Can you imagine a world without 2-day shipping?
Today we are blessed with such conveniences as ordering supplies from across the country on our handheld mobile smartphones only to be delivered to our doorsteps just 2-days later. Additionally, megastores such as Walmart are always nearby and have nearly anything you can imagine under a single roof. Furthermore, we have the luxury of quickly getting hot calorie-dense food prepared for us while we never leave the comfort of our vehicles.
Without electricity, getting the things we need - when we need them, may prove to be challenging for many reasons. Stores rely on trucks to drive across the country to deliver new inventory. According to many experts, an EMP strike is likely to render many modern vehicles inoperable. Therefore, stores would not be able to restock supplies even if they wanted to because the entire just-in-time trucking system would cease to exist.
With limited supply of provisions and a high demand for survival, many desperate people might resort to savage looting. It’s not so hard to believe. All we have to do is to look back to Hurricane Katrina to see how quickly the thin veneer of civility can be eroded. Even more recently, people were obsessed with hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer as the world faced an alleged pandemic.
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
A new set of eyes
Fortunately, we are still living good. However, we ought to look at the world with a new set of eyes. As you walk through the aisles of a store, mentally take stock of the locations of items that would be imperative during a potential societal collapse. Whether it by the medical items in your local Dollar Tree or the ammunition aisle at the local Walmart, mentally imagine those shelves being completely bare and empty in a survival event.
Start observing the world through a SHTF lens and be on the lookout for items that be a great asset in a world without electricity. Locate all books in your local library ahead of time that teach the homesteading / pioneer / survival skills you have yet to master. That knowledge would be invaluable. When SHTF would those books be better off in your possession than inevitably being lost forever if an arsonist set fire to the library? Locate and map out all the assets in your area. Obviously stores, but also ponds, neighborhood fruit / nut trees, and patches of wild edible plants.
Make a map of these locations and then a list of the items to be scavenged at each site. When its “go time,” we may need to delegate the responsibility of scavenging a certain location so that we can effectively spread out and visit all the locations within our small window of time.
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ACTION
After an EMP event and the power goes out. There will first be confusion and then an innate expectation that things will soon return to normal. People are just too dependent on the system. The power outage might even be novel to some people as they enjoy reading by candlelight or gorging themselves during a block BBQ party as everyone tries to cook up their once frozen meats.
It is this short window of time in which we must take action. By now we have, without a shadow of a doubt, confirmed the widespread power outage to be a malicious EMP attack or a devastating natural coronal mass ejection. We know that once the masses catch wind that things won’t be returning to normal, they will begin to panic and become desperate. Once this happens our window of opportunity will be shut for good.
This is the time that we ought to adjust and recalibrate our moral compasses - if we can. During the initial outage, many small business owners may occupy their closed stores hoping and waiting for the power to be restored. In these instances, we may have success offering them a large sum of cash money if we can enter to shop and stock up. The amount we offer needs to be an offer they cannot refuse. Keep in mind that cash money soon will have no value anyways.
In a few days time, the stores and aisles we’ve surveyed will be broken into and all supplies taken in a chaotic frenzy. There will likely be violence present as people’s desperation is heightened. Although it goes against every moral fiber of our body, we must contemplate breaking into these buildings early to procure the items we need before the violent masses decide to do it. If it makes you feel better you can leave money on the counter to pay for the items you’ve procured. Just take action!
