How to Prepare for Civil Unrest

The Pot is Boiling Over

It may come as no surprise to many of you that the US population has reached its breaking point. When millions of people across the country are stuck under quarantine without a job, tensions are going to build. Following the brutal killing of George Floyd, tensions rose to the surface and are now being released upon cities across the nation. Angry citizens are engaging in armed protests, looting, and acts of vandalism. Domestic terrorists are stirring the pot by further inciting violence. Our president has now threatened to involve the US military. As the fabric of our society gets torn apart, it’s time we learn how to prepare for civil unrest. In this post, I share five steps you should follow to protect yourself and your family from the ensuing chaos.

1. Choose Whether to Bug-In or Bug-Out

When civil unrest begins to emerge, you first need to decide whether you’re going to bug-in or bug-out. This past weekend, I chose to bug-out. I live in New York City, a city in which a number of protests recently erupted. Having seen that some protests

were turning violent, I decided that remaining in the area would expose my wife and me to increased risk of harm. To reduce the risk, we bugged-out to our secure location over the weekend.

If you’re not in a highly populated city like Manhattan, then you may not need to bug-out. Those located in a relatively remote area may be situated at a safe enough distance from the civil unrest. Every individual is exposed to a different set of risks. The risk of being caught amid civil unrest is much higher for those in densely populated communities. Civil unrest most easily develops near central locations in which people can congregate and demonstrate. If you’re in one of these locations and are wondering how to prepare for civil unrest, I suggest you start by bugging-out.

2. Secure Your Location

Now that you’ve picked your location, it’s important you secure it. Again, different individual circumstances call for different measures. If you’re remaining in an apartment building in a city, you may only need to secure a single entryway. Alternatively, single family homes require you to secure multiple points of entry, including windows. If the civil unrest is really getting out of hand, then don’t take any half measures. Lock up, board up, and reinforce. Nothing is more important than the safety of you and your loved ones. If you survive the civil unrest, you can forgive yourself for being too prepared. Failing to prepare is unforgivable.

3. Stock Up On Supplies

Whether you’re bugging-in or bugging-out, you need to stock up on supplies. The recent protests bubbling up across the nation are likely only temporary. That said, the general civil unrest isn’t going away anytime soon. We’re going to experience a second wave of the coronavirus, which will continue to disrupt our livelihoods. Political divisions aren’t going to heal overnight either. To ensure you can survive for a number of weeks without leaving your secure location, you must stock up on food, water, and medical supplies. I recommend you build at least a two week cache of essentials. Do yourself a favor and avoid having to panic buy at the last minute. Stock up now!

4. Exercise Caution When Returning to Society

While you may be asking about how to prepare for civil unrest, it’s also important to understand how to return to society after the unrest subsides. You must exercise caution when returning. Stability may only be temporary. Update your SHTF escape plan, pack your bug-out bag, and don’t take any unnecessary risks. Moreover, the response to unrest can be worse than the initial demonstrations. Hong Kong, as an example, experienced protests that dwarf those of the US. The Chinese government just passed a law that extends the Mainland’s security practices to Hong Kong. While the civil unrest may be removed from Hong Kong society, the Chinese government is now an even bigger threat. If we see similar government crackdowns in the US, we should be even more wary of a return to society.

5. Set the Example

Order will ultimately reemerge following periods of civil unrest. The question is, will society simply revert back to the way things were? Should it? We need to set the right example when the civil unrest dies down. Germany’s leadership following its defeat in WWI led to the atrocities committed during WWII. However, after its defeat in WWII, Germany became a leader and promoter of European democracy. Communities, let alone nations, aren’t necessarily set on the right course after societal breakdown. It’s up to us to create the model for the future.

Most Important Point About How to Prepare for Civil Unrest

We shouldn’t just be asking about how to prepare for civil unrest. We should also be asking ourselves how we rebuild our nation in such a way that that civil unrest doesn’t need to emerge in the first place. Is a nation without civil unrest a pipe dream? Possibly. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t think about creating a better future for ourselves and future generations. As pessimistic as the news may make us, we need to remain optimistic through this dark period. The unrest will pass along with the pandemic. But as the fog hanging over society disappears, we need to ensure the fog doesn’t return. Let’s all do our part to serve as examples of a good citizens. As prepared as we may be, we need to help prepare others to get through this chaotic time. Watching the world burn isn’t something to be proud of. Let’s do our part to help it recover.

Do you have any tips on how to prepare for civil unrest? Leave a comment below or contact me directly.

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As a retired property damage adjuster/appraiser, I’ve seen how serious it is to not be prepared in advance for such catastrophic losses like hurricanes, tornado’s, earthquakes, etc. After such loss, people are left homeless, without electricity, utilities, clothing, shelter, water, food, toileting, bathing, and other necessities of life. There is no police enforcement or other help available for what may be days, or even weeks/months. Good examples were Hurricane Andrew at Miami/Homestead, Florida, or Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Both were terribly destructive storms that left people homeless by the thousands for many months/years.
So many people left homeless and without shelter for any length of time causes all kinds of emotional trauma for thousands of people in close quarters. Just imagine no food or water for so many people all at the same time. I’ll leave it to you to imagine what can happen with violence and lawlessness in such a situation. Things can go to hell in short order in such an explosive atmosphere. And generally without fail, they do.
No food or water, or clothing, or shelter, or protection is a great loss for everyone who is not prepared for such a catastrophe. As a loss appraiser I have seen the worst possible exposure to people that are not prepared for emergencies ahead of time. Water and food are the most needed items. Please prepare ahead of time.
One thing the News never touches on in these situations; is the great amount of killing that takes place after a catastrophe happens. People become frightened and protective of whatever property or goods they have. Much looting, theft and violence take place for days or even weeks/months following such great catastrophic loss.
With no police or other law enforcement available for days, weeks or even longer, the population takes law and order into their own hands, generally without any thought of consequences or reservation. The Miami/Homestead Florida Hurricane was a good example. Many people were shot and killed for looting and theft. Not much was said of this statistic or even made newsworthy. Gangs of people from Miami descended on Homestead and many other towns in close proximity to steal and loot for many days right after the storm. It took weeks for the state and government to set up law enforcement and security for such a large area of the state. Meanwhile looting and lawlessness prevailed and owners/residents used any means available to protect and survive the invading criminals.
The U.S. Army finally moved in and got setup, but even then the thugs from Miami city were looting and killing with immunity because they had more firepower than the Army was authorized to use. How about that? I bet you never read about any of that in any news story.
Several days passed and finally the government set up water truck stations where people could get cases or gallons of free water. Following that by a few days.were trucks hauling lunch meat and bread loaves to people who were literally starving. A reminder here, that all grocery stores, gas stations, and other service companies were shuttered or even blown away and not operating for weeks/days/months. Some closed for good never to reopen.
Here in Kansas we have Tornado’s that are known to have blown away whole towns. When such happens, the whole business community is shut down including City Hall. I don’t need to elaborate on preparation for such a thing. Many states, cities and communities are damaged every year from all kinds of disasters. Preparation of food and water is still at the top of the preparation list for most of them except for the total destruction kind. Even then, it is still a good thing to prepare and have a place to go as a last resort. Jim @ longhorn-Ink

just imagine how long we would last without law enforcement as some airheads are now proposing/demanding.

2 thoughts on “How to Prepare for Civil Unrest”

Jim Sells

June 28, 2020 at 7:06 pm

As a retired property damage adjuster/appraiser, I’ve seen how serious it is to not be prepared in advance for such catastrophic losses like hurricanes, tornado’s, earthquakes, etc. After such loss, people are left homeless, without electricity, utilities, clothing, shelter, water, food, toileting, bathing, and other necessities of life. There is no police enforcement or other help available for what may be days, or even weeks/months. Good examples were Hurricane Andrew at Miami/Homestead, Florida, or Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Both were terribly destructive storms that left people homeless by the thousands for many months/years.
So many people left homeless and without shelter for any length of time causes all kinds of emotional trauma for thousands of people in close quarters. Just imagine no food or water for so many people all at the same time. I’ll leave it to you to imagine what can happen with violence and lawlessness in such a situation. Things can go to hell in short order in such an explosive atmosphere. And generally without fail, they do.
No food or water, or clothing, or shelter, or protection is a great loss for everyone who is not prepared for such a catastrophe. As a loss appraiser I have seen the worst possible exposure to people that are not prepared for emergencies ahead of time. Water and food are the most needed items. Please prepare ahead of time.
One thing the News never touches on in these situations; is the great amount of killing that takes place after a catastrophe happens. People become frightened and protective of whatever property or goods they have. Much looting, theft and violence take place for days or even weeks/months following such great catastrophic loss.
With no police or other law enforcement available for days, weeks or even longer, the population takes law and order into their own hands, generally without any thought of consequences or reservation. The Miami/Homestead Florida Hurricane was a good example. Many people were shot and killed for looting and theft. Not much was said of this statistic or even made newsworthy. Gangs of people from Miami descended on Homestead and many other towns in close proximity to steal and loot for many days right after the storm. It took weeks for the state and government to set up law enforcement and security for such a large area of the state. Meanwhile looting and lawlessness prevailed and owners/residents used any means available to protect and survive the invading criminals.
The U.S. Army finally moved in and got setup, but even then the thugs from Miami city were looting and killing with immunity because they had more firepower than the Army was authorized to use. How about that? I bet you never read about any of that in any news story.
Several days passed and finally the government set up water truck stations where people could get cases or gallons of free water. Following that by a few days.were trucks hauling lunch meat and bread loaves to people who were literally starving. A reminder here, that all grocery stores, gas stations, and other service companies were shuttered or even blown away and not operating for weeks/days/months. Some closed for good never to reopen.
Here in Kansas we have Tornado’s that are known to have blown away whole towns. When such happens, the whole business community is shut down including City Hall. I don’t need to elaborate on preparation for such a thing. Many states, cities and communities are damaged every year from all kinds of disasters. Preparation of food and water is still at the top of the preparation list for most of them except for the total destruction kind. Even then, it is still a good thing to prepare and have a place to go as a last resort. Jim @ longhorn-Ink

just imagine how long we would last without law enforcement as some airheads are now proposing/demanding.
Bill Masen

February 10, 2021 at 4:58 pm

Hurricane Andrew and its apocalyptic aftermath was the warning, Hurricane Katrina was the confirmation, then stuff like 911, Antifa, BLM etc and their mass looting, burning and rioting often with the tacit complicity of certain authorities should have been the absolute final warning for anyone with a brain to get up and get on prepping like there is no tomorrow (pun intended) . Now with a socialist government in charge the moment is NOW.