«For we are strangers before You and sojourners, as all our
fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and
there is no abiding.»(1 Chronicles 29:15, ESV)
«By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events
as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the
saving of his household. By this he condemned the world»
(Hebrews 11:7, ESV)
The consequences of a cosmic catastrophe – an impact event of global proportions that no country and no person on our planet will escape – were described in Articles 1–4. Therefore, it is necessary to take a number of measures in advance in order to save one's family, just as the Old Testament Noah did.
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Noah did not limit himself to discussing the danger or doubting the future. He began preparing long before the first signs of the catastrophe appeared. It was this advance preparation that saved his family. This principle remains relevant today.
Likewise, it is necessary to relocate to a safer place, build a reliable shelter and an ark, acquire first-aid skills through field medicine courses, learn agricultural practices, establish food reserves sufficient for several years, assemble a library of essential books, and so forth.
1. Change of Residence
- minimal susceptibility to destructive earthquakes;
- protection from the direct destructive impact of tsunamis, which may penetrate far inland and greatly exceed the scale of historically known modern tsunamis;
- absence of active and dormant volcanoes, especially supervolcanoes;
- the area must not be subject to flooding as a result of prolonged rainfall and large sea waves;
- no risk of severe rockfalls, landslides, mudflows, snow avalanches, or glacier movements;
- the presence of an underground source of drinking water; this is one of the most important conditions for long-term survival;
- high average annual temperatures, the so-called "warm latitudes," that is, regions with a relatively mild climate and a long growing season; such areas make it possible to endure periods of cooling, including extremely cold and prolonged winters during the first few years after the catastrophe;
- the presence of soil suitable for agriculture, sufficient precipitation, and a long favorable growing season;
- it is desirable to remain at a considerable distance from large urban agglomerations, since, after the destruction of supply systems, they may become a source of humanitarian crisis, epidemics, and social instability.
First of all, the population of islands, ocean and sea coasts, and territories located at low elevations above the level of the World Ocean should leave their place of residence.
Today, more than 100 million people live on coastlines within 2 km of the sea (or ocean) and at elevations of less than 20 m above sea level. Such territories, as well as areas located below 300 meters above sea level, will be flooded by tsunamis, teletsunamis, and megatsunamis for approximately one year.
Safe elevations are those exceeding 1,000 meters above sea level along coastlines and 500 meters within continental interiors. However, one should not settle too far from the sea (or ocean), which may serve as a source of warmth during periods of cooling and as a potential additional food resource.
Do not assume that after the catastrophe your family will be able to return to its city, home, or property. Some settlements will disappear, while others will be completely destroyed and unfit for habitation.
Remaining even in partially destroyed cities is dangerous; their restoration will require many years and enormous effort. In place of today's megalopolises, small autonomous settlements with above-ground and underground buildings will emerge.
2. Construction of Autonomous Underground Housing
It is important to build individual shelters rather than underground cities, which would be destroyed by a global earthquake. The larger the underground complex, the more complicated its design becomes and the greater the likelihood of local structural failures during extremely strong deformations of the Earth's crust.
2.1. Living Quarters. The underground shelter may take the form, for example, of a cylindrical bunker sealed at both ends, with an internal diameter of approximately 6 meters (Fig. 1), installed horizontally on piles and guy wires that partially compensate for ground displacement during earthquakes. It should be placed on a hill in a previously excavated trench. Placement on a hill reduces the risk of flooding and facilitates the drainage of rainwater and meltwater.
After the completion of the interior construction and installation work, the structure should be covered externally with a layer of thermal insulation material (for example, expanded clay aggregate), followed by a layer of sand; the total thickness of the covering should be 2.5–3.5 meters measured from the top of the cylinder.
The main (living) section, 15–20 meters in length, as well as auxiliary rooms of smaller diameter and length, may be constructed of reinforced concrete or thick metal plates welded together. In the first case, waterproofing must be applied; in the second, the metal must be protected against corrosion caused by acid rains.
The living section should consist of at least five rooms: a common room, a children's room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom/toilet (Fig. 1a), connected to one another by a corridor (Fig. 1b). Separate living spaces allow family members to maintain personal privacy, which is important for psychological well-being during prolonged autonomous living.
Do not clutter the dwelling with furniture; make maximum use of the built-in cabinets in compartment 2. Secure all furniture firmly to prevent it from shifting during numerous earthquakes.
The empty space between the wooden floor and the bottom of the cylinder (compartment 3) may be used for storing reserves of drinking and utility water, compact building materials, tools, equipment, and other supplies. The side cavities (compartment 1) are intended for storing clothing, linens, footwear, dishes, medical supplies, medicines, tools, small metal goods, and items for barter. These spaces (compartments 1, 2, and 3) make it possible to use the internal volume of the dwelling more efficiently.
The construction of such an autonomous underground dwelling will require substantial financial expenditure and lengthy preparation. However, these costs should be regarded as an investment in the safety and survival of the family. A significant portion of the expenses can be reduced through personal participation in the construction work, gradual acquisition of materials, and phased construction of individual elements of the dwelling.
Naturally, the design shown in Fig. 1 is not the only possible option. Each family may adapt the project according to its financial means, local conditions, and available materials. What is important is not the specific dimensions or shape of the structure, but adherence to the fundamental principles: underground placement, strength, autonomy, and protection from natural disasters.
2.2. Non-Living Areas. The kitchen should be equipped with systems for food preparation, ventilation, heating, food waste disposal, household waste destruction, and supplied with hot and cold utility water, as well as a wastewater drainage system.
It is necessary to allocate a dry area equipped with labeled shelving for the long-term storage of food supplies. However, it is preferable to construct the cylindrical waterproof pantry separately from the living section and then connect it to the kitchen by means of one or two airtight doors.
