# What disaster are you preparing for?



## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

What type of disaster are you preparing for? Check off all options that apply to your situation. If there's a scenario I missed let me know what it is.


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## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

I like the big foot option up there... 

Seriously, Im not so much preparing for some disaster to happen more so just getting myself in a position that I dont have to rely on any one else to take care of me or mine... Making myself independant of the system as it were.


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## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

Washkeeton said:


> I like the big foot option up there...
> 
> Seriously, Im not so much preparing for some disaster to happen more so just getting myself in a position that I dont have to rely on any one else to take care of me or mine... Making myself independant of the system as it were.


I agree with Washkeeton. Independence is preparedness enough for just about anything. However, I do like to think through those specific scenarios in case my preps/prep area are somehow compromised.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Wash / FN - I salute your pursuit of independence.


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## JeepHammer (Oct 10, 2008)

Morons all across the north are complaining about snow, Ice & Cold.

Does a bunch of good to chew out the utilities and highway workers because of a NATURAL EVENT...

It's not really a disaster, because we all KNOW winter is coming, and if you live in the north, you should have enough sense to know that is a bad storm is coming sooner or later!...

I spent most of my day running around fixing winter weather related things for people that should have winterized two months ago!

Can't say no to friends and family.... 
Sometimes I WISH I COULD, 
Or I wish I could charge them!
But I'm 'Farm Folks' and we can't do that, it would be in poor taste...

I did pick up a double door wood burning stove today!
Heavy duty sucker! Short and squat, but will hold about a 3' log, so that's good!

The guy was remodeling a home they just purchased, and removed this 'RUSTY PIECE OF JUNK' from the basement...
Wanted to know if I knew anyone that would haul it off cheap!!!!

I about fell over!

SO!,
I'm waiting for a day when it's warm enough outside to sandblast, then I have a new stove for the alternative heat in my shop!

(Have a double barrel stove now, and I don't like it much, old and leaky)


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## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

Canadian--you talk of the city... You talk of not being able to prepare as it is... cant you hunt around where you live?...or at least out of town?? I know there are moose and the likes all over Canada.. there is fishing too.. I realize that you may not be able to dip net as we do here in alaska but you can do some fishing etc... There is no reason you cant cut your food bills some even then... I have friends in canada, yes they live way out away from every one, but they do hunt. How big of a piece of property do you live on? depending on size you have avail you can container garden as well as on a small plot of land grow quite a bit if you do a square foot garden...In 4 --16 square foot squares I grew so many things when I lived down south... I was able to feed a family of four most all of our vegies for the summer... My mom was so impressed with how I did, she continued to grow food in them for about the next 20 yrs up to her death about 5 yrs ago...

Everywhere I have lived I have made myself somewhat independant of the system... it has only been this past few yrs that I havent been focusing on that...I am working my way back as we speak... 

For those of you who dont think you can do anything on a small plot of land, I have a friend in Kansas that has 3/4 an acre that she lives on... in town. She has 4 goats now, rabbits, chickens, and what isnt the animal area or house is all in garden. Now the kicker of this is that they live on a limited income and there is 2 families living off this... 7 people... 4 adults and 3 children. Her parents are (i wont say elderly) but older... at least sixties. With the animals and the garden they provide about 85% or so of their families food needs per year.


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## vikx (Nov 13, 2008)

I agree-take care of my own. Not the disaster but the situation. Be prepared to live without grocery stores, gas stations, power, water, etc...help my neighbors. VK


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Wash - Yeah it's super small and the condo corporation that owns the common area does not allow plants other than grass. My lawn is about 4' x 6' but I'm only allowed to have grass. Hunting is pretty tough around here. I have to drive about two hours on the highway before I have a possibility to hit a deer with my car. Since I'm in the city I drive a fuel sipping car. I'd probably need a truck of some kind for hunting. Just to get onto the land and to take the animal out once I've found it. 

I still have to get the hunting permit which is a big hassle. Then you have to get permission from a local land owner. There's almost no government land around us because we're such a big city. As far as saving money we'd probably come out even after we bought all the gear etc. I would like to go hunting but it's not all that practical. I do have friends who hunt but they live at the far edge of the city. I'll go with them some time but It's not all that practical for me to hunt. 

