10 Things We Can Learn From Egypt About Preparing
for Economic and Societal Collapse
by
Mac
Slavo
SHTF
Plan
by
Mac Slavo
Recently
by Mac Slavo: Could
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As riots spread
across the world, having started first in Europe and now engulfing
the Middle East, most people in the U.S. outright reject the possibility
that the same could happen right here at home. But the fact of the
matter is that we remain in economic crisis and there is a
real possibility of a total collapse of the system we have come
to know.
If the system
does happen to collapse, be it because of a hyperinflationary
currency meltdown, political uprising or anything in between,
here are ten things you can expect to happen, just as they are happening
in the Middle East today:
- There will
be a general breakdown in law and order. Law
enforcement will not be policing your neighborhood. This will
likely lead to a community response and vigilante groups setting
up neighborhood security details. The law and justice will be
determined by those walking your streets with sticks and guns,
so be sure to mind your P's and Q's. (LINK)
- Food
and water will become scarce. The average American has
about three days worth of food in their home, and likely very
little water, as most are dependent on their local city for this
essential commodity. As with any major disaster, like hurricanes
or earthquakes, panicked people will immediately make a run for
the grocery store, either before or at the onset of crisis, looking
to acquire any non-perishable goods. They'll buy everything they
can in one trip, which leaves less food for the next guy. Our
just-in-time inventory management systems ensure that there will
be no reserves in the back of the grocery store, so once the store
shelves are cleared, it will be a while before they are restocked.
(LINK)
- Looting
will be rampant. Until all of the food, water, diapers
and HDTV's have been cleared from store shelves, looters will
be breaking into retail businesses in search of goods. In Egypt,
most of the population is not armed. In the U.S., however, it's
a different story and the general rule on looters is: shoot them.
Regardless of whether you are trying to acquire food for your
baby or a free Xbox, you will be considered a looter if you enter
a private business. (LINK;
New Orleans LINK)
- If the rioting
and looting gets bad enough, expect full deployment by
the military. As we are currently seeing in Egypt, and
like we saw in New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina saga,
government is prepared to restore order by whatever means are
available. There will be heavily armed soldiers, tanks and unmanned
aerial vehicles patrolling your city. (LINK)
- When rocks
start getting thrown, Molotov cocktails start exploding, and citizens
take it upon themselves to shoot at military and law enforcement
personnel, soldiers will fire back – and the firing
will be indiscriminate, just like we've seen in Egypt
and during the Iranian riots of 2009. One report out of Egypt
indicates that President Mubarak of Egypt has issued shoot-to-kill
orders giving the military authority to open fire on anyone
it deems a threat. (VIDEO
LINK)
- Hospitals
will run out of basic medical supplies. We saw this in
Haiti and we're seeing it in Cairo. As the injured and wounded
stack up, medical personnel will be overwhelmed. Basic medicines
like hydrogen peroxide and antibiotics will disappear, and minor
injuries may lead to amputation or death in a matter of days if
supplies are not restocked. As more dead bodies stack up, this
could potentially lead to widespread outbreaks of disease like
it did in Haiti. (LINK)
- The
internet will get shut down. Governments have realized
that the internet is the communication medium of choice to organize
protests and riots. When Iranians protested their Presidential
elections in 2009, Twitter and other social networking sites were
used to organize, as well as to broadcast pictures of the events
in near real-time. This gives the government ample reason to shut
down all digital means of communication, the most important being
that government is unable to stop mass gatherings, nor are they
able to control the news propaganda of the event itself. Egypt
is the first country to have taken steps to completely shutdown
everything from traditional internet connectivity via ISPs, as
well as phone and text communications. Expect the same in your
neck of the woods if and when it hits the fan. (LINK)
- Banks
will be closed and ATM's will be out of money. With no
law enforcement, banks will be unable to operate. There will be
no one to refill the cash in ATM's, and it's possible that even
if they do have money you will not be able to withdraw it because
problems with electronic processing will prevent it. Those who
don't have cash or barterable
goods on them will be left with no way to transact. (LINK)
- The real
value of gold and silver against most other assets will
rise. Though only anecdotal reports exist at this time
from the streets of Egypt, it's clear that anytime governmental,
economic or social instability hits a particular region, the value
of these precious metals rises. The 2010 riots in Greece prove
this point, as the price of gold on the street rose to a reported
$1700 per ounce, even while gold in global commodity exchanges
was trading at $1100. When there are no open banks or working
ATM's, precious metals will become the de facto reserve currency
on the ground. (LINK)
- The
‘important' people will probably get the heck out of Dodge.
If you've got money and power, you're going to be fast-tracked
out of the region. President Mubarak's sons quickly fled Egypt
when the riots broke out. In Tunisia, the President's wife made
a beeline for the nearest international destination – with
a ton of gold in tow. While the elite will have access to evacuate
a disintegrating regional riot or collapse, everyday folks will
likely be stranded. Expect that wherever you are when it hits
the fan is where you'll stay, so be sure to be stocked up on the
essentials. (LINK
, LINK)
Reprinted
from SHTF Plan.
February
2, 2011
Mac
Slavo [send him mail] is a
small business owner and independent investor.
Copyright
© 2011 Mac Slavo
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