Survival Supplies: What do refugees need?

(The following post has been contributed by Greekman. Thanks for the information shared!
Check his website at https://survivalcomms.wordpress.com/
-FerFAL)
The point of studying the needed items is that the refugee situation in Greece is very alike an earthquake –or any large scale disaster- leaving thousands of people helpless.
It also speaks of the Greek state organization and preparedness level, but this isanother subject.

check more images http://www.lifo.gr/now/greece/92341
Items requested by the NGOs and volunteers for the refugee camps
First of all there were many things needed for infants and kids:
Baby food, Diapers, Strollers, Baby bottles, Feeding Bottle Sterilizer, Toys and Balls, Baby Clothes and Shoes.
Hygiene items were also asked. No need to mention anything specific, they need everything, but of note was that some asked for empty soap dispensers.
Comment: That makes the point of being able to setup a number of faucets on a 6-foot length of pipeline.
Among what the refugees were assign for was to take a bath to feel decent.
In this video an older couple allowed them to take showers in their home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfRwyzAcYHY
The same need for everything applies to Shelter and Bedding items, and one-use eating utensils. Regarding Blankets the Ngo were providing them with one and told them to keep them for the duration of their travel.
Regarding food, some items that were usually required were:
Condensed/Evaporated Milk, Sugar & Crackers, Snacks, Tea, Raisins, Cookies, Rusks, Nuts, Honey, Jams, and Tomato Paste.
Comment: I guess their large supplies were of basic staple foods with not much of the rest, especially breakfast items.
Then there are some noteworthy items either often required or were unexpected to see.
Rain ponchos and Wood (related to the bad weather conditions during the winter/early spring)
Bananas (seems they are a very good nutrition supplement)
Cell Chargers and Extension cords.
Drawing and Coloring items and also Balloons (the kids were overjoyed with that humble toy)

The refugees also looked for free Wifi Access to connect home and browse for info.
Comment: While a lot of facebook pages and less often blogs were set up for the collection of items. I haven’t yet heard of any blog dedicated to the refugees needs and information.
I think it would be a good idea for a relief/volunteer team to prepare a blog ahead of time and fill it with info and links to reliable sources on the ground.
Lastly, and believe it or not, the refugees would benefit from some basic survival and bushcrafting instruction by knowledgeable people on the spot. Amassed on farm fields in Idomeni, their tents would get full of water when it rained since no one knew that they would have to make a draining ditch.
Medicines
Eye Drops
Nasal Decongestion Sprays
Throat lozenges
Bronchodilators (Albuterol)
Steri-Strips
Tongue Depressors
Syringes (5 & 10ml)
Betadine
Paracetamol (and Cold & Flu and Cold & Cough versions)
Natural Tears
Sterile Irrigating Solution
Vitamin A Supplements
Anti-Diarrheal Drugs
Antihistaminic Creams
Baby Rash creams (zinc-oxide)
Hydrocortisone Creams
NSAID Ointments
NSAIDs
Antiemetics (Anti vomit action)
Antacid Tablets
Urinary Infections Antibiotics
Antibiotic Impregnated Gauzes
Sunburn Treatment
Ferfal there were some more drugs that I cannot know what their type is called
Buscopan – Butylscopolamine
http://www.drugs.com/international/butylscopolamine.html
Bepanthen-Panthenol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthenol
The medicine list is a good guide for those that want to keep a stock o emergency/disaster/preparedness medications at home.
…
Note from FerFAL:
Thanks Greekman. At the end of the day its people that have nothing and well, its pretty much the same thing everywhere. After years of studying disasters and unfortunately having seen more than enough first hand, I can say its not people that are different but it’s their circumstances that dictate certain differences. Other than that, everyone needs the same things.
For example, no matter where in the world disaster strikes leaving thousands with nothing, they are all looking for: A home, or at least a safe dry and warm place to rest. Clean clothes, diapers, food for adults, babies and children, toiletries, sanitation supplies, diapers, medicine. Then you have location specific items, like warm clothes for cold climates, sunscreen or mosquito repellent. Most of all, poor and displaced people have something in common: They are both looking for JOBS.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Pensions and Medicare after an Economic Collapse

Fernando,
I have read and studied your book (The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse) thoroughly about the 2001 Economic Collapse in Argentina. I have searched through the book and your blog and there is an area that was not touched upon that is of great concern to me and to others my age.
What happened to the Social Security payments that retired people were receiving. Did payments stop all together - forever ? Was it halted temporarily and then resumed after some time ? If it was resumed was it at the original amount or at a reduced payment rate. The only thing I saw on the blog was this quote "Older people have it pretty tough here since most pensions and retirement programs (recently “nationalized”) place the old folks BELOW the poverty line". This appears to say there was some Social Security, but was it at the previous level or reduced, and was the reason people were below the poverty level due to the fact the payments were the same as they were originally, but now the 200% - 300% inflation had pushed them below poverty levels. If you could expound on what it was like it would be greatly appreciated.
Also did Argentina have some sort of Medicare program and if so did it go away or was it reduced.
These questions are very critical for those of us that are older and retired and would probably not be hire-able in an environment of 25% unemployment and would therefore not be able to try and rebuild our lives. For some of this is the difference literally between life and death. Please be so kind as to tell us what happened to Social Security and Medicare.
God bless you in all your efforts.
Dennis
…
Hello Dennis,
Thanks for your email. You observations are very much correct. Pensions kept being paid, but as you say with devaluation and the local currency losing 70% of its value it is hardly enough to keep you above the poverty line. The pensions did go up little by little as years went by, but never really catching up with inflation. It was much harder the first few years though, with the initial devaluation. These days, retired people aren’t doing much better but I suppose they get by.
In 2008, the Argentine government nationalized all Private Pensions, effectively stealing $30 Billion Usd. This was of course unconstitutional, but they did it anyway because the government was simply running out of money.
Social security, as in unemployment benefits or child benefits, we didn’t have none of those before the economic collapse. It was all created after 2001 and it was mainly as an instrument of social control and to buy political support. Years later, we ended up with a society where being unemployed, or being a single mother with two or three children by the time you were fifteen was a wise choice financially speaking.
Just as I highly criticize 99% of what the current Argentine government did I will admit that they did do one thing right and that was creating pensions for homemakers. There’s millions of women (and men) out there that have been doing one of the hardest jobs their entire lives and by the time they can’t work anymore this is not recognized and they have no way of supporting themselves. Not only do I believe it to be fair, I think it also encourages true family values contrary to a system that encourages single mother teenagers to pop one baby after another just to get paid for it every month.

