Are you equipped to handle the unexpected? In today’s uncertain world, having a long-term survival plan in place is essential. Whether it’s a natural disaster, power outage, or even a global crisis, being ready can make all the difference.
So grab your pen and paper because we’re about to dive into the essential steps for preppers. From stockpiling supplies to learning life-saving skills, this article will guide you through everything you need to know to ensure your survival when it matters most.
Create a Long-Term Survival Plan
When many people are beginning their survival plan, they focus on what they have likely lived through before, which can be short term weather events that took out the power or even the pandemic, where supply chains were temporarily interrupted.
But most people have not lived through a severe, long term survival situation. Therefore, their focus is on a short 72 hour bug out bag measure, of stocking enough food and supplies to last them one or two weeks.
Their hope is that everything will return to normal within this amount of time. But what if it didn’t? What if you did not have electricity for more than a month or even several years?
What if you couldn’t just drive to the store any longer to get supplies? Not only do you have to consider what you would do in these situations, but you have to be mindful of what others might do so that you can protect your supplies and family in the process.
Below, you’re going to find a long term survival planning guide to help you make the right decisions about what you want to stock up on, how to manage those resources, and what you’ll do for power and security if things last longer than the unexpected.
Survival is about all types of preparedness, from a few hours to possibly the rest of your life. It might be a road blocked due to a flood in the short term, but a global war or economic collapse in a long-term event.
Instead of just having supplies on hand, you have to have a plan for renewable resources. The last thing you want to have happen is that you run out of supplies and are forced to seek out more from someplace less desirable.
Managing Resources for Long-Term Survival
One of the first things you want to consider when you are planning for long term survival is the management of your resources. In addition to stocking up on as much of the supplies you want, you should also think about how you are going to manage everything to make it last and what your going to do after they’re gone.
You also want to make sure that your supplies are properly stored so that they will last longer than normal. Start by getting foods that have a long shelf life, but that also provides you with the nutrients that you need, including calories.
You want to have a variety of vegetables, fruits, beans, and meat in different forms, whether they are canned, freeze dried, smoked, etc. If you store everything properly, you can get more life out of the supplies that you are stocking up on.
Keep in mind that in a long term survival situation, you may begin to deteriorate in terms of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, so supplements would be an important part of a long term survival strategy.
Make sure you keep tabs on your supplies and rotate your stock so that it is used before the expiration date. Even with good supply management, you will eventually run out of all of your resources if the survival situation goes on long enough.
Therefore, part of your plan needs to be renewable, such as growing your own food where you have a garden that can provide you with produce as well as an orchard with fruit trees or berry bushes.
Other Important Resources for Your Survival Plan
For gardening purposes, make sure you have heirloom seeds so that you can save them and regrow your produce. You also want to have a way to get protein, so you’ll need chickens that can provide you with eggs or meat, fish in a pond on your property, etc.
You can also raise animals for meat, milk and other resources like wool and fibers. This will require more room on your property, and skills that will allow you to properly care for them.
In addition to food, think about water. You will eventually run out of water that you ve stocked up on as well as water purification tablets or straws, so think about how you re going to collect rainwater or get it from other sources and make it drinkable from that point on through boiling or solar distillation.
You also need to think about renewable energy options. If the grid doesn’t come back up soon (or ever), and there s nowhere to get gasoline, you need to have alternative options.
These can include solar or wind power. Solar is the most popular option (and more reliable than wind) and you have everything from small solar gadgets that charge your phone to large, full-home solar panels with storage for backup electricity.
If you do live in a location where a wind turbine makes sense, you can use that, but the maintenance will be more than what s required for a solar panel setup.
There are other, more complicated options like hydropower (water power) or biomass energy (from the breakdown of organic materials), but these won t be a viable solution for most new preppers.
Essential Skills for Long-Term Survival Plan
You need to have certain skills for long-term survival that you may not need in a short-term situation. In short-term situations, you can simply wait out the emergency so that you can eventually get the services that you need.
But with a longer survival event, you will need to have things like first aid skills in order to ensure the safety and well-being of your loved ones. This would include how to handle wounds and infections, or life threatening medical emergencies.
Don’t forget that you may also need to know certain dental skills for situations that can be painful or even dangerous in terms of infection. Having knowledge about herbal medicine will be important if you are unable to get access to medications from a pharmacy.
You need to know which plants have certain properties that can help with things like burns, pain relief, and more.
This is going to be beneficial for those of you who have chronic health issues and need alternative treatments when traditional medications become unavailable.
You’ll also need to learn repair skills so that you can take care of everything from mending or making clothes, to fixing cars, repairing your home, furniture, and more.
Make sure you understand how to use all of the various tools you’ll need, and what kind of materials you can gather in your location to help.
Farming is another skill that you’re going to have to understand. You need to know how to make the soil viable, proper planting, watering, fertilization and harvesting of crops, etc.
If you’re raising animals, then you ll need caretaking skills for their shelter, nutrition and health issues, but also how to process animals for meat, and how to make sure you aren’t injured while caring for the animal.
Community Matters in Survival Situations
While it may be okay to hunker down in your home and avoid any contact with other individuals during a short term survival emergency, if the event lasts months or years, you’ll want to build a long-term community that can help each other out with resources.
You want to network with others in your geographical location, and without revealing what supplies you have, get people to pool their skills and certain resources to border with one another and help each other achieve a better lifestyle.
In some situations, you may have events where everyone gets together and trades for food, medicine, tools, and even skills that provide what other neighbors nearby are looking for.
You’ll definitely need to have some sort of conflict resolution in place so that there are no problems arising in the community. Have a way for everyone to vote and make sure their voice is heard so that everyone is working together to get through a long-term survival event.
Security in Long-Term Survival Events
Security is another area that you will need to consider if a long term survival event unfolds. If it’s short term, even though everything may disappear off store shelves, there are those that are likely to break into your home and steal supplies.
However, as time goes on and people begin running out of their own supplies, they will be more likely to take any measures necessary to survive, which means breaking and entering into your property to take the supplies you have for their own family.
You may be in the type of survival situation where calling the police is simply no longer an option. Therefore, you need to have a perimeter that repels people from breaking in on your property, and then have barriers in place to keep them outside of your living quarters.
Be proactive with your defense options period from building a safe room to protect your family, to making sure everyone knows how to use weapons and engage in self-defence would be a good first step.
Don’t just learn one form of self-defense, either. Even with firearms, you will eventually run out of bullets and it will no longer be a viable option. Not only do you want to have a good plan in place for all of these issues, but you have to know what your alternative options will be as well.
Survival Plan
Conclusion: Being Prepared for Anything
Having a survival plan is crucial for any prepper. By following these essential steps, you can ensure that you and your loved ones are prepared for any emergency situation.
Remember to start with a thorough assessment of your needs and resources, then create a detailed plan that covers all aspects of survival.
Don’t forget to stock up on necessary supplies, develop important skills, establish communication methods, and constantly review and update your plan. With proper preparation and a positive mindset, you can face any challenge head-on.
So start today, because being prepared is the best way to protect yourself and those you care about. Stay safe!
