As I’m writing these words I’m sitting on my porch and the world is slowly going to shit.
Every time I blink it seems there are hundreds of new deaths.
They’re all over the place.
US, Italy, Spain, Iran, Belgium…
It’s now a fact that the world hasn’t been faced with such a cataclysmic event since the World War 2.
It can even be argued that we haven’t seen a pandemic this big since the Spanish Flu, which caused over 30 million deaths in the 14th century.
But do you know how it ended?
The human species survived.
Look, I’m not the person who’ll tell you to start panicking — I look for the silver lining in everything.
As far as Coronavirus goes, the silver lining is that we’ll get to have some hands-on experience with a real pandemic. Since the history repeats itself, we’ll be better prepared for the next one.
Back to my porch…
I made myself a cup of coffee and went outside to get some sunshine. I like to read the news on my laptop.
My wife Bonny let our dog out and, as she started throwing him his frisbee, I noticed just how fat she’s gotten in the last 10 days.
I started wondering why her appetite had a steeper upward curve than the number of coronavirus cases and it came to my mind that it’s not her fault — it’s her DNA doing its thing.
Humans have always been very sensitive to not having food around them. In a way, our entire survival revolves around food.
Our brain needs glucose to work properly, our muscles need protein and our body needs carbs.
But why do we eat more when we’re faced with a cataclysmic event?
I started thinking about it and then researching it.
It turns out it’s hardwired.
Our DNA contains genetic information with previous learned lessons of that genetic chain, and it goes back to prehistoric period. It then uses that information to govern what we do and how we position ourselves in various situations.
Humans have been facing catastrophic scenarios since the birth of time and we developed a mechanism of depositing fat for later when we’re faced with such an event.
We can then use that fat for fuel when we run out of food, which happened quite often in the old days.
And that kids is why Bonnie could go for 20 days without food.
But…
We don’t have to be the victims of our DNA and get stupid fat when faced with danger.
We can do it the smart way.
Strategically.
Because it’s our responsibility to stay cool headed.
So here are my tips on how to survive a pandemic:
#1 Safety gear is paramount
There are several things you need to protect here: your nose, mouth, eyes and hands.
Protecting your mouth, nose and eyes
To be honest, when this whole corona thing started popping up in Europe (I was watching the news, not Trump) I was embarrassed.
I have a survival blog and I don’t own a single face mask.
Well, I immediately started researching which face mask to get and ran into a field of different opinions — you’ve probably been there yourself so you know what I’m talking about.
Long story short, surgical mask is better than no mask.
What’s better than surgical mask? A mask that has a filter with activated charcoal in it, like an N95 face mask. This is a disposable solution so one will last you for just several hours of breathing.
A step up from the N95 face mask would be a P100 respirator face mask.
And the ultimate solution is a full face respirator mask which will set you back around $100-$120 — that will get you through World War Z as far as I’m concerned.
When it comes to your eyes, you can use skiing goggles and then disinfect them thoroughly with hydrogen peroxide every time you come home. Use hydrogen peroxide because it will destroy any pathogens without burning your eyes the next time you wear the mask.
Protecting your hands
Simple rubber gloves will do just fine. Get several boxes and throw them away every time you’re exposed to a pathogen.
#2 Stock up on strategic foods
Hunters and farmers are the ultimate masters of self-sufficiency. One elk and some potato can feed the whole family for several months. But I’ll get to that later.
For those of you who did not spend their whole lives preparing for a pandemic, it’s all about smart grocery shopping.
Here’s my list of strategic foods to buy:
- Oats and rye flakes — very filling, very cheap, packed with life-giving nutrients
- Potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Corn
- Sardines — low on mercury, full of Omega 3’s, can be stored indefinitely. Tuna is an alternative.
- Canned beans, chickpeas and various lentils
- Pasta
- Tomato sauce
- Smoked meat — beef jerky. Get a bunch of it, it’s awesome.
- Lard — you’ll need this for making pemmican, a super-food I’ll teach you how to make later on in the article.
The reason I’m not buying flour right now is because I’d get trampled. Do not follow the masses when faced with a catastrophe.
#3 If you have a house, grow your own vegetables
This is pretty much self explanatory.
Gets some huge pots and some seeds and start growing.
Plants that are easy to grow are tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and potatoes. If you can get your hands on some organic fertilizer, your plants will be even tastier.
To make your plants even beefier and amp the taste up, sprinkle some calcium on top of the soil.
#4 Use a good water filtering device
If you don’t live next to a mountain creek, you’re gonna need a way to filter your own water. You don’t want to be a part of the Flint scenario, don’t you?
I use a device called Big Berkey which pretty much filters every known pathogen or a toxic substance from your water. This makes your water 99.999% safe which is far more than anything else.
In addition, Big Berkey also filters out BPA, heavy metals, parasites, fluorides, herbicides and many other things.
You can also stock up on Life Straw bottles or make your own water filtering device.
They all work in the same way: dirty water flows through a filtering mechanism and out comes the clean water.
DIY filters are made of several strategically positioned layers: first layer from the bottom up is activated charcoal, then sand and then finally some gravel.
#5 Use 70% alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect everything
Disinfecting is extremely important.
