increase the chance that there will be much fewer undead on the other side.

The interior home defense analysis will play a crucial role here.  You should have identified where the defensible areas are inside.  A properly barricaded staircase can be defended by even a single person with just a handgun & an axe because only a maximum of about two zombies could come up the stairs at a time.  The goal of the people upstairs is to escape through the windows and balcony at the second floor to the rear of the home.

In our example, the kitchen is a natural strong point. Tables and other objects can quickly form an effective barrier.  You can stop a lot of them from here. Once everybody upstairs have moved to the back of the house, the defenders in the kitchen can execute the escape plan.

In the picture above, the defenders have drawn the enemy inside and have slowed their movement with well-placed barriers.  Making a stand in these optimal locations can maximize your firepower!

The Escape

You've been able to get your kids and elderly to the emergency exits.  They've also got their bug out bags & provisions.  The defenders have blocked the kitchen door that leads out with a refrigerator and washing machine.  This is it, time to escape!  

Your home is lost but everybody's okay.  If you were paying attention to our previous activities, your family members would be equipped with the special emergency map.  The map also identifies danger-zones to minimize risk during travel.  If properly done, these would be multiple locations that are situated near ideal resource points to keep you well fed & safe for a long time to come.  

Conclusion:

1. If you put all of the previous survival strategies together, you will be able to defend your home and get out alive & stay alive.

2. Don't be lulled into complacency.  Any fortress can be breached.  Always have an escape plan!

3. Vigilance is the first line of defense, preparedness will help you endure.

4. All of this won't mean jack if you don't involve your family.  Teamwork will be the best weapon against the zombie apocalypse!

Stay vigilant! Be prepared!

Survival Strategy #7: Buy Quality Stuff

I would like to share this article on the California Knife & Tool website regarding the many downsides of buying counterfeit or fake knives.  

If you've been to flea markets like The Ruins at BF Homes in Paranaque, Greenhills Shopping Center, or the lower levels of the Makati Cinema Square, you'll encounter many shops selling knock-offs of popular knife brands such as Smith & Wesson and Columbia River.

Learn from my experience: these blades are proven to wiggle & eventually snap off during serious use.  Poor quality plus the bad karma for supporting piracy means the product will fail at the moment you need it most.

The moral lesson here is to stock up only with quality goods.  This applies to everything.  Your clothes, shoes, weapons, tools, bags...  All of these are essential to survival.

People forget that survival is also about ENDURING the crisis. It may take years & even decades for the world to recover from a global outbreak.  If you're serious about protecting your family, don't risk their lives on cheap stuff!

Make sure your gear is built to last, 'coz warranties are void WTSHTF.

Survival Strategy # 6: The Home Defense Analysis, Part 1 (INTERIOR)

Staying up at night because the zombie horde could crash into your home and eat everybody?    I sleep well because I did a Home Defense Analysis that turned my home into a castle.  Let me help you.

Start by going to Floorplanner.com, its an awesome resource.  Quickly make one for your home, then take a screen capture & print it out.  Do not share your plans with people you don't trust!  This information should not fall into the wrong hands.


For Part One, we will focus on the interior.  

Identify these attributes:

1. Weak points that undead intruders will try to break down.  - Reinforce these right away.  Glass windows & screen doors are good enough for mosquitoes and burglars, but you need something strong enough for THREE zombies per square foot.  Iron bars are a popular choice.  DO NOT FORGET to seek advice from your significant other to make sure that your reinforcements are aesthetically sound.  Sturdiness is your department.

2. Defensible Areas - a place that has many advantages where it will be easy for you to hold off multiple attackers.  If they break in, you can make a stand here.  Stick to your goal of buying precious time for your family to either escape or destroy the intruders.

3. Places to Barricade and Reinforce - Even after reinforcing your weak points, you still need to know what will need to be boarded up.  Your storage inside your home should have wooden planks, nails, saws, and hammers so you could accomplish this in the shortest amount of time WTSHTF.

4. Emergency Exits - Every home needs more than one of these.  You need it mostly for Fire.  Against a zombie horde, you need these so your family would never be cornered & trapped.

5. Hidden Weapon Cache - When an emergency happens, you will need to secure your family.  Placing hidden & secure weapon safes in strategic locations will let you accomplish your main goal w/o wasting time.  This could come in handy in a hectic fight.  Remember the rules of gun safety!

I created an analysis using a floor plan similar to my home.  I determined what I needed to do and have thus achieved peace of mind.

click to zoom

Your improvements to the home will protect your family & impress your woman.  

A well-made Home Defense Analysis will keep burglars, the living dead, your daughter's suitors & similar pests away from your loved ones.  

Stay vigilant!

Now head on to this page for part two.

Survival Strategy #5: Vigilance & Self-Reliance

Never again should we allow ourselves to be caught unprepared by calamities such as Typhoon Onody, the H1N1 Virus, bird flu, and SARS. 

Lazy, hard headed, slow to learn and quick to forget lessons from even the most recent disasters.  These would describe majority of the human race. Fortunately, the Zombie Hunter is no such person.  I remember the floods that swept away our homes & suffering of loved ones.  And I'll never forget the complete inability of our government to manage calamities. I learned the hard way, so let me share my wisdom with you, my dear fellow survivor.

Since I can't trust the authorities to rescue my family, or even inform me of danger in a timely manner, I've become a master of information and my surroundings.  Its a simple thing to gather news bits from various sources, but the real art is being able to see the bigger picture.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Use Online Resources

A. Health Services

The Department of Health

This has local updates on emerging communicable diseases like Dengue, Bird Flu, Influenza A-Z, Malaria,  etc.   Even if these diseases do not turn you into a brain-eating member of the living dead, underestimating them could be a fatal mistake!

