WHY PREPARE?
I write this sat in the local public library; five days deep into a storm induced power outage. A major wind storm wreaked havoc across my little part of the world last Saturday. I was out in the back-country fishing Walleye. The wind was picking up and we turned on the hand crank Wide Band portable radio we carry with us. 70's classics interrupted by government weather and storm alerts every 15 mins, then every 10 mins, then every 5 mins as the storm drew closer. I gave a quick look at the trees around me, on the lookout for "widow makers." My wife started to get nervous. I could see the storm was passing us to the south - back towards our home. We stayed in the woods for another two nights without problem. Caught some fish, had a great time.
When we arrived home two days later we found our village in chaos. Trees down all over the place. Electrical lines down too. My neighbour greeted us as we exited the car, "welcome to hell" she said. Next was a 10 minute recap of the storm and all that had happened in the proceeding 48 hours≥ She was semi panic, frazzled. We went in our house. Transferred the food that we need to to the chest freezer from the fridge. I set out the generator. We had plenty of water, plenty of food. We fired up the BBQ and had dinner. That night we used the fireplace to take the humid chill off. We set up the camping stove on the back deck, plenty of propane in the house. We all had hot showers that night, and the next, and the next.
Our plans to lay aside extra items that we know we will use came in very handy. I looked around at other people and could see they were struggling more than us. Their stress levels where elevated. They we not prepared. Some of them needed help. The local municipal government set up service to help residents - freezer space, charging stations, emergency services, the local pool became the wash house. By being prepared and knowing what to do, by keeping our cool, we were able to avoid government help, crowds of unprepared people. We are not reliant on others. We can if we choose, help others ourselves. Which would you rather be? A giver or a taker. Self-reliant or dependent?
Weather events are now more extreme and frequent than any other time in my life - it is an upward trend. This trend is playing out all around the world. This will only get worse as the earth warms, as we deplete the forests and other resources. As we increase in population, competing for more space and resources. The climate will become more and more of a challenge. This one fact alone is more than enough to lay away supplies. Water, none-perishable food, medical supplies, alternative energy sources, hunting and fishing equipment, security tools, and the list goes on.
I want to end on the idea of investing and the return on that investment. Financial security is definitely a big part of preparedness and certainly worth your attention too. I would strongly argue that setting aside at the least 3 months of emergency supplies is a great starting investment. It gives you incredible peace of mind. It gives you self-reliance. It is a hedge against inflation at the very least. Ammo does not go bad very quickly. Gas seems to only go up in price. Everything gets more expensive. Invest now, build up a base to grow from. Start with the goal of 72 hours worth of supplies and aim for 6 months plus. The day will come when you can see the return on that investment - you should not have to wait too long.
Northern Survivalist