Wow – 2021 was a dumpster fire, no? The year started off with a bang as Trump supporters clashed with security at the U.S. Capital Building, and it was one thing after another from there. We had never-ending COVID variants, a Texas winter storm, cargo ships backed up off the coast of California, record inflation, China launching a new hypersonic missile, and – gasp – Kim Kardashian filing for divorce from Kanye West!
That’s just scratching the surface of things. Everyone, it seems, is feeling worn down by bad news. Where do we go from here?
I would say the mess of 2021 only means 2022 can be better. But if you recall, at the end of 2019 everyone was thinking 2020 could only get better. That didn’t happen, so many thought 2021 could only be better. Was it? I don’t think so. So what hope is there that 2022 is going to do a magical 180-degree turn?
I hate to be the Debbie Downer of preppers, but things can always get worse, and there are plenty of foreseeable SHTF situations that could unfold in 2022.
Hold on. Let’s back up for a second…
What is a SHTF Situation?
The acronym SHTF stands for “sh*t hits the fan.” It’s used when referring to a situation that goes from bad to worse. It can refer to catastrophic scenarios, like when the storm surge during Hurricane Katrina caused the levees to burst, or it can allude to a personal disaster, such as job loss after an extensive and costly illness.
A SHTF situation is the event that leads to a local or global crisis, catastrophe, or doomsday itself.
Individual responses to these situations are as varied as the type of SHTF situations that arise. Reactions depend on where the person lives and how well he or she has prepared for the situation.
Common SHTF Situations that Happen Every Year
We lack the crystal ball needed to predict exactly what might happen in 2022. Further, there is an infinite number of SHTF scenarios and you won’t be able to prepare for every single eventuality. For example, it’s hard to prepare in advance for a meteorite collision in any efficient manner. However, as preppers, we know there are practical things we can do in the event of financial hardship or natural disasters before these situations arise.
Financial Hardship
We are not talking about surviving an economic collapse here (more on that in a bit). We’re talking about the financial hardship that can happen to anyone at any time. The company you work for might suddenly declare bankruptcy, leaving you without gainful employment. You may get fired or laid off. An accident or illness could leave you unable to work.
Financial hardship events happen to thousands upon thousands of people in all walks of life every single year. It may have happened to you at one point or another already.
Even if you have stable employment, a larger economic collapse could make it difficult to make ends meet, no matter how many hours a week you work. A sharp rise in inflation could cause you to get behind in house payments. An expensive medical procedure can wipe out your savings. Any of these situations can result in a financial hardship that – if you aren’t prepared for it – can become an SHTF situation.
Natural Disasters
Worldwide, natural disasters kill approximately 90,000 people each year and have serious consequences for another 160 million. The type and severity of a natural disaster in your area depends on your location. Obviously, those that live near Mount Saint Helen have a higher likelihood of experiencing a volcanic SHTF scenario than those that live in New Jersey.
Wildfires, heatwaves, and droughts caused $74.4 billion in losses in the United States in 2020, up 88% from $39.6 billion in 2019 (I told you things weren’t getting better).
Not only do natural disasters cause physical damage to an area, but they can also spawn financial hardship. If your home is destroyed in a wildfire, then you are often affected physically, emotionally, and economically.
Tornadoes and floods can destroy homes, businesses, and have other effects. Not having enough provisions stocked away can be a serious oversight on your part, leading to a worsening SHTF situation.
Long-Term Power Outages
I’m not talking about an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) nuclear attack here, though an EMP could occur as a result of a coronal mass ejection (CME), lightning strike, or powerline surges. Those are not common; however, there are ways to protect your home against one.
I’m talking about situations where you experience long-term power outages that are a result of storms and earthquakes that damage the powerlines in an area, sometimes causing power outages that last several weeks or months. Damage to power lines caused by animal interference or an automobile accident may cause power outages of a shorter duration.
Electrical outages due to natural disasters, inability to pay your bill, and insufficient personnel to run power facilities due to a pandemic are quite likely unless you have a backup power source. Those that live in Maine, South Carolina, Alaska, North Carolina, Louisiana, and West Virginia have more occurrences of power outages than most states. So your likelihood of experiencing some sort of power disruption is higher in those states generally.
