With the national debt increasing by over a trillion dollars this year, and maybe even larger to contain the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, budget deficits on a scale not seen since World War II, with an unemployment rate soaring to higher levels than during the Great Depression, record government spending, and the lowest interest rates in years, we have to ask ourselves if this is sustainable. Nations which have gone this course and experienced the same hyper-inflation we are staring down the barrel of right now, like Venezuela and the former U.S.S.R have imploded as a result of the same. With interest rates so low, is the Federal Reserve running out of tools in its tool chest to steer the country away from certain hyperinflation? Are we spinning out of control? Are our markets on the verge of collapse? Are we out of options, and what can you do to protect your finances against the hyperinflation which appears to be inevitable?In this blog, we’ll look at the historical role precious metals have played as a safe haven against hyperinflation and address many concerns and questions preppers have asked when it comes to precious metals as part of your inventory. So stick around.Before we start this video, let me address what’s on people’s minds: “You can’t eat precious metals!” or “The value of food will be higher post-collapse.” Both of these are true. Food and water are the ultimate resources in the worst of situations. Within your supplies, however, I think there is a place for some precious metals which we’ll discuss in this blog. So that being said, what is the value of precious metals? What we’ll do in this blog is look at some of the uses of precious metals in the prepper’s inventory, some of the applications of precious metals in an SHTF situation, what mix of metals is right for you and your inventory, whether these timeless metals have a place in your prepper’s inventory, where you can purchase the metals, and where to keep them. Right up front, we want to let you know we are not a financial advisor. We are not an economist. We are not a scientist. As with all things, we try and look at all things, including precious metals, from an objective prepper’s perspective. Before engaging in any scientific experiment like water purification or electric wiring, please do your own research and consult with an expert. And, obviously, before engaging in any investment strategy, if you choose to use precious metals in this way, consult a financial expert with experience in the field.1- Paper Currency and Precious MetalsThis is a history lesson of sorts. This is the shortest synopsis possible as to why paper money is worthless compared to precious metals. It is full of fun facts, though, so we think it sets the argument up well.From a prepper’s perspective, we have to know the history of paper money versus precious metals to understand how their values could change in a larger global crisis. To understand the value of paper money versus precious metals, we need to have a brief history lesson. Without providing you this background, you won’t really understand the value of precious metals. Paper currency began as vouchers of credit, usually backed by precious metals or a sovereign’s promise of value. The first known appearance of paper currency was around the 7th century, during the Tang Dynasty in China. Paper currency began to appear in European countries around the 11th century and in America as early as 1690. The fundamental reason paper currency became a popular means of payment is that it was lighter, of course, and it was, therefore, also easier to hide and secure. Still, it typically represented the wealth of precious metals underpinning it. During the 1860s, silver was being mined at such high rates that the U.S. government began issuing certificates in 1878 under the Bland-Allison act. Under the act, people could deposit silver coins at the U.S. Treasury in exchange for certificates, which were easier to carry. This representative money could also be redeemed for silver equal to the certificate’s face value. The “Gold Standard” was a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. It was widely used in the 19th and early part of the 20th century. For every dollar in circulation, there was a precious metal supporting it, deposited in a vault somewhere, hopefully secure. At the very least, perceptively secure enough to lend its intrinsic value to the paper note representing it. Even the term, “Gold Standard,” which most people don’t understand the original meaning of, has become a phrase for the best, most reliable, or most prestigious thing of its type. To be as “good as gold” and “worth your weight in gold” are just a couple of the phrases that allude to the intrinsic value of precious metals in people’s minds.America kept this Gold Standard until, amidst the Great Depression and fearing people would completely deplete the U.S. gold supply, Franklin D. Roosevelt severed the dollar’s tie with gold. In response to mounting unemployment and spiraling deflation like what we are experiencing this very same day, and needing to keep interest rates low, the U.S. government had little option but to pump more money into the economy. To do this they needed to break the tie between paper notes and their supporting precious metals. The gold standard completely disappeared as any standard in 1971.Without this underpinning of the currency, paper money floats on its own global exchanges backed only by the government’s word of creditworthiness. It only has perceived value, and that value can evaporate. As other industries like fossil fuel or banking falter or fail, so too does the dollar. As governments individually fail and their currency becomes worthless, the precious metals remain valuable on a global market and in exchange for locally acquired, tangible goods and services. Precious metals, quite the opposite of paper money, experience a surge in value when economic uncertainty looms over a nation or the world. Precious metals not only retain their value, they typically gain in value as economics become more uncertain. When a loaf of bread costs $20, the dollar is perceived as valueless. How much would a loaf of bread cost in troy ounces of silver, though, where the perceived value and listed value of the precious metal, even with the reduced capability of exchange on a market, is intrinsic and higher?2- Where can I Obtain ThemHere we lead into the source for their metals, the downside of their local coin shops, and the upside of larger cache storage at a bullion supplier if the plan is as a hedge against inflation.Not everyone can rush out and purchase all the precious metals they want or need, so we recommend using a bullion company where you can purchase incrementally as your own finances allow. Local coin stores may be a good option, but you have to also account for the added security measures you have to take when others in the community see you purchasing from or frequenting these shops. The wrong person could see you make a purchase and then know that you have those metals, likely in your home. We had this very thing happen to a close friend a few years ago. He purchased precious metals on a somewhat regular basis from a local store only to have his house broken into and all his precious metals stolen. It was obvious someone knew he had these items despite the fact that he had been very tight-lipped about it.As we mentioned earlier, security is paramount, so having the metals shipped to you from a reputable bullion distributor keeps nefarious eyes out of your business. We have recently used a website which we ’ll provide a link to below for my precious metals, as they can either safely secure them for me as a hedge against inflation and economic collapse, or they can ship them to me. Personally, we do not keep more than a few ounces of silver minted coins at our house, but we’ve got precious metals stored at various locations which we’ll discuss more momentarily. We’ll also put a link to some very useful resources which have a tremendous amount of well-researched information for everyday people as well as investors. We definitely encourage you to educate yourself on your options. Know the facts and prepare accordingly.3- A Timeless Allure Creates Intrinsic ValueHere is the argument that precious metals hold intrinsic value as a resource for bartering and exchange. When paper money is worthless, as many feel it already is, precious metals still have value. Here is also a discussion of the types.For the layman, hyperinflation is when the prices of goods and services rise more than 50% per month. At a rate of increase that high or higher, the dozen eggs you buy in the morning will be marked up in price by the evening. This brings us to the real value of having access to some precious metals in your prepper inventory. Preppers understand that precious metals retain perceived value. Where currency can literally “not be worth the paper it’s printed on,” as they say, precious metals are looked at as the ultimate rebound commodity. If things ever get better, precious metals will have retained value. If things stay horrible, precious metals will still have value. This perceived value guarantees that, minimally, precious metals can always be used as a commodity of trade. There’s nothing in the historical record as far back as when metals were first mined and extracted from ore to indicate otherwise. Even before mining and extraction techniques were discovered, the nugget stones themselves had value for trading.In a grid-down situation, silver and gold coins will have significant value because they hold the added value of their precious metal assay, or purity, and the stamp of authenticity lent to them by their coin form. If someone hands you a lump of shiny silver and an equivalent amount of American Eagle silver coins, you’re more likely to trust that the coin is silver and not just shiny metal. When it comes to bullion, the same is true. Coin bullion, while not used to make everyday purchases, is legal tender because it is minted by a government mint. It has and retains more value, typically than just bullion alone. While precious metals may be counterfeited, the stamping of a country’s mint mark is a type of certification of authenticity.Most people could not tell the difference between a lump of steel, platinum, or silver if you handed them the three metals. Old coins or bullion coins, on the other hand, retain a sense of value, and can, therefore, provide greater trade value through a crisis situation. Old coins like Roosevelt and Mercury Dimes, Washington Quarters, and Walking Liberty Franklin and Kennedy Half-Dollars minted in 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. The value of most circulated coins minted in the 1920′s through 1964 is primarily from their silver content. Even when the currency value against the paper dollar is diminished, coinage is still a trusted commodity because of its precious metal content.Regardless of shape, though, precious metals retain perceived value, it is for this reason alone, that preppers should consider having some forms of the precious metal in their inventories.4- Properties and Emergency ApplicationsHere are practical and technical applications of precious metals. Here we are going beyond the intrinsic and bartering value to let the viewer know there are a great many scientific applications and unique attributes to the metals. All good stuff for them to research further.Any search of the web will reveal that precious metals seem to each have their unique set of applications and attributions. From the alleged health benefits of colloidal silver to the anti-microbial and electrical conductivity properties of silver to the malleability and reflectivity of gold, each has a range of scientific applications. Whether you plan to build a copper-silver ionization disinfection process, use copper tubing for water desalination and purification, create an electroplater, or a battery, there are a multitude of uses for precious metals. The purer the metal the better results you obtain from the process, which is why the high assay value of bullion provides you what you need for any scientific application.When prepping with precious metals, research a few applications for the more common application: water purification, electric generation, electroplating, and anti-microbial treatment of items. Without the foreknowledge of utilizing the metals, they would be useless to you except for bartering in a global meltdown. Through research, you will be surprised how critical pure precious metals can be, as you rebuild or barter your way through a crisis. Remember always that there is at least the possibility that banks will not be functioning in the aftermath of a crisis. Paper assets and currencies will have zero value. In this scenario, it will be essential to have at least some of your financial assets in a physical form, but the question is how much?5- How Much is Right for You?Here we delicately broach what mix is right for the prepper. It depends on what they are prepping for. There is also a section on security, as that is key to even having precious metals in your inventory.Precious metals come in coins, ingots, bars, and rounds. As mentioned previously, minted coins hold the most trade potential, because of their intrinsic value. It is much easier to trade a minted coin in a small amount than it is to trade a 100-ounce bar. In a full societal, global collapse, precious metals will be almost entirely worthless, and you can’t eat them or drink them, so the amount and type you have will depend upon the level of prepping you are doing. Initially, in a grid-down or other catastrophic situation, people will want to barter for food or services–beans, bandaids, and bullets, as they say.Typically, financial consultants will suggest you have 10-20% of your assets in gold and silver. This is a hedge against inflation and provides stability in uncertain times. The collapse of Venezuela and the former USSR left precious metals as the only tradeable commodity because of hyperinflation. This was because precious metals still had global value despite the country they were in. Many a bad ruler has tried to flee their failing and revolting countries with hoards of precious metals when their own currency wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. As a capital growth mechanism, it is not. You will likely only get the same rate of return as what you invest because while it does go up over time, it moves slowly and in stable economic times it can actually decrease in value.While silver bullion and silver coins, old or newly minted, provide the greatest utility, you do want to make sure that you are securing it and not revealing you have it. Before taking possession of any precious metals, make sure you have a plan. In the past, people buried their metals, close to their house where they were confident others wouldn’t find them but they could access them easily when necessary. A secure but hidden home safe is a possibility for some of your inventory, but it’s also the first place a bad guy is going to want to look. Wherever and however you secure your inventory, do make sure you have a plan and consider spacing your inventory out. Do you have a bug out location on land you own? Perhaps some of your inventory could be safely stashed there.Decide how much of each metal and what type you feel is enough to adequately prepare you for an economic collapse, a grid-down situation, or full-on Mad Max scenario, and build that stash.ConclusionTo review the points in this video, precious metals can be a solid addition to your prepping inventory. How much or how little depends on your level of preparedness and what you see on the horizon. Paper currency often loses all value, but precious metals are able to retain value for longer. In a fully deconstructed world, precious metals hold little value over beans, bandaids, and bullets. After all, you can’t eat metal, and prepping for your survival should come first. If you are scientifically inclined, precious metals, with their high purity, can be used in a variety of applications. If you are adding them to your prepping inventory for this reason, make sure you have the printed materials and maybe even make a sample build to guarantee yourself you have the knowledge you need to utilize the metals safely and effectively.If you found this blog informative and helpful, please feel free to like and share it with your friends, family, and community. As always, please stay safe out there.
With the national debt increasing by over a trillion dollars this year, and maybe even larger to contain the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, budget deficits on a scale not seen since World War II, with an unemployment rate soaring to higher levels than during the Great Depression, record government spending, and the lowest interest rates in years, we have to ask ourselves if this is sustainable. Nations which have gone this course and experienced the same hyper-inflation we are staring down the barrel of right now, like Venezuela and the former U.S.S.R have imploded as a result of the same. With interest rates so low, is the Federal Reserve running out of tools in its tool chest to steer the country away from certain hyperinflation? Are we spinning out of control? Are our markets on the verge of collapse? Are we out of options, and what can you do to protect your finances against the hyperinflation which appears to be inevitable?In this blog, we’ll look at the historical role precious metals have played as a safe haven against hyperinflation and address many concerns and questions preppers have asked when it comes to precious metals as part of your inventory. So stick around.Before we start this blog, let us address what’s on people’s minds: “You can’t eat precious metals!” or “The value of food will be higher post-collapse.” Both of these are true. Food and water are the ultimate resources in the worst of situations. Within your supplies, however, we think there is a place for some precious metals which we’ll discuss in this blog. If at any time you’re interested in picking up some of the precious metals we discuss, we’ll post a link in the description section and pin a comment below. So that being said, what is the value of precious metals? What we’ll do in this blog is look at some of the uses of precious metals in the prepper’s inventory, some of the applications of precious metals in an SHTF situation, what mix of metals is right for you and your inventory, whether these timeless metals have a place in your prepper’s inventory, where you can purchase the metals, and where to keep them. Right up front, we want to let you know we are not a financial advisor. We are not an economist. We are not a scientist. As with all things, we try and look at all things, including precious metals, from an objective prepper’s perspective. Before engaging in any scientific experiment like water purification or electric wiring, please do your own research and consult with an expert. And, obviously, before engaging in any investment strategy, if you choose to use precious metals in this way, consult a financial expert with experience in the field.
