patrick.net

elliemae says

But when the alien ship lands in my (huge-ass) backyard,

I dunno about alien spacecraft, but I am sure the house I live in was haunted for the first year or two after we moved in. I don't think it is haunted now.
Do I have to disclose it when it comes time to sell?

Patrick....I appreciate you and your logical way of seeing things! Just like the housing bust....you are onto something and people should listen!!!

hey Patrick....move to Canada, buy a homestead near a river, stash some food away, it's not bad there. Nobody will probably bug you...their too polite. Just make sure you like hockey!

sybrib says

I dunno about alien spacecraft, but I am sure the house I live in was haunted for the first year or two after we moved in. I don’t think it is haunted now.
Do I have to disclose it when it comes time to sell?

Finally! A sensible question.

The answer is a resounding NO! Unless your house is actively haunted at the time of the listing (or the time you placed an ad, put a sign front, listed on Craigslist, nailed a sign to a phone pole, or painted "for sale" in florescent paint on your neighbor's roof with an arrow pointing toward your home - and I recommend you wait until the neighbors are away to do this), you don't have to disclose the haunting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jThcc5lbfOs
If a dead clown appears in the window signaling unspeakable evil, however, you might have to have a ready explanation. Might I suggest using the ex-spouse/stalker dressed like a clown excuse? It worked for me.
-------------------------------
Seriously, it doesn't hurt to be prepared for a snowstorm or other disaster. They don't happen often, but when they do it's vital that one be ready. I have a "fire kit" by my door during the summer months, living in the mountains/high desert. I have a weeks' worth of medications and other stuff, you can't be too careful.

what kinds of food you guys would stock ?

francophile,

there are all kinds of reasons for having a reserve, and it will come in handy when you least expect it. There was the time when both parents in the house got sidelined with the flu. Since there was a reserve supply of spare food that didn't need cooking, the kids were able to manage.

There's the time when the refrigerator died during a nasty heat wave when I had to work double shifts (no time to shop for another one); stuff lasted a long time in the freezer since there's always a block of ice in it so we had barbeque for a few days that time;

The "cash stash" has been there in a nick of time for all sorts of stuff that came up, and was replaced the next day the bank was open.

More than once the electricity has gone out after dark when kids had a heavy homework load, including during a storm. Had to go to someone else's house where the lights were still on. A generator would've been nice. One of the homes on my street has a generator because they have a person living there who needs constant power for a dialysis machine or something such thing like that. It makes a large racket but when the power goes out, their lights are still on.

Gasoline ! Remember, people died in the hurricane because they could not evacuate. Probably we won't have a hurricane, but if the electricity is out from an earthquake or whatever then the gas pumps won't work. I still rememeber seeing Jose Canseco on TV, with his babe-a-licious Esther Canseco, still wearing his Oakland A's uniform, stranded when his Trans Am ran out of gasoline a filling station in Woodside where the electricity was out after having evacuated the World Series game in Candlestick Park when the 1989 quake happened. The TV reporters van also ran out of gas there, but had enough battery power to make a story about it on the TV news. Maybe there will be some other reason that we cannot even imagine right now that we'd have to evacuate. You'll never know if you needed it till its too late. Keep enough gas in the tank for the evacuation.

I was thinking exactly like you Patrick, and will get myself a radio HAM license also learn the radio packet on how to hook up the laptop to it, I was dreaming about the "moon bounce" 15 years ago, I think 30 days of dry food supply and water filter is reasonable, and for self defense, few teasers at few hundreds thousands volts each well charged would be OK, may be even safer than gun and ammo, good pair of shoes ready in the car with blanket and battery for radio and light in a backpack ready to "jump" like the boy-scouts, in case of "disaster" (natural or social) I learned from my father in the "war time" that your life is more precious than anything else so "avoiding the elephant is not a shame", just keep low profile and be in good health to be able to run away fast if all the roads are cut-off.
Paper money in that situation would be worthless for sure but we still need few thousands in z pocket, thick enough to go unoticeable.
Thank you Patrick for your clear vision, I was reading regularly to your website

During the Cold War I had a roommate who worked for a defense contractor in the Blue Cube when it was still part of the nuclear deterrent apparatus.

