Survival Lilly on the Coronavirus

Okay, so if you are one of the many people who watch Survival Lilly on YouTube then you are probably familiar with the fact that she is taking the Coronavirus / COVID19 very seriously.

One to two months ago her videos were on topics like:

• A new gadget for her recurve bow.
• She got a new dog.
• How to sharpen an old bow saw.
• 5 types of survival shelters.
• Her #2 knife design becoming available. (Two videos just on that topic.)
• Her current bow setup.
• How to make a fire the "primitive" way.
• Firesteel vs magnesium bar vs lighter.

And then suddenly her videos shifted to an all new theme: Coronavirus Panic Time.

A video of her panic buying toilet paper and other items.




A video about why teenagers and the Austrian media should not be mocking people dressed up to protect themselves from the Coronavirus.



Plus videos on:

Immune System Boosters.
News reporting on people stealing disinfectants.
Survival gear for her dog.
Another video of her panic buying things at the store.
Coronavirus Updates.
Spending a night overnight at her buy out camp. X2.
Austrian Curfew imposed.
Storing water for emergencies.
Panic buying more stuff.

And getting her survival bug out camp ready.




So...

Is Lilly Overreacting?

No, I don't think she is.

I think she is taking this topic seriously.

Did she really need that much toilet paper? Probably not. But whatever. Lots of people have been stocking up on toilet paper. My wife and I purchased toilet paper on SALE back in January before the current crisis hit North America, so we're set for a good amount of time anyway.

I also think there is plenty of young people out there who are not taking this seriously.

Possibly because those same young people don't understand what the worst case scenario of this virus is:

• The virus could mutate and become deadlier, killing young people too.
• The global economy could completely collapse. Resetting us back 200 years. Monetary wealth could become completely worthless.
• Complete anarchy as society breaks down.

Governments globally are trying to prevent this from happening. Stopping the virus before it can potentially mutate and become deadlier is important. If we just let the virus run rampant it will eventually mutate into something deadlier.

It is in their own best interest (and ours) that the global economy doesn't collapse and society falls into anarchy.

Because as much as the sound of hunting, fishing and growing my own vegetables sounds like a grand adventure the vast majority of us would much prefer to keep our KFC, pubs, beer, and freezers full of frozen food that is ready to eat. To say nothing of toilet paper, air conditioning, and access to a healthcare system.

That grand adventure doesn't sound so good if it means mankind brings itself close to the brink of extinction.

So everyone should be doing their job to prepare and to stay safe.

And that includes idiot teenagers and centennials in their 20s. (Millennials are in their 30s. We need to stop using the term millennials to describe young people.)

Take the coronavirus seriously. Stay Safe!

Pandemic Worst Case Scenario: Going Off Grid

Even if the Coronavirus / COVID19 virus was here to stay (perpetually killing off elderly people) I don't think this would lead to a breakdown of civilization.

Hypothetically what it would mean is that people over the age of 50 would retire earlier (retire at 50 instead of 65) and then move to a place where they are more isolated from the virus. Living out the rest of their lives off grid on a farm, in a cabin up north, in a desert, on a fishing boat, etc.

Would lots of elderly people die from the coronavirus? Yes, unfortunately that would be the case.

What I foresee happening however, if this worst case scenario becomes a reality, that it would cause a major shift in real estate and the off grid community.

People over the age of 50 would retire early, move to the countryside and isolate themselves from the rest of society so they don't get the coronavirus and die.

People under the age of 50 would continue to work and live productive lives, up until the point where they need to retire.

This hypothetical worst case scenario assumes that it is impossible to create a vaccine for the virus and the pandemic reaches every corner of the planet, killing roughly 233 million people globally in the first wave of the virus.

The problem afterwards is if there is no vaccine, and a person can contract COVID19 multiple times (or worse, it mutates in the future), then the virus continues to spread unabated and young people need to work in order to survive, and consequently many elderly die due to the first, second and continuing waves of the virus spreading.

Many people might also assume that because they got the virus when they were younger that they are now somehow immune to it, but when they get older they would discover they can still get it and die.

The long term effect therefore could be the isolation of the elderly, early retirements, and people buying up off grid land so they can avoid the general population.

Some people might try to live communally, but that would be inherently risky because all it takes is one person to become exposed to the virus and then 10 people get sick. Then 100. Then the whole commune. The coronavirus spreads exponentially and while the incubation period is long, the amount of time a person is contagious without realizing it is what makes this virus so good at spreading.

Speaking for myself I am currently 41. Retiring at the age of 50 means I could be going Off Grid during the next decade if such a worst case scenario turned out to be a reality.

