“No man is an island…” – John Donne
Readers of SurvivalBlog.com tend to have an independent streak, and our attitudes toward preparedness and degrees of readiness vary accordingly. Some of us have unplugged from the grid and are completely self-reliant, many have dreams of doing so at some point, while some of us are a little behind the curve and playing catch-up. Others are new to the field and are making what preparations they can in their current circumstances. Whatever our individual temperament, most of us are members of a community–a church, a neighborhood, an extended family–and we need to take that into account in making our own preparations. Reaching out to others to “spread the word” of preparedness is an obligation that each of us has if we truly care about our neighbors and our country. Although it may be easier said than done, spreading the word is part of preparedness. Whatever scenario for hard times seems most probable to you, most of us will not be in it alone.
Many past blog postings have touched on the idea of community, from tips on selecting a retreat site to choosing a skill which may be marketable in the chosen area. In this article, I’d like to take that a step further and suggest a way to move a whole community toward a higher level of preparedness, along with the approach I’ve taken with my own friends and neighbors. Many of you prefer to keep a low profile and won’t like my ideas. I respect that, and the decision is yours. But at least think it over.
If you’re a long-time reader, you certainly are familiar with food preservation and storage, and probably have already put away a supply of food and other necessities for yourself and your family. Many of you have thought ahead enough to realize that most of your relatives and friends are not prepared, and–to the extent you are able–you may have put away additional supplies for the purpose of helping others. Maybe you have talked to friends and neighbors about preparedness and urged them to take steps to care for themselves and their families. Hopefully, you got a favorable response or an expression of interest, or at least started them thinking or motivated them to assess their situation.
Consider speaking to your church, social club, or other organization about the virtues of preparedness. Choose your words carefully; keep your own Operational Security in mind, and tailor your comments to your audience. TEOTWAWKI scenarios may be too much for some people to absorb in the first conversation. Someone who is unemployed or in danger of losing his job may be unwilling to use some of his dwindling resources to get ready in case the situation gets even worse. But someone who is relatively well-off might be in a position to make preparations for many relatives and friends, as well as for himself. Give them advice appropriate to their situation, and help if you can. Remember also that some otherwise intelligent people will not even acknowledge the possibility of a deeper economic downturn, let alone an outright financial collapse or other disaster scenario. Giving such people details of your own preparations to show them you’re serious will not impress them and is not worth the risk!
As a member of a major charitable organization, I recently gave a presentation to our local chapter on general preparedness, with emphasis on maintaining a well-stocked pantry. The majority of our members are successful business people, active in their churches, and many are members or officers of other charities. They are a generous and public-spirited group, but it has probably been a long time since any of them really had to do without the necessities of life. My presentation was planned with that in mind.
I asked, “How many of you have a spare tire in your car?” Most responded that they did. Then, “How many of you have had a flat tire on the road recently, and actually had to change it yourself?” There was only one person who had, a man who also had discovered at that very inconvenient time that his spare tire was flat! My point was that we prepare for things such as flat tires, which are definitely possible but don’t happen all that often, and that most of us have become accustomed to a support network, often consisting of a cell phone, with help a short distance away. Tires are pretty reliable these days, but nobody laughs at you for having a spare tire in your trunk. “By the way,” I asked, “how many of you have recently checked the air in your spare?” Only one hand was raised, by the man who had learned his lesson the hard way!
My presentation continued with a bit of show and tell, showing off my own home-canned fruit (canning is a legal, non-threatening activity familiar to this audience). I asked how many members of the audience knew how to can their own fruit and vegetables. This being an older crowd, in a small town in a mostly rural area, many people raised their hands. I then asked how many had taught their children and grandchildren to can food at home, and only a few raised their hands. Some shook their heads, and one woman said she would do so if she could get them to pay attention. “How many even know somebody in their twenties or thirties who preserves their own food?” I asked. Very few hands were raised in response. The ensuing discussion made the point that most of us have become dependent on food produced and processed hundreds of miles away, and that we are therefore very vulnerable to any disruption of supply.
