SO, YOUR GONNA SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE?

It has been over 20 years now since I have been personally involved in the survivalist movement.  I can remember getting my early subscriptions of Survivalist Magazine and studying every page. 

I was fortunate growing up; I grew up in a small town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where camping, hunting, and outdoorsmanship were common practice. 

Now, with the sudden rise of the general population, and with a concern of knowing that something is fairly wrong with our nation, and the world for that matter, we are seeing more and more television shows dealing with the “apocalypse and its scenarios.” 

There is a popular “prepper” program on mainstream media (you know which one I am talking about), (feel my sarcasm?).  They are creating their compounds above ground and underground.  It is painfully humorous to watch these people.  The majority of them are not even close to being psychologically prepared or rigorously trained to adapt them to handle a situation in which they are confined for weeks, if not months, in a tiny, coffin-like area with other “like-minded people.”  Some of these people have even spent cool 1 million dollars cash up-front for their coffin condos!  Maybe in a couple thousand years when archaeologists dig up one of these doomsday sarcophagus they will find these mummified survivalists and interpret it as some type of strange burial ritual.  Of course, many of them will

have taken their prized possessions, i.e., art, jewelry, gold, silver, etc., into their tombs. 
with other numerous shows that are following suit.  It seems to be a common thing now, and it is no longer just “conspiracy theory nuts.”  These shows are allowing you to look into selected peoples’ lives that seemingly have finances equivalent to the US Defense Budget

After studying every scenario that is possible and plausible in depth, one cannot help but be quite apathetic to the realities that really face even the most seasoned and well-fit survivalist. 

Consider this in all reality and really pause and ponder the following scenario: 

I live on the outskirts of the greater Phoenix Valley of Arizona.  It is a wonderful place in the wintertime and that is why our population jumps tenfold.  It is because of our gorgeous weather.  However, in the middle of summer it is a heat storm of hell!  Without the modern conveniences of air conditioning and running water it is a death trap!  It is funny to see how on the hottest days we scurry like little ants from our air-conditioned cars, to dive into an air-conditioned building and back out to our air-conditioned cars, only to return to our air-conditioned homes.  Without electricity within a couple of days this would be a place of the foulest stench of death, especially with our very dense population! 

Now, since this is about an apocalypse and not a vacation brochure, let us consider that scenario now that I asked you to ponder deeply - this is both possible and plausible for the Valley of the Sun.  Suppose that we do get hit in the United States with an EMP in the middle of summer! Whether it is natural or man-made, it does not matter.  There would be no warning to the overwhelming majority of people.  They are just going about their daily tasks of their daily drone lives and then nothing! 

It takes a few seconds to gather your thoughts as you realize there is a power outage.  There is an eerie silence.  No background hum; no nothing.  The usual human behavior in this circumstance would be that you would get up, walk to the light switch, and flick it off and on a few times.  A glance over at your electronic time gadgets shows no power.  You look at your cell phone and there is absolutely nothing.  You go to the phone and there is nothing, but dead silence.  Emergency radio - nothing.  You fiddle with the gadgets changing out batteries, and they are absolutely dead.  A slow creeping fear begins to edge into your mind.  A quick fumble around and you find your car keys.  Before trying to start the car you say a silent prayer to yourself, “Oh God, just start.”  Nothing!

All the colorful acronyms just flashed in your mind.  You shockingly glance around your neighborhood and you notice other people as well have just followed in your same tracks.  The good old-fashioned temperature gauge still works and in the shade it says 115°. 

To those that have some knowledge to what has just befallen everyone, they have the countenance of someone whom has just been embraced by death itself.  There is no way of starting your vehicle.  There is no way of turning on the lights or air conditioning. 

Within a matter of a couple of hours all homes and buildings would be hot as an oven with interior temperatures that can exceed over 140°.  People in the downtown high-rise buildings would scatter out like ants into the scorching sun seeking the shade of the building in the 115° heat.  The time is only 1300hrs.  The great multitudes in these dense areas would easily succumb to heat exhaustion and then many would succumb to death in a matter of hours.  Running water would be out within hours, as people would drain the last of the stored gravity fed systems trying to fill their bathtubs and anything that can hold water.  Sewers would not run and would turn into a reprehensible stench within a matter of a few hours.  Just within a couple of hours anything that is refrigerated in homes and grocery stores would begin to spoil.  How do I know this?  I have been through it on a very small scale.  Let me tell you when the power goes out in the middle of summer, which does not happen very often here, you are praying for it to come back on immediately.  If it does not come back on within 30 minutes, it is amazing how fast people jump in their cars to start up the AC or run to a local business that does have power.  It is also interesting how thirsty you get when the temperature starts to rise and the fear comes over you that you might not have water to drink. 

