Remember this TV show? Entertaining but seemed to intentionally discredit the whole idea of being prepared. They started by asking what people were preparing for – and this was always a single catastrophic event. Like eruption of the Yellowstone caldera, financial collapse or an EMP attack. Invariably the subject family had gone overboard in some areas and had glaring holes in others. Like the guy building a castle in the middle of no-where without the support of family members and without any means of growing food. Or the folks with a beautiful farm and moral objections to weapons for self-defense.
So, what should we prepare for? Many people start by examining different scenarios:
· Natural Disaster – tornado, hurricane, earthquake, flood, fire, etc. You will likely be without power, water and emergency services for at least several days. A stockpile of food and water along with alternative forms of energy (generator, wood stove, etc.) would be a huge help. Unique preparations include having a tornado shelter, securing vulnerable parts of your home to prevent earthquake damage, moving away from an area prone to flooding, and having an evacuation plan for hurricanes or wild fires.
· Nuclear Events – whether a super power war, terrorist attack or nuclear plant meltdown. Once again, food and water along with energy resources are essential plus longer-term needs for communication, sanitation, etc. Unique items would include a more secure / isolated shelter and equipment to monitor radiation levels.
· Pandemic / Biological Warfare – you will need the basics mentioned above plus supplies to help prevent spread of disease (masks, gloves, etc.), ability to sanitize surfaces, and medications to treat anyone ill.
· Economic Collapse – assumes major disruption via inflation, deflation, or inability to access your savings. Once again, having stored resources and the ability to sustain your food supply will be necessary. Additional considerations are alternative forms of wealth (property, precious metals, etc.) and the ability to conduct trade with cash, silver, or barter items.
· Supply Chain Failure – would result in limited access to anything imported into the country or transported form outside your immediate area. Food, fuel, medication, household products, etc. will be in almost immediate short supply. Your stored goods and ability to produce your own food and energy would be paramount.
· Electrical Grid Failure – almost nothing in the modern home would be working. An extended problem would also affect water supply, sewage pumping and cell communications. Alternative energy sources would be critical along with stored supplies and having the means to replenish food and fuel.
· Societal Collapse – this can occur either because of (1) increasing divisiveness resulting in open conflict – perhaps triggering failure of the economy, grid, supply chain, etc. or (2) the reaction of desperate people to one of the events discussed above. In either case, you need the survival basics along with the means to defend yourself and your property. In fact, security is an issue with all the above scenarios since people will most likely become violent when they are cold, hungry, and desperate.
What do all the above have in common? Apart from some special considerations based on your unique location or event - most of what you need to prosper in bad times is the same regardless of the cause. In the end, we cannot know if, when or what might happen. Fortunately, there is a simple solution – be as independent of “the system” as possible. Imagine that you do not have access to anything – your money, the electrical grid, the food store, gasoline, heating oil, etc. How would you manage without this massively complex and energy dependent infrastructure? If you address that problem in a balanced manner, you will be well positioned regardless of the root cause, sequence of events or duration of a problem.
You can find much more in my book “Thriving in Times of Chaos” available on Amazon. It provides time-phased actions to become more sustainable in any location along with links to additional information and useful products. A more complete description of the book along with a PDF version are available on my website.
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