Supply chain problems are in the news, and food shortages are plaguing the world. Even countries like the United States are now seeing empty grocery store shelves.
Over the summer, while visiting the USA, I was shocked at how bad things were. Many stores and restaurants are closed due to labor shortages. Fuel is expensive. And, my return flight was cancelled for a full day because American Airlines didn’t have the mechanical parts to service their airplanes.
Things are so bad that there’s actually a popular section of Reddit called r/Shortages. This community is filled with creepy supply chain stories like “Aramco Warns World’s Spare Oil Supplies Are Falling Rapidly” and “My local dollar general had no TP last night, no wet dog food, very limited pet isle, low selection on juice among other gaps throughout the store.”
Basically, things are barely held together now. And, we’re headed into winter soon. Cold weather months means more energy usage, more imported food, and more overall dependence on the global supply chain. While I don’t want to sound like a doomsayer, there is a good chance that things could get ugly. And if you think that’s fear-mongering, just remember that Texas had a major power outage where over 200 people died. And that happened earlier this year.
Because of this, I wanted to share a few easy ways that you can prepare for a supply chain emergency.
1. Learn Some Basic Survival Skills
I have personally been in two earthquakes, several monsoons, a flood, and a mass power outage. Also, I was once in Bangkok at the time of a terrorist attack. When disaster strikes, most people enter panic mode and have no idea what they should do.
You might have seen this yourself during the pandemic last year. Seemingly normal people freaked out and panicked the second they were faced with a little danger. I’m not some hardcore tough guy, but I can keep calm under pressure. Part of that, is due to the fact that I was in Boy Scouts growing up. I drilled for emergency situations as a kid, and had to learn basic survival skills. So when there’s actual trouble, I already know what to do.
Here’s a simple example.
I was searing steaks in my apartment and accidently started a grease fire.
While a lot of people would have freaked out and thrown water on the flames, or ran out of the building, I was able to calmly extinguish the fire thanks to my Boy Scout training.
You don’t need to have been in the Boy Scouts or military to learn survival skills. There are plenty of good books on the subject, and you can learn 99% of the information you need just through reading.
Two books that are well worth owning and reading are Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills and Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook. These are two comprehensive books that cover all kinds of survival and self-sufficiency skills.
Back to Basics covers more long-term material, including generating your own electricity and building a log cabin, while Making the Best of Basics is more focused on actual survivalism and prepping. In fact, Making the Best of Basics starts off with a fun little quiz to see how many survival resources and skills you have, and whether or not you could handle a serious emergency.
2. Stock Up On Food And Water (The Two Most Important Resources)
When the power went out in Texas, a lot of people didn’t have food or water at home. And many of them couldn’t buy any at stores either. As a result, some folks had to scoop water out of the river and drink that!
In case there’s a supply chain emergency, you want to have at least a week’s worth of non-perishable food and water.
One nice thing about these items is that they’re usually cheap and readily available at most grocery stores. You can go out today and buy two 5 gallon jugs of water to store at your house or apartment. And you can also pick up some canned tuna, SPAM, and other ready-to-eat non-perishable goods.
That said, I do know that some stores are limiting the number of canned goods that you can buy. When I was at Aldi’s over the summer, they only allowed you to purchased two cans of tuna or four cans of pre-made soup. And I think there was a limit to canned fruits and vegetables as well. If that’s the case, you can always order canned goods off Amazon, and the prices are often similar to what you’d see at the grocery store.
I’m pretty weird, because I actually like canned meat and keep a bunch of it in my apartment as a regular snack. You can easily eat things like Hormel Chicken Breast on its own, without having to cook or heat it.
This is an excellent emergency storage item, and you can order a 12-pack off Amazon for less than $20.
12 cans of chicken, 12 cans of tuna, a couple boxes of saltine crackers, 12 cans of fruit, two 5-gallon jugs of water, and 12 cans of soup are enough to get you through most short-term emergencies.
You can also beef-up your supplies pretty cheaply with things like prepackaged cookies, instant coffee, and protein bars.
3. Buy A Cold Weather Sleeping Bag
Here’s a fact most Westerners don’t know. In China, the government drew an imaginary line and said “Nobody below this point is allowed to have indoor heating.” This means that millions of Chinese people who live in freezing climates have to survive without heat, every single winter.
If you ever visit Beijing in the winter, you’ll see people wearing their winter coats indoors. And a lot of Chinese people will even sleep in their jackets and snow pants. With energy shortages becoming commonplace, you might want to take a page from the Chinese and invest into quality cold weather clothing.
One thing I would recommend is a zero degree sleeping bag, like this one from Coleman.
I have one of these Coleman Mummy Bags from when I was in Boy Scouts, and these things do a fantastic job keeping you warm. If the power goes out in winter, or there’s a natural gas shortage, you can always climb inside of this to stay toasty warm.
4. Invest In An Emergency Light Source
Speaking of power outages, you’ll want to invest in an emergency light source.
Here’s a little chargeable lamp I keep in my backpack. It’s pretty small and portable, but it does a great job illuminating a room. And it’s helped me out on several occasions.
When it comes to emergency light, you have a few options. One cheap, simple solution is to simply go to the dollar store and buy a big package of candles (make sure to pick up a lighter and matches too). If there’s an outage, you can just light a candle, and you’ll be all set.
However, some people don’t like candles, or are afraid of burning their house down.
If you want something safer and more powerful, pick up a chargeable LED lamp. Coleman makes a great lantern you can use. Or you can go to Wal-Mart or Walgreens and buy a small, battery powered light.
Personally, I’d go with the Coleman lamp. It’s brighter, and is probably going to be more useful in an emergency situation since you can carry it outside or illuminate a greater area.
5. Get A First-Aid Kit, Soap, Toilet Paper, Etc…
Do you remember the early pandemic rush for toilet paper? Well, there was also a big shortage of things like rubbing alcohol and even soap. Also, many places ran out of over the counter medications like Tylenol or Advil. Stocking up on these goods is smart, especially since you’re going to use these items anyway.
I know the local grocery store had a sale on Dial Men’s Body Wash recently, and I bought four bottles for $5. That’s almost an entire year’s worth of soap for the same price as a Starbuck’s coffee.
Picking up some extra soap, or an additional 4-pack of toilet paper costs almost nothing and is a good hedge against future shortages.
Additionally, I would highly recommend buying a first-aid kit for your home. You can get a Johnson & Johnson all-purpose first-aid kit for less than $15 on Amazon. This will treat a lot of common ailments like cuts, burns, and infections. If there is a supply chain shortage or another run on alcohol gels, this kit will help you deal with most minor injuries.
Supply Chain Doomsday?
There are a lot of people treating the current situation like it’s the end of the world. I don’t think that’s really the case. However, I do think that short-term shortages are a very real threat and something you should prepare for.
Rolling blackouts are an actual problem that’s currently going on in China, due to depleting energy reserves. And Vietnam just came off of a two-month lockdown where many people were stranded with limited food or resources. Even Europe is in an energy crisis now, with natural gas in short supply.
In the United States, a lot of people are walking out from their jobs. Many container ships cannot unload their goods. And, inflation is driving up the cost of everyday goods.
These are all things worth paying attention too, and situations you should prepare for. Buying a week’s worth of non-perishable food, or investing in a cold weather sleeping bag are low-risk ways to hedge against a serious crisis. Again, I don’t think the United States is going to collapse or that these problems will turn the world into Mad Max. But they could create a lot of short-term problems that a lot of unprepared people are forced to suffer through.
Be smart and be prepared. This way you can protect yourself during times of trouble.