[Denny]

We're all on this board for one reason or another. Something sparked our interest to gain/share knowledge about being prepared for something. What was it that brought you here and what is it that you're wanting to be prepared for?

 

[Ramsey]

I came here to discuss being prepared for any kind of social upheaval.

 

[JeepHammer]

I'm recovering from a broken back, and I spend several hours a day in a therapy chair...
Might as well spend that time on the internet trying to lean something and maybe make a few friends along the way!

Being raised a farm and country kid, and traveling out of the country to some of the poorest spots in the world,
I've always been of the belief we should conserve more than we do, and even be self sustaining if we can.

After all, this is the only mudball we have to live on NOW,
And we really should take care of it so there is something left for the next generations beyond us...

 

[Denny]

Interesting... well, I'm one of those that has been labeled as a tin-foil hat wearer. Thinking this world is going to hell in a hand basket. Hopefully I'm wrong and everyone can just share a laugh at me. That would actually be great!

 

[bkt]

We live in interesting times.

There are islamofascists who have stated repeatedly that they want to bring down the Great Satan (the United States) and have taken many steps toward that goal. (Ever think what a catastrophic hit like a nuclear attack in a couple major cities right now would do, given our current economic woes?)

There are socialist and communist countries around the world that would like to see the great economic superpower that runs on capitalism brought to its knees (George Soros is a great example of a specific provocateur.) Our "friends" like France, Germany and Russia can't stand us for several political and economic reasons.

We have seen natural disasters hit and many people are left jumping up and down in the streets screaming for someone to come help them; these folks never look to themselves. By preparing, I am both looking to myself to make sure we have what we need to stay safe, and I'm arming myself against enterprising thugs and looters who would take from me.

There is economic instability on a global scale. Some people are talking recession, others Great Depression redux, and still others "Hey, remember the Soviet Union in 1991? That'll be us soon." Learning to depend less on currency and products and services from others and depend more on one's self to provide those things to sustain life and even a degree of comfort doesn't seem strange at all.

Why am I here? To learn from people more experienced than me.

 

[TechAdmin]

I started this forum because I wanted to learn more from level headed people and share information on all the areas of prepared living and survival. Such a massive subject that I think is very important for every American to be involved with so we don't have a total shutdown of our Nation if a major crisis happens.

 

[Fetthunter]

I'm here to see if I can pick up a few tips and tricks, and to see if I can help out a bit. It seems that when people start talking and sharing ideas, you quickly remember things that you forgot about. It can be daunting, considering that the amount of information is so vast. Brainstorming in a group like this is a good way to make sure you have your things in order.

 

[JeepHammer]

Interesting... well, I'm one of those that has been labeled as a tin-foil hat wearer. Thinking this world is going to hell in a hand basket. Hopefully I'm wrong and everyone can just share a laugh at me. That would actually be great!

I've been accused of that!
"City Folks" seem to equate the expense of something with function or quality.

They will pay $10 a bottle for 'Imported' water from somewhere, when nothing tastes as good as fresh water from a lime stone spring to me, and it costs nothing.

They seem to think 'New' equals 'Better' also.

If something works and works well, why 'Trade' for something that does the same job, but costs you a bunch of money in the process?

Buy quality, take care of it, and be happy with what you have!

I eat 'Home Grown' most of the time...
No chemicals except for seasoning and salt most of the time,
No preservatives except for salt some times,
Every thing canned fully ripe and fresh, so it tastes wonderful!

I eat beef, pork & poulrty that isn't injected full of hormones, anti-biotics, and doesn't lunch on it's own kind so I don't have to worry about 'Mad Cow' (except for those 'PMS' times of the month! )

Turns out, my total cholesterol that everyone said I'd have to give up read meat to get down when down, the ratio of LDL and HDL cholesterol improved, triglycerides went down, blood pressure went down, the 'borderline' diabetes disappeared, and my kidney & liver function improved...
And living with a garden and my solar energy projects, I'm a lot more active so I'm getting exercise that helping my recovery.

Seems wearing a tin foil hat is working for me!

 

[Denny]

People who seem to be the happiest, are the ones who are humble and grateful for what they have. I'm a victim of taking it for granted way too many times.

 

[Blufrog]

Like mindedness

Hello, newbie here.

