Posted on 04/27/2011 6:08:52 PM PDT by blam
Americans Are Preparing At Unprecedented Levels
Author: Mac Slavo
April 27th, 2011
Do you have enough larder to feed your family and some friends if grocery stores ran out of food? How about several assault rifles and a few thousand rounds of ammo? Solar panels, a water filter, medical kits, bug-out bags, fire starters, tents, sleeping bags, some junk silver and reserve gasoline?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
It’s becoming apparent to many Americans that depending on our local, state and federal governments in the event of an emergency, catastrophic societal collapse or widespread disaster will not be sufficient to meet the needs of your family. Residents in Colorado (and likely the other 49 states) are stockpiling in droves and preparing to live off the grid if it comes to that:
Four families in Yoder are building a sand bunker and stockpiling ammunition and weapons.
A Black Forest resident has erected a geodesic dome on her 5-acre spread to grow vegetables, keeps horses for emergency transportation, in case she can’t get gasoline for her car, and plans to acquire chickens and goats as food sources.
A husband and wife who have a cabin on 100 acres of secluded land in Park County have weaned their property from the electric grid, acquired a three-year food supply and taken other measures to become self-sufficient.
While there’s little threat of the earthquake and tsumani that rocked Japan last month in landlocked Colorado, other epic crises on the home front are possible: A flood or fire. A terrorist attack. A nuclear weapons launch. World War III. Or an apocalyptic-type scenario.
An increasing number of people say they are getting ready.
“More people are getting into the survivalist mode. I’ve been in business 30 years, and I’ve never sold so many assault rifles as now. The last year was the best we’ve ever had,” said Mel Bernstein, a Class III weapons dealer and owner of Dragon Man’s shooting range east of Colorado Springs.
Israeli gas masks, helmets and sand bags also have been selling well, he said. “People are putting stuff away in case something big happens,” he said. “I think it’s superstition, but it’s been good for business.”
Interest in the survivalist movement has been heightened, many say, by global turmoil.
The ongoing strife in the Middle East, the lingering possibility that the Obama administration will enact stricter gun laws and the sustained economic downturn, coupled with political unrest in Libya and Japan’s nuclear catastrophe, have made people uneasy.
In addition, doomsday prophesies by Nostradamus and the Mayans pinpointing 2012 are distressing for some. There’s also a group of Christians who say they’ve determined that the end of the world will begin on May 21.
“People are afraid, and they want to be able to protect their families,” Bernstein said.
Y2K — the dawning of the third millennium — brought forth a fury of survivalist instincts, as many believed the nation’s network of electric connections and computer systems would crash.
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, raised concern among even the complacent.
But this time in history feels more urgent, say those who identify themselves as “preppers” — people preparing to have all they need to sustain a catastrophe.
“There’s a distinct possibility that some other country could wipe out our electronics and computers, and the U.S. infrastructure is not ready — it would take six months to rebuild a transformer,” said Bob, a retired engineer who said he designed airplanes, power plants and aqueducts for the government.
He asked that his last name not be used because he shares a philosophy common among preppers: the desire for anonymity. Not everyone understands why they’re doing what they’re doing, Bob said, and there’s the possibility of others looting their stockpiles. “Preppers will give someone a pound of rice and a bowl of soup, but we’ll defend ourselves against people who are going to take everything we have,” he said. “We’re doing this to make sure that we can live the way we’ve been living and we’re not going to be out there scrounging or stealing food from others.”
There are any number of scenarios, both natural and man-made, that could lead to what preppers refer to as TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World as We Know It), be it an electro magnetic pulse attack, a US dollar hyperinflation, economic collapse, an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault Line, Yellow Stone’s super volcano, or the purported Mayan end of days.
While some may be more likely to occur than others, and some are improbable outliers, the fact that the possibilities exist, and that there are a whole host of reasons why life as we have come to know it could be halted from one day to the next, makes preparedness that much more reasonable.
We’ve seen how governments respond to disasters. Recent history in the modern age suggests that there is simply no way to meet the needs of millions of people if a far-from-equilibrium situation were to arise.
Americans spend thousands of dollars per year on insurance for our homes, our cars, our health, our lives, and even our mortgages.
