Doomsday DefenseField notes
Each field note covers one thing you need to know, in a few minutes of reading, with its sources listed. Notes marked Critical are life-safety basics.
- Building a Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
FEMA's core kit: water, food, radio, flashlight, first aid, batteries, whistle, mask, plastic sheeting and tape, tools, maps and a charged phone.
- Disinfecting Water with Household Bleach Critical
8 drops of plain 5–9% bleach per gallon of clear water, stir, wait 30 minutes. Double it for cloudy or very cold water. The CDC table and the rules.
- How Much Water to Store for an Emergency
At least one gallon per person per day for several days, more for children, nursing mothers, the sick and hot weather. Containers and rotation.
- How to Boil Water to Make It Safe to Drink Critical
Boiling is the most reliable way to kill germs in water. Bring clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet.
- Water Filters and Purification Tablets: What They Miss
Portable filters don't stop viruses, and iodine or chlorine tablets don't kill Cryptosporidium. How to combine methods so your water is actually safe.
- Haybox Cooking: Retained-Heat Cooking That Saves Fuel
Boil a pot, then seal it in an insulated box and let stored heat finish the cooking over hours. Cuts fuel use dramatically when fuel is scarce.
- Home Canning Safety: The Botulism Rules You Can't Break Critical
Low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, fish) must be pressure-canned. Follow tested USDA times, and when in doubt, throw it out. Botulism kills.
- The Food Danger Zone: 40°F to 140°F
Bacteria multiply fast between 40°F and 140°F. Never leave perishable food out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. It matters most when the power is out.
- How to Build a Fire That Actually Lights
Fires fail for lack of small fuel, not big logs. Gather tinder, pencil-thin kindling and split dry wood first, then build up from the smallest pieces.
- Six Knots Worth Learning First
Square knot, sheet bend, clove hitch, two half-hitches, timber hitch and bowline cover most survival jobs: joining, tying off, hauling and fixed loops.
- Frostbite: Signs and First Aid
Redness or pain, then white or grayish-yellow, firm or waxy, numb skin. Rewarm in warm (not hot) water, and never rub it or use direct heat.
- Heat Stroke vs. Heat Exhaustion: Know the Difference Critical
Heavy sweating and clammy skin mean heat exhaustion: cool down. Hot red skin, 103°F+ and confusion mean heat stroke: a 911 emergency.
- Recognizing and Treating Hypothermia Critical
Shivering, confusion, fumbling hands and slurred speech mean the body is losing heat faster than it makes it. It can happen above 40°F if you're wet.
- Snakebite First Aid: What to Do and What Not to Do Critical
Get to antivenom fast, keep the bite still and clean, and mark the swelling. No tourniquet, no cutting, no sucking, no ice. The old methods hurt.
- Stopping Severe Bleeding: Pressure, Packing, Tourniquet Critical
A person can bleed to death in minutes. Firm direct pressure, packing deep wounds, and a tourniquet 2–3 inches above a limb wound save lives.
- FRS and GMRS Radios: Talking When Cell Networks Fail
FRS walkie-talkies need no license; GMRS radios share the channels but allow more power and repeaters, with an FCC license. Plus NOAA weather radio.
- Lost? STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan Critical
The moment you realize you're lost, stop moving. Think, observe and plan. Staying put and making yourself visible usually gets you found faster.
- The Four Rules of Firearm Safety Critical
Treat every weapon as loaded. Never point it at anything you won't shoot. Finger off the trigger. Keep it on safe until you intend to fire.
- Generators, Grills and Carbon Monoxide: The Outage Killer Critical
Run generators outside, 20+ feet from doors, windows and vents. Never use generators, grills or camp heaters indoors. CO can kill people in their sleep.
- Nuclear Detonation: Get Inside, Stay Inside, Stay Tuned Critical
After a nuclear blast you may have 10+ minutes before fallout arrives. Get deep inside a building, stay at least 24 hours, and listen for instructions.
- Potassium Iodide (KI): What It Does and Doesn't Do
KI protects only the thyroid, and only from radioactive iodine. It won't help much after a nuclear bomb. Take it only when officials tell you to.
- Radiation Decontamination: Clothing Off, Then Wash
Taking off your outer layer of clothing can remove up to 90% of radioactive material. Then shower with soap, or wipe exposed skin and hair.