The World Health Organization

Take a look at crisis reports, emergency response procedures and training manuals.  Some of them could provide clues to what is building up around the world. 

click to zoom

Warning:   Always be suspicious of these sources. They've been known to downplay major major problems.  Either they are covering up a royal mess that they started, or they've decided that your community is now expendable so that they could save their own skin.  See the Redeker Plan c/o Zombie Wiki. 

B. Weather Updates
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration

Weather Underground

Why do I monitor the weather every day?  'Coz Infectious Diseases can spread like wildfire during calamities.  Each storm is an opportunity for us to study how government & local services respond to these emergencies.  They have their strong points, but there will always be holes.  Don't let your family become a victim of their deficiencies! 

There are more resources out there.  Be creative and keep regular watch!

2. Get Involved!

A. Look beyond the headlines. 

Often a source of confusion, given our media's compulsion to sensationalize anything.  With a little practice, you'll be able to piece clues together.  As Max Brooks says, look for topics such as "rabid people", "psychotic criminals biting others", "cannibalism", "mass hysteria", "mystery virus", etc. Seemingly unrelated cases could actually be a huge outbreak lurking around the corner.

B. Volunteer!

Join the local fire brigade, organize and participate in earthquake drills, join your company's first aid seminar.  Take all of these stuff seriously because building a strong community will help more people.  Like we mentioned earlier, ordinary folks will save the day.

C. Be a good neighbor, make friends.   

Get to know the people next door.  You never know when you'll need to help them out or take shelter in their place when SHTF.  Studying them closely would help you find out who you could count on when things turn ugly.

       Take notes and remember important details:  

• Mr. B's family next door looks athletic and could probably defend their home against the undead
• Mr. G who lives down the street gives me the creeps and may not lend a hand
• Mrs. R's husband owns several guns but looks friendly.  
• Mr. L may have a nervous breakdown when TSHTF but his home looks well-stocked w/ supplies
• Mr. V's home is that eccentric cube-shaped house w/ a single tiny window on each side, looks like the best fortress in the neighborhood.  I wonder if they're nice...

(sample list only)

Its up to each of us to stay on top of things.  Coz if you get caught w/ your pants down, the zombies will just eat your sorry ass.

Survival Strategy # 4: make your own emergency map

Your family needs to be prepared for any disaster.  It could be Super Bird Flu, SARS, Hurricane Katrina the 2nd, a Zombie Outbreak or any similar catastrophe.  Taking time to create an emergency map will be  essential to survival.

Mosey on to Google Maps and take a print screen of your surrounding area.

know your turf

Our objective is to gain an intimate knowledge of your area in case of an emergency.   Use this map to know what to avoid, identify safe zones, and areas to gather resources.

Here's an explanation of my map legend:

• High Risk Resource - Commercial establishments like malls or shops that have supplies (food, tools, medicine, etc.) your family will need to outlast an extended calamity.  Factors such as proximity to Danger Zones, and choke points makes it risky to go here.  Especially if it looks easy for a horde of zombies to overrun.  Go here only as a last resort.  Do not stay in this area no matter how tempting potential loot may be.  Malls are zombie magnets!

• Places to Avoid - Extremely dangerous areas.  These may be choke points where people may congregate and thus attract a large zombie hordes.  Large groups of panicking people may gather here to clog intersections with vehicle and foot traffic to create a deathtrap.  Think of other risky areas and mark them on your map.

• Danger Zone  - This is a very large area that is hazardous due to a combination of reasons such as high population density, lack of natural and man-made barriers such as rivers & hills, subdivision walls, guard houses, etc.  Basically areas where infection and zombie infestation would be hard to avoid and contain. If you need to travel somewhere, plot a route that avoids these areas & bring the appropriate equipment.  

Identifying Danger Zones will also be important in case you need to mount a rescue attempt.

• *Relative Safety and Resistance Areas - Places with lower population density, defensible structures, natural & man-made barriers, ease of travel, and other favorable conditions that would make it less vulnerable to a mass panic or zombie attack. 

• Ideal Resource  - This is located in a much safer area compared to High Risk Resources.  Smaller commercial arcades that are easy to defend against a horde of zombies, have good barriers and a feasible escape route.  They are not found near major thoroughfares or population centers.  A lot of high rise office buildings have canteens and pantries, their fire escape routes are also retractable from the ground.  Neighborhood groceries & convenience stores, small-town pharmacies, sari-sari stores, utility buildings from Meralco, Manila Water, and others are pretty good candidates.

• Possible Safe House or Shelter - In case your present safe house is overrun, train your family to find the safest route to the next safe house.  Avoid areas that would be crowded with disorganized survivors.  Organized groups are good, but always be on your guard! These places should be easy to defend and barricade.  Don't forget your emergency exit.  Safe houses should also be located w/in a reasonable distance to an ideal resource point. 

Nothing is static: Keep in mind that these zones could shift from safe to dangerous after an outbreak.  Try to anticipate how these changes could take place at various stages of an emergency. 

After putting the map together, share ideas with your family.  Talk about recent calamities about how streets became crowded & trapped, what places were looted, etc.  When you're done, print out multiple copies, laminate and distribute to members of your household. Keep 1 or 2 in your bug out bag, but don't share them w/ people you do not trust!

There you have it.  After completing this activity, you'll be glad to know that your loved ones will know what to do.  With that worry out of your head, you can now focus on other important survival activities.

Stay vigilant!