Mattoon - Survival

Copyright 2016 by Steve Mattoon

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-0784-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0786-3

Printed in China

Table of Contents

Introduction

Surviving While Surviving

The signs are not good for America! There is an eighteen trillion dollar debt and growing, the possibility of a national power grid failure is a real concern and tied to the power grid is the chance of an international terrorist attack and solar flares from the sun, Ebola has become a major concern worldwide and proves a pandemic can quickly become a reality, and the list goes on.

The list goes on, but whatever national disaster befalls the country is really irrelevant. If food supplies or the distribution of life saving supplies are cut off, it does not matter what is the cause. There are studies that say if the national power grid fails for an extended amount of time, 90 percent of the countrys population may perish.

There are many reasons that these conclusions are a possibility. Lets look at some facts, many of which are backed up by studies of past man-made and natural disasters. During several major hurricanes (Katrina, Andrew, Sandy, etc.), as well as many other similar events worldwide, some startling facts were determined:

One-third of the population are day shoppers with very little emergency supplies, if any, to sustain them.

Looting and home invasions will take place, many by armed gangs looking for food and anything to sustain them. In some past situations looting started while the event was still in progress.

Police and emergency services will be disrupted, slow to respond, or nonexistent in certain areas.

Individuals and groups within the populace may find themselves in a life or death survival or personal defense situation at any time, very often without warning.

With the above four things in mind, ask yourself if you are ready for long-term, or even short-term, personal or family survival, and are you prepared to defend yourself from injury or lethal threat? If the answer is yes, then you are probably a prepper, survivalist, ex-military, or outdoorsman or -woman who has thought this out and prepared. I have no official figures, but this may encompass 10 percent or so of the population. This book is for the other 90 percent, or at least those of that population who are concerned and interested. A certain percentage will say nothing is going to happen, and I hope they are correct. A certain percentage will be incapable of preparation; these are the disabled, both physically and mentally, among us. If a long-term disaster should occur, whatever you have at your disposal is what you are going to have to sustain yourself, your family, and the people you choose to help you through this dangerous and life-changing situation.

Any long-term survivalist or prepper will tell you they probably have been at it for a long time and it is an ongoing way of life. They will also tell you the reason it is a way of life is that no one knows when it will happen. Disaster has no schedule; it strikes everyone equally and without warning. Those not prepared for the long term will probably die of starvation, sickness, or as a victim of violence. There are many good survival books out there, and all have good advice. This one will be no different other than it will advise the family or group on how to Survive While Surviving. The data on basic survival is at your fingertips.

Why do I say group? Groups are harder to feed than individuals, but individuals in areas where violence is taking place are the first to die. The reasons are simple: you cannot watch all approaches to your survival location, and you cannot stay awake and functional long. Should disaster strike, everyone will be thrown into the same situation where food, water, fire, shelter, and medical care will be the five primary concerns in their lives for as long as the situation lasts. The recommendations made in this book are not guarantees. Should long-term disaster strike, the survivors will have several things in common: preparation, luck, a good survival mind-set, a good support group, and a propensity for violence and personal survival. Hopefully, disaster will not strike, but if it does, it will probably be instant with no warning. What preparation or abilities you have will be all you have to survive the event. This is a different survival manual, which explains what has to take place while you are doing everything the other survival manuals teach you. While you will have to store food properly, purify water, and all the other associated subjects in the survival field, if disaster strikes long term, you are going to need other thoughts, knowledge, and mind-set. Thats what this book is about. If you think things are not going to get really rough when more than three hundred million people get their food and critical supplies cut off, no book ever written will help you including this one.

I will state it again in the following chapters, but in a long-term survival situation if society should collapse, Surviving While Surviving will be as critical as the ability to find food and water. This is the bottom line that survival books do not coveror I have not found them. Surviving While Surviving may be initially confusing to the unprepared, who are only worried about having enough food and water. Let me throw up a couple of bullet points to get you on board and thinking. Violence is taking place and people are dying, scared, hungry, and committing violence on other people for what they have.

Some Questions to Wake You Up

You are searching for food and water in an abandoned grocery storewho is on guard?

You are asleepwho is on guard?

You are cutting firewoodwho is on guard?

You have food and are eatingwho is on guard?

You are doing something that requires your full attentionwho is on guard?

Hopefully you get my point. In situations like what we will be discussing in this book, if you do not have someone on guard 24/7, you and what you have to survive with will not be around long.

This book is designed to make you use your head. It has chapters that will tell you all you have to think about to survive and, most importantly, how to Survive While Surviving. Get used to this term. It will present you with more requirements for study and training than you will think possible. You will read about what you need to survive and what you need to do to Survive While Surviving. I am going to go out on a limb and estimate that 90 percent of the people who read this book will not make the effort required to prepare. The ones who do make the effort will, in the end, know that all the equipment they have acquired to survive the event is useless to anyone unless they have the mental fortitude and toughness to live, survive, and protect themselves while surviving.