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BRIAN BRUSHWOOD:
The techniques and hacks
displayed in this program

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are done by professionals
under controlled conditions.

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Attempt at your own risk.

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You can't outrun a tornado.

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And you can't
out-drive it either.

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If you don't have time
to get indoors,

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your best bet is to find
the lowest area possible.

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During a tornado,
trees and cars

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will be whipped right up

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turning them
into dangerous projectiles.

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This is why you don't stay
in your car.

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By definition,
emergencies happen

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when you don't expect them.

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Cut off from power, no water,
limited resources...

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and the knowledge I have
might just save your life.

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I'm Brian Brushwood,
and I've picked up

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the tools of scientists
and spies,

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of criminals
and con-artists.

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I've mastered
incredible tricks

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and dangerous stunts
as a professional magician.

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Now, I have an encyclopedia
of shortcuts,

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secret data,
and helpful hacks

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designed to help you
make life easier

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and give you
the upper hand.

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This isHacking the System.

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For the vast majority of us,
it's not a question of if

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but when disaster
touches our lives.

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Earthquakes, tsunamis,
hurricanes,

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even a terrorist attack
can keep you cut off

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for days at a time.

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[thunder rumbling]

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BRIAN: In 2013,
our planet experienced

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some 880
major natural disasters.

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According to estimates,
the damages

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for those catastrophes
totaled 125 billion dollars

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and took the lives
of nearly 20,000 individuals.

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Now, there's no alternative
for planning ahead,

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but if you do find yourself
in a disaster

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that you didn't prepare for,
there are plenty of hacks

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you could perform
around the house

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to help keep you
and your family alive.

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Knowing how to make the most
out of what you have at hand

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could mean the difference
between life and death...

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when catastrophe strikes.

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I'm in this
typical suburban home.

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And for the next few days,

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I'm going to deal
with this emergency situation

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using only stuff
that's already on hand.

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This house and its contents
will be my lifeline.

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When you're in
an emergency situation,

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you have to prioritize
your needs.

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The rule of three helps you
make these decisions.

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Your body can survive
without oxygen

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for about three minutes.

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You could live three hours

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in extreme weather
without shelter.

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You could go three days
without water

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and three weeks without food.

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When you remember this rule,

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you'll know where to focus
your resources

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during a crisis.

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Well, it's already dark,
so my top priority

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is finding a source of light.

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Speaking of which,
if you've been hit

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with a tornado
or an earthquake,

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make sure you
do not strike a match

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until you check
for a gas leak.

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Often times, the gas lines
get damaged.

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Something tells me
this rinky-dink guy

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is not gonna cut it
for the night.

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Luckily in the pantry
are the parts

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for a longer-term solution.

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Perfect. Sardines.

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Personally, I hate them,

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but they're packed
in fish oil,

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which means we can make
a long-burning oil lamp

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just by cracking
this open a bit,

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we just need a wicking.

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There we go.

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I'm gonna take this piece
of cotton wick

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straight off of that mop.

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I'm gonna mush it down,
get that oil all over it.

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And...

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yeah!

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The whole house
is gonna smell terrible,

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but at least we'll have light
throughout the night.

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Speaking of light,
here's something interesting:

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which fruit can be used
to power an LED light?

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Is it a coconut,
a dragon fruit, or a lemon?

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The answer is...

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a lemon.

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Citrus fruits generate their
own electron-producing acids

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that can actually be used
to power LEDs.

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Fire's an invaluable resource
in an emergency.

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From cooking your food
to purifying your water,

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you need the ability
to start a fire,

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and if you don't have matches
or a lighter,

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you might have a method
in your pocket right now.

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Your cell phone battery.

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Remove your cell phone battery

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and you're gonna touch
these terminals

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to some steel wool.

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It should give you a spark.

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If your cell phone doesn't have
a removable battery,

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check your junk drawer.

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You might have a nine-volt,
which will work even better.