They had "phone drills" where they have to be ready to go to work immediately. Like the Strategic Air Command, theoretically they're supposed to respond as if every drill is the real thing. I suspected that he'd suspect when one wasn't a drill. Of course, they're not supposed to say anything, but he told me the clue would be if I saw him leave with an overnight bag. His girlfriend heard him say that to me.

Some months later when I got home she was hysterical, because he left at a late hour to "go to work", and took his overnight bag. This was as the cold war was winding down and peace was breaking out, so I didn't pay it any attention but she was a nervous wreck.

Some days later I mentioned it to him. Oh yeah, he said, he thought he'd stop by the 24 HR Nautilus he belonged to on the way home, so he took his gym bag.

I think it`s more of a mental preparation individually and as a group then material, though water and some basic needs would would be good to contemplate.

Try getting rid of your Tv and ph, cell for a week, and see how you and your family will deal with each other. After that try cooking without electricity or gas for a week. You`ll get an idea of what you`ll need in both materials and mental capacity.

Though its just an exercise I believe everyone will learn something about themselves and each other. Make everyone inclusive in the exercise so that they also can contribute to the ideas. This way if you are separated when or during an event, your children will not go into a dependency based indecision.

research a good divorce attorney from the fallout of the above exercise in advance :-)

I've worked in Emergency Preparedness and I can tell you that the most likely and most tricky scenario is simply a black out or brown out for more than 3 days. You don't need a disaster or political unrest. Because we live in such a cashless society and no credit cards or atms or checks will be taken in a blackout, by day 4 charity will run thin, tempers will run high, and states of emergency will bring in Unified Commands aka Homeland Security and Marshal Law. That even makes Mayors uneasy.

No money no diapers, food, medicine (and no drugs - so lots of unhappy, even more desperate drug addicts and that is not a small problem.) In China after the large earth quake, the black market was up in a flash collecting all the prescription drugs it could from regular families in return for cash (a) because China uses a lot more cash than we do and (b) because drug dealers have more cash than anybody.

Maybe it will be difficult to turn off the internet but it won't be difficult to turn off electricity. Sure, make friends with the people who have solar - or buy some yourself.

And then there are the pumps. A surprising number of US cities rely on electricity for their pumps to keep water out of major roadways and downtown areas and subways that are all below water table or sea levels. You want to stop a city in its tracks - this will do it. Supplies not coming in, transportation within and in and out all down, logistics nightmare for emergency crews...

I bet Enron could have given us an Egypt if they'd wanted to. ugh

Have food stocks and in any emergency the FIRST thing you do after you are sure your immediate family is alright and your building is stable - is FILL YOUR BATH TUB. Always keep your bathtub(s) clean. You never know if you'll need the water.

You can survive:
3 minutes without air
3 hours of exposure (wet / cold)
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
3 months without chocolate (never been tested tho)

I live in new york city. I always have. I hang out in a lot of really nice neighborhoods and many that are not so nice. Last week's half-a-day Eastern European serial killer notwithstanding, there is very little you cannot talk/maneuver your way into or out of if you have some street smarts.

I was in LA for the riots 18 years ago. BUY YOURSELF A GUN AND LEARN TO USE IT AND TEACH YOUR WIFE AND CHILDREN GUN SAFETY OR MOVE TO A DIFFERENT STATE.

The problem with JUST having survival or storage food is that eventually it runs out (I highly recommend that everyone have at least 3 months of supply for each member of their family--to give one and one's family options as to what to do). But then what are you going to do when your survival/storage food runs out?

As I wrote in another blog, the key to GD2 survival lies in community or even just a group of families, and in the means to produce energy and food locally:

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/02/4-best-methods-for-off-grid-food.html

The key to energy and food self-sufficiency lies in small to medium scale alcohol production on the farm or farmland, as was done 100 years by most farmers throughout the Western world. With alcohol (or ethanol) produced, one can then use alcohol stoves, alcohol heaters, alcohol lamps, alcohol refrigerators, alcohol electricity generators, etc. to be completely energy self-sufficient. Growing veggies using the CO2 produced from alcohol production, and you can grow fish/earthworms/mushrooms using the left over mash from alcohol production.

