Please Help the Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

Friends, it is time to go out and do the right thing. Please send your help to the victims of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) by visiting the UNICEF TYPHOON YOLANDA APPEAL or through the PHILIPPINE RED CROSS websites right now. 

If there are organizations that I trust to make sure our assistance reaches the right people, it would be these two.

 

http://www.redcross.org.ph/

http://donate.unicef.ph/campaign/24/typhoon-yolanda-emergency-appeal

Your money will not be put to waste and your help will have tangible results. 

Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)

UPDATE: Please send your help via UNICEF and the RED CROSS on THIS link.

Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name is Haiyan) is expected to make a direct hit on my country this Friday. By then, its wind strength is predicted to reach over 130 mph making it the most powerful storm to hit us in the past 3 years. Typhoons also bring a lot of water and that is the other half of this potential calamity. 

At home my family has drinking water for a month, a water filtration system in case I need more, battery chargers, and extra food to go the distance. We are completely flood-proof because my house is standing way above sea-level and we've hardened against flying debris.

I sure hope this storm does not turn out as bad as the weather guys think it would. I'm a lot more prepared to deal with this one, but I'm worried about everybody else. I've got two more days before it hits us so I'll spend some of it sharing some of my stuff with my brother and sister who live nearby. 

How this matters to Zombie Survivalists:

If we get hit by typhoons about 22 times a year, with one or two of them being very powerful, I really think I'll be fighting the living dead knee-deep in the pouring rain. 

Infrastructure will degrade much faster if there is no functioning government to maintain the drainage systems. Water-borne diseases are expected to be another hazard alongside the deadly Solanum Virus. If Malaria or Dengue kill you instead of a zombie, you still lose.

I think its time for me to buy a few rafts and perhaps a kayak like this: The Oru Kayak. This amazing thing folds neatly into a big suitcase thing! Perfect for storing several of these in my smallish garage. 

 

Today is the day I started seriously thinking about fighting zeds on a boat. It makes perfect sense.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Lessons from Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana):

It has been four years since Typhoon Ondoy which unleashed unprecedented damage to the country. Scientists say that we never had a storm like that in 60 years. Well now that it happened once, I personally believe it can happen every year.

In my part of town, nearly 17 inches of rain was dumped on us in less than a day. Total damage amounted to over one billion Dollars, there were many fatalities, and millions of people in Metro Manila were affected.

Things were bad. Calamitous. Floodwater rose to two storeys high in various residential areas all over Metro Manila (16 cities, population 12 million). But guess what? Our Bayanihan spirit got nearly every able-bodied Pinoy to come out and help.

In years prior to this disaster, people were content to just "let the government do it". This time, ordinary folks in unprecedented numbers came out to lend a hand.

Bayanihan is basically defined as the community coming to help out a neighbor. When Ondoy hit, we did this on a national level. Image from Wikipedia.

Typhoon Ondoy basically awakened the inner survivalist or prepper on a national level. Thank goodness our preparedness has come a long way since then. This applies to government and private initiatives. Suddenly, it is a company by-word to have risk-reduction meetings every quarter. In my own gig where I became head of Risk Management, people on all levels have been talking about emergency kits, flood prevention, first-aid certifications, and more. 

My secret alter-ego (TZH) was quite happy to see that "prepping" has finally become mainstream. Perhaps I'll have a much easier time finding like-minded folks to prepare against the undead hordes when they finally come.

In the end, I hope the spirit of Bayanihan (pronounce it like bah, yah, neeh, hun. say it fast, and in one go) will prevail WTSHTF and keep our society help keep our society from falling apart. Too often we see post-apocalyptic films depicting warring tribes and utter barbarity following the collapse of a modern society. Watch the movie The Road to get an idea.


Stay vigilant!

Vacation Report: Anaheim, CA & Hillsboro, OR

Greetings from Oregon!

I've been on vacation here visiting family for the past 3 weeks and I've had a great time going sight-seeing and shopping nearly every day.

I was also in LA to take my family to Disneyland. It never gets old even if I've been there 5 times already. The Halloween theme was pretty nice. "Its our kingdom now" Captain Hook merrily proclaimed. There were more than the usual number of zombie kids and parents on the happiest place on Earth.

