Getting Your Mind Right for Survival: When You are the One Walking Point

Hurricane Sandy left a lot of people without power, food, water, fuel, medicines, and shelter. Many people are still going without -- in the middle of the wealthy NYC area.

Imagine a larger scale disaster where state and municipal emergency response systems were knocked out, and you were left entirely on your own to assure the survival of yourself and those close to you. What would you do?

The success triad below: training, tangibles, and mindset should give you some ideas on where to start.

Success in Emergency Preparedness

Some common preparedness tangibles are:

• Silver
• Ammunition
• Food and water
• Spare gasoline
• Batteries
• Coats, hats, gloves
• Camping gear

Some common preparedness training includes:

• Personal protection
• Gunsmithing
• Food preparation
• Carpentry and home repair
• Small engine repair and maintenance
• Survival
• Orienteering

Some common successful mindset qualities are:

• Aim, Focus
• Perseverance
• Adaptability
• Curious and inquisitive
• Enthusiastic
• Evaluative- scrutinizes his self, choices, etc for continued improvement

_Successful Preparedness Mindset

Here is a look at 15 skills to survive TEOTWAWKI from MD Creekmore:

1. Food Processing – many survival planners overlook food processing in favor of more exciting elements of preparedness. This is a mistake, I think cooking and preparing basic storage foods is one of the most important elements of preparedness .

2. Bulk Food Storage – without sufficient qualities of storage foods our demise is practically guaranteed after a major catastrophe. Storing basic grains and beans isn’t difficult and any dunce can do it properly in a couple of hours with proper instruction.

3. Medical Training – every survivalist should have sufficient medical training. A good start is taking a basic CPR and first aid class, check with your local Red Cross for scheduling. If time and finances allow taking EMT classes would also be a good idea. Don’t overlook herbal medicine, which maybe all we have to work with on an individual level.

4. Gardening – because of space and finances most of us can not put back enough food to last the rest of our lives. We’ll need to replace our storage foods with fresh supplies. Gardening is an excellent way to do this, and is it easy to learn with instruction and practice. It is amazing at the amount of food that can be grown in a small space under proper conditions.

5. Preserving – Most foods spoil rather quickly resulting in loss of quality, edibility and nutritive value – food preservation is an important survival skill . We need to learn to Can, Dry, Freeze, Salt, Smoke, Pickle, Bury, Vacuum Pack, Sugar, Jelly, Pot etc.

6. Hunting – contrary to popular belief all wild game will not disappear after a collapse. Most people would rather stand in a food line waiting for a handout than scour the backwoods looking for game and let’s not forget that the extent of most peoples hunting skills doesn’t go beyond the latest Cabelas video game.

7. Trapping – trapping is more practical under survival conditions than hunting. By setting a trap you can be other places and do other things while the trap does the hunting for you. Learn to set snares, build deadfalls, box traps, fish traps, and the use steel traps. Becoming a proficient trapper is not difficult – all you need to do is get off the couch and learn by doing.

8. Firearms Repair – basic firearms repair (replacement of broken parts) isn’t all that difficult if you have the parts needed when something breaks. There’s no need in learning to repair every make and model of firearm in existence. You do need to have an in-depth understanding of your chosen weapons, how they work and repair methods for each.

9. Self-Defense Skills – the most effective self-defense techniques are also the easiest to master. Striking vulnerable points, biting and eye gouging are simple and effective techniques that can be quickly learned and when applied with aggression can bring down the most determined attacker.

10. Firearms Skills – if you’re new to firearms a basic safety course is necessary before learning defensive skills. Concealed carry permit classes are held in most areas as are hunter education programs – I suggest you participate in both. The National Rifle Association offers a number of classes that are most helpful. As for books and videos I recommend “Tactical Pistol Shooting” and Kelly McCann’s inside the crucible series.

11. Water Purification – another simple skill often overlooked is water acquisition and purification.

12. Using Tools – you should have a survival toolbox of basic tools, such as; hammers, saws, screwdrivers, winches, vice grips, wire cutters, files etc. And the skills needed to put these tools to use.

13. Animal Husbandry – raising animals goes hand-in-hand with gardening, hunting and trapping to provide a continuous source of nourishment during hard times. I highly recommend “Barnyard in your Backyard” this book covers everything you need to know.

14. Home Power – while it may be possible to survive with no electrical power, having some source of current will make life easier. My solar set up was under $600 batteries included and building my homemade generator was under $100.

15. Investing – after getting your survival necessities in order (food, water, meds, shelter, defense) it’s time to start thinking about investing in precious metals, namely gold and silver. Just be sure not to make the mistake of going into debt while investing in these metals. _MDCreekmore

And since "no man is an island," and your chances of surviving an emergency are greater when in the company of other skilled and competent persons, here are some ideas on the topic of finding like-minded persons -- again from MD Creekmore:

Take a look at your situation, family and friends – would they be there for you and each other when the balloon goes up? What are their skills? What do they have to offer? Will they work together?

If the answers to the above questions are negative, than you need to look elsewhere for support. But where do you look. And, perhaps more importantly, how do you do it without drawing attention to yourself or inviting danger into your retreat.

Consider looking into:
Churches with similar religious convictions to your own.
Hunting clubs
Gun clubs
Garden clubs
First Aid & CPR class attendees
Those attending self-defense classes or seminars
I’m sure you can think of other possibilities, but you get the idea.

Starting your own related club, as a ruse to attract like-minded people for an inital “feeling-out” process isn’t out of the question. Even if you don’t find a worthy candidate you’ll at least have gotten off the couch.

I know a former Army ranger who offered free wilderness survival classes as a ruse when building his survival group.

They would spend a weekend out in the woods learning various outdoor survival techniques. While he would secretly evaluate each as a potential member for his survival group.... _More info at: MDCreekmore: Survival Group

List of top 10 best survival guns from SHTFblog

If the stock market crashes, it will be because investors are afraid of a lot more than "the fiscal cliff."

Preparation starts by accumulating the rudimentary elements of survival: food, water, shelter, medical supplies, security, survival skills and a basic reactionary plan. _SurvivalBlog

Think of emergencies related to Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters as short-lived reminders of the bigger ones that are coming down the road. The graft and corruption of modern governments are degrading the ability of official institutions to assist citizens in the event of sustained disasters. The growing inability of government institutions to come to the meaningful aid of citizens makes it all the more important for citizens to know how to help themselves.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.