When it all falls apart, things are going to get bad! With the current Stock Market crashes in the news as well as North Korea & Russia rattling their sabers, one can’t help but wonder what lies in the near future for all of us. China’s economy is on the verge of collapse and experts are predicting that America is not far behind. Add to that the civil unrest and racial divide that President Obama has cultivated and you can easily see that we are now setting on a powder keg and the fuse has already been lit. All we can do at this point is to wait for the explosion and prepare the best we can. The question on everyone’s mind right now seems to be “What can we expect when it happens?” While I have no crystal ball, I do have the internet and I can see what is happening in other countries that have already succumbed to the very fate that we now face here in the US. This is the subject of today’s post.
While things have been going downhill here in the US for a while, but it really feels like it is picking up speed and getting worse by the day. Add to this the 2016 presidential candidates that are openly calling for gun control and you have a recipe for disaster just waiting to happen, but just what can we realistically expect in our future? What areas should we concentrate on? To try to answer these and other questions, let’s look at the examples that are going on right now in the world and what they can teach us. With both China and the US’s economies on the verge of collapse, we should look at a country that has already had their economy collapse and what they are facing. To see this, we need to look no further than Venezuela’s situation as their Economies have collapsed recently as a result of Socialist government policies. To say that their situation is dire would be an understatement. When their economy first collapsed, they were told by their president that everything will be fine and that there were no food shortages. He promised the people who their government would save them… does that sound familiar? Needless to say, they haven’t. I recently read an article on the current situation in Venezuela and what they are going through. People are forced to wait in long lines just to have any hope of getting basic supplies such as rice and milk. One lady I read about waited in line from 3 AM till the store closed the next day and was forced to go home empty-handed. People have begun looting and killing for what they need to survive. Many of them are down to eating 2 small meals or less a day. The children are hungry and suffering. There is no food, there is no work, and their money is worthless. … This is what an economic collapse looks like; this is what we can look forward to. You can read more about Venezuela‘s plight (HERE).
This is why it is so important to store up as many supplies as possible. Food basics such as flour, sugar, wheat, oats and beans should be stored by the 5 gallon buckets and you need to build up as much as you possibly can. You need to be ready for an extremely long period of time where all food and basic supplies will be almost impossible to get. Something else to consider is that when people are starving, the government will not be concerned with supplying things such as toilet paper or feminine supplies for the masses. I would suggest that you add these to your supply list as well.
The second part of this is civil unrest, whether it is racial, religious, or political, it is coming and we need to be ready for it. In Venezuela people are outside all day either waiting in lines, protesting or scavenging for food for themselves and their families. Looters are everywhere and they are not just going after businesses, they are going after anyone that they believe may have what they need or something they can trade for what they need. Violence is running rampant and people who were not prepared are at the will of those that are armed, whether it is a knife, a gun, or a baseball bat. Without a way to defend yourself, you are pretty much screwed. The police are so overwhelmed that they can do little about it and the thugs know this, so they are taking full advantage of it.
You need to be aware that these types of situations will happen here in the US, and the only thing you can do is to prepare for it. You will need to have a place where you can defend yourself and your supplies. This is extremely important as in this type of situation, you only have what you can defend and no matter how many preps you have, if you can’t defend them…. then you have nothing! Now I know there will be some who will think that this can never happen here in America, but the people of Venezuela thought the same thing. They just didn’t believe that this could happen in the civilized world we now live in, but it did, and it can happen here as well. China or one of the EU countries will probably be the next to fall, but when it does, it will start a domino effect that will cause the US to follow suit in short order. When this happens, only the prepared will be in a position to deal with what lies ahead. Everyone should read about what is going on in Venezuela right now, because this is reality and it is happening right now. Once the thin veneer of civilization gives way to hunger, then all of the rules, as well as most of your rights will go out the window. Don’t let yourself become one of those poor desperate people who are caught without supplies or not enough supplies when the time comes.
Well I guess that is about it for this post and I hope I have given you something new to think about and maybe a few new places to find information on exactly we can expect when SHTF hits as well as how to prepare for it. Until next time, just remember that prepping is not a destination, but rather a direction of travel!
-The Sargent-
