What exactly are you "prepping" for??

[teknickle]

I prepare for life as it happens day-in and day-out.
I began working for a disaster relief agency back in 2001. I became a board member and was president of their board of directors.
Because of that, I have been around the country involved in recovery efforts from Sept 11 to Katrina.
In the past decade, we have had a number of disasters in Indiana.
Evansville/Newburg tornado ( I designed the ID's used at the checkpoints)
Nappanee tornado
Ice storms in southern Indiana (I am thinking 2002 or 2003)
Flooding in Marengo County...
stuff happens all the time.

Even so, I didn't start carrying a 'just in case' bag until a year ago. It was a reaction to having a long wait with the kids in the car, and they were hungry. I started carrying MREs in the vehicles. Then I started packing a complete bag with seasonal necessities.
Extra gloves (for others), rope, blanket, HAM radio, first aid kit.
Comes in handy, and I have used it just yesterday (the first aid kit and the extra winter gloves/hats).

people who don't prepare, and yet scoff at those who do deserve to be let to "their own wits" when things go bad.

 

[Zoub]

I guess I don't really get this "SHTF" stuff. whats the point of what you all are doing.

That is not your fault. Fault for this lack of understanding falls to your parents or whoever raised you.

From here forward, having asked the question, it now falls on you. Delete Zombie from your list of terms.

Go spend a week in New Orleans and just ask locals about their experiences during Katrina. Cabbies, Bar Tenders, Cops, anyone you meet.

You should at least have heat and water as Indiana has more heating days then cooling ones in terms of power useage.

You have led a fairly risk free life but read up on the New Madrid Fault and the Blizzard of 78 if you need local inspiration.

 

[grizman]

You have led a fairly risk free life but read up on the New Madrid Fault and the Blizzard of 78 if you need local inspiration.[/quote]

I don't have to read up on the blizzard of '78! I lived it. Spent two weeks on snowmobiles devilering food and medication to people. Saw Semi's in drifts and all you could see was the tip of the stacks. Dritfs so big we tunneled in them! The sound those winds made it was an awesome display of the power of the weather!
No electricity except for generators. Schools all closed for most for at least two weeks in the rural areas. Once the got the roads open school buses wouldn't stand above the snow at the sides of the road. I was a teenager and it was great. Makes me glad we had wood heat plenty of candles oil lamps and oil. We had and old vietnam surplus generator on the farm that I remember rideing down to S Cohn & Sons by one of the hospitals, with grandpa to pick up and they had jeeps in crates for less than 75 dollars if you bought several. You had to put them together of course. Ah the good ole days!

For the younger folks on here you have not seen a bad snow storm or even a bad Ice Storm here in central Indiana for a very long time. I think 93 was the last decent ice storm here.

 

[Armed Citizen]

I started "prepping" because I don't want my wife or kids to look at me and say "daddy I'm hungry" and not have anything to give them during a SHTF scenario. I stockpile ammo because I won't be a victim "when" not "if" this happens. It would be a hell of a lot easier to toss out expired goods than to need them and not have them. As a father, I'm a provider and their security blanket.

 

[jeremy]

I am prepping for when I make my bid at Emperor of the World....

Insert Evil Laugh here...

 

[Sailor]

Two years ago, I was the only one on my street that did not have to leave our home due to the ice storm, and no power for 36 hours. Temps in the single digits. Generator for the furnace and kerosene heaters. Plenty of cash on hand because all the credit card machines were not working.

 

[Zoub]

I am prepping for when I make my bid at Emperor of the World....

Insert Evil Laugh here...

We will just ban you and you will be done. Total failure.

Genghis Jeremy.

 

[Zoub]

Somebody make a note, when the storm of 78 anniversary pops up, lets do a remember when thread.

 

[irishfan]

Somebody make a note, when the storm of 78 anniversary pops up, lets do a remember when thread.

I read about that storm in my history book The ice storm in 04 I believe that took out a lot of Muncie was what opened my eyes. I was at BSU and had to go to my parents house. I only read about prepping until a couple years ago when I decided to start doing something about it.

Prepping seems to be a huge task but a lot of it is about reading and learning so that you can make it when production items aren't there. Also, it can be very expensive if you want the newest and greatest but in reality you can store a lot with inexpensive items and some knowledge on how to do it.

 

[littletommy]

Somebody make a note, when the storm of 78 anniversary pops up, lets do a remember when thread.

We tunneled some awesome snow caves.

 

[Zoub]

I read about that storm in my history book The ice storm in 04 I believe that took out a lot of Muncie was what opened my eyes. I was at BSU and had to go to my parents house. I only read about prepping until a couple years ago when I decided to start doing something about it.

