When the SHTF, the government will likely be looking to control resources in any way possible.
It may not happen on day one, but once the realization sets in that things aren’t going back to normal anytime soon, you can bet there will be teams tasked with confiscating essential supplies.
Whether it’s to maintain order, support the military, or simply for the benefit of those in power, the government’s priority will be to secure what they need, even if it means taking it from you.
In this article we are going to look at some of the key items that could be targeted during a crisis and offer strategies to help you keep what’s yours.
Firearms and Ammunition
Guns are one of the first things that any government will want to get off the streets in a crisis.
Controlling firearms means controlling people, it’s as simple as that. Historically, disarmament has been the go-to move for governments looking to curb civilian resistance.
During martial law or other emergency situations, officials may demand citizens turn over their weapons. Whether they justify it for public safety or use other pretexts, it’s safe to assume that your guns will be on their radar.
How to Protect Your Firearms:
- Bury and Conceal: Consider using PVC pipes to bury some of your firearms securely. Seal them against moisture to keep rust at bay, and make sure you bury them somewhere you won’t forget—but that also wouldn’t be obvious to a casual observer.
- Diversify Storage: Avoid keeping all your firearms in one place. If authorities raid your home, they’ll likely do a thorough search, but diversifying your storage—using hidden compartments or even trusted friends—can mean the difference between losing everything and retaining some defenses.
Food Stockpiles
If a crisis lasts longer than a few days, food will become scarce. The government may step in to “manage” the distribution of food, especially if the crisis affects supply chains nationwide.
This means that the stash you’ve been carefully growing and preserving may be at risk of being seized for “the greater good.”
How to Hide Your Food Supply:
- Hide in Plain Sight: Keeping some decoy supplies can be a clever way to misdirect anyone searching for food. A small, obvious pantry might be seized while the real stash remains hidden.
Related: How to Grow a Food Garden Completely Hidden in Plain Sight
- False Walls and Floors: Construct false walls or floors to hide your larger supplies. A hidden crawlspace or cellar can keep bulk food items out of sight. Vacuum-sealed bags can make your stockpile less bulky and easier to store in these concealed locations.
- Dehydrated Foods: Consider keeping a large part of your food supply in dehydrated form. These are easy to store, take up minimal space, and can be discreetly concealed in smaller areas—like the attic or behind furniture.
Fuel and Energy Sources
Gasoline, diesel, and even firewood could become hot commodities when the SHTF.
Governments will want fuel to keep emergency services, military operations, and other critical systems running.
As such, your stored fuel might become a target for confiscation.
How to Protect Your Fuel:
- Split Your Storage: Don’t store all your fuel in one big tank. Consider using smaller containers and spreading them out. Hide some in your garage, some in a shed, and even consider burying a few.
- Alternative Fuels: If you have the means to generate your own fuel, such as biodiesel, you’ll have more flexibility. Producing fuel from waste oil, for instance, can keep you going without tapping into your limited, vulnerable fuel reserves.
- Use Visual Deception: Keep only a small amount of fuel visible. A half-empty tank might discourage confiscation if it appears that there isn’t enough to be worth taking.
Medical Supplies
Medicine, first aid kits, and other medical supplies will be incredibly valuable in a prolonged crisis.
Governments will likely want to centralize these supplies to ration and distribute them as they see fit.
If you’ve stockpiled essential medicines, painkillers, or antibiotics, these could be high-priority confiscation items.
How to Keep Your Medical Supplies Safe:
- Blend in: Keep some supplies in a visible first aid kit. Officials may seize that but overlook the less obvious stashes hidden in other places, like behind wall outlets or inside fake containers.
- Use False Packaging: Store medical supplies in less obvious packaging. For instance, keep medicines in old, generic supplement bottles rather than clearly labeled boxes.
- Diversify Storage: As with food and firearms, keeping medical supplies in several locations can reduce the risk of losing everything at once.
Precious Metals and Cash
During a major crisis, digital assets may become useless, and bartering could become the norm.
Physical assets like gold, silver, and cash will become targets for confiscation, especially if the government decides to nationalize private wealth to support the ‘greater good.’
How to Protect Your Wealth:
- Diversify and Hide: Keep your precious metals in different places. Hide smaller amounts in unconventional spots—like hollowed-out books, old paint cans, or disguised among everyday items.
- Burying Assets: If you’re storing significant amounts of cash or precious metals, burying them in waterproof containers might be your best bet. Make sure to document where you’ve buried your assets without making it easy for others to find.
- Use Decoys: If officials come searching, having a small amount in an obvious hiding place might satisfy them and keep them from digging deeper.
Communication Devices
Two-way radios, HAM radios, and satellite phones will be key for staying informed when traditional communication lines are down.
These devices will also be something the government wants to control—to limit the spread of information and prevent organized resistance.
How to Keep Your Communications Under Wraps:
- Disguised Storage: Keep your communication devices in nondescript containers. Store radios in a box marked as “Christmas Decorations” or hide them inside an old appliance.
- EMP-Proof Cloth: To protect your devices from EMP attacks or to simply keep them out of sight, wrap them in an EMP-Proof Cloth.
- Have Backup Options: Keep backup communication devices, like inexpensive walkie-talkies, hidden in different places. Even if one gets seized, you’ll have other means of staying in contact.
Generators and Power Sources
Generators, solar panels, and battery banks will be crucial for providing power when the grid goes down.
As these can be critical to maintaining some semblance of normalcy, they’re also likely to be targeted by officials looking to control resources.
How to Protect Your Power Sources:
- Camouflage and Conceal: Solar panels are hard to hide, but you can try camouflaging them or placing them in less obvious locations. Ground-level panels might be concealed by surrounding them with garden beds or other structures.
- Silent Generators: If possible, invest in a quieter generator. The less noise you make, the less attention you’ll draw from neighbors or officials.
- Distribute Batteries: Keep smaller battery packs hidden in several locations. While a large battery bank is useful, it’s also easy to seize.
Livestock and Home-Grown Food
If you have livestock or a garden, the government may see these as resources to “share for the greater good.” Chickens, goats, and even home-grown produce could be rounded up to support emergency efforts.
Related: Never Feed This to Your Chickens
How to Keep Your Food Supply Hidden:
- Keep It Small and Mobile: Smaller livestock like chickens can be kept in more concealed coops that are easy to move if necessary. This mobility makes it harder for anyone to track them down.
- Plant Edible Ornamentals: Instead of a vegetable garden that’s easy to spot, consider planting edible ornamentals. Herbs, berries, and other edibles that blend in with the landscape can be overlooked during searches.
- Move Your Livestock: If things get tense, consider relocating your livestock to a friend or family member’s property for a while. It’s harder to take what they can’t find.
When it comes to a true SHTF scenario, you need to think ahead about how to protect what’s yours. The government, under the guise of emergency management, will want to gather and redistribute essential supplies—sometimes at the expense of those who prepared.
By diversifying your storage, using concealment strategies, and having backup plans, you can make it much harder for anyone to take what you’ve worked so hard to gather.
Remember, in times of chaos, the smart survivor is the one who stays one step ahead—and keeps their head down.
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