Pacific Ring Of Fire:

Flash News: The Yellowstone Caldera has just erupted: you have 3 To 5-Hours before the ash clouds arrive.

• All air traffic is grounded.
• The transportation industry has just came to screeching halt.
• Major manufacturers have temporarily shut-down their operations.
• Retail stores across the country begin sending their workers home.
• Small business owners close their doors—some forever.
• The State National Guard has been activated to protect critical infrastructure.
• FEMA declares an impending national emergency.
• Utility companies slowly begin to shut down the grid to “Non-Essential” customer, or face loosing transformers.
• Cell-Phone Service providers and wireless carriers temporarily shut down their towers.
• All Fire Fighters, Police officers, EMT’s, and First Responders are called-in for extended operations.
• Grocery Stores and Super-Markets are immediately flooded with throngs of panic-buyers. The shelves are emptied.
• Schools and Universities send students home, and lock the doors.
• Surplus and Outdoors Stores sell out of survival food and gas masks.
• Gas Stations do a record business as generator fuel is snapped-up by panicked buyers--Fuel Tanks are drained.
• Fearing collapse; Banks limit the amount their customers can withdraw—Long lines outside of each banking center.
• Hardware stores do record business—then immediately close their doors.
• Ammunition prices triples as stocks dwindle and then disappear altogether.

 

1-Hour Before The Ash Clouds Arrive:

• The Governor orders all non-essential agencies and departments to shut down.
• Financial Systems suspend trading, worldwide stocks plunge.
• Banks and ATM’s are shutdown.
• Water and Sewage companies are forced to shut-down their system in an effort to protect the pumps.

 

Survival Perspective:

• Ash covers everything up to a depth of three feet.
• Seasonal rains mix with the volcanic ash; creating “ashcrete”.
• Buildings collapse.
• Utility poles buckle.
• Road surfaces become dangerously slick.
• Respiratory illnesses triple.
• Eye contamination injuries on the rise.
• Stalled cars and trucks clog inner-city traffic flow.
• Household and Family pets choke to death inhaling the ash particulates.
• Power and Telephone lines snap.
• Computer systems not protected overheat and start fires.
• Household air filters quickly clog. Furnace and AC units overheat and fail.
• Residential fires spread quickly.
• Water mains fail—supply terminated.
• Stream, ponds, and rivers are contaminated with ash. Thousand of marine life die.
• Birds, rodents, and other animals suffer—many perish.
• Nuclear Winter has set-in.
• Catastrophic Crops failure is imminent.
• Ambient temperatures quickly drop—the agricultural industry fails.
• Jails and Prisons manned by a limited number of Correctional Staff; Uprising occurs, streets flooded with thugs.

Two Weeks After Eruption:

• Police unable to quell rising tide of violence.
• Theft, robberies, home-invasions out of control.
• State Governor tells citizens to “Deal With It” as necessary.
• FEMA establishes “Food Distribution Centers”; it takes hours to get an MRE and drinking water.
• Vigilante Justice becomes a harsh reality.

 

 

What’s Your Plan…?

 

 

Can you live off the land now?

Can you hunt, trap, or fish during all of this?

Can you protect what is yours all by yourself?

Do you have enough food, water, and supplies to last three months?

Do you have a network of friends that you can count on?

Can you generate your own electricity?

Do you have generator fuel stockpiled?

Have you thought about generator spare parts, air and oil filters, spark plugs, motor oil, belts and such?

Do you have a means to communicate with others?

How will you cook your meager food supplies?

Do you have enough toilet paper stockpiled?

How will you deal with sewage in your house?

Do you have the means and equipment to decontaminated water?

Do you have the skills necessary to treat an upper-respiratory illness due to ash inhalation?

What happens when your medical prescription runs out?

 

 

BUT

 

 

You Look Out The Window

…

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

It’s Starting To Snow Outside Now…

 

( Things Just Took Another Radical Left Turn! )

 

 

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Survival vs. Sustainability

The biggest quandary out there in the survival world is trying to decide what to do, when to do it, and how to get it done.

But sometimes I think that some survivalists have a tendency to eat the desert before the dinner. By that I mean, there’s so much work being put into sustaining life AFTER an event, that little thought is given to actually surviving the event itself.

When a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or tsunami strikes, the last thing that people are going to be worrying about is what’s gonna’ happen tomorrow. They are going to be focused on getting through the horrific events staring them right in their face—Survival.

Survival means getting out of harms way, having a survival plan in place, and the tenacity to carry it out.

Sustainability comes into play when the immediate danger has passed, and the focus is on a long term solution to the problems created by the event.

The survival movement is blessed to have so many knowledgeable people within it’s ranks. People from around the globe are preparing for the end in many different ways. Some are prepping by storing large quantities of food; others by honing their primitive survival skills. Both are vital in nearly any crisis event. They go hand in hand like twin sisters.