A 10 acre of land growing crops for alcohol (sugar beets, sweet sorghum, potatoes, cattails, etc.) using hydroponics and aquaponics can theoretically produce over $500,000 of food and fuel products! Think of 10 families banding together to do this. After the expenses and marketing and advertising ($120,000), the net profit can be divided among 10 families making about $38,000 each, and each family doing about 25 to 30 hours of work per week!

That's a killer job to survive and THRIVE during GD2!

Here is a good place to get your supplies: www.redflarekits.com

notoforeclosures, Thats the best idea i`ve seen so far. Farming your own energy along with your food.

I do research for people on what if's in the worst possible situation. I have had a few people refuse to receive my emails any more because they think I am the grim reaper. I am an American and my wife is from Argentina. We both survived Latin American military governments in the 1970's. (Me in Peru and Brasil and Elena in Argentina where some 30,000 people were murdered.) We have survived economic crashes and hyper inflation. I would advise anyone to have the supplies you would need to ride an earthquake. I would recommend a few hundred dollars in cash. But do not keep thousands in the house. There is always a "jungle telegraph" that mysteriously operates. If you keep a big amount of cash in the house, thieves hear about it. The next thing that happens is a violent home invasion and perhaps your murder during the robbery. A foreign bank account would be helpful. Keep the balance $9,900 or less so you do not have to report it to the IRS (Failure to report a foreign bank account over $9,900 is up to ten years in Federal prison.) I would want a very stable currency. I would look at Norway, Sweden, Finland, or Denmark. You should also have a place to go in the countryside where you could "hide out" if things got bad in the big cities. (In our case my sister has a small ranch.) If you are richer or have strong ties to another country, set yourself up as a permanent resident in another country. Argentina has a lot of potential. I can recommend a law firm to help you. A satellite internet wireless internet connection should also be considered.

Riots here in the US? Impossible. You really think the average obese, diabetes ridden lard ass will get off his fat behind and have a standoff with authorities. Now imagine his favorite reality show or sporting event is at the same time the riot is supposed to take place? Nobody would show up. As long as people have enough to eat and a TV they won't riot. Hell, most are not even aware that there is a problem. If anything is wrong its those damn foreigner's fault or the liberals, tree huggers, oil companies or some other imaginary foe du jour.
No, Americans are too fat, too lazy and too stupid to riot. That's why the looting of the banksters continues unabated; they know they have nothing to fear from the American citizens.

I have to agree with der-mupf that riots in US with the Egypt magnitude won't happen. US is to diversified and broken in so many parts. Look at the TV and radio news and the way they are constructed: local news primarily with just a hint of the international news. Even CNN is censured in a way. US government machine has more control that most of the people think it has.
Divide and Rule - this is how the Roman Empire was able to rule huge territories for many centuries.
The information is a power that can spike anything you want! If you control it you can rule. This in a combination with the welfare, relatively low prices of groceries and gasoline compared to Europe and some other parts of the world allows the US Government to keep the masses semi happy. Excluding some local riots (like the LA ones) US was not experiencing any major issues probably since the Civil war.

To illustrate my point that most people are not even aware that we have a problem. Every couple of years we have a ritual called an election. We get to pick between 2 candidates (Republican & Democrat), both of which work for the corporate interest and against the interest of the average voter. Now if you had an educated electorate that is paying attention neither of those candidates should get more than maybe 5-10%. There's are plenty of other options, from radicals on the left, right and religious end to greens, libertarians or independents. Still, all of those outside of the big corporate interest maybe get a combined 1-10% of the vote. That means 90+% of the people who actually vote swallow the propaganda they're being fed by the media without giving it one more thought. Every administration starting with Reagan was out to loot mainstream America for the benefit of the few. They occasionally throw in a few token issues like abortion, gay rights, flag burning, nose picking and what not. That's nothing but a distraction for the unwashed masses. They get off on clowns like Hanity, Olberman or Limbaugh talking themselves into a rage about some utter nonsense. The only issue our political class feels passionate about is how to enrich themselves and their cronies. Granted, the cronies differ a bit. One side prefers big oil and the military industrial complex while the other guys tend to favor finance and insurance. Come to find out, those finance guys are REALLY GOOD at looting America. Much more efficient than those warmongers or oil barons. So the pigs change from time to time, but the feeding buckets always stay the same.

