Circle of friends The importance of other people in our preparedness plans

Backwoods Home Magazine ^ | Dec. 17, 2009 | Claire Wolfe

[The Comedian]

Hardcore survivalists cherish what I call the "George Romero Scenario." It goes like this: The proverbial poop has hit the propeller. Cities collapse into chaos. But we, the prepared, are...well, we're prepared. We hunker in our rural bunkers, clutching our Super Whiz-Whacker 3000 combat arms, eagle-eyed and ready for any eventuality. We boldly fend off wave after ravenous wave of starving city folk who stagger at us like unstoppable zombies in a Romero horror flick. These zombies crave not our living flesh, but our six-gallon, mylar-lined superpails of dried lentils, our root cellars full of last year's carrots, and our genuine, federally issued Meals Ready to Eat.

[Travis McGee]

Outstanding post!

[Travis McGee]

I think that the cities in the USA are so varied by geography, terrain, ethnicity etc that you can find almost any situation, and sureley many dynamics from Beirut and Sarajevo would be repeated.

You seriously don’t want to be in a highrise across from buildings inhabited by your enemies, for example. That is just a built in sniper gallery.

[Travis McGee]

http://www.defensedevices.com/shotgun-alarm-signal1.html

Wow! Great website! I’m going way inside there!

[PA Engineer]

Check out the ammunition at this site. This will give you flexibility.

I live remote with a wife and daughter. I need to sleep at night and have put a great deal of time thinking about this. Lone wolf is not ideal, however it is important to make yourself a very expensive target. Persuade the MZBs to move on.

[Travis McGee]

Geez, lots of “exotics” there! Some “less than lethals” would be smart. Sometimes you want to encourage them to move on without leaving a trail of bodies.

[Repeal The 17th]

“...Getting a foreign source of income is important...”
-
Can you give me some examples of this? - thanks

[Lurker]

I've got a slightly different model of that device. It works well with a 12 gauge marine flare.

I've got some other ones that use chem-lights. They're a nice little perimeter warning device indeed.

L

[Lurker]

We haven't started a neighborhood watch (no crime yet) but I think it's a great idea.

In my opinion that's the perfect time to start. Believe me it's MUCH harder to clean things up after the scrots have moved in and started causing problems. An ounce of prevention and all that.

Parallel to a main “refugee route” being the worst.

Unfortunately that's our situation. But we've mitigated things to the extent we can. The four lane is paralleled by an 8 foot high double thick sound barrier fencing. It runs the entire length of the neighborhood.

It's not concrete, but it's pretty darned solid. It wouldn't, however, stand up to a concerted attack or a truck running through it.

It will, however, hold a roll of concertina at the top quite nicely and a nice thick row of solid maples and pines WILL stop a vehicle. It's fastened to pressure treated 6X6 timbers sunk 42 inches. Not great, but not bad.

We've got a nice little vacant lot which next spring becomes the neighborhood vegetable garden. On the south end is a 3 acre pond stocked with gamefish, bass, bluegill, cats and the like. There are only 3 ways in and out and we've got "Captains" at each of them.

I know the trees are a source of potential cover but they're 18 inches from the fence and we've got some surprises planned for anybody who manages to climb the barrier and drop down on the other side. Let's just say they'll be singing soprano...

We even got the Village to pay for putting it in AND we had input as to construction material, placement, and the like. Gotta love that citizen involvement stuff.

OMG something just occured to me; am I a Community Organizer?

Oh the irony...

L

[The Comedian]

This is such tripe. If you look at actual government collapses, like the USSR, Argentina, Zimbabwe, etc. etc. you will notice a trend. Nothing really changes, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the currency gets trashed and replaced and old obligations (pensions, SS) get eliminated.

You are making a near-fatal mistake in assuming the only kind of collapse will be a slow-descent currency or banking-related failure. If that's the case, then you're correct. But in all of those cited examples, strong external nations retained their integrity, infrastructure, and political stability. This is not likely to occur again, especially if America, the planetary anchor, goes Tango Uniform.

New Madrid super-quake? Seattle tsunami? Planet-wide mutated super-flu? Jericho-style domestic nuke(s)? Solar or man-made EMP? Or how about a simple banking network failure or cyber attack that causes SS and welfare payments to be delay for *two weeks*? Or Monkey Boy is proven to be inelligible and every city with a Martin Luther King Jr. Street goes up in screaming flames?

We are, at any moment, two meals or one CBS news broadcast from anarchy.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[CodeToad]

“except for the fact that we’d hate each other because we’re both people. “

If you think about it, that is eaxctly why this was once a great nation: We realized then that no one else should try to run our lives because they ain’t no better.

[I Buried My Guns]

You may laugh about the cannabis now my FRiend, but when TSHFT, it will serve as a valuable barter item. Also, in a pinch, cannabis seeds can be eaten; they contain a lot of oil/fat and are highly caloric. They were once used to feed cows in areas of the U.S. where it grew wild, pre WWII.

But then again, I'm betting on TP being a valuable barter item, and am stockpiling that item also.

[JDoutrider]

Great thread... bttt

[CodeToad]

“The folks parallel to a “refugee route” won’t be able to keep out robbers no matter what.”

The problem with many western States is that all the populations are concentrated into small areas. Take Denver, 2 million in population but all crammed together. We’ve got miles and miles of space all around us but everyone is huddled together. We’re renting a place about 2 miles off the freeway up over some bluffs, so hopefully we’ll have geographic protection but the entire metro area is still just around the corner. I am relying on the laziness of people in that they won’t walk the 17 miles we live South of Denver.

[jurroppi1]

People might leave Greeley in droves if TSHTF, but that’s quite a distance from you. although if they came your way you’d probably be able to smell them from miles away...

[CodeToad]

The wife was up there yesterday and she said it seems the sun came out yesterday and those fields got ripe!

I’m not too worried about the hordes as they will pass by or not come at all. We have natural valleys and cliffs we can use for defenses and no one walks that far and they sure as hell won’t be driving by.

[wardaddy]

Romero ia a major lefty...and he warped me at aged 9 when I watched Night of the Living Dead and freaked out...

slept in my parent’s room on the floor that night

[wardaddy]

I don’t want to live urban anymore period.

the further out the better

[LeGrande]

When the SHTF you can just throw money at em.
I think I’ll stick with lead.

Well that is the thing. There is not going to be anyone to throw lead at,unless you plan on shooting your neighborhood dairyman or grocer.

[Armedanddangerous]

not to mention if youre not as inept as I am, you can retrieve your arrows and use em again.

[LeGrande]

May I humbly recommend Fernando Aquirre's book, "The Modern Survival Manual," which focuses on that scenario, not mutant biker zombie attacks.

Thanks it looks interesting.