9 Things you should be doing right now to amplify your preparedness

by James L

With all of the “events” of the past few years, we have seen a massive rise of people who have a sudden (and very understandable) urge to begin prepping. No longer does the term “prepper” have a negative connotation. Not to say “We told you so”, but…

As society is seemingly going from one crisis to the next, more and more people are beginning to see the value of prepping and are now scrambling to make up for lost time.

Over the last couple of months I’ve gotten some emails from people asking for some more tips/pointers which are, as one email put it, “are a bit more advanced…”. Essentially, they feel like they have the basics covered…now what?”

From what I gather from these emails, these preparedness minded folks have started to put plans together for the more probable SHTF scenarios in their area. They have several weeks or even months worth of food/water. They have some survival gear and equipment to help them in emergencies. In essence, they believe they have the “fundamentals covered.”

But as the world’s disasters grow and escalate, these folks want to become even more prepared. So I sat down and put together 9 things that they, you, and I should be doing right now. This is in addition to building stockpile of food, water, gear, etc.

Paper copy backups

Get paper copies of any and all important documents. This can include but is not limited to: birth/marriage certificates, car titles, passports/visas, insurance information, homeowner paperwork or lease agreements, military documents (such as DD-214) etc. I would put these in a safe, secure, waterproof box/container.

In addition, write down important cell phone numbers. Numbers for family members, medical personnel like your family doctor, work phone numbers, kids’ school numbers, etc. If your cell phone goes down, is lost, or destroyed, etc, then these phone numbers are not lost with it.

Print Maps

Get printed maps of your area and your bug out location area. I rely on Google/Apple maps every day to get to where I’m headed. But cyber attacks are becoming an increasingly real possibility. This could render a lot of GPS systems we use on our phones useless.

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Should the internet/GPS go down for an extended period of time, you could be in need of a printed map. Rand McNally makes laminated maps for less than $15. Well worth the investment! You can also find free topographical maps online. Print these out and save a few bucks.

Double check gear

Start going back through your preps to ensure that your equipment is still in working order. For example, pull out all the items of your Go bag or Get Home bag. Make sure that the flashlights work. Check your batteries to ensure they are not corroded. Make sure your electronics are fully charged. Is your fire kit still in good order? What condition is that tarp you have packed? You get the idea. Come up with a schedule so that you continue to check of your all gear periodically.

Next, make sure that your food and water stores have not deteriorated. I recently went through my food storage, and found a few food items that had gone bad. Those items were quickly discarded, and I got replacements for them. I also checked my water stores to ensure it was in satisfactory condition.

I fear that in the coming months, being able to find replacements for damaged/broken gear and equipment could become more difficult. Or at least take longer and cost more. So do this now while you can.

Improve your health and fitness

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Get yourself healthy and into shape. And I’m not talking about just going back to the gym or increasing your cardiovascular stamina. Yes, those are VERY important and something you should already be doing. If not, start exercising today! But in addition to getting into shape, if you have medical issues that you can get resolved then by all means do it.

Do you need updated eye glasses? This is something you should do now before the supply of eye wear possibly hits shortages. Do you need some dental work? Get it done now. Do not put off any nagging medical procedures if you can help it.

For example in the next few weeks or so I personally will be undergoing 3 minor surgeries. Nothing life threatening, but these are things I have decided to get taken care of now. While I still can. It is within the realm of possibility that something catastrophic could happen, and the run on medical personnel/resources means you can no longer get many medical procedures done. So do it now.

Vehicle/Home repairs

Make sure that your vehicle(s) is in good running order. Don’t break the bank to do it, but if your car or truck needs need a tune up, new tires, etc now is the time to get that done. I fear that vehicle parts/tools, etc may continue to become scarce or that prices will continue to rise. You might also look at purchasing some common spare parts for your vehicle now to stock up on later.

Also, be sure to knock out any home repairs you need done now. This will include taking steps to fortify your house/apartment. Things like metal doors, door screws that are at least 4 inches or longer in your door frame, video cameras, motion lights, and security film for glass doors and windows.

You can use landscape defensively. For example, thorny bushes around windows can be an effective deterrent to unwelcomed intruders. Just remember that the other side of the coin is that trees and bushes can be used as concealment for the bad guys. So remove any unwanted vegetation that could obstruct your view around your property now

If you have thought about installing a fence, I’d do it now. Tall fences will help deter people from coming onto your property. Just keep in mind that strong fences could also give out signals that you have stuff worth protecting. So try to keep your fence as discrete as possible. I personally prefer chain link so that I can see who is on the other side. A thorny vine such as catbrier will cling to fences and has barbs to deter people from climbing it

Get out of debt

Pay-off those high interest credit cards and loans. I have recently taken a second job primarily to help pay off my truck, medical bills, etc. I am not a financial expert by any means. But (my opinion) right now is NOT the time to be taking out loans or making large purchases that could put you into debt. I think the opposite is true and you will be better off owing as little as possible. Especially since a financial recession or even a full blown depression is certainly feasible right now.

I’d also be sure to have cash on you at all times. I watched in anger as people in Canada had their bank accounts shut down by the Canadian government during the Trucker protests. I fear that is something that could continue to happen throughout the West, and I am taking steps to try and protect myself from that possibility. You should as well.

Develop your skills

As the saying goes, skills weigh nothing in your pack! So continue to build your skill sets. Read (or reread) my article on prepper skills you should be working on right now. There are hundreds of videos out there on Youtube, Rumble, etc that can help get you started on prepping and survival skills. Use these resources while they are still free and available.

If you need to know where to go to find some of these YouTube prepper videos, please check out our Prepper News Feed page. We link to dozens and dozens of Prepper websites AND YouTube channels to help you find the most recent and current articles and videos. This page is updated several times a day. So if you have not done so, please check it out,

Revisit your emergency plans

Hopefully you have formulated some emergency survival plans for you and your family/friends. If you have, great! But please keep in mind that these plans should be flexible and adaptable. All emergency situations are fluid and can change in an instant. So be sure to revisit your survival plans from time to time.

For example, if you planned ahead and have 2 or 3 different bug out routes to your bug out location, drive them to see if anything has changed. Have the roads deteriorated? Are there now road construction detours? Have landmarks changed? Is that lonely two lane highway you use to get to your bugout location now a BUSY 4 lane interstate highway? This is stuff you need to keep on top of.

In addition, you might even have a dry run or 2 of your survival plans, routes, communications, etc. Things do not always go as expected. So try to find holes or issues in your plans NOW. I promise, it is much easier to find solutions to problems when you’re not in the middle of SHTF.

Take a deep breath

From social unrest and riots, to global pandemics and now the possibility of world war, it can be VERY overwhelming and at times, scary. But do not be consumed with fear and paranoia. If you have to turn off the news and social media for a while to decompress, do it.

Remember, we are prepping to live. We are not living to prep. We prep to help us get through these difficult times. And while the difficult times seem to be inching closer every day, and while it seems like the world maybe falling a part around us, keep calm. Stay diligent with your preps. The fact that you have prepped to this point puts you head and shoulders against the rest of society who still has their head in the sand.