Looking back to 2019, I shake my head while asking these questions: Will life ever return to normal? What is normal now? and Where do we go from here?
A “normal” life, Pre-Covid, went something like this: going to school, maybe some college… then start a career… rent until saving enough for a down payment on a house, and then become a homeowner with maybe a family. That’s how I remember it.
Post-Covid normal seems to include being stuck in this ever-present “shadow” of an approaching apocalypse; society will soon slide into dystopia: No one will answer 911 calls, a fast food meal costs $100,000, and zombie-like hoards clutter the horizon, trudging inexorably toward the homestead, looking to eat. This ominous future involves lots of political riptides, endless controversy, and many flavors of calamity, but one thing is clear: the old normal is gone, likely forever.
Now we know how fast life can change. One day we’re living safe peaceful lives, comfy and cozy, going about our Ho Hum routines; the next found us locked down at home, fearing for our lives. Most of us were caught off guard.
So where do we go from here?
We can prepare to meet this future head-on by stocking up on basic items to survive a small apocalypse or Grid hiccup… a cursory SHTF (Sh*t Hits The Fan), as they say. We don’t need a Prepper Fortress with guard towers and machine gun turrets, but we can prepare for many scenarios by getting some essential items.
Being “prepared” depends on the nature of the apocalypse, but in general, let’s consider for a 1-month societal collapse. Here are some items to help you survive a short-term dystopia. Don’t wait to get these because the stores will be empty when it happens.
What are the top survival items to have?
- Food
On average, people can live without food for about 30 days, so we could forget about food in this scenario, but we don’t need to be miserable or starving. Get some basic protein items that are easy to store. Buy beans and rice, or better yet purchase a prepackaged product. Here’s a popular emergency food supply item that offers 104 meals to survive a month-long apocalypse: ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply. - Water
The general estimate for human daily water needs is 1 gallon a day per person. That’s 30 gallons per survivor, so with 4 people get 120 gallons. If you have a reliable water source like a well on your property, rely on that instead. I keep 30 gallons of water, stored in 1-gallon plastic containers, in the crawl space of my house. I purchased these at the local grocery store for less than $1 each. You can also purchase bottled water for a good price on amazon here - Self Defense
Obviously defending yourself can be a complicated topic given the many possible threats, but acquire some basic items for protection Obtain at least a knife and/or some close-range weapons like a taser or quality pepper spray. Buy more than one each. Knives can be used for other survival purposes, so they are multi-use. - Door Fortification
When SHTF, lots of desperate people will be frustrated enough to attack others for resources. If they come to your door, they will likely gain entry by kicking it in. Surprisingly, most doors collapse to a single kick, so intruders gain entry instantaneously. Don’t get caught off-guard. Instead of no time to respond, get 60 seconds or more to gather up your weapons, or bug out the back. This is a VERY long time when bad guys are kicking the door repeatedly. This Door Reinforcement Lock is simple to install. In addition, get longer screws to replace the dinky door screws you likely have now. Longer screws attach the door metal to the studs, extending kick-times considerably. Also cut 2X4s and add these Barricade Brackets (link: https://amzn.to/3BngGaX ) to interior doors to create safer sleeping areas. - Bug-out Gear
You can read my article on Bug-out-bags here. You need to escape the homestead in case hostiles break though the perimeter. The items in the bag are not meant to last an entire month, only to get you to safety for enough time to make other arrangements or reach a long term bug-out location.
