(in before the “shoot my neighbor and take his stuff” guy)
Posted on 04/03/2012 11:13:52 AM PDT by blam
Read This First Before You Decide That Preppers Are Crazy
April 2, 2012
Michael Snyder
Do you believe that preppers are a few cards short of a full deck? Do you assume that anyone that is "preparing for doomsday" does not have their elevator going all the way to the top floor? Well, you might want to read this first before you make a final decision that all preppers are crazy. The information that you are about to read shook me up a bit when I first looked it over. To be honest, I had no idea how incredibly vulnerable our economic system is to a transportation disruption. I am continually getting emails and comments on my websites asking "how to prepare" for what is coming, so when I came across this information I knew that I had to share it with all of you. Hopefully what you are about to read will motivate you to prepare like never before, and hopefully you will share this information with others.
Originally, I was going to write an article about the rising unemployment in Europe today. Did you know that unemployment in the eurozone is now at a 15 year high? It has risen for 10 months in a row with no end in sight.
But I have written dozens of articles about the economic crisis in Europe already. So before starting on that article I started thinking of all the "preparation" questions I have been getting lately and I went over and checked out one of my favorite preparation websites: shtfplan.com.
Well, an article had just been posted over there about a report put out by the American Trucker Associations entitled "When Trucks Stop, America Stops".
I went and found that original report and I was stunned as I read it.
The truth is that our "just in time" inventory and delivery systems leave us incredibly vulnerable to a nationwide disaster.
You see, it is very expensive to hold and store inventory, so most manufacturers and retailers rely on a continual flow of deliveries that are scheduled to arrive "just in time", and this significantly reduces their operating expenses.
This is considered to be good business practice for manufacturers and retailers, but it also means that if there was a major nationwide transportation disruption that our economic system would grind to a halt almost immediately.
Once store shelves are picked clean, they would not be able to be replenished until trucks could get back on the road. In the event of a major nationwide disaster, that could be quite a while.
So what could potentially cause a nationwide transportation shutdown?
Well, it is easy to imagine a lot of potential scenarios - a volcanic eruption, a historic earthquake, an EMP attack, a solar megastorm, a war, a major terror attack, an asteroid strike, a killer pandemic, mass rioting in U.S. cities, or even martial law.
If something caused the trucks to stop running, life in America would immediately start changing.
So exactly what would that look like?
The following is an excerpt from the report mentioned above put out by the American Trucker Associations entitled "When Trucks Stop, America Stops"....
*****
A Timeline Showing the Deterioration of Major Industries Following a Truck Stoppage
The first 24 hours
• Delivery of medical supplies to the affected area will cease.
• Hospitals will run out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters within hours. Radiopharmaceuticals will deteriorate and become unusable.
• Service stations will begin to run out of fuel.
• Manufacturers using just-in-time manufacturing will develop component shortages.
• U.S. mail and other package delivery will cease.
Within one day
• Food shortages will begin to develop.
• Automobile fuel availability and delivery will dwindle, leading to skyrocketing prices and long lines at the gas pumps.
• Without manufacturing components and trucks for product delivery, assembly lines will shut down, putting thousands out of work.
Within two to three days
• Food shortages will escalate, especially in the face of hoarding and consumer panic.
• Supplies of essentials—such as bottled water, powdered milk, and canned meat—at major retailers will disappear.
• ATMs will run out of cash and banks will be unable to process transactions.
• Service stations will completely run out of fuel for autos and trucks.
• Garbage will start piling up in urban and suburban areas.
• Container ships will sit idle in ports and rail transport will be disrupted, eventually coming to a standstill.
Within a week
• Automobile travel will cease due to the lack of fuel. Without autos and busses, many people will not be able to get to work, shop for groceries, or access medical care.
• Hospitals will begin to exhaust oxygen supplies.
Within two weeks
• The nation’s clean water supply will begin to run dry.
Within four weeks
• The nation will exhaust its clean water supply and water will be safe for drinking only after boiling. As a result gastrointestinal illnesses will increase, further taxing an already weakened health care system.
