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?
marked
Your mileage may vary.
I've lived on a remote mountainside without cash income for months at a stretch, and had folks come over for dinner because the food was good. I just asked that they bring a gift of coffee, flour, salt or booze. And I sometimes provided the drinks, depending on what fruit was in season. Neighbor and I once drank 6 gallons of plum wine in a week and a half. He stopped by every evening with tobacco. ;)
/johnny
” mold. Most folks don’t want that. I’m great with it, but I eat most everything “
A little mold doesn’t bother me, largely due to my upbringing, I guess — even with bread, I just cut the moldy part off and proceed... ;)
And, in truth, I kinda miss the hanging hard sausage and wheels of Wisconsin cheese (and, from one memorable occasion from my youth, Virginia ham) with their green coating - Good Eats!!!
By the way, the irony is not lost on me that I’m struggling to learn skills that were second-nature to my Grandmothers... ;)
Psst I think it was Joseph that stored 7 years of grain.
You’re right of course, I had my stories confused. Doesn’t change my point.
They are not kidding about supplies getting short in the stores in a hurry. We had a rare desert snow storm and the freeway was closed off and on for just two days- stores had many empty shelves, most things that were necessary items were gone in a flash. It is not just groceries, there was a pipe breaking freeze last winter and plumbing supplies disappeared from El Paso for over a week until they caught up with demand. Anyone that doesn’t stockpile enough to at least survive short-term is really in trouble in even a minor situation.
Sun spots. Meteors. Peak Oil. EMP.
People of Christ, look UP, for your redemption is nigh.
Christ is the answer to that anxiety.
1 Peter 5:6-7 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
People without Christ need to look to Him as well, because when it's all said and done, everybody dies some time and then what? Being prepped is a good thing for the here and now but what about when that's over?
Eternity is a long time. People need to be ready for that as well.
I am prepped for the short term but if I'm going to survive, it's going to be God's doing and if I don't, I'll be in a way better place anyway, so it's no great loss. If someone doesn't know Christ, they really ought to be planning an hanging around as long as possible. They can use whatever of mine they find when I'm gone.
Thanks fore that link WC. I’ve been looking for a backup pump. My well is 400 ft deep.
Actually, the bright side is that the urban dwelling thugs and gang bangers may know how to survive in the city, but when confronted with uncontrolled nature, they don't do so well. I've seen some stunning ignorance and reactions to animals which aren't dogs or cats.
I seriously doubt many of them know how to survive in the wild that they'll have to traverse to reach many of us. This is especially true if any of this happens in the winter or colder months. When I see how many people are out driving about in weather in the teens without good warm clothing because they figure that they're only going to be out for a few minutes, I have little hope that they'd know how to make it for real.
Not to mention the number of brain dead teenagers who walk around in t-shirts and jeans when it's snowing out, claiming the whole time *It's not cold*. Well, you may be able to lie to me and lie to yourself, but the laws of physics are the laws of physics and hypothermia is hypothermia because the body loses heat at a certain rate whether they like to admit it or not.
Many of them won't survive outdoors because they've never learned to survive outdoors. Look at the survival rates of others caught outdoors even when they have been taught basic survival skills.
How ironic that you're all concerned about loving your neighbor when we know that since you're not prepping, you're going to be on the receiving end of it.
Well, what about you? How are you going to be showing love to your neighbor when the shtf? By sitting there with him starving together? By going to them and expecting them to hand out food that they've thoughtfully stored away to feed their family and give it to you instead at their expense?
By not preparing you'll be incapable of doing what you're criticizing and condemning others for not doing. You'll simply be part of the problem because you'll be depending on handouts to eat that someone else could be eating. By prepping, not only can you share what you have, but you also free up food for the others who can't/won't/didn't prep.
Pressure canning meat works well.
The verses were 2 Cor. 9 4-6.
Given my training by grand-dad (the preacher), verse 5 was the important one, but I was taught to give verses on both sides, and not quote out of context.
Sort of applies in this case.... 'as a matter of bounty, not of covetousness.'
/johnny
It does... but following the instructions with the canner tend toward making the meat better for the catz than for stuff I like to make.
I use twice the recommended salt, add an acid and a sugar (I can always rinse it), always raw pack, and shorten the time.
I won't professionally recommend it officially, but those times/pressures/etc... are for worst case scenarios (like lawsuits), and not for making good meat.
I tend to use HAACP procedures at home, so I'm fairly safe, so far.
/johnny
I was hoping you jump in Mom! ;-)
I just got back from a week in FL and am getting caught up.
Some parts of the country are going to be really hurting in a shtf scenario. I don’t expect much of a survival rate for some areas. They’ll be ghost towns.
freepmail.....
bttt
This thread was linked in the other, but I wanted to make sure you took a gander FRiend.
Thanks for the info wolf. I’ll show the folks tonight!
Side note, with regard to the acronym “shtf” - some have protested the vulgarity of it. Around our house, we refer to it as “the shift”. Simply enough to pronounce it “shift” if you find it offensive.
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