5 Possible SHTF Situations in 2022
What follows are what I consider to be possible SHTF situations we could face in 2022. As stated, we have no crystal ball that lets us look into the future. My five predictions are a mix of building off what happened in 2021 and gut feelings.
My predictions probably won’t materialize… but they could. Anything could.
These predictions are also not the “common” SHTF situations previously listed. Those happen every year and will certainly happen to some of us in 2022.
What I’m talking about here are more abnormal and extreme SHTF situations. These are events that could impact far more people in far worse ways.
#1 – Coronavirus Pandemic 3.0
The coronavirus mutates and becomes far more deadly. This was also my first prediction for a SHTF situation in 2021, and I was at least partially correct. At least, COVID didn’t go away and we got the Delta and Omicron variants.
What if it gets – even worse!? Look at the 1918 influenza pandemic. It’s widely cited as killing off a whopping 3% of the world’s population. Unlike COVID, it had a high mortality rate in healthy people.
A mutation of the COVID-19 virus that had the death rate of the 1918 pandemic would cripple the nation and world in ways today’s generations could not even begin to imagine.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused layers of SHTF scenarios throughout the world in the last two years. An even larger-scale pandemic might cause the collapse of governmental organizations and possibly the social norms we operate under.
What happens if we get lockdowns all over again? What would that do to the economy (see #2)? What would that do to the political divide (see #3)?
Great civilizations throughout history have tumbled because of pandemics. How prepared are you? Got enough toilet paper so you can avoid the runs (bad pun – sorry)?
#2 – Great Depression 2.0
Are we in a gigantic economic bubble? Stocks have set records, cryptocurrencies values shot up, and real estate prices show little sign of slowing. When will the *pop* hit and what will the fallout look like?
That pattern is entirely unsustainable. Inflation is rising, the federal government keeps printing money, and the gap between the rich and the poor grows. How much more can we continue this before the knees buckle and the back breaks?
This article a variety of different economic events that we could face:
- Inflation
- Federal rate hikes
- Emerging markets crash
- China’s economy could crash
- Brexit impact
An SHTF financial crisis could mushroom into something well beyond our control. Think Great Depression 2.0. Do you know how to survive an economic collapse? You might need to. We all might.
#3 – Political Violence in the U.S.
The political divide between the left and right was already wide in 2019. It became a chasm in 2020, and 2021 was no better. In fact, a recent Cornell University report says that we may have reached a ‘tipping point’ where partisan polarization is irreversible.
Instead of uniting against a common threat,” said lead author Michael Macy, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Sociology and director of the Social Dynamics Laboratory in the College of Arts and Sciences, “the threat itself becomes yet another polarizing issue.
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/12/tipping-point-makes-partisan-polarization-irreversible
Political violence is not new, of course. We see it happening all over the world, and it has happened on American soil before.
I’m not talking about another Civil War. Contrary to what many people might say, I think this country is stronger than that. Today’s dynamics aren’t the same as what they were in 1861. The divisions are less state based and more urban versus rural. We have red and blue states, of course, but within each red state are blue urban centers and within each blue state are red rural areas.
Regardless, I do not see the political divisiveness abating anytime soon. Will political violence be limited to more riots, or will one of those riots be the spark that ignites the inferno?
#4 – China Makes a Play for Taiwan
It wouldn’t result in all out doomsday, but China wants Taiwan under its full control and it’s exerting military muscle as a warning flex. Will the rhetoric just heat up with no real action or will tensions boil over?
Despite Taiwan’s view that a Chinese invasion would be very hard, I’m not convinced. The U.S. could become preoccupied with another crisis at home or abroad, presenting an opportunity for China to make its move on Taiwan, where the U.S. does not have the resources or political will available to intervene. The U.S. seems ambiguous on its Taiwan stance as it is.
Maybe China just tests the waters on Taiwan-controlled islands (another bad pun). How would the U.S. respond to that? What if Russia and China make territory grabs at the same time? Do we go to war or do we sit on the sidelines saddled with debt and no political drive to intervene?
#5 – Mayhem in the Middle East
War in the Middle East is a SHTF situation so common it could have been mentioned early in this article as a “common” event, but I’m talking about something more intense than skirmish. What could make 2022 different for the Middle East?
Iran, mainly. Iran’s nuclear capacity is increasing and so is the worry about it from countries like the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. This is reflected by the assassinations of Iran’s top nuclear scientist. Iran could seek revenge for that assassination and of their Revolutionary Guards Commander. They don’t forget!
