Prepared

Prepared Plot Summary

Introduction

Catastrophe doesn't discriminate. Whether it's a natural disaster, violent attack, or sudden emergency, your survival depends on how prepared you are mentally and physically. Most people walk through life either numb or vibrating with anxiety, ill-equipped to handle life's inevitable curveballs. The modern world has redefined our baseline coping mechanisms, leaving us less resilient as individuals and as a society. When crisis strikes, the disconnect between instinct and action can mean the difference between life and death. This disconnect—this delay in response—is what we must bridge through preparation, training, and exposure. The pages ahead will provide you with the fundamental principles and practical tools to develop the mindset, skills, and systems needed to not just survive catastrophe, but to thrive through it. These principles aren't just about emergency preparedness; they're about reclaiming your personal power and living with confidence in an unpredictable world.

Chapter 1: Develop a Resilient Mindset

Resilience is the cornerstone of survival in any catastrophic situation. It's the ability to withstand the initial shock when disaster strikes and respond in a timely, constructive manner. This isn't simply about mental toughness; it's about training your nervous system to function effectively under extreme stress. Consider what happened during my first combat deployment as a Green Beret in Afghanistan. Our unit was at a forward operating base in a remote valley when a pallet of water bottles crashed outside our perimeter. As the team collected the scattered supplies, a 107mm rocket came screaming into our position from a hillside. It was my first experience with enemy fire, and I completely froze. For three to six seconds—an eternity in combat—I was paralyzed by fear. My sympathetic nervous system was flooded with stress hormones, and I temporarily shut down. But then something kicked in. I took a deep breath, told myself "Mike, you're not going to die," and snapped back into action. I hopped on a four-wheeler, tore over to the fence line, and grabbed concertina wire with my bare hands to create an opening for my teammates, gashing my palms in the process. The remarkable thing was that during this heightened state, I felt no pain from my injuries. My senses were amplified, and once I broke through that initial paralysis, I was able to take decisive action that helped ensure our team's safety. This transition from freeze to fight illustrates how a resilient mindset works under pressure. The science behind this involves your nervous system's response to stress. The sympathetic nervous system triggers your fight-or-flight response, flooding your body with adrenaline and cortisol. This increases visual acuity, lung capacity, heart rate, and blood flow to major muscle groups. However, when overwhelmed, your parasympathetic nervous system can hit the brakes too hard, causing you to freeze. Through training and exposure to stress, you can develop the ability to recover from this freeze response more quickly. Building resilience starts with deliberately seeking controlled discomfort. If you're comfortable with firearms, practice shooting on the move, in the dark, or with someone shouting in your ear. If you hate cold, take cold plunges or walk in chilly weather without bundling up. When you feel uncomfortable—when your palms sweat and your pulse races—sit with that feeling. Embrace the discomfort before it embraces you. When overwhelmed, employ conscious breathing and positive self-talk: stop, take deep breaths, and tell yourself, "I can do this. I got this." Remember, you won't rise to the occasion in a crisis; you'll fall to your level of training. By gradually exposing yourself to stress and discomfort now, you build the mental calluses needed to function when it matters most. The resilient mindset isn't about eliminating fear—it's about developing the capacity to act effectively despite it.

