# What are your perparations for?



## longtime (Nov 22, 2009)

My wife and I have been preparing for a long time (20 years). During this time it has been for general peace of mind, with no urgency or reason. Today we are more committed. This commitment is not because I think the world is coming to an end. But because of Climate Change, no not AGW but Global Cooling and the resulting crop failures. I do not want to start a thread on AGW; we have plenty out there already, so let’s not get off the subject. But for the last two years we have been having problems with food production, from cool/wet springs and early falls in Canada to wet fields at harvest time the US. The world has gotten complacent with the abundant food production and uses almost 100%. What are we going to do if production falls by 10% to 20%? It’s a good time to stock up.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I had to look up the meaning of AGW - couldn't figure it out on my own. I am sure that others would also like to know, so, here are two links that when combined together give the definition of AGW:

*A*nthropogenic
*G*lobal
*W*arming

Anthropogenic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Global warming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is another thread asking a very similar question here on the board - I will see if I can locate it for you.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Ahh .. there it is:

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f2/why-1680/


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Excellent reason to be prepared.


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## allen_idaho (Oct 21, 2009)

In terms of long-term preparation, my biggest concern at the moment is a Peak Oil scenario. It is definately going to happen eventually. There is no way around it. We simply depend too much on oil. And we have been given 2 great examples of how a limit on supply can work against us (1973, the present).

Without a steady supply of oil, harvesting food will become prohibitively expensive. Transporting that food to your local supermarket will be too expensive. Those millions of people who need to drive for a couple hours to and from work every day will be out of the job. 

And then there are the widely used products that are petrochemical based. Anything made of plastic, various medicines, and even the asphalt we use to make our roads. Of course, without the equipment to lay the asphalt down, it wouldn't much matter anyway.


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

As for what I prepare for, I prepare less by type of disaster than I do by basic needs. The basic 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. And yes, some of them simply call for having your affairs in order.):

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 (New World Order)
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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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

What Jerry said......:2thumb:


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## TimB (Nov 11, 2008)

No real scenario in mind- just want to be prepared for pretty much anything. I'll have more peace of mind when I get away from the metro Atlanta area though. :sssh:

Tim


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

TimB said:


> No real scenario in mind- just want to be prepared for pretty much anything. I'll have more peace of mind when I get away from the metro Atlanta area though. :sssh:
> 
> Tim


I agree with you Tim. Metro Atlanta will not fair well in a ST or LT SHTF scenario (just my opinion)! :beercheer:


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

I've got some TVP that I stored in 1971 in 5 gal metal cans, and food grade plastic bags. Still good, just refreshed with CO2 gas, resealed. Also have about 3 units of 6 #10 cans from the 1960s. Only a small amount compared to the other units I have stored.
Trying to be prepared for whatever, maybe even z o m b i e s only time will tell for sure.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I'm just going to paste my response from the other thread so the newer folks don't need to jump around.


In the winter of 06-07, we were at the grocery store and noticed that the packaging had shrunk while price did not. About the same time, I discovered SurvivalBlog.com and had my eyes opened to the fragility of our food chain. We've always had a garden but decided to expand. As we started growing more of our own food, a few chickens seemed like a prudent step. Every step we took led us to think about another step we should take. 
We got a few goats and then thought about how we would feed and them and the chickens ( which we have 40 of now ) over the winter if our regular suppliers were no longer available, so we grew some hard red wheat over the 08-09 winter. We plan to add oats in the spring. These are only small plots of about 1500sq ft each, and with the 2000sq ft of corn, will give us enough grain to feed the animals and us, as well as save enough to plant next year. 
So, it started out as just a way to avoid being caught off guard in the event of any unforeseen circumstance and has grown into a goal of becoming as self sufficient as possible. If you grow or raise most everything you need, you're fairly well prepared.  
__________________


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## longtime (Nov 22, 2009)

Went to "Why?" and that was what I had in mind. Should have looked a little harder. It's still a good question.


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## LVmutineer (Nov 29, 2009)

We are preparing for short term disaster now, and once I am happy with that we will start laying in stores for SHTF scenarios. It helps the later that we are also starting to change the yard to an urban homestead.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I'm afraid of short term scenario's turning into shtf situations.


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## kenny (Nov 11, 2009)

The event does not matter to me at this point because I am Just getting started with the basics right now but I have formed a short and long term plan to work on. Once these are complete I will begin to address specific events
Right now just basic storage of food and firearms and looking at purchasing land to begin a more serious off the grid location should it become needed. Since I have young kids it should be fun to include them in the adventure of a new vactioning/camp site and all that will follow getting an off grid location up and running. Right now Im selling many things That have been fun the past few years but really serve no purpose in my life anymore (I think we call them toys ) they will provide me with enough working cash to buy some property and get further along in my plans.

My head hurts when I think about all that I need to prepare for so I keep things small and in perspective right now.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

kenny said:


> My head hurts when I think about all that I need to prepare for so I keep things small and in perspective right now.


When you make your plans - keep things really simple and don't think about the huge picture which can stress you out quickly. Straight-forward plans work the best. Set aside a section of your house to be your own personal grocery-store. Slowly fill it with canned and dried foods. Purchase several cartons of toilet paper. As time allows, re-fill water jugs with water.

Get a label-maker and label everything that can be reused. Anything that is "throw-away" just mark it up with permanent felt-marker (date purchased, consume-by-date and if required, what is inside the package).

Baby steps will help you get prepared - good luck! :2thumb:


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## Kriket (Dec 9, 2009)

I prep for job loss, postpartum periods, unexpected expenses (we had to replace the house heater last year and wiped our $$ pretty good) and natural disasters like tornados, epic snow and power outages.

