It’s Not the End of the World but you can see it from Here
The Internet is always “abuzz” a new drama, a new situation you need to prepare for is just waiting for you to click through and find out what it is. Hurry, hurry a new crisis is brewing somewhere and you had better get ready. It is enough sometimes to make your head spin.
There is the Ebola scare and then mosquito borne tropical diseases that no one can pronounce the names of in this country right now. This is enough to turn anyone into a hypochondriac, worrying whether you have the symptoms or not, and should I go to the doctor or wait until it’s too late. Then you have city water contaminated by toxins from algae, violent rioting and looting over a shooting, and then there is Russia, Iran, Iraq, the Southern Border, and a host of other problems simmering and bubbling away, all about to boil over.
Anyone of the above mentioned could spiral out of control, and the world as you know could cease to exist. Could is the key word however, not likely in some of the cases mentioned, but possible. The world will not end in the literal sense however, it will change, and people simply have to adapt or they may not survive.
Natural selection if one is inclined to believe in it, may determine who lives and who dies in some situations. In most cases, the best prepared for the crisis itself wins the first round. They survive the initial crisis. The immediate affects are dealt with. They had prepared for the crisis, but they may not be necessarily prepared for the aftermath, the days after can be the most difficult.
Those that survive the second round had a sufficient stockpile of supplies, because they realized it will likely take some time for the country to get its footing again, they looked ahead, but maybe not far enough ahead.
Self-sustaining rounds it all out, because those that are self-sustaining realize that supplies run out eventually and they know the conventional ways of re-supplying may not be available. They realize they need to develop their own sources. They know that renewable sources are what will keep them alive and that the government and others around them cannot be depended upon for anything.
It is not always survival of the fittest, it is survival of the smartest, and generally, the smart ones are the best-prepared ones. Best prepared because they prepared for the entire crisis, the crisis itself and then the immediate days after the crisis and then they prepared for the effects of the crisis. The long grueling times it takes for towns, cities, communities and the country to come back together again.
Civil Unrest Is In the News
There is no point in hashing out what caused the rioting and looting in Ferguson Mo. because if it’s not about one thing it will be about another, in another city, another town at another time. The best way to survive civil unrest is to be not seen as part of the problem, in other words, stay off the streets.
Police officers and now the National Guard will develop the “round them all up and sort it out later” mentality. You will be viewed as part of the problem if you are out milling around, innocent as your intentions are, this is the reality of the situation.
You as a Prepper will have to change your routines, maybe even hunker down at home, and avoid certain areas at certain times during civil unrest. Even through some stores and stations may be open, you may not feel comfortable or simply are not able to get to them. This is what you prepare for, prepare as you would for any crisis. Have essential supplies on hand at all times, because you never know when you will be denied access to stores and gas stations and even medical facilities.
Use your head At Times like These
Walking around obviously armed is not a good idea as much as you may think you need to. Police and others will not stop and consider the why of it but will only see you are armed and could be a threat, so use some common sense when out during violent civil unrest. Going armed maybe your right but it may not always be prudent to show everyone you are armed. There are times you need to be discreet and other times you need to show force, know when and how.
Prepare For the Long Haul
There are disasters that can disrupt your life for an extended period and this means that regardless of the crisis you will need essentials for the entire period. Stockpiles are important, but they run out, and so this takes us to the third phase of any situation and that is sustainability. Can you survive on your own for an extended crisis or for as long as needed?
You cannot set a timeline, and say I can survive for two years but not three, that is not how survival works. You have to assume as far as being prepared is concerned you are on your own forever, so anything short of forever is a plus, but prepare as if it will never end.
Develop Your Own Sources
Most families in America have less than 72-hours of essential supplies on hand. After 72 hours, life becomes complicated during a crisis, and most people have no way of providing themselves with food and water during any time, let alone during a crisis that does not involve going to the store or turning on their tap.
Being prepared means you have food and water regardless of what is going on around you. Even if you just have a year’s supply of food in the pantry, you know how to hunt and forage for more, and you have the means to begin growing your own food. Being prepared is not just about having food and water on hand but knowing how to develop sources of food and water, when what you have on hand runs out.
Maintain the course regardless of the crisis. You do not have to prepare specifically for civil unrest because the effects of it would be the same as a natural disaster in some cases. You are essentially trapped in your own home for a period, at some point it does not matter the reasons why. You have to focus on the reality, and that is, you are on your own for an extended period possibly. You prepare for the facts of the matter, and the affects a situation will have on you and your community.