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Once you have that heat,
a little bit of lint...

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and you got an easy fire
in no time.

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Starting a fire is useful,

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but if the temperature's
dropping,

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you might need
to safely contain

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that fire to keep warm.

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In this case, we got
a couple of paint cans.

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Make sure one is small enough
to fit inside the other.

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A bottle of isopropyl alcohol

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and, of course, toilet paper.

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We're gonna start by taking the
tube out of the toilet paper.

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And this gives us
one giant cotton sponge

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that we can wedge inside
the smaller of the two cans

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Here's the crazy part,
once you light it,

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it's not the toilet paper
that's gonna burn.

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The toilet paper is there
just to act as a wick.

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Now, we'll pour this entire
bottle of alcohol in there,

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and it should soak it up almost
as fast as you can pour it.

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Finally, take the smaller can,
put it inside the bigger can...

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and light it.

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It's not exactly a bonfire,

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but it's portable,
it'll keep you warm,

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and it can burn
for up to five hours.

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Make sure you don't
leave it unsupervised,

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And to regulate
the oxygen flow,

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you can place the lid on

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or you can put the flame out
entirely just by covering it up.

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[thunder rumbling]

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[groans]

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Twelve hours without power.

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Now, I'm getting worried.

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It's time to take inventory
and find out

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what resources
we have at hand.

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Well, this isn't good.

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In a major disaster,
your supply of clean water

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can be cut off.

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Obviously, water is essential
to survival

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and we need about a half-gallon
per day to survive.

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By the rule of three,
after three days without water,

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you risk serious injury
or death.

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Finding clean water just became
my number one priority.

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It may seem gross, but the water
inside the tank of your toilet

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can be totally safe to drink

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as long as it's clear

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and there's no
cleaning chemicals in it.

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A toilet can have up to
five gallons of water in it.

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Enough to keep somebody
hydrated for a full week.

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Since I have no idea
how long I'll be without water,

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it's important to collect more

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before my situation goes
from bad to worse,

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so I've started
to collect water from the trees.

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Trees transpire water.

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It evaporates right out
of their leaves.

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By tying a bag
tightly around a branch,

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you can collect a few ounces
of water a day

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This water can be filtered
and the best part,

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you can do it
day after day,

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and it won't hurt the trees.

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If you have a large family

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or if you're without water
for an extended period,

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you might have reserves
and not even know it.

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Check out your
hot water heater.

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Using your garden hose,

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we can hook it up
to the spigot at the bottom.

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This unit has
over 50 gallons of water.

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That's enough to take care
of a family of four

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for up to thirty days
or longer.

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Whoo!

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That's 50 gallons
of crisp, clean,

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lifesaving water.

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But say you have
a modern water heater

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that doesn't contain water.

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Then what?

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It's the classic
survivalist question.

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In an extreme emergency,

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can you, and should you
drink your own urine?

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The answer is yes...

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and no.

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If you're truly desperate,

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it will buy you a day or two

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but remember, while urine
is 95 percent water,

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it's also five percent waste.

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After just a few days
of returning the waste

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your body is trying to excrete
back into your system,

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you could develop symptoms
similar to kidney failure.

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Lucky for me,
they had some apple juice.

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Now that I have water in place
for the time being,

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it's time to assess
the food situation.

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The power outage
knocked out the fridge,

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which means that several foods
run the risk of spoiling.

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We need to figure out which
of these foods to eat now,

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which to throw out,
and which can be repurposed

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for extended storage.

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First and foremost,
keep the doors

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to your fridge
and freezer closed

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whenever possible.

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If you have advanced warning
of an emergency,

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like with a hurricane,

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turn them to
the lowest setting possible

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to build up a cold reserve.

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Food in the freezer should stay

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at least partially frozen
for a day or two.

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And get this,

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the more cold food you have
packed in your freezer,

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the longer it will stay cool.

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Check this out.

