Alexandra Ramirez
Do you find yourself worrying about the state of affairs that exist in the world today? Are you thinking of starting to stockpile food, supplies and ammunition to help you survive if a disaster strikes or an emergency occurs? If so, you’re not alone.
Preppers and survivalists are part of a movement of individuals and groups who actively prepare for emergencies – anything from local disruptions to international emergencies such as war, political upheaval, and natural disaster.
There are 5 essential areas in which survivalists and preppers get themselves ready so that they can “bug out” on a moment’s notice: Food and Water, Shelter, Self Defense, Health & Hygiene, and Cash on Hand. Let’s take a look at these 5 areas:
Food and Water
Obvious, right? We all need food and water to survive, but what is the best way to buy and store food that might have to last you for years, or even decades?
There are many great companies out there who are preparing and packaging food and water geared towards survival and prepper groups – most importantly to a prepper is nutrition and a LONG shelf life. Yoder’s Country Market is one such company, and we feel that they produce the best canned meat on the market. Their meat is farm raised without using any antibiotics or hormones and is a fantastic, healthy option for storing protein.
Another great way to store food is to grow and can your own. This is a great way to have fruits and vegetables available as you’ll need access to a wide variety of nutrients. With canning, you’ll also be sure to know the exact ingredients and packaging dates. Many canned foods can last for many years on the shelf if they’re properly sealed.
Lastly, don’t forget to store water! In fact, water is more essential to life than food and can be used in many other ways such as bathing and cooking. Get yourself a few dozen (or more!) storage containers and start filling them up.
Shelter
Think about whether or not your current living space is somewhere that you’ll be able to stay as you ride out a major disaster. If so, prepare a large area where you can start storing the essentials you’ll need.
If your current location isn’t adequate, you’ll need to start seeking out other options. Many preppers build their shelter in a remote location where they’ll feel safe. Others design and build underground shelters that are basically hidden from the rest of the world. Additionally, many will hide and store caches of food and water along the route to their shelter as many are a far distance from civilization and can be a few days walk away. One item of upmost importance during this time will be a good flashlight and plenty of batteries. Be sure to stock up!
Self Defense
As you can only imagine, living without a structured society in place can be potentially dangerous. Many survivalists and preppers make sure that they have an ample stockpile of weapons and ammunition on hand. They feel that this step is an absolute must. Not only can you use it for self-defense, but also for hunting and trade since ammunitions will most likely become the new currency when the bank system fails.
Health & Hygiene
Maintaining your health and hygiene will be vital to your survival and the health of the group. There is nothing more potentially dangerous than a gastro-intestinal illness – especially when it could have been avoided with good hygiene. You will want to wash your hands often to stay healthy.
A healthy set of teeth and gums will also be important for survival. Heart health is often connected to the health of your teeth and gums as infection can travel straight to the heart from the mouth. In addition, when living off the grid, it is important to be able to physically eat a variety of nutrients from a variety of sources. And overall, good hygiene just, plain, feels good.
Cash On Hand
So, how much cash will you need on hand if the world, as we know it, disintegrates? You certainly won’t be able to head to the bank or a money machine, so you’ll have to start storing actual cash and have it readily available. Many off-grid survivalists argue about the exact amount of money you’ll need. Some think that you should be storing it away by the barrel full, while others feel that money will become obsolete without banks and government in place to back it up. People who think this way feel that cash will quickly be devalued and only be important in the beginning hours of a disaster. They feel that commodities like food and ammunition will replace cash in this situation. Even gold will be the last thing people are thinking about during a meltdown.
When it comes to survival situations, you need to be sure you’re completely ready well in advance. Start with the above 5 essentials, and you’ll be well on your way to being covered should disaster happen.
