Surviving the Apocalypse: Prepare, Survive, Thrive!

SURVIVING THE APOCALYPSE Prepare, Survive, Thrive! 1010110 EXAMPLES I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, by Harlan Ellison (1963) AI REVOLUTION The Terminator series (1984) The Matrix series (1999) As artificial intelligence systems become more and more sophisticated, they become conscious. Inevitably, some conflict arises between humans and the machines they've created. In the end, the machines win this conflict and humanity is forced to survive in a now hostile world. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Get outside. You'll need to learn how to survive in the great outdoors, off the grid. Get out of the city. Make your way to a planned location where you can hide out. Cultivate a group filled with a diversity of talents. M Teach each other survival skills. Your enemy has limitless resources. If humanity has lost the war against and the Al are hunting down AN survivors, plan on being discovered. Be prepared to start again from square one, if need be. Budget your supplies. Always plan at least two days ahead of time. Practice privacy. You don't need to become a shut-in, but be conscious of your private information and how it is used. (Your First Month): Gather people you trust. You may already have friends and family with you, living together. It's easier to live off the land in groups. Learn some practical skills like sewing, farming. cooking, or building things. If you haven't already. start picking out a place where you can live long-term. If this isn't feasible, you may need to roam further. Track your enemy's movements, gather intelligence, and hunker down. Humanity may never rule the Earth again, but you can still survive. EXAMPLES ZOMBIE UPRISING The Walking Dead TV Series (2010) Night of the Living Dead (1968) Shaun of the Dead (2004) A virus, dark magic, or a government project gone wrong - something is causing the dead to come back to life and they're hungry! Society has collapsed and humanity is forced to rethink its position on the food chain. SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): After a month or so, group dynamics will become a major concern. Make sure everyone has a role and understands it. Negotiate personal conflicts early and set up a chain of leadership succession that everyone agrees on. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): Get out of the city. Stay silent and draw as little attention as possible. Take a self-defense class or learn a hand-to-hand martial art. What happens if a zombie grabs you? You'll need instincts to rely on and a healthy knowledge of your body's capabilities. Watch the news, read the paper, and stay connected. The earlier you recognize the beginning of an outbreak, the better your chances will be. Get an edge over the - dead. Are they fast I moving? Can they climb? Prepare a safe hideaway. (Your First Month): Once supplies run out, you'll begin the dangerous task of scavenging. To get around this, start growing your own food. Build up stockpiles to get N through poor growth NZP years and disasters. Prepare a stash of basic necessities: food, clean water, medicine, a bicycle, tools, etc. Keep building and maintaining your home base. Set up alarm systems and keep watch. Eventually the zombies will rot away. After that begins the arduous task of rebuilding society. Prepare T for the day when zombies are no longer your biggest threat - you'll also have human raiders to deal with. EXAMPLES Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the O Bomb (1964) Fallout series (1997) Metro 2033 (2005) WAR A Cold War nightmare comes true and the greatest powers the world go to war with one another. As the war escalates, devastating weapons, including nuclear bombs, begin to be used. A slippery slope leads to a world in ruin - the war is over, and nobody has won. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Preferably, live in a place unlikely to be touched directly by a nuclear war. Use public transportation, like trains, to commute long distances to work or telecommute if Hunker down in your shelter with W your family and loved ones. If you don't have a shelter, get away from major population You may still be holed up in your shelter. Use radiation testing devices to measure the conditions of the outside world. centers. Use a radio or other device to O: keep up with the state of the world as long as you can. Once conditions are safe, you may wish to explore your surroundings and connect with other survivors. Be wary of radiation. you're able. (Your First Month): If you were near a bomb strike when you took shelter, you could be holed up for years. The war will come suddenly, but there will be plenty of warning signs. Learn what they are by studying the Be wary of other survivors as well - A charity is one thing, but you don't want to jeopardize yourself or your group with it. Stay sane - play games, exercise, and keep talking with people to find some sense of normalcy. news. Build a fallout shelter in your backyard or somewhere close. Keep supplies that will last you for years. If you still don't have a shelter, begin building one or use nature to your advantage. Find a cave or other natural shelter that you can improve upon. EXAMPLES PLAGUE The Stand (1978) 12 Monkeys (1995) Doomsday (2008) Genetic modifications, evolving viruses and bacteria, overpopulation, and other factors have led to conditions ripe for the outbreak of a new, fast-spreading, and deadly disease. Or maybe a disease from our past has suddenly mutated to become uncontrollable. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Wherever you are, you'll want it to have a low population density. Exercise, eat well, and maintain good mental health. You will need every aspect of yourself to be in prime condition. Continue to monitor whatever communications are available for news of a cure or vaccine. If you gather a group, keep it as small as possible. Communicate outside the group with phones and the Internet. If there is no cure, supplies may become a serious concern. A Consider farming A and sustainable methods of gathering food and safe drinking water. When venturing outside, take all precautions. Wear face masks, take vitamins and immune boosters, and stay up to date on the news. Keep up to date on all vaccines and get regular medical check-ups. They might not help against the pandemic, but you don't want to die of the flu either. (Your First Month): Getting sick is a serious concern. Hospitals may be death traps at this point, but if a member of your group is sick, you're all at risk. Weigh your options carefully and practice good hygiene. Stay continually updated about the disease and how it works. Seek official and trustworthy sources. Be wary and skeptical of rumors. If society has collapsed, fighting II may break out to TT secure what limited supplies remain. Fortify your shelter. EXAMPLES ECONOMIC MELTDOWN Atlas Shrugged (1957) Parable of the Sower (1993) Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse (2011) The closely connected markets of the world experience a sudden shock or, perhaps, one market fails and pulls the others down with it. Either way, money loses all value and the global economy never recovers. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Utilities and food are probably still available, but prices may be skyrocketing. Live off your stockpile when you must. Use the time leading up to your first year to become self-sustaining. Build up tangible skills that will be of use in any economy. Invest in additional assets that will always be valuable. Do not withdraw from the financial system - you won't be able to predict a collapse. On the plus side, if the collapse is fast, you might lose your job. Use that spare time to keep informed and connected, gather friends and family, and form a plan for the future. (Your First Month): Living in groups will help you to stay in high spirits, and pooling resources will make the difficult first month easier. Stay in touch with your contacts and spread Learn to make use of everything. Waste nothing. Begin growing and gathering things specifically to barter. A new economy is bound to develop. Learn early what the most desirable resources will be. Join a sports club, network, and make connections. Personal connections may be the only thing that survives a societal collapse. Stockpile a year's worth of clean water and food. Invest in a sustainable your net wide. At first, supplies may be publicly available and rationed. Make use of them while you can, but prepare for them to run out. power source. EXAMPLES SUPER VOLCANO The Long War (2013) Supervolcano: Eruption (2011) Supervolcano (2005) Underneath Yellowstone and elsewhere in the world are huge underground calderas full of molten earth. One day, one or more of them erupt. An enormous swath of land is covered in lava and ash fills the atmosphere. The Earth goes dark. THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): If you have to evacuate, you'll need to find a way to integrate into the new society you find yourself in. International connections will benefit you, as will a variety of practical skills. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): Stay at least 100 kilometers away from any super volcano. within that range. you'll be killed almost instantly. oo The key element of survival in this situation is protecting your eyes and lungs from falling volcanic ash. Next, find shelter. The ash will gather like snow - protecting your roof from collapsing will be a priority as well. Gather dust masks, eye protection, food, clean drinking water, plastic wrap for your electronics, and other survival goods. Ash will blot out the sun - this is why you'll need a source of heat. If you don't have to evacuate, your main concerns will be heating, food, and clean drinking water. Consider that the next few decades will be an (Your First Month): By this point you may be running low on supplies and fuel for heat. Get a generator or another source of reliable heat. Plan to evacuate, if necessary. You need to get into another A hemisphere, as far away from the source of the eruption as possible. unending winter. EXAMPLES THE END OF DAYS Left Behind series (1995) Supernatural Seasons 1-5 (2005 - 2010) Good Omens (1990) One version or another of a religious apocalypse occurs. The faithful are saved and brought to Heaven while the rest of humanity lingers on Earth waiting for their final judgment. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Inevitably, all humans on Earth will die and be judged by whichever higher power is presiding over the end of days. Read and understand as many religious doomsday scenarios Try to understand what doomsday scenario you're in - Ragnarok, the Last Judgment, Frashokereti, etc. In a religious apocalypse, the story has already been written and everything you need to know can be gathered from source materials and faith leaders. as you can. Make connections with people of al faiths and local faith leaders. Try to live a morally and ethically correct life. Give generously to charity and make peace with your past. (Your First Month): In most doomsday scenarios, very few TY people will survive. For those who do, it's about being in the right place at the right time. Hopefully you've already been raptured, in which case you have nothing to worry about. If you've lived a righteous life so far, you should be welcomed into a beautiful afterlife. Continue to live a righteous life. Society may begin to collapse, so finding shelter and reliable supplies of food, water, and power is a must. EXAMPLES ASTEROID IMPACT Lucifer's Hammer (1977) Armageddon (1998) Titan (1997) Scientists have called the solar system "a shooting gallery" for all the asteroids and comets that fly through it. In this scenario, one of those heavenly bodies collides with Earth. The last time that happened, the dinosaurs went extinct - will you fare better? PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): Take shelter and don't open up for anything. THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Gather supplies, make connections, and prepare a long-term bunker far away from the projected impact The only ones who survive this long will be the people who took shelter like you. Maintenance is key - you'll be sheltered for years as Earth Train the people of your shelter in self-defense. Develop a system of governing yourselves. recovers. zone. Make sure your shelter has some way of becoming self-sustaining. Spend a few months crossing items off of your bucket list. Unlike other disasters, you'll probably know the exact date the world might end. (Your First Month): Outside, the sun will be blocked by clouds of dust and debris. The temperature of Earth will fall rapidly. Make sure your shelter stays warm. Explore the outside world in steps - first Scout, then build outposts, then figure out how to survive. Scavenge the outside world for parts, people, and knowledge to improve your shelter. Aspects of your shelter, like water purification and power, may begin failing. Plan and create backup scenarios. EXAMPLES ECOLOGICAL DISASTER Flood Hothouse Waterworld (2008) (1962) (1995) Rising temperatures, whether through human activities or not, cause the poles to melt and the seasons to go haywire. Maybe there's a new ice age, maybe the continents are flooded. Either way, life is never the same again. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): If you are to become self-sustaining, you'll need to know what grows best in this new climate. The first difficulty will be to wean yourself of your old lifestyle. Learn how to sail, learn survival techniques, and get experience hiking and surviving in extremely low temperatures. Prices will begin to skyrocket. Invest in long term physical assets. Gather your family - the elderly and the very young will be particularly vulnerable to societal changes in the future. (Your First Month): As everything becomes more expensive, infrastructure will suffer. Carry W emergency supplies with you wherever you travel. Weather-proof your shelter. If an ice age is coming, you'll want to be well Ainsulated. If the planet is flooding, you'll want to be floating or elevated enough to last. Move inland - don't plan on living lanywhere that will be flooded. If the globe is flooded and you take to the seas, you may be able to make a living as a merchant. The melting ice caps will make this a slow apocalypse. Stay O connected with the news - governments and news organizations will probably survive. EXAMPLES ALIEN INVASION Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) The Mist The War of the Worlds (1897) (1980) Creatures from another dimension, aliens from outer space, or a long frozen species of predator awaken and terrify Earth. Humanity slowly loses the war for dominance and is forced to consider surrender.or try to survive in small pockets. PREPARE (1 - 5 Years Before Disaster): SURVIVE (Your First Week): THRIVE (1 - 5 Years After): Once the war is lost, the aliens may begin terraforming the planet to suit their own needs. Make sure your shelter is self-sufficient and well hidden. The motivations of the alien invaders will be difficult to There are a lot of different aliens and supernatural monsters out there. To prepare yourself, identify the biggest threats. understand; your connections can help you with this. Once you understand their motivations, take shelter. Stay off the grid and don't create any unnecessary records of your existence. Make connections with people who have experience with supernatural entities. In the event that they're correct, they'll be authority figures during the invasion. Alternatively, throw yourself full force into the resistance movement. Pull strings with your connections and share resources to hit aliens at their weakest points. (Your First Month): Avoid population centers and stay in your shelter. Many invaders have some sort of weakness - along with a bunker or shelter, gather a variety of alien "kryptonite" Connect with potential resistance movements and coordinate with them. Your stockpiles of kryptonite may be useful to them, and you can trade it for food and supplies. Sources: www.io9.gizmodo.com www.blastr.com www.wikihow.com www.exitmundi.nl | www.qntm.org www.en.wikipedia.org www.webmd.com TARGET SPORTS USA www.secretsofsurvival.com www.theguardian.com JEE