Doomsday DefenseSection
Disaster Scenarios
What to do in specific emergencies: nuclear attack, pandemic, grid-down, civil unrest, war and natural disasters.
Field notes
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Generators, Grills and Carbon Monoxide: The Outage Killer
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.
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Heat Stroke vs. Heat Exhaustion: Know the Difference
Heavy sweating and clammy skin mean heat exhaustion: cool down. Hot red skin, 103°F+ and confusion mean heat stroke: a 911 emergency.
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Nuclear Detonation: Get Inside, Stay Inside, Stay Tuned
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.
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Recognizing and Treating Hypothermia
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
In the library
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Camp Fires and Camp Cooking
An 1862 Army of the Potomac pamphlet teaching Union soldiers to cook rations over camp fires: soups, stews, bread and field ovens.
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The Fireless Cook Book
How to build and use a retained-heat (haybox) cooker, with 250 recipes that cook with a fraction of the fuel (1909).