Paper Currency and Precious Metals
From a prepper’s perspective, we have to know the history of paper money versus precious metals to understand how their values could change in a larger global crisis. To understand the value of paper money versus precious metals, we need to have a brief history lesson. Without providing you this background, you won’t really understand the value of precious metals. Paper currency began as vouchers of credit, usually backed by precious metals or a sovereign’s promise of value. The first known appearance of paper currency was around the 7th century, during the Tang Dynasty in China. Paper currency began to appear in European countries around the 11th century and in America as early as 1690. The fundamental reason paper currency became a popular means of payment is that it was lighter, of course, and it was, therefore, also easier to hide and secure. Still, it typically represented the wealth of precious metals underpinning it. During the 1860s, silver was being mined at such high rates that the U.S. government began issuing certificates in 1878 under the Bland-Allison act. Under the act, people could deposit silver coins at the U.S. Treasury in exchange for certificates, which were easier to carry. This representative money could also be redeemed for silver equal to the certificate’s face value. The “Gold Standard” was a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. It was widely used in the 19th and early part of the 20th century. For every dollar in circulation, there was a precious metal supporting it, deposited in a vault somewhere, hopefully secure. At the very least, perceptively secure enough to lend its intrinsic value to the paper note representing it. Even the term, “Gold Standard,” which most people don’t understand the original meaning of, has become a phrase for the best, most reliable, or most prestigious thing of its type. To be as “good as gold” and “worth your weight in gold” are just a couple of the phrases that allude to the intrinsic value of precious metals in people’s minds.America kept this Gold Standard until, amidst the Great Depression and fearing people would completely deplete the U.S. gold supply, Franklin D. Roosevelt severed the dollar’s tie with gold. In response to mounting unemployment and spiraling deflation like what we are experiencing this very same day, and needing to keep interest rates low, the U.S. government had little option but to pump more money into the economy. To do this they needed to break the tie between paper notes and their supporting precious metals. The gold standard completely disappeared as any standard in 1971.Without this underpinning of the currency, paper money floats on its own global exchanges backed only by the government’s word of creditworthiness. It only has perceived value, and that value can evaporate. As other industries like fossil fuel or banking falter or fail, so too does the dollar. As governments individually fail and their currency becomes worthless, the precious metals remain valuable on a global market and in exchange for locally acquired, tangible goods and services. Precious metals, quite the opposite of paper money, experience a surge in value when economic uncertainty looms over a nation or the world. Precious metals not only retain their value, they typically gain in value as economics become more uncertain. When a loaf of bread costs $20, the dollar is perceived as valueless. How much would a loaf of bread cost in troy ounces of silver, though, where the perceived value and listed value of the precious metal, even with the reduced capability of exchange on a market, is intrinsic and higher?
Where can I Obtain Them?
Not everyone can rush out and purchase all the precious metals they want or need, so we recommend using a bullion company where you can purchase incrementally as your own finances allow. Local coin stores may be a good option, but you have to also account for the added security measures you have to take when others in the community see you purchasing from or frequenting these shops. The wrong person could see you make a purchase and then know that you have those metals, likely in your home. We had this very thing happen to a close friend a few years ago. He purchased precious metals on a somewhat regular basis from a local store only to have his house broken into and all his precious metals stolen. It was obvious someone knew he had these items despite the fact that he had been very tight-lipped about it.As we mentioned earlier, security is paramount, so having the metals shipped to you from a reputable bullion distributor keeps nefarious eyes out of your business. We have recently used a website which we’ll provide a link to below for my precious metals, as they can either safely secure them for me as a hedge against inflation and economic collapse, or they can ship them to me. Personally, we do not keep more than a few ounces of silver minted coins at my house, but we’ve got precious metals stored at various locations which we’ll discuss more momentarily. We’ll also put a link to some very useful resources which have a tremendous amount of well-researched information for everyday people as well as investors. We definitely encourage you to educate yourself on your options. Know the facts and prepare accordingly.
A Timeless Allure Creates Intrinsic Value
For the layman, hyperinflation is when the prices of goods and services rise more than 50% per month. At a rate of increase that high or higher, the dozen eggs you buy in the morning will be marked up in price by the evening. This brings us to the real value of having access to some precious metals in your prepper inventory. Preppers understand that precious metals retain perceived value. Where currency can literally “not be worth the paper it’s printed on,” as they say, precious metals are looked at as the ultimate rebound commodity. If things ever get better, precious metals will have retained value. If things stay horrible, precious metals will still have value. This perceived value guarantees that, minimally, precious metals can always be used as a commodity of trade. There’s nothing in the historical record as far back as when metals were first mined and extracted from ore to indicate otherwise. Even before mining and extraction techniques were discovered, the nugget stones themselves had value for trading.In a grid-down situation, silver and gold coins will have significant value because they hold the added value of their precious metal assay, or purity, and the stamp of authenticity lent to them by their coin form. If someone hands you a lump of shiny silver and an equivalent amount of American Eagle silver coins, you’re more likely to trust that the coin is silver and not just shiny metal. When it comes to bullion, the same is true. Coin bullion, while not used to make everyday purchases, is legal tender because it is minted by a government mint. It has and retains more value, typically than just bullion alone. While precious metals may be counterfeited, the stamping of a country’s mint mark is a type of certification of authenticity.Most people could not tell the difference between a lump of steel, platinum, or silver if you handed them the three metals. Old coins or bullion coins, on the other hand, retain a sense of value, and can, therefore, provide greater trade value through a crisis situation. Old coins like Roosevelt and Mercury Dimes, Washington Quarters, and Walking Liberty Franklin and Kennedy Half-Dollars minted in 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. The value of most circulated coins minted in the 1920′s through 1964 is primarily from their silver content. Even when the currency value against the paper dollar is diminished, coinage is still a trusted commodity because of its precious metal content.Regardless of shape, though, precious metals retain perceived value, it is for this reason alone, that preppers should consider having some forms of the precious metal in their inventories.
Properties and Emergency Applications
Any search of the web will reveal that precious metals seem to each have their unique set of applications and attributions. From the alleged health benefits of colloidal silver to the anti-microbial and electrical conductivity properties of silver to the malleability and reflectivity of gold, each has a range of scientific applications. Whether you plan to build a copper-silver ionization disinfection process, use copper tubing for water desalination and purification, create an electroplater, or a battery, there are a multitude of uses for precious metals. The purer the metal the better results you obtain from the process, which is why the high assay value of bullion provides you what you need for any scientific application.When prepping with precious metals, research a few applications for the more common application: water purification, electric generation, electroplating, and anti-microbial treatment of items. Without the foreknowledge of utilizing the metals, they would be useless to you except for bartering in a global meltdown. Through research, you will be surprised how critical pure precious metals can be, as you rebuild or barter your way through a crisis. Remember always that there is at least the possibility that banks will not be functioning in the aftermath of a crisis. Paper assets and currencies will have zero value. In this scenario, it will be essential to have at least some of your financial assets in a physical form, but the question is how much?
How Much is Right for You?
Precious metals come in coins, ingots, bars, and rounds. As mentioned previously, minted coins hold the most trade potential, because of their intrinsic value. It is much easier to trade a minted coin in a small amount than it is to trade a 100-ounce bar. In a full societal, global collapse, precious metals will be almost entirely worthless, and you can’t eat them or drink them, so the amount and type you have will depend upon the level of prepping you are doing. Initially, in a grid-down or other catastrophic situation, people will want to barter for food or services–beans, bandaids, and bullets, as they say.Typically, financial consultants will suggest you have 10-20% of your assets in gold and silver. This is a hedge against inflation and provides stability in uncertain times. The collapse of Venezuela and the former USSR left precious metals as the only tradeable commodity because of hyperinflation. This was because precious metals still had global value despite the country they were in. Many a bad ruler has tried to flee their failing and revolting countries with hoards of precious metals when their own currency wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. As a capital growth mechanism, it is not. You will likely only get the same rate of return as what you invest because while it does go up over time, it moves slowly and in stable economic times it can actually decrease in value.While silver bullion and silver coins, old or newly minted, provide the greatest utility, you do want to make sure that you are securing it and not revealing you have it. Before taking possession of any precious metals, make sure you have a plan. In the past, people buried their metals, close to their house where they were confident others wouldn’t find them but they could access them easily when necessary. A secure but hidden home safe is a possibility for some of your inventory, but it’s also the first place a bad guy is going to want to look. Wherever and however you secure your inventory, do make sure you have a plan and consider spacing your inventory out. Do you have a bug out location on land you own? Perhaps some of your inventory could be safely stashed there.Decide how much of each metal and what type you feel is enough to adequately prepare you for an economic collapse, a grid-down situation, or full-on Mad Max scenario, and build that stash.ConclusionTo review the points in this video, precious metals can be a solid addition to your prepping inventory. How much or how little depends on your level of preparedness and what you see on the horizon. Paper currency often loses all value, but precious metals are able to retain value for longer. In a fully deconstructed world, precious metals hold little value over beans, bandaids, and bullets. After all, you can’t eat metal, and prepping for your survival should come first. If you are scientifically inclined, precious metals, with their high purity, can be used in a variety of applications. If you are adding them to your prepping inventory for this reason, make sure you have the printed materials and maybe even make a sample build to guarantee yourself you have the knowledge you need to utilize the metals safely and effectively.
If you found this article informative and helpful, please feel free to like and share it with your friends, family, and community. If you have any comments or anything you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment in the section below.
Almost half of all break-ins are opportunistic. An open window or garage, an accidentally unlocked door, or a dimly lit window with concealment from prying eyes is all a criminal needs to enter most homes and take what they want. Sadly, most Americans rely solely on that one flimsy door lock and no window locks for all their security needs. In some parts of the country, over twenty percent of people don’t even lock their doors, and we all can remember at least once when we forgot too.Securing your home is the most important and fundamental thing you can do. It not only keeps your things safe when you are away, but it keeps you safer when you are at home. A well-secured home can be an oasis of calm when disasters or crime is happening right outside. In this blog, we’ll take a rapid look at ten easy and incredibly inexpensive things you can deploy today to secure your home and protect your prepping supplies, valuables, yourself, and the ones you love. If you’re on a budget, you will definitely want to watch to the end, as most of the security solutions we talk about can be implemented for just a few dollars. There are small things you can implement to make a big difference now, so let’s jump in.Locks On Windows“Understanding Decisions to Burglarize From the Offender’s Perspective,” was a study conducted by the University of North Carolina. It revealed that “Most burglars reported entering open windows or doors or forcing windows or doors open.” Most studies you turn to or any burglars you speak to will tell you that windows are a fast, typically unprotected and unsecured means to rapidly enter a home.It’s hard to understand why anyone wouldn’t harden these points of entry against intruders, especially when a typical window lock from the hardware store runs about two-dollars and fifty cents. While window locks can sometimes be violently forced open and windows smashed, doing so would be loud and likely attract attention. When you think about home security, it’s important to think in terms of building layers of deterrence. If you have a lock on your window, a burglar is likely to reason that you may have other security measures in place and will pass your property for an easier target.Knowing that windows are a frequent entry point, consider thorny plants beneath vulnerable windows if that’s something you’re able to do. Keep shades and blinds drawn when you are away, and consider window sheers to prevent anyone from looking in and assessing if their extra efforts would be worth it. Door Reinforcement HardwareEntering through an unlocked door is easy, but a well-placed kick on a typical door is usually all it takes to break-in into most apartments or homes. Just like the window locks, however, this can easily be prevented with door reinforcement hardware. Another inexpensive do it yourself upgrade at under twenty dollars, typical reinforcement hardware can be added directly to the door bolt and/or latch mechanism.It makes your door hundreds of pounds of force stronger, and it will take a little more than a karate kick to break in through the door. Typical doors, especially on apartments, haven’t been upgraded in years, and this is a subtle addition landlords aren’t likely to bother with or be bothered by.Another consideration for doors is interior flip locks. These look like simple hinges and only cost a few dollars, but they are an effective way to secure yourself inside your home. Easy to install they are great for interior doors, as well. If an exterior door is breached, you can easily retreat into a bedroom, flip the lock, and buy yourself critical moments to contact the police or prepare to defend yourself.Door Stops, Door Jams, BarricadesWhile less common than burglary, forced entry while you are at home is also a threat you should be aware of. In at least twenty-two percent of cases from one study, criminals cased and surveyed the targeted home. Even scoping the location out for a long period, they may not know all the occupants and could attempt entry while someone is at home or when they think nobody is at home. In this scenario, a burglary could result in an assault or worse.Doorstops, door jams, even door barricade brackets are another inexpensive means to make your door practically impervious to forced entry. While many people don’t lock their door when they come home or don’t check that a door is locked before turning in for the night, to be at your safest, a twenty-dollar door stop, door jam, or barricade brackets can make this known weak spot a strong barrier protecting you.A final note on doors, make sure you can actually see out of your peephole, consider a wide-angle peephole or a video doorbell. A common tactic of criminals is to ring the doorbell first. If someone answers they may ask for work, to use a phone, or for someone who doesn’t live there. These questions are simply in response to the door being answered. If there is no answer, no noise inside, or no dog barking, they know that the house is a good target for breaking in.
Home Security System
While you can piecemeal a system together to provide greater security, advances in technology have made fully integrated home security systems a very affordable option to rapidly deploy twenty-four seven monitoring solutions that allow you to keep one ear open while sleeping or an eye on your property when you are away.Simplisafe is the sponsor of this blog. We’ve used them for awhile now and have found them to be an incredibly effective, reliable home security system that will make sure your home is safe. Just out-of-the-box, plug it in and customize it for your home or apartment. It is an expandable system that allows you to build out your own security system. From sensors that distinguish between heat signatures of pets versus humans, to window and door sensors, you can customize a system that will provide you alerts that will never leave you unaware. You cannot watch your home three-hundred-sixty degrees and twenty-four-seven, but you can if you leverage technology. Continual monitoring and alerts can be sent right to your smartphone. And should a natural disaster strike or a criminal flips your breaker box, Simplisafe is configured with redundant systems to continue to operate. If power or WiFi goes out, your system will still be working and can still let you know when there is an activity in your private spaces. If you’d like to check them out, please visit simplisafe.com/cityprepping Again, this is a great way to quickly integrate an entire system and provide you a real peace of mind about your security.Secure Sliding Glass DoorsThe typical sliding glass door, the low-end doors which are most commonly installed by contractors, are surprisingly easy to break into. Not only is there a method to simply wedge a prying device under them and lift them up and off their rails, but a burglar can simply jam a flathead screwdriver under the seam near the handle and flip it beside the glass and under the locking mechanism. If you don’t own the property, it isn’t likely you will be able to change your sliding glass door out for a more secure version. Even without a full change out, however, a dowel cut to fit in the track is the easiest solution to the door being opened. Bolt locks, cylinder locks, and step on locks are all under five dollars at most hardware stores. These place a difficult hurdle in a would-be burglar’s way. The more hurdles you have in place, the less likely your home will be chosen and targeted over softer targets.
