Author of The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival and the online course SHTF Survival Boot Camp
What would you do if one morning in your city you found out that there are confirmed cases of a new illness that rapidly spreads among citizens, and let’s say killed 15 people?
What if you saw on Facebook that in your neighborhood, in some mall, for example, a few people passed out and people said it is because of that illness?
What if you read in the news that the virus is very contagious and it spreads by air very quickly?
What if you saw people rushing into pharmacies for face masks and medications, and into the grocery stores for food and water supply?
Would you continue to live as before or you would consider going into survival mode and stay home with your family, or to leave a densely populated area to go to your cabin on the lake?
Now, multiply the mentioned situation above by 10, so let’s say the situation with deceased from the virus is 10 times worse, and so is the situation with panic and rushes to store and pharmacies, etc. and ask yourself this:
What do you imagine that people who are working in electric companies, police services, hospitals, fire departments, food delivery systems, public transport companies and elsewhere would do?
Do you think people working in areas that hold the system together would continue to go to their jobs or some of them might consider the option to go home and take care of their families? Do you think the stores will remain stocked? Do you think everything will keep running as normal?
How large a number of those people would there be? How would that affect the system? Would that mean the system might collapse?
Well, nobody knows for sure, but I think there is a big possibility for that.
It’s not the virus you have to worry about. It’s the system.
Virus or illness on itself might not be a problem in its essence, but the impact that it brings to the system and people might be so huge through the media that it causes the system to stop working in the normal way. So you could find yourself in a collapse not necessarily because of a huge pandemic, but because of the reaction to it.
Another case might be the simple unwillingness from the system to admit how bad the situation is in order to stop the panic when folks realized the truth.
So, what might bring the system to collapse might be a real pandemic or a reaction to the pandemic (which might or might not be controllable) or simply the government’s poor or late response to the pandemic.
I am not into fear-mongering, so I am not expecting an end of the world pandemic because the current virus most probably might be (like many times before) something that will be controlled with just a few troubles before it becomes a worldwide problem.
Right now as far as we know it could be a flu-like problem. What kinda brings things to our attention is the reactions from the government where the virus was born.
“Over-reacting” is a small word for it, and if we want to be positive about it, we might say that they are going with a “better safe then sorry“ attitude, but…
The Media
Media today is a big monster that feeds on sensational news and fear-mongering. It sucks you into watching the news, the “latest reports,” and updates. It kinda makes you addicted to it.
I will not even go into a discussion about product-selling based on “fear showering.”
To pay attention to the news make sense. To be addicted to it, and to base your most important life decisions on the “latest updates“ could mess you up really badly.
Or let me put it like this. If you waited for the Coronavirus to happen in order to go to the pharmacy and buy face masks and disinfectants, you have a serious flaw in your prepping. You should have that all the time in your preps.
You are a prepper/survivalist. You should be ready more or less for the disruption or fall of the system. You should already have plans, stashes, etc.
Remember, the event that leads to that might be less important, the result of that is pretty much always the same – more people than goods around you because of a disruption of the normal system. Try to concentrate on that (of course with some additions for the particular event that led to that situation)
The System (Government)
Do not forget one basic fact: you as a prepper/survivalist, at your core, most probably do not trust the system.
I am not saying you hate it, but you just do not trust it completely.
So, watch the news and announcements. Help if possible, obey if possible (and if it makes sense) but always keep in mind that the system at its core has a very basic obligation: to keep that system running. If that means the system has to lie to you or let’s say, bend the truth, it will do it, because to the system you are an individual, and the system is machinery that needs to run.
So, keep some common sense, and trust your gut instinct.
Focus on the Basics
No matter what, in the end, it always comes down to the basics.
So when you not sure what to do and when you are not sure what is gonna happen just go back to the basics and think about how you can keep yourself and your family secure and safe, fed, as far as possible from trouble, healthy, warm…and for how long.
Do not forget the emphasis on “how long.”
Do not get mesmerized by a particular possible event too much or too long, because yes, in the end, it is about the basics.
If you are reading this, it means you are among the people who are ready for it – as ready you can be – so do not panic.
About Selco:
Selco survived the Balkan war of the 90s in a city under siege, without electricity, running water, or food distribution. He is currently accepting students for his next physical course here.
In his online works, he gives an inside view of the reality of survival under the harshest conditions. He reviews what works and what doesn’t, tells you the hard lessons he learned, and shares how he prepares today.
He never stopped learning about survival and preparedness since the war. Regardless of what happens, chances are you will never experience extreme situations as Selco did. But you have the chance to learn from him and how he faced death for months.
- Read more of Selco’s articles here.
- Buy his PDF books here.
- Buy his #1 New Release paperback, The Dark Secrets of Survival here.
- Take advantage of a deep and profound insight into his knowledge by signing up for his online course SHTF Survival Boot Camp.
- Learn the inside story of what it was really like when the SHTF with his online course One Year in Hell.
Real survival is not romantic or idealistic. It is brutal, hard and unfair. Let Selco take you into that world.
