While the Covid crisis continues to affect society both socially and economically, it never materialized into the zombie apocalypse many were anticipating. There were indications however of many concerns preppers have when planning for disaster situations. Let’s have a look at one now.
Post Abandonment Of Essential Workers
A long standing concern of preppers is that during or right after a disaster, essential workers such as police officers, medical professionals, and other emergency personnel would simply not report to work, thus creating a WROL situation.
While no such thing occurred, there are hints of this type of thing being a legitimate concern. In Quebec, employees at several retirement residences walked off the job citing a lack of PPE and safety measures. Of course, this led to a precarious situation where the military was called in to fill positions and care for the elderly.
To me, this situation is proof that given a serious enough scenario, enough essential workers could very well abandon their posts. I’ve always maintained that preppers should be preparing for a loss of services during a disaster and this is a perfect example.
While this abandonment didn’t affect society as a whole, at least directly, it is a perfect example of what we could expect to have to take into our own hands. Would you be able to fight a fire without the fire department? Could you care for injured or sick loved ones? Are you prepared to take security into your own hands? If emergency services are overwhelmed or lacking all together, what can you do to provide some semblance of these services yourself?
Fire Fighting – of course, installing smoke detectors and keeping them in working order can give you a time advantage by alerting you to a fire before it gets out of hand. Also, a selection of good sized fire extinguishers is also recommended. Beyond that, keeping a supply of water is a great idea. A series of 1000 liter totes or a dug pond can be fed by a rainwater catchment system. Coupling that with a gas powered water pump and a supply of hoses and nozzels could mean the difference between loosing everything and keeping at least part of your infrastructure in place. A swimming pool could also be a great idea for water storage, as well as a place to cool off on hot summer days. Some homesteaders with large properties have set up rolling stock such as an old pickup or a trailer equipped with a water tank and pump system, creating their very own fire department…of sorts.
Medical Services – having basic first aid knowledge is essential along with keeping an inventory of basic supplies. As an addition to that, there are many online resources that will teach you somewhat advanced practices such as diagnostics and using prescription medications such as antibiotics, suturing wounds, etc. Of course, identifying a nearby doctor or nurse you could call upon would be a huge asset!
Policing – for home security, always begin with the basics of properly reinforcing your home entry points. Closed circuit surveillance cameras and trip wire alarms can be used to alert you to something going on that shouldn’t be. Regular patrols of your property can also alert you to the possibility that someone may be taking an interest in what you might have.
On a wider scale, organizing a neighborhood watch where neighbors take turns actively patrolling the streets can deter small time criminals, or alert you to the presence of a more organized group of ill intended.
After seeing what has happened to retirement homes during this pandemic, it is immediately obvious that an abandonment of emergency workers is a very real possibility. Plan for this situation now, and save yourself some headaches later.