Why Prepare

Why Prepare?

Well – it is pretty obvious. To be ready in case of emergency. Here you have to evaluate carefully what you are prepping for. You can get carried away very easily. Be wise – don’t spend all of your money and resources for prepping. Some things you are prepping for will never happen in your lifetime and the only disaster that will happen to you is a broken family (not all spouses are supportive) and your personal financial meltdown, such as no pension. Also leaving your kids uneducated is not smart in any scenario – so don’t throw their college funds away for sole purpose of prepping.

Therefore you should evaluate a likelihood of several events with cold logic. There is no reason to obsess about one thing, for example to stash tons of food in one place if you are not 100% sure that you will not have to move. Because if you have to move – the plan goes to waste Unless you have a secret armed train and army of guards to move the supplies with you. Learn from evolution that the fittest survives. Not the strongest, not the one with the most cash or jars of food, but the one who can adapt to situation quickly.

Evaluate the risks, decide, which ones to prep for and lay down a plan on how much you will spend on this. Start with a small plan, prepare the most basic things as water, food, cash at home and then do a research of what else is needed. If you have unlimited resources – of course you can build up the nuclear bunker in size of a small Italian castle and stash it with gourmet food, but if you have to save up – be wise.
I also have felt that many preppers have been portrayed as trigger happy lunatics waiting for the world to end to let their craziness run free. And I admit – some preppers are crazy, some suffer from severe OCD, some are obsessed with food or bunker digging. Also the Doomsday preppers series on TV did not help. Although it was very good in teaching about the ways to prepare, I think that producers should have done a better casting of the families, because some situations were screaming for psychiatrist. And it was sad to see children dragged into the parents craziness. What I also think these series lacked was a view on a daily small scale disasters that are very likely to happen and what you definitely should prepare for. So here is my summary of both – small scale likely disasters and large scale less likely disasters that might happen.

Small scale disasters likely to happen

Car break down

Statistics are harsh on this one. It would be great to have some water and food until help arrives. Medical kit would also be very helpful if you had an accident and had to wait for the help. Statistics are harsh – so have a bag full of water, snacks, extra blanket, flashlight and some medical items. Knife and multi-tool is very advisable too.

Power outage

Unless you have a back up generator your fridge is gone, you might not have water or food, no electricity, ATMs not working. Keep a reasonable amount of money, food, water, medicine and tools at your home. Gun in case of civil unrest. Decide what to do in winter time if you need to keep warm.

Loss of job

Today it is a sad reality. Having food saved up can keep you fed until you find a new job, having some money or trade items does the same.

Sudden illness

This can incapacitate you and may mean that you cannot work for a while.

Hot weather/cold weather

Well any weather related disaster (have your water, food and medicine ready)

Earthquakes and tornadoes

If you live in relevant areas – absolutely get your shelter and store basic items, such as food, water, medicine etc.

Chemical spills

Including air, soil and water. Have a plan for these disasters if you live near large manufacturing plants. One unlucky chemical spill could poison the water for a while.

Catastrophic scale disaster scenarios

Financial breakdown

Well, no need to comment on this one.

Flu pandemic

Experts believe that with the people travelling daily from one continent to another it is just a matter of time when another pandemic strikes, just like in the case of bird flu or swine flu. How dangerous the next flu will be we don’t know, but viruses constantly adapt and evolve. And it certainly can happen fast. Just look at the recent corona virus outbreak.

Loss of the grid due to solar storms

If the grid goes south – well practically nothing is working. No trucks are moving goods, no sewage, no electricity, nothing. Scientists reassure us that we would have some time before the charged solar particles reach us, but this time might not be sufficient to protect the grid.

EMP attack.

It would take out the grid. The riots and civil unrest would follow quite soon. This is the attack that would take from 6 months to 1 year for the grid to be fully recovered. Imagine what would follow after few weeks.

Currency devaluation/hyperinflation

Poverty, civil unrest, depression could happen. Having reasonable food supply will help you get through it.

Nuclear attack

Unfortunately there is a number of unaccounted for nuclear materials that were sold to who knows whom after the collapse of Soviet Union. And also today Russia is threatening US and Europe with a nuclear attack. Unfortunately risks involved in Ukraine war are very serious and Russia is one country that has very little value for human life.

Terrorist attack

Even if they don’t attack your town the distress caused might reach you soon. The worst thing that can happen is multiple terrorist attacks that could paralyze the society for weeks.

Meteor

They have fallen on Earth and they will fall again some day. If a large meteor hits your area, you will probably be dead instantly. Those who survive will fight for resources.

Effects of climate change

See how incapable the government was in case of hurricane Katrina. Do not hope they will take care of you. You should have your own plan.

Food shortage due to weather, political or social events

It will all come with social unrest, fights for food, water and other resources. Well, it is enough to read about the 2005 La Conchita mud slide when a small town in Santa Barbara was a week with limited food while being in the middle of the most fruitful and productive land.

War

People don’t believe the third world war would happen. And they did not believe that the Second world war would happen. It did. Look for the recent wars in Balkan area. It happened right in the middle of Europe and they still have not recovered. There is no way anyone can predict an exact start time of war or see the signs about the potential start. After the war – yes – everyone is smart and “had seen it coming”. In any case you should have preps for a 6 month period. It will be enough to assess whether to sit the storm out or move to a more peaceful region.

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