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There is at least one book here that you would give anything to have used beforehand, having a disaster, any disaster. That doesn't mean that you should not learn from them before the next disaster. There will likely be another disaster in your future, plan on it.
The problem is that people do not want to think about the problems beforehand, or they will do it tomorrow, or they honestly believe that it only happens to someone else, somewhere else. Please note that I define books as Tools, and How To Books are especially unique as tools to accomplish a task. Another good example is a Cookbook, and there's one of those in here, too.
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Survival By Disaster Preparedness
This is the Disaster Preparedness Series Page. It is an annotated directory linking to each book's detail page. There, you will find a book description, ordering information for all editions of that book, Table of Contents, and excerpts from that book.
What's New?
Ebooks
Most of the books in this Series are now available as Ebooks, and exact reproduction of the printed edition in Adobe, PDF format - available to all. It is a way to expand your personal library at minimum cost.
A new book:
Surviving The Peak Oil - Life After The Oil Crash, Notes From A Survivor.
by Ralph W. Ritchie
Scroll down to read a short description or link to the book's page.
Key To Disaster Preparedness - Why Prepare?
Look at the Southeast, all the way up the East coast. Four hurricanes did not happen to someone else in 2005. Take your pick: Earthquakes in the West; Hurricanes in the East; Tornadoes in the middle; Floods and fires anywhere. If that doesn't jar you, think about Katrina and New Orleans, and that wasn't a surprise disaster, but how many people were prepared? You cannot depend upon Uncle Sugar for everything; it boils down to ON YOUR OWN.
Think about that when you are standing in a line for a bottle of water or a blanket, and, oh, they just ran out of MRE's. Have to wait for the next truck..
Are these books any good? We are the proof. We are survivors and what we did to make it this far, over 75 years at this writing, including our 60 years together, is found in the books. All of our books are written from personal experience.
Each book describes a unique situation: country folk have different problems than city and suburban folk.
Small businesses not only have to survive, but recover from the loss, maintain, and continue doing business. A disaster plan is a must.
Churches have been tested both as a refuge and as victims. Preparedness is critical in either case. Since evacuations are more likely to be taken seriously after Katrina, Churches will likely have an ongoing role.
Schools have a serious responsibility to parents and tax payers: If they do not do it right YOU will have to buy those schools all over again. Consider what lack of preparedness could do to all those kids. Think about it.
Disaster Stress Trauma is the common denominator in all disasters, both for those who are directly affected and for those who are on the sidelines watching the whole thing.
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This is a universal book: any disaster, and anyone connected to the disaster, even remotely, will suffer some amount of disaster stress trauma as a result . Consider Katrina and New Orleans; if that didn't affect you, then you were unconscious. ( or without consiceince ).The problem is that people do not want to face the Trauma problem even though everyone needs this book.
Here is a book, written in Lay terms so everybody could understand it. The subject of trauma stress is presented first as a story and then symptoms and treatment discussion follows after you understand the problem.
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The printed, bound edition ; the Ebook is still for sale. After almost a year of giving away this book free to help Katrina victims,
the offer expired July 1, 2006.
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There is at least one reason why you should seriously heed the message in this book.
First, we are not running out of fossil fuel. We are using more then we can produce and now we must compete with the rest of the world for the remaining oil. That is a battle we will lose: Enough countries in the world have funds with which to bid for the oil and win, while we as a debtor Nation will be shut out.
The result will be a radical change in our livig style - in our culture as we adjust to a style with minimum transportation. When one considers how dependent we are on transportation, its loss would affect everything. We will have to adjust to SURVIVE.
This book was written to help you survive. First by knowing what is coming. Second, by being able to adjust to a new way of living over some period of time rather than getting it all at once as in a cold shower.
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are linked to each book's page.
All Four of the main Disaster Preparedness books have the same cover background
To order these books, go to the detail page for each book .
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After rescue and support for the cities has happened, rescuers begin to look out in the country to help those people. It means that you are On your own. Plan on two weeks for your emergency survival supplies. Power restoration could take even longer, however that affects your survival.
