Pending demise or pending doom?

[Ivan the Butcher]

My "Beautiful, tall, and elegant" wife is normally the voice of reason and restraint. However, lately she has been pushing for the stocking the pantry to 2 to 3 times normal levels. The buying of emergency stores and equipment. and upping water purification equipment to the "multi thousand gallons" systems.

Previous History

We lived in the farmhouse for 30 years and almost 1 month, then moved to the Condo. After a few months she heard a radio program talking about emergency preparedness. When we lived on the farm, we had a well, and a generator to power that well and the other appliances. But in town we have no control over the water supply. The simple solution for city dwellers was to buy a One-gallon jug of water with every week's groceries until our storage limit was filled. That was 8 gallons at 99 cents each, placed in 2 plastic milk crates and stuck under a table in the sewing room. About 6 months later an underground electric trunk and the water main for our area of the complex got in a serious disagreement resulting in loss of power for 6 or 7 hours and loss of water for 3 or 4 days. The condo association delivered one 24 pack of 16-ounce water bottles. We have family nearby and could shower there. But I noticed the neighbors were almost in "Stupid Panic" mode! One family used pint bottles to flush the toilet. I ask if the didn't have a bucket to get water for the toilet? The clubhouse, swimming pool, and even the 3 ponds all had water, within easy walking distance. The panicked response was that they were all full of stuff. DUGH, empty one!

Current situation

She has taken to filling 10-gallon totes with nonperishable foods and camping like prep equipment. Plus, the freshwater system.

My great concern is: What is her "Gut" telling her? And, How long do we have to be ready?

One of the contributing factors was the Government shutdown of retail shopping and shipping, resulting in mass shortages in simple things like Toilet Paper and Condoms! (Big spike in babies at our church! ) The loss of employment of about 50% of the non-retired people we know. And our state tried to shut down any form of gathering of 6 or more people (not in a single household). Including and especially Churches. We survived fine, but we ran out of jigsaw puzzles! We knew people that, didn't have any reserves of cash or foodstuffs, and only survived on Government Assistance.

This isn't a commercial for you "To Stock Up". This is more like when the Maple leaves curl up to let you know a storm is in the neighborhood!

I don't think any coming "Pandemics" or "National Emergencies" will have the "Free" assistance the last one did. It will cost us something more than National Debt!

Maybe some of the Seasoned Hurrican Survivors can give us some useful ideas.

Ivan

 

[StrawHat]

I believe the Mormons view a 1 year supply of food, water and basics as the minimum. My wife and I try to maintain at least that much. For the dogs, we keep less on hand as they are fed a raw diet.

Kevin

 

[Bald1]

I have a well at my cabin. I have a generator to power it in case of emergency. But I took it a step further in case I run out of gas for generator.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Can't have a well at the condo, but maybe a rain barrel cistern would be acceptable.

Our second son bought his own house about 4.5 years ago. Even though his is in town and on a city lot, he planted fruit trees, berry bushes and hazelnuts. Sounds like he doesn't plan on moving for awhile.

Ivan

 

[BSA1]

Your wife deserves a big hug and encouragement from you to continue buying supplies.

FEMA recommends keeping a two week supply of food and water on hand.

We know from watching how slow Government response to large disasters is in most areas of the Country 30 days is most likely before Government can organize and set up enough resources to meet the needs of the affected area.

The first and most important rule is only buy what you will eat.

Storage space is often a issue. Basements are usually a great place. Do condos have basements? Do you have spaces that can be repurposed such as a large closet?

Since this is a firearms discussion forum what is your guns and ammunition situation? If you haven’t done so I suggest taking a hard look what you have for self-defense. Since your wife is becoming a prepper now may be a good time to buy, sell, trade guns and ammunition.

Pro tip; military surplus ammunition cans are a great way to store handguns and ammo. For example a 30 caliber ammo can will hold 1,000 loose rounds of 9mm.

There are companies that sell foam inserts that fit in 50 caliber cans that have space cut in it for a handgun, extra magazines and small miscellaneous items. Preload the magazines and you have a great emergency / bug-out / transportation to the range container. If you handle a drill there is are easy to install padlock kits that make it very secure especially from kids and grandkids.

Ammo cans stack easily and can be used for storing a wide variety of things such as a first aid supplies.

There is a lot of information on prepping on the Internet.

 

[Mercury]

My recommendation is to not forget about any medications or flashlight batteries. We did a 12 day stint when Sandy hit and had to do without electricity for the duration.

Secondly, we cannot predict the future with certainty. If gathering these extra supplies brings you and your wife peace of mind, then I say to do it. If not needed for a situation, you can use them up before they expire.

 

[petepeterson]

I agree with your wife. No idea when, but it's coming.
Not many recipes involve cash.

 

[glenwolde]

My hurricane plans include food and water for two weeks, a pre-planned evacuation route/destination, and the means to travel it. I figure after two weeks you'll either be able to resupply, or leave.

