Introduction
Imagine this situation: All of the media outlets have gone to commercial-free coverage. They are reporting that the Dow has dropped 2,000 points and trading has been suspended on Wall Street. The Chinese, along with other countries have transferred their reserves from the US Dollar. Oil futures climb $50 a barrel in hours. A national bank holiday shuts down the financial system on Main Street. Within 24 hours the grocery stores are cleared out of all food stocks. The gas pumps dry up in 12 hours. Trucks delivering goods are stuck at truck stops waiting on fuel that may not be available in days; 18-wheelers that have enough fuel to get back home are doing so, with the trailer left on the side of the road. Inner city areas are turning into war zones with looting and random acts of violence occurring between rival gangs. The Interstate System becomes a parking lot with the suburbanites trying to “get out of Dodge” (G.O.O.D.). With no more fuel supplies people become stranded and forced to flee on foot, with panicked people who are usually rational and moral, now acting immorally and irrationally; doing what it takes to get their family to perceived safety.
Moral of the story is simple – given an emergency where you will be cut off from the comfort of the complex supply chain, utility grid, and police protection, could you take care of you and your family? Could you do it for a week, for a month, or even a year?
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I know this has more than likely unnerved you. Do not panic! Simple planning can help you get where you can take care of yourself and your family. We are going to try to guide you step-by-step in your path to peace of mind. Look at this plan as purchasing an insurance plan. You pay hundreds per month to insure yourself and your belongings, and investing in preparations may be the best policy you ever purchase. This will be covered in several areas:
- Money
- Food Storage
- Security
- Self-Sustaining Lifestyle
It may be advised to keep your preparations confidential. Use discretion as much as possible when you make your acquisitions. Also note that there will be some sacrifice in making your targets. The items we are suggesting to buy in this document are costly, but remember what we said earlier about this being an insurance policy for the safety and security of your household. Try to think of others that may join you if they are displaced by a disaster. We will cover this in detail throughout this work.
Money/Finances
Most of the families in this country are trying to figure out how to make ends meet in these troubled times. The first thing you need to do is do a household budget with your family. You should put a total of what is coming in and the fixed bills that have to be paid out monthly. Write out your variable expenses for six months and see what you can cut to contribute to your monthly “insurance” expenses. There are many plans out there to help you with this. There are many ways to cut corners; you just have to be creative. 25–50% of the “insurance” fund should be used to pay down debt, with the remainder directed at your preparations. Use one month’s “insurance” allotment to purchase 90% pre-65 silver coins, which have intrinsic value with the silver content in them, or 1 oz. silver rounds from a recognized mint.
Water
Water is crucial for healthy living and survival. 80+% of the human body is water and must be replenished regularly. A human being can go on weeks without food, but without water, a person will perish in days. Each person will need three gallons of water per day to stay cleaned, fed, and hydrated. Invest in a high-quality gravity water filter. The British Berkefeld or Berkey Light (starting around $200) is recommended for its timeless design and filtration level. Rain collection and other sources of water must also be considered.
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Food
In today’s just-in-time society, our logistics system is so finely tuned that the slightest hiccup in the system could cause massive trauma to the supply system. 3 days of delivery delays could interrupt the system for a month. How much food should be stored in reserve? Well, as much as space in your house and your pocket book will allow. 60 days will be your starting point. Remember to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Allocate an extra $30 per week to your grocery budget. Sit down with your family and make a list of what foods they enjoy to eat. Make a menu and look at the ingredients needed to make the dishes. Create a special storage area in a closet or basement for food storage. When you go to the grocery store by double the ingredients and put the excess in your storage closet. Keep an inventory and check off items when you meet your goal level for that particular ingredient. A starter list is included in this work.
If you have the funds, try to stock your shelf with freeze-dried foods designed for long-term storage. These are items are pricey, but worth it on that rainy day. If you have a Mormon contact, you can go to the Provident Living centers to can food at a reduced cost compared to other commercial sources.
Two-Month Supply for Two People of Shelf-Stable Grocery Store-Purchased Foods:
Starches (daily: 6 servings, 2 people/60 days: 720 servings) 12 boxes (10 packets ea.) instant oatmeal (120 servings) 6 lbs. rice (120 servings) 8 lbs. pasta (120 servings) 3 boxes instant potatoes (60 servings) 60 cans starchy vegetables (beets, carrots, corn, lima beans, sweet peas) (180 servings) 15 lbs flour (for baking bread) (120 servings) Vegetables (daily: 4 servings, 2 people/60 days: 480 servings) 160 cans non-starchy vegetables (or 120 cans veggies & 20 jars spaghetti sauce) (artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green beans, yellow beans, wax beans, mushrooms, okra, spinach, tomatoes)
Fruit (daily: 3 servings, 2 people/60 days: 360 servings) 120 cans fruit (no sugar added)
Meats/Legumes (daily: 4 servings, 2 people/60 days: 480 servings) 30 (6 oz) cans tuna (90 servings) 12 (15 oz) cans salmon (90 servings) 15 (12 oz) cans chicken (90 servings) 15 (12 oz) cans turkey (90 servings) 15 (5 oz) cans ham (30 servings) 30 cans (or 7 lbs. dry) beans (90 servings) (kidney, navy, great northern) Dairy (daily: 3 servings, 2 people/60 days: 360 servings) 6 (25 oz) boxes non-fat dry milk (enough to make 12 gallons) or 16 (12.6 oz) cans NIDO brand dry whole milk (can be found in ethnic foods section) 6 lbs. Velveeta cheese 12 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
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Other: 10 lbs. sugar 20 packages active dry yeast 4 (26 oz) containers salt 2 lbs. popcorn 4 jars peanut butter (40 oz) 4 (32 oz) bottles vegetable oil shortening syrup/molasses/honey jam/jelly nuts dried onions, garlic & other spices large bottle of Multi-vitamins
Security
This is where people tend to get a little uneasy. Except for the sociopath and serial killer, humans instinctively do not want to harm their fellow man. However, in times where there are challenges, people will be likely divided into two categories:
1. Good guys that work with their neighbors and others to survive 2. Bad guys that will do anything it takes to survive.
You must be prepared to handle the second group, either though evasion, repulsion, or attack. The only way to do this effectively is to arm yourself with knowledge and of course – the hardware needed for the job.
October 31, 2009
James Wesley, Rawles is a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer and a noted author and lecturer on survival and preparedness topics. He is the author of Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse and is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com – the popular daily web journal for prepared individuals living in uncertain times.
