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Recently I came across the account of a young architect who was surviving the economic collapse in Argentina at the turn of the millenium. You can read the entire thing here if you are so inclined.

I am going to distill the advice as much as possible for those who would rather just know what to do and who don’t have time for the human interest, with a few additions and changes to account for recent developments and differing conditions. The key dangers to prepare against are shortages, health threats and crime, but it is also important to take into account inconveniences and inability to work in one’s chosen field. I’ll begin with the frank health threats, segue into shortages and then follow up with crime and inconveniences (work is up to you). These ideas apply whether the problem is of short duration (as following a localized disaster) or medium-term. Long term problems require fundamental reorderings and adaptations this essay cannot begin to touch.

A. Disease. A prolonged recession or depression will cause a natural decline in the quality and availability of health care, food, water and sanitation. For the average citizen, this means that communicable diseases and diseases of malnutritiion which have been unknown will reappear. Vaccinations may not be available and there may be in influx of illegal aliens from countries that are even harder hit.

What to do:

1. Vaccinate ahead of time, while vaccinations are still available–and vaccinate for diseases that are commonly endemic in areas that have poor public health and sanitation;
2. Don’t put off needed treatments such as dental work. If your vision is correctable with surgery, have it done (for security reasons that will become clear below);
3. Assure a source of clean drinking water (municipal sources may become questionable even if they continue to operate) by having filtration, storage, treatment and ideally also collection systems in place–much of this can be purchased from camping supply stores;
4. If you have land or extra space, develop the means to plant a victory garden or raise small livestock such as fowl or rabbits;
5. Stockpile patent medicines, any needed prescriptions, multivitamins and also antibiotics of varying types to safeguard against resistant strains;
6. Have your own means of protecting against rodents and insects that may result from faulty sanitation and lack of mosquito control;
7. Spend time in a gym or on a bicycle to maintain strength and endurance;
8. Have identity and health records handy in portable form; and
9. Maintain private health insurance with a stable carrier.

B. Shortages. Consider any item that is imported or that has significant imported content as an item that will be unavailable, and any item not locally produced or able to be locally produced as one that will be in short supply. Additionally, regard electric power as a good or service that will not be reliable. Finally, realize that ATMs may stop working and paper money may become worthless even if you have it.

What to do:

1. Stockpile food that can be stored without refrigeration and eaten without cooking or adding water;
2. Stockpile gear and supplies for preserving food;
3. Have a barbecue grill that burns charcoal or propane and a supply of whatever fuel it uses;
4. Have a solar charger, plenty of NiMH batteries and battery adapters that will allow AA batteries to be used in flashlights that take D-cells;
5. Have a radio that can be powered by a hand crank;
6. Have a supply of batteries needed for hearing aids, etc.;
7. Have a supply of any medicine needed by any family member;
8. Have a supply of currency on hand, and also some foreign currency from stable nations;
9. Have on hand stockpiles of toilet paper, paper towels, soap and shampoo, dishwashing and laundry detergent and other frequently replenished consumables;
10. Maintain a supply of trade goods as a hedge against complete failure of the currency. Whiskey and cigarettes can be important, but also inexpensive gold rings. Gold coins will be an excessive denomination for many transactions, and even 1/10 ounce gold coins may only fetch “junk” prices because the purchaser may not have the means to test their purity;
11. Have a generator, preferably one that runs on diesel or that has flex-fuel capability (both the diesel and gasoline engines were originally designed to run on products that could be produced on the farm, however the gasoline engine has only recently somewhat returned to its roots by becoming “flex-fuel”–meaning the ability to run on 85% alcohol);
12. Have metal jerry cans full of diesel or gasoline treated with a stabilizer.

C. Security. Crime skyrockets in a collapse, however the threat is not roving bands of mohawked bikers wearing studded leather and chains. Anything like that will be dealt with in summary fashion by the authorities. The real threats will approach in ones and twos looking unassuming and innocent. Additionally, police and fire response times will be longer, if those services are even available.

What to do:

