By Daisy Luther
Last week was tense as far as international relations go. We’re standing in a big puddle of gasoline and hoping that no one decides to light a cigarette because if they do, we’ll all go up in flames. For some background, here’s the information I gathered on the conflict between the US and Syria, along with the ties to Russia.
When there are missiles involved and talk of sending over ground troops, it isn’t a stretch of the imagination to believe that the current proxy war between the United States and Russia could turn into the real deal: World War III.
How would you even begin to prep for this?
If the conflict never reached American soil, there would still be dramatic changes in the way we live right now. Not only would the threat of violence be hanging over our heads – when will an attack happen and will my area be targeted? – but there would be serious economic and supply ramifications.
Preparing for this could be a book in and of itself, so I’m breaking this into two parts.
In the first installment, I’ll share some insights garnered from the readers. Next time around, we’ll discuss the preparations you need to begin making right away.
I had a chat with readers to discuss what they foresaw as the most likely concerns should these tensions escalate into a full-blown world war. Some of the comments are from people who recall living through a war, while others are educated suppositions from people with military backgrounds. Still others are stories passed down from parents and grandparents.
I asked these questions:
- If World War 3 were to break out, how do you believe it would affect the average American?
- What challenges do you think we would face here at home?
- What shortages do you predict would occur?
- How would you prep for this?
One principle that everyone seems to agree on is that we’ll be living very differently from our current luxurious, everything-on-demand lifestyles. It will be a dramatic change for many people, especially those who have never produced anything physical, like food, clothing, or other items. The government won’t be in a position to help those who can’t help themselves, and this could hit younger people particularly hard.
In summary, these were the most common suggestions.
Where appropriate, I’ve included links that will take you to information to help you learn the skills. I’ve also included a few of my own resources.
- Check out this course to get prepped in 8 weeks flat.
- Alas Babylon
- When Trucks Stop, America Stops
- Wartime Farm – I couldn’t find the DVD or on-demand streaming, but I did find the Kindle version of the book HERE
- Build a stockpile
- Learn to produce food
- Learn to can, cure, and dehydrate food
- Learn to take care of health issues
- Get prepped
- Get financially prepared
- Learn to sew and mend
But for the real dish, read on.
Here’s what the readers had to say.
1. Mimi
It would definitely affect Americans, average or not, because as a Nation we WOULD be involved. We may see higher prices on all goods , expecially oil, whether as a direct result of war or producers/retailers taking advantage for a higher profit.
We’d probably see rationing if it was prolonged, certainly an elevated Threat Level here at home, perhaps more ‘lone wolf’ attacks, more protests, and definitely more fear, which would be the most difficult for most people (sadly).
2. Helene
Considering that large swaths of the population don’t see themselves as part of this culture and that those same people have never delayed any gratification. I see riots and looting the minute after they’ve been told that their new “must have” kicks won’t be able to be imported due to fuel shortages and trade embargoes.
Buy. More. Ammo.
3. Elizabeth
Read Alas,Babylon by Pat Frank. [Note from Daisy: You can get that book here and I highly recommend it.] WWIII could be a whole different ball game.
Since we import everything, I see huge shortages, or extreme high prices. Prepping for this, I would stick up on DIY books and knowledge, heirloom seeds, and clothes. If it gets really bad the government can take your food, but not your knowledge.
4. Mark
My Uncle served in WWll and Korea and Dad served during Korea and I served during Vietnam. Our families went through the great depression and passed down to children lessons learned.
My family is ready. We have home canned goods, stored fuels, Private well with stock pond and creek, generator numerous freezers of food that I can, if need be, home can most everything in there that would be necessary to save and enough self-defense equipment. I garden and home can every year as well as hunting and fishing with meat canned as well.
5. Sue
America has always been lucky. The land is isolated from Asia and Europe, and our neighbors have been friendly. WW3 will probably see impact on our shores and it won’t be good.
Interuptions of food, gasoline, and perscription drugs will happen first. Panic in the cities no doubt. That 3 days of food will be history, probably in less than 2. People will die in hospitals and elder care facilities due to shortages and lack of doctors and nurses since they will be taking care of their own families. Firefighters and paramedics will stay home too once they realize thia is long term. Local governments may step into the vacuum each to their own talents and faults. Not a pretty picture.
Prepping should be food, water, fuel, drugs, seeds, gardening tools, preservation of food ability, clothing for all seasons (remember kids grow), shoes, nails and screws to fix stuff, tarps, duck tape, etc.
6. Don
~If World War 3 were to break out, how do you believe it would affect the average American?
I think the media would try to console us and convince us that things were not as bad as they seem…and food riots, power inturruptions and mini pandemics were localized and rare…but the truth of the matter is…we live in a “supply side” economy and when gas starts being rationed and the trucks stop…America stops. The propaganda machine will swear to us that we are winning the war and that the sacrifices are worth the victory…but we will eventually learn that no one benefits from prolonged warfare.