I strive to one day live a lifestyle where the world could collapse around me and I don't notice for a few weeks


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

Kriket said:


> I strive to one day live a lifestyle where the world could collapse around me and I don't notice for a few weeks


That happened to me when I lived in Ohio two years ago . . . the town flooded and I had no clue til I drove in to work! lol Of course, in Ohio, the world could stop spinning and no one would notice until they realized that Michigan wasn't showing up for the big game . . . lol


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

*Neighbors....*

I was just talking to my neighbor about having items stored for an emergency. Granted he is a small business owner, a one man painter, in and out of work, works when he has to basically. He said he couldn't afford to, but he has some Ramen stashed away, ha ha.
Then I asked him how were the garage sales this weekend, good he replied, found some good collectibles. Hum, found some 'good collectibles' he collects baseball memorabilia. He said not to worry, if there were a emergency he would come over here.:scratch
I also have collectables, Aladdin oil lamps, old hand tools, semi-old reloading equipment, see where I'm going  Items that can still be useful, and especially in the event of :shtf: event.
I'm pretty sure how most of you feel about this, but, maybe I'm too critical sometimes.:dunno:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I'm a collector too. I collect hand saws, cross-cut saws, hand powered drills, human powered farm implements, oil lamps, cast iron cookware. I guess you get the point. 
I do have one small vice though. I also collect guitars, although I haven't bought one in three years.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Turtle said:


> That happened to me when I lived in Ohio two years ago . . . the town flooded and I had no clue til I drove in to work! lol Of course, in Ohio, the world could stop spinning and no one would notice until they realized that Michigan wasn't showing up for the big game . . . lol


Mark Twain was once asked what he would do if he knew the world was comming to an end? His reply,"Why I'd go to Cincinnati, nothing ever happens there until 10 years later!":ignore:


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Some of you are preparing for a cataclysmic event. Not that it won't eventually happen - we're putting our time, effort, and money into things right now for which we have a reasonable degree of probability. A large part of our plan is mitigation - preventing something from happening instead of recovering from it. We feel every dollar we put into prevention saves us at least $10 in recovery.

As a general rule, we don't prepare for specific scenarios. We prepare for the "effect" of the event. We don't have electricity. Can't get to town. Can't get groceries or gas. Can't get to medical help. Can't get money. We found we had similar solutions to most of the events so we went directly to a solution-based plan which reduced my written plan to six pages. Yes, we have a written plan. People do stupid things in time of stress. If we stay with the plan, we increase our odds of success.

We're in a better logistical situation than most people. We live in the country. We have our own water source (well and lake). We have a barter system already established. We can store food and other items without neighbors around to notice or to ask questions.

There are two new items in our plan. One is the purchase of QuikClot for our medical supplies. The second is putting a UV light on our water well system. We had some contamination in our shallow well and the long term solution was the UV light. It's plugged into a UPS that carries the load if there's a power outage until the generator comes on 30 seconds later. I keep a supply of water purification tablets and cheese cloth in case we have to pull water from our lake.

We try to resolve weaknesses in the plan as quickly as possible. A few years ago we realized we didn't have enough information on wildfire containment. We had a forest person do a wind and fire mitigation study for us. We put in extra firebreaks and took down some weak trees which would have caused damage to some of the buildings had they fallen.

Our plan at this point has us on the electrical grid; but, cut off from leaving the ranch for six months (for whatever reason - say a pandemic). If the electrical grid fails, we have several independent backup plans. We'll expand our six month plan to a year plan within the next 12 months.

I lived in Turkey in the '70s when the embargo was in full force. Anyone with a roll of toilet paper could get anything they wanted. Three or four meters of TP could put dinner on the table. It was the hot commodity. A part of our plan includes having bartering items such as toilet paper, matches, salt, sugar, homemade bread, and a milk alternative. I am interested in what the rest of you have as bartering items.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Country Living said:


> I am interested in what the rest of you have as bartering items.


We keep most of the same items, sugar, salt ( rock salt, and table salt, both iodized and non iodized), powdered milk and TP( although I'm not sure we will want to barter it away in the event of a long term situation). We also have honey, wheat berries, dried apples, peaches, pears, peppers, tomato and herbs. 
The wheat, veggies and herbs we grow here. The fruit is from an existing barter arrangement with a fellow right down the road. We trade him for eggs and some of the dried fruit.
One other thing I've acquired that not many people think about is nails. Hundreds of pounds of nails of different sizes from auctions for mere penny's. Might be a good thing to have "just in case".


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

UncleJoe said:


> One other thing I've acquired that not many people think about is nails. Hundreds of pounds of nails of different sizes from auctions for mere penny's. Might be a good thing to have "just in case".


That's a great idea. What kind of auction - a local one?


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Yes. Mostly farm auctions. Go to Auction Zip - Live Auction Locator - Find Auctions Anywhere! to find auctions near you.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I have thousands of nails in my prep kit in the garage in case I have to board the windows.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Don't forget to include comfort food in your plan! We also keep a stash of toys, chewies, and dog bones for the pups. It came in handy when Hurricane Ike came through here and the winds were shaking the house. The pups were too busy to notice because they trying to figure out why the black & white thing was saying "moo" when they squeezed its tummy. 

When we have a tornado warning, we take the pups and go in the shelter. The pups get new toys and chewies and we put on a DVD and drink mimosas.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Dean said:


> I have thousands of nails in my prep kit in the garage in case I have to board the windows.


...or build a quick shelter, repair a fence, throw down at the end of the driveway to slow down undesirables  :ignore:


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