In a reality based survival scenario; the primary function should always be to save lives. The continuation of the individual or family should be the upper priority. This comes about as a result of meticulous planning, and ardently clinging to the the fundamental understanding that life can be swept away in a blink of an eye. All preparations should then be directed towards that one single goal: Saving Lives.

Knowing how to trap animals, build fires, or set-up a bush shelter does little good when humanity has all but been erased from the face of the globe. Even on a local scale; the immediate concern should be directed towards sustaining one’s life until the next sun rise.

Taking this, one step closer to reality; it’s easy to see that without a survival plan that takes into account the immediate threats; there’s little hope of making it through the night unless preparations have been undertaken:

• Over-The-Horizon / Advance Warning Capability
• Reliable Emergency Alert / Notification System
• Bullet-Proof Radio Communications Network
• Evacuation Routes that have been identified, marked, and traveled—as well as many other alternate routes.
• Rally Points, as well as alternate meet-up areas.
• Supply Caches that provide essential food, gear, clothing, and other equipment, in case family members arrive with only the clothes on their backs.
• Provisions for medical treatment.
• Convoy Security Preparations.
• Established Safe Areas able to sustain everyone in the family or group.
• Plans for Long Term sustainability such as food, fuel, security, and the perpetuity of the family or group.

 

The most important element is to understand that doing this alone is foolish. In a worst case scenario, there will be people out there that will not hesitate to take another’s life for a can of beans. People that are unprepared for this eventuality will suddenly find themselves facing well-armed violent people, or small bands of thugs. Being alone out there places everyone in the family in immediate danger. At some point, mistakes will be made, the survival camp will be found, and the reality of not taking the time to counter this threat will be driven home in a hail of bullets. Aloneness is a quaint idea, but being alone out there when SHTF is a deadly situation that cannot be minimized or ignored.

Imagine a world where everything just went “Deep South”; and society has all but collapsed. Imagine yourself trying to live off the land to feed the family and keep them safe. Your life will be in constant danger. Other survivalists and criminals will be doing the exact same thing that you are doing. Building campfires to smoke fish, setting up traps and snares, or shooting the survival guns—will alert others to your presence. Don’t make the stupid assumption that you alone can hold off a small band of armed thugs. Outnumbered and outgunned, it’s very likely that you will either be driven away from your camp, or killed outright in the ensuing gun battle. I don’t care what kind of training that you have, or how many guns you are carrying around; the reality is that you are not Rambo, and this situation isn’t Hollywood.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Minimizing these stark realities is a recipe for certain death. In the world of survivalism, a clear distinction must be made between survival and sustainment. Entertaining these morbid fantasies of heading to the woods and living off the land indefinitely may work for a time. But given human nature, and the violent tendencies of some people, it will be almost impossible to maintain the “Jeremiah Johnson” lifestyle in the way that many foolishly believe will offer them a sense of well-being and protection.

The first moment that a firearm is discharged, the resounding shot will echo across the miles; alerting everyone to your presence. Consequently; building primitive shelters, and laying out a trap line will be a viable solution after SHTF, but not during the event itself. The vast majority of people will be heading to the hills the moment that they are frightened enough by the crisis. Some of these people will be less than prepared. At some point, it is inevitable that their food supply will run out. Faced with the slow death of starvation; there should be no doubt what will necessitate their next actions. Reality dictates that they will at some point, find other hungry-starving people just like themselves. The situation has doubled in terms of danger, and the consequences is that survivalist will be facing not one or two thugs, but potentially several thugs that are rich in firepower and ammunition. This is a situation that must be avoided at all cost. The initial planning, and the gear that is utilized during the Bug Out phase will determine your chances of discovery.

It’s important to understand the basic and fundamental elements that will decide the fate of survivalists and their families. Over-reliance on technologies, and piss-poor planning will spell doom. Might as well stay at home and ride out the storm where there’s some level of familiarity and comfort. Out there in the deep woods you are alone, without help, and depending entirely upon your own skills and instinct. But—there are other people out there that have more experience, better gear and guns, and they might very well have some of their friends with them. Some of the people are former military, or life-long hunters that are used to stalking their prey. It might even end-up being an entire family roaming the woods. Some of the people that I have known for years are “Good Old’ Boys” from Dixie that grew-up in the woods. Trailing you back to camp, or sneaking up on you--is not going to be a problem for them. They’ve been doing that for years, and years.

Walk Quiet, and Sleep Light; are two key phrases that must be intuitively understood. Minimal gear, extra food and water, well planned routes, and a well-defined survival plan are the keys to surviving a SHTF scenario. Bringing your family along on this journey will add to the stress, burden, and responsibility that must be faced.

 

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