I have been reading and researching stuff like this for quite some time. Probably one of the greatest things through my research is finding like minded indivuals/families that share the simular ideas on how to support ones self during major crisis.

One thing, if I may point out, is that people should look at ways to build small communities to support each other during those times or especially an extended period of time. Say 5-10 families that help and support each other. For one family to go at it alone, yes it can be done and probably done well and efficient, two or three families can be even more sufficient.

I have yet to decide where I am going to bail off to but I will leave the Seattle area and head East or North. Plans are in hopes of enough fuel to take the travel trailer and find some sparse area to hide out and survive.

Well I am glad I heard about this forum. I hope to learn a lot more.

 

[JeepHammer]

See, it's the 'Hide Out And Survive' that I don't get...

You guys talk about getting out of town when some major, yet mystery unnamed catastrophe happens...
THEN you will make for the boonies to survive!
(along with everyone else in your general area at the same time!)

I believe there won't be any large breakdown in anything...
It will happen just like it has been for the last 4 or 5 thousand years....
There will be wars, but the chance of us being invaded on mainland North America is something between slim and none.

There will be Pandemics like the 1918 'Spanish' flu, which had less than a 3% mortality rate, and there were NO anti-biotics or anti-virals at the time...

There will be natural disasters, like Hurricanes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, ect...
And those are localized events that the rest of the country will pitch in to help you with after a short period of time...

I have 'Guns & Ammo', but I don't buy into the 'Invasion Conspiracy' crap, from 'Commies', from 'Religious Extremists', from our own government, or from space aliens...

If we do have a problem with 'Religious Extremists, it will be the home grown version of 'Crazy Christian Inquisition' nut bags since there is an ocean between us and and any sustainable population of 'Other Religion' people.

Will there be 'Terrorist Attacks'.... Yes.

There have been exactly 3 in 232 years.
I'm not going to disrupt my life over those odds.
That's an attack average of 1 every 77.3 years.
------------------------

I think we should be taking better care of the planet,
So there might be something to pass on to the next generations...

Do this for the reason... BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
Instead of doing it out of fear, weakness and panic.

 

[Fetthunter]

I forgot to mention previously some of the factors that have pushed me towards my current "survival" state of mind...

We're in the country and only a few minutes from a 300,000 person city, which has TONS of defense contract companies (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, etc.), TONS of biotech companies, and an Army arsenal. It's not so much a terrorist attack that I'm worried about (although during the 1980s we WERE #4 on the "hit list" behind Washington DC, NYC, and NORAD). No, today I'm more concerned about a virus escaping one of the biotech companies, one of the missile manufacturers blowing up half the city, or some toxic ooze escaping. Plus, we're 22 miles away from a nuclear power plant (Though safe, it's just something else to think about). Any of these situations, while bad enough, would also certainly cause people to panic/freak out. And that's what I also try to prepare for - the "human factor", which is often more dangerous than an actual event.

Like we saw several weeks ago with gas prices, there doesn't HAVE to be a crisis - just the assumption of one - to actually create a crisis. If there's a catastrophe locally, all Hell's going to break loose, and I want to be sure that I can ride out the situation. We have a decent stockpile of supplies. They come in handy, since we're always getting tornadoes, floods, ice storms, and other "fun" weather. Just pays to be prepared for many reasons.

 

[Denny]

See, it's the 'Hide Out And Survive' that I don't get...

You guys talk about getting out of town when some major, yet mystery unnamed catastrophe happens...
THEN you will make for the boonies to survive!
(along with everyone else in your general area at the same time!)

I believe there won't be any large breakdown in anything...
It will happen just like it has been for the last 4 or 5 thousand years....
There will be wars, but the chance of us being invaded on mainland North America is something between slim and none.

There will be Pandemics like the 1918 'Spanish' flu, which had less than a 3% mortality rate, and there were NO anti-biotics or anti-virals at the time...

There will be natural disasters, like Hurricanes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, ect...
And those are localized events that the rest of the country will pitch in to help you with after a short period of time...

I have 'Guns & Ammo', but I don't buy into the 'Invasion Conspiracy' crap, from 'Commies', from 'Religious Extremists', from our own government, or from space aliens...

If we do have a problem with 'Religious Extremists, it will be the home grown version of 'Crazy Christian Inquisition' nut bags since there is an ocean between us and and any sustainable population of 'Other Religion' people.