We then traveled north to go trick or treating in Oregon. The kids over here were more into minion bananas and Rapunzel costumes.

 picking out our pumpkin

 a break from urban living

I haven't been to the States since '97, and a lot has changed. Bigger population, GPS everywhere, more channels on the TV, and  fancy new shopping areas to name a few. I used to live in Vancouver, Canada for a few years but I was within striking distance of my family. I also made various road trips to California and Arizona, so I've been around.

The Little Differences
I was really happy to stock up on survival gear from various sources such as REI and Cabela's, the latter being my own personal Disneyland!

1. Gun Stuff: Warranties and Replacements
Just so my American readers know, firearm and firearm-related accessories cost 3x as much when they are sold in my country. I can bring stuff home from Cabela's, but its a very long and difficult process that I'm not willing to go through at this time.

Good thing we have as many fantastic gunsmiths as you guys do because we do not have immediate access to return-policies and warranties.

If something breaks, it will take weeks before Kel-Tec sends me a replacement. For other brands like Para-Ordnance or Kimber, the wait has been known to take nearly a year. Never mind that, the legendary Metrillo Gun Corporation will fabricate anything for me in no time at all.
 
2. Survival necessities for the Philippines are very different compared with the West Coast and most of the USA.

The United States is gigantic land mass and has diverse environmental conditions. The Philippines on the other hand is made up of 7,100+ islands, all of these are in the tropical zone. We have a few cities in high altitude, but most of my countrymen live in either very dense urban centers that are a several million in population size, or in agricultural zones in the form or farmland or by the sea.

We are also visited by typhoons about 22 times per year on average. Half of those are direct hits. This
means we'll be fighting the undead hordes knee-deep in floodwater more often than not.

This affected my shopping list. I was focusing primarily on water-filtration gear. We'll never go thirsty in a long-term crisis, but keeping the water clean will become a challenge. Finding food will not be as hard because the open spaces between our homes are teeming with naturally-occurring edibles which are very nutritious.

Its just the darn weather hazards and our incredibly populous city centers which will be the greatest survival challenges.

3. Home Construction Materials and Layout

In the Philippines, most houses in the suburbs are built out of concrete and have a perimeter fence made of stone. Our Oregon home and nearly all our neighbors have theirs constructed out of wood/drywall and do not have perimeter walls or fences. Two cats and small dog from next door frequent my kitchen windowsill to ask for treats. The photo with a lot of trees is our neighborhood in Hillsboro.

a neighbor's house in Manila for reference

The photo above is something more familiar to me. Walls in the suburbs are the norm, and concrete is the abundant construction material. Termites and typhoon gusts are the things we usually brace for.

In a defensive scenario, the stone perimeter wall will serve me quite nicely because it limits the entry points to my front door. My home's walls are about 5 feet tall and it will help me a lot against the undead since their line of sight from the street level will be obstructed. More on that in my Home Defense section.


3. Weather & Gear
We never have snow and there aren't any deserts. Nobody dies in the Philippines from hypothermia or dehydration. What will mess us up are the typhoons, floodwater, and water-borne diseases.

Tropical issues like rust, mosquitoes, Dengue, Malaria, Leptosirosis, Diarrhea, rabies, drowning, garbage, trenchfoot, and other wet-weather stuff are some of the things that affects my choices. It will also affect how we will be fighting the undead and the tools I'll be needing to succeed.

------------------------

I'll be boarding the plane tomorrow at 1PM and I can't wait to come back next April. I met a lot of nice folks and made many new friends over here. My whole family will miss our stay, three weeks sure went by pretty fast!

I'll be testing out my new gear and will prepare my usual product reviews.


Stay vigilant!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TZH!

Dude, has it really been three years already? 

 
When I started this blog back in August 31, 2010 I really did not have much of a plan. The word "prepping" was not yet in the dictionary. Zombies were beginning to become mainstream. Survival was only starting to make a blip on popular culture.

So here we are, we've read all the books. We saw Brad Pitt's World War Z, we knew it would suck but we still saw it. We're up to our eyeballs with zombie survival marketing gimmicks, and we think we've had enough. Well, not quite. Despite all this, I'm quite pleased at how things have come along.

