The sky is falling! Humans have been fascinated for a millennium of the possibility that the end of the world as we know it will come to pass. In reality, it is probable that the end of life on earth will happen. There are many potential threats out there that under the ‘right’ circumstances can destroy us in the blink of an eye.
So is it feasible for a newbie prepper to even plan for such an event taking place? The answer is yes. As a responsible prepper, one always has to hold on to hope in the face of any adversity one might encounter. If the worst should occur, at least you can go out knowing you tried your best.
With that premise, I began to research how may one begin to prep for doomsday. According to my findings, the following steps should be taken to properly prepare you and your family for such a horrific event:
- Mental and Spiritual Preparation
- Identify Potential Doomsday Scenarios
- Deciding to Hunker Down or Evacuate
- Collect Doomsday Supplies and Gear
- Implement the Doomsday Plan
- Practice and Revise the Plan
But as they say, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong. This is a crucial point. Your plans and strategies must be dynamic and able to adapt to unknown factors that may arise or you may find yourself and family with little to no options. You could never go wrong with having additional survival plan that can help you get it all together. Click here to get this plan now.
Gaining the Mental & Spiritual Edge
If you talk to the average person about doomsday, their usual first reaction is to think that you are crazy or misguided. The truth of the matter is that because of all the media and noise on the radio or big screen, many have been lulled into what is called normalcy bias. Often called the ostrich effect. Normalcy bias is the underestimating or the refusal to believe that any real disaster may exist since it has never happened. Therefore, it will never occur.
So with this ill-conceived notion, most people will fail to act or react when faced with pending danger. You can already conclude what most likely will happen to such individuals. You can look back in history and see the consequences of those who refused to see. Fortunately, you are the one who is aware that such disasters may occur without warning and without mercy.
Sadly, when talking to family members or close friends, even those within your inner circle, this may result in them simply dismissing or ignoring you. Your ideas thus fall on deaf ears. With all of this rejection, you may feel alone and helpless. I should know, it initially happened to me.
But, if your resolve is strong enough to move forward and make the necessary preparations and planning for the many possible catastrophic events, in fact, you may find purpose, and the needed inner strength to get everything into place, not only for yourself but for those who you love and cherish.
In my experience, I made many of the necessary arrangements without my spouse. Since I made these preparations without her knowledge, I proceeded slowly taking the path of least resistance. I implemented baby steps starting with researching, planning, organizing all the essential preparations which would not be so overt as to raise panic or concern. Unless there was an actual doomsday situation, my family would not truly see the benefits from the fruits of my work at the beginning.
To tell you the truth, I hoped they never would need to know. Eventually, my loved ones began to recognize and appreciate my efforts. Through hurricanes and floods, my level of preparedness was evident. It took, however, a reasonable amount of time. Nearly a decade later, my family members and even some friends have begun to approach me and in some cases participate in preparing for the possibility of an upcoming disaster. It is through patience, understanding, and diligence in preparation that those close to you may come to see the need. Most importantly, is to never lose sight of your goals and to keep the faith that this path will lead to safety.
Whether you are a person of faith or not, there are those who believe it is a spiritual or universal obligation and duty to prep for any and all types of calamities. Throughout our human existence, man has expressed these thoughts in their teaching and quotes. For example;
- “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.”
- “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
- “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
- “There’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”
There is historical evidence to suggest the societal need for prepping. Whole civilizations have either continued or ended due to their lack of having planned for the worst. But, one cannot rely on others to provide the essentials you and your family will need. So it is a moral responsibility to do all that is in your power to have as much planning and preparation when and if the time comes to act. For when the time comes you should only have to hope, wish or pray for the best.