In Toronto it is also illegal to keep any animal which is classified as a farm animal. Not even chickens. It's a pretty big city too. From downtown to the town of Newmarket in the north it's about 35 miles of solid city with a little break just before Newmarket where there are still some farmer's fields that are being paved over to make malls and town homes. 

There are a lot of things I do like about the city. So there is a bit of balance.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Vikx - Cheers!


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## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

Wow... I did know hunting is different there than here...I know that your gun laws are different also. As far as your condo.. do you have a balcony or portch of your on the bottom floor to be able to do some container gardening. Instead of growing flowers grow food... I am aware condo living isnt the ideal to be able to set yourself up more independantly... believe me I know... lived in one for about 2 months.. I couldnt take the life..

What I have done here is basically set up a back up system for each system on the grid. I am getting a hand pump for the well. I have a wood stove that can double to cook on if necessary... the propane stove that I bought is a totally non electric. All large tools as in the tractor have hand tools to do the same function. I have a tractor that I got for the gardening area.. It will be just as easy to create raised beds and use the broad fork to turn and set up a square foot system. I have a plow and a hand scoop... (ok that is why it is nice to have kids) We scooped 6 to 10 inches of snow out of my drive one yr... Let me tell you I would rather hunker down than have to scoop the drive again... that was actual labor...that isnt to say I dont have the hand tool to suffice if there is no oil or gas. I have back up lighting in the form of wind ups and the likes.. I have pets in the house that keep me from keeping an open flame of either candle, oil etc. I also have a few hand tools to build and create new things if needed...Im now looking at renewable... wind and solar. With the expense of that it will be kinda far off...


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## dru9 (Nov 10, 2008)

Hey Canadian

You're right about permits (gun and hunting) being a hassle. But for the land thing for hunting - there are literally bags of crown land within 2 hours of us. No need for permission, just the permit.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Dru9 - Depends a bit on if there is a "cull" order. Also depends on if you want to get a "doe" permit for the season. Generally "cull" orders only stand on private land as farmers need the excess population culled. Doe permits are also easier to get when hunting on private land. It also depends on time of the season and how many animals the bowhunters and muzzle loaders took at the pre season. Rifle hunters get to take whatever is left. 

There is a lot of crown land but there's also the question of how to get onto it from a main road. In many cases this involves crossing several people's property lines, roads, and fences - depending on how far away from the city you want to go. There's also the problem of shooting near someone else's property. A .308 will travel 4km if you miss. You've got to be pretty far out there to stay in the good graces of the ministry of natural resources who are always looking for ways to give people fines.


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## dru9 (Nov 10, 2008)

Thanks for the info on deer, didn't know all that (obviously I'm no hunter - YET).

But bear can be taken (unless those guys were lying to me), and ducks as well.

Crown land that I camp and 4 wheel in doesn't pass through much private land, and the pockets are quite large.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Bear is still illegal if you do not have a permit. If you get a permit for bear you're fine. Hunters who fire on bears in "self defense" have gotten fines from the ministry. You can't shoot anything that happens to "wander across your crosshairs" unless you have a specific permit for that animal. 

You can also only shoot one bear per season. So if you happen on a family and you kill one you have to leave the rest alone. If the rest of them charge you and you shoot them all you're looking at multiple fines. I think the fine is about $600 per bear. A bear permit is only about $33 if you do it legally. 

Your 4 wheeling areas sounds good. But all the human and vehicle traffic will probably scare all the animals off. It's be interesting to know of you're ever seen a deer there. If you're in a spot that sees a lot of human activity you have a decreased chance of seeing the animal you're looking for. Unless you're looking for bears at the local garbage dump. But that's not really hunting.


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## dru9 (Nov 10, 2008)

You definitely have to have your permits in order - and I've seen plenty of deer/bear roaming about.

As the sun goes down you can hear the shotguns going off for the ducks. It's a little unsettling because they sound so close.

