How Horrific Will It Be For The Non-Prepper?

[Sammich]

The likelyhood of an economic collapse looms ever nearer. If you haven't even done basic 72 hour preparations, now is the time to do so. The days of local grocery stores having a big storeroom in back are gone and has been replaced with the system of kanban (just in time) nightly shipments. Yes, this is more efficient but it is the achilles heel for those who wait until the last minute to buy supplies. If truck drivers can't deliver goods due to disaster or refusing to work for free, then once the shelves are empty they will stay that way.

How Horrific Will It Be For The Non-Prepper? (http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/how-horrific-will-it-be-for-the-non-prepper_05122012)

Editor’s Note: You have no doubt had your own set of issues dealing with friends and family members that simply don’t see the writing on the wall. The following article may serve to assist you in convincing those who simply don’t know, don’t want to know, don’t care, or have never even thought to contemplate. Some of the scenarios outlined below may be frightening, as they should be, because when it hits the fan millions of people will be thrown into desperation with no hope of a solution. Be Informed provides a variety of point-by-point details that may (and hopefully will) convince the non-prepared individual to at least insulate themselves with the basic necessities. The consequences for not doing so, as you’ll see, are severe and often deadly.

[CJ Markham]

I've been hearing, "The shit's gonna hit the fan SOON!" since I was a little kid. And, people have been saying that since I was born.

And, you know what--nothing has happened...and nothing will.

[AcesandEights]

"Help rebuild civilization?! Mourn for the lost?! Face the problems I've been using my anxiety to hide from?!

Now's not the time to let our guard down. There's a Yellowstone Super Volcanoe that is gonna go up any day now. Time to get ready...again!!!"

Get busy livin'...

[childofgilead]

I'm of two minds on the subject. On the one hand, people bought up fallout shelters like hotcakes during the Cold War..I remember when I was a kid, my grandparents basement was stocked to the gills with preserves and canned foods that they'd saved. This wasn't anything abnormal, as that's how it was done back in their day and since they had a garden, they continued even after times weren't as tough.

On the other hand, people have been saying that one thing or another is going to be the deal-breaker, the thing that's going to cause economic downfall or a dirty bomb or anything. Who knows.

I think really there is a middleground that doesn't involve starring in your own reality show bragging about how you're overweight now that the when TSHTF you can survive easier. Please.

A little bit of preparedness doesn't make you a paranoid nutter. In my neck of the woods, every winter the power goes out several times. If you have a woodstove or a kerosene heater, you're ok, but without other options, you're SOL. It's not so far out of the realm of normalcy for people to have a little bit extra just in case. Nothing wrong with doing it all year round, in my book.

[Christopher Jon]

Meh.

I'll be raping and pillaging the rest of you.

Good times.

:)

[Mike70]

A little bit of preparedness doesn't make you a paranoid nutter. In my neck of the woods, every winter the power goes out several times. If you have a woodstove or a kerosene heater, you're ok, but without other options, you're SOL. It's not so far out of the realm of normalcy for people to have a little bit extra just in case. Nothing wrong with doing it all year round, in my book.

no, it doesn't. i know i haven't been nice to the "end of the world" crowd but there are natural disasters and if you live in areas prone to them, you should prepare. for example, i live in a part of the country EXTREMELY prone to tornados. the things i have in my tornado kit are things that would come in handy in just about any disaster. an extra set of clothes, water, several days of food, a good quality hunting knife (probably the most useful object ever made), and a small caliber handgun with about 50 rounds of ammo. not much but it isn't that heavy, has all the necessities and would at least allow me the time to catch my breath, wrap my head around what's going on and then get to the river (2 miles away) and escape - if we are talking a societal collapse. i still plan on melting away into the unihabited forestlands of northern KY and southern OH. very sparsely populated and plenty of food in the form of fish, game, and edible plants/nuts.

[Wrong Number]

Here is how I look at it...being a couple of months ahead on food/water and rotating the older stuff out is at worst not a waste while at best a life saver. A fully stocked first aid kit? Don't see how that's bad or a waste. We both (hubby and I) have always shot guns and still do. We don't have an army's worth of ammo, but enough so we don't have to buy it every time we decide to go shooting. To me. This all seems pretty sensible to me.

[Sammich]

Here is how I look at it...being a couple of months ahead on food/water and rotating the older stuff out is at worst not a waste while at best a life saver. A fully stocked first aid kit? Don't see how that's bad or a waste. We both (hubby and I) have always shot guns and still do. We don't have an army's worth of ammo, but enough so we don't have to buy it every time we decide to go shooting. To me. This all seems pretty sensible to me.