As for medical care, there’s always been free medical care in Argentina as well as private medical care. The public one was not very good but it kept you alive before 2001. After the collapse it just became pitiful and patients ended up in leaking, cold, roach-infested hospitals and were asked to bring their own gauze, cotton and bandages due to lack of supplies. The government is now using the private sector to compensate for the poor public one, making the private care much worse than it used to be.
As a general rule, its safe to say that few benefits and schemes, at least few critical ones, simply go away because of an economic collapse. Just going away looks pretty bad in the public eye. What you can expect when there’s very little money around is to have services that are barely a shadow of their former selves.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Greek Capital Controls Lessons Learned

Dear ferfal here is a link to the observations o fmine on the subect.
http://greekpreparedness.blogspot.gr/2015/07/greek-capital-controls-lessons-learned.html
-Greekman

Thanks Greekman. This very much confirms what we’ve been observing and commenting in previous posts regarding cash being king, the problem with importations and how invaluable a bank account abroad can be in times like these.
I’ve also read that many Greeks are using Bitcoin to get around the restrictions.
Digital Dodge: Some Greeks Using Bitcoin to Evade Currency Controls
This could be yet another tool in the tool box, both to avoid the problems with closed banks as well as keeping savings in a different denomination. This advice may be particularly useful for people using weaker currencies or those concerned with fiat currencies in general and looking to diversify for greater security.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Argentine and Greek Collapse: 12 Similarities, Differences and Lessons Learned

As Greece keeps falling to new levels of despair, more similarities with the Argentine economic collapse and its aftermath keep showing up. In spite of the differences between a Latin American country and a member of the EU, there are striking similarities between the two, especially regarding how the crisis affected people and how they cope with it.
The most obvious difference is that Greece is part of the EU, meaning it has means of getting even more money in spite of the massive debt that caused the problem in the first place. We can debate how much of a solution it is to go further into debt but this simply wasn’t an option for Argentina. Argentina wasn’t part of a main global power. Then again, Argentina is almost 20 times the size of Greece. All European Union countries put together ad up to 4,324,782 km2 . Argentina extends over 2,780,400 km2. Argentina has significant natural resources and is a strong primary producer while Greece depends mostly on the export of refined oil (which it first needs to import) cotton and tourism. Argentina has its own currency which it was able to devaluate, which works as pressure release valve, including the ability to print its own money. Greece has to stick with the Euro which it does not control. On the other hand, after its default Argentina became a no-go zone for investors, while Greece still has the Euro and is backed by its EU member status.
The Greek crisis had three possible outcomes. First, the one the media loved talking about the most given the tragic implications, catchy name tag included: Grexit. Greece would leave the EU, or get kicked out of it. They would drop the Euro and start printing its own currency. Alexis Tsipras anti-austerity stance was what got him elected in the first place. The Syriza party was supposedly ready to do just that if left with no other choice by the Troika (European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund). This would have been the path most similar to the one Argentina took. In the case of Argentina, this wasn’t a particularly bad economic decision. At least in the case of Argentina, having an already rich country, getting rid of crippling austerity demands and running your own economy would have been a way of getting back on its feet in a couple years and even having a vibrant economy within a decade. The problem with Argentina was its poor execution of such a plan due to corruption and political problems. The more Argentina recovered, fueled mostly thanks to rising soy prices, the more the ruling party took to buy political support and increase its own power. Argentina most certainly didn’t recover a year after the default. It managed to get a couple mouthfuls of air by 2003 but for all practical purses 99% of Argentines saw a non-stop decline in their quality of life and standards of living since then.
The second option would have been the most favorable one for the people of both Greece and Europe: Reach a reasonable compromise. Find a middle point between the demands of the Greek people, an honest assessment of what they truly can and cannot do, and the demands of their creditors. In a true capitalist system there are penalties and rewards and if you poorly invest money you risk losing a percentage of that money (sometimes 100% of it!). It’s safe to say that investing in Greece’s economy was a poor investment, so losing some money is understandable. What does this mean? Creditors lose some money, they accept a haircut, just like Greeks accept some unpopular measures so as to get the help they needed from the institutions within EU intended for such purposes. No one is 100% happy but everyone has something to look forward to and recovery is possible.
Turns out the worst possible outcome is the one that played out. Greece got sold, like Argentina did during the 90’s with Carlos Menem. Everything that led to the crisis, more debt, more unemployment, more austerity has been accepted in exchange of a short term lifeline. The real winners here are the corporations that will cash in on the crisis. Greeks are now running the gauntlet Argentina went through 15 years ago and is still struggling with. The worse is yet to come for Greece. Greece’s economic circumstances may be even worse than Argentina’ in the long run, but this may be offset to a greater or lesser degree if they manage to avoid the kind of corruption and political collapse Argentina suffered.
As for the day to day life on the streets of Greece and what the people have to deal with it’s basically a carbon copy of Argentina after the default:
1)Cash-hungry
As banks close their doors and limit people to just 60 Euros per day in cash, the society desperately turns to cash. These days in the streets of Greece, just like it was in Argentina back in the day and still is over a decade later, cash is indeed king. If you have it, you have much greater leverage for negotiation than the guy with money stuck in the bank.
2)Hunting for ATMs and waiting in Line

