As preppers, we often spend a considerable amount of time considering the way in which we would ultimately survive a disaster, but less time thinking about what that disaster would be. While you may have a basic idea of what to look out for, are you really up to date on the biggest threats to our society in the modern world?
Here’s a list of the top 5 threats that would test your survival skills:
1. An EMP Attack
Nuclear activity (like a bomb) doesn’t just destroy physical property and create radioactive fallout. It also brings with it powerful radio-frequencies that could cause a massive electro-magnetic pulse, or EMP. This would be a large-scale blackout, knocking out power in entire cities, states and regions of the country.
Think about it. We live in an age dominated by communication and the exchange of information over long distances. What would happen if all the technology we’ve developed suddenly stopped working?
2. An Economic Collapse
In the United States, our economy is based off of basically nothing. Back in the day, the value of our currency was based on the tangible value of gold, but today money is only worth what we collectively perceive it to be worth. The country has survived multiple stock market crashes, but not a collapse of the entire economic system. What would happen to society if trade, commerce, and wealth as we know it was suddenly eliminated?
3. A Natural or Ecological Disaster
The accelerating change in the Earth’s climate year-over-year is causing natural disasters to become more severe and more frequent. It’s also changing nature, often in ways that we can’t even realize at this time. What if a hurricane or earthquake rendered some of our major cities unlivable? What if something tainted our water supply? These are things to consider when we prepare for a disaster.
4. A World Wide Pandemic
Although we’ve developed cures and vaccines for most major illnesses, the threat of a pandemic remains as high as ever. You’ve probably seen it in plenty of movies and video games: a mysterious infection renders society as we know it a thing of the past. For one, more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to common antibiotics, which will eventually cause a superbug to jeopardize health all over the world. Do you have a plan in place to quarantine yourself and/or those around you, should a new strain start spreading far and wide?
5. World War III
Whether related to one of the disasters listed above or for some other reason, there is almost always the non-zero chance that the world is going to slip into war like it has twice in the past century. With war comes economic crashes, nuclear bombings, and other hazards. It’s up to you to ensure that you have the tools and the protocols to ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones.
Last modified: January 8, 2021
