# Preparedness



## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

I'm curious to see if anyone else here is interested in preparedness, aka "prepping": being prepared for some kind of emergency, disaster, or bad situation.

This covers a wide range of topics. It can mean being prepared for a button popping off your shirt in the middle of the day. It can mean being prepared for a flat tire or break-down. It can mean being prepared for being attacked or mugged. It can mean being prepared for the power being out for a few hours, or a few days.

In general, it means have the supplies, skills, and training to deal with unusual circumstances. This is commonly thought of on a large scale, such as being prepared for a natural disaster coming to your area, whether a hurricane, flood, earthquake, or whatever, in which case you might be without power or running water for hours or days. Some people take it further than that, and consider the collapse of modern society, whether due to an economic breakdown, war, or something like that, in which case normal services are interrupted for days, weeks, or months. Or longer.

What exactly one wants to prepare for will also vary based on where you live. If you live and work within the same urban environment, your preparation needs will be very different from someone in rural areas, and vice-versa.

So I'm curious to hear what other people here are doing, if anything at all. What are you prepared for, and what are you doing to be prepared for it?


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

JJR512 said:


> I'm curious to see if anyone else here is interested in preparedness, aka "prepping": being prepared for some kind of emergency, disaster, or bad situation.
> 
> This covers a wide range of topics. It can mean being prepared for a button popping off your shirt in the middle of the day. It can mean being prepared for a flat tire or break-down. It can mean being prepared for being attacked or mugged. It can mean being prepared for the power being out for a few hours, or a few days.
> 
> ...


We got a portable ice maker this summer. You never know.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

I've gone so far as to hire these guys.....

https://imageshack.com/i/p9KSnn82j


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

I am prepared for any eventuality. I will use my intellect to prevail.*

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*N.B. this sometimes manifests itself as motivating (inveigling) others to act on my behalf.
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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I think I may be guilty on all counts, LOL! We carry emergency kits in the trunks of our vehicles. I keep a supply of emergency rations, batteries, lights, blankets, etc. in our basement. We have an (all too inadequate sized) emergency generator. I lay claim to a sufficient stores of weapons and ammunition to single handedly fight off the rumored to come "zombie apocalypse!" And the list of my advance preparations could go on and on, as I sit quietly and patiently wait for the arrival of those nice doctors in their pretty white coats.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Within the last decade, we have lost power for more than five consecutive days twice. 

This is in the DC suburbs, not Bugtussle. 

We are prepared to live for a week without power.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

eagle2250 said:


> I think I may be guilty on all counts, LOL! We carry emergency kits in the trunks of our vehicles. I keep a supply of emergency rations, batteries, lights, blankets, etc. in our basement. We have an (all too inadequate sized) *emergency generator*. I lay claim to a sufficient stores of weapons and ammunition to single handedly fight off the rumored to come "zombie apocalypse!" And the list of my advance preparations could go on and on, as I sit quietly and patiently wait for the arrival of those nice doctors in their pretty white coats.


We got a generator a few years ago. It's a monster, installed on the side of our house and fueled by natural gas. It will power pretty much everything we have: Both tropical fish tanks (we have a couple pretty big ones), heaters in the reptile room (we have snakes and lizards instead of guns to keep looters at bay), all kitchen appliances, all lights, furnace, air conditioner, swimming pool pump, washer and dryer, and the list goes on. About the only thing it won't do is supply power to the light in the garage (I suppose one must make sacrifices). There is also an outlet for an extension cord so that we can sell power to desperate neighbors. Ever since we got it, I've been hoping for a power outage, but no. Not even a flicker of lights. This, I think, is the single best way to prevent a natural disaster: Spend a lot of money preparing for one.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

I always, always ensure that I have a extra bottle of Gin, Champagne, Brandy, Port, Madeira (Malmsey and Sercial), vodka (for my wife) Dubonnet, a decent red and white wine of some kind, and Noilly Prat. Just in case.


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## B_Wong (Aug 10, 2014)

Other than a small first aid kit in my car, I'm not too well prepared for anything. I figure if I have to bug out, head for the hills, and fight for my survival like a savage then something has gone terribly wrong in the world and that is not a world that I want to be part of.


