What to Do When the Shit Hits the Fan: The Ultimate Prepper?s Guide to Preparing For, and Coping With, Any Emergency

by Dave Black and David Black

Book Overview

Would you know how to prepare for an unforeseen emergency, or handle an unexpected disaster? With real-world considerations in mind, disaster preparedness consultant David Black shows us how to stay... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1602391335
• ISBN13: 9781602391338
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Best Survival Book I Have Bought In A While

I've bought a bunch of survival books..Most of them are a waste of money..You can find most of the stuff on the net.This is the best survival book I have bought in a while...it's like a condensed version of survivalism 101..has lots of good "lists"....this would be a great starter book if your are interested in what to do when the s# & t hits the fan.....the story of the author is kinda interesting too...

What to do when the SHTF

This book is an excellent first look at surviving a natural or man-made disaster in an urban environment. Do not look here for information on wild edibles, constructing wilderness shelters or traps, or on the various methods of starting fire by friction. The focus is entirely on surviving in your home and city, and how to prepare for emergencies where electrical power, gas supply, water supply, and sewage removal may be shut down and you are left on your own without those modern utilities you've come to depend upon in your day to day living. The book is a straightforward, serious discussion of how you can prepare for such an event. The writing is tight and clear and there are no stylistic distractions. The author grew up in a Mormon family that stockpiled the recommended two years supply of food and emergency essentials, and he has spent time living in primitive environments outside the United States. Following "long years in the military in intelligence and special ops", he was a firefighter and paramedic in Utah, and is now "an internationally recognized consultant in emergency planning and disaster response." This is not a book that counsels to run for the hills with a heavily laden backpack, a compass and map, and a loaded gun. There is, then, no sense of the moral chaos and the clear need for self-protection that many survival minded people believe would arise in a "SHTF" situation. The author has an apparent faith in the appointed civil authorities, and a trust in one's local, community-network of neighbors gathering together to help one another through seriously difficult times. Note: A "first look" is not a comprehensive look. It is simply one good place to begin. If you want only one book that tells you everything, this isn't it.

Good advice for short term emergencies

I've read this book and found it to be quite useful. After reading some of the other reviews posted here, I think perhaps those reviewers were expecting something different from this book. This book is not intended for long-term apocalyptic scenarios. It is however useful for crisis that may only last a few days, like hurricanes or other natural disasters where you may be forced to evacuate. The author stresses the importance of simple preparedness like having a survival kit and extra food and water. He outlines simple techniques for surviving emergencies as well as very basic first aid. If you're looking for something to teach you how to survive in the wilderness for weeks at a time, this is not the book. A lot of what he puts forth is just common sense, but in a crisis common sense is usually the first casualty. I do have to disagree with the one review that states the author advocates putting all your faith in government agencies to save you. Mr. Black states in the opening pages that he recommends that each person take responsibility for their own safety. He does give one chapter to various government and civil organizations that help with disaster relief but he openly criticizes many of them as being wasteful and inefficient. I think that's a criticism we can all agree with. All in all the information in this book is sound and useful but limited. It may help keep you alive for a week or until your supplies run out. After that you'll need a new plan.

Realistic and Practical

As an educator I was looking for a manual to use as a "101" teaching outline and student text for disaster preparedness courses. What I needed was a common sense text that incorporates the moderation of streetwise experience. This book is exactly what I was looking for. The author pulls no punches about what works and what doesn't, who is responsible and for what. He tells what is needed to attain various levels of self-sufficiency in a disaster scenario, without conjuring visions of unlikely Armageddon and without promoting the Rambo style survivalism or anti-government dribble espoused in so many of these types of books. This is simple, practical material. The author's advice on every topic is enlightening and clear. Contrary to the review by "Mr. Armed & Christian", I found the information on sheltering, food storage, and "gadgets", including the 4 paragraphs on firearms, to the point and used in a context that clearly defines their limits of effectiveness. There are definitely some minor glitches with this book. I found a couple of places in the text where the margins and bullets were confusing. One paragraph in the first aid section is obviously transposed from another page. Bottom line: not everybody's going to like this book. If you're an extremist whose idea of disaster preparedness includes arming yourself with a hand cannon and a Bowie knife, this book is not for you. If you're simply looking for a guide to better disaster outcomes for yourself or your family or business, this is the book. All things considered, at the price this is the best disaster prep book on the market.

Solid Guidelines

This handbook is a great resource. With a weighty topic at hand--the very survival of yourself and your family in the event of a disaster--the author offers a schematic for putting a plan together that could save your life and keep you safe when bad things happen. Black's systematic approach, obviously gleaned from years of being in the thick of it, takes the best of government and institutional procedures and specialized training and tempers them with common sense, practicality and self reliance. It's an invaluable combination, a unique way of presenting a range of horrible scenarios. If reading this little book is the only thing you do to prepare for unseen disaster, you'll still be way ahead of the game when things come unravelled.