Just remember what happened back in 2008.  That crisis took most people totally by surprise. 

Millions of Americans lost their jobs, and because most of them were living paycheck to paycheck, all of a sudden most of them couldn't pay the rent or the mortgage either.  Large numbers of families that were once living a comfortable middle class lifestyle suddenly found themselves destitute.  Well, this coming crisis is going to be even worse by the time it is all said and done, and it is not just going to be economic in nature.  Over the past two trading days, the Dow has gone down more than a thousand points.  The shaking that so many have warned about has begun.  As this shaking plays out, you and your family will need cash, food, supplies and a whole bunch of other things.  If you do not already have everything prepared, then you need to kick your prepping into overdrive because we are on a very compressed time frame now.

But don't just take my word for it.  A top adviser to former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown named Damian McBride is saying the same thing…

A former adviser to Gordon Brown has urged people to stock up on canned goods and bottled water as stock markets around the world slide.

And he didn't just speak in generalities.  According to an article in one of the most important newspapers in the UK, McBride is urging his fellow citizens to do some very specific things…

"Advice on the looming crash, No.1: get hard cash in a safe place now; don't assume banks & cashpoints will be open, or bank cards will work," he tweeted.

"Crash advice No.2: do you have enough bottled water, tinned goods & other essentials at home to live a month indoors? If not, get shopping.

"Crash advice No.3: agree a rally point with your loved ones in case transport and communication gets cut off; somewhere you can all head to."

All of that is great advice.

But I wonder why he is so concerned about people being able to live a month indoors.  Does he know something that the rest of us do not?

Others are issuing similar ominous warnings.  The following is an excerpt from a recent article by Chuck Baldwin that seemed to be written with an unusual sense of urgency…

I suggest you have a supply of food and water to last at least three months. Many survival experts insist that a six-month supply is the minimum. Personally, I can live a long time on tuna fish or peanut butter. You can purchase MREs from a variety of sources, as well as camp-style packaged food from many sporting goods stores. Of course, bottled water is available everywhere during normal times. Stock up! Distilled water will store longer than spring water. Plus, I suggest you have some water purification tablets or a Katadyn water filter on hand. And, if you are able, prepare to grow your own food. In cold weather climates such as we have here in Montana, people quickly learn how to construct and utilize greenhouses in which to grow food. Canning food is another very helpful hedge against deprivation. If your parents and grandparents lived through the Great Depression as mine did, this was standard operating procedure.