This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
With the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns causing mass unemployment all over the country, it seems the situation is getting worse for many families.
Long lines a food banks
I came across this article from the Daily Mail which describes thousands of cars lined up at a food bank in Dallas, TX.
According to the Daily Mail:
“Thousands of people have lined up at a Texas food bank, with cars stretching for a mile as the state struggles with being the third worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
Fair Park in Dallas County held its fourth food drive since the pandemic was declared in March but the event on Tuesday was the first mega distribution that offered an option for several hundred walk-up clients without transportation.”
That’s not the only one. There are similar lines in Los Angeles, according to an article called Out of work, desperate and hungry, they waited in long lines for food.
According to the article:
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank director Michael Flood said his nonprofit’s food distribution totals are up 70% over this time last year. The equivalent of 27.5 million meals have been handed out since March, and while it feels rewarding to offer the assistance, Flood said, “It’s heartbreaking to have a long line of cars and see how many people are struggling to feed their families.”
I am sure this is occurring in many cities across the country.
Mass evictions
As the eviction moratorium expires in many states, many families are at risk of getting evicted if they cannot pay their rent due to unemployment.
We also need to remember that we are in the middle of an active hurricane season as well as a pandemic. If people get evicted from their homes, and a hurricane hits, this could cause a double catastrophe for many families. According to an article in PopSci:
Without safe shelter, people will be unable to protect themselves from both the coronavirus pandemic and a natural disaster, like a hurricane. “If people are unable to shelter in place to protect themselves from the pandemic, they are also not going to be able to shelter in place when there’s an encroaching hurricane,” says Khalil Shahyd, who works at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. If there is widespread housing insecurity before a hurricane hits, it will make that disaster much worse. “You’re going to see more people are needing to go to temporary or emergency shelters, which will be a petri dish for the future explosion of the virus,” says Shahyd.
Get prepared now
I urge everyone to prepare as best as you can.
- Stock on on food before more shortages happen. Have at least a month’s worth of food and everyday necessities in your supplies.
- Make sure you have a well-stocked first aid kit.
- Make your apartment or home more secure.
- Find ways to raise cash for an emergency.
People who were previously uninterested in emergency preparedness are now prepping. It’s just common sense.
This video shows a further discussion:
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About the author:
Bernie Carr is the founder of Apartment Prepper. She has written several books including the best-selling Prepper’s Pocket Guide, Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure, The Penny-Pinching Prepper and How to Prepare for Most Emergencies on a $50 a Month Budget. Her work appears in sites such as the Allstate Blog and Clark.com, as well as print magazines such as Backwoods Survival Guide and Prepper Survival Guide. She has been featured in national publications such as Fox Business and Popular Mechanics. Learn more about Bernie here.