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## quiller (Dec 25, 2010)

After Super Storm Sandy,I bought some portable lanterns,2 more Surefire flashlights,and purchased 6 more gas cans [primarily at garage sales].Next purchase will be a Honda Inverter Generator.After spending 2 weeks in 2012 with no power ,I am trying to be more prepared for the next storm.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

B_Wong said:


> Other than a small first aid kit in my car, I'm not too well prepared for anything. I figure if I have to bug out, head for the hills, and fight for my survival like a savage then something has gone terribly wrong in the world and that is not a world that I want to be part of.


"Preparedness" is not necessarily just about being prepared for the end of the world as we know it. As *quiller* illustrated in his reply after yours, it can be about being prepared for smaller-scale events as well, like the power being out for awhile.


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

I have a gas powered fireplace in my home in case of an ice storm. My parents had one that saved our tails several years ago now.


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## B_Wong (Aug 10, 2014)

JJR512 said:


> "Preparedness" is not necessarily just about being prepared for the end of the world as we know it. As *quiller* illustrated in his reply after yours, it can be about being prepared for smaller-scale events as well, like the power being out for awhile.


Never thought of it that way. I guess I could use some more LED flashlights, a radio, batteries, and a more sizable first aid kit. I think later on down the road a generator would be useful. Maybe a week or two of rations? Anyone have a good resource for basic prepping for a natural disaster? Only thing that comes to mind in CA is a massive earthquake.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

B_Wong said:


> Never thought of it that way. I guess I could use some more LED flashlights, a radio, batteries, and a more sizable first aid kit. I think later on down the road a generator would be useful. Maybe a week or two of rations? Anyone have a good resource for basic prepping for a natural disaster? Only thing that comes to mind in CA is a massive earthquake.


Since you mentioned earthquakes, here's a page to get started: https://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/earthquakes/index.asp

They have links for other kinds of emergencies as well.

Because being prepared is such a huge topic, there is a huge variety of websites that relate to the topic in some way.

Once you start reading, you'll probably get a feel for what you'd like to learn more about. Then just type into google something like "how do I prepare for (whatever)". Or you can ask "how can I survive a (whatever)".

Here's a thought: A lot of people here wear suits daily, or at least a shirt and tie. What are you going to do if a button falls off your shirt in the middle of the day? Does your shirt have a couple of extra buttons sewn on at the bottom? How are you going to attach it to where the button fell off? Are you just going to deal with a missing button for the rest of the day, hope nobody sees it? Idea: a sewing needle and small length of thread can put into your wallet.


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## B_Wong (Aug 10, 2014)

You have got me thinking about it now, and prepping to prep is a good thing I suppose. Thank you for that.


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## Shoe City Thinker (Oct 8, 2012)

You can take me out of Boy Scouting but you can't take the Boy Scout out of me. We keep flashlights, a propane stove, extra food and water, and other supplies to "shelter in place" for a few days. Typically the nation's supply chain can recover in a few days after disruption even if Just In Time inventory is employed. I'm not into guns so don't have those but if I needed those, I could easily call upon my NRA member cousin. If the s**t really hit the fan, I just want to be taken out quickly or "bug out" to family in Maine.


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## Bin'Zev (Sep 19, 2014)

Let's just say Im a proud NRA member with plentry of food and water. Bring it I say.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Wake me up when there's a real threat!


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

I do occasionally ponder various apocalyptic scenarios that might attend a breakdown in law and order, food shortages, riots, invasion by foreign powers, strange meteorological phenomena, tax inspections etc etc, but suspect that preparing for any of them would largely be a waste of time. There is a well in my garden, however, that might prove useful.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^As do I, but frankly it's not the apocalyptic scenarios as it is the natural disasters that persuade me to take the (I think) prudent precautions that I do. Over the years I had the opportunity to become involved in our government's response to several natural disasters and will tell you that such occurrences bring out the absolute best and also the worst in people. Crime rates soar in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The capacity for human depravity in the aftermath of such occurrences is all the motivation one should need for being prepared to survive and to defend one's home and family!