To illustrate the point that preparedness is not really out of the mainstream, I distributed information taken from the government’s web site, including their checklist for family preparedness which recommends a three-day supply of food, water, and other necessities for every member of the family. Most of us know that three days’ worth of supplies is woefully inadequate, especially in the event of a major storm or other catastrophe affecting a large area. In such a situation, the folks at FEMA may have their hands full. They may not get around to you for quite a while, and you may not even be able to depend on neighboring communities for help.
To point out some options for those unable to grow and preserve their own food, I recommended buying in bulk and slowly accumulating a supply of “store-bought” food, starting with three days’ worth and expanding from there. This included a brief mention of rotating your stock. Remember to keep it simple so that the listener is not overwhelmed with detail. Just tell them to note the expiration dates marked on most food packages, use the older items first and place the new ones at the back of the pantry. I also handed out a product brochure from a well-established preparedness supply company which had given me several dozen copies free of charge (no doubt they appreciated my use of their catalog, but I made it clear to them and to my audience that I was not selling anything; the brochure was simply a good representation of the preparedness market and the supplies available. I also provided the names and web addresses of several other firms.)
A quick look at the brochure revealed that one can spend a lot of money on preparedness in a very short time. The bright side is that–at least with respect to food–the money will not be wasted. If you buy foods that you normally use, just in larger quantities, all you are doing is getting your groceries early; you’d have to buy the food some time anyway, and probably at a higher price. The key is to buy more than you normally would, build up a stockpile over a period of time, and rotate it.
The final point in my presentation was targeted at this particular audience–decent, fairly well-to-do, generous people. They were well aware that hard economic times put additional stress on existing charitable organizations. Food pantries and soup kitchens have more people needing their help at the same time fewer people are able to donate. Suppose your community is hard-hit by the economic downturn. You look at your own situation and see that you are still relatively well off; you still have your job, and your family’s situation is fairly secure. At the same time, you see that your pantry has many items nearing their expiration dates. You will be able to donate to a local food pantry, church, or to a neighbor when few others can. Suppose that you’ve purchased a one-year food supply from one of the preparedness companies. That’s a year’s worth of food for one person, or a month’s supply for twelve people, should you have to help out a dozen or so friends or relatives. (The one-year food supply is, of course, an idea well-known to members of the Mormon Church, and I’d like to see every religious and social organization in the country take up the practice of urging their members to stock up.)
Taking the idea one step further, a year’s supply equals 52 week’s worth of food for one person, or a week of food for 52 people. In a county like mine, with about 20,000 people, suppose a hundred of them managed to acquire a one-year supply. That’s a week’s worth of food for 5,200 people. Imagine a severe catastrophe, with many people affected locally or with refugees flooding in from outside. Imagine being able to feed 5,200 people for a week, while FEMA is still in Washington writing memos! Apply this formula to your own community. Now, imagine thousands of churches and civic organizations all over the country urging their members to do the same thing. Preparation on that scale could make a huge difference in the ability of the country to respond to another 9-11, or a major natural catastrophe.
This idea, which I called simply the Community Food Reserve, seemed to strike a chord with my audience. Many approached me after the presentation and seemed interested in pursuing the idea. I did not present it as a project for the organization or for local government, but as a step that the members might take as individuals. There would be nobody keeping a central inventory, nobody keeping track of who participated and who did not. Which families maintained a food reserve, how much food they had, and whether they donated to others would be a private matter for individuals and families to decide.
Talk to your neighbors, your church, your club, your hunting buddies. Speak to them as a friend. Don’t force your politics on them, don’t argue, remember OPSEC and don’t brag about the steps you’ve already taken. Don’t be pushy, just make them think. We’re all in this together.
About The Author: Rex C. is a semi-retired security consultant who lives on an increasingly-self-sufficient farm in the Appalachian Mountains.)