Hurricanes, Wildfires, Tornados, Floods, there are endless disasters, natural and man-made, that threaten humans on a daily basis – are you prepared? We’ve put together a checklist of top survival books to get you safely through the storms.
SAS Survival Guide by John “Lofty” Wiseman
A classic outdoor manual covering every numerous disaster scenarios, this book has gone through multiple editions and sold millions of copies. John Wiseman was a former survival instructor for Britain’s elite Special Air Force. The latest edition includes sections on Urban survival and terrorism along with information on disaster preparation, what to eat, first aid guidance, self-defense and security, and disaster survival.
Build the Perfect Bugout Bag: Your 72-hour Disaster Survival Kit by Creek Stewart
This books shows you, step by step and with checklists and explanations, how to build a bugout back that will prepare you for the worst if disaster strikes. It includes information on what to pack for food, water, protection, shelter, survival tools and more to keep you safe and alive for at least 72 hours. It also includes special considerations for children, the elderly, pets and other varying circumstances. Creek Stewart is survival instructor and the author of multiple books on survival. He also hosts a TV show on the weather channel called SOS: How to Survive.
Your Survival by Dr. Bob Arnot and Mark Cohen
This is a handbook, video and organizer to help ensure you’re prepared for a disaster, including what items you should have on hand for emergencies, but also planning advice including important paperwork storage and insurance policy coverage. Dr. Bob Arnot is a TV personality and news reporter who has traveled to disaster zones all throughout the world, co-editor Mark Cohen is a veteran journalist.
The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure by Colin Towell
This book mainly focuses on outdoor adventure but the information would be useful in any disaster, including first aid techniques, how to set up shelter and find food and water. Colin Towell is a combat survival instructor with armed forces in the United States and Britain.
Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival by Tom Brown
Covering all the basics of Wilderness Survival, this field guide is a simple, easy-to-use manual on how to build a shelter, find water, hunt for food, and pick edible plants. Tom Brown has written over a dozen field guides, and his Wilderness Survival guide is a classic.
How to Survive the End of the World as We Know it: Tactics, Techniques and Technologies for Uncertain Times by James Wesley Rawles
This book focuses on how to prepare yourself and your family in the event of a disaster ranging from financial collapse to terrorist attack to hurricane. This is more than a few day survival guide, it shows you what seeds to plant and animals to have on hand to ensure your self-sufficiency should the world collapse around your self-contained and now secure home. James Wesley Rawles is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, internationally recognized family preparedness and disaster survival expert, and founder and editor of survivalblog.com.
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin
The premise of this book is that humans can survive weeks without food, days without water, but can get into trouble real fast if their core temperature varies much from 98.6 degrees. This is a commonsense guide to modern survival skills across varies scenarios and locales from the wilderness to the city. Cody Lundin is a survival instructor and founder of the Aboriginal Living Skills School in Arizona.
The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster by Bernie Carr
This master list of 101 things to do to prepare for a disaster, like build a bugout bag and calculate how much water you need, is a simplified how-to guide that won’t scare you. Bernie Carr is a technical writer that runs the apartmentprepper.com website – she is not a survival expert, but rather someone interested in preparedness after survival a few natural disasters with her family.
Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient when the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison
This is more of an practical guide for families wanting to be prepared for common emergencies like storms and power outages, than a survivalist guide. In addition to her family preparedness writing, Harrison writes extensively about her experiences being a foster mother.
And last but not least, our favorite book recommendation for emergency situations, brought to you by our CTO Michael:
Amy C. Manikowski is a writer living in Asheville, NC.