~What challenges do you think we would face here at home?
Massive shortages, an increase in crime, an economic recession as the government prints more and more money to pay for the war. Rationing and a new “black market” emerges.
~What shortages would occur?
The essay “when the trucks stop America stops” [Note from Daisy – find that essay here] said that EVERYTHING will disappear from shelves within 2 weeks. This will occur because gasoline will be rationed and interstate travel will become limited due to xenophobia. Hospitals will run out of medicine and wont be able to treat the sick. Stores wont stock food.
Thats when the theft kicks in…and thats when martial law will be used in most urban areas. Troops will search every home and confiscate whatever they feel will make their job easier and make you less of a threat. And of course…this will make the shortages even more severe.
~How would you prep for this?
The key really is “skills”. Not just survival/bushcraft skills but manufacturing and bartering skills as well. If you know how to make soap, distill alcohol, purify water, trap small game for meat, know how to grow vegetables…you can manufacture goods you can barter for other goods and even services.
Thats what I have done. I’ve developed skills that I can use to create things of value that I will use to trade for what I do not have.
7. Susan
We got a glimpse of reactions after Hurrican Katrina. The entitlement crowd felt entitled to steal and riot since they weren’t getting their freebies.
Will they suddenly get patriotic and sacrifice for the good of the country? Highly unlikely.
8. Ken
If World War 3 were to break out, how do you believe it would affect the average American?
This question depends on where to break out is. Generally speaking, I believe a large section of the populace will panic. They are just not prepared, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially or have the necessary skills to actually provide for themselves or their families.
People would be so stunned by the depth of cuts needed to provide the necessary material to fight a World War that government (local and national) would have to step in on an even more intrusive level. Many ‘average Americans” would starve, die of diseases, or just succumb to the circumstances as they are not prepared for something of this magnitude. We have forgotten the lessons of the past.
What challenges do you think we would face here at home?
1. Economy
2. Access to Medical services
3. “Things” breaking down and no idea how to fix or manage without them
– Computers, banking, cars, etc.…
4. Security
5. Safety
6. FearWhat shortages would occur?
Fuel, Power, Food staples (sugar, butter, meats), Medications, Metal, Labor (farm, “menial”), Textiles, Precious Metals. This list is far from complete, but highlights those things that come immediately to mind.
Don’t forget that the things needed to produce them would also be in limited supply, so to would be the individuals that know how to make things.
We have become a nation that insists on attending Colleges and Universities instead of trade schools, we are losing the ability to “make” things and keep them up and running.
How would you prep for this?
1. LEARN how to do many different things. Doesn’t mean I have to master them, just means I have to make things work for my needs.
2. GROW the items that will allow me to survive and hopefully thrive.
3. STOCK UP on the items I can’t grow or procure.
– Meats, arms, spare parts, tools, toiletries, medications
– Precious metals
– Communications capability 4. REUSE, REFURBISH everything
5. NOW put items up that have “proven” long shelf life.
– Canning, smoking, curing the items I need and like.
6. CONTACTS are needed because no one person can do everything
7. CURRENTLY try to live that lifestyle, as anything over and above is a gift and should be treated so
8. MENTALLY prepare to do what is necessary to ensure my families welfare and safety
9. PRACTICE, PRACTICE and PRACTICE some more
10. FAITH we will all need this to get through
11. GUTS, trust your guts before your heart when dealing with mankind in all things
– People WILL screw you and attempt to take what you have work hard for
12. TRUST the ones you have chosen to be in your life
9. Terri
How it would affect the “average American” is easy. Since most have lost touch with the ability to grow their own food, much less preserve it (heck many don’t when know how to cook). That with the possible reduction in imported goods, the average American may end up in the fetal position until the war ends. Mexico is threatening to not send us their goods in protest over our immigration policies (a move that will probably hurt them more than us, frankly).
For awhile, fuel shouldn’t be an issue because we still aren’t exporting it. There will be a spike in costs across the board. My advice, get your butt in the dirt! Learn to garden, preserve, cook, fix your own stuff rather than replacing at every turn.
10. Betty
When I lived in Israel the govt. told us to have a 3 week supply of water and food. We still have our “war closet” here in the U.S.. I am aiming at 3 month supply. We had to use our supplies there more because of job losses. Once when there was a terror attack the govt shut down ATMs so we learned to keep some cash on hand. Water and a way to cook long term are my biggest concerns living in an apartment.
11. Debbie
If the bombs and destruction were not happening here on the homeland, there would be no affect. Many ppl would not even be aware that we were at war.
If, however, there were bombs and destruction on the homeland (God forbid), there would be total chaos and panic. There would be total breakdown of law and order in the urban areas, especially after a given city had sustained an attack.
