The number of skills you need to have in order to survive an SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation is huge, and very few people will have all of them.
This is one reason why people band together to increase their chances of staying alive. Having the right people around with a variety of skills and experiences will definitely help.
Aside from sharing skills, the old saying “there’s safety in numbers” is also true. A group can protect itself from an attack much better than just one or two people.
When a community grows, some people will be able to stay awake at night to keep an eye out for danger. Survival takes a lot of time, but when people work together, they can get a lot done in a shorter amount of time.
SHTF events can be natural or man-made, short-term or long-term, lead to the collapse of society, or be the end of the world. Which skills are most important at a given time will depend on what kind of disasters are happening and how people plan to deal with them.
Generally speaking, if the strategy is to bug in, then preppers will be the go-to people. When people have to bug out, survivalists and people who have been in the military will probably have the skills they need.
Preppers
Preppers are the people you want to hang out with when SHTF.
Preppers have a lot of different skills, knowledge, and experience that they have been working on for a long time.
In the event of an SHTF, they will have food, water, and other supplies stored away. Homesteaders will know how to raise their own animals and grow their own fruits and vegetables.
This self-sufficient way of life includes purifying water, using herbal medicines, cooking from scratch, making and fixing things on their own, and knowing how to keep food fresh.
Homesteaders don’t need the chemicals from the gardening center because they have natural ways to fertilize crops and keep pests away.
They might even have their own equipment to make power off the grid or know how to live without electricity.
70+ Projects to Live in a World Without Power (Ad Link)
Preppers have a huge variety of skills and would make great additions to a group.
Survivalists, Campers, And Hikers
These people know how to use a few key tools to survive off the land in the wild. They know how to make fire, build shelters, find food and water, give first aid, and find their way around.
One of the most important skills for survival is being able to ignite a fire, preferably using more than one method.
Fires can be used to cook food, clean water, keep you warm, make light, and scare away predators.
Knowing what to eat in the wild is another important part of being able to stay alive. Survivalists know enough about plants to know which ones can be eaten and which ones can’t.
They also know how to hunt or snare an animal, catch fish, and clean and cook what they catch.
Ex-Military Personnel
These are the people you want to be with when the SHTF. Ex-military people and survivalists share skills like how to find their way and how to use guns. They know how to read maps and get around in dangerous or unknown places, so they can lead the group to safety.
With their training in tactics, they will also help protect the group from attack.
People who have been in the military also have great leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, and determination skills. Their training gives them skills that can be very useful in an SHTF situation.
They are good leaders and problem-solvers who can look at a situation quickly and come up with a solution. Learning how to handle chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks can teach you a lot about how to deal with these kinds of situations.
Related: How To Reinforce a Shipping Container To Bury It (EMP proof)
Ex-military people are very disciplined and have a strong sense of duty, loyalty, and determination. They complete missions no matter what, which in this case means making sure the group survives.
They have probably been taught more than anyone else how important it is to work as a team. Success is more likely to happen if you know how to lead, motivate, and coordinate the work of people with different skills.
People Who Survived Other Catastrophes
When SHTF, it would also be good to have people around who have lived through other disasters.
They have first-hand experience and will have learned valuable lessons from it that could help them in similar situations.
Some survivors may already know what problems to expect and have taken action to deal with them. Because of what they have been through, they may have learned the best way to get through the disaster and can help educate others.
Medical Personnel
Medical personnel, people with knowledge of first aid or herbal remedies, will be vital for the survival of the group as hospitals may no longer be operating or impossible to reach.
How to store prescription drugs at home in a clever way (Ad Link)
People may be traumatized by the disaster itself, or they may get sick or hurt in the time afterward. Having trained doctors and nurses will help, especially if they have medical supplies, medications, and equipment to keep an eye on people’s health.