Ok, REALISTICALLY what are you really preparing for

[bigmattdaddywack]

Manbearpig, Zombies, everything I can.

[therianthrope]

It's complicated and the no politics rule makes it even harder. I'll try a metaphor.
...
I don't resent you for being skeptical. Hell, if people were more inclined to question, we might not be in this mess. I assure you, I'm in it for the long haul and I'm ready to make the necessary sacrifices.

There really is no need for explanation or metaphor, I know exactly what you're saying, I just thought it sounded a little sanctimonious is all. Obviously I don't know you and please believe me when I say that I didn't mean it as an affront. Just an aside for reality's sake, maybe? Honestly, when I say I agree to a large extent, I mean the same principle appeals to me for the very same reasons and I would like to say I strive for the same, however my reality at the moment doesn't really allow it. And since my reality is not your reality, perhaps it was just a little jealousy coming through on my part.

[K7A7O7S]

I try to prepare myself for whatever could possibly come my way, (the zombie apocalypse , storms, earthquakes, riots,,, etc...) and I understand that the possibility of some of these said circumstances may not be very high, or possible at all for that matter. However, I don't want to be caught off guard under any circumstances...

[hellstorm]

Natural/unnatural disasters, martial law/riots, zombie attacks (IF ..if it ever really happened), preparing as much as I can when or if the meltdown of western civilization were to ever take place.

[Tripp Hazzard]

<snip> preparing as much as I can when or if western civilization were to ever take place.

Yeah, I don't think it's happened yet, either.

[livehistory_alnc]

weather disasters and gov't failures.

[MaxRite]

They say, if you prepare for zombies, you'll be GTG for vast majority of natural and man-made disasters... so I prepare for zombies.

[Andy_Cannon]

Realistically, I'm set. I live in the middle of nowhere 110miles from Saint Louis. I do get an occasional flood, but i have a solar panel, a well, and a backup generator. I have a lead lined box with a fuel computer for my Ford. My truck runs on biodiesel, and I have more than enough non-perishables, guns and ammo.

[aus.templar]

Realistically, I'm set. I live in the middle of nowhere 110miles from Saint Louis. I do get an occasional flood, but i have a solar panel, a well, and a backup generator. I have a lead lined box with a fuel computer for my Ford. My truck runs on biodiesel, and I have more than enough non-perishables, guns and ammo.

Jealous

[Ratchet]

anything that i might need to survive through

[Lucretius]

Women dressing immodestly...

[Andy_Cannon]

Realistically, I'm set. I live in the middle of nowhere 110miles from Saint Louis. I do get an occasional flood, but i have a solar panel, a well, and a backup generator. I have a lead lined box with a fuel computer for my Ford. My truck runs on biodiesel, and I have more than enough non-perishables, guns and ammo.

Jealous

You really shouldn't be, mate. It is boring as shit.

[wanderingwaldo]

Here's today's list:

Earthquakes
Fires
Slow Decline (economic/peak oil)
EMP / Solar storm / power grid sabotage / cascading failure (I think this is more possible than most people imagine and could be caused by poor maintenance during a slow decline)
Blockage of all Gulf shipping (more likely by the day)
Bee population collapse/food production collapse. (we lost 30% of our bees last year)

[Evan the Diplomat]

However, our new neighbour is actually a friend of ours, living there with his brother and sometimes with his girlfriend. They're friends. So, now we know we'll be stocking for 5 people and not 2.

I think if you are living in a building with other people then you can't only think of yourself in a disaster.

We're also going to see if we can convince the Homeowners Union to consider solar water heating on the roof.

Anyone else thinking of their neighbours in the event of local/city disasters? ... so many people live and don't have time to meet their neighbours).

I applaud your civic mindnedness. Many ZS members have pointed out that going it alone is a good way to get yourself killed or at least die alone.

You might want to keep the whole zombie idea to yourself and stress a possible train de-railment of hazardous materials as reason for getting to meet each other and make some common preparations.

[Browning 35]

These are the events that I've thought about and prepared (in some cases only somewhat) for and which are most likely to happen in my area from most likely to least likely and in order of severity.

• Car breaking down in a bad area or out in the middle of nowhere
  - Probability of event happening : High (at least it happened to my wife once while she was alone and when she didn't have a cell phone before we bought her that new car and it happened to us a couple of times while we were in the car together - During the in between time until we were able to afford it we just switched cars and I drove it so that it would happen to me rather than her. That car was just a REAL POS and it didn't matter what we did to try and fix it or to get it fixed. Given that we drive every day and that sometimes we're driving through bad areas or out in the middle of nowhere it'll almost certainly happen again at some point in our lifetimes).
• Power outages (seems to be happening a lot more lately).
  - Probability of event happening : High
• Flooding from the local lake less than a mile away from our home
  - Probability of event happening : A distinct possibility. It's happened before in our neighborhood, just not while we've been living there.
• Violent Crime.
  - Probability of event happening : A distinct possibility (had it happen before, just not while living in our current neighborhood).
• Large scale riot/civil unrest (unlikely to happen in the actual city that we live in, but since we live just outside a major city it would still affect us as far as traveling and work goes and/or in regards to the possibility of people emptying the grocery stores or buying as much gas/diesel as they can in record time)
  - Probability of event happening : Depends on what issue pops up, how volatile that issue is and how pissed off the people rioting get about that issue.
• Natural disaster (around here that would probably be a tornado).
  - Probability of event happening : High probability, it's not a matter of IF it's going to happen but WHEN. The only questions that remain are 'Will it hit us directly? and 'How destructive will that particular tornado be?'.
• Severe depression or economic collapse.
  - Distinct possibility given the current economic status in the US, just depends on the severity. It might range from not that bad to people living in tent cities and eating out of trash cans.
• Pandemic of some sort (bird flu, virus which causes white blindness, ebola gone airborne...who knows?)
  - IMHO Probability of event happening : Unlikely, but a possibility and so worth considering.
• WMD's from terrorists hitting the major city right by us
  - Probability of event happening : Unlikely IMO, but a possibility.
• Nuclear war, conventional war or civil war
  - Probability of event happening : IMO unlikely for the forseeable future, but it could happen at some point in the future.

