What to do?
WITH GOD’S HELP
Get right with God. Study the Bible. Hook up with a trusted Christian friend. Get started. If you are not getting ready to meet your Maker much of what follows matters little. As my friend Orin says, “Your life is like a grain of sand and eternity is the beach.” Where does your soul fit in?
Preparation is about your ability to be of some use beyond your own selfish concerns. If you are prepared then you can more effectively help others to do the same. If you approach the issue with a bunker mentality, I suspect it will be a rough ride for you. We all have temptations to approach it this way, but it is a dead end street.
First of all there is no point in fear and worry. Concern is logical of course. Worry does nothing to prepare you and fear causes inaction and poor thinking. A few thoughtful and prayerful hours does wonders when considering preparations, especially if all of this is new to you. Get family members to assist and assign projects if you can. Going it alone is fine, but in a group it is usually more efficient providing everyone gets along.
Simple preparation is the first order of business and you can start with a list: water, food, medical, and security. Keep it simple and accept the fact that you might make a few mistakes. The idea is to prioritize and keep working on each item and don’t try to eat the whole elephant. Small consistent steps are the best method and take time to relax and enjoy your friends and family along the way.
The good news is that there is no silver bullet when it comes to preparation. There are a variety of preparation efforts that can be performed to match your particular circumstance and the fact that yours may be different from others does not necessarily produce a different outcome – there are just too many plausible and actual scenarios for any single approach to be vastly superior to the other. Here again – let common sense and your gut be your guide. The important thing is that you do prepare and try not leave too much to chance. Take care of the obvious things, use common sense and realize that most of the remainder is in God’s capable Hands.
Some people, due to location, will make their preparations with the idea that if circumstances warrant, they would leave their homes or workplaces to get to a more safe location. Exiting densely populated areas are typically what will be done. You won’t be the only one getting out. Timing, of course, with this approach is critical. If you wait too long, getting out will be a difficult and/or a dangerous endeavor. Some will use the ‘bug out’ bag approach and if you use that term on a google search you can get much valuable information on what you should have in your ‘bug out’ bag. These are typically kept in your car or near your exit door or some keep it nearby at all times. Check http://www.joelskousen.com/Strategic/strategic.html for some basic information regarding safe locations. There are more detailed resources for your area on the web that can be found with a little research. Routes should be considered along with alternates routes and meeting locations as needed. These should be planned ASAP with all concerned so there is no confusion or missed connections. In cases of extreme social unrest, you should understand that some road closures could be encountered and also that locals in some areas will not be too enthused about an influx of outsiders flooding into there communities. Practice bugging out. Make it realistic. Do it and you will learn something. Common sense on these issues will get you a long way.
For those who plan to stay home come what may, their lot is a little easier in many respects. Home defense should be considered and I am empathetic to those who will not use violence to defend themselves and/or their property. They have some strong arguments for this view and I will not debate them here. For those who choose to defend their homes and persons, firearms should probably be considered. A home security system is debatable if it relies on local law enforcement response, otherwise one should be considered depending on your budget. Locally, I know most of the good security system contractors are backlogged with jobs. Good windows, doors, fencing, locks and lighting are important. Most home sites are not well suited for defense in extreme circumstances and unfortunately, those who may trespass may do so under the color of law and have the considerable resources of law enforcement. Gun confiscation measures come to mind and this is a tricky one no matter how one conceives it.
Escape routes from your home should be considered as well as safe rooms, plans for emergency exits and fire. You should also know how to shut of the electrical services and gas (propane too) services to your home. You should also be prepared to have others stay in your home with you for mutual advantage in emergency situations. Sleeping arrangements, cooking/eating and security chores should be handled ASAP when they arrive.
With the ownership of firearms, there is a commensurate responsibility to be properly trained. If you are buying a firearm for the first time and have had no training then you should plan, without exception, to get some training ASAP. I cannot stress this enough. It could literally save your life.