Chapter 2: Create Strategic Plans for Any Scenario

Planning for catastrophe requires a methodical approach that accounts for multiple contingencies. In Special Operations, at least a third of every mission timeline is dedicated to planning—not for when things go right, but for when they inevitably go wrong. This same principle applies to civilian preparedness. The PACE planning system, widely used in military and emergency response, provides an excellent framework for developing comprehensive contingency plans. PACE stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency—representing progressively more difficult but necessary options when your first plan fails. Consider how this might work during a house fire. Your Primary route might be exiting through the front door. If smoke blocks that path, your Alternate route could be the back door. If both ground floor exits are inaccessible, your Contingency might be escaping through the master bedroom window. Your Emergency option—the riskiest but potentially only remaining choice—might be jumping from whichever window is closest, by any means necessary. A tragic example of insufficient planning was the 1912 Titanic disaster. The ship's owners were so convinced it was unsinkable that they neglected adequate evacuation procedures and training. When disaster struck, chain of command broke down, and crew members made fatal errors like locking third-class passengers below deck and only partially filling lifeboats. Of the 2,224 people aboard, only 706 survived—472 fewer than the available lifeboat capacity, and 1,500 fewer than should have survived with proper planning and training. Effective planning requires honest self-assessment. You must understand your immediate surroundings, the larger environment, your potential adversaries (whether human or natural), and the tools at your disposal. Most importantly, you need an accurate accounting of your own capabilities—physically, mentally, and tactically. The real power of planning isn't in the plan itself but in what you learn through the process of creating it. Consider incorporating the PACE mindset into your daily life. When entering a new building, identify the exits. Which one's closest? Which gets you outside fastest? Are there windows? Do they open? Check your cell service. Note the location of fire extinguishers or defibrillators. With practice, this environmental scan becomes automatic, taking less than thirty seconds. By embedding planning principles into your daily routine, you develop both greater resilience and heightened situational awareness. This mental preparation means that when catastrophe strikes, you won't be starting from zero—you'll already have a framework for responding effectively.

Chapter 3: Master Situational Awareness

Before continuing, grab a piece of paper and think about your daily commute. Write down everything you remember from your last trip—not what you know is there, but what you specifically recall seeing. If you're like 99.9% of people, your list is alarmingly short. This exercise reveals how we move through the world on autopilot, unaware of our surroundings. This unconscious disconnection is an epidemic in the developed world. We expect society's institutions to keep us safe, so we waltz through life without paying attention. Situational awareness—conscious observation of your environment—is what gives you the best chance of avoiding catastrophe before it occurs. Yousef Badou, a former Marine infantryman and expert on situational awareness, teaches the concept of "setting your baseline"—understanding what's normal in a given situation so you can identify what's not. During counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, Badou's unit would patrol villages where locals typically displayed open hostility. "That was our baseline," he explained. "Then one day we'd roll through, and like usual everyone hated us, but now there was this one guy up ahead smiling at us, waving for us to come over—and that is the chucklehead I want to talk to." The smiling villager was a spike in the pattern, going up the down escalator, potentially signaling danger. The power of recognizing these anomalies was dramatically illustrated during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Ten-year-old Tilly Smith was walking along Mai Khao beach in Thailand when she noticed the sea receding and water frothing strangely. Having recently learned about tsunamis in her geography class, she recognized the warning signs. Despite her mother's dismissal, Tilly insisted they alert resort staff, who evacuated the beach just before the waves hit. Mai Khao was the only beach on Phuket island that reported no casualties. By spotting the spike in the pattern and acting decisively, this young girl saved an estimated hundred lives. Improving your situational awareness starts with learning how to look systematically. When hunting or scouting in military operations, I break my field of view into a grid and scan methodically—left to right, then right to left, from bottom to top. I look deeply into each section, tracing through in a snake pattern, searching for anomalies. You can apply this same technique to scanning any environment for potential threats. Beyond your immediate view, extend your awareness outward in concentric circles—what military personnel call "5s and 25s." First scan five meters around your position, then push out to twenty-five meters. This protects against secondary attacks, which are common in both combat and civilian emergencies. When assessing people specifically, focus on hands and demeanor. A person's hands are where threats materialize—whether it's a weapon or an attempt to grab you. Their demeanor—posture, facial expressions, level of alertness—reveals potential intentions and emotional state. By combining surveillance of your surroundings with careful observation of the people in that environment, you create a comprehensive awareness that significantly enhances your safety.