In some cases I'm completely prepared for whatever may happen (car breaking down, violent crime, flooding, civil unrest etc in the form of food, water, medical gear, tools, firearms, self defense skills etc etc), in some cases I'm somewhat prepared (Pandemic or Depression/Economic Collapse) and in some cases I'm kind of lacking (nuclear war - we have some medical masks, some gas masks and MOPP suits and a couple bottles of Potassium Iodide....that's the best I could do in that regard that's radiation specific, don't have enough room in our yard for a fallout shelter).

[Evan the Diplomat]

Here in Venezuela I am prepping for:

Prolonged loss of electricity (Most states are on a minimum 4 hr blackout each day)

Prolonged loss of potable water (Due to the drought, most resivoirs are low and lack of maintenance means a lot of water is lost as it goes to your neighborhood.)

Landslides (It is rainy season now, in 2008 caracas had over 400 landslides in a single night after a full day of monsoon rain.)

Food shortages (Already happening, but it can get severe following one of the above. Ever try to buy milk or eggs on the black market? Not easy, no matter how much money you have.)

Earthquakes 80% of the population here lives in apartment buildings, most with underground parking, those columns holding up the building will snap like popcorn in a serious tremor.

Civil Unrest 2002 Coup attempt, 1992 coup attempt x 2 1989 El Caracazo (google it)

Pandemic The health care system here is highly politicized. There have been no homicide statistics published since 2005, they regularly deny outbreaks of malaria or dengue and once even had a government doctor claim that the U.S. had geneticly engineered the dengue here to better target Venezuelans.


When I transfer to Washington this summer I will worry about

Weather Snow, ice strom, remnants of hurricanes and the odd tornado that can cause...
Prolonged loss of electricity

Terrorism IMHO Washington is only second to NYC as a terrorist target. I will work at the main State Department building so it is a target. During the 9/11 attacks the Metro subway was closed and people had to walk home. Having a GHB with comfortable clothes, good shoes food and water will make that hike home a lot easier.

Pandemic People fly here from all over the world. They can be carrying something and sneeze.

Hazmat Spill Trains and trucks carrying all manner of hazards pass through here.

Civil Unrest Not widespread civil war but it seems everyone with an axe to gride can organize a march or rally but you never know when those things can turn ugly. Anyone remember the anti-Shah rallies of 1978 and 1979?

Regarding economic downturn or collapse, being in Venezuela has given me real perspective. If you are in North America or Northern Europe, times might get tough but I'm living a country sliding down and gaining speed. food inflation is 53% general inflation is 35%

[Turtlewolf]

Where I live there are several sour gas pipelines and facilities so mainly H2S release would be the biggest threat, sadly you can only do so much to prepare for something such as that. So I guess terrorist attacks on them would be the biggest concern and getting the heck out, local weather patterns, wind direction all come into play.

As well as having multiple routes away from the contaminated area.

[armored_pig]

Top of my list:

Civil unrest--possibly even civil war. Scary shit--do not want it to happen.

Pig

[Gingerbread Man]

THHHRRIIIILLLer! Thriller night, fighting for my life, get back, get out, TTTHHrrrilllerrr....

[Cybrludite]

Absolute #1 concern for me is Hurricanes. New Orleans area. 'Nuff said.

Economic crash is my main long-tern concern, especially since the Fed response to the oil spill seems to be focused primarily on bending Louisiana's economy over without any Astroglide.

Civil disorder, mainly in response to the previous items, is up there as well.

[runrob1]

Here inportland Oregon area I have experiencedto some degree all of the following in the last 20 years.
Flooding, small civil unrest, earthquake, ice and snow storms, "3 inches of snow will shutdown portland", parades with about a 1,000 naked bicyclist at night.
Power outages with ice storms.
I have began BoB bags for the family and stocking up ammo. Have a good supply of Bow and arrows. There area lot of urban deer here.
I need to prepare food for long term economic crisis, and shelter.
If it all goes to hell there is a lot of empty space in Oregon or my BOL with a spring 2 hours away.

[Biggin]

1) Hurricanes first and foremost. Yes, I would attempt to evacuate but if for some reason I do not get out of town and would end up driving in the storm I am prepared to bug in for multiple days.

2) Terrorist attack. There is a nuclear plant in St. Francisville (about 33 miles from my location). In the event of an attack, I would like to be able to survive whatever fallout or bad things come my way.

3) Home invasion. Could that be considered something worth preparing for? It is to me.

4) General bad weather.

5) Civil unrest.

[bgnad]

Top of my list:

Civil unrest--possibly even civil war. Scary shit--do not want it to happen.

Pig

Yep

[bumblingbear]

I prep for zeds....

Because zed preps are good enough for anything else, and zombies are the only scenario that truly frightens me!

I dig the fact that my prepped food will feed me regardless of whether there is an economic decline or zombies are filling the streets.

Additionally, 5.56 rounds will take out mutant space rats just as easily as zeds.