The other night I came across a great show about what would happen if society falls, called ‘After Armageddon’. It depicts a fictional Los Angeles family trying to survive after a global pandemic kills over a 100 million people in the United States and more across the globe. The story plays out over the narration of experts describing how these events might occur in the real world and what may be necessary for the average person to do to survive. It’s funny, because just recently my daughter mentioned that she couldn’t wait for the zombie apocalypse to happen and that got me to thinking about how people tend to romanticize about post-apocalyptic scenarios, myself included.
After all, the media is filled with stories about the world after ‘The Fall’. I believe I read somewhere that this is result of modern society, people feel the need to be free, to start over again and not be shackled by their jobs or their debt. I for one have to admit that the thought of the free and wild frontier days, the open range and a man living by his wits, hold a powerful allure. However I think we are in for a rude awakening. It is the safety and security that allows us to fantasize about the world without it. We are surrounded by comforts that we are not ever remotely prepared to do without. The world without water, power, law and civilization is a very dangerous one indeed.
Overall, I found the program very interesting and many of the things that the characters thought of and the experts suggested were things that I never thought of. One for instance was an easy way of salvaging gasoline from cars on the side of the rode. Normally you’d think that you would need a hose to siphon the gas from the tank. However, it is far simpler to punch a hole in the vehicles gas tank with a screwdriver, let it pour out into a bucket and then fill what ever gas cans you have with you. The vehicle isn’t likely to be going anywhere, so why waste your time trying to get the gas out?
Another suggestion dealt with where to find water. If you think about it, the average home has several water reserves that we may not immediately consider; the toilet tank for one. They tend to contain at least a gallon of water and since it doesn’t come in contact with the bowl water until the toilet is flushed, it is relatively clean. Water heaters can contain over 50 gallons of water, all of it potable. If you consider that every home has one, and the potential for those homes to be unoccupied is pretty high, that leaves the chance of finding temporary sources of water very good. I’m curious too about how much water is held in the pipes of an average house. If some one were to go into the basement of a two story home and cut the water pipes, how much water would be retained in the pipes to the second floor bathroom, to the garden hose and to the washing machine and dishwasher? Since most water if delivered into homes by water pressure, does that mean in its absence, will the water simply run back out of the home and to its source? Consider THAT for a moment then…how difficult is it to access the main at the street? It’s probably an awful lot of digging, but it might be easier than digging a well…at least for the short term.
The show also discussed what foods would be a good idea to bring on the road with you. Since water is a necessity and is heavy, they suggested bringing along food that was energy dense, such as a jar of peanut butter and crackers. Peanut butter is packed with carbohydrates, essential fats, fiber and nutrients. The crackers have essentially ALL carbohydrates, so they offer quick energy when eaten, plus they are more than likely made with iron enriched flour, have sodium and are trace sources of vitamin B.
I did a little research myself on the edible plants in my local area and I was surprised with what I found. Dandelions offer an amazing amount of nutrients for something considered a weed and so readily destroyed out of hand. I found the following from a quick Wikipedia search on Dandelions:
“Dandelion leaves contain abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamins A, C and K, and are good sources of calcium (0.19% net weight), potassium (0.4% net weight) and fair amounts of iron and manganese, higher than similar leafy greens such as spinach. They contain 15% protein and 73% carbohydrates, 37% of which is fiber (27% of the leaves are fiber). The leaves also contain smaller amounts of over two dozen other nutrients, and are a significant source of beta carotene (0.03% net weight), lutein and zeaxanthin (combined 0.066% net weight), A cup of dandelion leaves contains 112% daily recommendation of vitamin A, 32% of vitamin C, and 535% of vitamin K and 218 mg potassium, 103 mg calcium, and 1.7 mg of iron. Dandelions are also an excellent source of vitamin H, which is proven to aid in weight loss when ingested.”
Dandelions seem to have medicinal properties as well:
Dandelions, flowers, roots and leaves, have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine & medicinal teas, most notably for liver detoxification, as a natural diuretic and for inflammation reduction. Unlike other diuretics, dandelion leaves contain good amounts of potassium, a mineral that is often lost during increased urination. There is also evidence that this property of dandelion leaves may normalize blood sugar.
Dandelion flowers contain luteolin, an antioxidant, and have demonstrated antioxidant properties without cytotoxicity.
Dandelion contains Caffeic acid, as a secondary plant metabolite, which some studies have shown to exhibit anticarcinogenic properties, at low doses but carcinogenic properties at high doses. There have been no known ill effects of caffeic acid in humans.
I found a good list of edible plant that you might find in your back yard here. Click on the link for a more thorough list. As always people should become familiar with the plants before consuming that as many have poisonous look-alikes.
Apparently, Violets are highly edible as well, the flowers and leaves at least. The rhizomes (underground stems) are not to be eaten as they can make you quite ill. They are high in vitamin A & C and have been used in folk medicine for years.
Pine needles can be used to make a tea that is rich in vitamin C and the catkins (the little green buds) can be eaten as well. Also the inner layer of bark can be eaten in a rough spot. Of course, if you can manage to get them, pine nuts are edible too.
I found out about eating clover at camp years ago when a counselor told us how they tasted like citrus. To this day, every now and then I’ll pop one or two in my mouth and am instantly reminded how tart they can be. The flowers can be eaten too. However, if memory serves, clover is the source of warfarin, a potent anti-coagulant, so it's probably not a wise idea to consume clover in mas quantities.
