5 Catastrophic events to prepare for – Part 1

Events to prepare for

While thinking about prepping, there’s no way to not think about possible catastrophic events to prepare for that might put our lives at stake by causing crisis in any aspect of our society. In turn, crisis cause stress and all sorts of negative things that can seriously impact everything we know. This is what prepping is really all about: getting ready for events that are possible and doing our best to be prepared for them in a way that will not affect our daily lives.

One of the main things that cause social unrest, financial problems, poor health, destroyed infrastructure, and even loss of lives are sudden disasters that can actually happen anytime due to all sorts of complications in our world. Some of them may come without any observable warnings, while others have clear and early warning signs which can help you avoid tragedies if you are adequately prepared.

That is why it is important to know about the main catastrophic events to prepare for that can have a global impact and think of them in a proper way. Doing so will not only help you identify indications of sudden disasters easier, but also survive them, using a specific survival strategy.

We’ll shortly cover 5 catastrophic events to prepare for in these 2 posts and help you identify the signs of an impending disaster so you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

Let’s get started!

An economic collapse

An economic collapse at any scale is surely one of the events to prepare for and can affect businesses, big or small, your finances, your career, your way of life, your physical health and your mental health. It can lead to business failure and force companies to shut down, which leads to job losses.

If you are not properly prepared for a recession, surviving it might be difficult. You will have financial problems and might fail to provide for your basic needs. Finding employment won’t be easy, because most industries will be affected also. Even launching a business will be difficult because you won’t have the capital, plus the market might just not be in condition to buy anything from you.

Applying for bank loans in such situations may not be the best solution, especially if you don’t have any collateral. Banks will have their own set of problems, so conditions will not be in your favor for sure.

And even if you do have collateral, there is no guarantee that the startup you want to venture into will be successful. Therefore, you risk incurring losses and getting into debt to pay back the loan. Let’s be clear, it’s similar with any startup at any time, but in difficult economic conditions this becomes even harder and less sure.

It is very important to understand the basic causes of an economic depression, to know the signs of an upcoming recession, and prepare for it the best you can.

There are many factors leading to an economic collapse, including the stock market crash, government policies, bank failures, price hikes, a general reduction in purchases, a decrease in manufacturing orders, and deflation.

Stock market crashes are often triggered by a drop in stock prices, which incures panic selling or even a broader economic crisis. If you’re a small investor, you could easily miss the window of opportunity to sell good, leading you to sustaining possibly unrecoverable loses of capital. And lose of capital for sure fits our definition of events to prepare for.

When it happens so that investors lose confidence in the economy, they will immediately limit their spending or stop investing in stocks altogether. This can seriously affect international trade and effectively slow down the entire economy.

Some of the main signs of an economic collapse that you need to look out for are hyperinflation, high unemployment rates, continued stock market losses, high-interest rates, oil price hikes, and declining property sales.

You have to start preparing for depression now, whether you see any of those signs or not. This will help you plan effectively and ensure you are ready for a crisis when it comes. It allows you to gradually build your savings while you can, evaluate your investments while there’s still time, and ensure financial stability during bad times.

There are a few things you can do that are doable in normal times and are the best ways to get ready for a recession:

• evaluate your expenses,
• open a savings account,
• build an emergency fund,
• clear your debts,
• monitor your investments,
• have multiple income sources,
• stockpile necessary supplies,
• and manage your cash flow. 

Don’t rely solely on your salary to get you through an economic downturn. It will be difficult for you to cover all your expenses, because one of the effects of an overall crisis is that the prices of bare essentials go up.

If anyhow possible, create additional income streams to secure your finances and never worry about money when a crisis hits. Like we’ve already discussed it, one of the ways to do it by leveraging the Internet and start an affiliate business. It comes with low costs and can help you build a sustainable business relatively fast, which will give you the chance to build up savings for when needed. Mind that this business model will also suffer from economical crisis, because other people will limit their expenses too, so you will lose customers.

Open a savings account and make smart investing decisions. Avoid non-interest savings, because inflation will eat your money if you can’t replenish it by means af interest gains. Also, avoid any investments that aren’t profitable short term, since crisys may happen a bil late for you to collect. In short, make sure you maximize your savings and gain profit from your investments.

You can maximize your savings by automating transfers or making sure you deposit money into your account weekly or monthly, whatever works best for you. While doing it, you have to track your spending habits and never use the money you save on anything that doesn’t help you double or at least grow it substantially.

Start investing. Don’t focus solely on building your savings and fail to multiply your money. Just don’t jump on anything – make smart investments to ensure profits, even if they’re low at the beginning. Learn all you can about businesses or projects you want to fund and try to avoid losses. Constantly monitor your portfolio and constantly re-evaluate your investments to ensure ROI. Once you notice a decline in profits, immeddiately look away and find a better opportunity, because waiting usually just makes things worse.

