Monday, October 13, 2014

Prepping 101....NOT Doomsday...Just Common Sense


First of all let me begin by making it clear I am no Doomsday Prepper. While the show can be entertaining and may even make some people THINK, I can not imagine one person with common sense going on national TV and telling the world what they have and where it is. With that being said and out of the way, I will say that I believe EVERYONE should at least have some kind of game plan in their head to care for their family in a "what if" crisis.

What if ISIS does blah, blah, blah....
What if there's a problem with the water.....
What if we have a hurricane....
What if we are without power for extended time....
What if there is a huge ice storm....
What if Ebola or Enterovirus 68 spreads.....
What if my spouse looses his/her job....

I think you get the picture. There are 1001 scenarios that could seriously disrupt your household at any given time. Have you though it out or are you leaving it to chance? Any responsible person with half a brain in their head has to realize that depending on the Government or any other entity to take care of you and yours would be a foolhardy plan. They may come, but it could take a lot of precious time with all of the red-tape. Remember Katrina?? Remember Sandy?

"Prepping" does not make you a right-wing extremist. Look at it as an investment. If you pick up extra cans or boxes here and there, and a month down the line your spouse looses his/her job you will be thankful you had provisions set aside. If you continue building a reasonable stockpile and there is an illness in the home you won't have to leave to get soups or meds. I know of many times when I have been caring for sick children and husband is working. I couldn't take off to the store, but I was OK because I had what was needed because I planned ahead.

Now that we have discussed a few logical disruptions, we need to discuss the out-of-the-ordinary scenarios....

At this very moment we have had 2 confirmed cases of Ebola and several that the Government transferred here. Never in history has Ebola been on American soil. This deadly disease has the potential to claim many lives if something is not done. Remember what we just discussed about waiting on Government? Well in this case they are not coming to help us...they seem to be helping the disease. Air travel to and from the infected countries are non-stop. Our borders are wide open. Not only are we concerned with Ebola, but we are also dealing with Enterovirus 68. This nasty virus has claimed many young children and we have not even hit flu season. Everything has a cause and effect. Public panic could very well be lurking around the corner. It would not be so far-fetched to wake up and see that there are several confirmed cases and that could light a fire under the general public. Do YOU want to try to battle the folks at Walmart, Costco or Sam's who are scared beyond belief? I don't like battling Sally and Sue at Walmart on Saturday, and I certainly have no desire to be fighting for the last gallon of water or can of soup.

Walmart and other major grocery chains look like they have an abundance of stock, but the actual truth is that there is only enough stock for about 2-3 days. Where do they get their stock? Truckers. If you were a trucker would you put yourself in harm's way during some sort of crisis to transport a load to a grocery store or from a warehouse? I wouldn't. So what happens when the trucks don't arrive? Hmmmm...something to think about.

Of course some may say this is taking it to the extreme....maybe so....but it is a thought process. It's kind of like thinking what am I going to do if I run out of gas before I get to the gas station. Working out different scenarios to see if you could make it is only prudent.

Here's another scenario.....

You decide you'll start picking up some extra items. You start researching and making a list. You organize your closets and pantry. After making some progress you decide to talk about what you have accomplished with your neighbor down the street. Surely they have thought about the same because the nightly news is not getting better. If they haven't gotten a clue yet then you will be the good Samaritan who helps them or enlightens them. Don't be too upset when you get "that" look. You can tell by their facial expressions and body language they are uncomfortable and they may just flat out laugh it off and say something like "if something happens we'll know to just come to your house." Let this be a warning and red flag to you. In the event of a crisis the people who blow you off as a nut will be the first people knocking on your door wanting food for their kids. These are the people who stop at the store everyday to get supper and never have more than a day or two worth of food on hand. These are the people who will be angry and not think twice about taking food from your child's mouth to feed their own. This might be another scenario you want to think through. What will you do? Will you turn people away? My suggestion is to not let anyone know what you have or don't have.

There is no set way of doing any of this. There is no right way or wrong way....just get started. No one will love or care for your family the way that you do. Don't take a chance on having to rely on someone else to do it for you. Do something....even if it is just a little bit.

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