Disasters often strike without warning and leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Yet armed with the right tools and information, survivors can fend for themselves and get through even the toughest circumstances. Matthew Stein's When Disaster Strikes provides a thorough, practical guide for how to prepare for and react in many of life's most unpredictable scenarios.

In this disaster-preparedness manual, he outlines the materials you'll need-from food and water, to shelter and energy, to first-aid and survival skills-to help you safely live through the worst. When Disaster Strikes covers how to find and store food, water, and clothing, as well as the basics of installing back-up power and lights. You'll learn how to gather and sterilize water, build a fire, treat injuries in an emergency, and use alternative medical sources when conventional ones are unavailable.

Stein instructs you on the smartest responses to natural disasters-such as fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods-how to keep warm during winter storms, even how to protect yourself from attack or other dangerous situations. With this comprehensive guide in hand, you can be sure to respond quickly, correctly, and confidently when a crisis threatens.

1. Where there is a need, there is a way
2. Your preparedness plan
3. Stored food and other supplies
4. Home is where the hearth is
5. First aid
6. Staying healthy in a crisis or pandemic
7. Emergency survival
8. Water: requirements, purification, and storage
9. Communication
10. Self-defense and personal protection
11. Fire!
12. Earthquake!
13. Hurricanes and floods
14. Tornadoes
15. Winter storms: how to handle the cold without power
16. Electromagnetic pulses and solar storms
17. The unthinkable: surviving a nuclear disaster