Guess what? The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (‘ATF’) has their own version of a Disaster Preparedness plan, or as Preppers say; a plan for when the excrement hits the fan (‘SHTF’).
I don’t intend any disrespect towards the ATF, but, as I read their ‘plan’ it’s clear that they are trying to catch-up with the rear of the ‘preparedness precession’, which in my opinion, has always been led by Preppers from the start.
Megalithic in scope and mass, the slow-moving Government and its various agencies, including FEMA, are trailing well-behind experienced Preppers when it comes to disaster preparedness strategies, planning, know-how and training. In fact, in many ways, they are suffering from their own ‘normalcy bias’. Laden with legacy programs from the cold-war era, FEMA is stuck in first-gear and continues to fail to rise above antiquated thinking, which has no application in regard to the new challenges that America faces today. And it seems like the ATF may be taking notes from them.
Even today (as of this writing), we still see FEMA advising people to have 72 hours-worth of food and supplies as ‘their plan’ for families and individuals. And that might be adequate for some of the short-term disasters; but what about the longer-term disasters that are finally being acknowledged by the Government? Most Preppers have read-up on the events during Katrina and more recently Sandy, which are minor problems compared to a national grid-down event. And even in those geographically localized events, things went poorly.
Will a 72-hour kit work in a large scale disaster? In order to answer that question, we must first fully understand the scope and implications of large-scale disasters, which can be found here.
That said, I keep a 72-hour Kit in my truck! And some of my friends keep one in the trunks of their cars, next to their other goodies. I have been recommending to law-enforcement and fire departments that they also keep a 72-hour Kit in the trunks of their vehicles as well. And why not; they are compact, long-lasting ready-to-use solutions! As first responders, having these supplies may help save lives in some scenarios. But I digress…
My personal recommendation is that Americans keep and maintain a 6-month stockpile of essential supplies at their home-base. Look at it this way; it’s better than a savings account in any disaster. Assuming you could even access your money, how would you use the money during a disaster, even assuming you could spend it? The answer is, you would be trying to buy necessities at super-high premium prices, if any were available. A 6-month stockpile of necessities is a blessing if you should suddenly be out of work for a few months! And in a long-term disaster, the stockpile at-least buys you the time you may need, as well as other similarly prepared people, to get organized and re-established without the stress of severe competition for necessities. And by all means, use your stockpile once it is created. What I am saying is; use it, but don’t deplete it. This means that once you have created your 6-month stockpile, start using the oldest perishable items first and replace them with new inventory. Some foods have limited shelf life, and this tactic keeps your supplies ‘up to date’ and fresh, while allowing you to eat what you like. Essentially, this is what the grocery stores do when they inventory their shelves; they put the newest inventory in the back, so customers buy the older inventory on the front of the shelf. Preppers should use their own supplies in the same manner; oldest first. Of course if you’re one of those poor souls who will be trying to hack it out in a bunker for 6 months (if you can make it to your bunker), I wish you luck. And in that case, where space is very limited, you will not be stockpiling the kinds of foods that can be stored in a large pantry and root-cellar at an off-grid homestead. Instead, you will be limited to compact freeze-dried (K-rations, etc.) type foods.
So what can take our national energy grid off-line (‘grid-down’)?
There are basically three ways the national energy could be taken down; EMP, Solar Event or computer hacking. Two of those possibilities are covered here. The later method, ‘hacking’ was only recently and finally acknowledged by the Government as being legitimate, but only after the news of major high-profile hackings had brought the subject out of the closet.
But what does the ATF’s plan really tell us?
Their press release and plan validates what experienced Preppers have said all along, for a very long time… ‘In a major large-scale crises, there will be uncontrolled looting and violence’, and now they are finally reacting, in the open. We all have seen what amounts to tiny examples of this during past and recent events, but nothing like what would occur in a large-scale disaster. This is a point I have made in past articles because it is of paramount importance if anyone seriously plans to survive such an event. If it’s survival that you’re interested in, then there’s nothing worse than underestimating a threat. The Government’s own EMP Commission has said that 90% of all Americans will be dead within 12 months of the national grid-down disaster. Why get dead, if you don’t need to? The amazing thing to me is this; with all we know about how ugly things would get in a grid-down disaster, the Government is still failing to properly advise its citizens. Why?
This is no time to be hedging-bets or covering-up, or to be suffering from a normalcy bias! If the Government is failing at every level with inadequate advice while also failing to harden key infrastructure, then it’s left to Americans to do what they can for themselves. And nobody has the moral right to criticize the prudent and legal actions of American citizens trying to protect themselves, their families and friends!
Are there solutions that would allow more than 10% of Americans to survive these large-scale disasters? Absolutely! But in order to survive, action must be taken and an effective plan implemented. From my chair, there are basically two choices:
- Becoming a Nautical Prepper: http://www.amazon.com/The-Nautical-Prepper-Survive-Preppers/dp/1612432204
The two videos just below are well worth the time to watch, consider and discuss in concert with the other materials offered herein. Just remember this; if you aren’t properly prepared right now, if things got ugly tomorrow, you will not have time to do anything to change your chances for survival.
Forget ‘Rambo’ styled tactics and movie-star solutions, those will get you dead.
‘Lights Out’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdCaV3ELvsM
- Korea/Iran EMP Attack On America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHG8zcM-jU0
You can read my entire series of articles on survival and disaster preparedness at this link: http://www.survivalbased.com/survival-blog/author/bill/
Being prepared today means, being ready for tomorrow!
Cheers! Capt. Bill
Capt. William E. Simpson II – USMM Ret.
Semper Veritas / Semper Paratus
http://www.WilliameSimpson.com
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6505899/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NauticalPrepper