In the last chapter I talked about safety in numbers. And there is no denying that fact. More than just safety in numbers, banding together with a network of like-minded preppers allows for increased specialization, improved security and most importantly sustained human contact.
Disasters and emergencies will isolate individuals. So human contact is more than just something nice to have, it is a necessity on par with security in our hierarchy of needs. So this chapter deals with five ways to maintain close contact with people in your prepper network.
1) The Survival Network. We have social networks, professional networks, interconnected networks of all kinds. And with very few exceptions, all of them are a waste of time. One of the exceptions to that rule is the Survival Network. Let’s take a moment and examine what goes into survival planning. We need to protect ourselves, our homes and our supplies. But as an individual, meeting our basic need of sleep will diminish our time and ability to protect what we need to survive. So let’s establish up front, we need help. All of us. You do. I do. Every single disaster prepper needs help.
Getting that help from those nearest to us is a great first step. Our neighbors are excellent sources of support for preparation efforts. And like they help us, we help them. Take a look at the people who live near you. Don’t they have a variety of skills and knowledge bases that would make it easier for everyone among you to survive a crisis? That’s why when I said last chapter that our natural tendency to band together was a good thing, I meant it. But I also know that as important as it is to band together, because we are people, little things will try to tear us apart. Small arguments become bigger ones. When you build your survival network, keep in mind, arguments are normal. But only with help will you survive.
2) Signals. Signals can be transmitted through an abundance of means. We’ll focus on three in particular. Visual signals require line of sight, but they are a time-honored means of conveying information. In days when infectious diseases prompted quarantines, the use of a sign on a door to signal that there was a person within the house infected with measles or mumps or whooping cough was common. So a banner or flag, or flare can signal different information to people within your group. Likewise, information can be coded so that only group members know what is being conveyed.
The second type of signal is auditory. Again, going back a few centuries, bugle calls were a way to marshal troops on the battlefield. They would know that a certain series of notes signaled one action, such as meeting at a rally point. The use of audio signals is better because they can be heard around corners of in heavily wooded areas where visual signals lose their effectiveness. Also like visual signals, the specific sequence of sounds can encode simple or complex messages.
Finally, electronic signals can convey simple or complex messages over greater distances than visual or audio cues can travel. A simple device is one that picks up on a radio burst and makes an alert of some kind. So pressing a button will send the signal that can be picked up by receivers throughout the neighborhood and that is how an alert is triggered. That’s low-tech compared to walkie talkies, cell phones and other means of instantly transmitting messages. If a Survival Network has a particularly technologically adept member, that person could rig an electronic network that serves to replace the current incarnation fo the Internet, should that ever crash. Such a network would enable transmission of emails or documents across the network and if configured correctly guard against unwanted intruders.
3) Building deeper links. In addition to connecting to each other through a local area network and wifi transmitters and receivers, a Survival Network can also build up a security perimeter that links the different homes and yards of members. One means of doing so is through good old-fashioned concrete and steel. But for those willing to try things a little more subtle, tunnels can be built using storage containers to link homes or yards together out of sight of potential intruders. What’s more, these tunnels can be configured to seal off certain sections allowing you to trap and contain unwanted intruders within your own underground maze.
4) Economies of scale. This idea has long been one that justifies increased trade with our communities. But it also serves as a means of building the best possible community for yourself. If you have a group of a few dozen people and they all have the same basic set of skills, then their association lacks the ability to take advantage of economies of scale. In a diverse group, experts trade their knowledge and skill set for the benefits reaped from an expert with a different skill set. So for example, our Survival Network should include people who can cook, farm, sew, lift heavy things, provide technological expertise, build things, haul things, learn and teach things, plus most manual trades like electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. Having a diverse group of skills ensures the network can be self-sustaining.
5) A little of that human touch. When we realize we are all in this together, we work harder to protect ourselves and those around us. Our network is our family. We rely on them and they on us. That closeness binds us together and helps us look beyond the basic needs that Maslow places on that lowest level of the hierarchy. Instead we now can fulfill the needs of companionship, acceptance and intimacy. When we have successfully secured for ourselves and those we care about the resources to fulfill our security needs, then it is time for us to advance and seek out a higher caliber of needs. In disasters that span a few days, a Survival Network is a nice thing. In those cataclysms that alter our way of life, the connection of ourselves to a close network of like-minded people is what allows us to begin to rebuild a society.