Chapter 4: Make Decisive Choices Under Pressure

When catastrophe strikes, one question rises above all others: What are you going to do? Everything we've discussed so far—resilience, planning, awareness—prepares you for this crucial moment of decision. Under intense stress, with little time to think, you must act decisively to survive. Many people struggle with decision-making, especially in high-stakes situations. They become paralyzed by the perception of having too many options. This analysis paralysis creates a potentially deadly delay in response time. The solution lies in recognizing that you're already good at decision-making and simplifying your choices under stress. Tom Flanagan, a former Army Ranger and Special Missions Unit operator, discovered the power of sequential decision-making as a high school wrestler. After two disappointing seasons, he asked a state champion for advice. "Wrestling," the champion told him, "is a bunch of decisions, back to back to back. You try one move, and it doesn't work, so you go to the next one, and the next one." Tom embraced this process, learning to string together good decisions quickly. By his senior year, his record had dramatically improved. This same principle applies to survival. During a firefight in Iraq in October 2005, Tom and his unit found themselves under intense attack from insurgents. "Small-arms fire, machine-gun rounds, RPGs, you name it, it came flying through every window, through every wooden door, through every wall right into the house," Tom described. "I was sure at that moment that this was it. We weren't coming home from this." Pinned down in the middle of the house, Tom made the split-second decision to move up to the roof. From that elevated position, he engaged enemy combatants, suppressed approaching vehicles, and spotted a mortar position that was subsequently eliminated. Despite facing overwhelming odds, Tom's team suffered no casualties because everyone made quick, effective decisions under extreme pressure. In any emergency, your first decision should be to "get off the X"—military parlance for moving away from immediate danger. This accomplishes two things: it increases your chances of survival and simplifies subsequent decisions by eliminating options that no longer make sense. By making that first move, you fight off parasympathetic shutdown and begin building decision-making momentum. Beyond immediate safety decisions, the most challenging choice you might face involves the use of deadly force. Most people haven't sufficiently thought through their personal criteria for this extreme option. When I ask students to describe scenarios where they would use deadly force, they typically recite legal justifications rather than their own moral boundaries. To illustrate this difficulty, I run an exercise in self-protection classes where volunteers stand and listen to a home invasion scenario. They're instructed to sit down at the point when they would use deadly force. As the scenario unfolds—an intruder enters, approaches children's bedrooms, appears armed—people sit at different moments. None are acting on predetermined criteria; they're reacting emotionally to an escalating situation. Viktor Frankl wrote, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response." In catastrophe, no two spaces are more important than deciding whether to get off the X at the first sign of danger and deciding whether deadly force is necessary as a last resort. By preparing for these decisions in advance, you gain not just survival advantages, but what Frankl called "our growth and our freedom."

Chapter 5: Build Essential Everyday Carry Systems

Your everyday carry (EDC) represents the foundation of physical preparedness—the items you have on your person that allow you to respond effectively in emergencies. As a Special Forces veteran and CIA contractor, I learned that EDC isn't just about having a pistol or tourniquet; it's everything from head to toe, and it all matters. This principle was driven home during my time as a Global Response Staff officer at a remote CIA base. Walking around in flip-flops one afternoon, my boss approached me: "Mike, don't wear those on the base." When I explained I wasn't on duty, he replied, "On this base, with only a handful of us here, you're always working, on duty or off." I immediately understood—in that isolated location surrounded by hostiles, we were our own first responders. Every detail of our EDC could mean the difference between life and death. In civilian life, we're equally responsible for our own initial response to emergencies. Even in urban areas, police response times average 6-10 minutes, while rural areas may see wait times of 20-30 minutes or more. The Virginia Tech shooter fired 175 bullets and killed 30 people in just 9 minutes. The Sandy Hook shooting lasted only 5 minutes. You must be prepared to handle the critical first moments of any crisis yourself. Your EDC should address two primary questions: How will you defend yourself against threats? How will you treat injuries? For self-defense, consider both lethal options (like a concealed carry pistol) and non-lethal alternatives (pepper spray, stun guns, or personal alarms). Choose tools that match your environment and skill level, and ensure they're comfortable and accessible. For my own EDC pistol, I carry a Sig Sauer P365-XMacro with 17+1 round capability and a Red Dot optic. It's compact yet powerful, with good concealability while maintaining stopping power. I also carry a folding knife, a flashlight, and non-lethal options depending on the situation. Remember that your self-defense capability is determined not just by what you carry, but by your proficiency with those tools. For survival and medical preparation, think in terms of a 72-hour window—what you need to survive on your own for three days with nothing but what's on your person. This includes a tourniquet and individual first aid kit for treating wounds, a Mylar thermal blanket for shelter and warmth, fire-starting tools, water purification tablets, and some form of illumination like a flashlight or headlamp. These items can fit in a small bag yet provide essential capability for surviving common emergencies. How you carry these items matters as much as what you carry. Your EDC bag should be comfortable and organized for quick access under stress. I use either a fly-fishing bag with a single strap that can be easily rotated to the front, or a fanny pack for a more streamlined option. Your clothing choices also impact preparedness—sturdy shoes, pants with multiple pockets, layered shirts, and a good belt all contribute to your overall readiness. Finally, remember that how you carry yourself is your first line of defense. Standing tall, staying alert, and projecting confidence deters threats and enhances your ability to respond effectively. As the saying goes, "Fake it 'til you make it"—project capability and confidence, even as you're building it, and soon enough those qualities will become natural aspects of who you are.

