Why Be a Prepper?

You should be a prepper, but many people wonder “why be a prepper?”

Look:

Often, people are intimidated by the common image of “prepping” which is dressing in camo and hiding in a hole in the ground until the world ends.

Sure, that’s one flavor of prepping that you can do. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Preparedness has many shades and it’s up to you to choose what your family needs. There are many reasons to be a prepper:

Common Reasons to Prep

• Job loss
• Economic downturn
• Inflation
• Drought
• Hurricane
• Tornado

These are some of the most common problems that people face in their lives. These can be prepared for with a little effort. Many of these reasons even have their own seasons because they’re so common. Most people face the possibility of job loss or business closure. Economic downturns have happened numerous times in the last few decades.

The affects of a drought can be felt throughout a huge swath of the economy. Food prices increase which decreases the amount of money people have to spend on other items. Food price increases, depending on the severity can also cause unrest. Just look at Venezuela.

“There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” - Alfred Henry Click To Tweet

Extreme Reasons to Prep

Of course, there are other more intense reasons that I’ve heard for people prepping. Here are a couple of the more extreme reasons that people are prepping:

• Cataclysmic Supervolcanic eruptions
• Complete government and economic collapse
• Comet/Asteroid impact
• Magnetic pole reversal
• Solar storms knocking out power and communication grids
• Nuclear and biological war with another country
• Terrorism
• Electro-magnetic pulse attack
• Pandemic

I say those are “extreme” reasons because mathematically, they are much less likely to happen than my list of common reasons. Regardless of what motivates you, prepping is responsible. The people who are prepared for an asteroid impact will probably have no problem weathering a drought. How prepared you should be though, is completely up to you.

The Government Wants You to Be a Prepper

This is quite possibly one of the most solid reasons you can have in your arsenal for the lay-person. Few people will tell you “you’re crazy” for following the advice of the government. That’s right, the government wants you to be a prepper. They have a whole website dedicated to it: Ready.gov

Bangarang! Not only do they have a website, they want you to have a survival kit! Boom! Nice. Not enough? What about this quote:

If an earthquake, hurricane, winter storm, or other disaster strikes your community, you might not have access to food, water, and electricity for days or even weeks. By taking some time now to store emergency food and water supplies, you can provide for your entire family.

Sounds like it is straight out of a doom-and-gloom prepper resource, but that came straight from a FEMA document, another government organization. I can keep going, but suffice it to say, even most states have their own disaster preparedness websites. Prepping isn’t crazy, it’s expected from the government.

Why Be a Prepper? Because the Government Can’t Save You.

It’s not that the government won’t save you, it’s that they can’t save you. Let me make it clear, I don’t believe the government is out to get you, but I do believe they have too much to do and too much bureaucracy for you to depend on them. Don’t believe me? Here are a few quotes for you from people in government and law enforcement.

Regarding Crime in General

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” -Sheriff Wayne Ivey

“You are the first line of defense, for you, your family and others around you.” -Sheriff Wayne Ivey

“We know that we may get there to mitigate a piece of it, but we will never be there in time to prevent it,” -Sheriff Grady Judd

“Calling 911 and waiting for police is no longer your best bet.” -Sheriff David Clarke

“You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. But are you prepared?” -Sheriff David Clarke

It’s more important to have a gun in your hand than a cop on the phone. -Sheriff Grady Judd Click To Tweet

Regarding Hurricane Katrina Response

“They’ve got people here who are search and rescue certified, paramedics, hazmat certified, but we’re sitting in here having a sexual harassment class while there are still victims in Louisiana who haven’t been contacted yet.” -Texas Firefighter

“The failure of local, state, and federal governments to respond more effectively to Katrina — which had been predicted in theory for many years, and forecast with startling accuracy for five days — demonstrates that whatever improvements have been made to our capacity to respond to natural or man-made disasters, four and half years after 9/11, we are still not fully prepared. Local first responders were largely overwhelmed and unable to perform their duties, and the National Response Plan did not adequately provide a way for federal assets to quickly supplement or, if necessary, supplant first responders.”

– House of Representatives, Select Committee

(We) believe Katrina was primarily a failure of initiative. - House of Representatives, Select Committee Click To Tweet

Regarding 911 Responses

“Ain’t nobody got time for this. For real.” -Crenshanda Williams, 911 Operator who literally hung up on thousands of 911 calls.

“Nobody, nobody is going to help you. You’re on your own.” -Hua Li, customer at store being robbed who was hung up on twice by Crenshanda (above). The store manager was shot and killed during that robbery.

“Can you imagine your child choking and you’re calling 911 getting a busy signal?” -Wendy Malone, communications manager, Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office

“Why is it that I can pull out my cell phone and call France or browse the Internet whenever I want, but I got a busy signal for 9-1-1 for 20 minutes?” -Tech Blogger Jason Kincaid’s father after witnessing a fatal car accident.

The point I’m trying to make here is that you are the first responder to your issues. It isn’t 911’s responsibility to help and it isn’t the Sheriff’s office. Will they help? Hopefully, and often times they do, but it isn’t guaranteed and they may not be able to respond as quickly as you need them to.

911 has always answered my calls, and I would advise anyone to call 911 if they believe it necessary, but if your safety is on the line, I sure hope you have the means to take care of yourself and your family.

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Be prepared. Click To Tweet

Preparing for Other Family

This isn’t really a reason to prepare, but it is a reason why you might want to prepare more than you might have planned. If you are already a prepper or are considering it, then you may want to consider over-preparing for other family members. Lots of people take the attitude of every man for himself, which is fine, but you might have to leave family out in the cold if the need arose.

It’s true, many people will tell you that prepping is unnecessary and you should take your tin-foil hat off. Those people have become too comfortable and accustomed to things being the way they are. It might be worthwhile to over-prepare with the expectation that if something happens, those people will be the first ones at your door wondering what to do. It’s especially likely if they know that you’ve done any sort of prepping. Just remember, when you answer your door, ask them: Why be a prepper? Enjoy your moment, then invite them in.