There is no doubt that we are living in perilous times, and all it takes is a quick glance at the television or Internet to catch a glimpse of one of the many dangers that we all face in a given moment. Wars, terrorism, economic and civil unrest as well as a host of natural and man-made disasters are all waiting in the wings to bring sudden and unimaginable destruction to our way of life. These threats are so real that government agencies spend a lot of time planning, developing and rehearsing a slough of disaster options that are designed to keep the country running when faced with a catastrophe.
From underground bunkers that are hidden beneath mountains to a fleet of aircraft that can stay aloft almost indefinitely, officials have left no stone unturned when it comes to having options and choices if a sudden crisis emerges. Leaders plan and rehearse, and there are scripts and organizational systems that are in place to get key officials and support staff in place if something horrible happens. The question is if the government is taking the pains to pay for and develop various different options to have available during a crisis, why are we not following suit?
Our way of life is fragile, and it does not take a lot of imagination to realize that a single event can leave us paralyzed. Food, water and communication can become scarce. Our money may be worthless and we may need to find ways to provide for ourselves and families if a horrific event takes place. We all experienced how limited the government is when it comes to providing for the needs of its people in a crisis that is limited to one location or geographical region, so imagine how difficult it would be to coordinate and manage a crisis that causes wide spread problems.
There is a really good chance that we will need to rely on our own resources, intuition, planing and knowledge when it comes to dealing with a major disaster. Whether it is a flood or a regional power outage or even a systemic attack on our nuclear power facilities, there are a million and one reasons why all of us should think about and develop escape and survival strategies that will mean the difference between life and death in the event of a major crisis.
During the cold war, Americans were not shy about having well-stocked bomb shelters available. They knew where to go, what to do and what not to do if an all out nuclear war erupted between the East and West. The funny thing is that now the threat of nuclear attacks is greater than ever, yet few people are prepared to deal with the aftermath of the unthinkable and survive. They are also not prepared to deal with a chemical, biological or natural disaster either. It does not take a lot to limit or even eliminate access to basic resources that are needed for survival, yet most of us do not have any extra food or water in the house.
There is a reason that the government is going all out to prepare for doomsday. They know there is a really good chance that it will happen sooner or later, and it is crucial that the continuity of government is able to exist no matter what the country faces. However, there is little or no emphasis on getting the population ready for such a disaster. The last thing that you want to face is being caught off-guard when you have no resources available that will provide for your basic needs. Survival in this day and age requires planning, organization and the development of a system that will give you real options if one of many different scenarios were to take place.
Never take your security or well-being for granted and always remember that it only takes one tragedy to derail and completely paralyze our country from functioning. You need to be prepared for anything, and it starts with planning, rehearsal and thinking about how you will respond to a crisis when authorities will be busy protecting themselves and the greater national interests.
We have encountered changes in weather patterns which are piling up instances of wide-scale destruction like never before. Political as well as social and economic instability are the top news stories both here and abroad. We are living on the edge of disaster at every moment, yet few of us are really ready to survive more than a day or two if events really come to pass. Don’t take your security or way of life for granted, and start to think about how you can protect yourself now. If your government is, then so should you because there are no guarantees that help will be there when you need it the most.
