SHTF preparedness

[BillCA]

Your best bets are to research your risk levels and logically think through both the "average" and worst-case scenarios, then prepare for both.

In the event of a serious quake (>6.7M), most people will experience light to moderate damage to their homes. Cleaning up and fixing windows, cracked sheetrock will be the big issues. You may be without services for up to 3 weeks however (power, gas, water, phone, internet, etc.)

For larger events or if you live closer to a fault zone, damage could be moderate to severe, including a partial collapse of your home. Fires may threaten large areas of your city.

Always be prepared with some kind of fast-reaction 'bail out' kit. If forced to evacuate it should supply you and your family for about 3 days until you can get out of the area or relocate to safety. Then you'll have to get creative.

Longer term supplies at home should include plenty of water, food and heat. In fall/winter/spring heat will be necessary to maintain good health.

For more information on the kinds of things you can do, tips for supplies and surviving the aftermath, see http://www.californiapreparedness.net/

[Rob454]

Being prepped to me doesn't mean be tacticool and I wouldn't eat an MRE if you paid me.

Increasing the amount of supplies you use on a regular basis would be a good start. Don't forget stuff like soap, t.p. and other things you use on a daily basis right now. Not only can you use everything you stock up on but if something happens you'll be prepped. Just don't be buying anything camo or special purpose camping or survival that you could use a cheaper everyday product for.

if you're hungry enough a dead rat cooked in BBQ sauce will taste like a t bone steak.

I Am prepared for a disaster. unless my house burns down, but otherwise I'm ready. My wife thinks its a little overboard but I don't care.
We have enough food for me and my wife and maybe a couple of people for about two months. After that all bets are off. I don't stock hundred thousand rounds of ammo. i rather avoid a fight until it becomes unavoidable. other than that i would prefer to get together with a few people that are also ready and go as a group. Alone in a anarchy type setting most wont last. Some will last a while but eventually numbers work against you especially if you come up against a larger group thats well armed.

[bruss01]

If I told my significant other things like this, she would call the doctor to have my head checked. I know you will cite rare cases like Katrina and other natural disasters, but by that token you have to live every single day in a state of paranoia of WHAT IF it happens today? What if there's a riot/water shortage/food shortage/famine/war/rebellion/coup/etc.

Who wants to live like that?

Certainly not an ostrich, it's much easier to put one's head in the ground and pretend the grim realities of life don't exist.

Do you have car insurance? Wear a seatbelt? Have anti-lock brakes and airbags? Why, are you paranoid you're going to get in a wreck ever day you drive? Why bother to prepare for being in a collision when the odds of it are so low?

Our grandparents had full pantries and root cellars at all times, and ways of securing the essentials of life even when times turned hard (and they frequently did). A few decades of relative prosperity have made a lot of us just plain lazy with a manana philosophy... in other words, if it's not a problem right now, why worry about it, such as there's ahole in the roof but it's not raining so no biggie, why waste my time on roof work when there is fun in the sun to be had? Because eventually, it does rain, and that hole in the roof becomes a problem then. But it would be stupid and crazy to do something about it today while the sun's shining, eh amigo?

[egslaw]

For those of us that use the large capacity water containers here are a few suggestions:

1) Use Aerobic 07 in your long-term storage water. You can get it here. It gives you stored water a five year shelf life.
2) Be sure to get a siphon or pump. Trying to "tip" and 55 gallon drum to get a some water out could prove disastrous.
3) Keep smaller (1 gallon) sized water containers filled in case you gotta get up and go. A 55 gallon container is NOT movable.

The bottom line on preparing: You have an insurance policy on your house right? Why? Because you expect your house to burn down? NO. It is because the small cost of having an insurance policy FAR outweighs the consequences of being caught WITHOUT one. It is the same for prepping.

[Rob454]

C A few decades of relative prosperity have made a lot of us just plain lazy with a manana philosophy... in other words, if it's not a problem right now, why worry about it, such as there's ahole in the roof but it's not raining so no biggie, why waste my time on roof work when there is fun in the sun to be had? Because eventually, it does rain, and that hole in the roof becomes a problem then. But it would be stupid and crazy to do something about it today while the sun's shining, eh amigo?

That's the problem too many people think of today and don't prepare. those same people will be sitting on their azz and they will be expecting the government or YOU to take care of them or help them. I mean after all they need help and its your job to help those in need because you have the supplies and they don't so they figure since you have and they dont you need to share. At least that's their thinking.

[odysseus]

I know you will cite rare cases like Katrina and other natural disasters, but by that token you have to live every single day in a state of paranoia of WHAT IF it happens today? What if there's a riot/water shortage/food shortage/famine/war/rebellion/coup/etc.

No you don't. That's patently false, you don't live in paranoia. In fact I would be a little paranoid if I had no provisions at all. Doing what you can to be prepared brings a little peace of mind.