Fortunately this might not be the case. It may take two or more years, but we may see a vaccine. There are many companies already working on potential vaccines, but it is the testing period that takes a long time because they have to make sure the vaccine is safe.

(I think they should be asking for human volunteers to test the vaccine on front line health care workers. The type of people who need the vaccine most as they are working with people infected and can also infect others unless they are vaccinated.)

In the meantime people need to be washing their hands and avoiding contact with other people / objects which other people frequently touch. This is our new way of life until further notice.

How to Make a Bow Trap

For your amusement.

Worried about the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Are you worried about Coronavirus?

Well you should be, but not because of the health hazards. The virus typically only kills people over the age of 50, and even then only kills roughly one in ten people over the age of 50.

The bigger issue seems to be the economy which has currently gone into a tailspin nose dive.

Eg. In the past 26 days the Dow Jones has fallen from 29,551 to 23,581. A drop of over 20% in less than 1 month. Other markets are also similarly effected.

If the economy also continues to head in this direction and the virus becomes a widespread pandemic we will see global economic chaos.

In which case there are some things you should probably do to prepare.

#1. Double Check your Bug Out Bag

Now is a good time to double check your Bug Out Bag. If the economy collapses, wars break out or other problems that cause a societal collapse now is a really good time to make sure your Bug Out Bag is full of everything you need to escape from the rest of society and go off grid completely.

See my older post on Filling Your Bug Out Bag.

If you don't have a Bug Out Bag maybe it is time you finally prepared one?

You will also want a tent, transportation, a plan for getting out of the city (eg. a route and possibly backup routes), and a heading so you know where you are going. Eg. I know a swamp where the deer and wild turkeys are plentiful. Plus it is a swamp, so privacy should be assured.

#2. Self Defense and Hunting

"Speak softly and carry a big stick." - Theodore Roosevelt.

You should have multiple options for self-defense in the event you need to leave the big city and head to the countryside to wait out the chaos. The preppers have the advantage here, many of them have been ready for this sort of thing for years. Still you should definitely invest in something to protect yourself.

Having more than 1 weapon or skill to potentially protect yourself is beneficial, as certain weapons/skills are more suitable for certain situations.

For example:

• Archery is quieter and stealthier than rifles.
• Arrows can be reused, but bullets are one time (the shells can be recycled however).
• Black powder rifles are less likely to run out of ammo because it is easier to make your own.
• Martial arts is more portable than swords.
• Axes and knives are both tools you will end up needing in the wild and to protect yourself.
• Your best defense is to stay hidden. Nobody can threaten someone who cannot be seen.

Archery has an advantage as it is both quieter and can be used for both bowhunting and defense, but an archer is unlikely to run out of ammo as they can easily make more arrows once they know how.

The real trick to archery is that a person really needs lessons to get good at it. In the video below for example a new archery student hits a target ball at a distance of 37 yards/111 feet, and she manages to do it on her first lesson.

An amateur trying to teach themselves archery would struggle to hit a similar sized target at HALF that distance. So getting archery lessons makes a big difference.

Toronto Archery Lessons

Someone who chooses to arm themselves with a bow, axe, knife, and learns some martial arts / how to be stealthy will have an advantage over people who are using rifles and are not stealthy. The rifle hunter will eventually run out of ammo. The exception to this of course is the black powder rifle or anyone who knows how to recycle/make their own bullets, but those are very rare skills.

And even if Coronavirus doesn't become pandemic at least you learned archery and other useful skills. We can always hope that the economy doesn't collapse and everything turns out just fine.

#3. The Five Meter Rule

If possible try to stay at least five meters away from strangers and avoid public places. Why five meters?

Cough droplets carrying the coronavirus can float in the air up to five meters and infect people who are 17 feet away.

Health officials have been telling people to keep a distance of 2 meters, but this is very difficult to do on sidewalks, public transportation, in stores, etc. Let alone 5 meters, which is more ideal.

Worse, the coronavirus can survive on surfaces for up to 1 hour. So if you touch something and then touch your face you could become infected by someone who coughed into their hand, touched an object, and then you touched it less than an hour later.

So you really want to stay 5 meters away from strangers / anyone possibly infected, and if going anywhere public you should avoid touching anything that hasn't been cleaned first. This whole fist-bumping / elbow-bumping idea is actually too risky.

#4. Soap, Soap, Soap

Ironically Purell and similar anti-bacterial products don't actually kill the coronavirus. What you really need is good old fashioned soap and water.

#5. Stop touching your face so often

The average person touches their face at least 20 times per hour. It isn't bad if you are at home all day, but if you go out to a public place you should avoid touching your face.