I buy water by the case in the smaller bottles. A normal case is three gallons. I stack them chest high in a closet. For one the water is actually a tiny bit cheaper than the gallons and if you need to share you can portion it out more readily.

Don't forget cash money.

You'll never have enough supplies to last forever.

 

[NFrameFred]

For reasons many will understand it is a matter of not "if" but "when" the bottom falls out for America. Others take comfort in denial and whistling through the graveyard.

It has been my firm belief and prediction that should the majority of the nation awake one morning to find the tap produces no water, the light switch has no electricity as a herald that the whole system is down, and this condition lasts for an extended period of a week or two (less in some areas) with no end in sight, a good portion of the population will be dead inside of the first three months as riot and anarchy will be rampant.

No food, fuel, or medicine when the trucks and trains stop running, and when there's nothing to buy even if the goobermint checks had still somehow managed to be distributed for a while, a collapse back to a decidedly more primitive society and general lawlessness will prevail causing small pockets of folks to band together for mutual survival. The cities will go first, and the comparison to some of the worst dystopian novels and movies will be every day life in a lot of places. Those who "bug out" will find it's generally a fallacy to run off into the woods and live off the land, and those of us that realize we can't run and try to fortify and hold our place as long as possible accept the futility of defending a fixed position from a desperate hoard and are mentally prepared for that.

Paraphrasing something many will recognize . . . for your edification . . .

"When is that gonna happen? People have been saying this forever and our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!"

I've chosen to make more permanent preparations.
Selah . . .




.

 

[NYlakesider]

Ivan sounds like your wife is on the right track. You cannot go wrong if you prepare for the worst and hope/pray for the best!

My wife has a organized set of food shelves down in the basement. Stuff rotated in & out! We could get by for at least a year just from whats on the shelves.


Add to that freezer, bottled water and a well that if the generator is working OK and has propane plenty of water. If not last ditch we live between two medium streams. Lots of trees up here and that means plenty of firewood.

 

[biku324]

And here I thought it was just another day. NO feelings of impending doom from me; just Tuesday!

Y2K was almost 24 years ago...

 

[pharmer]

.......FEMA recommends keeping a two week supply of food and water on hand......

Bingo! After 2 weeks "Lord of the Flies" time. I was down in Miami in 1992 3 weeks after Andrew. Brought a van of headshrinks to help counsel victims. We were in comfort at the hotel overlooking Calder racetrack. The rest of the area had the entire infrastructure destroyed. 4 hour line to get into the only operating McDonalds, get killed trying to cut the line. Trash piled on both sides of the street 6 feet high, complete with monster rats. Money wasn't much good, barter was the way. I traded a case of 24 cans Swanson chicken breast for 2 brand new strollers for some infants abandoned by parents who skidaddled. After dark-dark (no artificial light from any source) you are on your own. Rampant gunfire all night. We had FDLE at the Robert E. Lee school where we set up, no A/C and charge holes bored in the support columns ready to go.
Point is be prepared as best you can see for your area. Major infrastructure destruction and your plan is toast. Joe

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Having trouble composing a reply.
Your Wife is doing the Prudent thing.
Lots of bad indications on the horizon.
‘These Times They Are A Changing.’ Dylan
But not for the better.

 

[Tom S.]

I'll have all the meat I'll need, I just got a cook book from the Twilight Zone:

 

[SMSgt]

I survived multiple hurricanes and watch The Walking Dead series every Sunday. I'm ready for anything.

 

[Rule3]

We have survived all the last major hurricanes. Many did not do as well.


Most of the storms we still had water after them, BUT this last one IAN, the water was down for a week due to the catastrophic damage. We had prepared for drinking water but no water to flush or wash with, Thank God for pools and 5 gal buckets. Lots of folks were not that lucky. But there really is little that can be done for storm surge (15 feet)and cat 5 winds (they said 4 but it was a 5)
Many in condos had no way to get water up to the higher floors.

Now you know why they say to fill the bathtubs with water!


As far as FEMA, just forget it. They do not exist!

 

[dockmurgw]

Watch out...next will be shipments of Super Beets, running on the beach and climbing rock piles.

 

[Rudi]

In addition to her other attributes your wife is smart too.

 

[biku324]

Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!!!

 

[ggibson511960]

I've survived in Houston for almost 50 years. Innumerable weather events have taught me that my own adaptability is my best asset. I have watched fools kill themselves with indoor gas generators, kill each other with mass migration stampedes to higher ground and too many other follies to list. FEMA is almost your worst enemy. We had a large forest fire event 10 years ago that was handled quite nicely by locals until FEMA showed up to take over. Thankfully they were run off. The Cajuns in Jefferson and Plaquemine parrishes around New Orleans ran them off. FEMA visited years of misery on Houston by relocating thousands of Katrina refugees with no plan for return.

Unless you have serious, continuing medical or other life support circumstances, the weather events are inconvenient, uncomfortable, but short lived and very survivable if you have common sense. The Brits survived WW II without starving, but not eating very well for a few years.