Are You Ready?

How prepared are you?

  • I am ready for anything

    Votes: 14 38.9%

  • I have some basic stuff put aside

    Votes: 13 36.1%

  • Hadn't thought about it

    Votes: 7 19.4%

  • I'm good nothing ever happens to me

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Total voters
    36
Tom@Hilltop_Machine

Tom@Hilltop_Machine

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Location
Rural Retreat, VA
With all the stuff going on in the world today like floods, tornados, ice storms, North Korea testing long range nukes etc. I thought I would ask the question. Have you done anything to prepare yourself for the "just in case" time? Do you own a generator, survival kit, extra guns and ammo, have dry goods stock piled, own livestock, have a garden? How much is enough? Where is the line drawn from a prepared individual to an extremist?
 
I put in "prepared for anything"...within reason. I'm prepped pretty well, mainly prompted by some of the storms we've had. I focus more on being prepared for short-term events such as storms, regional type disasters, not the end of the civilized world. I'm undecided on the whole bug-in vs. bug-out thing. Couldn't pack up and leave fast...but I'd be in good shape if I had to leave and had time to load up. Some of my preps are just due to lifestyle -- I have a generator because I need and use it...but it's nice to be able to run the house in a power outage, too. I camp and backpack, so I have everything I need to pick up and leave.

The big holdup in my plan is family...I know none of them give a rat's ass about disaster planning. I got a couple of elderly relatives, young nephews, etc, that I couldn't just leave behind or starving. My three months of food and water for the two of us very quickly becomes about a 10-day supply when you take them into account.

Basically, I got serious about it after all the Katrina mess, especially good folks that got sucked into the Superdome thing. My planning and preps are all with the following in mind:

To NOT have to depend on government assistance for any reason.
To NOT have to depend on government shelters for any reason.
To NOT have to depend on government transportation for any reason.

My uncle surprised me recently when we were cleaning out his house. He was prepped well with food and water -- back when they had the flooding with hurricane Floyd in eastern NC, he was dependent for a couple of weeks on the National Guard dropping drinking water off. He had LOTS of drinking water and canned goods stored up, he could have easily gone a month given that situation again.

Good topic. I'll post some good links later when I got time.

EDIT: here's one real good link, lessons learned from Katrina http://www.frfrogspad.com/disastr.htm
 
I have some basic stuff put aside. In reality I need to be more proactive about it. I honestly think I would need to beef up my defenses as I truly think even with my limited preparedness I would be a target by my ill prepared neighbors.

Water - I have a 5gal military water jug I fill if any storms are 1 week out. I have other jugs I fill if things look more eminent. And if things really look bad I will fill some large totes.

Food - Non-frozen stuff, ehhh maybe 5-7 days depending on rationing and what happens to be in the house at any given time.

Fuel (generator) - Between the 4 cars and gas cans. I have 30-40 gas on hand at any given time.

Propane - Grill/cooking - I have 3 tanks and usually keep 2 filled at most times.

What I could do:
* Get a water filter hand pump - IMHO the technology and price has improved alot in the last few years.
* I really should stock up on more pasta/beans and rotate them into the camping box as needed.

I'd personally feel better being able to last 4 weeks with out help.
 
i have enough guns and ammo to feed us with deer and such for a good while. i ordered an EBR Nov 11 and picked it up on the 15th and have plenty of ammo for it. further more, i have a bow and quite a few arrows so if push come to shove i could go Rambo if need be.

i would say that my family is fairly prepared considering the food stuffs we have because of our business. at any given time we have 40-50g bushels of corn on hand, and the ability to grind that with water power :lol: at least one truck load of flour, a truck load of sugar and a whole lot of other stuff. thing about it is, id imagine we'd get raided by a lot of other people in the neighbor hood, but thats where the EBR comes into play.

first aid supplies, my moms a home health nurse so she has all that stuff and more in her car.

as far as water, we have several good springs on the property that produce water year round save for a few days in the middle of the summer.

fuel, a few cans of gas but right much diesel.
 
Kaiser715-good web link.
I guess you should have 2 plans of action. (1) hunker down at your residence or safe haven, or (2) flee your residence or safe haven for whatever reason developes.
each plan would encompass different supplies and tactics for staying alive.
 
between me and my roomate and my dad who lives next door we're set on weapons and ammo, between being a good archer and having multiple bows a piece...and the gun/ammo stockpile were good. my dad has more of a stockpile of foodstuffs etc due to my stepmom...but then agian theres plenty of rabbits and squirrels around, usually have a couple of those on hand in the freezer on the reg...i think i would worry about whats across the tracks from me more than anything....the "hood" of salisbury....thats where my monster rotties come into play hehe
 
I have a garden, lots of MREs, a well (needs repair), and lots of ammo. My big concern is long term ammo will run out. I recently got a nice crossbow and plan to get plenty of bolts (arrows). If it gets too rough at my house we plan to head for the mountains.

My big problem is I don't have a points distributor car or truck in case of ECM.
 
I am not very prepared. We have a garden and canned goods, and a well. We have a little land with a creek/spring. But not as ready as I could be...At all.

I have another question. It kinda goes along with the original question of ''Are you ready?''

Lets say you are stocked up on everything you need for a few weeks/months, whatever. Something happens(end of civilization scenario)
But time goes by, and you run out of supplies. Family is getting hungry, things are getting desperate.

I know most of you would do any and everything to defend whats yours..BUT

Are you ready to steal?
Are you ready to kill/murder?
Are you ready to become the pirate?
Are you ready to kill a family and take what is theres, to keep your family alive?

I can only imagine, regardless of your answers, that you never know what you are capable of, untill you are tested.
 
We're more than good to go on the food side. We've got a small farm and between chickens, ducks, quail, rabbits, pigs and goats we've got plenty of meat and then there's all the eggs from the chickens, ducks and quail on top of that. Also have a pretty decent sized garden and an ok stock pile of canned goods. There's only two of us so that helps alot. We've got a little fire power and I'm pretty well stocked on camping goods as well. The only thing we're lacking is drinkable water but there are three creeks nearby that we could get water from to purify for drinking. We're also in the process of getting rain barrels built for the garden during the summer so that will help some too. Plenty of propane for cooking and used motor oil for heat and plenty of trees to cut down for wood if needed. With the exception of drinking water(the most important thing) I'd say we could ride it out at home for at least two months before things would start to tighten up.
 
GubNi said:
My big problem is I don't have a points distributor car or truck in case of ECM.
Click to expand...

we have two, an old F100 and an old ass cheby grain truck..... the only problem is neither have brakes. FAIL
 
I was just re-reading the link I posted; it's been a while since I read over it.

Couldn't help thinking/comparing what piedmont North Carolina would be like if a Category 5 was bearing down on Wilmington, and we were on the receiving end much like this guy was. Hotels filled, unprepped folks bugging out (to here) with little or no money available and needing help, gas stations pumped dry, etc.
 
tknopp said:
With all the stuff going on in the world today like floods, tornados, ice storms, North Korea testing long range nukes etc. I thought I would ask the question. Have you done anything to prepare yourself for the "just in case" time? Do you own a generator, survival kit, extra guns and ammo, have dry goods stock piled, own livestock, have a garden? How much is enough? Where is the line drawn from a prepared individual to an extremist?
Click to expand...


got all the above covered and then some.... some people may call me an extremist...haha, we do homeschool the younguns....:D
 
What do you need a points vehicle for? I would Fail...for sure.
 
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