A separate cylindrical compartment connected to the bathroom/toilet by a moisture-proof, fireproof, and soundproof hatch will be required for the installation of power equipment, filters, heat exchangers, heaters, and other life-support systems. A refrigerator for the long-term storage of perishable food products may also be placed in the power unit.
Another isolated underground room will be required for storing supplies of flammable substances: liquefied natural gas and oxygen in cylinders, gasoline, and toxic chemicals (chlorine-containing compounds, acids, alkalis, and the like). Such substances must be stored separately in accordance with safety requirements.
This storage facility, equipped with an independent ventilation and fire-suppression system, may be installed above the power unit and connected to the bathroom/toilet by two airtight steel doors capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressure.
The power unit may be joined to a separate room where fuel reserves are stored. Space should also be provided for storing spare parts, consumable materials, and tools required for the repair of life-support systems.
Your dwelling should have several exits to the ground surface, including exits at the ends of the structure. For example, one main vertical exit from the living quarters, plus two additional cargo exits from the pantry and the chemical storage room.
Each exit should be equipped with two airtight steel hatches (lower and upper) that can be closed from the inside. The internal diameter of the hatches should allow the transport of containers, oversized items, and disassembled equipment. All exits should be located as far as possible from one another and also from above-ground buildings, which may block the exits with their debris.
If financial resources are unavailable or there is insufficient time to construct a permanent underground shelter, it is necessary at a minimum to build a simple underground shelter. It will be needed during the period of active asteroid bombardment of the Earth, acid rains, heavy ashfalls, and severe winters, that is, for a period of up to four years.
A dugout—or, even better, a bunker equipped with all essential life-support systems—should be constructed in a location that is not flooded by rainwater. Although such structures are significantly inferior to an autonomous underground dwelling in terms of protection and comfort, they may become the minimum means necessary for survival.
Before constructing an autonomous underground dwelling, it is necessary to build a single-story insulated above-ground house. The design of the house should allow it to be easily restored after destruction by a blast wave, hypercane, or earthquake.
The above-ground house will provide accommodation for the family during the preparation period and may be restored after the completion of the main phase of the natural disasters. In addition to permanent structures, it is also necessary to have some type of floating craft, especially in areas prone to flooding.
After completing construction of the shelter, it should be occupied several times, gradually increasing the duration of stay to two or three weeks. This will make it possible to verify the operability of all technical systems. During such trials, autonomous living conditions should be simulated as closely as possible by relying on stored supplies of water, food, and energy. Any deficiencies that are discovered should be corrected.
3. Life-Support Systems
3.1. An autonomous underground dwelling should be equipped with the essential systems necessary to ensure normal living conditions:
1. a ventilation and air-conditioning system with an autonomous power supply, a backup manual mechanical drive, replaceable filters, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and heat exchangers for cooling or heating air and water;
2. a drinking and utility water supply system from a well, equipped with both an electric and a manual pumps, replaceable filters, water softeners, and water disinfection agents;
3. a lighting system for both living and non-living areas, including primary and emergency lighting; to reduce energy consumption, preference should be given to LED light sources;
4. a heating system (primary and auxiliary) and a hot water supply system
5. a food preparation system;
6. a sewage system;
7. a food waste disposal system;
8. a household waste destruction or disposal system;
9. a fire protection system;
10. a system for protection against rodents, reptiles, and insects.
The ventilation and air-conditioning system is extremely important and essential for the life support of an underground dwelling. It must provide not only the removal of stale air and the supply of fresh air, but also its purification from dust, ash, soot, toxic and/or non-toxic smoke, toxic substances, and bacterial aerosols.
In addition to air purification, air conditioning is also required, namely cooling, dehumidification, or humidification, since, in some cases, the outdoor air temperature may reach +400 °C, or the atmospheric humidity, at lower temperatures, may reach 100%. Air heating is also required during the winter months, when the outdoor air temperature may fall to −50 °C.
It is necessary to stock in advance a sufficient quantity of replaceable air-purification filter cartridges, including fine mechanical filters, from which the removal of fine dust particles is problematic. Install a dedicated filtration-and-ventilation unit rather than a conventional air conditioner, which is not designed to operate under such extreme conditions.
During periods of extremely high outdoor temperatures, heavy smoke, possible contamination by toxic substances, as well as during dense ashfalls (lasting up to six months), it is highly advisable not to draw outside air into the shelter, but instead to use carbon dioxide absorbers together with a supply of oxygen stored in cylinders in advance.
Such an operating mode may be used for a limited period during the most dangerous conditions, when the intake of outside air is undesirable. Oxygen will also be useful for self-contained breathing apparatuses during possible emergency trips outside throughout the period of ashfalls (lasting up to three years).
Do not forget to install valves and blast-protection devices (grilles) on the air-intake and exhaust ventilation ducts to protect them against high-temperature blast waves and hypercanes.
Personal protective equipment – self-contained breathing apparatuses, filtering gas masks, escape respirators, protective suits, goggles, and tightly woven gauze masks—should be purchased in advance. If absolutely necessary, respirators, masks, and protective face coverings may be made from materials capable of retaining a significant proportion of fine dust; however, they are almost incapable of stopping dust particles of nanometer size that can penetrate into the pulmonary alveoli.
In addition, it is necessary to maintain a reserve of drinking and utility water. Replaceable filters and chemicals for purifying, disinfecting, and softening contaminated water from open water bodies should also be purchased.
The primary purpose of the lighting, heating, and hot water supply systems is to create acceptable living conditions for adults and children during prolonged stays underground. The more redundant components these systems have, the more reliable they will be.
In addition to illuminating the shelter by means of, for example, LED lamps powered by an electric generator, emergency lighting supplied by batteries, kerosene lamps, and candles should also be provided. It is advisable to maintain a reserve of candles, matches, lighters, kerosene lamps, and the consumable materials required for their operation. Open flames should be used only where adequate ventilation is available and all fire safety precautions are observed. Chemical light sources may also be provided as emergency lighting.
