As for me I would be completely fucked. ZERO preparedness. Of course, if the world is fucked why would I want to survive anyway? With my disability there is no way I'd be able to defend myself so just take me out of the whole equation.

JohnnyClips has already worked out which Taco Bells will be open within biking distance in case of national disaster.

We should all follow his lead.

I have five scenarios for this:

1) Can we make it to the farm? If so, we're set and can live there forever. We have well water, can grow just about anything, have livestock and chickens, can trade with neighbors for anything we may not have.

2) Are we caught in the city where we spend a lot of our time? If so, we can be OK for a little while, a few weeks, but that's it. The goal is make it to the farm, which is a 10 hour drive.

3) Do we get caught somewhere else, like on holiday or in another country? If so, we're FUCKED.

4) Something big happens such as a massive earthquake. Supplies are lost and it is impossible to get to the farm. There are possible injuries. Our home is destroyed. We're on our own. No idea how that one will play out, as it is going to depend on how the community handles it. If things went south, I'd do what I had to do.

5) The worse case scenario, the entire power grid is down for whatever reason and an EMP or massive solar flares have knocked out all electronics. We would have to travel by foot, bicycle, or animal to the farm, and that would be a trek. There is no telling what we may encounter along the way, such as others trying to take what we have. I would do what I had to do.

There are always things you just can't prepare for. No matter how much you try, you can always be caught by surprise by something. The only wrong move you could ever make it thinking nothing could ever happen to you.

That said, where I'm at is mostly farmers. So for food I think we would be OK, as the rural areas are still pretty rural so they could lose power and not miss much. My girlfriends village just got electricity about 20 years ago, so these types of people, survivors, know how to live off the land and have been doing so for 1000s of years. Be it from homemade medicine from plants and certain tree bark to knowing what plants, grasses, roots, and berries you can eat from the jungle. It's impressive.

The real question is... at what point do you resort to eating humans?

day 16..

if i may be so bold, 1 thing everyone can benefit from at the very least is a solid first aid kit. they are inexpensive too.

Make sure you can protect that farming area, after all that's where all the city/suburban people will head.

.

yup, my 5 day bag is to get me to my family rendevouz point.

The majority of SE Asia is country. They can have their pick of where to go, cause it's farmland EVERYWHERE.

I would guess each village would protect itself from outsiders. That's the way they do it now so I can't image it would change, other than they would probably shoot people a lot quicker.

I'd probably start eating people before I even opened the canned food :thumbsup :1orglaugh

Gotta keep an eye out for guys like you.

During such an extreme emergency that you are talking about your stuff would be taken by gangs or criminals, I mean if there is such an emergency that you would have to go camping without possibility to buy food at stores.
Living for weeks without power is not an actual emergency. And only thing you would need is generator, not all that other stuff you could buy.

I'm prepared for about a month right now. I live in an earthquake zone and on and island which could be cut-off from supplies if docks were damaged during some major event.

Let me tell you about generators, from experience. If you live in a community with houses nearby all you are doing is broadcasting hope to people not prepared. People hear the noise and it represents food, ice, water even air conditioning. Turn it on and they will come, believe me.

Then what? Sharing is something that should be your choice not the choice of every asswipe that shows up in your front yard.

Also storing enough gas to last any real amount of time is dangerous. I know it sounds good and people rush to buy them but think about it.

.

you're suggesting doing nothing because there are bad guys. smart thinking.

it must be like a cattle call for everyone around.

I am pretty well prepared. During an earthquake in 1989 we suddenly went without power for a few days. While this might be common in some areas, it was not common for us city folk and we learned some harsh lessons. More recently last year we had the propane tank train fire where nearly all of our town was evacuated. Since then, I've learned to keep large amounts of food handy - we have a huge pantry, lots of canned goods, water, tea, and tons of sterno.

I learned how to be prepped for hurricane season when I lived in florida, especially since I worked at an outdoor juvenile facility (think brat camp type, but with a permanent location) and we would have to evacuate for a week or more depending on the damange to the facility. Usually I kept about 2 weeks worth of food and water in the back of my car along with things like changes of clothes, sleeping bag, etc.

Now? Not so much. We could probably last a month with the stuff in the pantry if it doesn't end up under water.

canned poop?

This is why I bought firearms. At the end of the Bush term I was seriously worried that society was about to collapse. So I armed myself "just in case". If riots broke out I'd be okay.