How is it different From an Urban/Suburban book? They don't have animals and pastures, and farmyard animals and birds. The don't have to worry about feed supplies and schedules ( commonly called "chores". Neither do they need a supply of water above ground to fight a fire or for animals. Neither would they have to deal with dead bodies until official help arrived. There are lots of differences.
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Water will be your most urgent need: for yourselves, your animals, and the garden. That's why water is the first topic in our E-zine, ON YOUR OWN. We originally wrote this book for our country neighbors. Their preparedness would make our life much easier in disaster times if they knew what they were doing.
Better look into this book for your Country Living Survival.
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Many more people live in the urban/suburban setting, and that is the problem. More people are affected in a disaster and more of everything is urgently needed to help them.
Emergency services are likely overloaded, if you can even call them. It is time to know how to survive ON YOU OWN. The guy in the next apartment or next door may be your rescue team. |
People living in the city have a different set of problems; the Chapter topics remain the same, but the content is completely different.
Suburban dwellers are included here because they share common problem solutions. Besides, most suburbanites spend part of their day in the city.
The key in suburbia is tract construction: If there is a structural weakness, many houses will fail the same way.
The second problem is locating tracts on flood plains because minimum plot grading makes it cheaper to build there. Where are the geologic faults? Is that nice, flat land a flood plain? Lots of questions to ask before home selection and buying.
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"Oh, I don't have kids in school, so the schools are no longer my problem" - or words to that effect. OH? Take a look at your property tax bill. Schools are the largest portion of your taxes. If you are renting, the taxes are hidden in your rental fee, but you pay them.
If the elected School Board or the CEO ( School Superintendent) doesn't do it right, you could have to buy those schools all over again. Parents: Take heed and consider your children, too.
Schools are everybody's problem. Here are some of the answers. |
Small school districts are mostly neglected in the literature. Here is a Disaster Plan Framework on which to build your plan. The damage mode for libraries, offices, hallways, classrooms, stairways, are special problems.
Okay, taxpayers, even if you don?t have children in school, a major part of your tax bill goes to schools. If they do not do it right, or their planning is inadequate, you may have to buy those school facilities all over again. This book can serve as a check list to make sure they have at least covered all the bases. Do YOUR homework now, or perhaps you may have to pay for it later. This is a problem for all taxpayers and parents, no matter where you live and no matter whether you have kids in school or not.
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If you have less than 10 employees, you are exempt from disaster planning, except for two reasons: The courts are holding managers and owners liable for disaster inflicted damages and injuries, no matter how few are involved. Second, what are the chances of business survival if you don?t have a plan to continue your business after an emergency?
The Disaster Plan Framework that is included may save you many planning hours and includes many factors you most likely have overlooked.
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Small Business owners think they don't need a disaster plan because the government exempts them if they have less than ten employees. The courts think otherwise. You need to have a plan with a paper trail that you can use as self-protection. We wrote a framework to shorten yourplanning time and cover most of the bases.
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How to plan for a church? In some ways a church has the framework of a business, but a church is more than that. A church is its people. No matter what the structure, or the signs in front, without its people it has no heart. With this in mind, much of the book deals with the people and their needs in disaster times. |
Disaster Preparedness For A Church
The preparedness presented herein is not a new innovation. How much of it is planned out, rather than being based solely upon the past experiences of some older members of a congregation? Prior planning is important, whatever its source.
A local disaster may call into service most public buildings: schools, auditoriums, and the like. Availability would depend upon the nature and extent of the disaster. It would also depend upon how many of the public buildings were still standing.
Never mind whether your church is occupied after a disaster. If it is needed, the government ( police ) has the right to commandeer whatever they think would serve their needs in times of emergency.
By definition, a building, unoccupied or without anyone there with authority could be considered as abandoned, according to their needs. Most likely, they would not likely expect to reimburse the owners for any damage or destruction resulting from such use.
While we are on definitions, if the Police do it, it is called forced entry; if someone else does it, it is called a break-in or burglary.
