From tornadoes to terrorist attacks, it’s important to be prepared when facing a life-threatening emergency. The good news is that certain survival guides can help you get through whatever calamity life throws your way. If you’re ready to take hardship by the horns, here are just five great books about disaster readiness.
1. SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere, by John “Lofty” Wiseman
This bestselling survival guide was written by a former member of the British Special Air Service, one of the most elite fighting units in the world. Originally published in the 1980s, The SAS Survival Handbook has undergone many revisions for updated technology and navigation tools, but its core competencies remain the same. Whether you need information on finding water, tracking animals, tending wounds, building shelter or surviving harsh climates of all types, this is the book for you. It even comes in a pocket-sized version to stick in your traveling bag for emergency preparedness.
2. The Doomsday Book of Medicine, by Ralph La Guardia M.D.
This book contains a wealth of knowledge for the post-apocalyptic world. Whether it’s a nuclear fallout or alien invasion, The Doomsday Book of Medicine is an all-in-one guide for surviving illness and injury without the convenience of modern hospitals. For example, how do you set a broken bone or tend to a snakebite if you don’t have any pills or X-ray machines? How do you make things like soap, toothpaste, insecticide and sunblock? How do you survive an outbreak of Ebola? This 900-page encyclopedia is stuffed with lists, remedies, recipes and illustrations to help you manage any kind of crisis.
3. When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes, by Cody Lundin
Both fun and informative, When All Hell Breaks Loose lives up to its title by providing a frank look at modern-day disasters and how to get through them. Unlike many survival books, it isn’t focused on roughing it in the wilderness; this guide assumes that you’ll be caught in a fire, flood, hurricane or terror attack in regular civilization, so the advice is focused on using everyday objects to get through one more night. Whether it’s building a makeshift toilet or catching rats for dinner, this is the ultimate survival guide for the 21st century.
4. The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why, by Amanda Ripley
This book takes a cerebral approach to emergencies. Written by a journalist who consulted behaviorists, brain specialists and real-life survivors of shipwrecks and hostage situations, The Unthinkable breaks down what it’s truly like to go through a disaster. What does your brain do when you’re afraid? How will you react to accidents, crowds, fires and traumas? Most importantly, what can you do to tweak your own evolutionary response so that you’re ready to spring into action when the time comes?
5. Prepper’s Instruction Manual: 50 Steps to Prepare for Any Disaster, by Dr. Arthur T Bradley
The Prepper’s Instruction Manual is for people who want to do more than just survive a doomsday scenario. It’s for people who want to thrive in one. Offering step-by-step instructions for everything from stocking your pantry to building a safe room, this book is focused on what you can do before disaster strikes to ensure that you and your family make it out alive. Written by a former infantryman with a degree in engineering, you’ll get actionable advice from an expert who knows what he’s talking about and is willing to share.
Related Resource: 5 Great Websites For Disaster Preparedness
These are just five excellent resources for disaster readiness. If you’re serious about surviving everything from the zombie apocalypse to a plane crash in the mountains, use these survival guides to make it out alive and maybe even write a book of your own.
