TEOT-WA-WKI.  TEO-T-WAW-KI.  TEOT-WAWK-I.

How do you even pronounce this word?  The answer is - you don’t. 

It’s an acronym (not to worry girls I only spent a little time trying to say it - but must admit - even more time trying to figure out what it meant.)

TEOTWAWKI stands for ‘the end of the world as we know it’ which, by the way, can mean any number of things.  It’s a concept for anyone wanting to be prepared for whatever life throws at them.

It’s not necessarily that ‘THE’ world will end, or even that there will be total destruction.  It will just end for the way we now know it. 

Think of Hurricane Katrina.  That was a TEOTWAWKI for those who lived it and experienced it.  Their lives will never be the way it once was.  Never.  Everything about their existence has changed.

We have all probably experienced a TEOTWAWKI and not even realized it at the time.  TEOTWAWKI can also mean a loss of job or a loss of a loved one or something near and dear to you.   It’s the end of the world for ‘you’ as you once knew it. 

That is why survivalist or preppers, if you will, use this term in preparing for any future event that may come their way.  You never know what can happen or when, but we do know that whatever and whenever, it will never be the way it once was.

There’s another acronym you may want to understand a little more too.  WTSHTF.  It means, ‘when the stuff hits the fan’ or ‘when the $hit hits the fan’.  You know when all h-e –double hockey sticks breaks loose?

For me?  I like to clean mine up a little.  I say ‘when the poo hits the fan’ – just sounds a little more lady-like don’t cha think?

There can be as many WTSHTF scenarios as there are TEOTWAWKI scenarios.  Some of the more common ones circulating today are societal collapse, dollar crisis, economic collapse, natural disaster, man-made disasters, an act of terrorism, and a possible foreign invasion (and don’t think it can’t happen), each of these has different priorities and may require a different plan.

So how do you prepare for a TEOTWAWKI?  Or when the poo hits the fan?

Just like you would with any disaster; have food and water at the ready; have medical supplies and knowledge of how to us them; and, have a way to protect yourself and your belongings.  Those as we know are the foundation to survival. 

Once these three key steps are put in place you can then focus on different scenarios and build up from there.  Like for instance, a hurricane disaster will require things much different possibly than say a tsunami.   

As you watch and/or listen to the news or world events try to think about what you haven’t done or gotten that would better prepare you if you yourself had been in that disaster.

NGYFG (Now Get Your Fanny Going)

- Survivor Jane

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Survivor Jane is not intended to be expert, legal or even medical advise - just one girl sharing with others.