In winter, the temperature of the soil at depth is significantly higher than the outdoor air temperature; therefore, heating the living quarters of the underground shelter will not require large amounts of energy. Nevertheless, primary and auxiliary heating systems are necessary, particularly for supplying hot water, heating the incoming cold ventilation air, and warming the sleeping quarters.
IIt is difficult to do without hot meals for an extended period. They may be prepared either on an electric cooker or on a gas cooker supplied from a cylinder of liquefied gas, which is considerably more economical. A pressure stove, a kerosene stove, a portable gasoline stove, or their equivalents may also be used. If a heating stove is provided, its design should also allow food to be cooked on it.
The sewage system should be arranged in such a way that wastewater does not accumulate beneath the living quarters. It should be discharged into specially prepared collection facilities, for example, a sealed cesspit. Wastewater from the kitchen and bathroom should preferably be kept separate from toilet sewage and directed to a different sealed pit.
If no household waste destruction system is available, household waste, and food waste separately, may be temporarily stored in specially designated underground chambers. In the latter case, the waste should be periodically covered with a thin layer of lime, ash, or sand.
If no household waste destruction system is available, household waste, and food waste separately, may be temporarily stored in specially designated underground chambers. In the latter case, the waste should be periodically covered with a thin layer of lime, ash, or sand.
All rooms, both in the main living section and in the auxiliary sections, should be equipped with fire alarm systems and a centralized fire-suppression system or individual fire-protection equipment, including fire extinguishers, sand boxes, and firefighting tools. Particular attention should be given to the rooms housing the power unit, the kitchen, and the fuel storage areas.
The above-mentioned life-support systems must be protected against the entry of rodents, reptiles, and insects (cockroaches, beetles, caterpillars, ants, flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and the like) into the shelter through them.
For example, this may be achieved by using metal mesh screens with both large and fine openings, dampers, shutters, ultrasonic repellent devices, and fumigators. To control unwanted pests that have already entered the shelter, appropriate chemical agents should be stocked in advance. Naturally, they must be stored separately from food supplies, for example, in the chemical storage compartment.
4. Subsistence Farming
Even today, you can return to cultivating the land yourself and gradually providing your family with home-produced food. Approximately 0.5 hectares of land may be required to supply one person with food, depending on soil fertility and climatic conditions. On such an area, it is possible to grow cereals (rye, barley, wheat, buckwheat, and others), potatoes, beets, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, other vegetables, as well as fruit, gradually replacing purchased food with your own produce.
Be sure to build several cold frames and greenhouses with wooden frames covered with reinforced polyethylene film. They will provide good protection for plants against dust and ash that will continually fall from the atmosphere, as well as against nighttime frosts. Vegetables may be grown in cold frames, while greenhouses may be used for berries on shrubs and fruit on dwarf trees.
It would be beneficial if you could preserve a bee colony to pollinate your cultivated plants, since many crops depend on pollination. In addition to seeds, you will need a small hand-operated seed drill for sowing; a self-sufficient survival community will require large wheeled seed drills.
You may raise chickens, geese, pigs, sheep, cattle, and horses. However, it should be taken into account that during the period of natural disasters they will need a separate underground shelter, and substantial reserves of feed should be provided in advance, especially for the first years after the catastrophe. In time, harnesses, horse tack, veterinary medicines, disinfectants, scrapers, brushes, sheep shears, and other supplies will also be needed.
If you live or settle near a river, lake, or the sea, fishing will be a valuable aid in solving the problem of food supply. Purchase fishing rods, fishing line, hooks, floats, fyke nets, crayfish traps, a seine net, and fishing nets in advance. Hunting may be carried out not only with firearms but also by using various traps, snares, nets, and concealed pits. In the future, such methods may prove especially useful because they are easy to make and can be used repeatedly.
In addition to farming, fishing, and hunting, your family may engage in other activities, such as learning traditional crafts. In the future, there will be a need for masons, carpenters, stove builders, tailors, weavers, blacksmiths, and other skilled trades. Such skills will enable you not only to meet the needs of your own family but also to exchange the products of your labor for essential goods and services through your trade. Construction work and the repair of shoes, clothing, and complex mechanical devices will be in especially high demand.
Many occupations that are popular today—from airline pilots, IT specialists, television presenters, and bank employees to managers, brokers, and retail workers—may lose their former importance. Therefore, people will once again have to learn how to sew, knit, weave nets, make shoes, clothing, soap, and candles, practice carpentry, grow cereal crops, bake bread, deliver babies, and treat both people and animals. Such practical skills will prove far more valuable than paper money and vanished bitcoins.
Before the catastrophe begins, grapevines, berry bushes, and dwarf trees should be pruned and covered with soil. Electricity, water, and gas supplies should be shut off; wells should be preserved, and water wells should be tightly covered. Packaged fuel and everything else that could not be accommodated in the underground family dwelling should be buried in the ground, and the windows and doors of the house should be boarded up.
5. Establishing Survival Communities
Long-term survival and the restoration of normal life can be achieved much more easily through mutual assistance and cooperation among several families. Experience shows that a community that is too small does not have a sufficient number of specialists, whereas one that is too large becomes more difficult to manage and requires considerably greater resources.
Within a community of families, access to medical care is expanded, and support is available for cultivating the land, constructing housing, protecting the settlement from looters, and ensuring fire safety. This includes, in particular, the construction of a centralized shelter-ark for animals.
The establishment of survival communities may begin even before a decision is made regarding the choice of a place of residence. Through the process of searching for like-minded people, corresponding, meeting in person, and drafting a community charter, it is possible to form a group consisting of several families or even dozens of families.
