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When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Prepping and Crisis Survival
Disasters often strike without warning and leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Yet armed with the right tools and information, survivors can fend for themselves and get through even the toughest circumstances. Matthew Stein's When Disaster Strikes provides a thorough, practical guide for how to prepare for and react in many of life's most unpredictable scenarios.In this disaster-preparedness manual, he outlines the materials you'll need-from food and water, to shelter and energy, to first-aid and survival skills-to help you safely live through the worst. When Disaster Strikes covers how to find and store food, water, and clothing, as well as the basics of installing back-up power and lights. You'll learn how to gather and sterilize water, build a fire, treat injuries in an emergency, and use alternative medical sources when conventional ones are unavailable.Stein instructs you on the smartest responses to natural disasters-such as fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods-how to keep warm during winter storms, even how to protect yourself from attack or other dangerous situations. With this comprehensive guide in hand, you can be sure to respond quickly, correctly, and confidently when a crisis threatens.
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2011
12 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Stein
11 books8 followersMatthew Stein holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He is an engineer, author and building contractor. He has also worked as a schoolteacher, carpenter, and rock climbing and ski instructor. As the owner of Aloha Aina Builders, Stein has built hurricane resistant, energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes. As a mechanical engineer and president of Stein Design, he has designed consumer water filtration devices, commercial water filtration systems, photovoltaic roofing panels, medical bacteriological filters, drinking fountains, emergency chemical drench systems, computer disk drives, portable fiberglass buildings and automated assembly machinery for Open Energy, Hewlett Packard, Seagate, Plantronics, Duraflame, Haws, and IGT, among other companies. He currently resides with his wife Josie (see www.inner-journeys.com) in the High Sierra Mountains near Lake Tahoe, CA. Additionally, Stein holds a number of US patents and was a National Merit Scholar. For many years, Stein has pursued avid interests in renewable energy, alternative healing, sustainable growth, and preventative medicine. He is available for lectures and workshops. Check out his green building and mechanical engineering web site at www.stein-design.com and his book's web site at www.whentechfails.com."
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 20, 2011
I've read lots of survival books and this is easily in the top three. I like its primary focus on natural and man made disasters, which I believe will impact more people than the apocalyptic events that about which most authors write.
The book is a great mix of skills, information, quick tips, lists of supplies, and references. If you are interested in being better prepared for anything, check this one out. It's a must read book for anyone who wants to be better prepared.
The author is an engineer and designer with a passion for survival. He has a blog called "When Tech Fails" that is infrequently updated, but full of great information.
The book is a great mix of skills, information, quick tips, lists of supplies, and references. If you are interested in being better prepared for anything, check this one out. It's a must read book for anyone who wants to be better prepared.
The author is an engineer and designer with a passion for survival. He has a blog called "When Tech Fails" that is infrequently updated, but full of great information.
August 24, 2011
As a big fan of the TV show "Survivorman", and someone who loves to be prepared, I've always had a fondness for "survival" books, survival shows, and anything that could keep me alive should disaster strike. I'm happy to report that even though I thought I knew plenty, this book taught me even more. Not only was it educational but it was interesting as well.
Mr. Stein did an excellent job keeping the information clear & educational, without it sounding too technical!
Mr. Stein did an excellent job keeping the information clear & educational, without it sounding too technical!
March 23, 2013
This is what I learned from this awesome book.
Seriously considering the dismal state of the U.S. economy, massive government debt and overspending, the money printing out of thin air by the Federal Reserve (QE3 - printing money like it's going out of style, because it IS going out of style), and the U.S. Debt to GDP ratio.
Thus, it seems time to get out of the stock market soon, cash in your IRA-401K paying the 10% penalty and get reinvested in tangibles like the "Five B's": 1.) Beans, 2.) Bullets, 3.) Bandaids, 4.) Bullion, 5.) Books.
These five categories of tangible investments in your immediate possession (http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/09/s...) should be both stored and cached on your own productive farm land (http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatar...) that is in a lightly-populated region with plentiful water and rich topsoil (preferably the "American Redoubt" - http://www.survivalretreatconsulting.com http://www.revrealty.us). Such a Survival Retreat (http://www.survivalrealty.com/what-is...) should first and foremost have a reliable water source, preferably a spring, or less preferably a year-round creek-stream, and a water well. It should be private, secluded property, with the ability to defend the retreat in the case of a total collapse in which crime becomes rampant. It should have a minimum of 3 acres with some downward hill slope for permaculture (see Montana Paul Wheaton's http://permies.com) Hugelkultur and swales on contour, with a mix of forested (for firewood and food forest), pasture (for micro-livestock), garden land with good topsoil and a water pond or small lake for biodiversity. All of this should be in a rural area; and have potential for solar (http://www.solar1234.com), wind and/or micro hydro power.
