A Survival Plan

Scenario…

It’s 3 months after the grid has suffered major disruptions. The cause for this is unimportant. Deliveries of the basics is extremely spotty and FEMA is having a hard time controlling what remains of civilian supply chains. People are hungry, but not starving to death. It seems that most everything is hard to come by. People have made adjustments and, aside from the few vocal protests and the occasional violent display of discontent, the population has settled down into the daily discomfort of life with an unreliable power grid.

We can expect a few changes to creep into daily reality without much notice. It is a shallow angle slippery slope. More of a gentle coast than a slip and fall.

The first is an attitude adjustment. The usual emotions associated with unwanted change such as anger, depression, panic, remorse and resignation morph into acceptance, due in part to the herd mentality. With everyone else in the same boat, it becomes easier to accept.

The second is a new moral code. Changes in relationships come about by necessity, either real or imagined. What was acceptable before the grid-pop takes on new meaning. It is easier for the average person to lie, cheat and steal. Some crimes rise from necessity, and others because of increased opportunity.

This third change is for preppers. Security becomes a bigger issue. In some ways, even the modestly supplied prepper has the potential to be viewed as rich. Supplies on hand mean no scrounging, running to the store when things arrive there, standing in government hand-out lines, begging or selling. The prepper has to adjust to the fact that he will instantly become famous, or infamous, for being one of those lucky types that are crazy, but just lucky enough to have been right. Because the prepper is a paranoid freak, he really has no right to all that stuff he accumulated, and isn’t intelligent enough to use it wisely, anyway. He needs to share, and if he won’t, then he loses it all. The new morality demands it!

What to do?   Hiding Your Condition

The wise prepper will hide his condition. This is true for before and after, and for many reasons, each is equally important. If “they” know about you ahead of time, they will come knocking on your door. But if they do not, they will  still be looking for people like you, even if just in passing. Once identified, the big red target gets painted on your back. You must maintain secrecy.

Now, in the scenario I described for you, it is easy to predict that the general appearance of people will change. If the times are really bad, clothing will be less in order, bodies will thin out as food becomes less available, and some people will look untidy and not well groomed. The prepper’s goal will then be to appear similar to a broad segment of their local population.

Blending in is your camo. How you go about it is up to you.

• If you can afford to eat less, do so.
• Wear clothing a size larger if the food situation is really bad.
• Don’t run the generator if you can avoid it, unless there are others running in the area.
• Let your conversation be similar to others… sympathize by identifying with them. If you are suppose to be in the same boat, you should look as if you are.
• Go to resource centers that are set up for assistance. Look as if you need the same as others.
• Take advantage of opportunities to gripe about the difficulties everyone shares, but do not take iron clad positions that put you at odds with anyone – some people will be looking for a fight just to lessen the boredom and /or stress.
• Be very careful about giving supplies to anyone. Direct them to a church, or other front organization, if you can supply them stealthily.
• Hide your refuse, or store it up for later disposal. Filling your trash with the remains of stored food, cans and wrappers, are a dead giveaway. Let no evidence of your supply be seen.
• Be aware that you food preparations can give you away. The odor of fresh food cooking is unbelievably powerful when hungry people catch wind of it.
• Securing your home with obvious items such as barricades, wire and gun ports is a no-no. Do not draw attention to yourself. Avoid doing anything that equates to placing a sign out front that says, “Survivalist lives HERE! Comes and get my stuff!”

Anything you do as a requirement for survival that can not be hidden, will get you tagged. Consider your preps from the viewpoint of visibility. Do any of them stand out? A hand operated well pump? Generator? Garden? Rainwater catchment system? Livestock and associated feed? You should think about ways to hide those activities, use them less than planned, or come up with a way to explain them away.

Blend in as best you can. If you do not, you will be the focus of unwanted attention.