Posted on 08/18/2010 6:07:49 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(Many people see political upheaval and natural disasters as clear signs that civilization is doomed.)
From the outside, Jerry Erwin's Oregon home is a nondescript house with a manicured front lawn and little to differentiate it from those of his neighbors.
But tucked away out of sight in his backyard are the signs of his preparations for doomsday, a catastrophic societal collapse that Erwin, 45, now believes is likely within his lifetime.
"I've got, under an awning, stacks of firewood, rain catching in barrels, I've got a shed with barbed concertina wire, like the military uses," he told AFP.
He and his wife also have also stockpiled thousands of rounds of ammunition and enough food for about six months.
"Several years ago I worked on paying off the house, replacing all the windows, and just very recently, I'm proud to say, we've replaced all our exterior doors with more energy-efficient ones, with as much built-in security features as I could get," he told AFP.
"Plus I'm going to be adding some more structural improvements to the door frames to make it hopefully virtually impossible to take a battering ram to them."
Erwin and others like him in the United States and elsewhere see political upheaval and natural disasters as clear signs that civilization is doomed.
"We're hitting on all cylinders as far as symptoms that have led other great powers to decline or collapse: resource depletion, damage to the environment, climate change, those are the same things that affected other great societies," he said.
For Erwin, the decline is irreversible and the best approach is to prepare for the inevitable.
His pessimism is shared by a wide range of people, from left-wing environmentalists who believe climate change and capitalist greed will doom human society to Christian fundamentalists who think sin will do the same.
They label themselves "preppers," "doomers" and "survivalists," and take a variety of different approaches to the same question: How best to prepare for the coming apocalypse?
Jim Rawles, who Erwin describes as "the patron saint of survivalism," prefers an isolationist, Christian-influenced approach.
He homeschooled his children, declines to say where he lives, and advises readers of his website survivalblog.com to "relocate to a safe area and live there year-round."
"When planning your retreat house, think: medieval castle," he adds, extolling the benefits of using sandbags to protect any new home.
Rawles, like many on the most conservative end of the survivalist spectrum, is also anti-tax, pro-gun rights, and suspicious of anything that smacks of socialism.
But the survivalist movement also includes left-wing community activists, who are devoted to living off the land and have never fired a weapon, and people like Chris Martenson, who quit a job with a six-figure salary that he felt was "an unnecessary diversion from the real tasks at hand."
He began growing his own food and developed a "Crash Course" that urges people to better prepare for societal instability. He also took over management of his investments and boasts of a 166 percent return on his portfolio.
For Martenson, the wake-up call was the September 11, 2001 attacks, when he felt gripped by uncertainty and totally unprepared.
Erwin had always felt that society would eventually disintegrate, but he and many other U.S. survivalists say the dysfunctional response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina was what spurred them to action.
"I thought, OK, things are not going to get better... maybe this society, our civilization, the American empire, will collapse during my lifetime," Erwin said.
For John Milandred, no single event pushed him to leave his suburban home and set up a farm in Oklahoma.
"We just got fed up of working all the time to pay bills and not accomplishing anything," he said.
A member of the American Preppers Network, Milandred said he and his wife aspired to "grow our own foods and be self sufficient... to live like the pioneers, like our great-grandparents."
It is unclear how many people subscribe to the lifestyle, but there are hundreds of websites devoted to the movement, and Erwin's surburban-self-reliance.com attracts visitors from around the world.
The global financial crisis has increased interest in survivalism "bigtime," Erwin said, but he feels sorry for latecomers to the movement.
"We'll help them if we can," he said. "But a lot of people are climbing on board at the last minute and its going to be hard for them."
water filter bump
Flowering Quince is a beautiful shrub, has needle sharp thorns about 1 to 2 inches long...slow grower tho, but its hard to even pull weeds around one....They will continue to grow and I have seen some 8 foot tall...but those are quite old..
Try planting an Osage Orange hedge. The ideal one is “horse-high, bull-strong, and pig-tight,”.
Never heard of that company, good link!
Thanks :)
I’ve read the Berkely filters don’t get the viruses but will otherwise turn swamp water into something drinkable. I’ve also considered suplementing it with a self made filter system using 3 stages. Cloth for the big stuff, sand, and then DE powder. DE Powder will get the bacteria and viruses.
I live in Florida and while theres plenty of water most of it on the surface isn’t very potable.
Thanks for the tips. These systems do sound better than tablets.
Geocaching is really the strongest tactic out there. Bicycles, new shoes, and plenty of back-ups.
I have 2 cars that are purpose built for the scenario: I don’t expect to keep even them. The life expectancy of my Jeep is 200 miles (After about 8 months and countless dollars invested). Not even enough to focus on spare fuel. It’s intent is to absolutely, positively, get me to a specific point without failure. The rest of it’s life will be on borrowed time.
Motorcycles though... I’m racking these puppies up. I am concerned with health, however. It’s great to have motorcycles, but it’s more important than ever to gear up properly and WALK AWAY from any sort of collision. A broken bone after an apocalyptic event is just about on par with a slow and painful death.
Finally, a lot of people I talk to have no idea how to distill water. I suggest everyone get all that info now, and start looking for these supplies while they are out at the grocery store. Never wait until you are thirsty before digging a well.
Berks take care of bacteria IIRC, there are sites that have all the specs. Few viruses are in water AFAIK. Boiling will also take care of bacteria and AFAIK viruses.
Katadyn filters are supposed to be good, but I preferred Berks. I like the all stainless steel housing. I dropped mine once and it’s still fine, a small dent but works. I did break one filter when it dropped, just bought a new one. I have 4 filters in mine as it filters faster. You can make 25 or more gallons a day if you keep pouring water in the top and emptying out the bottom. No water pressure or electricity needed, filters get changed seldom. No added chemicals like tablets - jsut good drinking water that is safe.
I highly recommend them. It is good to empty the inch or so of water that does not get filtered, out of the top part and also to clean the filter now and then. I only do it a couple of times a year as our well water is really good anyway. A new, washed green scrubbie works find and very clean hands or maybe gloves, can’t remember, skin oil isn’t good for the filters.
If I get some $ I’m going to get another as backup. It’s amazing how much water you really need just for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene.
And then you have to deal with quinces. Never figured out how to make them edible. Even the deer won’t eat them.
They have lots of good stuff. Drool.
Nobody counts Redding. :)
I’ve bought quite a few things from Pleasanthill. Never had a problem with the order or product. I think they are more expensive in some areas but the quality is very good from what I’ve seen.
Definately not edible...ornamental only, but they are pretty when in bloom....you seem to have experience with them.....LOL but I didn’t lie about those nasty needle thorns...
When going down (or back up) I-5, I try to avert my eyes when going past Redding.
;-)
Yes it is, fellow Fourther. I wonder what the crisis catalyst will be? A financial collapse? A terrorist act of mass destruction? Obama stealing the 2012 election?
Holly bushes/trees are also good. Can get quite dense, has thorns on the points of the leaves, and it’s an evergreen, so it still there in the winter.
“Trying to drive through a riot area is a very bad idea...”
I’m one that believes in hunkering down and protecting your own place when TSHTF. :)
You’ve really put a lot of thought into this. Interesting reading; Thanks! :)
Im one that believes in hunkering down and protecting your own place when TSHTF. :)
~~~
Got that rite,,,
I ain’t givin’ one damned inch of my dirt to nobody,,,
I couldn’t haul my toys anyway,,,LOL,,,
The folks in these large cities are the ones to worry,,,
They may have no choice,,,
It’s times like these I’m so glad I live in the
Ark-La-Tex...
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