Nowadays, it will no longer raise any eyebrows if you're into prepper stuff. Its great that people are more aware of the need to get ready in case TSHTF. My parents don't think I'm a such a weirdo for stockpiling rainwater, food, various weapons and ammo in my house.

I know first aid, I can cook, I can run faster & carry more things, I do yoga. I know kung-fu. My wife now gets it. She digs that I'm in better shape than I used to be three years ago.

My daughter is now turning five years old in less than two months. She's the reason why I want my family to be READY TO SURVIVE ANYTHING. This includes a very possible zombie apocalypse. Today I could say that we've got more than a fighting chance.

Perhaps my little one may have to take up an axe someday to destroy those who threaten to devour her loved ones, but for now that can wait. In a year's time her training will begin.

*****

Looking back at my previous articles I'm pleased to see that the most popular pages are from the SURVIVAL STRATEGIES section. I have to admit that firearm-related topics get tons of attention but we all agree that weapons are only a small part of making it out alive.

So what's next? 

I've acquired a few new skills, weapons, and cool gear for review. As usual, I'm still chasing my dream to join the International Practical Shooting Association's World Shoot in Florida in 2014. I'm also working on storing supplies around the house, EDC, Get-Home-Bag equipment, and survival food. With the last item, Mrs. Zombie Hunter has been quite helpful!

I'll also never stop trying to be a super dad to my little girl. She's got an athletic streak and I hope to get her into competitive sports soon. 

*****

Time flies yo. I hope I've been able to entertain or share useful ideas, but most of all I hope ya'll have had it as good as I've had this year.



Stay vigilant!

The Smashing Coconut Test III: GAMO Silent Stalker Whisper Air Rifle (.177)

I've had my Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper air rifle for nearly a year now with over a thousand rounds shot through it. With the Gamo Pro Magnum pellet I can group under 2 inches at 26 meters (or 28 yards) from the standing position. I'm a happy guy.

Why an Airgun?

This break-barrel air rifle is using a new IGT gas piston system that does not have the recoil and sensitivity that spring systems have. Unlike other airguns, it does not need to refill by a hand pump or CO2 tank.

This thing is no toy, it could shoot 7.8 grain .177 caliber pellets at an average of 970 feet per second. Ammo is cheap and lightweight, and you can use this to hunt small game and train your family very affordably. The sound moderator or silencer on the rifle is also quiet enough to do all these without attracting unwanted attention.

This is an ideal survival tool, but can it kill zombies?

Equipment:

• Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper (.177)
• Gamo Pro Magnum pellets
• a spoon 

Target: 

• 3 coconuts, husk removed (needs to be "ripe" for maximum shell strength)

The Test:

• Can an air rifle penetrate a human skull?

Technique:

We will most likely employ this weapon from an elevation so I shot at the coconut from my balcony at approximately 40 degrees and then from ground level.

The Results:

Coconut 1

Coconut 1 was fired upon from my balcony from 28 yards away five times. You could see in the photo that there are 3 holes on top and then two hits below that did not penetrate. This shows that you can punch through the shell if you hit it squarely.

The white stuff tasted good. I didn't eat the lead, don't worry. 

I cracked the coconut open with my United Cutlery M48 Tomahawk and was pleased to see three pellets inside. They were deformed flat and took out decent-sized chunks.

Coconut 2

The second coconut was a lot more interesting. I must have landed my shot at a certain spot that caused it to split open. Crack! Coconut juice flowing out! Gnarly.

I don't expect to split a zombie skull like that, but the impact was quite convincing.

The third coconut was a larger sample and had already gone stale. The shell is nearly twice as thick as the others but the pellet also punched through.

Check out the video below, note that from 26 yards away you could barely hear the rifle, good to know that the silencer works.

Conclusion:

I am very pleased to report that this air rifle chambered in .177 caliber pellets can punch through a coconut and do significant damage to the brain. With good aim, these are likely to penetrate a zombie's skull. I hope that destroying them would require less than two well-placed shots. 