Door and Window Alarms
If you are home and have the volume turned up on your favorite show, or you are sleeping soundly, you may not hear an intruder entering your home. Entry sensors on windows and doors are an affordable, quick security system. They can stand alone or be integrated into a larger WiFi or Bluetooth system. Imagine scrolling your phone while watching the game and suddenly you get an alert that a window was opened in your bedroom. Those extra seconds and minutes before an intruder has concealed himself in your house may be critical to your survival.
Lock the Garage Door & Keep the Clicker
Most garage doors have the means to lock them from the inside or holes in the tracks that allow for a padlock to be placed. When you leave on vacation, it is critical that you take this extra step to secure your property. Any additional walk-through door should be upgraded just for day-to-day living in the same way you upgrade your front door. The garage is one of the most appealing spots for a burglar. Typically, a garage has easy grabs like tools and bikes, which can be sold quickly for a few quick dollars.For even bolder burglars, garages give them a long time to gain entry to the main living area through the other interior door. Nobody can see them or hear them when they are in your garage, and they know nobody is home. We mentioned the ability to lock your overhead garage door first because if you ever come home and your door seems to be stuck–wanting to go up but stalling and shutting again, it could mean that someone has already gained entry to your garage and locked the overhead from the inside. This tactic buys time for the criminal to escape out the back while you contemplate what is wrong with your garage door.Another common tactic is for criminals to walk the streets to find open car doors. If you also keep one of your clickers for garage doors or gates in a car parked on the street, they can take that and gain entry to your home immediately. Or, more likely, they’ll take the clicker and come back later when nobody is home. Don’t make the rookie mistake of leaving your clicker out for anyone who wants it.Solar Motion LightsMotion lights around your house or even on your patio if you live in an apartment complex, are the best visual deterrent you can have. People with bad intentions don’t like to commit their crimes when they can easily be seen. Over the last several years, lights have become brighter, use less electricity, and have dropped in price. You can purchase a non-motion detecting solar light for under ten dollars to shine light near shadowy windows. LED motion-detecting solar lights are just a few dollars more. What we like about these is that they are constantly recharging themselves and are not subject to your home’s power. If the lights go off in the city, you still have light. If the power goes out for an extended period of time, you could bring one inside to have light through the night. In fact, you might just purchase an extra and put it in your prepper supplies for this reason.Solar motion lights are easy to install, independent of the power grid, and can flood shadowy, vulnerable areas with light, deterring criminals and alerting you. Be aware, though, that many motion sensors are thermally based. If you have one near the AC unit on the outside of your house, for instance, it will likely kick on when the gust of hot air from your AC blower hits it. Position them away from heat sources like dryer vents and AC units and make sure they have a good range and can’t be easily reached by would-be burglars.
Lock Your Electrical Box
One easy home security hack that almost everyone overlooks is locking the electrical box on the outside of the house. Criminals know that they can disable many alarms, motion lights, and more, simply by flipping a switch. They also know they can draw a person out of a locked house by turning off the main breaker. When you go to check on this you provide access to your home and expose yourself.Even a simple luggage lock provides some level of security, but a high-quality padlock is your best choice. This is another good location for a solar motion light as well. Should anyone approach your electrical box they will be deterred by the bright light. If you need to check on the box, you will have light at night to do so. If the solar light is illuminated and your power is off, you know someone has been around your box. If you go to check on it and no solar motion light goes on, you know that someone has tampered with it.
Home Safe
Finally, if all other systems fail and someone does gain access to your home and property, a home safe is an affordable way to secure your most precious or valuable belongings. A small safe built into your home or bolted to the concrete of your home requires a burglar to spend a lot of time and noisy energy to break it open. Most safes today are also fireproof, so you won’t have to worry about grabbing your precious belongings when those seconds are more important to your survival by getting out of a burning home alive. A very high quality safe with a fire endurance of over an hour can be purchased for right around one hundred dollars. They are heavy and hard to carry away even if they’re not bolted down. It also would look highly suspicious if some unkempt person was carrying a safe down the road. We are certain police would be checking on that.ConclusionSo, there are the ten hacks and quick fixes that will add a layer of security on your premises that you will, hopefully, never have to use. Remember, when choosing a target, criminals will gravitate to locations with the least amount of security in place, shadows, and free from prying eyes. If your home or apartment has even a few protection measures in place, you will likely get passed over for perceptively softer targets. From better locks to a fully integrated system, think of your overall home or apartment security like a spare tire for your car. You will not need it most of the time, but when you need it, you absolutely will need it at that very moment.We would love to hear about your home security measures. What do you do when you are away to make sure your home is safe? What do you do when you are home to make sure you are safe? As always, stay safe out there.
Summary: Establishes the basic premise that you will examine what signs a City Prepper can look for to foresee a possible shortage.With the current situation happening around the world, especially in the U.S., the question has to be asked: what are the implications to our food supply chain? Should we be concerned? Could the supply chain be disrupted, damaged, or worse, could food shortages become a reality in the next few months?It’s easy for us to take for granted how accessible food is to us in our modern world; however, as you may have now realized from the current situation we’re living in, things are changing quickly, people are panic buying, and now for the first time in many generations, the general population is suddenly realizing that having the food they need on hand is no longer guaranteed.In this blog, we’ll discuss the 5 signs a food shortage is may be imminent and how what you can do now to prepare yourself to have what you need on hand to survive to ensure your family’s safety.Furthermore, we’ll discuss the signs you should be looking for and we’ll conclude with some practical types to help increase your odds of handling a shortage.1. Unavailability of field workersSummary: Discusses the essential role of the field worker and encourages people to be observant of changes in this first line of the food supply.During normal times, 36 percent of all Americans eat at a fast food restaurant on any given day. But when 75 percent of the U.S. was under some sort of a “shelter-in-place” order, restaurants have shut down or had to dramatically alter how they conducted business. It’s safe to say that Americans have a heavy dependence on sources of food that can easily disappear during a shutdown or shelter in place order. The people supplying restaurants and agricultural products for store shelves are the field workers. This critical first line in the food supply chain plants, tends, and harvests the crops supplying the stores and food processing plants that manufacture the products for your store shelves.As illnesses spread through this group, we will inevitably see recalls on products for E coli, viruses and bacterias. Often, there are recalls on products because the food we consider safe has been exposed to harmful contagions. Recalls are not a big disruptor of the entire food supply, but illnesses amongst this working group, slows output and supplies to larger manufacturers. As reliable as our farms and production are, they are still susceptible to massive disruptions from even the smallest of contagions. If this occurs and news spreads, many people will start the hoarding process and panic buy products from the shelves all over again. This further compounds the shortages and leads to more panic buying and hoarding behaviors.Field workers are the first to plant and harvest our foods.If there are widespread illnesses amongst this group, the supply chain can be seriously disrupted. These individuals are often the unseen, undocumented works that perform a very critical role in our food supply chain. Their access to medicine or medical care if they get sick is very limited leaving them much more vulnerable. Being a marginalized group, their ability to weather this storm is far less that the average citizen. You should really consider what food products you rely upon and make sure you have enough of these products on hand to last you several weeks. As we’re making this blog there are already limits to the purchase of beans, rice, flour and other staples.Trade wars, drought and natural catastrophes, and border closings will all contribute to diminished food production. With current projections forecasting 2020 to very likely produce record heat waves, the possibility for crop failures is on the rise. Recent events have dealt additional blows to a vulnerable farm economy, sending crop and livestock prices tumbling and raising concerns about sudden labor shortages. If you see an escalation in any combination of these factors, especially when combined together, it should signal to you that shortages of food in stores is likely imminent. Logistical snags from closed borders to reduced workforces can put strain on usual supply routes, particularly for fresh produce.Be aware of any significant disruptions to this first line of the food supply chain. Recognizing when the disruptions in production are about to occur amongst this group can mean the difference between you having what you need to survive and waiting in long lines at grocery stores only to find empty shelves.2. Reduced distribution and truckingSummary: Trucking and shipping disruptions can signal an imminent food shortage.The second sign of an imminent shortage are the distribution methods and truckers. Much of the food we eat is grown in other countries or travels great distances from the farm or ranch to the table. When borders close and cargo ships can’t get through to major ports, as occurred after the events of 9/11, it’s a sign that grocery stores and food processors will experience a disruption in their production capabilities. At a time when much of the nation’s workforce may be furloughed or sent to work from home, truckers have been deemed “essential” to keeping America rolling. When consumer demand for products skyrocket, this industry can boom, but disruptions to this industry caused by illnesses or the lack of availability of fuel could signal a second wave of food shortages.With regards to cargo and container shipping, we often don’t realize a shortage of pineapples or avocados, and it doesn’t impact our daily lives to work around these disruptions in the food lines; however, extended shortages of imports like oil, wheat, rice, beans and other staples for production can dramatically reduce food manufacturing production output. If you see stories of container ships lined up outside the nation’s ports, this should signal to you that a food chain disruption will follow.Also, keep in mind that while America may have the necessary medical equipment and medication available to help individuals that get sick recover, many countries, especially the poor countries we trade with, do not have those luxuries. If those that transport our food from other nations become sick and the workforce in those nations is crippled, it will be difficult to get food to our own country. As we’ve become a global community, we have become more reliant on other nations. While we may recover here, they may not as quickly or ever.Are you prepared to get by if you can’t grab from your pantry that box of whatever? Truckers striking, cargo ships not being allowed into port, planes or trains not running, are all signs that a food shortage is imminent. We’ve already seen employees on strike at Amazon recently due to their concern about the lack of adequate health conditions and their exposure to the illness. As more people become sick over the next few weeks, you very likely will see this impact those that are responsible to getting food to our tables.3. Runs on storesSummary: Navigating shortages at the stores.Recent lessons have taught us that in a crisis situation, those who are not prepared will stock up on items they “think” they need. Runs on toilet paper are a perfect example of this. While stores were selling out of toilet paper, recently, they were also selling out of boxed meals, beans, rice, flour, bread, eggs, meat, milk, and other essential foods. As social distancing has become a practice, long lines and limits on product purchases have become a reality. Even worse, having to wait in a line with, possibly, asymptomatic shoppers, can put you and your family at risk later on. Is waiting to get food and at the same time exposing yourself to a potential lethal carrier worth the risk?The average person loading up a cart full of toilet paper may not be looking for bread yeast or even flour right away. A 20 pound bag of flour can make at least 20 or more loaves of bread. Having that in your storage can be a life saver. And when the stores are sold out of white flour, a savvy baker can use whole wheat, rye or another alternative flour just as easily to provide critical calcium and b vitamins to a family.Beyond just baking, though, runs on stores can create shortages in other staples, and knowing grocers are in low supply of any product should still afford you enough time to prepare your own supplies for an extended period of food supply disruption or even the need for self-sustenance.Worth mentioning here are electronic orders and scheduled deliveries. These sources may become depleted and are not entirely reliable in a larger shutdown or order to shelter in place; however, when runs on stores begin to occur, a well timed and early order of steaks or pre-packaged frozen meals could mean you’ll receive what you need before the rest of the world overloads and depletes these resources. At this point, deliveries are stretched from next week, to next month, to “if we ever can.” A good example of this in our most recent crisis was bottled water delivery service. While stores were selling out of bottled water, five gallon delivery of water through pre-arranged services in my area were merely limited to the quantities of previous orders. A food delivery source can keep you from having to dip into your supplies, for as long as possible. Just to be clear, we are not suggesting takeout when we say food delivery service. Takeout and delivery orders from fast food restaurants where workers may be forced to work while being sick or may be asymptomatic as they prepare your food is very risky. By food delivery, we mean those services that ship or door deliver pre-packaged meals or raw materials like fresh vegetables, frozen beef or fish. While it is never a guarantee and these delivery sources may also be disrupted or end all together, food delivery sources can be a potential means of supplying yourself in the early days of a crisis when stores are beginning to run out of product.4. Lockdowns, quarantines, and martial lawSummary: Restricted movement can prevent a person from obtaining all of the needed supplies. The importance of having recipes and all the ingredients.Without moving to the far extreme of martial law as a result of any civil unrest, it is important to be prepared for periods when you are in lock down, quarantine, or under a “shelter in place” order. Any of those situations are indicators that your ability to obtain food from traditional sources like grocery stores or takeout are no longer going to be feasible.If people cannot move freely, deliveries may slow or stop all together. Even having groceries delivered in the current crises resulted in people waiting up to two weeks or more for their order to be delivered. When online distributors of products experience a slow down as a result of lockdowns, quarantines or martial law, deliveries will experience a slow down or, in the worst case, a halt. In Sweden, during the recent social distancing, deliveries are only occurring at night. It’s reasonable to assume that should things worsen in the current crises, deliveries may halt, move to a staggered schedule, or cease all together.Periods when you have to remain in your home are very real possibilities. Knowing how to cook and prepare food is an essential skill you should develop. Ten pounds of pinto beans will do you no good if you don’t know how to prepare them. Having the dried spices and herbs you need to make your meals less bland can provide you a psychological boost. During a period where you can’t get to the store, you will find having all the ingredients you need on hand can make your time in your home easier to bear. Key to this is having a few pre-printed recipes or basic cookbooks for the staples you have stored alongside your containers. You cannot guarantee that your internet connection will allow you to search for recipes, so it’s important to have these printed and ready in advance. If you’re cycling through your supplies and keeping them fresh, you should already be eating your stored foods and will, hopefully, have a few recipes you regularly make. These precautions and the skill of cooking guarantees you’ll have food you can enjoy and activities to keep you busy should you be forced to isolate yourself. It’s important to recognize that lockdowns, quarantines, and martial law can all dramatically impact your ability to get the basic foods you need to feed