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Welcome to Captain Dave's new home! If you came here from survival-center.com, please bookmark captaindaves.com for the latest, most up-to-date site information.
We've got loads of free preparedness tips covering specific disaster types, surviving nuclear disasters, evacuation planning, bioterrorism protection, SARS self defense, food and water preservation and storage, weapons procurement, caching, first aid and survival medicine, plus reviews of survival books and products. We also offer a well-stocked store of survival and Army/Navy goods, including winter clothing, gas masks, potassium iodate and food. Our newest addition is this section on preparing to survive a nuclear disaster.
So add us to your bookmark page and sign the guest book if you wish to be notified of special events, new sections and receive our newsletter.
Survival
Risk Quotient: 40
Captain Dave's Survival Risk Quotient attempts to rank how close we are to an all-out global disaster, also know as TEOTWAWKI, or "the end of the world as we know it." 100 is TEOTWAWKI, 50 is September 10, 2001 and 0 is a peaceful world with no threats, or what it would have been like for Adam and Eve without the Serpent.
The quotient was revised down 2 points on October 18 to reflect the continued poor performance of the global financial markets and falling consumer confidence and the dangers of a filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the Senate, as detailed in this article from the Wall Street Journal. The written update, below, remains unchanged.
We've been getting a slew of e-mails asking us to update our Survival Quotient due to the recent economic unrest. Captain Dave has been so focused on growing his business and keeping orders flowing, that the Quotient has been on the back burner. But in response to these demands, here is an update as of October 12, 2008:
The Economic Crisis
In the past months, the Survival Quotient has dropped as fast as the stock market. Usually, our threats are external, things like terrorism, a nuclear Iran, and Bird Flu. While those are still concerns, the top of the list now belongs to economic unrest. So we’re going to dedicate this entire update to the current economic crisis.
A wise man once said that a recession is when your neighbor gets laid off, a depression is when you get laid off. This is going to be the case during this period of economic strife as well. As long as you can minimize its direct impact on you, you can weather the economic downturn. Unfortunately, not everyone will escape:
If you have a mortgage you cannot afford, you are in big trouble.
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If you plan on retiring in the next few years, you may need to revise your plans.
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If you and/or your spouse lose their job, it may take some time to find another one, and you may need to settle for a lower paying position.
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If you owned complicated mortgage-derived securities, invested in hedge funds or the financial industry, or gambled in the market hoping to make a quick buck, then you probably lost big time.
But on the other hand…
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If your house is worth less than you owe on it, that doesn't really matter as long as you can pay your mortgage. As long as you do not need to sell it right now, the loss of value is a paper loss. Things will come back up… eventually.
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If you can make your mortgage payments and your employer is pretty steady, you can get through this mess with only a little belt tightening.
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If you are relatively debt free, if you don't need a car loan, a college loan, or rely on a line of home equity to finance your way of life, then you shouldn't feel the pinch as badly as many will.
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If you have a portion your assets in gold or other bullion, you are probably far better off than many of your neighbors.
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If you have a year's worth of food in your basement, then you are better able to weather a layoff or a complete economic melt down. You may not be able to afford going out to eat, but it is nice to know that you won't starve.
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If you have a garden, raise a bit of livestock, hunt or trap game, then you have some insulation and protection that many people lack.
In short, most people who have been living the survivalist lifestyle and who strive for self sufficiently should be able to get through this economic scare without life-changing upset. As long as you can stay employed or have a source of income, you will come out far ahead of what the media is referring to as "main street."
Keep in mind, the people that are losing the most money are the people who had the most to loose. Big cats with big investments are worth 30 or 40 percent less than a year ago. So the rich are a little less rich. But for many living folks from paycheck to paycheck, the high cost of gas has a bigger day-to-day impact than the low price of stock. So don't let this talk about the worst economic crisis since the 1930s get you down. That's nothing but political scare mongering
Right now, we are nowhere near the low point of the Depression. We are also far better off than we were in the late 1970s and early 1980s when inflation drove interest rates up to around 20% and unemployment was in double digits. While layoffs are starting, they are nowhere near as bad as they have been in the past. So while Captain Dave always recommends being prepared for the worse, this isn't it.
Maintaining Employment and Cash Flow
They key to surviving an economic downturn is cash flow. You need to do whatever you can to keep your job and maintain money flowing into your bank accounts. You may loose some of your retirement savings, but that is a problem you can address in the future. A low 401k balance is unlikely to result in you being homeless. A lack of income might. So focus on short term financial survival and worry about the long term a little later when things stabilize.
To retain your job, do everything possible to be the last man laid off. That means working hard, staying out of trouble, and maintaining a good attitude. But it also means don’t willingly change employers unless the writing is on the wall or it is in a high risk area, such as mortgage broker. You want to be the person with seniority and avoid being the last hired, first fired.
What are high risk jobs? Jobs that are dependent on the economy. For example, being a new car salesman is high risk right now because people just aren't going to be buying new cars at the rate the were a few years ago. But on the other hand, with more people hanging on to their older vehicles, there could be an increased demand for mechanics. Or maybe you can make some side money stripping old parts out of junked vehicles and selling them on eBay. People are going to be keeping older vehicles running longer, and that is an opportunity.