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

^ Some form of firearm would seem necessary to do so. As I hardly need point out, these are not generally available in the UK (other than via underworld channels), with the exception of shotguns, which I suppose might come in handy. However, even speculating on an internet forum such as this about such use of a shotgun is probably sufficient to have the necessary licence withheld. I have an air-rifle, good for nothing beyond startling vermin (pigeons etc) at short range.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^A shotgun can be one of the best home defense weapons to have. My preference is a Beretta 1301 Tactical, a semi-automatic 12Ga. Eight rounds of #00 buckshot, fired in less than five seconds, can be pretty intimidating to an intruder.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^A shotgun can be one of the best home defense weapons to have. My preference is a Beretta 1301 Tactical 12Ga. Eight rounds of #00 buckshot can be pretty intimidating to an intruder.


Useful advice, although there has been at least one notorious case here of a person sent to prison for defending his home with a shotgun. The law is a bit soft here in some ways, but admittedly the intruder was shot dead while trying to escape. Also, I have a feeling that multi-round shotguns are illegal here, so you get just two shots then hope your loader is somewhere nearby.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Perhaps spring guns around one's garden fence might be effective. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring-gun


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> Perhaps spring guns around one's garden fence might be effective. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring-gun


Thank you, I may well use one to protect my tulip garden, as suggested in your source.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^A shotgun can be one of the best home defense weapons to have. My preference is a Beretta 1301 Tactical, a semi-automatic 12Ga. Eight rounds of #00 buckshot, fired in less than five seconds, can be pretty intimidating to an intruder.


The sound of any shotgun chambering a round should be enough to intimidate a burglar into turning tail.


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

I just put together a winter emergency kit for my wife's car, in case she should be stranded in a blizzard. She drives about an hour to work and back, and roads are really not salted well here in the upper South. 

The contents: 

road salt
ice scraper
collapsable serrated shovel
large fleece blanket
siphon pump
emergency flares
emergency whistle
spare hat and gloves 
protein bars and trail mix 
cooler with water bottles 
booster cables 
crank flashlight 
waterproof matches

Further suggestions welcome.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Add either a car charger cable for her cell phone (the kind that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket), or a backup battery, like what Mophie and other companies make. These are small batteries with a USB socket or pre-attached cord to connect to a phone (they usually come in both iPhone and Android/generic versions). This ensures she'll be able to call for help.

If she would be in areas with no cell coverage and far from any businesses or houses to go to for help, and nobody driving by to flag down, I'd also suggest a two-way radio. Most commuters will not need to go that far.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Also...waterproof matches by themselves are of limited use. If she's going to start a fire on the side of the road, then presumably she'll be gathering sticks, which can actually be hard to light with a flame as small and quick as a match's. Survivalists who want to start fires also carry some kind of tinder, something that's easy to light and will burn long enough to light a larger fire. There are commercially-available products for this purpose, such as "Tinder-Quik", or packaged chunks of fatwood. You can make your own by coating cotton balls with Vaseline and packing several into a ziplock bag.

It's also worth noting that a lighter (a disposable, like a Bic) is the easiest tool to start a fire with, and any survivalist is going to have at least one, and will use it first. Survivalists will often carry multiple means of starting fires, from waterproof matches to ferro-cerium rods and strikers, but these are redundant backups; anyone will always try for the simplest way first.

You may also want to consider something for rain/snow, like a poncho, something light to add on top to keep dry. Military surplus and similar ponchos are inexpensive and pack up small.

Finally, unless she already wears something suitable, perhaps a pair of boots that will be comfortable and suitable for walking through snow. If her car breaks down and she had to walk through the snow and ice, it would really suck to have only high heels.


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## smmrfld (May 22, 2007)

Bourbon to go with the branch already in the kit.



universitystripe said:


> I just put together a winter emergency kit for my wife's car, in case she should be stranded in a blizzard. She drives about an hour to work and back, and roads are really not salted well here in the upper South.
> 
> The contents:
> 
> ...


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

I've lived in many places where I came all-too-close to being in the middle of a disaster area: earthquakes in California, the Los Angeles riots, hurricanes in the Deep South. Fortunately, I was always on the periphery, so I never got sucked into the madness that attended many of the catastrophes. However, they taught me to be prepared--in a disaster, you really can't count on the government to help you; it's just too overwhelming for public resources, despite the best efforts of local authorities. Civilization is truly a thin veneer.