Potential TEOTWAWKI Scenarios
There are numerous events that can cause the demise of humans. Some are man-made, others are natural. I developed a list of many of the potential life-changing to ending scenarios that may or will occur. Although there are some events that can lead to a “Mad Max” world, the ones I cover below, as stated by experts, are potentially what is called “total killers.” In no particular order, the threats are;
- Nuclear Disaster/War
This threat is very real. The bombs of today are 1000’s of times more powerful than the first one dropped on Japan. There are scientific predictions to say there is a five percent chance this will happen during the next 100 years. - Pandemic
H1N1, SARs, and The Plague are but a few of the many bacterias and viruses that can infect the world population to annihilation. The likelihood that one single virus or bacteria will end us is extremely remote. According to some scientists, it would have to be a strain that could infect the whole population within a week or so. If not, our body’s immune system would eventually find a way to overcome it. - Supervolcanic Eruption
There have been mass eruptions in earth’s past, enough lava and ash have erupted into the atmosphere to cause mass extinction events. However, in modern times, according to geologists, no volcanoes currently exist with the potential magnitude of such destruction. According to the experts, the media has misused the phrase supervolcanic eruption to mean any large size volcano. The chance of an earthquake unzipping the worlds fault system is negligible. - Magnetic Pole Shift
This is similar to what occurs when you bring two magnets of the same polarity together. They push part. So it is possible that the surface of the earth will move away from each other so much that the crust moves to the opposite side. This would cause a close to 100 percent destruction and end of life for humans. However, estimates predict this ever occurring to be about 1 to 2 percent in our lifetime. - Asteroid/Comet Collision
Scientists have been monitoring the celestial bodies that are moving around in outer space for decades. Closely monitored is the rock debris that is at least 460 feet wide. Rocks this size if they hit earth, would cause total devastation. According to officials, there is no imminent threat from such an event for at least the next 100 years. - Outer Space Alien Invasion
One automatically thinks of little green men when discussing visitation from outer space creatures. In this case, however, we are talking about microbes that might land by an asteroid or returning astronauts after a space mission. It is possible for some organism to survive the trip from outer space attached to a spacecraft and land on a predator-free environment. Who knows the consequences that may have upon human populations. Scientists and astronauts take every precaution to minimize such a threat. However, it is not one hundred percent. By the way, a hostile little green men visitation is very possible. Some think they are already here. - Algae Apocalypse
There is a possibility that “killer” algae can emerge to “gas” humans to death. Scientists at CalTech have been studying this and say there is a remote chance that a mutated form of algae can arise. Diatoms, a microscopic form of algae, break down water to release hydrogen and oxygen gases into the atmosphere. It is conceivable that a mutant strain might prefer to pick salt rather than water. It, therefore, would separate salt to release chlorine gas which is poisonous to all living things. This might sound far-fetched but it has happened in earth’s past about 2.3 billion years ago. - Climate Change
Temperature over the entire earth would rise or fall having a devastating effect upon all living creatures. These changes could cause extreme and intense weather phenomena, rising or falling sea levels and changing the earth’s landscape. There are those who believe that these changes are due to the burning of fossil fuels while others say it is a natural process experienced throughout history. But, over the next 200 years, there’s a 5 percent chance that the impacts of climate change will end our existence. - Supernova Explosion
It is conceivable that a massive supernova may eject dangerous levels of gamma and cosmic rays into our solar system. This is one of the most powerful natural forces known. It would have catastrophic effects on both the living and the earth’s biome. The chance of being bombarded by such an event is extremely remote. The nearest threat is about 33 light years away, too far to do any real damage. - Artificial Intelligence Revolt
For those who have seen the movie”Terminator”, understand this threat too well. According to experts, there is a one in 1oo chance that AI would rise and eliminate humans from existence. However, there are those who also believe that this advanced technology and supercomputers can benefit humankind and help pave the way for bettering our lives and help maintain life on our planet. - Human Population Demise
There is a theory among mathematicians that states there is a finite number of humans that can ever exist. By their calculations, human’s have crossed the halfway point on the human timeline. So they suggest since there have been 70 billion people since the beginning of time, there will only be a total of 1.7 trillion humans according to mathematical formulas. But don’t be too overly concerned, it will be another 10,000 years before that maximum number is reached. - Man-Made Black Holes
It is in the laboratory where physicists have been attempting to reproduce a miniature version of a black hole. A black hole is a part of space in which no gravity nor matter can escape. Anything that gets too close to it causes that object to be sucked into and never to return. Such an attempt to create a microscopic size black hole is being made in the CERN laboratory. They state that when applying Einstein’s theory of relativity to the experiments it is impossible for a black hole to be created. I guess only time will tell.