Best place to be would be out in the country. First sign of WWIII, get out of Dodge (problem is, though, it will go down in hours, not days).
12. Frank
My parents grew up during the depression and my father was in England during WW2. Backyard gardens, chickens and rabbits were a regular thing for them. Today they are gone but not forgotten. Prepping is just routine for me. Anyone thinking that the Gov’t will be there to help you will surely not survive. We all have lives to live so I don’t obsess over everything but I do something every day to stay prepared.
13. Dana
Skills, skills, skills. Being able to grow, can, hunt, butcher,etc are key in my mind. Stockpiling is important to keep yourself well and comfortable to stay at home.
Here is my thought in medications, put back all you can but get to know an herbalist or naturopathic doc. Long term, meds can and will run out.
14. John
I don’t think very many people understand what truly hard times entail to thrive or just survive.
Start talking to people 70 and up and you’ll realize like I did that most info is flawed from the start and what preppers consider hard times they never saw it that good. No offense, I had to readjust my thinking too.
Like how they wouldn’t think twice about eating meat we would consider spoiled twice over. That’s why they damn near burned all the meat they ate. Burnt won’t make you sick but med- rare will with no refrigerator.
15. Nancy
My dad served in three wars. He served WWII, army air corp before it was USAF, before me. He and his three brothers all served during the WW, each in a different branch and all overseas. I cannot imagine how my grandmother, a widow with four girls at home, dealt with it. He served Korea, before my memory lol. He served Viet Nam and I was in high school.
I remember my parents and grandparents talking about being prepared with necessities, always having a victory garden, and the strict list of staples they had to adhere to in WWII. Those times compared in no way to the Viet Nam era. I do not recall mom and me doing without anything we needed or wanted while he was gone then, other than him.
He is buried in Arlington cemetery. I remember waking every morning to him raising the flag outside our house and then turning to salute it, and then reversing the patriotic gesture before dusk. He did this until his eighties. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his late seventies. The VA confirmed it was from agent orange used in Viet Nam. He gave all he could for our country and us, and in the end, he gave it all for our freedom. Thanks for asking about my dad, the biggest American patriot I will ever know.
16. Donna
My parents were born just before the Depression – I know how to start a fire, milk a cow, kill a chicken. My baby sister on the other hand, has NO idea what you have to do to live without electricity, I fear that most people would literally freeze or starve to death just from ignorance.
17. Pragmatic
World War 3? If that happens you better be mega prepared and even then it doesn’t matter. The way I see it, so many people are on prescription drugs for one thing or another. Disease is going to kill more than anything else. Do people really know how to deal with medical emergencies when there’s no hospitals, doctors, medicines at the snap of a finger?
People are going to die and die fast without modern medicine. Propery body disposal .. are you ready to deal with this? The physical, emotional toll this will have on many will be major. Many will not be able to deal and will off themselves.
All the prepping in the world will not do you any good, if you do not have skills and the emotional & psychological mindset to deal with some pretty ugly and disturbing things in a World War, especially in this day and age. I see way to many prepping pages and survival pages with great information, but not reasonable or feasable. Just food for thought.
18. Keith
Everything could and probably will happen. Knowing how to survive, literally, is all that might matter. Hopefully, we’ll still be able to gather together in our local communities and help each other. Having something to barter, is always good.
I decided, when I was 15, I’d learn all I could about everything I came across that helped me to be selfsufficient. After 42 years, I’ve learned a lot, but still don’t know everything. Knowing how to build a house, and fix everything in it, grow your food, hunt, fish and protect yourself is a good start.
We all need to have something to offer or ‘bring to the table’. The Platinum card has expired, I’m afraid.
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts. It was difficult to choose which suggestions to include – this article is more than 3000 words, so I wasn’t able to include all of the comments. To read more, find the threads HERE and HERE.
Now, it’s your turn.
I’ll ask you the same questions.
- If World War 3 were to break out, how do you believe it would affect the average American?
- What challenges do you think we would face here at home?
- What shortages do you predict would occur?
- How would you prep for this?
If you were around during one of the major wars, what do you remember from it? What stories did your family members tell? Do you have experience-based advice for people who have never seen a situation like this?
Please share your stories in the comments section. We all look forward to reading them.
Check out the rest of the WW3 Series
Part 1: Is World War 3 Coming? 18 Preppers Discuss Effects, Shortages, and How to Get Ready
Part 2: How to Survive World War 3: Prepping for an Off-Shore Conflict
Part 3: How World War 3 Will Happen: “The citizen will be the last to know.”
Part 4: How to Survive World War 3: Prepping for a US Mainland Conflict
Pinnable Image
My friend -who is new to prepping- was all proud she had bought a book she thought had great tips for survival and loaded it to her Kindle. I told her no, no, no! I told her when buying books on canning, impromptu medical skills, gardening, or whatever, to buy everything hardback. She immediately asked why, so I asked her how handy would those tips be if she couldn’t access her tablet because the internet and/or electricity is down? She sat in silence for a moment and said, “I didn’t even think about that”.