Time to get invested in these big six areas NOW.
This means investing in inflation-hedging useful tangibles stored on your own Retreat land including:
1.) Beans = 8 to 12 months of mostly long term storable dry-goods foodstuffs, and less of canned goods. Squirrel away lots of salt, sugar, honey, coconut oil and olive oil, ghee, tea and instant coffee with 2 to 3 months of water in blue 55 gal drums with a Big Berkey water filter and replacement filters, plus three seasons worth of non-hybrid open-pollinated heirloom vegetable-fruit seeds and cooking herb seeds. Expect to spend at least the same amount per month as your monthly food bill X 2 (at least $5,000) since you need to buy lots of 5 gallon food grade buckets with color coded screw-on Gamma Lids and 55 gallon blue water barrels (see http://www.beprepared.com Emergency Essentials) along with Country Living grain mill-grinder, bread maker, dehydrator, canning supplies, 1 quart Mason jars, 2 camp stoves and lots of propane tanks, etc.
2). Bullets = Invest in, Support, Protect and Defend the Second Amendment and the other 9 Amendments of our sagely and compassionate Bill of Rights with 2 AK-AR Personal Defense Rifles with 2000 rounds mil-surplus ammo and 10 full capacity 30 round magazines, one Ruger 10/22 Take-Down Rifle with 2500 rounds 22LR and 5 BX25 full capacity magazines, one S&W M&P or Glock centerfire handgun with 1000 rounds and 10 full capacity 19 or 15 round magazines of 9mm or .40S&W, 1 S&W M&P 22 rimfire backup handgun (for affordable weekly practice on same manual of arms/ergonomics as your primary 9mm or .40 S&W handgun) with 2500 rounds and 5 full capacity 12 round magazines or for Glock users an Advantage Arms or other 22LR replacement barrel, two 12 gauge pump or semi-auto shotguns with 1000 rounds mixed slugs, 00-Buck and #7 birdshot. Remember that "Two is One, and One is None!" Don't forget cleaning supplies, holsters, cases, slings, optics, basic gun-smithing tools, high quality Spyderco and Cold Steel knives and force multipliers like security cameras and Comms such as CBs-MURs-HAM-Short Wave radios. Get in-person training, not just YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/nutnfancy) and gun range time. Invest at least $5,000, to $10,000.
3.) Band-aids = first-aid and medical supplies and 12 months of vitamins-minerals-nutraceuticals, top 50 most common herbs or herb formulas, and over-the-counter and prescription meds pharmaceuticals. Invest at least $1,000 to $3,000. Don't forget non-hybrid open-pollinated seeds for the top 10 medicinal herbs that grow in your area.
4.) Bullion = As an inflation hedge-investment put 10 to 30% of all your net worth in 65% "Constitutional Silver" coins (pre-1965 Washington 90% silver quarters - https://www.providentmetals.com/bulli..., https://www.tspmint.com/silver.html, https://silverbulletsilvershield.com), 35% Gold Eagles in mix of 1 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1/4 oz coins, and $1000 in pre-2014 nickels made of nickel as emergency "cash". Invest at least $10,000. Get out of $ denominated Federal Reserve QE3 deflated fiat-currency ASAP, apart from sufficient emergency cash for 1 month or more.
5.) Books = Knowledge and Skills, so join Amazon.com Prime for free shipping. Read especially King James Version of The Bible or appropriate scriptural texts of your religion. Join the Member Support Brigade (MSB) of Jack Spirko's http://thesurvivalpodcast.com and download and listen to / study more than 1200 hours of amazing content. To start out read M.D. Creekmore's "31 Days to Survival" (http://thesurvivalistblog.net). To go to the next level for serious Patriot Preppers, read and re-read James Wesley Rawles "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It" (get it on Audible.com as well - http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?...). Then study Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living". After reading Joel Skousen's Strategic Relocation - North American Guide to Safe Places (also watch his video with Alex Jones' http://www.prisonplanet.com/strategic...) you will want to relocate to the American Redoubt (Idaho-Montana-Wyoming - Eastern Oregon - Eastern Washington). Finally study American Red Cross First-Aid book, and get Red Cross certified for CPR and first-aid. See http://www.survivalblog.com/bookshelf... for a complete list -- expect to invest at least $500 to $1000 on books.
