We all like to believe that we’d fare well if a disaster hit. At least, those of us who think about disaster preparedness believe that they’d survive (the rest aren’t even willing to admit that a disaster could impact them!).
A lot has already been written and debated about the people who will die first when SHTF. Most fixate on people like the physically weak, children, disabled, elderly, and yuppies.
But I don’t want to focus on those standard weaknesses here!
I firmly believe that anyone – regardless of health or physical ability – can survive a disaster with the right amount of planning.
Sure, it is going to take a lot more prepping than for some other people, but it can still be done.
Unfortunately, many preppers will die. They will die NOT because they stockpiled the wrong items or bought a BOL in the wrong location.
They will die because of personality weaknesses.
Take a look at these personality types and see if you fall into any. If so, it is time to stop focusing on gear and emergency kits and instead work on building mental toughness!
1. The Indecisive
It is well-agreed upon that the key to surviving disaster is to Get Out of Dodge ASAP. The longer you wait to leave, the slimmer your chances are of survival. That’s why we pack Bug Out Bags and run emergency drills.
Yet, the decision to leave isn’t an easy one. No one wants to feel like they are overreacting. Emotions can get the better of us and we make bad decisions in the face of danger.
If you are the indecisive type, then you better make a checklist of conditions for when you stay/leave. That way you will be able to take action right away instead of waiting too long to flee.
2. The Sentimental
This one absolutely breaks my heart, because I can relate. I love my home and community. It would be hard for me to leave, even if I knew that a disaster was approaching. However, I also know that it is important to put sentimentality aside so we can make rational decisions in the face of disaster.
Overcoming sentimentality is probably a lot harder than we want to believe. Even with an evacuation order in place, many people choose to stay in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Even those with the means to leave simply didn’t have the heart to leave.
I’m also reminded of the case of Harry Randall Truman, the 83 year old man who died in the Mount Saint Helen’s blast because he refused to leave his home. Before dying of asphyxiation from the blast, he told reporters:
“I’m going to stay right here because…I’ll tell you why…my home and my (expletive) life’s here…My wife and I, we both vowed years and years ago that we’d never leave Spirit Lake. We loved it. It’s part of me, and I’m part of that (expletive) mountain.”
I understand Truman: His wife and daughter were both deceased. He probably felt like he had nothing left worth living for other than his home… Truman didn’t have any other family (that I’m aware of), so his decision to stay instead of flee didn’t really affect others. At 83, he was probably near the end of his life anyway and maybe didn’t want to start over from scratch.
However, I do have people in my life that rely on me and care about me. I (hopefully) have a lot of life ahead of me to live. I owe it to them — and myself — to put aside my sentimental attachments to my home and GO before it is too late.
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3. The Macho
The prepping and survival community is filled with machoism. Now, don’t confuse macho with the healthy personality trait of self-reliance and wanting to protect your family.
Machoism is overly aggressive, assertive, and prideful. It is EGO and it will get in the way of survival!
- Macho preppers are the ones who flaunt the lone wolf mentality. They believe that they can do everything themselves and won’t take help when it is necessary.
- Macho preppers show off, which in turn draws attention to themselves and could make them a target.
- Macho preppers are the ones whose idea of prepping is, “I have a gun. I’ll take what I want!” (And will likely get killed in the process)
If you don’t believe that machoism is rabid in the prepping world, just consider how many preppers talk about “standing their ground” if someone attacks their home. In a lot of cases you’ll be severely outnumbered. Macho people would rather give up their lives than their supplies!
Or the remarks I heard to this post about hiding guns: “If it is time to hide ‘em, it is time to use ‘em.”
No successful revolution was ever waged by one person gunning down officers at the door. The people who survived (and won) were the ones who hid, laid low, and waited for the right moment to come out of the shadows.
On the flip side, in an interview with Selco (from SHTF School) for an article, he told me about a crime lord who gave up all of his property to a rival gang and then fled the country.
Why did he do it? Because he knew that he was outnumbered. He let go of his machoism and was able to survive because of it.
4. The Uncreative
The ultimate survival skill is not knowing how to start a fire, or how to purify water, or even how to treat wounds.
The key to survival is creativity.
Creative people are the ones who will look at an abandoned soda can and realize that it can be turned into a stove, and that the tab can be used as a fishing hook.
They are the ones who will turn a crayon into a candle, or use a plastic bottle to make rope.
You might think that you can’t learn creativity. True – some people are naturally more creative than others. However, there are some exercises you can do to encourage creativity.
I know they seem cheesy, but they really do help!
5. The Panicky
In a disaster, approximately 10% of people panic while 80% of people freeze (which is basically a severe form of panic). Only 10% of people actually respond and take action.
The ability to stay calm during a disaster is key to survival. By default, preppers are going to be less likely to panic than the general public because they have accepted that there are risks and likely have a disaster plan in place.
Yet, don’t assume that you are superhuman and won’t panic during an SHTF disaster. Staying calm is a skill which must be developed.
6. The Fantasy-World Planners
I first heard this term used by The Organic Prepper in her article about How to Die When SHTF. “Fantasy planners” are the preppers who believe that they can live off the land, hunt, farm, and forage their way through the apocalypse.
This sort of fantasy planning ignores realities (such as that you have never actually done any of these things, that you are out of shape, and that you can’t predict everything).
The solution? Perform real-life drills.
For example, try going camping with just the items in your Bug Out Bag. If you can’t survive 3 days like that, you aren’t going to be able to survive a lifetime in SHTF conditions! But you will gain knowledge about how to better prepare so you can survive.
What other types of people do you think will get killed first when SHTF? What personality traits will keep you alive? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!
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leave the cities today, tomorrow is to late, avoid the rush, you should have left years ago. bug out now and acclimate your self , avoid the rush or die
Well…..I’m old. And I’m sick (bad Heart), but I am also a former combat Marine (Vietnam 1968) and will take many of the enemy with me when I go !!!
(My Opinion) Those without God, will perish. There wont be any magical space on the entire planet that is “safe.” Those that refuse to see what is transpiring around them at an exponential pace, are in grave danger. (pun intended) The people that shun others because of their perceived bigotry, racism, phobias, or skin color, will find it extremely difficult, because they have conditioned themselves to be exclusive and aloof. The hopelessly tech addicted; Clueless and lost in a true crisis. In a wilderness situation, high in a mountain pass, with little shelter, a transgender looking for acceptance and adherence to the pronoun code, a feminist looking for control/equality/subservient fear, and anyone calling out another for inappropriate word choices… all toast.
I survived over 7 years in the Angolan Civil War, and you are missing a few things. You can have all the resources & training, but where you live will make a huge difference. Second, even if you live further away from a city, in an area you believe to be a safe zone, are you truly safe? Are you alone? How many others know of you? What, no one will travel outside the city? If you have your “group” of like minded preppers around you, how well do you know them? Everyone thinks they are safe to some degree, and that will end you sooner than you expect. There is more, but I’ll share on my blog.
Also, never forget about the rats, the two legged variety. You also better have a great deal of common sense, and a 6th sense about your environment.
The worst part of this is the more you are prepared, meaning you have several others in your little group, you can bet the the government knows who you are! Or worse, those who are no longer in government know who you are, you location, and your capabilities.
Bo Sorte’!
Someone please tell me just where in this day and age in the United States will you be safe? There is no middle of nowhere any longer. I know for most city folk a weekend at a mountain campsite may seem like roughing it far from civilization but you are just a short hop away from a determined military force. You may elude TPTB for a short while as they gather the low hanging fruit in the cities and burbs but then they will come for you. They have the manpower, expertise, equipment, time, and technology to hunt down any one person or group of people quickly and with relative ease. Depends on how badly they want you. People should be concentrating on fighting right now instead of how they can run and hide.
yeah, if everyone ‘stands their ground’, the wicked wont be able to pulloff their plan! If most of us run & hide, its over before it even starts….
I agree! Most people don’t have a safe location to go and hide out in. So for them, staying put is the best solution. Just have a plan or better, yet a few plans. Planning should include not only food and water, but hygiene supplies like TP, soap, and shampoo. If you get infections, you may die. Medical supplies including prescriptions, bandages, antibiotic creams, etc. And protection is very important. Make plans to secure your location. Mine won’t be totally secure if, for example, soldiers want to come in with all their very powerful weapons, but to common thieves and non-preppers, I’m most likely going to come out on top. Make it easier and less dangerous for them to go elsewhere. Again, you most likely won’t be able to protect yourself against grenades, gas attacks, etc., but you should have plans to protect yourself from traveling looters; and reinforce your designated place of shelter so it’s more difficult to get at you and your unknown supplies than it is to try another home. And yes, plan on a fight if all else fails!
Your plan sounds like a great plan but what you do not realize your enemy is playing for keeps. They will be leveling neighborhoods with the use of tanks totally destroy, you will not survive. You have to bug out asap to a rural location as far away from major cities as possible. How far like 200 miles. You dont and are well prepped you will not survive. Your prepping has to be for a far away location from major cities. You will need water and live like our ancestors did when they came to America. Life will be hard you will live off the land.
Once you get there prepare to stay there ham radio or short wave radio will most likely be you only way to know whats going on outside your location. People have to realize this NWO is serious. You will live under this NWO or die. Get saved with Christ is your only answer
It depends upon where you live.
I can go about 50 miles from a major metropolitan city (where i currently live) and be in an area where no one would find me, if I did not want them to.
It is not that remote, but that rugged and rough. With the right skills and a little equipment, you could easily survive and go unnoticed.
As for your “determined military force”, none are that determined and looking at the results in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and other places, not that efficient or capable either.
In most SHTF scenarios our Military will desert or go rogue.
if you are thinking of a foreign power’s military. it would not stand a chance of survival here, so think again.
Get saved you will be with the Lord should you not survive. Why do you want to survive in a world where they will take every thing from you and leave you without freedom in miserable poverty?m I ask again why do you want to prep for whats coming being with the Lord is better. Defend what you have where it costs you your life after that you will be with the Lord never to lose any thing again never and much better. Get saved today!
Don’t forget the wine sippin crowd. They will wait in there nice homes with comfort thinking everything will be okay, until its to late.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn said in the camps in Siberia, they continually talked of how THEY should have waited in the dark entry ways and stairwells of their Housing Buildings with hammers,knives and clubs to ambush the NKVD when they came in the early morning hours of night to arrest them. If a few hundred secret police were killed in the beginning they might have crushed it in the beginning before the machine gained momentum! Christians must have a Viking warrior mindset so they do not fear conflict and death as they go immediately to be with the Lord in all his Glory which is much better than fantasies of Valhalla!If that makes me macho, so be it!
Are you willing to shoot your neighbor in his face to feed your children? Brutallity will be the norm, always has been. Better look deep inside yourself, plan accordingly!