The writer of this article is for sure poking fun. Too bad for him. I don't have a bomb shelter or doomsday timeshare and wouldn't even if I could afford one.
What worries me the most is the cost of everything going up in price so drastically that It will be very difficult to purchase, if it is there to purchase at all.
We have all gone over the many different senarios that could have to us and have made decisions to at least try to have something in place.
Let the guy poke fun, he would probably be crying like a baby at the first hardship and crying why isn't the government taking care of this disaster like yesterday!!!!
Proverbs 21:10 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all that he has.
Yes, he was poking fun. I don't have a bomb shelter, but it is wise for everyone to have some supplies in case of a natural disaster. We have gone through some pretty fierce blizzards here (unexpected). Luckily I had a small stockpile of food and supplies. And thank God we had an alternate source of heat and light because the power was out for 2 weeks in some places.
So, you see, being prepared is not just about "end of the world" scenarios.
Also, buying food on sale and stocking up just makes budget sense. I see the prices creeping up again and the package sizes creeping down.
He doesn't list his name even on his website. So I suppose that speaks volumes doesn't it?
I will continue on my path as I see it while he writes his silly little articles. We keep a few things but don't get too crazy.
Why do I think he would have been OUTSIDE a famous ark when the rains came.lol
I think he has a valid point. I certainly agree he is poking fun, but I'm not sure from that article that he is against disaster prep in general. I think he is speaking out specifically against people making preparations for things that are hugely unlikely to happen rather than things that could more realistically happen.
It's like someone stocking their car with six months worth of granola bars and water bottles in case they are stranded somewhere by a freak blizzard in July while never looking at their gas tank gauge. Which is more likely? That you would run out of gas or that a freak blizzard would strike in July?
This latest Japan earthquake and tsunami 1-2 punch that put the reactors in jeopardy is so unlikely to occur here that I don’t even give it a second thought. Some say, “well, this nuclear facility is in a seismic area”. OK, but a contributing factor to the current situation in Japan is that a massive wave came and wiped away the backup generators that should have and would have been keeping the cooling towers running. So, is the thinking that somewhere 50 miles inland we’re going to have a massive tsunami come through as well? Reactors in the US are built with so many redundant systems (and it’s the American experts Japan finally allowed in to help assist in the shutdown of the reactor that would be overseeing a crisis in the US) and protocols that the likelihood of a serious release near you in your lifetime is much lower than risks you don’t even contemplate that ARE real.
--------------------------------------------------------------
a power plant of the same kind could be taken out by an earthquake alone no water involved. So his attitude about being 50 miles inland no water to do damage, well maybe not water but an earthquake could no doubt do horrible damage especially if it is right where the center is. Are backup generators immune to earthquake damage? I doubt it.
--------------------------------------------------------------
a power plant of the same kind could be taken out by an earthquake alone no water involved. So his attitude about being 50 miles inland no water to do damage, well maybe not water but an earthquake could no doubt do horrible damage especially if it is right where the center is. Are backup generators immune to earthquake damage? I doubt it.
Jas, you're right and when Japan happened I got online to see how many Florida has. We have 3. Can't remember exactly where they are, I googled it and it came up.
However I do remember that being Central we're surrounded and if even one happened we'd be screwed.
Think one was close to you.
Idiots.
Living on the west coast means I also live in the "ring of fire". I experienced more than one earthquake of significance in my lifetime, a volcano that erupted and caused some rather large issues and some pretty severe storms. Although the "big one" may or may not happen while I am alive, I still find it irresponsible to not have some preparations in case it does. It's like the 3 little pigs story....build your house of bricks!!!
There are three in Florida
Crystal River on the West coast north of Tampa, St Lucie which is on the east south of Cape Canaveral, and Turkey point near Miami.
The closest one to me is the St. Lucie one which is probably around 100 miles from me. There are two reactors there. All three are close to the water and are in hurricane zones for sure.
Makes you feel real safe dosent' it...when I lived in Ohio I lived about 10 miles from one in Piketon...Ex worked there...had to take special showers several times. Ugh!
There is a power plant on the Beachline heading to the Orlando International Airport that looks like it is nuclear but I guess it isn't thank goodness.
ten miles is too darn close! I understand people just can't up and move away from them if they have lived there forever. I guess you just pray no disaster happens.
Our government lacks the manpower and the resources to care for even a small segment of our population in a short term, large scale emergency, let alone a long term one. Think Katrina.
The emergency does not have to be nuclear, or even storm related to be a huge disaster. It does not even have to involve the entire U.S., it only has to involve you if you are unprepared.
I was just listening to NPR a little while back talk about this. They were talking about Japan's disaster. Us helping them and plans for disasters here.
They said that we have learned a lot from Katrina.
We needed to be better prepared and needed to be able to get to a disaster earlier. They now can mobilize before an area is declared an emergency or disaster zone before they could not.
The article concluded by saying that the lessons learned from Katrina had helped us be able to help Japan faster and better than we would have been able to before. It also said that if Katrina had happened now (after Katrina's lessons) help would have been better and more timely.