Israel has shown little hesitation in asserting its military might in the region, and assassinations of high-level Iranians could continue until Iran has no choice but to respond. Such a response would be a green light for Israel for all out war.
Iranian counter attacks should not be discounted. Their skill at delivering strategic strikes was demonstrated in the 2019 Abqaiq-Khurais attack in Saudi Arabia. Houthi rebels took responsibility for the attack, but everyone knows that isn’t how it happened. Indications are the drones were launched from southern Iran. No surprise there.
Iran could strike oil production facilities again and attempt to close the Straight of Hormuz, as they often threaten to do. The U.S. and its allies could keep it open, but at what cost? More countries would be drawn into the conflict. Hamas could strike Israel. Iraq could unwind. Oil prices would skyrocket. Russia would smile.
Will We Face a SHTF Situation in 2021?
Those are my guesses at the top five less-common SHTF situations we could face in 2022. Their likelihood is lower than the more common challenges that arise every year; and when prepping, those are what you should focus on first.
Get your food and water secured, home defenses in place, and build a financial safety net. All of these preps will help in any SHTF situation, common or extreme.
In order to get a general idea of whether or not you will face an SHTF situation, you need to consider the likelihood of an event in your area. Those that live in Nebraska probably won’t need to worry much about hurricane damage; however, tornados are potential problems.
Your preparedness will also determine whether a tragedy becomes an SHTF situation or not. For example, having multiple sources of income, six months’ of savings, low or no debt, and a stockpile of food could avert a financial crisis in the event of a major illness, job loss, or recession.
So do your research, take precautions, and get your sh*t together! You’ll have a better chance of weathering any SHTF situation that comes your way.
What are YOUR predictions?
14 comments
You said the Spanish flu was widely cited as killing off 1/3 of global population, when in reality it infected 1/3 and killed about 2.5%.
Correct, I meant 3%. Fixing now – thank you.
Increased temperatures all over the globe will ultimately lead to massive crop failures and famine, mass migrations, food riots, food and water wars. 2020 was the first year of the world pandemic. Likely 2021 will be the first year of the world famine.
Calvin your worries on this fake global warming is sad? We are being destroyed from within by the political correctness, and the hard core communist that got power through the lying medi, and cheating voting system! Wake up and do a little research and prepare as best you can? We are in for times we never have saw before!!
Fake global warming? Wow
A cheating voting system ?
Show me the proof !
tRump claimed during the campaign that there were ‘ballots being dumped in rivers’
I drove over at least 2 rivers twice a day during the election and didn’t see ANY ballots clogging the river.
Still waiting on proof of election fraud.
Man woman
Camera TV
LOSER
Of course there isn’t any proof. They wouldn’t even let the Republican poll workers in the room to watch the ballet counts. I remember all the footage of the democrats covering up the windows so people couldn’t watch their “counting”.
Unlikely??? It happens every single day somewhere in the world.
My Mum said to me, ” Two Dogs Fight for a Bone and the Third Dog runs away with it ”. My Mum had to hide in a celler and then an attic, for about 6mnths before escaping to UK from Holland. 2nd world war.
The family had to prepare! not argue over politics. Get it together folks !
Don’t forget the Russian military build up on the Ukrainian border. Like the situation with China and Taiwan, Russia is posed to absorb Ukraine. I expect when one finally makes their move, the other will too; in a divide and conquer power move.
Indeed, a Middle East nuclear war to happen in May 2022 in accordance with the Isaiah 17 and Psalms 83 prophecies. This would be God’s first strike of judgements prior to the Great Tribulation. So, May 2022- the Middle East War of one day; then in 2024 a Prophet arises warning of the world of pending judgements against Babylon (aka USA) and the world via Wormwood, both to happen in 2026. The Prophet will command the righteous people to flee to Judea for protection from these judgements.
— NATO encroachment into Ukraine
— Israel advancement stymied
Either could be used to distract from a working-class revolution. WalMart declaring bankruptcy (possibly following a successful unionization drive at one or more of their locations) could also drive millions into the streets
Let the Middle East nuke themselves out of existence. Bunch of cave dwellers living in the stone age.
Author – you look like the vegan prepper. Lol. Tell your global warming buddies to stay off your blog. What are they stocking up on Teslas?