Last Fall I picked up a book at the Philadelphia Airport called One Second After
This single fictional novel has changed the way view and live my life. Since reading this account of how an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) changed their world as they knew it, I have begun focusing on how to be more self-sufficient and prepared for any potential world changing events.
I thought I was a pretty prepared guy, I have carried a gun for over 25 years, military, police, government and now private security. I have been through much training over the years on survival and weapons, always learning to adapt and overcome. After looking at the cube from a different angle I realized there were sides I had never focused on. Was I really prepared to survive, protect and care for my family in a long-term scenario? The answer was clearly no.
After reading “One Second After” I went on to read:
Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse
Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse
Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse
Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival
Holding Their Own II: The Independents
Holding Their Own III: Pedestals of Ash
What these books did was cement in my mind how ill prepared we are for a simple long-term power outage, let alone a major earthquake or financial collapse. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife, a glass half full kind of gal, agreed with me and joined me in making some paradigm shifts in our lifestyle and thinking.
We started scouring web sites and blogs feeling so very overwhelmed with how far behind we felt in our preparedness. So we started “eating the elephant” one bite at a time. We made checklists and priorities and slowly we began preparing ourselves to be more self-sufficient. We continually ask ourselves, “are we better off today than we were yesterday?” If the answer is yes then we are on the right track.
Our self-sufficient mindset has even led us to begin looking for a completely different home. We now are looking for a home we can become more self sufficient in with gardens, well, septic and alternative energy.
I began to stock up on security necessities, guns/ammo, and inventory my “practical tactical” gear. I created 72 hour “get home” bags for each of our vehicles. Stocked up on fresh water, propane, and other life sustaining needs.
My wife has begun learning new skills in canning and soap making. Most importantly our mindset has changed and our conversations have changed. If something happens, when something happens, it won’t be the first time we have thought about and prepared ourselves mentally, physically and logistically.
This is my first post on Santa Cruz Survivors. My wife and I plan on sharing with you all some of our observations, experiences, trials and tribulations as we continue to build our skills as survivor/preppers.
Afghanistan 2008 after the vehicle I was traveling in was blown up by a 500lb IED
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