Preparedness is about being ready--being ahead of the curve for disaster. It seems quite likely an economic Armageddon is imminent. The actual trigger could be one of many potential ignition sources … a default, collapse, and revolution in Greece; the collapse and dissolution of the European Euro; eruption of a hot war in the Middle East; hyperinflation loosed upon America (probably inevitable), and so on.As mere pawns in the great game, we wield little capacity to impact events beyond our immediate personal radius. But what we CAN do, we MUST do in short order if you feel an obligation to protecting and providing for your loved ones in a future systemic and social calamity.How to do that?Assume the worst, within reason. Consider that many of the day-to-day services you take for granted will be interrupted for an unknown length of time. Water, fuel, electricity, food, health care, transportation, police and fire response, and employment are all perceived as American entitlements—but so also they are all susceptible to macro collapse. Withholding any one of those from a community would be disastrous--imagine all of them suddenly disappearing.You and your loved ones, as well as most in your community, may suddenly be living day to day, hand to mouth. Those who have anticipated such a possibility beforehand and made prudent investments to cushion the blow will be far ahead of the rest. Many of the basic preparations for economic disaster in fact can apply also to a personal economic setback, which we all know is not a long-shot these days, so it is common sense to take some simple steps to mitigate your risk:1. Have cash and precious metals on hand—and not just in the bank. Pretty obvious, I think.
2. Build up your cache of emergency storage food—the kind that you know how to prepare and enjoy eating.
3. Store as much drinking water as you can and rotate it every six months to keep it fresh. Have on hand a good water filter and purification tablets, as well as the means to boil water over a fire.
4. In any truly chaotic scenario, self-defense is a must. Gun ownership in America is a right. Know how to use your weapons and practice with them before you need to count on them.
5. In that self-defense vein, look at how you can fortify your home. How would you make it look uninviting from the outside. How can you make the structure as robust and defensible as you can?
6. Acquire a back-up power source. Options are many today, to fit any budget. Solar, wind, gas, diesel, propane. You may not be able to afford a back-up power supply to run your home or even your refrigerator, but at the very least aim to be able to charge a laptop, phone, batteries for radios, flashlights, etc.
7. First aid supplies and prescription medicines—stockpile what you and your family will need. Many physicians today are OK with getting you additional prescription medicine—particularly if you are planning on extended travel (wink).
Once you start thinking in these terms, you can continue adding to this plan of action, but the key is to get the basics squared away first. Adjust according to your personal situation, your neighborhood (certainly get to know as many of your neighbors now as possible), your climate, your budget, and your comfort level. Should the worst actually come to pass, the initial critical advantage you and yours will have is the ability to stay put—hunkered down in relative safety. On the other hand, those who continue to hold to the dissolving American "birthright" of unending entitlements will be the ones having to go out in desperation to fight for the basics in the concrete and asphalt jungle.
Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.comCopyright 2007-2011 by Safecastle LLC www.safecastleroyal.com
