Regardless of your political persuasion it would appear that things are coming to a head in this nation, and we’re likely to see considerable social turmoil in the next few months. There may come a time when services may be temporarily unavailable, and it would be wise to be prepared. There are whole books written on this subject, so I’m not going to talk about prepping from the ground up; and this isn’t about preparing for The End of the World; it’s about making it through a time when the social fabric gets a bit frayed around the edges. This is a just some reminders and a few thing you might have missed.

Here are some things to consider doing in case you experience a loss of services or have civil unrest in your area.

*Keep the gas tanks in your vehicles full; local gas stations might elect to close for the safety of their staff. You may not plan or need to bug out, but you may find there’s somewhere you need to be; if services are compromised you may need to go to an emergency room if Paramedics are not responding. You may find it desirable to stay with friends or relatives in a safer location, or to bring others to your location.

*Make certain your medical supplies are adequate. Have at least one month of your prescriptions on-hand, make sure you are stocked on over-the-counter medications. Make sure you have band- aids, Neosporin and other ‘standard’ household first aid supplies on hand. Add to this a ‘bleed kit,’ a few field-dressings and a tourniquet or two. You may not be likely to need them, but if you do you will need them urgently. Even if you don’t need them your friends or neighbors might.

*In some areas grocery stores might close for the safety of their staff. Stocking up on food goes without saying, but don’t forget ‘niceties’ like salt, pepper and other spices. Most of the food people stockpile is not particularly interesting; a bottle of hot sauce and other spices might help with dietary boredom, which can help to maintain a positive attitude. With Halloween approaching you might want to invest in a few bags of candy; it’s important to keep morale up, after all.

*Be prepared for a temporary loss of utilities. Domestic terrorists (or just plain old assholes taking advantage) might take down a local transformer or otherwise interrupt power on a small scale. Local water supplies might become compromised, so have a good supply of drinking water and a water-filtration kit. Sanitary wipes can help keep you tolerably clean until services resume. (Don’t do what a friend did and mistake ‘sanitary wipes’ for ‘Sanitizing wipes…’ Cleaning his private areas with Clorox wipes made for a very uncomfortable camping trip…)

*Invest in some portable chargers for your cell-phone and have them charged and ready. It’s important to keep lines of communication open. Similarly a portable AM/FM radio is a good idea, and have plenty of batteries on hand for it, flashlights and other small devices.

*Not really going to get into defensive weapons and ammo. At this point you either have them or you don’t. I will say this though; THINK. Have plans. Consider your actions carefully; this isn’t the end of civilization as we know it. Sooner or later you will have to answer for your actions; it might take days, weeks, even months but it will happen. Know your local self-defense laws and abide by them scrupulously. In the unlikely event that you are touched by violence document events as best you can. Don’t instigate violence, don’t argue with or insult people. Defend your lives and property of course, but in the absence of an immediate threat obey the law, keep a low profile and go out of your way to avoid provoking people.

*You are not the police. You are not Batman. Your responsibility is to yourself and your family, and you need to keep this uppermost in your mind at all times. There are people that count on you, and they need you to live. If you cannot help but intervene in someone else’s problem consider your actions carefully, and exercise as much prudence as possible.

We don’t know how bad it’s going to get, but I am confident that we will get through this difficult time. Take care and stay safe.

Michael Tinker Pearce, 29 October 2020