Prepping seems to be a huge task but a lot of it is about reading and learning so that you can make it when production items aren't there. Also, it can be very expensive if you want the newest and greatest but in reality you can store a lot with inexpensive items and some knowledge on how to do it.

Jesus, total SHTF there! In my BSU days I tried not to go home.

Read about it in your History book? Wow, I am too young to pass into living history status just yet.


Blizzard of 1978

 

[E5RANGER375]

for everyone with pets, dont forget to stock up on food & water for them during a long term emergency too.

 

[bwframe]

for everyone with pets, dont forget to stock up on food & water for them during a long term emergency too.

...and marinate.

 

[Coydog]

Tornado

I had half of a blue spruce tree shoved through my roof by a tornado several years ago. We had no electricity or water from the well pump or heat for a week. Our emergency preparations covered all that but we hadn't counted on interference from the authorities.

The worst part of our situation was that we were not allowed to come and go as we needed because of police blockades and roving vigilante thugs. I had to use my bicycle to run the gauntlet to get supplies and get to my car to go to work. I had to park at my brother's house a mile away because a cop wouldn't let me cross his intersection. My house was not in the official emergency zone so I had no emergency.

 

[chris miller]

ok so i have the guns and ammo, whats next? Money is very tight wife is not working so what is the next step for people like me who wants to be ready!

 

[pudly]

ok so i have the guns and ammo, whats next? Money is very tight wife is not working so what is the next step for people like me who wants to be ready!

Guns and ammo are only for the most extreme situations. Much more likely are various outages related to weather, accidents, job loss etc. There is plenty that you can read about on this board and elsewhere that will go into much more detail, but you need to think in terms of:
-What if we didn't have utilities or ability to travel for a few days due to weather or other obstacles?
-What if we had a minor medical emergency? Do you have basic supplies and knowledge?

Most of these things aren't too expensive and can be accumulated over time. You don't go out and spend hundreds on a shopping trip and declare that you are "prepared". Knowledge is every bit as valuable as stuff.

 

[Sailor]

ok so i have the guns and ammo, whats next? Money is very tight wife is not working so what is the next step for people like me who wants to be ready!

First make sure you have enough and proper Auto/Fire/Life/Health/Disability insurance. Then start socking away a few months of income minimum.

Your health, eat well, dont smoke, lose weight, drink in moderation.

Start buying extra food you normally eat, slowly build that up. Start storing some water/way to filter purify it.

Work on alternate power sources.

Really that will take you awhile, and you are more likely to need the saved income, or insurance than zombies. Just keep reading once you are solid with the above, ask again.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

I'm prepping for a negative rep.


Seriously - I, like several guys here, am in the insurance business so we see what kind of stuff really happens to people and it's all kinds of random, weird stuff you probably couldn't imagine so I'm constantly prepped to need to spend a couple nights in a hotel room with 3 hots until I figure out what the heck to do next. Aside from that I'm prepped for my house to run on it's own for a couple weeks until I figure out what's up. Finally I'm ready to eat for a couple months in case I lose my employment and need time to figure out what the heck to do.

I get excited about natural disasters coming to an area. It usually means more money.

 

[Coach]

Guns and ammo are only for the most extreme situations. Much more likely are various outages related to weather, accidents, job loss etc. There is plenty that you can read about on this board and elsewhere that will go into much more detail, but you need to think in terms of:
-What if we didn't have utilities or ability to travel for a few days due to weather or other obstacles?
-What if we had a minor medical emergency? Do you have basic supplies and knowledge?

Most of these things aren't too expensive and can be accumulated over time. You don't go out and spend hundreds on a shopping trip and declare that you are "prepared". Knowledge is every bit as valuable as stuff.

But the extreme can happen anywhere at anytime and with no warning.
Last spring we had a couple of idiots driving around Greencastle and Putnam county who shot at a cop and hit his windsield with AK's. I went and picked up the kids from school and came home. I am fair with a pistol but that is not a good match up with multiple AK's. So I drag out a couple of AR's and load some extra mags. Did not have to run to the gun store and felt like we could handle whatever trouble that came calling.

A big store of food and water will be useless of you get shot on Day1.

 

[Zoub]

But the extreme can happen anywhere at anytime and with no warning...........
A big store of food and water will be useless if you get shot on Day1.

Ignoring the entire history of man and just using the last 20 years, any time anything extreme happens, it is always followed by extreme human behavior. A weapon is maybe .01% of preps until you need one and then it is 99.99%.

Hard to keep your preps without a mindset that you plan to do exactly that.

Even OJ Simpson's trial became life and death for some.