 

I'm limited to relatively short distances with this weapon, but I'm good enough to hit a zed's eyeball at around 30 yards. That would definitely take them out.

This weapon is now part of my survival gear. My family can practice marksmanship and hunt small critters. With 2000 pellets easily stored in my pants, a comfy chair, and a cold drink with me on top of my hidden post at my roof, I could whittle down zombies that come close to my fortification.

The white coconut meat was my rewarding afternoon snack. Tasty!

*****

For my next round of tests I need to acquire a pig's skull for me to shoot at. Why a pig's skull? Because they can be readily obtained from our local butcher. These are thicker than human skulls but should prove to be a definitive penetration test. 

Stay vigilant!

May is Zombie Awareness Month

Pull out your gray ribbons folks, its time to remind our like-minded friends and family that May is Zombie Awareness Month.

This means we'll be seeing a lot more zombie-themed stuff on TV, the internet, zombie products, and other such things to capitalize on the occasion. Favorite topics on many other resources will cover how to kill them, what weapons are great to use, possible origins of the Solanum Virus, etc.

 *****

For The Zombie Hunter, Zombie Awareness Month is all about getting back to the basics. 

Here are a few productive activities to work on for the next 30 days:

1. Finish your Bug Out Bag already.

2. Check your emergency supplies at home. Can your family really last more than three months? Medicine, food, water, ammunition, those are just the beginning.

3. Review your emergency map. Review it with your family. Where is your escape route, where are possible infested areas, how many backup shelters do you have?

4. Enroll your kids into summer programs with survival skills. The Red Cross, Jungle Camp, Martial Arts, Cooking, etc. Teach your children valuable life skills. 

It is entirely possible that they world will still be infested with the living dead long after our generation has gone.

5. Inspect your home's defenses and make important improvements.

6. And pay it forward! Share your knowledge with other survivalists! A "LAMOE" or Last Man On Earth will not win the zombie war. 

*****

Big thanks to the Zombie Research Society for the reminder. They're been an important resource for me over the years and you could visit the survival section of their forums. Cool stuff there.

Like ZRS always says: "What you don't know can eat you!"





Stay vigilant!

Now Reading: Juggernaut, Adam Baker

I have in my hands my eBook copy of Adam Baker's "Juggernaut". Buy the Kindle version here.

I also enjoyed Adam's article on his blog entitled "Going Out With a Bang". We remember Captain Lawrence Oates, and his courageous sacrifice and similar heroic deeds in zombie apocalypse fiction.


Read often and regularly. Our brain needs a workout as much as our muscles do.  


Stay vigilant!

"Cargo", Tropfest Australia 2013 Finalist

I found this little gem of a short film. Dig it. 

Stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect the precious cargo he carries: his infant daughter. 

"CARGO"

Directed by Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke

Tropfest Australia 2013 Finalist (TSI "Baloon")

How far will you go?

Stay vigilant!

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HERO: HAM EMERGENCY RADIO OPERATIONS

The Philippine Amateur Radio Association, Inc. (PARA) has set up their emergency frequencies for HAM Radio users at 7.095 MHz and 144.740 MHz.

Tune in for regular updates during emergencies. At this time it should be focusing on severe weather occurrences since typhoons visit our part of the world about 22 times a year. I also expect them to be on top of other calamities. 

If any of you like-minded guys have your own transmitter, you could get on those frequencies to alert the masses against any undead attacks or the whereabouts of the Solanum Virus. If you notice a pattern of "mysterious illnesses" or "cannibal attacks" or similar strange things, something more sinister may be afoot.

Early detection could help us survive the zombie war.
Coordination through radio could help us win it.

Stay vigilant!

Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)

  

 photos from Wikipedia 

World War Z? How about World War 2?

Remember the faces of your grandfathers and grandmothers, for today we celebrate the Day of Valor, or "Araw ng Kagitingan" as we say it in Tagalog. We shall never forget the sacrifice of those who fought in Bataan and Corregidor.

My grandfater, my mom's dad, was at the Battle of Bataan. Their orders were to resist the Japanese invaders "to the limits of human endurance". Completely surrounded and outnumbered, he and his comrades were bombarded by tanks, artillery, and Japanese fighter craft for three whole months. They were starving, disease stricken, and were practically holding the mountain fortification with no hope for reinforcement.

