‘Modern survivalists’ dig in for disaster

Richmond Times - Dispatch ^ | May 2, 2009 | MELODY MCDONALD

[appleseed]

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Jack Spirko owns a media company, is married to a nurse and has a son in college. He has two dogs and lives in a nice house with a pool in a diversified neighborhood in suburban Arlington, Texas.

Spirko, 36, considers himself an average guy with a normal life.

But for the past few years, Spirko has been stockpiling food, water, gas, guns and ammunition. He also has a load of red wine, Starbucks coffee and deodorant stashed away.

"I refer to myself as a modern survivalist, which means I don't do without," Spirko explained. "I have a nice TV; I have nice furniture. We are not living in the sticks, but I take all of these things very seriously."

Spirko, an Army veteran and self-described "stark-raving-mad Libertarian," is part of a growing movement of people who are preparing for a disaster natural, economic or man-made. Referred to as "modern survivalists" or "preppers," they are taking steps to protect and provide for their families should something bad happen.

Theirs is a different breed of survivalist, far from the right-wing militants or religious extremists who hole up in bunkers, live off the land and wait for the apocalypse.

Preppers are regular people with regular jobs who decided after Sept. 11, after Hurricane Katrina or when their 401(k)s tanked that they can't rely on someone else to help them if something goes awry.

"We are normal people just like you," Spirko said. "We just understand that, sometimes, stuff goes wrong."

Donnie, 38, a McKinney resident who is an account executive with an international trade show organization, said Hurricane Katrina opened his eyes. He spent six weeks working as a paramedic in New Orleans.

[Paved Paradise]

It’s nice to see folks know their scriptures. I always feel good about that and never tire of reading the Word of God.

[ChocChipCookie]

When a person takes it upon himself to hoard enough supplies to last through, what? Armageddon - a year, or whatever, then he better be prepared to turn away the many who will come to him for help and I would not want to be in that position.

Your options are pretty dismal. Don't store up any food for my family on the chance that someone might come for help, and we might not be able to help them? That's not even logical. That's like the time my dad told me that if a bad guy ever broke into my house and my kids and I were in danger, I should first consider that he might have a wife and kids at home before I tried to defend ourselves. My job as a mom is to provide for my family, and that's what I do every day. Buying extra groceries is just insurance against a job loss, a disaster, hyper-inflation, etc. It's the smart thing to do. Also, since my husband's side of the family is oblivious to any sort of future problems, we would probably end up sharing at least some of our provisions with them.

As far as hunting and fishing go, that would only apply to people living in rural areas. I wish we had the means to buy something out in the country that would make that a feasible option for us, but right now we can't.

[PLMerite]

If there ends up being a list, please put me on it!

Thanks.

[Paved Paradise]

I think what you are doing is different from what others are doing - it’s all in how much you have put away. And blessed you are - 640 acres and 7 wells.

[Paved Paradise]

I never said not to be prepared. My issue is with the survivalist mentality in general. My options are really not dismal at all. I have enough food right now to last weeks b/c I was brought up like that.

Nobody says not to buy extra - but I suppose you have a huge garage filled with supplies now? Why do I think not. You are reading this entirely wrong. Survivalists are storing up for months-years, not weeks.

And you are wrong about the hunting and fishing. People fish right on Lake Erie and that is surrounded by urban areas as well. Incidentally, there are rivers abundant that run right through cities too. Maybe in the middle of Manhattan one might have a problem but a lot of cities have lakes and such. There are also pigeons, squirrels, and other critters to eat. If you are starving, you’d be surprised what you would eat.

I think being prepared is always smart and I would say I do that - just like stock up during the winter months, but I’m not going to build some huge storage barn or have a basement filled with food. How does one manage it all and rotate it - stuff expires you know. Unless they are buying dehydrated food and many of these people are doing that.

I just prefer to place my energies elsewhere.

[djf]

PLEASE don’t turn this into a thread with three thousand recipes...

I started a thread a while back on edible weeds.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2185669/posts

[appleseed]

Washington State Department of Health:

Purifying Household Water

The treatments described below work only in situations where the water is unsafe because of the presence of bacteria or viruses. If you suspect the water is unsafe because of chemicals, oils, poisonous substances, sewage or other contaminants, do not use the water for drinking.

Storing water safely

Store one gallon of water per person per day.

Store at least a three-day supply of water per person.