It becomes a daily task to find an ATM with cash, find one in a safe location, and hopefully one that isn’t packed full of people. Unfortunately there’s no way around it and for many having to wait several minutes or even hours at an ATM or bank line becomes a reality. The solution? Patience. Patience or the stress will eventually kill you. Meditate, do yoga, watch a romcoms, spend time with friends or just do anything you enjoy doing. During an economic collapse you cannot let stress and depression get to you. This is the silent killer that destroys most lives during such events.
3)Budgeting
With a 60 Euro daily limit you have no choice but to make the most of it. People that thought they knew how to keep an eye on their expenses have a newfound meaning for the word “budget”. Money can’t be wasted and must be spend on the basics in the most efficient manner possible. Instead of going to the movies you go for walk. Out to a restaurant? No, lets do a picnic with a couple sandwiches. Spending 10 bucks on beer in a pub? Not anymore, those were the good old days. Even when it comes to food your approach is different. Instead of buying ready made quick microwave meals its about buying rice, pasta and getting the most calories per buck spent.
4)Barter

 


With high unemployment, banks closed and little money on the streets it’s natural that people turn to barter just like they did in Argentina. Having actual cash is of course better and how well barter work is the topic of another article, but when you don’t have anything else you try to make the most of it. It sure isn’t the utopic fantasy many preppers believe it to be.
5)Crime for Cash
With more cash on the street and kept at home, criminals know there’s more loot to be found in most homes. The Greek government saw the risk of robbery in ATM lines as well and increased the police presence. Poverty and social instability combined with corruption always leads to more and more violent crime. This is something Greeks should be preparing for. As bad as you may think it already is, it will get a lot worse.
https://www.phantis.com/blogs/ioannis-michaletos/rising-trends-greek-organized-crime
6)Suicide
The first two years after the Greek austerity programs suicide rates went up 35%. This same thing happened in Argentina after the economic collapse. Spain also saw a sharp increase in suicide rates after the crisis. In my case, when I think of suicide rates I remember the trains. Whenever there were problems with trains, you knew it was because someone killed himself. For years this would happen pretty much every week in one railway or another.
Greek Crisis Has Seen a Rise in Suicides and Depression
http://www.newsweek.com/greek-crisis-has-seen-rise-suicides-and-depression-353056
7)Riots and Civil Unrest

Molotov bombs, tear gas, rubber bullets. It all becomes part of everyday life. Eventually demonstrations become protests which the government doesn’t bother addressing anyway. These become roadblocks and a pain for commuters. When protesting isn’t enough, when people are too poor, maybe even hungry and simply mad, looting starts happening more often. You just learn not to get involved and just walk past stores being looted and sporadic riot. You try not to think about it too much just avoid the area.
8)Political fallout
In the case of Argentina the signs said “Que se vayan todos”, which means get rid of them all, in reference to politicians. Argentines just stopped believing in politicians all together. All they do is talk and once they are elected all they do is steal. Syriza came to power thanks to its anti-austerity banner, only to then rotate 180º and accept even worse bailout conditions. I doubt Greeks in general have much trust in politicians by now.
9)Austerity and Mass emigration
With half the people in Greece under 25 unemployed, it is understandable that many chose to leave. 200.000 Greeks have left Greece since the crisis started. The same number of Argentines escaped to Europe alone after the economic collapse.
More austerity will mean even less jobs, but most of all far worse living conditions for everyone no matter what age. Argentina, Greece and anywhere else in the world, when SHTF for real those that can will escape looking for a better future.
http://www.youthemploymentdecade.org/en/repor/emigration-the-only-solution-for-young-greeks/
10)The elder are among the most vulnerable

Being retired and living off a pension is not much better than being young and unemployed when an economy collapses. At a certain age, you don’t have tools left to work with and whatever pension you have will have to do. Inflation eats up the purchasing power of such a fixed income and it hardly ever keeps up with it.
As banks close and capital controls are enforced, the less tech savvy ones such as older people are particularly sensitive. Many older folks out there don’t even use ATM cards and will always go to the bank so as to speak with an actual person to get their money. These people are particularly vulnerable. In the case of Greece, even with closed banks they had to open for some time just to help such people. The exact same thing happened in Argentina and the images were just as sad.
11)Corruption
Corruption exists everywhere and it is true that in some places it is worse than others. Maybe there’s more corruption, maybe it’s the type that allows for worse things to happen. Sometimes there’s a lot of it but a façade is kept so as to keeping up appearances. What you can be sure of is that as poverty gets worse and people get more desperate it becomes the law of the jungle out there. Its every man for himself and whatever can be done to survive goes. Corruption also becomes a part of life and eventually it becomes the reason why getting out of the mess is so hard. The worst part is when corruption becomes socially accepted and for an entire generation that’s all they ever knew. For them, it becomes a goal to get politically involved in certain parties with the specific purpose of gaining financial leverage if not downright stealing from public funds.
12)Poverty and ending up Homeless

That’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it? When its all said and done, when the numbers and stats have been published and discussed ad nausem its about being poor or even worse ending up homeless and eating out of the trash to survive. This was the reality for tens of thousands in Argentina after the economic collapse. Every night the streets would get flooded with “cartoneros”, trash scavengers. Officially they are looking for recycling material. There’s a much grimmer reality though. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen people grab a quick bite out of something they found while going through trash on the sidewalk. Watching children as young as five eat out of a garbage bag is not something you want to see. Another particularly tragic moment I’ll never forget happened while running errands in the Capital of Buenos Aires one day. I came across this very old lady, about eighty years old. She was well dressed had nice makeup. There was a dignity about her that reminded me of my grandmother. She was holding on to the burglar bars of a window (all windows in Buenos Aires have those) for support and she was crying. She had a small suitcase with her. I couldn’t help stopping and asking what was wrong. I thought she had been mugged, that happens a lot or maybe she got lost. But no. She said she had lost her home and now had no one and nowhere to go. You could tell just by the way she was dressed but most of all by how she stood in spite of barely being able to stand on her feet, this was a woman that had worked hard her entire life and didn’t deserve this.
I don’t even remember what I said to her. I do know I didn’t do anything to help her because there was nothing I could do. Like millions of others, I could barely take care of myself and my family let alone help anyone else.
When all is said and done, when the numbers have been crunched, the billions made by the hedge funds and politicians, its millions of lives that have been ruined so that a handful can reap their evil harvest.
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

