What exactly are you "prepping" for??

[Dredd]

I guess I don't really get this "SHTF" stuff. whats the point of what you all are doing. some people are spending 1000s of $$ on zombie supplies and bragging about it online to their internet friends. Can somebody explain this to me? We have never had a need for all that stuff in my entire life living in Indiana.

im going to go re enforce my tinfoil lining on my roof now. This winter has played hell on it

 

[DHolder]

Most of us are "prepping" for weather related events first, then the longer term preps for economic reasons. Food, and other staples will most likely not drop in price, so, if you buy now and have it stockpiled, you will be ahead of the curve.

Some (myself) remember hurricane Katrina and the scenes we saw from there, I have no intention of allowing that to happen to me. Looters and hordes of gangbangers (zombies) will have to look for easier pickin's than they will find at those of us who are ready to survive.

 

[strahd71]

zombies! OK i know it silly but on another prepper site they say "if your prepared for the zombie Apocalypse then your ready for anything.

but in all seriousness power outages, colapse of the economy, civil unrest. and then there is the more mundane health issues where one cant work, blizzards, tornados etc

jake

 

[BaconGrease]

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

To put it simply, its like the boy scout motto.
Be prepared.

 

[paddling_man]

I don't expect zombies any more than Freddy Krueger coming out of my ceiling. I don't prep for an all-out-Mayan2012-TEOTWAWKI-TheRoad-cannabilistic-RoadWarrior scenario.

However, I've spent 5 days with no electricity or running water in East Tennessee due to a blizzard in the early nineties. Roads were impassable. Folks were using cross-country skis in downtown Knoxville. People (Boy Scout Troop) were airlifted out of the Smokies. The Nat'l Guard was delivering food/water/blankets to rural folks.
300 people died and 10,000,000 lost power.

Just a week or so ago folks spent 24 hours stuck in their cars on an Indiana highway.

SHTF means different things to different people. For me, it is about being prepared in my home - or on the road - to survive for a minimum of a few days without assistance from public grid or outside help.

One last thought...

Katrina.

Lack of preparation for the contingencies of the unexpected is another cog in the machine of natural selection.

I haven't had a flat tire in years, but I carry a spare.

I didn't have to defend myself with a firearm today but I still carried my .45.

I didn't DIE but I still pay life insurance premiums for my family.

I've also got alternative heating sources, extra food, water and, yes, ammunition and can keep my family alive, God willing, if services break down temporarily.

 

[paddling_man]

Oh, yeah.

The Nashville flood this past Spring. It didn't make big news. Why? In my opinion, one reason was that folks there might have been a little more... wait for it... prepared.

tennessean.com | Nashville Flood 2010 | The Tennessean




YouTube - A Country Boy Can Survive

 

[gage]

Solar storms, EMP threats

I do not like to mingle with the masses especially panicked masses.
Preparation prevents having to make mad dashes to stores for food, water etc if something should, and probably will, happen in my life time.

Society appears vulnerable to me because of so many things depending on electricity. Theoretically an EMP could cause rapid blackouts that would take weeks or months to repair.

"In the mean time, what do you think would happen to society without power, water, food, and fuel? It’s not a pretty picture. People will begin dying off by the end of the first week, those without a minimal storage of water or those who live in regions where water is not immediately available to them. Desperation will result in a rampage of crime with hoards searching for food and water. Within several weeks, a complete civil breakdown will be underway as mass migration out of the major cities creates extremely dangerous conditions while people search for food, water, and supplies. You get the idea."

source:
A New World Order Out of Chaos (News Page)

 

[johncarbaugh]

Prepping is like insurance. You may have never had your house burn down or get hit by a tornado yet you have insurance for it. Is it crazy to spend money for insurance then .
I started prepping after an ice storm left me with no power for 5 days. The storm knocked most of the town out for at least a day. You can't just drive to the store when they have no power and close down. Gas stations have fuel in takes but need power to pump it so they closed. What stores were open were cash only because they could not run your credit card without power.

 

[Expat]

My inlaws were without power for 2 weeks when the big ice storm went through 10 or so years ago. Yeah, nothing like that has happened during your lifetime.

 

[DanO]

An interruption of civil services and the ensuing lack of NUTELLA.

 

[Expat]

An interruption of civil services and the ensuing lack of NUTELLA.

