With all the talk of economic collapse and recession, along with the very real possibility of an outright bloody civil war in 2020-2021, no matter who wins the presidential election, terrorist attacks, cyber attacks against the nation's grid, earthquakes and weather events, along with the long list of other possibilities that would be considered a SHTF scenario, whether national or local to your area, there are going to be two types of people, those that are prepared and able to survive, and the walking dead.
No, I am not talking about the "zombies" come back to life in the popular television series, but those that simply do not have the preparations, or the knowledge, to be able to survive without electricity, a grocery store, restaurants, an ATM, or any other conveniences that the majority of the population in the nation take for granted.
Many ANP readers have expressed their preference for periodical prepping and survival pieces, because even the most advanced prepper can learn from the discussions in the comment sections. Throughout the years have seen lively discussions, shared resources, links, videos, books and simply pointers and tips from longtime preppers to help those just starting to prepare for any type of disaster scenario, and readers are encouraged to share any and all of the aforementioned in the comment thread below.
Back in December 2018, I asked Steve Quayle for some tips on what people should do before any type of SHTF scenario played out and received some great pointers, such as making sure to have a step-by-step plan ahead of time, a short wave radio and plenty of extra batteries, large coolers to put your perishables and frozen foods in, a plan to meet up with family members, lanterns, heavy duty trash bags, and of course emergency survival food and water, along with a porta potty.
There are of course other very simple things that sometimes get forgotten, such as a way to cook your food, or even heat your water if needed for the freeze dried emergency survival foods. Many non-smokers that don't carry around or even have lighters, sometimes don't think of having a large supply of boxed matches, or sterno cans to heat food and rooms in your house, if you don't have a wood stove or a barrel stove kit.
Of course, duct tape is a must in every household, whether SHTF or not.
One of the main questions or concerns observed from people that want to prep, but haven't started yet, is where to begin, because it can seem overwhelming at first, so to start..... begin with prepping for one week.
Ask yourself, can you survive for one week with only what is in your home right now if everything went to hell in a handbasket? If not, start there, get enough canned goods, water, toilet paper, medications, etc... to last just that one week.
Then move to a month, etc.....
WOULD YOU SURVIVE THE VERY FIRST MONTH?
As we watch the news, daily we see the very real dangers of SHTF scenarios, some which would force folks to survive long term, and others that would only leave people having to fend for themselves for a week or a month.
What we can say with a high level of confidence is those that look at Cuba, where "widespread rationing of chicken, eggs, rice, beans, soap and other basic products in the face of a grave economic crisis," and say "It can't happen here," will be the walking dead in any long term SHTF scenario. Same with Venezuela, where the rich have everything they need, and the poor have nothing because of their socialist and communist policies. The same type of policies Democrats in America are pushing for more and more.
Many SHTF scenarios could simply be situations that at the longest would inconvenience a prepper for a short amount of time, while others could be more severe, but if one cannot even survive the first month, there is no way they will be able to survive long term.
Imagine if SHTF right this second, if the lights went out, if the water faucets no longer worked, (nor your toilet), you couldn't cook using your stove, you couldn't heat your home in the winter, you couldn't run up to the grocery store, could you survive for even the first month?
If the answer is no....then either prepare to do so or accept you will be the walking dead in any type of disaster scenario.
POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
When thinking of a scenario that would necessitate utilizing survival preparations, most instantly go to the "doomsday scenario," meaning the worst case scenario. Preppers do this because if one is prepared for the worst, they will likely survive anything less than that.
Earthquakes, fires, natural weather events, could cause an electricity outage that could last a day, a week, or even a month, and are the most probable, yet with modern day technology being what it is, it is also not out of the realm of possibility of a cyber/terror attack taking out the grid, which could in fact be an event that would cause widespread unrest, looting and rioting.
Situational awareness will factor in on any type of electrical outage. Are your neighbors lights out as well? Do you have a method finding out if it is a local outage or national? Would you even know if was a small issue such as a transformer blowing or a disaster-type scenario, such as an EMP attack?
If the outage was widespread, then having a way to cover your windows so others do not see you have a light source and wonder what else you have that they do not, would be another smart move.
Keeping a number of electronics, not tied to the power grid, in a faraday cage or bag would come in handy as to determining the level of damage as well as what to expect in terms of short- term or long term needs.
Other scenarios which do not include an immediate loss of electricity and could range from an economic collapse, which would cause widespread unrest, to a national food shortage.
Another scenario which Stefan Stanford highlighted on Sunday is the possibility of an outright bloody civil war after the 2020 presidential election, which in any other time would seem completely unlikely and paranoid thinking. With Democrat contenders quite literally telling American gun owners they would forcefully come for their guns, and gun owners declaring they will fight to the death to protect their constitutional rights, this scenario could actually be marked as very likely if one of those Democrats win in 2020 and actually dare to try it.
The other side of the coin is if President Trump wins re-election.
Imagine how much worse they will all get if they fail to stop President Trump from being re-elected?
Those are all just possible scenarios, but all of which would require people to prepare, whether to survive without electricity, or to defend their preparations, their families, neighborhoods and their lives.
BOTTOM LINE
People do not prepare for survival because they "fear" what could happen, they prepare so that they are ready in case something does, and being prepared means not having to "fear" what comes, but being ready to survive and thrive even if it does.
The question here is, are you a survivor or are you one of the walking dead?
Below, an older video from October 2018, but handy for the basic top 10 guide for prepping for beginners.
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