It should be understood that despite the claims of mainstream media many crimes are prevented by firearms. In most of these instances, the firearm is never fired. If a criminal knows you have a gun, they will usually take their project elsewhere. This fact would also extend to some extent in situations where there is civil unrest. But if you go looking for trouble you are likely to find it so limit your defense to actual defense of your person and property and nothing more. Stay away from troubled areas.
Water is needed. You can only survive about three days without water. You need to either store water and/or have the ability to purify water with a known and available source. Back packer style water filters are ideal for most situations, but you will have to determine the best plan based on your circumstances. Failures of city/ municipal or coop water services in a crisis are very likely. Chlorine can be used as a purifying agent, but is primarily good for removing bacterial contamination. Carbon filters and Reverse Osmosis (pressure needed) systems are also very good for water purification. Learning about these various water technologies is time well spent. For water storage, food grade syrup containers are one of the better storage containers.
Being in good shape is important. Perhaps aerobic conditioning would trump strength training, but they are both important. Diet and other habits should be scrutinized with a view to the changes one might encounter with limited chances to restock. Do you have a food storage plan? Is the food you are storing match the food you are currently eating? If you eat steak and green salads, but are storing beans and rice you might consider some changes to help you better adapt. Do you drink coffee and smoke cigarettes? You have all of that stock-piled too? Perhaps quitting coffee and cigarettes would be a better alternative. We each need to consider such things. I am a big fan of vitamins and that is also something that should be considered, although most vitamins do not store that well. I am also a big fan of growing vegetables and fruits. It is amazing how much food can be grown in a relatively small area. If you have the time and resources look into doing this. It is very rewarding and the food you pick will generally be better than store bought food.
For medical, a first aid kit with some basic training is very important. Get some first aid training and if you know a doctor or a nurse you can get yourself prepared better than most; take advantage of that connection now rather than later. Even dentists and veterinarians can be very helpful when it comes to medical resources. If you are on medication, see which ones you can safely eliminate and which ones you need to stock up on. Do that now too. Do not wait. Take responsibility for your health now. Trying to do it later under less than ideal circumstances is too stressful.
Your FRN’s (Federal Reserve Notes), dollars that is, will soon be worthless. The consensus seems to be that within 5 to 12 months from Feb 2009 the US dollar will crash; some say as soon as May, 2009. If it takes longer it doesn’t matter. This will probably be preceded by a period of hyper-inflation, followed by price controls and then shortages. Then a new currency will be ushered in and the exchange rate to the new currency will make you wish you never kept one dollar. It is a little late in the game, but converting dollars to gold and silver is what the smart money has been doing for some time now. If you cannot afford 1 ounce gold coins (bullion) then try at least to get as much junk silver as you can afford. These would be circulated, pre 1964 dimes, quarters and half dollars. They have a fairly high content of pure silver so they are worth far more than their face value. Even pre-1982 pennies are worth saving because they are made out of copper and cost more to make than they are worth. The idea is to have something of value that will function as money or have items that work well for barter. Chocolate, cigarettes, loose tobacco, ammunition, drugs, liquor and food all can work as barter items. Think of this as you prepare and get out of dollar denominated investments.
Get to know your neighbors. Do whatever it takes and do that ASAP as well. In many communities we tend to isolate and that is not a good recipe for thriving or surviving in times of civil unrest or emergencies. A friendly neighbor in frequent contact can save your life in more ways than I can count. In some situations, you can even pool your resources and multiply and enhance your preparations. This is too important to overlook, ignore or delay.
Once your preparation activities are completed you can start seeking out like minded people in your community. This is almost as important as getting to know your neighbors. Locally, we have some Ron Paul types getting into the local Republican Party and there are other similar groups that have an eye towards future economic and political conditions that you could meet or join that would not only help with your preparation efforts, but also offer an opportunity for you to be part of the solution.
Of course, I have only briefly covered most of the main areas regarding what to do. It is difficult to provide an all-encompassing overview of the subject as to ‘what to do,’ but hopefully this is helpful to you and I intended this mostly for beginners and those who may be just now waking up before the storm and perhaps feeling a little overwhelmed.
If I missed something, please reply. Please also see http://sendin57.wordpress.com/preparation-sites/ and http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/
