I’m often asked which disaster scenario scares me the most. Well, the short answer is anything that disrupts the workings of our infrastructure on a national level. By infrastructure, I mean our ability to move freight, provide utilities and otherwise adequately meet the everyday needs of the American people. This could happen for any number of reasons, from a well-orchestrated terrorist attack to a general failure of our economy. Our economy has never been so fragile and there are terrorist organizations plotting, every day, to destroy our way of life. Experts agree that it is not a matter of if something will happen but rather, a matter of when. We are extremely vulnerable to this type of scenario. Here’s an example of what could happen:
Imagine if you woke up one day and the power was out, the phone didn’t work, the water was off and all of the stores were closed. The businesses that had not been overrun by panicked mobs would be forced to close and lock their doors because they depend on electricity, water, sewer and deliveries to operate. It would seem as if the earth had come to a deafening stillness. And then it hits you: What you have is all that you are going to get, probably for a very long time.
If the economy and/or infrastructure were to suffer a collapse, it could be a long time before any sense of normalcy would surface. It stands to reason that crime would run rampant as desperate people struggle to provide for their families. Looting would become commonplace. Cities in particular would become very dangerous places. Those who were able would leave the cities and head for the suburbs and areas beyond, flooding and over taxing the limited resources of those areas and spreading the violence with them. Many people will think that they can live off of the land, but the fact is that we as a civilization have moved far beyond that option. Only a very few people in this country are capable of living off of the land and even their chances would be diminished by the exodus of people into their areas.
Most disturbing of all is that desperation can turn the nicest of people into lawless thugs. If you doubt this, ask yourself a simple question: If my family was starving, would I take what I need from other people?
The American Red Cross estimates that only about 7% of Americans are adequately prepared for a disaster. This means that they probably have enough emergency supplies to last three days. That isn’t enough. We all need to prepare for an extended period of time in order to ensure the safety of our families and to preserve the America that we have come to know and love.
Plan, Prepare, Survive