Reminder: The Japanese are our friends today. Remembering what happened in the past is part of any real friendship between cultures. Dig?

Unable to bear further losses, Major General Edward P. King, Jr. surrendered more than 76,000 soldiers. Of these were 68,000 Filipino troops, and 11,796 Americans.

The survivors were then forced to march 80 miles from Bataan to Camp O'Donnel. Hundreds never made it as the weak and injured were shot by the invader's soldiers.

Their sacrifice was not in vain. This stand against the invaders bought precious time for Allied forces to gather their strength in the Pacific. This directly contributed to the success of the battle of Midway which was a turning point in the war.

Granddad made it, and he went on to have 8 kids. I've got a bunch of cousins as a result.

*****

Fast forward to today, Japan is now one of our closest allies. We've patched things up quite well, I could even say that our people get along the best compared to our other Asian neighbors. Better times have indeed come along.

Still, the Day of Valor is an important day to remember how ordinary men and women fought against impossible odds. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be there when Bataan fell.

When the horde of undead rise up to threaten us with extinction, I wonder if we will fight as hard as our elders. They faced death fully believing that they may not survive and that each day would be their last.

We're so soft and spoiled compared to them! We complain on Facebook about every little thing. We've got our First World Problems, and daily rants. We're really our own worst enemy WTSHTF.

As I write this, cozy in my office chair, in an air-conditioned glass tower, I wonder if I can do what my grandparents did. They survived. I should do my best to do the same.



This one's for you granddad Andres and grandma Anastasia. Thank you for everything.




Stay vigilant!

Walking Dead EP 34 "This Sorrowful Life"

SPOILER ALERT. Okay?

I know I'm a week late, we get The Walking Dead on Fox one Saturday after you folks do in the States.

I don't follow the show like I used to, but I'm glad I paid attention to this one.  We see that Carol's alright and I think she'll actually outlive more of the cast in Season 4, that's okay. Hershel is cool with Glenn marrying his daughter. The guys say a prayer or two to guide them as things seem to keep on getting worse and then Rick sees the light in the form of a vision of old pregnant Lori who is maybe frowning on his series of bad hard-ass decisions.

Dammit, I'm glad that angsty dark Rick seems to be going back to good old Rick. "I'm not your governor...", that summed up the season for him with finality.

What got me was this whole thing with Daryl and Merle has been building up for quite a bit, and it went resolved in an unexpected way. Family ties are a powerful element in this show.

Well, maybe we expected it a little. Merle finds he'll always be an outsider, we all know that. However the truth hits the guy hard when he finally realizes that he can't and won't change to fit in, and his brother really is his own man and no longer puts up with his mean old ways. (and cares about him despite him being a jerk. brotherhood, yo.)

As Merle is on his way to the Governor to surrender Michonne, the dude shows us the importance of knowing how to break into and hotwire a car. However he messes up and sets off the 1990's car alarm, alerting every single zed in the neighborhood to their position. A desperate fight ensues, both having close calls and they even end up saving each other's lives.

This is the big monkeywrench in Merle's plans, you know how folks become buddies after "enduring hardship" together?

So after all this excitement, Michonne finally gets through to him in her usual zen-master pep talk as they were driving in their newly commandeered car. This helps Merle to see the light and choose Daryl's side. Maybe to redeem all the "bad stuff" he's had to do since all this came down.

More excitement follows as he prepares to take care of business. He draws a large group of walkers towards the Governor and succeeds in getting their attention. Merle proceeds to shoot down some of the henchmen in the ensuing chaos. He was doing pretty well too, taking out a lot of them and nearly killing the main man himself until they finally jump him just because a stray walker got in the way. As they beat the crap outta Merle, the Governor viciously joins the fray because this business was personal.

As it turns out, the sort-of duel they have reflected how mean those two guys really are. Both guys got in a lot of nasty shots that made me wince in delight. I figured it would have taken 3 guys or more to take him down.

Later on, we all know how it turned out because Daryl discovers his brother's fate and whips up the best bit of acting in the whole season. The dude has feelings man. Real men felt it, like I did.