yourself and your family.5. Non-traditional ways of obtaining foodSummary: Bartering, exchange, local growers and home/patio gardening.If you’ve followed our website, you know we’re not here to scare you. The preparation that we talk about is for the exact things we are facing right now globally. Realize, that even in a crisis there are some non-traditional ways to obtain food.Social networking, bartering, and exchange are all ways to maintain your food supply through a social crisis. Your neighbors may have an essential item you can complete your supply with in exchange for a product you have an abundance of. If everyone is recommended to “shelter in place” and grocery stores are overwhelmed, your citrus tree or home garden may become a key commodity for you to stretch your supplies. Sitting on a hoard of 40 pounds of pinto beans does nobody any good, but exchanging 4 cups of beans for 4 cups of flour, 4 eggs, or 4 potatoes ensures that everyone in your community continues to thrive in even the worst of times.These bartering networks can spring up organically. Social media can allow you to set up porch pickups. As friendly as these exchanges may be, however, you will want to avoid offering too much or revealing too much about what you have in stock. Only trade for the essentials you need and then only with the small quantity you are offering up. You would not want to post a picture of your 20 pound bag of flour and state that you’re willing to trade 4 cups of it. While people are currently calm during this event, if it worsens or food shortages become worse, that may change. The term is OPSEC which is short for Operational Security. The less people know about what you have, the better.If trusting strangers on social media makes you uncomfortable, sometimes calls to your friends, family or next door neighbor can still help you secure the foods you need to fill in any gaps in your inventory.Another non-traditional way to obtain food is to get local. Make connections at farmer’s markets for when you might need them later. Local farmers, the poultryman, the fishmonger usually have contact information for their clients. All can be critical sources when store shelves are barren, because they tend to be smaller operations not feeding into the larger national supply chain, and they have to continue to run their operations and care for their animals and crops. Here also, bartering is a great means. You may not need an entire case of citrus or avocados, but after you have what you need, someone else may be willing to trade for some quantity of what you have.One of the most reliable sources of food is your home garden. If you haven’t attempted patio tomato plants, a vertical planter, or even a bold venture into the world of hydroponic farming, you may want to research it a little more. If you’re completely new to gardening, a great book to get you started is the “All New Square Foot Gardening” which you can pick up on Amazon. It helped us when we first started to garden. If you think you could and might go down this route, you should plan to keep a few types of seeds in your supplies. The problem with this method is that you are at the mercy of the plants growing. That takes time and energy before you can have any substantial harvest, and that means you can’t wait to start your home garden the day of a crisis. That being said, last year’s harvest of tomatoes that you painstakingly dried and stored or dehydrated, freeze dried or pickled foods from your last harvest may be a lifesaver when a crisis occurs.ConclusionTo summarize the points in this video, if history teaches us one thing, it’s that when we are well-informed and adequately prepared, we increase our odds of survival. Food shortages are a reality in any extended crisis or periods of social unrest. If you make some key observations early, you can stay ahead of the shortages and make certain you have the food supplies you need. Watch for disruptions in the field worker population. Are farmers having a difficult time finding laborers? Watch for disruptions in distribution methods like shipping and trucking. Watch for the early signs of a run on products on store shelves, and focus on filling the gaps in your supplies with the other products you need that the general population isn’t yet realizing they will be short of. When store runs are occurring, realize you may also still have time to place an early order from a food delivery service ahead of any disruptions in this channel.While lockdowns, quarantines, and martial law are a guarantee of coming food shortages and may leave many too late to stock up or even get the essential foods they need, building connections with local producers, bartering, exchanging, and home gardening can fill the gaps in your supplies and maintain a steady supply of some foods.If you found this blog informative and helpful, please feel free to like and share it with your friends, family, and community. As always, stay safe out there.
Understand What Services and Products You Rely Upon
Medicines Could be in Short Supply
Run-on Stores for Traditional Prepper Supplies
Civil Unrest: Riots, and Martial Law
The Coronavirus is here. At the time of this blog, we have over 82,000 cases reported in 47 different countries, and it has been increasing at the rate of over 1,000 new cases per day. Scientists are uncertain how exactly it is spreading, are having difficulty finding patient zero in multiple countries, and struggle to stay ahead of the outbreak. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and governments wrestle with the definition of the word “pandemic.” You need to know how this is going to affect your daily life. Whether you are feeling the impact of it yet or not, just the threat of a pandemic will dramatically impact our lives, our economy, and could even threaten our freedoms. Becoming infected by the virus is only part of the threat. You don’t need to be infected with the virus to have your life significantly impacted by it. You don’t need to come into contact with anyone with the virus. The fact that it is here can threaten your security in many ways. In this video, we’re going to look at 5 hidden dangers stemming from the threat of a pandemic. We want to go beyond the virus here and discuss some of the things currently impacting our lives and some things that will impact our lives should this or any other threatening pandemic become greater. If not this Coronavirus, at some point we will face a pandemic situation. COVID-19 is just one strain from the family of coronaviruses. We are at a sort of tipping point right now with COVID-19 where even if a full-blown pandemic doesn’t occur, the virus is changing how we live. You may have already seen the most obvious outward sign– a significant downturn in the economy.1. The Pandemic Could Lead to a Global RecessionSummary: Here we discuss the larger macro-economics of the pandemic and lead to a micro-assessment of a few of the direct economic impacts.Recently the World Health Organization warned the world to brace for a pandemic from the COVID-19 virus. Before that, Apple asked its investors to expect lower quarterly revenue as a result of the slowdown of Chinese manufacturing. Moody’s has slashed auto manufacturing and sales forecasts for the next economic quarter. The Dow plunged over 3,000 points in just 5 days, as a result. The signs are everywhere that COVID-19 is already threatening economies around the world. But these are the most obvious ways a potential pandemic can affect the world. There are more subtle and impactful economic ways it can impact our day-to-day lives.Many American workers cannot afford to take too much time off work. With the long asymptomatic period of this virus and the symptomatic phase, workers in hospitality, food services, manufacturing, transport, education, childcare, even your local supermarket could all be working and unknowingly spreading the virus. Large scale panic about the potential of a pandemic or even small clusters of outbreaks in cities across the nation could grind businesses you rely on to a halt. Imagine an outbreak in your city. How many people would be brave enough to go to a restaurant to eat, to the movies, to school or to a crowded office? When fewer people are shopping, eating out, or going to events, businesses do not need as many workers nor as many products they are unable to sell. This causes a reduction in what is termed the “velocity of money.” Essentially, money does not travel as far nor does it buy as much. The dollar a person might pay for food was prepared by someone who was paid, someone profited from the sale, someone bought more raw materials to prepare the food, a farmer or baker got paid for their work, and so on and so on. That dollar is said to have velocity. Pieces of it are paying a great number of people. In a pandemic, however, the velocity slows. The dollars don’t travel as far. That’s the economics of it, but a pandemic will have more micro effects on you and your family.If you work hourly in any industry that requires customers coming through the door, would your hours be reduced to match reduced traffic? What is your plan when your child’s daycare provider or school temporarily closes in an effort to stop the spread of the virus? Would you be able to take time off of work to tend to your children? If you are in a position to work from home a few days per week, this may be the time to suggest it to your employer. Preparing to be safe can involve just reducing your possible exposure to the virus by being at home. More importantly, though, in a significant economic downturn, it is important that you have the beginnings of a plan in place. These key conversations with your employer or asking your school what their plan is should things become worse can all prepare you to weather the pandemic storm. Remember, we plan to fail when we fail to plan.The second hidden danger of COVID-19 is the possible disruption of services and scarcity of products you rely upon.2. Understand What Services and Products You Rely UponSummary: Here we discuss a few simple methods to determine what services and products we rely upon to make certain we have adequate resources in place to survive for an extended period of time.Should the pandemic worsen, you need to understand what services and products you rely upon and make sure that you can survive for an extended period without them. Not only is the scarcity of product a possibility, you don’t want to be forced into a situation where you absolutely have to leave your safe home to seek out a product you failed to adequately have on hand. The CDC issued a warning that it expects the Coronavirus to spread in the U.S. and that Americans should prepare themselves for “significant disruption in their daily lives.” Further guidance from the CDC suggested that Americans prepare as they would for a storm with regards to food supplies and possible interruption of services.The world doesn’t have a tremendous amount of experience managing a pandemic, so we are in a little bit of uncharted territory here. While we don’t suggest you sequester yourself and max out your credit cards buying gear and supplies, we do suggest that you understand your interactions and needs from the world and make sure you have a supply of those things you rely upon.The easiest way to do this may be to review several months of your banking or spending habits. What you spend your money on is also what you have some dependency upon. Did you eat out? If you did, ask yourself, are we prepared to make my meals at home. Maybe picking up the large jar of peanut butter, the case of Ramen noodles, or the case of canned flavored waters would be a good idea. Some honey, which has an incredibly long shelf life, could provide you with needed sugars or could be used as a natural cough suppressant. Once the threat of a pandemic has passed, you could use it in your food and drinks. The easiest way to build a supply of foods is with foods you will eat. If nothing happens, you can easily cycle through your extra supplies in the months after the pandemic threat has subsided.There are other services you should consider, though. Here again you can assess these by what you commonly pay for. Do you pay a cable or internet bill? If you did, ask yourself if you have the printed materials you need to properly care for a sick individual should there be an interruption to electrical or internet services. Like most people, you probably turn to Google when you are sick or your child is sick. Do you know the proper treatment methods to reduce fever, increase fluids, or stop diarrhea and vomiting? Do you have that homeopathic recipe you used for cough suppression last time you were sick or the instructions to make that sterilizing solution you made from vinegar? You may want to print a few web articles from credible sites to have them on hand in case electrical or internet services are disrupted.Trash, electrical, water, gas, all services you pay for– what is your plan should one of these services be interrupted due to a pandemic, civil unrest, a declaration of martial law, or some other interruption of service. Having multiple flashlights and batteries on hand may be a lifesaver in an extended power outage. Having an alternate method to get rid of your garbage may help to keep your environment contaminate free.Do you have pets that you buy food for every month? This may be a good time to spring for the 30 lb. bag of dog food or the 16 lb. bag of cat food. Essentially, think about the purchases you regularly make. Determine your needed supplies, and prepare yourself, as the CDC says “for a coming storm.” Maybe the most important impact the Coronavirus may have is on the medicine supply, so I want to really emphasize this with the third impact this Coronavirus pandemic could have on you– medicines.3. Medicines Could be in Short SupplySummary: Here we discuss supply disruptions of medicines and encourage a supply of over-the-counter treatments which we normally do not think of until we actually fall ill.One of the lessons we learned from Hurricane Maria hitting Puerto Rico is that everyday, common medical supplies can swiftly become in short supply. Baxter International, the main supplier of saline to 50% of U.S. hospitals, suffered major damage to their facilities in that devastating hurricane. Saline is simply salt water — but proper manufacturing practices are required to keep it sterile and free from particulate matter. Severe prescription drug shortages have become a major threat to public health and patient safety. The first medical procedure someone suffering from an extreme case of the flu would undergo is a saline drip to restore hydration levels.It’s not just saline that could become in short supply, however. China, still the epicenter of COVID-19 approaching 80,000 infected people, is a major supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients–APIs. These APIs are key ingredients in many generic medications used to treat the flu. Cough and cold medicines, stomach medicines, anti-diarrheal medicines, pain relievers, fever reducers, vitamins, and any prescription medicines should be well-stocked. You will not only want them should a pandemic break out and someone in your family falls ill, but you will also want them because the available supply in stores will drop due to reduced manufacturing and stores selling out of products. You do not want to wait until you have symptoms before you purchase Ibuprofen to reduce your temperature. Not only are a thousand people with actual symptoms trying to purchase that for their relief, but supplies could dry up from reduced manufacturing or from healthy people preparing as you are.When there are runs on stores for common food products, that should also be the time you make sure your medicine cabinets are well stocked. While others are buying beans, rice, and Ramen noodles to wait out a potentially long period at home,you should be stocking up on medicines needed to treat the flu. Of course you will want to get any prescriptions filled so you have any personally needed medicines on hand. Other medicines, however, we don’t typically think of until we actually need them, and you don’t want to have to find them when they are in high demand and reduced availability.Typically, we go to the store for over the counter fever medicines when we feel the onset of a cold or fever or someone we love comes down with a cold or fever. If you’re like me, when my child shows signs of being sick, we have to make a run to the store to stock up on a few items. Those are the items you want to make sure you have on hand now. Those are the items which we will see a run in the stores on and those are the items that will be in short supply. With a looming pandemic, it is important we go through our medicine cabinets and check the expiration and quantities of the medicines we have left over from the last time someone was sick and fill in the gaps of medicines we may still need.As you assess your medicine cabinet, check expiration dates and quantities. Do you have enough medicine on hand to fight the common symptoms of the flu virus? A fever reducer like Ibuprofen or Tylenol will also fight aches and pains. Antidiarrheal medicine and a stomach ache medicine may be needed. What cough suppressant liquids and lozenges do you have on hand? Saline nose drops or a Neti pot can help to restore breathing and flush mucous from the body. Mucinex may also help. This is not an endorsement of those specific brands, as much as it is intended to make you aware of the general over-the-counter medicines you should have on hand. The symptoms of a virus can last from two days to two weeks. As a general rule, you may want to have ten days of dosages should half your household fall ill. For instance, if a medicine to relieve symptoms is suggested to be administered every 6 hours, a sick person will need 4 doses for maybe 10 days. Multiply that 40 doses by half the number of people in your household. Hopefully, not everyone in your house will become ill for a full 10 days, but this method will make certain you have a decent supply of medicines on hand for an extended period of time.Again, we don’t typically think of the medicines we need until we actually need them, and you don’t want to have to find them when they are in high demand and reduced availability.In a future blog, we will discuss a few of the essentials you may need for an extended pandemic that you may not have thought of initially. You want to make sure you have enough supplies to last one month or more. The fourth hidden danger isn’t medicine shortages as much as it is everyday products we may take for granted.4. Run-on Stores for Traditional Prepper Emergency SuppliesSummary: Here we discuss the secondary items we may not think of normally. When others are stocking up for the apocalypse for the first time, we can target this specific threat and obtain items we will still practically use in life.If you have been following our website for any period of time, you have probably prepared a food and water storage sufficient to get you and your family through at least a few weeks several months at a minimum. If there does appear to be a larger outbreak, and there are runs on stores as people panic to stock up and do the same, you should focus on getting secondary items and perishable items you will need like medicines, paper and hygiene products, garbage bags and the like.The symptoms of a virus can last from two days to two weeks, so you should plan now as if you will be sick for an extended period of time beginning tomorrow. You can do this by making sure the product you have on hand is usable later should the pandemic pass you by. This makes sure you don’t have things that will go to waste, but you are stocked with essentials you will need. You also want to make sure you have tissues, an electrolyte restoring drink and foods you can eat that are light on your stomach. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and bread for Toast are the foods in what is called the B.R.A.T. diet. In a situation where someone has a full-blown fever, these are foods easy on the stomach when you need to get nutrients but can’t stomach more complex foods. So, make sure you have these items on hand. There isn’t likely to be a run on bananas or applesauce at your store just yet, but you can be prepared should the pandemic worsen by having extra bananas on hand. If you don’t become sick, Ramen noodles, PediaLyte, Gatorade, and other long shelf life, high caloric and restorative foods can get you through a long period of home confinement. When others are making a run on the rice and beans, make sure you have extra containers of peanut butter, pickles, and protein shakes. Others may not be thinking of these items, but they can sustain you for long periods of time, should staying in your home become essential.You will need some supply of toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, sanitary wipes, hygiene products, distilled vinegar, a large bottle of bleach so you can make your own wipes, an empty spray bottle, disposable or dish washing gloves, a protective mask, garbage bags and other things you will need to keep your environment as safe from the virus as possible. Should one of your family members or you become sick with the virus, you will be glad you took this extra step in stocking up. If you’re new to this channel City Preppers, we have made other videos about what you should be storing for events like this. In a full blown pandemic with a large rate of community spread, these products could disappear from shelves very rapidly and you don’t want to be in a situation where you have to compromise your safety by venturing out into the world to try and track one of these products down. This brings us to our final and the potentially worst hidden danger of this virus…the possibility of civil unrest, riots, and martial law.5. Civil Unrest: Riots, and Martial LawSummary: Here we discuss how to stay safe through a close outbreak of civil unrest, the importance of alternate plans, alternate routes, and the possibilities of martial law being declared.In a pandemic situation, it is important to realize that civil unrest, looting, or other forms of lawlessness may be more of a threat to your personal safety than the virus itself. When people panic, they are easily triggered into violent or explosive over-reactions. You should remain vigilant and aware of any civil unrest. Often times, civil unrest is confined to a specific area and grows out from that epicenter. Be prepared to move in the opposite direction of any actively violent or destructive area. Make certain that you know more than one route to any destination and have a plan in place to gather your family together. Be prepared to leave work if you live in a metropolitan area. Be prepared to pull your kids out of school. Coordinate with your spouse or partner to determine the responsibilities during a crisis situation. Hopefully, you will never need to implement an emergency plan, but if you do, you will be glad you have adequately prepared.Make sure that your plan does not rely on your use of cellular phones. Often, after earthquakes here in southern California, cell services are overloaded with people contacting friends and family to check on their safety and ask if they “felt it.” Should you get a message that lines are busy, remember that text messages may go through when calls will not. To be the safest, however, make sure you have a plan in place should civil unrest occur.Should a pandemic be declared, it is critical to understand that governments acting in an “overabundance of caution” may take drastic measures to restrict your freedom of mobility and your access to critical places. In China, for instance, entire cities and regions were quarantined. With only a few instances of stores being looted or general lawlessness, a state of martial law could be declared. Under martial law, Constitutional freedoms and liberties are suspended. Governments impose measures through military force. Even one instance of looting could lead to a declaration of martial law.Probably the safest place in an urban environment is within your own home or apartment. The lower your profile and the more prepared you are, the less likely you are to need to venture out and risk possible separation from your family. Travel restrictions, including road closures, quarantine zones and curfews are all possibilities during a state of martial law brought on because of a full-blown pandemic.In a pandemic where martial law has been declared, you should view your home as your own quarantine zone, leaving only when it is essential and you know that it is safe to do so. In a general outbreak and pandemic, you may still be required to go to work or school or to interact publicly. Public interaction is sometimes essential, and it is ill-advisable to sequester yourself with every occuring flu outbreak. Caution is the way to keep yourself safe. In a state of martial law or during explosive periods of civil unrest, however, you should definitely try and remain in your home at all times, and you should, as I mentioned earlier, have worst-case scenario plans in place.ConclusionJust to sum up this blog, the first is that this pandemic could lead to a larger global recession. Reduced productivity, lost worker hours, revised forecasts can all slow the wheels of commerce and impact our household incomes. Second, to survive this or any other pandemic, you need to make sure you know what services and products you rely upon. Now is the time to review your spending and determine what you would have a hard time living without. Third, realize before everyone else does that medicines may become in short supply. Make certain you have the over-the-counter medicines you need before you need them. Fourth, prepare on a potential run-on grocery stores and stock up on items not typically thought of when people are preparing for a long term, larger shutdown. Fortunately, we know what we are fighting against here, so we are able to focus a little more clearly on what we need instead of trying to protect and prepare against unknown threats. Finally, watch for hotspots and signs of civil unrest. People sometimes lose themselves in frantic and panicked situations. Keeping yourself and your family safe from the stampede is critical to your survival.If you found this blog informative and helpful, please feel free to like and share it with your friends, family and community. As always, be safe out there.
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller.The lone wolf survivor. I can survive on my own. It’s just me and my gun. We’ve heard some variation of these phrases in the comment sections of our blogs for years that when things go sideways, they’ll find a way to survive on their own. But in a prolonged SHTF scenario, surviving on your own will be almost impossible to do, especially over a long enough timeline. When push comes to shove, you’re going to need help. You can’t stay awake forever to secure your location and you can’t be everywhere at one time. This is where having a Mutual Assistance Group or MAG will come in handy to help you survive in the long-term. In this blog, we’ll discuss what a MAG is, why it is important, and how you can start your own.
What is a Mutual Assistance Group?
A MAG or Mutual Assistance Group is defined as a group of like-minded individuals who agree to help and assist each other out during an emergency or crisis. It’s simply a group of preppers who pool their skills and resources together to make it easier for the members of the group to survive in times of disaster.Though this is the usual definition given to MAG, I came across another definition on a blog article from a prepper known as Paranoid Prepper. For him, a MAG is composed of family, friends, and neighbors that he cares about. They’re basically people who you won’t turn away and leave to die should they show up at your door during a disaster or collapse.He adds that he doesn’t necessarily tell them they are part of a MAG unless he is sure they can maintain operational security and not share their information with others. But regardless if they know or not, they are in. He does have a valid point since we do have people who are close to us and live nearby that it is likely they’ll show up at our doorstep should a disaster sets in.When that time comes, can we turn them away and leave them to fend for themselves? This is why he includes them in his MAG, so he doesn’t have to make a tough choice when the time comes.
Why it’s Important to Have a MAG?
As we mentioned earlier, a MAG can help you survive in a prolonged collapse. It can provide support and assistance, making it easier to deal with the disaster. Let’s discuss in more detail the reasons how they can help during a disaster.
Expand the skills and knowledge available
One of the main benefits that a MAG provides is that it can expand the skillsets of the entire group. For example, there’s a doctor in your MAG group, which means he possesses the knowledge and skills related to medical and first aid. These are vital during a disaster since it might not be possible to go to a hospital if you’re injured or sick. Another example is if one member of the group is skilled in carpentry and plumbing. He can be the one to provide help when it comes to doing repair work or building things for the group. It’s impossible to learn and do everything yourself. So being part of a group that can provide different skills and knowledge will be very helpful during a disaster.
Aside from having an expert on the group to take care of certain tasks or activities, prepping with other people can also expand your prepping knowledge and skill. MAGs normally conduct regular training and meetings, to discuss things and to check up each members’ preps. If you’re part of a MAG, you can also use this opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills in prepping to bolster your own efforts. For example, you’re having a hard time storing all of the supplies you will need in your home, you can ask the group what’s the best way to do it, or they can even show you how they do theirs and learn from it. You can also have the doctor in your group teach you and your team about the basics of first aid skills in treating minor injuries so you can do it yourself when a doctor is not immediately available.
Focus on a task or role
Another benefit of having a MAG is that you can focus your preparations more on a particular task or role. Members of MAGs are usually given a designated role or task that they can focus on when preparing for a disaster. This can be helpful since you don’t have to worry too much about other things, as other members of the group are tasked to handle it. For example, you’re part of the committee that is in charge of security and keeping the entire area safe. During a disaster, you just need to focus on your assigned task, as the other things like gathering food and water, and handling inventory, among others, are delegated to other members of the group.
Mental and emotional support
It’s not easy being a prepper, considering the many challenges that you would have to encounter. These challenges can take a mental and physical toll on anyone, so having a mental and emotional support group is a great help. A MAG can provide you with that since the members will know what you are going through and can help you out in any way that they can. You can easily talk to them about your challenges and even ask for assistance and advice when it comes to finding solutions. If you have a religious leader in your group or a mental health care professional, these members will provide a very valuable role in your community.
Easier to secure an area or neighborhood
Having a MAG will also make it easier for you and your group to secure your area or neighborhood, not only from the dangers of the disaster but also from other people who are looking to raid your stockpile of supplies. One of the things that preppers are always wary of during a SHTF scenario is the threat coming from other people, especially those who didn’t prepare for the disaster. Having a group behind you will make it easier to secure and protect a neighborhood from raiders who are looking to steal resources.
Questions to ask to see if you’re ready to be part of a MAG or start your own
Before we discuss how you can start your own MAG, here are some questions that you need to answer first to see if you are ready to be a member of a mutual assistance group.
The first thing you need to ask is if you can work well with other people when things are stressful. Not everyone works well with others under extreme stress and pressure, which is what you’ll likely experience during a SHTF scenario. If you’re someone who is quick to unravel during stressful situations, you might not be ready yet to be part of a MAG.
Another question you need to ask is if your immediate family members are okay in teaming up with other preppers. Building a MAG or joining one should be a family decision and not just your own since this will affect them as well. They might not be comfortable teaming up with others, so you need to talk to your family first before forming or joining a group.
You also need to ask what skills and knowledge you can bring to the table. Each and every member of a MAG will need to make a contribution and provide value in order for the group to succeed. Your membership might also be questioned by the other members if they see that there’s really nothing you can contribute to the group. It’s a give and take membership, so you need to make sure you also have something to offer.
You also need to ask yourself if you will be a good leader or follower when you join a MAG. Even if you’re not the one who started the group, you might be called upon to lead a committee, so good leadership skills are also needed. Similarly, you also need to be a good follower and will commit to the tasks that will be assigned to you. As mentioned earlier, the success of a MAG relies on every member making a contribution and providing value.
Speaking of commitment, you also need to ask if you are willing to commit to attending the meetings and training that the group will set. MAGs set regular meetings and training sessions that members need to attend to provide updates, compare notes, and just check up on everyone. It’s important to commit to these meetings since this will let people know who are the members that can be relied upon when disaster strikes. You can’t expect the same commitment from people who don’t even attend meetings and training sessions when things are normal.
The last question you need to ask is if you’ll stick with the group or evacuate in certain scenarios or situations. There’s really no point in starting a MAG or joining one if you don’t plan to stay for the long-term or evacuate when you get a chance. You will only waste your and other people’s time and effort.
If you answer no to any of these questions, then you might not be ready yet to start your own MAG or be part of one. You need to make sure that you are willing to participate and commit to the group in order for it to succeed. Remember, the other members will depend on you when the time comes, just like you will depend on them.
How to Build Your Own MAG
After learning what a MAG is and why it’s important to have one, it’s time to discuss how you can build your own Mutual Assistance Group.
Establish the Goal of the MAG
One of the first things you need to do when you are planning to build a mutual assistance group is to establish clear goals or objectives for the group to follow. This is important since the goal or objective will serve as the foundation that each member will need to follow and abide by to ensure the success of the group. Without this, people won’t even have an idea why the group exists in the first place.
What are the Rules and Regulations
After establishing what the group’s goals are, the next thing you need to do is to set the rules and regulations that will govern the MAG. Here are some things you need to consider when setting rules and regulations:
Will the group be led by one person or a committee?
Is leadership exclusive or will it rotate to other members as well?
Are members required to provide a financial commitment?
Is membership to the MAG exclusive to the Head of the Family only or immediate members are automatically members as well?
What’s the process for recruiting new members?
What are the requirements to be a member and how is the screening done?
How many times are meetings and training conducted?
What can cause a member to get booted from the group?
Can the decision be appealed?
Can they reapply back?
Recruiting New Members
Once the goal, rules and regulation of the MAG are created, the next step is to focus on recruiting people to be part of the group. There are also considerations that you need to know when selecting the people you want to be part of the group.
The most obvious things you need to consider first is if the person you are recruiting is a prepper, or at least committed to becoming a prepper. There’s no point in recruiting skilled people if they’re not willing to prep with you for a disaster or emergency.
