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Understanding the terms encountered on old preparation sites allows you to read their content without adopting all their representations. Some words describe a useful function, others a vague scenario or a devaluing label. For a family plan, clear language is preferable to jargon: everyone must understand what to do.
Scenarios and labels
1. SHTF. Acronym English-speaking familiar for a situation that goes very wrong. It does not define a specific hazard, duration or direction. Replace it with the real problem: failure, evacuation, water breakage or other event.
2. TEOTWAWKI. It is the “end of the world as we know it.” It is a narrative framework, not an operational category to decide on a route or reserve.
3. Prepper. A person who prepares means in anticipation of disturbances. The term covers very different practices. PrépaCivile favours "planning citizen" and actions proportionate to local needs.
4. Pollyanna. A reference to optimism deemed excessive. Used as a label, the word does not explain a person’s priorities or constraints. Ask a concrete question rather than diagnose his attitude.
5. Sheeple or sheep. A pejorative term for people who are supposed to follow without thinking. It does not help to cooperate and does not allow to evaluate their actual behavior. It is not used as a population category.
6. Zombies or horde. In some stories, unprepared people described as a collective threat. A person asking for help is not automatically dangerous. This image should not guide a self-help plan.
Leaving, staying and equipment
7. Bug out. Leaving a place for a safer destination. An evacuation requires information, a journey and a possibility of reception; it does not mean leaving aimlessly as soon as a situation worries.
8. Bug in. Stay in place. It is necessary to distinguish a choice of home support from a particular confinement instruction. The authorities may request specific measures depending on the danger.
9. BOB. Bug out bag, or evacuation bag. Its content must match the people, route and destination. Weight and accessibility count as much as the number of objects.
10. BOL. Bug out location, or location. He must be able to receive the home and remain accessible. An address owned by someone else is not an agreed destination without their consent.
11. BOV. Bug out vehicle, or vehicle scheduled for departure. Maintenance, autonomy, accessibility and itinerary are priorities. A specialized vehicle is not necessary for all homes.
12. Hide. Reserve placed in an identified location. Its access must be allowed and its conservation controlled. Burying supplies does not guarantee that they will remain usable or recoverable.
13. EDC. Everyday carry, everyday items. The choices depend on the activity and the rules of the place. It can be a phone, a small lamp or coordinates, without obligation of offensive object.
14. MRE. Meal, ready-to-eat, ready-to-eat meals according to instructions. Menus, allergies, storage conditions and possible heaters must be checked. This is not a universal nutritional category.
Dependencies and limits
15. YOYO. You’re on your own, “You have to get by.” The acronym does not prove the absence of help and does not justify giving up contacts and mutual aid.
16. ELE. Extinction-level event, extinction event scenario. It should not be used as an automatic evacuation trigger or justification for any expense.
17. EMP or EMP. Electromagnetic impulse. Its effects depend on the phenomenon and exposure; they are not equivalent to any failure or geomagnetic disturbance.
18. Off-grid or off-grid. Independent life or installation of certain networks, often electricity or water. It retains maintenance and supply dependencies. A breakdown suffered is not an organized autonomy.
19. Rule of three. Mnemonic medium combining air, protection, water and food to durations. These numbers are not safe time frames for a person. The context can require much faster action.
Use clear instructions
Write the plan with places, people and actions: who to call, where to go and when to re-evaluate. An acronym can help a trained team, but becomes an obstacle if a loved one doesn’t understand it. Vocabulary should serve cooperation, not measure group membership.