Subject: Re: Needs (Was Threat List)

From: [email-masked] (Kathy Waddell)
Date: 16 Sep 1994 20:17:07 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] 
   (131E50000-HolderR(DR2688)300) says:
> ...
>This list is sort of ordered (according to my personal perceptions) from
>most common/ most dangerous to least common / least dangerous, but it
>needn't stay ordered that way:
>
>1   Hypothermia
>2   Thirst
>3   Hunger
>4   Sore feet
>5   Bad Hygiene (lice, foot fungus, sepsis)
>6   Human Assailant
>7   Incarceration
>8   Animal Attack
>9   Panic 
>...

Instead of listing these under the heading of threats, I would
prefer to list needs for survival:

1 air
2 water
3 food
4 clothing
5 shelter
6 medical supplies
7 hygienic supplies
8 tools
9 supportive attitude
etc

Attitude: I don't plan to merely survive, I plan to thrive.  When
a person has allowed fear and panic to take over then it doesn't
matter how many gadgets and supplies they have to survive.  They're
life isn't worth living anyway, IMO.  

The right mental attitude is probably more imortant than any practicle 
preparations.  By all means make plans, gather stuff, be prepared.  But 
don't be so locked into things going the way you plan that when things 
don't you won't be able to addapt.

When talking about survival there are 2 main kinds, short-term emergency
survival and long-term survival.  Short-term and long-term survival will
require different ways to supply the basic needs.

In short-term survival, gathering emergency supplies and planning will
probably be best done in small groups working independently.  In long-
term survival I think a small community of people working together is
necessary.  In such a situation knowledge is power.  Learn some useful
skills.  Posessions can be stolen, whether they are food, tools or
guns.  Your knowledge and ability will be your most valuable assets.

After that speel about attitude now to the practicle.  I would like to
see developed a list or several lists of equipment and supplies for 
emergency or short-term survival.  This type of survival could be 
broken down into 3 areas.  The first area would be for the home or
some permanent shelter, the next area would be equivalent to car 
camping and the third would be equivalent to back-packing.  I am
especially interested in ways to supply water for each of these
scenarios.

Could the FAQ, or multiple FAQs if the one gets too large, cover
each of the basic needs, whatever we decide they may be.  A FAQ 
or section about water could contain basic instructions on various 
techniques that would address emergency to long-term solutions.  It 
could contain references to catalogues for ordering equipment and book 
recommendations for more info.
    
What do you all think?

---
Have fun!
  
 =-Kathy->                                  [email-masked]