It would be good to have someone there to look after the interests of the owner-members. That person should have both the authority ( written) and ability, through the instrument of a written plan, to act. There should be no argument with the authorities if such steps had been taken, if the authorities knew of it beforehand.
Here is the Framework of a Plan, to be modified according to the desires of the member-owners. The mere existence of such a Plan is protection in itself.
This book covers several aspects of the emergency situation.
Protecting the premises.
Cooperating with emergency services, namely government agencies.
Making best use of the church with minimal damage to the furnishings and contents.
Describing various disaster scenarios so one has an idea of what to expect.
Providing a Disaster Plan framework.
Layout of an optimal help program.
Recovery after a disaster.
The time may come when such preparations are required, either by government edict, or perhaps as a requirement for insurance coverage.
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If a backout or disaster strikes your kitchen and everybody yells, "I'm hungry !"
Power Out? Nothing in the kitchen works without power - bad news. Get out the camp stove and fix a hurry-up meal for the family. Disaster? Same procedure, only outside-just like camping.
A disaster changes the rules. You can run out of propane bottles and quick-fix foods. You may also need to fix more food than the little stove can handle. What to do? Here it is, from tools to cooking, along with selection and recipies. Don't forget about water. What about food preservfation? You may need this book. |
A Power failure, such as a major portion of the East Coast recently experienced, can leave you with a mostly non-functional kitchen. Natural disasters can do it even better and leave you without any kitchen at all.
Eating and cooking must go on, no matter what. Here is a book that gives you basic HOW TO ways of putting food on the table, even if your table is gone.
Foods to have, spoilage and preservation, a basic soup pot, simple recipes, heating while eating, cooking without a stove. All of these factors are covered.
Time to plan ahead. Oh? You have? Here are the ways to prepare those storage foods in bright, shiny cans.
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In a disaster situation, you may have to wait too long for official assistance. Your child or wife may be pinned under the rubble that was your house. How do you lift a beam or mass of rubble from them? In the movies they show the hero grab a beam and lift it. That is the dumbest stunt imaginable. Haven?t any movie people ever HEARD of a lever? You know it?s fake because the hero does not grab for his strained back afterward. Learn how to do it right.
Moving heavy or bulky things around the house deserves special consideration if you are to avoid mishaps. Learn how to do it right.
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When I wrote this for the artists in our studio, I had no idea of how universal its application would become.
All Aspects of heavy moving need to be considered BEFORE you do anything. That's why I wrote the book. It includes simple illustrations of the tools for moving so you know what you are looking for.
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Here is a book that assembles all of the ways we found, through experience, to cope with power outages, brown-outs and other energy failures, including rising costs. Here are some questions, assuming power failure. We happened to have lived in an area of unreliable power for twenty years, and for most of that time our power failed at least once a month. We had plenty of time to learn to cope with power failures. You can benefit from our experience. |
This is one of those multipurpose books that applies to many situations. Face it, from now on we will deal with energy problems and disasters only make them more urgent.
The Grid is designed to protect itself. Whenever a component, even an entire city, in the system fails, the Grid disconnects it to preserve the rest of the system. If too many parts fail, chaos results. Witness the recent East Coast power failure. The Grid network for the entire country is thirty years old and needs updating and expansion if only to handle population increases. Until this happens, plan on an increasing series of blackouts.
The Report on the East Coast Grid Power Failure states that the system performed pretty much how it was designed, except too many parts failed and there certainly was chaos. The bad news is that the Grid is reaching its limit and these failures are likely to be repeated. Two reasons are cited: Population growth and Grid capacity limitations.
Now, on the East Coast, Tropical Stoprm Ernesto caused 400,000 people to suffer a blackout. All of them could have had an easier time with this book.
How do you keep warm?
How do you keep cool?
How do you fix meals?
How do you Preserve food?
What are your lighting options? Burglars and Thieves like the dark.
How do you keep food from spoiling?
How do you keep warm in a deep freeze?
Solar Energy is one solution for emergency power
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Why an emergency solar power system? First, you never run out of gasoline. Seeing as how most communities only allow 5 gallons of gas storage on a residential property, how long will the gas last in your generator?
