In September, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce urged local authorities to assure local food supplies for winter. Chinese households were also encouraged to stock up on a certain amount of daily necessities in preparation for the winter months or emergencies. A new appeal on Nov 1 garnered more than 43 million views on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social platform. Americans should take heed, states Physicians for Civil Defense.
“Chinese cite fears of crop failures due to bitterly cold weather, with temperatures forecast to fall as much as 15 °F; possible lockdowns owing to new COVID outbreaks; or a war,” states Physicians for Civil Defense president Jane Orient, M.D. “These are global concerns that affect the U.S. also.”
Americans are already seeing rapidly rising prices and a shortage of merchandise of all types due to supply-chain interruptions, she pointed out. “And supply chains may be further stressed by labor shortages as COVID vaccine mandates take effect.”
“If shelves are bare, or people cannot afford basic necessities, and law enforcement is understaffed, civil disorder is another worry,” she added.
Family disaster preparedness plans have always stressed having a food reserve. Physicians for Civil Defense has referred to the advice in Nuclear War Survival Skills, available free on line, which is useful in all types of emergency. Freeze-dried, tasty meals are offered by many survivalist stores, but they are no substitute for adequate calories from affordable staples such as unprocessed wheat, corn, beans, and oil (see pp 81 ff in NWSS). Salt, sugar, and vitamins are also needed, Dr. Orient states.
The U.S. government website ready.gov has much useful information, but the advice to obtain “at least 3 days of food” could be woefully inadequate, she observes. .
Physicians for Civil Defense provides information to help save lives in the event of natural or man-made disasters.