13 Scary Things that Happen When an Economy Collapses

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

In modern days, economic collapse is one of the most likely disasters that people all over the world must contend with. Even in an economic stronghold such as the United States, the possibility of economic collapse looms large.

In fact, many experts believe that the current economic downturn is just the beginning and that the severity of the covid depression is yet to be seen. And considering that the fundamental problems behind this economy still haven’t been fixed, they are probably right.

Aside from the financial consequences, though, there are plenty of other scary things that follow in the wake of an economic collapse. Below, we’ll cover some of these frightening possibilities in order to highlight why it is so important to be prepared.

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1. Kidnappings Increase

Countries that experience an economic collapse typically see a spike in kidnappings as well. Kidnapping a person of wealth and demanding a ransom is one way for desperate people to acquire money when no other means of acquiring money are available.

It isn’t only the wealthy that are at risk, though, as desperate kidnappers will take anyone they can in the hopes that someone will pay the ransom.

2. Pets Go Missing

Even if you can afford to continue feeding your pets during an economic collapse, there’s still no guarantee that they will be safe. Few people have the skills or resources to hunt wild animals when food is scarce. Domesticated animals, however, make for much easier targets.

If people eating dogs and cats in order to survive sounds far-fetched, there are plenty of examples that prove otherwise. For example, just look at Venezuela where people are hunting dogs, cats, and pigeons.

3. Water Quality Drops

Private citizens are not the only ones affected by an economic collapse. State and local governments feel the strain of economic downturn as much as anyone, if not more. When the funds simply aren’t available, even some of the local government’s most important duties such as ensuring access to clean drinking water are often neglected.

And even if they do clean the water, they won’t necessarily do a good job. For example, in The Modern Survival Manual, author Fernando Aguirre talks about how after the economic collapse in Argentina, his local water company cut corners by simply dumping lots of chlorine into the water. So much that they issued a warning that the water should not be consumed by children under 3.

4. People Riot In The Streets

When people are desperate and angry, they often start rioting, and these riots can quickly become dangerous as people take advantage of the chaos to get away with all sorts of crimes from robbery to vandalism to murder.

If caught up in a riot, it’s essential to make your way to a less crowded area or indoors as soon as possible. Here are some tips on how to survive a riot.

5. Carjackings Become More Common

In desperate times, robbing a person’s car is typically safer than robbing a person’s home since the individual being robbed is much less likely to be armed inside their vehicle than they are inside their home.

One common tactic used by carjackers is to throw rocks, bricks, or Molotov cocktails at the windshield of a moving car in order to get the driver to pull over.

If you’re in a dangerous area when this happens, your best course is to just keep driving. Stopping for this tactic, or any other tactic that carjackers use (such as standing in the middle of the road to try to make you stop) could prove incredibly dangerous.

6. Hospitals Become Overcrowded

Due to factors such as no garbage pickups, unclean drinking water, the spread of disease, inability to afford medications, and a spike in violent crimes, people tend to visit hospitals much more frequently during an economic collapse.

This leads to hospitals becoming overcrowded and unable to take care of everyone who walks through the door. Oftentimes, people die while waiting for treatment that would have saved their lives.

7. Gasoline is Rationed

In the wake of an economic collapse, going to the gas station to fill up may not be a possibility. Gasoline will likely be rationed, if it’s even available in your area. Of course, without gasoline, escaping a dangerous location or situation becomes much more difficult.

If you depend on gasoline to run a generator after the power goes out, not having gasoline could be an even bigger problem.

8. Banks Close

One of the first things people do when the economy collapses is rush to the bank in order to withdraw all their funds. One thing many people don’t realize, though, is that banks don’t keep enough cash on hand to pay out anywhere close to the amount of money they owe.

When there’s a run on the banks, banks simply close their doors, leaving people unable to access the money that is rightfully theirs. An event like this could lead to panic and a sudden uptick in crime.

9. Terrorist Attacks Become More Frequent

Should the U.S. economy collapse, the country’s enemies will be left smelling blood in the water, especially if hyperinflation or lack of funds force us to withdraw from countries like Afghanistan all at once. Emboldened by the country’s economic ruin, terrorists are likely to ramp up their attacks.

In addition to increased terror attacks, there is also the possibility that America’s more powerful enemies such as North Korea and Russia may see the country’s economic collapse as a chance to strike us while we’re weak.

10. Gang Activity Increases

Left with few other options, more and more people turn to criminal activity during an economic collapse. In addition to desperation, another factor fueling gang activity during times of economic downturn is the fact that gangs know the city will have fewer resources available to combat their activities.

Of course, with increased gang activity comes increased danger in the streets as rival gangs fight for control of territory in a time when making money is more important than ever.

11. Interstate Trucking Halts

Factors such as an oil embargo or a massive increase in robberies could grind interstate trucking to a halt in the event of an economic collapse. Unable to rely on trucks for transportation, stores would quickly run out of food and other essential supplies, leaving people who do not have supplies of their own stored up with few options for survival.

Here’s what would happen if the trucks stopped.

12. Martial Law is Enacted

In an attempt to curb some of the violence and chaos that ensues after an economic collapse, the government will likely enact martial law and turn over the governance of the people to the police and military. In some ways, this could make life safer in extremely desperate times.

In other ways, though, it would rob you of your most fundamental rights and create a power-grab that the government may never come back from.

13. People Eat Almost Anything To Survive

Imagine being so hungry that you resort to eating a dead rat you found in the trash. This sort of thing is happening in Venezuela right now. They’re even slaughtering zoo animals for food. If it happened there, it can happen here.

Hopefully, by now you realize the importance of being prepared for disaster. Be sure to check out my articles on emergency food storage and cooking without power.

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