In recent years there’s been an increase in the interest in “prepping”. There have been TV shows, news reports, magazine articles, Facebook and other social media groups formed and so much more.

What is prepping really? It is simply preparing for the future to enable your family to care for your needs. We all prepare. We buy insurance, pay into retirement plans, invest in a home, create savings accounts, budget, attend church and pray, eat well and exercise. All of these are ways of preparing for the future.

So why are more adopting the culture of prepping? We continue to see and experience disasters that cause us to ask ourselves “what would we do if…”.  We witnessed an attack on our country, on 9/11. We have witnessed billion-dollar disasters in staggering numbers, more than 24 in 2024 alone. We witnessed a stock market crash in 2007-2008. We have witnessed firestorms destroying thousands of homes, not in mountainous wooded areas but in town. We have endured a pandemic leaving us with not only health concerns but facing severe shortages in food, medications and even TP. Recently we have seen prices increase with 20% inflation on food, fuel and basic needs. We are witnessing huge job losses with newly created jobs, mostly part time. Any and all of these have been wakeup calls to many.

Preparing has been a culture, a lifestyle for hundreds of years. It has only been in the last 50 years that we have become complacent with the thought the government or churches or relief agencies will take care of us. We have forgotten the warnings in the scriptures and continue to ignore the council of modern-day prophets. Now, we are being warned by government agencies that we need to prepare to care for ourselves.

I remember the stories my grandparents told about planting gardens in front lawns, remaking clothing as children grew, saving ration coupons for weeks so they would have enough sugar or butter to bake a birthday cake. Because of this, my parents always had a stock of food in the basement. It was not the food storage we encourage now but it did have my dad’s favorite, cream soda.

Prepping has become so much more than food. Our grandparents were also prepared with skills and tools they knew how to use to preserve food, plant gardens, live without power, and so much more.

What if the attack on 9/11 had been more successful and plunged us into a war on our own soil? Were you prepared? What if terrorist attacks on our infrastructure had been more extensive than it has been? What if the attacks on power stations and fiber optic lines powering the internet and cell phones was really just a test with more to come?  Those attacks are increasing. What if droughts and natural disasters increase? Are we really preparing to care for our family’s needs for those scenarios?

Did you know that in 2000, the United States was the largest trading partner in all of South America? In 2023 Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, are all countries whose largest trading partner is China. We were all concerned about the dock strike on the east coast, but we should be more concerned about the Mega Port the Chinese are building in Peru. China now has first rights to purchase rare minerals from these countries. These countries also supply a large portion of the fresh fruits and vegetables, coffee, nuts (except almonds) and more that are in our grocery stores.  The majority of apple juice we consume comes from China. Many nurseries have discontinued selling apple trees to growers because the demand is so low due to China taking over that market. The same is true of vitamin manufactures in the U.S.

“Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.” Henry Kissinger

Should we panic? No, we should prepare. Germans and Europe as a whole did not recognize the signs as the Nazi party took control. Prep not panic.

In 2023 FEMA conducted a Disaster Preparedness survey and asked: “What have you done to prepare for a disaster or emergency in the last year?” The Results:

57% of adults took three or more of the following preparedness actions:

  • Assembled or updated supplies 2023- 48% up from 33% in 2022
  • Made a plan 37% 2023 down from 41% in 2022
  • Made my home safer 36% up from 33% in 2022
  • Signed up for alerts and warnings 36% 2023 down from 46% in 2022
  • Saved for a rainy day 32% 2023 down from 36% in 2022 (this may be due to inflation)
  • Learned my evacuation routes 31% 2023 up from 28% in 2022
  • Documented and insured property 30% 2023 up from 25% in 2022
  • Safeguarded documents 30% 2023 up from 29% in 2022
  • Tested family communication plan 18% 2023 up from 17% in 2022
  • Practiced emergency drills or habits 15% 2023 down from 16% in 2022
  • Got involved in my community 14% 2023 up from 10% in 2022
  • Planned with neighbors 12% 2023 staying the same as in 2022

They took three, but which three?

