SO in last week’s post, we discussed the fact that Teotwawki (The End Of The World As We Know It) and bugging out are two totally different things, but people often confuse them by thinking that if they are bugging out, it must be TEOTWAWKI. I’ve had to bug out three (almost four) different times in my life already. None of them were TEOTWAWKI. I’ve had to bug out twice because of the Ferguson riots.
Believe it or not, Ferguson was a small town known for its farmer’s market, before it erupted in violence. Maybe you think you won’t leave, even during the violence, but will be standing on your front porch holding your shotgun to ward anyone off who comes near your property. There were literally hundreds of people in and near (less than 20 feet) our property in Ferguson. One shotgun or even AR won’t protect you from that many people.
And don’t think that your town is any different. It can happen anywhere.
But bugging out can happen for reasons besides riots. Once I had to bug out because our house got hit by a tornado and it was unlivable. We had to leave. And most recently, there was an anhydrous ammonia leak near our house. We got a shelter in place warning with a “Be ready to leave if you’re given instructions to” notice. We didn’t even know that there was an ammonia plant within five miles from our house!
My whole point is that if you think you won’t have to leave, think again. There will come a time when you have to leave for one reason or another. And that leaving is bugging out.
Now, let’s actually dive into TEOTWAWKI.
TEOTWAWKI
What is it?
TEOTWAWKI stands for “The end of the world as we know it.” So let’s unpack that a bit. What does TEOTWAWKI look like?
If you’ve ever read any prepper fiction like One Second After, EMP, or Patriots, you’ll recall that there is a civilization-ending event that occurs in each of these books. In one of the books, we see the financial collapse of the United States. In another, we find out that we were attacked by unnamed countries. And in the third, the United States infrastructure is crippled by a naturally occurring EMP caused by a solar flare. In each case, everyday life stopped. People had to grow gardens and then protect them from bugs, critters, birds, and people. Outhouses were once again the norm. Electricity was all but gone. Banks didn’t exist. Money had no value. People died because they didn’t have their medication. Other people killed to feed themselves. Gangs marauded, stole, pillaged, destroyed, and murdered innocent people. It wasn’t pretty.
And while TEOTWAWKI may eventually come to an end – maybe years after it starts like the Balkan Wars – it may not. If there is a global EMP, we may never recover in our lifetimes, and life will be a whole lot more like the Wild West than it will be current day suburbia. We will be living without rule of law (WROL). Sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? It scares me because I have kids, and I never want to see them having to live through that.
How do we plan for it?
Well since TEOTWAWKI is in many ways a civilization-ending event, we plan for it best by knowing and practicing things. Ask yourself, what are the most likely things that will send us into TEOTWAWKI? In my estimation – here in the United States, in the time that we live in, an EMP, a nuclear war, or a financial collapse are probably the biggest threats we have that could lead to the downfall of our civilization.
And once we determine what are the most likely things to happen, then we can ask ourselves how to best begin planning to prepare for those types of eventualities. Because each one of those will start in different ways and look differently, each will need to be planned for separately, and we’ll delve into each of these next week.
What kinds of things do we need to know if we end up living through TEOTWAWKI?
Gardening, composting, foraging, finding water, water filtration, fire starting, cooking food over a fire, cooking without attracting attention, sewing, mending, spinning, knitting and/or crocheting, darning, leathermaking, shoe construction, marksmanship, hunting, fishing, cleaning animals, preserving meat, preserving fruits and vegetables, trapping, how to move through the woods undetected, communications, machine repair, home repair, animal husbandry, adaptability, and so many other skills!
Plan for TEOTWAWKI by working on each of these skills. If you don’t have the skill, make sure that someone in your survival group can cover it.
How do we pack for it?
Now, this is where what most people think of as a bug out bag comes in. In last week’s post, I mentioned that many different websites mention that you need to have a tent in your bug out bag. And I said that you DON’T need a tent in your bug out bag because bugging out means that you plan on coming home in the short-term and that you’re probably staying with a friend or in a hotel. BUT if it’s TEOTWAWKI and we’re leaving home for good – YES! You need a tent! This is where other website’s bug out bag lists come into play. In an article last year, I mentioned six different survival systems that you need to have in place. We’re also going to add a couple more. These include:
- Food and Water
- Sanitation
- First Aid
- Car specific
- Comfort
- Shelter
- Safety
- Clothing
We’ll dive into each of these more deeply in the blog post two weeks from. For now, know that each of those systems is important to have in place for TEOTWAWKI.
When do we leave if TEOTWAWKI hits?
When it comes to bugging out, leaving sooner rather than later is always the better way to handle things. Again, though, since we’re comparing and contrasting bugging out with TEOTWAWKI, it shouldn’t surprise you to hear me say that if we get into a TEOTWAWKI situation, you should shelter in place at long as possible, but have a plan in place to leave at a moment’s notice.
Why should we shelter in place at long as possible? Great question! Have you been setting food and supplies aside? I sure hope so, and if you have them and life is no less dangerous across town or in the country than it is where you are currently living – especially if you’ve been talking with your neighbors and encouraging them to start preparing (even if you aren’t calling it that). Why would you leave? Do you have water stored or a way to get water fairly easily? Do you have a fireplace or a wood stove? If you have these things in place, they are there for a reason. You should use them as long as it’s possible if it’s not much more dangerous than it would be in other places. Sheltering in place should always be your default mode! Only leave if it’s become much more dangerous where you live than it is in most other places.
What if you have a bug out retreat?
If you are one of the lucky few who have a fully stocked retreat ‘in the hills’ somewhere, and you can get there in relative safety, leaving may make sense, but you need to make sure that you know that state of it. You need to be out there regularly to make sure everything is in place. I know someone who had a rural retreat in place, with 4-wheelers to get around and equipment galore. They went out to their retreat once, and it had been cleaned out. Most everything was gone. Don’t depend on something that won’t be there. Make sure your supplies are there before you move a whole group of people from relative safety to just a shell of a bug out retreat.
How should our mindset be different when it comes to TEOTWAWKI?
Since bugging out is only a short-term and TEOTWAWKI could be for the rest of your life, there is a huge mindset difference. While we need to be vigilant if we’re bugging out, TEOTWAWKI is a whole different level of vigilance. You need a group of people around you who know what they are doing and can help work and protect an agreed-upon area.
If you will be staying put as long as you can, then you need to be thinking now about three things: (1) What can you do NOW to provide for yourself later – i.e. having a hand pump for your well or finding a nearby water source, or setting up a rainwater collection system. Setting up a garden. Learning to can and having the right equipment on hand, etc. (2) How are you going to get out quickly when things go bad – and they probably will. What’s your escape route? What will your transportation be? (3) Where will you head when things where you are – are more dangerous than things elsewhere?
A TEOTWAWKI mindset can really be summed up in – live where you are now, as long as you can, but be ready to leave should the need arise.
What About You?
How do you plan to handle TEOTWAWKI? Who will gather around you during these difficult times? Where will you head when life is too dangerous to stay where you are?
Together let’s Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome
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