The Practical Preppers Complete Guide to Disaster Preparedness

PREPARING AND YOUR COMMUNITY

A Band of Brothers and Sisters

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

—Ben Franklin

The more prepared a community is, the safer it is. A neighbor’s property and supplies are not potential targets in a crisis, when you are prepared. Prepared people can be part of the solution in a natural or man-made disaster. They can help others because their own needs have been taken care of in advance. Over the last few years I have let my neighbors know that I am preparing in hopes that they would also make preparations. I want them to know where I stand, not so they can come to me for help (though I do plan on helping to some extent), but so that they are not caught off guard by any crisis coming in the future. A prepared community is a resilient community. Sometimes the devastation is so overwhelming that you need help from others. A prepared community has the resources to help rebuild and a mind-set of looking out for one another.

Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

The “sheepdog” mentality is prevalent in the preparedness community. Most people are sheep, meaning they are kind, gentle, and peaceful and they depend on others to protect them. The wolves are the bad guys, the criminals who take advantage of the sheep. The sheepdogs of the community protect the perimeter and watch for wolves. Sheep find sheepdogs annoying when things are fine. I meet a lot of sheepdogs in the preparedness community and I believe it will take a lot of sheepdogs to defend their flocks if things get rough.

Networking

Networking is a term primarily applied to social media sites where knowing many individuals on a superficial level theoretically gives you an edge. I want to expand this idea to three levels:

• Regional networking

• Neighborhood networking

• Retreat networking

The regional network is connected by radio. Communication is the primary advantage to this group, although individuals within the group may network more closely. There may come a time where gathering information may become important—watching the movements of a vagrant band of miscreants as an example. This should be a discreet group. I encourage an organizer within the group to define bandwidths and times for broadcast. To belong to this group, members should have ham radio licenses.

A neighborhood network is already a known concept in our culture. There are signs in many suburban areas labeled “Neighborhood Watch.” It means there is a group within that neighborhood who look out for each other’s property and each other. You should establish some basic criteria in this group. The goal for the neighborhood is survival but it needs to be discussed how that goal will be achieved. I hope where you live marauding is not considered an occupation. How much everyone is expected to share might also come up once everyone knows each other a little better. There will always be someone who does not want to take the time to participate, but will enjoy the full benefits of others’ labor.

COMMUNICATE WITH THOSE AROUND YOU

Basic Criteria for a Neighborhood Network

• Basic preparedness tenets require that each family maintains a certain degree of self-sufficiency so as not to be a burden to the rest.

• Each family needs to have at least one year’s worth of food on hand for each of their family members.

• Each family needs to own at least one firearm. Many living in urban conditions fail to grasp the seriousness of being weaponless. If they choose to defend themselves with nonlethal means, it is their prerogative. To belong to the network, they need to own a firearm.

The most intimate level, the retreat network—that is, people you choose to shelter with, either on your property or theirs—will need more guidelines than the neighborhood. Rules and punishments will need to be clearly defined. We have been in a few agreements with folks through the years. If you reach a certain level of preparedness, almost always those who are less prepared will volunteer to come to your house. While some have suggested witty comebacks like, “Great! We can use fresh protein,” it is more constructive to indicate you have some rules about who comes. Here are some of ours, learned mostly at the school of hard knocks.

• Like-mindedness. Common faith is central to community and governs decisions and behaviors. A basic preparedness philosophy is also necessary.

• Husband and wife need to be on board with prepping. This means both have a heart to learn more skills, are willing to work at manual labor, and put their resources into a well-rounded set of preps. What we have seen in the past is more like this: The husband has fifty guns, all with five thousand rounds of ammunition. The wife has her regular mani-pedi appointments at the salon, her designer purse with matching heels, and in general looks like a million bucks. She is not cleaning her own house now, much less making plans for an electrical disruption. Together they have four cans of beans, one bottle of ketchup, and a few diet sodas in the fridge. While he says he wants to come to your house when it gets bad, she is frantically trying to locate a restaurant on her iPhone. This is a situation to avoid at your retreat.

• The couple that has a skill set that you lack or are weak in. Perhaps he has former military service and can make decent recommendations and give some training to make you more defense oriented. Perhaps she has a degree and certificate in elementary education and you have small children. She could teach the children should school be closed for an extended period of time.