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In 2006,

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three Mexican fishermen
were found adrift at sea.

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How long do you think
they survived?

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Was it nine weeks,
19 weeks, or nine months?

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The answer is...

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nine months.

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They drifted over 5,000 miles

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surviving on raw fish,
sea turtles, and rainwater.

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Food-borne illness can
quickly take a bad situation

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and make it much,
much worse.

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And nothing's gonna spoil
faster than uncooked meat.

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If you have access
to a grill,

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cook that meat immediately.

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If you don't have access
to a grill,

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you can make your own

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using soda cans.

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We'll cut the bottom
out of one.

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00:10:12,137 --> 00:10:14,449
Now we need to add
vent holes using an awl.

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Making eight vents.

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Beautiful. So we got
eight vents here.

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Now we need to cut
this thing off.

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We'll just match it to roughly
the size of duct tape.

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Now, we're gonna do
the exact same thing

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with the other can.

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There we go.

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Now, eventually,
these two go together.

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But first,

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I need to make the dividing wall
between the inner chamber

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and the outer chamber.

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Then you got to lock it in
just by stapling it.

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Gonna set this
in there like so.

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Finally, we're gonna take
the vented top

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and nestle it
right inside.

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[tapping]

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Perfect.

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We're gonna put some
isopropyl alcohol in there.

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Man, I'm so excited. I want
to know if this works!

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Now, you'll notice at first

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it starts off very blue and dim,

252
00:11:09,573 --> 00:11:11,058
but as everything heats up,

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that vapor is gonna start
heating up

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00:11:12,715 --> 00:11:13,992
and coming out
of these vents,

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00:11:14,026 --> 00:11:16,546
and it should look just like
your gas grill at home.

256
00:11:16,580 --> 00:11:19,445
Yeah, it's just starting
to reach on the side now.

257
00:11:20,653 --> 00:11:22,069
Look at that, man!

258
00:11:24,002 --> 00:11:25,451
Now that you have
a way to cook your food,

259
00:11:25,486 --> 00:11:27,868
your best options are
to either eat it right away

260
00:11:27,902 --> 00:11:30,353
or get it refrigerated
below 40 degrees

261
00:11:30,387 --> 00:11:31,664
within the next two hours.

262
00:11:31,699 --> 00:11:33,494
This won't guarantee
your food's safety,

263
00:11:33,528 --> 00:11:35,427
but it will help reduce
the risk.

264
00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:43,469
A power outage starts
a ticking clock

265
00:11:43,504 --> 00:11:45,368
on your dairy items as well.

266
00:11:45,402 --> 00:11:46,852
There's not much you can do
about the milk

267
00:11:46,887 --> 00:11:49,510
or the cottage cheese
short of wolfing them down,

268
00:11:49,544 --> 00:11:52,271
but you can preserve some
of your cheese for later

269
00:11:52,306 --> 00:11:54,308
by dipping them in wax.

270
00:11:54,342 --> 00:11:56,034
You don't even need
special wax.

271
00:11:56,068 --> 00:11:57,380
You can use
unscented candles

272
00:11:57,414 --> 00:11:59,278
or I'm melting down crayons.

273
00:12:00,728 --> 00:12:02,695
Be extremely careful
around the hot wax.

274
00:12:02,730 --> 00:12:05,388
It splashes easily,
and it'll stick to your skin.

275
00:12:06,389 --> 00:12:08,184
Now that it's sealed in wax,
I've extended

276
00:12:08,218 --> 00:12:09,323
the life of this cheese.

277
00:12:09,357 --> 00:12:10,773
If I did my job right,

278
00:12:10,807 --> 00:12:12,533
it can last for years
without spoiling.

279
00:12:14,673 --> 00:12:16,502
Good cheese can last
a long time,

280
00:12:16,537 --> 00:12:18,228
but what's the longest
period of time

281
00:12:18,263 --> 00:12:19,574
that cheese has aged?

