By Bob Livingston
#perearedness #survival #twill #tcot #sbalich #disaster
America is a land of plenty and Americans are used to having plenty — plenty of food, plenty of water, plenty of everything. Most of them can’t imagine not being able to go to the store to get food of some sort. A survival mindset truly takes vision and planning for the future, especially now.
I hazard to guess that fewer than 10 percent of the readers of these Alerts could live more than a few days and certainly not more than a couple of weeks if something happened to the food supply chain. A long-term interruption due to power grid failure, attack, earthquake, storm or other unexpected event would set them on the road to dehydration or starvation from want of food and water, or injury and death while fighting in the streets over scraps.
Preparedness is something that we must do before we need it. Think now, if we needed stored food today, it would be too late.
Inevitably, when I write about preparedness one or two (at least) wags chime in to ridicule and fulminate against me for being ridiculous and wasteful. “People won’t be without food,” they say. “We have FEMA and Red Cross for that.” They are fools.
In October and November, California’s Pacific Gas & Electric began a series of blackouts in order to try and prevent fires like the ones that ravaged millions of acres and destroyed more than 22,000 buildings in 2018. The blackouts by PG&E alone left 730,000 customers in the dark, some for days.
The blackout left residents cold, hungry, stressed out, disillusioned and angry. According to the LA Times:…In Lake County, which shares a border with Napa County but lacks its wealth, (the blackout) has meant fear, cold, hunger and often anger — directed at both the utility and state leaders. More than 90% of PG&E customers in this landlocked county of lonely foothills lost power beginning Saturday eveni…
What Californians are experiencing is life when the systems we depend upon go down and we haven’t taken personal responsibility for our own well-being. It’s life (and often death) for people conditioned to depend upon government for their sustenance and care.
It is situations like these power outages that we must prepare for. The power grid is vulnerable to attack or damage from storms and other natural disasters. It’s a fragile thing.
It is up to us to secure our own futures as if government is not around, because it won’t be when we need it most. History is our guide in this.
Anyone who depends upon government for sustenance is a slave. And in a widespread emergency, even if government services still exist in some fashion, government is at best slow and inefficient. Look at its response during Katrina. Look at its response in Puerto Rico.
We have long urged readers to store food. You should eat from your stored food by rotating out the older dated food and moving the newer food to the rear. This prevents loss from spoilage. Vacuum-sealed and freeze-dried food has a long shelf life and can be preserved for many years. Food storage is not a waste of money, as some claim. It is insurance. We have actually profited by buying much of stored food when prices were lower than they are now.
Even an honest man will steal food if his family is starving. How anyone can see the looting, suffering and chaos in a place like St. Martin after Hurricane Irma swept through the Caribbean in 2017 and not take it as a warning sign to begin protecting himself and his family is beyond my understanding. Parents should at least take into consideration the needs of their children should a major crisis occur.
Everyone should have at the barest minimum three days of food and water on hand. But even better is at least three weeks of food and water and other essentials at your disposal at all times. More is better. I have enough food and water stored for months, and most of my relatives do as well.
You should have at least one month of cash on hand, as well. When the power is out, plastic does not work. Nor do ATMs. I also recommend gold and silver and extra items for barter.
You should also have a gun or guns and plenty of ammunition and adequate training on how to use them so you can protect your family and what is yours. If you don’t know where to start, check out the On Your Own section of our Personal Liberty blog, which is loaded with tips and tricks from experts writing expressly for the preparedness-minded individual.
If you have not begun preparing, you should start small and work consistently, writes preparedness expert Larry Barkdull in his book, Emergency Essentials’ Tips for Preparedness.
“Too many people make the mistake in thinking emergencies only happen to ‘other folks,'” he writes. “Beyond the subject of disaster, being prepared should be a part of your normal provident living. Don’t become overwhelmed. Start with small goals and work consistently.”
Barkdull gives the following ideas to help you get started on your preparedness plan:
- Establish a modest preparedness budget. Make it a priority and work at it the best you can. Start with a few items, such as: a 72-hour kit, emergency candles, a sleeping bag and a first aid kit or an emergency bag. Then budget enough money monthly to keep adding to your stores of emergency supplies.
- Get your information from reliable sources. Most sensible programs will coincide with other reputable sources such as books, community preparation and church or government programs. Don’t let anyone scare you into thinking that has to be done all at once or that you must incur heavy debt to achieve your goals.
- That which would be required to sustain life for three days can be easily multiplied for planning long-term storage needs.
- Be consistent. Within a short time you will have the necessary supplies and equipment to take care of yourself, family members and others.
- Think investment not expense. Think practically when it comes to assembling a food storage program. Buy the basics and learn to use them. Buy foods that you can rotate and eat regularly instead of storing foods that are unknowns to you that you have never eaten. Buy emergency materials that can be used for other activities such as Scouting events, camping adventures and family road trips. Take care of what you purchase and learn not to waste. The point is, do something and do not procrastinate.
Don’t wait until crisis hits. Then it’s too late.