So here's looking forward to the season finale!



Stay vigilant!

Been a While!

I hope ya'll have been doing well this year. Things have been great for my family and my career. My wife & I have ran our 1st half-marathon together. We did it under 3 hours and we're mighty pleased because we can do much better in the 2 more events this year.

Our home has even more healthy vegetables growing in the back yard and we've been having good eats. My little girl is finally getting into sports! She's 4 years old but has a knack for the athletics. Heck yeah, life is good.

I've picked up a few new weapons for Smashing Coconut Tests, however I've been taking my time with my reviews.

My bug-out-bag is still being revised and improved, however the rainy season that takes up 70% of our year is something that we will have to adapt to. Fighting zombies in waist-high water WILL be a huge challenge.

Things are gonna get interesting real soon. Whatever happens, keep up your preparations.



Stay vigilant!

World War Z Poster!

We have a release date! June 21, 2013. Yes, finally. Again, I'm a huge fan of the book. However we all know Hollywood, they'll do what they think will do the film right. I'll just toss away any expectations and will just go to the party.

So Mr. Brooks, you must be pleased. You kinda started this craze, and although you're entering the hallowed ground of the immortal George Romero, your film seems to be meant to happen in a big guns-blazing blockbuster way. So I guess this is gonna be the Star Wars of this generation. If it doesn't suck! 

Looks like its got everything: action, drama, guns, millions of computer-generated and "real" zeds, and a little something for the ladies: Bradd freakin Pitt in a dashing family guy role. Yay, everyone's happy.

What is it with Pitt & Damon and their gained-a-few-pounds but handsomer-than-thou "daddy" roles anyway?

Friends, I'll be the well-dressed dude with the pretty wife waiting in line on the first day. And I won't be coming in some attention-grabbing tactical or zombie costume. I do expect to see a few cosplayers in their usual zombie or sheriff attire. If I see any cool ones, I'll take a photos for your pleasure.

Stay vigilant!

Big thank you to Comingsoon.net for the heads-up!

The Zombie Hunter: Happy New Year!

I really hope this year would be better than the last one. Lots of big headlines, good and bad. We can't just hope for a good 2013, we need to work to make it better.

Here are my wishes:

1. I'm quite excited about my new career in Risk Management. The skills I'm learning and sharing with my clients will directly help me with my family's survival. Stay tuned for The Zombie Hunter's Risk Management Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse. Its a working title.

2. I want to be fit. Way fit. I want an awesome body. My body is quite OK as it is, thank you. My wife and I accomplished lots of fitness milestones this year:

• We ran half a marathon in 3 hours, we can improve it by 15 minutes in our next attempt in January.
• She's into Bikram Yoga and is already an advance-level practitioner. Strong people do yoga.
• I qualified to represent my country for the International Practical Shooting Confederation's Australasia 2013 Tournament in New Zealand. YEAH!

She's strong, and so am I. However we can take it much further.

Even my daughter's getting into dance. That will make her strong and nimble as a cat. The 4 year old is growing fast!

3. I wish my parents would start stocking up on supplies. Its my mom really. She's a tough gal but remains  unconvinced about how important it is to have extra food & water for at least a month. My dad... I'll get to him through her.

Their pantry is well-stocked, but it will take me at least 3 hours to make it to their place on foot WTSHTF if ever I need to conduct a rescue mission.

4. I suck at cooking. This year I will work on survival food preparation and cooking.

5. Finally I wish that the Zombie Apocalypse never happens. I'm not that kind of "prepper". I don't want bad stuff to  happen. And if I'm the only guy in my neighborhood up to his ears with survival gear & skills and then NOTHING happens, I'll be perfectly happy!

The Mayans got it wrong, the end of the world scenarios of Max Brooks & Adam Baker had better be wrong too.

click to play the snazzy movie

And since this is a zombie blog, I'm planning to join the now-famous Outbreak Manila zombie runs. My nifty GoPro3 camera should give us some first-person action.

It feels good that I've accomplished most of my 2012 resolutions. 

So here we are, 2013 at last! Happiness and health to everybody!

Stay vigilant!