You should also consider recruiting people who are more than willing to go out of their way to provide help and assistance to the group, especially in times of crisis. You basically need to get people who are willing and dedicated team members who will won’t bail out on the group when times become tough and stressful, especially during a disaster.
When recruiting people, it’s best that you start out with the people that you are already comfortable with, family members who live in the area, close friends, and neighbors. It’s easier to work with people you are comfortable with, so it’s better to start with that.
As I explained earlier, you are also likely to experience having close relatives, friends, and neighbors knocking at your door and asking for assistance during a SHTF scenario. If you can’t see yourself turning them away when this happens, you might as well include them in your group.
It’s important to note that people who are close to you might not see the value of your preps, so it’s very likely you’ll just be doing the preps for them. If you plan on helping them out anyway, you might as well include them in the preparation plans.
You should also be discreet as possible when you’re recruiting people. Those who don’t believe in what you’re doing will likely be the first ones to knock at your door asking for supplies during a disaster. So only mention the group to people you can trust to keep things quiet and discreet.
Joining a community or regional groups is also a good way to recruit like-minded people to join your MAG.
Consider also the types of skills and knowledge that the people you are recruiting possesses. You should see if what they know can provide value to the MAG you’re creating.
This means recruiting medical professionals, farmers, plumbers, soldiers, teachers, and those who have experience living off the grid just to name a few.
When you recruit people, remember to look at their personality, their character, and what they can bring to the group.
Establishing the Committees and Members
The last thing you need to do once you have members is to establish the different committees that will be in charge of certain tasks and activities. This is simple since you just need to look at the skills and knowledge they possess and then assign them to the appropriate committee.
The major committees you need to include are the ones in charge of finding and producing food and water, security, managing the inventory and supply storage, medical assistance, and communication.
Other committees that you can include are maintenance and repairs, education, training and coordination, and weapons and armory.
Remember to conduct regular meetings and training, even before a SHTF scenario happens to make sure that each and every member of the MAG is always prepared and ready.
ConclusionEstablishing your own mutual assistance group is not easy and it will present many challenges. But it’s important to be part of one in order to survive a prolonged grid-down scenario. The success of a MAG will greatly depend on each and every member committing and dedicating themselves to the goals and objectives of the group and working together, especially during a collapse.If you enjoyed this blog, please click the like button and share it on social media. Please put any suggestions, added tips, and information you have in the comment section below. As always, stay safe out there.
“Blaming the wolf would not help the sheep much. The sheep must learn not to fall in the clutches of the wolf.” – Mahatma Gandhi.Let’s be honest. Preppers tend to be distrustful of others. Suspicion and threat assessment is part of being well-prepared, so it probably comes to us naturally. Still, your odds of surviving on your own are not as good as your odds of surviving when you’re part of a group. Survival in a prolonged grid-down situation will require individuals to rely upon others and understand teamwork. I frequently receive emails from individuals asking how to find prepper groups in their area they can trust. That’s a valid concern. This community is very skeptical of others and their motives. The prepping community also runs the gambit from the outdoorsman to folks with well-supplied pantries to secluded, off-grid bunker dwellers. So with that wide range of folks, how do you find like-minded people, and how do you know you can trust them? How do you build your own unofficial or official mutual assistance group?In this blog, I will examine ways to connect with and cultivate like-minded individuals you can partner with when disaster strikes. I will also cover the basic signs you can look for to tell if you can trust the person or not. While trust given can always be betrayed, there are certain things to look for in an individual that can help you determine if they can be trusted or not.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TRUST
While this video covers the issue of knowing whom to trust after SHTF, it is critical to develop relationships with others you can rely upon while times are good. After a potential, prolonged grid-down scenario, finding those that you can trust will become exponentially more difficult, so it is important that you start now. But what are the traits you should look for both before and after an SHTF situation? Over the years, psychologists and behaviorists have developed several signs to look for that are the hallmark of a trustworthy person. That is not to say that a nefarious person can’t spoof these signs, and it is essential to note that a genuine, trustworthy person will have multiple signs for you to confirm. While you may never truly know if someone is acting genuinely or they are a sociopath manipulating you by appearing and acting trustworthy, the fact remains that most people can’t be bothered maintaining a facade of genuineness if they truly aren’t. There are easier targets. You can look for these simple traits in a person to get a gauge on if they can be trusted or not.GRATITUDEA trustworthy person is more inclined to be grateful for your assistance or just your presence. They recognize your worth, and they realize that you both are “in it together” when they are with you. They might follow up with you with something you discussed when you were together, like a link to an article or information. They might even bake you a tray of brownies or bring you something from their garden. These are all signs they are grateful for you. They respect and value you. While not a definitive indicator of trust, seeing this trait of gratitude is a more reliable step in building a more profound, trusting relationship with someone.CONFIDENCEThey confide in you, and they keep your confidence. Confiding in someone makes a person slightly vulnerable. When a person confides in you, it demonstrates that they trust you and want you to be open with them. As a litmus test, though, make sure the person isn’t gossiping or dishing out information about other people to you. If they are, it is highly likely that they will take whatever you tell them and freely tell that to someone else. If they, however, confide in you that they’re worried about a looming disaster, this is your opportunity to start a prepping conversation with them. Maybe confide in them that you share the same concern, and here are a few, not all, of the things you are doing.CONSISTENCYA trustworthy person will be consistently the same in their interactions with you. They will also be consistent in all their actions. If they promise to let you know something, they do. If they promise to attend a meeting or event with you and meet you at a particular time, they show up and do what they said. You learn, over time, that they are reliable, and you never suspect that they will let you down.WORD-OF-MOUTHWhen you are talking to someone else, what do they say about the person? I will often hear people say, “Oh, that guy is really solid. He’s a good guy.” I hope people say the same about me. When other people say a person is honest, intelligent, reliable, trustworthy, generous, or the like, it is probably true, or you are both being deceived. If a person says that another person is a liar, cheat, self-centered, or mean, you know that the dealings between those two individuals were problematic at best and, at worst, emblematic of traits that should result in your caution. The person you are talking to might just be mean, but maybe, just maybe, they’re showing you a red flag.COMPASSIONAs I said earlier, many people can’t be bothered pretending to be genuine. There are too many easier marks for the con artist. Compassion is one of those traits that can be faked but usually isn’t. The good listener who keeps your confidence may have a compassionate heart. If the person selflessly helps others, that is a good sign they have compassion and can be trusted. Compassion equates to a genuine desire to help others. Genuine compassion is often anonymous and can be seen in people who open doors, pick things up off the ground for people, wave drivers ahead of them, and a thousand other small acts. It’s the small acts that indicate the actual size of a person’s heart and their true thoughts.RELAXEDA person who is relaxed and confident isn’t likely trying to sell you on the fact that they are a good person. It’s the person who has something to hide who may exhibit signs of anxiousness and anxiety. They could just be socially awkward, and many people are, but if they are trying to get you to do something for them or there is some great urgency that you act right now with them or for them, they are more than likely trying to manipulate you.SHARED EXPERIENCESome of the best relationships start with shared experiences. We are both waiting for our kids or both in a class together, and we strike up a conversation. When you can look at another person and feel connections of shared experience, you both are less apt to take advantage of each other, as you see yourself in them and vice-versa. After a disaster, everyone may be having the same crappy experience of the aftermath, so that’s not a good litmus test of trust. Still, trust is built up over time, so what is your history of shared experiences with the person. Were you both in the military? Did you both work at the same place? Have you been kind neighbors? Did you both buy the same product? Were your kids both in Scouts or school together? Whatever the experience is, the more shared experiences you have, the more you can likely trust the person. They see in you what you see in them.COMMUNICATORTrustworthy people are often good communicators. The trustworthy person knows how to listen. They consider other opinions and aren’t rigidly locked in on their own, but they are also willing to provide their unvarnished opinion about something when asked. They don’t dominate the conversation. They don’t belittle people or use condescension. A good communicator indicates that they are not going to rush to judgment quickly. They are going to give full consideration to things. Note that being a good communicator isn’t just about speaking a lot. It’s about what you say. What is the message behind the words? Is there a motive? If there’s a motive laced in their communication, the person is more self-serving than authentically trustworthy.LEARNERSA trustworthy person understands that they don’t have all the answers. They are constantly looking to improve their understanding. They may be asking you questions to gain knowledge and understanding, and they freely answer your questions because they recognize the learning experience as a shared event. They don’t want you to do it for them. They want to learn to do it for themselves.SHARINGSharing is caring, as they say. A trustworthy person will often share things they have with no guarantee of receiving anything in return. They don’t consistently ask for their sharing to be reciprocated. They aren’t always looking to gain from their act of giving. The person who shares without requiring anything in return is someone you can trust. Conversely, anyone who comes to you often saying, “Remember when I did this for you…” is someone who sees you more as a commodity or resource.HELPERSA trustworthy person is eager to help where they can. They also aren’t very likely to ask for help themselves. Time is a commodity, and the person that is freely willing to give their time when it doesn’t benefit them directly is more than likely someone you can trust not to abuse your time later. They reach out to you because they see and respect your value. Do you have a relationship with someone with whom you are constantly initiating interactions with? Do you trust that person to reach out to you in a crisis? The helper, though, knows you were going through a hard week or a rough experience, and they are the first or only person to lend a hand where they can. Helpers are acting selflessly and are more trustworthy.
WHOM CAN YOU TRUST AFTER SHTF?
Trust is given in an instance, and it is betrayed just as fast. All of those signs and indicators to look for best serve you when they can be assessed over time. But what do you do when you can’t get a gauge of those traits in a time of desperation? Survival in a prolonged grid-down situation will require individuals to rely upon others and understand teamwork. I frequently get emailed by individuals asking how to find prepper groups in their area they can trust. This is a valid concern for sure. Our community is very skeptical of others and their motives. The first people you can trust after an SHTF situation are those with whom you have built relations already. You might not have a formal communal bug-out location and community. You may not even have people who call themselves preppers. If you cultivate it, though, you have interest groups, like-minded friends, and family members. Is your city offering a seminar on disaster preparedness? Attend it and make a friend now. Is there a class being offered in a skill you would like to know? Take it and have that shared experience with someone. It is a far more reliable trust if it has been developed over a long period and never betrayed than if it is a trust in the exact moment a survival decision needs to be made.But, if you find yourself needing to trust someone, ask yourself what you need and what they need. Are they bringing anything into your inner circle at present or in the future? They may be empty-handed and desperate now, but perhaps they offer some future value. Since you are trying to build a trusting relationship from the start, you will have to provide any assistance or accept any help with the same selflessness that is the earmark of a trustworthy person. However, you can remain cautious and skeptical until you see the true nature of the other person. Sometimes a person offers nothing, but they’re teachable, and they seem genuinely vested in helping. If that’s the case, trusting them a little now might turn into a lot later.After a grid-down situation, be wary of people who seem mentally unstable, to begin with. They aren’t level-headed in their thinking, and their erratic nature can put you in harm’s way. Be wary, too, of people who are soliciting your assistance to do harm or raid others. This person sees others as resources, and that means they see you as a resource too. If they stole from others, they would steal from you in a heartbeat. If someone comes to you to share something they have stolen by looting a store, that is a resource they bring, but you shouldn’t take it. They’ll rob you next.Be wary of trusting people who didn’t heed the call to prepare when you encouraged them to do so. This person might be someone you can trust a little, but they didn’t listen the first time, so they play their survival by ear. That means if they saw taking from you as the next logical step for their survival, they very well might. Can we all be ignorant of realities sometimes? Sure, but if you’ve had a hundred conversations with someone and they still failed to do anything, they will be of little use and not very trustworthy when the world falls apart.If the person is a total stranger to you, you can still gauge their trustworthiness by assessing how much of yourself you see in them. If they don’t absolutely need you for their survival, but they are looking to trade something of theirs for something you might have, apply the rules of bartering I cover in my video on that subject. I will link to that in the comments below. Essentially, never reveal the extent of your supplies and look for a fair exchange. As you build a trusting trade relationship over time, you might also be building a trusting relationship. Be wary, though, of a person whose sole purpose is to wheel and deal. This type of person can’t be trusted because they aren’t looking to build a relationship. They are looking to turn a profit. You are a commodity to be exploited in that lopsided relationship.Finally, even in the time-compressed period of a disaster and its aftermath, build trust incrementally with people. Trust them a little before you trust them a lot. You wouldn’t hand someone you don’t know the keys to your house or a loaded gun, so don’t be that open after SHTF either. Maybe you feed a person, so they don’t die. Do they come to you for their next meal or inquire about the extent of your stored supplies, or do they, with a clear head, offer to go somewhere they know a resource is and bring some back for you in exchange for a little more? Do they offer to help you in some way without asking you to enter your safe home? Do they respect your boundaries and let you know that they respect your boundaries through their words and actions? If so, you can trust them a little more. Think of trust like a rope. With each trustworthy action, you might give them a little more slack, but if they exhibit a sign that they cannot be trusted, you will want to pull your rope back and consider cutting ties.ConclusionI am sure you have heard the old Italian Proverb, ‘He that deceives me once, it is his fault; but if twice, it is my fault.’ When evaluating the trustworthiness of an individual, you have to keep that constantly in mind. Question a person’s motives and actions until you feel that you don’t have to anymore–that you share enough common ground and trust with each other. The fact is that surviving entirely on your own after an SHTF situation is an arduous and lonely path. Your odds of survival increase dramatically as part of an even loosely networked group. Building trusting relationships now, over time, will provide you confidence that the relationship will also be one you can trust in a grid-down situation. If you know nothing about the person, you can still look for the signs of trustworthiness. Balance your sense of compassion with your limits. Of course, your and your family’s or group’s survival is of the utmost importance, but your chances of long-term survival increase when you spend the time now to form trusting bonds with others.What do you think? How do you know when you can breathe easily and trust someone? What’s your telltale sign or test to determine that someone is worthy of trust? As always, please stay safe out there.
