Planning For Realistic Scenarios
Most survival blogs are built around the idea of preparing for TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It). Well, what about preparing for tough times, tough circumstances or outright disaster within the context of the world as we know it still functioning at least somewhat? If you think about it, this is more realistic, and is probably worth planning for and preparing for at least as much as TEOTWAWKI.
So, what are some realistic scenarios that we should prep for?
Prolonged Economic Depression
A prolonged economic depression is a near certainty in my mind. There will be much economic pain associated with it and some very nasty ramifications, but with that said, I believe the country will still operate and have some level of economic order to it. Think about the Great Depression. Horrendous unemployment in the 25% range. Realize as bad as that is, 75% still were employed. It was far from a total societal collapse.
With a major economic depression, there are definitely nasty side effects so I don’t wish to downplan the ugliness here. First, crime will likely shoot up significantly as people without jobs turn to crime. Throw in the fact that most municipalities are in terrible fiscal shape which will likely mean reduced police forces, and you’ll see that this is not a pleasant scenario. You should plan to be able to protect yourself, your home and your family.
Work on building significant reserves of cash, supplies and definitely food & water. Supply disruptions might be common in a major depression so make sure you have things you need. In case of the situation where you lose your job, work on building reserves to get you through.
Terrorist Attacks
The world changed on 9/11. With the United States still engaged in the “war on terror” there are plenty of terrorist out there plotting to attack America. This is a very possible and maybe even likely event at some point in the future. Major disruptions to normal systems that we rely on such as power, food supply, gas supply, etc. can occur in such an event. Another reason to stock up on certain items.
Natural Disasters
As we’ve seen recently over the years, events like Hurricane Katrina, Asian tsunamis, earthquakes (Haiti, Chili) and now even Icelandic volcanos are happening all the time. We need to prepare for a variety of disasters. As a Floridian, much of my survival preps can double as hurricane preparation as hurricanes are pretty common here. Power, water, food, first-aid, and other supplies are all good to have on hand for natural disaster preparation.
Inflation
Inflation has been happening underneath the surface (and sometimes right in our face) over the last 100 years. Since the Federal Reserve was created in the early 1900′s, the U.S. dollar has lost over 97% of its purchasing power. Encouraging, huh?
Well with recent policy of printing money to paper over massive debt losses, inflation seems like a very possible scenario down the road. Stocking up on usable consumer goods as well as “sound money” like precious metals is a good plan to prepare for inflation. With this said, don’t jump on board the inflation train 100%. There are real deflationary forces in the economy and putting all your eggs in one basket isn’t smart anyways.
What scenarios are you prepping for?