“Yes” Vote on Bailout bill, Greeks Riot

Molotov bomb attacks on the streets as the Greek Parliament Votes "Yes" on Bailout
 
It wasn’t that difficult to predict that a Grexit was more of a fear strategy so as to make some good investments and not so much a real possibility given what was at stake. What was a bit harder to guess was how exactly the bailout would work and how much compromise would be made by either side.
Turns out that the greatest losers here are the Greeks. They basically got nothing and the austerity they will have to endure means years of misery ahead of them. You know you’re doomed when even the IMF believes that the demands you’ve been forced to accept are too hard.
Predictably, the Greeks are mad and showing their discontent. Expect more to come, more protest, more demonstrations. Yes, more violence and more unrest in general, very much the same thing we saw in Argentina after the default. The similarities keep popping up, most of all the way in which the economic disaster affects society and how people cope with it.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Greek Crisis: Tsipras surrenders and folds under pressure

So the Greek people elect a leftist Alexis Tsipras who based his entire Syriza campaign on a socialist, anti-austerity stance. Tsipras goes for a referendum to show the world that not only are the Greek people against austerity (didn’t they do that already? You know…when he got elected?) but that Greeks themselves directly vote if they want to accept more austerity or not. With a strong “no” vote win, it was then only logical that Tsipras would sit with Angela Merkel and the IMF and not only accept more austerity measures than ever before but also sell what’s left of Greek public assets still worth something… oh, wait. Yes, that really doesn’t make any sense. At all.
Premier of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, Accepts Creditors’ Austerity Deal
This just goes to show how much of a lie this Left and Right, Socialist and Capitalists agenda actually is. At the end of the day, Alexis Tsipras showed his true colors and instead of sticking to his guns as the Greek people expected him to do he sold out at the last minute.
What Tsipras did was in fact similar to what then Argentine president Carlos Menem did with his privatization plan of public assets in the 90s. Corporate friendly, Carlos Menem famously announced one day that telecommunications, roads and the national airways company would all be privatized in his now infamous words “Nothing that should be State-owned will remain in the hands of the State”. Words to live by. Ten years later the country would fail catastrophically.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Greece Voted "NO": What Happens Now?

Another Perspective from Greece

Hello there.
Another Greek citizen here.
I agree with most of the comments OP made:
-A lot of rumors / information is spread by politicians and journalists (both domestic and foreign). No body can tell who tells the truth and who lies and to what extent.
-Regarding credit / debit cards: I do not know in which establishments the OP tried to use debit cards. I can use my debit card in most major retail chains fr food / fuel in Patras. Smaller family held stores probably do not accept them though. This can change of course at any time.
-Web banking still works for Greek shops. Unfortunately web banking is not that spread in Greece.
-OP is probably right. A lot of people are left with little to no cash.
-No personal knowledge about mandatory leave. Have heard about it though.
-Capital controls are here to stay. Nobody believes these measures will be lifted next week. At the moment the limit is 60 Euros per day. This will probably get even lower.
In short things were bad before and now they are getting worse.
P.
Patras
…
Thanks for your message, it’s always nice to have another perspective.
I know what you mean about some stores still using credit cards. I think that big business are more likely to keep using them but even those too can end up demanding cash only. As you say, it can change at any time. While they accept it though, no doubt, it allows you to preserve cash for other things.
Greeks being fed up with politicians sounds extremely familiar. In Argentina the exact same thing happened. Back then, signs held by protesters read “que se vayan todos” , which somewhat translated into “ fire them all”.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Greece Collapse: The real situation in the streets of Athens

Message:
Hello from Greece. About the situation with capital controls.
-A lot of false information on media in Greece (TV, Social media etc.) is spread. You do not know what true or not any more is. A lot of rumors are presented as real news by people that benefit from the situation.
-People cannot use their debit cards for food or fuel. Most supermarkets and fuel shops only accept cash. The same goes for other kind of shops, although public announcements say otherwise.
-Those that had already web banking in use are luckier. They can use it to pay bills and shop online but only from stores within the country. No international shopping.
-Although the situation looked bad weeks ago, many people were unprepared for this and were left with 5€ in their pocket and no food or fuel.
-A lot of shops and companies put their employees in mandatory leave as they cannot get supplies to continue their production. So people that had a good steady job are left without income in addition to the already unemployed.
-Although the government says that capital controls will be withdrawn soon, this is not expected to happen but after many months.
Petros N.
Athens, Greece
...
Hello Petros,
Thanks for your email letting us know about what’s really going on over there.
What you are describing in your letter is an exact copy of what happened in Argentina after the “corralito” went up in 2001. Officially speaking, the capital control is done to stop bank runs and money leaving the country, either because Greeks close their bank accounts and horde Euros under their mattresses or directly wire transfer money to banks abroad. Officially speaking, you can use your debit card to pay for food, gas and pay your bills, so you don’t really need a lot of cash. The problem is that’s not what ends up happening in the streets.
Speaking in practical terms, when you’re standing in line in a grocery store with a bottle of milk, some eggs and a bag of bread, you can’t actually force the shop owner or employee to take your debit card if he doesn’t want to. You can complain all you want, but you won’t change that person’s mind. With a country on the edge of collapse, it’s perfectly understandable that most businesses will prefer cash. This also happened in Argentina. The “cash only” signs went up almost instantly. Some of the larger retailers still accepted debit cards but for years gas stations operated on a “cash only” basis after the collapse.
As you say, a lot of people have been caught completely unprepared. We discuss these topics here all the time because we do prepare for these events and notice the red flags, especially such obvious ones as those seen in Greece. Still, the average person in Greece, just like the average person elsewhere, is not a prepper let alone a true survivalist. I think that in the following years, the two main concerns people will have will be the economy and crime. The economic mess you are already seeing and have experienced it for some time now. Crime will be the next stage. With growing poverty, social instability and lots of cash on the streets there’s no way around it you will see crime rise unless the government does and outstanding job in keeping it under control, which I don’t think they will.
You also mention people losing their jobs right now specifically because of the default. Again, the exact same thing happened in Argentina. You already had high unemployment, but this is like a dagger through the heart. Businesses just hold on until they figure out their next move, they downscale, they don’t want to sign any contracts or move any merchandise until they know what’s happening next. From a speculator’s perspective, why would I buy a ton of cheese if maybe tomorrow I can buy it for a lot less money under a new currency? I’d rather stick to my Euros and pile them under the mattress. I can later exchange those Euros for whatever new currency comes up, which will no doubt be worth a lot less and buy that cheese for maybe half the amount of Euros. With this kind of uncertainty, the entire economy just freezes.
Its going to be a bumpy ride in Greece from now own, even more than before. If you have been following my advice over the years it will sure serve you well. If not, then you probably want to start digging into the website archives because you’ll end up experiencing a lot of that sooner rather than later.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Argentina 2001, Greece 2015