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During normal times, 36 percent of all Americans eat at a fast food restaurant on any given day. But when 75 percent of the U.S. was under some sort of a “shelter-in-place” order, restaurants have shut down or had to dramatically alter how they conducted business. It’s safe to say that Americans have a heavy dependence on sources of food that can easily disappear during a shutdown or shelter in place order. The people supplying restaurants and agricultural products for store shelves are the field workers. This critical first line in the food supply chain plants, tends, and harvests the crops supplying the stores and food processing plants that manufacture the products for your store shelves.
As illnesses spread through this group, we will inevitably see recalls on products for E coli, viruses and bacterias. Often, there are recalls on products because the food we consider safe has been exposed to harmful contagions. Recalls are not a big disruptor of the entire food supply, but illnesses amongst this working group, slows output and supplies to larger manufacturers. As reliable as our farms and production are, they are still susceptible to massive disruptions from even the smallest of contagions. If this occurs and news spreads, many people will start the hoarding process and panic buy products from the shelves all over again. This further compounds the shortages and leads to more panic buying and hoarding behaviors.
Field workers are the first to plant and harvest our foods.
If there are widespread illnesses amongst this group, the supply chain can be seriously disrupted. These individuals are often the unseen, undocumented works that perform a very critical role in our food supply chain. Their access to medicine or medical care if they get sick is very limited leaving them much more vulnerable. Being a marginalized group, their ability to weather this storm is far less that the average citizen. You should really consider what food products you rely upon and make sure you have enough of these products on hand to last you several weeks. As we’re making this blog there are already limits to the purchase of beans, rice, flour and other staples.
Trade wars, drought and natural catastrophes, and border closings will all contribute to diminished food production. With current projections forecasting 2020 to very likely produce record heat waves, the possibility for crop failures is on the rise. Recent events have dealt additional blows to a vulnerable farm economy, sending crop and livestock prices tumbling and raising concerns about sudden labor shortages.
If you see an escalation in any combination of these factors, especially when combined together, it should signal to you that shortages of food in stores is likely imminent. Logistical snags from closed borders to reduced workforces can put strain on usual supply routes, particularly for fresh produce.
Be aware of any significant disruptions to this first line of the food supply chain. Recognizing when the disruptions in production are about to occur amongst this group can mean the difference between you having what you need to survive and waiting in long lines at grocery stores only to find empty shelves.
2. Reduced distribution and trucking
Summary: Trucking and shipping disruptions can signal an imminent food shortage.
The second sign of an imminent shortage are the distribution methods and truckers. Much of the food we eat is grown in other countries or travels great distances from the farm or ranch to the table. When borders close and cargo ships can’t get through to major ports, as occurred after the events of 9/11, it’s a sign that grocery stores and food processors will experience a disruption in their production capabilities. At a time when much of the nation’s workforce may be furloughed or sent to work from home, truckers have been deemed “essential” to keeping America rolling. When consumer demand for products skyrocket, this industry can boom, but disruptions to this industry caused by illnesses or the lack of availability of fuel could signal a second wave of food shortages.
With regards to cargo and container shipping, we often don’t realize a shortage of pineapples or avocados, and it doesn’t impact our daily lives to work around these disruptions in the food lines; however, extended shortages of imports like oil, wheat, rice, beans and other staples for production can dramatically reduce food manufacturing production output. If you see stories of container ships lined up outside the nation’s ports, this should signal to you that a food chain disruption will follow.
Also, keep in mind that while America may have the necessary medical equipment and medication available to help individuals that get sick recover, many countries, especially the poor countries we trade with, do not have those luxuries. If those that transport our food from other nations become sick and the workforce in those nations is crippled, it will be difficult to get food to our own country. As we’ve become a global community, we have become more reliant on other nations. While we may recover here, they may not as quickly or ever.
Are you prepared to get by if you can’t grab from your pantry that box of whatever? Truckers striking, cargo ships not being allowed into port, planes or trains not running, are all signs that a food shortage is imminent. We’ve already seen employees on strike at Amazon recently due to their concern about the lack of adequate health conditions and their exposure to the illness. As more people become sick over the next few weeks, you very likely will see this impact those that are responsible to getting food to our tables.
3. Runs on stores
Summary: Navigating shortages at the stores.
Recent lessons have taught us that in a crisis situation, those who are not prepared will stock up on items they “think” they need. Runs on toilet paper are a perfect example of this. While stores were selling out of toilet paper, recently, they were also selling out of boxed meals, beans, rice, flour, bread, eggs, meat, milk, and other essential foods. As social distancing has become a practice, long lines and limits on product purchases have become a reality. Even worse, having to wait in a line with, possibly, asymptomatic shoppers, can put you and your family at risk later on. Is waiting to get food and at the same time exposing yourself to a potential lethal carrier worth the risk?
The average person loading up a cart full of toilet paper may not be looking for bread yeast or even flour right away. A 20 pound bag of flour can make at least 20 or more loaves of bread. Having that in your storage can be a life saver. And when the stores are sold out of white flour, a savvy baker can use whole wheat, rye or another alternative flour just as easily to provide critical calcium and b vitamins to a family.
Beyond just baking, though, runs on stores can create shortages in other staples, and knowing grocers are in low supply of any product should still afford you enough time to prepare your own supplies for an extended period of food supply disruption or even the need for self-sustenance.
Worth mentioning here are electronic orders and scheduled deliveries. These sources may become depleted and are not entirely reliable in a larger shutdown or order to shelter in place; however, when runs on stores begin to occur, a well timed and early order of steaks or pre-packaged frozen meals could mean you’ll receive what you need before the rest of the world overloads and depletes these resources. At this point, deliveries are stretched from next week, to next month, to “if we ever can.” A good example of this in our most recent crisis was bottled water delivery service. While stores were selling out of bottled water, five gallon delivery of water through pre-arranged services in my area were merely limited to the quantities of previous orders. A food delivery source can keep you from having to dip into your supplies, for as long as possible. Just to be clear, we are not suggesting takeout when we say food delivery service. Takeout and delivery orders from fast food restaurants where workers may be forced to work while being sick or may be asymptomatic as they prepare your food is very risky. By food delivery, we mean those services that ship or door deliver pre-packaged meals or raw materials like fresh vegetables, frozen beef or fish. While it is never a guarantee and these delivery sources may also be disrupted or end all together, food delivery sources can be a potential means of supplying yourself in the early days of a crisis when stores are beginning to run out of product.
4. Lockdowns, quarantines, and martial law
Summary: Restricted movement can prevent a person from obtaining all of the needed supplies. The importance of having recipes and all the ingredients.
Without moving to the far extreme of martial law as a result of any civil unrest, it is important to be prepared for periods when you are in lock down, quarantine, or under a “shelter in place” order. Any of those situations are indicators that your ability to obtain food from traditional sources like grocery stores or takeout are no longer going to be feasible.
If people cannot move freely, deliveries may slow or stop all together. Even having groceries delivered in the current crises resulted in people waiting up to two weeks or more for their order to be delivered. When online distributors of products experience a slow down as a result of lockdowns, quarantines or martial law, deliveries will experience a slow down or, in the worst case, a halt. In Sweden, during the recent social distancing, deliveries are only occurring at night. It’s reasonable to assume that should things worsen in the current crises, deliveries may halt, move to a staggered schedule, or cease all together.
Periods when you have to remain in your home are very real possibilities. Knowing how to cook and prepare food is an essential skill you should develop. Ten pounds of pinto beans will do you no good if you don’t know how to prepare them. Having the dried spices and herbs you need to make your meals less bland can provide you a psychological boost. During a period where you can’t get to the store, you will find having all the ingredients you need on hand can make your time in your home easier to bear. Key to this is having a few pre-printed recipes or basic cookbooks for the staples you have stored alongside your containers. You cannot guarantee that your internet connection will allow you to search for recipes, so it’s important to have these printed and ready in advance. If you’re cycling through your supplies and keeping them fresh, you should already be eating your stored foods and will, hopefully, have a few recipes you regularly make. These precautions and the skill of cooking guarantees you’ll have food you can enjoy and activities to keep you busy should you be forced to isolate yourself. It’s important to recognize that lockdowns, quarantines, and martial law can all dramatically impact your ability to get the basic foods you need to feed yourself and your family.
5. Non-traditional ways of obtaining food
Summary: Bartering, exchange, local growers and home/patio gardening.
If you’ve followed our website, you know we’re not here to scare you. The preparation that we talk about is for the exact things we are facing right now globally. Realize, that even in a crisis there are some non-traditional ways to obtain food.
Social networking, bartering, and exchange are all ways to maintain your food supply through a social crisis. Your neighbors may have an essential item you can complete your supply with in exchange for a product you have an abundance of. If everyone is recommended to “shelter in place” and grocery stores are overwhelmed, your citrus tree or home garden may become a key commodity for you to stretch your supplies. Sitting on a hoard of 40 pounds of pinto beans does nobody any good, but exchanging 4 cups of beans for 4 cups of flour, 4 eggs, or 4 potatoes ensures that everyone in your community continues to thrive in even the worst of times.
These bartering networks can spring up organically. Social media can allow you to set up porch pickups. As friendly as these exchanges may be, however, you will want to avoid offering too much or revealing too much about what you have in stock. Only trade for the essentials you need and then only with the small quantity you are offering up. You would not want to post a picture of your 20 pound bag of flour and state that you’re willing to trade 4 cups of it. While people are currently calm during this event, if it worsens or food shortages become worse, that may change. The term is OPSEC which is short for Operational Security. The less people know about what you have, the better.
If trusting strangers on social media makes you uncomfortable, sometimes calls to your friends, family or next door neighbor can still help you secure the foods you need to fill in any gaps in your inventory.
Another non-traditional way to obtain food is to get local. Make connections at farmer’s markets for when you might need them later. Local farmers, the poultryman, the fishmonger usually have contact information for their clients. All can be critical sources when store shelves are barren, because they tend to be smaller operations not feeding into the larger national supply chain, and they have to continue to run their operations and care for their animals and crops. Here also, bartering is a great means. You may not need an entire case of citrus or avocados, but after you have what you need, someone else may be willing to trade for some quantity of what you have.
One of the most reliable sources of food is your home garden. If you haven’t attempted patio tomato plants, a vertical planter, or even a bold venture into the world of hydroponic farming, you may want to research it a little more. If you’re completely new to gardening, a great book to get you started is the “All New Square Foot Gardening” which you can pick up on Amazon. It helped us when we first started to garden. If you think you could and might go down this route, you should plan to keep a few types of seeds in your supplies. The problem with this method is that you are at the mercy of the plants growing. That takes time and energy before you can have any substantial harvest, and that means you can’t wait to start your home garden the day of a crisis. That being said, last year’s harvest of tomatoes that you painstakingly dried and stored or dehydrated, freeze dried or pickled foods from your last harvest may be a lifesaver when a crisis occurs.
Conclusion
To summarize the points in this video, if history teaches us one thing, it’s that when we are well-informed and adequately prepared, we increase our odds of survival. Food shortages are a reality in any extended crisis or periods of social unrest. If you make some key observations early, you can stay ahead of the shortages and make certain you have the food supplies you need. Watch for disruptions in the field worker population. Are farmers having a difficult time finding laborers? Watch for disruptions in distribution methods like shipping and trucking. Watch for the early signs of a run on products on store shelves, and focus on filling the gaps in your supplies with the other products you need that the general population isn’t yet realizing they will be short of. When store runs are occurring, realize you may also still have time to place an early order from a food delivery service ahead of any disruptions in this channel.
While lockdowns, quarantines, and martial law are a guarantee of coming food shortages and may leave many too late to stock up or even get the essential foods they need, building connections with local producers, bartering, exchanging, and home gardening can fill the gaps in your supplies and maintain a steady supply of some foods.
If you found this blog informative and helpful, please feel free to like and share it with your friends, family, and community.
As always, stay safe out there. 
Though this is the usual definition given to MAG, I came across another definition on a blog article from a prepper known as Paranoid Prepper. For him, a MAG is composed of family, friends, and neighbors that he cares about. They’re basically people who you won’t turn away and leave to die should they show up at your door during a disaster or collapse.
He adds that he doesn’t necessarily tell them they are part of a MAG unless he is sure they can maintain operational security and not share their information with others. But regardless if they know or not, they are in. He does have a valid point since we do have people who are close to us and live nearby that it is likely they’ll show up at our doorstep should a disaster sets in.
When that time comes, can we turn them away and leave them to fend for themselves? This is why he includes them in his MAG, so he doesn’t have to make a tough choice when the time comes.
One of the main benefits that a MAG provides is that it can expand the skillsets of the entire group. For example, there’s a doctor in your MAG group, which means he possesses the knowledge and skills related to medical and first aid. These are vital during a disaster since it might not be possible to go to a hospital if you’re injured or sick. Another example is if one member of the group is skilled in carpentry and plumbing. He can be the one to provide help when it comes to doing repair work or building things for the group. It’s impossible to learn and do everything yourself. So being part of a group that can provide different skills and knowledge will be very helpful during a disaster.
Another benefit of having a MAG is that you can focus your preparations more on a particular task or role. Members of MAGs are usually given a designated role or task that they can focus on when preparing for a disaster. This can be helpful since you don’t have to worry too much about other things, as other members of the group are tasked to handle it. For example, you’re part of the committee that is in charge of security and keeping the entire area safe. During a disaster, you just need to focus on your assigned task, as the other things like gathering food and water, and handling inventory, among others, are delegated to other members of the group.
It’s not easy being a prepper, considering the many challenges that you would have to encounter. These challenges can take a mental and physical toll on anyone, so having a mental and emotional support group is a great help. A MAG can provide you with that since the members will know what you are going through and can help you out in any way that they can. You can easily talk to them about your challenges and even ask for assistance and advice when it comes to finding solutions. If you have a religious leader in your group or a mental health care professional, these members will provide a very valuable role in your community.
Having a MAG will also make it easier for you and your group to secure your area or neighborhood, not only from the dangers of the disaster but also from other people who are looking to raid your stockpile of supplies. One of the things that preppers are always wary of during a SHTF scenario is the threat coming from other people, especially those who didn’t prepare for the disaster. Having a group behind you will make it easier to secure and protect a neighborhood from raiders who are looking to steal resources.
