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Guest post by Lucas Gregson.

image by Josh Jensen

1. I really don’t think there is a real threat of the world ending.

This is the top reason I hear from people. What they don’t seem to realize is that prepping is not just about being ready for an apocalyptic scenario. Disasters can come in many forms; sudden unemployment, substantial injury or medical issues, natural disasters such as, hurricanes, tornados and oil spills, death of the family provider, civil unrest or the breakdown of the government, terrorist event, etc. I could go on and on, but the reality is that preparedness allows us to live secure in the knowledge that we have considered our needs and how to survive when faced with sudden catastrophic events. Keeping your financial house in good order is essential, maintaining a well stocked pantry ensures that you will continue to eat even if the grocery stores run out of food or you run out of money. It just makes good common sense.

2. I’ll just deal with it when it comes. I don’t know what I need to do and every emergency is different, how do you prepare for everything? This is a case of allowing the scope of the project to defeat you before you begin. How will you adapt to a survival situation without prior knowledge or preparation? You don’t have to do it all at once, start small with a standard safety first aid kit and build from there. A 72 hour kit addresses the majority of issues that people encounter during a calamity. Things such as the basic human need for clean water, uncontaminated food and shelter. Once you have a small basic kit that covers these areas of concern you can simply add to it from time to time as finances and opportunities allow.

3. We don’t have any storage space at the moment.  This excuse is amusing because it completely misses the point. Prepping doesn’t require vast amounts of storage space. Basic and disaster kits should be portable and easily tucked away. After all during a disaster you won’t have time to go out and rent that U-Haul, load it up and drive to a safe spot. You will most likely be traveling by foot which means that a BBQ isn’t going to be a reasonable choice nor is that massive tent trailer.

4. I have faith that the Government will save us in the event of a natural disaster. If the government response during Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill has taught us anything, it is that there is a lot of red tape to be addressed before dying citizens and oceans can be rescued. We are responsible for ourselves first and foremost. By all means take advantage of government interventions during a time of crisis but what will you do while that intervention is still in early planning stages and your children need clean drinking water yesterday?

Here we are. Feed us. image by BrentDPayne

5. My extended family has prepped so we will just go there. If your sister is a big survivalist and has spent her time preparing then at least you know that she will probably make it through whatever cataclysmic event kills you off. Unless you are both together and at her home when an event occurs, the likelihood of your reaching her is pretty much nil. During an EMP attack, all electronics and vehicles would be rendered useless which means that unless you can walk to her home (avoiding the looters and opportunists), you will have to deal with it on your own. Not to mention that family or no, imagine how welcoming you would be if you invested the time and energy in prepping, only to have others show up to freeload and use up your stocks?

6. I was a scout/guide I can survive. Seriously? The false bravado and over confidence of the stereotypical adult is really sad and a little bit frightening. How many people have actually tried to put their scout and guide skills to practical use? Can they find clean drinking water in an unfamiliar place? Create fire in a flood drenched area? Actually withstand the elements post hurricane to locate food? Enough said, this excuse falls into the self denial realm. Remember just because you fly an airplane on the Wii, it doesn’t make you a pilot in real life.

7. Once I clear my credit card debt then I can focus on prepping. Prepping doesn’t have to be expensive. Simply purchasing two more canned items during a sale and storing them is a great step in the right direction. Even reading about it on sites such as this is a smart use of your time and resources. Don’t put off starting when you can begin on a small scale today.

8. Westernized nations are too civilized and advanced to collapse. You have got to be kidding. Read up about the behavior of Europe’s most advanced citizens through every world war. These people were in pure desperation mode. Most of the elements of  civilized behavior were tossed out the window when the staples of survival ran out as showcased in fiction such as Lord of the Flies, The Road, The Book of Eli.

9. I don’t want to be one of “those” people. You don’t want to be one of those people who survive? Yes, that is clearly something to be avoided. I don’t think that prepping has to be synonymous with going off the deep end.  No one is asking you to go live off the land and disconnect from the grid. It may be better to look at prepping as an insurance policy against potential crisis. You already have insurance for your home, death, finances and vehicles; just add this to the list of necessities. Natural disasters and hurricanes do happen, just ask Texas.

10. My husband, wife, partner, father (insert responsible family member) will take care of it. Expecting someone else to take care of you is basically absolving yourself of all adult responsibility. What if the person you have pinned this responsibility on is away from home when a crisis occurs? What if they are injured and are looking to you for protection and care? It may be best to participate in prepping so that you know where things are and what to do. After all, if you can’t take care of yourself, how will take care of your loved ones?

And just because this Top Ten List is about prepping for the unexpected, here is excuse #11. Were you ready for it?

11. I don’t want to scare the kids. Why do people always assume that kids live in a bubble where they don’t consider what will happen during a natural disaster? Kids see the news, they read books, they have imaginations and they have likely considered these scenarios already.  Knowing that you have taken steps to ensure their safety and allowing them to participate in prepping and learning survival skills will help them feel more secure.

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