There is going to be a Nutella shortage... dang, another thing to hoard now.

 

[pudly]

Many legitimate reasons to prep listed above. In addition, sooner or later the New Madrid fault may let go and result in an earthquake that affects multiple states.

It doesn't take thousands of dollars for most preps. Like anything, you can spend an unlimited amount if you want to, but being prepared for predictable interruptions is simply a responsible thing to do.

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

Lose your job - your S just HTF....
House burns - - your S just HTF....
Bad Weather- your S just HTF....
You find out you have cancer - your S just HTF....
Any of the above happens to your family - your S just HTF....

People seem to confuse TEOTWAWKI with SHTF...
S happens....
TEOTWAWKI not so much

And if TEOTWAWKI happens - those who are prepared for a long case of SHTF will be well on their way to ok.

 

[turnandshoot4]

Where did you go dredd?

 

[navarre1095]

If you are prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse, you are prepared for any natural disaster.

 

[turnandshoot4]

I guess I don't really get this "SHTF" stuff. whats the point of what you all are doing. some people are spending 1000s of $$ on zombie supplies and bragging about it online to their internet friends. Can somebody explain this to me? We have never had a need for all that stuff in my entire life living in Indiana.

im going to go re enforce my tinfoil lining on my roof now. This winter has played hell on it

Do you understand now?

People posting their "zombie supplies" really isn't bragging. Same as people posting their new guns. If it's their choice to spend thousands of dollars on it then so be it.

Never used zombie supplies? Do you shoot much? Ever go camping?

I've used:
Rifles
Pistols
Machete

All here in good ol' Indiana. Now I don't prep for the "zombie apocalypse" per say but I do enjoy many other outdoor activities. Many of them include similar tools as a "zombie apocalypse" would.

 

[ocsdor]

I'm prepping so when the SHTF, I won't have to stand in line, fighting with trolls, for gov't 'sustinence'.

 

[LawDog76]

I guess I don't really get this "SHTF" stuff. whats the point of what you all are doing. some people are spending 1000s of $$ on zombie supplies and bragging about it online to their internet friends. Can somebody explain this to me? We have never had a need for all that stuff in my entire life living in Indiana.

im going to go re enforce my tinfoil lining on my roof now. This winter has played hell on it

So I take it you have never been without due to an ice storm or tornado here in Indiana. I take it you don't have loved ones to provide for or you would rather just sit back and wait DAYS for FEMA while your toddler cries because he/she is hungry. Even FEMA suggest prepping. I my opinion, anyone who does not try to prep even for a week when they have kids to take care of is a worthless P.O.S. and shouldn't be allowed to pro-create. I understand money gets tight but for $100 you can get a single burner propane stove, a couple of one pound cylinders and enough canned goods and bottled water to get you through a week.

BY THE WAY, we don't brag on here. We share with others to help them out and help ourselves out. We learn from others mistakes, have things pointed out that we may have overlooked or just experiment and share an easier/cost effective way of doing something.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

I prep first and foremost against trolls taking over INGO. Everything else is secondary.

 

[Stschil]

Oh, yeah.

The Nashville flood this past Spring. It didn't make big news. Why? In my opinion, one reason was that folks there might have been a little more... wait for it... prepared.

tennessean.com | Nashville Flood 2010 | The Tennessean

Prepping is like insurance. You may have never had your house burn down or get hit by a tornado yet you have insurance for it. Is it crazy to spend money for insurance then .
I started prepping after an ice storm left me with no power for 5 days. The storm knocked most of the town out for at least a day. You can't just drive to the store when they have no power and close down. Gas stations have fuel in takes but need power to pump it so they closed. What stores were open were cash only because they could not run your credit card without power.

I prep first and foremost against trolls taking over INGO. Everything else is secondary.

Excellent answers

I was in junior high school during the blizzard of '78. We lived on a dead end road that didn't get any attention for two full weeks. The residents, enmass, brought our tractors, snow blades, shovels etc and dug ourselves out when one of the older folks down the road needed immediate medical attention. EMT's were shuttled to her house on snow machines to provide assitance until we could get the ambulance to her house.

And remember,,,,TEOTWAWKI simply means The End of the World AS WE KNOW IT, not necessarily the end of the world. Things do change