282
00:12:19,609 --> 00:12:24,821
Is it 3,600 years,
103 years, or 13 years?

283
00:12:24,856 --> 00:12:25,891
The answer is...

284
00:12:28,376 --> 00:12:31,241
3,600 years.

285
00:12:31,276 --> 00:12:34,417
Researchers identified clumps
of cheese on top of a mummy

286
00:12:34,451 --> 00:12:36,419
buried in a Chinese sand dune.

287
00:12:36,453 --> 00:12:38,317
Unfortunately, they
didn't find any crackers

288
00:12:38,352 --> 00:12:40,526
to go with
the oldest cheese in history.

289
00:12:48,638 --> 00:12:49,915
At this point in my ordeal,

290
00:12:49,950 --> 00:12:52,607
my family would be
gravely worried about me.

291
00:12:52,642 --> 00:12:55,610
The power's out.
I have a dead cell phone.

292
00:12:55,645 --> 00:12:57,440
I need to figure out
a way to charge this

293
00:12:57,474 --> 00:12:58,717
so I could put a call out.

294
00:13:03,549 --> 00:13:04,965
There's a bunch
of different options

295
00:13:04,999 --> 00:13:06,863
to charge your phone
during a power outage,

296
00:13:06,898 --> 00:13:09,003
but the best one is sitting
in your driveway.

297
00:13:09,038 --> 00:13:11,074
Your car has plenty of power
to charge your phones

298
00:13:11,109 --> 00:13:12,282
so you can make a call.

299
00:13:12,317 --> 00:13:14,767
Just make sure to conserve
your fuel and battery power

300
00:13:14,802 --> 00:13:16,424
in case you need
to flee the area.

301
00:13:16,459 --> 00:13:18,702
But my favorite way
to charge a phone

302
00:13:18,737 --> 00:13:19,980
uses a car charger,

303
00:13:20,014 --> 00:13:22,120
a nine volt battery,
and a quarter.

304
00:13:22,154 --> 00:13:23,259
Check this out.

305
00:13:23,293 --> 00:13:25,019
You're gonna plug your phone

306
00:13:25,054 --> 00:13:26,365
into the car charger,

307
00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:27,884
place the tip
of the car charger

308
00:13:27,919 --> 00:13:29,161
onto the positive terminal,

309
00:13:29,196 --> 00:13:31,198
then with the coin,

310
00:13:31,232 --> 00:13:33,165
bridge the remaining
connection...

311
00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,029
[buzzing]

312
00:13:35,064 --> 00:13:36,237
...and you're charging.

313
00:13:36,272 --> 00:13:37,238
How cool is that?

314
00:13:38,446 --> 00:13:41,104
All right, what was
the deadliest natural disaster

315
00:13:41,139 --> 00:13:42,243
in US history?

316
00:13:42,278 --> 00:13:44,728
Was it Hurricane Katrina
in 2005,

317
00:13:44,763 --> 00:13:47,248
the Galveston Hurricane
of 1900,

318
00:13:47,283 --> 00:13:49,837
or the Johnstown Flood
in 1889?

319
00:13:51,804 --> 00:13:53,910
All three caused
catastrophic damage,

320
00:13:53,945 --> 00:13:56,154
but the Galveston Hurricane
is believed to have taken

321
00:13:56,188 --> 00:13:59,226
the lives of six
to twelve thousand people

322
00:13:59,260 --> 00:14:02,988
when it obliterated
the Texan Island in 1900.

323
00:14:03,023 --> 00:14:06,233
There's just no containing
the power of mother nature.

324
00:14:09,132 --> 00:14:12,480
Two days of being
virtually cut off from society.

325
00:14:12,515 --> 00:14:13,861
Fortunately, I found water

326
00:14:13,896 --> 00:14:16,105
and was able to extend
my food supply

327
00:14:16,139 --> 00:14:18,348
but some of it's
already starting to spoil.

