What Hurricane Sandy Reveals About the Future of Preparedness

Guest Post by Anthony Gucciardi

Hurricane Sandy has cleared entire grocery outlets of their essential items like water, shut off power from hundreds of thousands of homes, and incited gangs to call for the looting for local stores and wealthy homes. But it is nothing compared to a major disaster. Sure, Hurricane Sandy is projected to cost anywhere from $80 to $100 billion in damages, but it does not really compare to the reality of greater meltdown incidents.

The reality is that other major disaster scenarios that threaten the lives of many could lead to a response that is overwhelmingly more severe. Whether economic, nuclear, biological or otherwise, individuals will respond much differently when two circumstances arise surrounding such a situation:

• There is no preemptive warning to prepare for the circumstances yet to be encountered.

• There is direct harm presented towards individuals and their families.

But where does Hurricane Sandy fit into all of this? Hurricane Sandy is extremely important as it is a ‘beta test’ of sorts to show how people will respond during a time of perceived crisis. Given that Hurricane Sandy does not pose a very real threat to the lives of citizens (directly), this response is of course much lighter than in the more life-threatening collapse situations. That said, store shelves have still been emptied of all essential items (particularly water, which was the first thing to go a few days ago), looters are conspiring to pick their targets, and millions face the reality of long-term power outages.

My video below details how many stores are even posting notices of their short supply to deter looters, riots over essential items like water, and other issues:

Hurricane Sandy Offers Insight on How to Prepare

In other words, Hurricane Sandy gives you a glimpse into not only how a collapse scenario will function, but what you will require. I encourage you to read our information on how to prepare for not just Hurricane Sandy but any disaster in addition to the article on how to preserve your food without electricity. But at a glance, the key items that will immediately disappear or become highly challenging to find in a real collapse scenario include:

• Fresh water: Water bottles, gallon jugs, and likely even access to nearby springs will be protected by certain groups.

• Water-containing beverages: All types of juice, soda, milk, just about anything to quench thirst.

• Firearms: Handguns, rifles, and shotguns will be most in demand however it’s likely even BB guns and airsoft will be purchased or looted for protection or otherwise.

• Canned foods: Expect stores to sell out of long-term storable foods as soon as word of disaster hits.

• Sugar and coffee: Items like sugar, coffee, spices, salt, and pepper will essentially be a new form of currency in the event of a meltdown. The bartering system of days past will be reinvigorated through the trade of once-cheap products like these in exchange for even major things like vehicles, weapons, and water.

Thankfully, you can be prepared. By purchasing a high quality water filtration device alone, you will be ahead of 99% of the population. The best options are either a gravity-based filtration system (that works using gravity instead of pressure provided by electricity), or an atmospheric water generator that is solar powered or can run reasonable fine on a generator. With either of these options, you will be able to address the most challenging issue of obtaining fresh water supply for you and your family. This alone may be enough of a barter tool to generate excess food and perhaps even weapons.

That said, it is important to begin stockpiling foods that you will be able to eat without electricity. Many foods exist that store for nearly forever, but it is still wise to eat from your storage each month and replace accordingly to achieve optimum freshness and subsequent taste. After all, you want to attempt to retain the most comfort in a collapse scenario through your foods to ensure that you and your family do not suffer from serious panic-induced hardships.

Future Preparedness

Hurricane Sandy presents a unique scenario in which we can understand how society will respond to disaster in highly-populated urban areas after being used to a ‘regular’ lifestyle for virtually the last several decades. Through this, it also brings widespread attention to just how necessary it is to ensure that you obtain and maintain the essential supplies needed for the survival of you and your family in a much more serious situation that could threaten the lives of the average citizen.

Just by taking minor steps into improving your preparedness kit and action plan, you can make a major different in not only your own life but the lives of many others.

This article first appeared at Natural Society.