Without Electricity
If you have a portable generator and/or a whole house generator, that is great. However, how much fuel do you have to run it? Do you have enough set aside to last you several months? The less you run it, the longer it will last. You should only run it for the bare necessities. Do you honestly need lights? No. Invest in candles and lanterns. The generators should only be run at the bare minimum. They make noise and draw attention from criminals. They should only be run during the hours of less activity outside, so as not to draw too much attention. They will also need to be locked up or secured somewhere when not in use. Will your generator be big enough to run some source of electric heat? Again, we will be approaching winter time, so you will need heat. Do an inventory of things that require batteries and have extra batteries on hand for those items. Again without electricity, how will you cook and stay warm? Do you have a wood stove? The outside ones are great, but without electricity they may be useless. If you have a fireplace and wood stove in your house, that’s great. If you don’t, you may want to try and get them. Installing a wood stove is not that hard. However, it may be outside your budget. Also, with a wood heat source comes the need to have wood to burn. You would need to get busy cutting wood now and have enough on hand to last you for two winters. Keep in mind, if this is your only source of heat and cooking, it will require more wood because you are using it more. Charcoal or gas grills are good for cooking but not good for heating a house. Again, whatever you plan on using, you must have stockpiled enough fuel or wood to sustain it for a longer period of time. Imagine being without power all winter. I suggest planning everything for at least six months of preparation.
Water
Water is very important, obviously. What is your plan for water? You may not have running water in your house during a crisis, or it may be contaminated. Invest in water purification items. These can be found easily on the Internet. Research it and find what’s best for your household.
If you have no well or city water, I suggest stockpiling it. I don’t recommend bottled water, since it is not cost effective. Maybe some if you need to bug out, so get camping type containers that are large and can hold a lot. I don’t know what else to suggest. This will be the biggest struggle. Water is the life source. Think outside the box and look into things such as a rain water collection system and snow melted, using a ater purification system; this water is drinkable after being purified.
Food
You will have limited sources to cook the food and keep it refrigerated. Of course, in winter it could be kept outside. You will want canned food and dry packed food with a long shelf life. Rice is a good example since one cup of uncooked rice would feed a family for one meal. Look for foods that have a long shelf life that don’t require refrigeration or a lot of preparation to get them ready to eat. Look for foods that are healthy and full of the essential vitamins and nutrients you need. Look at the types of food you are getting. You don’t want something loaded with sugar or bad carbs. Corn is not good for you; it’s pure sugar. Ramen noodles, while inexpensive and easy to cook, offer no nutritional value. You could starve to death eating these alone. Keep in mind things like powdered milk and dehydrated foods. If you have very young children, do you have enough baby food for them? Look at the expiration dates on everything you buy. Obviously, you want the ones that will last longer.
Garden
It is late in the season to plant now, but will you have seeds for next year to plant? You could plant root crops now that will grow in to early winter. This might include turnips, potatoes, et cetera. Yes, potatoes are kind of boring, but they can be eaten raw and one plant produces many of them. You get several meals off of one plant. If you have a yard, plant something.
Chickens and Pets
Enjoy their eggs. Do I need to say more? This is another food source. If you have a rooster, then you will have more chickens eventually. Chicken eggs also do not have to be refrigerated. As long as they are not washed off, they can sit on your counter for weeks before going bad. If you’re stockpiling food for yourself, you will have to do the same for your pets, unless you don’t plan on them being on the dinner table. The same is true of your chickens, if you have any; they will need food during the winter. A friend of mine, Matt, shared with me information for feeding chickens in warmer weather. Get a bucket with a lid. Put several holes in it on the sides. Secure the bucket to a pole off the ground in your coop. Place all of your food scraps in it. This will attract flies and bugs. The larvae and bugs from this will fall to the ground for the chickens to feed on.
Hunt and Trap
Learn how to hunt and make traps to catch food, including squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, et cetera. Even a stray cat could become a meal for you. Tractor supply sells traps that are not hard to work or set up.
Do Your Bit
I understand a lot of this is easier said than done. Some of us live in urban areas where most of this is not possible. Furthermore, we all have different budgets and family needs. Some families or people would not be able to get prepared without help. You may have family and friends that will come to you for help. You might actually be someone that needs to go somewhere for help. If you plan on leaving your home and joining someone else in a crisis, be sure to sit down with them and plan it out before it happens. For example, I hope to have enough provision for my family. Will I have enough to take on another family in need? God willing, I will. Nevertheless, do not allow yourself to be a burden to someone. If there is a plan in place for you to join up with someone else, be an asset not a liability to them. Bottom line: Don’t go there to mooch or be a freeloader. Keep in mind that if you go somewhere else, you need to be prepared to submit to that family’s rules and requirements. Even if you plan on bugging to someone else’s house to get through the crisis, you can still contribute to the provisions and responsibilities. You can still stockpile and take it with you. Don’t show up at some one’s door empty handed, when you have had the means to get stuff. Everyone receiving this letter has been warned of what may come in a crisis. You know what you need to do.
Obviously there is no way I can possibly give advice for every possible scenario or crisis that could come. Remember that for the basics in a crisis, you need:
- security (against criminals and the weather),
- heat (in the winter),
- food and water (and a way to prepare food), and
- first aid.
This letter I am hoping will give you some idea where to start your planning and preparation. If you have further or more specific questions, contact me. I will do the best to answer them.
First Steps for Right Now
Spiritual Preparation
If Christ is not your Lord and Savior, you will fail in the long run. Many Christians are hoping the rapture will occur before any bad crisis. I am one of them. However, the reality is that it may not happen for several more years. It is better to be prepared then not be prepared. One fear you may want to consider in a crisis of this magnitude: This could and most likely would usher in the one world currency. Whether you know it or not, there are many countries now planning for a one world currency that would make the American currency obsolete. Basically, this could usher in the beginning of the End Times from Revelation. Being spiritually prepared should be your priority right now.
Mental Preparation
A crisis will be dramatically tough on every one. You must accept the fact that something is most likely going to happen, and life as we know it now will change. This goes along with being emotionally prepared. If things get as bad as it has been predicted, this crisis will knock us off our feet.
Physical Preparedness
This is your plan, provisions, health, et cetera. Basically, this is everything I have touched on in this letter.