A lot of people think that civilians will not get affected by war, the truth is that civilians will be the most affected by war. Not only that they will get directly targeted, but if they choose to stay in the area then they will have to face a lot of hardships during their day-to-day lives.
You can prepare for war as a civilian by making preparations to evacuate, sooner or later you will have to evacuate and it is better to do it before everyone panics. In addition to this, you should withdraw as much cash as you can, buy food and water for a couple of days and make a detailed plan of where and how will you evacuate the area.
As a civilian one of the biggest changes you will face while preparing for war is how you will find water, simply put you will not be able to store enough water. In this case, my personal recommendation is to get a high-quality portable water filter that has a 0.2-micron filter Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
War can be a very scary thing, especially if the war is fairly close to your hometown and you are a civilian. The problem is that even if a war is right at your doorstep, the government will still try to calm you by downplaying how bad the situation really is. The government’s main goal is to keep the area as stable as possible, if everybody panics and doesn’t show up to work the next day then the military’s efforts will be a lot harder.
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Once people do not show up to work, the situation of the area will destabilize rapidly and as a civilian, you might think that the best idea is to stay at home protecting your family, but the problem with this is that the more people stay at home protecting their families the faster the living conditions of the area will deteriorate. As a civilian it is imperative to know what to do in case of war, some people might think that as they are civilians they are safe, but this is far from the truth as oftentimes civilians are targeted.
Targeting civilians directly has played a major role even in WW2, and in most smaller conflicts. Civilians are the workforce of any area, country, or nation, a foreign army doesn’t even have to eliminate them, just scare them enough so they do not show up for work. Without an active workforce no matter how powerful or large a nation’s army is, it will inevitably collapse under its own weight.
You might think that soldiers are highly trained professionals, but this is far from the truth, there are some highly trained professional soldiers, but most of them will be ordinary people who ended up in a situation where they are heavily armed and if they are part of an invading force then the consequences of their actions will probably never be prosecuted, this is why even some ordinary man can do the cruelest things during a war. If you are worried about a new world war, then check out my recent article What would happen if world war 3 started? ( Top 8 Predictions ).
How To Prepare For War As A Civilian
Preparing for war as a civilian can be a daunting task, but there are several important steps you can take to ensure your safety and well-being. First and foremost, it is crucial to stay informed about current events and potential threats in your region. Stay updated with reliable news sources and pay attention to any official warnings or advisories. Next, create an emergency plan for yourself and your family, including identifying safe locations and establishing communication methods. Stock up on essential supplies such as food, water, medications, and first aid kits that can sustain you for an extended period. It is also important to learn basic self-defense and emergency response skills to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Connect with your community and establish a support network to share resources and information. Additionally, consider fortifying your home and ensuring it has sufficient security measures in place. Lastly, maintain a calm and resilient mindset, focusing on mental and emotional preparedness.
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Prepare To Evacuate
A lot of people will try and stay back no matter how hard it gets, so they can protect all of their assets, the problem is that there is no telling how long the war will take, and how exactly are you going to prepare all your assets against an army? As to when you should evacuate the area it depends on a lot of factors and you have to have some foresight for this.
The problem is that most civilians will wait for the government to tell them when to evacuate, generally speaking when the government notifies the population that they should evacuate that it is way too late. This call for evacuation will end up in a mass panic, with thousands of people taking the roads and highways which inevitably will end up in a massive traffic jam. Logically thinking there are two scenarios that can happen as to when and why the government orders the evacuation of an area:
- The government has abandoned the area: One telltale sign that the government has abandoned the area is that the evacuation will start before the friendly troops have even arrived. In this case, the government has probably made some risk calculations and it is simply not worth fighting for that area. You might think that this is bad news, but it could be a lot worse, without any evacuation plan and without any friendly troops, at that point you are simply there as collateral damage to slow down the enemy.
- The government is protecting the area: Once there are friendly troops in the area you might think that it is safe to stay there as the army will protect you. The truth is that this means that the area where you are living will be turned into a battleground. At that point, the government’s top priority is to get troops to the area, and if they make a call for evacuation then the troops will take a lot longer time to arrive. If you want more information about when you should bug out then check out my recent article How to know when to bug out ( Top Signs ).
Prepare Financially
As a civilian, you have to prepare financially for war, as life under a constant threat of attack will be extremely expensive. The enemy will actively try to disrupt the supplies of both the army and civilians, this will end up in massive shortages of food and water, which will drive the prices up significantly if you stay in the area. Even if you evacuate the area you will still need a lot of money, as your living conditions while on the road will probably be extremely bad.
