Getting Started with Survival Preparations

There are many people that are just now looking into “survival”. Many of these new “preppers” have become interested due to severe economic situations in this country as well as uncertainty throughout the World. Many people are having their eye’s opened due to the reality of the situation.

Now, I am not going to get into all the in’s and out’sof the economic situation – I will however express my opinion that it is SEVERE and very BAD! A double dip recession is very distinct possibility. I am very concerned that a continuation of the economic decline with the United States being a consumer-based economy will result in a total economic collapse at some point in the future. If you are reading this Blog – you are most likely aware of the need to prepare now….before it is too late.

So, if you are new to the idea of disaster survival and emergency preparedness and question what you need to concentrate on regarding your preparations – here I go:

1. FOOD – Without food, your chances of survival are greatly diminished. Beginning to store extra food in case of a disaster or hard economic times is not rocket science and relatively easy. First, buy extra of what you buy already. When the grocery store sale papers come out – look and see what is on sale. Canned goods can be the base of your plan. Soups, stews, fruit, vegetables, etc. It is not uncommon to see soup on sale for 2-3 cans for $1.00. When you see this – stock up. Canned vegetables on sale for 3-4 for a $1.00 – stock up! Buying what you normally use in quantity will help with the stress of any survival situation that may present itself. Make sure you buy a mix of everything so that someday you are not eating Chicken Noodle Soup 24/7. Pay attention to expiration dates. Rotate your emergency food stock with what you commonly use day-to-day. There are a lot of factors to food storage and I will touch base on many of them in the near future. Hurricanes, ice storms, terrorist attack, world war, economic collapse – you need food to survive all of them.

2. WATER – You can live longer without food than water. Again – storing water does not take a degree in brain surgery to do. Often grocery stores have multi-packs of bottled water on sale. I regularly pay $2.99 for 24-16 ounce bottles of spring water. Finding a place to store a couple of stacks of these packs should not prove difficult. Buying 1 gallon containers of drinking water and storing them should also be done. Again, finding a place to store 5, 10, 20 gallons of water can be done. Back of a closet or corner of a garage, how about under the bed? – start stocking up now.

3. FIREARMS –The third and last category for this installment is firearms. Depending upon the circumstances of the situation – firearms could play a very valuable role in protecting your supplies, yourself, and your family. My recommendations is to purchase the following:

– Semi-automatic magazine fed rifle (such as the AR-15, Mini-14, M1 Carbine, etc) – if you cannot afford this – go for a quality lever-action rifle/carbine
– A pistol that you are comfortable shooting (revolver or semi-auto)
– 12 Gauge Shotgun (defensive style)

More on Firearms: I would consider having a semi-auto military style rifle, reliable pistol, and a shotgun as the basic starting point for a survival firearm battery. High quality high capacity magazines need to be purchased (at least 10 for your rifle, 6 for your pistol). Ammunition also needs to be purchased – minimum of 1000 rounds for your rifle, 500 rounds for your pistol, and 100 00-Buck shells, 50 12 gauge slugs, and 50 shells of bird shot. Again – there is a lot more to Firearms for Survival than this – coming soon…..

Summary – If you are just starting off with your survival preparations – the basics of food, water, and a way to protect yourself – weapons….are a good starting point.

Additionally – check out the free Survival & Preparedness Database on this site for a huge variety of information on many topics.

More information upcoming……

Rourke