Thus, I try to have enough food stored away to last a few days. I have the usual assortment of flashlights, radios, and such. It's just common sense.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

The US seems to be a remarkably dangerous place to live. Not merely the threat of natural disaster, but the fear of how people will behave if one occurs. Is the fear of mob violence or the collapse of society that seems to be being described as real as it appears?


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

^ Oh, like many things, it depends. In economically-depressed urban areas? Yes, there's a real threat. Look at Detroit; there, society has _already _collapsed in many areas of the city. Heck, the Google car, driving around Detroit to take pictures for maps.google.com, captured images of people pointing guns at it. A friend of mine lived there, and he told me how paramedics won't enter certain neighborhoods without a police escort--and even _they_ won't enter some areas after dark, if I remember correctly. It's really, really bad up there.

Now, in rural areas, the situation is often much calmer. However, the risk with living in a rural area during a large emergency is that the urban areas may get government aid first--greater population density and all that. If a big disaster strikes, it's up to you and your community.

I'm talking about extremes here, of course. There are plenty of peaceful, well-equipped, happy areas, many of them in suburban parts of the country. And many urban areas can be great; look at how New Yorkers came together in the wake of the September 11th attacks. However, after being witness to mob violence, I realize that, as I said, civilization is a thin veneer. We're one hurricane away from people getting very, very desperate.

Part of this is because people are notoriously unprepared for natural disasters. Every time there's the threat of a hurricane, the shops are inundated by people stocking up on necessities (water, canned food, gasoline cans, etc.). And, after the storm hits, all the people who _didn't _prepare (or couldn't, due to whatever circumstances) go out and try to get what they need. If the shops are closed--which they often are, after a disaster--then looting occurs, if the situation is bad enough (no electricity, no water). You can justify it, saying that people are getting the supplies that they need, or you can condemn it, saying that the people shouldn't steal. Either way, it happens. And, once the looting for necessities occurs, looting _anything_ isn't far behind. (Of course, in the Los Angeles riots, people skipped looting for necessities and went straight to looting televisions and stereos and...well, anything that wasn't nailed down.) Then, as after Hurricane Katrina, martial law gets declared, either by the government (as in coastal Mississippi) or by the de facto government (as in New Orleans, where armed citizens supplemented the police--its numbers shrunk by deserters--by conducting armed patrols of their neighborhoods).

I'm focusing primarily on natural disasters here. I know I've mentioned the Los Angeles riots, but civil unrest of that magnitude is rare. The bottom line? Be prepared; you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> The US seems to be a remarkably dangerous place to live. Not merely the threat of natural disaster, but the fear of how people will behave if one occurs. Is the fear of mob violence or the collapse of society that seems to be being described as real as it appears?


Now now, let's not pretend that mob violence is unheard of here. When I returned to England in summer 2011 there were riots and disturbances up and down the country, causing a few deaths, buildings gutted, shops looted, paint daubed on Churchill's statue etc etc. Even the Countryside Alliance's march in 2004 ended in a violent confrontation with the police.

As Ekphrastic puts it, civilisation is little more than a veneer - we forget that at our peril.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> Now now, let's not pretend that mob violence is unheard of here. When I returned to England in summer 2011 there were riots and disturbances up and down the country, causing a few deaths, buildings gutted, shops looted, paint daubed on Churchill's statue etc etc. Even the Countryside Alliance's march in 2004 ended in a violent confrontation with the police.
> 
> As Ekphrastic puts it, civilisation is little more than a veneer - we forget that at our peril.


There is a significant difference between political demonstrations, even if they result in violence, or riots provoked by a police execution, and the suggestions here that a natural disaster would result in the end of civilisation. I'm pretty sure that if a disaster occurred in Britain that people wouldn't revert to the state of barbarism that is suggested by many posts here. I wouldn't have thought that the US would either, but the suggestions here, and the aftermath of Katrina has suggested otherwise.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> T... riots provoked by a police execution.


Tripe. Some young gangster who was armed with a weapon ended up dead, that's all one can safely say.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> Tripe. Some young gangster who was armed with a weapon ended up dead, that's all one can safely say.