I believe her thinking is like most others: We have become so dependent on our gadgets, that we can’t imagine a world without them! I buy all my info books in hardback, and I also started a binder and every time I find some good info online I think may be helpful, I print it out and put it in my binder.
So many people don’t have a clue about prepping, so will be in a world of hurt when everyday life changes drastically. Many will just give up and die, many will die due to circumstances, and far too many will turn to grabbing whatever they can beg, borrow, or steal. It won’t be pretty! I believe that in WW111, America will be much more affected due to the fact that we no longer are a self-sufficient society as we were during WW11. During that war, my father raised rabbits, had a big garden (which i helped tend) and my mother “bottled” many foods as well as sewed our dresses.. People generally don’t know how to do these things anymore. Sad.
My suggestions: Gather “how to” information in HARD copy. Learn skills….cooking, sewing, gardening, repair, etc. Plant a garden, even if it is only a window sill collection of herbs. Gather supplies such as canning jars and lids, canning salt, sugar, as well as other staples. Stock up basics. Don’t forget items such as nail clippers, chapstick, hand soap, and over-the-counter meds, duct tape, and toothbrushes and paste. Review your budget and eliminate unnecessary expenses so as to be able to purchase a good rocket stove (Silver Fire), a water filter (Big Berkey) and a HERC oven….with LOTS of tea light candles.
Learn a skill that will be in demand. (I have stocked up on children’s books and text books….I could teach!)
Above all, develop like-minded friends. Cooperation is the key to survival.
I do believe WWIII is coming but I’m afraid most people won’t know enough to prepare for it. If it’s nuclear than all bets are off. If the bomb blast , radiation etc doesn’t get you, then it’ll be our old friends starvation and disease.
Just last week we ordered a full tank of fuel oil to be delivered. Hubby thought I was way too early and said we should wait until fall. Told him that if war does erupt, good luck getting it at any price. I’ve noticed gas prices have spiked already as well.
Picked up a new pair of shoes on the weekend and got a $25 gift card. I normally don’t pay much attention to these cards since it’s the company’s way of getting more money out of you. This one will be used. I just noticed that I really, really need new socks, so that’s what I plan on buying with that card. Yup, lots of socks from the men’s department. They may be a bit loose on me but if I end up with my son and son-in-law here, they’d appreciate not having to struggle into pink girly ones.
Going to go into town mid-week so I’ll stock up on some extra items while I’m there. Things could heat up very quickly and then who knows what the economy will do.
Daisy, you can probably guess where I live in Ontario by my nom de plume. Right now we’re enduring a lovely thunderstorm. Power has been on and off repeatedly. No worries, I’m prepped.
Keep watching what the big boys in DC are doing. BTW, you can go to Youtube and watch Wartime Farm. I’ve got it on our PVR and use it as a learning tool. Same thing with the other BBC productions. Gotta love the Beeb!
kk
I found the Wartime Farm. Fascinating! Thanks!
WW3 will be like none other. We can probably expect an EMP attack that will kill all the electronics and the electric grid. We are so addicted to our computers (and electricity)! Most of our cars will be useless, and we won’t have electronic ignitions for our stoves, heaters, and water heaters or electric lights. News will be rare, and deliveries to stores even rarer. Can we manage suddenly with an Amish-like lifestyle? Especially if stuck in a city?
If this were a real World War with the Principals using all means available (What Geneva Convention??), it will be down and dirty.
No holds barred. WW Disaster. No where to hide.
People who can’t will just steal,what they want. And 80 percent of Americans probably can’t grow food or meat animals or be self sufficent . And if you are trying, you are .. So visible.. the veggies will be gone before you can harvest them, and all your chickens and rabbits will be in someone else’s stew pot. And they’d be knocking on your door ( with their guns and axes) for the rest of the stuff.
America and its Allies would need to win the war quickly, or survival rates will be low among the warring nations. With EMPs, nuclear, biological, etc weapons… TEOTWAWKI.
Now please.. What should we really do??
..
I’m working on a follow up with more information. You’re right. Things will be grim indeed.
Funny, I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning thinking about this stuff and what prepping I’m going to do?? I called and spoke with my 93 year old Mother this morning. She’s doing great, exercising daily and happy to be in sunny FL with family, thanks for asking.
I asked her what she remembers about World war II and imposed the questions asked in this article. She was 17 yrs. old when the war started. She said that citizens relied on the President and government to take care of them back then. Umm not so much today…
What she remembers the most is that everyone was placed on food stamps and were only allowed so many tickets per month for food. So I’m thinking food may be one of the bigger challenges we will all face. Becoming more self reliant will go a long way to feeding our families. Mom also said she remembered that a lot of women went to work to assist in the war efforts. With more women working in today’s society, if this becomes a necessity this could be a challenge in the U.S.. Fuels I’m sure will climb and potentially be rationed as well in a return of the late 70’s. I was 19 and took a job at a full service gas station to circumvent the issue. Today most all gas stations are self serve.
