The Green Beret Survival Guide for the Apocalypse, Zombies & Lesser Disasters
By Bob Mayer
This book will save your life and the lives of those you love.
Chapter Three The Five Key Elements for Survival
We take most of these for granted, and one of them we rarely think about, but take time now to consider how important the following five elements are for a human being to survive:
Water
Food
Fire
Shelter
First Aid
Water We’re used to turning on the tap to get drinkable water. While many people focus on the power going out, of more essence to survival is the loss of potable water. How much drinkable water do you have on hand? Do you have a natural source of water within reasonable distance of where you live? Is the water drinkable? Can you make it drinkable? How much water do you think you need per day to stay alive? Even in cold situations, you need at least 2 liters (a half gallon) of water a day to maintain functionality. In hot environments, that number increases as you lose water through perspiration.
Over three-quarters of your body is composed of fluid.
Perspiration is not the only way you lose water. We actually lose more water just by breathing. And you really can’t stop that loss. We lose around 2 to 4 cups of water a day by exhaling. We lose about 2 cups via perspiration. We lose ½ to a cup just from the soles of our feet. We lose six cups via urination. When you add that up (and it wasn’t easy converting all that) I get that you lose a little more than two liters depending on the weather and your activity level. So use the 2 liter/half gallon as your base level. I’d recommend a gallon a day to give yourself some back up. A five percent drop in body fluid will cause a 25% drop in energy level. A 15% drop will cause death. Even in day-to-day living, it is estimated that 80% of people are
fatigued simply because they are chronically dehydrated. In the section under Water, we will go into water procurement from natural sources, but here are the immediate keys you need to know: 1. For planning purposes, use a minimum one-half gallon per person per day. This is for consumption, not other uses. How much potable water do you have stored in your house? How many people? How many days will it last? FEMA recommends having at least a two-week supply. I recommend a month at a gallon per person, per day. Do that math (which is so much easier at one gallon). Most of your bottled water is half a liter (500ml). Thus you would need: 4 liters per person, per day (8 bottles). Get the water. 2. For rationing purposes, use that same figure. 3. Add another half gallon of water per person for things such as cleaning, brushing teeth, etc. This isn’t essential, but for mild situations useful. Do not use drinking water for these reasons if the disaster is moderate or extreme. 4. Your water in your house is ultimately dependent on electricity. While you may have had running water during the last local blackout, a major blackout will shut down the water processing and pumping stations. If you have a well, the pump runs off electricity. Did you see how the father in The Road immediately turned on the water in the bathtub as soon as he realized they had an emergency? It was both a sign of futility and hope. 5. Do you have pets? Add in water for them, but in moderate or extreme, let them forage for water. 6. Quite a bit of the food you will have stored will require water. That’s why you think the recommended gallon a day seems high. We’re factoring that in. 7. You have water already stored in your house in places you might not automatically think of: a) Your hot water heater contains a considerable amount. There is a drain at the bottom. Make sure you have something to collect the water in, then open the drain, then open a faucet to complete the water circuit. (Make sure, if not already off, that you turn off the gas/power to the heater before working on it. If the power/gas is already off and comes on, make sure you
immediately refill the heater or else it can overheat.) b) The water pipes in your house can be drained of the water in them. c) Your toilet tank (not the toilet bowl) contains fresh water. Get over it, and use it. d) A swimming pool or hot tub contains non-potable water you can use for washing, not drinking. e) Water beds have, well, water in them. Does anyone still have one of those? 8. While bottled water is good, there are also commercially sold larger containers for storing water. Make sure you know how long you can store water in them safely, before refreshing the supply. 9. We’ll cover this later, but you should carry water in your car. Store at least two gallons of bottled water (8 bottles) somewhere inside your vehicle. Have two bottles within arms reach of the drivers seat in case you are trapped. 10. Learn your local area (we’ll cover in the Area Study). Do you have a natural source of clean water within walking distance? If not clean, can you purify it?
End of Excerpt
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About the Author
West Point Graduate, former Green Beret and NY Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has had over 50 books published. He has sold over five million books, and is in demand as a team-building, life-changing, and leadership speaker and consultant for his Who Dares Wins concept. He's been on bestseller lists in thriller, science fiction, suspense, action, war, historical fiction and is the only male author on the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll. Born in the Bronx, Bob attended West Point and earned a BA in psychology with honors and then served as an Infantry platoon leader, a battalion scout platoon leader, and a brigade recon platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division. He joined Special Forces and commanded a Green Beret A Team. He served as the operations officer for 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and with Special Operations Command (Special Projects) in Hawaii. Later he taught at the Special Forces Qualification Course at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, the course which trains new Green Berets. He lived in Korea where he earned a Black Belt in Martial Arts. He's earned a Masters Degree in Education. His books have hit the NY Times, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and numerous other bestseller lists. His book The Jefferson Allegiance, was released independently and reached #2 overall in sales on Nook. Bob Mayer grew up in the Bronx. After high school, he entered West Point where he learned about the history of our military and our country. During his four years at the Academy and later in the Infantry, Mayer questioned the idea of "mission over men." When he volunteered and passed selection for the Special Forces as a Green Beret, he felt more at ease where the men were more important than the mission. Mayer's obsession with mythology and his vast knowledge of the military and Special Forces, mixed with his strong desire to learn from history, is the foundation for his science fiction series Atlantis, Area 51 and Psychic Warrior. Mayer is a master at blending elements of truth into all of his thrillers, leaving the reader questioning what is real and what isn't. He took this same passion and created thrillers based in fact and riddled with
possibilities. His unique background in the Special Forces gives the reader a sense of authenticity and creates a reality that makes the reader wonder where fact ends and fiction begins. In his historical fiction novels, Mayer blends actual events with fictional characters. He doesn't change history, but instead changes how history came into being. Mayer's military background, coupled with his deep desire to understand the past and how it affects our future, gives his writing a rich flavor not to be missed. Bob has presented for over a thousand organizations both in the United States and internationally, including keynote presentations, all day workshops, and multi-day seminars. He has taught organizations ranging from Maui Writers, to Whidbey Island Writers, to San Diego State University, to the University of Georgia, to the Romance Writers of America National Convention, to Boston SWAT, the CIA, Fortune-500, the Royal Danish Navy Frogman Corps, Microsoft, Rotary, IT Teams in Silicon Valley and many others. He has also served as a Visiting Writer for NILA MFA program in Creative Writing. He has done interviews for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, PBS, NPR, the Discovery Channel, the SyFy channel and local cable shows. For more information see http://bobmayer.org and http://coolgus.com.
Copyright Š 2012 by Bob Mayer
http://coolgus.com All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever without permission.
Disclaimer: Neither the publisher or author accept responsibility for any loss, injury, or damage caused as a result of techniques presented in this book; nor for any prosecutions or proceeding instigated against any person or organization resulting from use of these techniques. The reader must use their own good judgment in using the information presented. This book is sold without any warranties or guaranties of any kind, and the author and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for personal injury, property damage, or any other loss or damage, however caused, relating to the information in this book. If I don’t cover something in this book feel free to drop me an email at Survival@CoolGus.com. In fact, if you have any comments, suggestions, a better way of doing things, etc. about the material presented here, feel free to drop me a line.
eISBN: 9781621250463 Print ISBN: 9781621250470