328
00:14:20,005 --> 00:14:22,111
This is exactly
the kind of situation

329
00:14:22,145 --> 00:14:24,320
where you need
to consider the possibility

330
00:14:24,354 --> 00:14:26,046
of leaving the safety
of your house.

331
00:14:28,876 --> 00:14:31,223
I've been without power now
for 48 hours.

332
00:14:31,258 --> 00:14:33,743
And there's no word
on when it'll come back...

333
00:14:33,777 --> 00:14:35,607
or what's happening
in the outside world.

334
00:14:36,746 --> 00:14:39,024
Time for me to leave my house
in search of supplies.

335
00:14:40,336 --> 00:14:41,647
There might be
government aid...

336
00:14:42,786 --> 00:14:44,202
or chaos and disorder.

337
00:14:51,278 --> 00:14:52,762
If there's a run on supplies,

338
00:14:52,796 --> 00:14:54,315
you might be looking
at civil unrest,

339
00:14:54,350 --> 00:14:56,731
and the authorities might need
to control the masses.

340
00:14:56,766 --> 00:14:59,493
We're talking tear gas,
pepper spray, smoke bombs.

341
00:14:59,527 --> 00:15:01,564
Amazingly, though,
you can build

342
00:15:01,598 --> 00:15:03,152
your own protective mask

343
00:15:03,186 --> 00:15:05,395
using little more
than two-liter bottles.

344
00:15:05,430 --> 00:15:07,846
Start with a stenciled template
in order to cut out

345
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:09,365
the part that will go
on your face.

346
00:15:09,399 --> 00:15:11,574
Then you're gonna line the
sides with foam and duct tape.

347
00:15:11,608 --> 00:15:12,989
This will make it
more comfortable

348
00:15:13,024 --> 00:15:14,335
and give a tighter seal.

349
00:15:14,370 --> 00:15:16,130
Next up, we'll do the filter.

350
00:15:16,165 --> 00:15:17,649
For the housing,
I took an old soda can

351
00:15:17,683 --> 00:15:18,995
and poked a bunch
of holes in it.

352
00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:22,757
On top of that, just put two
or three cotton pads,

353
00:15:22,792 --> 00:15:26,175
and to absorb the chemicals,
we'll put a couple of spoonfuls

354
00:15:26,209 --> 00:15:28,177
of activated charcoal in there.

355
00:15:28,211 --> 00:15:29,799
You can find
activated charcoal

356
00:15:29,833 --> 00:15:31,594
in a bunch of different places
throughout your house,

357
00:15:31,628 --> 00:15:33,872
like the water filtration
in your fish tank,

358
00:15:33,906 --> 00:15:34,907
your medicine cabinet,

359
00:15:34,942 --> 00:15:38,083
or even in your
odor-protecting insoles.

360
00:15:38,118 --> 00:15:40,775
Finally, a couple more pads
to keep everything in place,

361
00:15:40,810 --> 00:15:43,571
and then we'll seal it off
with a bandage on top.

362
00:15:43,606 --> 00:15:46,195
Finally, we take the top
from another two-liter bottle,

363
00:15:46,229 --> 00:15:49,232
seal the whole thing in tape,
and if all goes well,

364
00:15:49,267 --> 00:15:50,785
you have a chance
of protection.

365
00:15:50,820 --> 00:15:52,960
A word of warning:
while these masks are popular

366
00:15:52,995 --> 00:15:54,479
with political protesters,

367
00:15:54,513 --> 00:15:57,033
there's no proven evidence
of how well they work,

368
00:15:57,068 --> 00:15:59,967
but if you ask me,
I'd feel safer with this...

369
00:16:00,002 --> 00:16:01,141
[voice muffled]:
...rather than nothing.

370
00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:03,971
If you do happen
to get sprayed

371
00:16:04,006 --> 00:16:05,766
with tear gas
during civil unrest,

372
00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,252
what common items can you use
to defuse the effects?

