For many years allot of homesteaders and preppers have been holding to the same tune. The message being: " Be prepared for whatever might come to disrupt the system. It seems not only do we have a virus on the loose we have a world economic situation brewing because of it. In reality if you don't get sick with the bug, then you'll go broke or not be able to buy the food you need to make it through. We are prepared to button down the hatches in the event the virus comes close to us. Are you? Yes, the times have been good these past couple of years and I in years past took chances and didn't take my own advice. That advice has always been put up all your garden produces, because you never know what next year’s garden will produce. We have learned some vegetables do better than they did the year before, and we don't have an answer to give for that, it just happens.
I remember one year we got tired of canning sting beans, would you know it, the following year they failed. Oh yes, we still had some from last year but it was nowhere near what we would consume over the winter. So off to the farms we went, buying several bushels and canning someone else's beans. Not that I don't want to support our local farm, we just prefer raising our own. So, you bet we can it all even if we think the amount is foolish.
Now back to the subject, the coronavirus may be played up by the media, or the World Health Organization and the CDC may be playing it down. Who knows for sure? One side wants to warn you, the other doesn't want to cause panic and get people freaking out and running around buying out the grocery. This is why we have all said be sure you have the needs stocked up and put up. We have shared our lives with you all to teach you what we do and how we do it, it has always been our conviction to teach folks about life on a homestead, and the importance putting up what you produce and stocking up what you don't.
I have heard many people play it down and say it isn't any big deal it just like the flu. Yes, it may be, however it is a viral pneumonia that gives you a dry cough, OK so it isn't that bad except antibiotics won't work because it is a virus. My concern would be loved ones with asthma, or some other problem with their lungs. How about Grandma who just got over pneumonia? Now that we know about the virus how about the issue of our country putting all its eggs in one big basket? That basket being so many things produced by countries like China which seems to be the country where all of this started. All production has stopped because of quarantined cities and no one going to work. Now the shortages of all kinds begin and the markets feel it and investors get nervous and pull back their investments as we are seeing right now.
The World Health Organization two days ago announced that it has raised the global alert for the coronavirus to the highest possible level, short of calling it a pandemic. The virus has spread to 60 other countries. This outbreak has entered a dangerous new phase. In addition to the devastating impact on human health, many more people around the world are now grappling with the prospect of widespread school and workplace closures. I don't think we have come anywhere near that in this country, however if it can't be brought under control it very well could. With other countries staring to fear work closure, how much longer before products of all kinds start to get scarce?
When I was growing up in the 1960's it wasn't UN common for people to have six months to a years’ worth of food stored in their cellars, in fact it was encouraged to do so. Today if one has that much, they are called a hoarder, yes it has taken a couple generations to change the meaning of something so simple.
What I think needs to happen for folks right now. If you don’t have food and water enough to get you through a month, is to calmly got to your grocery store and just act like your shopping for the week, then go to another and do the same and so on until you have what you need. Concentrate on canned and dry goods. There isn’t any reason to be panic buying, and if that should start any time soon, you should already be ahead of the game and locked in. And to add a little extra safety put a quarantined sign on your door if the time comes.
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