If war breaks out across the pond I would suspect that we would be ok with pharmaceutical’s. Reverse that here and I am sure drugs would be a major challenge as well as with many other commodities. Prepping for self reliance and self efficiency is most likely a good if not the best strategy which is what all good Prepper’s are doing anyway, right!…. We’re ahead of the others that do not. Make ready.
My parents & my husbands parents talked often talked about the rationing of sugar, butter, gas, silk stockings etc. One had to plan carefully or you ran out before the month did of coupons you had to provide when you wanted to buy things. Sugar was a hard one because both families canned what they could so sugar had to be scrimped on if you wanted sugar in your canned peaches or raspberries.
If a war starts in Korea or Syria at this point I don’t think it will end there. I believe North America will see it 1st hand too.
If WWIII does break out, it won’t be limited (such as the scenario in Red Dawn), but it will be quick. The current situation with armies means that if 2 superpowers clash, then the situation is likely to spiral to nuclear. A happy ending for a WWIII is only going to occur if no direct conflict happens. Also, the US currently spends between 600 billion and 1 trillion on the military. How much more can you throw at it? The US government will most likely crash because of the 11 trillion (or more) owed to China, who might stop lending money and start demanding it back. And with a GDP of 13 trillion a year, paying off this loan will be nearly impossible, as taxes don’t even cover that much (the average tax rate is 30% or 3.9 trillion per year). To prepare, become self-sufficient and hope for the best.
My mom was born in 1920. The depression drove home the ability to survive. Once it was worn out, she remembered dresses being cut to size for the next sibling/cousin/neighbor down. You took the seams apart, turned faded or soiled areas so they would not show, and redesigned as best you could. Everyone-every single woman-canned her own vegetables, fruits, sauces, etc. My grandmother, her relatives, her neighbors and friends would all get together, at each house, and can that person’s goods. Kids were roped into this also: washing and cutting goodies. My mom remembered peeling apples until her hands swelled after 6 hours. “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without” was every person’s mantra. Getting a new, unused gift was almost unheard of. @hen WW2 hit, ration coupons continued the survival attitude. Even if you were working, and most people were by then because the war provided many, many jobs: you were still required to have coupons to buy stuff. Some things were simply unattainable; hosiery being one, liquor another. When she got a job at the OSS, everything changed for her family. She had government employee special privileges and she used them. (Not a lot has changed in some ways.) My mom had BOOKS of coupons that she sent back to Dayton Ohio, along with really good whiskey, clothing, shoes, and the coveted hosiery. I cannot imagine that people now have the same will to survive. It used to be innate, something inside of people, that made them harder and tougher and smarter. Now? People are softer, more open to self delusion, and unable to think through a tough situation. That worries me a lot. I am always trying to add to my supplies and knowledge.
Looking through the article and comments, I was struck by the common themes – and one huge change that seems to have been missed. MEN will become a shortage. So many of us depend on male relatives and neighbors to do the literal heavy lifting. If your family/community is heavily military or able-bodied, these men (and women) are going to be gathered up and shipped off. That often means extra kids or elders in your care – as is my case. The women in my family are capable and strong, but it’s still the men who tend to chop the wood, process game, hang the storm windows and do the heavy home repairs.
As the single mother of physically tiny daughters, I’ve focused on training us all to be prepared, no matter what, including asking for help when necessary and protecting themselves from predators of all sorts. But it’d be a stretch to roof a house or heft a large animal. It would take them twice as long to haul the same amount of wood their football lineman cousin could.
It would probably depend on if we were visably attacked, directly, on our own soil, even though we are already under constant attack in our own country from our enemies. People choose to ignore this truth, just like they choose to allow someone else to have control over them. The really sad part is that those are the ones who will go in the first wave. They will believe that they have no choice but to put up with this, and they will be put down like cattle because that is what they have made themselves into.
We already have unconstitutional laws on the books to put Martial Law in place. I have no doubt that it is something some of the politicians in our government are looking forward to. Ultimate control is the only reason to go into government.
As for the “Average” American…Tommy Lee Jones said it best in “Men in Black”. “A person is smart. People are Dumb, Panicky, Dangerous animals.” I refuse to live in a city just for that reason. When it happens, if it happens, everyone will be treated to the realization that they have allowed someone else to take total control over them. Even those of us who have “skills” and “preps”, who haven’t taken precautions, will be turned into slaves for whoever has the biggest gun, or we will be dead.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t have a lifestyle that will keep me and mine safe for a while, hopefully quite a while.
