Digging in for Judgment Day
OTTAWA - When the lights have gone out and the road warriors rule a post apocalyptic world, survivalists plan to live up to their namesakes: Survive.
With the end of the Mayan (2012) calendar approaching, the threat of terrorist attacks and a wobbly world economy - disaster preparation is becoming increasingly serious.
“If lights went out tomorrow, it really wouldn't affect us that much,” said Jim Rawles, a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, now an author and editor of the major website SurvivalBlog.com which gets 270 thousand visits per week. “Not like your average suburbanite who is suddenly going to be faced with the prospect of either freezing to death in the dark or fleeing to go live with country cousins, that is, hopefully they have them, otherwise they are out of luck.”
Rawles lives West of the Rockies in the United States.
“I took the key step, which is moving my family to a lightly populated area, we have a river that runs through the back end of our property, we are more than twenty miles from the nearest town, with irrigated pasture land, a very large scale garden, and livestock.”
Rawles says when preparing to defend your home and family after civilization collapses, balance and planning are key.
“Owning five guns and several thousand rounds of ammunition and only a three or four month supply of food is not balanced preparedness,” said Rawles, who urges preppers build alliances and plans with neighbours and other families. “There's just no way that an individual family is going to be able to provide 24/7, 360 degree security for their family and yet still have time to do things like intensive gardening.”
When planning for life after The End Of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) survivalists urge people to think thoroughly.
“Canned foods are already cooked and stored in small portions so they are ideal for a bunker, but it is critical that you rotate your food, eat the oldest first,” said Sterling Silverman, the “Survival Doc” from the New Survivalist website. He recommends keeping livestock even if you are in a city. “I raise Florida White rabbits because they are a very compact, meaty rabbit, they produce a lot for their weight and they can live in smaller cages.” He hides the hutches in his urban garage.
In the end, if it comes, Rawles says Canadians have a better chance.
“For Canadians, especially (those in ) western Canada, there is the value of geographic isolation and a lighter population density,” said Rawles. “While some people might look at the Canadian climate as a minus, I would look at it as a plus, it's going to keep the riff-raff from the United States from even thinking about heading into Canada to go on a looting spree - they are just not prepared for Canadian winters.”
Minimum survivalist checklist for staying put:
* Non-perishable food
* Clean drinking water
* Firearms and Ammunition
* Medical supplies and Medications
* Power supply: bio-diesel generator, solar panels
* Heat, chopped wood with stove
* Hand Tools
* Transportation
* Guard dogs
* Secured house or bunker
* Allied neighbours & family
* Transport – older car or horses
* Communication: ham radios, walkie-talkies
* Knowledge
Digging in for Judgment Day
Hybrid Mode
