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Old 04-01-2011, 12:36 PM   #21
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Seems there are a lot of tinfoil hats being worn on this thread.......

I predict Wisconsin will have a HUGE influx of refugees if there is a big natural disaster, that is, if anyone can find us on a map..........
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Old 04-01-2011, 12:54 PM   #22
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Seems there are a lot of tinfoil hats being worn on this thread.......
How so? Reasonable preparations for 3 days to a week with no services after a disaster don't seem like tinfoil hat territory. It takes that long for the gubmint to get it together and start sorting out the mess.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:00 PM   #23
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Hmmmm...here is my assessment of risk from disasters, natural or mad-made.
Floods and hurricanes are not an issue in the immediate area where I live. Tornadoes are very rare, and not significant if they happen, but microbursts have occurred. I am not in an active earthquake zone by any means. Nearest nuclear plant is in Oswego NY, next closest is Indian Point on the lower Hudson River. I am far enough away from major urban centers to be reasonably safe from looters. Most local folks are armed (hunters).
My biggest risk is an extended power loss, especially in cold weather. We tend to get more snow than ice at this latitude.
Are you concerned for your water supply? I am guessing that you are in the Marcellus Shale hydrofracking area.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:04 PM   #24
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How so? Reasonable preparations for 3 days to a week with no services after a disaster don't seem like tinfoil hat territory. It takes that long for the gubmint to get it together and start sorting out the mess.

But most people can live 3 days to a week with what they have 'in house' without any major kind of preparation... we lived a few days without electricity a fews years back when a hurricain hit... then got in the car and drove to my sisters house in Austin... stayed there maybe a week...

I am not preparing for a 'end of world' disaster where I will be needing a gun etc. to protect what I have from others.... heck, I probably would share some of what I had with the neighbors.... even the ones I do not know (which are most of them)...

I also do not see where anything will happen that I will not be able to drive someplace where it is not happening.... earthquake, tornado, hurricane, etc. etc... even nuclear plant disaster... (now, if we have a global thermonuclear war start up... all bets are off)..
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:10 PM   #25
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It sounds like most of us are reasonably prepared to shelter at home in all but the emergencies that require evacuation.
While we don't have a house generator, we do have an Onan on the RV that could be used to run stuff for charging batteries and the like. We also always have extra gas around (see how useful those extra cars are!) and of course guns and ammo.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:12 PM   #26
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Are you concerned for your water supply? I am guessing that you are in the Marcellus Shale hydrofracking area.
Not concerned about contamination as much as reasonably assured that municipal water supply will remain intact in extremely prolonged cold weather. The head pressure will be better closer to the water treatment plant, i.e. supply pipes would not freeze. I would keep a faucet partially open to maintain flow into my home.

I'll have to see if I am in the shale area you mention. I'll go goggle it.

UPDATE: I learned something new today.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.s..._drilling.html

The answer is yes. See the table of NY towns listed at the link below. I am near Syracuse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcellus_Shale
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:15 PM   #27
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Seems there are a lot of tinfoil hats being worn on this thread.......
What's the rational argument for not buying cheap insurance against unpredictable low probability/high impact events? ( individual whistling past the graveyard )
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:16 PM   #28
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How so? Reasonable preparations for 3 days to a week with no services after a disaster don't seem like tinfoil hat territory. It takes that long for the gubmint to get it together and start sorting out the mess.
Currency? Extra shotgun shells? 2-3 weeks of MRE's? Sorry, that's tinfoil hat stuff. I have enough canned goods at all times to last for a week or two. My reverse osmosis system stores 5 gallons of water, I can easily disconnect the tube and drink the purified water. I suppose after two weeks we would get a little hungry..........
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:22 PM   #29
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Currency? Extra shotgun shells? 2-3 weeks of MRE's? Sorry, that's tinfoil hat stuff. I have enough canned goods at all times to last for a week or two. My reverse osmosis system stores 5 gallons of water, I can easily disconnect the tube and drink the purified water. I suppose after two weeks we would get a little hungry..........
You think 5 gallons of water will last you a week? Impressive (and smelly).

I don't have a firearm in the house, for the record. As for the rest, better safe than sorry. For a small amount of money I cut off the tail exposure of potentially very bad downside scenarios, albeit not that likely. Worse comes to worse, we use the MREs while camping.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:26 PM   #30
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How so? Reasonable preparations for 3 days to a week with no services after a disaster don't seem like tinfoil hat territory. It takes that long for the gubmint to get it together and start sorting out the mess.
I used the Red Cross emergency literature online to formulate my plan.
People up north in the Watertown area had the Army's 10th Mountain Division and larger cities had their own NY National Guard to help out, but smaller towns in the affected area were completely self-sufficient and dependent upon their volunteer fire departments. I live in a very small town.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:30 PM   #31
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You think 5 gallons of water will last you a week? Impressive (and smelly).