The general assembly of the members of the self-governing community elects a council and a respected leader for a fixed term of office. The council may entrust the leader with resolving the principal organizational matters: design work; the financial and material support of construction; equipping all underground shelters with telephone and radio communications; establishing a dispatch center; organizing an armed security group; acquiring guard dogs; and so forth.
The authority of the leader should be limited by the community charter, and his or her activities should remain under the continuous supervision of the council and the general assembly. Decisions of the council should be approved by the general assembly through a majority vote by open ballot, while matters of fundamental importance should be decided by secret ballot. These include, for example, the election or re-election of the council and the leader, the principal directions for the expenditure of funds, disputed matters, and, in particular, the admission or expulsion of members from the community.
It is desirable that a survival community include representatives of all the principal professions that may be needed: from builders, tailors, and agronomists to midwives, dentists, physician assistants, mechanics, and specialists in energy systems. Therefore, the community should not be too small. At the same time, the larger the community, the more diverse it becomes and, consequently, the more difficult it is to manage effectively. In addition, larger areas of fertile land will be required.
A successful community will be one formed not so much on the basis of kinship, profession, education, nationality, or other such characteristics, but rather on the basis of shared views regarding religion, society, nature, and moral and ethical standards of conduct.
One of the community's above-ground public buildings should serve as a place for the regular gatherings of its members, including worship services. In addition to a hospital, a separate quarantine facility should be built. It may be used both for isolating people with infectious diseases and for the medical observation of newly arrived members of the community.
The principal task of an autonomous community is to ensure the survival of its members during the period of natural disasters and after they have ended. During this time, it will be necessary to address the treatment of the injured, the repair of damaged houses, the restoration of the settlement's perimeter fence and alarm system, protection against armed groups of looters, the provision of medical, food, and material assistance to newcomers, the decontamination and preparation of the soil for planting, community construction projects, the restoration of water and energy supplies, and so forth.
Another important task of the community is to educate children and pass on to them the practical knowledge, professional skills, and moral values necessary for the successful long-term restoration of society.
6. Energy Supply
It is possible to purchase relatively inexpensive electric generators powered by diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas, or designed for multiple fuel types, as well as rechargeable batteries. For example, a single automotive battery connected to an inverter can provide continuous lighting for one room for approximately 200 hours. If LEDs are used instead of an incandescent light bulb, this operating time may be increased to nearly 2,000 hours.
Low-self-discharge nickel-metal hydride batteries are considered among the most reliable. They may be recharged from a 12-volt direct-current generator and, later, by means of a dedicated battery charger and solar panels equipped with photovoltaic converters. Since the service life of most batteries is limited, the storage life of batteries and the possibility of replacing individual components in the future should be taken into account when creating long-term reserves of energy equipment.
Of course, a diesel generator or a thermoelectric generator, which produces electricity by utilizing a temperature difference, may be used as a source of electrical power. However, the disadvantage of such non-renewable energy sources is that they will eventually be exhausted: batteries become discharged, and fuel supplies run out.
Therefore, to provide long-term energy supply for both individual facilities and the autonomous settlement as a whole, renewable energy sources should be used. They alone are capable of providing energy for many years after fuel reserves have been exhausted.
Even today, it is possible to purchase solar, wind, and methane-based systems for generating and storing electricity, as well as for supplying hot water and heating. For these purposes, heat pipes or thermosiphons—highly efficient heat-transfer devices that operate on the principle of a closed evaporation-condensation cycle—may also be used.
Equipment that could be damaged by blast waves, strong winds, hail, or ashfall should preferably be dismantled before the catastrophe begins and stored in a protected place until it can be put back into service.
When selecting an energy supply system, its cost, reliability, service life, maintainability, as well as the potential difficulties associated with dismantling the equipment, storing it, reinstalling it, and operating it after the catastrophe should all be taken into consideration.
The necessary spare parts should be purchased in advance, especially for photovoltaic converters and electrochemical cells. It is also highly advisable to acquire rechargeable LED flashlights, kerosene lanterns, and candle lanterns. The simpler and more reliable the energy system is, the greater the likelihood that it can be kept operational for many years without access to industrial manufacturing or complex repairs.
7. Water Supply
At first, it will be possible to use water from previously accumulated reserves. However, stored water has a limited shelf life. Moreover, creating a reserve of utility water sufficient for one family for nearly three years would require enormous storage tanks.
For these reasons, the problem of long-term water supply for an individual autonomous dwelling or for an entire autonomous settlement can be fully solved only by means of an electric and/or mechanical system that provides a continuous supply of water from a borehole or a deep well.
It should be taken into account that even water drawn from a borehole may contain a high concentration of dissolved minerals and will therefore need to be passed through special replaceable filters. In any case, it is advisable to have a water sample from the borehole analyzed by a laboratory in advance, or to determine its quality yourself by using a universal multifunction water tester.
If an urgent need arises, water from open bodies of water may be used. However, any water intended for drinking or cooking must first be properly treated. First, it should be cleared of debris, plant residues, and dirt by preliminary filtration through a sieve and then through cloth.
Second, it must be disinfected, but only with products specifically intended for water disinfection and used strictly according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep in mind, for example, that chlorination does not destroy all harmful bacteria and viruses. In addition, the water should be allowed to stand for some time so that the dissolved chlorine or other treatment chemicals can dissipate.
Third, additional treatment is required, including further disinfection, reduction of acidity, and final purification by means of chemical reagents and special replaceable filters, such as paper, ceramic, activated-carbon, and others. Such filters should be purchased in advance or manufactured independently by following appropriate manuals.
A reliable method of water disinfection is boiling it for a sufficient period after it has reached the boiling point. Another method of obtaining drinking water from contaminated river, lake, swamp, or even seawater is distillation.
During the distillation process, highly mineralized or contaminated water is evaporated, and the vapor passes into a condenser (either liquid-cooled or air-cooled), where it condenses. The condensate then flows into a collection vessel, while the remaining concentrate is removed and replaced with a fresh portion of untreated water. Distillers using various energy sources may be purchased in advance or built independently by following appropriate manuals.
