Well, we somehow survived 2008. What a wild ride it’s been! Unfortunately, 2009 is positioned to be even crazier. We’re in for some rough times, folks. It’s time to do some serious preparation for the tempests that no longer loom on the distant horizon, but right in front of us.
I’m one of those people who like to make New Year’s resolutions. I usually even manage to keep a few of them. But this year is different. Somehow the perennial goals of weight loss, travel, vacation, and luxury purchases just seem too trivial to include. This year I feel an urgency to focus on basic necessities and practicalities. Perhaps we could all benefit from an objective evaluation of our preparedness and a genuine effort to fill in the gaps.
Here are five things I suggest you consider as you make your goals for 2009:
1. Plant a vegetable garden.
In 2008 we saw dramatic increases in food prices as well as shortages that led to rationing and food riots in many parts of the world. There is every reason to believe 2009 will be worse. It’s time to think seriously about producing some of your own food. Vegetable gardening is likely to become more of a survival skill than a hobby in the near future. If you can find even a small patch of ground to garden, I suggest that you begin now to learn the skills and obtain the supplies to make it productive. I recommend the Mittleider method as a simple and inexpensive way to get high crop yields.
2. Get a supply of water.
The collapsing economy is making it increasingly difficult for governments and municipalities to provide basic services, let alone emergency relief. At the same time, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and the threat of manmade disaster is all too real. In nearly every emergency scenario, drinking water becomes an immediate and critical problem. How would you survive if your water supply were cut off or became contaminated for several days — or perhaps much longer? I recommend that you begin immediately to build up at least a week’s supply of fresh drinking water, and learn how to purify contaminated water for longer term emergencies.
3. Learn to make bread.
Wheat and other grains remain in short supply and will likely continue to rise in price in 2009. Diversion of food grains to biofuel production, heavy international demand, poor harvests, and natural disasters have all contributed to the problem, and 2009 does not look to be any better. If this trend continues, bread may soon become a luxury item, and you may have to stand in line to get it. I recommend that you get at least a three-month supply of wheat plus a grinder, and begin to discover the pleasure and health benefits of homemade whole-wheat bread. If you have a wheat intolerance, then choose other grains your body can handle. Either way, I urge you to get started soon before the prices become prohibitive.
4. Create an emergency kit.
With each passing month the likelihood increases that you will have to face some kind of crisis with little or no outside help. A good emergency kit should provide the necessities of life in a worst-case scenario — for instance, a hurried evacuation at night during a winter storm. Such a kit will be useful at times of extreme need as well as in less dramatic but more commonplace situations such as power outages and household accidents. Keep your kit lightweight and portable, and store it where you can quickly grab it in an emergency.
5. Get to know your neighbors.
The only way we are going to get through these hard times is to pull together. Family, friends, and neighbors can help each other through almost any crisis by sharing and caring. There may never be a better time to forgive and forget past squabbles, draw the extended family closer, renew old acquaintances, and make new friends. The old adage about strength in numbers is true, and those who suffer most are those who choose to face trials alone.
We extend to all of you our best wishes for the coming year, and hope that we can all meet the challenges ahead with courage and dignity. Let us move forward with confidence that our efforts will eventually make us stronger, better, and happier people.
Sincerely,
Jared and Jeannie Sorensen