After reviewing these potential life-ending examples, it seems preposterous that any sane person would ever think of not preparing for these events. I doubt in my lifetime I will experience any of them but just in case a general emergency preparation and planning always be considered, You and your family may not face any one of the calamities mentioned above, but let me assure you, there are plenty of other life-altering events that are within the realm of possibilities. FEMA commercials and readiness propaganda exist and are aired quite regularly during times of hurricanes, tornados, flooding, forest fires and all recommend a family emergency plan.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Depending on the type of doomsday disaster, you will need to make the decision if it is best to just stay securely at your current location or to evacuate. In some cases, however, this decision will be made for you. But if you should hunker down you want to think about the following key words of advice according to expert James Wesley Rawles;
Hunkering Down
- You need to secure a water supply that will provide at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. You must have redundant ways of filtering a questionable water source. Remember if you do not have water, within three days you will die!
- The plan should be to have 6 months supply of food stored. Comfort food is a must, especially for younger kids. You also want to include vitamin supplements. Fuel is a must if you intend to cook. Keep ABC fire extinguishers on hand.
- Without running water, sewage becomes a problem. You might have to make plans to store your waste if you live in an apartment. A redundancy plan is to have a compost toilet or buckets with a large supply of lime may suffice. Learn how to dispose of waste by looking up videos online.
- Living in a cold region can be a serious matter. Having a small heater or lots of candles to keep warm can be a matter of life or death. Fuel is a must if you intend to cook. Be aware of ventilation and removal of any fire hazards. You want to have battery powered smoke detectors.
- Securing your location is extremely important. Finding ways to barricade all possible entryways is a must. You need readily available self-defense weapons to use for protection.
- Be vigilant and alert. Try to keep informed. Exercise to stay limber and physically ready especially if you need to evacuate.
The decision to stay should not be a knee-jerk reaction. Rather, you want to be keeping abreast to the goings on around your community, state and federal response to your potentially apocalyptic crisis. But one needs to know the signs. From various sources, these are the signs that might signal it’s time to leave bug out:
The Signs to Leave
- Grocery store’s shelves are noticeably and consistently empty of foodstuff.
- Notice prominent business, political and celebrity leaders missing from the public eye.
- Failure of emergency response services to provide needed assistance to the public.
- A major movement of troops and police forces in urban areas.
- Consistent rolling “black” or “brown” outs throughout urban or rural areas.
- An official declaration of emergency measures taken by local, state and or federal government and law enforcement.
- Continuous media coverage of national and local disturbances, arrests or terrorist activity on a mass scale.
- Inability to withdraw funds from atm machines or banks. Bank closures without warning locally and nationally.
- Medical care facilities warned to anticipate a higher volume of mass casualties.
- Mass political and economic turmoil overseas.
- The breakdown in the delivery system (e.g. trailer trucks) of food, merchandise, and fuel.
- Recall of foreign embassy personnel and ambassadors.
- Political leaders at the federal government level drop out of sight for a period of time.
- Authorities restricting citizens from relocating to another region or foreign country
- Restrictions or limitations on changing your money into a foreign currency
It will probably be multiple or a combination of the above-mentioned signals within a few weeks that you will need to make the decision to either move out to a more sustainable, defensible and safer retreat or stay and fortify your current location. Where you go is another point of discussion.
Bugging Out
Whether it is best to stay or leave your home is a matter of your threat assessment. Fernando Aguirre, who lived through Argentina’s tumultuous economic crisis of 2001, shares his insights on determining when bugging out is best. According to Aguirre, bugging out does not exclusively mean escaping into the boondocks to live off the land as a solitary bare-knuckle survivalist.
It is most likely you will gather your family and move to a predetermined safe location such as another friend or families house. Usually, this is because there is strength in numbers. You have extra hands to prepare and set up all necessary preparations for a period of time.
However, depending on the severity of the doomsday threat, moving a long distance or abroad may be the only best solution. However, this decision would probably need to be made within days. Unless you have some legal right to be travel (have property in another state or passport of another country), you may not have an option to leave. State and international borders might be closed.
You and your family might even be forced into a refugee or detention center. Therefore, It is essential to plan way ahead of time when and where you will go. So it is without saying, you want to and need to recognize the signs around you ahead of time before it’s too late.
