With earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear disasters, tornadoes, volcanoes erupting, flooding, unrest in the Middle East and just today a tornado ripping through the airport in St. Louis, is anywhere safe?
Economies are failing, governments are being toppled, millions are out of work, house prices in many countries are plummeting, and despite the media trying to have us believe that we are on the way to recovery, the writing is on the wall that our structures are crumbling. As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, as food prices continue to skyrocket, we are going to see more violence and more civil unrest. When the food begins to run out, thats when we are going to see the escalation of events.
What can you do, if anything to protect yourself?
First, dont be lulled into a false sense of
security. Dont think that because in your corner of the world nothing disastrous has happened so far, that you wont be affected by these world events. Be willing to look at this unpleasant reality. That is your first step. Dont bury your head in the sand and pretend its all going to go away.
Take a long hard look at your situation. If you feel uneasy about where you are living, see what options you have to move location. If you are living close to a coastal area, you might want to consider moving to higher ground. If you do not have the resources to buy somewhere, you may want to see if you can find a place you can go to in an emergency.
If you havent done so already, build up a store of water, canned goods, dried foods, paper goods, medicines, a first aid kit and a bag filled with necessities including some water in case you are asked to evacuate where you are living. Make sure you include copies of important documents. If you have important information on your computer, print out hard copies of everything just in case you cannot access your data at a later time.
Think about ways in which you can be more self-sufficient. Can you get a solar backup charger for your mobile phone? Could you buy a small solar panel to recharge small electrical items including your laptop? Look into different ways in which you can save energy, if for no other reason than you will be saving money as the price of power is rising exponentially.
Dont share information about yourself with people you dont know very well. Say as little as possible about your situation, your habits, your finances, your relationships. Dont write anything personal about yourself on the internet. The less people know about you, the less vulnerable you will be.
Learn how to entertain yourself without having a computer or a mobile phone. Imagine the possibility of a world without power or computers. The governments of several countries have shut down the internet and there are still millions of people in Japan without power, so it is not improbable that we could be without the internet altogether. Try to imagine how you would react. What can you do now to prepare yourself for such an eventuality?
These are uncertain and scary times. You might want to learn some practical skills that could help you in case you are cut off for weeks, maybe months or more. Learn about the foods and herbs that are indigenous to your region. Study the medicinal properties of local plants.
The more steps you can take towards self-sufficiency the better equipped you will be if a disaster hits your part of the world. You will be stronger and more able to help others if the unthinkable happens.
