Neil Strauss, author of the book Emergency, joins Simon Black of Sovereign Man to discuss the many aspects of preparedness – why we should prepare, how to build preparedness skills, and a three part plan for getting ready.

Everything we’re doing or talking about, to some degree, is what the government tells you. You should be prepared to go from seven to thirty days without services or help from the outside world. That’s something that every American is expected to do.

If disaster strikes and you call 911 and they’ll tell you this – you can call 911 all you want – no one’s coming, because they’ve got bigger problems than one person’s individual emergency. Basically this part of the system is be prepared to be without the system…It isn’t some extreme philosophy, but policy.

Strauss touches on something we’ve talked about before, and most recently when we pointed out that the US government is prepping for wide-scale disasters and is regionalizing supplies. The US taxpayer spends billions of dollars each year to fund organizations like FEMA, which are tasked with responding to national disasters and emergencies. One of the key missions of the FEMA web site is to provide information and resources so that each individual can prepare themselves and their family if the worst happens, because according to FEMA itself, they will be overwhelmed during an emergency and most likely unable to respond. So storing food, water and tools capable of sustaining you for a month is not extreme philosophy, it’s just good policy.

I think you need three plans.

If the shit hits the fan, and I’m here in Los Angeles where the shit can hit the fan…You’re first plan is to shelter in place – enough of what you need to stay in your own place for a minimum 30 days. You know, which is just your food, your water, battery powered radio, if you’ve a HAM radio that’s even better and all those things you need to shelter in place.

The second thing is an exit plan…in other words, if something happens on a local level is there a safe place you can go to where you can survive. Is there a rally point for family members, is there a way for family members to communicate with each other, do you all know where you’re going, do you have what you need where you’re going, is it going to be a secure place, a place with access to food, access to water, a place with a lake or something where you can fish or get water or what have you? And do you have a way to get there?

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My third case, and this to me is the best case scenario and something that I really don’t talk about but I will with your audience because you guys know about this. The third thing is, in the best case scenario, when the shit hits the fan, you’re not going to be at home. You’re not going to be in a place when the shit is hitting because we’re generally people who are aware, who are watching the news looking for the signs that these things could happen.

To me the best option is to have another life in another country where I can just step into. Have a bank account in another currency. Have a place to live where you have citizenship. Step out of this world and into that world.

Depending on your financial and personal circumstances, you may be able to implement all three steps from Strauss’ plan. For most, the third option is difficult because of the costs involved, especially if you have a family that would require living accommodations and paperwork for multiple people.

At a minimum, each American should implement a 30-day survival plan. Once that has been completed, and you feel comfortable about being able to shelter in place for 30 days completely off the grid, began exploring your exit plan, or bug out options. If you have family or close friends in the country, are they like minded and will they let you store supplies on their property and let you stay with them for an extended period of time if a wide scale disaster occurs? If not, perhaps you can look into purchasing a parcel of land with access to water and food sources (fish, small game, large game, good soil, etc.). For those on a budget, you may not even need a house on the land initially, and in a worst case you and your family can hunker down in the country with tents and camping gear (depending on what region of the country you are in) – it’s probably better than staying in the city if the SHTF. Whatever the case may be, explore your options and do the best you can with what you’ve got.

Listen to Simon Black’s Interview with Neil Strauss: