So much has happened over the past few years, it might feel like you are preparing for end times survival.
If you have started labeling yourself as a survival prepper, your top concerns might shift, depending on your geographic location and the current state of the world.
For example, if you are located in an area that has hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes, then you may have prepared for these particular weather or geographic events already.
Many people are still concerned about a viral outbreak, similar to the pandemic that restricted travel, forced lockdowns and caused substancial job loss over the past few years.
However, there are four situations that have the ability to cripple and entire nation so that it never recovers, and these are the top four concerns for survival preppers at this moment.
Four Concerns That Make It Feel Like We Are Preparing For End Times Survival
They four concerns that many people have are:
- a breakdown in the supply chain
- violent outbreaks for civilization
- a grid-down power outage
- economic collapse on a wide scale.
If you are paying attention, then you know there are already signs of these issues affecting America and even some other countries.
Survival preppers are speaking out about it on social media, as well as on their own personal websites, and trying to help others get ready for what may impact them in the near future, which is exactly what I am trying to do in this article.
I am in no way trying to cause panic, anxiety or upset anyone by talking about preparing for end times survival, but rather hoping you use this information to make informed decisions for your family and hoping - just like you - that everything I am prepping for doesn't happen.
So, let's talk about what each issue entails specifically, and then I will give you the information you need to help you figure out how to prepare for your biggest concerns as a survival prepper.
A Breakdown In The Supply Chain
For a couple of years, ever since the pandemic hit, there have been supply chain issues that have affected everything from electronics to food.
People began noticing this when they were trying to buy new vehicles, replace parts such as graphics cards for their computer or buy toilet paper at the grocery store.
Shoppers would go to Target or Walmart during the holiday season and find empty shelves where seasonal decor was supposed to be.
It was hard, if not impossible, to buy many of the gifts or even special food items that they normally would have purchased during these times of the year.
Of course, who could forget the run on toilet paper and hand sanitizer when the pandemic first struck?
People in middle America began seeing what was happening on the coast, and soon ran to the store to stock up on available supplies, which left many consumers unprepared because they weren't paying attention to the news.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen shipments being kept out at sea, unable to approach the dock and unload necessary supplies.
There is a lot of blame going around as to whose at fault for this issue.
There is also a lack of workers to help unload the ships when they do dock.
Then there is the fact that other countries have their own restrictions, and some of those restrictions have affected the delivery of supplies that leave their country and go to another country.
Many places no longer have the same product output for certain things, and some of these things were items we took for granted thinking that would always be on the store shelves.
Food Shortages Make It Seem Like We Are Preparing For End Times Survival
Recently, alarm bells have rung for shortages of baby formula.
What began as a shutdown of one of the most productive plants in our country turned into an extreme shortage where babies were being hospitalized.
In fact, the situation was so dire that foreign products were being shipped in on emergency flights from other countries.
Now, we are being warned about future shortages for wheat and grains, which will not only affect our own food supply, but pet and livestock food supplies as well.
Of course, it is not just because the items themselves in short supply, inflation has caused the remaining available products to be priced much higher than they were previously.
Shortages Are Coming Your Way
We're also being told that paper products, again, will be in short supply.
That will include things like toilet paper.
The last thing we want to have is another situation where all the supplies are quickly bought up by a few last minute, panicked survival hoarders.
Of course, the shortage is affecting more than just toilet paper.
Essential items like women's menstrual cycle products, such as tampons, are sold out everywhere and it is predicted that the normal shipments that stores once relied on is a thing of the past.
Sadly it is hard to predict what product that you frequently use that will suddenly be on the shortage list.
One day, you may find a surplus of items available, and the next day a scarce, if not sold out, supply of the exact same items.
In order to keep an eye on what might be running low soon, you need to keep track of what people are seeing in other areas of the country, as well as your own.
You can look on social media and utilize certain hashtags to see what is running out, or what others have heard is expected to be delivered in lower amounts.
For example, one man on TikTok made a quick video about going to a feed store to pick up grain for his farm animals, and being told to stock up because they didn't know when they were going to get their next shipment, if ever.
While some of these social media posts can be alarming or even far-fetched, it's wise to pay attention so that you can prepare.
Even looking in the comments of his video, there were many others who spoke up and said they were told the same recently.
You don't want to rely on the government or any other entity to get you the supplies that you need.
For example, we now know Americans were running out of baby formula weeks before anything was done to replenish the supplies.
Violent Outbreaks For Civilization
Another top concern for survival preppers is civil unrest.
Violent outbreaks can take the form of many different situations.
For example, in the past couple of years, we have seen events where riots occurred.
Businesses and homes were burned, protesters clashed with innocent civilians.
People were intimidated and attacked on the street and in their cars.
These kinds of heated events often result in injury, damage, and even death in some cases.
Whether it's civil unrest based on a current event, or something more serious such as war - the threat that is looming can make survival preppers uneasy.
You want to be aware of any type of violent threat, even if it is not in your immediate vicinity because - as we have seen - riots and protests can sweep across the country fast.
That may include current events that are emotional, such as a shooting that involves the police.
You need to stay abreast of threats coming from other nations as well, whether it's Russia, China or North Korea.
You should be on guard for political events that could ignite into a violent situation, such as the Supreme Court of the United States making a ruling that doesn't sit well with a certain segment of the population.
There are individuals who can cause problems, and large groups of protesters or foreign invaders who could pose a threat to the safety of you and your family.
These things are constantly evolving and a new situation could arise at a moment's notice, which is why having a plan to survive civil unrest situations is essential.