One camping trip I was on, there were 2 guys on ATVs darting about with rifles on their racks. They said they were hunting for bear, and were checking on the bait they had left hanging throughout the woods. Turns out a couple of the baits were hanging within a couple hundred metres of us!

Back on topic though, I think that with where we are at, my major concern is failing utilities due to storms and the like.


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## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

Failing utilities are common here for the winter, with the trees falling, heavy snows, winds that can range from 50 mph up to 100 occasionally... 

That was the first preps I did, wood stove, non elec stove, hand cranked flashlights, etc. Just need the hand well pump and will be ready for anything... As it is I have to haul water right now.


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## drifter (Dec 22, 2008)

civil unrest and food shortage


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## Herbalpagan (Dec 8, 2008)

I prepare for weather emergancies, failing utilities, snow etc., but I also keep my eye out for other things such as civil unrest or economic disasters.


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## endurance (Nov 26, 2008)

In some semblance of order of likelihood with probably an order of magnitude drop as you go down the list:
Outdoor recreation incident (lost, injured, weather issues, exhaustion in the field, etc)
Winter driving incident (trapped in car, stuck, accident, etc)
Winter storm trapping me at home or office
Short-term electric utilities failure (local lines down or grid issues)
Localized flash flooding (primarily a concern at work and recreating)
Extreme heat spells (particularly when combined with power loss)
Economic recession and/or depression (deflation, inflation, hyperinflation, unemployment)
Oil supply disruptions (From hurricanes to terrorism aimed at ports and refinery capacity)
Peak energy related issues (rising energy prices, shortages, lack of reliability)
Food security (prices relating to peak oil & short term problems due to personal economics)
Pandemic (flu-like viruses and other critters)
Civil unrest (isn't that an oxymoron?)
Climate change (and it's global repercussions)
Electro-magnetic pulse (EMP-as a tool of terrorist states (Russian republics? N. Korea?) or weapon of choice for China/Russia)


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

The EMP? I don't know how you'd make one apart from setting off a nuclear bomb. Can you make an EMP that's portable enough to drop on a city? Wouldn't it require a huge power source?


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## ke4sky (Oct 21, 2008)

*Lightning Induced EMP flux from "ground bounce"*

The engineering precautions for critical infrastructure protection from lightning induced localized EMP events also provide good protection from low yield nuclear events for equipment ouitside the moderate damage radius.

See:

IEEE Xplore - Login

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) - a terrorist attack would most likely be a small device <10 kilotons yield, EMP effect of a ground burst would be mostly within the Moderate Damage Radius, but also propagated by conductors such as power and telephone lines, railroad tracks, pipelines, etc.

Electromagnetic pulse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Disconnect electronics from conductors (AC mains and antennas)

Store small solid-state electronics having Field Effect Transistors (FET) or other integrated circuits (IC) in a Faraday Cage (an unplugged microwave oven)

Construct EMP-resistant containers constructed with a continuously sealed metal barrier (foil covered cardboard boxes)

Most susceptible to EMP damage are automobiles with onboard "computers" which control essential functions


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I'd be more worried about the effects of the nuclear blast and radiation. Dying of radiation sickness takes priority over using my dvd player.


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## Backwoods (Oct 27, 2008)

I guess I'm planning for them all in a way. Mostly weather and local power outages on the low scale. Then step up to food shortages and civil unrest with nuke and terror attacks.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I'm surprised nobody has voted for Bigfoot yet. The mythical creature or the monster truck. Both could be very scary. In fact what if Bigfoot was driving Bigfoot!?! How do you prepare for that?


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## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

Canadian said:


> I'm surprised nobody has voted for Bigfoot yet. The mythical creature or the monster truck. Both could be very scary. In fact what if Bigfoot was driving Bigfoot!?! How do you prepare for that?


I did...not on the poll but on the comments section....


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## endurance (Nov 26, 2008)

Canadian said:


> The EMP? I don't know how you'd make one apart from setting off a nuclear bomb. Can you make an EMP that's portable enough to drop on a city? Wouldn't it require a huge power source?


My EMP concern is that with one high altitude, high yield airburst, 90% of the US powergrid and connected devices could be wiped out. While the military may fare well, the civilian population would face a sudden and serious change of lifestyle for a prolonged period of time.

