r/CollapseSupport • u/Boring_Subject9620 • 13h ago
Current stress about Global security
Hello, I am very stressed about recent developments talking about how multiple different countries are stock piling. Japan to urge all citizens to stockpile at least 3 days of food and water in preparation for major disasters and events, with an official emergency request set for November 2. "At least three days, and I'd like to say a week if possible… please prepare food, toilets, and water properly at home even without public assistance," Japan's Disaster Management says. It comes just 2 days after the Pentagon started to prepare every major US military base to operate for at least 90 days without outside electricity, fuel, water or supplies, anticipating a major war. The UK launched the "Be Ready" program 5 days ago, also advising all citizens to keep 3 days of key supplies, including bottled water, non-perishable food, and a battery or wind-up FM radio. Along with a lot of other countries as well such as
Belgium: 72 HOURS
Ireland: “Be Emergency Ready”
France: 72 HOURS
Germany: 3 to 10 DAYS
Netherlands: 72 HOURS
Poland: 3 DAYS
Sweden: 1 WEEK
Norway: 1 WEEK
Finland: 72 HOURS
Denmark: 3 DAYS
Estonia: 1 WEEK
Latvia: 72 HOURS
Lithuania: 72 HOURS
Switzerland: 1 WEEK
Taiwan: 7 DAYS
EU: 72 HOURS.
So I'm just really stressed and scared at the moment, is global or major war coming in the next few years, It's hard for me to understand all this at 15. I know this might look stupid, but I just want to make sure this is or is not true. Thank you.
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u/fakeprewarbook 12h ago
hey friend, i’m really sorry this is happening, i know it’s super scary. i’m a lot older than you and it seems like this scary shit has been happening my whole life too, so I know how you feel.
in this case, we really don’t know what will happen, but it’s a good idea to think about being prepared for an emergency because everyone is pretty used to having services just happen. the water comes out of the faucet, the lights turn on, we just take it for granted. but all of those systems could be disrupted by a lot of different factors (climate, war, terrorism, a bad AI event) so it’s really about having backups and being prepared, so that if something DOES happen, we have a way to keep living somewhat normally while they fix it.
i live in the desert and when the water goes out, it’s a big problem, so i always keep a few bottles of extra water. we need to think about that for all our systems, however we can. it will be different for everyone depending on where you live, what your family situation is like, all those factors.
you are 15, so i would say that if you think they will be open to it, talk to your parents. ask them what you would do in an emergency situation, ask if there is some non-perishable food stored in your home, buy a battery for charging your phone that you can keep powered up for backup, and look up local lists of things you can do to be prepared. maybe you live in a place where it’s cold in the winter but you could build a fire if the electricity went out and stay warm that way, so firewood would be a good thing to think about. the cool thing is that even if there isn’t a disaster, you will feel better if you are prepared, knowing you are safer. and if there IS a disaster, you will have some resources.
if your parents aren’t helpful it will be a harder journey for you, but you can still start thinking about these things and making plans for the future. try to find other teens in your area who are interested in prepping. observe other people who have been in disaster situations and read about how they survived (i personally read a lot of local search and rescue groups, because it’s interesting to see how they rescue people and you can learn a lot about what to do and not to do). join prepper groups on subreddit. if you have anything like scouts or outdoor survival classes, those are great too. anything you can do to make yourself more aware of how to compensate for any of the systems that could break.
most of all, try to keep your spirit up. depression and fear are so hard to manage in this world, but try to keep your mind resilient and have what we call a “can do attitude”. you can do it!! history is full of terrible events, but people always make it through with community and hope. sending you lots of support OP, you are every wise to be paying attention. ❤️🩹
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u/fakeprewarbook 12h ago
here’s a post with some ideas: https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/s/2XwjgxFwHZ
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u/Boring_Subject9620 12h ago
I just want to live a happy and normal life without having to carry the all of the weight of the world on my shoulders
→ More replies (4)
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u/TempleOfStars 12h ago
The Japan news is specifically linked to the launch of a new centralized disaster management agency. Japan is very prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and based on historical data, it is probable that another major quake (8.0 or above) will occur in the next 30 years. It makes sense that they are preparing in this way and it isn't necessarily linked to an emergent threat.
That said, I do think a lot of this is likely due to intensifying climate disasters globally. The area I live in is getting hit super hard by el nino flooding and it isn't out of the question to see roads, homes, and other infrastructure destroyed with little warning.
I don't think that you need to spend your day feeling scared out of your mind that something big is about to happen but you can be prepared just like these agencies are suggesting! It's okay if you can't afford to go out and buy a bunch of supplies immediately but start researching what might be useful in a household emergency/disaster kit and start to slowly accumulate those things.
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u/Boring_Subject9620 10h ago
The thing is, are they preparing me for total war with the world on a trip wire or just storms and natural disasters.
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u/Fabulous_Squirrel12 9h ago
This is meant to provide calm because while the news is stressfull the advice governments are giving is super helpful. Like helpful for normal inconveniences like a tree taking out a power line or your refrigerator breaking and not being able to get it fixed for a few days. If everyone was prepared for 72 hours on their own, people would not be as stressed when bad things pop up.