373
00:16:09,287 --> 00:16:13,325
Is it antacid, toothpaste,
or lemons?

374
00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:14,533
The answer is...

375
00:16:16,846 --> 00:16:18,365
all three.

376
00:16:18,399 --> 00:16:20,263
Mixing equal parts antacid
with water

377
00:16:20,298 --> 00:16:21,575
and spraying it
in your eyes

378
00:16:21,609 --> 00:16:23,301
or smearing toothpaste
underneath them

379
00:16:23,335 --> 00:16:25,303
or even breathing through
a lemon-soaked rag

380
00:16:25,337 --> 00:16:28,133
will all help to neutralize
teargas solution

381
00:16:28,168 --> 00:16:30,515
and reduce any eye
or breathing irritation.

382
00:16:31,619 --> 00:16:33,552
When the situation
gets desperate enough,

383
00:16:33,587 --> 00:16:36,348
it is insane to see some
of the improvised weaponry

384
00:16:36,383 --> 00:16:37,315
people have come up with.

385
00:16:37,349 --> 00:16:39,834
For light armor,
sometimes people will take

386
00:16:39,869 --> 00:16:42,906
phone books and tiles,
tape them all together,

387
00:16:42,941 --> 00:16:44,391
cover the whole thing
in duct tape,

388
00:16:44,425 --> 00:16:45,944
and then strap it
onto your body.

389
00:16:45,978 --> 00:16:47,911
I have no idea how well
this would work,

390
00:16:47,946 --> 00:16:50,293
and to be honest,
I'd be scared to find out.

391
00:16:50,328 --> 00:16:52,054
In a close quarter situation,

392
00:16:52,088 --> 00:16:54,332
you might need to keep
an attacker at bay.

393
00:16:54,366 --> 00:16:56,506
For that, some people
will take lumber connectors

394
00:16:56,541 --> 00:16:58,853
and hot glue a bunch
of nails in there.

395
00:16:58,888 --> 00:17:00,545
People will even make
a bow and arrow

396
00:17:00,579 --> 00:17:01,994
out of the simplest stuff.

397
00:17:02,029 --> 00:17:04,997
In this case, with just
PVC pipe and a string,

398
00:17:05,032 --> 00:17:06,378
you're good to go.

399
00:17:06,413 --> 00:17:08,553
The arrows are made
of just wooden dowels.

400
00:17:08,587 --> 00:17:10,417
I wanna know
if this actually works.

401
00:17:10,451 --> 00:17:12,419
I've never actually
done archery.

402
00:17:14,938 --> 00:17:17,044
Whoa!
[chuckles]

403
00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:18,252
I'm a lousy shot,

404
00:17:18,287 --> 00:17:21,048
but that would be terrifying
in real life.

405
00:17:23,395 --> 00:17:25,501
Of course I'm not advocating
you take all this stuff

406
00:17:25,535 --> 00:17:27,468
and go out on the streets
during a riot

407
00:17:27,503 --> 00:17:30,747
because, well,
you'd look like this.

408
00:17:30,782 --> 00:17:32,784
That really
would be terrifying.

409
00:17:32,818 --> 00:17:34,820
But I do have
a practical hack

410
00:17:34,855 --> 00:17:37,306
that could help you
with unwanted intruders.

411
00:17:37,340 --> 00:17:38,928
You just need
a willing test subject.

412
00:17:40,171 --> 00:17:41,517
-Oh, you're cooking.
-[chuckles]

413
00:17:41,551 --> 00:17:43,726
I guess there's
a recipe involved.

414
00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,522
So we know that pepper spray
is an effective deterrent.

415
00:17:46,556 --> 00:17:48,938
Turns out you can make
homemade pepper spray

416
00:17:48,972 --> 00:17:51,458
and with just stuff
you'd find in the kitchen.

