I was a United States Marine for more than 10 years. During that time, I learned every survival technique for every terrain and circumstance that I could.
I attended cold weather survival training, SERE (survival evasion resistance and escape) training, desert training in Twentynine Palms, California – not far from Death Valley – and Jungle Warfare training in Okinawa, Japan.
Being prepared for any and every situation in any and every environment gave me the confidence to know that I could survive anywhere.
Later, when I left the military and became a Pan-African, I was stunned to encounter so many Brothers and Sisters who did not have an ‘Asafo’ – or warrior – mindset. If any group of people should be ready for anything, its us!
- 230,000 people died during and after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
- 1,836 lost their lives during Hurricane Katrina, while Hurricane Dorian caused an estimated $1.5 billion to $3 billion worth of damage in the Caribbean.
- Dozens in Atlanta froze to death in their cars and homes in winter of 2014 when snow buried the city.
- In 2012, Hurricane Sandy tore through New York and New Jersey, killing 159 people and causing $70 billion in property damage. In much of the region, low-income people and people of color were hit the hardest.
- Floods in Africa killed 25 times more people than Hurricane Harvey did in 2017
- Ebola killed more than 5,000 people.
- As of March 2017, around 7% of Haiti’s population (around 800,665 people) have been affected with cholera, and 9,480 Haitians have died.
And here’s the thing:
Black victims probably never thought they would become victims…and many of these deaths could have been prevented with a little help or preparation.
The same fate that they suffered through awaits those who fail to prepare. Natural disasters will happen again. And if you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.
If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.
The best preparation that you can make is knowing what threats exist, developing a survival oriented warrior mindset, and having some basic items within reach in case sh*t hits the fan. Here is what you need to know.
Do You Know What A Level 5 Event Looks Like?
What would you do if a Hurricane struck your community? Would you survive a Haiti – level earthquake? Or would you just “leave it in God’s hands”? What would you do if the power grid in your state went out for several weeks? Would you know how to survive until help arrived?
These scenarios are what we call Level 5 Events, and they include Category 5 hurricanes or typhoons, Level 5 earthquakes, Category 5 winter storms, and other extreme natural events.
These are events that cause loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, and require the survival skills to overcome.
Here are just a few likely scenarios that have happened before and will probably happen again:
- Avalanches
- Blizzards
- Crop failures
- Droughts
- Earthquakes
- Fire storms
- Flash floods
- Forest fires/wild fires
- Climate changes
- Heat waves
- Hurricanes
- Mud/rock slides
- Pandemics – Full scale ebola outbreak shut down borders and caused martial law
- Pestilence
- Severe winter weather
- Tidal wave/Tsunami
- Tornadoes
- Volcanic eruptions
Scan the news headlines from here and the rest of the world, and you will quickly realize how often dangerous these scenarios can be.
During a ‘Level 5 Event’, the electrical grid will shut down, transportation will come to a halt, and pipes will burst leading to contaminated water supplies.
Dont make the mistake of thinking you can just wait out an event like this. Consider this:
Hurricane Katrina struck on a Monday. By Wednesday, there were rumors of martial law and the city was in survival mode. By Thursday, hospitals were euthanizing patients.
In just 4 short days, New Orleans deteriorated into an apocalyptic hellscape. If you had tried to ‘wait things out’, you may have gotten swept up.
And even if you make it through the main event, the aftermath can be just as deadly.
The following is from an article published right after Hurricane Katrina:
“The biggest threats of infectious disease don’t come from dead or decaying bodies in the water or (to a large extent) spoiled food. They involve the failure of basic public-health services: sewage disposal and water purification. Since the hurricane hit New Orleans, there has been no clean water available for washing, cooking, or drinking. The floodwater drowning the city is contaminated with sewage.”
No clean water means a host of diseases that could lead to a quick and miserable death. These diseases include Typhoid fever, Cholera, and Dysentery (leading to a bloody, slimy diarrhea and cramping. People have literally sh*tted themselves to death in just a few hours.)
Now that you realize the same fate could await you without proper preparation, its time to go to work.
Click the next tab below to see the 4 things you must do to develop a survival mindset.
Outstanding article! Since I live in an earthquake zone, I do have a kit of medical supplies and security “tools.” My medical kit contains wound dressings (band-aids, gauze, tape, sterile butterfly sutures, splints for fractures, braces for support, ACE bandages in 2″ to 6″ size, etc.), topical ointments, blister care (walking), plastic bags, saran wrap, reusable ice packs, flashlight, warm blanket, and much more. The “tools” are the usual; a few sharp blades, scissors, screwdrivers, and a few other toys, etc.
I like the recommendation for siphons, water purifier, and…simple clothes to blend in.
Ever since I was a little girl my mom thought I was kooky because I was always thinking about worst case scenarios. Surviving a disaster is never far from my thoughts to this day. I need to get prepared. Thanks for this guide!