Second. Since the sun shines most days, use that solar electricity every day. Our office, and computer, are fully powered by the Solar electricity. In a blackout, wecan run the wood pellet stove, a refrigerator, the well pump and have a few lights on in the house. The TV will work also, but why?
It is also quiet, and the price of electricity is fixed when you buy your system- no inlfation on that power.
Emergency solar electricity is a good way to go.
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We undertook to design and build an Emergency Solar Power source cost and capability-competitive with a motor-generator of the same size. We did not count on the many advantages we encountered in addition. This is a basic How To Do It book.
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After several years of gaining experience withthe system above, we wrote this book to show applications, maintenance, troubleshooting, and operation of the system.
Since batteries play a critical part in the system, they are presented in detail in this book.
The book is applicable to any solar electric system. |
This book describes the applications and maintenance of the system described above. It is applicable to any solar power system although it was written specifically for the one described in volume 1. Batteries and their upkeep are a primary topic.
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Energy Sources
Let?s consider how much of our lives depend upon energy and where that energy comes from? That is what these books are all about. We have a new buzz-word: Peak Oil. It classifies as both an energy term and a disaster term. Now is the time to learn about Peak Oil. Everything in our culture that uses energy will be influenced by Peak Oil. Our Blog is a beginning:
http://onyourownfordisasters.blogspot.com/
Energy Costs
High energy costs may well be the coming disaster event, if it happens before we run out of pure water or food sources. .Since Heating is a critical matter after a disaster, during power failures, and even in ordinary times, the two books on Wood Heating deserve mention. All About Wood: As A Fuel, Heating, Stoves and Wood Pellet Handbook may solve your heating problems. Of course, heating is a major subject in all of the Series Books. No, I haven't forgotten about the electricity that both of these stoves, including most wood stoves, require to operate.
These books describe a lifetime pursuit of conserving energy. Three books in that Series describe applying Solar Energy at home, and two of these books describe an emergency power system alternative for a motor-generator type and it is cost-competitive, too.
As far as available food for emergencies, you cannot do much better than discovering the 3000 plants identified in the Incredible Edible Series.
Our E-zine, ON YOUR OWN, is devoted to providing important information about disaster preparedness.
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For a thousand years, Islamic priests have preached hatred of non-believers. It has come to a boil but the anticedents are not new.
We need to know as much as we can about terrorism and a CD book was the only sensible way to collect the information. It contains approximately 600 pages. |
As if natural disasters were not enough, we have been confronted with the reality of Terrorism.
What is it?
How does it affect me?
What can I do?
What is the government doing?
What is the rest of the world doing?
What protective steps can I take for my family?
What literature is available? To save you time, eight of the books from various government agencies are available to reprint from this CD.
Ignorance is the greatest problem. I started out by adding a Terrorism Preface to the Series books, Then an Appendix, and finally researching to add a Chapter, but the amount of material I felt necessary to include was overwhelming: enough to cover 800 pages!
With that much information to wade through, the only reasonable answer was a CD with our trademarked Auto-Index. You will never be able to open a book and point to a topic in the Index and have it appear before your eyes by any other means. Neither can you search the entire book for a word or phrase. Are glasses bothering you? Just enlarge the page and keep reading. An electronic book CD, is the way to go.
Check it out and learn about a new threat, new to us, that isn't going to go away. As with all of the disaster Series, this is URGENT information that you need to know.
Survival Eating At Home Or In The Wilderness
The entire Incredible Edibles Series is applicable to Disaster Preparedness. Read about how to identify, sources, propagation, and prepare some 3000 edible plants as food in the five books of the Series.
To order these books, go to the detail page for each book by clicking on the linked titles. Excerpts from each book are linked to the book's page.
In time, all of the books will be available as separate e-books. You may not have time to wait.
To Order the Books, go to a book's detail page, or refer to the Ordering page, accessable from the Home Page.
Last modified, February 15, 2008
This page describes the copyrighted books of Ralph Ritchie and Fern Ritchie.