While it's not something a rogue state like Iran could pull off right now, China and Russia definitely could. North Korea, if they ever made a proper nuke, has some pretty advanced missile technology, as does Pakistan. While I'm not sure they have the capability of a US center of mass shot, just taking out the western power grid would have a serious impact on the US economy. Like I said at the opening, it's several order of magnitude less likely than a severe winter storm forcing me to spend the night in my car sometime in my lifetime, but I keep it in mind when planning.

The attractiveness to a country using EMP vs. a ground or low altitude air strike on a city is: little to no fallout produced, unlikely to receive a full-scale response like direct attack on a city, and it serves as a tool of disruption rather than a tool of destruction. If you had any thought of invading a country, would you rather invade a radioactive country or a country that has fallen into the dark ages suddenly without the radiation? If you're invading to capture land to feed your people or oil to drive your nation, the answer is obvious. As we get further into a peak oil scenario, I see the risk of this type of attack as a growing threat.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Ah, Finally a vote for bigfoot! I feel much better.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Two votes for bigfoot now. The tinfoil hats are coming out in full force.


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## skip (Dec 13, 2008)

Me, my main concern right now is an economic or political meltdown. That is why I try to concentrate on food production and preservation. I intend to draw as little attention to myself as possible. I have guns, but intend to use them mainly as hunting tools, and as self defense as a last resort.

Natural disaster is also something you have to be prepared for around here. We have been without electricity for a week due to ice storms 2 of the last 3 years.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

there is a television show I am quite fond of called Jericho that dealt with simultaneous terrorist attacks on 23 US cities & how a small Kansas town deals with things like infrastructure collapse & 'road warrior syndrome'.

yes, i AM a Jericho NUT...


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

The road warrior scenario is what worries me most. We've got lots of roads around here..


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## risabee (Dec 16, 2008)

Very few ships have left port since September, and of those that did, few are landing their cargo.

http://www.investmenttools.com/images/wfut/crb/bdirecent.gif

Shippers are affected by the banks not being willing to lend -- without letters of credit, they can't move their stuff. This includes wheat, soybeans, corn, rice.

FOOD is going to be an issue in the near term, due to the collapse of the Wall Street Ponzi scheme (not Madoff -- the big one, in which the government has just involved us all as the final round of suckers).

Meanwhile there is Peak Everything. Soil quality dropping, seafood dropping, water tables dropping, drought areas growing, flood areas ditto, stronger storms, will all stress food production and distribution. Energy supply disruption is also likely. Expect social disorder accordingly.

It may be quite impossible to prepare for these things. What one can do, near term, is 1) get out of debt and 2) be where you can grow food. Think also about lasting a long time in relative isolation in case of pandemics.

I was in Toronto when SARS flew in, and it was interesting to see just how thin the veneer of civilization can be, even in what I regard as one of the most civil and civilized countries on the planet.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Yeah SARS was interesting. People barricaded themselves in their homes. The malls were empty. Everyone was afraid to get coughed on. Sales of hand sanitizer went through the roof. It killed tourism and the local economy took a big hit. We also had the bird flu scare and mad cow disease at the same time as SARS.


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## endurance (Nov 26, 2008)

In the last two months I've watched the price of a 25 pound bag of white rice go from $9.92 to $12.96 at my local Costco. While it's still not unreasonable, that's a 25% price jump in two months.

With the flooded farms in the midwest last summer and international credit locked up, things have the potential to get pretty scary if next year's harvest doesn't come in as a bumper crop.

Just goes to show you that the real danger isn't something you've been planning for or the experts have thought a lot about; it's the combination of factors that lead to a cascade of events with consequences that we never foresaw.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Canadian said:


> Yeah SARS was interesting. People barricaded themselves in their homes. The malls were empty. Everyone was afraid to get coughed on. Sales of hand sanitizer went through the roof. It killed tourism and the local economy took a big hit. We also had the bird flu scare and mad cow disease at the same time as SARS.


oh yeah, that was a GREAT time for me... the roads had appreciably less traffic on them for what, two weeks?... my 'conspiracy theory' was that this was a trial run by the NWO as a social control (fear inducing) mechanism... I never did see the big deal with SARS, considering it's pretty much the flu.

then again, i HAVE had the flesh-eating bacteria... it GAGGED on my flesh!