Not exactly whats I was trying to say. Most likely there won't be such an emergency that people would actually starve to death. And if it was so then half of them would be killing for supplies. You are preparing for very very very very unlikely situation + if that situation comes you would still most likely be attacked for your goods. Chances are that you won't, however I am not sure if doing this is a worthy "investment".
I mean its more likely that you would be killed in car accident than in doomsday starvation. So avoiding driving a car could be better "investment" in your life than preparing. Just an example, there are many other more likely ways to die, so prepare for them before you prepare for actual doomsday.

when did i ever say i was preparing for doomsday? you think a 14 day emergency kit is preparing for doomsday? you think ~$200 on this kit is some sort of unworthy investment?


again, smart thinking.

getting criticized for being prepared- it's the gfy way!

fucking awesome.

My ex-wife deciding to come over could easily make me go camping for 5 days.

I ain't really into the whole self-preservation thing ...

I wasn't even talking about you. Just about people who prepare for some unlikely scenario before they prepare for lots of other scenarios that could more likely lead them to death. Priorities.

you wrote this in reply to me


i replied to it.

Funny, isn't it? It is an actual mental state called the Normalcy Bias.

These are the same type of people who have to be saved from their rooftops after a flood or hurricane, even though they were warned first that it was coming and it wasn't safe to be there. It happens in every disaster.

oh wow, i've never heard of that, but damn, it's spot on eh. thx for that link. i like the part about relying on the government after a local disaster! hahahahahahahahahah

Not really, not all of preppers' opponents are stupid enough to stay at home when they are warned floods are definitely going to happen. Not even close.

I'm not.

I live in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.

I'll be dead in hours. Don't care.

from that wiki on normalcy bias

you know what, i've got a theory and it's supported by normalcy bias. in reading about that norway mass murderer, i forget his name, but he said he was surprised how everyone stood around waiting for him to shoot them, even when he was reloading and clearly at a disadvantage, everyone just waited.

it struck home with me, do not hesitate. there's 1 chance in a disaster situation, i have to go go go go go go go

They did this stuff in the 50's and a lot of people built underground dungeons that they thought they could live in while the world went through nuclear winter.

I'm going with the Sad Boy strategy

two myths that if you get out of your head will save your life some day perhaps...

canned food isn't actually bad for you and canned food doesn't go bad after 6 months... You're welcome.

my advice after being in 2 wars:

1) get a water purifier...forget food and shit you will miss drinking water the most

2) buy lots of tobacco...you can barter it for food...it keeps well and you wont get murdered for it but if they know you have food you will...tobacco addicts will sell their soul for a smoke in times of crisis but will not group up and murder you for it...

3) forget gold...nobody will trade food for worthless metal...forget money...it will devalue too fast in times of emergency...

and what about bitcoins?

Spot on indeed.

Why would anyone on earth oppose someone who is prepared for something? That is as bizarre as people being opposed to you keeping ice in your freezer. It's your freezer and your ice, so who cares what you do with it? Why care what other people do?

The Cuban Missile Crisis almost gave them a chance to use them.

Thing is, history is full of horrible events. Just because people have prepared and nothing has happened doesn't mean it is all a waste. In fact, it is a great thing nothing happened. Not a single prepper actually wants any of these bad things to happen.

I totally agree with #1 and #2 but disagree with #3. Using an event that wasn't too long ago, Gold (along with other metals) was used widely during the Argentina crash. Coins, jewelry, bullion, whatever they had. Gold (along with Silver) has been a currency since the beginning of currency, it's not going anywhere. Someone will always be around to buy it, even if it is just to make something with it.

Read up on Argentina's crash, some valuable information out there about how things will play out during a meltdown. Gold, silver, smokes, ammo, knives, instant coffee packs, you name it, all used for bartering.

I live less than a mile from the Statue of Liberty, so my best best is to climb into Lady Liberty and hunker down, as she always seems to survive End-of-the-World events.

:thumbsup :1orglaugh

:1orglaugh
there's usually a cute chick left too.

That's about the most worthwhile post I've seen you make here. Thanks for not riddling it with :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh like you usually do. :D

But in answer to your comments, they're spot on for the most part except for the part about forgetting about food and gold. I doubt I'd personally go the gold route but there are certain preppers out there who've collected sizeable caches of $50 gold slips, it's like any other prep provision in that it can't hurt to have some on hand and it's light and easy to carry in a pouch.