But I truly believe that most people will panic. They don’t believe that they have any responsibility for themselves or their families so when someone becomes a threat to them they expect someone else to take charge and make it better.
Shortages will occur as rapidly, as 1-2 hours, because the Powers That Be will be grabbing everything they can get their hands on. After all, they are also “Average American People”. Food, water, medical supplies, communications, clothing, ammo, weapons, you name it, if it is something physical they will grab it if only for the control it will give them over the people who need it.
One thing that I do know is, if you have a community of support that is in agreement with you and you have skills, abilities, and tools to keep your community going, you have a better chance of comming out the other side of something like this.
The one thing that the homestead sites I have looked at all forget is that when the west was opened up to the homesteaders in the 1800’s they had to “prove” their homesteads, but they didn’t have to do it alone. In fact, they couldn’t do it alone. They needed blacksmiths, farm supply outlets, neighbors that could supply the skills and tools that they couldn’t do for themselves, not to mention the necessities that could only come from the general store. They also needed to band together to keep themselves safe from other human threats.
I even have family that I won’t allow on my property because they have no skills and them having any knowledge would be dangerous to our groups survival. I go see them at their homes, but they don’t come to mine. They don’t even know where my home is. And I plan to keep it that way. I do have a “house” that they can visit me at, but they think that I do a lot of traveling so don’t show up without an invite.
There’s a very interesting article by Dmitry Orlov floating around detailing how Russia would attempt to avert WW3 using precision strikes with conventional standoff missiles to key points of the US infrastructure. One part that jumped out at me was how with a handful of cruise missiles they could cripple the entire electric grid.
This of course assumes that Russia has enough time to do that before the Minutemen and Sarmats pass each other.
Found it. 🙂
It’s a long read, but quite interesting .
http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-thousand-balls-of-flame.html
I have so much I would like to add! I feel very blessed to have had a connection with my ancestors who lived through the depression, personal crises and war eras…. and the information they’ve shared; I’ve been lucky to glean from them. I hardly know where to begin, but I will share a couple of things.
My Great Aunt kept some detailed records of my Great Grandmother’s experiences raising 14 children. I have a written copy (that I could supply you with if you’d like!) But here are some highlights; there were times when all my great Grandmother had to feed her children was bread. It broke her heart! Her mother taught her how to go out and gather and stew dandelions to supplement the meal. The gratitude my Great-Gma had for those simple greens in addition to bread for her family, is something we should ALL learn to cultivate before the tough times hit… gratitude makes EVERYTHING more bearable.
After a house-fire, my Gma’s family traveled to a new state/new life: interesting fact, they would stay at homesteads of other friends/family who were traveling whether to find work, for pleasure, or family obligations. It was a common practice (you can see examples of it in the book Mrs. Mike as well, which would have been the same time-period.) and all that was expected was you looked in on any live-stock, replenished the firewood and things along those lines. A community of friends and family will be so IMPORTANT. My Great-Gma introduced me to home-made swamp coolers: a damp sheet hung in the open window at night to make heat waves bearable. These little hacks are imperative for us to know, because power can be cut/ or will be rationed in a war situation.
My Maternal Grandmother always kept 2 things in her home (like her mother before her) after the depression: banannas and chocolate. They were the first things to go. Learn to substitute honey, and maple syrup/indian sugar for sugar, it was one of the first items to be rationed. Karo syrup was plentiful, but I would NOT recommend that these days! Get those bikes out!! My Grandparents did a LOT of biking and walking during the depression and WW2.
On the paternal side, they didn’t even own a car until my Grandma was married. My Grandma has a recipe called “depression soup”. A roux made of lard (cheap, usually rendered at home) and flour, canned milk (for some reason it was cheap at this time. Fresh was hard to get, even if you knew a farmer, rationing maybe?) and whatever vegetables you grew. Generally root veggies like a carrot and potato combo. It was a go-to recipe because it was hearty and “stuck to the ribs”. Rather than fat and calorie reduction, they were doing all they could to pump up the caloric value of their meals.
I think the greatest challenges will come from the panic and lack of knowledge, as well as our gimme, gimme! instant culture. Better hope ALL of us have a quick learning curve, because even those of us who prep, or homestead, or strive to be self-reliant have not faced the absolute bareness and real poverty that our ancestors faced.
Dasiy,
I have followed prepper blogs for many years and yours is the Best yet. Your a great writer and very funny. I love the way you put things and your honesty. I too have moved all over the US and had to start over and learn new skills. I put in my time fighting for this country in Viet Nam. My grandparents taught me a lifetime of skills. Im 70 and going on 19. Thanks for you wisdom in print!!!!
I will be signing up for your news letter.
Thanks again.