Funny, being prepared is what everyone has been doing of centuries as much as they could. Just a little flip of this recent modern life makes people think it's not needed, and you are paranoid for being prepared??? That is weird thinking in my book.

[MallNinja]

For those of you with swimming pools, use that water for everything except consumption. That way your supply of drinking water will last much longer. You can probably share your swimming pool water with close neighbors/relatives as well.

[odysseus]

Instead of having a bunch of MREs under the house that you MIGHT eat in 10-15 years, better to maintain a month's worth of non-perishables like canned soups, beans, and other canned items (frozen ain't good unless you have a generator that can run for an extended period). Just maintain a big enough inventory to carry you through.

Actually it is better to do both, everything has its place. MREs are useful for "some time" storage and transport portability. Also they need no preparation outside of heat for taste. On the move, it is efficient. #10 cans are big and cumbersome, but store for +25 years and have a lot of calories to feed off of - and need water and preparation. Having a pantry of grains, cans of food, etc. is also good, not as portable of bags, cans, and glass, and needs prep, but you cycle those as you eat and you know what you like. You can keep going on this with food you grow as well in season.. on and on. Layers like an onion.

[ripcurlksm]

ive stocked up on 60lbs of rice and a lot of tuna.

no water saved yet

[JDoe]

if you're hungry enough a dead rat cooked in BBQ sauce will taste like a t bone steak.

BBQ'd rats taste good period. Lots of recipes on the net...

[audihenry]

Certainly not an ostrich, it's much easier to put one's head in the ground and pretend the grim realities of life don't exist.

Do you have car insurance? Wear a seatbelt? Have anti-lock brakes and airbags? Why, are you paranoid you're going to get in a wreck ever day you drive? Why bother to prepare for being in a collision when the odds of it are so low?

Our grandparents had full pantries and root cellars at all times, and ways of securing the essentials of life even when times turned hard (and they frequently did). A few decades of relative prosperity have made a lot of us just plain lazy with a manana philosophy... in other words, if it's not a problem right now, why worry about it, such as there's ahole in the roof but it's not raining so no biggie, why waste my time on roof work when there is fun in the sun to be had? Because eventually, it does rain, and that hole in the roof becomes a problem then. But it would be stupid and crazy to do something about it today while the sun's shining, eh amigo?

I'm not saying don't prepare, but there's preparation and there is spending thousands to make sure you have weeks upon weeks of stuff. If you like that kind of thing, more power to you.

[OlderThanDirt]

ive stocked up on 60lbs of rice and a lot of tuna.

no water saved yet

That uncooked rice will come in handy, especially when you don't have any water to cook it. You could always hope that a couple of weddings break out following a natural disaster. But no worries, you can use toilet tank water for quite a while.

[spareparts]

Our grandparents had full pantries and root cellars at all times, and ways of securing the essentials of life even when times turned hard (and they frequently did). A few decades of relative prosperity have made a lot of us just plain lazy with a manana philosophy... in other words, if it's not a problem right now, why worry about it, such as there's ahole in the roof but it's not raining so no biggie, why waste my time on roof work when there is fun in the sun to be had? Because eventually, it does rain, and that hole in the roof becomes a problem then. But it would be stupid and crazy to do something about it today while the sun's shining, eh amigo?

I was fortunate enough to spend alot of time with my grandparents in my youth. They survived the great depression and taught me alot. I'm afraid as that generation passes on we're loosing alot of valuable info that hopefully we won't have to relearn the hard way. You never know, so I try to do what I can living in an apartment. I could get by for about a month, won't be happy but we'll survive.

[IGOTDIRT4U]

I was fortunate enough to spend alot of time with my grandparents in my youth. They survived the great depression and taught me alot. I'm afraid as that generation passes on we're loosing alot of valuable info that hopefully we won't have to relearn the hard way. You never know, so I try to do what I can living in an apartment. I could get by for about a month, won't be happy but we'll survive.

Same here. And lot's of hard work on his farm. One year we went a week without any running water, electricity or heat in the middle of winter due to an icestorm. I don't remember going hungry or being cold; we were prepared.

[Silverbullett]

Not trying to thread jack here but, how do you go about getting ahold of this "Sammy" guy? I'm pretty sure I pm'd him a few days ago, but I haven't heard back. I'm trying to get my hands on some of those drums.

So far, I have 40 gallons in 1 gallon jugs. Needless to say, they take up some room. I've got about 2 weeks worth of canned and dried food to feed 3 people (still not enough though). I've got a serious first aid kit, plus extra Rx meds for the family. I've got the 12ga for home defense and a decent amount of ammo. The list goes on. Everyone living in this region needs to be prepared for the worst. Just sucks that everyone thinks I'm paranoid.