When disaster strikes, time is of the essence. The people who survive are those who know what to do . . . they have their earthquake kits packed, their travel essentials saved, their family prepared, and their cars gassed up and ready to go. Everyone wants to believe that they are that personthe one who would prevail whether they found themselves facing a tornado, an angry bear, or a revolution in a third-world country. Filled with clear, concise instructions, helpful diagrams, essential checklists, and inspirational first-person stories, this book is a fascinating armchair read that might just save the reader's life. Sprinkled throughout are real-life "extreme survival" stories of amazing feats ("I Punched a Tiger in the Face!") that inform and entertain. Even if the most terrifying thing you've ever survived is a traffic jam on the 205, this book is a must-read. This book will feature disaster survival scenarios in a number of international situations. TOC: Urban Survival 1. Situational Awareness Basics 2. What They Did Right: 9/11 Survival Stories, America's Heroes 3. Street Smarts: Stay Safe in the Big City 4. It Happened to Me: I Fought Off a Madman 5. Hand-to-Hand Combat Techniques 6. Assault Prevention Essentials 7. By the Numbers: Don't be a Crime Statistic 8. What They Did Wrong: Bad-News Bar Fight 9. Disarm a Gunman 10. Burglarproof Your Home 11. Keep Your Family Safe 12. Gear Essentials: Home Safety 101 13. What to Bring on the RoadAny Road 14. Basic Car Safety 15. Checklist : Travel Smart Anywhere 16. Third World Smarts, First World Streets 17. It Happened to Me: Caught in a Armed Insurrection 18. Threat Level Index: When Do You Leave? 19. Emergency Auto Repairs MacGyver Would Envy 20. Worst Case Scenario: When Civilization Falls Disaster Survival 1. Wild Weather: What to Watch For 2. Terrifying Twisters: Survive a Tornado 3. By the Numbers: How Safe is Your City from Extreme Weather 4. When the Floodwaters Are Rising 5. Sandbag Essentials 6. It Happened to Me: Swept Away in a Raging River 7. Hurricaine! When to Evacuate 8. What They Did Wrong: Katrina Disasters 9. Fire Watch: Dealing with Urban Fires 10. When the Woods Burn 11. Wall of Water: Ride Out a Tsunami 12. It Happened to Me: Surviving the Indonesian Tsunami 13. What They Did Right: Fukushima Survival Stories 14. Make It through a Blizzard 15. Checklist: Ensure Winter Survival 16. When the Big One Hits: Earthquake Survival 17. Threat Level Index: Stay or Go After a Quake? 18. Handling Looters 19. Gear Essentials: Your Ultimate Go bag 20. Worst Case Scenario: Nuclear Meltdown Wilderness Survival 1. Make It Through a Night in the Woods 2. Signal Rescuers the Right Way 3. What they Did Wrong: The Kim Family Tragedy 4. Basic Tracking Skills 5. By the Numbers: The Most Dangers Places on Earth 6. Survive an Avalanche 7. When Animals Attack 8. It Happened to Me: The Soldier Who Punched a Tiger in the Face 9. Build a Fire Anywhere 10. Ice Storm Survival 11. Threat Level index: Assess Bad Weather 12. Find and Eat Wild Plants Safely 13. Make It in the Jungle 14. What They Did Right: The Teenage Girl Who Survived the Amazon 15. Make a Basic Animal Snare 16. Skin and Cook Your Catch 17. Gear Essentials: Wilderness Survival Kit 18. Get Out of Quicksand 19. First Aid on the Fly 20. Worst Case Scenario: Stranded and Alone for Weeks

When it comes to survival, Rich Johnson’s done a lot of it. He’s worked as a demolition sergeant in the US Army Special Forces, a Coast Guard Auxiliary instructor, an EMT, a fire fighter, and a policeman. In his off hours, he’s excelled as an advanced SCUBA diver, paratrooper, sailor, and skier, and survived in the desert wilderness for a year with his wife and small children—part of which involved living in a cave and eating bugs. He’s written extensively for Outdoor Life and is the author of Rich Johnson’s Guide to Wilderness Survival.