Gail
Thank you, Gail! Nice to meet you! 🙂
Comment #4 had said that they have food in many freezers. That’s commendable, however I don’t think he thought about power outages…What about an EMP? Ahhhhhh, there goes ALL of that food that he had stored in all of those freezers that he thought he would be able to cook somehow. NOT sure how he was going to cook all that food, but people with ALL electric houses will be OUT of luck. In any power outage or especially if we have an EMP there won’t be ANY power in these houses. I wish people would realize all of these things, instead of thinkin that everything is going to be as it’s always been which it will NOT be. Also remember that generators must be outside and they can be stolen. Also generators need fuel. If you haven’t stocked up on the fuel your generator will be useless.
Propane stoves will come in handy and other types of non gas stoves, but you would need to store ALOT of fuel and that could be a problem if you are short on space…SO, there is a lot more to consider here than just food and water. You need air and you will need heat in the winter if you are anywhere that gets cold during that 5 months of the year.
SO, good luck in your preps…just remember ALOT will change here in the USA when and IF we ever do have WWIII.
I think if WW3 happens, it will be profoundly life altering for all of us. You need only look back a short distance. Remember fuel rationing in the sixties? How about in the 70’s? Turtlenecks, long sweaters, vests were not for fashion. We were cold. The schools set back the thermostats to 65 and I couldn’t wait to get home to warm up by the woodstove. Anyone remember the coffee turmoil in the late 60’s? I was a kid but I remember how upset my parents were over the steep rise in the price. I had to dresses to start school in 1965. My mother sewed them. They were corduroy. 1 pink 1 blue. As I grew, Mom added lace around the hem to get me an extra year. Bread was 4 king size loaves for $1. We had a garden. Everyone we knew had a garden. We all cut up the green beans and shucked corn. Peaches, grapes, everything we could put up. pickles, ketchup. Boy were they good. Dad said the canned stuff from the store tasted funny. He was right. We never had Chef Boy ardee. No TV dinners. No box mixes. Gram said by the time you “doctored them up” you might as well have made it from scratch. We all did firewood and hung our clothes out in good weather. Once I ran my hand in the wringer on the washer Mom had outside for doing clothes in the summer. Ouch! There are so many memories and I am only 57. My Dad said to use butter to take off glue or old stickers. He said his Mom took tar off his feet in the summer when he was a kid. Works great by the way. I know this is long, but most of my friends don’t know how to do anything. Dad says the worst thing in this country is that no one knows how to fix things anymore and a lot of newer things aren’t made to be fixed. Too many don’t realize, this won’t get better fast. Get to know who your neighbors are. You men with small children could become your worst fear fast.
PA Mom: Thanks for the tip about butter! I wish butter would cure my fungal funky feet!
Spend time without electricity, how ya gonna cook and preserve food and cope with extreme boredom? Have Containers or buckets for collecting rain water. You need a lot of water for a modern home. Practice growing things now even if it’s only in Containers. Be ready to move at any time since the gov already knows your hideouts and will at anytime ‘clean’ the place of an dwellers, keep low. In case of ww3 many people are gonna die there’s no way around that. Hopefully it doesn’t happen now but when it does happen to the US it will be unexpected and multiple attacks at once so wherever that is will be most affected. Better to not be there when it happens, now that’s survival….. It’s going to end up looking worse than a third world country…..
And prepping is great but ya wanna make sure it’s protected, there will be Street gangs at some point who will take over your stash or kill you for it, the gov will not help, thats part of the reason you gotta be ready to leave or let go of some or most of your stash, realistically in shtf or ww3 situation you’re not going to keep it for long because of the gangs. They will even be in neighborhoods they’re not in right now unless you basically have your own ‘gang’ to protect it. Your stash could last until those gangs take over your neighborhood. So to protect yourself you need a large enough group in your neighborhood who are well equipped to handle gangsters. If it’s just you then…. Good luck. Maybe if for some reason they ‘like’ you they’ll make life ‘easy’ on you.
Wartime Farm is currently on Youtube. It’s fascinating, especially the part about rationing.
