What are we preparing for?

[KeithBC]

Preparedness is a good thing, but I am curious as to what kinds of situations people are preparing for. For me, it is:

1. (most common) Winter storms / power failures. Up to a week of no electricity. Trees down on houses, etc.

2. (fairly likely at some point) Isolation. We are dependent on a ferry for all traffic to or from our community. If the boat sinks, the company will find a spare from somewhere, but if the dock is damaged, there will be no service until it is repaired.

3. (inevitable, but maybe not in my lifetime) The "Big One": a 9.0 earthquake offshore. We would expect major structural damage to most buildings, no power, no ferry, no outside assistance for weeks.

4. (inevitable, probably in my lifetime) The "Long Emergency": our unsustainable ways catching up with us via peak everything, global warming, economic collapse, etc. I put this one last, because it is different from all the others. From them, there is eventually a return to normal life. For this one, emergency living will become a permanent way of life.

We are fairly well prepared for the first three. I am interested in planning how to live with the last.

Self-sufficiency and reliance on local providers will be key, obviously. I am thinking self-sufficiency not only in food and energy, but especially in technology. Does it make sense to rely on solar electricity, for example, if you are not able to build or repair your own solar panels?

So, two questions: What are you preparing for, and what are your thoughts on long-term survival?

[joyofsix]

Personally I want to be prepared for
1) Tornado/snow storm/loss of electricity. Probably no more than a week. I have a larger food/health stockpile and generator w/gas.
but
2) job loss or accident to my husband is a concern. Even though I could find a job there would be a lag time. I don't want to be short on bills or food in the event of a personal problem

3) I'm not worried about environmental/political disaster but would like to be prepared in the case of flu outbreaks, etc. where I wouldn't want to go out more than necessary. A stockpile allows for that choice. It also allows me to funnel money to some other pressing need if the basics of life are taken care of here.

[Jakk]

My preparedness plan includes a few things:

1. The flu. I am stocked up on food and supplies so I do not have to go into a grocery store or any other place where people congregate. I have four children, three with underlying conditions that could make the flu (seasonal or H1N1) deadly.

2. Severe winter storms with power outages. I just rec'd the last part for my emergency solar back up system. Hope to get it assembled and up and running this weekend.

3. Job loss. DH lost his job in April and just started a new job yesterday. I was very happy to have all my food and supplies already stored at home which made three months with no income easier.

[Contrary Housewife]

Joyofsix pretty much covered it for me too. Job loss/transition as my husband frequently works on a contractual basis is our most likely scenario. We get severe ice storms every 5 years or so, last time power was out for 4 days in our area, over 2 weeks in others. Tornadoes are likely 8 months out of the year, and can range from very mild or no damage to complete loss with us probably losing power and having moderate damage being most likely. We don't have a generator, but there is plenty of non-perishable food and I have a camp stove. I'm sure we'd be ok for a week or so.

I don't forsee an end to 'life as we know it' from environmental change, earthquake (look up New Madrid) or economic failure during my lifetime. Most of those scenarios that they show on tv rely on extreme conditions and multiple massive failures on many levels in order to make such a disaster happen.

[rsbs]

What am I preparing for?
Hurricane season. We're not on the coast, but we're close enough that large ones cause major damage, panic, & loss of power.
Retirement or loss of income. I want to be able to take care of me & mine in the event that it is necessary.
Other than that, I have to answer that I'm preparing for whatever it was my parents were preparing for!
Seriously, I tell people my parents were hippies, but really, they were survivalists. Growing up that way instilled in me a sense of fear - of not being prepared.

[Persimmon Lace]

The flu
Unemployment
Storms, tornadoes, I live in tornado alley and winter storms

I am more concerned about what will happen with all the new govenment regulations that are being put in place. I personally think that food prices are going to become outrageous, so to that end I stock up on food, seeds and HBA items as a price hedge.

[NewLeaf]

sickness, jobloss, winter storms and months of low income. My food stockpile helps w/all of these. We have camping equipment if we have to do w/o power for a period of time. I just feel more secure if I am prepared. IF I had my way I would take it a step further and be prepared for long term survival , but my dh thinks that is taking it too far.We have guns and ammo for hunting and fishing equipment, and the knowledge to live off of the land. We just don't have the ability to homestead right now.

[Karen1]

I started being frugal to save money, well that frugal went more into self sufficient lifestyle for me. I want off the "conveniences" of this life now.

I still want electricity when I flip on a light switch, LOL, but I am preparing slowly to wean myself off as much as I can and still live good with these conveniences I choose to keep.

So for me it is from small to large

In NC I have a few power outages from ice in winter. Never bad, but I want to be prepared and I am.

Financial security as best I can within reason. No one in my middle class can ever be truly set for money. (Gotta win that lottery..LOL) So retirement and job loss and all that need preparation.