How are you doing with those?

The survey showed those who felt themselves prepared:

  • 60 years old and older 53%
  • 18-59 years old 51%
  • People with disabilities 52%
  • Without disabilities 52%
  • English speaking 51%
  • Not primarily English speaking 54%
  • Faith based households 57%
  • Rural 55%
  • Urban 51%

These are so similar and frightening. Why are faith-based families not higher? Do they not believe the scriptures? No matter Christian, Jewish or Muslim all teach of destruction and disasters. When those living in cities have seen rioting why are they not preparing? When the port strike was announced why did we see people rushing to the store and leaving store shelves empty of toilet paper and bottled water? Why didn’t they already have some extra on hand? They obviously learned from living through the pandemic how valuable TP was so why didn’t they follow up and store some before there was a threat?

We have seen people lose all their food storage, all their prepping supplies during a natural disaster or a fire.  Why then should we prepare if a disaster will take it all away? In case of a pandemic, a medical emergency, a job loss we won’t lose it all. But, what if we do?

I remember a story I was told a few years ago when interviewing someone who had helped following a hurricane. A group from Helping Hands spent the day working along sides a survivor. At the end of the day the group felt badly that they had not helped this man with his own home. They begged him to show them his home so they could help. Upon arriving they saw broken bottles of fruit and veggie all over the property. They expressed sadness that he lost it all. His response,” The Lord told me to do it. He never said I would eat it.” This man and his family were safe, protected, even though his entire home was leveled. He didn’t eat his food, but he got an even better, more important gift.

What now? It is time for us to reexamine our priorities. How important will that jewelry, new car, up-to-date wardrobe, new golf clubs, really be when our children, grandchildren or neighbors are hungry or cold or without light in a power outage?

It is also time for us to have a serious discussion with family and friends and just ask them what is holding them back. Ask them why they have chosen not to prepare. If they say it’s too expensive you can offer to watch for deals or teach them to use things around their home in an emergency rather than buying tools.  You can help them reduce their expenses by sharing recipes that are inexpensive. There are so many ways to prep on a tight budget. If they say nothing ever happens where they live, do a little research and find out what has happened in the past. Remind them North Carolina experienced two once in a thousand years disasters within a few weeks. Once you know the reason you can help solve their hesitation.

Next, explain why you are preparing. As for me, there are a few reasons.

Reason #1: It helps me examine what I would do if there was a hiccup in my life. Studies have shown those who think about a scenario are more likely to thrive during a crisis and not panic or freeze. Have you ever thought about what you would do if a fire broke out in the middle of the night? You probably have which means if the worst happens you will handle it more effectively and more quickly, because you prepared.

Reason #2: Prepping is insurance for much more than a Doomsday scenario. There are so many reasons I may need to use my food storage or need my cash stash.

Reason #3: Prepping helps me feel I can help others when they have challenges. I can whip up a meal for a friend or neighbor anytime it is needed. During the pandemic I helped the nurses at the hospital because I had N95 masks when they couldn’t get them.

Reason #4: It brings me peace. When I look at my preps and then hear about storms, rolling blackouts or discover we are going to have some unexpected medical expenses, I still feel at peace. I know we can handle challenges because when they have arisen in the past we have weathered the storm of long unemployment, medical emergencies, caring for family, a leaky roof leading to unexpected expenses, and so many more.

This Thanksgiving, talk about preparing and express your concern for those not preparing not in a judgmental way but in a way that will help them understand you want them to thrive should something happen.

For help in meeting all your self-reliance goals join Carolyn at http://facebook.com/TotallyReady or her blog at Totallyready.com. Help with weekly challenges for preparing and storing food and thriving during and after a disaster  are available on both sites. Carolyn’s Totally Ready Emergency Binder is available to purchase and download at Totallyready.com and can be purchased complete or one section at a time. Message Carolyn at the Totally Ready or Operation Ornaments Facebook page.