Prepare

Preparing for the Worst

The question I am asked most often is this: "If what you're saying is true, it's obvious that I need to do something to protect myself and my family, but I don't know where to start. Can you help?" This section is the answer. It covers the household basics that every government is now recommending, and the longer work of living less dependent on a system that may not hold.

As John F. Kennedy said, the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. Whatever you believe about what is coming, do not rely on your government to save you. The preparation is the same either way.

Why are governments suddenly telling people to prepare?

Within a few weeks the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland told their households to keep emergency supplies, joining the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and France. Reports count 33 countries. We keep the table of what every country said, how long to prepare for and when, and our own view of where it leads is on the World War III pages.

Four things to do this week

  1. Turn on emergency alerts in your phone's settings and sign up for your county's alert system.
  2. Pick one out-of-town contact and tell everyone in the household to text that person if you are separated.
  3. Buy two weeks of water, one gallon per person per day, and two weeks of food that needs no cooking.
  4. Take out some cash in small bills. Card readers and cash machines stop with the power.

The full plan, both kit lists and a printable checklist are on the emergency preparedness guide.

The guides

Start hereEmergency preparedness guideThe four-step household plan, the 72-hour go-bag, the two-week home supply, how you will be warned, and how to leave a city. In the newsWhy governments are telling citizens to prepareWhat 33 countries have told their households, how long to stock for, and when, with a source for every row. Nuclear disasterStay or go, the first hour, shelter, fallout, water and food. The most complete civilian guide outside government sites. Power outageThe first hour, food and water, staying warm or cool, generator rules, medicines and phones, and the two-week supply. Survival mindsetHow a prudent person thinks before and during a crisis, so that the plan gets followed when it matters. Money in a crisisCash, payment outages, debt, a reserve, and what to keep in hand rather than in an account. Health and medicinePrescriptions, the medicine cabinet, first aid, and staying well when help is far away. Staying in contact and privateTexts over calls, radios, offline maps, and what to keep off the internet. Your household and neighborsWhy the people around you are the best preparation of all, and how to organize them. Reading listThe books behind this site, with a preparedness shelf. Free reportThe Police State Road Map201 pages on where the pressure on ordinary life is heading, free to download.

If you live in a city

In a large city, roads, transit and phone networks can jam within hours of a major event, and not knowing what comes next is the hardest part. If you live in a city, decide now what would make you leave, where you would go, and which roads you would take. The emergency preparedness guide has the plan: the trigger, the destination, three routes, a half-full tank and fuel stored safely.

If nothing ever happens, you will have spent a few hours and a little money, and you will have peace of mind. If something does, those few hours may make the difference between life and death for you and your family. In short, begin developing a mindset of independent living.