The if the "big one" comes with world type collapse, then we all have to start a new way of life. I don't think we can "prepare" items in our homes to truly fix this if it happens, but knowledge is power then. I want to learn and know skills that can make the transition from old life to new easier.



On the show The Colony, they made a wood gasifier. It is super heating wood, pipe the gas directly into a generator or such, and it runs. No gas, no solar no nothing. Attach to battery pack and they recharge. I thought it was so cool seeing that in action. I heard of them and googled some info but never saw one made from scrapes and it worked.

While I hear ya on depending for technology like solar, how to get replacement parts and all that......it is simple to make a solar panel for hot water. It just requires glass, black tarp paper or something, wind a hose along the panel and set out in the sun. Or just run a hose out on a hot day across a street...asphalt is so hot here...LOL-LOL

so simple things can be applied if we just keep our eyes open for simple yet effective means to an end.

that all make sense...HA HA HA

[CrazyHomemaker]

I am preparing for the following.

1. To have enough in my pantry for at least one month's worth of living. (small pantry)

2. Prepare for hurricanes and tornados. On the coast in SC, we have a lot of tornados. Hurricanes get more attention during the season. I'm in the line of tornadic activity.

3. Power outages. We're on co-op electric. Sometimes it goes out. Usually, they have it up and running quickly.

4. To be able to cook food on the outdoor fire and not need electricity. Prepare food from our property and what we grow. This would be for the 'big one'. I love practicing cooking when we go camping. DH would be jonesin' without electricity. LOL.

[thefrug]

I am preparing for:

1) Pandemic ( of any kind)

2) job loss/lower income ( we're on one income, so if something goes wrong there we need to be able to "survive" until when ever another is found)

3) Political/Economic collapse ( look at just what happened recently. it's a domino effect. and anyone who isn't somewhat worried about this factor has their head in the sand. we have a socialist president doing all he can to "change" our country to total reliance on the .gov. the majority of citizens will not let that happen without a fight. bet on it)

4) storms/tornadoes/earthquakes. ( we get ice storms,occasionally heavy (3-4ft) snow storms, tornadoes have been known to hit the area 1 hour west of us, and we have had a very mild (.2-3) quakes. We had a bigger shake when the local explosives factory went up lol)


If you've been listening to the news maybe you've heard that we WILL be taxed on this stupid health care. that means higher taxes on everything. I am working on being able to grow our own food in order to be able to pay those taxes. Food prices will go up. Prices for everything will go up because they will be taxed.

I would suggest to those using solar or planning on doing so, to get A LOT of batteries. lol Solar doesn't work with out an inverter and batteries people. And when the batteries go bad, then what? Stock up on the panels and securely store them. And everything else that goes with them.
Learn to gather seeds from heirloom plants and store them for use. Learn to do for yourself and not wait on the .gov to come save your a$$. Learn to defend whats yours. And plan to do so.


That is all.

[Incognito]

Great thread, Keith!
I'm preparing for most of the reasons already stated by others, but also for the end of the world, and the return of Christ.

I believe I could do fairly well in any aforementioned scenario.
My life has always been challenging and unpredictable, so I've had to learn and live out adaptability and resourcefulness.
Life will always have new challenges, and there will always be something more to learn and do while coping with them.
If I can do that--fine; and if I can't, I'm ready to leave this world for a better place.

[jas]

For the same reasons as all those that have posted.

I had my head in the sand and didn't even know it was there till I thankfully found myself on this site. I have learned so much from everyone here.

I live in Florida so hurricanes are a near certain occurance, at least every few years or so. I want to be able to have provisions for my family in case of any of things mentioned.

Just for the fact that the grocery stores only have enough food for 3-4 days at any given time. I don't want to have to be one of those people who immediately runs to the govt looking for what I should have seen coming and when they can't/don't respond to my liking starve to death.

I am finding out I like all this learning. My family thinks I am a little off because of it but, my dh says I could be into a whole lot worse things than gathering a several month food supply And learning how to make a really good loaf of bread from fresh milled wheat!

[fixer]

Weather is my number one concern. We were hit by severe thunderstorms less than twenty-four hour ago. We had some tree damage but not far from here there is still no power. It is such a common occurrence here that being prepared is almost second nature.

[ladykemma2]

Preparedness is a good thing, but I am curious as to what kinds of situations people are preparing for. For me, it is:

1. (most common) Hurricanes/ power failures. Up to a week of no electricity. Trees down on houses, etc. need water, food, tools.

2. economic emergency: i have had to live on my storage twice. once when my husband was on intensive care for a couple of months. there was a short term disablility check to cover the basics. the other time was two years ago when i had to live on my storage during the lean year of divorce.

3. we are overdue for an economic depression.

[frugalfranny]

I am preparing (and prepared) mainly for rough winter weather. Had to test my preparedness last winter and did fine.

Wish I could say I was prepared for power outages, which we have, but I have no generator.....yet.

I think the flu will be worse than normal this year, and will increase when school starts, so I will be ready for that.