I am a Canadian and I know my family will be affected along with Americans without a doubt. I believe that anything to do with transport will be firstly affected. This includes store stock, of any kind, ability to go to work for most, medicine distribution and gasoline for a generator. I have been studying this subject for about 20 years and prepping for it, in the simplest of terms, by beginning to run out of anything now and learning to create what you have run out of. For example, if you have run out of toothpaste now, find a recipe online for it and make it. Things like socks, underwear, feminine pads, skirts, tops, etc. Can all be made from old tshirts easily with instructions on line. Another example was today when my child wanted to bring Annie’s Mac n cheese to school. I made him a thermos by doubling fleece and sewing on elastic for top and bottom to fit over a glass jar and keep food warm like fleece does for my yogurt making. Things like this are great for increasing some skills also
I was a pre-teen during world war II, we had ration books for meat, fat, sugar and other supplies. You had to give the store the right number of stamps for whatever you were buying or you couldn’t buy it. Gas was rationed as well, nobody took long road trips. We were instructed to put metal scraps of all kinds in a central bin and they were collected for the ‘war” effort, we also collected paper. Our stay at home moms went to work in factories that produced goods for the war. Our dads either enlisted or were drafted into the military. We had propaganda posters everywhere with mottoes like “loose lips sink ships” As men were so scarce a new business emerged, men selling sex to females. Silk stockings were worth their weight in gold, yep, they had a seam up the back. No panty hose invented yet but garter belts were used with them. War bonds were heavily promoted and kids gathered pennies to contribute to the war effort. The soldiers and sailors were heroes and we had Canteens set up where we entertained them when they were in the U.S., they held dances and all the eligible aged women went to dance with the guys. Celebrities went to war zones to entertain the troops, Bob Hope did that a lot. Movies were usually war movies showing us winning. TV had not been invented yet and we sat around the radio at night and listened to music or stories. An enormous treat was when we got an orange each! Wow! it was rare to have a whole orange all for yourself! I talked my younger sister into thinking that the orange peels were the good part and she dipped them into sugar and ate them while I consumed the less desirable inner part. I should have been ashamed of myself but science now tells us that she got the most nutritious part. Oddly enough I heard a disembodied voice say “the war is over.” I was in a room alone and nobody believed me. It was hours later that we got the great news on the radio!
I’m sorry but you’ve left out one critical assumption. Everybody is assuming that the nuclear plants wont be targeted. When the USA (and coalition members..HA!) struck Iraq for the first time, what were the primary targets? Command and Control and the Power Grid! Shut off the lights! If the Nuke plants in the USA are targeted, I don’t care how many tons of dried pears and ounces of anything you have because 90% of this country is going to be dead or dying within two weeks from the effects of vaporized nuclear cores.
A third world war that goes nuclear is NOT survivable if the reactors are targeted and, why wouldn’t they be?
Here’s a first hand account of one thing to not do during an emergency. My neighbors daughter prepared for Hurricane Sandy a few years ago….she bought rechargeable flashlights…as Foxworthy said, “you can’t fix stupid”.
I grew up listening to my parents, grandparents, other older relatives and older people in general about the Great Depression and WW2. What I learned was that people needed to be calm, hard working, have skills in gardening, sewing, how repair things and just know how to make due.
The younger people today really don’t have the knowledge, savy and fortitude that the older generations did. They are also very impatient. I don’t know how they are going to survive a crisis.
I am very glad that my grandma taught me to crochet. It’s a very useful skill. One thing I have done was to buy a large stash of yarn. If things fall apart the way I think they will, I can make scarves, hats, gloves, dish cloths, hot pads and many different things. I have a lot crochet pattern books and magazines in print. I also know how to sew.
WW3 will be a new form of destruction with intercontinental missiles to deliver EMP destruction, infrastructure destruction, or even bio-warfare on the civilian population. The Chinese will be a special threat as they want our land as their land is polluted and contaminated unable to grow sufficient food for their population. The US government will be totally useless and lawlessness will take over most of the country.
If you do not already have the basics for survival in your possession, you will need special knowledge, skills and abilities to trade for things. Medical /dental knowledge, food and herbal preparation and preservation, hunting skills, boot making and sewing skills will be high on the list of needed skills. Banks will still come after people who don’t pay their bills, especially mortgages or vehicle loans. However, paper money will have no value, so only tangible items will be accepted for payment.
Prepare by becoming more self-reliant and learning new skills, replace intangible items for tangible items where possible, stock and store items you cannot grow or build yourself (such as good tools), grow a garden and keep small livestock if possible. Too many suggestions to mention here.
One of the worst things that I believe we would see is the lack of skilled laborers. When I started driving, my Dad insisted I learned how to safely change a car tire. He did not want me stranded out there. I also wired up my exhaust once when a hanger broke on me. I knew to check my oil and radiator. Everybody knew how to do this stuff. Not so today.
Fortunately we live in a rural setting. My husband is very skilled. A Jack if you will. He is a certified welder. He is a certified phase 3 electrician. He was a journeyman’s apprentice and worked on a kiln boiler and all of the large machines. He has his CDL. If there is a way to do it, he will figure it out. He grew up on a farm and is skilled in animal rearing and care. He was a log cutter and is extremely skilled in falling a tree. What happens when guys like mine are all gone?
If all of the draft age generation are called up to serve, we are left with fewer people to run the few factories we have. We won’t have Rosie, because she will be called up too. Just what I think we could be facing.
One thing I would add to the listed skills and supplies needed, would be education. If children’s education is stunted because of a war, then the future of the USA will also be stunted. Have some basic primer books (reading/writing/math), history, and reference books on hand. Keep basic office supplies (pencils, erasers, pens, paper, maybe a chalkboard) as part of your preps. If you have no other practical skills, but are educated and can teach it to others, you will be able to barter for the things you lack.