Chapter 6: Design Your Mobility Strategy

On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm with 150-mph sustained winds. Despite lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, the rapidly intensifying storm left many residents scrambling. Store shelves emptied of essentials, gas stations ran dry, and highways became gridlocked with evacuees—many of whom had no clear destination in mind. This scenario highlights the critical importance of mobility in disaster preparedness. Mobility extends your survival capacity by increasing what you can carry and how far you can travel to escape danger. Clay Croft, founder of Expedition Overland, explains it perfectly: "Mobility is a means of increasing and maintaining your freedom to move." This freedom is essential because eventually, regardless of how secure your home base might be, you'll need to relocate—whether to get supplies, flee an approaching threat, or rescue family members. The size of your mobility platform determines your capabilities. Too small, like a compact car, and you'll struggle with capacity and terrain navigation. Too large, like a cargo van, and you'll be limited to paved roads with restricted maneuverability. For most people, the sweet spot lies somewhere in between—perhaps an SUV or truck with sufficient storage space and decent off-road capability. Regardless of your vehicle choice, your mobility strategy should prioritize two areas: survival and first aid. Survival in the context of mobility breaks down into several essential categories. For shelter, remember the mnemonic "IOU": something to shelter IN (your vehicle itself or a tent), something to sleep ON (sleeping pads), and something to sleep UNDER (sleeping bags or blankets). For water, carry one to two gallons per person and include means to procure, sanitize, and store additional water—perhaps water purification tablets, collapsible containers, or even a mounted auxiliary water tank. Food supplies should include calorie-dense, easily storable options like protein bars, nuts, jerky, and emergency rations. First aid takes on new dimensions in a vehicle setting. Given that car accidents are statistically the most likely catastrophe you'll face (6.74 million reported accidents annually in the US), your preparation should be robust. I recommend having at least four tourniquets secured in accessible locations throughout your vehicle, along with a comprehensive Vehicle Trauma Response Kit (VTRK) containing bandages, gauze, burn dressings, chest seals, splints, airways, trauma shears, and medical tape. The accessibility of these supplies is paramount. After witnessing a motorcycle accident where my friend John was critically injured, I learned the hard way that having medical supplies isn't enough if you can't access them quickly. I had to frantically pull individual items from a secured medkit while precious seconds ticked away. Now I design my vehicle medical gear with rapid access in mind—tourniquet pouches mounted on visor panels and trauma kits on seat headrests that can be quickly removed without unbuckling your seatbelt. For those considering a more comprehensive "bug-out" strategy, additional considerations come into play. Before investing heavily in equipment, ask yourself key questions: Who will be with you? Where are you going? What skills do you have? What are your strengths and vulnerabilities? Can you live without ready access to medications? These answers will shape your approach to building a truly effective mobility platform that serves your specific needs. Whether you're preparing for natural disasters, civil unrest, or simply ensuring your family's safety during everyday travel, a well-thought-out mobility strategy provides options when you need them most. By extending your capacity to carry essentials and your capability to navigate challenging situations, you significantly increase your chances of surviving—and even thriving—when catastrophe strikes.