I guess I'm a pessimist Imagine, I don't believe for second that our government is prepared for a long term emergency. Heck, if they learned so much from Katrina like they said, how come it's not rebuilt and all the people back in their homes? Just not buying our government's competency on anything now a days.
I guess I'm a pessimist Imagine, I don't believe for second that our government is prepared for a long term emergency. Heck, if they learned so much from Katrina like they said, how come it's not rebuilt and all the people back in their homes? Just not buying our government's competency on anything now a days.
Perhaps, but how much could they have possibly learned when they clearly have not recovered from the last disaster? It seems to me the two go hand in hand. They fixed the problem by relocating people. Imagine if it had been on a major scale, covering the entire states? Where would they relocate us?
I still think that they did learn a lot of things from Katrina like the radio report said. I also am a firm believer that every event is a learning experience. Where everyone including government reviews and learns and improves.
The radio program only mentioned two things.1) The change in policy that FEMA no longer has to wait until after a emergency or disaster is declared. They can start getting ready to prepare and head that way just on the thought that their will be a problem. You see before Katrina they had to sit on their hands and wait for the government to vote and declare something an emergency. You can already see this improvement in responses now to natural disasters. 2) the review of disaster plans
The USA is big, physically big in size. Japan is roughly the size of California. I believe that if something was going to happen to the whole united state then it is something akin in to, if not Armageddon.
Have you ever seen the tv should The Colony? In the conclusion, the man who had been a prepare for every contingency survivalist, commented that he learned there are somethings you just can't prepare for so he planned on spending more time with his family living now and building his family instead of rigidly preparing them for all the what ifs
I believe there has to be a balance between living now and preparing for the future, especially a future you don't know will happen full of what ifs.
When Katrina happened, I don't believe ANYONE was prepared for the magnitude of that disaster. IIRC, even the Red Cross was not prepared for the sheer amount of donations it received. Don't misunderstand me though.. people *knew* that hurricane was coming.
Whether the government could/would "take care" of us is secondary (to me) because I will do everything in my power to help myself should the need arise. During the days after Katrina there were many videos and interviews of people saying they were "waiting" for help.
So it's obvious there are different kinds of people.. doers, people who depend on others, and those in between. It's up to the individual to decide in which group they belong.
So it's obvious there are different kinds of people.. doers, people who depend on others, and those in between. It's up to the individual to decide in which group they belong.
Agree Russ, why is the story "The Ant and The Grasshopper" playing through my head right now. Love the people who always think someone else will take care of them, and spend their money on junk and fun, while others are being wise with every day provisions and being prepared. They love mocking, or being mean about everyday budget living or provisions for the future and are the first to expect the Gov., and community to anty up for them. Not that I don't think helping fellow man is very important, or Gov should help but a little thought process on their part would help. But, the Bible has warned of those who do that forever. Being prepared is wise in my opinion.
As for lessons in Katrina well seems like the area still is a mess, not rebuilt and crime high......so lessons learned ? I am sure there are many but just observing and having meetings about things doesn't cut in where lives are involved for me, I like action and promises kept as well.
I don't believe the point of the article was to never be prepared for anything, it was to not get carried away preparing for unlikely events just because they happen to be in the news right now. He's talking about the recency effect - which is the tendency to place the most importance on the thing you last heard, even when other things are actually more important. People need to be preparing for the most likely emergency in their area, not the one getting the most recent coverage in the media.
Agreed MW.
As with anything, some people will take things to the extreme.
There was a recent story here on the radio about a woman who, due to recent increases in gas prices, decided to stockpile... GASOLINE IN HER BASEMENT!news article
Fortunately, nobody was home when her space heater ignited the fumes and blew the house into about 5 megabajillion toothpicks.
For me and the area I live in my concerns are hurricanes and the economy. I don't think either of them is an over reacting concern. I have been through a lot of hurricanes, 3 in a few months span one year. The economy is shaky at best. If gas goes up, like they say it will, so will everything else.
I have been in the process of making a bare bones must have list of things I want to have on hand. Not everything I buy in goods times. I mean the bare essentials to start with. Then I can fill in with the more would like to have items.
jas, I think that's an excellent example. You would be crazy to live in Florida and NOT do some preparation for hurricanes. I, on the other hand, living in IL, am highly unlikely to get a hurricane. Now I certainly could get (and have gotten!) tornadoes, so that's one of the things I prepare for.
It's like people stocking up for armageddon and not having smoke alarms in their house.
You know even in a hurricane situation I can bring food with me and HBA items. If I feel a hurricane is too big to stick around and ride the storm out at least I can lessen my burden on finances or whoever I have to stay with. I would imagine If I had to leave I would be heading for a shelter or hotel. That can get dicey since everyone else would be bugging out too. Shelters here don't provide anything but the shelter and that usually means a school hallway or gym floor.
That guy is probably making fun of me because I'm trying to become self sufficient. Not really for natural disaster but for the impending economic crisis.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Frugal Village Forums
1.8M posts
47.5K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to the frugal lifestyle and the enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about simple and green living, cost effective tips, life hacks, debt reduction, recycling, gardening, other homesteading techniques, and more!