Book Review: The Worst-Case Survival Book for Disaster Preparedness
The Worst-Case Survival Book for Disaster Preparedness is a terrific book written by ordinary people with experience for ordinary people who don’t want to be unprepared when the — um — Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF). A life-threatening event doesn’t have to be as serious as The End Of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI). You can save yourself headaches and heartache if you only do a little prep for inconvenient or urgent short-term events like weather emergencies and power/utility failures that absolutely will happen and affect you at some point. This will tell you how.
Anyone who couldn’t find toilet paper in early 2020 knows that disruptions in the goods and services we normally depend on don’t have to make sense or be caused by anything that affects us directly. You might wonder how after reading the subtitle, but reading this book made me feel optimistic.
The thing I like best is the way all the writers encourage and calm fears that could easily turn into panic, despite the book’s hyperbolic subtitle. Their tone remains reassuring even during discussion of more serious problems like medical emergencies and long-term profoundly disruptive events like EMPs, or catastrophes affecting more than your locality. It’s not about being scared, it’s about being prepared.
It isn’t a complete how-to, but it will get you started. The manual is full of ideas and instructions, some easy-to-do and others more demanding or expensive. There are some for those who want to go fully off-grid for long-term security. And speaking of security, the authors have advice on that subject sprinkled throughout and an entire chapter near the end devoted to ways to stay safe.
Although there are a few items in the suggested supplies lists which I would adjust, I have only point of contention with the preparations suggested in the book: there’s no way that I’d be willing to take my family off-grid for a few months with only five pounds of coffee OR one hundred tea bags, and with only two jars of jam!
I believe that The Worst-Case Survival Book for Disaster Preparedness will help anyone to acquire the needed information for survival and comfort in an emergency. Reading it will also help develop the qualities the authors say are paramount in a disaster situation: awareness; knowledge; flexibility; resilience; and self-confidence.
Thank you to the authors, Small Footprint Press, and BookSprout for the opportunity to read a free advance reader’s copy of this terrific book. I’m writing this positive endorsement without being under obligation to repay their gift. I don’t believe you have to be involved with a political movement to find it sensibly useful. I honestly enjoyed reading it and feel comfortable recommending it.
Cat's Game 