chris jordan: ideation

I want to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to discuss something that, as the author of a best-selling prepper book, Emergency, I’ve been asked about a lot this past week:

Are you prepping for coronavirus (COVID-19)?

I wanted to share my answer with you, in case it’s helpful.

What’s going to happen?

I don’t know.

But in this particular case, most of the fear mongering is actually a good thing, because it leads to greater awareness and containment of a quickly spreading infectious disease.

So what should we do?

We should expect the best and prepare for the worst.

This email is to tell you, whether or not you think this is a threat, and whether or not it actually becomes a threat where you live, to take this as an EXCUSE to do what everyone who’s read Emergency should have already done: Have enough supplies to survive at home with no utilities and without leaving for at least two weeks.

I’m personally extending that to 30 days.

And my friend Kevin Reeve of OnPoint Tactical, one of the leading survivalists in the world, says 90 days.

So pick your number, but it should be no less than 14.

There are two different aspects of preparing for coronavirus.

One aspect is not getting it.

The second is preparing for a systemic shutdown (or at least a disruption the manufacturing and supply chain), especially if no one is going to work, people are falling ill, or there is a quarantine.

So let’s quickly discuss what to do for each aspect

Again, I’m not saying you need to do this or there’s going to be a national disaster. What I’m saying is that you may as well prepare for THIS potential disaster, because even if it doesn’t happen, you’ll be prepared for the next.

And next time, there may not be a warning.

A Quick-Start Guide to Surviving a Pandemic

The key to surviving an infectious disease outbreak is social distancing: Don’t go to work, public gatherings, social events, airports, or other confined public spaces unless necessary.

In other words, don’t get your filthy self near other people’s filthy selves (or where their filth remains). And avoid surfaces other people are touching.

In more details, protect your orifices: Wear goggles, medical latex or nitrile gloves (and remove them without touching the outside surface), and at the least a snug N95 facemask respirator.

Dispose of contaminated materials in biohazard containers or clearly marked plastic bags. Keep your hands off your face, carry an alcohol-based hand cleanser with you at all times, and wash your hands often. Also have antiseptic wipes to rub down surfaces. For example, if we are in a situation where you can’t leave the house and supplies are being delivered, you’ll want to wipe them down for possible decontamination before bringing them inside.

What You Need at Home

This is a list of the bare minimum essentials to have on hand at home. Most likely, these will be fine.

If you want to go all-out prepper, I’ve posted on my website a list of what I stockpiled in my old garage during Emergency. I worked closely with some of the biggest experts in the emergency preparedness community on this. And I prepared this for a book that Tim Ferriss was working on, so he asked some questions at the end of the post. You can find the article HERE.

If you are not so hardcore or not writing a book on the subject, here’s what you’ll want to have at least a two-week supply of:

1. Water: Store a few gallons, and make sure you have a way to purify water. However, the quickest option here is to have some large containers, and at the first sign of something wrong, fill those containers with water and store. Also fill your bathtub. Assume a gallon a day, since it will be needed for hygiene as well as drinking.
2. Food: In the past, I stockpiled canned goods, MREs, buckets of rice and beans, and a camping stove. But since I rarely cook or eat those foods, most of it ended up expiring. So instead, make a list of a breakfast, lunch, and dinner you could eat almost every day, and that don’t need refrigeration or cooking. Then grab a supply of each meal. In my case, I’m loading up on protein bars from Bulletproof and others; beef sticks and jerky from Bel Campo; smoothie mixes (from Ingrid’s company Tusol); nut butters; healthy crackers, chips, nuts, seeds, granola, dried fruit; and, yes, some canned goods for when I need a more substantial meal.
3. Power: I used to have a gas-powered generator, but when not used, the gas would go bad or damage the generator. So I now switched to a battery-powered generator that can also be charged by a solar panel.
4. Any prescription medicines and toiletries you will need.
5. A first-aid kit, pain-relievers, and any over-the-counter medications you’ll need.
6. Warmth: Not needed in LA, but if you’re somewhere that has seasons, make sure you have a wood, kerosene, or propane heater or stove.
7. A quality pre-packed emergency or earthquake survival kit for all the small things not on this list, from flashlights to fire-starters to radio to water purification. You’re going to want some form of communication, whether radio or plugging your router into generator, to make sure you are on top of any updates on the situation. Also, always keep your car fuel tank or battery as full as possible in anticipation of a disruption.

These are just the very basics, though I know many very smart people who are far deeper down the rabbit hole and are already social distancing with no interaction with anyone. Outside of the generator here (there are cheaper options), none of this should cost a lot of money or take up a lot of space. Think of it as an insurance payment.

So, a public service announcement: Be prepared. If not for this, for what’s next.

Stay healthy. Stay safe. And stay informed.

Love you all,

Neil

 P.S. If you want to assess the situation yourself and track statistical COVID-19 developments without media noise, use this website: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/