Where are the Preppers?

[copyright1997reloaded]

There is also a lot of "joking" about preppers here...which is interesting because we are nowhere near the end of this.

What happens when slews of truck drivers get sick?
What happens when slews of farmers get sick?

I sure hope things don't get worse in terms of the necessities of life - food production and transport, medicine production and transport, etc. But I wouldn't go patting ourselves on the back just yet about how smart we are and how fun it is to laugh at those who prepare for situations like this.

 

[Boho]

Preppers who depend on freeze dried food will get sick within a month or two. It's been tested. In 90 days they won't even be able to pull their trigger. That's when I'll go in and steal their gold.

 

[CaptTom]

There is also a lot of "joking" about preppers here...which is interesting because we are nowhere near the end of this.

What happens when slews of truck drivers get sick?
What happens when slews of farmers get sick?

Well, folks are getting sick, and most are getting better. Some are only feeling under the weather for a few days. Some are pretty miserable for a couple of weeks or more.

My guess is the trucking and ag industries can continue to operate even if a bunch of people are out sick for a few days to a week or two.

I'd also speculate that there are some industries, some supply chains, some processes which will fail, that I haven't even thought of yet. Hopefully nothing critical.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Preppers who depend on freeze dried food will get sick within a month or two.

Source?

Also, who says Preppers will just eat freeze dried foods? There will be plenty of other meat sources around.

 

[Boho]

Source?

Also, who says Preppers will just eat freeze dried foods? There will be plenty of other meat sources around.

One person was allegedly successful but I didn't look into it (at least not recently). I just looked up the thread I remember from years ago:

Emergency Food Experiment

I think the guy's tie breaker experiment that he documents in that thread ended badly. I think people were trying to get him to end it even sooner. I'm stuck on a laptop that I hate so I don't want to dig through that thread right now but I read it a few years ago.

I even did some research on the food NASA uses. I think some current brands have permission to supply NASA but I don't think I found any food that's currently (a few years ago) available to the public that NASA uses.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

One person was allegedly successful but I didn't look into it (at least not recently). I just looked up the thread I remember from years ago:

Emergency Food Experiment

I think the guy's tie breaker experiment that he documents in that thread ended badly. I think people were trying to get him to end it even sooner. I'm stuck on a laptop that I hate so I don't want to dig through that thread right now but I read it a few years ago.

I even did some research on the food NASA uses. I think some current brands have permission to supply NASA but I don't think I found any food that's currently (a few years ago) available to the public that NASA uses.

Thanks, will give it a read. Without reading it, I think it is difficult to get foods that are relatively low in salt. A better 'plan' might be to have some of these but mixed in with normal foods that one might have/have access to (eggs, chicken, beef, nuts/berries, fruit, grains) along with vitamins.

 

[Sunset]

Source?

Also, who says Preppers will just eat freeze dried foods? There will be plenty of other meat sources around.

Could phone Edward Jones and tell them you have a couple of Million to invest somewhere. Door to Door delivery of fresh meat.

 

[Markola]

Could phone Edward Jones and tell them you have a couple of Million to invest somewhere. Door to Door delivery of fresh meat.

With their fees, it will be well-marbled.

 

[Pellice]

There is also a lot of "joking" about preppers here...which is interesting because we are nowhere near the end of this.

What happens when slews of truck drivers get sick?
What happens when slews of farmers get sick?

I sure hope things don't get worse in terms of the necessities of life - food production and transport, medicine production and transport, etc. But I wouldn't go patting ourselves on the back just yet about how smart we are and how fun it is to laugh at those who prepare for situations like this.

I'm not laughing at preppers - I'm someone who still has a big Rubbermaid container in my basement labelled "Y2K." But I think it is a chance to coolly evaluate the overall enterprise of "prepping" in light of our lived experiences - Y2K, Peak Oil (I took that seriously), the 2008 financial crash, and now a plague. What preparations have proved most useful? What lessons learned?

The phrase "those who prepare for situations like this" for me illustrates the sticking point: this isn't the situation for which they prepared. (Not unless they really do have 200 rolls of toilet paper stored )

I guess one lesson I am taking away from this is *mindset.* The importance of not being wedded to a particular scenario and being *adaptable* to a very different one. The physical preparations one makes may (I'm still observing here, not certain) well take a back seat to overall flexibility of mind and emotion.

And I'm going to venture a little plug for the humanities here: the ability to put a situation into words, to pull out from those words the basic assumptions underlying them, to question those assumptions, to pose some alternate questions, and to evaluate responses to those questions - that is a very useful set of skills taught by the humanities, seemingly so removed from this current situation.

As for me, I finally will have time to go through that Y2K crate, and throw away those emergency bug-out clothes that I rather suspect no longer fit after 20 years.

 

[brewer12345]

Most preppers that have given things some thought don't prepare for any specific disaster scenario. I certainly do not. Food, first aid items, guns and ammo, and knowledge/skills tend to be pretty broadly applicable to a variety of bad things happening. Not being in debt up to your eyeballs and having ample liquidity help too. In my case, a lot of the things I like doing will come in plenty handy now: beekeeping, gardening, cooking, baking bread.