Electricity is a double-edged sword.  It has made us feel strong in conquering the elements of the harshest in nature, but ultimately we are weak and feeble. 

Electricity is crucial to our society

Let us just say you have remained calm and you made it through the grueling scorching day.  The Arizona Valley night is not any better, as within the city limits, including the suburbs, you are still looking forward to 100° plus temperatures even at midnight.  There is no relief.  You do not sleep and you're taking whatever water you can drinking it and soaking towels just to get past the grueling night’s heat.  

A full vest is heavy and hot!

Not too mention, you're stripping off all that tactical load-bearing equipment and laying it on the ground. 

You're outside in your backyard clutching a shotgun as you hear what sounds like a war zone.  For Arizonians are some of the most heavily armed people in the nation.  You see, as temperatures rise, so do tempers.  Desperation and exhaustion will lead to annihilation.  Any word whether false or true of somebody who has stockpiled water and food would be the first to be burned out and annihilated by the suicidal zombie-like gangs.  I say this in the mindset that when you become thirsty, there is nothing that will stop you from acquiring what you need, especially if it is for your small child and/or children, and even maybe a pregnant wife?  Desperation does not even describe how people will feel in immense heat and no water.  Need help, want to call 911 - there will be no police.  Not even the military for they are even hunkered down and overwhelmed with this magnum catastrophe.  Over the next 48 to 72 hours whatever didn't kill you in the first 24 would definitely be the nail in the coffin for the rest.

Palo Verde is the largest nuclear power plant in the world.

Even if you are the “diamond in the rough,” and have the ability to survive, let us just throw in the meltdown of the world's largest nuclear reactor just west of the Phoenix Valley - The Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant. For this would be the Phoenix Valley’s Fukushima meltdown in the midst of this tsunami heat wave.    If that were not the icing on the cake, let us also imagine thousands of fires and thousands of people already dead and/or dying secondary to the fact that their mere lives depend on the electronic medical devices, i.e., diabetic pump, refrigerated medications, cardiac pacemakers (these poor individuals would have immediately died at the strike of an EMP), and other respiratory machines to name a few.  Let’s add some colorful decorations to the cake as well shall we, with the fact that hundreds of planes would fall straight out of the sky.  Had enough?  It’s just beginning! 

Seriously, what could be done?  You say, “I would bug out.”  Where would you go?  In 115° heat less than 0.1% of the population is in any condition to bug out in that temperature.  Even at night traversing through the open desert is going through God's minefield with some of the

Cholla Cactus - Painful lessons

nastiest natural Constantino wire that nature can throw at you, as everything out here has thorns and thistles; not to mention, the wild critters both small and great. 

Unless your vehicle was thoroughly protected from an EMP blast, walking is not an option, especially with an 80-pound pack that would be filled with water and dumping the 500-round battle pack.  Walking in any direction could be a 30 to 50-mile hike before you could even reach somewhat of a sanctuary.  With no provisions waiting, you have died tired and delirious within a few hours. 

If you did have your vehicle protected, you would not even make it a mile away from your house without being jacked by the 115 IQ zombies. 

Again, I say “zombies,” as mentioned before there will be one thing and one thing only on these creatures minds!  WATER!  This is a reality!

It has only been within the last couple of years that I have come to conclusion, when it comes to prepping and surviving, it is only by grace therefore go I.  I know this may seem very apathetic and downtrodden to many of you survivalists, ex-military, gung-ho patriot types, and preppers, but let's take a sober reality check.  We know very well the nature of the beast and his evil heart. 

No greater love than one who lays his life down for his friends

The greatest preparation is one’s spirit and soul for what is to come.  It is the belief of this challenge is received with great joy, because as a sojourner on this planet, that this life is not the final destination.  Live good and honorably!  No matter what the circumstances are, fight the good fight!  Help the weak and innocent. Give freely to them that ask. Defend Life!

The most important thing I would want to bestow upon preppers, survivalists, or gung-ho patriots is this:

Knowing full well that location, location, location during any disaster is key and being in a city is like being in a large crowded auditorium during a fire, where is the best place to be during this event? Best stay away from the auditorium.