How to Survive the Coming Collapse? Survivor of Bosnian War Weighs In
Many in the Political, Military, Financial and
Law Enforcement community are not so secretly Panicking about the
Coming systemic collapse of the financial and Societal
system as we've come to know them. In that spirit we bring to you the
story in his own words of an individual who went through a societal
collapse in his own homeland.
I am from Bosnia. Between 1992 and 1995, it was hell.
For one year, I lived and survived in a city with 6,000 people without water, electricity, gasoline, medical help, civil defense, distribution service, any kind of traditional service or centralized rule.
Money soon became worthless. We returned to an exchange. For a tin can of tushonka (think Soviet spam), you could have a woman.
Arms, ammunition, candles, lighters, antibiotics, gasoline, batteries and food. We fought for these things like animals.
In these situations, it all changes. Men become monsters.
Strength was in numbers. For a man living alone, getting killed and robbed would be just a matter of time, even if he was armed.
The following is my experience…
For one year, I lived and survived in a city with 6,000 people without water, electricity, gasoline, medical help, civil defense, distribution service, any kind of traditional service or centralized rule.
Money soon became worthless. We returned to an exchange. For a tin can of tushonka (think Soviet spam), you could have a woman.
Arms, ammunition, candles, lighters, antibiotics, gasoline, batteries and food. We fought for these things like animals.
In these situations, it all changes. Men become monsters.
Strength was in numbers. For a man living alone, getting killed and robbed would be just a matter of time, even if he was armed.
The following is my experience…
Our city was blockaded by the army; and for
one year, life in the city turned into total crap. We had no army, no
police. We only had armed groups; those armed protected their homes and
families.
When it all started, some of us were better prepared. But most of the neighbors’ families had enough food only for a few days. Some had pistols; a few had AK-47s or shotguns.
When it all started, some of us were better prepared. But most of the neighbors’ families had enough food only for a few days. Some had pistols; a few had AK-47s or shotguns.
After a month or two, gangs started operating,
destroying everything. Hospitals, for example, turned into
slaughterhouses. There was no more police. About 80 percent of the
hospital staff were gone. I got lucky. My family at the time was fairly
large (15 people in a large house, six pistols, three AKs), and we
survived (most of us, at least).
The Americans dropped MREs every 10 days to
help blockaded cities. This was never enough. Some — very few — had
gardens. It took three months for the first rumors to spread of men
dying from hunger and cold. We removed all the doors, the window frames
from abandoned houses, ripped up the floors and burned the furniture for
heat. Many died from diseases, especially from the water (two from my
own family). We drank mostly rainwater, ate pigeons and even rats.
Money soon became worthless. We returned to an
exchange. For a tin can of tushonka(think Soviet spam), you could have a
woman. (It is hard to speak of it, but it is true.) Most of the women
who sold themselves were desperate mothers.
Arms, ammunition, candles, lighters,
antibiotics, gasoline, batteries and food. We fought for these things
like animals. In these situations, it all changes. Men become monsters.
It was disgusting.
Strength was in numbers. A man living alone getting killed and robbed would be just a matter of time, even if he was armed.
Today, me and my family are well-prepared, I am well-armed. I have experience.
It does not matter what will happen: an
earthquake, a war, a tsunami, aliens, terrorists, economic collapse,
uprising. The important part is that something will happen.
Here’s my experience: You can’t make it on
your own. Don’t stay apart from your family; prepare together, choose
reliable friends.
1. How to move safely in a city
The city was divided into communities along
streets. Our street (15 to 20 homes) had patrols (five armed men every
week) to watch for gangs and for our enemies.
All the exchanges occurred in the street.
About 5 kilometers away was an entire street for trading, all
well-organized; but going there was too dangerous because of the
snipers. You could also get robbed by bandits. I only went there twice,
when I needed something really rare (list of medicine, mainly
antibiotics, of the French original of the texts).
Nobody used automobiles in the city: The
streets were blocked by wreckage and by abandoned cars. Gasoline was
very expensive. If one needed to go somewhere, that was done at night.
Never travel alone or in groups that were too big — always two to three
men. All armed, travel swift, in the shadows, cross streets through
ruins, not along open streets.
There were many gangs 10 to 15 men strong,
some as large as 50 men. But there were also many normal men, like you
and me, fathers and grandfathers, who killed and robbed. There were no
“good” and “bad” men. Most were in the middle and ready for the worst.
2. What about wood? Your home city is surrounded by woods; why did you burn doors and furniture?
There were not that many woods around the
city. It was very beautiful — restaurants, cinemas, schools, even an
airport. Every tree in the city and in the city park was cut down for
fuel in the first two months.