I did a little searching for acorns because in my area they abundant. From what I found out, they are full of tannic acid, which is toxic. However should you be able to leech out the acid, usually by boiling them several times and pouring off the water repeatedly, they apparently are edible. Check the link here.
However dangerous the lack of food or water may be, the biggest danger is other people. They become desperate when things go wrong. As the show mentioned, it took only 4 days for the ‘veneer of society’ to fall away in New Orleans after Katrina and people began looting and preying on one another in the Superdome. This is less of an issue outside of densely populated areas where resources are quickly depleted and people rely on public services. Your best bet for survival is to simply remain unseen. Stay indoors and avoid contact with people. Throw furniture and clothing about your front lawn to give it the appearance that your home has already been ransacked. Without staffing, inmates from mental institutions and prisons will no doubt find a way out. It isn’t unreasonable to expect that criminal organizations and gangs will move to capitalize on the lack of authority, seizing food and resources to gain infulence, security and strength. A person or organization with access to the necessities of life becomes very powerful and desperate people will have no other options than to turn to them to survive.
This is one of the main reasons the suggest it will eventually become necessary to move from a populated area, should things continue to get worse or it becomes apparent that they aren’t going to get better. I began to think about what I would do were I in this situation. I think as most people, I would load up my car and attempt to get as far as possible before gas ran out or it became impossible to get further by car, be it to remain inconspicuous or because the road had become too congested by traffic or derelict cars.
As mentioned above, you would need to bring food with you along with other necessities. The show suggested preparing a bug-out bag or as they called it a G.O.O.D. bag (Get Out Of Dodge). So I began to think about what should be included. The most important thing they mentioned was water, and since it’s heavy, you need to be judicious with what else you bring. Canned goods can be good, so long as you have a can opener or a similar way to open the can. The water the contents are packed in can also be consumed. Canned beans, fruits and vegetables, tuna and other canned meats, unsalted nuts, dried fruit and anything else that will not spoil quickly would be a good choice. Vitamins and any medicines, such as antiseptics, antibiotics and pain-relievers you can carry are probably a good idea, along with bandages, scissors, needle and thread, candles, matches, a map of the area and a compass if you have one, a few tools (screwdrivers and a pair of pliers), some rope and a good knife for everyone. These are just a few items off of the top of my head, but it should be a good starting point. You should probably prepare you bag as soon as you feel that there is a possibility that you may at some point be forced to leave your home. Keep it safe and put away and don’t touch it unless you need to go, otherwise you may use everything up and leave nothing for your trip. It may be a good idea to bring cash and some valuables with you. It’s possible you may need to barter for something you need or use them to save your life.
After that, the fist thing I would do is cut my daughters' hair so they would appear to be boys. It would probably be a good idea to take your time with this and not have it appear as though it was just hacked off. Luckily, the hairstyle now-a-days are messy and shaggy, rather than clean-cut. I would make them wear loose fitting clothing and rub dirt into there faces and instruct them not to talk and if it DID become necessary, to speak in lower tones. It might not be a great ruse, but it may get us by someone not looking too hard.
I think it’s important to keep as low a profile as humanly possible. Defending yourself or your loved ones requires fighting and fights can, and will, be lost. It’s best not to fight at all.
That brings me to the matter of weapons. The first thing you are going to have to understand is that guns are going to be everywhere. From private ownership, illegally obtained guns, or guns taken from fallen police and soldiers or looted from abandoned police stations and barracks, guns are going to be everywhere. Your first thought may be to say, ‘Well, hell, then I’m going to get the biggest one I can find!”. That probably isn’t a very good idea, nor is an assault rifle very practical. If you are by yourself or with your family, you are NOT going to win a fire-fight with a gang of bandits. That isn’t to say you should go unarmed. A pistol or a rifle chambered in a readily available caliber is your safest bet. If fact if you can manage both, mores the better. They can both be used as a last resort for defense, and the rifle can be used for hunting. Another good choice would be a shotgun. It too can be used for both.
A big consideration should be whether the need for defense out weighs the need to remain out of sight. If you should find some manner of civilization, be it another group of people, a small town or a compound, then a more organized defense would be served by a bigger weapon. Until smaller with easy to find ammo is probably better. Even a .22 can be useful for small game and personal defense.
The experts did touch upon a subject that I hadn’t thought of before. It’s possible that you may come across a town or a group of people that, while friendly, may have a very different ideological view as you. The crisis will be a spawning ground for religious fundamentalism and racial bigotry. Many groups of this ilk cultivate an ideology that “the end is coming” and have been preparing for the worse for years. As I stated before, care should be taken with whom you decide to associate. Unfortunately, you WILL need to join a community sooner or later. People, on their own, will likely not last very long.
Joining a community may be difficult. People now-a-days lack many of the practical skills needed by a post-fall community. Very little in the modern business world will prepare you for gardening/farming, blacksmithing, carpentry, canning and preserving food and animal husbandry. You had better be willing to do manual labor and earn your keep if a community is going to take a chance on letting you in.
Well, this post ended up being MUCH longer than I had originally intended. I find the whole idea of having to start from scratch fascinating, so maybe I’ll continue this in another post. Hell, maybe it’ll be a feature!
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