Being Cool Always Trumps Freaking Out—To Douse the Hair, Just Prepare

Even for optimists, there’s not much to be pleased with these days. Fact is, this is clearly the time to be serious about your preparedness planning and activities.

How much would it take right now to pull down this whole teetering mess and force us to find out the hard way how cooperative, resourceful, and committed to each other Americans really are? (Or would that be committed to "what's mine"?) Clearly, what we have is a plateful of risk, served up flaming hot. But at this point, it’s still just risk. It's NOT the time to be panicking, locking up with worry, or freezing in the spectacle of the growing headlights of the oncoming tractor trailer loaded with trouble Mad Max-style.

No whining, crying or running around with your hair on fire

Right now, it’s enough to recognize that things are getting kind of dicey out there in the world. This is no longer a game of imagining what MIGHT happen IF "such and such" was to happen. Fact is, it may just be that a whole lot of "suches" are jamming up in the doorway right now, needing just the right jolt to come surging through your livingroom.

So what are you doing about it? Watch it unfold in high-def living color? ... or worse yet, maybe blog about it? ;-)
How about instead getting that last big project done that you know you really want completed before things get turned upside down? Or topping off the supplies while you can. Can you think of a better time to do it?

For those who have been quietly, systematically putting aside emergency food and supplies for a while, you're justified in momentarily embracing that twinge of vindication as more and more about economic chaos, food shortages, buyer panic, rumors of war, protests, strikes, riots, and revolutions around the world occupy the headlines.

No one enjoys seeing what is transpiring around the world. Malnutrition and starvation in various populations are still the reality … and circumstances are indicating that may multiply in numbers impacted. There’s a real risk that pain and suffering among millions of innocents is only beginning, given the trickle-down effects of economic collapse, should that come to fruition.

International tensions, political incompetence (or worse), corporate greed, natural disasters, crop diseases, short harvests, water shortages, skyrocketing energy costs, and budding public panic are now colliding in a harsh cacophony that will continue to resonate for years to come.

It’s Late, but Not Too Late

It's all beyond what any individual can impact in a positive way. You can certainly still be community-sensitive, but the important thing to do now is to try to take necessary steps to look out for you and yours. The longer you wait, it becomes exceedingly more difficult and costly.

Prepare by stocking up on good storage food that will keep for decades. Put it away and out of sight. The same with water, purification resources, guns, ammo, precious metals, cash, and whatever else your circumstances require.

Publicly, the responsible approach to the situation before us as a civilization is to economize and conserve limited resources--particularly in the realms of energy and food. Nonetheless, if you have on hand the resources to satisfy and protect your loved ones—you are going to be ahead of the curve.

In wealthier societies such as in the U.S., folks who have done nothing to this point to mitigate their household risks vs. energy crises and runaway food inflation and/or shortages now are in danger of having their backs against the wall. It's a tough way to wake up and to have to just start the journey. If this is you, you likely will want to break into a sprint. Regardless, if you're in that position--do what you can before you can do nothing at all.

For those somewhere else on the preparedness path--just keep on keepin' on. Try to keep your momentum going--nothing more, nothing less.

Whoever you are, whatever you still need to do to get to a satisfactory point of equilibrium for your situation--this rule always applies: Stay Cool.

The Panic Option

Panic will increasingly become the default option. But it never is the smart choice.

Whatever the crisis that presents itself ...

• Stop.
• Take deep breaths.
• Weigh the options.
• Pray.
• Choose wisely.

These days, the smart money is investing literally in preparedness. The crisis preparedness market niche is a cousin of the insurance industry, sharing a common peace-of-mind forebear. We are there for folks to help mitigate some of the risks we all face in an uncertain world. There are never guarantees, but in spite of the ever-present doom-sayers, our world is, all-in-all, a pretty decent and safe place to call home. In a nutshell, don't sweat the little things.

How-To

My single best, always-relevant, practical suggestion for folks new to preparedness:  take decisive steps that are not sole-purpose or specialize for one specific threat, that is unless you have more money than you know what to do with and you have no one else to answer to insofar as how you are spending that superfluous cash.

Examples:

- Buy emergency storage food that is genuinely edible, that you will eat, and that you will enjoy. Make sure it is canned for long-term storage and that the brand and variety is of proven quality. Don't buy stuff that you will have to throw away at some point and replace with more inedible, cheap storage food or grocery store sale items that will spoil quickly ... and surely don't buy stuff that will you will not use before its shelf-life expires. You always will need food ... buy some to store away--stuff that will store well for many years and that you can go and eat and enjoy anytime you need or want to. Did you know that freeze-dried food such as Mountain House will remain delicious and nutritious for many decades? Very true. Mountain House is the number-one choice for those serious about preparedness. It will always be there as a resource for you whenever the need arises, whatever the scenario.

- If you are building a new home or addition and there is some part of you that feels like you ought to have a safe place in your home to go to in the face of threats, then by all means, take advantage of that best-time opportunity to build-in a dual-use safe room or shelter that will protect your family from natural or man-made disaster. Besides serving as an emergency refuge--shelters and saferooms make for ideal storage spaces and even work-spaces or spare bedrooms.

- Do you enjoy the great outdoors? Do you hike or camp? Many of those outdoor pursuits make use of equipment that can double as critically needed gear in the event of disaster. Keep that in mind when you make those recreational purchases, as you may just want to adjust your purchasing decision to cover all your needs.

- How about investing in the means to operate some of the most critical appliances and conveniences in your home in the case of blackout? Most of us have had the experience of having to do without power for some extended period of time, risking the loss of all the food in our refrigerators. A generator (propane powered or diesel or gas powered) can be had for a very reasonable amount of money. Consider also a professionally installed transfer switch in your home that allows for that generator to safely power at least parts of your home. This makes sense for not only shorter-term power outages, but is a life-saver in longer-term crises. Similarly, solar and wind solutions are becoming more economical, practical and available.

The list goes on and on. The main point here is—it’s time to approach preparedness logically, calmly. Be serious about the need, but try not to get too worked up about any particular threat of the hour as yet. The risks are many, but your opportunity to mitigate those risks is still before you.

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com