The building trades also suffer during tough times and with dropping prices, no one is building new homes or renovating old ones. But they will still need to make repairs. I maybe able to defer putting on a new roof put on until thing look brighter, but I will have to be pretty broke to avoid calling the HVAC repair guy when my air conditions conks out in July.
With the exception of elective surgery, jobs in the medical field are also resistant to downturns. People still get sick, have accidents and need hospitalization. Government and education jobs are also somewhat resistant to cut backs, specially for people with seniority.
To take a look at why we are in this mess and what might happen next, click here to see Captain Dave's Best Case and Worst Case Scenarios for the economic crisis.
Cause and Effect
It should come as a surprise to no one that home values in Florida, California, Nevada and much of the North East spiraled up and ridiculously fast rates. Everyone know there was a housing bubble, and anyone who was a student of history know that it would eventually pop. What they did not know is that it was jot just speculators who got caught.
Unfortunately, people either ignored or were ignorant of what the bursting of the housing market bubble would mean to the complicated, interwoven and inbred structure of our financial markets. If someone know that a couple million folks being behind on their mortgages would cause the failure of some of our largest banks and financial companies in the world, they were keeping quiet. I think it is safe to say that no one really thought the shock wave from the housing market bubble bursting would suck 40 percent out of the stock market in 12 months, or 20 percent in a 10 days.
So thanks to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buying mortgages from people with no down payment and no reliable income, we are all going to suffer. And not only are we losing any money we had invested in the stock market, we will probably have to pay higher taxes in the future. It's not fair, but then, life is not fair. That's why we prepare.
How to Prepare
Captain Dave has always said that if you are prepared for one major disaster, you are probably 80% prepared for another. So if you have a high level of personal and family preparedness, you are in better shape than 95% of the populace. Here are some suggestions to weak your preparations for this economic crisis:
- Cash is king. Not only will a cash reserve help you weather the downturn in the stock market, we may see a time when credit cards are no longer accepted. Have plenty of cash on hand.
- Bullion rules. If Cash is king, than gold and silver are the emperor and empress. If you have bullion, save it for an emergency; don't think of selling, even if you can double your money. Those dollars may be worthless one day, but the gold will not be.
- Store food. If you stop paying your mortgage today, it will probably take six months for your mortgage holder to evict you. But you will hungry long before you are homeless. Stored food is not as good as fresh food, but it is better than stone soup. We are now accepting orders for 6-gallon pails of wheat and legumes.
- Grow/raise food. Stored food may keep years, but it can be consumed quickly. You need to be able to provide an ongoing supplement to your stored food through gardening or raising livestock. You don't need a cow or a pig. Raising rabbits, pigeons and chickens are good alternatives for people with little or no land. Dairy goats are good alternatives to cows for people with a few acres of cleared land.
- Store household goods. Food is important, but so are common household items like laundry detergent and maxi pads. Look at your consumables – from toothpaste and razor blades to paper towels and motor oil – and see what you need to store.
- Make extra money. Look for extra opportunities to raise cash. Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone and raise chickens. This will give you meat and eggs to consume and to sell. If you can make something or repair something people need, there may be a market for it. If the transportation system collapses, the soap or candles you make may be the only ones available. If you can sharpen a chain saw and split wood, you may be able to sell firewood to people who either do not have the skill or the trees. Be creative.
- Stock up on guns and ammunition. This is for hunting as well as self defense. Ammunition prices have doubled in the past couple of years, and if the Democrats take the Whitehouse and control Congress, we will likely see more anti-gun legislation.
Read Captain Dave's Survival Guide and the Food Storage FAQ for more information on how to prepare. Prepare for the worst, while you still can…
Click here to see Captain Dave's Best Case and Worst Case Scenarios for the economic crisis.
Great Deals on Survival Supplies, Clothing, Winter Gear and Voodoo Tactical Gear
All the great free information on Captain Dave's web site is made possible thanks to sales from our store. We continue to add new items, from new boots, shoes and thermal underwear to more knives, gear bags, tactical items and will be rolling out new products this spring. Check out the Survival Shop, for long-term storage food, heavy duty clothing, great winter clothes, cool cargo pants, combat boots, insulated coveralls, flight jackets and flight suits, hunting and camping gear and all sorts of other nifty stuff!
When
in Doubt, Plan
Many people facing fear and uncertainty have found that
knowledge is the best cure. This web site exists to help you gain some
of that knowledge, to help you prepare, to give you the information you
need to improve your odds at survival if you are ever caught up in the
worst case scenario.
Whether you fear bombs, biological weapons, something as severe as the collapse of civilization or as mundane as a hurricane, making a plan to deal with the worst-case scenario can help reduce your level of fear. We believe the information and guidance we provide here can help you be better prepared and therefore overcome, or at least manage, your fear.
For example, people fearing anthrax can learn how to construct a "safe room" in your home.