Collect the water from a safe supply.

Thoroughly washed plastic containers such as soft drink bottles are best. You can also purchase food-grade plastic buckets or drums.

Seal water containers tightly, label with date, and store in a cool, dark place.

Replace water every six months.

Never reuse a container that contained toxic materials such as pesticides, solvents, chemicals, oil or antifreeze.

Water purification

There are two primary ways to treat water: boiling and adding bleach. If tap water is unsafe because of water contamination (from floods, streams or lakes), boiling is the best method.

Cloudy water should be filtered before boiling or adding bleach.

Filter water using coffee filters, paper towels, cheese cloth or a cotton plug in a funnel.

Boiling

Boiling is the safest way to purify water.

Bring the water to a rolling boil for one minute.

Let the water cool before drinking.

Purifying by adding liquid chlorine bleach

If boiling is not possible, treat water by adding liquid household bleach, such as Clorox or Purex. Household bleach is typically between 5 percent and 6 percent chlorine. Avoid using bleaches that contain perfumes, dyes and other additives. Be sure to read the label.

Place the water (filtered, if necessary) in a clean container. Add the amount of bleach according to the table below.

Mix thoroughly and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before using (60 minutes if the water is cloudy or very cold).

Treating Water with a 5-6 Percent Liquid Chlorine Bleach Solution
Volume of Water to be Treated Treating Clear/Cloudy Water:
Bleach Solution to Add Treating Cloudy, Very Cold, or Surface Water: Bleach Solution to Add
1 quart/1 liter 3 drops 5 drops
1/2 gallon/2 quarts/2 liters 5 drops 10 drops
1 gallon 1/8 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon
5 gallons 1/2 teaspoon 1 teaspoon
10 gallons 1 teaspoon 2 teaspoons

http://www.doh.wa.gov/phepr/handbook/purify.htm

[Carry_Okie]

It’s nice to see folks know their scriptures. I always feel good about that and never tire of reading the Word of God.

Lol, if you only knew... and you will soon! Eh hh?

[PLMerite]

“Incidentally, I have no idea what JABERWOCKI or whatever it is you wrote is - don’t use acronyms that are not in common use - it’s rude.”

The End Of The World As We Know It. TEOTWAWKI.

[hiredhand]

Lol, if you only knew... and you will soon! Eh hh?

I'll say! :-)

[Carry_Okie]

I always feel good about that and never tire of reading the Word of God.

I was in the process of practicing the curses of that very chapter, in Hebrew, when I got the first post from hiredhand. It was those very curses in Lev. 26 that first got my attention with respect to the UN Agenda 21. They were instrumental in bringing my family back to the Lord. So I don't want to create a false impression: I'm no expert in the Scriptures, but I've got one whale of a story in the works when it comes to Lev. 25 & 26. It's a mind-blower.

[djf]

I save ALL plastic containers that are 2 qts or bigger. Rinse them and fill with tap water. Store in the shade or basement or whatever.

[Balding_Eagle]

No wonder I couldn't think of it. It is about mans relationship with God, and not so much about his wealth.

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

BTW, the quote is mans interpretation of Gods Word.

Go directly to Gods Word for a precise reading of what he said.

[appleseed]

Glad your doing so good. I posted above my thoughts on my reasons for stockpiling food, guess you missed it. Glad you got a laugh out of my offer to help. I could also post a resume of accomplishments but I wont except for this quick snippet: Wife was a missionary in deepest darkest Mexico for several years and I spent several years in service to our country both stateside and overseas. Good to hear you’re prepared.

[FrogMom]

PLEASE don’t turn this into a thread with three thousand recipes...

Was that aimed at the thread in general or me in particular. If at me, why?

[Chickensoup]

bump

[Harry Pothead]

This “silliness” consumes me... I read an article on EMP’s a few months back that scared the crap out of me. I now put about $200 a month into food, ammo, or supplies that would be useful in case the SHTF. My first purchase was $50 dollars in seeds. I figure “bugging out” is not really an option (who wants to be a refugee?) so I am preparing to “bug in”. I pray that this is all a waste and I never use it, but I have the feeling I will.

[BCR #226]

ping

[Chickensoup]

I try to keep a year ahead on food. It is a smart idea.

[appleseed]

It may take a while, but I’m gonna take all the pro posts to this thread and make a ping list to survivalist topics.