Despite the Philippines sitting on top of the Pacific Rim of Fire ( the SouthEast Asian map of hotspots for active volcanoes), annual visits by a minimum of 28 tropical storms that causes massive agricultural damage, flooding, loss of property and lives; prepping is a foreign concept in this country. Practiced mostly in the USA, and parts of Europe, it has gained a unique following as an underground American subculture.
Most preppers depicted in cable tv look paranoid, are dressed in drab, unattractive clothes and have some far-out ideas of the world coming to an end. They have been shown training their family members in hand-to-hand combat, shooting rifles and guns, storing massive amounts of food, water and ammunition. Some even go to the extent of foraging and eating insects and other critters to ensure survival skills.
As a matter of fact, there is a big possibility that I might be the first Filipino to discuss the matter. Preppers have been demonized and ostracized by media. Even the airing of "Doomsday Preppers" 2nd season was shelved. I myself haven't watched an entire episode finish. I mostly got my information reading blogs and survival skills from various sources since November last year.
But instead of brushing off their near-paranoid view of the world, I admired the lengths at which they have resorted to living self-sufficiently, by installing improvised solar heating and electricity sources. Many have installed wind turbines to generate free wind power. They have perfected, and are already using their own water purification systems which may include treating grey water and rain harvesting. Every prepper family is homesteading. Meaning they grow their own food sources complete with fruit, herb and vegetable garden, have chicken coops, raise goats, pigs and a cow or two for meat and milk. To complete their independence, they process and can their own grocery staples from butter to eggs, to meat and legumes.
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| homestead garden |
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| emergency medical supplies |
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| a pantry full of foodstuffs |
There are even top survival/prepping websites where ordinary, uninitiated people like me and you can learn a thing or two from these survivalists. Good thing is, they share all the information, and Do It Yourself is the order of the day. From flashlights, guns, to stoves, water purifiers, dehydrators, food smokers, ovens, even cheese presses. There is a tutorial for every conceivable equipment or concern. Did I even mention that they no longer need nor pay government utilities like light and water or ever need banks for that matter? This is partly what it means to live off-grid.
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| rocket stove tutorials |
So what is Prepping? And why talk about it? Let's first look at how dictionaries define it.
PREPPING: Verb
1. Make ready
2 Prepare for an event
Okay, prepare for an event such as what, you may ask? Events that preppers talk about is somehow captured in the popular prepper term SHTF scenario. SHTF means a lot of different things to many people. Allow me to put it as mildly as I can. SHTF means any situation where the possibility of getting help from firefighters, emergency medical services and law enforcement is reduced to zero. Meaning, you will be needing assistance from any of these and similar agencies but will no longer have access to, like medical attention, police and fire.
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| nuclear disaster |
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| fires or chemical explosions |
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| earthquakes |
What are the possible scenarios where these could happen? War, nuclear attack, medical epidemic that has gone to a regional level or higher, natural disasters that cut off one place from the rest of the world, the end of society as we know it, Biomedical terrorism, chemical disasters or pandemic. Wait! before you roll your eyes and think this is weird stuff, isn't the recent extreme weather events lately bother you?
In the Philippines for example, the recent Typhoon Pablo that flattened most of Compostela Valley in December of 2012. It denuded vast tracts of land and left several hundred thousands homeless, with no source of livelihood or food, or clothing for weeks and months. That Typhoon caught everyone in the area totally unawares as typhoon appears once every 10 years. There is now a growing realization that Typhoon Pablo may not be the last and something much more worse is coming next.
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| makeshift signage asking for donations |
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| casualties of the flooding |
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| the devastation |
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| bananas ripe for harvest, ravaged by Typhoon Pablo |
It is not possible to capture the entire concept of Prepping in one article, but I hope I may have shed some light on the issue specifically to those who may never had any idea what it is. My purpose is to somehow educate, increase awareness, and then introduce the survival skills that anyone from any country can benefit from, whether SHTF happens or not.
I agree with someone who once said, "better to be prepared when things happen, than to convince oneself that everything is fine and then SHTF happens."
Let me know what your thoughts are about this post. I am by no means an expert on the matter, but I have started with my baby steps.
Please leave your comments below.
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