The past few years have given us more than enough reasons to prioritize emergency preparedness.
It seemed like everywhere we looked, something suspicious was going on.
Whether it was the release of the Twitter files or the government shutting down seed libraries, Americans were seeing red flags all over the place.
Add in the ongoing, alarming political climate both in the United States and around the world, we’ve got even more reason to be worried about threats to our safety and livelihood.
To get a better idea of what our readers wanted to learn more about (and prepare for), take a look at the 10 most-read Survival Scout articles of 2023.
10. 20 Must-Have Tools for Self-Reliance
Every good survivalist knows there are certain tools you need to survive almost any situation.
Whether SHTF or a storm knocks out the power, these 20 tools will help you stay self-reliant.
9. Why Every Household Needs Heirloom Seeds
If the past few years taught us anything, it’s that our supply chains are fragile and one disaster away from collapsing.
Given the predictions of serious economic and global catastrophes in the near future, we should all be prepared with a home garden.
Start with stocking up on heirloom seeds, planting those seeds, and learning how to harvest the seeds year after year.
8. Prep for Exposure: The Overlooked Killer
What many don’t realize is that people die from exposure to cold all the time—even in their homes.
Cold weather kills 20 times as many people as hot weather.
In recent years, death rates in the United States during the winter months have been 8% to 12% higher than in warmer months.
There have been multiple times throughout history when a sudden and drastic change in temperature has led to deaths by exposure.
Read their stories to learn from their mistakes.
7. Filtration Pitcher vs. Bottled Water: Which Is Best?
Should a disaster hit your area, the municipal water supply may be affected.
But it’s not just disasters that should cause this concern. America’s “safe drinking water” has been found to have contaminants over and over again.
That’s why every second in the United States, 1,000 people open a bottle of water.
But is bottled water the better choice? Nope. Read this popular article to discover why.
6. Lessons in Emergency Preparedness from Joseph
Joseph’s biblical story of survival and redemption is quite amazing!
Many people forget that Joseph from the Old Testament, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, grew up to be the interpreter of Pharaoh’s dreams and was put in charge of Egypt as Pharaoh's second-in-command.
Joseph ended up helping the people survive the seven-year famine, including the brothers who had sold him into slavery 22 years earlier.
We review 10 key preparedness lessons from the mighty Old Testament hero in this Survival Scout article.
5. Bank Bail-Ins: You Will Have Nothing and Be Happy
Remember the 2008 to 2009 economic crisis? Banks collapsed, or were on the brink of collapse. To prevent a global catastrophe, the Federal government bailed most of them out—and it cost us taxpayers a lot of money.
We’re used to the government swooping in and giving money to banks and other businesses in order to keep them afloat.
The opposite of the government bailout is the bail-in.
A bail-in is when banks use depositors’ funds—your money in the bank—to save themselves.
At a recent FDIC meeting, it was clear that they know bail-ins are coming, but they don’t want the public to know. Find out more below.
4. Protect Your Seeds. Lawmakers Are Coming for Them.
You may be surprised to learn that seed sharing is illegal in many states, such as Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania.
If seed sharing isn’t illegal in your state, there’s a possibility that you are required by law to have a permit to share seeds.
More than two dozen state legislatures have passed “seed-preemption laws” designed to block counties and cities from adopting their own rules on the use of seeds, including bans on GMOs.
These laws have existed for years, and we are just now beginning to see new regulations put in place. What are the rules in your state?
3. A Catastrophic Cyberattack Is Coming: How to Prepare
In this increasingly tech- and AI-dominated world, we cannot ignore the high probability of cyberattacks increasing. All it takes is one significant enough to send us into darkness.
Matthew Prince, Cloudflare CEO, is right, “As more things get connected to the internet, there's just more risk.”
As a result, not only is our personal information at risk, but also our national security.
Within the first two months of 2023, when this Survival Scout article was published, there had already been several large-scale cyberattacks. What’s next?
2. BRICS: Resetting the New World Order and the Global Financial System
While the U.S. dollar has been the king of currency for several decades—and used as the primary currency for global trade and investments—there was a major push in 2023 from other nations, including allies to the United States, for de-dollarization.
BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. This collective of different nations aims to create a new currency that can be used for trading, which would mean not being forced to trade using the U.S. dollar.
The U.S. dollar is the world’s longest fiat currency, but it may not be for much longer.
For decades, we’ve been able to use the U.S. dollar for trading to hold power over other nations. That power is in danger.
1. Everything Is Fine. Stop Noticing.
We know something isn’t right, even though they keep telling us that everything is fine and we shouldn’t worry.
But if one of us reports the truth, they gaslight us and call us “conspiracy theorists.”
The war for your mind and belief system is happening. It’s real. And they’re playing to win.
Just take a look at these 10 examples of government and media gaslighting to see what you’re up against.
Know what you’re battling so you can better listen and prepare for what’s coming.
We hope 2024 brings more peace and stability, but we’d be fooling ourselves if we ignore the red flags.
Keep these in mind as you prepare for the coming year, and continue to rely on the Survival Scout to know how to get ready for what’s coming.
Stay aware and prepare, friends.
In liberty,
Elizabeth Anderson
Preparedness Advisor, My Patriot Supply