The more independent methods of obtaining and purifying water that are prepared in advance, the greater the chances of ensuring a continuous water supply for a family or community over a long period of time.
8. Food Supplies
The approximate quantity of food reserves depends on the caloric value and composition of the food, but on average may amount to about one kilogram of dry or long-term stored food per adult per day.
8.1. List of Food Products. The list of staple foods intended for long-term storage may include:
- well-dried cereals and grains (buckwheat, rice, oats, pearl barley, rye, wheat, split peas, barley groats, spelt, cornmeal, semolina, millet);
- dried legumes (beans, peas, broad beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils), nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, filberts, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, peanuts), as well as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and apricot kernels;
- thoroughly dried flour (wheat, rye, buckwheat, oat, corn, rice, and barley flour), pasta (vermicelli, spaghetti, noodles, macaroni, shell pasta, and tubular pasta);
- table salt, sugar, fructose powder, honey, jam, hard candies;
- biscuits, rusks, gingerbread, commercially produced or homemade rusks;
- home-canned vegetables and fruits preserved in glass jars sealed with metal lids;
- pickled vegetables and dried fruits (preferably home-produced rather than commercially purchased);
- commercially produced canned fish (in oil), as well as canned meat with the longest officially specified shelf life (preferably no less than four years);
- dry high-calorie nutritional mixtures, protein concentrates, powdered milk, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered infant formula;
- vinegar, baking soda, dry yeast, citric acid powder, powdered eggs, dried and ground mushrooms;
- spices: black pepper, allspice, red pepper, bay leaves, cloves; dried dill, parsley, celery, mint, lemon balm, basil, ginger; poppy seeds, vanilla, cinnamon, mustard, horseradish, fennel, caraway, sesame seeds, anise, and others;
- tea, herbal tea blends, cocoa, coffee, and dry powders for fruit jelly drinks;
- vitamin tablets, multivitamins, and multivitamin supplements containing trace elements;
- reserves of animal feed.
Food reserves should not consist exclusively of canned foods, since the diet should remain varied and contain adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Preference should be given to foods that have a long shelf life, high nutritional value, and do not require complicated storage conditions.
Food reserves should not consist exclusively of canned foods, since the diet should remain varied and contain adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Preference should be given to foods that have a long shelf life, high nutritional value, and do not require complicated storage conditions.
When building food reserves, consideration should also be given to the needs of children, elderly people, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic illnesses, who may require special food products.
In the latter case, these include potatoes, carrots, beets, fresh and fermented cabbage, pumpkins, and other vegetables; fruits; long-lasting cheeses (hard cheeses, bryndza, and similar products); sunflower, corn, or olive oil; fruit juices; lard; smoked and cured products; and so forth. Do not store highly perishable foods in quantities greater than necessary, especially semi-finished foods, since they have a very limited storage life.
Long-term storage supplies should be kept either in the manufacturer's individual airtight packaging or in specially purchased storage bags. Before packaging, the products should be thoroughly dried, since even a small amount of residual moisture may lead to mold growth and spoilage of the supplies. After the packages have been sealed, the bags and sacks should be placed into airtight metal drums, metal boxes, glass jars, or plastic buckets with tightly fitting lids.
Airtight metal containers provide a high level of protection against moisture, rodents, and exposure to air. At the same time, high-quality plastic containers or glass containers with secure lids may also be used. Certain products, including flour, grain, and dried fruits, should not be stored only in paper, fabric, or synthetic-fiber bags or sacks.
The storage area should be a pantry with shelving located in a dedicated dry section of the underground shelter. It should be protected from rodents, insects, dampness, and high temperatures. The pantry should be aired out periodically; at least four times a year, the storage conditions and the quality of the supplies should be inspected, replacing any items that are deteriorating with fresh ones.
Table salt practically does not lose its properties when stored properly for long periods: in glass jars, it keeps for at least five years; in polymer containers, for two years; without packaging, for one year; while salt with added potassium iodide has a shelf life of only six months. The same generally applies to sugar, whose shelf life is up to eight years.
Rye, wheat, buckwheat, and other cereal crops are better stored as whole grain rather than in the form of flour, which is more familiar to us. Under proper storage conditions, grain retains its germination capacity and nutritional value much longer than flour. Whereas the shelf life of flour and pasta is usually measured in years, well-dried grain stored in airtight containers may remain suitable for decades. The annual consumption rate of wheat is approximately 100 kg per adult.
Oat groats can be stored for 3 to 7 years, depending on the variety and the method of packaging; the recommended consumption rate is 10 kg per person per year. The shelf life of semolina is 10 months, buckwheat groats up to 20 months, with a consumption rate of 4 kg per year. Corn on the cob can be stored for 8 to 12 years, while shelled corn or cornmeal keeps for 4 to 10 months. Rice can be stored for 16–18 months, peas for 20–24 months, millet for 9 months, rolled oats for 12 months, barley groats for 15 months, and pearl barley for 2 years.
If insects or worms are found in groats, they should be sorted and cleaned. Heavily contaminated groats should not be used. Vegetable oils have a limited storage life and gradually oxidize. To extend their shelf life, they should preferably be kept in a cool, dark place or, where possible, frozen. The annual supply of vegetable and animal fats should be determined with due regard to the caloric value of the diet and the expected level of physical activity; as a guideline, it may amount to up to 50 kg per person.
Powdered milk may be stored for more than five years, with a recommended consumption rate of 10 kg per year; sugar, honey, or jam — up to 25 kg per year per person. The storage life of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits depends significantly on humidity, temperature, and the method of packaging; therefore, they should be inspected periodically and replaced as necessary. Canned vegetables and fruits may be stored for up to three years, while packaged vitamins remain usable for 2–3 years.
Meat should be stored only in a freezer: beef for 6 months, liver for 7 months, and chicken for 2 months. Pork generally has a shorter storage life than beef and therefore requires particularly careful temperature control. Canned meat (stewed meat) retains its consumer qualities without refrigeration for 4 years, and under cold storage conditions for up to 6 years. Canned meat is best purchased in hot-dip tinplate cans with welded seams. The cans should also be protected against corrosion with grease or another suitable protective coating, wrapped in parchment paper, and packed into containers.
Bread can be stored in a freezer for only up to three months. Therefore, it is better to stockpile rusks by preparing them from fresh bread and storing them at temperatures between 0°C and +15°C and a relative humidity of no more than 60% (rye rusks keep for more than two years). Naturally, if it is possible to bake fresh bread, that opportunity should be taken rather than living on rusks softened in water.
For the long-term storage of drinking water, preference should be given to glass containers or special food-grade containers designed specifically for long-term water storage. If the storage period has expired, the water should be boiled before use in order to destroy any pathogenic microorganisms that may be present.
If you decide to build an underground ark for domestic animals, you should prepare a list of feed supplies, taking into account their storage life and consumption rates. The basic feed supply should consist of dry and pelleted products.
9. Stocks of Non-Food Supplies
9.1. Supplies for Your Own Family. In addition to food supplies, it is necessary to stock other essential items required to ensure your family's survival.
Seeds. First and foremost, obtain elite non-genetically modified (non-GMO) seeds of cereal crops, vegetables, fruit crops, and other plants intended for sowing. The seeds should be thoroughly dried, sealed in airtight bags, and placed in hermetically sealed metal containers. Winter wheat is particularly well suited for long-term storage; however, for sowing it is advisable to maintain a variety of crops and plant cultivars.
It should be borne in mind that not all types of seed retain a high germination rate over long periods of storage. In addition to seed stock, lay in supplies of potassium, phosphate, nitrogen, and other fertilizers, as well as agricultural tools, including gardening and farming implements.
Medical Equipment and Medicines. Purchase several standard household first-aid kits, first-response medical kits, and sets of basic surgical instruments, or assemble such kits yourself.
It is advisable to include the following medical supplies in your reserves:
– sterile bandages and compresses, gauze, cotton wool, cotton swabs, medical dressings (including hemostatic dressings), medical alcohol, soap (solid or liquid), and other hygiene products;
– medical adhesive dressings of various types (especially adhesive tape rolls and bactericidal plasters), elastic bandages, wound dressings, and reusable hot-water bottles;
– antiseptics for treating wounds and burns, disposable syringes, intravenous infusion sets, and surgical sutures;
– scissors, tweezers, surgical clamps, disposable scalpel blades, surgical gloves, and thermometers; splints and triangular bandages for immobilizing fractures, tourniquets, and equipment for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and artificial ventilation;
– personal protective equipment: medical masks, respirators, gas masks or other respiratory protective devices, protective goggles, disposable medical gowns, or protective suits;
– diagnostic instruments: stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, blood glucose meters with an adequate supply of test strips, as well as batteries or rechargeable batteries for electronic medical devices;
– dental instruments, including dental mirrors and explorers, filling materials, and medications for the treatment of gum inflammation.
For a survival community, it is also advisable to provide an obstetric kit for assisting during childbirth. In addition to medical equipment, it is advisable to obtain printed reference books on first aid, surgery, obstetrics, dentistry, infectious diseases, and medicinal plants, since access to electronic sources of information may be unavailable.
Build up a supply of essential medicines, the selection and quantities of which should preferably be determined in consultation with a medical professional. These may include:
– antiseptics for disinfecting the skin and wounds;
– burn treatment products;
– topical antibacterial ointments and medications;
– antipyretic and pain-relieving medications;
– anti-inflammatory medications;
– medications for allergic reactions;
– medications for the treatment of diarrhea and intestinal disorders;
– adsorbents for use in cases of food poisoning;
– digestive aids;
– eye drops and eye-care products;
– medications for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders;
– medicinal herbs and herbal preparations.
Do not forget to stock an adequate supply of any medications that members of your family take on a regular basis. Particular attention should be given to medicines for children and people with chronic illnesses, as well as to supplies intended for protection against infectious diseases.
At least twice a year, your medical supplies should be inspected by checking expiration dates and replacing any expired medications. It should be remembered that most medicines have a limited shelf life. Therefore, alongside stocks of commercially manufactured pharmaceuticals, it is advisable to study in advance the possible use of medicinal plants and other readily available natural remedies.
Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment. First and foremost, it is necessary to build up a supply of respirators of various types, replacement filters for them, protective goggles, work gloves for different purposes, hard hats or protective helmets, raincoats, protective coveralls, and other equipment that may be required when working in conditions of heavy dust, dense smoke, acid rain, chemical contamination, or structural damage.
Stocks of underwear (both regular and thermal underwear), as well as outerwear—especially warm clothing—will help protect your family from the deteriorating climatic conditions that are expected to persist on the planet for several years.
Your supply of winter, spring and autumn, and summer clothing and footwear for adults, teenagers, and children should include waterproof and dust-resistant garments and footwear. To repair clothing, stock appropriate fabrics, thread, needles, pins, buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, and similar sewing supplies.
Footwear. It should be comfortable, practical, and durable. For every member of the family, purchase everyday footwear, insulated boots, rubber boots, felt boots, sturdy shoes or ankle boots, as well as lightweight, medium-weight, and heavy winter socks.
It is also advisable to obtain footwear, capes, raincoats, or coveralls made from synthetic polymers that are resistant to acid rain, together with special protective goggles that prevent water droplets and dust particles from reaching the eyes.