I just trust in the Lord and do as He leads. With Jesus it is a win win. As long as I live I can help others but if I die, I still win. “Nothing to hide, nothing to prove, nothing to fear, and nothing to lose.” ~ Me
We depend so much on BIG DISTRIBUTION. In the mid-80s Ontario & especially Toronto was hit by a trucking action of some sort. At the time we shopped everyday at 4pm for dinner groceries. Day by day we saw the shelves depleted. By day 4 there was nothing to buy. We had never encountered this before in our short lives, and it was years before the series about the deprivation of people in UK during WW2 aired on public television. Fortunately we did have canned goods to tide us over, also it took weeks for everything to restock. Since then, we have been peppers.
The article is sort of reminiscence of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina where a large portion of the civil services did not report to work but attended to their families.
If a government or state cannot or will not provide basic social services it is supposed to offer to the people it governs, then the people will place its loyalties to any entity that will.
The View From Olympus: A Big Win for 4GW
https://www.traditionalright.com/page/2/
I was told in the last century, 1940’s or so, when an epidemic (sorry, forgot what it was) that effected the neighborhood children, they were put together in one house and attended to by the women (mostly Irish). People joined together as a community.
Look at the 1918 Ingluenza Pandemic and how it shut down areas of various countries until the virus mutated to a less pathogenic form. Researchers now believe the virus was present among troops on the battlefield, since the war’s beginnings, and that it’s more lethal mutation occured durind the year prior to outbreak.
The mortality rate, due to the era, was anywhere from 3 – 6 % of the worlds population 50 to 100 million. Deaths were attributed to two reasons, primary, from the pulmonary edema the virus itself caused, and secondary, from secondary bacterial infections due to damage from the primary causative agent. Whole communities shut down as people isolated and self quarantined. This was at a time when people were generally more self sufficient than most of us are today. Today, the infrustructure that keeps communities supplied and operating, faces serious risks of a breakdown in obtaining everything needed to face the day to day challenges, let alone the breakdown that WILL occur, in a pandemic situation. There’s no if about it, it will breakdown. Just winter storm alone caused shortages when trucks could no longer keep their schedules, nearly every winter here in the Rocky Mountain States. It’s pretty easy to see what would happen, if instead of 3 or 4 day delays, we’re faced with 3 or more week delays. All the more reason to have a minimum 1 month supply on hand, more if you can manage it.
The Spanish Influenza also stopped WWI.
(The war was continued or repeated in 1939 with the Germans coming around the Ardennes forest.)
May 1940 Battle of Ardennes started.
Ironically it was called the “Spanish” Influenza since Spain’s media was not heavily censored as were other countries, it was the first to report the pandemic.
The influenza was unique in that it attacked young adults mostly. Hard to fight a war with a deficiency of young men.
https://www.teaparty247.org/youll-never-believe-who-stands-to-make-a-lot-of-money-off-chinas-deadly-coronavirus-outbreak/
Perhaps this is where it started?
People don’t want to die. Most people go to work to earn a living so they don’t die. It makes little sense to go to work if you think there is a significant chance you will die and there is little consequence of you choosing not to go to work.
When you’re planning for disruption you need to think of that simple fact that people don’t want to die.
My personal experience in dealing with a local government to prepare for such a thing as a pandemic has not been positive. Back during the ‘bird flu’ scare I did research while in an official capacity and recommended to City leadership to identify those critical services to residents that are absolutely imperative to maintain during a period of serious staffing shortages and create a continuity plan to maintain those services. Results? In one ear and out the other. Maybe your local government is more responsive. If like mine, expect to loose effective law enforcement, fire suppression, garbage pick-up, schools, much reduced EMS, and maybe clean water in addition to everything else.
(yet, another post)
With six OP articles and counting on the Coronavirus, I humbly submit a T-shirt design for the SHTF.
Imagine sitting in an abandoned building without a roof, possibly Detroit, a skinny cat-like rat has just bounced across your feet. You look down and notice in upside lettering on the front of your worn-out T-shirt a question, “What would Selco do?” (… or in this case “… have done”, but I digress).
Except for reading his articles and books, I dunno, don’t speak for the man.
One suggestion would be to buffer the shock and avoid panicking during a health scare, designate one member of your family, extended family or community to be the medical personnel. Pool your money now and sent that person to EMT or RN courses so they can pass on what they have learned.
At one time doctors, carrying their black bags, would make house calls.
Selco you are mistaken. It is not an either/or situation………It is both.
Your point is well-taken, Selco. In any case, a perfect global storm appears to be brewing.
Selco makes a good point; most people should already be prepped. Not to underplay the seriousness, but flu kill a lot of people every year.
In the U.S. alone, for 2017 it was estimated that 80,000 people died of influenza and related complications.
https://www.statnews.com/2018/09/26/cdc-us-flu-deaths-winter/
Most of these were elderly, but some were probably in the prime of their lives.
Good day Selco,
Thank you for your recent e-mail Seco, I look forward to reading your advice in these trying times your words are invaluable to me. I am homeless and unemployed for the first time in my life, I am good with it but it lets me know that unstable times are getting worse here and around the world as well. Thank you again for your time and consideration may you have a pleasant week be safe and well.
Cheers, Raymond
https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=140415
Thank you for sharing. Your experience, I sight, and honesty are appreciated. I’m so sorry that happened to you and your people, or any people who have gone through times like that. May joy be abundant in your life.
im sorry but i thank we shoed help the USA and say no war for the contry that we live in we dont need to fight the big baer drop the sanches and get the gas and oil jest dont like selinki hes just a bich im no fan of putten 20 yeays ago the same thing happened and we did not care why now bideb is a nut hes going to get us nuked