After my wife and I had a son, I was consumed with nightmares about disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis…even a zombie apocalypse. In an attempt to be "ready for anything," I studied wilderness and urban survival, stunt-driving, shooting—basically everything you've ever seen in a ridiculous disaster movie.

Though the lengths I went to aren't necessary for everyone (with luck, you'll never have to use the brains of an animal to cure its hide), certain survival skills are good to have in your back pocket—during a hurricane,...