It is a relief to not be suddenly be in dire straits financially in a high stress time. It was also a relief to tell my 13YO who had obviously heard other students at school expressing fear that yes, we really do have more than enough food for two weeks, and yes, that includes 3 meals a day. The cost of the stuff that makes that possible is trivial.

 

[Gumby]

I would think that preparing ourselves for various, non-specified "events" is the same as preparing our financial affairs for retirement. The first step is to adopt the mindset that life is something we do, not something that happens to us. To recognize that there are things we can and should do to bend the curve in our favor. Then, we need to spend a little time thinking ahead to the wide variety of things that might happen and mentally planning in advance how to respond reasonably rather than being purely reactive. Next, we need to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to put our plans into effect as and when that become necessary. Only lastly do we need to gather "stuff" that we think we might need under various scenarios. In short, preparing is a mental effort more than anything else, and once that mental effort is made, the specifics of the event are only secondary.

 

[papaof2]

Bugging in, which is an appropriate response to this particular glitch.

Going to the grocery maybe every 2 weeks for the non-storables (fresh meat, bananas). If conditions were worse (bigger crowds, less stock on the shelves), would be eating oatmeal, rice and beans pretty much daily and not going out at all. Would also have started some things in 5 gallon buckets because they can be moved outside for rain and sun and inside for security. A 5 gallon bucket planted with seed potatoes will produce maybe 2-3lbs of potatoes, depending on the variety and there's a big compost pile out back.

 

[ckelly78z]

Part of our "prepping" is getting this greenhouse built. My DW, and I are somewhat preppers, who have plenty of supplies to last for months if the SHTF, and EVERYTHING shut down.

 

[meleana]

Before we moved 2 months ago we were much better prepared on our 10 1/2 acre, isolated and wooded property. Had tons of food storage, water and wildlife on the property, self defense, whole house generator, etc.


Had to use up a lot of food this past year before the move and now in a small house near a small city. We were not intending on doing the big prepper stuff, but when we realized what was going to occur with this virus, we quickly started to try to build up some food (we do have a 25 year shelf life bucket of freeze dried food). We went out and bought a small chest freezer because the one in our fridge is way too small anyway. We bought some water and we are filling up empty soda and juice bottles with water on going. We also restocked out pretty empty medicine cabinet with some over the counter meds, which we rarely need to use normally.



We are putting off buying a whole house generator for right now. We are all set in the self defense dept.


Hardest thing has been trying to get a supply of paper products and some food.



Still we do not have nearly as much food as we used to, though.


So much for the start of our retirement and downsizing and keeping our food bill low.

 

[dd564]

There is also a lot of "joking" about preppers here...which is interesting because we are nowhere near the end of this.

What happens when slews of truck drivers get sick?
What happens when slews of farmers get sick?

I sure hope things don't get worse in terms of the necessities of life - food production and transport, medicine production and transport, etc. But I wouldn't go patting ourselves on the back just yet about how smart we are and how fun it is to laugh at those who prepare for situations like this.

Farmers have gotten sick for years and they work through it or the neighbor farmer picks up the slack. It's the unspoken farmers alliance.


The chances of them all getting coronavirus is nil. Geographically they are spread out miles and miles apart.

Trucking is the bigger questions but automated trucks will eliminate much of that profession in years to come.

If anything, this pandemic has proven what a robust and flexible supply chain we have. There is room for improvement, but incredibly reliable.

 

[Pellice]

If anything, this pandemic has proven what a robust and flexible supply chain we have. There is room for improvement, but incredibly reliable.

This has been one "takeaway" that I would not have expected. Supplies are uneven - mostly due to demand rather than supply - but have continued.

Have there been other takeaways we have gotten from this crisis that are more widely applicable? Or is this a unique crisis, one that "preppers" can discount? And, by the way, I am not making fun of preppers. I am instead curious about what, if anything, this crisis can tell us about the type of future emergencies we might enounter and what types of preparation are useful?

One takeaway for me has been the usefulness of a little extra space. My place is far smaller than the average US single family home, but I'm just one person and a cat, and I've thought sometimes that it's more than I need, and if I move, maybe I should go smaller. But the space - the extra freezer and shelves in the basement - the room there is for exercise - the odd items I can produce from the back of shelves - that has been very useful. Another is good internet access and abilities (abilities of which I am NOT anywhere near the top, but I can see how much more I could do if my internet capabilities were greater).

And something that I have fallen short of completely - handyman capabilities. I just have never acquired them, and it is too late now. I look at a diagram of sink washer replacement and I see 15 separate steps that are a blur to me. My failure.

*Edit - Should list a few positives as well. I have kept the right supplies on hand even before the coronavirus. I have the right cooking skills and supplies. I have lots of useful interests (my garden has kept me from needing many fresh vegetables). I've been both lucky and purposeful about my health and emotional state.

What about the rest of you? Lessons, observatioins?

 

[ckelly78z]

And something that I have fallen short of completely - handyman capabilities. I just have never acquired them, and it is too late now. I look at a diagram of sink washer replacement and I see 15 separate steps that are a blur to me. My failure.