I don't have a firearm in the house, for the record. As for the rest, better safe than sorry. For a small amount of money I cut off the tail exposure of potentially very bad downside scenarios, albeit not that likely. Worse comes to worse, we use the MREs while camping.
Well, you did say:

Quote:
Eventually, I will put a little cash into a more extensive and organized prep setup. High on the list would be a firearm or two, more food, and water storage.
People like Brewer who have little kids have more to be concerned with, of course. I could see getting a gas generator here in case of an extended power outage during the winter, but no changes other than that. Thank goodness we have our vintage 1999 Y2K disaster water thingies still in the basement.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:34 PM   #32
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Well, you did say:


I sure did. I also have a couple of hunting dogs flopping around the house, including one specifically bred to hunt bears and wild boar. But mostly they are just happy, four-footed clowns.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:35 PM   #33
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We went 8 days without power in the dead of winter after an ice storm a few years back.
Worst part was we still had to go to work. Had we not had to do that another week or two wouldn't have been un doable, and this was without a generator.
Since we still had to work we'd go to a friends house to shower every couple of days.

We cooked on the gas grill, used candles and some flashlights, and the fireplace for heat and light.
Just closed off rooms we couldn't heat and stayed in the family room. Had plenty of food.
I was more worried about pipes freezing in unheated bathrooms than anything.
But I'd say the most depressing part was going to work. Since it was the dead of winter we'd leave in the morning dark and get home in the evening dark to a cold dark house. Barely get the living area warm before bed time. That got old fast.
So we bought a generator, and of course we haven't needed it since.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:39 PM   #34
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Ok ten to twenty gallons of gas plus what is in the cars. Enough food in the house to last a month in a big pantry. I buy at sales. BBQ own gas well, two generators, gun, other gun, target rifle, fireplace, 200 yards nearly clear line of site in most directions, $1000 Cash in small bills, 100 oz silver in 10 oz bars, 200 to 300 oz silver in coins (collector), heated outbuilding with water, live chickens, 4WD explorer and probably more.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:41 PM   #35
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People on medication should have spare ready to go,
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:46 PM   #36
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I sure did. I also have a couple of hunting dogs flopping around the house, including one specifically bred to hunt bears and wild boar. But mostly they are just happy, four-footed clowns.
Photos, please--I need a happy, four-footed clown fix today .
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:52 PM   #37
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I also have a fireproof box with all my important papers and pictures in it .
It needs to be heat-proof also. It's the heat that ruins documents / electronic media / pictures in a safe.

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Lots of tin foil.
That was just too funny.

----------------

As for us, we're good for six months and could stretch it to eight or nine months depending on circumstances. We'll lock the gate and stay at the ranch. We've told family and friends that if we have not specifically said they are in our plan, they are NOT in our plan. Don't show up at the gate and whine. You won't get in. I've offered to help them create their own family plan and none of them have taken me up on the offer. Their lack of planning will simply not be our problem. I'm sure lots of you want to take me to task for that.... it is what it is....

One of the best resources on prepping is coming offline next month. Another site created a mirror of it so the information will continue to be available for awhile. Drum-Runners.com

I have a template I created years ago to help the novice "prepper" learn to prep. If you're interested, and if I can figure out how to do it and keep the formatting, I'll post it here. Let me know if there's an interest.
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Old 04-01-2011, 01:52 PM   #38
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Currency? Extra shotgun shells? 2-3 weeks of MRE's? Sorry, that's tinfoil hat stuff. I have enough canned goods at all times to last for a week or two. My reverse osmosis system stores 5 gallons of water, I can easily disconnect the tube and drink the purified water. I suppose after two weeks we would get a little hungry..........
Whatever...
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Old 04-01-2011, 02:05 PM   #39
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I have been thinking of Emergency Preparation plans for years, but haven't implemented any yet. I started with Plan Preparation A, which was replaced by Preparation B, etc. After reading this thread, I think I'm ready to start the 8th preparation plan.
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Old 04-01-2011, 02:09 PM   #40
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I used the Red Cross emergency literature online to formulate my plan.

Here ya go...
Preparedness Today - Family Disaster Plan - American Red Cross / CDC
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