To the comment made by der_mupf, I wish the American voters can realize that only when you have variety to pick from you can make better choice. As like at the grocery store when you have 10-15 different kinds of cereal. However the Republican and Democratic parties are too strong and realize that only by monopoly they can own the American voters and take turns in the government. The current generation is a consumer that received everything readily, it did not to fight for nothing, but just giving it rights and freedom away little by little. The fathers of this nation fought hard for right and freedom, but their successors are giving it away cheap. It is almost about the theory of wealth that says that it takes quite few generations to make a wealth, but only one generation can spend it.
This is what we doing right now in US: we are not building, not creating, but spending. Yet the government spends your money as a taxpayer!

Glad you posted this, I have also been thinking this and feel like it's not a bad idea to be prepared. We have seen what happens, Katrina, Egypt....looting happens near UC Berkeley sometimes. Things happen. Also, buying toothbrushes and soap by the case is cheap on amazon. Then you have stuff you use anyway and pay less.

Here's a list I have been compiling.

water filter and tablets
detergent, soap, sponges
alcohol (vodka?)
rice--vac packed
beans
powdered/ canned milk
seeds
shoes
med supplies, antibiotics

batteries,
hand tools
Fuel.
Zinc sunblock.
toothbrush
Bug spray.
Netting.
Lamp.fuel.
Bike.

gun, ammo (not sure I can really do it, but I might get one and put it in a safe in the attic)

if s*hit hit the fan:
Books--how to
Chickens.
Vegetable garden
wind-up radios
solar cookers
a Coleman stove and liquid fuel for it

p.s. we sold our place at the height in Oakland in 06 and moved east. we saw interest rates go up and bidding go down right away and so sold quick since we did not want to raise kids there. i hear the police no longer respond to certain crimes. what happens in earthquake i wonder?

anyway, that was obvious then, and this type of prep seems reasonable and prudent.

The best survival blog on the Internet is at:

http://www.survivalblog.com

I expect a high potential for martial law (regardless of the event trigger -- this is no longer relevant) at some point and a knock on the door to vacate to a pre-designated emergency center. That's when each household will need to make a decision to lose all Constitutional rights, or bug out to a pre-designated destination.

Handing over your legal rights will be a hard choice. There will nothing to prevent you or your loved ones from being raped, murdered, or starved to death once you give up your rights and hand them to someone else. Once in an emergency shelter under such a situation, you will not have the ability to leave at will. Depending on the event and the intent, you may be in such a shelter for a long period of time.

Given the education level, violent tendencies, and self-righteousness/lack of religion of the average person, do you feel comfortable in a situation in which you would be forced to live in close proximity with countless such people in desperate conditions, with no legal rights, and under armed guard? Consider the inefficiencies of your caretakers, or their potential for corruption. Would you rather try your best to survive on your own?

That is the question you need to ask yourself before you find yourself not having a choice in the matter because you did not prepare ahead of time. Once you bug out on your own, you will always have the ability to show up at an emergency shelter, assuming you have been checking local reports on how well people are surviving in those shelters.

Riots could happen in the USA but it would take some major event to trigger it. An event that the average Joe never thought would/could happen. By nature, Americans for the most part are very lazy and don't really take the time to understand things. Most people probably can't even figure out how APR is calculated on their credit cards. Or they don't care to understand.

It would take something like the financial system collapsing or falling apart. Or a run on the banking system where people couldn't access their bank accounts. Even so, these days you can electronically transfer out funds without the actual branch being open but if something were to happen where banks shut down you'd have chaos and riots.

I remember I was in Argentina back in 2001 when their financial system and banks fell apart. Banks closed overnight and basically any funds people had in their accounts were suddenly devalued and worth 1/3 of what they had. Banks closed down and were shut and people could only withdraw $300 US per month. The amazing thing to me is there were people protesting and banging on pots and pans in the street.

If the same thing happened in the USA, you'd have right wing nuts blowing up banks. I'm sure of it. People try to argue and then I remind them, "why did those nuts blow up the Oklahoma City building?". It was because they weren't happy with the government. So imagine how unhappy people would be if they couldn't withdraw their funds.

While I think the Egypt style chaos isn't likely I do think there could be some event in the next few decades that involves rioting and protesting on a larger scale.