There is no point in trying to sell all of your valuables right at the doorstep of an impending war. Take all your money out of the bank, before anybody starts withdrawing money from the banks, as this will make shortages in the money supply and it will only prolong how long you have to stay in the area. A war will destabilize any currency so your best bet is to get some silver and gold coins and always follow OPSEC, for more information as to how much silver or gold you should have, check my recent article How much silver should a prepper have ( 222 OZ ).
Prepare Your Family
You probably don’t want to know what happens to civilians during war, people behave a lot differently once they realize that there are no consequences to their actions and there is no rule of law. Your best odds of surviving war are by preparing your family, as a general rule, if there are signs of an imminent war make sure to create an evacuation plan. In this evacuation plan make sure that there is an area where you will all meet up, in case you get separated.
Some civilians make the decision to stay together at all times while going to get water and supplies. You will have to judge the situation if this is a good idea or not, just remember that the more people you have the more difficult the evacuation will be. By far one of the most important things is to calm your family down, especially if you have children.
Have A Well-planned Route
Now that you have decided to evacuate, you will have to set a target destination, this can be in another region or even in another country. While choosing where you should go after evacuation you should avoid a couple of areas, like military bases, industrial zones, and economic centers. Basically, all major cities will have some of the before-mentioned logistics, you as a civilian should avoid these areas at all costs as these are considered strategic locations that will get hit eventually.
There is no point in relocating to another city, just to have to relocate again in a couple of months. Your best bet should be smaller towns and even villages, in addition to this, you should also contact friends and family members in neighboring cities to see if they can take you in. During wartime, even family members can turn on each other so take any promises with a grain of salt. If you run out of gas while you are relocating then your best bet will be to siphon gas out from abandoned cars, although it is not that easy, for more information check out my recent article How to siphon gas out of a newer car? ( In 5 Easy Steps ).
Get Plenty Of Food And Water
Now that you know the route you will be taking, you will have to make sure that you have plenty of food and water. The human body cans survive around 3 weeks without food and about 3 days without water, although this number will get a lot lower depending on your traveling conditions and how often you can resupply. You will have to also take into consideration the weight of all this food and water and how will you carry it.
A lot of people will recommend you buy MRE’s which are powdered meals, the problem with them is that these are fairly expensive and you are better to keep your cash for emergency situations, like buying additional food and even transport. The next time when you go to the local store, take a look at canned foods, as these will be your best options locally. If you want to know which canned foods are good for a long time, then check out my recent article Longest lasting canned foods ( Up to 30+ years ).
Your main problem will be finding plenty of water, if you are traveling on foot you will simply not be able to carry enough food and water at the same time, in this case, you should get a water filter, like the one I have suggested at the beginning of this article.
Have First Aid Kits
Make sure that you have a couple of first aid kits, during wartime, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get help from a doctor, as most hospitals will be flooded with injured soldiers and civilians. The problem is that in a war zone, where there is no more water flowing through the taps is that small cuts can get infected fairly fast and this is why you will need at least one first aid kit per family member.
While looking for first aid kits, make sure that the ones you get have also some Oxygenated water, as these are very good at disinfecting wounds.
Do Not Rely On Your Car
When you are imagining yourself evacuating your area then you are probably thinking that you will hop in your car and just go. The truth is that evacuating with your car is highly unlikely, because of two major factors. The first problem is traffic jams, if you do not evacuate early enough then you will be stuck in a traffic jam. On the other hand, you might find that getting fuel for your car will be a lot more expensive if not entirely impossible to get.
You might think that you will start hoarding as much fuel as you can, for some people, this does work out, but for most, this will lead to a lot of complications. Storing fuel safely is not that easy, you will need a well-ventilated room, the main problem is not that the actual fuel will ignite but that the fuel vapors will ignite. You might think that you need a source of an open flame for this fume to ignite, but even small sparks can ignite it, like when you are repositioning the fuel canister on the ground.
Once you realize that you are not able to evacuate with your car, and all your plans had the vehicle as the primary method of transportation, then you will have to make the difficult choice and abandon it, taking whatever you can with you. This is why I highly recommend getting some backpacks filled with food, water, and medicine, just in case you have to hurry.
Have A Backup Plan
Having a backup plan is vital for your survival in a war zone as a civilian. Things can go bad, and it is better to prepare for the worst and expect the best than the other way around. There is no telling what hardships and dangers you will have to face as a civilian, so make sure that you have at least one backup plan, and that every member of your family knows about it.
Key Takeaways
- Stay updated on the current political and international situation by following reliable news sources and government announcements.
- Develop a comprehensive emergency plan for yourself and your family, including communication strategies, evacuation routes, and designated meeting points.
- Build an emergency supply kit that includes food, water, medical supplies, and other essential items that can sustain you for an extended period. Consider storing these supplies in a secure location. Additionally, ensure you have a sufficient amount of any necessary medications.