What Are Preppers Prepping For?

Did you ever stop to wonder, what are preppers prepping for? Is it the zombie apocalypse? A world gone Mad Max? A giant meteor? A supervolcano?

The truth is, if you ask what are preppers prepping for, you will get hundreds of answers. But they nearly all boil down to the following reasons.

What Are Preppers Prepping For?

The reasons you choose to prep are very individual. The pandemic and its cascading effects have shown more people than ever that preppers actually aren't crazy – they're smart.

1.) Financial Problems

One of the most common responses you'll hear when you ask what preppers are prepping for is financial problems. These issues are often just personal money issues as opposed to an overall financial collapse, but the preps for both are pretty much the same.

Personal financial problems can come from many different things. Some examples are job loss, having your hours cut at work, a huge unexpected bill, or, if your budget is extremely tight, just one unexpected expense. A medical issue can be financially catastrophic: not only do you have a potential loss of income, but you have doctor's bills, the cost of medications, and the expense of special care or diets.

Prepping for financial problems consists of things like:

• Building an emergency fund
• Building a stockpile of food and everyday use items
• Cutting your expenses before the financial problems occur

Financial emergencies are one of the most common crises we face.

2.) Power Outages

Another very common event that preppers are getting ready for is power outages. The electricity going out often goes hand in hand with a bigger crisis, but it can also happen with things as simple as high winds, a winter storm, or a car striking a utility pole.

Being prepared for a power outage just makes good sense. It includes things like:

• Secondary lighting
• A way to stay warm in the winter
• A way to stay cool and hydrated in the summer
• How to handle the food in your refrigerator and freezer
• How to cook without electricity

You may also have some special needs that require power to be met. For example, you may have a family member who has a medication that requires refrigeration or uses a CPAP machine. You'll need to figure out a way to manage those needs that works for your setting.

3.) Natural Disasters

Every area has at least one type of natural disaster that is most likely. It's important to figure out the most likely natural disaster in your area if you don't already know. Some natural disasters to consider are:

• Winter storms
• Wildfires
• Earthquakes
• Hurricanes
• Tornados
• Floods
• Other severe storms
• Volcanic eruptions
• Mudslides/Landslides

Do some research and assess the risks for where you live. And be sure to remember that disasters are often cascading events. You start out facing one crisis, which causes another, then another. You may start out dealing with a hurricane. That hurricane my take out the power and also cause a flood. Be ready to deal with more than one crisis at a time.

4.) Everyday Emergencies

Not all emergencies are large regional events like volcanic eruptions. There are many smaller everyday emergencies that affect only you and the people in your immediate vicinity. Thinking these things through, creating a plan, and having some basic preparations can help you come through the event a lot more easily.

Some examples of everyday emergencies are:

• Car trouble – you may find yourself stranded
• Hiking accidents
• Automobile accidents
• Injuries requiring immediate First Aid
• Illnesses requiring home care
• A broken appliance that causes a flood in your home
• A burglary

You get the idea. Events that hit you, personally, out of the blue and can happen to anyone are everyday emergencies. While some physical preparations are important for everyday emergencies, your preparedness mindset is probably the most significant factor in handling the issue efficiently and calmly.

5.) Big Events

Then there are the huge events. These are the kinds of things that people think of when they ask, “What are preppers prepping for?”  These events generally affect a large number of people, and the consequences can be severe. When significant events like these happen, it's the kind of thing that makes the news for quite some time. They're often manmade disasters.

• Pandemics
• Economic collapse
• Nuclear attacks or accidents
• War
• Terror attacks
• Mass shootings
• Explosions in densely populated places
• Biological attacks
• Large cyberattacks

We've already seen how a pandemic can go on and on, continuing to affect everyday life for just about everyone. We've watched the economic collapses of Greece and Venezuela. We remember the Fukushima disaster, where we were when the planes hit the towers on 9/11, and the horrific shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas.

We can't control when events like these occur. Surviving the initial event is often more about luck than skill. It's the aftermath in which your preparations, mental fortitude, knowledge, and skills come in handy. This can mean anything from escaping the area to performing lifesaving First Aid to sealing up your home and hunkering down.

Why Do YOU Prep?

If you were asked the question, “Why do preppers prep?” how would you answer? Is there a specific event that you focus on, or is it more about general preparedness for you? Let's talk about it in the comments.

Additional Resources:

• Top Prepping Tips! (Step-By-Step Survival Guide)
• Is your Emergency Binder up to date?
• Why Do Preppers Prep?
• All About Disaster Mindset