Is it really so crazy to insure ourselves from unforeseen black swans by stockpiling some food, water, supplies and a means to protect them?
The US government is spending billions of dollars to prepare for unlikely events like war, catastrophic collapse of society, and even asteroids – maybe you should consider a little end-of-the-world insurance as well.
I have the same problem trying to convince my husband and family. I pointed out the DOUBLING in gold prices and that finally got him thinking about it.
I don't know about the paint...I do like this idea better though.
I've seen it done, and it didn't go well. My suggestion if your worried about is to simply stay away from some of the tents with the gaudy colors and buy yourself from camo netting which can be purchased fairly inexpensively through a surplus store.
I've heard of people becoming stranded in cold weather with the electric cars. I think the cold degrades the batteries...quickly.
By all means, SAVE THE FARM.
That’s what I do for a limited amount of genset gas I keep on hand. And I buy premium. I swap it out about every year by using it in the cars. I mix it when I’m at about the half-tank level.
>> My concern is no electricity in the middle of winter
>> and an unheated cellar when it is 30 below outside.
If I understand your intentions correctly, I’d caution you to consider the risk of carbon monoxide buildup. I don’t think propane heaters are meant to be used indoors (or at least, not in a “leaky” structure like a detached garage or workshop). Safety first!
You have to point out to people things as simple as, are we a happy nation, do we feel that we have a bright future? Are we as people coming together or growing apart? Is government helping us or hindering us? Are we truly doing the things that are going to ensure we survive as a people, much less be prosperous?
This nation is angry and divided, and has people who have no interest in seeing a continued union, and even daily plot our downfall while living amongst us, and our government WILL NOT address this. I simply don’t think ANYONE has the charisma, wisdom and leadership skills to mend this nation, so it is absolutely necessary for us to prepare for the fracturing.
Best of luck to you and your family. My wife and I are clear on what needs to be done, my father and aunt believe they will pass before anything happens. I can understand that but I believe the level of unrest in this nation is almost at powder keg, and you simply can’t count on passing before it explodes.
There are some very limited situations where it *might* be something to try. In general, you should avoid the need by proper maintenance in the first place. For instance, if you have a sludged-up engine, a Sea Foam treatment followed by an oil change *might* solve a real problem.
Not a place I’d want to be.
The local Care & Share sells the pint jars for $0.25 a piece (when they have them). With a package of lids (12 for $0.99), that’s about half of what my market charges for a case of pints.
Not a bad deal when I can get it.
SirKit mentioned that there are some chelation therapies that are used to reduce heavy metals in the body, but he doesn't know about the nuclear materials.
It seems like a lot of people are preparing to hole-up and try to survive the coming storm. I don’t have a problem with that and I too am working to protect my family. I have had enough, however, and when it finally hits I am going on offense.
People are waking up! And they don’t like what they are waking up too! The writting on the wall is plain to see that we are heading (or being driven, depending on your view) toward a economic collapse much like that of Argentina’s only MUCH bigger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH6_i8zuffs
You need to remember that as a armed society and one which contains a much more violent crimial and entitlement minded element our collapse is much more likely to be much more violent than Argentina’s was/is. I see evidence in the daily news that in many big ‘blue’ cities you can expect what I call “Pocket pogroms” will be carried out and if you aren’t ‘Amish’ you better be ready to get out and quick!
For more information on living in a collapse economy I strongly suggest that you read Ferfal’s blog SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA: http://ferfal.blogspot.com
For those who would like to get started preparing my Preparedness Manual is available (THANKS!to eaker)for a free down load at:
http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf
it all depends upon saturation of receptors
Great Post.
I just had an idea to make a device, like a press of sorts that would cut gold or silver coins into “pieces of eight”
Not US coins of course.
MRE DEPOT
Honeyville Farms
A lot can be brough locally. Can goods keep cool, dry and undamage will last a very long time. Stock-up when the run case lot sales. Just last weekend I brought 12 dak 1 lb. canned hams at 2 for $5.00. A ham and a few pounds of beans thats pleanty of good eating for a number of people.
Also you can get a dehydrator and a vaccum sealer with a canning jar attachment and put up what you dehydrate. Throw in a oxygen absorber and vaccum seal it will last a long time.
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