When The SHTF
No one knows exactly when the SHTF. No one can tell you why it will happen or what will cause it. We can all speculate on what may befall us. It could be a solar storm, it could be global pandemic, like Ebola, it could be a nuclear EMP, or a financial meltdown. Did you know that in the United States alone, forty-five states could be hit by earthquakes? All this is pure guess-work. What is clear is that this century is characterized by its instability and radicalism. It is a volatile time and no one can predict with any certainty what will happen next. The potential for immense disasters on a global scale has never been so great.
We do, however, know three things for sure. Firstly, that when the SHTF the resulting panic and chaos will be unlike anything we have experienced before.
What is clear, is that in a world of super-advanced technology, where everything is connected, in which machines and computers take care of our most basic needs, the possibility of disaster moves ever closer into view.
Ponder this for a moment - there is no single person in the world who is able to build cell phone on their own. That basic tool of the modern world, the thing we all depend on each and every day, can not be constructed by anyone person. Without the complex web of supply systems that stretch around the world, nothing like this can exist. The fact is our modern lives depend on things that we simply do not understand and will never be able to learn. What would happen if these complex systems broke down? How would we be able to survive?
Imagine how the society you live in would be able to cope without access to computers. Would you be able to fill your truck with gas, would you even be able to buy your groceries? Without access to basic commodities how far from complete breakdown do you think our society is? A week? Days? Maybe even only a few hours, once you consider how quickly panic can grip any community of people.
The truth is that for the first time in human history we have become so disconnected from the basic methods of survival. This technology that allows us to pick up fast food, or connect to people with a touch of a button, make modern life easy. But at the same time, our reliance on it could well be quietly sewing the seeds of our own undoing. When our reliance on the tools of modern society is no longer possible, how quickly will we descend into madness and violence?
Secondly, we know that we cannot rely on governments and states to help us. It will be their mismanagement and folly that brings about the disaster. The example of Hurrican Katarina should serve, not only as a warning about how quickly a city can fall into utter anarchy, but also illustrate the powerlessness of the authorities to prevent it. This was just one city that was affected. A disaster affecting a larger area would render the national bodies totally useless.
Lastly, and most importantly of all, this all means that we must prepare for when the SHTF and that we can neither blame nor rely on anyone but ourselves. We can see what is coming and we must be prepared.
It is, therefore, unsurprising that increasing numbers of people are deciding to take matters into their own hands. They are taking the necessary steps to safeguard their own and their family's safety. Most of these steps are not only entirely logical and reasonable, they are also endorsed by the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross. Their recommendations are that you need to stockpile a supply of emergency food and water.
Take moment to consider what your present supplies are like. How well prepared are you? In the event of an earthquake, hurricane, winter storm or other disaster, how would you survive if you had no access to food, water or electricity? It is possibly time to think about your supply of resources.
The Importance of Resources
The first thing we must have is a strong and dependable plan that we are able to implement when the chaos strikes. This plan will be the key to ensuring the survival of you and your family. There are many guides on how to make and implement a reliable survival plan. The exact form of each plan depends almost entirely on the individual circumstances of each person. It must be tailored to make allowances for a whole range of personal factors, such as where they live and who they are. However, there is one thing that all plans have in common, on thing that all plans need – resources.
Resources are the fundamentals on which any survival plan is based. Without access to resources all survival plans are destined to fail. When the SHTF your ability to survive will essentially come down to a question of whether you can access the resources you need.
Of course, once the SHTF, the question of resources will be suddenly brought sharply into focus. By then it may be too late. The point of prepping is that our ability to foresee that disaster is not only possible, but looming, is backed up by our willingness to take the necessary steps to ensure we have the resources we need.
This guide assumes that its readers do not need to be convinced of the importance and relevance of prepping. It will not be trying to convince anyone that prepping is necessary. That is a conclusion we each need to come to individually. However, for those who believe that they need to make sensible, precautionary plans for an emergency situation, this guide will help in a number of ways.
Firstly, it will show how the question of resources is at the heart of any good survival plan. Secondly, it will highlight how we should not think of resources in narrow terms. Rather, resources is a large area that can include many things. Thirdly, it will examine the question of which resources to choose. And lastly, it will tell you how much of each resource is required.
In a perfect world we would all be able to store many hundreds of items. But that is never going to be realistic, or probably even desirable. There must always be a limit to the things we can stockpile. Again, for each person, depending on their capabilities and environment, this will be different. However, this guide provides a run-down of the top 55 items. This number has been chosen because it is manageable and attainable for any serious prepper, while also covering all the most important resources you will need to make your survival plan a success.
This book is organized in order to cover the basic human needs. There are four things all humans must have in order to survive: water, food, sleep and shelter. Without these, humans, like all living things, are very vulnerable. Take just one of these away and our survival hopes are drastically cut. Take all four away and we are unlikely to survive longer than a few days.
For this reason, any plan for survival must be built around these four ideas. When we stockpile for when the SHTF, we must do the same. We must ensure that we always have the items to help supply us with water, food, sleep and shelter. The items to stockpile are divided into the need they can help us with. Although, it often turns out that many SHTF stockpile items can help us in a variety of ways.
Surviving after the SHTF means surviving in a harsh and hostile environment. To keep ourselves safe, comfortable and to give ourselves the opportunity to communicate with others we need also to consider how to provide power and light. And lastly, we have to make sure we are equipped to deal with sanitation and first aid needs.