Schools have closed, people who can are working from home, and grocery store shelves are emptying. As the less prepared scrounge through empty grocery shelves looking for the supplies they need to weather the storm, preppers are comfortably hunkering down in their well-fortified homes ready for whatever may come in this national emergency.
How vindicated preppers must feel as they watch the ravages of a pandemic sweeping the globe. This new coronavirus will force many Americans to self-quarantine for weeks in their homes. Preppers are ready. They have been prepping for years, if not decades, for this and other kinds of calamities.
Food? Preppers have enough food stored away to last them well into the future. How much food should you have stored away? Optimally, a one-year supply of food, according to some, including the Mormon Church that believes it is the responsibility of its members to be prepared for emergencies with a year’s worth of supplies in store.
Water? Some preppers store away ample supplies of water to get them through a crisis. At Farmcolony, we are fortunate to have a solar-operated pump that will continue to supply us with fresh water even in an electrical black out. The pump is located in the pasture off to the right of the burn pile.
Toilet paper? Check!
Don’t expect preppers to let you know who they are. They keep it quiet. It’s a matter of survival. They understand that if you run out of supplies, you might come after theirs. Preppers can’t be responsible for those who are not prepared. Their supplies can’t stretch that far.
But they do offer the following advice to anyone who is still unsure of what to do next in this crisis.
• Be ready to stay home for at least two weeks.
• Have plenty of food and water and medicines on hand, including over-the-counter products for fevers and coughs.
• Toilet paper is important, but so are hand sanitizers, disinfectants, sanitation wipes, eye protection and gloves.
• Make sure you can pay your bills and have cash on hand.
• Keep close tabs on the news and know what is happening around you.
• And don’t forget your pets.
My children snickered when I gave them each a “bugout bag” for Christmas. A “bugout bag” is a bag full of basic supplies you need to abruptly leave an area (“bug out”) in an emergency. I don’t think they are laughing now as I remind them that those bags contain face masks. I realize now that I did not include the all-important disinfectant wipes. I will correct that oversight as soon as this crisis over and continually take stock of what we actually did need in this emergency so that I can be better prepared for the next one.
Hopefully, this pandemic will not turn into a full-fledged disaster. Whatever is coming, let’s do whatever we can to take care of each other, take care of our loved ones, and take care of ourselves.