Interview with Arthur T. Bradley

April 2011

I recently had a chance to interview Arthur T. Bradley, author of Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family. Arthur’s philosophy of disaster preparedness closely mirrors my own and I thought an interview with him would be helpful for my readers. Below you will find a few gems. Thanks Arthur for taking to time to answer these questions!

Disaster Survival Guide (DSG): Tell us a little bit about yourself. Do you have a family? What are your hobbies? Any interesting facts about yourself?

Arthur Bradley (AB): I’m 45 years old, have a loving wife, Lalia, and four children, ages 12, 9, 7, and 6 months. We live in southern Virginia just minutes away from where I work at the NASA Langley Research Center. I enjoy an assortment of activities, including spending time at the shooting range, hiking on scenic trails all around the world, and practicing martial arts. I spent three years in the US Army as an infantry paratrooper. My work and interests frequently take me around the world. My brother and I recently hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, which was truly awe inspiring. I published the novel “Process of Elimination” in 2005, and the “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family” in 2010.

DSG: What is the most important aspect of preparing for a disaster? If you could only do one thing, what would it be?

AB: While it’s critical that we store the necessary supplies as well as learn some basic skills, the first thing everyone needs to do is accept the simple fact that we are not as safe as we’d like to believe. The world is a dangerous place and our governments cannot ensure our safety when major disasters strike. The responsibility for our family’s safety falls squarely on us. No excuses.

DSG: What is your take on the current survival landscape? I see a lot of sites emphasizing long-term food storage, others talking about amassing large stockpiles of ammo (and MREs!), and still other seem big into build nuclear radiation shelters.

AB: There are two large camps: the preppers and the survivalists. Preppers tend to prepare for more likely events, such as dangerous weather, food shortages, large scale blackouts, etc. They are not usually into wilderness survival or living in underground bunkers. They tend to think about food, water, shelter – meeting basic needs throughout any disaster. Survivalists are often focused on the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it (TEOTWAWKI) events, which might include an asteroid strike, global anarchy, EMP strike, solar flare, and more. Many focus on firearms, grab-and-go supplies, very large food pantries, getting off the grid, etc. Having been raised by father who was a traditional survivalist, I was certainly exposed to the survivalist line of thinking. I recall very clearly how my father carefully studied the likely bomb zones and fallout regions that would be the result of a nuclear attack on our country. That said, I tend to fall more into the prepper group because I think that preparing for likely events should be done first. For me, it’s a simple matter of statistics. Likely events kill many more people on a daily basis than TEOTWAWKI events. Regardless of which camp a person aligns with, it’s critical to keep a level head and make practical, effective preparations. Too often, I see people hoarding guns and bullets, with little regard to heating their home or having sanitation. A well thought out complete plan is needed, not an ad hoc one driven by fear. I like to tell people, “You can’t eat bullets. Then again, you can’t defend your home with canned peaches.” Balanced, practical preparedness for real threats is what I preach.

DSG: Preparing for disasters can often be confusing and overwhelming. For those just getting started with their preparations, where do you recommend they start?

AB: Everyone wants to be ready for anything the world might throw at them. But many have no idea of how to get started. As a simple introduction, I’ve listed 12 basic steps that every family should consider taking now.

1. Stock up on consumables: food, water, candles, batteries, fuel, etc. Consider all 14 needs as outlined in the “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family.”
2. Start paying attention. Get a weather radio. Monitor local and national events. Be more aware of your surroundings and things that may affect your family. Stay Alert = Stay Alive!
3. Shore up your shelter. Take time to inspect your dwelling to make sure it is in good repair.
4. Assess the likelihood of threats, and then tailor your preparations to mitigate the effects of those that are most likely.
5. Put together a small emergency kit for your automobile (see Auto Kits page on disasterpreparer.com).
6. Review your insurance policies and adjust or supplement them as needed.
7. Have ready a properly-sized backup heating system.
8. Build up an emergency fund. This is typically 3-6 months’ worth of expenses.
9. Learn first aid and put together a well-stocked kit that you know how to use.
10. Maintain a minimum 30-day supply of important medications and supplies.
11. Create a network of like-minded individuals committed to working together to survive dangerous events. There is strength in numbers.
12. Consider the special needs of children, the elderly, and pets within your household.

While it is true that being prepared requires more than these simple actions, they go a long way to establishing a solid foundation of readiness.

DSG: You recently wrote a new book, Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family. Tell us a little bit about your journey in writing it.

AB: When I first set out on my journey to get better prepared, I had no intention of writing the “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family.” I had grown up in a family where readiness was something we all practiced, but as I grew older, I became more complacent and trusting that our society would take care of my family if anything went wrong. The horrific terrorist attack in 2001 was enough to shock me out of my complacency. From that point forward, I made it a priority to take concrete steps to become more prepared. I started by reading nearly every disaster preparedness book on the market. What I found was that many of them were filled with advice that was outdated or simply impractical. I decided to write a book that would offer reasonable advice to real-world families seeking to ready themselves. After several years of research, I finally released the handbook in 2010. It has widely received praise for offering practical advice while avoiding the need to resort to fear and paranoia that is so prevalent in this community.

DSG: Right now, if you purchase the book directly from Arthur’s website, DisasterPreparer.com, you will get a free book mark and RADSticker (radiation detection sticker).

AB: Yes, that’s absolutely right! If you buy the handbook from disasterpreparer.com, I will include a free bookmark and RADSticker. The RADSticker is a color-changing dosimeter that is of particular interest right now with the events occurring in Japan. Anyone concerned about radiation exposure or contamination should put one on the back of their license. These stickers were just introduced in 2010, and were so successful that the government temporarily seized production during the worst of the Fukushima events. They normally sell for $8 (or more), but a free one is included with each book. Also, I highly recommend that people consider buying multiple copies of the handbook for their friends and families. I offer a discount of $15 off any bulk purchase of 5 books. I routinely have people order 10 or more books for their friends and family. They make fantastic gifts, and the RADStickers are an excellent product to help prevent nuclear contamination.

DSG:  In your opinion, what is the most over-rated/over-hyped threat that we face and why?

AB: I think the most overrated threat discussed today is an EMP attack. There are numerous novels with great stories telling how the world shuts down from a nuclear attack in the atmosphere, but most of them are worst case scenarios. For example, recent studies have shown that an atmospheric EMP strike would likely not affect many of the cars and trucks, meaning that transportation of goods would still be possible. People would be better served by preparing for likely threats, such as dangerous weather, earthquakes, floods, radiation, etc. before spending too many resources on preparing for an EMP strike.

As for underrated, I would have to say that it is the financial collapse of our country. The USA is past the point of being bankrupt. We are to the point of insolvency, and this WILL eventually come back to bite us. A financial revaluation of our country is likely to occur in the near term, and when it does, it will force higher borrowing rates, and thus the eventual default on our international debt. When that occurs, there will be widespread financial impacts across the world. Families should get their own finances in order first, and then turn their attention to influencing our elected officials to right the sinking ship.

DSG: Thanks again for taking the time to answer these question. Is there anything else you would like to let my readers know?

AB: Thanks to you, Scott. I appreciate the chance to share my thoughts with your readers! If anyone has questions, they are certainly welcome to write me at inquiries@disasterpreparer.com.