Preparing for Economic Collapse

It’s important to prepare for an economic or government collapse in these troubling times. The stresses of feeding an overpopulated nation and assisting other countries in feeding their citizens have caused our own food prices to inflate as well as our prices for oil. The speculations of economists paint a grim picture on the outcome of the American family. In the best interest of yourself and those you love, you must learn to live life without a grocery store or fast food chain. Homeland security has recently prepared for civil unrest during the imminent rise of food cost by purchasing large quantities of ammunition, guns, and riot control devices. It’s important to ask yourself, “If the government is preparing, then why shouldn’t I be preparing?”

The way to begin is first you must find a sustainable food source. Stocking up now on dried beans, rice, and distilled water is important, and growing crops is an absolute must. You must find the appropriate crops for the soil and sunlight available to you. Also, during harvest season you must learn to preserve the food. Canning food is a very popular method, but if you have a dehydrator available you should take advantage of that. Dehydrating food does depletes nutrients more than canning but it can still processes in your body for energy. Aside from crops, a meat source is needed. Chickens are the most popular among the prepping community because the eggs can be kept fresh for several months when they are coated in mineral oil and the meat is easily preserved in salt water. Cows require a very large grazing area and are a great choice if your property can accommodate them. The milk can be used for cheese or butter and cows will also provide leather and the most effective fertilization for your crops. Rabbits are another choice because of the high reproduction rate, but they can provide only meat.

Next, you will need to create a sustainable water source. If you have a pond or lake around your home the main concern will be sanitation. Iodine tablets are the most common way to sanitize water and they are available at most camping stores. If this way is preferred it should be stocked up for one year of supply for every person that will be staying with you. In the event you should run out of iodine tablets, boiling the water will always clean it and kill any parasites in the water. If a natural body of water is unavailable you will need to create a way to catch the rain. The best way to do this is by fashioning your rain gutters to drain into a drum or a vessel designed specifically for catching the rain. To filter the rain you will need to create a panel filled in layers with sand and charcoal, but be sure it is centered in the vessel because it will slow the rain from reaching the bottom and may overflow if your vessel isn’t tall enough.

The type of shelter chosen may potentially be the difference between life and starving to death. This shelter will need to be defendable, secure, and the right size for the amount of people hiding there. I say “hiding” because when the riots start you will not want to be seen. If a starving person were to see people in a specific area every day they would know food is not far from them and you are placing your family’s life in jeopardy. Underground would be the ideal place to hide. Welding several storm shelters together as rooms and burying old school buses are popular choices among Preppers. Camouflaging your shelter and being sure you aren’t found is important. The ability to protect your stored and growing food as well as your water supply should be a main priority in finding your shelter. Familiarize yourself with the area surrounding your chosen shelter because you will need to defend that area.

The type of shelter is less important than your means to defend that shelter. The specific types of offenses you will see most are guns and thievery. Building a wall of railroad ties will protect you from bullets. It would be best to at least have one wall to stand behind, but the bigger your property is, the more angles you will have to defend. It is best to have a rifle, handgun, and shotgun for every person in the house and guns buried at specific locations on the property. The guns will have to be suited for the individual firing them. Guns with heavy recoil will be best for a larger person with good sight and guns firing 22LR bullets will do for the average person with no knowledge of firearms. Building a tower with a bird’s eye view would be beneficial to a large property, but would attract attention to a small property. Weighing all aspects of building new structures is crucial. Every shelter will be different, and defense will need to be tailored to suit individually.

Medical necessity will be tailored to suit, also. Every person using the property for shelter will need to be assigned jobs to their individual skills. Your assigned medic will need to have a book listing all allergies and substitutes in your prepper community as well as a complete log of all medical equipment. Several medical kits may be needed. Your medical kits should include among many other things: allergy medications, antiseptics, breathing apparatus, bandages, and anything needed to suit your community. For instance, if you have someone allergic to latex, special bandages will be needed. If you have someone allergic to bees, allergy medication and a tracheotomy kit will be needed. An experienced medic is important and he or she should need advanced knowledge of how to used antiseptic herbs when the medical supply runs out or is stolen.

It is important to start preparing now. Research what will be best for your area and put that plan into action. Talk to your family about what should be done when the grocery stores aren’t there anymore. At the very least, stock up on food and water. Also, place a “bug out” bag in your car complete with sealed water, dehydrated food and necessities for one month. Any attempt to prepare your family for the crisis will be important, but pretending it will never happen is naïve. Think of it this way, you keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and you haven’t used it for years, but the one day you actually need it and don’t have it will destroy your life.