417
00:17:51,492 --> 00:17:53,977
I'm not gonna share the recipe
that we're doing here,

418
00:17:54,012 --> 00:17:56,118
but it does use some oil,
some vinegar,

419
00:17:56,152 --> 00:17:58,568
and all the gnarliest peppers
I was able to find.

420
00:17:58,603 --> 00:18:00,363
I chopped them up
super fine,

421
00:18:00,398 --> 00:18:02,814
blended them
right in here.

422
00:18:02,848 --> 00:18:03,849
Take a whiff.

423
00:18:03,884 --> 00:18:05,299
[sniffs]
Oh, no.

424
00:18:05,334 --> 00:18:06,749
-No, no, no.
-[Brian laughs]

425
00:18:06,783 --> 00:18:08,371
Now, let me state
unequivocally

426
00:18:08,406 --> 00:18:10,580
that it is inherently dangerous
to mess around

427
00:18:10,615 --> 00:18:12,479
making your own
homemade pepper spray,

428
00:18:12,513 --> 00:18:14,722
and nobody should make
pepper spray

429
00:18:14,757 --> 00:18:16,414
and test it
on their friend's face.

430
00:18:30,497 --> 00:18:32,464
-Ow! Oh!
-Oh!

431
00:18:32,499 --> 00:18:34,086
It's not...
It's not as bad.

432
00:18:34,121 --> 00:18:35,433
-Oh, it's sneaking up now.
-JASON: No...

433
00:18:35,467 --> 00:18:37,400
They say that
if you get pepper sprayed,

434
00:18:37,435 --> 00:18:40,265
you should remain calm,
get to fresh air,

435
00:18:40,300 --> 00:18:43,406
and you have to wash out
your eyes, nose-- uh, nose.

436
00:18:43,441 --> 00:18:45,201
God, I can't even talk.

437
00:18:45,236 --> 00:18:46,823
And wash out

438
00:18:46,858 --> 00:18:49,343
your eyes, nose, and mouth

439
00:18:49,378 --> 00:18:51,034
with fresh water.

440
00:18:51,069 --> 00:18:52,691
Ah!

441
00:18:52,726 --> 00:18:54,590
Let's never do that again.

442
00:18:54,624 --> 00:18:56,074
-Agreed.
-[laughing]

443
00:18:57,144 --> 00:18:59,353
BRIAN: You can see
what just that little bit did.

444
00:18:59,388 --> 00:19:01,631
This is not something
to mess around with.

445
00:19:03,771 --> 00:19:05,739
If you can stay in a place
where people will know

446
00:19:05,773 --> 00:19:08,120
where to find you, that might
be the safest thing to do.

447
00:19:08,155 --> 00:19:10,226
But how will they know
that you're there?

448
00:19:10,261 --> 00:19:11,986
Here's a hack
that'll help you

449
00:19:12,021 --> 00:19:13,609
alert them
to your whereabouts

450
00:19:13,643 --> 00:19:15,369
using stuff you'd find
around the house.

451
00:19:15,404 --> 00:19:17,751
We're gonna make
homemade smoke flares.

452
00:19:22,204 --> 00:19:24,033
I started by mixing
plain sugar

453
00:19:24,067 --> 00:19:26,967
with potassium nitrate,
AKA saltpeter,

454
00:19:27,001 --> 00:19:28,624
which can be made
from stump remover

455
00:19:28,658 --> 00:19:30,073
or a cold compress.

456
00:19:30,108 --> 00:19:31,868
Mix the two together over heat,

457
00:19:31,903 --> 00:19:34,423
and for a container,
I used one of these cells

458
00:19:34,457 --> 00:19:36,045
from a rechargeable
drill battery.

459
00:19:38,116 --> 00:19:39,600
Poured the mixture
into the casing,

460
00:19:39,635 --> 00:19:40,808
added a homemade fuse,

461
00:19:40,843 --> 00:19:44,191
now this bad boy
is ready to go.

