HARKER HEIGHTS In front of retired veteran Sergio Martinez sat a green bag no bigger than the carry-on a passenger on an airplane would stow in the overhead storage bin. What he kept inside of it was not to be used for a family vacation though, and a number of the items probably wouldnt be permitted on an airplane.

Martinez, an extreme survivalist, gave a presentation to a dozen people at the Stewart C. Meyer Harker Heights Public Library on Saturday morning. He talked about what kind of items to pack away in case of emergency, and how to prepare for a disaster situation.

It was toward the end of summer 2005 when Martinez first became aware of disaster preparation. He had family members who lived in Houston that were coming to stay with him during Hurricane Katrina. There wasnt enough food in the pantry, so he decided to head to H-E-B to stock up on some more groceries. When he walked out of the store, the only thing he had was a couple of loaves a bread and some cans of food. Thats when it dawned on him he wasnt nearly enough prepared for survival.

Sometimes you need to trip and fall, and then youre going to learn, he said.

Soon enough, Martinez began teaching himself about survivalism. He read books, talked to experts and watched Youtube videos, and eventually got the chance to compete for a survivalist show that airs on the History Channel.

Martinez recommended preparing meals ready to eat MREs long in advance. His prepackaged MREs included peanut butter crackers, bottles of water, freeze dried food and protein bars. Canned foods including soups and beans are good to pack, too, but in moderation. Too many cans can weigh down a bag, and depending on the situation, you might have to walk for long periods of time. In those situations, any reduction in weight can help.

There were typical items found in Martinezs survival bag, such as an extra pair of clothes, a sleeping bag and a hammock. But there were also nifty tools such as a crank-up flashlight that triples as a cellphone charger and an AM/FM radio. He also pulled out a miniature propane stove and a water filter. At one point, he removed a Bible in a plastic bag.

Staying calm is good when youre out there, he said. Like it or not, everyone is going to get religious at some point. Why not have a Bible?

Much like he was prepared for any potential disaster, Martinez was ready to answer questions from the audience. One person asked him about the difficulty of catching your own food through hunting and fishing, and preparing it while in the wild.

Martinez said that with a little practice, it wasnt that difficult.

But dont expect it to taste good, he said. Once you kill the game, how do you prepare it? We dont have chefs out there.

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Survivalist shares experience in Harker Heights | Local News ... - The Killeen Daily Herald