Food, well, water is vital, yes, but if you only have water on hand and no food you're dead inside of a few weeks if for some reason you can't find any. Telling people to not worry about food when at this time they have the time to put some aside is, well, not good advice.

Tobacco and alcohol, coffee, and even porn materials I imagine would be bartering materials that would hold value in a post societal breakdown situation. Again, no harm at all in someone hording a supply of any of that for an acid-rainy day.

Again, good post.

Dyna, I forgot to ask you, in your bug-out plan, what if any security measures do you have in mind or in place, for:

A) your journey to get where you're going. If you're attacked by someone who wants your nice bag or pack full of goodies, etc. Maybe they like your shoes, or that nice jacket you're wearing.

And B) for when you get where you're going. What things do you have in place to defend the remote location you plan on making your home?

Also, if your plan A fails or is somehow compromised or overrun, do you have a blan B destination?

my main security is for stay in place, shotgun and bear spray. but primarily a very very low profile. i haven't mentioned my stash locally and since i can eat cold soup, meal replacement bars and make drinkable water, etc, i should be able to carry on without notice.

on a bugout, i still plan to go with the low profile. it's part of why i tried to lighten the load, my meal replacements take up very little space, i've only got~1400 cals/day. i plan to take the pepper spray with me but i doubt the shotgun, i don't plan on being noticed.

it's a family ranch that is my family's destination, it's not a doomsday destination per se, it just made sense when we were all coordinating communications post event. meet up at the ranch.

i do not have a plan b destination.. i'll prolly have to join a zombie outfit after 5 days, that's when shit hits the fan for me if i don't make the ranch.

You've obviously put a lot of thought into this, and for that I commend you.

If you don't mind I'll go through your post and critique it some. Keep in mind that my comments are based on my own experience and knowlege of secury, camping, survival, and a combined 25 years of working in the medical and security fields and thus knowing something extra about human nature.

Awesome. If you have sustainable renewable water and food resources that's great. But the experts would also point out that you could also stand to have yet another location in place that has at least some provisions in case you have to abandon your place for a while. Also, a backup water plan might be useful, as wells can be poisoned, they can also be tainted by bad environmental conditions. Also, how well would you be prepped to defend your little oasis?

But overall you'd likely score some good marks on that preppers show for having all that in place.

The experts would likely tell you that your remote location is a bit too far away for certain situations. You should probably set up at least one cache of provisions, extra gas, etc, along the route. Also have two or more routes you're familiar with to get where you're going if possible.

You should probably add to your in-home stores at least a little, in case it's just not safe to bug out for an extended period initially.

But having most of your needed stuffs already at your remote location scores you some bonus points for sure. Means you can travel light and not have to worry about moving and transferring and lugging a lot of provisions when you should be getting your ass out of Dodge.

Not nessessarily. For one thing one can still carry some essential bug-out items in a backpack even while on vacation. A small firstaid kit, a small fishing kit with pocket knife, some cereal bars and meal replacement bars, a few small but valuable barter items, etc. Stuff that doesn't weigh a lot or take up a lot of room but can get you far. It might not sound like much but it's something more than most would have, and it can buy you time enough to come up with a new plan for where you are at that moment.

Experts would advise in such scenarios having some type of impregnable bunker on one's property, preferably one that is already stocked with at least a few months worth of provisions and a ham radio to keep aprised of what's going on outside. Also, networking with your neighbors and having them on board with being prepared is said to be a great part of any plan, as people in a community are more apt to help each other in a crisis if many are on the same page prep-wise.

In other words if your nieghbors aren't prepped at all they're more likely to come and take what you have for themselves than help you.

There again, that's where having a series of small caches along the way already set up would really be a huge boost to your already fairly excellent plan.

That's 100% spot on. :thumbsup

There's a lot of great points in all that, and some major plusses to bolster your plan even further.

However, I'm quite certain that a funny thing happens to people in a major crisis situation. They start trusting unfamiliar faces a lot less, and start pointing weapons a lot sooner. Having a place set up in an area where your girlfriend knows people is great, but the more people there you both get to know and get friendly with the better.

Overall I have no doubt your overall preparations and plan would score you some good marks with the prepper experts. I'd look into setting up a backup water plan if I were you though. I saw one guy on an episode of Doomsday Preppers that had a homemade concrete water tank on his property. It was fireproof, bullet proof and even small bombs couldn't compromise it. Held about 400 gallons of water.