I used to work in nuclear power and that experience really got me into being more prepared starting 10 years ago. Not out of fear but out of peace of mind. Long story short, around that time nuclear power plants were getting prepared for natural disasters beyond what they were originally designed to withstand. They determined because roads could be blocked and employees might be stuck at home dealing with their own problems...the plants had to prepare to be on their own for a minimum of 72 hours and then be able to keep the plant cool longer term with minimal support. This was all in response to the Fukishima disaster.
My takeaway was that if a nuclear power plant couldn't rely on outside assistance for 72 hours, I personally should not count on help in that amount of time...because I personally am not as important as a preventing a nuclear disaster.
Being prepared to not use power and not go to a store shouldn't be a cause of stress. It is a life skill most humans had pre 1980. A lot people stopped having this skill because of global supply chains and just in time supply chains.
With the nuclear plants you would think we already had a plan for everything...and to a certain extent they did. But sometimes events happen and people think...we need to re-evaluate what we need to be prepared for.
I think a lot of countries are looking at a combination of current events and el Nino and dusting off their disaster preparedness plans which might not have been updated in decades. They are looking at populations that need to be reminded about planning for interruptions to supplies or power...things that people used to do without being told.
Try not to get stressed. 72 hours can be as simple as granola bars, peanut butter and a case of water. It can be making it a habit to always stay on top of laundry so if the power goes out you still have a few days of clean clothes. Its knowing your local roads well enough to get home if your GPS stops working.
You got this.
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u/griff_the_unholy 4h ago
Advice to keep 3 days of essentials is not really indicative of anything. 3 days of supplies is basically the "average" you would normally have in the house assuming a weekly grocery shop. If you have less than this then you are just asking for hassle the moment anything remotely disruptive happens.
3 days of supplies are meaningless if something big actually happens.
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u/lurkertiltheend 12h ago
Look I think it’s very mature of you for being aware at your age. Most other kids don’t know and don’t think about this stuff. That being said, try to focus on things you can control. Do you have a trusted adult in your home that you can casually discuss this with? Perhaps even start getting a plan in place with in case a situation arises?
The truth is we don’t know if it’s just a coincidence that Japan UK and US have issued these statements at the same time. Every country has disaster preparedness. It’s wise to have at least a few days worth of food water and medicine on hand at all times, not just during times of uncertainty.
Try not to let this churn in your mind.
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u/21plankton 9h ago
Governments urging folks to be prepared for disasters has been standard procedure since the 60’s. Very few people follow the recommendations and get and stay prepared for all emergencies. In a major disaster the government as well as the services become overwhelmed. It is the same everywhere.
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u/hiddendrugs 8h ago
let me put it this way:
at 15, you’re ahead of the curve to have this level of awareness.
the situations to prepare for, described by western governments, are already happening. the level of privilege you (and me!) have, has insulated us from these impacts, or needing something like 3 days of prep. the writing on the wall is that in time, privilege will not prevent the worst of impacts. governments that maintain a modicum of public duty are now being more diligent, i’d note that they’re telling civilians to prep rather than legislating against the perpetrators. But that still saves lives.
you should take this seriously, but also, you’re 15… so much life to live, collapse or not, or for all of its shades. it’s wonderful you take these things into consideration.
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u/KneeBeard 7h ago
Living in Washington state, where earthquakes and forest fire are things what are expected, it is pretty common for the government to be annoyingly proactive about reminding us to be prepared.
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u/FerociousTailWagging 5h ago
Ok, first take a deep breath. Everything is ok right now isn't it? Thats important and usually that's all we've got, so focus in on that.
Those of us in the weathly west have just lived through half a century where it felt like stability and increasing prosperity were guaranteed, and that is coming to an end now. It doesn't mean ww3 is around the corner and it doesn't mean your life will be terrible. It just means things are much less predictable than they were.
Where I live, in Australia, the state has been telling us to keep 3 days of food and water since at least the 70s (many other countries have been doing this for a long time also). We are prone to natural disasters so we have to be more resilient. The more stable parts of the world are feeling this now too thanks to climate change, shifting geopolitics etc. It's nothing to panic about, Australia is full of happy fulfilled people, but it is worth thinking about what you could do if some kind of disaster hit.
It's great you are aware of this stuff when you are so young, the more you learn, the more resilient you will be, but it must be super scary. Just make sure you talk to anybody you can, and remember to keep breathing!
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u/midsumernighttts 52m ago
I don’t think it’s a big deal, just governments wanting people to be prepared - as we all should be
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u/Prudent_Will_7298 12h ago
Meanwhile USA: "everything's great! We're winning! What emergencies?"
I got a masters in International Relations. Fwiw. But, yes, conflicts between nations are increasing and we're not seeing signs of de-escalation.
But it's odd, there really are times of massive realignments -- an International order collapsing-- like WWII. And Trump has thrown the International order into chaos. Nations are scrambling to figure out new alliances and deal with the betrayal of former allies. It's REALLY unprecedented.
I would love for 15-year olds to understand these things (to the extent anyone does). Best way imo is learning history.
It is absolutely insanely scary. I'm sure it'd be even more terrifying if we had access to classified information. I think of preparing as we do for earthquakes etc. But worrying is wasting precious time. ☮️