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!

Halloween Safety: Lead, Cadmium & Mercury Poisoning From Costumes?

Halloween is just around the corner! Everybody loves candy and costumes, but nobody likes cadmium, lead, or mercury. Any of those vile chemicals can turn your brain into mush. That is almost as bad as a zombie bite. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of illegally imported costumes and props that contain unsafe levels of these things.  And its not just the clothes, be mindful of those cheap pumpkin buckets where you carry your sweets. I was horrified when I read about face-paint having high levels of lead. 

Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury are highly toxic even in minute doses, be mindful of the costumes you buy for your children. Exposure to any of these can result to severe irreparable damage. 

Please visit the EcoWaste Coalition to find out more on the products that they've tested. 

Don't turn your kids into zombies. 

Protect their brains from zeds and bad chems.

Stay vigilant!

Clip art from Clker.com

The Discreet Survivalist VS Zombie Hunter Patches

CONSPICUOUS

con·spic·u·ous

Adjective

1. Standing out so as to be clearly visible.

2. Attracting notice or attention.

3. Easy to identify

You'd probably expect me to wear these on me. I'll pass. Patches will blow my cover. And this is the worst thing if I am to maintain harmony in the household. My special lady is very happy with how I am able to stow away all my survival gear away from prying eyes. And so I shall maintain my secret identity. She understands, but many people won't.

Its very unfortunate that majority of the people who we want to protect from the zombie hordes are unbelievers. They won't get the concept of survivalism and preparedness. It will drain you just trying to explain the dangers we will face WTSHTF. 

Therefore we must soldier on with our lonesome mission. And we must do it discreetly.

What have we learned so far? 
Here are important reminders for aspiring zombie hunters:

• Don't draw attention to yourself. Maintain your secret identity. 

• Tacticool & mall-ninja are never appropriate attire in the presence of your family unless you are at the range or a paintball game. 

• Do not ostracize your children at school by being known as that "creepy guy".

• Don't freakin' show off your survival gear to your neighbors! The Cross Stitching Club's deadly gossip brigade will circulate the wrong kinds of stories about you.

Exceptions? Only members of the armed forces have the right to dress as they please. Wannabees are frowned upon. 

There are better ways to show off your love of zombie apocalypse survival. Discreet and fashionable ways. Learn from our friend The Real Queen of Horror. She knows a thing or two about lookin' good in a zed tee. 

I happen to be a mild-mannered fellow who dresses really well, especially in the company of Mrs. Zombie Hunter and the little one. I'm clean cut & athletic, so she loves parading me around her friends.

And beneath this dapper exterior lurks The Zombie Hunter. 

Stay vigilant!

ZOMBIETHON 2011

Its that time of year again, and the ZOMBIETHON is just around the corner. 

You gotta love those guys from the DEAD ZONE. If you do Facebook, check 'em out here. This is a new spin on the previous one now that it will take place in the daytime. Now that it will be taking place in the central business district, we should get way more publicity and help spread zombie apocalypse preparedness and awareness.

The first Zombiethon in 2010 was a lot of fun with a decent turnout, and the after-party rocked.

I'm looking to this year's walk and am just crossing my fingers that it will be a safe and successful event.  

When: October 30, 2011 at 3:00 PM

Where: Outside 6788 Standard Chartered Building, Ayala Avenue, Makati City

Contact: crimsonlakeofblood@yahoo.com or call Sam at 0915-7833624

What: Come to the place in your best undead look & attitude!


A few reminders:

• Stay in character. Groan loud and menace at onlookers, shuffle like you're starving for brains!

• Your facial expression is critical. Clever make-up work can enhance this

• Do not put any sharp objects in your costume or props

• Obey the rules. Don't troll event organizers or the police

• Stay hydrated. Alcohol and zombie walking do not mix

• If there are celebrity walkers or members of congress, feel free to devour them 1st

• Watch out for real zombies

Stay vigilant!

Home Improvement: Rainwater Harvesting

I've been quite busy these past few days doing some important housework.

We upgraded our water tank and retooled our old one for rainwater harvesting. The shiny new tank is connected directly to the water company's pipes and can hold up to 23 gallons. In case of service interruption, it is good enough for 48 hours of household needs. For drinking & cooking, we've got various filtration systems.


My Situation
In a tropical country such as ours, we are visited by about 18-22 typhoons per year. It also rains most of the darn time. With my new system, we'll never be thirsty!

About 3 of these storms would hit our city directly, and maybe just one or two of these would knock out electricity & water for 1-2 days.

Its only a minor nuisance. The time spent in the dark with family is a good opportunity to actually try your survival gear. Mosquito nets, monopoly, candles & lamps, food, extra water, and medicine will all be nice to have for that short period while the power company fixes things. 

Now once in a while something as big as Katrina or a screwed up nuclear plant would happen. A royal mess such as this would certainly put a strain on your life span. The living dead rising up to eat us all? I'm talking about that too.

This is where preparedness comes in. 

This is my old tank. It can hold 40 gallons of skyjuice.

The Strategy of Water Storage

Water is life. If you have a lot of it, you could stay barricaded at home for extended periods. WTSHTF, one of the worst things you could do is to bug out at a time of great panic. What most survivalists don't get is that bugging out can be extremely dangerous! If you've built a strong home defense, then perhaps it would be better to hunker down during the early phases of the crisis. 

Rainwater harvesting will definitely reduce the amount of time spent outdoors. Let me repeat: doing anything  outside the safety of your home is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Especially if thousands of walking dead are out there. With a good rainwater harvesting system, you have one less reason to go foraging.

If you need to drink your stuff, make sure you have a sure-fire means of purification. More on that later.

My home has a stone perimeter wall that is 6 feet high. I've got lots of food, ammo, medicine, and a box of monopoly, crayons & musical stuff for my daughter to play with while the world outside goes nuts. So there's got no immediate need to bug out because of the preparations we've made. If we must escape, my emergency map will do the trick.

Stay vigilant!