"Thieves" Argentina, 2001

"Here are the Thieves" Greece, 2010

"Corralito" in Argentina, 2002


"Corralito" in Greece, 2015

Greece imposes capital controls and the “corralito” goes up

It was as predictable as it could be.
I do hope our readers in Greece followed the advice given in “Greece about to Leave the Euro?” posted February this year. If not, well, here’s five things you should probably start doing as of tomorrow morning:

So far it seems that bank transfers abroad have been suspended and the limit for cash withdrawals will be 60 Euros per day. Of course that is, if you find an ATM with cash, which only 40% seem to have any left.
So, what can you do at this point? If you didn’t take your money out of the Greek banking system and you don’t have any cash either you’re out of luck. It’s time to go around hunting for ATMs with money still left. You have to get up early, hit various ATMs. You should also use your debit card and purchase a good amount of food, make sure you top up any medical prescriptions you have and stock up on those as well. If you haven’t bought it already, I sincerely recommend you my book “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse”. It’s not written in Greek, English only so far, but it does provide useful advice for many of the things you will no doubt experience in the future.
It’s not the end of the world and Greeks have been living with the crisis for some time now. Lets hope it doesn’t happen, but things could get even more complicated. It’s time to hope for the best but plan for the worst as well.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Greece About to Default

The chances seem to be pretty high. The Vulture Funds are looking to cash in on those credit default swaps...

Wall Street bets on 75% chance of Greek default

...

Fernando—
You might be receiving questions about the Greek debt situation and concerns about the outcome.
I thought I would share this article with you.
Larry

Why Greece’s pension problems are also ours…

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Nilus Mattive

It’s looking more and more like Greece will not be able to reach an agreement with its creditors by the end of this month. That’s when more than $1.8 billion in debt comes due.
A last-minute deal is always a possibility. After all, a so-called “Grexit” event would have huge implications … especially for bond markets.
But even if negotiators suddenly come up with a grand bargain, there’s something every single U.S. citizen should take away from this ongoing crisis …
I’m talking about the fact that Greece’s unsustainable pension system is one of the biggest sticking points between Athens and its creditors.
Essentially, the International Monetary Fund is asking Greece to:

•  Cut its pension promises by the equivalent of 1% of the country’s GDP
•  Quickly address the fact that loads of Greeks are taking early retirement, and
•  Enact other cuts to things like state-funded supplementary pensions.

Meanwhile, Athens says it’s unwilling to take any of these steps.
According to an article from the BBC yesterday:

“[Prime Minister] Tsipras rejected demands for pension cuts, citing his country’s dignity.”

And Mr. Tispras himself was quoted as telling a Greek newspaper,

“Further cuts to pensions after five years of looting under the bailouts can only be viewed as serving political expediency.”

Wait — a country preserves its dignity by defaulting on its debts? And making budget cuts to stave off bankruptcy is considered looting?

(Continue reading over at uncommonwisdomdaily.com )
Thanks Larry, interesting read.
I’d say yes, defaulting may preserve the dignity of the people if not doing so means you’ll drop further into poverty and misery. Defaulting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While some look to make legitimate business, other “investors”, (yes, lets be kind and call them that) that “lend” money to a country that is falling apart and has no way of repaying have other things in mind. Lets look at it from a capitalist point of view. If I invest money with some shady company looking to sell ice in the north pole, and this company I just invested it suddenly fails, who’s fault is it? It’s mine of course. Mine because I’m the one that made a poor decision and invested in something that had little chance of success. That’s the nature of capitalism, sometimes you lose money, sometimes you make it. If you’re always in a win-win scenario, then you’re unfairly rigging the game to your benefit.
The problem you have in countries such as Argentina isn’t that politicians tried to get rid of the corrupt IMF, but rather that they did so only to steal money themselves. In many ways, Argentina did well on its own all things considered after the crisis. The problem was the massive amount of money stolen by the ruling government.
Greece would do well to put its own people ahead of the interest of companies, foreign or domestic. That you don’t bargain with, the lives of your people, their health and dignity comes before anything else. If they can’t come to an agreement with the EU, then they should default and leave the union.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

What Greece Faces if It Defaults

The New York Times is doing its share of drama regarding Greece’s economy by comparing their situation to the Argentine economic collapse of 2001:What Greece Faces if It Defaults.
It's an interesting read, and a lot of it is accurate, but what the article forgets to mention is that the greatest problem Argentina had and still has wasn’t trying to get rid of the IMF and refuse further foreign-imposed austerity, but doing so while having corrupt politicians and corporations that stole the profits and negated the benefits of many of these measures. This is exactly what every “Peronist” government has done in Argentina, from Juan Domingo Perón and Evita to Cristina Kirchner. Every country, from USA to Canada and United Kingdom, has regulations that benefit their own economy. At times it was more intense so as to allow local growth and development, later on being relaxed in some areas so as to allow it to compete with the rest of the world.
There’s nothing wrong with making the well-being of your own population the main priority, above the well-being of investors. That is, as long as it´s done in a responsible manner rather than looting the country yourself.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Greece about to Leave the Euro?