Chapter 7: Establish a Secure Home Base

The homestead should be a robustly secure yet comfortable physical environment with security, medical, and fuel resources to support not just self-defense and survival, but a positive quality of life for your family when catastrophe strikes and infrastructure breaks down. Unlike the caricatures of doomsday preppers portrayed in media, true homestead preparedness isn't about obsessively preparing for the end of the world—it's about building resilience for more common disruptions. Consider Hurricane Ida, which struck Louisiana in 2021. Though less immediately deadly than Katrina, Ida knocked out power to entire regions, in some cases for weeks, during a period of high heat and humidity. Many residents who had purchased generators as backup power sources found themselves without fuel canisters to keep them running. Despite having the means for resilience, they lacked the methods and planning. The result was dangerous confrontations at gas stations and stores as people competed for dwindling resources. Security always comes first when establishing your homestead. In the military, we use the OCOKA system to analyze terrain: Observation and fields of fire, Cover and concealment, Obstacles, Key terrain, and Avenues of approach. This same framework can help you evaluate your home's security strengths and vulnerabilities. The goal is to exploit physical advantages while mitigating weaknesses through layered security systems that provide early warning and redundancy. A comprehensive security system includes overlapping technologies for detection, illumination, observation, and notification. Motion-activated floodlights installed above entry points and in concealment-friendly areas provide both deterrence and visibility. Motion sensors on doors and windows connected to your home security system add another layer of protection. Camera arrays that can see beyond your immediate property give crucial advance warning of approaching threats. Don't overlook simple, analog security measures that don't require electricity or internet connection. Dogs provide an unmatched early warning system with their superior hearing and sense of smell. Squeaky gates, doors, and floorboards can alert you to movement. Strategically placed terrain obstructions like thorny bushes or gravel patches make silent approach difficult. Medical resources at your homestead should extend beyond what you carry personally or in your vehicle. Your goal is to create what would effectively be an aid station—a place where you can treat casualties more safely and thoroughly for extended periods. This includes supplies for major trauma response (tourniquets, bandages, gauze) and minor wound care (ointments, medications, Band-Aids). Buy these items in bulk and integrate them into your everyday life, rather than segregating them as "survival only" supplies. Preventative care and hygiene are equally important aspects of homestead preparedness. Maintain supplies of vitamins, medications, and supportive devices that enhance physical capabilities. Ensure sufficient water storage for both drinking and washing—FEMA recommends one gallon per person per day for at least two weeks, with half for drinking and half for hygiene and food preparation. For fuel resources, develop multiple independent sources of food and power. Your food strategy might include a well-stocked pantry of canned, jarred, and boxed foods with 1-5 year shelf lives, a garden or greenhouse for fresh produce, livestock for protein and dairy, and hunting/fishing capabilities. Cycle through stored food regularly, using the oldest items first and replenishing with new stock. Power considerations should follow a PACE framework: Primary (grid power), Alternate (generators), Contingency (solar/wind), and Emergency (batteries). Research what combination works best for your situation and budget, ensuring you can maintain essential functions during extended outages. Finally, remember that community is the foundation of true resilience. No matter how well-prepared your individual homestead might be, connections with neighbors multiply your security and resources. A trailer park community provides multiple layers of early warning. A suburban neighborhood with engaged residents creates a 360-degree security perimeter. Even in an apartment complex, knowing your neighbors offers tactical advantages and mutual support during emergencies.

Summary

The principles of modern preparedness covered in this journey are designed to help you survive any catastrophe in the modern world. From developing resilience and creating strategic plans to mastering situational awareness, making decisive choices, building essential carry systems, designing mobility strategies, and establishing a secure home base—each element builds upon the others to create a comprehensive approach to personal security and survival. "The reason I wrote this book is to give you the mental and physical tools you need to live a prepared life. To thrive in that life. To know that you have what it takes, both literally and figuratively, to protect yourself, defend your family, and support your community in the event of catastrophe. To know that you can—no, that you will—survive the worst day of your life." This journey isn't about paranoia or isolation; it's about empowerment and connection. Take one deliberate step today—whether testing your situational awareness, creating a PACE plan for home evacuation, or assembling a basic everyday carry kit. The most important aspect of preparedness is simply beginning, then building consistency through regular practice until these principles become second nature.

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Mike Glover

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