I think it's wise to own another property in another country as well. Preferably one that you enjoy anyway for vacations. Then if things went sour you would always have another place to go to.

bubbleburst --

Are you suggesting that the reason people would not have access to their money during a financial crisis would be because the banks were fearful of being blown up by upset people? Banks were not blown up in Argentina, Iceland, the Soviet Union, or any of the countries the IMF has "helped." Why do you think that would that happen here?

According to Tim McVeigh, Oklahoma City was to help protect religious freedom in the US, through intimidation.

bubblesburst says

Riots could happen in the USA but it would take some major event to trigger it. An event that the average Joe never thought would/could happen. By nature, Americans for the most part are very lazy and don’t really take the time to understand things. Most people probably can’t even figure out how APR is calculated on their credit cards. Or they don’t care to understand.
It would take something like the financial system collapsing or falling apart. Or a run on the banking system where people couldn’t access their bank accounts. Even so, these days you can electronically transfer out funds without the actual branch being open but if something were to happen where banks shut down you’d have chaos and riots.
I remember I was in Argentina back in 2001 when their financial system and banks fell apart. Banks closed overnight and basically any funds people had in their accounts were suddenly devalued and worth 1/3 of what they had. Banks closed down and were shut and people could only withdraw $300 US per month. The amazing thing to me is there were people protesting and banging on pots and pans in the street.
If the same thing happened in the USA, you’d have right wing nuts blowing up banks. I’m sure of it. People try to argue and then I remind them, “why did those nuts blow up the Oklahoma City building?”. It was because they weren’t happy with the government. So imagine how unhappy people would be if they couldn’t withdraw their funds.
While I think the Egypt style chaos isn’t likely I do think there could be some event in the next few decades that involves rioting and protesting on a larger scale.
I think it’s wise to own another property in another country as well. Preferably one that you enjoy anyway for vacations. Then if things went sour you would always have another place to go to.

I think once living standards decline further and unemployment rises we'll have huge protests of same caliber. The way I see it, there is no point to live in a society if one is going to be treated like crap in it and suffer.

US is a much larger territory, so it is harder to setup a protest. It's one thing where travel time is an hour, it's totally different where you have to fly for 6 hours to get to the east coast.

Nomograph says

ChrisLA says

The way I see it, there is no point to live in a society if one is going to be treated like crap in it and suffer.

Victim much?

Quite often, the bully is the victim, as well. Poor relations with emotionally unavailable parents, who are verbally abusive. And quite often, the victim becomes the bully, later on.

Doesnt take much to get a riot going. Imagine if this system went down for whatever the reason.
http://www.jpmorgan.com/tss/General/J_P_Morgan_Report_Outlines_Plan_for_Adoption_of_Electronic_/1159375607707

Don't be fooled by the media, you need guns and ammunition in "worst case scenario". You have been brained washed by the media on the "children killed in homes that have guns".
Here is some real statistics from a book written by Dr. John Lott who is an economist and former Yale University School of Law researcher best known for his book More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. In that book, he detailed research arguing "allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes, without increasing accidental deaths."
Also in the book is the following chapter...........

"False impression from reporting on children killed with guns."

Lott argues that reporting on children accidentally killed with firearms is also misleading.

"The impression that we would get... is that surely we're talking about young kids who die from accidental gunshots in the home, and that we're talking about something that is essentially at epidemic type rates," Lott said. "[But] in 1999, the last year for which data was available when I did the book, there were 31 accidental gun deaths in the United States involving kids under age 10.

"If you break down these 31 cases, there were actually six cases in the United States in that year where a child under 10 either accidentally shot themselves to death or another child," he added.

Again, Waldman acknowledged the apparent bias but attributed it to the desire to grab an audience's attention, not a bias against guns.

"Kids are used by journalists as kind of an easy device to lend emotion and drama to their news," he said.

"You wonder why children getting shot gets more attention than other kinds of death," Waldman continued. "I think it's because it's tragic and violent and dramatic all at the same time, and these are all things that news is drawn to."

But Lott believes the unbalanced media coverage contributes to public acceptance of the false statistic created by anti-gun groups that "nine children are killed by guns every day."

According to data in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, achieving the "nine children a day" number would require including "children" as old as 24 years of age, depending on the year chosen for analysis. More than 50 percent of that nine per day are young adults who successfully attempt suicide.