To everyone --- I know some of this stuff sounds extreme and ridiculous, but for someone who actually has a plan in place the thinking is if you're going to prepare for the worst there's no harm in taking a few extra steps towards doing it right, or at the very least 'better'. If shit ever does hit the fan a guy like Dirty here and his gf and/or family will have a lot of extra peace of mind that most of the rest of you won't enjoy.

As I said earlier, do you buy insurance? Car insurance? House insurance? Life? Medical? Hopefully you'll never need to actually use it, right? But it's nice to have it for peace of mind, right?

Think of prepping (even a little) as just another form of insurance.

If it were me I would probably raise that calorie intake while on the move. In a stay-put situaion your plan in that regard is fine, but while on your planned bugout and being outside, passing over rough terrain, avoiding dangers, etc, you'd be feeling the effects of just a low caloric intake after a few days if not sooner. I know you are knowlegeable in nutrition and know what your own metabolism is like, but I also know that in the kind of situation we're talking about you're going to need that extra energy.

The rest of what you said all sounds good. You might think about adding a small handgun to your bugout plan to replace the shotgun you'd be leaving behind. It would allow you to maintain your low profile but still provide a similar level of protection. The pepper or bear spray is an excellent idea.

If you do check out that Doomsday Prepper series, watch the episode "Escape from New York", there's some valuable advice in there for someone like yourself that has an on-foot part to their bugout plan.

I have about a months supply at my residence for my dog and I...but I have a hidden hideaway in the wilderness...and I do mean hidden...that I came across several years ago and have been stocking for much of the time since. It is also a place that has a year round supply of water and one could actually live off the land and its wildlife...without outside supplies. It only takes me about four hours to get to it and I periodically check it out to see if any other humans have been near it. Over the years I have not seen any signs of humans but a bear once did some damage.

My dog and I can live there for an indefinite period of time.

i can definitely add another brick of meal replacement bars, that would give me another 30% calories, i might even add 2 bricks, i think that is a good idea.

the thing i am realizing is inventorying the bag is an on-going process, i am often making adjustments and such to get it stocked properly.

i also have pediolite powder to replace electrolytes, etc, it's like gatorade without the sugar. key minerals and such, i figure in a stressful situation, it makes sense vital nutrients will be sapped.

yeah, i gave my handguns to parents for safekeeping, i could get my glock 19 but these days i'm so anti-gun my plan is to keep a low enough profile to not have to shoot to kill anybody.
it's not off the table by any stretch, it also add weight and i am concerned about that as well.

the spray i have is fox five point three

http://www.foxlabs.com/pepperspray.shtml


i'm going to snag that doomsday episode on amazon prime

:thumbsup

Awesome post! Thanks for such a detailed reply.

I know I'm going to miss replying to some of it, so much written there, but I'll hit some things that stood out.

- Water back up: We have a well, city water, collect rain water (used for gardening but can filter to drink), and as luck would have it a small river that runs through the property. The only real problem for us with water is during the dry season when the river mostly dries up and it doesn't rain for months. Of course that balances out in the monsoon season.

- Mid way location: That is something I've never thought of really and is a great idea. Will have to give that some thought and make sure the route taken would be THE route taken, or at least we could take others to get to the same mid area. It could serve as a nice weekend get away spot too, mid way would be some mountainous area.

- Locals: This is a wild card. Rural people already protect their own village. They have to because the police are mostly worthless. It seems silly to say but the power could go off today and 1/2 of them wouldn't skip a beat. The rural areas here are RURAL. They are all mostly farmers for the most part so food won't be an issue. However, the wild card is what will happen when the have-nots visit the haves. Perhaps a raid from another village, though, in the past this has been dealt with already here so it may not be that big of an issue. But SE Asians are violent and often respect violence, so if you had to shoot someone to make a point, that's just what you would have to do. :Oh crap

- Travel: I always do travel with a tiny first-aid kit and a few protein bars, but I would run out in 3 days. After that, not sure where it would go.

Overall, in the event of a real situation and we had to leave the city, we are out far enough to where we probably won't be bothered, and if we are it will be handled by the village people like it has been done for 100s of years. It's getting there than is the real concern. We could hold out here in the city for a while, but I wouldn't want to stay here long.

If I remember correctly you are a diabetic...and if so...what have you done about your meds...if anything?