It is advisable to maintain clothing, footwear, and fabric supplies with a reasonable reserve, especially for children, who grow quickly, while also allowing for many years of use without the possibility of regular replenishment. If surplus supplies are available, part of them may be used to assist disaster victims or refugees. Be sure to purchase a sewing machine—preferably a mechanical model that does not require electricity.
Containers. For the long-term storage of liquids, bulk materials, and solid items, you will need barrels, tanks, lidded buckets, airtight boxes made of stainless steel or food-grade plastic, aluminum foil, plastic sacks, bags, and plastic bags of various sizes, including large garbage bags.
Backpacks, thermoses, and small metal or plastic containers will be useful for carrying food while working, in the fields, or during hunting and fishing.
Building Materials. Be sure to stock building materials for repairing damaged or destroyed structures and for constructing new above-ground buildings. These include common clay brick, sand-lime brick, or ceramic brick; foam concrete and aerated concrete blocks; cement; crushed stone; logs; boards and timber of various dimensions; plywood; basalt wool insulation; ceramic, metal, or bituminous roof tiles; window glass; nails; self-tapping screws; other metal products (pipes, angle sections, sheet metal); reinforced polyethylene film for greenhouses; roofing felt; and similar materials.
Your reserves should also include a variety of fasteners, ropes, steel cables, wire, adhesives, sealants, insulating tapes, gaskets, straps, spare parts for the most essential equipment, and other consumable materials that may be needed for repairing buildings, machinery, and agricultural tools.
Ladders and stepladders of various lengths, especially extendable aluminum models, will be of great assistance in construction work. For heating the house, purchase a cast-iron stove, thin-walled steel pipes for constructing a chimney, and the necessary tools for its regular cleaning.
Liquids, Powders, and Gels. In addition to drinking water, utility water, gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel, you will need other liquids, powders, and gels. These include, for example, detergents, substances for disinfection and sanitation (medical alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine-containing compounds), bottled lye for soap making, as well as other alkalis, acids, powdered reagents, and household chemicals.
Household Utensils. Whether living in an underground shelter or, several years later, in a house on the surface, your family will need a wide variety of kitchenware and household utensils. These include metal and plastic food-storage containers, cookware, and cleaning equipment for maintaining the living quarters.
For example, stainless steel cooking pots and camp kettles; kettles for boiling water and brewing tea; steel, cast-iron, or aluminum frying pans with non-stick coatings; saucepans, sauté pans, skimmers, and baking trays; plates, bowls, serving dishes, cups, mugs, drinking glasses, saucers, spoons, forks, and table knives; clothes irons, kerosene lamps, candles, matches; brooms, mops, washstands, toilet accessories, personal hygiene products, sports equipment, and other household necessitie.
- children's clothing and footwear;
- factory-bottled still mineral water in glass bottles; water-quality testing devices (test strips, drop-test kits, or preferably universal multifunction water testers);
- matches, especially waterproof matches; cigarette lighters; magnifying glasses; ferrocerium fire starters; candles, candle wax and wicks; kerosene lamps and replacement glass chimneys for them; solid fuel tablets; lamp burners; paraffin wax;
- batteries, rechargeable power sources, desk lamps, LED light bulbs; binoculars; flashlights, including belt-mounted and headlamps;
- packaged table salt, sugar, tea, vitamins, coffee beans, and a variety of spices;
- seeds of vegetable, grain, forage, and medicinal crops in airtight packaging;
- toilet soap, household soap, liquid soap, laundry detergents, shampoos, gels; disinfectant solutions and cleaning agents; washboards, washcloths, basins, and metal or plastic buckets;
- dishwashing detergents, cleaning supplies, sponges, including metal scouring pads; towels, cleaning cloths, garbage bags, brooms, and dustpans.
Historically, after wars, needles, thread, and buttons were often valued more highly than many more sophisticated manufactured goods. Therefore, a variety of sewing supplies can also serve as valuable barter items, including:
- needles of various sizes, thread in different colors, elastic bands, knitting needles; safety pins, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, buttons, snap fasteners, thimbles, fabric scissors, sewing scissors, and spare needles for sewing machines;
- knives of various sizes, especially folding knives made of high-quality stainless steel; assorted scissors, vegetable peelers, forks, spoons, mortise and padlocks;
- hand-operated grain mills, sharpening tools, millstones, grinding wheels and whetstones, manual pumps; knife and scissors sharpeners;
- metal cookware for preparing, storing, serving, and drinking food and beverages, including pitchers, thermos flasks, and water canteens;
- fishing rods, together with assorted fishing hooks, sinkers, floats, and fishing line;
- medical supplies, dressing materials, and medicines with a long shelf life;
- ropes, twine, cords, and hoses;
- respirators, water filters, water-disinfection supplies, and water-quality testing equipment, including test strips, drop-test kits, or preferably universal multifunction water testers;
- mechanical and electronic clocks and watches, especially wristwatches; watch batteries; compasses;
- insect-control products;
- books, albums, paper, notebooks, notepads, and assorted stationery, especially pens and refills, ordinary and carpenter's pencils, pencil sharpeners, ink, and chalk for teachers;
- toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand and face creams, balms, perfumes, and cologne;
- shaving equipment, razor blades, manicure sets, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, combs, brushes, and mirrors;
- scales: spring scales, lever scales, and electronic scales; measuring containers; ordinary eyeglasses, dust-protection goggles, and sunglasses;
- pillows, bed linen, warm blankets, towels, sleeping bags, blankets, and fabrics for making clothing;
- carpentry tools, especially axes, one-person and two-person hand saws, hand planes, chisels, tape measures, spirit levels, and carpenter's squares;
- metalworking and measuring tools; small bench vises, clamps, hammers; sets of screwdrivers, needle files, drill bits, taps, and milling cutters; assorted bolts, screws, threaded rods, nails, wood screws, self-tapping screws, staples, and both standard and blind rivets;
- farming and agricultural tools, including shovels, hoes, pickaxes, rakes, pitchforks, and scythes;
- mittens, insulated mittens, cotton and rubber gloves, ordinary and warm socks, and shoelaces;
- adhesives, sealants, adhesive tape, and electrical insulating tape.