Without electricity for cooking and heat, we
burned anything that burned. Furniture, doors, flooring: That wood burns
swiftly. We had no suburbs or suburban farms. The enemy was in the
suburbs. We were surrounded. Even in the city you never knew who was the
enemy at any given point.
3. What knowledge was useful to you in that period?
To imagine the situation a bit better, you should know it was practically a return to the Stone Age.
For example, I had a container of cooking gas.
But I did not use it for heat. That would be too expensive! I attached a
nozzle to it I made myself and used to fill lighters. Lighters were
precious.
If a man brought an empty lighter, I would fill it; and he would give me a tin of food or a candle.
I was a paramedic. In these conditions, my
knowledge was my wealth. Be curious and skilled. In these conditions,
the ability to fix things is more valuable than gold.
Items and supplies will inevitably run out, but your skills will keep you fed.
I wish to say this: Learn to fix things, shoes or people.
My neighbor, for example, knew how to make kerosene for lamps. He never went hungry.
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4. If you had three months to prepare now, what would you do?
Three months? Run away from the country? (joking)
Today, I know everything can collapse really
fast. I have a stockpile of food, hygiene items, batteries — enough to
last me for six months.
I live in a very secure flat and own a home
with a shelter in a village 5 kilometers away. Another six-month supply
there, too. That’s a small village; most people there are well-prepared.
The war had taught them.
I have four weapons and 2,000 rounds for each.
I have a garden and have learned gardening.
Also, I have a good instinct. You know, when everyone around you keeps
telling you it’ll all be fine, but I know it will all collapse.
I have strength to do what I need to protect
my family. Because when it all collapses, you must be ready to do “bad”
things to keep your children alive and protect your family.
Surviving on your own is practically
impossible. (That’s what I think.) Even you’re armed and ready, if
you’re alone, you’ll die. I have seen that happen many times.
Families and groups, well-prepared, with skills and knowledge in various fields: That’s much better.
5. What should you stockpile?
That depends. If you plan to live by theft, all you need is weapons and ammo. Lots of ammo.
If not, more food, hygiene items, batteries,
accumulators, little trading items (knives, lighters, flints, soap).
Also, alcohol of a type that keeps well. The cheapest whiskey is a good
trading item.
Many people died from insufficient hygiene.
You’ll need simple items in great amounts. For example, garbage bags.
Lots of them. And toilet papers. Non-reusable dishes and cups: You’ll
need lots of them. I know that because we didn’t have any at all.
As for me, a supply of hygiene items is
perhaps more important than food. You can shoot a pigeon. You can find a
plant to eat. You can’t find or shoot any disinfectant.
Disinfectant, detergents, bleach, soap, gloves, masks.
First aid skills, washing wounds and burns. Perhaps you will find a doctor and will not be able to pay him.
Learn to use antibiotics. It’s good to have a stockpile of them.
You should choose the simplest weapons. I
carry a Glock .45. I like it, but it’s a rare gun here. So I have two TT
pistols, too. (Everyone has them and ammo is common.)
I don’t like Kalashnikov’s, but again, same story. Everyone has them; so do I.
You must own small, unnoticeable items. For
example, a generator is good, but 1,000 BIC lighters are better. A
generator will attract attention if there’s any trouble, but 1,000
lighters are compact, cheap and can always be traded.
We usually collected rainwater into four large
barrels and then boiled it. There was a small river, but the water in
it became very dirty very fast.
It’s also important to have containers for water: barrels and buckets.
6. Were gold and silver useful?
Yes. I personally traded all the gold coins in the house for ammunition.
Sometimes, we got our hands on money: dollars
and Deutschmarks. We bought some things for them, but this was rare and
prices were astronomical. For example, a can of beans cost $30 to $40.
The local money quickly became worthless. Everything we needed we traded
for through barter.
7. Was salt expensive?
Yes, but coffee and cigarettes were even more
expensive. I had lots of alcohol and traded it without problems. Alcohol
consumption grew over 10 times as compared to peacetime. Perhaps today,
it’s more useful to keep a stock of cigarettes, lighters and batteries.
They take up less space.
At this time, I was not a survivalist. We had
no time to prepare — several days before the shit hit the fan. The
politicians kept repeating over the TV that everything was going
according to plan, there’s no reason to be concerned. When the sky fell
on our heads, we took what we could.
8. Was it difficult to purchase firearms? What did you trade for arms and ammunition?
After the war, we had guns in every house. The
police confiscated lots of guns at the beginning of the war. But most
of them we hid. Now I have one legal gun that I have a license for.
Under the law, that’s called a temporary collection. If there is unrest,
the government will seize all the registered guns. Never forget that.