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## risabee (Dec 16, 2008)

>flesh-eating bacteria

It killed my son's best friend, when he was in the hospital for something quite unrelated. They watched him basically melt onto his sheets in about a week.


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## littlechickenranchHen (Dec 30, 2008)

I voted for all. I guess anything is possible!


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Well at least Bigfoot gets another vote.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

looks like you might want to add 'supervolcano' to the list ^_^


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I think we can slot supervolcano under natural disaster.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I'm shocked that the bizarre category with bigfoot, zombies, and aliens is treated as a more credible threat than judgement day. 

It's also funny that nuclear war is only a slightly more credible threat than bigfoot. 

Still the economy leads the way in terms of being a source of disaster.


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

I prepare less by type of disaster than I do by basic needs. The needs are pretty much the same, no matter what the disaster. As I meet my goals for the basics I do specific things for specific disasters. There really aren't that many individual elements that aren't appropriate for several sets of circumstances. My ultimate goal is to be as self-sufficient for as long of a period as it is practical to be in modern society.

This is a list of the things I consider when I’m making preps, in no specific order after the first four (No. I’m not ready for all of them yet.):

Armageddon
Global nuclear war 
Limited nuclear war/attack
Chemical/Biological war/attack
Weather Modification attack
Major conventional war
New colonial activity (Fr., Sp., Port., It., Germ., Japan, China, Russia, UK, Brazil, Ven.)
A new Persian Empire
Invasion of the US
Regional climate change
Global warming
Global cooling/Ice Age 
Celestial object impact/near miss
Nemesis induced Oort Cloud meteorite rain
Black hole appearance
Dark matter/anti-matter incident
UN/One World Gov
NWO
US Coup 
US revolution
Government Tyranny
Anarchy
CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)
Ozone layer depletion
Solar radiation increase/decrease
Gamma ray burst from neutron star collision
Earth orbit shift
Magnetic pole shift
Rotational pole shift 
Earth Core Cooling
Massive tectonic activity
Grand Alignment induced tectonic activity
EMP attack (Electro Magnetic Pulse)
Major nuclear power plant incident
Utilities failures 
Terrorism in about a thousand different forms 
Martial Law 
Travel restrictions
Communication restrictions
Weapons restrictions
New, more restrictive assault weapons ban
Total gun ban
Local/regional gun grab
Gold/PM restrictions
Gold/PM recall
Rampant inflation
Major economic depression
Nationwide/global economic breakdown
Personal financial breakdown 
Loss of job
Personal/family catastrophic illness
Bank closure/failure/mandated bank holiday 
Strikes/boycotts/embargoes/price controls
Food shortages/price increases
Water shortages
Shortages of goods and services for a variety of reasons
Peak oil
Fuel shortages/price increases
Methane Hydrate release
Gulf Stream shutdown
Overpopulation
Rapid Population Decline
Social break down
Widespread civil unrest/riots 
Aztlan/Reconquista Uprising
Civil war
Ethnic war
Racial war
Religious war
Resource war 
Refugees
Becoming a refugee
Landslide/mudslide
Brownout
Blackout
Avalanche
Hurricane
Hypercane
Tornado
Earthquake
Flood
Sea level rise
Sea level drop
Tsunami
Mega Tsunami (La Palma, West Antarctic Ice Sheet)
Volcano
Mega Volcano (Yellowstone Caldera)
Lahar
Pyroclastic flow
Blizzard 
Hail
Lightening
Heat wave
Antibiotic resistant bacteria
Epidemic
Pandemic
Pestilence 
Rainforest deforestation
Forest fire/wild fire
Fire storm 
Sand/dust storms
House/apartment/building fire
Drought 
Crop failures 
Hazmat incident 
Medical emergency
Local major accident (aircraft/auto/rail/building)
Airplane crash
Automotive accident
Shipwrecked/marooned
Becoming lost in the wilderness
Becoming lost in the megalopolis
Crime wave 
Local major crime 
Dangerous wildlife confrontation
Wild animal rampage
Addictive Entertainment
Eco-system collapse
Out of control bio-genetics/bio-technology/Nano-technology/robotics
Sub-atomic particle research accident
Extraterrestrial biological contamination
Evidence of extraterrestrials
Hostile extraterrestrials
Peaceful extraterrestrials
Biblical flood
Biblical plagues
Second coming
A New Messiah
The Anti-Christ
Zombies/vampires/werewolves/other supernatural dangers (just kidding!)


