Former SEAL Clint Emerson Wants to Help You Survive Disaster

Retired Navy SEAL Clint Emerson had a hit last year with his book 100 Deadly Skills. He's very sensibly followed up with a sequel called 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition. The first book shared basic covert operations skills (examples: how to escape from a locked trunk, make an improvised Taser, trick facial recognition software, prevent tracking, evade a kidnapping, elude an active shooter, rappel down the side of a building, immobilize a bad guy, protect yourself against cyber-criminals). The new book promises to help you navigate in the wild and stay alive in any disaster.

Emerson's tips combine survival hacks developed on the battlefield with the low-tech tools you should have on hand. You learn how to secure shelter, build a fire, find food, and navigate back to civilization no matter the environment. If you think like a special forces solider, you can survive a hostage situation, an active shooter, a suicide bomber, or a terrorist threat on the subway, and even apply trauma medicine as a first responder.

Obviously, reading a book is no substitute for actual training, but Emerson takes his subject seriously enough that 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition feels like a realistic manual for situations that most of us will never actually face. Each tip comes with a short description and an illustration so it makes for perfect bathroom reading. Check out four examples from the book below.

Emerson also runs an executive security firm called Escape the Wolf. Earlier this year, he gave a 84-minute presentation based on the books at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Video from that event is also embedded below.