Of the remaining shooting victims 17 to 24 years of age, 70 percent were actively involved in criminal activity at the time of their deaths.

The rate of true "children" dying from accidental gun deaths in law-abiding homes is "essentially zero," Lott argued, when only accidental shootings by and of children under 10 years of age are considered.

"You're talking about something that's akin to children in those homes dying from lightning strikes," Lott explained. "To the extent to which these rare [accidental shootings of children] occur, they overwhelmingly take place in... households where someone with a criminal record, an adult, is accidentally firing the gun."

Statistics Lott gathered from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the causes of accidental deaths in children less than 10 years of age in 1999 (the latest year for which data were available when the book was being written) support his contention:

•Motor vehicle crashes -- 1260
•Accidental residential fires -- 484
•Pedestrians killed by vehicles -- 370
•Drowning in bathtubs -- 93
•Bicycle accidents -- 81
•Accidental discharge of a firearm -- 31
•Accidental discharge of a firearm by a child under 10 years of age -- 6
Looking at the data from 1995 through 1999, Lott discovered only five to nine cases per year in which a child shot him or herself or another child.

"Whether it's five or nine or six or 31, obviously it would be far better if it were zero, but I think some perspective is needed here," he argued. "You have to consider that there are some 90 million Americans who own guns, that you're talking about 40 million kids in this age group.

"It's pretty hard to think of virtually any other item that's as commonly owned in American homes that's anywhere near as remotely dangerous, that has as low of an accidental death rate," Lott said. "You have as many kids, or more, who literally die being caught up in combines on farms each year as you have children accidentally killing other kids."

I guess it depends on how bad you think things might get. If your thinking about general unrest or localized disaster your emergency planning kit would look much different then preparing for the end the world. I think 5,000 rounds of ammo stockpiled would qualify as dooms day planning. Unless patrick.net is turning into a survivalist forum, I'll assume you not digging a fallout shelter type of planning.

A generator would be most useful, think about it pretty much everything in your house runs off electricity. I really like those 8 kWh whole house backup generators that run around $10,000, preferably something that runs off of propane. Gas or Diesel is ok, but you have to swap your your fuel every 3 months because there is a expiration date on those fuels. Propane never goes bad, so your system will be ready to run at a moments notice with minimal maintenance. Of course if you not looking to spend that kind of money, you can get a 5000w portable gas generator for under $1,000. Have at least ten gallons of fuel on hand at all times to run it. Remember to cycle out your fuel every 3 to 6 months. You can dump the 10 gallons of gas in your car and go get another 10 gallons to replace it with. Only run the critical things you need to with it, like your refrigerator. Also know the load ratings for anything your going to plug into it. You can damage things like well pumps if the generator isn't strong enough to handle the load.

Patrick,

Just read "Emergency: This book will save your life" by Neil Strauss. Neil went through the same thinking and for a period of 3 years learned from the best in all the fields necessary to be a great survivalist (got a citizenship elsewhere, became an EMT, learned to fight, to shoot a handgun, ride a motorcycle, fly a plane, live in the wilderness with nothing but a knife, put together emergency supplies, etc.).
And the book is fun to read.

http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-This-Book-Will-Save/dp/0060898771

ohomen171 says

I would want a very stable currency. I would look at Norway, Sweden, Finland, or Denmark

Finland uses the Euro, so that would hardly be a stable currency.

If you really want to know what is going on go to the internet site www.cuttingedge.org. Everything that is happening has been prophesized in the Bible. The world is being organized into the New World Order (which is on our dollar bill) which will have 10 supernations. This is being done by people who basically own the world. There was a card game that came out in the 1990's, I think, that foretold about 911 and things that would happen because of it. This makes it obvious that it was planned a long time before it happened and that there are people controlling things behind the scenes. Move to the country. Learn to barter, grow your own food and grow herbs for medicine. Get off the grid. Buy a gun from West Virginia or Texas where you don't have to report anything. There are many survival books out there.

The Scandinavian countries do not use the Euro!!!

I think so much about my grandparents and their lifestyle when I look at the "lessons of today" and being prepared. My grandparents, having lived through the great depression, had a cellar full of canned and dried foods, and an amazing capacity to save. This was common for their generation and something following generations strayed from recently. They were also some of the most kind and practical people I knew. I use them as a sort of model for thinking about being sensibly prepared.