• A year’s supply of food and other requirements. This is where the rubber will meet the road, if it didn’t on the second point. Freeze-dried food is not sexy. It is not fun. It is not guns. It is a large expense, although one could argue since you can eat it, it is more an edible investment. It also takes great discipline to then open the cans and actually learn how to cook with them. And then replace them again. Yup, this one is where you lose all the people who think they want to come to your house. Also, if the retreat is on your property, you should require at least 50 percent of the food be staged there. Then you may add other requirements. Some I have heard are: five firearms with a thousand rounds each (preferably standardized with yours), antibiotics, sanitation supplies, cash, silver, etc.

• Don’t ask anyone to be willing to do more than you do. If you do, it will create an uncomfortable hierarchy in people used to democracies. It is a fine line to walk, as you must also ask them to invest their time in your property before an event occurs, which makes it look like you are getting the better end of the deal. Some landowners will forgo this requirement and instead ask for an additional cash buy in beyond the above mentioned. This allows them to buy the additional infrastructure needed for people on the property. As a side note, we strongly discourage joint purchase of properties other than husband and wife. We have yet to see a happy ending in that situation.

• Government within the group. Few groups ever get to this level. It takes open and honest communication, as well as someone who understands the ins and outs of politics, such as a judge or Charles Krauthammer. Should people who are not blood relatives live together under great stress, it is usually only a matter of time before someone comes up (1) pregnant, (2) robbed, or (3) murdered. I spoke with a prepper recently who posed this question to me. Mind you, he has been part of a group for at least five years, and they are very advanced in their preps. He asked, how should widowhood be handled in a group? In our society, we have all sorts of ways to help single mothers and children. But if the group is the only safety net, how would a single woman do all the work of a couple traditionally led by a man? The answer is it would be impossible for her. The physical demands of primitive living would be too much without help—chopping wood, repairing machinery, planting, patrolling. So, a nice man in the group would need to do his own family work, and then hers. And how will he be repaid? What if he just declares her as his second “wife,” not legally mind you, as the legal system is currently down for repairs. She cannot leave as it is too dangerous on the road, especially with children. You understand my drift. This is one example of fifty I could give you why you will need government in your group. A good start is an agreement to abide by the laws of the land (even if they are closed for repairs) and the reason why like-mindedness is the first requirement in a group.

Charity

Charity should come from the fountain of compassion within us. There are many people who have no such place inside, but those folks are not inclined to read a book like this. Currently we have several avenues in the United States to give of ourselves and our resources. Churches are a wonderful way to distribute your blessings in an anonymous way. I believe they will be an even better place as times get worse. Most churches now ask those who wish to receive charity to stay for a service and to be ministered to by the loving flock. Those who vehemently do not wish to hear of the Love of God leave. It is their prerogative. Most do stay, as their growling stomachs are reasonable and it is, after all, only an hour. The church we currently attend reaches out into our community to the impoverished with a huge food pantry and a separate church service. It is assumed they have access to clean water, although by the smell of some the elders may have assumed too much. In the future, water may indeed be a blessing. When you give charity you will want to remain anonymous. It may involve a separate trip to the church and meeting a deacon or elder to unlock doors while you bring in your donation. You will also want to make sure the deacon understands your desire for absolute anonymity—you do not ever want to hear that all the deacons know about your donation. You probably shouldn’t ask for a receipt for tax purposes either. If you feel pretty paranoid about this point, and you should, since you do not want to attract requests for supplies you cannot spare, you may wish to locate a church well known for their outreach in another community and donate there.

BOTTLED WATER

CANNED FOOD

If there is a total collapse and churches are no longer refuges, you will have to determine charity on a case-by-case basis. This will most likely involve your neighbors. They will figure out pretty quick you have more stuff than they do. They will expect decency from you—that is, the decency to feed their entire family, even though they went to Fun Park and you dry canned beans last summer. You have to get over this point. It is not fair, that is a fact. But that is not the point. The point is you have other humans that need, really need, to be fed, to have water, and to have their basic needs met. It will only make you bitter and hard if you remember they have great vacation pictures and you have calluses on your hands. If it angers you so much, go on vacation. Go, have fun. Don’t resent them. You are being given a wonderful opportunity to truly impact their life for the better in a critical time. If they survive, they probably will never forget your generosity and love.

Go on, be brave. Make a difference while there is time for a difference to be made.