One of the first things you need to do when you are planning to build a mutual assistance group is to establish clear goals or objectives for the group to follow. This is important since the goal or objective will serve as the foundation that each member will need to follow and abide by to ensure the success of the group. Without this, people won’t even have an idea why the group exists in the first place.
The last thing you need to do once you have members is to establish the different committees that will be in charge of certain tasks and activities. This is simple since you just need to look at the skills and knowledge they possess and then assign them to the appropriate committee.
A trustworthy person is more inclined to be grateful for your assistance or just your presence. They recognize your worth, and they realize that you both are “in it together” when they are with you. They might follow up with you with something you discussed when you were together, like a link to an article or information. They might even bake you a tray of brownies or bring you something from their garden. These are all signs they are grateful for you. They respect and value you. While not a definitive indicator of trust, seeing this trait of gratitude is a more reliable step in building a more profound, trusting relationship with someone.
CONFIDENCE
They confide in you, and they keep your confidence. Confiding in someone makes a person slightly vulnerable. When a person confides in you, it demonstrates that they trust you and want you to be open with them. As a litmus test, though, make sure the person isn’t gossiping or dishing out information about other people to you. If they are, it is highly likely that they will take whatever you tell them and freely tell that to someone else. If they, however, confide in you that they’re worried about a looming disaster, this is your opportunity to start a prepping conversation with them. Maybe confide in them that you share the same concern, and here are a few, not all, of the things you are doing.
CONSISTENCY
A trustworthy person will be consistently the same in their interactions with you. They will also be consistent in all their actions. If they promise to let you know something, they do. If they promise to attend a meeting or event with you and meet you at a particular time, they show up and do what they said. You learn, over time, that they are reliable, and you never suspect that they will let you down.
WORD-OF-MOUTH
When you are talking to someone else, what do they say about the person? I will often hear people say, “Oh, that guy is really solid. He’s a good guy.” I hope people say the same about me. When other people say a person is honest, intelligent, reliable, trustworthy, generous, or the like, it is probably true, or you are both being deceived. If a person says that another person is a liar, cheat, self-centered, or mean, you know that the dealings between those two individuals were problematic at best and, at worst, emblematic of traits that should result in your caution. The person you are talking to might just be mean, but maybe, just maybe, they’re showing you a red flag.
COMPASSION
As I said earlier, many people can’t be bothered pretending to be genuine. There are too many easier marks for the con artist. Compassion is one of those traits that can be faked but usually isn’t. The good listener who keeps your confidence may have a compassionate heart. If the person selflessly helps others, that is a good sign they have compassion and can be trusted. Compassion equates to a genuine desire to help others. Genuine compassion is often anonymous and can be seen in people who open doors, pick things up off the ground for people, wave drivers ahead of them, and a thousand other small acts. It’s the small acts that indicate the actual size of a person’s heart and their true thoughts.
RELAXED
A person who is relaxed and confident isn’t likely trying to sell you on the fact that they are a good person. It’s the person who has something to hide who may exhibit signs of anxiousness and anxiety. They could just be socially awkward, and many people are, but if they are trying to get you to do something for them or there is some great urgency that you act right now with them or for them, they are more than likely trying to manipulate you.
SHARED EXPERIENCE
Some of the best relationships start with shared experiences. We are both waiting for our kids or both in a class together, and we strike up a conversation. When you can look at another person and feel connections of shared experience, you both are less apt to take advantage of each other, as you see yourself in them and vice-versa. After a disaster, everyone may be having the same crappy experience of the aftermath, so that’s not a good litmus test of trust. Still, trust is built up over time, so what is your history of shared experiences with the person. Were you both in the military? Did you both work at the same place? Have you been kind neighbors? Did you both buy the same product? Were your kids both in Scouts or school together? Whatever the experience is, the more shared experiences you have, the more you can likely trust the person. They see in you what you see in them.
COMMUNICATOR
Trustworthy people are often good communicators. The trustworthy person knows how to listen. They consider other opinions and aren’t rigidly locked in on their own, but they are also willing to provide their unvarnished opinion about something when asked. They don’t dominate the conversation. They don’t belittle people or use condescension. A good communicator indicates that they are not going to rush to judgment quickly. They are going to give full consideration to things. Note that being a good communicator isn’t just about speaking a lot. It’s about what you say. What is the message behind the words? Is there a motive? If there’s a motive laced in their communication, the person is more self-serving than authentically trustworthy.
LEARNERS
A trustworthy person understands that they don’t have all the answers. They are constantly looking to improve their understanding. They may be asking you questions to gain knowledge and understanding, and they freely answer your questions because they recognize the learning experience as a shared event. They don’t want you to do it for them. They want to learn to do it for themselves.
SHARING
Sharing is caring, as they say. A trustworthy person will often share things they have with no guarantee of receiving anything in return. They don’t consistently ask for their sharing to be reciprocated. They aren’t always looking to gain from their act of giving. The person who shares without requiring anything in return is someone you can trust. Conversely, anyone who comes to you often saying, “Remember when I did this for you…” is someone who sees you more as a commodity or resource.
HELPERS
A trustworthy person is eager to help where they can. They also aren’t very likely to ask for help themselves. Time is a commodity, and the person that is freely willing to give their time when it doesn’t benefit them directly is more than likely someone you can trust not to abuse your time later. They reach out to you because they see and respect your value. Do you have a relationship with someone with whom you are constantly initiating interactions with? Do you trust that person to reach out to you in a crisis? The helper, though, knows you were going through a hard week or a rough experience, and they are the first or only person to lend a hand where they can. Helpers are acting selflessly and are more trustworthy.
During normal times, 36 percent of all Americans eat at a fast food restaurant on any given day. But when 75 percent of the U.S. was under some sort of a “shelter-in-place” order, restaurants have shut down or had to dramatically alter how they conducted business. It’s safe to say that Americans have a heavy dependence on sources of food that can easily disappear during a shutdown or shelter in place order. The people supplying restaurants and agricultural products for store shelves are the field workers. This critical first line in the food supply chain plants, tends, and harvests the crops supplying the stores and food processing plants that manufacture the products for your store shelves.
The second sign of an imminent shortage are the distribution methods and truckers. Much of the food we eat is grown in other countries or travels great distances from the farm or ranch to the table. When borders close and cargo ships can’t get through to major ports, as occurred after the events of 9/11, it’s a sign that grocery stores and food processors will experience a disruption in their production capabilities. At a time when much of the nation’s workforce may be furloughed or sent to work from home, truckers have been deemed “essential” to keeping America rolling. When consumer demand for products skyrocket, this industry can boom, but disruptions to this industry caused by illnesses or the lack of availability of fuel could signal a second wave of food shortages.
Recent lessons have taught us that in a crisis situation, those who are not prepared will stock up on items they “think” they need. Runs on toilet paper are a perfect example of this. While stores were selling out of toilet paper, recently, they were also selling out of boxed meals, beans, rice, flour, bread, eggs, meat, milk, and other essential foods. As social distancing has become a practice, long lines and limits on product purchases have become a reality. Even worse, having to wait in a line with, possibly, asymptomatic shoppers, can put you and your family at risk later on. Is waiting to get food and at the same time exposing yourself to a potential lethal carrier worth the risk?
Without moving to the far extreme of martial law as a result of any civil unrest, it is important to be prepared for periods when you are in lock down, quarantine, or under a “shelter in place” order. Any of those situations are indicators that your ability to obtain food from traditional sources like grocery stores or takeout are no longer going to be feasible.
If you’ve followed our website, you know we’re not here to scare you. The preparation that we talk about is for the exact things we are facing right now globally. Realize, that even in a crisis there are some non-traditional ways to obtain food.
One of the main benefits that a MAG provides is that it can expand the skillsets of the entire group. For example, there’s a doctor in your MAG group, which means he possesses the knowledge and skills related to medical and first aid. These are vital during a disaster since it might not be possible to go to a hospital if you’re injured or sick. Another example is if one member of the group is skilled in carpentry and plumbing. He can be the one to provide help when it comes to doing repair work or building things for the group. It’s impossible to learn and do everything yourself. So being part of a group that can provide different skills and knowledge will be very helpful during a disaster.
Another benefit of having a MAG is that you can focus your preparations more on a particular task or role. Members of MAGs are usually given a designated role or task that they can focus on when preparing for a disaster. This can be helpful since you don’t have to worry too much about other things, as other members of the group are tasked to handle it. For example, you’re part of the committee that is in charge of security and keeping the entire area safe. During a disaster, you just need to focus on your assigned task, as the other things like gathering food and water, and handling inventory, among others, are delegated to other members of the group.
It’s 
Having a MAG will also make it easier for you and your group to 
One of the first things you need to do when you are planning to build a mutual assistance group is to establish clear goals or objectives for the group to follow. This is important since the goal or objective will serve as the foundation that each member will need to follow and abide by to ensure the success of the group. Without this, people won’t even have an idea why the group exists in the first place.
The last thing you need to do once you have members is to establish the different committees that will be in charge of certain tasks and activities. This is simple since you just need to look at the skills and knowledge they possess and then assign them to the appropriate committee.
A trustworthy person is more inclined to be grateful for your assistance or just your presence. They recognize your worth, and they realize that you both are “in it together” when they are with you. They might follow up with you with something you discussed when you were together, like a link to an article or information. They might even bake you a tray of brownies or bring you something from their garden. These are all signs they are grateful for you. They respect and value you. While not a definitive indicator of trust, seeing this trait of gratitude is a more reliable step in building a more profound, trusting relationship with someone.
They confide in you, and they keep your confidence. Confiding in someone makes a person slightly vulnerable. When a person confides in you, it demonstrates that they trust you and want you to be open with them. As a litmus test, though, make sure the person isn’t gossiping or dishing out information about other people to you. If they are, it is highly likely that they will take whatever you tell them and freely tell that to someone else. If they, however, confide in you that they’re worried about a looming disaster, this is your opportunity to start a prepping conversation with them. Maybe confide in them that you share the same concern, and here are a few, not all, of the things you are doing.
A trustworthy person will be consistently the same in their interactions with you. They will also be consistent in all their actions. If they promise to let you know something, they do. If they promise to attend a meeting or event with you and meet you at a particular time, they show up and do what they said. You learn, over time, that they are reliable, and you never suspect that they will let you down.
When you are talking to someone else, what do they say about the person? I will often hear people say, “Oh, that guy is really solid. He’s a good guy.” I hope people say the same about me. When other people say a person is honest, intelligent, reliable, trustworthy, generous, or the like, it is probably true, or you are both being deceived. If a person says that another person is a liar, cheat, self-centered, or mean, you know that the dealings between those two individuals were problematic at best and, at worst, emblematic of traits that should result in your caution. The person you are talking to might just be mean, but maybe, just maybe, they’re showing you a red flag.
As I said earlier, many people can’t be bothered pretending to be genuine. There are too many easier marks for the con artist. Compassion is one of those traits that can be faked but usually isn’t. The good listener who keeps your confidence may have a compassionate heart. If the person selflessly helps others, that is a good sign they have compassion and can be trusted. Compassion equates to a genuine desire to help others. Genuine compassion is often anonymous and can be seen in people who open doors, pick things up off the ground for people, wave drivers ahead of them, and a thousand other small acts. It’s the small acts that indicate the actual size of a person’s heart and their true thoughts.
A person who is relaxed and confident isn’t likely trying to sell you on the fact that they are a good person. It’s the person who has something to hide who may exhibit signs of anxiousness and anxiety. They could just be socially awkward, and many people are, but if they are trying to get you to do something for them or there is some great urgency that you act right now with them or for them, they are more than likely trying to manipulate you.
Some of the best relationships start with shared experiences. We are both waiting for our kids or both in a class together, and we strike up a conversation. When you can look at another person and feel connections of shared experience, you both are less apt to take advantage of each other, as you see yourself in them and vice-versa. After a disaster, everyone may be having the same crappy experience of the aftermath, so that’s not a good litmus test of trust. Still, trust is built up over time, so what is your history of shared experiences with the person. Were you both in the military? Did you both work at the same place? Have you been kind neighbors? Did you both buy the same product? Were your kids both in Scouts or school together? Whatever the experience is, the more shared experiences you have, the more you can likely trust the person. They see in you what you see in them.
Trustworthy people are often good communicators. The trustworthy person knows how to listen. They consider other opinions and aren’t rigidly locked in on their own, but they are also willing to provide their unvarnished opinion about something when asked. They don’t dominate the conversation. They don’t belittle people or use condescension. A good communicator indicates that they are not going to rush to judgment quickly. They are going to give full consideration to things. Note that being a good communicator isn’t just about speaking a lot. It’s about what you say. What is the message behind the words? Is there a motive? If there’s a motive laced in their communication, the person is more self-serving than authentically trustworthy.
A trustworthy person understands that they don’t have all the answers. They are constantly looking to improve their understanding. They may be asking you questions to gain knowledge and understanding, and they freely answer your questions because they recognize the learning experience as a shared event. They don’t want you to do it for them. They want to learn to do it for themselves.
Sharing is caring, as they say. A trustworthy person will often share things they have with no guarantee of receiving anything in return. They don’t consistently ask for their sharing to be reciprocated. They aren’t always looking to gain from their act of giving. The person who shares without requiring anything in return is someone you can trust. Conversely, anyone who comes to you often saying, “Remember when I did this for you…” is someone who sees you more as a commodity or resource.
A trustworthy person is eager to help where they can. They also aren’t very likely to ask for help themselves. Time is a commodity, and the person that is freely willing to give their time when it doesn’t benefit them directly is more than likely someone you can trust not to abuse your time later. They reach out to you because they see and respect your value. Do you have a relationship with someone with whom you are constantly initiating interactions with? Do you trust that person to reach out to you in a crisis? The helper, though, knows you were going through a hard week or a rough experience, and they are the first or only person to lend a hand where they can. Helpers are acting selflessly and are more trustworthy.