Preparing 'quake kits or extended emergency kits is a fun little side hobby to have. I certainly don't dwell on end of the world scenarios nor am I looking to stop a zombie invasion either, but it is kind of good knowing you have a little extra.

You mentioned you have some extra food and water. Nice work. I assume by extra water you mean a pretty large volume of it, stored in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, and treated with a little bleach for extra shelf life? If not, that's the number one priority: especially in the Bay Area. It's very arid here and even though I think I have enough stored for my wife and I for three weeks I know we will be wanting more. I have a new born on the way so I have to start adding to our prep there as well.

There are some good regular down to earth folks out there thinking along "preper" lines. There are also some borderline crazy folks too. Here is one of my favorite 'preper' YouTubers in a video that I like. Pretty no nonsense and am always thankful for the downplaying of the firearm "pow pow kill the bad guys" angle he takes on everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVuTAS7zw4A

In closing I'd say, obviously, that no one should wish for any emergency scenario to happen, prophesied or otherwise. The adventure of it will wear off in two days and you will want your internet back in one. Be safe. Prepare enough for yourself, family, and prepare a bit more for friends and neighbors. It's easy to dwell on the doom and get wrapped up in paranoia at the cost of good enjoyable living. As with everything, including housing markets, balance is needed.

Sounds like you are pretty sensible in your approach from what you wrote though. I sense a like mind. Hope you have fun prepping.

ohomen171 says

The Scandinavian countries do not use the Euro!!!

The euro (sign: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It is also the currency used by the EU institutions. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro

I have had the misfortune of living through several disasters, including the Rodney King riots, the Northridge Earthquake, Hurricanes Andrew, Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma. When one of these events happens, you basically take the population and divide them into two groups: those that planned (Planners) and those that didn't (Victims). The Planners stay at home, eat well, and generally get through the crisis with relative ease. The victims stand in endless lines waiting for the national guard to hand out things like water and ice. They quickly fall into despair because they are unable to take care of themselves and the government is unable to take care of them. Remember the images of the Katrina victims?

The list of items that will help you is virtually endless. Here are a few I consider essential:

Portable Generator: Try living without ANY electricity for weeks. You can do it but it sucks.

Gas cans: Gas runs the generator, the generator runs everything else. These are also notoriously hard to find after a disaster because there is no warehouse full of them. Go to Wal-Mart today and see how many (few) are on the shelf.

Gasoline: Fill the cans at the first sign of a problem if possible. Fill your car(s) so you can leave if you want. Most disasters are local. Civilization is just a couple hours drive away.

Food: By the time you realize you need to go to the supermarket to get supplies, thousands of others have picked the shelves clean.

Water: Same as food, only much more important. A gallon per person per day.

Guns/Ammo: In times of crisis, people get desperate. Your food, water, medicine is what they NEED. Don't think they won't take it, whether for themselves, their kids, or their gang.

In the aftermath of Andrew I had a neighbor who was desperately trying to load his truck with the few supplies he had on hand. As he was putting the stuff into the truck, three guys approached, beat the @#$! out of him and helped themselves to his food and water. He didn't have a chance. His kids lost their food and water and almost lost their dad. If you hate/fear guns, buy a handgun and stick it in a lock box with some ammo. Hopefully it never comes out of the box. But if you need it, you WILL be glad you have it.

Medicine: If you take prescription meds, keep at least 30 days on hand. The pharmacist may be too busy taking care of his/her family and not be around to help you with your blood pressure or whatever. Also keep on hand a good first aid kit WITH ANTIBIOTICS. The hospital is a miserable place during a crisis and your moderate/minor injury will not get priority over all the trauma patients.

Shelter: Emergency shelters at high schools, churches, etc. are HELL-HOLES. If nothing else, buy a good tent to stay in until you can get out of town to a friend's place or a hotel.

Cash: Price gouging is illegal but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Plan on everything costing twice its regular price.

Propane grill: You can cook anything on this. The tanks are easy to store and last a long time.

Good luck!