Will there be 'Terrorist Attacks'.... Yes.

There have been exactly 3 in 232 years.
I'm not going to disrupt my life over those odds.
That's an attack average of 1 every 77.3 years.
------------------------

I think we should be taking better care of the planet,
So there might be something to pass on to the next generations...

Do this for the reason... BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
Instead of doing it out of fear, weakness and panic.

Do you honestly think the "ocean between us" is keeping them back? Do you not realize how many are already among us? Open borders have them getting brought it conventionally, smuggled through Mexico and Canada, etc. We have citizens with their mindset, supporters (financially, emotionally and physically), they're even breeding here. Who is to say they're not waiting for some message or signal? I don't live my life in constant fear, but I doo keep an eye out for worst case scenario. Fear and awareness are two very different things. I can still enjoy my everyday life without fear.

 

[TechAdmin]

Sorry guys but I don't want any divisive banter. Terrorism attacks are possible and you should be prepared for them. Debating occurrences and likelihood is counter productive.

 

[Smithy]

Good afternoon.

I'm here because I've been Scoutmastering for 15 years, enjoy teaching wilderness survival and primitive skills, have a family I care deeply for and want to see succeed under any circumstance, and enjoy the outdoors more than the indoors.

I believe that it's foolish to rely on anyone, be it your church, your neighbors, or your government, in times of crisis. If they show up and help, great... if you are well prepared enough that you're the one doing the helping, even better.

I live on the outskirts of D.C. (Northern Virginia) and have no illusions as to how much a target my area is for all sorts of catastrophe... terrorism, hurricanes, windstorms, and the attendant issues like water outages, disruption of supplies and power are all a fact of life here. I make it my job to not panic when the lights go off for a week, or you can't get water because the power outage screwed up the treatment plant for 5 days, or gasoline supplies run low after a gulf hurricane and you have to still find a way to get to work, or have enough vacation time stocked up to just stay home when the going gets rough.

Sorry... I'm rambling, but that's who I am. I'm not perfect in practicing what I know, but I'm trying to improve our situation regularly, and my core belief is that the best survival kit is the stuff you keep in your head, closely followed by whatever you have on your person at a given moment. Everything else is just gravy.

See ya around the forum... and thanks, Dean, for putting it up.

 

[TechAdmin]

Not a problem. Glad everyone is joining and learning. Being prepared has this stigma attached to it like we are backwoods nuts. It's sad because so many generations have lived in such great times they have no idea how bad it could get even in a civilized Nation. I personally think it's every Americans duty to have the bare essentials covered for their family so they are not so reliant on social services instantly in an emergency.

 

[Smithy]

My grandparents certainly would have never considered abdicating their responsibility for self-reliance. My parents, on the other hand... I choose to learn from their example, and live in a way where personal responsibility is the expectation, not the exception.

Simple rules... What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours. If we share, we share. If we don't, we don't. Your word is your honor.

Never rely on the generosity of others to get you through the day. Isn't that what this country was founded on?

 

[Freedom]

Hi Freedom here Have been into survival for about 10 years now and believe in being prepared for anything that comes my way.

 

[carnut1100]

I spent a lot of my childhood living in the bush with no power or phone or running water and had an absolute ball.
Now I am trying to prepare for things like power outages that mean no water in the house because the pump is electric, or the supermarkets are shut for a week so no supplies, or if something cut the road between here and town making a 45 minute trip into a 3 hour roundabout and so forth.
I don't think terrorist attacks are that likely where I am but it doesn't even need that to knock out a power grid for a fortnight and people go nuts. I don't want to have to be in town if that happens.
Likewise I am looking to buy my own property and I will be making it non-grid reliant as soon as possible.
If the power goes out, I will still have water and cooking and good food stocks while everyone else is eating canned spaghetti and washing from a bucket.

 

[kc5fm]

Here for a reason

What was it that brought you here and what is it that you're wanting to be prepared for?

What brought me here was to provide some interesting thoughts (I hope) to the topic of disaster preparedness and to see what Citizens are thinking about the topic.

What I'm preparing for is the hazards identified in the LOCAL Hazard Mitigation Plan.

No sense in preparing for a tsunami. Texas is in the way.

Seriously, contact your local Emergency Manager or American Red Cross office. There, you will find what local hazards there are.