Bradley - Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, 2nd Edition

Praise for the Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family

A great introduction to disaster preparedness in a single volume, both scholarly and easy to read! Provides practical information for families seeking to organize their preparedness efforts.
James Talmage Stevens, Making the Best of Basics

Families want and need actionable practical plans when disaster strikes, and the Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family has it all in one volume!
Shane Connor, ki4u.com

Whether youre a novice just starting out, a seasoned prepper, or a die-hard survivalist, this is one book that you should add to your must read list.
Keith Erwood, disasterpreparednessblog.com

An easy to read handbook packed full of very helpful information to cover any emergency one might encounter.
Marg Pollon, Founding Director of Bridges of Love Ministry Society

This book is an incredible compendium of knowledge in the area of disaster preparedness. In spite of the many pages, it is never daunting or overpowering but rather written with a comfortable conversational tone.
Kerry Lewis, Master Anjing Banfa

This handbook exceeded my expectations! It is a comprehensive presentation of ideas not only for disaster preparedness but also helpful for everyday living.
Dr. Lee Green, Dangerous Man Christian Conferences

This book offers a comprehensive run-down of household preparedness activities that is easy to follow and implement.
Jeff Bowers, Confluence Disaster Preparedness Consulting

Dr. Bradleys sincerity, hands on research, and organization makes this book a treasure. It should be read by someone in every family, and a copy kept in every home.
Linda Hoover, 912 Group Lead, Centennial, CO

What I appreciated most from this book is Bradley's focus on being prepared so that we can help those around us, and the unintimidating, conversational style in which he presents the information.
Cindy Baum, Books and Chocolate

Handbook to Practical Disaster
Preparedness for the Family
2nd Edition

All rights reserved.

Except for the worksheets in the Appendix, no other part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the author.

Photos and illustrations used throughout the book are privately owned, public domain, or licensed under the Creative Commons Attributions-Share Alike or GNU Free Documentation License, except where credits are otherwise noted.

Special thanks are extended to Siobhan Gallagher and Bridget Flanagan for editing the books content, Marites Bautista for designing the layout, and Bryan Macabanti for illustrations.

Copyright 2010, 2011 by Arthur T. Bradley

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011909453

Printed in the United States of America

Disclaimer: This book is intended to offer general guidance relating to disaster preparedness. It is sold with the understanding that every effort was made to provide the most current and accurate information. However, errors and omissions are still possible. Any use or misuse of the information contained herein are solely the responsibility of the user, and the author and publisher make no warrantees or claims as to the truth or validity of the information. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book. Furthermore, this book is not intended to give professional dietary, financial, legal, or medical advice.

This book is dedicated to family,
both yours and mine.
May they all be kept safe no matter how
dark the skies.

CONTENTS

When I first set out to write the Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, I had one overarching goal in mind: to help people put together practical, yet effective, disaster preparedness plans. I must confess that I had my doubts as to whether there would be an audience for my commonsense message. Based on other books in print, it seemed that readers were more concerned with the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it (TEOTWAWKI) senarios and werent particularly interested in preparing for the real-world threats that were killing people every day around the world. Thankfully, I was proven wrong.

The first edition of this handbook was hugely successful, receiving praise from internet blogs, park rangers, disaster preparedness consultants, soccer moms, firefighters, emergency management professionals, and real people from every walk of life. It seems that my practical message was one that was sorely missing. Sure, its exciting to think about what would happen if the world suddenly came to a crashing halt due to an unfortunate run in with an asteroid or other such doomsday event, but when push comes to shove, people want to know how to survive things that are actually happening around them.

There is no better example of this than the tragedy that struck Japan in March of 2011. When people around the globe witnessed the devastating effects of the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation release, they starting assessing their own familys readiness, not against asteroids or zombies, but against the real dangers lying in wait all around them. I received hundreds of letters from people concerned about radiation poisoninga very real threat for those close to the event. My first recommendation was to go back and read the first chapter of the handbook, including the waving of hands above ones head while yelling, The sky is falling! This was not the time to panic but rather to think clearly and formulate an effective plan. With that understanding, I then explained how to make sense of radiation levels and offered practical steps to reduce exposure.

At its core, this second edition remains the same compilation of practical steps found in the handbooks original release. It has, however, been corrected and expanded to address shortcomings that readers brought to my attention over this past year. Additions include discussions of long-term food storage options; firearm selection, handling, and carry; national preparedness organizations; our nations coming financial insolvency crisis; and specific preparations for the five deadliest types of natural disasters.

I wrote this book for my own family but am honored to share it with yours. I would ask that if it helps you along your path to preparedness, pass it on to a loved one when finished. Our country desperately needs to grow a community of people ready and able to meet the challenges that we will all inevitably face.

Be safe,