An article in Modern Survival Blog asked the million dollar question that drives preppers to get ready for the worst case scenario: Can your survival plan and current stockpile keep you alive for an entire month if you somehow got cut off from the rest of the world right this instant?

In this hypothetical but realistic scenario that can land on your lap at any time, you will only have access to whatever stockpile you have amassed. You will not be able to obtain additional supplies from anywhere, and you are truly on your own.

This is a good time as any to evaluate your actual readiness for SHTF scenarios. Take a good, long, hard look at your preparations so far. Think of what you can do to improve your situation before an actual disaster forces you into survival mode.

As per usual, food is the most critical considerations in any survival situation. However, many preppers tend to skimp on this absolutely vital need.

You probably have only enough edibles to last a week. You are likely used to the convenience of having a local grocery you can visit every week to restock your supply.

Well, you have to grow out of that mentality of convenience. Start stocking greater amounts of food that will last for long periods of time.

Also, keep in mind certain vital items that you may have gotten used to getting whenever you needed them. Do you have enough of these items to last for at least 30 days? (Related: Bugout.news offers the latest tips and tricks for survival, prepping and off-grid living.)

What are you going to do when the power goes out for a month?

To make things even more challenging and realistic, consider this situation if all electrical power has been cut to your area. Are you truly ready to survive on your own without outside help or extra resources at this moment in time?

The loss of electricity changes everything. You might lose access to many important things like water, climate and temperature control, and security. And you will not get them back for a month – or maybe longer, given how SHTF conditions go.

Find out how your municipal water supply works, if it will keep running during grid-down scenarios, and how long it might keep on working after the disaster. Consider alternate sources of water for drinking and other purposes that you can access if the local supply dries up.

Any food that you store in the freezer will spoil within two days, tops. You must either consume the frozen food as soon as possible or preserve the food through other means such as drying or smoking.

Most homes use electricity for cooking. You will need an alternative means of cooking food that does not rely on power. In addition, you will need at least a month’s worth of fuel to run the appliance.

You also need food that does not require extensive preparations. You need enough of these foods to keep you fed for a month.

The loss of climate control means the temperature of your home will change to match the environment. This could spell trouble if it is extremely cold or hot outside. Look for cooling or heating methods that do not require power.

Finally, review the security of your home. The longer the blackout lasts, the more antsy people become. Once SHTF conditions truly sink into their heads, they may very well snap and start taking advantage of other people.

Once you have improved your stockpile, take the questioning to the next level. Can you handle half a year of these same conditions? Prepping never ends, so you should never stop.

You can pick up more news about power grid failures at PowerGrid.news.

Sources include:

ModernSurvivalBlog.com

UrbanSurvivalSite.com