I live in the earthquake zone of kah-lee-foh-nya and you would not believe how many people have NOTHING in way of rudimentary supplies. The mistake made by many when they start out is the thinking that you need to buy 6 months or 1 year of preparations at once. Just setting aside $20 a week for food, first aid, water, etc. will result in a decent amount after just a few months. Since most families shop at Sams Club and Costco it is difficult if impossible not to end up with a surplus. Think of it like having car or home insurance, or even a fire extinguisher. You don't buy those hoping something bad happens, but buy it just in case something bad does happen. Another thing for those who want to wait for the last minute, do you really want to fight your way through a horde at the store to pay $100 for a case of water or $200 for a flat of canned chili?

Even though FEMA and Red Cross recommend a 72 hour kit, but based upon past events emergency agencies could take up to a week to deliver resources to those that need it.

Here is a pretty good video about making preparations on a budget and it leaves out the usual unecessary goofy stuff in most other prepper youtube vids. The amount of water stated may seem a lot but in actuality it may need to be doubled. The recommended amount is 2 gallons potable water per person per day. This includes drinking, cooking, and light washing.

lnW9RTzHkHw

[CJ Markham]

If I'd gone out and dug a bomb shelter every time some freak in cammies proclaimed that the end was near, I'd be eating egg rolls in fucking China by now.

[Sammich]

If I'd gone out and dug a bomb shelter every time some freak in cammies proclaimed that the end was near, I'd be eating egg rolls in fucking China by now.

Where in anything I posted was there anything about bomb shelters, "freak in cammies" or end of the world? Or did you just read the topic title and want to throw in your 1 cent AGAIN?

I am pretty sure people who invested heavily in dot coms and real estate before the crashes and got wiped out had the same "nothing has happened and nothing will" attitude.

[Mike70]

I live in the earthquake zone of kah-lee-foh-nya and you would not believe how many people have NOTHING in way of rudimentary supplies.

I think i understand you somewhat better now. here i'm worried about tornadoes and while i can tell you from personal experience how pants-shittingly-frightening one is in real life, they are over in seconds. earthquakes not so much...and earthquakes are capable of totally destroying an entire city's infrastructure in a couple of minutes.

[CJ Markham]

Where in anything I posted was there anything about bomb shelters, "freak in cammies" or end of the world? Or did you just read the topic title and want to throw in your 1 cent AGAIN?

I am pretty sure people who invested heavily in dot coms and real estate before the crashes and got wiped out had the same "nothing has happened and nothing will" attitude.

All I had to do is click on the link that YOU yourself provided...and it took me to "SHTF.com"--a freakshow dedicated to the "end of the world" shit I was talking about.

Did you click on the link that YOU posted? Or was your initial post simply copied and pasted from somewhere else?

[Sammich]

All I had to do is click on the link that YOU yourself provided...and it took me to "SHTF.com"--a freakshow dedicated to the "end of the world" shit I was talking about.

Did you click on the link that YOU posted? Or was your initial post simply copied and pasted from somewhere else?

Tell you what, cancel your health, car, and home insurance. You obviously don't need it since you are invincible like Superman.

If you don't like what the adults are discussing here, then go back to playing with pokemons.

Congratulations, you are the first and only person that has ever made it to my ignore list.

[CJ Markham]

If I promise to stash a case of SPAM in my closet and hang a Confederate flag on my living room wall, will you start ranting at me again?

Please....

[Sammich]

I think i understand you somewhat better now. here i'm worried about tornadoes and while i can tell you from personal experience how pants-shittingly-frightening one is in real life, they are over in seconds. earthquakes not so much...and earthquakes are capable of totally destroying an entire city's infrastructure in a couple of minutes.

Not only here, but people not accustomed to earthquakes who live around the New Madrid fault should also be aware. University of Illinois projected that a 7.7 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid fault would cause 3,500 deaths, more than 80,000 injured and more than 7 million homeless. The last time the New Madrid let loose in 1812, it caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards.

[rightwing401]

While massive preparedness for an "end of the world" event is rather stupid, it's equally stupid to assume that the world will just keep spinning as it always has. Some don't realize just how close we've come to all out nuclear war.

In the 1970's we (the U.S.) almost launched a full scale first strike against the USSR due to a freaking glich in the computers that showed a massive incoming barrage was on its way. Only a few level headed personel at NORAD that waited for visual confirmation of said incoming missiles prevented us from hitting the launch buttons. Similarily, a Russian Officer, one Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov, faced a similar situation across the pond in the 80's. Thankfully, he guessed that the massive incoming missle strike was a glitch in the computers instead of hitting the launch button.

Freaking scary to think how just a handful of resevered and level headed men on both sides prevented the end of the world as we know it, and potentially the extinction of the entire human race.

[Sammich]

Freaking scary to think how just a handful of resevered and level headed men on both sides prevented the end of the world as we know it, and potentially the extinction of the entire human race.

What is even more terrifying is that all of the level headed personnel have been weeded out and replaced with yes men who are only concerned with their careers. Just look at what the feds are doing to whistleblowers nowdays.

