We were sent a review copy of “Surviving A Disaster – Evacuation Strategies And Emergency Kits for Staying Alive”. This slim paperback (just 57 pages) is a basic overview and introduction to Getting Out Of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) It was written by Tony Nester, a wilderness survival teacher in Arizona. Nester has also written the books “Practical Survival” and “Desert Survival”.
The book covers Bug Out Bags (BOBs), basic first aid kits, home evacuation gear, water, food, and so forth. It is mainly written about preparedness for evacuation in the case of a short-term natural or man-made disaster, not TEOTWAWKI. However, it does cover ‘minor’ disasters fairly well.
Positives:
- It is a basic look at preparedness, that your sheeple brother-in-law and co-workers could understand.
- Also, the author speaks about preparedness very rationally, not sounding like a paranoid whacko.
- He includes extensive lists of everything you might need to pack in your BOB.
- He presents ideas on how to organize your gear. (Particularly, having a layered system. For example, if the road is impassable, you will be ready to leave the car and go on foot.)
Negatives:
- The book is aimed at new and non-survivalists. It doesn’t go into extreme detail.
- There isn’t much here that is really new ideas.
- If you are already well prepared, you probably won’t need it.
If you’ve been prepared for a decade or more, then you probably don’t need this book. However, if you are new to preparedness, or have friends and relatives that are unprepared, this might be a good starter. It does not have that intimidating ‘survivalist’ look, and starts with the basics.