How Prepared Are You for a Long Term Crisis? (Page 5)

We were expressing opinions, which is what I did and you just did. But that's how I feel. I never said they didn't have the right to those arms, the second amendment is pretty clear about that (also IMO). I wasn't trying to insult anyone in particular, it's all live and let live as far as I care.

I'm sure you weren't.  However, when you have people, quite rationally, describe a behavior they are undertaking and you call that behavior paranoid, it sounds condescending and insulting.  But, like you say, that's just my opinion.

So the other morning I trained my dog to come lie down next to me crouching under the kitchen table during an earthquake.  We were able use that technique for real  just12 hours later with the next big aftershock.

Does that count?

Okay, I also have some stuff.  But not like you guys.

You're just now starting to wear tin foil?

It may be too late!

x2.  Just like some folks think people that do triathlons are crazy. 

We're good for about 9 months at this point. It's not hard to prepare for all contingencies if you plan well.

My husband has no intention of relying on the Goverment for anything, if TSHTF.

At first I thought he was crazy for being prepared, but based upon current events, I sleep better knowing we can handle any crisis.

You are prepared for 9 months of what?  And seriously, you are prepared for ALL contingencies?  Really?  How about a mob that torches your house....you ready?  You still good for 9 months?

I know that comes off as me being a jerk, and that is not my intention....but I truly don't understand the attitude behind alot of this.  Most of you are preparing for something you can't even fathom.  How does that work?

Awesome!  I should send you my shirt.

I'm not asking for you to understand. Most people can't/don't understand IMs or marathons, but I enjoy them both.

What's so hard to fathom? Study history and learn from the past. 

Katrina was a big wake up call as to what can happen when even simple services are inturrupted for a short time in a limited geographic location. It took less than 36 hours for society to start breaking down.

There are multiple possibilities of problems developing on a much larger scale: Look at the PIGS financial status. Riots starting with even small cuts to services. Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuc country and the surroundin countries may not let that happen. Problems over there can easlily affect oil prices with a devistating effect on the economy.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best-

Craig

Oh, I understand catastrophe, calamity, and a fight for life more then you can imagine.  What I don't understand is the attitude I see from most of the stockpiling crowd that they have prepared and will survive because of their preparation.  (BTW, you didn't answer my question, you ready for your home to be torched?) Most of what I read is all about me, me, me.  That'll end pretty quick.

The truth is, in order to survive life threatening scenarios that most of you think you are preparing for, you will need each other.  I will need you and you will need me. We will both need others. Surviving the type of scenario that most of you THINK you are preparing for is much more complex then how many bottles of water and how many cans of beans you have stored.  We will all need a community to truly survive. 

Think about it.  The aftermath of Katrina was a nightmare because their community and humanity broke down, not because they were unprepared. 

Like I've said in other posts here...... I have potable water.  I have animals we could eat in a dire situation. I am experienced at killing and processing animals to eat...very experienced.  None of that means anything if I can't trust my neighbors and count on their help and they on mine.  You and your supplies are not an island.  If you think otherwise you'll likely be in for a rude awakening.

The idea that you are prepared for ANY situation is genuinely laughable.  You'll need help. You get that by working together with others, sharing, helping, and maintaining your dignity and humanity together.

The aftermath of Katrina was a nightmare because their community and humanity broke down, not because they were unprepared.

That is totally false.  It's precisely because they were unprepared that their community and humanity broke down.   The people along the coast in Alabama, Mississippi, and  Louisiana, outside of New Orleans, were just as hard hit but there wasn't the debacle in these places that was New Orleans.

I was there. 

There was no reason for the acts of inhumanity that I witnessed, other then to take advantage of the situation and other people.

None of the other places you mentioned were any better prepared then New Orleans.  Those communities came together to help each other get through the situation.  Order did not need to be restored.

I am curious how one would would "prepare" for an event that leads to your home and neighborhood being underwater to the roof-line for several days. Even if you had 6-12 months of supplies, they are at best inaccessible and at worst ruined.  And if you keep your stockpiles some distance away, how do you expect to get to that area when it is impassible.

People seem to assume that society is about to break completely down. I am not so sure that is the default position of things. WE recently had a rare October snowstorm that resulted in electricity being out in a lot of places for up to a week. The snow itself was gone within a couple of days. If there was going to be looting and loss of civil behaviors, why didn't the criminals start breaking into all the empty houses with no power? The owners were often gone either for heat and electric at relatives and hotels, or at work. The power being off would mean alarm systems are not active in many places. Yet my friends and coworkers had no problems once the power was restored with any of this.

A few years ago I was in Nepal, at a time there was technically no government and the Maoists were still active. For the most part, the shopkeepers still ran their shops, the farmers still worked their farms, and the school children still went to school. In other words, for most people, living their day to day lives, they just did the things they needed to do. Power in that part of the world was often unreliable, clean drinking water was a commodity, and yet most people still behaved as civilized humans do. Obviously there are places where it is very dangerous to be, but I do find it curious that people seem to expect the worst of their neighbors. Maybe it is part of the whole "I got mine, Jack" mentality that has taken over in so much of our public discourse?

