Commentary: Preparing for massive change

I've been prepping for over three years and it is important to be prepared in the event of economic collapse, a weather disaster or other unfortunate event. For those of us looking at the bigger picture of what's happening in America, there is a sense of urgency that we need to be prepared for more hard times to come.

Changes are happening incredibly fast due tragedies of 2012 involving guns where Chardon High School students in Ohio were gunned down by a 17-year-old near Cleveland. Another mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, during a movie premiere of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises" where the shooter killed 12 and injured 58 others. And more recent, the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, where the killer first shot and killed his mother at home, then drove her car to Sandy Hook Elementary, where he killed twenty children and seven adults making the total victims 27.

These are some of the events this year that are shaping our future. The outcry on gun control in the United States will most likely create a ban on weapons for law abiding citizens. I'm not a fan of guns but I respect the need for good citizens to protect their homes and families. I also believe in the second amendment right to bear arms. By taking guns from good people the government is enabling criminals to continue killing innocent people.

Both sides of the argument:

Brady Center article for gun control.

NRA article against gun control.

In reviewing the year, 2012, there have been countless other events that warn us of the significance of being prepared. On New Year’s Day 2012 in Ohio, the year rocked its way in with folks in Ohio and beyond feeling a major earthquake that was caused by fracking. Even before that day when the "big one" struck there were nearly a dozen other quakes in the same area as four other Ohio drilling wells.

Spring gave a twist on preparedness on March 2 with an outbreak of tornadoes wiping out cities like Moscow, Ohio and countrysides like the Adams County disaster that swept by four tornadoes in the rural county in a short period of time.

The unexpected derecho in June that rolled across several Midwest and Atlantic states including nearly all of Ohio causing power outages and more damage. This storm was likened to a "land hurricane."

Summer temperatures and droughts destroyed gardens and crops, strained air conditioners and left many folks seeking medical treatment for heat-related health issues.

Then October's haunting reminders that the least expected can happen when conditions are right. Frankenstorm, the nickname Hurricane Sandy, blew up the eastern coast of the United States leaving major damage and destruction along the way. These winds eventually mixed with a cold front causing, "a perfect storm" scenario and the wintry mix dumped heavy snow and high winds as far inland as Ohio with West Virginia hit by a major snowstorm.

Any day our lives can turn on a dime, we are more fragile than most people realize and unless we are self-sufficient we are going to be in trouble. We are too complacent in our comfortable lives until the unimaginable happens then we scratch our heads and wonder how this all happened.

Residents of New York and New Jersey are aware of the fallout of not being prepared. Help took days to arrive from the government due to paperwork and population size. Many quickly ran out of water and food in the meantime. Folks simply had no way to clean, cook or care for themselves but eventually relocated to FEMA camps.

One woman described living in a FEMA camp as living in a prison. There were guards on duty with guns and you had to have an ID on you at all times, even to go to the bathroom. Those who didn't go to a camp that needed food, clothing or gas had to stand in long lines and wait. Traffic to gas stations were backed up for several hours and each person was limited to a ration of gas.

"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." Proverbs 27:12 NLT

Being prepared eliminates panic and worry and folks can avoid unnecessary suffering. There are three basic needs for surviving a crisis, whether it is weather or natural disaster, a man-made tragedy or other situation and that is food, water and shelter.

My personal New Years resolution is to prep more and be ready for any crisis. I am not an extremist and there is no intention for making people fear the future. Prepping is about being self-sufficient as possible and the key to survival is avoiding dependency on others including the government. Those not ready will have to wait in pecking order for assistance.

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