The media is going nuts with the situation in Greece which means bankers are becoming pretty desperate and are doing their worst, trying to convince the world of the catastrophic, end of the world, madness of epic proportions! Leftist Greek Madness they say!
The simple truth is that we have the bankers and other global elite desperate to break Greece while the new Greek government is trying to hold its ground. In reality, what Greece is asking is nothing new. In fact, during the London Agreement on German External Debts of 1953, the repayable amount of German’s debt was reduced by 50% to about 15 billion marks and stretched out over 30 years. Someone should remind Angela Merkel of this.

The situation isn’t that complicated. Either Greece stays in the EU or it goes. As I hope you learned by now, the global elite expect to achieve the opposite of what the mainstream media they own says. Right now, its clear that they are terrified of the idea of Greece actually leaving. They will play hard but finally make a great offer so that Greece stays in the EU. There are many reasons for this:

a)If Greece leaves, it won’t be paying any time soon.

b)They simply cannot afford to lose a Country and damage an already fragile Eurozone.
c)Even worse, they sure can’t let Greece go, and have Greece do better than before by running its own country. After an initial period of recession and inflation, Greece could be booming thanks to a cheaper local currency in a little over a year.

d)If Greece leaves and benefits from its own currency, other countries may follow with similar demands to remain in the EU: Stay in the EU and reap its benefits, while at the same time go back to having your own currency. Hey, if UK gets away with it, why can’t everyone else?

e)At this particular moment, if there’s one thing European countries don’t want is to start losing territory or political and economic alliances to Russia and China.

Here’s some advice

While its not likely to happen, there’s still the possibility that Greece may leave. If that’s the case then Greece will eventually benefit from it but it will take time and there are some potential risks. Here’s what you should do so as to prepare:

1) Stock up on food, water and other basic supplies. Pay special attention to food and medicine. Stock up on fuel as well. Buy some metal jerry cans and keep them full in case of inflation or in case you have to leave in a hurry. Food may quickly become more expensive due to inflation and medicine may no longer be imported into the country for a period of time. If you haven’t done so already, get a weapon for self-defense. Chances are you wont be needing it but its better to have one anyway.

2) Get your money out of the bank. Living in Greece you should have opened a bank account in a more stable country a long time ago. At the very least, keep a good amount of cash at home. If Greece does leave expect bank accounts to be immediately frozen and no more transfers out of the country. Euros will sure be worth a lot more than the new currency but there’s something important here to keep in mind: It may be the case that Greek-issued Euros are converted to the new currency and are no longer accepted in Europe. If possible, get your money out in another EU country so as to have non-Greek Euros in hand.

3) Just in case, have a plan to leave to a safer location, maybe a neighboring country. It isn’t very likely, but if Greece does leave there may be some corporations that would like to destabilize Greece so as to benefit from its downfall. Maybe create a little “Greek Spring” of some kind. With cash, food and fuel you should be able to travel if things start getting ugly.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

My Advice to People in Greece

Bank runs: Corralitos coming to Greece and Spain?

Greeks are running to the banks to get their money out and an eventual “corralito”, freezing all accounts is very much unavoidable. € 800 million left Greece last week and most companies already took their money abroad long time ago. The economy in Greece is beyond repair at his point and it will eventually leave the Euro and go back to the Drachma and Spain will probably follow some time later. While this will be a huge blow to the EU, it is the first step towards independence. The problem is that with the Euro to Drachma or Peseta conversions people will lose a significant amount of their purchasing power. Its clearly better to have Euros under the mattress now and change them later for a favorable exchange rate. Eventually it will become a double standard economy, with real estate, importations and cars being priced in Euros but people earning in Drachmas.
This article from The Economist draws the obvious comparisons between Greece and the Argentine economic collapse.
In this video I explain Corralitos a bit, what they are, what’s happening now in Greece and what are some of your options for protecting your savings.

FerFAL

Advice to a Reader in Greece: Video Reply

Advice to a Reader in Greece

Hi ferfal,
My name is George, I am from Greece and I only recently came across your blog. It’s a great blog, and although I haven’t been able to read all of your posts, I like the “simple-yet-effective” way you have of describing things.
As you know, things are really bad here in Greece, and they are getting worse, so I would like your opinion on a few subjects. I have already read a lot of your posts about money, employment, food, supplies and the “right mentality” that you need.
My questions are a bit more “practical”: For example, I would like to buy an alarm system for my apartment, but I have no idea which one to buy, and the ones you advertise on the right-hand side bar of your blog can only be found on amazon.com (which doesn’t ship them to Greece).
I searched amazon.co.uk, which does ship all of its products to Greece, and I came up with this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Milenco-Sleep-Safe-Window-Door-Alarm/dp/B002PIBG1C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337336829&sr=8-3
What is your opinion? Is this alarm any good?
I would also like you to suggest a few other sites like amazon.com that ship to Greece/Europe, not just to USA.
Furthermore, I faced a similar problem regarding many others items you suggest (they can only be shipped in USA).
For example, I thought the Solar Radio-Mobile Phone Charger was a great idea, but the products you recommend can only be found in amazon.com (not amazon.co.uk). I searched the English version of the site, and I came up with these two models:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eton-Solarlink-Multi-Power-Shortwave-Flashlamp/dp/B001QTXKB0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337340229&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aquabourne-Wind-Solar-Radio-Features/dp/B004P1U6KY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Which one would you suggest?
I am also interested in a generator, like the Black&Decker one you advertise, but this product is not available anymore. So, in order to keep this email short, maybe you could do a post with some up-to-date products that can be found in Europe as well, not just in USA. I know that I’m probably asking you for too much, because this kind of thing requires a lot of time and research, but since things are really bad in Greece (and in all of the other PIIGS countries I suppose), I think that European readers will find this post extremely helpful.
I also have a few more questions for you:
-What about heating for your house? I live in an area where it gets really cold during the winter, so we need heat, but oil is getting really expensive, so what should I use instead of it? Is a fireplace a good idea? What about using pellets? A friend suggested that I should use a couple of inverter air conditioners, which are cheaper that using oil, but not cheap (+ what happens if there is no electricity?)

-I own a small car, a second-hand Toyota Yaris, which is great for the city traffic. Should I keep it, or should I swap it for something else (like a cheap jeep for example)?
- I recently inherited a farm, but it is a small farm, so there is no way you can live of the land. Furthermore, this farm is located pretty far away (it’s a 30 minute drive by car), so you need to burn a lot of fuel everyday. Should I keep this farm, or should I sell it? If I should sell, should I sell it now, or later? My parents have suggested that I should invest all the money that I have saved all my life in buying an old house that is for sale near by and live there, but I know nothing about farm life and all my friends are living in the city, not in the village. What is your opinion? I am thinking of buying a few gold coins with my savings.
- I am currently working as a web designer and I am studying “business administration” at the university – do you think that this job (business administration) will provide me with enough money in the future? (If not, will I be able to find a job abroad?). What about web designing (Ι don’t have a degree for it, but I am self trained)? Which one is the better option for me? (I think business administration, since that is what I am studying, but you never know).
- My parents live in an old (but good) house by themselves (I rent a house in another city, where my university is). My problem with my parents house is that it is “too big”: It is a two story house, which means that they pay A LOT of taxes for it, but there are only two people living in it. Do you thing they should sell this house and buy a smaller one? Or maybe accommodate some friends/relatives who will become too poor to have a house for themselves in the future?
-I know nothing about gardening, fixing things, etc. Is it easy/worth the effort to learn those type of skills? What is the best way to learn them? My mother recently told me that she is interested in taking up gardening, and since there is a terrace in my parents house, maybe she could plant a few seeds (not as a way to make a living, but maybe as a good way to save a few euros by producing something yourself instead of buying it. It would also be a good way for my mother to pass the time, since she recently retired from work). I would like your opinion on how easy it is to plant seeds on a terrace, how safe it is from thieves, and what kind of seeds would you suggest (easy to plant-eatible seeds).
Thanks for your help ferfal – your blog is really great,
George


Hi George,
I’ll work up a post with the items I recommend so as to keep for reference. Of the chargers you mention, the second one, Aquabourne,  has the best reviews and is reasonably priced so I would go with that. You might want to take a look at this one, 172 reviews and 4.5 starts is pretty good.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duronic-Hybrid-Radio-Wind-Up-Rechargeable/dp/B002D9FKDS/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1337377711&sr=1-3-spell
For items that are harder to find try looking on ebay, on advanced options look only for items that ship to Greece. I’ve found several sellers that will not ship to Greece because fraud seems to be on the raise, predictably so, I’m afraid.  For other stuff like generators, etc, look in your local websites where they sell used products like Craiglist. Here in UK for example there’s Gumtree.com, I’ve found several good deals there.

-About heating, you first have to figure out what’s cheapest, if electricity, natural gas, heating oil, pellets or wood. Sometimes because of local production or because of subsidies, one will be cheaper than the other. Add window insulating films and draught excluders so as to make them more energy efficient. You might want to close guest rooms or any other room you don’t use often and turn the heating off there. Reducing the amount of space that needs heating helps a LOT. Right after we moved we had a problem with our boiler in one of the coldest days of winter here in Ireland. I bought two electric oil heaters and we all slept in the master bed room. It was pretty cozy. If you have a fireplace you might want to consider installing a much more effective wood burning stove. You can make it a cooking stove so as to double for cooking and heating. Try lowering your heating thermostat a degree or two and wearing more clothes. Its surprising the amount of money you can save that way. I’d go for a stove that uses wood or wood and pellets rather than just one that uses pellets. One day wood may be all you have available. An electric space heater or two seems to be a good idea if electricity is cheaper, but always try having alternative heating and cooking methods as well. Sometimes wood stoves can be found on the second hand market so keep an eye on it. Without knowing the specifics of your home I can only give you broad general advice but this should give you a few ideas.

-About the car. Honda and Toyota are generally good solid vehicles that perform well and are easy to repair. Id stick to it, mostly because it’s a good car and low on fuel. Don’t get a Jeep if you don’t need the capability. If you can afford it, then yes, having the AWD option is nice and can help during riots or when evacuating. I got a Honda CRV and I’m happy with it, a Toyota RAV4 is also a good idea and dont use as much fuel as bigger off road vehicles. If you drive around a lot and if you are on a tight budget though, it might not be the best thing to do right now. My Honda does 20-23 MPG (miles per gallon) which isn’t bad but isn’t great either.

-Inheriting a farm is more than just a piece of real state, its family, blood and identity. No, I would not sell it. I would take care of it as well as your time and finances allow. One thing you want to do as soon as possible is plant fruit trees and timber trees. You’ll be thankful in the future. Half an hour commute isn’t that bad and you’re renting right now, you might as well buy a house and fix it up or start building one if the farm you inherited is actually just land and has no appropriate housing. In that case I would have an architect design a minimalist living place with the option of expanding it as more money is available, you get married, have kids and or just need/want more space. I did such a project for a friend of mine that also had a large farm and wanted to live there. A lot of people do it on their own but designing your first house with no professional training is like taking out your own pancreas without medical knowledge… it wont be pretty. Then again the 30 minute drive back and forth isn’t just time, its also money on gas. You have to figure out if its worth living further away given that you are studying in the city. If I were you, id love to stop paying rent and start developing my own place, or if you have the money simply buy instead of renting and work upgrading your place in the country during weekends.