My question is "How prepared are you"?  You can't prepare for all posible events but one can prepare if they so chose what they think will help in relation to their environment.  No need to attack those that wish to post here on what they may do or not do.  I  feel it is personal responsibility to prepare and protect your family for what ever you feel is a possibility , ST and LT.  I do not expect anyone to take care of us in the event of a crisis thus I prepare but I would hope there would be that posibility for a shred of humanity.  I judge my decision by simply viewing drivers in rush hour and shoppers at Christmas.

In this post calamity, catastrophe, zombie apocalypse 'community' we're going to need stuff besides our humanity. In my mind, I'm setting aside stuff that makes sense to have. Since I possess few post apocalypse skills other than manual labor, I figure the stuff I have set aside could be my currency that you all will accept to allow me into this new society, or at least something that I can contribute to the cause. I also figure that this new community is going to be far better off if its members had some stuff handy.

This is interesting.   What "skills" are required for survival are varied upon circumstance.   If my plane goes down in the Amazon jungle, I will stick like glue to my husband.   He knows things like "eat what the monkey's eat", and how to find water in vines that is safe to drink.   In the amazon, we will survive with nothing but a big knife.   On one of our first "date weekend", we borded an old russian plane with a bunch of Dutch tourists and a "local guide".   We were a about 15 minutes in air and he leaned in and told me that if this plane goes down. we are NOT going to follow the "guide" beause "he was an idiot".   While our "ecotourism" trip was uneventful, that actual plane crashed 2 years later.   No Russian Antonoff's for us ever again.

Now that Tarzan and I live in MY jungle now, Tarzan has turned into Clint Eastwood.     But a recent conversation we had, in a light hearted way, was about how we and our neighbors would survive together.   I brought up, yes, we migh be armed well, but how does that get us water?   If all services are broken, and we cannot travel even accross town, we will have to band together with our neighbors, making neighborhood clusters.   Who has what skills?   the realtor neighbor might  be  good to negotiate with the near by cluster, even if she talks too much, we might have to endure her.   He made very poor politially incorrect jokes about making sure our asian neighbors did not eat our pets (as my husband is asian himself, is this "ok"?).      We decided the sketchy guy  next door might be a good addition = we don't know quite what his skils are.     I have canned about 80 containers of produce this year.   Mr. Booty, Tarzan, has asked if this was in preparation fro 2012.   WEll, they are mostly condiments and pickled vegies, so we will have flavor, and not run short on vitiman C from all the vinegar.

Wow!! LOL

I would let you in because at some point we're gonna need some laughs.

If TSHTF, it will not be about what you have stockpiled, but what you can share in goods or services.  In then end, the best you have will be what you can offer others.

I like your Nepal example. I'm guessing those shopkeepers, farmers, and schoolchildren adapted to the conditions you describe, which I'm also guessing were not unfamiliar for those folks. We had similar conditions during all my post-hurricane experiences (Alicia, Rita, Ike). But we live in the suburbs, know when/where to run, and either carry or have access to generators, fuel, water and cash. The biggest challenge for us is always ice; local vendors and the community come together to help w/that.

As far as order, we were mandatory evac but high and dry so I could return right after Ike. At 24hrs after, some of our neighbors were already back and taking care of business. My dad's house had standing water and the local PD had a perimeter, but they let me in to check on his place. Within 48hrs after the storm all our friends/family who didn't have power had a place to stay and we had communal meals every night (to empty out the freezers). And yes, most people in my extended family (and neighborhood) were armed, but that is probably more cultural than anything else.

A disaster in an urban area, with higher population density, higher poverty, and limited mobility changes things, as we saw with Katrina in NOLA. I think MadMathemagician and Left Brain have set up a false dichotomy: in NOLA many people were both unprepared AND lacking in community, resulting in some of the worst behavior possible. When Ike hit Galveston there was the same potential for horrible outcomes, but they handled it better, as we knew they would--it's a strong community. There were thieves and other criminals just like any other day on the island, but the residents who stayed were alert, and the PD and the SO were all around to keep things orderly. 

You just got yourself disqualified from residency on my converted oil rig when the Zombiepocalyse arrives.

I think the best example for us is Argentina, study them, its quite frightning how the working class lived in the late 90s/early 2000 and really still today...and the long term crisis isn't environmental  or zombies but political/financial.   Nepal is a bad example, our society doesn't look any thing like it - must of us are not small farmers with our own small businesses.    We are far from a homogeneous society.  If you don't think people will riot and forcibly take food to survive your wrong.   Heck, teachers in WI about rioted over having to contribute a few % points to their healthcare costs.

You have to do a couple of things, one - protect yourself and your neighbors and eat/drink.     The idea that you will just walk over to the grocery store in a major financial crisis/collapse is a pipe dream - there will not be any goods on the shelves, little gas in the pumps, you will have to barter.  You might have employment but you will not make enough to buy enough food for your family.   

Again, as others have said you do your best to plan for the worst and hope for the best.