What about the rest of you? Lessons, observatioins?

I have been able to design/build just about anything I want, or need on the homestead. I am currently fabbing up a broken hydostatic bracket that is NLA for my 1972 Cub Cadet 129. I built a power lift hitch for the same tractor. My wife, and I are stick building a 10x16 greenhouse in the back yard, and I just completed a total bathroom gut/rebuild. I do all of my vehicle maintenance, and am building a shop in my small (40x60) barn that will have a 2 post lift with welding/machining capabilities.

 

[Sunset]

I have realized, I need to pay more attention to my normal hoarding of basics like pasta, and beans.

Just before Covid-19 I realized my pasta was getting old in terms of expiry date, so really concentrated on eating it down. Of course we ran out once Covid-19 started

I have since managed to score 6 lbs of pasta, thankful for small victories

My beans/lentils are also pretty old, so going to check their expiry dates and start using them. I notice lentils are available but not dried beans, I'm guessing because most folks have no idea what to do with dried lentils.

 

[Just_Steve]

I have realized, I need to pay more attention to my normal hoarding of basics like pasta, and beans.

Just before Covid-19 I realized my pasta was getting old in terms of expiry date, so really concentrated on eating it down. Of course we ran out once Covid-19 started

I have since managed to score 6 lbs of pasta, thankful for small victories

My beans/lentils are also pretty old, so going to check their expiry dates and start using them. I notice lentils are available but not dried beans, I'm guessing because most folks have no idea what to do with dried lentils.

Pasta is easy to make at home, spent my day yesterday with DW making pasta.

 

[Sunset]

Pasta is easy to make at home, spent my day yesterday with DW making pasta.

We cannot find flour nearly all the time, did manage to get 10lbs last week for the first time, and now it's gone again.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Farmers have gotten sick for years and they work through it or the neighbor farmer picks up the slack. It's the unspoken farmers alliance.


The chances of them all getting coronavirus is nil. Geographically they are spread out miles and miles apart.

Trucking is the bigger questions but automated trucks will eliminate much of that profession in years to come.

If anything, this pandemic has proven what a robust and flexible supply chain we have. There is room for improvement, but incredibly reliable.

I'd say your post is not aging well:

World’s biggest pork producer says U.S. meat supplies are ‘close to the edge’ as it shutters key plant

https://fortune.com/2020/04/13/smithfield-foods-pork-plant-closure-us-meat-supply/

“The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” Smithfield’s Chief Executive Officer Ken Sullivan said in the statement. “It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running.”

and

Workers in other points of the food-supply chain have also started to get sick. In all likelihood, the number of cases will keep going up at meat plants, farms, warehouses and packaging factories across the globe. That’s pointing to an acute contradiction between the need to keep people safe, while also ensuring that the world has enough food.

 

[michelek]

The workers at the pork plant had all gotten exposed at a quincinera . They had to shut down bc half the work force is sick.
Will two weeks shut down really affect the food supply? The Smithfield company rep seems to think so. Probably because they rely on immigrant labor who live and socialize in crowded conditions.
Same as migrant workers in the fields.
The food supply is going to be affected.

Maybe we need to buy freezers , propane generators and a years worth of meat. And guns. Or you buy a goat, some chickens and enough feed for the animals.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

The workers at the pork plant had all gotten exposed at a quincinera . They had to shut down bc half the work force is sick.
Will two weeks shut down really affect the food supply? The Smithfield company rep seems to think so. Probably because they rely on immigrant labor who live and socialize in crowded conditions.
Same as migrant workers in the fields.
The food supply is going to be affected.

Maybe we need to buy freezers , propane generators and a years worth of meat. And guns. Or you buy a goat, some chickens and enough feed for the animals.

Good luck with the freezers, as I understand...they can't be found for sale. We have plenty of meat for the time being and as I mentioned early, quite a bit of game from DW's Dad. Worst case scenario, our deer feeder gets 8-10 visitors twice a day. One of them will feed the DW and me for quite a long time. I trust it won't get to that anytime soon, at least hopefully.

 

[Sunset]

The workers at the pork plant had all gotten exposed at a quincinera . They had to shut down bc half the work force is sick.
Will two weeks shut down really affect the food supply? The Smithfield company rep seems to think so. Probably because they rely on immigrant labor who live and socialize in crowded conditions.
Same as migrant workers in the fields.
The food supply is going to be affected.

Maybe we need to buy freezers , propane generators and a years worth of meat. And guns. Or you buy a goat, some chickens and enough feed for the animals.

Just need to call Edward Jones, they will send fresh meat to your door

 

[lemming]

I've been thinking that Southern states probably sold all their chicks this year.

I have been going on the pollyanna thinking that the supply would be out there and I would have communication,utilities and money to access them. Not a winter in Alaska or a hurricane in Peurto Rico. My lights went off for just minutes today and the sense of dread was overwhelming.
How do preppers keep food fresh.? I can't even keep a pantry up to date. I found a box of food with a sell by in 2015. I opened it-graham cracker smelled like old tobacco barn.Even ramen gets old.