The Event

[Rusty Barrels]

What is "The Event" that you guys are thinking might bring it all crashing down? I assume it's terrorism, grid crash, major solar flare, computer virus, hurricane, or something similar but I'm wondering what specific things you guys are thinking about. Personally I'm more worried about a slow crash than a fast crash. There are too many problems that are combining such as water shortages, soil erosion, food shortages, oil shortages, antibiotic resistance, crumbling infrastructure, etc, etc, etc. What does YOUR crystal ball say?

On this forum everyone seems ready to bug out at a moment's notice and I'm not sure why. Also, are you guys expecting a long term or even permanent crash, or are you expecting it will all be OK after a while? Are you planning a garden to support your family or do you have 5 years of canned goods in the basement?

I ask all these questions mainly because I don't feel ready for a crash. I do a lot of gardening and I even planted some winter wheat recently but I'm looking for some other ideas on how I should view our potential future shit storm to help me cover my bases. Can you believe it? It only took 100 years of oil dependancy to get us in this mess!

 

[pernox]

Speaking for myself only, I try to prepare logically for blips in the normal way of being.

Living in the Northeast, extended power outages are a possibility - warmth, cooking means, light, and the ability to wash bodies and clothes, and perform sanitary functions comfortably and from the confines of my own home are important to myself and my family.

With the state of the economy these days, having food stored is just a logical idea - it can act as a buffer so that quality of life and savings plans do not have to suffer as heating bills escalate. We also raise many of our own fresh vegetables, not only for their health benefits but for the monetary savings. This was my first year of gardening, and we ate and stored enough from that garden to more than triple the value of the seeds and starter plants that we purchased. My last set of plantings will be coming up soon - turnips, beets, broccoli, carrots, and long-season potatoes that were planted from locally grown cuttings in spring. Yummy. =)

Water storage makes sense - my city had a "Beaver Fever" incident in the (70's?) where many got sick, and you couldn't find bottled water around, as everyone was buying it already. We've got enough to make a rush to the supermarket for fifteen cases of Aquafina unnecessary.

Ammo? Who needs an excuse to stock up on ammo?

For me, "bugging out" is not something I plan on, unless there was greatly advanced warning of an impending disaster. Hence, no "BOB" for us just yet.

The idea, IMHO, and in my own home, is that preparing for economic downturn, food shortages, gas shortages, natural disaster, or civil unrest (including war) is not only logical, but a matter of responsibility to one's fellow citizens. The fewer of us storming the shelves for canned goods should something like a trucker's strike halt the food shipments coming in, the better for those who weren't prepared and NEED to shop for food to live. Myself, I'd rather make up some rice & beans with a side of homegrown salsa.

 

[Adam_MA]

The reasons someone becomes prepared are as numerous as the people who do it. For me it's several things. We saw first hand during Katrina just how inept our government was at taking care of its people. Lets be serious here, Katrina was small potatoes compared to anything large scale like a terrorist attack, socioeconomic breakdown, or anything else straight out of the minds of scifi/horror writers.

People (myself included) have a bug-out plan for a reason. You simply may not be able to stay in your house. My first choice is to stay put, and ride it out in the comfort of my home, but be serious that just may not be an option. To be single minded and say "I'm not going to bug-out, I'm staying here no matter what" is very naive. For numerous reasons you may not be able to, including forced evacuations/relocations. That being the case, I plan to be ahead of the curve.

To answer your question about food/water, the answer is both. I have food stored, long term storage items, freeze dried, dehydrated, and canned. I also have a garden, and the means, knowledge, and ability to can my own food. Hell I do it every year and enjoy doing it. I have stabilized water stored that I keep in a rotation schedule, as well as the means and equipment to clean, filter, and sanitize water I may need after that's gone.

Don't think it can get bad quickly? I think you should read Lights Out It's a free online novel that shows just how bad it can get and how quickly it can get that way, by one seemingly small act of terrorism.

 

[goofycj7]

Personally not preparing for a perticular event. Just an event period, which will likely occur in every area of the country at some time.
California has earthquakes, hurricanes in Texas, Louisiana and Florida; flooding in the midwest. Odds are we will have some natural disaster sometime in the future.
And given it takes the government weeks to help out better to be prepared for the short term.
The Red Cross and other agencies recomend having food, medicines and other supplies on hand for a given period of time.
Having a little extra such as a generator, 10+ gallons of gas and some extra food just makes life easier and enjoyable.

Just think of the Boy Scouts, "be Prepared"

 

[Plural of Mongoose]

Living here on Nantucket makes BOBs a necessity.
Im constantly tweaking the BOBs here at our house.
We also have to be prepared to stay for a period of time with limited contact or supplies from the mainland. I dont think it would be months but it could be days or weeks. Who knows?.
I dont really have any choice but to be ready for both scenarios.
Even if I didnt have to, I would anyhow.

 

[n1zfg]

I see it like having a first aid kit or fire extinguisher.

BOB or no BOB, it is also just too darned handy having a bunch of basics on hand in case something happens like the governor shutting down the roads for nearly a week (like they did 30 years ago during "The Blizzard Of '78").

 

[USMA-82]

Rogue asteroid.

And we will address it just as portrayed in the movies - nuclear detonation.

What? You think it was our destiny to discover nuclear power just so we could blow each other up? Nope - all part of the plan....

 

[codenamepaul]

My BOB in more to ensure I can return to the house rather than to leave it.

 

[dwarven1]

What is "The Event" that you guys are thinking might bring it all crashing down? I assume it's terrorism, grid crash, major solar flare, computer virus, hurricane, or something similar but I'm wondering what specific things you guys are thinking about. Personally I'm more worried about a slow crash than a fast crash. There are too many problems that are combining such as water shortages, soil erosion, food shortages, oil shortages, antibiotic resistance, crumbling infrastructure, etc, etc, etc. What does YOUR crystal ball say?

On this forum everyone seems ready to bug out at a moment's notice and I'm not sure why. Also, are you guys expecting a long term or even permanent crash, or are you expecting it will all be OK after a while? Are you planning a garden to support your family or do you have 5 years of canned goods in the basement?

The coming Zombacalypse is of great concern to me... my house is just not defensible against a zombie horde.

OK, seriously, my biggest worry, frankly, is that some idiot hauling a truck full of chlorine or something similar will take the curve off of I290 onto I495 north too damn fast... and I'm within a mile of that intersection. I've seen too many stories about entire neighborhoods evacuated because of a truck or train accident.

I have two all-wheel drive vehicles, so it would take one HELL of a blizzard to get me snowed in... although I'm not sure how bad it would have to be to shut down truck deliveries to the local stores. Tornado? I'm more likely to hit the lottery. Forest fire? Nah, the MFD are too darn competent for that to happen. Earthquake? Not sure we'll ever see something strong enough out here for me to worry about. Hurricane? Yeah, right. By the time it gets inland to where I live, it's just a big rainstorm with some wind.

Meteorite impact? Hmm... now, THERE'S something to worry about.

Living here on Nantucket makes BOBs a necessity.
Im constantly tweaking the BOBs here at our house.
We also have to be prepared to stay for a period of time with limited contact or supplies from the mainland. I dont think it would be months but it could be days or weeks. Who knows?.

S. M. Stirling knows... Seriously, this book and the several sequels are good TEOTWAKI books with lots of ideas on what would be needed to survive.