Due to decades of neglect, our roads, bridges, power grid, and other elements of our infrastructure are crumbling. Regardless of political leaning, legions of politicians, business leaders, and even academics are all in agreement that such structures are nearly obsolete or worse, and there’s no current strategy in place to reverse the problem. Lack of funding makes even rebuilding over time almost impossible, and even with the proper plan of action, it’s possible that it’s too late for such measures. As it stands, many federal-level politicians simply don’t have the answers to how funding can be obtained and willfully allow this problem to fester over time.
With 70,000 bridges deemed structurally deficient and millions of Americans commuting each day, it’s not implausible that we’ll witness a catastrophic collapse in the near future, and that’s only one concern related to our crumbling infrastructure. An event such as “the grid” going down will have massive implications for this country, and possibly the world, as a whole. Imagine the zombie apocalypse without the walking dead and much more likely to actually occur. With the rate of deterioration so high, it’s almost inevitable even with legislation, money, and enthusiastic support from community members.
Many individuals go about their day not knowing that, in the blink of an eye, the electricity they use, the roads they drive on, the bridges they cross, and the ports that send and receive the goods we all consume globally could cease to exist from some cascading failure or another. It’s imperative that we refuse to let this decay continue and start to educate others and make our voices heard about this problem.
Preparedness Is Necessary
The other course of action, especially if legislators refuse to allocate the proper resources in order to correct the most pressing areas of concern and fast, is to be prepared for a massive shutdown. While we can never be truly ready for something of this magnitude, it’s important to have resources at the ready in case of emergency. The items on the following list are vital to both preparedness of a catastrophic event or even a full-on attack on our country from outside actors or terrorist groups:
- Light sources such as solar lights, candles, kerosene lamps, and flashlights
- Lighters and waterproof matches
- Batteries in various sizes
- Manual can openers
- Basic tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and hammers
- Duct tape, crazy glue, sewing supplies, and other items of this variety
- WD40
- Water and non-perishable food
- First aid kits that include basic wound care items, over-the-counter medications, and anti-diarheal medications should sanitation become a problem
- Special needs items such as diabetic care products, items for a baby, or food for individuals with dietary restrictions
- Items for self-defense to prepare for civil unrest