This timeline presents only the primary effects of a freeze on truck travel. Secondary effects must be considered as well, such as inability to maintain telecommunications service, reduced law enforcement, increased crime, increased illness and injury, higher death rates, and likely, civil unrest.
*****
Earlier in the report, the reasons why America's water supply would be in such jeopardy are described in greater detail....
According to the American Water Works Association, Americans drink more than one billion glasses of tap water per day. For safety and security reasons, most water supply plants maintain a larger inventory of supplies than the typical business. However, the amount of chemical storage varies significantly and is site specific. According to the Chlorine Institute, most water treatment facilities receive chlorine in cylinders (150 pounds and one ton cylinders) that are delivered by motor carriers. On average, trucks deliver purification chemicals to water supply plants every seven to 14 days. Without these chemicals, water cannot be purified and made safe for drinking.
Without truck deliveries of purification chemicals, water supply plants will run out of drinkable water in 14 to 28 days. Once the water supply is drained, water will be deemed safe for drinking only when boiled. Lack of clean drinking water will lead to increased gastrointestinal and other illnesses, further taxing an already weakened healthcare system.
Can you see why I always recommend that you make sure that you and your family have access to fresh water and a way to purify it?
This report should be very sobering for all of us.
What would you and your family do if you had no food, no clean water and the stores were shut down because their supplies were gone?
An article by Tess Pennington entitled "Emergency Items: What Will Disappear First" contains a list of 100 things that are likely to disappear from store shelves first. The following are the first 10 things on her list....
1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
You can find the rest of the list right here.
Most Americans just assume that they will always be able to run out to the supermarket or to Wal-Mart and buy anything that they need.
But if the trucks stop running that will change almost overnight.
After reading the information above, does anyone out there still believe that preppers are crazy?
The truth is that there are good, solid reasons why millions of Americans have been storing up food, water filters and other supplies.
Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and all of us need to get educated about how to prepare for the difficult years that are coming.
One nightmarish event can change everything that we take for granted in a single moment.
Just remember what happened after Hurricane Katrina. Even though that was only a regional disaster, millions of people had their lives completely turned upside down by that tragedy.
Don't make the mistake of assuming that just because the U.S. has always known tremendous peace and prosperity since World War II that things will always be that way.
Our lives will only continue to be "normal" as long as the trucks continue running.
When the trucks stop running in America, there will be mass chaos.
Are you prepared for that?
Prepper Ping
Are you prepared for that?
I don't think most people would be prepared enough, even some of the die-hard preppers.
I just plan on taking out as many zombies as possible before they get me.....
Prepper (((ping)))
Odds are the government will be the ones to start the problems.
You see, it is very expensive to hold and store inventory-————
Makes one wonder why ‘inventories rose’ being reported month after month doesn’t it?
We know they store the oil on barges offshore, but where are all the other ‘inventories’ being stored?
All the warning signs are here, and it is prudent to think about how one should react given any of the dire signs occur.
However, I have a big, big problem on the Prepper shows. Firstly, a real prepper doesn’t advertise. At most he/she seeks out others to learn and prepare with. Secondly, advertising - participating in the ridiculous “Prepper” shows on TV is assinine. It gives the liberal conglomerate ammunition to marginalize and denounce. It also transmits to the enemy how preppers can be defeated.
An example of this is the DHS probing and questioning suppliers of emergency goods. This is fact and has been discussed here. It does not make good sense to advertise openly what you do if you have enemies that want to enslave you.
It is good to know all the preppers near you.
I posted the original articlethis yesterday as blam shows in post#2 so I will not ping the preppers list.
If nothing else the whole worlds economy is a house of cards just waiting for the right zephyr to send it tumbling.
If the present spending continues I don’t see how we can avoid a collapse like that of Argentina ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yerKMQc7-w&feature=grec_index )but on a global scale.