When building supplies for barter, preference should be given to inexpensive, compact, durable, and practical everyday items. Such goods are the ones most likely to retain – or even increase – their value during prolonged crises and disruptions of normal economic activity.
10. Equipment, vehicles, communications
Therefore it is necessary beforehand to transfer electrical equipment (fans, pumps, lighting equipment, cutting equipment, tools, etc.) to 12 V DC. Mechanical equipment or buy the same purpose. For example, a hand and two-handed saws, drills, saws, grinding machine with manual or pedal-operated, mechanical pumps, winches, concrete mixer, agricultural equipment. Not electric mills, slab; minipekarni, ovens and dryers for heat pipes.
In your business activities will help more simple metalwork vice several sizes, as well as a set of clamps from plumbing to carpentry. Be sure to purchase fire-fighting equipment (foam and powder fire extinguishers, manual fire engine) and tools.
Note that you will be completely useless, not only trains and planes (if survive), but also cars, construction equipment and other benefits of a vanished civilization. Due to the lack of energy and completely destroyed bridges, tunnels and roads. We'll have to think of the most ancient of cost-effective transport - their own feet.
You can stock up on a motorcycle with a sidecar, ATVs, bicycles, handcarts different duty stretchers and other means of transportation. However, the best transport is horse and cart in summer and sleighs in winter. In other areas, it can be oxen, donkeys, camels, and other related pets.
Underground shelter should be equipped with stationary and portable shortwave radio, because other types of communications and broadcasting, including television will be destroyed. To alert the community and coordination during and after a disaster, it is necessary to establish in advance the telephone communication between all shelters and equip them with the field telephone. To duplicate, set the wireless communication between silos.
For communication with other surviving communities available amateur radio station with autonomous power source. Remember, however, that its services need an experienced operator of amateur or professional broadcasting.
11. Hand Tools and Supplies
For subsistence farming you need a quality tool: carpenter, carpentry, plumbing, agricultural. This is the next hand tools that should be reserved in several sizes and copies:
1) ax, ax, saws, planes, chisels, hammers, sledge, crowbar;
2) files, needle files, grinding wheels and bars, chisels, knives, glaziers;
3) Mechik and dies for threading
4) pliers, pliers, wire cutters, scissors, metal;
5) Set of screwdrivers and cross, sets of wrenches (collar, face, etc.), adjustable and pipe wrenches;
6) spades, shovels, cleaning ashes and snow, forks, rakes, hoes, scythes;
7) measuring tools: tape measure, rulers, squares, carpentry levels, calipers;
8) regular (non eletricheskie) soldering, solder, rosin, hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid.
In addition to hand tools, be sure to stock up on standard hardware (hardware), in the range:
1) Bolts, screws and studs with nuts, washers and Grover different diameter and length;
2) nails, screws, screws and rivets;
3) sets of drills for metal and wood, including, Additional, a diameter of 1 to 3 mm, which are often broken;
4) saws, knives, cutters, cutters and other accessories for the appropriate cutting tools and equipment;
5) steel wire ropes, cables, chains, copper wire, aluminum wire.
This list should include special equipment, tools and supplies that you will need to practice their craft. For example, as a doctor, a welder, a hunter, blacksmith, tailor, weaver, etc.
12. Create a library
If the preceding steps to prepare for survival after a disaster, you can start at any time (the earlier the better), the collection of books for the library can be started immediately. Personal library should consist of 3 parts: general education, artistic and technical.
For general education department should collect all the textbooks (from the first class to the last), preferably in several copies. Useful as a variety of non-fiction books, including children. For this section must-buy Bible atlases, maps, maps of the area of residence, encyclopedias, dictionaries (including foreign words), and other useful for your children comprehensive literature.
You need to buy a mechanical typewriter, ballpoint, capillary and ink pens, pens, pens for ordinary, plain and colored pencils, crayons, erasers, notebooks, albums for drawing, writing pads writing paper and other office supplies.
Art department should not only consist of you and your favorite detective, prose and poetry. Do not forget, your library will be used by many generations of relatives. Therefore, this section should be included in the first place, the achievements of world literature. For example, the book of the series "Library of World Literature", "Literary Monuments", "Library of the poet," "Masters of modern fiction," "great people", the collected works of the classics of Russian and foreign literature.
Since the museum will be destroyed and their contents destroyed or looted, then your library does not hurt to have art books. For example, from the series "World Museums", "Little History of Art" or albums and books dedicated to the work of individual artists, sculptors and other artists. Be sure to collect the library of well-illustrated children's books and books for teens, including the historical and adventure, buy children's games.
Department of Technical Literature must consist of books, albums and prints from the Internet to the organization and management of agricultural work, gardening and horticulture, processing and storage of agricultural products. You also need an economic literature and advice on construction, carpentry, plumbing and installation work. If you plan to learn one or more trades, it is necessary to collect relevant technical literature. Good to have on hand technical information, advice, tips, know-how of a general nature - from physics and medicine to chemistry and biology. To the death of civilization were destroyed and useful scientific knowledge.
However, do not clutter up your library of more technical books from different areas of knowledge. A large section of the technical literature appropriate to establish a community survival. In such a centralized library may be in other departments: art, children's, educational literature.
Both in centralized and personal libraries should be mostly paper-based information, electronic can play a supporting role.
13. Last council
Noah and his family are preparing more than 100 years to the end of the evil and corrupt the human race. Alas! our generation is no longer such a long period to prepare for the end of evil, adulterous and misrepresentation of this generation. This end of the Bible, will come suddenly, but its effects will be no less tragic.