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Jerry, that's quite a list, your closet full of anxieties is greater than mine.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Dude. How do you prepare for the anti-christ?


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## preparednesspro (Apr 17, 2009)

I'm preparing for [nearly] all of the above and I can honestly say that I'm not scared or concerned. I feel confident in my preparedness efforts. One thing that scares me though is the threat of a fire. It doesn't matter how well prepared I am, my toaster or my refrigerator, or any other electrical wiring could just decide one day to spark and voila, I've got a fast spreading fire that I can't do much about in less than three minutes. In such a case a great deal of my "preparedness" can literally go up in flames. If this is a concern for you, too, here are a few preparedness tips that may be of interest to you: But What about a Fire? « Preparedness Pro


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

Canadian:

There are several situations that have the same general plan. I try to make sure I'm always on good terms with God. And have plans to fight evil right to the end. Corny, I know, but that's the way I see it.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Right on Jerry. If you're fighting evil you should have your own comic book. It'd be awesome.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Canadian said:


> Dude. How do you prepare for the anti-christ?


I know how I did it... I married his SISTER!


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Canadian said:


> Dude. How do you prepare for the anti-christ?


I got my salvation, after putting myself through the meat grinder of life, it was the only policy I ever got for free.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

What does the sister of the anti-christ look like?


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## endurance (Nov 26, 2008)

LOL, Blob, did you marry her before or after my divorce from her?


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

endurance said:


> LOL, Blob, did you marry her before or after my divorce from her?


well... it was in Utah...


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Multiball!


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## jebrown (Nov 7, 2008)

On what basis makes you a preparednesspro?


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Now I'm waiting for Bigfoot etc. to catch up with industrial accident. One more vote needed.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

The Bar Graph seems to be toward economic collapse. I think we have always had that problem. I was at the Gerald Ford Museaum in Grand Rapids, Mi. a month ago. It was basically about the early mid 1970's the major issues were about run away inflation, especially food, oil and gas prices. Job losses were a major concern and social issues such as bussing. 
It seems we have always had these issues and others that we never get over. They just change with the times. For some reason I think there is an element of society that doesn't want these issues to ever be solved.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I think we're headed for something even worse than the 1930's. The collapse of the economy is my number one fear. Simply because it is the most likely scenario.


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## mradam (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm prepping for economic collapse, because it does seem so very possible. And also for natural disaster, such as earthquake, which could seriously screw up my area.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I'm in a pretty earthquake free zone. Although they did build the pickering nuclear reactor right over a major fault line.


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## endurance (Nov 26, 2008)

Canadian, don't you guys get some pretty nasty ice storms where you're at? Winter storms have always been one of those things that kills quietly. Just a few folks each storm, but dozens every year. I'm lucky and have a job that will let me take work home if the forecast is looking bleak. I'm sure it's saved me a few fender-benders at the very least.


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## northernontario (Oct 29, 2008)

Canadian is pretty lucky... knowing where he is... he's not susceptible to major ice storms, and only the occasional major snowfall. And because he is in a major metropolitan area, it's not as dangerous when the snow hits, cause things aren't as far away. 

It's more the rural area about 100km north/east of the greatlakes that get hit by nasty ice storms. We got lucky during the big ice storm a few years ago. I was a kid at the time, but no damage to the house, no major loss of power, no major inconvenience. That spring, we helped do some major cleanup at a maple syrup producer about 2hrs east of us, cleaning up in the woods and helping to run new lines to the trees. 