Better to Have Then to Have Not
Whether you decide to ‘Bug In” or Bug Out,” there are basic emergency preparedness gear and supplies you want to have. These are the categories and some basic example items you want to consider that works for either staying put or escaping ;
- Shelter and Clothing
Blanket, Tarp, Work Gloves, Poncho, Emergency Bivy, Socks, Gloves, Long Sleeve Shirt, Pants, Underwear, Bandana, Sleeping Bag
- Fire/Light
Waterproof Lighter, Waterproof Matches, Matches & Striker, Headlamp, Firestarter, Flashlight w Batteries, Gas Canister
- Information/Documents
Birth certificates, Passports, Immunization records, Cash (in a variety of small bills), Legal documents (Will, Power of Attorney, Trust, etc.), All necessary medical information (prescriptions, etc.), Documentation involving military and church, Marriage certificates, Adoption papers (if applicable), Current photographs of family members, Insurance Documents, Financial Documents, Waterproof Paper & Pen/Pencil, Survival Guides
- Signaling/Communication
Whistle, Two-Way Radio, Walkie Talkie, CB, Mini Ham Radio, Band Radio, Mirror - Navigation
Compass, Map (with premarked various escape routes), GPS, Wrist Watch - Water
Purification Tablets, Filter Water Bottle, Portable Water Filter, Powdered Electrolyte & Flavoring, Extra Purified Bottled Water, Water Containers - Food
Extra Everyday Use Food, Long-term Storage Food Packets or Cans, Feel Good Food, Spices & Condiments, Canned Meats, Planting Seeds - First/Aid/Hygiene/Meds
Pain Relievers, Sm. First Aid Kit, Alcohol Wipes, Toilet Paper, Tooth Brush/Paste, Baby Wipes, Year Supply of Extra Prescription Meds, Antibiotic Packet, Soap, Women Hygienic Pads - Safety & Protection & Hunting
Folding Survival Knife, Shotgun, Handgun, Cane, Baseball Bat, Alarm System, Stun Gun, Crossbows, Pellet Gun, Sling - Miscellaneous Gear
Bug Out Bag, Sewing Kit, Cordage/Paracord, Duct Tape, Multi-tool, Cash/Coins, Play Cards
The items above were mentioned by different experts in survivalism and emergency preparedness in previous research I conducted. The small list above is to get you to begin to think about prepping and for you to start locating the necessary items you will need for you and your family.
Putting It All Together
Only God knows when doomsday will occur. Therefore, it is prudent to start getting yourself prepared right now for the unexpected. You may start with the steps mentioned above with hopes of including family and friends. No man is an island. Developing a community of like-minded people eventually will help to bring like-minded individuals with different talents to make a potentially dire situation not only survivable but hopefully. Once this team comes together, you will have additional resources that will benefit all involved. Nobody loses. Diversity is survival.
If you are still wanting another plan to add to your emergency doomsday prepping, click here to get it now.
Practice, Test and Try Again
As you put everything in place, you need to be vigilant and make sure that the measures you implemented work. If they do not, change and adapt. Fix it, change it and if it does not work, seek others who can solve your problem. Once it works, make sure you and others know how to use it. Then you should practice or apply what you have learned and,” practice, practice, practice!” You do not have to go overboard. If you are incorporating younger members into your “doomsday” group, make sure to provide the opportunity for them to get involved and learn. They need to feel not only a part of something but also empowered.
There are many “armchair” survivalists who buy prepper items but never bother to open the packaging to test the purchased product. Touch your gear. Play with it. Replace what does not work and add to it when you need to do so. Be aware of expiration dates especially for food and prescription medicines. Have plenty of redundancies, especially when it comes to water filtration and fire. It may mean a matter of life or death.
I had a garage full of prepper supplies. One day, the guy living next door decided to take his own life and proceeded to set fire to his home. He purposely set out ammunition to explode. This delayed firefighters from extinguishing the blaze. The fire was about to jump to our side and torch the garage that stored years of survival gear. As I watch this event unfolding, it made me realize, that no matter how much you prepare, chance and destiny plays a huge part in the end. You really have very little control. So do what you can and do not be overly concerned with not having enough training or supplies. I truly believe with faith and hope all is possible and don’t ever give up.