Barter Items

There are so many opinions about bartering. We are very fortunate where we live in that we have a local pasture that has been converted into a full-blown jockey lot, which is Southern for a flea market. There is a series of metal-covered pole barns—just old telephone poles with metal roofing. This is a trading extravaganza that occurs every Wednesday. Trading commences at sunrise, and you better get there early for the best deals. It is usually over by noon. Folks rent a table for $10 and sell. Literally, anything can be found there. There are vendors who drive between Florida and South Carolina carrying produce back and forth and are reliably there every week. Many have good reputations and sell produce at a fraction of supermarket prices. Dollars are the currency that is traded most right now, but I am sure this place will be hopping the day after the world as we know it ends. Bartering is a bit of an art, and I cannot say that I am really good at it. There is quite a bit of operational security to the art of bartering; you cannot reveal too much as you do not know the nature of the person you are dealing with. If it is a friend, you are simply trading. You trust them; they, you. No reason to be coy. However, in a prolonged catastrophe, which should be the only situation you barter in, you cannot be too sure of the other person’s intentions.

Let me expound: There is charity for the poor person who has so little, or is so sick, that you, out of pity and compassion, feel moved to bless them, regardless of your own circumstances. In a perfect situation, the one receiving charity should show gratitude. They should not make any threatening moves or statements. Charity can never be repaid, nor should you expect it. Charity has appropriateness to it; the person with no water bottle does not need a book; he needs a drink. You should not trade him his shoes for it.

ESTABLISHED BARTER ITEMS

Cigarettes • Alcohol • Chocolate • Toilet paper • Ammo • Gold

Barter or trade has profit for both parties. One has a tangible asset the other wants. And it already gets tricky here. How bad do they want it? is the art of the barter. If one is too greedy, resentment will build. Why do they want it? I am inclined to give a can of formula to a man who claims to have an infant—I have no desire to squeeze every last asset he has out of him so he can feed his baby. Be very clear morally what you are seeking to profit from. Exploiting a situation will earn you a bad reputation. But you also need balance: If you give away too much you will be seen as the neighborhood resource and stripped of your assets. I have had the opportunity to e-mail with a person in the Philippines who was directly affected by Typhoon Haiyan. At his last mailing, he reported the neighbors were looking a bit jealously at all of his preparations. He was eating while they were not. He was drinking clean water while they were standing in lines. It really doesn’t take the neighbors long to figure out something’s up. He states his neighbors had laughed at his preparations. I hope he is wise enough not to laugh at their lack of preparation. I hope he found the balance between charity and bartering.

CIGARETTES FOR TRADING (GEIERUNITED)

The big question everyone asks is “What do I store to barter?” And I hear parroted at almost every conference: “Bullets—they will be as good as money when everyone is shooting every rabbit and squirrel in the woods.” While it may be true that every animal’s life expectancy will be shortened, it is not a good idea to trade bullets. You have no idea what the other guy plans to hunt. You do not know exactly how desperate is the person whom you are dealing with. And, worse, you do not know if he is figuring out how much resources you have so a group of his friends can come visit you at 3 a.m. armed and with lots of ammo.

We already have places that function for trade—these are pawn shops. Pawn shop owners are the masters of barter. According to Fernando Ferfal Aguirre, a survivor of the Argentinean economic collapse of 2001, these shops became the place to trade jewelry and other valuables into money as it inflated daily. I need to point out pawn shops tend to attract a crowd of wheelers and dealers who buy for next to nothing and sell extremely high. You may also notice the crowd’s external appearances are “scruffy.” It is not Macy’s. You may want to check out your local pawn shops now and find out who is most reputable. You can do this by bringing a small item of known value into the shop and trading it. If you are ripped off now, you surely will be later. Notice the “local color” in the shop. If they are very interested in your trade with the shop owner, they know far too much about his business and can be gathering intelligence for reasons unknown to you (probably not good ones). So my first recommendation is to meet your local pawn shop owners. Sometimes jewelers will also buy “estate jewelry” and coins, so don’t leave them out. You should make a few transactions so they get to know you. Notice what is being sold in the shop. This is already an indication of what the more impoverished in your area are already selling. If the shop cannot resell it, the market for it may be saturated.

JUNK SILVER FOR BARTERING

One universal truth I have seen about American pawn shops is they all sell precious metal jewelry, precious stones, coinage, and weaponry. Another truth is you will spend lots of money on a piece of jewelry in a high-end jewelry shop, and you will get a little below scrap value for it at a pawn shop. The only way you make any money is if you inherit decent gold jewelry, and you can bet in real dollars (before inflation) it is still a loss. Barter items are hardly investment items. Barter items are what you sell because you need cash. It may simply be better for you to start storing cash. You will still need to pay utility bills unless you are off the grid. You will still need to pay the taxes on any property you own. You will still need to dress decently, especially if you have lost your job in the downsized economy and need to interview. Cash may ultimately become toilet paper, but you will still be able to spend it up until that day.