Invest regularly and – very important! – diversify your portfolio. Do not, in any case, depend on a sole investment. Focus on investments with high-interest rates to ensure profits, avoiding the suspicious ones. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

Here are some of the best short-term and long-term investments to consider:

• high-yield savings accounts,
• government bonds,
• money market accounts,
• dividend stocks,
• bond funds,
• stock funds,
• real estate,
• short-term corporate bond funds,
• value stocks,
• and cryptocurrency.

Be very careful: each of them has somewhat specific dangers built-in, and if you’re not sure of what you’re doing, it’s usually much cheaper to pay for a professional advice than banging your head later.

Natural disasters

Natural disasters inevitably lead to the destruction of infrastructure, financial losses, physical injuries, loss of lives, mental health issues, displacement of individuals, loss of resources, and short-term unemployment. The destruction of property and loss of resources can force companies to temporarily or permanently close down, which will lead to unemployment and even more problems.

Some people may lose too much – their loved ones, homes, and jobs – to continue, forcing them to move to possibly less developed countries and effectively making them migrants. So yes, it also fits our definition of major events to prepare for ASAP.

If you are not properly prepared for a natural disaster or if it catches you unaware, you may become homeless or a migrant, especially if the disaster causes large-scale destruction in your area, such as damage to buildings, loss of lives, and the disruption of trade.

The most common natural disasters that harm the environment so bad and constitute events to prepare for are

• earthquakes,
• floods,
• volcanic eruptions,
• wildfires,
• extreme temperatures, high or low,
• storms,
• droughts,
• landslides,
• and tornados.

Preparing for any of these events (prepping) can reduce your anxiety, prevent loss of lives, help you build financial security in time and even avoid the disaster’s impact completely in certain cases.

When you know the early warning signs for possible natural disasters, you have a better chance of reducing the impact of natural disasters on your health, family, finances, and life as a whole.  

The signs that you should never ignore are official warnings and natural warnings.

So, keep abreast of the latest news, seek and find information from trusted sources, listen to the advice given, and never ignore the warnings, even if they seem a little far-fetched to you. Doing this will help you prepare or avoid disasters when they come.

For example, if a powerful storm is approaching and you are advised to move to higher ground, you should do so ASAP. Following the news will keep you informed and will help you make smart decisions when needed.

Natural warnings depend on the type of disaster that’s approaching. Examples include loud ocean roars, ground shaking, smoke signals, suddenly decreasing atmospheric pressure, specific types of cumulus clouds, a darkening sky, rapid changes in wind direction, cracking or sinking of the ground, tropical storms, and excessive rainfall.

Preparing in advance and storing emergency supplies will help you cope with such events, survive them, or even avoid them altogether. When expecting a catastrophic event and prepping ahead of time, you will be mentally, emotionally, and financially prepared for it and less prone to disastrous outcome. It won’t have a devastating impact on your life as it otherwise would because you will be in a better position to avoid it.

Respond to early warning signs, assemble an emergency kit, educate yourself and your family, have a family disaster plan, avoid any unnecessary risks, and stay informed.

Your emergency kit must have all the essentials and should be kept somewhere you can easily locate it when disaster strikes and you have to immediately leave your home. There will be no time to lose, so this is mandatory to make a safe escape when needed.

Your emergency kit should include some basic items, such as

• a selection of non-perishable food,
• clean drinking water,
• proper clothing,
• a first-aid kit,
• medical supplies,
• a battery-operated radio or a hand-cranked one,
• important documents,
• pet supplies, if needed,
• flashlights and fire starters,
• a shelter (tent),
• and some board games for entertainment, especially for kids.

Prepare yourself a bug-out bag that will hold these things, but be aware that you might need to carry it for awhile. Therefore, don’t pack everything you find, but rather carefully plan for a certain period.

Start storing important items in your emergency kit before a crisis happens or when you see the early warning signs so that you don’t panic. The sooner you’re ready, the better chances you will have.

The worst thing about failing to prepare properly is that natural disasters always lead to shortages of certain supplies that are important for your survival. For example, medication, access to clean water, and the availability of cash.

That is why you have to be observant of this events to prepare for in advance and make sure you have all the necessities long before disaster strikes.

Cash is one thing that will be hard to get in real crisis. The ATMs will be empty or broken, the banks will be closed, so in the worst case, whatever you will have in your pockets will be your reserve. Since the shortage of certain things (like clean drinking water) will inevitably make them expensive, think about it and make sure you have enough cash on hand for emergency funding to ensure your needs are met. If you’re wandering just how much is enough, your guess is as good as mine. It will depend on the numbers in your team, as well as the type of emergency, so… Do some serious thinking.

Last but not least, have a family meeting and educate your loved ones about possible natural disasters and their impact on the environment. Create an evacuation plan and make sure everyone around the home is well aware of it. This will make it easy for you and your loved ones to deal with the pressure that comes with the unexpected events and can ensure survival.

Conclusion

In the second part of the post we will deal with another 3 events to prepare for:

• A public health crisis,
• A political crisis and
• Civil and social unrest and disorder.

These will round-up this mini-series of events to prepare for and hopefully give you enough to think about just how wulnerable our way of life actually is.

See you in Part 2! (coming tomorrow)