People have been preparing for the end of the world since, well, the beginning.
But if you feel like there's been more talk of the apocalypse recently,
you're onto something.
>> Now we're being shown all the disasters around the world pretty much all the time.
We are watching a weather shift, civil unrest, the political climate.
We don't know where North Korea is going to go or which way Russia is leaning, and
whose side China's on.
>> The truth is, prepping for disasters that could happen because of all these
things has gradually entered the mainstream.
And I'm not talking about that doomsday waiting-for-
the-end-of-the-world kind of person.
I'm talking about our neighbors, regular people with jobs and families,
who prepare.
>> We don't talk about alien invasions,
we talk about realistic sh*t that can happen, that has happened.
We all have insurances, we have home insurance, phone, car.
Prepping is that insurance.
>> And yet, almost two-thirds of American households are not prepared for
a disaster.
So with 80% of us living in urban areas,
many without a plan, does Jason have a point here?
>> Bug out bags are always ready to go because there could be situations where you need
to leave, right?
A fire in your building is one of them.
Take a bug out bag and leave.
If you hurricane heading towards you, stay home.
There's no blanket rule to leaving or staying.
You have to gauge each situation.
>> And regardless of the situation, he says we should have three big things.
Number one, a designated bug out location,
a safe place outside of a danger zone you've discussed with your family.
Number two, some routes to getting there.
And three, supplies either to bug in or bug out.
>> Here's the thing with bugging out.
Essentials are food, water, shelter, and fire making tools.
For home, same thing but more of it.
Water is more important than anything, especially in New York City.
The power goes out, we'll stop getting water from up north.
You should have a bag for everyone in the family.
He does have his own bug out bag.
Your bug out bag should only weigh 25% of your body weight.
>> What's the biggest mistake a prepper-in-training can make?
>> Never train with the gear inside the bag.
So the more you know, the less you carry, the less you carry, the further you go.
>> But when would we actually use this stuff?
Well, here are three hypothetical situations from Jason.
So, scenario number one, a dirty bomb or a nuclear explosion.
You look for the closest available shelter, and stay there for
at least 24 to 48 hours.
If exposed to fallout, immediately remove your outer clothing.
And if you take a shower, use cold water but don't use conditioner or
scrub hard, as that can trap the fallout material.
An announcement over the radio would tell you when you can evacuate.
And if it went off in, say, Times Square, you'd wanna leave via the Holland Tunnel,
or GW Bridge to your bug-out location.
It's worth noting that time of day and year, and where you are, will matter.
So if it's rush hour, imagine the traffic, so you'd wanna go by foot.
If it's cold, you dress differently and pack extra gear to keep warm.
Scenario number two, an EMP where a nuclear weapon is detonated above
the atmosphere and knocks out the electrical grid.
This means no electricity, bug inside your home and when necessary bug out.
You want to stay off the avenues and take smaller streets.
And if needed, move at night.
Jason might take his raft, but New York City's Office of Emergency Management
says instead that it's best to wait for guidance from government officials.
Scenario number three, an earthquake.
Because of aftershocks, even if a bridge is still standing, don't cross it.
If at home, drop to the floor, cover your head, and
find shelter under a piece of furniture or interior wall.
If you're outside, you'd wanna move to an open area like Central Park.
While moving through streets as quickly as possible, make sure you look up for
falling debris and down for
cracks in the streets, which could give way to sewer systems and subway tunnels.
Also, keep your ears open for hissing sounds, which is gas leaking from a pipe,
or popping sounds, which are electrical wires sparking.
It feels really daunting to think about these things, and yet
prepping is in the zeitgeist.
Even the New York City Emergency Management Department,
which used to be a tiny office with under ten staffers before 9/11,
has grown to employ over 200 people and counting.
>> You hope nothing happens.
You hope that life continues to go the way you want it to.
But unfortunately, in the real world it doesn't work out that way.
Just because you have a bug out bag does not mean you're safe.
What if a disaster happens and my supplies are in the house, and the house crumbles?
It goes way beyond that bag.
It's about, all right, I don't have my gear, I lost my bag.
But you know what?
We could still make this work.
Because now you have to have determination.
And determination's a big part of survival.
Whether it's bugging out, being on a battlefield, or the fire or in a shoot
out, determination to survive is what's gonna thrive above everything else.
All these down trees over here.