People are on the move. How will societies evolve as natural disasters and social unrest create large groups of refugees? It is not a fictional problem and something that must be pondered before more disasters strike and add to the numbers.

During times of social unrest, the cities are the first place where fighting amongst the citizens breaks out. Government facilities are often the first to get assistance to provide a central location for the organization of relief efforts. Large buildings like schools, stadiums, or other retail buildings often become housing facilities for the displaced.

Strong leaders are critical for each local community facing disaster or an influx of people. Facing extreme pressure, these leaders will have to stand tall in the face of adversity. The game changer is adaptability and thinking outside the box for new solutions.

Current social pressures and natural disasters are fueling a massive movement of people. Socialist laws and extreme taxes push people out of states like California and New York, just migrants fleeing the middle east for Europe and South America for the United States. These vast herds of people are bound to cause changes where they settle. The increase in powerful natural disasters like flooding and droughts only exasperate the problem.

Refugees in a nomadic state are often at the mercy of the established citizens of the area where they want to relocate. Sudden influxes of people put additional strain on the resources available to the community, and hungry people will only make the situation desperate. This is why the government steps in to care for these individuals. However, community planning can also go a long way to prepare for the problem before it becomes one.

Also, remember that you can’t help everyone, no matter how hard you try. One in so many people is someone who does not care for others and will rob you blind to save their own skin. A centrally located area to lend assistance helps, but it doesn’t mean they are no longer a threat because you are helping.

Refugees who accept government assistance have little choice but to live as directed, sleep as directed, and eat as directed. What choice do you have once you are in the center? You are dependent upon them for survival. No matter where you are, train! I read a book by Loren Christensen called Solo Training. Loren describes kicking out the open window of his tiny apartment, so he could practice.

Surviving as a community means you can protect one another and produce with one another. Productive communities can trade with one another to add to their supplies without making them. Networking is the key, but so is keeping your community protected.

Post-disaster or after a big move, stress levels are elevated to a critical level. If you couple that situation with hunger and mob mentality, it’s easy to see how things could unravel rapidly when large groups of people collide.

The desperation created after people are left homeless and hungry makes it easy for authoritarian leaders to take control. There’s a story that Stalin plucked a chicken while it was alive, and even though it was bleeding and in pain, the bird followed him around when he fed it. His comment was that even though he has done terrible things if you give them a “small meaningless treat” now and then. He said this is how you rule stupid people, but I would argue that desperate people are more likely to endure abuse to be fed and stay alive.

When you identify with a particular group, you are associated with that group’s actions. Make sure in whatever stage of life you are enjoying right now, you keep that in mind. If you would not behave in a particular manner, it is not okay for the group you identify with to do so either.

There is a government response to both societal and natural disasters. Fences can protect you from chaos, but they can also lock you inside. Make sure the space you occupy is filled with good people willing to pitch in and help one another. Your community’s ability to step up is the key to surviving and thriving.