93%

[longbow]

That is the percentage of people in the USA who have not prepared for any emergency.

So if you are prepared ( even a little ) you are outnumbered 13 to 1 from people who have nothing.

I am not at all shocked.

 

[buckstopshere]

Wow! That's an interesting stat and means there will be A LOT of people to defend against. Curious as to the source of this info. Can you share?

 

[Brandon]

flash light, batteries, spare ammo, guns, a little extra cleaning supplies (with the ammo i have i wont need to clean them i dont think) bottled water, soda for that matter. 2 cats and a dog if need be for short term food supply. and of course im saving 2-3 rounds for myself just incase its really really bad (and i suck at trying to shoot myself) and about 30 bottles of whiskey/bourbon.

 

[Que]

The basic thought is that nothing will ever happen. I got a clue when our lights went out a few times and I had no idea where the flashlights were. Each time it was an unconscious thought of mine that it was an anomaly and probably would not happen again, until it happened again.

As the saying goes, "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail."

 

[longbow]

Wow! That's an interesting stat and means there will be A LOT of people to defend against. Curious as to the source of this info. Can you share?

I think it is from FEMA. This is "be prepared month" and I heard it on the radio driving home.

 

[melensdad]

We had a tornado, with some associated flooding, about 20 miles north of here a few years ago. It affected several towns, including the town of Munster, which is where I spent a good deal of my youth. My brother, a couple aunts & uncles and several cousins live there. A few of them live in the north side of town where they had some serious flooding after the tornado. The whole town was under a "boil order" for about a week, much of the town was without electric power for several days, some areas for a week or longer.

So I got a phone call from my brother. Seems he was going to lend his generator to one of the cousins but couldn't start it. . . it came with his house, he never thought about starting it. When I asked if he opened the butterfly valve to allow the gas to flow from the tank to the engine

So we are talking and he mentions "they are stealing generators" to which I reply 'that is why yours has a chain and a place to lock it to the side of your home...'

He then asks, rather rhetorically, "who thinks of this stuff?" to which I reply 'well obviously I do, you called me to find your answers!'

Now I'm not a hard core prepper. We have some food, some medical supplies, some guns and ammo. We can sustain ourselves through a long term power failure. I can keep the house warm in the winter. We can hunt our own property, grow some of our food. But I'm constantly amazed by people who would have a hard time making through a WEEKEND if they were snowed into their home without power.

 

[E5RANGER375]

thats why I have lots of extra rounds of ammo

 

[bigiron]

good news is, most of us here have more ammo and brains than 99% of our population.

 

[JJGatesE30]

good news is, most of us here have more ammo and brains than 99% of our population.

you got dat wright, rest a dem folks is ignant!

 

[buckstopshere]

thats why I have lots of extra rounds of ammo

True that! Just when I think I have enough, I order another crate.

 

[Woodsman]

What's it been, 5 years since Katrina? Most people think it will never happen to them. And that was just a natural disaster.

What's that statement someone said after 9-11? It was a failure of imagination that allowed this to happen. Or something to that effect...

 

[360]

Besides the necessities, I would think for men, two VERY important items to have on hand would be Gold Bond and Tinactin. If you are forced to go for extended periods of time without personal hygiene, it can be very miserable without those two items.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Ever wonder why people get in a mass panic with a huricane or other natural disaster is coming and you see TONS of people flocking to the stores and people fighting ocer stuff?

I think that most of that could be avoided by people not waiting till the last second but I am getting closer and closer to not having to worry about much if anything if something does happen and takes out the power/water/you name it.

 

[Eddie]

I am consistently amazed at people who have no concept of preparing for even the most minor of SHTF events. I know people who don't even grocery shop. They eat out for every meal except for some frozen microwavable stuff and snacks, own no tools or real outdoor clothing and couldn't manage something as simple as starting a fire in a fireplace using matches, wood and paper. I doubt these types will become the enemy in a major SHTF though, they will die in their homes sitting on their couch in front of a dead TV waiting for rescue.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I will be the first to admit that I usually had to be hit over the head with a situation before I prepared for it. The first time I didn't have a working flashlight at night when I had a total electrical failure in a helo taught me to have a couple (working) flashlights with me all the time. The first time an "afternoon" flight" became a "three day trip" taught me to always have enough money for a phone call and to keep some food and appropriate shelter in the helo with me. After Hurricane Alicia ran over us in Houston in 1983, my wife and I started keeping tape and water and a little extra food in the house (always difficult because of the roaches).

When we finally bought a house, I looked at Flood Plain statistics, Fire Department coverage, and taxes. Had to do a trade-off among location, cost, and basement/no basement.

Now in looking at SHTF, I'm having to start doing a realistic evaluation of what my wife and I are physically capable of doing. If we're staying in place, we're pretty good for awhile. If we have to walk any distance (and our current BOL is about 300 miles away) we're going to have troubles. I've been through basic survival training, but my wife's idea of "roughing it" is if our motel doesn't have a closet.

 

[Tactical Dave]

I will be the first to admit that I usually had to be hit over the head with a situation before I prepared for it. The first time I didn't have a working flashlight at night when I had a total electrical failure in a helo taught me to have a couple (working) flashlights with me all the time. The first time an "afternoon" flight" became a "three day trip" taught me to always have enough money for a phone call and to keep some food and appropriate shelter in the helo with me. After Hurricane Alicia ran over us in Houston in 1983, my wife and I started keeping tape and water and a little extra food in the house (always difficult because of the roaches).

When we finally bought a house, I looked at Flood Plain statistics, Fire Department coverage, and taxes. Had to do a trade-off among location, cost, and basement/no basement.

Now in looking at SHTF, I'm having to start doing a realistic evaluation of what my wife and I are physically capable of doing. If we're staying in place, we're pretty good for awhile. If we have to walk any distance (and our current BOL is about 300 miles away) we're going to have troubles. I've been through basic survival training, but my wife's idea of "roughing it" is if our motel doesn't have a closet.

300 miles!?!?!? I guess that is not that bad considering some on here have talked about going to Airizona haha.

My wife likes her comforts but knows that if she has to give them up then she has to give them up.... if we loose power she knows we are not going to rent a hotel room for a few hours just to get a shower haha.



Yeah the cock-a-la-roaches are bad down in TX......

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I doubt these types will become the enemy in a major SHTF though, they will die in their homes sitting on their couch in front of a dead TV waiting for rescue.

Funny, but sadly true at the same time. I know some of those people too and it still never ceases to amaze me.......

 

[Tactical Dave]

I give you people after Katrina......... and most other big disasters....

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

A couple days a week I work in downtown Chicago, if I am not working from home or in Crown Point. I constantly see myself evaluating the surroundings every time I go downtown, just to think of how I might "escape" a catastrophe there. I remember vividly on 9/11 how the whole city became like the business district on a Sunday night at 10 pm., and it was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon on that Tuesday. I chose to just stay put before heading out and getting caught up in the rush to leave the city. But if a subway train bomb or explosion in a shopping district were to occur, I am not sure what would happen...if everyone tried to leave....if the Chicago PD and FBI shuts down the city and no one leaves...that is what I try to evaluate and what I would do to make it back home asap.

 

[Keith_Indy]

The only statistics I can find say that 91% think preparing for an emergency is important, but only 58% of households have taken any step to prepare. This says nothing of their level of preparedness.

Ad Council : Emergency Preparedness

I wish more people would do more to be prepared. I wonder how many of the 42% of households that do nothing, are on government of some type already?