462
00:19:44,226 --> 00:19:46,297
Don't forget,
handling potassium nitrate

463
00:19:46,331 --> 00:19:47,608
is not without risks,

464
00:19:47,643 --> 00:19:50,024
so make sure to exercise
extreme caution.

465
00:19:53,442 --> 00:19:54,512
Whoo!

466
00:19:57,549 --> 00:19:59,171
Yeah, they are not
gonna miss that.

467
00:20:01,381 --> 00:20:03,417
Here's a disaster
that was hard to miss.

468
00:20:03,452 --> 00:20:04,832
How many people
were affected

469
00:20:04,867 --> 00:20:07,490
by the biggest power outage
in recent history?

470
00:20:07,525 --> 00:20:11,391
Was it six million,
60 million, or 600 million?

471
00:20:13,462 --> 00:20:16,568
It was an incredible
600 million people.

472
00:20:16,603 --> 00:20:19,847
On July 31st, 2012,
a power failure in India

473
00:20:19,882 --> 00:20:21,746
left half the country
without power

474
00:20:21,780 --> 00:20:24,714
causing a massive collapse
in infrastructure.

475
00:20:24,749 --> 00:20:27,959
In a severe catastrophe,
medical supplies can be limited.

476
00:20:27,993 --> 00:20:30,444
Now, picture this. You've
raided your first aid kit,

477
00:20:30,479 --> 00:20:32,446
you don't have
the supplies you need,

478
00:20:32,481 --> 00:20:35,277
and then you get
a nasty gash.

479
00:20:35,311 --> 00:20:36,692
You might have to improvise.

480
00:20:40,351 --> 00:20:42,318
In a pinch, some doctors
have used duct tape

481
00:20:42,353 --> 00:20:43,457
to seal up a wound

482
00:20:43,492 --> 00:20:45,321
and protect it from
the outside elements.

483
00:20:45,356 --> 00:20:47,565
Or even better, with the
right kind of super glue,

484
00:20:47,599 --> 00:20:50,153
you can actually
reseal the wound.

485
00:20:50,188 --> 00:20:53,778
Now it's not an ideal solution,
and it can damage skin cells,

486
00:20:53,812 --> 00:20:56,401
but in a severe situation,
closing the wound could mean

487
00:20:56,436 --> 00:20:58,748
the difference between
living and dying.

488
00:20:58,783 --> 00:21:02,338
Amazingly, this gives
a rough seal in just seconds.

489
00:21:02,373 --> 00:21:03,995
It's important to thoroughly
clean the wound

490
00:21:04,029 --> 00:21:05,168
before trying this.

491
00:21:05,203 --> 00:21:07,378
It's not my first option,
but in a disaster,

492
00:21:07,412 --> 00:21:09,034
you go with what
you can.

493
00:21:09,069 --> 00:21:12,797
[siren wailing]

494
00:21:20,770 --> 00:21:22,220
Hallelujah!

495
00:21:22,254 --> 00:21:24,429
Almost 72 hours cut off

496
00:21:24,464 --> 00:21:26,707
from water, gas,
and electricity.

497
00:21:26,742 --> 00:21:29,676
FEMA recommends that you have
enough food, water, and supplies

498
00:21:29,710 --> 00:21:32,610
to last your family
through this crucial period.

499
00:21:32,644 --> 00:21:34,577
I managed to kind of
muddle my way

500
00:21:34,612 --> 00:21:36,993
scavenging, hacking,
and scrounging,

501
00:21:37,028 --> 00:21:38,270
but I don't recommend it.

502
00:21:38,305 --> 00:21:40,100
I think the lesson here
is simple.

503
00:21:40,134 --> 00:21:42,344
While you can muddle your way
through a catastrophe,

504
00:21:42,378 --> 00:21:45,347
you're much better off
preparing for the worst.

505
00:21:45,381 --> 00:21:46,555
Now, I got to check
my email.

506
00:21:46,589 --> 00:21:48,384
Captioned by Point.360