Why to be a Prepper: 8 Realistic Threats you should be Ready For!

Do you consider yourself to be a prepper? Are you ready to defend your house, protect your family, and protect those you love from danger?

Over the years preppers have got a bad rap. Often portrayed as tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists waiting for the end of the world, the mainstream media has done a serious disservice to those who are just trying to protect the ones they love from the very real dangers that are out there.

If you have given up on prepping, or think it’s only for those who are preparing for some end of the world disaster to strike, you need to consider these eight very real threats that everyone should be prepared for.

Prepping for a Loss of Income

One situation that’s not often talked about in the prepping community is a job loss or loss of income. While talking about zombies and asteroids slamming into the earth might be good for a website’s traffic numbers, the fact is, in terms of likely prepping scenarios a loss of income is something that everyone should be preparing for.

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It’s not exciting, and it’s not something you’ll see on your favorite survival T.V. Show, but it is something that is likely to happen to you at some point in your life.

• Make sure you have an emergency fund. An emergency fund will help see you through these types of events and is something you need to have.
• Start moving towards self-reliance. The more self-reliant skills you have, the better prepared you will be to survive a job loss, a loss of income, or any other preparedness threat that might come about.
• Stockpile long-term food. Having a stocked pantry goes a long way should you lose your job or face an economic emergency. Your number one goal should be building up a 3-6 month supply of food so your family doesn’t go hungry during an emergency.

Prepping for Natural Disasters

No matter where you live in this world, you are susceptible to at least one type of natural disaster hitting your area. From wildfires and flooding to earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados at some point you are going to have to deal with the consequences of one of these types of disasters.

Things to consider:

• Do you have a bugout plan? When it comes to bugging out, natural disasters are often on top of the list of reasons you may have to evacuate and leave your home. Make sure you have a solid evacuation plan.
• Do you know how to shut off utilities inside your home? During some disasters you may have to temporarily shut down power, gas lines, and water into your home. Make sure you know where these main utility shutoffs are, and make sure you have the tools to shut them down when you need to.
• Do you have emergency supplies to see you through these short-term disasters? Often time’s people will tell you to have 72 hours’ worth of supplies; I call BS on that number! You need to have a minimum of two weeks’ worth of food, water, and emergency supplies on hand at all times.
• Go Through our Natural Disasters Checklist.

Prepping for Crime, Assaults and Home Invasions.

In 2012, the latest date the government has released numbers on, the FBI estimated 1,214,462 violent crimes occurred nationwide. From criminal assaults and car-jacking to riots and home invasions, dealing with possible criminal attacks is at the top of the list of potential threats you will face.

• Prepare for social unrest. We live in a time where people are looking for any excuse to cause trouble. Riots, looting, and large-scale assaults are becoming more common — even in areas once considered good neighborhoods.
• Make sure you know how to defend your home. Home invasions are one of the most common crimes we face today; make sure you, your family, and you home are ready to face the threat.
• Consider learning how to use a firearm and carrying one for protection. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy who has one and knows how to use it.

Preparing for Fires and Floods

When we start prepping it’s easy to get caught up in a worst case scenario mentality. While preparing for the worst is a good thing, it can sometimes cause you to overlook the smaller disasters that can be just as devastating to your livelihood.

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Fires and floods are one of the most common disasters a person will face in their lifetime. Unfortunately it’s a threat that receives very little attention.

• Conduct Monthly Preparedness Drills. One of the best ways to prepare yourself and your family for disasters and threats, as well as discover any holes in your plans, is to conduct periodic emergency safety drills.
• Get a Fire Extinguisher. When thinking about survival gear people often overlook the fire extinguisher. Knowing how to start a fire is a great survival skill, but the ability to put one out can save your life!

Preparing for Economic Disasters

With the United States now clocking it at over $19 trillion of debt — and that’s not even considering the over $220 trillion in unfunded liabilities the government keeps off the official debt record — economic problems are a very real problem that you need to be prepared for.

• Learn what you need to do to Prepare for an Economic Collapse. If you haven’t already, it’s time to put together a plan of action.
• Don’t be one of the 60% of Americans who have less than $1,000 in Savings. Whether it’s having garage sale or cutting back on useless budget items you need to start taking your economic preparedness seriously.

Preparing for Social Unrest

After the riots in Baltimore and Ferguson, and a countless number of large scale gang attacks that received very little attention from the mainstream media, there is no denying the chaos that’s spreading through the streets of America and throughout the world.

• School Shootings: Protecting Your Children from Active Shooters & Mass Shootings
• Active Shooter Situations: Surviving a Mass Shooting Incident
• How to Survive a Riot: What to do if you find yourself in the Middle of a Riot

Preparing for Terrorist Attacks

Since President Obama was sworn into office, there have been seven major Islamic terror attacks in the United States. The worldwide number of annual terrorist deaths has more than quadrupled since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January 2009.

While these attacks are often ignored by the media, or classified as acts of workplace violence so the government doesn’t have to admit we were attacked, this is one threat that is not going away. In fact, future attacks will likely be bigger, cause more death and destruction, and could shatter an already troubled economy causing us to spiral into a place where nobody wants to go.

• Real-World Safety: Staying safe while at large events
• Why the FBI says Thousands of Terrorists already inside the United States
• Congressman warns Terror Cells Active inside U.S. Says Americans need to Prepare for Attacks

The Aftermath: Post Disaster Threats.

With all of these events you need to not only think about the dangers associated with the event itself but also what will happen in the aftermath.

We live in a world where people are looking to take advantage of bad situations, and with all disasters will come a number of threats that could catch you off guard should you ignore the possible aftermath. From criminals looking to take advantage of people who are already desperate and off guard, to terrorists who are waiting to strike once we are already down, there are people out there who will target people after the initial threat seems to have passed.

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Just look at what happened during large-scale disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Sandy; thousands of people took to the streets stealing, looting, assaulting people, and even raping innocent women who were just trying to survive the storms aftermath.

• You need to be ready to deal with criminal outbreaks after the main event has passed.
• You need to be ready to deal with long-term power outages. After Sandy people were without power for weeks, some neighborhoods went without power for over a month.
• You need to prepare for disease outbreaks. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, one that takes out power, sanitation and municipal water supplies, there is a very real possibility of widespread disease outbreaks.
• You need to Prep for Government State of Emergencies and Martial Law Declarations.

So why prep?

When people think of prepping, they often think of people preparing for some end of the world situation or Hollywood doomsday scenario. But the truth about prepping is it’s not about preparing for some statistical anomaly, but instead preparing for the real life challenges that we are all going to face at some point in our lives; the kind of situations that feel like the end of your world if you’re not prepared.

Source: disasterrecoverymanager.com