As it turns out, both 70% alcohol and hydrogen peroxide kick some virus ass. They disassemble the membrane of the virus, leaving it completely harmless.
When disinfecting, pay close attention to floors, door handles, metal surfaces and the soles of your feet which I recommend you to clean every time you come home.
Also, UV rays and high temperatures kill viruses and bacteria so if you live in a sunny state you can disinfect stuff by leaving it in the sun for 2-3 hours.
If not, you can throw those boots where the sun does not shine.
#6 Limit reading the news to once a day
This is more psychological but surviving a pandemic is a mind game as well. You realize how big when you have to stay at home for 3 weeks.
Getting your daily digest is important but don’t overdo it.
What I see frequently these days is people glued to their TVs, watching every single press conference, every news channels, absorbing million bits of information without even realizing the harm they are doing to themselves.
So, in the morning, read your news go over what you have to and then go about your day.
You’ll be better off.
#7 Think of a new hobby (or work on an existing one)
Ever thought about learning how to shoot a bow in your backyard? Now is the right time.
Get yourself a cheap crossbow, arrows and a couple of practice targets and start shooting.
Don’t have a target? Take your axe and go make one.
Ever though about learning how to play the guitar? Now is the right time.
Get yourself a cheap Yamaha F310, and go watch some lessons on YouTube. Learn the basic chord shapes and start callusing your fingers.
You get my point?
When you’re stuck at home your best bet at staying clear headed is having stuff to do. Find one.
#8 Hunt and gather if faced with a complete lock-down
I’m a hunter so this is a no-brainer for me: being alone in the forest is as safe as you’ll ever be in a pandemic.
Hunting is not easy. It takes years to master and you generally never master it. I used to shoot bow and arrow but now I moved over to crossbows. 9 out of 10 times when I go out I come home empty handed.
Well, except for some berries and mushrooms.
However, that one time you might catch a big elk. And that elk is food on your plate.
Gathering is also an option. You can gather berries, various roots, herbs, etc.
Pick up a copy of The Community Food Forest Handbook which teaches you visually which food you can gather in your local forest.
#9 Get to know your mushrooms
Mushrooms are a power food, no question about it. Mushroom hunting, however, is as tedious as the other forms of hunting.
In my article on the morel mushrooms, I went into detail on how to find these babies in your local forest. They are difficult to track down but delicious.
Not all mushrooms are difficult to find. One f***d up thing about fungi is that there are many poisonous species, so it’s recommended to only pick the ones you know 100%.
In my experience, the easiest edible mushrooms to find are the cauliflower mushrooms, which…well, they look like a cauliflower.
I strongly recommend you read this article on mushrooms, it helped me a lot when I was getting to know my mushrooms.
Also, I suggest you get a copy of The Complete Mushroom Hunter — it’s one of the best books on mushroom foraging.
#10 Learn how to make pemmican
This is my pick for the #1 survival super food.
Native Americans know how to live with the nature.
Pemmican is a food that can take you through the worst situations known to man and give you abs while you do it.
It’s a food that consists of some type of dry lean meat (elk, cariboo), dry fruit (blueberries for example) and some type of fat.
You then mix that that up and make little turd-like patties.
The best thing about pemmican is that it can last for YEARS without spoiling. Listen to me — YEARS.
Here’s how to make pemmican:
- Dry blueberries by baking them on parchment paper for 3 hours at 225 degrees.
- Buy lean dried meat at the grocery store or dry your own meat by cutting it into thin strips and then baking it in an oven at 200 degrees until it’s totally dry.
- Throw both into a food processor and pulse until they are mixed
- Melt the lard until it’s liquid and mix it with meat and fruit using a spatula
- Form little survival burgers, just like the image above
You can store pemmicans in air-tight containers or in a fridge. Phew.
BONUS section: Self-protection
I’m a big fan of the Second Amendment.
I don’t want to sound paranoid here, but you never know how long the pandemic will last. Depending on that and the amount of supplies in circulation, some people might go completely mad and start robbing and stealing.
Therefore, a basic level of self protection is mandatory.
I’ll divide this section into perimeter surveillance, close quarter combat and personal protection firearms.
When it comes to perimeter surveillance I have a hardwired infrared camera system I bought on Amazon, the reason being is I want to see what’s going on outside when it’s dark. It’s easy to set up and all the camera feeds go into a hard disk drive you get in the box.
Actually, my drone is also equipped with a night cam.
When it comes to close quarter combat, now would be the right time to learn some judo/brazilian jiu jitsu. I’ve grappled in my youth, so I know how to kill a man with my bare hands if need be.
I suggest you take a look at one of the courses available on Gallerr.
Personal protection — you’ll want two weapons: a 9mm handgun and a hunting rifle (it’ll make hunting easier).
My choice for the handgun is Glock 17, it hold 17 rounds and has plenty of stopping power. If you want something more deadly, go for the .45 ACP — I recommend Sig Sauer P320.
Hunting rifles — they usually hold less rounds but are more accurate long range which is just what you need. I can only recommend the one hunting rifle I own, the Remington model 7600.
I’m wrapping up this article and the sun is setting down slowly.
Knowing that it’ll come up again tomorrow brings me nothing but positive energy.
I know that we will too.