Personal Preparedness

 

... a new “how-to” publication on short term survival

 

     We live in what some people call a shrinking world. Over the last three-quarters of a century technology has dramatically altered the quality of human life. Modern communication net­works bring history-shaping events right into our living rooms. Science has reached out and placed man on the moon. Technological innova­tion has created myriad labor-saving appliances which has created myriad labor-saving appliances which are found in the kitchen, work shop, under the hood of your car—almost everywhere you look. What’s more, we have become accus­tomed to them and in fact, rely upon them.

     Given the tempo of modern life, it’s hard to conceive of what it would be like to live with­out our appliances and devices, all of which are powered by either fossil fuels or electricity. What would happen if the lights went out? What would happen if the flow of petroleum stopped? On a micro-level we have already had a few examples: New York City during the 1978 blackout, the natural-gas shortage of 1977, and numerous power outages during the blizzard of 1979 which crippled the Midwest.

     Our country and world sits precariously close to a major catastrophe. The instability in the Middle East threatens another oil shortage, the dollar’s strength in the foreign exchange markets continues to wane, our trade deficit continues to grow, and our paychecks are silently eroded by a double-digit rate of inflation. We are sitting on a powder keg and one spark may be enough to hurl us into a depression far more severe than the 1930’s.

     Have you ever asked yourself what you would do in the event of a natural disaster or a breakdown in our government? If you have to think about it, you are probably not prepared. The person who has thought about the possibil­ities of a major breakdown and taken action to prepare himself for such a contingency is more likely to function intelligently during a crisis and assist in the restoration of order.

     In the face of a breakdown or a collapse, developing a personal-preparedness plan is the best action that a person can take. If nothing happens, fine; if it does, you’ll be prepared to preserve the safety and health of yourself and your family. The Stelle Group strongly urges each person and family to develop their own personal-preparedness plan.

     A new newsletter, Personal Preparedness, has been created in order to aid people in develop­ing their personal-preparedness plan. Published ten times a year by The Stelle Group, Personal Preparedness is an action guide to assist the subscriber with a step-by-step plan of achieving personal preparedness.

     A personal-preparedness plan is a program which will help you weather almost any con­tingency (man-made or natural) for up to one year, with no adverse effects upon your mental or physical health. Do not confuse personal preparedness with long-range self-sufficiency. They are different. Your personal-preparedness plan is a practical program to enable you to minimally meet your physical needs for one year. To do this you will need to develop your own “safe place,” which is properly located and properly stockpiled with all of the items essential to your health, well-being and comfort.

     The expense of becoming perpetually self-sufficient is unrealistic for many people, par­ticularly if they believe that a crisis may only be temporary. If a problem situation looks as though it’s going to last for awhile, then with your personal-preparedness plan you will at least have a full year to take steps that will ensure your long-term survival.

     In developing your program there are five basic questions which you need to ask yourself:

·   What items should you have on hand to provide for each of your basic physical needs?

·   How much of each item are you going to need to fulfill your physical needs for a full year (on a minimal level)?

·   Where and how can you obtain each of these items to complete your personal-preparedness plan?

·   how can you protect, package and store-your stockpile so that it will remain in prime condition until it is needed?

·   How do you use the items you’ve stockpiled when the time comes to implement your per­sonal-preparedness plan? (You want to make the best possible use of your stockpile because there really is no margin for waste.)

 

Personal Preparedness will help you answer these questions as they relate to each major area of your preparedness plan. Each issue of Personal Preparedness will focus upon one of these key areas and we’ll present them in what we believe to be the priority order. Here is the basic outline of the topics to be covered in future issues:

·   Financial pointers on preserving your wealth, “hard money,” optimum investments, financing your preparedness plan and barter economics.

·   Food: basic foods that provide a full nutri­tional program, processing and storing food, evaluating survival-packed foods.

·   Water: emergency sources, purification and storage.

·   Heat, light and power: storing different fuels, making and finding fuels, finding “renewable” energies, and trimming energy requirements, providing light for night, heat for cooking and warmth.

·   Physical defense and security: psychological preparation, handling threatening situations, buying firearms, avoiding panicking crowds and riot situations, there is safety in numbers, find­ing friends, helping to maintain local sanity.

·   First aid, hygiene and health: fire protection, first-aid supplies, bath supplies, laundry, general cleaning supplies, personal hygiene needs, birth control, birthing.

·   Waste handling: human wastes and alternative toilet systems, garbage and composting, solid-waste handling, waste recycling.

·   Clothing, drygoods and “essential frills”: types of clothing, materials; repair supplies to stockpile; paper, fabric and miscellaneous pro­ducts to store; little niceties that help keep spirits high.

·   Communications and transportation: how to get around and transport goods when the gasoline stations close; how to keep in touch with the world around you (Stelle has a short­wave radio).

·   Keeping your program rolling during a crisis: making your safe place safer through coopera­tive efforts with like-minded neighbors; getting to your safe place if you are not there already.

 

The first issue of Personal Preparedness is scheduled to be released in June 1979- You may subscribe by sending $15.00 to Personal Preparedness, The Stelle Group, Stelle Illinois, 60919

 

“Forewarned is forearmed.”

 

 

 

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