Could You Survive a Major Disaster?
For many humans today, but certainly not all, life is quite cushy. The average life expectancy in the world today is 67.2 years. In the United States it is 78.2, 79.4 in the United Kingdom, and a world high of 82.6 in Japan. Compare this with the Ancient Greeks who lived an average of 18 years, the Puritans life expectancy of 33 years, and the average American life expectancy in 1900 was 49.2 years. There is still a lot of suffering and hardship in the world, but compared to our ancestors of only 100 years ago and beyond, life is very good.Because we live in this golden age of relative ease, we worry about things our ancestors never did such as eating too much, not getting enough exercise, and the ultimate “getting things done” system. These everyday concerns distract us from thinking about and preparing for possible disasters. Now, large disasters don’t happen that frequently, but when they do, they usually arrive without warning and often serve up a devastating blow. So the question is: Are you and your family prepared to survive if disaster strikes?
Below you will find links to articles on different types of disasters and how to survive them. The goal of this article is not to worry you about large events that can’t be controlled, but rather to offer resources that can help you be somewhat prepared should disaster strike.
Survival Guides and Information:
Tsunami
Tsunami Survival by USGS.gov
Wikihow Tsunami Survival Guide
The Truth About Deadly ‘Superbugs’ by LiveScience
How To Survive the Avian Flu, Smallpox, or Plague by Slate.com
Time Global Health Summit: “How Do We Prepare for the Next Plague?”
The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. – book review
How To Survive Global Warming by Slate.com
Earth Will Survive Global Warming, But Will We? by LiveScience
It’s much too late to sweat global warming: Time to prepare for inevitable effects of our ill-fated future by San Francisco Chronicle
Search for crops that can survive global warming by The Guardian
Disaster Shopping List by Slate.com
Asteroid Survival: How to Survive A Collision With An Asteroid
How to Survive a Neighborhood Wildfire
How to Survive a Volcano EruptionSurvival Kit Recommendations:
Disaster Shopping List by Slate.com
Emergency Supply Survival Kit Recommendations
Flash Flood
Surviving a Flash Flood
Mass Extinction
Mass Extinction Survival Guide
Wilderness Survival
Wilderness Survival by Secrets of Survival
WilernessSurvival.net
Wilderness Survival Skills for Travelers
If you have any disaster or emergency preparedness resources you’d like to share, please leave a comment! Thanks!Written for Dumb Little Man by K. Stone, author of Life Learning Today, a blog about daily life improvements. Popular articles are 7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Financial Life and Should You Start Your Own Work at Home Business?