Some young gangster who wasn't actually armed with a weapon ended up dead, and who wasn't actually proven to have committed a crime (although popularly thought to be a gangster) was shot by a policeman. Whatever the actual event, it led to riots that then were used as cover by other gangsters to organise looting.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> Some young gangster who wasn't actually armed with a weapon ended up dead, and who wasn't actually proven to have committed a crime (although popularly thought to be a gangster) was shot by a policeman. Whatever the actual event, it led to riots that then were used as cover by other gangsters to organise looting.


The IPCC report states that a gun was recovered from the scene. Whether or not it had been fired is perhaps neither here nor there, although a round was recovered from a police radio.

The point is that the rioting that followed, up and down the country - some of it opportunistic looting, some of it mayhem for the pure hell of it, broke out so easily. I think the capacity for riot and mayhem is always there, barely held in check a lot of the time.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

No Justice, No Peace; the credo of the modern lynch mob.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

WouldaShoulda said:


> No Justice, No Peace; the credo of the modern lynch mob.


Modern???


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> The IPCC report states that a gun was recovered from the scene.


Which didn't have any of the victim's fingerprints on, and was in a bag.



Langham said:


> Whether or not it had been fired is perhaps neither here nor there, although a round was recovered from a police radio.


Which was subsequently found to have been one of the rounds fired by the armed policeman who shot the bloke. The gun in question was in a bag and hadn't been fired.



Langham said:


> The point is that the rioting that followed, up and down the country - some of it opportunistic looting, some of it mayhem for the pure hell of it, broke out so easily. I think the capacity for riot and mayhem is always there, barely held in check a lot of the time.


Yet, given the apparent nature of the rioting etc. there were remarkably few injuries to people, which, to me, suggests that there wasn't much for us, as a society, to be worried about.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Chouan said:


> Yet, given the apparent nature of the rioting etc. there were remarkably few injuries to people, which, to me, suggests that there wasn't much for us, as a society, to be worried about.


By the same logic, one can say that since the last hurricane didn't do much damage, we don't need to worry about the next one.

This, in my opinion, is a completely irresponsible attitude to when regarding situations in which one's life is potentially at stake.

Preparedness is all about the attitude, "It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." The last riot may not have been deadly, but history shows that riots definitely can be deadly. If you wait until you see empirical evidence that you need to defend your life before you decide to prepare to defend your life, you'll be dead before you get the chance to prepare.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

As I said above, based on the posts here, the US must be a terrifying country to live in.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> Yet, given the apparent nature of the rioting etc. there were remarkably few injuries to people, which, to me, suggests that there wasn't much for us, as a society, to be worried about.


That seems a rather complacent outlook to have. Five deaths, a dozen or so serious injuries and hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of damage to property. Can you imagine being caught up in a riot? Bricks flying, looting, buildings being torched and no police anywhere. I imagine it would be quite terrifying for a child or elderly person.

However, perhaps, as you say, there is nothing greatly to be worried about compared to other, more immediate dangers.

Incidentally, do you remember the 1981 race riots? I was living in various low-rent premises in Chelsea and South London at the time so saw a bit of the fun then.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Chouan said:


> As I said above, based on the posts here, the US must be a terrifying country to live in.


The greatest comfort to be enjoyed is being prepared and knowing, essentially, how you are going to react when confronted with adversity!


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Chouan said:


> As I said above, based on the posts here, the US must be a terrifying country to live in.


For the vast majority of the people, the vast majority of the time, the U.S. is no more terrifying than any other civilized country.

However, there seems to be a larger proportion of people here than in other civilized countries who recognize that "vast majority" does not mean "all". Recognizing this, they choose to try to be prepared for those moments and situations that are not included in the "vast majority".

Being prepared for the **** hitting the fan does not mean the **** is always hitting the fan. This is simple logic. Does your car come with a spare tire and a jack and lug wrench? Does that mean your car is constantly getting flat tires?

