10 things to do immediately after SHTF

when in unexpected crisis hits that send your local or regional area into chaos having predefined systems and plans to be executed or a established could mean the difference between life and death in this video we'll cover ten steps to implement if there's a disaster whether natural or man-made to ensure you and your family can weather the storm in an urban or suburban environment with a high-density population people will mostly be unprepared confuse desperate and quite honestly dangerous when the systems they depend on are disrupted unless you have a head start to evacuate to a safe location far removed from this threat you more than likely will be forced to shelter in place and wait for the initial chaos to subside while there's no guarantees your life may not be in danger during this period by following these steps it will help you plan ahead enabling you to be proactive to give yourself your family and your team a better chance at survival during the first two to three week critical window when helped me not be coming all this the items in the order in which they should be followed if at any time you have any input to improve this process please feel free to post your feedback in the comments section below as I learn a lot from the YouTube community step one is to establish communication with your family members and team as quickly as possible once a threat is materialized you'll want to immediately gather those you've already developed plans with to come together if you don't already have a plan in place to communicate with each other should an event happen when family members are away from home or team members are not in proximity now is the time to do so in the event the grid goes down your cell phone service will most likely be done which is why having alternative means of communication like a ham radio would be a great backup option depending on the type of emergency let's say for example an EMP communication over an electrical device may not be possible in this situation you need to have a plan or a established as to what will be done will you meet at a rally point if so how long will you stay there until moving to a specific destination if you leave your rally point to your final destination without your other team members after a specific time has expired do you have a way of leaving a hidden message for those that may come later that does it tip off others not part of your team as to where you're going or are your plans to meet at your home or a bug-out location having these type of things in place in advance will ensure there's no misunderstandings resulting in others simply not knowing what to do next plan for different scenarios that could potentially play out and document what you will do for example if this happens we'll do that if that happens we'll do this and so on the plan needs to be established in advance to make sure everyone is clear as to what is to be done uncertainty breeds confusion which Leeson mistakes being made it will be imperative that you get your family and team on the same page once you've established communication or met up at your rally point move to step 2 once all personnel are together assess the situation and form a plan at this point you've got your family or a team together and now you've got to collectively decide what to do next if you're at your rally point where do you all go next is your home compromised is your bug-out location overrun with looters and the golden horde what is your plan in this situation we'll deal with security a little more in a moment if you didn't have advanced knowledge of the event and didn't move out before it occurred moving to a secondary location may simply make things worse should the roads be jammed getting stuck with a bunch of unprepared people will expose and endanger you bugging out into the unknown could potentially make things worse it's at this point that you need to make some critical decisions again like in 0.1 having these things thought through in advance will give you an advantage when you're under stress it is likely you'll make poor decisions if you have it already mapped things out in advance practice running through the scenarios over and over with others in your family or on your team to make sure everyone is on the same page even better is to develop a document detailing the steps you'll take having a checklist that you familiarize yourself with rehearsed will enable you to react correctly if you do create a checklist so be sure to not disclose specific details on the document the document falls into the wrong hands it could provide critical Intel to others altering names and location to terms you collectively know the meaning of would help to prevent you from tipping off those that may want to take advantage of the information the third step is to get to your home or your bug-out location based on communications and decisions made after assessing in the situation now is the time to decide whether to head to your home stay at your home or travel to a bug-out location again this decision has to be made in real time based on the Intel you have at hand things can be fluid during this time depending on the type of collapse or a catastrophe that has occurred is at this point at a location you feel can be secured will be your primary destination or if traveling to a safer location is more dangerous than the advantages gained staying in place will make more sense here are some examples if your current location let's say a home in a suburban environment is not the ideal location due to unprepared neighbors which will pose a threat do you risk going to a bug-out location if taking to the freeways that may be jammed only subjects yourself to more risk do you stay in place to wait for things to calm down if you weren't able to get out in time jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire won't help another scenario a more ideal scenario would be to have advance notice that something is about to happen to give you time to move to a more safe location again this assumes a few things you have a backup location to head to you are able to make it out before the roads are impassable this point is very similar to point number 2 previously discuss making decisions based on Intel and previously defined steps based on conditions it's hard to give a boilerplate solution on how to handle this situation is everyone's situations different but the same framework applies have a plan in place based on the type of contingencies you are preparing for number four is secure your location whether this is a bug-out location or homes security now becomes your priority and responsibilities a horrific event has just occurred people are panicking they didn't prepare themselves and now they're looking for resources they don't know what to do and the water won't turn on and the small amount of food they have is already depleted but you did prepare within a few days once a dust settles and a Calvary is not coming in to save everyone people will get desperate the nice neighbor you exchanged pleasantries with on a daily basis on your way to work suddenly is demanding you rescue them what happens now can you protect your home and your family if people won't take no for an answer what then in the years I've studied prepping and dialog with others this scenarios come up many times will you help or keep quiet the moment you help one person best be prepared to help many we'll talk about OPSEC a little more in the next point but back to this point security well I'd like to think people will stay level-headed in a crisis the reality is that a society is only 3 mils away from anarchy if push comes to shove can you defend your home your family and your team well I often don't discuss firearms on this channel due to the restrictive nature of YouTube's policies you need to prepare for this inevitability when things go down people will not be rational you won't be able to pick up a phone and dial nine-one-one so security will be up to you on that note let me say that you need to be very careful on how you approach this subject based on the feedback in the comments section of my videos many people have a cavalier attitude regarding using the legal force remember when things are restored and the grid comes back up you will be held accountable for your actions and remember this action is always faster than reaction but be extremely careful not to put yourself in a situation where lethal force is the only option while still apply and I will never advocate murdering others on this channel think five steps ahead and avoid conflict whenever is possible a few tips during this time establish rotations within your family or group to monitor your home this is why having others to help will be so important you eventually will need to sleep in you can't defend a location by yourself if you have sandbags you might consider making defensible spaces within your home should someone attempt to shoot at your house there's a lot of other tips to secure your home that are outside the scope of this video that I'll discuss in a future video if your home is no longer safe and things are getting worse the risk of staying at this point may far outweigh the risk of heading to a secondary location it's at this point like we discussed in point number two assess the situation and move accordingly point number five is observe OPSEC OPSEC is a military term for operational security in the context of this discussion it simply means keeping your information private under no circumstances let your neighbors know you have supplies such as food water or first-aid unless you're ready to take care of them as well for many this is a moral dilemma I'll leave this up to each viewer as to how they'll handle this there may be a crisis in your region like a hurricane tornado or earthquake and which outside help is coming during these times helping your neighbors may be advisable as long as you know you have enough supplies to potentially help additional people should they tell others but in a long-term grid down scenario in which society as we know it may not be coming back anytime soon I would definitely advise the need to keep your mouth shut once you reveal that you have supplies people desperately need expect a lot of people to be lining up at your door the first time they come to your door they may be amicable but I can guarantee the next time they show up after being told no they'll be back with a group kicking down your door instead of knocking once this information is out it's gone and can quickly spread and you'll have no control over the outcome a few tips to consider during this time if you have freeze-dried Mills or MREs now it's probably the best time to use these Mills that do not require cooking or preparation which will alert others around you that you have food observe odor control the first few weeks will be a sifting period and wish those that did prepare may not be around after this time period passes cover windows with tarps exercise control over your lining at night in a neighborhood where there's no electricity if you have power you'll stand out and draw unwanted attention to yourself consider putting the covering behind your blinds or curtains best that people don't think you're intentionally covering your windows which may raise questions point number six is blend in as much as possible be the gray man if people are seeking out help try to mimic the baseline of what is happening around you people are lining up for supplies when help finally arrives stand in line with them if you don't people are going to ask why you're not getting help communicate with your neighbors and share your family's plight some problems commiserate with others play the part look like you're experiencing hardships just like others around you wear baggy dirty or smelly clothing don't shave don't comb your hair look like a mess as much as possible when I was in Afghanistan I heard a parable it was said beware the fat man in the skinny land what did this mean everyone else was starving in enduring hardships why was this fat man not what was he hiding you need to blend in be the grain man find the baseline and adapt to it as much as possible be like everyone else to avoid being overrun for what you have point number seven is gather as much Intel as possible at this point the grid may have been down for a few days weeks or months staying informed at all times will be critical for survival my father was an officer in the United States Army in the late sixties and one of the things he mentioned to me was that intelligence was everything when engaging in the conflict with your enemy knowing your enemy's movements his strengths his weaknesses gives you the upper hand this is why in point number five from earlier I OPSEC don't give your information away to others talk with your neighbors find out what's going on stay informed all many of us rely on our phones computers these days having a basic radio or a ham radio would be a valuable asset to gather information many of us probably haven't used TV antennas in years but having some stored away could come in handy to pick up a signal if information is being broadcasted having the right Intel will enable you to stay away from potential threats be informed be proactive and not reactive as Intel comes in you may have to make decisions that may force you to relocate this is why it's critical to always stay in a state of evaluating your circumstances based on the information you have don't get caught off guard because you weren't paying attention stay informed and constantly seek out information point number eight is avoid venturing out into areas with crowds when a crisis presents itself what do people naturally do we've all seen it on the news people run to the grocery stores and buy up everything they can most stores carry enough supplies on hand for three days and normal times but if there were a crisis expect the shelves to be picked clean in hours if not minutes in a true shtf situation and I'm not talking about the type of disaster where help eventually will come but a situation where a societal collapse has come people will revert to their basic instincts and you put yourself in harm's way by waiting into this environment think twice before stepping into a situation like this getting some last-minute supplies will not be worth injury or death when a crisis has come the time to prepare is over there's no more tests no more fire drills this is the real thing and if you're not ready by now running to the store will only make things worse this is why being prepared now is so important now if you absolutely must set out to get supplies it's probably best to avoid grocery stores for starters as these will be overrun places like hardware stores may be less congested if there's tools you need to snap up but expect grocery stores gas stations pharmacies and banks to be very busy as people will be making panic purchases being on the road at this point is very problematic as well if a true without rule of law scenario has materialized unless you can be away from your home or a bug-out location in the first several weeks or month the better which leads me to my next point number 9 focus on sheltering in place for the first two to four weeks now imagine if I told you right now that you have to stay in your house for the next two to four weeks without stepping outside you can't leave under any circumstances you think you could do this as I mentioned earlier after the first two weeks have passed and you're still alive it's very likely that those that did not prepare will be either too weak or be gone to pose a real threat now I'm not saying there will not be threats as there will inevitably be Marauders or those who have banded together to take from others but the massive golden horde of unprepared people looking for someone to save them will have hopefully passed by at this point in this scenario you go from a large horde of zombies that are looking to take from those that are prepared to small groups which can be managed as long as you have a team in place that you can rely on depending on the type of disaster this two-week period will be a very trying time prepare your supplies now once this moment happens preparing for what comes next will be up to you on how you handle the situation cavalry is not coming to save you your family security and well-being is in your hands and finally point number 10 decide the next steps a month has passed the grid is still not back up in an extreme case which is what we as Preppers prepare for the world as we know it no longer exists what do you do next stay in place or leave to a safer location these types of decisions will have to be made based on Intel and circumstances well my plan is a shelter in place as long as I can I do realize that I may be forced to move as a prepper part of my plan is to be mobile well I'd like to avoid a situation at all costs weren't pushed out of my house I know it's a possibility and something I have to prepare for having plans in place and not being tied to a location gives me and my family options always be evaluating your situation based on the information you have never be unwilling to move and always seek out Intel being complacent will get you and your family killed I hope this video gives you food for thought and a framework to start preparing you what are your plans what would you do differently always learn from the YouTube community so please post your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below if you enjoy the video click on the like button and share on social media and as always be safe out there

Channel: City Prepping

Views: 869,633

Rating: 4.9061394 out of 5

Keywords: prepper, prepping, preppers, shtf, s.h.t.f., doomsday apocalypse, national geo, emergency preparedness

Id: vDQUEuTL8tk

Length: 15min 29sec (929 seconds)

Published: Fri May 10 2019