Starting to Prepare
Every time there is a hurricane or other natural disaster, a terrorist attack, talk of war, or another threat, people turn to these pages searching for answers. If you are reading these pages because of a sudden desire to protect yourself and your loved ones, to survive and perhaps even thrive during the down times, we welcome you and can help you get started. We suggest you read Captain Dave's Survival Guide and follow its recommendations. You don't have to live in the woods to be a survivalist, as plenty of New Yorkers proved after 9/11. That determination to survive, to walk home, barefoot, bloody and covered in ash, shows that there is a little bit of a survivalist in thousands of New Yorkers. We're betting its there in you, too. Hopefully, we can help you tap that inner spirit.
Here's your first lesson: Do not count on others to protect you. The police usually cannot stop a murder, a sniper attack or terrorist act from occurring, only arrest those who have committed it and hope it serves a deterrent. The government cannot always stop terrorists, only kill them afterwards and try to track down their leadership. The first lesson of being a survivalist is that you must be responsible for your own well-being. You must protect yourself.
The Terrorist Threat
We know that Muslim extremists hate America and what we stand for. They hate our freedom, 
our individual rights, our wealth and our opportunity. They hate our religion, and they hate our values, and our culture. They hate not only our president, but our form of government. And they hate the military progress and success we have made in Afghanistan and Iraq. They fear us and our might and know that we seek to destroy them before they can destroy us.
We don’t know how many cells of terrorists are lying in wait, planning one or more attacks. We don't know if they have biological weapons like Anthrax or chemical weapons like nerve gas. We don’t know if they have plans to attack a chemical facility that could release phosgene, hydrogen cyanide or another deadly chemical into the air. We don't know if they will attack a rail yard or a water purification plant, releasing a cloud of poisonous chlorine gas into a nearby neighborhood. We don't know if they have conventional weapons, or if they will target an important bridge or dam, blowing it up with a truckload of fertilizer and diesel fuel. But we do know that many of them have been trained in camps; trained to build and set explosives, trained in guerrilla warfare, trained in how to create car bombs and dirty bombs and suicide bombs. We know they have a burning desire to use this training, to attack Americans and Europeans and Jews and even those who believe in a gentler form of Islam. We know they will gladly die in the process of delivering an attack that succeeds in killing Americans or people who cooperate with the United States. We know that they will strike again. We expect it.
Whether or not we foil another attack, each and every American citizen needs to be prepared, both mentally, emotionally and physically, for another 9/11, or for a far worse scenario. You should be ready and able to gather your family together if they strike again. You should have food and water for several weeks or even months should our water supply be poisoned or transportation disrupted. You should have a means to defend yourself if civil unrest develops. You should have a means to survive if the economy falters and the stock market crashes. Use the information on these pages to prepare, but start now, before it is too late. If you are worried about chemical or biological attack, read about how to create a safe room.
Preparing for
a Biological or Chemical Attack
The government has bought at 100 million doses of Cipro, 1.2 billion does of doxycycline and has ordered 300 million smallpox vaccines, but they tell us not to worry. They are also stockpiling anti-virals should the bird flu break out and working on vaccines. Yet they clearly fear the threat of continued or expanded biological terror attacks, and for good reason.
We have all seen first hand the disruption caused by a few envelopes and a few sniper's bullets. Worse yet are concerns of terrorist in crop dusters spraying sporting events and downtown streets with anthrax spores. And Anthrax is the least of our problems because it can be treated with antibiotics and is not very contagious. No, officials are far more worried about Smallpox, a disease that the UN has considered "eradicated" for some 30 years. They are worried about suicidal bombers in the subways or shopping malls. But how much should we worry? Is the threat realistic? Do you really need a gas mask to survive in the future?
If Uncle Sam is preparing to vaccinate 20,000 first-responders, up to 500,000 medical personnel and 500,000 soldiers, should you get a smallpox vaccine too? First, you need to realize that the chance of you personally being on the receiving end of an attack is very low, unless you live or work in an area that is a high-potential target, such as the post office, the media or the government. Second, the greatest risk to the population in general is not an attack, but its aftermath. (In the anthrax attack, only 17 people came down with anthrax and less than half died.) The threat is not only the disease, but the unrest and disruption. Will the government declare martial law, close airports and block roadways, order everyone to remain quarantined in their homes and take other harsh precautions designed to stop the spread of disease? If so, do you have enough food and water to survive for a week or three without being able to run out to the store? Will a bioterrorist attack be the straw that breaks the economy and sends it back into a recession? Will the food supply be disrupted? Will you have fresh, clean water to drink? Will you lose your job? These are things you need to prepare for. And reading the Survival Guide is a good place to start. If you won't feel safe without a gas mask or chemical protection suit by your side, we're happy to sell them to you. But we suggest you stock up on food, water filters, blankets, flash lights and other more mundane items as well.
Captain Dave is preparing a detailed report on the threat of biological and chemical weapons and how to prepare to survive an attack and its aftermath. Sign our guest book to have a copy e-mailed to you as soon as it is complete.
Contacting Captain
Dave
If you have any questions or comments, please E-mail
us. Our address is Captain Dave Inc. P.O. Box 72298, Durham, N.C., 27717.
Our phone number can be found in the Survival Shop, but E-mail
is the best way to reach us and the most likely to get a response.
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