Where I am now, the big risk is loss of electricity in the winter, and major snowfall. I'm in a more rural area in Northern Ontario, 35min drive to work on the highway, on a well (needs hydro). One of the first things I'm building when we're finished renovating the house is a solar air heater... to heat the house even with a power outage. 

I think we are all very susceptible to power outages and extreme weather. Those are the sorts of things I'm trying to include in my longterm plan.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Toronto has never had an ice storm. Quebec and the east coast get a lot more of those. The city has been hit by massive amounts of snow that make road travel impossible. That's about it for winter disasters in the T-dot. I'm actually pretty well situated as far as natural disasters go. It's the looting and decay of civilization that is a greater worry for me in such a highly populated area.


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## LittleFire (Jul 9, 2009)

I can see there is a lot of votes for economic collapse, and in all due respect, we all know that we are looming towards this, and it will be globally in my humble opinion. Which to me, will end up being a domino effect to the rest of the categories, with food shortage, etc. 

I had to laugh when I saw Big Foot. Well, maybe we should try to learn from Big foot as it is still eluding from being seen by the Government! LOL


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Bigfoot really does not want to pay taxes.


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## Chemechie (Jun 9, 2009)

*One Step at a Time*



LittleFire said:


> I can see there is a lot of votes for economic collapse, and in all due respect, we all know that we are looming towards this, and it will be globally in my humble opinion. Which to me, will end up being a domino effect to the rest of the categories, with food shortage, etc.
> 
> I had to laugh when I saw Big Foot. Well, maybe we should try to learn from Big foot as it is still eluding from being seen by the Government! LOL


While I would like to be prepared for "The end of the world as we know it" economic/ societal collapse, that is a big order - I'm just starting out, so I am first going to prepare for short term loss of local utilities: 4 weeks without electric, phone, or running water - like post-Katrina, a tornado, ice storms like Kentucky had in January, etc. Once I meet that goal, I'll expand and prep for longer and more severe situations.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Step by step. That's how you do it. Nobody gets prepared overnight.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

With the status of the U.S. Economy and the steel mills the most pressing issues with me are economic collapse. A recession is when your neighbor looses their job, a depression is when you loose yours. We seem to bail out the auto industry, but not the supporting ones such as steel. I have been rethinking my debt structure and am working on becomming mentally prepared to not be able to pay certain bills and obligations when they come due if funds aren't available. So far everything has been working out. Six months ago I was more concerned about natural disasters or weather driven problems. I am now prepared for those, but economic is next on the list. I'm not quite sure what to do about aliens so have put that one on the back burner.


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## endurance (Nov 26, 2008)

Sail, you're right on. You plan for the personal and most likely events first. That means paying down debts and doing things that will help you no matter what kind of event happens (ie: food!).


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## LittleFire (Jul 9, 2009)

It is the same goal as mine, paying off my debt load, by taking one bill at a time. I'm not referring to the phone bills or such, but mostly what I owe the bank, like my credit card, and personal loan


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Paying off the debt is a great idea. I wish you the best of luck with getting it done fast.


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## cattlefarmer (Jul 15, 2009)

The only thing I’m not ready for is the issues with oil. I have a 1,000 gallon off road tank and a 1,500 on road tank for my farm. I have a tank trailer that I can haul 250 gallons of each on. I try to keep 500 gallons of each at all times.

Our house has propane stove, out door grill, back up hot water heater, genset, and back up for the HVAC. We have three 1,000 under ground tanks and should be able to get by with 1,500 gallons a year with out conserving.

After we get moved in to the new house were going to look at hydrogen. I should be able to produce some with the unneeded power off our power system. I would love to trade in a car and not have to pay the fuel tax for daily driving. Would be nice if I could bet small size hydrogen tractor that I could do most of the farm stuff with but I don’t think were there yet.

Feel that we will be ready for everything else but nuclear. Plans are for my mom and my brother’s family to head to my house if something dose happen so we think more on the lines of 8 people. My brother’s wife is the weak link; but it all depends on ever one getting to my farm.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Sounds like you've got fuel under control. Nuclear is the hardest thing to prepare for. That's the one I just hope never happens.


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