Keep your powder dry! God bless, God speed, Good luck, and Long live our Constitutional Republic.
From somewhere in the American Redoubt
http://www.American-Redoubt.com - new site with Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/user/American...
https://twitter.com/AmericaRedoubt
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Americ...
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/1097639...
https://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/...
Seriously considering the dismal state of the U.S. economy, massive government debt and overspending, the money printing out of thin air by the Federal Reserve (QE3 - printing money like it's going out of style, because it IS going out of style), and the U.S. Debt to GDP ratio.
Thus, it seems time to get out of the stock market soon, cash in your IRA-401K paying the 10% penalty and get reinvested in tangibles like the "Five B's": 1.) Beans, 2.) Bullets, 3.) Bandaids, 4.) Bullion, 5.) Books.
These five categories of tangible investments in your immediate possession (http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/09/s...) should be both stored and cached on your own productive farm land (http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatar...) that is in a lightly-populated region with plentiful water and rich topsoil (preferably the "American Redoubt" - http://www.survivalretreatconsulting.com http://www.revrealty.us). Such a Survival Retreat (http://www.survivalrealty.com/what-is...) should first and foremost have a reliable water source, preferably a spring, or less preferably a year-round creek-stream, and a water well. It should be private, secluded property, with the ability to defend the retreat in the case of a total collapse in which crime becomes rampant. It should have a minimum of 3 acres with some downward hill slope for permaculture (see Montana Paul Wheaton's http://permies.com) Hugelkultur and swales on contour, with a mix of forested (for firewood and food forest), pasture (for micro-livestock), garden land with good topsoil and a water pond or small lake for biodiversity. All of this should be in a rural area; and have potential for solar (http://www.solar1234.com), wind and/or micro hydro power.
Time to get invested in these big six areas NOW.
This means investing in inflation-hedging useful tangibles stored on your own Retreat land including:
1.) Beans = 8 to 12 months of mostly long term storable dry-goods foodstuffs, and less of canned goods. Squirrel away lots of salt, sugar, honey, coconut oil and olive oil, ghee, tea and instant coffee with 2 to 3 months of water in blue 55 gal drums with a Big Berkey water filter and replacement filters, plus three seasons worth of non-hybrid open-pollinated heirloom vegetable-fruit seeds and cooking herb seeds. Expect to spend at least the same amount per month as your monthly food bill X 2 (at least $5,000) since you need to buy lots of 5 gallon food grade buckets with color coded screw-on Gamma Lids and 55 gallon blue water barrels (see http://www.beprepared.com Emergency Essentials) along with Country Living grain mill-grinder, bread maker, dehydrator, canning supplies, 1 quart Mason jars, 2 camp stoves and lots of propane tanks, etc.
2). Bullets = Invest in, Support, Protect and Defend the Second Amendment and the other 9 Amendments of our sagely and compassionate Bill of Rights with 2 AK-AR Personal Defense Rifles with 2000 rounds mil-surplus ammo and 10 full capacity 30 round magazines, one Ruger 10/22 Take-Down Rifle with 2500 rounds 22LR and 5 BX25 full capacity magazines, one S&W M&P or Glock centerfire handgun with 1000 rounds and 10 full capacity 19 or 15 round magazines of 9mm or .40S&W, 1 S&W M&P 22 rimfire backup handgun (for affordable weekly practice on same manual of arms/ergonomics as your primary 9mm or .40 S&W handgun) with 2500 rounds and 5 full capacity 12 round magazines or for Glock users an Advantage Arms or other 22LR replacement barrel, two 12 gauge pump or semi-auto shotguns with 1000 rounds mixed slugs, 00-Buck and #7 birdshot. Remember that "Two is One, and One is None!" Don't forget cleaning supplies, holsters, cases, slings, optics, basic gun-smithing tools, high quality Spyderco and Cold Steel knives and force multipliers like security cameras and Comms such as CBs-MURs-HAM-Short Wave radios. Get in-person training, not just YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/nutnfancy) and gun range time. Invest at least $5,000, to $10,000.
3.) Band-aids = first-aid and medical supplies and 12 months of vitamins-minerals-nutraceuticals, top 50 most common herbs or herb formulas, and over-the-counter and prescription meds pharmaceuticals. Invest at least $1,000 to $3,000. Don't forget non-hybrid open-pollinated seeds for the top 10 medicinal herbs that grow in your area.
4.) Bullion = As an inflation hedge-investment put 10 to 30% of all your net worth in 65% "Constitutional Silver" coins (pre-1965 Washington 90% silver quarters - https://www.providentmetals.com/bulli..., https://www.tspmint.com/silver.html, https://silverbulletsilvershield.com), 35% Gold Eagles in mix of 1 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1/4 oz coins, and $1000 in pre-2014 nickels made of nickel as emergency "cash". Invest at least $10,000. Get out of $ denominated Federal Reserve QE3 deflated fiat-currency ASAP, apart from sufficient emergency cash for 1 month or more.
5.) Books = Knowledge and Skills, so join Amazon.com Prime for free shipping. Read especially King James Version of The Bible or appropriate scriptural texts of your religion. Join the Member Support Brigade (MSB) of Jack Spirko's http://thesurvivalpodcast.com and download and listen to / study more than 1200 hours of amazing content. To start out read M.D. Creekmore's "31 Days to Survival" (http://thesurvivalistblog.net). To go to the next level for serious Patriot Preppers, read and re-read James Wesley Rawles "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It" (get it on Audible.com as well - http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?...). Then study Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living". After reading Joel Skousen's Strategic Relocation - North American Guide to Safe Places (also watch his video with Alex Jones' http://www.prisonplanet.com/strategic...) you will want to relocate to the American Redoubt (Idaho-Montana-Wyoming - Eastern Oregon - Eastern Washington). Finally study American Red Cross First-Aid book, and get Red Cross certified for CPR and first-aid. See http://www.survivalblog.com/bookshelf... for a complete list -- expect to invest at least $500 to $1000 on books.
Keep your powder dry! God bless, God speed, Good luck, and Long live our Constitutional Republic.
From somewhere in the American Redoubt
http://www.American-Redoubt.com - new site with Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/user/American...
https://twitter.com/AmericaRedoubt
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Americ...
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/1097639...
https://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/...
May 2, 2019
This is a great overview of basic preparedness for all situations. It does not go into too much depth for any one situation, but it does provide enough information to help you get prepared and resources for learning more if you are interested. I hope to never have to use any of the skills or suggested items in this book, but I'm glad to know what to do in case. I especially appreciate the author's style of writing this like it's an insurance policy you hope to never use instead of like a fearmongering alarmist who makes you feel like you've entered the world of crazy when you just want to learn a few things.
May 13, 2023
Good, commonsense, practical, and responsible approach to disaster/emergency preparedness. It's always preferable to have and not need it than to need and not have it. Not as comprehensive and far-flung as Matthew Stein's "When Technology Fails", but still a very good and realistic, well balanced approach to fortifying yourself and your family against hardship and want in a time of emergency and the necessities and essentials we take for granted aren't available.
March 12, 2022
Absolutely exceptional! It is about the best work in this subject matter.
July 16, 2025
Lots of solid information. Mostly useless as an end to end read, but great as a reference guide. Writing is good enough. Nothing special, mostly for informational purposes. 6/10
November 8, 2012
I think this book is absolutely necessary to anyone who could face any sort of crisis in the United States. I bought this book to prepare my spouse and I for the worst and every house we live in I prepare it for the worst. I got my book at this website : http://acordj.gps5.com/shop.php?c=7&a...
October 31, 2012
Just started reading this book. I highly recommend everyone, especially those on the highly earthquake prone west coast to read it and get prepared. Not only for any natural disasters but the looming and inevitable financial disaster that could unravel at any moment.
September 20, 2012
This wasn't exactly the kind of information I was looking for but definitely good things to know in case of a major crisis.
February 6, 2013
Very worth reading and even more importantly adding to your collection. Gives you a good reference on the steps needed to stay safe and perhaps even thrive in a disaster scenario.
February 6, 2014
This book was what I needed to get ready for emergencies that do and will happen.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews