The hordes of zombies are gathering as the US Government announces that it’s no longer capable of paying its debts. The dollar is heading straight down in value. Panicked, soon to be zombies rush to their local banks to get money while it’s still worth something. Banks close their doors as they run out of cash to cover withdrawals. Food distribution comes grinding to a halt as stores run out of the 2-day supply they have on hand. Gasoline goes to 6 dollars a gallon as supplies disappear. People flee the city in huge herds, mindlessly seeking any kind of safety. Within twenty four hours, the police are overwhelmed as the battles begin in the streets.
You of course haven’t noticed any of this as you’ve been on PSN or Xbox Live. You get your first inkling of trouble brewing when the tear gas starts seeping through your window and the flames reflect on the walls.
Gee… this would have been a good time to have some preps at home so you may have to hunker down for awhile.
For those of you that are thinking that this might be overstating possible events and that this could never happen to your country now would be a good time for you to go to Zerohedge and take a look at some of the articles on the site. I only need to point out that one of the countries in the European Union going under could cause a derivatives meltdown that makes 2007/2008 look like a picnic. So let’s discuss what anyone needs to ride out a short to midterm disaster where you’re trapped within the confines of your home.
First, you need water. In many locations, water is moved by power applied to a city’s system of wells. What happens if the power goes out? You need water to survive. No water, you’re done in three days. Most people will join the ranks of the zombie before that. You need to have at least two full weeks supply of water on hand. Properly cleaned out milk jugs make great storage containers and you can treat the water before you cap them for storage. I cannot emphasize enough that this is your most important prep item. If you do not have a large water supply nearby (like I do), and a strapping son to carry water back as you cover them with a rifle (check), you need to have it on hand.
Food is the next item up. I’m going to depart a bit from conventional wisdom at this point and state that food is rather up to you. In our stash, I have long term items, canned goods, freeze dried items, as well as things like 16 cases of Top Ramen in various flavors.(that’s right, cases of 24) Why stuff like that? I can pick up a case of that for under four dollars. The idea of food storage is not to have food that you can’t use all the time and that you can rotate frequently. I’ve also gone for foods that have quick prep times and can be made with a minimum of fuss. The foods that you choose is totally up to you, but you need to have at least three months of storable foods on hand. Don’t rush out and buy this at once. Build up your supply when you go shopping. Also remember that any extra is better than no food. I also heavily recommend that you buy storable food that doesn’t require refrigeration in case that pesky power goes out.
Now to items that are extra’s but I have in our doom stash:
Little bottles of alcohol make great trade and bribery items. If you think this is silly, I encourage you to visit some of the sites that talk about the economic collapse in Argentina in 2001. You still think the police are your friend? Read those and come back and talk to me.
Non lethal weaponry is a fantastic addition to any prep stash. Pepper streamers, Foamers, stun guns, tasers, and others like them add a deterrent factor to zombies that decide that your food and water should be their food and water. A stream of pepper to blind em, 5.3 million volts to the sternum, and then a proper introduction to a American Zombie on why the rest of the world loves soccer. Why waste a bullet? Especially when you can’t buy them anymore.
Preparing your mind and body is also very important. In this type of situation, you may be called to defend yourself and your loved ones (PS3 or Xbox for you gamers) in ways that you’ve never had to before. Your minds need to be shifted into a more aware state of your surroundings. While some people pull together during disasters, others WILL move to get what they think is theirs. You need to learn to recognize signs that show that you could be in trouble. A great resource for getting you to think differently is the book, Tactical Edge. You should be able to find it on Amazon or Ebay. This used to be a must read for folks who were Police back in the 80’s and 90’s. Just reading it will get you thinking a new way.
Now preparing your body requires that you get up and start using it. Getting outside and walking around is a great start. With that under your belts, you can look at local courses offered in your areas for self defense or hand to hand combat. If you have it in your area, take Hanagah. Your goal with these is to survive and ensure that the other person or persons don’t come after you.
I won’t get into weapons that kill at this time. Everyone has an opinion on what the best type you need is. I myself have a preference that might surprise you. Suffice it to say that if you want a sidearm or rifle, get one. Just make sure that you have the capability to continue using it if you can’t get ammo for it anymore.
In part 4, we’ll discuss long term preps or “Apocalypse for Gamers.”