[CJ Markham]

While massive preparedness for an "end of the world" event is rather stupid, it's equally stupid to assume that the world will just keep spinning as it always has. Some don't realize just how close we've come to all out nuclear war.

In the 1970's we (the U.S.) almost launched a full scale first strike against the USSR due to a freaking glich in the computers that showed a massive incoming barrage was on its way. Only a few level headed personel at NORAD that waited for visual confirmation of said incoming missiles prevented us from hitting the launch buttons. Similarily, a Russian Officer, one Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov, faced a similar situation across the pond in the 80's. Thankfully, he guessed that the massive incoming missle strike was a glitch in the computers instead of hitting the launch button.

Freaking scary to think how just a handful of resevered and level headed men on both sides prevented the end of the world as we know it, and potentially the extinction of the entire human race.

You sound a little confused.

On one hand, you're starting out by saying that "massiv preparedness for an 'end of the world' event is rather stupid'....but then you bring up these other, seemingly contradictory facts, to what? Back up that statement?

Or, perhaps you're just putting those facts out there. I've heard of both scenarios, and a couple of others. And, nightmarish as they seem...they're true. They actually happened. And, we didn't know about them until (usually) long after the fact.

If a computer glitch, human error, or a terrorist plot triggers an all-out nuclear holocaust, then there would be nothing I could do to stop it....back then or even now. It would all be over within thirty minutes, and we'd all be dead...and no amount of preparedness would do anything to help.

Call me "stupid" if you like, but I'm not going to spend my life worrying about something like that...the same way I'm not going to worry about a rogue asteroid hitting the planet. The same way I'm not going to worry about germ warfare between the Russians and Chinese spilling over into the rest of the world. The same way I'm not going to worry about a solar flare suddenly frying everything in an EMP-like episode.

Those are scenarios beyond my control. And, nothing--10K rounds of ammo for 10 AKs, a year's worth of freeze dried eggs, or a potassium iodide aenema is going to save my life in those far-out scenarios. If anything, random chance would determine who survives and who doesn't...if any survive at all.

[SymphonicX]

there is a distinct "end of the world" element to this thread....for sure...ironically American should be one of the least worried countries right now. It's the starvation and poverty that was in place LONG before this economic crisis that you should be concerned with.

Gotta say though it appears America loves a good "hunker down" and shelter session every few years - if they aint got you hiding in a basement because of Anthrax (good band, if you ask me), they've got you buying useless gas masks and queuing up outside food stores in blind panic.

If you're that worried about the sheer apocalyptic boogeyman - just start growing your own vegtables. Insulate your houses. Become as self sufficient now as you can whilst it's easier...that's just good life practice anyway....The whole "the end is nigh" thing has become a bit boring after SARS, Swine Flu, 2012 mayan calendars, "reckoning", Anthrax, Marilyn Manson etc...ugh.

Stop panicking. It's not a good look!

[CJ Markham]

SymphonicX...you're an island of reality in an ocean of diarrhea. :D

[Mike70]

there is a distinct "end of the world" element to this thread....for sure...ironically American should be one of the least worried countries right now. It's the starvation and poverty that was in place LONG before this economic crisis that you should be concerned with.

Gotta say though it appears America loves a good "hunker down" and shelter session every few years - if they aint got you hiding in a basement because of Anthrax (good band, if you ask me), they've got you buying useless gas masks and queuing up outside food stores in blind panic.

If you're that worried about the sheer apocalyptic boogeyman - just start growing your own vegtables. Insulate your houses. Become as self sufficient now as you can whilst it's easier...that's just good life practice anyway....The whole "the end is nigh" thing has become a bit boring after SARS, Swine Flu, 2012 mayan calendars, "reckoning", Anthrax, Marilyn Manson etc...ugh.

Stop panicking. It's not a good look!

please do not rob me of one of the few things about america that i find really, really funny. i've never understood this paranoia that seems to bubble just under the surface in america. there is no reason for it. fear is one of the worst mindsets you can make decisions in or out of. the world is not going to "end" for a very, very long time. sure long before the sun dies the earth will no longer be habitable for humans (the sun will continue to get hotter and brighter as it ages, that's an inescapble fact) but even that is several hundred million years, if not more, in the future.

i just kick up my feet and get a good laugh every few years at the expense of these folks. it's the Y2K bullshit all over again, the planetary alignment that was supposed to destroy us all again, it just makes me laugh.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YfD-jiAeExo/TefkSKZwHLI/AAAAAAAAAkY/-98ipqeoJkk/s1600/homepage.jpg

everyone sing along:

"admire me, admire my home,
admire my son, he's my clone."

"this land is mine, this land is free,
i'll do what i want so irresponsibly."

"it's evolution, baby!"

[SymphonicX]

please do not rob me of one of the few things about america that i find really, really funny. i've never understood this paranoia that seems to bubble just under the surface in america. there is no reason for it. fear is one of the worst mindsets you can make decisions in or out of. the world is not going to "end" for a very, very long time. sure long before the sun dies the earth will no longer be habitable for humans (the sun will continue to get hotter and brighter as it ages, that's an inescapble fact) but even that is several hundred million years, if not more, in the future.

i just kick up my feet and get a good laugh every few years at the expense of these folks. it's the Y2K bullshit all over again, the planetary alignment that was supposed to destroy us all again, it just makes me laugh.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YfD-jiAeExo/TefkSKZwHLI/AAAAAAAAAkY/-98ipqeoJkk/s1600/homepage.jpg

everyone sing along:

"admire me, admire my home,
admire my son, he's my clone."

"this land is mine, this land is free,
i'll do what i want so irresponsibly."

"it's evolution, baby!"

LOL I wouldn't wanna be accused of stealing America's thunder! I just realised actually, last month our gov decided to rile up the population with a fuel crisis - proclaiming to "fill up your tanks while you still can" and all this because of a strike in the industry

anyway it got EVERYONE up and running around like headless wankers trying to fill up their cars before the apocalyptic 3 days of a fuel strike.

The strike never went ahead, but what did happen were massive queues outside almost every petrol station in the country, with most garage forecourts selling out in a matter of hours - and even one member of the public setting themselves on fire trying to pour petrol from canister to canister (whilst in a kitchen with a running gas hob alight...I know....STUPID!!!) causing ironically, one of the worst fuel shortages we've had since the last time a government pulled that on us (New Labour in 2001 I believe).

So we're susceptible to it too, and we played that one out pathetically.

On a side note I never bought more petrol than I needed. I did need to drive to a garage down the road from me rather than the one near my house - but that was basically it.

On an even sidier note - I blame hollywood movies for a the women burning herself with petrol. Movies have long forsaken the real flammability of petroleum - with gangsters and heroes alike all able to smoke cigarrettes over an open cannister of petrol. You also get a lot of scenes showing someone flicking a match or lighter at a pool of petrol then standing within 1 foot of it as it ignites.
Personally I had never tried to ignite petrol before seeing a mate do it to a furnace full of dried leaves that he'd covered in fuel and flicked a match at....the resulting BOOM and fire shooting 6 foot out of the top was enough to teach a very young me that petrol is FAR FAR more flammable than movies popularise. Food for thought eh.

[EvilNed]

Anyone read "Last Light" by Alex Scarrow? It's a pretty scary book about how society breaks down totally when a series of terrorist attacks around the globe cripple the oil market. Essentially, over the course of a week, the first world (the book is specifically set in england) is turned into a apocalyptic nightmare where there's no government, no law and no food. I hear there's a sequel to it as well, but I haven't read it. I really would want to, tho, considering Last Light is creepy as hell...

[Mike70]

Anyone read "Last Light" by Alex Scarrow? It's a pretty scary book about how society breaks down totally when a series of terrorist attacks around the globe cripple the oil market. Essentially, over the course of a week, the first world (the book is specifically set in england) is turned into a apocalyptic nightmare where there's no government, no law and no food. I hear there's a sequel to it as well, but I haven't read it. I really would want to, tho, considering Last Light is creepy as hell...

i have not read this but it is on the reading list now.

[EvilNed]

Just to stress:

I'm not one of the "The End is Nigh" crowd, even though I believe that we, the western world, are currently living an unsustainable lifestyle that will eventually crash in on itself. That doesn't mean that it'll be the end. Probably more of a new beginning. A new cycle in the history of man. Just like the fall of Rome, China, Mongols, Spaniards....

[Mike70]

Just to stress:

I'm not one of the "The End is Nigh" crowd, even though I believe that we, the western world, are currently living an unsustainable lifestyle that will eventually crash in on itself. That doesn't mean that it'll be the end. Probably more of a new beginning. A new cycle in the history of man. Just like the fall of Rome, China, Mongols, Spaniards....

everything lives its time and then dies. you don't have to be an end of the worlder to enjoy post-apocalyptic literature or movies.

maybe through this cycle or rises and falls, we might someday get things right. we may also be doomed to repeating the same mistakes over and over (which is the warrant of "a canticle for leibowitz). that's why i think the cliche "those do don't remember history are doomed to repeat it" is a meaningless piece of garble. until there is a fundamental change in humans, we will continue to do the same damn things over and over and over. the uneducated will continue to follow the bombastic, nationlistic rants of demagogues and the few rational people will continue to either be swept away or sent to places like Kolyma, a word that makes my blood run cold. hell, even highly cultured countries with exceptional rates of education can fall prey to this sort of thing - just look at Germany in the 30's.