The relative complacency of UK residents is a cultural difference that I've just recently read an article describing. An article written by an Englishman. I shall endeavor to locate that article and post a link here.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

https://www.doomandbloom.net/the-views-of-preppers-in-britain/


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> That seems a rather complacent outlook to have. Five deaths, a dozen or so serious injuries and hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of damage to property. Can you imagine being caught up in a riot? Bricks flying, looting, buildings being torched and no police anywhere. I imagine it would be quite terrifying for a child or elderly person.
> 
> However, perhaps, as you say, there is nothing greatly to be worried about compared to other, more immediate dangers.
> 
> Incidentally, do you remember the 1981 race riots? I was living in various low-rent premises in Chelsea and South London at the time so saw a bit of the fun then.


But could you imagine the scenario that our Americans members seem to be fearing occurring in Britain as the aftermath of an earthquake? The devastating storms of 1953 didn't bring about civil anarchy and chaos, and I doubt that our culture has changed for the worse *that* much.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

^ I resort to cannibalism if the FT is not delivered in time for tiffin.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

There's no question that the US has a higher incidence of violent crime, and especially gun violence, than any other highly developed nation. This is true even though our gun ownership rates are only about twice those of Switzerland, whose homicide rate is about ten percent that of ours. The UK homicide rate is even lower, about one percent of ours, which may be the reason for the "complacency" cited above.

This sort of American predilection for violence troubles me, as an American, greatly. I confess to having no clue as to how to address it.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Shaver said:


> ^ I resort to cannibalism if the FT is not delivered in time for tiffin.


I am sure I am note alone, Shaver, in thanking you for brightening my day.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

I feel that at this point, with so much of the discussion recently being focused on violence, I should remind that preparedness is not just about being prepared for violence, but for anything. This includes natural disasters. This includes power outages, interruption of water and sanitation services, etc.

Example: a hurricane or tornado strikes your area, power is out for days, water service is out for days. Your home has no power or incoming water. Streets are flooded, you cannot get to a grocery store, which is closed anyway for the same reasons. Are you prepared for this?


You may live in an area where there hurricanes or tornadoes are not a possibility. What about floods? Wildfires? A variety of natural,disasters can affect your area without necessarily damaging your own house, but local services may be interrupted, stores may be closed. Or your own house may become unlivable; do you know where to go if that happens? Do you have a plan, are preparations made to get there, are supplies ready at that location, do you have supplies ready to go with you when you go there?


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

JJR512 said:


> I feel that at this point, with so much of the discussion recently being focused on violence, I should remind that preparedness is not just about being prepared for violence, but for anything. This includes natural disasters. This includes power outages, interruption of water and sanitation services, etc.
> 
> Example: a hurricane or tornado strikes your area, power is out for days, water service is out for days. Your home has no power or incoming water. Streets are flooded, you cannot get to a grocery store, which is closed anyway for the same reasons. Are you prepared for this?
> 
> You may live in an area where there hurricanes or tornadoes are not a possibility. What about floods? Wildfires? A variety of natural,disasters can affect your area without necessarily damaging your own house, but local services may be interrupted, stores may be closed. Or your own house may become unlivable; do you know where to go if that happens? Do you have a plan, are preparations made to get there, are supplies ready at that location, do you have supplies ready to go with you when you go there?


I've lived through occasional blackouts, one lasted for nearly three hours! Tornadoes and earthquakes are most unlikely, as is volcanic eruption. Flooding is also most unlikely, although heavy rain can be a nuisance, and the chance of "wild fire" is very remote indeed. I have, as outlined above, some arrangements in case of emergency, in case I don't fancy going to the shops through inclement weather, or natural indolence. I even have a supply of firewood so that I can sit by the fire at the weekend, and relax more effectively.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I get violent when I run out of booze!!


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## Liberty Ship (Jan 26, 2006)

universitystripe said:


> I just put together a winter emergency kit for my wife's car, in case she should be stranded in a blizzard. She drives about an hour to work and back, and roads are really not salted well here in the upper South.
> 
> The contents:
> 
> ...


A couple of cans of fix a flat
Survival knife
Duck tape
Multi tool
Cell phone battery pack
Work gloves
Firearm and ammo
Space blanket (water and wind proof - use with or without the fleece blanket)
20 $10 dollar bills
Roll of toilet paper
Given the shoes most women wear on a daily basis, hiking boots or shoes and socks

Also, in addition to the crank flashlight, or perhaps instead of it, there are some excellent LED flashlights out there nowadays that will run for a long time on their batteries with very bright output. One with a strobe option would be good.


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