1. Be ready to run–always. Many types of disaster will leave your home uninhabitable or untenable. Have a “go kit” with food (energy bars will do), water, toiletries, medicine, clothing, identity and insurance papers and other key papers (perhaps imaged on CD-ROM), money, trade goods and a weapon readily at hand for each family member so that you could all leave home on a few minutes’ notice with at least enough supplies to last a few days.  A free way to provide additional backup is to create a folder on your Yahoo! or Gmail account and e-mail yourself copies of your most important papers. Each of your vehicles should have at least a first aid kit, blanket and drinking water regardless of whether the go kit is kept aboard;
2. Obtain one or two identical, high quality concealable handguns that use only the most commonly available types of ammunition (that means, .22 caliber, .32 caliber, .38 caliber, .357 or 9mm) and perhaps a small shotgun of the “snake charmer” variety. It is unnecessary and potentially counterproductive to buy long-range weaponry. To the extent public safety authorities still exist, you will never be able to claim self-defense for someone killed at a 100 yard range. Obtain a concealed carry permit if you can, and consider having pepper spray, stun weaponry and a bulletproof vest;
3. Have your home alarm in working condition, but do not count on central monitoring or on acceptable emergency response time from the authorities. A dog is also good, but recognize that thugs will sedate or even poison it;
4. Have a fire extinguisher with a full charge;
5. The key time to attack you is as you enter or leave your home. Do so only when strangers are not around, or when you know you have superiority in numbers, weaponry or both;
6. Avoid signs of weakness. Don’t wear prescription glasses outdoors if a stranger could tell that you need them to see. Don’t wear shoes you can’t run in, or clothes you can’t fight in. If you carry a walking stick, make sure that it is of a type also useful as a weapon. Don’t go outdoors if you are sick or emotionally distraught. Don’t have earbuds and a music player, or an obvious hearing aid, and don’t walk around distracted by your cell phone conversation;
7. If you don’t have martial arts training, at least have some rudimentary fighting skills. Practice with a friend or neighbor if you must;
8. Consider trading in your car for a four wheel drive vehicle to operate off pavement as necessary, and adding enhancements to its bumpers as a means of allowing you to shunt aside vehicles or even persons who may block your path. Do not leave anything in the vehicle that thieves could use to ascertain your address–registration paperwork should be well hidden and GPS history should not be accessible;
9. Have lights, phones and two-way radios that can operate regardless of whether electricity, wired phone service or cellular service is available;
10. Be prepared for situations where civil authorities are part of your problem rather than part of the solution by knowing what the expected bribe will be in a given situation and being prepared to offer it;
11. Understand that obedience to traffic rules may be used against you by thugs. In a situation where security is not assured, stopping or slowing for pedestrians, disabled vehicles or even traffic control devices becomes an unacceptable risk;
12. Likewise, your own politeness and hospitality can be used against you. Strangers at your door, including children, people claiming to have some sort of emergency and utility company employees should not be admitted unless you are certain the situation is safe; and  
13. Make sure your driver’s license and passport are not approaching their expiration dates. It may be difficult if not impossible to renew them in a timely way once circumstances have declined. Getting out of the country may be one of the surest ways of assuring one’s security.

D. Inconveniences. Everything is going to cost more and take longer in the event of economic or societal collapse. A functioning society achieves efficiency by overcoming distrust, while in a society which has declined those efficiencies are lost by being replaced with varying forms of distrust. If you can’t trust the roads to be maintained, you can’t drive a flimsy subcompact. You get the picture.

What to do:

1. Anything you think you might need from the internet should be printed and stored ahead of time. You may not be able to get paper when you need it, and you also may not have an internet connection.
2. At least a couple of your battery-powered lights should be LED headband lamps that allow you to keep both hands free, even if it’s just to do the dishes in the dark.
3. Make sure you have a good spare tire, and if your tires are showing appreciable wear, consider locking in a set of new tires early by whatever means are necessary (keep in mind that unfortunately unused tires do decay–you can’t stockpile them for years and years unless you can protect them from ozone). Newer cars are omitting the spare in favor of “run flat” tires–but if a tire is shredded, you’re going nowhere. Likewise, a compact spare is only good for a few miles. If times have gotten that tough, you’ll want to get a full-size wheel from a junkyard and fit it with a tire–before one of yours is damaged or stolen. If you’re replacing a vehicle, consider buying a diesel or a flex-fuel SUV, or a hybrid for which “plug hybrid” kits are available. One interesting alternative is a hybrid Chevy pickup intended for tradesmen that includes a set of AC outlets that allow it to act as a generator.
4. Own a mountain bike or two, along with a spare tire and tube and a patch kit. Bonus points for having a trailer that could haul a bit of cargo.
5. You should have one or more skills that will be needed in the event that your day job is gone–be willing and able to work with your hands. When items cannot be replaced, someone will be needed to repair them. When items cannot be bought, they will have to be made or grown. There are many good books on making do without, and on making what you need. One series popular in the ’70s was the Foxfire books. You should have basic hand and power tools, and a supply of fasteners, consumables and replacment parts for your tools.
6. Cities are dependent on movement of goods from outside the city into the city, and on the removal of waste from the city. In the long term, cities are not viable places to survive societal collapses, however in the short term those who chose to remain in the cities will do best by having dwellings (or at least strong relationships) outside the city for respite, supply gathering and waste disposal.
7. Entertainment in the form of movie theaters, dining and sports events may be out of the picture for an extended length of time. A supply of videos, games, and sporting goods that can be used in and around the home can be important.
8. Homeowners associations have eliminated many options that made homes livable in the past without services that are taken for granted today. Consider amending HOA docs earlier rather than later with provisions (perhaps written so they are triggered only in the event of necessity) that allow for clotheslines, antennas, solar panels, wind energy, composting, victory gardens, keeping of small animals, work vehicles, home-based industry, discreet business signage, gated walls and burglar bars. In some locales it will also be necessary to adjust local ordinances. HOAs may also want to consider gating, adding security patrols, and beefing up walls and camera coverage. Keep in mind that your own security guards can be inept, corrupt and even traitorous, and that even a wall topped with razor wire can be silently crossed by using an area rug to cover it.
9. Be connected with your neighbors. Neighbors can watch out for each other, form committees to partially or even wholly replace services that are no longer available from government, and in general protect each other and each other’s children. These relationships of trust and cooperation take time to form, and their seeds at least should be in place long before collapse.

Finally, you and your family should be well-grounded in whatever faith you practice. I happen to be a Christian of the sort who believes that if you love God and love your neighbor as Jesus taught then you will find little room in your life to be victim or villain in any situation. No faith has survived without being the basis around which a functioning society may be ordered. When times get tough, people of faith will stand with each other against those who have abandoned faith (and, we can pray, not against one another).