If you're living near a city I'd consider finding a "vacation" place in the country. Cities are totally dependent on infrastructure, and people tend to freak out when their water and electricity stop working for weeks at a time. Also, there's less chance you'll have to worry about government intervention, as rural areas are generally left to fend for themselves for longer periods. Also, rural homes tend to run on propane and well water, both of which will still work when the grid goes down.

Definitely get a generator, preferably solar or something other than gas, as oil will become scarce/very expensive. Start a garden and learn how to grow staples like beans, tomatoes, etc. If you're not part of a CSA(Community Supported Agriculture) look into joining one. Local farmers may be the only ones still producing food you can access. Consider raising a few chickens, even a goat if you have room(for the milk).

Purchase some type of handgun or shotgun and teach yourself how to properly use it. Instruct your kids on gun safety, kids are more likely to be curious about things you try to hide, than things you explain and educate them about. I wouldn't buy 5,000 rounds, but buy enough ammo to be able to reload it several times in case you have to at least shoot it into the air to scare away people who prey on the unprotected during times of turmoil.

Keep some cash handy, but very little as it may become worthless for the short, or long term. Invest in small gold and silver coins. They retain value regardless of government action, and are easily bartered with. Buy well known common types like Krugerrand's or junk silver(dimes, nickles, quarters made before 1963 - 99% silver).

Learn how to treat yourself and your kids for any common medical problems that may arise, or area specific to your family.

And have a backup plan if things get worse, i.e. you no longer want to live in the US. If things get bad enough with marshall law, loss of freedom, etc, you may find living in a third world country, or island somewhere preferable to work camps. It never hurts to plan the next step, even if you will probably never take it.

francophile100 says

Thanks for all your comments! I like the generator idea - hadn’t considered that.
It’s interesting to note the assumptions people made about my gender and political leanings.
I’m just your standard issue, over-educated, divorced, Bay Area Liberal-type chick. Who’s going to take a Ham radio Technician test next month.

I recommend the Honda EU2000i model which is lightweight, portable, reliable, sips gas, and has low decibels (low noise) which is helpful if you are trying to be low-key. You may also purchase a propane conversion kit (pre-installed or DIY) so it runs on either gas or propane. Check eBay for decent deals. Buy battery charging cables for it, too. And don't forget to keep 6+ gallons of gas stored with Sta-bil added, though if the gas is old and the acetone is evaporated (creates the ignition spark) I usually have good luck by adding octane boost.

I read survival blog daily and have learned alot on how to prepare myself and those I care about.

Civilization depends on electricity. When we lose electric things rapidly start going into the shitter whether the loss is natural or man made, the electric distro system in the US is probably the most vulnerable network and the network that other networks depend on.

1)Get one or more hand crank radios that combine AM/FM/NOAA, led flashlight and cell phone charger.Also charges by solar cell, less than $25 at Amazon etc.

2)Get an AC/DC voltage converter that runs off the car, you can get 400W converters for less than $50 and 2500/5000W (peak) for about $125. Get a couple long heavy extension cords and you won't be in the dark. Lots of pickups and SUVs have 400W AC plugs standard. Idling gas powered engines isn't ideal but this is to get by in an emergency. A hell of a lot cheaper than buying a backup generator.

3) Get 2 or 3 five gallon jerry cans and rotate and use to keep the gas "fresh".If there is an extended blackout gas will be hard to get.

4) Take a Red Cross first aid course and buy a good first aid kit.

5) Set up a home cash stash, split the stash and put it in a couple different locations. No electric means no ATMs among other things. Wells Fargo briefly lost their ATM network last week by the way, software glitch.

6) If you live in a location with real winter weather and you have nat gas then consider a simple ventless gas log insert for the fireplace, it's 99% efficient, doesn't need electric to operate and will keep you and your pipes from freezing, they will be on end-of-season sales at HD & Loews.

7) Get an extra fire extinguisher or two, they last a long time.

8) Shotguns are easy to use and very effective, you don't need to be a sharpshooter to be effective. Don't do things half way, get a 12GA and plenty of OO buck shot. Go to a range and learn to load it and use it. The extra ammo will be great to barter if things get really bad! Gun locks are plentiful and inexpensive.

One more thing, if you're a multi cell phone family it might be good to get network diversity by having your cells on different networks in case one goes out, Verizon and ATT probably have the strongest networks,FIOS has an 8 hour backup battery for conventional phone service.