Whether it is a financial collapse (virtual certainty), or a cyber or EMP attack on our infrastructure the outcome is bad. If the power stays on (financial collapse) surviving would be easier but only if you act to protect yourself ahead of time.
So here are the cold hard facts. One of these is the way that you are most likely to die when it hits the fan, particularly in the event of a long-term grid failure. The good news is, now that you know this, you can take steps to prevent your untimely demise.
- You die of thirst or waterborne illness. Most people have a case of water bottles kicking around, and perhaps a 5 gallon jug for the water cooler. What they don’t have is a gallon a day per person for a long-term emergency. Most people do not have the skills and knowledge necessary to purify their water without these devices either. Waterborne illness is the number one cause of death after a natural disaster. If just one person handles water and waste incorrectly, this can cause an epidemic of such deadly illnesses as Hepatitis A, viral gastroenteritis, cholera, Shigellosis, typhoid, Diphtheria and polio. The other worry is dehydration. It only takes 3 days for a person to die of thirst.
- You starve to death. Most people only have enough food to see them through until the next grocery trip. Most people go to the grocery store more than once per week. In urban centers, it’s customary to buy your food fresh from the market each day. If disaster strikes and you only have a few days’ worth of food, you are going to be one of those people standing in line for hours, begging FEMA for a bottle of water and an MRE to split amongst your family. Even worse, in an extremely widespread disaster, FEMA won’t be coming at all, and you’ll be on your own, left with only what you have in your home…before it spoils and if you can figure out a way to cook it with no power. Food poisoning, starvation, and malnutrition will be common causes of death.
- You have an accident involving major trauma. This is something that is difficult to prevent – that’s why they call it an accident.
- You get murdered when raiders or looters come to steal your stuff. Remember the 315 million unprepared Americans? They’re going to be hungry. And the hungrier and more desperate people become, the more dangerous the world is going to be. It’s imperative that you can protect yourself. If you’re one of those people who says, “I don’t want to live in a world where I have to shoot someone because they’re hungry” you just might get your wish. Because they won’t have a problem shooting you. The danger won’t be just from “outsiders”. Your friends, extended family, and neighbors just might be the ones to kill you for any supplies you have.
- You get sick. Without our normal standards of cleanliness and the access to medical care, the likelihood of getting sick increases. Without the access to medical care, the likelihood of that sickness spiraling out of control is exponentially greater. Medications, antibiotics, pain killers, will not be available, and hospitals will be closed.
- You get an infection. A silly little cut or splinter that we take for granted now could be a death sentence after it hits the fan. With the possibility that your hygiene standards may drop and that you’ll be getting a lot dirtier doing physical labor, infection is fairly likely.