You know, there are many people who have one
legal gun, but also illegal guns if that one gets seized. If you have
good trade goods, you might be able to get a gun in a tough situation.
But remember, the most difficult time is the first days, and perhaps you
won’t have enough time to find a weapon to protect your family. To be
disarmed in a time of chaos and panic is a bad idea.
In my case, there was a man who needed a car
battery for his radio. He had shotguns. I traded the accumulator for
both of them. Sometimes, I traded ammunition for food, and a few weeks
later traded food for ammunition. Never did the trade at home, never in
great amounts.
Few people knew how much and what I keep at home.
The most important thing is to keep as many
things as possible in terms of space and money. Eventually, you’ll
understand what is more valuable.
Correction: I’ll always value weapons and ammunition the most. Second? Maybe gas masks and filters.
9. What about security?
Our defenses were very primitive. Again, we
weren’t ready, and we used what we could. The windows were shattered,
and the roofs in a horrible state after the bombings. The windows were
blocked — some with sandbags, others with rocks.
I blocked the fence gate with wreckage and
garbage, and used a ladder to get across the wall. When I came home, I
asked someone inside to pass over the ladder. We had a fellow on our
street that completely barricaded himself in his house. He broke a hole
in the wall, creating a passage for himself into the ruins of the
neighbor’s house — a sort of secret entrance.
Maybe this would seem strange, but the most
protected houses were looted and destroyed first. In my area of the
city, there were beautiful houses with walls, dogs, alarms and barred
windows. People attacked them first. Some held out; others didn’t. It
all depended how many hands and guns they had inside.
I think defense is very important, but it must
be carried out unobtrusively. If you are in a city and SHTF comes, you
need a simple, non-flashy place, with lots of guns and ammo.
How much ammo? As much as possible.
Make your house as unattractive as you can.
Right now, I own a steel door, but that’s just
against the first wave of chaos. After that passes, I will leave the
city to rejoin a larger group of people, my friends and family.
There were some situations during the war.
There’s no need for details, but we always had superior firepower and a
brick wall on our side.
We also constantly kept someone watching the streets. Quality organization is paramount in case of gang attacks.
Shooting was constantly heard in the city.
Our perimeter was defended primitively. All
the exits were barricaded and had little firing slits. Inside we had at
least five family members ready for battle at any time and one man in
the street, hidden in a shelter.
We stayed home through the day to avoid sniper fire.
At first, the weak perish. Then, the rest fight.
During the day, the streets were practically
empty due to sniper fire. Defenses were oriented toward short-range
combat alone. Many died if they went out to gather information, for
example. It’s important to remember we had no information, no radio, no
TV — only rumors and nothing else.
There was no organized army; every man fought. We had no choice. Everybody was armed, ready to defend themselves.
You should not wear quality items in the city;
someone will murder you and take them. Don’t even carry a “pretty” long
arm, it will attract attention.
Let me tell you something: If SHTF starts
tomorrow, I’ll be humble. I’ll look like everyone else. Desperate,
fearful. Maybe I’ll even shout and cry a little bit.
Pretty clothing is excluded altogether. I will
not go out in my new tactical outfit to shout: “I have come! You’re
doomed, bad guys!” No, I’ll stay aside, well-armed, well-prepared,
waiting and evaluating my possibilities, with my best friend or brother.
Super-defenses, super-guns are meaningless. If
people think they should steal your things, that you’re profitable,
they will. It’s only a question of time and the amount of guns and
hands.
10. How was the situation with toilets?
We used shovels and a patch of earth near the
house. Does it seem dirty? It was. We washed with rainwater or in the
river, but most of the time the latter was too dangerous. We had no
toilet paper; and if we had any, I would have traded it away.
It was a “dirty” business.
Let me give you a piece of advice: You need
guns and ammo first — and second, everything else. Literally everything!
All depends on the space and money you have.
If you forget something, there will always be
someone to trade with for it. But if you forget weapons and ammo, there
will be no access to trading for you.
I don’t think big families are extra mouths.
Big families means both more guns and strength — and from there,
everyone prepares on his own.
11. How did people treat the sick and the injured?
Most injuries were from gunfire. Without a
specialist and without equipment, if an injured man found a doctor
somewhere, he had about a 30 percent chance of survival.
It ain’t the movie. People died. Many died
from infections of superficial wounds. I had antibiotics for three to
four uses — for the family, of course.
People died foolishly quite often. Simple diarrhea will kill you in a few days without medicine, with limited amounts of water.
There were many skin diseases and food poisonings… nothing to it.
Many used local plants and pure alcohol — enough for the short-term, but useless in the long term.
Hygiene is very important, as well as having as much medicine as possible — especially antibiotics.
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