But the market is up you say, yeah it’s up using billions in ‘printed’ money in the hands of corrupted bankers, investors and their cronies. The world is now flooded with fake and faux money. The game is so rigged and now even the ‘house’ is starting to lose.
When the whole thing tanks as it will what do you think the entiled class will do when they can’t get their cell phones, their food stamps and EBT cards, rent vouchers and so forth.
What we will see is a much more violent version of Argentina, we will certainly see something much closer to Bosnia. American has become Balkanized and splintered, we no longer share the same basic beliefs we have become pocks of people with little in common with one another.
And many of this pockets are very larger entitlement minded and believe they are owed much by others and already shown that they will use violence to get their due.
I see many many small business wiped out by flash mob looting, and see rape, robbery and murder for murder sake. You will see what I call ‘pocket pogroms’ where ‘yutes’ will think no more about killing those unlike them than most people think about stepping on a roach. That will be the test of many. Most preppers I know are Christian people and they will hesitate to do what they might have to do to stop the ‘yutes’. On the other hand the ‘yutes’ won’t think twice nor lose a minute of sleep, in fact they will smile and laugh about it.
Think of this quote which is one of my favorites:
“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Siege of AR-558 (#7.8)” (1998)
Quark: Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. They’re a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people... will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don’t believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes.
On top of all who knows how many saboteurs (Islamic, Chinese etc) and sleepers have crossed our borders and are now just waiting to cause havoc.
For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:
http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf
NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
Lastly this for the doubters and the scoffers.
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
I had questions for you.
How is the ammo can rocket stove working out?
Have you done some quantifying with it yet (pounds of sticks vs time to boil X ounces of water)?
How much does the whole thing weigh?
Planing to post something this weekend.
That’s what I’ve been saying - we’re near the end, and every human has a sense of that.
Those that don’t have the truth of God’s Word, and the Spirit to understand it, are truly anxious and worried and looking for something to pin that anxiety on.
Sun spots. Meteors. Peak Oil. EMP.
People of Christ, look UP, for your redemption is nigh.
Here’s another side of that. I think God expects his people to be ‘DOERS’ and some think that just faith is enough.
If it’s God’s call to end the world there’s nothing a prepper can have or store that will save him, but his faith in the Lord. That said there have been thousand of times in the history of men that they or nature have caused such destruction and misery that people have cried out for the Lord to end it all.
Reminds me of this joke:
God granting miracles
A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says “get in, get in!” The religous man replies, “ no I have faith in God, he will grant me a miracle.”
Later the water is up to his waist and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds that he has faith in god and god will give him a miracle. With the water at about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer again cause “God will grant him a miracle.”
With the water at chin high, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in, mumbling with the water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, I thought God would grand me a miracle and I have been let down.” St. Peter chuckles and responds, “I don’t know what you’re complaining about, we sent you three boats and a helicopter.”
We do indeed live in a world in which an end to long-range road transport would result in our being instantly thrust back into the 18th century. This is the theme of a lot of sci fi, some of it very good. Get yourself and your family prepared.
Both ends of the spectrum are problematic. Thugs and gangs on one end. An armed goverment/military that regards you as a supply depot is another.
“Planing to post something this weekend.
Where?
Blog?
Website?
FR at large?
FR subscription list?
Thanks.
Amen, Bro! AMEN!
Great post. We’re not LDS but one thing we learned from the LDS was to put up 12 months of food and etc. for a ‘just in case’.
Living in a rural area our #1 concern in a crisis is not our neighbors, but the hordes of urban dwellers who will flee the hellholes that politically correct cities will become in the absence of authority. Post-Katrina New Orleans was a lesson for all who would pay attention.
Now imagine every city in America becoming a New Orleans and then millions hitting the road looking to invade YOUR ranch, steal YOUR home, eat YOUR cattle, and etc.
We’ll be just fine in an emergency and I imagine our nearby town will be just fine, too. But if thousands of entitlement babies come our way demanding ‘their fair share’ from us we’ll be happy to first share our ammunition with them and then we’ll be happy to parcel out real estate to them in 6x2x6 shares.
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