-Business isn’t a bad career but even if you get a job later working for someone else I recommend to keep a private practice of some sort too. Business consulting, or keep doing web design, whatever it is, but have something of your own. That way if one day you have to make your own work you’ve already started to some degree. Yes, going abroad is a possibility. You never know when you may have to do so. In fact, many Greeks are doing just that. You already have very good English so that’s a valuable tool. If you can Id’ try learning a bit of German given their financial relevance in the coming decade and more.

-About your parents. Life is too short, if they are happy with the big house that’s perfect. They probably have grandkids on the way anyway. If they want to move to something smaller then maybe they can get a smaller house and a studio to rent out for extra income after selling the bigger house. Maybe they can buy next to the farm you inherited. You could stay in the city and go there on weekends to do some home improvements of your own.
-Gardening and fixing things. Is not hard and the best way to learn is doing it! Lots of info online. My wife loves plants and has a “green thumb”. As you say,  its about having some fresh produce and not making a living as a farmer, which is MUCH harder than people think, basically suicide to try doing that during the current Greek crisis. Tomatoes and strawberries are easy enough to get started but it depends on your location, what grows well there and what you want to grow. Again, I’d invest my time and money in trees and shrubs such raspberries, use plants and trees to design your landscape.  If your mother likes gardening, then even more so, it might be something for them to look into, buying a smaller house next to the small farm you inherited.
Tomorrow I’ll upload a video in youtube with more advice for my Greek readers.
Take care and good luck!
Join the forum discussion on this post!
FerFAL

And so it begins… this time in Greece

Greece approves austerity bill on first reading

The situation in Greece has reached a breaking point. It reminds me of December 2001 in Argentina. The indicators are several and experience shows us that all combined are a recipe for disaster: The nationwide strikes, the protests, riots, most of all, people being genuinely fed up and certainly no longer being afraid of taking the streets and making themselves heard. It’s clear that they’ve gone beyond the point of no return in their crisis.  If the austerity plans continue and the irritation grows its very likely that you’ll see people taking the streets one last time and bringing down the current administration.
This happening in Greece alone would be a complication for the Eurozone, but it could be much worse if it brings other PIGS down along with it in a domino effect.

Join the forum discussion on this post

FerFAL

Letter from Greece

Mr Aguirre

I recently finished your book using your Christmas discount. Great read by the way! I've been following your blog since the beginning and so far you are spot on regarding the changes a society faces during an economic collapse. My country (Greece) is in slow mode collapse and funny thing is most people don't understand what's going on and where things are really going (debt restructuring/default). I guess ignorance is bliss right?
Anyway, one of the positive aspects of this economic annihilation for the middle class is a growing wave of civil disobedience taking place in the mindset of the common folk and also on the streets. The most successful act of this type is the ''I will not pay'' movement for the toll highway fees which have increased at least 300% in the last few years. According to estimates published by the movement and the government, at least 20% of the drivers refuse to pay the toll, simply remove the barricades by hand and drive on. This of course has panicked the companies operating and profiting from this but also the government which fears a coming wave of general refusal to pay for anything deemed too expensive (which is practically everything in Greece - food, power, taxes, more taxes etc.)
My question to you is: Has a similar movement manifested in Argentina after the collapse? If so, what have been the results?

Thanks in advance for your time,

K.C. from Athens, Greece 

Hi K.C., hope you find my book useful. In spite of the cultural differences, people (specially westerners ) are surprisingly similar, and these latest economic meltdowns seem out of a textbook.

Its surprising, but people can go into denial in ways that you cant believe. I remember a neighbor being interviewed once, she was being asked about the crime problem in her neighborhood, she said “no, we don’t have a serious problem, just the typical crime found everywhere in the world these days”. Yet on the background you could see her neighbor, now a corpse lying on the sidewalk covered with a blanket. Denial is a powerful defense mechanism, it’s the way people manage not to go nuts. Expect a lot of it in the coming years.

Indeed, we have lots of civil disobedience here. Most commonly, people jump through the metal booths or skip paying when using trains.

The greatest problem we’ve had recently was the increase of price of power and natural gas. Some people have refused to pay and for a while you could do that because the increase was of %400 to %800 percent in some cases, and was considered unconstitutional. After a few months people still had to pay and what a lot of people did was have electricians tamper their power meters so as to lie about how much energy they where using.

Taxes are so outrageous, it’s a national sport to avoid them. I can tell you for sure, most medium and small business simply wouldn’t be able to stay open if they paid all the taxes they are supposed to. The government already expects you to do this, so they rise them even more to compensate. The result? A country that operates on the border line of illegality, usually on the illegal side. Not good, not serious, and foreign investors are turned away from this sort of complications.

At a larger scale, we have what I wrote about recently, people just taking over a lot of land (private or public) and quickly building their homes there with brick and mortar (just a single room, but that’s a structure none the less) or demanding payment or a home somewhere else in exchange for leaving the squattered property. During 2001 and 2002 we saw this in the form of “give up the food or we loot”. Supermarket managers preferred to give up some food bags to each looter and spare the place from getting completely trashed.

As you see, it gets complicated fast.

Some civil disobedience sure is healthy, specially when the taxes are abusive. But if the problem isn’t brought to a legal context, that paths leads to loss of respect for the law and ultimately systematic corruption.

I stop paying abusive taxes, the guy next to me stops paying taxes HE considers abusive, soon enough you have someone stealing a public bank owned CIT truck claiming he’s just trying to get his stolen 401(K) back.

In my opinion, the healthiest path if you want to make a difference is activism ( support what you believe in, go to rallies ) and political involvement. I know, politics suck, but that’s a preconception we have to overcome. There’s no other peaceful way of changing things. You can at least support candidates than you feel represent your ideals the best. 

We've had moderate success when civil disobedience was done, but as I said before, it can be complicated in the long run.

K.C. take care buddy, try following some of the advice in my book, it will serve you well in the years to come.

FerFAL