A Grid-Down Power Outage
Another situation that has survival preppers worried is the fragility of the grid.
It's bad enough that people in certain areas of the country have to endure rolling brownouts or blackouts on a regular basis.
But a more serious grid-down situation could pose an even bigger threat to your well-being.
The grid has gone down for days at a time on the north east coast during blizzards, but it has also gone down in Texas during a major winter weather event.
Now, experts are warning that even during the summer months, the strain on the electrical grid could be too much for it to handle.
With summer days coming in at 105 or more degrees, the concern is a valid one.
But weather isn't the only threat to the grid.
There are others, too.
The electrical grid is vulnerable to a cyberattack by terrorists or a foreign nation.
This could be done by Russia, North Korea, Iran or even China to cripple the United States and its citizens.
The grid is also fragile to geomagnetic storms.
So if there is a large enough solar flare that hits the Earth, it could damage the grid to the point it would take years to repair.
Would your family be ready for such a wide-scale outage and are you prepared to live off grid?
Expert reports say that if a long-term electric grid outage were to occur, it could pose the end of society as we know it and wipe out up to 90% of our population.
This is why preparing for end times survival is a good idea.
In the 1800s, a solar storm occurred.
If that same solar storm happened today, it is estimated that it would take anywhere from four to ten years to completely repair the grid.
Could your family do without electricity for that length of time and still survive?
Unfortunately, even with all of the data and reports about what could occur, the government has taken no real steps toward protecting or hardening the grid against future attacks or damage.
An Economic Collapse On A Wide Scale
A true economic collapse doesn't just affect your ability to get cash from your bank.
It is a widespread trickle-down event that causes demand to outpace supply for goods, governments to collapse, and necessities like clean water and electricity to no longer be available.
Right now, inflation is at its highest in over 40 years, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Interest rates have been soaring and people are being priced out of their homes, or even their rental properties.
Not only can people not afford their living arrangements, but the cars on the market are over-priced, food costs are skyrocketing, gas is so expensive many can't afford to go anywhere, never mind the fuel shortages - and utilities costs keep rising even though wind and solar power was supposed to lower those costs.
You might even see the stock market collapse.
Sometimes the government steps in to help financial institutions before anything dire happens, but there may come a time when either it isn't possible or the choice is made not to help.
A true economic collapse would send society into a tailspin.
Consumers rely heavily on credit, which would become non-existent.
The dollar would be worthless and wages would plummet to almost nothing.
Work would be hard to find.
There have been economic events in history that were crippling, but that did not wipe out our country.
The Great Depression, Stagflation in the 70s, the 80s Recession and Savings and Loan situation all caused problems.
More recently in history, you had the 2008 situation where banks were bailed out and then even more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic where payments were sent to businesses and families to help them get by because businesses were closed and supply chains were disrupted.
You want to make sure you pay off your debt as early as possible and don't rely on credit to help you with living expenses.
Save up cash and have other small investments that can help support you.
Making a plan and stocking up on items you can barter or learning an essential skill such as growing food is another possibility.
How You Can Prepare For Your Biggest Concerns
The top four problems listed above may or may not be ones that make you lose sleep at night.
For you, it might be another viral pandemic, a looming weather situation or something else entirely.
There are things you can do regardless of what you are most worried about.
Start by paying attention and preparing for end times survival, even if you don't think this is the end of the world.
It may just be the end of the world as we know it and a new normal might be on the horizon, just like what happened after the pandemic.
Don't just rely on mainstream news media to fill you in either.
The mainstream news media has been politicized on both sides, so gather information from friends and those you follow on social media or even from your favorite YouTube channels.
Use social media platforms like TikTok to see what people are saying is happening in other areas, as well as in your own area.
You can look for people talking about signs of civil unrest, supply chain shortages, or even pressure on the grid, to name a few.
Continue on with your usual slow and steady goal of building up supplies.
For example, every time you go to the store, add a few pantry staples such as flour, sugar and salt or beans and rice to your cart.
Don't forget to pick up an extra pack of toilet paper or other essential supplies once a month or so.
You don't need to empty the shelves or buy it all to start stocking up.
Watch for discounts such as buy 1 get 1 free deals or steep discounts on items that you can stock up on just in case there is a major event.
This might include food, but it can also be winter clothing so you can stay warm if the power goes out, electronic gadgets, faraday cages in case of am EMP attack, etc.
In the event that there are stores going out of business or closing certain locations, those are good places to look for extra things you might need, whether it is a freezer to store food in, blankets, hand crank radios, or whatever else might be on your list to buy.
Be prepared to protect your home, supplies and loved ones.
You want to work on securing your residence.
Hide some of your valuables, including things like food supplies so that if your home is compromised, they won't get everything.
In our area many people are starting to break into homes just to take the food in people's freezers.
This is why not sharing with others what you have on hand is so important.
Learn self defense and have your entire family enroll in martial arts classes as well as other defense classes to learn how to use a variety of defense items.
These may come in handy if there is a major collapse in America and people are desperate to survive.
You also want to learn essential skills that can help you in the future.
If there is no grid or supplies, you need to know how to repair things, how to build things, etc.
You need to know everything from woodworking to gardening in order to survive.
Not only can these kinds of survival skills help you and your loved ones make it through tough times, but you can also use your skills to secure work when needed or to barter with others for things they have that you need.
Hopefully, we will never have to worry about an event as sad or dire as the ones mentioned above.
Ideally, we would all get to continue living in our comfortable homes with air conditioning and heating, a full refrigerator and more.
But if anything were to happen, being prepared will give you peace of mind that you and your family will appreciate when the time comes.
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